Disclaimer: Anything belonging to the benevolent goddess of Hogwarts, JK Rowling is clearly not mine. I own what there is of a plot.

Author's Note: Okay, I said we were going to have the big decider for Harry/Morag/Draco thing. Maybe I was fibbing, you see, I haven't picked yet. It's so difficult. I'm workin' on it!

Dedicated to: my friends. Every single one of 'em.

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Chapter Five: A Family Affair

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What do you do when your boyfriend and his family arrive, and your mother invites them to stay, when you've just said the same to Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys? And what do you say when your aunt is having an affair with…her ex husband?

((a/n: Explanation for the trio and co.'s presence: The Ministry is giving them an expenses-paid holiday, as a sort of 'Thank you, thank you, thank you' for all the things the trio has done))

Well, I'd run like hell. Let's see what Morag does!

~*~

**Morag's POV**

It was mid-afternoon.

I'd been waiting for Harry, Hermione, Ron and his family to arrive for a while now, and anticipating the fireworks when Draco arrived as well.

If I didn't know better, Aunt Lucia planned it…

It was the sort of something she'd do.

Something she'd done the night before! With different people, clearly, but still. I was so annoyed that Mother hadn't asked me first.

I was sunbathing by the lake in the muggle 'bikini' that Aunt Lillias bought me, when I heard Mother calling me.

"Mora, darling, our guests – all of them! – are here, come, come, don't dawdle,"

She could be so annoying at times.

So, I picked up my silk scarf, clasped it at one hip with a brooch Lucia gave me for my birthday, and sauntered back into the house, looking as though I hadn't a care in the world.

Admittedly, the looks on Harry, Draco, and Ron's faces were worth it.

Of course, the thundercloud of my own dear sweet papa (!) definitely put a damper on things.

"Fred," George stage-whispered, "That's muggle clothes!"

"George," Fred stage-whispered back, "I want to go be a muggle!"

That relaxed the atmosphere a little, except for Father, who looked as though he wanted to strangle every teenage boy in the room.

"Morag," Mother beamed. "Won't you show your friends their rooms?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak yet. Motioning for all of them (George, Fred, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Draco) to follow me, I led them up the stairs to the bedchambers.

"Morag, your mother did mention the other 'guests'." Draco said coolly. I tried not to wince.

"She didn't know about them." I told him levelly. "I was in the process of inviting them here – oh, Este! Este!" I broke off to call her; she was coming out of her room. "We've got more guests, I hope you and your aunt don't mind awfully."

Este smiled at me, and at everyone else, though her smile froze a bit when she looked at Draco. "No problem, Morag."

"Hermione, this is your room – Ginny that's yours across the hall," I was pointing out the rooms, "George, Fred, your rooms are joined by a door, we weren't sure if you wanted to share, so you can if you want, both rooms have two single beds, Draco, that's you, and not the one next to that but the next one is you, Harry. Our maids have already brought up your things."

"Whose is the room between mine and Potter's?" Draco demanded. The others were all examining their chambers.

"Mine." I replied.

Draco nodded, entering his room silently.

I wished that I could just curl up and die, but no, I had months left to put up with this.

Hermione and Ginny, at least, looked pleased with their surroundings, if not all of their company. "It's lovely, Morag," Ginny was saying to me. "Where could I get one of those?" she asked, pointing to the bikini I wore.

I beamed at her – having been prepared for that question. "My mother has this lovely habit of buying people gifts when they come to visit – and she'll manage to twist it until it'll be rude to say no. I've been ordered to take you, Hermione and Este shopping."

After the expected gasp and delight, I basked in the glory of being someone other people liked for once.

~*~

**Draco's POV**

Potter. She damn well invited Potter to stay.

I couldn't believe her sometimes. Not only was he a Gryffindor with a crush, he was…he was Potter!

The things I wanted to do to him for even looking at her defied even the Dark Arts.

What truly amazed me was that she didn't seem to care at all.

I saw her in the hallway, with that mudblood, Granger, the Weasley girl, and Este somebody. And my mother. The girls were dressed in muggle clothes – very chic muggle clothes, I had to admit. She looked good, but then she always did.

"Morag," Mother was saying, "I'm so sorry about what my husband did—"

Morag shrugged it off as though it were nothing. "It's not your fault, don't you apologize."

Not a girl to bear a grudge, evidently. I had known that Mother and Father's marriage was strained, I had just ignored it and saw what I wanted to see. I guessed that now I knew one of the reasons why it was so strained.

"Well, I don't want to keep you girls from your fun, off you go now." Mother beamed at them. I was surprised when Granger and Weasley smiled back. Este seemed to be so friendly anyway; it didn't surprise me much when she did.

