AN: I am literally the worst person EVER. I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting for this long, the last two weeks were literally hell for me. Just midterms and papers all over the place.
But I can promise you I'm not abandoning this fic at all. In fact the reason it's taken so long to update, in addition to my hectic life, is that I want these chapters to be perfect. I always hate when one chapter is really good in a fic, and the next chapter is total crap, so I wanted to make sure that wasn't the case.
I also want to thank all the reviewers. Your reviews were awesome, and were what spurred me on to write this next chapter. So enjoy!
Disclaimer: Anything recognizable is owned by Queen Rowling.
Monday, December 19th, 2022
Zabini Estate, Upper Flagely, Yorkshire, 10am
Ella awoke Monday morning to find a piece of parchment on top of her face. Cursing her brother, who she knew could be the only one responsible, she sat up assuming the parchment would fall off her face.
It didn't.
"Bloody hell Aiden. A sticking charm? Really?" she muttered, maneuvering her hands around her bedside table in search of her wand. Finding it, she quickly muttered the counter spell and caught the piece of parchment as it floated down. Rubbing her eyes, she read the note.
E-
Went to Ems' to help baby-sit her brother. If you see any of my teammates while shopping today, don't tell them where I am. I skipped out on 'team bonding' to help Em. If they ask, mum has me running errands all day. Cheers!
Your better looking brother,
-A
PS: Find out if mum and dad are definitely going to his company's New Years party.
Rolling her eyes at her brother's antics, Ella got out of bed and went to the window to see what the weather was like. Looking out onto the Manor grounds, she couldn't help but take it all in.
The Zabini Estate was quite a large one, even larger than Malfoy Manor. Ella's paternal grandmother had been a famously beautiful witch with a penchant for marrying rich men, then inheriting their gold when they died. Ella's father had been her only son, thus inheriting the entire fortune as well as the mansion when she had passed on. Blaise Zabini had been barely 22 years old when his mother passed away. At the time he had no need for such a large estate, and believed even if he did have a family he wouldn't need such a large place. Intent on selling the place, Mr. Zabini found a small interior decorating company, run by a witch, to spruce the place up and make it more appealing and modern.
That was how he met Evelyn Carmichael, the company's main decorator, and a half-blood witch. Upon seeing the estate, Evelyn fell in love with it at first sight. After six months of spending time together going over ideas, Blaise finally made his move. One year later, they were married with no intent to sell the Zabini estate at all. After all the estate was the initial cause of their meeting; it was part of their shared history. A few months after that, Evelyn found out she was pregnant with the twins and promptly quit her job. Despite her love of decorating, she wanted to raise her kids and be involved in their lives.
Moving away from the window, Ella went to write a quick note to Rose. Taking a piece of parchment from her desk she wrote down a few lines, telling Rose to meet her a Flourish and Blotts at eleven.
"Athena, come her girl," she coaxed, whistling to get her owl's attention. A gorgeous white owl flew out of its cage over to the desk. "Take this to Rose at her house in Chudleigh, ok?"
Cooing, the owl accepted the note and nipped affectionately at Ella's hand before flying out the window.
Turning to her wardrobe Ella chose a red jumper, blue denim skirt, and stockings to wear for the day. Going in to her bathroom, she quickly showered and dried her hair with her wand. Back in her room, she was surprised to see Athena had already returned with Rose's response. Crossing the room, she took the note from the owl's leg.
El-
Sounds good. Just to let you know, the entire Ravenclaw team is going to be there today. If you see Zach before you see me, DO NOT tell him you're meeting me. He wanted to meet up this afternoon, but I'm still avoiding him. Fill you in later.
See you soon,
Rose xxx
Suppressing a smirk, Ella fed Athena a treat, threw on some ballet flats, and headed out her bedroom towards the stairs leading to the kitchen. As she neared the first floor, she heard her parents' hushed voices. Curious, she stopped before the last step and leaned closer to hear what they were saying."
"… please I just want to make this right."
"I know you do Blaise, I know. But I just need some time," came her mother's weary voice.
"I know I fucked up, alright? But it was a mistake, I swear. It was a lapse in judgment. You were being distant after your father had passed, and I "
"So you're going to try and blame this on me?!" her mother's voice suddenly turned angry.
"No! Of course not," pleaded her father, retreating immediately. "No this was completely my fault. I'm just saying that things between us were tense, and it was affecting me. But of course this wasn't your fault. Please Evie, I just want to fix this. Tell me how to fix this."
Silence hung in the air for a few moments before Evelyn replied, "I don't know if you can Blaise. How can I trust you?"
"Evie, I'm still the same man you married seventeen years ago. I'm still head over heels in love with you, and I always will be. I stopped the kiss as soon as I realized what was happening. It was a mistake, and I need you to tell me what you need from me. How do I fix this?"
Ella closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as a tear slid silently down her cheek. She had known that her parents were having marriage trouble, having caught a few of their arguments towards the end of the previous summer, but she hadn't known what they were about.
Now she did. Her father had cheated on her mother. He had kissed another woman.
"I want to forgive you Blaise, I do. I just need some time," came her mother's hushed voice. "I do love you."
A few moments passed again before Blaise spoke. "I've been thinking maybe we should get away from England for a weekend, just the two of us. We can just spend some time alone and reconnect. What do you say?" asked Blaise.
