Summers Die (Edward)

[Evelyn Wenlock]

----------------------The summers die, one by one.
How soon they fly on and on. Bring him peace, bring him joy.
He is young. He is only a boy.----------------------

Evelyn hadn’t slept, couldn’t sleep, she just lay in bed twisting her wedding rings around her finger. This last night of summer had always been the hardest; first it had just been Edward getting busy again and going to the school, then it was their oldest following him to school, and now it was Jonathan’s turn. She really didn’t have anything to worry about with Edward there and Gwen had a lot more of her mother’s bravado than the girl knew, but it was still one of the things that kept Evelyn awake. In an effort to keep her mind off of the trip to London that they would be making later, her mind wandered to the need of painting the ceiling, the handful of orders waiting downstairs for her to fill, and the one thought she hadn’t stopped having for almost a year.

Sirius Black. An insane part of her didn’t even care he was a convicted murderer but wanted him back; he was her Brawd, hadn’t even met her two youngest children, and refused to think of him as dangerous. The Prophet had picked up the seemingly impossible get away that Sirius made from Hogwarts and there was just something about the story that didn’t make sense, like Dumbledore letting an escaped convict get away because she was pretty sure that escaping Dumbledore was more impossible than escaping Azkaban. Evelyn had tried to keep her fanatical watch over the Prophet’s coverage of Sirius’ escape secret, but she suspected that she hadn’t done that well.

Edward’s soft snoring got her to finally look away from the ceiling and she smiled, her hand coming up to touch the grey that grew from his temples now. Her hand went to his forehead, the wrinkles deeper than they had been when he was her Professor, her Athro, and deeper than when they started dating. Evelyn pressed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth before getting up carefully, deciding that the best way to spend the last couple hours with the entire family under one roof until Christmas would be to get to some of the brewing she had to do instead of worrying. Jonathan would be fine, Gwennie was more remarkable than she seemed to know sometimes, and Edward would be back after the feast with news on which house their son was sorted into. It would be wrong to bet on their children, but Evie knew she raised at least one Gryffindor.

Her personal lab had to be locked at all times considering the danger of such ingredients and potions in the hands of small children, but she never kept the door closed while she worked. Evelyn would be surprised if any of her children developed a passion for potion-making but she never wanted to be shut away from them. Her apron was made from a heavy dragon hide, but the added weight was comforting as she slipped it around her neck and she barely noticed it after the first moments of putting it on. There was a never ending supply of potions to brew, which was a good sign for her little business but could be a little intimidating. A local doctor had ordered a fairly large batch of Skele-Gro and while it wasn’t the easiest potion to brew in the middle of the night, a large order would be better to complete than the handful of personal orders waiting to get filled.

She was still a Muggle at heart, collecting her ingredients and prepping her work station manually. The thought of using her wand didn’t even cross her mind, not that she could anyway as it was still on her nightstand, normally next to her wedding rings; a nightly routine mirrored on her husband’s own table. Evelyn looked up at the clock on the wall and tried to guess when Edward would wake, she wanted to be back in bed by that time so he could be spared from waking up alone. Unfortunately, Evie rarely succeeded in watching the time when she brewed.

Hours passed; the artificial lighting giving way to natural and she shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was when Edward found her. Evelyn stopped what she was doing, lowered the flame to a simmer and left her work at a safe place until the afternoon, and smiled at him. She smoothed down her pajamas and thick dragon skinned apron before walking over and kissing the stubbly cheek. “You need a shave. Are the kids awake? I need to go get breakfast on.” Her words didn’t stop as she brushed past him and toward the kitchen to prepare the last breakfast for her entire family until Christmas. “I was thinking some sausage, toast, maybe some cereal or do you think I should stay with all hot things?” Evelyn began to treat her kitchen the very same way she treated her workstation - ingredients out, manually of course, and preparing them before even thinking about cooking.

--------------------------------------------

date: September 1, 1994
tagged: Edward Wenlock
words: 828 Words
lyrics: Bring Him Home - Les Miserables
notes: Are you sure my babies can't stay babies?
outfit: Pajamas

[/blockquote]

[Edward Wenlock]

We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

It wasn't unusual for Edward Wenlock to have nightmares. At least, it hasn't been for the past seventeen years. His dreams weren't the type that made one thrash and bolt upright in a cold sweat, but they were often troubling, and upon waking Edward could never remember what it was that he'd dreamed. Evelyn told him that he frowned in his sleep, which he joked was why she always confused him for being sour whenever his awake - his face really did stick that way. He thought about her after he awoke that morning to find her side of the bed empty and cold. It was still too early for breakfast, but if he knew his wife she was probably in her potions lab seeing to all the brewing that needed to be finished. She'd gained three more clients in the past month, one of whom placed large orders.

Edward rolled out of bed, grabbing his wand from the nightstand before flicking it at the bed. The sheets and comforter slid flat over the mattress and the pillows fluffed up and bounced into place against the headboard. After a beast of a yawn he trudged into the bathroom to bathe, his thoughts wandering to the day ahead of him. His son was starting his first year at Hogwarts, and Gwen was entering into her fourth. He looked forward to the feast that evening, but first they needed to take the kids to London so that they could make the train.

