The . Fury . Inside

“Of course you do, you greedy little minx” he teased her, tickling her side softly with his scarred hands before pulling her close to him once more. Though no one would ever hear him complain about spending a day lazying around in bed with his girlfriend (how insane was it that he could allow himself to think that way of Alecto Carrow?). “Or we could do all of the above. There is such thing as reading in bed, you know?” he laughed “I think I’ve got a couple of new books I’ve been meaning to get started on. Found them at a second-hand bookstore. They even have sidenotes at the margins”. He loved founding books like that, because then he got to read stories, many times stories he had already read, through a different person’s eyes. It was no secret that he loved collecting old books. And fortunately, it was a hobby he could actually afford.

He chuckled, noticing Alecto’s appreciation when he smoothed his fingers through her hair. His chuckle was soon joined by a bashful grin and an unusual blush over his cheeks and ears when she claimed that she would be okay while she had him. It felt nice, to be told that he did something good to other, that he was not a liability or a pity subject. He had been told he was a monster and a disgrace by others, but mostly by himself, countless times, countless nights without sleep. It was hard to argue against your inner voice, and when someone from outside was able to shush it for you, the relief was close to indescribable.

“You’re too good to me sometimes, you know,” he commented, smiling, though there was a flicker of melancholia in his voice when he spoke. Sometimes he felt like he was stealing from her. She did not know anything about who he was…about what he was. A monster, and she treated him like he was a good man and not a potential danger to…Well…everyone. He knew everybody hd darkness in them. He knew Alecto had shadows in her too. But his darkness kept a monster hidden, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her. But he knew he could not hide it forever.

“Can you blame me?” Alecto sniffed in a dignified manner before she giggled at the gentle tickling and snuggled into him. If only life could always be this easy, this effortless. The blonde witch smiled while Remus gushed about the new (to him) books that he’d found and there was a warmth in her chest at his happiness and excitement. He was easy to please, that was for sure. Remus wasn’t the type of wizard who wanted expensive gifts or the flashiest of fashions. He was content with an old, used book and a nice sweater. The way his face lit up whenever she’d present him with a brand new book... it was enough for her to fall in love with him... more than she already had. 

“You know, that sounds like a perfect day, actually,” Alecto murmured, burying her face in his chest, and inhaling deeply. He was her peace. “Lounging in bed, surrounded by books and an extremely handsome man,” she said, looking up at the wizard and flashing him a grin. She could think of more than a couple ways to spend an afternoon in bed with Remus, but she had been very careful about letting Remus make the moves, all while she led him on in a way that should have told him that she was okay with any move he wanted to make. She was used to Death Eaters and Psychopaths when it came to men, not someone like Remus, who respected her and her space. Her smile dropped and her features took on a very serious edge. 

He stayed exactly where he was, neither leaning back nor forward to respond to her leaning toward him. She could move all she wanted to, but he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of a response. No, the key here was her supposed impatience. If he could drag it out for as long as he could, she might tell him something worthwhile. He was well aware that she could get up and leave anytime she wanted to, but he’d consider that suspicious. A part of him wanted her to do that so that he’d have an excuse to pay the rest of the Carrows a visit and ruffle their feathers a bit.

Seeing as she likely wasn’t going to answer his other question about what her father and brother were cooking up to deal with Kelly, he decided to go for a more standard question for now. “Where were you from late afternoon to late night yesterday?”

Alecto was tired of this; for once the witch was able to say that she was innocent, at least in this particular crime. If she had been responsible for the man's death, Kelly wouldn't have been her first - far from it. Alecto had smoked the lit cigarette down to the butt and snubbed the ember out on the table before tucking it away; annoyance flitted over her features when Moody said that he was the one that would be asking the question, but she stuffed the clever retort she had on the tip of her tongue down; if she cooperated and answered his stupid questions, perhaps she could leave sooner. It wasn't her intention this time to antagonize the wizarding law enforcement; it was fun when it was of her own choosing, but she didn't want to be here.

"I was at home, Mister Moody," she said sighing, resting her hands on the table, clasped in front of her. She was careful not to cross her arms over her chest or any other defensive position that might have made her look guilty. "My father and I spent all day and night together, a father-daughter's day in, if you will," she said, a dark humor in her eyes. She fought to keep the sneer from her lips, though this time it wasn't directed at Moody, it was at her situation. It was true, though. "I'm not sure how much you're going to accept that as a alibi, seeing as how my father is likely a suspect, but that's the truth," she paused. "Any more questions I can answer for you, Mister Moody?"

