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A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy	By : AnasellaEmm Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 75943 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: All Harry Potter related characters, places and themes belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic.
A/N: this chapter is super long, so the last chapter of the story will be short! It’s just the way that worked out. The epilogue will start off the sequel. Thanks for the loving reviews! Sorry for the cliffies. ) The girl whom I based Donny off of (my real life best friend since elementary school) has a blog now! So, go check that out. On LiveJournal, her name is scarletidiocy, so go friend her! She’s read the story and loves that I wrote a character exactly like her. She wants to meet the readers now, so yeah. The chapter title comes from the song, “Disturbia” by Rihanna.
Chapter 23: It’s like the Darkness is the Light
Blaise knocked on the front door to Draco’s flat. He held the final form in his hand, the form that would set everything in motion and start the process for the Malfoy Appellate Analysis. Rhonda had sent the five witnesses for their background checks, and they had all come back cleared and approved for their participation that very same day.
Before Blaise could let his thoughts stray to the DMP, Draco opened the door.
“How important is this, Zabini?” Draco asked instead of saying the friendly hello.
“Nice to see when I’m wanted,” Blaise said with a charming smile. “And if you’re busy, I can just give you the information and go.”
“Yes, fine,” Draco said tiredly.
“You seem a bit distracted, mate. Anything I can help with?”
“No, it’s been a long day is all,” Draco said.
“Ah, yes, it has,” Blaise smiled. “Well, I just want to give you this form to sign so that I can give it to Miss Westin. We have your five witnesses and everything is ready for the Analysis.”
“Wait, we never gave you a name for our fifth witness.”
Blaise scratched at his goatee. “You didn’t know Victor Reid was volunteering for the position?”
“Reid?” Draco asked with his mouth half-open. “What the hell is he doing as our fifth witness? There must be a mistake.”
“God, you couldn’t make this case easier on me, Draco? Now, I have to go find your Wizengamot member, see if I can subtract a witness from your list, then wait until we find a replacement and start the whole bloody process over again,” Blaise ranted.
“I don’t need this now,” Draco replied. “Just do whatever, I don’t care, let Reid be the witness.”
“He said truth serums and spells don’t work on him. If they choose to apply veritaserum on him, he could still say what great parents you and Hermione are.”
“We are great parents, damn it!” Draco said heatedly. “We don’t need anyone lying for us.”
“Miss Westin sent me a notice that they might not even use all five witnesses. If four witnesses unanimously agree on your parenting, they might stop the analysis there.”
“Yes, okay, that’s fine,” Draco said. “Thank you, Blaise. I mean it.”
“Yeah, I know you do. Now, go take a nap or something. Your crankiness might be contagious,” Blaise said with a laugh. “Say hi to the wife.”
Draco watched Blaise walk down the hall to the stairwell. He closed the door with a slight sigh and walked back slowly to the master bedroom. He found Hermione where he had left her when he had gone to answer the door. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the pregnancy test in her hand, her face set in a serious pretense.
“It was Blaise,” he said quietly as he took a seat next to her on the bed.
She nodded and looked at the pregnancy test for what must have been the tenth time.
“Are you going to throw that away? You basically peed on it,” Draco said.
She laughed at that, a sound he was glad to hear. “Yes, that would be the smart thing to do.”
He opened his hand and gestured for her to give it to him to throw away. She shook her head stonily. “I’ve peed on it, and you want to touch it?” she asked with a look in her eyes that said he might be huffing the strong stuff. She stood up to throw it away in the rubbish bin in the restroom.
“What’s the big deal? I’ve licked and kissed you down there…”
“Draco!” she yelled loudly.
He gave her an innocent smile.
“You should be taking this more seriously,” she said with a sigh, walking back to the bed and getting dragged into his lap. “I thought you would be upset.”
“I told you I would be upset if you were upset. Are you upset?” he asked, lying back on the bed and bringing her to lie across his body.
“A little bit,” she murmured into his chest. “There’s a part of me that really wanted that stick to turn pink. But then there’s the other part that would have been terrified and a bit upset at you for what you would have put me through.”
