Majo Kon-ki - The Marriage of Tanya the Witch

by Roth9

With her second life at an end, Tanya accepts a deal to return to her original world and her former life. But as misunderstandings begin to escalate, she may end up chained to Harry Potter… until death do them part.

48. Interlude 5

Majo Kon-ki The Marriage of Tanya the Witch

(The marriage chronicles of a witch)

Interlude 5

January, AD 2018, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Are you going to expel him or what?" For about an hour, Scorpius Malfoy sat back and watched as the headmaster relentlessly berated Albus Potter.

"Imagine! Picking on others simply because they are from a different house. How utterly pathetic!"

And yet, despite threatening to break his wand, Professor Snape gave no clear indication he truly intended to do so.

"Me?! They were the ones picking on me!"

"Miss Chapman insists you insulted them, Potter!"

"W-well, it was an accident, sir!"

"Actually, I led you right to where I knew they'd be and guided the conversation to the point where you'd end up calling the Gryffindors 'knuckle-heads'."

"I see! You insulted them by accident! It can happen to anyone! And tell me, did your hand also 'accidentally' punch Yann Fredericks's nose?!"

"They were saying nasty things about Grandpa!"

"Does that justify nearly KILLING them?!"

"I-I don't remember doing that!"

"We examined your wand. The exploding spell came from it. And if my memory serves me right, it was a favorite spell of your father's!"

"Uhhh! My best spell, and I can't remember how I did it!"

"Because you didn't, you incompetent dolt!" Despite enjoying the show of his 'friend' taking a beating, he knew it was necessary for something far more dramatic to get him expelled than provoking a fight. Seizing the opportunity in a dark tunnel, Scorpius swiftly grabbed Albus' wand and cast an exploding spell at the train's ceiling. Then, before the light returned, he placed the wand back into Albus' hand.

"The moron was so dazed after the beating he didn't notice a thing…"

"A-anyway! They were badmouthing Grandpa Weasley and-"

"Do you have any idea how many Weasleys are currently at this school?"

"Eh? Hmm, let's see... there is Victoire, Dominique, Molly, Georgie, Freddie, and Rose… six!"

"… it was a rhetorical question."

"INDEED, SIX! And not a single one of them ever came to my office! They endured the burden of being Arthur Weasley's grandchildren, and within a month, they managed to adjust."

This reminded Scorpius of Albus' cousin, Rose. She, too, had faced some bullying at the start, and now she was incredibly popular.

"But of course, Mr 'Weasley Potter' had to stand apart, didn't he? And since you lacked the strength to be the vile tormentor your grandfather was, or the nerve to become the reckless delinquent your father was, you took refuge in the role of the tragic victim!"

"IF HE'S SO TERRIBLE, EXPEL HIM, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" It was pointless, maybe from the start, considering how the headmaster appeared to relish in torturing Albus.

"Yeah… when has a barking dog ever let go of its favorite chew toy?" The harsh truth was undeniable: today wasn't the day Scorpius would be rid of the CURSED CHILD.

"Sigh! In hindsight, I should have had second thoughts seeing the boy being dumped by his brother and cousin on the Hogwarts Express…" Instead, he jumped at the opportunity of befriending a son of the greatest witch in the entire world, the savior of his mother, the one his family revered and feared in equal measure: Tanya Potter.

"Turns out, I picked the wrong Potter!" It wasn't until he was about to ask for an autograph on his entire collection of 'Princess Tanya Adventures' from The Quibbler that he found out the boy was the son of Harry Potter's mistress.

It was certainly a disappointment, however, if there was one lesson his mother had been strict about in his upbringing, it was to never judge people by their blood, rather, to see them for who they truly were on the inside.

'No one fancy me around!'

'I am the black sheep of my family!'

'You will see! I am so cursed I will end up in Slytherin!' These, among many other things, would lead to a new kind of prejudice taking root in Scorpius' heart: a disdain for insufferable whiners.

"Mum, forgive me! I'm a Malfoy, what did you expect?" In any case, he believed he would be rid of him (and these awful feelings) once they arrived at Hogwarts.

'SLYTHERIN!' As he had so much complained about, he ended up being the first Potter in Slytherin. Nonetheless, regardless of his house, Scorpius was resolute in keeping his distance from him.

'… the hat could have placed me in Hufflepuff at least! That is Tanya's favorite house!' He was drawn in by something about his idol he hadn't known. This led to hours of conversation, with nothing discussed except Tanya Potter, as Albus was as much a fan of her as Scorpius was, looking as the woman had raised him herself, despite him being the product of her husband's infidelity.

"In perspective, it was akin to falling for the sweet trap of a Pitcher Plant!" Once those enjoyable hours of discussing the Eleven Goddess came to an end, Albus Potter revealed a side considerably more unpleasant than Scorpius had already witnessed.

'Scorpius, I didn't get this spell!'

'Scorpius, why learn it if such charm won't be used in our everyday lives?'

'Scorpius, can I have one of your cauldron cakes?'

'Scorpius, mind if I copy your homework?'

'Scorpius, I couldn't focus on lifting my broom because Rose was making too much fuss!'

'Scorpius, the Griffindors were picking on me again!'

'Scorpius… Scorpius… SCORPIUS!'

"ARGH! He is making me hate my own name!" The pathetic complainer relied entirely on others for everything, all while pinning the blame for his endless shortcomings on those around him.

It was no surprise that his 'charming' personality made him a target for constant ridicule, earning him an assortment of nicknames for various reasons. His dreadful performance in classes earned him the title "The Slytherin Squib." Being the child of his father's lover branded him "The Potter Bastard." And as the grandson of the notorious red-haired, red-handed Arthur Weasley, he was dubbed "The Turncoat's Heir."

Unfortunately for Scorpius, this only added to the endless complaints buzzing in his ears. And he couldn't just snap at the boy, since he was related to his idol.

"If Mrs. Potter hears I ditched her stepson, she'll think I'm a complete prat! There's no way she'll accept my curriculum!" Scorpius had always dreamed of working in the Department of Mysteries, crafting better operation orbs to save the lives of cursed people like his mother. In recent years, Moony Enterprises had become the top name in Computation Jewels, nonetheless, Scorpius was determined to work for the Ministry so he could be closer to his idol.

"All my effort, all my studying to be top of my classes, would be all wasted!" The way he bothers Scorpius, though, constantly asking him to re-explain the simplest spell, makes it nearly impossible to concentrate in class. Moreover, he faces two formidable rivals for the top position in Rose Weasley and Severus Potter.

"Aff! Studying and learning were supposed to be fun!" To be fair, he made an effort to be sympathetic until the end of the first month. By the second month, he was desperately trying, though in vain, to find excuses to avoid him. By Christmas, he found himself contemplating how simple it might be to cast the Killing Curse on him. Finally, during the holidays, enjoying the peace of being away from Albus Potter, he gave in to the cunning Slytherin inside him and decided to do something to rid himself of the pest.

"I really didn't want to go this far, but I'll snap if I have to sit through another hour of why he's the cursed child!"

The plan wasn't all that difficult. All he had to do was to take advantage of the long-standing grudge Severus Snape held against the Potters…

"Except, of course, for the children of his daughter figure."… and simply making sure the boy exposed his true opinions about most of the school.

"Long story short, Albus started the fight, threw the first punch, nearly killed three kids with an exploding spell that wrecked the Hogwarts Express, and delayed everyone's return to school." It was, without question, the most brilliant (and evil) plan of Scorpius' short life. And yet…

"Consider yourself fortunate! It isn't today I will snap your wand in two…!"

"YOU ARE DOING NOTHING?!"

"… remember to be grateful to your sister! If it wasn't for Vika- I mean, Professor Potter, you would be in far worse trouble!"

"Ah!" That's right, he forgot to add this important variable to the equation.

"Darn! Well, maybe he'll end up with a nasty detention-"

"… I will leave the details of your detention to Professor Longbottom!"

"THE NICEST TEACHER EVER??!" The following day, Professor Longbottom punished Albus by making him REFLECT on his mistake.

"Blimey! Professor Longbottom could've cut me some slack!"

"You got off with an easy detention and you're still complaining?!" That was the final straw. To hell with what people would think, he was ending this mockery of friendship before it drove him mad.

"Listen, Albus, I think we two shouldn't-"

"By the way! I didn't get the chance to tell you about my weird Christmas! Tanya was acting kinda odd!"

"… odd?" In Scorpius' defense, he did try to ignore the new bait.

"Odd in what sense?" He made a silent vow that as soon as the conversation was over, he'd be done with the boy.

"She was so nice, way too nice! And then, she started crying when we opened our presents! I've never seen her cry before!"

"Was she sad about something?" He almost asked if her husband didn't cheat on her.

"I would cry too if more whining bastards started to pop up!"

"Actually, she was overjoyed! Honestly, again, I've never seen her this happy before!"

This made Scorpius extremely curious about what could have happened.

"I asked Dad and he said Tanya loved us! I tried to ask Lily and she also cried."

"Was your sister happy as well?"

"No, she said Dad forbid her from eating sweets for the entire year!"

"Huh?"

"Tanya does love sweets… maybe she was just happy that Lily's out of the way now?"

"Mrs. Potter has a sweet tooth?! Come on, tell me more!" He was both surprised and excited to learn something new about his idol. So much so he failed to notice the final opportunity to end his association with Albus Potter slipping away.

---

As the second year commenced, Albus Potter, unsurprisingly, had not matured in the slightest over the summer. If anything, his whining had only intensified.

"Thankfully, I planted a small seed before last term ended…"

"Uhhh! Rose and I are dating now! It started right at the beginning of summer break."

"… which presently, bloomed perfectly. All that's left is to savor the fruits of my effort!"

"You mean Rose Weasley?! That ridiculously popular girl? The one everyone's going on about, saying she'll be Gryffindor's next Chaser?!" Scorpius masked his smirk, putting on the most surprised expression he could muster.

"Isn't she your cousin?"

"Well, you see, Rose's idea is to-"

"Albus, there you are!"

"Ah! H-hi Rose…"

"Don't 'hi Rose' me! Where have you been?! Have you forgotten we are having dinner together?!"

"S-sorry, it's just… I am tired of wearing a blindfold!"

"A blindfold?!" This had Scorpius genuinely surprised (and quite concerned).

"H-Hey! What on earth are you two doing?! You're children and blood-related, for Merlin's sake!"

"No need for a blindfold today!" She declared drawing her wand.

"I've learned the perfect spell to turn your eyes blue! Colovaria!"

