Unfinished Business: Shattered Pieces

DISCLAIMER: Look at first chapter.
WARNING: Look at first chapter.

Need Vs Want

Over the weekend that saw Ravenclaw's defeat by Slytherin, the students were heard talking about only one thing. Finding out that the Ravenclaw team had tried to use emotional warfare to secure their path towards the Quidditch Cup had sent shockwaves running rampant throughout the school. This backward approach to winning the cup had people's stomach turning with disgust for the Ravenclaw team. The ones involved could barely show their faces without fellow students shaking their head in shame. Even their own house kept their distance.

The only one that had been spared this humiliation had been the main orchestrator himself, Hector McLaggen. When Monday had rolled around and McLaggen was still nowhere to be found, rumors started spreading. Some assumed that he was hiding away, hoping that when he returned, no one would care about what he had done. Others thought that his father had taken him out of school to avoid the embarrassment to the family name. A few, mostly BJ, hoped that he had been expelled for what he had done.

By the time the Hogsmeade weekend arrived, few cared.

"I could care less what happened to that vulture," BJ said as he got ready for his date that morning. "As long as he doesn't go near James again, I'm happy."

"I'm proud of you, James," Molly said as she lounged on her cousin's bed since the common room was packed with students getting ready for breakfast.

"Alert Rita Skeeter. The apocalypse is here," James joked as he sat beside her.

"I'm serious," she said as she sat up. "I see how much you're warming up to Zabini. You're even going on a date with him."

"I suppose that rose had something to do with it," Dominique said as she gazed at the glistening flower. "I love how it repeats the poem."

"Yes. It's very impressive," Frank said. "I asked Zabini how he did it, but he wouldn't tell me," he said, looking slightly forlorn.

"Okay, it's all very impressive," James said as he got up from his bed, "but I'm starting to get a little hungry, so can we please stop gawking at my gift and go already."

"I guess someone's eager to start his date," Dominique teased.

Rolling his eyes at his friends, James left the room, unwilling to wait for them any longer. He was already starting to get nervous about his date. He didn't need his friends adding to it. It was now that he realized what Molly and Frank had gone through when they started dating.

Luckily for them, they had been friends before that and knew what to expect from each other. James on the other hand had no idea what to expect, even though he had known BJ and had been best friends with him in another reality.

Speaking of BJ, as James was nearing the Great Hall, he spotted the Slytherin lounging against the wall by the tall doors. It was obvious that the other boy had been waiting for him since BJ stood up the moment he saw James.

"How long have you been standing there?" James asked as when he stood beside Zabini.

"Not long," he shrugged before taking James' hand.

A moment of shock caught James off guard at the thought of walking into the Great Hall hand-in-hand with the Slytherin. Now he had done this before with McLaggen when they were dating. But James hadn't liked that either. The first time it had happened, it felt like the whole school was watching them, gawking at them. It wasn't far of an exaggeration, but it was close enough that he didn't like the feeling.

When Zabini suddenly turned, pulling them away from the Great Hall, however, James got confused.

"But I thought-" James said as he pointed to the Great Hall.

"I didn't think you wanted to go inside and have everyone gawking at us," BJ said as they headed down the hall. "Don't worry. We can grab something to eat in the kitchen along the way."

Nodding his head in agreement, James followed Zabini down the stairs to the basement where the kitchens were, but not before catching sight of his friends and waving goodbye.

Getting to the kitchens and grabbing something to eat from the elves had been a longer task them planned. The house-elves tended to dote on any student that came to their kitchens. Being a mischievous teen, James had snuck in there often and so had plenty of interactions with them. After filling their bellies, James grabbed a few more apples, placing them in a pouch his aunt had given him, and said goodbye to the elves for the teens finally left.

"Now where are we going?" James said as he was taken down an unfamiliar hallway.

At least, it was unfamiliar at first, until he noticed that the long corridor they were walking along was made of stone and looked rather gloomy.

