Preface

"Dad," sounded the usual drawn out call that echoed through 12 Grimmauld Place nearly every single morning. "We're out of cereal."

Some called Harry a much too lenient parent and an oblivious authority figure. The mere utterance of the name 'Potter' made people cringe and stare in awe.

Over two decades after the war, there were three more Potters everyone had to watch out for.

First there was James Potter, the eldest of the trio. One perfect way to sketch him would be to take inspiration from Sirius Black. James was Sirius Black reincarnated. With his dashing good looks and callous attitude, he had broken a fair share of hearts. He had a bad rapport with rulebooks in that he wished he could simply burn them all with a flick of his wand. He insisted on paving his own way to success. Now, at the young age of twenty-one, he was collaborating with the Muggle world and their medical marvels. He absolutely refused to enroll in medical school because he thought of conformed education as a tool to simply suck in money. Had he had his way, he would have never even taken the NEWTs. Ginny's influence was the only reason he stuck through with his Hogwarts education until the end. And now he commuted back and forth from London to California on research projects and clinics as a spokesperson and liaison.

Then there was Albus Potter, the brains of the bunch. He had his head stuck in books more often than not. Quite anti-social and sullen, he would be the one to never speak his mind and then avoid trouble by blinking innocently from behind his large glasses that made his green eyes larger than they should be. If he had had his way, he would have stayed in school forever and ever. He hated the thought of becoming an adult who had the mindless responsibilities of making money and settling down according to society's insistence. He lived off his father without a second thought. Unlike James, whose main goal was to make money of his own, Albus threw away Harry's earnings on countless books. His room was a library in itself and his closet had been bewitched into yet another library as soon as he had learnt how to do so in his third year at Hogwarts. He could care less when his parents tried to lecture him into growing up and moving out of the house. He was satisfied with his current arrangement. Besides, moving out meant that he would have to find a job, try to socialize and learn to cook on his own. Those were skills he had never mastered in all of twenty years.

Finally, Lily Potter. Her beauty rivaled James' charm alone. Her personality was as fiery as her hair. Legend has it that the Sorting Hat could not decide on a house for her, so she had placed herself in Gryffindor like her father had done. She always wore the best clothes, fashioned her long tresses into thick curls and conducted herself in the most superior manner. She was never without the latest product, whether it be a limited-edition broomstick or a strange new pet. Whatever she asked for, she received somehow. She needed but to smile and flutter her lashes. She manipulated everyone around her with her perfected sweetness. She had never had a day of bad luck. She could get away with murder, if need be. Her friends secretly hated and openly adored her. Her interests changed with the passing of seasons. One day it would be spell casting, the next day it would be potion making and a week after, it would be poetry. Anything she did, she excelled in.

Unfortunately for poor Harry, his children had the most warring personalities ever.

"Trying to sleep," he grumbled as he buried himself under mountains of pillows and blankets. He worked the night shift for a few weeks but his kids had no respect for his need for some peace and quiet. He plugged his ears because he was too tired to get his wand from the bedside table. He had just arrived home three hours ago and his wonderful dream had been interrupted by James' irritating voice.

"Dad!"

"No," Harry whimpered. Some days, he wished his kids could just be mature enough and go grocery shopping by themselves.

But he wouldn't trade his hectic life for the world.

It was a lazy Thursday evening for the young Potters. All of them were sprawled across the living room, buried in their own world – James was busily texting, Lily was doing her nails and Albus was studiously reading. But even times like these were bonding opportunities. The three were some of the closest siblings anyone had met. They always stuck by each other, no matter the situation. In Hogwarts, they often found themselves in heaps of trouble for it.

Once, Albus was on the wrong end of a bullying session. He had come out of it with crooked glasses and a thoroughly confused expression. He tended to be oblivious to the things around him, so he had had no idea why he had been talked down to and pushed about. Upon hearing about this incident, his older brother and younger sister had all but gone on a furious rampage. There were fists and hexes and detentions and severe letters. But James and Lily could have cared less. Anyone who touched their Albus was in for the beating of their lives. After that incident in third year, no one dared approach Albus with anything less than a bowed head and shaky smile. Albus was none the wiser.

"I was at this party last night," Lily started saying.

"Boring," James interrupted mildly.

She clicked her tongue and continued in any case. "Met this really cool guy. Never seen him before. From the States."

"Name?" Albus mumbled.

"Weird name. Scorpius."

James glanced back absently. "And?"

"He seemed cool."

"Where is this going?"

Lily studied her nails with a critical eye. "He's a Malfoy," she murmured.

