Our Little One

.~*~.Our little one. ~*~.

Chapter Fourteen

The Weasley View

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This part of the chapter is from Hermione Weasley's POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks and flashforths.

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Ron just told me that he's been appointed to make a check visit on the Malfoys before the adoption can be confirmed. I'm a bit worried - it's not that I like the Malfoys in particular, but I like their daughter. I hope Ron won't let our recent meetings with the Malfoys distract him. But, knowing my husband, he'll be extremely partial.

Not the girl's fault, anyway.

***

14th of December, 2003

*

Somebody sits down to the empty seat on the other side of the girls. I turn to look at the newcomer, hoping that she'll distract the girls for a while - they're tugging at my sleeve all the time now.

It's a young witch I've never seen before. She's wearing a green velvet robe that looks pretty expensive, as well as a thick winter cloak in a dark blue color. Her jewellery is pretty simple, however - just tiny emerald buttons for earrings, and a couple of silver hair pins keeping some shorter locks of hair from falling to her face. The rest of her hair is braided to a long, thick braid, complete with a green velvet bow in the end. Other than the blue cloak, she looks disturbingly Slytherin-y - but she also looks a lot too nice to be a Slytherin.

"Who are you?" Angelina starts asking.

I move forward to tell the children to leave her in peace, but she notices my gesture and shakes her head. 'Let them be,' she mouths to me. "I'm Olivia," she says aloud. "Who are you?"

"I'm Angelina Weasley, and this is my little sister," Angelina explains, excited. "Her name is Audrey. And that's our Mommy," she says, pointing at me. "Her name is Hermione."

"Oh, you're Audrey, then?" the girl - Olivia? - asks from Audrey. Audrey nods, and she continues, "You're a bit bored here, are you?"

"We are," Angelina replies. "Mommy and Daddy like looking Quidditch, but it's boring. I don't know who are our side, and daddy tries to tell me, but I don't care."

Olivia smiles a bit. "Oh, that's funny," she says. "Would you like to play a game?"

"Of course," Angelina smiles. "But we can't play here. There's no room here, besides on the pitch - and Dad goes mad if we play there."

She smiles at me over the girls' heads. Then she returns her attention at them. "But this game doesn't need much space," she tells. "You see, it's this easy. I put my hand here," she tells, placing her hand in front of Audrey, "and now you, Angelina, you put your own hand on top of mine." Angelina does so, and Olivia continues, "Now Audrey puts her hand there - right, just like that - and I put my other hand on top of hers. Now Angelina, and now Audrey. Right."

"And what now?" Angelina asks, excited.

"Now, let's see whose hand is on the bottom. It's mine. So I take my hand from there, and put it on the top. Now you, Angelina, and you, Audrey. Right." She smiles at them. "Now, let's do it again - faster."

They did it again, and again, and again, every time faster, until they mess up. Angelina and Audrey end up giggling and laughing. "We messed up!"Angelina exclaims. "We messed up!" Her eyes light up. "Let's do it again!" she suggests.

They play for a long while. I sigh in relief and begin to follow the game at last. It's pretty hard to know what's going on when you have two little children to look after.

When I look at them the next time, it has to be at least the hundredth time they stop their game. "Let's play again!" Angelina begs.

"Again!" Audrey says as well. They're both grinning like crazy.

"Oh, no," Olivia says, laughing at their enthusiasm. "I'm too tired - you see. I'm old. I'm ancient. And I'm very, very tired."

"You aren't old!" Angelina exclaims, beginning to giggle again. "You aren't as old as Mommy! Mommy is old, and uncles are older! And grandad is the oldest," she adds.

"Nice to hear," she smiles. "Why don't you and Audrey try playing it yourself?"

They do so. Over their giggling and flinging, I mouth a 'Thank you' to Olivia.

She leans carefully over them and whispers, "No, thank you. I haven't seen children for a while. It's nice to see some after such a long time."

"Are you a fan? Why are you in Quidditch match?" I ask her. "I don't think you're really obsessed, like my husband. If you were, you wouldn't waste your time playing with children."

"You're right," she replies. "I, in fact, couldn't care less about the match. I know that Magpies will win - there's no match for their Seeker. But, my soon-to-be brother-in-law is playing, and therefore my entire family is here." She shrugs. "Not that it would be very big - only me, my parents, the said future brother-in-law and his fiancé."

"Oh, yes." I smile to her. "Who's he? And which position is he playing? I bet he's in Magpies. If he wasn't, you wouldn't tell me that they're going to win."

