CHAPTER 2
Love is clueless and destiny is wishing
The sunlight streamed delicately in through the windows. Not quiet ready to wake up, Draco grumbled and pulled Hermione closer to him as he drifted into a deeper slumber. Despite her best efforts, sleep was now lost to Hermione as she heard the sounds of the gentle morning stream in through the open windows. Looking to the balcony, she saw one of Lucius' famous peacocks silently walking along the railing. Hermione smiled as she felt Draco subconsciously draw circles on her arm.
Truthfully it did feel great to be back home. Hermione thought that waking up in a bed not her own, in a country that she had left years ago would feel strange. But it didn't; instead it felt rather calming.
"Draco?' she asked quietly wondering if he would hear her through his sleep.
"Mmmm?" came the muffled reply as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.
"Are you worried about today?" Hermione asked.
He didn't reply immediately and Hermione thought he had fallen asleep again. "Yes, I am." He answered eventually. "But I know that you and Pansy will do as you please despite what I say." he said his tone light.
She chuckled, glad that her husband knew her so well, "I'm glad you know that."
"Hermione," he said softly, though she could tell he was serious, "Promise me that you will be careful today."
"I always am Draco. You know that."
"Yes but this is different. It's been years since anyone in London had seen you. And the last time they did, you were Hermione Granger. Now you're Hermione Malfoy." Draco said voicing his concern, "I don't know what I would do if anything happened because of this."
"And I've told you a million times before that I will not apologise to anyone for choosing the life I did. I have nothing to be ashamed of… or scared of for that matter." She replied. Turning in his arms she faced him. "You worry too much Draco," she teased pushing the hair away from his face.
"It's a Malfoy thing." He shrugged but before he could say anything else their bedroom door burst open and a small bundle of curls hurled its way towards the bed. Althea pulled at the sheets trying to climb up onto the high bed. Draco smirked to Hermione as they heard her enthusiastic efforts yet they made no move. Finally she managed to get onto the bed and in no time had wriggled her way between her parents.
"Is it time to go to Diagon Alley now?" she asked innocently.
Draco and Hermione both laughed, "Well good morning to you too Thea." He said tickling her. She squealed in shocked delight and tried to wriggle away from her father but her mother had effectively trapped her between them.
"Mummy! Make daddy stop!" Althea cried between giggles, "Pleeeaaasee! No daddy stooop"
But all Hermione could do was laugh at the sight before her. Luckily for Althea, her pleas did not go unnoticed as Zeus jumped up onto the bed. He stood at the end of the bed and barked loudly a few times. Hermione cringed wondering if they had just woken up the rest of the occupants in the manor. Remembering the sheer size of the manor, it seemed rather unlikely and she soon forgot about those trivial matters as she heard her daughter laughing loudly again.
"Can…we….go…no –" Althea tried asking through deep exhausted breaths.
"First breakfast then we can go!" Hermione answered.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Rhaella asked from the doorway. Dressed in her light blue pyjamas and her blonde hair in no decent shape, it was clear she had just woken up. "It's a bit early for all this action don't you think?" she asked making her way towards the bed. She scooted Zeus over a bit before flopping down on the bed.
"Its daddy's fault," Althea pouted. Though her accusation only brought a new fever of tickles from Draco.
As father and daughter carried out their antics, Hermione turned to Rhaella, "Did you sleep well sweetheart? She asked to which Rhaella nodded. "I'm glad you're up we need to head down to breakfast soon if we want to spent the day in Diagon Alley. Is your brother up yet?"
Rhaella snorted at this, "Mum you know your son better than that. There's no way he's awake yet." She laughed.
"All right well why don't you girls go wake him up, wash up and we'll meet you down for breakfast?" Hermione suggested.
Rhaella nodded, "Come on squirt," she said to Althea, "Let's go wake up Scorpius!" she grinned deviously as she spoke.
"Play nice when you do so Rhaella," her father warned knowing that look on his daughter's face. "You know your brother's not a morning person."
"I always play fair dad," she said flicking messy hair over her shoulders. She reached over and grasped Althea's legs, "come on," she said gently pulling the little girl towards her. She allowed Althea to crawl onto her back before they turned to leave the room. "You too Zeus." she commented and the dog jumped off the bed and followed them out the room.
