A/N - Sorry for the late post. I honestly forgot when I got home from work. Long day and all.
Anyway, here's the final chapter. Kisses and cuddles to everyone who took the time to read, follow, favorite or review.
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Reg and Sirius watched Harry and Draco chat while some of the biggest gossips snuck up to the group. When the look of discovery crossed their features, the two brothers began to walk the short distance to their cousin. Narcissa seemed frozen in shock since Draco and his family appeared.
The brothers appreciated how perfectly Scorpius fit into the family. The reaction to the media was spot on for a Black and Sirius was particularly proud at how well Scorpius handled everything. In less than five minutes, he had the media eating out of his little hand with only a toothy grin. The miniature dress robes were obviously an exact version of what Draco wore and screamed who the little boy was. As if there was any doubt for the platinum blond boy, "Pansy did a good job."
"Yeah she did. I think Rosier and Bulstrode really gave us a boost. They cannot not snoop." Reg said as they reached Narcissa. The pair split and stepped to each side of their cousin. Not that she noticed. Right after the pair arrived, the whispers of the ring and broach reached their cousin's ears, "No, he wouldn't do that to me."
Reg snorted, "He did nothing to you Narcissa. He's living his life." Reg's hand smoothly took Narcissa's arm and held firm when she attempted to step away.
"Of course he did this to me. How could he have a child with that woman? She's nothing like what a Malfoy wife should be." Sirius sighed and almost silenced Narcissa but promised Draco he wouldn't right away. "The Greengrass chit would have been a much better option, I mean look at how frumpy that woman looks!" In reality Hermione looked beautiful.
"Narcissa, it would be in your best interest to not say much more about her in that way. Lord Malfoy is rather protective of Lady Malfoy." Narcissa stiffened at that, "Their son is a marvel, Hermione complains she sees nothing of herself in him. I do agree he's just like his father. Watch him for a moment Narcissa. He is as much a Black as a Malfoy." Narcissa silently watched the little boy who eerily resembled his father for longer than the brothers expected.
She wondered if maybe that woman wasn't the mother. How could that adorable boy come from her? He couldn't, or so Narcissa answered in her mind. "Maybe Draco wants her, but he obviously found someone appropriate to be the mother of his son. Not the best, but better than a half-blood." The two men standing on either side each inhaled sharply and looked at the other.
"Narcissa, Hermione is Scorpius's mother. And whatever relationship you might have with the family is teetering on the edge of nothing. Draco will not allow you to be part of Scorp's life if you continue to say those things about Hermione. She is Lady Malfoy and you need to move on." Reg stepped away knowing Sirius would keep Narcissa under control until the time was right.
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The first hour went quickly for the returning family. Suddenly Reg appeared and announced dinner was served. He led the Malfoy family along with Scorp's godparents to the head table. In addition to Reg, the final two seats were taken by Sirius and Remus. Narcissa didn't even realize there was no seat for her until Aster led her to another table.
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Once everyone was seated, Draco stood and Scorpius didn't like it. Was his dad leaving him? Scorp quickly looked at his mum and saw her smiling, but she looked unhappy. Leaning to see her face a bit closer, he saw the smile wasn't what she looked like when happy. As his focus on her intensified, it dawned on him, his mum's smile was fake.
The baby immediately knew he needed to do something drastic to not be put to bed. When Mum looked like that her next comment was always about it being time to remove all happiness and warmth from her child and stick him in the cot. Sitting straight and turning his attention to Draco, Scorp quickly called out, "Dada Up!" Lifting his arms, Scorpius got a smile from his dad and was taken from his seat into the waiting arms of his hero. Scorpius let out a sigh, he was safe now. He wrapped his arms around his Dad's neck and looked at everyone watching him.
"Hello, I appreciate all of you attending this last minute dinner. It means a lot to me and my family. As you heard Scorpius here, he is my son. Today is his first birthday, Hermione —" when Draco said her name, Hermione stood with Draco wrapping his free arm around her, "—and I thought it would be a perfect time for him to make his first public appearance." The cameras started to go off once more and Scorpius again whipped around to face the fun lights.
Draco smiled as widely as his son. Scorpius started waving to the photographers waving to get the baby's attention. When Scorp released his hold from Draco's neck and started waving with both hands, Hermione's smile softened to a real one with a touch of shock. She didn't expect her son to absolutely thrive. It would also mean when Scorp was older, she'd have to work with him in order to keep the drama queen under lock and key.
"I know there are questions, I also know the food is ready. And we all know how the elves feel about people talking instead of eating their dinner. Enjoy your meal." Draco placed Scorp back in his chair and immediately sat to prove to Scorp he wouldn't be left alone, "You are doing such an amazing job Scorp. I'm so proud of you. You are going to be a star tomorrow." Draco tickled Scorp's belly making the boy laugh again to the amusement of everyone witnessing. "Mum is about to lose it Hermione," Draco murmured over the head of Scorp to his wife.
She let out a weary sigh and started to cut up the food Kitmu sent for Scorp. "You deal with it Draco, I'm not in the mood to eat a cold dinner." Draco glanced at Hermione once more and nodded slowly. Turning to Kitmu, he whispered something and the elf whipped his head to the Mistress. His eyes widened in understanding. He blinked away to make some changes to her dinner.
"Of course love, don't worry about it. I think she's going to make an absolute scene. I do wonder what Aunt Andromeda is saying. Mum seems to be in total shock." Hermione shrugged and set Scorp's plate in front of him.
