-Chapter 2-
***17 years later***
-Draco's POV-
"Mom! Sam's late! Again!" A girl dressed in a waitress outfit called into the back room. "Again? What's the excuse this time? Oh and don't yell if I'm only in the back room." A very familiar woman walked out wiping her hands on her apron.
"Final," She grumbled. Then spotting me she smiled, "Can I help you?" "Uh I just need some coffee." I mumbled.
I had figured out who the woman was. I smiled as the younger girl handed me a cup. All our searching had come to an end as long as the address was correct.
-Author's POV-
"Mom, that man had a concealing spell on him!" Genie's (A/N Genie is Ginny.) daughter Anna whispered. Just then Sam, Anna's best friend and crush, walked through the door.
"Are you sure?" Genie asked waving Sam over to them. "Positive." Anna said firmly. Business was slow right now so they could talk.
"What are you positive about this time, Annabel Lee?" Sam smirked causing Anna to flush. "Sam nicknames are supposed to be short. Anyway, where've you been?"
"Want the truth or the lie I told you to get you off my back?" He smiled and then tripped over a chair. "I think I just guessed. You've got a hangover, don't you?" Anna scowled helping him up off the floor.
"How'd you guess?" He joked brushing himself. "Okay I'd love to watch you two flirt yourselves through Hell and back but I think I'm being stalked. That's a bit more important!" Genie snapped making them both flush.
"What do you mean Mom? We've only seen this man once." Anna asked. "Wrong. You've only seen this man once. I've seen him three times before. He was 'the big opportunity'."
"Huh?" Sam asked flopping into the same chair he had tripped over. "You know how I told you we've moved four times?" Anna asked Sam sitting down next to him.
"Yeah before you got accepted to... your school." Sam knew about Hogwarts and Anna's magic. "Well, every time we moved Mom said she'd found a big opportunity. We didn't have much stuff at the time so she always packed up fast and got us out quick. One time we showed up in town homeless because she was in so much of a rush."
"That was only once. The first time I saw him, Anna was two and I'd left her alone to get dinner. Well on the way home I noticed someone following me. I was on foot and so was he.
"Eventually I got scared and dropped one of the bags. When I turned around to pick it up I noticed he had stopped too and got a good look at him. I just had this felling I was the one he was following so I practically ran home. Well, that was our first move," Genie paused for breath, "The second time I was a little more freaked out and that was the time we went homeless.
"Anna was four and a half and the biggest handful on this side of Hell. Now baby-sitter would take her but if you sat her down and told her to stay she would no matter what. So that's what I did, sat her down at home and told her I'll be back in an hour be good.
"I went out to tell my boss I wanted to bring her to work until the new preschool had opened up again. On the way there, I noticed the same man following me, why I couldn't tell. So when I got to work I told my boss that I quit and I was just there to get my stuff.
"On the way home he followed me too, so I just packed up our stuff, moved our account and piled Anna into the car. Everything worked out eventually but I had this felling the man would find me again." This time Genie took a longer pause.
"I remember after the second move Mom was really jumpy," Anna commented, "if I made just a little bit of noise she would practically flip out. How long did we stay at the second place Mom?"
"Four years." Genie said quickly. "Right. Then Mom came home al shaky and worried. I was so scared she'd been hurt I didn't even care we were moving again. The horrible thing was that Mom didn't have a new job when we got there so we had to live in the shelter." Anna shuddered.
"So, then what happened?" Sam whispered entranced. "I saw him again while we were still at the shelter. Two years after we'd gotten there and I still hadn't raised enough for a house. He followed behind me so close it was like he didn't even worry about me noticing him.
"All I really had to do was put the stuff in the car. Then I called ahead and found a bank that would give me a loan on a house above a vacant store. Even more prefect the owners gave me the store for free. With a little work and some friendly neighbors, I got a store and paid off the loan.
"So then, a year later, Anna's letter came. By then I had hired you, Sam, for help so I only needed her during holidays," Genie finally sat down in a chair, "All I know is I can't pick up and move now. I'm all settled in, plus I'd make you lose your job. I don't know what to do." She put her head in her hands.
"It's okay, Mom. Look let's close early. Nobody's in here and Sam's not gonna get money for today anyway. Let's just go, alright?" Anna said soothingly. "Oh I guess your right. I'll just go change. Come on Anna. Sam change the sign on your way out, okay?"
All three got up, Anna and Genie heading for the back room to change while Sam went to the door. He flipped the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed' and headed off down the street.