"She took the dog with her. Should we be worried?" Draco asked looking at Hermione. She merely laughed.
"Yes, be very worried Draco. After all she takes after you and your Slytherin antics," Hermione joked poking him in the chest.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." He shot back. Sighing Hermione pushed the covers off her, "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm getting out of bed… we don't want to waste any time Draco." She replied as if it were the most obvious thing.
"It's still early Mione," he groaned grabbing her by the waist. She shrieked in delight as his hand ducked under her shirt. His hands gently tickling at her sides, "We have plenty of time." he said as his lips hovered at the base of her neck working their way up. Her fingers instinctively wove into his hair pulling him closer. His lips eventually made their way to hers and Draco let his body cover hers as his lips expertly devoured hers. He released her as the need for air became over powering, but his lips moved back along her jaw line. She scraped her fingers across his scalp as she pulled at his hair enticing a groan from him. This seemed to jar Hermione to her senses. With much reluctance she pushed Draco back onto the pillows. "Hermione," he moaned as she laughed, she propped herself on her elbows on his chest.
"There's nothing I would love more than to continue this… but I no doubt have to go save my son from the torture your daughters are probably inflicting upon him." she teased. "But we can always carry this on a little later," she said slowly looking at her husband with a sneaky smile. She pecked him quickly on the lips before hastily throwing the covers off and jumping from the bed before Draco could stop her once more. He groaned but left the comforts of the bed and headed towards the bathroom.
"Ugggh!" Scorpius groaned wiping his face with the sheets, "You Malfoy girls really don't play fair!"
Althea giggled as her loyal dog leaped off the bed and wandered to the armchair. "Mummy said we should wake you up" she said shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't think she meant having Zeus like my face little Thea," Scorpius said smiling despite the odd awakening. "It's still so early," he sighed dramatically before flopping back onto the pillows.
Althea gasped, "Nooo! Scorpy! Don't sleep," she cried, "We'regoingtoDiagonallytoday!" she spoke so fast the words melted together, "Get up! Get up! Get up" she sang bouncing on the bed.
Scorpius groaned trying to pull the covers back over him, "Ly make her stop." He begged.
Rhaella laughed, "Oh no! I'm with her Scorp" she said smirking as she grabbed his pillow from underneath him. He blinked but barely had time to duck when the pillow flew into the air only for it to hit his head seconds later. "Get up! Get! Get up!" she laughed and threw another pillow to Althea. With the girls armed with pillows and sitting on either side of the bed, Scorpius was completely at their mercy.
"Alright! Alright! I'm up!" he finally conceded but that didn't seem to make much of difference to them as they continued their assault with the pillows. "Ly! Thea! I'm up! Stop! Sweet Merlin! Stop!"
"Now girls I'm pretty sure your father asked you to be nice," Hermione called from the entrance. Scorpius looked relieved as his mother walked into the room and the girls immediately dropped the pillows.
"But we were nice;" Althea said innocently, "Zeus even gave Scorp a good morning kiss."
Hermione looked shocked at her children while attempting to hide a laugh at the look of disgust on her son's face. "How sweet of him," she said smiling, "But perhaps Zeus should save his kisses for you?" Hermione said as she sat down on the bed. "Now that you're all awake, I think its best you start getting ready. No doubt you girls will want to leave straight after breakfast?" they both nodded enthusiastically. "Okay well go on and get ready. We'll meet you downstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes." Rhaella and Althea both shuffled to get off Scorpius' huge bed.
As Althea was about to jump off the bed she turned and awkwardly ran back over the jumbled sheets to her brother. "Sorry Zeus licked your face," she said as she kissed her brother's cheek. He grinned broadly at his sweet little sister.
"That's okay little Thea." He said as he kissed her forehead in return. She smiled and with a little help from her mother, she was on the floor and bounding out the room again with Zeus following hot on her trails.
"Well that was some awakening," Hermione joked. Scorpius rolled his eyes as he flopped back onto the bed. "Come on, breakfast is in twenty minutes."
Scorpius looked at his mother hesitantly for a moment before he spoke, "Mum, do you think everything will be all right today?"
