Little Dragon (noprincehere) wrote in fourteenshades, @ 2014-12-29 13:32:00 |
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Current mood: | scared |
Draco/Remus/Ted/Andromeda
WHO: Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin, Ted & Andromeda Tonks
WHAT: Draco is a little younger today.
WHERE: The bakery followed by Ted & Andromeda's cottage.
WHEN: Monday, 12/29
RATING: PG
STATUS: Completed via GDOCS
Uh oh. Draco's stomach sunk when he realized he wandered too far. His father would be quite angry if Narcissa told him that Draco didn't mind her! He hadn't meant to disobey. Really. He only wanted to look at the display at the Quidditch shop. Never mind Narcissa told him to stay put.
But how did he get so far? Draco couldn't explain why everything looked so unfamiliar. He must have turned the wrong way, but he couldn't back track no matter how hard he tried. Absolutely none of the shops looked familiar! Tears sprung to his eyes. Suddenly he was less worried about getting into trouble and more worried about never finding his family again. No. He was a Malfoy. His father was the most important wizard in the whole world. They'd find him.
He walked past a few more shops before stopping to look around. His mum always told him to find an important looking witch or wizard if he got separated from her, but he didn't see anyone. He stomped his foot and folded his arms across his chest as he waited. It was only a moment longer, but Draco felt it took an eternity before he spotted an adult. “He doesn't look important,” Draco muttered. “Oh, well.” He hurried toward the man's retreating back. “Sir! Sir! Excuse me, sir! I am Draco Malfoy and I need your help right now!”
It had been a trying few months, but Remus had his son back. He still had Tonks and they'd soon have another addition to their little family. He needed to count his blessings no matter how few they seemed sometimes. He often reminded himself he was older than he'd ever be in the other world. That was a blessing in itself. He was determined to celebrate whatever life he had in the crazy village, which was why he decided to pick up a few things from Roxy's joke shop. Some harmless jokes might brighten spirits. He hoped anyway.
He was just about to open the door when he heard a voice calling after him. “Draco?” He turned around and couldn't help gasping a bit. This was not the Draco he saw only a few days ago. However, even if the child hadn't announced his name rather obnoxiously, Remus would have known that face. It was several years younger from when he taught him at Hogwarts, but it was definitely Draco's. “Draco,” he repeated. He spoke softer now that he realized he was dealing with a young boy dumped in a magical village far from everything familiar. “Come here then.”
Draco looked up with a horrified expression. “What is wrong with your face?” He blurted.
The professor nearly forgot what it felt like to have a child stare at him in terror. “They are only scars,” he explained. “They don't hurt and they aren't catching.” Well, technically. He knelt so he was eye level with Draco. “You are lost, son?”
Draco bobbed his head up and down. “Daddy will give you a reward, I bet! Take me to him, but don't tell him I lost Mummy. Tell him someone snatched me! You saved me!”
Remus smirked. “Oh, you want me to lie to your parents for you then? Where were you running off to when this terrible person snatched you?”
“The Quidditch shop,” Draco announced. “Mummy was taking forever with her robes!”
“Well, I bet Mummy would have taken you to the shop if you asked.” Remus wondered if he was a terrible person for having a laugh at the child's expense. “But now you wandered off and are asking an adult to tell a lie, which I am sure you know is wrong to do.”
Draco's expression twisted into a pout when he realized the man was teasing him. “I want to go home!”
Remus nodded. “Did you look at that?” He pointed to the small journal sticking out of Draco's jacket. Remus was glad the boy obviously came from a winter month.
Draco frowned. “Where did that come from?” He eyed Remus suspiciously now.
“It is magic,” Remus explained. “Look inside.”
Draco obeyed only because curiosity bested him. “I'm a good reader,” he told Remus. “My tutor says so and not just because Father would fire her if she was mean to me.”
”Welcome to the village! Use this to write to other members of the village. Entries can be warded private or to whomever you like. Be wary, though. Anything not warded can be read by anyone. For further information, questions, or concerns, try writing an entry to let everyone know you're here. Go ahead and introduce yourself. We'll catch up with you in a minute. Signed, the Governing Board. “
“What is that word? And that one? And what does that mean?” Draco cocked his head as Remus explained the words. “I don't understand. And what is your name?”
