(J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter!)
*Title of this song comes from 'Bleeding Out' by the Imagine Dragons! It's great!
**Thanks for reading and leave a review please! :)
"Holden, must you sing so loudly?" I question, laying on the edge of his bed. He insists on bringing the wireless in the bathroom with him while he showers. I don't think I'd object if he wasn't such a terrible singer.
"I must," Holden shouts back. The shower water stops running, amplifying his voice. It makes me cringe.
"Could you at least be on key, then?" I request politely.
"If I'm kind enough to serenade you, Belle, the least you could do is appreciate it," Holden tells me irritably.
"Believe me, I'm trying. I really am."
Holden opens the door, towelling off his hair. "Quit checking me out..." He mutters, smirking.
"I'm at perfect liberty to ogle you in all your shirtless glory if I want," I inform Holden.
"You little minx," Holden mutters. He leans forward to kiss me, and I'm fully prepared for it, until he unexpectedly tuns around. "I used to love this song..." So much for snogging.
Holden backs away from me and starts dancing quite terribly off-beat. Merlin, he wasn't blessed with any sort of rhythm.
"You're such a bad dancer," I tell him, shaking my head. Still, somehow, I can't help but smile.
"I know. You can't let me look ridiculous all by myself," Holden informs me.
"It's just you and I. I won't tell anyone," I assure him.
Holden grabs my hands and pulls me up, lacing his fingers through mine. "What are you doing?" I question hesitantly.
"Dancing with my lovely girlfriend," Holden answers, giving me that adorably dumb expression of his. He looks into my eyes for a while, and I enjoy being met with the contented expression in them. I haven't seen it a lot lately.
"You can't really dance to this music," I tell Holden. Be that as it may, he sure is trying.
"Well, obviously none of that ballroom rubbish," Holden agrees, rolling his eyes at the thought of it. "But we're not doing that."
"What exactly are we doing?"
Holden shrugs. "Dunno. That's what's fun about it." He takes my hand and spins me around, then brings me flush against his chest. I grin at Holden. This moment reminds me of the time Astoria hosted a ball at the Manor, and I invited Holden to be my date. That night was the first time he kissed me, and it was one of the best nights of my entire life. Even though we barely knew each other, I was sure in that moment that I felt something special for him. I wasn't wrong.
"Seven years and you still haven't become a better dancer," I tell Holden, smiling still. He smiles back and gives me a kiss, drawing it out as long as he possibly can.
"I'll be better at our wedding," He informs me nonchalantly.
I look up at him, knowing I must have misheard. "Did you just say...?"
Holden nods. "Yep." Before I can hold it in, I burst out laughing. Holden must be utterly insane. "What's funny about that?" He asks.
"You think we're going to get married?" I question, trying to tone down my grin.
"Someday, obviously," Holden answers truthfully. "Why don't you think I'm serious?"
"Oh, I believe you're one-hundred percent serious. It's just that... you can't marry me," I tell Holden, still feeling a pang of shock in my chest. The thought of marrying Holden never occurred to me. It's a little surprising to think that it was on his mind, though.
Holden's dark eyebrows knit together. "I can't? Why's that?" he asks.
"Because I won't let you. Why would you want to marry me anyway?"
"I love you, Isobelle," Holden answers, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"You don't have to marry me to prove that. I know that you love me," I tell Holden, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze. "Getting married isn't all it seems."
Holden frowns. "What do you mean?" I know he's a bit upset, but he won't outright say anything.
"Marriages just put strain on relationships. We're perfectly happy now, we don't have to do anything to change that. Besides, a lot of marriages end in divorce," I remind Holden.
"Well, a lot of them don't," he counters, giving me a wary look. "And why does that even matter? Do you think we're going to break up?"
"No, I don't think that! Look, this is stupid-"
"It's not stupid. What's going on with you?"
"Nothing's going on, I just don't want to marry you. Plain and simple," I answer.
