Black coffee, with sugar

Chapter 21

Lilian came back from the Quidditch Cup decked in Bulgarian regalia, a grin adorning her face, and Daphne - who had managed to make the old radio work just to keep an ear on the news of it - smiled to her daughter. She thanked Percy Weasley for bringing her daughter home, and he simply nodded, curtly and mumbling something about duty before leaving, Molly nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had stayed home? Who knew. Daphne didn't care enough, really.

"I see your favorite won,", she stated, and Lilian nodded, still grinning like a madman, her trunk trailing behind her. "How about you put your trunk in your room, and then join me in the kitchen? There's breakfast."

"I've already eaten at Molly's house, mum, but if there's hot chocolate I want it!", Lilian chirped, passing by with her trunk, and Daphne allowed herself a smile.

"Very well, then. Also, if you want to put other clothes on, do so. The Bulgarian uniform is nice, but perhaps too much in normal, day to day life, sweetheart.", she suggested, moving towards the kitchen as she spoke. Lilian hummed an agreement, and Daphne, with a heavy sigh, wondered where, in Merlin's thrice-damned name, she would be able to put the Bulgarian flag Lilian was using as a cape. Had she even slept, between last night's game and today morning? Good grief. Yes, the game had been exciting - Daphne had listened to it in her old, terrible radio, Ginevra's voice a background constant while she read over some work reports. Apparently, one of the experiments had grown a new arm, and while they'd have to cut it, it did give another layer to the entire Quidditch World Cup experience. A perhaps bizarre layer, but it had been good fun.

The fact Daphne still had a few, pleasant memories of Viktor Krum sitting a few seats away from her added to it, definitely. Who didn't have a crush on him, back in the day, really? She had been a bit jealous of Granger, sure, but it was her who sat almost near him every day. Separated by a wall of other Durmstrang students, but still somewhat near him.

She sighed, wondering if she had marshmallows to put in Lilian's hot chocolate, and as she opened a cabinet to see if there was still a few laying around, she heard a familiar voice.

"So, how was your time without me?", Harry asked, and Daphne closed the cabinet door quickly, looking at him with wide gray eyes. He was grinning, way too cheery to be real.

"Absolutely normal. I worked, unlike some, who can take long vacations without a care in the world.", Daphne replied, and Harry laughed as she went back to looking for the marshmallows, he sitting on her counters like a child.

"Aw, sorry. I thought of you the entire time, though,", Harry hummed, playing with the lone strands of her hair that weren't on a sloppy bun.

"Did you?", Daphne asked, the tone of surprise in her voice more from actually finding a bag of marshmallows than for Harry's statement.

"Oh, yes, the entire time. I also kept an eye out for Lilian, even though it was a bit hard,", he said, and Daphne, humming to herself, went back to her hot chocolate preparation.

"Why is that?", Lilian's voice asked, as if coming back from nowhere, but Daphne, even though she bit her tongue in surprise, knew her daughter had been inside the entire time. She faced her daughter, back to her normal clothes, but still with a Bulgaria wristband, instead of the emergency Portkey Daphne had bought her, the bracelet being put carefully on the table. It was pretty, yes, but now it wasn't useful anymore.

"Well, Percy kept you and Molly pretty much locked up in the Ministry box, for starters,", Harry stated, getting off the counter and sitting on the table, Lilian watching him with careful eyes. Had she...? "And I really didn't want Skeeter to tell the entire world that I was watching the Ministry box instead of the game, so I had to do with glances."