A/N: I have finally updated. I am so sorry it took so long but i am a pro at finding distractions and this whole commitment thing is new to so forgive me. I'm new to this and I'm trying my hardest. I spent a good week writing this and i still don't like it much but i figured i had to give you something. I promise to make the next chapter better.
Disclaimer: Do i look like a literary genius obsessed with morbid endings and death, no i don't, i do comedy and romance.
Chapter 3: This is How it Goes Down
On a day such as this, it is highly unusual to find boys inside. Let alone in the library. It wasn't that the day was particularly bright or sunny, but it was nice and seeing as how it was a weekend the odds of adolescence giving it up to study was highly unusual.
They weren't in there solely for the books though, that was a simply rouse to satisfy Madame Pince while they plotted.
"You guys are at it again, aren't you?" This statement was made by a curly haired redhead covered by a barrage of freckles throughout her face. Her name was Rose Weasley.
Three pairs of eyes shot up from the large, dusty, old book they were pretending to be engrossed in and looked at her with the air of innocence that only eleven year old boys could pull off. Rose may have been convinced, if one of them hadn't been her cousin.
"What're you talking about Rosie?" Albus said with that small practiced smile that made one think of a child that can do no wrong. It had become a deadly weapon once Al had finally perfected it, because now everyone was convinced he could do no wrong, which was not the case. Again, Rose may have been convinced if he hadn't been her cousin.
"Don't try that with me Albus, I know you. You don't read."
Scorpius snorted, Lucas smirked and Albus looked affronted, "I do to!"
Rose rolled her eyes. Albus may look like the quiet, bookish type but that couldn't be further from the truth. He barely ever got passed the first sentence in a book without falling to sleep or going off into space. His argument was always that books weren't stimulating enough so she decided to drop it because a circular discussion never got you anywhere, especially with Albus.
"Don't you guys think you've caused enough trouble for the week, better yet the term?"
She was referring to the mayhem that plagued the school ever since the boys became friends. They were always getting up to something and even though everyone knew it was them, they rarely ever got caught. It was driving the teachers mad.
"You know Rose," Albus said, "just, because I'm in a library doesn't mean that I'm being a menace to society. It usually indicates a level of scholarly dedication."
"Yes, of course," she said dryly, "a dedication to disruption. You know aunty Ginny isn't going to be happy with you when you get back."
"Merlin, Weasley," Scorpius' annoyed voice cut in, "you must lighten up, or better yet, leave. We aren't looking for a bloody voice of reason. Just pretend you have a life would you?"
"Oh shut-up Malfoy," snapped Rose, "you guys are the ones in need of a life if all you do is prank other people."
"How we choose to display our creativity isn't any of you business now, is it?" Scorpius sneered.
Rose scoffed incredulously. "Creativity, is that what they're calling a lack of maturity?"
"Maturity?" Scorpius exclaimed. "We're eleven!"
Rose about to reply before Albus quickly intervened. Whenever the blonde and redhead started there was no stopping them.
"Look Rose," Albus said in a strained attempt to get her attention away from Scorpius, " it doesn't really matter. Whenever Fred and James pull a stunt back home it's not that big a deal and if they can do it to family then the rest of school can be considered fair game."
Rose just blinked at his line of reasoning. He couldn't actually believe that could he?
"The man has a point Weasley." Scorpius was giving her that infuriating smirk of his, the one he gave her whenever he thought he outsmarted her. Well then, that answered her question.
"That, is a load of rubbish, and you know it."
The two just stared at her with a look that clearly said, well yeah, but we're going with it so who cares.
She gave up, and in an act of desperation she turned to Lucas. The Italian had been ignoring them in favour of a piece of parchment, probably holding whatever it was they were plotting.
"Why on earth do you go along with these two," she asked, "you, actually seem sensible." She chose to ignore the offended looks on the other two. Rose realized a while ago that when dealing with the quietest member of the triad flattery got you no-where. It was all in the insults.
Lucas looked up and gave her one of his half-interested looks before smirking, "it's fun."
She gaped at him.
"You three are hopeless."
Albus gave her his innocent little smile and she was starting to understand why the sorting hat put him in the snake pit. He was a tricky little bugger.
"Look Rose, it's not that big of a deal you know. But if it makes you feel any better it's our last prank for the term."
"But it's the end of term," she argued, "we leave the day after tomorrow!"
"Well that's the point Weaslette," Scorpius said, getting bored with conversation, "we can't very well let people leave for Christmas without a farewell present. Think of the masses."
"Not that for a second you actually care." She shot back.
