CHAPTER 5: CHRISTMAS AT THE POTTERS
Al and his roommates found themselves a little later in McGonagall's office, each giving their own version of the events. Almost every portrait of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were occupied though they were all pretending to be asleep. Near the door of the circular room was Hagrid who was noisily trying to stifle his noisy sobs. Every now and then Al heard him mutter under his breat All my fault..shouldn't have…my fault…
"Oh for the love of—Professor Hagrid, control yourself!" McGonagall said impatiently. "It is not, and I mean not, your fault at all. That dog has been transfigured!"
"'m sorry, Professor," Hagrid sniffed. "I just—I never thought…" he shook his head. "They were goin' after the young 'uns," he muttered. Al wondered what it meant but before he could ask, McGonagall caught his attention.
"Potter," She started. "It's imperative that you tell me exactly who were the people who were allowed contact with the dog?"
"I…uh…I dunno. The whole Slytherin house probably," Al mumbled. He hated being interrogated by authority figures. It makes him queasy. "We just sort of left them in the common room,"
"And that's all?" McGonagall continued. "No one else outside Slytherin house?"
"Well, there's Rose when she gave them to us," Al added.
"There's someone else," Scorpius suddenly said. "That researcher, Ralf,"
"Ralf Ledgerwood?" McGonaggal inquired. "Nonsense,"
"Why's that?" Scorpius asked then hastily added, "Professor?"
"Ralf Ledgerwood could not have place such a powerful transfiguration spell on the dog on the grounds that he cannot do magic," McGonagall explained. "He is what we call a Squib."
Scorpius frowned at this but said nothing more.
"Professor," Al started reluctantly. "Why do you think whoever transfigured that dog was after me?"
"Typical," a cold voice suddenly said from behind McGonagall. "Just as self-centered,"
Without turning her head, she replied, "Good morning, Severus. Nice of you to join us,"
At the sound of Snape's name, Al looked up to see a small portrait behind McGonagall, which was previously empty, suddenly occupied by a think, sallow-skinned professor with a long hooked nose and greasy black hair which framed his face. His eyes were cold and calculating as it looked Al from head to toe.
"Good morning, Minerva," he answered after a while. "I apologize for my intrusion,"
"Not at all," McGonagall said. "Care to shed some light in this situation?"
"Not more that we all already know," He answered, still eyeing Al shamelessly that he was forced to look back down on the floor to avoid its intensity. So this was one of the headmasters he was named after. He did not seem to keen on Al, as far as he could tell. But then again, he looked liked a generally unpleasant character to begin with.
"Then let's end this little chitchat for now," McGonagall said with finality. "It would do us no good to keep these boys here, anyway. Off you go now. You have classes in a few hours. Professor Hagrid, if you don't mind, kindly escort them to their common room," she said and nodded at Hagrid who sniffed and nodded back.
"It migh' be a good idea ter talk ter Dumbledore abou' it, Professor," Hagrid said the moment they were all outside the office.
"I intend to, Professor," McGonagall answered. "Unfortunately, he seem to be the only one here who is genuinely asleep,"
The four boys went into the common room first but Hagrid held Al back for awhile.
"Al," he started.
"Look, Hagrid, it's fine," Al said as gently as possible. He did not want Hagrid to start crying again. "It wasn't your fault, you know,"
"It's jus' that I wanter ter keep them safe, you know?" he continued. "Leaving near the forest an' all with all this commotion goin' aroun'" he shook his head. "Never thought—I don' think they're related though,"
"What not related?" Al asked with curiosity.
"Ya know," Hagrid said. "Those things in the forest. I don' think it's got anythin' to do with the puppies though I don' think Hogwarts needs another problem," he shook his head again.
"Hagrid, why did you take the puppies into the castle?" Al asked carefully. "Does it have anything to do with what's in the forest?"
"It's stange," Hagrid said at once. "Though, I guess it makes sense. Since they can' get to people, them werewolves goes ter the next best thing, eh? The young 'uns an' all," his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Yer not suppose to hear tha'!"
"What? About the werewolves?" Al said immediately. "You mean, it's true?"
"'course not! And you better not go tellin' people abou' it, neither!" he warned. "Wouldn' wan' ter cause a panic, ya hear?"
"You have my word," Al replied. "How did the werewolves get into Hogwarts?"