Hermione wasn't the least bit surprised at her son's question. Just like his father, he worried about his family. It had always been that way, ever since Rhaella was a little girl. It only intensified when Althea joined the family. "Of course sweetheart, why wouldn't it be?" she asked gently pushing his blonde hair away from his face. "Your father and Blaise won't let anything happen. And I know for a fact that you're not going to let Ly or Thea out of your sight."
"No mum, that's not what I meant." He said taking her hand, "But you're right, I won't let anything happen to the girls."
"Then what did you mean?' she asked intrigued.
"Do you think everything will be alright between you and your friends once they find out you're a Malfoy?" he asked hesitantly.
Hermione chuckled slightly, "Sometimes you're too much like your father." She said answering his puzzled look. "I don't know what's going to happen when they find out. But I will tell you what I told you father," she said seriously, "and that is that I won't apologise for choosing your father and the wonderful life we have…despite the surname that came with it. And I know that I probably don't have to tell you this… but I don't want you to ever feel ashamed about being a Malfoy. Okay?" he nodded his understanding at his mothers words. "Good. See you down in twenty minutes!" with that she kissed his forehead like she had done a million times when he was younger before leaving the room.
Scorpius removed the tangled sheets from around him and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower he dressed in dark wash jeans and a thin grey sweater that fit rather snug to his toned abdomen. He slid the Malfoy ring on his left hand middle finger before leaving the room to join his family for breakfast. It had been a long held family tradition for boys to get a Malfoy ring when they turned sixteen. It had been no different in Scorpius' case when he had been given it almost a year ago by his grandparents. Though with Rhaella's sixteenth birthday fast approaching, both Scorpius and his mother had wondered what sort of extravagant heirloom Lucius would bestow upon her. Hearing the voices drift through the opened doors, he walked into the dining room to see most of his family already seated.
Lucius sat with a copy of the Daily Prophet opened in front of him. He was busy catching Draco up on all the recent business developments, perhaps trying to entice his son into opening up a business venture back in London. Hermione and Narcissa seemed to be making a list of all the places they needed to visit while Althea was busy sneaking pieces of her pancakes to Zeus beneath the table.
"Oh morning dear," Narcissa greeted her grandson. She did a double take for a moment as Scorpius smiled warmly and took a seat at the table. How remarkable that he looked so much like his father. "I hope you had a good sleep. It's going to be a really busy day," she said jarring herself from her memories.
"Oh I did thank you. I just had a bit of… odd awakening," he said looking to Althea. She grinned but didn't say anything. "Where's Ly?"
"Right here," his sister called as she popped down in the seat beside him.
"Right well we told the Zabini's that we would meet them at the Leaky Cauldron." Draco explained, "From there I suppose it's up to you lot." He gestured to his mother and wife.
"Well I know that Pansy has been dying to show you around Diagon Alley for a while now, so I was thinking we could take a leisurely stroll around the alley while they do that." Narcissa answered looking at Lucius.
"Oh are you sure you won't join us Cissa?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, don't worry about us dear! We'll meet for lunch at that wonderful little restaurant afterwards." Narcissa said. Hermione and Draco both agreed it sounded like a good plan.
"Good, I will make some reservations for us then." Lucius said.
Breakfast was over in a flash as coffee, pancakes, eggs and sausages were passed across the table. With their departure time fast approaching, Draco waited at the base of the grand staircase of Malfoy manor as his girls neatened themselves up for their little trip. Scorpius stood beside him tapping his sneakers in slight anticipation.
"They looked fine," he grumbled to his father, "What was the point in going to change?"
"Son, women in general are a confusing lot," Draco sighed, "The Malfoy women are even more so."
"I heard that," Hermione said as she descended the stairs. Scorpius smirked at the slightly panicked expression on his father's face.
"Where are the girls?" Draco asked as he held his hand out for Hermione to take.
"They'll be down in a minute." She answered.
"Mum we're all ready," Rhaella called as she danced down the stairs. She was dressed in a simple yet beautiful white summer dress with a silver chain around her neck. The pendant was a delicately woven circular three headed dragon. "But Thea won't take it off."
"Won't take what off?" Draco questioned.
Hermione smiled as her youngest daughter slowly walked down the stairs to join her family. Althea was dressed in a pretty soft yellow and white dress that made her look every bit the little nymph her family claimed her to be. On her head was what Draco assumed where red and black ladybug antennae.
"Mione, why is our daughter wearing antlers?" Draco asked.
