Author's Note: Well, I was so excited about this story that I had to post another chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one and please read and review. It makes me feel happy :). I also posted the next chapter on my other story, Harry Potter and the New War. Have a great day!
Ch. 2
Draco Malfoy sat on the 2nd floor deck of his cottage in Hogsmeade. He had a beautiful view of the mountains and Hogwarts in the distance and the beginning of Hogsmeade below. He smiled to himself. There was a light breeze coming from the mountains. It blew fresh air across his face. He had been the potions master at Hogwarts for 8 years now. He loved his job and wouldn't do anything else. He still saw his friends once in awhile, but they had all moved abroad after their seventh year. A smart idea considering they were part of Death Eater families. Draco could have followed in their footsteps, but knew that wasn't for him. He had settled down with Pansy as soon as they got out of school. She was pregnant before they even graduated. She gave birth to their beautiful baby boy Scorpius shortly after they left school. They tried to make it work, but found that although they loved each other, they were not in love with each other. They divorced amicably and worked things out so that Scorpius spent an equal amount of time with both of them. He seemed to do okay with this arrangement, but things were changing this year and he would be spending more time with Draco.
Scorpius was still too young to enter into Hogwarts, but over the years they had introduced a new group of classes that began teaching the younger ones starting at the age of 5. These students would only spend a couple of days a week at the school and would be picked up each night at safe points just outside of the school. It worked really well. It was easier for the kids to control their magic when they were at home and helped to fine tune them before they actually entered into Hogwarts full time. Draco thought the classes were a great idea and the kids and parents alike really enjoyed them. There were only two teachers that taught the classes since they had begun at such small class sizes. This year it would change though. The 9 and 10 year olds were grouped together, 7-8 together, and 5-6 together. Before they had been all together, but since class sizes were getting larger it changed. He had been asked to take on a class with the oldest group to help the teachers out and Draco was more than happy to oblige.
Scorpius was excited, but apprehensive since his dad would now be teaching his group.
"Hey dad, what are you doing up here?" Scorpius asked taking a seat next to Draco on the porch swing. Draco sighed and pulled his son close to him. There weren't going to be many more moments like these with him so he found himself taking advantage of them a lot more.
"Well, I was just enjoying the nice breeze and thinking about how this next year is going to go. What are you doing?" Draco replied.
"Well, Grandma Narcissa floo called just a bit ago to see how things were going and she wanted me to have you call her," He said. Draco sighed and shook his head. Narcissa had been calling him more frequently trying to set him up on dates with her friend's daughters. It drove him crazy. He had tried dating many times since him and Pansy had divorced, but nothing ever stuck. He didn't feel a spark with any witch he dated. It barely made it past the first date especially when they figured out that he'd been married before and had a son to boot. The witches that his mother set him up with were all career driven and children and settling down were not in their plans at the time. It was pointless. Draco was destined to be alone or so he thought.
"Ah, well we both know what she truly wanted," Draco said nudging Scorpius in the arm. Scorpius giggled and snuggled closer to his dad.
"Well, she means well you know," Scorpius added. Draco turned to look at him.
"Since when are we so insightful?" Draco asked his son.
"Well, it's something mom says to me whenever I mention it," Scorpius replied quietly. Draco laughed inwardly.
"So you talk to your mom about my dating issues then?" He asked. Scorpius shrugged.
They sat in silence for awhile just looking out at the scenery. An owl was flying towards them from Hogwarts.
"It looks like your school list is heading this way," Draco mentioned motioning towards the castle. Scorpius looked up and his eyes lit up in excitement. He jumped off the porch swing and ran to the railing watching the owl come closer. It landed on the railing and stuck out one leg to Scorpius who removed the letter. The owl then flew to Draco and held out its other leg for him to take the letter intended for him. Draco gave it a quick scratch and Scorpius gave it an owl treat before it took off again back to the castle.
Scorpius ripped open his letter and scanned it quickly. He handed off to his dad and ran inside.
