A week after the attack, Molly and ARthur hosted a wake after Hannah Abbott's funeral at the Burrow. It was a difficult for Neville who struggled to be strong for his children. Both Evie and Alice cried the entire time, but the entire crowd nearly bursted into tears when Gus broke away from Neville's grasp and knocked on the coffin while asking for his mother to wake up. That moment caused Neville to collapse to the ground from all of the emotions that he had stifled that day.
The grandchildren, the Scamander twins, and the Longbottom children ate their lunch in the kitchen while the adults ate in the living room. Arthur sat in one wing chair while Neville sat in the other with Frankie in his lap. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny sat on the couch, with Ginny holding a swaddled one-week-old Ruby Granger-Weasley. Harry sat on the stone landing of the fireplace and Luna sat on the floor next to him.
"Here we are," said Molly placing the food on the table in the middle of the room. "This should hold everyone over until dinner - oh, Ronnie, don't get up dear!"
"Mum have a seat," said Ron going over to the fireplace to sit next to Harry. "Go see your new granddaughter."
"If you insist," said Molly cheekily as she sat down next to Ginny.
"You cooked a good one, 'Mione," said Ginny. "She's gorgeous!"
"Definitely a Weasley," said Neville as he tried to feed a restless and squirming Frankie.
"How's Scorpius doing?" asked Luna.
"Not well," said Ron. "He keeps to himself, even Rosie has trouble reaching him."
"Poor boy," sighed Ginny, handing Ruby over to Molly. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Give him time," said Harry. "The kid saw his father die, he's still probably processing it."
Scorpius attended the funeral as most of the guests were allies of the Potters and Weasleys. Afterwards, he asked Ron and Hermione if he could walk towards the River Otter with Rose and Albus. Although Hermione was hesitant, Ron knew that Albus and Rose would watch over him and agreed to let them walk to the river.
Hannah Abbott's funeral was the second funeral Scorpius attended since the battle. With help from their families, Rose and Albus arranged a small, private ceremony for Draco at the Malfoy family plot in Wiltshire. Unlike the beautiful sunny day for Hannah's funeral, Draco's memorial occurred on a rainy day. Despite the weather, the funeral brought Scorpius some peace knowing that his father fought like a hero and died doing the right thing.
Scorpius had been the first to reach the top of the hill with Rose and Albus purposefully trailing back to give him some space. As Rose and Albus stood back, Scorpius continued to stare off into the skyline thinking over the past week, his present state of mind, and his future plans. The death of his father sparked something in Scorpius. Just as Draco was driven to redeem the Malfoy family, Scorpius wanted to end the war and stop the violence once and for all.
"Scorpius?" asked Rose. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm not going back," said Scorpius with his back to Rose and Al.
"To school?" asked Rose. her voice sounding sad. Scorpius turned solemnly towards Rose and slowly nodded his head to confirm her worst suspicion.
"Why?" asked Al confused by this revelation.
"Because I don't belong there," replied Scorpius.
"Yes you do!" argued Rose. "Do you know how many Slytherins depend on you, Scorpius? You are needed there right now!"
"Other Slytherins can do that," said Scorpius. "And plenty of Potters and Weasleys."
"Scorpius," began Rose trying to change his mind.
"I've been thinking lately about this war, and what I can do to stop it," said Scorpius.
"What are you on about?" asked Al.
Just then, Scorpius reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a little leather book worn from age and decay with a Basilisk on the cover. Immediately, Rose and Al recognized the book as the book they discovered during their third year. Although they agreed to hide the book in the Restricted Section, the cunning Scorpius Malfoy clearly had other plans.
"No way," laughed Al in disbelief. "You're completely mad!"
"Scorpius!" admonished Rose. "Did you really knick a book from the forbidden section?"
"Not just any book," said Scorpius gingerly thumbing through the pages.
"No, of course it's not just any book," said Rose shaking her head. "It's only the notebook of Salazar Slytherin! How could you steal it, Scorpius? That's illegal!"
"I'm borrowing it, Rose," retorted Scorpius. "It'll go back to Hogwarts after I'm done using it."
"What do you mean by 'using it'?" asked Al.
Scorpius was silent for a bit before answering the question.
"We know the founders used the school as a laboratory to find a way to remove magic" asked Scorpius. "Well, what if we finished what they started? If we can remove the magic from Charmer, then maybe we can stop him and his followers..."
"Did you say, "we"?" asked Rose.
"Yes, we," said Scorpius. "I can't do this alone. So, if you're in, let's finish what they started. What do you say?"
Rose and Albus stared blankly at Scorpius from the in shock at hearing his plan of action. Although neither could deny that Scorpius was intelligent, Salazar Slytherin and his co-founders were extraordinarily powerful legendary wizards, whereas Scorpius had only obtained his Apparition license two months earlier.
After some hesitation, Albus walked over to Scorpius and stood next to him. That left Rose still standing in her spot, unsure whether to stay at Hogwarts or go into the unknown with the boys.
"Are you in, Rosie?" asked Scorpius.