Holden looks at me odd. I really don't understand what his fascination with marriage is. Isn't the woman supposed to be obsessed with getting married? I for one, have no interest. "Glad to know where we stand," he mutters sarcastically.
"You know that I have enough on my mind, and I'm not in any sort of mood to put a wedding on top of that. Thanks for understanding," I mutter.
"Understanding? That's all I ever do is 'understand' you!" Holden reminds me, raising his voice slightly. I don't want to argue with him over something so trivial, but it's obviously very important to him. Too important, I might add.
"You knew what you were getting into when you started dating me. I reminded you constantly!" I argue back, stepping away from Holden. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. If we're arguing about getting married, the actual thing is going to be ten times worse."
"Don't blame me for this! God, Belle, don't you get it? You're so hung up on everything else that we can't even have a proper relationship anymore! You're always crying, or drinking, or yelling... and I'm the one who has to deal with it. You're clingy. I love you, but you're getting-"
"I'm getting what, Holden? Are you getting tired of me? Is that it? Or am I just annoying you? If I'm so damn clingy, why the hell do you want to marry me, then? If you wanted a normal relationship, you should have gotten with a normal person!" I yell back. "You knew that!"
"That doesn't make it any less frustrating!"
I sigh and put my hand on my forehead. "You just don't get it, do you? You see, this is why I talk to Teddy about these sorts of things..."
Holden gives me a look he never has before. I know he's terribly angry at me, and I don't think it's only because of a wedding. "Then if you can talk to Teddy so much better than you can talk to me, maybe you should marry him!" Holden shouts.
I glare at Holden. It isn't as effective considering I have to crane my neck a bit to look at him. He doesn't even realize how foul that statement is, or what it means to me. "What did you say?" I demand. I heard Holden perfectly fine, but I'm giving him a chance to correct himself before he regrets it.
"Belle, you heard me. You're always talking about how terrible your life is at home, and now you have the chance to get away from it. No one's making you stay there."
"I don't have to stay here, either," I retort, turning and walking away from Holden. I grab my wand from the bedside table and stomp out of the bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Holden questions, following me.
"I'm getting my shoes and my cloak, and I'm leaving," I answer, not turning around. Holden grabs my arm. "Let me go. Don't bother me right now."
"So you're going to get mad at me and just leave?"
"What in Merlin's name else should I do, Holden? You obviously don't care enough anymore to try and sympathize with me about any of this! I refuse to marry you, and you get angry and deny me any sort of explanation? I love you! You think I don't want to marry you just because? I have a reason why! I have four younger siblings!" I remind Holden, raising my voice.
"Well, I have a sister," Holden points out, blatantly unaware of what that has to do with anything.
"Yes, well you and Grace got a hell of a lot better of a life than I did! You knew who both your parents were! My brothers and sisters need me to understand them! I can't just up and leave, Holden! I can't put myself in a situation I'm not ready for!" I tell him.
"What do you mean 'not ready'? We've been together for a while now," Holden says, looking confused. Does he honestly believe the amount of time he's been with me means I'm any more ready to get married?
"That doesn't mean I'm in any place to marry you! Look at me, Holden. I've got absolutely nothing going for myself! You know what my parents say, and you know what your parents say, too! For Merlin's sake, your father hates me!" Holden's father and I don't really get along too well. It isn't that we ever argue, because he doesn't even speak to me. His dislike for me is apparent in his face, and Holden always has to force him to be civil toward me.
"Your dad hates me, too!" Holden points out indignantly. "And he's more upfront about it! I haven't complained once!"
"At least it's because he doesn't want you to hurt me! My dad doesn't think you're a bad person at all! He's just protective of me! Your father hates me because of who I am!" I argue back.
"He does not! My family doesn't hate people because of such petty differences! It's archaic and backwards!" Holden jeers.
I shake my arm free of Holden's grasp. I know that's meant to be a comment about my family. Those things are only okay when I say them, or at least someone who knows the first thing about their own damned family. "I wouldn't be so quick to say anything if I were you! Your family is just as bad as mine!"
