Chapter 7
Morning Breakfast Conversation
Amadeo, Alex, and Clara, excused themselves from the table leaving the wizards to continue their chat as they headed back to their respective duties.
Kat and Sere moved to leave themselves when their father stopped them. "Sere we have something to tell you. Kat you should stay too since this bears on your own schooling in just a couple years."
Ginny took a deep breath. "Sere if you really want to go to Hogwarts, your father and I will support that decision."
Sere's face lit up with a smile so bright it was down right infectious. "Really? I can go?"
"Yes," her father replied.
The little girl started jumping up and down and screaming all sorts of happy phrases in every language she could think of. "Thank you Mumma. Thanks Dad." She ran and gave each a hug in turn.
Ginny held her daughter tight. "You're welcome luv. But promise me you'll be careful."
"You know I will Mumma."
Minerva smiled. She knew the sacrifice Ginny was making to allow her daughter to go to Hogwarts. "Well Miss Malfoy I do believe congratulations are in order. I look forward to having you as a student with us come September."
"Thank you Ma'am. I can't wait for September. Mum when can we go shopping? I'll need new robes, and a cauldron of my very own, and quills, and…"
"And we still have a full six weeks before you have to be at King's Cross to catch the train. We'll go a week early so you can sight see around London for a bit before you leave for school. We'll do your shopping then. Until then young lady you still have chores and your own lessons to do here everyday. No need to jump the line. Now scram you two, you have half an hour to clean that room of yours and make your beds before lessons."
"Yes ma'am." The girls were gone before anyone could say another word.
"I am glad to see you decided to let her go Ginny. She will do well at Hogwarts."
"I know Professor. Doesn't mean I'm any less worried about her uncles or her cousins. Just how many does she have anyway?"
The headmistress smiled. "There are eleven Weasley children in Hogwarts so far, with two entering this year. All but four of the current students are in Gryffindor. Three are in Ravenclaw and one is in Slytherin amazingly enough."
Draco couldn't believe his own ears. "A Weasley in Slytherin? No bloody way."
"Quite so. Charlie's eldest, Xavier is in Slytherin. His other two, Sabrina and Miranda, are in Ravenclaw. Hermione and Harry married. Their middle two, a set of twins, will be entering with Serenity. Their eldest, James, is in Gryffindor; no real surprise there considering his namesake. I highly suspect the twins will go to Ravenclaw, though I have been wrong in the past." She stopped to think. "Marie Anne is Ron and Padma's oldest child. Off hand I can't remember what the name of the other that is entering this year with Marie, but he's Percy's if I'm not mistaken."
Ginny paled at the thought of so many nieces and nephews. "Are there others still that haven't entered Hogwarts?"
Minerva thought. "Several, but I couldn't begin to name them all. When I last spoke to Molly I believe she said she had twenty-five grandchildren. Though you know Molly, she counted Harry and Hermione's. And of course that doesn't count your three. I would suspect that aside from maybe Bill and Charlie no one else is completely against having more children. Knowing Molly she's probably hoping for an even forty or so."
Severus coughed in an attempt to hide a smile at the look of horror on Ginny's face. She knew her mother well enough to give credit to the thought of Molly wanting enough grandchildren to run an entire quidditch league unto itself.
Clara entered the room, slipping to Ginny's side before giving her a message. "Ma'am c'è una chiamata per lei. È Isaac."
Ginny stood and moved to leave the room. "If you'll excuse me, Isaac's on the telephone. Draco could you make sure the girls meet me in the solarium for lessons. I believe I heard them take off a bit ago."
"Will do. Tell him I said to be safe and I love him."
She tossed her husband a smile. "Always."
She left the room through the kitchen door, obviously pleased to hear from her son.
"I do believe that was my cue to get back to work. Professor I believe you wanted to see the girls in action. Now would be the best time for that."
"I would indeed."
"Uncle you're more than welcome to join the women or I can give you that tour. That is unless you planned to return to Spinner's End sooner rather than later."
Severus grumbled something that sounded rather like not being a simpering woman before agreeing to stay till he had a chance to test Katharine with a cauldron.
Through some miracle of fate the girls in question were just coming down the front hall as the group moved from the dining room. "Your mum said to meet her for your lessons. Professor McGonagall is going to be watching if you could please show her where Mum is."
"Sure Daddy." The girls started on down the hall before Sere turned around and called to her dad. "Did Isaac call this morning? I left him a message last night that we had wizards for company. I told him to call back, but he didn't."
"He is on the phone with your mum now. If you hurry you might get to say hello before he hangs up."
Serenity took off without a second thought, leaving Kat and Minerva in her wake. "Well Miss Katharine, I guess that leaves it to you to get me where we are going." She extended her hand. "Shall we?"
Kat giggled as she accepted the older woman's hand into her own. "Yes please."
Draco laughed at his little girl, so sweet and innocent. First his precious Isaac grew up on him. Now Sere was off to Hogwarts of all places in just at six weeks. All too soon Kat would be off and gone leaving he and Gin all alone is this monster of a house with only the vineyard to keep them busy.
"Lost on a wild thought are you? I can't say I've missed that particular penchant of yours."
Draco stopped and gave his uncle a sneer. Only then did he realize they had made their way out of the house and were standing just outside of the storage house. "As a matter of fact I was. I was thinking about time or rather how fast time moves."
"Watching children grow up does tend to do that."
Draco grinned. "I suppose you would know all about that after teaching as long as you did."
"Quite."
Draco ushered him into the room, and down an aisle between hundreds of racked oak barrels. "Let me grab my sunglasses from my office and we can go. We might as well start with the vines themselves and walk all the way through the process. It will make more sense that way."
"As you wish."
Translations:
-- Ma'am c'è una chiamata per lei. È Isaac.- Ma'am there is a call for you. It's Isaac.
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