He smirked, "True."
She huffed but conceded that she was fighting a loosing battle. You couldn't argue with people who had no sense of actual logic. "Fine, I hope you all get coal in your stocking."
When all she got was two confused looks and a roll of the eyes, she grabbed her books and left the library.
"Finally," Scorpius was already pulling the piece of parchment out of Lucas' hand, "Merlin, I thought she'd never leave. How in Salazar's name can you stand being related to those people!"
Albus shrugged his shoulders. "Practice."
0o0
The Hogwarts Express had barely to came to a standstill at the station when the passenger doors were forcibly thrown open and students flew out of the still moving train like old Voldy himself was after them. Many parents watched in horror as they saw their children trampling over one another to get out the train, some going so far as to jump out windows in their hurry to evacuate.
It was only after parents initial shock ended that they noticed that something was wrong with their children besides the fact that they were acting like a bunch of crazed Hippogriffs. This was because many of the now evacuated students were sporting neon-coloured patterns in their hair and matching skin tones.
The students, looking at themselves in horror and mild fascination and screams were heard throughout the station before becoming overrun with laughter. The panic quickly started up again when they realized they couldn't undo the spell.
The culprits of course were no secret. For only three persons could be responsible for setting dungbombs off throughout the train and then charming everyone's hair and skin to change colour without anyone noticing.
0o0
Ginny Potter had tried, and when you consider everything she had going against her you really had to give her credit for even doing that much because trying, it seemed, was an exercise in futility.
When she had her first son she thought that would be it. When he was living up to his namesake by age four and had nearly burnt down the kitchen because he had wanted something to eat but mommy couldn't come right now so being the impertinent little brat he is decided to do it himself and she had barely caught him before the bottle of oil had fallen onto the burner because he was taken up with the half crushed cookie on the floor.
After that, she really thought that the fates couldn't be so sick and twisted as give her another one.
But oh no. No, no, no, no, no, it seemed they also had a sense of humor because they gave her two. The difference was that the second son was so deceptively quiet that only through the subtle manipulation innocent looks, quivering pouts and craftily worded guilt trips did the truth appear.
Oh yes, James Potter was destructive, but Albus Potter, he was dangerous.
Frankly, she blamed her husband. It had, after all, come from his side of the family.
Harry himself wasn't fairing any better. One would think that after being obsessed over by a crazed megalomaniac, being orphaned practically at birth, living in a cupboard and then having the most traumatizing (and admittedly freaking cool, though he only shared this sentiment with Ron. Never Hermione) seven years of his life, that someone would cut him a break.
Instead, he got this.
"Albus, why are Rose and your brother covered in polka dots?"
The boy in question looked up innocently at his parents looking for the world a sweet little eleven year old who had nothing on his mind but seeing them again. Oh yes, he was that good.
"I don't know," he considered thoughtfully, "I always thought James would look better in stripes personally."
"I guess," added Lily, "but only if they were horizontal. Vertical stripes would make him look even rounder in the middle." She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help letting a giggle escape.
"At least the colour brings out his eyes." Hugo added cheekily.
James was starting to look even more horrendous as he started to go red in his already neon yellow coloured face causing him to look a pukish orange colour, the polka dots making him look like a diseased thestral. Almost immediatey Lily, Al and Hugo were gasping in laughter as James strained through his father's cluthches to attack his siblings.
"This isn't funny you guys!" Rose yelled, "why can't I change back?"
Hermione was having trouble getting the two back to normal and Rose's Weasley temper was acting up. It was quite a sight with all the freckles showing up among the polka dots on her purple face. Albus took one look at her and dissolved into laughter all over again.
By now even all the adults were having a hard time fighting laughter, well, except Ron.
"That isn't funny Albus," Ron said in his most imposing manner, "change them back."
The red head was a supporter of good fun, but never if its offered by a Slytherin, family or not. Especially when it came to his baby girl, he just had to make sure he didn't look at her or anyone else in the station for that matter. It was a bloody good trick, not that he'd ever admit it.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "oh, relax Ron."
"But look at them!" he shouted.
"You have to admit," Hermione said, sounding quite impressed, "it's some pretty impressive spell work for a first year."
"Leave it to you Hermione to look at this from a bloody academic perspective," Ron exclaimed impatiently, "in case you missed it, they're the colour of the ruddy rainbow!"
"First off Ronald." The bush haired Gryffindor glared at her husband, "language. Second, ordinary first years usually aren't capable of charming a spell to last so long. I mean, you and Harry were terrible."
Both men made indignant noises, Harry's was a bit strained with trying to hold down his son though and Ron whined, "Hermioneeeee."
