Albus Potter and the Cunning Plan

Year Two

Chapter twenty five

Pairing(s): Albus/Scorpius (will become when they're older), other minor ones (past, present, and future); this means there's going to be both slash and het in my story.

Rating: PG-13 (Might go up for later chapters)

Warnings: slight language, some minor canon is ignored; minor angst and some violence, about what you might find in the average HP book. A few OC's, but they're needed for the storytelling and plot. Alcohol, drugs, and sex only mentioned or hinted at in some chapters.

Summary: Albus is about to start his second year at Hogwarts! But he has to contend with a few other things first. So do the adults.

Notes: Some things that happen in Al's first and second year won't get addressed or handled until later years. POV's will be changing throughout the story.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, etc. But the original characters in here are mine. Don't use them without my permission.

Also, Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty are property of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, etc.

.-.

Suspicions and Revelations

.-.

Out of everything that had ever happened to him, he never thought paperwork would become his new, greatest enemy.

Harry's wand hand was starting to cramp up from all the writing and signing. It was one of the only things he disliked about being Head Auror: all the damn paperwork and filing. He understood why he had to do it, of course; didn't mean he had to like it.

The second he'd got in to work, he'd handed over his prisoners to a lower ranked Auror and told him to put them in the usual holding cells. Then he had gone directly to the nearest fireplace and fire called Ginny. He had told her everything that happened, and of course that Albus was with Draco and Scorpius, and that Al should be home later that day.

It was hard to tell what her reaction was about him leaving Al with Malfoy, but she hadn't done any yelling, so he considered that a good thing. He guessed because she got a bit used to Al hanging around the Malfoys that it wasn't really too distressing. Then came the hardest part: telling her about James.

That was when the emotion shone forth from his wife's face. She was worried about as much as any mother would be, and looked on the point of tears, but when he'd told her that Ron and Hermione had brought him to St Mungo's, she looked less panicky but still troubled. She wanted to visit James immediately, and Harry promised he'd be there shortly, but that she should maybe wait for Al to come home so that they could all go at the same time. She agreed, even if she didn't like it. Ginny then told him that she'd fire call St Mungo's in order to check on James – but then an owl had arrived while they were discussing it. The owl had been from Hermione explaining everything, and Ginny had read out loud the contents of the letter. James was going to be fine. That was a big relief to both parents.

So Ginny was still at home, and Harry was at work. Neither liked it, but they knew there was really nothing else they could do but wait.

Harry was then so busy with his paperwork that he hadn't heard anyone knock on his office door. He was startled when a voice said, "Oi, Harry!"

Harry nearly jumped out of his chair. "Oh, Ron – you scared the daylights out of me! Can't you knock like a normal person?"

"I did knock," Ron said. "About five times I knocked, but you never answered. So, naturally, I thought something had happened to you. Like maybe the paperwork finally won, and that I'd find you buried under a pile, half eaten."

"Ha – bloody – ha," Harry said. He was relieved to have a small break in the form of his best friend. He massaged his right wrist. "So, what can I do for you, mate?"

"Mostly to let you know that those Neo-Death Eaters that you brought in are ready to be interrogated –well, one is more ready than the others. The necessary paperwork on them had been filed and everything. We were going to start without you, but I thought maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. So I came to get you."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said. He stacked up his papers neatly in a pile and stood to follow Ron out. Because Ron had work for most of the day, like Harry, he'd come straight from St Mungo's after making sure that James was in good hands. Ron tried not to miss too many work days, if he could help it.

Ron Weasely wasn't just Harry's best mate, but he'd been made Harry's second in command. It didn't happen just because they were best friends; Ron really did have to put in a lot of hard work in order to pass the tests necessary to become an Auror. After that, it hadn't taken long for him to rise in ranks, as Harry had done, and Harry couldn't find a more qualified wizard or witch for the job. After all, they'd done so much together already; they worked perfectly as partners. Out of all the other Aurors, only one didn't seem pleased with Harry's decision, but that didn't stop Harry from appointing Ron his position.

"There's something else," Ron said out of the corner of his mouth. "I can hardly believe what I've heard, so I'll let you see—er, hear—for yourself. Maybe then we can see if I was just hearing things or not."

Yes, Ron was the best pick for the job, but it didn't mean that he was completely perfect at it.

Before they reached the holding cells, they were greeted by two other Aurors. They were both, to Harry's mind, well-trained and organized. Harry had just hired them only a year ago, and they're both quite prepared for any eventuality. Harry had no doubts that they'd wind up rising quickly in the ranks.

"Sir," Tyler McBroom said in a very professional voice. "There are developments."

"Already?" Harry said, eyebrows disappearing beneath his fringe.

