Questions and Answers

Ginny pushed through the throngs of people in the corridor, bumping people with her overstuffed bag. She came to Harry's office, and knocked on his open door. 'Hiya,' she said a bit breathlessly. 'I have to go to Holyhead. Their Keeper just announced she's retiring effective immediately. There's a press conference at three.'

'Huh?' Harry looked up muzzily from his reports. 'Say again?'

'Going to Holyhead. Keeper retiring. Press conference.' Ginny started to leave and turned back. 'Oh, Hermione's going to pick Lily up from school. You'll need to go by their place when you're done here and take her home. I'll be home late.'

'And why do you have to go?' Harry asked in confusion. 'It's just a press conference... I thought you only did the games and tryouts anymore.'

Ginny refrained from sighing noisily. 'Because I've been covering the Harpies since before Al was born. It's my beat, and nobody else is going to cover this, except me.' She adjusted the strap of her bag. 'And it's Caroline. She was the Keeper when I was still playing. Even if I wasn't doing the Harpies, I'd want to do this one.'

Harry went back to his report. 'Oh, okay.'

Ginny eyed him for a moment. 'Don't forget to make Lily do her homework. And she needs to be in bed by nine.'

Harry glanced up at Ginny. 'Yeah, all right.' When Ginny didn't move, Harry prompted, 'Don't you have to be in Holyhead in fifteen minutes?'

'Right. I'm not sure when I'll be home, so don't wait up.'

Harry managed a small grin. 'Have I ever?'

'No,' Ginny shot back. She turned and darted down the corridor to the lifts. 'Bye,' she called over her shoulder.

Harry watched her run down the corridor, shaking his head. He looked down at his report and frowned. He didn't enjoy putting people in prison. And putting MacNair and Rookwood in Azkaban wasn't going to stop the Muggle-baiting. They were no closer to finding out who the ringleader was than they had been last Friday. It was intensely frustrating. Harry went out into the corridor and wound his way through the maze of desks and cubicles until he found Iain McDonald lounging at his desk. 'Hey, Iain,' Harry said softly, sitting in the battered chair across Iain's desk. 'Can I have a word?'

Iain knew that tone in Harry's voice after working with him for more than ten years. 'Sure.' He sat up and cleared a spot on his desk. 'What's up?'

'I need you to put more Aurors on these two,' Harry said sliding a scrap of parchment across the desk. Iain was in charge of the regional offices that kept tabs on former Death Eaters. 'They need to be followed every time they leave their house.'

'Round the clock surveillance, then?' Ian asked with a raised brow.

Harry nodded. 'I'm not ready to throw them into prison yet. I need more concrete proof.' When Iain made a face, Harry grunted, 'I know how you feel about that. It's not my favorite thing to do either, especially in this kind of weather.' He stood up. 'I want a list of who will be on and when. I also want it charmed to signal me if it changes. Have it in place by the end of the week.'

'You'll have it before then,' Iain promised, pulling a notebook out from under a pile of parchment and files.

'And clean your desk off, before it all falls on you.'

'I'll have you know I know exactly where everything is,' protested Iain.

'Uh-huh,' Harry replied, unconvinced. 'I'll be in Kingsley's office the rest of the day. If you get it done before you leave, just put it on my desk, all right?' Harry headed down the corridor to Shacklebolt's office, for once grateful to be the Head. It meant he wouldn't have to sit outside freezing his bollocks off all night.

*****

Lily trudged from the front entrance of her school, scanning for Harry or Ginny in the crowd of parents waiting to pick up their children. She didn't see either of them, so she started walking home. It wasn't unusual. They didn't always pick her up from school. They usually only did that if they were taking her back to the Prophet offices or the Ministry until they were ready to go home. She spotted Hermione waving her hand to get her attention. Lily shifted her knapsack and dodged a few of the girls in the first year, chattering about Merlin knew what, and skipped to her aunt. 'How would you like to go to the shop with Hugo for a while?'

'Where's Mum or Dad?'

Hermione took Lily's hand and began to walk toward the Potter house, on the far edge of the village. 'Your dad has to stay late at work today, and your mum had to go to Holyhead for a story an hour ago.'

'So why couldn't Dad come get me?'

'He couldn't get away this time, Lils.'

Lily walked beside Hermione for a while. 'Are we going inside the house?'

'If you want to change out of your uniform.'

