Big, huge, monumental thanks to Penitent Rebel for beta-ing. No, it was more than that. She gave me so many ideas, this chapter is dedicated to her. Especially the chicken. :)

Chapter 7:

Flashback, June 2015:

"Dad? What does this mean?" Ten-year-old James Potter was holding a small card in his hand confusedly.

"What is it, James?" Harry asked from his armchair, holding out his hand for the item.

James brought Harry a chocolate frog card that had Harry's picture on it.

It read: "Harry James Potter, 1980-present. Potter rose to fame as a toddler for being the first known wizard to have survived the killing curse, earning himself the nickname of "The Boy Who Lived." Potter is particularly renowned for defeating the darkest wizard of all time, You-Know-Who, in 1998 and for slaying the Hogwarts Basilisk in 1993. Currently the head of the Auror Department, Potter enjoys wizard's chess and supports the Chudley Cannons."

Harry took a moment to collect his thoughts. He and Ginny had decided long ago that their children did not need to know the dirty details of the war with Voldemort. They knew that when the children were older, questions were bound to arise. But they did everything they could to keep them out of the spotlight for as long as possible. Whenever they went out as a family, they wrote off all of the staring and autographs to Harry's days as seeker at Hogwarts. And they told the kids chocolate frogs were not allowed, as Ginny was allergic. Those damn chocolate frog cards. He knew they would be the downfall.

"Where did you get this, James? I thought I told you chocolate frogs were off-limits."

"I didn't eat one. I got it from Lizzie Finnegan, down the street. She said she already had one."

"Come here, son."

James wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not, but his father did not look angry.

"Its a long story, James. But I think you're old enough to know some of it. Do you remember that I told you my parents died when I was just a baby?"

James nodded his head, but didn't say anything.

"Well, they were actually killed by a dark wizard named Voldemort. And when he tried to kill me as well, the curse backfired and he was banished for a time, while I survived. Nobody had ever heard of anyone surviving the killing curse. So I became famous for a technicality. So its really not that big of a deal."

"But the card says you defeated the darkest wizard of all time. Are they talking about the war that Uncle Fred and Teddy's parents were killed in?"

Harry nodded. "I wasn't the only one to beat the dark wizards that were attacking during the war. We were all on the victorious side. The card is an exaggeration. You don't need to worry about it. But I don't want you to show your brother and sister. They are too little to understand. Alright?"

James nodded. "Can I keep it?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, you can keep it. But hide it safe."

"Okay, Dad," James said happily. Then he ran off, hid his card in a safe place, and promptly forgot anything about dark wizards or wars.

Hogwarts, October 2017

James and Scorpius did a pretty good job of pretending not to get along the day after their first detention. They didn't sit next to each other at any of their meals. Nor did they acknowledge each other's presence when Rose, Scorpius and Albus went to watch James practice for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It was his first year on the team, and he was getting better and better at spotting the snitch earlier in each practice match.

After Quidditch practice, Scorpius forced himself to work on his homework because he knew he wouldn't have much time after his mandatory detention with the headmistress. Detention for the next six days was going to be brutal, but at least he wasn't fighting with James anymore. When he got to Professor McGonagall's office, James was already there helping her sort through the first years' enrollment documents. She set them both straight to work on the same task and warned them to get along. Then she moved to another part of her office and left them to their own devices.

"Hey," James said.

"Hey," Scorpius responded. "You looked pretty good on the pitch today."

James was slightly taken aback by the compliment. He still was not accustomed to being on friendly terms with Scorpius Malfoy. "Er...thanks. Do you play at all?"

"I've played at home, but it was just for fun. My dad taught me the particulars when I was really little, but he never really had time to play with me the last few years. He wanted me to go for it this year, but I was too nervous. I think I'll have a bit more luck with it next year."

"First years don't usually make the team. But its good to keep your hand in it if you want to try out next year. I wouldn't mind practicing with you one of these weekends. If we don't have a match, that is."

Scorpius smiled. "Yeah, that'd be brilliant. Its been so long since I played. I got to go to a pro match last summer. My dad couldn't stop talking about his Quidditch glory days at Hogwarts."

"Oh? And what position was he?" James asked, showing interest.

"He was seeker, just like you. And your dad."

Now James looked confused. "Wait, how did you know about my dad being seeker?"

"Oh. Well, my dad mentioned it before. They played for different houses, but they were here at Hogwarts at the same time, didn't he tell you? But then, everyone at this school probably knows at least that about the famous Harry Potter."

"What are you talking about? Are you talking about my dad being an Auror? Because I thought you didn't know about that until yesterday."

Scorpius laughed. He thought James was joking until he saw the look on his face. "Wait, you don't know?"

