[Advent fic]: Graceful Is As Graceful Does, H/D, PG-13
Title: Graceful Is As Graceful Does
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not profit.
Pairing: Draco/Harry, past Harry/Ginny and Blaise/Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Ginny-bashing, AU, newspaper article format, first-person POV
Wordcount: 1700
Summary: “An interview with Draco Malfoy, the leading British Arguer, on the publication of his new book, I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once, out just in time for Christmas!”
Author’s Notes: This is for
dameange, who requested a Christmas fic set in the Building With Worn-Out Tools universe. This won’t make much sense unless you have already read both BWWOT and its one-shot sequel, “Some Virtues of the Fairy Tale,” which
dameange also requested.
Graceful Is As Graceful Does
The Daily Prophet: December 2nd, 2006
Draco Malfoy: Arguing Wins
By: Nora Ruthson
You almost certainly know who he is. The leading British Arguer. Winner of more cases than any other Arguer in seven countries, specializing in divorces. And the Arguer who convinced the judge in the infamous Potter-Weasley divorce case to decide in favor of Mr. Potter, ensuring that he was free to do as he liked with his money and his worldly goods-which was apparently moving into Malfoy Manor and starting a family with Arguer Malfoy.
To date, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter have four children, carried for them by their surrogate, Astoria Greengrass: six-year-old twin daughters, Marissa and Ianthe; a four-year-old son, Michael; and a newborn daughter, Guinevere. Ms. Greengrass herself is the owner of a successful Charms business and was recently chosen as a Special Ambassador to France.
What you may not know is that Arguer Malfoy has written a book about his experiences in the Potter-Weasley divorce case, tilted I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once. I intend to read the book as soon as it comes out, and met with him in the Manor two days ago to discuss it.
I must admit that the Manor remains an impressive seat despite the rumored loss of millions of Galleons by the Malfoy family. My interview with Arguer Malfoy took place in what he said was called the Jeweled Sitting Room, and it deserves the name. With sapphire-bright panes of stained glass on the windows, and a bright sun, or at least the glamour of it, the day we spoke, we spent most of our time floating in what looked like a pool of lapidary light. The mantle is gilded, and the fireplace is made up of soft silvery stone, with discreet opals and moonstones there to lend a touch of the night sky.
Arguer Malfoy is a tall, handsome man, with white-blond hair that spills down his shoulders and the most dazzling smile I’ve ever seen. The dazzling smile was echoed in the features of the little girl who stood at his side, who, I soon learned, was named Marissa. She spent most of the interview asking Arguer Malfoy questions about the law, which he answered with characteristic grace and patience. It seems that he may soon have a new little Arguer in the family.
What follows is a transcript of our interview, as near as I can recall after being so dazzled.
RUTHSON: Arguer Malfoy, may I congratulate you first of all on your house, and your husband, and your beautiful children?
ARGUER MALFOY: You may.
(At this point I realized I was waiting for compliments, and I hastened to supply them. I omit them here, as I imagine that my readers will wish to supply ones of their own choosing).
ARGUER MALFOY: Thank you. I can’t deny that I’m happy with Harry and with my children. (He ruffled his daughter’s hair affectionately, but she moved away from him as if unhappy with the gesture, which, I suspected, is at least part of the reason that he does it). Happier than some other people, at least.
RUTHSON: You don’t mean-?
ARGUER MALFOY: Oh, yes, I do. Ginny Weasley hurt my husband. I can’t forgive that.
(I waited for more words, but Arguer Malfoy, in contrast to his reputation in the courtroom, is actually a man of frequent silences in person. He smiled at me and leaned back, and let me imagine what I would to fill in the gap).
RUTHSON: Well, of course we’re here to discuss your book. What made you decide to write it? After all, the saga of your successful defense of Mr. Potter and your happily ever after is well-known to the majority of British readers.
ARGUER MALFOY: I believe I have given you the answer to that question already, and I don’t like reporters who ask boring and repetitive questions. (There was a short pause here that contains nothing of interest). But to answer more fully, they know the saga, yes. What they don’t know is that they could undergo the same thing for themselves, and win the same happiness, if they’re willing to take hold of the gorgon’s horns.
RUTHSON: Really?
