Diagon Alley

Scorpius couldn't help but to smile from what his father said. When he had first been sorted into Gryffindor, he had been ridiculously worried about what his dad was going to think. All Malfoys had been sorted into Slytherin and he had worried that he would disappoint his father. That proved not to be the case though and he loved when his dad would reaffirm this. "Thanks dad, thanks mum," he said, lifting his own glass of water and motioning towards them. "And right mum. I'm sure you'll have to set the guest beds up in the entire east wing for all my friends to have a place to come to," he said with a small snort before taking a sip of his water. It bothered him immensely that he really didn't have many friends, but it was something that he had just come to accept over the years. Placing his glass down on the table he added, "And of course I'll write. I'll write at least once a week," he promised, for he really did love hearing from his parents when he was at school and was sure they loved hearing from him as well.

Pansy smiled understandingly at him, reaching over to put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing his arm fondly for a second. "Good. I'll get the house elves to work right away so the rooms will all be ready. And I'll keep an eye out for the swarms of owls you'll be sending home as well." She knew how he felt, at least a little. She didn't have many friends in school, she could count them all on one hand anyway, and most of them had disappeared during her last year of school, or had grown to dislike her for all that had happened before she left Hogwarts. Pansy had done all she could to give Scorpius everything she missed out on, but friends was one thing she couldn't do for him. That he would have to do himself, but she could see a little of herself in him. Books sometimes did truly make better friends, though more often than not, nothing beat a little human companionship, someone warm and breathing and thinking to be with. She hoped this year it would change for him, and she would really have to at least get one other bedroom ready for a friend of his to stay.

Draco hadn't exactly been Mr Popular either. Sure he had had acquaintances and people he could get to do things for him but friends were one of the few things he wasn't rich in. After taking a sip of wine he stifled a laugh when Pansy said about the swarms of owls, "More like you'll be sending him letters every hour. Scorp, you had better stock up on owl treats." He smiled at Pansy, knowing that really they both missed their son when he was away, Draco was just better at hiding it than she was. Draco did hope that soon Scorp would meet someone special, either a best friend or maybe a nice girl he could bring home. Both he and Pansy had agreed that there would be no arranged marriage like there was for him but at this rate sometimes Draco wondered if some forced female companionship would be good for his reclusive son.

Scorpius hoped that his mum hadn't really thought he was serious about preparing an entire wing for his friends, for he really didn't have any friends at all that he would be taking home. Still, it was a nice thought and maybe he would be lucky and make at least one friend this term. "I'll be sure to keep a full supply of treats," he smiled, sure that he was going to be getting quite a few letters. Not that he minded in the slightest, for he loved even the short letters. Also, Scorpius very much so appreciates the fact that his parents aren't doing an arranged marriage for him. He's sure he'll find someone eventually. "Are we just going to have a quiet Christmas this year?" he asked, wondering if it was just going to be the three of them or if his grandparents might be coming as well.

Pansy shrugged, glancing questioningly at Draco. "It may depend upon what Grandpa Lucius thinks of new puppy Lucie's name," she laughed, shaking her head. "I haven't heard what their plans are. I doubt my mother will want to come, she'll expect us to come there most likely." Pansy sighed, really disliking trips to her parents house. Her mother was never satisfied with her. She no longer cared that her daughter had gotten the good marriage to the well to do heir, she was a second wife, she wasn't top choice, and her mother never seemed to get over it. Pansy on the other hand, did not care. Draco and Scorpius were her family, and she avoided visits to her mother as often as she could. Her father on the other hand loved buying rare books and sending them to Scorpius, knowing the boy had the same affinity for books that he and his daughter had. "We may see if Grandma Cissy would like to talk Lucie into a visit for Christmas."

Draco couldn't contain a snicker at the thought of Lucius interacting with little Lucie, what a sight that would be. "I think Mother mentioned something about going away for Christmas, so as far as I know I think it'll be a nice quiet family christmas, just the three of us. As long as that's okay with you two?" He was certain it would be, knowing that the past few years with grandparents had made the holidays exceedingly stressful at times. Pansy's mother was ridiculous and disliked Scorpius for the sole reason he was another woman's child while her father doted on him, as a good grandparents should.

Scorpius blinked a few times and then huffed, realizing that his grandfather's name and the puppy's name were quite close. He probably should have given it a bit more thought, but he really did like the name Lucie and wasn't going to change it. "That's fine with me," Scorpius replied. He didn't mind his grandparents, but he always felt like Christmas was more of a proper affair when they were there. He much preferred it just being him, his mum, and his dad. It was also good because then his grandfather wouldn't meet Lucie and possible make a comment about her name being like his own. "Can we make a gingerbread house this year?" he asked, his mind already ready for Christmas holidays because Christmas was his favourite time of year and he loved being reunited with his mum and dad.