"Shut up Ron," Ginny snapped impatiently at her brother, "she has a point." At this point Harry decided that he probably should let James maul his brother and sister. Honestly, there was no appreciation for what he went through as a child. He had bigger issues than perfecting menial spells, at least he got the job done in the end.
Ginny of course, unaware of her husbands internal gripping, paid him no mind.
"How did you do that Al?"
The boy in question opened his mouth to answer, when his more than irate cousin jumped in for him.
"That's what you and Malfoy were doing in the library wasn't it!" The frazzled technicoloured girl was pointing an accusatory finger at the bespectacled boy looking ready to do James will for him.
"Hey, it was Lucas' idea," Albus defended, looking more than a little scared of his cousin.
"Malfoy!" Ron bellowed.
There was collective groan from all of the adults. Since they had gotten the letter from Albus talking about his new found friendship with Malfoy's kid, Ginny and Harry had made it a well kept secret from Ron, they did tell Hermione however. The fire haired Gryffindor just couldn't let some things go, and the ferret was still a particular sore spot for him.
Trying to hold off the coming tide a little longer seeing as Ron had yet to recover from shock, Harry tried to change the subject.
"What in Merlin's name were you doing in a library Al?" If there was one thing Harry new about his son it was that he got bored easily. In his son's own words ' books were not only weren't stimulating but they lacked imagination', Harry didn't try to follow his son's logic.
"Well -," Albus was about to answer when he was once again interrupted by his crazed multi-coloured cousin.
"Whenever they want to make more elaborate disasters than usual," Rose ranted, more than a little upset that more attention was being paid to the fact of why she looked like this instead of getting her back to normal, "Zabini drags them in there to do 'research'." She made air quotations as she said the word.
Ron had just recovered from his first shock when Rose made this statement. "Zabini!"
Everyone ignored him.
This time Hermione jumped in for the save, "How long is the spell going to last Al?"
"Well-," he started before cutting himself off and looking pointedly at his cousin, seeing if she was going to interrupt again. She stuck out her tongue. " normally, it would only last about three hours if its not interfered with, but since we charmed it, we're probably looking at a week. Plus we made it so you couldn't cancel the spell." Albus was looking very pleased with himself and was sporting a triumphant grin.
Not everyone shared his feelings.
"A WEEK!" James and Rose roared, Albus timidly shrinked away. James finally managed to escape his father's (surreptitiously weakened) grasp and pounced on his brother and the two fell to the floor, a tumble of limbs. Lily and Hugo followed soon after laughing uncontrollably.
Poor Rose looked on the verge of tears.
Ron finally came to again and spluttered, "what the hell was Albus doing with a Malfoy and Zabini!"
"Oh do shut up Ronald," Hermione muttered wearily. Her husband had a way of being a bit dimwitted when he didn't like something.
"But when did this happen!" Ron demanded, refusing to be ignored, he hadn't realized it the first two times.
'Get off me you big oaf!
'I. Am. Going to Kill. You!'
"For quite a while now Ron," Ginny answered, "get over it."
'stop being such a drama queen'
'I'm YELLOW!"
"Their Slytherin Ginny!" he said as if it made a difference that he was pointing out the obvious, "You don't actually approve of this Harry?" Ron demanded.
Harry sighed, "It doesn't really matter Ron. If they're friends, they're friends, this kind of thing was bound to happen anyway." Nobody up there wanted to give him a break. One day, Harry swore, he was going to break and he'd get his revenge when the fates had no one to screw around and laugh at.
'would you stop it you – nutter- your gonna break my glasses!'
'I'm gonna break more than that you turd!'
"I can't believe this. It was bad enough he was dumped in Slytherin, but now your gonna let them corrupt him!" Harry raised a questioning eyebrow, everyone had more or less figured Albus would end up in the snake house. Ron had to concede to that point, Albus was more likely to teach those slimy gits a thing or two. Didn't mean he hadn't hoped for Albus' talent being used against Slytherins instead of for them.
"Ow! Mom, he broke my glasses!"
"your lucky that's all you got away with you git."
"Alright you two," said Ginny going into mom mode and separating the two. "That's enough. Your making a scene," it was true, a little crowed was starting to form around the clan. "James apologize to Al."
"Why?" James demanded, "he started it."
"Did not"
Did to"
"Did not"
"Did t-"
"Stop!" They stopped instantly. They knew better than to challenge their mother when she looked like that.
"Good," Ginny said threateningly, "now apologize."
The boys glared at each other spitefully before muttering half-felt sorry's.
