Chapter 10

No infringement intended! (J.K Rowling owns all the stuff!)

Chapter 10

 

“Your father was the lowest, meanest, slimiest man who ever lived!”

“Don’t talk about him like that!  And I’m nothing like my father!”

“I don’t give a damn if you’re not like him!  I don’t want you to be around my little girl!  Don’t even talk to her any more, pureblood!”

“You’re pureblood too, genius.”  Scorpius said, scathingly.  “And your ‘little girl’ is sixteen years old, and perfectly capable of making her own choices!”

“She doesn’t know what’s best for her!”

“Daddy!  Yes I do!”  Rose interjected, hurt in her voice and tears in her eyes.

“You hush, this doesn’t concern you!”

“Doesn’t concern me?  Last I checked, he was my boyfriend, not yours!”

“Stop it, both of you!” Hermionie said, coming in between them.

“Hermionie do you remember anything?  Anything at all?  Draco Malfoy was scum!  He was the lowest kind of human being-“

“And he’s this lovely young man’s father.”  Mrs. Weasley stood up.

“Mom!  Your blood pressure-“

“Sit down, Bill.”  Mrs. Weasley snapped.  “I’m still kicking.  Now both of you stop being ridiculous.  How would you feel if someone started talking about your father like that?  Hm?  What a terrible thing to say.  Now, do you know this boy?”

Ron just glared.

“RONALD.”  His mother said, loudly.  “Do you know this boy?”

“Yes, I’ve met him before.”

“Just tonight, you mean?”

“Yes, mum.”

“So you don’t know him all that well.  Maybe he’s nothing like Draco.  And for your information, I’ve had Mr. Malfoy over for tea many a time and he’s a fine fellow!”  She snapped.

“You what?”  Ron looked shocked.

“I had him for tea.  And Harry has come too, haven’t you Harry, dear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”  He said, smiling. “Draco is doing well with his wife and their children.”

“This is mad!  You’re all bloody mad!  I won’t have you around my Rosie any more, do you hear me?  She doesn’t know what’s good for her and I do and that’s it!  You stay away from her or so help me I’ll�"“

“RONALD WEASLEY.”  His mother said, her voice taking on a lot of bulk for someone of her age and stature.  “SIT. DOWN.”  He sat down immediately, the blood draining from his face.  “Now.  We’re going to talk this out like civilized people, do you understand, Ronald?”

“Yes, mum.”

“Scorpius, dear, why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk this out.”

“I’d like that.”  He pulled up a chair.

“Rosie, dear- Rosie?  Has anyone seen her?”  I caught a glimpse of her bright red hair bouncing around a corner and I took off, leaving Albus and the rest of them in my wake.

 

“Ro?  Rose?”  I called out.  I didn’t know The Burrow very well.  I found her sitting on the edge of a shallow pool.  There were tears in her eyes, clumping her mascara-laden eyelashes together.  “Oh, Rose…” I pulled her into a hug, and she cried on my shoulder for a while.  When she had her fill of tears, she pulled away, rubbing her eyes.

“I can’t believe him!”  She said, putting her face in her hands.  “He’s so embarrassing.”

“I’m sorry.”  I said, unable to think of any other words.

“I mean, I sent him letters, I told him about it, I didn’t want to surprise him… But I just… I don’t understand!  Why can’t he just accept this?  What if Scorpius doesn’t want to be with me any more because of him?”  I imagined taking Al home to my father, and him shouting like that.

“That would be horrible.”  I said, quietly.  “But you know what…” Rose looked up, tears swimming in her eyes.  “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.  He’s in there right now having a conversation with the both of them.  Any sixth year in his right mind would flee the scene after a fight like that, but he’s still in there.  Because he’s not in his right mind, Ro.  He’s in love.  He’s madly in love with a girl who has gorgeous red hair and blue eyes, and looks a lot more like her mother than she does her father.  And he’s lucky for it, too.”  I finished, tears welling up in my own eyes.  “And a little fight like this isn’t going to scare him out of loving you.  Especially if you get back in there and stand by his side when he needs you.”

