Lily Luna Potter stood at the threshold of the Malfoy Manor, scanning what little her view of the estate was offered to her beyond the black iron gates. But she later realised that the gates were nothing compared to the formidable house that stood at the end of the path. The Manor itself held an air of grandeur and antiquity that was both terrifying and beautiful. Lily wanted to explore the grounds to uncover whatever secrets that it might be holding.
As Lily drew closer to the Manor, she noticed Astoria Malfoy standing on the porch, a smile in place to welcome her guest. Lily wondered what dangers her father had warned her about for she could not see any possible danger surrounding her hostess or the house. Nonetheless, Lily kept her wand ready. He father had promised that she would be excused if she did magic under dire circumstances. Yet, she hoped that she would not have to resort to it.
Astoria watched the scene unfold in the Malfoy gardens from her chambers on the third floor. She had retired to her rooms the moment it was clear that Lily and Scorpius was not returning from their tour around the Malfoy Manor anytime soon. She noted the curious way her son never took his eyes off the Potter heiress as he bent down to placed a kiss on her knuckles but did not dwell on it further for she was being drawn into a memory of another blonde man whose doting affections never wavered from the moment he had unintentionally stumbled upon her in the same gardens during one of their purus sanguis social gatherings. She remembered a younger Draco Malfoy pressed his lips to her knuckles in the darkness, his amused gray eyes fixated on the puzzled expression on her face.
Then strong arms circled her and the smell of sandalwood and ash surrounded her, pulling her from the journey down the past. She knew who the intruder was before she set her blue eyes to him. Their eyes met in a melding of colours, an echo of the tempestuous skies and electric flashes that complimented each other during a lightning storm. Draco planted an affectionate kiss to her temple, refusing to let Astoria slip into darker thoughts of the past just as he had done all these years. Astoria let her eyes drift shut as she savoured the comforting presence that encircled her that reminded one of the secure walls of an impenetrable fortress.
"Our son is looking for you, darling." Draco murmured into her hair. "Your guest is ready to leave."
"Oh is she?" Astoria inquired, stepping away from her husband to straighten her robes.
"Yes, she seems rather eager to leave the dreadful Malfoy Manor." Draco commented dryly.
"You are mistaken, my love." Astoria placed a hand on his cheek. "Lily fits right in. I believe we would be seeing more of her."
"I'm afraid I do not share the similar sentiments."
"Oh don't you worry Draco. Everything would fall into place." Astoria said glancing up at the sky. "The stars have foreseen it."
Draco shook his head at his wife's eccentricity, he had long learned not to question Astoria's various peculiarities. She had proven herself right more than once on many occasions. Draco always held the belief that his wife could defraud the false seer Trelawney that spouted nonsense atop the Hogwarts astronomy tower but she had declined his suggestions to work with the Ministry of Mysteries. Astoria had stayed resolute to her vocation of tending to the sick and cursed as a Healer in St. Mungos. Without proper training with other wizards and witches of similar talents, it was almost unfathomable to Draco how Astoria could see Lily integrating herself into the Malfoy family.
"Lily would make a far better companion for our son than Rose Weasley ever could." Astoria narrowed her eyes at the thought of the ambitious redhead.
"That I could not agree more." Draco placed a kiss to his wife's palm and held it in place against his cheek. He let himself drown in the swirling depths of her blue eyes because only in plunging into the abyss would he find the salvation he needed. More than anything, he craved the gentle caresses that Astoria bestowed upon him for it seemed to rid his mind of the terrors and fears that seem to pervade his consciousness every now and then. The memories of the Dark Lord's regime would slip into his mind sporadically, haunting his every step and terrorizing him in his dreams. Even now within the impervious walls of his home, he held onto a fear that his wife and child would be taken away from him and he would be powerless to stop it just as he was helpless to save the countless men, women, and children that had been tortured and murdered by the Dark Lord.
Astoria observed her husband with perceptive eyes and stepped forward so that she was once again surrounded in Draco's embrace. He held her like a drowning man clutching the piece of wood that was his life buoy. He buried his face in the warmth of her neck and reveled in the feeling of comfort she offered freely within her arms.
There was a soft knock at the door and the couple broke apart. Draco straightened his face into a mask of nonchalance as Astoria opened the door to let their son in. Scorpius looked slightly disheveled and a little miffed.
"Lily is leaving, Mother, she wants to say goodbye."
"I'll be down shortly sweetheart;" Astoria assured her son. She closed the door gently and walked over to her husband. She took Draco's hand and they descended the stairs following their son.
Lily Potter stood at the bottom of the staircase, gazing up at the Malfoy family. Her parents were wrong about the older Malfoy standing before her. He was neither cold nor abusive despite the indifferent demeanor that he gave off when he was under the public eye. In the comforts of his own home, Draco seemed less stiff and the way he gazed at his wife and son was tantamount to any tender expression that Harry saved for Ginny and his children. Draco met her stare with steady gray eyes and gave her a small nod of greeting.
"Oh my dear, you are leaving so early all ready?" Astoria flew down the remaining few steps. "We could arrange for Fiffy to make the table for six tonight if you are not opposed to having dinner with us."
"Oh Mrs. Malfoy, that is too kind of you to offer but I really must be getting back." Lily smiled gracefully. "It is my elder brother's birthday today."
"In that case, you'd better leave soon dear." Astoria hid her disappointment behind ushering Lily out of the hall and into the drawing room where an empty fireplace stood. Narcissa stood by the dark gold carvings of the ancient mantlepiece and gave Lily a warm smile as she came into view.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Malfoy and Mrs. Malfoy for tea." Lily gave Astoria a hug. The movement sent ripples of shock around the entire Malfoy family but they watched on as the women embraced. Then, Lily accomplished another extraordinary feat by flying at Narcissa for a hug, muttering her thanks to the older woman. Narcissa patted the dark haired girl tentatively, afraid that she might attack once more. Scorpius caught a flash of tenderness on his father's face as he watched the scene unfold. Lily favoured Draco with a small smile and stepped into the fireplace. Then she glanced at Scorpius and there was suddenly too little oxygen in the room for the both of them. Scorpius strode forward, oblivious to the warning grimaces that his father and grandmother shot him, and leaned toward Lily, their faces were so close that the tips of their noses grazed each other.
"Travel safely." He whispered before ducking out of the fireplace, leaving Lily with a face painted in a lovely shade of red and the roots of her hair tinted blonde. Scorpius eyed her hair with a smug smile, his gray eyes twinkling with mischief as Lily reverted her hair back to her usual burgundy.
He stood in front of the green flames that engulfed her and continued his watch even as the green flames dissipated into nothingness.
"That was inappropriate Scorpius." His grandmother chastised, her long immaculate fingers were sitting on her hips as she narrowed her dark eyes at her grandson. Scorpius waited for more warnings and lectures to follow but Narcissa seemed to be at a loss for words. She gave Scorpius a shake of her head before striding to the nearest armchair to continue with her letter writing.
Scorpius turned to catch his parents eyeing him with various expressions of contemplation. Astoria was smiling to herself but Draco was frowning. Scorpius raised an eyebrow.
"I hope you know what you're doing. Potter is not an enemy that I want to have." Draco stalked away before Scorpius could retort.
Astoria glanced at the retreating figure of her husband. "Don't worry about your father, Scorpius, he has his reasons for his reservations." Astoria placed a gentle hand on her son's arm. "You know what's best, my darling. I trust that you would make the correct decision."