Disclaimer: just doing this for fun.
A/N - Thanks for the lovely reviews, the follows and the favorites. They make my day! Hermione and Narcissa will be up next chapter.
The remainder of dinner went smoothly after Scorpius laid down the law to his grandparents. Lucius found himself thinking that Draco might be a tad hasty in wanting to order everything in green now; the child's handling of the situation had been distinctly Gryffindor.
He shook his head in disbelief at himself when he realized that the boy could come home in five years decked out in red and gold, and he would be just as thrilled to see him. Lucius had never had an issue with bravery, it was just that most Gryffindors lacked the intelligence and finesse so abundant in Slytherin. In point of fact, a Gryffindor with some cunning could be a useful individual indeed.
Which brought him to his Muggleborn daughter-in-law. He had meant every word he'd said to her in the kitchen, and the kindness she instinctively showed during dinner floored him. He could tell that Cissa had been equally affected. Neither of them missed the mixture of love and pride glowing in their son's eyes. Draco had smoothly changed the subject to the current state of affairs at the Ministry, and passed his father the plate of hot dogs. When the elder Malfoy voiced his appreciation for the dish, Hermione smirked and told him he'd earned them.
Getting Narcissa to sample a hot dog wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. She couldn't get over the indignity of eating with one's hands. They compromised, and she cut hers into pieces. It was obvious she didn't share her husband's affinity for them, but they still agreed on the crisps, and she enjoyed the fizzy drink. Lucius suspected that her happiness was due more to Hermione's gesture, but he was fine with that. If Cissa wasn't an aficionado of Muggle cuisine, it meant more for him.
Hermione noted how happy Lucius was with the food, and she graciously offered to send Bitsy to the Manor to teach their elves everything they needed to know about the procurement and preparation of any of the recipes that caught the Malfoys' fancy. Much to her amusement, Lucius promptly began a list.
Hermione was pleased to see that her offspring behaved during dinner. No experiments or food fights marred the experience. Draco looked vaguely disappointed by this. She leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, love. If they continue to visit at mealtimes, they'll see our son's more colorful side soon enough."
Her spouse brightened considerably at the thought. "I can only hope. Can you imagine my father with jam in his hair?" It was a goal of sorts, so she grinned and let it go.
Dinner ended soon enough, and Hermione dismissed her son from the table. Narcissa offered to help Hermione clear, so Scorpius looked innocently at his grandfather and asked, "Would you like to play a game?"
Lucius was more than happy to assent, though he felt a twinge of apprehension when he saw Draco turning away to hide the largest smirk he'd seen on his son since his Hogwarts years. He allowed Scorpius to lead him into the parlor, where the child introduced him to Aggravation, a Muggle board game.
There was certainly truth in advertising. Lucius was ready to incinerate the board after a few rolls of the dice. To get a marble into play, one had to roll a one or a six. If someone landed on a space occupied by another player's marble, that someone could knock said marble all the way back to the base, where another one or six was required to put it in play again.
It didn't take long to discover that his grandson was utterly cutthroat when it came to games. In fact, he was quite certain that even when the boy had another option, he willfully chose to annoy his opponent. Had Lucius experienced this as a spectator, he was sure he would have been as amused as his son currently was.
"Enjoying this, are you?" Father raised a brow at son.
Draco made no attempt to hide his glee. "Immensely. I used to dream of seeing you get your arse handed to you. And by a six year-old? Makes it all the sweeter."
"I'm sure it does. Suddenly I don't feel so badly about being beaten at the Department of Mysteries by a group of teenage brats. They were at least twice this one's age."
The younger Malfoy waved his hand dismissively. "Those were Gryffindors. I've told you; Scorp will be a Slytherin."
"Don't be so sure yet, son. I see a lot of his mother in him."
Draco appeared a bit put out by this, and Lucius didn't have the heart to torture him further. "Whatever he turns out to be, 100 galleons and my favorite peacock say he'll be the leader of his House."
"PEACOCK? You have a peacock?" Scorpius forgot the game for a moment, totally distracted by the idea of the birds.
"Why yes. I have an entire flock of them. All white as snow. Would you like to see them sometime?"
The child was overcome at the thought, and Lucius took the opportunity to subtly move his marble a few spaces ahead. Draco shook his head at his father, but said nothing. Scorp would have to learn if he was to survive in Slytherin. Never take your eyes off of your opponent.
Lucius pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I have an idea. If your parents will bring you to the Manor, we can chase them around the yard. It's good fun to watch them get ruffled."
Draco loosed an indignant snort. "You never let me chase them!"
"So come along," his father replied loftily. "I believe I'll change back to the form I took at the park for the occasion."
The elder Malfoy was aware that irritating the silly birds had been a childhood dream of his son's. There was no way in Hades his invitation wouldn't be accepted, and they both knew it. Draco grinned. "Weren't you supposed to be losing right about now? Scorpius, I believe it was your turn."
And the slaughter continued. Even with cheating, Lucius was soundly trounced, and demanded a rematch at a future date. Scorpius was more than happy to agree. He left the room for a moment, and Lucius turned to Draco:
"Have you ever prevailed against him?"
"About as often as I've won an argument with his mother."
"So...never, then? How depressing."
Father and son exchanged identical arch looks, then burst out laughing.