-Draco's POV-
"Mom! Sam's late! Again!" A girl dressed in a waitress outfit called into the back room. "Again? What's the excuse this time? Oh and don't yell if I'm only in the back room." A very familiar woman walked out wiping her hands on her apron.
"Final," She grumbled. Then spotting me she smiled, "Can I help you?" "Uh I just need some coffee." I mumbled.
I had figured out who the woman was. I smiled as the younger girl handed me a cup. All our searching had come to an end as long as the address was correct.
-Author's POV-
"Mom, that man had a concealing spell on him!" Genie's (A/N Genie is Ginny.) daughter Anna whispered. Just then Sam, Anna's best friend and crush, walked through the door.
"Are you sure?" Genie asked waving Sam over to them. "Positive." Anna said firmly. Business was slow right now so they could talk.
"What are you positive about this time, Annabel Lee?" Sam smirked causing Anna to flush. "Sam nicknames are supposed to be short. Anyway, where've you been?"
"Want the truth or the lie I told you to get you off my back?" He smiled and then tripped over a chair. "I think I just guessed. You've got a hangover, don't you?" Anna scowled helping him up off the floor.
"How'd you guess?" He joked brushing himself. "Okay I'd love to watch you two flirt yourselves through Hell and back but I think I'm being stalked. That's a bit more important!" Genie snapped making them both flush.
"What do you mean Mom? We've only seen this man once." Anna asked. "Wrong. You've only seen this man once. I've seen him three times before. He was 'the big opportunity'."
"Huh?" Sam asked flopping into the same chair he had tripped over. "You know how I told you we've moved four times?" Anna asked Sam sitting down next to him.
"Yeah before you got accepted to... your school." Sam knew about Hogwarts and Anna's magic. "Well, every time we moved Mom said she'd found a big opportunity. We didn't have much stuff at the time so she always packed up fast and got us out quick. One time we showed up in town homeless because she was in so much of a rush."
"That was only once. The first time I saw him, Anna was two and I'd left her alone to get dinner. Well on the way home I noticed someone following me. I was on foot and so was he.
"Eventually I got scared and dropped one of the bags. When I turned around to pick it up I noticed he had stopped too and got a good look at him. I just had this felling I was the one he was following so I practically ran home. Well, that was our first move," Genie paused for breath, "The second time I was a little more freaked out and that was the time we went homeless.
"Anna was four and a half and the biggest handful on this side of Hell. Now baby-sitter would take her but if you sat her down and told her to stay she would no matter what. So that's what I did, sat her down at home and told her I'll be back in an hour be good.
"I went out to tell my boss I wanted to bring her to work until the new preschool had opened up again. On the way there, I noticed the same man following me, why I couldn't tell. So when I got to work I told my boss that I quit and I was just there to get my stuff.
"On the way home he followed me too, so I just packed up our stuff, moved our account and piled Anna into the car. Everything worked out eventually but I had this felling the man would find me again." This time Genie took a longer pause.
"I remember after the second move Mom was really jumpy," Anna commented, "if I made just a little bit of noise she would practically flip out. How long did we stay at the second place Mom?"
"Four years." Genie said quickly. "Right. Then Mom came home al shaky and worried. I was so scared she'd been hurt I didn't even care we were moving again. The horrible thing was that Mom didn't have a new job when we got there so we had to live in the shelter." Anna shuddered.
"So, then what happened?" Sam whispered entranced. "I saw him again while we were still at the shelter. Two years after we'd gotten there and I still hadn't raised enough for a house. He followed behind me so close it was like he didn't even worry about me noticing him.
"All I really had to do was put the stuff in the car. Then I called ahead and found a bank that would give me a loan on a house above a vacant store. Even more prefect the owners gave me the store for free. With a little work and some friendly neighbors, I got a store and paid off the loan.
"So then, a year later, Anna's letter came. By then I had hired you, Sam, for help so I only needed her during holidays," Genie finally sat down in a chair, "All I know is I can't pick up and move now. I'm all settled in, plus I'd make you lose your job. I don't know what to do." She put her head in her hands.
"It's okay, Mom. Look let's close early. Nobody's in here and Sam's not gonna get money for today anyway. Let's just go, alright?" Anna said soothingly. "Oh I guess your right. I'll just go change. Come on Anna. Sam change the sign on your way out, okay?"
All three got up, Anna and Genie heading for the back room to change while Sam went to the door. He flipped the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed' and headed off down the street.