To Be A Malfoy
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 2.
~*~*~*~
Over the next few weeks, I became more aware of how hard my resolve to be the new 'me', actually was. I began to see things that I had never paid attention to before, and had never seemed important. But now, they were starting to mean more to me than anything. Like life, the love of friends and family, the simply beauty of the things around me, etc. It was hard for me to admit, but once I did, it was a lot easier to change. I found myself opening up to more people, finding less to feel suspicious about, and more to enjoy about the company. And although the shadow of what I had been still hung over me like a powerful veil, I rarely ever paid any attention to it.
Stephen was a great help during this time. He knew quite well what I was going through, and did his best to help me through it. Several times during the week, I found myself invited over to his house for dinner and a movie. During this trying time, I came to know his wife almost as well as him, and found her to be excellent company. I also discovered I had a strange liking for these muggle movies, and enjoyed them almost as much as I did the company.
But it was Kaitlynn, who truly pulled me out of the gutter, so to speak. She was always there for me when I had a question to ask, or something I felt I needed to talk about. She listened to my rants, and made responses that helped me to cope with myself. We usually met on the beach to talk, though she frequently came over to her cousin's for dinner and we talked there, too.
"So.....what's this about a cat? Steve told me you had a cat." She said one night, when we were walking along the beach. I turned and grinned at her.
"Actually, I do. But it will be four cats, soon." I informed her. Her eyes lit up and she gave a laugh.
"She's pregnant?"
"Yes. She belonged to the previous owners of my condo, but they abandoned her for some reason. So I got stuck with her. But I guess she's a decent companion." I admitted grudgingly. Kaitlynn giggled.
"You mean, you're attached to her. The great Draco Malfoy, attached to a cat!" She teased, nudging me with her elbow. I shot her a mock-glare, then smiled slightly. We continued walking back towards her house in silence.
"May I see her?" She asked suddenly, startling me.
"Name the time and place." I agreed. She clapped her hands in delight, something that she does when she's thrilled about something or other.
"Now! Your place, since pregnant cats shouldn't be moved around much." She stated. Again, she surprised me, but I nodded.
"All right. Come on." I led her down the path towards my condo building. When we reached it, I was alarmed to hear a shrill mewing coming from inside my apartment.
"Something must have happened." I muttered, quickly unlocking the door and flicking on the hall lights. Usually, Nora would come waddling up to meet me, but tonight she was nowhere in sight. The mewing became louder, however, and more pronounced. We followed it to the living room, and there lay a little calico-colored beast. Nora was laying in the middle of the floor, on her side, panting violently. Because of my growing alarm, I barely heard Kaitlynn's gasp behind me. But I sure heard what she said next.
"Draco! She's having the kittens! We have to get her into a warm place!" She moaned, moving towards the prostrate cat. My alarm just grew at her words.
"What should I do?" I asked helplessly. She looked up for a second, then looked back at Nora.
"Get me a medium-sized cardboard box with high sides, and a fluffy towel that you don't use much." She instructed. I hurried to get the things she had listed and came back in a moment, to find her gently lifting the panting cat, all the while avoiding putting pressure on the cat's stomach.
"Fold the blanket into the bottom of the box, then put it on the floor." Again, I did as I was told, and in a few minutes, Nora was in her new bed. Kaitlynn sat back and looked approvingly at me.
"Now we sit around and wait. It could take anywhere from a few minutes, to a few hours." She muttered. I groaned and collapsed onto the couch.
"As if this cat hasn't given me enough grief, now I'm going to have to deal with four of them." I muttered. She laughed and sat next to me.
"Don't worry. I'll stay until they're all born."
"Kate, I can't ask you to do that." I said, sitting up straighter. Sure, I wouldn't mind her company, but it was already late, and I didn't want to keep her up later.....
"I want to. I've never seen new-born kittens before, unless you count on TV." She informed me. Luckily, by now I knew what a TV was.....
"Then how'd you know what to do?" I asked, pointing at the box. She smiled.
"I've watched a little too much 'Animal Planet'." She informed me, making me laugh. We sat there for about forty-five more minutes, until Kaitlynn decided to go check on Nora, who had gone silent.
"Draco! Come look!" Her voice was a whisper, and a shriek, all in one. I shook my head, amused, but stood up and walked over to the box. I admit. I was shocked to see three more tiny balls of fur in there with her.
"Aren't they darling?" She asked in a soft voice. I couldn't help but agree. The kittens were snuggled up so close to their mother, that you would hardly be able to tell where she started and the others ended, if not for the difference in their colorings.