Albus turned to his a cousin, "Sorry Rosie," he said with a saccharine smile. She rolled her eyes.
"I don't forgive you," she said with a small smile on her face.
"Alrighty then," Hermione clapped, collecting her dejected looking husband, "lets get home shall we."
0o0
"I take it when I specifically asked you not to have anything to do with the Potters or the Weasleys, you became conveniently deaf," Draco Malfoy was glaring balefully at his son.
"You know how it is dad," Scorpius smirked, "in one ear, out the other, all that jazz."
Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously at his son, and lacking self-preservation, Scorpius stared right back at him.
"Oh behave you two," Astoria Malfoy cut in, "honestly, you should be more concerned with what he did to his classmates Draco," then looking to her son, " I thought we told you to behave?"
"Mom," Scorpius stated, "you couldn't honestly expect me just to just do nothing. What did you expect, that I would spend all my time studying. I'm not Lucas."
Scorpius really loved his mom, he did, but sometimes she was a bit unrealistic with expectations.
"He's got a point Tori," Draco said to his wife, " I would be worried if he didn't try to destroy something while he was away. Plus you have to admit that was some pretty cool charm work there." He gave his son an impressed nod.
"The only real problem," Draco continued, "was his choice of friends." Scorpius groaned and Astoria raised a sardonic eyebrow at her husband.
"So he can use a bunch of children as his art project, as long as he doesn't socialize with the children of your childhood enemies?" Sometimes, she wondered what she ever saw in this man.
"There's more to it than that," Draco denied testily.
"I don't see what the big deal is dad," Scorpius couldn't help but add, "he's pretty cool you know. Has some wicked ideas, Albus actually came up with the whole plan.
Draco's eye twitched, "That's wonderful."
"Plus, I mean, it's all your fault anyway." The boy smiled innocently.
Draco returned to glaring at his son and Astoria rolled her eyes, ignoring the two to enjoy the colourful mirage of hysteric students.
"How exactly was it my fault," father and son were staring challengingly at one another.
"You said I shouldn't so…" Scorpius taunted. He loved to wind up his father.
Draco smirked. Two could play that game.
"Well, you know how you told me not to report to your grandmother about you….."
Scorpius visably paled, which was quite interesting seeing as how he was so pale already. Draco mentally congratulated himself.
"You didn't," the poor boys voice barely rose above a whisper.
"You said I shouldn't so….." There was a wicked smile on his face.
"We had a deal!" The miniature blonde yelled.
"Well, then you shouldn't have gone fraternizing with the enemy." His father sneered.
Astoria rolled her eyes, and moved so people wouldn't associate her with the two.
"The only enemy is your misguided youth you paranoid old man," Scorpius yelled incredulously.
That had it a nerve, what with his early balding Draco was a bit touchy with anything regarding his age.
"The next time you decide to test my well –being by being some rebellious adolescent you'll think of the old man with the receding hair line that controls your fate you impertinent child," okay, maybe more than a bit touchy.
Scorpius just glared at his dad and pouted hoping to gain his mother's sympathy. Astoria didn't even mind him.
"Do you two feel better," she asked slightly exasperated. She supposed she should be used to their strange bonding ritual but she never understood how they were able to connect by insulting each other. At first she had written it off as a boy thing, but then she realized. Her boys were special.
"I'm not bailing you out at next the garden party," Scorpius muttered darkly.
Draco laughed and patted his son's head, "Of course you are you runt, other wise I won't bail you out of the vacation she has planned just for the two of you." Scopius' eyes widened, "yep, somewhere in Whales," he added tauntingly.
It was a well-known fact that Narcissa Molfoy was a woman you took in small doses. It was still a mystery as to what possessed Lucius Malfoy to marry her.
And as much as Draco loved his parents, he could only stand being around them for so long. The parties were a regular thing that his parents, rather his mother, threw and it was Scorpius' job to find new and elaborate ways to bail them out. In exchange, Draco protected is son from his mother's overly grandmotherly affections.
"I'm gone for a good three months and this is how you greet me," looking at his dad with something akin to hurt in his eyes, "lovely lot you are. Really."
Draco just rolled his eyes and picked up Scorpius' trunk, " yeah, so I probably shouldn't have gotten you that new broom should I."
Both parents smiled at the starry look in their son's eyes before grabbing his hand and apparating home.
A/N: I hope you aren't too disappointed. This kind of went through a bit of a family dynamic cause all the parents are going to be a part of this fic as well. Don't dis me to hard please. The next chapter is happening in second year so stick with me and Review please!