27 27) What do you think?

Alice looked at her father and mother who were eating the food calmly. Her grandmother was sitting besides her and Florean was simply eating his food away fastly as he always did.

"Father, Severus offered me a position in his new shop" she said slowly looking at the food infront of her not daring to look at the face of her father.

Her father started coughing a little and she looked up from her worriedly when she saw her mother giving him a glass of water. She was having a worried expression on her face at the reaction of her father.

"That's a good news dear" her grandmother spoke up happily as she simply glanced at the face of her father who had stopped coughing.

"What did you said, Alice dear?" her father asked instantly. His face was scrunched up like something which she had never seen like before.

"I said that I would think of it" she said slowly gaining an irritated huff from her grandmother.

"You visited the shop today dear, what did you saw there?" Alyssa Fortescue asked slowly trying to gain more information from her daughter.

"I met Lord Malfoy, he is apparently partner of Severus in his business. We talked and he was pleasant to talk and even extended the use of first name courtesies" she said remembering the blonde man who was too fun to talk. She will not tell her family anything about Evelyn though.

"That's quite amazing dear" her mother said in surprise at the news. The Malfoys were a very rich

and influential family. They were the elites of the wizarding world and having the Lord of the family with a first name basis with Alie was quite a surprising reveal to Alyssa.

"If you want than you can accept it dear, besides it would not be your own establishment where you could slack off as on your wish" her father spoke up trying to keep a strait face but the amusement evident in his eyes betrayed him.

"Father, I don't slack off" Alice protested out as she looked at her father. Florean was loudly guffawing out at the comment of his father afterall he did knew that his sister usually slacked off after an hour of working in the shop sometimes.

Bethany Fortescue meanwhile simply gave a knowing smirk on the news, it seems Heir Prince was already moving towards to court her granddaughter. She had hopes of wanting her brother's grandson court her granddaughter Alice but she had heard that he was fooling around with the forces of Death Eaters nowadays and was in talk with them. She would not let her only granddaughter simply rot away with a fate of being submissive wife to a boy simpering to someone. No she would find her someone worthy who will not undermine her but always treat her as equal. This Heir Prince had quite a reputation amongst the students of Hogwarts. Rumours were good to be considered and Bethany had often done well to not discard them.

She however was curious about the sudden emergence of Heir Prince. A new halfblood but extremely powerful boy who only emerged after the death of his muggle father. A spellcrafter and one who had actually the skills and flair with the subject, an extremely rare combination. Alice could certainly do worse, a marriage was not always out of love but there were times when one had to give certain aspects of him or her to be in synchronised connection with their partner.

It required compromises and Bethany had realised that the boy was ready to do so, her own marriage had not been out of love but she did came to love her husband. Steven had a charm to him which had endeared her, after all he had managed to melt the heart of an Ice Queen of Slytherin like her. This boy greatly reminded her of a person whom she had seen in the past and had been enamoured with. A man who grew to near conquer magical world. Gellert Grindelwald was many things but he believed in his cause, this boy had the skills like him, he did lack Gellert's charm but he had a presence in him like Gellert. A silent slight power radiating out of him to be unleashed as an inferno rapidly. But the boy was at the same time different from the man she had slept with at Seventeen, he was compassionate inside. There was determination but there was a kindness too, she didn't knew how long it will last considering the rising tides of war now but Alice needed someone strong to protect her.

Her granddaughter wanted to be a auror and Bethany feared for her fate, a fate which she didn't wanted to be inflicted on her granddaughter. The line of action came with its own consequences and she wanted Alice to be protected. The Malfoys were playing grey side now and the Princes already were a dark family perhaps the darkest in Italy followed by the Zabinis only. The tides of the war were dangerous and perhaps an association with a dark family would save Alice from certain effects. She just wanted her granddaughter and grandson to be happy in their lives. The Fortescues were a light oriented family but a union between the Princes and Fortescues wouldn't be bad or scandalous. Infact it would give a connections to both light and dark side. The latter via her granddaughter, she would have to wait, see and plot everything carefully.

Meanwhile with Severus...

"So you believe that perhaps you should ask her out seeing as you believe that she is interested in you" came the amused voice of Petunia who looked at the person infront of her with amazement.

There were many things which Petunia never expected, however this particular scenario topped them all. Severus Snape or Prince; asking her advice on his love life or teenage drama.

"So just because she smiles around you and enjoy your company, you believe she likes you" came the amused voice of Petunia who wanted to laugh at the total conversation however if it was not the stone face of the boy infront of him, she surely would have.

"Severus, honestly speaking girls don't mean that always, she could always consider you as a good friend only and enjoy your friendship" she gently reminded him. She honestly was trying to say that he could be simply friendzoned.

"Ofcourse but she gets this blood blow on her cheeks like she is blushing" Severus tried to explain thinking of his scenario with Alice. He wanted to experience dating, it was not the best ever idea after having the soul and memories of a 40 year old man but for one time Alex wanted to date a freaking hot girl. A girl who was fun to around and simply enjoyed his company like he enjoyed her. There was something which actually felt a little contended with Alice, a strange harmony of being in sync.

"I advise you ask her out if she is interested, she will say yes and if not then you can always be friends" Petunia spoke up looking at him with a glint in her eyes. She herself was a virgin and failed romantic but it didn't meant that she could give him advice.

"Be subtle and check for more hints. Now I was watching this movie three weeks before where the hero takes the hand of the girl....." she started to explain to the curious and eager boy of sixteen who was going through puberty himself amongst the quiet silent laughing face of Eileen who was eavesdropping on the door along with Mrs Evans each holding their mouths to supress the hard laughter. For the former it was the cluelessness in the matter of girls while for the latter it was the patronizing voice of her daughter who was simply telling him the best way to woo a girl.