Chapter Ten

Harry had smartly brought Albus along when he talked to Ginny about the boy staying with the Malfoys, and nobody could forbid that seeing how happy the child was. It also meant he didn't have to hear his wife's complaints until after the kids were asleep, and by then it was already too late, she'd authorized. But breaking the news that not only Scorpius but also Draco would be joining them in their visit to Charlie was a completely different thing.

He found the redhead woman alone at home when he returned from the Malfoy Manor, remembering Ron had invited the kids to enjoy their Saturday out - and having convinced Fred to join them, James couldn't wait to come along. It was probably for the best to take advantage of that and talk to Ginny; he was positive she'd need as much time as she could get to deal with that, and he didn't want her to put up a scandal.

She was sitting in her office, and he got her attention by knocking on the open door. "So? Was he alright?" She asked, turning around. Had they been taking their son anywhere else, she would've made a point of being there, but she point blank refused to set foot in any Malfoy property.

"He was very happy and very excited." He smiled at her, but she just turned back to her newest article, refusing to discuss the matter. Harry sighed, sitting in an armchair to her left. "Did Jordan's mom send you her authorization?"

"Yes, and I've handed it to Hermione already. She's working on turning it into a valid muggle document. I don't know why you'd want to make it so complicated." She replied without looking at him, searching for a paper in the mess of her desk and finding it moments later.

"The kids will enjoy it. James was particularly excited about flying without a broom." He explained for the umpteenth time, and saw Ginny shake her head reprovingly. "Is Rose taking any friends?" He asked, knowing the answer.

"She's still too young for that."

"Albus is."

"Even though you didn't bother telling me, he couldn't stop talking about it." Her voice sounded hostile, and she stopped writing, but still refused to turn around. "I don't like how close he is to that Malfoy boy, and I most certainly don't like you encouraging it."

"Scorpius is a good boy, Gin." He rubbed his temples, trying to push away the headache he could feel already emerging. "Albus will enjoy himself more with him there."

"Did you tell Malfoy when the boy has to be here?"

"Yes, they'll be here about half an hour before we're scheduled to leave for the airport."

"Malfoy doesn't have to come. The boy is old enough to Floo on his own."

"Ginny... Malfoy's coming too."

"I'm sorry, I think I didn't understand what you just said." Her anger was more than evident on her voice, and it was clear how hard she was trying to control herself as she finally looked into the emerald-green eyes.

"I know you don't like it. But it was the condition for Scorpius to come."

"Then you should've left the boy!" She said, her voice growing louder.

"Think of Albus, Gin, and how much it means to him."

"I-" She honestly didn't know how to react to that. There were too many things going through her head, and she was more confused than clarified by it. "Get out, Harry." She asked in a low voice.

"Gin, I know-"

"Please, Harry. I have a lot to think about. Just leave me alone for a while, okay?"

Harry sighed. "Okay. When you're ready to talk, I'll probably be in the study." He saw her hiding her face in her hands as he left, closing the door behind himself.

After a couple of hours reading, his stomach began roaring and he decided to go ask Ginny what she'd like for lunch, but she was nowhere to be found. She was probably off flying to clear her head - it had always been one of her favorite ways of doing so -, or perhaps had gone to talk to some friend. Either way, he wasn't willing to cook just for himself, and instead went to a small pub around the corner.

Later that day, Ron called him to say the kids would be staying at the Burrow that night - which was pretty common during holidays, especially because Molly, like any grandmother, loved spoiling her grandchildren (which had gotten countless complains from all her children). Ginny only returned home well after the sun had gone down, and Harry had fallen asleep by the fireplace waiting for her.

"Harry." She called from the door, startling him.

"Gin! You're back!" He smiled, standing up.

"I talked to Charlie. He knew Malfoy is coming." She said coldly, dodging from Harry's kiss.

"Yeah, well, I thought he ought to." He replied surprised.

