It was strange, really. Exactly one year ago, they had been arriving at Malfoy Manor together. Albus on the run from his difficult relationship with his dad, Scorpius eager but nervous to spend a real Christmas with both his dad and his best friend.

And here they were now, holding hands in the backseat of the Potters' car, flanked by a giggling Lily and a frosty James.

From the front seat, Ginny was busy catching her children up on her father's retirement while Harry focussed on getting them safely through the busy London traffic.

Scorpius and Albus had both been reluctant to accept the invitation to spend Christmas with Albus' family, but Rose had bullied them into it. Draco had possibly expected them to join him, but didn't mention it when Scorpius told him he wasn't coming home for Christmas.

Albus squeezed Scorpius' hand, almost too hard. "Why are we doing this again?" he whispered in his ear.

"Because it's bound to go better than last time?" Scorpius suggested. "I mean, it can't really be any worse, right?"

Both boys sighed, thinking back to the day last year when the entire Potter family had joined them and Draco for dinner at the Manor. The awkward silences had actually been a relief from the thinly disguised sniping between their fathers, the derogatory comments James kept shooting at his brother, and Lily and Ginny's failing attempts at making pleasant smalltalk. Albus had gotten through the entire meal without uttering a single sound while Scorpius hadn't managed to speak more than three consecutive words, let alone an entire sentence, without his voice cracking, screeching or just plain dying.

"I can't wait for Christmas dinner!" Lily announced, bouncing in her seat. "Mum, can we get Christmas crackers like the ones Mr Malfoy had last year? Those black top hats were so classy!"

"I don't know where he bought them," Ginny answered. "But we can ask him on Friday. He's coming for dinner."

Scorpius turned pale as a ghost, Albus froze and James huffed.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, and the car swerved back to the right side of the road. "We talked about this. You agreed we should invite him."

"I didn't really agree, I just knew I wouldn't be able to talk you out of it! And I never thought he'd accept!" Harry was still staring at her more than focussing on the road.

"I really hope he brings those crackers," Lily said cheerily.

Albus carefully glanced at Scorpius. "Are... Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah," Scorpius muttered. "It's fine. I mean, he's been great. I just don't want them to start fighting again."

"I'll send him an owl about the crackers," Ginny said.

"Yay!" Lily grinned.

…

Once they'd brought their luggage into the house, Albus immediately dragged Scorpius into his room. "Let's just hide here. We can steal food at night and there'll be no reason to show ourselves."

"But Albus," Scorpius protested as he paused in the middle of the room, looking around. "Your mum said tea was almost ready and it would be terribly rude not to eat with your family."

"But..." Albus sighed and flopped himself against Scorpius, resting his chin on a bony shoulder. Scorpius had just wrapped his arms around his boyfriend when the door opened behind him.

"Please don't be snogging," James said, covering his eyes. "Mum says come to the table."

"Ugh," Albus said, without even lifting his head. "Go away, James."

"We'll be right there," Scorpius squeaked, blushing and pulling away from Albus.

James groaned and left, leaving the door open.

A moment later, Lily stuck her head around the doorpost. "The food's very hot, so don't worry if you need a minute more!"

"We don't, I mean we're... we're not doing anything..." Scorpius looked as if he might spontaneously implode or shrink to Shrivelfig size.

"Give us a second!" Albus called, giggling a little at the sight of his boyfriend as Lily left again. "Welcome to life with two siblings."

"It's... interesting..."

"I think even Hogwarts has more privacy than this place. Ready for dinner?"

Scorpius nodded and took Albus' hand in his. "I guess so."

…

"So, James," Ginny said while passing the mash to Lily. "You never told me how the Herbology project went."

"Fine," James grumbled, pushing a bit of sausage around his plate.

"We have an intern for Transfiguration, you know," Lily said, enthusiastically filling her plate. "She's really funny."

"Mildly funny," Albus said.

"You just don't like her because she turned your quill into a fish," Lily pointed out. "I wish I'd been there. Your face must have been hilarious!"

"Do you like her?" Harry asked James.

"They don't let her teach seventh year," James huffed. "We need to be ready for our N.E.W.T.s."

"Fair enough," Harry said. "Seventh year can be tough."

James rolled his eyes and then muttered: "How would you know?" into his goblet.