"I told ya! There ain't no werewolves!" Hagrid said then shook his head. "You really shouldn' go poking yer head in places it don' belong in, Al. You'll just end up bitin' more than you can chew," he sighed and patted him in the shoulder. "Get some sleep, boy," he said and left.
The moment Al went through the common room, Scorpius pulled him aside.
"It's Ralf," he whispered. "I know it is,"
"How'd you figure that?"
"He's no Squib," Scorpius said. "Remember what he said that time? He used to be a Slytherin. You don't get sorted into Hogwarts if you're a Squib!"
"Or maybe he's a Squib who's pretending to be a Slytherin. You know, Magic envy?"
"Then he's a liar!"
"A harmless one. Though it is suspicious," Al said thoughtfully.
"How'd he get Slughorn to give him the password?" Scorpius challenged.
"Friendship? Ties? Maybe he told Slughorn that he'll let him right his Introduction if he let him in? Anyway, that's that my interest right now. Listen to this," Al told Scorpius everything Hagrid said outside.
"There really are werewolves, then?" Scorpius exclaimed afterwards. "And they're feeding on young animals?"
"That's what Hagrid said, yeah,"
"I wonder why they don't attack people?" Scorpius said with a frown. "Maybe there's only a few of them there. Still, it's unsettling, isn't it?"
"Of course it is. There are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest. Those things are always unsettling," he yawned suddenly. "We really ought to sleep, Scorpius," he said and Scorpius followed him up into their dormitory.
For the next few weeks, nothing else exciting happened. In fact, in the midst of all their homework, they soon forgot about the dangers that may or may not be lurking in and out of Hogwarts. The ban to not leave Hogwarts has been modified. The children were allowed to leave the school only in broad daylight and they are forbidden to set foot fifty meters from the edge of the forest. Aside from this, there were not allowed to leave the school grounds a week before and after the end of the month. Al knew the school was trying to match this ban with the full moon patterns though no one else in the school seems to have a clue. They were all honestly just glad to be able to set foot outside once more.
The only thing significant during this time was Scorpius's growing obsession with trying to find out more about Ralf Ledgerwood. For a while, Al shared his passion but as the days went by, he became less and less convinced that Ralf had anything to do with the transfigured puppies. If anything, he seem like the least suspicious to have performed this act. Not only did he show evidence of being totally useless with magic, he was also seriously well-liked by the entire school. He had a certain pleasantness about him that made him amiable with the majority. And the fact that he was excessively handsome raised his popularity with more than half the female population. Even Rose was very keen on him.
"He's very smart, too," She said after a great few minutes of describing every wonderful aspect she noticed on Ralf, from that mole on his chin to the dirt on his boots. "He knows a lot about magic. And he isn't ashamed of being a Squib at all! He said it was an honor enough to be invited to Hogwarts despite his state,"
"Rose," Scorpius said, annoyance clearly heard in his tone. "Why, why do you hang out with us?"
"I'm hanging out with Al, not you," Rose retorted. "You're just an undesirable extension in this arrangement,"
"Funny, I would have said the same thing to you," Scorpius replied just as bitterly. "Anyway, I don't believe that Ralf guy is as great as you think. I know he's up to something,"
"Because of one stupid lie?" Rose said with exasperation.
"How do you know about that?" Scorpius asked suspiciously.
"What did I tell you about being an extension? Al talks to me, too"
"Al!"
Al groaned. He had had enough of this type of conversation. It has been going on for too long in the last few weeks. He stopped in his tracks and rounded on his friends.
"Listen, Listen!" he said between gritted teeth as the two continued to talk. "I have had enough of this talk about Ralf! The two of you are unnaturally obsessed with him! All you two ever do is talk and talk and talk about what you think that guy is and isn't and it's getting on my nerves a bit, you know? And you argue! Everytime! You'd think now that you two have a common interest you would get along better!" he turned to Scorpius, "Scorpius, I really don't think Ralf has anything to do with anything. I think you're being paranoid. Rose is right. It was just one lie."
Rose smirked in satisfaction. Al turned to her next. "Rose, I am honestly not interested with the way his hair ripples in the wind, or the way he slurs his R's when he spoke," he said. "I'm really not!"
