the third death | sarah

[rhys alexander greyback]

I saw the moon

I saw the dark within

May 19, 2027
sarah jane oliveira

Rhys frowned. His arms were crossed almost defiantly across his chest. It was loud in here. Rhys wasn’t a stranger to noise, and so far, he hadn’t lost his hearing despite stone exploding near his head one too many times. But the combination of babies, toddlers, and small children all squealing was unpleasant. As soon as he had walked in with Charlotte, who had busied herself with inspecting his necklace, he’d felt like he was transported back to the orphanage. Rhys had been brought to that place at the age of five, and he left when he turned seventeen but watching all these kids play reminded him of his younger days.

It wasn’t the same, however. Parents sat off to the side. Some stared intently at the wall, some hovered over their children as they played, and other parents made small talk with one another. Maria usually brought their daughter here, though it was a new thing. Rhys looked at his daughter. She was quiet for the moment as she was laser-focused on the shiny piece of metal and chain in her little fingers. Brow furrowed in intense concentration. It still felt strange to say that her first birthday was so soon. Rhys noted a few parents glance at him out of the corner of his eye—Maria had warned him. Some parents were so terribly bored they’d try to strike a conversation with anyone, especially if they were new. And of course, most of the fathers present, even some mothers, had gravitated toward Maria—but how many Veela were at child daycare centers?

Rhys walked toward the side where a few other babies were crawling around. The toys were simple and less of a hazard due to their age. Giant blocks, books with buttons on them, and those wall things where a baby could stand themselves up and press various knobs, buttons, and whatnot. Charlotte wasn’t walking yet, but she could hold onto things and move. And ever since the baby had learned to crawl, she just simply hadn’t stopped. ”Alright…your mother said you liked these.” Carefully, he placed her on the ground near some giant blocks, and Charlotte didn’t fuss as a new distraction was placed in front of her. Rhys took a step back so he could sit immediately in front of the area but bumped into someone. ”Sorry—“ He turned, adjusting the strap of the diaper bag on his shoulder. ”Oh—Sarah.” Quite literally one of the last people he expected to find here, but it had been some years—still, Rhys could say he was pleasantly surprised to see his old friend. ”You don’t work here, do you?” He asked without thinking, which was very typical of him. But he only meant it because he knew Sarah well enough from before. She had never been a fan of people…let alone children.

template by vee

[sarah jane oliveira]

May 19, 2027

Having gotten permission for an unsupervised visit with Sebastian for a few hours, Sarah found herself in what she could only describe as her own personal hell to pick him up: some magical childcare center in London where half the children were younger than her Sebastian and still in the stage where they drooled all over everyone and everything. Why anyone would want to bring their child there was beyond her. Babies barely old enough to walk around kept teetering, while the few parents who were there clapped and oohed and ahhed over how exciting it all was. As soon as she got over to the older children, she was getting Sebastian and Disapparating with him before they both ended up coated in toddler slobber.

Walking intently past the few adults present—whose adulthood wasn't even enough to keep her sane—she bumped into someone else, a father with a diaper bag. Sarah cringed internally when she realized that she knew his voice, too, but at least it wasn't Ares. It was Rhys. Rhys Greyback. Merlin's beard, Sarah considered, why did the magical world have to be so uncomfortably small?

"You don't work here, do you?"

Sarah reactively shuddered, cursing only in her head (luckily). Did she look like she worked there? She really, really hoped she didn't look as though she spent every waking hour among small children. At least Sebastian was one of the older ones, comparatively speaking, at almost six. "No," she told Rhys brusquely, "just picking up my son." The diaper bag registered with her, and she realized that he must have had a baby of his own there. Were they actually to that stage of adulthood where they were running into each other through their children now? With the full moon the next day, especially, where was the Mummy and Me Pub when she needed it?

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

I saw the moon

I saw the dark within

May 19, 2027
sarah jane oliveira

Rhys realized, as he often did that his question might have been a little rude in hindsight. But he had seen it from the perspective of just being surprised. Sarah willingly, with this many children in one place, was like Rhys declining a glass of whiskey for tea instead. But his brain was always a little foggy before the full moon. His daughter’s presence was calming for him. Although less calming when the little one was clearly so fearless already. ”Oh.” It took a moment for his brain to register what she’d said. ”Erm—which one is he?”

