The World and Her Stars: One Shots

Inevitable & Eternal

(PRE-WAR; Rose and Draco are babies [almost one year old]; Narcissa and Flora are having their weekly tea at Eros Manor)

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NARRATOR POV

Narcissa Malfoy and Flora Eros sat down for their weekly tea in the East wing parlor room of Eros Manor as their husbands carried out their meeting in Victor Eros's study in the West wing.

The two ladies thoroughly enjoyed their weekly meetings for tea, as it was always peaceful and calm, and often the only time either one of them got to talk about what they wanted to talk about. Their husbands didn't really care for their interests, and never engaged them in conversations that didn't revolve around something ominous, negative, or hateful.

But Narcissa and Flora weren't the only ones that enjoyed these meetings. Their children also loved this day of the week.

Rose Eros and Draco Malfoy were nearly one year old at this point, and their personalities were beginning to show more and more every day. When the two babies were around each other, those personalities almost seemed to shine.

"I swear, they've got a secret language." Narcissa smiled over her tea cup as she raised it to her lips, her eyes peering down at Rose and Draco as they sat on a cushioned mat on the floor. They both babbled back and forth to each other, occasionally screeching when one took the other's toy, or laughing when one did something the other sound funny.

"I'm fully convinced they do too." Flora smiled down at the sight too, "I think Rosie gets mad that I can't understand what she's trying to say sometimes, too. She'll babble and give me these looks like I'm supposed to be doing something, and its adorable, honestly."

"Draco does the same." Narcissa replied, setting down her tea cup, "Usually he'll screech if I take too long to try and figure out what he wants. Those I can decipher. The babbling, I'm still trying to decode."

Flora laughed softly, taking a sip of her tea and savoring the warmth, before her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something she wanted to tell her friend. She set down her cup quickly.

"Rose had her first display of magic this week." Flora informed, her eyes flicking over to Narcissa's.

Narcissa's face lit up with an expression that matched Flora's, "So did Draco. Just this weekend."

"Rose's was this weekend too." Flora said, her eyes reflecting her smile, which was a rarity usually reserved for her moments with Rose, "On Saturday. We were sitting by the window watching the rain, and there was a bit of a cold draft that blew through, and before I could summon over a blanket, she reached for her own that had fallen onto the floor, and it flew up and settled over her head."

"Did it frighten her?" Narcissa asked, giving a soft, amused laugh.

Flora nodded, "A bit, yes. My gasp afterward probably didn't help either. She got covered in a blanket, so it was suddenly dark, and her mum was suddenly gasping, so I don't blame her if she panicked a little."

Both of the women laughed, glancing down at their children as Draco shook a rattling toy in his hand wildly, and Rose let out a singular shriek as a reaction. Draco giggled.

"Draco's was actually similar." Narcissa started, picking up her tea again, "He fell asleep while playing with the elves, so I laid him down in his crib for a nap, and I laid him on top of the blanket rather than underneath because he was wearing a onesie that covered his feet, and I didn't want to wake him up. Then, just as I was about to turn to walk out of the room, he rolled over to his side, and the blanket he was laying on folded over to cover him up."