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Daniel scooted off the couch and ran out the door calling for "Gamma Molly." |
Charlie looked over at Draco with something akin to gratitude. "Thanks for the help, mate." |
"It's no problem," Draco said, leaning back and resting his arm across the top of the sofa, "I didn't know anything about raising children when Scorpius was born. My mum had to help a lot, and I had to figure out a lot myself." |
"I don't know anything about raising kids," Charlie said, "I feel like I'm hopelessly blundering it and Lavender gets so frustrated with me." |
"You've been doing it two days," Draco said, "Cut yourself a break." Shrieks of children could be heard in the background. Draco said, "You've been around children before. You can't be that bad." |
Charlie shrugged, "I'm the fun uncle," he said, self-deprecatingly, "Once one of them starts emitting a bodily function or starts crying, I hand them back to their parents." |
Draco laughed. The sound drew the attention of Hermione and Lavender. The two witches rejoined them. |
"What are you two laughing about?" Lavender asked. |
Charlie rose from his perch on the coffee table and stood beside Lavender. He towered over the witch and threw an arm across her shoulders. Draco noticed that the previously frustrated witch grow still and breathless. |
"Just talking about the joys of parenting, luv," Charlie joked. |
Lavender rolled her eyes at him and stepped out of his embrace. "We should head back to the kitchen," she said uncomfortably, "Everyone will wonder where we are." |
The four of them filed through the door into the kitchen where the rest of the Weasley clan lay in wait. Ginny stood near her mother at the end of the kitchen. Ginny looked to be having a tense conversation with Molly while Molly stirred a large pot emitting fragrant smells. |
Percy sat near his father at the head of the table. Arthur Weasley dandled a child on each knee. Bill and Fleur sat across from Percy. Both looked irritated by Percy. George and Angelina stood side by side in the doorway leading to the backyard, both looking outside and monitoring the screeching going on outside. |
Rose called attention to their presence in the kitchen. Awkwardly, it was Draco that she first called out to when she noticed them. Draco hadn't felt this tense in years as the room full of Weasleys turned to watch Rose bounce over to him. |
Draco crouched and scooped up Rose. He focused on her smiling, cherubic face to avoid the silent Weasleys staring at him. Rose prattled on about her picture and how much Grandma and Grandpa liked it. She pointed it out on the wall at the far end of the kitchen, one of many children's drawings collected over the years. |
George called over from the doorway, "Hey, Rosie Posie, why don't you come try out something new I made." |
Rose looked overjoyed to be a product tester for her uncle and wriggled down from Draco. His shield from these possibly hostile Weasleys ran out the door without a backward glance. |
Charlie clapped him on the back so hard Draco stumbled forward. "Don't be so uncomfortable. No one's going to bite," Charlie said grinning, then he shrugged, "Well, some of the young ones might." |
Draco found himself guided by the imposing Weasley over to the large dining table. He was pushed down unceremoniously on the bench beside Fleur. Charlie walked around to the other side and sat across from Draco with a good space between Charlie and Percy. |
Draco greeted the others at the table politely. He received a stiff nod from Percy. A slightly warmer greeting from Arthur. Bill and Fleur were almost as friendly as Charlie in their "hello's" to Draco. Draco was relieved that he didn't become a tongue-tied mess when conversing with Fleur, as he had during his fourth year. |
"So what's the newest Weasley Wizarding Wheezes product that the children are testing out?" Draco asked politely. |
Fleur immediately looked enthusiastic and answered in French, "Oh, c'est merveilleux. Les enfants courent dans les bulles, rebondissant les uns sur les autres et sur le sol. Personne ne se blesse." (Oh, it is wonderful. The children run around in bubbles, bouncing off of each other and the ground. No one gets hurt.) |
"Cela semble amusant," Draco answered her back in French. (That sounds like fun.) |
Another one of Lavender's children came up to Charlie. The boy appeared to be around four and was rubbing his face sleepily. His red-blond hair stuck out at odd angles indicating that he'd just woken from a nap. This must be Arthur. |
Young Arthur smiled winningly up at Charlie. "Uncle Charlie," the boy said in a tone to any experienced parent meant the child was going to ask for something he knew he shouldn't have, "can I have a cookie please?" |
