First and foremost-THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE! Between being sick, and being overwhelmed with projects at work, I wondered if I was ever going to get back to this story. Finally, I woke up this morning with ideas in mind. It isn't much, just a bit of a segue to events to come, but please enjoy, and I hope to have more for you soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me, and please review!
All eyes turned upward as owls swooped into the great hall with the morning post, many of the birds bearing copies of the Daily Prophet. James shoved his plate away, eagerly searching for his owl, Angel, and nearly upsetting Rose's juice into her lap.
"Oi! Pay attention, would you!" she snapped, taking up the glass before it could spill.
James ignored her as he and Lily tousled for a moment, each grabbing for the paper as the owl came within reach.
"It's just a game, for heaven's sake!" Rose rolled her eyes. "Lily, you dropped your letter." She passed an envelope that the bird had also delivered to her cousin. Lily reluctantly let go of the paper.
"You certainly weren't so blasé at the last cup, when Sasha Krum invited you to the Champions' Ball," James replied, turning to the sports section and removing the special World Cup feature section, a small paper within the paper that carried full coverage of the events, including photo coverage of the previous day's games in full color, with play-by-play captions.
"That was different," she insisted, stabbing her sausage.
"Yeah, his dad is friends with Mum and Dad," said Hugo. He placed another helping of bacon on his plate.
"No, Mum is friends with Viktor Krum. Dad said I was too young to date," Rose groused. James laughed.
"Well, you were only eleven."
"Sasha was only thirteen! Dad only said no because he's still smarting over Mum going to the Yule Ball with Viktor. It's completely ridiculous."
"Oh, it's from Al."
"Guess he hasn't forgotten all about us after all," James replied, not looking up from the paper. "Oh, look. Your boyfriend's playing for Bulgaria this year." He showed Rose the picture.
"Al says he's been promoted from reserve to starting keeper on the football team," said Lily, as she read her brother's letter.
"Albus is playing football? I thought he hated sports." Hugo stacked bacon and eggs on a slice of toast to make a sandwich.
"He's been with Dad, when Mr. Thomas invites him to watch Eliza play," she pointed out. "Share the paper, James!" Lily snatched the newspaper from her brother.
"Oi! Wait your turn!" James grabbed the paper back and spread it on the table, turning the page. "Uh-oh, Rosie! Looks like you've got some competition for Krum's affection. His fan club appears to be pretty intense."
James pointed to a photo near the top of the page, which showed a throng of young witches clamoring for the young Quidditch star's attention.
"Oh, sod off, James." Rose pulled a face, but leaned closer to examine the photograph as she spoke. "Sasha and I are simply pen friends. He can—" She squinted at the page, and looked closer.
"What?" Hugo took a bite of his sandwich.
"Nothing. Nothing. We should get a move on. Don't you have Herbology first?" Rose hurriedly grabbed up her things, tipping the juice picture in the process.
"Watch it, Rosie!" James caught the vessel before it could spill, a few drops splashing onto the paper. Lily blotted the page with her napkin.
"What's with you? If Sasha isn't—" Lily gaped at the page, leaning in close.
"What?" Hugo leaned over to look at the paper.
"You know what guys, maybe I will ask my dad if Sasha can be my escort to the Spring Fete, and—" Rose tried desperately to change the subject.
"Is that Aunt Ginny?" Hugo mumbled, his mouth full.
"Mum? Where?" asked James, leaning in.
"Right there, with—is that Gordon Horton?"
"Yeah, he's—what the hell!" James exclaimed, peering closely at the page.
"Oh, dear!" Rose sank back into her seat, biting her lip. She had hoped that she had simply imagined what she'd seen in the background of the photo.
"They're kissing?" Lily's voice was barely above a whisper, and laced with incredulity. She looked to her older brother, in the hope that he would laugh and tell her that she was imagining things, but James simply stared silently at the page.
"James, maybe you should—" Rose began, but James leapt to his feet, snatching the paper, and stormed out of the Great Hall, Lily close at his heels.
Draco removed his headphones and paused the music file he was listening to. After a few false starts and a lot of help from Harry, he was finally getting the hang of using a computer. Never one to back down from a challenge, Draco discovered that he could record his students as they performed, and give a second look at his initial evaluations. As September headed to a close, neither Malfoy had even seemed to notice their gradual immersion into muggle life.