The two of them remained silent so Al just sighed and led the way toward the Entrance Hall. The three of them had planned to spend that weekend outside. It was early December now and the grounds were blanketed by a layer of snow. There were already students outside, playing with snowballs and running around. The three of them huddled under a tree where Rose produced a small blue fire which she placed inside a jar and in between the three of them.
"Where are you spending the holidays?" Scorpius suddenly asked.
"Home," Al said. "We're spending it at my place this year, aren't we?"
"Yup. Dad wanted to spend it at the Burrow this year but Grandma and Grandpa are going to visit Uncle Charlie for Christmas so that's out of the question. Anyway, Grimmauld is more convenient if you ask me," Rose answered.
"Where are you spending yours?" Al turned to Scorpius.
He shrugged. "My mother wants us to visit her parents this year," He said. "But they're..well, sort of—" Scropius frowned as he tried to think of the best way to describe his grandparents. "They're really fit, you know, for their age. They're like seventy or eighty…I dunno," he frowned again then turned to Al with a serious look. "They,uh….they're into extreme sports," he blurted out. "They always spend vacation in places where you can go mountaineering or skiing….or skydiving!" He shook his head. "My father doesn't like it. I don't like it either. I almost always die every holiday. And whenever they're not defying death they 're criticizing how thin and pale I was and how my father always looks like he just came out of a grave. They don't like him much, I think. Anyway, my father told me if I didn't want to go, I could just stay here in Hogwarts," he shrugged. "It was an easy choice,"
Al couldn't help but laugh at this. A picture of a really old couple in hiking gear trying to push Scorpius down a cliff with jagged rocks belong came into his mind and he laughed even harder.
Scorpius blushed slightly. "You think it's funny? It's not funny, stop it!" he punched Al on the shoulder and grinned. "It really isn't funny, Al"
"It kind of is," Al answered, still chuckling and rubbing his shoulder. "You know what, why don't you spend Christmas with us?"
"What?" Rose protested but Al ignored him.
"I'll tell dad we're bringing you over this Christmas. Mum will like it. She loves new people. Plus, I think she's distraught that James said he and Fred would like to spend Christmas in Hogwarts this year"
Rose frowned but Scorpius was beaming. "Excellent!" he exclaimed.
They headed straight for the Owlery after a while to write to the Potters about their Christmas guest. Al took a piece of parchment from the free parchments near the Owlery's door way as they entered and wrote as he walked. "Dad, Mum. Can we bring over a friend for Christmas? Love, Al," he muttered then looked around for his owl, Mechtilde. Mechtilde is a barn owl with very light browns and whites. Al's mother bought her for him in Diagon Alley before he started his first year. She descended from her perch the moment she saw Al and stuck out her leg immediately. He attached the letter to her leg and told her to give it to his parents. Then he gave her a treat before she flew off into the distance.
The end of term examinations came a week later and drove all other thoughts out of their heads. Even Scorpius and Rose's obsession of Ralf went down a notch. In between studying and cramming, it was a wonder they even managed to find time to talk at all. Rose spent every waking hours in the library and every time Al saw her, her red hair was sticking out in every directions and her face was always buried in a book. And every time he greeted her, she would look at him wildly, give him a twitch that must have been some sort of nod, and walk away. Even Scorpius wasn't acting in his usual aloof demeanor. He was always uncharacteristically quiet and would only talk when Al was asking him questions. And he was constantly stuffing himself with something. He was an avid stress-eater apparently. On the last day of the examinations, everyone in the Slytherin common room looked half-dead.
"Let's just get this over with," Scorpius said exhaustedly. Al nodded and yawned. He only had a couple of hours of sleep last night. "I swear if I pass these exams, I'll never cram again. I'll be like Rose, studying like there's an exam everyday,"
"We'll see," Al said.
And finally the last exam ended and a jolly buzzing erupted from every corner of the castle. For the first time in weeks, they were able to appreciate the Christmas season.
Al and Scorpius went outside the castle immediately and walk along the lake, taking in the fresh winter air and the joy of the end of the exams. Everywhere they went, there were students talking about how they plan to spend their Christmas vacation. Al and Scorpius chose a spot near the lake and sat down and listened to nearby conversations.
