InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Dont snap at me, lady"

ASTORIA (astorial) wrote in lockewood,
@ 2010-05-14 20:17:00

Entry tags:

astoria greengrass, scorpius malfoy

Who: Astoria and Scorpius
When: Friday night
Where: 3 Quills
What: A mother cooking for her son, of course.
Status/Rating: Incomplete, low

As Astoria set the licked clean spoon down on a spare plate, it occurred to her that Blaise would see right through her when she told him that his recipe had turned out awful. She didn't care. It was the thought that counted — everything else was just happenstance.

Sighing, she rearranged the dishes on the countertop, making sure that everything was neat and organized. Dishes and silverware to one side, the meal to the other. Astoria figured that they could serve themselves and eat in the living room. It wasn't proper, perhaps, but she wanted to keep the evening as informal as possible. Less expectation that way, less stress. The added bonus was getting to break one of her mother's more ridiculous rules. Astoria wasn't sure why eating on a sofa made her a heathen (surely, heathens didn't have sofas to begin with), but disobeying wasn't worth the argument. She didn't have to worry about that now though, did she.

Stealing another bite of the tomato confit, Astoria hummed her approval. It was downright sinful, and she thought that the chicken and pasta would complement it nicely. Then, after appraising the setup one last time, she headed for the front hallway. If she was smoothing out her blouse for the hundredth time, that was only because she had to set an example. And her peeking out the front window to see if Scorpius was coming down the street? She needed to know how high to set the warming charm!

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snarking
2010-05-15 12:32 am UTC (link)

Scorpius wasn't sure of what to make of his mother cooking dinner for him. It was strange, to be sure. Usually his mother had someone else, like a house elf or restaurant, take care of meals. Maybe he should have written his last will and testament. Too late now, unless Astoria had some spare parchment and a quill and agreed to be his witness.

He was still humouring the idea as he walked up to the door. He had a bottle of white wine tucked under his arm in a brown paper bag. He wasn't trying to impress her or anything of the sort. Or come off like an alcoholic (though, their first meeting and now this could make an argument to the contrary). He just thought it might be polite to bring something over.

Inhaling a breath to calm down his nerves – why was he nervous, anyway? This was his mother for Rowena's sake – Scorpius ran a hand down his shirt one more time and then knocked.

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astorial
2010-05-15 12:51 am UTC (link)

At nineteen, Astoria was a far cry from the woman she'd become. Scorpius would have never seen his mother open the door a split-second after someone had knocked, bright-eyed and smiling. The younger version of his mother, however, did just that. It couldn't have been any more obvious that she had been hovering. Waiting.

"You made it," she greeted. "And you brought wine! How thoughtful." It was customary to bring a gift for the host (or hostess, as it was). Astoria wouldn't have docked points if he'd shown up empty-handed, but she would have been disappointed. Any son of hers ought to have a strong sense of manners. Especially a son, since they carried on the family name.

She stepped aside, making room for him to enter. "It's a little messy," she warned, wrinkling her nose. "My roommate— well, I'm sure you understand." Truth be told, the house wasn't a mess at all. But to Astoria, who was used to a house elf shine in her home, it was filthy.

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snarking
2010-05-15 02:10 am UTC (link)

When the door flew open just a beat after the second knock, Scorpius's surprise was ill-concealed. Was he at the right house? Better yet, who was this bubbly woman who looked like a younger version of his mother? Guests were not to be received right away. They were meant to be kept waiting for at least a minute.

"Hi– yeah, it's a Chardonnay," he told her unnecessarily, holding out the bottle and stepping in.

"If you think this is messy, never go over to Albus Potter's house. It's an utter pig's sty." Wait. Should he have mentioned the fact that he was friends with a Potter? Scorpius wasn't certain where his younger mother stood on the issue of Potters and Weasleys. Or if it even was an issue.

"What did you make? It actually smells good," Scorpius was quick to add, hoping he might switch the subject before she asked him to explain what his connection to Albus Potter was.

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astorial
2010-05-19 12:03 am UTC (link)

They were trapped in a town run by Skeeter, with people arriving from all decades and centuries. Astoria figured that she could amend some of her rules. Only a few though. There was no need to be unseemly, even if there were no real consequences.

