No Bed of Roses by Lady Connor
Summary: Harry met Holly when she was two - abandoned in the park by her mother. Unable to leave her alone, he stayed behind to keep her safe. Over the years, they became as inseparable as brother and sister.
When Harry found out he was a wizard, he was happy to find that Holly was a witch too, and one day, she would enter his new world with him.

Finding out he was a father to a nine-year-old girl, Severus Snape didn't hesitate to bring her home. His daughter belonged by his side, after all. Finding his daughter preferred Harry Potter over him was a travesty the Potions Master was not going to tolerate.

Somehow, Severus had to make his daughter see Harry Potter as he did - worthless, useless, hopeless.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Snape Equal Status to Harry > Comrades Snape and Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Eileen Prince, Hermione, Lucius, Narcissa, Original Character, Ron
Snape Flavour: Snape is Angry, Snape's a Bully, Snape Comforts, Snape is Controlling, Snape is Kind, Snape is Mean, Snape is Stern
Genres: Angst, Family, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Abuse Recovery, Alternate Universe
Takes Place: 5th summer, 5th Year
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Character Death, Emotional Abuse, Neglect
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 30 Completed: No Word count: 250666 Read: 81500 Published: 10 Aug 2021 Updated: 25 Feb 2024
Leave the Field Open by Lady Connor
Author's Notes:
Holly can so easily wrap those Malfoy's around her fingers if she so chose. Never underestimate the power of a child. You can ask my bratty niece who smiled sweetly at me and ended up walking away with my sketchbook. I'm sure it'll come back to me with various unicorns she's trying to draw on whatever blank page she's got left in that book.

I've recently got into art, whereas my previous attempts could barely manage a recognisable stick figure, after some perseverance I've managed to draw some pretty recognisable "art".

Thank you to those who have continued to read and review my story. Every word means so much.

Anyone who's waiting for Snape and Holly to suddenly get along will have to remain patient for a little while longer. Those two have some issues to work through first.

Harry and Holly are intensely loyal to each and Snape, despite his newfound enthusiasm for fatherhood, has much to answer for in Holly's eyes and hopefully, soon my dear readers will see why.

Don't worry though - they won't be like that forever.

Maybe Snape will even make some *gasp* dad jokes.

Please send me some good ones.
>

Chapter 8 - Leave the Field Open

 

Holly’s mood has vastly improved since Regulus’ visit: Severus notices this the following day as he waits for Holly to come downstairs, having chosen not to walk down with them this morning. Severus takes the seat he habitually occupied before Holly arrived at the Manor so that Narcissa can sit in her usual chair next to Draco when she arrives for breakfast.

            Severus can see Lucius’ brows quirk at the change but doesn’t comment. Draco also seems to refrain from stating the obvious. Narcissa and Holly arrive as they generally do and freeze at the change in seating: the woman gives him a glance over the top of Holly’s head, which he recognises as her ‘I hope you know what you’re going to start’ look.

            Holly looks at him with a glare while Narcissa walks calmly to her seat next to Draco, with Lucius to her right like every day before they changed for Holly.

            Holly darts a glance at Narcissa’s chair, like she is tempted to run over her and sit there instead. Dragging her feet, she finally sits next to Severus.

Breakfast is served, and everyone begins to help themselves. Severus calmly pours Holly a glass of orange juice, as Narcissa has done for the little girl several times since her arrival. Holly looks like she is tempted to knock the glass over out of spite but grudgingly reaches for it.

            Draco engages Severus in conversation about his homework on the properties of Moonstone – he is already thinking about his OWL years.

            Narcissa adds her comments from time to time, and the conversation continues to progress where the atmosphere is no longer awkward.

            “How’s the preparation of your syllabus coming along, Father?” Draco asks, spearing a mushroom with his fork.

            “I completed it for first through third years,” Lucius answers, sipping his coffee.

            “Have you selected all your books yet? Minerva will be asking you for them soon,” Severus advises him.

            Lucius sighs. “I have selected those for OWL and NEWT years. I am afraid that they might be a little too advanced, given the sporadic education they have had so far. Isn’t it sad that the best education the students have had is probably from a werewolf and a Death Eater in disguise?”

            “Pots and kettles, Lucius,” Severus points out dryly while Narcissa clears her throat emphatically.

            “What’s a Death Eater?” Holly asks.

            It is the first time she’s ever voluntarily asked a question, and Severus curses in his head at the slip. He has forgotten that she is next to him. Usually, speech has to be dragged out from her; now, she’s watching them all with more interest than anything else so far, and Severus is panicked that this is the first topic she chooses to involve herself in.

            “Something you will stay away from,” he snaps because he’s flustered –not that he will admit it.

            He instantly comprehends he has made a mistake: Holly’s face closes, and he has lost the opportunity to connect with his daughter.

            “They are bad people,” Narcissa smooths over in a gentler voice, making Severus feel worse. “Most of them, at least. They follow a Dark Lord who believes some people are inferior to others and will hurt those who disagree. Obviously, there’s more to it than that, darling: It’s not something easily explained or a conversation fit for breakfast.”

            Lucius and Severus look suitably chastised.

            They wait as Holly digests this information. Severus dearly hopes she does not push; however, the next question is barely any better.

            “What about werewolves? Are they bad too? Like Death Eaters?”

           

ooOoo 

 

Lucius knows that this is a test. He has read all the letters Potter sent to Holly and her grandmother and doesn’t doubt that Holly knows the contents quite well. Potter has mentioned Lupin and his status as a werewolf: he talks about him on a personal level. Lucius has read between the lines well enough to surmise that Potter thinks Lupin is a coward in personal relationships but doesn’t mind that he might turn into a bloodthirsty beast once a month. Lucius is paraphrasing, of course.

            Tread carefully, my friend, he thinks. He suppresses a wince as he feels Narcissa’s fingernails digging into his thigh. He is sure this is a combined punishment for bringing up the topic of Death Eaters in the first place and his wife’s anxiety over it. Of course, by now, Lucius has told Narcissa everything: she is not happy that they must keep this whole thing a secret from Severus, but even she agrees that Severus is not ready to work with Harry Potter the way Lucius is willing to do. Once Lucius was forced to reveal his secrets, Narcissa insisted on reading the copies of the letters and looking through the pictures.

            Potter has not mentioned Death Eaters in his letters, but werewolves and other creatures he has come across. Lucius feels a reluctant admiration for Eileen: she has taught her granddaughter well. Holly might appear to be a sweet innocent child who grew up in the muggle world, but her knowledge of the magical world gives her an advantage and the fact that Potter shared the most important events of his life with her.

            Draco and Severus always complain about Potter acting like the pampered prince, but through reading the boy’s letters, he has learned that he has a hidden facet that his friend and son have either missed or are too blind to see. Eileen has effectively raised Potter and has undoubtedly taught him much more than the boy lets on. Lucius is still surprised that he started learning Occlumency at only thirteen years old: he marvels at the boy’s proficiency in the art and vows to test him when they are at school. Lucius is almost thrilled to be a teacher.

