The Years of Blue [2]

Chapter 2: The Guests

Newport RI- July 11th

I had been pacing back and forth in the library, trying to figure out what to do about the incoming guests.

I obviously didn't want to see them, nor did I want to be anywhere near them for the full extent of their trip.

But there wasn't much I could do when I consider the fact that they were coming tomorrow and were going to stay in this house.

But I wasn't going to let those factors get the best of me. I needed a plan and so I was going to make one.

The idea was simple: keep myself busy with my social life here in Rhode island and skip the fancy dinners with the Malfoys and my family.

I sent out invitations through owl to most of the girls and boys I knew, inviting them for a day out in the sun, sailing on one of my family's boats.

This was a rather classic hangout idea that everyone did with each other every summer. I hosted sailing parties in the past few summers, so I thought this would be a good cover to get me out of welcoming the Malfoys to the US.

And it was.

Everyone who got an invitation responded back with yeses, even the girls who hated me, which were most girls. But they had to come since a majority of them were still curious about my disappearance and they knew that they just could not avoid me for that information. They had to chat with me.

So, the next day I had the captain and the first mate contacted to know they had work that morning. I then went on to get the elves in the kitchen informed of what I wanted in a picnic basket and served on the boat.

Lastly I dropped the news to my parents that I wasn't going to be home when the Malfoys arrived.

"You are what?" My mother exclaimed, lowering her pen to glance my way. My parents were sitting in the breakfast room with half eaten food in front of them when I came in to tell them the news.

"I'm hosting a sailing party today." I replied simply.

"Cancel it. You have a duty to help the family host tonight." My dad responded absently before returning to his newspaper.

"She knows that Darious. And she can't cancel, which she also seems to know." My mother said coyly, turning to look my way. "I assume you invited everyone who is anyone to this event." I nodded again. Everyone knows that when you host a party in high society, you can't cancel it. It would make everyone who was invited gossip terribly about the family and would diminish the value of the parties thrown by the family. While my father may not have been thinking about this, my mother did.

"I even invited the French ambassador's daughters. Can't let them down," I said simply, causing my mother to sigh dramatically and look to my father for help.

"What should we do?" She asked him. He shrugged before returning to his newspaper. Giving my father an angry look, my mother then turned to me and waved her hand away.

"Go ahead. Just know that your French literature will increase tomorrow since you have had so much free time planning this." I faked a smile, no longer caring about that work and turned for the door.

Hosting the sailing party happened to be the most brilliant idea for me yet.

Over twenty four kids arrived at the docks just as instructed and the sails were going a quarter after eleven, making the seafood hot and ready to be eaten right at twelve.

The first mate and his crew lowered the anchor by the cliffs at a little after one, letting the group of us go out swimming in the crisp cool water, while one of the girls pulled out a few records to play in the background. One of the boys, Tobias, had brought enchanted beach flouts, like a bright pink flamingo raft that squawked aloud whenever someone jumped on it.