Questions and Answers

little_bird

Story Summary:
What happens when the past collides with the present and threatens to cast the Potters' and Weasleys' lives into disarray...

Chapter 27 - Dinner Plans

Posted:
07/29/2010
Hits:
1,673


Harry stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom, attempting to wind a knot in his tie. He hated wearing the bloody things, and rarely had the occasion to wear one, save for a few times a year, when he had to dress up for a Ministry occasion, as the Head of his department. His normal attire at work usually consisted of jeans and a shirt or jumper. He looked down and noticed the smaller end of the tie extended several inches past the wider part. 'Damn it,' he muttered, yanking the fabric from underneath the collar of his shirt. Sighing, he threaded it through the collar again and managed to mangle the knot once more. 'Ginny! Help!'

Ginny walked out of the bathroom, fastening her earrings. 'Settle down, Harry...' She nudged him to the foot of the bed, making him sit down, and unfastened the mess he had made of the tie, aligning the ends and knotting the tie carefully, settling the knot against the base of his throat.

'Why did I agree to do this?' he groaned.

'Because you're a nice person,' Ginny told him sardonically. 'And I said you had to.'

'Mum! Teddy's here!' Lilly yelled up the stairs.

Ginny presented her back to Harry. 'Zip me up?'

He grasped the small tab and pulled it up to the top of the bodice of the dress. 'Nice dress,' he grunted.

'Does it make my bum look fat?' Ginny asked, peering over her shoulder and down her back, twisting to get a better angle.

Harry's hands landed on either side of her hips. 'You look fine,' he said automatically. He stood up, and dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. 'Ready to go?'

'I should ask you that,' Ginny said, picking up her wrap. She stopped in front of the mirror and tried to see the back of her dress. 'Are you sure this doesn't make my bum look fat?' she persisted.

'Ginny, you look fine.'

'Maybe I should change...' Ginny turned to the wardrobe and began to rifle through the contents.

'Ginny, you look great,' Harry sighed in exasperation. 'Why are you so worried about how you look? It's just dinner with Dudley.'

'I don't want to make a bad impression.'

Harry took a step back to take in Ginny. The simple black dress and upswept hair was reminiscent of Breakfast at Tiffany's. 'You look lovely, Gin.'

'Thank you.' She kissed his cheek, then used her thumb to wipe away the smudge of lipstick. 'Ready?'

'I'm as ready for this as I'll ever be,' Harry told her, shrugging into his jacket. He went down the stairs and found Teddy lounging on the sofa with Lily. 'Okay, Teddy, you know the drill...'

Teddy glanced up at Harry, grinning as he changed his hair to match Lily's. 'I know... The pizza's on its way, Lily has to eat dinner, and go easy on the ice cream. Bed at nine.' He winked at Lily. 'I've been doing this since I was sixteen.'

'Thanks for giving up your Saturday, Teddy,' Ginny said, kissing his cheek over the back of the sofa.

'Ah, no worries,' he said. 'Vic's got some monster study session this weekend anyway. They've got that test to see if they're allowed to continue through the second year next month.'

'We'll be back by eleven at the latest,' Harry told Teddy. 'Maybe earlier.'

'All right. We'll be here.' Teddy watched his godparents leave the house and turned to Lily. 'Okay squirt, what do you have planned for us tonight? Hair plaits? Funky nail varnish colors on my fingers, guaranteed to make your mum start screeching?'

Lily shrugged. 'No blue varnish tonight. Mum hid it all.'

'That's a shame. Vic likes the blue.' Teddy grinned at Lily conspiringly. He took out his wand and said firmly, 'Accio blue nail varnish!' A small bottle flew from the upstairs cupboard and landed in Teddy's outstretched palm. 'After we eat dinner, I'll let you give me a makeover,' he promised.

Lily grinned at Teddy. 'Thanks.'

*****

Harry and Ginny approached the restaurant with mild trepidation. Whatever Harry was expecting, it wasn't the small, dimly lit Italian café. It was decidedly cozy and unpretentious. He held the door open for Ginny and followed her inside. They scanned the tables, looking for Dudley. 'We're early,' Ginny said, looking at her watch.

Harry gestured to the bar tucked into a corner. 'Want a drink while we wait?'

'Sure.'

Settling at a small table with their drinks, Ginny nudged Harry. 'It's really nice that you're doing this.'

