A/N: Ask and you shall receive. Mostly from Scorp's point of view. I thought some back story was in order before I launch into Yule once again. I love reviews, but refuse to beg for them (because I find it annoying when some authors do it). But - as this proves, if you suggest it and I can see writing it, I will consider it.

"Who knows where to a bezoar stone comes from?" Ginny began the first day of class much the same way Severus Snape had when Harry was a first year, and when she was a first year. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"It's a stone found in the stomach of a goat."

"Excellent. And what is it used for?" Ginny looked around the classroom and noted that her son, from his seat in the back, surveyed the lack of hands before slowly raising his hand again. "Again, Mr. Malfoy."

"It's an antidote for most common poisons."

"Right again Mr. Malfoy. Twenty points to Slytherin. As for the rest of you, I expect you to read the assignments a little more closely next time. The instructions for your first potion are on the board, when you are finished you may bottle it and place the vial on my desk for grading."

Ginny waved her wand at the board and sat down to examine the roster for her next class as students scrambled to gather their ingredients and begin brewing their potion. Several minutes later she stood to make her rounds, surveying the potions brewing in the student's cauldrons.

"I'm sorry Mr. Longbottom," Ginny said sharply as her student picked up his ladle. "But the smoke should be a lovely green color not that disgusting gray color you seem to have managed. You can brew it again this afternoon."

As Ginny looked around the room she noted that most of the cauldrons were exhibiting similar smoke pouring from the cauldrons. With a sigh she returned to the front of the class.

"Scourgify your cauldrons if your smoke is not green. If I don't receive a vial from you I expect to see you again this afternoon before dinner. Ten points to the house of each student who was successful in brewing, and five from the houses of the students who couldn't follow simple instructions."

Scorpius looked up from labeling his vial and noted that more than half the class was filing out of the room grumbling about losing their free period before dinner – and the Griffindor's whining about losing so many house points on the first day. He waited until Violet Nott placed her vial on the desk and left before he approached with his own.

"I didn't expect you'd have any trouble with this," Ginny said with a smile as she took his vial. She marked it with an O without uncorking it and placed it in the rack with the others.

"It helped that I've brewed potions before…Don't you think you might have been a little harsh?" Scorpius asked quietly. Ginny looked up from the other vials she was marking with a frown.

"Scorpius, when I'm teaching I'm not your mother. And I would have given any other class the same punishment. This potion wasn't difficult if your classmates just followed directions."

"They think you favor Slytherins," Scorpius said as he climbed onto the stool across from Ginny. Ginny chuckled and looked up.

"Students always think the Heads of Houses favor their own house. However, I believe I've been fairly impartial. The Seventh Year Griffindors earned fifty points in my class yesterday."

"Hello darling," Ginny said not looking up from the papers she was grading. Scorpius tossed his bookbag on the chair by the fire and fell on the couch next to it.

"Did you have to assign so much homework right before the first Griffindor-Slytherin match?" Scorpius whined, but made no move to open his bag.

"I doubt the assignment will be much more than review for you," Ginny replied blandly.

"Yes, well that's what everyone else says too. Do you think you could stop calling on me so much in class?" Scorpius asked seriously. Ginny looked up at this and frowned.

"Your classmates seem to miss some of the finer points of the readings."

"Or they didn't work in labs like I did," Scorpius replied frustrated.

"Even Fred misses them, and he did spend a lot of time in a lab."

"With Uncle George," Scorpius replied exasperated. "Look just forget I said anything, what's for dinner?"

"Steak and potatoes – let me pull it out." Ginny said, reminded that she had left the meal warming in the oven. She waved her wand at her desk to clear the papers and led the way into her small kitchen. Scorpius followed, for the first time appreciating the smell of the cooking food.

"No one cooks like you and grandmum," Scorpius said with a smile as they sat down to dinner. Ginny chuckled.

"I'm glad you appreciate my cooking even with the meals they serve here. How are your other classes going?"

"Good," Scorpius replied as he shoveled food into his mouth. Ginny took a sip of wine and eyed him over her fork.

"Even History of Magin?" Scorpius frowned at the question.

"Who needs that anyway?"

"Scorpius, history is incredibly important."

"He's just so boring," Scorpius whined.

