Dinner parties
For once, Harry Potter was enjoying a nice calm evening at the burrow. It was rare you see to have most of the family together without incident, it was to be expected with six Weasley children, plus all of the spouses and grandchildren. Today it was himself and Ginny with their children and Hermione and Ron with Hugo and Rose. Just like old times.
Growing up without a family Harry secretly enjoyed all of the chaos that surrounded him, so much love and laughter that he could only have dreamed of sharing when he was a child. He thought about himself in that broom cupboard, alone and afraid for eleven years, constantly taunted by Dudley and felt comforted by the fact that his children would never have to be alone like he was.
That wasn’t to say that he didn’t enjoy the peace and quiet though and he sighed with quiet contentment as the day had gone without a hitch. It was almost christmas, he was surrounded by family and he was at peace. Until of course, Rose’s stupid owl had to ruin it all.
“I don’t know why you insist on reading that drivel Rose” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes as Rose’s owl Aurora dropped the latest edition of witch weekly onto Rose’s lap.
Rose rolled her eyes, “it’s entertaining mum.”
Hermione scoffed “it’s nonsense” she insisted “most of it’s completely made up, it shouldn’t even be considered real journalism.”
Rose pouted. This had been a point of contention with her mother for years now. She knew witch weekly wasn’t the pinnacle of journalism but it couldn’t hurt to read some trashy gossip every now and then. Rose thought it was healthy, a way to not overload her brain with studious texts all of the time but Hermione disagreed.
“Not all of it’s made up, Hermione” Harry interjected slyly, sensing his niece's annoyance and coming to her rescue. “I mean don’t you remember that story they ran saying I was the handsomest wizard in Britain? Or when they declared me the winner of witch weekly’s most charming smile?”
Hermione rolled her eyes “honestly Harold” she muttered “defeat one dark wizard and your head swells to the size of a trolls, you sound like Lockhart.”
They all laughed and Harry winked at Rose as her mother moved on from berating her for her choice of reading material. Rose smiled gratefully back at her uncle.
She opened the magazine and resigned herself to sit and read it no matter what her mother said when an image and an article caught her eye and she promptly dropped it in shock. Managing to knock over a wine glass in the process.
“Merlin Rose” Hugo complained as he dabbed at the dark liquid that had splashed onto his sleeve “this was why I didn’t sit next to Lily!”
“I heard that Hugo Weasley!” Lily chastised from across the table. She’d never quite warmed up to the jokes surrounding her being a walking accident prone disaster. Mostly because they were all completely accurate.
Rose wasn’t listening though, she was instead gawping at the open page. Hermione, ever the observant one, saw past the chaos of the spilled wine and noticed her daughter's attention was elsewhere.
She scoffed ready to berate Rose for being too interested in gossip to focus when her own eyes caught the page. As a quick as flash she’d reached out and snatched the magazine away. Hermione knew she couldn’t hide the story forever but she wanted to save her poor niece from having the chaos of it erupting at the dinner table.
Unfortunately for Hermione though, James had seen the whole thing. “What is it?” He asked “have they finally come to their senses and realised that actually I am the Potter with the most charming smile?” He reached out and grasped the magazine and Hermione grimaced as it slid through her careless grip.
“Let’s see” he puffed out his chest and flicked out the magazine with a smirk, pretending to read “that’s right dad, you’re officially a ‘has been’.”
“In your dreams Jamie” Lily rolled her eyes and nudged Albus but for once he wasn’t ready to help his sister in the ribbing of their brother. Instead his eyes were glued to the magazine his brother was holding, eyes fixed on a picture.
“Lily” he said and his voice was dripping with such a serious note that the whole family turned to listen.”
“What?” Lily didn’t look at all concerned, speaking through a mouth of mashed potato.
James looked down at what had captured his brother's attention and gasped loudly “no, absolutely not.”
“What?” Lily said again, more indignantly this time as the pair of them continued to stare at her.