“What would you do if I said no, huh?” he teased, because they both knew the answer was an affirmative one. If it were up to him, he would have Alecto over every night. There was a sense of belonging when she was around him. While he felt he belonged whenever he was with his best friends, he felt like Alecto also belonged there with him. Not in a possessive manner, but simply in a place of existence, of being part of something. Sometimes he wondered if he might not be falling too hard too fast. Because past experiences has shown him he had a tendency for doing so, and it had never ended well for him. Yet there was something else with Alecto, something that made him feel hopeful, a certain maturity to what they had, as if they went way back. It was sort of ironic, given the fact that, of all the relationships Remus had ever been in, he had never been with someone so foreign to his own reality as Alecto. Yet they fit.

“Of course you can stay” he bumped his nose softly against hers as he smiled “I actually have the day off tomorrow. We can stay here and do nothing. Or go out and do something…or still do nothing”. A chuckle escaped his lips before he leaned to claim another soft kiss from those rosy lips of hers. One scarred hand rose up to push away some loose strands of gold away from her face before looking somewhat solemnly into her beautiful eyes.

“You will be alright?” he asked, the only reference he ever made to whatever struggled Alecto might be facing. He did not push her, just check on her, and made sure that she knew that if ever she needed to let go, he would catch her.

“I certainly feel special,” she said with a nod. Alecto sank into Remus, letting her legs drape over his and leaning against his chest, letting her eyes fall closed. It was amazing how much she felt changed when she was in his presence. The witch would always be Alecto Carrow and her personality didn’t magically change just because she was around someone that was so good, but she felt more at peace, and that alone could often quiet the demons the whispered to her. Not completely, but it always helped. Chill bumps pebbled over her skin from the feeling of Remus playing with her hair, the sensations light and delightful on her scalp. 

“I might cry,” Alecto answered honestly without even opening her eyes. She tried to make it sound like she was joking, and it had been a while since Alecto had actually cried, but if Remus denied her, it was entirely possible. She didn't have to seriously contemplate that scenario, though because Alecto knew that even if Remus actually wanted her to leave... He probably wouldn't have the heart to say so. It was why she was so careful, watching his physical cues to make sure that her presence was wanted. He never let her down. Sometimes tuebwitch toyed with the idea of moving in with the handsome, loving wizard, but it wasn't going to be possible for as long as Master Carrow was still alive. Someone really had to do something about him.

The blonde smiled and opened her eyes, nuzzling her cheek against his. A feeling of safety bloomed in her chest because even though she was sure he wouldn't turn her away, he always had that choice, that right and there was a part of her that was just waiting for him to use it. He didn't and for tonight she was safe, safe from the responsibility of being a Death Eater, as long as nothing called her away and especially safe from her father, for one night at least, or maybe she would make a week long ordeal out of it - if Remus could put up with her for that long. "I think I want to keep you all to myself tomorrow, stay in and just read together, or spend all day in bed," she said with a sly grin.

So this was the game the Carrows played. Alastor had to admit, it did sound rather elaborate: turning former enemies into pawns. Hearing her say that there were plenty of wizards and witches who be bent to someone’s will so easily - weak willed, as she had put it - was only slightly alarming. His father had taught him that gender did not preclude one or the other to be any more or any less capable of some of the most horrible things. Perhaps the scales were tipped more for one than the other, but it was a grave mistake to make any sort of judgement on such an irrelevant thought. What did alarm him was how often this strategy of breaking someone down worked and the hinted at implications when it didn’t work.

Alastor scoffed at her just a girl comment. Here she was smoking a cigarette right in front of him and talking about breaking people’s wills; she was certainly not just a girl. She may very well play the part, but he didn’t have time to go along with her pretending. “Your statement implies that your brother and father take things over if things don’t go your way. You’re plan A, and if that fails, who’s plan B? Your brother? Your father? Do they find the poor sod and teach him a lesson or two, or do they just get straight to the point? I have a hard time believing that you’re not aware of what goes on under your family’s roof.” He paused for a moment, matching her gaze. “It would be in your best interest to not waste your time or my time,” he cautioned.

They were now veering off topic, and knowing that he couldn’t keep her there for a day, he needed to get back on track. “So, Percival Kelly. I take it he had a stronger will than you expected. What plans did your father and brother have for him?”

