ack! hi guys! YAY for all the reviews Ive been getting, I hope you're still happy with the story, lol. ANYWAY
I just wanted to mention that all the things I (read: Mia or Mike) quote I DO NOT OWN. And I made a mistake. Althought Janis Joplin DID do a cover of 'Me and Bobby Magee', it was just that - a cover. Sorry. Other than that, I'm not Semisonic, Disney, Dane Cook, Shakespeare, or even Dispatch, so please don't yell at me if I forget a disclaimer!
Chapter Three, Something
"Something bad is gonna happen
I can feel it deep inside.
There are shadows all around me,
Like a bad moon on the rise..." -'Out of My Depth', Everclear
Mike walked down the sidewalk on his way to the diner, hoping Ginny would be there - for some reason, and he couldn't figure out what it was - her coffee was the best. She used the same grounds, the same cups, the same sugar, the same method. But hers always tasted better. Who knows.
He shrugged to himself as he walked in the door with a smile, feeling happiness well up inside him at the sound of the bells jingling on the door. It had been too long since he'd last been home. He loved college, but this was where he belonged.
He saw his mom sitting at the counter, staring off into space and he grinned. She was always doing that, dazing off. She couldn't help it, she said it was a family thing, but he never did it, so...
"Hey Mom, what's up?" He said as he sat down next to her. Apparently she didn't hear him, or see him there, because she didn't respond.
"Earth to Mom?" He said, waving his hand in front of her face playfully. She snapped out of her daze and looked up at him and smiled.
"Sorry, what?" She asked, and he just laughed..
"I said 'what's up?'." He repeated. Mia sighed and put her head in her hands. That set off too many warning bells in his head to count. She was never like this. She was the one person in the world he could count on to have a smile on her face, even when things were rough.
"Gin and Holden have to go back." She sighed, defeated. He was confused, but smirked at the name.
"Holden? What's he done this time?" Mike laughed, she only called Draco 'Holden' when he was being a real jerk.
"He's just being...himself. An angry, self-righteous, stuck-up version of himself." Mike had never known his mom to be so...blunt. Well, she was blunt, but not that mean. He wanted to help out - he'd probably have to go have a talk with Draco of some sort...
"Uh oh," Mike said, "Want me to talk to him?"
"I'd love someone to give him a good kick in the shorts, but I don't think that'll work this time." Now Mike was lost. For years, he and Draco would sit around and talk about the girls, make each other feel better, have a sort of twisted version of bonding time.
"What? I don't get it..."
"They're going back to England, Michael." She said all too bluntly. He still didn't quite get it. He knew he was missing something really huge, and it was probably staring him in the face...
"For how long?"
"For good." His eyes bugged out, jand his jaw dropped. "Close your mouth," she instructed, "You'll catch flies." He promptly shut his mouth, but nothing else about his expression changed.
"What? Why? What about the diner?"
"Damon and Emma are going to school in England next year, and they have to go back."
"I...I'm sorry, am I missing something?" He asked, even though he knew the answer was 'yes'.
"Yes." Mia said, a small smile creeping across her face, "But you'll have to talk with Draco once he calms down. Isn't even really working anymore, so I sent him home. They haven't talked to anyone back there for years, I don't know how they're going to find a place to live..." She trailed off. His mind was swimming, he couldn't make out one thought from another - it felt like finals, all over again.
"But...wha...the kids...why?" He stuttered, and she chuckled. He shook his head, "Gimme a second to form a coherent thought...then I'll get back to you." He said with a laugh. He looked down and closed his eyes, and focused.
"Ok." He said. "Now. ...what?" His mom laughed, and he couldn't help but smile, too.
"Damon and Emma are going to Gin and Draco's old school, so they're going back. To England." She said slowly. He took in every single word, not missing a beat, and he nodded his head.
"And...why?"
"That," she said quietly, "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Draco about." Mike stared at her for a moment. His mother was not exactly good at keeping a secret - she never had been. She always alluded to it, mentioned it, talked around it - rarely did she keep it to herself.