"Draco they're not antlers!" she scolded, "And I think she looks adorable."
"They don't match her outfit at all," Rhaella commented shaking her head.
"Daddy," Althea said softly as Draco picked her up smoothing down the puffy skirt on her dress as he did so, "I look pretty like mummy?"
Seeing the innocent beauty in his daughter Draco knew there was no other answer, "Of course sweetheart. You're even prettier than mummy." He whispered the last part to her as if it were a secret between just father and daughter. Althea giggled and they all made their way to the fireplace.
One at a time they stepped through, throwing the powder down and calling out "Diagon Alley!" as they disappeared into the green flames. Draco stepped through last with Althea still in his arms. The familiar smell of oak and butterbeer hit his senses first before he could step out of the fireplace. Once out, he dusted the soot off himself and Althea, walking to the back of the pub where he saw his family and friends already seated.
"Finally!" Blaise said, "There's our little nymph… what is that on her head?" he asked looking at Draco.
Draco merely shrugged before Althea was taken from his hands by Blaise. "Uncle Bwaise!" she laughed as he tickled her. Setting her down on the table, she looked at him with all the seriousness a five year old could muster. "Don't you like my aten…anta…"
"Antenna sweetheart," Hermione offered.
"Yes that." She said pushing her blonde hair away from her face. "It's pretty, yes?"
"Off course it is!" Blaise laughed. "You ready to go? There's a lot to see and even more to buy"
"Yes!" she cried happily.
"And what are you going to buy?" Blaise asked as they all stood to leave.
"uuhmm… books!" Althea said, "And maybe more toys." She said as she threw a beyond adorable pout over her uncle's shoulder at her father.
Draco merely smiled and shook his head as they headed out the pub. It was strangely quiet but he didn't complain at that. Less people meant less uncomfortable stares being thrown their way.
"Alright try not to get separated from each other," Draco said as Selene and Rhaella got ready to break away from the group. Scorpius gave him a reassuring look before he and Damien followed the girls down the alley. Pansy had already managed to pull Hermione into one of the many shops on their list. Blaise and Draco followed closely behind.
"Daddy can we get my book now?' Althea asked sweetly. Draco couldn't deny his daughter anything in that moment as she drew on her best pout. With the red and black antennae almost falling off her blonde hair, even Merlin wouldn't have been able to say no to her in that moment.
"Go on Draco, I think we're going to be here a while," Hermione laughed. She kissed Althea on the cheek as Draco nodded hesitantly. He didn't want to leave Hermione alone just yet. Blaise seemed to sense his hesitation.
"I'll stay with them," he said handing Althea over to her father. "You take her to the book store."
"We don't need a babysitter Blaise," Pansy said with an elegant roll of her eyes.
"Who said anything about baby sitting you? Can't I just spend time with my wife?" he asked in mock hurt.
Pansy was about to shoot back a smart remark when Hermione stopped her, "Let him come along Pans… I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with you… and some galleons too." She grinned deviously.
Blaise gulped as he realised what he had signed on too, "Oh hells."
"Daddy can we go now?' Althea asked again.
"Yes let's go." He answered, "We'll meet you at the restaurant then?" he asked looked at his parents.
"Be careful son," his father warned quietly.
Draco merely nodded and left towards Florish and Blotts. As he arrived, Draco set Althea down and followed her through the shelves. He strolled behind her occasionally picking a book off the shelf, looking to add to their already extensive library back home.
"It's unbelievable that there's been another attack! And still no leads." A voice said loud enough for Draco to hear. Looking over his shoulder he saw two witches paging through the latest copy of the Daily Prophet.
"That's three this month!" her friend said, "You'd think the Aurors would have caught this lunatic by now!"
"I heard the latest victim was supposedly related to Rockwood."
"Augustus Rockwood?" the first witch said in shock, "Wasn't he a death eater?"
"Yes he was. Which is probably why the ministry isn't too concerned with solving who's behind the attacks!" her friend replied in a hushed tone, "Apparently they found her this morning wandering around near tha –"
"Daddy," Althea said pulling at his pants and distracting Draco away from the chatting women, "I want these… please." she said.
