Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 5, Round 4
Kenmare Kestrels, Beater 1
Mandatory Prompt: Write about a forgotten family (The Fudges)
Optional Prompts: (color) silver
(animal) cat
(word) rare
(word) print
(object) pot
Word Count: 906
Thanks to Amber for beta-ing!
He still remembered vividly the first time he saw Deirdre. Her dark hair looked like it had been hastily tied up, a messy bun held in place with a silver ribbon. She had pale blue eyes that reminded him of home somehow. They were lit up with a smile. She was beautiful. He was still young and had very little experience unless you counted his handful of awkward Hogsmeade dates from his recent Hogwarts days. He flushed when he thought about how badly those dates had gone. He wasn't yet a charmer.
The room was loud with the particular clamor only a party can make. It was lively and she was lovely. After working up some courage, which may have involved a bit of drink, he approached her through the crowd and predictably made somewhat of a fool of himself that night. Still, he must have done something right.
Here he was, a few years later, ready to propose. He knew theirs was a rare true love. He felt the weight of the ring box in his pocket; it was a reassuring feeling. It felt like the promise it was. After divesting himself of his suit jacket and removing his shoes, he walked into the kitchen of their shared flat.
"Cornelius, you're home early," she stated, turning away from the simmering pots on the stove to give him a quick once over. "Your timing isn't too terrible; lucky you. Dinner is nearly finished."
"Yeah, well," he replied with a shrug, then reached up to begin loosening his tie. "It was a light day at the office, if you could believe it."
"They do light days at the Ministry? I wasn't aware." She laughed; it was a light melodious sound.
It seeped into him, leaving him warm and content with his lot in life. He still had so much further to go in climbing the ladder of the Ministry. He planned to be Minister for Magic after all, but he had a great partner by his side. He knew that they could do anything together, whatever may happen.
"Just this once my old boss made an exception."
"Well you're exceptional, so I'll choose to believe it." There was mirth in her voice and a knowing glint in her eyes as she said it.
In truth, which Deirdre certainly had to suspect, Cornelius had done his share of begging and pleading and giving guarantees to come in early, stay late, for all of next week. He had just briefly considered offering to work through his breaks, but he was quick to realize that was pushing it. He didn't want to go too far. The Ministry could be cutthroat and it could beat you down if you let it.
Some good old fashioned overtime behind the desk would do just fine—sleep be damned. He could handle getting up early and getting home late for a week. There were also menial tasks such as making sure his boss's tea was made to his liking. That sort of thing couldn't hurt. In the long run, it would mean little to him in comparison to other longer days to come. It didn't say as much in print, but the entry level positions at the Ministry came with a lot of kissing up and a little less dignity and prestige than a higher position would offer. Both he and Deirdre knew what Cornelius had gotten himself into going into his line of work, so they couldn't be too upset at the loss of time spent together. With his aspirations it wasn't unexpected.
"There he is!" Deirdre broke through his cloud of thought with her exclamation. She picked up their cat Chester and gave him a quick cuddle. She pulled Cornelius in to join, Chester purring between them. "We're one big happy family, aren't we?"
"Actually, Deirdre…" His sentence trailed off as she pulled back from the embrace. He watched her set the cat down and turn her attention back to her cooking. He reached into his pocket. The velvet box was a soft comfort against his fingers. Chester wound his way around his legs, another soft comfort. This was his destiny. This was his home. This was just one of many great things in store for Cornelius Fudge, of that he was sure. "About that."
"About what now?" she asked, distracted by giving the sauce one last stir for good measure.
When she turned around, she had a momentary look of confusion that she was no longer eye level with Cornelius. She looked down and her eyes widened just slightly. She did that little nervous-excited thing she was prone to, where she bit her lip and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"Oh Merlin, I'm in my apron!" she hastened to untie it and fling it across the kitchen, not bothering to worry about where it landed. She snatched the hat right off his head and placed it on her own. "And you still have your bowler. Look at us!"
"I'm looking, and I'd like to keep looking, if that's something you wanted as well."
"You know it is, you know it is." She danced from one foot to the other with the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "Now ask me properly."
He nodded and, to make it official, asked, "Deirdre, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she stage whispered and there was so much promise in that one word.