Disclaimer: You know the drill, so I don't get a bill, I better write this
still, because JK's world is kill....er. Haha.
B4 on MPES:
"Alright, class. Take your seats," he said and the children obeyed. Then, Mr. Burns looked around the room for a moment, stopping his eyes on Draco and laughing. "Mr. Malfoy, you don't have to sit with the children," he said and Draco smiled.
"No, no... I'm alright. Pretend I'm one of them, Mr. Burns," he said and Mr. Burns shook his shoulders.
"Alright, class... it seems we have a new student for the day. This is Mr. Malfoy," he said and every student turned to the tall blonde man sitting in a chair six inches from the floor.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," the class greeted in unison.
~*~*~*~
CHPATER THIRTEEN: Gifted
"Well done, Jimmy... I've certainly never seen anything so... exotic in a show and tell project before. Alright, Emmy, you can go next," Mr. Burns said, dismissing Jimmy, who was holding a handful of home-made caviar his father had pulled directly from the fish. Every girl in the room, except the interested looking Sadie, was thoroughly disgusted. Even some of the boys looked a little green. Jimmy grinned and plopped his project back in the Tupperware container his mother had given him to put it in, then put it in his lunch pail. This earned him another ovation of moans. Jimmy just shrugged and moved to return to his seat beside Jr., who was sitting in Draco's lap.
Emmy Watson had just taken a breath to begin her book report on The Secret Garden, which she'd already told Draco she'd read four times, when Mr. Burns interrupted her.
"Just a minute, Emmy. Jimmy, go wash your hands, son," he said and the class laughed, but Jimmy frowned.
"Do I have ta?"
"Yes, Jimmy." Jimmy groaned and stood.
"Why don't I just have my Mum come teach class," he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the sink. Mr. Burns chuckled and turned back to Emmy, who was waiting patiently.
"Alright, Emmy. You can start now," he granted and she did, with a grin, diving into the story of the little girl sent to live with her aunt, her only refuge a beautiful flower garden, which wasn't known even to the gardeners. Her speech enthralled everyone; even Jr. and Jimmy, who had already voiced their opinions on her book reviews. Everyone clapped as she finished. "Very good, Emmy. I'll tell you now, you'll get an A." The little girl beamed and started back toward her seat, but turned direction, moving to sit next to Draco and Jr. Draco smiled at her. He felt... proud. She was so very much like Hermione...
~*~*~*~
At about ten o'clock, Hermione finally dragged herself out of bed. With a grin, she stretched and shuffled toward the stairs, planning on a shower.
"I haven't slept that long in ages," she said to herself, stepping into her slippers and slipping on a robe, although she knew the house was deserted. Hermione walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen, deciding a cup of coffee would do her good. As she stepped toward the breakfast bar, however, something stopped her; a noise from down the corridor... soft, but most certainly there.
Hermione's heart rate jumped. There was someone... or something... in the house... and she was all alone. Cautiously, she reached into her pocket and felt for her wand.
"Oh, god..." she whispered; it wasn't there. Of course it wasn't there; she had a routine. She got up, took a shower, then got dressed and slipped her wand into her pocket. It stayed on the bedside table until she needed it. Hermione couldn't go back upstairs; what if... IT heard her? Instead, she slipped into the kitchen, and carefully lifted a heavy pot from the wall hook, not making a sound. Leaving her slippers in the alcove, Hermione lifted the pot in a protective stance, then started down the hall, toward the strange sound... it sounded like... moaning... crying, maybe. She swallowed nervously. If IT were a ghost, she'd have no luck with protection by using a pan.
The sound was coming from the parlor. Hermione stopped in front of the door; pot raised, and took a deep and silent breath. Her was heart beating so hard, it was a surprise IT didn't hear. Swallowing, Hermione slowly opened the door, peeking around, hoping it wasn't anything too dangerous. IT gasped and turned to her with a tearstained face.
"Hermione?"
"Ginny?" Hermione asked, stepping into the room. Ginny Weasley Potter was curled up on one of the sofas, tears streaming down her face. She'd been crying... that was the noise. As she identified Hermione, Ginny quickly wiped her tears away. A look of concern flashed across Hermione's face and she entered the room, resting the pot on her shoulder.
"What are you doing with that pot, Mione?" Ginny asked, trying to sound composed, and Hermione looked confused, then remembered and laughed.
"You scared me," she said, then paused. Hermione dropped her smile and placed the pot on an end table, coming to sit next to Ginny. "Gin, what happened... what's wrong?" Ginny shook her fiery red head.
"Nothing," she insisted, crossing her arms, but even then more tears fell.
"As if I'm going to believe that," Hermione countered, rolling her eyes, and Ginny laughed slightly, then turned to Hermione, lip quivering. Hermione frowned and opened her arms to her best female friend, who accepted her hug, letting her sobs take her over on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione waited until she'd calmed down a bit, then pulled away from Ginny. "What's wrong?" she repeated and Ginny again bust into tears.
"Oh, Hermione... I don't want to be a bother, I just..."
"Nonsense."
"I... I'm..." she started, lip quivering again.
"What?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Pregnant!" Ginny wailed and threw herself at Hermione, who was too shocked for words.
"Wha... what?"
"I'm going to have a baby," Ginny said again, pulling back, voice shaky. Hermione's shocked expression curled into a grin.
"That's wonderful!"
"No it isn't! It's terrible! How am I going to do this, Hermione? I can't... I just can't do it..." Hermione laughed.
