30. BREAKING FAST
Tom pulled the bedroom door closed again with almost exaggerated care after checking that Holly was still sleeping peacefully. He was loath to risk waking her even if breakfast in the Great Hall would be starting soon. But she needed the rest after all the emotional turmoil of the last week and the last day in particular and he would see that she got it.
His own night had been rather short since he had spent several hours bringing the list of her new terms into a signable format. It had been disagreeable work, not least because it had forced him to review, once again, all the restraints he had sought to put her under, all the one-sided assurances of obedience and devotion he had exacted from her under duress.
And that was without even taking into account the cruelty and carelessness he had subjected her to in their own marriage bed, so wrapped up in his own hubris and egoistic pleasure that he hadn't noticed how much he was hurting her, time and time again. Holly had offered kind words (none of which he deserved), insisting that it hadn't been "that bad", which was much less of a reassurance than she probably intended. But if there was one thing he abhorred it was ignorance – he had very little tolerance for it in others and none whatsoever when he saw it in himself. And yet he had ignored all the signs – the tension in her lithe body, her carefully shuttered expression, the panic attacks and bloody Calming Draughts! – fooling himself into believing that he had won Holly over as simply as that because that was what he had wanted to believe, because it had made his own feelings a little more excusable. But there was no excuse for what he had done to Holly, only a desperate need to make up for it.
With that sickeningly bitter thought in mind, he had carefully rewritten the terms of their agreement and had finally made his bed on the couch in the living room for a few hours of restless sleep. Holly hadn't expressly banned him from joining her in their bed, but clearly he had too often taken her silence as agreement, and he wasn't going to presume again.
He went through to the kitchen now, thinking that he could surprise Holly with some homemade pancakes and hopefully entice her to stay a bit longer before disappearing back to Gryffindor Tower. They still needed to talk about quite a few things, first and foremost Holly's pregnancy and how she wanted to handle that. He hadn't heard anything about her appointment with Madam Pomfrey so far, other than the note from the nurse he and the other teachers had received to inform them about the need of adapting their lessons plans to account for Holly's delicate condition. He already had some thoughts on that, but it wouldn't hurt to discuss his plans with the Holly to make sure she had no objections, and he really hoped that she might allow him to accompany her to her next appointment.
"What are you making?" Holly's soft voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Smells good."
"I'm glad," Tom said, turning around with a smile. "I thought I'd try bribing you with pancakes for breakfast."
"I don't know if I want to be bribed, but I wouldn't say no to some breakfast," Holly replied, slipping fully into the kitchen. "But only if you don't burn those."
Tom cursed, swivelling back around to focus on his pans, but then had to smile when he heard Holly giggling behind him. "I already set the table. Why don't you ask the house-elves to bring you anything else you might want and I'll join you as soon as I finished up the batter?"
§*§*§*§*§
Holly nodded, pausing another moment to watch Tom and take the measure of his mood. There was still a strong undercurrent of tension, of guilt, of a desperate desire to fix things, but mostly he seemed calm and confident as usual, slightly amused now and happy to see her.
He sent her a smile as she moved around him towards the sunbathed dining room table, already loaded down with jars of marmalade, jam and honey, plates of cheese and sausages, a bowl of fruit salad, freshly sliced bread, coffee, tea, milk and pumpkin juice. Her stomach gave a soft grumble of approval, but her attention was caught by something else, a neat roll of parchment next to her plate.
"What's this?"
"That's the amendment to the contract," Tom replied, poking his head out of the kitchen and then fully entering the room to pull out her chair for her. "I double-checked to make sure it includes everything we discussed last night, but of course if you have any further additions – or if you wish to discuss it with your godfathers beforehand – we can make any changes you deem necessary." He reached for her hand, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. "Any changes at all, kitten."
"Okay," Holly murmured, hovering a little indecisively, but then pulled the parchment towards her. "I'll just read through it, then?"
She hadn't meant to make it a question, but Tom only smiled in understanding and excused himself back to the kitchen. "Take your time. I know a handy Warm-Holding-Spell if necessary."
She slowly unfurled the roll of parchment, for a moment staring blankly at Tom's tidy handwriting flowing over the full length of almost two feet before she actually started to read. Something in her chest loosened, line by line, when she found that Tom had done exactly as he had promised. The wording was certainly more concise, couched in legal phrases, with cross-references to different sections of the contract, but the meaning was the same. And Tom hadn't left anything out.
