Alternate Life

R lingered in the kitchen, picking away a few more crumbs from the spot on the platter where his recently eaten piece of cake had lain. J strode past with Owen and one arm and the other held out to the side, a recent spit-up stain visible.
"Have you seen my wand?"
R pulled his out of a pocket, pointed at the stain, and commanded "tergeo!"

The stain disappeared, but J still peered over the kitchen counters until she found it behind the sink.

"I thought you had a rehearsal at 10. Don't you need to get going?"
"I suppose so. I don't play the first piece, but I'll still apparate over a few minutes before just in case they've changed the rehearsal order."

With a flick of her wand she magicked open the kitchen cupboards as the clean dishes began to stack themselves neatly inside.

"I don't know how you do that so neatly. Whenever I put away the dishes they always clatter as they go in. Is it just the touch of the wandwork, or are you actually using the same spell?"
"Here, you've got crumbs down the front of you. Can you hold Owen long enough for me to go put James on the potty again, if you aren't leaving quite yet?"
"Sure, that's fine."

As if on cue, James trotted into the kitchen grasping the back of his pull-up. J looked over quizically.
R grinned back "I charmed his pull up to start squeezing him every half hour unless he tries the potty."
"Well, now I'm having trouble getting it off."
"Mommy, my diaper is squeezing me."
"A little help?"
"Finite incantatem."
"Ah, thanks."

R looked out the window wistfully. It was snowing big, thick flakes.
"The poor muggles. Can you imagine having to travel in all this without apparition. I mean, what if I had to go to Syracuse and Buffalo by broomstick? Or in what one of those muggle automobiles. I'd have to leave hours ahead of time! And driving in all the snow and the cold? It'd be horrible."
"I know, bless them. I think about that sometimes. Imagine trying to keep this whole house warm with one of those, what-do-you call them, furnaces?"
"I think it's a fornace."
"Are you sure? The thing that burns gasoline in the basement, right?"
"Oh James, please don't touch Daddy's wand. You wouldn't want to blow up George again, would you?"
"George was funny. George got BIG!"