Sins of the Fathers (A Story for Sansa) 4b/4

[blamebrampton]

Title Sins of the Fathers 4b/4 (Done done done done done!! Oh thank goodness.)
Author blamebrampton [Unknown site tag]Characters Scorpius and Albus, and pretty much everyone still alive at the end of DH, plus a few sundry extras working for scale.
Rating Oh, I don't know, M? Adult themes, sexual scenes of a very tame nature, because teenagers will shag, but goodness knows I'm rubbish at describing it in detail. You're looking at a woman who once got out of bed to draw diagrams, people. OK, so rubbish at describing, but reasonably good at anatomical drawing ... Albus/Scorpius, Rose/James, Lily/sundry
Words 3366
Notes Absolutely nothing to do with Jo Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic or any other media titans. But affectionately nicked from all of the above.

Only pleasant things happen in this chapter. Because epilogues ought to be uplifting!

ETA The wonderful jadzialove and  painless_j have made the dumbest errors go away, and Jonny was magnificent! (Rest of the Lions quite good, too ...)

Completely thanks to sansa1970 , whose brilliant list of 20 Random Facts About Scorpius Malfoy is the entire reason this story exists.

Many many thanks to jadzialove without whose patience and wit this story would have had many more blunders and been even slower. And eternal gratitude to anthimaeria who first made me feel welcome in fandom (and hosed down at least one crazed meltdown here) and dumbys_baby who introduced me to both fandom and the concept of H/D, bless her cotton socks.


Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four a

XX
Rose is unexpectedly relaxed when Scorpius finds her just before dinner. This may have something to do with the fact that she is wrapped in the arms of James Potter, who is looking at her with an expression of surprised adoration.

"Um ..." Scorpius begins eloquently.

She stands up quickly, rearranging her skirt and blouse as surreptitiously as possible. "Um ..." she replies.

James continues the Potter children's run of successfully explaining the universe that day. "I am so sorry," he tells them. "I was such an idiot and pushed Rose until she turned to you, even though I should have known all along how you felt about Al. If you both decided to hate me, I'd completely understand."

Scorpius bursts out laughing. "You're dreadful. You can't even fake sincerity for me and Rose. Honestly, James, if Rose didn't have the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face, I'd tell her what a bad person you are."

"Oi!" James grabs Rose and pulls her to his side. "Hush your mouth or I'll tell Al you're actually straight."

Rose laughs. "Oh as though anyone would believe that," she says, rolling her eyes comedically. "I really am stupid sometimes ..."

Scorpius blushes. "I do fancy you," he says, "just not as much. It's always been Al ..."

Rose kisses his cheek lightly, like she used to, and blushes slightly when she sees the bruise she has left there. "I know. And much as it horrifies me to say this, it's always been James."

James holds her tightly. "Good. Keep it that way. All other girls are dead to me."

"Yes, yes they are," she tells him, smiling wickedly. "So," she asks Scorpius, "where is Al?"

"Gone to find Lily and say thanks. I should join him, actually."

"Ok, bye." James waves with one hand in the subtle fashion they've all come to know and tolerate.

Laughing, Scorpius moves off to find Al. He is out by the greenhouses, still looking for Lily. There is no one about, so Scorpius kisses the back of his head. Al turns, smiling. "Hey, you," he says.

"Where's Lil?" Scorpius asks.

"Haven't found her yet. Hugo says she went off with Piers Duke and Maisie says she went off with Ryan Timms."

"You don't think ..."

"I would put nothing past her," Al says, grinning.

Scorpius can't resist that grin, and so, when Professor Longbottom comes around the side of his nursery, he find the boys in each other's arms. "Malfoy, Potter," he says cheerily.

They spring apart. "Sorry, sir," Scorpius stammers.

"Perfectly fine, Scorpius, where would sixteen-year-old students be without the greenhouses? Takes me back ..."

"To when you were a student, sir?" Al asks, smiling happily.

Professor Longbottom laughs. "Merlin no, dreadful years, werewolves, Umbridge and Voldemort. No, I was thinking of last week ..."

Both boys laugh and their Herbs master tells them to make sure they're back inside in time for dinner, then leaves them to their own devices.

"Told you," Al says, with only a trace of smugness.

"Do you think it will all be that easy?" Scorpius is a little nervous.

"Only one way to find out," Al replies, taking his hand and holding on to it as they head back into the castle.

