Questions and Answers

Daphne repressed a sigh and draped the serviette over her lap. She hated it when it was just her and Draco in the house. It was too quiet. Granted, dinners were always quiet in that muted formality with which Draco had grown up. Daphne's upbringing, while nominally "correct" had been in a warmer environment than this mausoleum she had called home for the past fifteen years. She wished, not for the first time since September first, that Scorpius or Narcissa were here - if for nothing else than to have another person at dinner besides her stonily silent husband. She picked up her soup spoon and skimmed it over the surface of the creamy bisque in front of her.

The only sounds were the muted clink of spoons on china and the muffled thump of a wine or water glass landing on the thick linen tablecloth. She was able to tune it all out, so the sound of Draco clearing his throat startled her so she nearly dropped her spoon. The handle clattered against the rim of the bowl in front of her. Her eyes darted in his direction. Draco almost never spoke at dinner. 'I was thinking,' he began, tracing patterns into the top of his soup with his spoon. 'Maybe we could stay here for Christmas this year. I don't feel up to trying to deal with International Portkeys.' He took a hasty bite of his soup. The real reason hung in the air unspoken. He didn't feel like dealing with the Ministry.

Daphne picked up her water glass. Her tongue suddenly felt as if it were glued to the roof of her mouth. 'All right.'

'I'll owl Mother in the morning. Perhaps she'll come here. It would be just the thr--four of us.'

Daphne just nodded. She would send an owl to Scorpius after dinner to let him know he needed to come home on the train and she would pick him up at the station. She was pleased that Scorpius would spend the holiday with them. She had missed him terribly last Christmas, and it had given her a pang to know he had probably had a better time at the Potters' than he had ever had at home. She vowed to send a letter of her own to Narcissa. Christmases tended to be tense affairs in the Malfoy household. Maybe this one could be different.

*****

Scorpius folded the most recent letter from his mother into a small square and sighed and stuffing it into his schoolbag. The only saving grace to the disaster that was going to be his Christmas holiday was that his grandmother was coming to England from France. At least that meant they might be able to slip away from the mansion and go see Andromeda and Teddy. Maybe on Boxing Day. He could ask Narcissa when he got home. Scorpius didn't see her saying no.

Still, his mother had promised it would just be the immediate family this year. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could talk his mother and grandmother into decorating the tree, instead of the house-elf.

At least it would only be two weeks. Last summer had been nearly intolerable. Only the weekend at the Potters' and going to Andromeda's once a week for tea on Saturday afternoons had made his summer into something approaching bearable. Scorpius tightened his scarlet-and-gold scarf around his neck and went to watch the end of the Gryffindor team practice with Parker, Sophie, Nicky, and Alex. After the practice was over, Scorpius and the others would play a pick-up game of Quidditch until lunchtime. Then, he, Al, and Rosie were going to spend the afternoon in the library. They had a three-foot Herbology essay due Monday morning, and all three of them preferred to get their homework out of the way, so they could spend Sunday lazing about the common room.

There was a pile of discarded Quidditch equipment at one end of the pitch. Scorpius picked through it until he found a couple of arm and shin guards that fit and strapped them on over his jumper and jeans. He trudged to the broom shed and took out the broom his grandmother had given him before he came back to school. It was a Cleansweep Fifteen. Not quite as good as James and Al's brooms, but it was perfectly adequate for the pick-up games. He shouldered the broom, and made his way back to the end of the pitch where Parker stood, helping Sophie find a pair of shin guards small enough for her. She stood, shading her eyes with one hand, watching her brothers. 'Fred's got lousy aim,' she commented, as a Bludger went streaking through one of the goal posts.

'Hey, now, Soph,' Parker chided, tugging on a lock of his younger cousin's hair. 'Fred's not used to playing Beater. He's not too bad. You're just used to watching your dad play.'

Sophie shrugged and picked up a Beater's bat, swinging it experimentally. 'I suppose,' she huffed, shrugging. She caught Scorpius' eye. 'But I'm better,' she mouthed conspiratorially, a wide grin on her face.

Scorpius hooted in disbelieving laughter. 'I'll never understand you lot.'

Alex stopped tossing a Quaffle to his twin. 'What do you mean?'

