Difficulties Will Arise
4. A Break


Disclaimer: Yeah, right. I wish.

Author's Note: Whoa. This got out major fast. Am I right or am I right? I think I have the fact that my mother finally took me to the library today to thank for that. I spent a good three hours in the library and about an hour and a half of that time writing this chapter. By that time, I got into it and continued writing when I got home. And so, viola! Chapter 4 :)


It was a quarter past twelve.

Aurelia sighed as she sat behind the counter, flipping through a month-old copy of Witch Weekly magazine. She wasn't really taking in the images on the pages in front of her. Every so often, her eyes would readjust to see an ad for acne-clearing potion or an article about the latest dress robe fashion and she would tune it all out again.

Ding, ding, ding.

The bell above the door rang as a customer entered the Magical Menagerie. Something about the man seemed déjà vu to Aurelia but she couldn't quite realize what. He walked briskly and boldly to the counter, removing a bowler hat from his head to reveal short-cropped, russet-coloured hair. The look on his face suggested superiority as did the way he stuffed a hand lazily into the pocket of his tailored robes.

"Welcome to the Magical Menagerie. How may I help you?"

"Yeah, it's my niece's eleventh birthday tomorrow. I need an owl," he said nonchalantly.

"Eleven? That's a very important age. She'll be starting Hogwarts soon, won't she?" Aurelia tried to be polite realizing that his money, no doubt plentiful, would be very important to the store.

"Sure," he nodded absently.

"Well, follow me and we'll see what your selection is," Aurelia said to the man, precluding any more ideas of conversational attempt. The man looked intently at Aurelia with his blue eyes as she led him down the very first aisle which was completely packed with screeching and hooting birds.

"Do you have anything that doesn't look like it belongs in a barn?"

"I could offer you one of our snowy owls. They're said to be majestic and noble."

"Sure, I'll take one," he said in a tedious tone. Aurelia nodded, removed the snowy owl from the shelf along with its cage and carried it back to the counter. The man paid for his selection and left the store, giving Aurelia one final sweep with his pale eyes.

"Familiar," Aurelia mused.

Ding, Ding, Ding.

The door opened a second time and a group of four teenage girls entered the shop.

"Welcome to the Magical Menagerie. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, thank you," said the smallest of the four, a red haired girl. "We're just looking."

"Ugh," Aurelia groaned and went back to flipping through her magazine.

As the day continued, Aurelia sat in her place behind the counter of the Magical Menagerie. Customers didn't come in often and when they did, Aurelia didn't need to assist most of them. During her break, she ran another trip down to the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer, as she did on most days. Normal routines.

When she got home, the temporary replacement nanny was waiting for her.

"How did everything go?" Aurelia asked, taking her shoes off by the door.

"It was fine, just fine," said the young girl. At sixteen, the girl was eager and most willing to please Aurelia at any cost. Though Aurelia herself was no more than three years older than the girl, she guessed that her possession of money, a job, a house and a child made her seem somewhat older.

"Great," Aurelia yawned. "You can go home. I'll be here the rest of the night."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl nodded.

"Oh and Laura?" Aurelia called back as the girl was opening the front door.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Try to dress more appropriately tomorrow," she said, eyeing the girl's muggle outfit composed of a too-short skirt and tank top. "Robes, please."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl blushed and left.

Aurelia sighed. "Please let Isabella get better soon," she said to no one.

There was a knock at the door about an hour and a half later. Aurelia groaned as she stood up from the couch and walked gingerly to answer it. Draco stood on the other side of the threshold, grinning broadly. Aurelia stepped aside to let him in.

He kissed her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Same as always," she replied. "Yours?"

"Same as always," he agreed. "Is Tom sleeping?"

"No, he's upstairs."

"May I go see him?" he asked, unsure.

"Sure."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You seem a little out of it."

"I'm tired," she snapped.

"Testy."

"Weren't you going somewhere?" she griped. He nodded and bounded up the stairs. Aurelia groaned and went back to claim her previous position on the couch in the sitting room.

