Disclaimer: see chapter one

Warnings: I am not a native speaker, so please don't get offended at any grammatical sacrileges. There might be slash in future chapters.

Hope's Nest

Chapter 2

It was short after dawn, when Nicodemus was woken up by the door crashing open and a small something climbing onto his bed. When the small something didn't calm down and continued its violent trembling, he resolutely pushed his sleepiness away and opened his eyes.

"Lumos." he muttered, lighting up the still half-dark room. It was one of the younger children, though one of the very first he had taken in.

"Bridget, dear, what is it?" he asked in a quiet, calm voice that had proven to be very comforting for nightmare plagued children. This time it had no effect whatsoever on the still trembling child that was curled up into his side. Worry darkened his unusual eyes. He sat up and gathered the young child in his arms, rubbing its back in slow circles and slowly rocking back and forth. The violent trembling lessened as the child clung to him for dear life.

"Bridget, shh, calm down. Breathe in, and out. You are safe." His comforting words washed over the upset girl like gentle waves, till she stilled completely, still clinging to him.

Sighing inaudibly he started to stroke the girl's honey coloured hair. "You are safe, little one, you are safe."

When sunlight stated to light up the room, he extinguished his magical light. The room was big, though there was little furniture. The walls were painted in a soft forest green, while the carpet and the bed sheets were of a deep blue. Besides the huge bed (huge enough to hold easily up to twenty children in it at once and still be comfortable) that stood in a corner next to the windowfront, there were only a wardrobe and two bookshelves there.

He was startled when the child suddenly broke the silence to whisper in a lonely and terrified voice: "Will momma come back to kill me? She said she would...."

Pained Nicodemus briefly shut his eyes, before he raised her chin to look into her teary, golden ones. None of the children feared his eyes anymore, after seeing nothing but kindness in them. "I won't let that woman come even near you ever again. She doesn't know where you are; she doesn't even know your name. You are Bridget Nest and you belong here, to the people of "Hope's Nesst"." he told her in a kind, but decided voice.

His efforts earned him a little smile, followed by a huge yawn. He laughed softly, a deep, rich laugh that rumbled in his chest. "Think you can go back to sleep again, little one?"

Two hours later Nicodemus faced a totally different problem. He needed to get up; the child's grip on him however wouldn't loosen one bit.

After a whispered "Tempus" he knew he had to get up. He had an appointment with Draco Malfoy at ten o'clock this morning, not to speak of the seemingly endless tasks raising children brought with it, and it was already 08:30 am.

Maintaining a household as big as this mansion plus the gardens was hard enough for one wizard and three house-elves. Taking care of 23 children including their schooling, additionally, was herculous act indeed. That was the very reason why he had hired five teachers and four more house-elves. Not that the workload scared him off of taking in more children.

After several unsuccessful attempts at loosening the child's grip on him, Nicodemus decided to wake it up. Lightly shaking her shoulders he said: "Bridget, wake up. It's time to get up or I'm afraid there won't be any breakfast left for you."

The child blinked a few times, strengthened its grip on him and went back to sleep.

"Little one, you can sleep as long as you want, you can even stay here, but I really have to get up. You only need to let go of me then you can go straight back to sleep."

At once the child started to whimper quietly: "Don't go, don't go, don't go..." "I won't go anywhere, Bridget, I will stay here at "Hope's Nest", but I am expecting a visitor and therefore have to get up."

Nicodemus saw the panic rise in the child's eyes and suddenly he felt a strong surge of magic bursting out of the child. It felt like some kind of protection charm. Looking at the again sleeping child, he couldn't surpress a small smile.

The children were all very possessive of him, never letting him out of their eyes for long and getting upset when he left "Hope's Nest", regardless how short his absence was. Even when he was at home one of the children would come and look if he was still there at least every other hour.

His soft smile vanished however when he got up and saw the sleeping child rise with him, its hands still clutching his night shirt. What he hell?

After casting a spell that would send the child back to bed and seeing it vanish around a glowing sphere surrounding the child that flared into live when the spell contacted it, realisation dawned in his eyes. That protection magic, it couldn't have... Please, don't be what I think you are.

A realisation that proved, after several other spells and charms (...he wouldn't hex any of his charges), to be true.

The child's burst of accidental magic had "glued" it to Nicodemus. Who had precisely one hour left to dissolve that magic. That's bloody fantastic. I've got a meeting with one of the most stuck up people on the planet and there is a chance I'll be forced to go to it being glued to one of my charges. I couldn't have dreamt of a worse first impression if I'd tried. Why is it always me?

After 45 minutes of successless spellcasting he gave up and tried to change his clothes so that he wouldn't appear like a totally impolite ignoramus. Only to discover that he couldn't change his attire due to the child's cast magic. Several attempts later he further discovered that he couldn't even transfigure his nightclothes into something more appropriate. He felt like crying and laughing at the same time out of pure frustration.

After a quick glance at the still sleeping child, that clutched his nightshirt in its hands and floated in front of him as if the air was as solid as his bed had been, an amused chuckle escaped him.

Any and all amusement left him however, when Cammy popped in to inform him of Mr.Malfoy's arrival. He ordered the house-elf to inform his guest about his lateness caused by one of the children and, innerly shrugging his shoulders went on the way to the sitting room.

I wonder what he's doing here. Severus wouldn't tell a soul where I am, so what interest could Draco Malfoy have in an orphanage? If he plans to succeed where his father's master failed and make these children his future army, I will send him straight to hell!

After another glance at Bridget a smirk graced his lips. I wonder how Malfoy will react to an orphanage's manager clad in violet pyjamas who's got a sleeping child floating in front of him?

TBC

Marsky: A big thank you for telling me to be more descriptive. I always describe everything when writing in my native language, but I tend to forget it when writing in English. I will try to be more descriptive in the future and hopefully I managed it in this chapter already. You are welcome to guess at Mr-Stormcrow's identity, but I can't promise to answer.

Peach dancer: Thank you for your review, it is always encouraging to get positive responses.

Draqenphly: Well, I hope this chapter doesn't put you off my story and you think it still intriguing.

Addy: Thanks for the longest review so far. Yes, Mr.Stormcrow is a character of the books under pseudonym and you are welcome to guess; though I don't think I will answer. I hope you still like him after this chapter.