The Child's Atrocity 4
A/N: I'm so sorry about the 2 month update, but would you have really wanted like two really crappy updates instead of one good update? And everyone's like, "Yes!" … okay, I'm sorry. I really am. But I have/had major writer's block; let's see what I force out. My muse is mean.
"Don't forget your pajamas," Hermione said crossly, handing him the neatly pressed Snitch Kid Footie Pajamas. He scowled.
"Mum, I wouldn't wear those if you force fed me cooking bourbon," he replied, just as forcefully. It seemed like the kid had inherited the small streak of an awful temper that Hermione had.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What now? You think you're big enough to sleep in boxers and a tee-shirt? It is cold in Bulgaria, and I do not want you coming home with a head cold! Goodness knows your father won't pay you the least bit of attention and you'll be running 'round with a runny nose and he won't even no—"
"Mother," Chase said, eyes flashing. "Please do not badmouth Dad around me. I hate when you guys do that!"
Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, Chase," she said sincerely and gave him a loopy grin. "Oh, come here, you!"
Chase grumbled and muttered something that Hermione caught as "I'm too old for this" but he obliged and gave his mum a hug anyway. "Are you happy now?" he asked sullenly, but the frown didn't reach his eyes.
An hour later Hermione and Chase had found some middle-ground clothes and items, although Hermione wasn't very thrilled when Chase told her he was taking his Lightning Bolt. "Dad did not buy me this broom for it to sit and gather dust," he told her seriously. "You wouldn't want this expensive, top of the line broomstick to go to waste, would you? It's better than anyone else's broom in the school because they're so rare and I don't want to be the one responsible for… Oh, I don't know, not using it!"
She rolled her eyes. "Take it, then. But if you lose it then—"
"Then Dad will buy me a new one," Chase said snarkily. Hermione laughed.
"That's true; he'd buy you anything, wouldn't he?"
Chase grinned and shut his suitcase with a flick of a wand. "Right then, I'm off," he said, and Hermione warned him against the dangers of floo.
"I don't want you ending up in Lebanon," she warned. "You must say it very clearly; Viktor's house is hooked up to the floo, okay?"
"Why can't I just apparate?" he whined.
"Because you are not old enough and you don't know how," Hermione reminded.
He shrugged. "Fred and George said they were apparating when they were eight."
"They were definitely lying," she said, enjoying the happy, easy conversation, "They didn't apparate till it was legal."
"Haha, I didn't think I'd hear the words "Fred and George" and "legal" in the same sentence," Chase said with an easy grin and took a pinch of floo.
"Have fun, baby," Hermione said, giving him a hug. "I'll see you in three weeks and tell me when you get there."
"Mum that's like in three minutes."
"I don't care. I need to know if you've arrived safely."
He fabricated a huge moan. "You are so, so, so overprotective." With that, he blew her a kiss and disappeared into the fire.
For a few moments, Hermione just stared at the pretty flames and thought about a period in her life where she would never have dreamed about traveling through fire. She observed the fiery colors and just when she was about to daze off completely Chase's head popped into the flames.
"You scared me!" she accused with a grin.
"Well, you asked me to tell you when I got here, and I'm here," he replied cheekily. "Normally I wouldn't dream of it, but you know, I can't exactly disobey my mother's wishes, can I?"
"Disobey," she snorted. "Where's your father?"
"What, feel like talking to him now?" Chase said half-rudely.
"Don't be rude," Hermione scolded.
Just then, Viktor himself entered the room and gave Hermione a half-smile. "Hello, Herm-own-ninny," he said gruffly, even though she knew the gruff bits weren't meant to be that way; it was just the way he talked.
"Hello, Viktor," she replied. "Excited to see Chase again?"
"Absolutely," he replied. "Well, keep in touch. We should be friends, should we not?"
Hermione nodded. "Of course—there is no malice behind us, is there?"
With words like those, Viktor and Chase's faces melted into the fire and Hermione was left again in the empty house. She wondered what exactly she was going to do with her three weeks of peace and solitude. She'd debated about going traveling—always pleasant, but she wasn't sure Chase would be thrilled if he found out she'd gone to France or Spain without him. She had finally decided to just wait and see.
Suddenly a loud banging on her door brought her out of her reverie. Intrigued and puzzled, Hermione walked quickly to the door and flung it open. The sight in front of her refused to register.
She gaped open-mouthed at her unexpected visitor.
"Well, don't just stand there and drool," he drawled. "Shove it, Granger. I'm coming in."
"Fuck," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just here for a house-call," he replied sarcastically. "You know, checking up on old enemies, seeing how they're doing, maybe going out to a luncheon or two…"
"Oh, please, come off it," she bit out but eyed him suspiciously. It was never a good thing if Draco Malfoy just decided to out of the blue drop by your house. Especially if you didn't get along with him in the first place.
"Well, Ms. Granger," he said as he entered her 'humble abode', "you could stand to do a lot better—what, didn't beg Vicky for alimony?"
She growled.
"All right, all right, don't get your knickers in a twist," he said, just plopping down on her favorite couch. Now this action was awfully annoying; that was an expensive (well, maybe not to him, rich little snot!), beautiful, and treasured sofa and she wasn't going to have him break it by just plopping his little arse right down on it.
Before she could say anything, he looked at her enigmatically and asked, "Where are the house-elves? I could use a glass of water right now."