There were several paragraphs concerning her pregnancy and the raising of their child, which surprised her a little since she still felt so uncertain and confused about all that that she hadn't made many demands about it, other than to say that she wanted Tom to treat her like an adult. He had done much more than that, including what seemed to her a very comprehensive list, from healer's appointments to possible schooling options, all carefully worded to make it clear that the final decision would be up to her.
… wherever possible, all parenting decisions shall be taken jointly. In case of disagreement, and allowing for sufficient debate on the respective issue, the mother's decision shall prevail…
Tom had included all her requested changes to the already existing parts of the contract, widening how often she would be able to see her friends and family, adding a staggering number of exceptions that would allow her to simply ignore Tom when he requested her presence, defining down what should be considered properly respectful and faithful to Tom, even though she hadn't asked for that second one.
Tom had also addressed her last demand, and that very thoroughly.
… I, Tom Riddle, acknowledge that being "available for sexual intercourse" does not connote in any shape or form consent and will henceforth abstain from availing myself of Holly Potter's willingness to fulfil her marital obligations except on her express and sincere wishes…
… For the purposes of this contract, "sexual intercourse" shall further be defined as any form of reciprocal affection, including but not limited to chaste kisses, holding hands or the giving and receiving of earnest compliments…
"Something troubling you, kitten?" Tom asked quietly, levitating a plate stacked high with pancakes around her to set itself on the table before he gently rested one hand on her shoulder. "Anything that needs to be changed?"
Holly shook her head. "Why'd you include this bit here? About what constitutes as sex? It's not really necessary if you… I mean, you said you wouldn't ask for that anymore."
Tom smiled, sitting down next to her. "And I won't. But I thought you might appreciate an extra layer of security, so to speak. Here, let me show you something." He swished his wand in a wordless Summoning Spell, a small glass globe settling neatly in his palm. "I enchanted this to tell you whether this particular requirement of the contract has been met. This soft white smoke will turn green once we have fulfilled our 'marital obligations' for the week. For example, even with your hair a wild mess, a pillow crease on your cheek and in rumpled pyjamas you're still the most gorgeous witch I've ever seen. You're absolutely lovely, Holly."
Holly flushed bright red and the misty smoke tinted a soft, pastelly green, swirling in gentle circles inside the globe. "I thought it had to be reciprocal?"
Tom chuckled. "I gave a compliment and you received it – very fetchingly, I might add – but why don't you try what happens if you return the favour? Only if you want to, of course."
Holly hesitated, clearing her throat nervously as she tried to think of something to say. "You, eh, have nice penmanship? And I appreciate all the thought you put into this, especially the first part about… about the baby."
Tom's smile softened, but he held out the globe for her inspection before answering. The smoke had turned a bright grass green, glittering slightly as if rays of sunlight were catching on the particles. "Thank you, Holly. I was hoping you would feel that way. And as you can see, we have fulfilled all our obligations. Even without the other clause, this will be all I could ever demand of you. Anything more will be completely up to you."
Holly bit her lip in thought, caressing her fingers absently over the thick parchment. "I think… I think that would be nice. Do we just sign then?"
"We'll need a witness," Tom said gently. "Is there someone you'd feel most comfortable asking? Your godfathers?"
"Can I ask Hermione?" Holly asked, thinking that it might be less embarrassing and awkward to let Hermione read the amended contract since the other girl already knew pretty much everything.
"It might be better to ask someone who's of age," Tom refuted apologetically. "And I'm sure your godfathers wouldn't mind; they might even have some further suggestions."
"I already talked through it with them," Holly said with a slight shake of her head. "And I know they wouldn't mind, but… This won't work if I can't trust you and I don't want them going through this amendment looking for reasons why I shouldn't."
Tom smiled at her, leaning over to breathe a soft kiss against her cheek. "I will endeavour to be someone who deserves that trust, Holly. Would you like me to ask Lucius to be our witness again?"
"Could we ask Rudolphus instead?"
"Sure." Tom nodded easily. "If you're ready to tell him about your pregnancy?"
"You haven't told him and Rabastan yet?" Holly asked, looking at him in surprise.
"I only told Lucius," Tom replied gently. "And Severus was informed by Madam Pomfrey along with the rest of your teachers. But I felt that the decision of when and to whom to reveal this news should be yours – and I thought perhaps you still needed some more time to process everything."
Holly sighed. "I'm not sure it feels real yet," she admitted, placing a hand lightly on her flat stomach. "And I didn't even get through the whole appointment with Madam Pomfrey because I was so panicked. She said we could discuss everything when I came back."
