Hey everyone! Once again, I am sorry for the delay. I've been on holiday break for 3 weeks now, and I had anticpated uploading sooner, but... life had other plans. Between Christmas gatherings, New Year's parties, wedding stuff, and probably a dozen other things, I have had hardly any free time. But... I busted my butt and got this done today. So I hope you all enjoy it and I hope I can get a new chapter up soon. :)
********************************************************************************
"Don't give up; it's just the weight of the world. When your heart's heavy I... I will lift it for you." –You Are Loved (Don't Give Up), Josh Groban
Draco aimlessly kicked a rock as he and Artemis strode through the bustling crowd. Admittedly, he had no idea where they were; he had let Artemis decide where they had been going for the most part. The two of them had spent the day trying to fill out applications in hopes of Draco getting a steady job in time to help support his growing family. At this point, Draco knew he was in no place to be picky; a job was a job, and he was going to have to take whatever he was offered.
The boy was snapped from his thoughts as Artemis cleared his throat. "You didn't hear me, did you?" his cousin asked.
"Erm... no," Draco admitted. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you had any idea as to when Audrey was going to be returning," Artemis somewhat repeated, stopping in the middle of the walkway to turn to look at Draco.
The blond boy shrugged. He remembered telling her to stay out as long as she wanted, but he wasn't sure how long that would be. Audrey could already be home, or she could still be out. It was hard to say with that girl; she was unpredictable. "Regardless of when she gets back, I wanted to pick up a little something for her," Draco finally spoke up.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. He glanced at his watch for a moment before looking back at Draco. "I'll be waiting here. Go find her something. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
The blond boy nodded, and then turned away from his cousin, trying to think of exactly what to get Audrey at such short notice. He glanced around, debating it over in his head. After a few moments, Draco got an idea that he thought would suit his purpose well- and he was surprised he had never done it before. He pushed his way through the throngs of people and into the local flower shop. Once inside, Draco studied various arrangements of flowers for a moment before selecting one that he believed would be perfect. As he paid the clerk at the counter, he silently prayed that he had picked flowers Audrey liked. He honestly had no idea how he managed to marry the girl and not know what her favorite flowers were.
Hopefully this mix of roses, lilies, carnations, and baby's breath works, he thought silently. And then, how do I even know what all these flowers are?
Draco shook the thought as he strode out of the shop, flowers in hand, making his way back to Artemis. When he found his raven-haired cousin, he noticed a bewildered look upon his face. "What Artemis?"
Artemis shook his head. "Just have an odd feeling about something. Not sure what, but ah well. I'm sure it'll pass." He glanced at the flowers in Draco's hands. "I see you found Audrey's surprise. They're lovely, just like her."
Draco glared at his cousin. "Hey now. That's my wife you're talking about."
Artemis smirked. "I'm not interested in her like that, Draco. You have nothing to worry about; the girl is like family to me," he explained. "Besides, I'm pretty sure a lot of guys would agree."
"Fair enough," Draco sighed. "Now let's get the hell out of here."
Without another word, the boys both Disapparated, and within moments were back in the foyer of Artemis' manor. It was silent, something that neither of them were really expecting. Because of Artemis' younger brothers, there was usually some kind of noise; now, it was dead silent. The two of them exchanged glances, both a bit perturbed by the lack of sounds echoing through the house.
"You go see if Audrey made it home yet, and I'll see if I can find anyone else," Artemis decided.
Draco merely nodded before the two parted ways. He headed upstairs to their bedroom, where he was hoping he would be able to surprise Audrey. The boy opened the door to the room, quietly stepping inside before shutting the door behind him. He glanced around, only to spot Audrey sitting quietly in a chair by the window. She hadn't noticed him enter, and was staring blankly out at the grounds.
Draco cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him. "Oh... hello Draco," she said quietly. She motioned to the chair next to her, silently requesting him to sit. Draco took a seat, before handing her the flowers. Audrey took them with a puzzled look upon her face. "What are these for?"
"I can't buy you flowers?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I never said that," Audrey said quietly. She didn't say anything more for a few moments and then added, "Thank you Draco."
"You're welcome," he responded. Silence fell over them. Audrey wasn't being her usually talkative self, and that bothered Draco a bit. She was never this quiet, unless something was bugging her. "Erm... how did your day with Nicole go? Did you guys have fun?"
Audrey shrugged, setting the flowers in an empty cup that sat on the table next to her chair. "It was alright," she sighed. The girl glanced at her feet before looking back at Draco. "Am I unimportant?"
Draco was taken aback a bit by the question. "No," he answered. "Why?"
"Have you ever had someone close to you not tell you something important, and instead you hear about it through the grapevine?" she went on.
"Of course," Draco sympathized. "I remember this one time Blaise didn't tell me he had hooked up with- never mind that. Forget what I was saying. Anyway, what's going on?"
Audrey took a deep breath, wondering where she should begin. "Well I had gone back to the Burrow with Nicole, because I really wanted to tell Molly and Arthur about the baby. And we get there and as it turns out, Krystie and Fred are getting married because she's pregnant," she explained briefly. "And I heard all of this from Ginny and Hermione."
Draco couldn't resist rolling his eyes. For some reason he was not surprised. "Well... don't let it bother you so much. I know it sucks, but... you've got your own thing going on, you know? Who cares if she didn't tell you? Remember karma? It'll bite her later." When Audrey said nothing, Draco frowned. "I know you're upset, but hey... at least you have me. And Nicole, and Artemis, and the rest of the girls. And you know we all have your back through it all. I'm sure this thing will blow over soon enough, and you'll be able to tell the Weasleys like you want to."
He tried to look into Audrey's eyes but she was still looking at the ground. Draco watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He knew it sucked having things hidden by a best friend, but he was really hoping Audrey would rebound soon, and remember there were other people not hiding secrets from her. She still had people who cared about her, despite recent events, and somehow he was going to remind her of that.
Draco stood, grabbing the girl by her hand, pulling her to her feet as well. He pulled her into his arms in a tight embrace. He held her close, not saying a word. After a few seconds, she hugged him back. He smiled; it wasn't much, but at least she wasn't mad at him. And then he had a thought.
"She is so not going to like how she looks in a dress," he snickered.
Audrey pulled away from him, a small smile on her face as she shook her head. "That's so rude, Draco."
He shrugged. "Just saying. Hell, you're not getting married and you don't like how you look in most things. I can't imagine how it would've been if we had been in that situation."
The smile on her face grew. "Fair enough."
"Say, why don't we forget about them for a bit, and do something else?" Draco suggested with a wink. "Like... find dinner."
Audrey laughed quietly. "Yes. Dinner would be lovely."
Draco took her by the arm, and led the way out of the room. He had accomplished his goal. If there was one thing he certainly didn't mind, it was being the best friend and husband Audrey needed him to be. And today, when she was feeling low, he was glad to be the one to fix that. Even if it was with the thoughts of food and her friend complaining about looking fat in a dress.