Evelyn sighed. "I don't know… maybe…"
"Please Evie. We can go anywhere you want. What about Greece, you've always wanted to go there! We can spend Christmas there, together."
"What about the kids?"
"I'm sure they'd be ok with going to the Weasleys' or Potters' place for a week or so. Merlin knows they spend most of their time with those kids as it is."
"No, Blaise. I want to spend Christmas with the kids. We already don't see them for most of the year."
Blaise sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just… I think we need this."
Silence hung over the kitchen again. Ella took a chance and peeked slightly into the kitchen. Her father was kneeling in front of her mother, grasping her hands. Suddenly, he looked up at her.
"What about New Years?" Blaise asked quietly.
"New Years?"
"Yes, it's perfect. We'll spend Christmas with the kids, but we'll go away for just that weekend. That way we don't leave them for too long."
"What about your company party? I thought you wanted to go to make a good impression? To start your campaign to become a partner?" questioned Evelyn.
"That doesn't matter. You're more important. We're more important."
Evelyn gave a small smile. "I "
Suddenly Ella lost her footing and fell against the wall.
Blaise and Evelyn started and turned to the stairs. "Ella, honey is that you?" asked her mother.
Cursing silently, Ella straightened up and wiped her eyes. Stomping her feet a bit to make it seem like she was just coming down the stairs, she plastered a smile on her face before entering the kitchen.
"Morning mum, dad."
"Hello sweetheart. Up a bit late this morning are you?" teased Blaise.
Ella simply nodded and avoided eye contact with her father, still a bit speechless as to what to say to him.
"Ah well, I suppose it is the holidays," said her father. "Well I'd better be off to work. I'll be home later this evening for dinner. Maybe the four of us can all go out to eat?"
Ella just smiled as Evelyn nodded. "Sure, we'll talk about it when you get back."
Taking that to apply to their earlier conversation as well, Blaise gave his wife a quick peck, kissed the top of Ella's head, and left.
"Anything specific you want for breakfast darling?" asked Evelyn, getting up and moving into the kitchen. She seemed to had shed her serious manner as soon as Ella had entered the room. "I know I'm not the Hogwarts' house elves, but I can make a decent breakfast," she said beaming at her daughter.
"Thanks mum, but I'm not too hungry right now. I'll probably just grab a bite to eat with Rose later."
"If you're sure dear. So, off to Diagon Alley for the day?"
"Yeah, Rose and I need to finish off a little more gift shopping."
"Hmm, sounds lovely darling," Evelyn said, a bit distractedly. She toyed with the diamond ring on her left hand as she stared out the window.
Ella watched her mother as she looked out the window. Evelyn Zabini was a gorgeous woman. Of Italian heritage on her mother's side, she had fair complexion as well as long silky brown hair. The twins had always been told that their looks favored their mother more than their father. Most of their physical aspects had been inherited from Evelyn, save for their medium skin tone and piercing brown eyes, both from their father.
Watching her mom, Ella decided to take a chance and pry a bit. "So are you and dad going to his company's New Years party this year?" she asked, as nonchalantly as possible.
Snapping out of her trance, Evelyn looked at Ella. "Um, I'm not sure. Actually your father surprised me a bit this morning. He wants to take me to Greece for that weekend.
"Wow, Greece! What's the occasion?" Ella asked, trying to seem like she wasn't prying.
"Oh you know your father, always springing these surprises on me. I think he just wants to get out of England for a bit. We would ask you two to come, but I know you probably want to celebrate the New Year with your friends.
Ella just nodded, accepting her mother's lie.
"Would you kids mind being home alone? I could always ask Luna if you and your brother could stay with them for that weekend. I'm sure she'd be happy to have you."
Torn between wanting to find out more about her parents problems and wanting to have the house for the party, Ella made her decision.
"No mum, we'll be fine at home for the weekend. We are almost seventeen, you know. And Pokey will be around to cook food for us if we need," Ella said.
"I suppose… I just feel odd about leaving you two alone. Are you sure you don't want to go to the Scamanders' house? Or the Weasleys'?"
"Yes mum, we'll be fine! Don't worry so much," Ella said, smiling reassuringly at her mum. "Anyways, I've got to dash mum. I'm meeting Rose in twenty minutes."
"Alright, bye darling."
Kissing Evelyn's cheek, Ella grabbed her purse and ran towards the fireplace to floo. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, she stepped in the fireplace.
"Darling, please don't spend too much today!"
"What's that mum? Didn't hear you, did you say 'spend a lot?' Gotcha, bye!" Laughing, Ella threw down the floo powder and yelled "Flourish and Blotts!"
Shaking her head in amusement at her disappearing daughter, Evelyn rolled her eyes before letting out a sigh. She had quite a bit of thinking to do before her family got home that night.
Flourish and Blotts, Diagon Alley, London, 11am
Stumbling out of the fireplace at Flourish and Blotts, Ella was suddenly caught by a firm pair of arms. Looking up to thank her savior, she found herself staring into a familiar pair of brown eyes.
"James! What are you doing here?"
Laughing, James helped Ella to regain her balance before letting her go. "What, no thank you? Merlin, so ungrateful," he joked.
