XIV. Tea
Scorpius supposed that he should have known better than to invite Albus round to Malfoy Manor for tea. His mother and grandmother were trying their best to smile and be pleasant, but his father looked horrified to be sharing a table with the Potter spawn whilst his grandfather looked frankly bored.
Albus was sitting opposite Scorpius with his usual dreamy grin on his face, a piece of cake in one hand and a cup of sweet, milky tea clutched in the other. Scorpius' own tea was black with lemon, for he couldn't stand milk or sugar.
Then Albus got one of those looks on his face again and Scorpius realised that he had done something very, very stupid by bringing the boy home with him.
"What a lovely set of tea plates you have, Mrs Malfoy," Albus said to Scorpius' mother.
"Excuse me?" she said, perplexed.
"These plates you put your teacups on," Albus replied. "They're quite lovely. I do like green things. Nothing bad is ever green."
"Except the killing curse," Scorpius' grandfather said snidely. Scorpius could have sworn that he saw his grandmother kicking his grandfather under the table for that remark.
"Albus, those are called saucers, not tea plates," Scorpius muttered into his own cup of tea.
"And the cakes are lovely as well," Albus chirped. "Did you make them, Scorpius?"
"What do you mean, did he make them?" Scorpius' father scoffed. "That's house elf work."
Scorpius, knowing what was coming next, started fiddling with his glasses in agitation and hoping that Albus would shut up.
"Scorpius likes baking," Albus replied. Upon seeing the horrified looks on Scorpius' family's faces he added, "What, didn't you know? Scorpius makes the best cakes."
"I think we'll be having the rest of our tea in the garden," Scorpius said hurriedly as he noticed his grandfather's eyes darkening.
"But I'm comfortable h…"
"We're having our tea in the garden," Scorpius hissed, dragging his friend to his feet.
Albus tripped over the chair-leg, sending the saucer he had been holding flying. It smashed to pieces on the floor.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Malfoy. I appear to have broken one of your tea plates."
Scorpius groaned and hid behind his hair, not wanting to see the looks on his parents' or grandparents' faces. He really, really should have known better than to invite Albus to the house for tea.