"Ready Maia?" Her father readjusted his collar one more time before turning to her.
He was wearing black dress robes, his hair neatly slicked back, and his wand hidden by his right sleeve, tucked away in its holster. Maia let her eyes wander of his outfit. She knew her father was a handsome man, he did always bother dressing up even though he wasn't going anywhere, but the dress robes were the most formal wear she had seen so far. It suited him.
Looking away from her father she let her eyes go to the mirror in the hallway, observing herself. She had decided to wear a miniature set of the same dress robes as her father. Her grandmother had been disappointed, but Maia stood tall at 4 feet 5 inches, or 135 centimeters, and her limbs grew faster than her body. Every dress she tried on had made her feel lanky. That was combined with the fact that her weight couldn't keep up with her growth and, even while eating two portions at almost every meal, her frame looked underweight.
Her eyes moved over the pristine dress robes, not a wrinkle to be found, over her face, with her round cheeks and big grey eyes, and to her shoulder-length black hair, which her grandmother had managed to style in neat waves.
She was ready.
"Yes, I'm ready." Turning back to her father she walked towards him with confidence. Tonight, she would meet the rest of her family and she was going to give it her all.
"Don't worry Alphard," her grandmother's voice rang out from the top of the stairway. Fastening her earrings, she walked down the stairs and towards them. "Everyone is going to be happy to see you and finally meet Maia. Worst come to worse we leave a bit earlier."
Her grandmother wore a long black strapless dress, a decorative silver wand-holster on her left arm, and her make-up was done perfectly. Maia had sat in her grandmothers' room watching in wonder while she readied herself, taking note of all of the steps that made her grandmother look the way she did now. The ritual had been fascinating.
"Yes, you are right." Her father sounded confident, but he did move his hand over her shoulder, removing an imaginary speck of dust. "Maia, remember when using the Floo you have to pronounce the words clearly and then throw the powder at your feet."
She nodded at his instructions and gave him a light smirk. They had finally decided she was ready to try and travel with the Floo alone, and tonight was going to be her first try.
"I'll go first, then you, and lastly your grandmother, okay?" Her father continued, giving her a last look before stepping inside the fireplace in the hallway.
Eyes focused on her father she observed every move he made, just to make sure she wasn't going to mess it up. Not tonight.
"Malfoy Manor." Her father spoke clearly, throwing the powder at his feet.
She observed every single switch his body made, searching for the most likely thing to go wrong. Green fire rose from the ground and, in a second, he was gone, just a few ashes laying where he had been before. Her grandmother vanished the ashes and motioned at her to get inside.
Grabbing a hand of the powder she took a breath and repeated the actions of her father.
"Malfoy Manor."
Green flames filled her eyes for a moment and then she landed on both her feet in a different hallway. Stepping out of the fireplace she observed the interior of the house. An all-white entrance hall, decorated with floating candles and snow falling from the ceiling. Her father stood a few steps away from the fireplace, watching her.
"Well done Maia." He smiled at her, clearly pleased. "And on your first try."
She smiled back and heard her grandmother come in behind her. Walking together through the giant doors that led to the ballroom, it seemed like the entrance hall was only the preview.
The ball room was decorated with floating candles, snowflakes, and trees covered in shining decorations. The space was enormous, the floor laid with white marble, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. To the side a choir was playing Yule music on an elevated podium and people were standing around in small groups, talking. The overall colour of their robes was dark, but the room was very light in contrast, a combination of white and gold. A large unlit bonfire was present in the middle of the hall and her eyes stayed on it, intrigued.
Would they be lighting that inside? And how did she get a front row seat?
"Ah, Alphard, so good to see you after all these years." A female voice rang out from the side. The voice belonged to what was undoubtedly Narcissa Malfoy/Black, the hostess of the night.
An elegant silvery silk dress hung from her frame and flowed with every step she took, like water. She had a combination of black and white hair, done up in a beautiful braid, with white pearls intertwined in the black hair and black pearls intertwined in the white hair. Maia had never felt more inadequate.
"Narcissa, it is so nice to see you again. You haven't changed a bit." Her father moved closer to kiss the woman on both cheeks before moving out of the way to gesture at her and her grandmother. "You remember Eloise from the wedding, right?"
"Lady Matthieu, so nice to see you again. You look terrific." And more kisses to the cheek.
