A/N: This chapter's over 3000 words, lucky you. ;) enjoy it!
Chapter Ten
"So what are you lot planning to do today?" Harry Potter asked his children and their guest at the breakfast table the following morning.
"Quidditch." James grinned around a mouthful of cereal. "Fred and everyone will be here just before lunch."
"Don't you have any school work to do?" Ginny joined them at the table, holding a plate of toast and marmalade.
"Quidditch is school work. Sort of." James responded.
"No it's not." Lily joined in, raising an eyebrow in a way that reminded Harry so much of his wife.
"Well I play Quidditch for the school, so it counts."
"Doesn't." Lily muttered, rolling her eyes.
Scorpius was quiet, watching the family interact with mild interest as he ate his breakfast. It hadn't even been 24 hours since he'd arrived at the Potters', but already he was starting to see how their family functioned and the relationships between them all.
"And what about you two? Quidditch too?" Harry over-talked his bickering children. Albus and Scorpius looked at each other.
"Well, you are the Slytherin Seeker." Albus said.
"And it's about time I saw you play." Scorpius replied with a smirk. The boys nodded simultaneously.
"Oh I see how it is. Well in that case we'd better get a proper team together." James said, giving Scorp his best psyche-out stare.
"Dad, you playing? Mum?" Lily asked, putting down her spoon.
"Err..." Harry hesitated.
"Yes, we'll both play." Ginny said, putting a hand across Harry's mouth playfully. He moved her hand away and kissed it.
"I'll tell Fred to bring his Mum and Dad then."
"Well in that case, it's on." Harry said competitively.
"Hugo too? Louis?" Lily asked.
"Yeah. Invite everyone. Match starts at noon. We'll select teams then." James said decisively. His face was set and his eyes bright with suppressed excitement at the prospect of a big family match. Especially one where he could kick Malfoy's arse in front of everyone without looking bad.
"You ready?" Albus gestured to Scorp's empty plate.
"Yep."
The boys jumped up and left the table, Scorpius thanking Ginny before he left.
"Best go prepare yourself Malfoy." James called as the pair left the dining room. Scorpius chuckled. Like he was going to let Potter beat him – even if he was a guest at their home.
"This way." Albus said, as Scorp went to go to the staircase. Instead Albus lead him into the kitchen. He walked purposely to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of dust from a pot on the side.
"Gotta tell Hugo and everyone about the match. And uncle Ron." he grinned, stepping into the fire and throwing the Floo powder into the flames.
"Wisteria Cottage." he called loudly, and promptly disappeared in a flash of green flames.
"Ah." Scorpius said, looking at the Floo powder. He hadn't actually used the Floo Network before. Shit... can't be that hard, right?
He grabbed a handful of powder and stepped into the grate like Albus had, threw down the dust, and called, ever so hesitantly, "Wisteria Cottage!"
Scorpius wasn't sure what to expect when the flames flashed green and he felt himself being transported. He saw flashes of other rooms briefly, before he came to a sudden stop and stumbled forward.
"Took your time." Al said as he stepped onto the hearth, dusting himself off to hide his little stumble.
"Hello Scorpius." Hermione said kindly from the other side of the living room, where she sat in an armchair with a large, old-looking book in her lap.
"Hi Mrs Weasley." Scorpius greeted her.
"Hugo and Rose are in the kitchen eating breakfast. You're very early today!"
"Thanks. Yeah, there's a big Quidditch match planned at ours later. Going to let Ron and Hugo know as soon as possible so they can prepare." Albus replied. Hermione nodded and smiled and Scorpius followed Albus through into the kitchen.
"Morning." Ron said half questioningly, looking up from his paper.
"Up for a Quidditch match later? The whole family's invited." Al skipped the small talk, leaning against the kitchen counter. Scorpius stood in the doorway, trying not to look too much at Rose. He couldn't help it though, and he watched her pale cheeks colour slightly, probably because she was still in her pyjamas.
"A big match! Brilliant!" Hugo almost jumped out of his seat excitedly. Scorpius smiled at Hugo, wearing a set of pyjamas printed with broomsticks and golden snitches.
