Edwina Harris arrived at work and situated herself at her desk, just as she had almost every day for the last twenty five years. The long winter was finally coming to an end, and the warm spring day had put her in an unusually good mood, although few would have noticed the subtle change in her calm facade.
Her morning had passed pleasantly enough as she organized the latest meetings, previewed a legal document, and sent owls to coordinate the next annual board meeting. Mr. Malfoy had only passed through her area once, grabbing an apple along the way as he greeted her with a cheerful good morning. She gave a small smile, thinking that the nice weather had put everyone in a particularly good mood.
The morning mail arrived and Edwina found the invitation to the Hogwarts Improvement Charity Annual Quidditch Match. She began drafting the reply, having little doubt that her employer would wish to attend. He hadn't missed the event for the past five years, and each year he looked forward to the match eagerly. However, this year, Edwina had been informed that Mrs. Malfoy would not be participating. Only a few days ago, young Mr. Malfoy had joyfully announced that his wife was expecting their second child. Edwina had spent much of the week re-arranging Mr. Malfoy's schedule to accommodate him joining his wife for her healer appointments.
It was nearly lunchtime when young Mrs. Malfoy arrived at the office for an unscheduled visit, greeting Edwina with her usual warm smile. It was not uncommon for the witch to stop by between her appointments when she was in the area, and her visits were always a pleasant distraction. She was not quite as thin as she had been when Edwina had first met her but her red hair was just as vibrant, and the confidence and smile had not wavered in the slightest over the past five years.
Her arrival was a pleasant surprise in itself, but what truly brought joy to Edwina's day was seeing the small blond-haired boy who was holding her hand.
The child was barely a toddler, but he was dressed impeccably, his small chin lifted high in the air as surveyed the area, insisting to his mother that he walk on his own instead of being carried. However, when he saw Edwina, he immediately rushed to hide behind his mother's legs.
Edwina placed her quill aside and got up from behind her desk. This was truly a special occasion. It was a known fact that Narcissa Malfoy was made one of the happiest witches on the planet when her grandson was born, and the doting grandmother took every opportunity to babysit the boy. Consequently, the young Mrs. Malfoy's visits to the office were typically without her son.
"Come now, Cassius, don't be shy. I'd like you to say hello to Mrs. Harris," Mrs. Malfoy said sweetly, smiling down at the child. He peered out from behind his mother with wide, hazel eyes. With no small amount of caution, he slowly moved out from behind her and stood tall, attempting to look brave. He was the spitting image of his father at the same age, bringing to mind when Edwina had first met Draco Malfoy so very long ago.
Edwina's gaze softened, and she knelt down on the carpeted floor to meet the young man at his own level. He walked up and looked at her curiously.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy," she said calmly, allowing herself to give the child a genuine smile, a rarity while she was at the office.
He nodded, quite seriously, then, apparently judging her worthy, gave her a smile back. "Hello."
Edwina was delighted.
"Dwina, have you received an owl back from..." she heard, and all three looked up to see Draco Malfoy as he walked out of his office. His question was left unfinished, however, as he saw his family, and a boyish grin immediately brightened his handsome features.
Edwina smiled again upon seeing the joy on her employer's face. It was good to see that the hard-working young man was finally happy and content. She could see the happiness light up his face each time mention was made of his wife. A sense of satisfaction came over her, knowing that she'd played some small part in bringing this about.
He gave his wife a smile as he reached down to scoop up his small son, lifting him into the air and spinning around, causing the child to erupt in a giggle. "Daddy!" the child squealed in delight.
Balancing the toddler on his hip, he leaned over to give his wife a kiss, causing Edwina to avert her gaze politely.
"We were in the area shopping for my mother's birthday gift and I thought we'd stop by to say 'hello'," Mrs. Malfoy explained.
It was such a simple conversation, yet it brought back memories from when Edwina first began working for Lucius Malfoy so many years ago, and she recalled meeting Draco as a child in much the same manner. She didn't listen to the details of what the family talked about, not wanting to intrude on their privacy, yet, she still allowed herself to feel happy for the young man she'd known almost all his life. Seeing the younger Mr. Malfoy with his son had somehow brought a feeling of pride, and a sense of completion for herself professionally.
She was pulled from her thoughts as Draco spoke again. "It's almost lunchtime, perhaps we can go together?" he said to his wife so cheerfully that it warmed Edwina's heart. He turned to glance at his loyal assistant, and she gave a nod, affirming that there was nothing pending that was urgent enough to keep him from his family.
Giving Edwina a warm farewell, the family walked out of the office together. After watching them go, she found herself wiping an uncharacteristic tear from her eye at the simple beauty of the scene she'd just witnessed.
Seating herself back at her desk, Edwina immediately began to reschedule the lunch appointment that Mr. Malfoy was going to miss as a result of the impromptu meeting with his family. But it was hardly a bother. Edwina understood the priority.
With that thought in mind, she decided that it was time to start another personal project, and took out a fresh folder, labeling it carefully. A small smile came to her face as she thought of the little blond boy, so like his father, and realized that this project would likely be the most important of her professional career.
She carefully began planning the project outline with the utmost care. It would likely require her to use every one of her skills and she intended to give unprecedented attention to every detail. She fully expected the task to take several years.
After all, she planned on retiring at some point, and she wanted to take the utmost care in finding her perfect replacement.