The other Auror handed Harry a clipboard. "It's true, sir," he said. "It's confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that the dead wizard was named Wenford Warburton. There were no marks found on him, apart from a sharp blow to the head, which is said to have occurred when he landed on it after flying a few feet in the air."

Harry's gaze, which had been on the parchment on the clipboard, snapped up to meet the other Auror's eyes. "What are you saying, Mr Blackburn? That he was hit with the Killing Curse?"

"I'm afraid it seems that way, sir," McBroom answered. "And since you've said in your statement that you hadn't performed any Unforgiveables, we can only assume that it was your dueling partner that did it—Draco Malfoy."

"I'm not one bit surprised," Ron said. Harry didn't dare look over at his best friend; he didn't want to see the sneer that he was sure had formed on his freckled face.

Harry shook his head. "No—it can't be. I would have heard him pronounce the spell aloud, I'm sure of it."

"We can't rule it out, though, Harry," Ron said gently. "You know that as we got older, we were able to do spells wordlessly more and more—"

"Yeah, but—Malfoy?" Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses up on his face a bit. "I really don't think he'd do it in front of me, even if we were fighting side by side. Also, he was the one that discovered that Warburton was dead."

"Sounds fishy to me, though," Blackburn said. "Like maybe he was trying to cover his tracks by sounding innocent…"

"I'm not about to blame Malfoy for something without any real evidence," Harry snapped. "Let's just get back to the job at hand, for now."

"There's more, sir," McBroom said as they all made their way toward the cells. "The one we were trying to question, he – well, it's not easy to tell you now–"

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

McBroom and Blackburn shared a wary glance, and then McBroom said, "Er, I think we'll leave that to him to say…"

When Harry entered the holding cell, the man sitting restrained in a chair behind an old wooden table raised his head. His eyes were dark like tunnels, set within sunken sockets, and shadows beneath his eyes. His face was pockmarked and unshaven, with longer hairs blotted here and there. His hair was also dark, and slightly tangled, possibly more to do with the fight he was just in than any mistreatment.

The man's lip curled in disgust once his gaze met Harry's. "What's this?" he snarled. "I ask for Malfoy and I get Potter. Unacceptable! I'm not speaking until I see Draco Malfoy."

"He's not available," Harry said. "So I'm sorry to say you're stuck talking to me."

"I ain't talkin' then," the man said stubbornly. He avoided looking at anyone in the room, keeping his head turned away.

Harry sat on the chair opposite the Neo-Death Eater and leaned forward on his elbows on the wooden table. He decided to try being the Good Cop first. "Tell me your name."

He stayed in stony silence. Harry then looked up at the Aurors that joined him in the room.

McBroom understood his wordless question and answered, "I did look him up in our files, sir. His name's Plutarco Payne, and he's been a suspected Neo-Death Eater for the past year. You bringing him in now confirms our suspicion."

Harry turned back to the man. "Payne? Is that your name, then?"

Payne stayed silent. Instead of getting an answer from him, Harry was handed a manila folder by Blackburn. Harry leaned back in his chair and opened the folder. It had the man's moving profile pictures and stats. It said his name was Plutarco Uranus Payne, age forty-one; height: five foot seven; weight: a hundred and ninety-five pounds. It had other listed stats, like the make of his wand and his profession (his legit profession), and his birthplace.

Payne had been very careful, because there wasn't anything incriminating within his file. Nothing specifically pointed him to actually being a Neo-Death Eater. The only things they'd had was mere suspicion and one item that belonged to him that was found after one of the Neo-DE scares a year ago. That item was wrapped in plastic and shrunk within the folder. With a wave of his wand, Harry returned it to its original size. He then tossed it on the table between them.

"I believe this belongs to you?" Harry said.

Payne still ignored him. He glanced at the item, but didn't react. His gaze quickly moved away to stare at the wall again.

"I'm sure it's yours," Harry continued. "Because not only does it have your fingerprints all over it, but your initials: PUP. Or does that stand for something else?"

Payne continued to ignore him.

"Might it be, sir," Blackburn said near Harry's ear, "that we wait until Malfoy is here. We might learn more then."

"Allow me to loosen his tongue, Harry," Ron supplied as he brandished his wand at Payne. "Unless he's willing to speak, that is."

Harry brought a hand up to still Ron's wand. "Let's not resolve to anything too rash right now. We'll only use force as a last resort, and even then we'll use a Truth Potion, not torture."

Ron slowly put his wand away, reluctantly, but he kept his glare on Payne.

Harry tried a few more tactics, but he was clearly not getting anywhere. He didn't want to resort to being the Bad Cop, because he had a feeling that whatever he did wouldn't work. Besides, he was curious as to what would happen when Malfoy did show up.

"I suppose we have no choice but to wait until Malfoy arrives." Harry stood and faced his Aurors. "What of the other two we've brought in?"

