Confusion
By Lauren G. (aka RowlingIdol)
Author's Note: K, I'm not going to go into a whole lot of detail regarding Leopold because I'm not going to want to come up with a complete list of dates and times and events. Otay? Read on!
Chapter 27: Leopold Dynamite
About five minutes later, Ginny and Draco were sat in the living room across from Snape and Narcissa, with the little boy in her lap. He was sucking his thumb, nose red from crying.
"NOW can you explain?" Draco said impatiently. Narcissa sighed. She looked down at the little boy and then she looked over at Snape who gave her a blank stare back.
"They found your Aunt." Narcissa said. Draco could feel Ginny stiffen next to him. The little boy snuffled.
"They um…. Found her body?" Draco questioned, still confused. Narcissa gasped and clapped her hands over the boys ears. The boy cringed and a small whine mumbled out of his mouth around his thumb.
"I forgot… You were… gone." Narcissa said sadly.
"She's alive Draco dear. Ran away like you, only after you did…. And after… well. After `You-Know-Who' died." Snape rolled his eyes.
"He's dead. You can say his name."
"I don't want to!" Narcissa said, sticking her nose in the air.
"So… They found her? And…."
"Well she's in Azkaban now."
"What's that have to do with the kid." Draco said.
"He's your cousin."
ooooo
"WHAT?" Draco said standing up.
"How?"
"Oh Draco… You're old enough to know about the wands and the cauldrons aren't you?" Snape drawled. Draco envisioned flipping Snape off and the smirk was wiped instantly from Snape's face.
"Don't you go using that shit on me." Draco warned, pointing a finger at Snape.
"Language Draco!"
"How come I didn't know? Doesn't your cousin have that family tapestry at Potter's house?" Draco said pointing at his Mom, speaking of Sirius.
"After HARRY took it over, I believe Mrs. Black has grown tired and uninterested in keeping track of the family." Snape said, crossing his arms.
"Did you know about this?" Draco then asked Ginny.
"Well…. I knew she disappeared after the war but that was all." Ginny said shrugging and looking towards Leopold.
"So how old is he?"
"Three." Narcissa said. "After your aunt and her husband escaped Azkaban the first time… We suspect it happened after that."
Draco sat back down.
"So what, he's our responsibility now?"
"I suppose so. That's why we came home early. I got an owl summoning us to Azkaban. First I thought it was about your father, but we were handed him instead."
"What kind of name is Leopold Lestrange anyways?" Draco sneered.
"I want my Binky." Leopold mumbled sadly.
"We'll get you your Binky sweetie." Narcissa said, bouncing the boy in her lap.
"BINKY NOW!" Leopold screamed.
"Shit. The kid's like dynamite." Draco said covering his ears.
"Sevvy get Leo his Binky."
"What the he-What the Merlin is a `binky'?" Snape said after Narcissa gave him a look about swearing around the kid.
"I… WANT… MY… BINKY!!!" Leopold screamed.
ooooo
Binky turned out to be a worn white stuffed rabbit that Leo proceeded to drag around the house. Narcissa had the house elves cooking up a storm. Snape was down in the basement doing who knows what. Narcissa was trailing after Leo like a puppy.
"You can't touch that sweetie. No no, no climbing on that. Do you want a snack? Do you like dragons? Draco has some toy dragons he'd let you play with."
"I don't like dragons." Leo said, stomping in circles around the table in the parlor.
"Then do you want Auntie Cissa to read you a story? I have lots of books."
Narcissa pulled a dusty box out from inside one of the cabinets attached to the bookcases in the parlor. Inside were lots of books, presumably from when Draco was a child. Draco and Ginny walked down the stairs at this time to come to dinner.
"Do you want to hear a story about a magical cat?" Leopold shook his head.
"What about the one about the magical ducky?" Leopold shook his head again.
"What about this one? It has a magical puppy in it!" Narcissa happily showed Leopold the book. Surprisingly he snatched the book out of her hands and climbed his way onto the couch. Narcissa hurried over and tried to take the book from him. Leo grunted and pulled the book back.
"Do you just want to look at the pictures? You don't want Auntie Cissa to read it to you?"
"No! I want her to!" Leopold said loudly, pointing in Ginny's direction. Ginny choked on her water.
