Casualty of Love: Turning Tables

Know-It-All Self Assured Jerk

After the unfortunate events of Christmas break, everyone insisted that I visit Madam Pomfrey once a week instead of once a month as I was doing before. Because of this, I was returning from her office with a massive smile on my face, searching for Draco.

I found him soon enough, leaning against the wall beside the door to the Slytherin common room. He knew what today was as well as I did. "Well, what's the news?" he said with a smile. He was trying harder and harder to be happier these days--mostly to make me happy--and it did.

"Guess!"

"Two boys?"

"Wrong."

"Two girls?"

"Wrong again. We get one of each! Isn't that great?" I squealed, genuinely excited about this new discovery.

"That is amazing. I don't know how I'm going to take care of a girl though... I don't really know much about them," he said before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

"Good thing I'm their mother then. I know all about girls and boys. So, I was thinking... Maybe we should name them after constellations since you're named after one..."

"That's what I was thinking. How about Scorpio?"

I scoffed at him. "There is no way."

"Fine. Fine. How about we go through the name game another time?"

"There is one name I was thinking of... Maybe as a middle name or something...," I began just as Draco's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, what is it?"

"Nijah."

It was his turn to scoff. "You mean like Nehemiah and Elijah? I don't think so! Why would I name my kid after those two idiots?"

Someone came out of the common room just then so I joined Draco on the wall and waited for her to pass. I turned back to him. "Why not? Look Draco, I know you haven't always gotten along with them but that's just because you don't want to. They are two of my favorite people in the world and they've done so much for me. Let's not forget that that cabinet wouldn't have gotten finished if it wasn't for Elijah and Nehemiah is...well, you know what he's done for us! We owe them this much..."

He cradled my head in his hand and caressed my cheek with his thumb. "Let me think about it at least. A name is forever. What would he be if we named him after a know-it-all and a self assured jerk?"

"He's going to be a great person regardless of what his name is. Both of them will be. Whether they are named after a constellation or a know-it-all self assured jerk. Lighten up."

He chuckled and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Oh, right," he said, pulling away. "I'm supposed to tell you that you're staying at my house for Easter break. My mother doesn't want what happened on Christmas break to happen again, or something like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. They just want to keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not associating with anyone that I'm not supposed to be."

"Probably. But who else do you need when you have me."

He laughed but I didn't join in. I just remembered something. "You know how Luna Lovegood hasn't been back since Christmas break? I heard that the Death Eaters snatched her off the Hogwarts Express. Do you think that she could have been the prisoner that was brought to your house?"

"Luna? What would they want with her?"'

"Think about it: her dad has publicly supported Harry in his weird magazine, she was in the DA, and she was friends with Harry. Maybe they wanted to set an example? I mean, they've already made an example of what happens when you tango with the Death Eaters," I said, pointing down at my massive stomach. It was getting bigger and bigger everyday and was beginning to look like I had swallowed a watermelon.

At that moment, Amycus Carrow walked around the corner. I gave Draco another kiss on the cheek and turned to leave without saying a word. "My, my, what have we got here?"

"Just picking out baby names, Amycus. Want to help?" Draco said with malice, surprising me fully.

"Sure, how about Amycus Jr? Trust me, Malfoy, if you wouldn't have knocked her up over the summer, she'd be having my baby right now," he said, winking at him before walking around the other corner.

"He is such a sexual predator," I said, rolling my eyes and walking back towards him.

"I hope somebody kills him," he said mildly before turning back to me with a smile. "You know, you should really go lay down. You're supposed to be resting as much as you can."

"You worry way too much. But I guess you're right. See you later," I said with a small wave, turning around once more to head back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Immediately after arriving there, I stalked up to my bedroom, realizing just how tired I was. I fell back onto my bed with the intent of taking a nap but Ginny had other ideas. She barged into my room and said, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," I said, staring up at the ceiling and not bothering to get up.

"Have you heard about Luna getting taken by Death Eaters over Christmas break?" she asked and I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my face so I turned to meet them.

"Yes..."

"And? Do you know anything about it?" she asked anxiously.

"Well... Draco did come into my room at one point to tell me that he couldn't bear another minute in that house because they had just brought a prisoner in... He didn't see a face but they put the person in the dungeon."

"Do you think it could be Luna?"

I shrugged. "Anything's possible. I sure hope not, though. That would be terrible. I'll tell you what, they're forcing me to stay over there during Easter break so I'll have a look. Promise."

Ginny managed a smile. "Good. We've all been worried sick. It would be understandable if her father took her away to hide but with everyone saying that she's been taken...it's hard not to wonder."

"I've been wondering too. I was just talking to Draco about it earlier before Amycus interrupted us," I said, rolling my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

Her eyes went wide. "What did he say? Did he hear you?"

"No, I don't think so. When he asked, Draco mouthed off to him and said we were picking out baby names, and then he said his typical sexual harassment and then left. Oh, I didn't get to tell you what I'm having!"

"Ah, I've been dying to find out!"

"One boy and one girl! I just found out this morning."

"Awh that's amazing! Funny that the Death Eaters used two babies as some form of punishment. And as much as I hate Draco, you could have done a lot worse. Which reminds me, Fred has been talking some weird stuff lately. Like, he's getting really serious about Emmy. I'm kind of worried."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up finally, though it took some effort.

"I mean...I don't want either of them to get hurt... I just don't think it's the time to be thinking about getting so serious with someone--I mean, with everything that's going on."

"Well, it least it's on their terms," i sighed. "I didn't get that luxury." I lay my head back on my pillow.

"True.... You know, you look tired. I'm going to let you sleep. I'll see you later," she said, leaving the room.

"You too."

It only took a little comment like that to send me spiraling back down into my self-wallowing. I could only dream of having the same opportunity that Fred and Emmy have. I wish that we could have progressed naturally to the phase that we're at. I wondered what Draco's proposal would have been like if we were a normal couple. I wonder what his reaction to this pregnancy would have been ten years down the road.

But would we have remained this close if we didn't have outside forces pushing us together?