Getting dressed, Edward found himself stepping into a rather tight pair of boxers, and it wasn't until they were halfway up his calf that he realized they were Evie's. Sighing, he tossed them back in the drawer and searched for a clean pair, then he slipped into a pair of slacks and a blue button up. He was sitting on the edge of Evie's side of the bed, tugging on his shoes when the door opened and Dodger bounded up to him, tongue and tail wagging. "Hey, Dodger," he beamed softly, scratching the back of the golden retriever's head briefly before he finished tying his shoelaces. "Where's Mummy, hmm?"

Dodger padded after him as Edward unlocked the door to Evie's lab, but Edward stuck his leg out to prevent the dog from getting in again. Dylan had cried all afternoon because she'd thought Mummy was serious when she'd said she was going to kill their dog... Edward still wasn't sure that she wasn't. Closing the door behind him, he smiled when he saw his wife bent over one of her large cauldrons, stirring. "Morning, dear."

Evelyn finished what she was doing and smiled up at him, smoothing down her apron before she walked over to kiss him on his stubbled cheek. “You need a shave. Are the kids awake? I need to go get breakfast on.”

"Gwen isn't," he replied, only knowing that because he hadn't heard her heavy feet clomping around on the floor above him. "Jonathan might be, but I haven't checked." His son was unusually quiet, a trait that Evelyn was sure to point out hadn't come from her. Gwen was more like her mother in appearance and volume, but in many ways she was Evie's antithesis. "I'll go check if you want."

“I was thinking some sausage, toast, maybe some cereal or do you think I should stay with all hot things?”

"Ooh, make it all," he replied as he headed out the kitchen door. There wasn't anything that didn't sound good, and his stomach rumbled in agreement with that thought. He walked up the stairs to go check on the kids, freezing mid step halfway up as his hand gripped onto the banister. Paralyzed with paranoia and anxiety, Edward was unable to move. "Dad!" Blinking, he looked up to see Gwendolyn coming down the stairs in an oversized sweatshirt and shorts, her hair pulled into a high ponytail with a thick scrunchie. "You gonna stand there all day?"

She sounded exactly like her mother did whenever she stumbled across him staring blankly ahead. They put on an air of frustration, which was genuine sometimes, but the truth was that his wife and children were frightened of him sometimes. He knew why, of course, but he couldn't help it. His mind wasn't quite what it used to be.
"No," he replied as she paused in front of him on the stairs. "Your brother up?" Gwen shrugged and Edward smiled at her. It was remarkable how much she looked like her mother. He was glad she'd gotten his logic, however. He scooped her into his arms and she squealed in surprise as he hugged her tightly to him. It was a ritual of his to be overly affectionate with her right before school began, because when he saw her in the castle she was no longer his daughter, but his student, and he didn't feel it was appropriate to scoop her up in the corridors for a hug and a kiss. She visited his office often, although it was usually to ask for more parchment or to see if she could borrow their owl, or more often than not to visit her Uncle Hugh, with whom Edward had shared an office for nearly twenty years.

He set Gwen back on her feet and smiled down at her. He touched the side of her face fondly before shooing her off to breakfast. He found Jonathan anxiously repacking his trunk and Edward walked over and grabbed the boy by his elbow, drawing him away from the mess he'd made so that he could go have breakfast. Dylan's room was empty, and Edward nearly panicked until he heard her laugh ringing from the kitchen and he smiled. He trotted back downstairs to join his family in the kitchen. Dylan was sitting on the counter watching her mother cook, her feet swinging lightly against the counter and Jon and Gwen were setting the table. Evie had always been good at putting her kids to work.

"Smells good, Evelyn," he said as he entered. He walked up behind Evie just as Dylan dipped her finger in the batter and Edward's brow furrowed in disgust. "Ugh, Dylan!" She looked up at him with doe eyes and giggled. Edward grabbed a clean dish towel and wrapped it around the fingers she had just pulled from her mouth and told her to go wash her hands. The girl was nine years old, but she still behaved like a toddler. It was Evie's fault, he knew it. Regardless, he kissed his wife on the cheek as he watched her finish up preparations for breakfast. "Did you sleep at all?" he asked quietly, knowing that the answer was probably 'no.'

TAG Evelyn Wenlock
DATE September 1, 1994
LYRICS "Wonderful Journey" - Donna Lewis
WORDS one thousand one hundred twenty three
NOTES My, aren't we domestic?

[Evelyn Wenlock]

----------------------The summers die, one by one.
How soon they fly on and on. Bring him peace, bring him joy.
He is young. He is only a boy.----------------------

Mornings were always controlled chaos in the Wenlock household and Evie had expected the small tug at her shirt, Edward’s shirt, before it had even happened. Dylan was their baby and the large thick curls made her look as young as they treated her. It was impossible to regret this though when her chubby little arms wrapped around her hips for a hug. Evelyn bent slightly over her, holding her head against her stomach before hoisting Dylan up to sit on the counter. At this height, Evie began to pluck at the messy curls that plagued the whole family only to give up and hand her a spoon, “Wants to help me stir, yeah? Good girl!” She blew a raspberry against her cheek before giving the girl the bowl of pancake mix that she had been preparing. The toaster had been enchanted to produce enough toast for at least ten pieces to go to each member of the family and the sausage was in need of being turned so it wouldn’t burn.