"I don't keep house-elves," she said crisply. "I find it horrid to enslave the poor little creatures."
He groaned. "Still up with that ridiculous S.P.E.W. thing? If I remember correctly even your two pawns didn't support that one."
She fought the urge to throw a pillow at him. She was mature now; in her thirties, but he always brought out the worst in her! Little devil! Or rather, not-so-little, but still, awful devil! "Hold on," she told him, and walked into the kitchen, roughly pulling out a glass. She wondered if she should poison the water, but only briefly; she really could not deal with murder right now. Too much stress. Maybe sometime in the near future, perhaps?
She came out and handed him the water without a word. Without so much as a thank-you, he took it and gingerly sniffed at it.
"Well, it's not like I poisoned it or anything," she said petulantly, a bit miffed—even though the thought had crossed her mind.
"Just checking," he said, "but I guess you don't keep poison round your kitchens. You should see what's in mine."
"I'd really rather not, thank you," she said curtly. "Now why are you here?"
"It's a horrid story," he began melodramatically. "I was lost in the mountains with nothing but snow and biting cold, and then I stumbled upon the first crass little cottage I found—this shack."
"Oh, please. Grow up," she scorned. "Now tell me why you're here or I will kick you out."
"So vicious," he said sarcastically. "I'm terrified. Now, Hermione—mind if I call you that?"
"Yes," she snarled.
"Okay, great. Now, Hermione, I wouldn't be caught dead here if it were not for my most annoying offspring."
"I thought you loved your offspring," she quipped.
"That is not the point," he said sourly. "I'm telling a story here and I'm going to make it interesting, even if you are the most boring person in existence. Now just sit back and let me spice things up, Hermione."
She sat on her hands just in case she didn't just leap up and strangle him before her brain could register what she was doing.
"So," he began. "My daughter came up with a rather horrid thing a week ago," he said amiably, as if he were talking about the warm weather.
"Do go on," she barked.
"So, Ivy and I like to spend part of our summers in this wonderful little Spanish villa we've got. It's absolutely gorgeous; near Madrid but in a more suburb-ish area, eh?"
"And you're telling me this because…" she egged on.
"Just hush and listen will you, woman?" he yelled. "Honestly. You reply to everything I say," he glared at her.
She didn't say a word.
His eyes grew huge with anger but he swallowed and let it go, it seemed. "Anyhow, so Ivy dear wanted to spend some of her summer with your son, despicable as this little friendship is. Thus I am here to … cordially invite your son to come on vacation with my daughter and me."
Out of all the things Hermione had even bothered to expect, this was most certainly not one of them. "Really?" she asked skeptically. "You came here to ask me that?"
He nodded. "I'm sure the poor lad doesn't get to go on very many vacations, so shouldn't this be a bit of a treat?"
Hermione did not get angry, merely flashed Draco a smile and said sweetly, "Chase is in Bulgaria right now."
Draco looked very put-out.
Hermione was pleased to death. "So sorry, I refute your offer because a) I would never let my child travel with you b) I don't want my child to be tortured and c) he is out of town anyway…oh and d) all of the above."
Draco's expression darkened. "Now I had a very long fight with my daughter about this one. Bring your kid home from Bulgaria right now and send him to me!" he said angrily.
"Can't do that. I don't have custody of him for the next three weeks. He's visiting his father."
"Well get custody!" Draco snapped.
"You're being a useless little tart, you know that?" Hermione said amicably.
"A tart? In case you didn't know, Hermione, men aren't tarts," he said irately.
"Exactly!"
"Mother of Merlin," he sighed. "You're beyond hopeless. Anyway, my daughter is adamant about this. She actually insisted that you and your son both come along with us, but I didn't want you to. I'm sure you understand."
"Perfectly," she replied, although she was slightly envious. It was a beautiful offer, really. She'd wanted to go to Spain, and for Chase to have a friend would be awfully nice. Now if only Draco Malfoy wasn't there, then everything would be perfect.
"Look, I'm willing to let you come," he said in a rush, "if you just let your son come as well. Ugh, I hate to say it, but please. I don't give a flying rat's ass about you or your son; but I do unfortunately have a smidgen of feeling for my daughter and her heart is set on this. For Ivy's sake, just come along and you can go disappear in the bushes. Leave your son, though."
"Why, thank you for that kind suggestion," Hermione retorted, although her heart was quite melted by the line "for Ivy's sake". Damn that man! Using his child to his advantage! Oh, damn him, damn him, damn him!
"For Ivy's sake," he repeated. His words were nice, he was not. Which option was she supposed to take? She did not in Merlin's name want to go spend any extra time with Draco but if it made Ivy happy… and Chase would be pleased beyond reasonable expectations (and he had seemed cross this morning, hadn't he?) … and the kids would just be so happy! And she could just disappear; just come into the villa to sleep—didn't have to talk to Draco at all… it wasn't that bad, was it?
Hmmm. "All right," she said with a small sigh. "I'll call Viktor."
A/N: Well, how was that? I'm back on track- although I still have a smidgen (cool word!) of writer's block for this one. Next time: what will Viktor say? Is he willing to let Chase go? Is Draco going to re-think his offer? What about the kids? All this and more… tune in for the next exciting chapter of TCA. Well anyway, please review this chapter, it would make me feel much better about this stupid writer's block thing!