"I'm sorry, Gin, but you don't have much of a choice. Why are you so upset?"
"I'm SCARED, Hermione! I'm terrified! I've never been as strong as you... how am I going to do this? And what about Eric? What will he think?"
"What about Eric? What about Harry! Did you tell him yet?" Ginny slowly shook her head. "No!? Where does he think you are?"
"I told him I had a doctor's appointment... I just didn't tell him why," she said softly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "What do you think he'll say?"
"Ginny! You and I both know he'll be ecstatic!" Ginny sighed.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Ginny, I don't understand..."
"He'll want it, Hermione. He already wants it, and he doesn't know we have it yet. Like I said, I'm not as strong as you. What if I lose it? Harry will be crushed..." Ginny explained, closing her eyes and letting a few more tears fall.
"Virginia Potter! How could you think such ungodly things? That's not going to happen. You're going to have a wonderful pregnancy... Eric will be excited, Harry will be even more excited, and us Malfoys are here for you, too, Gin. You might even get a girl." Ginny's head turned up, eyes bright.
"You think so?" Hermione laughed.
"It's possible. Oh, you're going to have a baby! This is wonderful, Gin! You know it is! Can't you just imagine... a little Potter-ette, crawling around in a little pink dress, getting Draco and Eric to steal her cookies?" Ginny smiled.
"That does sound good... doesn't it?" Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"And even if it's a boy, it'll be YOUR boy. I know you love Eric, and I love him too... but you'll have a special bond. You'll enjoy this, Ginny. And if labor's what you're afraid of, don't be. They have so many pain killing potions nowadays I doubt you'll feel a thing... and it'll only last a few days at most... and that's unlikely." Ginny smiled, sniffling.
"I guess you're right..."
"Oh, Ginny, I'm so happy for you!" Hermione shrieked again, hugging her tight. "You've got to call Harry."
"What?" Ginny asked. "Now?" Hermione laughed, nodding.
"Oh, but don't tell him yet. Not over the phone... just tell him you're not coming back to work today." Ginny gasped.
"Oh my god, you're right... he's probably wondering where I am... I've been gone for hours," she said, eyes widening. She turned to Hermione. "Thanks, Mione."
"That's what I'm here for, Toots," she said and both girls laughed.
"I've got to go call my husband," Ginny declared, standing and Hermione nodded, watching her dash out of the room. It was only a few seconds before Ginny reappeared in the doorway. "What are you doing home? Isn't that show- and-tell thing today?" Hermione smiled and nodded.
"But I'm not his project, so I wasn't invited," she said and Ginny grinned.
"It's good that they're spending time together," she said and Hermione nodded.
"I know."
~*~*~*~
"Alright; last, but not least, Draco, you may present your project," Mr. Burns declared and Jr. grinned, jumping off his father's lap and pulling on his hands.
"Come on, Daddy," he whispered and Draco laughed as he stood.
"Coming, coming." Once both blondes were standing in front of the class, Jr. cleared his throat.
"This, is my daddy. I'm SHOWING him to you," he said, looking pointedly at Mr. Burns, making sure he knew that this was the SHOW part of show-and- tell. The teacher chuckled and nodded for him to continue. Jr. grinned and looked up at his father. "I just meet-ed him about a week ago. Daddy is going to TELL you," he said, again pointedly looking at Mr. Burns. "A story. I already know what happens, but I'm not gonna ruin the surprise, so I'll just let Daddy tell you. Daddy?" Draco smiled.
"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Junior. My name, as you should know, is Mr. Malfoy. Around the time when most of you were born, a very bad man decided to... harm other people. Let's call this man... General Moldy Shorts." The class laughed. That is, all but Emmy Watson. She simply sat there, jaw open, looking stunned. "Another General, General... Lipz-er- sore..." Again, more laughter. "Wanted to stop Moldy Shorts. Lipzersore..." And on went the story. For a good ten minutes, Draco spoke to the class, who all listened intently; silent except for spasms of laughter. "It wasn't fair that Moldy Shorts could harm people simply because he wanted to, so, we tried to stop him. It took us quite a long time, but we finally managed, and Moldy Shorts is no more.
"In my particular case, after Moldy Shorts was taken away, I didn't know where to go. I was somewhere far away from here, and I didn't know how to get home, but I worked very hard, and, although it took a long, long, time, I made it back," Draco said, shortening his story and adding humor to keep the kids interested.
"Why didn't you tell the president, Mr. Malfoy? The president would know how to get rid of Moldy Shorts," declared a boy, whom Draco didn't know. He laughed.
"I assure you, the president did all he could to help us," he said and the boy nodded, accepting his answer. A few more children raised their hands with childish questions, and Draco answered each one expertly, although he and Hermione had only rehearsed the actual speech. Jr. was silent, but beaming with pride for his popular father. When the last hand went down, the class clapped for Jr.'s project, including Mr. Burns.
"Well done, Draco. Creative, I must say. I've never had another project even close. I think you deserve an A," he said and Draco and Jr. shared a grin, looking to each other. Mr. Burns smiled at them for a moment, then raised his voice. "Alright class. Good job everyone. Back to your seats, it's time to work on your Thanksgiving projects." In a roar, the class dispersed, moving back to their tables. Emmy Watson got up slowly, holding her book to her chest, looking quite confused. Both Dracos gave her a slightly concerned look. "That means you too, Draco," Mr. Burns continued and Jr. jumped, taking Draco's hand and leading him back to their table.