"Can we go to Diagon Alley now dad?!" Scorpius called from somewhere inside. Draco looked over his list and noticed that there was a bit more books this year than last.
"Um, Scorpius probably not today. It's getting late and the stores will be closing soon. How about first thing tomorrow morning?" Draco offered. He heard Scorpius stomp in frustration. Draco only chuckled. He was like this every year that he got a new list for school. It reminded him of himself at that age.
"I guess that's okay dad, but first thing," He said with a hint of disappointment.
"We'll have breakfast at the new café down there right after we get your supplies, how does that sound?" Draco asked. He heard Scorpius jump and whoop in excitement.
"Awesome dad!" He called.
Draco smiled and turned back to his own letter. He opened it. It gave him his schedule for this coming year. He had the 9-10 group a couple of times throughout the day for various classes. A class roster was attached. He scanned the twenty or so names. Wow he thought this is the biggest group yet. He read each name slowly. He saw many surnames from his own school years. He saw Scorpius's name and that made him smile. He came across a Kristoff Weasley and looked up for a moment. He hadn't seen that name in a long time. This one must be one of the older Weasley's sons. He didn't think that Ron would have a child of this age and he knew that Fred and George were extremely busy and he had never seen any kids that resembled them nor any women to signify that one or both had settled down to even start a family. He glanced back at the list and saw a name that struck a chord. Teddy Lupin. He knew who his parents were and his name stirred something else in his mind, another name. Harry Potter. Draco hadn't thought about him in years. I wonder what happened with him. Draco thought. He knew he was head of the Auror department, but that's as far as it went. They had barely seen a glimpse of each other since their seventh year. He glanced back at the letter and noticed at the very bottom that they were having a parent night in two days. Draco groaned and set the letter down. He hung his head in his hands and took some deep breaths.
"I wonder how fun this will be," He said out loud to no one, but himself. He stood and looked out across the area and up to the school. This parent night was not going to be fun. He glanced at his timepiece and noticed it was time for a late dinner. He was surprised Scorpius hadn't come and complained. He took one more look at the castle and began heading back into his house.
All of sudden there was a loud explosion. It shook the balcony that Draco stood on violently. He lost his balance and sunk to his knees.
"DAD!" Scorpius screamed from inside. Draco heard the balcony give an awful groan and begin to crack. Shit, Draco thought. He stood up quickly and scurried inside. There was another loud explosion this one seemingly closer.
"DAD! DAD!" Scorpius screamed louder running into Draco's room. He launched himself into Draco's arms. He scooped Scorpius up quickly and dashed out into the hallway. The balcony gave a lurch and collapsed to the ground.
Scorpius was shaking and staring out the door at where the balcony once was, at where his father had just been.
"It's okay son. I need to go out and check the damage. Stay right here in the hallway and don't move. I will be right back, okay?" Draco said. His son nodded and he kissed him quickly on the forehead and ran down the stairs and out the front door. The balcony was in a heap just to the right of the front door. Draco reached for his wand and muttered Reparo and the balcony fixed itself and was righted once more. His neighbors were outside and people had come out from the shops. They were all looking towards the mountain side where smoke was billowing amongst the trees.
"Mr. Malfoy, do you know of any blasting that may be going on around here?" One of his elderly neighbors asked.
"No, the area that the smoke is coming from is a protected area. There should be no one doing anything out there that would cause an explosion. There are wards up that protect it. I need to get back inside and contact the Ministry. Stay safe," Draco replied as he hurried back inside. He shut the door and called for Scorpius. He came running down the steps in record time and was at Draco's hip rather quickly. Draco gave him a reassuring smile and they walked into his office. Draco walked over to the fireplace and tossed in some floo powder.
"The Ministry of Magic, law enforcement division," He called out. After a moment a head appeared amongst the flames.
"Hello, sir and what can I do for you this evening?" The bodiless woman asked.
"Hi, I need to get in touch with someone in the law enforcement division about a disturbance near my home," Draco replied.