Draco looked down to see Althea with five books in her tiny hands. He smiled as he removed the pile from her hands. "As you wish princess," he teased. They cashed up the books and exited the store. Draco picked Althea up and carried her through the now much busier streets. She seemed blissfully unaware of the more prominent stares they received as they walked down the street. The further they walked, the heavier the looks grew. He quickened his pace as he walked back to the store he had left Hermione and the others in.
Scorpius had pulled the sleeves of his sweater up as he stood beside Damien talking about nothing serious in particular. The girls were busy dancing around the store and had promised that they would follow the boys to Quality Quidditch Supplies once they were done.
"It's such a shame that you lot are only staying till the reunion." Damien lamented.
Scorpius chuckled, "You sound like your father mate. It's not like you don't see us that often anyway."
"Yeah, but it would be really cool if you and Ly came to Hogwarts with us." he said shrugging slightly. "I'm getting a bit tired of losing to the saviour's son in Quidditch!"
"What's that got to do with me?" Scorpius asked confused.
"With a seeker like you on the team there's no way we could lose! And Lyra would make an excellent chaser!" Damien explained.
"Oh so it's our Quidditch skills you want… not us exactly," Scorpius laughed at his friend's guilty expression. "Come on let's see if the girls are ready," Scorpius said still laughing at his friend as they walked through the store. They found them soon enough; Selene was contemplating between two pairs of shoes while Rhaella was busy gathering her few selected items. "Ready Ly?" Scorpius asked as they approached.
"Yeah, just waiting for Selene to make up her mind," Rhaella said with an over the top eye roll at her best friend.
"You go ahead and cash up while I try and decide…" Selene said before looking back down at the shoes. Rhaella smiled as she shook her head but picked up her stuff nonetheless.
Scorpius reached over and took the clothes from his sister's hands as they walked to the front. They distinctly heard Damien teasing Selene about her indecisiveness and her delightfully colourful response to her brother's remarks. As they reached the counter, Rhaella reached for her galleons but Scorpius stopped her as he reached into the depths of his and pulled out the money before dropping it onto the counter.
"Scorp!" she grumbled, "I can pay for it myself you know."
"Yes I know." he simply said. "But I think you should save your galleons for my birthday present Ly." He joked. She merely rolled her eyes but thanked him all the same.
They didn't have to wait too long before they were joined by Damien and Selene, the latter having finally made her choice. Once they were all cashed up, the group left the store and headed towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. The store was somewhat busy as the girls ambled through behind the boys. Rhaella stopped to look at an impressive snitch in the glass cabinet, and when she looked up Scorpius and Damien had disappeared from view.
"Boys and their toys," she muttered. Selene chuckled beside her but thankfully they didn't have to wait long. Soon enough they were back in the now very busy streets of Diagon alley. People rushed past them, and kids skirted around the alley enjoying the freedom their holidays brought. Rhaella was relieved that nobody knew what the Malfoy kids looked like. She couldn't imagine trying to make her way though the thick with everyone watching their every movement.
Despite their identity being foreign to everyone around them, it didn't stop the awed and appraising looks she received. She almost felt sorry for one poor bloke who had the nerve to wink at her before he saw the dangerous scowl on Scorpius' face and almost tripped over himself as he slinked around the corner.
"Oh Scorp! Look, a book shop," Rhaella said pointing to Flourish and Blotts. All of the Malfoy children had inherited a strong passion for books that came from both their parents. Scorpius smiled as he and Damien lead the girls into the shop. Unlike the noisy bustling alley, inside the store was completely serene. They split up and wandered down the packed shelves.
Rhaella smiled as she noticed most of the books on the shelves were already in their library back home. Disappearing down the aisle, Rhaella paid no notice to the people around her as she inspected the books around her. A movable ladder had been placed against the shelf that ran along the wall in the far most corner of the store. Enticed by the books that lay beyond her reach, she ascended the ladder with no hesitation. She gushed excitedly as she read the labels of all the books now at her reach. Tentatively she started pulling her desired books of the shelves and into her arms, but the books were heavier than she anticipated and suddenly the ladder started rocking as Rhaella tried to balance herself while holding onto her books. Looking over her shoulder, Rhaella soon realised that she was higher than she initially anticipated and safely jumping down was no longer an option for her. Deciding it would be better if she made two trips for the books, she moved forward to place some of them back on the shelf, but the ladder bounced and Rhaella let out a surprised shriek, before losing her footing on the ladder. The books went flying into the air before tumbling with a heavy thud on the ground. Rhaella shut her eyes and waited for the painful impact as she plummeted to the ground. The air rushed around her and as she felt the ground inch closer towards her, a strong pair of arms caught her with astounding ease.