"Know what?" James said, clearly annoyed.

"Your dad isn't just famous because he's a talented Auror. Its mainly because of his victory in the war. I have a chocolate frog card that told me all about it."

"Oh, the chocolate frog card. Yeah, I remember. I asked my dad about that. He said it was an exaggeration. He's famous because he survived the killing curse, or something."

Scorpius just stared at him.

"Are you serious? Is that all he told you?"

"No. I mean, he said something about the war, but not anything special like most people think. He was one of the good guys."

Scorpius laughed. "James, he was THE good guy. I think you need to ask him for the rest of the story. He is probably the most famous wizard of all time. Don't people treat you differently because you're his son?"

James was sure Scorpius had gone mental. In a way, he guessed he was right about being treated differently. From his first day at Hogwarts, people had stared at him as if he had bogeys coming out of his nose. He asked his new friends what was wrong, and they told him they thought what his dad had done was incredible. He just chalked it up to them knowing he had survived the killing curse. So he decided to let it go, and it had never really come up in many conversations again. He was sure that Scorpius had just read too much into the chocolate frog card. After all, his dad had never mentioned to him anything about being a famous war hero, he just said he was part of the winning side. It couldn't be true if Harry hadn't even told his own children.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Let's just get back to work before we get into more trouble."

"Umm...alright."

Both boys were confused by their exchange, but Scorpius didn't want to rock the boat further by pushing the subject. The rest of the evening went by relatively well and they even found themselves laughing about some of the silly names of their fellow students as they continued to organize records.

Scorpius took his seat next to Rose the following evening at dinner. It had been a very nice Saturday, without classes or essays or detentions...yet. Today was the third detention, and this time it would again be with Professor Longbottom.

"So what do you think Neville will have you doing tonight?" Rose asked.

Scorpius and James scowled together, even with James a bit further down the table.

"Did you really have to bring that up, Rosie?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, it does serve you two right. Maybe you could try to let this time bring you closer together. It could be a great start. You could even be friends."

James and Scorpius shared a glance then both boys burst out laughing.

"Haha! Friends! That's a good one, Rose. Pretty soon you'll be outperforming Peeves." James continued chuckling, but Albus looked at him as if he knew something was up. But before he could figure it out, Scorpius chimed in.

"Yeah, I'd rather be friends with a snake than with James Potter."

"You probably speak the same language, at least."

Scorpious tried not to smile at the fake jest. "Hey, I'm not the one who's the son of a parselmouth."

And then everyone else stopped smiling as well. Rose was looking at her friend as if he had said something particularly offensive. Albus looked confused. And James looked almost livid.

"What did I say?" He asked innocently.

"Scorpius...who is the son of a parselmouth?"

He looked at them all as if they should have known.

"James, of course. And Albus as well. Everyone knows Harry Potter is a parselmouth."

James stood up. He was sincerely angry now. He didn't need to pretend his disdain for the Malfoy across from him.

"Take it back," James said, a distinct edge to his quiet voice.

"I...I didn't mean any offense. It was just such a big part of the war, I didn't think about him not telling his own kids about it."

"I said...take it back, Malfoy."

"What? Its not as if I called him evil or something."

"That's exactly what you did. Yesterday you swore he was some sort of war hero. And now you're accusing him of speaking to snakes? Only dark wizards can speak in Parseltongue. Who told you my dad could speak it?"

"My father did. He said he heard it with his own ears when they were in school."

"Its a lie! Take it back, or I swear...suspension will be the least of your worries."

Now Scorpius took his turn to stand. "Are you calling my dad a liar?"

"If the shoe fits."

Scorpius thought briefly about punching James the way he had been hit a few days earlier. But he grabbed his pumpkin juice and threw it in James' face instead. There was a collective gasp all around the Gryffindor table, and all the other houses quieted down and turned toward the confrontation. James stood with his eyes closed, spluttering the unwanted liquid out of his mouth.

"You arsehole. Now you're dead." James jumped across the table, arms outstretched to clutch around Scorpius' throat. As he sailed over the glasses and dishes set on the table, food and drinks scattered everywhere. Scorpius anticipated James' move all too well, and brought his knee up to meet his opponent's stomach. A moment later, there was a crowd of students surrounding the fight, cheering them on. Albus stood up, surveying his ruined wizard's robes. He had gotten the brunt of the flying food and knew he would have to spend most of his allowance to replace the clothing. He grabbed a full bowl of mashed potatoes, then whistled as loud as he could. Everyone looked at him, even the fighting boys.

"You ruddy tossers destroyed my clothes! Let's see how you like this!" He strode up to where his brother and Scorpius were rumbling on the floor, tipped the bowl and covered them in the fluffy vegetables.