“My name is Remus.” The man smiled and straightened up. “I'll explain more in a bit, but it is cold out here, don't you think?” He gestured toward the bakery. “What do you say to some tea and a warm biscuit? The biscuits are brilliant here.”
Draco hesitated. He wasn't supposed to take treats from strangers, but did that shop count? It wasn't like Remus was giving him something out of pocket. “Yes.”
Remus raised his eyebrows. “Yes, what, Draco?”
Again, Draco scowled at the man called Remus. “Yes, please, Mr. Remus.”
“Much better,” Remus praised. “Come along then.” He clamped his hand on Draco's shoulder and steered him into the bakery.
Draco was surprised when Remus ordered for him.“That is my favorite!”
Remus laughed. “I know. I know plenty about you, little one.” He placed the biscuit and tea in front of Draco. “Careful, it is hot.” He let the boy enjoy his treat for a few minutes. It bought him time to find an age appropriate explanation for insane magical village antics.
“So the book,” Draco said. “You said you'd tell me. Tell me!”
He didn't know if it was the teacher or parent in him, but Remus automatically wagged a finger at the boy. “How do you ask politely?”
Draco rolled his eyes. “Please.”
“Draco...”
Draco ignored him and took another bite.
“Suit yourself.” Remus popped up the menu and pretended to be absorbed in the array of options.
Draco caught on quickly. “Excuse me, Mr. Remus, will you please tell me about the book?”
Remus bit back a grin. “Yes, of course, Draco. What a nice way to ask me!”
Draco hated feeling outsmarted, but he knew he needed Remus. “Thank you, sir.”
“Well, Draco, the book is part of a magical village...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remus did his best to explain. He even showed Draco some innocuous journal entries to better illustrate what was happening. “So, you see, you have plenty of people who love you here.”
“Except Mummy and Daddy!” Tears spilled down Draco's cheeks.
Damn. Remus guessed there really was no easy way to break the news to a kid. “I am sorry, little one.” He rubbed Draco's back. Remus wasn't sure what the magic was up to, but he wondered if he'd ever see the adult Draco again. He was already wondering how to break the news to Draco's family and friends.
“I want to go home!” He yelled. “I am a Malfoy! Send me home!”
Remus gently restrained the child with his arms. “I can't, Draco. It is okay to be upset, but yelling and kicking won't help, do you understand?” He placed the sniffling child back into his chair. “Remember when I said you had family here? I marry one of your cousins so I am family. Her name is Tonks. We have a son called Teddy. And then there is Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted. Plus so many more.” He was going to leave the explanation of children and grandchildren to someone else.
“Aunt Andromeda is not my aunt! She didn't want to be in our family and now she loves dirty muggles!” Draco kicked the chair again.
Remus wasn't sure what was worse – the whining or the kicking. “Muggles aren't dirty, Draco.” He didn't press it further since the child was clearly distraught. He held up his journal. “I am going to write some people who will really want to know you are here, alright? We'll find who is meant to take care of you, yes?” Remus thought Andromeda and Ted were the likely candidates whatever the boy thought he knew about them. He scribbled a few notes across his page and then waited for responses while Draco finished his biscuit and tea. He whimpered now and then, but it was a vast improvement over only a few moments earlier.
“Where did your scars come from?” Draco asked suddenly.
Remus knew the boy didn't mean harm that time. “An illness,” Remus answered softly. He didn't want to lie, but he wasn't about to tell an already spooked little boy that he was a werewolf. Saying he was sick wasn't totally untrue. “Don't worry though, I am fine most days.”
“I have a scar from when I fell off my broom! Mummy was so mad at Daddy for giving it to me!” He rolled his trouser leg up. “See?”
“That is a big one! Good story to tell.” Remus glanced at his journal. Oh, good. Replies.
“Your Aunt Andromeda is coming. You'll like her. Ted is loads of fun too.” Judging by Draco's disgusted look, he guessed that would take some convincing.