Gwendolyn bound into the kitchen, a mild shock as she had expected Jon to show up first. “Hey, sweetheart, did your father have to wake you up?” Evelyn was curious on how far behind her son and husband were when she noticed the slight bite Gwen took of her bottom lip. “No, Dad was staring again. On the stairs.” There was little to do about Edward’s condition; no excuses needed to be made or even could be made, but it was always troubling to see him like that - especially for Evie, who had once been the pupil of an incredibly brilliant man and had watched the subtle shifts. He was still Edward and she had never been in love with the man he was, but it still hurt to see the repercussions of what made him the way he was today.

Evelyn gave a decisive nod, smoothing down her apron to realize that it was still her heavy work one. She gave an impatient sigh and switched to a more ruffled and frilly one that was saved for kitchen use. Gwen’s nose wrinkled against the flowery print, but Evelyn decided to ignore it, “Thank you for telling me, but I’m sure he was just thinking how much he’ll miss you. Selfish bastard gets more time with you than I do.” Her mouth curled into a wide grin before shooing Gwen to the table. “Set the table, will you? And remember the rule about saying the word ‘bastard’?” Her youngest piped up sucking on the spoon she was supposed to be stirring with, ”Don’t say bad words in front of Daddy!” Evelyn beamed and gave her a “that’s my girl” just as Jonathan joined them. He looked a little disoriented to be put to work so quickly the moment he entered the kitchen and Dylan let out a giggle at her brother’s wide eyed blinking.

Dylan handed the bowl of batter to her and Evie set it on the counter carefully before tending to the sausage again. Their youngest just stared at her work, the food piling up to make the Hogwarts house elves look like they were under serving meals. "Smells good, Evelyn.” It wasn’t long after that for Edward to come up behind her, Dodger huffing slightly as he laid at their feet. She just let out an “hmm” to acknowledge the compliment, when out of the corner of her eye she saw Dylan’s fingers go straight for the bowl. Evelyn probably could have prevented it from happening, but instead let her chin fall to her chest and using her own mass of curls to conceal her giggles at Edward’s disgust. Dylan did as her father instructed, but there was a look of wild mischief in her eyes as she hoped down from the counter. Evelyn tilted her head expectantly as Edward planted his one kiss on her cheek.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Evelyn sighed and reached for Edward’s wand that she knew to be sticking out of his waistband. She hated to prepare anything with magic when she could prepare it herself, but she wanted to speak to Edward more than she wanted to turn sausages. The pans all sprung to life, finishing the breakfast she had started. Evie turned around to face Edward, return his wand to its usual place and bringing her hands up to flatten his collar, lingering there for a moment before answering him just as quietly. “No, not really.” Her eyes flickered up to his and sighed in defeat. “Okay, not at all.” Evie broke Edward’s gaze to watch Jon follow his sister around the table with some silverware. “I know he’s going to be fine, but I’m going to miss him and I know I can come to visit but he doesn’t need both of us hovering over him like that. Christmas is just so far away.” There was no denying the little whine that came out with the last sentence. She didn’t tell him how she already felt the loss of Dylan even though it was still two years away, or how she didn’t want him to continue to get the Prophet in case Sirius had been captured, or how Remus Lupin seemed to be ignoring her harassing letters for information.

“How about you? Sleep okay?” A hand left its spot where it was resting flat on his chest to smooth over his brow. It was probably an obvious inquiry about what might have happened on the stairs, but she didn’t really care. Evelyn wasn’t sure if he honestly didn’t know what exactly haunted him or if he was trying to protect her, but she always asked anyway in case the answer ever changed.

--------------------------------------------

date: September 1, 1994
tagged: Edward Wenlock
words: 957 Words
lyrics: Bring Him Home - Les Miserables
notes: Are you sure my babies can't stay babies?
outfit: Pajamas

[/blockquote]

[Edward Wenlock]

We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

Instead of a response, Evelyn sighed and slid her hand behind his back, pulling his wand from his waistband and flicking it at the pans of sausages frying on the stove. They began to roll themselves, cooking on all sides, and Evie returned his wand to where she'd found it before reaching up to straighten out his shirt collar. “No, not really.” His eyes fell to hers, which were focused on his collar, sighing dubiously until her gaze met his and she sighed herself in defeat. “Okay, not at all. I know he’s going to be fine, but I’m going to miss him and I know I can come to visit but he doesn’t need both of us hovering over him like that. Christmas is just so far away.”

"He will be fine, Evie dear," he assured her softly, brushing a few wild curls from her face as she gazed over at the table where Dylan now sat, talking with Gwen and Jonathan about Hogwarts. Gwen was telling them both stories they'd already heard before, giving Jonathan advice and telling him what to expect. Even though they'd heard all of this before, the anticipation of the coming day brought renewed excitement to the stories about house elves, ghosts and Mr. Filch and his cat. Edward knew that largely his wife wasn't anxious for her son, rather she was anxious for herself. It had been an adjustment when Gwen went off to school, but now with Jonathan leaving it would be just her and Dylan, who was spoiled enough as it was. It wouldn't be long before their children would be leaving home altogether, and while Edward dreaded that day as much as Evie did, he wasn't sure he felt it as much.

“How about you? Sleep okay?” Her tone was too casual, almost forced, and he suspected that she was trying to sound unconcerned. It was his turn to glance over her shoulder as she reached a hand to smooth out his brow, which he hadn't even realized had furrowed. Gwen must have told her about the incident on the stairwell, and Edward sighed. It had been seventeen years since his mind had been invaded, the doors to his psyche broken down by an intruder who had succeeded in stealing something from him, even though it wasn't what he'd been looking for: his sense of security. "Edward?"

