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A Thought or Two | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama Warnings: Mental Abuse Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 87 Summary: Auror Spook Kitty Fawley thought the difficult part of her return to the UK would be getting Sirius out of prison and recovering Harry from his Muggle relatives. Turns out that was the easiest thing she would do. To help them, Kitty will delve into a mystery deeper than any she faced in the field. Hitcount: Story Total: 134230; Chapter Total: 3667 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: As I said in the previous chapter, I wasn't expecting these characters in this story, and they barged their way in. This chapter is not the surgery on Harry nor the horcrux hunt, that's in the next chapter. This is just a normal day and normal conversations. The action will pick up. Deep thanks to my beta, Arnel, for her fabulous work; take some time to read her "A Time To Heal", it's great. MNF |
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Chapter 29: In Chains May 8, 1986 Fawley-Black House Cheery was puttering around the dining room when Kitty and Sirius entered for breakfast that morning. They had returned from the magical court two days ago with Cissy and Draco in tow. The ‘familymoon’ had been postponed until after the baby was born, although it hadn’t bothered any of them overly much. Harry had reveled in being one of the few children present in the court, spending many hours with his great-great-great-auntie, often being found on the dais with her. Remus found the library fascinating and undertook reading about Horcruxes and what would destroy them. Kitty and Sirius spent time with his cousin and her son and being newlyweds. They had kept Harry from meeting Cissy and Draco until his wounds were better healed; they didn’t want Harry having flashbacks of his own traumatic time with the Dursleys. The Malfoys had chosen to remain in their rooms all yesterday, but Kitty went and spoke with Cissy the night before, urging her to join them for meals. Cissy had been concerned they would be intruding, but Kitty assured her they were welcome. Kitty had taken her seat at the breakfast table, and Cheery was bringing her dry toast and herbal tea when Cissy and Draco came in. "I'm so pleased you decided to join us today," Kitty said warmly. She went to stand, and nausea hit her hard, causing her to drop into the chair with an utter lack of grace. Sirius was immediately at her side. “You can’t stand up so fast,” he reminded her gently. His hands immediately moved to touch her, one on her shoulder, the other resting on her abdomen. “Yeah, yeah, even with the potion, morning sickness is horrible,” Kitty grumbled. “You’re going to have a baby?” Cissy said in a cautiously happy tone. “Congratulations, Siri, and you too, Kitty.” "Thank you," Sirius replied. "Come get some food." He pointed to the buffet on the sideboard. “If there’s something you want that isn’t there, just ask the house-elves, they can get it. Harry should be here any minute; he was getting dressed. Remus is taking them outside today for class, so he was picking out a warmer sweater." “How often does Harry have lessons with his tutor?” Narcissa asked while she chose a muffin from the platter on the sideboard, along with some fruit. Draco was happily piling bacon on his plate; his mother put half of it back before giving him some toast with jam and apple slices. "This year they went to four mornings a week, Mondays are off most weeks. Come fall, the little group will meet five mornings a week and one afternoon too," Sirius explained. "Remus teaches them in maths, history — Magical, UK and world — sciences, English, penmanship, Potions basics and Herbology, elemental magic and a few simple charms which can be done without a wand. They’re mostly household things like making the bed and personal cleansing.” Sirius was quite proud of the way his friend had taken to teaching Harry and his friends. With what the Longbottoms were chipping in, Remus was now paid well enough that he was only tutoring a few Muggle students in the evening, and it was mostly for the pleasure of the children he was tutoring. "Oh, and I teach French, and Kitty teaches Latin." “That’s quite a well-rounded curriculum for one five-year-old,” Cissy said. “I’m not alone,” Harry said as he came into the room. “Ron and Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom take classes with me.” Cissy Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the names. “Cissy, we don’t classify families in this house,” Sirius said firmly. "They're good people, and their children are delightful." “I’m sorry not to have introduced myself when I came in,” Harry said to Narcissa with his best manners. Spending time with the dowager princess had improved his etiquette immensely. “I’m Harry Fawley-Black, Mrs. Malfoy." He offered his hand, and Cissy took it with a fond smile on her face. “Hello, Harry. I’m sorry we weren’t properly introduced before. I’d like it if you called me Mrs. Cissy.” “Thank you, Mrs. Cissy. I understood when Uncle Remus brought me home by myself why we hadn’t met. