Disclaimer: Yea, I own Harry Potter...in my dreams.
"But Hermione, he's the enemy!" Ron protested
"Ron, be serious now. None of us are enemies anymore. And what did Scorpius do to you anyway?" I chuckled.
"He's a Malfoy! He doesn't HAVE to do anything!"
"Do quit shouting and be reasonable Ron. Even Albus likes him, and you know how much like Harry he is." Ron looked like he was going to object, but Rose walked into the kitchen smiling brightly.
"Morning Mum, Dad," she kissed Ron on the cheek, which seemed to pacify him a little bit. At least, his face went from deep red to light pink.
"Good morning dear," I said, serving up breakfast. Ron was hiding behind this morning's copy of The Daily Prophet, pretending to read. Our son Hugo, who looked remarkably like Ron, came bounding into the room.
"Morning!" he practically yelled. Ron gave him a warning look. Hugo looked ready to make a smart comment (which he was known for), so I intervened.
"Here Hugo, sit down and eat. So Rose, when exactly is Scorpius coming?"
"Oh, um… I told him he could come in round in about an hour. If that's ok," she added quickly. The poor girl was so nervous. It didn't help matters that Hugo decided to throw his two cents in.
"Rosie's got a boyfriend! Rosie's got a boyfriend!" he said in a sing-song voice.
Rose blushed that famous Weasley blush. "Shut up, you git!" She had also inherited that famous Weasley temper. I glared at Ron over his paper until he spoke up.
"Hugo, leave your sister alone," he said in a bored tone, without putting the paper down. Hugo contented himself with munching on some toast, for the time being.
"Mum, d'ya think I can go to Uncle Harry's and Aunt Ginny's after breakfast? I want to see Al and Lily."
"Well, it's only been four days," I pointed out, "And shouldn't you wait until you're invited?"
He laughed, "Mum, you know Aunt Ginny told us to pop over whenever we felt like."
"Yeah, she did say that." I thought about it. I suppose Ginny could use Hugo to distract James, Al, and Lily for her. She was pregnant again and she'd just been telling me how much harder it was this time around.
Ron looked up suddenly, "Oh Hugo, I forgot I need you to watch-erm, I mean help me clean out the shed today." I glanced at him sharply. I'm pretty sure he was about to say "watch your sister."
"That's a load of bullocks Dad! That shed doesn't need cleaning! And you could do it by magic anyway!" Oh sometimes I wished he hadn't inherited his father's smart mouth and lack of tact.
"Hugo! Don't talk to your father that way! If you're done, go upstairs and finish unpacking your trunk. I know you haven't. And maybe you can go to the Potters' when you're finished." He huffed but kept his mouth shut and went to do as I said.
"Ok, well I think I'll just go tidy up for when Scorpius gets here…" Rose said trying to escape what we all knew was coming.
"Now Rosie, hold on there a minute," Ron said sternly, "I want to talk to you about this boy coming over." I almost giggled. He said the word "boy" like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Oh Dad! Please don't go into overprotective stage now! Scorpius is a good person. I know you'll like him. Besides, he thinks you're a magnificent Auror. He's always on about how cool you and Uncle Harry are." She smiled winningly at her father. Personally, I doubted whether Scorpius said anything of the sort, but it achieved her purpose.
Ron blushed a deep red and stammered just a little. "Oh…well, now…" he cleared his throat loudly and moved on. "Just because you're sixteen now doesn't mean you can go boy-crazy like your Aunt Ginny did"
"Ronald! Ginny was never boy-crazy!" He opened his mouth to argue. "And say it again, and I promise you I will tell her you did." That shut him up. Her Bat-Bogey Hex was still quite formidable.
"Well, erm, anyways... I'll want to talk to this boy."
"His name is Scorpius, Dad."
"Fine, Scorpius, then. And you aren't to go in any bedrooms alone. In fact, why don't I just stay with you all day?" A look of horror had plastered on Rose's face. I knew she was thinking just how embarrassing that might be.
"Rosie, why don't you go on and get ready so I can talk to your Father?" I gave her an encouraging look. I turned on Ron as soon as I saw her head up the stairs.
"Ron, don't be a prat. I know she's your only daughter and all, but she's not a baby anymore. She's almost of age."