"Well, I'm definitely going home," Said a tall girl Al recognized as a Hufflepuff second year. "My uncle's coming over and he always brings lots of super cool presents,"
"Good for you, Angie," Said another Hufflepuff girl, a short girl with glasses. "I'm staying here, though. My cousins are coming over and I never enjoy their company,"
"Al!" A breathless voice called. The two of them turned to see Rose running towards them. "Here you two are!" she said, beaming, and sat down beside them. "Oh, I can't wait to go home!" She exclaimed. "I promised Hugo I'd tell him all about Hogwarts," she said and beamed. Hugo was Rose's little brother who was the same age and Lily. They were not starting Hogwarts for a couple of years. "Anyway, have you packed already? We're leaving tomorrow morning,"
"We'll do it later," Scorpius answered.
"Oh, you're really coming?" She answered flatly.
"You better believe it, Rosie," he said in his usual drawl. "Anyway, you better be nice to me or I'm not getting you anything for Christmas,"
"Don't bother," she said. "I'm not getting you anything, either anyway"
The next day came almost immediately and the next thing the three knew, they were standing in front of the Hogwarts express on Hogmeade station, coats and jackets clasped all the way up their necks and shivering where they stood. Other students who were planning to go home for Christmas were also there, including the hufflepuff girl, Angie. Ralf was also there at the station. Apparently, he, too, was leaving for Christmas.
Finally, they were allowed to board the train and they rushed in immediately, happy to get out of the cold. They found an empty compartment, laid down their things and Metchlide, who came back a few days ago with Al's father's response. Eventually, the train started to move and they leaned back against their seats and waited for it to arrive at King's cross station.
When they finally arrived they found not Al's parents nor Rose's but Kreacher the houseelf waiting for them near platform nine and three-quarters. Kreacher was a strange sight to see, even in King's cross. He was extremely gray and saggy with white hairs sprouting out of his ears and he was wearing a clean sweater that Al's father had apparently given him long before Al was born in an intent to free him. The elf, however, insisted on still serving the Potter family whom he seems to be extremely fond of.
"Young Master," he croaked and bowed.
"Hi, Kreacher," Al said. "Mum and dad home?"
"Yes," he answered. "They just came back from the ministry. They wanted to come pick you up but I insisted that I do it. It's been hectic at the ministry lately, being the holidays and all, and I thought I'd let them rest awhile," he turned to Rose and gave her an equally low bow. Then he turned to Scorpius.
"Ah. And master's expected guest is from the Family of Malfoys," he said. "A pleasure," he said and also gave him a bow then turned back to Al. "We'll be apparating, master," he said and took Al's hand in his and Rose's and Scropius's in the other and the three of them held their breath and waited for the horrible sensation of apparating to appear and disappear. A moment later, they found themselves in from of number twelve Grimmauld place. Kreacher led the way to the front door and the three followed at once.
The front door opened into a long hallway filled with festive Christmas decorations. Miniature candles with green or red ribbon floated on the ceiling above them and the great chandelier was all a lit by a hundred similar small candles which casted a bright glow over the walls and the carpeted floor. The atmosphere was warm and cheery and the smell of something cooking filled their nostrils. Al instinctively walked towards the smell and accidentally tripped over the large Troll's leg umbrella stand that stood on the corner. He immediately reached out and grabbed the curtain covering the large portrait beside the umbrella stand to reveal the face of Walburga Black, Al's father's godfather Sirius Black's mother who used to own the place. Walburga Black, who had previously been sleeping awoke immediately and, upon seeing Al, let out a huge cry of surprise.
"Oh, Albus!" She exclaimed. "Are you alright, dear?"
Walburga Black began telling him off for being clumsy and began asking if he had any broken bones. She was extremely fond of Al and James and Lily to the point that she claimed them as her grandchildren though she spared no love for their parents. Al's father said she used to be vindictive, cursing his existence the moment he claimed the house for himself. But the moment James was born, she became milder. Apparently, she had a soft spot for infants and, as she watched the children grow, she became easier to live with.
"Al? Is that you?" came Al's mother's voice from the kitchen.
"Can you close the curtains, sweetheart?" Mrs. Black said. "I'd like to get some more sleep," she told Al, though Al knew she just wished to avoid having to see his mother whom she still regarded as an invader in the "house of her Fathers".
"Hi, mum!" Al called back.