McBroom had the others' files in his hands, seemingly having anticipated Harry's request. He opened the first one and said, "Unfortunately, sir, they're not speaking either. One is called Severin Stadler, whom we'd known from before"—Stadler had been spotted as one of the Neo-Death Eaters during the last terrorist attack, but had been in hiding ever since—"and the other is Zadek Fogg, another one we had only suspected but weren't sure."

There wasn't much more they could do for the moment, so Harry ordered that Payne be locked up with the others. He left for his office to wait there for a fire call from Ginny. When Al got home, she would alert him and they'd all go see James in the hospital. As he waited, however, Harry wrote to Malfoy, explaining the situation in as few words as possible. Harry also let Malfoy know that he wanted Malfoy to wait until he came back to the office before seeing Payne, and that he'd be at the hospital to see his son.

He'd just sent the owl along when Blackburn knocked on his door. Harry bid him to enter. Blackburn then sat on the guest sofa located on the right of the doorway and he crossed his arms and legs.

"Sir, I don't think you should wait," he said immediately upon seating himself. "I think you should have Malfoy brought in."

Harry turned away from the fireplace and stared at Blackburn in some shock. "You mean arrest him?"

"If you wish to put it so bluntly, yes."

Harry came over to the other side of his desk and leaned back on it, almost as if he were sitting. "I don't think that's necessary. He'll be here soon, I'm sure, and then we shall see just why Payne wishes to see him."

"I have a feeling I already know," Blackburn said.

Harry crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Do tell, Mr Blackburn."

It would seem that Blackburn wasn't as intimidated by Harry's stare as most in his employ, or any others that worked at the Ministry. It always made Harry wonder if Blackburn came from a Slytherin family, or if he were just made of sterner stuff, thanks to the last Wizarding War. Many that Harry knew that had that kind of stature usually were those that were war veterans.

Without blinking, Blackburn said, "I think Malfoy's part of it."

Harry sighed heavily. "Look, I've been over this before, and believe me when I say that I have no doubts that Malfoy isn't even remotely linked to this new Death Eater gang. I have suspected him before, if you recall—"

"I know, sir," Blackburn said. "But don't you think maybe he's just that slippery?"

"I can't convict him on the speculation of others," Harry enforced. "And anyway, my gut doesn't buy it. I honestly can't see Malfoy being involved with the Neo-Death Eaters, no matter what anyone else says."

"But, sir—you have to consider it. I mean, isn't that what Weasley said, and he is your second in command…"

"Doesn't matter," Harry said. He walked round and sat in his chair. He was willing to get at least a bit more paperwork done before his wife fire called him. "I'm sticking by my gut feeling, and right now it's telling me that Malfoy's innocent."

"No disrespect or anything, sir, but I don't think listening to your feelings on this is going to get us anywhere…"

Harry's glare intensified, and this time Blackburn did flinch. "Get out of my office, Mr Blackburn, and tell Ron I need to speak with him."

Blackburn opened his mouth as if he were about to protest or have the last word, but decided not to in the end and left Harry's office.

Minutes later, Ron entered looking somewhat amused.

"Blimey, Harry," he said, sitting where Blackburn had just sat, "what did you say to Blackburn that made him look that way?"

"What way?" Harry asked.

"Like a stormcloud ready to wreck havoc on the nearest beach party. He was all red in the face and had barked out my surname like I wasn't his superior or something."

Harry sighed. "Well, let's just say that we had a bit of a disagreement about something, and he doesn't like that I'm not taking his advice."

"Is this about Malfoy?"

"How'd you guess?" Harry said with slight sarcasm.

"Just a hunch," Ron said, shrugging. "Honestly, Harry, I wouldn't just toss out the idea that Malfoy could be involved. I mean I know that your instincts are usually correct—and I should know seeing how long we've been working together—but it is possible that Malfoy might be helping them…"

"I know you'd think that, and probably the majority working in the Ministry would think that, but something's telling me not to buy it. It just doesn't smell right, you know? For one thing, why would Malfoy help me ward off the Neo-Death Eaters back in Diagon Alley if he was one of them? Secondly, why help save my son's life? And third, I highly doubt he'd risk being involved in anything remotely dangerous because of his family. No, it just doesn't add up. We'll have to wait and see what Payne will say or do when Malfoy gets here."

Ron sighed and shook his head. "Well, I suppose there's no convincing you. I just hope for his sake that you're right."

"I'm hoping for my sake—and my son's—that I'm right, too."

.-.

After Albus came home, Ginny immediately fire called Harry. Ron had just left Harry's office when she did. He wanted to tell her everything that happened during work, but she told him to wait until after their visit. Albus and Lily were coming with, and Al wished that Scorpius could have come with too, but the parents didn't want to wait any longer.