            Recalling Slughorn’s networking parties, the Slug Club, Lucius debates following the same path. Potter is the most valuable asset, but that does not mean he should not take advantage of other opportunities that will come his way. This is his chance to mould children’s minds to his way of thinking. Really, instead of being a governor, he should have become a teacher sooner.

            He holds back another wince that brings him out of his dreams to hear Severus disparage werewolves. He sees Holly’s withdrawal. She knows Severus made Lupin lose his job: Potter mentioned it in his letters home, and Holly is firmly on his side – not that Severus is aware of this. Nor is Holly aware of Severus’s fear of werewolves after Sirius Black's hideous prank. Lucius sees the way Severus’ hands tighten around his knife and fork: the whiteness of his knuckles is visible, and it looks like he is ready to stab something.  

            Lucius hastens to do some damage control for both their sake.

            “Werewolves are indeed dangerous, Holly. Some more than others. You should never venture out into unknown areas when it’s a full moon. Your father is not wrong about that, and you should stay away from people who are confirmed to be werewolves,” Lucius clarifies in a more controlled voice.

            Holly holds back her retort when Lucius refers to Severus as her father, and he considers it a win: however,  she still does not accept it.

            Severus also needs to learn to control his anger better, but Lucius can acknowledge that he, usually better at this, has been out of sorts since the end of term.

            “Perhaps, this is an opportunity to help Holly learn more about our world,” Narcissa picks up effortlessly. “I understand you have been educated at muggle schools, but the wizarding world works slightly differently. I appreciate that it is summer now, but as  September progresses, we can put together an appropriate curriculum to give you an  introduction into your new world, and a head start when you are ready to attend Hogwarts – like Draco.”

            Draco perks up at the attention. He has been curiously silent all summer –out of his element with the return of the Dark Lord, Lucius’s shift in loyalties and the news of Severus’s daughter’s arrival. He has been trying to help the young girl fit into their world, but she has been resistant, and only Lucius and Narcissa know it’s because of Potter.

            Lucius is aware that he will need to speak to Draco about his attitude towards Potter before they return to school. He and his wife have spoiled Draco shamelessly: Lucius can afford it, and usually, he would not care, but also, he is unaware of the extent to which Draco goes out of his way to antagonise Potter and his friends.

            He understands much of his rivalry because he is jealous of Potter's attention from school. Draco should not be jealous of Potter, however, not when all he has to do is ask when he wants something. He recognises that Draco needs to grow up: he is lucky Lucius broke ties with the Dark Lord; otherwise, his son would have fallen from his broom and landed quite badly once he witnessed what service under the Dark Lord actually entails. His son’s opinion means a lot to him, and Lucius might not have been able to take the look of betrayal in Draco’s eyes when that happens: it is similar to the one Holly is giving Severus right now.

            Narcissa and Lucius glance at each other. They will need to work hard to make Severus and Holly’s relationship the way it should be. He hopes Potter won’t come between father and daughter, though, from what Regulus has told him, he was pretty willing to let Severus find Holly – as long as the girl was not left alone in the muggle world.

            “What will I learn?” Holly asks with interest.

            “Oh, it won’t be until summer is over,” Narcissa says dismissively, going back to her grilled tomatoes. “You should enjoy the next few weeks whilst you can.”

            Any further discussion is halted by the arrival of Lucius’s owl, Artemis. Lucius reaches for the letters Artemis holds, but the owl releases them from his talons and drops them directly onto his half-full plate; he is splattered with eggs, flyaway sausages and hash browns. Artemis ignores Lucius’s threats and flies to Holly, where he is lavished with cuddles and pampered with bacon strips and sausage pieces.

            Lucius cleans up with a glare at the blasted owl, vowing to wring its neck.

            “Now you know how the rest of us feel,” Narcissa tells him sottovoce.

            Pushing his plate away, he is done with breakfast, reaching for his letters first.

 

ooOoo

 

Holly is bored. She wishes she could practice her gymnastics and briefly wonders if Harry is practicing his too: she had not practiced since before Oma died. Unfortunately, it is raining outside right now, and the wet grass would not be suitable for cartwheeling.

            She leaves her room, abandoning her vigil by the window – something she doesn’t do that often now, not since Uncle Regulus, as she has taken to calling him, told her Hedwig would not be able to go through the wards.

            She has received a letter from Harry once. It had been left on her bed, and she did not know how it got there. He didn’t tell her where he was, only that he was glad she was not alone and that he would still see her again one day. He knew she was with her dad, but his letter didn’t say he knew who he was. She is afraid that he will not want to talk to her again once Harry finds out that her dad is the “dungeon bat” who constantly picks on him and bullies him in class.

            He also said that Hedwig misses her: Holly misses them both as well, and she hopes to see them soon.

            She wanders into the library. Aunty Cissa told her that she would not be learning anything until after the summer, but she still wants to look through the library. Harry always talks about Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration, making her impatient to learn about them. She knows she will not get her wand until she is eleven: it’s unfair that Harry’s wand is made of holly, but she won’t get one made of harry.

            Mr Snape is supposed to be good at Potions, and Holly purposely stays away from that subject. She briefly looks through Charms and Transfiguration, but, to her disappointment, she finds them difficult.

            Instead, she picks up a history book, beginning with Modern Magical History and flicking through the chapters. She starts as the words ‘Death Eater’ grab her attention through her half-hearted perusal. She frowns as she reads through the chapter again, paying more attention.

            There are some things she does not understand: an evil man, a Dark Lord – his name is not used, and the author always calls him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named – thought muggles should be killed, and many people who followed his orders were called Death Eaters, who used to go around hurting, and even killing, people. He had werewolves on his side, giants capable of annihilating everything, and something called Dementors. Holly remembers Harry mentioning them in his letters: they are awful things that would suck the happiness out of a person.

            The book talks about how You-Know-Who was defeated in 1981 by a baby. Holly is shocked when she reads that the child is Harry Potter, James and Lily’s son.

            That’s her Harry. Her jaw drops as she realises Harry is famous. She finishes reading the book and then looks for another one – The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. She reads through this as well, looking at the information carefully, and afterwards, she picks up a third, Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

            The last one speculates that Harry is living away from the magical world in the mountains somewhere, getting trained by mages or something, or sent away under the protection of unicorns or something even more ridiculous. None of that happened to Harry. He was sent to live with the horrible Dursleys, who hurt him because he had magic.

            She races back to her room, putting the books away and not seeing Draco in her haste, who went into the library after she left.

            Closing her bedroom door firmly behind her, she digs out her bag and Harry’s letters and spends the rest of the afternoon reading through them: he doesn’t mention that he is famous anywhere.

            Holly is hurt, at first, that Harry kept this from her. Then, as she reads through the rest of her letters again, she realises that he has not told her because it is unimportant to him. Harry had written about the essential things– things that mattered. She knows some of them he has spoken to Oma about in person; she would have told Holly if Harry was famous.

