07. Giddy
“Alright now, enough is enough. Give it back.” Chester said with a frown holding his hand out waiting for Penelope to hand over the item in question. Except, she did the exact opposite, holding it over her head away from him.
“I don’t think I’m ready to relinquish it just yet. This is priceless. Just think of what I could do with such damning evidence.” she said trying to keep her voice even, but a giggle or two may have seeped in every now and then.
“Come now, Penelope. Don’t make me fight dirty.” he bargained sitting up from his recline position on the chair and moving closer to the couch Penny was currently sitting on.
“Do you’re worst, Scabior.” Penny countered. “Although, after seeing these photos, I doubt there is very much you could do.” She opened the photo album to a page, then turned it as if to show him to prove her point. There on the page was a six year old Chester hugging a kitten. It was adorable, Chester wished the photos had burned with his childhood home. But he supposed they were useful now. Hence is why the damn book was left out in the first place. Childhood pictures were apparently very disarming.
“Challenge accepted.” So much for studying. That effort had long since been abandoned, but that really didn’t matter. Spending time with Penelope was the important part. Chester leaned over and grabbed her ankle, pulling her across the couch closer to him. Penny let out something between a scream and a laugh, before breaking his hold and scrambling away. Chester was just about to try again, when he noticed the sudden change in temperament. Once Penelope made it back to the other side of the couch she wasn’t laughing anymore.
“Hey, everything okay?” he asked as he watched Penelope put the photo album back on the coffee table and pick up her Charms book.
“Yea. Just---you know--sorry.” she waved her hand a bit, forgoing an explanation. Chester would get it. At least she hoped he would understand, he usually did. That's what she liked spending time with him. He never seemed to judge her when she acted a bit odd. And when she gave him the smallest snippet of why, he didn't press, just listened sympathetically. And while he may have thought he was being subtle, Penny noticed that he altered his actions to be more considerate. "We should be studying. Exams are in just over a month."
Oh. Well he could see where the exchange could possibly have triggered some memory. It wasn’t like he’d never done that before. Oops. Chester didn’t know he left such a lasting impression. He got up and moved to the seat next to her, careful to give her space. “You are not the one who should be apologizing. I should. I forgot. I’m sorry.” he said sympathetically. “Forgive me?” he asked holding his hand out to her, palm up, letting her choose whether or not she wanted to be touched.
Penny looked down at Chester's hand and smiled softly. See, that right there is exactly what she was talking about. No pressure, just there, with plenty of space in case she decided she didn't want him there. Letting her make all the moves. She took his hand after a moment. “Of course. It’s not your fault. I need to learn... I just need to remember that you’re not him. That you wouldn’t do anything to me.”
Chester returned her smile, leaning forward to grab the photo album off the table, flipping it back open to the picture she had showed him earlier. “Here.” he said peeling it off the page and offering it to her. “You can have it. Boys with kittens don’t do such cruel things to such pretty girls. Just don’t go around showing people. You’ll ruin my reputation.”
Penny let out a small laugh as she took the picture. “Of course, we couldn't have that. I know the truth though.”
17. Wary
Apparently Penelope had some sort of ex-boyfriend, and he seemed to still be quite attached. He was digging around in Chester’s past and asking all sorts of questions that had answers that needed to stay buried. If Chester didn’t put an end to it soon, everything would fall apart around him. It was unfortunate that he was also some quidditch player that people would instantly notice missing. Completely inconvenient and forced Chester to solve the issue in a different, more complicated manner, which involved him hanging around in places the quidditch player frequented, making it easier for Spinnet to ‘track him down’. Chester was quite confident that Charlie would be cornering him at some point in the near future to deliver some sort of ultimatum.
And for the number of problems he was causing, Charlie certainly didn’t disappoint. “I don’t know what you think you are playing at but you need to leave Penny alone.”
“Pardon?” Chester said feigning ignorance, as he turned to the other man. Gryffindors were so easy to predict.
“What ever mind games you are playing with her, they need to stop now.”
“And if I decline?” Chester asked as he fished something out of his pocket.
“I’m not giving you an option here, Scabior.”
“Here’s the thing, Charles. Before you go making demands, I think you should get your priorities in order.” Chester said forcing a small object into his hand. Unlike Charlie, Chester was offering an option. Spinnet just had to decide who was more important to him.
