She & Him

Part 44: Bogus Boggarts

So his fear is that I'll sleep with Harry.

Be in love with Harry Potter.

Sure- maybe it could've been a thing when we were younger and more naive.

But nowadays that is just a laugh.

Yet, he was that hurt by the idea, he couldn't even banish the bogus boggarts from the room. He just pushed right passed Leo and I and has been held up in the Loo for about fifteen minutes now.

"Mi?" Poor little Leo. Awoken from his slumber by some scary boggart as an even scarier man. The way he looked for Draco melted my heart. He didn't even consider coming to me...then again- I haven't exactly been  vulnerable to the boy. I've kept him at a distance- despite caring for him.

I couldn't be his mum if I wanted to be.

"Leo? What's wrong?" I ask as we sit on the edge of his toddler bed.

"Daddy mad at me?" Daddy....huh...it's that little word that will keep him in our lives. It's hard not to want him- despite my parental fears, I do love him. I just don't want to be his or anyone else's Mum.

"No, sweetie. He's not mad at you. He's just...he's just upset. It has nothing to do with you- I promise." I reassure the small boy and he climbs into my lap. I want to detach. I want to remove feelings for him from my body and just focus on my goals. Yet as he curls his little body up against mine and plays in my hair- I can't help but ignore my lingering fears of motherhood.

"You magic, Mi?" Lord...I don't want to obliviate him- but I may have too. Children talk and despite what Muggle adults believe or hear- he still knows and could spout it out to anyone he sees and that's dangerous.

"Leo....look at me darling." I quietly say and he looks between my eyes- an inquisitive smile on his lips and that sparkle of hope in his eyes. "What you saw tonight...it was..."

"Magic." Draco says from the hallway and comes in slowly. My chest heaves heavily inward and I glare at him. "Don't lie to the poor child- Hermione."

His voice is rather cold- yet sympathetic somehow. He walks over and kneels in front of us. Leo turns on my lap so he can see us both.

"Draco..." I hiss and he ignores me.

"Leo, there are two kinds of people in this world. People who do magic- like Hermione and I...and people like you- who can't." His tender voice calms the slight shiver I feel running through Leo's body. "Now people like you aren't supposed to know about people like me. There are rules that witches and Wizards must follow to keep everyone safe- and though it's not fair- it's just how it has to be."

The boy looks at us and Draco takes out his wand. The boy's eyes light up and his head cocks to the side as he looks at it.

"This is my wand." He takes mine from beside me on the bed and holds it up for Leo to see. "And this is Hermione's. It helps us with our magic. To protect the people we care about and to some times make the remarkable happen."

With his wand, he conjures a snow globe- in the globe itself is miniature versions of us in this moment. Leo's eyes widen and he hands the boy the trinket and the miniature us wave and smile and laugh- which is opposite of this entire situation. Setting my wand next to me- Draco, lowers the snow globe with his hand and makes Leo look up at him.

"But not all magic is good just like not all witches and Wizards are. There are bad Wizards out there, who use bad magic to hurt people. There are so many magical creatures in this world as well- not all cuddly and cute—." He conjures a tiny version of a niffler and allows it to run around on his hand. "Some- like that Boggart who scared you tonight- are mean and harmful."