Hooray! I'm back! I'm going to try and update weekly for you guys, as I've worked out this is going to be a super-long story!
I hope you like the chapter!
Once the stress of exams was finally over, Scorpius, Rose and Albus were finally free to stroll around the castle without having to worry about revision. It was a relief, to say the least, but it seems like the last thing Albus' mind was relaxing.
"Come ON, I just want to see what it's like! I heard dad talking about it! C'mon Rosie, just one little peak!"
"No, Albus. We are not going down to see the Chamber of Secrets."
Thankfully, Rose seemed to be winning the argument, so Scorpius felt he needn't intervene with the discussion.
"Hey, Scorpius-"
"No."
"Aww come on, mate! I heard its so cool down there."
Scorpius was not going to give in. "It's dark, cold and slimy. No."
"What about the giant Basilisk skin?" Scorpius paled slightly, eyes widening. "N-no thanks."
He had hoped neither of his friends noticed his quick change in demeanour, but unfortunately for him, Rose did. "Scorpius...? You look like death, what's- hang on." The blonde mentally prepared himself as Rose held back a small smile. "Scorpius... Are you...Scared of snakes...?"
Scorpius whined, "They freak me out, okay?! I just... Don't like the way they move..."
Albus burst out laughing, whereas Rose simply giggled hysterically.
"I never knew that, Scorp!"
"Merlin, you're worse than my dad with spiders!"
Scorpius pouted, crossing his arms and waiting for them to stop laughing. The blonde made a mental note that sharing was most definitely not caring, sighing slightly at the lack of compassion his friends had. Rose was the first to stop, still catching a few extra chuckles on her breath. "S-sorry Scorpius... It's just rather ironic, isn't it? What with Slytherins being in your family for centuries... Isn't there a snake on the Malfoy coat of arms, too?" The blonde considered, "I suppose, but then again, my dad didn't seem to mind taking down all of the Slytherin tapestries around the house. My grandparents forced him to put them all up when he and mum moved in. He seemed pretty pleased to have an excuse to get rid of them all."
Albus wiped a tear from his eye, still giggling quietly to himself. "Just be glad we're not Fred and James, Scorp. Imagine the fun they'd have with that information." Rose rolled her eyes. "You had better not tell them, Al."
"I won't! I'm not that ba-" he cut himself off after Rose shot him a glare, fully aware that telling his brother and cousin about Scorpius' fear of snakes was exactly the kind of thing he'd do. "Okay, okay, I promise I won't." Albus grinned at Rose before he turned to Scorpius, "So, no giant basilisk skin?"The blonde shook his head ferociously.
"Dammit. Maybe another time then."
Albus still never hesitated to making hissing noises behind Scorpius, just in case his friend was lying. It was then obvious, from the fact that Scorpius nearly went into shock every time Albus did it, that he was most definitely not lying. After many a scolding from Rose, the raven-haired boy reluctantly discontinued the teasing.
The Great Feast at the end of term was, as everyone had promised, exquisite. They all enjoyed themselves to a great extent, sharing the best stories of the year and the weirdest ones. Rose's Birthday had been in May, so they had all ended up having a small party for her with the rest of the Weasley family. Scorpius had hoped to Merlin that they wouldn't bring it up, but they did.
"And remember when James set off those fireworks at your party, Rosie?" Dammit, Albus. "Yeah, that was great! I was a bit annoyed they brought up all that food from the kitchens, but it was really fun! Hey, Scorp-" The redhead paused. "Scorpius... When's your birthday...?"
The blonde flinched, he really wasn't looking forward to talking about this... "Erm... The, um. Ninth...of...November?"
Rose and Albus stared at him, "Scorpius! Why didn't you tell us?" In hindsight, Scorpius had expected his two friends to be more annoyed with him than they were, but then again, he would have been annoyed too. "I-I just... Didn't want you to worry about it... It wasn't that big..." Rose sighed, "Okay, we're sorry we got angry, but-"
"Just know you're going to get a massive birthday party when it's your 13th!" Rose pouted at being interrupted, but smiled and nodded her head at his words.
"And we're gonna tell James and Fred about it."
"Be prepared, Scorpius."
James, Fred and Alice joined the three first years on the train ride home, Alice still looking particularly pleased every time she saw Dominique's still slightly-green hair. Scorpius had to admit he was excited about going home, as always, but there was something about the fact that he would get to see his mother and father in all their joy of the pregnancy. He was still anxious about the whole situation, but he had told himself that it would be more pleasant for both he and his parents if he tried to be happy.
The group stepped off the train, James once again helping Scorpius find his parents and insisting he should go with the blonde. Scorpius' mother was much bigger now, almost 7 months pregnant. He noticed that a number of the older Weasleys were looking over at them, discussing things between them. The younger blonde put it out of his mind as his friends chimed a chorus of 'Congratulations' at his parents. "Do you know whether it's a boy or a girl yet?" Albus said, eyes shining in glee at the couple. Draco smiled slightly, "Not yet, we're leaving it a surprise. The Malfoys have a reputation of always creating sons though, but we'll see."
The family were about to leave, as a woman who Scorpius immediately recognised as Rose's mother walked quickly towards them. "Ah, um. Good Afternoon, Mr Malfoy. And... Mrs Malfoy. I'm... You already know me. Hermione Weasley, Rose's Mother." She held a hesitant hand out to shake, and Scorpius' father took it almost immediately.
"Draco. Please... Call me Draco. This is my wife, Astoria. We've... Heard a lot." Scorpius' mother took the hand next, shaking it gently. "I don't think we've met, Mrs Weasley. It's a pleasure." She smiled warmly, making Mrs Weasley smile back slightly. "Hermione, please. I, um, just wanted to say Congratulations, and... If you ever need someone to look after Scorpius... We'd be happy to let him at our house." Scorpius noticed that the way she said We was somewhat pained, like it taken a lot to make it more of a couple's decision, than purely her's.
Draco smiled, his grip on his wife's waist tightening slightly. He took a deep breath. "That would be... Brilliant, actually. Thank you. It's much appreciated. Send my regards to Weasel- Your husband." Mrs Weasley smiled knowingly. "He sent his regards to you, too."
"He called me a ferret, didn't he?" Scorpius' father rolled his eyes.
"Of course. Don't hesitate to Owl us if you need Scorpius to stay with us." She turned to walk away, taking Rose's hand.
"We won't. Thanks... Granger." There was a harsh, yet slightly familiar way in which he said her name. "No problem, Malfoy."