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Cissy couldn’t help smiling at the boy and his kind words. “Draco, introduce yourself, please,” she prompted her son. “I’m Draco Malfoy,” he said, putting his hand out. “You know you’re famous for killing the Dark Lord, even though he isn’t really dead.” Harry warily took Draco’s hand. “I know,” Harry said softly. “Voldemort killed my first mum and dad, and he gave me my scar; my new mum and dad and Uncle Remus have explained it to me. I didn’t know he wasn’t dead. Did you know, Dad?” "Your mum and I suspected it, but since you're five, we didn't want to worry you," Sirius said, coming over to kneel in front of Harry. "You know you're perfectly safe here; nothing can hurt you while you're at home. We will always protect you, Harry." “I know,” Harry said. “Is that why Rumple stays with me when I go to the Weasleys or to Neville’s?” "That's exactly why," Kitty said. "He can have you back here instantly." Harry nodded his head, and then he hugged Sirius. Before the man had stood, Harry was already at the buffet, selecting some breakfast with Cheery's help. “He knows quite a bit for someone so young,” Cissy said softly, once the boys had begun discussing Quidditch. “When we brought him home, he still remembered what had happened that night, vaguely," Kitty answered. "We decided that it would be better to be honest with him, answer his questions truthfully, but only give the information he asked about." “Siri, you’re a far better parent than I would have expected,” Cissy said warmly. “It’s not like we had great role models. Lucius wasn’t a particularly good father — reminded me too much of yours.” “He is the one who set up the marriage for you,” Sirius answered darkly. “Are you surprised he picked someone in his image?” Cissy thought about it for a minute and then shook her head. “If I’m any good at this, it’s because Monty Potter taught me what a real father should be.” Remus entered the room to greetings of welcome and a quick hug from his favorite pupil. He gathered his breakfast and then sat down at the adult end of the table. The boys' conversation had moved on to Chocolate Frogs cards, Draco having left his collection behind, and Harry offering to share his. Cissy smiled at the genuine kindness Harry showed. She couldn't say if her son behaved in the same way if the tables were turned. "Draco is welcome to join us today," Remus said. "We're going on a scavenger hunt of sorts for our Herbology lesson. Looking for certain blooms on trees and plants. Then we will visit the sheep, as a lamb was born last week, and Ginny has been begging to see it. We'll finish the morning off downstairs, since the house is closed to the public today, and talk about why King Henry VIII gave Kitty's family the land this house sits on.” "I'd like it if he did, I think it will be good for him," Cissy said honestly. "His only friend was Theo Nott, and well, he knows Theo died but not how or why. He needs new friends, although…I suppose Neville is fine, but the Weasleys? Really Siri?" "Careful there, Cissy, your Black mania is peeking through," Sirius cautioned. "Molly is our cousin too, and I've found her and Arthur to be wonderful people. I think you'll find Ron and Ginny to be exceptionally sweet and caring." Cissy nodded and sighed. “I’ve only ever been around pure-blood superiority, Siri; it’s going to take some getting used to not thinking that way. Have you ever thought about what your parents would say to you marrying Kitty? Not only pure-blood but royalty?” “I would have married her if she was a Muggle,” Sirius said. Kitty smiled at him and took his hand in hers. Everyone finished eating, and Cissy didn’t need to ask Draco if he wanted to join in the morning class, as Harry had already invited him, and they asked Remus for permission. Draco quickly went to Harry's room to get a warm sweater, and the trio was off. While Kitty had purchased some clothing for both Cissy and Draco while in Vienna, more was needed to have proper wardrobes. The two women and Sirius were planning on spending their morning going to Diagon Alley. Later in the afternoon, well after lunch but before tea, Harry had invited Draco to fly with him, and Sirius was supervising the boys. They’d bought Draco a matching broom to Harry’s while out shopping. Sirius had spoiled both mother and son in the shopping trip, figuring the gold was theirs as well. While this was going on, Kitty went to see how Cissy truly was