Holden looks as if he wants to laugh. "That's really funny, Belle! That's hilarious, actually! How the hell is my family anything like yours?"
"Your father was a Death Eater, too!" I scream. Holden's face goes slack and he stares at me blankly. It takes me a second to realize what I've just said. Holden looks like he's just been slapped across the face. I can tell that he thinks I'm lying, but who would call someone a Death Eater out of the blue?
"What are you talking about?" Holden demands. I don't even feel like I can answer him, I'm so shocked with myself. Seven years and I haven't even thought of saying anything, and now I get angry over something at stupid as a wedding and blurt that out?
"I... I..." I stammer, backing away from Holden. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. No matter how upset I am, I would never want to hurt him.
Holden rolls his eyes. "Don't do that now! Tell me what you just said!" He yells, his eyes boring into mine.
"I... I h-have to go..." I cry, stepping back some more. Holden reaches for me again, and I can't help but disapparate before he makes contact. I know I can't explain myself to him, and I'm upset at the thought that I may have just permanently ruined Holden's relationship with his father. Hopefully, I didn't ruin my relationship with him as well.
When I get home, I try to run upstairs quickly so that no one sees I'm upset. I'm sure they've got enough on their plates what with Astoria being back, and I wouldn't want to add to that.
"Isobelle?" Mum asks quietly, sticking her head out of the sitting room door. "Are you alright?" I can't hold it in. I shake my head, biting back tears. "What's wrong?" Mum waves me over.
"Holden and I got into a fight," I answer, my voice coming out as a whisper.
"About what?" I look over to see Dad sitting on the sofa, reading the Prophet. This is just bloody great.
"He said he wanted to marry me," I answer, taking a seat. Mum and Dad share a confused look. Dad seems to be a bit angry.
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Mum questions hesitantly. Merlin, if only she knew.
I shake my head. "I told him no," I respond, suddenly taking quite an interest in my shoes.
Mum furrows her eyebrows. "Why did you do that?" She asks, looking bewildered.
"Because she's finally gone and got some sense, Hermione. She's only twenty-one," Dad reminds Mum. I can tell by the tone of Dad's voice that they were having a serious talk before I interfered. I'm sure some arguing was involved.
"I don't think he meant right away," I tell Dad hurriedly. "He meant someday, but naturally, I had to go and open my large mouth and ruin everything." I bury my face in my hands. I can't stop thinking about it. How could I have said such a thing to Holden, or even lost control for that matter?
"What did you ruin?" Mum questions.
"Probably the idea of Holden wanting to speak to me for a while," I mutter, shaking my head.
"How did you do that?"
"'Toldimhisdaswasadeatheater..." I mutter in one long breath.
"You did what?" Dad questions. I can feel his heavy gaze on my back.
"I told Holden his father was a Death Eater," I say louder, and much slower. It pains me to hear myself admit that, and it hurts a lot more to think that I actually did it.
Mum looks absolutely appalled. "Isobelle, why would you lie to Holden like that? No matter how angry you are, you can't just make up things like that! You don't know how seriously Holden might take you!" She says. I only wish I'd made it up.
By the expression on Dad's face, it appears that he wants to choke me. "She isn't lying, Hermione," Dad says, giving me a terrible glare. "How could you tell him that? Isobelle, what did I say to you?"
"I didn't mean to say anything! I was angry, and I-"
"And you had to say the first thing that came to mind? Isobelle, I trust you could have been more mature than that!" Dad shouts. "And now, I suppose I'll have to deal with Holden's father, now won't I? He'll probably be wondering the hell you even knew!"
"You'll have to tell him the truth then, won't you? I don't know why he'd be so shocked to hear it!" I retort.
"Don't take this out on me, Isobelle! Perhaps if you knew how to think before you spoke, you wouldn't be in this predicament!" I turn away from Dad. I'm already upset enough on my own, he doesn't need to make it worse.
