First, I apoligize for taking so long to get this chapter up, holidays and
work have put me behind, but I hope to get the next one up soon. This
chapter has a light tone, but next will be darker, we hear more from
Lucius, and an unexpected (or maybe not) co-conspirator.
Thanks to all who have reviewed! To answer a few questions:
BlackDiva-The Dementors have been barred from Azkaban, after they assisted Voldermort when he came back, so now the prisoners are guarded by the Ministry of Magic. (At least in this story.)
Analia-I think so, it is just too good not to write... :)
Thanks to Silvia Sylverton, PsychicOracle ( I like the new name),animebay- b, Snowgrl, SunGoddess1 and Simeralle Ravena. All comments and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated!
Chapter III. Kitty Cat, Bitty Rat
"Today we will be practicing the disarming spell we learned last week," Harry explained as he walked through the desk rows. "You should have the basics down now, and...."
"PROFESSOR POTTER!"
Harry, as well as every student in the class, turned to see Argus Filch in the doorway, panting, his face every shade of red imaginable.
"Yes, Mr. Filch?" Harry asked nervously. "Is something the matter?" He had a feeling he knew the answer before he even asked the question, but, he thought, what the hell, it might be something new.
"Your....your...child!" He spat. "She's got her again. I told you she wouldn't learn from a talking to, got to discipline properly to keep them in line, I tell you."
"Excuse me," Harry apologized to his class. "I'll be back in just a moment."
Outside the closed door Harry turned to the agitated caretaker.
"Where is she?" he asked.
"Oh, she took her back to your chambers, she did."
Harry looked puzzled. "Why didn't you just knock? Draco's there. You could have talked to him."
"I did bloody well knock, but no one answered. Malfoy never came to the door."
Harry was getting worried now. It wasn't like Draco to go anywhere without telling Harry, and if he did have to leave, he always found someone to watch Ivy and let him know. Where was he now?
Harry quickly dismissed his class, then turned back to Mr.Filch.
"Let's go," Harry exclaimed. "We need to find out what is going on."
Minutes later they were at the chamber door, only to find it locked with a simple locking spell. Harry quickly broke the spell and rushed into the living area.
"Draco! Ivy! Where are you?" he yelled.
Ivy ran out of her bedroom, clutching Mrs. Norris to her, the poor cat bouncing up and down as Ivy struggled to hold her grip. It was one of the few times Harry felt sorry for Mrs. Norris.
"Ivy Rose Malfoy-Potter!" Harry scolded. "What did we say about you taking Mrs. Norris to play with?"
"But I wanted a second playmate," Ivy almost whispered. "I was playing beauty shop. See?"
Filch turned a lovely shade of purple when he caught sight of the bows and ribbons wound all through Mrs. Norris' fur. Ivy held a hairbrush in one hand with more than a fair share of cat hair stuck in it.
"Ivy," Harry went on as he took the feline from her, "you can't do this. When I said you can't take Mrs. Norris without permission that is what I meant." Suddenly something she had said earlier registered. "And what do you mean by 'second playmate'? Where is your Mummy?"
Ivy looked down at her feet. "I...I...did'n mean to Daddy, onest!"
Harry handed the cat to Filch and dropped down to face Ivy. "Sweetheart, tell me where Mummy is, and what did you do?"
Ivy started to cry as she explained. "I wanted a kitty to play with and I know I was'n supposed to take Mrs. Norris anymore, so I thought if I could make a kitty like Pofesor Magnagul does, with her wand, that I could have a kitty anytime, so I found Mummy's wand and I...I was going to see if I could turn Mummy into a kitty cat....but...."
Harry felt his heart quicken and the start of panic. "Ivy, where is Mummy now?"
She wiped her eyes and pointed to the bedroom. "In there. He did'n turn into a kitty."
Harry could only imagine what he would find. "Dra?" he yelled as he ran into the room. "Draco?!" Harry frantically scanned the room for any sign of movement, finally spotting something on the top of Ivy's small vanity table.
A hamster.
And not just any hamster, but a platinum blond one with silver-blue eyes, hopping up and down while emitting the highest-pitched squeaks imaginable. Harry quickly scooped him up in his hand and went back into the living area.
"Ivy," Harry exclaimed, "Is this Mummy?"
"Yes," she sniffed. "I tried to say 'kitty cat', but I think it came out 'bitty rat', and Mummy turned into a amster and I didn't know how to change him back so I was gonna wait for you, and I thought I could play beauty shop with Mummy and Mrs. Norris cause I did'n have to make her a kitty cause she was one and ...."
Harry stopped her in mid-sentence. "Ivy, you should not have been playing with Mummy's wand, and you know better than to take Mrs. Norris. Give her to Mr. Filch, tell him you are sorry, that you are never going to do it again, and go sit on the couch. You are in a LOT of trouble, little lady."