Scorpius shook his head. 'How mad you all are about Quidditch. It is just a game at the end of the day, you know.'

Parker smirked down at Scorpius. 'And what time did Professor Longbottom break up the party when you won the Cup last year?'

'Uh...' Scorpius squirmed. 'Three in the morning,' he admitted in chagrin.

'And who was the one who convinced the Gryffindor boys to paint their chests red and gold for that last game? Like footie fans I've heard about.' Parker grinned. 'And weren't you the one standing on top of one of the tables, bellowing chants, like a footie fan?' Scorpius blushed and mumbled something noncommittal. Parker laughed and saw the Gryffindor team land in the middle of the pitch. He called to Nicky, Alex, and Sophie. 'Come on, you three! Maddie and James are about to pick teams.'

Scorpius trotted after Parker, eager to spend the next hour or so in the air, leaving everything behind. There was something about playing Quidditch that took all of one's attention to the point where everything else was insignificant. He'd play Chaser or Beater now, and worry about his upcoming holiday later.

*****

Scorpius hauled his trunk down to the common room, wishing he'd paid attention in Charms the day Professor Flitwick taught them how to bewitch large objects to make them weightless. He couldn't get it quite right. His charm only made the object a bit lighter. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, puffing for air. 'Oh, Merlin's holey cardie.' Rose's voice came from the other side of the room. Her trunk was not only lighter than air, but levitating. 'Didn't you try the Levipennis charm?' she asked exasperatedly. 'You know that will be on the final exam, don't you?'

Scorpius straightened and glared at Rose, wiping sweat from his brow. 'Yes, I did try it, and yes, I know it will be.' He sat on the edge of his trunk. 'It just doesn't work for me.'

Rose snorted. 'What did you do the day we did that?'

'I seem to recall I lost Gryffindor five points for being unable to so much as charm a bloody textbook.' Scorpius flopped down on one of the sofas. 'I had to do extra homework that night.'

'Let me see you do it,' Rose commanded imperiously.

'Rosie, you're lucky I like you.' Scorpius stood up and pulled his wand from his pocket. He waved it in an upward sweep, forcefully saying, 'Levipennis!' He tried to lift the trunk, but it took more effort than it should have if the spell had worked.

'Huh. You wave your wand too much.' Rose performed the wand movements a few times in illustration. 'See? It's almost more of a swish with the wrist. Like the beginning of levitating something, but without the flick at the end.'

'You're a lifesaver, Rosie. I owe you one.'

'You owe me more than one,' she pointed out. 'Are you all right? You seem a bit distracted lately.'

Scorpius ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. 'Yeah. I'm fine.' He tried the charm on his trunk again, this time copying Rose's wand movements. Scorpius picked up his trunk, half-smiling when it rose easily off the ground and headed for the portrait hole. 'Let's get going. Train's leaving in half an hour.'

Neither of them had seen Al in the shadows. He followed them down to the front entrance. Scorpius started when Al set his trunk down next to him. 'Oh! Hey, Al. I thought you were right behind me?' he asked, baffled.

'I was.' Al gave Scorpius the frank kind of look that made the blonde boy squirm.

'What?'

'Nothing.' Al tugged his trunk toward one of the waiting carriages that would take them to the Hogsmeade station. 'Come on. If we don't go now, all the good compartments will be taken. And we'll have to sit with the firsties,' he said, referring to the younger cousins.

'Would that be so bad?' piped up Rosie.

'See if you feel the same way next year when Hugo starts school,' Al retorted.

'You know, you were an ickle firstie once upon a time, shrimp.' James came out of the entrance. 'And I graciously acknowledged your existence.' He looked at the front of Al's coat. 'What's that?' he asked, fingering a spot just under Al's chin. When Al looked down, James flicked his nose. 'Every single time,' James chortled as he hopped into a waiting carriage. 'Well, aren't you lot coming?' he called to Al, Rose, and Scorpius. 'Or do you really want to sit with the ickle firsties?'

The three of them scrambled into the carriage with James with alacrity, dragging their trunks behind them. When they got to the station, James shot out of the carriage, looking for Fred and Jacob. Rose, Al, and James were somewhat slower to exit the carriage, and they boarded the train, looking for an unoccupied compartment. It was slightly easier than the start of term, given that several students stayed at school for the holidays.

