Tea Party.
It was a gorgeous August summer day and all seven year old Scorpius wanted to do was practice his flying. He'd recently gotten a new broom, the latest in the children's range, and he was eager to practice. By the time he went to Hogwarts in just over four years he wanted to be a top class flyer. There was nothing he would love more than being picked for the quidditch team in his first year.
Unfortunately for Scorpius, his hopes of flying were dashed by his little sister. Lyra had just received a brand new tea set off their grandmother, and she was determined she was going to host a tea party in the back garden. All morning Lyra had been in the kitchen with Hermione, whipping up drinks and snacks for the tea party. Normally Scorpius wouldn't mind his little sister taking over the back garden, but he wasn't impressed that he was forced to attend the tea party.
"Why do I have to be here?" He complained to his father as the two wizards settled themselves at the small table Lyra had set up in the garden.
"Because you're part of this family," Draco replied, trying to get comfortable on the grass. He'd tried to persuade Lyra to use the proper garden table to host her tea party, but his daughter had insisted they use her toy table.
"But this is girls stuff," Scorpius hissed, gesturing to the plates and cups with little red hearts on.
"Sometimes you have to humour the witches in your life," Draco said sagely. "A few hours sitting at a toy table is a small price to pay to have a happy daughter."
"But I don't have a daughter," Scorpius pointed out. "Why should I suffer?"
"The same rules apply for little sisters," Draco chuckled. "Besides, imagine the strop Lyra would throw if you missed her tea party."
Scorpius grimaced, just imagining the fuss his little sister would make if she didn't get her own way. Lyra wasn't particularly spoilt, but like all Malfoys she liked to get her own way and wasn't happy when she didn't. No doubt she would sulk for days and refuse to talk to Scorpius if he ditched her tea party.
"Just smile and pretend you're having fun," Draco whispered to his son as the kitchen door opened and Lyra and Hermione came outside.
Lyra was carefully carrying a cake tier, full of miniature cakes and sandwiches, while Hermione was carrying the teapot that matched the plates and cups. Both Lyra and Hermione placed their goodies on the table, before settling down at the table. Like Draco and Scorpius, Hermione settled on the grass, but Lyra sat down in one of the chairs that went around her table.
"Why are you sitting on the grass?" Lyra asked, looking around at her parents and brother.
"We're too big for the chairs, Lyra," Draco explained to his daughter. "We don't want to break them."
"No, don't break my chairs," Lyra said, her small face contorting in horror at the thought of her toys getting broke.
"Should I pour the tea, Lyra?" Hermione asked. Lyra had insisted on having real tea, meaning that Hermione wasn't going to let her daughter handle the teapot herself.
"Yes," Lyra replied. "And people can have food."
"What food?" Scorpius muttered. "The sandwiches and cakes are tiny."
"They're bite size," Hermione said, shooting her son a warning glare.
"Yeah, bite size for elves," Scorpius retorted as he grabbed a couple of sandwiches and put them on his plate.
"I think they're lovely, Lyra," Draco said, giving his daughter a smile as he helped himself to a miniature sandwich.
Lyra grinned back at her father as she grabbed a sandwich for herself and began to eat. After downing a sandwich, she picked up her cup and carefully sniffed the liquid inside. Hermione had magically cooled the tea so it didn't scald Lyra, but she hadn't altered the smell or the taste.
"I can get you some juice if you want," Hermione offered as Lyra continued to sniff the tea.
"No," Lyra replied shaking her head stubbornly. "You don't drink juice at a tea party, you drink tea."
As if to prove her point, Lyra took a drink of her tea. The liquid had barely entered her mouth when the little girl made a disgusting face and spat it straight back out onto the grass. Hermione and Draco shared an amused look at their daughter's antics, while Scorpius burst out laughing at his sister.
"Yuck!" Lyra declared, wiping at her tongue with her hands to get rid of the taste.
"It can't be that bad," Scorpius laughed. Picking up his own cup, he took a timid drink and instantly recoiled, although he managed to swallow his drink rather than spitting it back out. "I take it back, this is horrible."
"Why don't I get some juice," Hermione suggested. Pulling out her wand, she summoned some juice from the kitchen and gave some to both her children.
"I'm sure you'll both like tea when you're older," Draco said. "I hated tea when I was younger. Blaise and I once tried it when my mother had friends round for the afternoon. Blaise was so disgusted with the taste that he spat it back out and it soaked Mrs Parkinson. Needless to say we weren't allowed to be around for afternoon tea after that."
"No wonder Pansy's mother doesn't like Blaise," Hermione laughed. "I always thought it was because Blaise was too outspoken for her liking since she's so conservative."
"That doesn't help," Draco agreed. "But his fate was sealed when he soaked her with tea."
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the back garden, with Lyra loving playing hostess. Even Scorpius had a fun afternoon, despite his initial protests about the event being too girly. However, he never mentioned to his friends that he'd attended his little sister's tea party.