Pansy smiled quite happily at the suggestion, immediately lighting up and turning to Draco. "We could take a holiday at the beach maybe? That little cottage we stayed at when Scorpius was small?" She was positively thrilled for Christmas now, because as much as she loved catching up with Narcissa, she did like spending Christmas with just her little family, her husband and son, best of all. "We'll make a whole village of them if you like," she told Scorpius with a grin. She loved that he still liked doing things with her and Draco. She knew some kids his age were into the whole 'my parents are stupid and I don't want to associate with them' phase, but she was thrilled that it seemed Scorpius still enjoyed being with them. She loved having her baby manly grown up son home, and knowing he would leave for school tomorrow was a little sad. Christmas would be a wonderful chance to see him again. "And the offer still stands if you have friends to bring. We can arrange for extra rooms or find a larger cottage if we need to." She winked at him, reaching over to take Draco's hand as had become habit every now and again. The waitress appeared carrying their plates, setting them down in front of them with steam rolling off the tops and cheese and brilliant red sauce oozing wonderfully over everything.

Draco looked up when the waitress put the plate down, inhaling the wonderful smells of the food. "Of course we can make gingerbread houses, and the beach sounds great. Maybe though we go there right after christmas and stay for new years? Christmas at home then leave on boxing day?" After all there was nothing to beat the giant tree at Malfoy Manor on christmas morning. Picking up his fork he dug in, glancing down at Lucie on the floor, "Do you think we should give her some water or food?" The little puppy was sitting there staring at him with big sad eyes.

Scorpius definitely liked the sound of making a village. He liked being able to do Christmas things that required creativity and he liked ginger bread houses because it meant he got to eat it after. Anything that resulted in food in his tummy was always good. "Yeah, let's do Christmas at the manor and then leave after. I like being home for Christmas," he said. There was just something he loved about celebrating the holidays in their own home. "Right, if I find someone who wants to come, then I'll let you know mum," he said. He thanked the waiter when the food came, getting ready to dive on in almost immediately. He froze though when his dad pointed out that Lucie might want something and figured he was probably right. "Err, probably just water for now. I mean, you're only supposed to feed her mornings and nights," he said, recalling what the pet store worker had said. "It's important to stick to a feeding schedule," he said. "Sir, may we please get a bowl with some water in it?" he asked the waiter who had been about to leave. The waiter nodded, leaving for a moment to go and get Lucie some water.

Pansy grinned, watching as her boys dug in almost immediately. Malfoy men loved their food, that was certain. "Sounds lovely to me. We'll get a nice big tree like always and do Christmas presents and breakfast and a fancy dinner and all at home, and then load up the next day for the shore. Should be a nice break with my boys," she smiled fondly at them both, watching as the waiter brought back a bowl for Lucie and the puppy jumped up immediately and started lapping it up excitedly. "I think that's just what she wanted." Picking up her fork, Pansy dug into her own dinner, figuring she ought to get started or else her husband and son will have finished their meals while she had only put away a few bites of her own. "We really ought to come here more often. It's delicious. Your father would have an aneurism if he knew we were enjoying ourselves at a Muggle restaurant," Pansy laughed, imagining Lucius's sputtering face if she and Draco were to mention this.

Malfoy Men and food are the truest of loves. Draco was glad to see that he'd been right about the puppy, not focusing much more on her as he had food to eat. "I'll send an owl tonight then and make sure we can get that cottage. And please can we tell my father about this? It might trigger hair loss." He smirked, happily digging into his food. As much as he loved his mother he would never get along with his father very well, enjoying his freedom now that they had moved away to France. Part of him thought maybe he should have let them spend more time with Scorp but honestly Draco didn't want his son exposed to that influence. Now if only they could combine his mother and Pansy's father they'd have the perfect grandparents.

Scorpius definitely liked the idea of having Christmas at home and loved when they got a huge tree. Though, sometimes it was a bit of a pain to decorate because it was so large and difficult to get things on the top. Those were the times he wished he was able to do magic outside of school, for his parents usually used magic to get ornaments on the top of the tree. "Sounds like the perfect holiday to me," he said, taking a bite of his food. He really hoped that he'd at least have one friend that could come and visit, just to show his parents that he was capable of meeting people. He knew he probably had his parents concerned about his lack of social life, but he was used to the way things were. "You really think that Grandfather would have that much of a conniption over being at a Muggle restaurant?" he asked in surprise.

Pansy wasn't overly concerned. She knew what it was like to just want to be alone sometimes, so she's not too worried. She knows Scorpius will open up in time and have friends to bring home, it's only a question of when, not if. She ate her dinner quietly, for she had to eat constantly to keep up with the pace her boys set. "It'll be absolutely wonderful," she agreed when Scorpius said it sounded perfect. Laughing at the thought of how upset Lucius would be about the Muggle restaurant, she found that she did truly believe he would be quite shocked by it. "Oh, I think he'd be rather upset. Muggles, he still thinks, are absolute filth and hardly worthy of recognition, and mingling with them," she scoffed, putting on her best Lucius impression, which was quite flawless after all these years, "I simply can't imagine having to breathe the same air as them, much less eat food they've prepared!" Despite her haughty statement, she took another huge bite of her manicotti, which was divine.

