blamebrampton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blamebrampton) wrote2008-07-16 03:33 am
blamebrampton) wrote2008-07-16 03:33 am
Entry tags:
And to prove that I really have been writing Fathers ...
In the few minutes between the last post and this one, my dear friend bryoneybrynn has mocked me in public AGAIN for failing to finish this story. I put it to her that if she hadn't convinced me to do the AS/S fest this would have been over by May ;-P Anyway, she mocked me in an update for Certain Dark Things, so I'm actually prepared to wear that ...
People I like much more, including mic andanabellhenry have been asking kindly what I'm up to, too. Being stressed and mental is probably the honest response. And sleeping on the sofa to wake up covered in kitties.
So, in a special sneak preview and with the caveat that I could actually decide to change anything in the following, a special sneak preview of the last part of Fathers Who Could Do with a Spot of Sinning (and a less ridiculous title). This time I really am writing the rest of this before I do ANYTHING else fic-wise.
A thousand thank yous topingrid who held off getting ready for dinner to cast a weather eye over this. Ooh! and a big thank you to eynhashofet for Comment of the Day the other day! I can mock Twilight and be rewarded! Life is good!
The Welcome Witch seems less happy to see Draco this time. “It is very late,” she points out.
“Just here to pick up the children and give Mr Potter an update from the Auror office,” Draco replies
Mollified, she waves him through.
The hallway outside Ron’s room is quieter. There are two Aurors standing guard, Draco hands over the take-away that he has smuggled through and promises them drinks the following evening. They send him in; Ron is doing well and would like some company.
Draco enters the room quietly, but it quickly becomes apparent that Ron has plenty of company already. In addition to the six children snoozing on an expanded sofa, there is Hermione with Harry on one side of his bed, and Arthur and Molly Weasley on the other. Bill and Percy are standing with their parents, while George is at the foot of the bed, quietly acting out a complex tale, to judge by his hand gestures.
Ron spots him and waves him over. “The hero of the hour,” he says, grinning.
Draco shakes his head. “Hardly. Competent swimmer, perhaps. Everyone sends their love. Abbott wants you to know that she accidentally dropped your assailant twice as she was unloading him from the van.”
Ron grins. “Hannah loves me,” he tells Hermione.
“Hannah loves that you increase her pay every time she beats you in an arm wrestle,” Hermione tells Ron, smiling indulgently.
“And Fawcett asked me to check that your beautiful face had not been harmed.”
Both Ron and Hermione laugh at that.
Harry bites his bottom lip not asking questions, so Draco answers the ones he thinks will be uppermost in his mind. “We’ve convinced one of them to testify. He says we have all but a handful in custody, and he’s given names and addresses for the rest. Some of them are on the continent, Lester is hatching plans. Apparently they were looking to make a multi-billion Galleon profit in the rebuilding of the city.”
“Money?!” Ron is the first to give voice to his disgust. “Those twats were happy to kill me for cash?”
“You and thousands of others,” Hermione reminds him.
“Them too!”
Draco nods. “I’m afraid so. On the upside, no new crazed political movement, so that’s a nice change.”
Molly Weasley tuts loudly. “Stupid young people. Don’t they understand that after everything our generations went through they should be grateful they have their freedom and lives?”
“That includes freedom to cock things up, Mum,” Percy reminds her.
“Language,” she snaps, with what Draco recognises as a half-century of parenting habit. Percy pats her on the shoulder while she fusses with Ron’s pillows. She does not look around.
Draco smiles at Ron. “I’ve just come to pick up the kids, really. I’ll make sure they get a good night’s sleep and something nutritious in the morning before I bring yours back in.”
Ron smiles in reply. “Be a mate? Bring them all for a bit in the morning, then take them all back to your place. There’s no point having them here worrying all day when they could be out blowing things up and breaking their arms.”
“And that sudden flash of insight into your childhood makes me rather glad we couldn’t stand each other in those days,” Draco laughs.
Molly Weasley spins around and looks at Draco meaningly. He suddenly realises that banter between workmates may not translate to family members as she walks to his side and looks up at him.
After a moment’s peering, she speaks. “I want to apologise for misjudging you,” she says. “You have not been the man I thought you were for a long time.”
“Thank you,” he says in surprise.
She nods at him, then walks from the room. Arthur follows, patting Draco on the shoulder as he walks past. Draco looks around for an explanation.
“Closest you’ll ever get to a welcome to the family speech,” Ron tells him, grinning.
“Oh by all the Hogwarts ghosts,” sighs Draco. “Don’t tell me I’m a Weasel connection. I should have let you drown.”
