The Child's Atrocity 7
A/N: I really don't like this fic. I can't help it. Bah! I get loads of ideas all the time, but it's like my muse has run completely dry for this one. I always have to push myself to write it; for the others, stuff just comes out naturally. Ugh. Moving right along… let's hope the chapter goes well.
When Hermione and Ivy tumbled into the villa after an exhausting shopping experience (Merlin, Hermione sighed, she was getting old… since when could she not keep up with a shopping maniac?), they were surprised to find it empty.
"I s'pose that Chase and Dad have gone some place or the other," Ivy casually remarked as she proceeded to litter the once immaculate drawing room with her new purchases. "Oh, aren't those the cutest shoes? They look even better in the light!"
Hermione, on the other hand, was a bit worried. It wasn't that she didn't trust Draco Malfoy with her son… okay, it was completely because she didn't trust him. "Oh," she said worriedly, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach, "where do you think they could be?"
"Dunno," Ivy shrugged. "I'm going to go put these away… and seriously, Hermione, don't worry about them. I'm sure they're perfectly fine. Honestly, Dad trusts you with me, and I'm the proverbial apple of his eye. I'm serious. Don't laugh!"
Hermione had to, however. To imagine that the spoiled little brat boy at school had grown up to be a caring father was truly an interesting spectacle. "All right," she smiled at the young girl, "go put your things up. I'll get dinner started."
"Oh, about that," Ivy explained, "Dad just sends out since he doesn't cook. We don't bother bringing the house-elves on vacation; we're not that dependant on them!"
"But I cook," Hermione insisted, "and I intend to do so. Have you any ingredients in the house?"
"Sure, everything's in the kitchen," Ivy shrugged. "Well, suit yourself. I dunno if Dad will be too happy, though."
"Good," Hermione mumbled to herself as she made her way over to the kitchen. "Because if there's one thing I love, it's pissing Malfoy off…"
Hermione decided on making something a bit elaborate—or something that she hadn't tried before. This would take her mind off of her son's absence. She was amazed to see a variety of cookbooks in the kitchen shelves; there were dishes from all over the world. In a spurt of creativity, Hermione decided on Bolivian fare for dinner—something she had never eaten before.
Preparing the picante de pollo and palta rellenos (spicy chicken and stuffed avocados) took up a good chunk of the evening, and Hermione made sure that her dishes looked exactly like the pictures in the books. Just as she was applying the finishing touches on her creations, a sprig of parsley here, a twig of cilantro there, a familiar voice carried over the villa's cozy rooms.
"Mum!"
"Chase!" she cried in relief and ran out of the kitchen, blissfully unaware that she looked a mess.
---
Draco watched in semi-annoyance as Hermione Granger toppled out of his kitchen wearing his apron and with his flour smeared across her face. He refused to acknowledge that she sparkled with health… and even though she looked messy, with bits of frizzy hair coming loose from her ponytail, she looked…he couldn't describe it. It wasn't sexy or beautiful or hot… and at the same time it was all those things, but in a different way.
In a woman-in-her-thirties way.
After Lisa, Draco had always gone for a younger woman. Ivy knew nothing of the sort; he made sure that during the months that she was at home he wouldn't entertain any female houseguests. Draco had felt that dating women in their twenties was sort of an escape from his life. Sort of a way to get over Lisa, to get over the fact that he was one of the very few single parents that existed in the wizarding world, to make himself look younger.
It was easier, anyway. Of course they were always willing, as well. He knew he looked good—making him a rich, dashing older man that many women dreamed of. But right now, as he stood here in front of a woman who was clearly over thirty as she embraced her son and listened in delight and horror (hah! He'd caused that!) over Quidditch, he could feel the maturity practically vibrating from her.
And he liked it.
It was actually rather nice.
And had it been any other woman except Hermione Granger…he might have done something about it.
But it was still Hermione, and they still didn't get along. In fact he rather hated her, the bint! "Well, what have we here," he drawled, effectively interrupting their moment.
"You took him to a Quidditch game!" Hermione looked up at him with an accusatory glare.
"He had a marvelous time, didn't you Chase?" Draco remarked casually.