"Here Scorp, please start eating. Kitmu will bring your drink in a moment." Scorpius liked food, his mum said it would help him grow big and strong. That was something Scorp wanted, if he got big enough, he could get himself out of the places she stuck him. Or at least get his dad to help him a little more than a hand in the cot.
To show her what a good listener he was, whatever that means, Scorp picked up a green bean and popped in his mouth. To better prove his point, he let out a happy noise and took another bite, this time a small piece of courgette. Scorp dove into the plate of food happily munching away checking after every bite to make sure his parents were watching him.
Hermione snorted a bit when Scorp nodded to her and put a piece of chicken in his mouth. He was proving something, but at the moment it was fine and she turned to her own meal. It wasn't what she thought was on the menu, but didn't care, it was her favorite. Like Scorp she tucked into her dinner and ignored the absolute drama as it started to erupt around her.
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Narcissa finally came back to reality after her son, her baby, announced not only the baby being his but alluded to the woman next to him as his wife. As she prepared to make her feelings known, she heard a voice she'd not acknowledged in decades. "Quite a handsome couple. Scorpius couldn't be cuter, surprised at the name though. I wonder what concessions Draco gave Hermione in order to get the naming rights to use a celestial name."
Andromeda Tonks asked the table at large, but really the comment was focused on her sister. Narcissa turned and was aghast to realize she was sitting at the same table as her disowned sister, her waste of a husband, and maybe their daughter whose hair was a ghastly pink. Narcissa wasn't able to respond, not that she was going to respond mind you, when someone else spoke.
"Aren't they thought? Every photo from their wedding is stunning. Even six years later, she still looks timeless. That dress was brilliant and Draco was so happy, I don't think I've seen two people more perfect for the other. I cannot imagine how spectacular the photos from tonight will be." The woman smiled and tilted her head back toward the head table. Narcissa stewed, six years and she had no idea Draco married. Thinking back on the family trees, Narcissa realized she'd not been in where the Malfoy tree was located since Lucius died. She also now knew Regulus did something to the Black tree which would explain why all the removed members appeared.
Narcissa stared blankly at the no one in particular as she began to connect the dots. After a moment, the woman with long red hair and bright green eyes smirked and turned back to those people sitting with her. After a quick glance to Narcissa, she changed the topic, "Pansy said she had been working on these outfits for the last few months. They needed to be perfect for this. I'd be shocked if she didn't have to hire help for the store. I heard the appointments are already booked for the next six months. It's going to be closer to a year once these pictures are published in the Prophet tomorrow. Hermione's outfit is going to be the look of the season now." Narcissa blinked at the woman, not immediately recognizing her, Narcissa wondered how she knew so much about her son. The now-confused Dowager Lady Malfoy turned to look at the man seated next to the ginger woman.
That man, James Potter, chuckled, "I think it will be more than the Prophet, Lil. From what Sirius said, Reg also confirmed Witch Weekly would attend. I think they are planning a mid-week special edition and there are more than a few papers from the continent. It might be a race to see who can get theirs out first in the morning." Narcissa almost screamed, this would be everywhere. The only thing that would make it worse would be if her other sister showed up. Narcissa's jaw clenched and her hands tightened into a fist.
As if Andromeda could read Narcissa's mind, her soft voice brought up their third sister, "It's a shame Bella and Tom couldn't be here. I guess he had some commitment already lined up, but they sent Draco their congratulations and how happy they are about his return." Andromeda finished as the reporter she tracked approached their table. Luckily James finished speaking just as the reporter got close enough to hear Andromeda's comment about the third Black sister.
The reporter suspected the look the middle Black sister gave him was intended to get his attention for some reason. Given who she was sitting with, he was more than interested really. After hearing her comments, he knew stumbled onto something, "Healer Tonks, I'm sorry to interrupt, but did you say Bellatrix and Tom Riddle were invited to this gathering?" The man, whose eyes were wide with surprise and excitement, waited with his inked quill in hand for the woman to respond.
"Of course, she's family regardless of what prior generations have attempted to do. Blood, you see, is blood. She's as much my sister as Narcissa here." Andi waved a flippant little movement to acknowledge Narcissa and her look of absolute shock. "As it was, Tom already had an obligation, but I believe they plan on visiting soon. I've not yet spoken with Draco, but I'm sure we'll all get together at Malfoy Manor." Andromeda thanked the waiter who placed a plate in front of her. "With little ones running around, the Manor is the better choice."
The reporter waited to see if Andromeda turned away, she didn't, in fact she tilted her head as if she was waiting for another question, "Of course that does make sense. Have Lord and Lady Malfoy returned to the Manor?" Not that either acknowledged it, but everyone at the table heard the low growl when the reporter mentioned Lady Malfoy regarding Hermione. The reporter however did take note of the noise and wanted to make sure he paid attention to the Dowager Lady Malfoy as the evening progressed. The story tomorrow morning may not be the obvious one.
"Oh yes, they've been back a short while so I've not visited them yet. But I believe Hermione mentioned something about getting together for brunch either tomorrow or the day after. Depends on how late this goes. Little Scorpius needs his sleep. But sooner rather than later, I believe Hermione plans to redecorate the Manor to something more family friendly and relatable than the overly formal set up it now has."
Andromeda smiled when Narcissa hissed at the comments on the Manor's decoration since everyone at the table knew Narcissa would have been responsible for them prior to her moving to the cottage in Cotswolds. "Ah, just one more question," Andromeda nodded, "you mentioned little ones, as in more than one child I've only seen Scorpius Malfoy, are there other children?"