“It doesn't matter,” Draco insisted. “My father will hear about this! He is very important, you know.” He was firmly convinced it was only a matter of time before his father hopped worlds and saved him.
“He might come one day,” Remus agreed. That much was true at least. “But it might take some time, remember? So you need to get to know the rest of your family, okay? We love you and we'll take care of you.” Even after all his time in the village, Remus could hardly believe he was sitting with a pint-sized Draco instead of the young man he was accustomed to...the one who didn't look like he wanted to kick him.
“Whatever,” Draco muttered as the chime on the shop's door signaled a new arrival.
“Andromeda!” Thank Merlin. Remus stood up to kiss his mother-in-law's cheek. “Thanks for coming,” he whispered in her ear. He stepped back and knelt next to Draco's chair. “Draco, this is the aunt I was telling you about. My wife's mum too.”
Draco didn't really understand what relation that made him to Remus so he just nodded as he looked up at the aunt he never met. “You look like Aunt Bella's portrait,” he said. “She is in Ackaban.”
"Azkaban,” Remus corrected automatically. “Ah, sorry,” he said to Andromeda.
“That is what I said.” Draco huffed.
Andromeda, meanwhile, had been trying to get used to the idea of a smaller nephew, one who doubtlessly would be less inclined to know her at this stage of his life than he had been the rest of his time in the village. Her mouth tightened into a grim line despite herself, though, when reminded of her resemblance to her older sister. Quickly amending her expression, she turned to Draco and found her words.
“Well, we are sisters, so I suppose a bit of resemblance is natural,” she said simply, hoping that part of the conversation would end there. Her maternal instincts were kicking in, but she still wished her sister could’ve been here for this. It would’ve made it so much easier on the boy. “I know you must be confused about where you are, but if you let me, I’d like to help you and take care of you.” It would be nice, she thought, having a child in the house again. He looked to be about the same age Dora had been when Andromeda had been brought to the village.
Draco shrugged. “I’m eight,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “So alright, I guess, but Mummy and Daddy will come soon so you better be nice to me.” He didn’t want to go with Andromeda-the-Blood-Traitor, but he didn’t know what else to do. “How many elves do you have?”
Andromeda couldn’t help but smile when he proudly declared his age. “Eight is a good age to be, I think,” she replied, “and I promise I will be very nice.” She knew what he must be thinking, since he’d never met her because of her expulsion from the family, so she didn’t want to bring up her husband just yet. “Well, we don’t have any elves. There aren’t any in the village, but we make do just fine without them.” He’d probably have a problem with that, but there was nothing she could do.
“What?” Draco asked. “Who does the cooking and cleaning?” He looked from Andromeda to Remus like they were asking him to jump into a poisoned lake.
Remus shot his mother-in-law an amused glance.
Returning Remus’s smirk, Andromeda clasped her hands together in front of her body. “I’m a good cook, and we clean ourselves. There are plenty of charms to help around the house when you don’t have a house elf. How did you think the other families do it? Not everyone has a house elf, even back at home.” Andromeda hadn’t had an elf since she left her parents’ house, but she didn’t miss them. Draco, however, would probably take a while to get used to not having someone to order around and to do his cleaning that way.
“Poor people.” Draco wrinkled his nose. “Are you poor because you married a muggle-born?” His biscuit and tea were long gone so he pushed the plate and cup out of his way. “I am not cleaning! And how am I going to get food? Are you going to feed me? Mummy and Daddy will be mad if you don’t!”
Well, at least he didn’t know the other “m” word yet. Remus assumed anyway. “It is not nice to talk about people like that,” he scolded. “Not everyone is as fortunate as you are, young man.”
Draco shot Remus a dirty look. He was getting tired of the man correcting him. “Make him be nice, Auntie.”
“It’s all right, Remus,” Andromeda quickly put in, holding up a hand before turning back to her nephew.
“Draco, Remus is being nice. He just doesn’t like to hear people talking like that. Not everyone is poor or rich. There’s a big in-between in there. Back home, I’m a healer, so no, I’m not poor. And if I was, it wouldn’t be because of who I married.” She was trying really hard to be patient with him. He’d been brought up in a special, spoiled world of affluence, and naturally he didn’t know how the other people lived.