"Just make sure you keep your marks up," Ginny said finally.

"Father wrote me yesterday, and grandmother sent some sweets. I brought you some," Scorpius replied in an effort to change the subject. Ginmy focused on her plate for a moment, but not before Scorpius caught the look of pain in her eyes.

"How is your grandmother doing?" Ginny replied after she took several bites.

"She said she's doing well. She also said she saw Hermione in Diagon Alley, it looks like you're going to be an Aunt again."

"Yes, Hermione flooed me with the news a couple days ago. They were waiting until she started to show." Ginny replied with a frown. She understood why Hermione had kept it from her – after her less than enthusiastic reply to the last pregnancy – but that didn't make it hurt less. Charlie had told her months before.

"Are you going to go home for winter holidays?" Scorpius asked, changing the subject again. In the two months since school had begun it was getting harder to find a subject Ginny didn't seem hurt by.

"I think I will, at the very least your grandmother asked I attend Yule at Malfoy Manor and I told her I would."

"Fred says their going to do a pickup game of Quidditch at Christmas – I can still come for Christmas at grandmum's right?"

"I don't see why not, but you should check to make sure your father doesn't have plans."

"Sure," Scorpius replied with a frown. Draco had mentioned some sort of vacation in his last letter, but she hadn't replied. In fact, there was a large stack in her drawer.

"Harry's won the election then," Scorpius said with a frown as he entered Ginny's office unannounced. There was a student off to the side scrubbing cauldron's and Ginny frowned when she met his eyes.

"Is there something I can help you with Mr. Malfoy?" She asked politely, waving for the student to continue scrubbing.

"'lo Flint," Scorpius said by way of greeting. Flint nodded in reply but didn't look back up.

"Unless you would like to join him Mr. Malfoy," Ginny added to her previous statement, her frown deepening.

"No Professor. Professor O'Keeffe asked I give this to you," Scorpius said, pulling a sealed parchment from his bag. Ginny took his and waved her hand to dismiss him. Scorpius frowned this time as he made his way from her office. He had wanted to talk about the election with her.

Annoyed with her terse dismissal of him, Scorpius hiked his bag up and made his way to her rooms, only slightly deeper in the dungeons. He muttered the password and made himself at home at her desk, determined to wait for Flint to finish his detention so he could speak with her.

Scorpius was asleep on Ginny's couch when the portrait swung open the next morning. He sat up groggily as Ginny stepped through.

"Scorp?" she asked in surprise, flustered.

"Why didn't you come home last night?" Scorpius demanded. "I waited for you, I wanted to talk to you about the election."

"Darling you should have gone back to your dorm. You know you're not supposed to stay here during the school week," Ginny replied softly. Scorpius scowled and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the clock and pulled himself off the couch.

"Forget it. I have to get ready for class."

"Come for dinner tonight and we can talk," Ginny replied, catching his disappointed tone.

"Can't, I have to do the homework you assigned," Scorpius replied, shoving the papers from her desk into his bag.

Scorpius was sorting through his notes later that night in the Slytherin common room when he noticed an unsealed envelope. He recognized the script from the letter he had delivered to his mother the night before. Pulling the letter out he paused before he unfolded it.

Ginerva,

I know we've talked about this before. But I've heard that you're no longer involved with Potter or Malfoy. I'd love to take you out to dinner – away from the castle – sometime soon. Perhaps we can arrange it so that we both have a night off duty.

Truly Yours

-A

"What is that?" Violet asked, dropping into the seat next to him with a sigh and pulling out her potions book and half finished essay. Scorpius frowned and handed it to her.

"Remember when I said my mum and dad had a falling out this summer, and I thought she was gonna marry stupid Potter?"

"Yeah…." Violet replied as she read the letter. "Well, it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Who's A?"

"Dunno," Scorpius replied masking his face as he turned towards his essay. "Doesn't matter I guess, s'long as she's happy."

Violet noted the cold tone in his voice and turned to her own essay for several minutes before she finally looked up.

"Aren't you going to ask her about it?"

"No," Scorpius replied. He picked up the letter and tossed it in the fire. "I'm going to pretend I don't know. And I'm going to get her and my dad back together."

"So what's the plan?"