"And who is this?" Now the eyes turned to her.
Standing up straight Maia bowed at the waist, not unlike people did before a duelling contest. Without a dress a curtsy would look quite foolish and she was too small to kiss Narcissa on the cheek without jumping or making her bend down. The correct etiquette in this situation was taking a bow.
"Nice to meet you Lady Malfoy. My name is Maia Black, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Looking back up she met the amused eyes of Narcissa Malfoy.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maia." Narcissa turned around and looked towards the left side of the ball room. "Your sister is already here Alphard, she is excited to see you again and meet her niece. I will have to catch up with you later."
Her father took a quick look around the room, before looking back at the hostess. Maia looked around too, curious, but groups of adults blocked her view.
"Of course, Narcissa, let us not take more of your time." Her father replied, lowering his head towards the hostess.
Narcissa nodded back at him and, with quick curtsy towards her and her grandmother, was on her way to greet the next pair of people emerging from the entrance. Maia couldn't help but look at her walk, the elegance and the poise Narcissa exuded was something she could only hope she would one day possess.
Most likely when she had one foot in the grave, she thought, turning back to her father.
He guided them to the furthest side of the ballroom, near the wall, and to a lady with black hair, grey eyes, and with obvious Black features. She looked a bit older than father, but she was undoubtedly his sister. Her dress robes were emerald green and velvet, her hair up in a bun. She stood tall with a glass of mead in her hand and looked out over the crowd with narrowed judging eyes.
When they came into her view she eyed her father first, her grandmother second, and Maia last, before she took the last few steps towards them and spoke.
"Alphard, it is good to see you again." The woman she assumed was Walburga didn't bother with greetings or subtleness. "And is this my niece you've been hiding?"
Blinking Maia decided against not greeting her back. Just because Walburga was high enough in society to speak to people directly, didn't mean she was. Not yet at least.
"Pleasure to meet you aunt Walburga. My name is Maia Black." She bowed again. Coming back up she saw an impressed look cross over her aunt's face. That was good.
"I see you have already started with the lessons on etiquette." Walburga didn't answer her greeting, turning back to her father with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, we did." Her father shot an irritated look at his sister, clearly bothered by her greeting which was left unanswered. Walburga didn't let it bother her and continued talking.
"Good, no matter how hard I tried I could never get my boys to sit down for a lesson on etiquette." She sniffed. "Of course, now one is dead and the other in Azkaban. So, it's not like they'll be needing it anymore."
The silence that followed was deafening and her father broke it.
"I was sad to hear about Sirius, what happened?" And of course, from the heat straight into the fire. Maia stayed silent, knowing this wasn't a conversation to get sucked into. Even her grandmother shot her father a look that said 'what have you done now?'.
"Still not receiving the Daily Prophet in France, Alphard? They did an extensive first page cover story about Sirius going to Azkaban three years ago." Walburga's voice was sharp. She waved her hand condescending as to swat the issue away. Her father replied back immediately.
"I stopped my subscription after I left England, sister." Her father raised his eyebrow and Maia saw her aunt's hand tighten around her glass.
"Right." Walburga was silent for a second before she continued. "Well that blood-traitor…."
Maia imagined that for her father, talking to Walburga was just two siblings talking. He was used to her, but some of the words coming out of her mouth would not regularly be said around normal seven-year-olds.
".. suddenly decided to give up his blood-traitor friends to the Dark Lord anyway, and in the process the Dark Lord gets killed. Had he not killed 12 Muggles - plus one of those useless friends of his - in his attempted escape, and gotten his ass hauled into Azkaban, I would have finished him myself." Walburga crossed both her arms over each other. "Of course, the Minister didn't tell the public Sirius betrayed his pathetic friends, they just convicted him on the killings."
Considering his charges, Maia suddenly wasn't sure if she should be disappointed she wasn't going to meet her cousin. She couldn't care less about twelve Muggles, or even his friends, but there was something to be said about the mental stability of a person that could just betray their friends like that. Better not to get close to such a person.
"You're right, that doesn't sound like Sirius at all." Her father mustered, narrowing his eyes at the floor.
Walburga just shrugged.
"Who knows? I am proud he finally saw the ways of my teaching, but he could have done a better job of it." Walburga raised her hands in another careless gesture. "They say the Potter boy isn't even dead, yet nobody can find him. And get this..."
