Chapter Ten: Can We Keep Him?
"Malfoy?" Ginny asked, looking at the other boy with a curious expression. "You're friends with Draco Malfoy's son?"
Albus shrugged. "So?"
"It's no big deal." Ginny said quietly, before speaking a little louder. "Nice to meet you, Scorpius dear."
"Hello Scorpius," Harry greeted smiling at the boy, "I'm Harry Potter."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius said formally, remembering his manners.
"Hi!" Lily said with a grin, "I'm Lily!"
Scorpius smiled, "Al told me he had a little sister," he said, taking out a bag of candy, "So I bought you some treats from the trolley."
Lily smiled and threw her arms around her brother's friend, "I like him! Can we keep him?"
The boys laughed and awkwardly followed the Potter's out of the platform.
***HS***
For Scorpius' amusement, and just for some fun, Albus asked his father if they could go home the Muggle way, and with his wife's prompting, Harry agreed.
"I thought you lived at number twelve?" Scorpius questioned as the cab stopped next to number eleven. Albus just laughed and dragged the boy in-between number eleven and thirteen.
"We do," Harry replied, standing next to the boys with both of their trunks. "Aparecium."
"What- Oh wow!" Scorpius exclaimed with a grin on his face as a house appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen.
Albus grinned. "Come on! I'll show you to our room!"
"Okay," Scorpius said, getting his wand and pointing to both his and Albus' trunks, shrinking them to a more manageable size causing everyone else, except Albus, to look at him in surprise.
"Scorpius," Harry said, after a few moments, "You do know that you're not supposed to use magic out of school, right?"
"Oh right," Scorpius said, turning to James. "Are you not allowed to use magic, then?"
"Uhm, no," James said, surprised that the younger boy was talking to him. "Dad says we'll get kicked out of Hogwarts."
Scorpius nodded. "Bummer. The Ministry doesn't know unless there are no adult wizards here, though."
James' face lit up. "Really?"
"Don't even think about it James Sirius Potter!" Ginny said looking at her oldest biological son.
"James, don't you dare." Harry warned him. "Scorpius, we wont allow you to do magic unless you allow you to do so. I won't allow you to get hurt in my home because you were playing with your wand."
Scorpius opened his mouth to protest, but a stern look from Ginny made him close his mouth and nod. "Yes sir."
"We have a few rules to go over, so you can go get settled and we'll have a family meeting in ten minutes."
***HS***
"Al, what's a family meeting?" Scorpius asked on their way up to Albus' room.
"Seriously?" Albus asked, looking at his best friend in surprise. "It's where the whole family, plus you tonight 'cause you're here, gets together and talk about stuff."
"Oh," Scorpius said, thoughtfully, looking around Albus' room. "I like the colours."
Albus laughed looking at his scarlet and gold walls. "Yeah, wanna help with that?"
Scorpius shrugged. "I can't. You're mum and dad banned me, remember?"
"Ah, right." Albus nodded.
***HS***
"Ginny, he's eleven."
"He is an exact copy of his father at that age."
"Scorpius is nothing like his father. Malfoy would never dare be in Gryffindor." Harry replied smoothly.
"Still, I'm afraid of what kind of deals they could suck Albus into."
"I-I can go to my grandmothers," Scorpius twisted his hands. "I don't mean any trouble."
"That-Ginny said glaring at the young boy.
"Ginny! That would not be necessary." Harry shot a look at his wife. "Scorpius, you're not any trouble, Ginny is just letting prejudice affect her decisions."
Scorpius nodded. "I understand, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter. But I'm nothing like my father, grandfather, or even my sister. I believe nothing that normal purebloods believe and I am in no deals whatsoever that involve anything on the opposite side of the law."
"That's good to hear, Scorpius," Harry said with a smile. "Isn't it Ginny?"
"I-" Ginny sighed. "Can I talk to you in private, Harry?"
Harry paused before nodding. "Why don't you go find where Albus is, tell him to come to the living area."
Scorpius bobbed his head to show that he heard the thinly disguised order, and walked out of the room, his eyes slightly glazed over.
***HS***
Sniff. Sniff.
"Scor?" Albus said quietly, lightly knocking on the bathroom door, "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, Al," Scorpius said, sitting on the bathroom counter.