Chase nodded excitedly. "Yes, oh, mum, it was just amazing! The way those players do the moves…the Wronski Feint, I'd never seen anyone do it so well...maybe that's because you won't let me watch Uncle Harry…"
"You won't even let him watch?" Draco asked in horror.
"He might get ideas," Hermione protested defensively.
Draco shook his head in surprise. "I can't believe you. I swear I remember seeing you at the Quidditch World Cup a number of times!"
Chase stared at his mother in shock. "You?!"
Hermione opened her mouth furiously and then snapped it shut. "I never prevented you from watching—just from playing!"
"So how come you never let me watch when Uncle Harry plays?"
"You know he'll let you play with them. And I won't have you doing that; it's dangerous."
"Good God!" Draco exclaimed. "I cannot believe you! Chase, please leave the room for a moment… actually just go upstairs and do something with Ivy. I've got to have a chat with your mum."
Chase ambled off, shooting another glare at his mother. Draco also turned to the woman and scowled deeply. "You are ridiculous," he chastised angrily, "for not letting your son play. Heavens, it's in his genes for Merlin's sake, you can't just turn that away!"
"And who are you to tell me what to do?" she snarled.
"I'm not telling you what to do… nobody can do that," he rolled his eyes, "with your ferocious temper! I'm just telling you what you should do, and that's to let your son play on the Quidditch team! I mean I am just astounded that you wouldn't let him! And I thought you were somewhat rational!"
"And I think you're completely irrational as well!" she yelled back, "The way you have your daughter on a short leash is just absurd! Poor girl is so attention starved no wonder she went through all this trouble just to have a friend come along! You're just an overprotective PRAT!"
Feeling even more enraged now, Draco held nothing back, "and you're just a stuck-up conservative mudblood! No wonder you're divorced, I can't see how he could stand being close enough to conceive a child with you!"
Hermione's face had gone white, and Draco knew instantly that he'd crossed the line. Crossing his arms in front of his chest he stared back at her. He was sorry, but he wasn't about to apologize to her. "No wonder your wife left you," she spat venomously in a rather quiet voice.
This threw Draco off. He hated when anyone brought up Lisa; it was the one subject that everyone knew not to touch. "Get out," he growled. "Get OUT. I don't care where you go. Just leave my sight."
She made no response as she walked towards the stairs. And then when she reached the bottom of the stairs she turned around and in a sweet, perfectly normal voice called over, "Dinner is on the table. Tell the kids to come down and tell them that I won't be joining you."
Draco felt humbled and humiliated at those words. He would never have thought to keep up appearances for the children—and here she was, deep in the throes of anger, and she still remembered the kids. "Chase, Ivy," he called, his voice hoarse from the shouting, "come down for dinner."
A few minutes later, the three of them were assembled on the table, staring in interest at the dishes in front of them. "What are they?" Ivy asked curiously.
"By the looks of it… a chicken dish, and stuffed avocado," Draco told her. "It looks delicious."
The three of them tucked in and the children commented on how tasty the food was. Draco was appalled and amazed all at once. Never had he heard Ivy admit that her vegetables tasted, well, good. "So you liked it then?" he questioned.
"Loved it," Ivy grinned. "Why can't you cook like this?"
"I can have the house-elves learn," Draco considered, "to make other types of food. I do have loads of recipe books… I'm sure you can find similar dishes you'll like."
"Mum loves cooking," Chase provided, making Draco feel even guiltier. Here they were enjoying the food that she had made… and she was probably upstairs packing her bags. Suddenly he wasn't very hungry anymore.
"Well, I'm through. You two put the dishes away when you're done. No magic."
"But… Dad!" Ivy scowled fiercely. "Why?"
"Because I said so, that's why," Draco replied in a formidable manner. Both children knew it was best not to argue with him in such a mood, and they let it be.
It would be worse if they performed magic and the Ministry of Magic found out. Ivy wasn't sure if her father had put up the magic wards like he did in Malfoy Manor.
Draco stormed off, feeling horrible and angry at Hermione. How dare she bring up Lisa? How dare she…she…make him feel differently about women his age? How dare she just leave him in the middle of an argument?