Without thinking she gripped the stranger's muscled shoulders and hid her face into his chest. She remained still in the strangers arms as she tried to regain her breathing to a normal pace. Her heart beat ferociously against her chest. But soon the stranger's musky scent overwhelmed her senses and Rhaella let out a shocked gasp as she realised where she was. He held her firmly with one hand under her legs and the other around her waist. Unsure of what to do next, she slowly looked up to see his green eyes looking down intently on her. He seemed to look at her like a blind man seeing for the first time. His gaze was not harsh or curious like the ones she had received all day. He seemed to drink her very presence in and she didn't even know his name yet!
"Thank you," she mumbled noticing that he had shown little intention of setting her down any time soon. Her soft voice seemed to jar him from his daydream.
He nodded ever so slightly, "I'm just glad I caught you." he said and then a moment later added, "In time… I'm glad I caught you in time."
He was strikingly handsome, with his bright green eyes and jet black hair that fell slightly into his eyes but it wasn't nearly as long as her brother's. It had a messy sort of appeal to it and for the briefest of moments Rhaella had the urge to reach forward and run her fingers through it, but she shoved that aside as her hands slipped on its hold around his neck grazing his shoulders. She got the feel of his toned physique under the fitted tee he wore. She became acutely aware that she was still in the stranger's arm but before she could request he put her down, his voice reached out to her again.
"Albus," he said softly.
"Mmm… what?" Rhaella said slightly taken back.
He chuckled and she felt his chest rumble against hers, "My name. It's Albus." He said offering her a genuine smile.
Rhaella paused for a moment before smiling back. "That name sounds oddly familiar," she said trying to place the name with a face. She had heard of it before, that much she was sure of.
"I'm sure you have. I was named after Albus Dumbledore," he explained, "Do I get to know you name m'lady?" he said shocking Rhaella with his suddenly joking tone.
"Thank you for catching me Albus," she said rather than answering his question. If he was disappointed in her answer, Albus hid it well. "Could you put me down please?" Rhaella asked tentatively. Some foreign part of her didn't want him to let go, but she knew that her brother and the Zabini's would come looking for her soon. She didn't want to explain why she was in the arms of some stranger when that moment came.
Albus nodded and gently set her down. She wobbled ever so slightly as her feet touched the ground and Albus reached out to steady her. Rhaella smiled reassuringly and then proceeded to pick up the books scattered around her. Albus kneeled down beside her and gathered a few in his hands.
"Thank you… again," Rhaella said accepting the books from him.
"After saving your life, I think it's only fair you at least leave me with your name?" he teased.
"I don't think knowing my name would make any difference to your life, Albus." She said smirking slightly with extra emphasis on his name.
"Oh quite the contrary I think." He said as they stood. Rhaella held the books to her chest almost as if willing some force to separate them before things could escalate any further. "I couldn't possibly live peacefully now not knowing your name."
Rhaella giggled slightly at his dramatics, "Quite the actor, aren't you Albus?"
"You haven't seen anything yet," he said smirking slightly. Rhaella rolled her eyes, despite the small smile marking her lips. With her books firmly in her hands, Rhaella tried to walk out of the secluded corner before she completely lost all her sense to this boy. As she walked past him, Albus reached out and gently grabbed her elbow. "Perhaps I'll see you around Diagon alley again?" he asked hopefully.
"Perhaps," Rhaella answered smiling.
"Albus!" a voice called not far from them. Albus looked over his shoulder to see a short girl with red hair coming towards them. "James is getting antsy because you're taking so long. You know how impatient he can be – oh…" she stopped talking as she noticed that Albus was not alone. "Hello." she said politely and then a moment later added, "You're not Amelia are you?" The little girl frowned as she mentioned the name.
"Hello. No I'm not," Rhaella answered laughing delicately at the mortified expression on Albus' face.
"Oh thank goodness!" the girl said, "Come on Albus, we're going to be late. I'm Lily by the way," speaking to Rhaella as if they'd been friends for years, "Is your friend going to join us?" she asked looking at her brother.
