Absent friends, here’s to them...
Characters: Neville, Nimue, Gawain, and two brief visitors Summary: Were they really there?
It was with full bellies and sleepy heads that Neville and the twins settled themselves on the sofa. The twins had been introduced to the delights of rusk biscuits and Neville had been too tempted not to sample them himself. He held the twins carefully as he sank down and shifted so that his legs were stretched out, then he and his children wriggled about until they were all happy with their positions for their nap. Neville contentedly stroked the blond hair covering the heads resting on his chest. Luna had only gone out for the afternoon to visit her parents, but Neville was happy with how well he had done with the twins on his own. It boded well for the time when Luna would inevitably want to start travelling again.
Lulled by the quiet now that Gawain and Nimue were napping, Neville's eyelids began to droop...
Neville walked along the avenue of flower beds. He was looking for Nimue and Gawain, who had decided that they wanted to play hide and seek. He expected to spot Nimue without too much trouble, as she normally found something hidden amongst the plants that was too fascinating for her to pass by in her search for a hiding place. He grinned as his suspicions were confirmed. She was standing knee deep in Dappled Daisies, watching a pair of butterflies dance together. Her attention was completely focused on the insects, her hair half escaped from the braids Luna had tied that morning. Neville decided to leave her in peace while he searched out the more tenacious game player.
Gawain was all too good at hiding from his father, and Neville frowned as he tried to think of the likely places the boy would run off to. Gawain liked trying to break into the hot house, but Neville's wards would warn him if that were the case. He left the greenhouse he had been searching and went back out into the open plots. There, in the fruit tree orchard, Gawain was standing in plain sight, talking animatedly with his grandparents. Neville shook his head as the boy attempted a handstand, showing off.
"Mum, Dad," Neville greeted as he joined them, hoisting Gawain up off the grass. "I didn't know you were dropping round today."
"Thought we'd surprise you," Frank replied, while Alice stepped forward and kissed her son's cheek. "We brought a picnic," she added as she stepped back.
Neville smiled. "Nimue's off exploring on her own, but I'm sure we can find her if lunch is on offer. Gawain, go fetch your sister." Gawain ran off, shouting Nimue's name loudly as he went.
"He's growing into a fine boy," Frank commented as they watched Gawain go. "He looks more like you the older he gets."
"There's still plenty of his mother in him," Alice said. "Their hair is such an interesting blond." She twisted her fingers in her own hair, the original of Neville's. They shared a grin that they had been stuck with boring brown hair.
"Here comes Nimue." Nimue was outpacing Gawain, using the advantage of her early growth spurt. She was laughing, and ran straight into Frank's arms, laughing harder when she was swung around.
The afternoon passed in a haze of sunlight and laughter. Frank and Alice came back to their house for dinner with Luna. It wasn't until the twins were in bed that they took their leave, pausing to wave in the doorway of the living room as they let themselves out...
As Neville blinked his eyes open his gaze was immediately drawn to the doorway. He sucked in a breath when for a moment he saw them standing there, looking just how he had dreamed, their smiles beautiful to him. Then he blinked again and they were gone. The tension went out of his body and he exhaled slowly. Obviously Luna getting her mother back was affecting him.
He looked down to check the twins were still all right, and was surprised to find them wide awake and staring in the same direction he had just been. As he watched them, they both held up their arms, clenching and unclenching their fists in little waves. Then they lowered their arms again and looked away from the door.
"Did you see Nan and Grandad?" Neville asked them quietly, rubbing their backs gently.
"Nana," Gawain said, but whether he meant his grandparents, or was just meditating on dinner, wasn't clear.
Neville looked back at the doorway, which was empty. "I guess they're always with us," he murmured with a faint smile, and turned his attention back to the next generation of the Longbottom family.