The Good Son

Chapter Three

Loyalty

"I need time to move my assets before I file for divorce," said Hermione in a serious voice as she stirred her coffee. Her office door was locked and sealed with every magical spell she knew, which was quite a few, and her fireplace had been given the same treatment. Across from her, Draco Malfoy sipped at his own cup of tea, nodding in agreement. Whilst Hermione's wealth was nothing compared to the fabled riches of her Malfoy lover, there was no denying that she was an incredibly wealthy witch. Following the war she had been gifted with a massive sum of gold from the Ministry for her efforts in the destruction of the Horcruxes but unlike Harry and Ron she had put her money to work for her; she now owned a chain of wizarding hotels, several businesses on Diagon Alley and had recently acquired shares in Malfoy Holdings (Much to Draco's chagrin; although he had been thrilled that Pansy Parkinson no longer had an interest in the company after all her shares had been bought out by Hermione). Most importantly, every single one of her ventures was in her own name so that if there ever came a time when she and Ron separated, he could claim nothing as communal property. It was always a sore point in their marriage (one of many issues) that she made more money than him but she always maintained that they had been given the same reward for defeating Voldemort and therefore it was not her fault he had left his prize money to gather dust whilst she had invested hers in worthwhile ventures. In addition, as the Head for the Department for Magical Law Enforcement she was technically Ron and Harry's boss – another sore point that had led to countless arguments between the couple. Ron felt that being married to his boss enabled him to do less work in the Department, Hermione and Harry were both adamant that as he was the deputy head of the Aurors he qualified for no such benefits.

"How long?" Draco asked conversationally, Astoria had signed the papers this morning and he was officially divorced. They had mutually wished each other well for their respective futures and as they had both been friends prior to their marriage they were confident they could remain friendly for the sake of their children. Scorpius and Cassiopeia had been indifferent at best, they loved both their parents and both were old enough to see that neither was happy with the other. As long as they still got to see each both Astoria and Draco as often as they wished, they raised no qualms about the divorce.

"A year, maybe less," she sighed, "I need to move carefully, if word of this reaches Ron – he'll have Harry on his side for sure."

"Potter," Draco said his old school rivals name like a curse, he knew that if Harry got involved then Hermione would suffer a very lengthy and painful divorce, Potter had a reputation for getting his own way where the public was concerned. Everyone saw him as their saviour, so nobody questioned his judgement, even when it was skewed. Case in point, the current matter surrounding his son, Scorpius had written Draco often about his best friends toubles (Draco found it ironic that Albus and Scorpius were best friends when their fathers had tried to kill each other at regular intervals during the war) and Draco had never felt prouder of his son when Scorpius had written to him saying he would be spending the holidays at Hogwarts because Albus didn't want to go home. Having grown up with Lucius as a father, he knew how hard it was for a child to grow without fatherly affection and had readily sent the boy a Christmas gift when Scorpius had implied that Albus wasn't expectinf anything from his father or brother. Draco felt very sympathetic to the youngest Potter as he understood perfectly well how harsh and judgemental the senior Potter could be; despite Narcissa and Draco's actions during the war –both of whom had aided Harry on his quest by lying to Voldemort and Bellatrix respectively – both had very narrowly avoided Azkaban. That had only been thanks to Hermione testifying in their favour at both their trials, though even after they had been declared innocent Harry and Ron had proceeded to drag the Malfoy name through the mud.

"What about the children?" he asked after a while, his coffee mug now half empty.

"I'm going to let them choose," she held up her hand to silence Draco when he made to protest, "No, it's not fair to them that they just move in and live with us and forget Ron; he sees them as his own and he's been a terrific father to them even if he hasn't been the best husband to me. In the end I think we'll agree for joint custody."

"If I claim them then you don't have to give them up at all," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"But I'm not going to hurt Ron like that," said Hermione, "I may not love him but he is one of my best friends; bloodline or no bloodline he is the only father they know."

"You've always had a pure heart," Draco noted, seeing her logic. Loathe as he was to admit it, he would rather his children be happy with the Weasel than miserable with him.

"I've cheated on my husband for my entire marriage," she said with a sad look on her face, "That hardly qualifies as having a pure heart."

"Your heart is pure Hermione," said Draco honestly, speaking from his own heart, "It's one of the reasons I'm in love with you."

"Ironic isn't it," she said, smiling at him, "That a muggleborn witch would have captured the heart of the Draco Malfoy."

"You're purer than I am," he said, leaning across the table to capture her lips with his own.

(*)(*)(*)

"Albus wait!" called James urgently, running down the corridor after his brothers group of friends, glad that his own friends were in Gryffindor Tower so they wouldn't see him behaving civilly towards the Slytherins.

