Chapter Text
It was a quiet morning.
Small spots of sunlight filtered through thin jasmine coloured curtains covering the front windows of Number Sixty, Church Way. A three storey cottage hid behind trees out of sight from the slim country lane. Buddleia flowers hung in front of the porch windows, climbing around the cracked, white painted window frames. The tops of tulips and buttery yellow dandelions brushed the edges of the windowsills, swaying in the cool spring breeze.
A mother bird hopped about on the grass of the long, thin front lawn. She stuck her beak into the ground, digging around for breakfast. She resurfaced with a worm wriggling around as if there was a possibility it may escape. Her grip tightened on the worm, but before she could fly away to her nest, a loud voice startled her through the ever so slight gap in the tops of the windows.
"Robin!"
Outside, the startled bird abandoned the worm, which frantically dug itself back into the soil beneath. Inside, a woman was running a pink plastic spoon under the tap. She muttered to herself before turning back to the child sat behind the countertop. Standing opposite her daughter, she heaped a fresh spoonful of the thick porridge into a matching pink plastic bowl.
"Robin. You need to eat your breakfast or me and your father will be late for work." She said, placing it in front of her daughter.
"No!" Robin cried, crossing her arms.
Linda sharply sighed and put a hand on her hip. Blonde curls were becoming untucked from braids she’d pinned to her scalp. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing eight thirty and they were due to drop Robin off at her aunt and uncles at twenty-to. Linda was becoming impatient as she let some of the porridge drop back into the bowl from the spoon.
"Just a little bit Robin. I need you to have at least one spoon -"
"Linda," A man entered the kitchen doorway, "we have a slight issue."
"What's wrong?"
"Your brother can't take her. Work called him in." He said.
"Oh Merlin... what do we do Richard? We can't possibly bring her to St Mungo's for the day."
"We could?" He said with mild hope.
"Richard." Linda cocked her head. "You know we can't. Is there nobody else we could ask?"
"Not that I can think of."
The parents pondered for a moment. While they thought, Robin had begun to pick at her breakfast, scooping small handfuls of porridge into her mouth. Linda still held the spoon in her hand but with a great 'OH' she flicked it up, spattering the ceiling with the breakfast. Robin giggled as Richard pulled his long, thin wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the ceiling.
"Scourgify." He said, before turning to his wife who was cleaning the spoon once again in the sink. "What was that about?"
"I just thought... she could go to your fathers." Linda said, biting the inside of her lip. Richard grimaced so she continued quickly. "I know it's not ideal, but there's nobody else."
Richard looked painfully at Robin as he pocketed his wand. "There isn't is there." He admitted. With a swift nod, he agreed. "I suppose she can go there but if she comes back with a jar of frogs eyes again, I blame you."
"Thank you dear." Linda smiled.
Richard smiled in response, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll send him an owl him now."
With that, he left the room again. Linda turned back to Robin, and sighed at the sight of the upturned bowl. Porridge was smeared across all over Robins pyjamas, coating the edges of her mouth grossly. Linda took out her own wand and pointed it at her daughter.
Wordlessly, she flicked it. The porridge began to disappear and within a few seconds, Robin was just as she'd been when Linda had sat her down.
The next fifteen minutes went by rather quickly. Robin was dressed rather a lot more proper than usual. The navy cardigan itched her arms causing her to wriggle around as her father clipped her shiny black shoes up. The two were waiting for Linda now. She didn't take long, in fact she appeared just as Robins second shoe was done up.
"Looking gorgeous as ever my love." Richard commented as Linda rushed to slide her oxford heels on.
"Oh stop it." She replied with a chuckle. "These robes do nothing for me." She motioned towards her sage green robes embroidered with the St Mungos hospital logo. Richard gave her an up and down before shaking his head.
"I think I disagree."
Linda swat his chest, which donned identical embroidering to hers. Richard pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. From the step down into the porch, Robin grunted and stood herself up, pulling at his trouser leg. The couple giggled like teenagers at their daughter before Richard leant down to pick her up.
"Yes, you're right we ought to get going." Richard said as Linda grabbed their kits from the side before opening the front door. "One day, you might find somebody like I found mummy."
"No." Robin cried, pressing a hand against his cheek.
"Is that your word of the day? It's all you can seem to say." He grinned, removing his daughter's hand and following Linda out of the porch. She flicked her wand at the door. Upon hearing the door click, the family began to walk down the odd stoney path towards the main road.
As the family walked down the road, it became more apparent that they were rather odd compared to the other residents of the town they lived in. The sage and jasmine robes, emblazoned with matching logos whom none could determine the name of. It was particularly lucky that the residents of Church Way weren't a nosy bunch. Of course, there was curiosity as to where they went every morning. There was something strange however, that whenever somebody saw them out and about, they never got the chance to say anything. Something more pressing always seemed to pop into their minds.
A woman walking a Yorkie suddenly remembered her aunts birthday. A couple taking their children to school remembered the project their youngest had been assigned. The man getting into his car for work suddenly remembered he needed to take it to the shop. Before any of them could even take a second look at the family they'd disappeared, ducking into an alleyway nearby where a loud crack emitted seconds later. Most passing by assumed it was the mans car, which suddenly began spouting black smoke.
None noticed that the family had entirely disappeared. They didn't notice till they returned in the evenings, where the same routine would occur. People would find something more important to think about.
Though, that particular evening, not a single pressing thought entered anyones minds. The Rosevear house remained as empty as it had been all day. Two weeks passed before anyone else in the lane noticed the family’s disappearance.
When they did, it was because of the 'For Sale' sign staked up on the front gate. Another month passed before the 'For Sale' turned into 'Sold' and within a day the entire contents of the house had been taken away in the big white removal van. Nobody knew what had happened but everyone had their suspicions. Most had morbidly assumed the worst.
In time, a new family moved in, clueless about the previous house owners. Everyone forgot that there had even been a Rosevear family. All that remained were dandelions and tulips, which eventually died under lack of care from the new owners. They became buried in the dirt.
Fifty-one miles away in London, two headstones appeared. No funeral was held but plenty of flowers had surrounded the graves. Daffodils, tulips and buddleias were amongst the flowers, but the most common, the most common was a rose.
There were only two headstones though. The littlest Rosevear was left in the care of another, never to know the two lay side by side for eternity.