ARGUER MALFOY: Oh, yes. I’m firmly convinced that the main reason so many people are unhappy is that they’re unwilling to destroy the people who are keeping them from happiness. Glory is there, and it comes from conflict. And once the conflict is over, it comes from reminding your enemies what they lost.
RUTHSON: Some would say that your enmity against the former Mrs. Potter is-er-excessive.
ARGUER MALFOY: Well, in the book itself I reveal some reasons why I don’t think so. She used the name of Harry’s mother for her bastard daughter, did you know that? She said that she would during the trial, but that was an emotional manipulation used in an attempt to extract money from him. Neither of us expected she would go ahead and do it, when the case was over before her daughter’s birth. And yet, she did.
RUTHSON: Did you want to use it for your own children?
ARGUER MALFOY: Some people have no understanding. But to return to the subject of my book, yes, I give outlines and steps for destroying the bastards and bitches who might oppose you in your life.
RUTHSON: Could you give us an extract from a sample chapter?
ARGUER MALFOY: Well, since there is the matter of payment for the interview, and since the book will be out in a week in time for Christmas, I suspect that I must.
(He picked up a slender book that lay beside him. As he lifted it, I could see that the cover was white leather, and that the photograph on the front showed him and Mr. Potter standing close together, their arms about their children. Mr. Potter was smiling as wartime photographs rarely show him doing).
“The first time I saw Harry again, I realized he was something special. My only surprise was that the red-headed harridan had never seen it. She couldn’t see beyond the limp, and the fact that she had married him expecting a public figure and he hadn’t given her that. She couldn’t feel the power of his magic. She couldn’t remember the way he had destroyed Voldemort on the field of battle. She couldn’t see those green eyes, or touch those slender hands that I knew I wanted wrapped around me.”
(I don’t mind admitting that I had to fan myself a bit at that point).
ARGUER MALFOY: Harry does sometimes think that I’m being too hard on her, and painting too rosy a picture of our past. But it’s all in here. His duel with my father, the arguments in the case, the kidnapping of my mother.
RUTHSON: How is your mother doing?
ARGUER MALFOY: Very well, thank you. She’s now involved in a program that lets her visit with others who were damaged by the war and learn ways around that. She’s learned to fly with the help of a simple charm. And she adores her grandchildren.
(He smiled at this point, and his face softened more than it had done at any point through the interview).
RUTHSON: And of course, you have your husband to comfort you.
ARGUER MALFOY: I do indeed. In fact, he was waiting for the moment when I might introduce him most comfortably. Harry?
(Harry Potter stepped into the room, giving Arguer Malfoy a look that made me have to look away. It said that he wasn’t impressed, and that he was really there for some other reason, and that he was in love, all at once. Would that more of us were that lucky. But we might be, if we read Arguer Malfoy’s new book).
ARGUER MALFOY: You were going to take Marissa for me, weren’t you, Harry? And say something to the nice reporter.
(He handed Marissa to her second father, who lifted her with an incredible ease considering the wounds he took in the war, and nodded courteously to me).
HARRY POTTER: Hello. I do want to say, for the benefit of anyone reading this, that I forgave Ginny long ago, and-
(Arguer Malfoy surged up at this point and captured his mouth in a kiss. It went on for some time. Their daughter got bored and began whining to be let down. I had to swallow and spend a little more time fanning myself).
ARGUER MALFOY: He means that he’s willing to let me speak publicly about her and about my book, aren’t you, Harry?
HARRY POTTER: Being willing to do that doesn’t mean I agree with you.
(But he smiled, and I could see that he, at least, was well-content with the happiness that Arguer Malfoy promised his new book could teach to anyone).
ARGUER MALFOY: That’s all I feel willing to say for right now. Do read my book, though, and perhaps eliminate the witch or wizard in your life who doesn’t want you to be happy. When that’s done, you really can have the happiest possible life.
I was politely shown out of the Manor by house-elves at this point, and the only thing that remains to give is the publication details of Arguer Malfoy’s new book:
I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once
Published by Scholarly Press
Out December 10th, 2006
Oh, and there is one more thing I can say, for anyone reading this who may doubt: There can be no doubt that Mr. Potter and Arguer Malfoy are incredibly happy together, and very much in love.
The End.
This entry was originally posted at http://lomonaaeren.dreamwidth.org/506161.html. Comment wherever you like.