Albus blinked at his book, then lifted his gaze to frown at his sister. James sat up slowly. "Malfoy?" he hesitated.

"Hmm."

"You just said he was cool."

Lily smiled at her brothers. "Yeah. He is. I think he's Draco Malfoy's son."

James leaned forward to ask, "What exactly do you mean by 'cool'?"

Lily shrugged as she sat up. "Handsome, quiet, formal. The whole package. He's studying to be lawyer, I hear. Muggle law, that is. So he's intelligent too. He didn't really talk to anyone. His girlfriend might have dragged him to the party. Personally, I think he could do much better than Lauren." She shuddered with many unsaid words of gossip. "Anyway, he's here on vacation. He hasn't been back in years." She sat back with a thoughtful sigh. "I guess… the cool part of him is that he isn't a git."

James appeared thoughtful too. Everyone knew about Draco Malfoy. Of course, no one had ever met Draco Malfoy, but everyone knew of him. He was a foul, foul man. While Harry refused to spread rumors, his children were not beneath doing so. They had heard through the grapevine that the only reason Malfoy wasn't behind bars was because he had been a minor during the War and hence was 'coerced' into performing all the heinous acts he had been charged with. Anyway, over twenty years later, little was known about him other than the fact that he hopped through jobs and had nearly drained all his inheritance money. There might be alcohol and drugs at play, but there was no real evidence.

There was no real evidence because… well, no one had seen Draco Malfoy in ages. All that was known now was that he was in hiding at his rundown manor.

It was all a very sorry plight but no one was very sorry about it at all. The Malfoys got what they deserved even if Wizengamot had let them go free.

So what was Scorpius Malfoy doing? How was he so successful?

"I'm sure this guy got his good points from the Greengrass side of the family," James said heavily.

"Oh, no doubt about it," Lily agreed. "It's just weird that he kept his last name, you know? I'd want to get rid of it as soon as possible."

Albus couldn't help his smirk. "And you keep Potter because?"

She chucked a cushion at him while laughing drily.

That night was family night. This usually entailed a quiet dinner at home followed by a movie. However, Harry decided to nearly burn down the kitchen with his casserole, so they ended up going to a nearby restaurant instead.

"Mum would be very pleased," James teased.

"Oh, come on," Harry whined in dismay. He had never been a good cook and had been in this situation more often than he cared to count. The restaurant staff probably knew them and their orders by now. But he still insisted on having family night because it was the only time he got to spend with his children.

"When's Teddy getting here?"

"Soon," Harry answered

For Ted, soon could mean anything between five minutes and one hour. The younger Potters groaned while their father simply smiled in defeat. They entered the bustling diner, squeezing into the foyer. While Harry asked for a table for five, Lily was scanning the place.

Her eyes slowly widened as they rested on a familiar face. She quickly elbowed her brothers and pointed with her eyes.

Off to the side of the restaurant in a booth sat a young man with a glass of wine and a serious expression set on his face.

"Scorpius," she whispered conspiringly.

"What?" James exclaimed.

The man had pale blond hair and pale eyes, both characteristic of a Malfoy. He did give off that air of sophistication that was brought on by money and good upbringing. He seemed to be in the midst of a serious discussion when his attention slipped for but a moment and rested on the group standing by the door.

"Stop staring, stop staring," Lily muttered quickly as she dropped her gaze innocently. James did the same, but Albus, being Albus, simply kept staring.

Scorpius frowned and tilted his head.

"Why are you still looking?" Lily hissed.

"I don't know," Albus shrugged.

The two started when they felt arms snaking over their shoulders. Harry poked his head between them. "What are you two whispering about?" he asked.

"Dad! You're so embarrassing!" Lily gasped as she pushed him away.

"Al doesn't seem to think so," Harry sniffed haughtily. "He likes me the best. Right, Albus?"

"Whatever," Albus mumbled while blushing. His father really was embarrassing.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up with a weary smile. That sort of a greeting was usually followed by a stammered request for an autograph or a photograph. His smile slipped when he found himself staring at… "Scorpius?" he asked incredulously. "Wh-what are you… You're here?"

Scorpius laughed giddily as he threw his arms around Harry and squeezed the breath out of him.

All James, Lily and Albus could do was gape at them.

Scorpius let go as abruptly as he had latched on. He stepped back with a mortified expression on his face. "S-sorry. Um," he swallowed loudly. "Um… Hello."

"Merlin," Harry exhaled. "You scared me!" He pulled Scorpius into another, much softer hug. "I didn't know you were back! Why didn't you call me?"

"Surprise," Scorpius mumbled, his words muffled against Harry's shoulder.