The biggest kitten was a orange and creme stripped fur-ball, with little white feet. The second largest was a calico, like it's mother, and the tiniest (obviously the runt) was a pure black creature. While it's siblings crowded close together, it had taken to sleeping near Nora's back legs.
"That one is a boy." Kaitlynn murmured, pointing to the tiger-striped one.
"How do you know?" I asked, shooting her a funny look. She smiled.
"The coloring and stripes are usually only found in boy cats. The calicos are normally girls, and the black one could be either/or." She informed me. I rolled my eyes.
"So, you're a mama now. That must feel wonderful, to have all those babies." Kaitlynn crooned, as she stroked Nora's ears. I saw that her face had gained a slight yearning look, and I wondered about it.
"Why should she feel wonderful?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaitlynn seemed to snap out of whatever thought she had fallen into, and looked at me.
"Because! Having a child is a wonderful experience." She murmured, her eyes soft. This time, my eyebrows nearly raised off my face.
"It is?" I asked sarcastically. She nodded vigorously.
"So, get married. Have a baby." I muttered, turning back to the box. Kaitlynn sighed.
"I hope to, someday. I love children."
"Children are pains." I teased. She grinned.
"I know. But I love them anyway. And my mom used to say that carrying the child is one of the best parts. Knowing that you have a little life inside you, and it depends on you. I want to feel that someday." At her words, I felt my entire body freeze. How could someone who had never experienced it, have such a passion and love for it? Obviously, she could.
"What about you. Do you want kids?" She asked, turning her attention back to Nora. I shuddered slightly.
"After my experience? Are you joking?" I snapped lightly. Her smile faded, and she didn't reply. I felt guilt waft over me.
"Maybe someday. Not now, though. I don't think I could face it anytime soon." I answered. Her smile returned and she stroked the cat one more time.
"I'd better go. It's getting late." She murmured, looking up at the clock on the wall. I noted that it was now eleven thirty, and stood.
"Let me walk you home. I don't want you walking alone in the dark." I muttered, looking one last time at my new cat family. She smiled.
"Fine with me."
~*~*~*~
After that, Kaitlynn came over almost every day to see the kittens. After about a week, we finally started to pick them up and hold them for short periods of time, under Nora's watchful eye. It turned out that Kate was right, though. The striped one was a tom, while the other two were girls. The tom was the most adventurous of the three, with his calico sister in close second. The little black one, however, tended to be more timid.
Kaitlynn, insistent on all the kittens having names, asked if she could name them. I agreed, not having any names in mind that would have been appropriate, unless you counted Slow, Meek, and Smelly as 'appropriate'. So the tom was now called 'Tigger', the calico was 'Ellie', and the black runt was 'Ebony'.
"She's so shy." Kaitlynn murmured, as she cradled the tiny black ball of fur in her arms. I was busy trying to keep Tigger from crawling off my hand, but I managed to nod at her. Ellie was still tucked away with her mother, so I didn't have to worry about her trying to add to Tigger's enthusiasm. I had moved Nora and her litter into my bedroom, so as to keep a closer eye on her, luckily, she didn't seem to mind.
"I'm going to put him back. He's being a nuisance." I groaned, placing the writhing little tom back next to his mother. Kaitlynn shot me a sorrowful look, but obediently followed my example and put Ebony back. The little kitten sent up a pitiful squeak, before falling silent once more. To tell the truth, I had fallen for that little squeak more than once, and had spent numerous hours cuddling her when Kaitlynn wasn't there, so I could understand why she shot me such a pleading look. But I shook my head and motioned to the doorway.
"You're mean." Pouting, Kate walked from the room, arms folded. I grinned as I shut the door behind us and followed her back to the living room.
"They need some down time. The next door neighbor woman came over earlier, wanting to hold them as well." I informed her. She plopped down on the couch, still not looking very happy, and stared anywhere but me. I knew from experience that this was her way of showing me that she was not pleased with me. I chuckled.
"Give it up, Kitten. I'm not going to back down." I stated, reaching for a book that I had been reading earlier. When I looked back at her, I noticed that she was shooting me a startled look.
"What?"
"You called me 'Kitten'."
"So? I thought it was a fitting nickname." I informed her cheekily. She sent me a disbelieving look, and then grinned.
"Fine. Then I get to call you 'Dragon'. Draco the Dragon." She laughed at her own joke, and I smiled wearily.
"You're strange." I muttered. She laughed again.
"You are too, but I'm not complaining." She teased. I groaned and rolled my eyes.