Arthur, Bill, Fleur, and Percy smiled behind their hands. Charlie's first forays into parenting seemed to be amusing the Weasley clan. |
Charlie reached for a cookie, instinctively falling into his role as the "fun uncle" and started to answer, "Su..." |
Draco kicked him under the table. |
Charlie jumped and scowled at Draco, who merely smiled back at Charlie. Charlie drew his hand back from the cookie plate, and Young Arthur started to pout. |
"Ask..."Charlie started again and received another kick to the shins from Draco. Charlie turned his attention back to Draco, "Are you going to kick me until I get it right or something?" |
The others at the table started laughing. |
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Draco answered. |
Young Arthur started tugging on Charlie's shirt. "Can I, Uncle Charlie?" the boy pleaded. |
"Dinner is almost ready," Charlie said to Young Arthur. |
The boy's shoulders slumped at Charlie's refusal, and he shuffled away in search of the other children. Draco watched as Young Arthur went up to George and pulled on his green tee shirt. The two went outside with the other children to play with their bubbles. |
Charlie kicked Draco hard under the table. Pain radiated up his left shin, and Draco yelped loudly. Louder laughter ensued around the table. |
Charlie rounded angrily on his family members, "Thanks for the bloody help." |
Bill wiped tears from his eyes and laughingly said, "It's just too funny to watch." |
"You could be giving me some pointers instead of laughing while I fail," Charlie groused, "At least Draco is nice enough to show me a few things." |
"And see the thanks I get," Draco sniped, rubbing his abused shin. |
Draco could tell that dinner would be ready soon. Molly started transferring the contents of the large soup pot into a white porcelain soup tureen. George wandered outside to begin releasing the reluctant children from their bubbles. Whining and shouts of protest could be heard from the little product testers. |
Hermione came and sat beside him on the bench. "How's it going?" she asked him curiously. |
"Charlie kicked me," Draco whined petulantly. |
"Hey, he kicked me twice," Charlied defended. |
"You're as bad as the children," Hermione said, but she leaned over and kissed Draco's cheek. |
"Hey, who's going to kiss my owies all better?" Charlie protested jokingly. |
Children filed in with clean hands and a slightly depressed air. Rose came over and insisted she sit between Hermione and Draco. Lavender sat across from them with her three children in between her and Charlie. |
Dinner with the Weasleys was always a lively affair. Food was grabbed as quickly as possible. Everyone was loud and boisterous. Several different conversations swirled around one another with people interrupting one conversation or shouting to be heard over another. |
Young Arthur overturned his bowl of soup onto Charlie's lap, much to the amusement of everyone there. It was a terrible example to set for the four-year-old, who undoubtedly thought that it was great because everyone laughed. |
With clean bowls and sated bellies, the children asked to be excused and demanded to be returned to whatever bubble game they'd been playing. With the children gone as buffers between the adults, that left Draco feeling uncomfortable again. Logically he knew that most of the Weasley clan present didn't bear him any ill will. |
Draco's last interaction with Molly Weasley hadn't ended on a positive note. He wasn't sure if the matriarch was closer to coming to terms with her youngest son's imprisonment or if she still felt that Ronald Weasley's actions were in some way Hermione and Draco's fault. |
Molly Weasley, never one to beat around the bush, looked steadily at Hermione and Draco. She pursed her mouth as her gaze roamed across the table and landed on Lavender. Apparently, her son's former mistress wasn't in the matriarch's favor yet despite being welcomed into the Burrow. |
"I received a copy of your divorce bill by owl today," Molly said, "I take it that's the reason you've come for a visit." |
Draco bristled at the accusation. They'd come to do this woman a favor. To help her feel better. |
"Mum, that's not fair," Ginny spoke up, looking crossly at her mother. |
"Those three," Molly said, wagging a finger between Draco, Hermione, and Lavender, "ruined my son's life." |
Harry, who'd come in halfway through dinner, stood, looking thunderous, and pounded a fist on the table. "Ron ruined his own fucking life," Harry shouted. "You were pissed off when you found out he'd been cheating on Hermione. I don't understand why you're acting this way, but it stops now, or my children aren't coming over anymore." |
