I'm extremely worried that I've lost all my reviewers for this story. But it does feel good to be back. So guess who got a laptop for Christmas so they don't have to use their parents old one from the 90's? If you me, congratulations, you get to read this chapter. But now I have to give you the bad news: this is the last chapter of Teddy's Visit. Maybe that's why I put it off for so long...but to make up for the wait, and this being the last chapter, I made it extra super long. Oh, and it also makes references to characters in my other story "Aurors and their Issues". You should read and review that one too *wink wink nudge nudge*.
Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, but I'm flattered you asked.
Draco was tired. Not only had he gotten called in for a last-minute-super-late-super-important meeting at work, but he had been stressing about his slightly unstable wife and the poor little Teddy kid she was watching after. He knew something was going to happen to the boy, he just knew it. And Potter would curse him into the next century if he didn't come back in one shiny piece. But you never know, maybe Tori had actually provided a nice, quiet evening for the 9 year old.
"Ha!" he said out loud bitterly, shaking his head. He absolutely loved the woman, but she was already mental without being pregnant, let alone to the point where she was teetering on the line between pregnant and oh-Merlin-it-looks-like-the-baby's-going-to-pop-out-any-second. He would be happy when this whole pregnancy thing was over with and things were back to normal. "Done!" he said triumphantly, smiling down at the neat stack of papers on his desk. He waved his wand, sending them up in the air and flying out the door...straight into his bosses face.
"What the bloody-Malfoy!" Marlene hissed, batting the persistent stack of paper out of her face. Marlene reminded him of a rather cross garden gnome; all skinny with an absurdly large head balanced on her skinny neck. He tilted his head. If he squinted his eyes, she rather looked like a lumpy potato teetering on top of a collection of toothpicks.
"Malfoy!" He blinked, startled. She glared at him, her blue eyes looking freakishly big behind her thick-lensed glasses.
"What? I'm done, I finished my report; look! There it goes!" he said, waving his hand at the papers that had straightened themselves and were now zooming out of the office. She pursed her lips.
"I noticed," she replied dryly. "But we need you," she stated simply. Draco sighed. He didn't particularly like the woman, but she made a good Unmentionable. You couldn't get any details about anything whatsoever out of her.
"Where?" he stared at his watch. Knowing his co-workers, this would take twice as long as it should, so he wouldn't be seeing see his wife and...nephew? cousin? relative for another two hours.
"The Room that you know," she replied, walking out.
"That doesn't even make any sense!" he called after her.
Teddy had thought for the longest time that Harry knew the most swear words known to man. Then he went with Ron to a Chudley-Cannons match, and he took first place, only to be swiftly replaced by Blaise, whom he had met at the small Ministry get together at the Burrow. Blaise had, well, Teddy couldn't exactly recall what he had done, but it was evidently something stupid that called for a lot of jumping around and swearing.
But it seemed that Slytherins had a, erm, way with words. For the past ten minutes, Astoria had been releasing a steady stream of colorful language that Hermonie would certainly not approve of.
"Burnt himself on the apple cider," he suddenly declared, sniggering at the memory of Blaise taking gulp of flaming hot cider, then proceeding to jump around and drop the cup, spilling it all over himself and his date, Ms. Daphne.
"Say something Teddy?" Astoria whispered, looking over at him. Or he supposed she was looking over at him, the lights were still off. He shook his head.
"Aunt Tori?" he asked tentivley.
"Hmmm?" she said, not really paying attention.
"Why can't you just apparate us back to Malfoy Manor?" she turned to look at him now. Or he guessed she did.
"Well, you see Teddy, you know how we came here because I was craving Chinese food?" he nodded. "Well, we can't leave until I get some," she finished sheepish. He took a deep breath, nearly choking on the sudden smell of spices. Lifting his head slightly, he could smell what was obviously take-out coming from where the men had been last. Sighing deeply, he leaned up against the crate, deciding he might as well get comfortable.