Andromeda laughed and the sound was clearly happy, "Oh yes. My youngest grandchild is only a few months older and my eldest grandchild is three. Bella's three grandchildren are also in the same age range. We all believe the cousins will have a grand time getting to know each other." Narcissa choked on her water and quickly stood.
The reporter, sensing a better story, quickly nodded his thanks to Andromeda whose eyes glittered at how successful the conversation went. The reporter didn't notice as he darted after the other woman who seemed to be running toward the head table. James looked at Andromeda in awe. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, "That was stunning Andi. I mean, I have no words, just, my goodness." James seemed truly shocked and amazed, "Was that planned? Do Reg or Sirius know what you were planning on saying?"
Andi snorted, "You greatly underestimate the Black family. I'm sure Sirius will find your lack of trust quite disheartening. But, to your question, no. Was there a way for me to predict a reporter would happen approach our table? No, it was a pure fluke the man was near enough to hear our conversation and found it interesting enough to stop." James wondered on that, because if pressed he would say Andi did something to ensure someone approached the table. He didn't say anything as Andi continued to state her defense at not spending years planning what happened moments earlier. "And I was unaware my nephew was a father. Did you know?"
Andi picked up her fork and took a dainty bite of her salad. "No, not at all, but now that I think about it I'm rather positive Harry knew. He had to know because I know he's visited them a lot since they left. I'll have to talk to him about keeping secrets." James's eyes flickered to the table where his son was seated. Turning back to the table, "So that was all on the fly?" Andi didn't respond only giving the man a smug look.
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Draco watched Hermione and she looked pleasantly surprised at the meal Kitmu put in front of her. Catching the elf's eye, Draco nodded in thanks. He doubted Hermione knew, but they'd talk about it in the morning. The clicking of heels and silence from the rest of the room had Draco looking up to see his mother coming toward them.
But not only his mum, the reporter who had been speaking with Andromeda a moment earlier was hot on her heels. A quick glance to Andi and her smug expression told Draco whatever she said seemed to have sparked a fire under Narcissa, he'd have to send a letter in the morning. Reg and Sirius both looked to see if Draco wanted them to intervene. He waved them off and waited for his mother to reach the table and start yelling.
When he was younger, Narcissa said to never raise your voice in public because it was unseemly. To bad she didn't take her own advice.
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Harry and Pansy paused in eating to watch the entertainment play out. Harry took Pansy's hand and placed their intertwined fingers on the table. Harry figured his mum might be the only person who would see it. Everyone else was watching the Malfoy family airing their problems in the open. He looked over and saw Lily Potter gazing at him with a questioning look.
When Harry nodded, Lily broke out in a huge smile and blew the couple a kiss. The smile and kiss made Pansy relax, she had been so worried Harry's parents wouldn't approve. Given how Pansy was raised, it wasn't an unexpected concern. Posy hated everyone but Draco Malfoy. Honestly, she didn't like him either, just his vaults.
Pansy's eyes flicked to her mother, who was so focused on Narcissa and the gossip, she failed to notice Pansy's presence. It did surprise her when Posy never acknowledged the fact Pansy was present at the dinner. But not only that, she took Scorpius from Draco and was seated at the head table just to the left of Hermione. Apparently as far as Posy was concerned, Pansy was still tied up in that musty basement room. But that would be for later, right now Narcissa was taking center stage.
"I believe the two mums will be fighting for space in the Prophet tomorrow. Once Narcissa embarrasses herself, Posy will eventually come to bother me. Though depending on when Kingsley decides to move with his part of the evening, I'm not sure she will notice our subtle display. Really though, I don't care if she knows." Since her mother took Pansy and locked her up, Pansy really couldn't be bothered about the older woman.
"Don't worry, I may have mentioned to Mum what happened. While Dad can't keep a secret to save himself, Mum is great. If anything, she is going to bait Posy into doing something ridiculous or embarrassing or more than likely both. Unless you don't want her to. I can wave her off." Pansy smiled and shook her head.
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea. I'd like to meet them officially after dinner is over, if that's ok with you."
"Nothing sounds better." The couple turned at a loud noise and smirked to see the beginning of the end of the discussion, Narcissa's open mouth and shocked look on her face seemed to mean she hadn't expected that reaction.
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Hermione picked up the mug in front of her and inhaled. Pausing she looked at the liquid and sniffed again, "Is this green tea? What happened to the coffee?" Draco smiled and sipped his coffee. He returned to the kitchen after sending Andromeda a note. He needed to know exactly what she said to his mother. Whatever it was, it was something he and Hermione ensured happened. "Draco, I'm not in the mood to play." Hermione turned the glare from her mug to her husband, "Last night was long and tiresome and we are going to be getting a ton of mail because of it."
Setting his mug down, Draco took Hermione's hands, "I think you'll be wanting to skip the coffee for next while." Hermione's glare intensified, she had absolutely no intention of doing that. It was a different story when she was pregnant … Hermione's train of thought came to a screeching halt and she wondered if she could be.
"I didn't notice anything until yesterday when you wanted a snack, but chalked it up to running around getting ready. Then again right before the dinner was served last night. Both times you were totally uninterested and at dinner more tired than excited about what would happen. And while that's not totally surprising, you truly didn't care. So I thought about the last couple weeks and you've been a bit more tired. I was tired from moving so it made sense you might be as well. But after yesterday it was possible so I mentioned it to Kitmu. He changed your meal to the one you loved while you were pregnant with Scorp. It's not something you've wanted since he was born," Draco shrugged.
Hermione started to think back trying to work out the dates. If she was, it would be like Scorp and they knew almost right away. "I don't know, I mean I could be. Should we check?" Draco smiled and pulled his wand. The pair watched as the charm indicated Hermione was pregnant. "Two babies under two, I blame this on you." Hermione smiled as she touched her stomach.
With Scorp deciding to sleep longer due to both the late night and talking to everyone he could, the couple spent their morning deciding how to handle her pregnancy this time. The plan was to keep it quiet for a few of months and then see where everything was. They ignored the owl delivering the paper, even after the poor thing huffed at the size. Hermione made a similar noise when she saw the front page and then offered the creature some food. On the other hand, Draco tore into the paper to see how everything was reported. The dinner turned into quite the show.
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Lord Malfoy AND FAMILY return
The news of an unexpected dinner hosted by Lord Black garnered little attention over the last few days. These sorts of dinners are common among the sacred twenty-eight and others who wish to run in that exclusive circle.
For those who thought the dinner was nothing more than a gossip-fest, they were correct. But, in a large way they were wrong, the gossip that spilled from the evening was not related to the latest scandal, but the return of Draco Malfoy.
That's correct dear readers, Lord Draco Malfoy returned from his self-imposed exile of more than two years. In addition to Lord Malfoy, his mysterious wife was by side, as was his yet-unknown son (see pages 4 - 7 for photos of the adorable tot and pages 16 - 20 for the new magical era ushered in by the future of the Malfoy and Black families and his relationships with his very own second cousins!).
As for Lady Malfoy, shockingly she was not listed as a potential wife for Lord Malfoy when he disappeared. There were probably many reasons for the oversight on the part of my former coworker (as a reminder, see pages 40 - 41 recapping the unfortunate result of Rita's final story and how her unregistered and therefore illegal animagus gave her an unfair advantage as well as a one way ticket to new accommodations in Azkaban). At the end of the day the fact remains, no one saw this coming.
Lady Hermione Malfoy (née Granger) apparently left her role in the DMLE about the same time as the confrontation between Lord Malfoy and his mother, the Dowager Lady Malfoy all these years prior (see pages 8 - 10 for a recap of the now infamous event in Diagon Alley). Comments heard during dinner last night suggest Lord and Lady Malfoy were married years before their departure. A secret though apparently many people were aware. It does raise the question on the how long the circumstances in the Malfoy household were tense since the Dowager Lady Malfoy was, by all knowledge, unaware.
While the Ministry does not release statements on the private lives of their employees, current or former, several undisclosed sources stated they didn't realize Miss Granger left her position until six months ago. For those doing the math, that is more than eighteen months after her departure and six months after the birth of the heir to the Malfoy and Black houses, (see pages 11 - 15 for highlights of the career of Auror Hermione Granger).
The couple's son, Scorpius, took the evening by storm. His incredibly happy disposition was evident in his love of being held. It should be noted, every person who smiled at the boy got a wider one in return. More than a few lucky souls got the chance to hold the boy for what Lady Malfoy called cuddles. It seems the young scion loves to be held and rarely was out of someone's arms. The only exception to this occurred during dinner.
Dinner was both excellent in the food served and the side of drama appearing unexpectedly on the menu. Narcissa Malfoy, the Dowager Lady Malfoy, stormed to the head table as the salad course was delivered and berated her son for his failure to both his family and magic. The tirade from the former socialite, included a number of things inappropriate for printing and many of those statements related to her daughter-in-law.
While the Lady Malfoy chose to not respond, many a matron were surprised at her pose while being attacked, the Dowager Lady Malfoy never addressed the other woman directly. As the yelling reached screeching, Scorpius Malfoy slammed his cup on the table. The sudden noise took everyone by surprise and the room suddenly quieted.
The young boy noted the appearance of the Dowager Lady Malfoy and smiled warmly at her. As an aside, this would be the first time Scorpius met his grandmother. Unlike everyone else, the woman paid no attention to the boy. I observed as the gaze of the young boy narrowed, his lips pursed while his expression cooled and shifted to mirror what we've witnessed when a Malfoy is upset. Once his grandmother began her tirade, he seemed quite surprised. Scorpius watched for a few minutes before lifting his cup and using it as a gavel.
The birthday boy, as we learned at the beginning of dinner, apparently reached his limit. After the room's attention turned to him, the young man gently placed his cup on the table and released an exhausted sounding sigh. Finally, he looked at his grandmother once more. This time with no hint of the now expected smile. His gaze held hers, neither Malfoy making a move.
Standing near the head table the child's gaze felt uncomfortable to me and I was not being glared at by him. Once deciding it was long enough, the boy loudly told her, "'nough!" This reporter took his comment to mean the boy had enough of the antics and his father took over.
Lord Malfoy gave his son an appreciative nod and turned to his mother. While the comments he made are printable, the gist of the conversation was until Narcissa Malfoy apologized and understood she had no bearing on his life, she would not be welcomed at any event the Malfoy or Black houses hosted. This reporter suspects the exclusion of Narcissa Malfoy from her family's events will only continue to dissuade others from extending their own invitations to the Dowager Lady Malfoy.
Speculation continues to circle around the Dowager's exact role in the Greengrass scandal (see pages 42 - 45 for the upcoming events for the re-established cult of Merlin presided over by the recently anointed high priestess Astoria Greengrass). Many have wondered if the attempt to trick Lord Malfoy into marrying was the first time Dowager Lady Malfoy tried manipulate her son into doing her bidding.
Lord Malfoy finally gave answer to the whispers. He confirmed a number of times his own mother placed many a pureblood heiress in potentially awkward situations in order to corner her son. Finally, with a myserteous comment, Lord Malfoy mentioned how her story of Hungary was a complete fabrication. A fabrication that went much too far this time.
Before the Dowager Lady Malfoy could respond, the current Lord Black and his elder brother Sirius (the former heir to the Black house, see pages 25 - 26 for the sordid history of the Black heirdom) took the Dowager Lady Malfoy and escorted her from the home. This reporter can confirm they placed enchantments on the home to not allow the woman to enter again.
It's important to note the Dowager Lady Malfoy is a cousin to the Black brothers through both of the men's parents. Orion Black (father to Sirius and Regulus) was a second cousin to Cygnus Black III (father of Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black). This makes the current generation of Blacks third cousins through their fathers.
But as we all know, the Black family officially only married within the sacred twenty-eight. As options became less and less desirable, Orion Black married Walburga Black. The married couple were second cousins to each other making their children both brothers and cousins. Confused yet? We aren't done, Walburga Black was the sister to Cygnus Black III. Yes, the same Cygnus III we've already discussed and making our current Black third cousins also first cousins through the siblings Walburga and Cygnus III.
The take away, the Dowager Lady Malfoy, both a first cousin and third cousin to Regulus and Sirius, is officially blocked from her blood family home. Her connection to her married family appears quite tenuous. Scandal certainly does follow the Blacks and the recent generations more so than before (see pages 27 - 34 for the timeline of Black family disownments over the last few generations and reasons for them, both the public story and what gossip says).
That my dearest readers is only part the story as dinner only began as Narcissa Malfoy was physically removed from the townhouse. On pages two and three we recap the events surrounding Pansy Parkinson, the reasons for the arrest of Lady Parkinson, and how Lord Malfoy's final comment ties the two other points together before the soup course was cold.
That wasn't the final revelation of the evening. It seems Hogwarts eternal struggle for unity between houses may finally be put to rest. Not only did we learn last night of the Malfoy marriage, but it appears as if there is another cross-house couple. During the events of the evening, this reporter witnessed Pansy Parkinson and Harry Potter (yes, you read that correctly) acting as if they are a couple.
While questioned at first, there were a few moments (see pages 23 - 24 for photos of the new couple) including what appeared to be Miss Parkinson meeting the Potter parents, the couple dancing rather intimately multiple times and a rather flustered Harry Potter returning from a walk in the gardens. Needless to say, watch this space for more.
When Draco started clapping, Hermione only reached out her hand, "No, I have to read the rest, hold on. There are pictures too," She sighed and sipped her boring green tea. Maybe she'd take a nap and make Draco deal with the letters. They already started to pile where they allow the incoming mail to be delivered.
Hermione glanced from the mail to the pictures on pages four and five. They were quite good really, but she was too tired to comment. When their floo rang Hermione allowed their friends to enter. "I'm going to place a silencing charm on Scorp's room. It's going to get loud. Then I'm going back to bed, the green tea isn't doing it for me. Keep them away." Draco nodded and tore his attention from the paper and blew Hermione a kiss.
"Love you and our family, I'll take care of this today. Go do what you need. I'll ask Kitmu to get your favorite bath items and have them ready should you want a nice soak later." Hermione smiled and waved to her friends as they continued to tumble out of the floo.
After telling Kitmu what was needed for Hermione, Draco directed his elf to take their friends to one of the larger sitting rooms that happened to be opposite of the wing where the family lived. Once he finished flipping through the photos of Scorpius, he stood to meet with his friends.
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Pansy sat gloating and clutched her copy of the Prophet. She really shouldn't be surprised, these stories were always exaggerated. This new reporter for the Prophet wasn't as blatantly annoying as Skeeter and he seemed to have the luck of devil. He fell into some conversation with Andromeda and then was the closest to the head table when Narcissa lost herself. That could have been due to whatever Andromeda said to trigger her younger sister.
"You ok?" Pansy smiled at Harry's question and nodded, "I guess Narcissa did deserve the front page, it's not every day you have your year old grandson scold you in front of polite society and the worldwide press." Those in the room chuckled, it was one of the highlights.
"Yes, Scorp understands his social duties and the proper way to handle himself when someone is unseemly. He takes his responsibility quite seriously and informs transgressors of that fact." Draco strode into the room clutching his own copy of the paper, "The pictures are quite good really. I'm thinking of requesting a couple for the scrap book."
Harry looked around waiting to see Hermione. He noticed how she seemed really off all night and wanted to check on her, "Where's Hermione? I expected her to be talking about her plans to keep Scorp from kicking off his campaign for minister until he's at least walking on his own."
There was an odd look on Draco's face, "Minister, hm, hadn't thought about that yet." Instead of answering Harry's question, Draco turned to Pansy, "Any word yet from Posy? Since Mum was already gone, I'm not sure if Kingsley did anything for her role in the whole plot."
Pansy shook her head, "No nothing before we left. Kingsley said she might not be fully processed until this morning sometime, meaning she wouldn't be able to do much other than contact the family barrister. Not sure she's done that either. I haven't heard from the office yet." Draco and Regulus nodded while many of the others seemed confused on why the firm would contact Pansy. "They represent me and the store in addition to the family. There would be a conflict of interest since the charges are for something done to me. They'll have to decide a side pretty quickly."
Pansy looked at her nails and turned her attention to Draco. Not that it did any good, some started to mumble about still not understanding, "Their business with my store is pretty good since other shops have been trying to steal the designs only available through me. I'm also the head of the Parkinson House. I guess dear ole mum hasn't remembered that yet." Only a couple of those in the room seemed to know that fact, "Yes Father turned over the responsibility six or so months ago. Decided he wanted to retire. I figured he told Posy, but maybe not."
Sirius began to laugh loudly, "Oh that's even better than we planned. Posy attacked the head of the house and Narcissa made vague threats against the lady of the Malfoy house. They are truly in a mess of their own making." Regulus rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to Draco.
"So where's Hermione?" Harry asked again knowing Draco purposely diverted the conversation.
"She is making sure Scorp sleeps as long as he desires and we don't accidentally wake him." Draco reached and took a mug of coffee from the tray the elves delivered once they knew who arrived. He sipped the beverage waiting to see if Harry dropped it. When it became obvious he wasn't, Draco continued, "I think she was going to get ready then. We both really just got up. And she said something about taking advantage of the fact before Scorp realizes he's still sleeping." Harry nodded, he suspected there was something else, but wasn't going to say anything. Draco gave the suspicious looking man a quick nod.
At that moment the floo rang again and someone else arrived. James Potter jumped up when Kitmu appeared escorting the new arrival. James gave the woman standing next to the elf a deep and respectful bow, "I know I said it last night, but the way you absolutely played not only the reporter but Narcissa was the best thing I've seen in a long time." James lifted the woman's hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
"He's been going on about it since last night Andi." Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Draco, "It seems Andi knew exactly which buttons needed to be pushed and when to send Narcissa into that frenzy. I didn't actually expect her to do all that." Andi hummed and accepted a drink from Kitmu and took a seat on the couch.
"What did you say Aunt?" Draco wondered if she got the letter he sent or not.
"I figured it would be easier to explain than write it and I suspect Mr Potter might exaggerate," the Marauders all paused and looked at Andi, her expression was similar to the one they wore when a plan worked perfectly. "Narcissa wants the world to forget Bella and I are Blacks. So I took the opportunity with the reporter to mention we're all in communications. Due to an unfortunate conflict in timing Bella and Tom were unable to attend. Luckily, we were already planning to get together to allow the cousins a bit of time to play."
Leaning back in his chair, Draco smirked, "Brilliant idea Aunt Andi and it explains the article on pages, —" Draco paused and looked at the front page again, "— 16 - 20 recording Scorpius and his efforts to end the prejudices that still exist in our world." Draco then got a far away look and he turned, "Potter, he may not need to walk or all his teeth before kicking off his campaign if we keep getting this type of coverage." Harry snorted and admitted to himself how right Draco may be.
Instead of plotting how to get Hermione to allow her son to make a play to run the government or to figure out how release the announcement of Scorpius's intent without Hermione killing him, Draco returned his attention to Andi, "I'm sure the story on page 25 about Sirius smoothly flowing into the timeline on pages 27 - 34 is the last thing Mum wanted to see in print." Andromeda chuckled a bit more darkly than normal and sent Sirius a smirk. He nodded back, happy to be part of the story that will never die, much to Narcissa's chagrin.
"Maybe make the suggestion to Aunt Bella if you haven't yet, I think you're in contact a bit more than I am. Obviously everyone is welcome here. We will have to document our family reunion as well. I believe the Prophet would probably be willing to send whichever reporter we want to report on the momentous occasion."
Regulus perked up as Draco and Andromeda planned, "You know a reunion sounds like an excellent idea and more than just with your aunts." The three other Blacks watched as the head of house did something completely against the grain, "I was talking with Uncle Alphard the other day. While he's getting on, he did mention his granddaughter recently having a child. Maybe we should widen the net a bit. I do have a family tree that now is listing a whole slew of cousins."
With a plan to send Narcissa into another fit of anger, Andromeda pulled out her copy of the paper and flipped to page two, "Miss Parkinson, I am pleased you and Harry finally are Prophet official. I think the pair of you fit. Now, please explain what happened to you. The story on page two is a bit fuzzy on the actual details. Kingsley seemed very pleased with his role in last night."
Pansy gave Harry a bright smile, "Mum and Narcissa decided it would be in my best interest to be the person who pointed the DMLE in the right direction to find Draco as he was obviously kidnapped. But not only kidnapped, as no one Narcissa knew could find him, it must mean Draco was taken to the muggle world."
Andi snorted at the ridiculous story and Pansy nodded in a serious manner, "Very. As we all know Draco would be unable to do anything to save himself in the lawless wasteland of no magic. His upbringing would prohibit from doing much more breathing. We suspect they believed the DMLE was aware of Draco's location or at least knew how to get into contact with him." Harry chuckled, because the DMLE did know and did have a way to contact the never missing man.
She smiled at Harry, "I'm not sure yet how Posy came into the plan. Once Narcissa and Posy teamed up, they decided to concoct a story to force Kingsley's hand. To do so, they took me and made sure I couldn't escape." She stopped and sipped her drink waiting to see if Andi said anything.
When she didn't, Pansy gave a quick nod, "Harry immediately knew something was wrong when the pair of them appeared at the Ministry spinning some tale about me seeing Draco in Hungary. They didn't realize Harry and I talk all the time and he knew one, I wasn't out of the country and two, where Draco was. Draco and Hermione weren't anywhere near Hungary. Anyway, he found me. From there while Draco planned his triumphant return, I worked out Posy's downfall. There were a few things Posy's been involved in the DMLE wasn't aware."
Andi chuckled, "I'm glad Harry was able to find you so quickly. That said, I'm extremely pleased Draco and his family have returned home. But, where did the comments about Hungary come into play." Andi looked around the room and stopped at two very pleased expressions. "Siri, Reg the pair of you are involved as well?"
Sirius nodded enthusiastically and Regulus allowed him to explain. "We knew Draco was leaving and were part of what happened in Diagon. One of my proudest moments really, so glad I was ready when Hermione told us the plan," Sirius paused as he remembered that day. Andi cleared her throat to get Sirius back on topic, "Anyway fast forward and once Kingsley closed the investigation into Draco's abduction, Narcissa decided to start her own. She tasked Aster with finding someone to do the dirty work and Aster told Reg. He and I became her hired investigator and have spent the last while writing up reports on clues and failures in the search."
Andi shook her head, "Well that explains it. Narcissa long complained on what she knew about Hungary, which wasn't much and how she couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in a place named after such an uncouth and plebeian physical state. I'm sure you both remembered her hour long speech on it when we were still in school." Seeing the brothers nod, "She'd never think of searching there and would probably have never question if the search took months."
Harry watched the scene and finally realized the inside joke Sirius still refused to explain was another way to poke at Narcissa. He smirked and saw the two men nod with a sad expression, "Yeah we already had the next three reports written, pity we won't get to use them. The investigator was getting ready to leave Turkey and head to Hungary to continue the fruitless search."
Andromeda rolled her eyes when Sirius stressed Turkey and the obvious connection to another of Narcissa's rants. Obvious only to those forced to suffer, err listen to her. This one related to questioning why muggles would live in a country named after a poultry product not even native to the land. Instead of making that comment, Andi noticed neither Scorpius nor Hermione were in the room. Draco saw the recognition in her eyes and wanted to cut off any additional questions.
"Last night was a bit long for Scorp. He's sleeping in. When this crew showed up, Hermione went to make sure none of the noise they are known to make reaches his room. She was going to get ready then, last night wasn't only long for Scorp. We'd only gotten up when the Prophet arrived." Andi nodded and wondered if there was something else. Though she didn't ask.
"If you are willing to jump the story a bit, Nymphadora was wondering if you'd be willing to set up some playdates. The kids don't have many friends as I'm sure you all remember neighbors aren't always an option. For some reason those of us with magic don't live close to others making it difficult to have friendships with the neighboring muggles since accidental magic is far more common than the Ministry likes to believe."
"Of course, I know Hermione will love the idea. And Scorp needs to get used to not being the only kid." Harry looked up and caught Draco's gaze, "Being home now will mean there are other kids in his orbit and he needs to learn how to interact. We all know how poorly I handled not being the center of attention." Everyone chuckled remembering Draco's attitude when he was a child.
After another two hours and the recap of everyone's observations from the night before, most of the friends started to leave and eventually only Harry remained. Pansy received a note from her barrister requesting a meeting and she happily skipped off to meet with the talented firm to make sure Posy wasn't a client.
"So she's pregnant again?" Draco cocked his head, "She was off last night, it never takes her this long to get ready, and Scorp not being the only kid wasn't because he is going to meet his cousins. Plus her dinner is something I've not seen her want since her forceful eviction of your son." Draco was impressed with Harry's assessment and silently acknowledged he was probably a pretty good auror.
"We aren't saying anything." The two men turned to see Hermione walking into the room with a furious looking Scorpius, "Apparently he realized he slept longer than normal and believes it to be my fault as his father would never have allowed him to remain alone for so long."
Hermione set Scorp on the ground and the boy crawled quickly to his father. On reaching him, Scorp pulled himself up using Draco's pants. With a surprisingly steady stance, Scorp let go and lifted his arms. Once in Draco's arms and with his own small arms wrapped tightly around his dad's neck, Scorpius glared at his mum for not waking him sooner. Harry looked at the boy and for the first time saw something of his mother shining through. The glare was trademark Hermione a quick glance to Draco confirmed the other man noticed the same thing but wasn't going to say anything. It was for the best really, two angry Grangers would not be a good thing.
"Morning Buddy, did you sleep well?" The little boy turned his glare to his Uncle Harry, "It seems you were the top story do you want to see the pictures of yourself?" Harry opened the Prophet and laid it on the ground. As Draco and Scorp sat, the younger Malfoy immediately started giggling at the pictures of himself. Draco did something similar while Hermione shook her head. "Anything I can get for you Hermione? I couldn't do much for your first one."
Hermione smiled at her long time friend, "No, I'm fine. After a couple days I won't really notice the lack of caffeine. The withdrawal period really doesn't last that long for me. I was thinking of looking into different teas because I don't really like green tea. There are more than a few with lower caffeine but flavor." Harry nodded thinking about the tea store near his apartment and the perfect gift to say congratulations on your husband knocking you up again.
"Whatever plots are forming in your head Potter, it best not be something to make me look bad." Draco murmured from the floor. When Harry looked, Draco was still looking at the paper with Scorpius, "As Hermione's best friend, you're at our place a lot and I've known you since we were eleven. And last but not least, you're a Gryffindor and therefore an open book."
*MW*MW*MW*
Harry hummed happily as he walked into the tea shop and smiled at the girl who offered to help, "A coworker is pregnant and she won't be drinking coffee. The office all chipped in and I offered to pick something up since your store is close to my place. I wondered if I could get a variety of teas with flavor but lower or no caffeine? Maybe something else you think might be good too, like unexpected but still flavorful. She said she didn't like green tea, if that helps." The shopgirl nodded and started to direct Harry around selecting a dozen different teas and a few ounces of each. Looking at the tea Harry wanted to do more, "Is there anything else you'd suggest for a basket other than the tea?"
With a glint of excitement, she started to pull a variety of travel mugs, personal tea pots and the best rock sugar on the market. She explained the benefits of each as she placed them on the counter. Harry picked a few different mugs, two different strainers in order to make a single cup of tea, a lovely cast iron pot covered in burgundy enamel painted with an intricate stained glass looking design and a some of the sugar. "This is great thank you." After ringing up the purchase and packing it up, Harry shrunk the bag and slipped it in his pocket.
With happy stride, Harry left Diagon and went into the muggle world. His mother mentioned a store she used for wrapping packages. She did this every birthday, anniversary and Yule since neither Harry nor James knew how to wrap. Walking into the store, Harry immediately knew what he wanted.
"I'd like that basket with stuffing, —" Harry pointed to a medium sized basket that would easily hold the goods and looked like a Moses basket, "— and some congratulation type balloons. Is there a way to tie the balloons to the basket without it looking messy? And what about a banner or something?" The man at the counter paused as he was pulling out the basket.
"Yeah, I would recommend the shop next door for the banner, they specialize in paper and printing. If you tell them I sent you, they'll give you a discount." Harry thanked the man and selected all three baby congratulation designs and waited for the man to finish filling the balloons. In the end, Harry added a dozen red and gold balloons along with the congratulation ones. Nothing says true friendship like an overabundance of Gryffindor colored balloons.
Once everything was complete, the shopkeeper pointed to hoops on the inside of the basket and hidden by the stuffing, "Before you put the present in, remove the stuffing and tie the balloons down using these. The basket is heavy enough you shouldn't have any issues with it floating, even with all those balloons." Harry snickered as he walked out toward the next shop on his list.
Arriving home, Harry whistled a happy little tune as he put together the basket, he started with the balloons. Using magic, he moved them around until he figured out the perfect arrangement and then tied them to hoops. After getting the stuffing back into the basket, he altered the placement of the items until it looked like a professional did it. Finally he unrolled the banner and expanded it until the size was awesome and wording visible from across the room. Applying a little charm to the banner, it now included fireworks shooting off around the words. With a bit of tape (and more magic), Harry got the basket looking absolutely stunning.
He was snickering to himself when he heard, "She's pregnant again?" Harry dropped his head, he didn't think Pansy would be done yet. "Are they telling me this time?"
"Come on, I want to give her the basket and also let them know my fantastic gift to prove I'm the best friend ever gave them up." Pansy huffed at the balloons. When they stepped from the floo into Malfoy Manor, Harry spoke with Kitmu and Pansy waved her wand without Harry noticing. Kitmu gave the woman a smile at what she did and motioned them into the house. "Hermione!" The woman looked up at the visitors and then the rather large basket in the arms of her best friend.
Draco looked up and gave Pansy a smile, knowing she had something to with color selection, "So you know?"
"When I got to his place he was in the process of putting it together." Pansy bent down and scooped Scorp into her arms and pointed to the now green and silver balloons, "What do you think of the balloons buddy?" Harry, not having noticed yet, smiled when Scorpius clapped thinking the boy finally got over his irrational hatred of all things red.
"Nice balloons Potter, glad you didn't try to force that hideous red color on my children again." Hermione snorted and stepped to the basket. It was then the Malfoys noticed the banner, "Wow Potter, way to be subtle." Harry laughed and placed the basket on the table. It was only then he noticed the balloons and glared at Pansy. When he went to change them back, Scorp reached for the balloons and starting playing with them. Sighing, Harry couldn't bring himself to put them back to the correct colors.
While Pansy changed the balloons because it was funny, she didn't change the colors of the actual presents, "Oh Harry, I love the tea pot!" Hermione squealed as she picked up the surprisingly heavy item and looked at the intricate design painted on the red enamel. "Where did you get all this?"
"There's a shop right by my apartment and I told the clerk I wanted to do something for coworker who was pregnant and wasn't drinking caffeine. Anyway, the teas each have instructions for Kitmu on steeping time and stuff. Sort of a sample size to figure out if you love, like or hate them. It's easy enough to get more." Hermione hummed as she sniffed each one.
"Oh!" Kitmu appeared and reached out for the bag Hermione held, "Wait Kitmu, I want to make sure this is the one I want to try first." After a couple minutes Hermione narrowed it down to two teas and ignored her boys when they reminded her she could try the other next. She was broken out of her reverie when Scorp put his hand on her leg.
"Mama, pick," Hermione looked and noticed Draco's mouth hanging open. Not knowing what happened, Scorp plucked one of the bags from Hermione's fingers and slowly turned before taking a few unassisted steps to where Kitmu stood. "Kimu here, peeze Mama," Kitmu nodded at the young master and disappeared to make Hermione her tea.
"Scorp, did you just walk? Walk all on your own?" Hermione dropped to her knees and held her arms out. Scorp turned again and seeing his mum wanted to hold him and no places to put him, he opted to risk it. After making it over to her, Hermione swept him into her arms and started giving him kisses saying what a smart boy he was.
Draco stepped up next and started giving tickles saying the same thing. If all Scorp needed to do was walk, then he'd become the best walker there was. For the rest of the afternoon, Scorp walked between everyone and continued to get hugs and kisses without fear of being put somewhere without cuddles.
*MW*MW*MW*