Family ties and a party.
Hermione receives an invite. Fen and Michael talk. Hermione and Michael meet at the party. What the devil is going on with Malfoy and Harry?! Stay tuned!
After leaving the golf shop, Michael raced across the street and reentered the shop. They were at the same table as before. As he passed them, he ran his fingers into her hair and leaned over. "That was absolutely brilliant, sweetheart! I loved that special effect at the end as well. I'm having a party at my house tomorrow night. Bring your boys, you're invited, make sure you wear another of these pretty little skirts, too." He pecked her on the cheek and went on to the counter. If he knew Fen as well as he thought, Fen would be making a beeline over here to ask more about that little incident. He didn't want to face any questions on an empty stomach.
A heavy arm draped over his shoulder. "So, what exactly was that? Did you piss off that little girl or something?" Fen asked curiously.
"Not me. Fleur. I suspect that was payback for her dumping those ginger's oldest brother at the altar a couple of years ago." Michael told him.
"Oh, ok." Fen was still sniggering as he put in his own order. After they received their food, they sat at a table with a clear view of the gingers and the little beauty. Michael noticed that, although the four boys were all eating heartily, she was just barely picking at her own meal.
"Mom was wondering if you'd be over soon. She's already got your room set up and all the ingredients ready for your favorite dessert. If you don't want to stay with the old man, you know you're more than welcome at the house, right?" he was startled out of his thoughts by Fen's question.
"I may take you up on that offer in a day or two but I'll stay there tonight and he actually agreed to go out somewhere so I can have a party tomorrow night. You're invited, by the way. So, enough about me. How are things in the world of Fen? Grapevine says you have a new girlfriend? And you didn't tell ME?" Michael poked at his older brother, laughing as Fen turned red and smiled.
"Her name is Dora and she works in the D. A.'s office. A receptionist but she's studying to be a lawyer. She has a son, a little boy. I haven't met him yet but she's crazy about him. She and the boy live with her mother. She watches the boy so Dora can work." Fen was smiling at the thought of his beautiful girlfriend. "You'd really like her, Mike. I wanna introduce her to you sometime, if that's ok with you." He was anxious for Dora and Michael to get along.
Seeing how seriously Fen was acting and realizing he might actually be serious about this girl, Michael tipped his head to the side. "That serious, huh? Tell you what, bring her to the party tomorrow night. I'll meet her then. So, mom is ready to make me some homemade fudge? I'll definitely be over soon." Fen noticed his little brother kept skipping around any talk of himself. He mentally sighed with frustration. 'The old man really did a number on the kid.' It saddened him to see how thoroughly the old man had beaten the trust factor out of his little brother. Michael would talk about anything but himself or his feelings. He hoped this little girl Mike had suddenly shown an interest in would be good to him. The boy couldn't take too much more loss in his life.
"Is she coming to the party?" he asked curiously, trying to see exactly how much Mike would even talk about her.
"She's invited, whether she shows up or not is up to her." Mike shrugged. He liked the girl but he wasn't about to go chasing all around after her. If she wanted to be caught, he'd be pleased to catch her. If not, no skin off his nose, there were plenty of other pretty girls in town, even the neighborhood. Fen looked around and saw the group watching him and Michael, a girl, a dark haired boy and three gingers. The same group who had just fled the golf shop. He waved at them cheerfully. They waved back warily.
"They probably think you're about to come over and arrest them!" Michael laughed.
"She wanted me to. Luckily I had too much experience of a certain little brother putting MY dates through hell to want to arrest them!" Fen replied. He had to laugh again, remembering Fleur with the remains of a Scabior special running down her face.
Michael sniggered. It was true, he'd been a total little snot to some of Fen's girlfriends. "In my defense, brother, I was right about every one of them. They weren't good for you. I'll reserve judgment on this one till I meet her."
They finished their meal and left going their separate ways: Fen to inform Dora of the party invite and meeting his little brother, Michael to buy the party supplies Fleur had distracted him away from.
