Rainy day

[Gabriel Hart]

It was a cold afternoon, and the rain that was falling from the sky only help to make it colder, but Gabriel didn't mind too much. He liked the rain. He had been walking along the streets of Hogsmeade after deciding that there was nothing better to do. The small droplets of rain soaked his hair and made it stick to his face, obscuring some of his vision. He took one hand out of his warm coat pocket to push the annoying bit of hair out of his eyes.
Not many other people were out in the village, but he wasn't surprised. Not many people liked being out in the rain.

I suppose it is quite cold and wet.

His feet seemed to be carrying him on his own accourd, because he didn't have a clue where he was going. The cobbled streets underneath his feet were wet and slippery, but unlike his cousin he wasn't clumsy and could walk steadily on any surface.

I wonder how many times she's fallen over this year.

Gabriel chuckled slightly under his breath at the thought. Knowing Bella, it would have been more than a few times. He remembered the time she and her parents were at his house for dinner, and she had somehow managed to tip over the whole table by tripping up over her own feet. He chuckled again at the memory. He was sort of glad he couldn't see anyone else about. Surely a grown man laughing to himself as he walked through the pouring rain, wouldn't be seen as sane.

Well i have been know to do some crazy stuff.

He heard footsteps behind him, feet that weren't his own splashing in the small puddles.

Looks like i'm not alone afterall.

He felt in his pocket for his wand, though he doubt he needed it. It was just his instincts as an auror. He doubted someone would try attacking him in the middle of Hogsmeade highstreet. Even though there was no one outside. There would be plenty of witnesses that would look out of their windows at any sign of a duel.

I bet they're all even more bored than i am.

He stopped walking and turned around. Curious to see who else was out to enjoy the rain.

[Daniella McMicken]

"Alright now everyone... We're only going for Honeydukes." I look down at all eight of the sad expressions. I would have said, it's a sunny day, you should smile, but my pun sorta lost it's effect because of the pouring rain.

I tuck a loose strand of my blonde wet hair behind my ear. "Different plan, play in the puddles. Splash them as hard as you can." I say with a huge cheeky smile upon my face.

"Momma wouldn't want us to do that Dani..." the six year old girl says. I look at her siblings. They were mostly looking at the puddles, but seemed to be glued solidly to the cobblestones. I sigh slightly and look up at the sky, letting the rain fall onto my now frowning face.

[Gabriel Hart]

Gabriel turns around to see a young blonde woman of about seventeen, surrounded by at least eight kids, and immediately lets go of his wand. He doubted he would be attacked by them, and if he was, he could never point his wand at a child. A wide grin spread across his face. He had always loved kids, and could not wait to have his own. But his grin faded at the children's sad expressions. That was one of the few things that could bring his many happy moods, down.

Children should never be sad.

He watches the woman's reaction as she looks up at the sky. It was obvious to Gabriel that she was trying her hardest to cheer them up, but nothing seemed to be working. When he was a kid he usually couldn't wait to splash in puddles on a rainy day.

You still can't wait to splash in puddles on a rainy day.

He hesitated for a moment before walking towards the woman. He didn't want to startle her, or make her think he was some kind of pervert.

"That's a lot of kids." He said in a steady voice when he reached her, and gestured towards the eight children.

[Daniella McMicken]

I open my eyes and turn around slightly. "Oh, they're not mine. They're my cousins..." I say with a frown and a heavy sigh.

Jenny, Zoe and Ashlyn all look over at the man. "Cousin Dani, do we have to play in the puddles?" Jenny asks softly. I glance at her shocked.

Usually Jenny was the one who made rude comments, or picked on the others since she was the eldest, and was their half sister.

She continues staring at me, all of them did. I always wondered what it would be like to have a kid, but not an army. Especially the Henderson Army, or whatever Shelby called them.

[Gabriel Hart]

"Still a lot of kids to be looking after. Gabriel Hart by the way." Gabriel smiled and studied all the children's faces. Each looking more somber than the next. "When i was a kid i couldn't wait to play in puddles. Actually, i'm now twenty-one and i still can't wait to play in puddles." He said to the kids with a cheeky grin.