Cocking her eyebrow at him, she said, "Sorry, sorry. Thank you for not letting me fall flat on my face. Now, what are you doing here?"
James smiled. "Freddie and I are supposed to head over to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Liam needs new keeper gloves, but he's stuck in Ireland visiting his grandparents, so I told him I'd pick them up. I was just looking for a new book on Quidditch plays before I headed over to meet them."
"Gryffindor captain through and through then, aren't you?" grinned Ella, as they both turned to walk to the front of the bookshop.
Holding the door open for Ella, James said, "Anything for my players. We need to have all the best equipment for when we massacre the other teams. Speaking of my players, is there anything you need? I suppose it could be your Christmas present."
Ella smiled. "You don't have to get me a present, James."
"Why not, I do it every year," he said, leaning in slightly. "No point in breaking tradition."
Ella smiled sweetly. "Well I don't think there's anything I need, but thanks James. You're a good captain, to be thinking of your team all the time."
James' smile faltered a bit, but not enough for Ella to notice. "Yeah, the team," he mumbled softly.
"Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. I had a favor to as "
"Ella!"
Spinning around to see who had interrupted her, Ella found Andrew Turner walking down the street towards her and James, followed shortly by five other people. Flustered, Ella smoothed down her jumper and skirt before beaming at Andrew.
"Hello love, what are you doing here?" Andrew asked, reaching out to hug Ella.
"Last minute shopping with friends," replied Ella. "Couldn't find everything I needed in Hogsmeade. And I just bumped into James here, literally."
Andrew nodded and remarked, "Potter."
James looked at him coolly before acknowledging him. "Turner." Looking back at Ella, he said, "Ella I'd better go, I've got to get over to the Quidditch store. See you later?"
"Sure James," Ella smiled. Waving at him and then turning back to Andrew, she didn't notice the lingering look James gave at her as he left.
"Is your brother with you then?" Andrew asked suspiciously, with the rest of the team looking on as well. "He was supposed to meet the team this morning, but said he was busy."
"N-no," Ella replied, remember to cover for Aiden. "No, um he's running errands for our mother all day." Trying to distract Andrew from how shaky her voice seemed, she put her hand on his arm and said, "He lost a bet to me, so he had to do them."
Convinced, Andrew smiled at Ella's touch and moved a bit closer to her.
"Is Rose with you then?"
Ella looked behind Andrew to see Zach Corner.
"Huh?"
Zach walked closer to where she and Andrew were. "You said you were meeting friends. And Potter was here, so I thought Rose might be with you."
"N-no," stammered Ella again. Thinking to herself she really needed new friends who wouldn't make her 'cover' for them, she gave Zach the first excuse that popped into her head. "Rose was busy. I'm meeting Lorcan today."
"Oh, ok," said Zach, a bit dejectedly. "Yeah she told me that she was busy today, but I thought maybe she was just avoiding me."
"Why would she be avoiding you?" Ella asked, though she knew that he was correct.
"Oh, um I asked her to meet my parents over the holiday, and she seemed a bit surprised. I thought maybe she was still figuring out whether she wanted to or not."
Surprised at the reason, Ella regained her composure. "I'm sure she's just busy today, Zach," she said, while making a mental note to kill Rose for not telling her about this new development.
"Yea, busy…" said Zach distractedly, going back to his other teammates.
"Anyways, back to us, Ella when do I get to spend some more time with you?" Andrew interjected
Blushing, Ella replied, "Well, what did you have in mind?"
"How about dinner, tomorrow night. I'll pick you up at seven?"
Smiling, Ella nodded. "That would be lovely. I have to run Andrew, but I'll see you tomorrow night." Stretching up to kiss his cheek, Ella was surprised when Andrew turned his head and met her lips instead for a small kiss.
Leaving her lips and moving towards her eat, Andrew whispered, "See you tomorrow night." Winking at her, he left to rejoin his teammates.
Smiling, Ella turned around towards the chairs outside of Flourish and Blotts to wait for Rose. Well, that's new.
Longbottom Flat, Diagon Alley, London, 12pm
"Ems! He's doing something weird… HELP!"
Emily rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room to see Aiden staring anxiously at her baby brother. Glancing down at the baby, Em sighed in relief as she saw her brother biting on a teething ring.
"Well, aren't you going to do something? He's trying to eat his toys! That can't be normal!" exclaimed Aiden.
Rolling her eyes, Emily turned to face her boyfriend. "Aiden, he's supposed to be doing that. And that's not a toy, that's a teething ring. He's at the age where he's going to start getting his first teeth soon."
Relieved, Aiden recovered smoothly. "Oh. Right. I totally knew that. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. I was testing you."
Emily quirked an eyebrow up at him, causing Aiden to start nervously laughing. "Oh, really? So I suppose you won't mind if I just go join Rose and Ella's shopping trip, and you can take care of Daniel then?" she smirked.
Aiden's eyes widened, causing Emily to let out laugh. Satisfied that she was just teasing him, Aiden grabbed her into his embrace. "Mmm, but isn't this so much more fun together?" he murmured into her ear. Not letting her go, he kissed the spot right under her ear.
"Aiden, we can't oh, that feels nice…"
Aiden began to trail kisses down her jaw until her reached her lips. Throwing caution to the wind, she put her arms around him and kissed him back eagerly.