They pass Professor McGonagall as they walk through the oak doors. "Scorpius, I was hoping to see you," she says. "May I borrow him for a moment, Mr Potter? I'll return him shortly."

"Yeah, sure ..." Al is too startled to say anything else.

She walks a few steps away with Scorpius, then smiles at him conspiratorially. "I just had a word with Professor Longbottom, and I wanted to say about time. We had a bet with Professor Flitwick that the two of you would work things out before you left school, Neville and I are ten Galleons up."

Scorpius has rarely been this startled. "You are terrible gossips!" he exclaims. "I thought you were meant to be role models!"

Professor McGonagall chuckles quietly. "Oh Scorpius, it's adorable that you'd still think that in the face of all available evidence. Though we are all very good at actual magic ..."

He can't help laughing, too, and she pats his cheeks. "You've brought a smile to my face, and that's always something to be glad about. Now scamper off with your young man and break the hearts of all those young girls. They could do with a spot of toughening up."

"James is going out with Rose, now," he tells her.

"Well, there's a mercy,"  McGonagall laughs. "That just leaves the Duke and Jigger boys as the main causes of tersely worded letters from parents. On your way, I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Scorpius doesn't tell Albus what his mentor has said, but as they walk hand in hand into the Great Hall, he is smiling broadly.

The final Hogsmeade weekend of the year is a fortnight after Liberation Day. Narcissa Malfoy Owls to say that she will be in town and would love to have lunch with all the children, then spend the afternoon catching up with Scorpius. The Potter/Granger/Weasley clan thinks this is a brilliant idea, particularly when Narcissa says it's fine for Lily to bring Piers and Ryan and for Hugo to bring a date, too. In the end, Oonagh Quigley agrees to accompany him, because there is such a thing as a free lunch, if you plan for it.

Scorpius Owls the Three Broomsticks to book their usual dining room, and adds that a more adult menu might be in order, quite aware that Lily's usual treat choice of fish finger sandwiches will attract scandalised looks from his grandmother.

On the day itself they resemble nothing so much as a gaggle of geese as they traipse through the town flapping their robes and  giggling. Narcissa Malfoy is wearing her saintly patience face by the time they have all wombled into the dining room. She kisses Scorpius and Al and smiles at the others. Then runs her eyes around the group once more.

"So, Scorpius, any news?" she asks, flicking her eyes towards Rose and James who are sitting with hands interlaced.

"I am sure I mentioned we broke up in my last letter," he says, with an exaggerated sigh.

She laughs, and laughs harder when Rose's well-aimed bread roll hits Scorpius on the head. "I'm sure you did, dear, I'm an old woman, prone to forgetting."

James argues against this position with such passion that Scorpius expects to see another bread-related act of violence at the table.

"You Gryffindors all look chirpy," Narcissa says brightly.

"I have aced my NEWTs in no small fashion and as of yesterday we are the champions of the world of Quidditch," James explains.

Ryan Timms snorts. "I think you'll find that's England, thank you Viktor Krum!"

"And you only won because the Ravenclaw Seeker was distracted at a critical moment," Oonagh Quigley drawls.

Scorpius changes the topic before anyone can mention again who he was distracted by; the first four thousand rounds of teasing have been quite enough. "Ravenclaw's set for the House Cup, though, if we can stop Lily getting Ryan expelled in the next couple of days."

Ryan laughs, and Lily pulls a face that proves she could gurn for England. Food arrives and arguments are forestalled for a little while.

Narcissa congratulates Scorpius on his speech. Mr Potter forwarded a transcript of it to the Prophet and The Quibbler and gave brief interviews endorsing its position to both papers. Lester's congratulatory Owl simply said: "I'm keeping your seat warm at the Ministry."

Scorpius shares the praise where it belongs. "Couldn't have done it without Al's help on the research, nor the fact that I have excellent role models at home."

Narcissa laughs some more. "Certainly, I put myself forward as a role model for all young people who believe in travelling the world regularly and investigating all the best resort establishments."

Oonagh Quigley starts to pay a lot more attention.

"You know what I mean," Scorpius corrects her. "Because you're not gallivanting around the globe working on your tan, you're hosting galas, introducing people, networking those who would otherwise avoid each other. It's diplomacy by dinner party, and it works a hell of a lot better than sanctions and rules."

