Black coffee, with sugar

Chapter 23

Another year, another Christmas party at Malfoy's house. Daphne sighed into her flute, feeling the oddest sensation of deja vu as she stared at the group of children huddled around something. This time, however, things were different, because Lilian hadn't come home.

She had sent a letter, last week, asking if she could please stay at Hogwarts this year because Molly's father, mother and sister would be traveling to do some sort of Ministry business during that time, and as such, Molly would stay at Hogwarts. Daphne did not ask why Molly wasn't willing to travel, and let her daughter stay at the castle. She wouldn't question it, because it was none of her business whatever was happening with a subset of the Weasleys.

"So, Daphne,", started Pansy, and Daphne's attention popped back to the conversation, sipping her champagne. "Where is your kid?"

"Hogwarts. Apparently, Molly dear is staying because Weasley is traveling or something.", there was a pause, Pansy and Theo looking at each other, and Daphne didn't miss it. Her eyes became slits, analyzing her friends and whatever secret conversation they could be having. "What?"

"Daphne, I don't know how to tell you this, but...", Theodore started, slowly, and Daphne could feel a ball of anxiety start to form in her stomach. "But Percy Weasley is not traveling. I saw him yesterday, on the Station, with his wife, waiting for Molly. And the day before that, on the Ministry, too."

"What?", she asked, mind trying to run on why Lilian would have lied to her, rising up to her feet before she thought about it. Could it be...? No, no. Lilian would have said something if she...

The kids hissed loudly, at the same time, in their little corner, and eyes turned to face them. Daphne frowned, feeling something under her sensible heels, eyes turned down as she stepped backward, revealing something a bit similar to an ear, connected to a thin piece of string. She vaguely recognized it, but from where...?

"Is that...", Blaise started, looking down to what she did, and Astoria, by her side, gasped.

"It's an Extendable Ear, yes,", her sister continued, eyes going to the kid group, who seemed now to be whispering conspiratorially. Draco rose an eyebrow at them, but they didn't seem to notice. "Scorpius, dear. Come here for a moment."

Scorpius - little Scorpius, nine years old, two years from going to Hogwarts himself - looked at his friends (who, now that Daphne thought about it, were at Hogwarts as well. Were they keeping Lilian's secret from Daphne herself? If so, that was a good display of loyalty, but Daphne wasn't happy at all about that.) for one brief moment, then stared back at Astoria.

"Come here, Scorpius, your mother just wants a few answers,", Draco smiled, terrifying for no reason at all. It reminded her a bit of her father, but that was probably a coincidence. "Unless, of course, your friends wish to say what exactly an Extendable Ear was doing underneath our table."

The kids looked at each other, a silent conversation happening with only looks for a mere moment before Nerine stepped forward, leading the group near the adults. Daphne sat back, staring at the Nott twins, trying to understand what could have gone wrong.

"Sorry, Mr. Malfoy. Nicky and I got the joke kit last year, and we decided to test it in your table,", Nerine started, blushing slightly, twirling a strand of dark curly hair in one finger. Pansy stared at her carefully, and Daphne could understand why she had been put in Hufflepuff. The girl gave in too easily when under pressure. "Lilian got all spooked when we heard you guys talking about her father, and then this year she and Molly just kept going to the library all the time... Me and Nicky once followed her, thinking she had found a way to get in the Forbidden Section, but..."

"But all Lilian and Molly did was read old newspapers,", Nicholas replied, rolling his eyes, apparently uninterested in the entire affair. Daphne could hear Pansy muttering something about children and forbidden entries in forbidden places, but her head was busy, trying to think a way of escaping this situation she had, fully aware that she'd have to tell Lilian but never expecting her daughter to find out on her own, put herself on. "It was a very dull affair. We did ask her what she was doing, but she refused to say, so me and Ninny took off."

Mattie seemed to ponder something as Theo muttered "so that's how they knew about the party..." under his breath, making Daphne wonder if Theo or Pansy hadn't checked the joke kit at all. However, Daphne was more worried about herself, currently - last year, they had spoken at length about Lilian's father, and now Lilian was checking old newspapers? Perhaps...

"What was she checking?", Daphne blurted, and Nerine looked at Nicholas. Daphne wished that twin communication stopped, trying to think what, exactly, Lilian could be looking in old newspapers, besides information on Harry.

"She was checking social columns,", Mattie replied, not looking into Daphne's eyes, and Daphne's blood ran cold. "Namely about you, mrs. Greengrass, and Harry Potter. She told me that in letters. Said she didn't want to bother the rest of us with it."

Or, alternatively, Lilian didn't want the younger ones spilling to their parents - even if they were barely a year younger. Daphne had no idea why Mattie had been chosen as secret keeper, but she had a few good ideas on the why. Namely, the distance - Mattie spent most of the year in Durmstrang, most of summer in Bulgaria, training for the Quidditch junior team the kid had been scouted for. There was no way for Mattie to spill whatever secrets Lilian had to Tracey because Mattie was almost never in England.

"Did she tell you if she had found anything, Mattie?", Astoria asked, and Mattie paused, thinking. Daphne was glad she had sat down, because she couldn't feel the floor under her feet. She had been a fool.

"She told me she had found something, but Lilian needed to do more research... She didn't say what she needed to research, though. Sorry, mrs. Greengrass,", Mattie replied, looking away, as if there were more secrets to say, but had decided not to say anything more. Daphne had no idea how much truth Mattie could have spoken, but Daphne smiled nonetheless, rising up.

"It's alright. I'll be leaving, however. It seems I forgot I had work to do, so I'll be excusing myself.", the smile she offered was a tense one, Daphne was sure, but she couldn't care enough about pretense at that moment.

She was midway to the entrance, coat grabbed in a hurry from some elf's arms, when Astoria's voice stopped her.

"Daphne.", Astoria called, and she turned, facing her sister - who did not seem out of breath, as if she had Apparated there, twirling a strand of her hair. "What is done is done. Don't try anything you wouldn't usually."

Daphne looked at Astoria with half-lidded eyes, wondering if she could get away with throwing anything made of iron at her.

"It's my kid, Astoria. Wouldn't you do the same?", Daphne asked, and Astoria smiled. "And besides, what I'm supposed to do? Barge into Hogwarts and Obliviate her memories of an entire term? I'm not stupid."

Astoria's smile wasn't human; no, it reminded her too much of that old crone in Portree. She stared at her sister, Astoria's smile too many teeth and bite and none of the usual sweetness.

"No, no. Just saying you shouldn't do deals, is all.", Astoria said, and blinked quickly, shoulders relaxing. Her smile now was softer, none of the edge found before. "Stay safe, Daphne."

"You too,", Daphne answered, turning back and walking inside the room that allowed Apparition to the outside before the urge to throw an iron chain at her sister grew anymore.

Daphne's head still spun, thoughts a mess in her head, but at least now she had time to plan what to say to Lilian.