"Don't remind me," he muttered with a dark look. I gave him a quick kiss causing him to blush momentarily. Yes, even having been married for twenty years, the man still blushed when I kissed him. It was kind of cute, really.
"Please be reasonable Ron. Don't embarrass her. I certaintly agree with you on the "no bedrooms" bit, but they can at least have some alone time in the living room or the yard. And Hugo is going to Harry and Gin's so don't think of bribing him to spy for you. Oh, that reminds me." I sent a quick Patronus to Ginny asking if it was ok for Hugo to come by soon. I then gave Ron a look not unlike Molly Weasley's infamous glare. He caved in; I knew he would.
"Alright, Hermione. I'll behave, I promise." He looked so much like Hugo after he was caught doing something reminiscent of Fred and George. I couldn't help it; I laughed. He grabbed me and pulled me into his lap. "So, what's my reward for playing nicely?" he whispered in my ear, before kissing my neck. I shivered. Ron didn't often act like this, but I oh so enjoyed it when he did.
"Oh, I don't know… I'm sure we can think of something…" I replied in a breathy voice so different from my normal one. "Maybe the kids can go visit one of the many Weasley relatives this weekend."
"I like the way you think," he whispered before kissing me, none too gently.
"Oi! You two!" I jumped at least three feet in the air. Harry's head was sitting in our fireplace, laughing uproariously. "Now that you're paying attention, its fine if Hugo comes over. I'm sure Gin would appreciate him getting the kids out of the house. She's been having trouble sleeping lately."
"Thanks, Harry. Tell Gin we hope she feels better. Hugo will be over shortly." He smiled and disappeared.
"Now where were we?" Ron said and pulled me back into his lap. Then the inevitable happened. I heard Hugo thumping down the stairs. Ron groaned. I could only laugh at his pained expression. I kissed him once more before jumping up and starting to clear the breakfast dishes using magic. Ron disappeared behind The Prophet again.
A second later Hugo burst in, "MU-UM! I finished unpacking. Can I go to Uncle Harry's now?"
"Have you brushed your teeth?" I couldn't help it; dental hygiene was in my blood after all. Hugo ran back up the stairs. When he came back he asked to go again. "Alright dear, but behave yourself. And Aunt Ginny isn't feeling very well and needs quiet so you better stay outside."
"Yes! The weather is perfect for Quidditch!" he pumped his fist in the air. "Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" He threw some floo powder in the living room fireplace and yelled "The Potter House!" and was gone. Ron wasted no time in jumping up and embracing me from behind as I waved my wand and the dishes started washing themselves.
"Alone again, finally," he said huskily. The man was determined. Then the doorbell rang. Rose ran down the stairs, looking nervous. Ron groaned again. "That'll be Scorpius then." I nodded. We walked to the front door and Rose standing with a tall, pale boy who was the spitting image of his father, and, if it was possible, looking more nervous than Rose. I felt Ron stiffen beside me. Obviously he could see his old enemy in the face of this young man. I placed my hand on Ron's arm and felt him relax. A little.
"Scorpius Malfoy, sir." The boy reached his hand out to shake Ron's. It was a little slow in coming, but Ron managed it. "You know my father of course. He sends his regards, and err… apologies about the past." Scorpius looked uncomfortable at this last part. It was then I saw the red and gold scarf around his neck.
"Youre in Gryffindor?" I said, a little disbelieving.
"Well yea, didn't Rose tell you?" he gave her a glance. Shock subsided and I realized we hadn't even bothered to learn a thing about the boy, just judged him by his father. Ron looked as though Voldemort had jumped out from behind a tree wearing a pink tutu and singing "I'm a Little Teapot." I saw the uncomfortable looks on Rose and Scorpius' face, and realized we'd been standing in silence for at least a minute. The boy must think us daft.
"Well, do come in and sit down, so we can get to know each other properly. Would you like some tea?" I led the way down through the entry into the living room.
"No thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Scorpius was sitting in one of our comfy armchairs and struck up a conversation with Ron about his Auror duties. Even more shockingly, Ron was responding with enthusiasm. I glanced at Rose who beamed with relief. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. It was certainly going to be interesting, especially when Hugo came home.
A/N: Hello all! This is only my second fic! Pretty Please R&R! I would be eternally grateful!