Narcissa holds his gaze for a moment, then tosses her hair prettily. "My grandson makes me sound much more capable than I actually am." She winks at them all and they realise that come the end of the universe, Narcissa Malfoy will have a plan for an out.

"So, tell us what really happened when the Manor was attacked," James asks, subtly.

Her smile is genuine this time. "I talked to that poor man. I told him what had happened to my family during the War. He told me what had happened to his. We comforted each other."

James nods, and Scorpius notes that he had not been wholly joking when he had suggested she resolved the crisis with tea and cake. On that topic, he cuts the jam sponge that is on the table and hands plates around to his schoolmates.

School topics fill the remainder of the meal. Lily is confident about her OWLs results, Hugo is, too, though he is more concerned with the fact that he cannot make girls take him seriously. "It's because you're pushy," Oonagh tells him. "Not like Maisie, she's all pliant and biddable." She rises to her feet and thanks Narcissa for the invitation and lunch. "It was wonderful to meet you, my mother always told me what a beauty you are."

Narcissa kisses Oonagh's cheek and sends her warm wishes to her mother. Oonagh says goodbye to the others. "I'm off to find Maisie."

Lily looks after her for a moment. "Me, too," she decides, and follows. Ryan and Piers exchange a brief look of hope and follow her, babbling thanks as they dash out the door.

Narcissa's laugh bubbles over. She waves her hand at Rose and James. "Go, you terrible young people, go off and spend your time with each other and leave an old woman to her family."

They kiss her cheeks and promise to visit her through the holidays. "Cheers Narcissa," James farewells, before whisking Rose away.

Albus is the last to leave, he is shaking his head at his ill-behaved relatives. Narcissa pulls a package out from under the table and hands it to him. "Happy birthday for tomorrow, dear," she tells him. "Must be nice to have it after exams for once."

He opens the wrapping to find a leather-bound notebook, with creamy thick pages inside, plus a hand-crafted quill and bottle of ink. Albus kisses her cheek and hugs her. "That's perfect. Thank you so much!" He turns back to Scorpius and smiles. "I'm off, leave you two for some proper family time. And whatever you choose is fine by me." He squeezes Scorpius's shoulder on the way out.

Narcissa smiles after him. "That's much more like the Al of old. I'm glad, I wasn't sure we'd see him again for a time there."

Scorpius smiles, too. "I love him," he tells her, guilelessly.

His grandmother's eyes widen, and her lips turn up a little at the corners. "Oh," she says, then murmurs in a voice almost too quiet for him to hear that some things never change. She wraps him into a warm hug. "I'm glad," she says. "The two of you have always been so close. It makes me happy to think you'll keep that. Have you told your father yet?"

"Dad?" Scorpius hasn't even considered the question until this moment. "I suppose I ought to ... I think he knows, though, I think he may have known before I did, really."

Narcissa laughs loudly. "You may be right at that. And Mr Potter should know if you and Al are up to it."

Scorpius nods. "Yeah, I think Al has a plan."

She smiles at him for a long time. Eventually he ducks his head, blushing. "You're really growing up, aren't you?" she asks. "I'll miss my little Scorpius, but I think he's become a wonderful young man. Now, do you want to run away and be with Al on this beautiful afternoon?"

He takes her hand. "I'll see him later. I'm exactly where I want to be right now."

Al is waiting for Scorpius when he returns to school. "I told her," he says, taking Al's hand. "She thinks it's wonderful."

"Excellent. Now we just need to tell our parents. Dads first. I have a plan."

Scorpius laughs. "I knew you would."

Al grins evilly at him. "I actually have two plans. The other one involves the fact that tomorrow is my birthday and there's no one in the Prefect's bathroom."

Scorpius has already started to walk in the direction of the fifth floor.

An hour later, the two of them are nestled amid a pile of fluffy white towels on the tiled floor, with another towel thrown over the mermaid painting, for decorum's sake. Al is playing with Scorpius's hair and Scorpius is tracing the lines of Al's ribs. It is possible that they are the most perfectly formed ribs in nature.

A ghostly head with glasses peers through the wall and asks: "Can I come back in, yet?" An equally spectral hand, wearing a finely made sleeve, reaches through the wall and pulls Myrtle back. Scorpius is sure that he knows the voice that whispers "Sshhhh."

On their way up to Gryffindor Tower, Scorpius and Al pass Oonagh Quigley with one arm each around Piers Duke and Ryan Timms. They appear slightly shell shocked but on the whole pleased. Scorpius knows that Al is holding back any number of comments on inter-House unity and he is very happy about this.