That is why Draco found himself somewhat startled, when he took a deep breath, and inhaled a most heavenly aroma. He wandered out of his study and into the kitchen, to find Scorpius plating two amazingly appetizing dishes.
"Scorpius?"
"It's almost ready. I've laid the table in the dining room, if you'd like to choose a bottle of wine," his son said, flicking his wand. Two individual-sized wellingtons separated into neat slices on each plate.
"I—" Draco stood for a moment, dumbfounded. "Erm, wine—right!" Draco shook off his surprise and left the kitchen as Scorpius carefully poured a balsamic sauce down the middle of each wellington.
He was entering the dining room with two plates, as Draco uncorked a bottle of Fuoco Serpentino Syrah. Scorpius carefully set each dish on the table.
"Scorpius, I-I'm you did this?"
"My Culinary Arts homework—prepare a meal for my family. We have boneless loin of lamb wellington with red wine balsamic sauce, sauté of artichoke hearts with white wine, lemon and capers, and finally, a purée of carrots, sweet potato, fresh ginger and clementine." Scorpius sat down across from his father and spread his napkin across his lap. "I saw it on a...erm…a website on the computer."
"It smells divine, and it looks very appetizing," his father remarked. He poured them each a serving of wine. Scorpius looked at him curiously. "A single glass with dinner won't hurt you." He gave him a smile. Scorpius grinned.
"Bon appétit!"
They ate in silence for a few minutes, Draco occasionally murmuring his appreciation for the meal. Scorpius blushed with satisfaction.
"Are you enjoying school, my son?" Draco asked.
"When we first arrived, and you told me of your plan, I was terrified. I wanted to learn more about muggle culture, but a whole new country as well? I was certain that you were way in over your head!"
"And then we discovered the Potters," Draco shook his head, neatly slicing off a morsel of wellington.
"Merlin's socks!" Scorpius exclaimed. "I must confess, having Albus to show me the ropes certainly made the transition a great deal more manageable."
"I daresay we would most certainly have crashed like a Moontrimmer on a cloudy night."
"Now that's what I miss—flying out over the fields just after sunrise!"
"Yes, although the motorbike is swift and exhilarating, it isn't quite the same as being airborne. It is rather regrettable that the dates of the World Cup were changed this season. I hate that our tickets went to waste."
"Yeah. I was yet surprised at the final outcome. Who would have thought that Haiti would manage to edge out Bulgaria in the quarterfinal?"
"Even considering their desire to save face after the whole snitchnip debacle, I don't believe I'd have wagered on them getting quite that far. They put up a good fight against New Zealand."
"True, and I'd have thought that New Zealand would take it all the way. Albus was certainly chuffed that his team were the victors."
"You know, my son, I honestly couldn't have been more shocked, and perhaps even a bit dismayed when I first learned that you and young Potter had forged an alliance. I was certain that it would be the ruin of the Malfoys. I couldn't appreciate the alienation that you were facing at Hogwarts, and to be sure, I was concerned about your ability to assimilate with your peers at Greyswood—not just because of your limited experience in the muggle world—because your mother and I had sheltered you. I didn't want to go about things in the same way as Lucius—carefully selecting your associates, and grooming you for social advancement. Yet, I didn't realize that by setting you apart, I fostered the ostracism that you would ultimately face in school. I feared, knowing so little about the muggle world that I might wind up doing the same thing here."
"Well, fortunately, I met Lilac all on my own." Scorpius smiled, pushing the remnants of his meal, a few crumbs of pastry, around his plate.
"She seems like a nice young lady. She's certainly very talented, musically. Your quartet sounds very nearly perfect."
"Thank you, Father. We've worked very hard." Scorpius sipped his wine. "It is curious that you say Professor Snape never mentioned any relatives or extended family."
"Yes, well, Severus was a very private person. As we learned after the war, he had exceptionally strong reason to be. However, given that he'd renounced his muggle heritage at a young age, it isn't surprising that he'd not have given thought to the possibility of relatives abroad."
"I suppose so." Scorpius gazed thoughtfully into his glass.
"Do you like this young lady, my son?"
"Oh, yes! Very much, Father. She's smart, talented, and has a scathing sense of humor." Scorpius smiled.
Draco raised a brow, nodding slowly as he listened, noting his son's enthusiasm. He raised his glass in salute; happy that Scorpius was content, that he was finding his place, and cultivating was looked to be a special relationship.