"Why are we in the Dungeons?" James asked.

"It's a surprise," BJ smiled when he turned to James. "Trust me. You'll love it," he added at the uncertain look James had.

Letting Zabini lead, James followed the Slytherin down one hall and a flight of stairs before walking down another part of the dungeon. When they suddenly stopped in front of a large stone wall, Zabini turned to James.

"I take it you know where we are," BJ smirked.

Indeed, James knew where they were. He believed that no true Marauder could attend school at Hogwarts and not know where the Slytherin dungeons were. But instead of saying that, James simply smiled at the other boy.

"I haven't the foggiest," he shrugged unconvincingly.

Scoffing, unconvinced, BJ turned to the stone wall and hissed at it. James, who hadn't been expecting that, was equally surprised when the stone wall moved aside and revealed a long, clear tube that looked to be submerged inside the lake.

"You can speak Parseltongue?" James asked, surprised as they stood before the large hole.

"No, but I know what it should sound like," BJ said before taking James hand again and leading him inside.

As soon as they passed the threshold, the stone wall moved back in place, locking them inside the tube.

"Where are we exactly? What happened to your common room?" James asked, fascinated as he looked up and saw the giant Squid passing over his head.

"I thought you didn't know where we were," BJ joked to which James rolled his eyes. "My common room is right where it's supposed to be. This corridor only connects to our entry way if you know how to speak Parseltongue, or know how to imitate it."

James only vaguely listened to BJ explaining what had happened. He was too captivated in his surrounding to pay complete attention to the other boy. Instead, he held onto BJ's arm so as not to get lost while his fascination took hold, something BJ was more than happy to accommodate.

As they walked further down the glass corridor, several grindylows swam by, some even stayed to get a closer look at the two boys. After the first one suddenly started knowing on the wall, as a vain attempt to get to them, other started to take notice. A few more followed the first, and then a few more until the space on either side and above them was surrounded by the little creatures.

"They can't break through, can they?" James asked as he unconsciously tightened his hold on BJ's arm.

"Not as far as I know," BJ replied nonchalantly, causing James to turn to him in surprise.

Suddenly, the grindylows started spinning away from them as if they had been spooked. When enough had vanished from the walls, the two boys could see several merpeople shooing the little creatures away. As the grindylows were all fleeing since they were now being chased, one of the merpeople stayed by the wall, surveying the newcomers.

It was so close, James and BJ could see its grayish skin colour, decorated by a think rope of pebbles around its neck, mostly hidden behind its long, wild dark green hair. It stared at them, as they stared at it, with its yellow curious eyes. When James took a step closer, it suddenly back away as if spooked. Then it hissed at them, showing off its yellow broken teeth, before swimming away to follow the others.

James and BJ turned to each other then.

"That … was awesome," James smiled in awe, his eyes big and bright with what he had just seen.

"I aim to please," BJ smiled back before taking the boy's hand in his own again.

As BJ and James continued on their date, McLaggen was being led into a large family room by a small house-elf.

"If you'll just wait here," the house-elf bowed before disappearing.

After the house-elf left him alone, McLaggen noticed several bottles of alcohol on a small table off to the side. Deciding to help himself while he waited, McLaggen opened one of the bottles of Firewhiskey and poured himself a generous amount. As he savoured the burning along his throat, the door to the lounge opened and Astoria walked inside with a curious expression on her face.

"Mr. McLaggen, what can I do for you today?" Astoria asked as she walked into the room.

"For starters," he said as he took another sip of his drink, "you can tell me how you cast this brilliant spell over the wizarding world."

"Pardon me? What are you on about?"

"Don't give me that coy act. I know for a fact that you cast this spell, making the world believe that you married into the Malfoy family," he said as he watched her head over to the liquor table to help herself to something to drink. "Contrary to Potter's abilities, all I needed to do to find out the truth was hit you at your weakest spot," he said as he came up behind her. "And we both know what … or should I say who … your weakest spot is," he whispered in her ear.

