Sallows and Sorrows

~

As the amber rays of the sun illuminated the east bedroom window of the humble cottage, the blue eyes of a once extraordinary witch opened. They scanned the brown ceiling, and noticed the light that meant it must be time to get up.

She swiveled herself so that her feet dangled off the side of the bed, simultaneously pulling the covers away. As she turned the corner of the room past her bed to reach the dresser, she noticed that the other side of the bed had been abandoned already. Her husband must've already been awake.

The strawberry-blonde took off her nightgown and held it in her hand. "Scourgify!" She cast, before folding it and placing it back into its usual drawer. The magical method was much more convenient than the way muggles washed their clothes.

The witch put her usual clothing for the day on, minus socks, shoes, and a robe. She put her wand in the pocket of her pants, and walked out of the bedroom, into the living room and kitchen area.

"Good morning, Athena," Sebastian said, holding a frying pan that cooked a pancake. He had dark circles around his eyes, and his greeting seemed to lack his usual enthusiasm.

"Good morning, Sebastian," she responded, walking closer to the kitchen portion of the cottage.

"Hi mama!" A young girl giggled. She had her mother's strawberry blond hair, and the classic brown Sallow eyes.

"Good morning, Miriam," Athena beamed.

Miriam Anne Sallow was currently two and a half years old, and was currently being quite defiant at this stage of life (which Athena jokingly attributed to her husband). However, she was always excited to see her parents in the morning. The young girl was named after two women that had been influential in her parents' lives. Although Athena had never met the original Miriam, she had been the one who set the events of the last 15 years of her life in motion. And of course, her aunt, Anne Sallow.

Athena and Sebastian had struggled to conceive for a few years, before they finally found success with Miriam. And even then, the hardships were not over. The pregnancy had been draining for her, and Athena had even wondered if the complications were a long-term result of all the spells she'd been hit with when she was 15.

Needless to say, the Sallows were overjoyed that Miriam was healthy when she was born. The birth, like the pregnancy, had been exceptionally difficult, so the baby's health had been a relief.

Athena smiled at her young daughter, and participated in toddler small talk with her until breakfast was ready.

Once the food was on the plates, Sebastian sat down with the rest of his family and began to eat as well.

"How did you sleep, Seb?" Athena asked, once she had finished most of the meal.

Sebastian took a moment to finish his bite before answering, "I slept fine."

The witch looked at him with skepticism before taking another bite.

The brunet caught onto the connotation of the look she'd given him, but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his attention to his daughter. "Miri, do you want to go to the Puffskein Reserve?"

Miriam's eyes lit up and she giggled in excitement, having already given up on the rest of her food.

"Alright, if you finish your orange slices, then we can go see the puffskeins. And maybe, Miss Sweeting will even let you feed one," the wizard said, cracking a genuine smile. His daughter was his pride and joy.

Sebastian had decided that it was best to be a stay-at-home dad, knowing his emotional tendencies. Before she was born, he had been working on goblin-wizard relations, and working against negative propaganda from both sides. But he wanted his daughter to have a childhood away from her parents' work, unlike what he'd had, ultimately leading him to where he was now.