            She decides that it doesn’t matter that Harry hasn’t told her that he’s a celebrity. He’s still Harry to her, and if it doesn't matter to him, then it doesn't matter to Holly.

            Still, finding out that Harry is famous makes Holly smile. She can’t wait to see him again – she’s going to tease him by asking for his autograph. Her smile fades. She aches to see Harry again.

 

ooOoo

 

“Enter,” Lucius calls as he looks up from his parchment. He has spent the day looking at the information McGonagall has sent him from past teachers and what books they assigned, and he has also located his old school books and is cross-referencing them with recent editions.

            He hopes to send off a book list for all seven years in the next day or two so that he can get back to planning his syllabus.

            He looks up from his work when the door opens wide enough for Draco to enter. Draco firmly closes the door behind him, and this gesture alone makes Lucius aware that he wants to talk about something he doesn’t want anyone else overhearing. Lucius straightens up in his chair.

            “Come sit, Draco,” he beckons, carefully placing his quill down.

            “Holly knows about Death Eaters,” Draco begins abruptly as he takes a seat in front of Lucius’s desk.

            “I know,” he retorts pointedly. “I was there this morning when the topic came up.”

            And I have your mother’s fingernail marks to prove it, Lucius thinks silently.

            “No,” Draco says with a frustrated look. “I mean, she knows more now. I was just in the library. I checked what books she was reading.” Then, he rattles off the names of the history books.

            Lucius can feel himself paling. He has read those books: they are pretty accurate in their accounts, apart from suppositions of where Potter was sent to after the defeat of the Dark Lord. Though the books mention Death Eaters who claimed Imperius, no names are mentioned. For this, they are lucky. He cannot imagine Holly’s reaction if she knew her father was a Death Eater – she could lose what little trust she has for Lucius, and Regulus might suffer more since she trusts him more, given that he has come as a messenger on behalf of Potter.

            “What was her reaction?” Lucius questions carefully.

            Draco thinks about his answer before giving it.

            “She might have been a little anxious. She ran away really quickly and shut herself in her room.”

            Lucius nods.

            “Those books don’t mention names, Draco. Just watch what you say around her, and we might be able to avoid disaster as long she remains ignorant.”

            Draco does not look placated.

            “Draco, she has been raised as a muggle, for all she knows about the magical world. It will hurt Severus and Holly too much if she finds out that he and I were part of a group that looked down on people like her mother – that we were part of a group that did not think twice about subjugating them.”

            Or killing them, Lucius thinks silently.

            “Mudbloods,” Draco scoffs unthinkingly. “If she hadn’t taken Holly away from Severus, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

            Jasmine had not taken Holly away; Severus had rejected her. However, Lucius does not bother arguing this point with Draco.

            “Watch your tongue, Draco,” Lucius says in a cold voice. “You are not a child, not anymore. I have told you that we have changed sides, and that also means you need to pay attention to your vernacular.”

            “Potter’s not here,” Draco complains.

            “If you cannot change your thinking in private, then you cannot change your thinking in public. The word might not mean much to you, but it means a lot to Severus, and do you remember his reaction the last time he heard you use that word?”

            Draco flushes at Lucius’s pointed look. He looks up to Severus a lot. Lucius is careful not to say the word around Severus and has taught his son the same. He cannot deny that he has not thought it himself on multiple occasions. To him, it is simply a way of referring to muggle-borns, albeit in an insulting way. Though he is better at hiding his thoughts than Draco, he knows he will have to work hard to curb his tongue.

            When a powerful ally makes themselves known, it is convenient to forget about blood. Or even when it comes to Potions Masters, who are practically brothers.

            “Have you finished your homework?” Lucius changes the topic.

            “I have one more assignment left,” Draco mumbles, somewhat resentful, but Lucius decides to ignore the tone. Teens can be tedious; then, he remembers he’s agreed to teach at a school full of them.  

            “No flying until it’s done,” Lucius states in a firm voice. “I’ll talk to Severus about the books Holly read. Leave it to me.”

            With his son dismissed, Lucius turns his attention back to his syllabus.

            Draco leaves in a slight huff. He is upset that his father scolded him for his language, but Lucius stands by what he says. Times are changing, and the Malfoys have always been known to be adaptable to change. One doesn’t survive as they did without knowing which direction the power flows.

            Potentes Virtute Sequuntur. Mighty are those who follow the power.

 

ooOoo  

 

“She’s doing it on purpose,” Severus comments while watching his daughter outside with Narcissa.

            They are replanting the damaged roses together.

            Over the last several days, Holly has come out of her shell and began to converse in what could be deemed civilised … with everyone except Severus.

            Lucius, the cretin, finds this amusing.

            “Of course, she is,” he agrees.

            Severus does not need to turn around to see that Lucius is smirking at him. They are standing at the window overlooking the garden from Severus’s apartment. Lucius rarely ventures into Severus’s personal space, and thanks to this, Severus has slowly become accustomed to considering the apartment truly his own. Undeniably, Lucius likes to make Severus come to him instead, giving him a position of power. He is still trying to understand why Abraxas allowed Severus into his home, practically adopting him.

            Abraxas was by no means a warm man. He had high expectations and was strict in his views and outlook. Still, he cultivated Severus’s intelligence and always managed to remind him of the favours bestowed, albeit in a subtle manner.

            “She’s a delightful little child,” Lucius continues when Severus does not speak again. “Quick-witted with a sharp tongue. Uncannily familiar.”

            Severus scowls. Lucius loves to point out their similarities: however, when directed towards the child, it is a compliment, whereas, with Severus, it is insulting.

            “Has she mentioned Death Eaters again?” he is forced to ask.

            Given her reticence in speaking to Severus, Lucius seems to be her favourite library of information.

            “No,” Lucius tells him, peering outside the window as they see Draco approaching Narcissa and Holly. “She seems to have exhausted all the books regarding that matter. She is now dividing her time between books on cats or owls.”

            Severus is relieved that she has not brought up that topic again. When Lucius had informed him of Holly’s interests in those books, Severus had been on the verge of demanding that those books be removed. Common sense quickly reasserted itself when he realised that the damage was already done; he is simply glad that the book mentioned no names. However, Lucius did remove the catalogue of Daily Prophets from the last twenty years, just in case, the child got it into her head to look at previous articles. Severus is still surprised that Lucius thought to do so: it pains him to admit that it would not have occurred to Severus. At least, not as swiftly as Lucius did.

            They watch Draco kneel and help Holly pick the next rose bush to plant. Holly only started warming up to Draco last night around dinner time. As with Severus, she is slow to trust the younger wizard, but she seems willing to take a step forward.

            “I saw Dumbledore’s owl leave,” Lucius mentions offhandedly.

            Severus flicks him a glance. The other wizard is still looking outside, seemingly interested in what’s happening outside.