"Why weren't I the first informed? Merlin, why weren't I consulted about it?"

"Because I knew you'd freak out." He mumbled. "It's not important, Gin. And it's no big deal."

"I- Of course it is a big deal!"

"Charlie didn't care."

"Well, he's not the one who'll have to stand that weasel, is he?"

"What, now we're back to school name-calling, are we?" He asked annoyed. Hadn't they long outgrown that?

"I..." She shook her head, massaging her temples and pacing a little. She suddenly stopped and turned to Harry. "Wasn't the boy grounded for running away on Christmas? A whole year, wasn't it?"

"I talked to Malfoy. I suppose six months were enough of a punishment for him." He shrugged lightly, sitting back down.

"What kind of grounding is that?" She sat across from him and he attempted a weak smile, but she looked away. "Not to mention it makes no difference while he's at school. He couldn't go anywhere anyway, and first years can't have their own brooms." She added quietly.

"I guess his idea of being grounded is not being able to do what you want when you want it, not losing privileges. He's always been really spoiled."

"It makes no sense. And what is the poor boy going to learn from that? That being punished depends on his father's whims?"

"Now he's a poor boy?" He raised an eyebrow, glad they weren't practically yelling at each other anymore.

"You know what I mean. And that's all the more reason for me not to want him around our son."

He rolled his eyes. "And we're back to that."

"I'm sorry if I ever gave you the wrong impression, Harry, but Albus also happens to be my son, and I actually care about him. But ever since he's gone to Hogwarts, you've been acting like you're his single father, ignoring my opinions and going over my decisions at will. As far as I remember, you weren't Malfoy's fan, but since that boy became friends with Albus, you're always the first to stand up for them. Did something happen between you that you never told me, or has he put a spell on you or something? Because you're not the same Harry you were when we got together." Ginny sighed, somewhat relieved to put all that out, even if it made her feel guilty, as if she wasn't trying hard enough to make their relationship work. But the truth was, they had been differing for a long time now, and the sudden proximity between the old school enemies had just put it even more in evidence. As reluctant as she was to admit it, they'd been drifting apart, and she could hardly recognize him, let alone understand, anymore.

"I never doubted you love Albus, or that you just want what's best for him. But, no offense, you're a Weasley, and your family tends to react first and think later. So I feel obligated to be the one who'll behave reasonably, for all our sakes, Gin. And if you weren't so caught up in that... Childish, and yes, it is childish, resentment against him, you would be able to see it clearly. But instead, you just think of what the Malfoys were, what they told people they were and did, and though I can't vouch for Malfoy's parents, I've been talking to him, and he's changed. And you can see that reflected on Scorpius. If the Malfoys were still what you think they are, Scorpius would be just like his dad was, and they would've instilled in him a great hostility towards us, don't you think?"

"I don't know, Harry. What I do know is the damage that family caused to all of us. I know they were on the dark side, and only deserted Voldemort to save their own skins, not to lose their fortune. And that they never really did anything good, and that's not the kind of influence I want Albus to have."

"I know what they did, Gin. And I also know that Malfoy was never all that he bragged to be. He certainly wasn't evil, blood-thirsty or sadistic. I think he was just under a lot of pressure, and bad pressure. After all, he couldn't kill Dumbledore, could he? Not even to save his dad from Voldemort's ire."

"Just because he cowered from-"

"Don't say that." He sounded a little harsher than they both expected, and he took a deep breath to calm back down. "You don't know what it's like to have to kill somebody, Ginny, so don't judge him on that account."

"And you do, do you, Harry?" She frowned, looking away from him.

"I killed Voldemort, didn't I?" He asked quietly.

"Voldemort wasn't a person, he was a monster. He doesn't count."

Harry sighed. "Can we please not talk about that? It's over, and we should focus on the present, okay?"

"Well, the present is, your son's best friend has a grandfather who killed who knows how many people, who damn near killed me, and a father who joined him in exterminating from the planet all those who didn't agree with them."

