Aug. 25 - Back To The Grange
Title: Back to The Grange
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: HP
Disclaimer: All belongs to Whedon & Rowling. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Narcissa and Andromeda are back to talk to Faith, and they've brought reinforcements. Cute reinforcements.
Word Count: 775
Note: Another one in the Her Mother's Daughter 'verse, albeit a very short one - I want to expand on it before posting it to TtH. (I'm more in a reading than writing mood today.)
As they walked up the drive to the entrance of the the Grange in the crisp morning air, Narcissa fought the urge to check that both young wizards were still following.
Draco was carrying Teddy. Andromeda had decided that if they wished to show that they could be trusted with the underage member of Faith’s inner circle, they needed to establish trust by bringing their own most vulnerable family member. To her sister’s surprise, Narcissa had wholeheartedly agreed.
Andi had clearly been prepared to argue, but Narcissa really didn’t see any danger in it. (If she had, Teddy would have remained safely at Andi’s. Maybe that clever Granger girl could have been persuaded to baby-sit. A witch who could survive the Battle of Hogwarts without a scratch was probably qualified to ensure his safety.) Faith was little more than an overgrown child herself. Children generally liked other children.
Her only wrinkle had been insisting on bringing Draco. Faith should get a chance to meet both her cousins. Andi had intended to bring Harry Potter, to serve the dual purpose of wrangling Teddy and having a ‘neutral’ wizard on hand who also could give the girls a chance to question someone who could contact the Ministry independently if need be to verify anything Andi and Narcissa said. Draco and Harry didn’t exactly get along.
Narcissa had handled that.
The only bickering between the boys thus far had been over who got to hold the baby. Harry had won the initial argument, a furious but quiet tiff prior to take-off from Andromeda’s - she was glad to see her explanation of what their future would hold if they couldn’t behave like mature young wizards instead of silly schoolboys hexing each other at every opportunity had sunk in.
Unexpectedly, Harry had passed Teddy to Draco after they landed. Narcissa couldn’t quite figure out if that was Harry being the bigger wizard, or Harry deciding that Teddy was due for a nappy changing soon - for someone Draco has often scorned as the quintessential Gryff, Harry pulled off such sly maneuvers often enough to convince her he’d have done rather well in Slytherin.
The door opened as they reached it. Bitsy was waiting for them, and once again conducted them to the family parlor. Andromeda didn’t comment, but Narcissa suspected that having met there yesterday evening, Faith could see no way to move back to the more formal rooms.
“The gang’s all here,” Narcissa murmured, for her sister’s ears only, as they entered.
It wasn’t just the two Slayers, Giles, and the boy they’d met the day before. The earth witch and the younger Summers witch were also present. The youngest witch was doing her best to fade into the background, hiding behind one of the couches with a book. She was also the only one who was actually succeeding in her pose of relaxed disinterest. Narcissa was relieved to note there was no visible sign of her unfortunate encounter with Bella’s rose garden.)
Of course, the younger Summers' disinterest lasted only as long as it took Teddy to make noise. He giggled loudly at something at something the boys had done, and that caught the young witch’s attention.
“Oh, cool, the baby has color-change hair!”
“Dawn,” her older sister said warningly.
“What? That wasn’t rude - it’s a statement of fact,” the girl protested, not taking her eyes off of Teddy. “Just look at him!”
Narcissa privately resolved that she was going to make a special trip to Diagon Alley to pick out some appropriate toys for her nephew. Teddy played wonderfully to his audience, his hair going from matching Draco’s to the brilliant blue of the shirt the Summers witch was wearing before settling back to his own natural color, with the added bonus of him reaching out engagingly to the girl.
“Can I play with him?” Dawn asked hopefully, looking from Andromeda to their niece. “We can go outside where we won’t be a distraction.”
“If it’s ok with your sister,” Andromeda offered.
Faith and the older Summers witch traded a speaking look.
“Just right here on the patio,” Buffy said firmly. “I still don’t trust the grounds.”
Or us, Narcissa thought grimly. But it was a good compromise - everyone would be able to keep one eye on the two children. Narcissa trusted there would be at least one house elf watching over them as well. And honestly, she didn’t trust the grounds either.
Dawn took a surprisingly enthusiastic Teddy from Draco, and could be heard telling him as the door shut that they were going to have fun while the grownups had their boring conversations.
