AN: Surprises! I love surprises! Exxxtra long chapter for you!! Sorry for the wait.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters or anything even remotely related to the Harry Potter Franchise, except my own copies of the books and some merchandise. I down own the Dodge company. Don't even own a car, actually. No copyright infringement intended.

Surprises / Viper Flight

Albus met Narcissa Malfoy, deciding that he liked her a whole lot more than her husband. She wasn't exactly your typical grandmother type; she was beautiful, fit, and classy, an aristocrat. She liked to shop and never wore anything short of the latest elegant fashions, even when just around the house. She seemed like she had an attitude, but Albus thought she was nice enough. It was clear she doted on Scorpius, calling him the "heir" and the "first-born", as if it were a title.

It was at times like these that Albus envied Scorpius. Not because he had an amazing house and a ridiculous amount of money, but because he was so likeable. Albus was a nice person, always polite and well-mannered, but not exactly friendly. Scorpius was effortlessly loved. People just took to him, immediately. Albus had seen it with his own family. They had been prejudiced when they met him, expecting the snotty little Slytherin that Draco had once been; it didn't take very long at all for them to be captivated and spellbound by the little boy's charm.

Albus had to work a lot harder to gain people's approval, and the sick thing was that he felt he needed it more than Scorpius. It wasn't fair that the boy who didn't care what other people thought, was thought of so highly.

They had had dinner with a woman named Daphne Greengrass, who Scorpius told Albus was his aunt from his mother's side. She had come to dinner to deliver news: She was pregnant. Scorpius would be getting his first cousin in a few months. Albus was pleased for him, but Scorpius didn't seem to care.

"We'll be to your cousin what Teddy is to us" Albus said, when he and Scorpius were chatting in the garden one day.

"I doubt that, Ally" Scorpius remarked. "We hardly ever have contact with that side of the family. Ever since. . . well, since my mother isn't around anymore, things have been strained"

Albus listened intently, studying Scorpius's expression and features, as he'd done many times before. Scorpius didn't talk about his mother much, and Albus was curious about the true story, but had enough respect not to ask. 'He'll tell me when he wants me to know' Albus thought, and soothed his curiosity with that thought.

"Al, Scor. . . I have a surprise for you" Draco's voice carried from not too far away, cutting their conversation short.

"I love Dad's surprises" Scorpius commented with a grin. Al wondered what the surprise could possibly be. It was a beautiful day, just a little bit too hot to be sitting in the sun, so the boys were lying on the lush grass in the shade of a massive tree.

Draco arrived where the boys were lazing about, Albus with his hands behind his head and Scorpius leaning back onto his elbows. "So. . . I hear you kids want to try out for the Quidditch team this year" Draco said conversationally, trying to suppress a smile.

"That's correct. . ." Scorpius replied.

"Well why don't you two go grab brooms from the shed and show me how well you can fly" Draco suggested. They had a stick of at least four old but semi-decent brooms in the shed, and the boys had been flying them all week, but never in front of Draco.

Excited for the opportunity to impress his dad, Scorpius said "Okay!" enthusiastically and stood up. He held out a hand for Albus, who took it. Scorpius pulled him up and they walked to the shed with a spring in their step, hand in hand.

Draco followed them, a few paces behind. He wanted to see their faces.

Scorpius opened the large, heavy door to the shed (that was more like an old-fashioned barn) and walked in, pulling Albus along with him. The boys gasped in unison when they saw them; two brand-new, shiny broomsticks each with a ribbon tied in a bow around it.

"Dad, no way!" Scorpius exclaimed, turning to gape at his father. "For us?!" he demanded excitedly.

"Who else?" Draco laughed. Albus was speechless. The boys edged closer to the brooms and examined them. The one was almost black but shone deep purple in the light, the other exactly the same except for the colour, which was deep blue in the light. They both said, in angular, slanted writing, 'DODGE Viper'.

"That's the latest and greatest racing broom out, Uncle Dray!" Albus suddenly said, excited and impressed.

"Would anything less than the best do for you two?" Draco chuckled, pleased with their reaction. Those brooms had cost a small fortune (which wasn't an issue) but they'd had to be imported as they weren't available in Europe yet.

Suddenly both boys were hugging him, and Draco was taken by surprise. He would have grabbed the brooms before bothering to say thanks, but then again, his son was raised differently.

