Hello my beautiful readers. I'm really sorry that I have been quiet in recent months however, it has been a bit of a busy year for me already. To apologise here is the second chapter and I also have the finishing chapters for Shattered Mirror so keep an eye out in the coming days. Thank you for being patient with me and once again I apologise for the long delay.
I do not own any of the recognisable characters.
Please Read, Enjoy and Review :)
Draco stood behind the counter, rolling out dough for another batch of pastries. The mid-afternoon light shone through the shop windows, casting a warming, dusty light across the wooden benches. The bell above the door tinkled and he turned around to greet the customer, brushing flour from his hands. He smiled at the sight of his mother and gave her his usual, respectable bow. He had quickly recognised her as the head of the household, after his father had been driven into insanity and alcoholism.
"Draco." She greeted.
"Mother." He replied. "What brings you here this afternoon?"
"Do I need an excuse to visit my son?" She asked softly. He raised an eyebrow, but smiled at her all the same.
"I appreciate your presence ma'am however; I am rather busy at the present." He turned to gesture at the large piece of pastry, spread out across the bench. "MaƮtresse Dupont is out at the market all afternoon so I'm on my own."
"Perhaps I could join you?" Narcissa asked softly. "Is there a spare apron and hairnet?" Draco looked surprised at his mother's request however he opened the counter to admit her into the rear of the shop. He grabbed a spare apron from a washing pile and found a brand new hairnet in one of the many cupboards. He watched as his mother rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands and donned the apron, hairnet and a spare skull cap. "Where do I start?" She asked, turning to him for instruction.
"Could you bring through the mixed spice and currants?" He asked, showing her where the items were. "And I'll get the butter and egg wash. He took out a large bowl of egg wash from the fridge and grabbed a small pan of melted butter that was sat on top of an almost extinguished fire.
He led his mother through to the front of the shop and showed her how to spread the butter, currants and spice before rolling the dough into a long spiral. He took out a knife and sliced through the sausage shape, before setting each pastry onto a tray and egg washing them. They carried through the trays into the rear of the shop and placed them into a large oven before setting a timer and cleaning down the workbench.
"We have time for a coffee if you would like one." He said, placing a copper kettle over a gas range.
"That sounds lovely Draco, thank you." He nodded before placing a couple of spoons of coffee and a new filter into a cafetiere and taking two croissants from a fresh batch of pastries on the side. He cut them in half and spread butter over them before pouring the coffee and handing her the drink.
"Eat." He said; nodding to the croissants. "We had nothing in for lunch again so I know you haven't had anything all day." His mother shot him a grateful look before taking a pasty and eating it delicately. He inwardly smirked at his mother's poise and gracefulness even though she must have been starving. After they had finished they washed their hands and Draco took out two more sheets of homemade pastry for the fridge. He showed his mother how to roll it before grabbing another rolling pin and setting to work on his own sheet. They worked in a comfortable silence until the alarm went off for the first batch of pastries.
Draco dusted his hands off and grabbed his oven cloth, from his waist band. He opened the oven door and took out the large trays of pastries, placing them on the side to cool. Narcissa watched her son with a mixture of pride and interest. He had taken surprisingly well to the simple life they were now forced to lead and she was proud at how well he had adapted, never complaining, always willing. He turned back to his pastry and raised his eyebrows at her expression.
"I'm proud of you little dragon." She said softly. "You have adapted so well here." He blushed at the nickname and smiled shyly at her.
"I've had to mother." He replied quietly. "We've had no other choice."
"No we haven't, have we?" She replied quietly, going back to her own sheet of pastry. The silence resumed as they worked side by side and soon the surfaces were covered in fresh pastries.
"Well that should be it for today." Draco sighed, checking the inventory list on the wall. "We've done all we needed and more."
"Well it's still early." Narcissa said, checking her muggle watch. "It's only six."
"That's okay." Draco replied. "We can get dinner on our way back." The blonde boy covered the pastries with fresh cloths and the pair took off their aprons and caps. He locked up the front of the shop and dropped the blinds before leading his mother out of the back door and locking that too, posting the keys back through the letter box. The pair made their way down the street, stopping only to buy dinner before returning home.
There we go folks! Like I said keep an eye out for my next updates!
