__“Gregory, get down from there, please.”
__The little boy with the brown hair frowned, and jumped off the shelf he’d been in the middle of climbing. He wobbled a little on his landing, and fell to his knees, but got up immediately and brushed off his pants with his small hands. Dominic returned his gaze to the canned vegetables he was loading into his shopping cart. Corn, green beans, tomatoes; everything that Gregory hated. Everything that Dominic had hated as a child, too.
__He cleared his throat loudly as Gregory tried to sneak a bag of marshmallows into the cart when he thought Dominic wasn’t looking. “Put them back, Greg.”
__He felt bad as the little boy’s shoulders slumped, and he put the bag back on the disheveled pile he’d got it from, but Dom knew he couldn’t go back once he’d forbidden the marshmallows. ‘I’ll get him a candy bar or something at the checkout,' he told himself, and then grinned a little, remembering how each of his parents had always bought him a treat, behind the other parent’s back.
__He looked down at his shopping list – written on an old yellow notepad that he had hundreds of at home – and checked to see what he still needed to get. Paper towels was the last thing on the list that wasn’t crossed out. Gregory was trying to climb up the side of the cart and into it, which could only mean disaster for the dozen eggs right in his landing zone. “Here, Greg, I’ll tell you what,” he said, putting his hand on the little boy’s head. “You go pick out a pack of gum, while I get some paper towels, okay? I’ll meet you at check stand five. Remember the number five?” Gregory smiled, and pointed out the right check stand, and Dominic mussed his hair before he ran off. “Sugar-free!” he called after him, and started towards the paper goods aisle. He knew how long it took Gregory to make any decision, so he knew he’d have plenty of time. He was also well acquainted with the checker who was now at check stand five, and knew that she’d keep an eye on him.
__But Dom had only just found the brand of paper towels he wanted, when he heard a loud crash of what sounded like heavy cans coming from the other end of the store, and he left his cart and ran, frantic, to the source of the noise. And sure enough, there was little Gregory, sitting on the floor amidst dented soup cans, trying to wipe away the tears that were rolling freely down his cheeks. There was a woman next to him, who seemed to have given up on dignity and just sat down on the floor next to him, and was running her fingers through his hair and speaking softly to him.
__Dominic couldn't breathe, and he didn't even try to move.
__“Aw, sweetheart, are you alright?" said the woman, looking at him through sea-blue eyes full of concern, and wiping some of his tears away with her fingers. "You sure are a good climber. That was a big fall, it’s amazing you didn’t get hurt really badly.” Her full, familiar lips turned up in a smile at a joke that she didn’t think anyone would understand. “Almost like magic.” Gregory couldn’t help but smile a little, too, as he nodded soberly and wiped his nose on his jacket sleeve. And then his big blue eyes found Dominic, and he got up and ran into Dominic's arms. Dom put a brave face on and laughed, and ruffled the wavy hair on Gregory's head. But in truth, laughing was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. The appearance of this woman, like a ghost from the past, had sent his mind flying over the sorrows and joys of the past few years, and he almost felt sick.
__Eleanor stood and brushed herself off, and smiled up at the stranger who wasn't so strange to her, and her smile faltered. "Oh," she said. She looked unsteady, as though a feather could knock her off her feet. "Dominic...Dom?" Her smile returned.
__"Hey, Eleanor."
__"It's so good to see you! What are you doing here? I mean, in a Muggle supermarket. Of all the places in the world..." Her voice trailed off on the last part, as though she were talking to herself. Dominic tried to think of a suitable answer. One that went a little more in-depth than just 'shopping'. But did she really need to know about that more recent change in his life?
__"Daddy, lookit," said Gregory, holding up his right hand to display a long scratch from the side of his palm to his wrist. Dom turned his eyes to the scratch - he knew that whenever Gregory spoke in front of a stranger, it was important - but not fast enough to miss the widening of his old friend's eyes, probably at the word 'daddy'. "Oh, wow, Greg, that's a good one," he said, smiling. "Does it hurt?" Greg's eyes flickered to Eleanor, before he answered. "A little."
__"Oh, here, honey, let me get that for you," said Eleanor, smiling sweetly as she drew her wand, and, before Dominic could do anything to stop her, she waved the wand over the little boy's hand, and the scratch vanished, leaving the skin where it had been just a shade pinker than the rest of his hand. Gregory's mouth fell open, and his eyes grew wide. "Whoa! How did you do that?" he said excitedly, his eyes moving rapidly from Eleanor's face to her wand.
__Eleanor looked even more stunned, and this time, even her smile did not survive her confusion. "You...you haven't told him about magic yet, Dom?" she asked, and he could tell from her tone that she was embarrassed, and trying not to offend him any further.
__"I, uh...no, he said. "It's...hard to explain. I wish I could but..."
__"What do you mean, magic? How did she do that?!" Dominic sighed. "Eleanor, would you like to, er...go somewhere? I'll explain, I just..."
__She agreed, and they decided it'd be best to go to her shop in Diagon Alley. He told her he was excited to see what she'd done with the place, anyway.
