Chapter 8: The Return II

Simon sat engrossed in a book as he watched his parents running around the cottage. He had volunteered to help but they told him it was fine. Apparently, some neighbours were visiting and this would be the first time his parents would see their British friends in person for close to a year. It was an odd affair, hearing his parents speak of their friends. They tried not to discuss it in front of the children but Simon heard bits and pieces about some of them who never made it out of the First Wizarding War. Simon wondered if his parents ever knew the Potters.

Suddenly, a sound came from the fireplace as the flames turned bright green. Dirk almost dropped a tray of biscuits when he heard the sound but Jane expertly cast a charm to hold the tray in place.

"Dirk! Jane!"

"Gareth! It is great to see you! How is Natalie?"

"She is doing great! She is sorry she cannot come today due to some matters on the French side of her family…," replied the man who walked out of the fireplace. He had platinum blonde hair and an impressive beard, wearing a pair of circular silver glasses that framed his hazel brown eyes. He looked vaguely familiar but Simon could not place his name.

"And you must be Simon! Look how much you have grown! You were tiny the last time I saw you," gasped the man as he picked up Simon to give him a hug. Memories from the previous Simon recalled this "Uncle Gareth" was always friendly and gave great hugs, so Simon allowed himself to fall into his warm embrace. He also recalled he had a daughter….?

"Hello, Simon."

Next thing he knew, he was let down onto the ground to face the person who had just greeted him. A girl who looked like a little porcelain doll gave him a polite wave, her eyes showing some sort of expectation for him to greet her in return. Simon narrowed his eyes as he did not remember this girl in canon while previous Simon's memories swirled around his mind. Penny? Peggy? P-something-y?

The little girl frowned at Simon's confusion.

"Um…hi?"

Snickers could be heard as more individuals came out of the fireplace. Simon did not even notice the little girl's slight annoyance at him as he saw a familiar-looking red-headed family enter the Li's living room and he could not help but stare in awe. A pair of twins looked between Simon and the girl while trying to hide the fact they had been laughing at some stupid joke as they went through the Floo. This earned a smack on their backs from one Molly Weasley.

"Fred! George! Go say hello."

"Hullo Mr and Mrs Li, and Mr Greengrass. Hi Simon. Hi Sue. Hi Phoebe." Fred and George said in the most monotone voice possible in protest.

Oh. Gareth Greengrass. The unspeakable in the Wizards Unite game. He looked a lot older in the game. That would explain why Simon did not remember him. Plus, Simon never really played the game much since it was not a very bedridden-friendly game – it required a lot of moving around. And it appeared that his daughter was called Phoebe.

Simon watched as Gareth and Arthur exchanged pleasantries. Were the Greengrass not a major Slytherin-style pureblood family? Why did the Weasleys get along with Gareth? Simon decided this was a question for another time.

"So, do you guys want anything?" Simon said, turning to face the children who had arrived so far.

"Some food would be good…," one of the twins began.

"…and I think we know where to get some," continued the other, who dragged the first twin towards the table with the tray of biscuits. So much for getting to know the Weasleys.

Simon quickly found himself standing in awkward silence in front of Phoebe.

"So, how was your time in China?"

Grateful for Phoebe's attempt to start a conversation, Simon started to share about some Chinese pure-blood etiquette classes he took. Phoebe seemed intrigued and mentioned that some of her cousins took such classes too but she did not. Simon wondered why. From fanfics, it seemed like all the Slytherins probably had old-school governesses and private tutors. It did not seem to be the case for Phoebe. Simon also wondered if those cousins Phoebe mentioned were Daphne and Astoria Greengrass but the conversation was cut short when another family appeared.

"Amos! It is great to see you!"

Simon spun around at the familiar name that his father just mentioned. At the fireplace stood a bespectacled man with a receding hairline, a serious-looking lady and a small boy with cherub-like features. He was a brunette like in canon. Simon did not need former Simon's memories to tell him who this boy was.

Cedric made sure to greet every single adult in the room, before making his way to speak with Simon and Phoebe. Simon was somewhat impressed by how well-put-together four-year-old Cedric was. Noticing the curt nod of approval from Mrs. Diggory, Simon was certain the boy had been groomed to be the golden boy he grew into since a young age. Simon was not too surprised seeing the Diggorys in a gathering with the Weasleys – after all, they lived in close proximity with each other. And quickly glancing between the twins who were stuffing themselves shamelessly and Cedric who was acting like the perfect child, it was clear why in the books the boys never seemed close.

And something else appeared to have caused the boys to drift even further apart. If it was not for Simon's diligent practice of wandless magic after his conversation with Lord Lian and keen observation of his toddler sister's "accidents", Simon would not have been so quick to notice the uncontrolled magic often found in wizarding children sputtering towards their direction. It was not long after Mrs. Weasley had commented how "well-behaved" Cedric was in comparison to Fred and George. That was when Simon noticed the teapot beside Cedric acting erratically.

"Hey Cedric, Phoebe...there is something I want to show you."

Cedric and Phoebe followed Simon away just when the teapot exploded where Cedric would have originally stood. Everyone fell silent as they examined the scene. While Amos quickly whispered "Reparo" to undo the damage, Mrs. Weasley had grabbed the twins by their ears.

"APOLOGISE NOW!"

Simon also learned from Lord Lian that wiccan parents could usually sense if their child had caused accidental magic before they acquire a wand or master wandless magic. This was because accidental magic was usually quite weak and easy to detect compared to more mature magic and the fact that parents have some familiarity with their child's magic. This was why Simon could sense magic coming towards his area but not who was casting the magic. This was also why Simon made a mental note to practice wandless magic only when his parents were out or during the wee hours of the night in case of alerting them of his secret personal training.

"We didn't do it."

"I KNOW YOU DID."

"I am sure it was an accident," Simon said, stepping in to prevent the argument from escalating, trying to sound as matter-of-factly as possible.

"Accidental magic happens," continued Jane, giving her eldest child a grateful smile, before taking over the de-escalation exercise, "No one was hurt! That is what matters. Why don't the children all go to Simon's room and spend some time together?"

Jane ushered Fred and George towards Simon, who then led the way up to his room with the other children. Simon wondered if this "incident" had happened in canon with Cedric still standing next to the teapot. That would explain why he never recalled the books ever showing Fred, George, Cedric and Phoebe ever being close. Simon could not help but wonder if his interference had sowed the seeds for friendships that were slowly changing the timeline. Hopefully, they were changes for the better.