"Aren't we a little too old for these?" Draco grouched as Hermione gave a squeal of delight before handing him a colorful egg. Sighing, he added the egg into his basket, which was dangerously close to overflowing. Hermione ignored him, bounding off to another bush on the great, rolling lawns of Malfoy Manor, while Draco reluctantly followed. Well, it beats being at school, I guess. After the Valentine Ball and before Easter break, the professors had piled enough homework onto the seventh years to make their heads spin. Even Peeves, who had already been keeping a relatively low profile throughout the course of the year, had made his presence almost nonexistent. Somewhere inside his mind, a little voice reminded him that there was still a stack of homework sitting on the desk in his room, waiting to be done. Hermione wouldn't forget. Egg hunting it is, then.
It wasn't that he didn't like Easter egg hunting; he just didn't like doing them after three hours out in the full glare of the sun. Especially when he was hungry and lunch was supposed to be served thirty minutes ago. But still, he complained as little as possible, for exactly a year ago, Hermione and her friends had been held in the dungeons here, and he owed it to make this year's Easter a happier memory. Plus, it was nice to be back at home again.
Many pairs scoured the vast lawns for the elusive Easter eggs as Hermione, true to her competitive heart, scampered around under the numerous bushes of Malfoy Manor. The blond teenager wondered just how many eggs his mother and father had hidden. Although it had originally been Narcissa's idea for the Malfoys to host an Easter egg hunt this year, Draco was pretty sure that she had intended it for people around Teddy's age. However, Lucius had expressed his thoughtful idea that Draco and Hermione invite their friends over as well, since Teddy, at his age, didn't have many friends besides Gabriel Carrow, the younger brother of the Carrow twins, who was a year older than him.
So Draco, stomach growling, trailed Hermione to the edge of Malfoy Pond where the peacock nests were. Nearby, the inseparable Teddy and Gabe were with Harry and Ginny, poking under some rocks. Greg and Pansy were searching some other bushes, Blaise and Daphne were on the opposite side of the pond, Heather and Zacharias were near the Manor and peeking underneath the porch, and Luna and Rolf were by the trees.
Mercifully, Ron and Romilda were nowhere to be seen. Although Draco had voiced his opinion that those two were not to show their faces on the Manor grounds, he had been outvoted by his parents and Hermione with their "reconciliation" and "forgiveness" nonsense. Such rubbish. He'd rather have invited Bill, Fleur, and Charlie, but Charlie had returned to Romania after the winter holidays, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were spending Easter at Shell Cottage. Draco lamented that Molly Weasley had ended his Aunt Bella, as it certainly provided an obstacle when it came to invites. He certainly couldn't invite Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur without Mrs. Weasley, could he?
Theodore Nott and Graham Montague had brought the Carrow twins, Flora and Hestia, and were also dating them, respectively. They, along with George and Angelina, who had come at Hermione's request as well, were presumably behind the Manor searching for eggs. Percy and Audrey were inside the Manor being "grown-up" and talking with Lucius, Narcissa, Andromeda, Mr. and Mrs. Carrow, Mrs. Goyle, Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson, Mr. and Mrs. Vane, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, Mrs. Zabini and the current Mr. Zabini, and Mr. and Mrs. Montague. Lunch was to be a full-out party, and Draco was not only impatient to eat, but to also show Hermione the ballroom, which, like the library, she was to be kept from until a special day.
He thought she looked especially beautiful today wearing a floral dress that was collared and long-sleeved, perfect for the crisp spring morning. Although he was grateful that so many people had come today so he could have an excuse to show Hermione the ballroom, Draco thanked his lucky stars that Astoria and Trevor weren't here, for they were out on one of their frequent ten-hour dates, and Ron and Romilda were disgusting enough. Surprisingly, though, Draco had struck up conversation with Neville when he had arrived with Hannah, much to Hermione's pleasure. Even better was that Draco actually liked Neville, almost as much as he liked Harry, although he would never admit it to their faces.
"Time's up!" Narcissa Malfoy's voice rang through the dewy grounds, magically amplified by her wand. "Four hours' time is up, so will the contestants bring up their eggs? There will be prized awarded to first, second, and third place!"
Hermione hastily snatched up one last egg that she had found as Narcissa finished her announcement and thrust it into Draco's hands. "I think we've won!" she beamed, and Draco chuckled. "How many do you think we've got?" she asked as they made their way up to where Narcissa was standing.
"I don't know…" Draco began. They reached a small bush marked with a violet hair ribbon that exactly matched the flowers on Hermione's dress. Draco pointed his wand at the bush, and it transfigured into a three more baskets of Easter eggs. "…I haven't had time to count them all." Hermione giggled and picked up two baskets, leaving the last for Draco. Then she asked seriously, "Drake, do you think the others cheated? They could've made duplicates of their eggs!"