"Eh- GAAAHHHH!" As she cast the spell at Albus's face, he crumpled in pain. Scorpius quickly hurried over and saw that, indeed, Albus gained blue eyes, except they were entirely blue, from the iris and pupil to the sclera… even his eyelids.

"Bollocks! I pictured the wrong concept! Thank Merlin this didn't happen in class!"

"Who cares about your classes?! I can't see!"

"Always whining, aren't you, Albus? Don't worry, your vision will come back in a few hours (I think)."

"Please, take me to the hospital wing!"

"Oh, will you stop being so selfish? We have our date!" And in an instant, she dragged her helpless victim to the Gryffindor table.

"Say 'ahh', Sev!"

"A-ahhh- ouch! Y-you stuck my tongue with the fork- mmpppf!"

"Hihihi! You are a goof, Sev!" The girl blushed with joy as she shoved more food into Albus's mouth than he could eat.

"T-they are really together!"

"What did she see in him?!"

"Is he threatening her?!"

"No, look how happy she is!"

While several boys watched the scene with jealousy, Scorpius quietly laughed under his breath.

"She is even calling him by his brother's name! Oh, boy, I am so glad that isn't me!" It wasn't for lack of effort on his part. From the moment he first saw Rose Weasley dropping her dead-weight cousin on him, Scorpius felt the stirrings of a small crush.

Finally, at the end of the term, with Albus too busy with make-up classes, Scorpius figured it was the perfect opportunity to try his luck with the popular girl.

'Is this some kind of joke? You honestly think that I, the daughter of the Minister for Magic, would ever be interested in a worthless Slytherin?' Her answer left him heartbroken, more for the nasty attitude she showed, than the rejection itself.

'Well, I suppose you at least have good taste! Ahhh, if only Sev had too…!' He already suspected the girl was in love with Severus Potter, as most of the girls of their year were.

"Severus wouldn't be stupid to fall for such a bitch. Now, if it were his 'twin' half-brother- !" That was when he understood how his broken heart could be the beginning of a new chance at happiness.

"Try these cookies, Sev! I baked them myself!"

"R-Rose, I can't! I am too full- mmppphhhh!" Once again, Scorpius chuckled as he watched the girl shove her burnt cookies into his mouth.

"I pretty much told her that if she wanted to be with her beloved, she needed to practice with someone as similar to him as possible." And who is better than his identical brother?

"I doubt this will have Albus leaving the school anytime soon, but… AHHHH! I got to enjoy some peace during meals." And who knows? Maybe Rose would be so excessively affectionate she'd end up crippling him.

"T-thank Merlin…! A bit of water… and I can see- burp! Argh! What should I do to put out the fire in my stomach?!"

"Alive and whining about… What a pity! Maybe next time…" Unfortunately, as predicted, Rose became the new Gryffindor Chaser and got too busy for her cousin. Still, her fans wouldn't forget so easily, and the boy gained yet another reason to be bullied…

"I kept telling them I am not with Rose anymore…" … adding more fuel to the endless complaints Scorpius had to endure all year.

"… I have to suffer for a girl I don't like! Sigh! Just another day in the cursed child's life!"

"The one cursed is me having to put up with you! I swear! One of these days, I will get rid of you!"

---

With two incredibly frustrating years behind him, Scorpius's third year at Hogwarts began with a glimmer of hope.

"Something wonderful is going to happen this year, and it is-"

"My favorite sister, Lily, is coming to Hogwarts! And she told me she wants to be in Slytherin!"

"That wasn't what I had in mind…" Scorpius didn't spot Lily Potter on the Hogwarts Express, he caught a brief glimpse of her only when the first years arrived for the Sorting.

"WHOA! She looks like a mini Mrs. Potter!" Suddenly, Rose Weasley breaking his heart was given a purpose, as if destiny had someone much better in store for him.

"She is kinda too young… Oh, well! We can begin as friends and, in a few years, move our relationship to the next level!" In all his excitement, Scorpius was beginning to hear the wedding bells.

"Potter, Lily!" Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts as the girl was called up to the stall.

"Nice to meet you all, I am PRINCESS Lily Ginevra Potter, descendant of the last wizard king Degretschow." With the grace of true royalty, she made an elegant greeting.

"And, Professor, there's no need for sorting. Unlike my brothers and sister, I'm fully aware of where I stand. I'm undoubtedly a Slytherin." Instead of inspiring hope in Scorpius, her attitude conveyed all the wrong signals.

"Well, it's too early to judge."

"If you're correct, this shouldn't take long." With a touch of insistence, Professor McGonagall placed the hat atop her blonde head, and…

"Did the hat twitch?" … they waited…

… and waited…

… and waited some more…

"WHY THE HELL IS IT TAKING SO LONG?!" Why, of all the students who could have arrived, did the potential future Mrs. Malfoy have to be the first Hatstall he'd ever encountered?

The boy watched in nervous anticipation. At moments, the hat seemed ready to make a decision, but as it was about to speak, it twitched, 'took a peek' at the girl beneath it, sighed, and waited again.

"SLYTHE…- GRYFFINDOR!" Despite the sudden change of mind at the last minute, everyone applauded, glad it was at last over.

Lily Potter, clearly unhappy with her chosen house, leaped from the stool, yanked the hat off, and shot it an icy glare.

"Sorry, my dear, you'd make a fantastic Slytherin. And that is where the problem lies, this school won't survive the level of AMBITION you possess!" Hearing the hat justifying its decision, more wrong signals were sent Scorpius' way.

"W-well… She does descend from some seriously hardcore dark wizards- No! This doesn't turn her into a new Voldemort… right?"

"I believe it's wiser to nurture your good qualities, such as bravery-"

"Could this thing be broken? After all, Mum didn't end up in Slytherin either." She checked every inch of the hat, as if searching for something.

"I assure you I am perfectly- what are you doing?!" It exclaimed as the girl shook it.

"I can't hear anything…" With a sigh, she pulled out her wand.

"I guess I will have to RIP it open to see if it has a working brain."

"H-h-hold your hand! I'm very old and fragile- GAH! Stop it this instant!"

"Lily! What on earth do you think you're doing?!" Her older sister, Professor Potter intervened just as her wand was inches from the hat.

"Vika, can't you not interrupt me as I'm going to try to fix this thing? Though, you have to admit, who is so stupid to leave important decisions to a lifeless object-"

"You better stop, young lady! Or I'll give you the same punishment Dad did!"

"Y-you can't mean-"

"No more sweets for you for the entire duration of your time at Hogwarts! All the SEVEN YEARS!" The little girl paled and released the hat. With her head down, she walked to the Gryffindor table, throwing a longing glance at Slytherin's.

"ALLLL!"

Halfway, she dashed into her half-brother's arms.

"Oh! What a surprise, they actually get along well." It explained why he doesn't complain about her.

"Sob! I didn't get to be a Slytherin! This is so unfair!"

"It's okay, you will have James and Sev with you-"

"How did you, a mere commoner, end up there while I'm stuck with these knuckleheads?! That thing is defective, I'm telling you!" She rambled on and on, claiming how someone of royal blood should be in the most prestigious house.

"Ugh! She is another whiner?! This is definitely NOT the future Mrs. Malfoy!" As he decided to pretend this never happened, James Potter approached.

"Lily, you must sit with your house-

"Ssss ss!" The girl literally hissed at him.

"Language, little sister! I am a prefect now! Besides, mum forbade us from speaking in parselmouth in public!"

"'Bleah', for you! I am staying with Al!"

"Sigh! And people ask why I have no patience for humans!" From behind him, the second Gryffindor brother, Severus approached.

"Lily, please come with us to the Gryffindor's table…"

"I don't wanna!"

"… if you do, James will give you all his share of sweets."

""!"" Similar to her older brother, the girl widened her eyes at the proposal…

"Bye, Al!" … and happily followed Severus.

"O-oi! I never said I was going to share anything!" Watching the three leave, Scorpius turned to Albus.

"S-she does love sweets, your sister…"

"Told you she is exactly like Tanya! That is why she is my favorite- sister…" Albus let the last word slip out, tinged with sadness.

"… in truth… she isn't my… no, forget it."

"You can bet I'll forget her! Rude, spoiled, snobbish and violent! She clearly didn't inherit any of Mrs. Potter's charm!" Still, Scorpius didn't dwell on his broken heart for long.

"As I said before, something wonderful is going to happen this year, and it is…!"

"Welcome, class! I am Professor Vika Potter! And with me, you will be learning Magical Science!" As third-year students, they were able to select their elective subjects. For Scorpius, this marked the long-awaited opportunity to learn about the technology that had saved his mother's life: the operation orb.

"As you might know, before the implementation of the mana capacitors, magic used to disrupt electronic devices, leaving wizards and witches to live as if they were in the middle ages…"

"Ahhhh! I think I've got a new crush… is what I would say if she was a few years younger and bore more resemblance to her mother…" Albus frequently mentioned that the one his older sister was nearly a perfect physical copy of, was their late paternal grandmother.

"… excellent answer Mr Malfoy! One point to Slytherin!" Regardless, he was pleased to find out that, different from her sister Tanya-Potter-look-alike, Professor Vika Potter lived up to all his expectations. She immediately recognized Scorpius for the prodigy he was, going as far as to entrust him and another exceptional student with a side project usually given to seventh years: creating an operation orb.

"… reckons she's into younger men?" He playfully asked the boy sitting next to him, Severus Potter.

"Don't bother. Sis is all about her work. And, apart from family and friends, the only male she ever speaks to is…"

"Please! Those 'sticks' are relics of the past! We don't need them anymore, and we sure as hell don't need that pea-brain Ollivander!" Scorpius flinched for a moment, taken aback as Professor Potter seemed as fierce as her younger sister.

"… the new owner of the Ollivander's wand shop, Gary, and that's just to throw at his face how much she can't stand him." The boy continued, explaining how the two had been rivals throughout their stay at Hogwarts and had loathed each other from day one.

"They sort of mirror their professions, wands and operation orbs are thought to be two arts which cannot coexist." This sparked an animated discussion about the pros and cons of each object, ending with Severus revealing that the Department of Mysteries was planning to research a way to combine the two fields.

"Unfortunately, the few experts in Computation Jewels are all unavailable."

"What a shame, especially after your mother went out of her way to ask Mr. Ollivander." Scorpius was in bliss, finally having a meaningful and intelligent conversation with the son of his idol.

"This is how I should be spending my youth! Having fun, studying, working towards my goals, and definitely… not stuck with the 'CURSED CHILD'!"

"Mum will find a way, she always does. By the way, Malfoy, I am quite surprised you managed to convince Al to apply for Sis' class."