Ron laughs. “Cheer up. Mum may be a handful, but Dad has an extensive collection of Muggle alcohols to go with his gadgets, and Charlie can dispose of any bodies you may have lying about.”
“Well, between that and Percy’s contacts, I suppose it’s not so bad a fate,” Draco muses.
“Don’t forget the sheer attractiveness of Bill and myself,” George chimes in.
“Yeah, sorry, you’re pleasant looking blokes, but it’s hard to look past Charlie,” Draco quips, raising a laugh from everyone except Harry, who pulls a face instead.
Draco moves to the position recently vacated by Molly and Arthur, and is pleased to see that Ron’s colour is good and his breathing even. But his hands move weakly and his legs aren’t even twitching. This is the first time Draco has seen Ron still, save for moments on jobs when he has sat in wait in a tension-filled crouch. It’s unnerving.
“How are you, Ron?” he asks. “Seriously.”
Ron nods. “A bit fucked. Legs aren’t working yet, will be a few weeks they say. Maybe two months before I can run again, three before I’m as strong. Arms work, but they feel pretty feeble. It’s like being the girliest girl ever.”
This last achieves its aim of shifting the morose expression from Hermione’s face. She sticks her tongue out instead.
Draco pats Ron’s arm. “You’re going to be all right, yeah?” He knows that this is not the best reassurance ever offered, but Weasley has a family for that.
“Yeah, I am. Cheers, mate.”
“You’re right. I was returning a favour, anyway.”
Ron laughs at this and turns to Harry. “See! Some people consider it manners to pay others back when they save their sorry white arses.”
Harry rolls his eyes. “Bloody hell, Ron, I saved the wizarding world, what more do you want?”
“Cake. And get-well chocolates.”
Hermione shakes her head. “Oh no. You can’t move, you’ll be the size of a house by the time you can walk again.”
“He can have a dose of our Confectionary Calorie Consumer,” George offers.
“Because diarrhoea is so pleasant when you’re unable to walk,” Bill adds sotto voce.
Ron takes Hermione’s hands in his. “I was thinking you’d help with my physical therapy, because you’d be an incentive as well as a hard taskmistress.”
“Right, visiting hours are over,” Percy announces briskly. “Nobody needs to see the two of you getting frisky.”
They laugh, but Percy is right, and Harry and Hermione are soon rousing the gaggle from the sofa – Lily mutters that she has actually been watching and listening the whole time.
“Draco,” Ron calls him over quietly while the others fuss around readying to leave. “Do me a favour?”
“Sure, what?”
“Take Harry home with you.”
Draco is very proud of his expression. It doesn’t change at all. It may hold for a trifle longer than is natural, but that’s another problem altogether.
Ron goes on. “He should be with you and the kids, you’ll distract him and keep him from brooding. He’d never ask, but I know he won’t want to be alone tonight.”
Draco nods understandingly while he tries to recall where his voice should be pitched. “Good idea. He can sleep in with James and Albus, keep them out of trouble.”
“Trouble?” Ron raises an eyebrow and looks pointedly at Rose.
“Relax. Killing each other trouble. James has decided that since he has a curfew with Rose, Al has one with Scorpius. It’s not his most popular decision.” Draco pauses. “Though Helene and I don’t really mind it. Mother has been machinating with the boys against him, I foresee bribery.”
Ron laughs. “Cheers, Draco.”
“Get well, yeah?” Draco steps out of the way to allow a tide of Weasley brothers to offer their goodnights. Five years ago he was on frigidly polite terms with these people. Now work, the children, Harry …
“Dad, Albus can take me home if you can take Lily and Hugo,” Scorpius is at his shoulder.
“Albus has had his Apparating licence for less than a month, and is yawning with tiredness. Harry, can you take the boys back to the Manor? You might as well stay over, too, there’s room.”
Harry looks at him with an expression too layered for Draco’s tired mind to decipher. “Thanks, I’d like that.”
Hermione’s expression is even harder to read as she sends Hugo to Draco’s side. “Thanks for taking care of them,” she whispers.
“It’s nothing. Get some sleep,” he replies, and ushers the children into the corridor, with each farewelling sundry parents and uncles as they go. Harry is a minute behind, his goodbyes more private.
“Home?” Harry asks as he emerges through the door.
“Home.” Draco agrees.
*************************************
Narcissa is there to greet the troops on their return. Harry’s inclusion in the group passes unremarked, save by the slightest of eyebrow raises. She listens patiently to the updates, supplies alcohol for the adults and pumpkin juice for the young set, and then whisks away everyone under the age of nineteen for a spot of astronomy.
