Draco reclines with a happy sigh, watching Scorpius struggle with his tent.
"Sure you don't want help?"
"Bugger off."
Potter's shoulders shake in silent laughter, only barely managing to stay neutral. He's seated beside Draco, also enjoying Scorpius's insistence that he can do this the Muggle way, thank you very much.
Potter's tent has already been put up, because Teddy is not so bloody headstrong.
"Might be time to call it quits," Teddy says. He's standing up, which gives the illusion of helping, but so far, Scorpius has only let him read the instructions. "Gran taught me a spell that'll have it up in seconds.
"Give the boy a chance," Blaise protests, the last of their motley crew at the moment. He blows over his mug of coffee to cool it, a wide grin on his face. "He's barely had time to get a hang of it."
The sun is now tipping over into the west portion of the sky, which means they've been watching for over an hour.
"Thank you, Uncle Blaise. I'm sure I've nearly got it."
Then, Scorpius sneezes, and he drops the top edge of the fabric into a heap on the grass once more.
They are not the only ones putting up tents — they aren't even the only ones with party members set on doing it sans magic — but they are the only ones whom everybody seems to be watching from afar, confusion and captivation clear on their faces.
He's glad the reporters aren't paying them any attention yet. Well, except for Luna, anyway. She'd snapped a few pictures of Scorpius's progress throughout the day, but right now she's busy interviewing the other people on the moor, asking why they're here, and encouraging them to stay for the evening, rather than leaving after the press conference.
"There!" Scorpius declares, finally satisfied.
He's looped one pole through the fabric.
"Done?" Teddy asks hopefully.
"Don't be ridiculous. We're just getting started."
"You tell him, boy!" Blaise chortles. Then, in a lower voice to Potter, "You know, I've always been a huge fan of art."
Draco rolls his eyes. Here we go.
"Oh?" says Potter. He doesn't sound nearly wary enough.
"If you're flirting," Draco interrupts, "you'd better up your ante. Else he's not going to notice."
"Got experience with that, do you?"
Draco snorts, but Potter looks scandalised. "I don't need experience to know flirting with you is out of his repertoire," Draco says.
Blaise beams, and he throws Potter a wink. "I'm a very good teacher. I could have you up to speed in no time."
"Er..." says Potter. "No, thank you."
Draco can barely hold back his laughter, so he has to distract himself from it. "Shouldn't the press conference be starting soon?" he asks, loudly enough that the boys can hear.
"Blast it!" Scorpius says, then lets out a string of swears so creative, Draco's disappointed his mother isn't around to hear them. "Yes, all right, I'm going."
He throws down the remnants of the tent, and Teddy sighs in relief, raising his wand.
"Don't you even think about it," Scorpius warns before stalking off.
They follow him towards the edge of the river, where he arranged for the Wallygagglers to meet them. The Wallygagglers wanted to stay on their side, and the witches and wizards would do the same, but this would be the first real look the wizarding world got of the species, proof that they were real, and a chance for the Wallygagglers to speak their minds.
There are more people here than Draco realised. Actually, the place is swimming with people.
Rose Weasley isn't too far away from him, and he can see the unrestricted awe on her face. Granger and Weasley flank her on either side, with a teenage boy who looks like another one of their brood in front of them.
Not too far away, he spots Astoria, her sister Daphne, and Pansy whispering amongst themselves. He thinks he even sees Hagrid near the back. In any case, North Moor is packed.
"Er..." says Scorpius. He's cast a charm to make his voice loud enough for the whole audience to hear, and the chatter dulls to a low buzz for him to speak.
"As you all know, we're here to visit the Wallygagglers of North Moor. For many of you, you'll be seeing an until-now unrecognised magical species for the first time. Now the Wallygagglers want to speak to you all, and we hope you plan to listen, but we ask that you please refrain from speaking back to them directly. Best protocol is to keep quiet so you don't accidentally make a deal you don't understand."
This causes a small bout of protests to rise, but Scorpius waves his hands to calm them down, and almost everyone quiets again.
"Thank you. This is the point where I inform you that large gatherings on this site are strictly forbidden by the Ministry, if you didn't already know. The waters nearby contain dangerous amounts of magical castoff, something which could prove harmful and even — in rare cases — fatal, if directly interacted with. You'll learn more about that soon. We ask that you please stay safe, and if you don't leave now, your name will be added to this contract" — he holds up a roll of parchment that Granger had spent hours perfecting — "agreeing that we are not at fault if you are injured in any way by the water or the Wallygagglers, and that it is your choice to be here against the Ministry's direction."
He waits for a long minute. Draco doesn't hear any pops of Disapparition.
Scorpius grins.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening is spent just as planned — for the most part. Everyone takes Scorpius's direction very seriously, except for one woman who tries to cross the narrow stream midway through the Wallygaggler's address and has to be escorted away by Weasley and a few of his Auror partners.
The frost fairies come out, twinkling in the trees surrounding the moor, which means it must have just dipped below freezing.
