Rabbit: October 1967
Title: Rabbit
Chapter Number/Title: October 1967: Orange (8/100) [[ Previous | Next]]
Rating: G
Word Count: 1108
Workshop?: It feels flat to me, so suggestions are welcome.
October 30, 1967
Orange
Traditions always excited Rabbit. Big traditions, of course, like Family and Hogwarts and such things, but also the little ones. He liked birthdays, so special to each person, and Christmases, with the whole family, though he couldn't remember very many of either. He loved Halloween, with all its delicious food and the parties and cheer. There was something that he liked, though, about the predictability of it.
Now that he was older and better with maths, he liked to count down to holidays. Between his birthday and Halloween were 39 days. As he counted down, the leaves would turn pretty colours and fall and the air would get crisper, and fires toastier. Now, it was the thirtieth of October and there was only one day.
One day until Halloween meant that the Lestrange house was mad: it would be filled with witches hired to decorate, and wizards arguing over where the giant pumpkin filled with mulled pumpkin juice would go, and a terribly busy Maman making everything was set for tomorrow.
"So I'm here," explained Rabastan, sitting down next to little Reggie.
"Oh." Regulus reached for a large puzzle piece. "All right. Are we going to the party?"
"Course you are. You go every year. Don't you remember?"
The younger boy squinted. "I don't know. Maybe."
Rabastan was about to ask about Sirius when a shrill voice echoed through the house: "YOU DID WHAT, YOUNG MAN?"
Regulus sighed, looking for another puzzle piece. "He does this all the time," he explained, probably repeating an adult.
"...THIRD TIME IN A WEEK," echoed Mrs. Black's voice. Rabbit shifted uncomfortably on the rug. Family rows were bad enough in your own family, but as a guest it was awful. He scanned the area for Reggie's puzzle pieces, and had found an orange one on the dark carpet, when Mrs. Black appeared in the doorway, remarkably unfazed by the recent scolding. "Oh-Rabastan, I didn't realize you'd arrived."
The Lestrange boy stood and nodded. "Hallo, Mrs. Black. Mr. Black said to play with Regulus while I waited."
"Well, I'm terribly sorry, but Sirius has been up to no good and will be spending the rest of the day in his room. You're welcome to stay and play with Regulus, of course. Your mother said you'd be staying the night, so we can either set up a bed in Regulus' room or you can take one of the guest rooms." Mrs. Orion Black was dark, serious, and mildly terrifying, wholly unlike her sister-in-law. Rabastan had no idea how his friend could stand to do anything to anger her.
"Thank you, ma'am," he replied, polite and simple.
She nodded curtly, glanced at her younger son, and swept back out of the room, head held high.
"So what was it this time?" Rabbit asked, trying to match two mismatched pieces. He tossed them back on the carpet.
Regulus shrugged and took one of the pieces to add to his growing Halloween picture. "Said something, probably. He gets in trouble almost every day. Twice, sometimes," he added. "He left me alone today, though. I think he was trying to be good."
"But he's in trouble anyway."
"Mm." The younger boy looked behind himself and saw only Kreacher. "He was trying, I said. That doesn't mean he was good."
Rabbit knew all about Sirius 'trying' to be good. Normally Rabbit helped, but he hadn't been there this time. And now they-
"I SAID IN YOUR ROOM," came the shrieking voice of Mrs. Black, followed by the quick patter of a small boy's feet. Rabastan and Regulus looked over towards the stairwell and then back at each other.
Rabastan didn't know whether to pity his friend or be angry. Of all days, he couldn't stay out of trouble long enough for them to play together? Regulus was all well and good but he was a far cry from his brother. And now here Rabbit was, stuck helping with an easy puzzle instead of doing something interesting. "I don't know if Sirius can be good," he grumbled, trying to attach his piece to one already on the floor.
Little Regulus snatched the troublesome piece out of the Lestrange's hands and set it in place himself. "He can too," he defended. "It's because-they just want-he's the heir," the explanation tumbled out in half-formed ideas. "Don't say mean things about my brother."