"I slept fine," he answered finally. The Wenlocks were good at denial, even though it was mostly verbal. One look between them and they both acknowledged that his sleep had been marred by nightmares and that she'd laid awake all night, her thoughts troubled by her children leaving for school the next morning and Sirius Black. They hadn't talked much about Sirius in weeks, and every time Edward thought to bring it up, it never seemed like a good time. Perhaps tonight after the feast when Gwen and Jonathan were in their dormitories and he'd returned home, he could talk to her about Sirius and if she'd heard anything from Remus. She had ink stains on her fingers from writing him so often for news on Sirius' whereabouts. Evelyn Wenlock never gave up faith in her friend, her loyalty never wavering. Initially when she'd heard that he'd been accused of betraying James and Lily and killing Peter she'd laughed and said, "pull the other one." Over the years, he'd learned that even if she did believe he was innocent, only one thing mattered: she missed her friend.

"We'd better remove the sausages before they burn," he said, kissing her briefly before he removed the sausage from the stove top and he helped Evie serve up the food for their three eager children. Jonathan was a ball of nervous energy that seemed to be imploding within him, and Gwen looked eager to get back to school. Dylan just looked happy that they were having a big breakfast. Once everyone was seated at the table, their conversation hit a lull as mouths chewed and cutlery clinked against the tableware. They didn't have too much time to linger as it was half eight and their Floo connection to the Leaky Cauldron was in an hour. "Would you like me to help you pack up after breakfast, Jon?"

TAG Evelyn Wenlock
DATE September 1, 1994
LYRICS "Wonderful Journey" - Donna Lewis
WORDS seven hundred eleven
NOTES My, aren't we domestic?

[Evelyn Wenlock]

----------------------The summers die, one by one.
How soon they fly on and on. Bring him peace, bring him joy.
He is young. He is only a boy.----------------------

“Edward?”

The answer to her question didn’t come immediately and there was a little insecurity that came during the pause. Their home was supposed to be safe, full of complete bliss, but what haunted Edward had followed them into their home, made itself comfortable in the recesses of his mind. Over the years, Evie had learned not to fall into a blind rage when it happened; not at Edward, but at the person who had caused it. ”I slept fine.” He didn’t sleep fine, whatever had transpired on the stairs probably had a direct correlation to how he slept; Evelyn really wished she could have been there when he woke up, could have reminded him that they were all safe.

However, Edward needed to say he slept fine, she could see it in their quick shared glance that called them each liars and she nodded, letting it drop. For now. They had to get the kids to London and then they would be back for a couple hours until Edward left for the castle. Dylan had already made her mother promise that they would go out for dinner with it just being the two of them and Evie agreed easily; the little cottage felt huge with the prospect of it just being them during the day. After that, when Dylan had gone to sleep, probably demanding to stay up until Edward got back, Evelyn would bring the subject back up. Pour him a glass of brandy, curl against his side on the couch, and she would look for another answer to aid him from his troubled sleep. There was a brief thought of putting a sleeping draught in his brandy, but he had gotten fairly cross with her the last time she did it and it didn’t seem to work that well anyway.

The reminder of the sausage made her jump back to work, filling the plates but taking a little extra time with Jonathan’s. The eggs, sausage, and bacon all formed a little smiley face and another grab at Edward’s wand – she really needed to get dressed and get her own – had the jam on the toast forming into the shield of all the houses. “Shut up,” was all she said when she caught Edward inspecting her handy work and put his wand back before she handed out the plates. Jonathan seemed a little mortified at the stack of food he got, but Evie refused to notice. She kissed the top of his head, fussing over his hair and making sure his napkin was in place. “See! All four houses, even Slytherin. I was just joking that I’d throw you in the lake if you get sorted into Slytherin. Besides, your father would never allow it.”

The little panicked look he shot Edward probably shouldn’t have amused her as much as it did and instead she knelt by his chair, taking his face in her hands. “You’ll be brilliant, little one; luckily you all take after your father on that one. Please break a rule or two for me and if you need me for whatever reason, I will be in that castle before you could even finish asking for me.” Evie let out a little whine hugging her only son tightly to her. “Do you need me to cut up your sausage or maybe some more milk or –“ Edward pulled her away from Jonathan and made her sit at her usual spot at the table; Evelyn didn’t even fight it too hard, knowing that she was hovering a little too much.

She sighed and watched them all start eating; Evie wasn’t all that hungry and began to feed Dodger some bacon when she had finished eating. The dog didn’t leave her side after she ran out of food, laying his head on her lap and getting more than a fair share of pets in return for sticking by her. "Would you like me to help you pack up after breakfast, Jon?" Evelyn’s head snapped up to Edward and back to Jon. “Jonathan Adam Wenlock! You were all packed last night.” She let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head. “Please make sure he’s all packed, I still have to get dressed and – Gwen, are you still all packed up?” Gwen had smirked at Jon, but suddenly looked back to her mother wide-eyed when her name was said. ”Yeah, I am.”