"Are you serious?" Mike asked. His mom nodded and he gave an awkward laugh, not really sure of what else he could do.
A few minutes later, Mike had a soda and was people-watching when Damon and Emma walked in, sitting down at a table together, talking in hushed voices. Draco and Ginny followed a moment later, they looked especially unhappy today. They led the younger kids upstairs, Mike assumed they'd all fall back asleep as soon as their heads found the couch up there.
Sure enough, Draco and Ginny came back without Alex and Izzy - apparently they'd fallen asleep, but Julia was as awake as anyone else. Mike noticed how oddly quiet they both were, and decided to keep his eyes open for any situation that...well, needed a mediator.
After a half an hour, Mike hadn't heard a peep come from the kitchen, which is where Draco and Ginny had retreated to with Julie. Damon and Emma were still sitting at the same table, still talking in hushed voices, and Mike had a really, really bad feeling about it all. So he casually got up and strolled into the kitchen with a smile on his face.
He was greeted with a few looks, a few grunts, and little else. He was really surprised no one had asked him what he was doing there, why he was here instead of with his old friends, why he was in the kitchen at all...but he figured this all had to do with the stuff his mom had told him about.
"So," he said, to both of them. Ginny was sitting at a table near the back door, feeding Julia, while Draco was standing on the other side of the small room, by the grill. Both of them looked up at him again, but neither of them did anything else.
"I hear you're leaving," he said casually. He knew it was probably the wrong thing to say, but he said it anyway. He needed to get some sort of reaction out of them. Ginny's face flushed a bright red, and Draco's just hardened.
"And what else did you hear, Michael?" Draco asked through gritted teeth. Mike looked at him in surprise - Draco rarely got mad at him.
"What?" He asked, confused. "Nothing. Mom just said you guys were going back to England." He said innocently.
"What else did she say?" Draco pressed.
"Um...that you weren't coming back?" Mike searched for whatever answer Draco was looking for, but came up short.
"Anything else?" Mike just stared, he didn't know what Draco wanted him to say, so he figured it was best not to say anything.
"For crying out loud, Draco," Ginny interjected, "it's obvious he doesn't have a clue." Draco whirled around to face her, which put his back to Mike.
"It is not obvious. What if she tells everyone? You know how she is about secrets. This isn't exactly something I'm --"
"Draco Malfoy if you do not knock this off right now, I swear...It's Mia, for crying out loud! She may not be good with secrets, but this isn't like when Mike got accepted to college, or the time Izzy did her first somersault at gymnastics camp - these are our lives, Draco! She's not going to mess with that, and you know it!"
"Whoa, alright, everyone back in your corners," Mike said, walking between the couple with his arms spread wide out, like a referee.
"Mike, it's fine, I'm leaving. I'll take Julia with me, and we'll be back in a few hours." Ginny snapped, and she cleaned up and walked out with Julia. As soon as she was gone, Draco deflated. He slid onto a chair at the table and sighed. Mike sat down across from him and surveyed him.
"You wanna let me in on what's going on?" He asked, in the same curious fashion he always did. Draco looked up, and Mike saw the stony look of defeat on his face.
"We're going back." Draco said flatly.
"I got that much," Mike said, "What I didn't get was why it's such a big deal."
"Your mum didn't tell you?" Mike just shook his head and Draco sighed again. Which really threw Mike off because Draco's not a person who sighs. Ever. "Damon and Emma are going to school there, and so we're going to...move closer. Go back."
"Where ya gonna stay?" He asked curiously.
"Don't know yet."
"Why not just stay here? You know, if it's a boarding school, you can just go there twice a year to drop 'em off and pick 'em up - why move back?" Mike got the feeling he was missing a very large piece of the puzzle - things just weren't fitting at the moment. Then Draco took out what looked to be a very shiny twig, and he waved it around at the grill. Suddenly, Mike saw the utensils jump to life and start making the food on their own.
