Chapter Fourteen – Unexpected

September2022

Once again, rain rolls like tear drops down the glass windows of the Hogwarts Express. Looking around the empty compartment, I rest my hands on my swollen stomach. The last few days have taken their toll on me, I am tired beyond belief. After he left… I have never felt so empty, so completely void of emotion. This morning, I had hoped he would be there to take me to the station. He hadn't. I had had to manage my trunk and the taxi by myself. The man had been very unpleasant.

Elena meows up at me and I pat the seat next to me. She jumps up and rubs her dainty little head against my arm. Obligingly, I stroke her. If only people were as simple as cats.

The train gradually slows to a halt outside Hogsmeade station. Waiting until everyone else has climbed out of the train, I drag my trunk behind me with Elena twisting around my ankles. The hood of my cloak is pulled up against the vicious wind and biting rain so I do not see the tall figure of Scorpius Malfoy approach me until he stops in front of me and takes my trunk. Without a word, I pick a protesting Elena off the ground and follow Scorpius to the waiting carriages.

"You look like hell Vivian," he says once we are safely in the carriage. "Why haven't you written? I told you if things got too bad I wanted you to write to me."

"I'm sorry…" is all I can manage. The rest of the journey passes in silence. I cannot even meet Scorpius' eye. When we get to the castle, Scorpius calls a House Elf to take my trunk straight to my dorm and to get me some food. The House Elf nods and disapparates. Nodding goodbye to Scorpius, I head down to the dungeons while he goes to the Great Hall.

Standing before the blank wall that leads to the Slytherin common room, I suddenly realise I do not know the password.

"Mrs Potter," a voice slides into the darkness. "I thought I might find you here when Mr Malfoy showed up late to the feast without you." The dark silhouette of Professor Zabini detaches itself from the shadows. "The password is 'Severus'," he hisses and my heart constricts. Severus is Albus' middle name. The wall opens as Zabini speaks and I step into the cool green light.

"Thank you Professor," I murmur before the wall seals itself behind me, leaving me completely and utter alone… alone except for the child growing inside me and the cat at my feet. Elena darts off as I make my way to the dormitories.

Meanwhile, elsewhere is the castle, First Years are waiting nervously to be sorted… I wonder what this year's Slytherins will be like.

~X~

Sitting at the back of Zabini's classroom with Scorpius, I can feel my body tensing. I know for a fact that Albus is taking Potions because he wants to be an Auror like his father. My heart beat quickens every time the door opens but so far there is no sign of him. At last, the door swings open and Albus enters the now silent room. Everyone watches as he makes his solitary way over to a table on the opposite side of the room to me. After one glance, I avert my eyes.

He looks like death. His hair is flat against his head, his eyes are dull, there are heavy shadows below them and his robes hang loosely from his frame. My heart aches for him but I know there is nothing I can do. He needs time to forgive me, if he ever can, and I can only wait. And I will wait, however long it takes, because he is my husband… and I love him.

Zabini walks in and I keep my eyes focused on him the entire lesson as he talks about Potions NEWTs. I can feel the gazes of my classmates upon me but I do not meet their inquiring eyes. When at last Zabini lets us go, Scorpius and I wait until the rest of the class has filtered out – including Albus. He does not even acknowledge my existence as he walk passed me.

"Come on," Scorpius mutters, grabbing my hand and steering me to the kitchens. The bustle of House Elves is oddly soothing as I take a seat by the fire. Dippy greets us and fetches us a butterbeer each. "Thank you," Scorpius smiles at the little Elf, causing her to blush and run off.

"How's Roxanne?" I ask, eager to keep the conversation away from me.

"She's fine… it's been a bit of a hectic summer but I'll let her tell you about it. I said I would meet her here if that's okay with you?" there is a concerned look on his face that I wish would just disappear. I nod slightly and he leans back.

"So you are back together then?"

"Yes…" he glances over his shoulder at the entrance just as it swings open to reveal a smiling Roxanne. She bounces over to us, or to Scorpius at least, and plants a welcoming kiss on his lips. I look away.

"Hey Vivian," she smiles at me and I nod in greeting.

"Scorpius was just going to tell me how you two managed to get back together…?"

"Oh that. That's a long story… It basically involved a realisation and some tears," she shrugs.

"And then you begged me to take you back," Scorpius teases as he pulls her onto his lap. She rolls her eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that Scorp."

We sit in silence for a few minutes before I decide the young lovers need some time alone. Getting up to leave, my hand goes to my stomach just as the baby kicks again. I can tell Roxanne is watching.

"It's a feisty little thing… kicking all the time," I smile weakly. "You can feel it if you'd like." Roxanne grins and immediately puts her hand on my stomach just as the baby give another kick.

