Written By: xxPyRaxx
Disclaimer: posted in the second chapter.
Warning: I changed the overall rating of the story to T+ because of the mentioned child abuse and rape in this chapter. If those subjects offend you in ANY way than don't read, but it does hold key information for the way Magnolia acts and responds to others.
"Don't Marry Me"
Verse 5:
My Uncle is a big whale,
And my Aunt is skinny as a tree.
If you want to have attractive children,
Baby, Don't marry me.
Chapter Five
~.~
If You Want Attractive Children
Christmas day was drawing nearer and nearer. Snow had dominated every inch of the ground, the cold air nipped at bare flesh and ice laid hidden underneath the blankets of snow; waiting for wizards and witches alike to mistake it for snow and slip on them. At the small Potter household (occupied by Magnolia and Cass, not Harry and his family), the large fresh green pine tree has been decorated since the beginning of December with beautiful decorations; bright netted Christmas tree lights, shinny solid red Christmas balls, frosted looking white Christmas ornaments of both ball shaped and tear-drop shaped, real red and white stripped candy canes and on top stood a realistic looking Santa Clause tree topper that Cassiopeia had picked out years before. On top of the mantel of the fireplace, hung a realistic fake pine garland that had the same lights through it as the Christmas tree and small bows and three Christmas stockings with a name written on each one; Magnolia, Cassiopeia, and the recently added one: Draco. Twisting around the stair banisters were the same garland as the fireplace. Throughout the whole house, the smell of fresh pine and the aroma of Christmas cookies filled the air. Outside of the front door hung a fresh green pine Christmas wreath that was decorated the same as the tree inside. Accompanying the wreath outside, was the three snow-wizards that Cass and Draco had built a few weeks before.
As agreed weeks before, Magnolia would explain why she acted the way she did when he caught her singing to Draco. To do that, she gathered up the courage to go back to the house where she was raised. Maggie didn't want to send Cassiopeia to Harry's, since she knew that he had a life of his own and his job wasn't too look after her daughter (even though he kept insisting that he didn't mind). Instead, Cassi would be staying with a babysitter for a few hours. Her first time with a babysitter who wasn't a relative.
Inside the small house, it was a quiet evening. Dinner has been served hours before: roasted turkey with garlic and herb mashed potatoes, lemon seasoned green beans, a sliced onion and carrots dish, warmed buns and either milk or water to drink. Draco had stayed for dinner, like he frequently has in the past, and helped prepare the marvellous meal. It was also a quiet affair, conversation did not fill the table even though Cassiopeia tried to make them interested in what she had planned to do with the babysitter. As hard as she tried, Magnolia's attention was not on her daughter nor the activities she planned, instead her thoughts were on what was going on while the babysitter was looking after Cassi.
"-Momma?"
The sound of her daughter's soft voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Her eyes left the spot on the plate where she was starring as her thoughts took her away from the present.
"I'm sorry Cassi, what were you saying?" Maggie asked her as she looked at her daughter who sat across from her at the table.
"I asked if you thought my babysitter —even thought I'm not a baby- would like me to draw pictures, like I draw for you".
"I love the pictures that you draw me and I think your babysitter would like your pictures too."
"Are you okay Momma?" Cassi asked her mother with concern clearly written upon her young childish face.
Maggie gave Cassi a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "I'm fine Cassi. Finish your beans".
"But I don't like beans" the girl whined as she used her fork to stab at the beans still left on her plate.
"I know you like green beans, so nice try".
"Not these ones", Cassi responded as she kept stabbing the beans even though the prongs on the fork were full of beans, "These ones taste funny".
"It's lemon" Draco injected into the conversation.
"Lemon? Like lemon-aid? Yuck! I hate lemon-aid. Momma, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine Cassi, really".
"Okay Momma, if you say so. When will the babysitter get here? Do I have time to draw her a picture?"
"Yes, she'll be here an hour after dinner. That should give you plenty of time to draw" Draco answered.
