While You Slept

Lady Countryrose

Ch. 15

The Summer Solstice Gala for funding for Hogwarts came. With that, a three-way glare of different children. Harry glared at the suit that he was forced to wear. While Macbeth shrugged his shoulders and took his suit, before going to change into it. Only to have Hermione glaring at her dress and asked, if she could get another book.

Out of all three, at least with Hermione, she could pay her with books. Macbeth was easy going , but with Harry, he just wants his father. Dorea could see that for herself.

In the end, Dorea wore a lilac dress with lilacs sewn into the dress. Making her have a natural glow. While Charlus wore a white suit with a white rose on his jacket. Along with silver beads making an outline of a rose on his back.

Macbeth had blue forget-me-nots on his suit. Making him have a boyish charm. While Harry wore a burgundy suit with a blood-red rose on his jacket. While Hermione had a mix of blue and purple flowers, nearly interwoven into the dress. Making her look like a fairy princess.

Beth, on the other hand, wore a dress to go with her marigolds. She looked like an exotic woman to behold.

Dorea turned to her family, as they met up at the fireplace. She gave everyone a smile. "We are going to the Malfoy estate. Has everyone remembered what they need to do?"

"The Malfoys are not our friends, but distant relatives. We can be nice, but give nothing away," stated Hermione with a slight huff.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Keep your ears open and report back if someone tries to make a deal."

Macbeth shrugged his shoulders. "Walk the room before eating and act like a goldfish."

Dorea looked at him sadly. She did not remember telling him that.

He smiled at her. "Hermione thought it would be wiser than me trying to engage in things, since I forget how I should act in front of snobs."

Dorea couldn't help but giggle. "Yes, they are quite snobbish."

Beth sighed, "Act like you are above magic and blink at them in distaste. Except for the few you have mentioned that are friends to the Potters."

Charlus chuckled, "I think we are ready, dear." He escorted Beth and Macbeth through the fireplace. Calling out, "Malfoy Manor!" Then they were gone.

Dorea looked at the two that were left with her. "Remember, you will be surrounded by people that will hate you. All because you survived the Dark Lord, Harry. Above all else, don't trust Malfoy or Avery. Along with those that follow them."

"Hermione will be with me, right, Grandma," asked Harry.

Hermione wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I wouldn't dream about leaving your side, Harry."

Dorea smiled, "I think you two will do just fine, but we must go. It isn't proper to be late." She then took them towards the fireplace and called out the address. Within a blink of an eye, they were in Malfoy Manor. Where they were greater not just by the rest of their party, but a house elf.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Lord and Lady Potter. Please, this way." The elf dressed in white with the family coat of arms of the house. As the family followed the elf, they were ushered into a grand size ballroom. The elf led them to the hosts of the ball, then bowed to the owners. "Lord and Lady Potter with their plus four."

Dorea saw the subtle scrunched of Lucius Malfoy's nose. The Potter guests bowed before their hosts. "Thank you for the invitation, Narcissa," smiled Dorea. "You remember Hermione," she waved towards the girl. "And here is Beth, Macbeth and Harry."

Narcissa smiled, "Charm, Aunt Dorea." She waved to the boy next to her. "And this is Draco."

Dorea saw the children having a small face off with each other. Before Draco bowed at them. Then focused on Hermione. "Would you do the honor to dance with me," he asked in a dead toned sounding voice.

Hermione blinked, "I must decline." She had an arm around Macbeth and Harry. "I have promised many dances with my brother and cousin. But thank you for the offer." Before, she led the boys with her, where an elf was leading them to a table.

"Why, I never." Lucius raised his nose. "You have other prospects, Draco."

Dorea saw Draco's eyes watching Hermione in awe. 'She has a young man following her every move, already. Sorry Draco, but until you want to change your ways. She will not see you.'

Narcissa reached over to her husband and patted his hand. "Now, dear, we are raising funds for the school. Where our son will be going in a few years."