Her grandmother had long ago fled towards some old friends, but Maia listened attentively to what her aunt was saying, hoping for more information. Sadly, her father changed the topic to the current situations at the English Ministry, and the topic of the war and Sirius was abandoned. The current situation at the English Ministry held no interest for her.
Looking around her she debated if she should make a break for it, like her grandmother. She could not see anyone of her age at this gathering, the closest being what looked like two round toddlers trying to stuff as many bread rolls in their pocket as possible. Maybe running wasn't the best option.
".. still need your daughter to come by the main house for the tapestry to record her on the tree."
She tuned back into the conversation the moment she her herself being mentioned.
"I'm sure we can make an arrangement in the future for her to come by." Her father placed his hand on her shoulder.
Standing up straighter she met the gaze of her aunt, without fear or hesitation. Considering Walburga's judging eyes it wasn't an easy thing to do, but confidence was key in situations like this, or in any situation really.
"She can come by for tea in the future too." Walburga eyed her and Maia didn't blink, keeping eye contact. "She is the only child in the Black family."
The hand on her shoulder tightened, but she didn't dare to break eye contact with her aunt to look at her father. What did that mean?
"Ah well, Sirius might get released, you can never know." Her father replied, his voice resolute.
Walburga broke eye contact first and pointed her gaze towards Maia's father. Maia just blinked and frowned, not sure why her father was hoping for the release of an unstable murderer. Even if they were family.
"I know and after his stunt I might put him back on the tree, but who knows." Walburga eyed Maia up and down. "There might be a better option."
Maia turned back to look her father and he smiled at her, but it seemed forced. She wanted nothing more than to ask what they were talking about, but the conversation went on in a different direction again and now they were talking about her aunt's recent charity donation to St. Mungos. Asking would have been futile anyway, maybe aunt Walburga would have explained, but her father didn't look like he was going to.
Deciding she was going for a drink she broke away from the two siblings, giving them both a quick nod. They just waved her off, conversation still uninterrupted. She made her way to the table with refreshments and took a small glass of which seemed to be placed there for the children.
Sipping her drink, she stuck to the side and looked around to see if she recognised anyone. Her eyes immediately fell on Narcissa and the tall, blond, long haired man that she was dancing with. That had to be her husband, Lucius Malfoy. It surprised Maia how young they both were, both not looking a day over twenty-five, while she knew they must be in their thirties by now.
Narcissa and Lucius danced around the room perfectly, not a step out of place, and they didn't even seem to be paying attention to their feet. Narcissa smiled softly at something Lucius said, Lucius himself smirking at his smiling wife, and if Maia didn't know any better she would say these people hadn't even been at war a few years ago.
The couple separated when the music stopped and with a kiss to his wife's hand Lucius was walking off to the other side of the ballroom, greeting another group of people. She took the last sip out of her glass, placing it on the table to be cleaned up by a house-elf, before taking a few steps towards the blond-haired man. She would not interrupt him in his conversation, but she did want to get the chance to introduce herself to the other host.
Keeping her eye on the long-haired man, she didn't notice another person moving her way before they knocked right into her. Fast reflexes helped her stay grounded, but she did shoot an irritated look to the man that had clearly not been paying attention to anyone below his line of sight.
Asshole.
The dark-haired man shot an irritated look back, taking in her outfit, before resting on her face. When it did his expression turned into nothing but distrust, looking her up and down again. Maia was fully prepared to leave the uneducated man in the dust, picking no apology over tolerating an awkward silence, but he spoke before she could.
"What is your name child?" He looked down at her and from her point of view his large nose almost looked like a bird's beak.
Still she bowed as she was taught before she introduced herself. Just because he was rude didn't mean she had to be. "Maia Black, pleasure to make your acquaintance."
It really wasn't.
Raising her head, she saw he was looking at her again, with a combination of a frown and disgust. What exactly was this man's problem?
"Black?" Was all he said, his voice repulsed. She scowled, if he had an issue with her last name he could take it up with her father and her aunt. Clearly her family wasn't afraid to back down from a fight, hence their population in Azkaban.
"Daughter of Alphard and Sophie Black." She added with a scowl, dismissing him by taking her eyes of his face and looking towards the spot she last saw Lucius. Inside she was debating if she should just walk away, but curiosity got the best of her.