"Okay" Cassi beamed at the answer and went back to the food on the plate, but did her best to avoid the green beans.
The babysitter seemed kind and gentle. The minute Magnolia opened the front door, she was greeted by a smile and an enthusiastic greeting. Since Draco accompanied Maggie to the front door and stood slightly behind her, he opened the door wider to allow the temporary babysitter to step inside. Once she was inside, Draco closed the door behind the babysitter.
"Hi, I'm Kitty" the babysitter introduced herself with her hand held out for them to shake it.
"Hi" Draco greeted back since all Maggie did was giving her a small smile that looked like a wince, "I'm Draco and this is Magnolia, Cassiopeia's mother".
"What beautiful names" Kitty complimented, "I would love to name my children those names. They are so unique".
"Um...thank you" Maggie responded after a second.
"Cassi is in the living room" Draco spoke up, "She's been excited about playing with you".
"Oh, thank you Mr. Potter" Kitty thanked.
"It's Malfoy" he corrected before Maggie could.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you and Miss Potter were married".
"Not yet" Draco answered with a smile and slung an arm around the back of Maggie's waist, "But I'm working on it".
Without thinking, Maggie lowered her right hand so it rested upon his which was on her waist and looked behind her, into his eyes, to reply, "We'll see".
"Where is the living room?" Kitty asked as she smiled at the loving interaction between the two people in front of her.
"Down the hall and to your right" Maggie informed after she looked away from Draco.
With a nod in thanks, Kitty made her way towards the child she would be looking after for the next hours.
Once Kitty was out of ear shot, Maggie turned towards her boyfriend.
"Are you sure we should leave Cassi with her. I mean, we could wait until Harry is free again".
"Mag, she'll be fine" Draco tried to reassure the young mother.
"What if something happens?"
"What could happen in a few hours?"
"A bugler could break in. A fire could start. Cassi could chock on something-" Maggie listed as she counted each situation fingers of a hand.
Draco chuckled, "Mag, you need to relax. None of that is going to happen".
"How do you know?" she accused.
"I don't but if it would make you feel better than I can place protection spells and charms on the house".
"It would. But are you sure that this Kitty, is good enough to look after my Cassi? I mean, she could be a psychotic killer for all we know".
"Mag, she's just a teenager. Besides, I did a little background check on her at the Ministry and she's just a Muggle. A Muggle teenager. Not a killer or anything else you can come out with. Trust me".
"But-" Maggie began again but stopped when Draco covered her mouth with a hand.
"Kitty will look after Cassi. We are going out so let's go get out coat and stuff on".
Draco than slid his hand away from her mouth but his lips quickly replaced it for a kiss that Maggie couldn't help but melt into. Just as quickly as the kiss began, it ended but leaving heavy breathing in its' wake.
Once their winter stuff were on, they went into the living room to say goodnight to Cassi; who gave them both a kiss goodnight, and than Maggie and Draco were out the door.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Together, Magnolia and Draco walked along the snow covered paved streets in Surrey. Night had fallen hours ago, casting a black curtain through out the only source of light coming from the overhead streetlamps. From the clouds above in the sky, large but soft snowflakes fell and danced their way to the pavement.
Magnolia wore a pair of dark blue denim jeans with the bottoms tucked into her tall lace-up winter boots that reached just to her calves. Along the top of the boots and down the middle of the laces were faux fur. The heels of her boots were flat but contained small suction cups to prevent slips on the ice. She wore a turtleneck sweater underneath her wool woven double breasted pea coat with a double buttoned front, open hand pockets and a princess seam down the front. Looped once around her neck sat a warm hand-knit wool scarf and matching mittens on her hands and a slouchy hat on her head.
Beside her, walked her boyfriend. Draco was dressed like Magnolia but due to her insistence he wore Muggle clothes in a Muggle town. He wore a pair of short men winter boots that were tied tightly to his feet, a pair of slightly baggy denim jeans, a turtleneck sweater his wool which was under his wool double buttoned and breasted pea coat with large side pockets and on his hands he wore a pair of black leather gloves.