"Come on over to the kitchen, love," she said. "I made you hot soup,"
Al pulled the curtains shut around Mrs. Black and walked down the long hallway and down the narrow staircase that led into a large, cavernous kitchen filled with the wonderful aroma of hot soup. The moment Al placed a foot inside the kitchen, he felt something grasp him across the neck and squeezed the living life out of him.
"Mum," Al choked. "You're killing me,"
"I'm sorry," She said though she continued to hug him. "I just miss you so much," she gave him a quick kiss and let him go. Beside him, Rose was also being smothered by her own mother and all he could see of them was a tent of brown bushy hair. He turned towards the large wooden table where his father and his uncle Ron was sitting, drinking tea and smiling at him.
"You okay?" His father asked.
"Never better," Al said with a grin. "Oh, and we brought someone with us,"
"That's right," Aunt Hermione said. "Where is your little mystery guest?" she asked and they all instinctively turned toward the stairway. Scorpius had respectfully stood in the distance while the Potters and Weasleys exchanged hugs and kisses, standing in the shadow of the passageway of the staircase.
Al beckoned for him to come in and Scorpius slowly descended the last step and the kitchen's glow bathed his face dramatically.
Al's father and Uncle Ron choked over their cups of tea.
An uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen and the only sound came from the pot of soup that was softly boiling on the stove. The seven of them were sitting around the table, with Al, Scorpius and Rose on one side and the four adults on the other. All eyes were swiftly darting from Al to Scorpius to Rose and back again, their bowls of soup slowly growing cold and forgotten. Both Al's father and Uncle Ron still retained the look of disbelief that they had the moment Scorpius walked inside. Aunt Hermione, however, had a curious look of satisfaction on her face.
"So," Uncle Ron said after awhile. "Scorpius, right?"
"Yes, sir,"
"You're father know you're here?"
"No, sir. I haven't the chance to tell him yet. He's out of town, you see,"
"Oh, really" Uncle Ron said somewhat bitterly, which made Al confused.
"Why don't you three eat?" Al's suddenly said. "You look famished. And you two," she turned to His husband and brother, "better follow suit. I'm not serving the turkey until you clean those bowls up,"
Al felt Scorpius twitch slightly at the word "Turkey". He knew Scorpius was hungry since he's been complaining about it since halfway from Hogwarts. But the fact that he did not even dare touch that bowl of hot soup meant he was extremely uneasy and Al really did not blame him. His father and uncle did not exactly shower him with welcome.
Al turned to his soup and gingerly took a spoonful. It tasted wonderful and reminded him of how hungry he was, too. He took another spoonful, and another. Rose and Scorpius, encouraged by his sudden enthusiasm to eat, did the same. The four of them ate in silence as Al's mother and Aunt Hermione busied themselves with the turkey. Finally, they managed to finish their bowls and, as promised, the Turkey followed.
It was the largest and most delicious-looking turkey Al had ever seen and he knew it tasted just as good. His mother had always been a good cook. His father once said she probably got it from her mother who was also just at adept in culinary arts as she was.
"We better call Kreacher," Al's mother suddenly said. "He's been dying to get a piece of this all morning. Kreacher!" she called. There was a loud pop and the old house-elf appeared.
"You called, Mistress?"
"Yes, get a plate. We're starting on the turkey," She told him.
"Oh, mistress is too kind," Kreacher said and bowed. "But kreacher would rather not intrude in the family affair. Kreacher would like to keep Mistress Black company, too, if Kreacher may,"
"Oh, you are always like this," Al's mother said and shook her head. "Fine, take this then," she took a plate and placed a generous serving of turkey on it and some roasted potatoes and handed it to Kreacher who accepted it gratefully and returned to the hallway.
When Al's mother finally sat down, Aunt Hermione turned to Rose. "How's school, honey?"
"It's great!" Rose said. "I've learned every book by heart like you told me to and it really helped me out,"
"Of course it did," Al answered. "What other outcomes are there?" Scorpius sniggered slightly though he covered this up by coughing. Rose ignored them both.
"Oh, good," Aunt Hermione said. "How did you find the teachers?"
"They're great," Al said.
"Bet you think so," Scorpius said with a sly grin.
"Shut it"
"What was that?" Al's mother said with an inquiring look. "Does my little boy have a little crush on a particular teacher?" she cooed.
"He fancies the charm teacher?" Rose said simply.
"What? Professor Flitwick?" Ron said with a confused look.
