So, first of all I want to apologize for any mistakes that you may find in my stories. I don't have a beta reader and my computer sucks at catching stuff like grammar and I try my best, but I always find something after I've already posted the story. So if you catch something, tell me. And please don't think I'm a bad author because I don't catch stuff like that. I really do try, but I tend to skip over stuff because I'm thinking "Oh, I already looked there, it's fine" and then it ends up being, like, six run-on sentences and verb confusion out the wazoo. Anywho, enjoy!

A Strange Encounter

"Ow!" Balisk snapped at he was thumped directly on the spine rather harshly by his father.

"Sit up straight, Avery." Becker said calmly, smiling graciously at Mrs. Malfoy as she set dinner down on the table.

Balisk bit back his reply of "Eat me, fucker" and kicked Malfoy under the table when he snickered at him.

Had Balisk known that he'd be forced into Sunday dinner with his intolerable second cousin and his family, he would've just stayed at The Burrow.

But nooo…Father insists that he make and maintain connections with his family (even though he hated them—a feeling he knew was returned to the fullest extent).

"Avery, have you done all of your shopping for school?" Narcissa asked as politely as she could manage, smiling tightly at him. Balisk knew she wanted nothing more than to stab him in the eye with a fork. The feeling was mutual.

"No," Balisk said finally, with a little help from his father's dinner knife stabbing his thigh, "I haven't. I planned to do my shopping with—"

"Those blood-traitors you associate yourself with, we all know." Lucius drawled, cutting into whatever expensive meat his wife had made for the evening.

Balisk tilted his head and looked at Lucius. When the older man looked up—though it didn't show in his face—he nearly had a heart attack. Balisk was sending him the most disturbing images from the damned eye of his. Visions of blood…And himself hanging from a tree by…Oh Lord.

Balisk rose calmly, "I'm leaving. You all disgust me. I'd thank you all to die horrible deaths in some earthly crevice somewhere." He walked out of the room, and the mansion. "Accio, broom!"

Balisk boarded his broom and kicked off, headed for one location that he knew would calm all his nerves.

-Hours Later-

"Hey mum, it's Balisk!" Ginny yelled, pointing out the kitchen window excitedly.

"Don't be silly, dear. Balisk is with his…family." The last word was rather forced than said from Molly. Not that those buggers were ever the family Balisk needed. She thought ruefully.

"No, it's really him! He's on his broomstick!"

Molly raised an eyebrow and looked out of the same window. Sure enough, Balisk was landing his broom unsteadily on the ground. He stumbled slightly, catching himself before he could fall.

"You know, Mum, as many times as I've seen Balisk stumble, I've never seen him fall before." Ginny said, "Do you think it has something to do with his inheritance?"

"Most likely. Lord knows he didn't learn that kind of grace from this family. Now go get your brothers, breakfast is almost ready."

As Ginny ran upstairs, Balisk stumbled through the door and grinned at Molly.

"Hey, Mum. How're you doing?" Balisk grinned at Molly, whom leaned down (not that she had to anymore) and tapped her cheek. Balisk laughed slightly before kissing her on the cheek and grinning again.

"I'm fine dear. Are you hungry?" Molly motioned to the food cooking itself on the stove.

"For your cooking? Constantly." Balisk answered, placing a hand on his stomach and pouting. Molly smiled sweetly.

Then Ron had to enter noisily and ruin the whole thing.

"Shh! I told you, they could still be—"

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Molly exploded, rushing to her son. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Balisk sighed and tuned out the conversation as he tended to the food that Molly had abandoned. He began setting the table and by the time Molly had calmed down enough to allow her 'horrible little creatures' to eat, he'd already completed it.

"Oh, hi Harry." Balisk grinned at him. Harry smiled tentatively back, still not completely comfortable around the other boy.

"BALISK!" Suddenly, Balisk found himself struggling to breathe as the twins tried their best to hug the life from him.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Boys, let go of Balisk, you're choking him." Molly said, swatting Fred (George? Only Balisk could tell…) with a wooden spoon.

"Ow, okay mum." Fred (…The one that got hit…) turned back to his friend and grinned, "We missed you!"

They both brought him aside slightly, "The latest information on that thing we've been working on is that we've ran into a bit of a snag, but we think you'll be able to fix it."

"Yeah, sure, Freddie—" (All right, so it was Fred) "—But what of that thing that we ordered? Did it arrive?"

"Not yet, but we're expecting it any day now." Fred assured him.

"Boys! Enough plotting, it's breakfast!" Molly insisted, pushing all three boys into their seats.

"Welcome home," George and Fred winked at Balisk before turning their attention to their food.

Balisk smirked.

Welcome home indeed.

Balisk smirked and turned to his own food, already planning things to do with his friends not that he was free from his insufferable family.

Hm. I think the first device should be saved for when school is back in session. The second, well I haven't given Ron a birthday present in a while…huhuhu….

"Balisk, darling, eat something. You're so thin." Molly insisted, almost spooning the food into his mouth. Balisk kicked Percy under the table and pushed the spoon away from his mouth.

"I can feed myself, Mum." Balisk chuckled, beginning to eat while the table fell into a comfortable silence.

Well, for most it was comfortable. Balisk noticed that Harry had begun to twitch around uncomfortably.

Balisk smiled at him from across the table, but said nothing until dinner was over.

"Hey, Ron," Balisk said, slinging an arm around Harry. "Mind if I borrow him?"

Ron raised a suspicious eyebrow and looked at his friend, who merely shrugged.

"Fantastic! Come along, Harry." Balisk pulled Harry up the stairs to his and the twins' (whom were out preparing Ron's 'birthday present') room.

Balisk kneeled in front of his own bed and lifted up a loose floorboard. Pulling out a package, he handed it to Harry.

"Merry Birthday," He stated.

Harry looked a bit confused before he opened the package.

"…Muggle candy?"

"Yeah," Balisk shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ana's big on muggle stuff—drives Becker up the wall. She doesn't know I steal from her stash. Fred and George and their older brother Charlie are pretty much addicted to the stuff."

"Why are you showing me this?" Harry asked, brandishing the package gently for emphasis.

Balisk laughed lyrically, "I'm not showing it to you, kid. I'm giving it to you. Welcome to the family."

With that, Balisk patted Harry on the head and left the room.

*Break*

So? I know, it was a lame chapter, but I couldn't think of any other way to get the story line through the summer. D: It annoys me how uncomfortable huge time jumps make me.

I had a picture of Balisk, but my computer's being a bitch, so…yeah.

Well, Auntie Riddle is off to spread more gayness throughout the lands *flies away on a rainbow*