Oh, he'd asked her to. He felt very small and very juvenile. He retreated to his room and slammed the door shut, not coming out again till early the next morning.
----
Hermione considered packing her bags and leaving. Although she didn't like to admit it, Draco was very capable of caring for Chase and she didn't need to be here to protect him. Chase would probably have a fantastic time and come home glowing. Hermione could go back home and enjoy herself.
But she couldn't bring herself to go. It wasn't that she wanted to stay anymore. It was just that as a rule Hermione Granger didn't walk away from things. She just didn't. So she'd have to stay here and stick it out no matter how difficult it would be. Well, if she didn't speak with Draco Malfoy then things should be okay…hopefully.
How could he insult her like that? The divorce with Viktor hadn't been messy…but the words were true. She was paranoid about Chase's safety. She was a little bit selfish when it came to her work. Before Chase had come along she'd always put her career before Viktor.
It hurt that Draco Malfoy had assessed her correctly. It hurt that when he'd said she had a ferocious temper, it was true. Another reason why her relationship with Viktor hadn't survived. She'd always put work first. Work, then Viktor.
She knew now that she hadn't been ready for such a committed relationship at that age. But she was older now… and she'd wanted to turn back to the dating scene, maybe just a little. Hermione hadn't had a proper boyfriend since they had divorced; she had had small flings while Chase was away at school.
With a choked back sob, Hermione slid to the ground, for the first time letting herself cry. She hadn't cried when she'd gotten divorced. She hadn't cried when she'd been dumped over and over again by men who'd claimed she was too wrapped up in work to give a damn about them.
But now, after Draco First Class Jerk Malfoy had so openly told her everything that was wrong with her, she sobbed.
---
Chase and Ivy were in his room, sitting on the bed and slightly distressed. "Did you eavesdrop?" Ivy asked worriedly.
"Of course," Chase answered easily. "But what I heard wasn't good. It was a full-fledged fight… they called each other some really awful things."
Ivy looked upset for a moment then bounced back to her cheerful demeanor. "Well, then, this does make things harder for us… but it'll more fun in the end!"
"I suppose," Chase looked unsupportive. "I don't know, Ivy… setting up our parents just because we know they'll be pissed off doesn't sound that fun anymore."
"Oh, come on," Ivy shrugged, "nothing will come of it. It's just harmless fun. So they'll have a few more fights… hey maybe they'll learn to respect each other, or something like that. Then they'll get mad at us and all will be well. It sounds like a fun summer plan, come on!"
"I guess you're right," Chase agreed. "Okay, what's the next step? First step was getting them to appreciate each other… I guess you could say we kind of did that. Kind of, being the key word. They didn't seem happy this evening."
"Minor setback," Ivy blew it off. "Your mum totally loves my dad's parenting style and vice versa. Your mum loves me and I'm sure Dad had a brilliant time with you; after all, I could care less about Quidditch."
"Yes, your father did seem to enjoy himself," Chase commented. "Hmm. All right. What's next?"
"Let's beg them to take us somewhere…and then go off by ourselves. It'll be like a date for them."
"What if they kill each other?" Chase answered looking apprehensive. Apparently he had inherited this from his mother.
"They won't. They'll be in public."
"You're on."
-----
The next morning Hermione woke with dry tear stains on her face. But that was the only remnant of last night. Now she felt calm and relaxed, comfortable even, as she stretched languorously in her bed. Of course bits and pieces of her blow over with Draco came back to her, but she decided to try and put it behind her. She knew the only way was to act civilly towards him; perhaps avoid him altogether. Yes, that sounded good.
With a small sigh Hermione rose from the bed and spent the next thirty minutes in the shower and getting dressed. When she was done it was eight-thirty and time for breakfast. She slipped downstairs, wondering if the children were up yet. Probably. Chase was never one to spend his mornings in bed and knowing him he'd make sure that Ivy didn't sleep in either.
However when she reached the breakfast table Chase and Ivy were nowhere to be seen. A certain Draco Malfoy was, however. As much as she didn't want to speak with him, she was awfully curious. "Where are the kids?"
He looked up—he'd been reading the newspaper and apparently hadn't noticed her. "Oh, I think they went outside. Something about how the weather was only cool enough to play outside in the morning—gets too hot in the afternoon."