At first, Charlie wanted nothing to with anything that this man was shoving in his hand, but something about the familiar feel to it that stopped him from dropping it to the ground right then. He flipped it over in his hand a few times. Once he realized it was a ring in his hand he froze. He didn’t want to look down at it. Looking at it would only confirm what he was so hoping he was wrong about, but he couldn’t not look.
In his hand was the gold claddagh ring he was oh so familiar with. Just like the one his sister wore since she got it at seventeen, and his mother wore for as long as he could remember before that. But it wasn’t like claddagh rings were extraordinarily rare. The bastard could have gotten this ring anywhere. He was probably just trying to get a rise out of him. Well Charlie wasn’t going to take the bait. Delilah was a bright witch and an extremely talented dueler. She wouldn’t be bested easily. Charlie said clenching his fist around the ring. “You may be able to intimidate others with your petty games, but not me.”
Chester just smiled, amused by the stand Charlie was making. “Oh? Well in any case, I’ll give you some time to think things over. I’m feeling rather generous today.” he mused clapping Charlie on the shoulder before turning to walk away. “I’ll be in touch.”
Charlie glared in disgust as the other man turned. There was no way. He looked at the ring again, inspecting it a bit closer this time around. His blood ran cold when he noticed the initials engraved on the inside of the ring. His sisters, his mothers, his grandmothers. All there plain as day. Delilah wouldn’t give that up without a fight of epic proportions. If this poor excuse for a man had gotten his filthy hands on it, well, Charlie didn’t want to thing about what sort of situation his sister was in.
He moved without thinking, catching up with the creepy Ravenclaw within seconds, grabbed him by the shoulder to turn him around and punched him solidly in the face. “I thought things over and decided you are a sick son of bitch. You won’t be getting away with any of this.”
Chester wiped at the blood that was tricking from his most likely broken nose, looking at his hand before back up to Charlie. “Bold move, Spinnet.” he said evenly once he had gathered himself. It wasn’t often he was caught so completely off guard. He expected a scene, but not to be out right suckerpunched. It wouldn’t be happening again. “Stupid, but I have to give you points for audacity.” He glanced over Charlie’s shoulder at a paparazzi that had appeared. Could always count on them to catch moments of drama in the lives of famous quidditch players. Tossing a galleon and a tip in their direction didn’t hurt either.
He lowered his voice before speaking again, while covering his mouth with his scarf under the guise of staunching the blood flow. “I do hope Penelope doesn’t see the photos of her ex attacking her friend unprovoked, for no reason at all. Oh...and if you get the chance to return that ring to it’s proper owner, be sure to give her my regards. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to be the bigger man and walk away now.” he said turning away from Charlie leaving him to fume once more.
18. Flustered
"What do you mean you don't have it?" Chester seethed as he balled up his fists atop the display case.
"Just what I said. I don't have it. I sold it." The clerk said nonchalantly shuffling through some papers.
"I told you to hold it for me not even an hour ago! That I would be right back for it."
"Well someone came in and offered me a better price. Should of had your money on you, it was a very nice ring, should of expected it to be popular."
Chester was not going to lean over the counter and hit the man. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, which wasn't working very well. "And you thought that I would be just fine with that. That I wouldn't have offered you even more. You should have told him no and then raised the price on me when I got back. Don't you even know how to run your own business? I had plans for that and you've gone and ruined them."
"Oh, really? Charming some poor girl into listening to your every whim? Classy." the clerk scoffed.
"You don't know anything!" Chester yelled flipping the display case over. "It was bigger than just that!" he pulled his wand and pointed it at the terrified clerks face before turning and storming out of the store. He didn't know anything. That was the only way he could fix things. He didn't realize how having a 'family' could come in handy until after he had gone and called Bess those nasty things. Which were probably true but besides the point. There was no way she would take him back now, months after the fact, with a mere story of a change of heart.
And once he saw that ring, and what it could do, well it was the prefect plan. Because even though he knew she wouldn't want to say yes, she would once she had the ring on.
Chester huffed as he stalked down the street. He didn't need the ring. He certainly didn't need Bess or her bastard child either.