Ginny rolled her eyes “boys” she chastised “out with it, stop teasing your sister.”
It didn’t matter that they were all adults, Ginny Potter would always need to keep her children in check sometimes. That’s what happens when they’re related to James Potter and the Weasley twins.
Ever the blunt one, James simply blurted out “she’s dating Malfoy.”
For a moment the table was deathly quiet as the shock of the sentence fell over it and then all hell broke loose at once.
“What?” Harry said, grabbing the magazine off of James “let me see that.”
Ron was peering over Harry’s shoulder, letting out a similar assent of disbelief while James, Albus and Hugo all began loudly talking over one another, shouting out all of the reasons dating a Malfoy was the worst crime imaginable apparently.
Ginny and Rose were pestering Lily about not telling them sooner. Rose with an excited glow on her cheeks at the prospect of getting to talk boys with perpetually single Lily and Ginny with a frown on her face as she thought about the Malfoy family.
Hermione was rapidly attempting to talk over everyone doing damage control “witch weekly always runs things that aren’t true!” She exclaimed “remember when they said Ron was thinking about doing a broadway musical playing Harry?”
“I don’t know,” Ron said, “there’s a photo this time ‘Mione.”
She kicked him under the table “not helping” she hissed and he grumbled as he rubbed his sore leg.
Harry looked torn between joining Ginny and Rose and joining his sons.
Finally Lily stood up, making everyone at the dinner table jump from the sudden movement. “ENOUGH” she screeched, waving her hand (still holding her knife from dinner) in the air. She sheepishly put down the knife, as accident prone as she was it probably wasn’t the best idea to be swinging knives around.
“Scorpius and I are not dating.”
“Scorpius,” James sneered, “so you’re on a first name basis with the twat.”
“Language James” Ginny warned but she was still looking at Lily with an expression that Lily couldn’t read and the she began to get even madder.
“Yes I am” she fumed “and what of it? I was simply talking to him, is that a crime? Is small talk illegal now?”
“He’s a prat Lily” Albus threw back “that’s what, you shouldn't be talking at all with him. You don’t know him so you don’t understand.”
Lily was turning red now, the tips of her ears and the apple of her cheeks blooming as Scarlett as her hair as none of her family came to her defence against Albus’ words. “That’s right” she said quietly “I don’t understand do I? Because I’m just little Lily Potter always having to be coddled by everyone because she’s so accident prone and so stupid she needs constant supervision.”
“That’s not what he said Lily” Ginny frowned but Lily only glared at her.
“But it’s what he might as well have said mum! You guys don’t trust me to do anything, not even to pick the men I like or don’t like.”
“So you like him then?” Harry asked quietly.
“So what if I do?”
“You can’t!” James interjected.
“You were too young Lily” Albus said “he was in my year I saw -“
“I’m only two years younger than you Albus!” Lily interrupted. “Only a year and a bit younger than Scorpius. Stop treating me like a child.”
“Rose” Albus turned to his cousin “back me up here, Malfoys bad news isn’t he?”
Rose chewed on her lip “he never did anything to me” she said “and he only ever really retaliated when you started things.” She shrugged, “I guess I don’t really know him that well.”
Lily sent a small smile towards her cousin, grateful that she wasn’t instantly writing this off. While Albus glared at Rose.
“We just want what’s best for you Lily” Harry said and Lily couldn’t stand the soft voice he was using for her, like he was talking to a wounded animal or something that might explode.
“You don’t always get to decide what’s best for me” Lily turned to look at all of her family members in turn. “Maybe I am seeing Scorpius, maybe I’m not but really it’s none of your business either way.”
With that Lily stood up, grabbed her little satin bag and apparated away.
Harry stared at the spot where she’d been a moment later. Hearing without processing as the chaos began to unfold around him again, everyone debating Lily’s words and the article once more. His quiet, perfect evening had been ruined and suddenly he had so much to think about.