Harry used the Floo Network to go home first, so that they could use Side-Along with the children. Harry took Al and Ginny took Lily.

Albus didn't like the feeling of Apparition. He knew he was safe when Dad took him along, but he still didn't like the sensations it left behind. His lungs always felt so compressed during it, and then he'd be suddenly gasping for air the moment they reappeared somewhere. It wasn't his favorite feeling. It always felt as if he'd almost drowned.

"Sorry, I know you don't like it," Dad apologized softly afterwards. "But it is the quickest way here, besides using the Floo Network, and I'd rather avoid doing that more times than necessary."

"It's fine, Dad," Al said. He understood that Dad didn't like using Floo Powder too often, unless he knew it was necessary to do so more than once. For the longest time, while James had been a baby, Mum had told him that Dad used to always fly to work, but that got to be troublesome too, but in different ways.

Mum and Lily arrived seconds later beside them, and together they were off to the visitor's entrance.

They already knew where James was being kept, thanks to Ron. When they entered the ward, it was to find that Hermione and Rose were still there. Rose had fallen asleep on a nearby cot and Hermione was sitting on the other side in a chair, knitting. When she heard the door to the room open, she paused and looked up. She was relieved to see them, and stood to give Ron a big hug. Then she hugged Harry.

"How is he?" Harry asked.

"Stable," she said. "I'm sure he'll be fine in no time."

"Thanks for watching over him," Ginny said, giving Hermione a hug.

"Not a problem," Hermione said, hugging back. "I just sit here and knit. If anything happened, I'd have let you both know straightaway."

Albus went over to the hospital bed. James looked so still, and was so quiet, that it was hard to believe he was the same person. His breathing seemed steady, and his skin looked pink and healthy. Aunt Hermione was probably right; James should be fine soon.

They decided not to stay too long. Harry vowed to come back to see James again, and hopefully he'd be awake by then. Harry also had a talk with the main healer of the floor, asking some questions and so forth. They finally left, but this time via Floo Powder. The moment they got home, Harry needed to leave for work again and wait for Malfoy.

Albus went up to his room and began to write to Scorpius. He explained everything that happened, and at the risk of sounding somewhat whiny, he also mentioned—slightly—that he missed him. Al was sure that Scorpius would be understanding in that and that he wouldn't make fun.

.-.

Only minutes after Harry was back in his office and at his desk, his door burst open and in strolled Draco Malfoy. Harry stood to greet him.

"What's this I hear about a Neo-Death Eater asking to see me?" Malfoy said upon entering. "I assure you, Potter, that I don't know anyone personally that's in that wannabe gang."

"I know you're innocent," Harry said. "I've been trying to tell everyone here that very thing, but not everyone shares my point of view."

"Then they're not worth my time," Malfoy said. "Nor are they worth yours. They're a bunch of idiots, is what they are."

"Well, you can't blame them for being suspicious. You have a record, after all—"

"What record?" Malfoy sneered. "You helped clear that up, if I remember correctly. I don't have any sort of criminal record of any kind, and they know it. They're just looking to blame someone, and—"

"—and thanks to this Neo-Death Eater, you're even more of a suspect."

Malfoy nodded and then sat on the sofa. Harry sat back down at his desk and busied himself with straightening some parchments and folders that still lay strewn pell-mell on top of his desk. A few silent moments passed before either of them spoke.

"Would you like some tea?" Harry asked. He'd never had Malfoy stay this long in his office before; then again, he hadn't had much conversation with Malfoy either, and with much civility.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt – I've had the office's tea before, and although it isn't on par with your son's brewing, it'll have to do."

Harry waved his wand immediately when he heard Draco give his answer, but then was somewhat startled to hear Draco admitting that he liked how Al made tea better than the tea supplied by the Ministry. The teacups flew from the other side of the room, from where the breakroom was located, and onto Harry's desk. Because he was a bit startled, some of the tea sloshed about and spilled onto a few scattered parchments. "Damn it," he growled and waved his wand again to clear up the mess.

"Very smooth, Potter," Malfoy said, chuckling. Harry rolled his eyes, opting not to comment, and handed Malfoy his cup and saucer. "Ta," Malfoy said and sipped. Then he made a slight face. "Yes, I would prefer a cuppa at your house, I think."

"It could be arranged," Harry said. "Well, you know that Al would like it if you visited again."

"This is true," Malfoy said. "I'm idolized by many young Slytherins, so it's only natural that your son would too."

"Still rather full of yourself, aren't you?" Harry chuckled. He sipped his own tea and made a disgusted face. "Ugh, who's been making this stuff? It tastes like bog water."

"I could look into it for you," Malfoy said. "Have someone more experienced and reliable in making the tea."

