forced | d.m.

30.blames

May '01 | H E R

Draco is gone.

He hasn't been there this morning, waiting in the kitchen with her coffee ready like he so religiously does nowadays.

He hasn't been there to watch her eat.

To clean her dishes.

To tell her he likes her earrings or hair or nails that day.

He was not there for any of it.

Unnerving, but maybe he slept in for once. Merlin knows he could use some rest.

But now it's lunchtime and he still hasn't shown. When Althea went to check the master, she found the bed made crisply. A surge of panic swept over her and she went to check the closet. His side was untouched, pristine. Her empty one a hightlighted reminder that leaves her heart wedged in her throat.

Her muscles, bones, her skin feels restless as she watches Jacob with the train set, the small plastic toys moved by magic. It lights his face up, checking over and over if she's seeing the same thing, wanting validation for his fascination.

Her smile is not as enthusiastic as it usually would be, mind stuck somewhere else. Her finger keeps tapping on the floor, gaze unfocusing constantly.

Why didn't he leave a note?

The multiple calls to his phone went unanswered. She realises that his newfound day-to-day routine is unbeknownst to her. Althea has become so busy that not much is being transfered between husband and wife.

While she first thought the distance would provide some breathing space and much needed distraction—which it certainly did—it now leaves a bitter taste in her mouth.

Today is the first in a long time that she is home all day, which she dedicates to her favourite nephew without question. She simply thought Draco would be there, like he is when she is out in the garden or baking in the kitchen or playing with Pearl, but maybe it is the norm for him to be out of the house for long stretches of time.

What the hell is he up to?

"Aunty Alli," Jacob says, yanking her out of her thought once again. The train goes the same round it has done for the last twenty minutes, but his hand clapping is not just adorable, but solidifying that it takes not much to captivate a child's attention. "Look!"

"Cool, right? I knew you'd like it, Cubbie."

Pearl lays in the middle of the track circle, stretching her limps and in desperate need to be given some attention. Her and Jacob are best friends already and Althea would say she gained extra points for being the favourite aunt.

Not needing to be told twice, Althea reaches over to scratch her under her chin, watching those brilliant blue eyes close in satisfaction.

Jacob makes sure to add proper train sounds by whistling along, his knees grazing against the floor as he skids after the moving toy. How long until he won't let her call him Cubbie anymore?

It's kind of crazy to see how much her nephew grows each time they see each other. No, it's not crazy—sad is the correct word. Sad and awesome to see him grow into who he's going to be. A better man than his father ever dares to.

Honora was ready to cry when Althea mentioned how much he shot up in height in a matter of weeks. Though she did blame it on her hormones as she held her stomach. That one is growing just as much and it brings nothing but wonder to Althea. Like, that is a whole human she has brooding inside.

Is it weird to be excited for her two nieces to end up in the same year at Hogwarts?

It makes her wonder if her own children will end up with cousins in the same year. Or when she'll have children. And if so, how will it come to it?