“I know,” he said softly. “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to happen at this moment.”
“You’re starting to sound like Donny,” she said. “You’re right, though.”
“I know I’m right,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes. “This could give us a chance to work on our relationship.”
“Lord knows that needs major help.”
She laughed at that and pressed her face to his cheek.
“I love you, Hermione,” he said.
She lifted her head up and stared down at him, his bright, grey eyes staring back at her in an unwavering look. She couldn’t understand why she never thought he was handsome until they were married. Love most definitely changed things.
“Yeah, I know you do,” she said with a straight face.
“Now who’s being arrogant?” he said, his smile wide, grabbing her face and kissing her hard. “My arrogant, little wife.”
“I learn from the best,” she teased.
“Say it back to me,” he said.
“Say what?”
“You know what.”
“I love you, Draco.”
He kissed her again and rolled her beneath him, inching her shirt up over her head. “How about we get some practice in. We’re obviously doing something wrong if I can’t knock you up properly.”
She smiled and arched her back when he kissed a particularly sensitive spot on her chest. “Practice sounds good.”
Practice, after all, makes perfect.
“Where is Pansy, Jello?” Zane asked his step-father. “I can’t find her anywheres!”
Angelo looked up from the paper he was reading. “Did you try the sitting room? I believe she has her friends over for tea.”
“Thank you, Jello,” Zane said quickly, leaving the room before the older man had a chance to correct him.
He hurried back to his bedroom and found Fred and George under the bed, their preferred hiding spot when they visited Zane during the day.
“Jello said Pansy is in the sitting room with her friends,” Zane said in one breath as he ran around the room, expelling his pent-up energy. At four years old, and not a lot of chances to play outside, he had to deal with his circumstances as best as he could.
“Brilliant,” George said.
“When me and my daddy lived with Pansy a long, long time ago, Daddy used to play games with me when Pansy had her friends here. Pansy didn’t like these games.”
“Go on,” Fred said. “What kinds of games?”
“Daddy called our game ‘Savages’!” Zane giggled. “I don’t know what that means, but it was a fun game!”
“How did you play?”
“I would take off ALL of my clothes off and run into the room when Pansy was having tea. She always got very mad at me and Daddy.” He giggled at that thought and shook his head. “I miss my daddy a lot.”
“We know, mate,” George said with a sad smile. “You’re being such a good boy about all this, though. Your mum and dad would be very proud.”
“What are Mummy and Daddy doing all by themselves at home? They must be very, very bored because I’m not playing any games with them! Are they getting ice cream without me?”
“No, not at all. They won’t get any ice cream until you’re back with them. They miss you tons and tons. We promise.”
“Now, would you like to play a game, Zane?” Fred asked.
“Yes! I wanna play!”
“Would you like to play ‘Savages’?”
“Pansy will get very mad again,” Zane explained.
“When isn’t she mad?” George mumbled.
“But I can play,” Zane said. “I’m so bored all the time. Will I get a prize like Daddy used to give me?”
“What did he used to give you?”
“Sweets and sometimes toys and sometimes read me three stories before bedtime instead of just one,” Zane said.
“Alright, we’ll give you a great prize, mate,” Fred decided. “Just hurry now before her friends leave.”
Zane moved to take off his shirt, and the twins promptly turned their backs, giving the child his privacy. Zane giggled as he removed his clothes. Fred and George heard his giggles follow him out of the room as they turned back around once the door was shut. They turned to each other and smiled at the small pile of clothes on the bed.
That kid was a born prankster.
They waited a few moments, waiting to see what went down. After a few minutes, they heard several loud screams and Zane’s approaching giggles as he ran back to the room. They also heard Pansy’s high-pitched voice coming as well. They turned to each other with nervous looks and dove under the bed just in time as the door slammed open.
“Zane Malfoy, you put your clothes on right this second,” Pansy spat out.
“Zane Malfoy, you put your clothes on right this second,” Zane repeated.
The twins could feel Zane jump onto the bed and start to bounce. They held their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing out loud.
“Put your clothes on and stop jumping!” Pansy shrieked.
“Put your clothes on and stop jumping!”