Clasping her hands together again, she arched an eyebrow at Draco. “And you know, I did already say I could cook. Of course I’ll feed you. You’re my nephew. I don’t let family starve.”
Draco kept pouting, but Remus gave Andromeda an encouraging smile. “She is a pretty brilliant cook too. You are very lucky.” He reached over to squeeze the boy’s shoulders. “I think you are in very good hands, but I will talk to you again soon, alright?” Even if Draco looked like he really didn’t want that. He stood up and tapped Andromeda’s back lightly. “Check in with me later?” he asked.
Draco could pout all he wanted, as far as Andromeda was concerned, so long as he let her take care of him. If Narcissa or Lucius came back, they could take over, but Andromeda and Ted were the closest family he had at the moment. She wouldn’t want the boy staying with Bellatrix or Rodolphus, either, but he’d probably fight for it if given the option.
Nodding in response to her son-in-law, Andromeda looked at Draco again. “Are you ready? Your room’s a bit plain right now, but we can fix that tomorrow if you’d like.” There were certain things they could change with magic in an instant, like the color of the walls and bed covers, but certain other things had to wait to be purchased.
Draco watched Remus go, but turned back as his aunt spoke to him. He suddenly felt the enormity of the situation. He was truly trapped in a strange place without anyone he knew, wasn’t he? He was scared to leave the shop, but he couldn’t really explain why. “Uncle Ted won’t be mean?” He asked. “Mr. Remus said his name is Ted. And you’ll buy me toys for my room?” He paused. “Please,” he added for good measure.
Andromeda hadn’t thought Draco was scared until just that moment. He was clearly worried about the strangers he was meeting, and Andromeda dropped to her knees in front of her nephew so she could look him in the eyes. “No, sweetheart, Uncle Ted won’t be mean. He’s more of a big, funny teddy bear when you get to know him. I promise, he really hasn’t got a mean bone in his body.” Smiling at Draco’s effort to be polite, she couldn’t help herself. “I think toys can be arranged, too.” Reaching out, she hesitantly rested a hand on Draco’s shoulder and tilted her head as she looked at him. “How about it, now? Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Draco replied after a moment. There was no real choice. “But…” He decided against asking his question. “Alright, I will go with you, Auntie.” If it was horrid, he could probably leave, right? He’d find his father somehow. Still, it wasn’t his father he wanted at the moment. He wanted his mother. He slid off the chair and took Andromeda's hand.
Andromeda wouldn’t push Draco about what he had started to say, but smiled at him when she felt his smaller hand grasp hers. Standing back up, she squeezed his hand gently and started towards home. “All right. And if you’re hungry at all, I’ll fix you something to eat when we’re there.”
Draco held her hand until they got to the cottage. If he had been holding Narcissa’s hand like he was supposed to in a busy place, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten stuck in the village! At any rate, he wasn’t going to risk losing someone who offered to feed him and give him toys. When they got inside, he tugged at her arm. “This place is so small, Auntie.”
Shaking her head slightly in amusement when Draco gave his opinion of the house, she wanted to both smile and defend her living space in the same breath. “Well, compared to what you’re used to, anything would be small.” She’d never seen Malfoy Manor, but any proper manor house would of course be large. “Do you want to see your room? You can tell me if you want things a different color.”
What he was used to? Draco was starting to see a trend. Nothing was like what he was used to. He fiddled with his coat and once he had it off, he said, “Yes, I’d like that.”
Andromeda likewise took her coat off and hung both coats from the rack by the door. “Come on then,” she said, beckoning him to follow her upstairs. Currently, she had the extra room made up as a cute little guest bedroom, utterly outside the taste of any little boy with its floral and striped quilt and window hangings. “We can change it to however you want it to look.” Taking her wand out of her pocket, she stood by the bedroom door and waited for his assessment.
Draco thought the room was hideous. His disdain was written all over his face. However, he perked up as she reminded him that they could change it. “Green and silver! I am going to be a Slytherin like Mummy and Daddy. And dragons, please? And Quidditch? And…” He couldn’t think of anything else. “We can add more later?” He asked.
