Marriage Law

AN: This story has over 8000 hits on aff








AN: This story has over 8000 hits on aff.net. I am
overwhelmed and awed that you guys really like this story. Thank you so much.
(I get 8000 reviews and I faint dead away.)

 

The letters I’ve been getting are very helpful. Thaou
ou
all very much. (I’m still a little stunned over the 8000 thing :)

 

To all who signed the guestbook on my website: It cuts off
after so many characters, but still lets you keep typing so everyone’s messages
were cut off, pretty much. Sorry! Any questions can be e-mailed to me. Sometimes
I’m pokey, but I’ll answer them.

 

Heart: I sympathize. If I stay too long on the computer my
cat marches over the keyboard. Maybe I can blame him for my typos?

 

Thank you to Maria, my Russian translator :)

 

Thank you to the various Russian organizations around the
world who publish the menus of their get-togethers online. I have never eaten
ANY of this, so if I do something wrong, tell me.

 

Marriage Law Chapter 21

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So, Charles, you are a cousin of Hermione?” Anna asked
during dinner.

 

“Distantly related,” said Charlie biting into his herring
d. “d. “My mother wanted to make sure she was settling in.”

 

“I understand,” said Anna seriously. “Your law was quite a
shock to us all. Poor Hermione is lucky to have gotten a man like our kind
Severus. It could have been very unpleasant for her.”

 

Charlie choked on his salad and Hermione pounded him on the
back. Severus tried to stare down Charlie. He may have succeeded if Charlie’s
eyes had not been full of tears.

 

“Do be careful,” said Anna laying a hand on Charlie’s
shoulder. “I may have missed a bone or two.”

 

“It’s wonderful,” said Charlie regaining his composure. “I
swallowed the wrong way.” He sipped his water and glanced at Severus. He
imagined Severus thought himself fierce, but he was slightly pink from Anna’s
complement. Charlie snickered into his water.

 

“How long will you be staying?” Pieter asked as he reached
for a plate of chicken kiev.

 

“Probably just the weekend,” said Charlie. “The little ones
will have a fit if I’m gone for too long.”

 

“Do you have many children?” a Ann Anna.

 

“In a way,” said Charlie grinning.

 

“Charles works at the Romanian Dragon Preserve,” said
Severus.

 

“I would like a dragon, please,” said Misha politely.

 

“If you study hard and learn about them maybe one day you
can take care of them as well,” said Charlie seriously.

 

“Fathern I n I have a book on dragons?” asked Misha in
careful English.

 

“I believe there might already be a few in the library,”
said Pieter. “You may look after dinner.” Pieter looked at Charlie with
interest. “Very interesting career path for someone who originated in a country
where dragon breeding is illegal.”

 

“England
is just too small,” said Charlie. “One out of control dragon and its
pandemonium. Romania
is more practical.”

 

“I agree with you,” said Pieter. “But it must have been
difficult for you to study something you have never seen.”

 

“I did my book work at Hogwarts,” said Charlie defensively.
“Professor Kettleburn oversaw my training personally. I spent the summer
between my 6th and 7th years in Romania
on a student intern program.”

 

“I have heard of the internship program,” said Pieter,
raising his eyebrows and reaching for his goblet of wine. “It is very difficult
to get into.”

 

“Is it?” Charlie frowned. “The Professor entered for me. I
didn’t know until two days before end-of-term I was going.”

 

“You must have been an exceptional student,” said Anna
beaming at him.

 

My mother says you are always good at what you love,” said
Charlie shrugging. “I think I just got lucky.”

 

“I want to be lucky, like you,” said Misha, who had been
whispering in Russian to his sisters. They were staring at his bandaged hand in
wide-eyes awe.

 

“Mne khotelos' bi drakona na moi den' rojdenia,” Nadja piped
up.

 

“What?” Hermione whispered to Anna as Pieter seemed to be
gently telling the little one no.

 

“She’d like a dragon for her birthday,” said Anna. “They saw
the fire dancers last winter and she thinks she has found her profession.”

 

“She’s never seen fire dancers,” said Severus reaching for
the chicken. “Is there a performance scheduled anytime soon?”

 

“Sadly, no,” said Anna shaking her head. “Usually in the
winter.”

 

Nadja began speaking in rapid Russian to Charlie who looked
at Hermione for help.

 

“I’m lost,” said Hermione softly.

 

“She’s trying to negotiate for ‘just a little one,’” said
Pieter. “I see politics in the future for this one.” He raised a single eyebrow
at her and she fell silent, but continued to beam at Charlie.

 

“I might be in trouble,” Charlie said under his breath.

 

***

 

Pieter, Charlie, and the three children sang loudly as
Severus poured Hermione a cup of tea after dessert.

 

“I wouldn’t be so bad if they all sang the same song,”
Hermione said to Anna, who was beginning to look annoyed. Severus crossed his
eyes in pain at a particularly high note. Hermione and Anna giggled.

 

“What is all this jesting?” asked Pieter, staggering over to
them. “Does our entertaining amuse you?”

 

“Entertaining,” mused Anna. “Was that what it was? I
suspected you had eaten too much for dinner and had made yourselves sick.”

 

“Of your wonderful cooking, I could never tire of,” said
Pieter.

 

“You-,” began Anna. Then she winced and placed a hand on her
stomach.

 

Severus put his tea cup down and looked at her. Pieter
placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Niet,” said Anna trying to brush away Pieters hand.

 

“Brat rojdaetsia,” Nadja said grabbing Tatiana’s hands and
trying to make her dance.