"Amazing…" she breathes in awe, her eyes wide. "Scorpius," she turns to look at her boyfriend who has a bemused expression on his face. "One day, we are going to have one of them," she indicates to my stomach and he chuckles.

"Of course… one day," he laughs. I decide now is the best time to get the hell out of here.

People seem to jump out of my way as I walk down the corridor, I can feel their glares on me constantly. Whispers of 'cheat' and 'slut' echo behind me. Looks like this is going to be a long term.

~X~

"Hello," comes a graceful voice from the other side of my velvety curtains. "Vivian? It's me, Vi." I pull back the green cloth to see Violet Briggs dragging some clothes from her trunk. "Hey," she smiles when she sees my weary face. "How was your holiday?"

"Great…" I mutter. "Absolutely fantastic, could not have been better."

"By the look of you… I'm going to assume that was sarcasm."

"Ya think?" I sigh before letting my head crash back down onto the pillow.

"It cannot have been that bad…" Violet states, taking a seat on the foot of my bed and leaning against the bed post.

"Oh… it was." I pause and then it all comes rushing out – every last detail from the moment I got off the train to the moment I boarded it again. I tell her about Albus taking me out for my birthday; about seeing James and how I felt; about kissing James and the time I spent with him; about Eloise Macmillan; about telling James it cannot go on; about tell Albus everything; about falling back into Albus' arms and the sense of near happiness I found there; about James coming to the door; about Albus seeing him kiss me… about Albus leaving. Everything. She just sits there and listens, not saying a word. "And now I can hardly bear to be around Scorpius – my best friend – because he is so in love with Roxanne it makes me feel sick knowing that I have lost any chance of anyone feeling that way about me…" I finish at last.

"People know. I don't know how… but they know you cheated on Albus," she says eventually. Her words are like knives digging into the flesh of my heart. I just nod. It would explain the whispers. "Thank you for telling me."

"Huh…?"

"Thank you… for telling me all this, it cannot have been easy for you." I stare at her in shock. Violet Pansy Briggs just thanked me? "No one ever tells me anything, I have to find out from different people… But you just told me everything. I feel like you trust me…"

"I do," I give a half-smile, somewhat confused. She just shrugs and gets up.

"It will get better… these things always do," the corners of her mouth tilt up in a faint smile as she leans on the doorframe before disappearing out of the dorm. Well that was unexpected.

~X~

I can feel the glares of hundreds of eyes on me as I take a seat at the Slytherin table. Even members of my own house are glancing at me, wondering where their loyalties lie. The bump of my stomach protrudes visibly from my robes, reminding everyone exactly of the situation. I have stubbornly refused to remove the delicate golden band on my finger… although I suspect that even if I tried, my father would have ensured I was unable to remove it.

Scorpius and Violet come to sit either side of me and I spot Roxanne looking slightly miserable on the Gryffindor table… probably because she is so far away from Scorpius. I wonder whose side she is on… if there are sides at all. It seems people are either against me (almost the entire school) or with me (Violet and Scorpius). Everyone feels it is their duty to hate anyone who hurts a chid of the Golden Trio and let's face it… I've hurt two.

Suddenly, there is a commotion by the double doors leading into the Great Hall. Turning in sync with the rest of the students, I see a red headed girl walking in, hand in hand with a taller, dark blonde haired guy. I recognise the girl at once as Rose Weasley – apparently she has gotten over her supposed love for Scorpius, I should really ask Roxanne if they are talking again – the boy however, I do not recognise.

"That's Charlie Goldstein," Violet whispers to me, seeing my frown. "He was dating Lucy Weasley until some point in the summer where he ditched her for Rose," she explains. Wow, Rose really does know how to screw up her relationships with her cousins, from what I can recall, I think Lucy was the only one who spoke to her by the end of the year.

"Yeah but apparently Lucy is okay with it because she is with some other guy already," Scorpius adds on. "It was a massive deal when it happened- that's it! She is with her sister's ex-boyfriend and he cheated on her with Lucy, apparently she hasn't spoken to any of her family since."

"What, Molly Weasley?" Violet asks.

"Yeah, it was at this massive Weasley family party in the summer, I think everyone was waiting for Molly and, I think his name is Luke, to announce that they were engaged and then out of the blue he dropped her for Lucy even though Lucy was technically with Charlie at the time but on the same night, Charlie and Rose hooked up – she still isn't really talking to Roxanne though…"

"Wow Scorp, you gossip like a girl," I snort.

"Hold on, were you at this Weasley party?" asks Violet, wide eyed. Scorpius nods, his mouth full of food. "What are they like? Don't they hate you? I take it you're back together with Roxanne then?"