"Can you describe this disturbance Mister, uh?" The woman asked waiting for him to give his name.
"Uh, Draco Malfoy. Anyway, about five minutes ago there were two loud explosions near by in a forest that is protected. I am not aware of any planned demolition or building in this area and again where the sounds came from is a protected area. It is rather close to Hogwarts," Draco supplied.
"Aright Mister Malfoy. Was there any damage to your home or anywhere around you? Where exactly are you located?" The woman asked.
"Yes the balcony that I had just been on crumbled barely after I got back inside my home and several of my neighbors and the shops here had damage. I am located just at the end of Hogsmeade."
"Okay, thank you Mister Malfoy. The head of this department is out for the day at a family gathering, but I will get the message to him as soon as possible and someone will be out to investigate shortly. Thank you for your information and stick close to home." With that the woman's head disappeared at Draco sat back on his heels.
"Dad, what do you think happened?" Scorpius asked quietly. He looked at Draco fearfully.
"I'm not sure son, but why don't we have some dinner and wait to see what happens when the Aurors get here," He replied leading Scorpius into the kitchen.
XXXX
Harry sat back and stared at everyone's happy faces. He sighed and stood up. He walked over to Ron and Luna and put on a happy face.
"Congratulations guys! I'm so happy for you both!" Harry said trying to sound as sincere as possible. They smiled at him and gave him supportive smiles. His friends knew him to well. Harry turned to Ginny and pulled her into a hug.
"Congratulations," he whispered into her ear. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and pulled back giving him the same look as the others. He stepped away so that others could step in and give their congratulations. He sat back down next to Teddy.
"Well, kid, are you ready for a new year to start?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I'm really excited. This year they are splitting us all up into age groups. They've got a lot more kids than they did last year," Teddy replied.
"Wow, that's pretty cool. Do you know anyone who's going to be in your group?"
"Yeah some of the kids I've made friends with from before and I know that Kristoff will be in there too so that should be fun." Harry nodded. He looked around and saw an owl zooming towards him. It was one of the express owls. It zoomed straight for Harry. He ducked as it flew over his head and then did an abrupt turn and slowed down enough to sit on Harry's knee. He reached out and took the letter from his beak. He was about to hand the owl a treat when it took off back to where it came from. Harry opened the letter and recognized the handwriting of his secretary:
Mr. Potter,
There has been a disturbance reported outside of Hogsmeade. Two explosions were reported to me at 8:15 by a Mister Draco Malfoy. There is reported damage in the area and the citizens are concerned. Your immediate response is needed.
Thank you,
NEWS
Harry felt his stomach do a flop and not because of the problem near Hogsmeade. He hadn't seen Draco Malfoy, but at a mere glimpse, in the 10 years since they graduated. He wondered what he had been up to.
He scanned the letter again and stood up. He quickly walked over to Ron.
"Ron, there's been a disturbance outside of Hogsmeade that needs our attention. I know its Serena's birthday and I can get some others to come with me, but I'd really like you and some of the rest of us there to look into this," Harry said. Ron nodded. Luna nodded at him.
"I will stay here with Serena. Be safe sweetheart, I love you," Luna said kissing Ron lightly on the lips. Ginny glanced at Neville and he nodded for her to go as well. She hugged him quickly and whispered something in his ear to make him blush. She hurried off to find Fred, George, and Seamus as well.
"Serena!" Ron called. His little girl ran over to him and he picked her up and tossed her into the air. She giggled loudly and nuzzled into Ron's neck.
"Sweetie, I've got to go with Uncle Harry and take care of some work stuff. When I get home we'll open up the rest of your presents, okay?" He asked. She nodded and smiled.
"Don't make me wait too long daddy. Love you," Serena said smiling and wrapping her little arms tightly around his neck.
"Love you too and I won't," He whispered back. He set her down and she ran off to play some more.
Ginny returned with her brothers and Seamus. They quickly said good bye to everyone and ran off to apparate to Hogsmeade.