feeling about leaving her husband and the ideals she’d grown up with. Kitty was surprised to see Cissy on the patio, working on one of her mother’s half-finished needlepoints Cissy must have found. Her mother started lots of projects, then her father would be called away, and said needlepoint was left behind. There were a few at every residence the family had. "I hope you don't mind that I picked this up?" she asked immediately, "I loved doing this when Lucius and I were first married. Once I had Draco, there was little time for such frivolities." “I don’t think anything that creates beauty is frivolous,” Kitty answered gently. “I don’t mind either. There were at least a half dozen projects left behind by my mother. If you'd rather start something from scratch, there's a shop in town I go to for yarn and such. Being pregnant has made me want to knit again." Cissy indicated Kitty should sit down, and the homeowner did. "Nesting will make you do that," she said sadly. "I wanted to clean everything, but that isn't what a pure-blood does. House-elves clean," she added wistfully. “How are you doing, really?” Kitty asked. Cissy was quiet for a long pause. "I know I did the right thing," she began, "but it's so hard. I fell in love with my husband. I know most arranged marriages aren't loving, but ours was. I agreed with him about standards in the Wizarding world that magical educations should only be for those who come from magical families. We were true believers of the Dark Lord at first; Lucius is still today. I had a son, and while I wanted a good world for him to grow up in, I became more concerned about him just growing up. We thought it would be easy to cleanse the world, but first Uncle Orion died, then my father was sent to live in St. Mungo's because of a curse he was casting gone wrong, then Bella was sent to Azkaban. Mother fell to pieces and just sat. I was thankful when she died. Grandpa and great-uncle Arcturus are still alive, but they fled to Germany. I haven't seen either in years. I don't know if my grandmother is even alive anymore. “After the defeat of the Dark Lord, though, Lucius changed. He wasn't interested in our son anymore, but he was obsessed with Harry Potter. It frustrated him to no end that they couldn't find the little boy and kill him." “Dumbledore hid him in the Muggle world,” Kitty said without giving any details. She wanted to believe Cissy was here because she wanted a different life, but her Auror insides told her to be wary. "He assumed that former Death Eaters might go after him." “When Abraxas had us relocate to Yugoslavia a few years ago, Lucius became fanatical about restoring the Dark Lord. We, Draco and I, were more captives than family. I miss my husband, but I love my son more.” Kitty nodded in understanding. “You’re a very good mother.” “Much like Sirius said earlier, if I’m any good at this, it’s because of Fee Potter. She was my real mother in so many important ways.” “I never thought of your parents as being on the Pure-blood side of things.” "They weren't on any side. When things started to get ugly in the early seventies, they left the country. I don't think they've spent more than fifteen days a year in the UK since," Kitty said sadly. "They were too busy to be at our wedding. They don't know I've adopted Harry into the family by blood and magic, and they don't know I'm having a baby." “I’m sorry,” Cissy said honestly and sincerely. “I’m not,” Kitty replied. “Much like Sirius and the pure-blood mania of the Black family, I'm not much like my parents and their snobbery. Theirs wasn't over the purity of someone's blood in the magical sense, rather the blueblood of your breeding. Their peerage, station, and international perception was all that mattered. Granted, both my parents are descended from royalty, but only one relative still has a real throne, and then it's more ceremonial than functional." “I always did remember you being very proper, now you walk about in Muggle jeans and tee-shirts. What exactly is that on your shirt?” Cissy asked. “We mostly wear Muggle clothes because they’re more comfortable. Harry hates dress robes. He only wore them while we were in Vienna because he wanted to sit on the dais with Auntie. This is the symbol for a band Sirius likes called the Rolling Stones. I’m wearing his shirts now because my blouses don’t always button up properly. I didn’t realize how early my chest would change shape.” If Cissy was surprised by Kitty’s bluntness, she didn’t show it. “There’s a lot that no one warns you about when you’re pregnant,” Cissy said. “I wish I had been able to speak with my sister while I was. She’d already had a child and…” she drifted off. It was only the second time she’d mentioned Andromeda. "It's good I'm an avid reader, there's a particularly good Muggle book called What to Expect