Draco grinned as they reached where everyone else was already standing. "You underestimate my mother, Mione. She HATES cheaters. There's no way anyone could fool her." Hermione nodded and then peered around at the others' baskets. Harry, Ginny, Teddy, and Gabe, predictably, had gotten the most eggs, with five baskets, as they had had more people on their team. Ron and Romilda had four baskets as well, and everyone else had two or three baskets filled in varying degrees.
As the grown-ups started counting the eggs under Narcissa's supervision, the "children" were ushered into the Manor by Draco. Hermione followed him as he led them all through winding corridors, sitting rooms, and painting-filled hallways. At last, the group reached a set of double-doors that closely imitated those that guarded the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and Draco pushed them open. Hermione knew she had let out a gasp, but couldn't hear herself, as everyone else had also inhaled air sharply upon seeing the magnificent ballroom of Malfoy Manor.
Again, Hermione felt as if she was in Beauty and the Beast once more, for the windows, the balcony, and the chandelier mimicked the grandeur of those in the cartoon. Two great circular tables were already set up, with Percy and Audrey already sitting at one of them. Draco greeted them politely, and then chose to sit down at the other table, to which everyone else followed suit. Hermione, though, raised her eyebrows at him as she sat down next to him, and Draco got the message. Just because Percy likes to talk a lot doesn't mean you can choose not to sit by him!
Draco feigned innocence as a house-elf asked him what kind of drink he would like. After asking for pumpkin juice, he whispered, "I think Percy and Audrey want to sit with Mother and Father, and Merlin knows I DON'T. Do you want to spend the whole meal listening to them talk about how pink my bum was when I was three?"
Hermione giggled, and replied, "Actually, I think I do, as a matter of fact."
Draco rolled his eyes as Hermione sweetly turned to order her drink. Ginny, who was sitting next to Hermione, grinned knowingly at him. Sticking his tongue out at her, he turned to Zacharias, who was sitting next to him.
"I'm so hungry." he was moaning to Heather. His girlfriend ignored him, caught up in a conversation with Luna, who sat next to her. Rolf was chatting with Neville, and Hannah, unfortunately, was stuck next to Romilda Vane. Before Draco could sympathize with Zacharias, though, a voice on Romilda's other side beat him to it.
"I am, too, Smith. Malfoy, d'you know what we'll be eating?"
Draco stiffened at being addressed by Ron, but feeling Hermione nudge him with her foot, he replied cautiously, "I don't know, Weasley. Mother always surprises us each year, and she makes sure the elves don't tell us. But I can guarantee you, whatever it is, it'll be good."
"I'm sure it will." Harry's voice said kindly from Ginny's other side, although Teddy and Gabe separated the couple. "Even if it weren't, I still wouldn't mind. I'm so hungry that I could eat a whole hippogriff."
"I have some Puking Pastilles." George offered, digging in the pocket of his jeans for some of the infamous treats. Angelina, who sat between him and Ron, rolled her eyes. "George, don't be stupid. All that would do is make them dry-heave. They don't have anything in them to throw up."
George looked disappointed as everyone at the table, even Draco's Slytherin friends, laughed. The Slytherins sat in one continuous line, between George and Harry, and Draco was glad that nothing had erupted between former enemies, especially with George and Graham. Luckily, though, Graham was too far gone to even remember that it was George that had shoved him into the Vanishing Cabinet, although he was very sweet, waiting on Hestia Carrow's hand and foot.
Blaise joined in the conversation first, followed by Daphne, whom Draco was growing fonder of, as Hermione had taken to her immediately when they had greeted each other in the morning. The rest of the Slytherins, even screechy Pansy and monotonous Greg, eventually joined in as well, and soon, the young people were happily chattering with each other with none of the animosity from their history in the past.
At last, the adults came in, headed by Lucius and Narcissa. They made sure their guests were comfortably seated at Percy and Audrey's table, leaving two seats for themselves, before Narcissa waved her wand and a small table appeared by her side.
A hush fell over the room the Malfoy matriarch waved her wand again, producing three large containers that settled gracefully on top of the table, one labeled, "Crystallised Pineapple," another, "Sugar Quills," and the last, "Pink Coconut Ice."
"Now, we have the winners." Narcissa smiled widely at the eager children. "Whoever is first place chooses their prize first. Then second place chooses. And then third place gets whatever is left. However-"
Here, she paused. "-we have a tie for second place! So whichever teams you are, you need to decide on a prize together, and then share it!" An uncomfortable silence fell over the children's table, and Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sharing is caring." she muttered under her breath, making Ginny and Draco snort quietly.
"Let the naming of the victors commence!" Narcissa sang. "First place, Teddy, Gabe, Harry, and Ginny! Congratulations!"