Evelyn sighed again, getting up from the table, “Right, finish your food, don’t worry about your plates, I’ll get them later. Edward, please stay on him.” She patted Edward’s shoulder as she passed him on the way back to their room. Dodger seemed a little confused, not sure to follow the person who had given him food or the food that was still being eaten. Dylan called for him and that seemed to be enough incentive for him to stay behind in the kitchen.

Days like this, when she would have to chase the kids around and they had to all get ready by a specific time, Evie really missed Joan and Cherie – her old combat boots that were trusted and well loved. Instead, a pair of beige or cream or maybe they were tan heels would suffice; the fact that they also matched the skirt better than heavy combat boots didn’t use to matter. She continued to dress quickly, putting on little jewelry and even less make up. The one thing she hadn’t quite gotten used to since retiring her beloved boots was wear to put her wand. It was frustrating to get adjusted to a new place for her wand and Evie still goes for her right foot when she wants her wand from time to time. She threw her wand into her purse, giving up trying to keep it somewhere in better reach, and headed out to find what her family was up to.

“Mum!” The shout came from Gwen’s room and Evelyn sighed, climbing the stairs to see what she wanted. Her two daughters were struggling with Gwen’s trunk and she realized that while she grew up in the Muggle world, her children expected magic to fix their problems. Evelyn opened up her purse, taking out her wand and shrinking the trunk to put into her purse. “Better?” Gwen nodded, looking a little breathless from her fruitless struggle against the trunk. She walked up behind her oldest, taking the scrunchie from her hair and brushing her hair with her fingers. “I could style it for you, Gwennie?” Gwen just pulled away frustrated, grabbing the scrunchie back and pulling her hair back up. “Right. Are you going to wear that?” It was an innocent question, the large sweatshirt over shorts was fine to sleep in, but Evie had never gotten used to her daughters sense of style and the question just opened up a familiar argument the both of them were too stubborn to lose.

“Okay! Okay! Never mind! Just wondering, you still gonna visit me on your Hogsmeade weekends?” They argued frequently, but Gwen had come to visit every weekend last year and Evie would miss her horribly if she decided to stop it. Gwen gave a frustrated nod and sent her out of her room, looking at Dylan with an eye roll that Evie was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to see. In the hall, she wondered what to do with herself; she could go back to the kitchen and work on the dishes, but decided to poke her head in on Jon and Edward’s progress. “Here’s my handsome boys! Hows it go?” She crossed the room when she saw the old stuffed bear of Jon’s nowhere near the pile to get packed into his trunk. “Jon? Don’t you want your bear?”

The boy sighed and reminded her that he was going to Hogwarts, he didn’t need his bear anymore and Evie considered the old thing in her hands. His aunt Mina had floo-called them the first night Jon visited them, he had been so upset that he forgot his bear and refused to sleep without it. Edward flooed over immediately with the bear and came back only after he could report that Jon was sound asleep. Now, Jon was leaving his bear behind and Evie wasn’t really sure how he expected to sleep without it. It was a good bear, protected and brought her son sleep for eleven years now. Perhaps it was just time to retire the old thing.

--------------------------------------------

date: September 1, 1994
tagged: Edward Wenlock
words: 1,409 Words
lyrics: Bring Him Home - Les Miserables
notes: Are you sure my babies can't stay babies?
outfit: and... dressed!

[/blockquote]

[Edward Wenlock]

We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

Edward looked to his son apologetically after Evie got onto him for not being packed. There was a minimal amount of admonishment, and after they finished breakfast they all rushed upstairs to get sorted. Edward followed Jon up while Dylan followed Gwen to her room. Dylan probably wouldn't be much help with organizing, but she and Gwen liked to talk more than anything else. They got that from their mother. "Alright, Jon, what happened to that packed trunk you showed me last night?" Edward asked as he surveyed the mess that now surrounded Jonathan's trunk. Clothes, still folded, were piled into toppling towers on his unmade bed and all of his books were in a similar condition on top of his nightstand.

"Well," Jon began sheepishly, "I tried my school robes on last night and forgot to pack them. They were lying on my chair all night and I never even noticed!"

Edward sighed and smiled lightly as he helped his son repack his trunk. Evie came in to check on them, and as he suspected, her eyes found Louis, Jon's old teddy bear, resting on his pillow far from the piles of things they were packing to take to school. “Jon? Don’t you want your bear?” Jonathan heaved a heavy sigh, which seemed like it belonged to an older man with a much greater woe troubling him than his mother asking about his bear, which he told her that he wouldn't need at Hogwarts. Edward watched Evelyn turn her eyes to the bear and pout a little as Jon returned to his packing, his mother’s anguish unseen to him. “Ah, ah, ah!” Edward chimed in when Jon was about to close his trunk. Jonathan froze with a puzzled expression on his face until he turned to where Edward was pointing and saw his robes, neatly folded on top of his night stand. “Oops.”