"You know," Draco said as he entered the room about ten minutes later. "I think I should quit my job."

"You got fired, didn't you?" she asked, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"No," he shook his head. "I'm just thinking aloud here."

"Well, don't."

"Don't think aloud or don't quit my job?"

"Both," she replied.

"Why are you so peeved with me?" Draco sat down beside her.

"I'm not peeved with you. I just have a lot on my mind," she said, finally giving up on her book and shutting it closed.

"Would you like to share?"

"No."

"Aurelia, please? Quit shutting me out! I would really like it if you just talked to me every once in a while," he groaned.

"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?"

"Barely. Plus, you know what I mean," he said indignantly.

"Yes," she nodded. "I do know what you mean but there's nothing that I want to say to you."

"Is this about last night?"

"You know," she turned her head completely to look at him with a sharp glare. "Not everything is about you. Did you ever consider that?"

"Merlin, Aurelia! Will you please stop that?" he shouted, standing up in frustration. "Are you literally trying to make me angry with you? Are you? If you are, it's working!"

"I need a shower," she said plainly and stood up from her seat, not acknowledging Draco as she walked by. He was fuming.

"Aurelia, stop!" he shouted and ran to block her path. "What has gotten into you lately? Listen, I can understand if you're angry but can you please at least tell me what you're angry about so I can apologize?"

"Draco, don't you get it? I'm trying not to have another argument with you! So, can you please just drop it!"

"Is that was this is about? Really?" he laughed.

"I don't find this funny," Aurelia said through gritted teeth.

"Aurelia, listen, it's inevitable. I think you need to accept that. Arguing has been a part of our relationship since day one. Literally."

"No, Draco. Not like this," her tone suddenly took an unexpected turn; Too serious. "It's never been the way it is now. Before, they used to be petty arguments about things that, in the long run, never mattered. They used to be every once in a while. Now, though, they're everyday. Draco, when was the last time we went an entire day without either one of us snapping at the other over something? I'm tired of it."

"So, what are you saying?" He took a step back.

"I'm saying…" Aurelia inhaled a deep breath. "I'm saying that maybe we need to be away from each other for a while. To figure things out."

"Aurelia, don't say that," he shook his head fervently. "There is nothing to figure out. We're fine. We don't need to…break up."

"Draco, don't think of it that way. It's not forever. Just for a while."

"And what happens if during this…break you decide that you like it better that way? Without me?"

"I won't."

"And if you do?"

Aurelia took another deep breath. "Then, maybe, we would need to talk about making the break more permanent."

Draco took another step back, a larger one this time, leaving at least two feet of space between them. "Fine."

"Draco—"

"Let me know when you change your mind," he said and Disapparated.

Aurelia shook her head. It didn't happen the way she had hoped but it happened nonetheless. She was officially on her own now. The Malfoys were no longer an option and she guessed that it would have to stay that way. At least for now. Maybe even forever. Though this hurt her, this was what she needed. She needed to figure out if she wanted Draco.

Tommy started crying upstairs and Aurelia went to attend to him. As she sat in the rocking chair with her son in her arms, she realized that maybe everything would be okay. She was strong. Strong enough to raise a baby and lead an army into war all by herself? Maybe. She could try. The worst—or best—that could happen is she would realize that she wasn't, in fact, fine by herself and that she did want Draco.

The hardest part of all of this would be being on her own. No Draco, no Lucius, no Narcissa, no Dillard, no Leandra, no family. Just Aurelia and Tommy. Two against the world. Just two.

Tommy fell asleep in her lap and she walked to place him in his crib. She watched his sleeping figure for a few minutes longer and smiled. She was all he needed and he was all she needed. They would be enough for each other. Mother and child. That was the way it had been since the beginning of time and that was the way it would be now.


A/N: Is anyone else noticing the depressing setting of this story? Ha. I think it's charming.

Reviews are appreciated :D