'I do. And I need to get my history project. The sooner I turn it in, the sooner my history teacher will stop ringing to remind Mum and Dad it's due at the end of the month.'

'Why does your teacher ring home?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'She thinks if she doesn't ring at least once a week to keep Mum and Dad updated, I won't do my homework.'

'Has it been an issue before?'

'No. She treats us like babies.' Lily glanced up at Hermione. 'They won't do that next year, will they...?'

Hermione snorted with suppressed laughter. 'No, quite the opposite.'

'Good.' Lily walked quietly for a few more minutes. 'Do you think Uncle Ron and Uncle George will let us help until closing?'

'Probably. You'll end up dusting something. I doubt the bottom shelves have been done since the last time you and Hugo were there after school.'

'Uncle George let me run the counter last time I was there,' Lily announced. 'Gave me two Galleons!'

'You were underpaid,' scoffed Hermione.

'But Aunt Hermione,' gasped Lily. 'Two Galleons is a lot!'

'Whatever they give you today, don't spend it all in one place, then,' remarked Hermione dryly.

They reached the house and Hermione opened the front door. 'Go on up and get changed. I'll collect your work.'

Lily ran up the stairs, shedding her cardigan as she went. 'It's on the end of the end of the kitchen table,' she called over her shoulder.'

Hermione strolled into the kitchen, and examined the pile of medieval French knights waiting to be cut out and colored. Hermione tucked them into Lily's knapsack, along with her scissors and crayons. Lily came bounding down the stairs and skidded to a halt next to Hermione. 'Ginny makes you do your schoolwork the Muggle way, eh?'

Lily heaved a put-upon sigh. 'Yes.'

'Hmm. If it makes you feel better, Hugo does his that way, too. So did Rose.'

Lily picked up the knapsack. 'Why?'

'Can't do everything with magic.'

'That's what Mum says. Dad, too,' groaned Lily.

Hermione smiled and ran her hand over Lily's hair. 'Sometimes, using magic is like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly when a fly swatter will do. Come on, then. I'll take you to the shop, and Ron will take you and Hugo to our house when they've closed for the day.' Hermione took Lily's hand and they walked to the back garden. She Apparated them both to Diagon Alley, outside the shop.

*****

Harry rubbed his eyes. They were gritty and dry from yesterday. He hadn't slept much the night before, tossing restlessly as ideas of what to do with MacNair and Rookwood chased through his head. He'd been with Shacklebolt for hours, if the rumble of his stomach was any indication. 'What time is it?' he asked curiously, noting the still corridor.

Shacklebolt glanced at a clock on his desk. 'Almost ten,' he rumbled.

'Oh, bollocks!' swore Harry. 'Lily!' He stuffed his paperwork into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. 'I have to go!' He tore down the corridor, and jabbed the button for the lifts, tapping his toes impatiently as it moved slowly to the Atrium. He dashed to a fireplace and Flooed to Ron and Hermione's.

Ron was sprawled on the sofa, reading the latest issue of Quidditch Quarterly. 'Bloody hell, Ron. I'm sorry.'

'It's all right, mate,' Ron said nonchalantly. 'Got tied up?' he asked sympathetically.

'Something like that,' Harry acknowledged. 'Where's Lily?'

'In Rose's room. Been asleep for about an hour.'

'I'm so sorry,' Harry repeated. 'I meant to collect her at six. But Kingsley and I got into discussions about how to handle a case.'

'And you lost track of time,' stated Ron.

'Yeah.' Harry started walking back to Rose's room. Lily was curled up in the middle of the bed, a blanket tucked over her. Harry bent and scooped her up in his arms, grateful she was still small enough for him to be able to do that without rupturing something. He carefully carried her out into the sitting room, where Ron draped Lily's coat over her sleeping body.

Ron looked at the two of them in bemusement, holding Lily's knapsack. 'I'll go with you and take this,' he decided. 'You seem to have your hands full,' he observed dryly.

'Just a bit,' Harry retorted. Ron grinned at him, then disappeared. Harry shifted Lily into a more comfortable position and followed Ron.

When Harry reappeared behind the house, he could hear Ginny's frantic voice from the kitchen. As he walked into the house, she was pointing her wand at Ron's throat, saying, 'So help me, Ronald, where's Lily?'

'Right here,' Harry answered softly. He continued through the kitchen, and carried Lily to her bedroom, carefully laying her on the bed and covering her with an extra blanket before going back into the kitchen.