Hermione and Harry walked in the door. Andromeda and Dora Tonks were there. They had little Teddy wrapped in a blanket. He was fussy and looked a bit red.
"What's wrong with Teddy?" Hermione went to hold him. Dora pulled him back. "He's feverish. Your mother is going to set him up with some Amoxicillin. She says it's just a little twenty four hour thing. This time tomorrow, he'll be wide eyed and bushy tailed again."
"Oh, Teddy bear, I hope you feel better tomorrow, sweetie." Hermione crooned to the little boy. He stared at her sleepily from his mother's arms. Dora smiled at her. She knew Hermione loved Teddy as much as she did. Nothing delighted her so much as being asked to babysit him. Just then, her phone beeped with a text. She listened as Hermione told her parents she and Harry had been invited to a party two houses over tomorrow night. Realizing who lived two houses over, she looked at the text. It was Fen, inviting her to the same party. His little brother was hosting it. Mr. and Mrs. Granger weren't too sure, having heard the unmistakable sounds of fighting over the years. Not only from there but also Harry's home before they managed to get him out of there.
"Jean, if you're worried about Hermione and Harry going to the party, I'll be there as well as Fen. It's his little brother having the party. I'm sure, between the two of us, we can keep them in line." She winked at Hermione, who smiled delightedly as her parents agreed. "Thank you!" the girl mouthed silently. Dora giggled and gave her a thumbs up.
Hermione and Harry went on up to their rooms. She had just dropped her keys into the candy dish on her desk and turned on her light when she heard a rattling sound on her window. She walked over, raised it and leaned out. Scabior stood down by the tree next to her window, two guys with him. She climbed out and slid to the edge of the overhang. Luckily, it was a flat surface.
"What are you doing?" she hissed as she poked her head over enough to peer at the front door. Through the window, she could still see her parents and the Tonks.
He jumped up and caught the lowest branch on the tree. Climbing up enough to reach her, he leaned over to her. Grabbing her chin, he kissed her. "Been waiting to do that all day. You gonna be at my party?" he whispered into her ear.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world now. No more Fleur?" Hermione wondered slyly. Michael laughed, quietly of course.
"No more Fleur. She was just a distraction, you know. I'll be waiting for you." He kissed her one more time, then climbed back down and waved goodbye. The two guys with him stared curiously at her before following him across to his house. She belatedly recognized them as Marcus Flint and Thorfinn Rowle, Flint being a senior but Thorfinn already being in college with him. She climbed back into her room and closed the window. She smiled to herself as she got ready for bed.
The next day, she was scheduled to work at the hospital. Molly was a CNA and had helped her get her CNA certification as well. Her mom and dad joked that they were keeping the medical profession in the family. Harry was going to spend the day with Ron and the twins so she had the car to herself. Now that she almost had Michael, she was getting jittery about this party. She called Pansy and Becky to go shopping after work. She wanted to get the perfect outfit to wow him tonight.
Mike woke up with a slight hangover. He, Thorfinn, and Marcus had been drinking for a while after he talked to her. They had teased him about his little high school girlfriend. He teased them, in turn, about the two little high schoolers who had caught their eyes. Marcus confessed that he was waiting until Pansy turned 18. Thorfinn was interested in finding out more about Becky. He rolled over and shielded his eyes from the sun pouring in his window. He sat up and listened. Hopefully, the old man was already out of the house. He just was not up for a knockdown drag out fight this early.
After hearing nothing, he got up and quickly took a shower. As he stood in front of his bathroom mirror, his old stash of Goth makeup caught his eye. He slowly smiled. He checked inside the cabinet and found some hair coloring. He laughed as he thought of how outraged the old man would be. He set to work with the hair coloring and makeup.
An hour later, he again looked in the mirror. Once again, he had jet black hair, wild and free. His eyes were perfectly lined and he had a cross earring dangling from his right ear. Around his neck was a thick, black leather choker with a small cross hanging from the center of it. He had dug into the back of his closet and found his black leather clothes. He couldn't wait for his little beauty to see him tonight. He walked out of his room and went downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and rolled his eyes at the sight of his father sitting there, reading the paper. He got himself some cereal and sat down. Ramon Scabior looked up, saw his son and scowled at his appearance.
