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Title: Second Chance – Chapter Three
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
slythindor100’s early bird prompt W: Festive Fruit Drinks (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompts 5: Mulled Cider and 27: Spiced Mead
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Word Count: 1K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part G)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for theslythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.
On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
OR on AO3
Second Chance – Chapter 3
An eagle owl descended towards the Slytherin table, dropping a letter on Scorpius' lap. "Where's the usual package of sweets?" Albus teased. Scorpius had never mentioned it, but it had always been his mother who would send those packages, and last year his grandmother had taken over. But this year, it was just his father writing him regularly. So, no sweets.
"It's from my dad." He skimmed the letter and smiled. "I asked him if you could come stay with me for a few days over the hols, after your trip."
"Ugh. Lily's gonna be a nightmare. She keeps whining about how she thought for sure Mum and Dad would get back together. She cried for days after Mum and Pedro got married. She'll probably mope and complain the whole time."
Scorpius thought Al was probably right. "Good luck with that." He waved the letter in front of Al's face. "Anyway, he says you can come over."
Al was glad that he could finally see the place where Scorpius grew up. "That's great! I'd love to see your place." He'd heard a lot about it and it sounded impressive.
"As long as your parents say it's okay."
"'Course they will. No problem." When Scorpius gave him a sceptical look, he asked, "Why wouldn't they?"
"C'mon. I'm a Malfoy. You remember how your uncle reacted when he found out we were friends."
He did remember. He also remembered his dad shutting Uncle Ron down, telling him that Scorpius was not his dad, and that what happened twenty years ago was in the past. He'd never seen his dad talk to his uncle that way before. And his aunt had been on his dad's side, too. Not his uncle's finest moment. "Yeah, but my uncle's not my dad."
"I know, but his sister is your mum. And from what I've heard, according to my Aunt Daphne at least, all the Weasleys feel the same way."
Albus considered this. "If she expects me to go to Mallorca with her new husband, she can bloody well let me go to your place over the hols. Or maybe I'll just ask my dad and leave her out of it."
Scorpius grinned. Al definitely belonged in Slytherin, no matter what his uncle said. "Fair enough."
He returned to the letter and re-read it, properly this time. When he frowned, Al asked, "What's wrong?"
Scorpius shrugged. "Just that he works too much. Ever since mum died."
Al nodded. "My dad's the same. Has been since mum left."
"My grandmother kept pushing him to slow down, but he just brushed her off. So she asked me to nudge him once in a while. Which, for her, means every time I talk to him." He held up the letter. "He's on to her, though, says to tell her he's not working too hard."
"Wish someone would tell my dad the same thing. Did you know that they didn't even tell us Mum had gone until we came home at the end of the school year? She left right when we came back to school after Christmas hols, and Dad went through that all alone. Said later that they didn't want to upset us, if it turned out to be just temporary." He scowled. "I overheard him talking to my aunt one time, saying that he never thought it would be forever." He took a bite of toast. "But he seems to be okay with it now. Barely reacted at all when Mum got married earlier this year. Just works all the time to fill his days, I suppose."
Scorpius nodded. "Same. It's not just my grandmother, though. I worry about him too. Not as much, obviously, but still. Sometimes he just stares out at nothing and I don't know what to say."
They both sat there quietly eating their breakfast, both mulling over their dads' situations.
"I have an idea!" Albus said. "We have a Christmas party every year, some friends and family come by. Why don't you and your dad come too?" He thought it would get Scorpius' father out of the house and give his own dad a chance to talk to someone that's in basically the same situation. Someone that isn't his mum's friend or family member. Appealing to his friend's sweet tooth, he added, "We make all sorts of festive drinks and there's mulled wine and cider, and spiced mead for the adults. Or, if you don't like them, we have the usual butterbeer and stuff."
Scorpius thought about it a few moments before answering. "I'm in, but I'm not sure my father would want to go into a Gryffindor den." Al snorted. "But it would be great to see him get out of the house. Maybe talk to other people, ones that don't remind him of my mother. Maybe get his mind off things."
"Don't tell him yet, though." Al calculated the best way to approach it. "I can mention it when I ask my dad if I can stay at your place. I'll say that after I visit you, maybe you can come over to our place for a while. Then I'll throw in the idea that maybe you and your dad can join us for the party, you know, when he drops you off or picks you up, depending on the timing."
"Okay." He sounded hesitant. "But will your uncle be there? He really doesn't like my dad and that might make it a bit ... tense."
Al considered that. "Yeah, but Rose will tell him to be nice. She likes you. And my aunt will set him straight if he tries to say anything stupid. She's used to doing that."
Scorpius laughed. "Alright, then. Sounds good. I'll leave it to you."