The Fat Lady swings the door open in response to Al's "Tempus fugit" and they find Lily feeding sweets to Maisie Carrington, who is lying in her lap, and James and Rose shrugging their shoulders in mute acceptance. "We were about to send out search parties," James tells them. "Except Rose reminded me that you two covered for us on Wednesday."

"And Tuesday, Thursday and Friday," Al adds. The two boys plonk themselves down between the sofas commandeered by their friends.

"Did you tell your grandmother?" Lily asks.

Scorpius nods, smiling. "Yeah, she was really happy. But she said we should definitely tell your dad. I think she's hoping he'll tell your mum."

Rose rolls her eyes. "Trust me, Aunt Ginny won't be a problem. Gran on the other hand ..."

Lily laughs and wrings her hands in a Molly Weasley-like fashion. "Is it because your parents divorced, dear? Did we let you read two many books when you were young? It's not that I mind about the boy thing, your Great-Uncle Bilius, after all, but did it have to be a Malfoy? They're so pale and so likely to attract international incidents ..."

She has to stop there because she can no longer be heard. Gryffindors in other parts of the common room have left off their discussions to giggle, and Albus appears to be dying he is laughing so hard. Scorpius tries to look sternly at her, but is unable to keep the smile from his face for long enough.

Al's plan is a simple one. Since Ginny Weasley is in the Outer Hebrides with Luna Lovegood for two more days, and Narcissa Malfoy has taken her former daughter-in-law on a spa day, all that remains is for the other two Potter children to bunk off to the Granger-Weasley house. Rose has managed to arrange transport for all of them. On the train she shyly confesses that the second thing her father asked her after she wrote to tell her parents about her break-up with Scorpius was whether it was over another boy.

"I suppose he must have known about you and James," he tells her, happy they are still good friends.

She shakes her head, smiling. "No, that was the first thing he asked."

Scorpius's father grins as he looks levelly at his son. "You've grown in the last few months," he says, and looks as though he might shake his hand for a moment, before deciding to hug him while he still can.

"Dad," Scorpius speaks quickly, sure it will all be fine, unsure that it can possibly be as easy as he hopes. "Can we go to the Potters'?"

His father smiles. "Already sorted, you'll be there next week."

Scorpius shakes his head. "No, I mean now."

Al drags his father over to them, and both men are wearing the same slightly bemused expression. "Hello, Draco," says Mr Potter. "Apparently it's urgent. I've got lunch ready at home and I seem to have all but run out of children, so I don't mind."

"All right, Harry, I'll have my driver follow your car."

Scorpius and his father chat briefly, but by the time the two cars turn onto the A40, they are sitting in comfortable silence. His father is prepared to wait, and Scorpius is ready for anything. Rose has offered them her family's barn if things go completely pear-shaped. Soon they are at the Potters', and Scorpius and his father follow Al and Mr Potter inside.

Mr Potter does indeed have lunch ready, and there are sandwiches neatly lined up on plates in the sun room. Mr Potter takes a plate and sits down in his favourite chair. Scorpius's father sits behind them and waits for the two boys to explain what they're up to. Al picks up and puts down a plate of sandwiches several times. Then he takes Scorpius's hand and turns to his father.

"Dad," he says, gently but seriously. "It's not a schoolboy crush. It's real, it's right, and I'm happy."

Scorpius glances briefly behind him. His father is smiling brightly. He smiles back at him, then turns back to Mr Potter, who is frowning.

"Dad, I'm sorry ..." Al says plaintively.

"What? Oh no ..." Mr Potter shakes his head. "No no no no no, don't be sorry at all! You're great! You two are great and I'm happy for you. Really, really happy." He hugs the two of them, and steps back to look at them. "And I'm sorry I ever said it could be just a crush, as it turns out I'm a complete idiot."

Scorpius hears his father snort with laughter behind him.

Mr Potter looks past them and grins. "Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Albus turns around and looks at Scorpius's father. "Is it all right with you, Mr Malfoy?"

Scorpius's father smiles softly at the two of them. "I've never seen my son so happy as he is with you. Of course it's all right."

The two boys, and they feel such boys in front of their fathers, hug briefly.

"Draco, I ..." Mr Potter's voice trails off.

Scorpius's father stands up. "We should talk," he says.

Mr Potter regards him for a long moment. "Yeah, yeah, we should."