The street was dead, no night wanders were about and no dogs barked at the midnight moon. As they both walked down the street, they clasped each others gloved hand and fallen snowflakes clung to their winter outerwear and hair. The two of them came up to a tree that anybody would've identified as a normal tree but to Magnolia and Harry it was a sanctuary.
"You see that tree right there?" Maggie asked as she pointed to the tree she was referring to.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Magnolia unclasped her hand from Draco's and walked towards the tree, with Draco following her. When she reached it she raised a gloved hand to the trunk and looked up through the naked branches.
"Aunt Marge, Uncle Vernon's sister, had this bull dog. It was an ugly bag of wrinkles and drool but she treated it like it was the most precious thing in the universe. Fed it leftovers and brandy. She also let the dog do anything it wanted, especially if it wanted to bite us or chase us. Ripper loved to chase us."
"Maggie-" Draco began but stopped when she turned towards him.
"Harry and I, we used to always climb this tree whenever Aunt Marge ordered Ripper to chase us. We were good at climbing, we always climbed to the first few branches so were were just out of reach on Ripper's teeth whenever he tried to jump up the tree to bite us".
"How often did this happen Maggie?"
Magnolia looked down at the soiled floor, her hand still on the tree, before she replied, "Whenever Aunt Marge was over, it wasn't really a lot though. She didn't like us very much", Magnolia than smiled at him and moved towards him.
"Were you ever bitten?"
Magnolia nodded, "Yeah. Loads of times but it was mostly on my arms or hands".
"What did your relatives do when they saw the bites?"
Magnolia shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing. They either didn't notice or didn't care", she than grabbed his hand and led him away from the tree.
"Now where are we going?" Draco asked as he let his beloved guide him down the empty streets and snowflakes almost covered all of her exposed hair.
"The playground. Harry and I always used to go there whenever we wanted to get away from our relatives".
"Was that often?"
Maggie nodded her head, "Often enough" she answered as the came to said playground.
The playground was covered in snow, just like the ground surrounding it, with the metal from the equipment rusted due to both overuse and moisture exposure. It didn't look like much, just an old salvage yard.
"This is where you played?" he asked with his nose wrinkling in disgust.
Magnolia looked toward the deserted playground and looked at it with Draco's perception. The place did look abandoned and junky but it has always looked that way since no one wanted to contribute money for the playground to be updated and better taken care of since the only children in the area are now all grown up.
Magnolia shrugged her shoulders in answer again, "It isn't much, it actually wasn't much back than, but it was probably the safest place for us".
Safest? Draco repeated in his thoughts. Maggie tightened her hold on his hand again and let him about a yard over to the right of where they once where.
"This is where the Knight Bus came to pick us up in Third Year, after Harry signalled it by accident of course".
"What do you mean by accident?"
The smile on her face disappeared as she answered, "Aunt Marge wasn't very nice the night we took off. She-she kept spewing off insults about Mum and Dad. Harry lost his temper after an awful comment about our Mum".
"What did he do?"
The smile returned as she answered with a giggle, "He blew her up".
"Blew her up?"
Maggie nodded, "Just like a balloon that she resembled. She even floated up into the air".
Draco's own lips curved in a smile at the thought.
Maggie raised the hand that wasn't holding his to point across the yard, "And right over there, that's where Harry first saw Sirius. Of course we didn't know it was Sirius, since he was in his animangus form and we've never heard of Sirius before".
Magnolia gently tugged Draco away from the dirty and junky childrens playground and towards Privet Drive. It was still quiet on the streets and the snow continued to fall as before but that didn't stop the two young wizards from continuing towards their destination but Maggie made the two of them stop when she recognized a very familiar ally.
"What's wrong Mag?" Draco asked concern when they stopped walking.
Maggie tilted her head to the side like a curious puppy and pointed towards the ally, "There. That's the place how I got Cassi".
