Albus smiled as Harry turned his old Subaru up the long, winding path to their house. It took over an hour to get from London to the Potter home by car - something they rarely ever did, but Albus knew his father took some kind of comfort from the normalcy of just driving to and from the grocery store.

It was one of the things that made life with Harry Potter even more strange.

As they approached, he could see the bright red of his mother's hair in the distance. She was waiting in front of the house, waving and smiling.

The Potter house was old and made of stone, and it sat in a clearing just outside the boundary of a forest. Harry had said they chose the house so the children could run and play, but Ginny had admitted to Albus a few years ago that the quiet helped Harry sleep better.

An electric charge ran over Albus' skin as they crossed the protective barrier that surrounded the house.

"Be nice to your mother," Harry warned Albus and Lily. "She's very excited to have you home now that James has moved out."

"I'm always nice," said Lily.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Tell that to Millie Thomas."

"It's not my fault her boyfriend likes me better," snapped Lily.

"Wait, are you dating someone," Harry said, turning around. "You're not allowed to date until you're sixteen."

"Dating is a strong word," she said, smiling sweetly.

Harry glanced at Albus as he pulled into the driveway. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"Nope."

Although, thought Albus, Lily flitting from boyfriend to boyfriend might just take the pressure off of me.

Ginny ran to the car as soon as it was stopped and opened the back door to greet Lily. The two women squealed and hugged each other, and Ginny gushed over how beautiful she was and how much she'd grown.

Albus stumbled out of the car less-than-gracefully, still weary, dragging his and Lily's rucksacks with him.

"Albus!"

Ginny appeared in front of him, and Albus couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She moved to throw her arms around him but stopped short when she looked at his face.

"Albus, you look terrible."

"Do I?"

"Yes. Are you ill?"

Albus shook his head, looking at his reflection in the car window. It was true that he was pale and a bit thinner that normal, but it was the puffiness under his eyes that gave him away.

"Rough couple weeks," he said with a shrug. "Nothing a nap and dad's cooking can't fix."

Albus gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. In the downstairs window, he could see the Christmas tree was decorated and lit, and from the kitchen he could smell pie.

He missed Scorpius already, but this was about as good as it was going to get.


"What." Scorpius took a breath. "Happened?"

Scorpius dropped his bag on the floor of the Malfoy Manor atrium and stared in shock. They'd appeared into the courtyard because Draco said his surprise depended on it, and now Scorpius understood why.

In the middle of the atrium stood a large Christmas tree, decorated in every color Scorpius could imagine. It glistened in some warm light that didn't seem natural to the space, and because the tree dominated the room, it took Scorpius a moment to realize that everything else was a bit different too. Where the walls had been a cold silvery gray before, they were a warm beige. Where the banisters had been metal, now they were wooden. The lanterns were golden instead of black, and when he peered around the Christmas tree to look into the main sitting room, he saw that the fireplace was lit and the old leather furniture had been replaced with warmer armchairs facing the hearth which was currently covered in candles and garland.

"What happened?" Scorpius asked again, adjusting his glasses.

"You said that this place was cold, and you were right. I'm not like my parents and you certainly aren't like any of your grandparents," said Draco. "It was time for the Malfoy Manor to change like the Malfoy family has."

Scorpius looked around, dumbfounded, and set Freya's carrier down. This was not what he'd expected at all.

"Do you like it?" Draco asked, uncertain.

"Like it? I love it!" Scorpius' voice echoed in the atrium.

Scorpius grinned as the Malfoy's two House Elves, Pokey and Pike, entered the atrium to greet him.

"Master Scorpius!"

"Hello!"

As they approached, Scorpius let Freya out of her cage, and she greeted the elves, looping herself around their small legs. Scorpius crouched down to greet them both.

"I see you've been busy changing this place with my father," he said.

Pokey, the more excitable and lively of the two, bounced.

"Yes, Master Scorpius. Pike and Pokey have been working on the entire manor with Master Draco for weeks now."

Scorpius looked up at his father with a lopsided smile, and Draco smiled down at him, restrained, his hands folded behind his back as usual.

"Why don't you take Master Scorpius to see his room?"

"Yes, Master Draco," said Pike. "And then Pike will make Master Scorpius lunch."

"Roast beef?" asked Scorpius.

"Of course," said Pike.

Scorpius looked around and sighed with a smile. A lot had changed since he'd last been home, not only in the house but in himself. For a moment, he forgot about the dread of telling his father about Albus, and was just a sixteen-year-old boy who was glad to be home for Christmas.