She is so swift, that Draco is surprised to find himself alone with Harry at the supper table.
“I did not pay her to do that,” Harry tells him.
bryoneybrynn has mocked me in public AGAIN for failing to finish this story. I put it to her that if she hadn't convinced me to do the AS/S fest this would have been over by May ;-P Anyway, she mocked me in an update for Certain Dark Things, so I'm actually prepared to wear that ...People I like much more, including mic and
anabellhenry have been asking kindly what I'm up to, too. Being stressed and mental is probably the honest response. And sleeping on the sofa to wake up covered in kitties.So, in a special sneak preview and with the caveat that I could actually decide to change anything in the following, a special sneak preview of the last part of Fathers Who Could Do with a Spot of Sinning (and a less ridiculous title). This time I really am writing the rest of this before I do ANYTHING else fic-wise.
A thousand thank yous to
pingrid who held off getting ready for dinner to cast a weather eye over this. Ooh! and a big thank you to eynhashofet for Comment of the Day the other day! I can mock Twilight and be rewarded! Life is good!The Welcome Witch seems less happy to see Draco this time. “It is very late,” she points out.
“Just here to pick up the children and give Mr Potter an update from the Auror office,” Draco replies
Mollified, she waves him through.
The hallway outside Ron’s room is quieter. There are two Aurors standing guard, Draco hands over the take-away that he has smuggled through and promises them drinks the following evening. They send him in; Ron is doing well and would like some company.
Draco enters the room quietly, but it quickly becomes apparent that Ron has plenty of company already. In addition to the six children snoozing on an expanded sofa, there is Hermione with Harry on one side of his bed, and Arthur and Molly Weasley on the other. Bill and Percy are standing with their parents, while George is at the foot of the bed, quietly acting out a complex tale, to judge by his hand gestures.
Ron spots him and waves him over. “The hero of the hour,” he says, grinning.
Draco shakes his head. “Hardly. Competent swimmer, perhaps. Everyone sends their love. Abbott wants you to know that she accidentally dropped your assailant twice as she was unloading him from the van.”
Ron grins. “Hannah loves me,” he tells Hermione.
“Hannah loves that you increase her pay every time she beats you in an arm wrestle,” Hermione tells Ron, smiling indulgently.
“And Fawcett asked me to check that your beautiful face had not been harmed.”
Both Ron and Hermione laugh at that.
Harry bites his bottom lip not asking questions, so Draco answers the ones he thinks will be uppermost in his mind. “We’ve convinced one of them to testify. He says we have all but a handful in custody, and he’s given names and addresses for the rest. Some of them are on the continent, Lester is hatching plans. Apparently they were looking to make a multi-billion Galleon profit in the rebuilding of the city.”
“Money?!” Ron is the first to give voice to his disgust. “Those twats were happy to kill me for cash?”
“You and thousands of others,” Hermione reminds him.
“Them too!”
Draco nods. “I’m afraid so. On the upside, no new crazed political movement, so that’s a nice change.”
Molly Weasley tuts loudly. “Stupid young people. Don’t they understand that after everything our generations went through they should be grateful they have their freedom and lives?”
“That includes freedom to cock things up, Mum,” Percy reminds her.
“Language,” she snaps, with what Draco recognises as a half-century of parenting habit. Percy pats her on the shoulder while she fusses with Ron’s pillows. She does not look around.
Draco smiles at Ron. “I’ve just come to pick up the kids, really. I’ll make sure they get a good night’s sleep and something nutritious in the morning before I bring yours back in.”
Ron smiles in reply. “Be a mate? Bring them all for a bit in the morning, then take them all back to your place. There’s no point having them here worrying all day when they could be out blowing things up and breaking their arms.”
“And that sudden flash of insight into your childhood makes me rather glad we couldn’t stand each other in those days,” Draco laughs.
Molly Weasley spins around and looks at Draco meaningly. He suddenly realises that banter between workmates may not translate to family members as she walks to his side and looks up at him.
After a moment’s peering, she speaks. “I want to apologise for misjudging you,” she says. “You have not been the man I thought you were for a long time.”
“Thank you,” he says in surprise.
She nods at him, then walks from the room. Arthur follows, patting Draco on the shoulder as he walks past. Draco looks around for an explanation.
“Closest you’ll ever get to a welcome to the family speech,” Ron tells him, grinning.
“Oh by all the Hogwarts ghosts,” sighs Draco. “Don’t tell me I’m a Weasel connection. I should have let you drown.”
Ron laughs. “Cheer up. Mum may be a handful, but Dad has an extensive collection of Muggle alcohols to go with his gadgets, and Charlie can dispose of any bodies you may have lying about.”