"What do you want James," snapped Rose as the group of first years paused and turned to face him, he noted with a pang that they immediately closed ranks around Albus, who hung his head dejectedly behind them.

"I just want to talk to my brother," pleaded James, his voice full of guilt. He hadn't meant what had happened at the beginning of the week, it wasn't his fault. But his friends had been cajoling him into action and they had that skinny Avery kid cornered on the third floor. How could he have known Albus would have come to his friends defence? Because it's what you would have done, if it were Alison or Seth or Joshua in trouble, a snide voice in his head chirped in.

"He doesn't want to talk to you," spat the blonde, Scorpius Malfoy. Albus had spent two days in the hospital wing after the last incident, something Scorpius would never forget. The world looked at Slytherins as a bunch of back-biting, manipulative bastards but they were wrong. True there were there usual infighting amongst them that was present in all houses but when you messed with one, you messed with all. Unlike the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs; the Slytherins stuck together, personal grudges aside – they had nobody else except each other and that made them unwaveringly loyal to their house-mates.

"Its fine," said Albus quietly, "Go on, I'll talk to him."

Scorpius and Rose looked like they would like to have argued with him but Xavier and Katherine gave them both significant looks and the group departed, leaving the brothers alone. At least it appeared that way; they were actually waiting in the next corridor, wands ready. There was no way they were leaving Albus alone after what had happened.

"Five minutes," said Albus in a dull voice, "Say what you have to and go."

"I'm sorry Al, I'm so, so sorry," began James, "I didn't mean to, I'm sorr–"

"You're sorry?" interrupted Albus incredulously, "What for? For hitting me with the knockback jinx? For sending me flying down the stairs? For breaking my arm? Or for laughing at me instead of helping me to the hospital wing?" Every question Albus asked stung James as if somebody was driving a knife into his gut and then twisting it. What hurt worse was the note of disbelief in his brother's voice that he was getting an apology.

"All of that Al," said James squirming with guilt, "I was aiming at that Avery kid, I didn't meant to hit you."

"So that makes it fine?" snapped Albus, "It's ok because you didn't mean to hurt me. It's ok because you were trying to attack my friend and I got in the way trying to save him? What happened to you James, what happened to the brother I used to be able to wake up at midnight when I was scared of the dark? What happened to the brother who thought me how to play quidditch? What happened to the brother who cared?"

"Albus . . ." James was at a loss for what to say, he didn't need to because Albus was still talking.

"You know when you sent me that picture on Christmas I cried," James flinched when he heard this, "I cried because I thought that even though dad doesn't give a damn about me anymore I would always have my big brother. Obviously I was wrong."

"You weren't wrong Albus," said James softly, "I . . . You're my brother and I love you Al. Please can we just put this behind us and go back to the way we were before?"

"Before huh?" said Albus in a thick voice, "And what about my friends? Are they still on the firing line? Am I supposed to suddenly start sitting with you Gryffindors and acting like the perfect little lion cub?" James remained silent, because what could he say, that was the crux of the matter – the animosity between their houses wasn't going to die down any time soon and Albus would never abandon his friends to the upper-year Gryffindors mercy just like James wouldn't stop being friends with his own circle. His silence was all Albus needed to hear.

"They say Slytherins are manipulative and inherently evil," said Albus as he turned to walk away, "Ask yourself why we're the only ones getting hexed and curse then. Ask yourself when was the last time a Slytherin attacked someone from another house."

Albus turned on his heel and left, the Sorting Hat had said that he was loyal to those who were loyal to him. It was too late for the House of Potter, who had scorned him and hurt him more than he would ever let the world know. Albus Severus Potter – named for Slytherin's most famous Head of House – belonged to the House of Green and Silver now.

They had taken him in and protected him when the people he had loved had turned against him, it was they who reached out to the shy boy who hid behind his curtains for fear of being hexed – not knowing the only hexes coming his way would be cast by his brother and his brothers friends – Albus was now a Potter only in name.

Slytherin was his family now; they had never hurt or let him down and from here on out Albus would be loyal only to them.

(*)(*)(*)

"I hate Herbology," scowled Scorpius as he worked his way through his homework, crossly sketching a diagram of an Asphodel plant before beginning his essay on its uses.

"It really isn't fair that Longbottom never gives a Slytherin anything higher than a seventy even though you and Al are the best in our year; with the exception of Rosie of course," said Delphin as he struggled with his Defense essay. Professor Creevey was fairer than Neville but he still had a small grudge against the Slytherins because he blamed them for his older brother's death. Nevertheless he at least didn't discriminate in class.

"Herbology is better than History of Magic," argued Katherine, who preferred going by the name Kat, "Honestly, you think dying with be a sign that Binns shouldn't be teaching."