"Ginny, get out of the kitchen," said Harry kindly, gently moving his wife out of the way. Albus crouched and swept the flour off the floor.

"I was just trying to help," she said.

"I think you'll help more by going to the sitting room with your brother," said Harry. He pressed a glass of wine into her hand. "Go."

Ginny frowned and stalked off, leaving Albus and Harry to cook.

"She's a menace in here," said Harry, shaking his head.

"She tries, though," defended Albus. "She can make a decent grilled cheese sandwich."

"Well, she almost burned our first flat down making one right out of Hogwarts," said Harry.

"Do you need any help, Uncle Harry?"

Rose stood in the doorway, looking eager.

"Actually," said Harry. "Can you and Hugo put the extender in the table? We have a couple of extra people."

Albus wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or be sick. He hadn't had time to talk to Scorpius at the train station, but he was fairly certain they were going to have a talk with their parents tonight after dinner. Albus was picturing pulling Ginny, Harry, and Draco into the sitting room where there were plenty of doorways to escape through if things got heated.

Not that he was scared or anything. He had to keep it together for Scorpius' sake.

"Who?" asked Hermione, entering the kitchen. She was windswept, and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late."

Albus poured her a glass of wine and she thanked him, taking a long drink.

"Draco and Scorpius Malfoy."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and glanced at Albus before looking back at Harry, leaning on the counter beside him. Albus put his head down and got back to stirring the mashed potatoes.

"Is that so?"

"Well, I saw him on the platform when I was picking the kids up and it's just him and Scorpius. He's changed and Scorpius is Al's b- best friend," Harry stumbled. Albus chalked it up to the firewhiskey he'd had earlier.

"Well, that's kind of you," said Hermione. "Draco's actually been working with the Ministry of Magic on a few projects, so I suppose I'll have to get over it."

Albus started carrying the food from the kitchen to the dining room table where Rose and Hugo had just finished resetting the table.

"Are we all going to fit in here?" Hugo asked.

"We'll make it work," Albus assured his cousin.

"James!"

Rose shuffled out from behind the table, and Albus turned around to see her throw her arms around her cousin.

"Wasn't sure you were going to make it," said Albus with a smile.

"Yeah, Bill's a bit demanding sometimes," said James, releasing Rose with a grin. "Had me in Germany meeting with some of the curse breakers there."

"Is he actually letting you do field work yet?"

James snorted, hugging Hugo.

"Of course not. Just paperwork and technical stuff."

Albus rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you love that."

"It's not so bad," said James. He reached to grab a roll from a basket on the table, but Albus swatted his hand away. "Turns out, German witches are very open-minded."

James winked at him before walking into the kitchen and Albus sighed. His entire family was in the house, laughing and celebrating, and there he was setting the table, nervous about whether or not Scorpius would fit in and terrified that they would reject both of them.

The doorbell rang.

"I've got it!"

Albus ran for the front hall, but he was too late. Ginny had beat him there and was welcoming in Draco Malfoy, who looked entirely too proper to be standing in the Potter home. In his arms was a large, elaborate cake.

"Oh my gosh," said Ginny. "You didn't have to bring anything."

Draco gave her a cordial smile. "I wanted to contribute."

"Well, come this way," she said, leading him towards the dining room and calling back to Scorpius. "Make yourself at home!"

While Draco went to unburden himself, Albus slipped into the front hall where Scorpius was taking his coat off. Unlike his father, Scorpius was wearing jeans and a jumper that fit right in with the Potter-Weasley family.

"Scorp?"

Scorpius, who was wide-eyed and dazed, wrapped his arms around Albus and held on tight.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Scorpius said, his voice muffled in Albus' shoulder. "Just the usual."

"Ah," said Albus. He rubbed Scorpius' back in circles and held him tight just a bit longer. "It's going to be okay."

"Can we get this over with after dinner, please?"

"That's what I was thinking too," said Albus, releasing him. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure they were alone before he gave Scorpius a quick kiss.

"Okay. Because I'm going to be sick if this goes on any longer," said Scorpius. "And by 'sick' I mean I'm going to be sick again."

"Has he said anything?"

"No, that's the problem," said Scorpius, cleaning his glasses on the edge of his shirt. "He's so... calm. He redecorated the entire manor while we were at school. There's a Christmas tree and everything."

"That's not normal?"

"No," said Scorpius. "You don't understand. He resurfaced the entire house. It's all... normal, now."

