Everlasting ⁂ Harry Potter [1]

Chapter Twenty Six

Olivia observed from afar, unsure of what to do until Ginny's voice could be heard from the distance as she confronted Malfoy. This of course gained the attention of all others and soon, every one of them were making their way over to support Harry. Ron and Hermione reached Harry first, both carrying their own sets of Lockhart's books. Nadia, Nicholas, Henry and Ted too followed, once they saw the five kids move over to go see what was going on.

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot." Malfoy's voice reached them and the sneer on his face could be seen as he spat at Ron. Of course, the words caused a spark of rage in not only Ron, but also Fred and George who were reached just in time for their mother to stop them from advancing on Draco. Gwen focused on her brother, who, while the insult wasn't directed at him in any way, was more than ready to jump to his friends' defence. And Olivia herself, chose to help Harry and Hermione who seemed to be struggling with an angry Ron.

"Come on Ron, he's not worth it." Olivia tried to coax him to calm down and follow after his mother who was quickly suggesting they all leave the bookshop. Her hand settled on his shoulder as she spoke, and for a moment Ron seemed to be contemplating her words, but then another voice joined in on the conversation. Liv turned around, finding herself standing quite close to the white haired man whose eyes observed them all in distaste. Ted stepped forwards, making sure he was close enough to his daughter as he remembered this man from last year.

"Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley." The voice and sneer of Lucius Malfoy mirrored those of his son, and despite her wish to stand her ground, Olivia slowly shrunk back. It wasn't hard as Ron moved her to stand behind him and closer to Ted than she had previously been while trying to calm him. "Busy time at the Ministry I hear; all those raids. I hope they're paying you overtime?" Malfoy's tone was condescending and cruel as he reached for one of the books stored away in Ginny's cauldron.

"Don't start Malfoy." Nadia's voice came out in a warning tone, the glare on her face seeming highly unlike her, even to her own children who had never really seen their mother so openly rude to someone. She was polite with even those she didn't like usually. However, despite the warning, Lucius Malfoy didn't even spare her a second glance and instead looked over the battered cover of the book he had pulled out of Ginny's cauldron.

"Obviously not... Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" Draco's father questioned in a mocking tone and anger flushed over Mr Weasley's face. And he wasn't the only one.

"That's enough Malfoy." Nicholas stepped forward, his tone demanding and poised at the same time. But of course, it was not as easy as just saying it.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Arthur retaliated, defending his family and pride.

"Clearly. The company you keep Weasley..." Malfoy spoke, the scowl on his face deepening as he looked over the group standing with Arthur, glaring at Nadia, Nicholas and Henry with hatred, but the look he sent Hermione and Olivia as well as their parents was even worse. "Filth of the worst kind."

"What did you say?" This time it was Ted's temper that flared to the surface. Nobody was allowed to speak of his daughter in such a way. Olivia tried to hold on to her father's arm as he stepped forward to stand beside Arthur bravely, not caring about the fact that unlike Arthur, he didn't have much chance if Lucius Malfoy dared pull out his wand. Unable to stop him, Olivia shrunk back, her worry bubbling as she watched the tension build. She felt a hand on her shoulder to find Fred had stopped resisting his mother and instead came over to stand by her.

"And I thought your family could sink no lower-" Mr Mafloy continued, a smirk on his face as he found pleasure in antagonising the group before him. However, his joy didn't last long as suddenly Mr Weasley moved with speed and shocked all those around him as he knocked Mr Malfoy back into one of the bookshelves behind him. Olivia let out a small yelp of surprise while behind her Fred cheered his father on.

The eruption forced people to stumble around, knocking over more shelves and books began raining down on all of them while some people jumped in to try and break up the fight. Henry and Nicholas tried their best, but in the flurry of movement they were unable to separate the two men. Luckily, help came in the form of Hagrid who pushed his way through the crowd and the fallen books. Once he reached the two, he easily separated Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy, pushing them both apart with ease. Both bore the marks of the fight, with Mr Weasley's lip bleeding and a bruise forming on Mr Malfoy's face.

With his pride wounded, Mr Malfoy didn't stick around for much longer. Ripping himself from Hagrid's grip, he beckoned for his son to follow him and soon the two rushed out of the door, leaving the Weasleys and the rest of their group in the dust behind them. With the Malfoy's gone, Olivia's shoulders relaxed and she walked over to her father while Hagrid and Molly both scolded Arthur for his actions.

"That was stupid." Olivia said at the same time as she let her arms wrap around her father's waist. What was he thinking, going up against a wizard who didn't seem like the type who'd care much about a fair fight? Although it was lucky neither he nor Arthur had at any point reached for their wands.

Ted returned his daughter's hug quickly, his eyes scanning over the group as he did. Nicholas was trying to reassure his daughter and Henry that he was alright after receiving a bit of a blow himself. At the same time, Nadia stood by Harry and Ginny, gently questioning the both of them whether they were alright.

"I don't care if I'm going up against Bigfoot, nobody talks about my daughter like that." Ted replied confidently, some of the anger still brewing within him despite the defused situation.

"Dad, there's no such thing as Bigfoot." Olivia let out a small giggle as she pulled away, but still, Ted sent her a questioning look.

"Really? Because a little over a year ago, I would have said the same thing about witches." He pointed out in a knowing tone. Who knew what else could be real while it actually sounded like myth or fairy tale.

Olivia shook her head at her father, pulling him into another hug. She couldn't stay mad at him for too long. He of course returned the hug, but once Olivia couldn't see his face any more, the smile which had been on it in the moment, dwindled and was soon replaced with a small frown. Ted was quickly becoming aware that while both he and Olivia had been exposed to amazing things because of his daughter being a witch, there might be things about the Wizarding World that weren't so joyous and happy after all.

Published: 10th of July, 2020