A/N: Another chapter! Trying to get back into this one. Please let me know what you think! And, as always, I'm glad to have my faithful reviewer back! Still waiting on that Malfoy cake, though...

Whoever may have thought that everyone sitting down to talk about how to deal with Voldemort with the one who had brought him back was a good idea…. They were dead wrong.

From the start, the whole thing was a disaster. The moment they retreated to the meeting room, the group started something they could never go back on. They opened up a torrential can of worms the instant they sat down around the table.

"We've decided, he can't fight with us."

Albus frowned, looking down to his brother, then back to his…his boyfriend. (He decided from then on to refer to Scorpius as such. It was easier….) "What are you on about?" he snapped back, his voice sharp. He was done being soft and careful with how he said or did things. This situation…it was changing him. He wasn't a naïve, little boy anymore! He was…. He was stronger and he would make up for any mistakes he'd made.

James sighed and sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "Teddy, Uncle Ron, and I talked – Malfoy can't fight with us. It's completely wrong." He shrugged, suddenly finding the table rather fascinating. "He killed Dad…." Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably. All except Scorpius, of course. He merely continued to sit there, his eyes trained with intense heat at the oldest Potter boy. "He killed Dad and I'm sure everyone knows this! It wouldn't be right for him to be on our side!

"And I'm sure he'll turn on us."

Rolling his eyes like a petulant child, Scorpius threw his hands up in the air. His voice was calm and soft when he spoke, but there was that edge to it. The one that screamed of just how much he was containing himself right then. "Don't you think the fact that I saved all of you…. The fact that I'm here instead of with Voldemort…. Doesn't that in itself mean that I want to be here? That I am, in fact, on your side?" He edged his seat closer to Albus, almost like he was challenging the rest of the room. And to top it off, he laid his arm less than subtly across the other's shoulders and raised a brow. "Albus wants me here. And we – the two of us together – have the skills and knowledge between us to sort this whole mess out."

This meeting was sorely lacking in someone to pull everything together. Without Harry…there was no one down-to-earth with a full brain to control it all. They were destined to fall about between they even started to fight back.

"We need him."

Startled, Albus looked over to the opposite end of the table from James. His brother had assumed the head closest to the door and down at the other end sat their aunt Hermione. She looked reasonable and calm. Dangerously calm…. Like Al could never remember seeing her. Usually she was on about something. Being smart and clever and ridiculously intimidating. But now…. She could almost rule a country.

"Hermione!" Absolutely outraged that his wife would go against what he'd decided, Ron had stood up abruptly from his seat. "There is no reason on this earth why we would ever need that little shit! We don't need Harry's killer harbored under our care! Fighting in our ranks!" He reached up to grip at his hair, throwing Bill and George – the only two of his brothers that actually cared to show up at Harry's memorial – a look that pleaded for help. But they weren't going to step into this marital spat.

Hermione wasn't going to have it. She tied back her hair, readying for the fight that was to come. A fight that was going to tear this entire family in two before they even began to fight back. "Scorpius…. Scorpius started all of this. He knows the plans. He…has inside information that we could honestly use at this point in time." She held her had up to Ron as he tried to interrupt her, shaking her head slowly. She had to say this. "Without Scorpius, we unfortunately have not a single thing going for us…. We will lose without him. We will all die without him." For a moment, the woman had to stop and take a deep breath. No doubt stealing herself away from the rush of emotions concerning her best friend's death. "…And we don't need to lose another person close to us any time soon. Right, Scorpius?"

Those sympathetic brown eyes turned onto the steely grey ones. For a moment, they flashed with a small amount of sadness. Just for that second, he seemed vulnerable and human. And then he was right back to being angry and off-putting. Sheltering himself.

"Right," was all the blonde said, playing his fingers in the every-mussed tendrils of his lover's hair.

Silence echoed that one word. Every face around the room wore some mixture of anger, regret, terror, and confusion. And Hermione was like the queen of it all, pacing towards the door with her arms crossed over her chest and a challenging brow quirked at her family.