"I don't know," Harry said, but he was considering it. It had been a while since the office had decent tea. "How about you find out who makes it first, and then report it to me? I could take it from there."

"Oh please," Malfoy said with a small eyeroll. "You're too soft on them sometimes, Potter. You should let me take care of it. With me in charge, you know it'll get done. If you try to choose someone to make the tea, you could make the situation worse. Allow me to do this one thing for you, if nothing else."

It was hard for Harry not to refuse, and so he didn't. He gave Malfoy the go-ahead to get someone else to make the tea.

Another moment of silence passed, and neither could think of what else to say. They could no longer avoid what had to be done, so Harry suggested they go and see that Neo-Death Eater called Payne.

As they walked together toward the holding cell, quite a few heads turned to watch them. Most were surprised by the sight, and some looked wary. Harry had a feeling that the latter was more aimed at Malfoy than him.

Harry was then greeted by other Aurors when he arrived at the door to the cell. Inside, Plutarco Payne was still being held and interrogated, but none were accomplishing anything. Volney Blackburn, Tyler McBroom, and Xuthus Ghostley were the Aurors that tried to get Payne to talk but without success.

"I told them to wait for you," Ron said the moment Harry and Malfoy walked up. "But they wouldn't listen…"

"I listened," McBroom protested as he left the holding cell. "But I figured that if the others could do it, then I thought maybe I would give it a shot as well."

"I was only doing what I thought was right, sir," Ghostley said. "I thought I should do my job…"

"Me too, sir," Blackburn said. "I thought the job of an Auror was to catch Dark Wizards, and what better way to get as many as possible but by finding out where they're stationed."

Harry gestured a hand to ask for silence, and to show he wished to speak, and everyone obeyed. "It's fine, I understand your positions, but you really should've waited until I came back with Malfoy. He is the wizard Payne still wishes to see, isn't he?"

"Yes, sir," McBroom said. "But we've taken a vote and decided that you shouldn't be in there alone with Payne and Malfoy…"

"I see no danger in it," Harry said at once. "Payne has no wand on him, and he's still tied up."

"Yes, that's true," Blackburn said. "But Malfoy still has his wand, and he's not tied up."

Malfoy glared at the Auror, but Blackburn kept his gaze on Harry.

"Malfoy is not one of them," Harry said. "I have nothing to fear from him."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Blackburn said softly, but Harry ignored him.

The second Harry opened the cell door and they all stepped in, Payne's body shook and his eyes went wide and wild, almost as if he were about to have a fit.

"That's him, that's him!" Payne cried out. He tried to stand from his chair, but the ropes around him wouldn't allow him. "That's the one that ordered the attack on Potter!"

Blackburn, Ghostley, and Ron trained their wands on Malfoy, about to cast a spell, but Harry immediately took out his own wand and pointed it in warning toward them. The words died immediately on their lips and they lowered their wands.

"Don't even think about it," Harry growled. "No one is arresting Draco without my say so, understand?"

At the sound of his first name, Draco raised a surprised eyebrow and stared at Harry. He wasn't too surprised by Potter's defense, but it wasn't very often he'd hear his name slip from his lips.

"But, sir, Payne just said—"

"Do you honestly want to take the word of this terrorist?" Harry argued. "Or will you obey my orders?"

Immediately McBroom, Ghostley, and Ron put their wands away. Blackburn, however, kept his out and looked to be debating whether to raise it again or not.

"Do you have a problem with my orders, Mr Blackburn?" Harry said, eyes glinting.

"But, Malfoy was named—"

"Why, then, didn't Payne just come out and say that Malfoy was part of them instead of waiting for him to be here?"

"Because," Payne said urgently, "I wasn't too sure if it was Malfoy that I saw or not –" he cringed when Harry rounded on him, holly wand pointing straight at his face.

"I think you're lying," Harry said, slamming his left hand down on the table. "You're trying to lay suspicion on someone else so that you'll either get off scot free or so your sentence in prison is shortened."

"Well, let's hear from Malfoy, then," Ron said. "He's oddly quiet during all this, isn't he?"

Harry turned then and stared at Malfoy. "Yeah, don't you have anything to say in your defense at all, Malfoy?"

"You're doing just fine on your own, Potter," Malfoy said. "My sincerest congratulations. And if you all must hear it straight from my mouth, then I shall say it: I am not, nor will I ever be, a Neo-Death Eater."

"Of course he's lying to you," Payne said hysterically.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Payne," Harry said. "You've been proven to be part of the Neo-Death Eater gang, but Malfoy hasn't."

"That could be because he's a slippery snake," Ron said. He moved around as if to block Draco's escape route, keeping his eyes on him. "He may have learned a thing or two about spying from old Snape…"

"Snape was shown to be a true hero, Ron," Harry reminded his friend. "So by what you're saying, if Snape had taught Malfoy a few things, then it probably wasn't anything bad."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Payne mumbled. Harry threw him a warning glare and Payne went back to staring at the wall.