            “A summoning,” Severus admits. It is an Order meeting to which he has been invited. Severus cannot deny the feelings of inadequacy in being asked to attend: he is no longer a spy and, therefore, no longer feels useful. Had he not gone to rescue Potter, he might have been able to salvage his role. However, seeing Lily’s apparition had disturbed him at the time, unhinged him, even. He had interfered. He had given himself away.

            Receiving Tobias’ letter had been a distraction and a convenient excuse to justify his absence over the last few weeks. Severus had only informed Dumbledore of Holly’s homecoming because Regulus had come to Malfoy Manor.

            “When?”

            “Tonight,” Severus informs him, seeing Lucius nodding peripherally in acknowledgement.

            “When are you going to announce the happy news of your daughter?”

            Severus grimaces.

            “I will not be,” he replies sharply.

            Lucius is surprised at his declaration and turns to Severus with disbelieving eyes.

            “You are afraid it will make her a target?”

            Severus does not deny this.

            “I expected my death to be at the hands of the Dark Lord. I expected to place my life in danger every time I would get summoned to his side. I believed I would be in mortal peril every time my Mark burned,” the Mark that had been curiously quiet since the first night it burned in June. “I may no longer hold my position as a spy, but being labelled a traitor has not lessened the danger. I am still in mortal peril. She will be in danger too if people find out about our connection. You know as well as I do, Lucius, that the Dark Lord neither forgives nor forgets.”

            “What is your plan?”

            “Once we return to Hogwarts, I shall have Dumbledore send her to … Headquarters,” Severus tells him. Lucius knows that the Order of the Phoenix meets up somewhere, even if he does not know the exact location, primarily due to the Fidelius Charm. “She will be safe there. I can visit her every weekend I am not on patrol.”

            “Does Holly know?”

            Severus shakes his head, accompanied by another grimace.

            “You had best speak to her sooner rather than later, Severus. The First of September will roll around faster than you think,” Lucius warns.

            “I am aware,” Severus acknowledges, looking again at the planted rose bushes.

            “Do you think Dumbledore will be amenable to including Narcissa in the secret?” Lucius asks. Though his voice is smooth, Severus can tell the answer would mean a lot to his friend.

            “You do not want Narcissa behind the safety of your formidable wards?”

            “I will be at Hogwarts, Severus,” Lucius points out. “As will Draco. If you are sending Holly away behind the Fidelius, it will make sense for the girl to have someone she knows with her, apart from Regulus.”

            Severus glowers at Regulus’ name. He has always been a good friend, though they have drifted apart over the last several years. Severus is simply jealous of the ease with which the other wizard has won over his daughter. Still, he acknowledges Lucius’s unspoken words. He does not want Narcissa to be alone in the Manor. Without him.

            “Do you regret taking on the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts?”

            “No,” Lucius denies instantly. “I am looking forward to the challenge.”

            Severus allows a smirk of his own and looks at Lucius.

            “I wager you’ll lose your enthusiasm after your first lesson,” the Potions Master predicts, making Lucius chuckle.

            “My patience is greater than yours,” Lucius points out.

            “Teaching requires a different kind of patience,” Severus says with a glower, folding his arms across his chest. “Besides, your position is Cursed. There is every chance that you will not last the entire school year, regardless. ”

            “Perhaps I will break the curse,” Lucius challenges.

            Severus snorts. Many have tried to do that very thing.

            “You only stayed on as Potions professor to spy on Dumbledore for the Dark Lord. As you no longer need to spy, you can simply take your daughter and leave,” Lucius surprises Severus with the change in topic.

            He is tempted for several minutes as he mulls this over. Teaching has never been his greatest ambition: he always wanted to open his own Apothecary, research potions and create new spells. He could leave, take Holly and move somewhere far away from the war. Create a new life for both. Only one thing stops him: Lily. He has to stay for Lily and protect her son.

            “There is more than the Dark Lord holding me back, Lucius,” Severus speaks coldly, finding himself resenting Potter for yet another reason.

            Severus has never told Lucius about Lily, always made sure not to mention her since her death, though the blond was aware of his and Lily’s friendship in school. She was his secret – a secret he is determined to take to the grave.

            Lucius gives him a considering look but does not push.

            “We are on the same side now,” he says softly when the silence stretches. He turns away from Severus once more to see Narcissa, Draco and Holly walking away from the newly planted roses.

            Severus is glad of Lucius’s change in loyalties. He cannot deny that he owed the other wizard his life. Everything Severus has made for himself can be traced back to Lucius’s influence in his life. Had they continued to be on opposite sides of this war, Severus would have been forced to fight Lucius. Now, he is relieved that this is no longer the case. A Malfoy always knows how to survive, and the fact that he has sided with Dumbledore shows that Lucius believes he will be on the winning side. Dumbledore does have that effect.

           

 

ooOoo

 

Draco knocks on Holly’s door, Nimbus 2001 in hand. He has been a little put out by the fact that Holly didn’t want to hang around him – he’s always had people who wanted to be around him. Really, she should be happy to be a witch and live in his home. It was practically a palace, no doubt better than the hovel she was with her muggle grandmother.

            Her whole attitude towards Severus was deplorable and disrespectful. Severus is brilliant, even if he is strict. Draco has always idolised the Potions Master: he is intelligent in a different way to his father and challenges him to be a better student. Holly needs to learn how marvellous Severus is and how he will be a good father to her.

            He has always been an only child and never really wanted any siblings. He loves having Mother and Father all to himself. Severus deserves a good daughter as well and an heir. Now that Holly has started to talk to Mother and Father and him, he can use this to get closer to her. Then, he can use the opportunity to talk to Holly about how wonderful Severus is and how she should be happy that he is her Father.

            Holly opens the door after so long that Draco starts to get annoyed. When she appears, he must remember to smile as he looks down at her.

            Lifting his broom to get her attention, he says, “I’ve done all my homework so I can go flying again. Do you want to go with me? I have a spare broom.”

            He still has his old Comet 360: it’s in good condition and a good broom for Holly to practice on. He begins to lose his smile as she continues to stare at him unblinkingly, as Severus sometimes does when he thinks Draco has said something senseless.

            “Okay.”

              Draco is surprised by her agreement.

            “Er, you should put your shoes on,” he tells her, pointing to her bare feet.

            Leaving the door open, she races back towards her dressing table; opening the bottom drawer, she pulls out a fresh pair of socks and walks back to her shoes by the window. Plonking herself on the floor, she begins to pull her socks on first.

            Draco, who has hesitantly stepped inside her room, is curious to see what it is like. Her bed is made but slightly ruffled, probably because she was sitting on it. Draco tentatively perches on the edge of her bed and looks around, noticing that there are no personal touches. The room looks a lot like the unoccupied ones in the rest of the Manor; only the slightly messy bedcovers and her shoes thrown near the window indicate that she resides here.

            Draco’s room has a disorganized desk and a shelf overflowing with various books and knick-knacks. He has posters of two of his favourite Quidditch teams, the Appleby Arrows and the Holyhead Harpies: they are placed side by side, and the players in the posters give each other threatening looks – which amuses Draco greatly.

