FIC: Many Precious Things [Interlude2]
Oct. 7th, 2008 03:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leashy_bebesTitle: Many Precious Things [Interlude 2]
Author: Lyds
Rating: This part, G
Notes: This whole thing is 30000 words long now. I have no idea how that happened, and I’m nowhere near done yet. Eep. This time, Teddy meets his wider family. There is a point to this in like, chapter 7, I promise. Stick with me =D
Disclaimer: JKR’s, not mine. Title is from an Elvis Costello song, When It Sings, and that's not mine either.
Words: ~2200 [this part]
Teddy's been living on his own for a fortnight now, and is almost embarrassed by how proud that makes him. Everything is going right - money is tight for the moment but once payday rolls around, he will be fine. He's cooked, and cleaned, and done laundry. He's even braved grocery shopping at the local muggle shop - confusing, and terrifying, and frustrating - and he's vaguely amazed at how good things are. He does miss his Gran though, because between work and organising his little flat, he has hardly seen her at all.
After a lazy shower and breakfast, he nips down the road to buy his Gran a bunch of flowers – purple freesias, bright yellow daffodils, and red gerberas – before coming back home to floo over to her house.
"Gran?" he calls, stepping out of the grate and righting himself, brushing his hands lightly at a few specks of soot on his shoulder. There's no sign of his Gran in the kitchen so he bounds through to the living room. He doesn't hear the voices, but would probably not have knocked anyway. It occurs to him later that he is far to used to thinking of this place as his own home.
As soon as he opens the door, three heads turn toward him and Teddy falters. He recognises the man, both from the newspapers and from the few times he’s been dragged to a ministry fundrasier of some sort by Harry (You’re old enough to share the misery now, his godfather had joked. Save me if it looks like I’m going to keel over from the boredom, alright, Ted?) and there is no way that the boy can be anyone other than the man’s son.
“Um,” Teddy says, not sure who to look at, or talk to. He backs up a couple of steps. “Sorry, Gran, I just – ” A little awkwardly, he holds out the flowers and she stands to hug him, taking the chance to whisper, sorry into his ear. He shrugs minutely in her embrace and she smiles widely at him when she moves back.
When his Gran had received a letter from Narcissa Malfoy a few months ago, she had sat down with Teddy and showed it to him. It had been a kind letter, a sad letter, nervous beneath its perfection. It had mentioned Teddy in passing, as Nymphadora's son, but had mostly been Narcissa's attempt to build bridges with her last surviving sister. His Gran had asked Teddy what he thought, and he'd shrugged, but his tentative suggestion that it might be a good idea to write back and offer to meet had prompted her to talk for longer and in more detail about her family than he had ever heard before. He'd learned things that day, things that seemed distant but still horrible - the full details of his Gran's expulsion from the Black family, the repercussions of it, and Narcissa's reactions to it all. He'd also heard stories from his Gran's childhood, happy, mischievous stories featuring a darling little sister who was virtually her twin. She hadn't attempted to whitewash the past though, and had spoken unflinchingly of her rejection of tentative overtures through unobtrusive channels, and of her own outspoken reaction to Narcissa's marriage to and life with Lucius Malfoy.
She had looked at him in a way he barely recognised, as though she thought he had, if not the answer, then some advice that would solve the problem. She looked like she needed him, but Teddy could see clearly enough the desire in her eyes and knew that she needed her sister as well. He'd reached out for her hand and squeezed it gently.
"Do it," he'd said, smiling at her. "Write to her, Gran. She's your family."
"Yours too," she'd said gently. "If you want."
"I - well," he'd said, with a shrug. "We'll see about that one day. The most important thing is that you two start talking. You're the only one of us missing out on something, Gran. You've always been all I've had, family-wise, and that's fine with me. But you...you knew more. You used to have more, and you should again."
She'd closed her eyes for a moment and when she'd opened them again they were shining. "You are a wonderful, wise young man," she'd said, and Teddy had flushed furiously.
