A New Adventure

Chapter VIII-Essays Teach More Than Potions

It felt like ages for the young Slytherin to wake up. Harry got more impatient, the longer it took.

"Draco," Harry was actually whining, something he never did, "how much longer?"

"Is the Great Harry Potter whining?" Draco was smirking. "He will wake up in due time. Why don't you go grade papers or hand out detentions or something else more useful." Draco shooed his husband out of the infirmary.

Harry sighed. He knew he shouldn't his teacher duties, but he couldn't help but fret at the fact that this boy was unconscious and he felt like he should have somehow been able to prevent that. Maybe if he had been faster. Maybe if he had not gone to bed so soon. Maybe if... but maybe ifs wouldn't fix what had already transpired.

"Mister Halley, you are late for detention." Harry looked very put out.

"Yeah, whatever." The boy glared at his teacher.

"I am your Professor as well as head of house. You will address me as sir. And, as I've done nothing to deserve less than, you will treat me with respect."

"You man-handled me!" The teen let out a burst of anger.

"I restrained you because you were trying to beat a fellow student to death! That behavior is intolerable." Harry studied his student's impassive face. "Your detention will be three feet on why this fight occurred. In your normal handwriting. If you try to short-cut, I will make you do it again. I know all the shortcuts too." Halley just stared through Harry, determined look on his face. "Now, Mister Halley."

Begrudgingly, the boy took out a parchment and quill.

An hour later, Harry was returning to the hospital wing, Donovan Halley's essay in hand. He didn't say a word to his husband as he thrust the parchment at him. He watched the subtle shifts in emotion as he read what the Gryffindor had written.

"No wonder he was so resistant to leaving this alone." Draco was looking at his husband in concern as he spoke. "Do we know if Rookwood really did this?"

"I did some research, it seems like Augustus Rookwood did what the boy accuses him of. I can understand the animosity a bit better now, but I hate seeing Scorpius paying for his father's sins." Harry's face was screwed up in a scowl at the thought.

"He's not my father. He doesn't deserve the title," a small voice croaked. The two men turned to see Scorpius waking. "What's he do now?"

Harry hesitated before letting out a heavy, sad sigh. He figured this conversation was inevitable.

"Well, it seems he is responsible for the death of Halley's father. He tortured Edward Halley to death, alongside Bellatrix Lestrange."

The small teen just sank into his pillows, closing his eyes.

"Of course he did. Well, from now on, I'm not a Rookwood. I'd rather be anything else, except maybe a Lestrange or Riddle." The look of sad resignation on the teen's face saddened Harry, who looked at his husband, pleading him with his eyes to speak up.

"Well, that can be arranged. You see, Harry and I were going to invite you to stay with us, but I was thinking, if you'd like, you can officially take one of our names too." Draco spoke slowly and deliberately, gauging Scorpius' reaction to his words.

"Really?" Scorpius peeked up, looking between Draco and Harry with shocked eyes.

"Really, really," Harry chuckled.