He opens the door that leads from the sun room to his study, and Scorpius's father walks through it. As he passes by,  Mr Potter's hand brushes his shoulder and lingers for a moment. With a quick, shy smile at the two boys, he closes the door behind them.

Albus is staring. "Oh no," he says, shaking his head. "That did not just happen."

"Al ..." Scorpius laughs.

"That's not right, that's not right at all!" he exclaims. "I'm going to have a word." He takes half a step towards the door.

Scorpius pulls Albus back to him and kisses him until he shuts up. "It's a perfect June day. You and I are going to swim in the river."

Al relents, accepting that protest is hopeless. "Ok, fine. Have it your way. I'll grab some bathers."

Scorpius looks at him, raising one fine eyebrow. Al laughs, picks up two of the towels that are kept by the garden door and together they walk out into the sun and down towards the willows swaying in the breeze.




[What's that? A sequel? Why yes!]

Comments

[dumbys-baby.livejournal.com]

Thanks for blessing my socks! With the weather is starting to heat up, my feet will need all the help they can get. Why is summer always so stinky? :)

It took me a while to get into the style of this fic - nothing bad on your part, just a personal inability to get used to present tense fic anywhere near as quickly as I should. That aside, it was really good. I did a happy dance when you told me the next installment was up and I wasn't disappointed.

You convey side stories with hints and glimpses which adds to the tapestry of the lives of these characters, including the castle.

I found it poignant when the castle told Scorpius "You cannot lose us all in one day" or words to that effect. It tugged on my heartstrings a little and then I felt a bit odd for feeling sorry for a building. Then I felt justified, because I would not have felt anything had you written the character of the castle badly. So, in my twisted, and yet oddly logical, brain I am quite content having emotions for a school ... Ahem, moving right along.

I liked the non-too-subtle way you got rid of Ginny out of this. I could see that she wouldn't add anything further to the story, so the Ginny/Luna sub-plot fitted in nicely. It all does make James the odd one out of the Potter family though!

Well done, BB, and I can't wait for the H/D DVD extra!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Because Sydney is the capital of stinky, from the trains to the humidity!

I have to say that present tense will never be my favourite, although I like it far more now than ever before and I'm starting to think that it's a useful distinction between the original H/D fic and any future next gen stuff I write. I should make up my mind on that before I start on the DVD extra that leapt into my brain today.

I'm so glad you like it! Since me being in fandom is entirely your fault! Thank you!!!! (For fandom, the saying nice things is your duty as a friend.)

The castle ended up being one of my favourite voices, and I was just sorry that I couldn't use it more without things becoming too epic for words. Scorpius spends his later years teaching at Hogwarts, so don't worry, they don't break up.

Ginny and Lily have both been inflicted with my personal approach to sexuality: "Is it pretty? Can it string a sentence together? Come with band or boat or ponies? Woo hoo!" I feel certain that James would embrace this were it not for the fact that Rose would kill him dead and hide the pieces.

[jennfic.livejournal.com]

*wibbles* (and, honestly, that's something I almost never do)

I love it. all of it. The castle. and the ghosts (and Rowena's daughter trying to keep Myrtle from perving). and Harry and Draco. (sneaky, sending Ginny off to wherever with Luna.) And Ron's all grown up now. And the older Potter children running interference for Al. And "diplomacy by dinner party". And the side stories. gah. just wonderful.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Jennfic! I think the side stories were the most fun of all. Ginny wasn't having fun in the UK, and Iceland and the Hebrides are filled with scenic locations where she and Luna can either amuse each other or pick up the locals as the mood takes them, or even do actual research if they're feeling studious.

Diplomacy by dinner party is the key to the Westminster system! And if you have never read the Alan Clark diaries, I wholeheartedly recommend them as hilarious ingresses into how it all works.

I am chuffed you wibbled!

[blindmouse.livejournal.com]

1. I've had a weakness for Secret-Ruler-of-the-World!Narcissa since I first read the Lust Over Pendle-verse; I love your version :-)

2. I don't think I've read mentor!McGonagall before; I like her.

3. I love how horrified Al is by the idea of Harry and Draco getting together. It made me snicker like mad.

Anyway, yay :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oooh! Google brought that straight up! Narcissa rec is good, thank you! Off to read asap.