"Hey there, Magpie. See you brought your daddy. Are you THAT path-em-i- tic?" asked an unfriendly voice and Jr. stopped walking, eyes narrowing slightly as he turned back to face the voice's owner. Edward McNair was smirking at him. Or at least what he liked to think was a smirk... his face looked more like he'd bitten into a lemon and was trying to act like it wasn't sour.
"Edward," Jr. said in acknowledgement, and Draco looked up, raking his eyes over the boy. He was chubby, but seemed strong, had dark hair cut close to his head, and looked old enough to have failed at least twice.
"Magpie," Edward said in the same acknowledgement, but it made Jr. glare.
"Leave him alone, Edward," called a higher voice from behind the two Dracos, and both, as well as Edward, turned to the owner.
"Good morning to you too, Lama. How's life under a rock? Meet any nice worms?" Emmy stuck out her tongue, but Jr. looked even madder. Draco said nothing. He knew if he did, it would just embarrass Jr., so he stayed quiet, but stood by incase any punches were thrown. Not wanting to misbehave, especially in front of his Daddy, even for a girl, Jr. remained civil.
"Where were you, Edward? You missed show-and-tell, story time, and math," Jr. asked, crossing his arms, and Emmy sent him an 'I have no idea what you're doing; do you?' look. He gave her an 'I've got it under control' glance back, and she smiled.
"None o' your beeswax, pretty boy. Get out of my way," Edward said, a little taken aback by civility among his peers. He couldn't deal with that. Instead, he simply took his seat.
"You handled that very well, Draco," Draco told his son, and Jr. smiled up at him.
"Thank you, Daddy. Come on, Emmy, afore we get in trouble," he said, turning around and starting toward the desks, waving her to follow, which she did.
"Where ya been, Draco?" Jimmy, who was already covered in glue, asked as Jr., Emmy, and Draco sat down.
"Had a run-in with Cheese Curd. I don't like him very much," Jr. explained, reaching for some Popsicle sticks. Emmy laughed.
"That's an understatement," she said, daintily adding gold glitter to her turkey's beak. They'd each been given a large, hand shaped piece of brown construction paper, which they were assigned to decorate accordingly to the Thanksgiving spirit. Emmy's, Draco noted, was by far the best. "And these names you create are extremely immature," she added. Both boys looked at her strangely, but Draco smiled. Jr. turned to his father.
"Do YOU get it, Daddy? He calls me Magpie instead of Malfoy, Emmy is Lama, and Jimmy is Dummy. I only think it's fair we call him Cheese Curd instead of Edward," Jr. explained, ignoring the glares from Edward as he silently worked on his project, still contemplating Jr.'s earlier actions. Jr.'s father nodded.
"But you're only sinking to his level," Draco and Emmy said at the same time, then looked to each other, startled. Jr. shared an oblivious glance with Jimmy. Draco smiled and looked to Jr.
"She's right, you know," he said, nodding toward Emmy, who smiled at her near-perfect Turkey.
"But Daddy..." Jr. whined. "Didn't anyone ever call you names when you were in school? Did you call them one back?" Draco laughed.
"Actually, Junior, I was more like Edward when I was younger. I initiated the name-calling." Jr. looked confused. "I started it." His eyes grew wide.
"Really?" Draco nodded.
"Particularly Mum, Uncle Harry, and Ron," he elaborated, and Jr. looked curious.
"What did you call them daddy?" Draco laughed.
"Uncle Harry was Potty, Uncle Ron was Weasel, and I called your mother mud..." He cringed. "I mean... I called her know-it-all, or bookworm." Emmy was looking at Draco as if he was a mass murderer, but Jr. was smiling.
"What about Aunt Ginny?"
"Weasel-ette," Draco said, laughing. Jr. was silent for a moment, then he turned to Jimmy.
"What do you think Eric would do to me if I called him Potty?" Jimmy laughed.
"Prob-y put you in a head lock," he said and they laughed, but Emmy rolled her eyes.
"Boys," she mumbled.
"Did they call you anything back, Mr. Malfoy?" Jimmy asked and Draco laughed.
"They called me Ferret-boy." All three looked confused. "Long story; maybe I'll tell you sometime," he said, and they looked convinced, all turning back to their turkeys. Moments later, Jr. laughed.
"Ferret-boy..."
"Hey," Draco warned, but with a smile, and ruffled Jr.'s hair. "Watch it, Mr., or I'LL put you in a headlock." They laughed.
~
Emmy looked around. Good, no one looking. She slid her finger between the two tables.
"This is going to hurt," she said in whisper before slamming the whole of her body weight against the table, smashing them together at just the right angle. "Ah!" she shrieked, trying to stay as quiet as possible, and pulled out her finger. It was bleeding. Perfect. The little amount of red at the corners of her nail was just what she was looking for. But it might not be enough.
Emmy pushed hard. The blood flow increased, and she smiled. Now it was perfect.
"Mr. Burns!" she called, cracking her voice on purpose. He turned around to look at her. "I pinched my finger, Mr. Burns. Can I ask Nurse Lucia for a band-aid?" she asked and he smiled.
"Of course, Emmy. Ask someone to go with you," he said. Emmy grinned, then sniffled.
"Thank you, Sir." He nodded and turned back to help the Lego Club. Emmy spun and ran directly for the tall blonde bending over her best friend. She tugged on his pant leg and Draco looked down, then smiled. Emmy grinned at him. "Mr. Malfoy, will you please escort me to the nurse's office?" she asked politely, holding up her finger, and Draco's smile faltered a bit.
