Suffering: Part 5

The Imbalance Part 4

"Yes, your Oliver," Draco repeated, knowing he had gotten her attention now. "Stop," Fleur told him poking him in the ribs. You took a deep breath, letting it fill you and then exhaling.

"My solicitor sent him a letter last week inquiring about boarding fees for Oliver. I was going to pay him to let Oliver stay there. I suppose this is his answer. He's going to use him against me. Letting his girlfriend ride my unicorn," you say as you pace back and forth in front of Draco and Fleur. Even Scorpius was watching your every move, his head moving as you paced.

"Y/N let it go. Everyone rides Oliver. This doesn't mean anything against you," Fleur offered. "It means something to me. Oliver is mine," you said, your jaw tightening.

"At work you say?" you look towards the clock on the wall. "Nope. I'm not going to do it. I will not go up there as angry as I am right now. I will not do it," you tell yourself as you calmly sit behind your desk. Your arms are crossed, lost in thought.

"If you do go up there, don't kill him," Draco said as they left the potions classroom. You will not do it, you will sit right here bouncing your leg with irritation, your arms crossed. A few minutes later as you sat, still thinking about your next move. Severus finally brought the crew in.

"Mama," the girls giggled as they came running into the classroom, their little tiny tennis shoes hitting the stone floor. "Good afternoon, ladies. Looks like someone gave you a treat. How generous of them," you chuckle as you spot their chocolate covered mouths.

"Cupcakes," Severus grinned. "Ahh Professor Flitwick does love a chocolate cupcake. Did he make them dance?" you asked playfully. Suddenly, the girls started hopping around imitating the magic they had seen with little giggles.

"I had a very interesting conversation with Draco about some unknown person riding Oliver," you tell Severus. "Does it matter if he let someone else ride him? Everyone rides Oliver," Severus reminds you softly.

Unable to sit in your chair any longer, you start pacing while the girls take their place behind your desk. With your wandless magic you pull out a piece of paper from the drawer laying it on the desk. The girls pull out their crayons from your drawer, starting to draw on the parchment together.

"It does matter. My solicitor sent him a letter trying to pay for Oliver's boarding fees. I suppose this is his way of telling me to go f.. flip myself," you say, not wanting to swear in front of the girls.

"Could it be that perhaps you are thinking too deeply into this?" Severus asked as he leaned against the potions counter behind the desk.

You made a little funny face to yourself mocking him, "Could it be," you scoffed. His eyes squint at you immediately, checking to see if this is what you wanted at this exact moment.

"Sorry. I'm on one right now. Draco was asking about what happened because his father won't tell him. I sort of let it slip about babies and whatnot, timelines, impatience.

I understand he wants to move on, I get that. But, MY Oliver. My unicorn. I have half a mind to go to the Manor and just take him back. I'll bring him to the grounds until I can find another place for him," you remark, still pacing.

"You hardly have time to care for him," Severus said shaking his head. "Be that as it may, Hagrid would help me. He would never turn down an opportunity to spend time with a magical creature," you remark.

Severus sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. "I understand your irritation, truly I do. But think about the bigger picture here. Is this really worth the potential argument?"

You stopped pacing for a moment, considering his words. There was wisdom there, buried beneath the layers of frustration and hurt you felt. Maybe there was a way to handle this diplomatically, without causing more stress for everyone involved.