"Well, what are we to do, sir?" McBroom asked. "Should we arrest Malfoy or not?"

"Not," Harry said at once. "I can vouch for him."

"Thank you, Potter," Draco said, inclining his head slightly.

"Don't be fooled," Payne said. "He's just playing on your emotions."

Harry waved a dismissive hand toward Payne. "Lock him up and have one of the others brought in."

"Yes, sir," Ghostley said, and with the help of two other lower ranked Aurors, they were able to haul Payne away.

"I still think Malfoy should join them in the cells," Blackburn said.

"And I think you should watch your fat gob," Malfoy sneered. "Before you lose it."

"He's threatening me!" Blackburn exclaimed. "That's got guilt written all over it!"

"Why you—" Malfoy snarled, grabbing Blackburn by his shirt front.

"Now calm down, you two," Harry said, pushing them apart. "We shouldn't let our forces become divided now. That's what Payne was trying to do. We're stronger when we're all together on this, remember."

"Like – like back when we were at school," Ron said, eyeing Harry peculiarly. "We stand a better chance if we're all working together. Even with the… ugh… Slytherins."

Malfoy raised his nose a bit higher in the air at that. "I'm proud to have been a Slytherin, I'll have you know – and I'm sure that Albus Potter is proud too."

Harry nodded, lips pursed, and Ron frowned slightly, glowering.

"I guess…" Ron finally said. "Still, doesn't mean that I have to fully trust you."

Malfoy shrugged one shoulder. "Go ahead and mistrust me all you like. It's your choice. But I'll wager that Potter is right in placing his trust in me, and I'm sure that others will follow Potter in his decision. So who are you going to trust more, Weasley: Potter, your best mate, or that piece of Neo-Death Eater scum Payne?"

Ron's face turned all sorts of reds and purples during Draco's little speech, and when the last question was put to him, Ron's eyes stayed fierce but most of the fight went out of him. His shoulders sagged and his breathing regulated.

Instead of addressing Malfoy, he turned to Harry and said, "All right, I guess I have no choice but to trust your judgment, Harry. But believe me when I say that if Malfoy crosses the line even a little bit, I won't hold back."

"I appreciate your trust in me, Ron," Harry said, "but don't do anything to Malfoy unless I give the order to. Is that clear?"

Not only was Harry Ron's best mate, but he was also his boss. He didn't like it, but he had to consent to Harry's orders.

"Ta, Potter," Malfoy said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own job to see to."

Malfoy left the holding cell area with a bit of swagger. Ron rolled his eyes and sighed. "Still full of himself." He then turned to Harry. "I hope that you're right in trusting him, mate. I would hate to have to say that I told you so."

"I would hate it even more," Harry replied.

.-.

The very next day Harry, Ginny, Albus, Lily, Hermione, Rose, and Ron went to St Mungo's again to see James. The latter was finally sitting up in bed and eating lunch when they arrived.

There was something off about the way James was carrying himself when he saw them. Albus couldn't quite put his finger on it, though. James hid it very well when the others were there, talking and laughing with him. It was a big relief to see that James was going to be fine, and that it wouldn't be much longer until he was released. But Al could still sense some kind of change in his elder brother.

They brought James up on some happenings. Harry didn't mention anything about what the Neo-Death Eater said, not wanting to worry his family, or even Al for that matter. Lily told James how her tadpoles were now becoming fully fledged frogs, and that they would probably be mating very soon (the latter was something James really didn't want to know), and Rose was blabbing again about the latest book on magical mergings she'd been reading. James was actually listening very politely, which Al filed away in his brain for later.

Visiting hours were soon over with before they knew it. Everyone took their turns saying goodbye to James, hugging or kissing him. Lily and Rose only patted him lightly on the shoulder, and Al was going to do the same, but James surprised him by gripping his forearm in a manly shake. Albus liked this sudden change in attitude, but he didn't say anything to James about it in case it made James revert back to his old self. In about a day or two, James would be free to go home.

Once everyone was back at the Potter Abode, the kids converged into Al's room to talk.

"Was it just me," Al said immediately, "or did James seem… different?"

"It wasn't just you," Rose said. "I've noticed it too. He seemed more… how should I say…?"

"Less annoying?" Lily supplied.

"There's that," Rose agreed. "I was also thinking that a lot of his swagger was gone. Although, it might not last very long."

"True," Al said. "Once James is out of hospital he'll probably be back to his arrogant, annoying self."

"That attack might have made quite the effect on him, though," Lily said. "Maybe he won't be as… as brave anymore."

