“No, Draco.”
We’re at Grandmother’s house again, the second time in three days. Daddy just mentioned that he’s taking a trip -- he tried to say it like it didn’t really matter, but Grandmother noticed and now she’s glaring at Daddy. I sink down a few inches in my chair. I wish we
would’ve stayed home today.
“Mother, I can do whatever I bloody well --”
“Language!” snaps Grandmother.
“ -- whatever I want. I just thought you’d like to know.” Daddy takes a tiny sip of tea, glaring at Grandmother.
“And you want me to take care of Felicity while you’re gone.” Grandmother gives Daddy a piercing look. I sit up straight in my
chair.
“I’m going with Daddy,” I say.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Grandmother says. “And eat your chicken.”
“I don’t like chicken,” I say. “And I’m going with Daddy.”
“Fee,” Daddy begins, “I think it might be better if you stayed . . .”
I glare at Daddy. “I always go with you.”
“This is different,” Daddy says, looking at his tea.
“I don’t care,” I say.
“I know you don’t,” he says, still staring at his food, “but I do.”
“Why?” I don’t want Daddy to leave me.
“This isn’t a business trip, Fee, it’s . . .I need to go alone.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Draco,” Grandmother says. “And besides, I’m attending the Greengrasses’ ball Friday night and I want both of you with me.”
Daddy’s hand curls into a fist and he looks up, glaring at Grandmother.
“No,” Daddy says.
Daddy and Grandmother glare at each other. I take Daddy’s hand, the one that’s in a fist.
“Don’t be angry, Daddy,” I whisper. “Please don’t be angry.”
Daddy’s fingers uncurl, and he looks down at me; then he stands up and kisses the top of my head. Grandmother is still glaring.
“Draco,” she says, starting in a quiet voice and getting louder, “you can’t keep avoiding --”
“Mother --”
“Let me finish, Draco,” Grandmother snaps. “Don’t go on the trip. You’re wasting your time, saving someone who doesn’t even --”
“Don’t.” Daddy’s eyes are like ice.
“-- doesn’t even care about you. I don’t know where you got those daft notions and I don’t know why you’ve held on to them for ten years, but I’ll not have people saying that my son is a --”
Daddy suddenly grabs my arm very tightly, turns sharply, and it feels like I’m being squeezed into I small box, making my legs and arms twist and turn to try and fit --
And then it’s over. When the world stops spinning, I realize that Daddy brought me back home. I close my eyes then, hoping that I’ll
stop feeling so sick.
“I’m sorry, Fee,” Daddy says, picking me up and holding me, rocking gently back and forth, like he used to do when I was little. “Do you feel all right?”
I shrug, trying not to open my mouth.
Daddy sits down in a kitchen chair and I curl up on his lap, eyes and mouth still shut tight. He hugs me and rocks me. I don’t think this is just about Apparating.
“Daddy,” I say a few minutes later, when I’m feeling better, “what were you and Grandmother arguing about?”
“Whether I’m going to go on vacation or not.”
“No, later. Right before we Apparated.”
Daddy’s quiet for a long time. When he finally does say something, it’s “You should go to bed, Fee.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I say, crossing my arms.
He still doesn’t. A few minutes later, he gets up, sets me on the chair next to his, and starts walking back and fourth. He taps our
radio with his wand, and then keeps walking. I hug my knees to my chest, hoping that Daddy will be normal again soon.
&&&
What seems like minutes later, Daddy’s shaking me awake. I’m so confused -- it feels like I’m in my bed, but I never went to bed, did I? My brain is all fuzzy.
“Fee,” Daddy says softly, “Fee, you’ve got to wake up. I know it’s early, but we’ve got to go.”
I open my eyes slowly, and squint up at Daddy. “Where am I?”
“In your bed, sweetie, but you’ve got to get up now.”
I sit up, rubbing my eyes. Daddy seems to realize how confused I am.
“You fell asleep in the kitchen last night, I carried you up here. It’s three o’clock in the morning -- I just heard, on the radio -- we
need to go. Now.”
“So you are taking me with you.” I’m delighted, in a sleepy sort of way.
“I have to. Please, Fee, you need to get up.”
I crawl out from under the covers, too tired to ask why we’ve got to leave at three in the morning.
I’m still in the clothes I was wearing last night, so I get up and go straight downstairs, where Daddy went as soon as he knew I was going to get up. He’s waiting for me, a coat on each arm and two bags on the floor next to him. He gives me the smaller one of each, and grabs my arm like he did last night.
“Sorry, Fee,” he says, giving me a half-smile, before tuning quickly.
It feels like I’m being forced inside the too-small box again, but this time it lasts longer. It feels like the box in shrinking, or I’m
growing, and I think suddenly of a Muggle book I read once about a girl named Alice --
And then it’s over. I gasp for fresh air, clinging to Daddy tightly. The air is cold, freezing cold, and it burns the inside of my nose.
“Where are we?”
“Siberia,” Daddy replies shortly.
I try to think of where I’ve heard that name before. It takes me a few seconds before I remember what Daddy told me yesterday.
“In Russia?” I ask, just to make sure.
Daddy nods, and starts walking towards a building I hadn’t noticed. I’m not sure how I missed it. It’s huge, and made of stone. Or at
least I think it is. There’s so much snow piled next to it and on top of it that I can really tell.
Daddy takes me hand and begins to walk toward the castle. Even though we pause to put on the coats Daddy brought, by the time we get to the doors it feels like I’m frozen all the way through.
The castle doors are huge -- even if I stood on Daddy’s shoulders I wouldn’t be able to reach the top of them. Daddy stares straight ahead for a few seconds, then lets go of my hand and pushes them open.
“Daddy?” I ask I have no idea what’s going on.
“Stay right behind me and don’t say anything. Don’t react to anything anyone’s doing or saying,” Daddy says, not looking at me. “And run if I tell you to.”
I nod. My feet, hands and face are numb, and I can’t help wondering why Daddy wants to save Harry Potter this badly.
My Daddy Says by RedChequeredConverse
Chapter Notes: I am sorry beyong words about my huge writing hiatus. If you forgive me and are still reading this, a review would be lovely.