Ginny was sitting in a chair at the table, pale and trembling. 'Where the hell have you been?'

'I was with Kingsley and lost track of time,' Harry said tiredly, trying unsuccessfully to soothe his wife.

Ron set a cup of tea in front of Ginny. 'She did her maths homework, and cut out more of those knight blokes before she went to sleep an hour ago. Calm down, Gin.'

Ginny glanced up at Ron. 'Why don't you come home late, and find Hermione and Hugo gone, with no note or anything, and then let me tell you to calm down,' she seethed. She took a sip of the tea in front of her and looked at Harry. 'You were supposed to be home hours ago.'

Ron shook his head. 'Once again, I'm thrilled I don't have either of your jobs.'

Harry pulled the cup across the table, taking a sip of it himself. 'I know. I'm sorry. I really meant to be home earlier.' His stomach gurgled loudly. 'Can you fuss after I've had a sandwich or something? I haven't had dinner.'

'I'm sorry...' Ginny said, taking the cup back from Harry. 'I got home a few minutes ago, and neither of you were here...'

Harry reached across the table, and cupped Ginny's cheek in his hands. 'I know...'

'And on that note,' Ron murmured. 'See you two later,' he said, and ducked into the sitting room to Floo home.

Harry's stomach growled audibly again, and Ginny flicked her wand at the table, making a plate of sandwiches appear. 'I'm going to bed,' she said.

Harry's hand grasped her wrist, pulling her down into his lap. 'Stay,' he said softly.

'It's late,' she protested, but without any real heat.

'Please?'

'Let me go put Lily to bed...'

'She's fine. It won't hurt her to sleep in her clothes for one night.' Harry rested his head against Ginny's shoulder. 'Just... stay...' He exhaled slowly, coming to a stop for the first time in two days. 'How was the press conference?'

'It was fine. Emotional.'

'Why'd she retire so suddenly?'

'She got a concussion at the game before Christmas. A really bad one. The Healers said she shouldn't play anymore. This was one too many.' Ginny morosely sipped the tea Ron had made her. 'She was getting dizzy on her broom in training.' Ginny shook her head. 'It's a shame. She was brilliant.' Ginny sighed and looked down at Harry, meditatively chewing a sandwich. 'You said something last night about Scorpius...'

'Yeah.'

'Are you going to tell me why?'

Harry reached for another sandwich. He took a bite and slowly chewed it. 'I just have a feeling that one day he might need a place to stay. Like Sirius.' He looked up at Ginny his eyes dark with anguish. 'I can't tell you why,' he whispered. 'I just have a feeling...'

'And it bothers you?' she guessed.

'Yes.'

'That he'll need a place to stay, or that it will be with us?'

'Both.' Harry pushed the plate away and gently pushed Ginny off his lap, so he could stand up. 'Let's go to bed.'

'Harry?'

'Yeah?'

'He's not his father...'

Harry closed his eyes and the image of Draco's face, his eyes momentarily wide and frightened, just like his son's, flashed through his memory. 'No, he's not. And yes, he is...'

*****

Al pushed a jug of milk toward James and glanced at Scorpius, picking at his breakfast. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'It's hardly nothing,' Isabella chimed. 'You've been in a strop since last Saturday. Almost as bad at Vic when she's got the painters and decorators in...'

'Ewwww!' Jacob made gagging noises. 'We didn't need to know that.'

'Far too much information for our delicate ears,' agreed Fred.

'Seriously,' Al began. 'If someone's bothering you, we'll remind them to mind their manners.'

Scorpius pushed his plate away. 'How can you lot sit here and eat with me, take classes with me, invite me to spend the bleeding holidays in your home, after what my grandfather did to your mother?' he shouted at James and Al, who blinked at the vehemence of his response. Scorpius almost never lost his temper. Even when he had every right to do so.

Al's mouth dropped open, and he tried to say something, but James managed to speak first. 'Does this have anything to do with Lily?'

'No.' Scorpius picked up his bag and blindly ran out of the Great Hall and into the greenhouse for Herbology. It wouldn't start for nearly an hour, but Scorpius couldn't sit at the table anymore. He pushed open the door and stopped, the door swinging into his back. Neville was moving about the greenhouse, preparing for the second years' lesson for the day. 'Sorry, Professor, I'll... I'll just go...'