"What did you do to him?" Astoria demanded furiously as she spun around.

"Nothing a few days away from school can't cure, or a few weeks depending on how forgiving his classmates are," McLaggen smirked. At the confused look Astoria gave him, he continued. "Let's just say that our son has been a very bad boy at school. He might have ended up in Ravenclaw, but I'm starting to think the hat should have placed him in Slytherin," he said and caught the moment when realization hit her. "So I take it that you knew about his plot. Well, thanks to me, so does the rest of the school."

"How could you … to your own son?" Astoria asked in shock.

"I warned him that he wouldn't be happy if he didn't tell me what I wanted to know. He didn't believe me, or he believed that I wouldn't go after him in order to get what I want," he explained as he took another sip of his drink. "He knows better now."

"And what is it that you want?" Astoria asked as she looked at him scathingly.

"What I've always wanted," McLaggen smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes and gave Astoria a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'll go get us something to drink," BJ said as he and James walked into The Three Broomsticks.

James nodded and went in search of somewhere to sit. As BJ waited for their drinks, he noticed that James had found somewhere to sit. From his animated movements and his friends' expressions of awe, the Slytherin could tell that the other boy was retelling his trip through the glassed corridor to his friends.

After getting their drinks, BJ headed over to the table just as James was finishing his story.

"… and I swear to you the squid waved to us," James laughed excitedly. "Thank you," he smiled as he took his drink from the Slytherin.

"You're welcome," BJ smiled back, sliding down into the seat beside the Gryffindor.

"That corridor sounds absolutely fascinating," Molly said in awe.

"Oh, it is," James nodded with enthusiasm.

"You wouldn't mind taking us through there, would you?" Frank asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Frank's been fascinated by the lake ever since my dad told him about when he was in the Triwizard Tournament," James explained. "And Molly's fascinated by anything that most people don't know about."

"Maybe some other time," BJ smirked. "During our next Hogsmeade trip perhaps."

"I'll hold you to it," Frank promised.

As BJ sat with James and his friends, he couldn't help but jump up and down in glee. His date was going better than he thought possible. After he had found that secret passageway, he knew it would be the perfect setting for a date with James. Being the son of Harry Potter, BJ knew James would enjoy a more thrilling setting as opposed to a romantic one, which was why he had stayed far away from Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

BJ wanted this date to go well, he didn't know when, or even if, he was going to get another chance. Luckily for him, he and James had similar tastes, though James' reaction to them seemed to be an amplified version of his own. BJ wasn't complaining though. The better a time James has on this date, the better chances BJ had of getting another one.

Silence filled the room as Harry sat in his best friends' living room. He wore his maternity shirt that day since he was coming here. He wanted to ease his friends into the truth. He didn't know when this cures would be lifted, but he knew he didn't want to keep his friends in the dark any longer.

Harry rested his hand on his stomach as the baby kicked, unknowingly giving him support as he told his long-time friends about everything. Lily was in the other room, playing with Hugo, while Draco was off somewhere else with his friends, so this was all the support he could cling to right now.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked, a look of complete shock on his face. "You and Malfoy? What about my sister?"

Harry subconsciously rubbed his stomach, unsure of how to answer. "She knows about everything. She's with the father of her baby now. Apparently, they got married right before this spell was cast."

"So you know who she's married to then? Do I like him?"

"Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as she spoke for the first time since Harry laid the truth out for them.

"It's Dennis."

"Dennis?" They both said at the same time, apparently equally shocked at the news. They turned to each other with equal shock before a look of acceptance washed over them.

"So he knows everything as well?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I was able to convince Kingsley that I needed help with this case. He said he would only allow me to turn one person so I chose him. Ginny needed him. Even with this spell, she still loved him."

"That's good," she said, placing her hand on her chest in relief. "I'm glad she's happy."

