31) Parents are so complicated

Alice looked at her parents who were eating their food as her father made small talk regarding the activities happened in the shop. She was already afraid about how they would react. She had said yes in the heat of the moment but how should she broach the topic with her parents so that they will understand her side of story.

"Alice, did anything happened today with you? you are acting quite strange and not like your regular self today" Bethany spoke up curiously. She had picked up her granddaughter's strange behaviour from the starting of the lunch but it didn't meant that she will simply pry the matter out of her.

She had waited for more than half of the dinner and Alice had yet to broach the topic which was disturbing her. She couldn't wait more, she was old and though old age had given her wisdom; her patience had still not increased. Instead it was thinning nowadays.

Ofcourse it was her grandmother who picked her first like the usual dynamics of the family. She ofcourse for some reason was like an open book to her grandmother, little did she knew that her grandmother had quite years of experience im insulting soft spoken girls like her thoroughly in her hogwarts years. It was the reason she could read people so well afterall when you want to roast like a boss, you have to read them like an open book.

"It was nothing special, just like usual" Alice said suddenly trying to divert the matter of discussion.

Dexter and Alyssa Fortescue knew enough about their daughter to know when she was lying to them.

"Alice dear, surely you know that you could share your problems with us?" Alyssa asked slowly looking at her daughter, her daughter really got her inability to lie from her .

"Yea, besides you have the look that you have pulled something off which will anger mother and father" Florean added eagerly. He knew his elder sister very well and if he could use her faults to degrade their parents ideal image of her, it would be too much of a fun for him. Not to matter it would be ideal revenge on her for her snitching to their parents that he tried firewhiskey in common room by the Prewett twins.

"Alice dear" Bethany tried to coax the matter out of her granddaughter slowly when Alice decided to speak up gathering her courage, afterall her parents did taught her to never lie to them.

"It was nothing big, I was working and then Severus told that he wanted me to visit the site for his new project and then asked me suddenly on a date. I swear that I didn't know, I couldn't refuse and said yes and then we went to a date after the meeting of the new project ended" she spoke fastly, as she didn't believed herself to be able to speak slowly and bear the incredelous looks on her parents faces.

"Alice my dear, you are rambling" Alyssa said slowly as she was unable to understand anything as she spoke too fast same with Dexter. Florean was however another matter as his fork dropped on the plate, was he hearing right or it was just his brain playing tricks on him.

"So Heir Prince asked you out for a date and you too went somewhere after some meeting about his new project ended" Bethany spoke up with an amused look on her face, it was not hard to connect dots with the blabbering her granddaughter had done.

This time it was the fork of Mr Fortescue which was dropped as Mrs Fortescue simply squealed with joy. Her little daughter had gone to her first date, Alyssa had honestly been worried as Alice never showed interest in any boy. She had been having thoughts that her daughter batted for the same team but then again the wizarding world was more conservative and she was worried about it. Now it seemed all her worries were for naught. Indeed Heir Prince was a nice and powerful wizard and her daughter seemed happy with him, she certainly could do worse. Besides she had a powerful family as an ally to theirs with her daughter's lover now.

Dexter Fortescue was meanwhile having the biggest inner monologue and battle with himself. He couldn't believe that his daughter had grown so big that she was dating now. It had worried him for now, but on one hand; he simply could find no fault with Severus Prince. The boy was courteous and good, he even made a deal with him and applied coupons which were developed by both about discounts on the products on certain amount on sales on their shops. His ice-creams had been getting sold more as the coupons which he gave for the discount in the boy's shop also ended up finishing his stock of ice cream. The rush on his shop was quite a lot more than before now with this technique. It was even a new concept which was being asked by other shop owners.

He still remembered the days where his daughter simply poured some chocochips into the batter and loudly proclaimed that she too helped in baking the cookies and making icecream with a small toothy smile. He had to tread carefully, even though he wanted to unleash his full daddy protective side, he also have to think of his daughter's.

"Alice do you like Heir Prince, I want you to speak the truth" Dexter said calmly looking at his daughter.

"I do father" Alice said softly after some moments of silence on her part.

Dexter nodded curtly, "you will call him here tomorrow for a dinner. I give you my approval for dating but there would be some limitations for both of you which I want to make clear" he spoke up, his voice holding a little warmth and warning at the same time.

Alice's face lit up at her father's words, well it could have gone worse? she thought inwardly.

"So tell me what happened with you and Heir Prince darling?" Alyssa asked curiously with an excited face. Her father's face paled at that meanwhile Florean looked like he had swallowed a sour lemon.

Alice really forgot how much of big gossips her mother and grandmother were sometimes.

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Meanwhile on a different location, Evelyn, Lucius Malfoy, Eileen, Severus and Tonks family were gathered together.

Evelyn had invited everyone to her house for dinner. The Tonks had been a surprise but it was Evelyn's idea as she had attached Nyphadora to her hips. The little girl was following Evelyn like a lost puppy as she mimicked the older girl who was all too excited for the younger girl to have her as her new minion.

And for some reason the topic today was Severus love life which was being broached and butchered by Lucius, Evelyn and for some strange reason his own mother too.

Andromeda was confused, when she had been told by Ted that he had been selected by Lucius Malfoy for work, it had made alarm bells ring in her mind. Though Malfoy proved to be non harmful as he and their boss Severus Prince arrived with peaceful intentions. Ted had been told about the Project P in detail and about the plans, Andromeda had been surprisingly included as she too volunteered when she learnt the terms and conditions. The terms and conditions were bound by blood magic of Gringotts which was no small thing, besides Nymphadora was growing up and they needed money now to settle nicely. This job was a great help and Andromeda found it strange, she didn't knew that Malfoy hanged around sons of disinherited people but then again Severus was now the Lord Prince.

It was clear that Evelyn was Lucius's girlfriend by the way they two sat together. Evelyn was perhaps too difficult of a girl to be judged by her, a strong and stubborn girl with a charming and nice personality.

And what was strange that the girl was from a medium class family from France. Guess it seemed that Heir Malfoy was in love which was the reasons for his changes afterall she did remembered the boy of eleven who acted too prickly.

"You are such a chicken Severus" Evelyn teased Severus as she grabbed the little girl sitting on her waist who giggled at that.

"I am no chicken" he denied instantly a little angrily at the words.

"Ofcourse you are, you couldn't even kiss her and ended up giving a peck on cheek. What are you, a child of eleven?" Lucius asked from Evelyn's side earning laughs from everyone present there.

Andromeda had to admit that it felt a little nice at the whole gathering of people.

"See even little Dora agrees with it, don't you Dora?" Evelyn asked with a pout at the little girl who laughed and nodded eagerly at the words even not knowing the meaning behind them.

"Really Severus, I admit that Alice is a good and nice girl but really Severus, even I was more daring than that" Eileen said with a mock sad tone of her voice.

Severus sighed, Life really was hard sometimes but then again Life was a dick, sometimes it was painfully hard whereas other times it was painfully soft. And sometimes it was hard for simply no reason.