To say he was shocked was quite a huge understatement. He knew his son had a girlfriend at school, but he didn't think anything of it. After all, Scorpius was a Malfoy, and he was sure to have snagged a beautiful, rich, pureblood princess, much like Draco had.

But he would never, ever have expected a Weasley.

Well, yes, maybe he had been rather nervous that his son would fall in love with Granger's daughter—they were best friends, prone to arguing, and startlingly similar to the girl's parents themselves. But when he confessed his worries to Astoria, she had just laughed and told him that their son wasn't in love with Rose Weasley—he was one of her best friends, but they weren't in love, never had been and never would be. And she was, after all, Scorpius's mother, and she knew her little boy best, didn't she?

And so, his worries soon abated, and he thought Scorpius would stick to Slytherin, and not Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, where Rose and Lily resided. In fact, he had almost decided on a wife for Scorpius by himself—Melanie Hart came from an old, pureblood family, she was rich, she was beautiful, she was a Slytherin, and she was in Scorpius's year.

That dream fell apart before he'd even managed to tell Astoria, when Scorpius came home for Christmas, happily unloading stories on his parents as he bounded through the manor. Draco barely listened, though Astoria did, but he heard his son when Scorpius said, "Oh, and guess what? James Potter asked Melanie Hart out! It was great, I've never seen him so nervous, or so red!"

Well, there went Melanie Hart. But by the time Scorpius came home for summer vacation, blushing madly and asking if it was okay if his girlfriend came to their house next week, he had agreed without a thought, thinking it was probably a Slytherin, like every Malfoy, born or married. He'd thought she might be a blond, like his mother and father, with platinum locks like himself and his son. Or maybe she had hair like Astoria's—silky, black curls, and pale blue eyes.

She looked nothing like he had imagined. When she first stepped through the Floo, he spent a good minute just gaping. Because she had red hair, a bright, vivid shade of red, that could only belong to one family. She hadn't looked all that nervous either, though neither had Astoria upon meeting his parents. But to see her cinnamon eyes blink up at him calmly, and to watch his son quickly lace his fingers with hers, it completely numbed him.

He doesn't really remember Scorpius introducing her, except for a vague, "Father, this is my girlfriend—Roxanne Weasley." He doesn't remember Astoria side-stepping him to greet the girl, or the other three walking into the dining room to eat dinner. All he remembers is thinking over and over, "A Weasley? A Weasley? My son is dating a Weasley?"

Dinner was….awkward, to say the least. He was still in shock and Astoria was trying desperately to make up for his lack of attention. Roxanne, he learned quickly, was very talkative and hyper—of course, it was expected, she was a Weasley. He does remember the first words he uttered that dinner—"Which Weasley fathered you?"

Perhaps it wasn't the politest way to phrase the question, and Astoria had sent him a glare and Scorpius a Look (and it was really quite unnerving to get the Look from your own son), but Roxanne didn't seem to mind. She cheerfully told him that George and Angelina Weasley were her parents, and then about her brother Fred, and about the joke shop. He lost track of the conversation, his mind whirling.

George Weasley. He didn't particularly care about Angelina—she was just a regular Gryffindor. But he remembered George from his school years, with his prank-happy twin brother, the twin brother who had been murdered in the war. And he wondered if George knew about this, and of course, being Draco Malfoy, he had to ask.

She told him he did. He asked how the man had reacted. Her answer surprised him—"He laughed for five straight minutes and then turned to Uncle Ron and told him to hand over three galleons. Apparently, they had been betting on us for years now."

Betting? Those Weasleys bet on his son's love life? They won money because his son had asked one of their spawn out? Astoria was laughing, partly at the information and partly at his expression. Scorpius just grinned sheepishly.

And he couldn't help noticing that his son had never let go of Roxanne's hand.

Author's Notes: All right, see that purple-ish button down there? Yes, that one—go click it. Pretty please with sugar on top?

Next chapter is Astoria. Let me know if I'm just wasting my time or not (not that I'm going to stop, or anything. I'd just like your opinion).