It had seemed straightforward then, and Teddy supposes that it still is, in a way. This is Narcissa's son, her grandson, and while it's easy to think of them as Gran's family, the fact that they are also his own family seems to hit Teddy all at once and he feels unaccountably shy. With her hand reassuringly on his elbow, his Gran introduces Teddy to Draco and Scorpius and for a short while he and Scorpius sit in near silence, listening to the stilted conversation.
"Um," Teddy says, into one of the silences. "Would anyone like a drink?" His Gran and Draco decline, but Scorpius looks over to his father who nods imperceptibly and then stands, offering Teddy a brief smile. He smiles back, and as the door shuts behind them, he hears the voices inside become much more purposeful. For himself, Teddy can't think of anything to say until, halfway to the kitchen, Scorpius says,
"You're my cousin."
Teddy blinks at him. "Um. Sort of, yes," he shrugs. "I suppose."
"I know your brother," Scorpius says, and at Teddy's raised eyebrows, adds, "Albus."
"Oh. Right. He's my godfather's son, actually. You're in Slytherin together, then?"
"No," Scorpius says in a tight voice. "I'm a Ravenclaw."
"Oh," Teddy says, feeling oddly guilty for assuming. He opens the kitchen door and waves Scorpius inside. "I was, too," he offers and Scorpius looks at him speculatively.
"Al does call you his godbrother, as long as James isn't around."
Teddy grins, and shakes his head. "James is a nut. You should ignore him if he's being a pest."
"We ignore him all the time," Scorpius says sniffily.
Teddy unsuccessfully stifles a laugh and takes a look at the boy. He's taller than Al, and Teddy imagines he is the spitting image of his father at that age. He has sharp, quick eyes and neat blond hair, and looks a bit like he is enjoying a private joke - constantly. It's unnerving in a kid of twelve, and Teddy busies himself with setting up a small pot of tea for himself. His Gran obviously has something to discuss with Mr. Malfoy, and Teddy has no desire to interrupt it, so he looks over his shoulder at Scorpius, who is idly examining the magical calendar on the wall.
"Would you like anything to eat?" he offers.
"No, thank you," Scorpius says, as though manners are something he has learned in the same way other kids learn to read - often resentfully, but usually perfect in the end.
"A drink? I'm sure Gran's got some pumpkin juice somewhere."
"That would be nice."
"Alright," Teddy says to himself, and pours the drinks - cold juice for Scorpius and steaming tea for himself. They sit a little awkwardly at the kitchen table until Teddy summons a pack of biscuits and persuades Scorpius to take one. The boy relaxes almost unconsciously and Teddy finds himself desperate for something to say.
"D'you like school?" he asks helplessly. Al is this boy's age, and Teddy has no problem talking to him - well no more than anyone else does, anyway.
"Ravenclaw," Scorpius says in response to Teddy's question and gives him a small smile.
"That was always my excuse, too," Teddy laughs. "I think I just like books more than people. Most people," he amends.
"Me too!" Scorpius grins, and laughs for the first time that Teddy has heard. It makes him look a lot younger.
"What's your best subject?" Teddy asks.
"Charms," Scorpius says, immediately and with enthusiasm, and Teddy is honestly surprised by the strength of his own pleasure.
"Same here," he says. "That's what I do, actually. Now, I mean. At work."
"Really?"
Scorpius looks vaguely awed, and Teddy can't help a snort of laughter. "It's not as exciting as all that," he says. "It's an independent company that funds research and development in charms, potions and Arithmancy, but it's not a huge organisation. I either work on my own ideas or to a brief that the bosses hand down."
"It sounds good," Scorpius says. He licks some crumbs from his forefinger and looks at Teddy seriously. "Do you know what happened?" he asks suddenly. "Why my Grandmother started writing to yours, I mean?"
"No," Teddy says a little warily.
"Me neither," Scorpius shrugs. "Grandmother's been very different since Grandfather died. She's sad, but she seems almost pleased sometimes. Not that he died, but that she can do all the things she couldn't do before."
