Chapter Two: Dinner With the Potters

Two days later found Scorpius and Al having dinner in Godric's Hollow with Al's siblings and parents. At least weekly, the family reunited over dinner to catch up with the happenings in everyone's respective lives. Mercifully, Al's family got on very well with Scorpius, and Al honestly would have accepted nothing less. Over five years was, after all, quite enough time to get over the initial shock. Even Harry had gotten past the fact that his son was dating, living with, and raising a Kneazle with the son of his once-mortal enemy ("How would you like to be judged because of the people who raised you, Harry Potter?" Ginny had once asked him rather threateningly after Al had first started bringing Scorpius around for dinners and family events. Harry had quickly changed his tune after that).

Al's older brother James was reserve seeker for the Montrose Magpies Quidditch team, and was the perpetual eligible bachelor. Sometimes he would bring his flavour of the week, usually a pretty but frivolous girl, with him to dinner. She would always seem to be both terrified and thrilled to be having dinner with the Potters. Tonight, to everyone's satisfaction, however, he had not brought anyone.

Lily was working as junior editor of Witch Weekly magazine, and, much to the distress of James and Al, seemed to have a new gentleman caller (or two) every weekend. Considering the romantic lives of all three of her children, Ginny was beginning to worry that she might never be a grandmother.

Out of everyone in Al's family, Scorpius got on best with Lily. In fact, they were nearly inseparable. It was not uncommon for Al to come home after working late at St. Mungo's to find his sister and his boyfriend lounging in pyjamas, listening to Quidditch on the WWN, or tearing up the kitchen together while attempting to make them all dinner. As much as Al sometimes found the unannounced and highly regular presence of Lily in his flat annoying, he loved the relationship she had with Scorpius. Lily often referred to Scorpius as her brother, and she was always quick to defend the couple against anyone who might dare to stare or snicker at them while in her presence. She had even been known to make an example of family members whom she caught referring to Scorpius as "Malfoy".

All things considered, Al's family was incredibly supportive, and no one was more grateful for this than Scorpius. It was true that, at times when things were rather horrible for him with his own family, the comfort that was Al's welcoming family kept him sane. He knew though, that because of his parentage, he was eternally treading on thin ice. He therefore wanted nothing more than to please the Potters with the person he had become in spite of his condemning bloodline. This was why Scorpius was particularly nervous for Al to break the news to his family tonight that he would be going with him to Malfoy Manor on Christmas Eve.

"Oi, Lil, pass me a roll, would you?" James asked Lily, a note of laughter in his voice. The rolls were down the table, equally close to James as they were to Lily.

"Of course, dear brother," Lily replied in a sarcastically sweet voice. She then swiftly pointed her wand at the rolls, one of which soared up into the air and then pelted itself at James' head. Scorpius high-fived Lily under the table, as Al, Harry, and Ginny snickered heartily.

"Oh, sod off, the lot of you," James said, looking disgruntled

"So, dad, I'm going with Scorpius to a party at Malfoy Manor on Christmas Eve," Al randomly blurted out all in one breath.

Harry simultaneously spat out and inhaled the oak-matured mead he had been drinking, spraying it all over his wife's face. After she had wiped herself off, she muttered a spell, and Harry's coughing fit ceased. Scorpius wanted to Disapparate on the spot, but instead contented himself with stomping on Al's foot under the table.

"Ow! What the bloody hell..." Al started indignantly, but trailed off upon seeing the utter panic in Scorpius's grey eyes.

"Albus Severus, language!" Ginny shot across the table.

Al blushed at his mum's use of his full name.

"Merlin, sorry...didn't realize I was still twelve..." Al muttered to his dinner plate. Ginny glared at him, as if daring him to continue.

"Ahem, Malfoy Manor? Christmas? You know you're expected at grandmum and granddad's on Christmas, Albus," Harry interjected, clearly wishing to get back to the matter that had nearly choked him to death.

"I know, I know," Al began, "and we're planning to go to the Burrow before we go to Scorpius's parent's house -"

But his father cut him off.

"- And who, may I ask will be in attendance at this party?" Harry asked, directing the question at Scorpius, who was nearly cowering by now, looking a little bit like a puppy that had just wet on the carpet.

Al wanted nothing more than to squeeze him and kiss him on the cheek, but that wasn't really an option at the moment. Instead, he had to settle for placing a (hopefully reassuring) hand on his knee under the tablecloth. Scorpius found his courage somehow, however, and spoke up.

"Um, Well, Mr. Potter -"

"- Honestly, Scorpius, you can call me Harry," Al's father interrupted him with this request for probably the millionth time. This seemed to encourage Scorpius, if only slightly.

"Sorry. Right, uh, well...Harry, my mother and father will be there, naturally, and my grandmother. I expect some people from my father's department at the ministry will be there, as well. Lets see, Gregory Goyle and his son, Vince," Scorpius pulled a disgusted face at the thought, but continued, "Aunt Daphne, a few of Mother's old school friends, maybe..." Scorpius had run out of people to list off to Harry. The truth was that he really wasn't sure who would be at this party. He had always hated the Christmas party his parents threw every year, and consequently had spent most of them hiding out in his bedroom.

"Forgive me, but how many of these people have Dark Marks on their arms?" Harry asked calmly.

Immediately following this statement, you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Lily had clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going very wide. James's jaw dropped and he looked from Scorpius, to his father, and then back to Scorpius.

"Harry!" Ginny hissed furiously.

"Dad!" Al half shouted over his mother's hiss.

"Scorpius, I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you or your family, but I need to be informed on what kind of situation my son will be walking into...call it an occupational hazard," Harry said, referring to his career as Head Auror.

"Dad, for Merlin's sake, it's a Christmas Party, not the ex-Death Eater's reunion! How could you ask him something like that?" Al sounded simply furious, and Ginny and Lily were likewise staring daggers at their husband and father. James looked apprehensively interested, but Scorpius just looked ashamed. Al would have preferred it if Scorpius had looked as angry as he himself felt, as perhaps it would have made him want to stab his father with his fork a little less. Al opened his mouth again to continue his tirade, but Scorpius held up a hand to silence him.

"Only one, that I know of, but you would probably know better than I...and you can insult my family all you like," Scorpius replied, his eyes fixed on the wall above Harry's head.

"No, he can't! Being an Auror doesn't give him the right to be an insensitive -"

Al's dad cut him off before he got to hear just what he was, "Albus, enough. I have apologized for being rude, and you should all know that I just have the well being of my family at heart," Harry said, sounding sincere.

"If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Potter - er, Harry, - I would never let anything happen to Al. Ever." If his complexion would have allowed it, Scorpius would have blushed upon speaking these words, but he said them nonetheless.

"I appreciate that sentiment, Scorpius," Harry replied, "Now, will everyone stop looking at me like I'm something nastier than a Flobberworm? There are no hard feelings between Scorpius and I, am I right?" He asked Scorpius.

"Absolutely right," Scorpius replied, looking relieved.

Everyone else in the room seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief, as well, though Al and Ginny still looked slightly unconvinced. Al spoke first, however, and his voice was no longer laced with anger.

"It's a good thing I have your permission to go," he put emphasis on the word permission, implying that he shouldn't need it, "because Scorpius was threatening to smother his father with a pillow if he had to go alone."

"In that case, maybe I shouldn't let you attend," Harry replied, though his tone of voice made it clear that he was kidding.

"Harry!" Ginny said again, this time in a loud, exasperated voice, as she swatted her husband's arm. Scorpius just chuckled appreciatively at Harry's words, though.

"Joking, joking!" Harry said, a grin on his face. "Now, who wants dessert?"