"You'll be our Keeper right dad? Come onnnnn!" Hugo shook his father's arm.
"Is Harry playing?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, and mum. And hopefully Uncle George too."
"Oh, alright then. I'll play." Ron agreed, looking back down at his paper. Hugo jumped up and ran from the kitchen, yelling something about going to put on his Quidditch kit.
Scorpius very nearly opened his mouth to ask Rose if she'd be playing, but luckily stopped himself, realising that of course, Rose wouldn't be able to use a broomstick. His stomach dropped as he momentarily imagined what life must be like for Rose. She was an outsider in her own family. Like him, maybe.
"Will you be cheering us on, Rose?" Scorpius asked instead, smiling in a way which he hoped was reassuring, or comforting, or friendly at the least. She looked up and met his eye for the first time since they'd arrived, and her cheeks turned a shade pinker.
"Maybe, but I'll be cheering for all teams, I couldn't take sides." Rose said, smiling somewhat secretively. She'd be doing a little more than cheering them on if a big family game was planned...
"Of course. Though if you were to pick the winning team... It would be us." Scorpius pointed at himself and Albus.
"Don't be so sure, boys. Don't be so sure." Ron said darkly, taking a swig of tea and eyeing them over the rim of his mug.
"Right, we'll leave you to it. See you all at just before 12 then?" Al said, not wanting to get into fighting talk with Uncle Ron before the teams had been decided.
"See you then." Ron nodded, and Rose smiled and gave the boys a little wave as they left the room to return to the Potters' by Floo.
"I'm going to get dressed, Dad." Rose said, dropping her plate in the sink. Some warning might've been nice, Albus... she thought, glancing down at her star-printed blue pyjamas. She felt her cheeks warm again. She ran up the stairs two at a time and took a shower at a lightning speed, returning to her bedroom and throwing open the wardrobe doors.
What to wear, what to wear...This wasn't a question that Rose often spent long on, but today... well she couldn't deny it to herself, she wanted to look her best. She glanced across the room out of the window. It was a grey day. The sky was obscured with cloud, and it was a little misty, and it was drizzling with rain. She shuffled quickly past the dresses on the rail, running her fingers across a couple of pairs of jeans. She pulled out her favourite pair and pulled them on, grabbing a shirt too. She buttoned it up, looked in the mirror, then pulled it off and chucked it on the bed behind her. Returning to the wardrobe, she picked up a vest top and a cardigan and put them on. Walking over to the mirror again, she looked at herself, did a little half turn, then pulled it off and chucked it on the bed.
Fifteen minutes later she'd decided on an outfit. Since she'd be wearing a coat outside anyway, she didn't need to make such a fuss over her clothes, but she did. She settled on her jeans, a pair of soft brown leather ankle boots, a flowery shirt, and a chunky, warm cardigan. She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed on some lip balm, and surveyed herself in the mirror. It would have to do.
She ran down the stairs, meeting Hugo at the bottom, pulling on his shoes.
"Coming to the Potters'? I'm going straight there, to get some practice in before the big game." He gave his sister an excited smile.
"Yeah sure, I'm coming. I'll have to ask Dad though..." Rose said.
"Dad? Can you take me to Albus's quickly please?" She asked, grabbing her coat and heading through to the kitchen. Ron Weasley was still sat in the same position at the table with his newspaper.
"Sure. Hugo, you might as well grab on, saves on Floo Powder." Ron said, stretching his arms above his head then getting out of the chair.
"Alright, come on then." He held out his hand, which his daughter took hold of, and his son grabbed his other. Savouring the only time his children would ever hold his hand, he Disapparated to his best friend's house.
"Here you are then. Tell Harry I'll be back in a bit, I'll just go get a shower and find my Quidditch stuff."
Hugo grinned and disappeared in search of Lily.
"See you in a while, honey." Ron dropped his daughter's hand and gave her a little wave before he Disapparated again. Rose hung her coat on a free peg in the hallway.