"Yes, he is in Magpies," she says, smiling. Even though in general she looks like just a usual teenager, she has very pretty smile - it's very slow to show up, and then it only lasts for a second, fading away fast. But in that second she fits more than most of the people in hours of smiling. "And he's - oh, it seems like I have to go," she says, not finishing her sentence. "The game seems to be over. I promised my Father to go to them right after it." Then she stands up and walks away before I'm even able to ask her surname.

I look at the pitch. She's right - the game is over. Harry stands there, keeping the Snitch in his hands. Of course Harry. He hasn't lost a single game in his whole professional career.

"Oh, the Magpies won," Angelina says. "Too bad that Cannons didn't." Then she begins to smile again. "Can we go to ask for Harry Potter's autograph?" she asks eagerly.

"I don't think -" I begin, but she interrupts me.

"But I have every other Seeker's!" she exclaims. "Why I can't have this one? He's the best Seeker in Britain! He was England's Seeker last year! I have to have his!"

"Maybe we should let her," I hear Ron saying. I turn around to face him. He looks in fact a little bit tired, and very old.

"But -" I try to say, but once again I get interrupted, this time by my husband.

"Let her," he repeats his own words. "We can't keep them away from everyone we don't speak to. It wouldn't hurt them too much if we let them ask for autographs."

"Well - okay, then." I turn back to the girls. "Let's go," I say, trying to make my voice sounding eager. "Let's go to ask for an autograph."

I take the hands of the yelling children, swallow, and begin walking towards the pitch. I hear Ron walking right after us.

On my way there, I collect all my courage and prepare to meet again my former best friend.

~*~

As we get nearer, he's already giving autographs. Some teenager girls are hanging around him, flirting shamelessly. I see Malfoy walking nearer. One of the girls walks to him.

"You're his friend, right?" she asks, motioning towards Harry.

"I guess so," Malfoy replies, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Does he have a girlfriend?" the girl goes on asking.

"No, he doesn't," Malfoy says, grinning. I try to not to show my disgust. I know that he's going to humiliate the poor girl completely.

"Oh!" she exclaims. "What do you think, would he like to go for a date?"

"I don't think so." He starts walking towards Harry again. "He's pretty busy right now. He's going to get married this summer."

"Married?" the girl echoes, going very pale. "But - but you said that he doesn't have a girlfriend yet!"

"No, he doesn't," Malfoy replies. "Or do I look like a girl?" He walks forward, leaving the stunned girl stare after him. He walks right to Harry and kisses him right to the mouth. "Great game, handsome," he says, grinning.

"Thanks, beautiful." Harry pecks him on cheek. Then he turns around. When he sees us, his eyes widen a little bit. Then he seems to calm down. "What now?" he asks. I see Malfoy taking a step backwards.

"My daughters would like an autograph," I say as calmly as I'm able to. "If you aren't too busy right now?"

"Nope," he replies, taking the autograph books from the girls. They have both their own - Ron has bought them. He's totally obsessed, and has made the girls similar - even Audrey is collecting autographs more or less seriously, and she's only three.

"I'm Angelina," Angelina tells him helpfully, "and that's Audrey." She points at Audrey, who waves shyly.

"Really?" he asks. "And are these your parents?" He looks at us, his eyes twinkling. I don't return his glance. I don't know if Ron does. At least the twinkle in Harry's eyes fades off.

"Yes, they are," Angelina giggles. "This is Mommy and this is Daddy. Mommy is a teacher," she adds. Her voice is excited, like she was telling a very big secret. "She teaches us and our friends at our home."

"Really? I don't know if I can believe that," he smiles. He gives the books back to the girls. "There you go," he says.

"Thank you," Angelina smiles, like we've taught them to do.

"Thank you," Audrey whispers as well.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry, but I have to leave." He turns around and walks away.

Malfoy stands there for a little while. A little smirk is playing on his lips, when he raises his left hand. In the ring finger is a little, silver ring, shining in the pale winter sun. 'He's all mine,' he mouths, before following his fiancé.

"Let's go, kids," I say, trying to sound happy. "We have to go at home."

They follow us, talking nonsense, like little children usually do. We're just leaving the pitch, when Angelina suddenly asks, "Why did that other man kiss him?"

I freeze on my place. Then I calm down a bit and say to her, "Because they're unnormal, dear. It's that simple."

"Aha." She nods.

She doesn't say anything else before we're at home.