"Settle down Ron," Harry said in what he considered a patient tone of voice. Or at least patient for someone who had been trying to calm down their overly excited friend and partner for the whole time they had been in China.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just we haven't done anything interesting in such a long time! It's all been bloody paperwork! Us, highly trained Aurors, reduced to paperwork! Don't they have people who's job is specifically to fill out our paperwork? I'm pretty sure they do. If they don't, well, they need it. I mean-"
"Ron," Harry said, cutting him off. Ron paused, looking over at him. "Shut up,". Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, then continued to hunch over, the invisibility cloak fluttering around his ankles. He and Ron were trained professionals who were perfectly capable of casting a charm or drinking polyjuice potion to sneak into the warehouse, but Ron had insisted that they revisit the "good old days" and drag out the invisibility cloak. But what Ron and he did not realize until they were already in China and it was too late to change plans was that they had grown taller and wider since the "good old days" and they had to practically crawl just to keep the cloak from flying up around their shoulders.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kimberly leaning up against a wall, dressed in scruffy looking clothes, a piece of cloth concealing her blond hair, snickering as she saw his black shoes and Ron's trademark thick-soled vomit-green trainers with the brown and yellow checked laces (honestly, where had Hermione been when he had purchased those horrid shoes? Naturally, she had an epic breakdown when she saw them, which was only increased by the that, naturally, they were sale items and could not be returned. Three days later she had another break down when she learned that not only was he intending on wearing the dreadful things, but wearing them to the Minister's House. Two hours and one crispy shoelace later, Ron learned to cast fire proof enchantments on them).
A little girl walking next to her mother stopped, wrinkling her forehead as she watched feet with no body hurrying past. She tugged on her mother's sleeve, shrieking something in rapid Chinese. Her mother, thank Merlin, was too preoccupied with the notebook she was reading to look over as Ron and Harry hurried past.
"So let's review," Ron whispered. "We get there, bust in and do some fancy wand work while backup rushes in and helps wrap it all up. Then, after sending them to Temporary Holding Cells to await trial and sending all the dark artifacts back to be looked at by the Ministry, we go back to Malfoy Manor to pick up Teddy," he looked at Harry out of the corner of his eye.
"Er, something like that, yeah," Harry said. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to clear his mind as they rounded the corner and saw the warehouse. They crept toward the door, trying to silence their steps. "On the count of three," he hissed to Ron. "One, two,three!" Suddenly the cloak was thrown off as the door opened with a bang. For a second, everyone looked up like deer in the headlights, eyes big, barley breathing. One particularly unfriendly gentleman was so startled that he dropped the hunk of crystal he had been holding, sending grey powder all over the floor. This seemed to set everyone off as they whipped out their wands, aimed at Harry and Ron.
Ron was dueling a blue-haired wizard who was grinning with gold teeth. Ron sent a red jet of light his way, catapulting him backwards into a table full of delicate looking pottery. Harry sent a curse at a scrawny red-head, hitting him directly in the chest, causing him to let out a particularly unmanly squeal as he whirled around, accidently cursing the one-eyed wizard standing next to him.
"Aha! Take that!" Kimberly cried triumphantly as she turned a long-haired oily-skinned guy into a slug. She cackled, turning around to find another victim. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a short figure and a plump figure (unsuccessfully) hiding behind a table. He whirled around, wand pointed. Then promptly dropped it, having to snatch it out of midair.
"Teddy? Astoria?" He called hoarsely. They both looked up, eyes wide. Teddy's hair was wavering between indigo and red, while Astoria was busy scarfing down take out, having paused with the chopsticks in midair. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he kept his eyes, refusing to blink for fear that they would dissapear. Neither answered, instead Teddy tapping Astoria's shoulder rapidly as she chewed a bite of noodles.
"Was that enough? Are you good now?" he whispered. She didn't answer, instead looking up at Harry, who was slowly making his way towards them.
"What are you two doing in China?" he tugged jerkily at his collar as Aurors continued dueling behind him. He was completely oblivious.
"I thinks he's gone mental," Teddy whispered. Astoria tilted her head.
"Gone mental? Teddy darling, he is mental," she replied. "Now," she said, holding out her hand, "are you ready to go?" Teddy grinned, taking her hand.
"Wait, wait,wait! Hold on! Where do you think you're-" but Harry was cut off as they disappeared. As he choked out random strangled-sounding noises, pointing at where his godson and had been seconds before, he was slammed into the ground.
"Sorry boss!" he heard Norman say in the background. Harry groaned.
"Finally," Draco sighed, not even bothering to go back and straighten up his office before hurrying out of the Ministry, too afraid Marlene would swoop back in and demand his assistance for a simple task that none of the other idiots he worked with could figure out, all while distracting him with her potato-head.
He smiled at the idea of seeing Astoria. Even if she had been mad for the past few months, she was usually in a good mood when he came home. At least for a few minutes anyways.
"So you're sure you saw them?" Ron glanced over at him, biting his lip.
"For the last time, it was definitely them!" Harry snapped, causing Ron to give him a look as if trying to decide whether he was certifiably mental or not.
"Okay, okay, I'm just saying..." he trailed off. Harry glared at him.
"I know what I saw. And I'm going to prove it to you when we go in and they're not there!" Harry proclaimed. They stopped in front of the gates, both tilting back their heads to see the top.