"I'm sorry, Emmy, but I don't know where the nurse's office is," he said and she smiled.
"That's okay; I do," she said, but Draco looked confused.
"Then why do you need me to..."
"PLEASE?" she begged and he laughed.
"Alright, alright. Bye Junior," Draco said, holding out his hand for Emmy. Jr., lucky for Emmy, wasn't paying any attention at all. He was engrossed with his brown crayon and construction paper. She sighed. 'Boys.'
Emmy led Draco from the room and briskly down the hall to a deserted part of the school, walking in the opposite direction of the nurse's office. Then, quite unexpectedly, she stopped and spun.
"Mr. Malfoy," she said seriously. "Do you know who lord Voldemort is?" Draco's smile dropped to the floor, and he followed, crouching in front of her.
"Yes, I do, Emmy. How do you?"
"I read about him in a book from my Daddy's library. Daddy says that Voldemort is a bad man and that no one should ever listen to anything he says, but it's better now because he's been destroyed. Did you destroy him, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, still serious, but Draco smiled and shook his head.
"No, Emmy... but I helped. I was there. I saw almost everything that happened," he said to her and she nodded.
"Was Draco there?"
"No," he stated simply. "Draco was with his mother, back here at our home." Again, she nodded.
"And Lipzersore is Dumbledore, right?" Draco nodded.
"Are you a witch, Emmy?" She grinned proudly and nodded.
"Indeed, sir. Mum says a gifted one, too... but I'm not old enough to know exactly how, yet. Is Draco a wizard?" Draco nodded. "And you?" Another nod. "What about his mother?" Draco kept nodding, laughing inwardly. "Grandparents?"
"Half his grandparents." Emmy sighed.
"None of mine are. My mum and Dad, yes, but they're muggle-born..." Draco smiled and lifted her chin.
"Nothing wrong with that." She smiled.
"You used to call Draco's mum a mudblood, didn't you?" Draco frowned.
"Yes, I did." Emmy looked down again. "But I also wanted to follow my father and Voldemort, which included receiving the Dark Mark. I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger." Emmy nodded sadly down at the floor, but Draco knew she understood. This girl was extremely smart, especially for her age. There was a brief pause, and Draco decided to change the subject. "Are you going to Hogwarts, Emmy?" She looked up.
"If I get accepted."
"You will," Draco assured. "And you'll be in Gryffindor, and everyone will love you.... except, perhaps, a few Slytherin... and a certain Professor Snape... but I might be able to pull some strings there," he said and Emmy grinned.
"I hope you're right, Mr. Malfoy. Draco is coming too, isn't he?" Draco nodded.
"Of course," he said, just as a bell rang and a group of students started to file out of the nearby gym.
"We better go back," Emmy said, starting toward the classroom, but Draco stopped her.
"Emmy," he said. "What about your finger?" She looked down, seeing the swirls of blood run down the digit in spirals, like a barber's pole.
"Oh." Emmy started intently at her finger. Magically, the wound and blood disappeared. "All better," she said and Draco smiled.
"You are gifted, Emmy. Very gifted."
A/N: I thought this was a pretty interesting chapter. ::gasp:: Ginny's pregnant! And poor Jimmy; all his friends are magicfolk. What's he going to do when they go away to school? :o( Edward is kind of a dork... and he's not so good at making up names; lol. But then again, Draco was thirteen and he called Harry Potty, and Edward is only five.... or six, or seven... depending on how many times he failed, so we gotta give him credit! Now we know what Mr. Ollivander's congrats were for! Hehe! I love hand turkeys!
PRF:
PurpleBallerynna: Lol, I thought so too.
Lady Malfoy: She kind of already is, isn't she?
Lost-Kitty: Thanx, and I try...
Krissy: Now you know why he said that, don't you? Hehe.
Crissy: No, no hopscotch...
FluteGirl: She's not related, she's just Jr.'s friend
Tracey: We'll put Ron into play a little bit later... I'm sure he's going to come and congratulate Ginny as some point, isn't he? And he's married, he can't have a think for Hermione...
Arime: Lol, well, one of my reviewers is FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY ARE GODS and they claim it's really them... so I suggest you send someone a review :o)
Cute-Kitty: Yeah, aw... goochy goochy goo!
Fierydragn: Lol. Yeah, I know... they're so sweet, arent' they? Lol.
Dragonfly: My dad didn't... but he worked a lot... Draco is da bomb. Sok, I'm not mad... hehe.
Crystalline Lily: Yep, lol. I didn't originally name her after Emma Watson, but then I needed a last name and it went flying out of my head ;o) Can't you just picture Draco in one of those little kid chairs? I used to do this thing at my school called OM where they give you a problem and money and you have to do a skit... my supervisor was a first grade teacher and we'd have meetings in her room, and we always sat in the little chairs...lol.
Girl-named-Belle: Thanx... and I did too, don't worry.
DracoLuver: Yeah, I know about the Emma Watson thing... I didn't originally name her after her, I just love the name Emilia...it's pronounced Em-ih-lie- uh. I think it's pretty... but then I needed a last name, and I decided I might as well use Watson.
Chia: Lol, sorry!
Kylie Flynn: FF.net does that overload thing a lot... just wait a whle and you should be able to get through. I'm going downhill on Flames... I DID finish it, I just need to type it and blah blah... the point is, nothing more of real interest happens... they fight a few times, go home for summer, that's about it... if I did update, people would be disappointed. Maybe summer will bring forth a little more Flames, but don't expect much until then.