Harry shrugged. 'Could you please stop telling me how nice I'm being?' He set his glass on the table. 'I don't feel very nice. I feel like I'm doing this because I ought to do it.'

'You could have said no, or made some other excuse,' she pointed out.

'I suppose.'

'Harry!' Dudley waved at them from the door. A lanky man stood next to him, with a shy smile on his face.

Harry felt his lips stretch into a smile. 'Petunia'd lose her mind if she saw him do something like that,' he said to Ginny, under the cover of taking a sip of his Scotch.

'Oh, stop,' Ginny chided, standing up. She held out a hand. 'Dudley it's nice to see you again.' She turned to the man next to him. 'You must be Aaron. It's nice to finally meet you.'

'And you're Ginny. I recognize you from the photographs.' Aaron shook her hand.

'The table's ready,' Dudley said, clearing his throat nervously. Ginny and Aaron followed the hostess to a table tucked into a corner. Dudley held Harry back. 'Can I have a quick word?'

'Uh, okay...'

'Um, those people that stayed with us...? They said we shouldn't tell people about your abilities. People like me, I mean.'

'Yeah.' Harry was wondering where Dudley was going with this.

'But I told Aaron about you. He saw the scar from where I had that, erm, tail removed...' Dudley admitted in a near-whisper. 'He wouldn't leave it be...'

'What did you tell him exactly?'

'Just the basics. Things I saw. He happened to be in King's Cross on September first about month after that. It's kind of hard to miss the owls. He went to Mum and she verified it.' Dudley smoothed his tie and glanced worriedly at Harry. 'I hope I didn't do anything wrong...'

'It's fine,' Harry said absently.

'When friends come over to the house, I say that you work as a sort of police detective and the boys go to a school for gifted children.'

'And Gin?'

Dudley gave Harry a wry smile. 'That she works for a newspaper. Oddly enough, it's the closest to the truth for all of you.'

Harry picked up his glass and drained it, grimacing as the liquor burned its way down his throat. 'There's a provision for family members in the secrecy statute,' he mumbled. 'I guess that would include him.'

'Really?' A faint hope shone on Dudley's face. 'You don't mind that?'

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'There are some people who do, but most don't. We deal with enough prejudice as it is.'

Dudley started to walk to the table. 'I suppose that makes sense.'

They joined Ginny and Aaron, who were chatting easily, perusing the menu. Harry once again marveled at Ginny's ability to socialize. It was something that didn't come easily to him, so he was grateful she could fill in the blanks and silences that usually came from him.

The dinner went surprisingly well, thanks to the buffering presences of Aaron and Ginny. The food was good and gradually Harry began to relax a little. 'I've been dying to meet other members of Dudley's family,' Aaron was saying to Ginny. 'The ones I've met so far are...' He searched for an appropriate word. 'Interesting,' he said finally.

'Oh, come off it,' Dudley snorted. 'My aunt's a bitch.' He saw Harry's mouth fall open. Harry bit his lip in an attempt not to laugh. 'No pun intended, either.'

'She's why we have a cat,' Aaron added. 'Two actually. Two of laziest, most ungrateful creatures that have ever meowed.'

'Unless she's come to visit with my parents and brings her dog. Then Sebastian and Belle keep that ugly mutt cowed into submission.' Dudley sipped his water. 'I wish we could charge admission.'

'Who are you and what have you done with Dudley?' Harry blurted. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it had been the worst thing he could have said.

'Harry!' Ginny hissed. She impaled him with a look that wouldn't have looked out of place if Harry had been one of the children.

'Are you going to hold my entire childhood against me for the rest of my life?' Dudley asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the goblet of water in front of him.

'I'm sorry,' Harry mumbled. He heard the reverberations of his conversation with Neville though his mind. 'I have... A hard time letting a lot of that go...' He looked at Ginny from the corner of his eye, but she was glaring at him stonily. 'It's not you. They're my issues,' he confessed. He excused himself from the table and headed for the men's toilets. Once inside, he locked the door and began to splash water on his face.

Ginny flushed and refrained from fidgeting with embarrassment. 'He's not normally like this,' she apologized, twisting her serviette under the table.

