19 Years (HP - Drarry)

Chapter 34: The Plot Thickens

Tilly smirked. "Are you surprised?"

Scorpius turned to Al, relieved to see his horror mirrored in Al's green eyes. "No," they both said emphatically. Sasha giggled.

"Actually", Tilly said, ignoring them, "your mums might be helpful too."

Scorpius considered this, then looked at Al, who nodded. "Yeah, it's true. They might even agree to it."

Ivan, who'd been watching quietly as usual, spoke up then. "What about Luna?"

"Luna Lovegood?" Tilly asked.

"Do you think she'd come?" Scorpius added.

Ivan nodded. "She'd come. She's my godmother, you know."

"Well," Al said slowly, "she'd certainly provide a unique perspective."

Scorpius snorted and shoved him.

"She could help us with this too," Al said, tapping the book on magical plant breeding they'd abandoned in frustration earlier, after their unproductive visit with Neville.

Scorpius nodded. "That's true. Pansy and Hermione might be helpful with that too."

"But..." Sasha frowned. "How do we get them here?"

They stared at one another, pondering. A knock on their doorframe interrupted the heavy silence a moment later.

"Enter!" Al called.

Teddy ducked under the beaded curtain, looking not the least surprised to find the five of them inside, as usual - though, Scorpius thought grumpily, if he'd checked a few hours earlier, he'd have found them in the greenhouse. Obscenely early on a Saturday morning. So if he was going to tell them to go outside again...

"Albus? Scorpius? I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," Teddy said, face stern and serious. Ivan squeaked.

"What did we do?" Scorpius asked, grumpiness replaced with worry.

Teddy rolled his eyes and a shadow of his usual grin escaped. "I'm meeting with Neville and Minerva in a few minutes, about your fathers, and I thought you might like to join us." He turned to look at the others, stern expression back in place. "Actually, you may as well all come. There's also the small matter of your 'slumber parties.'"

They all gulped. "Yes, Professor," Sasha said, biting her lip. Only Tilly didn't seem particularly concerned as they made their silent way through the castle to the Headmaster's office.

Al's fidgeting got more pronounced as they went, and he'd graduated to alternately twirling his wand and scrunching and unscrunching his sleeve by the time they got to the spiral staircase.

Scorpius, fearing Al would accidentally hex one of them, or, barring that, simply rumple the fabric of his robe in his sweaty palms so much that even the house-elves wouldn't be able to restore it, slipped his hand quietly into Al's. As expected, Al froze, which, though slightly awkward, at least stopped the fidgeting. After a few turns of the stair, during which Scorpius applied firm, even pressure to Al's hand, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the link, he felt Al relax. Scorpius didn't drop his hand.

Teddy turned to them with a piercing look and opened his mouth, but the stair deposited them at the Headmaster's door before he could say anything, and they were all distracted by the distinctive sounds of a heated argument taking place behind the door.

Teddy rolled his eyes as he reached for the knocker. "I swear," he muttered, "they are such children! I leave them alone for five bloody minutes..."

The door swung open, cutting off his words, and they all stared at the spectacle of Professor McGonagall shouting at Headmaster Longbottom - Scorpius couldn't think of him as Neville, not in his office - and attempting to hit him over the head with what looked like a scone.