Alexa: Thanx.
B4 on MPES:
"Alright, class. Take your seats," he said and the children obeyed. Then, Mr. Burns looked around the room for a moment, stopping his eyes on Draco and laughing. "Mr. Malfoy, you don't have to sit with the children," he said and Draco smiled.
"No, no... I'm alright. Pretend I'm one of them, Mr. Burns," he said and Mr. Burns shook his shoulders.
"Alright, class... it seems we have a new student for the day. This is Mr. Malfoy," he said and every student turned to the tall blonde man sitting in a chair six inches from the floor.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," the class greeted in unison.
~*~*~*~
CHPATER THIRTEEN: Gifted
"Well done, Jimmy... I've certainly never seen anything so... exotic in a show and tell project before. Alright, Emmy, you can go next," Mr. Burns said, dismissing Jimmy, who was holding a handful of home-made caviar his father had pulled directly from the fish. Every girl in the room, except the interested looking Sadie, was thoroughly disgusted. Even some of the boys looked a little green. Jimmy grinned and plopped his project back in the Tupperware container his mother had given him to put it in, then put it in his lunch pail. This earned him another ovation of moans. Jimmy just shrugged and moved to return to his seat beside Jr., who was sitting in Draco's lap.
Emmy Watson had just taken a breath to begin her book report on The Secret Garden, which she'd already told Draco she'd read four times, when Mr. Burns interrupted her.
"Just a minute, Emmy. Jimmy, go wash your hands, son," he said and the class laughed, but Jimmy frowned.
"Do I have ta?"
"Yes, Jimmy." Jimmy groaned and stood.
"Why don't I just have my Mum come teach class," he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the sink. Mr. Burns chuckled and turned back to Emmy, who was waiting patiently.
"Alright, Emmy. You can start now," he granted and she did, with a grin, diving into the story of the little girl sent to live with her aunt, her only refuge a beautiful flower garden, which wasn't known even to the gardeners. Her speech enthralled everyone; even Jr. and Jimmy, who had already voiced their opinions on her book reviews. Everyone clapped as she finished. "Very good, Emmy. I'll tell you now, you'll get an A." The little girl beamed and started back toward her seat, but turned direction, moving to sit next to Draco and Jr. Draco smiled at her. He felt... proud. She was so very much like Hermione...
~*~*~*~
At about ten o'clock, Hermione finally dragged herself out of bed. With a grin, she stretched and shuffled toward the stairs, planning on a shower.
"I haven't slept that long in ages," she said to herself, stepping into her slippers and slipping on a robe, although she knew the house was deserted. Hermione walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen, deciding a cup of coffee would do her good. As she stepped toward the breakfast bar, however, something stopped her; a noise from down the corridor... soft, but most certainly there.
Hermione's heart rate jumped. There was someone... or something... in the house... and she was all alone. Cautiously, she reached into her pocket and felt for her wand.
"Oh, god..." she whispered; it wasn't there. Of course it wasn't there; she had a routine. She got up, took a shower, then got dressed and slipped her wand into her pocket. It stayed on the bedside table until she needed it. Hermione couldn't go back upstairs; what if... IT heard her? Instead, she slipped into the kitchen, and carefully lifted a heavy pot from the wall hook, not making a sound. Leaving her slippers in the alcove, Hermione lifted the pot in a protective stance, then started down the hall, toward the strange sound... it sounded like... moaning... crying, maybe. She swallowed nervously. If IT were a ghost, she'd have no luck with protection by using a pan.
The sound was coming from the parlor. Hermione stopped in front of the door; pot raised, and took a deep and silent breath. Her was heart beating so hard, it was a surprise IT didn't hear. Swallowing, Hermione slowly opened the door, peeking around, hoping it wasn't anything too dangerous. IT gasped and turned to her with a tearstained face.
"Hermione?"
"Ginny?" Hermione asked, stepping into the room. Ginny Weasley Potter was curled up on one of the sofas, tears streaming down her face. She'd been crying... that was the noise. As she identified Hermione, Ginny quickly wiped her tears away. A look of concern flashed across Hermione's face and she entered the room, resting the pot on her shoulder.
"What are you doing with that pot, Mione?" Ginny asked, trying to sound composed, and Hermione looked confused, then remembered and laughed.
"You scared me," she said, then paused. Hermione dropped her smile and placed the pot on an end table, coming to sit next to Ginny. "Gin, what happened... what's wrong?" Ginny shook her fiery red head.
"Nothing," she insisted, crossing her arms, but even then more tears fell.
"As if I'm going to believe that," Hermione countered, rolling her eyes, and Ginny laughed slightly, then turned to Hermione, lip quivering. Hermione frowned and opened her arms to her best female friend, who accepted her hug, letting her sobs take her over on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione waited until she'd calmed down a bit, then pulled away from Ginny. "What's wrong?" she repeated and Ginny again bust into tears.
"Oh, Hermione... I don't want to be a bother, I just..."
"Nonsense."
"I... I'm..." she started, lip quivering again.
"What?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Pregnant!" Ginny wailed and threw herself at Hermione, who was too shocked for words.
"Wha... what?"
"I'm going to have a baby," Ginny said again, pulling back, voice shaky. Hermione's shocked expression curled into a grin.
"That's wonderful!"
"No it isn't! It's terrible! How am I going to do this, Hermione? I can't... I just can't do it..." Hermione laughed.
"I'm sorry, Gin, but you don't have much of a choice. Why are you so upset?"