"James!" Lily said sternly, but Harry held up a hand.

"Is there something you want to get off your chest, James?" he asked. "Or are you going to be this pleasant during the entire holidays?"

James groaned and stared sullenly into the air for about ten seconds before bursting out: "It's not fair!"

"What's not fair?" Ginny asked, frowning. "Don't you agree with Professor Longbottom's assessment?"

"Not that!" James snapped. "I got an E, which is fine because I really hate Herbology."

"Then what is it?" Harry asked.

James hesitated a moment, then pointed at his brother and Scorpius. "Them!" he snapped. "Why do they get to sleep together?"

Scorpius turned white as a sheet, except for two bright magenta spots on his cheeks, and let out a sound not unlike a Pygmy Puff being stepped on.

"We… We don't…" Albus sputtered.

"James!" Ginny sounded uncannily like her mother. "Apologise to your brother right now!"

James actually did seem a bit abashed. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, not meeting his mother's eyes. "Just… Minty always had to sleep in Lily's room. And Libbett too."

"That's different…" Ginny began, but James cut her off.

"How? They're together! You've seen how they can't stay more than two feet apart!" James glared at the two, who subtly shifted their chairs a little away from each other.

"But we always sleep in the same room," Albus said. "I mean, we share a dormitory. We don't have a lot of choice…"

"Yeah, you share a dormitory," James agreed. "With five other Slytherins. You're never actually alone in there, are you?"

"So?" Albus asked, his voice starting to grow louder.

"So why is that okay? Just because you're both boys?" James clenched his hands into fists.

"James kind of has a point," Harry said slowly.

"What?" Ginny glared at him and he actually recoiled a little.

"It's just… It's the same, isn't it? Whether he's got a boyfriend or a girlfriend."

Scorpius looked as if he might faint.

"Dad, don't be silly," Lily said. "Have you looked at them? What do you think is going to happen? They'll hold hands too hard?"

With a frightened yelp, Scorpius slipped off his chair and landed on the floor with a hard thud.

"Careful," Albus chided, getting to his feet to help him up. "Are you alright? Maybe we should sit somewhere else…"

"No, you're staying," Harry said immediately.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said to them. "We should have had this talk before you came. I just never thought…" She looked at her eldest son for a moment, then sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, Albus. Or you, Scorpius. But James does have a point, I guess. It's not fair to him that you two should be treated any differently than he and his girlfriends."

"Mum," Albus started, but then deflated.

"You'll be sleeping in James' room, Albus," Harry said. "More room for you, Scorpius." He smiled at the blond boy.

"What?" James jumped to his feet so quickly that his chair tipped over. "In… In my room?"

"Well… Yes." Harry seemed a little confused by the outburst. "What did you have in mind?"

"I… I…" James stamped his foot. "I don't know. But… I need my room. I've got… I've got homework!"

"Maybe Scorpius can sleep in my room instead," Lily offered cheerily.

"No!" Harry and Ginny said in unison.

"Why not?"

"Because you two would be gossipping and giggling half the night, keeping the rest of us up," Ginny answered, smiling. "It's settled. James, go help your brother move his things."

With a last sad look at Scorpius, Albus got up from the table and dragged himself out of the dining room after James.

…

When the time came to go to bed, Albus figured he'd just cling to Scorpius and never let go. They stood in the door to Albus' room, holding each other tight until Ginny cleared her throat, making Scorpius jump back.

"Bedtime, boys," she said apologetically. "You'll see each other again in the morning."

Albus sighed deeply, taking one of Scorpius' hands. "Goodbye, Scorpius. I'll miss you. A lot."

Scorpius giggled and whispered: "You're being very dramatic about this."

"When it's our cruel fate that people want to tear us away from each other," Albus said gravely, "a bit of drama is warranted." He winked quickly before he turned to his mother.

"You're just like your uncles," she said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Now go annoy your brother."

"Oh, I will…" Albus grinned at her before entering James' room.

James was sitting at his desk, reading a rather long roll of parchment with a frown. He didn't look up when Albus entered but let out a deep sigh and rolled up the scroll.

Albus stared at him. "You're not actually doing homework on the first night of the holidays, are you?"