            He spots a picture frame peeking out from under the pillow and, curious, reaches to pick it up. It is snatched from him before he can touch it, and he is startled at the glare he receives from Holly.

            “You shouldn’t touch my things without permission,” she snaps at him, and Draco is forcibly reminded of Severus when he sees the way her eyebrows furrow. A part of him finds it very cute: she’s like a bristling little kitten.

            Draco doesn’t usually apologise, but he forces one out for Severus's sake, though he must keep the amusement out of his voice.

            “I won’t do it again,” he promises lightly, although he cannot help but ask, “What makes it so special?”

            “It’s my Oma and me. It’s my favourite picture of the two of us,” she tells him, holding the frame against her chest possessively.

            “Ready?” he says in lieu of anything else.

            She stuffs the frame back under her pillow and waits for him to get up.

            He does, slowly, and they walk out together.

            To fill the silence as they head downstairs, he offers, “My grandfather died a few months before I started Hogwarts. He never got to see me with my Hogwarts letter. When I was going around Diagon Alley, I kept thinking of him. Especially when I was getting my first wand, I wished he was there for it.”

            “I’m sorry,” she says in a quiet voice.

            “It was dragon pox,” he tells her, though she didn’t ask. At her confused look, he explains, “It’s when you have a green and purple rash. It turns your skin green, and you have these nasty looking spots. When he sneezed, his nose sparked.”

            “Oh,” she says, looking sorry. They head for the entrance to the garden, in the opposite direction of the rose bushes they planted earlier.

            “Were you close? What about your Oma?”

            “She died when I was still a child. I don’t remember her much,” Draco explains as they head towards the pitch.

            “I never knew my Opa either. He died before I was born,” Holly opens up.

            “I was close to my grandfather, though,” Draco answers her first question. “He was my father’s father. He taught me how to fly and made sure I could write properly with my quill.”

            “What about your Mamma’s parents?”

            “I wasn’t very close to them,” Draco admits. They arrive at the pitch, and Draco stops there. There are no spectator stands like at Hogwarts, but there are seats that float up when needed: at the moment, they were locked away in the shed. Draco leads Holly towards the shed so they can take his Comet out.

            Continuing their conversation as they walk, Draco says, “Mother didn’t like her parents very much. They … went a little mad and barely talked to anyone outside the family. Mother said there’s a lot of history there.”

            Draco doesn’t tell Holly about his Aunt Bellatrix, who is currently imprisoned in Azkaban, or mention his Aunt Andromeda, whom the Blacks cast out for being a blood traitor. He knows that his cousin Nymphadora is an Auror, but he has never met her. He does know his mother misses her sister.

            “I never met my other grandparents,” Holly admits. “Oma never talked about them. I think that it upset her. Only Mamma talked about… him.”

            Draco knows from the slightly revolted tone she is referring to Severus, and it hurts him deeply, not expecting Severus to be talked about like that. Uncle Severus has always been alone. Draco has never seen any of his girlfriends. Until his parents and Severus started talking about Holly, he didn’t even know Severus had girlfriends. He has never given it much thought: he was always in the manor, by himself.

            Draco opens the shed and brings out his old Comet 360 in silence, not wanting to bring up Severus again. This is the most extended conversation since she arrived in the carriage a little over two weeks ago. It’s just under halfway through the summer, and he still has a few weeks left before Severus and his father leave for Hogwarts. Severus always spends the last two weeks of summer back at Hogwarts preparing for his class and helping Madam Pomfrey brew potions for the Hospital Wing. He also takes up the opportunity to complete the inventory of the stockrooms and attend any staff meetings.

            This year, Father would go and prepare for his first year of teaching. Draco is happy to have his father on staff: he will be like Severus, always on his side. He can’t wait to see Potter’s face. Father lost his position as governor of the school board because of him. Now, Potter will regret it when Father takes points from the stupid prat every day and takes points for not doing homework, as Severus does.

            He pushes these thoughts from his head and places both brooms on the ground.

            “Now, you have to stand over your broom with your wand hand out,” Draco instructs, showing her by standing over his Nimbus and holding his hand out, palm side down. “Then you have to say ‘up’ in a firm voice. Up!

            The Nimbus jumps up instantly and slams into his palm. Draco grabs it immediately and waits for Holly to do the same.

            “Up,” Holly repeats, though her voice is slightly unsure: the broom moves more sluggishly than Draco’s and then falls back down.

            “No, no,” Draco says, reaching out when she moves back. He grabs her hand gently and positions it palm side down again. “Try again, but you have to be confident. You know, you have to mean it. Try again. Go on.”

            Holly gives him an uncertain look but dutifully repeats once more, “Up.”

            The Comet slaps into her palm much faster than before, causing a delightful shriek from her, but she manages to catch it. Draco finds himself smiling at her, proud to have taught her this.

            He shows her the proper way to mount the broom, correcting the grip as Madam Hooch taught him in his first lesson four years ago. He pushes off and completes a circuit slower than he usually would for her sake. He hovers a few feet off the ground and urges her to do the same.

            Holly’s nerves seem to get the better of her, and she drops the Comet instantly, backing away with a fearful expression.

            “I – I don’t want to,” she tells him. “You go. I’ll watch you.”

            Draco almost pushes her to try but decides to back off.

            “Flying’s great,” he enthuses. “It’s the best feeling, especially when you’re going high and fast. I’ll show you.”

            He completes another circuit of the pitch, this time a little faster, though still not pushing the Nimbus to its limits. When he stops next to her again, he finds that she is clapping and smiling admiringly at him, so much that Draco puffs his chest out and preens. He is a good flier, much better than Potter. Potter only looked good because of his Firebolt. He is still trying to persuade his parents to buy him one: his father has promised him the latest broom as long as he passes all his OWLs with at least three O’s. With his father as his Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Severus teaching Potions, he knows he already has two easy O’s. He’ll have to work hard for his third, but he figures it’ll probably be Charms or Astronomy.

            “Come on,” Draco pushes, trying to get Holly to mount the broom. “Your turn. Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you.”

            Holly shakes her head, eyes wide and moves out of reach.

            “I just want to watch you. I don’t like heights,” she bites her bottom lip.

            “We don’t have to fly,” Draco says, though he is disappointed: this is his first chance to fly his broom since the beginning of summer. “I have a few games in my room we can play.”

            “You don’t need to do that for me,” Holly insists, giving him an earnest look. “You should fly. You like it. I just want to watch you.”

            “You can sit on my Nimbus with me,” Draco offers.

            “No,” she says quickly, shaking her head once more. “Please, Draco. You should fly.”

            Still feeling disappointed that she didn’t want to fly with him, he mounts his broom and flies off again, this time going much faster. He is bolstered when he passes her when he sees her smiling at his skills. Draco finds himself showing off once more in no time, doing several twists and turns and different stunts, much like how he saw Potter do when he was outflying the dragon. Draco could have done that. Saint Potter, always showing off, and everyone constantly lapping it up.