He’d admit he was curious. While friends, it wasn’t the same closeness of their years at school. Seventh year had put them on very different paths, but there would always be that connection. Werewolves stuck together when they found one another. Rhys thought of other friends, such as Rob. They knew what it was like. But at least Sarah and her late brother also had a Fenrir connection. ”My uh—daughter’s mother brings her here…was my turn this time.” He explained while adjusting the back on his shoulder.

Looking over, Charlotte had stood herself up and was occupied with a wall of random knobs and things. Almost a year later, it still felt surreal, but he couldn’t imagine it any other way—despite the circumstances that led here. That being said, he would have loved nothing more than a drink or two after dealing with the noise and crowds of this place. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring Charlotte with him, so all that would have to wait.

template by vee

[sarah jane oliveira]

May 19, 2027

It was awkward to realize that both she and Rhys weren't only grown; they were both parents, and neither of them had known that about the other until that moment. At a different point in time, they probably would have had their kids viewing each other as honorary cousins or something like that, but that wasn't how life had worked out for them. He asked her which child was her son, and she gestured to Sebastian, who was close enough to them that she could keep an eye on what he was doing during her conversation with Rhys.

Rhys mentioned that his daughter's mother brought her there but that it was his turn that time. Sarah wasn't sure why he was so worried about feeling emasculated or whatever was going through his mind, though, because the whole experience was infantilizing for her, too. She didn't want to sit around and play blocks with her son—or his toy of choice at his age. Imaginative play wasn't exactly her strength, and she would leave it at that.

"Fun," Sarah remarked, not that she was having much fun in actuality. "How old is she?" she asked Rhys about his daughter, trying to make conversation the way most people would if they were going to be stuck in this place together.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

I saw the moon

I saw the dark within

May 19, 2027
sarah jane oliveira

Despite a steady flow of time, Rhys often felt disconnected. His brain lingered somewhere in the past, and suddenly, it felt like the sorting ceremony was yesterday. So in moments like this, Rhys felt like yesterday they were sitting at the Slytherin table, the morning after a full moon feeling miserable at breakfast. But no, that wasn’t yesterday. They were adults now. Functioning members of society and parents. Rhys would have put galleons down that nobody expected either of them to journey into parenthood, but here they were.

His eyes traveled to the young boy Sarah pointed to. Much older than his own child by a few years. If Rhys had to guess, he was maybe four? Five? Had it really been that long since they’d seen one another? ”Almost a year.” She was growing like a weed. Every time Rhys came home from an assignment, his little girl seemed just a little bit older. Rhys used to imagine they would stay friends after school, but that didn’t happen. So like any typical pair of people that hadn’t seen one another in years, this felt a little awkward. ”So… it's been a while. How are things?” He supposed it was better to make small talk than just stand there.

template by vee

[sarah jane oliveira]

May 19, 2027

Even if they had seen each other around more often, Sarah supposed that it would have been easier for Rhys to hide from her that he had a child, considering that he hadn't been the one gestating it. She couldn't exactly say the same, considering that she had been pregnant, not that she had any plans to do that again after having given birth once already. If she could pop out a whole brood of miniature versions of herself without the need for, say, Ares Lestrange in the mix, then maybe it would have been a different story.

Rhys said that his daughter was almost a year old, which was more of a fun fact than anything. It wasn't as though Sarah really kept up with her former classmates at Hogwarts from before she had been expelled, so she couldn't just think back to who might have been pregnant around the time that his daughter was due.

Then again, she supposed that the child's mother could have been just about anyone. They were adults, and she didn't doubt that Rhys had been in multiple relationships over the years. He was attractive, if perhaps slightly duller over time than he once had been, but she was sure that someone would have been interested in that.

"So… it's been a while," Rhys was the one to say aloud. "How are things?

"Not bad." She wasn't working at Club Indigo anymore, nor was she in prison. Those were both positives to mention, Sarah guessed, though probably not appropriate for their current venue. "So, er… You married now? Or just the baby?"