“Well, between that and Percy’s contacts, I suppose it’s not so bad a fate,” Draco muses.
“Don’t forget the sheer attractiveness of Bill and myself,” George chimes in.
“Yeah, sorry, you’re pleasant looking blokes, but it’s hard to look past Charlie,” Draco quips, raising a laugh from everyone except Harry, who pulls a face instead.
Draco moves to the position recently vacated by Molly and Arthur, and is pleased to see that Ron’s colour is good and his breathing even. But his hands move weakly and his legs aren’t even twitching. This is the first time Draco has seen Ron still, save for moments on jobs when he has sat in wait in a tension-filled crouch. It’s unnerving.
“How are you, Ron?” he asks. “Seriously.”
Ron nods. “A bit fucked. Legs aren’t working yet, will be a few weeks they say. Maybe two months before I can run again, three before I’m as strong. Arms work, but they feel pretty feeble. It’s like being the girliest girl ever.”
This last achieves its aim of shifting the morose expression from Hermione’s face. She sticks her tongue out instead.
Draco pats Ron’s arm. “You’re going to be all right, yeah?” He knows that this is not the best reassurance ever offered, but Weasley has a family for that.
“Yeah, I am. Cheers, mate.”
“You’re right. I was returning a favour, anyway.”
Ron laughs at this and turns to Harry. “See! Some people consider it manners to pay others back when they save their sorry white arses.”
Harry rolls his eyes. “Bloody hell, Ron, I saved the wizarding world, what more do you want?”
“Cake. And get-well chocolates.”
Hermione shakes her head. “Oh no. You can’t move, you’ll be the size of a house by the time you can walk again.”
“He can have a dose of our Confectionary Calorie Consumer,” George offers.
“Because diarrhoea is so pleasant when you’re unable to walk,” Bill adds sotto voce.
Ron takes Hermione’s hands in his. “I was thinking you’d help with my physical therapy, because you’d be an incentive as well as a hard taskmistress.”
“Right, visiting hours are over,” Percy announces briskly. “Nobody needs to see the two of you getting frisky.”
They laugh, but Percy is right, and Harry and Hermione are soon rousing the gaggle from the sofa – Lily mutters that she has actually been watching and listening the whole time.
“Draco,” Ron calls him over quietly while the others fuss around readying to leave. “Do me a favour?”
“Sure, what?”
“Take Harry home with you.”
Draco is very proud of his expression. It doesn’t change at all. It may hold for a trifle longer than is natural, but that’s another problem altogether.
Ron goes on. “He should be with you and the kids, you’ll distract him and keep him from brooding. He’d never ask, but I know he won’t want to be alone tonight.”
Draco nods understandingly while he tries to recall where his voice should be pitched. “Good idea. He can sleep in with James and Albus, keep them out of trouble.”
“Trouble?” Ron raises an eyebrow and looks pointedly at Rose.
“Relax. Killing each other trouble. James has decided that since he has a curfew with Rose, Al has one with Scorpius. It’s not his most popular decision.” Draco pauses. “Though Helene and I don’t really mind it. Mother has been machinating with the boys against him, I foresee bribery.”
Ron laughs. “Cheers, Draco.”
“Get well, yeah?” Draco steps out of the way to allow a tide of Weasley brothers to offer their goodnights. Five years ago he was on frigidly polite terms with these people. Now work, the children, Harry …
“Dad, Albus can take me home if you can take Lily and Hugo,” Scorpius is at his shoulder.
“Albus has had his Apparating licence for less than a month, and is yawning with tiredness. Harry, can you take the boys back to the Manor? You might as well stay over, too, there’s room.”
Harry looks at him with an expression too layered for Draco’s tired mind to decipher. “Thanks, I’d like that.”
Hermione’s expression is even harder to read as she sends Hugo to Draco’s side. “Thanks for taking care of them,” she whispers.
“It’s nothing. Get some sleep,” he replies, and ushers the children into the corridor, with each farewelling sundry parents and uncles as they go. Harry is a minute behind, his goodbyes more private.
“Home?” Harry asks as he emerges through the door.
“Home.” Draco agrees.
*************************************
Narcissa is there to greet the troops on their return. Harry’s inclusion in the group passes unremarked, save by the slightest of eyebrow raises. She listens patiently to the updates, supplies alcohol for the adults and pumpkin juice for the young set, and then whisks away everyone under the age of nineteen for a spot of astronomy.
She is so swift, that Draco is surprised to find himself alone with Harry at the supper table.
“I did not pay her to do that,” Harry tells him.