However, they were shortly interrupted by Daniel's cries.
"Bloody hell, your whole family is against me aren't they?" muttered Aiden, not willing to let go of Emily. "How much do you want to bet your father trained him to do that?"
Broken out of the spell, Emily laughed as she detached herself from Aiden. Bending towards the floor, she carefully picked up her brother, and went to sit down on the couch. "Just come and sit down. We'll have more time for that later."
Aiden collapsed on the seat next to Emily, and snuggled up to her. "Promise?" he asked, kissing her cheek.
"Promise."
After about twenty minutes, Daniel calmed down and began to look sleepy. "I think it's time for his nap. I'll just go put him in his room."
Aiden nodded, picking up the Quidditch magazine that must've belonged to Tommy, Emily's other brother. Palming through the magazine, he thought about how good Emily was with Daniel. Smiling to himself, he wondered if he would ever be good with children. There was no doubt in his mind that Emily was the one he would have a future family with, but he hoped he wouldn't be completely awful at handling children by then.
"Well, he's down for the count," said Emily, coming back in the room. "Which means, we have some time to ourselves." Smiling suggestively at Aiden, she walked over to the couch and sat on his lap.
"What about your mum?" Aiden murmured, his arms instinctively going around Emily's waist as he began to nip at her neck affectionately. "What if she comes up here?"
"Hmmm? Oh she'll be too busy," said Emily, distracted by Aiden's ministrations. "The week before Christmas is always overcrowded in the pub."
"And your dad?" he said, slipping his hands under her shirt to draw patterns on her back while still kissing her neck.
"Still at Hogwarts grading papers. He won't be back until dinner."
"And Tommy?" He trailed his kisses up her neck, towards her jaw and closer to her lips.
"At a friends house," she said, in a breathy voice. "Just shut up and kiss me you prat."
"Mmm, as you command," Aiden smirked, before flipping them over and pinning Emily down on the couch beneath him. Reaching up, she put her hands behind his neck and captured his lips in a heated kiss.
Moving her hands up, she tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling at his brown locks gently. Smiling into the kiss, Aiden traced her bottom lip with his tongue, begging for entrance. She obliged and he began exploring her mouth. Suddenly, with strength Aiden never knew she had, Emily flipped them so that she was on top of him. Straddling him, she began kissing down his neck, gently nipping here and there, as he sighed and relaxed to enjoy her soft touches.
"I love you," he sighed, as she pressed her lips against a tender spot right below his ear.
Emily smiled. "I know," she said, causing him laugh gently. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her softly.
"You're really good with kids, you know that?" Aiden murmured.
"Well I had experience with Tommy too, when he was younger," she said, returning her attention back to his neck.
"It just makes me think about how good you'll be without our kids."
Emily froze.
"… our kids?"
"I am so sorry!"
Ella turned around to see a rushed looking Rose pacing towards her.
"I was just about to leave my house when I was ambushed by my dad. I had to spend twenty minutes convincing him that not only was I not secretly meeting Zach, but that I'm actually trying to avoid him. Bloody hell, that man is too overprotective for his own good."
Ella laughed. "I can't say I'm surprised. He's been like that since you started dating."
The other girl groaned. "I'm so tired of it. Even my mother can't control him. But he seemed pretty happy when I convinced him that I was actually avoiding Zach, rather than sneaking off to meeting him."
"Speaking of which, he's asked you to meet his parents?"
Rose started. "How did you know?! Oh Merlin, he's here, isn't he?" She looked around warily, almost as if Zach was going to pop out of thin air suddenly.
"Don't worry, I covered for you. Well not so much as covered as lied about who I was meeting up with right now."
"Thanks, I owe you. Fancy some lunch? I can explain there."
Ella agreed, and the two walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. Stepping in the restaurant, they waved at Emily's mother before ordering and going to sit down.
"Alright, spill. How did you go from being mad at him to being asked to meet his parents?" commanded Ella.
Rose sighed and scooted her chair closer to the table. "He apologized on the train for our fight. I didn't want to press the issue any further, so I told him it was ok. Then we snogged for a bit, after which out of the blue he asks me to meet his parents."
Ella's eyes widened. "But it's only been two months."
"I know! I didn't know what to tell him. I mean it's too soon, right?"
"Definitely. Meeting the parents is like a five months or more thing. Everyone knows that."
"Except Zach, apparently."
Ella looked at Rose. "So what did you say?"
"Well Ferret was waiting outside, so I said we had to go find Al and told him I'd let him know later. Then when he wanted to meet up today, I told him I was busy. I don't know what to say to him El. I don't think I'm ready to meet his parents." Rose groaned and lay her head down on her hands. Ella patted her friend's head consolingly.
"We'll think of something Rose, don't worry. Let's just eat, go say hi to the lovebirds, and shop. You need a break from this boyfriend drama."
The girls quickly ordered and ate their food. Once they were finished, they headed upstairs towards the Longbottom's apartment.
"… our kids?"
Emily suddenly sat up quickly and climbed off Aiden. Confused, Aiden got up as well.
"Well yeah. I figure since I'm horrible with children, you'll have to take with them."
Emily looked a little stunned. "T-t-them? A-a-and exactly how many k-kids will we be having," her voice coming out high pitched and shaky.