Mike looked at Draco, then back at the utensils, then back at Draco...then back at the utensils...then back at Draco.
"What the..." he started.
"I'm a wizard." Draco said bluntly. "And Red's a witch. And our kids are magical. That's really all there is to it." Mike couldn't find any words. This was...a lot.
"Oook..." was all he could get out. "That doesn't really answer the question. It helps, but it's not the answer." he pointed out after a moment.
"We haven't been back, Michael. No one knows we're alive. Red's family hasn't seen her in twelve years, they're probably going crazy. The War might have killed a few of them, and she wouldn't know it."
"The War?"
"Yeah, there was a War. That's why we left." Draco said impatiently. "And now we have to go back and...face it all."
"Alright, and so the problem is...?" Draco's face drained of emotion. Mike had never seen him look so neutral. Draco was always full of emotion, full of life. It was weird to seem him so devoid of it all. "You're going back for Damon and Emma, right?" Draco nodded curtly. "So then why are you fighting with Gin about it?" Mike asked.
"I don't know." Draco said after a long pause. "It's just been a long time since I've had to deal with this sh--"
"Daddy?" Came a small voice from the doorway. Both men looked up and saw Izzy standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.
"Yes?" Draco responded softly as the little girl walked over and climbed up on his lap, resting her weary head on his shoulder.
"Where's Mommy?" She asked, closing her eyes again. Draco smiled softly,
"She took Julia out for a little bit, she'll be back soon."
"Oh," was all Izzy replied, before sticking her thumb in her mouth and curling up into a little ball of white. Draco smiled and kissed her lightly on the head, and Mike just watched. He looked back over, and saw that the utensils were almost finished with their Chicken Noodle Soup. He shook his head, marveling at the revelation and saw the door open out of the corner of his eye. He turned around in his chair to see Ginny walk in, without Julia.
"Hey," Draco said softly. Ginny walked over to where they were, a determined expression on her face.
"Hi." She said stiffly.
"So...when are you guys going back?" Mike asked again, quite casually. Draco looked down at the little bundle in his lap and smiled.
"As soon as we can, I suppose." He said quietly. Ginny sat down next to him,
"Really?" She asked hopefully. Draco smiled and nodded. Ginny smiled back at him, and Mike smiled because...well, because smiles are contagious.
"The Zabinis used to own a real estate agency, we can see if they still have it." Draco said, clearing his throat. "If they do, Blaise is probably running it, he can find us something."
"Blaise Zabibi?" Ginny squeaked out, a little too frightened for Mike's taste.
"Yeah, why?" Draco asked, looking confused.
"Nothing...I just...never thought I'd ask Blaise Zabini for anything, let alone a house." Mike figured he was missing something, although he knew he was almost always missing something, so it didn't bother him much.
"Well, they were the best, back in the day." Draco said.
"Which, by the way, was a Wednesday." Mike quoted with a grin. Ginny and Draco both laughed quietly. There was a slight pause in the conversation while they all gathered their thoughts.
"You know we're going to have to visit my family..." Ginny said timidly.
"Maybe if I'm holding Julia when we meet them, they won't kill me..." Draco said with a smirk.
"Don't bet on it." Ginny smirked back. Mike watched the tennis match in confusion, trying to keep a goofy grin off his face. They went back and forth for almost an hour, making plans, talking about people whose names Mike didn't recognize - Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter (Draco didn't seem to be fond of that subject), Blaise Zabini, Professor McGonagall. Mike just grinned a goofy grin, unable to stop himself.
Things seemed to perk up after that morning. Draco was easier to deal with, Mia stopped calling him Holden, and Ginny just seemed happier all around. It took just over a week to get everything organized, but Mike was gonna stay around and help his mom out for the summer, and help find her someone to take Draco's spot. They wanted to stay until Mia found someone, but she insisted they go back as soon as possible and get settled in. To Mike's dismay.
As soon as everyone was packed and ready to go, the whole gang stood inside Draco and Ginny's small, but cozy house.
