Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Still. *sigh*
Emiliexox: I like to think of Ron in this story as having MPD, and I wouldn't be too sure about how he takes anything. Scorpius' situation becomes more clear with time.
Violentluck: I actually based James' character off of me. He reacts how I see myself reacting in these situations. Especially the reaction to his father being a drunken jerk, my dad is the same way. James' personality is also pretty similar to mine. I am very protective over my younger sisters when it comes to my dad.
xJacob's Girlx: I am glad you like it : )
"Good morning," Draco whispered, rolling over to kiss Harry.
Harry, who was already awake, kissed Draco back. "Good morning," Harry smiled.
"Why is there an owl here?" Draco asked, blinking blurrily at the barn owl on the nightstand.
"Albus and Lily wrote to me. They want to move in with us."
"I told you your kids would come around," Draco said, sitting up and cradling Harry against his bare chest.
"All except James," Harry said quietly.
"James may take more time to forgive you," Draco murmured. "And in the meantime, of course Albus and Lily can come live with us, as long as they know you live with me."
"They do, James was hanging out with Scorpius when Scorpius got your letter, and James told Lily and Albus," Harry said.
"Oh okay. Well, I'm not going to keep you from your kids," Draco smiled.
Harry was silent.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked.
Harry shook his head, not looking at Draco.
"Please tell me," Draco said quietly.
"I sent James a letter last night. He never wrote back. He hasn't wanted anything to do with me since he found out about us," Harry said, still not looking at Draco.
"Are you blaming me?" Draco asked.
Harry glared at the wall.
"You are, aren't you?"
Harry was still silent, but he shifted his glare to Draco.
Draco got up and walked across the room, arms crossed. "I can't believe that you would blame me! What did I do?"
"He would've come back if I wasn't dating you. You were the one who started it, you kissed me first!"
"You didn't have to kiss me back! You could've broken up with me at any time, but you didn't!" Draco yelled. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours! Besides, you were the one who hit him."
Harry looked away from Draco, tears sliding down his face.
Draco ached to comfort him, but stayed where he was, just watching Harry.
~Hogwarts~
James was pacing in the Gryffindor common room, trying to think of how to ask Albus to help him keep an eye on Scorpius, when he saw a snake on the floor.
"Hello, James Potter," it hissed, and James jumped.
"H-hello," James hissed back, not really sure how or why he was talking to a snake.
"I heard that you need some help," the snake said. "Concerning a certain special friend of yours."
"Yes," James said.
"I wouldn't mind following him for you," the snake told him.
"That would be…helpful," James said. "Thank you."
The snake nodded and went to find Scorpius and James was left to think about his new ability.
"Aunt Hermione,
"Is it normal to be able to talk to snakes? I was in the common room, and I just had a conversation with one.
"James."
~Ron and Hermione's house~
Hermione read the letter while Ron snored loudly. She wasn't surprised that one of Harry's children had inherited the ability to speak Parseltongue, but she was surprised that Harry hadn't told them about it before.
"James,
"Not everyone can speak Parseltongue, but your father can. It is a very rare ability, and you should be proud to have it.
"Love, Hermione."
She sent the letter to James and turned to Ron. "Ron, wake up," she said.
"Wha—Hermione? What's going on?"
"Your behavior last night was unacceptable!" Hermione said.
"You woke me up to lecture me?" Ron grumbled.
"Well, you went to sleep last night, so I couldn't," Hermione glared. "Why were you so horrible to Draco?"
"Do you not remember what a prat he was? He's a bloody git if he thinks I'm just going to forgive him!" Ron yelled.
"He feels bad for how he acted in school," Hermione said. "While you were yelling at Harry in the hallway, Draco apologized to me!"
"And you believed him?" Ron demanded. "I don't believe a single nice word that comes out of that liar's mouth!"
"And that's your problem, Ron! You never forgive."
"No, I just don't forgive those who hurt the ones I love. I haven't forgotten how he referred to you at school. Or how he treated you. Why do you think I attempted to curse him that day?" Ron said.
Hermione was silent for a moment. "I'm touched that you cared that much even then, Ron, but it's time to let it go. How long has it been? Almost twenty-five years since you tried to curse him that day. You can't hold on to your anger for so long," Hermione said, allowing Ron to take her into his arms.
"Maybe you're right," Ron said quietly. "But he hasn't proved to me that he can be trusted."
~Hogwarts~
"He got a strange letter this morning it said something like 'I don't want to have to hurt you,'" the snake reported as James prepared for bed.
James hadn't seen Scorpius all day. "I will kill Greyback for threatening him," James growled. "But why is he threatening Scorpius?"
"This may be of no consequence, but I did notice that your friend goes into a bathroom to change. When the other boys in his dorm asked him why he did this, he shrugged and dodged the question. He also looked unusually pale."
"I need to find out why," James muttered, grabbing the invisibility cloak. "Thank you," he told the snake, who nodded and went to go sleep in the Slytherin dorm.
James slipped the cloak on and went out in the corridors so that he could think. As he wandered past one of the bathrooms, he heard a loud sniffling noise and then Scorpius' voice.
"And—and then, he—" Scorpius' voice broke, "he touched me. Here."
There was a gasp and then a woman's voice. "That's terrible!"
James quietly walked into the room—making sure the Invisibility Cloak covered him—to see Scorpius kneeling on the floor and crying. Hogwarts' notorious bathroom ghost Moaning Myrtle was attempting to comfort him.
"Have you told anyone about this?" she asked.
Scorpius shook his head furiously, tears flying. "Greyback said he'd kill me if I told. I only told you because I needed someone to talk to," Scorpius said, wiping his eyes.
"You can always talk to me," Myrtle crooned.
"Thank you, Myrtle," Scorpius said, taking a deep shuddering breath. "I'd better go to sleep."
James was frozen, his hands shaking in anger, and almost didn't get out of the way in time for Scorpius to leave the bathroom. Greyback molested him? James thought angrily, walking back to the Gryffindor common room. I will kill him.