"Have you set a time for your next appointment yet?" Tom asked, taking her hand between his and lightly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
"She said in a week – I guess that would mean Monday, though I don't really want to miss anymore classes," Holly whispered.
"How about I set something up for this afternoon? Provided that you'll allow me to accompany you?" Tom suggested, smiling when she gave him a tentative nod. "Thank you, kitten. And you don't have to have all the answers. We can take it one step at a time."
"You seem to have everything figured out already," she pointed out hesitantly, waving her free hand vaguely at the amendment contract.
Tom smiled kindly at her, gently squeezing her fingers. "I did some reading and I'll likely do some more now that your godfather has sent me further suggestions for books. It's my way of trying to feel a little less useless, a little less out of my depth with this new situation, but it certainly doesn't mean that I have all the answers, kitten. I just want to be able to support you in whatever way I can – think of me as your personal advisor."
"I think you're a little more than that, Tom," Holly pointed out, relaxing completely when the Dark Lord laughed and dropped a kiss onto the back of her hand.
"I'd certainly like to be," he answered with a gentle smirk. "Now, what do you think, should I call for Rudolphus or breakfast first?"
Holly bit her lip in thought, letting her gaze wander over the copious breakfast spread on the table. "This is a lot of food… Can we sign this now and then invite everyone to join us for breakfast?"
Tom agreed readily, lightly kissing her forehead before he went to call Rudolphus and extend an invitation for breakfast to the other Lestrange brother, to Professor Snape and the Malfoys while Holly asked Dobby to deliver the same invitation to Hermione and Ron.
Rudolphus arrived only a few minutes later, immediately pulling Holly into a hug. "Holly! What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Sorry for avoiding you this last week, I was… It's… I'm…" she fumbled for an explanation before throwing Tom a pleading look.
"I think much will become clear in a moment and the rest will be explained when everyone else joins us for breakfast," Tom intervened smoothly, motioning Rudolphus over to his desk where he had set out the amendment for them to sign. "Holly and I have renegotiated parts of the contract. You'll be our witness when we sign."
"Of course, my Lord," Rudolphus confirmed, his eyes softening on Holly. "I didn't mean to ambush you with my questions. It's just good to see you in better spirits."
She smiled up at him, bumping lightly against his side and then accepting Tom's arm pulling her into a light embrace.
"Since we're not amending the entire contract, we'll have to initial and approve each new subsection," Tom explained, caressing his fingers gently along her back. "Rudolphus will read them out to us and then, if you have no questions or objections, we will each initial next to them."
"Okay," Holly agreed, tensing a little when Rudolphus picked up the parchment, braced for his reaction.
She didn't have to wait long. Rudolphus' eyes flitted over the first paragraph and widened almost comically at what she assumed was the mention of her being pregnant. He snapped his head around towards her, his eyes meeting hers for a few moments before they fell down to her stomach.
"Let's proceed, Rudolphus," Tom interrupted before the Death Eater could say anything. "I'm sure there will be enough time for any questions or such over breakfast."
"Of course," Rudolphus agreed, clearing his throat and sending Holly a slightly hesitant smile before he focused back on the amendment and started to read out the first section in his deep, clear voice.
They went through the whole document quickly, Tom asking her at each section if she had any questions or objections before they both tapped it with their wands and moved on to the next one until they finally signed in full at the bottom. Tom gave the parchment another tap with his wand to make duplicates of the amended contract, handing Holly the original and keeping the two copies for himself.
"I'll pass this onto Lucius – he always likes to have everything properly filed – and you should give your copy to your godfathers to take to your vault," he explained, softly pulling her into his arms and tilting her chin up with a gentle finger. "All right, kitten?"
Holly nodded, lifting up to brush a quick kiss against Tom's cheek. "You promised me breakfast, though," she then reminded him.
"That I did," Tom agreed with a laugh. "Lucius and Narcissa will be here in five minutes or so and I'm sure -" Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Ah, that must be Rabastan or Severus."
It wasn't, though. When she freed herself from Tom's loose hold to open the door, she found Hermione and Ron on the other side.
"Blimey, Holly! What happened? Why didn't you come back to the Tower last night?" Ron demanded, his face almost as red as his hair. "I waited up for you."
"You did?" Holly asked a little guiltily. "But I told you that I needed to talk with Tom."
"Talk to him? Or forgive him?" Ron challenged, ignoring Hermione's placating interjection. "Merlin, Holly, what's there even to think about? Dumbledore says you could end it... end him right now and then you would be free again. Don't you want that?"