"You had to remind me!" Scorpius glanced at the other boy sitting next to him. Albus sat there with a bored look on his face, doing nothing at all, not even bothering to take notes.

On one hand, Scorpius was relieved that the boy wasn't annoying him for once, on the other…

"How is it that you, of all people, don't see the PRIVILEGE of being in this sacred class?! Mrs Potter was the one behind the creation of Magical Science! UNFORGIVABLE!" Scorpius thought that such a blasphemy had to be paid harshly, and with interest.

"Regrettably, a new fail-proof plan to expel you is on hiatus!" Seeing as he would need to focus all his intellect to outmatch his powerful rival on the extra assignment.

"If I am to defeat Severus Potter, to complete a functional orb before he does, I will have to work to the bone!" He recognized how difficult it would be, considering Severus's advantages: he was the son of the orb's creator and the teacher's brother.

"However, I am not beaten yet! I actually have one secret advantage of my own!" From under his shirt, he pulled his treasure, the very first operation orb made.

Once the curse afflicting him, his mother, and his aunt was cleansed from their mana, Scorpius received the computation jewel.

"Feh! I spent much of my life dismantling and reassembling this device! I have memorized every piece of it by heart, I will put one together in no time!" Or so he thought. Lamentably, they were given pieces from the latest generation, which deviated significantly from the prototype he was familiar with.

"Uhh! This is what I deserve for being so full of myself." Regardless, he poured all his being into the project. Before long, a whole year had passed, and he was barely halfway done.

"Arf! I-I refuse to admit defeat! Severus didn't finish his orb too!" Although, he would find out his rival had a good reason for it…

"THE POTTERS SAVED THE SCHOOL!" On the final day of school, Scorpius woke to the echoes of these shouts.

"Huh…?" He cast a glance at Albus on the other bed, who had also awoken from the noise.

"Oi Albus, did you save the school yesterday night?" His response was a displeased grunt.

This wasn't anything new. In fact, there were always rumors surrounding the Potters, especially during the end of the year…

'Professor Potter arrested a dangerous escapee from Azkaban!'

'James Potter and his giant took down an acromantula rebellion!'

'Severus Potter captured a basilisk in the Forbidden Forest!'

… and many others.

"I sincerely was expecting something along the lines of Lily Potter trying to take over the school, if not the world…" Instead, all he heard about the youngest of the Potters was how her arrogance isn't unjustified, she's at the top of her class, following the example of her brothers, James and Severus.

"Not that this makes her less- ah?!" Upon arriving in the main hall, Scorpius noticed the Gryffindors had earned an enormous amount of points overnight. They typically won, but not with such a lead, the red hourglass held more points than all the other houses combined.

Next, the end-of-year feast turned into an awarding ceremony, with the Minister for Magic, Hermione Weasley, there in person to honor the Potters with an ORDER OF MERLIN FIRST CLASS to each. And if that wasn't enough to leave everyone speechless, Headmaster Snape's recounting of the events from the past few months, including the epic battle that had unfolded the night before, certainly would.

"BLIMEY!" Like the entire school, Scorpius was in awe. He had never heard a story so full of courage, bravery, and heroism in real life.

"Really…! Don't they have anything better to do instead of always getting into trouble?!"

"A-Albus! You make it sound as if this happens regularly!" He was starting to suspect that all the rumors about his siblings held some truth.

"I'll repeat what Tanya tells me on these occasions: they're troublemakers! All of them!"

"W-what?! Come on! That can't be true! Some stories have them facing dangers worse than Voldemort!" Scorpius couldn't accept so many terrifying things happening at his school, most of them while he was asleep.

"Take last night as an example! How no one died is beyond me!"

"I agree with you." Scorpius turned and nearly had a heart attack. There, standing before him, was Harry Potter in the flesh, and beside him stood his GODDESS.

"Dad? Tanya? What are you doing here?"

"Did you forget, Albus? I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Still, I was notified only when the conflict was solved!" He sighed, glancing at his other four children.

"Maybe having them all here at Hogwarts was a mistake! Last night was the perfect example of what happens after just one year with them together!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry! If you sent them to four different schools, we'd be dealing with four major incidents in four different locations!" His idol practically burned a hole through her husband with a glare.

"One shouldn't underestimate how much trouble the Potter bloodline can attract!"

"Please Tanya, don't exaggerate! I personally believe I am to blame, I believe the kids were trying to follow my-"

"Is this a confession?!"

"What?"

"Are you training MY children to be even bigger troublemakers than you ever were?!" Suddenly, the temperature around them plummeted as Mrs. Potter brandished a menacing-looking red wand.

"GAH! T-Tanya, if that's the case, wouldn't Albus be the same?!" Quickly, a frightened Mr. Potter hid behind his son.

"You have a point." Her glare faded into a gentle smile as she turned to her stepson.

"Albus, I'm so glad you have the good sense to stay out of trouble!" Contrary to expectations, it was evident Albus didn't appreciate the compliment.

"… at least, for the TIME being." Then, the woman turned her gaze towards Scorpius.

"Hello, you are Scorpius Malfoy, correct?"

"Y-y-yes! I am Scorpius! And you are a goddess- No! You are my princess- I mean! I-I pray to you before sleep- w-what I want to say is that I want to give you tributes- GAH! I-I love you more than my parents- N-no…!"

"The heck is wrong with me?!"

"Don't mind Scorpius, he's got a massive crush on you."

"WWWWAAAAAHHHHH! She will think my pure admiration for her is something dirty! Damn you Albus!" Tanya Potter, however, seemed unfazed by his blunders, her gaze fixed on him as if searching for something.

"Our last meeting was ages ago, and if I'm not mistaken, we'll be seeing each other again soon…"

"Huh? What do you-"

"… and now, for the awarding, we are honored to have the Potters' parents here to present it!" Professor Snape's speech concluded, and the school erupted in cheers.

"It's Harry Potter!"

"The boy-who-lived! The chosen one!"

"Wow! He is so cool in person!"

"Hihihi! He is as dreamy as Sev!"

"Is that his wife, the princess?"

"Wasn't she supposed to be his age?"

"And he has a hot lover too!"

"It is so nice to be a hero! You can get all the gals!"

The shouts of admiration echoed as they moved closer to their children. Harry Potter stood with a proud grin, his pride in his children clear for all to see. Mrs. Potter, on the other hand, wore a smile that was anything but genuine, her left eye twitching slightly, revealing how irritated she truly was.

""""!"""" The four Potters visibly tensed the moment their gazes landed on their mother.

Minister Weasley extended the medals to Mr. Potter, with his wife intercepting them mid-motion.

"If you don't mind, Hermione, I'll handle giving my children the 'rewards' they so thoroughly deserve." Scorpius was almost certain he saw the Minister hesitate, a nervous gulp betraying her composure as Mrs. Potter delivered those words.

Surprisingly, her smile became genuine as she neared her oldest daughter.

"M-mum! I-I can explain-"

"What, Vika?! Will you explain why this is the TENTH year you ended in some sort of life-threatening crisis?!"

"T-t-that is unfair, mum! In all these cases, I was-"

"You know, with Remus leaving to start his own company, our department has been struggling to find someone to take charge of the wand/orb project."

"What?! You are still on that rubbish?! Instead of studying relics of the past, we should improve the orbs-"

"As an additional 'reward' for your work last night, you are going to spend the summer working on this project."

"M-mum! I can't stand Gary Ollivander! Much less work with him!"

"Don't worry, you won't work WITH him, you will be working FOR him."

"NOOOOO!" Mrs. Potter fastened the medal around her daughter's neck, and she sank to her knees, looking completely devastated.

"Oh? So the smile came from anticipating this…"

"Next is… JAMES!"

"Gulp! H-hi mum!"

"I don't think you heard that, thanks to Neville's mandrakes, Winky has recovered?"

"That is great! And… y-you understand it wasn't my fault, right?"

"It wasn't your fault that YOUR basilisks petrified her?! She could have died!"

"There was no risk, those were the basilisks I discovered."

Scorpius recalled how, a few years ago, James Potter had a work published in a magazine, earning him a position in the Ministry's Magizoology division to be taken immediately after graduation.

"Right! His discovery was a breed of basilisk that wasn't poisonous and lacked the killing gaze. It could only petrify its victims."

"I don't bring the ones with the killing gaze home! Those are kept in the forest and- oops!" He realized his slip of the tongue too late.

"Very well! Your extra 'reward' will be to never walk inside the forbidden forest again!"

"Mum, everyone is already forbidden from going there!" He nonchalantly told her.

"Despite that, I enter there ever since my first day here and-"

"Nothing happened because I asked the acromantulas and centaurs to watch out for your well-being."

"Eh?!"

"And it ends today."

"T-they will start attacking me?!"

"Of course not, they will attack Grawp."

"What?! You wouldn't do something so awful!"

"I authorized them to RIP HIM APART once they see you getting your foot in there."

"The rumor about him having a giant is true?!" As James received his medal, he stood stunned, resembling a bird with its wings clipped, in Scorpius's eyes.

Of all the Potters, James was the subject of the most rumors. Like keeping a giant as a pet, hiding acromantula eggs on school beds, using his parseltongue ability to breed basilisks, and sneaking one of every dragon species onto school grounds…

"A-and two of those were proven true today! It's getting more and more likely my nights sleeping peacefully in this school are over!"

"Mother…" The next in line was his rival, Severus Potter.

"And you, Severus! To think the day would come when I'd say what I'm about to say!"

"Oh, no! Please mum!" The boy flinched as though struck by a curse, and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"I could forgive the dragons, it was your brother who smuggled them!"

"EEK! The dragons' story is true too!"

"And no one could anticipate a meteor on collision course to Hogwarts!"

"I… don't feel too well…!" Still, there was no way he would close his eyes in school grounds, let alone pass out from shock.

"I know I have no excuse, just please, not THAT!"

"Merlin! What could be so bad for such a brave boy to be so scared?!" Mrs. Potter took a deep breath and spoke.

"Severus Erich Potter, I am deeply DISAPPOINTED with you!"

"That is it?!" This left Scorpius perplexed. Professor Potter would have to endure humiliation working for someone she utterly despised, while James lost much of his freedom. Yet Severus appeared to have gotten off easy.

"Huh? Why does he look more devastated than the other two?!"

"Now, Lily, what do you have to say for- ah?" Everybody's gaze shifted to the youngest Potter… trying to jump out of a window, her arms loaded with sweets.

"P-please, mummy! Spare me and my sweets!"

"Well, I don't have to guess what her 'reward' will be." Scorpius recalled how sweets were a weakness of her 'royal pain in the ass'.

"It's okay, Lily, I am not taking those from you."