“Stop it!”
“Stop it!”
“Put your clothes on!”
“Put your clothes on!”
They heard a silence and for a worried second, thought Pansy was approaching the bed.
“At least put your underwear on, Zane.”
“At least put your underwear on, Zane.”
“Your willy is bouncing everywhere and it is indecent!”
Zane laughed at that, falling onto the bed with the intensity of his giggles.
“This isn’t funny!”
“This … isn’t … funny!” he repeated between laughs.
“I’m going to tell your father!” she threatened.
Zane stopped laughing at that and quickly put on his underwear. “Can I talk to Daddy, too?”
“What?”
“You said you were going to tell Daddy,” he said, putting his shirt on, too. “Can I talk to him?”
“I was talking about Angelo!” Pansy said with an annoyed sigh.
“Jello isn’t my daddy,” Zane said.
“You are such a difficult child,” she said. “You are to stay in your room until I tell you it’s alright to leave.”
“Okay,” Zane said sadly, his hopes crushed as he realized he might never get to see his daddy. He laid his head on his pillow and turned to the windows, away from his mother. His good mood was officially gone. He just wanted to see his daddy and his mummy. Nobody seemed to understand that he missed them so much! He really wanted a hug and kiss from them. Only they did it the right way.
He heard the door close behind him and then saw Fred and George in front of him.
“You did a great job, Zane,” George said as he sat down on the bed.
“I wanna see my daddy, please,” Zane said in response.
“Mate, we can’t…”
“I said ‘please’!” Zane said loudly, his temper slowly rising. “Mummy and Daddy say that if I say ‘please’ then I can get what I want!”
“You’re not allowed to see them,” Fred tried.
“But I wanna!” Zane cried, his eyes filling up with tears, much to Fred and George’s dismay. “I miss them! Daddy is gonna miss me!”
“Aw, Zane, don’t cry, please,” George pleaded.
Zane ignored the request and promptly started to cry into his pillow. “I want my daddy! I want my mummy! I want Gamma and Gampa and Wolf and Miss Donny and Unca Harry and Unca Ron and Unca Blaise!”
George put a hand on the little boy’s back and tried to comfort him. “Your parents are trying very hard to get you back. Fred over here is even going to go talk to the Wizengamot to tell them how much of a good boy you are.”
“Will I get to see my daddy?” Zane said with a sniffle, lifting his head off of his pillow.
“Hopefully, very soon,” Fred said. “Now, cheer up, Zane and we’ll give you some extra special sweets the next time we come around.”
“Bertie Bott’s?” Zane asked, wiping his face with the back of hand.
“Of course,” George smiled.
Zane smiled shakily and sniffled. “I love you, Unca Fred and Unca George.”
“Aw, mate, don’t do that to us,” Fred said.
“There’s a lot of dust in this room,” George sniffed, rubbing Zane’s hair.
“Very dusty,” Fred said, touching the corner of his eye.
Hermione pushed her hair away from her face as Draco wrapped an arm around her. “What did Blaise want?” she asked.
Draco ran a hand through his hair as he lay back on his pillow, yawning after the exhausting day… and the exhausting romp he had just had with his wife. “Did I not tell you?”
“What?”
“Victor Reid is our fifth witness,” he said.
“Victor Reid?” she asked, shocked into near silence. “How on earth did this come about?”
“Apparently, he volunteered,” Draco said with a curl of his lip.
“What if he ruins this for us?” Hermione asked slowly. “What if he’s still holding a grudge against you for beating him to a pulp?”
“Do you think he seemed sincere when he came and apologized to you?” he asked.
Hermione thought about that for a moment. “I thought he seemed sincere, yes, but that doesn’t mean I have to completely forgive him.”
“Blaise told me that Victor is practically invincible against all truth potions and spells.”
“We don’t need anyone to lie for us,” Hermione grumbled. “Zane belongs here.”
“Yes, he does, but do you realize, if we just let Reid as as the fifth witness, the Analysis can start in two days and we can have Zane by Friday?”
Hermione’s grip tightened around Draco’s waist. “By Friday? That’s in four days.”