"I'm SCARED, Hermione! I'm terrified! I've never been as strong as you... how am I going to do this? And what about Eric? What will he think?"
"What about Eric? What about Harry! Did you tell him yet?" Ginny slowly shook her head. "No!? Where does he think you are?"
"I told him I had a doctor's appointment... I just didn't tell him why," she said softly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "What do you think he'll say?"
"Ginny! You and I both know he'll be ecstatic!" Ginny sighed.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Ginny, I don't understand..."
"He'll want it, Hermione. He already wants it, and he doesn't know we have it yet. Like I said, I'm not as strong as you. What if I lose it? Harry will be crushed..." Ginny explained, closing her eyes and letting a few more tears fall.
"Virginia Potter! How could you think such ungodly things? That's not going to happen. You're going to have a wonderful pregnancy... Eric will be excited, Harry will be even more excited, and us Malfoys are here for you, too, Gin. You might even get a girl." Ginny's head turned up, eyes bright.
"You think so?" Hermione laughed.
"It's possible. Oh, you're going to have a baby! This is wonderful, Gin! You know it is! Can't you just imagine... a little Potter-ette, crawling around in a little pink dress, getting Draco and Eric to steal her cookies?" Ginny smiled.
"That does sound good... doesn't it?" Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"And even if it's a boy, it'll be YOUR boy. I know you love Eric, and I love him too... but you'll have a special bond. You'll enjoy this, Ginny. And if labor's what you're afraid of, don't be. They have so many pain killing potions nowadays I doubt you'll feel a thing... and it'll only last a few days at most... and that's unlikely." Ginny smiled, sniffling.
"I guess you're right..."
"Oh, Ginny, I'm so happy for you!" Hermione shrieked again, hugging her tight. "You've got to call Harry."
"What?" Ginny asked. "Now?" Hermione laughed, nodding.
"Oh, but don't tell him yet. Not over the phone... just tell him you're not coming back to work today." Ginny gasped.
"Oh my god, you're right... he's probably wondering where I am... I've been gone for hours," she said, eyes widening. She turned to Hermione. "Thanks, Mione."
"That's what I'm here for, Toots," she said and both girls laughed.
"I've got to go call my husband," Ginny declared, standing and Hermione nodded, watching her dash out of the room. It was only a few seconds before Ginny reappeared in the doorway. "What are you doing home? Isn't that show- and-tell thing today?" Hermione smiled and nodded.
"But I'm not his project, so I wasn't invited," she said and Ginny grinned.
"It's good that they're spending time together," she said and Hermione nodded.
"I know."
~*~*~*~
"Alright; last, but not least, Draco, you may present your project," Mr. Burns declared and Jr. grinned, jumping off his father's lap and pulling on his hands.
"Come on, Daddy," he whispered and Draco laughed as he stood.
"Coming, coming." Once both blondes were standing in front of the class, Jr. cleared his throat.
"This, is my daddy. I'm SHOWING him to you," he said, looking pointedly at Mr. Burns, making sure he knew that this was the SHOW part of show-and- tell. The teacher chuckled and nodded for him to continue. Jr. grinned and looked up at his father. "I just meet-ed him about a week ago. Daddy is going to TELL you," he said, again pointedly looking at Mr. Burns. "A story. I already know what happens, but I'm not gonna ruin the surprise, so I'll just let Daddy tell you. Daddy?" Draco smiled.
"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Junior. My name, as you should know, is Mr. Malfoy. Around the time when most of you were born, a very bad man decided to... harm other people. Let's call this man... General Moldy Shorts." The class laughed. That is, all but Emmy Watson. She simply sat there, jaw open, looking stunned. "Another General, General... Lipz-er- sore..." Again, more laughter. "Wanted to stop Moldy Shorts. Lipzersore..." And on went the story. For a good ten minutes, Draco spoke to the class, who all listened intently; silent except for spasms of laughter. "It wasn't fair that Moldy Shorts could harm people simply because he wanted to, so, we tried to stop him. It took us quite a long time, but we finally managed, and Moldy Shorts is no more.
"In my particular case, after Moldy Shorts was taken away, I didn't know where to go. I was somewhere far away from here, and I didn't know how to get home, but I worked very hard, and, although it took a long, long, time, I made it back," Draco said, shortening his story and adding humor to keep the kids interested.
"Why didn't you tell the president, Mr. Malfoy? The president would know how to get rid of Moldy Shorts," declared a boy, whom Draco didn't know. He laughed.
"I assure you, the president did all he could to help us," he said and the boy nodded, accepting his answer. A few more children raised their hands with childish questions, and Draco answered each one expertly, although he and Hermione had only rehearsed the actual speech. Jr. was silent, but beaming with pride for his popular father. When the last hand went down, the class clapped for Jr.'s project, including Mr. Burns.
"Well done, Draco. Creative, I must say. I've never had another project even close. I think you deserve an A," he said and Draco and Jr. shared a grin, looking to each other. Mr. Burns smiled at them for a moment, then raised his voice. "Alright class. Good job everyone. Back to your seats, it's time to work on your Thanksgiving projects." In a roar, the class dispersed, moving back to their tables. Emmy Watson got up slowly, holding her book to her chest, looking quite confused. Both Dracos gave her a slightly concerned look. "That means you too, Draco," Mr. Burns continued and Jr. jumped, taking Draco's hand and leading him back to their table.