"Y-you won't? You swear?!"

"Of course! Enjoy to your heart's content…"

"Oh! Thank you! I thought I would bear another year without-"

"… after all, these are the last sweets of your ENTIRE life!"

"… eh?! GGGGYYYYAAAHHHH!" And with the final medal awarded, the show came to an end.

---

"YOU SAID MRS POTTER WAS WHAT?!"

"F-frigid."

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"C-chill out, mate! It wasn't on purpose! I just got carried away, alright?!"

It was the start of their fourth year and apparently, Scorpius' wish was about to finally turn true, Albus would be out of his life.

"BECAUSE I AM GOING TO STRANGLE HIM TO DEATH!"

Basically, Albus had spent the entire summer sulking after his siblings received so much attention from Tanya for their stunt (despite being in a negative light). It all exploded with Mr. Potter's attempt at a father-son moment, Albus lashed out at him for the unforgivable crime of offering a blanket.

"Dad said he wouldn't be made responsible for my unhappiness and I… snapped!"

'I wish you weren't my dad! And I can't get why you are! Tell me, was Tanya frigid these days?!'

"Grrr! There are some things you don't say, no matter how angry you may be!" Scorpius' hands were mere inches from the heretic's neck, and he could almost envision the perfect new world where the whiner no longer drew breath.

"Ugh! Dad reacted the same way…" Albus defended himself alleging he immediately regretted his comment.

"I did want to hurt Dad, but not speak ill of Tanya!" Before he could apologize, however, his father turned livid. He revealed Albus was the worst mistake of his life, the product of a night when he and Ginny Weasley were too intoxicated with firewhisky to discern right from wrong. And afterward, Tanya had been willing to divorce him to save their reputations…

'… his name aside, I love Sev for saving my marriage, while you… I WISH YOU WERE NEVER CONCEIVED!'

"You provoked your father and was surprised he took the bait?!" With that, Scorpius lost all desire to hurt the boy.

"If I kill him, I risk getting my own Moaning Myrtle!"

"You make it sound as if the blame was mine!"

"Of course it was!"

"Listen to the end, you will change your mind!"

"Is there more?!"

"Dad realized what he had said and told me he was sorry… what utter rubbish! He was merely worried about his image, and I threw that at his face-"

"Did I hear it right? Your father tried to apologize and you insulted him more?!"

"He was faking it!"

"This boy is a complete MORON!"

"And the worst part is Tanya…" He cupped his cheek.

"… Tanya appeared, she had heard it all. She took Dad's side and… slapped me in the face!" Tears were coming down his cheeks.

"She said she wouldn't speak with me again until I gave Dad an honest apology!"

"… am I supposed to feel sorry for him?" Scorpius was speechless, simply staring at the boy as if he were the most idiotic person ever.

"I'm going to suggest it, though he'll come up with some absurd reason not to do it!"

"You can send an owl apologizing to him as soon as we reach Hogwarts."

"No way! Why should I apologise? Dad is the one to blame for everything wrong with my life!"

"I knew it!" This boy has no shame in blaming others for his clumsiness and stupidity.

"If I wasn't his son, people wouldn't expect so much of me! And if he loved me as much as my brothers and sisters, maybe Tanya… would too! Sob!"

"Maybe she would love you a bit more if you didn't call her FRIGID!" Scorpius decided this was the last drop. To hell with what people would think, he was closing ties with Albus Potter.

"And here I was, going to show him my operation orb!" His hard work paid off, Scorpius had finished his task during summer, thanks in great part to the pieces of an unfinished time-turner his grandfather had given him.

"And that is how, I, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy created the first operation orb with a time-turning function!" Truth be told, his initial idea was to use the object to go back to the day he first spoke with Albus.

"Of course, I would have to be too dumb to risk being… expelled?!" Scorpius gave the crying boy in front of him a dark look. He hesitated for a second, then solidified his resolve, thinking of how the boy had dared to insult his goddess.

"Albus, I have an idea…" He showed his computation jewel and explained the unique characteristic.

"… I can return to this morning and make sure Tanya doesn't hear my fight with dad?"

"Yup! Or make sure the fight doesn't happen!"

"Hehehe!" He swallowed his laughter. Making a time-turner itself isn't a crime, but using it is a severe infraction, and if any changes to the timeline were uncovered, it could escalate into a serious offense.

"Harry Potter won't throw his son in Azkaban, the headmaster on the other hand will have no other option except to say goodbye to his favorite chew toy!" Scorpius allowed himself to dream of wonderful next four years of his school life-

"Or better! I could do something to make Tanya love me more!"

"Eh?!" Naturally, nothing was simple with Albus Potter.

"Albus, it's an operation orb with a time-turner function, not a love potion!"

"No, what I mean is that I could go further and do something greater than my brothers did! Something to make last term seem- hold on, how further can it go?"

"Well, I believe a few decades at most-"

"THAT IS IT! We can help Dad and Tanya defeat Voldemort!" Scorpius blinked, not believing what he had heard.

"And here I was, thinking I had already heard every dumb thing this boy could say…" Scorpius facepalmed himself.

"No way am I putting the world as we know it in danger. Not even to get rid of this pest!"

"Sorry, maybe you should forget I suggested-"

"Hmm, how would we do it…? We can't kill Voldemort, only Dad could do it!" He wasn't listening, he was too busy making plans as stupid as the mind behind it.

"Maybe… something else… hmm…"

"We are doing nothing- Albus? Are you listening? Albus!" Apparently, the effort to come up with a good idea was too great for him, and he had to channel all his senses into this 'monumental task'.

"Maybe he'll forget to breathe and spare me from more trouble…"

The rest of the way to Hogwarts was pleasantly silent and once they arrived at the castle, Albus sank back into his deep thinking, giving Scorpius the rare chance to enjoy a peaceful first night at school. At least until he went to sleep and his dream was plagued by acromantulas' eggs hatching under his bed…

By morning, Albus was still struggling to get his sluggish brain to cooperate and decided to skip his morning classes. This had Scorpius walking to his first class, Magical Science with high spirits despite his drowsiness.

"I can hear Professor Potter proudly declaring…"

"Congratulations, Sev- Mr Potter! Fifty points to Gryffindor!"

"… eh?" To Scorpius' dismay, Severus Potter had finished his operation orb near the end of the previous term. In fact, he had used it to confront the enormous threat facing the school.

"I totally forgot to declare the winner during the feast last term as I prepared myself for the awful summer I was about to have- HIHIHIHIHI!" The entire class was caught off guard by their teacher's loud giggling. They had all expected her to return somber, instead, she was radiant with joy.

"OOOHHHH! How wrong I was! It was the best summer of my entire life!" And while his classmates were left wondering if she had secretly murdered Mr Ollivander, Scorpius could care less, as his own best summer of his entire life had turned into the worst summer of his entire life.

"All that hard work for NOTHING! Uhhh! And Severus' orb is clearly far better than mine…" Its quality was so advanced it could easily compete with the latest models, Scorpius' orb, on the other hand, merely had the basic functions of cleaning and regulating mana, exactly like the original prototype, along with a taboo feature.

"And, Mr Malfoy, as a consolation, I give Slytherin twenty points!" Needless to say it did little to raise his spirit.

"Second place may make me prefect but not head boy! Sob!"

"Sorry our rivalry ended so soon, Malfoy. Believe me, I truly am." Surprisingly, Severus didn't appear all that happy with his victory.

"To tell the truth, I had been putting together this orb for a few years as a hobby." For a moment, Scorpius considered accusing him of cheating, until he remembered he had relied on a 'shortcut' himself.

"My idea was to make one from scratch to compete with you, if it wasn't for- hmm?" Suddenly, the boy picked up Scorpius' operation orb from the desk where it was lying.

"These components… they are from a time turner?!"

"He found out with a single glance?!"

"I once saw one Dad had confiscated." As if reading his mind, he gave this explanation.

"Tell me, what do you plan to do with it?" Quickly, before he could report him, Scorpius answered he merely used the parts to complete his orb.

"… you don't have to worry, I won't use the time-turning function."

"Good, I don't think I need to spell the dangers of messing with time, you are a smart bloke." Relieved, he returned the object to Scorpius.

"And I don't think I need to tell you to be careful who you show it to. Some people are too dumb to understand how dangerous a time-turner is."

"Yeah, as dumb as your brother!" On second thought, Scorpius imagined that, by now, Albus would have realized the perils of tampering with things he couldn't fully comprehend.

"Certainly, after putting his brain to work, he is bound to-"

"I have a plan!" Albus approached him during lunch the same day.

"I forgot I am dealing with Albus Potter here!"

"Listen, Albus, we shouldn't-"

"Vika always says Tanya's days at Hogwarts would be easier if she had an operation orb!" Without giving Scorpius a chance to speak, he was pushing the stupid idea down his throat.

"So, we go back to Tanya's first day in Hogwarts and give one to her!"

"… twenty-four hours of deep thinking and that is your plan?!"

"Brilliant, isn't it-"

"Rejected!"

"Ehhhh?! Why not?!"

"Because the idea for operation orbs was published during her first year. In her old interview, she said she had the inspiration during charms!"

"And so?"

"If she already has an operation orb, she won't have the need to develop theories about one, and neither make one!" In short, the past would be changed and no technology to save his mother's life would be created.

"Alright, how about we give her during her second year-"

"Absolutely no! That year, the minister of those days under… well, my grandpa's instructions tried to shut down the project before it even began. A simple change and he may be able to do so."

"… her third year?"

"Hmmm… Grandpa became Mrs Potter's ally and stopped trying to intervene, so that year should be fine, I guess."

"Brilliant! During Tanya's third year, she had her most awful day at Hogwarts: the boggart lesson!"

"So Mrs Potter couldn't conquer her boggart too?" This had Scorpius recall how he himself couldn't cast the riddikulus charm at the sight of his worst fear: his mother dying.

"We leave the orb, she will use it to destroy the boggart herself and won't have her worst day ever! Then, we come back and reveal it was us who gave it!"

"Actually, it isn't too bad of a plan." Scorpius guessed if Tanya used the orb just for her day-to-day affairs at Hogwarts, the timeline wouldn't suffer a significant change. The main concern would be how it would interfere with the defeat of Voldemort.

"I don't think strengthening Harry Potter's ally would change the outcome of the war." In fact, history could be changed for the better. The war could end sooner with this single addition.

"And perhaps computation jewels would be developed sooner!" And his mother would be spared years of torment…

"And the best part: Albus would be expelled once he returned!" Still, he had to point out a few details this dunderhead missed.