Holly curled her hands into tight fists, wondering bitterly if Dumbledore had wasted any time – after unsuccessfully trying to convince Holly to exact the maximum penalty for Tom's breach of contract – before he had approached Ron to pull him onto his side.
"I was never free, Ron," she said instead. "But at least now I get to make some of my own decisions – and this is one of them. You and Dumbledore and everyone else will just have to deal with it."
She hooked her arm through Hermione's and swivelled around. "So… ready for some breakfast? Tom made pancakes though I should warn you that I'm honestly not sure if cooking is one of his talents."
"Fortunately, the house-elves have also contributed amply to our breakfast table so that you will find many tasty alternatives – should your vaunted Gryffindor courage desert you in the face of my cooking skills," Tom teased her, indicating the dining table that, though enlarged to provide room for all of them, was now also overflowing with what appeared to be enough food to feed at least one of the Houses.
He returned her small scoff with a grin and then gentlemanly pulled out her chair for her and got her settled as Rudolphus did the same for Hermione.
"Thank you, Mr. Lestrange," Hermione said politely, which the Death Eater acknowledged with a nod, before she focused on Holly, leaning closer and lowering her voice to a whisper, "Are you okay?"
Holly nodded, glad when Tom and Rudolphus decided to give the three Gryffindors a few moments of privacy and quietly disappeared back into the living room. She started to recount what had happened, from their talk the night before, Tom's explanations and confessions and her own decision, abridging many of the details and leaving out all the emotional connotations because they seemed too personal, too private and she wasn't sure if Tom would be comfortable with her telling her friends all about them. And she did her best to gloss over the renegotiation and all the embarrassingly painful truths that had been revealed in that, though she still allowed Hermione to read through the amended contract, gnawing her lip nervously all the while and trying not to let Ron's feelings get to her.
She had never found the right time to tell Hermione and Ron about her empathy, but now she wondered a little peevishly if Ron might have managed to guard his emotions a bit better if she had. There was the well familiar swell of friendship and worry, intermingled with the no less familiar sickly tinge of resentment and jealousy. There was another emotion, too, but she couldn't quite define its hard, smooth edges, though she knew she had felt it before. From Tom. From Dumbledore. It all made her feel tired and wary and also rather exasperated.
She tried to focus on Hermione instead, whose mindset was much more comfortable. Holly could almost see the wheels spinning in her head and felt her heart lighten in response. Ron shifted impatiently.
"Well?" Holly tried not to hear the belligerence in his voice.
"It's very thorough," Hermione said, giving Holly an approving smile. "And everything in it seems geared to make you equals in this marriage – though in a rather roundabout way, of course."
"Tom said we couldn't rewrite any of the main sections without involving Dumbledore and Fudge," Holly explained and Hermione nodded in agreement. "He still offered, but… I didn't even ask for half the stuff Tom put in there. He added most of it on his own."
"And you just let him?" Ron exclaimed, clearly implying that she had lost her marbles.
"We went through it all in detail," Holly retorted in exasperation. "And I really didn't see the point in arguing when Tom freely offered to give me more than what I had asked for."
"The first contract was horribly skewed in his favour, but this one isn't. So I'm happy for you, Holly," she said before throwing Ron a reproachful look. "And so will Ron, once he's thought things through."
She reached for Holly's hand, giving it a tight squeeze, and Holly smiled gratefully, very glad for Hermione's unwavering support and level-headed understanding. She glanced at Ron, who was still grumbling unintelligibly under his breath, and suppressed a sigh. Maybe it was partly her fault, too, she admitted to herself. She knew that Ron had some issues with being overlooked, being deemed just another Weasley boy with no merit of his own, and these last few weeks she had probably invested less time and attention in their friendship than she could or should have. But first, Ron had gone in a huff at a time when she could have really used his support and even after he had apologised, rather half-heartedly at that, he had seemed to go off at the slightest provocation, whether it was about her playing Quidditch with Draco and some of the other Slytherins during the holidays or about the fact that she wanted to continue with Potions now that she had the necessary grades. It made things difficult and exhausting.
But still, she should probably try harder to include Ron, to reach out to him and make sure he felt a part of their trio. It was really no wonder that he couldn't see how much this meant to her when she hadn't confided in him nearly as much as in Hermione. It was just that it was somehow easier when Hermione and she were alone in the girls' dormitory, deep in the night and huddled under the covers, to whisper even the most intimate confessions. She had told Hermione all about her marriage with Tom, even the most painful, private details, and it had been Hermione's whispered return confession about a boy from her Muggle primary school, whom she had met again during the summer, that had convinced her that sex could be enjoyable for girls as well.