"Yes," he grumbled, as he glared down at his son. "He is only going there because I know his godfather will be watching over him." He then looked towards the Potters. "We do hope that you will enjoy yourselves."

Charlus held onto her, while he led, not just her. But Beth towards the table. Where the children had gone off to. Once everyone had found their seats. Each of them sighed in subtle relief.

Hermione leaned towards the table, for everyone to hear. "Is there a reason that he was asking me to dance? It was awful."

Dorea glanced over to see the Malfoys. She noticed that between all three of them. Each one of them had glanced over at their table, at least five times. "Old customs of society, if you danced with a boy. Outside your family, three times. Then you were open to be courted, dear."

"Courted," asked Hermione in fear. "This is not the eighteen hundreds."

Dorea nodded her head. "I agree, dear. Just to let you know, you are free to make your own choices."

The children were talking among themselves, until a shadow came upon their table. Causing everyone to glance up.

Charlus smiled at the shadow man. "Hello, I don't think we have met. I am Charlus Potter." He waved his hand towards her. "This Dorea, my wife."

"I know who you are, Lord Potter," the man edged on. "I had the displeasure of going to school with your son."

Beth turned to the man and glared. "Oh, really, Severus Snape. According to Lily, you were no better."

The man turned his dark eyes towards Beth. His eyes lit up in surprise. "Petunia?"

"It's Beth now, Severus."

Hermione, being the adult in the matter, asked, "What do you mean, you had the displeasure of going to school with our father?"

The man sighed, "He was one of my main bullies, while we were in Hogwarts. He and his friends, that is. He made me lose my friend."

Dorea sighed, "I am sorry for your pain, Mr. Snape." She had heard about him, not just from James and his friends, but also from Lily. "No matter how much we want, we can't pull back time. Otherwise, my son would have gone without quidditch in school."

Beth spoke up after a long silence. "What are you up to these days, Severus?"

The man glanced over the room for a moment. "I am the potions' professor at the school. In a couple of years, I will be the children's teacher."

Beth smiled fondly, "You were always great in potions."

"Yes, but I hadn't thought things through, since I have to deal with dunderheads."

"What are you really here," she asked him. "It sure wasn't to catch up on old times."

Severus sighed, "I wanted to know, why are you here, Petunia? I know for a fact that you don't have magic in your veins. Along with a deep seeded hatred for it."

Dorea felt sorry for the woman. All she wanted was for her to experience the Wizarding World with her son. She had not thought about the other people. 'Come on Dorea, you used to play dirty with these people. After nearly ten years away from society, it has made me weak in their eyes.'

Beth turned towards Severus with a knowing smile. "That may be, but that doesn't change the fact that my son is a magic user."

The man gaped at her for a moment and then bowed. "Please forgive me, I was out of line. Would you like a dance?"

She looked into his eyes and thought about it, and allowed him to dance with her. Dorea was surprised, but was glad that someone was there that Beth knew.

The rest of the night was full of conversations and dancing. Hermione had taken turns with Harry and Macbeth on the dance floor. All the other boys had watched from a distance. Even though Hermione was eight, pure blood society liked to have their options open for their children to marry. But lucky for Hermione's case, she is too much of a mystery for them to take a gamble on her. It was something that Dorea was counting on. She didn't want anyone to force Hermione to marry someone, not without her being in love with them first.

Dorea had also noticed that the Malfoys had kept their eyes on her family. She didn't like it. She knew that the Malfoys had ties with Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Not only that, but she just did not know in what way. But what she had no idea was that Severus could be one of them. But she had noticed how, after a couple of dances, he had made his way to Lucius Malfoy's side.

Dorea knew from her days in Hogwarts that Lucius's father was never a good person. Not unless you had a deal that he could profit from. She had a feeling that Lucius could be the same as his father. She hoped Narcissa could be too much of a Black to bend into the Malfoy whelms.

