Chapter 4 - Mother and Daughter
"Lily! Not so fast!"
Aria sighed in exasperation as she weaved her way through the packed, bustling hordes of shoppers in Diagon Alley that afternoon.
Unfortunately, her celebrity status (or her veela allure, for that matter) didn't exactly do Aria any favors in chasing after her vivacious 11-year-old daughter. The people who happened to recognize Aria's face ended up squealing out her name and either blocking her way or chasing after her for an autograph.
Under normal circumstances, having Draco beside her (with him wearing his unwelcoming sneer on his face) was usually enough to deter most people from approaching Aria when they were in public. However, as Draco was still at Flourish & Blotts with Scorpius, Aria had no choice but to forego the usual polite smile she reserved for her overzealous admirers and shoved rudely past them instead so she wouldn't lose sight of Lily in the crowd.
Luckily, the color of Lily's hair was a very distinguishable red.
It wasn't like the ginger-orange shade of red typical of the Weasleys, but it was a very unique velvet red shade - the same shade of hair as Lily's maternal grandmother and namesake — Lily Evans Potter.
To be honest, Aria had been more than a little surprised when she realized this, because she always assumed that all children directly descended from the Malfoy line inherited their classic pale blonde hair; but it seemed that Lily Hyacinth Malfoy (who was already the first girl born from the Malfoy family in more than a century) was determined to prove herself to be an exception in a lot of other things.
Aria's initial reaction about Lily's hair had actually been so evident when she held Lily for the first time that Blaise (who was visiting with the other Slytherins that day) even had the gall to make a tasteless joke by asking Draco if he was sure that Lily was his child — never mind the damn fact that Blaise knew full well that, biologically, it was impossible for a veela to get pregnant by anyone but their mate.
Thankfully, Aria was spared from the need to soothe a fuming Draco (who looked just about ready to curse Blaise's genitals off) when baby Lily had glared up at them, scrunched up her face and began to wail at the top of her lungs — showing them that not only did she have the same rare silver-colored eyes as her father, but she also had her father's nasty temper.
"Mum, what are you waiting for?! Let's go!"
A pale hand suddenly wrapped around Aria's arm, breaking her out of her thoughts. She chuckled as Lily practically lunged at her, dragging her along as she led them through the front entrance of Eeylops Owl Emporium. As soon as they were both inside, Lily immediately let go of Aria's arm and began bouncing excitedly around the shop. She ignored her mother's amused smile and peered through all the rows of cages one by one, her eyes growing wider and wider with each new kind of owl she came across.
"Wow, they all look so pretty! How do I even choose one, Mum?! Can't we get more than one?!" Lily squealed loudly.
"Absolutely not."
Aria situated herself near the front of the shop and exchanged a brief smile with the elderly shop owner who stood behind the cash register. "You can only choose one owl, Lily. Now hurry up and make your choice. Remember, we still have to pass by Ollivander's for your wand. And after that, we have an appointment at Madam Malkin's to get you fitted for your school robes."
Lily made a face at her.
"Awwww…okay, Mum!"
Shaking her head, Aria watched as Lily ran up and down the aisles of cages a few more times over the next few minutes. Every now and then, Lily would stop and frown at one cage with a look of such intense concentration on her face that Aria had to stifle a giggle at how much Lily would suddenly resemble her father whenever she was scowling or deep in thought.
After about fifteen minutes, Lily finally seemed to have made her choice because she beckoned Aria over and led her by her arm to the very last row near the back of the shop. When they reached the last owl cage that was perched on a high pedestal above their heads, Lily tugged on Aria's sleeve and pointed happily to the owl inside.
"I want that one, Mum!"
"You do, huh?"
Aria followed the direction of Lily's finger and glanced up at the owl she was pointing at. When she saw the owl up close, however, Aria stiffened and the smile on her face slowly faltered.
Out of all the owls in the shop, Lily had apparently chosen a beautiful, snowy white owl.
And it looked exactly like Hedwig.