She sighed again, softly, before giving Ron a small smile. "I probably shouldn't have sprung this all on you before breakfast. How about some pancakes?"
"I think I'll stick to bread rolls and cereal," Ron mumbled, but managed a small grin when both girls giggled.
A short while later, Tom returned, floating pots with tea and coffee and a jug of pumpkin juice ahead of him. The rest of their breakfast guests had arrived as well, Rabastan stepping around the table to give her a smile and a light squeeze to her shoulder, Lucius and Narcissa greeting her kindly and Professor Snape inclining his head ever so slightly in her direction before they all took their seats.
Holly was a bit wary at first, but Tom didn't allow for any awkwardness and had clearly already talked with his followers to make sure they didn't pester her with questions. He served her a small stack of pancakes, joking that he could have Snape taste-test them if she was still worried, and poured her a cup of cocoa before inviting everyone to partake of the food.
Conversation flowed easily, with Tom and Lucius falling into their usual scheming sessions, Rudolphus and Rabastan telling her about the response so far to their proposed martial arts classes, Professor Snape quietly sipping his tea and Narcissa pulling her and Hermione into easy chatter about their first week of school, her last trip to Diagon Alley and the preparations for the annual Malfoy Christmas Ball that were apparently already well underway.
She still worried about Ron, about his stubborn silence and monosyllabic answers when they tried to include him into the conversation, but overall, she found breakfast an enjoyable affair, which was perhaps why she startled so much when Narcissa leant forward and grasped her hand over the table.
"We are so thrilled for you and the Dark Lord, of course," the blonde witch declared, giving her fingers a light squeeze. "Congratulations."
She didn't know what to say, especially when the other adults around the table joined in to offer their own congratulations. Ron stared darkly into his cereal; Hermione patted her leg under the table.
"Eh." She cast Tom a helpless, pleading look, relaxing a little when he took her hand and lifted it to his lips for a soft kiss.
"Thank you, all of you," he said. "I'm glad to have your support, not just for myself, but most of all for Holly and our child." He smiled at her, breathing another kiss onto the back of her hand. "It is a blessing, of course, albeit an unexpected one, and I trust you will all give Holly the time she needs."
"Oh, of course," Narcissa agreed immediately, with another kind smile. "Of course, dear. It's completely understandable to feel a little overwhelmed right now. Morgana knows, I did and Lucius and I had been hoping for a child for almost eight years."
"Eight years? But that's…" Holly broke off when she realised how rude her question was, though she could see that Hermione was wondering the same thing. "Sorry."
"It's quite all right," Lucius assured her. "And yes, eight years is a long time, though perhaps not all that surprising given that we both come from old pureblood families with a considerable connection to the Dark Arts."
Ron gave a very unsubtle snort, only to wince a moment later when Hermione elbowed him in the side.
Holly thought it best to move on, turning to Tom. "You said that, you said you couldn't… that I wouldn't… because you used too much Dark magic."
"I thought it nigh on impossible, yes," Tom agreed with an elegant shrug. "Though the exact role Dark magic plays in these issues has never been studied sufficiently."
Holly huffed and rolled her eyes a little at what was one of Tom's favourite talking points. He smiled at her.
"Perhaps so, my Lord, though you also restricted your use of Dark magic over the summer in deference of your connection with Holly," Lucius pointed out. "And of course, the bright Light of Holly's magic could have very well balanced out your own Darkness."
Holly huffed again, though with much less amusement at the implication that this might somehow be her fault, after all.
"Be that as it may, I still should have put more care into researching the contraception spell," Tom spoke up with finality, trailing his fingertips along her arm in a careful caress. "It was my job to keep that promise to you, kitten."
Holly shrugged, biting her lip. She didn't really want to discuss this again, least of all with half of Tom's Inner Circle sitting around their breakfast table, Hermione looking a little too interested and Ron still glaring daggers at his cereal. But thankfully, Narcissa was too well-mannered to let the silence grow uncomfortable, sending Holly another gentle smile and then smoothly changing the subject to less fraught topics to allow Holly's nerves to settle.
The conversation circles back around to her pregnancy, though, when Tom addressed Rudolphus and Rabastan with an order masquerading as a request. "I'd like you to assist Severus and me with some changes we'll need to implement in the classroom to make sure Holly's safe."
"Of course, my Lord," Rudolphus agreed immediately, glancing down at her with a smile. "Do you have any concrete plans for us yet?"
"I'd like one of you to be Holly's partner for practical work," Tom said immediately.