"There are two flaws in your plan, first, where will you find a computation jewel?" The orbs are becoming more and more popular by the day but access to them remains limited.

"That is easy, we give her yours!" The dumb boy had the gall to point to his most precious treasure on his neck.

"No way! My orb has a deep emotional value for me and my family! This is the object that saved my mum's life!"

"Come on! Don't be so stingy! Tanya will give it back to you in the present!"

"He… has a point." Besides, Scorpius contemplated that leaving a simple model would pose a lesser risk.

"So? Do you agree? Can we go now?"

"This brings me to the second subject. 'I' am not going with you. I never said I would."

"You don't wanna? Why not?"

"Because it's a grave infraction to travel through time, and changing the past is against the law. Your aunt, the Minister, passed this law years ago."

"No one will find out if we only tell Tanya."

"It's not so simple. The same way the Ministry can detect underage magic, they can also track time-magic once it's been used."

"Huh? If that is so, why did you suggest it?"

"Because I want you to be gone from my life forever!" He wished he could answer honestly.

"W-well… you see… I… forgot…?"

"Oh? Okay, I know you wouldn't try to get me into trouble on purpose."

"R-right!"

"Anyway, we don't need to worry about the law, surely Aunt Hermione will give me a full pardon."

"Pfff! He thinks nepotism will save his skin?!" In the unlikely event it worked, the idiot forgot Headmaster Snape wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

"Well, even if you are safe, the same doesn't apply to me." Nepotism would give Albus a false sense of security, plus it would provide Scorpius with the perfect excuse to avoid getting involved.

"Two birds with a single stone."

"Can't we say I forced you?"

"Excuse me?"

"We say you tried to stop me and ended in the past with me."

"Altering the past, and kidnapping on top of that?!" This idea was getting very tempting…

"You would do that for me?"

"Of course, I can't do this by myself."

"Maybe I should go to make sure this scatterbrain doesn't pollute the timeline." And, if Mrs Potter is half as grateful as Albus believes she will be, Scorpius would have a spot in the department of mysteries guaranteed. Besides, he would love to see his idol as a cute schoolgirl.

"Putting in perspective, I have everything to gain while Albus has everything to lose!"

"Alright! I am in!"

"Great! When do we leave? Tonight?"

"No, we have to prepare first. And keep in mind the kidnapping excuse will work just once. We've got one single shot at it!"

"Got it!"

Then, one week later…

"Will one of your brothers let us inside the Griffindors' common room?"

"No need, I pestered Sev until he revealed the password."

"Did you tell him?"

"Of course not! He would try to stop us or worse, take all the credit for himself!"

"Or maybe, he could offer us some insight-" Scorpius shook his head; this idea probably stemmed from his mind, trying to convince him to back out.

"No need for second thoughts now. With me around, all will go smoothly, and should anything go wrong, I will immediately undo it." With his confidence back, he turned to his accomplice/victim.

"Let's go!"

---

"Can I help you?" A young and timid Mrs Potter asked them.

"Y-yes! Y-you can- I mean, w-we want to give you a present!"

"One would think he doesn't speak regularly with her."

"A present to me? From who? Why?"

"W-we are- err, unspeakables! We work at the department of mysteries, this is why we look so mysterious!"

"SERIOUSLY?! THIS IS YOUR BRILLIANT IDEA, YOU IDIOT?!" Actually, what was truly surprising was how Scorpius was surprised at the boy's stupidity.

"Huh?" Seeing the confusion on Mrs Potter's face, Scorpius felt the need to play along.

"What my friend is trying to say is that we recently developed a prototype operation orb based on your ideas and we wanted you to have it."

"Darn! I said the first thing that came to my head! What if she checks with the department of mysteries?"

"You completed it without my help. Does this mean the job promised to me will be as a tester?" These words spelled what Scorpius dreaded could happen.

"If Mrs Potter is satisfied working as a tester, she won't use her brain to develop more orbs! HECK! DID I SCREW- no, concentrate, fix it!" As Albus was the complete buffoon as usual, it was up to Scorpius to save the future.

"NO! Hummm… our team had a…"

"BLIMEY! What should I say?!"

"… divine inspiration!" His only idea was to attribute it all to pure chance.

"That is it! It was pure luck, we will never make another! Not without your help!"

"Let's pray she buys this!"

"Yeah! It was kind of like a MIRACLE!" Fortunately, Albus had the sense to play along with him too.

"Okay, may I see it?" Scorpius let out a breath of relief. Albus then handed the box with his computation jewel and turned to him, a thumb up in triumph.

"Mission accomplished AT LAST!" He was glad it was over. The trip didn't go as smoothly as Scorpius had expected. To begin with, they arrived a day too late to spare Mrs. Potter from experiencing her worst day at Hogwarts. Moreover, his excitement at seeing his idol as a younger version of herself was crushed by horrifying revelations. Such as how some creep tried to molest her, an insinuation she is into threesomes, and how she took revenge on her husband because of Albus.

"Now I am curious about who could be the father of that arrogant violent girl." He wondered if her initial desire to be a Slytherin was to follow in her father's footsteps.

"This suggests he is a pure-blood. Perhaps from a family very loyal to Mrs- CAN'T BE!" For some reason, his father's face flashed in his mind.

"If Grandpa ordered him, he would, wouldn't he?! And Dad hated Mr Potter, he would love to cuckoo him! GAH! Please, don't tell me that brat is my sister-"

"NO!" Scorpius lost his line of thoughts at Mrs Potter's sudden shout.

"NO! NO! NO!"

"Is anything wrong Mrs Po- I mean, Miss Tanya?"

"NOOOO!" Seeing her screaming louder, Scorpius took a step back.

"Did you hurt yourself?" She ignored Albus, holding her head, going into deep thoughts.

"Hmm, hello?" He made another attempt.

"Err, Tanya?" Hearing her name be called, apparently made her remember about them.

"You… two… are… WORKING FOR THAT PIECE OF SHIT!"

"EEEKKK!" Scorpius' spine turned to ice under the glare she directed at them.

"W-why is she so angry?!"

"I-I don't know! We better escape!"

"You don't need to ask!" Scorpius grabbed the operation orb and was about to set it to take them back home.

"YOU TWO ARE GOING NOWHERE!" In a flash, Mrs Potter created a pillar of flames that took the form of a dragon.

""WAAAAHHH!"" It was the scariest sight of Scorpius and Albus' whole lives, making both hold onto each other for dear life.

"W-W-WAIT JUST A MOMENT! LET US-"

"I AM WAITING FOR NOTHING!" Seeing their impending doom, left Scorpius with no other option except to activate the time-turning at random and hope for the best.

""WAAAAHHH!"" And as the dragon was mere inches from swallowing them, it turned night.

"I-it's okay! Y-you got us out!" Hesitantly, Scorpius opened his eyes.

"Whew! She almost-" His eyes widened as he stared at the other boy.

"Albus! Your arm is on fire!"

"Huh?! ARGH!" Desperately, Scorpius was trying to put out the fire.

"If I lose my scapegoat, the one being expelled will be me!"

"I don't get it! Why did she attack us?!"

"I dunno! And where are we?!" Scanning the place, Scorpius saw hedges, as if they were thrown in a prison made of tall bushes.

"We have to be on the quidditch pitch…" He recalled seeing pictures of the pitch once being changed this way.

"Hey! This must be the finals of triwizard-"

"YOU TWO AGAIN?!"

""Eh?"" Together, they turned to see Tanya Potter. Her clothes had changed, the anger on her face, on the other hand, was the same, if not worse.

""WAAAAHHH!""

"H-hurry up! We need to run!"

"G-give me a second!" Terrified, he was about to risk another random trip. Unfortunately, Mrs. Potter was quicker, without incantations or a wand, she summoned the orb to her.

""NOOOOO!"" The cruel smirk on her lips sealed their fate; gripped by horror, they clung to each other.

"Without a portkey you won't- huh? This is a TIME-TURNER?!" She stared at the orb for a few more seconds, subsequently drew her wand, and shot slashing curses at them.

"EEEKKKK!"

"PLEASE DON'T KILL US!" He begged, refusing to die in Albus Potter's arms of all people.

"I don't wanna die! Not on the eve of my freedom from the worst plague of my life!" There was so much he had to do, like defeating Severus Potter, getting a girlfriend, creating an operation orb without relying on parts of a time-turner, and discovering the truth about whether Lily Potter was his sister.

Still trembling with fear, Scorpius glanced at his idol/potential killer, only to find her in stunned silence watching them.

"Why is she- our hoods! She saw our faces!"

"… a time-turner plus you are the spitting images of those two. You came from the future! You are Harry and Malfoy's descendants!"

"W-we are their sons to be more precise." Seeing she was sharp enough to uncover part of the truth, Scorpius decided sharing a bit more wouldn't hurt.

"And we are here to-"

"DON'T SAY A WORD!" She stopped Albus before he could say anything more.

"Please, hear us. We want to- mph?!" As expected from Severus Potter's mother, she quickly grasped the danger of contaminating the timeline and silenced them by shooting small blobs of a viscous substance onto their mouths.

"A blob of a viscous substance? A web?! Isn't this the famous spell that granted her the title of acromantula girl?! And she shot at me! I am so lucky!" While Scorpius was delighted, many other emotions appeared on the girl before him, as she gazed at them, as if trying to decide what to do.

"You two, listen!" Both fixed their gazes on her.

"I will ask a question and you will either nod in affirmation or shake your head in denial, got it?"

They weren't going to challenge the person who had their lives in her hands, meekly they nodded their consent.

"Was Voldemort defeated?"

Hesitantly, he nodded his head and at his side, Albus did the same.

"Well, she and Mr Potter won't turn into lazy bags over such a small generic information… I hope!"

For a second, a smile was on the girl's face, then, it vanished as she stared right at Albus' eyes.

"Oh, no! Did she figure out he isn't her son?!"

"Albus, right? I appreciate your gesture. It's clear you're not my son…" Albus simply flinched, meanwhile, Scorpius fell into despair.

"Learning the truth, she may either try to avoid it happening or break up with Harry Potter knowing he is going to cheat on her!" On the bright side, this would mean he would get rid of once and for all of Albus Potter, on the bad, he would return home without his 'kidnapper'.

"GAH! I will go to jail- worse, I WILL BE EXPELLED!"

"My assumption is that I must have died somewhere along the way…"

"Eh?! She thinks she will die?!" For this, he wasn't ready.

"… and Harry married another…" She averted her gaze, his heart breaking as she was seemingly wiping her tears.

"I… have no regrets! My days with Harry were brimming with joy, no matter what fate has in store for me!"