"And you are?" She tried to sound as condescending as possible. Her grandmother hadn't told her about him, he couldn't be that important.
"Severus Snape." Was all he said, reaching out to grab a glass of mead from the table next to them.
She hummed and tried to not let it show, but inside she was frowning. His name didn't sound familiar, so why did he have a problem with her?
"Pleasure." She replied, sounding as disinterested as a child possibly could. It was the last thing any of them said, both of their eyes focused on the people talking and dancing in front of her in silence.
Feeling the annoyance building, she kept her eyes locked on the people in front of her, searching for a blond head. Why wasn't Snape leaving first? Where was Lucius? None of these situations were mentioned in her etiquette lessons, but they had yet to cover interactions with rude people. How was it her fault the man next to her never seemed to have had a lesson in manners?
Suddenly a very blond head made his way towards them. Finally. Lucius's robes where the exact same colour as Narcissa's dress, impressively matching his hair, which was bound by a black silk ribbon, and he had an inviting smile on his face, pointed towards the man next to her. Shocking.
Maia realized that Lucius had also failed to look down twenty inches, or fifty centimeters, and notice her standing next to the rude bird man. Taking a deep breath, she consoled herself by imagining herself taller in the future. She would just have to be patient.
"Severus you came, and here I thought you weren't going to make it." Lucius gave Snape a once over. "Is that old fool Dumbledore working you in an early grave?"
Dumbledore? She shot Snape an interested look. Her father had told her all about his time at Hogwarts and she had her own history lessons, obviously she knew about the famous headmaster. Snape worked at Hogwarts? He didn't look older than twenty-five.
Looking at the rude man in a different light, the conversation between the two grown ups continued.
"I'm fine Lucius. Great party." It was all Snape said before he gave a not so subtle glance towards her. Maia just gave him a deadpan look. What did he think she was? A child? Surely this man didn't teach.
"Ah, and you are?" Lucius gave her a once over and raised his eyebrow. The grin had disappeared from his face already and an extra wall was thrown up. You could take the people out of the war, she thought, but not the war out of the people.
Bowing again she spoke. "My name is Maia Black, daughter of Alphard and Sophie, pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She threw her parents in there just so he could place her correctly. She seriously hoped she wasn't going to receive another dirty look, but Lucius didn't disappoint.
"Ah," his eyes lit up in recognition, "Alphard made it?"
He immediately looked around the room, she followed his line of sight, and his eyes fell on her father and aunt who were still talking, now joined by a wizard in horrid brown robes. She pulled up her nose at that fashion piece. Burn it and drown the ashes.
"I'll go greet them later." It seemed like Lucius wasn't a big fan of the wizard in the brown robes. That or he didn't like her aunt.
"What are you two doing together?" Lucius looked between her and the person she still couldn't believe was an actual teacher at Hogwarts.
"She bumped into me." The deep voice of Snape rang out before she could get a word in. Lucius laughed politely, but she shot a glare towards Snape.
"If you will excuse me," she bowed to Lucius, ignoring the man standing less than a foot away. "I still have others to greet."
Lucius gave her an amused look, clearly recognising the excuse for what it was, but after giving her a nod she walked out of there, not saying another word to Snape. It wasn't like he would recognise it for the insult it was.
Making her way through the ballroom she automatically found her way back to her father and her aunt, all the energy suddenly drained from her body. All she had done was have something to drink and introduce herself to two people, yet it felt like she could sit down and take a nap.
Listening to aunt Walburga explain something about some new kind of legislation at the Ministry, she did her best to pay attention, when a hand suddenly pulled on her robes. Surprised she turned around and she had to look down a few inches before they came into contact with a big, grey eyes. The same colour as hers.
Platinum hair, giant grey eyes, wearing neat dark blue pants and a tiny white blouse. It had to be Draco Malfoy, her cousin.
"Hello." A high voice broke her out of her musings. "I'm Draco. Can you read?"
He kept looking at her while he confirmed her thoughts. Thinking quickly, she answered without hesitation. "Nice to meet you Draco. Yes, I can read. Why do you ask?"
Looking down curiously she observed the small human and his hand gripping her robes. How adorable.
"Can you please read to us?" He made his eyes all big and puppy like and, while she prided herself on not being easily manipulated, she couldn't help but smile back.
