Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling and none of her wonderful characters are mine. Sigh. This was written for Cheeky Slytherin Lass' Next Generation Family Challenge and the prompt was "greed" - I hope you enjoy!

Some days, Hermione couldn't believe her luck. Against all odds, they'd won and survived a war. She had two beautiful children, and a husband she adored. Being a member of the Golden Trio, however, did have its drawbacks. Despite the intervening years, their fame had not diminished and the media often ran stories about their activities. If The Prophet was to be believed, Hermione had had more affairs than the rest of the country combined and enjoyed a secret relationship with Harry. Needless to say, none of these rumours were true, but the papers had caused their fair share of strife over the years.

Rose and Hugo, young as they were, had also shared their notoriety and were often upset by the stories that were run. As they'd got older, though, they'd learnt to hold their heads high and ignore the whispers. As Hermione knew herself, this wasn't always easy and the words could still sting. Recently, Rita Skeeter had been pestering their family and friends for interviews, gathering material for her new biography. Oddly enough, the Weasleys had refused and Rita was left to ferret around for scraps of information.

Hermione had, naively it seemed, believed that Rita's project had stalled. As it happened, she was proved entirely wrong. When they arrived at King's Cross for Rose and Hugo's first day of school, they were greeted with many whispers and stares. Of course, this was nothing unusual. For obvious reasons, Ron and Hermione still attracted their fair amount of attention. This time, however, it was Rose that garnered the most interest.

The reason for this became woefully apparent.

"Hermione!" Spinning round, Hermione saw Ginny rushing towards her, magazine in hand. "Have you seen this?" she gasped, waving an article at her. Hermione barely had time to shake her head before the offending section was thrust under her nose.

DAUGHTER OF THE GOLDEN TRIO IN SECRET AFFAIR WITH DEATH EATER'S SON

Rose Weasley, daughter of Hermione and Ron Weasley, has always been seen as a model student. Following in her mother's footsteps, the young witch's grades are impressive and she regularly tops the year. However, we can exclusively reveal that Miss Weasley is not what she seems. Taking after her mother, in more ways than one, Miss Weasley is currently engaged in a scandalous affair with none other than Scorpius Malfoy, son of a former Death Eater. For years, the two have engaged in a long-running feud but a close friend suggests it is all a façade. "They pretend to hate each other," says Amelia Hurt, 13, "but it's obvious there's more than meets the eye…

Restraining the urge to grit her teeth, for Skeeter's by-line had already caught her eye, Hermione scanned the rest of the article. It was all lies, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. Her fury with Skeeter mounting, she turned to Rose and attempted to soften the blow. Before she could say anything, however, her daughter snatched it from her hands.

There was a long pause.

Watching her daughter's face, whilst silently gesturing at Ron to escort Hugo towards the train, Hermione held her breath. Angry tears were forming in Rose's eyes, but she hurriedly wiped them away.

"It's utter rubbish," she said eventually, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I know, darling."

"Because I'd never even… I mean, I wouldn't… with Malfoy!" Abandoning any attempt to remain calm, Rose resorted to half formed sentences to get her point across. She was fiddling agitatedly with her hair and the untameable ringlets were becoming wilder. Gently, Hermione pulled her hands away from her hair and clasped them in her own. Before she could say anymore, though, her daughter's face went through a rapid transformation. Eyes glued on a spot beyond Hermione's shoulder, her face betrayed a vicious anger.

Glancing behind her, Hermione saw a blonde-haired child weaving her way towards them. Immediately, she recognised the girl as Rose's friend Amelia. She looked at Rose, noticing the danger signs. Involuntarily, she braced herself for the imminent explosion. Like her parents, Rose possessed a formidable temper and, despite her stature, was a force to be reckoned with. Belatedly, Hermione tightened her grip on Rose. Unfortunately for Amelia, Hermione's restraining arm was quickly shaken off.

"How could you?" burst out Rose, rounding on her friend. Amelia, who had frozen at the greeting, backed away slowly. There was a look of abject guilt on her face, even as she clutched at a suspiciously new coat. Clearly, Rose was thinking along similar lines, for her blue eyes narrowed at her friend's outfit. "You did it… for money?" Amelia hung her head and made to say something. Quick as lightning, however, Rose cut across her. "I thought you were made of better stuff than that. I guess I was wrong."

Disgusted, she turned away and made for the train, button nose wrinkled in anger. Her face was as red as her hair, and Hermione could see sparks flying from her wand. Once they were out of earshot, Hermione pulled her aside. "You're not going to tell me off, are you?" exclaimed Rose, drawing attention from several passer-bys.

"Of course not," replied Hermione. "I wish you hadn't lost your temper, but I can understand why you did. I'm certainly no saint either." She gave her daughter a small smile and recalled her own brushes with Rita.

"Why did she do it, though?" asked Rose softly, drawing closer to her mother. Her face was beginning to mature, but she looked incredibly young at that moment.

"Greed," her mother said softly. Rose's eyes were wide and her idealism was woefully apparent. The idea of betraying her friends for money was, thankfully, an alien concept. Seeing her daughter's confusion, Hermione smiled slightly and kissed her head. "Ready to face the inquisition?" she asked wryly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," muttered Rose, still pondering her mother's words. Walking towards the train, she suddenly froze.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, concern flitting across her features.

"Oh, Merlin," Rose breathed. "What the hell do I say to Malfoy?"