There are reporters present from all major wizarding publications, photographing the scene, spinning stories about how the Ministry has ignored the Wallygagglers for years. Everyone seems ecstatic.
He feels a spool of dread unwinding in his stomach.
"What's with the face?" Blaise asks.
Blaise and Potter are the only ones who haven't gone off in search of more fun activities. He thinks Scorpius and Teddy have a game of Exploding Snap going, but he's not paid much attention to the rest.
"No face."
"There's a face," Potter agrees. He's keeping a close eye on the festivities, though his glasses are clouded with steam from his cider.
"It's nothing. Nothing. I just..." They both stay quiet, caught on his words, as he hesitates. Blaise, in particular, has always been good at getting people to admit things they don't want to. "Did Scorpius remind you of his grandfather this afternoon?"
There's a moment of silence before Blaise claps him on the shoulder. "Relax. So what if he's finally using a bit of that Malfoy genetics? He's got plenty of Astoria in him, so there's still hope."
"I know, I just..."
"Ope! Speaking of: incoming." Blaise stands swiftly, giving him another sharp knock on the arm. Draco spots Astoria storming their way. "Good luck with that, old man. Time to duck out. I'll see you in the morning."
"Bastard!" Draco calls after him. But, in a warning tone to Potter, he says, "You might want to run. That lovely woman coming our way is my ex-wife, and she doesn't look pleased."
"Too late for that, I would think."
"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Astoria seethes, stopping just short of where they've set up camp. "You are not letting our son sit in a soggy, freezing cold moor all night when he's sick!"
"Astoria, this is Harry Potter. Potter—"
"Shut the hell up. I'm not letting you use him as a distraction."
Well, there went that. "I'd never dream of it."
"Why is Scorpius here when he's got a cold?"
"Well, you see, my darling, he's been over the age of seventeen for quite a while now, which means that in the eyes of wizarding society—"
"Don't think I won't sic your mother on you. I could call her right now."
"She can't make Scorpius do anything either."
"Torturing you will be enough."
"Be that as it may, it doesn't resolve your issue. Could we get back to addressing that? I packed plenty of Pepper-Up."
"You think I couldn't tell that when he's steaming from the ears?"
"It means he's nice and warm, and he'll feel better in no time."
She's still glaring at him something fierce.
"What makes you think I have the power to control him?"
"You're both equally bloody stubborn and brainless; I figure that's helpful."
He scoffs. "If you think you can convince him to leave, be my guest. I won't interfere."
Her lips twist, and she taps her foot hard for a second before letting out a stark groan of relent. "Fine. Salazar. You're impossible."
He leans forward and extends a hand and, reluctantly, she takes it, giving him a squeeze.
"If Scorpius starts getting sicker, and I find out you didn't send him home—" she says.
"I'll have my head chopped off and sent straight to your door, love."
A bit of relief flickers in her eyes, and she pulls her hand away.
"Potter, now that she's not about to hex my balls off, may I introduce my ex-wife?"
Potter frowns at him, shifting forward in his seat and adjusting his glasses. "Erm ... sure?"
"Astoria, I assume you haven't heard of Harry Potter — he's a very minor celebrity in wizarding Australia — but he's got ever so big a head about it. You'll have to act awed if you don't want to offend him."
She purses her lips, then nods at Potter, barely disguising her sarcasm. "What an honour."
"Er ... you too."
She smiles far too pleasantly, then turns back to Draco and leans forward, taking his face between her palms, and patting him roughly on the cheek. It feels like more of a smack than anything else. "Best behaviour."
"Of course."
"I mean it about him getting sicker."
He makes sure he's meeting her eyes when he says. "Me too."
She nods. "Tell Blaise he's a coward."
"The second I see him."
"It was nice meeting you Mr ... Porter, was it?" she says, finally dropping Draco's face.
Potter doesn't seem to know what to make of this.
Astoria draws her wand from her sleeve and turns neatly on the spot, disappearing with a pop.
"So..." Potter says. He shakes his head like he can't quite believe what just happened. It's a look Draco's seen before. "That's Astoria."
"Yes."
"Is she always that protective?"
Draco shrugs. Smoke from a bonfire at the other end of the moor wafts towards them. "When it comes to Scorpius's health, yes."
He means it to end the conversation, but Potter says, "Why?" in such a soft, winsome voice that Draco has to look away.
Draco pretends to be focused on massaging the edge of his palm. His injuries from the Cruciatus Curse have been acting up again, since he stopped working on his prostheses. The cold, too, isn't helping. His fingers have gone stiff as the dead.
Draco isn't sure why the words come up, because he's never been brave enough to say them before. "Astoria has a blood malediction."
He doesn't have to look at Potter to know he's shocked. Draco doesn't give Potter time to ask the question he's sure is coming.
"We won't know if Scorpius inherited it until he starts exhibiting symptoms."
"Oh," Potter says quietly. "I'm sorry."