            When Draco turns around to see Holly’s reaction to his flying, he is disgruntled to see she is no longer paying attention. Instead of seeing her jump up and down, like an excited Krum fan, she is doing handstands, cartwheels or something, just like what Potter has been doing on his broom for the last several years. In the third year, Draco tried to do that, hovering no more than five feet from the ground: he attempted a cartwheel and a somersault but broke his ankle the first time and his wrist in two places before giving up bitterly.

            He realises that he never tried it on the ground first while watching Holly do a backflip. He zooms back towards Holly and abruptly stops a few feet away from her. She straightens up quickly and smiles at him.

            “Are you getting bored?” He can’t help the sullen tone it comes out with the question.

            The smile slips from Holly’s face, and Draco attempts to look less annoyed.

            With more effort to sound natural, he says, “What’s that you were doing?”

            “I was practicing my gymnastics,” she tells him in a quiet voice, watching him carefully.

            “Will you show me?” Draco asks in what he hopes is a sincere voice.

            Holly nods, and with another uncertain look, she moves back. Draco also takes a step or two backwards to give her space.

            He is surprised to see her take a step away, then a little run and then launch into a series of cartwheels, backflips, and another weird flip thing in which her feet point up to the sky; conclusively, she lands gracefully on her feet, her hands in the air, almost as if she’s about to start an odd dance.

            She looks at him expectantly.

            “Wow,” he exhales. He probably looks like an excited Mudblood on their first trip to Diagon Alley. He has seen Potter do those same tricks on his Nimbus 2000 and then on his Firebolt. The Chasers of the Gryffindor team also do similar tricks, though admittedly not as gracefully as Potter does: he is muggle raised, and Draco thinks he is good at them because he has learned them as Holly had.

            “What do you call that?”

            “Gymnastics,” Holly answers, walking back. She has managed to flip herself over ten feet away from her original position.

            Draco is happy to see her smiling widely and realises he has not seen her smile like that with anyone except for Uncle Regulus. He cannot help but feel proud that he has made her smile like that as well.

            “Can you show me again?” It is more like a demand, but Holly does not argue with his tone.

 

ooOoo

 

“Did Draco just drop his broom to roll around on the ground with Holly?” Lucius asks incredulously.

            As always, when Holly is involved, the Malfoys and Severus have resorted to stalker-like behaviour. This time, they are not watching from the windows inside the Manor, but instead, they are near the outdoor Conservatory, which gives them a good vantage point of the Quidditch pitch.

            After planting the rose bushes, Draco had informed Narcissa that he was going flying, something he had longed to do since the beginning of summer. They watched Draco show Holly how to summon the broom from the ground, pleased and astonished at his patience. Then, Severus tensed when he saw Draco demonstrate the mount, but Holly seemed to have backed off. Even from this distance, Severus saw Draco’s disappointment at not being able to go further. They all exchanged puzzled looks at Holly veering off to do some cartwheel type stunts on the ground.

            Severus, for one, expected an explosion of some sort or for Draco to leave in a huff when he would have seen he no longer had an admiring audience in Holly. He is pleasantly surprised to see Draco abandon his broom and watch Holly do … whatever she is doing and even attempts to copy her movements, though in a clumsier manner.

            “I need to take a closer look,” Lucius mutters, standing up from his seat. “Are you joining me?” He looks at Severus and Narcissa expectantly.

            “Sit down, darling. I’ll go. We don’t want to overcrowd them,” Narcissa admonishes, getting up from her chair.

            Lucius reluctantly sits back down.

            “She’d only storm off if I went anywhere near her,” grumbles Severus. She’d probably kick him in the face on purpose doing her flips or something.

            Narcissa walks away, but not before giving Severus a sympathetic look. Lucius and Severus exchange glances, bringing their Omnioculars, that Lucius purchased at the Quidditch World Cup last year, back to their eyes.

 

ooOoo

 

Draco knows his face is red from the efforts of his contortions, his clothes are filthy from rolling around in the dirt, and he is sweating like he has been sitting in a sauna with a fire generated by a Horntail, but he is determined to master this.

            Holly is only nine, yet she can perform her ‘gymnastics’ with grace and elegance, while Draco can’t even balance on one foot without wobbling like a newborn kneazle. He literally falls on his face when he attempts a handstand, and Holly walks around on her hands with her feet pointing towards the sky as if that’s her natural manner of mobility.

            “Do you know where you keep the skipping rope?” Holly asks, still upside down.

            Draco tumbles down again.

            “A what?” he pants from the ground.

            Holly right ways herself up and looks down at him.

            “A skipping rope,” she repeats patiently.

            Draco puffs and sits up, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his elbows.

            “It’s a long rope, and you swing it around you and jump to avoid it at the bottom,” Holly explains when Draco looks confused.

            He sees his mother approach with a curious look and knows he should get up, dust himself off and make himself look presentable, but he simply does not have the energy.

            “Mother,” he groans when she is within earshot so he does not have to shout. “What’s a skipping rope?”

            Narcissa pauses with a politely puzzled look.

            “A skipping rope?” she repeats dubiously.

            Holly patiently explains, “It’s a long rope with handles on each side, and you jump up and down. It’s good for footwork and exercise.”

            Draco still hasn’t gotten back to his feet and watches with curiosity as his mother conjures a thick rope for Holly, holding it out for the little girl to take, who can barely wrap her fist around the circumference of the rope.

            “That’s too big,” Holly exclaims. “It needs to be thinner.”

            Draco listens as Holly has Narcissa magically adjust the rope to the right length and circumference with continuing bemusement. It doesn’t have the handles that Holly is trying to describe, but she just wraps it around her hands once and begins jumping up and down, swinging the rope over her head and under her feet with perfect coordination. She is light on her feet. Draco exchanges a look of astonishment at the grace with which she jumps up and down!

 

ooOoo

 

“Why is your daughter jumping up and down and swinging that rope?” Lucius asks with perfect confusion, peering through the Omnioculars. “Bizarre.”

            “It’s a muggle thing,” Severus mutters, Omnioculars jammed to his face. He vaguely remembers Lily and Petunia doing something similar in the park when they were little girls.

            “Muggles have odd –” Lucius cuts himself off as they stare at Narcissa, taking her turn. “Perhaps they have some practices that might be worth looking further into. I need a closer look.”
            The blond drops his Omnioculars on the table beside Severus and walks away as Narcissa had done a few minutes earlier – minus the backward glance.

           

ooOoo

           

Draco’s jaw drops as his mother takes the rope offered by Holly and, after a few missteps and uncoordinated swings, skips as Holly demonstrated. Where she has switched from skipping on both feet to hopping on one leg and then the other, his mother lands lightly on both feet without too much effort. Draco chooses wisely not to point out the glistening sweat on Narcissa’s forehead.

            Feeling emboldened, Draco practically snatches the rope from his mother for his turn. Narcissa conjures two more replicas and hands one to Holly with a scowl that leaves Draco sheepish.