“You’re right…”  She said, quietly.  “Thank you.”  She hugged me and wiped her eyes.  “He needs me right now and I’m out here crying like a Hufflepuff with no candy.  I ought to start acting like a Gryffindor.”  She swallowed.

“Better?”

“Better.”

 

Our evening was quiet after that.  Once they’d all finished talking, Ron had been subdued and went into his room with a beer.  Hermionie followed a little while after, once she’d apologized some twenty times to Scorpius and kissed him on the head.  Mrs. Weasley looked pale, and Mr. Weasley sat by her side, holding her hand.

“Ronald always did have a temper.”  She sighed.

“It’s all right.  I expected it to happen, I suppose my temper got out of hand, too.”   Scorpius nodded.  “Thanks for having my back.”

“So mature!  Any time, young man.  I completely approve of you for my grand daughter.”

“Grandmum…” Rosie blushed.

“I mean it!  He’s a gem, this one. You keep a tight hold on him.”

She blushed again.  It was almost 9;30 when she tiptoed off to bed.  Scorpius, who’d been chatting up Mrs. Weasley about her childhood and her role in the Battle of Hogwarts, yawned and joined her a while after.  James stood shortly after him, saying he had to keep an eye on them.  George slapped him on the butt as he walked by.

“God, George!”  James shouted, laughing so hard tears escaped his eyes.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!”  Once James had left, George turned to Harry and Ginny.  “Say, I’ve been thinking-“

“That’s never a good thing.”  Harry gave George a pointed look.

“Oh hush, you.  Now I’ve been thinking, and I’ve already talked to James about it, but I’d like him to take over the joke shop for me one of these days.”

“Why are you telling us this?”  Ginny asked.

“I’d like your approval.  I don’t know if you’d wanted him to be an Auror or something more practical than that.”

“The Joke shop is a very practical career.  In fact, I think he’d like that.  I’m all for it.”  Harry said.

“I agree.” Ginny smiled.  “It’ll be good for him to be around his Uncle George more often.”

“Well, I don’t know about good,” Harry laughed.  We all joined him.  “Go ahead, Georgie, I give you my blessing.”  Harry raised his hand jokingly and George Hi-fived it with the same sarcasm.  As he got up to follow James, Harry slapped him in the backside.  George just turned for a moment and pointed with a loud ‘aaaaah’ noise.

“Boys will be boys…” Fleur said from where she’d been quietly sitting in Bill’s lap in the corner.

At around 10:00, an exhausted and overly worried Mr. Weasley shuffled off Mrs. Weasley to bed, and she insisted that we not stay up too late.  That left Harry, Ginny, Bill, Fleur, Albus, and myself.  All the younger children had been playing upstairs or outside since dinner.

“Finally.”  Harry leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.  “Why don’t we all talk strategy, eh?”

Albus leaned forward to mimic his father.  “All right, shoot.”

“Well, when the fake Alastor Moody was my mentor, he suggested I play it by my strengths.  So what are your strengths?”  He looked to Albus first.  Bill and Fleur pulled chair closer to us, and Bill busied himself rebuilding the fire so we could have a little defense against the chill that was attacking from outside, where it’d finally begun to snow.

“Well, I’m a good flyer, and a good Seeker too.  We’ve already used your broom trick, though.”  Albus smirked.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t use it again.”  Harry smiled.  “What else?”

“I know a lot of spells.  And I’m quick on my feet.  Plus I’ve got these.”  He flexed his biceps.  I remembered him dancing with Trillie that night.

“Very good, use that.  What about you, Sophie?”  He looked at me with those bright green eyes that looked just like Albus’s, and I wondered how beautiful his mother must have been with those eyes.

