Chapter Twenty-One: What is the Function of a Rubber Duck?

Coming back from home was always hard on every student in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but for Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy they couldn't be happier. They quickly got back on track with school work and everything was getting back to normal. However, when Albus got called out of class by Professor Longbottom in potions, Scorpius couldn't help but be a little worried. Students weren't usually called out unless there was a very good reason, not to mention that Neville Longbottom still wasn't on very good terms with Professor Snape. When the bell rang Scorpius rushed off to the Headmistress' office in search for his best friend.

***HS***

Albus walked next to his Uncle Neville in silence, they stopped by Transfiguration to get James and then made their way to the headmistress' office. James was sending questioning glances to his brother which Albus only shrugged his shoulders too. When they got to the office both boys were surprised to see their parents and Lily. As soon as Lily saw her brothers she rushed over and gave both of them a hug, holding onto James extra tightly. What is going on? Albus thought as his mother and father looked at each other strangely.

"Boys," Harry said sadly, looking at two of his sons. "Your mother and I are getting divorced."

"Wh-what?" James asked, clearly shocked.

"Your father and I can't come to any agreements, and we fight constantly, and this marriage just isn't working." Ginny said looking at her children with sympathy. "I'm getting my own place so by the time you come home you can go straight there."

"Will Scorpius be welcome there?" Albus asked, already knowing the answer, but having to ask.

"No Albus, I'm sorry but I don't like the Malfoy spawn," Ginny said confidentially, not realizing that her prejudices were going to lose her everything she loved.

"I'll be staying with dad then," Albus said simply, looking at the ground to avoid the hurt look on his mothers face.

"Me too," Lily said with a frown, "I'm staying with my brothers."

Ginny just stared at her children for a few minutes, unable to speak. "You will do no such thing!"

"Ginny," Harry started looking at his soon-to-be ex-wife, "You're not making the kids go with you against their will. They will come and see you, but if they want to stay with me, they will be staying with me."

"I'll come to visit, mummy and we can have sleepovers but daddy's house is my home." Lily said and Albus nodded along with his sister.

"Okay," Ginny said softly. Deciding that this was not the time to fight.

"Can we go back to class now?" James asked, trying to mask the hurt he felt of having his parents split up.

Harry nodded. "I'll see you at Easter break. I love you."

James nodded. "Love you too," he mumbled giving both his parents a hug before disappearing out of the office.

"Daddy," Lily said smiling sweetly at her father. "Can I go see Grandpa Sev before we go?"

"Lily, he's working," Harry said with a frown.

"He should just be clearing potions up right now, actually," Albus piped in with a smile, wanting to make his baby sister happy.

"Let her go," Headmistress McGonagall said with a smile, "I have a few things to talk to you about."

Harry sighed. "Fine, five minutes Lily."

"Come on, I'll show you the way," Albus said taking his sister by the hand and leading her into the corridor where an anxious Scorpius was waiting.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked giving Lily a hug while looking at Albus. "James passed me two minutes ago, he looked like he was crying."

"My parents are divorcing, James didn't seem all too thrilled," Albus explained leading the way to the dungeons. "He hasn't had any personal feud with mum, so he probably doesn't get why it's happening."

It was time for lunch, so naturally all students would be in the great hall. Scorpius walked next to Albus, studying his friend's expression while holding Lily's hand tightly. He was unaware how to be supportive to his friends in this situation - after all he didn't particularly like Mrs. Potter - so he chose to be silent.

***HS***

The door to the potions classroom was closed when the trio got there, though Lily didn't let that stop her as she opened the door and walked in, much to her brother and Scorpius' protests.

Snape looked up from his desk at his granddaughter who looked very much like his Lily and smiled but then frowned. "What's wrong?"

Lily didn't say anything, she just ran into Snape's arms and held onto him tightly.

"Mum and dad are divorcing," Albus explained coming into the room with Scorpius.

Lily looked at her brother and sighed. "It's not that I'm surprised, really. When daddy came back from bringing you to the Hogwarts Express they started fighting and they didn't stop until mummy went to Grandma and Grandpa Weasleys twice. They were trying to be secretive about it but I'm nine-years-old, I'm not stupid."

"I'm so sorry Lily," Albus said with a frown, "you shouldn't have had to deal with that."

Lily shrugged, moving so she was in a more comfortable position on her grandfather's lap. "It's okay Al, now none of us will feel like we're drowning."

***HS***

The next morning both boys were exhausted as they made their way to Herbolgy. Neither of them woke up in time for breakfast, only waking up when Alexander woke them, ten minutes before class, which they were once again, late for.

"Nice of you to join us, boys," Neville said with a shake of his head, "Thirty points from Gryffindor and you'll serve a detention with me tonight. Now, as I was saying my children-"

"See-Pee-Uhs!" Hannah Longbottom shouted running over to where Scorpius was, putting her arms up, "Up!"

Scorpius laughed and picked the little girl up, "Shh, daddies talking." The little girl nodded and looked over at her father.

"-are here because my wife has become ill. So for the next little while, we're going to be working on some relative easy things-" Neville said getting cut off by the student's cheers. "-Yes, yes I understand the excitement. So if everyone would pair up in groups of four and I'll give you the assignment we'll be working on for the next week."

The class was quiet while Neville passed out the papers. Albus who was looking around the greenhouse noticed that the only kids that where there were the twin girls and Alice. The others, Albus assumed, were in preschool. He noticed Hannah cuddled into Scorpius while he was reading the assignment, but all he could think about was his Aunt Luna. He despairingly wanted to talk to Alice or Neville, but Alice was paired up with a group a few feet away.