"Sorry." Rabbit's apology slipped into the air and floated between them like a soft-falling feather. He felt like a horrid friend. "I didn't mean it," he added, close to a whisper.
They worked in silence, the bad spirit between them not forgotten but not lingering, until Rabastan sat up and faced the other boy squarely. If Sirius wasn't here, that was that. There was no use being grumpy about it, and it wasn't Reggie's fault. Rabbit had a whole night with Regulus in front of him, so they might as well spend it having fun. "Say, want to see something?"
"Maybe. What?"
Two lumps sat in the pocket of Rabbit's satchel. He got up, scurried over to the bag, and fished out one. A milky white sphere, little bigger than a gobstone, gleamed in his palm. "It's a miniature crystal ball," he announced. Regulus' face was dubious. "No, look," Rabbit insisted. "If you hold it and look in you can see what you're thinking."
The younger boy did as he was told and scrunched his face up trying to see in. With a sudden realisation he looked up and glared at Rabbit. "I already know what I'm thinking, Rabbit. That's silly."
Rabastan grinned. "All crystal balls are silly. But they're still fun, right? I brought one for each of you, but if you'd like I can wait to give Sirius his, and you can pretend to read his fortune tomorrow morning."
"Yeah?"
He nodded. "Of course! Even if you can't see anything," he whispered, "you can just guess. I'll tell him you're right. You can even bring it to the party tomorrow."
The ball rolled around in the small pale hands that held it. "Neat. Thanks, Rabbit." The two boys smiled at each other, one appreciative, the other pleased.
"Did you want to finish your puzzle, Reggie?"
Regulus nodded and dropped back to the ground. Rabbit stood above, looking at the nearly-finished scene of orange and black, of a pumpkin patch in a little continental town, with a frightened witch in one corner, turning a nasty-looking Muggle into one of the pumpkins. He bent down, picked up a stray piece, and snapped it perfectly into place to complete an autumn tree on the horizon.
Chapter Number/Title: October 1967: Orange (8/100) [[ Previous | Next]]
Rating: G
Word Count: 1108
Workshop?: It feels flat to me, so suggestions are welcome.
October 30, 1967
Orange
Traditions always excited Rabbit. Big traditions, of course, like Family and Hogwarts and such things, but also the little ones. He liked birthdays, so special to each person, and Christmases, with the whole family, though he couldn't remember very many of either. He loved Halloween, with all its delicious food and the parties and cheer. There was something that he liked, though, about the predictability of it.
Now that he was older and better with maths, he liked to count down to holidays. Between his birthday and Halloween were 39 days. As he counted down, the leaves would turn pretty colours and fall and the air would get crisper, and fires toastier. Now, it was the thirtieth of October and there was only one day.
One day until Halloween meant that the Lestrange house was mad: it would be filled with witches hired to decorate, and wizards arguing over where the giant pumpkin filled with mulled pumpkin juice would go, and a terribly busy Maman making everything was set for tomorrow.
"So I'm here," explained Rabastan, sitting down next to little Reggie.
"Oh." Regulus reached for a large puzzle piece. "All right. Are we going to the party?"
"Course you are. You go every year. Don't you remember?"
The younger boy squinted. "I don't know. Maybe."
Rabastan was about to ask about Sirius when a shrill voice echoed through the house: "YOU DID WHAT, YOUNG MAN?"
Regulus sighed, looking for another puzzle piece. "He does this all the time," he explained, probably repeating an adult.
"...THIRD TIME IN A WEEK," echoed Mrs. Black's voice. Rabbit shifted uncomfortably on the rug. Family rows were bad enough in your own family, but as a guest it was awful. He scanned the area for Reggie's puzzle pieces, and had found an orange one on the dark carpet, when Mrs. Black appeared in the doorway, remarkably unfazed by the recent scolding. "Oh-Rabastan, I didn't realize you'd arrived."