"Of course, but I will have to tell my father." She turned to her father and aunt, who were still talking about the Ministry. Walking away to get a refreshment was one thing, but if this was going to take place in a different room it was better for her father to know before he thought he lost her.
Both stopped and looked at her when they got an inkling she wanted to ask them something.
"Father, may I be excused to read to Draco?" She looked at both her father and her aunt.
Smiling her father's eyes moved towards the small boy hidden behind her robes.
"Of course, you may." He addressed her first before turning to the small boy. "Young Draco, how nice to finally meet you. You can call me uncle Alphard."
Draco ducked his head behind her back, before peeking out shyly and looking up. "Okay, uncle."
"Where do you want me to read?" Maia continued, drawing his attention back to her. He clearly had many rejections before he came to talk to her, because the moment she said yes, the toddler had a vice grip on her finger.
Pulling her towards the entrance of the hall, she heard aunt Walburga addressing her father.
"Uncle Alphard? Isn't it more like grandfather?" Her aunt laughed.
"Oh, be quiet Walburga." Maia could almost hear his eyes roll.
Draco was now pulling her out of the ballroom and into the hallway. They walked past a couple of doors until they arrived at a room with the door open. Walking in, there were more children already present, all in tiny formal clothes. Most likely the children of the people attending.
"I found somebody. This is…" And he looked up to her in confusion, never having asked her name.
"My name is Maia Black. I'm your cousin." She grinned down at the little boy as he nodded. Apparently, it was the right answer.
"Sit there." He pointed to a spot against the wall covered in pillows. As soon as she sat down, he picked up a book from the floor and climbed in her lap.
"This one." He told her seriously, pressing the book in her hands.
She nodded back just as serious. "No problem, but how about introductions first?" She directed the question at the other children in the room.
The only girl was quick to come forward. "I'm Pansy Parkinson." She bowed so abruptly Maia thought she was going to fall forward, but Pansy recovered and took a seat on Maia's right.
The rest of the children followed. Blaise Zabini made a perfect bow and sat on her left. Théodore Nott introduced himself next, a head full unruly black hair moving with his nod, and seated himself next to Blaise. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle placed themselves at her shins, but they looked like they just wanted a pillow to fall asleep on, while the other children actually looked interested in the story.
Taking a breath, she opened the book and started at chapter one. The book was about Kass the Kneazle, who made friends with the Holly the Hippogriff, and went on different adventures. Glancing down while reading, she observed the little boy seated on her lap. She was tall for her age, but Draco was rather tiny, fitting just under her chin. If she were to lean forward she would be able to rest her head perfectly on the platinum hairs.
".. and then Kass the Kneazle and Holly the Hippogriff stuck their weapons in the eyes of the mean troll and it died. They left like one big family, in search of their new adventure." She read the last sentence, realising that while she was deep in thought the chapter had ended.
What kind of child story was this? A Kneazle and a Hippogriff killing a troll? She gave the book a confused look before observing the children around her. Five out of six toddlers were luckily already asleep, but the one on her lap hung on by one last thread.
Turning his head so his crown was positioned under her chin, with his cheek against her sternum, he only mumbled a few words before he fell asleep. Just a few words, which he must have heard from Narcissa, since she was the only one with siblings, but they were the words which engraved themselves in Maia's mind.
"Are you my big sister?" And in seconds he was asleep, never hearing her reply.
For a moment everything halted in her mind and at the word sister her head filled with memories and flashes of everything she had tried so desperately to forget. She hadn't been prepared for the little boy to rip it all open. Looking at the innocent four-year-old in her lap in shock, she tried to gather her thoughts and her memories.
He couldn't know, was the only thought left in her head. There was no possibility that he knew. Her hands trembled at her side, not wanting to touch the small child with her filthy hands. He couldn't know.
His only response to her nonverbal reaction, was to hum sleepily and press his face harder into her chest. Her heart was beating so loudly she was surprised he hadn't woken up yet. Swallowing and solidifying her mind, she blinked rapidly to stop the itch in her eyes. A desire slowly began forming in her mind, a desire she hadn't had for a long time.
Could she be? An older sister? Again?
Hope started to seep inside her heart, pushing away her fear. She was better this time, right? She had a good family and magic. If this was truly her second chance, she could be a better big sister and do it right. She could have the family she always wanted now. Her second chance.