The boys finished packing – robes and all – and met the girls on the landing. Evelyn shrunk Jon’s trunk like he suspected she had done with Gwen’s and put it in her purse, assuring their eldest that there weren’t any holes for them to fall through. They all gathered downstairs near the fireplace and Evelyn went first, then Dylan, then Jon and Gwen and finally Edward. They arrived in an empty room in The Leaky Cauldron that had been connected to the Floo network for all the families of Hogwarts students, and somehow Jon had managed to get the most soot on him; he had a knack for that. He was dusting furiously at his clothes, but Edward took pity on his son, who he knew wanted to make a good first impression on his first day. He performed a spell that would lift the suit off his clothes, but which unfortunately also make them kind of stiff. “You good now, Jon?” A grateful grin was his only reply, and upon Evie’s urgent command, they all quickly filed downstairs and out of the pub. “What’ll we take? We’ve too many for a taxi.” Evie nodded and herded the gang towards the nearest underground stop, where she and the older two checked the map for the proper route while Dylan watched daddy buy the tickets from the machine. He had a feeling Hugh wouldn’t have much trouble roping this one into taking Muggle Studies. “Wenlocks, this way!” Evie called, holding her hand out for her ticket as Edward handed them to everyone. They didn’t ride the underground that often with the kids, so they made sure to show them how to feed their ticket to the turnstile and pass through.

The trains were packed that morning, even after the initial morning rush and Edward wished they’d gotten an earlier slot for the Floo connection, but they would still make good time. Gwen found them a few seats in the corner. Jon stood up with Edward and held onto one of the poles, allowing the girls to sit as they rode the train, stopping six times before they arrived at Kings’ Cross. Once inside the train station, it was only a matter of keeping Evie from the ice cream stand and getting all of them to Platforms 9 and 10, where another family had just surreptitiously gone through the barrier. “Alright, Hogwarts students first!” Dylan pouted a little as Gwen and a very excited Jonathan trotted over to the barrier, pausing to lean on it briefly before they disappeared from view. “Wanna go by yourself, Dylan?” She didn’t look back before sprinting through the barrier, and Edward and Evie chuckled before linking arms and going through themselves. They met their children once they crossed to Platform 9 ¾, the scarlet steam engine huffing in anticipation of her long journey ahead. “Hi, Professor Wenlock!” Edward smiled and waved briefly to the group of students who’d passed. They were always so pleased to see him on Platform 9 ¾, but once they were all back at Hogwarts it became less common for the students to cheerily greet their professors in passing. “Alright, Evelyn - trunks?”

TAG Evelyn Wenlock
DATE September 1, 1994
LYRICS "Wonderful Journey" - Donna Lewis
WORDS eight hundred forty two
NOTES My, aren't we domestic?

[Evelyn Wenlock]

----------------------The summers die, one by one.
How soon they fly on and on. Bring him peace, bring him joy.
He is young. He is only a boy.----------------------

When she was pregnant, Evelyn had the brilliant idea that she would knit or sew all of her children’s clothes. She had somehow convinced herself that by taking the time out to give her children something put together with love was better than some mass produced thing, only she didn’t actually have any of these skills to accomplish this. Gwen had a little bodysuit that resembled more of an envelope shaped bodysuit refusing to stretch enough to let a baby in. Dylan had a baby blanket that she never had time to finish and would stay on a pair of needles in a basket in the living room forever. Jonathan got a sweater, a horrible mustard color she really should have thought better about. The sweater was far too small and probably would have suffocated him if they tried to put it on; instead, Evie had the bright idea of putting it on this little bear in her hands. The bear Jon was now too old for. The bear’s body bulged comically from the sweater and Evie did the best she could to make it a little more comfortable before placing it back on Jonathan’s bed.

Edward caught her eyes for a brief moment after she had turned her attention back to them and gave a light shrug. Today was the hardest, though tomorrow or the coming weekend wouldn’t exactly be a piece of cake, but it would all pass. Monday, Edward would leave for Hogwarts and stay at the castle until late before coming home; a fact she would never take for granted as there were enough professors that stayed at Hogwarts full time. Evie would take on the joint task of brewing potions and teaching Dylan all she needed to know before she went to Hogwarts in his absence. That same Monday would find Gwen and Jon experiencing Hogwarts for the truly magnificent place it was and attend classes with their friends or making them in Jon’s case. All of these things would happen and it would be for the best, but getting to Monday was torture as the moments seemed to refuse to pass any faster.

Jonathan seemed intent on forgetting his robes once again, but Edward caught him before he could close his trunk. Evelyn looked to where Edward had pointed, seeing the neatly folded pile of robes on the nightstand beside her. She crossed the room to hand Jon the robes to pack up, waiting for him to lock up his trunk to shrink it and place it in her purse along with Gwen’s. Edward and Jon led the way back to the front room, Evie following and trying to put Jon’s trunk in her bag as she walked. Gwen noticed Evie snapping her purse shut and, in a sudden rush of pre-Hogwarts anxiety, began to worry over the safety of their trunks in her purse. Evie tried to calm her down, promising that her trunk was perfectly safe, but couldn’t help but wonder how she had such an un-resourceful daughter. Bloody Ravenclaws. Gwen would probably have an aneurism if she learned about the year Evie did forget her trunk and did just fine with the whole semester she didn’t have a trunk. It wasn’t an ideal way to spend a semester at Hogwarts and it would be just too cruel to play a prank like that on her, especially when Edward would promise to bring it to her the next day – he always ruined her fun.

Instead of allowing anymore evil thoughts come to her mind, Evie took the first floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Dylan followed her, beaming ear to ear, but about as sooty as Evie was herself. A couple pats on her clothes and she was free of the soot, but Dylan refused to lose the soot and ran from her mother every time she got close. Unfortunately, the youngest Wenlock didn’t quite understand what it meant to have a mother that was a former beater. The position required speed, quick maneuverability as sometimes the bludgers attacked the people chasing them, and strong arms. Evie tackled Dylan just as she heard the final ‘woosh’ at the fireplace, rolling so she wouldn’t flatten or harm the girl. Dylan was still the reason her mother wore boxers under her clothes and kept her mother in shape for the past nine years. Not that she minded; her other two children were just too well-behaved really.