"What do you mean?" he asked as he looked to where she was pointing.
"Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend, raped me".
"He raped you?"
Maggie nodded, her eyes never leaving the dark empty ally, "They all thought it was great fun, especially Dudley. He thought that it would be funny to listen to me beg and cry for them to stop".
"Didn't anyone try to help?"
"Harry did but Dudley told his friends to hold him back. Harry did fight awfully hard to help me, but only got punched in the stomach for his efforts".
"Maggie, I-" Draco began to apologize but he shut his mouth when he saw the sad look on her face.
"You wanted to know all this, Draco. C'mon, the house is just up the street here. Not far".
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Both Magnolia and Draco stood still on the edge of the driveway. In front of them stood the darkened and abandoned house of Number 4 Privet Drive. No lights shone from the inside, only bars caged the windows of the house. Just seeing the outside of the house caused Maggie to tighten her grasp on his hand and her muscles to tense.
"What were the bars for?"
"To keep me and Harry inside. C'mon, there's more to see".
Draco silently followed Maggie as she walked up the driveway and up onto the front stairs. Without a word, Draco slid out his wand to cast the unlocking charm.
"Aloho-" began to recite but stopped when Maggie placed a hand on his wrist and looked at him.
"No need Draco. It's unlocked".
"How do you know?" he tested.
With a superior look on her face, she grabbed the door knob and twisted it before she pushed it open.
"I know because I was the last one out of the house when Harry and I were escorted out of Surrey on our 17th birthday".
Inside, the house was so dark that it was hard to see what lied in front of them.
"Lumos" Draco recited and the tip of his wand light up.
"The lights should be working" Maggie told him as she tried the nearest light switch near by. As predicted, the lights of the empty living room went on and cast a small amount of light in the hallway.
"Why is it so empty?" he asked when he saw the living room.
"The Dursley's packed up everything they could and just left. The Blood Wards that Dumbledore set were gone so they were left oven for Voldemort".
Draco flinched at the name of the Dark Lord, "Please, don't say his name".
Magnolia sighed, "I'm sorry".
When her eye caught sight of the fireplace, a small smile curved on her lips.
"What?"
"The fireplace. When Harry and I first got our Hogwarts letters, we weren't allowed to have them. Uncle Vernon burned all of them. But when he ignored them, the owls dropped all the ignored letters down the chimney and they all came flying out. It scared the Dursley's something fierce. Uncle Vernon made all of us move to an old house on an rocky island".
"Why weren't you allowed your letters?"
"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hated magic. Our Aunt Petunia hated our Mum because she got her letter and Petunia didn't. Harry thinks it's because she was jealous that Mum was a witch she she wasn't. I don't think so though, Aunt Petunia hates magic too much to be jealous over it," Maggie turned her attention back to Draco, "The backyard is next".
Without a word of complaint, Draco followed Maggie through the back of the living room and to the back French Pavilion doors.
"Right out there, is where Harry and I were forced to do the gardening and weeding. We were forced to do it in whatever weather. In the rain or in the blazing hot sun".
"How long ago did this start?"
"Since we could remember," Maggie turned them both around and gestured to the large space in front of them, "This is where Harry blew up Aunt Marge. Come on, the kitchen is this way".
Once inside the small kitchen, memories came speeding into Maggie's mind. Draco could tell by the look on his girlfriends beautiful young face.
"Maggie?"
"I was always forced to cook for them. Especially for Dudley, our over weight and spoiled cousin".
"Is that why you reacted how you did when I caught you singing?" he asked, very confused.
Maggie shook her head, "No. Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon caught me singing while I was cooking. Aunt Petunia hit me over the head with a frying pan and Uncle Vernon smack me so hard that I fell to the floor unconscious. After that, I never tempted to sing again".
"You wouldn't even do it for Cassi?"
"No. I learned my lesson. I never should've sang when I was baking for the Christmas cookies".