Aria was too stunned to speak, so for the next few seconds she just stood there, flicking her gaze back and forth between Lily and the owl in pained silence.
"Isn't she pretty?!" Lily gushed, completely oblivious to the awkward look on her mother's face as she rocked happily on her heels. "And she looks so smart too! I want her, Mum!"
"Lily."
Aria flinched when she heard the way her voice broke; and she had to clear her throat a few times so she could speak clearly.
"I'm very sorry, sweetheart. But you'll have to choose another owl." She said softly.
"Huh?"
Lily's features creased into a frown. She turned around and gave Aria a confused look. "What do you mean? What's wrong with her?" She asked.
"Nothing's wrong with her." Aria closed her eyes and struggled against the onslaught of bitter, childhood memories that were threatening to break through her emotional defenses. "We just can't get her, okay? Please just choose another owl."
"I don't want another owl!" Lily blurted out, her gray eyes flashing with indignation as she stomped her foot against the floor. "I want this one, Mum! You said I could choose any owl I wanted!"
"I know what I said." Aria hissed back calmly at her through clenched teeth. "Listen to what I'm saying now, Lily."
"But why can't we get this one?!"
"Because we can't, okay?!" Aria rubbed at her temples in growing frustration. "There are a lot of other owls in the shop! Please just choose another one!"
Lily stuck her chin out and glared up at her in stubborn defiance.
"I want this one!"
"I said no, Lily."
"Why not?!"
"Because I said so!"
At that point, Aria had finally lost her patience. When she glanced at Lily again, however, and she saw the way the young girl's face was beginning to crumple with tears, Aria's heart broke and she immediately felt guilty.
"Oh Lils, I'm sorry—"
"This day was supposed to be perfect!" Lily wailed at her, reaching up and angrily wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Why are you ruining it for me?!"
"Sweetheart, please listen to me—"
"No! I don't want to listen! I never want to speak to you ever again!"
"Lily, wait! Please don't go—"
The rest of Aria's pleas died on her lips as a sobbing Lily suddenly tore herself away from her. She spun around on her heel, and stormed as fast as she could out of the shop. Aria watched her go in abashed silence, wincing when the heavy doors of the shop slammed loudly after the young girl's hasty exit.
"Damn it."
With a sigh, Aria stared helplessly at the snowy white owl that Lily had chosen.
Up until that point, the owl had actually been observing their entire exchange from where it was perched inside of its cage. When the owl blinked its big, amber eyes and seemed to hoot reproachfully at her, Aria couldn't help answering it with a defeated smile.
"I know, I know."
She used her wand to levitate the cage off its pedestal.
"I guess you're coming with me then. I should warn you though. Your new owner can be a little melodramatic when she doesn't get her way. I think she gets it from her father." Aria grumbled.
The snowy owl simply tilted its head and gave her another hoot in response.
Some time later, when Aria finally exited Eeylops Owl Emporium, it didn't take her much time to eventually locate her daughter.
Lily was sitting by herself (and looking, for all the world, as though she had just found out that her life was over) in front of Florean Fortescue's, picking sullenly at a small cup of half-melted ice cream. Aria walked over to her and quietly sat herself down into the empty chair across from hers.
When she reached up and placed the owl cage she was carrying onto the table with a soft 'clink', Lily jumped and looked up at her with a startled expression on her face. She flicked her gaze back and forth between Aria and the snowy white owl in front of her in confusion.
"Mum?" She asked uncertainly.
"I'm sorry, Lils." Aria met her daughter's questioning look with a small smile. "I didn't mean to ruin this day for you. I did say you could pick any owl you wanted, so I should have respected your choice."
Lily sniffed in response.
She reached into the owl cage, stroking the snowy white owl's wing and prompting it to give her finger an affection nip. After a long moment of awkward silence, Lily finally looked up and gave Aria a knowing look.
"Is it because she looks like your old owl, Hedwig?" She asked softly.
Aria stiffened, and she blinked a few times at Lily in surprise.