"No, Ginny, the present is, Albus has found someone special who he's grown very attached to, who cares about him, who is his friend. And you're letting old misconceptions about other people damage your relationship with your son, with me, and create unnecessary tension in this house."

"Misconceptions, Harry?" She looked back at him, her eyebrow raised. "Are you telling me that when I saw him fighting beside Voldemort, that was just my eyes pulling tricks on me? Or that when a damn diary almost sucked my life out of me, that I was mistaken, and it was all, what, a dream? Or that-"

"What I'm telling you is that people can change, and they do, and you have to give them a chance before passing judgment!" He was slightly altered, his voice coming out a little louder than he would've liked it to.

"Fine. Then tell me, how has Malfoy changed? How can you know it's not just an act? Since you're telling me what he did at school was an act, so he must be a pretty good actor."

"I... It's going to sound stupid, but I just know that, Gin. Besides, you saw him on Christmas, he was completely desperate, worried about Scorpius, and not angry at him. And he accepted my help, he came to our house and accepted our hospitality, and not once he made a bad comment about any of us, did he? You say he's... evil, but you won't even talk to him. I have. More than once, and he's a very decent person. I never thought it would be possible, but we talked like friends, and not once raised our voices or called each other names or anything. And you should think about his side too, Gin. Most people still see him for what his father did, and they're very much isolated from the rest of the wizard world. It's hard on them too. And maybe that's why Scorpius and Albus are so close; the boy probably didn't have anyone to play with when he was growing up, and they both know what it feels like to be judged by the name they carry instead of who they are. Even if they're still too young to see it."

"Just because two adults managed to talk in a civilized manner, and he's being rightfully shut out by the rest of the wizard community, it doesn't mean he has changed, Harry."

"Fine. Then think about it from this angle. If Scorpius is friends with Albus, we also get to influence him. And maybe we can save him from the terrible Malfoy family he has. It's one less evil person in the world." He said sarcastically.

"It's become impossible to talk to you, Harry. Clearly, whatever time you've spent around Malfoy, has already been too long." She stood up, shaking her head lightly. "I wonder what happened to that guy who used to be so nice and understanding." She said as she left the room.

"What happened to the courage of Gryffindor, Ginny?" He called after her. "You're the one running away from this conversation, aren't you?"

"As if there was anything else to talk about." She replied, standing a couple of steps out the door, her back turned to him. "We clearly have diametrically opposite opinions, and none of us is either willing to change or capable of convincing the other to do so. And I have better things to do than to repeat and explain myself to somebody who's not willing to listen."

"I could say the same, you know. And Malfoy is still coming, like it or not."

"Don't expect me to be polite to him. Or to acknowledge him at all." She said before walking upstairs. Harry stood up and poured himself a double dose of Firewhisky to try to push away the massive headache that had hit him.

Sunday went by without them exchanging another word, and James and Lily only returned when it was almost dinner time. Harry invited Ron and Hermione eat with them, but both of them could sense something was very wrong between the other two, and politely refused. The kids spent supper babbling about all they'd done, helping diminish the evident discomfort that had installed itself in the house. Once they were tucked in bed, Harry returned to the study and cast a spell on the couch, so it'd be bigger and more comfortable to spend another night in.

It was mid-morning on Monday, and Harry was sitting in his cubicle - okay, his name and fame had granted him a little more than a cubicle, but the room was still very small and crumpled -, when a platinum-blond man stormed into his door, bumping into the desk and letting out more curse words than Harry could remember, making it nearly impossible for the brunet to hide his laughter. Once they had both calmed down, he pointed to a chair across the desk, but was completely ignored by Draco, who suddenly remembered what he was doing there.

"This, Potter! What are these bloody things?" He asked, shaking a hand in which there were a few crumpled papers.