"Slow down Vi, let the boy finish his mouth full," I laugh.

"You sound like a mum already," Violet retorts with a smirk. I narrow my eyes at her but my heart gives a little flutter as I bring my hand to rest on my bump. It is a scary thought but in four months I am going to be a mother.

"They're actually not bad," Scorpius says after swallowing his breakfast. "A bit weird but other than that they are just like a normal family – just really big. I met her parents before and they are nice enough, she won't let her brother talk to me though which is quite funny and other than Rose, the rest of her cousins seemed alright. Rose's little brother is kind of cool, he talked to me for half an hour straight about dragons though, Roxanne had to drag me away," he laughs. I wonder if Albus went.

"Doesn't she have part Veela cousins? I bet they were stunning…" My thoughts begin to drift away as Violet gets the load down on Roxanne's extended family. It is odd that technically, I am a part of that family now. I do not feel it.

The days soon begin to blur together and I almost feel like my life is just slipping out of my control. The whispers still follow me wherever I go; they are getting worst rather than fading away. People seem to enjoy having someone to hate. Unfortunately, Albus and I have taken very similar NEWT subjects and as a result are in most of the same classes. He wants to become an Auror so he is taking Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dar Arts, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures where as I am taking Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and History of Magic. To be honest, coming to school this year is a bit pointless for me because I cannot see myself coming back after the Christmas holidays. But it is better than staying in that godforsaken house.

Albus looks awful, there are constant black shadows under his eyes and he has grown thinner than I have ever seen him. It is killing me inside to know that I did this to him, that this is all my fault. But there is nothing I can do, nothing that could possibly make any of this better. I betrayed him and now we are suffering the consequences. I am only thankful that James no longer comes to Hogwarts; I would not have been able to cope if I had to see him every day as well.

Professor Creevey is worried about Albus too, I can tell by the frequent glances he shoots in his direction throughout our Defence lessons. Whenever Albus and I are in the same room, the whispers stop. No one seems brave enough to insult me in his presence. It is odd really, you would think they would want him to know they were trying to make me suffer for what I did… they don't realise that I am already suffering. Every time I see Albus it is like someone is stabbing my heart with a blade. I just want to take him in my arms and kiss his pain away but I know I cannot. He will not even look at me. It is like I no longer exist for him.

~X~

October 2022

September fades into October and before I know it, the half term is upon us. I marvel at how fast the term has gone by. It seems strange to think that it has already been almost two months since I broke Albus' heart, it still sting as if it were yesterday. After receiving a letter from my mother informing me that they would be visiting on the 19th, I decided it was best to go to that godforsaken house for the holidays. Despite everything, I miss my parents, even my father.

"Vivian, you know if things get too bad, you can come to stay with me," Scorpius repeats for the hundredth time. He and Roxanne are sitting close together on the opposite bench of the train compartment. "I mean it."

"I know Scorp," I sigh, "but I just don't think that would be a good idea, your father would never allow it."

"I don't give a damn what my father thinks! If you want to come you will come – my mother would be more than happy to have you and she will persuade my father to as well, she always does."

"Fine Scorp, if I need to I will… but I will be fine," I reply stubbornly. It is a times like these when I miss Violet. She stayed at school like she usually does and if it were not for the prospect of seeing my mother I would have stayed with her. She has become a good friend lately; it is her I confide in when I am down because as much as I love Scorpius, he has Roxanne now and besides, he is a guy, they don't understand us poor females.

As I wave my goodbyes to Scorpius and Roxanne, a figure slips through the crowd and takes my trunk. I follow him wordlessly, knowing he does not want me to speak. It almost feels like déjà vu as he leads me out to muggle London and gets us a taxi; the scene is almost identical to how it was in the summer… that all feels a world away.

No one says a word as we travel back to the small house we had occupied for the summer. The taxi driver becomes clearly uncomfortable and the relief on his face as we pull up by the house is almost laughable. I suppose we must look a sight to the poor muggle: a teenaged mother-to-be and a gaunt and tired looking partner who do not speak and wear bizarre clothing must be a sight he does not see every day. Albus takes my trunk up to the house and deposits it in the bedroom before disappearing into the lounge.

I look around the house and decide I will leave the cleaning until tomorrow. Lowering myself onto the bed, I remember the morning I first woke up in Albus' arms and the tears begin to fall again. I do not bother to stop them, letting them lull me into sleep.

The caress of a sunbeam awakes me and I stir feebly, wanting to return to my dream. I often dream of Albus these days. Grudgingly, I get up and shower before getting dressed and making my way downstairs. On the table is a bag of groceries and a copy of the Daily Prophet. I glance at the date and see it is the 18th of October. Crap, my parents are coming tomorrow.