"How did you—"
"I'm sorry." Lily began to cry again and hung her head in shame. "I really did choose an owl that looked like Hedwig because Dad showed me the old pictures you had of her when you were young, and I thought she was really pretty. I didn't realize it would make you mad." She admitted in a meek voice.
"Oh sweetheart, please don't cry. I'm not mad." Aria sighed again.
She reached across the table to cup Lily's cheek, using her thumb to wipe away the stray tear that had fallen from her eyes. When Lily hiccuped a sob and blinked up at her, Aria offered her a rueful grin.
"If anyone should be apologizing right now, it's me. I shouldn't have reacted that way. It was really unfair of me to blame you for something that made me uncomfortable, especially since it had nothing to do with you." Aria grimaced.
Lily gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Aria shifted her gaze and stared at the snowy white owl in front of them with a solemn look on her face.
"Hedwig was…more than just a pet to me. She was the first real friend I ever had, and it still hurts whenever I think about her. I loved her very much. She was family." Aria bit her lip and hastily looked away so that Lily wouldn't notice the mistiness that had formed in her eyes.
"Back when I was living with my muggle relatives, they would always lock me in my room. Hedwig was the only one I had for company. So even though I had no one to talk to during that time, I was never really lonely. To be honest, I don't think I would have made it through my childhood if it wasn't for Hedwig. We've been through a lot together."
Aria pretended to watch a passing group of teenage witches across the street as she discreetly wiped her eyes. As she did this, she failed to notice the way Lily was still watching her, her eyes glassy as she listened intently to her mother's words.
"What happened to her?" Lily whispered.
"She died protecting me." Aria looked up and met Lily's wide-eyed stare with a sad smile. "A group of us were in the air, trying to fly away from a horde of Death Eaters. One of them shot a killing curse at me, and Hedwig — she didn't hesitate. She flew in front of me and blocked it. It happened so fast, so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. I don't even know where she fell so I couldn't go back to find her body."
"I'm sorry, Mum."
Lily stared at her hands for a long time. Eventually, she lifted her head and glanced hesitantly at the snowy owl in front of her.
"I don't want to get this owl if seeing it is just going to make you sad. Let's take her back. I don't mind choosing another one—"
"Nonsense."
Aria cut her off with a shake of her head. She placed a gentle hand on Lily's shoulder, preventing her from standing up.
"I happen to think you made a great choice. Snowy owls are beautiful, loyal, and very smart. Oh and this owl happens to be a 'he', by the way." Aria pushed the owl cage toward Lily.
"Really?" Lily blinked in surprise and stared down at the owl in awe. She reached into the cage again to stroke him on the head. "Are you sure? I can really keep him?"
"You can." Aria smiled and watched as Lily continued to coo and fawn over the owl. "Just promise me that you'll take good care of him, alright? He's your responsibility now."
"I will, Mum! I promise!"
Aria chuckled at her enthusiasm. "What are you going to name him?"
Lily's eyebrows fused together in thought. She eventually nodded to herself and gave Aria a bright smile.
"Seraph!" She chirped.
"That's a nice name." Aria grinned back at her in approval. "Shall we go to Ollivander's to get your wand now? I think your Dad and Scorpius are already waiting for us there."
"Ooh!" Lily hopped off her chair and grabbed the owl cage, hugging it close as she followed Aria down the street. "Can I get a pretty wand with a veela hair core?!"
"It doesn't work that way, Lily. You don't get to choose your wand, the wand chooses you."
"How about a wand made with your veela hair, Mum?! Or maybe your feather?! Scorp said we could have that done!"
Aria let out an exasperated sigh.
"What?! That doesn't even—no."
"But Muuuuum!"
"I said no!"
"You're ruining the day for me again!"
"Gargh!"
Notes: I love a bratty, drama queen little Lily. ❤️
I hope you guys enjoyed this little mother-daughter moment as much as I loved writing it! Until next time, cheers and stay safe!