A round of applause went up for the four as they went up to claim their prize. Teddy and Gabe immediately demanded the Sugar Quills, and Harry and Ginny obliged, carrying the container back to their seats. Predictably, the little boys quickly opened the container and snatched up several of the sweets each, but surprisingly, they didn't eat them. Instead, Gabe ran to give one to Flora and Hestia first, and then to the other table to give one to his parents. Teddy toddled over to Andromeda and gave her three, before giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, eliciting "Aww's" from everyone in the room.
While the kids were being their innocent selves, though, Harry and Ginny had taken advantage of their momentary distraction to hurriedly toss Sugar Quills to everyone else at the table, and sighs of relief came as the hungry teenagers were unburdened from the pain in their stomachs. Draco made a mental note to like Harry more than before in the future.
"Second place!" Narcissa continued, a twinkle in her eye, "Goes to Draco and Hermione, as well as Ron and Romilda!"
Enthusiastic applause rang out again, and Hermione, Draco, Romilda, and Ron made their way up to the table. Draco knew he wanted the Pink Coconut Ice, and wondered vaguely if he would have to fight Ron for it. Figuratively, of course.
Loudly, Ron said, "Let's get the Crystallised Pineapple!" Romilda nodded fervently, although she kept glancing behind at Harry, to Ginny's visible irritation.
"I want the Pink Coconut Ice." Draco said evenly, although Hermione shot him a look anyways.
A moment of tension had begun. Narcissa was blinking too much, her smile plastered onto her face. Hermione looked fearfully from Ron to Draco, and then Draco to Ron. Both boys stared each other down, neither seeming to show the least bit of gallantry. Even Teddy and Gabe were quiet throughout this exchange, and Harry said nothing, either. George started to rise from his chair, obviously to make a funny remark to defuse the situation, but Angelina forcefully pulled him back down. Ginny glared daggers at her brother. Romilda gazed fondly at Harry. Lucius looked bored.
"I guess we can take the Pink Coconut Ice." Ron finally said. A sigh of relief was exhaled in Hermione's mind as Ron and Draco carried the container back to their seats. She was irritated, though. Draco, as the host, should've let his guest choose in order to be polite. But he needs to assert that he's in charge here, that this is his home. a small voice said. Hermione pushed both thoughts out of her head. What's done is done. No harm, no foul.
"All right then!" Narcissa called, her voice a bit higher than usual. "Now for third place, the winners of the Crystallised Pineapple, Blaise and Daphne!"
The applause sounded again as Blaise and Daphne went to claim their prize. Hermione, Draco, Ron, and Romilda were passing out the shimmering pink squares of their prize, smoothing over whatever antagonism the boys had felt towards each other before.
"And that's it!" Narcissa cried. With a final wave of her wand, the little table disappeared, and she went to take her seat next to her husband. "Let the Easter meal begin!"
Immediately, about a dozen elves burst in carrying platters, trays, and dishes of delicious food. There seemed to be no particular theme this year, for it seemed everything was being served. The boys dug in greedily, Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs alike, while the girls ate daintily. The adults had pleasant conversation, completely forgetting about Ron and Draco's moment before.
At the teenagers' table, Teddy and Gabe ate quietly, and not much, either, for they were already full from all the sweets they had devoured. Aunt Andie's going to be mad. Draco thought. The rest of the table had bits and pieces of light chatter, such as the rumors about Astoria and Trevor, which Daphne was happy to share her knowledge about, the news that Millicent Bulstrode had gone abroad to pursue her career in Italy, and the Patil twins' new French model boyfriends.
At the end of the meal, Draco was glad that it was finally over. As the Malfoys and Hermione said their goodbyes to the guests, who were strolling out the gates, Draco caught up to Ron for a moment, whispered something to him, and held out his hand. Ron looked hesitant for a moment before shaking it. With a final wave, Draco ran back to rejoin his family.
When the last guests, Blaise and Daphne, left with their families, Hermione spun around to face Draco. "What did you say to Ron?" she asked curiously.
"Draco won't tell you." drawled Lucius, picking up a mewling Crookshanks. "It's probably one of those 'male honor code' things that we men have."
Draco gave his father an appreciative look as Narcissa frowned. "Draco, do tell."
"Do I have to?" he asked childishly, making Hermione laugh.
"Course not, Drake! Just remember, I don't have to tell you anything, either."
Draco glared at his girlfriend for a moment, and then gave in. "Fine. To make a long story short, I thanked Weasel for not embarrassing me for my little stunt, and that I hoped we could actually be friends now."
"And he said yes?" Narcissa asked incredulously.
"Duh, Mother." Draco rolled his eyes. "That's why we shook hands."
"I must say, son, I didn't think you had it in you." Lucius smirked, stroking Crookshanks' soft, fluffy fur.
"You do know me well enough that I wouldn't have done it without an ulterior motive, right?"
"So what's the catch, Drake?" Hermione asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Obviously, I did it to placate your fury.. Y'know, for being rude to Weaselby in the first place."