Such a kid at heart.

He wondered why all the children looked so sad, but didn't ask. One, he didn't want to intrude into their personal lives. Two, he didn't want to make them even more upset. And three he didn't want to seem nosy. He respected other people's privacy. Friends could tell him things on their own accourd. He didn't push them.

Such a gentleman too.

He continued to smile warmly at the kids, trying to think of something to boost their moods.

[Daniella McMicken]

I look at him. "I'm Daniella McMicken. But most everyone calls me Dani." I say to him with a faint smile.

Isaiah walks over to Gabriel and looks up at him. I laugh a bit at their size comparisons. "Is it true that when it rains that someone is crying in heaven?" He asks with a straight face, not a single tear on his face, except from the raindrops.

I look towards the ground, thinking how it should have been me, and not their mother. I had nothing to live for. I just got in the family's way. The only thing they've asked was to make the kids happy, but I couldn't even do that.

[Gabriel Hart]

"Nice to meet you Dani." Gabriel smiles back in return. He sees the young boy walk towards him. He seemed very small compared to Gabriel's height of 6'2. He smiles slightly at the boy's question and crouches down slightly to answer. "That's a good question, but i don't think it's true. In heaven everyone is the happiest they've ever been. I don't think they'd ever get sad enough to cry." He replied with a small half-smile.

You don't have to be sad to cry Gabriel.

"But maybe, maybe if someone up there missed someone down here on earth so much, they may cry. So there is a slight chance that that's what causes the rain. But i like to think that everyone is heaven is much too happy to cry." He finished, standing up straight again and looking up at the sky.

[Daniella McMicken]

Isaiah sighs softly. "It's been raining a lot since our momma died..." he trails off, now a couple of tears forming under his brown eyes.

"Isaiah..." I say walking over to him, and picking the small boy up, holding him as tight as I could. "Their mother Shelby Crescent died a week or so ago..." I say just above a whisper.

"Go on now, it's not her tears. You hear him." I say setting Isaiah down, and giving a gentle push. All of them slowly walk over to the puddles, but Holly stays at my side, clenching onto my leg ever so slightly.

[Gabriel Hart]

Gabriel felt sadness in the pit of his stomach when the little boy started to cry. He hated seeing people cry, let alone kids. At Dani's next words he understood the children's sadness. And he couldn't blame them. He felt that children should never be deprived of their mother.

You're lucky you still have yours, imagine how you'd feel if she died. That's how these kids are feeling now.

It was also how his cousin was probably feeling now. Lost.
"I'm so sorry." He said solemly, offering his condolences. "If there's anything i can do to help, feel free to ask." He offered, not caring if she thought he was weird for offering to help, seeing as they'd only just met.

You're weird anyway.

He watched the kids walk over to the puddles. "Yeah, they're not tears. You're mum's far to happy in heaven to cry. She still gets to see you all everyday." He said to them with a small smile, hoping to cheer them up slightly.

[Daniella McMicken]

Zoe and Ashlyn look over at Gabriel and smile slightly. They nod to each other and jump into the puddles. Soon after all of them, including Isaiah were splashing in the still pouring rain.

"Thanks, but we have a big family. Not as big as it used to be... We keep taking turns watching them and going to the funeral home, making sure all is well." I say to him with a thankful smile.

[[why are you killing Isabella? I like her so... sniffles. ]]

[Gabriel Hart]

Gabriel smiled widely as he watched the children. They looked much happier now as they splashed in the puddles. He was glad of that. Children should never be sad, and he was glad to have helped in some way. It was truely awful that all those kids had to live now without a mother.

You're so lucky you know.

"That's very kind of you all. I can imagine they can all be a bit of a handful sometimes." He replied with a soft smile. He knew it must have been a dreadful loss for everyone in the family.

[[Really? I thought she was starting to annoy people. I think i just got bored of her, i don't really know why i'm getting rid of her.]]