When You’re Expecting that I rely heavily on. Sirius and Remus are both reading it too." Cissy looked at her oddly. "I think Remus is concerned Sirius will pass out in the delivery room or do something ridiculous, so he's preparing to step in as my birthing partner in if needed.” “The three of you have an interesting relationship.” “We were all uncommonly close in school — the eight Gryffindors in our year — and as we were slowly killed off during the war, those who remained became even closer. Don't get me wrong, I was always closer with Sirius than I was with anyone else, even Jamie Potter. Sirius and I understood each other; being misfits in our own families made us close. I do miss having girlfriends, though. Lily and Marlene were killed, Betty died in a freaky car accident.” “Losses were heavy on both sides,” Cissy said with some malice in her voice. “All of my roommates from Hogwarts are gone, as are my sisters.” “Just so you know, we see Dromy and Ted frequently. They missed our wedding because their daughter, Nymphadora, had the Scrofungulus and had been sent home from Hogwarts; it tore through the Hufflepuff dorms. We didn't need that being passed about. She's better now, and they'll be at dinner Sunday, and I think little Dora will be with them. Listen to me; she's thirteen and in her second year at Hogwarts, and I still call her 'little Dora.'" Cissy looked terrified at the news. “I haven’t spoken with Dromy since she left home,” she explained softly. “My parents wanted us to believe she was dead.” “Our parents told us lots of things which aren’t true, Cissy.” “How do you know what to believe and what to throw aside?” "My only childhood friends were Sirius and Jamie Potter, and I suppose my nanny, but someone who is paid to be your playmate, doesn't really count. Though Jamie’s parents were wildly against the pure-blood ideas, and they taught us these things, so I knew in my head I shouldn't treat people differently because of their blood, but I had no practical knowledge of it. I went to Hogwarts, and I was the only girl who came from entirely Magical parents. Betty and Marlene were from families with one Magical parent and one Muggle, Lily was Muggle-born. It was the first time I was ever faced with such a thing. I was told later in life that they all thought I was horribly prejudiced and stuck-up. "I wrote to my mother, and she was absolutely no help. She reminded me that I was related to the Queen of England, and I should not besmirch the Fawley name with any of my actions. By the time Christmas came around, I had discovered Lily was probably the smartest girl in our whole class. It was a revelation, and I went to the Potters for holiday break with a horrible attitude. I was mad that Jamie and Sirius had all but abandoned me in favor of their roommates. I didn't like that a Muggle-born was better than me at nearly everything." Cissy nodded, seeming to understand what Kitty was feeling. "The first night there, I cried into Fee's lap. I was so desperately unhappy, and I begged her to let me stay there and have her teach me. She flatly refused; instead, she chose to remind me that people are the same regardless of their birth status. She also told me blood was always red, and the heart pumped it through the body in the circulatory system regardless of someone else considering it blue or pure. She then challenged me to write to each of my roommates and send them a Christmas message in hopes that we could become friends in the new term. We all wrote back and forth while we were home. It worked; we became close not only with each other but with the boys too. "If you're unsure, let your cousin and your sister guide you. What your parents taught you and how they raised you it deserves to end with our generation. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is quite different under Sirius' control. He cares for the few living family members who are left, but the money and, more importantly, the name is used for good. He’s even sitting on the Wizengamot." “It’s so much to change,” Cissy admitted. “I never thought I would jettison myself from my family.” “You’re not jettisoning yourself; you’re embracing the new House of Black. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll be fine. Sirius and I will help too.” Just then, the two boys breezed into the room, their hair windblown and cheeks red, but they were happy and chatting. Draco had his broom, and Harry had the shoebox he kept his Chocolate Frog cards in. Harry went to hug Kitty and snuggled into her side. Draco was surprised by the action and went to his mother to mimic the action. Cissy responded, although a bit stiffly, and hugged her son. It caused her to think that maybe her cousin really was on to something in the way he was living. |
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