Author:
sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66Prompts used:
slythindor100’s early bird prompt W: Festive Fruit Drinks (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompts 5: Mulled Cider and 27: Spiced MeadPairing(s): Harry/Draco
Word Count: 1K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part G)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the
slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge. On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
OR on AO3
An eagle owl descended towards the Slytherin table, dropping a letter on Scorpius' lap. "Where's the usual package of sweets?" Albus teased. Scorpius had never mentioned it, but it had always been his mother who would send those packages, and last year his grandmother had taken over. But this year, it was just his father writing him regularly. So, no sweets.
"It's from my dad." He skimmed the letter and smiled. "I asked him if you could come stay with me for a few days over the hols, after your trip."
"Ugh. Lily's gonna be a nightmare. She keeps whining about how she thought for sure Mum and Dad would get back together. She cried for days after Mum and Pedro got married. She'll probably mope and complain the whole time."
Scorpius thought Al was probably right. "Good luck with that." He waved the letter in front of Al's face. "Anyway, he says you can come over."
Al was glad that he could finally see the place where Scorpius grew up. "That's great! I'd love to see your place." He'd heard a lot about it and it sounded impressive.
"As long as your parents say it's okay."
"'Course they will. No problem." When Scorpius gave him a sceptical look, he asked, "Why wouldn't they?"
"C'mon. I'm a Malfoy. You remember how your uncle reacted when he found out we were friends."
He did remember. He also remembered his dad shutting Uncle Ron down, telling him that Scorpius was not his dad, and that what happened twenty years ago was in the past. He'd never seen his dad talk to his uncle that way before. And his aunt had been on his dad's side, too. Not his uncle's finest moment. "Yeah, but my uncle's not my dad."
"I know, but his sister is your mum. And from what I've heard, according to my Aunt Daphne at least, all the Weasleys feel the same way."
Albus considered this. "If she expects me to go to Mallorca with her new husband, she can bloody well let me go to your place over the hols. Or maybe I'll just ask my dad and leave her out of it."
Scorpius grinned. Al definitely belonged in Slytherin, no matter what his uncle said. "Fair enough."
He returned to the letter and re-read it, properly this time. When he frowned, Al asked, "What's wrong?"
Scorpius shrugged. "Just that he works too much. Ever since mum died."
Al nodded. "My dad's the same. Has been since mum left."
"My grandmother kept pushing him to slow down, but he just brushed her off. So she asked me to nudge him once in a while. Which, for her, means every time I talk to him." He held up the letter. "He's on to her, though, says to tell her he's not working too hard."
"Wish someone would tell my dad the same thing. Did you know that they didn't even tell us Mum had gone until we came home at the end of the school year? She left right when we came back to school after Christmas hols, and Dad went through that all alone. Said later that they didn't want to upset us, if it turned out to be just temporary." He scowled. "I overheard him talking to my aunt one time, saying that he never thought it would be forever." He took a bite of toast. "But he seems to be okay with it now. Barely reacted at all when Mum got married earlier this year. Just works all the time to fill his days, I suppose."
Scorpius nodded. "Same. It's not just my grandmother, though. I worry about him too. Not as much, obviously, but still. Sometimes he just stares out at nothing and I don't know what to say."
They both sat there quietly eating their breakfast, both mulling over their dads' situations.
"I have an idea!" Albus said. "We have a Christmas party every year, some friends and family come by. Why don't you and your dad come too?" He thought it would get Scorpius' father out of the house and give his own dad a chance to talk to someone that's in basically the same situation. Someone that isn't his mum's friend or family member. Appealing to his friend's sweet tooth, he added, "We make all sorts of festive drinks and there's mulled wine and cider, and spiced mead for the adults. Or, if you don't like them, we have the usual butterbeer and stuff."
Scorpius thought about it a few moments before answering. "I'm in, but I'm not sure my father would want to go into a Gryffindor den." Al snorted. "But it would be great to see him get out of the house. Maybe talk to other people, ones that don't remind him of my mother. Maybe get his mind off things."
"Don't tell him yet, though." Al calculated the best way to approach it. "I can mention it when I ask my dad if I can stay at your place. I'll say that after I visit you, maybe you can come over to our place for a while. Then I'll throw in the idea that maybe you and your dad can join us for the party, you know, when he drops you off or picks you up, depending on the timing."
"Okay." He sounded hesitant. "But will your uncle be there? He really doesn't like my dad and that might make it a bit ... tense."
Al considered that. "Yeah, but Rose will tell him to be nice. She likes you. And my aunt will set him straight if he tries to say anything stupid. She's used to doing that."
Scorpius laughed. "Alright, then. Sounds good. I'll leave it to you."