But before Albus could say anything Rhaella had gently tugged her arm away from his grasp, "No, thanks. That's very sweet of you Lily, but I really do have to go." She said smiling at the red head. "Thank you… again." She said with some finality before turning and walking away. Just before Rhaella could round the corner, she turned around for the briefest of moments and saw Albus watching her with a curious look in his eyes. Lily stood beside him confused and lost.
Disappearing round the corner, it didn't take Rhaella long to find her brother and friends. "We've been looking everywhere for you," Selene said as they walked out the store. "We should start walking to the restaurant I think." They all agreed and set off towards the edge of Diagon Alley.
Rhaella remained uncharacteristically quiet during the walk there. She was sure there was something familiar about the boy she had just met. Selene walked silently beside her, and seeing that her friend was very deep in thought she pulled them a little further away from the boys. She turned to the blonde next to her and said, "You're awfully quiet Ly. Something wrong?"
"Hmmm... oh no" Rhaella answered slightly distracted as she was pulled from her thoughts, "I'm alright."
'It doesn't look like it," her friend noted, "Did something happen in the book store?"
"What? Why would you think that?" Rhaella asked worried that Selene had seen her with Albus. She wasn't sure why, but something told her that Albus brought trouble. Trouble she was better of avoiding completely.
Selene raised an eyebrow at her defensive reply, "Because you're acting weird. Lyra is everything okay? Did someone say something to you?"
"No, nothing happened." She insisted, "Really I'm fine."
"Rhaella, you're a horrible liar." Selene commented but didn't say anything else as they entered the restaurant. Their families were already seated in a secluded area away from any prying eyes.
"Did you have fun?" Hermione asked as they were seated.
"Yes! We need to come here more often mum," Rhaella said smiling.
Hermione laughed, "Well I suppose seeing as this was a rather successful trip, I don't see the problem in coming back." She said gaining broad smiles from both girls.
With everyone finally seated, the Zabini's and the Malfoy's enjoyed a peaceful lunch. As everyone was distracted in their own conversations, Selene used the opportunity to question Rhaella once more.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Rhaella asked innocently.
Selene looked aghast, "Ly! I can't believe you'd lie to me. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other."
Rhaella against her better judgement giggled earning a scowl from her friend. "Merlin you're more dramatic than you mother! Ow!" she squealed as Selene slapped her arm. Her small cry caught the attention of their mothers. They both smiled shyly before turning away. "Fine!" Rhaella whispered to the girl next to her, "It's really nothing! I fell, he caught me and that's it really." she said hurriedly.
"Wait… what?" Selene questioned trying to process all the information. "There was a guy involved! Ly details, now!"
Sighing Rhaella twirled a piece of her blonde hair around her fingers, "there's not much to tell. No really Selene. We spoke for like two minutes and it was mostly me just thanking him for catching me."
"What exactly does 'catching you' mean?" Selene asked with a devious smile. Rhaella then proceeded to tell her about climbing up the ladder and then falling and thinking she was going to fall straight to the ground but instead was caught by this handsome stranger. "So how handsome are we talking here?" she whispered for fear their brothers might hear. Rhaella sighed distractedly as she thought back to the book store. "Oh Merlin! That gorgeous?"
"What… I didn't say anything!" Rhaella objected.
"No, but your reaction said it all." Selene giggled. "I can't believe one of our very own British boys finally managed to make an impression on you!"
"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" Rhaella asked frowning at her friend.
"It means that when it comes to boy's you're extremely hard to impress. And I'm not saying that having standards is a bad thing. I'm just saying that I was getting a little tired of explaining to the poor blokes that they're just not your type." Selene explained. "Honestly I was beginning to wonder if your type actually existed."
Rhaella giggled knowing her friend only spoke the truth. She did have a high standard when it came to the guys she chose to keep in her life. It was mostly because she had seen the kind of man her mother had chosen to have beside her in life and knowing that, Rhaella couldn't allow herself to settle for any less. It didn't help that Scorpius was overly protective of her and Althea; sometimes more so than their father.
"Selene! You're getting ahead of yourself," Rhaella said laughing. "It's nothing of that sort!"
"Oh nonsense!" Selene said waving a hand dismissively, "Now tell me what he looked like! Come on you know you want to!"
