Disclaimer: please see chapter 1

Chapter Two

Aesop Sharp thought the words 'quaint', 'idyllic' and 'charming' would be the words one would use describe Aranshire. He disagreed; 'boring', 'dull' and 'mundane' came to the forefront of his mind. Cottages with gabled, thatched roofs dotted around a water feature that was pride and centre of the hamlet. In the background, trees were shooting leaves, the emerald green leaves gracing the town with some shade from the sun. It was all perfectly… normal.

Silas Sallow greeted Aesop by drawing him into his arms. Aesop, by contrast, stood still, back ramrod straight.

"It's good to see you again, my friend," Silas gushed, unable to keep that wide, face splitting grin off his face. "It's been too long."

Aesop merely raised an eyebrow. Friends… with the passage of time that had passed, the label was a bit of a stretch. They had been friends when they were at Hogwarts, right from when they had sat as complete strangers in the same compartment for their first train ride to school and Silas and him had shared chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties. Even being sorted into different houses – Aesop into Slytherin and Silas into Ravenclaw - hadn't put a damper on their budding friendship. Brothers from another mother was how close they came. Rivals too, but it was friendly and in the spirit of being competitive. They were both Chasers on their respective Quidditch team, both competing to be top of the class in subjects they shared together (Silas' thirst for knowledge and his ability to retain information he read once providing him a distinct advantage over Aesop, which just made Aesop more determined to beat him), and as they got older, rivals by competing for the affection of the woman they were both attracted to.

It was the only time Aesop had succumbed to second place, and Silas came first. Emerys had told Aesop that he was lovely, charming, decent and respectable, but she felt nothing more than friendship with him. She told him that there would be a woman out there for him, that would match his cunning and smart and be a better fit for him in all the ways she couldn't.

Aesop had not seen it coming, but then again, he wasn't used to losing to Silas. The betrayal and loss of his affection drove Aesop away, and he distanced himself from Silas and Emerys to lick his wounds. As time passed and they progressed through their final year at Hogwarts, a tenuous acquaintanceship was reached. Aesop was on track to fulfil his boyhood dream of joining the Ministry as an Auror. Silas and Emerys travelled, reading and devouring knowledge of magic from around the globe, dropping Aesop the occasional note to see how he was faring.

Had he been a betting man, Aesop would have wagered the contents of his vault at Gringotts on the likelihood that Silas and Emerys would continue to travel and refuse to lay down roots. But here they were. Walking through Aranshire, Silas uttering a stream of consciousness that Aesop was definitely not keeping up with as Silas led them on. Walking to a cottage with a stone retaining wall and flowers growing in rusted out cauldrons by the window.

Aesop came to a stop suddenly. There were babies now in Silas' front yard. A boy with unruly brown hair and a girl, who Aesop suspected would have the same unruly mop as her brother, had it not been for the bonnet wrapped around her head and strapped under her chin. They appeared to be the same age. Siblings. Siblings playing in the mud, arms and legs making happy splashes around them. Giggles too. The sunlight caught the boy's eye; Aesop noted they were brown, burnt umber with flecks of caramel and something dark and sinister glinted back at him. The hint of freckles danced across the cheeks and nose of the boy. The girl, too, had the same eyes, but she lacked the shadow of malevolence that her brother had.

"That's Sebastian, or Seb, because sometimes I like to annoy my wife by using it," Silas said, unnecessarily pointing to the boy, as if Aesop couldn't determine which name went with which child. "And Annette. Anne for short."

"You and Emerys must be pleased," Aesop eventually managed, and he laid to rest any harbouring resentment he felt towards the woman he lost and the man that had claimed her. Despite his idle thoughts earlier in the day, this was not the life he was destined to lead at the moment.

"Bit of a surprise, really," Silas admitted. "Not only were we surprised that Emerys was with child, but surprised by twins. But a welcome surprise. Life has changed, but for the better."

Aesop quirked an eyebrow again.

"I accepted a position at Hogwarts. Studies of Ancient Runes. Seemed to be the appropriate time to settle down," Silas gestured, once again, unnecessarily at his children. "Emerys will be teaching Muggle Studies and Music."

"I suppose congratulations are in order, for many reasons," Aesop conceded, holding out his hand to shake Silas'.

Silas grinned again as his hand met Aesop's. "Which brings me to the reason I asked you here."

Aesop's eyebrows quirked again as he listened to Silas' request. He wondered if they were quirking so much that they would climb off the top of his head.

"Not Soloman?" Aesop finally managed as he wrapped his head around the fact that Emerys and Silas wanted him to look after their children if something unforgivable happened to them.

"No." The head shake from Silas was empathetic. "Not Soloman. Emerys quite agrees it should be you."

A pause.

"He doesn't approve of Emerys. He doesn't approve of the children. He's my brother, but no. He's never wanted the company; that's why he lives in isolation at Feldcroft. That's why he's always away at work, always asking for more cases as an Auror, hunting down people so he doesn't have to face that loneliness will be his reality unless he changes his reality. Children need someone to guide them, to show them light from dark and give them time, not make them feel like an inconvenience. Not Soloman."

"I'm an Auror too," Aesop pointed out, as though that was explanation enough.

"You turned up," Silas countered, eyes level with Aesop's. "Which is more than I can say for my older brother."

Aesop was torn; he was living his life and chasing his dream. Being an Auror was enough for him, but he also heeded the warning Silas was giving him.

Don't be like Soloman. Don't let the dank and dark corners of work slowly creep into your life until it becomes an all-consuming obsession to catch perpetrators of Dark Magic. Have a little light in your life. Have some family. Enjoy the innocence while you can.

But could he, in good conscience, promise what he knew he could not keep? What if he died on the job and Emerys and Silas weren't around either? Who would look after the twins then? He had no family any more.

Silas sensed the hesitation coming from Aesop. Asking Aesop was right; he was adept for the job, should something happen to Emerys and him.

"It's not that I don't want to," Aesop heard himself say slowly, tactfully trying to find a way to let Silas down and still maintain a burgeoning acquaintanceship. "Being an Auror is a taxing job, a dangerous job. I leave every day knowing I may not make it back, and I'm away for long periods of time. It might be more damaging to Sebastian and Annette if something happened to me while they were in my care. I'm afraid I cannot be their guardian for that reason, but in the event that something happens to you and Emerys, I will look out for them as best I can."