"Damn it, boy! What the fuck have I told you about that damn makeup?! Are you a damn sissy boy?! Get the hell up those fucking stairs and wash that shit off!" his dad growled at him. Michael ignored him. The older man jumped up, walked around the table, grabbed his hair and yanked him out of the seat. Michael jabbed an elbow into his ribcage, hearing a satisfying pained grunt from the older man. "Get your damn hands off me, I'm not a scared child or teenager anymore. I'll beat the fuck out of you and leave you laying in the floor, you fucking bastard!" Michael snarled back at him. Ramon Scabior backed off. He was used to being the intimidator of the house. He suddenly realized his son was as big, if not bigger, than he was. For perhaps the first place in his life, he was afraid of the boy. He looked into the blue eyes so like his own and saw nothing but pure rage and hatred, all directed at himself. He let go of the boy's hair and backed away, his hands raised. "All right. All right. Do what you want, you fucking little punk! You get yourself thrown in jail, though, going out looking like that, don't call me for damn bail money!" he swung around, grabbed his jacket off the coatrack, and yanked open the back door. He threw a loathing look over his shoulder. "Try not to burn the fucking house down tonight!"
Michael stayed tensed up and ready to fight until he heard the old man's truck fire up and back out. He closed his eyes and let out his breath. 'Goddamnit!" it scared him at how eager he'd been for the old man to take just one swing at him! At this rate, it was like he'd told him. He would have beaten the fuck out of him and left him laid out. These feelings were what caused him to dance from girl to girl. He was afraid if he got serious about anyone, he'd turn into his old man. His mother had barely been able to socialize with the neighborhood women without his dad breathing down her neck. Every trip to the store, he was accusing her of meeting other men. When Michael was born, looking exactly like him, the old bastard still made them test him, just to make sure he was actually the father!
There was a knock at the door. He walked into the hallway and opened the door to reveal Thorfinn and Marcus, both looking slightly worse for wear after their night of drinking.
"Good lord, you two look like hell warmed over! Come on in, I'll fix you some coffee." He laughed. They both winced, covering their ears. He led the way back to the kitchen and set the coffeepot to brewing. They slumped at the table.
"Good to see you back, dude! We've been missing our Goth pal!" Marcus smiled. Thorfinn gingerly nodded. This was the Michael they'd grown up and gone to school with, not the preppy boy college had turned him into.
"So your old man is gone for the night?" Thorfinn asked eagerly. Michael nodded at him. Marcus noted that his face darkened slightly. "What happened before we got here? You and him get into it?"
"Yeah, he grabbed my hair, yanked me up. I elbowed him and threatened to kick his ass. He backed the fuck off and left." Michael gave them the short version of the story. "Also, if I happen to go out 'like this' and get myself arrested, I'll need bail money." He half joked.
Marcus shook his head at how stupid Mike's old man was and told him, "You need bail money, call me, I'll come down and get you out."
"Me, too, bud. Anytime, anywhere." Thorfinn said.
"Hells bells, Thorfinn, it wouldn't do for you to offer to bail him out, more than likely, you'd be right there beside him in the cell!" Marcus laughed at the blonde. Thorfinn rolled his eyes and shot a birdie at him. They laughed, joked and drank coffee until it was time to greet the guests.
Hermione had got off work and gone to the mall. Pansy and Becky met her there and the three walked down to Hot Topic. She already knew she'd be getting a new miniskirt ('no, she wasn't getting it because of him!') but she needed a shirt to match. They browsed all the clothes and then she saw it! It was perfect! It wasn't all leather hut that didn't matter. It was black and had a leather waistband. There was a strip of leather going down each side but the rest of the skirt was silk with a triple row of lacy ruffles, front and back. Best of all, there was a matching crop top and shirt to match! She bought the outfit, along with some thigh high stockings and boots with a stiletto heel. Pansy and Becky also bought new outfits, having been invited along by an older brother (Becky) and an older cousin (Pansy).