"I'm guessing you can't use the Floo network then?" A gentle voice made Rose turn around quickly. The coat – not quite hung properly – fell to the floor. Quick as a flash Scorpius had picked it up and hung it on the peg, properly this time.
"Thanks. No, I can't. But Dad can take me by Side-Along Apparation instead, as it doesn't require me to have any magical ability." Rose said evenly, trying to keep any unnecessary emotion from her voice.
"That must be strange."
"Apparating, or being involved in magic that I can never do for myself?" Rose said, fixing her blue eyes on his.
"Both." Scorpius tilted his head to one side, meeting her gaze easily.
"Well yes. Both very strange indeed. I'm not sure which is more uncomfortable really." She replied, faltering and looking down at his clothes. Quidditch attire – his Slytherin robes. Rose had seen the Gryffindor ones many times, but not Slytherin. Rose had always preferred the silver and emerald to the gaudy scarlet red and gold of Gryffindor... but she could never say that in her own house, considering her whole family are Gryffindors. And as the attributes of the houses went, Gryffindor definitely sounded like the nicest house to be in anyway. Just, she liked Slytherin too. Minus the dark wizards it seemed to produce...
"I've never Apparated actually." Scorpius admitted. Or used the Floo before today... Rose's eyes flickered back up to his face.
"Seriously?" She asked incredulously.
"Seriously." He nodded, cracking a little smile.
"Why not?"
"Well, honestly, when I'm not at Hogwarts I'm at Malfoy Manor, and there's no point in my father Apparating me anywhere there. We don't have any other family to visit, or friends, and at Hogwarts you don't get Apparation lessons till Sixth Year. So no, there's just never been an opportunity." Scorpius told her.
"Oh, I see. Well, I suppose that makes sense. I assumed everyone does it. What do I know." Rose laughed shortly at herself.
"Maybe they do, and I'm just a special case. My family's dysfunctional in most other ways, it wouldn't surprise me." Scorpius said darkly, but his eyebrow arched in some sort of amusement.
"Um, you should have a go while you're here. Maybe Uncle Harry'd take you. Or my father might." Rose wasn't sure what to say about his so-called dysfunctional family. Scorpius's father, Draco Malfoy, had been her parents' worst enemy throughout their school years and in the War. He and his family had been in league with the Dark Lord; they had been Death Eaters... Draco Malfoy must still bear the tattoo on his forearm. He had been a coward and a bully. He'd failed to kill the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, repeatedly throughout their Sixth Year, and even when he had him disarmed and vulnerable, he still failed. Draco and his parents had been pure-blood-maniacs, and treated anyone who wasn't pure-blood like dirt, so the Dark Lord's plans to rid the world of this scum had been right up their street. And now Draco Malfoy acted humble and polite to the faces of her parents and uncles, after they'd come out on top after the war, though it was always obvious that his feeling towards them are much to the contrary. Aside from that, Rose knew little else about the Malfoys. She didn't really know anything about his mother Astoria, other than she was stunningly beautiful. And that Malfoy Manor was a huge house built from dark coloured stone and surrounded by high walls, somewhere out in the countryside. Somewhere remote. Oh, and she knew of course, that the Malfoy's were dirt-rich as they always had been.
"Yeah, maybe." Scorpius said. "If they're not too busy."
Rose nodded. "What time's the game?"
"An hour I think. Albus is outside setting up with James and Fred. We're going to practice for a little while. Will you come out with us?"
Rose smiled and lifted her coat off the peg again. "Well I'm not going to sit in here by myself, am I?"
"Who're team captains then?" Louis asked, almost bouncing up and down in excitement.
"Well... how many of us are playing?"
"One, two, three-" "There's seventeen of us." Fred interrupted.
"That's an awkward number..."
"Teddy's here!"
"Teddy are you playing?" Louis ran over and grabbed Teddy's arm, dragging him towards the small crowd waiting at the Quidditch pitch.
"Yes, of course I'm playing." He grinned. Dominique Weasley melted to a little puddle inside her Quidditch kit. It was no secret that she fancied the pants off Teddy Lupin, despite him being five years her senior.
