"This… is probably not a good idea," Scorpius faltered.

Teddy harrumphed as he pulled his cousin forward. "She won't bite, if that's what you're worried about," he muttered.

They were in Andromeda Tonks' house. Scorpius had never met his great aunt before and Teddy seemed to take it upon himself to introduce them. He hadn't told his grandmother anything other than that he had a surprise for her. Scorpius wasn't sure he was much of a surprise.

"Ready, Grandma?" he called out.

"Just come in here, Teddy. I don't have all day."

Teddy grinned at Scorpius as his eyes glinted with mischief. "Here we go," he exclaimed before throwing the door open grandly and pushing Scorpius inside.

Andromeda appeared startled at the sudden intrusion. She was in the kitchen with a bowl in one hand, spoon in the other and a floury apron around her. She glanced over Scorpius' shoulder when Teddy walked in with a winning smile. "What's going on?" she asked while smiling faintly.

"This is your one and only great-nephew! Scorpius!"

Scorpius attempted a pathetic smile while Andromeda's jaw dropped.

"Awesome, huh?" Teddy urged as he threw an arm around Scorpius.

"My goodness," Andromeda exhaled, bringing a hand up to her chest. "Don't spring things like that on me, Teddy."

"But he's not scary at all. He's actually quite tame."

Scorpius scowled at Teddy. Really, that man never seemed to grow up.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Andromeda said graciously while putting the bowl down and brushing her hands clean. "He really has a strange set of manners. I'm sure you know that already."

"It's good to meet you, Mrs. Tonks," Scorpius managed to say.

"And you too," Andromeda smiled. "Teddy lets me read some of your letters."

Teddy tutted. "That was our little secret, Grandma."

Scorpius simply blushed. "Oh… I didn't know that."

So, while things were going swimmingly in the Tonks household, the Potters had an entirely different story to tell.

"What?"

Harry cringed inwardly as he attempted to maintain an innocent façade. He had only just gotten to the part about Theo. That was the first part. The expression on his wife's face evidently showed that she would not have the patience to listen to the second, third, fourth or fifth part of the story.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Thankfully, both she and Harry were what you would call 'talkers'. They talked their way through their disagreements. But usually they talked with a bottle of wine between them. That night, they had nothing but a bunch of suitcases between them from Ginny's recent trip to Russia.

They were standing on either side of their king-size bed, staring at each other.

"I knew how you felt about the Malfoys," Harry confessed.

"How would you know how I felt if you didn't even ask me?"

"I'm sorry."

Ginny let out a slow stream of air through pursed lips. Then she pulled her hair back and tied it into a messy bun. "Keep going."

Harry hesitated for a moment before dropping his eyes to the open bag in front of him. He sifted through the folded clothes as he continued. "He was just worried about Malfoy's son. So I decided to help them out." He knew that bringing in the 'son' card early might earn him a few points in Ginny's book. "His name's Scorpius. He's the same age as James…"

"Is that relevant?"

Harry bit his tongue, then regrouped. "He was around seven or eight at the time. Theo and Astoria were worried about a lot of things. That included Scorpius' education." He glanced up at his wife. "You would have done the same thing, right? You would have helped them too, wouldn't you? It's not fair for him to struggle because of the things his father did."

"So you helped them relocate?"

"Yes."

"How long did that take?"

Harry sighed in defeat and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Two… two years or so," he mumbled.

"For heaven's sake, Harry-"

"I had to hide it, Ginny," he rushed to say. "I'm so sorry. I should have said something to you. I was… I wasn't sure if you would stop me or report me or… I don't know. I was just scared for them, that's all."

"You hid this from me!"

"I know."

Ginny swallowed down the rest of her words when she heard the tremor in Harry's voice. Truth be told, she could care less where the Malfoys ended up. What pissed her off was that her husband had concealed this from her for years now. She took another breath to calm herself down before walking around the bed and standing in front of Harry.

He reached out and pulled her forward, hugging her waist and pressing his cheek against her stomach. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked.

Harry tilted his head up to look at Ginny. "They're back," he told her. "We ran into them last Thursday at dinner and… the kids know."

"I see."

"You're mad at me."

"Yes, I am."

Harry hugged her tighter still. "I love you?"