“I uh…” I cleared my throat.  “I think pretty quickly under pressure.  I can whip around on my broom pretty quick… I am a keeper, after all.  Um… I know a lot of spells, too.  And I know all about the creatures in the Forbidden Forest.  Hagrid’s made me his apprentice.”

“He has?”  Harry’s jaw dropped slightly, then twisted into a smile.  “Al, why didn’t you tell me that?  That’s great!  Hagrid is one of our oldest family friends.”  He smiled.  “Sorry, continue, dear.”

“That’s about it, I’d think.”  I looked down, my shyness overtaking me.

“Pshh,” Albus said.  “She’s also strong for her size, doesn’t act nervous when under the gun, remembers just about everything she’s ever read, and has the bravest heart of anyone I’ve ever seen.”  He said, crossing his arms.  “And she sings like an angel.” I blushed harder.  I had tried so hard not to sing around him, but I couldn’t always help it.

“I do not…” I whispered.

“Well, someone’s in love.”  Fleur said, and I noticed her perfect blonde hair falling out of its bun.  It looked almost like Veela hair.

It was Al’s turn to blush at her comment.  “Silly boy.”  Fleur said, shaking her head.  “You’ll have to act more like partners than lovers in these games.  Your love will prove a weakness.  Speaking of which, what are your weaknesses?”

“Al acts before he thinks.”  Harry gave him a look.  “There’s no spell to fix that, is there Al?”  He blushed again.

“I second guess myself a lot… And I still don’t know a lot of things about the Wizarding world, since I didn’t grow up here.”  I said.

“I sometimes forget where I am, or get unfocused.”  Al put in.  “And I don’t think quickly under pressure.”

“You’re an impulsive person.”  Fleur said.  “You’re lucky to have Sophie, or you’d be dead.”

“That’s a little harsh.”  Bill chided.

“This tournament is a little harsh.  My sister almost died.”  She whispered the last part.  “If it wasn’t for Harry’s heart of gold, she would have died.”  Fleur repeated, louder.  “I owe him for that.”

“You owe me nothing.”  Harry said firmly.

“Not true.”  I whispered.  “The whole world owes you.”

“No they don’t.  Enough.”  He said firmly, then smiled.  “If anything, I owe the world.  I’ve had a wonderful life.”  He leaned back and put his arm around Ginny.

“Be that as it may,” Fleur said, “If that was only the first challenge, then the next two will be insanely difficult.  You may not make it out with your lives.”  She gave us both a glare, straight in the eyes.  “And beware the Beauxbatons girls.  They are not as feminine as they may seem, and the competition is deadly.  You will be lucky to make it out with your lives.  I can promise you that.”  She took a sip of her wine, which suddenly looked a lot like blood.

“Well…” Said Ginny, “On that note, I think I’ll go to bed.  And I think you’d better too, Fleur.”

“I’m exhausted.”  Bill stretched and followed his wife and Ginny out with a little “Sorry about that, she gets pretty animated from time to time.”

“And then there were three.”  The great Harry Potter said.

“Sir…” I said, quietly.  “Can you tell me what happened… when you survived the killing curse twice?”

Harry turned and smiled.  “Even Al here hasn’t heard that one.  Why do you think something happened?  Most people just assume the world went black and back to normal again.  They just assume it was like passing out.”

“It can’t be sir.  At least I hope, I feel like there’s got to me more to it than that.”

“And you are right, Miss Sophie.  You are entirely correct.”  He went on to explain what the Horcruxes were, and I acted as if I didn’t know.  He told us how they were made and how Voldemort must have accidentally split his soul again and made Harry into a Horcrux.  Then he explained an ordeal with Dumbledore himself at Kings Cross Station, whereupon he boarded a train that took him back to reality.

“That’s crazy.”  Al said, quietly.

“And it was all in your head?”  I asked.

“Yes.  But Dumbledore, your namesake, Albus, he said it himself.  Just because it’s happening in your head, doesn’t mean that it’s not real.  And so it was, that’s why I’m here today.” Harry smiled.