"Oh! The greatest witch of the whole world, and the most compassionate human being of the entire universe!" He suddenly forgot how she tried to kill him mere minutes ago.

"Please, go back to your future." With a somber face, she returned Scorpius' orb.

"I can't go back yet! I can't let her think she is about to die at any moment!" In his oldest memories, he sees his mother, frail in bed, wondering if the operation orb would truly heal her, or if death would take her forever from her family.

He shook his head desperately, with Albus also doing the same.

"I have one last question, is Harry alive and happy?"

"!" The last piece was in place in his mind. She was alright with dying, so long as her beloved was happy.

He stared at Albus, who stared back, in his eyes, Scorpius almost could read his thoughts: 'See? I told you, Tanya's greatest weakness is her unconditional love for Dad!'.

"How could anyone not be happy being married to you?" They turned back to her and nodded their heads again.

"Try to understand. You coming here placed this happiness, and your existence as well, in jeopardy." Scorpius couldn't blame Albus for starting to cry.

"Sob! She just met us and is already worried about our well-being!"

"Shh! It's okay, I am glad Harry had a son as kind as him." And, unexpectedly, she pulled the fruit of her husband's infidelity into a hug.

"Tell your father that I love him, always!" Albus buried his head in her shoulder, collapsing in tears. For a moment, Scorpius was sympathetic.

"Wait! I have heard all his whining and cries for the last three years…! The sod is crying out of frustration!" From Albus' perspective, their trip was to make Tanya love him more, instead, he found out how ENORMOUS was her love for his father.

"Say to him that as long as the world is free of any new Voldemorts, my memory will go on!"

"You're wasting your breath saying anything touching to this selfish fool!"

"Now, return home and stay there!" She pushed Albus away, but he was still determined to not face reality.

Scorpius walked to him and shook his head.

"You never had any chance. Harry Potter is and always will be Tanya's most beloved person." Calmly, Scorpius programmed the orb to return them home, and with the press of a button, Mrs. Potter vanished from his sight.

"Don't worry, you can cure yourself from your broken heart while looking for another school."

---

"Ouch, ouch! OUCH!" Back to the quidditch pitch of the present, Scorpius, using a combination of heating and freezing charms, managed to take the web from his mouth.

"A shame I can't keep these on!" If it wasn't for the risk of starvation, he would. It would be the perfect souvenir from the young Tanya Potter.

"Pwah! Want me to take these off your mouth too, Albus?" He became aware he was alone in the vast pitch.

"… Albus?" For a split second, he considered the boy might have fled to avoid punishment.

"Nah! That pest wouldn't resist crying on my shoulder the entire night after- !" He was hit with the most plausible explanation.

"Albus was erased from existence?!"

"Scorpius Malfoy!" His pondering was cut short by the appearance of the headmaster.

"Care to explain why your entire body is full of time-magic?"

"P-Professor! I can explain! It was all Albus' fault!" He gestured towards… the vast nothing.

"Damn! I forgot I lost my scapegoat!" And without one, he would be the one sent to jail and EXPELLED.

"There is only one thing I can do in these desperate moments…!" Scorpius, brimming with determination, walked up to the headmaster and then… dropped to his knees.

"… beg as if my life depends on it!"

"PLEASE! PLEASE, DON'T EXPEL ME! I IMPLORE YOU! PLEASE!"

"Expel you? What makes you think I have such authority?"

"What? Aren't you the headmaster of Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts was destroyed years before you were born!"

"Eh?" He took a look in the castle's direction, despite being night, he could see it was in ruins.

He was overwhelmed, with many questions in his mind, yet, he managed to voice a single one.

"… which school do I go to?"

"Durmstrang of course! Even if your father mentioned that, with your grades, you won't be staying there too long."

"I-I-I am a FLUNKER?!" At this news, Scorpius felt like fainting.

"Okay, I am convinced!" He took his operation orb and began to program it.

"No way in hell I am living up as a failure! I'd rather have Albus Potter around-"

"Accio!" Before he could finish setting the date, Scorpius had his orb summoned from him.

"Hey! Give it back! I need it to fix-"

"SHUT UP!" Following his thundering shout, the old man merely gazed at the operation orb.

"YOU…! So, you do exist! She wasn't delirious, you meddled with time, didn't you?!"

"Y-yes. I am sorry- EEK!" Scorpius froze in fear at the sight of the fury on the headmaster's face as he walked, or rather, limped towards him.

"Y-your leg!" He blurted out, shocked at the sight of the prosthesis.

"Lost it, my arm, and… my beloved little girl to the same monster that destroyed Hogwarts and killed most of my students! And it seems it was ALL THANKS TO YOU!"

"Your little girl? You mean, Mrs Potter?!" Briefly, his fury faded, replaced by a wave of sadness.

"You be quiet and come!" Roughly, the former headmaster dragged him in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Outside the anti-apparition field. We are going to see the result of your stupidity: the OVERLORD!" Scorpius paled as the realization of what he had done hit him.

"Somehow, we altered the timeline, making Voldemort win the war!" Maybe, as he had thought, Mrs. Potter was so confident in Voldemort's defeat that she allowed her husband to become lazy, or perhaps, thinking she was going to die, she became careless and died prematurely, causing Harry Potter to lose his will to live.

As they approached the forest's edge, the headmaster apparated them to a familiar location: his grandparents' manor. As if owning the place, Severus Snape passed easily through the mansion's defenses and, in the main hall, he threw Scorpius unceremoniously at the feet of five people.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! I AM A PURE-BLOOD! I SWEAR!" Terrified at the thought they might be Death Eaters, he instinctively shielded his head with his arms.

"Scorpius?" Cautiously, Scorpius lifted his head…

"Eh? Dad?!" The presumed Death Eaters were, in fact, his father, his grandfather, the Minister for Magic Hermione Weasley, her husband Ron, and Luna Scamander.

"Severus, what are you doing to my son?!" His father inquired as he helped Scorpius to his feet.

"You precious son is one of the 'time-traveling brats' she warned someday would return!" Gasps echoed from each of them.

"Are you certain of this?!" Minister Weasley stared at him agape.

"There is no doubt! The tracker went crazy this afternoon! And he had a different time-turner! It is him!"

"It was a Malfoy who screwed us all over?! Why don't I find this so hard to believe?!" A scarred Ron Weasley fixed him with a scornful glare.

"Ohhhh! How I wish we could give you to the acromantulas to feast on!"

"I-I am sorry you ended up with a scarred face because of me!"

"… what did you say?" If he was angry before, his tone now twisted into cold fury.

"YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THIS BLOODY SCAR?!" He charged at Scorpius and slammed him to the floor.

"My problem with you is that you're the reason MY ENTIRE FAMILY is dead!"

"F-f-forgive me!" Scorpius flinched in fear as a wand was aimed straight at his face.

"RON! Stop!" The boy was rescued by the Minister, who then assisted him to his feet.

"T-thank you, Minister."

"Minister? Me?" She sneered.

"Maybe in your original world, here the minister is your grandfather."

"Grandpa?!" He gave his grandfather an incredulous look, making the old man unexpectedly turn away as if in shame.

"Did Voldemort make you Minister?! Please, tell me you aren't helping him enslave us!"

"Voldemort? What are you talking about? Severus didn't tell you?" The headmaster simply shook his head.

"We need to tell- no, it's better if we show him." Taking Luna Scamander's suggestion, they all moved to one of the house's largest rooms, which Scorpius noted had been turned into a bedroom. Lying there, asleep so deeply it seemed she might be dead, was Tanya Potter, dressed in clothes as dark as night.

"Scorpius, meet the OVERLORD." The boy gaped.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"

"Shhh! Don't raise your voice, she needs her rest! Fighting off Voldemort constantly takes too much out of her!"

"VOLDEMORT?! WHERE?!"

"Son, stop yelling! If she wakes up, she might kill someone, possibly even us!"

"WHAT- Ahem! You said she has to kill someone?! And didn't you say she was dead?!" He directed the last question to Severus Snape, who saw no need to respond.

"Please, listen attentively to my words…" Mrs Scamander began her grim tale…

"For years, Voldemort wanted to use Tanya's body as some sort of anchor for his life…"

"Yes, I know! The Horcrux ritual! But he never did, Harry Potter killed him!"

"No, Tanya was captured and the dark lord managed his evil deed." Mrs. Scamander's face clouded with sadness as she said this.

"Only, it didn't go according to his plans. Instead of being under his control, Tanya went berserk."

"She killed the dark lord and all the death eaters who were present, including the Greengrasses and my Narcisa…"

Amidst the sorrow of learning most of his grandparents were dead, Scorpius found himself intrigued by one particular detail.

"Mrs Potter killed Voldemort? It can't be, what about the prophecy?"

"Somehow, she broke it by killing Voldemort and… Harry as well."

"!" This left Scorpius utterly shocked; Harry Potter should have been the last person Mrs. Potter could ever kill.

"How is it possible?! Unless, in some way, by changing the past, I also changed the prophecy?" He shook his head; this theory didn't make any sense.

"Hold on! The horcrux! What happened to the part of Voldemort inside Mrs Potter?"

"You aren't like your father and grandfather described you. You are very bright." Mrs Weasley praised him.

"As you can imagine, the horcrux remained inside of Tanya."

"In other words, Voldemort still lives inside of Mrs Potter! The two are basically one, thus fulfilling the prophecy by killing Harry Potter!"

"It is as you say…" Severus Snape spoke up.

"Tanya…! My poor little girl was ravaged by that bastard! And I… I did nothing!"

"There was nothing you could have done, Severus. Not for her, not for Mum, or Astoria's parents. The dark lord turned her into a monster worse than him, and you survived the encounter by a thread!"

"I wasn't strong enough! Not then and not after! For years I looked all over for her, following the trail of bodies…!"

"We were always too late! She killed Muggles, Muggle-borns, pure-bloods, half-bloods… There was no pattern!" The former Minister hiccuped, her words stumbling as she spoke.

"… no chance at all to warn anyone, no way to save them! I-I… when I close my eyes, I still see the bodies, the way they were left…!" Hermione Weasley's haunted expression caused Scorpius's mood to plummet.

"… my fault! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have shown the orb to Albus! Heck! I shouldn't have put that thing together in the first place! I turned the nicest witch to grace this Earth into a new Voldemort!"

"Hmpf! Don't stress, kid! Screwing everyone over at this point has become merely a Malfoy's hobby!" Mr. Weasley gestured to the oldest Malfoy.

"One day, Tanya appeared on this house's doorstep, begging for Grandpa here to help her, and guess what he did?!"