"Hey there, Magpie. See you brought your daddy. Are you THAT path-em-i- tic?" asked an unfriendly voice and Jr. stopped walking, eyes narrowing slightly as he turned back to face the voice's owner. Edward McNair was smirking at him. Or at least what he liked to think was a smirk... his face looked more like he'd bitten into a lemon and was trying to act like it wasn't sour.
"Edward," Jr. said in acknowledgement, and Draco looked up, raking his eyes over the boy. He was chubby, but seemed strong, had dark hair cut close to his head, and looked old enough to have failed at least twice.
"Magpie," Edward said in the same acknowledgement, but it made Jr. glare.
"Leave him alone, Edward," called a higher voice from behind the two Dracos, and both, as well as Edward, turned to the owner.
"Good morning to you too, Lama. How's life under a rock? Meet any nice worms?" Emmy stuck out her tongue, but Jr. looked even madder. Draco said nothing. He knew if he did, it would just embarrass Jr., so he stayed quiet, but stood by incase any punches were thrown. Not wanting to misbehave, especially in front of his Daddy, even for a girl, Jr. remained civil.
"Where were you, Edward? You missed show-and-tell, story time, and math," Jr. asked, crossing his arms, and Emmy sent him an 'I have no idea what you're doing; do you?' look. He gave her an 'I've got it under control' glance back, and she smiled.
"None o' your beeswax, pretty boy. Get out of my way," Edward said, a little taken aback by civility among his peers. He couldn't deal with that. Instead, he simply took his seat.
"You handled that very well, Draco," Draco told his son, and Jr. smiled up at him.
"Thank you, Daddy. Come on, Emmy, afore we get in trouble," he said, turning around and starting toward the desks, waving her to follow, which she did.
"Where ya been, Draco?" Jimmy, who was already covered in glue, asked as Jr., Emmy, and Draco sat down.
"Had a run-in with Cheese Curd. I don't like him very much," Jr. explained, reaching for some Popsicle sticks. Emmy laughed.
"That's an understatement," she said, daintily adding gold glitter to her turkey's beak. They'd each been given a large, hand shaped piece of brown construction paper, which they were assigned to decorate accordingly to the Thanksgiving spirit. Emmy's, Draco noted, was by far the best. "And these names you create are extremely immature," she added. Both boys looked at her strangely, but Draco smiled. Jr. turned to his father.
"Do YOU get it, Daddy? He calls me Magpie instead of Malfoy, Emmy is Lama, and Jimmy is Dummy. I only think it's fair we call him Cheese Curd instead of Edward," Jr. explained, ignoring the glares from Edward as he silently worked on his project, still contemplating Jr.'s earlier actions. Jr.'s father nodded.
"But you're only sinking to his level," Draco and Emmy said at the same time, then looked to each other, startled. Jr. shared an oblivious glance with Jimmy. Draco smiled and looked to Jr.
"She's right, you know," he said, nodding toward Emmy, who smiled at her near-perfect Turkey.
"But Daddy..." Jr. whined. "Didn't anyone ever call you names when you were in school? Did you call them one back?" Draco laughed.
"Actually, Junior, I was more like Edward when I was younger. I initiated the name-calling." Jr. looked confused. "I started it." His eyes grew wide.
"Really?" Draco nodded.
"Particularly Mum, Uncle Harry, and Ron," he elaborated, and Jr. looked curious.
"What did you call them daddy?" Draco laughed.
"Uncle Harry was Potty, Uncle Ron was Weasel, and I called your mother mud..." He cringed. "I mean... I called her know-it-all, or bookworm." Emmy was looking at Draco as if he was a mass murderer, but Jr. was smiling.
"What about Aunt Ginny?"
"Weasel-ette," Draco said, laughing. Jr. was silent for a moment, then he turned to Jimmy.
"What do you think Eric would do to me if I called him Potty?" Jimmy laughed.
"Prob-y put you in a head lock," he said and they laughed, but Emmy rolled her eyes.
"Boys," she mumbled.
"Did they call you anything back, Mr. Malfoy?" Jimmy asked and Draco laughed.
"They called me Ferret-boy." All three looked confused. "Long story; maybe I'll tell you sometime," he said, and they looked convinced, all turning back to their turkeys. Moments later, Jr. laughed.
"Ferret-boy..."
"Hey," Draco warned, but with a smile, and ruffled Jr.'s hair. "Watch it, Mr., or I'LL put you in a headlock." They laughed.
~
Emmy looked around. Good, no one looking. She slid her finger between the two tables.
"This is going to hurt," she said in whisper before slamming the whole of her body weight against the table, smashing them together at just the right angle. "Ah!" she shrieked, trying to stay as quiet as possible, and pulled out her finger. It was bleeding. Perfect. The little amount of red at the corners of her nail was just what she was looking for. But it might not be enough.
Emmy pushed hard. The blood flow increased, and she smiled. Now it was perfect.
"Mr. Burns!" she called, cracking her voice on purpose. He turned around to look at her. "I pinched my finger, Mr. Burns. Can I ask Nurse Lucia for a band-aid?" she asked and he smiled.
"Of course, Emmy. Ask someone to go with you," he said. Emmy grinned, then sniffled.
"Thank you, Sir." He nodded and turned back to help the Lego Club. Emmy spun and ran directly for the tall blonde bending over her best friend. She tugged on his pant leg and Draco looked down, then smiled. Emmy grinned at him. "Mr. Malfoy, will you please escort me to the nurse's office?" she asked politely, holding up her finger, and Draco's smile faltered a bit.