Ginny frowned.

Harry pouted and turned his head to press his cheek against her again. "Teddy knew," he murmured. "He was so excited to meet his family."

Ginny gasped suddenly, causing Harry to jerk and pull back. She had a hand pressed to her mouth and her eyes open in sudden revelation.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She smacked herself over the head. "Of course! That makes so much sense!" she exclaimed. "That's why he got into all those fights at school!"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um… yeah. He doesn't really sit back when people badmouth the Malfoys," he mumbled.

"Harry," Ginny tsked. "I hope Andy knew about this."

"Yes, of course."

She looked down at him while shaking her head in disappointment. "And you have never done anything like that since?" she inquired.

"I've told you everything else."

"And was it worth it?"

Harry smiled and nodded.

Ginny plopped down next to Harry to sulk. "You know I'm a big softy," she grumbled. "I can't stay mad at you for too long."

"I know," Harry hummed. He leaned against her and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Love you."

"Hermione's going to murder you."

"Yeah, she is."

The next morning, Albus was interrupted from his reading when the door to his room opened a crack. Ginny poked her head in and roved her eyes over the mess before resting her smile on her youngest son. He nodded at her to come in.

She settled down next to him and handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "Thank you," Albus said as he took it from her.

"How have you been, sweetheart?"

"Fine," Albus smiled, ducking his head when she kissed his forehead.

Yes, there was no denying who Ginny's favorite was. She always felt the need to take Albus under her wing since he was such a quiet and shy boy unlike his siblings. While Lily and James were more than capable of handling themselves, Albus was always, at least in her eyes, her little angel. He didn't complain, so she had yet to stop coddling him.

"Did you talk to Dad?" he asked.

"Are we both thinking about the same thing?"

"Maybe… not?"

Ginny laughed. "Yes, we've talked it over. We're fine, okay? You don't have to worry about anything," she reassured him.

"That's what Dad said," Albus muttered. He nestled against Ginny with the mug held in both hands. "Are you mad at him?"

"Just a bit."

"Don't be," he said sagely. "I met Mr. Malfoy and his son last week. They are both very courteous people. It is wrong to victimize them."

"Indeed," Ginny agreed. "But old habits are hard to break, right? I have known Mr. Malfoy all through his school years and… let's just say that he left a lot to be desired. It's his upbringing, of course."

"And you shouldn't be angry with Dad for overlooking that," he concluded firmly. "He was the bigger man here. It's plain as day."

"Of course I know that," she seceded. "I just happen to dislike that… awfully selfless part of him." She sighed loudly. "And I also happen to love it very much."

"Dad's pretty cool, huh? Sometimes."

"Sometimes."

That night, when Ginny brought up the idea of inviting the Malfoys over for dinner, Harry was both taken aback and pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, you don't have to," he emphasized. "We aren't obliged to do anything of that sort."

"I want to," she explained. "I want to meet them, see if he's really changed and all."

"It's so sweet of you to suggest, love," he murmured. "But I don't think they can accept, alright?"

She pursed her lips but didn't argue further.

A minute later, Harry caved, as he often did. "We can invite Scorpius. How's that? That won't be awkward for anyone," he offered.

"Sounds good."


"So, the only thing you've got to remember about Ginny is that she loves Quidditch," Teddy told Scorpius.

"That's just great," Scorpius mumbled nervously. He knew next to nothing about that sport. "She's going to hate me."

"I think she's going to be floored by how unlike your father you are."

"That's mean."

Teddy winked at his cousin. "Shall we?" He gestured towards the front door of the Potter residence.

The house was a model home, exactly what Scorpius would have expected from the Boy-Who-Lived. It was warm, filled with rich undertones and a few tacky curios, smelt of books, broomsticks and cooking, and far-off jazz music played from somewhere deeper inside the home.

"We're here," Teddy called out as he kicked off his shoes and hung his jacket. Scorpius followed suit with less enthusiasm, making sure his shirt was still tucked into his trousers and that his hair wasn't sticking up in odd places. Teddy led him to the living room where Scorpius was immensely relieved to find Harry.

"Hello," Harry grinned as he straightened up. He seemed to have been stoking the fireplace. "Thank you for coming."

