The houses are all dark, and identical. I'm glad Severus asked me to put something beside the door, or I would have gotten lost. The heat burns my skin, but I have a t-shirt and shorts on. There are a few kids playing in the shadows. A couple of them stop to stare at me. I bend down and take my wand out again, and charm the Lily so that it can't be pulled out of the ground or damaged. I do this without the kids seeing my wand. I slowly stand up and put it back.
A small girl comes up to me.
"You came from the scary man's house. Are you Frankenstein?"
I smile softly and crouch down next to her.
"No, I'm not. Has my daddy been scaring you?"
"He doesn't talk, and ma refuses to tell us anything about him. Funny smells come from his house. We stay away from there. When he comes out he's a meanie."
"Well, he isn't a bad guy. He's very nice, but doesn't have many friends. The smells are from his... Cooking. He loves to try new recipes, but gets them wrong sometimes."
"Why didn't we see you earlier if you're not a Frankenstein?"
"Because I've been away at a school. They taught me a lot of things there."
"Are you one of the... Weird ones?"
"Weird ones?"
"There's these other children. They try to fit in, but can't. They talk funny. They don't know tag, or hide and seek. They don't understand our games."
"I'm not a weird one, don't worry."
I look over at the other children. They're hopping around and throwing stones.
"I'm Francis." She says. Francis has shoulder length curly hair and a missing tooth.
"I'm Isabelle. Is that hopscotch?"
"Yes. Want to play?"
"Of course."
We play until the sun goes down. Once we see the clouds going pink, we say goodbye and I step inside.
"I'm home!"
"Did you have fun?"
"I met some muggle kids who live across the road. We played hopscotch the whole time. They call you 'the scary man'. What's up with that?"
"I just don't tell people about myself."
"I had to explain I wasn't Frankenstein. It was pretty funny." I grin.
"What's Frankenstein? And hopscotch?"
"Frankenstein is a muggle story about a monster made of parts from dead people. Hopscotch is a muggle game. Where do the wizards live?"
"A few blocks away. Down to the right. You might not want to talk to them much. They're all pure blood families. That's where what's left of the Lestranges live."
"Bellatrix's family?"
"Yes."
"I think she's escaping next year. A few others as well."
"You never gave me the third book."
"I'll give it to you when we get back to school."
"I made dinner, by the way."
We eat in silence. After dinner, Wormwood flies up to me and lands on my shoulder. I drop my book on my lap and untie the letter.
"Thanks, Wormwood."
He nips my ear and heads back to his 'room'.
Dear Isabelle,
I'm so glad your father decided to let you come. Floo is fine. Stop by on Saturday next week, Hermione will be there, so you'll have another girl your age.
Also, Arthur hasn't told the kids, but he's heard about who your father is. He's not exactly happy, but I told him not to worry about you. It must be for a good reason. We hope you're being treated well, and hope to see you soon.
From Mrs Weasley
I stare in shock at the letter. They know already? That was quick.
Dear Mrs Weasley,
Don't worry about me, it's really nice here.
He is actually very caring when it matters, and this is new to him, but he's coping really well. He gave me an owl today, and let me decorate my room however I wanted. He really is a nice person once you get to know him.
I can't wait to see all of you again.
From Isabelle
I head to the owls and ask Wormwood to take the letter to the Weasleys. He hoots goodbye as he flies into the night.
Severus comes in.
"I came to wish you good night. My bedroom is down the hall if you need me."
"Night, Severus."
He smiles and closes the door as he leaves. I get into my pyjamas and slide into bed. I think I'm going to love it here.
_______________
See, haters? Sevvy is a nice dude. (That was mainly for HRKOsgood.)
QOTC: do you ship Geobelle?
Please vote!
~Ericano