The rest of the day is spent cleaning the house, something that was considerably easier to do when I did not have an ever growing bump on my front. I hesitantly tried to get into the siting room but discovered Albus has put some kind of lock on it that doesn't allow me to enter. It appears to have become his room, I hear him occasionally at night but I haven't seen him since we got back, I just leave food for him on the table before going up to bed. This pregnancy is tiring me out and I sleep much more than I ever used to.

"Are we going to see your grandparents tomorrow, little one?" I find myself asking the bump as I straighten the sheets on my bed. I do that a lot now, talk to the baby. "Grandma Iris and Grandpa Theo," I murmur. It is a funny thought, my parents as grandparents, my father is forty-two but my mother is only thirty-four, that seems far too young to become a grandmother but I suppose she was only eighteen when she had me and, well, I am a rather young mother-to-be as well.

Oh Lord. I am carrying Harry Potter's first grandchild. Why has this never occurred to me before? Oh Merlin, I am carrying the grandchild of the Boy Who Lived, the man who saved the entire wizarding world… How have I not realised this before? I'm not sure if it is the hormones or the massive realisation but I burst into tears once again. I really need to learn to control my tear ducts.

~X~

I am sitting in the kitchen, impatiently tapping the table when the doorbell rings. I jump up to answer it, suddenly nervous about my parents seeing this house. It is nothing like home, there is nothing grand about it; admittedly, it is much better than it was when we first arrived but it is still nothing special – it lacks that homeliness feel. My mother comes in first, enveloping me in a quick hug before being pushed through by my father.

"Hello Vivi dear," my mother says affectionately while my father gives a gruff nod. "How have you been darling? Oh my you are getting big," her eyes widen as she places a hand on my swollen stomach. I can tell she is trying to hold back tears. She never cries in front of my father, it would anger him.

"So this is your home?" he asks. I nod. It really doesn't feel like a home though. "It is… tidy."

"It is lovely dear, you have done a wonderful job," my mother smiles at me, clearly trying to comfort me. "Why don't you show us around?"

"I'm afraid there is not much to show," I shrug. "Upstairs is the bed room and bathroom and downstairs is the hall and kitchen."

"What's in there?" my father asks, gesturing to the sitting room door.

"The siting room," I sigh in defeat.

"Why can't we sit in there?" he frowns at the small kitchen table I had lead them to.

"The door doesn't open," I shrug again. It is half true. I just hope my father doesn't try to open it.

"Nonsense, are you a witch or what?" Oh Merlin.

"Just leave it dear," mother whispers.

"No!" his voice is rising in anger now. "Why won't that door open Vivian?" he demands.

"Because that's Albus' room!" I snap back, these hormones will be the death of me.

"What do you mean… Albus' room?" Why? Why does my father have to know everything? Why does he always ask questions that I really do not want to answer? Why do I always answer those questions anyway? And why does he always have to be so quick to anger?

"Exactly what I said!" I spit out. "That's where Albus lives and sleeps okay?" The silence that falls after my outburst is almost deafening. I can see father trying not to explode but the building anger is evident on his face.

"And why, may I ask, does Albus not sleep with his wife?" my father has lowered his voice so that it is only just audible. Oh Merlin. He is staring at me intently while my mother's gaze flicks between the two of us, looking for a way to calm the situation. I suppose in many ways, I am more like my father.

"Because he doesn't want to," I reply emotionlessly.

"And why is that?" passed experience has taught me that my father's whispers are more ominous than his shouts. "Vivian… Tell me why Albus does not want to share a bed with you."

"Because he saw another guy kiss me," I reply truthfully, or at least, half truthfully. My father's face becomes stony white for a split second before he explodes, leaping towards me. I let out a slight scream as he grabs my shoulders and shakes me.

"You filthy whore!" he screams in my face. "You dare dishonour your husband? You dare soil the name of Nott? I should have disowned you the moment I found out about this creature!" he looks down in disgust at my stomach. His rage distorts his face as he grabs for my throat.

"Theo! Stop, please stop," I can hear my mother pleading but her voice sounds distant. Black spots are appearing in front of my eyes as I struggle for breath. "Theo you're hurting her!" My father does not relinquish his hold on me, I feel like I am suffocating… the world is blurry… my mother is reaching out for me… "Theo," she pleads from somewhere far off…

"Get off me woman!" my father roars, his voice echoing inside my skull as his fingers tighten on my throat. I can only see colours, bleeding together… I cannot breathe… One hand comes free and I gasp at the oxygen it allows me to take… my father turns to face my mother… my mother files backwards across the room… a flash of light… then blackness.

I should probably stop with the cliffhangers... Or not. Thanks for reading, GirlOnTheSidelines.