"So you're coming back for Christmas, right?" Mia sniffed as she hugged Ginny. Ginny smiled as she moved back towards their fire place.
"Yes, we'll be back for Christmas." Ginny said, chuckling a little.
"And I'll see you next summer?" Mike mocked as he shook hands with Draco, who smirked.
"We'll be back, scout's honor." Draco said, earning him a smack on the arm from Ginny. Hugs were exchanged, and confused kids just smiled. Before they left, though, Draco and Mike retreated to the kitchen for a minute while the girls said their extra-long goodbyes.
"Take care of your mum, alright?" Draco said, with a stern look at Mike. Mike smiled,
"Promise. And you take care of Gin, or I might have to hurt you." He joked.
"Deal," Draco said, smiling. His smile soon faded, and Mike knew that still, there was a large piece of the puzzle missing. "Look," Draco continued after a minute, "Can you keep on call for us?"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I don't know what's going to happen when we get back there,"
"Yeah, man, if you need me, I'll come. Mom'll want to come, too, though. Which means closing the diner in the summer." Mike pointed out. Draco smirked.
"Yeah...that's probably a bad idea."
"If you need us, we'll be there, alright?" Mike said softly. Draco looked him in the eye for the first time all night and smiled.
"Alright." He said. They exchanged glances and went back to the living room, where Ginny had lit the fire.
"What's that for?" Mike asked.
"I'll go first, with Alex, then Damon and Emma can come, and then you bring Izzy and Julia. Sound good?" Ginny said mechanically to Draco, who nodded, and then looked down at his two oldest children.
"Damon, Emma, I need you to listen to me. After your mum, you're going to step into the fire --"
"WHAT!" Four voices exclaimed at the same time. Mike, Mia, Damon and Emma were all staring at Draco as if he were completely mental. Draco looked annoyed, but managed to repeat himself through gritted teeth.
" --and when you're in there, I need you to say 'The Leaky Cauldron' as loud and as clear as you can, ok?"
"No, wait, seriously...what?" Mike repeated. Draco shot him a look that instructed him to shut up, but Mike and Mia kept protesting, until Ginny threw some powder into the fire and it changed colors.
"Come on, Alex, it's ok. The fire won't hurt you." She said firmly. She took her wary son's hand, and led him into the fire. She hugged him close, and called out "The Leaky Cauldron!" The flames spurt up, and Mike covered his eyes reflexively. When he opened them, Ginny and Alex were gone, and Draco was ushering a very scared-looking Damon and Emma into the emerald green flames.
"Just remember what I said. Hold onto each other tight, and say the name as clearly as you can, ok?" Emma visibly gripped Damon's arm, and he gulped before opening his mouth.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" He said loudly and clearly, and soon they spun out of sight as well.
Draco turned around one last time, and Mia hugged him tight. He smiled,
"Don't worry, we'll be back." He said, before turning to the fire. He stared at it for a moment, grabbing Izzy's hand and picking up Julia. He hesitated, and Mike felt something was off. Draco was the most calm, cool, and collected person he knew, and he was obviously uncomfortable. Although twelve years is a long time to not call someone. Especially if that someone is your mother. Mike couldn't imagine leaving New Jersey, leaving his mom, leaving Draco and Ginny for twelve years and never calling. He could imagine it was difficult to return after all that.
Soon enough, Draco put up the hood on the cloak he was wearing. He reached into his pocket and slipped a ring on his finger beforestrolling into the fire confidently. Holding Izzy on one side, and Julia on the other, he, too, spun out of sight.
Mike didn't know when he'd see them again - the short conversation he'd had with Draco in the kitchen had really put him on edge. Something was up. Something wasn't right. Something was off. He could even feel it. Their house here felt empty now - it wasn't supposed to be empty. It wasn't meant to be an empty house. It was meant to be their house. Draco had insisted on keeping it, saying they could afford it (to which Ginny always pointed out that it was he who could afford it, not they) - and that they'd be back.
But something was missing. Maybe it was just them.