"Are you joking, Longarse is the most unfair teacher in the school, he docked twenty points from me today because my homework was an inch shorter than he had requested," said Xavier with a groan. Kat and Albus had had to work extra hard in Charms to make up for those points, thankfully Flitwick didn't place much stock in what house you were in and judged you by your character and talent. He had fast become Albus' favourite teacher due to that fact alone; though all of Slytherin loved old Slughorn, who saw how poorly his house was treated and doted on his charges as befit a grandfather rather than a Head of House.

The Slytherins were clustered in their corner of the common room, a circle of leather couches that they had claimed as their own from the first day of term. It was close enough to the fire that they were warm, but it wasn't near enough for them to become uncomfortably hot.

"Life isn't fair when you have a green tie," said Albus quietly, putting an end to the discussion as they all exchanged knowing looks of agreement. They all had suffered in some way due to either their surnames or their house; Albus had lost most of his family, Scorpius and Xavier had been denied access to their Gringotts accounts more often than not because the Ministry was "inspecting" their family finances for signs of illicit activity, Delphin had had his house raided four times over the Christmas holidays and Kat had been fired from her babysitting job because she was a Slytherin.

"One day we'll make it fair," said Scorpius quietly, as he opened his textbook to find the other names for Asphodel.

"Fair for all of us outcasts," said Kat with a wry smile.

"I like the sound of that," said Delphin, "The Outcasts; it has a nice ring to it."

"Every group does need a name," said Xavier, glancing up from his parchment.

"Then its official," said Albus with a smile, "We're the Outcasts."

The five students grinned at each other, each feeling something they rarely if ever felt since coming to Hogwarts.

A sense of belonging.

(*)(*)(*)

"James sent him flying down the stairs and you're not doing anything about it," snapped Teddy angrily, confronting his godfather for the first time in months. It wasn't intentional; he had dropped by to catch up with his godmother and had been irritated to note that Harry was home. Ginny had made the appropriately "I'm sorry face" face when the turquoise haired man walked into the kitchen and noticed his godfather sitting at the table. Now Ginny looked downright livid as she heard about the incident for the first time.

"Boys will be boys," dismissed Harry with a wave of his hand, "These things happened all the time when I was in school. Seamus Finnigan set himself and his potions partner on fire on a regular basis."

"He fell down two flights of stairs, broke his arm and got a concussion and that's all you have to say," asked Teddy incredulously, "If it were James on the receiving end of that curse, Albus would be swamped with howlers and you know it."

"He's right, don't deny it," scowled Ginny when Harry opened his mouth to protest, "As it is I'm going to write Minerva and inquire why she didn't inform me of this sooner."

"Victoire said that Mcgonagall did write home," said Teddy in obvious surprise, before turning to fix Harry with an icy glare.

"You knew?" barked Ginny, her face rapidly going as red as her hair as she whirled on her husband, "Teddy dear, we'll do lunch tomorrow. Do you mind leaving us now?"

"Not at all mum," said Teddy quickly grabbing his coat and heading for the floo, he knew better than to get in the way of Ginny Potter's wrath. Hopefully this would knock some sense into Harry. Teddy felt disappointed in the man, all his life he had looked up to Harry as a father. His own parents had perished in the war, Harry and Ginny had stepped up remarkably to the occasion and raised him as their own – his grandmother Andromeda being too old and grief-stricken to manage caring for a baby following the deaths of her husband, daughter and son-in-law. Now he didn't know what to think of the man, Albus was as much Teddy's brother as James was and it was a slap in his face that the youngest Potter boy was being ostracized for merely being sorted into a different house.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Ginny was trembling with rage as she turned on her husband, "I am absolutely sick of your behaviour Harry. It's tearing this family apart and you're too blinded by your own bloody prejudiced bigotry to see it. James hasn't been right since Christmas, Albus won't even come home anymore and Teddy can't stand looking at you without getting angry. Lily is nine years old and she knows something's wrong, she's terrified that she'll become a Slytherin and get kicked out the door the same as Al."

"What do you want me to do?" snapped Harry, "I told Al to insist on Gryffindor and he did choose his house. I talked with Neville, he heard him talking to the Sorting Hat! The boy chose Slytherin! He chose to turn his back on us!"

"You daft idiot!" raged Ginny, "He did not turn on us, did you not hear a word of what Victoire and Rose told us during the holidays. He's scared of coming home because he thinks his family doesn't love him anymore! He's terrified that you're going to disown him on sight because he's a Slytherin! He thinks his father, whom he loves, has abandoned him."

When Harry remained stonily silent Ginny shook her head and left the room, pausing at the doorway, "I love my children more than I love you Harry, I swear on Dumbledore's tomb that I won't hesitate to leave you if that means my children will be happy again."

(*)(*)(*)

A/N: Thoughts?