Author: Grundy
Rating: FR13
Crossover: HP
Disclaimer: All belongs to Whedon & Rowling. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Narcissa and Andromeda are back to talk to Faith, and they've brought reinforcements. Cute reinforcements.
Word Count: 775
Note: Another one in the Her Mother's Daughter 'verse, albeit a very short one - I want to expand on it before posting it to TtH. (I'm more in a reading than writing mood today.)
As they walked up the drive to the entrance of the the Grange in the crisp morning air, Narcissa fought the urge to check that both young wizards were still following.
Draco was carrying Teddy. Andromeda had decided that if they wished to show that they could be trusted with the underage member of Faith’s inner circle, they needed to establish trust by bringing their own most vulnerable family member. To her sister’s surprise, Narcissa had wholeheartedly agreed.
Andi had clearly been prepared to argue, but Narcissa really didn’t see any danger in it. (If she had, Teddy would have remained safely at Andi’s. Maybe that clever Granger girl could have been persuaded to baby-sit. A witch who could survive the Battle of Hogwarts without a scratch was probably qualified to ensure his safety.) Faith was little more than an overgrown child herself. Children generally liked other children.
Her only wrinkle had been insisting on bringing Draco. Faith should get a chance to meet both her cousins. Andi had intended to bring Harry Potter, to serve the dual purpose of wrangling Teddy and having a ‘neutral’ wizard on hand who also could give the girls a chance to question someone who could contact the Ministry independently if need be to verify anything Andi and Narcissa said. Draco and Harry didn’t exactly get along.
Narcissa had handled that.
The only bickering between the boys thus far had been over who got to hold the baby. Harry had won the initial argument, a furious but quiet tiff prior to take-off from Andromeda’s - she was glad to see her explanation of what their future would hold if they couldn’t behave like mature young wizards instead of silly schoolboys hexing each other at every opportunity had sunk in.
Unexpectedly, Harry had passed Teddy to Draco after they landed. Narcissa couldn’t quite figure out if that was Harry being the bigger wizard, or Harry deciding that Teddy was due for a nappy changing soon - for someone Draco has often scorned as the quintessential Gryff, Harry pulled off such sly maneuvers often enough to convince her he’d have done rather well in Slytherin.
The door opened as they reached it. Bitsy was waiting for them, and once again conducted them to the family parlor. Andromeda didn’t comment, but Narcissa suspected that having met there yesterday evening, Faith could see no way to move back to the more formal rooms.
“The gang’s all here,” Narcissa murmured, for her sister’s ears only, as they entered.
It wasn’t just the two Slayers, Giles, and the boy they’d met the day before. The earth witch and the younger Summers witch were also present. The youngest witch was doing her best to fade into the background, hiding behind one of the couches with a book. She was also the only one who was actually succeeding in her pose of relaxed disinterest. Narcissa was relieved to note there was no visible sign of her unfortunate encounter with Bella’s rose garden.)
Of course, the younger Summers' disinterest lasted only as long as it took Teddy to make noise. He giggled loudly at something at something the boys had done, and that caught the young witch’s attention.
“Oh, cool, the baby has color-change hair!”
“Dawn,” her older sister said warningly.
“What? That wasn’t rude - it’s a statement of fact,” the girl protested, not taking her eyes off of Teddy. “Just look at him!”
Narcissa privately resolved that she was going to make a special trip to Diagon Alley to pick out some appropriate toys for her nephew. Teddy played wonderfully to his audience, his hair going from matching Draco’s to the brilliant blue of the shirt the Summers witch was wearing before settling back to his own natural color, with the added bonus of him reaching out engagingly to the girl.
“Can I play with him?” Dawn asked hopefully, looking from Andromeda to their niece. “We can go outside where we won’t be a distraction.”
“If it’s ok with your sister,” Andromeda offered.
Faith and the older Summers witch traded a speaking look.
“Just right here on the patio,” Buffy said firmly. “I still don’t trust the grounds.”
Or us, Narcissa thought grimly. But it was a good compromise - everyone would be able to keep one eye on the two children. Narcissa trusted there would be at least one house elf watching over them as well. And honestly, she didn’t trust the grounds either.
Dawn took a surprisingly enthusiastic Teddy from Draco, and could be heard telling him as the door shut that they were going to have fun while the grownups had their boring conversations.