Ivy did as she was told, handing the decorated feline to Mr. Filch. "I sorry," she said as she looked at the floor. "I wo'n do it anymore, I pomise."
Filch took Mrs. Norris and turned to go. "I've got a few of the torture devices from the dungeon if you need them." he stated to Harry as he opened the door.
"No, thanks, I think we will handle this," Harry replied. Although Draco might have taken him up on it, he thought.
After Filch left Harry took out his own wand and placed the agitated hamster in a chair. Five seconds and one spell later, it was replaced with an even more agitated Draco Malfoy.
Draco opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Getting up from the chair, he walked toward the door, mumbling "Excuse me for a moment" as he went, then out the door and shutting it behind him.
Harry and Ivy looked at each other in puzzlement, when they heard an ear- splitting scream from just outside the chamber. Afterwards, Draco walked back in, and crouched down to Ivy's level.
"Honey," he began. "I am very disappointed in you for taking my wand and Mrs. Norris, and especially for what you did with my wand. You know better than that."
Ivy wiped her eyes and studyed her shoes. "Yes, Mummy. I sorry. I wo'n do it again, I wo'n."
Draco went on. "I am afraid Witch Wanda and all of your new toys from your birthday are going to go into time out for a week. You need to think about what you did."
Ivy nodded. "Yes, Mummy."
Draco picked up his sobbing child and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, sweetie. You just have to learn not to take things that don't belong to you. Ok?"
She nodded again, and then wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. "I luv you too, Mummy." she said softly.
Draco took her back into her bedroom and laid her on the small bed. "Now, it's past your nap time, so go to sleep and I will wake you before dinner, ok?"
Ivy nodded, barely, her eyes closing even before Draco got to the door. He closed it softly behind him and walked over to sit by Harry on the couch in the living area. Draco leaned forward and covered his face with his hands.
"A hamster. Of all things, a hamster. First a ferret, now a rat." He turned to Harry, who was trying desperately to stifle a laugh. "Why me? How many people can say they've been a rodent one time, much less two."
Harry couldn't hold it any longer. "You were adorable, though. We could have got you one of those hamster habitat cages, with a wheel and everything."
Draco grinned despite himself. "Keep it up, Mr. Potter," he warned. "I remember very clearly the spell Ivy used, and I bet a nice raven-haired, green eyed hamster would be even more adorable, don't you think?"
End of Chapter III.
Thanks to all who have reviewed! To answer a few questions:
BlackDiva-The Dementors have been barred from Azkaban, after they assisted Voldermort when he came back, so now the prisoners are guarded by the Ministry of Magic. (At least in this story.)
Analia-I think so, it is just too good not to write... :)
Thanks to Silvia Sylverton, PsychicOracle ( I like the new name),animebay- b, Snowgrl, SunGoddess1 and Simeralle Ravena. All comments and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated!
Chapter III. Kitty Cat, Bitty Rat
"Today we will be practicing the disarming spell we learned last week," Harry explained as he walked through the desk rows. "You should have the basics down now, and...."
"PROFESSOR POTTER!"
Harry, as well as every student in the class, turned to see Argus Filch in the doorway, panting, his face every shade of red imaginable.
"Yes, Mr. Filch?" Harry asked nervously. "Is something the matter?" He had a feeling he knew the answer before he even asked the question, but, he thought, what the hell, it might be something new.
"Your....your...child!" He spat. "She's got her again. I told you she wouldn't learn from a talking to, got to discipline properly to keep them in line, I tell you."
"Excuse me," Harry apologized to his class. "I'll be back in just a moment."
Outside the closed door Harry turned to the agitated caretaker.
"Where is she?" he asked.
"Oh, she took her back to your chambers, she did."
Harry looked puzzled. "Why didn't you just knock? Draco's there. You could have talked to him."
"I did bloody well knock, but no one answered. Malfoy never came to the door."
Harry was getting worried now. It wasn't like Draco to go anywhere without telling Harry, and if he did have to leave, he always found someone to watch Ivy and let him know. Where was he now?
Harry quickly dismissed his class, then turned back to Mr.Filch.
"Let's go," Harry exclaimed. "We need to find out what is going on."
Minutes later they were at the chamber door, only to find it locked with a simple locking spell. Harry quickly broke the spell and rushed into the living area.
"Draco! Ivy! Where are you?" he yelled.
Ivy ran out of her bedroom, clutching Mrs. Norris to her, the poor cat bouncing up and down as Ivy struggled to hold her grip. It was one of the few times Harry felt sorry for Mrs. Norris.
"Ivy Rose Malfoy-Potter!" Harry scolded. "What did we say about you taking Mrs. Norris to play with?"