At first, the situation was at least a little amusing, being called in for a murder that she didn't commit and for once knew nothing about, but it was quickly becoming tiresome. Alecto was growing frustrated with each minute that ticked by on the impossibly loud clock in the room and the voices, they did nothing to alleviate that. They had never seemed on her side, though. For as long as she could remember they chanted poison and toxicity, and now as the second had ticked, ticked, ticked by on the clock, they whispered that she was going down for this, that she might as well confess to the crime because they'd find a way to pin it on her anyway. They might go easier if she confessed...

"Mr. Moody," Alecto said, her voice strong due to her frustration. "The intricacies of my family are hardly important. We had nothing to do with that man's murder, and I'm growing tired of this conversation," she said, leveling the man with a glare that rightly belonged on a woman beyond Alecto's own years. There was somewhere deep in her chest that acknowledged what her head wouldn't, that something in her was intimidated by this man, but her head didn't listen to that. She was Alecto Carrow and there were few people in this world that were above her and Moody wasn't one of them as far as she was concerned - she still wasn't stupid enough to underestimate him.

George seemed to be content in the woman’s, Alecto’s, arms. Arthur decided that it was probably best to keep George where he was, considering that he didn’t want his son to be running around and he might need his hands free to grab the other one. “Well, thank you Alecto. I’m Arthur,” he smiled, “I think George is happy where he is.”

When he saw that she was moving to another part of the store, he followed, figuring that she might have seen Fred. Unfortunately, he didn’t see any signs of his son in and among the dress robes. “He’s a sneaky one. I’m pretty sure he gets it from his mother’s side,” he chuckled as he parted some hangers to see if Fred was hiding in between clothes.

Arthur looked around the area to see if he might by chance catch a glimpse of him. “Fred,” he called out, though not too loudly so as to not disturb a lot of people. “Can you come out, please?” Not too far from them, he saw some movement in another clothes rack. Instead of heading straight for the rack, he decided that his odds would be better if they tried to get on both sides of the rack to prevent Fred from escaping. “I’ll go around,” he whispered. He held a finger to his lips and pointed to the rustling clothes rack. They would have to pretty quiet when they approached.

Walking carefully to the rack, he stood on the far side and waited for Alecto to get into position. There was a faint giggle from the clothes, and he knew that Fred was in the clothes. Arthur pointed to her and made a gesture with his hands to convey that she should pull away the clothes so that he could grab his son. He nodded and hoped she’d understood his mimed out plan.

-----

The toddler in her arms was perhaps the most precious thing she'd seen all day; he was brimming with mischief and it seemed he was just waiting for the right moment or opportunity to continue his playfulness. Alecto distractedly tickled the small child's belly while her eyes scanned the store for abnormal movement and smiled at the father's introduction, giving a nod. She thought he was happy where he was, too, but that could have easily been her ego trying to make her feel special - wouldn't be the first time.

Positioning him in a more comfortable spot on her hip, she continued moving through the store. For a second, when Arthur followed her to one side of the store, she worried that he had rethought his trust in her and was worried she was trying to take off with the toddler, only to be relieved that, of course, he was following her incase the toddler's twin was there.

"Alright," Alecto said with a nod, walking silently - despite the child in her arms - around the other way, around the clothes rack to create the right formation for a pincer attack. It should have been no surprise that her mind flashed to battle tactics, but she still tried to squash the feeling down if it wasn't helpful in helping this father capture his child. The blonde witch's eyes locked on the red haired father, Arthur, and understood his hand gestures, frowning for a second as she tried to figure out how she was going to pull the clothes back with her arms occupied.... before she remembered she was a witch.

“Four chapters?” he arched an eyebrow “Fast reader, you might even give me a run for my money one day” he teased, leaning over to capture her lips in a quick kiss. He had become a lot more confident as far as kissing without asking went in their relationship. “Are you hungry? I think there’s still some of my mother’s stew left in the kitchen, because she cooks for an army, and forgets she has only one lanky son who can feed himself”.

They were so radically different, Lecty and him. Came from opposite sides of the background spectrum. And yet it was amazing how they had both fitted into a common routine whenever Alecto showed up. It was as if in each other they could find themselves at ease, let go of the rest of the world for some time and be at their most simple and raw selves with a calmness to them that was rare in their reality. The most homely chores like cleaning, doing the dishes, organizing the countlesss books littered around the apartment or making the bed were source of a simple, pure kind of joy that they found in each other’s company. Remus still marvelled at how they had managed to aquire such relaxing space for each other, but Merlin was he thank ful for it. His mind, usually restless to the point of being painful, was calm and quiet whenever the lovely little blonde witch was around him.

