Chapter 5: Professional or Pervert

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Saturday, March 15, 2008

"Mama, I don't want to meet all the grown ups. Can't I just go play with Scorpius?" Rosen whined as they approached the front door.

Hermione looked down at her daughter wearing a pretty spring dress that would inevitably be a mess by the time the party was done. Rosen had always played hard, and cared little for being neat or tidy.

Hoisting the bag with her necessary personal items in it, plus the shrunk down birthday gifts, higher on her shoulder, she replied, "It's rude not to say hello to the host. You must at least stay with me until we greet Mr. Malfoy and thank him for inviting us to his home."

Truthfully, Hermione wanted to keep Rosen close until she got the lay of the land. It was the first time they'd been here, to this particular home of Malfoy's. She'd been to Malfoy Manor before, once against her will and then again for his wedding in 2004. She knew this was a new property. A post-divorce property. It would be smaller, and full of people she didn't know especially well.

Theo and Pansy would be there, and she knew Theo was the reason Hermione was even invited at all. She and Malfoy were acquaintances, but they weren't friends by any means. There was no real reason for her to be here at Scorpius' third birthday, except that Theo had nagged, and she had given in.

She wasn't above admitting that she was... nervous, on some level. That was why she was holding tighter to Rosen's hand than strictly necessary as she knocked at the front door. It was tall and wide, painted black with a large window above it, trimmed in white with a white marble stair leading to it. Classy, and dramatic enough to stand out against the traditional red brick exterior of the large home.

When it opened, a young woman was standing there dressed in a pleated skirt, a preppy polo shirt, a ponytail, and a smile, greeting her cheerfully by saying, "Hello! I'm Amy, Scorpius' nanny. And who might you be?"

She was talking to Rosen, and Hermione's daughter wasn't shy.

"Rosen Granger-Krum. Mama said I have to thank Mr. Malfoy for inviting us before I can play. Can you take me to him?"

Six and a half, and she was already this blunt and bossy. Eloquent too, though. Rosen spoke two languages better than most children her age spoke one, which made Hermione proud.

"I sure can," Amy said as she welcomed them inside. "That must mean you're Hermione Granger. Pleasure to meet you. Most of the adults are in the living room. We're just about to set up the piñatas on the verandah for the kids. I'll show you the way..."

Hermione was looking curiously around the large, white, round foyer instead of at Amy, taking in the fancy design in the tile flooring, and a classy curved staircase. She was relishing these last moments of relative privacy before facing the demands of a social group she didn't yet know how to navigate. She let her fingers come to rest on the base of the bannister, pausing long enough to take one slow breath.

But Rosen tugged at her hand, and the not-so-distant hum of conversation pulled Hermione back to the moment. There was no point delaying further.

"Thank you, Amy," she said, moving to follow her.

She was late, she thought, and the room was full. Quit a few sets of eyes turned to face her when she stepped through the doorway. She recognised more than she thought.

Before she could greet anyone, Rosen broke the moment by asking loudly, "Which one is Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione winced faintly as Malfoy's eyebrows rose.

"That would be me," he answered in a smooth, proper tone that matched his formal attire—navy blue button up shirt and grey blazer, without a tie, with grey slacks.

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