Most of the soot that had been on Dylan had all come off in the skirmish and she rubbed against her mother to rid herself of the rest. “Thanks, love.” Evie frowned for only a moment before giving Dylan a sloppy wet kiss on the cheek and attempting to clean herself off again. Jonathan seemed to get the worst of it, but Edward was already tending to him, and Gwen, who always knew how to look after herself, was already cleaned off and seemed to have enjoyed the show put on by her mother and sister. Evie stood, brushing her clothes back into place and making sure her hair wasn’t a mess, and tried to look like the grown woman she was or at least calm her breathing from the chase. Edward brought them all back to attention, which was a super power of his. “What’ll we take? We’ve too many for a taxi.”

Evelyn nodded in agreement and knew the best option, really the only option to get around London. Almost twenty years ago, when she was still Evie Teague and probably would have stabbed someone in the throat for suggesting she would ever be married let alone to a former professor, she had become quite accustomed to London. In the darkest pubs, she had found a genre of music that formed her last year in Hogwarts. Punk. Loud, screaming, raw emotion that wasn’t just music but just so much more. Time makes hypocrites of everyone, though, and she would probably murder Gwen for doing some of the things she had done when she was sixteen. Evelyn never discussed how she knew her way around so well or how to get served a drink when she was far too young and far away from home. She just led them all toward the nearest Tube station so Edward could purchase their tickets as it often worked out. The map on the wall was covered with brightly colored lines, intimidating to those not used to it and Jon coerced her into explaining their route multiple times so they all knew it.

“Wenlocks, this way!” Her voice rang out clearly over the crowd of Muggles on their way to work after she saw Edward back away from the ticket counter. The funneling affect as the crowd headed for the turnstiles made her grab onto Jon’s hand and the back of Gwen’s sweatshirt; Evie could only hope that Edward had an equally tight grip on Dylan as the crowd moved them forward. They slowed some of the line, trying to show their children how to put their ticket into the machine, and she managed to ignore a lot of the frustrated noises from the others behind them without making a rude gesture back at them. Really, they had young children, it would take some time. “We need to go south bound.” Edward was wonderfully trusting and followed her instructions toward the platform on the right. They all picked up a faster pace when they heard a train arrive, Evie holding the door and jumping onto the train just in time.

There was a little battle of wills between her and Jon on taking one of the few available seats. He wasn’t used to the short and sudden stops on a train and she wasn’t sure he’d be strong enough to handle them, but he knew it was proper to let his mother have the seat and, when he told her this, Evie took her seat. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but her little boy had become a wonderful young man and while she knew she could never take credit for him being as incredible as he was, she was still proud of him and didn’t want to discourage it. “Just, stand close to your father so you don’t fall.” Dylan turned around to watch the black of the tunnels out of the window pass by and Evie kept a strong arm around her to keep her from falling back and cracking her head open.

The Tube took them under Kings Cross and it was really a relief just to get to the station with plenty of time but they were still a bit rushed. London did that to a person. Hogsmeade was a slow and lazy little village, but London made the slowest person rush around. The crowds all had a quick pace and if you didn’t keep up you could get trampled. This didn’t mean Evie didn’t see the ice cream stand that they passed and if Edward thought he was in the clear, he was sorely mistaken. Her head turned as they passed it and after the day she was having some ice cream would really make her feel better. Edward did a good job of ushering them all to the barrier between platforms nine and ten though, letting the children go through and offering an arm to her as they followed them through the barrier.

“Hi, Professor Wenlock!”

Evelyn beamed as Edward waved to them, “Always the favorite, even when you are teaching maths.” It was a light banter, Edward was really brilliant at Arithmancy but the subject made her skin crawl. He had also been a really brilliant Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as well, but she liked him with a much more innocent job description that kept him out of trouble. She tried to be less bitter about the incident that happened her seventh year, but she was just glad to know that he’d never be teaching Unforgivable Curses again. Her eyes scanned the crowd and tried not to think about how there weren’t a lot of adults from her time at Hogwarts at Platform 9 ¾. That generation had been practically wiped out in the war, but there were still enough and she had been quite young still when she had Gwen. Evie waved at the Weasley’s, the ginger troop that made her glad to only have the three.

Harry Potter stood with them, looking just like James from this distance that it left her a little morose, and Evie had to ignore the strong urge to walk up to him and ask what he might know about the man that was his god father. She hoped he wasn’t afraid of Sirius, it would kill him if he was, and she tried not to think too terribly much about that. They hadn’t reminded Gwen that Sirius Black was her god father when he was announced to have escaped from Azkaban – though there was really no reason for her to have forgotten, there was still a picture of her and her god father on the mantel. One student at Hogwarts that was afraid of Sirius Black’s return was enough really, but Evie had hoped Potter had been protected from potentially harmful information. Perhaps Molly and Arthur made sure he was well looked after when he was in the magical world.