“Yeah.”
“What should we do?”
“I was just about to ask you,” he said with a small laugh.
“We should let Reid act as our fifth witness,” she said quietly. “I want our son back.”
Draco kissed the top of her head. “I guess we’ll be hearing from Blaise or Rhonda tomorrow, then.”
Just like Draco had said, while he and Hermione were eating breakfast before work, Blaise appeared at their door, a smile on his face and an official statement from the Wizengamot stating that the Appellate Analysis for the Malfoy family would be held the next day at noon. All witnesses and the participants fighting for custody would need to be on time and ready for an extended day.
Blaise had taken care of getting all the information out to the witnesses and preparing the case to perfection.
Before they knew it, it was the day of the Appellate Analysis. No one but the persons filing for the Analysis, the five witnesses, their Judicial Advocate, and an advocate representing the Ministry was allowed in to the courtroom. Narcissa had been very upset to learn this and had sent a very angry letter to the Minister. Until then, she was pacing at the manor while Lucius watched her and read a book.
Hermione’s parents were also upset at the fact that they couldn’t support their daughter, her husband and their favorite grandchild in a clearly momentous part of their lives. They made Hermione promise to tell them the minute anything happened.
That morning, Hermione and Draco couldn’t stomach any food. They opted for a strong cup of tea instead of breakfast. The minutes ticked by slowly as they watched the hands of the clock. Their Analysis was scheduled for eight, and they would apparate to the Ministry, praying that they wouldn’t be splinched in their nervousness.
“We have nothing to be nervous about,” Hermione said quietly as they rode the lift to the courtroom where their case would be heard.
Draco nodded distractedly and clutched her hand tighter in his when the lift stopped at the appropriate floor.
The courtroom was small, two tables in front of a long dais where the Wizengamot would file in and sit at. Blaise sat at one the tables, his eyes darting back and forth across a few documents and his fingers rubbing at his chin as he read. He looked up when Hermione and Draco walked into the room and gestured for them to join him at the table in the unoccupied chairs.
“How are you two?” he asked as they sat down.
“We’ll be better once this is all over,” Draco said.
“You really have nothing…” Blaise was saying until he trailed off and stared at one of the doors in the back of the courtroom. His eyes were widened slightly and his mouth was open midsentence. Draco and Hermione looked to where Blaise was staring and they found the Wizengamot filing into the room, but standing in front was a woman who looked remarkably like Rhonda.
“Is that our DMP?” Draco asked.
“She cleans up quite nicely,” Hermione said with a smothered laugh.
“That’s not her,” Draco said simply.
“It is,” Hermione replied. “The glasses are the same; they’re just not crooked today.”
Rhonda looked over at them and smiled slightly, reaching her hand to push up her glasses, but at the last second moved her hand away from her face. She was wearing a flattering navy blue business robe that didn’t hide her figure the way her other clothes did. Her blonde hair was pulled back in two French braids, not a strand out of place. The change was remarkable.
“It isn’t her,” Draco insisted.
“Draco, trust me,” Hermione said. “It’s her.”
“It’s her,” Blaise said gruffly.
Hermione gave Draco a smug look and he rolled his eyes with a slight smile. Her expressions were starting to incredibly resemble his own.
“So, you want to shag her or something?” Draco asked his friend.
Blaise turned his head quickly. “Today is about you, mate.”
“Ah, I’m not that selfish,” Draco smiled.
“Yeah, right,” Hermione mumbled and received a pinch from her husband.
“Your witnesses are waiting in the antechamber and will be called in individually,” Blaise said to take the topic away from anything Rhonda-related. “They will be questioned after taking an oath of honesty and if the Wizengamot thinks they’re not being truthful, they will be asked to use a generic form of Veritaserum.”
“And you said we won’t be questioned?” Hermione asked.
“It depends. Sometimes the Wizengamot wants to question the parents, sometimes they don’t,” Blaise paused and looked at his watch and then up at the Wizengamot. “Okay, they’re ready to start.”