"Shut up, Weasley! My father was crazy with the loss of my mother! And he did regret it later!"

"Ha! Regret?! As if our perfect Minister for Magic, the self-proclaimed new WIZARD KING could make any mistake to regret later!" He laughed bitterly.

"Please, I beg you to stop! Not in front of my grandson!"

"What… what did you do, Grandpa?" His response was the old Malfoy hiding his face in shame.

"Scorpius…" Mrs Weasley sighed.

"As you figured out, Tanya carries a piece of Voldemort inside her to this day, and it's constantly trying to take control of her body. During the brief moments it succeeds… only blood can force it back into sleep."

"!" This once, Scorpius regretted his intelligence, realizing what his grandfather had done with the perfect killer within his reach.

"You sent Mrs Potter to KILL your political adversaries?!" His grandfather remained silent, while Mr. Weasley was more than willing to confirm the story.

"Oh! And by the way, they were all pure-bloods! This great hypocrite proved he didn't care about blood status so long he was giving-"

"Ron! Give it a rest, alright?! We need to focus here!"

"…!" Seemingly reluctant, Mr. Weasley gave in to his wife's plea.

"Well, with your grandfather winning the elections by 'default', we found out a pattern to Tanya's killings…" Together, the Weasley family, Mrs Scamander, and a few other friends fought against his grandfather, sadly, Mrs Potter awoke during the battle and ended up killing most of her rescuers.

"We lost some good friends that day… Remus, Dora, Neville… and Ron lost all his family…" Mrs. Weasley approached her husband, offering him comfort. This prompted Mrs. Scamander to continue with the story.

"Following that devastating tragedy, Tanya briefly regained her sanity and told us the MONSTROSITY you and your friend had done!" Her tone made it clear that she harbored deep anger toward him.

"We did try to find a way to travel to the past…" Once more, glares were directed at his grandfather.

"Tanya had already told Malfoy about the two kids who changed the past, and he, to ensure he wouldn't lose his 'crown'-"

"… as my first act as Minister, I ordered everything related to time-turners to be destroyed!" Scorpius's grandfather collapsed to his knees.

"I… I… my wish was to give purpose to Narcisa's death! To create a better world! For our son and grandson!" Scorpius couldn't bring himself to even feign sympathy for him.

"There was nothing more that could be done. Our best hope was to wait until the boys- for you to come back."

"Were you keeping tabs on me?"

"No, Tanya never mentioned who the two 'time-traveling brats' who ruined the world put together the story by hearing a few pieces amidst her deliriums…"

"This must have been why she came to Grandpa's house. To find me!"

"I believe you are right. In any case, until you 'returned', there was the problem of how to handle Tanya's current state."

"Also, father couldn't rule Magical Britain being so overwhelmed by guilt." His father added.

"This had the five of us join together to form a council of sorts to rule Britain, care for Tanya, and… find 'targets' for her."

"Targets? You send her to kill people?!" There was a brief silence.

"What other choice did we have?!" Mr. Weasley took the initiative to rationalize the group's actions.

"For most of her waking hours, she is a monster with a thirst for blood: the OVERLORD! That's how she calls herself in those instances!"

"Son, I know what you must be thinking. Just, trust me! I- we don't send her after the innocent! Her targets are killers, rapists, thieves… they are all criminals, I swear to you!"

"They are still people…" Scorpius bit his tongue, noticing the guilt etched on everyone's face.

"Dad…" There was one last question he needed answered, though it terrified him to hear it.

"… did Mrs Potter kill mum?"

"Is this why you did what you did, son?" Before he could respond, his father pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh, Scorpius! There was nothing that could be done! Astoria was too sick-"

"No! She survived thanks to Mrs Potter! Sob!"

"WHAT?!" This made his father quickly pull away from him as though he had been burned.

"That MONSTER saved Astoria's life?! She was alive and healthy in the other reality?!"

"Yes! Sob!" With no comforting words coming from his father, Scorpius let the tears fall.

"It's alright, Scorpius! Or rather, you can make it alright again!" He wasn't sure how long he had spent there, crying, until Mrs. Scamander gently patted his back.

"For starters, please tell us what you did in the past. What could have happened for THIS all to happen?"

"Sniffle! R-right! I-I reckon it must have been when I told her that Voldemort was defeated, or when she thought she was going to die-"

"No, the operation orb malfunctioned…" All heads turned in startled unison toward the source of the words: the bed.

"… you see, I neglected the constant maintenance a mechanical device needs, and it failed at a crucial moment. Yawn!" With graceful ease, Tanya Potter rose from the bed as though it were a simple morning routine, then, smiling, fixed her blood-red eyes directly on Scorpius'.

"Fufufu! Thinking back, it was a surprise your little 'gift' didn't blow up on my neck!"

Scorpius felt a surge of confusion; her words didn't match the state of someone barely holding on to sanity. He glanced at the adults, only to see the same bewilderment reflected on their faces.

"Tanya? how-"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Mr. Weasley held his wife back before she could approach Mrs. Potter.

"She was faking it! She is bloody mental in an evil way! I always knew she was!" Seething, he aimed his wand at her, while Mrs. Potter's smile never wavered.

"Ron! What are you trying to do?" Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Scamander positioned themselves between them.

"Please, Ron stop! You should be glad Tanya is alright!" Beaming with cheerfulness, Mrs. Scamander turned to her friend.

"It must be because of Harry! You are better because you can't wait to be back to him, right? Hihihi!"

"Harry? Pfff! It is always amusing to hear stupid Ron getting the simple truth no one else can!" Her smile curled into a cruel grin, sending a chill through the room.

"Why…!" Mr Weasley was shaking with anger.

"Why did you kill mum… dad… my brothers… Ginny… Harry?! They- WE ALL LOVED YOU!" This had Mrs Potter assume a thoughtful look.

"Hmmm… 'why' you ask? Isn't it obvious? Because I wanted some occasional fun! Hahahahaha!"

"!" Mr. Weasley was so furious that, had it not been for his wife and Mrs. Scamander standing between them, Scorpius was certain he would have hexed Mrs. Potter to death.

"T-Tanya… is this Voldemort speaking? It is, isn't it?!" Mrs. Weasley asked, her tone seeming more like an attempt to convince herself.

"Of all the despicable things! Trying to make us doubt our friend-"

"Please! How stupid can you be?! Still, I can't blame anyone for falling for my acting, I always had some knack for theatrics!" Mrs Potter sneered.

"Voldemort gave me a mere fraction of himself, there was no way I would be controlled by his tiny insignificant soul!" She shook her head.

"Instead, my mind was flooded with all his knowledge, his life experiences, and, boy did he know how to have fun killing!"

"It is as I thought! She didn't kill him, she consumed Voldemort into herself!"

"Pin-pon! You guessed it right, little Scorpius!"

"How did she- SHE CAN READ THOUGHTS!"

"Is this why you CANNIBALIZED him?!" An appalled Severus Snape disclosed.

"Urgh! His flesh was awful, I confess. But I was able to take the remaining piece into myself! And it gave me such a thrill! I had to test all the new killing methods I learned right away!"

"You killed Narcisa for that reason?!" His grandfather was trembling almost as much as Mr Weasley.

"W-what was the reason… why have you come to me? Why kill for me?!"

"That is an easy answer! I had to be close to the Malfoys until little Scorpius returned with the time-turner"

"So, you do want to change back!" Scorpius couldn't agree with Mrs. Scamander, particularly with the predatory grin aimed at him.

"Believe what you want, Luna! I am done trying to clear all the misunderstandings you had about me!"

A heavy silence fell as everyone processed the gravity of what she had said, doubts hanging in the air. And Scorpius knew one single thing for certain: he definitely couldn't give the orb to her.

"S-she must want to go back to regain the hallows!" In no way, it should be allowed for a PSYCHOPATHIC to become a goddess.

"It would mean the end of the world! I must go back myself-" He stopped his line of thoughts, recalling she could read his mind.

"Half a point to Slytherin! You're wrong about the scale, the world isn't enough to quench my thirst!" Seeing the madwoman advance towards him, it was as if the room held only Scorpius and Mrs. Potter- no, he was alone with the OVERLORD.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!" In an unexpected move, Ron Weasley stood between the two, adopting a protective stance for Scorpius. This triggered Mrs. Weasley and his grandfather into action, encircling Mrs. Potter.

"Are you all betraying me?! I am so shocked!"

"You bloody betrayed us first!"

"A shame I will have to- ah! Who am I kidding? Now that you brought me the boy, any usefulness you had is over." She dropped the fake smile, her serious expression shifting into one so intimidating it could kill on its own.

"You have no idea how long I have been dreaming of the day to kill you-"

"No, stop!" Mrs Scamander rushed to her supposed friend.

"LUNA! DON'T!"

"D-don't you s-see Tanya is j-joking?!" On her own, Luna Scamander kept trying to delude herself.

"And Tanya, there isn't anything that can make us doubt you-" Scorpius flinched in horror seeing the Overlord's arm go through Mrs Scamander.

"T-Tanya… I-" The poor woman spat blood and fell dead, a single tear slipping from her lifeless eye.

"Luna, Luna… You died as you lived, lost in a world of fantasies you alone could see." Mockingly, she licked her hand clean of her victim's blood.

"Slurp! So? Who is the next to make my day?"

"YOU BITCH!"

"Tanya! How could you?!"

"Give back my Narcisa!"

"!" Scorpius' awe was merely surpassed by his terror, without incantations, wands, or operation orbs, the Overlord took on all three of them.

"I always wanted to kill you too! Ever since you killed Harry!" Being the more reckless, Mr Weasley was the next to die. The Overlord allowed him to come close, then swiftly snapped his neck with her bare hands.

"Tsk, tsk, Ron! You always talk too much and think too little."

"RON! NOOOO!" Mrs. Weasley ran to her husband, her pain making her forget all about her enemy.

"Avada Kedavra!" Believing the Overlord would be focused on the Weasleys, his grandfather tried to attack her from behind. Once again, the result was out of this world.

"WHAT?!" The killing curse struck another flash of green light, causing them to cancel each other out.

"She cast the killing curse without a wand or incantation?!"

"A-avada Kedavra!" His grandfather gambled another try. The Overlord answered with two flashes of green light simultaneously, one to neutralize his spell, while the other hit him head-on.

"Grandpa!" At the sight of his grandfather falling dead, Scorpius tried to go to him, but he was stopped by his father.

"No! I can't lose you too! You are all I have left!" Luckily, the Overlord paid them no mind, heading directly for the weeping Mrs. Weasley.

"Tanya… this is all Voldemort's doing… It has to be! You are our beloved friend!"