James huffed. "And what if I am? It's none of your business, is it?" He stuffed the roll into his bag and stood up. "Keep all your stuff in your own corner. I don't want to be tripping over your books or stepping in your dirty clothes."

Albus rolled his eyes. "It's not like I want to be here. It's your own fault!"

"I know..." James groaned. "Don't rub it in. Just... Just lay down and shut up." He got to his feet and began pulling his jumper off.

"I have alllll night to rub it in," Albus pointed out, sitting down on his mattress. "After all, you had to go and rub it in that you can't accept Scorpius and me. Just because he's a Malfoy. And a Slytherin. And a boy!"

James tossed his jumper to the side and glared at him. "What?!"

"Isn't that exactly what happened?" Albus raised his eyebrows.

"What happened is exactly what I said," James sneered. "It's not fair that he should be treated differently than my girlfriends just because he's a boy. There isn't any difference, no matter what Mum says."

"So if you'd been clever," Albus said, "you'd have left us alone and used that argument when what's-her-name is coming to visit us. How hard must you hate us if you'd rather we can't be together than that you can?"

James groaned. "Merlin's garters, you're right. I'm such an idiot."

Albus snorted. "Did you really need me to tell you that? Good thing Lily's in Gryffindor too, because you sure as hell aren't going to help the 'dumb Gryffindor' stereotype out of this world."

"Oh, shut up!" James sat down on his bed. "Did you really think that about me? That I had a problem with you snogging a boy?"

Albus shrugged. "Some of your friends probably do... Mum would kill you if she heard you say it, but you might have started to believe it's the sign of a dark wizard or whatever they say."

James grinned. "So you do snog him? It's not all holding hands and longing looks?"

Albus blushed fiercely. "That's none of your business!"

"You do!" James laughed. "Oh, you should see yourself. You're almost as bad as Scorpius. But I guess that only makes sense. You really are made for each other."

"Shut up," Albus grumbled, looking away. Then he flopped down on the mattress and pulled the covers over himself to hide his face.

Twenty minutes later, he turned around for the 42nd time.

"For Merlin's sake!" James sat up and lit his wand. "Just go to him, you fool. But if you get caught, I know nothing about it. Be sure to return before Mum gets up."

Albus hesitated. "You won't tell on me?"

"Only if you get too loud!" James laughed at his expression. "You really are precious. I'm only kidding. Go hold hands or whatever."

Albus slipped from under the covers, but stopped before he reached the door. "... Thanks," he muttered, and left before James had the chance to say anything more.

…

"I don't know how any of the Slytherins get any sleep with the racket you're making," James said, stifling a yawn. "Does he always snore, Scorpius?"

Scorpius choked on his tea and sputtered: "No... Not always..."

Albus huffed and handed Scorpius a napkin. "I never snore."

"You do sometimes," Scorpius muttered. "It's very cute."

James and Lily both snorted and even Ginny couldn't hide a smile.

"Not as cute as you muttering nonsense about Glumby," Albus retorted. "You did that last... Last week!"

Scorpius turned an almost alarming crimson and dropped his toast into his tea.

He was spared Ginny's querying look by the arrival of Sally, tapping the window impatiently with her beak, almost before she had settled on the sill.

"I'll get her!" Albus jumped from the chair and almost skipped to the window. "Oh… It's for you, Mum." He handed Ginny the letter and petted the owl while he sat down again.

"It's from your dad, Scorpius," Ginny said as she unfolded the parchment and read. "He'll be happy to bring some of those crackers, Lily, and oh... He asks if he can bring a guest..."

"A guest?" Lily repeated. "Who?"

"A woman, apparently." Ginny frowned at the letter. "He's being a bit vague but I think..." She glanced at Scorpius. "I think she might be his... girlfriend?"

Having just managed to fish out the soggy toast, Scorpius whipped around to gape at Ginny so quickly that he managed to spray all three Potter children with drops of tea and jam. "His... His what?" he cried.

"Hasn't he mentioned her before?" Albus asked, giving Scorpius a worried look while dealing out more napkins.

"No... Never!" Scorpius carefully dabbed Sally's wing. "Sorry."

"Well," Ginny continued, "her name is Laura and I'll let him know she is very welcome. The more the merrier, right?"