"Since we're travelling the muggle way, we need muggle documents. Hermione said it would be pretty simple to get them, we just need to fill the forms and-"

"It's not enough that we're spending hours in the company of muggles, but you're also telling me I'll have to... deal with paperwork just to do that? Instead of going by fireplace?"

"I don't see why you're so upset, Malfoy." He was still standing, and pointed again to the chair. This time, Draco sat down, leaving the papers over his desk. "You just have to fill those, get a written permission from Astoria, and-"

"And why do you think I have time for any of it? It's bad enough that I'm having to rush to get everything ready for our week-long holiday, I can't waste time with... with this."

"Come on. It won't take long. It's faster than coming all the way here to complain, I assure you." He raised a playful eyebrow, and the other man snorted. "It's just those, the authorization, and some copies of certificates. I've already dealt with the tickets and money exchange and all the rest. And it'll be fun. If you work as hard as you say-"

"I do, Potter."

"Well, in that case, the holiday will be very welcome, don't you think?"

"Tell me again why I agreed to this insanity?" He hid his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"Because you love Scorpius. And you know it's going to be fun. Now come on, just fill these and I'll deliver them to Hermione myself." He pushed the papers back to Draco, offering him a quill. After a dubious look, he began filling in the information, under Harry's attentive eye. "See? It wasn't too hard. If you give me your authorization, I'll get the documents for you."

"Fine, you have it. One less thing to worry about."

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to Draco. "And here's a standard underage travelling authorization form. I thought they'd send it with the rest of the documents, but apparently they didn't. Astoria just needs to sign it, okay?"

"Whatever you say." He replied, taking the paper and running his eyes through it. "And since when you and my wife became so close you treat each other on a first-name basis?" He asked raising an eyebrow, pretending to be jealous but with curiosity evident in his tone.

"Good question. We just clicked, I suppose." He smiled. "She's not a typical Slytherin."

"No, she's not." He rolled his eyes.

"And that's a good thing, you know."

"So I keep telling myself." He joked, standing up.

"It's true. Trust me." Harry also stood.

"Well, as I said, I'm a very busy man. So if you'll excuse me..." He turned to leave.

"Hey, how's Albus, by the way?"

"He's fine. Those two are together every minute of every day, I don't know how they don't get tired of each other." He smiled. "But I suppose it's a good thing. I always thought Scorpius was too lonely, and he does seem happier."

"So does Albus." He smiled back, and they looked at each other for another moment before the blond left in silence, leaving Harry alone with his red tape.

Albus and Scorpius soon created a routine for those days they were spending together: the late-night talks were going further and further into the night - and how it made them feel grown up to stay up late! -, so they began waking up mid-morning, and despite Draco's threats they wouldn't get breakfast if they weren't at the table at the right time, Elly, the house-elf mainly responsible for the blond boy since he had been born, always took them a light snack in Scorpius's bedroom as soon as they were up.

When the weather allowed, they spent the remaining of their morning outside, playing and spending the excess energy children always have. As Draco never had lunch with them, and Astoria knew of their habits, lunch began being served at one instead of noon. After eating, the woman prudently didn't allow them to go running around, so they'd play chess for a while - the time spent on the games varied, but was never less than an hour - and Astoria had even played against them one day it rained all afternoon, losing terribly from both boys, but enjoying herself nonetheless.

Once they were done with chess, they'd return outside - they already spent too long inside when they were at school - and one of the house elves would take them snacks late in the afternoon for improvised picnics. Draco was usually back by dinner, and they still had some spare time after eating, normally spent in another game of chess - occasionally a few rounds of Exploding Snap, but that game was too simple to really entertain them -, under the watchful eye of the older man, who had to work hard not to look too impressed.

A whole week had already gone by, and they were again lying under a tree, having some sandwiches and finding pictures in clouds, the setting sun coloring everything golden-orange. "How come you don't like flying?" Scorpius asked, taking a bite from his sandwich. He was lying on his back, his free hand under his head. "That's a pixie." He pointed up with his index finger, the bread being held by the rest of the hand.

