1-Week Challenge Fic: Costumes etc etc, PG
Title: costumes to make a boy, a man, a person Challenge: 1 Week Challenge: Costumes Rating: PG Summary: Ding! Ding! A package for Remus and Teddy Lupin Warnings: Unbetaed, possibly AU re: Snape's childhood. Word Count: ±1,880 words. Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just borrowing them for my twisted means. Notes: A Halloween side-story to this series.
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It's been a week since Severus's kidnapping and they've been on a wild goose chase ever since.
Another night, another dead end, Remus returned to Andromeda's tired and angry and confused. The house was dark, its occupants already asleep. In the silence, Remus could hear Andromeda's faint snoring and Teddy's music box tinkling away by the boy's crib.
Weary, he sat down on the chair next to the fireplace, watched the small fire in it made shadows dance around the room. Andromeda had left tea, kept warm by a simple charm, and a plate of simple sandwich on the table next to the chair. There was also a brown-papered package and a note.
Pouring himself a cup of tea, he reached for the note, his name written across the top in Andromeda's hasty handwriting.
A Hogwarts owl came by a few days ago with this package. I keep forgetting to give it to you, what with all the rushing around over the past few days. I hope it's nothing urgent.
He didn't understand why his heart pounded wildly when he pulled the package into his lap, all but tearing the brown paper apart. There was a white box inside, and by the time he lifted the lid away, he was faint with anticipation. Could the box hold the answer to Severus's disappearance? His kidnappers? His whereabouts?
The lid slid onto the floor, joining brown paper and twine.
There was another note, nestled between piles of fabric.
---
Lupin, the note read, in Severus's "I-refuse-to-have-a-little-boy's-handwriting-but-what-can-I-do?" scrawl. As you know, Poppy has moved me from my old rooms to a room closer to hers.
---
Remus was slightly disappointed, it seems that the package wouldn't offer any clue regarding Severus's disappearance. His heartbeat slowed, renewed fatigue ran through his body. He leant back into his chair and read on, the package balanced precariously on his lap
---
Better ventilation and easier for her to keep an eye on my condition. I'll have you know that this is very irritating. And that the new rooms are smaller than what I'm used to, it is even more irritating.
When organising all my belongings for the move (and I'm still, until the time of this writing, surprised at how much I've kept all these years--and I'm distributing them to people I thought would like to have them, or be kind enough to provide a place for them), I found these and thought of Teddy (how could I not since you've been prattling without pause about the child as if he's another second coming like Potter).
They are old, you'll notice, but quite well-preserved, I should think. They come in several sizes but the smallest ones should fit your son at his current age...
---
Black woolen fabric, frayed around the edges, tiny bat wings with charms weaved into it, fluttering faintly. Charmed bobble-antennaes of a bee hooded-baby robe, with faded black and yellow stripes. A green and silver caterpillar baby bunting, made from some warm magical fabrics.
There are several more, judging from how they were piled.
---
My mother wasn't the only Prince to 'taint the bloodline', so to speak. In fact, she did so following the footsteps of her distant cousin, one from the lesser branch of the Prince family (thus less publicity and lesser-known in the gossip world). But, unlike my mother, my aunt married better, went off with some world-travelling, self-styled nomadic American muggle.
She was also a bit barren, and therefore looked at me as something like her child-by-proxy. She loved to knit and sew, what do you expect from a woman named Vestirza, after all? These were all her doing, as she liked to dress up even as an adult witch, traipsing through muggle neighbourhoods for sweets with me as bait, equally and as horrendously dressed up.
She had later told me, having a toddler in her arms got her many sweets. She had a sweet tooth you see, and candies of the sorts she liked were hard to come by during her many travels.
---
The bleak house at one corner of Spinner's End hadn't always been so bleak. It was even curiously bright whenever Vestirza Taylor (nee Prince) swept through its door, when she wasn't on her around-the-world jaunts with her husband.
"How are you, Eileen?" she asked, as they exchanged hugs and kisses of welcome, her accent already watered down by the many foreign languages she now speak (though imperfectly), especially the American twang she caught from her husband.
"As fine as I can be," the younger of the two Prince girls replied, ushering her cousin to the kitchen. "Where is your dear husband?"
"At home, decorating," the taller of the two answered, her fingers already reaching for a toffee apple. "Which reminds me, where is your son? May I see him?"
"Asleep," Eileen replied, pointing at the crib in the far corner of the kitchen with a toffee stick. "Oh, have I thanked you for the lovely crib? I can't recall that I have."
"No matter, dearie," Vestirza answered with a small laugh. "I'm glad you like it. Picked it up in an estate auction in this charming muggle village in Southern France. I should take you there some time, you'll adore it!"
Eileen didn't offer any reply, sitting next to her son's crib, running her fingers over his smooth brow.