Aaron sat quietly for a moment, then wordlessly rose from his chair. He touched Dudley's shoulder briefly. 'I'll be back in a bit.' He wound through the tables and came to a stop outside the door to the men's toilets. He waited patiently for Harry to emerge. In a few minutes, Harry opened the door, looking decidedly shaken. 'He's been looking forward to this for weeks,' Aaron said mildly. 'He talks about you constantly. He was thrilled when he ran into you at the train station back in January. When he gets a letter from you, it makes his week. He keeps the photographs of your family on the mantle at our flat.' Aaron shifted from foot to foot a bit, knowing he was treading dangerous waters. 'I know what he was like when the two of you were growing up. I know about the bullying and the way he treated you. I know all of it. I know about the times he stood by and let people mistreat you. He's been brutally honest about it with me. And he blames himself for a lot of it. He's not the same person you remember.' Aaron straightened his tie nervously. 'His parents don't really talk to him much. In some ways, you're all he has left.' Aaron put his hand on the doorknob and looked at Harry over his shoulder. 'When you agreed to do this, I hoped that it meant you were ready to move on. I guess I was wrong.' The door opened and closed softly.

Harry's shoulders slumped. He warily approached the table and stood behind his chair, his hands gripping the top. 'I'm sorry,' Harry said gruffly to Dudley. He looked at Ginny. 'We should go...' He pulled his wallet from an inside pocket of his jacket, and took out several notes, laying them on the table. He looked at Dudley and Aaron, who had just rejoined them. 'Good night, Dudley. It was nice to finally meet you, Aaron. It's been an... Enlightening evening.'

Ginny picked up her wrap and draped it over her shoulders. She threw a glance at Harry and tilted her head toward the door. 'I'll be along in a moment. You look like you could use some air,' she hinted. Harry's eyes narrowed, but Ginny returned his gaze coolly. Huffing slightly, he turned and left. 'It takes him some time. I won't make excuses for his behavior tonight.' Dudley nodded grimly. 'I hope you won't give up on him. He doesn't trust people easily, still.'

Dudley shrugged, his face impassive, but Ginny could see the glint of hurt in his eyes. 'I think it's best if we go back to the way things were. At least for now.'

'You're probably right.' Ginny tightened the wrap around her. 'I'm sorry this didn't turn out as well as we had hoped. Good night.' She went to the door and found Harry pacing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

He looked at her, and kept pacing. 'Don't start,' he warned.

'I wasn't.'

'I need to walk.'

'Do you want me to come with you?'

Harry shook his head. 'I just need to be alone right now.'

Ginny gave him a curt nod. 'I'll see you at home, then.' She watched him set off down the sidewalk, his hands jammed into his pockets. She slipped into a deserted side street and Disapparated home.

*****

Teddy's shoulder-length dark auburn hair had been woven into a web of elaborate plaits, twined with brightly-colored ribbons. The remains of a pizza, several root beer bottles, and bowls lined with the sticky residue of ice cream and hot fudge littered the coffee table. Teddy sat patiently, while Lily carefully drew a brush laden with sparkling turquoise varnish down his nails. He gently blew on one hand to dry the varnish. 'So, you and Scorp made up, I take it?'

'We weren't fighting,' Lily corrected primly. 'Not like I do with James.'

'I stand corrected.' Teddy examined his nails critically. 'Is he coming with James and Al for Easter holidays?'

'I don't know. They haven't asked.'

'How's school going?'

'I hate going to Muggle school,' Lily complained. 'My history teacher always rings the house to tell Mum and Dad I have homework.'

'Muggle school's not so bad,' Teddy cajoled. 'It helps when you start Hogwarts. A lot of the kids I knew who didn't go to a primary school of some sort had a tougher time adapting to school.'

Lily shrugged. 'Muggle school has stupid Sammy Martin. And he's probably going to Hogwarts with me in September.'

'Nothing says he's going to be Sorted into the same House as you. It's not like you have to be friends with him.'

'I suppose,' yawned Lily.

Teddy waved his wand over his nails, performing a Drying charm. 'Go upstairs and brush your teeth, pumpkin. I'll come tuck you in, in a bit.'

'I'm too old to be tucked in, Teddy,' she said scornfully.

'Humor me.'

'Okay,' Lily giggled, scampering up the stairs.

Teddy followed her a several minutes later. She was sitting in her bed, with Cadbury the bunny in her lap. Lily slid under the quilt and Teddy pulled it up to her shoulders. 'All right, then, pumpkin. G'night.' He kissed her forehead.

