"You think they're feeding fairy eggs to a Bowtruckle," Lupin said in a tone that implied the charge was ridiculous. "That would be stupid, not clever. Fairies have a higher value than wood."

"Especially at Lumos Duo," Scorpius replied. "From opening to close, they're the star attraction."

"That doesn't sound right," Ron said. "Fairies might agree to decorate a party or a Christmas tree for an hour or two, but then they flitter away. They aren't goblins. They can't hold down jobs."

Hermione said. "Perhaps they can when threatened with a Bowtruckle."

"Those poor fairies!" Merry buried her face against Albus' shoulder. He seemed glad to have an excuse to put his arms around her.

Lupin's expression remained sceptical. "Magical Law Enforcement can't press charges on theories."

"I'm not asking them to," Scorpius replied coolly. Rose put a hand on his arm.

"Why don't we talk to Terry?" she asked. "Maybe he doesn't know that the fairies are being coerced. He created a lovely garden for them."

Lovely? Without chimes or a fountain? "Barely adequate, I'd say. He lied about consulting with the Department of Magical Creatures. What makes you think he wouldn't lie again?"

"This is different," Rose said. "It's cruelty. Terry is a decent person."

She sounded so certain. Scorpius lifted a brow. "You can say that after what he did to you at Hogsmeade?"

"After what he did?" Ron said in a dangerous tone. "Rosie, what did that boy do?"

Rose asked Scorpius, "You never asked a girl to go to Hogsmeade to make someone else jealous? Not even once?"

"No. To make someone jealous, you have to presume they care." Awkwardly conscious of those listening, he admitted, "I may have tried to make . . . a certain girl . . . take notice, once or twice."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Is that supposed to make me jealous?"

Scorpius couldn't help smiling a little. "Of yourself?"

Rose's lips curved, even as she said, "You just made my case. Going with one girl when he liked someone else doesn't make Terry a horrible person."

"She's right," Ron said gruffly. He cleared his throat. "Any bloke could make that mistake out of, erm, immaturity. Not fair to hold it against m—Terry forever." He glanced at his wife. "Isn't that right, love?"

"Mmm." The trace of amusement in Hermione's eyes vanished as she said, "But the charge of abuse has to be investigated."

"I have a few mates in MLE," Lupin said. "I'll drop by their office tomorrow."

"No," Scorpius said. He blinked in surprise when Rose, her parents, and Albus chorused his instinctive response.

"The no's have it," Arthur said with a chuckle.

"Did I miss something?" Lupin asked. He raked a hand through the hair he'd kept spiky and black. "My mates are professionals. They'd be discreet, not charge in and bollocks things up."

"I'm sure," Albus said, although his overly polite tone gave Scorpius the idea that Albus knew the mates Lupin spoke of and didn't have the same confidence in their abilities.

"Don't take it personally, Teddy dear," Molly said. "Some people in this family can't resist the adrenaline rush of danger. It's addictive, you know." She frowned at her son.

"Aw, Mum, there's no danger," Ron said.

Molly pushed back her chair and went over to pick up one of her shopping bags. "I bought a sponge cake and custard powder. I'll whip up a quick sherry trifle whilst the rest of you go into the lounge and sort out your plans."

Arthur said, "I'll make tea."

Merry asked in a carrying whisper, "Al, sweetie, what plans are we sorting?"

"Yeah, sweetie," Lupin said. "Tell us."

"I don't know anything about any plans," Albus said.

Molly set the tin of custard powder on the countertop with a forceful thud.

Hermione said, "Let's adjourn to the lounge, shall we?" She smiled her thanks when Ron jumped to his feet and pulled out her chair.

Scorpius hung back when the others moved forward. "I don't need their help," he whispered to Rose. He could get his security team to plant surveillance orbs.

"But you'll take it, won't you?" Rose asked softly. "For me?"

So they'd think he was a decent person a little longer? To put off the moment when he wasn't welcome at the Burrow anymore?

Arthur cleared his throat. "Do it for Ron and Hermione as well," he said. "It's hard to grow older and stand on the side-lines while others wade into the thick of adventure." His eyes twinkled when they looked his way in surprise. "Was I not supposed to overhear? I must ask the Healer to adjust my hearing aide spell."

"You'll ask no such thing," Molly said as she poured milk into a saucepan. "I prefer not to shout all the time."