"Like writing to my Gran?" Teddy asks dubiously. "Why would he stop her doing that?"
"He wouldn't," Scorpius says, as though Teddy is slightly touched in the head. "Very few people would openly have anything to do with us while Grandfather was alive. They aren't much better with Dad, but it is improving. Slowly."
"I didn't realise," Teddy frowns.
"Why should you?" Scorpius shrugs.
Teddy is struck by how much older than his years the boy sounds and looks at him frankly.
"What do you think is going on?"
"Honestly?" Scorpius asks and Teddy nods. "I think my Grandmother's trying to make up for everyone else's mistakes and I think Dad's terrified of turning into Grandfather and would do anything to give me what he thinks of as a normal family."
"You think a lot, huh?" Teddy asks, struck by how right Scorpius' observations sound. Of course, he doesn't know the people involved but he knows the story - especially of Mrs. Malfoy - from Harry.
"Ravenclaw," Scorpius says, with a small grin. "What do you think?"
"Um..." Teddy pauses for a moment. "I don't - Family's always been important to my Gran, even if it was just me. I suppose she just misses her sister. I don’t know the full story of what happened between them, but it has been a long time. Maybe they’re just tired of fighting.”
"Maybe," Scorpius shrugs. "I think it's good," he offers. "I'd - I'd quite like to have a cousin," he says, and the self-confidence slips for a moment.
Teddy smiles at him encouragingly. "Me too," he says, and realises that it's true. "Another biscuit?" he offers and Scorpius nods, taking one. He looks at Teddy carefully for a moment before speaking.
"Al says you're a metamorphmagus."
"Yup," Teddy nods, and turns his hair Ravenclaw blue.
"Wow!"
Teddy laughs and changes his nose to a pig's snout. He can't imagine why he didn't think of this before. Anyone under eighteen who's never seen this before immediately reverts to six years old.
Sure enough, Scorpius' next words are, "Can you make yourself look like people you know?"
Teddy concentrates or a moment and rearranges himself to look like Scorpius.
"Ahh, no, that's just weird!" the real Scorpius protests, so Teddy shortens the hair, lightens the eyes and brows a little, defines the jaw and cheekbones more, and looks at Scorpius out of Draco's face.
"Worse! Worse!" Scorpius laughs.
Teddy can't help himself and bursts into helpless laughter at Scorpius' wide-eyed astonishment. He still looks like Mr. Malfoy, and Scorpius is still laughing, when the kitchen door opens. Draco looks from one to the other and Teddy blushes, immediately reverting to his own face. He can't resist letting the blush extend to his hair, which sends Scorpius into another round of giggles.
For a brief moment, Draco turns and watches his son with an affectionate, indulgent smile on his face, and Teddy has time to look at his Gran. She is watching father and son with unconcealed interest but she obviously feels Teddy's gaze because she turns to him and shoots him a quick, private smile.
"I wish we had more time, Andromeda," Draco says, breaking the spell of the moment.
"You're welcome here anytime," she assures him. "Either, both, any of you."
"And the same goes for you, of course," Draco says, his look including Teddy in the invitation. "I know mother would love to see you, and to meet you, Teddy."
"Dad, do we have to go?" Scorpius asks in an undertone. "Right now?"
"We do," Draco says. "Next time, we'll all have a meal or something, and you can badger Teddy about his hair all night if you wish."
"Oh, Dad," Scorpius protests.
"That sounds really good," Teddy says, affecting not to notice Scorpius' embarrassment.
Draco steps forward to shake Teddy's hand, saying that he is sorry they haven't had time to talk, and that they must do so soon.
"Would you like to use the floo?" Teddy's Gran asks, but Draco shakes his head.
"We prefer to apparate," he says, laying a hand on Scorpius' shoulder.
"Will you say hi to Al for me?" Scorpius asks Teddy.
"Of course. It was nice to meet you, Scorpius, I'll see you soon."
The Malfoys apparate away with barely a crack, and Teddy's Gran turns to him with a wide smile on her face.