"Why can't Hermione be my partner?" Holly asked. "She's the best in our year and she would know to be extra careful."
"I'm very impressed with Miss Granger's aptitude for and dedication to her studies and I'm not questioning her loyalty to you, Holly. But you're both still learning and some of the spells in the Sixth Year syllabus can take years to master fully," Tom replied with a respectful incline of his head towards Hermione, who blushed vividly and ducked her head to hide her pleased smile. "Normally, I would just have you practise with me, but, well…"
"What? Afraid she's going to best you? Again?" Ron sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Go figure."
"Mr. Weasley, please do not mistake my sincere wish to be civil to Holly's friends as your invitation to indulge in behaviours of disrespect. I have very little tolerance for that," Tom answered.
Ron, to his credit, held onto his Gryffindor bravery for much longer than most grown wizards or witches would have when pinned under Tom's red-eyed glare, but after a few tense moments he still glanced away.
"And as for your question: Holly's and my wand share the same core, which would make duelling against each other a rather repetitive game of Priori Incantatem," Tom continued before dismissing Ron entirely, turning his focus back on her. "I do want you to enjoy my lessons, Holly, and have the same opportunities to learn and practise your spellwork as everyone else. But I'd feel much better about it if I knew you were paired with a more experienced partner."
"I suppose," Holly mumbled, chuckling softly when the two Lestranges sent her mock-affronted glares.
"We would appreciate a bit more enthusiasm," Rabastan informed her. "We thought you liked training with us."
"I do. I just don't like all this fuss around me," Holly replied.
"In that case, I'm certain you will not appreciate my plans for Potions," Professor Snape interjected with a patented sneer and she quickly started to regret her hasty dismissal of his initial offer of private lessons the longer she listened to his very detailed contingency plan, including a substitute curriculum with safer recipes that would still allow her to familiarise herself with the techniques and concepts that would be relevant for her NEWTs, a separate workbench surrounded by a complex Shield Spell to keep her out of harm's way from any incidents in the classroom and prevent her from breathing in any potentially harmful vapours and finally, Rudolphus or Rabastan at her side to keep an eye on her progress, alert Professor Snape if necessary and make sure she was protected in case of emergency.
"That sounds like a lot of extra work for you, Professor," Holly said unhappily. "Maybe it would be better if I dropped your class, after all."
The Potions Master sent her an impatient glare. "You spent the summer pestering me in my lab, dropping not so subtle hints about how very important Potions would be for your chosen career path and showing for the first time, a modicum of interest in my field. I shall not be impressed if you abandon all that perseverance now at the first minor obstacle."
"I just don't want to cause any trouble," Holly murmured. "And I'm sorry if I bothered you, sir."
Professor Snape snorted in dissatisfaction, tapping his long fingers with measured lightness against the table top. "While Hogwarts certainly does not encourage her students to start their family planning quite so early, you are not the first young witch for whom such adjustments had to be made, Holly. And I can further assure you that I would have informed you without ceremony if I had indeed perceived your company as bothersome."
He wore the same disgruntled, dour expression as always, but when he met Holly's eyes she felt a slow, measured trickle of emotions from the normally so guarded man. She smiled, sending back her own wave of gratitude.
"Okay then. Thank you, sir," she replied. "And just so you know, I'm going to hug you for this later."
She grinned at his put-upon expression and Ron's sputtered, choking gasp next to her, feeling suddenly a lot more cheerful.
"I understand why this is necessary, of course, and I'm glad you'll be safe without having to compromise on your education, Holly, but won't all these additional precautions raise questions?" Hermione asked, a furrow between her brows. "I know you didn't want to share this news with everyone just yet."
"I think we can probably guard this as our secret for at least the first few months," Tom said softly before she could sink into panic, lightly grasping her hand and squeezing her fingers. "Most glamours, as far as I was able to ascertain, are not safe to use during pregnancy, though, if you still wish to keep this news to yourself at that point, I could probably weave a rather effective Confundus around you to avert any risk of discovery. And until then, I'm more than happy to play the overprotective husband to explain these changes."
"I don't think you need to play at that," Holly muttered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm glad you noticed, kitten," Tom replied with an easy smirk, leaning a little closer. "And as your overprotective husband, might a request a kiss?"
Before she could answer, or even figure out how she wanted to answer, Ron fairly shot up from his chair, pushing it back with a loud scraping noise. "We should get going! I booked the Quidditch pitch for our first practise this afternoon."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to play Quidditch this year," Holly murmured, rather annoyed at the scandalized look that Ron gave her. "I'm pregnant, Ron. I should probably at least check with Madam Pomfrey before I get back on a broom."