"Okay, that's eighteen then. Two teams of nine?"
"How about three teams of six, and we do a little tournament? Just two Chasers instead of three, yeah?"
"That's an idea..."
"Can I be a Captain?" James stuck his hand up.
"No, Ron, George and I will be captains." Harry said. "Since we're the adults here. Sorry Teddy, you're still a kid in my eyes." Harry punched him on the arm.
"Right. Fine. Let's go then." James muttered, a little annoyed.
"Ron, you can pick first."
"Right. Um. Hugo." He said, and his son rolled his eyes and joined his father.
"George?"
"I pick Fred!" He grinned. His son joined him.
"Oh, this is awkward." James nudged his brother Albus as Harry looked between his two sons.
"Scorpius." Harry picked. James looked outraged. Albus snickered.
"Roxanne." Ron picked.
"Oi, you can't pick my daughter!" George protested.
"Yes I can. She's a good player." Ron grinned, high-fiving Roxanne as she joined his team.
"Right. Fine. I pick... James."
James scowled further when his father made no move to protest against his own son not being on his team.
"I pick Albus." Harry said, and Albus joined his best friend happily. Harry gave his son a secret wink.
"Bill. Come on bro." Ron chose.
"Angelina." George grinned at his wife.
"Lily." Harry added to his team.
"Victoire." Ron said.
"Dominique."
"Teddy." Harry picked again. Dominique frowned.
"Right, Louis."
"Fleur." George chose.
"Ginny." Harry picked finally.
"Can't believe you picked me last, you prat." Ginny elbowed her husband hard. Harry opened and closed his mouth, trying to find an excuse.
"Save it." she scowled dangerously.
From the sideline Hermione shook her head disapprovingly at Harry.
"Right. We're playing first. Harry? Us versus you?" Ron piped up, unaware of the tension between his sister and her husband.
"Yeah. Great." Harry said. Rose stepped onto the pitch with an armful of coloured sashes.
"I've got orange, purple and pink." She said, holding them out to the captains.
"Trying to avoid House colours eh, tactful." Harry nodded.
"That's what I thought." Rose gave a little smile.
"Right, we'll take purple. Ron'll want pink, I'm sure." Harry smirked. Rose handed a purple sash to Harry and each of his team members: Ginny, Teddy, Lily, Albus and Scorpius.
"No way! I'll take the orange." Ron frowned.
"Ginger." Teddy coughed.
"Not funny, kid. Not funny." Ron turned on him with raised eyebrows.
"Save it for the game, old man." Teddy grinned, shouldering his broomstick.
"Right, team talk. We'll take the North end of the pitch." Harry signalled to his team to follow him. Rose gave her father's team the orange sashes and wished him and his brother good luck, before retreating to the sidelines where George's team and Hermione were sitting, on a couple of benches that Hermione had hastily conjured at the mention of three teams not two.
Minutes later, Rose watched the players hop onto their brooms and rise into the air, level with the towering goal rings. Rose fingered the silver whistle hanging round her neck. Sure she couldn't play Quidditch, but she certainly could referee it. With the help of her father and a couple of decent Quidditch books loaned from Hogwarts library, courtesy of Albus, she knew now pretty much all there was to know about the game, without ever having ridden a broomstick.
Rose walked to the centre of the pitch where the big chest was waiting, and carefully undid the latches. Keeping a foot on the corner of the chest, she took the Quaffle in both hands, took a deep breath, and threw it directly upwards and kicking the chest open. The two Bludgers were bewitched to fly of their own accord and flew upwards into the air, the Golden Snitch a mere sparkle in the corner of her eye. Rose felt the air move as players swooped to grab the Quaffle.
She shut the chest and jogged to the sidelines where she could watch the game proceed, the little silver whistle ready between her lips. She knew she'd need it – these family games often got a little heated.
A/N: Yay! I can't help but love this chapter. Say hi to Teddy everyone! He's a cutie. Yeah, a lot going on in this chapter I suppose, next one coming soon. Please leave me a review! :)