Just another day in the new life of Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 2.
~*~*~*~
Over the next few weeks, I became more aware of how hard my resolve to be the new 'me', actually was. I began to see things that I had never paid attention to before, and had never seemed important. But now, they were starting to mean more to me than anything. Like life, the love of friends and family, the simply beauty of the things around me, etc. It was hard for me to admit, but once I did, it was a lot easier to change. I found myself opening up to more people, finding less to feel suspicious about, and more to enjoy about the company. And although the shadow of what I had been still hung over me like a powerful veil, I rarely ever paid any attention to it.
Stephen was a great help during this time. He knew quite well what I was going through, and did his best to help me through it. Several times during the week, I found myself invited over to his house for dinner and a movie. During this trying time, I came to know his wife almost as well as him, and found her to be excellent company. I also discovered I had a strange liking for these muggle movies, and enjoyed them almost as much as I did the company.
But it was Kaitlynn, who truly pulled me out of the gutter, so to speak. She was always there for me when I had a question to ask, or something I felt I needed to talk about. She listened to my rants, and made responses that helped me to cope with myself. We usually met on the beach to talk, though she frequently came over to her cousin's for dinner and we talked there, too.
"So.....what's this about a cat? Steve told me you had a cat." She said one night, when we were walking along the beach. I turned and grinned at her.
"Actually, I do. But it will be four cats, soon." I informed her. Her eyes lit up and she gave a laugh.
"She's pregnant?"
"Yes. She belonged to the previous owners of my condo, but they abandoned her for some reason. So I got stuck with her. But I guess she's a decent companion." I admitted grudgingly. Kaitlynn giggled.
"You mean, you're attached to her. The great Draco Malfoy, attached to a cat!" She teased, nudging me with her elbow. I shot her a mock-glare, then smiled slightly. We continued walking back towards her house in silence.
"May I see her?" She asked suddenly, startling me.
"Name the time and place." I agreed. She clapped her hands in delight, something that she does when she's thrilled about something or other.
"Now! Your place, since pregnant cats shouldn't be moved around much." She stated. Again, she surprised me, but I nodded.
"All right. Come on." I led her down the path towards my condo building. When we reached it, I was alarmed to hear a shrill mewing coming from inside my apartment.
"Something must have happened." I muttered, quickly unlocking the door and flicking on the hall lights. Usually, Nora would come waddling up to meet me, but tonight she was nowhere in sight. The mewing became louder, however, and more pronounced. We followed it to the living room, and there lay a little calico-colored beast. Nora was laying in the middle of the floor, on her side, panting violently. Because of my growing alarm, I barely heard Kaitlynn's gasp behind me. But I sure heard what she said next.
"Draco! She's having the kittens! We have to get her into a warm place!" She moaned, moving towards the prostrate cat. My alarm just grew at her words.
"What should I do?" I asked helplessly. She looked up for a second, then looked back at Nora.
"Get me a medium-sized cardboard box with high sides, and a fluffy towel that you don't use much." She instructed. I hurried to get the things she had listed and came back in a moment, to find her gently lifting the panting cat, all the while avoiding putting pressure on the cat's stomach.
"Fold the blanket into the bottom of the box, then put it on the floor." Again, I did as I was told, and in a few minutes, Nora was in her new bed. Kaitlynn sat back and looked approvingly at me.
"Now we sit around and wait. It could take anywhere from a few minutes, to a few hours." She muttered. I groaned and collapsed onto the couch.
"As if this cat hasn't given me enough grief, now I'm going to have to deal with four of them." I muttered. She laughed and sat next to me.
"Don't worry. I'll stay until they're all born."
"Kate, I can't ask you to do that." I said, sitting up straighter. Sure, I wouldn't mind her company, but it was already late, and I didn't want to keep her up later.....
"I want to. I've never seen new-born kittens before, unless you count on TV." She informed me. Luckily, by now I knew what a TV was.....
"Then how'd you know what to do?" I asked, pointing at the box. She smiled.
"I've watched a little too much 'Animal Planet'." She informed me, making me laugh. We sat there for about forty-five more minutes, until Kaitlynn decided to go check on Nora, who had gone silent.
"Draco! Come look!" Her voice was a whisper, and a shriek, all in one. I shook my head, amused, but stood up and walked over to the box. I admit. I was shocked to see three more tiny balls of fur in there with her.
"Aren't they darling?" She asked in a soft voice. I couldn't help but agree. The kittens were snuggled up so close to their mother, that you would hardly be able to tell where she started and the others ended, if not for the difference in their colorings.