"Whatever," Ron muttered. "I just think you should show some team spirit, now that Dumbledore made you captain and all… We barely have half a team, Holly! And let's be honest, you might have been the youngest Seeker in a century, but that's not worth much when half the time you either get injured or banned or cursed."
"Ron, that's enough!" Hermione hissed dangerously, no doubt seeing how pale Holly had become, though she wasn't quite sure whether from hurt or from anger.
"I quite agree, Miss Granger," Tom said, rising slowly to his feet.
"Tom, don't. Just give us a moment," Holly also got up, moving between them and giving Ron a none-too-gentle push between to the shoulders. "Move it."
When the three of them – Hermione had assisted her with moving Ron along – were stood alone in front of the entrance to her quarters, Holly levelled the red-head with an angry glare.
"I appreciate that you booked the Quidditch pitch," she pressed out through gritted teeth. "But I don't think there's much point in team practise with only three of us. So I already asked Katie to set try-outs for tomorrow – and all positions will be open."
"All positions?" Ron asked weakly, his flushed face suddenly turning quite pale, and she belatedly realised that Ron had taken what she had intended to be a pointed reply to his earlier accusation as a criticism of his own skills.
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Ron, and so will Katie, no doubt, but you were right that we can't afford to forfeit or lose a game just because we can't fill all positions," Holly explained. "Why don't you borrow my Firebolt again and maybe invite some of the other Gryffindors for an informal pick-up game this afternoon? The pitch is booked, as you said, and maybe you can already scout out some of the talent. I know I'll need you as my strategist if we want to win the Cup this year – and I promise, if Madam Pomfrey says that I can't play, I'll quit the team and hand in my captain's badge."
"I just said that… I didn't mean…" Ron mumbled uneasily.
"Maybe you should start to think before speaking!" Hermione pointed out waspishly. "Frankly, I still think all this obsession with Quidditch is a bit ridiculous, but even if you can't manage any interest in your studies outside of some last minute cramming for exams, I'd hope that you would, at the very least, put a priority on your best friend's health and wellbeing."
"But, Mione, you can't honestly think that this -" He gestured widely towards the closed door. "- is what's best for Holly!"
"I'm right here and I can still decide that for myself," Holly interjected, staring up at him before sighing deeply. "Look… this isn't what I planned, either, okay? And I don't expect you to be thrilled about it, but if you could try to be a little less hostile and a little more supportive that would be great."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," Ron admitted, pulling her into a slightly awkward hug. "And why didn't you ask me to schedule try-outs? I wouldn't have lost my temper if I'd known."
Holly somehow doubted the veracity of that last statement, but didn't want to prolong their argument. "I ran into Katie in the showers and we got to talking about the new season. And when I said that I wanted to have try-outs soon, she offered to set it up."
Ron, for some reason, blushed bright red at her explanation, awkwardly plucking at a loose string on the sleeve of his robes and avoiding her gaze. When she turned to Hermione with a questioning look, the other young witch merely rolled her eyes. They both knew that boys could be stupid sometimes and Ron was no exception.
Since Ron still wouldn't look at her, but seemed to be back in friendship mode again, Holly decided that this would be a good time to say goodbye, thanking both of them for having breakfast with her and promising that she would see them again later that day. Ron scowled a little unhappily, muttering that she should just come with them now, but Hermione dragged him away before they could get into another argument.
Holly took a moment to just breathe, closing her eyes and leaning back against the cool stone wall. She supposed that could have gone much worse, ended up with Ron once again not speaking to her for half the school year, but she still felt exhausted, somehow wrong-footed by all the undercurrents that she couldn't quite put into words. Or maybe these were just the aftershocks of Tom's confession the night before, making her question and doubt everything that had seemed at least reasonably certain until then.
She finally pushed away from the wall, rolling back her shoulders and straightening up before she hissed the password – §snakeling§ – and slipped back into their quarters. She huffed impatiently when all five wizards rose to their feet as soon as she came back into the dining room.
"The novelty of that has really worn off, you know?" she remarked, but allowed Tom to reach for her hand. "But thank you for not cursing Ron."
"He is still your friend, though a rather poor one," Tom replied, ignoring her glare.
"I'm not quite so fond of some of your friends, either," she snapped back. "Speaking of which…"
She pulled free from Tom's light hold, allowing her wand to slip into her hand to summon a thick roll of parchment from her book bag. She caught it deftly and then immediately passed it onto Rudolphus before dropping back into her seat.
