A quiet afternoon
The cottage was unusually quiet for a late afternoon. Marlene was on the floor, surrounded by a small army of magical creatures that Sirius had charmed to life. She sat cross-legged, her eyes wide with excitement as she watched one of the creatures flutter past her, narrowly avoiding her hand. Harry, sitting beside her, was grinning like the cat who had gotten the cream.
“Sirius,” Remus said with a laugh, “are you sure that creature’s supposed to be flying that high? It looks like it might break something.”
Harry looked up at him, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “It’s fine, Remus! They’re getting better at Quidditch. We’re teaching them!”
Remus raised an eyebrow. “Quidditch, huh? I didn’t realize magical creatures needed training for that.”
“They do!” Harry replied earnestly. “They’ll be the best team ever. I just have to make sure they don’t get distracted by shiny things,” he added, looking pointedly at the tiny creature that was currently hovering near a shiny spoon on the counter.
Marlene giggled beside him. “It looks like they’re already distracted!”
“Don’t worry,” Harry said confidently. “They’ll figure it out.”
“You know, Harry, you might be onto something here. Magical creatures playing Quidditch?” Sirius chuckled. “Sounds like a hit in the wizarding world.”
Remus, sitting nearby with his cup of tea, smiled softly. “They might need more practice than that, but it’s a good start.”
Marlene, catching her brother’s enthusiasm, looked up at Remus. “Do you want to play too, Remus?” she asked, her eyes bright with excitement. “We can be a team!”
Remus hesitated, clearly amused by the offer. “Me? Play with your magical creatures? I think I’ll pass for now. But I’ll watch from the stands and cheer you on.”
Harry, never one to back down from a challenge, beamed. “Don’t worry, Remus. You’ll be on the team once I’m done with them. Just wait!”
Remus shook his head with a laugh. “I think I’ll stick to the ground for now.”
Remus exchanged a glance with Sirius, both of them clearly enjoying the scene before them.
Harry laughed. “I’ll be the Seeker.”
Marlene grinned mischievously. “I’ll be the Keeper. I’ll make sure no one scores on us.”
Remus, amused by the siblings’ banter, smiled warmly. “Looks like we’ve got a team in the making.”
Sirius nodded, his gaze softening as he watched the two children. “They’ve got big dreams. I like that.”
Remus watched Harry and Marlene for a moment, his heart full of warmth for the young siblings. Even though he wasn’t a part of the magical creature Quidditch team, he couldn’t help but feel like he was a part of something just as special—being here, with them, in this moment of peace.
Harry looked up from his creatures with a serious expression on his face. “You know, one day, I’m going to be the best Quidditch player ever,” he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Marlene nodded earnestly. “I’ll be right behind you, Harry. I’ll be the best Keeper ever!”
Sirius laughed, his voice light. “If you two are going to be the best, I’d better start brushing up on my Quidditch skills.”
Remus raised an eyebrow. “You?” he teased. “I thought you were too busy being the world’s most talented troublemaker.”
Sirius grinned. “Hey, I can multitask. Besides, I’m a natural at everything.”
Harry, not fully grasping the humor but taking Sirius’s words to heart, turned to Marlene with a grin. “We’re going to be so good, they’ll have to make a special league just for us.”
Marlene laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Yeah! And we’ll win all the trophies!”
Remus watched them both. “You two are going to be unstoppable,” he said, his voice full of affection.