'Night, Teddy,' she sighed, and turned over to her side.

Teddy turned out the lamp next to her bed, and slipped out of the room, closing the door. He went back downstairs, and jabbed his wand at the mess on the coffee table. The discarded ribbons coiled themselves neatly next to the nail varnish, and the pizza box and empty bottles vanished. He picked up the bowls and took them into the kitchen, setting them to wash themselves. When they were done, and put away in the cupboard, he dragged himself to the sofa and flopped down into the cushions. He had been on the morning shift all week at work. Waking up early was not one of Teddy's talents. Andromeda told him he got that from his mother. His father, on the other hand, was an early riser, and routinely woke before dawn, no matter how late he had gone to bed. Sighing, he closed his eyes. Harry and Ginny wouldn't be back for a couple of hours.

*****

Harry walked through the streets of London, his shoulders hunched against the damp chill of the March evening. For reasons he didn't understand, his thoughts turned to Draco. Here was a man who had rejected any and all chances to steer his adult life in a different direction and now look at him - he lived a rather isolated life, cut off from most polite wizarding society; his relationship with his wife, mother, and son were insubstantial enough to be nonexistent. Harry could see Ginny chatting easily with Dudley, able to see past the memories Harry had shared with her. Dudley had made an effort to change, and it appeared he had succeeded, and Harry was the one unable to accept that things had changed.

*****

The house was dark, except for the light spilling from the sitting room. Ginny opened the door, and pulled her high-heeled shoes off, sighing in relief as she wiggled her toes. She padded into the sitting room. Teddy was sound asleep on the sofa. Ginny stifled her giggles as she took in the elaborate system of plaits and ribbons that adorned his hair and the sparkly nail varnish. She leaned down to shake him awake. 'Teddy?' she whispered.

'Unnnnhhh,' he mumbled.

'Teddy, sweetie, we're home. You can stay the night here, if you want.'

Teddy arched his back and yawned. 'Huh?'

'Go up to James' room and go to bed,' Ginny ordered. Teddy rolled off the sofa and got to his feet and stumbled upstairs. Ginny went around the sitting room, turning off the lights. She went up the stairs checked on Lily, before going into her bedroom.

Ginny walked into the bathroom and pulled the hairpins from her hair, shaking it down from its neat chignon. She twisted to pull the zipper of the dress down, cursing under her breath until the dress landed in a heap at her feet. She gave herself a hasty wash, and brushed her teeth. Ginny strode back into the bedroom, a grabbed the first thing her hand landed on in the laundry basket sitting in the armchair. It was one of Harry's t-shirts. She pulled it over her head and climbed into bed.

She curled on her side, facing Harry's side of the bed. She had pushed Harry to have this dinner with Dudley. Upon reflection, it hadn't been such a good idea. She thought that after almost twenty years of marriage, that she could gauge his reactions with a fair amount of accuracy. She thought he had taken her words about giving Dudley another chance to heart. The dinner, she concluded, had been an unmitigated disaster.

The next thing she knew, Harry was climbing into bed, wrapping his chilled body around hers. 'What time is it?' she asked sleepily.

'After two,' he said. He buried his face against her neck. 'Am I like Malfoy?'

Ginny sat up. 'What?'

'Am I like Malfoy?'

'That's a rather large leap of thought to make,' Ginny replied, pushing her hair away from her face.

'He didn't change after the war,' Harry explained. 'And you could argue, neither have I. I've never managed to forgive Dudley, no matter how much he's demonstrated he's not who I grew up with.'

Ginny leaned back against the headboard, and began to wind her hair into a loose plait. Something jarred her memory. 'Do you remember that week after Al was born?'

'Vividly.'

'Dad told me the hardest thing you could do was forgive someone, because it meant having to let go of something you've believed for a long time.' She glanced at Harry. 'Just something for you to think about.'

'I suppose.' Harry closed his eyes. 'I'm a horrible person.'

Ginny snorted. 'Hardly.'

'You didn't hear what Aaron said to me.'

'I have a good idea.' Ginny bound the end of the plait with an elastic. 'It's probably what I would have said to someone who was questioning your morals.'