Scorpius and James were momentarily in shock, then they remembered that they were supposed to be fighting and continued punching each other, trying to get the upper hand. Then someone in the crowd yelled, "FOOD FIGHT!" And before anyone could say 'butterbeer,' every Hogwarts student was grabbing as much of the food as they could and hurling it across the room. Professors were shouting to no avail. The house ghosts were taking the posts of referees. And Rose was trying to talk some sense into the fighting boys, all the while attempting to dodge the flying feast. Professor Pritchard stood up to rectify the situation. He removed his wand, but as if in slow motion, a fully roasted chicken soared through the air and made contact with his head. He slipped on some rice pudding and was incapacitated for the next ten minutes. Professor McGonagall watched the fray with tight lips for another minute. Then she stood almost regally, help up her wand and shouted, "CIBUS DESCENDO!"

At once, all of the food came tumbling to the ground. All of the students looked up at their headmistress, wondering in apprehension what she would do next. She clapped her hands twice in quick succession and a tiny house elf made her way quickly to McGonagall's side, trying not to stop to clean the mess she saw before her.

"Yes, Mistress? What can Twila do for you?"

"Twila, you may start planning for breakfast for tomorrow morning. I don't want to see a single house elf cleaning this mess. Is that understood?" Twila looked dejected, but she curtsied.

"Twila serves her mistress without question." Then she quickly made her way back to the kitchens.

"Each and every one of you will be cleaning this mess without complaint and without wands. If I so much as see a tear or hear any cleaning spells, you all will serve detention. ACCIO MOPS! ACCIO BUCKETS!" What seemed like a sea of cleaning supplies made its way to stand at attention in front of the headmistress.

"All of you come and collect your mops and get to work! And you are to return to your rooms immediately following the cleaning. No galavanting about the halls."

Each student quietly made their way to retrieve a mop and a bucket. When the cleaning was underway, Minerva McGonagall stalked resolutely to the two instigators. For a ninety-one year old woman, she sure could move fast.

"James Potter! Scorpius Malfoy! You will go to my office now, young men! Albus Potter, you go as well!"

They didn't argue, they just went, trailing potatoes and pumpkin juice the entire way.

Professor McGonagall was an expert at making troublesome students squirm. She directed her speech first at James and Scorpius.

"I am absolutely appalled at you two! Another fight? And in less than a week? Normally your actions would leave me no choice but to expel you from this school."

They were both looking down at their feet, and gasped in unison when she mentioned the word 'expel.'

"But before I make any lasting decisions, I will be calling your parents in to discuss the situation. Nothing but the most dire circumstances could bring me to take such action. And nothing but the most repentant behavior could make me change my mind. And as for you, Albus. I am very disappointed in you. You instigated a school-wide food fight. I thought you were more responsible than that. Thirty points from Gryffindor. Each. You will be lucky if the rest of your house forgives you for losing the house cup at the rate you're going. Now go sit in the hall while I summon your parents."

They shuffled out, and listened intently for the arrival of visitors through the floo in McGonagall's office. They said not a word to each other for fear of starting another fight.

It didn't take long. Only a few moments had passed before the boys recognized the voices of their fathers.

"Now, I don't think I need to remind either one of you about the seriousness of fighting within Hogwarts. And your three miscreants out there in the hallway are trying to set some sort of record. You will have to firmly convince me that your sons deserve to stay at Hogwarts School."

Harry and Draco both looked angry. But Harry was reserving that feeling only for his disobedient sons. Draco was trying to find a way to pin the whole thing on the headmistress herself.

"I understand, Professor McGonagall, and I apologize for my sons' actions," Harry began. "Believe me, I had no idea James would make such a stupid decision again. He is usually very intelligent and level-headed. And Albus rarely acts out. If you allow me to take them home for another suspension, I would assure you that this will NOT happen again."

The professor nodded her head, contemplating his words. "Mr. Malfoy, is there anything you would like to add?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. How could you allow something like this to happen? You are in charge at this school, are you not?" He looked haughtily back at his previous transfiguration professor.

"Yes, Draco, I am. But we do not force our rules on any of the students. They have a right to choose their actions for themselves. They cannot escape the consequences, however."

"I am merely suggesting, Professor, that you take a firmer hand with my son. Sometimes he needs...object lessons, if you will."

"Mr. Malfoy, in this case, the firm hand that I may choose to deal out is that of expulsion. Is that something you wish for young Scorpius?"

"They don't need expulsion, Minerva. They need guidance." Draco said, exasperated. "I agree with Potter. If you allow the boys to be sent home once more, I can assure you, at least mine will not act out again."