            Holly and his mother begin skipping again, and Draco is left to coordinate swinging the rope and jumping simultaneously. He feels like a troll in a china shop as he stumbles over his own feet, the rope tangling around his ankles, causing him to land in a heap on the ground.

            Holly giggles at him, and even his mother, the traitor, gives a little, tinkling laugh.

            “Maybe you’re only good on a broom, Draco,” Holly teases him, stopping skipping the rope to talk to him.

            The little show-off starts to move forward as she jumps again, stops, then begins swinging the rope backwards, then forward again, then crossing her arms so that rope crosses as well, still managing to jump up and down effortlessly!

            It’s such a simple thing, so why can’t Draco do it?

            He’s determined not to let this little brat mock him. It’s just a little muggle thing: if his mother can do it, so can Draco.

            “Having fun, children?” Lucius calls as he strides closer. Draco catches the admiring look his father gives his mother and rolls his eyes: it won’t be long before they disappear into the bedroom. He represses a shudder. Parents should be banned from stuff like that.

            Draco stubbornly continues to practice his skipping –his shirt already plastered against his back and his hair a floppy mess.

 

ooOoo

 

“Are you going to take a turn too, Uncle Luc?”

            Narcissa and Lucius turn to Holly with surprise. Narcissa is so shocked that she stumbles, but Lucius is there to steady her. An emotion overtakes him unexpectedly: this is the first time Holly acknowledges their relationship and calls him Uncle. She had done it with Regulus almost immediately, and Lucius knows it was because of the other wizard’s connection and message from Potter.

            Even Draco is surprised and trips once again over his rope.

            “I shall give it a try,” Lucius finds himself agreeing. “You’ll have to show me the trick properly.”

            Holly gives him a kind look and slowly demonstrates using her rope.

            “Once more,” Lucius prompts when she stops.

            Obligingly, Holly shows him yet again. Just as he is about to stall once more, she sighs, “Why don’t you try, and I’ll show you if you’re doing it wrong.”

            Lucius smirks at her cunning. He takes the rope proffered by Narcissa, who gives him a daring look; he takes a step back for more space. First, he swings the rope experimentally, feeling self-conscious and knowing that everyone is watching him expectantly. Severus, who is still sitting poolside, is undoubtedly recording all of this with the Omnioculars. Once he has an idea of the weight and speed of the rope, he finally tries the act of skipping part. He manages three consecutive skips before stumbling but considers it a win.

            “How was that?” he asks, giving Holly an expectant look.

            She grins openly at him, and he finds his heart beginning to melt.

            “Better than Draco,” she announces.

            Lucius and Narcissa laugh at this while Draco scowls. Lucius looks at his son appraisingly: Draco couldn’t have looked filthier if he had tried.

            “Now, what was that other thing you were doing?” Lucius asks. “Before the skipping?”

            Holly doesn’t ask him how he knows. Most likely, she knows she is being watched and doesn’t argue the point. He is impressed as he watches her display various flips. He has seen similar tricks performed in the Annual Broom competitions in Sweden. He does not even remember being so flexible as she demonstrates a slow handstand and splits her legs. He is glad she is wearing jeans instead of a dress when she shows that move.

            Taking pity on Draco, who is still struggling with his coordination, Holly tells him: “Maybe it's because you don’t have a real skipping rope.”

            Draco jumps on this excuse like salamanders jump into a fire. Purposely ignoring the fact that Holly, Narcissa and even Lucius did well in their skipping; however, limited Lucius’ display was, only Draco is the one struggling.

            “Can we go to the shops and get a proper skipping rope? Please? I used to have one, but I left it at O…” her voice trails off.

            Wanting to bring the smile back on Holly’s face, Lucius agrees instantly, without thinking twice about what this request implies. She smiles but not as widely as before.

            “Really?”

            “Of course,” Lucius reiterates.

            “I’ve never seen anything like that in Diagon Alley,” Draco puffs out breathlessly, happily throwing his rope to the floor.

            Holly does a few more skips on hers and drops it as well. Narcissa pulls out her wand and vanishes the lot.

            “If there are no skipping ropes in Diagon Alley,” Narcissa says the term carefully, “then we’ll just have to venture out into the muggle world.”

            “What!” Draco snaps, and even Holly looks a little sceptical at the claim.

            The things he does for children, Lucius thinks. Supporting Narcissa, he smoothly gives his approval, “It’s only fair we see a bit of the world Holly comes from when we expect her to settle in ours.”

            He slips an arm around Narcissa’s waist and gives Draco a warning glance when Holly isn’t looking.

            “I’m surprised you agreed,” Narcissa murmurs as they head back into the Manor. Lucius turns and raises his arm to gesture at Severus; the dark figure rises in the distance.

“I am burning my clothes upon our return,” Lucius says frankly. “I’ll also need to make a quick visit to Gringotts to exchange some muggle money.”

            Narcissa nods, and Lucius rapidly makes plans: he’ll take Severus with him.

            “Tomorrow morning?” Narcissa asks.

            “I don’t see why not.”

            “Muggle London?”

            “No,” Lucius swiftly answers. “Let me think on it.”

            And so he does. Muggle London is a massive city, but Lucius would not want to venture out with his family because it is still too close to Diagon Alley, St Mungos and the Ministry. Lucius is wary of exposing his family between those three hot spots, given the current climate: the Dark Lord might not openly attack people, yet that does not mean his loyalists will not take advantage of it should an opportunity arise to hunt down or harm traitors like Lucius. Swiftly, he goes through a mental checklist of places they can visit without fear of being caught.

            Perhaps Manchester or Birmingham. Cardiff is also a possibility. Liverpool?

 

ooOoo

 

That evening, Holly surprises them again by following them, though somewhat cautiously, into the Family room after dinner. Lucius opens a book that he always leaves next to his preferred chair. Severus left before dinner was even served, off to his Order meeting, wherever it was held. Narcissa flips through one of Severus’s potions journals.

            “Do you want to play Wizard’s Chess? Do you know the rules?”

            Lucius’s attention is more on Draco and Holly in front of him rather than on his book.

            “Yeah, I know how to play.”

            Eileen or Potter must have taught her.

            He is unaware of the indulgent smile on his face while watching both children sit down on the floor. Well, Holly plonks herself on the floor; Draco has no choice but to follow her, albeit with a disgruntled look that she laughs at him for.

            Draco is not very good at chess: he starts well but eventually loses patience. He is surprised at how well Holly plays for her age. Watching her is like watching a miniature version of Severus: the same thoughtful expression, the crease between the brows, the pursed lips. In Holly, the look is cute. Lucius probably will not see the same looks in Severus without thinking of Holly ever again. The thought alone is almost enough to make Lucius snort in laughter.

            “It’s not too late to try again,” Narcissa murmurs so that the children won’t hear.