"He wants ME to read it?" Ginny said shocked. Draco just looked at her and shrugged.
"READ!" Leopold screamed.
"Okay okay!" Ginny said, setting her water down and hurrying to the couch.
Leopold crawled into Ginny's lap and opened the book. He hugged Binky in one arm and sucked his thumb on his other hand.
"Once there was a magical puppy who lived in a magical land in a magical house…" Ginny began to read.
ooooo
After reading through the puppy book, Leo decided he wanted Ginny to read the ducky and cat books. Halfway through the last book, Leopold fell asleep and Narcissa quickly whisked him away to bed with so much as a smile towards Ginny.
"That kid is going to give me gray hair." Draco said, handing Ginny a plate of food.
"Like its not gray already?" Ginny said teasingly, warming the plate with a tap of her wand. Draco quickly ran a hand through his hair.
"Once I'm done I'm just going to go to bed." Ginny told Draco. He kissed the top of her head gently before heading upstairs.
ooooo
Draco and Ginny slept heavily through the night. It was raining that morning. Draco had pulled her in close, like he did most nights. She never knew if he woke up and pulled her close, or if it was a subconscious action. She never minded it though. She blinked her eyes, her head resting on Draco's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She reached up a hand and moved one of his arms and sat up. It was hard to sit up. Ginny reached her arm up and rubbed at her eyes.
"Can you read me a story?" Leopold meekly said. He was sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed in green pajamas.
"How did you get in here?" Ginny asked him. He didn't answer.
"Other lady is scary." He finally said.
"Oh I'm sorry honey." Ginny told the little boy.
"Mmm… I'm sorry too." Draco mumbled, rolling over. Ginny smiled.
"Are you hungry?" Ginny asked Leo who promptly nodded, his dark curls bobbing.
"Let's get some breakfast okay?" Ginny said. She climbed out of the bed and picked the boy up and headed downstairs.
ooooo
"When can I see my mommy?" Leopold asked as Ginny made him toast, the only thing he didn't say no to when questioning what he wanted.
"I don't know sweetie. Only the scary lady knows."
"Scary lady not nice." Leo said.
"She is nice. You'll see." Ginny said setting toast in front of him.
"Leo???? Leo?????? Leopold????" Came Narcissa's voice from the staircase.
"Leo! There you are! Don't you run off like that and scare Auntie Cissa!" Leo glared at her.
"I found him this morning in Draco's room." Ginny told her mother in law.
"Oh… Oh all right. I was just worried." Narcissa said, patting her hair which had curlers in it.
"Ginny PLEASE come with me to town. I need to get some things for Leopold and he's taking a liking to you. He won't do a thing I say! When Draco was his age he minded me! I have no idea how my sister could have raised such a…." Narcissa stopped and sighed.
"Well, with everything that was going on at that time, I don't suppose there was a lot of time for mannerisms." Narcissa finally said.
"Between you and me-" Ginny whispered to Narcissa. "He thinks you're scary." Narcissa's mouth fell open.
ooooo
After breakfast Narcissa and Ginny headed out with Leo in tow. He held onto Ginny's hand the entire time.
"Draco's things are so old. The clothes smell awful. Those Mathilda's Mothballs don't work one bit. The toys are out-dated and broken…." Narcissa said, as they walked along the streets of Diagon Alley.
"Does he know how to use the loo?" Ginny asked looking down at Leo. Narcissa stopped.
"Good heavens I don't know!" Narcissa said, hands flying up to her hair.
"Well we better find out fast." Ginny said. Leo was doing the antsy potty dance and clutching Binky with a death grip.
"Oh dear oh dear. Let's run into Goddess. I'm sure Judy will let us use the restroom."
The two women hurried up the street and to the white building but were greeted with an unwelcome obstacle.
"BOZO! Get the camera!" Screamed Rita Skeeter, who was coming down the opposite way of the street. Bozo came running up behind her and waffed her in a cloud of gray smoke as he snapped several pictures of Narcissa and Ginny, Leopold attached at the hip, rushing into the salon.
ooooo
Author's Note- What will that crazy Rita Skeeter come up with now? Hmmm. Only I know and it's a doozy, as always. Stay tuned and please R & R.
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