As Morag passed me, I caught her arm and pulled her over to me. I kissed her there and then, and I admit, it was almost entirely because I wanted to make everyone absolutely certain that Morag Lillith Snape was mine, and mine alone. I didn't see what the other girls made of that, after I kissed her I muttered something unintelligible and walked off in the other direction.

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**Hermione's POV**

The Montaque Mansion was stunning, but it wasn't like I hadn't expected Snape's wife to have only the best. After all, I'd read about her family in a wizarding tome about all the 'great wizarding families'.

I was quite surprised about the whole 'their status as purebloods is something of a gray area, even if they are universally accepted as such', though.

Morag led the way as we went out to her mother's Rolls'. She told us that we would be meeting relatives of hers at the Les chiffons aux Richesses headquarters, because so many of the Montaque family and friends worked there, or in the case of friends, met through it, say at a show or something.

When we arrived there, a woman who introduced herself as Rose Renaldi, one of Les chiffons Aux Richesses' most well known designers, greeted us. Ginny looked amazed – her mother had dreamed of owning a Renaldi creation, and Este was busy talking to Morag's cousin who had somehow managed to tag along, Clayton Thorne.

To Morag's surprise, her aunt Lucia and uncle John – Clayton's father – were both in Lucia's office. They looked very close, like any married couple, and I asked why Morag thought it so odd.

"Because," she said impatiently, "Uncle John is Aunt Lucia's __ex__ husband!"

"Oh." That explained that, then. Clayton was sniggering.

"What do you know that I don't?" Morag rounded on him. "I don't see why you would – I see your mother a whole lot more often than just the occasional summer at the mansion."

That, I felt, was uncalled for, and very typical Slytherin. But, from what Harry had told me, she was probably very stressed out, and I paid particular attention when her hands began to shake.

Clayton, it seemed, didn't like her comment either. "Morag, darling," he drawled urbanely, "surely you realize that you aren't all powerful and all knowing? My parents are having an affair. With each other!"

Morag paused to consider this, putting her hands behind her back. I saw Este's eyes narrow, and realized that I was seeing something very important. I just didn't know what.

~*~

**Este's POV**

The next person we were introduced to was Lang Hyland, one of Morag's many relations. Morganna's infamous cousin Lillias's father. He seemed to be very nice, if a little distant. Morag told me that she'd never known him to be any other way, but that her mother said he used to be warm and friendly, until his wife, Nicolette Hyland, had died. Nicolette Adney-Hyland, apparently one of the most beautiful witches in America, which was where he'd been living.

I got the feeling Morag was something of a gossip. And a starved gossip, too, she'd been probably the most unpopular girl at Hogwarts all last year.

Sometimes, I really felt for her.

Aunt Jenni had told me about the illness that Mrs. Snape had, but she never mentioned that Morag had it too.

Maybe she didn't know, after all, hadn't she said how Mrs. Snape – Morganna – was so proud, that she avoided anyone knowing?

Maybe Morag was like that too.

I figured that must be it.

~*~

**Morganna's POV**

Walking in on my sister and her latest flame wasn't something that I was unused to. It was just…walking in on my sister and her ex-husband was a little different.

As usual, she didn't look embarrassed at all, she just told me to knock louder next time.

The difference was, John didn't look embarrassed either. I guess they really did have some things in common.

I waited until John was out of the room to tell her that she'd left her underwear in Marc Tempscire's bathroom. I figured she wouldn't want her latest lover hearing of past – and not so past – escapades. Lucia was like that, caring and compassionate yet at the same time so very mercenary. Marc and his sister Antonia were means to ends, and nothing more. He knew it, Lucia knew it, and even Antonia worked it out eventually.

I smiled at her.

"John?" I asked, putting all my questions into one little word.

"Maybe our relationship wasn't the big mistake we thought it was." Lucia replied, stretching under the covers.

"You were young." I said simply.

"Morganna," she laughed, "you were much younger than I when you were wed to that icy creature you call a husband. Your marriage has lasted fifteen years."

"I don't claim to have all the answers – we leave that to Sybil Trelawney back at Hogwarts, even if her answers are wrong." I laughed.

~*~

Excerpt from the diary of Gloria Anne Montaque:

Diary,

I've been neglecting you. It's been so long since I last wrote – Mother is pregnant! It is going to be a girl, just as I told you. Little Morganna. Mother told me the name she's selected. Morganna Maria Montaque. She seems like an Anna to me, but I don't say so, since Mother is ever distrustful of Divination.

Mother is the only person that my father has ever loved, or even cared about.

He will betray her, one-day, I know it in my bones. One-day, he won't be able to protect her from himself anymore, and she will suffer the consequences.

I pray that she is strong enough, for that she will be very much alone when that happens*.

Gloria Anne.

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*Unfortunately, Delilah Montaque was not strong enough. Her grave is beside her husband's.

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