“A call to order, please,” a heavyset witch in dull brown robes announced. She was sitting at the very end of the row of Wizengamot members, wearing the same robes as all the other members. “On this day of the fourth of August, we shall hear the case of Draco and Hermione Malfoy seeking full and binding custody of one, Zane Malfoy, biological son of Draco Malfoy and stepson of Hermione Malfoy.
“We begin today by an opening statement from Mr. Blaise Zabini, the Judicial Advocate representing Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,” the woman said.
Blaise stood up and bowed slightly to the Wizengamot. “Your Honors, I present this custody case to you with full intentions of supporting it. My clients have been subjected to an incredible injustice, resulting in the loss of custody of their son, whom they love very much. I will offer evidence supporting their faultless parenting. My evidence will include five sane and sound witnesses who were submitted to you earlier, and my evidence will also include tangible proof in the form of Domestic Ministry Professional documents and examinations.”
“Thank you, Mr. Zabini,” the witch said. She wrote something down on a piece of parchment and then turned to the man sitting at the table across from the one Hermione and Draco sat at. “Mr. Raymond Wells, the advocate representing the Ministry, now has the floor.”
The older man stood up and approached the platform. “Your Honors, I am here to defend the Ministry’s decision to place young Zane Malfoy with his biological mother on the grounds of the Malfoys’ neglect and improper handling of the child.”
Draco could hear Hermione murmuring under her breath something about “little slimeball, maggot” and “not worth the scum I clean off the toilet.” Draco put his hand on top of hers and she gave him a forced smile.
“Mr. Zabini, you now have the floor.”
Blaise stood up and bowed again. “I’d like to bring forth our first witness, Miss Donatella Miller.”
A wizard standing at one of the doors in the back of the room opened the door and Donny walked through with a smile on her face and in her finest robes. She winked at Hermione and Draco and took the seat in front of the Wizengamot.
“Miss Miller, could you please state how you know the Malfoys,” Blaise started, leaning against the table Hermione and Draco sat at.
“I work with Hermione at the Little Witches and Wizards Education Centre. She teaches the students aged three to six, and I teach the older students.”
“How long have you known Mrs. Malfoy?”
“It’s been close to three years now.”
“How would you describe her?”
“Hermione? She’s only one of the coolest, most fantastical--” she paused when she saw Blaise’s eyebrow rise up. “I mean, I’ve always known Hermione to be a responsible, mature colleague. When our school wouldn’t have enough money to pay the rent or to order school supplies, she would take the money out of her own pocket to pay for it.”
“Is it true that you would also give up your paycheck to help?” Blaise asked.
“Well, yes, but I love working there and wouldn’t want to see it close down. It’s not like I had a lot to spend my money on besides my Quidditch magazine subscriptions and milk, of course. I love milk.”
Hermione smiled widely at her friend. Regardless of how serious a situation, Donny couldn’t help but be her fun, honest self.
“What can you tell us of Mrs. Malfoy’s personality when she was around Zane?”
“She was nothing but loving towards him, I mean, you can’t help it. You just fall in love with the kid from the beginning. During school, she wouldn’t give him any preferential treatment or act with him differently from her other students. That’s something I respect about her. If he needed to be put in time-out, she would do it. If he did something well, she would reward him, just like all the other students.”
“Did you ever witness Mrs. Malfoy and Mr. Malfoy together as parents?”
“Yes, I see them a lot outside of school and they’ve always been top-notch parents to me. They didn’t spoil Zane, but they didn’t neglect him or anything. I’ve never seen a child more loved than Zane.”
“Have you ever met Mrs. Pansy D’Aggostino?”
Donny scowled in disgust, “No, thank God. I’d probably smack that cow if I met her.”
“Why do you say that, Miss Miller?” Blaise asked with a perfectly concealed smile.
“She was horrible to her son. She acted like he didn’t exist, never cared for him. How could anyone ignore sweet, little Zane? She’s an imbecile.”
“I thought you never met her.”
“Right, these are my assumptions,” Donny smiled.
Blaise smiled back. “Thank you, Miss Miller, those are all my questions.”
“Mr. Wells, do you have any questions for Miss Miller?” the woman sitting with the Wizengamot asked.