"Who?" She said and gave her father an equally confused look. "No, the pretty teacher. Chang-Montgomery"
"Chang?" Al's mother said with a frown. "As in Cho Chang?" Then she turned to her husband. "You never told me she's working in Hogwarts now,"
Al's father raised his hands defensively. "I didn't know. Proffesor Flitwicks been teaching charms the two years ago,"
"That was his last year, I think," Aunt Hermione told him. "He retired afterwards. Cho must've taken his place after. She's always been good in charms, anyway,"
"So, she's Chang-Montgomery now? Didn't she use to date that guy, Michael Corner?" Al's father asked.
"That was a long time ago, I think," Aunt Hermione answered. "I heard she married a muggle"
"So little Al's got a crush on pretty Cho Chang, huh," Ron said with a huge grin. He turned to Al's father. "Reminds me of someone I know,"
Al's father just laughed.
"So, how's your family, Scorpius?" Aunt Hermione said in a very sweet and conversational voice. She was obviously trying to overlap her husband's rudeness earlier.
Scorpius immediately swallowed the large chunk of turkey he was chewing on and answered "They're fine, ma'am"
"Where are they spending Christmas?"
"With my Grandparents, ma'am," He answered. "My mother said they haven't seen each other in a long time so she reckons they should go visit them this year,"
"That reminds me," Uncle Ron said suddenly, his eyes bright and he was looking at Scorpius with renewed interest. "Who is your mother? No, wait!" He interrupted before Scorpius could answer. "Wait, let me wager a couple of guesses first and you tell me if I'm getting close,"
"What?" Aunt Hermione said in disbelief. "How on earth could you possibly do that?"
"Oh, come on, Hermione, think about it," Ron said impatiently. "How many more pure-blood families could there be? It'll be an easy guess. I've always had my suspicions as to who Malfoy ended up with and I just need someone to confirm it! And behold!" he said and pointed at Scorpius with a sheepish grin.
To Al's surprise, Scorpius gave a small laugh. "My mother's's not Pure-blood," he said.
All four of the adults' jaws dropped open in surprise and this made Al laugh which caused him to choke on the piece of meat in his mouth. They all look like someone just told them the sky was actually red and not blue.
It was Aunt Hermione who spoke first. "I'm not surprised," she said with a shrug. "Malfoy could easily have turned a new leaf and settled for a nice, half-blood. I mean, some of his friends are half-bloods, right?" she turned to Scorpius with a smile as if this settled the matter.
"No, ma'am," he answered. "But my mother's not half-blood either. At least, as far as I know,"
Both Al's father and Uncle Ron roared with laughter at this revelation. Aunt Hermione was just frowning and silent as if she could not believe that she was wrong.
"He's married a muggle-born!" Ron exclaimed in between bouts of laughter. He turned to his wife. "And he gave you a hard time,"
"Did he really?" Al's father asked in amusement. "Is your mother muggle-born?"
Scorpius smiled wryly once more. "Oh she's definitely born from muggles," he answered. "As she's a muggle herself"
Al's father stared at Scorpius with a frown. He looks like he's having trouble getting this information in. Something Al found strange as Scorpius said it quite clearly.
"You're mum's a muggle?" Uncle Ron said. "What? How?"
Scorpius turned to Al in confusion and Al just shrugged. He was just as dumbfounded as he was with the way his parents and Uncle and Aunt was acting.
"Well, didn't the Malfoys move to the muggle world after Lucius was pardoned?" Aunt Hermione said thoughtfully. "I mean, they did give up the Malfoy manor. I bet Malfoy moved in with them after he graduated from Hogwarts. He had been kind of distant back then, like he'd rather be anywhere else," she said with a frown. "I mean, he did not exactly have an easy time after the Great Siege, right? Even if Harry did vouch for him," she nodded at Al's father.
"What's your mum's name?" Al's mother asked.
"Astoria Greengrass" he answered.
"The doctor?" Aunt Hermione suddenly asked.
"The what?" Uncle Ron asked but his wife ignored him.
"You know her?" Al's father asked. Aunt Hermione shook her head.
"By reputation. She's a psychiatrist, isn't she? I hear she's good but I've never actually met her,"
"A psychiatrist?" Al's father said as a smile crept across his face. "Oh, that's something,"
"A what?" Uncle Ron insisted.