Vestirza frowned, then realisation dawned, "Oh! Of course, that horrible husband of yours! If he doesn't want to travel, he can always let you and Severus travel! It's not like he'll be paying for it! Richard's been wanting to have you both on our trips!" She stood up, crossed the short distance to her cousin and laid a hand one hunched shoulder. "You've only been with him for a year and already I can see you're not happy here. Eileen, it's not a bad thing to leave, you know? I'll introduce you to one of Richard's friends. Completely charming, completely dependable."
"Vezza!" Eileen's voice rose indignantly. "How could you! I'll never be unfaithful! It's... Tobias is having a hard time right now, the mill... Oh you know. I've told you. It'll get better. It's part of married life you know, it can't all be roses and smiles."
"But..."
"Just because you and your husband are all about juvenile pursuits, doesn't mean..." Eileen sighed, she sent an apologetic look at Vezza who looked rather scandalised. "Just... I'm... Well, couples have their problems, it's just rough seas for us right now. But it can't all be bad in the long run, can it?"
"You can't even do magic in this house! What are you thinking?" Vezza hissed, drawing a deep breath to launch into another tirade. But before she could get another word out, Severus woke up with a loud wail.
"Your despicable muggle of a husband even threw that bunting I made for Severus!" Vezza said, rather indignant in with a smidgen of righteous fury, as Eileen tended to her son.
"He was only surprised. It's not everyday you see a tiger-shaped baby bunting shaking its whiskers at you," Eileen replied. "Anyway, I still have it, in my trunk."
Vezza picked Severus up from Eileen's arm. The child, recognising his aunt's scent and touch, coo-ed his own version of a sleepy welcome. His aunt laughed gaily, hugged him close to her well-endowed bosom. "I want to borrow your son."
"Whatever for?"
"There's this delightful tradition in America, to celebrate All-Hallows Eve. Nothing so dreary as our version of Souling, mind you. Exceptionally delightful, I must say," Vezza said, bouncing little Severus up and down, making little twirls and a small dance across the small kitchen. "Works better with kids around, I've found. And the street where Richard's parents live gives out the best sweets and candies." Severus gurgled and made happy noises as his aunt swept him in a wide arc.
---
I was not a year old when I first travelled by portkey. Even though I threw up on my aunt's expensive blouse and was rather ill for a few days afterwards, it was quite an achievement, considering it was a continent-hopping portkey ride. I recovered just in time for my first Halloween treat. She dressed me in the caterpillar bunting, as enclosed in the package. I understand it was quite a warm piece of apparel, suitably so as it was an unusually cold Last Day of October.
---
When he was three, they had to portkey from inside the small, bare larder, just as a drunk Tobias walked through the house, Eileen vainly trying to stop her husband from opening the larder door.
That year, Aunt Vezza made him an Igor costume, small black waistcoat, small black pants, small black hood with harmless lightning charms making small harmless lightning strikes. The unsuspecting muggles thought it was a great way to use Christmas lights.
---
I thought it'll be something that Teddy would like. But I wouldn't want to be presumptuous. I'll understand if you think that these costumes are unsuitable for Teddy, or that you simply do not wish to receive anything from me.
I am only providing these because I cannot think of anyone else to give them to, as I loathe to throw them away, but at the same time have no use of them. To be quite honest, I don't know what possessed me to keep them all these years.
They are now yours to do as you please. You may use them, give them to others, or simply throw them away. In the bin, into the fire, or whatever method you choose. Just note that they have magical properties weaved through them, and though they're generally benign spells and charms they should be disposed off responsibly.
-Snape.
---
Remus found seven sets of costumes in various sizes of small. The smallest ones would fit Teddy quite well, the bigger ones would fit the now small Severus.
Remus sighed as he replaced all the costumes back in the box and placed the box next to the plate of uneaten sandwich. His tea had gone cold and too bitter as the leaves were left to soak too long.
He thought about how Teddy would look like in the caterpillar bunting, and thought of cajoling Severus to wear that bat costume with those magically fluttering wings.
First, he needed to find Severus, needed to make sure that Severus was safe and sound, not a hair out of place. Then he needed to thank Severus for the gift, not just the costumes, but more importantly that Severus trusted, liked, possibly respected him enough to share those childhood memories, however severely and impersonally phrased within the longish letter.
---
The fire in the fireplace had long died. Dawn slowly breaking outside, blushing pink and red and purple blue bruises seen through dusty windows.
Soon Teddy would wake up wailing on top of his lungs.
Andromeda's door would bang open as her slippered feet would hurry across rickety floorboards.
Sun rose, slowly, languidly, an indolent ruler once again greeting his daytime subjects. Warmth and light chased away despair, rekindled the dying embers of hope.
Remus winged a prayer, a fervent hope that Severus would soon be returned to them, safe, hale and sound.