"Albus Potter?" An interested look flitted through her eyes, as she filed the name away for future knowledge "I don't think that will be a problem," she chuckled. "I try to stay far away from Gryffindors— and their offspring." No reason to invite trouble, she figured.

Astoria gave Scorpius a pleased smile at the compliment. "Thank you," she replied, gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen. "It's nothing fancy— roast chicken, tomato confit, and a bit of pasta is all." The plates were nicely set out on the countertop, and Astoria took a step back, encouraging Scorpius to serve himself first. "I thought we might eat in the living room. The couch is surprisingly comfortable, given its... appearance."

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snarking
2010-05-19 09:23 pm UTC (link)

"He was in Slytherin," Scorpius decided to mention. As if that might redeem himself.

The spread of food was impressive, and his astonishment emerged clearly through the question, "You made all this by yourself?" It really was amazing. Chicken and pasta was one thing, but the tomato confit – that had to require some decent cooking skills. With an eagerness he didn't bother hiding, he picked up a plate and covered it up until there was no porcelain left to be seen.

At her suggestion, a dark eyebrow winged upwards. "We're not eating at the table?" That was a rule in the Malfoy residence. It wasn't proper to eat anywhere besides the dining room. You had to sit in a four-legged chair at a four-legged table with your back straight, your elbows off the table, and your napkin folded in your lap. But he had no objections to eating on the couch. He simply shrugged it off. This version of his mother had her positive aspects after all. "All right. Sounds good to me."

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astorial
2010-05-20 11:07 pm UTC (link)

Scorpius hadn't managed to redeem himself, but he had piqued Astoria's curiosity. In the grand scheme of things, that was never good.

"Really?" She asked, using her infamous (and deceiving) oh-so-casual tone. It occurred to her that Scorpius might be immune to it, having been raised by her, but she didn't much care. "That's hard to imagine."

Reaching for the serving spoon, Astoria gave herself a large portion of the tomato confit and pasta, putting only a small piece of chicken on her plate. She was not one for animal rights, — what next, inviting trolls for tea? — but there was something unappealing about the fact that she might have fed this chicken the day before.

"Good." It was settled then. "I never understood why my mother always made us eat at the table, anyway," she added, leading the way to the living room. If they made a mess, well, wasn't that what house elves were for? Honestly. Parents. "What was I like— as a mother?" Loaded question, that one.

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snarking
2010-05-21 04:55 pm UTC (link)

Scorpius knew that tone. It was the tone his mother oft used when she didn't want to sound too interested. He hoped, rather dearly, that he might find something to interest her more. He wouldn't put it past her to stalk Albus.

Definitely a question he had to answer tactfully. Before he opened his mouth, Scorpius weighed his answer. "Well, you made us eat at the table too," he answered, sitting down on the couch carefully as to not make a mess before he got a single bite. With his plate on his lap, he gave a little shrug.

"Maybe you were more like your mother than you think. But we still got along, if it's any consolation."

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astorial
2010-05-22 01:10 am UTC (link)

It was a consolation. Astoria loved her mother — in a very abstract way, granted — but they hardly got along. At best, their relationship could be described as lukewarm.

"Hm." She mulled the answer over, sinking back into the cushion. "I suppose if we got along..." A shrug followed the vague comment. Astoria wasn't sure if she wanted to know more, and she never asked a question she didn't already know the answer to. But that was just common sense, wasn't it?

Astoria hummed her approval as she took a bite of the pasta and tomato confit mixture. "Merlin, this is good," she mumbled, the barest hint of irritation in her voice. Maybe she would have to thank Blaise — in a roundabout, backhanded sort of way, of course. "I didn't think cooking would be this easy," she told Scorpius. She left out the assorted burns, failed starts, numerous dirty dishes, and her three trips to Odds 'n Ends. Irrelevant!

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[sorry for failing hardcore.]

snarking
2010-05-27 11:46 pm UTC (link)

Scorpius couldn't have agreed more. It was fantastic, so much so that he had to fight to keep from wolfing it all down and going back for seconds. He had only just sat down and started. His mother didn't need to be put under the impression that her future child ate like a garbage disposal.

"Do you want to know anything else?" he asked her, not sure what else to tell her. There was always the question of where to begin. Oh, and if she actually wanted to know how her life panned out in five, ten, or fifteen years from where she was now. That was important as well.

"We could make a game of it. Twenty questions."

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