Suddenly, Ron shook his head as if to clear it. "But you and Draco though," he said with utter confusion on his face.

Harry shook his head in disbelief. Though Ron and Draco had gotten over their animosity towards each other, even in the reality Astoria had created, Harry was not surprised with his friend's reaction.

"You're happy though, right?" Ron asked when he got over the shock of everything. "Bar this curse and the things you've had to keep hidden, you are happy, right?"

"Very," Harry smiled.

"Well of course he is, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I mean he's practically glowing."

They both turned to Hermione. Harry had yet to tell them about being pregnant. He wanted to ease into everything bit by bit, even though he was unsure about how to broach this particular subject. Leave it to Hermione though, to figure it out on her own and break the ice for him.

"You're pregnant?" Ron asked, his mouth agape. "Are you a Carrier?"

"Yes."

"How far along are you?" Hermione beamed, getting straight to the important questions.

"Almost 28 weeks."

"Can I see?"

Putting his hand on his stomach, Harry paused. When he glanced at Ron and saw the curiosity on his face, Harry pulled up his shirt. The moment the charms surrounding his swollen stomach were taken away and the full extent of his pregnancy was revealed to his friends, Hermione gushed before coming over to sit beside him.

"May I?" Hermione asked as she raised her hand over his exposed stomach. With a nod from Harry, she rested her hand on his stomach before gushing.

"So James, Albus and Lily … you gave birth to all three of them?" Ron asked.

"And Scorpius. He and Albus are actually twins."

"Do they know about all of this?"

"It's funny you should ask that…"

Harry felt a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders as he talked to his friends. His mind absently drifted off to Draco, knowing that the blonde was having a similar conversation with his best friends, Pansy and Blaise.

"So James is actually your son then, and he and BJ have been friends since they were babies?" Pansy asked as she sat with her husband in Draco's the study, a glass of wine in her hand.

"Is that really all you're focused on?" Draco asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'm not surprised," Blaise shrugged his shoulders after taking a sip of his own wine. "She's been going on none stop about them since Christmas."

"Can you blame a mother for wanting her son to be happy?"

"No, I can't, because I'm the same way with James."

"So then you wouldn't have any objections if we draw up a marriage contract for their inevitable union," she said, getting down to business. "We both know where this will lead," she added at their exasperated faces. "BJ won't be happy with anyone other than James and would do anything for your son."

"Looking back on everything now, I know that BJ would do anything for James, but my son just isn't there yet. Never mind the fact that I would have to convince Harry as well. That's going to be a major feat in and of itself since he wasn't raised the way we were. He doesn't understand this aspect of our world."

"I understand, but for right now, there's no harm is just talking about it, is there?" Pansy said, trying to placate her friend.

"Let's be honest," Draco said before taking a sip of his wine. "You and I both know that's a loaded question coming from you."

At the sly smile forming on his friend's face, Draco silently wondered what he had gotten himself into.

"I was hoping we could to do this again," Blaise said as he and James stood by the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Stranger things have happened," James shrugged cryptically.

James chuckled to himself at the hopeful look in the other boy's eyes, though the Slytherin tried to hide it. At the beginning of the year, if someone had told him that he would willing go on a date with Blaise, he would have hexed them. Much to his surprise, however, James not only went on the date with the Slytherin, he actually enjoyed it. So much so in fact that, before he could lose his nerve, James leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Blaise's lips. Then, before the Slytherin could fully comprehend the motion, James backed away and disappeared behind the Fat Lady.

As the Fat Lady cooed at the adorable display, Blaise gently touched his lips. Even though it had not been their first kiss, nor their longest, this was the first kiss that James had initiated. It was a sign. A sign that Blaise was winning the Gryffindor over. After months of pinning after the rambunctious teen, James was finally noticing him, and as more than just a nuisance. That reason alone had Blaise in a daze for the entire walk from the Gryffindor Tower to the Slytherin Dungeon.

End of Chapter: Need Vs Want