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Tweak says, "everyone hates hermione"

zacharias is a particularly good finder (overlooked) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2012-01-12 17:00:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: november 11 2003, character: marietta edgecombe, character: zacharias smith

Characters: Zacharias Smith & Marietta Edgecombe w/ Healer Crumplebottom
Setting: Healer's offices, Tuesday one o'clock
Rating: PG
Summary: Zacharias needs confirmation that Marietta is pregnant and Marietta has schemes in place to assure that he thinks she is.

This was not the way he wanted to spend his break today. Honestly, Zacharias would have preferred to spend it in the offices trying to catch up on what he missed last week and that was a revelation that floored him just as much as the reason why he here. It was strange to think of who he had become over the past year, let alone how the past two weeks changed him.

Almost a year ago, Zacharias Smith never imagined himself as someone who would enjoy a regular job or even all of those things that being an actual grown up entitled. In that regards his mother's plan to cut him off in the hopes that he might grow up had actually worked. Except for the rather obvious part where he was still the rough around the edges young man who didn't have the patience for tact or playing nice. And of course there was the fact that he was sick at the thought that Marietta might actually be telling the truth.

In some way his life felt like something of a joke that simply forgot to be funny. Just because he had a job, didn't mean that he wanted to become a father anytime soon. Scrubbing his face he glanced down at his watch wondering exactly what was keeping Marietta. If they had to do this, he wanted it over and done with it. That way he would know and could move forward, as scary the reality was he didn't like being strung alone in the unknown.

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edgecombed
2012-01-13 02:29 am UTC (link)

Marietta shook her head with a smile, unbuttoning her coat. "Things are going better than you'd know, Zacharias. I had a late night, however, and carrying your demon spawn isn't exactly an enjoyable experience."

Her eyebrows raised at his comment. "I'm sorry, did you just say that you might actually want to get back to work? Zacharias Smith, have you fallen and smacked your head on the pavement or do you actually plan to continue working?" Marietta had always wanted to work bu that was an ethic her mother had instilled in her from her younger years: women were not well respected if they did not earn that respect and sitting around doing nothing did not earn it.

Marietta walked through the open door he held for her and shrugged out of her coat on the way. The Healer's office receptionist greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Smith, Miss Edgecombe? Healer Crumplebottom will be with you shortly. I'll show you to the exam room."

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overlooked
2012-01-13 02:42 am UTC (link)

"So your hearing is working just fine then." He said as they walked into the office, opting to not even engage the demon spawn remark. It probably wasn't even true and she was just trying to get a rise out of him. Well, that wasn't happening today. "Did you honestly think that I would up and quit now that I'm back in my family's good graces?" It had been a while since he actively complained about his job, recently it was out of habit or because it was expected of him.

"I am a Hufflepuff, after all," he said with a smart grin on his face. The Smith claim to infamy right there, they were descendents of the great Helga Hufflepuff with her proclamations of broad acceptance along with being hard working. So, yes, he was expected to work.

Zacharias followed Marietta into the exam room, thanking the woman who escorted them and waited for her to leave. "Dare I ask why things are going better for you than I would know?" So, even if he didn't care a moment ago, he was sort of curious about her new outlook on life.

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edgecombed
2012-01-13 03:18 am UTC (link)

Marietta gave him a disbelieving look. "Considering how you used to live your life? Of course I thought you'd quit." She was under no illusion that he had evolved into some humble being during his sabbatical from society life. She was never under an illusions when it came to Zacharias. "Yes well, didn't Hufflepuff say she'd take the ones that the others wouldn't?" While the Smiths might descend from Hufflepuff lineage, she had a feeling that Zacharias' placement had more to do with this than anything else.

Marietta hung her coat on the rack in the corner and turned to Zacharias when he asked about her new outlook on life, of all things. She had not expected him to ask nor did she plan to answer, but his interest was enjoyable all the same. She did not hide her amusement that he was now interested in this comment that was made back in the hallway. Marietta leaned against the exam table, smirking. "Love, if I told you that where would all the mystery be? But alright, I'll give you something - keep an eye on the headlines."

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overlooked
2012-01-13 03:33 am UTC (link)

He chuckled at her comment. Keep his eyes on the headlines. Zacharias might not write them, but he was paid to know which ones where the most conversation and make sure the on air personalities had their copy for show time. "That your way of asking to be a topic on the show? Earn a bit of fame and recognition for whatever you've gotten yourself into?" He shook his head, not expecting an answer, but wasn't that how it went? She would tell him when he needed to know or simply needed to gloat.

