"You ruined my suit," an angry voice shouted.
"You were the one who crashed into me," another voice snorted indignantly, "Also, you have ruined my dress. It was new!"
"You can have it cleaned," the first voice snorted angrily.
"I could say the same thing to you," the other voice hissed.
"MIA! OH, MY GOD! ARE YOU OKAY?!" a platinum blonde girl came running, approaching the black-haired girl on the ground.
"Mia, I told you that I wanted a glass of champagne, not a few bottles of champagne," a black-haired boy exclaimed with amusement, seeing the chaos of broken bottles.
"Really funny, Teddy, really witty, shove the bottle of champagne up your pureblood ass," said Mia sarcastic.
"Oi, the Black temper has made an appearance," said the black-haired boy pretending to tremble.
"Aren't you going to apologize for the suit?" asked the blonde boy that Mia had crashed into.
"And who might you be?" the platinum girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Jonathan Christopher Beaufort-Grimaldi," answered the arrogant blonde boy.
"Are you a prince?" the black-haired boy asked mockingly, "with so many names..."
"For your information, I am third in the Monegasque line of succession," Jace said, smiling cockily, "so yes, I am His Royal Highness to you three."
"That's the same as saying you're nobody," Mia said mockingly and crossed her arms, "Your Majesty."
"And you are?" Jace asked dismissively.
"Hermione Cassiopeia Potter," Mia said smiling, "and when your older brother has a child, you will stop being third in line and you will do nothing but go down in rank."
"Are you always such a know-it-all?" Jace asked annoyed, "Also, how do you know my older brother?"
"Nate is our friend," said the black-haired boy with a solemn voice, "he gets us the alcohol."
"Wait a minute," Jace exclaimed, "who are you two?"
"Adhara Lucretia Malfoy," answered the platinum girl.
"Theodore Aeneas Nott," said the black-haired boy, putting his arm around Adhara's shoulders.
"And how old are you?" Jace asked strangely, "aren't you too young to drink alcohol?"
"You say it as if you were of age," Adhara mocked.
"For your information, little prince," Theo began smiling, "I am nine years old, and they are eight years old."
"I'm also eight years old, and I don't drink alcohol," said Jace, "what are you, alcoholics?"
Theo's smile suddenly faded from his face, and, looking coldly at Jace, he said, "We're not drunks. The champagne your brother gives us has almost no alcohol, Grimaldi."
Saying that, Theo turned and walked angrily in another direction. Adhara glared at Jace and then looked at Mia with an apologetic look. Mia nodded, and Adhara ran off to where Theo had gone.
"Wow," Jace whistled, "someone can't take a joke."
"You don't know anything, Grimaldi," Mia said with a firm voice, "I hope I never see you again."
"Same goes for you three," Jace shouted, watching them walk away.
Mia ran to look for her friends, worried about the encounter with the arrogant blonde boy who had been rude to them. She hadn't seen any sign of him apologizing, and to make matters worse, her dress was ruined. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't pay much attention to where she was walking until she bumped into her father.
"Principessa," her father said, scandalized by her appearance, "what has happened to you?"
"I collided with an idiot, and we broke a few bottles of alcohol in the fall," Mia responded, her annoyance evident.
"Lily, come here!" her father shouted, looking for any signs of injury on his daughter.
"What's wrong, James?" Lily asked as she approached, her concern growing.
"Our daughter collided with another person, and several bottles of champagne fell on them," James explained.
"Are you hurt?" Lily asked as she inspected her daughter. Lily was a Healer at St. Mungo's.
"I'm fine," Mia sighed, looking at her parents, pouting a little, "but my dress was ruined."
"Scourgify," Lily whispered, and immediately Mia's dress was as good as new.
"Thank you very much," Mia said, hugging her parents. "Have you seen Teddy and Addie?"
"They're with your grandparents," James answered, concern etched on his face. "Teddy was a little upset."
