earthy_charm (earthy_charm) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2008-09-07 13:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, luna, neville |
It tastes so real I can taste it
Characters: Luna, Neville and a very smug lizard
Summary: Test results are anticlimactic, Herbert is cute, and chocolate is bad good for you.
The appointment with Healer Abramowitz had been straightforward, or as straightforward as an appointment involving magic lizards and your wife turning out to be the father of your child could. The paternity test had confirmed Luna's theory and lifted a great weight from Neville's shoulders. The following tests upon himself and Herbert had not been so reassuring, but Abramowitz had at least been able to confirm that Neville was bearing a very healthy and very human girl.
Unfortunately, it wasn't yet clear exactly how essential Herbert was to the future health of their daughter. Abramowitz hadn't been able to confirm or deny Neville's suspicions, but he had advised that as the extent of the empreg's influence was unknown, it was better to err on the side of caution and at least keep the lizard a part of their household.
Currently Herbert was hitching a ride with Luna, while Neville sulked about not being able to kick the lizard out. Not that he really would have done - Herbert belonged to Luna - but it was annoying to have had the dream of kicking Herbert out snatched away. Still, he at least had ice cream to look forward to, and he squeezed Luna's hand slightly to let her know that he was coming out of his snit.
"I suppose I'll have to rely on you to come up with the answers," Neville said to her with a wry smile. "Do you think dissecting him would help?"
Luna didn't think that Neville was asking seriously, but she gave him a Look anyhow. "Other than giving you a passing sense of satisfaction, I doubt it. There aren't many things I can find out through a dissection that I can't with spellwork." She ducked under Neville's arm as he held the door to Fortescue's open, twisting so that she didn't have to let go of his hand while going through the doorway. "Now Herbert, you can't go running off here. They're used to familiars and magical pets, but I'm sure no one wants ice cream with lizard footprints in it, all right?"
"Or random pregnancies," Neville muttered, blushing immediately afterwards when he thought of the other key ingredient, or rather action that had been required for his own pregnancy to occur. "So!" he briskly continued. "Ice cream!"
It took a little longer than usual for Neville to order. Luna ordered her usual pomegranate ice cream, today with rainbow sprinkles, but Neville was left hesitating between his usual chocolate indulgence, and his recent craving for fruit. Deciding on a compromise he ordered a four scoop sundae: half chocolate ice cream and half melon sorbet. A single scoop of something Neville had never heard of before, but which Luna seemed confident Fortescue would have, was ordered for Herbert.
While they were waiting for their dishes to arrive, Neville stared at Herbert who was lounging on the table in anticipation of his treat. The lizard seemed to sense Neville's gaze because it quickly bared its teeth. The disturbing thing, Neville thought, quickly looking away again, was that he wasn't certain that Herbert wasn't grinning at him on purpose.
The ice creams arrived and Neville wrinkled his nose as Herbert's head disappeared into the dark green scoop set down in front of him.
"I would have thought ice cream was bad for cold blooded animals," Neville commented, scooping up some of the melon sorbet on his own dish.
"Herbert has had a very busy day, and they can overheat as well, you know. It would be rude not to get him anything." Luna licked the sprinkles off her spoonful of ice cream and tilted her head at Neville. "Don't tell me you've never got Trevor ice cream. No wonder he was always running off! He was probably looking for someone to give him proper treats. How would you like to go without ice cream all your life?" Shaking her head over this tragedy, she made a mental note to get another scoop of Fruit and Fly to take to Trevor after they were finished.
"Great," Neville joked. "Then I'll have to worry about him putting on weight as well." Neville patted his stomach, which was unfortunately showing signs of recovery now that the morning sickness was more or less under control.
Polishing off the last of the melon sorbet, and therefore fulfilling the need for fruit, he dug his spoon into the half-melted chocolate ice cream. Smiling a little in happy anticipation of the treat, he raised the spoon and, turning it upside down, slowly coaxed the contents into his mouth with his tongue, winking playfully at Luna as he did so.
The chocolate was heaven to taste. The problems began when it was swallowed. Neville swallowed again heavily, trying to clear his throat of a sudden knot. Coughing a little, he spooned up some more of the ice cream, but the spoonful didn't reach Neville's mouth, instead it splattered over the table top as Neville dropped the spoon. Clapping a hand to his mouth, he bolted for the toilets, his body already heaving to bring the ice cream back up.
Luna's eyes widened as Neville rushed from the table. He hadn't been really ill since his diagnosis and subsequent potion prescription, something she felt mildly envious about considering her own problems with potions not performing as they should. She was halfway out of her chair before she glanced down at Herbert and remembered that she couldn't go chasing after Neville, not that she was welcome in the mens' room anyhow. She plopped back into her seat with a sigh and cast a few diagnostic spells to check Neville's ice cream for curses and poison, which came back negative, of course. The Fortescue family wasn't part of the Flinkerblecch conspiracy, which was why theirs was one of only a few non-homemade ice creams Luna and her dad would eat. With nothing to do but wait for Neville to recover and return, she cleaned up the splattered chocolate ice cream and tapped her wand on the table idly.
Neville returned from the toilet as soon as he was able, which was as soon as his body had purged itself of everything he had eaten that day. His face was pale when he sat back down, and he was still a little out of breath from the retching.
"I guess I do get to lose a little more weight, after all," he joked weakly, wrinkling his nose and covering his mouth as the half-empty ice cream dish was collected by a waitress. "I guess the little one really didn't want ice cream," he commented, needing to blame the loss of his treat on somebody.
"I'd prefer if you didn't," Luna said, reaching across the table to take Neville's hand and searching his face. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him that couldn't be explained by a vomiting spell, and he wasn't acting unduly worried about it, so she decided to take her cue from him and laugh it off. She directed her gaze to his abdomen, then back at Neville's face with the slightest of smirks. "Our girl didn't seem to mind the melon sorbet any. Perhaps she's just sensible on the subject of chocolate, unlike her siblings and her daddy."
Neville shook his head. "I hope not! Imagine not being able to eat chocolate for months on end!" He sipped at the water the waitress had returned with for him. "Obviously my body wants fruit today, and nothing else. Ice cream will have to wait for another time."
He didn't look particularly happy as he said it, and he glanced mournfully at Herbert who had enjoyed the whole of his own treat.
As usual, his response was a mocking grin.