"Well," she says happily. "Well."
Interlude 3
Author: Lyds
Rating: This part, G
Notes: This whole thing is 30000 words long now. I have no idea how that happened, and I’m nowhere near done yet. Eep. This time, Teddy meets his wider family. There is a point to this in like, chapter 7, I promise. Stick with me =D
Disclaimer: JKR’s, not mine. Title is from an Elvis Costello song, When It Sings, and that's not mine either.
Words: ~2200 [this part]
Teddy's been living on his own for a fortnight now, and is almost embarrassed by how proud that makes him. Everything is going right - money is tight for the moment but once payday rolls around, he will be fine. He's cooked, and cleaned, and done laundry. He's even braved grocery shopping at the local muggle shop - confusing, and terrifying, and frustrating - and he's vaguely amazed at how good things are. He does miss his Gran though, because between work and organising his little flat, he has hardly seen her at all.
After a lazy shower and breakfast, he nips down the road to buy his Gran a bunch of flowers – purple freesias, bright yellow daffodils, and red gerberas – before coming back home to floo over to her house.
"Gran?" he calls, stepping out of the grate and righting himself, brushing his hands lightly at a few specks of soot on his shoulder. There's no sign of his Gran in the kitchen so he bounds through to the living room. He doesn't hear the voices, but would probably not have knocked anyway. It occurs to him later that he is far to used to thinking of this place as his own home.
As soon as he opens the door, three heads turn toward him and Teddy falters. He recognises the man, both from the newspapers and from the few times he’s been dragged to a ministry fundrasier of some sort by Harry (You’re old enough to share the misery now, his godfather had joked. Save me if it looks like I’m going to keel over from the boredom, alright, Ted?) and there is no way that the boy can be anyone other than the man’s son.
“Um,” Teddy says, not sure who to look at, or talk to. He backs up a couple of steps. “Sorry, Gran, I just – ” A little awkwardly, he holds out the flowers and she stands to hug him, taking the chance to whisper, sorry into his ear. He shrugs minutely in her embrace and she smiles widely at him when she moves back.
When his Gran had received a letter from Narcissa Malfoy a few months ago, she had sat down with Teddy and showed it to him. It had been a kind letter, a sad letter, nervous beneath its perfection. It had mentioned Teddy in passing, as Nymphadora's son, but had mostly been Narcissa's attempt to build bridges with her last surviving sister. His Gran had asked Teddy what he thought, and he'd shrugged, but his tentative suggestion that it might be a good idea to write back and offer to meet had prompted her to talk for longer and in more detail about her family than he had ever heard before. He'd learned things that day, things that seemed distant but still horrible - the full details of his Gran's expulsion from the Black family, the repercussions of it, and Narcissa's reactions to it all. He'd also heard stories from his Gran's childhood, happy, mischievous stories featuring a darling little sister who was virtually her twin. She hadn't attempted to whitewash the past though, and had spoken unflinchingly of her rejection of tentative overtures through unobtrusive channels, and of her own outspoken reaction to Narcissa's marriage to and life with Lucius Malfoy.
She had looked at him in a way he barely recognised, as though she thought he had, if not the answer, then some advice that would solve the problem. She looked like she needed him, but Teddy could see clearly enough the desire in her eyes and knew that she needed her sister as well. He'd reached out for her hand and squeezed it gently.
"Do it," he'd said, smiling at her. "Write to her, Gran. She's your family."
"Yours too," she'd said gently. "If you want."
"I - well," he'd said, with a shrug. "We'll see about that one day. The most important thing is that you two start talking. You're the only one of us missing out on something, Gran. You've always been all I've had, family-wise, and that's fine with me. But you...you knew more. You used to have more, and you should again."
She'd closed her eyes for a moment and when she'd opened them again they were shining. "You are a wonderful, wise young man," she'd said, and Teddy had flushed furiously.