Molly looked utterly defeated. She visibly deflated under Harry's tirade after the initial shock wore off at having Harry yelling at her so forcefully. She buried her face in her hands and wept softly. Arthur wrapped an arm around her at a loss. They all sat uncomfortably at the table, unsure whether to leave or offer their support. |
Molly wiped her face with her apron. "I'm sorry," she said tearily, looking around the room. Her gaze focused on Hermione and Draco, then shifted to Lavender before quickly moving on. "I'm sorry. I know it's not any of your faults. This is just very hard for me to accept." |
Draco just nodded. Anything he had to say probably wouldn't help the situation. |
Charlie didn't seem to be as accepting of his mother's apology, "Mum, I know you're grieving, but you've got to stop acting like Lavender's to blame for any of this." |
Molly bristled at her son's chastisement. "Ron cheated on Hermione for years with her," she said heatedly. "Now she's got her hooks in you." |
Charlie stood up angrily. Lavender clutched at his arm. "It's alright, Charlie. Leave it alone," Lavender said desperately. |
"It's not alright," Charlie said to Lavender, "Go get the sprogs, we're leaving." When Lavender left the kitchen with George following behind her, Charlie rounded angrily on his mother, "You might not like how those four kids came to be, you might blame Lavender for Ron cheating, but she's as much a victim of Ron's bullshit as Hermione was. She had children to take care of and no one she felt she could turn to. She did the best she could with a bad situation, and I won't have you making her feel worse about it." |
Charlie stopped when he heard the sounds of children at the kitchen door. He turned back to his mother and said quietly but harshly, "She's family and those kids are family. You need to accept that. And you need to apologize to Lavender." |
The three children burst into the room, Young Arthur and Daniel whining because they had to stop playing. Lydia followed them looking glum. Lavender came back to the kitchen, trepidation clear on her face. |
"It's time to go, kiddos," Charlie addressed the three children, "Say goodbye." |
Lydia murmured a half-hearted goodbye. Young Arthur stiffened and refused to tell anyone goodbye as if he could keep playing if he never took his leave of the adults. Daniel tugged on Charlie's pant legs and demanded to be picked up. Charlie picked Daniel up and balanced him on his hip just as Draco had done with Rose earlier. |
Lavender said a weak goodbye to the room. Arthur got up from his seat, shooting a hard glance at his wife, who remained stubbornly seated. He swung Young Arthur into his arms with an exaggerated "oof" that had the boy giggling. They all left the room, the door swinging quietly shut behind them. |
Bill and Fleur got up. Bill said, "We'll be leaving too." Quiet goodbyes were made, and Molly hardly protested their leaving. The couple went out the back door, and after a shriek from a disgruntled child, they too were gone. |
"Well, this was a nightmare," Ginny said. A hand rested on her faintly rounded belly. "Go get Albus, Harry, and we'll take off too." Harry walked off to collect his offspring, and Ginny turned to face her mother, "I know this isn't easy for you, mum," Ginny started, "but you can't blame others for Ron's actions. I thought you were accepting that." Ginny hesitated and said haltingly, "He wasn't a good man, mum. Hermione and Lavender want us to be a part of their children's lives, and instead of being thankful, you're throwing accusations at them." |
Molly looked down at her hands. Chastised by two of her children in one day. Draco could see the red that mottled the older woman's complexion. |
Ginny kissed her mother on the cheek, said goodbye to Hermione, Draco, and Percy, then followed her husband into the living room to Floo home. |
Percy stood and glared at Hermione and Draco. He placed a consoling hand on his mother's shoulder. Molly reached up and patted his hand. |
"I'm not voting with you on Friday," Percy said. |
Draco didn't bother to respond to the hostile tone or look Percy gave him. He didn't care about Percy's vote. They didn't need it, and they knew better than to expect it. |
Percy didn't bother to go to another room to apparate. A loud pop resounded throughout the room at his leaving. |
"I won't be there on Friday," Molly said quietly to Draco and Hermione. "I'm not going to vote for or against this. You'll have to win without the Weasleys." |