Rhaella smiled, knowing that she really wanted to tell her friend about the handsome stranger from the bookstore. Selene gave her another sneaky smile knowing her best friend wouldn't hold back anything this time. "Well he's definitely a Quidditch player! And he had the most amazing green eyes. He looked to be around Scorp's age. I wonder if you know him from Hogwarts" she said.
"Did you get his name?" Selene asked eagerly.
"Yeah, I did. He said it was Al –"
"Come on girls," Hermione called cutting Rhaella off. "We're leaving." Rhaella threw her friend an apologetic smile as they gathered their things and left the restaurant. Lucius and Narcissa led the way out with Scorpius and Rhaella trailing behind everyone.
"So what was his name again?" Scorpius asked his sister smirking slightly at her shocked expression. It changed quickly to one of feigned ignorance.
"Who?" she said not looking at him.
"You know… the one from the bookstore." he said teasing her, "The one that caught you remember?"
"How did you hear that?!" she asked in astonishment, "You were sitting on the other side of the table!"
He merely smiled and shrugged. Rhaella scowled at his smug expression but didn't answer his question. Looking to the front, she saw that her grandparents had disappeared from sight. Althea had fallen asleep with her head resting on Draco's shoulder. While Hermione walked beside them with her hand threaded through Draco's free arm; Pansy and Blaise walked beside them at a leisurely pace. But Rhaella stopped when she noticed something weaving its way through the crowd. Jet black hair. Before she had the chance to panic, it emerged from the crowd and her mother froze in front of her, causing them all to stumble to a halt. The man stopped too after sensing his path was now blocked by the large group. Rhaella let out a relieved sigh once she realised it was not Albus.
He looked at them with curiosity, as if he not believing entirely who it was that he had bumped in to. He seemed to recognize her father first, scowling slightly but it seemed to soften as he saw the sleeping blonde in his arms. His jaw all but hit the floor when his eyes moved to the woman beside Draco. He looked at her for the longest time, not trusting that he was seeing correctly.
"H- Hermione?" he asked tentatively. His gaze jumped from her to Draco and back to her.
"Harry" she replied equally shocked. She didn't move but simply squeezed Draco's hand tighter. Draco looked at her with concern but didn't say anything. Blaise stepped forward to stand beside Draco looking at Potter with careful interest.
"Wha… What…" he stammered unsure what to ask. He looked at her but he couldn't see his best friend, she was a stranger to him now. And he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't get the chance to stumble over anymore of his words as another figure came up behind him.
"Dad, Lily's changed her mind agai–" the figure stopped speaking as he noticed the tension all around him. As he turned to face the group, Rhaella let out a tiny gasp. Albus looked between his father and them curiously. "Dad?" he questioned.
Rhaella strategically moved herself behind Scorpius so Albus wouldn't see her. She didn't want him recognising her now. She mentally berated herself for not realising sooner that he was Harry Potter's son! That's where she had heard the name Albus from. Not some fancy principal from Hogwarts. Just her luck!
"Dad?" Albus questioned again, but his father didn't register anything other than the woman standing in front of him. Rhaella snuck a look from behind Scorpius' back. As she did Albus looked once again to the group and saw her. His green eyes grew in size and he instantly recognised her. Slowly the pieces came together in his head; the identical blonde hair and silver eyes that were now obviously such strong Malfoy traits. "Shit!" he swore causing everyone to look at him. I'm in trouble, he thought as he saw Rhaella sneak another look. But trouble never looked so damn tempting before.
A/N: Hi dearies, my apologies for the late update! I got caught up with the exam rush.
Anyways I do hope you enjoy this chapter. A reader asked about the debt mentioned in the description - have no fear about that. Everything will be explained in time. Obviously it wouldn't be much fun if i told you guys everything in the first chapter. Also to answer 4Eirlys question - nobody was killed but they are injured and somewhat confused about the whole ordeal.
As always i want to hear what you guys think, so please review! And thanks to everyone who favourited or is following this story! I know this was probably not as Dramione orientated as most would like it to be but give it a chance. If you do want something more along those lines you should check out my other story Chance Encounters.
Katy, love as always! Thanks for you help!
The chapter title was taken from the song Selene by the Imagine Dragons.
xoxo
Immortal Dragon Empress