Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

Chapter 6: Christmas Eve Sleepover

"Thank Merlin it's finally Christmas break! I'm so exhausted from all this homework they keep throwing at us!" said James, who was now in his sixth year, to Albus's astonishment (times sure went by fast)

"Oh I'm sure it's not that bad, James. You need to learn as much as you can. Your last year of Hogwarts is NEXT YEAR!" Rose scolded James. She emphasized "next year" by saying it extra loud.

"I know, I know! Stop nagging me, woman!" James waved his hand to dismiss the conversation.

But Rose raised her eyebrow at him. She didn't say anything, but glared at James. That was the sign that James probably needed to watch what he said. Rose could be quite scary sometimes, to Albus's amusement.

The four best friends, Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Holly, known around the school as the Fantastic Four, sat in their own compartment along with James, Lily, and Hugo, on the Hogwarts Express heading back to Kings Cross Station. Christmas was approaching fast, and the young wizards couldn't be more thrilled. They'd been pounded with mountains of homework all semester, and frankly they deserved a nice break. Albus was even more excited that he'd be spending the holidays with his friends that he loved dearly.

That's right; for Christmas, Albus's family and friends were going to be joining at the Burrow, like his family did every year. His Grandma Weasley absolutely loved having a full house. To add even more to the crowd, Albus and Rose invited Scorpius and Holly to stay with them. Holly happily accepted, and even her parents were going to be there Christmas morning. As for Scorpius, well, that wasn't exactly a smooth conversation...

The conversation happened two weeks ago.

"Scorpius, please join us at the Burrow! Come on, my family wants to meet one of my best friends. And think about Rose too. She'd be devastated if you didn't show." Albus had begged his stubborn blonde best friend. He even threw in the part about Rose, since he obviously knew Scorpius was in love with her.

"Albus," Scorpius sighed. "Your entire family would hate me. I'm the son of your parents' and Rose's parents' former rival."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Scor, my parents know who your father is. They're perfectly okay with it. My family is very accepting. Please?" Albus even dramatically dropped down to his knees in front of Scorpius, begging him.

Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "You're so retarded, Al."

"So does that mean you'll come?" Albus said hopefully. "Christmas day until New Years. Your parents won't mind, will they?"

Scorpius scowled. "They shouldn't. I don't know how they will feel about it, though."

Albus sighed, annoyed that he hadn't gotten an answer. "Will you ask them?"

"Yes."

Three days later at breakfast...

Albus watched excitedly as Scorpius's owl, Nightingale, swooped down and dropped a letter onto Scorpius's lap.

"So? What did your parents say?" Rose asked, eager as Scorpius unrolled the letter.

Scorpius cleared his throat, and read aloud: "'Dear Scorpius: We got your letter yesterday. And no, we are not angry at you. Why would we be mad that you want to spend Christmas with your best friends? I think it'll be great for you. We give you our permission to go to the Weasleys' home for Christmas break, on one condition. We want to meet your friends and their parents. Even though your father already knows them from school, your mother would like to meet them. Perhaps it'll be okay if we stop by for tea or something? We want to be polite and get to know the people who are so important in your life. Remember to let them know we're coming. Love, Mum and Dad.'"