Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, and I make nothing from this.
A/N- Oh my gods! LOVED the ideas you shared. I've got them in my ideas document, with certain ones in bold. Any ideas I use, I'll make sure to credit the mind behind them. I don't think I saw the idea I used below in anyone's comments. Another cool thing was to hear from some new people. The numbers tell me more than seven folks are reading this... :)
Thank you to the followers and those who favorite the story. As for my reviewers: Dadn14 (Thanks! The amusement park was suggested by more than one person; I've got it in mind. As for "Imitation," I'm not sure when I'll get back to that one. Will try to do it by Dec. 15); love bleeds red (another amusement park enthusiast. I need to do some research on amusement parks. Thank you for commenting); Carla Coleman (love your idea about the country club and the lesson behind it. And the idea of Lucius golfing makes me chuckle. Thank you for writing); Fool's Tutor (that's 3 for amusement park. You had a boatload of suggestions; I think I bolded at least six. Thank you for understanding why I didn't time jump. BTW - I dig your handle); SerpentofDarkness (Thanks. So am I! I see you want the amusement park, too. And I friggin' adore your suggestion of the Muggle toy store); PaperPenInternetConnection (I think there are two or three votes for Wicked/a musical - will keep it in mind. Thank you for your input!); dutch potterfan (I'm thinking McDonalds is going to be funnier than the market, but you never know. Thanks for sticking with this story as long as you have!); chupeechan (Muggle magic show - lots of potential); viola1701e (good ideas - thanks!); BigTimeGleekBTR (I like the sporting event. The question is, do we keep the Malfoy jaunts in England, or should they head across the pond occasionally? Imagine Lucius in a drag queen bar. Key West has a great one called the 801 Bourbon Bar); SlytherinGurrl (thanks!); Angel Girl5 (I love that idea. Just not sure Hermione would be cool with it. She's pregnant, and the hormone swings and body image issues can be hellish for all concerned. My ex gave me a card at Easter (I was 7 mos pregnant) saying I was worth my weight in jelly beans, and that was a LOT of jelly beans. I cried for two hours and didn't forgive him for a week); Trelawney (thank you so much for your kind comments. I was hoping you might throw a suggestion into the bag. PM me if you come up with something). Moonlit-Midnights (What a wonderful thing to say. Thanks much! I've read and reread l0stinl0ve's "Sherwood Florist," and will be disappointed when it ends. And whatever is five steps above brilliant, that's where you'll find "The Case of the Creature Kidnappings, by frostykitten. It may be my favorite story so far).
Lucius and Narcissa headed to the junior Malfoys' early next morning. Cissa wanted to ensure that Hermione and Scorpius had breakfast at a decent hour. It appeared that their house elf either had the day off, or was occupied elsewhere.
"Bopsy, come here, please- your assistance is needed!" It was a good thing that Bopsy paid attention so well. The Mistress never had to raise her voice to an uncouth level.
The little creature popped into sight. "Yes, Mistress? How may Bopsy serve you?"
"Create a nutritional breakfast for my daughter-in-law and my grandson, then bring it upstairs and serve it. I believe our son is already gone."
The elf curtseyed low and began to scurry around the kitchen. Lucius and Narcissa made their way upstairs. They surreptitiously entered their grandson's room, only to find him still asleep. As they dithered about how best to wake the boy, Lucius picked up an oddly multi-colored item. It seemed all of one piece until he found a part that could be pulled back. Before he knew it, a projectile had bounced off Scorpius' curly blond head. He flopped and rolled away from his grandparents murmuring "Five more minutes, Mummy, please?" Snickering, the Malfoys left the room. Lucius made sure to create a reminder in the future to ask what he had been holding.
They tiptoed down the hall to the Fiend's room. She was tossing and turning restlessly. Narcissa believed the girl was fairly close to waking. She reached out and touched Hermione's shoulder, and the younger woman's doe eyes shot open. She visibly relaxed when she recognized the identity of her visitors and gave her in-laws a warm smile.
"You're here early today." The brunette's brow furrowed in confusion.
"We wanted to make certain you and Scorpius received breakfast. There was no sign of your elf." Narcissa looked mildly scandalized.