"Still talking nonsense? On this aspect, Ron was smarter. He always suspected who I truly was long before I killed Harry."

"Harry! It is he, isn't it? You are desperate, you think Harry wouldn't want you back after killing so many-"

"Stop with this love crap! I was never in love with that boy, to begin with! I was using him!"

"Could this be the truth?! Was my idol actually a petty- no!" Not even an hour ago Scorpius witnessed Tanya Potter accepting her death gladly, all to ensure her husband's happy future.

"… liar." Like him, Mrs Weasley wasn't fooled.

"Believe whatever you want, the funeral is literally yours!" Hermione Weasley died believing in her friend, or so Scorpius assumed from the frozen smile on her severed head.

Finally, the Overlord turned to the last people left alive: Scorpius, his father, and Severus Snape.

"Severus, you have the time-turner, don't you?"

"Yes, Tanya. I have."

"Will you give it to me willingly or I will have to take it from your cold body?" The old man pulled from his pocket, Scorpius' operation orb.

"Thank you, my good and loyal-" In an unexpected move, he threw it back to its owner.

"Mr Malfoy! Please, turn Tanya back to what she was! Save my little girl!"

"Professor?!"

"And if you can, tell my younger self he is a fool! Harry Potter is key to Tanya's happiness! Tell him he must accept it!"

"Severus…! On the matter of things I have been keeping inside for years: you are an awful ally, a pain in the neck! Always conveniently forgetting your hatred for Harry just to side with him AGAINST ME!"

"Tanya…! Today, I will make amends!" Tears began to leak from his eyes.

"For that day when I merely watched the dark lord DEFILE your soul-"

"Be gone." With a gesture, the Overlord blew the man into pieces.

"!" Scorpius didn't want to waste his sacrifice, desperately he began to set the coordinates on the orb.

"No, forget a date! I will go to the past and pray for the- NO!" He gripped the object tightly, resisting as the Overlord tried to summon it to her.

"Give… it… to… me… FUCKING BRAT!" It seemed hope was lost as he saw her fingers closing around the chain of the orb.

"YOU WON'T TOUCH MY SON!" His father lunged at the Overlord, holding her as if embracing a long-lost friend.

"Draco?! Let me teach you what is the consequence of playing with FIRE!"

"AARRGGHHH!" The woman literally went ablaze with anger, yet only his father screamed in agony.

"DAD!"

"GO, SON! SAVE YOURSELF- AHHHH!" Scorpius watched helplessly as his father was almost instantly turned to ashes.

"Dad… sob!" He wasn't given the luxury of mourning, the mad woman advanced toward him. Instinctively, he faced away from her and turned time.

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the Overlord to kill him…

"Huh? Nothing?" He dared to take a quick peek.

"Am I safe- ah?" Before him, seated at his grandparents' dinner table, was Mrs. Potter, staring back at him with a spoon inches from her mouth.

"Y-you?!" He flinched, bracing for her attack, but then he realized she was younger, her eyes their original color. This was before she became the Overlord. He also spotted his mother's operation orb hanging from her neck.

"Throw it away! I gave you a Trojan horse!"

"Who are you?!" He was puzzled as she directed the question to someone behind him.

"Me?! Fufufu! Isn't it obvious who I am?" A cold shiver ran down Scorpius's spine as he looked at his orb, tracing its chain to behind him, where it ended in the hand of the OVERLORD.

"A-AH!"

"Scorpius, my sweet boy! Thank you very much for your assistance!" She gently stroked his cheek before lifting him by the neck.

"ACK!"

"Alas, I have no more use for you." Next, Scorpius felt his body soar through the air, before plunging into complete darkness…

---

"…"

"…!"

"… pius…?"

"… hmmm?"

"… wake…"

Scorpius could hear someone calling for him.

"… wake up! Come on, mate! You gotta be alright!" He opened his eyes, a little disoriented seeing Albus over him.

"Ugh! What does he want?! To start whining so early in the morning-"

"Hold on! Albus, is that you?! YOU ARE BACK!" Never before had he felt so much joy at the sight of the dimwitted face.

"Oh, Albus! I am so sorry for everything!"

"My eyes have been opened! All the bad stuff that happened to me must be karma for trying to get such a pure and innocent boy expelled!"

"Yes, we are both back from that fiasco! This is why I tell you I am a cursed child-"

"ALBUS!"

"Ack!" Taking a note from the Overlord's book, Scorpius seized the wretched cursed child by the neck.

"DON'T YOU DARE COME AT ME WITH YOUR 'POOR BASTARD SON' ACT EVER AGAIN!" At last, his patience reached zero.

"My eyes have been opened! All the bad stuff that happened to me must be karma… MISSING ITS TRUE TARGET!"

"You have no idea what I went through! You didn't meet the Overlord! You didn't see people dying in front of you! YOU DIDN'T WITNESS YOUR GRANDFATHER AND FATHER DYING!"

"I… get… it… she… told… me!"

"No! There is no way for you to understand! You have no idea how I survived that nightmare!"

"What… did… you… do…?"

"I- wait a moment!" Unceremoniously, he dropped Albus on the hard floor.

"UGH!"

"How in Merlin's name did I survive?!"

"I remember the Overlord managed to follow me… she said she didn't need me anymore, followed by… nothing!"

"Cough, cough! That hurts, mate! If you weren't my precious best friend, I would reckon you were trying to kill me!"

"The world didn't end as she promised, the timeline was apparently restored since this whining buffoon is back, and I am alive and well."

"By the way, Scorpius…!"

"Did Mrs Potter defeat the Overlord?"

"Oi! I am talking to you!"

"Impossible, the Overlord had all the abilities and knowledge of Tanya Potter, plus access to all of Voldemort's dark arsenal."

"Mate! Talk to me!"

"Maybe she had help? Or…"

"Scorpius, Listen!"

"… perhaps the Overlord succeeded in whatever she wanted to do?!"

"Aff! I give up!"

"What was her goal? She merely hinted she needed my- !" He panicked, not finding the operation orb in any of his pockets or hanging in his neck.

"My orb! Where is it?!"

"That is what I have been trying to say!" He turned to Albus.

"I took it while you were-"

"ALBUS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH IT?!"

"Whoa!" The boy was taken aback as Scorpius jumped on him.

"That thing is more dangerous than I thought! It can't let it fall into the wrong hands!"

"Chill, mate! It is in the safest place ever…" Hearing this from him of all people, Scorpius grew even more concerned.

"… I gave it to Tanya." He said pointing to behind him.

"Looking for this, young Malfoy?" The familiar cold tone sent a tremor down his spine. Turning around, his shock deepened at seeing his orb in the hands of the OVERLORD.

"N-no…!" Staring at her blue eyes, he saw the haunting reflections of the deaths of Mrs. Scamander, the Minister and her husband, his grandfather, Professor Snape, and his father.

"What is wrong boy? Did you-" She extended her hand toward him, and it drove him to the edge.

"NOOOOO! Y-you won't- I won't let you kill more people!" Scorpius was certain it would be in vain, but to honor Professor Snape and his father's sacrifice, he couldn't go down without a fight.

"Please...! PLEASE, GIVE ME STRENGTH!" He pleaded to the souls of those she had killed, unleashing the most powerful blasting spell he could muster straight at the computation jewel.

"Ah?" The Overlord was taken by surprise as the object in her hands shattered into pieces. Then, for some unknown reason, the fragments began to sparkle, their light growing until it engulfed her whole body, and with a blinding flash, she vanished.

"I… win?!" Scorpius could hardly believe his luck, he had defeated the Overlord- no, he OBLITERATED her from existence and lived to tell the tale.

"YAHOO! I WON!"

"And most importantly, I saved the world! I am a hero!" Perhaps it wouldn't be too far-fetched to expect an Order of Merlin medal hanging around his neck in the near future.

"TANYA!" Except Albus didn't see it the same way as him.

"Albus, I can explain! That wasn't Mrs. Potter, she was the Overlord, and I- Huh? Dad? Grandpa? Mr Potter?!" For the first time, he noticed they weren't alone; there was, in fact, a vast audience observing all he had done.

"A-as I was saying, I-I saved the… world?" Seeing the worried expressions of all the present, he began to doubt himself.

"No, she was definitely the Overlord! After all, her eyes were… not red, but BLUE?!"

"I screwed up, didn't I?" The shocked Albus could only give a silent nod in agreement.

End of interlude 5

To be continued…

AN: And here it is, the last interlude featuring my own version of the cursed child. Ugh! What a terrible story the original work was! Frankly, the idea was to read it again, but it was so bad that I ended up just flipping through it. Most of the story makes no sense, Voldemort having a daughter… after eleven years of being well cared by Harry, Albus turns into an ungrateful bastard that finally manages to force Harry to say that he wished his son was never born… if Cedric survived, he would have turned into a death eater… if Ron and Hermione had gone together to the yule ball, they wouldn't have married… and in some versions, Albus and Scorpius are in love! BAH! I just can't take this work seriously!

Here in my version, I made Albus as he is in the play, but at least, I added lots of reasons why he would turn into whining rebel, for starters, he is a child born outside his father's marriage, on his first years, his mother was absent most of the time, his older sister Vika would insult him all the time, he was also marked for being the grandchild of Arthur Weasley (I will reveal what happened with him in the last arc), people in general would whisper insults behind his back, then, he would be the only Slytherin of the family, a mediocre wizard, while his Gryffindor siblings would all show unparalleled talent, just like their parents. Also, instead of him going back in time to save a person that he never saw or cared about, I thought that he would wish to try a crazy stunt just in an attempt to become the first one in his foster mother's heart.

About Scorpius, I will admit that I changed him at the last minute! It's just that I kept thinking what would make a person become friends with someone like Albus Potter and my answer was… nothing! Some might say that my version is different from the nice boy from the play but I always thought that there must be a reason why Scorpius was a Slytherin.

To tell the truth, my original idea was to have Albus travel in time to try to make his parents end up together, so Albus himself could marry Tanya someday. But, I thought that it wouldn't make sense for Albus to fall in love with the woman who raised him, besides, he would deliberately erase his brothers and sisters, something akin to premeditated murder. I may hate this character, but not enough to just transform him into a criminal.

Again, I must confess that this is my less favorite chapter so far… it also became too big, I should have made it into two chapters but since this is the last interlude, I left this way. This is also why it took so long to be ready. Oh! And I also corrected a few details in the chapters the two appeared, so I would recommend giving a quick reading to their moments in chapters 4 and 5 from book 3, and chapter 8 from book 4.

Next chapter: Tanya's last desperate attempt to restore her mystical organ without having to kill Harry.