"Alohomora," Albus whispered, flicking his wand at the doorknob and slowly turning it, "Scor…"
"I'm fine," Scorpius said again, wiping the few tears off his face.
Albus shook his head and wrapped his arms around his best friend. "Mum's just mad because she's stupid."
Scorpius smiled a little. "Your reasoning is really helpful, Al."
Albus grinned. "I know. Come on, I bet I can race you to the living room."
***HS***
"I'm home!" a voice said from the fireplace in the study. "Mum? Dad? Al? James? Lily?"
"We're in the living area, Teddy," Ginny called, "Family meeting."
"Oh, okay," Teddy said, coming into the room and sitting in the love seat next to Lily. "What's up? Oh, hey baby Scor, what are you doing here?"
Scorpius glared at his cousin. "I am not a baby, Teddy."
"He's my friend," Albus supplied with a smile.
"Yeah," Scorpius said, grinning.
"Okay," Harry said interrupting the boys, "Since Scorpius is new to our family, we'll go over some basic rules. Rule one; No magic unless it's important, Teddy this does not include you as you're of age. I did not tell you of the fact that you can use magic when we are here for that reason, you don't have to use magic for everything. If you want to practice for school you ask me or your mother. Rule two; bedtime is no later than eleven, you can be in your rooms talking quietly until dawn for all I care, but you're in your rooms and in bed by eleven. Rule three; No being mean to Scorpius. He is part of the family this Christmas and we will welcome him. Rule four; your chores are as followed: each of you keep your rooms clean, Albus and Scorpius are on dish duty the first week and James and I the second, As Teddy and Lily do the dishes when you're not around, you can do them when you are. I also want homework done before the New Year's party. If you break any of the rules, especially the magic one, I will decide the proper punishment. Does anyone have any questions?"
"What counts as important towards magic?" James asked with a smile, excited that he could actually do magic outside of school.
"Life threatening situations, or if your brother or sister is hurt." Harry said with a hint of amusement. "Anything to add, Gin?"
"If I catch you doing magic-"
"Ginny! I already told them they are not allowed to do magic! Do you have anything to add that I haven't already said?" Harry asked. Ginny pressed her mouth shut and shook her head, but her eyes had a small bit of fury at Harry in them.
"I'm sorry," Scorpius apologized quietly.
"It isn't your fault, Scorpius."
"Okay."
***HS***
Later that night Albus and Scorpius were roaming the halls of Grimmauld Place, to Scorpius' request. He was taken with all the permanent sticking pictures the Blacks had on the walls, though to his disappointment none of them talked. They were almost done the tour of the place when they came upon a red curtain.
"What's behind here?" Scorpius asked, pulling the curtain open.
"No! Don-"
"Blood traitors! Filthy mudbloods! Half-breeds! Muggle-" The portrait of Walburga Black spieled. She stopped sprouting the horrible words as she noticed the blond boy standing in front of the picture. "You, boy! Are you related to Narcissa Malfoy?"
"She's my grandmother," Scorpius said with a smile, looking at the deceased Black woman.
"Oh well then," Walburga said, sizing Scorpius up, "I assume you're a pureblood, boy?"
"Yes," Scorpius said shaking his head, "but it doesn't matter to me."
"Mustn't," she corrected with a less menacing glare, "But you're here after all."
"You lost both of your sons to the Dark Lord and your own niece." Albus interrupted, "Haven't you learned anything?"
Walburga quieted down as Albus pulled the curtains back over her portrait.
***HS***
"Albus! Scorpius! Clean your room! Rose and Hugo are coming over to stay the night," Harry yelled up the stairway, Albus appeared in the hall with a frown.
"Why?"
"We're taking them shopping tomorrow," Harry stated simply.
"But we're getting our exam marks back tomorrow morning!" Albus exclaimed, hating that he was going to have to sit through his cousin's boasting.
"I thought you told me you got an O in your flying exam?" Harry asked with a tilt of his brow.
"I did," Albus said. "We got our flying marks back the last day of school. Something about doing up a list for next term, I don't know."
"Very well," Harry said. "I know you're not fond of Rose, Albus but she is coming over whether you like it or not."
Albus groaned and made his way to his room to clean for his unwanted visitors.
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