Oh, Draco was coming back in a little while to make something for us, since we usually sleep late. Bitsy has the day off. She's ill, poor thing."
The elder Malfoys were at a loss to respond. While they no longer abused house elves, not a one would have the temerity to ask for a sick day. Lucius vaguely remembered Draco telling him about some "group the Mudblood had started," during their Hogwarts years. What was it called? Vomit? Emesis? It was something revolting, he knew that much.
Bopsy brought a breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and bacon upstairs along with a cuppa for Hermione, and milk for Scorpius, who woke up when he smelled food. She got into Miss Hermione's room just barely before he did.
The little boy was not much taller than Bopsy and Hermione grinned as she noted this. Mimicking his father's occasionally abrupt manner, Scorpius began his interrogation: "Who are you? Why did you make us breakfast? Where's Daddy? Hello, Grandmother and Grandfather Malfoy."
Bopsy froze and looked to her mistress for help.
Narcissa's head hurt a bit after the barrage of questions. "This is our house elf, Bopsy. We asked her to fill in for Bitsy and make breakfast for you since Bitsy is ill. Your father should be here any minute. Hello." Madame Malfoy glanced at her elf, saying, "You are dismissed, Bopsy. Thank you." The elf hurriedly disappeared.
Scorpius shrugged offhandedly. More important things needed addressing. "Whatever. Where's the bacon?"
Narcissa handed him a piece as she fixed plates for her grandson and his mum. Hermione had just taken it from her hands gratefully when the crack! of Apparition was heard.
"Come on up, Draco - your parents decided to take care of breakfast today."
Her husband bounded up the stairs, stopping to check out the breakfast spread and steal a slice of bacon, biting into it immediately. "Bopsy?"
Lucius looked at him in wonder. "How did you know which house elf made breakfast?"
"Simple. She always made the best bacon." He crunched into the meat, his eyes closing in bliss.
Scorpius suddenly tilted his head, looking most curious. "Mummy?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Why are you rainbow-colored now?"
"Wh-what?"
"Usually you've got a yellow light around you. Today it's a whole bunch of colors put together, like a rainbow."
"Auras?" Narcissa breathed.
Hermione was closely studying her son. "Do you see colors around anyone else, dear?"
Scorpius stopped to regard the other three adults. "Grandmother is still greenish-blue, Daddy is red, and Grandfather is - wait."
Draco knelt in front of the boy doing his best to be non-threatening. "What's wrong with Grandfather's color, son?"
"Grandfather is orange, but there are grey patches in the orange now. Daddy, what does that mean?"
"It means your grandfather should consult a Healer very soon, just to make sure everything is all right."
The child stared contemplatively at the floor. "So Healers can see colors?"
Malfoy gave his son a soft smile. "It's one of the things they can do. They use it to run some basic tests. They also give medical treatment, birth babies...really quite a wide range of positions. Why?"
"So that means I could be a Healer someday?"
"Scorp, I assure you between our resources and your mother's brains, you can learn to be anything you want. Would you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Daddy."
"I want you to keep an eye on everyone's colors around here, including visitors, and let us know the instant you spot something odd, like those gray patches. Also, erm, we have some things to tell you." He led his son over to the bed and held him in his lap.
"You were asking what is wrong with Mummy. Scorpius, Mummy is going to have another baby."
"Really? Can I have a baby brother?" The child's face lit up at the thought.
Hermione broke in, laughing, "We've already established you're getting a sister, dear. Her name is Mireille."
"Oh, crud. Everyone knows sisters aren't any fun. She'll want to play Tea Party or wear dresses or something stupid. Can you take her back somewhere to exchange her?" He looked hopefully at his mother.
Draco cut in, "Sorry, son. No exchanges, no refunds." The other adults chuckled.
"So why is Mummy still in bed?"
"The baby is having some trouble, so we were at the clinic yesterday, and 12 of us gave your mother some of our energy. That's why you see so many colors. Healer Randolf insists that your Mummy stay in bed 90% of the time, so that she doesn't get jostled and not have the baby."
Scorpius pushed away from his father, turned to his mother and hugged her arm. "I'm gonna go think about things." And he drifted back down the hall.
"Do you think he'll be all right?" The anxiety was plain in Hermione's face.