It had seemed straightforward then, and Teddy supposes that it still is, in a way. This is Narcissa's son, her grandson, and while it's easy to think of them as Gran's family, the fact that they are also his own family seems to hit Teddy all at once and he feels unaccountably shy. With her hand reassuringly on his elbow, his Gran introduces Teddy to Draco and Scorpius and for a short while he and Scorpius sit in near silence, listening to the stilted conversation.
"Um," Teddy says, into one of the silences. "Would anyone like a drink?" His Gran and Draco decline, but Scorpius looks over to his father who nods imperceptibly and then stands, offering Teddy a brief smile. He smiles back, and as the door shuts behind them, he hears the voices inside become much more purposeful. For himself, Teddy can't think of anything to say until, halfway to the kitchen, Scorpius says,
"You're my cousin."
Teddy blinks at him. "Um. Sort of, yes," he shrugs. "I suppose."
"I know your brother," Scorpius says, and at Teddy's raised eyebrows, adds, "Albus."
"Oh. Right. He's my godfather's son, actually. You're in Slytherin together, then?"
"No," Scorpius says in a tight voice. "I'm a Ravenclaw."
"Oh," Teddy says, feeling oddly guilty for assuming. He opens the kitchen door and waves Scorpius inside. "I was, too," he offers and Scorpius looks at him speculatively.
"Al does call you his godbrother, as long as James isn't around."
Teddy grins, and shakes his head. "James is a nut. You should ignore him if he's being a pest."
"We ignore him all the time," Scorpius says sniffily.
Teddy unsuccessfully stifles a laugh and takes a look at the boy. He's taller than Al, and Teddy imagines he is the spitting image of his father at that age. He has sharp, quick eyes and neat blond hair, and looks a bit like he is enjoying a private joke - constantly. It's unnerving in a kid of twelve, and Teddy busies himself with setting up a small pot of tea for himself. His Gran obviously has something to discuss with Mr. Malfoy, and Teddy has no desire to interrupt it, so he looks over his shoulder at Scorpius, who is idly examining the magical calendar on the wall.
"Would you like anything to eat?" he offers.
"No, thank you," Scorpius says, as though manners are something he has learned in the same way other kids learn to read - often resentfully, but usually perfect in the end.
"A drink? I'm sure Gran's got some pumpkin juice somewhere."
"That would be nice."
"Alright," Teddy says to himself, and pours the drinks - cold juice for Scorpius and steaming tea for himself. They sit a little awkwardly at the kitchen table until Teddy summons a pack of biscuits and persuades Scorpius to take one. The boy relaxes almost unconsciously and Teddy finds himself desperate for something to say.
"D'you like school?" he asks helplessly. Al is this boy's age, and Teddy has no problem talking to him - well no more than anyone else does, anyway.
"Ravenclaw," Scorpius says in response to Teddy's question and gives him a small smile.
"That was always my excuse, too," Teddy laughs. "I think I just like books more than people. Most people," he amends.
"Me too!" Scorpius grins, and laughs for the first time that Teddy has heard. It makes him look a lot younger.
"What's your best subject?" Teddy asks.
"Charms," Scorpius says, immediately and with enthusiasm, and Teddy is honestly surprised by the strength of his own pleasure.
"Same here," he says. "That's what I do, actually. Now, I mean. At work."
"Really?"
Scorpius looks vaguely awed, and Teddy can't help a snort of laughter. "It's not as exciting as all that," he says. "It's an independent company that funds research and development in charms, potions and Arithmancy, but it's not a huge organisation. I either work on my own ideas or to a brief that the bosses hand down."
"It sounds good," Scorpius says. He licks some crumbs from his forefinger and looks at Teddy seriously. "Do you know what happened?" he asks suddenly. "Why my Grandmother started writing to yours, I mean?"
"No," Teddy says a little warily.
"Me neither," Scorpius shrugs. "Grandmother's been very different since Grandfather died. She's sad, but she seems almost pleased sometimes. Not that he died, but that she can do all the things she couldn't do before."
"Like writing to my Gran?" Teddy asks dubiously. "Why would he stop her doing that?"