"It's fine. Thank you for inviting me," Scorpius said before he nervously sat down on the edge of the couch beside Teddy.

"No need to be shy," Harry mock whispered. "She doesn't breathe fire."

Scorpius blushed while Teddy laughed heartily. "That's what I told him! He won't believe me."

James strolled in right then, waving casually at the guests. "Should I have dressed up?" he asked as he eyed Scorpius' attire.

"He's dressed to impress," Teddy teased.

Scorpius groaned and dropped his face in his hands.

The door to the dining room swung open to reveal Albus who asked, "Mum wants to know if…" and then trailed off when he noticed that Scorpius and Teddy were there already. "Oh. Hello. I didn't know you were here already."

Harry got up from his perch on the chair. "You keep Scorpius company, Al," he said as he made his way to the dining room. "I'll help Mum."

A few minutes later, the table was laid out. Dinner was a polite and quick affair. There wasn't much conversation. Everyone was busy eating and trying not to stare at new faces. Ginny was impressed with Scorpius, although she didn't show it. The young man had good manners and a pleasant smile. She could understand why Harry had melted at the sight of him all those years ago. He was just an innocent child, after all.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room for coffee and dessert. That was when the real conversations started.

"Harry tells me you are studying Muggle law," Ginny remarked. "That is very ambitious of you."

Scorpius shrugged modestly. "I have always been interested in those aspects of law. I find Wizarding law a bit primitive, I suppose. Muggle law is fascinating," he said. "I hope to work with both parties."

"Of course."

"He was always a smart one," Teddy boasted as though he was talking about his own son. "He'd steal my wand, you know? He'd pretend to make up new spells. None of them worked. But he did manage to nearly blow a hole through the roof."

"Well, I didn't realize it was dangerous," Scorpius hurried to explain. Out of courtesy, he didn't tell them that Teddy had encouraged him half of those times.

Harry laughed at the mild squabble. "To be fair, James was that way too," he reminisced. "He would have flown off on my broomstick if it wasn't locked away."

"I think that's what nearly all the Weasley brats would do," Teddy guffawed. "It's like their inhibitions are shot."

"Hey," Ginny pretended to be offended. "You can't blame my bloodline for it. Kids will be kids." Then she smiled fondly at Albus. "Now that is one boy who couldn't have been more of an angel."

James and Lily pulled a face at their brother while the object of everyone's attention blushed brightly and tried to disappear into his chair. Scorpius attempted to hide his amusement behind his coffee.

"I'm afraid I'd have to agree with Ginny there," Teddy said with a big nod. "Then again, when you've got Lily and James around," he added for Scorpius' benefit, "Albus will seem like a godsend. I'm not exaggerating." He received glares for the comment.

As the night went along, the Potter's thoughts of Scorpius became rather apparent. Harry had yet to stop smiling, seeming like a proud uncle. Ginny kept nodding every once in a while when Scorpius said something impressive, like how he had been a prefect at his school and won medals for academics over the years. Teddy was obviously fond of the young Malfoy, practically parading him and his achievements. James was still trying to make up his mind and wouldn't stop asking questions about North America. Lily was struck with an awful case of love sickness when Scorpius turned a brilliant smile her way. And Albus was too caught up in his bowl of pudding to do anything more than glance up from his plate mutely whenever a statement was directed his way. Scorpius wasn't eaten alive after all.

In fact, he learnt a whole lot of things about the Potters at that day. They were just as perfect as they seemed, inside and out. All three children were incredibly intelligent and had a good future ahead of them, no matter what they chose to do. Ginny's career was still going strong with the Prophet and Harry was at the prime of his life, leading the most powerful team in Britain. Scorpius was a little jealous and very amazed that such a family could exist outside his imagination.

Once dessert had been consumed, Teddy insisted on showing Scorpius Sirius' motorcycle that was now James' possession. The adults hung back to clean up while Teddy tugged Scorpius along to the back of the house where the black motorcycle stood against the wall. "It was supposed to be my inheritance, you know?" he commented with an affected sniff.

James smiled smugly as he patted the seat of his trusty vehicle. He loved the old thing. She was the envy of all his friends and the golden ticket in getting a date with a gorgeous girl. He used it to his full advantage. "Wanna ride it?" he offered Scorpius, who stepped back with his eyes wide open. Teddy, on the other hand, was already halfway on the motorcycle. "Oi! Not you!" James exclaimed.