Just managing to keep from laughing out loud at the look on Draco’s face, Andromeda quickly waved her wand. The walls turned a light gray color with broad, dark green stripes running horizontally around the room. A large Slytherin crest appeared on the wall above the bed, which covered itself in dark green sheets. The quilt covering it all changed from flowers to a large gray dragon, wings spread wide and breathing fire. The window coverings became black and gray. Andromeda thought it looked a lot darker, but the Slytherin common room was dark as well. Draco would probably like it.
“Better? And, you know, I was a Slytherin, too.” She thought Draco wouldn’t really care, but she put it out there just the same.
For the first time in a few hours, Draco flashed a real smile. “I like it!” He exclaimed as he took in all the changes. He hoisted himself on the bed and bounced a little. It was comfortable so that was good. “Wait, you were?” He asked. “It is the best house!”
“Good, I’m glad,” Andromeda replied, smiling back at him. “And yes, I was. But let’s talk about you,” she said, sitting next to him on the bed. “What do you like to do for fun, Draco?” She wanted to know what sort of things to plan for him, what sort of toys to get him so he wouldn’t be bored.
Good thing Draco liked talking about himself. He launched into a lengthy, rambling speech about books, games, and various toys he had from home. “Will you find Cypress?” He asked, referring to his stuffed bear. He had it since he was a child. “Mummy lets me sleep with it, but Daddy can’t know.”
As well as getting him a bit settled into his new surroundings, Andromeda got quite a few ideas from his speech. She filed those away in her memory until he asked for something. She didn’t have to know what Cypress was to know there was very little chance the object would be in the village. “Oh, honey, I don’t think Cypress is here. We’re quite a way from home, but I’m sure I can find you something else to sleep with.”
“Nothing is in this crummy place,” Draco whined. He couldn’t sleep without his bear, even if Lucius would have been disappointed in him for it. His father thought the bear was long gone, but Narcissa rescued the poor thing after it was thrown in the trash. “I hate it here.”
And they were back to square one, but Andromeda wasn’t a woman to let that stand. She had to see what she could do with magic and what they had on hand. “I’ll be right back, Draco.” Leaving the room for a moment, she returned with a small throw pillow in one hand, her wand still in the other as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. “Tell me what Cypress looks like, dear, and I’ll do my best.” Transfiguration would have to do.
Draco forgot his annoyance when Andromeda left. He wondered what she was doing. His curiosity was further piqued when she showed him the pillow and asked about his bear. “You are going to do magic again!” The thought excited him. He wasn’t allowed to touch wands, even if he did when his parents weren’t looking. “He is brown, but he has...a less brown belly. And he is furry. And he smells...he smells like soap.” Draco didn’t know why, but he did.
“Yes, I am,” she replied, laughing aloud at his excitement. It was adorable. “What sort of animal is he?” That was probably the most important detail. She didn’t want to turn out a brown rabbit when it wasn’t a rabbit, after all.
“A bear,” Draco replied. “Mummy bought it a long time ago.” He didn’t remember not having it.
A bear. Andromeda could manage that. “All right, let’s see how I do, yeah? If anything’s wrong, I can always try to change it.” With that, she set the pillow on the floor and pointed her wand at it, turning it into a brown stuffed bear with a lighter brown belly. Short straight fur sprouted from the fabric, and soon she was looking down at your every-day teddy bear. Next, she cast a cleaning charm on it so it would smell like soap, and then she bent down to retrieve it. Holding the animal out to her nephew, she let him look it over. “How did I do?”
It wasn’t exactly his bear, of course, but Draco thought it was better than nothing. He resisted the urge to hug it in front of her. That would be babyish. Instead, he smiled his second true smile of the day and placed it among the pillows on his new bed. “Thank you, Auntie. It is nice.” He wondered why his aunt was not acting like the awful family-hating witch his parents made her out to be. “I am tired,” he lied. Really, he just wanted some time alone to process everything.