"If not, I'm sure he'll get over it," Al said. "Especially once he starts hanging around his friends again. Then again, most of James's friends seem to follow his lead, so if he changes…"

"Then his friends might change," Rose finished for him. "Hmm, is that a good or bad thing?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Al said.

After a while, they went downstairs to eat dinner. Rose was able to stay over for a few days if she wished, since both parents were going to be busy. Almost immediately after they ate their dessert, Lily dragged Rose outside to show her the tadpoles, which were no longer tadpoles.

"Aren't they cute?" she nearly squealed, jumping in her excitement. "I simply adore froggies."

"Yes, they're… er, yeah, very cute," Rose said politely. She wasn't much for slimy animals like frogs or salamanders. She liked the more fluffy and cuddly ones, likes cats or bunnies. But she also liked the stronger, handy ones, like horses and dogs.

"I'm thinking about keeping one for myself, but I can't decide on which, because they're so cute."

"Er…" Rose said.

"It's a toss up between these three," Lily said, pointing to each one in turn. "That's Hopper, that's Slimer, and that's Tongue."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Tongue?"

"Oh, good choice, Rose!" Lily said, beaming. She picked up the little green frog and its throat sac expanded as it croaked. "Yeah, I think I'll choose Tongue! He's the sweetest out of the whole bunch. Hopper would just get too much into things, with his hopping and such, and Slimer would probably just lay there and be all slimy and slime things."

"Uh-huh…" Rose said slowly.

"Don't you think Tongue's adorable?" Lily asked, sticking the frog in Rose's face. "Look at his cute, big eyeballs! And his long, suction-y toes. So cute!"

"Uh, yeah… very," she said. The frog—Tongue—stuck out his long tongue then and licked its own eyeball. "Ugh…" she convulsed. "Uh, well, just where do you expect to keep it? Don't frogs need a special cage or something?"

"Already got a place for him," Lily said, grinning. "Mum helped me set it up after I asked her about it. She's fine with it as long as I don't forget to feed it and such."

"So what're you going to do with the others?" Rose asked, curious. That was all she was, of course – just curious.

"Well, they'll be fine on their own here in the pond. They'll be free…"

"But wouldn't Tongue be happier living in the pond?" Rose asked. "I mean you'll still get to see him around and everything."

"Yeah, but I could raise Tongue as a familiar – an animal companion, I mean. I wouldn't mind getting an owl or cat, of course, but I want something else first before that."

Rose still didn't understand why Lily had to have a pet frog live in a cage in the house, but if it made Lily happy…

Once they were back inside, Rose followed Lily up to her room and watched her place Tongue into its new habitat. The little frog just sat there for a bit before realizing that it was free of Lily's clutches and it slowly made its way toward a branch.

"Isn't he just darling?" Lily said, eyes shining and cheeks bursting with colour.

Rose had been in Lily's room plenty of times, so she was already used to the décor. Lily had semi-neutral colour scheme going on, with mostly white, yellow, green and purple happening. There was some pink and red going on here and there, but thankfully not over-done. Lily owned a few stuffed animals, which she kept either on her bed or in those animal hammocks up by the corners of the ceiling. She had a small bookshelf filled mainly with books on animals, she had animal figurines, and she also had a few potted plants on the opposite side of her bed. Rose wondered which Lily really liked better: animals or plants.

"Er, yeah," Rose said. "Well, what are you going to do once you do get an owl or cat? Are you still keeping Tongue?"

"Well…" Lily frowned in concentration. "I guess… I mean if Tongue is still doing well and, you know… not that anything will happen to Tongue, of course. He'll be fine."

"You're not worried that maybe your new pet might try to… you know… eat Tongue?"

Lily looked worried, but then she brushed it off as if it wasn't that big of a deal. "Nah, I'm sure they'll get on splendidly. But, well… maybe I should get a cat, then. Cats don't eat frogs, right?"

"I don't think so…" At least, Rose was sure that cats didn't eat frogs, but she could be mistaken.

"Good, then that's what I'll get," Lily said, smiling now.

Rose left Lily alone with her new pet and went to be with Albus again. She didn't mind Lily that much; she was less annoying than Hugo. But the thing about Albus was that he understood her better. He actually got her. If she was in the mood to just sit and read or study, then Al would be totally fine with it and just do his own thing quietly. And if she wanted to talk, he was there for her too.

She knocked on his door, even though she really didn't need to, but it was still common courtesy. She heard him tell her to come in in a hasty tone and she did.

When she'd walked in she saw that he was just putting something away in his magically extented box that he'd got from Rose's Mum. She'd noticed the slight panic in his eyes for a few seconds and then it was gone as he locked his box.

"Oh, it's just you, Rose," he said in relief. "For a second I thought it was Mum."

