Elisabeth found that the rest of her Christmas holiday passed quickly
and she found herself standing on Platform 9 and ¾ before she knew it.
"Okay kiddo, you have everything?"
"Yes dad, I have my books and my wand, I have my robes, I have more candy than I can eat in an entire lifetime...."
Kris came up behind them. "Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Would you tell Wood that I won't be able to come to the next practise? I have to tutor some kids in Charms before exams come up."
"Of course, school is more important than Quidditch."
"Mind, Wood probably won't see the logic in that. Tell him I'm in a coma."
"You can play Quidditch when you're in a coma." Harry said grinning.
Kris smiled and joined some of his friends on the train.
"Hey Lis! Did you get the presents we sent you?" Anna and Will came over, followed by Ron.
"Yeah, did you get mine?"
"Yes." Anna pulled Elisabeth away. "So he actually, like, kissed you?"
"Yes, and my dad went mad on him."
"He caught you?"
"No, but he suspected and Kris didn't make it any better, shooting him looks and what not."
"Hey! There's Moira." They hurried over to Moira and Daniel and repeated the inquiry before returning to their parents.
"So you guys are ready to go back?"
"Sure mum, we've been looking forward to this day for a month."
"Oh hush." Lavender said, leaning over to kiss her kids good-bye then she left. Harry followed after saying good-bye to Elisabeth and only Ron remained.
"Hey, Elisabeth?"
Elisabeth turned, "yeah?"
"Hey, just, just try not to give your dad a hard time about the whole Svenson thing eh? He's got enough on his mind right now."
"Well he doesn't have to make such a big deal about it!"
"Hey, relax, I know what it's like, I've been through the mill, your dad is being an idiot and you know what you're doing, it's no big deal, right?"
"Right."
Ron smiled. "You'd be surprised at how much your dad actually knows." And then he left.
Elisabeth sighed and boarded the train; she found the compartment with the others and sat down.
"So what did the all powerful Ron Weasley want?" Anna asked, expertly shuffling Exploding Snap cards.
"He just wanted to tell me that my dad actually does know a thing or two and he really actually knows what he's doing. Although he's doing a very good job of playing stupid."
"You're not exactly playing the genius in this operation yourself."
"Oh? Would you like to tell me how you tripped over that conclusion Master Daniel?"
"Don't get all defensive."
"Oh sorry, I'll sit here complacently while you tell me my faults."
"I'm just saying you should be more careful. Kris Svenson isn't the winner of the Mr Kind and Caring award."
"What do you mean? What does everyone know that I don't?"
They looked around at each other and Anna took it upon herself to speak. "It's like this," she said, blowing a bubble with her gum. "Kris had this girlfriend, Nadia Colfer. She was a few years older than him. Now this was what, last year? And Nadia was in her sixth year. Now she dropped out in, let's see, would have been in April or May. This drop-out coincided with a drop in the performance of our Swedish superhero's Quidditch game. So Wood investigates, the ensuing report ends in Wood forking over 5000 galleons shut-up money, but Nadia wanted a father for this baby, what she got was a couple grand, a nice place in Switzerland and a full-time nanny."
"So how come you guys know this and I don't?"
"Because my dad is head of student affairs and my mum delivered baby Natasha."
"Because I make it a business to find out."
Elisabeth looked at them carefully.
"Elisabeth, look, we wouldn't lie to you about it and fact is your dad probably knows, that's why he doesn't want you around Svenson."
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Elisabeth got up and walked out of the compartment, she walked the length of the train and on the way back stopped at Kris' compartment. She looked in at him, laughing and joking with Myra Chan, Saxon Walker and all his other friends. She slid open the door, "Kris? Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, about what?"
"Privately?"
Kris stood up and walked out of the compartment, shutting the door behind him. His friends pressed their faces agains the glass and he casually flipped them off and they went back to their game.
Still smiling Kris asked her what she wanted.
"The truth. Kris, what's going on?"
He took a minute to process what she'd said and his smile disappeared. "Right now?"
"No Kris, when I actually start to get serious with you and your daughter comes running into the picture and I have no goddamn idea what's going on."
Kris kicked the wall. "Goddamn!"
"So are you going to tell me what's up or are you going to feel a sharp and possibly fatal pain between your shoulder blades the next time you try anything with me?"
"We can't talk out here. Let's find an empty compartment." They walked until they found a compartment that was empty save for a tiny kid that scattered as soon as they opened the door.
Elisabeth sat down and tapped her foot. "Well?"
"Nadia and I only went out for maybe, a month, and I'm not even sure if the kid is mine, that's why we broke up I guess. She wasn't really being faithful to me."
"So what, the 5000 in hush money was just because you felt sorry for her?"
"No Elisabeth, I did not know about the hush money until after, way after. I did not even know about the house in the Alps."
"When were you planning to tell me? When I ended up in the same mess as Nadia?"
Kris' eyes flew open. "No, Elisabeth, no. I would never do that to you."
"Did you tell her the same thing?" Elisabeth asked quietly.
Kris sighed. "Elisabeth, I made a mistake, a big one but I won't make the same mistake twice, I've grown a lot since then, and well, if, you know, if that ever happened I would stand up to my father instead of letting him run my life. I'm sorry to Natasha but I would be even sorrier if I made her live with me, a person who does not want her. Alright? Is that good enough?"
"For now."
"And Elisabeth, I promise, if we ever do go out or get serious I will always be completely honest with you."