They found a compartment, and helped each other heave their trunks into the overhead luggage racks.

'Can I have a word?' Al softly asked Scorpius, as he stretched up to put his schoolbag on the luggage rack. 'In private,' he whispered. Scorpius frowned, but nodded, jerking his head at Rose, who was rummaging in her bag for a book, with a questioning quirk of his eyebrow. 'Hey, Rosie, Scorpius and I are going to go find James and see if he, Fred, or Jacob brought their chess set.'

'Yeah, okay, fine.' She was paging through her book and sounded preoccupied. Rose wasn't particularly good at chess, and couldn't be bothered most of the time to care.

Al grabbed Scorpius by the arm, and hauled him out into the corridor. 'Do you like Rose?' he asked bluntly. Lily was still in the throes of... Al didn't know what it was, exactly, but he didn't want to see Lily get hurt.

'Well... Yeah...' Scorpius was confused. 'Why?'

'Do you like her, or do you like her?' Al demanded.

Scorpius laughed. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'What else is it supposed to mean? I heard you tell her she was lucky you liked her.' Al's face was set in stubborn lines reminiscent of his mother.

Scorpius' mouth dropped open. 'I... uh...,' he spluttered. He took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. 'As a mate,' he said firmly. 'Look, Al, Rosie's a nice girl and all, but she's...' Scorpius shrugged. 'Just a friend.' He gazed at Al while Al's face slowly relaxed. 'Why do you care so much?' Scorpius asked suspiciously.

'Oh...' Al blinked. 'Just... Looking out for her,' he said, scuffing the toe of his trainer into the carpet.

Scorpius laughed. 'Rosie hardly needs anyone to look after her,' he scoffed.

That's not the "her" I was talking about, Al thought. Instead he forced himself to chuckle ruefully, and reply, 'Yeah.'

'Are you okay?' Scorpius peered at Al closely.

'Yeah, fine.' Al waved off his friend's concern. 'Lily's going to be disappointed that you're not coming home with us for the holiday,' he said, changing the subject.'

'Yeah, me, too. Christmas last year was brilliant. I'm not so sure about this one.'

'Why?'

Scorpius sighed and picked at a loose thread on his jumper. 'It's just... Before my grandfather died, we would either go to France or some of my mother's family would come over for dinner. If we stayed here, it was one of the longest days of my life. If we went to France, Father spent most of his time with Grandfather, and after dinner I got the lecture about Proper Malfoy Behavior. It never changed from the time I was five years old.' He grinned crookedly. 'But my father still hasn't really talked directly to me since I started school, so I'm not sure how this is all going to work out.'

'Oh.' Al didn't know what to say.

'You're really lucky, you know.' Scorpius shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

'I'm starting to figure that out,' Al murmured.

*****

Ginny and Lily stood on the platform, with Bill, Charlie, Penny, Katie, and Ron waiting for the train to come in. 'I can't wait for next September,' Lily stated.

'So you've said,' Ginny replied dryly. 'At least twice a day since we sent the boys off.'

'I already know the book list, what I need for my Potions kit, what I'm allowed to bring and not allowed to bring. That I need to use my right hand when I go for my wand and I've been coming to Nine-and-Three-Quarters for ages.'

Ginny looked down at her daughter's bright head. 'I dunno, Lils,' she said, considering. 'You might be a Squib. Mum does have that cousin who's an accountant or something, you know. It can happen.'

Lily gaped at her mother in horror over the idea of being a Squib. 'B-b-b-but I can't be a Squib!' she exclaimed. 'I can't be! What about that time James gave me a haircut and it all grew back overnight? Or when I fell from the apple tree at the Burrow and didn't even get a bruise?' Lily's voice rose in growing hysteria.

'Lily! I'm joking.' Ginny crouched down, so she was eye-level with her daughter. 'Of course you're going to Hogwarts next term,' she said soothingly. 'We've joked with you like this before, and you've never reacted this way. What's the matter?'

Lily sniffed and rubbed her mitten under her nose. 'I really, really want to go,' she mumbled. 'I've wanted to go ever since James went to Hogwarts. And it's going to be my turn in September.' She hiccupped and looked up at Ginny with watery brown eyes. 'What if I don't get my letter?' she whispered, her eyes wide with fear.