Rose had a feeling that he was hiding something, but she wasn't sure if she should say anything about it. They were pretty close, and they shared practically everything. Albus did show her his Invisibility Cloak, which only he, Scorpius, and Uncle Harry knew about, as far as she knew. Whatever it was that he was hiding now couldn't be something as important as his Cloak, surely. Still, it did sting a bit that he didn't seem to trust her enough with whatever it was.

So instead of staying quiet, like she'd normally do, she said, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Al said, his poker face firmly in place. She recognized that look. No one else in the family knew that look.

"You're hiding something," she said.

"Who me?"

"Yes, you," she said more determinedly. "And I don't like it."

"No, really I'm not—"

"I hate it when you lie to me, Al, you know that," she expounded. "Almost as much as I hate it when you hide things from me."

"Yes I know, but—"

"Why don't you trust me?" she said, feeling a bit more put out about it now that she was voicing it. She moved closer to him. "You showed me your Cloak, right? So why's this other thing even more of a secret? Is it illegal?"

"No, of course not!" Albus gasped. "I wouldn't own something that wasn't legal."

"Then why won't you show it to me?"

"Because I swore—" he paused, realizing he was starting to get riled up, and for no reason. He took a few calming breaths. "Look, I understand why you're feeling this way, but I promised not to show it to anyone."

"Does Scorpius know about it?"

Al sighed and stared down at his desk top. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, he knows…"

"Then why won't you tell me about it? Or have you forgotten all about me now that you have your shiny new Slytherin friends?"

"Wha—no, of course I haven't forgotten about you, Rose!"

"Then why can't you trust me? I promise I won't tell anyone. I won't tell any of my friends either, really. Please, Al, you can trust me."

"I—I know I can…" Bit by bit, Al's resolve was crumbling. He really had no reason not to trust Rose, they've done so much together growing up. He had trusted her with practically everything ever since they were very little. Rose was like the sister he'd never had. Lily was fine, of course, as far as sisters go, but Rose was special; she just got him. Whenever he wasn't in the mood to talk or do much, she understood. They would do their homework together, or study silently together, and if he had any problems he almost always went to her. The other times he'd gone to Dad.

In a few short moments, Al finally made up his mind. He decided to show Rose the book.

He took out his wand, tapped his Magical Box, and Summoned it. The book flew up into his hand, and without saying a word he handed it to Rose. She took it immediately, almost afraid of him changing his mind and snatching it back. She was also slightly afraid of what it was that made him want to hide such a book.

She read the title on the cover to herself first, her eyebrows climbing up her forehead, then she read it aloud, "Why the Dark Arts Are Misinterpreted So Often and How to Best Use Them? Seriously, Al? This is what was so secret?"

Albus was a little surprised by Rose's seemingly nonchalance. "What do you mean – I thought it was obvious as to why I've been keeping it a secret."

"From others, yes. From me, no. You know that I won't tell anyone if you ever get a book about the Dark Arts."

Al shrugged and scuff his heel against the carpet nervously. "Well… I wasn't so sure. I mean, Mr Malfoy asked me not to tell anyone, so I figured he'd meant anyone…"

"But Scorpius – you told him."

"He was there when I got it," Al said tersely. "Besides, he said that he had a copy of this book too."

"You're telling him everything first, and I don't know if I like it."

Albus was slightly abashed. She was right; he had been kind of neglecting her. "I'm really sorry, Rosie. Honest I am."

Her serious demeanor faded almost at once. She smiled. "You're forgiven. Next time maybe you should tell me as well as Scorpius? Or maybe you could try telling us at the exact same time?"

"It would be rather hard to do, seeing how we're in different houses."

"Then tell me straight away after you tell him," she said. "Or something. Just don't keep me out of the loop anymore, all right?"

"All right," Al said, and they shared a smile.

"Good. Now then, how much of this have you read?"

"Nearly all of it, but I've been mostly just scanning it whenever I've got the time. It's not easy to find some alone time around here, er, sometimes."

"I hear you," she said. "But, you know, what we could do… that is, if you want… is we could disguise the cover of your book. That way you could have it out more."

"Disguise it?" Al said, intrigued. "How?"

"With a spell, of course," she said, and then she took out her wand. "Allow me to demonstrate…"

Before his eyes, the cover on the book had completely changed. His mouth hung open, his eyes wide. The bindings on it looked brand new, and there was no wore edges or frayed corners. The title on it now said: Enlargement Magic and Runes: a study guide, by Bertram Aubrey.

"I… I don't believe… wow, you've got to teach me that spell!"

"I definitely will, cuz. Now then, here's your book back. You can read it safely now, because everyone will think you're reading about magic and runes that grow things."

"What do I say when they ask me about it?"

Rose pursed her lips in thought. "Well… you could say that you're trying to find a way to get taller."

"Very funny."

TBC