"Just some of the time," Arthur murmured.

"This may become one of those moments," Molly shot back. She glanced over a shoulder at Rose and Scorpius. "Run along, dears. The custard's almost done."

Scorpius followed Rose into the lounge. Ron, Hermione, and Lupin sat on the sofa while Albus and Merry sat in two of the flanking chairs. Lupin had a disgruntled look on his face, while Albus and Merry smiled.

Merry said, "Teddy thought Scorpius might bolt."

"'Slither out the back door' were my exact words," Lupin said. Ironic, how non-Slytherins used "slither" to belittle those who viewed it as a compliment.

Scorpius hesitated when Rose took the chair nearest the kitchen, leaving him to sit within arm's distance of her father-Muggle-duelling distance. Ron's legs were outstretched in front of the empty chair. Scorpius stepped around them to take a seat. His lips twitched as he imagined Grandfather Lucius sneering over the uncouth display of hairy kneecaps.

"You're smiling. Have you thought of a plan?" Merry asked Scorpius a bit presumptuously, in his opinion. He could come up with a plan if he had to, but since Rose's parents were the ones keen on group involvement he'd throw them the Quaffle, so to speak.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are the ones with experience. We should listen to their ideas."

Rose's parents exchanged glances, and then Hermione said, "You and Rose know the layout of the club. We'll follow your lead."

They didn't have any ideas either. Brilliant. Scorpius slanted a remember-you-asked-for-this glance Rose's way. "We'll have to act tonight," he said. Before Harry and Ginny Potter return and ask to join in on the family fun. I already have more help than I require. The number of people involved limited his options.

"What's the big plan?" Lupin asked.

An idea sparked. Scorpius drawled, "Happy birthday to me."

.

The group assembled in the rear alley of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at ten o'clock. Scorpius raised an eyebrow over some of the choices in attire. Bright colours and patterns weren't his idea of blending in. Victoire Weasley, although self-invited, was at least less conspicuous in her white shirt and gold metallic skinny jeans than Lupin was in his orange dragon hide suit.

George Weasley opened the back door. "Hullo, party people. Does everyone solemnly swear you are up to no good?"

"No good for the Boot brothers," Scorpius replied.

"That'll do." George held open the door and waved them inside with a sweep of his arm. "Potions are in the testing lab. Appropriate, I thought, since they've shelved with the unsold inventory for three years. Merlin knows what will happen," he said gleefully.

Hermione swept past him. "They'll work exactly as they ought."

"Aw, that's no fun." George waggled his brows. "Short skirt, very nice."

Ron shouldered his brother out of the way. "Stare at your own wife's legs."

"I do, every Friday at couples' counselling," George said. He winked at Rose, the next in line. "I'm thinking about asking Angelina to go twice a week."

Rose gave him a hug. "Don't give up. She loves you."

"Then like you, she has odd tastes." George told Scorpius, "That's a compliment of sorts."

Scorpius gave a non-committal, "Hmm," and followed Rose inside. Down the corridor and through the storeroom was the testing lab. During Easter holiday, seventh year, he and Rose had spent unforgettable moments together in the lab. He'd been petrified by one of Grandfather's spells, and Rose had perched on a stool to look him in the eyes and tell him stories until the spell broke. The stains on the white walls still looked like dung bomb residue—not that he felt like sniffing to find out.

He slid an arm around Rose's waist. "Rose Red," he said softly.

"I'm wearing champagne pink." Her eyes sparkled with memories, even as Rose teased, "And you're wearing shades of beige instead of silver."

"We're incognito." They'd gone shopping after leaving the Burrow. The pleasure of watching Rose try on dresses offset the frustration of searching for a shirt and trousers that were nondescript yet decently tailored. Malfoys had standards, after all.

Once they were all inside the lab, George Weasley opened a box on the centre table. "One vial per customer."

Albus stepped forward. "What is it?"

George handed Albus a small, clear vial filled with a bright green liquid. "A prank potion used to even the odds between mates on a pub crawl. Slip it into a drink, and for four hours the unfairly attractive appear ordinary."

Albus unstopped the vial. "Why didn't it sell?"

George's brow creased. "I underestimated the vanity of the general public. Few people admit they're less fanciable than their mates." He looked at Scorpius. "You asked for the Plain Jane potion. How did you know about it? Someone spike your drink?"