__"So, ah...Daddy, huh?" she said on the way out, grinning. Dom smiled.
__The little boy with the brown hair frowned, and jumped off the shelf he’d been in the middle of climbing. He wobbled a little on his landing, and fell to his knees, but got up immediately and brushed off his pants with his small hands. Dominic returned his gaze to the canned vegetables he was loading into his shopping cart. Corn, green beans, tomatoes; everything that Gregory hated. Everything that Dominic had hated as a child, too.
__He cleared his throat loudly as Gregory tried to sneak a bag of marshmallows into the cart when he thought Dominic wasn’t looking. “Put them back, Greg.”__He felt bad as the little boy’s shoulders slumped, and he put the bag back on the disheveled pile he’d got it from, but Dom knew he couldn’t go back once he’d forbidden the marshmallows. ‘I’ll get him a candy bar or something at the checkout,' he told himself, and then grinned a little, remembering how each of his parents had always bought him a treat, behind the other parent’s back.
__He looked down at his shopping list – written on an old yellow notepad that he had hundreds of at home – and checked to see what he still needed to get. Paper towels was the last thing on the list that wasn’t crossed out. Gregory was trying to climb up the side of the cart and into it, which could only mean disaster for the dozen eggs right in his landing zone. “Here, Greg, I’ll tell you what,” he said, putting his hand on the little boy’s head. “You go pick out a pack of gum, while I get some paper towels, okay? I’ll meet you at check stand five. Remember the number five?” Gregory smiled, and pointed out the right check stand, and Dominic mussed his hair before he ran off. “Sugar-free!” he called after him, and started towards the paper goods aisle. He knew how long it took Gregory to make any decision, so he knew he’d have plenty of time. He was also well acquainted with the checker who was now at check stand five, and knew that she’d keep an eye on him.
__But Dom had only just found the brand of paper towels he wanted, when he heard a loud crash of what sounded like heavy cans coming from the other end of the store, and he left his cart and ran, frantic, to the source of the noise. And sure enough, there was little Gregory, sitting on the floor amidst dented soup cans, trying to wipe away the tears that were rolling freely down his cheeks. There was a woman next to him, who seemed to have given up on dignity and just sat down on the floor next to him, and was running her fingers through his hair and speaking softly to him.__Dominic couldn't breathe, and he didn't even try to move.
__“Aw, sweetheart, are you alright?" said the woman, looking at him through sea-blue eyes full of concern, and wiping some of his tears away with her fingers. "You sure are a good climber. That was a big fall, it’s amazing you didn’t get hurt really badly.” Her full, familiar lips turned up in a smile at a joke that she didn’t think anyone would understand. “Almost like magic.” Gregory couldn’t help but smile a little, too, as he nodded soberly and wiped his nose on his jacket sleeve. And then his big blue eyes found Dominic, and he got up and ran into Dominic's arms. Dom put a brave face on and laughed, and ruffled the wavy hair on Gregory's head. But in truth, laughing was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. The appearance of this woman, like a ghost from the past, had sent his mind flying over the sorrows and joys of the past few years, and he almost felt sick.
__Eleanor stood and brushed herself off, and smiled up at the stranger who wasn't so strange to her, and her smile faltered. "Oh," she said. She looked unsteady, as though a feather could knock her off her feet. "Dominic...Dom?" Her smile returned.__"Hey, Eleanor."
__"It's so good to see you! What are you doing here? I mean, in a Muggle supermarket. Of all the places in the world..." Her voice trailed off on the last part, as though she were talking to herself. Dominic tried to think of a suitable answer. One that went a little more in-depth than just 'shopping'. But did she really need to know about that more recent change in his life?
__"Daddy, lookit," said Gregory, holding up his right hand to display a long scratch from the side of his palm to his wrist. Dom turned his eyes to the scratch - he knew that whenever Gregory spoke in front of a stranger, it was important - but not fast enough to miss the widening of his old friend's eyes, probably at the word 'daddy'. "Oh, wow, Greg, that's a good one," he said, smiling. "Does it hurt?" Greg's eyes flickered to Eleanor, before he answered. "A little."
__"Oh, here, honey, let me get that for you," said Eleanor, smiling sweetly as she drew her wand, and, before Dominic could do anything to stop her, she waved the wand over the little boy's hand, and the scratch vanished, leaving the skin where it had been just a shade pinker than the rest of his hand. Gregory's mouth fell open, and his eyes grew wide. "Whoa! How did you do that?" he said excitedly, his eyes moving rapidly from Eleanor's face to her wand.
__Eleanor looked even more stunned, and this time, even her smile did not survive her confusion. "You...you haven't told him about magic yet, Dom?" she asked, and he could tell from her tone that she was embarrassed, and trying not to offend him any further.
__"I, uh...no, he said. "It's...hard to explain. I wish I could but..."
__"What do you mean, magic? How did she do that?!" Dominic sighed. "Eleanor, would you like to, er...go somewhere? I'll explain, I just..."
__She agreed, and they decided it'd be best to go to her shop in Diagon Alley. He told her he was excited to see what she'd done with the place, anyway.
__"So, ah...Daddy, huh?" she said on the way out, grinning. Dom smiled.