"Oh?" James perked up. "Does that mean I can invite Fliss?"

"Why didn't you invite her already?" Albus asked, frowning.

"Because it was supposed to be a small family dinner," James snapped. "So Scorpius could get to know us all better. At least that's what I was told. But if we're letting strangers join, then I really don't see why Fliss can't come either."

"Isn't she in Scotland with her family?" Ginny asked, hesitantly. "I mean, if you think she can come down, then she's welcome of course, but..."

"Good!" James got to his feet at once. "I'll send her an express."

"Can Rose and Hugo come too, then?" Lily asked hopefully.

Ginny sighed. "Yeah, sure. And their parents, if they don't already have plans."

"Yes!" Lily beamed.

"Teddy and Victoire will arrive on Friday too," Harry announced, walking into the kitchen in a bathrobe and with his hair sticking to all sides. "I hope I mentioned that at some point…" He suppressed a yawn. "Geez, I can't remember the last time I slept in."

"Easter, probably," Lily provided helpfully. "Did you hear, Dad? Mr Malfoy is bringing his girlfriend to dinner!"

"Excuse me!" Scorpius jumped to his feet, knocking three plates to the floor, and bolted from the kitchen.

Albus frowned. "Scorpius?" With an apologetic glance at his parents, he followed him.

Scorpius made it to the foot of the stairs before slumping down on the bottom step and hiding his face in his hands.

"Hey." Albus sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "Are you okay?"

After taking a deep breath, Scorpius whispered: "Can we go back to Hogwarts? Spend Christmas in our dormitory?"

"We'd have to find a different way to get there than the train," Albus said, squeezing him a little.

"Brooms?" Scorpius suggested. "Or we could walk? I won't mind walking."

Albus giggled. "It's a long way. But just say the word and I'll be packing our bags."

"Really?" Scorpius looked up at him, his eyes round and hopeful.

Albus' smile softened. "Don't you want to meet your dad's girlfriend?"

"Eventually." Scorpius deflated. "But not here with your whole family around. And the Minister! I don't think she's forgiven me yet for when I stole the you-know-what…"

"She's probably not coming," Albus said. "Surely she'll have some meetings or something. And actually, I think we have been forgiven. I mean… Everyone's a lot nicer lately, right? Even James is… okay."

"Okay…" Scorpius sighed. "I guess it'll be okay. Your family is really nice. And Dad will probably behave if he's got his girlfriend with him. Right?"

Albus nodded. "And it looks awfully cold outside."

Scorpius glanced at the window. "No snow, though…" He giggled. "Do you still remember that spell?"

"Oh…" Albus' eyes twinkled. "Let's get to the dining room."

"Yeah!" Scorpius got up and pulled Albus along. "It's not as large as our parlour, but…" He stopped dead.

Ginny had appeared in the door to the kitchen looking so much like her mother that Albus hid behind Scorpius.

"Mum! We were just…"

"Helping Lily clear the table," Ginny finished for him and then swept past them.

"Okay," Albus said, before leaning in to Scorpius: "We can just do it afterwards."

"Afterwards you'll be cleaning the dining room," Ginny called over her shoulder. "And I can easily find more tasks for you if you start feeling idle."

Albus' eyes widened. "She must have gotten one of Uncle George's Extendable Ears implanted or something!"

"Scary…" Scorpius took his hand and hurried to the kitchen.

…

As it turned out, they were all busy throughout the next couple of days, cleaning, cooking and fetching extra chairs and tables. The entire Granger-Weasley family had accepted the invitation. And Fliss, who had asked if she could bring her cousin along. And on top of that, Hagrid had sent them an owl asking if it was okay he stopped by on his way to Botassart. And then Ginny ran into Neville Longbottom in Diagon Alley and when she learned that he was spending Christmas alone, renovating his gran's old house while his wife Hannah was travelling to see her family, she invited him too.

Then, in the early afternoon of Christmas Eve, Ginny almost had a heart attack when her entire family showed up, bringing with them enough food to feed the whole village, several boxes of joke products and a rather large cask of Firewhisky.

"Heard you were throwing a party, sis," Charlie said, kissing her cheek before pushing past her into the house. Behind him came George, Percy and Bill, each with their wife and children, and then Teddy and Victoire.