"Draco, don't yell at her," Mum says quietly. "What exactly is going on?"
I can tell by the silence hanging in the air that Mum's question is directed toward me. "We got into an argument," I answer.
"I've gathered that much already. Would you like to elaborate?" I can tell that it isn't really an offer.
"I told Holden I wouldn't ever want to marry him, I didn't see any sort of point in it. He got upset about it, because if I don't want to marry him, that apparently means that I don't love him either. And then I pointed out that his father doesn't like me, and then he reminded me that you don't like him either. He thinks it's because or blood or whatever an dI knew that wasn't true and I sort of- said it," I explain.
"Holden's father was a Death Eater?" Mum questions, looking appalled. Dad and I nod. "Draco, you never told-"
"It wasn't my business to tell. Nor was it Isobelle's," Dad replies begrudgingly, giving me a scathing glance.
Mum crosses her arms and begins pacing the length of the room. "I think it is your business, as my husband, to tell me when Isobelle's dating the son of a former Death Eater! I believe I should know that," Mum says, giving Dad a steely gaze. I can tell that they aren't on such good terms with each other right now.
"It isn't my business as Isobelle's father to tell you anything like that? Besides, I was a Death Eater myself, Hermione! You can't believe William would be of any danger to her, when she's living with me just as well!" Dad argues, glaring at Mum.
Mum stops pacing and stares at Dad. "Draco, you know that isn't what I mean! I believe that there are some things I should just know! Like how, apparently, Astoria is back in the picture! It would have been nice of you to mention that aspect!" Mum reminds Dad, stepping closer to him. I know she has the right to be furious about not knowing, but does she really have to argue with him about it? Mum and Dad have the absolute worst arguments that involve shouting and wild hand-waving and slamming doors, and only-speaking-when-the-children-are-around for days. The thing is, they have no qualms over arguing right in front of me.
"My apologies, Hermione! I believe I had time to figure out what to say to you! I had no idea she was going to be stepping into our home yesterday!" Dad says defensively.
"That doesn't matter! You should have told me the instant you knew there was even a possibility of it happening! You know what kind of woman Astoria is, she has to be prepared for!"
"Merlin, Hermione! You say that as if she's some bloody test! Not everything can be prepared for! Some things just happen, and that's the way it is!"
"Stop it, both of you!" I say finally, getting thoroughly fed up. I've had it with arguments for the day. "Holden's already upset with me, and I don't need the two of you arguing as well! Mum, Dad didn't tell you Holden's father was a Death Eater because no one was supposed to know! He just told me, and I haven't told anyone else. I wasn't supposed to tell Holden. I wasn't supposed to mess things up..."
Mum sighs and gives Dad an apologetic look. I suppose they silently agree that they can put their arguing aside for a while if it means just listening to me. "Isobelle, I highly doubt Holden could have said anything to make you that angry, is it something else?" She asks gently.
I shake my head. "No, it's exactly that. You don't know what it feels like to be accused of not loving someone enough!"
"I don't know what that feels like?" Mum questions acerbically, raising an eyebrow at me. It's odd, because I know I make the exact face so many times. I'd forgotten about her divorce from Ron. From how he acted around me, I could easily tell that he really was terrible for her. Ron was possessive and rude. Mum's a lot of things, but she isn't either of those.
"I'm sorry. But you don't understand how much I love Holden. I do everything I possibly can to make things work between us! And then he said... he..."
"He what?" Dad questions dangerously, leaning forward. I hate relaying our conversation to anyone else, but I'm really speaking to Mum more than I am Dad.
"He said he doesn't like my behavior. Like how I'm always upset about things, and that's why we can't have a normal relationship," I say dismally.
Mum purses her lips, and I can tell she's trying to make light of this. Dad, on the other hand, is absolutely infuriated. "He has no right to tell you how to act! You see, I knew it, Hermione! I knew it from the beginning that that boy-"
"Dad!" I say quickly. "We were arguing! You know I didn't mean to be upset at him and he didn't mean to be upset at me, either! He loves me Dad, he really does."
