Written for the 1991 Challenge (Dean Thomas & glasses)
Of Newspapers and In-Laws
"We've been married for ten years now and I didn't even know you had glasses."
Smiling to himself, Dean peered over the newspaper he was reading and looked at his wife. "It shows how little you pay attention to me," he answered playfully.
She scoffed, moving his arm out of the way so she could sit on the armrest. "Says you who didn't even notice my new hairstyle for a week."
"I noticed. I just didn't realise I was supposed to comment on it. You're still my beautiful, loving wife no matter what colour you change your hair."
She whacked him on the arm, stealing the paper from his hands. "What's in this nonsense paper today?" she wanted to know.
"The same nonsense as usual."
"Why do you even read it?"
"So I have something to talk about with my parents when I see them. Which, we will be seeing them on the weekend, can I remind you?"
"Oh, yes. I tried to forget."
Dean shook his head, but he couldn't hide a smile that formed on his lips at his wife's comment. He understood, of course; their dislike for his partner had been going on fifteen years now and at one stage had become quite hostile. He barely remembered what had happened apart from them confronting him one day asking if he had considered ending the relationship. Whenever he tried asking them what she had done to offend them they could never find an answer.
"They're still my parents," he said.
"Oh, yes, and they love their son dearly, and their three grandchildren. A happy, little family right there."
Dean shook his head again, drawing the woman onto his lap. "Well," he said, placing a kiss to her temple, and then to her lips, "As I told them all that time ago: they just have to accept it and get over it."
"And fourteen years, two hundred and seventeen days later, they still haven't."
"Maybe if we knew what it was about we could get to the bottom of it."
Sighing, she began picking at a loose thread on the armchair.
"Why won't any of you tell me what happened?"
"Because I don't know."
"But you have an idea?" He had suspected for years now that his wife knew more than she let on, but every time he tried to get it out of her she would avert to a different topic. Over the years he had asked less frequently as it bothered him less. Still, ideally, he would like them all to get along.
"Not really," she confessed. "But, it happened around the same time I may have asked them if they thought it was a good idea if I proposed to you."
"You… you what?"
She gave an indifferent shrug, staring intently at the thread. "Thought I was being untraditional and interesting, but apparently to them, it made me a less desirable partner for their only son."
"How come I didn't know about this?" Dean demanded. "You wanting to propose?"
She shrugged again. "Well after they shut that idea down I figured everyone would be happier if I just left it to the way they apparently had planned. And then, you know, a year later, we were engaged."
Dean bit his lip, considering this new information. His parents were rather by the book in many things, but surely something as simple as that was not the cause of fifteen years of feuding.
"It's probably not," she hurried on to say. "It's probably just bothered me all these years."
Dean shook his head. "No… no, it's my parents after all. Probably the fact that you were pregnant with Louie before we were married didn't help either. Before I found out I was a wizard I attended church every Sunday, and went to the local catholic school."
His wife nodded. She knew all of that.
"Well, if that's what started it, I guess we can set them straight on the weekend, then. I want them to at least like you, Mandy. You're the mother of their grandchildren."
"Which is why they tolerate me."
"We'll set them straight on the weekend," Dean assured her, pressing his lips to hers again. "Because I love you."
Mandy smiled, playing with a stray strand of hair of his. "Love you, too," she said. She passed him back the paper. "Tell me, what's so interesting about Muggle stocktake?"
Dean laughed. "You'll have to ask my father about that one," he said.
…
Dean and Mandy had met in their final year at Hogwarts. After the war, Dean had returned to complete his education and so had she. Dean wanted to become an Auror (which he had later succeeded in) and Mandy got a job at the Daily Prophet as a reporter (which may have explained her dislike for other newspapers).
They had seen each other around, of course, and even shared some classes over the years, but it wasn't until they had found themselves alone in a study classroom one evening did they really get talking.
At the time, Dean (as much as he didn't want to admit it) was still struggling to accept that Ginny Weasley had chosen Harry Potter over him; but when he had met the pretty brunette and introduced himself, Ginny had soon left his mind.
Even after all these years he still considered Mandy to be the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. She wore her hair to her shoulders these days, but upon their first meeting, it had come down to her waist and was silky smooth. Her bright, blue eyes just added to her beauty and he couldn't believe no one had noticed it before.
"It's so boring here," nine-year-old Louise complained as she climbed out of the car, followed by her two younger sisters. "They're so boring. They don't even let us go by Floo."
Mandy shared a look with Dean, who shook his head. She had corrupted their three children to hate visiting as much as she did. They were still his parents, after all."