Her hands were still shaking a little, but she slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around the small boy in her lap. He moved and for a moment she stopped breathing, afraid to wake him up, and suddenly feeling very insecure. Would he reject her once he was awake? Would he take back his words? Not want her as an older sister?
Nothing happened, just a small smile developing on Draco's face. Her eyes were solely focused on the child in her lap, staring in wonder at his small smile, and she let her arms tighten around him. He made the decision for her.
This was now her little brother and she wasn't going to fail this time. This one was hers and she would protect him. She would be better. Her second chance.
She didn't know how long she stared at his sleeping face, but at some point her eyelids grew heavy. Trying to stay awake as long as possible, she eventually lost herself to sleep, her arms still tightly wrapped around the toddler, both of them oblivious for what was to come.
Alphard Black POV
It had been refreshing to see his family again, more than he thought it would be. The last time he remembered seeing them this extensively was at his wedding. He had almost gotten himself kicked out of the family himself for giving Sirius money when he was disowned, but marrying a beautiful French pureblood had smoothed the greases and refrained Walburga from taking heavy action.
Looking around at the party, Alphard couldn't say any of these people looked unhappy that their Dark Lord was gone. The ambience during the time of their Lords reign was a grim one, and everyone looked less burdened and happier.
Walburga was the one who found Regulus marked dead on the tapestry, and while she agreed with the Dark Lord's views it had been the last drop she needed to disapprove of his methods more. Regulus had been the one death Alphard had truly been sad for. His nephew had been exceptional, and to think they didn't even have his body to bury. No one knew where the Dark Lord had sent him, or even how he died. Just one blink and he had been gone.
It always made him grateful for what he still had. Looking to his right he saw his daughter, who was clearly fully concentrated on looking older than she was, and drinking her juice with enough poise to rival the adults, even if he knew she didn't see it that way.
Dressed in her little robes it made his heart heavy that Sophie had no way of enjoying this. Smiling softly through the small jab to his heart, he made sure he would enjoy it for the both of them.
He missed her so much.
After a dance with Walburga, she left to go back home, and he got into a conversation with Lucius about new investments possibilities when the market was clearly going up. Nobody mentioned why it was going up and before he knew it he had lost track of time. In the middle of a discussion if the prizes for investment in stocks were too much at Gringotts, Narcissa smoothly interrupted them.
Kissing her husband on the cheek, he had never seen a man light up so fast in his life. Surely, he didn't look like that when Sophie was still at his side, right?
"It's getting late you two, most of the people have already left." Looking around at that it seemed she was right. "Can I interest you in a cup of coffee before you go uncle?"
He gave her a small grin. Narcissa was his favorite for a reason.
"That's ok, but I think I'll just find Maia and make our way home. Eloise already left a few hours ago." He looked around to see if he could catch a glimpse of his daughter.
"Oh, that reminds me, you have to tell me where you got those tiny robes, they were just adorable." Leave it to Narcissa to effortlessly continue a conversation.
He grinned at the mention of the little robes.
"It was her opinion that dresses made her look ungraceful, as she is quite tall for her age. She insisted that she would wear the same robes as me, we just had them made in her size." He chuckled. "If there is something she wants nothing else matters anymore. She used to stare at books for hours until they floated down their shelves."
He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sure I'm going grey already."
Lucius just placed his hand on his shoulder. "Fatherhood suits you Alphard. You don't want to know how many times I have taken my eyes off of Draco for one second, and before I know it the whole room is overturned and he is almost failing of the stairs. Sometimes I think he already knows how to Apparate."
They both let out a laugh.
"Speaking of the children, where are they now?" Narcissa noted looking around the ballroom.
It was by pure coincidence that the other group of mothers and fathers, carrying their sleeping children, were just making their way towards the host and hostess, probably to thank them for a wonderful evening, that they heard the question.
"Oh, Draco and Maia are asleep in the play room. We levitated our children as quietly as we could, but it seems like they're not waking up. It was too adorable." Mrs. Goyle fawned while her husband seemed to have no problem carrying the small Hippogriff that was Gregory Goyle.
"I think Zabini made a few pictures when they were all together, I'm sure she'll send us all copies."
That was all it got to get Narcissa giving everyone a nod.