"Isobelle, someone who loves you doesn't blame the problems in your relationship on just you. It doesn't happen," Dad informs me coolly.
I know Holden's angry at me, but thinking about it, I sort of riled him up, so I sort of feel the need to defend him. Maybe, if things were different, I would have been just as hurt if Holden said he had no intention of marrying me. "Well, Dad, you and Mum are always saying that I'm irresponsible and I'm always doing things I shouldn't. Maybe if you're sick of dealing with it, Holden is too? Or maybe it's not just that, he has to comfort me all the time, and I'm sure he has bad days, too, but he has to put all that aside. That isn't really fair," I say thoughtfully.
Mum and Dad glance at each other, then at me. "It isn't your job to rationalize his behavior," Mum tells me. I know it's hard for her to say, because she and Holden are very close. She's known him a lot longer than she's known me.
"But I know Holden loves me. He just wants to make me aware, but he keeps all those things pent up inside him and then he just sort of lets it all out. I egged him on a bit, really, I did. You know how much Holden and I mean to each other, I couldn't possibly live without him-"
"Isobelle, that isn't true. I don't ever want to hear that again," Dad says firmly. "About anyone. Especially someone who believes it acceptable to speak to you that way."
"You and Mum say the same things to me," I point out.
"We're your parents," Dad reminds me.
"I know that, but Holden's just as important. Besides, how would you feel if someone told you that they didn't want to marry you? I'm thinking it over, and maybe I was wrong to Holden..."
"If you aren't ready to marry him, then you shouldn't change your mind because you feel pressured," Mum advises. I know I'm not in any place to get married, I'm just thinking I could have handled the situation a different way.
"I don't feel pressured. But I know Holden loves me, and I feel terrible that maybe he doesn't think I feel the exact same way."
Dad shakes his head. "Well, no one can make up your mind but you. If that's honestly how you feel, there's nothing I can do about that." I know that he's frustrated with me, but I wish he would just understand. I've faced so many issues with my parents, and it just seems as if Holden was always there for me. It seems as if we've been separating just a bit lately, and I can't bear the thought of something like that being permanent. Who else would love me?
"You two just don't understand," I tell Mum and Dad, standing up.
"What don't we understand, Isobelle?" Mum questions.
"You should be happy that we're 'actually defending you for once', as you so often put it," Dad mutters.
"You shouldn't be defending me about this. We've only had a few arguments, you and Mum argue all the time. You're acting as if Holden's beating me or something!"
"A few?" Mum questions, looking at me dubiously. "Isobelle-"
"Just forget it," I mutter. "You two have other things to deal with. You don't understand how much Holden loves me." Mum and Dad must think that the way Holden loves me is the same way that they love me. They're wrong. It's very different. At least it is to me.
I feel absolutely terrible about pushing my problems onto Teddy, but I need someone else to talk to. I don't think Teddy would ever have the nerve to call me clingy or say any of the things to me that Holden did. I know Holden didn't mean to hurt me, but he did. I can't let my parents know that.
"Hey, Isobelle... what's wrong?" Teddy asks, giving me a look of concern when he takes in my expression.
"It's Holden," I say quietly.
"Teddy, who's at the-" Victoire walks into the living room and frowns slightly when she sees me. Ever since we've met, Victoire and I haven't been on the best of terms. It even escalated to violence once. "Oh, er... hi, Isobelle."
"Hello, Victoire," I reply as civilly as I can manage. I turn to Teddy. "I didn't know Victoire was over. I didn't mean to interrupt-"
"It's okay. I was just leaving," Victoire tells me, giving Teddy a look. "I need to go anyway, love. Apparently, Louis has gotten himself into some sort of trouble." Victoire gives Teddy a quick kiss before disapparating. She doesn't so much as glance in my direction.
