Disclaimer: I own none of this Harry Potter stuff, anything you recognize from the books or the movies is not mine. I can only claim the spell, the club, and Tric (and her family).
AN: None of this is Betaed, I'm the only one who's edited it so sorry for any mistakes.
Chapter 8: Spying For Kids
A short while later Tric pulled into a nicely trimmed driveway leading up to a cozy, modest house situated in Greenwich Village. Grabbing her purse and Draco's keys she took a bracing breath and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a short teenaged girl wearing jeans and a bright green tee shirt who looked to be about 13, 14 at the oldest.
"Hey Squirt, Happy Birthday!"
"Come in Tric, how long can you stay tonight?"
"Ah, well. I've got work but if you don't tell them I'll take you with to meet Mark."
"Really?"
"Yes, and he's a push over so if you ask he'll let you have a movie marathon at our flat. If you ask nice enough you could even get a sleep over with pizza and cake."
"Awesome."
"Rose, is that Patricia at the door?"
"Yes, Mum."
"Well let her in."
The sisters walked through the house into the dining room where the table was set for four. Sitting at the head of the table was their father; Rose had some of his features but the family resemblance wasn't passed to Tric, possibly the only thing she had from him was dark hair. A woman who looked like an older and more sedate version of Tric but with sandy blonde hair carried the last dish in from the kitchen and motioned for the girls to sit down.
After a long dinner filled with meaningless small talk and occasional thinly veiled jabs at Tric's 'lifestyle choices' the family retired to the sitting room where a pile of gifts awaited Rose. They were eventually revealed to be mostly clothes, jewelry, and books. Of the piles of books there were a few fictional Muggle novels but the majority of the books were Wizarding books on every topic imaginable. There were a few self-inking quills and extra packets of parchment mixed in, just in case. The Hill parents provided well for their lovely, Ravenclaw, daughter who was entering her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this September.
Their older daughter never got much for her birthday any more. Not only did she wear atrocious black stuff that didn't deserve to be called clothes or make-up but she had also run away from home when she was just fifteen. And she claimed they neglected her in favor of her sister! Well if she had been good at anything they might have paid her more attention. They of course didn't know that she had both worked in the evenings and gone to high school during the day and still managed to graduate a year early with top scores. She and Mark currently had a savings account set aside to pay for her to go to University next year.
"Well, I have a gift for Rose back at my flat. I've also got plans for a nice movie marathon. She can choose the movies. So I was hoping that she could pack a bag with a change of clothes and I could bring her back tomorrow afternoon."
"I don't know. It's getting late and Angel isn't the safest area for a young lady" blustered their father.
"Yes, how can we be sure our Rose will be safe? You're not the most responsible person Patricia," their mother berated.
"We'll be safe in the car and you just have to take the lift up to my flat. She'll be staying inside with the doors locked all night, nothing will happen. I can have her call you as soon as she gets in the door."
"Please let me go. I don't get to see Tric that often and I see her even less during the school year. I promise to be careful and call right away," Rose begged with better results.
"Oh, alright, dear. Make sure to call us as soon as you get there. And if you want to leave you can call your father to pick you up at any time."
"Thanks." Rose rushed to pack a bag and soon the sisters were darting out the door, waving a hurried goodbye.
"So, talk to me about your world, Squirt. I want all the news. What have I missed?"
"Well, the war was officially declared over a couple months ago. Harry Potter killed You-Know-Who for the last time and the Aurors captured the rest of the Death Eaters. Draco Malfoy is still missing, but Harry's decided to focus all his efforts on finding him, now that You-Know-Who is dead, so it won't be long before they find him…" Rose continued with her monologue while Tric focused mostly on the road and only half listened to the rest.
With Ron's planning they had eventually decided that they should go back to the club without Blaise and Pansy first, to see if they received a different reaction. This led to a good old-fashioned Golden Trio adventure. It was further decided that Hermione would follow Tric back to wherever she lived under the invisibility cloak once the club closed, neither of the boys wanted to risk seeing something they shouldn't in her home.
Which was how they ended up arriving right as the club opened that night and sat in a booth, shocked beyond all belief, staring at the man behind the bar. They hadn't expected Draco Malfoy, known as an extreme coward, to come back to work until he could be sure that they weren't coming back. Their staring was blatantly obvious as there were only a handful of other patrons so far.
Ron was far too uncomfortable to stay still, all this staring and waiting. So he got up and walked towards the bathrooms, just as he passed the bar the employee exit opened to admit Tric and a young girl.
"Tric, Honey, we don't have room for another stray in our flat."
"Relax, this is Squirt. Today's her birthday so I brought her home. I'm taking her back tomorrow afternoon."
"Do your parents know?"
"Yes, just let her call them when you guys get home. And don't tell them we live together."
"Hey Rose, I'm Mark. Most of what your sister's told you about me is probably lies."
"Oh, so you're not the perfect gentleman, boyfriend, roommate, and lover? Was the part where you're paying for most of her University a lie too?" Squirt smirked up at Draco and watched as a faint blush crossed his cheeks.
"Okay so she hasn't lied all that much."
"Well in that case she also told me you're a push over whose going to host me an all night movie marathon with pizza and cake tonight."
Glaring at Tric Draco nodded his head and stated, "I've been known to host such events on occasion. If we leave now we can stop by the movie rental before it closes."
"Alright!" Turning to leave Squirt glanced around at the club. "Is that Harry Potter?" She darted over to Harry and Hermione's booth asking for an autograph. Ron noticed that Mark wasn't surprised that she wanted Harry's signature, most of the other people in the club were looking around to see who was so famous. As the girl ran back to him Mark pasted a look of puzzlement on his face.
"Why on earth did you want that guy's autograph?"
"Oh, uh, he went to my school. And he's a hero there, saved the school from some stuff," she awkwardly explained. It was clear to Ron that she was a young witch who thought she was talking to a Muggle.
"Well, whatever, bye Honey," Mark winked at Tric as he motioned for Squirt to follow him out.
After heading back to the booth where he'd left his friends Ron relayed what he had seen and heard. They decided to leave, share the memories with Pansy and Blaise, and come back another day.