'Come in,' Neville said, waving the boy into the greenhouse. 'Here.' He handed Scorpius a carton of earmuffs. 'Could you put these around the potting trays for me?'

'Okay.' Scorpius set his bag down next to his usual spot at the second potting tray, and took the carton of earmuffs. 'Are we working with mandrakes today?'

'Yep.' Neville pointed his wand at the rickety blackboard and instructions for repotting adolescent mandrakes appeared, and a detailed drawing of a mandrake at this stage of development. He watched Scorpius carefully set a pair of earmuffs at each station of the potting trays. There was something about the tense set of his shoulders that made Neville put down the box of dragon dung fertilizer and grab a few trowels. He moved to the potting tray and laid a few trowels in the middle. 'Something on your mind?'

'It's nothing. I know my grandfather wasn't the nicest person in the world. But after what he did to Mrs. Potter, I don't see how any of them could stand to have me as a friend. Lily already doesn't like me.'

'Now, I find that hard to believe,' Neville chided. 'I've known Lily a long time.'

'She wouldn't talk to me,' Scorpius mumbled.

Neville touched Scorpius on the shoulder. 'Lily's got a terrible temper sometimes. Just like Harry. It'll take some time for her to come down.' He perched on one of the battered stools scattered around the greenhouse. 'I was in the same year as your father,' he remarked idly.

'Really?'

'Yeah. I wasn't great at the magic for a while. Especially Potions and Transfiguration. And your father never passed up a chance to bully me for the first couple of years we were in school.' Neville continued before Scorpius could say anything. 'But that doesn't stop me from being able to see you as someone separate from all that. You're not your father. You're definitely nothing like your grandfather.' He squeezed the boy's thin shoulder. 'It'll be okay. I'll bet by the time summer comes round, everything will be all right.' He patted Scorpius' back. 'Come on. I've got something new in that I'm doing with the fifth years later. Let's go to Greenhouse Three, and I'll show it to you.'

It was later that night when Scorpius sat in a corner of the library, doing some reading for the next day's Defense class, when he found himself surrounded by the Weasleys and James and Al. Maddie nudged Parker, who elbowed her back. Isabella gave Parker a significant look. It made Parker sigh and take the chair across from Scorpius. 'I guess I'm the spokesperson,' he muttered. 'Look Scorpius, we've been talking. And we reckon that this has something to do with that diary our parents told us about last Christmas. It's the only thing where Aunt Ginny had direct contact with your grandfather, as far as we know.' Scorpius looked down at his textbook, his throat suddenly clogged. He nodded once. 'Right, well, it doesn't matter to any of us what your grandfather did. It was a long time ago, and Aunt Ginny doesn't seem to hold you accountable for it either. And in all honesty, she's the only one whose opinion ought to matter.' Parker shifted uncomfortably in the hard, straight-backed chair. 'It's not like anybody in our family's perfect,' he mumbled, remembering hearing about his father's estrangement from the rest of the family. 'No judgments here.'

Al scooted into a chair next to Scorpius. 'Don't pay any attention to Lily. She'll get over it.'

'Yeah,' James added. 'She gets in mood and doesn't come out of it for days. Don't take it personally.'

Sophie pushed her way between Fred and Jacob. 'Can't always pick your family,' she told Scorpius. 'You think if I was able to pick, I'd pick either of these gits?' she asked, pointing to her brothers.

'Ah, Soph,' Fred sighed dramatically.

'You cut us to the quick,' said Jacob sadly.

'See what I mean?' Sophie said in an undertone to Scorpius.

'It's just so frustrating to not know why...' Scorpius whispered.

Maddie squeezed next to Al on his chair. 'Maybe you'll never find out everything about your grandfather, or even your father. Maybe they wanted to leave it all behind like our parents did. But you can't keep beating yourself up for their choices.'

'Nobody starts off evil,' Rose said quietly. 'They learn to be that way.' She leaned against the table. 'And if you weren't the nicest person, you wouldn't be in Gryffindor,' she added, with a shrug.

'That's a load of bollocks,' snorted Fred. 'I've asked Mum, and she says Gryffindors have their own set of prejudices, like everyone else. We're not saints.'

'That's not what I meant!' objected Rose. 'I just meant that if he was going to be a wanker like his grandfather, he'd be in Slytherin.'

'So lady-like,' murmured Jacob.

'Was that supposed to make me feel better?' Scorpius asked dryly.