~*~

"Take this to Olivia," Angelina says. She tries to get our old Worry fly away. "Didn't you hear? Take this to Olivia!"

"I don't think that's accurate enough," I say, struggling against laughter. "There are too many people called Olivia around. You should know more about her."

"Oh, should I? Like what?" she asks, looking very surprised. Of course. When I and Ron owl someone, we only say 'take this to Ginny' or 'take this to Bill', and the like, because all our owls know what we're meaning if we say 'Ginny' or 'Bill' or 'Charlie' or anyone else.

"For example her family name," I advise. "Or maybe where she lives. Didn't she tell you anything?"

"She did." She looks like she's thinking for a while. Then her face lights up. "Take this to Olivia," she says to Worry. "Olivia lives in a big manor with snakes on the gate!"

I'm surprised and slightly shocked. "Could you mean - the Malfoy Manor?" I ask carefully.

"Oh, that it was!" Angelina exclaims. "She lives in the Malfoy Manor! Take this to her!"

Worry makes a hooting sound full of relief and flies away. Angelina turns around towards me. "I sent her a drawing," she tells me. "There was a snicth in it."

"Snitch, dear," I correct her. "That's good. I bet she'll like the drawing." I can't help myself, but I feel a little bit worried. Can I really let my daughter to keep contact with a Malfoy?

Or maybe someone else?

I remember Olivia's words about her family. It's obvious that those who she is calling her parents are Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lupin - even when I know that they are married, I can't call Professor Lupin a Malfoy. And her will-be brother-in-law--that's Harry, who's going to marry Malfoy.

I shudder. Why must everything be so complicated?

***

18th of February, 2004

*

"There's Olivia!" Angelina shouts. "She told us she'd be here!" She runs towards the girl standing a little way afar from us. Audrey tries to run after her, but trips over and begins to cry. Then she gets up, wipes her tears away, and runs again to Olivia.

I'm a little bit cautious when I walk towards her. Ron is on my side, and I squeeze his hand. "We have to let them make friends with people," I say, reminding as much myself as him.

"I know," he replies. "But we don't have to let them make friends with the wrong kind of people."

I can't come up with a response to that. So, instead, I just concentrate on Olivia as we approach her.

Her hood is up this time, but I recognize her face and that pretty smile that shows up for so little time, as well as the green robe she had before, too. The fur-lined winter cloak, however, is new to me.

Olivia talks cheerfully with the children when we come to the place. She looks up at us, and her smile fades away again. "Err... Hello," she whispers, looking very cautious.

"Who are you?" Ron asks, without responding her greeting. I put my hand on his arm, but he doesn't seem to even notice it. "And why have you been owling my daughter?"

"I am Olivia," she replies. "I played with your children in the last Magpies versus Cannons match. And after that, Angelina kept owling me, so..." She shrugs. "I replied her owls. I'm polite at least, unlike some people."

"Do you mean that I'm not polite?" Ron asks angrily, taking a step towards her. She yelps and jumps backwards, looking terrified. I'm surprised. Ron is tall, okay, and he can look pretty threatening sometimes, especially when he's angry, but even then he doesn't give any reason for more than being only slightly nervous.

"Yes, I do mean that," she replies firmly, but I hear that her voice is trembling. "I tried to be kind to your children, and you speak to me like I am a criminal trying to hurt them."

"Maybe you aren't a criminal, but you are just short of that," he mutters. He doesn't say it aloud, but loud enough to Olivia to hear it. She looks hurt. Not a surprise - I'd be insulted as well.

"What do you speak, daddy?" Angelina asks, looking very confused. "Why you not like Olivia? She's nice! She showed us a new game!"

Olivia shakes her head. "Don't, Angelina," she advises quietly. "Not now." When she makes the gesture, her hood drops to her neck. I let out a surprised gasp.

Her previous braid and simple jewellery are gone. Now her long hair is combed backwards from her face - just the same way as Lucius Malfoy usually keeps his hair. She's wearing silver earrings - silver snakes, with large emeralds. The snakes hiss at us and wave their heads. As she raises her hand to lift up the hood, the seal ring in her finger is pretty easy to see.

The Malfoy rings.

I hear Ron hissing. "Get away from her," he says to girls. "Leave her alone. Now."

"But, daddy!" Angelina protests. "Why can't we be with Olivia? She's our friend!" I hear that she's just about to cry. She doesn't understand why her father is acting like that.

"My daughters aren't friends of Malfoys," Ron says with a grave voice. "None of them. They're all mean and evil, no matter what people say about them. They can't really be friends with anyone. Come away from her." He reaches out her hand and pulls them nearer to us.