"I'm sorry, Emmy, but I don't know where the nurse's office is," he said and she smiled.
"That's okay; I do," she said, but Draco looked confused.
"Then why do you need me to..."
"PLEASE?" she begged and he laughed.
"Alright, alright. Bye Junior," Draco said, holding out his hand for Emmy. Jr., lucky for Emmy, wasn't paying any attention at all. He was engrossed with his brown crayon and construction paper. She sighed. 'Boys.'
Emmy led Draco from the room and briskly down the hall to a deserted part of the school, walking in the opposite direction of the nurse's office. Then, quite unexpectedly, she stopped and spun.
"Mr. Malfoy," she said seriously. "Do you know who lord Voldemort is?" Draco's smile dropped to the floor, and he followed, crouching in front of her.
"Yes, I do, Emmy. How do you?"
"I read about him in a book from my Daddy's library. Daddy says that Voldemort is a bad man and that no one should ever listen to anything he says, but it's better now because he's been destroyed. Did you destroy him, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, still serious, but Draco smiled and shook his head.
"No, Emmy... but I helped. I was there. I saw almost everything that happened," he said to her and she nodded.
"Was Draco there?"
"No," he stated simply. "Draco was with his mother, back here at our home." Again, she nodded.
"And Lipzersore is Dumbledore, right?" Draco nodded.
"Are you a witch, Emmy?" She grinned proudly and nodded.
"Indeed, sir. Mum says a gifted one, too... but I'm not old enough to know exactly how, yet. Is Draco a wizard?" Draco nodded. "And you?" Another nod. "What about his mother?" Draco kept nodding, laughing inwardly. "Grandparents?"
"Half his grandparents." Emmy sighed.
"None of mine are. My mum and Dad, yes, but they're muggle-born..." Draco smiled and lifted her chin.
"Nothing wrong with that." She smiled.
"You used to call Draco's mum a mudblood, didn't you?" Draco frowned.
"Yes, I did." Emmy looked down again. "But I also wanted to follow my father and Voldemort, which included receiving the Dark Mark. I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger." Emmy nodded sadly down at the floor, but Draco knew she understood. This girl was extremely smart, especially for her age. There was a brief pause, and Draco decided to change the subject. "Are you going to Hogwarts, Emmy?" She looked up.
"If I get accepted."
"You will," Draco assured. "And you'll be in Gryffindor, and everyone will love you.... except, perhaps, a few Slytherin... and a certain Professor Snape... but I might be able to pull some strings there," he said and Emmy grinned.
"I hope you're right, Mr. Malfoy. Draco is coming too, isn't he?" Draco nodded.
"Of course," he said, just as a bell rang and a group of students started to file out of the nearby gym.
"We better go back," Emmy said, starting toward the classroom, but Draco stopped her.
"Emmy," he said. "What about your finger?" She looked down, seeing the swirls of blood run down the digit in spirals, like a barber's pole.
"Oh." Emmy started intently at her finger. Magically, the wound and blood disappeared. "All better," she said and Draco smiled.
"You are gifted, Emmy. Very gifted."
A/N: I thought this was a pretty interesting chapter. ::gasp:: Ginny's pregnant! And poor Jimmy; all his friends are magicfolk. What's he going to do when they go away to school? :o( Edward is kind of a dork... and he's not so good at making up names; lol. But then again, Draco was thirteen and he called Harry Potty, and Edward is only five.... or six, or seven... depending on how many times he failed, so we gotta give him credit! Now we know what Mr. Ollivander's congrats were for! Hehe! I love hand turkeys!
PRF:
PurpleBallerynna: Lol, I thought so too.
Lady Malfoy: She kind of already is, isn't she?
Lost-Kitty: Thanx, and I try...
Krissy: Now you know why he said that, don't you? Hehe.
Crissy: No, no hopscotch...
FluteGirl: She's not related, she's just Jr.'s friend
Tracey: We'll put Ron into play a little bit later... I'm sure he's going to come and congratulate Ginny as some point, isn't he? And he's married, he can't have a think for Hermione...
Arime: Lol, well, one of my reviewers is FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY ARE GODS and they claim it's really them... so I suggest you send someone a review :o)
Cute-Kitty: Yeah, aw... goochy goochy goo!
Fierydragn: Lol. Yeah, I know... they're so sweet, arent' they? Lol.
Dragonfly: My dad didn't... but he worked a lot... Draco is da bomb. Sok, I'm not mad... hehe.
Crystalline Lily: Yep, lol. I didn't originally name her after Emma Watson, but then I needed a last name and it went flying out of my head ;o) Can't you just picture Draco in one of those little kid chairs? I used to do this thing at my school called OM where they give you a problem and money and you have to do a skit... my supervisor was a first grade teacher and we'd have meetings in her room, and we always sat in the little chairs...lol.
Girl-named-Belle: Thanx... and I did too, don't worry.
DracoLuver: Yeah, I know about the Emma Watson thing... I didn't originally name her after her, I just love the name Emilia...it's pronounced Em-ih-lie- uh. I think it's pretty... but then I needed a last name, and I decided I might as well use Watson.
Chia: Lol, sorry!
Kylie Flynn: FF.net does that overload thing a lot... just wait a whle and you should be able to get through. I'm going downhill on Flames... I DID finish it, I just need to type it and blah blah... the point is, nothing more of real interest happens... they fight a few times, go home for summer, that's about it... if I did update, people would be disappointed. Maybe summer will bring forth a little more Flames, but don't expect much until then.
Alexa: Thanx.