Andromeda smiled back, glad that he was happy with the bear. But she also fully understood that he was tired. It completely made sense to her, so she stood up and got ready to leave. “You’re welcome, Draco,” she said. “I’ll let you lay down. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Moving toward the door, she pointed at the light switch. That was probably one thing he didn’t know about. “This is how you turn the lights on and off. I’ll leave it on for you, but when you want it off, just hit this so it’s pointing down, all right?”
Draco watched his aunt demonstrate. He was almost as mesmerized by that switch as by the magic she performed on his room and bear. “All right,” he agreed. He fell back into the pillows once she was gone. She was nice enough so far, but he still needed to meet the muggle-born if he wasn’t just having a vivid nightmare.
Meanwhile, Ted had been at the station working on some things and was making his way home as was usual, and thinking about dinner. Something unusual caught his eye, though, as he made his way up the lane where he and Andromeda shared a house. Usually he thought nothing of the flowered curtains that hung in their guest bedroom, other than it cheered him that he was home, but the new, dark colours threw him off for a moment.
“Dromeda,” he began, as he entered the house and took off his coat, “what’s with the black curtains? It’s different. It just doesn’t seem like your style.”
Andromeda had been waiting for Ted’s return so she could inform him of the new development. He needed to know that his nephew was staying with them. Well, more accurately, he needed to know what age his nephew currently was, and Andromeda wouldn’t dare keep either of those pieces of information private. As Ted took his coat off, Andromeda briskly walked toward her husband and embraced him like she usually did when he came home. “It’s not my style. You know that,” she said after giving him a welcome home kiss.
Stepping back just enough so she could look up at him, Andromeda wasted no more time. “Draco’s a child, Ted. And my sister isn’t here anymore. We’re the closest to family he has, so I’ve changed up that bedroom for him and he’s in there right now.” Pursing her lips slightly, she shrugged her shoulders. “We’re all he has right now,” she repeated, words failing her at the moment.
Ted held Andromeda close while she looked up at him and explained, and as the truth sank in, his lips pursed as well. “Huh,” he said, scratching his head. With all the work he did with the Board, people changing ages didn’t faze him anymore, but it still took some adjustment. “When you say ‘child,’ how old are we talking here?” he finally asked, so that he knew what else to expect.
Perhaps Andromeda should’ve been used to the age changes. She knew it happened, but it was very seldom that people closest to her returned at different ages. Teddy had done it, yes, but that was the first time. And yes, Draco had vanished and returned once already in her time there, but he’d been roughly the same age as he always had been. “He’s eight. And I’m pretty sure he’s rather scared at the moment. I don’t know if he’s sleeping or not, but I gave him instructions for the light switch.”
Draco had been watching out the window when he saw a man let himself into the house. Draco assumed he was Uncle Ted. After a few moments, he tip-toed out of his room and down the stairs. He listened for a bit before stepping up to Andromeda and Ted. “I’m not scared,” he lied. “Daddy says Malfoys don’t get scared!” He looked up at Ted. “I am Draco,” he announced in a tone that clearly said everyone was lucky to know him.
Ted looked down at the sound of the new voice entering the conversation, and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Hello, Draco,” Ted replied, keeping his tone even. He gave Andromeda a look and then squatted down so he was eye level with the boy. “I’m your Uncle Ted.” He wasn’t quite sure what else to say. It was obvious to him that Draco really was scared, but he wasn’t about to call him out on that. “Your auntie was just telling me about you being here. Did we do an okay job with your room?” he asked.
Draco looked at Ted for a long moment. He knew he was a wizard (technically), but Draco wasn’t sure he ever met a muggle-born before (he wondered how he’d really tell, but he didn’t want to make his parents angry by asking). “Hello, sir.” He knew he needed to be polite to the adults taking care of him if he didn’t want to be miserable. “It is quite nice, Uncle Ted. Auntie is very good at magic.” He shot his aunt a small, hesitant smile. “I am tired,” he added. He glanced back at Ted. “You can see it later if you want...uh, I mean, if you like.” His mother would scold him for such lax language. He gave Ted a small smile too before running out of the room and back upstairs. His heart was pounding, but he wouldn’t let them see.