"You know Cassi told me that everyone else's mother at her school, and her's doesn't. She told me that she really doesn't care that you have a horrible voice, just that you sing to her".
"I can't Draco. I ju-just can't. I-I know that it sounds stupid but what if the Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hear me".
Draco stepped closer to her, close enough for his arm to brush against hers, and responded, "Maggie, they are long gone and they aren't coming back. You told me before that they left you and Harry all alone because they didn't care, why would they track you down just to hurt you? Why would they go through all of that trouble if they don't even like you?"
Draco felt his heart beat faster and faster when he saw his beloved's eyes begin to tear. He hadn't meant to make her cry, he just wanted her to see sense. When he saw the tears build up in her beautiful green jewelled eyes, he enveloped her in a hug. He gently wrapped his slip pale arms around her waist and pressed her body against his. Unconsciously, Maggie raised her arms to wrap them loosely around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. It wasn't long before he felt her tears beginning to soak the material of the Muggle turtleneck sweater. Draco hugged her tighter as the sounds of her sobs filled the quiet house. Draco did his best to give her nonverbal support by kissing her on her head and rubbing softly on her sides with his hands.
Maggie cried long and hard. She cried for the fact that she lost both of her parents at such a young age. She cried for the fact that she and Harry had to live with such awful guardians who were supposed to be called their relatives. She cried for the fact that she had neither a mother or father figure all of her life, to teach her how to behave in the world. She cried for the fact that she had to live in terror, in fear for any type of punishment for the consequence of actions the Dursely's didn't approve of in their household. She cried for the fact that her first impression of what should be two romantic gesture was rough and barbaric. She cried for the fact that the first reaction of finding out that she had powerful magic within her blood was abusive, shameful and freakish. She also cried for the fact that she'd never have to come back here and she'd never have to see the Dursley's for the rest of her life. The Dursley's were long gone, they have been for six years, and nothing was going to make them come back. Why would they? The Dursley's hated her and Harry. Draco was right, why would they go through all that trouble and money to track them done if they hated her.
Maggie's sobs and tears slowly died. Eventually, her sobs stopped and her tears dried on her cheeks. Maggie raised her head from the crook of Draco's neck to look up into those liquid silver eyes of his. Her fingers unhooked themselves from behind his neck and she slid her hands down past the front of his shoulders and left them on his chest.
"Are you okay Maggie?" Draco asked with full concern in his voice.
"Uh, yeah. I-I'm okay" she answered.
Without a word, Draco brought his hands away from her waist and up to her face to wipe the tear marks off of her cheeks, "Are you sure you're okay?"
With his hands still on the side of her face, she nodded and took a deep breath through her nose.
"I-I'm okay, really" she insisted and than raised her hands to his wrists to lower his hands, "I'm okay."
Draco allowed her to lower his hands by his wrists as she reassured him that she was fine.
"Come on, that's more to show you", she continued and she grabbed his hand to lead him out of the kitchen.
"How much more do you have left to show me?"
"Not much, just the bedrooms" she answered, "We'll start upstairs".
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Draco followed Maggie up the stairs, their hands still clasped together. The floorboards underneath their feet creaked under their weight as they made their way down the hall of bedrooms. Even with the lights on in the hallway, they still needed their wands to light the rest of the way. The three doors that they passed were all kept closed, but Draco didn't pay attention to them since Maggie wasn't. It wasn't until they reached the last door, that he noticed that her attention was fully on that door. By the small lights, he could see that the door had three sets of locks upon the door, all which required a key to remove the locks. Draco looked further down when she squatted, and spotted a small opening.
"What is that?" he questioned.
"A cat flap" she answered, "Aunt Petunia would slide our food through it so she didn't have to unlock all the locks".
Maggie than stood back up and cast the simple unlocking charm on the locks. Magically, the three padlocks slid open one after the other. She reached up and slid them off the flap and than threw them onto the floor beside the door frame before she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The room was small, with one single unmade bed sitting on the right hand side of the wall and desk in front of the window right across from the door. Vertically across from the bed was a very small closet that it looked like it would fit only a couple of clothes. Above the bed, was a bulletin board were very old drawings. A few of an owl- Hedwig, the Gryffindor house crest and a sketched drawing of Hogwarts itself. The last wall contained another single bed but this one was made neatly.