“A few,” Mr. Wells said and stood up. “Miss Miller can you tell us of the day you received the floo from Mrs. Malfoy that Zane was in the hospital.”
“You want me to tell you what happened that day?” Donny asked.
“Yes, please,” Mr. Wells said with a patient smile.
“Well, uh, I woke up, and Woodie had hogged all the covers again, so I was pretty cold, but let me tell you, he sure warmed me right up…”
“Miss Miller, could you please tell us about what happened after Mrs. Malfoy flooed you,” Mr. Wells quickly interrupted.
Donny blinked back at him. “Okay, but you did tell me to tell you about my day,” she said with a sniff. “Let’s see, Hermione flooed me to tell me that Zane had been in an accident and was doing fine at St. Mungo’s. I went to the hospital with Woodie, and we saw that Zane was completely fine.”
“Woodie is your boyfriend, I’m guessing,” Mr. Wells said.
“Yep.”
“Have you ever seen Mr. or Mrs. Malfoy punish Zane?”
“No,” Donny said with a small shake of her head.
“Are you being honest, Miss Miller?” he asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m being very honest. I know that Zane was punished on occasion for talking back, or making trouble, but Hermione and Draco never punish him in front of others. If they spank him or put him in time-out, then they do it behind closed doors, which is very conscientious of them, in my opinion.”
“You think it’s admirable for parents to spank their children.”
Donny’s eyes narrowed even further. “Are you insinuating that Hermione and Draco abused Zane? A light spanking now and then never killed anyone. I’ve studied the field of a child’s development, and I can tell you that spanking is an effective way of punishment if used correctly. There’s only a bad light on it because of the extreme cases where it goes wrong.”
“Mrs. D’Aggostino has stated that she would never use corporal punishment to punish her son,” Mr. Wells said.
“Mrs. D’Aggostino can rot—hasn’t studied and worked with children for the past several years, either. I’m certain she wouldn’t know a child from a baboon given the chance.”
“So, you believe that Zane was never harmed in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.”
“I believe that one-hundred percent,” Donny said. “I trust my life with those two, and you’re only harming Zane by keeping him with Pansy.”
“Thank you, Miss Miller. That will be all,” Mr. Wells said.
As he walked back to his seat, only Draco, Hermione and Blaise saw Donny stick her tongue out at the man, turn around, smile sweetly at the Wizengamot and leave the courtroom.
Next, Harry came out, answering the same questions and answering them honestly. There seemed to be no problems with his interrogation. When asked about his past hatred for Draco, he answered honestly
and put Mr. Wells in his place by stating that schoolboy rivalries had no place in a custody battle. He told them how his opinions of Draco’s personality had no effect on Draco’s skills as a father. The Wizengamot was really not one to repeat mistakes, so they didn’t dare doubt Mr. Harry Potter.
Remus’s questioning went smoothly, his opinions highly regarded. When Mr. Wells questioned him on his son’s friendship with Zane and his feelings of leaving his son with parents who would cause such harm to their own son, Remus flashed his canines at the Judicial Advocate and then answered: “Frankly, my son is more in danger at his own home than he ever is at the Malfoys. I actually prefer for him to stay there every full moon. When you have a child, Mr. Wells, you’ll realize the different kinds of safety there are in the world.”
The next person up was Fred Weasley, who had won a coin toss with George to see who would testify for the Malfoys.
“Mr. Weasley, could you please tell us how you know the Malfoys,” Blaise began.
“From school,” Fred answered with a face that was supposed to be serious, but since he never was a serious person, he just looked like he was using the toilet. “My little brother and Hermione were friends.”
“Do you think Mrs. Malfoy was a good mother to Zane?”
“Absolutely. Zane was immensely happy with her as his mother.”
“Have you met Mrs. D’Aggostino before?”
“Unfortunately,” Fred said with a solemn nod. “I know her from school. Prissy, little she-bitch, she was.”
Blaise coughed into his fist to promptly hide a laugh. “So, I’m assuming you don’t much appreciate her company.”
“Nope. She’s whiny, spoiled, greedy, selfish; she smells like sewage, probably illiterate, and most definitely an unfit mother.”