Hermione stood, "I'm sorry it came to this, Molly. I hope you believe me when I say that I never expected things to turn out the way they did." |
Molly stood, nodded once at Hermione, then walked from the room. Rose came running into the kitchen just as Molly left. |
Draco helped Hermione throw her leg over the bench and climb out. Hermione took Rose's hand, and they walked through the doorway to the living room. |
Arthur stood near the fireplace, looking uncomfortable, "Thanks for coming," he said awkwardly. "I know she doesn't mean what she says. She's just having a hard time accepting the truth about Ron." |
"We'll come back when she's feeling better," Hermione said meaningfully. |
Arthur nodded in understanding. He bent and kissed Rose on each cheek, saying goodbye. Arthur kissed Hermione's cheek as well. He shook Draco's hand. |
They left the Burrow, not really accomplishing anything. The rest of the evening was spent in front of the television, watching cartoons, and trying to regain some of the peace that had fled during their visit to the Weasleys. |
A Trip to Ollivander's |
Morning of January 16 th |
Draco opened his morning paper to find an article from their not-so-secret stalker gracing the front page. He was going to have to make good on that promise of a house that he'd told Hermione he'd give whoever was publishing photos of them. |
Draco looked over the top of the paper at Hermione sitting in her seat beside him and smirked. She barely looked awake. Her hair had a decidedly rumpled look. She still had a bit of dried drool trailing down the left corner of her mouth. Draco wasn't going to point out that it was there though. She'd hastily donned his Slytherin Quidditch jersey and a pair of blue and white striped pajama bottoms before coming down to breakfast. |
Rose was already at school. Tansy thankfully got her ready and Draco took her while Hermione refused to get out of bed this morning. The desire to sleep was seemingly hit her more forcefully this morning. Draco figured it was the result of her pregnancy. |
Draco couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he remembered trying to wake her and her mumbled protests to be left alone to sleep. Draco slid out of bed, detaching himself reluctantly from her grasp. Hermione stole his pillow as he moved away and seemed to think it was just as good to wrap herself around as his torso. |
He turned his attention from Hermione and her rather impressive bed head and returned to reading the article on the front page. |
Divorce Bill Comes to a Vote Tomorrow |
By: Luna Lovegood |
Tomorrow we (hopefully) take one step closer to equality and freedom in our society. A divorce bill, created by Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott, goes before the Wizengamot tomorrow. This bill will allow unhappily married couples to sever the bonds of matrimony. |
I obtained a copy of the bill from a trusted source. The new laws outlined will be groundbreaking for our society. There are provisions in the new bill for immediate divorce for spouses on the basis of imprisonment, abandonment, or abuse. If you don't fall into one of those categories, have no fear. One of the new laws would allow No-Fault Divorce, which means that a couple can amicably decide to split and go their separate ways, no harm — no foul. |
Now dear readers, I can practically hear some of you screeching "What about the children? We need to think of the children!" To answer this, I ask you to think for a moment. What do you think is best for children: two parents living together who are miserable in their marriage and make their misery or indifference known to all around them or parents who live happily apart and (hopefully) raise their children cooperatively? Happy parents usually mean happy children. |
Some of you are probably thinking "I'm not planning on getting a divorce. This bill doesn't apply to me. Why should I support it?" We are so happy that your marriage is successful. What if someday your children aren't so successful in their partners? You would want them to have the means of freeing themselves from an unhappy union. |
Also, ever fancy a career in the Ministry? This new bill will create new jobs within the Ministry. A whole new department would open up with the passing of this bill. The Department of Family Law will need many witches and wizards interested in providing help in ending marriages, meditating property disputes and division of assets, and meditating custody arrangements. Parenting classes and family counseling will also be offered and will need teachers and mind healers for those services. |
Article continued on page 8, second column. |
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