Ginny's parents entered last. Her father hugged her tight and asked: "Is she here yet? Have you seen her?"

"Seen who?" Ginny gasped, but her father had already hurried on inside.

"He won't shut up about her," Molly told her. "The Muggle!"

"Muggle?" Ginny frowned. "There aren't any Muggles here."

"But there will be, won't there? Please don't make me tell him she won't be here after all…" When Ginny still looked confounded, Molly whispered: "Draco Malfoy. He's bringing his girlfriend, isn't he?"

"Yes, he… How do you know about that?" Ginny frowned.

"You know your Dad still sneaks into the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects several times a week, right? To see if they're doing the job right? Well, everyone at the Ministry is talking about it. A Malfoy and a Muggle!"

"Wait… What? She's a Muggle? Draco's girlfriend?"

"Yes, she is," a voice said behind Molly.

Molly jumped surprisingly high for a woman her age. "Draco!" she gasped as she turned around. "I didn't hear you coming."

"I've been telling you to have your ears checked, Mum," Charlie commented while he picked up more joke boxes to carry inside. "Good afternoon, Draco." He held out his hand.

"Good day to you... Charlie." Draco shook his hand and then gestured to the tall, dark blonde woman who had been standing next to him, smiling nervously. "This is Laura Fletcher. I'm sorry if we're too early. I was hoping to spend some time with Scorpius. But if you have other guests now, we can come back later..."

"Oh, we can keep out of the way," Molly said quickly. "We invited ourselves, so we'll be quite busy helping out with the extra preparations while you spend some time with your son." She smiled and pulled Draco into a hug. "Welcome!"

Draco tensed a little but managed to return the embrace. "Thank you," he said. "I suppose you more than anybody know how much we can miss our children during the school year." He turned to Ginny. "Please... Where is he?"

"I think the boys are in the sitting room," she said, pointing. "Go right on through. Just ignore my brothers. They are being... Well, you know..."

…

"Just give it a yank," George advised his nephew, who was trying to hang a wriggling string of fairy lights around the window. "Show it who's boss."

Scorpius, who was holding the ladder, giggled. "Careful, Albus. I think it's ticklish."

"Good thing I know how to handle ticklish." Albus grinned and, after a small struggle, managed to get the lights in place.

"It looks good," Draco said as he entered the room, and quickly reached out to steady the ladder his son had almost knocked over as he whirled around.

"Da...dad!" Scorpius threw himself at his dad, hugging him fiercely.

Draco stroked Scorpius' hair, smiling. "Merry Christmas, son. It's good to see you."

"Hello, Mr Draco!" Albus said cheerfully, descending the ladder.

"Draco," George grumbled.

Draco gave them both a polite nod, then pushed Scorpius back gently.

"I would like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine," he said, blushing just a tiny bit. "Scorpius, this is Laura."

"Hello, Scorpius," Laura said, smiling and holding out her hand. "I've heard a lot about you. So nice to finally meet you."

"I... I haven't heard about you..." Scorpius cringed. "I mean... it's very nice to meet you too."

Laura frowned a little. "You haven't?"

"There you are!" Arthur boomed, running into the sitting room. "I'm Arthur! Such a pleasure!"

Laura took a step back from the living bolt of enthusiasm. "Erm..."

"Arthur Weasley!" He grabbed her hand and shook it eagerly. "Please... Tell me everything about smart phones!"

"Mr Weasley, please..." Draco intervened. "I promise you'll get a chance to question her later, but please let her meet my son properly first."

"Dad!" Ginny entered with a sigh and grabbed Arthur's arm. "Sorry, Draco, Laura."

She gestured for George to help and they dragged their protesting dad from the room.

Scorpius and Draco both shuffled their feet a little, studying the lights that were trying to worm their way over to the bookshelf.

"Draco?" Laura asked quietly. "Why didn't you tell Scorpius?"

Draco smiled sheepishly. "I know I should have, but... I wanted to do it in person, and last time he was home this was still so new and... I just never got round to it."

"You could have written me. It would have been okay," Scorpius said.

"Well... I'm sorry you had to find out so late, but here we are." Laura smiled warmly and took Draco's hand.

"Ha!" Albus let out as he finally caught the escaping lights. As everyone looked his way, he tried very hard to blend in with the wallpaper. "Sorry..."