Harry cleared his throat. "There is no need to be harsh, Draco. What the boys did is very serious, but I would hate to think that they are being punished in the same way they got into trouble in the first place."

"Oh, come off it Potter. Here you go again with your hero complex. I thought you would have grown out of it since our school days, but it seems that you still think you need to save everyone. You may feel that you need to spare your sons the proper punishment, but I know better with Scorpius."

"I won't spare my sons the proper punishment. I just think our views on proper differ distinctly. As they always have."

"Don't tell me you're bringing up the past, Potter. This is bad enough without dredging up ancient history."

"I am merely suggesting that we have always had different views on propriety and decorum."

Draco laughed derisively. "This coming from a half-blood? Remember who you are speaking to."

Professor McGonagall broke in. "Draco, that was quite uncalled for. Now, if we could get back to the children..."

"You illustrate my point completely, Draco," Harry interrupted. "You always placed too much stock in "class" and "blood," but you never showed any true class yourself."

"You mean like the way you cursed me sixth year, nearly causing my death?"

Harry could feel his temper rising. That year held many painful memories for Harry. One of the low points had been when he had used the sectumsempra curse on Draco, without knowing the effects of the spell. He barely even remembered shouting the curse. But he did remember all the blood. Draco was covered in it. Harry and Draco were both very lucky that Snape had come in when he did to help reverse the spells' effects. He still felt horribly guilty for allowing himself to use magic so recklessly.

"That was an accident and you know it!"

"Always have an excuse, don't you Potter. Well that accident left scars that are much bigger than your stupid little lighting bolt."

"Its not like your record is clean, Malfoy. Does your Dark Mark still pain you, or have you gotten sufficiently over it?"

Draco looked at Harry as if his eyes would release fire at him.

"That was a long time ago. I hate myself for the things I did at that time in my life, as you are well aware. It makes me sick that I joined up with him. And even worse that I nearly killed Dumbledore," he ended in a quiet voice. There was a moment of silence among them now, in remembrance of the twinkle-eyed old man. Draco continued solemnly.

"No one feels the shame for what happened all those years ago more than I. I cannot believe you would stoop low enough to remind me of that time."

For once, Harry agreed with Draco. He felt bad for mentioning it. He was allowing Draco to get the better of him. He felt like he was a teenager again, facing an archenemy. But he knew that wasn't really true anymore. Harry knew that deep down, Draco was not an evil person. He had been raised with some very skewed notions and was quite possibly raising his son the same way. But they were adults now. They didn't need to try getting under each other's skin any more.

"You're right. I apologize. It was...difficult for all of us."

Minerva stood watching the two of them.

"Are you boys quite done now? I think we should probably move on to the topic of the children waiting in the hall. The way you to carry on, it is as if you are students yourselves. Need I remind you that it has been twenty years since that time? Now I understand that tension is high, but do not for a moment believe that I will not place the two of you in detention as well. Understand?"

They looked at her, slightly ashamed. Then Draco began to smirk. Harry was surprised only for a second before he started chuckling. Before long, the three of them were laughing nervously.

"I thought I was done being scolded by professors," said Harry, still smiling.

"We always did know how to bring out the worst in each other." Draco responded. Harry nodded in recognition.

The headmistress took a deep breath. "Now back to the task at hand..."

Draco and Harry both collected their thoughts and attempted a resolution to their sons' dilemma.

Meanwhile, Scorpius, James and Albus had tried to hear what was going on in the office.

"What do you think he'll do to us, James?" Albus didn't know what his brother would say, but he hoped it would be better than what he had already been imagining.

"I'm not sure, Al."

Scorpius spoke up. "My dad will definitely kill me. This will be the last time anyone ever sees me. Tell everyone I died a brave death."

Neither one of the Potter boys could even offer up a smirk at Scorpius' joke. They just kept listening at the wall. They had all paled considerably when they heard distinct shouting, but looked at each other in confusion when they thought they recognized laughter. After about twenty minutes of intense waiting, they were invited back into the headmistress' office.

They each looked sheepishly at their respective fathers' stern forms and stood next to them, waiting for someone to speak first. Professor McGonagall took the reins.

"You all should be very grateful to your fathers for arguing on your behalf. I have decided to be lenient and allow you to serve another suspension. Only this time, it will be for one full week. And you will have two weeks of detentions upon your return to Hogwarts. I hope that this extended sentence will be enough of a tool to teach you the seriousness of your actions. Trust me, you do not want to test my resolve a third time. It will most definitely be your last. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Ma'am," they replied. And for the second time within a week, Harry and Draco each escorted their errant youths back home to meet their fate.

End of Chapter

Hope y'all enjoyed it...let me know your thoughts!