"That sounds absolutely riveting," Alecto said with a grin, liking it when Remus used sarcasm. It was reassuring to know that he'd been sarcastic long before he'd met her, that it was just an important and base part of his personality and not a part of him that she had ruined. Though he'd just come from outside, his hands felt warm on her legs as he moved them into his lap and that warmth spread up and warmed her completely, letting her settle further into the couch and into his touch.

"Pfft," she responded, humming a little when his lips caught hers and returned the kiss before they parted. "For all you know, I arrived right after you left for work and have been working on those four chapters all day," she teased with a grin. Alecto moved the book to the side table. The witch enjoyed that Remus had gotten more confident around her, that he kissed her when he felt like it and he didn't seem afraid to show affection to her, nor she with him. She wiggled down the couch a little, getting closer to the handsome wizard.

Nuts was probably something he and Molly had surpassed quite a long time ago. He wasn’t sure where that left them now, but he was pretty sure nuts had come and gone as soon as the twins were born. The first three were normal, however one defined normal kids that is. These two were quite something else. Nevertheless, he chuckled a little at her comment, raising his hand and rubbing the back of his neck.

Arthur hadn’t expected her to start looking for his other son, but he was thankful for it anyway. “Fred’s quite the hider. But yes, the red hair does help.” Perhaps nature just knew that the red hair would also come handy for the twins. He too started looking around the clothes rack, shifting the hangars to see if Fred was among the clothes. Realizing that she was still holding George, he said, “If he’s getting heavy for you, I can take him,” he offered, not wanting her to feel like she had to tote around his son all over the shop.

She also looked liked someone who had things to do and places to be that didn’t include looking for a redheaded two-year old. “And you don’t need to trouble yourself searching for the other one; I’ll find him.” He didn’t know how long it would take to find the other twin, but he certainly wouldn’t be going home with one short. 

“I mean, I appreciate the help, but I don’t want to take up more of your day. You’ve already got one of them, so half of my job is already done.” It was also important to him to convey that he was capable of handling and keeping track of his kids (well, perhaps the latter was forgone for now) and that he wasn’t in over his head. It wasn’t unusual for people to form that assumption when he told them how many kids he had.

It was nice, seeing a father that cared about his children actively looking for them when one went missing instead of sending a house elf or not caring enough to look at all. Missing in the most mundane term, of course, like when a child wandered around the manor and got lost in the dungeons or the many unused rooms. The only way her father would have cared was if he was worried she was going to embarrass him, or he realized that if he didn't know where she was, he couldn't control her.

"Oh, no, he's fine. Unless you'd like him back. I understand a stranger holding your child might be a little, ah, worrisome," Alecto admitted, and really, Alecto should have been the last person Arthur wanted to hold his child. Her stained hands might rub off on the innocent child and the thought made her almost instantly guilty.

the-wolf-within‌:

One of his favourite sounds in the world was the tender crack of chocolate whenever he split a square from a tablet to pop it into his mouth. He liked it because not only was it a sound, but it had a smell, a texture and also the phantom of a taste in it, of course. He enjoyed the way that single sound was able to evocate the flavour of chocolate melting at the end of his tongue with touches of childhood, comfort and security.

He had stopped by a small shop to buy some chocolate on his way back home from work that evening. His thick wool sweater was draped over his arm, because the walk had made him hot, though now a light breeze was running and he felt a touch chilly. But that was just Remus, either he was heavily wrapped in winter clothes, or in light, summer ones. This was because he was a firm militant of the ALS Movement, formally known as the Anti-Light Sweaters Movement, of which he was probably also de only militant, but not because of that was he any less enthusiastic about it. Sweaters were either thick, or not sweaters at all and that was just how the world was supposed to be.

Of course, he could have put on a jacket, but he had only one and it had officially reached the end of its usable days when, a couple of weeks ago, someone on the street had offered to give him money, mistaking him for a homeless person.

These thoughts, so shallow and yet uplifting in their rare simplicity, were what crowded his head when he crossed through the protective charms of his apartment (including the regular lock on the door) to find Alecto Carrow curled on his couch.

“Lecty” he smiled upon seeing her, her name rolling out of his lips like poetry. Remus left his things on the table before making his ways towards her to place a kiss on her temple “Hey, you’ve been around for long?”