"The idiot who bumped into me is Nate's little brother," Mia explained, "and he called Teddy drunk, only because we told him we drank the champagne that Nate gets us, you know that champagne is more like apple cider."
"Is Teddy okay?" Lily asked, her worry deepening.
"When he left, he was angry," Mia replied. "Can I go check on him?"
"Go," James encouraged her, "and then at home, you can tell us the full story. We love you, principessa."
"She's just like you," Lily accused her husband, her tone slightly teasing.
"But she's your daughter too," James said indignantly.
"Our two children have inherited your habit of getting into trouble," Lily snorted.
"Pranks are included in the Potter gene pool," said James proudly. "You knew that the moment you decided to marry me."
"There are days when I curse having married you, James Charlus Potter," Lily said, walking away from her husband.
"Lily, Lily, darling," James shouted, following her, "that's not true. You love me."
Hermione Cassiopeia Potter, or Mia as everyone fondly called her, was the spitting image of her father in every aspect. She had the same raven-black hair, hazel eyes, and that perpetual mischievous smile that seemed to be a Potter family trademark. Both James and Mia shared the same joking and open nature that made it easy for people to connect with them. However, when they got angry, well, it was better for everyone to run in the other direction. James had inherited his mother's infamous Black temper, and Mia had inherited the same fiery temperament, which, when combined with her mother's, could be a recipe for disaster.
Mia was the pride and joy of her father. In James's eyes, his firstborn, his princess, was incapable of doing anything wrong. Lily often reprimanded him and Padfoot for spoiling and feeding their daughter's ego, but, although Mia and her father did indeed possess egos the size of the Black Lake, as Lily had explicitly put it, they also had hearts of gold to match. Mia approached her grandparents, who were standing next to Theo and Adhara. Her grandfather, Charlie, had a hand on Theo's shoulder while her grandmother, Dory, was talking to Theo in a low voice as she hugged him affectionately.
"Hello," Mia said, approaching.
"Hello, little troublemaker," her grandfather greeted her, smiling. "They've already told me about your little incident."
"It wasn't my fault," Mia said.
"Your father used to say exactly the same thing when he got in trouble," her grandmother said as she looked at her.
"He spilled a lot of champagne on me," Mia protested, pouting.
Charlus and Dorea laughed as they hugged their granddaughter. Mia was exactly like their son; they had the same expressions and the same gestures. Charlus and Dorea also adored Adhara and Theo; they considered them their grandchildren too and loved them just as much as their granddaughter.
As the eldest daughter of James and Lily, and the first niece and granddaughter in the family, Mia had learned what it meant to love and be loved from her parents, uncles, and grandparents. Mia loved unconditionally, with all her soul, and she loved so intensely that it could hurt, just like her father. They both wore their hearts on their sleeves.
"Adhara, honey, are you okay?" Narcissa, Adhara's mother, shouted, approaching and hugging her daughter.
"I'm fine, Mom," Adhara said, hugging her mother.
"Teddy...," said Narcissa, hugging him while Theo hid his face in her neck.
"What happened?" Lucius arrived seconds later, worried.
"Teddy, your daughter and my granddaughter had a run-in with another child and argued," Charlus explained to Lucius.
"That stuck-up kid called Teddy drunk," Adhara exclaimed indignantly.
Adhara Lucretia Malfoy, or Addie as she was affectionately called, was also an exact copy of her father, a Malfoy through and through. From her silver hair to her gray eyes, even her sideways smile, she bore an uncanny resemblance to her father. The Malfoy temper, while not as explosively fiery as the Potters', was more like a snake's bite – quick, precise, and often chilling.
Hermione and Adhara had been best friends since practically the moment they were born. You might wonder how a Malfoy and a Potter could be friends, but the story was quite simple. Lily and Narcissa had been pregnant at the same time and had given birth just one day apart. Mia arrived on the twentieth of September, and Addie followed on the twenty-first. St Mungo's Hospital had run out of free cots that day, so they ended up placing Mia and Addie together in the same crib.