Aiden's eyebrows furrowed. He knew that whenever Emily was panicking, her voice climbed about three octaves and she started stammering. "Why are you freaking out? This isn't going to be for another four or five years, tops."
"F-f-four or five years?! B-b-but we're only sixteen!" she stuttered.
Aiden stared at her in confusion. "Are you telling me you've never thought of our future?"
"Of course I have. I j-j-just…. I j-just don't have it all planned out like you seemed to have," she replied defensively.
"Well what was your plan?"
"I dunno," she said quietly. "I just figured whatever happens will happen, when the time is right."
"So you don "
The doorbell interrupted his question.
"Dammit," swore Aiden, as Emily went to go get the door.
Pulling herself together, Emily opened the door to find her two best friends on the other side, both holding their hands over their eyes.
"Please tell me you're both decent. I would rather not see my brother in his starkers."
Still shaken, Emily simply said, "We're decent. Come in."
The girls walked into the house, following Emily towards the living room. Entering the room they found a disgruntled looking Aiden, who didn't even look up at their arrival.
"What's got his knickers in a twist?" Ella asked Emily.
"Oh sod off," he muttered at his sister.
Ella looked affronted. "Merlin, we just came by to say hi. But I can see we're not welcome."
A flicker of regret flashed in Aiden's eyes, but he still didn't say anything.
"No no, of course you're welcome," Emily said. "It's just been a long day, with the baby and all."
"Of course," replied Rose. "We actually just came by to say a quick hi, but we'd better get going because I have to be home by five. And we have lots of shopping to do."
"Ok, well Rose I suppose I'll see you at the Burrow for Christmas dinner then?"
"Of course Em." Rose hugged her friend, and waved at Aiden who just nodded back.
"If I'd known you were going to be so rude, I wouldn't have covered for you with your team this morning, you know," Ella shot at Aiden. "I hope whatever wand you have stuck up your arse is out by the time you come home." He flipped her off in response, causing Emily to send a glare at him.
Emily walked the two girls to the door, and upon returning to the living room found Aiden standing again.
"Have you really not thought about our future together? About when we're going to get married? When we'll have kids?" he said immediately, before she could scold him for being so rude.
Emily sighed and walked towards him. "Aiden, the future is so unpredictable. Of course I think about ours, but I don't have everything set out like you seem to. I'd love for us to get married, but have you thought about jobs and the possibility that we could have to deal with distance? You want to join a Quidditch team. How are we supposed to get married if you're traveling all the time? Or have kids?"
Looking down at the ground, Aiden had no response.
"I'm just trying to be realistic, my love," murmured Emily, placing her hands on his face to guide his eyes towards her's.
Closing his eyes and placing his forehead against her's, he sighed. "I know. I just wish you wouldn't." They stood in silence for a bit before Aiden pulled away. " I have to go. My mum needed me to pick up a few things from the Apothecary, so I should do that. I'll see you later," he mumbled
Emily sighed in frustration. "Aiden."
"No, really Em. I have to go." Leaning down, he kissed her quickly cheek and went to grab his coat. "Are you still coming to mine for Christmas day lunch?"
"Yeah, I'll be there."
"Alright, I'll see you then." Aiden left hurriedly. Stepping out the door, he let out a sigh of frustration. He knew Emily had a point when she said the future was unpredictable, but he had hoped that she had put more thought into their's. Eventually they were going to have to deal with this, but for the moment he didn't want it interfering in their holiday plans. Taking a deep breath, he walked down the stairs, waved to Emily's mother, and set off for the Apothecary.
Florean Fortescue's, Diagon Alley, 3pm
"All I'm saying is that maybe if you had a date, you wouldn't be fawning over Darcy throughout the entire party."
"I don't fawn over her!"
Albus was sitting in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour with Scorpius and Lorcan, where for the last twenty minutes they'd been trying to convince him to ask the cute girl behind the counter to be his date to the New Year's party.
"Mate, yes you do. It's obvious to everyone except you and Darcy," retorted Lorcan. "Just go up to the counter and ask this bird out."
"I don't even know her though," Al argued.
"That's the point of asking her out," groaned Lorcan. "To get to know her."
"I dunno, she doesn't really seem my type."
"What, gorgeous? Or not Darcy?" added Scorpius.
Al glared at him.
"Well if you won't do it, then I'm going over there to see if I can get you a date," Lorcan said, getting up. Al began to protest. "No, Al. I'm doing this for your own good."
Lorcan walked over to the counter as Al slumped down in his seat.
"Mate, he's just trying to help," began Scorpius. "We all are. We don't like seeing you so unhappy."
"I'm not unhappy," Al protested. "I just need some more time."
"More time than three years?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Look I get it. Really, I do. You've liked Darcy since fourth year. And the one time she was single between then and now, you were dating someone. I know you feel like you missed your opportunity, but you can't sit around waiting for her to be single again."
Al sighed in resign. The last time Darcy had been single was in their fifth year. She had been dating an older Gryffindor and Al had eventually given into his friends advice and asked another girl out. After a few dates with Jill Finch-Fletchley, Al found that while she wasn't Darcy, she was a nice enough girl. Three months later, they were in a steady relationship.