"Okay. Okay." Elisabeth nodded and left the compartment, closing the door.
"Okay kiddo, you have everything?"
"Yes dad, I have my books and my wand, I have my robes, I have more candy than I can eat in an entire lifetime...."
Kris came up behind them. "Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Would you tell Wood that I won't be able to come to the next practise? I have to tutor some kids in Charms before exams come up."
"Of course, school is more important than Quidditch."
"Mind, Wood probably won't see the logic in that. Tell him I'm in a coma."
"You can play Quidditch when you're in a coma." Harry said grinning.
Kris smiled and joined some of his friends on the train.
"Hey Lis! Did you get the presents we sent you?" Anna and Will came over, followed by Ron.
"Yeah, did you get mine?"
"Yes." Anna pulled Elisabeth away. "So he actually, like, kissed you?"
"Yes, and my dad went mad on him."
"He caught you?"
"No, but he suspected and Kris didn't make it any better, shooting him looks and what not."
"Hey! There's Moira." They hurried over to Moira and Daniel and repeated the inquiry before returning to their parents.
"So you guys are ready to go back?"
"Sure mum, we've been looking forward to this day for a month."
"Oh hush." Lavender said, leaning over to kiss her kids good-bye then she left. Harry followed after saying good-bye to Elisabeth and only Ron remained.
"Hey, Elisabeth?"
Elisabeth turned, "yeah?"
"Hey, just, just try not to give your dad a hard time about the whole Svenson thing eh? He's got enough on his mind right now."
"Well he doesn't have to make such a big deal about it!"
"Hey, relax, I know what it's like, I've been through the mill, your dad is being an idiot and you know what you're doing, it's no big deal, right?"
"Right."
Ron smiled. "You'd be surprised at how much your dad actually knows." And then he left.
Elisabeth sighed and boarded the train; she found the compartment with the others and sat down.
"So what did the all powerful Ron Weasley want?" Anna asked, expertly shuffling Exploding Snap cards.
"He just wanted to tell me that my dad actually does know a thing or two and he really actually knows what he's doing. Although he's doing a very good job of playing stupid."
"You're not exactly playing the genius in this operation yourself."
"Oh? Would you like to tell me how you tripped over that conclusion Master Daniel?"
"Don't get all defensive."
"Oh sorry, I'll sit here complacently while you tell me my faults."
"I'm just saying you should be more careful. Kris Svenson isn't the winner of the Mr Kind and Caring award."
"What do you mean? What does everyone know that I don't?"
They looked around at each other and Anna took it upon herself to speak. "It's like this," she said, blowing a bubble with her gum. "Kris had this girlfriend, Nadia Colfer. She was a few years older than him. Now this was what, last year? And Nadia was in her sixth year. Now she dropped out in, let's see, would have been in April or May. This drop-out coincided with a drop in the performance of our Swedish superhero's Quidditch game. So Wood investigates, the ensuing report ends in Wood forking over 5000 galleons shut-up money, but Nadia wanted a father for this baby, what she got was a couple grand, a nice place in Switzerland and a full-time nanny."
"So how come you guys know this and I don't?"
"Because my dad is head of student affairs and my mum delivered baby Natasha."
"Because I make it a business to find out."
Elisabeth looked at them carefully.
"Elisabeth, look, we wouldn't lie to you about it and fact is your dad probably knows, that's why he doesn't want you around Svenson."
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Elisabeth got up and walked out of the compartment, she walked the length of the train and on the way back stopped at Kris' compartment. She looked in at him, laughing and joking with Myra Chan, Saxon Walker and all his other friends. She slid open the door, "Kris? Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, about what?"
"Privately?"
Kris stood up and walked out of the compartment, shutting the door behind him. His friends pressed their faces agains the glass and he casually flipped them off and they went back to their game.
Still smiling Kris asked her what she wanted.
"The truth. Kris, what's going on?"
He took a minute to process what she'd said and his smile disappeared. "Right now?"
"No Kris, when I actually start to get serious with you and your daughter comes running into the picture and I have no goddamn idea what's going on."
Kris kicked the wall. "Goddamn!"
"So are you going to tell me what's up or are you going to feel a sharp and possibly fatal pain between your shoulder blades the next time you try anything with me?"
"We can't talk out here. Let's find an empty compartment." They walked until they found a compartment that was empty save for a tiny kid that scattered as soon as they opened the door.
Elisabeth sat down and tapped her foot. "Well?"
"Nadia and I only went out for maybe, a month, and I'm not even sure if the kid is mine, that's why we broke up I guess. She wasn't really being faithful to me."
"So what, the 5000 in hush money was just because you felt sorry for her?"
"No Elisabeth, I did not know about the hush money until after, way after. I did not even know about the house in the Alps."
"When were you planning to tell me? When I ended up in the same mess as Nadia?"
Kris' eyes flew open. "No, Elisabeth, no. I would never do that to you."
"Did you tell her the same thing?" Elisabeth asked quietly.
Kris sighed. "Elisabeth, I made a mistake, a big one but I won't make the same mistake twice, I've grown a lot since then, and well, if, you know, if that ever happened I would stand up to my father instead of letting him run my life. I'm sorry to Natasha but I would be even sorrier if I made her live with me, a person who does not want her. Alright? Is that good enough?"
"For now."
"And Elisabeth, I promise, if we ever do go out or get serious I will always be completely honest with you."
"Okay. Okay." Elisabeth nodded and left the compartment, closing the door.