When James and Lucius arrived to see their newborn daughters, they were both horrified to find the firstborn of each family sharing the same crib. Lucius had immediately demanded that his daughter, the first Malfoy woman in generations, be moved far away from the Potter heiress. James fervently nodded in agreement, sharing Lucius's sentiment. But something remarkable happened when they tried to separate Mia and Addie – both infants started crying uncontrollably at the mere hint of separation. Lucius and James exchanged puzzled glances and reluctantly decided to leave their daughters together in the same crib where they had been found.
When Lily and Narcissa learned about this, they had the same thought: Hermione Potter and Adhara Malfoy were destined to be best friends. This arrangement seemed like the perfect solution for both families. Their daughters would grow up as close friends, and they could relish watching their proud husbands, who didn't exactly see eye to eye, attempt to coexist in the same space. The husbands had protested vigorously,as expected, considering their history, but since neither could refuse their daughters and both were a little wary of their wives' tempers, they eventually acquiesced.
Adhara, being the first Malfoy woman in generations, had always been doted on by her parents. The Malfoys, unlike the Potters who wore their hearts on their sleeves, were known for keeping their emotions tightly under lock and key. Their love and affection were reserved for a select few but were no less intense. When the Malfoys loved, they loved with fierce devotion.
Adhara didn't have grandparents, at least not in the traditional sense. Technically, her parents' parents were still alive, but the strained relationships between her parents and their respective families meant that it was as good as not having grandparents at all. However, Charlus and Dorea Potter had embraced Adhara as one of their own, showering her with the same love and attention as they did with Hermione. Lucius and Narcissa had been inwardly grateful to Charlus and Dorea for treating their daughter without any regard for the Malfoy name, accepting her into their family with open arms.
"I'm fine," Theo said, looking at Mia, "Star, can you give me…?"
Mia quickly hugged her best friend without saying a word while the adults present looked at them tenderly. They all knew how sensitive it was to bring up the topic of alcohol when Theo was around.
Theodore Aeneas Nott was the only son of Thoros Nott and Selene Fawley. Theo's mother had died when she had given birth to Theo, and Thoros never got over it. He took refuge in alcohol, and although he loved his son, it caused him a lot of pain to see Theo. It was a constant reminder that his wife was not alive. While Thoros had never laid a hand or lashed out to his son, he had great trouble expressing how he felt and it was a trait that Theo had inherited.
When Narcissa had learned that Thoros neglected Theo when he was drunk, she had immediately spoken to Lily and James, and together they had gotten the Wizengamot to let them take Theo out of Nott Manor.
Mia, Adhara, and Theo had immediately become friends, although Theo was more attached to Mia since the first days after being away from the Nott Manor, he spent them in the Potter manor. Mia, for Theo, was his savior, his brightest star on the darkest nights. Theo used to have nightmares, and when Mia found out about it, she demanded that her parents let her sleep with Theo.
Since Mia and Adhara did everything together, Theo soon found himself caught up in the Potter-Malfoy whirlwind. The entire Potter and Malfoy family considered Theo as another son, nephew, and grandson along with Adhara.
"Mia!" a childish voice shouted, "I want cuddles too, yours are the best."
Mia quickly found herself wrapped in small arms around her waist. Looking down, she saw a mop of brown curls and olive green eyes looking at her happily.
"Gio, what are you doing here?" Adhara exclaimed, looking at the six-year-old boy.
"I wanted to say hello," Gio responded simply.
"GIOVANNI LORENZO BORGHESE, COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" shouted an angry voice.
Mia, Theo, and Addie exchanged wide-eyed glances as they watched a determined brunette woman with blue eyes march toward them with purpose.
Adhara's voice quivered with fear as she whispered to her best friend, "Do you think she's going to kill us? I wore this dress for the first time today, and I'd like to keep it intact."
