Private Message to Pansy Parkinson and Harry Marvolo

[alt_padma]

I hope your hols are off to a good start.

Actually, I sort of have a question that I wish I could ask Draco, only I know he'll not really understand, but I figure you both might be able to answer it without taking it the wrong way. Because I don't really know anyone else whose parents have more than one house, other than the Malfoys.

Erm.

So, my question is...well, you know how Mr Malfoy is always talking about the house in St James' Square? And Parkinson, he stays there sometimes, right, like when you're visiting him?

Well...does Mr Malfoy ever stay there any other times? Like because he's got to stay in New London for, um, meetings or something? And do you think it means anything? Anything else, I mean?

I mean, because.... Well, usually married people don't sleep in separate houses without a reason, right?

Not that the Malfoys are--I mean, there's nothing wrong between them--Mr and Mrs Malfoy, I mean. I just don't know anyone else whose parents need a whole other house to sleep in, I suppose. I mean, I guess Hydra's parents have more than one house, too, don't they, but Auror Lestrange usually only sleeps out because she's doing important work in the field, not because--

Well.

Don't tell Draco I asked. It's not really about his parents at all, I guess. Just parents in general.

Comments

[alt_pansy]

You're right not to ask him straight out, because he would probably take it the wrong way.

I won't tell him you asked.

I think there's lots of reasons why people sometimes stay in separate places. Usually, Lucius stays at St James because he'll be doing business til late, and he doesn't want to be a bother. And sometimes it's because it's more convenient to have me in the St James house when I'm visiting with just him instead of with the whole family, because that's a different sort of visit.

And St James is a Malfoy residence, so it's his family holdings, which makes it more his, and Kensington is more Aunt Narcissa's, so that means that she likes to keep it in a specific way, and have things just so.

And there's the Manor, too, of course.

I know that my mother doesn't always stay with Mr Campbell, my stepfather. Like when she wants to do shopping in New London or go to the theater there or something, she'll stay there for a week. So there's that too.

And I'd imagine there are other reasons too. Like a fight. Or something. But there usually is a reason.

[alt_padma]

But do you know anyone who lives apart because they're always arguing, then? Because, yeah, I can see how someone might say that they've got another place to stay for work, when really it's because they just don't want to...to be under the same roof.

But do people really do that? Or is it just something for the gossip papers?

[alt_pansy]

Well, I don't think it's something people talk about much when it does happen, so that might be why its not heard of much.

I can see why someone might want to not be around someone else when they're fighting, though.