 Some time ago he had given her a copy of his keys to let herself in. Even if they had only been seeing each other (and man, did it still feel strange, exciting and utterly terrifying to even think of it) for a couple of months, it did not take a genius to realize the beautiful Carrow princess was not 100% content with her home, though he ignored the reasons why. Remus had no interest in pressing the matter on her, after all, he had his own secrets he (if not happily, but confidently) kept from her. But, without knowing the whole of the situation, he had figured that he could at least provide her with a little corner in the world to which she could escape to when needed. This was why her announced presence in his tiny living room was hardly a surprise anymore (aside from the fact that well…Alecto Carrow considered his book infested apartment as a place worthy of her heavenly presence).

@a-fairfury

Master Avitus Carrow was a monster. No kinder word existed for the man, nor a harsher one that Alecto could think of, but she thought ‘monster’ fit him perfectly. It was getting unbearable and when she could, the blonde witch escaped her prison to the only safe haven that she truly had: Remus’. Far from a last resort, Alecto enjoyed her time at Remus’ flat, and the warm environment that she was always met with was one that surprised her at first, though it shouldn’t have. Remus was the kindest, warmest person alive, a true treasure that she didn’t deserve, but she was, by nature, a selfish creature. 

The day Remus had given her keys to his apartment was still a strange one for her, but possibly one of the most touching moments of her life. He was willing to open his home to her even though they’d hardly been seeing each other, and provide her with an escape from her life at the manor. On the occasions that she did use the key, it was so easy to pretend that she lived there all the time. That she was constantly surrounded by warmth and love instead of the cold hatred that greeted her at the Carrow Manor. 

Old and new books littered every inch of the apartment and she wouldn’t have expected anything else from her caring bookworm. She’d engrossed herself in one of the many books around when she first arrived, knowing that Remus wouldn’t be home for a little bit and had been found curled up with a book in her lap, a blanket strewn over her shoulders. The blonde witch greeted Remus with a warm smile upon his entrance and closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss to her temple. 

Alastor didn’t expecting her to throw her family under the carriage and possibly admit to a lethal method of handling people who became annoying problems, though he thought social murder was an interesting phrase to use. “That so,” he half asked, half stated with one raised brow as if to to discern how much of that was true. It was hard to tell which of her sort talked a lot and, in this case, settled for social murder as opposed to proper murder.

It sounded to him like there were going to be a number of holes in that strategy. For starters, how did the Carrow family guarantee that committing social murder was going to do the job? He considered that maybe this whole social murder thing was a precursor to something else - a bit of playing with prey before making the kill, perhaps? She didn’t appear to be lying, as far as he could tell. However, he wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing with that cigarette in her hand and if she was using it as some sort of distraction. Fidgeting and ticks, weren’t things he was bother by, but it did make him wonder if this was a subconscious thing for her.

“So you socially murder someone. You expect them to go off themselves or something? Can’t help think that your family’s style isn’t exactly fool proof for taking care of annoyances. Seems like, depending on the person, doing that would make them even more determined and maybe even push them to act out more. Kelly seems like the sort of person who’d just be even more determined. How would your family handle those sorts?” He asked as if he were genuinely curious; as if he may be seeking advice for his own annoyances. It was for show, but she didn’t need to know that. And maybe, he’d be lucky and she’d fall for it. It was time to see just how astute the Carrow girl was. 

"That's so," Alecto said with a nod, putting the cigarette between her lips and lighting it the muggle way - with some matches. With how jumpy they were and the fact she was being questioned, the blonde didn't think they would take too kindly to her pulling out her wand and lighting the tip of the cigarette that way. With a sharp inhale her lungs filled with the acrid tobacco smoke and she nearly sighed at the effect it had on her. For a second the voices sounding in her head were quiet, giving her a moment to think about her answer when she was posed with the question.

 "Oh, Merlin, no," Alecto shook her head. "Sometimes it happens, there are a lot of weak willed witches and wizards, so, yes, it happens, but that's not necessarily the goal. Our goal is to break them and when they're broken, they become very useful little pawns," she explained. There was no shame or guilt felt when she went about explaining this. Sure, it wasn't smiled upon, but it wasn't against the law, wizarding or muggle. 

"It works most of the time," she said with a shrug though her eyes hardened. She didn't trust his conversational tone, nor his curiosity. "When it doesn't, well, I'm just a girl, Mr. Moody. My father and my brother are the brains behind the family and family decisions like that fall on their shoulders. Women are typically the socialites, so it makes sense that I would know about socially ruining someone." The voices whispered viciously while she watched the auror, offhandedly wondering if feminine wiles would have any effect on the man. Probably not - he didn't seem the type.  