"I'm sorry, Teddy, I really am," I apologize. It seems that I've got the most terrible timing.
Teddy shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. What's up with Holden?"
"I told him about his father," I blurt out.
Teddy's eyes widen in shock. "No, Belle, you didn't..."
"I did," I nod sadly. "We got in a huge argument, and we both said some pretty terrible things to each other. You know how it's been."
Teddy runs his hand through his turquoise hair. "Erm... sit," he tells me. "Now, how exactly did this come about?"
I sigh. "Well, apparently Holden's got it somewhere in his head that we're going to be married. He told me he wanted to marry me."
Teddy's eyebrows wrinkle. "You told him no, didn't you?" He guesses.
"Yes, I- I was surprised, I didn't think that Holden would ever want to marry me. I certainly never thought of being married. And when I told him that, he got really upset. He told me that if I didn't want to marry him, that meant I thought we were going to break up. But that isn't true, Teddy, you know that isn't true."
Teddy nods understandingly. "I know that's not true," He confirms. "But how did that lead to you saying what you said?"
"I told him it was stupid for us to be arguing about marriage, and he got angry over that. And then I told him that wasn't being understanding. He told me that he gets frustrated with me because we can't have a normal relationship and I'm 'clingy'. I told Holden that you understand me a lot more than he does, and he suggested that I marry you instead."
Teddy's head snaps up. "Did you say anything?" He questions.
"No," I assure him. "I didn't mention it. But things went back and forth for a while, he made a comment about my family, and then I sort of just, said it," I explain. "The look on Holden's face, it was just terrible. I hate myself for saying it."
Teddy's silent for a long while. I don't know if he's upset with me for not keeping my mouth shut, or if he's just trying to think of something to say. It must be hard on him when Holden and I argue. Teddy's been best friends with Holden most of his life, and I'm his cousin. He's caught in the middle. "Don't be mad at yourself. You were angry, and Holden said some things to you, too," Teddy tells me.
"But they're true, I guess that's why I was so upset," I admit.
"You're not clingy," Teddy assures me. "You just love Holden, and you've never been with anyone else." Exactly.
"Is that bad?" I ask self-consciously. I've always known that most women don't stay with their first boyfriends for the rest of their lives, but I've never given it any kind of thought. Holden and I can't possibly be growing apart. No, we just had a silly argument. He still loves me. I know I still love him.
Teddy shakes his head. "No, of course not," he assures me.
Teddy and I look at each other for a while. Finally, I burst into an uncontrollable fit of tears. I don't feel as bad about crying in front of Teddy as I do Holden. Teddy doesn't seem to mind it. But then again, since Teddy's been around people who have lost so much, and he's lost so much himself, he knows exactly what heartbreak feels like. Sometimes, I think that's the biggest difference between Holden and I. He's never known how to be without anything. Teddy pulls me closer to him in a hug. I put my head on his shoulder and cry some more, until I feel better.
"Why can't he be a bit more like you?" I ask quietly, sniffling. "Holden, I mean."
Teddy encouragingly puts his hand on my upper arm. "Belle, you love Holden the way he is. You know that."
I know that's true, but everyone has their less-than-desirable qualities. "I know I love him. But there are some qualities that I absolutely love in you, too," I tell Teddy. "You're understanding, and you know what it's like to go through hard things. And you never lose your temper with me."
Teddy glances at me thoughtfully. "Holden knows, too. I think sometimes, he just has a harder time showing it. But you know he can be understanding when he really needs to be," Teddy reminds me. I couldn't possibly ever admit it, but sometimes, I resent Victoire for being able to be so close to Teddy. In my opinion, she doesn't even deserve him.
"I suppose. Teddy, do you think Holden's starting to grow tired of me?" I question quietly.
Teddy moistens his lips. "If he wants to marry you, then I wouldn't think so."