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not profit.
Pairing: Draco/Harry, past Harry/Ginny and Blaise/Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Ginny-bashing, AU, newspaper article format, first-person POV
Wordcount: 1700
Summary: “An interview with Draco Malfoy, the leading British Arguer, on the publication of his new book, I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once, out just in time for Christmas!”
Author’s Notes: This is for
dameange, who requested a Christmas fic set in the Building With Worn-Out Tools universe. This won’t make much sense unless you have already read both BWWOT and its one-shot sequel, “Some Virtues of the Fairy Tale,” which
dameange also requested.
Graceful Is As Graceful Does
The Daily Prophet: December 2nd, 2006
Draco Malfoy: Arguing Wins
By: Nora Ruthson
You almost certainly know who he is. The leading British Arguer. Winner of more cases than any other Arguer in seven countries, specializing in divorces. And the Arguer who convinced the judge in the infamous Potter-Weasley divorce case to decide in favor of Mr. Potter, ensuring that he was free to do as he liked with his money and his worldly goods-which was apparently moving into Malfoy Manor and starting a family with Arguer Malfoy.
To date, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter have four children, carried for them by their surrogate, Astoria Greengrass: six-year-old twin daughters, Marissa and Ianthe; a four-year-old son, Michael; and a newborn daughter, Guinevere. Ms. Greengrass herself is the owner of a successful Charms business and was recently chosen as a Special Ambassador to France.
What you may not know is that Arguer Malfoy has written a book about his experiences in the Potter-Weasley divorce case, tilted I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once. I intend to read the book as soon as it comes out, and met with him in the Manor two days ago to discuss it.
I must admit that the Manor remains an impressive seat despite the rumored loss of millions of Galleons by the Malfoy family. My interview with Arguer Malfoy took place in what he said was called the Jeweled Sitting Room, and it deserves the name. With sapphire-bright panes of stained glass on the windows, and a bright sun, or at least the glamour of it, the day we spoke, we spent most of our time floating in what looked like a pool of lapidary light. The mantle is gilded, and the fireplace is made up of soft silvery stone, with discreet opals and moonstones there to lend a touch of the night sky.
Arguer Malfoy is a tall, handsome man, with white-blond hair that spills down his shoulders and the most dazzling smile I’ve ever seen. The dazzling smile was echoed in the features of the little girl who stood at his side, who, I soon learned, was named Marissa. She spent most of the interview asking Arguer Malfoy questions about the law, which he answered with characteristic grace and patience. It seems that he may soon have a new little Arguer in the family.
What follows is a transcript of our interview, as near as I can recall after being so dazzled.
RUTHSON: Arguer Malfoy, may I congratulate you first of all on your house, and your husband, and your beautiful children?
ARGUER MALFOY: You may.
(At this point I realized I was waiting for compliments, and I hastened to supply them. I omit them here, as I imagine that my readers will wish to supply ones of their own choosing).
ARGUER MALFOY: Thank you. I can’t deny that I’m happy with Harry and with my children. (He ruffled his daughter’s hair affectionately, but she moved away from him as if unhappy with the gesture, which, I suspected, is at least part of the reason that he does it). Happier than some other people, at least.
RUTHSON: You don’t mean-?
ARGUER MALFOY: Oh, yes, I do. Ginny Weasley hurt my husband. I can’t forgive that.
(I waited for more words, but Arguer Malfoy, in contrast to his reputation in the courtroom, is actually a man of frequent silences in person. He smiled at me and leaned back, and let me imagine what I would to fill in the gap).
RUTHSON: Well, of course we’re here to discuss your book. What made you decide to write it? After all, the saga of your successful defense of Mr. Potter and your happily ever after is well-known to the majority of British readers.
ARGUER MALFOY: I believe I have given you the answer to that question already, and I don’t like reporters who ask boring and repetitive questions. (There was a short pause here that contains nothing of interest). But to answer more fully, they know the saga, yes. What they don’t know is that they could undergo the same thing for themselves, and win the same happiness, if they’re willing to take hold of the gorgon’s horns.
RUTHSON: Really?
ARGUER MALFOY: Oh, yes. I’m firmly convinced that the main reason so many people are unhappy is that they’re unwilling to destroy the people who are keeping them from happiness. Glory is there, and it comes from conflict. And once the conflict is over, it comes from reminding your enemies what they lost.