Arthur was relieved that the toddler hadn’t knocked anyone over, but instead had been picked up. When he made it over, he gave the woman a grateful smile. “Yes, though he and his twin definitely take after their mother’s side of the family more than mine.” Once he got a proper look at his son, he was pretty sure it was George. The boy giggled and put his hands over his eyes, as if still playing hide and seek.

“Sorry about that. You tell them to stay close, but,” he shrugged and chuckled, “that’s not much fun for them. Yep, I think he and his brother saw all of the clothes and thought it would be a good idea to come in here. Speaking of his brother, I should be trying to find him.” One would think that it wouldn’t be hard to find a toddler, but Fred was a master hider. Likely since it was Fred’s idea to come in here in the first place, the boy probably had an idea of the perfect hiding spot.

Bill and Charlie were shortly by his side again, shaking their heads. They hadn’t found Fred. “You two keep searching the front of the shop, and I’ll go look at the back. Don’t leave the store, alright?” The boys nodded at his instructions. Arthur looked at George, “Do you know where you’re brother is, hmm?” His son just giggled again and shook his head, also indicating that he didn’t know where Fred was. “I suppose you haven’t seen another red headed boy have you? He looks just like this one,” he asked her, nodding at George.

He seemed like a good dad - that was the first thought that entered the girl’s mind as she tickled young George. The child’s giggles were like music to her ears and it was hard to resist the repeated tickling, but she did, if only for a moment. Alecto didn’t want to make the elder Weasley uncomfortable with familiarity where it didn’t belong. She’d literally only been around him for seconds, but something about him screamed that he was a good father that cared about his kids. The voices whispered nasty things, but she pushed them down enough to remind herself that if he were the terrible person they said he was, she would have seen the rage, the evil in his eyes. 

It wasn’t there.

“No worries, the little lads just want to play. I’m not bothered, but I figure you’re going a bit nuts, eh?” She asked with a grin. With a glance at the boy in her arms, she wondered if her feature children would be this happy, if she would have any children at all. She couldn’t imagine doing so in this world, in the situation she was in. Master Carrow would be there, looming always, and a flash of white hot rage filled her body for half a second at the thought of that monster around her imaginary kids, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Kids were sensitive to things like that and she didn’t want to scare the poor child.

“Uh... well, I’ve only seen this one,” she raised the boy an inch before lowering him back to her hip. She watched as the two older red heads started to look around the shop. “Bright red hair shouldn’t be too hard to spot, though,” she chuckled. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full here,” Alecto wandered around a rack of clothes, looking for the identical boy. 

the-curious-weasley‌:

@a-fairfury

It was errand day, and though it was usually a breeze, he had offered to take the twins while Percy stayed home. Diagon Alley was an easy way of losing a kid on the best days, but with two rascals, he was having a bit of a hard time getting the two of them to stay close. Despite Bill’s and Charlie’s help, the three of them had somehow lost Fred and George when they were buying quills and ink. With the twins already running around, it was a difficult task to keep up with them. Fortunately, Charlie was sure that he saw two red headed boys run into the store next door.

Arthur and his two eldest entered Madam Malkin’s and started to search. In a place where there were curtains and robes hanging around, he could see how the store was attractive to two young boys who loved hide-and-go-seek. The three of them started to scour the store, trying to spot two short red headed boys.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of bright red hair. He whipped around to see one of the twins (it was hard to tell which one from where he was standing) running toward someone. “Grab him, please,” he called out to the person, hoping they would see the toddler before getting knocked over.

When Alecto behaved very well Master Carrow let her out of the house with Galleons in hand to spend, but only if she was very good. To her immense disgust and embarrassment, in Master Carrow’s eyes, she’d been the perfect daughter and that was how she found herself in Madam Malkin’s looking for new summer robes. She deserved something pretty, surely, something nice for putting up with everything her father had to shove at her and taking it with all the grace that she could. 

A commotion sounded by the front doors of the establishment causing Alecto’s head to snap up, crystalline eyes zeroing in on the two small children running about. Her heart clinched. Children were by far one of Alecto’s biggest weaknesses and the urge to protect them was intrinsic to who she was as a person... all other people were fair game, however. She heard the request of the father down the aisle and used her Death Eaters reflexes to catch the small boy around the middle, hoisting him up with a smile. The spark of red hair told her exactly who this child was, or at least which family he belonged to. Red hair, freckles... this toddler was a Weasley. 

“Well, hello wee fella,” she coo’d, slender fingers tickling the pudgy belly, trying to coax a giggle from him before her eyes landed on Arthur. Children almost immediately put her in a good mood. “This one belong to you?” She asked, a little winded from the capture.