"Oh," Hermione glanced around the room quizzically. "That's odd. I thought they'd be lazing 'round."
Draco shrugged. She supposed he wasn't really ready to talk to her either. Pouring herself a cup of coffee Hermione sat down at the table, looking over at his paper. The headlines caught her eye. "Wait," she found herself saying, "What's that on the front about Harry?"
He plopped the copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her. "It appears that Wonder Boy's gone and donated a huge sum of money to the war victims."
Hermione grinned. "How absolutely sweet of him!"
"Oh yes just lovely," Draco commented sarcastically. "Why that's such a big deal, I don't know. It's not as if other wizards don't donate to charities."
"I know… but this is Harry Potter, and he was pretty much a leader in the war against Voldemort," Hermione explained gently, trying not to irk him. Honestly the last thing they needed right now was another argument.
"You know," Draco suddenly said, looking awfully uncomfortable, "I'm… I'm…pissed off at Potter," he finished up lamely.
Hermione knew that wasn't what he had planned to say. "No, you're not. Well, maybe you are, but then again, you always are," she conceded, "but you wanted to say something else. So say it. You know that you can tell your enemies more than you can tell your friends—same goes for strangers. Somehow, it's just easier."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to give me words of advice," he snapped without any real malice. "Look… I just wanted to say that…er, I'm, er, sorry about last night. I shouldn't have been so harsh."
Hermione couldn't help the sneaky smile that stretched across her face. "What's this?" she teased. "Draco Malfoy…apologizing to little old Mudblood Granger?"
He looked pained. "It's not that big of a deal," he muttered, "and don't call yourself a mudblood. I said I was sorry."
"Why shouldn't I call myself a mudblood?" Hermione looked him straight in the eye. "After all that is exactly how you perceive me."
He scowled fiercely but didn't say anything for a moment. Then finally he spoke. "Listen. I tried to apologize, if you want to be cruel about it, then suit yourself. I shan't say another word."
Hermione giggled. "Only teasing," she shrugged. "You can't take a joke?"
"No. I can't."
"Well," Hermione turned serious, "I'm sorry as well. For that thing about Lisa."
Draco sighed. "I shouldn't have reacted like that…it's just…oh, never mind. Where shall we send the children today? You can go off and explore and I'll stay here."
"No," Hermione said simply, "we're having a conversation. You've got to tell me what you were about to say. Like I said it's not like I'm about to hold it against you. We already have low opinions of each other…I doubt they'll go any lower," she smiled wryly.
"You're being civil to me," he also smiled bitterly. "I'd never have imagined."
Hermione waited for him to finish.
"Well…the reason that I blew up…it's just that—I've never opened myself up to anyone except for one person. And…she ended up breaking my heart."
A/N: I know. A crummy place to stop (I do hope all of you knew who he was talking about! Lisa, if you didn't). See the reason I'm giving you all a cliffy (ouch) is because when I look over this in a few weeks I'll be like, "oh no! what happens next!" and then I'll be forced to write more to satiate my self. So cliffies help me too.
I don't feel as bad about this fic now that I've written it. It took me a while…I started the beginning of this chapter a long time ago! Thank you all for your lovely comments! They just make my day!
Hey…wanna make my day? (That means…review!)
Omg, on another note, has anyone seen the Saturday Night Live--the very last one of this season, Jimmy Fallon's last one and the one with Lindsay Lohan? They made fun of Harry Potter and I nearly peed myself laughing! Lindsay was Hermione and she came out in this low cut thing that totally showed her boobs and shes all like, "so lets work on the spell" and Harry and Ron were like "Hermumumumumuhhhh...you...grew..." it was just hilarious. fred&george came in too and they were like "uhh excuse me we got to go "beat some bludgers" and Hagrid was like, "uhh I gotta go 'tame' my dragon"...LOL! And they even had Snape come out and be like, "wow?! Hermione?! Call me Severus!" Too bad they didn't show Draco sighs...mmm I'm still up for the whole Hermione-turns-evil-and-gets-with-bad-boy-Draco thing. Anyway, yes, that was the most amusing thing I saw today!