Albus was the first to speak in the awkward quiet still of the room. He swallowed hard, removing the arm around him and standing so he could see every single one of their faces. "I know…. I know this decision is difficult. But this is a difficult situation in general. And I think we need to keep as many people working on this side as possible. You may not trust Scorpius, but I can vouch for him." No one replied, they all just stared at him. He couldn't quite tell if it was out of hate or out of absolute perplexity. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Dad would have wanted him to fight beside us. He would have said 'the more people we can get, the better'. So that's what we need to do. It can't just be us. Uncle Charlie, Uncle Percy and his family…they've decided not to help but by not being here with us. And I'd assume anyone outside of this family is too scared to stand up so..." A little unsure in his resolve still, the boy, just barely becoming a man, threw a look over to where his aunt was pacing behind the opposite side of the table. She gave him an encouraging nod, bringing him to smile just a little bit and continue. "So, we need to get more people for our side."

"We will need to resurrect the Order of the Phoenix."

In a flash, everyone in the room turned to snap their eyes onto the Malfoy boy. Some in the room knew of the group mentioned, and then there were those who didn't. Those who might have been spared the nights of warring revel . Albus met the only face that was also perplexed – that of his cousin Fred – and frowned, then looked down at his boyfriend. "What is the Order of the Phoenix?"

As expected, Scorpius rolled his eyes at the younger Potter boy. He looked thoroughly done with this entire ordeal. The consort he'd chosen was an idiot and somehow he'd fallen for him in a way that was not good for his now-forgotten mission. This boy's family hated him, with good reason, and he hated them back with just as much ferocity. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to get out of here. Run. He wanted to do things his way. But he had been the one to suggest this bloody start of a plan…. Running off now would be…reckless. Especially with no doubt being so wanted for treason that he'd most likely be killed upon sight.

"The Order of the Phoenix – the defense against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters for both the first and second war against him. The Potter family has played a pivotal role in both formations, I'm actually rather surprised that you are so clueless, Albus." The words were soft but they had a harsh edge to them that reeked of taunting. Everyone in the room knew exactly what Scorpius thought of the other's lack of knowledge.

Ginny spoke up from her spot next to Albus. She looked up at her son with a mixture of pity, sadness, and only slight determination. "We didn't tell Albus or Lily. James found some old things…asked questions…. So we explained it all to him. But the other two didn't need to know. We preferred not to talk about the past in too much detail. Too…painful." She sighed deeply, closing her eyes and pressing the tips of her fingers into her eyes. Trying to blind out the flashes of memories, no doubt.

"Same here," spoke George Weasley, his own eyes blurred with tears. It was common knowledge in the family that Uncle George had lost not only a brother, but a twin. He was heartbroken even after all of these years. Every time someone would say the name 'Fred', even to refer to his son, he would flinch just a tiny bit. His eyes would glaze over. He would break open again. Over and over and over…. "We didn't tell Roxanne or Freddie." He smiled just slightly over at his son, pretending not to see the uncomfortable anger and sadness in his siblings' eyes. They had lost a brother, too, but he was very vocal about deserving to grieve deeper.

With a snort, Scorpius ran his fingers through his fluid hair. Like he was physically frustrated by the ignorance and lack of backbone in the room. "And this is why you all just might fail this time around! Without me, there would be no one left with any semblance of a drive! You're all so consumed by what you have lost! I understand that grieving is normal – though I may not fully understand the concept. However, I think every single one of you needs to twist that pain in your heart into something like passion. You need to be able to seek vengeance for what you have lost!"

For a long, uncomfortable moment, no one dared to say a word. They were being told off in a way that attempted motivation by boy who had single-handedly taken away one of their keys to survival. And he did make very valid points…. "The Malfoy boy is right," Teddy spoke up first. His fists were clenched upon the table, like it pained him to admit this. He had been one of the ones lobbying for the need to extract him from the house. "We may not like it…but he is right. We all could learn a few things. Half of us don't know how to fight a war. We haven't had to know! And he's been preparing his whole life…."

Scorpius smirked, grabbing onto a belt loop on Albus' trousers, yanking him back into the spot at his side. The brunette followed without protest, smiling at the slow, but sure acceptance of his boyfriend's place here. They neededhim. He needed him.

"Fine," Ron resigned, taking his wife's cautious look in stride. "Malfoy…. Malfoy can stay. He's under probationary terms, however. And I expect an eye on him at all times. I still don't trust him. I think this watch needs to start with him sleeping closer to one of us adults."

"He's already sleeping beside an adult," Albus ground out, suddenly a little bit angry. It was one thing for them to judge Scorpius' character, to question his loyalties, to distrust his actions. It was another entirely for them to judge lifestyle and remove him from Al's reach. Even if that wasn't spoken aloud, he knew that's what this was about. They wanted Albus away from his 'tainting' personality.