The biggest kitten was a orange and creme stripped fur-ball, with little white feet. The second largest was a calico, like it's mother, and the tiniest (obviously the runt) was a pure black creature. While it's siblings crowded close together, it had taken to sleeping near Nora's back legs.
"That one is a boy." Kaitlynn murmured, pointing to the tiger-striped one.
"How do you know?" I asked, shooting her a funny look. She smiled.
"The coloring and stripes are usually only found in boy cats. The calicos are normally girls, and the black one could be either/or." She informed me. I rolled my eyes.
"So, you're a mama now. That must feel wonderful, to have all those babies." Kaitlynn crooned, as she stroked Nora's ears. I saw that her face had gained a slight yearning look, and I wondered about it.
"Why should she feel wonderful?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaitlynn seemed to snap out of whatever thought she had fallen into, and looked at me.
"Because! Having a child is a wonderful experience." She murmured, her eyes soft. This time, my eyebrows nearly raised off my face.
"It is?" I asked sarcastically. She nodded vigorously.
"So, get married. Have a baby." I muttered, turning back to the box. Kaitlynn sighed.
"I hope to, someday. I love children."
"Children are pains." I teased. She grinned.
"I know. But I love them anyway. And my mom used to say that carrying the child is one of the best parts. Knowing that you have a little life inside you, and it depends on you. I want to feel that someday." At her words, I felt my entire body freeze. How could someone who had never experienced it, have such a passion and love for it? Obviously, she could.
"What about you. Do you want kids?" She asked, turning her attention back to Nora. I shuddered slightly.
"After my experience? Are you joking?" I snapped lightly. Her smile faded, and she didn't reply. I felt guilt waft over me.
"Maybe someday. Not now, though. I don't think I could face it anytime soon." I answered. Her smile returned and she stroked the cat one more time.
"I'd better go. It's getting late." She murmured, looking up at the clock on the wall. I noted that it was now eleven thirty, and stood.
"Let me walk you home. I don't want you walking alone in the dark." I muttered, looking one last time at my new cat family. She smiled.
"Fine with me."
~*~*~*~
After that, Kaitlynn came over almost every day to see the kittens. After about a week, we finally started to pick them up and hold them for short periods of time, under Nora's watchful eye. It turned out that Kate was right, though. The striped one was a tom, while the other two were girls. The tom was the most adventurous of the three, with his calico sister in close second. The little black one, however, tended to be more timid.
Kaitlynn, insistent on all the kittens having names, asked if she could name them. I agreed, not having any names in mind that would have been appropriate, unless you counted Slow, Meek, and Smelly as 'appropriate'. So the tom was now called 'Tigger', the calico was 'Ellie', and the black runt was 'Ebony'.
"She's so shy." Kaitlynn murmured, as she cradled the tiny black ball of fur in her arms. I was busy trying to keep Tigger from crawling off my hand, but I managed to nod at her. Ellie was still tucked away with her mother, so I didn't have to worry about her trying to add to Tigger's enthusiasm. I had moved Nora and her litter into my bedroom, so as to keep a closer eye on her, luckily, she didn't seem to mind.
"I'm going to put him back. He's being a nuisance." I groaned, placing the writhing little tom back next to his mother. Kaitlynn shot me a sorrowful look, but obediently followed my example and put Ebony back. The little kitten sent up a pitiful squeak, before falling silent once more. To tell the truth, I had fallen for that little squeak more than once, and had spent numerous hours cuddling her when Kaitlynn wasn't there, so I could understand why she shot me such a pleading look. But I shook my head and motioned to the doorway.
"You're mean." Pouting, Kate walked from the room, arms folded. I grinned as I shut the door behind us and followed her back to the living room.
"They need some down time. The next door neighbor woman came over earlier, wanting to hold them as well." I informed her. She plopped down on the couch, still not looking very happy, and stared anywhere but me. I knew from experience that this was her way of showing me that she was not pleased with me. I chuckled.
"Give it up, Kitten. I'm not going to back down." I stated, reaching for a book that I had been reading earlier. When I looked back at her, I noticed that she was shooting me a startled look.
"What?"
"You called me 'Kitten'."
"So? I thought it was a fitting nickname." I informed her cheekily. She sent me a disbelieving look, and then grinned.
"Fine. Then I get to call you 'Dragon'. Draco the Dragon." She laughed at her own joke, and I smiled wearily.
"You're strange." I muttered. She laughed again.
"You are too, but I'm not complaining." She teased. I groaned and rolled my eyes.
Just another day in the new life of Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~