 

“Niet,” said Tatiana going back to the wooden dragon in
front of her.

 

“Da,” Anna said to Tatiana who looked up from her dragon.

 

“Da?” asked Tatiana who toddled over to Anna. She placed her
small hand on Anna’s stomach and said: “Ooh!” in a surprised little voice.

 

Then she went back to Nadja and joined the victory dance. “Brat!”
Tatiana sang.

 

“Well the girls seem to think it’s a boy,” said Pieter,
smiling. “Upstairs for you.”

 

Anna got to her feet and placed her hand on her husbands
arm.

 

“I think we will see you later,” said Charlie raising his
glass in Anna’s direction.

 

“Good night,” Anna said. “Dinner tomorrow?”

 

“We’ll bring it,” said Hermione quickly.

 

“Make some of those Cornish Pasties,” said Pieter looking
over his shoulder as he escorted Anna of the den. “I haven’t had them since I
was a child.”

 

“Will do,” said Charlie.

 

***

 

The next day Hermione and Charlie worked in the kitchen
making dinner that could be put into the oven and cooked at the Titov’s.

 

“Cherv will do that,” the little elf wailed helplessly,
standing on a chair as Hermione and Charlie swept through the kitchen.

 

“Its fine, Cherv,” said Hermione. “I like cooking.”

 

“You can go tidy up the garden outside,” suggested Charlie.
“The roses could be tidied up a bit.”

 

“My job is kitchen,” insisted Cherv. “Zemlyaa should prune
the garden.”

 

“How many elves live here?” Hermione asked, wondering where
they all were.

 

“I think about 20,” said Cherv. “I do not know for certain.
Should I go suggest Zemlyaa prune the roses and Cherv help her?” He looked
helpful.

 

“That might be a good idea,” said Charlie.

 

Cherv hopped happily to the floor and padded out of the room.

 

“You might end up with more elves, that keeps up,” said
Charlie.

 

“They technically all are freed,” said Hermione. “They can
do as they please.”

 

“Maybe one of their children might want to live with mum,”
said Charlie thoughtfully. “She’d really like it.”

 

“She’d have to give them fair pay,” said Hermione
defensively.

 

“Room, board and food is fair trade,” said Charlie.

 

“That’s not fair!” exclaimed. “That’s indentured servitude!”

 

“Trade is not the same as indentured servitude,” said
Severus, walking in through the fireplace, his arms full of groceries.
“Although I’d hardly call that offer fair.”

 

Hermione and Charlie both looked at Severus annoyed.

 

“What?” he asked setting the bags down on the large wooden
table. “It’s true.”

 

“Did you remember the potatoes?” Hermione asked, reaching
for the bags.

 

“Yes, I remembered the potatoes,” said Severus unpacking the
bags.

 

“Privet,” came a sleepy sounding
voice from the hearth.

 

Hermione turned and saw Pieter entering the kitchen.

 

“Hello, Pieter,” said Hermione. “How is Anna?”

 

“She is sleeping with young Boris,” Pieter said smiling
wearily. “I just awoke myself.”

 

“Congratulations,” said Charlie, his hands deep in a bowl of
dough.

 

“Thank you,” said Pieter. “Although I admit I did not do
much. She is incredible.”

 

Severus smiled softly at his cousin. For the obnoxious git
he was most of the time, he certainly loved his family.

 

“I’ll give you a potion for her,” said Severus. “I thought
she might need it.”

 

“I thought you might,” said Pieter. “I expect she will wake
within the hour.”

 

Severus left the room and Pieter turned to Hermione.

 

“He is a good man,” said Pieter. “A little
emotional, but a good man.”

 

Charlie snorted into his dough. Pieter ignored him. Hermione
was a little surprised, but acted normally as Severus returned to the room with
a red ceramic bottle with a black stopper.

 

“Give her a drink of this every four hours,” said Severus
handing it to Pieter.

 

“How much?” asked Pieter tucking it into his robes.

 

“Depends on how much she thinks she needs,” said Severus.
“Too much and she might get a little silly, but it wont harm her.”

 

“Maybe I should save some for when she’s feeling better,”
said Pieter.

 

“I don’t think you need any help,” said Severus. “Go home.”

 

“Poka,” said Pieter tossing a
handful of Floo Powder into the fire. He stepped into the flames as he waved
goodbye to them.

 

“You just happened to have a post-pregnancy draught?” asked
Charlie conversationally. “That takes a bit of involvement to make.”

 

“Especially a third level one,” said Severus waving his wand
at the potatoes. They zipped out of their jackets and began falling into small
chunks into a large bowl. Carrots came after them.

 

“Wow,” said Charlie, impressed.

 

Hermione was impressed as well. That w dif difficult potion
to brew and most of the ingredients for the higher degrees started to get more
and more expensive. He was a good man, she finally admitted.

 

“Are you done with the translation?” Severus asked Charlie.

 

“Very nearly,” said Charlie. “The part at the bottom gets
kind of vague.”

 

“Typical,” said Severus, slightly annoyed. “Just do the best
you can.”

 

“I don’t know if I can do it by the end of the weekend,”
Charlie admitted.

 

“Can you stay longer?” asked Hermione.

 

“The interns start Monday,” said Charlie. “So the babies
will get plenty of attention. I think I can get Master Gavin to do their
training for me. He owes me a favor.”

 

“Does this mean you can stay longer?” asked Severus, peering
into a small bowl of marinating meat.

 

“I believe so,” said Charlie. “At least until I figure out
that last bit.”

 

“Excellent,” said Hermione. “We wouldn’t be able to do it
without you.”