"Um, can I just come in?" Harry asked tentatively. To their surprise, the gates swung open. "Well, that was easy," Harry said as they started up the walkway. "Oh, wait, just you wait! They won't be there, they won't, I know they won't, and then you'll see!" he laughed manically, causing Ron to give him a wary glance. They reached the door, which Harry banged his fist on with a vengeance. Mid-bang, with his fist in the air, it swung open, revealing Astoria.
"Harry! I hope your date went well. Oh, and Weas-Ron! How's Hermione? I heard she's expecting too!" she smiled perkily at them, holding the door open wider. Harry sputtered as Ron barely concealed a laugh. She turned around, motioning for them to follow her as she walked into the living room. "Teddy's in here, he seems to love my and Draco's books, even if they are a tad...eccentric," she called conversationally. "Oh, Teddy dear! Look who's here!" she said brightly. Teddy looked up from his spot on the couch, pushing shaggy bright blue hair out of his silver eyes. Harry resembled a frog with the way his eyes were popping out and his mouth kept opening and closing. Ron couldn't contain his it anymore and burst into gut-wrenching laughter, holding his stomach.
"But, but, you two,"- Harry gestured wildly to Teddy and Astoria-"were in China! In the warehouse! I saw both of you! And you"-his hand waved in Astoria's direction-"were eating takeout!" Her eyebrows had risen up so high they were threatening to climb on top of her skull. "They must have came home in time!" he faced Ron, who was wiping tears out of his eyes, still chuckling. "Didn't you!" he gave a slightly manic laugh as he looked from Teddy to Astoria. "Just admit it, I've caught you!" He beamed, triumphant.
"Harry," Astoria started,"we've been here the whole time," she said slowly. Teddy nodded enthusiastically, causing his hair to flop into his eyes. "Just ask Minnie," as if on cue, a house elf wobbled into the room, still drying a plate.
"Mistress Astoria and Master Teddy were here all night. Minnie made them cherry cobbler," she said, holding up the plate as proof.
"Thank you Minnie," Astoria smiled, nodding at the house elf that walked back out, still drying the plate.
"I don't, no, no, you just told her to say all that!" Harry stared at Ron. "Do you believe a word of this?" he demanded. Ron's eyes darted around uncomfortably.
"Well mate, it um, does smell like cherry cobbler..." he said slowly. At that exact moment,before Harry could start yelling a mix of curses and random syllables, the door opened.
"Tori?" Astoria looked up, her eyes lighting up.
"Draco!" she let out a schoolgirl-like squeal as Draco came in, dropping his suitcase as she threw her arms around him. They then proceeded to snog passionately, snapping Harry out of his breakdown long enough to roll his eyes. Ron was off to the side, an expression of pure disgust on his face as he contemplated why anyone would choose to place their lips on Malfoy the Fer-nope, he couldn't even finish the thought. Teddy continued to read the Italian Vogue he had found, all the while contemplating who on earth would wear that much makeup with that little clothing and think it looked attractive.
"Oh!" Astoria stopped mid-snog, turning around to find Ron and Harry (dragging Teddy) attempting to sneak out the door. A look of deep displeasure took over Malfoy's face as she unwound herself from his arms and went over to where they were.
"Ron," she said, shaking his hand, "Harry," she smirked as she shook his, inwardly cackling at his defeated expression, it seemed he had finally given up. She leaned down as far as she could go to look at Teddy. "Teddy dear, I had an absolutely marvelous time with you, and you really should come back soon," she said. He hugged her tightly, then stepped back.
"I will," he promised solemnly. "And don't forget what I said about the godfather situation," he said seriously. She bit back a smile, nodding.
"I won't," she swore.
As he followed Harry out the door, he turned back around, waving frantically. "Bye Aunt Tori!"
"Tor," Draco stepped near her, his arm sliding around her waist, "are you crying?"
"No, no," she sniffled, blinking rapidly, "I'm perfectly fine. But I could go for pancakes," she said, smirking.
"Okay, I'll just get Minnie to-"
"But I love the way you make them, all fluffy and golden," she whispered, turning around and winding her arms around him. She peered up at him through her eyelashes, biting her lip. He groaned.
"Tor..." her lip quivered. A sniffle. He sighed.
"Alright. For you. And the baby," he said. She squealed with delight, going on tip-toe to kiss him.
The next year, Mrs. Malfoy took her favorite metamorphmagus back to Paris to eat arguably the best crepes ever. The tradition continued, until nine years later, a bright-haired young man came to Malfoy Manor, then took his practically white-haired godson to Paris where, over crepes, the little boy listened wide-eyed at the crazy stories his godfather told him about his mum,and why dating in the Weasley family was a good idea, even if they were a bit mad.
The End.
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