Draco let out a fake shudder at her Lucius impersonation, "He really would sound like that. You didn't really know him at his worst Scorp, he's learning slowly to control himself a little better but one glass of scotch and it's like the Dark Lord is back again and coming to save him from the 'filthy muggles'. As if he ever really stood a chance of succeeding." Draco shook his head, taking another bite of his food. When he had swallowed he changed the subject, "So are you two completely done with your shopping yet?"

Scorpius quieted when they spoke about his Grandfather. He really had never spent much time with the man and now he was understanding just what his parents were shielding him from. Not that he minded though, for he saw nothing at all wrong with Muggles and actually found them to be rather fascinating. Oh goodness. Now it's clear why he is roommates with Arthur in Gryffindor. "Yeah, we got all of the things I needed," Scorpius replied, understanding that his father was changing the subject. "I even got some new clothes. It's like I can't stop growing lately," he said before piling more food into his mouth as if it was going to disappear suddenly.

Pansy gave Draco a half smile, full of understanding, and leaned over to kiss him softly on the cheek. She nodded as Scorpius answered his father. "Yes, we were just about finished. I was going to pick up a new pack of parchment from the Owl Post before we go, but that can wait. It wasn't pressing anyway, and we don't need to go back now that we're out here again, not unless you had something you needed, Draco?" She fell quiet again as she dug in to eat some more, attempting to catch up with how much her husband and son had eaten. Those boys really liked their good, my goodness.

Draco nodded, "I do actually have to stop back by the office before I can head home. I'm really just taking an extended lunch break but nothing else should be happening today so hopefully I'll be home early." He ate the last few bites of his meal, grinning at how much was still left on Pansy's plate. She didn't really stand a chance of keeping up with their food consumption. It was a Malfoy Boy thing.

Scorpius was glad that his dad would probably get to come home early, for it was the last night and he had hoped to really spend it with his parents. It didn't really matter what they did, but spending the time together was important to him. Cleaning off his plate, he didn't understand how he managed to finish it all so fast. Perhaps he ought to learn not to inhale his food. "Dessert is definitely in order," he grinned.

"Good, hopefully we can do something fun this evening when you get home." She continued eating her meal, having quite a bit of it left as compared to Scorpius's empty plate and Draco's nearly empty one. "Order whatever you like, Scorpius. A last dessert out before school." She caught the waiter's eye and motioned for him to come over to get Scorpius's dessert order, and she tucked back into her dinner, trying to finish it up and catch up with her men.

Draco finished as the waiter walked over and decided that he was going to get a dessert too, "Can I get a tiramisu and an expresso?" He looked over at Pansy and smiled at her plate, "Split the tiramisu?" He knew she would want a few bites but would never be able to finish the whole thing. "I'll be home as soon as I can. You two can pack and then we won't have to worry about that later."

"May I please have a slice of the chocolate cake?" he asked, finding himself to definitely be in the mood for some chocolate. He had gotten it here before and it really had been excellent. He let out a small groan when his father mentioned packing, for he definitely had been putting it off the past week. "I hate packing," he complained. "Just packing everything up to go and have to unpack it the next day is annoying. Then I also always worry about leaving something at home. Which, I know it's no big deal for you to send with an owl, but I still don't want to be forgetful."

Pansy smiled at him, nodding excitedly. "Of course I'd like to!" She turned her smile toward Scorpius as he groaned in response to packing. "It won't be too bad, I'm sure we can get it done quickly. We'll go up to your room when we get back to the Manor and we can get Knobby to help. He's quite good with packing, especially folding clothes and getting them all to fit in your trunk." Pansy had grown quite fond of their little house elf, though originally he had sort of creeped her out, like the goblins. In time, he had proved much friendlier and more helpful, and she had grown to like him. "Don't worry about forgetting things, just write home and it'll be owled to you the next morning. Or if it's more pressing, your father or I could always apparate to Hogsmeade and bring it to you, provided that wouldn't embarrass you." She laughed, reaching over and ruffling his hair fondly on the side behind his ear.

Draco smiled, watching his wife and son interact. Summers were always great, even if he didn't get as much time off work as he wanted. He knew he didn't really need to work but it let him feel like he was supporting his family and gave him something to do before he lost his mind. The waiter came back over to pick up Pansy's plate and drop off their desserts. He slid the plate between them and picked up his fork, leaning over with a smirk and scooping off a little piece of Scorp's. When his son gave him a look he smirked, "I had to test it."

Scorpius completely loved Knobby. There was just something about the house elf that was quite special and when he was younger he enjoyed messing around (nicely of course) with Knobby. "Yeah, I suppose that's true," Scorpius said. "Knobby doesn't really mind packing either." He knew it wasn't that big of a deal to forget anything at home, but it was still a small hassle. "As long as you don't attack me with hugs and kisses in the middle of Hogsmeade, I'm sure we'll be okay," he said with a grin. He was teasing though, for he really didn't care if people saw how he interacted with his parents. When his father had taken a bite of his food, Scorpius gave him a look that communicated how he was not so pleased. "Alright, but the first bite?" he asked. "I mean, I get it...the cake looks fantastic and delicious...but you had to go and have the first bite?" he repeated.