"They have no toys," four-year-old Grace added, and their middle daughter, Elyse, who was seven, nodded in agreement.
"No magic," Louise continued.
"And they don't want me to go to Hogwarts," Elyse said.
"Girls," Dean said gently, but looked at each of them with a stern expression. "It's only for a few hours."
All three of them frowned, Grace sticking out her bottom lip in a pout she had inherited from her mother.
He smiled at them. "Come on, girls," he said. "Let's go inside."
"Can we play outside?" Louise wanted to know.
"After you say hello, Louie," Mandy told her.
Louise sighed.
Dean knocked on the door and it wasn't long at all before his mother opened it, beaming. "Hello!" she exclaimed, holding out her arms for Dean to hug her. She did the same for each of the girls, before turning to Mandy and nodding curtly. Mandy returned the gesture and they all entered the house which was decorated with football emblem after football emblem.
Despite everything, Dean couldn't help but feel at home, being surrounded by it.
His father joined them in the hall, greeting his son and three grandchildren, as well as his daughter-in-law. Dean's mother invited them into the living room where the girls disappeared to the backyard to play.
They all sat down on the couch and his mother smiled. "It's so good to see you," she said cheerfully. "You hardly visit these days, yet your sisters drop by almost once a week."
Dean didn't bother to mention that there was a reason he avoided this place these days, as it would just spark an argument. As a kid, he had been perfectly happy; he had grown up in a loving family with his mother, his father (well, step-father if he was being technical) and his three half-sisters. They had accepted his wizard heritage without question, cheerfully sending him off to Hogwarts every year and asking all about what he was learning when he came back. If he was being honest, the relationship (although not totally strained) had become more difficult when he had introduced them to Mandy.
His wife shifted uncomfortably beside him.
"We're busy with work," he said instead.
"Yes, of course, from what you tell me of your job, it seems like hard work."
"Being an Auror, you must be completely on guard at all times," Dean informed her.
His mother looked to Mandy. "And your job?" she asked. "Still doing journalism?"
Seeming slightly surprised that she was even speaking to her, it took Mandy a moment to respond. "Yes, for the newspaper."
"She mostly reports on local events," Dean continued. "And she's bloody brilliant at what she does, too. She won an award not so long ago."
Mandy turned faintly red.
"Oh, really?" Dean's mother raised an eyebrow, looking at Mandy with curiosity. In the fifteen years he had been with her, something had never occurred to Dean before; but seeing his mother's reaction he may just have worked out why his parents were not fond of his wife.
"Mum, she isn't like them," he said.
"Like who?" his mother questioned innocently.
"Those… other reporters."
Dean's mother had once been a rather important campaign manager, working with promising politicians when he had been very little. When his biological father had mysteriously vanished without a word, his mother (and Dean) had been in the headlines for a month, rumours flying everywhere. It had really upset her and she had quit her job to avoid the press and hadn't picked up a newspaper or watched the news on TV since.
Mandy was looking at him curiously; and then at his mother. "I report on mostly the important events that happen in our world, and sometimes the entertainment industry," she said.
"Mandy isn't interested in the love lives of important people," Dean added, and she shook her head as if to agree.
"I report on what people care about," she said. "It is the Rita Skeeters of the world who would prefer to make up stories about people just to get a good story."
Dean nodded, and his mother frowned.
"Mum, is this why you've, er, been on bad terms with Mandy all these years?" Dean asked.
His mother was silent for a moment, before saying, "I thought…."
"No," Dean said, shaking his head. "She's not like them."
Mandy looked to Dean with wide eyes. "Is my job the reason?" she asked, and her husband nodded. "I thought… I always thought I had done the wrong thing by suggesting I be the one to propose to Dean!" she said.
"No, no, not at all," Dean's mother responded. She looked to Mandy. "I'm sorry. I know my treatment of you hasn't been the best over the past years, and I apologise for that. It's just, many years ago, I saw my son's face in the newspaper's with nasty headlines to go with it. I didn't want that to happen again."
Dean sighed, smiling. "Well, that's sorted at least," he said.
"I'm sorry," his mother repeated.
Dean placed an arm around his wife's shoulder, beaming. "See!" he said. "I knew there had to be a simple explanation. Mum hates the media. All of it. I should have known that was the reason and set her straight years ago."
Mandy forced a smile, obviously not agreeing that years of mistreatment could be solved in a matter of moments.
Dean was oblivious. "Mum," he said. "Dad. Meet my wife: Mandy."
So, I asked Amy (MissWitchx) for a character to pair Dean up with, but without telling her it was Dean. Now, we sail this Dandy ship like there's no tomorrow (well, I do at least). I hope you enjoy it!