Scorpius giggled. "This is Albus," he told Laura. "My boyfriend."

…

Ginny, with a little help from James and Percy, managed to keep the others out of the sitting room for almost an hour. Albus and Scorpius told Laura about Hogwarts and then Draco explained how they had met in a Muggle cafe in London where Draco had sought refuge from a passing parade of colourful, rowdy Muggles.

"I basically had to catch him when he stumbled into the café," Laura said with a giggle. "He'd almost landed on my laptop. It was so cute to see how he tried to act all dignified after that, I just had to buy him a coffee."

"Guys!" Lily burst into the room. "Hagrid's here! And he's brought a demiguise!"

Scorpius looked at his dad, who smiled and nodded. "Go ahead, we'll talk later. There's plenty of time."

As it turned out, they did not get to talk again that day. While everyone was busy trying to actually find Hagrid's newest pet, the Granger-Weasleys showed up, accompanied by their friends Luna and Rolf, who immediately joined in the merry hunt. Neville brought along some friends too and when the time for dinner came around, everyone but Ginny had lost track of how many people were gathered in the house.

Scorpius had been fetching extra plates from a box in the attic when he heard the doorbell ring. Figuring the Potters already had their hands full, he opened the door, ducking as one of George's self-delivering Christmas cards zoomed past him and into the night. The woman standing on the doorstep yelped and pulled the two teenagers next to her closer while the portly man just flinched a little and then held out his hand.

"Dudley Dursley," he introduced himself. "We just wanted to visit my cousin but... It seems we may have come at a bad time."

"Dursley?" Albus repeated from where he'd appeared behind Scorpius. "Dad! DAD!"

Harry came running from the kitchen. "What's wrong? Why are you making such a racket, Albus?"

Albus gestured at the door opening and Harry froze. "Du... Dudley?"

Dudley seemed a little flustered as he cleared his throat. "Harry," he said, sounding just a little bit like his father. "We were in the area and thought... well... We've never actually seen your place. But you have company already, so..."

"Er, yeah... It's already pretty full..." Harry scratched his head. "But I'm sure we'll find another couple of chairs. Give me a minute." He disappeared, leaving Albus and Scorpius awkwardly standing in front of the Dursley family.

"Er... Merry Christmas," Albus tried.

"Is he just going to let us stand here?" the tallest of the Muggle kids asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Oh no..." Albus nudged Scorpius with his elbow as two more figures appeared behind the Dursleys. "Are those... your grandparents?"

"Oh dear!" Lucius Malfoy sighed. "Muggles... Are you sure this is a good idea, Narcissa?"

"Hush, Lucius. " His wife strode past the Dursleys. "Scorpius, darling. It's been too long."

"Grandmother..." Scorpius gasped as she kissed his cheek. "How... Why...?"

"We came to the Manor, hoping to see you," she said, holding him by the shoulders to study him. "Nobody was home, so your grandfather cast a tracking spell and here we are."

Dudley frowned. "Tracking? So you can just stalk your grandson at will?"

Albus winced.

"No, my son," Lucius huffed. "After the war, my wife insisted I'd find a way to keep an eye on him. In case..."

"Let's not talk about that," Narcissa said, giving him a stern look. "The point is we're here now and I would like to spend some time with my grandson. If you'll excuse us." Taking hold of Scorpius' arm, she dragged him into the house.

For a long moment, everyone else was just standing awkwardly in the door, but then Ginny came out into the corridor.

"Good evening," she said, all smiles. "I see we'll need even more chairs? Dinner is being served as we speak, so you better come in, all of you."

"But Mum, Mrs Malfoy has just kidnapped…" Albus quickly corrected himself as he caught sight of Lucius' expression, "I mean, she's talking to Scorpius."

"Then you better go fetch them," Ginny said.

Albus nodded and squeezed between the two young Dursleys.

"Excuse me," he said as he squirmed his way past the throng of Weasleys who followed Ginny towards the dining room.

"Sorry!" he cried as Luna Lovegood walked into his side, chatting animatedly with Laura and Lily.

"Ouch!" he yelled as the demiguise landed on his head before launching itself towards the stairs.

"D'ya need to pass through?" Hagrid asked, looking a little worried.