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

I saw the moon

I saw the dark within

May 19, 2027
sarah jane oliveira

Almost three decades on this earth, and Rhys had yet to feel accustomed to feeling awkward. Let alone with someone he used to be close to. Things like that usually saddened him. Those people he’d grown close to all those years ago probably had no idea what it meant for him. A boy in a home of other unwanted kids, yet these people willingly stood by his side. Granted, Rhys likely only befriended Sarah because they often walked up to the Hospital Wing for their wolfsbane from the Slytherin Common room. They could hardly do it in silence. But it was their nature to not fly solo. The lone wolf was a bit of a myth.

But Merlin, who would’ve seen them as parents? He nodded at Sarah’s response. Rhys had never been one to pry. If she wanted to share more, she would do so. Though her question caught him off guard a bit. ”Erm—no, not married.” Somehow, that was a scarier thought. ”I’m seeing someone, but she’s not her mother.” Rhys eyes moved to Charlotte as he referred to her. But his daughter was happy in her own little world for the moment. And then the other thought crossed his mind. Sarah would most certainly know Charlotte’s mother. The twins had been in their year, after all. Saffron had been in the same classes as Rhys, the ones needed for Cursebreakers. But did he mention it? It felt odd. Not to mention the last time he’d seen Sarah all those years ago. It almost seemed like a shock that he was still with Juniper at the time, so many years out of school. ”What about you?” His eyes moved and landed on her son.

template by vee

[sarah jane oliveira]

May 19, 2027

Rhys replied to her question and said that, no, he wasn't married. It would have been slightly surprising to hear that he had gotten married to someone, even though they were adults and fully capable of entering into marriage. He also said that he was in a relationship, but he was with someone who wasn't the child's mother.

Sarah wanted to be nosy and ask who the baby's mother was, just in case it was someone she also knew, but she knew that it would come across too strangely in that setting. She didn't really keep in touch with most of the people who had been in their year at school, so finding out that information through one of their former classmates wouldn't be as easy as it could have been. It was interesting, though, without a doubt. If someone had told her at fifteen or sixteen years old that both she and Rhys would have children of their own before they were even thirty, she would have been seriously confused.

"Congratulations," Sarah responded with a slight nod, not sure what else to say without having more context. She didn't really feel like putting her foot in her mouth. "I'm not with my son's father, either," she added. "And, er… Yeah. Not seeing anyone at the moment."

Back in their adolescence, it would have seemed more likely that she and Rhys would have ended up in a relationship with one another. That would have been less of a shock to her teenage self. Both of them were young werewolves who felt misunderstood by the rest of the world, and they always had been close.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

I saw the moon

I saw the dark within

May 19, 2027
sarah jane oliveira

The magical world was small, so it wasn’t odd to run into old classmates. But Rhys still felt weird when they’d once been close. Never in a million years had he imagined the event that resulted in Sarah’s expulsion, despite the violence that littered Rhys’ young life at the time. And really, Rhys had figured Sarah would have stayed a friend just as he was still close with Nell. Juniper was another story, one that came to mind now and then, but even Rhys knew he couldn’t change the past. Fatherhood had shifted quite a bit for him, including that.

But here they were, werewolves and single parents awkwardly making small talk. Before he could reply, Rhys’ phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw a couple messages. More errands he had to run, but he would have to take Amelia with him. It wasn’t all bad. His friends always enjoyed seeing his little girl. ”Erm—right. I have to go.” Rhys announced, putting his phone back in his pocket. Before he moved forward to grab Amelia, Rhys paused and looked at Sarah. ”We should catch up sometime.” There was something hopeful in his eyes. After all, she was an old friend and someone who’d been there during his formative years. And he’d hate to let that go.

[ end rhys ]

template by vee

[sarah jane oliveira]

May 19, 2027

The sound of buzzing was suddenly audible, and it came from the vibration of Rhys's mobile phone. He checked the device, and whatever notification he had received was something that required his immediate attention. Rhys let her know that he had to leave, to which Sarah responded with a slight nod of her head.

Rhys then put his phone away and was poised to go pick up his daughter. Before he did, though, he looked back at her and told her, "We should catch up sometime."

It was probably just small talk, but Sarah actually wouldn't have minded to catch up more thoroughly with Rhys. Again, she nodded in his direction. "Yeah," she agreed. "We should. Nice seeing you." A lot in both their lives had clearly changed. That didn't mean that they had to be as close as they had been as teenagers, but it was easy enough to get in touch with someone via owl post.

rhys alexander greyback
FIN.