Mia shrugged, feeling Giovanni now hiding behind her. She turned to Adhara with a reassuring smile. "Just smile, Addie. Big, bright smiles."
"Girls, Teddy," the woman said, addressing Mia and Adhara with a hint of exasperation, "have you seen my son?"
"Your son?" Theo asked, feigning innocence. "What does your son look like? You have a son?"
Mia rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Really, Teddy? Really?"
Theo simply shrugged. "Aunt Isabelle makes me nervous when she gets angry."
Suddenly, the sound of childish giggles filled the air behind Mia, causing the three women to turn around. There was Giovanni, laughing mischievously.
"Come here, you little troublemaker," Isabelle scolded her son gently, her relief palpable. "You had me worried sick."
"I just wanted to say hello to Mia," Gio explained with an innocent puppy-dog face.
"Next time, tell me before you run off," Isabelle admonished him. "You could get hurt if you don't watch where you're going."
"I'm not a little boy," Gio protested, crossing his arms indignantly. "I'm already six years old."
Adhara couldn't resist teasing him. "Wow, you're a big boy now, Gio. Next thing you know, you'll have a girlfriend."
"I only love Mia," Gio exclaimed, hugging Mia again.
"And not me, Gio?" Adhara exclaimed, pretending to be hurt.
"You too," said Giovanni, laughing and giving her a hug. "I only love you and Mia."
"You won't think the same when you get older," Theo said, amused as he ruffled Gio's hair.
"What the fuck are you doing all bathed in champagne?" asked a mocking voice.
"Fuck you, Nate," Jace exclaimed.
"Someone's angry," Nate exclaimed, amused. "What's wrong, little brother?"
"I bumped into a girl, and now my suit is ruined," Jace complained, taking off his suit jacket.
"Who have you crashed into?" Nate asked interestedly.
"Hermione Cassiopeia Potter," Jace said, imitating Mia's voice, "she's a know-it-all, thinks she's better than everyone else."
"You crashed into Mia?" Nate asked, surprised, "and you're alive?"
"Of course I'm alive," Jace exclaimed.
"Well, you're very lucky," Nate said, "the first time I bumped into her, I ended up with my shirt partially burned, accidental magic if you will. Have you asked for forgiveness?"
"Of course not," Jace said indignantly, "she bumped into me and didn't deign to apologize, plus she and her friends are weird."
"Shit," Nate swore, "I gotta give them one thing."
"A bottle of champagne maybe?" Jace asked ironically.
"How do you know?" Nate asked, his interest peaked.
"Let's say they confessed to me that you got them the alcohol, and I called their black-haired friend a drunk," Jace confessed.
"You call Teddy, a drunk?" Nate asked, half surprised,half furious "Are you fucking crazy?"
"It was a joke," Jace said, turning red.
"Well, don't call him drunk again," Nate said seriously, "it's a delicate topic. I have to go talk to them and give them the bottle."
"NATHANIEL ARMAND! JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER!" an angry voice shouted behind the brothers.
"Mother, dearest," Nate said calmly, "it wasn't me this time, it was Jace's fault."
Saying this, Nate ran off, leaving his brother with Eloise Beaufort, their swallowed hard, his mother was scary when she got angry.
"Jonathan Christopher better start talking, young man," Eloise hissed at her son.
"I...I didn't do anything," Jace exclaimed, "Hermione and I collided, and several bottles of champagne fell on us."
"I hope you apologized to the poor girl," Eloise said, raising an eyebrow.
"There's nothing poor about Hermione," Jace growled, "she thinks she's better than anyone, and she hasn't apologized for my suit."
"Apologize to her and to the other boy," Eloise said finally, "your father and I did not raise you like that."
"Okay," Jace grumbled, "but for the record, she hasn't apologized either."
Jace grumbled his way across the dance floor looking for Hermione and her two friends. It's not fair, Jace thought. It didn't take long to spot his brother talking to the trio. His brother was giving them two bottles of champagne while he laughed.