Teddy's arm was gentle on Albus' shoulder. He hadn't even noticed that the man had stood and come to stand behind him. Protecting him? "Al…. We all think it would be best if the two of you stayed in separate rooms. We're not saying you can't see him or that you can't spend…supervised time together…. We just…." His words died out. He didn't even have a good lie for what they were trying to do!

"They don't trust me not to manipulate you again. They think you're under some sort of love potion or spell. They think you're vulnerable and pathetic." Scorpius rose a brow to the three mentioned to have come to the decision to get rid of him in the first place. "Isn't that correct?"

Ron, James, Teddy – they were all silent. They all shifted in their places around the room. They all looked uncomfortable to have their distrusts spoken aloud.

"Ronald!" Ginny was on her feet now, as well. She stared down her brother, eyes like ice and fire all in one dangerous combination. "Albus is neither your son nor your business! I may not approve of the person he has chosen to spend his love on as of recent…but I will not be sticking my nose in it. Whether you like it or not, he is an adult. With Harry's passing…I've learned that I need to accept my children for who they are and who they love. Just as he did…. Maybe you should, as well." Her eyes cut back to her son and the possessive grip the blonde boy had around him. She hated it with everything she was…but she meant what she had said. She just wanted her son here. This meant that she needed to change how she treated him. "Albus and Scorpius will keep the bedroom they have chosen. And everyone will shut up about it. Understand?"

The people who wanted to oppose this decision miraculously found the will to keep it to themselves. They brewed in their spots, arms crossed and breeding hostility, but they said not a word. And in this moment, Albus found a brand new respect for his mother. He smiled gratefully up at her, but only earned a wincing almost-smile in return.

"My son's personal life is not up for evaluation here," Ginny continued, smiling over at her sister-in-law. "Hermione, I believe we need your skills. We need…lists of possible allies. We need names of old members and ways to communicate with them the urgency of this reformation. We can get a new meeting set up for tomorrow. And…we need to determine who in this house today will be allowed to take part in the Order. Which is essentially up to parents and spouses, I suppose…."

All Hermione and Ron needed was a single look to communicate their thoughts. They shared this look for minor seconds before both looking back at Ginny and stating in unison, "Not Hugo or Rose."

Albus winced. He knew Rose wouldn't particularly like this idea. She had been fuming mad at not even being able to sit in on this meeting. She was of age, after all! But he could see why his aunt and uncle would choose for her to sit out. They didn't want her to get hurt. They didn't want to lose either of their children. Hugo, being more level-headed, would understand this better.

"Lily is too young, of course," Ginny decided, slightly dejected at not being able to discuss this with their father. She had full authority here and wasn't sure whether she liked it. "But Albus and James are free to fight, as I know they are dying to do."

The decisions went down the line from there. Still behind Albus, Teddy leaned back against the wall and shrugged. "I will have to discuss it with Victoire. I don't want her to get into this…. I don't want her in the action. But that is ultimately her decision, I suppose." He sighed deeply, preparing for the argument they would have later.

"We would also prefer that Victoire not get in the middle of this. Louis and Dominique, neither." Bill squeezed his entrancing blood wife's hand gently as they shared a hesitant look. They almost seemed like they didn't want to be a part of this, either. But there was an obligation….

Arthur Weasley, by far the oldest member of the group, looked around the room. He had been silent this entire time, biting back whatever words he might have had. Ultimately, he wasn't fit to lead here. He was not as quick on his feet and really wasn't sure if he could handle yet another war. "I…. I will lend my services," he said softly, smiling around at his children. "Molly will, as well, in whatever ways she can manage from the home front. The only thing I ask is…that all of my children stay safe this time. I would prefer that we don't lose another." He shared a sad smile around the table, then sat back and looked at the last two men.

Freddie, just barely eighteen and quite the reckless joker just like his father, sat unblinking at the wood under his hands. He didn't know what to say. He was speechless for the first time in his life. All he had wanted to do since he was little was help run his father's joke shop. He was content there to laugh and make others laugh and cause general mischief. This…this was not his comfort zone. He slowly turned to meet his father's eyes, seeing the hurt and hesitance in them. As well as the fiery determination beneath this. "I…. I will fight…. If Dad allows."