"Oh, honestly, Ron!" Aunt Hermione said and shook her head. "Anyway, why didn't you spend Christmas with your family this year, dear?" she said, turning back to Scorpius. "Wouldn't they want to hear about your first year in Hogwarts?"
"I should think so," He answered. "I can always write to them, I guess"
"Well, you should tell them you're here," Al's mother said. "I think you're father would be interested to know that,"
"Right," Uncle Ron said. "I bet he would. I can just imagine Malfoy's face when his boy tells him he's spending Christmas with the Potters and the Weasleys,"
"I don't think he'll be too happy, either, sir," Scorpius said unexpectedly. "I know he's not in friendly terms with your family. It's not exactly a hidden fact back at home,"
"I bet it isn't," Uncle Ron said almost too triumphantly. "Bet he talks about us all the time,"
"Ron," Aunt Hermione said warningly.
"What? He used to bad-mouth the three of us all the time, didn't he? I bet he does that in front of him, too, doesn't he?" he said and turned to Scorpius.
"Actually, he doesn't really talk about you that much," Scorpius answered quietly. "Nor Mr. Potter or Mrs. Weasley,"
"How could he not?" Uncle Ron asked with a frown. "He hates us!"
Al turned to Scorpius and saw that he was looking at his feet now. The whole situation was getting too uncomfortable.
"I don't think he does. But he doesn't exactly like you either," Scorpius said quietly. "He only mentions you a couple of times when he talks about his stay at Hogwarts,"
"Is that right?"
"Ron,"
"What does he say, exactly?" Al's father asked, ignoring his wife who was also telling him to settle down.
"He said," Scorpius said slowly. "He said: If you ever meet a Potter, a Weasley, or a Granger, avoid them if you can but trust them with your life," he turned to the four adults who was starring quite intently at him. "He thinks you're good people. I think that he's really grateful that you helped him and my Grandmother, sir," he said at Al's father.
There was a moment of stunned silence followed by the sound of two consecutive thumps as Al's mother stood up and hit both her husband and her brother on the head with the back of the soup ladle.
"Idiots," she told them. Aunt Hermione was frowning at them and shaking her head. The rest of dinner was spent in a better and cheerier mood mostly because after Scorpius's revelation, the rest of the family, namely Uncle Ron, was much warmer toward Scorpius.
NOTE:
First thing's first. I feel like i have to explain why i made Draco Malfoy marry a muggle. I have two reasons. First, when i decided to make this story, i already had this vague idea in my head that malfoy's wife should not be a pure-blood. Either a muggle-born or a muggle would do. It should symbolize malfoy's renewed views in life and stuff. Anyway, when i had that idea, i thought malfoy's wife was nameless and personality-less (based on the epilogue of the 7th book) and was an excellent candidate for fanfiction magic. Unfortunately, i just recently discovered that malfoy's wife indeed had a name, Astoria Greengrass who was apparently a pure-blood and sister of one of Malfoy's previous classmates. So i had to decided whether i should just drop my idea all together and work on the pure-blood wife angle or not. I decided to do the latter. My other reason is more of a genetic concern. After all, if all pure-blood families were related at some point, then it's highly possible that malfoy could be marrying his own cousin or something. So in order to avoid an awkward situation like that, i decided to make his wife a muggle who is sure not to be related to him to decrease the amount of in-breeding that's happening in the pure-blood families. I mean, remember Tom Riddle's mother? She was the best example of too much in-breeding in the family.
I have another purpose for writing this note. First is to explain why i named the chapter "Christmas at the Potters (Al)". This is because i also plan to write the same chapter all over again but in harry's point of view. I wanted to keep the traditional first person point of view, in this case, Al's, for the entire story. Unfortunately, i could not help but feel that it is appropriate to dedicate an entire chapter based solely on how Harry sees his adult life. You know, like a direct continuation of the epilogue in book 7. Anyway, i would just like to make it clear that you DO NOT HAVE TO READ BOTH CHAPTERS. You can just skip the chapter entitled "Christmas at the Potter (Harry)" if you don't feel like reading the same chapter all over again. I promise it will have nothing to do with the plot at all. It's just my guess at what Harry's life is like 19 years later. But since this is really more of an Al Potter story, then Harry's point of view really does not matter.
That's all, thank you. Reviews greatly appreciated! I'll post the next chapter as soon as i can.