'Of course it was.' Rose flipped her hair over her shoulder.

'The point is,' said Parker. 'We're not going to shun you any time soon, all right?'

'Are you going to study, or clutter up my library?' Madam Pince's acidic voice came from behind the cousins. 'If you're just going to take up space, I suggest you take it to your common room,' she snapped.

'Come on,' Rose ordered, picking up Scorpius bag. 'No more hiding.'

Feeling oddly relieved, Scorpius allowed the cousins to tow him back to the common room.

*****

Harry sat next to Lily at the kitchen table after dinner, trying to make miniature bows and arrows for her battle scene. 'This is ridiculous,' he muttered, after his latest effort to make arrows from toothpicks ended up in the rubbish bin. He pulled his wand from his pocket. 'It can't hurt.'

'Don't even think about it,' Ginny said from the doorway.

'But...' Harry protested.

'No. No magic for her schoolwork. We agreed.'

Harry replaced his wand. 'Damn.' He pushed picked up a toothpick and carefully glued a paper arrowhead to it. 'So, Lily...'

'Yeah?' Lily looked up from the horse she was coloring.

'What your mum and I talked about with you before Christmas?'

'What about it?' she asked, her eyes dropping back down to the crayon filling in the horse's hooves.

'Well, you remember my Muggle relatives... From King's Cross?'

Lily wrinkled her nose in distaste. 'Yes.'

'Does that change your opinion of me?' Harry asked gently.

'Why would it do that?'

Harry propped his elbows on the table. 'Well, for starters, they're rude and disagreeable people.'

'Well, you're not,' replied Lily patiently. 'Except when James or Al do something stupid.'

'That's called parenting,' Harry said wryly. 'I'm supposed to be disagreeable when they do something stupid.' He added a bit of fluff to the end of the toothpick and pushed it toward the middle of the table. 'So, knowing that I have disagreeable relatives, you still think of me the same way?'

'Yeah...'

'So why don't you try giving Scorpius the benefit of the doubt, Lils? You know he's not a bad person. He can't help what his father and grandfather did. Not any more than I could help my aunt and uncle being what they are. I got really lucky, though.'

'How?' Lily glued the finished horse to the panorama, next to a paper cut-out of Henry V.

'Well, I got to go to Hogwarts. I met your uncle Ron. And then George, Percy, and Fred. I learned what families are really supposed to be like. It helped keep me from becoming a bitter, unpleasant person.' He picked up another toothpick and began to fashion it into another arrow. 'Every time I had to deal with them until I left their house for good, the knowledge that I had somewhere to go, with people who cared about me, made it bearable to be with the Dursleys.' He added the arrowhead and another bit of fluff before he spoke again. 'Just something to for you to think about.' Harry dropped the new arrow next to the other one. 'Go on up to bed. Your mum and I will be up in a minute.'

Lily put her crayons back in their box and pushed the panorama to the far end of the table. 'Dad? I wasn't mad at him...'

'Then you need to let him know that,' Harry said gently. 'You weren't very nice to him when he was here after Christmas.'

Lily scuffed the floor with a fluffy slipper. 'I'm sorry...' she whispered, looking at the floor

Harry tilted her chin up. 'I'm not the one you need to apologize to, Lily.' She nodded and turned and ran up the stairs.

A few days later, Lily left school and made a detour into the village. She walked down the street until she came to what looked like a dilapidated shop and slipped inside. Once inside, she was greeted by a chorus of soft hoots. She walked up to the tall counter and stood on her toes, her chin resting on the counter top. 'Good afternoon,' greeted the cheerful wizard behind the counter. 'What can I do for you?'

Lily slid an envelope across the counter. 'I need to send this to Hogwarts.'

'Regular rate or do you need it to get there tomorrow?'

'Regular rate's fine.'

The wizard held out his arm to a barn owl, who fluttered down and landed on his arm. He transferred the owl to the counter and tied Lily's letter to its leg. 'Hogwarts. For a Scorpius Malfoy.' He gave Lily a look, but Lily ignored him. 'How do you know the Malfoys? With you being a Potter?'

Lily dug the five Sickles to pay for the post out of her knapsack. 'He's in the same House as my brothers.' She slid the money across the counter. 'He's also a friend.'

The wizard said nothing as he launched the owl through the round window at the top of the wall. Lily thanked the wizard and walked out of the post office and headed home.