"That's good, right?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, he's always been a great father, but..." Scorpius sighed. "He got weird when he didn't want to tell me exactly how bad my mother's condition was before she died. And it was just like this."

"Maybe he's just stressed," said Albus. "Aunt Hermione is in there and she said he's been working with the ministry."

"I guess," said Scorpius, unconvinced. "Do I smell bread?"

Albus stared in disbelief. "You are so unbelievably predictable."

"What? I'm hungry."

Albus shook his head and led Scorpius into the living room where his entire family was milling about, laughing and drinking.

Rose and Hugo waved at Scorpius from their card game and Ron called out to him from the armchair next to the Christmas tree.

"Hey! Scorpius! How bad was Albus' Quidditch accident?"

Ron's mockery had been escalating all day.

"I keep telling him you're supposed to throw the quaffle at the posts, not yourself, but he doesn't really listen," said Scorpius and Ron threw his head back with laughter.

"Uncle Ron is on his third firewhisky," Albus said quietly.

"I wish my dad was," muttered Scorpius.

Draco entered the room with Harry in tow. He'd been given a glass of wine and had a smile on his face. Albus walked over to greet him.

"Do you need anything, Mr. Malfoy? I can make Rose and Hugo move if you'd like a place to sit."

Draco chuckled, which shocked Albus. "No, Albus. But thank you."

Draco turned to Harry. "Your home is lovely."

"Thank you," said Harry, who then called to everyone else. "Come on. Dinner is ready."

Scorpius joined Albus as the rest of his family filed into the dining room.

"How is it possible that you've gone more pale?" muttered Albus.

"It's one of my many skills."

Scorpius wound up seated between Albus and his father, and before the bread could even be passed around the table, Albus could feel the tension coming off of Scorpius. His stress was tangible, and Albus looked around the table at his entire family. His mother, his father, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione - his cousins and his siblings - he'd let them all down at one point or another and suddenly the possibility of doing so again was crushing.

"Albus? Albus!"

Rose shoved the bread basket under his nose.

"Sorry."

He took it and served himself before passing it down the table and seizing the wine bottle, pouring himself a glass. Wordlessly, Scorpius held out his glass as well, and Albus filled it.

The chatter rose around the table, and in the overfilled dining room, the noise was deafening. Every time Ron laughed his voice echoed around the room, and after a while, he and Harry seemed to be having an excellent time embarrassing Rose and Lily.

"Now, Rose," Harry said. "I'm told that Lily has had quite the semester."

"She has," said Rose. "She's doing great in all of her classes, and she's slated to join the Quidditch team next year -"

"And apparently she's stolen someone's boyfriend?" said Ron.

"I didn't steal anything!" said Lily. Her high-pitched tone carried around the room.

"Oh, come on," said Ginny. "I was exactly like her at that age."

"Ew." Lily wrinkled her nose.

"Yes, before Harry and I got together I dated a handful of the other Gryffindor boys."

"Like mother, like daughter," said James, smirking.

"Oh, please," snapped Lily. "None of the girls from your year will even come near you."

"Because they're still mending their broken hearts," James assured her.

"What about you, Albus?"

"What about me?" said Albus, confused. He'd been very focused on draining his wine glass. Scorpius had already emptied his and was refilling it inconspicuously. His food remained untouched, and Draco looked concerned but said nothing.

"Is there anyone special in your life?"

To stall, Albus took a long drink of his wine, and before he could swallow, Scorpius spoke.

"Well, we have each other."

Albus gulped down his wine and looked at him.

Oh, we're doing this now.

From the other end of the table, James laughed.

"I don't think that's what he meant, mate."

"That's exactly what he meant," said Draco.

Albus stared at Scorpius, knowing the moment could go one of two ways - he could either gloss over the comment and say something about the bread, or he could go with it.

"Isn't it?"

Draco was looking at Scorpius patiently, his expression entirely neutral, and a hush fell over most of the table. James leaned over to Ginny.

"Did I miss something?" asked quietly. Albus heard the shuffle of shoes and a brief groan from James, and he knew his mother had kicked him.

Scorpius took a long, deep, shuddering breath and looked away from his glass to his father and nodded.

"Yes," he said, his voice firm.

"Damn it, Ron," said Ginny. "We agreed."

Draco looked at Ginny, apologetic. "It's okay."

Everyone was silent, and Albus looked across the table at his parents. Harry stared back at him, his hair parted in the wrong place so that his scar was just barely visible. Under the table, Albus took Scorpius' hand and gripped it tight.