And then Darcy broke up with her boyfriend. Torn between seeing whether his relationship with Jill would last and finally pursuing the girl of his dreams, Albus chose to remain with Jill, losing the one window to Darcy that had opened up. Eventually Jill had broken up with Al, believing he wasn't fully committed to their relationship, but by then Darcy was already dating Callum Davies.
Al relented. "You're right."
"And before you argue with wait… what?"
"You're right," repeated Al, a bit dejectedly. "I've been holding onto hope that she'd break up with Davies. That's why I haven't dated anyone recently. I don't want to be in the same situation as last time. But if they're serious enough that he wants her to meet his family, maybe there is no hope."
Stunned that Al had given in that quickly, the two friends sat in silence for a few moments before Lorcan came back.
"Well mate, she definitely thinks you're cute." Lorcan sat back at the table. "Now just go talk to her, and ask her out," he prodded.
Al took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. Wish me luck."
As Albus walked over to the counter, Lorcan turned to Scorpius. "Well my job is done for the day."
"What about your date for the party?"
"Already asked Jenny Martin when we were at school. Obviously Aiden and Emily are going together, Rose has Corner, and unless I can convince her otherwise, that prat Turner will probably be Ella's date." Lorcan propped his feet up on Al's empty chair. "Oh, and you've got your little girlfriend," he said, scrunching up his face a bit at the thought of Ava.
Scorpius look down at his hands. "Actually…"
Dropping his feet from the table, Lorcan furrowed his eyebrows and leaned in. "What do you mean 'actually'?"
"I sort of broke up with Ava," mumbled Scorpius, trailing off towards the end.
Lorcan's eyes widened. "What?! When did this happen?"
"Yesterday."
"And you didn't see fit to tell me?! We've been here for " Lorcan checked his watch, "almost two bloody hours, and you didn't tell me that you'd broken up with that she-devil!"
"Ah, so he's told you," Al said, returning to his seat. "I can't same I'm too broken up over it, the girl was bloody annoying."
Scorpius shot a reprimanding looks at both Al and Lorcan.
"What? You know I'm not her biggest fan," Al held up his hands in defense, Lorcan nodding in assent. "Mate, you can do way better than Ava Goldstein. You're probably the, what? The second best looking guy in our year?"
Scorpius smirked. "Second best? Try again."
Al shook his head while grinning.
"He's right," Lorcan said, having calmed down. "Second best… after me." Lorcan laughed while dodging a punch from Al. "So how'd she take it?"
"Not well," Scorpius sighed. "She screamed at me for about twenty minutes before starting to cry. Then when I tried to comfort her, she took her wand out and started screaming at me again. She didn't curse me, but bloody hell she sure looked close to it. I don't think she wanted to risk getting a notice from the Ministry. I never thought I'd say it, but thank Merlin for underage magic restrictions."
Lorcan laughed. "That sounds about right, she always did seem a bit on the crazy side. I wonder if that applies in the bedroom too…"
Scorpius glared at him in warning.
"Not that I'd ever go there, mate. I wouldn't do that to you," Lorcan added hastily. Quickly trying to change the subject he turned to Al. "So, did you manage to ask the bird out then?"
"Yeah, she agreed to be my date for the party," Al said, giving a small smile.
"Not to ruin the mood," Scorpius said, "but you know Darcy will be there, right? Davies is Aiden's teammate, so he'll be invited."
Al shrugged. "It's a big house. What are the chances I run into them?"
Scorpius and Lorcan stared at him doubtfully.
"Correction, what's the chance I run into them if I'm avoiding them?" Al amended.
The other two laughed. "Fair enough," said Lorcan. "So Scorp, does being newly single mean you're up for getting a date too?"
"Nah, mate. Ava will probably still be at the party, and I don't want to piss her off any more. She might say 'fuck it' and hex me, ministry reprimand aside. I'll sit this one out."
Lorcan groaned. "Suit yourself. But there won't be many options for that midnight snog for you."
"I think I'll survive," Scorpius said dryly.
Al smiled. "Don't worry Scorp, you'll find your perfect girl soon enou hey! Isn't that Rose?"
Diagon Alley, 3pm
A few hours later, Rose and Ella were wandering down the street, arms filled with bags.
"So what was wrong with your brother?"
Ella exhaled heavily. "Fuck if I know. His note this morning seemed cheery enough." The two girls walked down Diagon Alley, perusing the windows of the shops occasionally. "Maybe the golden couple is actually having problems."
Rose turned her head towards Ella. "No need to sound so worried," she said sarcastically.
"Well I'm not. They can have problems, but it doesn't change the fact that at the end of the day everything will be fine with them. Believe me, I've seen it happen before."
"I suppose…" Rose trailed off.
"Just trust me, everything is fine. There's nothing we need to worry about. Moving on, guess who has a date."
"What?! When did this happen?"
"This morning, before you got here," Ella smiled, thinking of the memory fondly. "James and I ran into the Ravenclaw team an "
"James?" Rose interrupted.
"Oh yeah I ran into James this morning. Literally."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he's here with Freddie and Louis. In fact I need to talk to all of them about the alcohol supply for the party. Usually I'd just have Scorp to ask Melanie, but she's in Spain, so that's out."
"James or one of the others will probably be able to get it. But enough of that, back to your date. Details, now," commanded Rose.
Ella gushed. "Oh, right. So we ran into the Ravenclaw team this morning, and after covering for you and Aiden, Andrew asked me out. We're going out to dinner tomorrow."