“What makes her an unfit mother, Mr. Weasley?” Blaise asked.
“I just mentioned a whole list of reasons why,” Fred explained. “Should I repeat them?”
“No, I do believe that’s sufficient. I have no further questions.”
Blaise took a seat and patted Draco on the back. “You really have nothing to worry about. This is going better than any of could have ever imagined,” he whispered.
Draco nodded his thanks and went back to watching as Mr. Wells stood up to question Fred.
“Mr. Weasley, could you please tell the courtroom your occupation?”
Fred arched an eyebrow. “I run a joke-shop with my twin brother.”
“So, you’re a practical joker?” Mr. Wells asked.
“Me? A practical joker. Why, that’s preposterous!” Fred said in such a believable way that Draco and Hermione almost believed him.
“You spend a lot of time with young Zane?”
“I spend enough time with him to know that Hermione and Draco treat him like a little prince, just the way he should be treated. He’s an intelligent boy, has mature emotional levels and has always been a smart child. I’m frankly surprised no one asked him who he’d like to live with.”
“A child at his age doesn’t understand the ramifications and consequences of his decisions,” Mr. Wells said.
“Most adults don’t understand the consequences of their decisions,” Fred argued.
“Be that as it may, Mr. Weasley, that doesn’t change the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy put their son in grave danger. He could have died.”
“But he didn’t,” Fred said. “He was perfectly fine. A few scratches and a broken bone, but haven’t we all taken a fall before? God knows that I’ve been injured more times than my mother could count. I was at St. Mungo’s so often that the Healers could actually tell me apart from my identical twin.”
“Let’s talk about Mr. Malfoy for a second,” Mr. Wells started. “I hear that the two of you never got along.”
“That’s true. Our personalities clashed,” Fred said with a smile. He was obviously saying he had hated Draco’s guts in the nicest way possible.
“Would you put your own child in his care?”
“If I ever knocked up a bird and ended up with a little redheaded spawn, I would most definitely leave them with Malfoy on occasion. He’s an okay bloke despite being a bit arrogant, but then again, we all have our negative characteristics.”
“So, do you think that--”
The door to the courtroom slammed open and everyone whipped their heads towards the entrance to find a most impossible sight.
“Daddy! Mummy!” Zane’s squeal echoed throughout the room.
His hand was caught in Pansy’s as she walked furiously towards the interior part of the room. She looked absolutely horrendous. What looked like a wig was sitting lopsidedly on her head, nearly falling off as she marched in the room. The skirt she wore was covered in stains that were hopefully mud or dirt. Her shirt was tie-dyed, and anyone who knew Pansy knew that anything tie-dyed was not an article of
clothing she willingly chose to wear. The awful smell that followed her permeated throughout the room and made half of the occupants cover their noses with a handkerchief or their shirts.
Draco stared at Zane whom he hadn’t seen in nearly a month. Zane’s smile was large and he was waving at his parents as Pansy finally reached the table they sat at.
“You can have him,” she spat out.
“What is the meaning of this?” one of the Wizengamot members asked in a flustered tone.
“I’ve had enough! I know he’s been the one doing these awful things to me! There’s no other explanation!” Pansy shrieked at the person who asked the question. “The bloody money isn’t worth all of this!”
“Good Lord, Pansy, what happened to your hair?” Fred asked from his seat. “Maybe your stink made it all fall out.”
“Shut up!” she yelled at the redhead. She turned back to Draco. “I don’t want him. Take him and keep him away from me!”
“How dare you say that in front of him!” Hermione yelled, standing up to face Pansy. “How dare you even think about making him feel unwanted or unloved in any way!”
“I don’t need a mudblood telling me anything!” Pansy shouted back.
“You are a disgusting, wicked, despicable woman,” Hermione said through clenched teeth, her fists at her sides. “I never want you around my son or my family. Get the hell out of my sight before I do something I might regret.”
“You don’t frighten me, Granger… you think you’re better than everyone and you think you’re a better mother? Well, I frankly don’t give a flying damn!”