            A pain shoots through Lucius’s heart. They had tried to have children almost as soon as they were married, but Draco’s conception had been difficult in many ways. Using discreet healers, both had gotten themselves checked out: it had taken a strict regime of potions, moon cycles and menstruation cycles before Narcissa had become pregnant. Lucius had been super protective of her during the pregnancy, barely letting her do anything around the Manor, not that they needed to, with the number of House-Elves he had. No unnecessary risks.

            Abraxas Malfoy had fully supported Lucius in this. Apart from wanting an heir, he had his regrets about having only one child. It was in the Malfoy line – perhaps even a curse that had followed them from France many generations before.

            It is not often that Lucius finds himself envying someone. He has wanted for nothing. He has money, power, a massive house. A beautiful wife and child. A surrogate brother in Severus, whether the other wizard acknowledges him or not.

            He only lacks a brood of blond children, siblings to keep Draco company and turn Severus’s hair grey. It is rare for Lucius to admit it, but in the privacy of his mind, locked behind his Occlumency barrier, he will concede that he envies Arthur Weasley. Unlike the latter, Lucius would not struggle to provide for his children.

            “Is it the right time? Even if we decide to put ourselves through that again?”

            Narcissa does not answer straight away. After Draco, Lucius had not wanted to go through the stress of potions and cycles again, not to mention how he hated how controlling he became during the whole pregnancy. Narcissa and Severus had to hex him several times when his behaviour had become too much.

            Most likely, it is due to Holly’s presence that they feel, dare he say it… broody. Barring events like the looming war, wixen live longer than the average muggle, provided they take care of themselves. Former Headmaster Armando Dippet passed away only a few years ago: Lucius is unsure of the man’s year of birth, but he is certain that Dippet was over three hundred years old.

            Lucius is only forty-two – young and virile enough for a wizard.

            “I wouldn’t mind having a Holly of our own,” Narcissa admits, looking at the young girl with a yearning that Lucius wished he could fulfil.

            “She would be as beautiful as you,” Lucius flatters his wife. Closing the book he has not been paying attention to, he reaches for Narcissa’s hand, bringing it to his lip to press a kiss to her fingers.

            “Will you think about it?”

            “I will,” he promises, not letting go of her hand. Then, changing the subject, he tells her, “You looked ravishing when you were … what was it called? Skipping?”

            Narcissa has a habit of wearing tight-fitting robes or dresses: each compliments her slender figure and swollen breasts. Lucius’s eyes drift towards her breasts now. He remembers what they were like when she was jumping over the rope.

            “Eyes up, my love,” Narcissa whispers, her voice husky.

            Lucius’s eyes linger below the neck for a few more beats before rising to meet his wife’s. A wicked grin twists his lips; he plays with her fingers, stroking her knuckles with the pad of his thumb.

            The moment is broken by a louder than usual clatter of the chessboard. Lucius and Narcissa tear their gaze away from each other and turn to the noise: Draco throws them a glare as well, pointedly jerking his head towards Holly, who thankfully is not paying attention.

            Lucius releases Narcissa’s hand, leans back in his seat and pulls his book open in front of him again. Narcissa decides to leave the potions journal on the table, giving her full attention to Draco and Holly.

            “Holly, darling, how long have you been learning your – gymnastics?” she says the word carefully.

            Holly cheerfully abandons her chess game, and Draco looks no less relieved; perhaps the game has not been going well.

            “Oma took me when I was three years old. Ha- I went with this boy from the neighbourhood,” Holly tells them. She gets up to return to sit at Lucius and Narcissa’s feet. Bizarre when she can take a seat on the comfortable sofa provided.

            Lucius is sure she was going to say “Harry”. Given their closeness, it is not unbelievable that Potter also would have attended the same sort of thing with Holly. Lucius remembers seeing similar stunts from Potter in the short Quidditch games he had attended two years ago – it was Draco’s first game on the Slytherin team that he had attended as a proud father.       

Eileen had become a parental figure to Potter. He wonders how Potter’s relatives had taken it. Lucius knows enough that Potter never went home to his relatives for Christmas and Easter breaks over the years. Would he not have gone to spend the holidays with Eileen and Holly?

A glance at Narcissa shows that even she has not missed the reference to Potter.

“What else did you learn there?” she asks with polite interest.

“First, they make you do stretches to loosen up your muscles,” Holly explains. “It’s supposed to help you become flexible,”

She launches into an exciting explanation of lunges, plies, tucks and whatnot, all of which goes over Lucius's head, despite Holly showing each move. Lucius abandons his book once more to observe her flexibility: she is impressive in her grace and the ease with which she performs each stunt. She is a natural athlete. He wonders if she has inherited that particular ability from her mother. Having recently memorised Jasmine’s file, he cannot recall any form of athleticism mentioned by his PI. Indeed, she has not inherited this from Severus: he moves with grace with every step – some are natural, and others have been instilled in him by Abraxas.

Holly is now demonstrating a new move. Lying flat on her back in a straight line to begin, she moves her hands, palms down, fingers pointing towards her feet. Then, she moves her legs, bending her knees to place her feet flat on the floor. To his astonishment, she pushes her stomach and chest upwards; only her hands and feet touch the ground, and even her head is lifted. She holds the position for one breath, two, three breaths before slowly lowering herself back.

Lucius’s back aches just thinking about arching his body in such a way.

“I think that move is called the Wheel,” Holly gabbles, coming back to a kneeling position. “I can’t always remember the names. I just copy them when Coach tells me to.”

Draco looks impressed.

“Show me again,” he demands, but Holly gives him a warning look.

“Please,” he tags on sheepishly.

Lucius and Narcissa exchange a look of amusement. Holly positions herself for the ‘Wheel’ again, and Lucius’s eyebrows rise in surprise when Draco attempts to copy the move. This is the third time now that Draco has laid or sat on the ground for Holly. Perhaps because he is young and still has litheness in his body, Draco has no trouble copying the ‘Wheel’.

Lucius is astonished when Narcissa stands up and then lays herself next to Draco, who looks pleased with himself, and attempts the same move. Slowly, carefully, Narcissa raises her body to arch the same way as Holly’s. She is still wearing her fitted robes; the skirts dangle downwards so he cannot see the ground. Though it is unmistakable that her body is arching off the ground, her head is pointed to the ground. Just as slowly, Narcissa lowers herself to the ground again.

Lucius feels a jolt of desire run through him; a throb begins to ache in his groin. He carelessly discards the book and walks over to stand in front of Narcissa. Her face is pleasantly flushed, her chest heaving from the exertion of the movement, and she groans a little from the effort.

Lucius silently extends his hand for Narcissa to take it, and she reaches for it, her eyes darkening at the desire she sees in his eyes. He pulls her up; she helps by pushing herself up. He hauls her close to him, then bends down to pick her up, her arms inevitably winding around his neck.

“Seriously?” Draco whispers in disbelief.

“I think it is time for bed, my darling,” Lucius purrs. “You must be exhausted after today’s workout.”

            “Make sure you go to bed on time, children,” Narcissa calls over his shoulder as Lucius carries her out of the Family room.

           

 

To be continued...


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