There was nothing else to say after that, so he was willing to let them fall into silence while they waited. His family might have been seeing to Healer Crumplebottom for years, but it was still the same lagging period spent waiting. Zacharias was sure that had to be a part of the process. All patients had to wait a certain about of time before seeing any healing professional. At best it was a chance for his mind to blank or chase a thought, which was always interrupted with that gentle knock at the door.

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edgecombed
2012-01-13 04:06 am UTC (link)

She rolled her eyes. It's not as if her fame would actually show up with her name attached to it anyway. But she liked it that way - there was no greater honour than being mistaken for her Lady. "I don't need your network to help make me famous. I can get there on my own." Mostly on her own, at least; she'd found her Lady on her own. Marietta considered what she might be doing tomorrow with Jayne and Pandora that she needed to cancel her entire day of work. She also wondered if she was going to be killing someone like she knew Jayne probably already had, but that thought didn't really bother her much. The knock on the door visibly startled her and she looked up to see the healer enter the room.

"Ms. Edgecombe," Healer Crumplebottom said greeting her as she was across from the door and then he turned and looked at Zacharias. "Mr. Smith, nice to see you. Here's a chair for you, sir," the healer waved his wand and made a chair appear for Zacharias to sit on and walked toward Marietta and the exam table. "If you would, Ms. Edgecombe?" the healer gestured to the table and magicked some stairs for her to climb up.

Marietta watched the healer closely for any signs of confusion or mistakes. So far he seemed in full charge of his faculties, which is all that mattered. She had sent him the instructions the day before and it seemed like he understood what to do. "I'm going to check your general health first and then we'll confirm if there is a pregnancy. Lie back please."

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overlooked
2012-01-13 04:39 am UTC (link)

Zacharias sat down in the chair. It was strange to hear the nice to see you instead of the more common sentiment sharing condolences or asking how the family was holding up. Perhaps some other time he would think that it was odd, right now it was just a relief to not have to bear that in addition to the reason why he was here already.

"Thank you for being able to fit us in on such short notice," he said. "When I was made aware of our potential pregnancy I thought it best to have it confirmed as soon as possible."

It was a bit of a delicate situation that he knew the office would handle with the necessary discretion. Since the end of the second war, the wizarding realm might have become a more tolerant and accepting place as a whole, but there were still those who held on to their personal beliefs just in less obvious ways. Maintaining a family line was one of those important things, especially now that he was the last virile male Smith.

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edgecombed
2012-01-13 06:03 am UTC (link)

The healer nodded at Zacharias' comment. "No worry, no worry. I understand completely. These matters must be handled swiftly if certain decisions are to be made." He did not mention what decisions, but it was rather obvious what he was referring to.

Marietta leaned back on the exam table and the healer began waving his wand over her body, casting spells and murmuring to himself as he went. He wrote a few things down on a chart and then continued his wand waving. Marietta stared up at the ceiling, twirling her bracelets in her fingers a bit out of boredom. When the healer finally spoke she was startled by his voice as she hadn't noticed that she had drifted into her own little world for a time. "You look to be in good health overall, though you seem to have lost a bit of weight recently. Your esophagus shows some mild damage from repetitive vomiting. Your stomach seems to be irritated, cause of the vomiting as well as the weight loss which I am assuming you have had trouble eating?"

Marietta just nodded against the table in reply.

"These are normal signs of pregnancy, Ms. Edgecombe, no need to be alarmed by it. Many young women experience weight loss at the beginning of a pregnancy rather than weight gain. Now if you could hold as still as possible, I will perform the detection spell for a fetus."

He moved down toward her stomach and began waving his wand elaborately over it as well as his free hand, murmuring the incantation she didn't rightly know. Strange colours and symbols popped up in front of him and he eyed them thoughtfully, nodding before he looked at Marietta and Zacharias and then Marietta again. "Well you are indeed pregnant, Ms. Edgecombe, and I will have you take the potion to see just how far along when we conduct the paternity test, if you would like. You may sit up now."

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overlooked
2012-01-13 04:02 pm UTC (link)

Zacharias refrained from rolling his eyes when the healer was paying him any attention. Sure, vomiting might be a sign of pregnancy, but it was also common part of an eating disorder and Marietta was absolved from nothing until he had a confirmation. He didn't see how her being pregnant with a bastard child fit into her new found happiness, but then again she probably did take pleasure from seeing him suffer.

