Chapter
In Which Zabini is a Bastard, And A Resourceful Friend
"I could safely stretch the amount to eleven thousand galleons, and they would still pay me." Blaise Zabini smirked with a twisted smile, "It's just their kind of inside snoop, funny, family entertainer, totally relatable to the average dad and for the witches, he ages well, his wife does not."
Draco glanced up at him, smirking "You didn't find much use for it?"
"You know what I like to see, that wasn't it." replied Zabini handing Draco a small silvery vial.
"How do you get your hands on such things?" Draco questioned getting up and walking towards his bedroom where he kept his made-to-order pensieve.
"The guy Potter rants about," said Zabini heading out, "Happens to be my mother's fifth husband, the one who managed to escape. Not sure if he'll escape Potter though, he has no subtlety like my mother and may not hesitate to dunk him down the nearest graveyard."
"And he just gave it to you?"Draco asked sounding skeptical
"He owed me." shrugged Zabini, "How do you think he managed to escape from her?"
"Connections, connections."
"Right, by the way, that will be-"
"Blaise, you would put a price on something like this." Draco admonished
"I meant to say it was a birthday present. Knowing how you get all things Potter. Draco really, after all this time."
...x...x...
It was definitely the dining room. A polished wooden table holding a few bowls of steaming dishes. Potter's two boys were sitting around it. The elder was, James Potter had a certain look of arrogance radiating from him as he browsed through a glossy-looking magazine. Albus Potter on the other hand was sleepily spooning porridge into his mouth.
There was a thumping sound coming down the stairs. Potter's only daughter and if rumors could be believed, spoilt child ran down the staircase, followed closely by her father.
"Lily, get back here. I forbid this!" Potter shouted, racing down trying to snatch her hand. What did he think she was, a snitch?
It had been what, two decades since they last met? Draco spied a few silver strands in Potter's otherwise black hair. But other than that he seemed to be fit for his age. If swinging his twenty-year old daughter away from the door was anything to go about.
"Lily!" Potter sounded outraged
"I'm old enough!" the young woman raged.
Albus in the background watched with an amused smile while his elder brother barely paid a second glance to the wrestling duo. He seemed more interested in flipping pages of his magazine.
Potter's wife chose to make an appearance right then. Draco viciously felt pleased, the Weasel girl didn't look as lively as she used to. She might even have gained a few pounds, after leaving her Quidditch playing days behind.
"Ginny, help me!" Potter howled trying to tackle his daughter down.
"Harry, aren't you a little old and Lily too old for such antics?" she looked exasperated
"You're going to break your back dad." Albus chimed in
"Then help me stop her!" Potter snapped
"I'm eating." his son protested
"Daddy!" Lily Potter nudged her father from behind, "It's my life, my choice."
"We can sit down and talk about this."
"We did, but the talking was all done by you!" the woman accused
"He's way too old for you."
"Harry it's her decision." interrupted Weaslette
"Ginny, did you hear his age? He is a decade older than me!"
Albus choked on his food right there, "Eww Lily."
"Don't compare him to you." said Lily trying to extricate herself from her father's grip.
"Lily, please think straight, there are plenty others out there!"
"I am of age dad, I shall do as I please!"
"Ginny, Ginny!"
But the Weasley's attention was now on her elder son.
"James what are you reading?"
...x...x...
Lucius Malfoy flipped through the Daily Prophet while his wife sipped her herbal tea. Narcissa couldn't help noticing the title on the front page, " Savior's Family Drama!" and smaller headlines reading, "Controlling Father?", "James Potter secretly Gay?" and one headline on the Beauty column was dedicated to Mrs Potter, "How to escape the ravages of Age".
"Lucius."
"Yes, Narcissa?"
"What are you reading dear?"
Lucius looked up from his reading with a raised eyebrow, "There is an auction scheduled to take place in Knockturn Alley, 'Cissa, I'm trying to chose the most viable option to travel there."
"Did you read the front?"
"I might have glanced through it. Nowadays I find it more acceptable to simply start from the third page."
"Potter's daughter, you wouldn't know anything about her affair with an older man. A man close to your age, darling?"
Lucius put his paper down, "Are you accusing me of having liaisons with his daughter, 'Cissa?"
"I know how vengeful you can be Lucius. Who is this man you put up to this?"
"An acquaintance." Lucius murmured tasting a sip of his own tea.
"Can you not just let go? Do we need any more trouble at our doorstep?"
"It can hardly be traced back to us, besides he has left for Africa now. It was just a little fooling around."
"For someone his age?" Narcissa raised her eyebrows disdainfully, "With Potter's daughter no less?"
"That brat has made my son's life miserable. Let him experience my position." Lucius seemed unconcerned, before noticing his wife's dark look, "I did little to encourage him."
"Years spent in Azkaban hasn't changed you by much, my dear husband." Narcissa sighed
"Apart from increasing my love for all things pristine." Lucius shuddered slightly.
...x...x...
"I thought this was a birthday present, but you just had to sell it to the daily prophet too, didn't you?" accused Draco
"Hey, it could have been my ex-stepfather as well you know." Blaise defended himself
AN": Please review