Black coffee, with sugar

Chapter 18

Christmas was a novelty affair, as always. She and Lilian went over to Astoria's, and Daphne did her very best to not strangle her ex-classmates, who Draco dutifully invited every year. Daphne knew why - most of them either had parents and family exiled outside the country or in Azkaban, so it made sense to have a communal Christmas party as if they were still Hogwarts students -, but it didn't mean Daphne didn't wish she could drink the night away. The perks of having a child to take care of, she supposed.

Still, Lilian found it fun - she played with her cousin Scorpius, with Tracey's kid, Mattie (who went to Durmstrang, because Tracey preferred it, saying that there would be no way Hogwarts would be safe when Potter's kids went there. Daphne felt it was a very subtle jab at her, considering that Mattie and Lilian were supposed to be in the same year), with Pansy and Theo's twins, Nerine and Nicholas. Daphne didn't find it as fun when Lilian came home knowing something she shouldn't, at her age - mostly spells of darker nature -, but it was difficult to pinpoint which kid had taught what. The only one she could trust was Scorpius, and even then, it was barely; after all, he was still Astoria's kid.

Daphne drank her champagne slowly, an eye on the kids, huddled over something with great interest, and an ear on the conversation.

"And as I was saying, Daphne, does Lilian know?", Pansy asked, and Daphne turned to face her friend. She had no idea what Pansy had been saying.

"Know what , exactly?", she replied, faking innocence, and Pansy rolled her eyes. Theo just gave her a stern look, while Astoria and Blaise, exchanging knowing looks, sighed.

"You know very well what I'm asking. She has a right, you know. Her half brother is going to Hogwarts next year, and I'm sure you don't want to answer, during Christmas next year, that sort of question. It'd ruin the festive mood.", Pansy used her own glass to point to Daphne, and Tracey shushed her. "No, shut up, Davies. Listen, Daphne, she looks exactly like Potter as a kid, you know."

"Did you spend too much time staring at an eleven-year-old Potter recently, then?", Astoria chirped in, making Draco have to bite back a laugh. Pansy shot him a dark look. "And the point Pansy makes, as weird as it is, is true. Lilian has to know."

"I do plan to tell her, so I'm not sure why I'm suddenly being ganged on. I thought I was between friends, but I see it's not the case."

"When you're going to tell her, in your deathbed?", Pansy snorted, and Theo sighed once more.

"I'm going to take Daphne's defense, here.", Blaise started, and Daphne nodded to him. "Listen, Pansy, being the kid of a famous person is not easy."

"Your mom wouldn't be famous if she hadn't killed nine men,", Tracey chipped in, making Blaise sigh.

"First, those were accidents, and second, I'm sure Theo here agrees with me. Weren't we gawked upon, like we were two perfect copies of our parents?", Blaise looked at Theo, and he seemed to consider the question for a moment.

While Blaise's mother was something of a black widow - she was on her tenth husband already -, Theo's father was known for having murdered his mother and tried to go after him, and only had survived because he had been able to floo call an uncle, who had come and knocked his father out. Somehow, Mr. Nott had been able to not go to Azkaban - Daphne's mother did remark something about greased palms, but she couldn't very well remember it -, raising Theo as coldly as possible.

"Sorry, Pansy, Blaise is right. I do think it was you, in fact, who asked me about the case after that Thestral class...", Theo remarked, making Pansy blush furiously. Daphne smirked to her champagne flute, drinking another sip.

"Back to the subject at hand, Daphne, you should tell Lilian. Millie told me that some teachers are whispering about her looks already.", Pansy's subject change was apt, but it only made Daphne's blood run cold, trying to remember which teachers that had taught her during her years at Hogwarts were still around. McGonagall, Flitwick, perhaps Binns...

"You can say Longbottom's name, Pansy, it's okay,", Draco interrupted Daphne's train of thought, piping up for once. "Also, I think it's none of our business, really. Unless, of course, one of you is the real father, and Daphne has been lying about the father to us for the past twelve or so years. Would make for an interesting development, if I can say so."

Daphne had never been more pleased with Draco being her brother in law, finishing her drink, deciding to end this conversation at once.

"Lilian's father is who I say it is. End of discussion. I'll tell her when she is older.", Dahne decreed, and Pansy huffed.

"Thirty truly is an appropriate age.", looking at her empty flute, Daphne wondered if she could get away with throwing it on Pansy's head. Merlin, what bug had bitten her? Was she Skeeter, now?

Something flesh-colored flew in the direction of the group of huddled kids, and Daphne looked at them, now whispering quietly. She looked at them with half-lidded eyes, trying to discover whatever had caused such commotion, and she wasn't the only one, Astoria rising up and smiling at the kids.

"Hey, children, why don't you come here and show whatever you have that is so interesting?", she called, and Mattie was the first to pop up.

"It's nothing, aunt Astoria, Nick is just showing the Weasley's Wheezes joke kit!", Daphne mouthed to Theo "you gave them that ?", and he shrugged, pointing to Pansy.

"Well, then have fun, Mattie,", Astoria hummed, sitting down. She then looked at Pansy. "If Scorp becomes a bird in the middle of the night, Parkinson, we're going to have a nice chat."

"I'm so scared,", Pansy retorted, and Astoria simply smiled. Daphne looked at Lilian, who seemed to be looking at their table with a furrowed brow, as if thinking on something - but when she noticed Daphne looking, her daughter relaxed, smiling and waving, before going back to her little group.

It reminded her of her own childhood - the Malfoys hosted a few of these, but grander. Compared to the one Draco hosted, it was disappointing, but better. She had known her friends during those, but the friendships never had really flourished until they had all gone to Hogwarts; mostly, on Daphne's side, because her parents didn't allow her to use the family owl. She hoped Lilian remained friends with these kids, just like she had remained friends with their parents.

Daphne went back to her flute, listening vaguely to Pansy and Astoria argue about joke kits, and hoping that next year was just as good as this one.