He didn't have to wait long for his confirmation that she was indeed pregnant. His stomach churned a little at the thought that there actually was some horrible fat ginger child growing inside of her. However, that still didn't mean it was his. There had been no promise of monogamy between them, she was just someone who could give him what he wanted and sometimes needed. "Yes, we would like the paternity test as well, just to be certain." His tone was a bit strained as spoke. It was filled with barely veiled contempt and perhaps just a little bit of fear that he might actually be the father.

Unlike what he assumed most couples felt in this moment, there was no joy or happiness here today. It was just a feeling of dread with the burden of a potential responsibility that he didn't want.

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edgecombed
2012-01-13 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Marietta watched the healer as he walked over to the potions cupboard and browsed through a number of vials with labels on them, finally settling on one that he pulled out and shuttered the cupboard again. He poured the liquid contents into a bowl and turned back to Marietta, bringing the bowl with him.

"Ms. Edgecombe, if you would please present me your finger. I will need some blood from you for the test." Marietta held out her index finger to him and he raised his wand to the pad of it; she felt a small prick and a bubble of red blood pooled out of the cut and fell into the bowl of potion. It changed colour instantly and the healer waved his wand over the cut on her finger and it vanished. He took the potion back to the his work station and turned to Zacharias. "Mr. Smith, if I could get a sample from you? Any DNA would work, either hair, blood or saliva."

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overlooked
2012-01-14 12:36 am UTC (link)

He smirked a little as she was required to bleed for this bit. It served her right to have to bleed for putting him through this. Zacharias on the other hand, had no intention of bleeding for her - not for this at least. Nor was he going to pluck any hair from his head for this one. So a nice wallop of saliva would have to be enough.

"How long will it be before we know the results?" He asked, his tone neutral, not wanting to give anything away. Zacharias almost wished that he knew more about how this sort of thing worked so he didn't have to ask these sorts of questions. Only there wasn't regularly a need to know this sort of thing and hoped that would remain true in the future too.

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edgecombed
2012-01-14 01:40 am UTC (link)

The healer offered him a swab and retrieved it from him, dropping it into the bowl, making the potion change colours once again. Crumplebottom covered the bowl with a flat glass plate and looked at Zacharias. "It will take approximately ten minutes, Mr. Smith. I will leave the two of you alone and return in a moment. I am sure it goes without saying, but don't touch the potion, please."

Marietta watched as the healer walked out the room, her gaze turning to the potion on the table to her right. It was an odd purplish colour, which probably meant absolutely nothing seeing as she wasn't even pregnant, but that didn't really matter. She looked at Zacharias pointedly. "So if it does happen to be your child, what are your plans for it, exactly?"

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overlooked
2012-01-14 07:09 pm UTC (link)

Ten minutes. That was quicker than he had anticipated thinking he would have to wait days for any answer. He glanced over at the potion only thinking about touching it in that he was told not to, but he didn't want to invalidate the results. Zacharias looked back over at her with that last question.

"So you're finally admitting that it might not be mine?" He looked at her expectantly for a minute. It shouldn't be a relief that she would even imply that, but it was like. There was no way the child could be his.

Zacharias shook his head, rubbing his hand over his face. "And I won't get into hypotheticals with you." Besides he imagined that she already knew the answer. Marietta might not have come from exactly the same kind of family that he did, but there were similar attitudes.

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edgecombed
2012-01-14 09:22 pm UTC (link)

"Honestly? No, I'm just trying to humour you. You're under some stupid delusion that this could never happen to you. It's about time you wake up. You've about ten minutes to do so." She glanced over at the potion bowl. She had only been trying to make conversation but really, she should have known better.

Marietta wasn't particularly certain what the Smith family would want to do with a bastard child. She could understand if they would want it terminated to keep any sort of scandals from surfacing, but it might be a blessing in disguise if it meant making Zacharias marry or if it meant a child carrying on the bloodline, Halfblood or no. She had never thought about it before since she had never expected to get into the situation, nor had she ever planned to put herself in the situation just to watch someone else suffer through it. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made though and she was willing to make them.

"I suppose I'll leave that conversation for a few minutes from now then," she shrugged. She didn't really feel like arguing with him. Believe it or not, he was one of her only friends and considering the rocky roller coaster that was her friendship with Cho at the moment, he might be her only friend soon.

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