Teddy makes a good point, but I don't know why I'm not exactly convinced. "You're right, but it seems as if he always has to deal with my family's problems. I didn't even tell him about Astoria," I realize. That would have just been another issue of mine that Holden would have had to listen to.
"How did that go?" Teddy questions.
If I wasn't in such a terrible mood, I would laugh. Does he really need to ask? "Astoria's still a manipulative bitch like she always was. She's got it in her head that she still has every right to be Scorpius' mother. The thing is, she's super sweet to him, and Scorpius loves her," I huff, rolling my eyes. For the past two days, Scorpius has talked on and on about Astoria. I've been thinking about sticking pins in my ears, rather than having to listen to him anymore.
"Has she spoken to you yet?" Teddy asks.
"Yeah. That's how I know she hasn't changed. She was just as nasty to me as she's always been. But in front of everyone else, she suddenly got nicer, if it can even be called that. I'm not buying it, though. I know she's putting on a face for Scorpius. I know that much," I answer.
Teddy gives me a look. "You don't think she cares about Scorpius?"
I shake my head. "I think Astoria loved Dad at one point, but I don't think she ever loved Scorpius. She just had him because our family needed an heir," I say. It saddens me to admit that, but it's the truth. From a young age, I knew there was something about the way Astoria was always so distant from Scorpius. Even though I didn't have a mother of my own to go off of, I still knew that was wrong.
"Poor guy," Teddy mutters sympathetically. Actually, Scorpius has never known how Astoria really feels. Other than they day she left, which Scorpius doesn't even remember, she's never gone outright and said she didn't want him. When he was five, Scorpius was too young to understand any of Astoria's underhanded comments toward him. "How's Rose about all this?"
"Rose? I don't know, she hasn't really said anything about it. She seems to think Astoria is alright enough. But I think she's anxious to meet Ron again, more anxious than Hugo. He gets on with Dad too well," I answer. Oddly enough, Dad and Ron couldn't stand each other, and Mum says Hugo is so much like Ron. Hugo's a lot nicer, though.
"And Nina?" Teddy asks finally. "I swear, she's got more energy than Fred and Roxanne ever had combined." Fred and Roxanne are Hugo, Nina, and Rose's cousins. I only met them once, and I must say, they were energetic little buggers, the both of them. I think they're only a year or two older than Rose. I can't be sure, though, I only met the extended Weasley family once. When Mum divorced Ron and married Dad, all of them stopped speaking to her, except for Uncle Harry's family. It must have been torture for Rose to see some of them at school. I hope they weren't nasty to her.
"I don't know what she really thinks about all this. You know, she's got better things to worry about like princesses and faeries, and whatnot," I reply, smiling in spite of myself. Teddy chuckles quietly.
"What I wouldn't give to be that age again," he says longingly. I couldn't agree more. Age six was probably the last year of my life that I fully enjoyed.
One thing did really bother me about Astoria, though: The way she asked about Nina's age, as if it meant something to her. I lost an entire night of sleep trying to think of it, and I finally came to a conclusion that I'm sure my parents haven't even thought of yet. Mum got pregnant with her by Ron about seven years ago, while they were still married. Ron and Mum divorced before Dad and Astoria did. So that would mean for Nina to really be Dad's he would have had to cheat on Astoria. I know Astoria isn't going to step up and say anything about it, though. Being the snake she is, she's going to find a way to hold it over Dad as some kind of leverage. I wouldn't expect anything different.
"What is it?" Teddy questions, noticing the thought in my eyes. I decide not to worry him anymore. Besides, he doesn't know the truth about Nina.
"It's nothing," I say to Teddy, leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for being here for me."
(A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! So yeah, I think that Holden would secretly be a bit frustrated with Belle. No matter how understanding, I feel like that would happen. And Teddy's honestly in a better place to understand Belle than he is. I think they're close on a different level than Belle and Holden are. Surprisingly, so one picked up on the thing about when Hermione got pregnant with Nina, and I thought a lot of you would point that out. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! Let's get to 100 :)