"I do. Just give him a little time." Draco sighed. "I met with my Department Head this morning, and he couldn't grant enough leave. He also couldn't guarantee that my job would be open afterwards."
Hermione reached to take his hands in her own. "Oh, sweetheart. I am so, so sorry."
He squeezed her hands. "It's okay, love."
Lucius cleared his throat discreetly. "That Malfoy Enterprises offer still stands, Draco."
"Thank you, Father. Consider it gratefully accepted. Now, since little ears aren't in the room: are you aware of any health condition?"
"I am not. I will go as soon as I leave here."
Hermione gently jerked a thumb at the door. "Get going, Lucy. We need to make sure that you're healthy. Otherwise, I can't torture you in good conscience," she arranged her features into a pathetic pout.
Lucius quickly shot back, "That's how I can tell you're only a Malfoy by marriage. Biological Malfoys have evolved to the point that 'conscience' is an abstract concept."
The Fiend stuck her tongue out at him.
Narcissa took her husband's arm, guiding him from the room, "We will be in touch as soon as we know anything, I promise."
Two days later, Lucius Malfoy returned. Draco and the Fiend were overjoyed to see him. Cissa sent her regards. She'd been roped into working on a committee for some cause or another.
"So? How did it go? Are you all right, Lucy?" He smiled at her hands wringing anxiously.
"I can tell you your boy's the real deal. The grey patches were early symptoms of a particularly nasty disease that eats away at the outermost layer of one's aura, working through the energy fields and collapsing them. Untreated patients wind up losing their magic, and basically become no better than Squibs. Thanks to Scorpius, it was caught early enough for me to be treated and rid of the problem."
Draco sighed in relief. "Where does the ability to see auras come from? Do we know?"
"I suspect he inherited the talent from your great-grandmother on the Black side. There used to be talk in the family about her natural abilities. Unfortunately, women weren't allowed to have careers back then, so she wound up staying home to take care of the children. Has Scorpius said any more about a career in that field?"
"No, but he's likely ruminating on it. He gets this distant look until he makes a decision."
"The other day I picked up a toy in his room, and it went off, discharging a foam missile at his head. What was that?"
The younger Malfoy laughed. "It's called a Nerf gun. They make a number of different toys, and they're all harmless. Scorp and I have had some great Nerf fights. I learned not to sneak up on Granger-Malfoy with one, though. She's got some wicked spells, and she's surprisingly intimidating for such a small person."
Lucius smirked, "That sounds very entertaining. I figured I didn't damage the boy as all the missile did was cause him to roll over and ask for 'five more minutes, Mummy.'" He turned to the Fiend with a mock-horrified stare, "What methods do you employ to wake him?" She raised an eyebrow and favored him with a sardonic smile. When he realized he would get nothing out of her, he went on: "The Healer says I'm fine, Draco. Do you want to venture to the market and that Mc place?"
"I'm sorry, Father. We were out of a number of supplies, and I had to go already. But I came up with a back-up plan."
"Do tell," Lucius responded archly.
"There's a showing of the Wagnerian opera 'Lohengrin' tonight at 8:00. How does that sound?"
"Opera? It's likely similar to some Wizarding shows." The elder Malfoy was disappointed.
"I promise you Father, it's different." Draco's eyes glowed as he did his best to contain his smirk.
Lucius bounced ideas of likely trips to Muggleland off of his daughter-in-law. She wrote each down then went on to start noting the pros and cons of every selection. Satisfied with the progress they had made thus far, the elder blond bid adieu to Hermione. He was caught off-guard as he realized his son had followed him out. He frowned in concern, "Draco? Is everything all right?"
The younger Malfoy stepped forward and embraced the man with everything he had. "I'm just so glad you're fine."
His father stood stiffly for a moment, then hugged his son hard. So am I, my boy. I'm also grateful that currently we have a relationship that allows affection."
Draco gave him a lopsided grin, "I won't tell if you won't."
"Deal. I'll see you at 7:00?"
"Make it 6:30 so we aren't gobbling our food like Hippogriffs. Or worse, Weasleys." Draco's face scrunched up at the thought.
The Malfoy men sat through an uneventful dinner, and finally it was 7:45 and they were allowed in to claim their seats. Draco had made sure to get excellent seats near the front. His father looked around the room with casual interest.