Albus had been distracted by the sound of his heart pounding in his chest, and it took him a moment to work out what his mother had said.

"Wait, you agreed on what?"

Ginny sighed and leaned back in her chair as Harry answered.

"We agreed that we'd let you tell us yourselves."

"Oh, I forgot about that," said Ron, his face red. "I'm sorry."

Hermione patted his hand.

"It's fine," said Draco.

"You knew?"

Harry gave Albus a sympathetic smile. "We've known for a while, Albus."

Albus opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance. Beside him, the wine glass Scorpius had been holding shattered in his hand and he leaped back from the table.

"I'm so sorry," he said to no one in particular. Ginny started to assure him that it was fine, but Scorpius stood up, keeping his bloodied, wine-covered hand from touching anything. "I just... I need a minute."

Albus was nearly out of his seat to follow, but Draco stood up and motioned for him to stay put.

"Let me talk to him," said Draco.

Albus lowered himself back down in his seat slowly as Draco left the room, and he heard the front door close. Hermione begrudgingly leaned across the table and handed something to Rose who grinned.

Slowly, Albus turned and looked at the rest of his family, who were all staring at him. He didn't know what to say or do, so he just picked up the nearest thing and started eating.

"The bread is really good."


Scorpius stood in the Potters' driveway, picking glass out of his bleeding hand. The wine had gotten into some of the shallow cuts and his hand was on fire. The sky was clear but the wind was howling through the trees, and it was an icy blast coming from the nearby forest.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius didn't turn around for his father. He didn't say anything. He just picked the glass out of his hand.

Draco came around in front of him and took Scorpius' hand, placing it palm up in his own. With a few quick waves of his wand, the blood was gone and there was no trace of injury.

"How long have you known?" Scorpius whispered.

"Since last summer," said Draco, releasing Scorpius' hand.

"How long have the Potters known?"

Draco sighed. "We talked about it after you left for Hogwarts this year. That was when we agreed to let you and Albus come to us yourselves."

Scorpius fell silent. He still hadn't looked at Draco, and he folded his arms against the wind as it cut through his jumper.

Draco spoke slowly and carefully. "I didn't want to pressure you into talking about it until you were ready."

"Do you have any idea what the last few months have been like?" Scorpius asked, his voice low and quiet. "Do you have any idea what I put Albus through because I didn't want to disappoint you until I had to?"

"Disappoint me?"

"I'm not exactly the Malfoy super-wizard everyone wanted me to me. Even grandfather said I wasn't strong like -"

"Your grandfather was a bastard," interrupted Draco.

"And now I'm gay. And I might not give you the grandchildren you wanted and I might be the end of the Malfoy line. So yes, I was avoiding it."

Draco's face fell and his shoulders dropped. "Scorpius, you're not disappointing me."

Scorpius looked at him, unconvinced.

"You're a kind, brilliant young man. You're intelligent and you're friendly... you're nothing like I was at your age," said Draco. He placed his hands on his son's. Scorpius didn't look up, so Draco bent to meet his eyes. "How could I be disappointed in you? Because you're in a relationship with Albus Potter? Even though we're on good terms now, you could have picked someone other than the son of my school rival -"

Scorpius glanced at him, his eyes narrow, and Draco sighed.

"Well, no. You couldn't have, could you?"

Scorpius looked up at him, noticing for the first time that they were the same height now. Draco shook his head and placed his hands on both sides of Scorpius' face.

"I am happy for you," he said clearly, definitively. "I would give anything to have met your mother at your age so we could have more time together."

"You could have told me you knew," said Scorpius. He didn't want to cry - he didn't want to be the kind of person that cried this much, but the last month had been so difficult that he couldn't keep his voice from shaking.

"I'm sorry," said Draco. "I thought I was doing the right thing by waiting until you were ready to tell me."

"We've been sneaking around. Hiding. I said some hurtful things because I was scared -"

"You don't have to be scared of me," said Draco. "Ever."

Scorpius looked back at the Potter house - so warm and inviting and full of love.

"Do you think mum would have liked him? Albus?"

Draco closed his eyes for a long moment and pulled his son close. "I think she would have loved him."

Draco held Scorpius for a long time. "She would have been proud of you, Scorpius."

Scorpius heard the door open behind them, and turned to see Albus peek outside.

"Albus, could you come here?"

Draco motioned for Albus to join them, which he did after grabbing Scorpius' coat. When he met them near the car, he placed it around Scorpius' shoulders.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm very sorry that you and Scorpius felt you had to hide," said Draco.