With that, Pansy found herself flying across the room and out the door, landing on her backside. Her angry shriek filled the courtroom once more as Hermione turned to Zane and wrapped him in an enormous hug.
“Aw, Hermione, you could have slapped her around a bit more,” Fred pouted.
“Order in this courtroom!” the Wizengamot member called out. “Order, please!”
“Daddy! Pansy was so mad! I missed you very, very, very much, and I missed mummy very, very, very much!” Zane said from between Hermione’s arms as she had a hard time letting him go. “Pansy was stinky all the time! I didn’t want her to be sad!”
Draco blinked at this son, his mind having a hard time putting everything together. His son was there in front of him. His son was there in front of him!
A voice no one expected to hear came from the panel where the Wizengamot sat. Rhonda had stood up, clearing her throat and dragging everyone’s attention to her. “According to the laws and regulations set forth by the Department of Social and Family Services, when one parent voluntarily gives up custody of a child or children, the other biological parent is granted full and automatic custody that is nontransferable. In extreme cases, if neither of the biological parents is able to take care of the child, he or she immediately becomes a ward of the state.
“Mrs. D’Aggostino has given up custody by verbal agreement in front of at least three witnesses; therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy receive custody of Zane. The Wizengamot has no say in this matter, seeing as how these are the laws approved by them in the first place.”
“Miss Westin is indeed correct,” the Wizengamot member sighed. “This case has been settled and this shall be the end of any custody hearings for Zane Malfoy. You are free to take him home as soon as you’d like. All paperwork shall be owled to you within twenty-four hours. This concludes our session.”
She hit her gavel against the podium and the Wizengamot and the Ministry’s Judicial Advocate filed out the room, leaving it shrouded in a stunned silence.
“Hi, Unca Fred!” Zane said to the twin. “I did just like you said! Pansy saw me putting the doggie poopy in her closet. She screamed for a hundred hours!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, mate,” Fred said with a wink as he stood up and made his way towards the door. “You know I’m proud of you, right?”
“Yep!”
“Good. I’ll see you soon! Remember, you can’t tell anyone our secrets!” he said and closed the door behind him.
Zane giggled quietly and then looked up at his father.
“Are you going to say hi to me, Daddy?” Zane asked. He wiggled out of Hermione’s strong hold and walked over to his father, waving his little hand in front of his father’s face.
“Zane,” Draco breathed before grabbing his son and wrapping his arms around him, kissing his hair and murmuring his name. “I missed you, mate.”
“Me too, Daddy! A lot!” Zane’s smothered voice said. “I had fun with Pansy and Unca Fred and Unca George.”
“Uncle Fred and Uncle George?” Hermione muttered to herself. “What did…?” She rolled her eyes as the realization hit her.
“Daddy! I can’t breathe!” Zane giggled. “Too much hugging!”
Draco pulled back, but didn’t let go of his son, clasping his shoulders to look at him. He turned to Blaise and flashed him a generous smile. “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me,” Blaise said distractedly, watching Rhonda, who was still up on the dais, filling out some papers. “Glad to have Zany Brainy back.”
“I missed you, Unca Blaise!” Zane said.
“Me too, Zany Brainy,” Blaise laughed, looking at the boy. “Now, you take care of your parents for me, okay?”
“I will,” Zane said seriously.
Blaise nodded just as one of the back doors opened and Donny came rushing out, her smile wide and her eyes even wider. “I just heard.” Remus and Harry were right behind her. The fifth witness had kindly left, knowing his services were no longer needed.
Many more squeezing hugs, kisses and niceties were exchanged.
“I have to go sign a few things,” Blaise told Draco. “I have to meet with the Wizengamot afterwards, so you can get home now.”
Draco nodded and picked up his son, who was explaining to Donny and Hermione about how he had been so bored at Pansy’s and about how Pansy had made him a new dinosaur.
“You ready to go home, Z?” Draco asked.
“Yes! I wanna see Rosie!”
“What about all of your grandparents and the Weasleys?” Hermione asked. “They’ve missed you so much.”
Zane thought about this and nodded slowly. “Ok, but Rosie first.”
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A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy