Chapter 14
Twitzle was somewhat surprised when he was alerted that someone was at the front door. He had not been informed that the Manor was expecting visitors today, though it wasn't entirely unheard of for members of the wizarding world to drop in unannounced. Approaching the polished wood, he snapped his fingers and the door opened, revealing a witch on the other side. She was dressed sharply in a green day dress, flats, and matching hat. Her light brown tresses fell down past her shoulders, rounding in loose curls at the ends. She graced the elf with a small smile before speaking.
"Is the master of the house in?" She asked.
"Indeed, M'am. Master is currently relaxing after luncheon. And you are?"
"Unexpected." She gently brushed past the elf before turning back to him expectantly, "Shall we?"
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Draco was indeed relaxing after lunch, if one could call it relaxing to be embroiled in a game of Changeling with his charge.
"I'm going to discard the purple pixie." He said as he threw down the card on the pile of rejected ones. As he did so, his ears transformed into purple pixie ears.
Lucius giggled at the transformation as he drew his own card. The boy thought for a moment, then discarded a green grindylow card. Instantly, green webbing appeared on his hands.
Draco was reaching forward to draw a card when he sensed the house-elf hovering at his elbow. "What is it, Twitzle?" He asked, not looking up as he placed the card with the others in his hand.
"Someone to see you, sir."
The wizard cut his eyes sideways towards the elf, "Who is it?" His voice was a mixture of curiosity and irritation at having to ask the question in the first place (since the elf really should have informed him of that straight away).
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Came a voice from the doorway.
Draco's head shot up instantly, and he dropped all the cards in his hand as he stood quickly. The purple pixie ears disappeared as he stepped away from the game and toward the woman on the other side of the room. Her name fell from his lips.
"Astoria."
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Lucius' disappointment at the game suddenly ending was soon replaced by wonder at the room's new occupant.
Astoria was here!
The boy stood and approached the couple, hiding partially behind his guardian's legs as he eyed the newcomer.
"Astoria, what are you doing here?" Draco asked, concern evident in his voice.
The woman pushed a light brown lock behind her ear, a questioning look in her eye. "Darling, it's your birthday. Did you really think I wouldn't come?"
"It's not –" The elder Malfoy began before pausing, thinking. "It is my birthday, isn't it? There's been so much lately that I completely forgot." The man carded a hand through his hair.
His wife chuckled. "Well, your mother didn't. She's planned a celebration for tonight's dinner."
Lucius watched as Draco's eyes widened slightly before closing completely. "Of course she did." The man said with a sigh.
"Which means," The witch continued, "if I am going to be ready, I will need to make a quick trip to Diagon Alley. And no," She placed a hand on her husband's chest, "you can't come. I'll be picking up your gift, after all."
"Are—Are you sure that's wise? You just travelled all the way from Italy. You really shouldn't be over-exerting yourself."
"I will be fine." Astoria said before turning her gaze to the small blond still hiding partially behind the elder Malfoy's leg. "Though I could use some company."
She smiled, and Lucius broke into a grin.
"Okay!" The boy said, coming forward.
Draco ran a hand down his face before also turning his attention to his charge. "Do you remember what happened the last time we were in Diagon Alley? You didn't exactly behave." He raised an eyebrow.
Lucius bounced on his feet. "I'll be good!"
As his guardian narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced.
"I will!" The boy insisted.
"Come now, Draco, I'm sure we'll be fine." Astoria said, coming to the child's defense.
The wizard sighed. "I suppose I can find something to occupy myself with for an hour or so."
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Twenty minutes later, Astoria and Lucius stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron and began making their way down the cobblestone street of Diagon Alley. After several blocks, the witch turned down a side street that held a number of smaller specialty shops. Lucius followed close on her heels, mindful of Draco's promise before they left that if he gave Astoria any trouble he wouldn't sit comfortably for a week.
The pair stopped first at a small shop with Flitwick's Fleetware published on a bronze plaque outside the entrance. Astoria opened the door, and they made their way inside the long, narrow shop. On the walls on each side of the store hung hundreds of pairs of shoes in various sizes. The shop appeared to be empty.
Astoria moved to the counter that stood at the room's center and rang the bell situated there. From the back curtain, a small head with gray hair poked out before coming fully into the room. Lucius was surprised by how tiny the man was. They were the same size!
"Hello Ferris." The witch said, a polite smile on her face.
"Mrs. Malfoy." The tiny wizard said as he moved forward and hopped onto a stool, reaching under the counter as he did so. "I have your package right here."
"Thank you. And how is your cousin?" Astoria said as the shopkeeper rang up the purchase and she handed him the required coins from her coinpurse. "He must be relieved that the term is coming to an end?"
"Filius? Oh yes. Last I spoke with him he was getting ready to hold final exams." Mr. Flitwick handed Astoria a small box wrapped in red paper. "Here is your order. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?"
"No, thank you. We are in a bit of a hurry today, unfortunately. Come, Lucius. Have a nice day, Ferris."
"And you as well, m'am." The wizard said as they exited the shop and the door shut behind them.
"What did you get?" Lucius asked, pointing at the package.
Astoria winked at him. "It's a surprise."
They moved directly across the street and entered a jewelry store. Lucius busied himself with inspecting a collection of birthstones while Astoria picked up a pair of cufflinks that she had ordered. As they exited the shop, the brown-haired witch leaned down and snapped open the box.
"What do you think? You think Draco will like these for his birthday?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically. Then a thought struck him, and his expression turned somber.
"What is it?" Astoria asked, concern clear in her eyes.
Lucius sighed. "I don't have a gift for him."
"Hm." The witch hummed before looking around. Suddenly, she smirked. "I think I can help with that."
She took the boy's hand and led him a few shops down to Poppylyn Brothers Chocolatier. As soon as they entered, Lucius' eyes went wide. The square-shaped store was filled floor to ceiling with various types of chocolate. To his left stood a huge display of candy-bars, with flavors like milk-chocolate, dark-chocolate, and mint-chocolate. To his right were shelves of chocolate-covered food items, such as pretzels, peanuts, and even insects. And directly in front of him was a magically chocolate waterfall.
Lucius stared in wonder at the falling chocolate before skirting around and heading down one of the aisles. He was examining some chocolate frogs when he heard someone clear their throat near him. He looked up to find a middle-aged man with thinning hair peering down at him.
"Children are not permitted to be in here without a parent or guardian." The man said, his mouth pinching as he did so – like he had sucked on a lemon. "Unlike other sweet shops on the Alley we do not allowed youth to run amok within our store. If you are alone, you will need to leave."
Before the boy could respond, he heard footsteps behind him and then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"He's with me." Astoria's voice came from above him. "We were just selecting some treats for my husband's birthday."
"Of course, madam. Please let me know if you need assistance." The sour-faced man said, his tone suddenly much more polite.
Lucius looked up to find Astoria giving the man a smile that seemed rather forced. "Come, Lucius, let's see what we can find."
And with that, they left the man to his lemon-sucking.
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A short while later, the pair emerged through the floo at the Manor to find Draco waiting for them.
"Really, Darling, are you that eager for your gifts?" Astoria said as soon as she spotted him.
The elder Malfoy smirked as he set aside the issue of the Daily Prophet that he had been pretending to read. He stood but did not approach.
"I can hide my eyes if you need to sneak past," he said, indicating their parcels. "I haven't seen much of anything yet."
Astoria rolled her eyes good-naturedly while Lucius raced forward to be scooped up by his guardian.
The boy held up a bag of chocolate truffles. "I got you these."
"You did?" Draco said with a look toward his wife. "Mm. I love truffles."
"I know. Astoria told me." Lucius commented while fiddling with the man's collar. "She also let me get chocolate stars, but she said I'd have to ask you before I can have any. Can I, Draco? Please?"
"You may," The man said with a chuckle, "but only a couple. I don't want you ruining your dinner."
The boy nodded in acceptance before scrambling down and receiving said chocolate stars from Astoria.
The three of them enjoyed a quiet remainder of the afternoon together, with Draco and Lucius finishing their game of Changeling from earlier and Astoria watching in utter amusement.
At 6:00 pm sharp, they made their way into the dining room to join Narcissa for dinner. After a delicious meal consisting of Draco's favorites, it was time to open presents. The elder Malfoy opened the cufflinks first, then several gifts from his mother – a pair of button-down shirts, a new chain for his pocket-watch, a bottle of cologne.
"That's the last one." He commented as he removed his watch from his pocket and started to replace the chain.
"Not quite." Astoria said, pulling out the wrapped package that she and Lucius had picked up from the shoe-store.
Draco took the box with a raised eyebrow. "What's this? The cuff-links were more than enough, Love."
"Open it." Was his wife's only reply.
The man carefully peeled off the wrapping and set it to the side before lifting the lid on the box. The lid stood straight up, so it obscured the view of the others seated around the table. Draco's eyes widened as he took in the contents.
"Astoria." He said softly, swallowing before lifting his eyes to meet hers. "Does this mean -?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."
"But – I don't – how?" Draco asked, his eyes questioning.
Astoria laughed. "Really, Darling? Surely you know how?"
The man ran a hand over his face. "I mean, yes, I do. But – you're sure?"
His wife gave a single affirmative nod.
"What?" Lucius asked impatiently, having watched the conversation take place with increasing confusion. It was like they were speaking in code, and he didn't like it. He turned to Narcissa, who had a small smirk on her face. Apparently, she understood the code better than him.
"Astoria?" The witch said, directing her attention to her daughter-in-law with an expectant look on her face.
The brown-haired witch turned to her husband, who slowly turned the box around to reveal the gift. Inside the box was nestled a pair of white baby shoes. She and Draco shared a smile before she turned to the room's other two occupants.
"We're having a baby."