Edward broke through her revere, “Alright, Evelyn - trunks?” It caused Evie to blink at him blankly before nodding and digging through her purse for the two tiny trunks and her wand. She set the trunks on the platform and returned them to their original size. “Can you kids handle them from here or would you like me to levitate them into a compartment for you?” The idea of their mother getting onto the train, even to help them out, seemed to mortify the two oldest Wenlock children and she laughed a little at their faces. She pulled Jonathan into a hug, gesturing for Gwen to join them after a moment. “I’m going to miss you two so much. Please write me at least once a month and Jon, your father will tell me which house you get sorted into, but I want to hear it from you as well, who you meet on the train and your roommates and all that. Okay?” Evelyn pulled away and inspected Jon’s face, fighting the urge to hug him harder or kiss his cheek. She was over protective and worried, but knew that she had to let them grow up because that was the fun part of life. One hand left Jon’s cheek to go to Gwen’s shoulder, “And you look wonderful and ready to take on the world, my little one, please have some fun this year. Ravenclaws used to give Gryffindors a bad name back in my day. Go cause some trouble. Please.”

--------------------------------------------

date: September 1, 1994
tagged: Edward Wenlock
words: 2,147 Words
lyrics: Bring Him Home - Les Miserables
notes: My posts are growing exponentially, I'm sorry for the sudden cut off, but this one was getting nuts.
outfit: and... dressed!

[/blockquote]

[Edward Wenlock]

We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

Evelyn beamed at him after the group of students walked by and said, “Always the favorite, even when you are teaching maths.” Edward chuckled and refrained from telling her that he was pretty sure the boy in that group had a crush on Gwen, knowing that not being able to be at Hogwarts and monitor the boy's intentions would make her crazy. Usually it was the father who would fuss like that over their daughters, but in this case he felt like Evie would be the bigger fusser. He was distracted from this thought when Evelyn turned and waved at a familiar family. "Ahh, the Weasleys," Edward said pleasantly, waving with a smile to the large family across the platform. "Bill and Percy were both in my class, and both went on to be Head Boy. I'm not saying there's a correlation, but..."

"Dad," Gwendolyn drawled, shaking her head at her father's sense of humor.

Edward continued watching the group, seeing Harry amongst them. He couldn't see Harry Potter without seeing James, and that always led to thoughts of Sirius Black. He turned to Evie, who watched the boy with similar thoughts in her head. He wondered if she'd ever spoken to the boy, but what would she say? "Hi, Harry, I went to school with your parents and the man believed to have sold them out to Voldemort; we were best friends. Haven't happened to have seen Sirius by chance, have you?"

Evelyn pulled out Gwen and Jon's trunks and returned them to their original size, offering to levitate them onto the train for them both, but they both looked mortified at the thought. She pulled them both into warm hugs and said, “I’m going to miss you two so much. Please write me at least once a month and Jon, your father will tell me which house you get sorted into, but I want to hear it from you as well, who you meet on the train and your roommates and all that. Okay?” She turned to Gwen. “And you look wonderful and ready to take on the world, my little one, please have some fun this year. Ravenclaws used to give Gryffindors a bad name back in my day. Go cause some trouble. Please.”

Edward chuckled, "Alright Evie, that's enough. Let the girl be. You should be glad she's not as much trouble as you were." He ignored Evelyn's scowl and leaned down and placed his hands on his knees to speak to Jonathan. "Like I said before, I'll be there for you whenever you need me, as your dad or Professor Wenlock," he added with a smile. He stood up and held out his hand and Jonathan gave him a five, both of them smiling. He gave Gwen a hug and tried to make this more of a sentimental parting than it really was, not wanting to rub it in Evelyn's face that he saw their children much more than she did. Not that she didn't know it, but the more he played it down, usually the happier she was.

Dylan hugged Gwen and Jon just as the engine released a loud puff of steam, alerting them to the time. "Three minutes to ten, you'd both best be boarding now. I'll see you both soon, take care and don't eat too many sweets on the train!" Evie quickly jumped in and told them to eat as many bloody sweets as they wanted, and Edward rolled his eyes. He loved the fact that his wife was more of a nutter than he was. As the train pulled out of the station they waved, even though Jon and Gwen were inside and neither hanging out of the window. Just as the train was leaving their sight Edward glimpsed Jon pushing his head out of the last window, waving his hand frantically and beaming. Once the train was out of view, he turned to Evie and his youngest and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. She seemed to be getting emotional so he smiled. "Time for ice cream?"

"Oh, finally!" Dylan piped up, rolling her eyes impatiently. They both laughed at their daughter and Edward ushered them both back to the main part of Kings' Cross, where he lead them to their favorite ice cream stand and ordered them both tall, multicolored ice cream cones. Dylan managed not to spill it on her dress, but Evie didn't. Edward offered her his handkerchief and she dabbed at it, thanking all that was holy that she could magic the stain out when she got home. They got back on the underground and rode the train to Hyde Park, where they'd already agreed to take Dylan to the zoo. Pretty soon she'd find monkeys and lions a little less fascinating than she did now. The day she'd started walking Evie had wept and claimed that she wanted another one, but he reminded her of the labor pains. Dylan was their last, and in eight years she'd be grown and out of Hogwarts. Time was really getting away from them.

TAG Evelyn Wenlock
DATE September 1, 1994
LYRICS "Wonderful Journey" - Donna Lewis
WORDS eight hundred forty-eight
NOTES -fade to black-