"It used to be Dudley's second bedroom but it became mine and Harry's after we got our Hogwarts letters. Harry used to sleep there", she pointed to the unmade bed with her right hand, "And I slept there", she used her other hand to point to the made bed which Draco followed as they stepped inside.
"Who drew the pictures?"
"Harry drew the pictures of Hedwig and our house crest but I drew the picture of Hogwarts".
"They're pretty good".
"Um...thanks".
"Whenever the Dursley's didn't want to look or deal with us, they locked us in here. Only letting us out to cook or to do chores".
"What about bathroom breaks? Didn't they let you two out for those?"
"Only once a day. Come on, we have to go downstairs again" she responded before she walked past Draco and out of the bedroom. As she pasted by him, she clasped her hand in his again and let him back downstairs.
Back on the main floor, Magnolia walked almost to the kitchen door before she stopped. She pointed to the door underneath the stairs, "That was our bedroom before we got the letter. They locked us in there for the same reason as the bedroom we shared after every year at Hogwarts", she used her wand to cast the unlocking spell on the lock and it sprang open like a gust of wind blew it open, "There was only on bed, one mattress, that Harry and I slept on but it smelt like urine and sweat. No doubt from Dudley when he had the mattress. Our only toys came from Dudley when he was done breaking and destroying them".
Draco used the Lumos spell at the end of his wand as a flashlight to examine inside. It was cramped, smaller than the bedroom upstairs, with the corners and walls covered with dust and cobwebs. On the dusty shelves by the opening, stood broken plastic medieval knights and horses.
"You slept in here?"
"Of course, there were less dust but loads more cobwebs and spiders".
"Spiders? You slept with spiders?"
Magnolia nodded, "They didn't hurt us or anything and we didn't mind them. They minded their own business and we did so too".
"If they stuck you in here when you two were good, I don't think I want to know why they put you when you two were bad".
"I'm going to show you anyway. You wanted to know so I'm going to tell you. Everything. Our last stop is the basement. Right this way Draco".
The basement looked worse than the cupboard under the stairs and Dudley's old second bedroom. The basement was unfinished, leaving a cold cement floor, wooden boards and beams that revealed the cheap insulation between that were supposed to be inside finished walls and one single hanging light bulb hung in the centre of the room. With ease, Magnolia reached up and pulled the string to turn on the light which only cast enough light for them to know where the walls were, as she passed. Draco followed her in silence as she walked across the room but he stood frozen in place at what was in front of him. A large metal bar animal cage that looked like it fit some sort of large breed of dog, sat in all it's rusty and disgusting glory.
"What the bloody hell?"
"This. This is where they put us whenever we did accidental magic or if Dudley blamed us for something he did. If we were brought down here, we weren't allowed to eat or have any bathroom breaks and the light would always be off".
"Is that why you're terrified of the dark?"
Maggie silently nodded before she explained, "Whenever I was in here, they would lock me in the cage and the left the light off. It was always so dark, dark enough that you couldn't even tell that there was something in front of your eyes until you went into it. From behind the closed door, I could always hear Uncle Vernon's booming voice complaining about us and than his vibrating footsteps when he came down the stairs to pound me for whatever I did to make him angry. I remember that I used to beg for him to stop but I was always ignored. He knew that I was scared of the dark, that's how I learned my lesson every time I was down here".
"How could these Muggles, your own family, treat you and your brother like this?"
"Simple. They wanted Dudley. Harry and I were just dumped upon there doorstep".
"Maggie-"
"Which leaves my next argument. Would you really want someone with my background apart of your family? My Uncle is as big as a whale and my Aunt is as skinny as a tree. If you want attractive children. Baby, don't marry me".