Best of All Time {Dean Thomas}

chapter 34

It had been five years since Mrs.Thomas was first exposed to wizardry, and yet it made her jump every time someone burst out of her fireplace in a flash of green flames.

Evangeline clamored out of the firebox, stooping deeply to maneuver out of the low entryway (of sorts). Mrs.Thomas clutched her beaded necklace, trying to slow her rapid heartbeat so she could welcome her guest, though the girl mistakenly traipsed soot on her carpet.

In one hand, she held a small gift bag, its handles tied with a red ribbon. In the other, she grasped a tray with the strangest appetizers Mrs.Thomas had ever seen. They had a purple tint, and the woman could have sworn she heard them sizzle.

"Eve!" She greeted the young girl with outstretched arms and a warm smile. Mrs.Thomas had the kindest sort of demeanor that would set any person at ease, and she paired it with a quick wit that reminded Eve of her own mother. She stood at least a head shorter than her son, her heart shaped face strikingly beautiful. "It's been ages, love, how have you been?"

"I've been alright, how are you?" Eve was careful not to spill the tray of food as the woman embraced her.

"Oh, can't complain." Mrs.Thomas released her, stepping back with her hands on her hips. "Is your mother on her way as well?"

"Yes, she's running an errand, but she'll arrive later. She told me to give you these in the meantime." She gestured to the tray of sizzling arrangements with a reproachful look. "She's been experimenting with dragon meat recently... never was a great cook come to think of it."

Cautiously, and secretly terrified, Mrs.Thomas took the tray out of Eve's hand, thanking her.

"Everyone's upstairs, the girls will be so excited to see you." She didn't take her eyes off the strange cuisine, the arrangements now seemed to be bubbling as well as fizzling. "I think Dean will be quite happy as well." The woman added with a knowing smile before hurrying toward the kitchen to set down the platter.

Eve breathed deeply, eyeing the stairwell. Her feet felt as if they suddenly weighed a hundred pounds.

She could hear the music playing from Dean's room from the bottom of the stairs. The muffled sound of what Eve believed to be The Kinks' album floated through the air as she made her way up, the old stairs groaning under her step.

The upstairs hallway was narrow and lined with family photos. The Thomas children smiled at her as she ambled along, their dark eyes shining in the still photographs. A small smile pulled at Eve's lips as she saw a photo of nine year old Dean and his muggle football team.

Dean's room resided at the end of the hall next to another door with a plaque reading Marie and Mary-Ann, and across the hall from another labeled entrance, Amelie and Laura. The handwriting was in a messy crayon, suggesting that it was scrawled when the girl's were children. Dean, being the oldest and the only boy, got his own room (though Amelie often protested this, as he was away for most of the year). It was the most cramped of them all, meant to be used as more of a storage area than a spare bedroom. Its looming door stood slightly ajar.

Pushing it slightly, Eve peered in to find laura sitting cross legged on the carpet, dangling a shoelace in front of Ham, who jumped after it. The cat nearly missed clawing it as the girl yanked it upward, taunting and laughing.

Behind her, Dean sat at his desk hunched over his journal and with his back facing the door. Eve could tell by the inclination of his head to the side that he was concentrating, and couldn't help but notice the broadness of his shoulders and the contour of his back. She had only recently observed that Dean, who had always been slightly scrawny as well as lanky, was beginning to attain quite the muscular appearance. It became more evident in the band t-shirt he dawned, even as he slouched.