"Yes," Albus panted.

Hagrid stopped and spread his arms, and suddenly it was very easy to reach the stairs.

"Scorpius! It's time for…" Albus stilled as he heard Narcissa's voice inside his room.

"At least he's a Slytherin. That's something…"

Albus knocked on the door so quietly that he wondered if they could hear it at all, but inside it went quiet for a moment, before Mrs Malfoy said: "Come in…"

"Er, sorry, Mrs Malfoy," Albus said. "Mum says dinner is ready and it's kind of crowded, so… You better come downstairs. Please."

Scorpius didn't look up, but Narcissa got up from her chair. "Thank you," she said. As she passed Albus in the door, she gave him an appraising look. "I suppose it could be worse."

When she was gone, Scorpius finally raised his head. His eyes were red but he was smiling. "If she thinks dating a Potter is bad, just wait till she finds out about Laura."

Albus sat next to him on the bed and pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay?"

Scorpius clung to him. "I'm okay," he said. "She just... She needs time to get used to it. All of it. They both do."

"Yeah…" Albus stroked his back. "Do you want to see them meet Laura? Or should we avoid them for a bit?"

"I'd rather not be there for that," Scorpius admitted. "They won't make a scene, not with so many people around them, but it's not going to be pleasant. Will your parents mind if we skip dinner?"

Albus shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't. Let's go with my old plan of stealing food in the night. It'll be exciting!"

...

They had been sitting in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company, when Scorpius gave a start. "Is that..."? He pointed out the window at a scroll of parchment fluttering by. "Is that your brother's essay?"

"Looks like it might be... What's it doing outside?" Albus blinked and then looked at Scorpius.

"The demiguise!" they said in unison.

They jumped up and rushed down the stairs and outside. "Daisy! Come here!" Albus called, holding out his arms to the animal like he'd seen Hagrid do.

Except for a flutter of parchment from the nearest tree, no reaction came.

"What should we do?" Albus whispered. "Should we go get Hagrid?"

The demiguise, which was visible now, tilted its head.

"Is that what you'd like, Daisy? Hagrid?"

The animal shivered all over and then, within the blink of an eye, had come down the tree, dropping the parchment and rushing inside.

Albus frowned. "Okay..."

Scorpius was still looking up. "Look," he said softly. "It's snowing. I guess she doesn't like snow."

"Snowing?" Albus held up a hand and did indeed catch a snowflake. "Oh... Of course. I thought, since we were out here, I might as well finally perform that spell." He grinned at Scorpius.

"Right!" Scorpius laughed and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. It is very lovely."

"You're welcome." Albus giggled and kissed Scorpius' cheek too. "A white Christmas, just for my boyfriend. Because I'm the best."

Scorpius pulled his wand from his pocket and flicked it at the open door. A moment later a large blanket wafted towards them. He wrapped it around them both, leaning his head on Albus' shoulder. "It's beautiful."

"Don't let Mum catch you doing magic during the holidays, though..." Careful to stay inside the blanket, Albus bent and picked up the parchment. "We better save this. James will owe us a favour if we return it..." As he glanced down at the scroll, a few words caught his eye. "Oh, whoa... This isn't an essay. Yikes!" He stretched out his arm and quickly looked the other way. "I did not need to know that my brother writes letters like that to his girlfriend! At least... I hope it's to her..."

Scorpius looked over his shoulder and snorted. "So I guess that means you won't be sending me letters like this?"

Albus looked at him sharply. "Would you want that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. Would you mean it?"

"I… Not… That…" Albus stammered, making the parchment flutter.

After a pause, Scorpius laughed. "I'm just teasing you, silly. I like the notes you write me just fine."

"Ugh." Albus turned to slap his arm lightly. "No need to scare me like that!"

"Sorry." They stood in silence for a while, just looking up at the snow, then Scorpius glanced at Albus. "What would you write?" he asked softly.

"Dear Scorpius," Albus replied, blushing a little. "I… I love the way snowflakes stick to your hair. And… I think I'd love kissing you in the snow."

"Oh…" Scorpius blushed too. "O… Okay…?"

Albus smiled and stepped closer to him, then landed a tiny kiss on Scorpius' lips. "Yep. I do."