"My parents already apologized to me," said Albus. "But I know you thought it was what was best."

"Sometimes parents just get it wrong," admitted Draco. "Either way... I'm very glad that the two of you are happy."

Scorpius wrapped his arm around Albus' shoulders and smiled at his father. "Thank you."

And together, they walked back inside.


After Scorpius hade made a sincere apology for breaking the glass and stepping outside, Ginny and James laid out an array of desserts on the table. Now that the weight of the world was off his shoulders, Scorpius had regained his appetite with a vengeance. Albus watched in awe as he had one of everything, and when the party broke up to lounge around the living room, he carried a cinnamon roll with him.

"I'm so relieved," said Scorpius, taking another bite. "I haven't had much of an appetite for the last couple of days."

Albus just smiled and shook his head. His family had crammed its self into the living room, and Draco was sitting next to Harry and Ginny on the couch.

Scorpius found a spot on the base of the fireplace next to the Christmas tree. Hugo and Rose were back to playing their game of cards - she was teaching him how to play a Muggle game that a friend had taught her. Ron and Hermione were laughing, and Harry, Ginny, and Draco were discussing something to do with the ministry. James sat in a plush armchair near the window, sharing it with Lily who sat on the arm, asking him questions about Germany.

Albus looked at his family and smiled, his heart full. He couldn't have asked for anything more, and to have Scorpius here with them, welcome and accepted, made him ache with happiness. It wasn't perfect, but this was the closest to perfect he could ever hope for.

He stood in the doorway and watched them all, together and peaceful, and just let himself be happy.

And then Scorpius held out his hand and beckoned him to join the gathering, and he did, taking his place beside him in front of the fireplace.

"I caught a chill outside," Scorpius admitted. "This feels nice."

Albus wrapped his arm around Scorpius and took a moment to appreciate that he could do this now in front of his family.

"I'm really glad you're here," said Albus. "And that everything is okay."

"I am too," said Scorpius. "But I need to tell you something."

"What's that?"

"I wasn't squeezing that glass," said Scorpius. "I wasn't putting any pressure on it."

Albus looked at him, mildly concerned.

"We know you can do magic without really trying," said Albus.

"But I was trying before," said Scorpius. "This time I wasn't."

Albus furrowed his brow.

"Okay," he said. "Let's just... stay aware. And try not to worry - that was pretty stressful."

"I'm glad it's over," said Scorpius. "Can I give you your Christmas present now?"

"I can't give you yours," said Albus.

"Oh."

"Because I decided that it's time we go on a proper date," said Albus. "I knew this whole hiding situation would be over soon, so I want to do something normal. I got us tickets to go see the Holyhead Harpies play Puddlemere United next week, and since it's an early match, we can go to dinner afterward."

Scorpius smiled warmly and took his hand. "That sounds great."

"Doesn't it? Something normal."

Scorpius just smiled at him, stupidly, for a long moment, and Albus didn't care if anyone saw.

"I got you something too."

Scorpius dug into his pocket and pulled out a small box, which he handed over.

"I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to keep you safe," said Scorpius as Albus unwrapped it. "And I mean, I don't believe in these things, but I went looking for a protective amulet, and I found this."

Albus tipped the amulet into his hand and turned it over.

"Did you know the scorpion is a symbol of protection in Egypt?"

Albus laughed as he held the amber up to the light.

"Is it really?"

"Yes," Scorpius said. "The wizard I met said it had a powerful protective charm, and I don't know if that's true, but I'd thank you to at least wear it during Quidditch matches from now on."

Albus laughed and slipped the cord around his neck.

"I love it," he said. "I really do. I promise I'll wear it."

"Thank you."

Albus took Scorpius' hand again and held it tight in both of his. He looked around at his family and caught his father's eye. Harry smiled at him and gave him an approving nod.

Albus, content, sank into Scorpius' shoulder and thought that, even though it wasn't perfect, this was the best Christmas of his young life.

AN: Ok. It's confession time.

I don't have much more that I intended to write after this chapter. I'd never really intended to write this much at all, but it's been so much fun. I've got a couple more chapters in the tank, but after that, I'm not so sure.

So here are the options -

1. I can continue writing some fluff until I've run out of fluff to write.

2. I can create some uncomfortable drama at Hogwarts.

3. We can go on a second arc adventure together (all tied in - a continuation) that could get really dramatic, but we'd be offroading.

Thoughts?

xoxo

SP