RUTHSON: Some would say that your enmity against the former Mrs. Potter is-er-excessive.
ARGUER MALFOY: Well, in the book itself I reveal some reasons why I don’t think so. She used the name of Harry’s mother for her bastard daughter, did you know that? She said that she would during the trial, but that was an emotional manipulation used in an attempt to extract money from him. Neither of us expected she would go ahead and do it, when the case was over before her daughter’s birth. And yet, she did.
RUTHSON: Did you want to use it for your own children?
ARGUER MALFOY: Some people have no understanding. But to return to the subject of my book, yes, I give outlines and steps for destroying the bastards and bitches who might oppose you in your life.
RUTHSON: Could you give us an extract from a sample chapter?
ARGUER MALFOY: Well, since there is the matter of payment for the interview, and since the book will be out in a week in time for Christmas, I suspect that I must.
(He picked up a slender book that lay beside him. As he lifted it, I could see that the cover was white leather, and that the photograph on the front showed him and Mr. Potter standing close together, their arms about their children. Mr. Potter was smiling as wartime photographs rarely show him doing).
“The first time I saw Harry again, I realized he was something special. My only surprise was that the red-headed harridan had never seen it. She couldn’t see beyond the limp, and the fact that she had married him expecting a public figure and he hadn’t given her that. She couldn’t feel the power of his magic. She couldn’t remember the way he had destroyed Voldemort on the field of battle. She couldn’t see those green eyes, or touch those slender hands that I knew I wanted wrapped around me.”
(I don’t mind admitting that I had to fan myself a bit at that point).
ARGUER MALFOY: Harry does sometimes think that I’m being too hard on her, and painting too rosy a picture of our past. But it’s all in here. His duel with my father, the arguments in the case, the kidnapping of my mother.
RUTHSON: How is your mother doing?
ARGUER MALFOY: Very well, thank you. She’s now involved in a program that lets her visit with others who were damaged by the war and learn ways around that. She’s learned to fly with the help of a simple charm. And she adores her grandchildren.
(He smiled at this point, and his face softened more than it had done at any point through the interview).
RUTHSON: And of course, you have your husband to comfort you.
ARGUER MALFOY: I do indeed. In fact, he was waiting for the moment when I might introduce him most comfortably. Harry?
(Harry Potter stepped into the room, giving Arguer Malfoy a look that made me have to look away. It said that he wasn’t impressed, and that he was really there for some other reason, and that he was in love, all at once. Would that more of us were that lucky. But we might be, if we read Arguer Malfoy’s new book).
ARGUER MALFOY: You were going to take Marissa for me, weren’t you, Harry? And say something to the nice reporter.
(He handed Marissa to her second father, who lifted her with an incredible ease considering the wounds he took in the war, and nodded courteously to me).
HARRY POTTER: Hello. I do want to say, for the benefit of anyone reading this, that I forgave Ginny long ago, and-
(Arguer Malfoy surged up at this point and captured his mouth in a kiss. It went on for some time. Their daughter got bored and began whining to be let down. I had to swallow and spend a little more time fanning myself).
ARGUER MALFOY: He means that he’s willing to let me speak publicly about her and about my book, aren’t you, Harry?
HARRY POTTER: Being willing to do that doesn’t mean I agree with you.
(But he smiled, and I could see that he, at least, was well-content with the happiness that Arguer Malfoy promised his new book could teach to anyone).
ARGUER MALFOY: That’s all I feel willing to say for right now. Do read my book, though, and perhaps eliminate the witch or wizard in your life who doesn’t want you to be happy. When that’s done, you really can have the happiest possible life.
I was politely shown out of the Manor by house-elves at this point, and the only thing that remains to give is the publication details of Arguer Malfoy’s new book:
I Know Better Than You Do: How to Win Cases, a Husband, and a Family All At Once
Published by Scholarly Press
Out December 10th, 2006
Oh, and there is one more thing I can say, for anyone reading this who may doubt: There can be no doubt that Mr. Potter and Arguer Malfoy are incredibly happy together, and very much in love.
The End.
This entry was originally posted at http://lomonaaeren.dreamwidth.org/506161.html. Comment wherever you like.