The Marriage Decree

Chapter 38: As if by Magic

Lauren and Craig run straight into the park after they've crossed the road together but Draco pauses to watch Hermione and Sophie as they walk towards the supermarket. He hopes Sophie takes the reveal of the wizarding world well. Not wanting to leave the kids by themselves too long, he turns and follows them into the park. He watches as they enter the play park, Lauren throwing her bag onto a nearby bench before running off with her brother to play on the slide.

Draco takes a seat on the bench where Lauren disposed of her bag. He watches them intently for the first five minutes but then he becomes increasingly bored with the repetition of watching them running around the park. Taking Alice in Wonderland out of his pocket, he begins where he left off yesterday.

It's as though Lauren and Craig planned to keep themselves preoccupied until he got into his book then decided that they couldn't play without him. He'd only been reading for five minutes when they both run up to him and Lauren pulls on his wrist as she begs him to push them both on the swings.

With an exaggerated sigh, he puts the book away and follows them over to the swings. He helps Craig climb on to the one next to Lauren, then tells them both to hang on tight as he alternates between pushing them both. He makes sure he doesn't push them too high, not wanting a repeat of what happened with Sophie.

When they ask to be let off, Draco stops the swings then watches as they jump off and run towards the roundabout where Lauren, along with another little girl and a little boy beg him to spin them around. He starts off slowly but when they complain it's too slow, he speeds up a little until they squeal for him to stop.

They all run dizzily away from the roundabout when it's come to a stop, which makes him chuckles since they look drunk. Lauren and her new friends have a race to the top of the climbing frame whilst Craig slides down the slide a few times. Draco goes back to the bench to read his book again and this time, he manages to read for around eight minutes before Craig runs up to him, hopping from one foot to the other.

"I need the toilet." He tells him.

"Oh, is there a toilet in the park?" He asks Craig who shrugs his shoulders. "We better head back to your grandparents' house then." He states, picking up Lauren's bag. "Lauren!" He calls over to where she's hiding in a tunnel with her new friends. "We're going to have to go." He tells her.

Lauren sighs and complains as they leave the play park and all the way back to Betty and Tom's house until he suggests they play another game when they get in. As soon as they enter the house, Craig runs upstairs to the bathroom whilst Lauren follows into their bedroom to choose a game for them all to play.

Draco heads into the kitchen where Betty is stood at the sink, peeling some potatoes. Tom's sat at the kitchen table again, still reading the newspaper he had been reading hours ago.

"We weren't expecting you back so soon," Tom says as he sits opposite him at the table.

"Craig needed the toilet so we had to leave the park," Draco explains.

"Where's Hermione and Lauren?" Betty asks curiously.

"They went to the supermarket to get some snacks." He explains.

"You were going to feed the kids snacks when their dinner is around half four?" Betty tuts, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Thankfully, Draco is saved by any further questions by Lauren and Craig running into the kitchen, clutching the colourful box of a board game.

"It's hungry hippos," Lauren announces excitedly. "It's my favourite game because I'm the best at it." She adds proudly.

Draco hums as he inspects the box. "We'll see about that." He tells her as they head into the living room.