"He doesn't want to, so it's okay," Teddy reasoned without basis. The bike started with an angry roar. Teddy grinned big when his chest started thrumming. James could do nothing but yell as his motorcycle took off down the alleyway.

Scorpius' jaw dropped with Teddy whirred the thrusters. The motorcycle lifted off the ground jerkily and flew off into the distance faster than ever.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Lily murmured as she sidled up to Scorpius. "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?"

"Never," Scorpius gawked. "That's amazing."

James heard that. He turned around to grin at Scorpius again. "I know," he said, as though he was boasting about a personal accomplishment. "Dad taught me when Mum wasn't around. She would've thrown a fit."

"He taught me too," Lily quipped, not wanting to be outdone by her older brother.

"I'm pretty sure my mother would throw a fit as well," Scorpius laughed. "You should have seen her face when I first got on a broomstick." He flicked his eyes at Albus, who was staring up at the distant speck in the sky. "Do you fly as well, Albus?" Al responded with a silent shake of his head.

"He's not the adventurous type," Lily whispered theatrically. "I know. It's hard to imagine."

Albus ignored his sister while pushing his glasses up his nose. "I don't want to ride on an opportunity to break my neck," he grumbled. "Nothing about adventure. I value my limbs."

Scorpius chuckled again. That was the first time he had heard Al speak. "We think alike, you and I. Adrenaline is not my friend," he confessed, shrugging apologetically as he said it.

"Oh, you know what?" James suddenly chimed in. "Al, you should show him your room! I'm sure he'd appreciate it way more than my motorcycle. You're both nerds and all."

"Hey," Scorpius frowned.

"What? It's true."

Albus shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't want to refuse outright because it would not do to be rude to a guest. But he didn't like showing people his room. James and Lily loved to do it for him, though. They always brought all their friends over so they could ogle at it like it was some fascinating piece of work. He could never say no. It was his curse.

Upon reaching the doorway to his room, he was having second, third, and fourth thoughts. "Actually," he hesitated while turning around, "it's not that interesting."

"Oh, come on," Scorpius urged. "Please?"

Albus thought about it for a bit. Scorpius had a very genuine expression on. Despite his misgivings, he slumped and opened the door to let Scorpius in.

Scorpius' amazed gasp was not faked in any way. He was astounded by the sheer size of the room. On top of that, the walls were filled with books and curios, the floor was littered with parchment and it smelt of dust and ink. "No way," he gushed. "This is incredible!"

"Not really," Albus mumbled. "It's just my room. It's nothing."

"No, it's really cool! Look at all this stuff!" Scorpius walked up to one of the shelves, running his fingers over the spines. "Have you really read all of this?"

"No… I just like to buy them," Albus confessed. "Maybe someday."

"Yeah, for sure!"

Albus stood uncomfortably by the doorway while Scorpius moved from one shelf to the next. The youngest Potter was used to this. Everyone seemed to think his room was an oddity. He didn't mind. He knew it was a strange place. But it was his room and his mother had said that he could do whatever he wanted to it. "So, do you like to read?" he asked lamely.

"Not like you do," Scorpius responded with a modest smile. "But yes. Fiction. It's just an escape from reality, right?"

"I know."

He flicked his eyes at Albus and his lips quirked up in a sly smirk. "You're writing a book, aren't you?"

Albus blushed suddenly. He hadn't been expecting that. "It's nothing," he divulged. "I've started so many but I can't ever finish a single one. I don't like to end stories, I suppose."

"Gosh, you're so…" Scorpius scrambled for the right word as he turned to face Albus fully. "So… tortured, right?"

Albus snorted in derision. "If you say so. I'm not one to argue." He crossed his arms against his chest when Scorpius neared his desk. He wanted to tell Malfoy to lay off and not stare at the scrolls of parchment he had scribbled on. He bit his tongue instead, cringing when Scorpius leaned in to read one of his passages. He didn't like letting people read his work, not unless it was his mother. Scorpius hummed absently after he finished reading the little excerpt. Al heard him mumbled, "Tortured," once again. So what if he wrote like a tortured artist? There was nothing wrong with it.