"Well I'm curious to see for myself. Thanks to all of you for such a wonderful night, it was truly and honor to be hosting this year's Yule." And with a small curtsy she was already walking towards the play room.
Alphard quickly bowed to the family's and followed her. Behind him he could hear Lucius thanking them for coming and to have a save trip home, leading the group to the fire place in the entrance hall.
Narcissa was standing in the doorway, one hand on her chest and a look only a mother could have in her eyes. He soon enough had exactly the same look in his eyes.
In the playroom the kids seemed to have made a small island out of pillows. Somehow his daughter had been taken captive on said island, and by the book on her side she had been reading to them all night. Draco had obviously claimed the best seat, his daughters lap, during the reading, both of them now asleep.
His daughters' arms were tightly wrapped around the little boy, but he didn't seem to mind, even leaning into the embrace. His daughters head was tilted in a way he knew was going to hurt in the morning, but she also didn't seem to mind, peacefully asleep.
From his left he could hear Lucius calling his house elf to bring him a camera. He almost wished he had brought his along, not caring about how rude that would have been.
Alphard let out a tiny smile, it was clear his daughter was not influencing him with her priority for everything to do with etiquette.
"They are just too cute." Narcissa whispered.
He nodded, he had to agree.
"That is not an easy book to read." Narcissa noted, gesturing towards the book the children had chosen as reading material. Kass the Kneazle. It wasn't first grade literature, but it was not usually read by seven-year-olds.
"Maia likes learning. As far as I can tell she is absolutely destroying everyone's expectations." He moved his hand through his hair.
"Last week I had her ask me if, when I deem her capable enough in both French and English, if I could find her a tutor to teach her Latin. What kid is interested in learning Latin?" He whispered, and when it started he couldn't stop.
Eloise wasn't concerned, more excited about Maia's academic prowess, but it did bother him.
"She seems to not hold interest for playing unless it's some kind of puzzle. I even found her reading some old book about the comparison of tactics of the Goblin War in 1632 and to the Giants Dispute in 1765. What kind of seven-year-old reads that? Even I yawn only thinking about it."
Narcissa just looked at him as he let everything out, and something about the look she gave him made him comfortable enough to keep going.
"I don't even push her to do anything. Did you know that in preparation for this evening she doubled all her etiquette lessons so she would make a good impression on her family? Not that she took out anything else from her schedule, she just played less. Honestly I don't know what to do sometimes." In a moment of weakness, he would deny if ever asked about it, he asked her a question which had been on his mind for quite some time.
"You don't think I'm a bad father, do you?"
Narcissa looked him straight in the eyes before answering.
"No, you are a great father, Alphard. No bad father worries that much about their children." She looked back into the room, where Lucius was taking pictures of said children.
"I sometimes worry just as much as you do now. Draco is the heir of Malfoy, with that comes a lot of expectations. I want nothing more than just hide him from the world to keep him save, but, at some point, we have to recognize that our children aren't us. They have their own feelings, preferences, and joys. We can't decide everything for them; what to like, what not to like, or to run away from everything that terrifies us. The only thing we can do is guide them with our experience and make sure they have someone to fall back on. They have to make their own mistakes to learn from, even if that terrifies us."
Alphard smirked softly. Everything his niece was saying was true. It was probably the same advice Sophie would have given him on the matter.
"You're right." He said, eyes now back on the children. "Maia is so smart and pushes herself so much it terrifies me she is going to burn out at eight. But as long as she is happy I will let her decide her own pace, keep calling more tutors, and catch her if she falls." He looked back at his niece. "Thank you Narcissa, you really know what you're doing."
She flipped her now loose hair over her shoulder. "Of course I do."
"How about we arrange some play dates?" Lucius budded in.
Done with taking pictures Lucius found no shame in having listened to every word of their conversation.
"Draco has already asserted his dominance over his own age group and I think someone older, that isn't quick to give him everything he wants, would be good for him." Lucius continued.
"Dear, you spoil him rotten." Narcissa dryly noted. Lucius pretended like he didn't hear and kept looking at him.
"Yeah, I think it would be a great idea to let her play with some more people in her age group." He chuckled reminding their previous attempt. It had failed almost spectacularly.
"We will send an owl with an invitation for a tea party." Narcissa nodded.
Alphard nodded back. Maia was going to love Narcissa, and if all the etiquette lessons had done anything Narcissa was going to love his little girl.