'That about covers it.' Harry yanked his glasses off and tossed them to his night table. 'I'm such a bloody hypocrite. I make such a fat, hairy deal of telling Lily to not to hold things against Scorpius, and I'm holding a grudge for over thirty years.'

'At least you realize that,' Ginny stated.

'Fat lot of good it does me.' Harry punched his pillow in frustration. 'I always wanted my own family when I was small. Like you did, and I finally have a chance to have that, and I just fucked it all up.'

Ginny slid back down into bed and gazed at Harry. 'I have a question for you, then I'm going back to sleep.'

'All right.'

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Aaron do the same sort of thing Hermione does? Just with people and not magical beings?'

'Yeah...'

'He spends his life making sure people are treated fairly. Do you honestly believe he would be with someone who's dishonest and treats other people badly?'

*****

The flurry of owls at breakfast was normally not cause for alarm, but Scorpius had come to dread the appearance of his mother's owl before school holidays. Last Christmas had been particular uncomfortable at times, and as much as he enjoyed spending the holiday with his mother and grandmother, his father's oppressive scrutiny had made him wary of going home for the short holidays. At least during the summers, they could avoid the forced camaraderie, except for dinner, and more often than not, his father didn't eat with them.

He reluctantly took the letter the owl proffered, and shoved it in his schoolbag. He had a free period after lunch that day, where he could find a place to read it, away from prying eyes. Draco had drummed it into his head from the beginning that his correspondence was a private matter, not to be read in the bustle and crowds of the Great Hall.

He stumbled his way through Defense lesson and barely paid attention to the Potions lessons, earning himself a detention the next evening, and extra homework that night. He picked through his lunch and dashed up to the Gryffindor common room, ignoring Rose and Al. He curled into a squishy armchair near a window and dug the letter from his schoolbag. The contents didn't surprise him. Daphne had written to say that they were going to Nice for the Easter holiday, and he had her permission to spend it with Albus in Godric's Hollow, if he was invited. Scorpius balled up the letter and threw it into the fire. He could nearly feel the waves of disappointment radiating off the page. His mother always hated that he couldn't come home for the shorter holidays more often, but his father usually planned their departures so early, that it wasn't feasible for Scorpius to join them.

He stared out the window at the dreary March landscape, unaware that Rose and Al had joined him. 'So...?' Rosie asked gently.

'So the usual,' Scorpius said flatly. 'Mother and Father are going to France two weeks before Easter, so...' He shrugged. 'It's not like Easter is that big of a deal. Plenty of people will be here.'

'You can always go home with us,' Al suggested. 'Mum and Dad don't mind.'

Scorpius shook his head. 'I can't keep doing that,' he said morosely.

'Why not?' demanded Rose.

'Rosie...' hissed Al.

'Well, honestly, why not?' Rose persisted.

'Rosie, stop...' Al begged.

Scorpius uncurled himself from the depths of the armchair and got to his feet. 'I can't substitute your family for mine,' he said matter-of-factly.

'That's not what I'm saying,' Rose huffed impatiently.

'Look, Rosie, I know you mean well, but how long do you think Al's parents are going to think it's fine to let me stay with them?'

'As long as you need to,' Al said. 'Dad used to spend as much time as he could with Mum's family. His godfather actually ran away from home and lived with my grandfather and his parents for a while. It's almost a family tradition by now.'

'I don't know,' Scorpius said doubtfully.

'Look, Scorpius, Easter's not for another month,' Al began. 'If you change your mind...'

'Yeah...' Scorpius bent to pick up his bag. 'Come on. We'll be late for Transfiguration, and Trentham will give us extra homework.'

Rose held Al back a little. 'You should write to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and have then invite Scorpius for Easter.' She started walking a little faster. 'Or Teddy!' she exclaimed. 'He has an extra room in his flat! And they're actually family!'

'Rosie, calm down,' Al warned. 'Teddy might be working that week.'

'Then he can go to your house while Teddy's working.'

'Rose... Stop...' Al ordered. 'It's nice that you want to wrap it all up neatly, but there are just some things you should leave alone. Scorpius works on his own schedule. You should know that after last year.'

'It's not fair,' she muttered mutinously.

'What's not?'

'We've got everything. And his father can't be bothered to make an effort.'

'Yeah, well.' Al shifted his bag a bit higher on his shoulder. 'Life's not fair, Rosie.'