"Thanks, Dad, you're the best!" Draco said.

"Yeah, thank you Uncle Dray. . . I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!"

"Don't just thank me. . . Thank the Lupin kid. He insisted he wanted to be the one to buy you your first real broom. So it's from both of us" Draco said. It was the truth, but of course Teddy couldn't afford to pay that kind of price. He'd worked out a payment plan to reimburse Draco, despite his protests.

"Teddy? Teddy did?" Albus asked, his heart warmed.

"Yep" Draco nodded. "Well what are you waiting for? Go test those sweepers out"

Not knowing which color Scorpius wanted, Albus offered him the choice. He really liked the deep blue one, but if Scorpius wanted it, the purple was just as good.

Scorpius grabbed the purple one. "I hope you don't mind, I just think this one suits me perfectly" Scorpius said. Albus was pleased.

"I was hoping I'd get the blue one" Albus said, grinning. The pulled the ribbons off the handles and ran outside to fly.

"Isn't DODGE a Muggle car brand?" Albus asked, as they ran to the large part of the garden where they wouldn't be obstructed by trees.

"Yeah it is, and Viper is one of the models" Scorpius explained. "They're made by the same company, only the Muggles don't know about the racing-broom department" Scorpius laughed. They finally reached the clearing and the mounted their brooms. "Ready?" Scorpius asked eagerly.

"You bet" Albus replied. Together, they kicked off and began soaring around the sky, going higher and higher, getting more comfortable with their brooms as they flew around, and tried some tricks out.

Draco watched them happily. He remembered his fist broom; what a feeling, to have one of those treasures that was your very own. He still flew quite a bit these days, especially since he'd been getting chummy with Harry Potter.

Scorpius felt wonderful. The Viper was amazing, it seemed to respond to his thoughts they way no broom had before. On this thing, he thought, he would ace the try-outs. He did a loop-de-loop and kept flying, testing the limits of the broom that he was obviously very at ease on. He tried a Wronksi Feint that he almost got right, but not quite. He nose-dived and pulled out of it a split-second before he would have collided with the ground. Draco felt his blood drain out of his face but saw the smile on his sons face: it had been on purpose. Scorpius had such excellent control of his flight.

Draco was impressed. He hadn't known his son was such a good flyer. Teddy and James had told him, of course, but now he had seen it for himself, ad would never doubt again. He shifted his gaze to Albus for a few moments, watching him explore the broom's capabilities. He wasn't nearly as good as Scorpius, but he was pretty confident in the air and looked like he'd flown a fair bit before. Draco retrieved his own broom from the garage (he kept it away from the others). It was a good model. . . old, but in mint condition. A classic.

He joined the boys in the air with a Quaffle. They were surprised but enthusiastic when Draco started training them. He was helping them improve their skills so that they would own at the try-outs.

Over the next two weeks, Draco trained the boys, choosing a different position to teach every other day, so that could play any position they wanted on the team. Albus had quick reflexes and thought he would make a good keeper. Draco pointed out that he also had good aim and was evasive, and would therefore make a good chaser. Scorpius, it was clear, would try out for seeker. He had a sharp eye, was an excellent flyer, and was the right build: in short, all the things that a seeker needed.

The time for Albus and Scorpius to go to the Potters was upon them, and Albus was surprised to find that he'd immensely enjoyed staying at the manor. Other than having access to luxuries he didn't have at home or school, Albus had relished in the time he got to spend alone with his best friend. Draco spent the days training and playing Quidditch with them, and they spent the evenings with Lucien and Narcissa. They slept in, in the mornings. But they had their afternoons to relax in the sun, or otherwise explore the massive property and the surrounding forest depending on how much of a workout they'd had playing Quidditch. And they had the nights, after everyone had gone to bed, to stay up late and chat.

Albus had thought it would be boring, without so many relatives to join them and entertain them, but on the contrary, he'd enjoyed the peace and quiet.

AN: Aw, lucky little buggers! I want a Dodge Viper! Draco is pretty cool. I like the way I've portrayed him, if I do say so myself. Reviews always welcome as well as suggestions.

Next Chapter: Try-outs

He landed in the middle of the pitch to hear who did make it, trying to hide his bitter disappointment

. . .to be continued!