Ginny drew Lily into her arms. 'Oh, darling, you will get your letter. I promise. There's no doubt you were magical from the day you were born.' She brushed Lily's hair away from her eyes. 'And this time, next year, your dad and I will be here waiting for you and your brothers.' She used the cuff of her jumper to swab the tears that had trickled down Lily's cheeks. 'I'm sorry, Lily. I was just teasing you.'

Lily just nodded against Ginny's shoulder.

A piercing whistle echoed through the platform, and Ginny kissed Lily on the forehead, before standing up, keeping a firm grip on Lily's hand. The scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, steam billowing around the train. It came to a stop, and before too long, students were spilling out of the train, greeting their parents, and disappearing as their parents Side-Alonged them, going through one of the several fireplaces connected to the Floo, or slipping through the barrier in small groups. Ginny saw Daphne Malfoy on the other side of the platform, standing off to the side with Narcissa. Several people brushed by them, barely acknowledging they stood there. Ginny took a deep breath, and started walking, pointedly ignoring her family's inquiries of what she doing. 'Mrs. Malfoy,' she said, holding out a hand to Daphne.

'It's Daphne.' Daphne smiled and shook the hand Ginny held out to her. 'Are you meeting your boys?'

'Yes.' Ginny twirled a lock of Lily's hair absently around a finger. 'Would you mind if I sent Scorpius something? It's just a small gift.'

Daphne seemed taken aback, but she managed to reply, 'No. I think he'd like that.'

Al, James, and Scorpius stepped onto the platform, and warily approached their mothers. 'Hello, Mother.' Scorpius' eyes brightened as he saw Narcissa behind Daphne. 'Grandmother!' he exclaimed. He hadn't expected Narcissa to come along to pick him up. A flash of sunset caught his attention, and he gave Lily a shy smile. 'Hi, Lily,' he said, feeling his face grow warm.

Lily grinned at him. 'Hi, Scorpius.' Her cheeks turned rosy as a flush crept up her face.

Al and James exchanged looks, rolling their eyes. Ginny caught the gleam in James' eye, and flicked his ear in warning, slightly shaking her head. James rubbed his ear, and huffed. He hated to miss an opportunity to wind up his siblings, but seeing as his mother was talking to Scorpius' mother, he knew he had to at least try to behave. Or he'd get an earful from Ginny later.

Al had been so involved in watching Scorpius and Lily studiously avoid each other's gaze, and examine their shoes that he nearly missed Daphne tell his mother, 'You really don't mind bringing him back to London?'

'Not at all,' Ginny replied firmly. 'We'll work out the arrangements for bringing Scorpius over to our house later, but it's not a problem at all to bring him to the train.'

'What?' Scorpius' eyes snapped to his mother. 'What did you say?'

Narcissa laughed. 'You're going to spend a few days with the Potters before you go back to school. I think you need to Scourgify your ears.'

'Really?' Scorpius expression turned hopeful. Daphne nodded. 'Thank you!' he breathed.

Ginny looked at Daphne. 'I'll send you an owl next week, then. Come on, then,' she said to Al, James, and Lily. 'It'll be past dinner by the time we get home.' She helped the boys load their trunks on trolleys and led her children through the barrier and out to the car park. Scorpius tightly gripped the handle of his trunk with one hand, and held his mother's hand with his free hand. She Apparated them to Malfoy Manor.

*****

Scorpius sat up. Moonlight poured through the frosty windows of his bedroom. He didn't sleep well for a few nights when he first came home. It was weird to sleep in this large room, in his oversized bed after the past several months of the cozy confines of his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. It was too quiet. He was used to sleeping with the mingled sounds of four other boys sleeping. Anil snored to the point where Al begged Professor Flitwick to show them how to do some sort of charm to muffle the sounds. Max twitched as he fell asleep, making his bedclothes rustle. Al sighed in his sleep. Sebastian was a talker. It was never this eerily silent.