"I just don't see what's so fun about it. And it's a hippogryph's head, not a pixie." Albus replied, repressing a yawn. Both his hand were under his head, and being so still was making his eyelids heavy.

"You're good at it. I'm sure you'd get a place in the Quidditch team if you tried."

"I'll leave that to you, thanks." He half-smiled, looking at the other boy from the corner of his eye. "What position are you aiming for?"

"Seeker, like my dad." He turned his head to the brunet with a wide smile, making him giggle. "What?" He asked, pretending to be upset.

"You think you can play better than that seventh-year - what's his name again?"

"Boulstridge. And I can be a reserve player. He will graduate this year, you know."

"Okay, sorry." He said smiling. "So you're taking your broom to school this year, then?"

"Yeah. Any advantage I can get." He smiled, their eyes meeting for a moment before he looked up again. "Will you come and watch me try out?"

"It will be boring, Scorp." Albus said, his voice dragging, and rolling his eyes. "And I'm sure you'll get in."

"Oh, come on! Be a good friend and support me, won't you?"

"Fine, fine, whatever." He pretended to be annoyed, but didn't bother hiding his smile. "When is it?"

"Second weekend after classes start. It always is."

The brunet nodded. "Do you know if Thales or Lynus are also trying for the team?"

"I think Lynus wants to be a beater, but he's too small for that." They smiled at each other; the boy was taller than both of them, but indeed still too little for such a position.

"And the girls?"

Scorpius shook his head. "They are too girly for that." They giggled. "Can you imagine them covered in mud and bruises?"

They laughed, and began suggesting different scenarios where the girls seemed even more disjointed than the previous. Their stomachs already hurt from laughing, they were flushed and had tears on the corner of their eyes when a house-elf popped beside them, to tell them Astoria had asked them both to return to the manor. They still had to bathe before dinner.

The boys were still talking as they got inside and, distracted by the conversation, went together into Scorpius's bathroom, only realizing what they were doing after they were half-naked. But it wasn't like Albus had never showered with other boys; he used to do that all the time with James when he was little, though they hadn't in quite a few years. And Scorpius knew he'd end up showering with his teammates quite often once he was on the team. So they just looked at each other and shrugged, figuring it would be a lot more fun like that, and got underwater.

Over half an hour later, all the fingers wrinkly and every last corner of the room covered in water and foam, the same house elf from earlier that day knocked on the door and transmitted Astoria's orders that it was time for them to get out of the water, unless they wanted to end up sick. The elf had also brought them clean clothes, and they laughed some more before getting dressed, meeting the blonde woman in the living room.

The last two days Albus spent in the manor went by faster than either boy would've liked them to, and they tried asking their parents for just another night, but both Harry and Draco were firm in their decision. They did, however, give them another hour or so to play as they talked over tea, and at least they'd meet again in just a week, for some more great adventures.

Ginny was thrilled to see her son again, and if on the one hand he had to stand her hugs and kisses - he was pretty sure she was checking to make sure his days with those people, as she called them, hadn't left any permanent damage -, on the other, James seemed to have created a whole new arsenal of jokes and pranks aimed for him.

That week was pretty hectic at the Potter household, between the adults making sure their work was up to date and wouldn't suffer from their trip, James rushing with his homework not to be left behind, and all of them double- and triple-checking to make sure they weren't forgetting anything they needed. Jordan arrived on the day before they were scheduled to leave, and from the moment he set foot on the house until they left for the airport, he and James were all secrets, whispering back and forth all the time, and spending most of the day locked in the brunet's room. Harry was also freaking out that week, as the muggle documents they'd need didn't seem to arrive, and only relaxed when Hermione personally brought them to him the night before, well after dinnertime. Except for the Malfoys, who'd arrive the next day, everything was set. And Harry couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. What had he gotten himself into?