"I think you should get a divorce."
"Thank you," Rudolphus murmured automatically before slowly unrolling the parchment and furrowing his brow. "Holly, I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but I'm not sure how the official Black family tree fits into what you just said."
"It's not," Holly explained. "The official family tree, I mean. It's a copy of that ugly tapestry that Sirius' mother kept in their living room – I asked Remus to duplicate it for me because I thought it would be nice to remind Sirius that there're some members of his family he actually liked… But anyway, there's one key difference to the official version."
She leaned over, tapping her finger to one of the names and noting in amusement that her magic made the letters stand out more boldly, in dark red ink. "In this family tree, Marius Black and Dorea Black are still the children of Cygnus Black and Violetta Bulstrode. But their older siblings Pollux and Cassiopeia Black have a different mother."
"Selene Songloire," Rabastan murmured, having leaned in to peer over his brother's shoulder. "Songloire… but that's…"
"She was a great-granddaughter of Sosthène Songloire, who was killed in the duel that cost your ancestor Ruben Lestrange his magic. That duel, as I understand, caused a family feud that has never been resolved…"
"It was assumed that their line had died out," Rudolphus murmured. "Are you sure this family tree is correct?"
"It's magic." Holly said with a slight shrug. "And it updates itself automatically – it even added me when Sirius signed the adoption papers."
"But that would mean…"
"I think it means there's a loophole in your marriage contract with Bellatrix," Holly said softly to Rudolphus. "I did some research and Lucius said that unless expressly stated otherwise, family codes of conduct always take precedence over any private law contract. Your marriage contract has no such clause and your family code of conduct forbids entering into 'relations' – which I take includes marriage – with any family that is involved in a family feud with yours. There even was a list, a surprisingly long one."
"The Lestrange family traces its origin back to the Middle Ages and that list probably hasn't been purged in nearly as long, Holly," Rudolphus explained absently, still staring as if transfixed down at the family tree.
"You failed to mention that we were talking about my wife's family when you asked me those questions, Holly," Lucius spoke up, projecting annoyance and tension.
"Bellatrix is a horrible person. Just being in the same room as her makes my skin crawl and I don't want her anywhere near my friends," Holly replied, suppressing a shudder. "I'm sorry if this causes trouble for you or Narcissa, I truly am, but Rudolphus deserves to be free of her."
"You have our word that we will not use this for any other purpose than to annul Rudolphus' marriage," Rabastan promised earnestly and Rudolphus nodded in agreement. "We have no feud with the Malfoys or indeed with the House of Black – with one notable exception."
There was something sinister in his tone, a thirst for violence and blood. She understood it, only too well even, seeing as not one year ago she had felt the same blood-red anger coursing through her veins when she had thought that Bellatrix had killed Sirius. But it still made her feel uneasy and strangely vulnerable to feel these emotions now from Rudolphus and Rabastan. She knew in her heart that they would never hurt her, but there was a darkness in them, a potential for violence that they normally kept more carefully hidden from her.
Tom reached for her hand, giving her fingers a comforting little squeeze before he addressed Rudolphus, "I'm glad that Holly was able to find this information for you and I agree with her assessment, but I would prefer if Holly's involvement from this point forward was minimal. Bellatrix already harbours an inordinate amount of anger and jealousy towards her and I would hate to exacerbate that."
"You can tell her that you saw the tapestry when you visited Grimmauld Place to settle the formalities regarding the restitution of your family estate with Sirius," Narcissa suggested with her usual politeness, seeming far less perturbed by Holly's revelation than her husband.
"Thank you, I will. Have you already warned your godfather about this, Holly? I will have to speak with him to dissolve the contract," Rudolphus asked softly, clearly expecting her to answer in the negative.
"Of course. And he wanted me to tell you that he's happy enough to put one over Bellatrix, but if you're thinking of replacing her with a different Black he would advise you to ask Professor Snape if you were likely to enjoy the outcome," Holly answered with a grimace. "Sorry, Professor."
Snape sneered. "I see Black still hasn't grown out of overstating the effectiveness and entertainment value of his so-called pranks."
"He wasn't talking about pranks, sir." Holly shook her head. "Remus was growling."
"I have no intention of coming between a werewolf and his mate," Rudolphus assured her, briefly resting his large hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Holly. I'm sure your godfather and I can figure out a way to annul my marriage and settle this family feud without any negative effects for your family."
"Okay," Holly agreed, offering him a smile and relaxing into her seat.