"Daddy!" Angelina is practically crying. "She's our friend!"

"Angelina -" Olivia says, reaching her hand towards the girl.

"Don't you dare to touch my daughter!" Ron interrupts, grasping her wrist.

On the same moment as he touches her, the terror on her face turns into pure panic. She begins screaming, screaming so helplessly and painfully that I've never heard anything like that before.

Everyone is staring at us. Ron lets go from Olivia. She stops screaming, but starts crying instead. She tries to stumble away from us, staring at us, her eyes wide open.

Suddenly, two people walk to us. Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lupin. I see Harry and Draco somewhere behind them, running towards us. Lupin immediately goes to Olivia, wrapping his arms around her. He glares at us over her shoulder while trying to comfort her. Mr. Malfoy, however, walks nearer to us. He has a long, black robe and his usual cane. His expression is simply furious.

"What the hell are you doing to my daughter?" Lucius asks, his voice cold as ice. "Answer me, Weasley. What did you do to her?"

"Shh, calm down, sweetheart," I hear Professor Lupin whispering to the crying girl. "Everything is all right. No one is going to hurt you, princess. I am here, and Lucius is here. You're completely safe, dear. Don't cry..."

"I didn't do anything," Ron says, trying to defend himself, "I only grasped her wrist. I didn't do anything to make her cry."

"You didn't do anything?" He leans forward, like a big shadow. Audrey grasps my hand, and Angelina gasps, scared. "You didn't do anything? Can you even imagine how much you hurt her? Can you even imagine how frightened a young girl can be, first because of your obviously insulting words and then because of your attack?"

"I didn't attack her," Ron says. At least my husband is brave, if nothing else. It takes alot to oppose an angry Lucius Malfoy. "Like I said, I only grasped her wrist. It isn't an attack."

"To her, it is!" he exclaims, with more emotion in his voice that I could even think to be possible to him. "You first attacked her when you walked to her! And to grasp her wrist - gods, Weasley, do you know how long it took her to permit me and my husband to touch her hand without trembling after we had brought her home from the orphanage? Days? Weeks? It took two months, Weasley! And you - you go and grasp her wrist when you first meet her!"

"I didn't know," Ron says, with very quiet voice. "I didn't know. But I don't apologize. I'm not going to allow her near my daughters!"

"So that was what you said to her at first?" His expression becomes even more furious. "You told that she couldn't meet them anymore?" He takes another step forward. "She has spent the last week waiting for this day, Weasley, only to meet your damned kids! She was happier than ever before when your daughter sent her that bloody drawing!"

"What?" says somebody from behind him. "You don't allow Olivia to talk with your children?" Malfoy steps in sight. Harry comes with him. They both look furious.

"No," Ron says again, although I hear that he isn't so sure about himself anymore. "Angelina will no longer keep contact with a Malfoy." He grasps Angelina's hand and looks angrily at all the four men before him.

"So you don't want her to make friends with the wrong sort, eh?" Harry says with so sarcastical and nasty voice that I've never heard anything like that from him before. "Even after all these years - all those nasty and mean things you've said and done - I wouldn't have thought this from you, Weasley."

His words hurt Ron. I can see it. Even after all these years - after six years of not keeping contact - even now it hurts Ron to hear his former best friend using his surname.

"I don't think we should stay here any longer," Mr. Malfoy says. He crouches down to face Angelina and Audrey. "You're welcome to the Malfoy Manor whenever you only want, young ladies," he says, "but I'm afraid that your parents aren't." Then he turns around and walks away. Professor Lupin follows him, gently leading the still crying Olivia.

Harry stays for a while. He looks at us, with an angry expression on his face. "If you don't leave Olivia in peace in the future, you'll really regret it," he says coldly.

"Harry -" I try to say, but he interrupts me with a wave of his hand.

"Leave me alone, Weasley," he says. "You told me to choose between you and them. And I chose them. Leave me alone with my family now, Weasley. You yourself started this." He turns around to Malfoy, who's waiting for him. Harry takes his hand, and they walk away after Mr. Malfoy and professor Lupin.

*

A/N: Yeah, the latter one was the foreflash. Just for the record:

The first match was after the first full moon with Olivia around, which was 8th of December.

The second match is after the situation I left you to in the end of the 13th chapter - Olivia starts looking for an explanation 15th of February.

Yes, I do have everything planned out. Just wait and see. ^_-