They all went back to Hermione's house to get dressed and ready for the party. Harry, Ron and the twins were also getting ready. The group of teens came down and started out the door. Hermione and Harry kissed their parents goodnight and rejoined their friends. They all walked across the lawn of Harry's old house. Hermione hugged him as he deliberately kept his eyes toward the street. As they entered Scabior's house, they were greeted by Marcus Flint and Thorfinn.
"And who all do we have here?" Thorfinn stretched an arm across the doorway. Marcus rolled his eyes and winked at Pansy, who giggled behind her hand. Hermione shook her head at his antics. "Thorfinn Rowle, meet Becky Selwyn, Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter, Ron, Fred and George Weasley. I'm Hermione Granger."
Grinning wickedly at her, Thorfinn replied. "Very nice to meet all of you. Hello, Becky," he winked, "Long time, no see, darling." Becky smiled and blushed as he singled her out. They were directed to the living room where someone had started the music. Marcus caught Hermione's arm gently and leaned down. "Michael might be grumpy for a while. He and his dad had a bit of a tussle this morning. Rest assured, he's been looking forward to seeing you all day." He whispered to her. She nodded back at him.
Hermione walked into the room and spotted him almost immediately. She almost fainted with delight. He was back! Totally Goth again! She practically ran across the room. He turned around just as she reached him. He smiled and pulled her close. "Hello, beautiful. Love that outfit!" he led her to the middle of the room as they began slow dancing.
Harry and Ron watched them from across the room. Since it seemed like they might possibly dance all night, they turned their attention to the rest of the party. They weaved across the room to greet Dora and Fen.
"Looks like Hermione found Michael." Fen said, tipping his head in their direction.
"Yeah, she's been jumpy all day, waiting to get over here." Harry replied.
"He's been jumpy himself. Not sure if it was waiting for her or because of the old man, though." Fen was still angry after Michael let him know he'd definitely be staying with Fen and his mother the rest of the week. 'The damned old bastard just couldn't resist picking at the boy!' it made Fen want to beat the hell out of the old fogey himself!
Harry moved uneasily at hearing that. It reminded him too much of his own miserable childhood. Ron put a comforting arm around him. He knew what had gone through Harry's mind at Fen's comment. He was one of the very few who knew exactly what horrors Harry had faced as a child. He stroked the back of Harry's neck until he was calm again. They stayed near Fen and Dora for the next hour or so. Since they were the oldest ones there, though not by much, they were considered as chaperones by the rest of the partygoers.
The floor was extremely crowded with dancers by now. Harry and Ron had danced a couple of dances. They could see Hermione and Michael in the center, in their own little world. Marcus and Pansy had danced as had Thorfinn and Becky.
They hadn't realized how many more people had shown up and crowded into the house. They certainly hadn't noticed the blond boy who was watching them (or more specifically, watching Harry) from across the room. He normally didn't attend parties like these but he'd heard through friends that Harry had been invited along with his sister. It was too good of an opportunity for him to resist. Grabbing his best friend, he headed to the party. As they were both dressed completely in black, they actually blended quite well. He turned to his friend. "As soon as I have an opportunity to talk to him, you go distract Weasley." Sooner than he thought, his chance came when harry excused himself for a bathroom break.
"Be right back." Harry muttered to Ron as he slipped off to the bathroom, not noticing the blond boy watching him. Nodding towards Weasley, he started after Harry. As Harry wove his way through the crowd, the other slowly followed behind him. Rushing into the bathroom, he was finally able to ease the pressure off his kidneys. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. Had they been open, he would have seen who came through the bathroom door. As it happened though, he didn't. Two arms slipped around his waist and a head leaned onto his shoulder. He smiled. Ron never could resist an opportunity like this. As one hand slid under his shirt, the other slid down past his waist. Kisses were trailed from shoulder blade to his ear. He leaned his head onto the shoulder behind him. As the door opened again, his eyes popped wide open as he heard, "Harry?! What the devil are you doing with MALFOY?!"