Albus Potter and the Prophesied Year

Ch 34 "Hay-suis" Jesus Rios and Ginny Wang

Friday, January twenty-seventh, a tired looking Rose appeared at dinner at Hogwarts. She found Albus and Cleo, who were sitting with Jesus and Ginny at the Slytherin dinner table.

"You look tired and stressed," Cleo observed.

"We have found out where some of the Malfoy wealth came from," Rose replied, "and it is a horror story going back hundreds of years. I'm not sure how much of it I can or should explain, but it is going to keep us busy for months or years to straighten out."

"Are you are mistress of Malfoy Manor now?" Ginny wondered.

"Yes, Grand-mum Narcissa and I. My grandmother-in-law wants me to redecorate the place. I want her to help Scorpius and me manage the businesses and properties. I think we will have a good partnership," Rose proposed. "I gather some wives and, well, it is a strange situation. Some mother-in-laws fight with their daughters-in-law, but everyone seems to be ignoring Astoria."

"What about Astoria?" Cleo wondered. "Is she any better."

"She is pregnant, charmed by your wedding I guess, but she is very unhappy about it," Rose told the group. "I guess that some charms or something from a wizard and witch from Jezebel helped charm her as well. She and Draco were intimate right after the wedding. We have an Elf shadowing her everywhere, to keep her from hurting herself or the baby."

"Is she going to take care of the baby once it is born?" Ginny wondered.

"I would not trust Astoria yech with any baby," Cleo interjected, the sour face she made when she said 'yech' indicating her distain for Astoria.

"I'm going raise Astoria's baby," Rose insisted, slapping her hand on the table.

"Two babies, how wonderful!" Cleo grinned.

"I'm really too young to be happy to be raising one baby, Cleo," Rose responded. "It is not the babies fault, and I'll do my best, but it is really not fair."

"I always thought you would be a good mother, Rose," Cleo suggested, not quite as sure of herself in view of Rose's worry and displeasure.

"I wanted to be a mother, still do, but too much is too much, Cleo. Scorpius and I will make it work, and even make it good, but I'm not thrilled that my childhood, my adolescents, is ending so soon and suddenly." Rose sighed a big sigh of resignation.

"Too many of us are having our adolescents ending too soon and suddenly," Jesus agreed. "I wanted to learn how the world of the Magi was governed, but you need more help right now from MELL students than I thought we would have to give. I wanted more time, but Albus is going to ask us, many of us, to grow up too fast."

"I don't have much choice," Albus replied, giving an apologetic shrug. "My father never had much of a childhood or adolescent's either. I think that is why he seems to like to play with sand toys with the little children. It is like he is playing as an adult the way he was never allowed to as a child."

"I'm going to be moving all of our possessions out of our room here," Rose told the group. "Our time at Hogwarts is ended. We will receive some tutoring so we can pass our N.E.W.T.'s, but Scorpius and Narcissa are going to be busy almost full time for months if not years straightening out the estate issues, and I need to help and to be by Scorpius's side.

"I did ask Professor McGonagall, and we will be able to come over occasionally and have dinner at Hogwarts, but it is not the same thing. Maybe we can have some of you over to Malfoy Manor from time to time.

"I'm trying to make it a child friendly place, so we can have guests, and see our friends after we are all graduated from Hogwarts. Many of us are going to have children next year."