"Al?" Scorpius asked moving his hand in front of his face, "Are you listening?"

"Sorry," Albus said looking at his best mate with his little cousin in his arms. "Just thinking about Aunt Luna."

"Mummy at Moo-go's tuz she icky. Daddy sayed it bad Dree-goos ox." Hannah said with a sad look.

"Dragon pox?" Scorpius questioned and the young girl nodded quickly putting a smile on her face as she noticed her father bringing around red flower pots.

Albus studied his baby cousin wondering to himself how babies could have something bad happen in their life and still be the same cheerful child. They have a great imagination, he reminded himself making a mental note to try to use his imagination more.

***HS***

"Hey Al," Albus' cousin Victorie said, coming over to where Albus and Scorpius were sitting to in the Common Room.

"Hey Vic," Albus said looking up from his Charms essay, "what's up?"

"I'm organizing a Weasley family and friends sleepover in the room of requirement," Victorie said with a smile, "Teddy came up with it when I first started Hogwarts, naturally it was held in one of our dorm rooms but when Dom and Rox got into Slytherin we had to move it, naturally."

Albus nodded. "Can Scor come?"

Victorie nodded. "Rose won't like it, but it is the Weasley annual friends and family sleepover. He'll have to be screeched in to become an honorary Weasley, though."

"Sounds painful," Scorpius said from the chair across from Albus. "Are you all going to get drunk again?"

Victorie laughed. "Sorry about that Little Snake. Thanks for putting all my baby cousins and my baby brother to bed though."

"Don't mention it," Scorpius shrugged, "so when is this sleepover and who's going to be there?"

***HS***

It was Saturday night and all of the Weasley family and friends were gathered into the Room of Requirement for their sleepover.

"We should screech Scorpius and Megan in to get it over with," Arthur suggested as everyone started making a spot for them all to lie.

"I agree," Fred said with a nod, his best friend Elijah Wood nodding next to him. Of all of the Weasley kids, Fred, like his namesake suggested, was a true prankster and once he started Hogwarts, and met Elijah the pair were in detention every other day. James being added onto the pair once he got to Hogwarts the year after.

"Okay," Victorie agreed rummaging through her bag for the necessary items. When Scorpius saw what Victorie took out he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Victorie smirked and passed both first years a sweater each and put a rubber duck in her hand. "Now, what is the function of a rubber duck?"

"It's a Muggle bath toy," Megan replied, clearly confused. Everyone burst out laughing at the confused expressions on Megan and Scorpius' faces.

"Grandpa is obsessed with them and the sweater is something grandma makes every year," Victorie said with a grin, "Welcome to the family."

***HS***

"I can't believe it," Dominique said with a frown. She was lying down next to Roxanne in a sleeping bag looking at Albus and James as they told there cousins and friends about the divorce. "Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry always seemed so happy."

"They were," James said with a frown, "But things change. Mum said some pretty bad things. I just feel bad for Lily, she's only nine years old."

"You're a good older brother, James," Roxanne said with a smile.

James shrugged. "You should've seen her Roxy, she pretends to be strong, and she wants you to think she's okay with it, but she's torn."

"I can't say I'm sad," Albus said truthfully from the sleeping bag in between Scorpius and James. "I'm not a big fan of mum right now."

"That'll change," Scorpius said looking at his friend, "your mother could be the worse person in the world and you'll still love her."

Albus just looked at his friend for a minute soaking it all in. He was so angry with his mother for the way she acted over Christmas Holiday's that he forgot about Scorpius' situation at home. Albus gave Scorpius a one armed hug and both boys were quiet while the rest of the over larged group conversed about classes and how they had way too much homework.

***HS***

"Guys," Dominique said taking a deep breath, "Roxy and I have something to tell you."

Roxanne held Dominique's hand tightly as the other girl tensed at everyone's stares. "We're... Well.., Dating."

"That much is obvious," Khloe, Dominique and Roxanne's best friend and fellow Slytherin replied with a smile, "Is that all?"

The rest of the group, however, weren't so knowing. "What?" Victorie asked, shocked, "She's your cousin, Domi! And don't even get me started on the fact that she's a girl! You're not gay!"

Dominique looked at her sister with tears in her eyes. "Yes I am, Torie."

"Who cares?" Albus asked with a confused expression on his face, all of his older cousins looking at him in shock. "She's still the same Domi, and she's still the same Roxy. Nothing changed about them."

"Exactly," Khloe said with a smile giving both her best friends a hug.

"Whoever isn't okay with this can get out," Harry said with a nod, "Al's right. They're still our cousins."

"Besides," Scorpius added, "Pureblood families interbreed all the time. It don't affect you, so who cares?"

Dominique and Roxanne both had big smiles on their face and by the end of the night, it didn't even matter that Victorie left.

***HS***

The Easter holidays were fact approaching the students of Hogwarts relevantly fast. Albus, however was nothing but pleased.

"Are you sure you don't wanna stay with me over Easter?" Albus asked Scorpius for what seemed to be the millionth time.

Scorpius sighed. "I'm sure, Al. I have to go home."

Albus went to say something but Scorpius continued, "My father is going to be home, okay? She won't do anything when he's home."

Albus nodded and both boys went back to doing their potions essay. Albus, however, found it almost impossible to concentrate, he had a weird feeling in his gut about Easter and he couldn't shake it. However, he couldn't force his best friend to go home with him; He'd just have to trust him.