the malfoy boy

III

Abraxas hadn't seen such a wild assortment of foods. It was as if the house-elves had asked what each person liked... and then made it all. There was a spaghetti with meat sauce in a bowl directly next to a platter of BBQ chicken. The creamy, garlic mashed potatoes sat to the left of a beef and mixed vegetable, spicy stir fry. Omelettes, roasted asparagus, fried rice, fish tacos. The table had it all. His eyes widened as he took in all the different sights and smells.

"We weren't sure what everyone liked to eat, so we tried to have a little bit of everything," Rachelle admitted with a sheepish smile. Joey grinned up at her mom and looked across the table to see Abraxas looking every which way possible. They had been working all day to get as many combinations as possible. She was excited to see him less than scowl-y. He even looked a little happy! The next few minutes was a wild explosion of reaching for food, asking for dishes to be passed, and everyone figuring out what they want to devour.

Joey finally at long last was able to take her first bite of the chicken and shrimp fried rice. Her eyes closed, her lips curling up into a smile, and she chewed her food slowly and thoroughly. She always loved the first bite of food. It set the tempo for the rest of the meal. And this was a very good first bite. And second. And third. By the time she realised she wasn't savouring, her fried rice was already gone. A little disappointed, she moved onto the next portion on her plate: chicken.

"Joelle, what do you intend to study after Hogwarts?" Serpentis asked as he cut into a pork chop. Joey covered her mouth briefly as they looked at her, hurriedly finishing her mouthful before speaking.

"I'm going to be a potioneer, sir. I want to open up my own apothecary and do research on new types of potions," she said. This garnered a positive response from the Malfoys.

"Good money in potion making," Wilhelmina clucked approvingly.

"Lots of influence with the right friends," Serpentis added. Joey just smiled and shrugged at them.

"Yeah, the money is an important influence, but I just really like potions. I'm hoping to create potions that nobody else has even thought to make before," she said confidently. She saw Abraxas smirk a little at that.

"Quite the ambition. Maybe you should've been in Slytherin house," Serpentis said with a smile. But Joey shook her head with a chuckle.

"I quite like Hufflepuff house, Mister Malfoy. It suits me," she said and then added with an elbow to Odette, "and I look amazing in yellow." Odette giggled and nudged Joey back.

"Miss Rachelle, I can't help but notice your and your daughter's hair colour," Wilhelmina said to the witch, who smiled and nodded.

"My dad is half-Veela. He has black hair. My grandmother through him had this hair. Odette was the only one who inherited it from me, though all of the children have the other Veela traits. You should see Joey when her temper acts up. Starts shinin' like a firefly!" Rachelle said with a laugh. Joey felt a blush burn on her cheeks as she bristled.

"It's only a soft glow," she said softly, earning a sharp exhale of a laugh from Abraxas. She didn't know he had it in him, but his smile said otherwise.

"Fascinating," Serpentis said and turned his eyes to Odette. "You start school this year, Miss Odette?" Odette nodded to him, her smile forced as she shriveled under the Malfoy gaze. Joey lay a hand on her shoulder and jumped in.

"She'll be the most talented Ravenclaw the house has ever seen. Charms class has no idea what's coming at them," she boasted proudly and made Odette blush. "Odie has been studying for years. She's already taught herself spells at OWL level!" Serpentis looked impressed.

"Undoubtedly, you'll be the most brilliant witch of your year," he said. She beamed at that and went back to her food with renewed vigor. The rest of the meal passed by as such: the Malfoys questioning her family, the Riverwoods responding with utmost honesty, and flattery from both sides. When it came time for her parents to give them a tour of the house, Joey decided that sounded horribly boring.