So far the break had been... Tolerable, he guessed. Scorpius had asked Daphne and Narcissa if they could decorate the tree, instead of Perri, the house-elf. Perri had nearly been distraught when Scorpius told her she didn't have to decorate the tree this year, and was on the verge of breaking into piteous wails when Scorpius informed her she was more than welcome to help, and asked her to please prepare some snacks for them to have while they worked. He supposed the tree looked out of place in the elegant drawing room, with its paper chains and snowflakes, but Perri had somehow managed to put fairy lights on the tree, so that it looked like stars were scattered among the branches. Perri had also supplied hot mulled cider, popcorn, and biscuits. He had spent several hours with his mother and grandmother, laughing at their efforts to make snowflakes with paper and scissors, singing with the music on the wireless.

Scorpius pushed back the duvet, and picked up his dressing gown, shoving his feet into a pair of slippers. He knew Perri kept a tin of his favorite biscuits in the pantry. He opened the bedroom door quietly, and stuck his head into the hallway. It wasn't horribly late, but if his mother or grandmother saw he was up, they would make him go back to bed. Scorpius pulled his head back inside his bedroom, and picked up his wand from the top of a wardrobe. 'Lumos,' he whispered, and he crept into the hallway, the thick carpet muffling his footfalls.

He took the back way to the kitchen, so he didn't notice the light spilling from Draco's study. He opened a cupboard and found a glass, filling it with milk from a bottle charmed to stay cold. Scorpius opened the pantry door, and slipped inside. The cinnamon-laced biscuits were just where Perri had said they would be. He pried off the lid, and took out a handful of biscuits, laying them on a serviette. Scorpius replaced the lid, and slid down to sit on the floor while he munched his biscuits.

A loud thumping sound made him straighten, hand clutched around his wand. The kitchen door slammed open and Scorpius drew in a sharp breath. 'Nox,' he whispered, barely making a sound. His breath hitched in his chest in shallow, panting gasps. He slowly reached for the pantry door, and closed it, leaving it open a crack, so he could still see into the kitchen.

Draco stumbled into the kitchen, and floundered into the scrubbed wooden table, making the wooden table legs screech against the tiles of the floor. Scorpius caught a whiff of wine, and wrinkled his nose. He hadn't ever seen his father like this before. He watched Draco steady himself on the table and carefully walk in an exaggerated tiptoe to the owl perch. Cordelia, his mother's owl, eyed Draco suspiciously, shuffling nervously on her perch. 'Ish fer Molly Weashley,' he slurred. Scorpius drew in a sharp breath. Why is Father sending a letter to Mrs. Weasley? He shook his head. It didn't make sense. He had heard his father mutter about, 'those blood-traitor Weasleys' often enough. Draco succeeded in convincing Cordelia to take the letter, and the kitchen was filled with the feathery swish of an owl taking flight. Draco blundered back out of the kitchen, shoving the swinging door open with a bang.

Scorpius slowly released the breath he'd been holding. He shoved the rest of the biscuits on the serviette into this mouth. The pleasure of his late-night snack was gone. He hastily gulped his milk and got to his feet. The serviette went into a basket in the corner, and the glass went into the sink. He stole back upstairs to his bedroom and crawled under the duvet.

*****

'Harry, does this look odd to you?' Molly handed Harry a crumpled, heavily ink-spotted letter when he stopped at the Burrow to pick up Ginny's Christmas gift that he had hidden there.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the illegible handwriting on the front of the envelope. He shook out the letter and as he read, both eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. 'It looks like Draco's handwriting. Or it could be.' Harry raised the parchment to his nose and sniffed a dark purple stain delicately. 'Must have been drunk.' He slowly re-read the letter. 'And nobody would have called Bellatrix Lestrange anything but Bellatrix, except a close family member,' he stressed. 'Or Riddle,' he added as an afterthought. He meditatively folded the letter and slid it carefully back into its envelope. 'Seems there's truth in the bottom of a bottle after all,' he commented, wincing inwardly. He remembered the few times he'd gotten horribly drunk and been brutally honest because the alcohol had lifted any inhibitions he may have had. 'Mind if I keep this?'

'Goodness, no. Take it,' she said, waving a hand at the letter.

Harry tucked it into the inside pocket of his coat. This would definitely make Draco's next probationary interview more interesting than it already was shaping up to be. He was grateful Molly hand shown it to him, out of a sense of fairness, more than wanting to help Draco. The last thing Harry wanted to do was throw someone into Azkaban who didn't belong there. Even Draco Malfoy didn't deserve that.