"No."

Rose said, "I would've used it to walk down Diagon Alley and have no one notice, to have no one stare or take a photograph."

She understood. He said, "I attended Creevey Comic Con."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Did you wear a costume?"

Scorpius smirked.

"You did." Rose's tone became husky. "Do you still have it?"

Ron said, "OK, time's wasting. Drink up, everyone."

"Cheers," George said, reaching for a vial. "What?" he asked in response to curious stares. "This is a caper, not date night. You need me to keep the rest of you focused on the mischief at hand." He drank the potion and smacked his lips. "Sour apple, the tang of jealousy."

"Tastes more like rotten apple," Albus said.

Victoire and Merry giggled.

"Time could have altered the flavour," Hermione said.

Ron grimaced. "Nah, it always tasted like crap." He asked George, "Remember that comment card we got that listed all the alternatives to sugar if we preferred a natural sweetener to make the potion more palatable?" Ron snorted. "Who uses words like palatable, anyway?"

Scorpius downed the unpalatable liquid and coughed.

Hermione said. "You should have taken the advice."

"Never too late," George said. He glanced at his watch. "Another minute and the potion should take effect."

Scorpius watched the burnished waves of Rose's hair turn lank and mouse brown, her features shift and porcelain skin freckle. "It's already working." He asked Rose, "Do I have brown hair too?"

Her smile revealed an overbite. "Dirty blond. You look like a Scamander."

The Scamanders were ordinary-looking? He'd never thought so, but everyone else in the room had transformed into wizards and witches of average attractiveness. Either love was blind or Rose was being generous.

Lupin, who had morphed his face into the epitome of plain, said, "If the potion took effect quicker than expected, it might end sooner. We should go."

George opened the door with a flourish. "As the Muggles say, the game's afoot!"

.

Their "game" hit a snag when they reached the club. They had to join the long queue to get in. On another night, the quips and complaints of the people around him would have amused Scorpius. He watched a well-known singer and her entourage approach the club and be ushered inside.

"That was us last night," Rose whispered.

Behind them, Albus said, "We need to find a way to bypass the queue."

Scorpius agreed, although he didn't see how, until Barry Boot exited the club to speak with the doorman. After casting a Sonorous Charm, Scorpius sang out, "As long as we beat the Kestrels, we don't care!"

Barry grinned. No love was lost between the player and his former team.

Scorpius shouted the chant he'd heard once at a Kestrels/Cannons match. "Give 'em the Boot! Give 'em the Boot! Give 'em the Boot!"

Merlin only knew what Rose and the others thought of his antics. Barry laughed and waved him over. Scorpius hurried to comply.

Barry greeted him with, "So you're a fan, are you?"

"Not of the Kestrels," Scorpius replied. "Not since they lost the best Beater they ever had."

"Damn right." Barry's smile turned quizzical. "Something about you is familiar. What's your name?"

Scorpius held out his hand. "Loki Scamander."

.

A/N: I borrowed the Welsh rugby tune As Long as We Beat the English by the Stereophonics (look it up on YouTube, the tune's catchy) for Scorpius' impromptu song. For everyone who has wondered what the heck I've been up to and hoped I hadn't died, I've been dealing with family drama, roller derby, writer's block, and more family drama. The writer's block wasn't even this story, but another one, and when I came across this quote by Ray Bradbury- if you've got a writer's block, you can cure it this evening by stopping whatever you're writing and doing something else. You picked the wrong subject—I took his advice and went back to have fun with Rose and Scorpius.

Special thanks to all the readers who encouraged me to keep writing the story. I'm sorry it took so long to update. Hugs and thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. adiiDelly, alix33, alleaf, Carnivalgirl, Ellinell, fynnsmom, Guest x 4 : ), jen, jullee, mojojojo198, Needle In A Haystack, nekochan1994, Nocturna Mae, Rose of the West, scribbleeexx, SevenHeartsOfRuby, x-rayLady, and yiota146.

Almost forgot! At the end of ch 10 of Our Little Secret, Roxanne told Rose that her parents were splitting up. I put in the author's note that "I've always thought that the match was mentally unhealthy," but after watching someone close go through a divorce, I've decided to put George and Angelina back in couples' counseling, and readers can decide whether they make it or not. :)