"Well then tomorrow night I expect an owl with all the details."
"Of course, have I ever let you down in the past?" Ella grinned.
The two girls continued to walk, venturing thoughts as to where Andrew would take Ella the next evening. As they were passing Quality Quidditch supplies, Ella said, "Would you mind if I ran in here quickly? Aiden's been eyeing some new beater gloves, and I want to get them for him."
"No problem El, I'll just wait out here."
"Thanks. I don't know why I'm so good to him when he's such a bloody git to me."
Rose laughed as Ella left to enter the shop. Sitting down on a bench Rose let her mind go blank and relaxed a bit.
"Rose!"
Hoping that Zach hadn't found her, Rose whipped her head around to instead see three boys walking over towards her.
"You guys are here too?"
"What a lovely greeting, Weasels," Scorpius answered sarcastically.
Rose rolled her eyes and ignored him. Instead she addressed Albus. "You didn't tell me you were coming here today," she said, almost accusingly.
"I didn't realize you were his mother," Scorpius interjected again before Al could reply, earning a rude hand gesture from Rose.
Elbowing Scorpius, Al said, "If I'd known you were coming, I would have told you. Although it was supposed to be a boys days out of sorts. Speaking of boys, have you seen Aiden? The Ravenclaw team was on the lookout for him earlier, so he should be warned."
"He already knows, we told him."
"We?" asked Lorcan
"Yes, we," replied Ella, walking up beside Rose.
"Oh fantastic, the whole gang is here," grinned Lorcan. "Well almost. Do you lovely ladies fancy a butterbeer? Scorp's treat of course."
"Hey!"
Ignoring Scorpius' indignant cry, Lorcan grinned at the two girls and gestured for them to go first. The group walked over towards the Leaky Cauldron, with Scorpius sulking close behind.
They found a table, as Lorcan went to order the drinks and see if Emily was upstairs.
"So what've you lot been up to today?" asked Ella.
"Not much. We got Al to ask out the girl working at Fortescues'," answered Scorpius.
Rose looked towards her cousin immediately just as he groaned. "You asked someone out?" she asked incredulously.
"Don't make a big deal out of it," cautioned Al. "I'm just bringing her as my date for the party."
"Oh good, we'll all have dates then," stated Ella, apparently happy with the fact.
"Not all of us…" Scorpius began, causing Ella to snap her head towards him in question. "I sorta broke up with Ava," he mumbled.
"What?!" Ella exclaimed. "Scorp, why?!"
"So you did do it then?" Rose asked.
"Just wasn't working out," he directed towards Ella. "Wait, why does it matter to you? You're not friends with her."
"But she's already been invited to the party! I can't uninvited her." Ella began to look flustered. Then realizing Rose had said something, she said, "Wait. Rose, how did you knew he was going to break up with her?" Both Ella and Al looked at Rose questioningly.
Rose hesitated. She still hadn't told anyone about her and Scorpius' talk the night of the party.
"I told her on the train, while we were looking for Al," Scorpius responded saving Rose from having to come up with an excuse. Rose nodded in assent. "And who says you have to uninvited her?" Scorpius continued. "She can still come."
"Ah, so he's told you?" Lorcan returned to the table. "Thank Merlin he's rid of her, that bloody girl was quite annoying. Oh and Emily's gone out with her mum," Lorcan finished, avoiding Scorpius' glare.
"So did no one like Ava then…?" Scorpius asked, looking around. Lorcan and Albus grimaced while Rose avoided his eyes all together.
Ignoring him, Ella continued with their earlier conversation. "Scorp, you know Ava. She'll make a scene at the party, and I don't want to deal with that."
"Don't worry about anything Ella, I'll handle her if she stirs up trouble."
Ella raised her eyebrows doubtfully, knowing that Scorpius generally avoided confrontation.
"Ok well maybe I won't handle her," he conceded, "but your house is big. So I'll just avoid her all night to make sure nothing happens. Happy?"
"Not really," sighed Ella, although she looked resigned. "But now I have to figure our the alcohol situation."
"Did someone say alcohol?"
The group turned to find James, Louis, and Fred descending upon them, the latter having asked the question.
"Oh good, you're here " began Ella.
"Not the first time a girl has said that to me," replied Fred, winking at Ella, causing her to roll her eyes while he received a slap to the head from James.
"You're an idiot," muttered James, as Fred rubbed his head and everyone else laughed.
"Oi, Al. You have to hear the new product we just came up with," said Louis. "In fact, you'll all appreciate this."
While everyone listened as Louis and Fred began to tell them about the latest products they were testing for the Weasley's joke shop, Ella walked over to James.
"Right, so I have a huge favor to ask you," she said, her face changing into it's signature puppy dog look. "Would you be able to get the alcohol for the party?"
"Ella, you don't have to use those eyes on me," laughed James, giving her a wry smile. "What do you need?"
Searching in her purse, she found the list that she and Aiden had compiled and a bag of galleons, handing them both over to James. "Thank, I owe you."
"Oooh, a favor from Ella Zabini," teased James. "What ever shall I ask for." He turned his head up in mock thought before receiving a punch to the shoulder from her. Laughing, they returned to the table just as Fred and Louis were finishing their story.
