The Burrow

"Really? It's nice to see Al happy, though I would have imagined James having himself a girlfriend. Or a casual partner at the very least. Do you the name of this significant other?" Arthur said, smiling. He believed that he had found the reason for his daughter's visit - Al's special friend. He knew his children well, and the brief pause before the mention of Al's friend was the same kind of pause she used before she was going to reveal important information.

"Yeah, Al definitely seems happy," she replied, thinking of the smile on her son's face when he had spoken about Scorpius. She let out a small snort though, not wanting to really know what James was up to. "James doesn't tell me anything. The scary thing is, he could have knocked up a girl, but Harry and I wouldn't have heard about it." She was quiet for a moment, realizing that her father wasn't going to like hearing about who Al was in a relationship with. It wasn't necessarily the gender, but the last name. The Malfoys and Weasleys had always had a history and, though Scorpius was different, he still wouldn't be easily trusted. "Scorpius Malfoy," Ginny said softly, bracing herself for her father's reaction.

Arthur laughed at the idea of James getting a girl pregnant - personally, Arthur believed that James was too smart for that and likely knew every Muggle and magical means of preventing the creation of a little Potter. At the mention of Scorpius Malfoy, Arthur tensed. He had always despised Lucius Malfoy and his son was not much better. "I trust Al's judgment," Arthur said at last, slowly mulling over his words. "I imagine Scorpius is different from the rest of his family, or else Al wouldn't have chosen him. I know Al's mentioned him before, and he seems like a decent kid."

Inner!James is insisting that he knows about those sort of things, but he's never even actually had sex so there is nothing to worry about. Now he's all embarrassed. Ginny waited for her father's response, letting out a small sigh of relief. "He is different," she replied. "He was kicked out of Malfoy manor. I don't think he'll ever associate with his family again," she added. "I can't even imagine kicking Al out of the house because of the person that he chose to be with," Ginny said sadly.

"That's terrible. And I know you never would - your mother and I raised you to better than that," Arthur said, his voice full of disgust. He desperately wished that he had a pair of nummiechuckles that he could use on the Malfoys. "Is Scorpius okay? Do he and Al need anything?" Arthur asked. "How does Harry feel about all this?"

"I haven't talked to Scorpius at all. I haven't seen either him or Al since it had happened. I know that physically they are both alright, for the two of them stayed at Bill's house and Fleur took care of them." Ginny was quiet for a minute before admitting with a slightly guilty tone, "Harry doesn't know. We...Al and I...figured it was best to wait a little bit. I don't think he'll take it well and I don't want to see Al hurt by it."

"Why wouldn't Harry take it well?" Arthur asked. He thought that he knew his son-in-law fairly well, and believed that he would want the best for Al. And for Arthur, the best for Al at the moment was to have his parents support him. "Is it because he's a Malfoy?" That Arthur could understand, but then Scorpius did seem different from the rest and Arthur trusted Al.

Ginny nodded, looking down at her hands before sighing softly. "I hope he takes it well, I really do... but, I'm just not sure. I really lightly approached the topic about how he would feel if one of the kids did fall for someone of the same sex and he seemed alright with it. But Scorpius is a Malfoy and I'm worried that Harry isn't going to be able to look past the last name, no matter how much Al likes him."

Arthur sighed. At least the issue lied in the Malfoy factor - that was more easily fixed than homophobia. "If I can look past it, so can Harry. Has he met Scorpius before they started dating?" Arthur asked. "They've been friends for a while, right?"

“They haven’t really ever had a conversation. Sure, Scorpius and Al have been friends since first year, but we had only really talked to Scorpius at King’s Cross for a brief moment here and there over the years,” she was quiet for a moment, thinking over the few times her and Harry had seen the Malfoys at the train platform. I’ve seen him twice this year, though Harry was working when Scorpius stopped by the house over the winter holidays. I just…I worry how he’ll take it.”

Arthur nodded, wishing he could do something for his daughter and her family. "Try telling Harry ahead of time, that way Al doesn't get the worst of his reaction. It also gives Harry a chance to cool down and think things over." Arthur didn't want Al to interpret Harry's anxieties over the fact Scorpius was Malfoy as Harry disliking that Scorpius was male.

Ginny's eyes widened, wondering if that really was the best idea. "But, what if Al gets mad that I told Harry? I mean, I didn't think it was my sort of news to give." She let out a small sigh before asking, "Does the parenting thing ever get easier? I thought it was supposed to once they got to school."

Arthur considered his daughter's thought. "You're right, it isn't your news to tell. But maybe you could hint about the news to Harry, try to prepare him. Harry will upset that he's the last person to hear about this - he hates not being told everything. I wouldn't have Scorpius there when you first tell Harry." Arthur laughed at his daughter's question. "Parenting never gets easier, but I don't think it gets any more difficult either. There's different challenges, new questions to answer. But it's worth it. You'll make mistakes - your mother and I certainly did, as much as we hate to admit it. My advice is to follow your gut; that's what I've done. Or to ask your mum, because she knows almost everything."

Ginny let out a small sigh. The whole situation seemed to be a mess, though she would always support her son no matter what happened. Her father definitely enlightened her to the fact that Harry was not going to handle being left out of the loop very well, for she hadn't even considered that factor. "Well, easter is the best time to tell him about it and Scorpius will be staying in the house. Hopefully the truth will come out when Harry doesn't have his wand around and Scorpius isn't in the room." Ginny was just considering the worst possibility. Chances were her husband would never even think of harming Scorpius and she wouldn't let him get away with doing such a thing. "Sometimes I fear that my gut instinct won't lead me to doing the right thing. But I suppose you're right, making mistakes is expected."

"I doubt Harry would ever resort to physical violence. He's not that type of person," Arthur said. He trusted his daughter's judgment, he believed in Harry's kindness, and he hoped Al's judgment was as good as he believed it was. Maybe Arthur was idealistic, but he knew things would be okay in the end. "I trust you, Ginny; you're an amazing mother. I can't tell you what to do now - you'll just know what to do." Arthur stood up and gave his daughter a hug and kiss on the cheek. "And if you or Al or Harry or anyone needs anything, your mum and I are always here at the Burrow."

Ginny nodded, for she doubted that Harry would get violent. The only reaction she could imagine was extreme shock and she seriously hoped that her husband was going to be supportive about the whole thing. She just hoped that her husband wasn't going to force her to choose sides, for she knew that she would instantly side with her son. "Thanks dad," she said, giving her father a small smile. "I know I can always come to you or mum if I ever need anything. I'm sure that things will be alright though in the end."