Then the houselights dimmed, and a single spotlight focused on what appeared to be a young sailor. He had a pleasant, powerful voice. Lucius wasn't fluent enough in German to understand much, but he liked the music. Draco said he would understand the basics of the plot just by watching. The elder Malfoy relaxed, and then a woman took center stage. When she opened her mouth, Lucius damn near fell out of his seat. It felt like a wall of sound had crashed into him.
He poked at his son: "Merlin's balls, boy! That din sounds like the caterwauling from your mother's singing lessons. This is horrific! Is she meant to sound like an especially loud, screeching harpy in labor?"
Draco smirked. "In the Muggle world, that singer is a star in the opera circles. In all honesty, I've never been much for the soprano voice, myself."
"Then why did you drag us here?"
"Truthfully? To see your reaction. My understanding is that you love opera or you hate it." Draco gave his father a playful shoulder bump.
"Put me down as being firmly in the second camp. Can we leave yet, or is it bad form?"
"It is considered poor etiquette to leave early. Let's watch a bit longer, shall we?"
Lucius grumbled, "This is worse than whatever the Fiend has in store for me."
"Not necessarily. I've seen some of her ideas. I expect that your book will be a bestseller."
Lucius settled back in his seat, plugging his ears every time the banshee chose to shriek. Eventually the opera ended, and they were walking through the parking lot toward to the Apparition point.
"That was certainly...informative. Let's not do that again."
His son smiled and nodded, his mouth forming a pink 'o' when his father started singing 'Greensleeves' while they walked. He had forgotten just how lovely a voice Lucius had. It was a rich, somber baritone, and he was pitch-perfect.
After a few feet, Draco realized they weren't alone. Between his looks and his voice, Lucius had garnered a fan club of love-struck Muggle women. The elder Malfoy noticed nothing. Unfortunately, they were close to the Apparition point.
"Father!" came in a harsh whisper.
Lucy ceased his singing to look bemusedly at Draco. "What?"
"Look. Behind. You."
The blond turned around, and the fan club pounced.
"Are you married?" from a short, pudgy woman who reminded Draco most disturbingly of Umbridge.
"Who cares? Are you up for a night?" Both father and son raised their eyebrows. The woman was tall, thin and absolutely stunning.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?" "Are you with the troupe?" "May I have your autograph; here's good! (this fan ripped open her jacket, gesturing to her ample breasts), and so on.
"Okay, how do we get out of this one? We aren't supposed to use Obliviate," Draco was panicking.
"I have an idea." Lucius lifted his chin and his voice to make sure he was heard. "I cannot tell you the details yet, but I do have an upcoming show. If you head back to the opera building, you may be able to catch my agent. I've heard he has a weakness for beautiful women." He winked mischievously with a roguish grin, and watched 10 women go absolutely dragonshit. They turned as one body, and began running back to the opera house in hopes of getting details from his agent.
"See? Simple. Apparently Muggles are easier to manipulate. To a single wizard, that could be advantageous."
"Let's go home. I'm praying to Merlin you don't stir up this much of a reaction next time. I was seconds away from fitting all of them with chastity belts."
"Because that wouldn't be noticed." Lucius harrumphed and Disapparated. Draco followed in short order. He cackled to himself as he heard Hermione pressing for the memory and details and Lucius doing his damnedest to place preconceived opinions in her mind of 'what actually happened' (i.e. what version would keep his lovely wife from hexing him).
The younger Malfoy poked his head into the bedroom, "Wouldn't want to encroach on your collaboration, love. I'll be downstairs until it's time for bed. Goodnight father." He full-out laughed as he heard Lucius cursing him for choosing to make himself scarce. Something about loyalty and guilt. He figured he would remind his father that as a Malfoy, he'd evolved past needing an Inner Guide.
Draco got a glass of Firewhiskey and lounged on the couch. Yep, the more he thought about it, the more he believed this book was going to be great.
A/N II: I found an interview where the HP Jason Isaacs claimed he can't carry a note in a bucket. However, since Lucy's been OOC throughout this story, just go with it. :)
Here's the web page I used for auric levels: /english/aura-body/files-aura/12_layers_of_auric_field/12_layers_of_auric_