Serpents, Weasels and… ferrets?
Rose stood just inside the door, nervously tugging down the sleeves of her magenta coloured dress robes.
"They're going to be here soon!" she called out "everyone's ready right? Please tell me you're ready." She begged as her father lumbered into the room and grumbled "I don't think I'll ever be."
Rose put her hands on her hips, momentarily replacing her nervousness with annoyance. "Are you still going on with that old prejudice against the Malfoys? I've told you, they're good people!"
"Thats not what I meant Rosie, I meant I'm not ready for my little girl to be getting married." her Father told her in a gruff voice, looking slightly downward. He wasn't the best at talking about his emotions.
"Oh daddy!" Rose said exasperatedly and leaned in to give her Dad a warm hug. He wrapped his arms around her and muttered in her ear "...particularly not to a Malfoy." Rose couldn't help but let a giggle escape before pulling away and looking at her father sternly.
"I want you on your best behaviour tonight. This is the first time you and Mom are seeing Scorp's parents since he proposed and I want to make a good impression. So don't make them feel uncomfortable. I don't care what animosity you had towards them in the past, alright?"
"Okay, Okay" the redhead replied with his hands up and then muttered something like "more like her mother everyday" while fixing his robes. Rose barely noticed.
"Mom! Are you ready? They're almost here!" Rose nearly screamed. She could hear the panic in her voice, she needed this night to go perfectly. She knew that their families had misgivings (to put it mildly) about each other but they could get along if they tried. She didn't want anything getting in the way of her and Scorpius.
"Yes dear, I'm right here calm down." Her mom was wearing dress robes in a dark blue colour while her hair was pinned up prettily. "And stop worrying so much, I'll keep your father in line and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are just finishing setting the table."
Rose nodded and tried not to show how nervous she was. She was pretty sure it was her Dad's idea about having the Potters at this dinner, something about him needing Uncle Harry as "backup" but it didn't bother Rose. They were practically her parents anyway. After peering out the front window, Rose finally spotted three slim, figures who had just apparated outside the apparation line. Her heart was beating double time. She knew she shouldn't be this nervous for something as simple as a family dinner but knowing her family it would end in disaster. She briefly considered going for a Calming Draught but by the time she had made her desicion there was a light knock on the door. Rose took a deep breath and opened the door - she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. She smiled warmly at Mr and Mrs Malfoy, Astoria looking quite relaxed while Draco looked quite tense. She welcomed them inside and her mother took over from there.
"Nice to see you all again." she said warmly, giving Astoria a quick hug while Draco and her father merely nodded at each other. The adults followed each other into the dining room and she was left alone with Scorpius.
He wrapped her in a tight embrace and whispered in her year "You look beautiful. I've missed you" She sighed and relaxed into him. His presence always did this to her, it was like all her worries disapparated when she was around him.
They had started dating during their seventh year, having been rivals for most of their lives constantly trying to outdo the other in academics. But once they started studying for OWLS they realised how they actually helped each and how well they worked together. They also realised how much they had in common. And Scorpius was very attractive with his platinum blonde hair and green eyes – basically everything Rose had ever wanted, smart, cute and funny too. When he finally asked her out Rose was incredibly happy and they'd been inseparable ever since.
"I've missed you too." Rose sighed into him before pulling away and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Come on" she said and dragged him towards the dining room. "Let's get this over with."
Ron's Perspective
They were all seated around the table. The Potters with Harry, Ginny, Lily, Albus, James and Teddy Lupin; The Weasleys with him, Hermione, Rose and Hugo; and them. The Malfoys. He guessed Scorpius and Astoria weren't so bad, he didn't really have a problem with them. (Except for the fact that scorpius was trying to steal his little girl away from him but that was a different issue) It was Draco he had a problem with. He had made their lives awful at school, especially for his wife and there was that whole thing of him being a DEATH EATER. What was it Trelawney had always said? When thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die. He kept silently willing Draco to stand up and leave. It wasn't working.
For awhile all he heard was the clink of glasses and the scrape of cutlery.
"The food is wonderful." Astoria said "Did your house-elf make it?" The room went silent, Ron's mouth fell open in shock. He hoped Hermione would give her "the speech" and lay it on thick but he could tell that Rose was silently begging her mom not to say anything.
"Actually, I made it." Hermione with a cool smile. "We don't believe in house-elves working for wizards."
"Oh?" Said Astoria, in polite confusion.
"Actually," interjected Ginny "Hermione founded the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare."
"Well that's a very impressive organisation." Astoria replied "And I assure you that Draco and I have always treated our house elves with the utmost respect. Isn't that right Draco?"
"Yes, of course." Draco replied smoothly.
Harry then coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "Dobby" before Ginny elbowed him in the ribs. Ron grinned and tried to smother his laughter while Draco looked down at his food.
For a few more moments nobody spoke. This was getting increasingly awkward and Ron could tell that Rose was getting worried.
"So Lily, what are your plans for after Hogwarts." Astoria asked kindly.
Lily looked up. "Well right now I'm training to become a registered animagus and then I'm planning on working for the ministry in the Control of Magical Creatures department."
"An animagus? That's interesting. Do you know what form it takes?" asked Draco after a slight pause and a nudge from Astoria.
"Well at this point it looks like I'll be turning into be a ferret." Lily replied.
"You know all about being a ferret don't you Malfoy?" Ron couldn't help himself, it had just slipped out. Hermione always told him he didn't think before he spoke. Rose was glaring daggers at him from across the table and Ginny looked as though she was trying not to laugh while Harry was refusing to make eye contact with him.
There were a few beats of shocked (or in some cases, confused) silence before Draco replied
"Better a Ferret than a Weasel, Weaslbee." Came the snide voice that he had so often heard in his school years.
The tension in the room was thick. Ron felt that he could feel it in the air. Rose looked absolutely mortified and so did Scorpius actually. Astoria just kept looking back and forth at the two men with a confused look on her face.
Harry finally looked over at him and Ron saw that he had been keeping his laugh in the entire time. When they made eye contact, Ron couldn't help himself and started to grin and Harry actually laughed out loud.
Ginny gave Harry a look like she wanted to murder him, until Draco cracked a grin, and soon Ron was laughing and Hermione joined in and so did Draco until the four of them were letting out loud guffaws of laughter, almost crying with the mirth and collapsed, build-up of tension.
Ron couldn't believe it, here he was sitting at dinner with his family and Draco Malfoy and they were all laughing and sharing memories.
Rose's POV
"So that went rather well didn't it?" she asked as she snuggled more into Scorpius' side. It was rather late and they were on the couch listening to the adults voices wafting in from the other room.
"...and then I punched you right in the face!' came the voice of her mother followed by a round of laughter from the dining room.
"What on earth are they talking about?" Scorpius asked, his brow wrinkled.
Rose giggled and shrugged her shoulders "I'm just happy they're all getting along."
"True." said Scorpius and kissed her on the cheek.
"...we show up and neither of you are there and instead is filthy Mrs. Norris! We thought we would be expelled for sure!" came the sound of Uncle Harry's voice.
"Ooh, I was so mad at you two for sneaking out that night!" said her Mom's voice. "And all for nothing!"
"It's not all for nothing." Rose mumbled, half asleep.
"Hmm?" asked Scorpius.
"Our families. We brought them together."
"Yes we did love. Be proud of that. I love you"
"Love you too." mumbled Rose, smiling as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
A/N - Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians :) Hope you enjoyed!