Dorea looked around for a moment, only to find Narcissa standing next to a man, who was making her uncomfortable. A man, with black hair and pale blue eyes that looked haunting. She knew that the man was crazy and delusional from her days in Hogwarts. Antonin Dolohov, the mad man, Russian.

Dorea shivered as she saw the man look at her. If she was to allow her family to marry her off. He was the one that she was to get married to. But she fell for Charlus Potter instead.

'The best decision I made in my life.' Dorea didn't want to get close to that man again. But she couldn't leave Narcissa with him either. 'Oh, great, I hope I can outwit him yet again.'

Dorea had gotten up from her seat and made her way over to Narcissa. She could feel her uneasiness from the moment she had gotten near. "Narcissa, I love your decorations. I must know who your florist is?"

It was true, the place looked like the flower garden had bloomed inside the manor. Making everything elegantly put together. With a blend of flowers that she had never thought to mingle together.

Narcissa gave her a smile, while her eyes pleaded for help. "Auntie Dorea, it is good to see you." She moved away from Antonin, only to latch onto her.

Antonin gave her a harsh glare. Only to hear him speak in thick Russian. Talking about how she had gotten away from him. Then she saw him look towards the table she had left behind.

"Your granddaughter, she is a swan, in a room of doves." Antonin's thick accent came out. Making Dorea equal parts scared and sick.

"You stay away from her," she growled. "If you come anywhere near her. I will clip something off of you. Something that makes you a man, Antonin."

The man only glared at her. But he walked away. Away from the ballroom as well. She only hoped that he would find his death soon.

"Auntie," gasped Narcissa in fear. "He never makes light of his threats."

"Neither do I," stated Dorea with controlled anger. "What is going on around her?"

Narcissa closed her eyes for a moment. "Ever since the newspaper came out about your growing family. There has been a bidding war on who marries who."

"That was not what my goal was. I wanted the Wizarding World to know, we are very much alive."

Narcissa shook her head. "Unless James wakes up, your grandchildren will not be safe. Especially when they get close to sixteen. If there hasn't been a marriage contract, yet."

Dorea glanced over towards Lucius with fear. "What plan has he come up with?"

"Either to get Draco to be the boys' friends. Or for him to charm the girl." Narcissa looked worried. "I already know that neither of those would work. The girl is intelligent, and the boys would listen to her."

Dorea smiled, "That is very true." She squeezed Narcissa's hand, before she left her side, after seeing Lucius making his way towards them. She will not make things easy for the man. Not when she had an idea of what was going on in the world. She sat down, next to Charlus once more. "Things are going to get worse."

"Why do you say that," asked Charlus. His eyes were watching the room.

"Antonin Dolohov, has eyes for Hermione." Causing Charlus to whip his head towards her. "Not only that, there is a bidding war for the children. Either for friendship or marriage. Especially if James doesn't wake up before their sixteenth birthday."

Charlus did not look happy. He looked ready to kill, just as Dorea had felt. Back when she had faced Antonin Dolohov, earlier.

"Dorea, I really hope you know what you're doing."

"You could always ask Severus for help," Beth had spoken up. "He is excellent at potions."

Dorea sighed, she remembered overhearing the name 'Snape' a few times. Back when, the boys had gone to Hogwarts. They were angry with him being into the Dark Arts, in Slytherin and really great at potions. If she wanted to gather her son to wake up, she was going to need him.

"Beth, you don't owe us anything. But I would like his help." Dorea knew she was slightly begging, but she needed James to wake up. "Do you think that he would help us, if I paid him a great sum?"

Beth glanced over towards where she had seen Severus earlier. Beth then grabbed a glass of wine that was in front of her and drank it. Before she had gotten up and glided, her way over to Severus. After a couple of moments, Severus took Beth on the dance floor, where the two had shared a dance. After the song had ended, the two bowed, and he walked her back to her seat.

Once Severus had left. Beth turned to her with a smile. "St Mungo's, tomorrow, Wednesday at 7 am."

Dorea had let out a soft sigh. She can't wait for her son to come home. She just hoped that it would be soon.