19 Years (HP - Drarry)

Chapter 34: The Plot Thickens

Saturday, November 4, 2017

"Ugh! Your dads are impossible!" Tilly groaned, dropping Scorpius' latest copy of Modern Portrait Painting Monthly - which she'd been holding up over her head, for a different perspective - over her face.

"Tell me about it," Scorpius muttered, dabbing angrily at his canvas. "I've hardly spoken to him in weeks. I didn't mind so much when he was so obviously happy, but - hold still Ivan!"

"Sorry! It's the a-a-a-"

"Don't you dare!"

"A-choo! Addergies." Ivan sniffled miserably.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Only you would be allergic to Mandrakes. Remind me not to be your partner in Herbology next year."

"Actually," Tilly said slyly, emerging from under the magazine, "you have only yourself to blame, Scorpius. If you hadn't insisted on helping Professor Longbottom this morning..."

Scorpius glared at her.

"Break time!" Al called cheerfully, dragging Scorpius away from his canvas and distributing the cauldron cakes he'd just brought from the kitchens. "Had to bribe the house elves, but I got them."

"But -" Scorpius protested weakly

"Yes!" Ivan shouted, diving off the stool and onto the bed next to Tilly, who rolled her eyes and swatted him with the magazine.

Sasha chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe," she said, "it's time for us to do something."

"But what can we do?" Ivan asked.

"Nothing," Scorpius said bitterly, still stung by the way Neville had shot down his ideas a few hours before. Not that Neville wasn't right, probably, but... he was still bitter at being dismissed out of hand. "We're just kids."

"Actually," Tilly said slowly, "I think I might have an idea..."

They all groaned.

"Merlin, Tilly, not another one!" Sasha exclaimed.

Tilly chucked a pillow at her head.

And so began the Great Pillow Fight of '17.

---

When they'd flopped back down, exhausted, Tilly spoke again. "I mean it though," she said, idly making loose feathers dive and swirl around the room with her wand, "I really do have an idea."

"Well, let's hear it then," Sasha said. "We will anyway," she added under her breath.

Ivan, ever the peacekeeper, said "What is it?" before Tilly could get offended.

"Well," she said, "it seems that you're right. We are just kids, and that means that the adults don't always take us seriously."

Scorpius, stretched out on his stomach, chin pillowed on his folded arms, grumbled quietly, and Al stopped rubbing the knots out of his shoulders and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"What do you suggest?" he asked, once Scorpius had subsided again.

"We need to call in reinforcements. We need an adult that's on our side."

"Like who?" Sasha asked.

"Well. My aunt, for one. She was friends with your dad, Scorp, back when they were students. She's clever, and cunning, and she loves to meddle." She paused, thinking. "Actually, her girlfriend might come, too. She was friends with your dad, Al."

"Surely you don't mean - " Al started, but was cut off by Scorpius, who sat up suddenly, nearly toppling Al off the bed, to stare at Tilly. "You're related to Pansy?"