"Do you let people borrow books?"

Albus shrugged. "No one ever asks. Not really. Except my family, I mean," he answered.

"Will you let me?"

"Sure."

"I won't ruin them."

"I know."

The boys looked back when there was a knock at the open door. Harry was leaning against the doorjamb with a vague smile. "Incredible room, isn't it?" he asked Scorpius.

"I was just telling him that," Scorpius beamed. "You're quite indulgent."

"What can I say?" Harry shrugged modestly. "He never asks for anything so I figured I'd at least give him this."

"I'm right here," Albus mumbled under his breath. Everyone always talked like he wasn't around.

"Anyway," Harry continued, glancing at his watch, "I don't mean to rush you but I've got to hit the bed. I have an early morning."

"Oh!" Scorpius exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up, Harry. Um, I'll just get Teddy-"

"No, no," Harry laughed with a nonchalant wave. "I just wanted to say goodnight. You guys can stay for as long as you want. It's barely nine, after all."

Scorpius glanced at Albus hesitantly. "I-um… Al, could you lend me your favorite book, then?" he asked. Albus blinked and then nodded. Scorpius smiled and gave him a grateful nod. "I'll be right back. I just need to talk to Harry for a second."

"Okay," the younger boy said as he turned towards his bookshelf.

Harry led the way out into the hall and Scorpius followed, gently pulling the door close behind him. "I… wanted to thank you for dinner," he faltered.

"Did you really?" Harry prodded.

Scorpius chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck with some embarrassment. "You have wonderful children," he said. "Just like I had imagined them to be."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "It's nothing. I'm still finding it so hard to believe that I'm here, you know? After all these years, it's incredible."

"You don't want to go back, do you?" Harry gathered, arching a brow.

Scorpius swallowed hard and paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course not. Everyone's here. Dad's friends, his home, Mom's family, you, Teddy. I don't want to go back," he confessed. "There's so much more here."

"What about your friends in the States?"

Scorpius shrugged vaguely. "I was never any good at that," he murmured.

"I see."

The young Malfoy sighed suddenly and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I-" he broke off and shook his head again. "Sorry. I was just thinking out loud."

"Hey," Harry interjected, resting a hand on Scorpius' arm and making him look up. "It's okay to think out loud. You can always tell me what you think. You've always told me what you think in your letters."

"It's so much harder when you're right here," Scorpius said with a shaky laugh.

Harry tsked as he pulled Scorpius into a hug. "You worry way too much," he chided. "Is this something to be scared about? Hmm? Stay here if you'd like to. Study here if you want. You're too young to be worried about things like this."

"I'm not scared," Scorpius lied as he hid his face against Harry's shoulder. He was struck with nostalgia and memories. "I can do whatever I want. Right?"

"Right." Harry patted his back. "Tomorrow you should come over in the evening. We'll catch up then. We haven't had a proper chance to do that yet."

"You have work," Scorpius said as he pulled away.

"I'll be done work," Harry countered firmly. "I will be expecting you, in fact. Alright, Scorpius?"

"Thank you."

"Goodnight?"

Scorpius smiled and nodded. "Goodnight."

He waited until Harry had walked around the corner before smacking his hand against his forehead in mortification and grimacing as hard as he could. Why was he always making a fool out of himself? Why did he have to go blurting the first thing he could think of? He bit back a berating swear before whipping around and stomping into Al's room again.

"Gah!" he exclaimed and staggered back when he nearly ran into Albus who was standing right behind the door with a book in his hand and a blank expression on his face. "Where you listening?" Scorpius asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Albus said honestly. "Sorry."

Scorpius exhaled in defeat. "Did I make any sense?"

Al shrugged.

"Great," Scorpius groaned. "I just can't talk straight in front of him, you know? I can't talk straight in front of anyone these days, not Andy or your mother." He sighed again. "But he's right. I need to stop worrying about stuff like this." He stood up straighter with some effort. "Found a book?"

"Yes." Albus held it out. "I don't have a favorite."

"Then I'll start with this one."

"When you're done, I'll give you something different."

"Sounds good, Al. Thank you."

"You're welcome."