"But I wanted a second playmate," Ivy almost whispered. "I was playing beauty shop. See?"
Filch turned a lovely shade of purple when he caught sight of the bows and ribbons wound all through Mrs. Norris' fur. Ivy held a hairbrush in one hand with more than a fair share of cat hair stuck in it.
"Ivy," Harry went on as he took the feline from her, "you can't do this. When I said you can't take Mrs. Norris without permission that is what I meant." Suddenly something she had said earlier registered. "And what do you mean by 'second playmate'? Where is your Mummy?"
Ivy looked down at her feet. "I...I...did'n mean to Daddy, onest!"
Harry handed the cat to Filch and dropped down to face Ivy. "Sweetheart, tell me where Mummy is, and what did you do?"
Ivy started to cry as she explained. "I wanted a kitty to play with and I know I was'n supposed to take Mrs. Norris anymore, so I thought if I could make a kitty like Pofesor Magnagul does, with her wand, that I could have a kitty anytime, so I found Mummy's wand and I...I was going to see if I could turn Mummy into a kitty cat....but...."
Harry felt his heart quicken and the start of panic. "Ivy, where is Mummy now?"
She wiped her eyes and pointed to the bedroom. "In there. He did'n turn into a kitty."
Harry could only imagine what he would find. "Dra?" he yelled as he ran into the room. "Draco?!" Harry frantically scanned the room for any sign of movement, finally spotting something on the top of Ivy's small vanity table.
A hamster.
And not just any hamster, but a platinum blond one with silver-blue eyes, hopping up and down while emitting the highest-pitched squeaks imaginable. Harry quickly scooped him up in his hand and went back into the living area.
"Ivy," Harry exclaimed, "Is this Mummy?"
"Yes," she sniffed. "I tried to say 'kitty cat', but I think it came out 'bitty rat', and Mummy turned into a amster and I didn't know how to change him back so I was gonna wait for you, and I thought I could play beauty shop with Mummy and Mrs. Norris cause I did'n have to make her a kitty cause she was one and ...."
Harry stopped her in mid-sentence. "Ivy, you should not have been playing with Mummy's wand, and you know better than to take Mrs. Norris. Give her to Mr. Filch, tell him you are sorry, that you are never going to do it again, and go sit on the couch. You are in a LOT of trouble, little lady."
Ivy did as she was told, handing the decorated feline to Mr. Filch. "I sorry," she said as she looked at the floor. "I wo'n do it anymore, I pomise."
Filch took Mrs. Norris and turned to go. "I've got a few of the torture devices from the dungeon if you need them." he stated to Harry as he opened the door.
"No, thanks, I think we will handle this," Harry replied. Although Draco might have taken him up on it, he thought.
After Filch left Harry took out his own wand and placed the agitated hamster in a chair. Five seconds and one spell later, it was replaced with an even more agitated Draco Malfoy.
Draco opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Getting up from the chair, he walked toward the door, mumbling "Excuse me for a moment" as he went, then out the door and shutting it behind him.
Harry and Ivy looked at each other in puzzlement, when they heard an ear- splitting scream from just outside the chamber. Afterwards, Draco walked back in, and crouched down to Ivy's level.
"Honey," he began. "I am very disappointed in you for taking my wand and Mrs. Norris, and especially for what you did with my wand. You know better than that."
Ivy wiped her eyes and studyed her shoes. "Yes, Mummy. I sorry. I wo'n do it again, I wo'n."
Draco went on. "I am afraid Witch Wanda and all of your new toys from your birthday are going to go into time out for a week. You need to think about what you did."
Ivy nodded. "Yes, Mummy."
Draco picked up his sobbing child and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, sweetie. You just have to learn not to take things that don't belong to you. Ok?"
She nodded again, and then wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. "I luv you too, Mummy." she said softly.
Draco took her back into her bedroom and laid her on the small bed. "Now, it's past your nap time, so go to sleep and I will wake you before dinner, ok?"
Ivy nodded, barely, her eyes closing even before Draco got to the door. He closed it softly behind him and walked over to sit by Harry on the couch in the living area. Draco leaned forward and covered his face with his hands.
"A hamster. Of all things, a hamster. First a ferret, now a rat." He turned to Harry, who was trying desperately to stifle a laugh. "Why me? How many people can say they've been a rodent one time, much less two."
Harry couldn't hold it any longer. "You were adorable, though. We could have got you one of those hamster habitat cages, with a wheel and everything."
Draco grinned despite himself. "Keep it up, Mr. Potter," he warned. "I remember very clearly the spell Ivy used, and I bet a nice raven-haired, green eyed hamster would be even more adorable, don't you think?"
End of Chapter III.