This is my first try at fanfiction, so tell me what you think. You'll notice this chapter is told from Astoria's point of view. I did this because the first chapter of any given Harry Potter book is not told from Harry's point of view. Even though Scorpius is in this chapter, he doesn't say anything. I chose Astoria because we never really got to know her. Special thanks to my cat Mojo for making a cameo appearance.
Packing her suitcase, Astoria prayed that this time there would be some real family bonding on this year's family vacation. Last year, Draco harassed Room Service nonstop and Scorpius would not take his eyes off of the Muggle box. And it was not until after they got home that she found out that they had somehow managed to smuggle the entire hotel's supply of towels and fancy soaps into Malfoy Manor.
Astoria loved her Super Deluxe Expanding Suitcase. No matter how many things she packed, the suitcase never got full. She felt that the "Super Deluxe" really gave it something extra. She was a serious over packer. In fact, by the time she had finished, she had packed almost everything she owned. Now all she had to do was get Scorpius' cat into a pet carrier.
This was much more difficult than Astoria thought it would be. Though a normally friendly and well-behaved cat, Mojo despised being picked up and was very claustrophobic. Astoria spent almost an hour wrestling that cat into submission. When all else failed, she had to hit Mojo with a Cheering Charm. She hoped this wouldn't interfere with the Disillusionment Charm, which would be inevitable since the hotel didn't allow pets.
Finally, she checked on how the others were doing. "Draco", she said, "You're not going to need that." Reluctantly, Draco put his Hand of Glory aside. Scorpius was reading issue #212 of The Adventures of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle, which his parents told him to pack in his suitcase for later. "Hurry up!" said Astoria, who realized she had forgotten to pack her makeup bag.
When everyone was ready to go, they turned and faced a plain cardboard box. "Does everybody have their things?" Astoria asked. Draco and Scorpius nodded. "Alright then, on the count of three: one, two, three." Scorpius, Draco, and Astoria all grabbed the box. The box as well as the people holding it immediately began to spin. They spun faster and faster, until it seemed they weren't there at all.
They arrived on a sandy beach behind a tall hotel building. The smell of saltwater and melting popsicles filled the air. As they approached the front entrance, a short man opened the door. Astoria checked her makeup and walked over to the front desk, where an overweight middle-aged woman was sitting. "Excuse me," said Astoria politely. "What do you want?", the woman, who according to her name tag was called Deborah, responded as apathetically as possible. "We would like to check in." said Astoria. Out of nowhere, Mojo mewed loudly. Luckily, Deborah did not seem to notice or care. "Did you reserve a room?", Deborah asked. "Yes." said Astoria. "And who are you?" asked Deborah, unwrapping a candy bar. "Astoria Malfoy", said Astoria. "Malfoy," said Deborah, checking the reservation list. "Oh, there you are. Here are your keys. You are in room 4L." Mojo mewed again. "Do you have an animal with you?" said Deborah with a mouth full of chocolate and peanuts. "No", said Astoria, thinking of an an explanation. "It was Draco." "No it wasn't!" said Draco vehemently. "Fine, it was me." said Astoria, shooting Draco a dirty look. "Whatever.", said Deborah. As they left, Astoria could have sworn she heard Deborah mutter "weirdos" under her breath.
Room 4L was new, spacious, and expensive-looking. Almost immediately, Scorpius turned on the giant flat-screen television and Draco ordered Room Service. 14 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. A redheaded man in a lavender tie was standing in the doorway. "Hello", said the man, "I'm Joe. Who is the wonderful man who ordered the lobster?", he asked. "It was me.", said Draco. "Where's my parsley sprig?", Draco asked in a scandalized tone. "Maybe they forgot it. I'll tell the chef to put a sprig on this lobster. "No," said Draco. "This one is disgusting. I want a new lobster." "Whatever you say." said Joe amiably. "If you need me, I'll be at the spa." said Astoria. She needed a break. Joe turned to leave, then realized he had forgotten something important. Clutching an envelope with what could only be the Hogwarts Code Of Arms, he turned around again and said, "Mr. S. Malfoy, you have a letter."