" and every time somebody says the trigger word, their hair will turn pink and they do a ballerina twirl and start singing the sorting hat song from that year," Louis finished, causing everyone to break out laughing.
"That is brilliant!" Lorcan cried, wiping tears from his eyes. "You are definitely going to have to let me test that out when we get back to school."
"The best part is that the only way to end it is to figure out what the trigger word is, and then say the opposite," Fred told them, causing everyone to laugh again.
"Even I have to admit that's brilliant," admitted Rose," and you know I'm not much for pranks. Although… maybe I should use that on Montague when we get back. She could use pink hair."
"Yes Rosie, come to the dark side," grinned Fred.
"You get the alcohol situation figured out?" Rose asked, turning towards Ella.
"I'm taking care of it," James said.
"Thank Merlin. Now that's one less thing to worry about before your date Ella."
"Date?" said all the guys, turning to look at Ella, who groaned at the attention.
"Thanks, Rose," she said sarcastically.
"What date?" demanded Lorcan.
"Don't you start with me," warned Ella, staring him down. He relaxed a bit, and she went on. "I have a date with Andrew tomorrow. But don't say anything Lorcan," she finished, interrupting what ever response he had. "I know you don't like him, but I do. So you need to get over it."
Lorcan crossed his arms and slumped into his seat, muttering under his breath.
Ella looked at everyone else, challenging them to add anything, but no one did.
"Good, now onto the other plans, who's staying over at the house after the party? I need to figure out how many rooms to get ready."
All of them raised their hands.
"What about the rest of your family?"
"Molly, Lucy, and Dom will be there, so they'll probably stay over," noted Rose.
"What are you all telling your parents?"
The Weasleys and Potters all shared conspiratorial looks as James answered. "Molly's covering for the girls. She's saying that they're all staying at her flat and having a girl's night out. And the boys are all 'staying' with Teddy for a guy's night out."
"Brilliant. Hopefully that'll lessen the chance of getting caught," Ella marveled.
"What about your parents?" asked Scorpius.
"Turns out they might be going to Greece for that weekend," she replied, not showing any emotion about the topic of her parents. "Some surprise trip my dad sprung on my mom."
"Pretty lucky break," remarked Fred.
"Yeah, lucky…" mumbled Ella. Pushing thoughts of her parents away, she addressed the group again. "Ok, so who's dates are also staying over? And who wants to stay in the same room as their dates?"
"Liz will be staying with me," Fred said, referring to his longtime girlfriend. "I think Lucy's boyfriend is coming, but I'm not sure if he's staying."
"He won't be if we have anything to do with it," said Louis, the other boys nodding in agreement.
"Zach's not staying," supplied Rose, earning approving looks from her male family members. Scorpius also looked a little pleased about it.
"Albus what about your date?" Ella asked.
"You have a date?" cut in a surprised James. "Am I missing something? When did Darcy break up with Davies?"
"She didn't," Albus muttered.
"Do my ears deceive me?" teased Fred. "Is Albus actually dating someone who isn't Darcy?"
"I'm not dating anyone," Al told him. "I just have a date for the party. And no, Ella, she's not staying over."
"Ok. James?" Ella asked.
"No date."
"Got it. So the people staying over are: Rose, Al, Scorp, Lorcan, James, Fred, Liz, Louis, Molly, Lucy, and Dom. Em still has to figure out if she can or not, but if she stays she can stay in Aiden's room," muttered Ella, mostly to herself. "If Liz stays with Fred, everyone else can have their own room, or bunk with whoever they want."
Louis stared at her in awe. "How many room does your place have?"
"Twelve bedrooms, not including my parents, mine, and Aiden's," she said.
Louis raised his eyebrows, but he didn't ask any more questions.
"I think everything is set then. The invitations have been sent, the decorations will be done the day before, James is getting the drinks, and I know who all is staying over," she sighed, sitting back down next to Rose and laying her head on the other girl's shoulder. "Thank Merlin. This party better be worth it for all the stress I'm going through."
Rose patted her friend's head in comfort. "It's almost over, El. And the party will be worth it. And now you can look forward to your date."
Ella closed her eyes and smiled, missing the grimace on James' face at the mention of her date.
"We'd better get going. We promised Uncle George that we'd show him some of the new products we've come up with," said Louis, looking at his watch. "James you coming?"
"Nah, I'll just go home with Al and Scorp. Dinner's soon anyways."
"Ok, see you lot later." Fred and Louis got up and left.
"I need to get going too," said Rose. "My parents want to do family night tonight," she said in mock excitement, causing the others to laugh. "I have to make sure Hugo doesn't skip out on it and leave me alone."
The others all decided to leave as well. Getting up from the table, Scorpius went over to the bar reluctantly to pay the tab, while the rest of them tidied up the table.
"You lot are bloody expensive," Scorpius snapped, returning. "I probably just financed the Longbottoms' next vacation.
They all grinned at him, as they walked towards the fireplace to floo to their separate homes. Saying their goodbyes, they each left for their destinations.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Again, another semi-filler chapter but with a little plot movement on a few fronts. I've already started outlining the next 4 chapters, so the next update should come a lot sooner.
And you know, *cough cough* reviews would definitely help that *cough* ;)
Next up: Christmas and New Years
-Tara