The Lestrange boy stood and nodded. "Hallo, Mrs. Black. Mr. Black said to play with Regulus while I waited."
"Well, I'm terribly sorry, but Sirius has been up to no good and will be spending the rest of the day in his room. You're welcome to stay and play with Regulus, of course. Your mother said you'd be staying the night, so we can either set up a bed in Regulus' room or you can take one of the guest rooms." Mrs. Orion Black was dark, serious, and mildly terrifying, wholly unlike her sister-in-law. Rabastan had no idea how his friend could stand to do anything to anger her.
"Thank you, ma'am," he replied, polite and simple.
She nodded curtly, glanced at her younger son, and swept back out of the room, head held high.
"So what was it this time?" Rabbit asked, trying to match two mismatched pieces. He tossed them back on the carpet.
Regulus shrugged and took one of the pieces to add to his growing Halloween picture. "Said something, probably. He gets in trouble almost every day. Twice, sometimes," he added. "He left me alone today, though. I think he was trying to be good."
"But he's in trouble anyway."
"Mm." The younger boy looked behind himself and saw only Kreacher. "He was trying, I said. That doesn't mean he was good."
Rabbit knew all about Sirius 'trying' to be good. Normally Rabbit helped, but he hadn't been there this time. And now they-
"I SAID IN YOUR ROOM," came the shrieking voice of Mrs. Black, followed by the quick patter of a small boy's feet. Rabastan and Regulus looked over towards the stairwell and then back at each other.
Rabastan didn't know whether to pity his friend or be angry. Of all days, he couldn't stay out of trouble long enough for them to play together? Regulus was all well and good but he was a far cry from his brother. And now here Rabbit was, stuck helping with an easy puzzle instead of doing something interesting. "I don't know if Sirius can be good," he grumbled, trying to attach his piece to one already on the floor.
Little Regulus snatched the troublesome piece out of the Lestrange's hands and set it in place himself. "He can too," he defended. "It's because-they just want-he's the heir," the explanation tumbled out in half-formed ideas. "Don't say mean things about my brother."
"Sorry." Rabbit's apology slipped into the air and floated between them like a soft-falling feather. He felt like a horrid friend. "I didn't mean it," he added, close to a whisper.
They worked in silence, the bad spirit between them not forgotten but not lingering, until Rabastan sat up and faced the other boy squarely. If Sirius wasn't here, that was that. There was no use being grumpy about it, and it wasn't Reggie's fault. Rabbit had a whole night with Regulus in front of him, so they might as well spend it having fun. "Say, want to see something?"
"Maybe. What?"
Two lumps sat in the pocket of Rabbit's satchel. He got up, scurried over to the bag, and fished out one. A milky white sphere, little bigger than a gobstone, gleamed in his palm. "It's a miniature crystal ball," he announced. Regulus' face was dubious. "No, look," Rabbit insisted. "If you hold it and look in you can see what you're thinking."
The younger boy did as he was told and scrunched his face up trying to see in. With a sudden realisation he looked up and glared at Rabbit. "I already know what I'm thinking, Rabbit. That's silly."
Rabastan grinned. "All crystal balls are silly. But they're still fun, right? I brought one for each of you, but if you'd like I can wait to give Sirius his, and you can pretend to read his fortune tomorrow morning."
"Yeah?"
He nodded. "Of course! Even if you can't see anything," he whispered, "you can just guess. I'll tell him you're right. You can even bring it to the party tomorrow."
The ball rolled around in the small pale hands that held it. "Neat. Thanks, Rabbit." The two boys smiled at each other, one appreciative, the other pleased.
"Did you want to finish your puzzle, Reggie?"
Regulus nodded and dropped back to the ground. Rabbit stood above, looking at the nearly-finished scene of orange and black, of a pumpkin patch in a little continental town, with a frightened witch in one corner, turning a nasty-looking Muggle into one of the pumpkins. He bent down, picked up a stray piece, and snapped it perfectly into place to complete an autumn tree on the horizon.