“And you don’t suppose it was just a dream?”  I inquired.

“I can’t say.  But I do hope that it wasn’t.”  He smiled again.  I went on to ask about the Chamber of Secrets, the Sorcerer’s Stone, and the Battle of Hogwarts.  He was just getting to the part where he broke the Elder Wand and sent it flying over a bridge when something made a noise and green smoke poured out the chimney.

“Ho ho ho!”  A gruff voice said as a massive figure stuffed himself through the exit to the chimney.  “What’r ye all doin up?  Santa’s comin ternight.”  Hagrid said, dumping a bag full of poorly-wrapped presents on the ground.

“Hagrid!”  Albus and I both said at the same time, running forward and giving him a hug.

“Ho-hold your horses there, kiddos.  Hullo, Harry.”

“Hullo, Hagrid.”  Harry Potter smiled and embraced the huge man.

“Now, I was planning ter spend this Christmas with Norbert out in Romania, but I decided to turn the bike around and come back here.  I expect to hear all about this little adventure in the Forbidden Forest from you two!”  He ruffled Al’s hair.  “And I know it’s right close to midnight, but I was hopin ye’d tell me right now.”

“Of course, Hagrid.”  I said, pulling my mentor down into a large arm chair.  “I guess it all started when we left the tent and stepped onto those starting blocks.”

“But the real excitement didn’t start until the Troll.”  Al smirked.

We were experts at telling the story now.  Since we’d heard each other’s views and experiences, we told it one at a time, filling in details where the other one missed, or hadn’t been there.  By the time we got finished and I’d showed off my X scar for the umpteenth time, Hagrid looked shocked.

“Well, they didn’t tell me about no Manticore.  Poor beast, I’d have liked to see ‘im!”

“Poor beast?  Hagrid that thing would’ve eaten us!”  Albus shook his head.

“Yeah, but it’s not every day you get to see a Manticore, now is it?”

“Hagrid… If Firenze was such a disgrace, why didn’t the Centaurs kill us?”  I asked, changing the subject.

“Tha’s a good question.”  Hagrid said, taking my arm and rolling up my sleeve again.  “I’d think it’s because the Centaur who did that has three li’l ones, and I helped deliver every single one.”  He nodded.  “He calls himself X, but his real name is Xanthurus.  He owes me big, and Potter or not, anyone who’s a friend of mine is a friend of his, to an extent.  Centaurs are-“

“Very proud creatures.”  I finished, quietly.

“That’s right, Soph.  I suppose you have been paying attention during our little lessons, haven’t ye?”

“Of course I have!”  I smiled.  “Every word, Hagrid.  And I’m glad for it, too, or I’d have died in that forest.”  I looked up at Harry.  “Six times over.  I think I’ve counted.”

He laughed aloud.  “See, what did I tell you?  Friends will save your life.”  Just then, James stumbled out of his bedroom.

“What’s all that racket?”  He asked, slightly groggily.  “First I thought Scorpius and Rose were snogging again, then I come to find�"Is that Hagrid?”

“Hullo, James.”

“Hullo, Hagrid… Anyway, what are you all doing up so late?”

“Technically it’s ‘early’ now.  It’s just past midnight.”  Albus said.

“Either way, if you don’t go to sleep, Santa won’t come and bring us our sweaters.”  James laughed a little.

“Sweaters?”  I asked, uncertain of what he was implying.

“You’ll see.”  Harry promised.  “Now, uh… Hagrid and I have some catching up to do.  I’ll see you all in the morning.  It was a real pleasure meeting you, Sophie.”

“You too.”  I smiled and followed James and Albus to our room.  As we were leaving I faintly heard Harry say something to Hagrid, and Hagrid responded, ‘Oh no, this ain’t about those Death Eaters again is it?  You Aurors never take a day off…’

Author's Note

Sorry this one's so long. I got a little carried away :)
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