This left George to answer. The most uncertain of them all. He had seen enough in the last war. He still had the scars to prove it, both physical and emotional. There were still those nights where he would wake up in drenching sweat from a nightmare that could only have been real all those years ago. Slowly, he nodded to his boy, then looked over to his father. Sharing that deep hurt between them in unspoken agreeance. "You can if you would like, Freddie. I will not allow Roxanne to, though. I think it needs to be a rule that we keep those who are underage out of the fight." He looked around the table and every seemed to agree. They had, after all, been saying that the younger children shouldn't be a part of this. "And if Angelina wants to join us, she may. I won't stop her.

"I will get secure letters sent out to other possible members," Hermione said quickly, making to exit the room. She stopped just before to press a kind kiss to the top of George's hair, whispering something in his ear that softened the hard look in his eyes.

Feeling the room needed some sort of hope, Albus leaned in and gently whispered to Scorpius, "When are you going to tell them…?"

The blonde raised a brow, once again disinterested in the room and those around him. "Tell whom what exactly?" he asked in nearly a snap. "I really wish you would ask proper questions every once in a while…."

With a slightly sad sigh, Albus pushed the arm off of his shoulders. "About the wand," he hissed back. "They deserve to know we have a chance!" As his words rang around the small room, he became suddenly aware of his volume. Blushing, he shifted in his seat and swallowed hard. "Sorry…," he whispered, avoided everyone's questing gaze.

"Are…are you okay, Albus?" his mother asked, leaning in to get a better look at her son. Her eyes were filled with concern and she wore a clearly cautious expression. Like everything she had been thinking about Albus' relationship could be true. That they could be hiding things. That this boy he was enamored with might just be as dangerous as they all feared. "Is there something the two of you need to tell us?"

"No." Scorpius was on his feet in an instant, pulling the Potter boy with him. "We have nothing left to share at this time. Now, if you would excuse us, I believe it is high time for a full night of sleep. Good night." He walked out of the room, dragging his lover along beside him without giving him any choice.

"So you want me to continue lying to my entire family?!" Albus finally burst out once they were in the confines of their room. He allowed Scorpius the chance to cast whatever charms he felt necessary before continuing to speak. "We're just going to keep this huge game changer a secret? Is that it?" He was furious! He wanted his family to be able to trust them! And here they were, keeping something crucial to themselves.

Visibly exhausted, Scorpius laid down upon the bed, reaching under the mattress on his side to pull out the blasted wand. The one that was knotted in such vile ways and was such a deathly color that Albus couldn't even stand to look at it. "You don't understand, Albus…." The way he said this wasn't derogatory as expected, instead he seemed almost kind. And maybe even grateful that this boy was innocent enough not to fully grasp the gravity of this delicate situation.

"Then help me understand," the brunette pleaded, kneeling down at the bedside.

Scorpius slowly turned to look him in the eye. His silver orbs were shining with what might have been the beginnings of tears. The presence of which made absolutely no sense to the other. "Albus…I know somewhere inside of yourself…you know that you should hate me. You know that you should be angry with me for what I've done to this world, to your family, to my own family…. This feeling you won't allow yourself to have towards me is exactly how everyone else in this house feels. They aren't clouded by the puppy love you have. They…have more sense than that." He reached out, his pale fingers ghosting over Al's cheek while his other hand grasped the Elder Wand ferociously. "If they all found out that I possess this type of weapon – a weapon that was previously destroyed for a reason – they would cease to trust me. I want to help you all out. I want to right the wrongs I have done. But I can't if they won't allow me to. So for now…until we can figure out the best plan for me to claim ownership of this wand, we need to keep this whole thing quiet.

"I need you to use this one lie for me. Protect our secret, and in the end it could win us this war. I need to do this in order to make things right. Do you understand now?"

The raw emotion in his boyfriend's voice made Albus want to cry, as well. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, having to turn his eyes to the floor to hide the weakness of crying at such a time. "Scorpius, I love you…. I would do anything you ask of me, you know. I'm an idiot, I know. But…for this moment, yes, I understand. And I'll keep this secret." He leaned forward to rest his head on the small space between Scorpius and him on the mattress. "Just…. Just promise me that in the end, you won't give me a reason not to trust you any longer…."

"I can't honestly promise you that, Albus…."

Albus knew this man meant what he said. He knew he wouldn't be able to provide that restful thought. There was always the chance that he might mess things up again at any time. He wasn't used to this 'playing on the good side' thing. And…somehow Al was okay with that. And he would stay by his side throughout every step – good or bad.