"I...hi," Jace said, slightly embarrassed, looking at Mia, "I wanted to apologize for my previous behavior. It was rude not to apologize for ruining your dress, and it was wrong to call your friend a drunk."
Jace started to turn redder and redder, seeing the looks that were being given to him by what he assumed was part of Hermione's family. Mia, Adhara, and Theo looked at him silently as if they were analyzing him. Mia looked at Theo as if they were having a silent conversation. Finally, Theo nodded.
"We forgive you," Mia said, looking at Jace, "I also apologize for ruining your suit."
"Great," Nate exclaimed happily, uncorking a bottle of champagne, "now that we are all friends, we can toast with this champagne imported from France I bought yesterday."
"Mia! Mia!" two voices shouted, approaching.
Mia turned and saw her brother, Harry, along with Draco, Adhara's brother.
"What kind of trouble have you boys gotten yourself into now?" Mia said, looking at them.
"Wow, rude, we wouldn't hurt a fly," Draco said, looking at her innocently.
"You're worse than me," Harry exclaimed looking at hiss older sister.
"Guys, talk quickly, Mia needs a drink, and so do I," Adhara said. "Even Theo needs one."
"Let's say we put salt in the fruit punch," said Harry, smiling.
"That's all?" Adhara asked, raising an eyebrow, "I thought your sister would have taught you better than that."
"In two minutes or so, everyone will start laughing like crazy," Draco said, looking at his watch.
"Mom is going to kill us, all of us, Hazz," Mia stressed. "She'll think it was my idea."
Harry James Potter was Mia's little brother, and Mia adored her little brother. He was a year younger than Mia and a somewhat shy boy, but when he opened up, it was evident that he was his father's son, with that same Potter charm that seemed to run in the family.
"Mom is going to scold only you," said Adhara, looking at Draco, "don't get me into your mess. I have enough with Mia."
"Hey," Mia exclaimed, pretending to be indignant, "what does that even mean?"
Adhara and Draco were a completely different dynamic compared to Hermione and Harry. Adhara adored her little brother, but Draco had a unique talent for driving her to the brink of madness. While the Potter siblings had their roles clearly defined, with Mia as the mischievous one and Harry the quieter, more reserved one, the Malfoy siblings reversed the roles entirely. Adhara was the calm and composed one, while Draco was the rambunctious troublemaker. Yet, despite the exasperation her younger brother often caused her, Adhara loved him deeply, no matter how much he got on her nerves at times.
"HERMIONE CASSIOPEIA AND HARRY JAMES!" Lily's angry voice roared as she approached her children, as the air filled with roaring laughter.
"ADHARA LUCRETIA AND DRACO LUCIUS, COME HERE!" shouted a furious Narcissa.
"GUYS, RUN!" Mia exclaimed as she took off and everybody scrambled in different directions.
"I'm too young to die," Adhara shouted as she followed Mia.
"Why am I running?" Theo asked, shocked, as he ran after Mia and Adhara.
"Shut up and run," Mia said as she looked back, watching her mother try to catch up with them.
"Mia, help us," Harry shouted in fear as he ran.
"What are you doing running in the same direction as us?" Mia asked her brother.
"We're going to get caught because of you," said Adhara.
"Guys, where are you going?" Sirius asked, amused, looking at her nieces and nephews.
"HERMIONE CASSIOPEIA, COME HERE," Lily exclaimed furiously.
"I see," Sirius said, scared, looking at Lily, "I better start running with you."
"Lils, honey, calm down," James yelled at his wife.
"This is all your fault," Lily screamed as she tried to catch up with her children who were running around, trying to avoid their mother.
"What the fuck?" Jace exclaimed in surprise, watching the scene before him.
"That's Hermione Potter and Adhara Malfoy to you, baby brother," Nate said, amused, watching how Lily and Narcissa chased their children and Sirius, whilst James tried to calm them down.