"He wouldn't," Scorpius says, as though Teddy is slightly touched in the head. "Very few people would openly have anything to do with us while Grandfather was alive. They aren't much better with Dad, but it is improving. Slowly."
"I didn't realise," Teddy frowns.
"Why should you?" Scorpius shrugs.
Teddy is struck by how much older than his years the boy sounds and looks at him frankly.
"What do you think is going on?"
"Honestly?" Scorpius asks and Teddy nods. "I think my Grandmother's trying to make up for everyone else's mistakes and I think Dad's terrified of turning into Grandfather and would do anything to give me what he thinks of as a normal family."
"You think a lot, huh?" Teddy asks, struck by how right Scorpius' observations sound. Of course, he doesn't know the people involved but he knows the story - especially of Mrs. Malfoy - from Harry.
"Ravenclaw," Scorpius says, with a small grin. "What do you think?"
"Um..." Teddy pauses for a moment. "I don't - Family's always been important to my Gran, even if it was just me. I suppose she just misses her sister. I don’t know the full story of what happened between them, but it has been a long time. Maybe they’re just tired of fighting.”
"Maybe," Scorpius shrugs. "I think it's good," he offers. "I'd - I'd quite like to have a cousin," he says, and the self-confidence slips for a moment.
Teddy smiles at him encouragingly. "Me too," he says, and realises that it's true. "Another biscuit?" he offers and Scorpius nods, taking one. He looks at Teddy carefully for a moment before speaking.
"Al says you're a metamorphmagus."
"Yup," Teddy nods, and turns his hair Ravenclaw blue.
"Wow!"
Teddy laughs and changes his nose to a pig's snout. He can't imagine why he didn't think of this before. Anyone under eighteen who's never seen this before immediately reverts to six years old.
Sure enough, Scorpius' next words are, "Can you make yourself look like people you know?"
Teddy concentrates or a moment and rearranges himself to look like Scorpius.
"Ahh, no, that's just weird!" the real Scorpius protests, so Teddy shortens the hair, lightens the eyes and brows a little, defines the jaw and cheekbones more, and looks at Scorpius out of Draco's face.
"Worse! Worse!" Scorpius laughs.
Teddy can't help himself and bursts into helpless laughter at Scorpius' wide-eyed astonishment. He still looks like Mr. Malfoy, and Scorpius is still laughing, when the kitchen door opens. Draco looks from one to the other and Teddy blushes, immediately reverting to his own face. He can't resist letting the blush extend to his hair, which sends Scorpius into another round of giggles.
For a brief moment, Draco turns and watches his son with an affectionate, indulgent smile on his face, and Teddy has time to look at his Gran. She is watching father and son with unconcealed interest but she obviously feels Teddy's gaze because she turns to him and shoots him a quick, private smile.
"I wish we had more time, Andromeda," Draco says, breaking the spell of the moment.
"You're welcome here anytime," she assures him. "Either, both, any of you."
"And the same goes for you, of course," Draco says, his look including Teddy in the invitation. "I know mother would love to see you, and to meet you, Teddy."
"Dad, do we have to go?" Scorpius asks in an undertone. "Right now?"
"We do," Draco says. "Next time, we'll all have a meal or something, and you can badger Teddy about his hair all night if you wish."
"Oh, Dad," Scorpius protests.
"That sounds really good," Teddy says, affecting not to notice Scorpius' embarrassment.
Draco steps forward to shake Teddy's hand, saying that he is sorry they haven't had time to talk, and that they must do so soon.
"Would you like to use the floo?" Teddy's Gran asks, but Draco shakes his head.
"We prefer to apparate," he says, laying a hand on Scorpius' shoulder.
"Will you say hi to Al for me?" Scorpius asks Teddy.
"Of course. It was nice to meet you, Scorpius, I'll see you soon."
The Malfoys apparate away with barely a crack, and Teddy's Gran turns to him with a wide smile on her face.
"Well," she says happily. "Well."
Interlude 3