Had he wanted Potter's sympathy? If he had, this would be simpler. But Draco still doesn't know what he wants. Maybe he needs Potter to trust that Astoria is not as unpleasant as she seemed, or maybe Draco is still a foolish boy who thinks there's no problem too big for Harry Potter to tackle.
"We were always planning to separate eventually," Draco tells him. "It was just a matter of getting our children off to Hogwarts first. Because of her health, she could only carry Scorpius, so the marriage ended more quickly than planned."
"Fourteen years," Potter says. "That doesn't seem quick to me."
"It wouldn't. But when you're raising a child together" — he gestures vaguely — "it's nothing."
Draco sees Scorpius chasing the Granger-Weasley children across the tall grasses, weaving between tents. They're all so young.
Was Draco that young when he was twenty? Was anyone from his generation allowed to be?
He sees a figure walking towards them, a few figures, actually.
Granger, Weasley, Lavender, Parvati, Rolf, and Luna, it seems like ... all coming their way.
"Goodness," Granger says when they arrive, "it's cold over here, isn't it?" She's running her hands up and down her arms.
"We brought hot chocolate," Luna says brightly. "And we're going to go run an article header by the Wallygagglers, if you want to come."
He's sure he would have said no if it were anyone else asking, but Luna is so earnest that he pushes to his feet and follows them to the stream. Potter is not far behind.
On the walk, he grabs onto Scorpius's shoulder and steers him along with them. Teddy takes the initiative to follow after. Blaise must sense something more interesting is happening, because he catches Draco's eye and decides to leave the card game he's been locked in with a few strangers.
The hot chocolate cup, if nothing else, is keeping Draco's hand warm.
"Now, why's all the fun happening over here?" Blaise asks, slinging an arm around Draco's shoulder.
"Official Wallygaggler business."
"Thrilling."
"Unfortunately, you're not invited."
Predictably, Blaise says, "That's never stopped me before."
Granger conjures a fire at the edge of the stream, looking at Blaise dubiously.
He holds one hand to his heart and the other in front of him, palm out. "Only here to support animal welfare, madam, I swear it."
"You think you can do that without putting us in danger?" she asks.
"She means quietly," Draco supplies.
Blaise mimes zipping his lips. "Won't say a word."
They set about conjuring chairs for themselves and form a semi-circle facing the few Wallygagglers that gather on the other side. Luna chooses to sit directly on the grass, her woollen blue skirt fanning out around her.
"I've got this article I want to run by you," Luna says.
"By all means," says Click, while Pop mutters something under his breath that they cannot hear.
Luna clears her throat. "Wallygagglers and 'Wizen' — Working Together or Entering War Times? I used your word, see?"
Click's tusks quiver. "I do."
"For as long as most of us have been alive," Luna continues, "the Ministry has been under the Homunculus Curse, which dooms them to suffer from poor management."
Weasley looks delighted, and Blaise positively cackles.
" — Nowhere is this clearer than the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They've been failing to acknowledge the existence of certain magical species for years now, such as the Twisting Huskies, which—"
"Don't you want to help, girl?" Pop asks.
Luna blinks at him owlishly. "Of course."
"You're not getting anywhere with insults to your government, and, and—"
Click interrupts him. "Now, hold on—" he makes a popping noise. "We haven't heard the whole article."
Pop squints at them. "Do we need to?"
Very quietly, Granger says, "Probably not."
"Hmmph. That's what I thought." And Pop clomps away.
Click gives them a warm, apologetic look. "A second try, perhaps? We'll reconvene in the morning."
He gathers the other Wallygagglers and nods to the wizards before ushering them away.
"I thought it was brilliant," says Weasley, once they're gone.
Luna smiles vaguely. "There's more, if you'd all like to hear it."
"Am I allowed to talk yet?" Blaise asks.
Granger gives a grudging wave of her hand for him to continue.
"You have no idea how much I'd like to hear it," Blaise says.
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Luna doesn't sound upset, only curious.
"Of course not," Scorpius says fiercely. "Right, Uncle Blaise?"
Back at Hogwarts, Blaise had started nearly every morning reading an article from The Quibbler aloud over breakfast, to roaring laughter from Pansy, Theodore Nott, and whomever Blaise was dating at the time.
"Well," says Blaise, "maybe a bit."
Draco thwacks him on the arm.
"I'd love to hear it too," Rolf says. "And I'm not making fun of you at all."
Teddy grins. "Merlin, me too. I'd love to see the looks on the Ministry's faces."
Potter laughs.
"Dare I ask what Twisting Huskies are?" Parvati adds.
"You shouldn't," Lavender replies in a low voice. "But she's going to explain anyway."
Luna does, and the rest of the evening feels as warm as the drink in his hand.
When the tent collapses on him and Scorpius in the middle of the night, Draco simply waves his wand and goes back to sleep.
AN: Apologies for missing posting yesterday! That's why you got the double today ;)