I'm glad you like this NM, she's a little based on my Dad's Mum, who has been known to say "Oh that's absurd, I'll just call the Archbishop." But I should stress that she's not secretly ruling, just quietly putting together all the people who are good at doing the actual ruling with others that they really MUST know, and the fact that they then all owe her little favours is simply by the by, really!

Very glad to hear that the others worked for you. Thanks so much for commenting!

[libby-drew.livejournal.com]

Oh hell,babe! I missed this being posted. I just saw it on AM's journal and did a double take! It will be the first thing on my list this evening, you can be sure of that! What a treat I have to look forward to. ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

No rush, the beauty of the internet is that it hangs around! (PHEW, was a little worried you were being politely silent due to the not liking. And that would have been bad.)

[libby-drew.livejournal.com]

There really are no words for how much I've adored this. Every single word! I never imagined so much depth and drama and angst and beauty could have come out of those 20 silly things. You've turned me around on this next generation. I was neutral/mildly interested before, but now I see just how much potential is out there, and it's all due to your characterizations. You turned Scorpius into exactly who I imagined him to be, and you've given life to Albus and James and Rose, and even to established characters, like Narcissa.

It doesn't hurt that I just adore your writing style. ;) You swept us along through seven years (more, really), but it never felt rushed. I got detail where I wanted detail and when time did fly by, I didn't feel as if we were missing a part of the story. It's beautiful, seamless prose.

Thank you again for creating this, and it doesn't matter how many times you say otherwise, this creation is 100% your baby, though I'm glad I inspired you.

I'm hopeful we'll see more from you in the future. Very hopeful. Thanks again for sharing this. Take care. ♥

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Huzzah! And oh thank goodness!

Oh there'll be more ... If for no other reason than that you have tragically addicted me to HP next gen. Thank you a million times! But I'm going to read a bit, first. OK, so maybe I'll read a bit and then write a bit and then read a bit more ...

[hpstrangelove.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I've ended up reading the different parts of this all in the same place (my son's afterschool tutoring waiting room), but I'm sure the other moms are use to seeing me cry now, because I can never read this without getting tears in my eyes.

I just have no words! I wish this wouldn't end. I think of all the AS/S fics I've read, this one has been my favorite (and I read a LOT!)

Great, great job.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I've become disturbingly chirpy about making people cry, I suspect it's not as morally upstanding as I'd really like ...

I am so glad you liked it! And thank you so much for your support along the way, it was tremendously encouraging. I will be writing some more in this universe despite swearing that was a one-off thing (in much the same way that I swore nothing could induce me to fandom and that I would stop eating chocolate daily.) Thank you so much for reading and commenting, it means a lot.

[daisy-chan.livejournal.com]

What. NO! It can't be over! *craves more*

This was lovely though. I think my favorite parts were Lily's lines XDD "As long as there are boys in Ravenclaw..."

And the Harry/Draco bits hehheheee ^___^

Thank you for this! I loved it all~!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love Lily. I think it may show a little. There will be more bits. Who knows, there may even be another longish one. I've given up saying never in fandom, since in the last three months I have failed at every never I have had ...

[jamafanta.livejournal.com]

Lovely! That was gorgeous, and sweet, and very intriguing. Your Scorpius is absolutely fascinating. I liked that he could speak to Hogwarts without it being any sort of a deus ex machina. Just something special that he could do.

I've friended you, I'm really looking forward to reading more.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The Hogwarts interaction was a Sansa invention, and quite a brilliant one. It was the only friend he had that didn't look at him in just one way for a long time, until the others grew up a bit. Which of course meant that I was all emotionally invested in a building. Sigh. But my grandparents have a wonderful old place that is a little Hogwartian and I remembered that I did love that building so much as a child when there was always another alove, another unused stairway, another place of mystery that could take away an afternoon's imaginings, so I felt far less worried about my sanity.

Thanks for friending! I'm looking forward to writing more ...

[shadowclub.livejournal.com]

Wjehklsdfj

I love this fic, it's in my top ten all-time favorite fics! Is there any possibility of a sequel or "deleted scenes" or anything?

Your style of writing is very captivating and I look forward to reading more of your fics!

p.s. I've decided to add you as a friend. I'm not a stalker or anything, just another sleep-deprived student with a penchant for good writing:)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You don't sound the slightest bit stalkery! And having popped over to your lj, you are clearly lovely, so yay!

Very glad you liked it, feedback is like writer crack and I am grinning like an orang-outan at the prospect you'd like to see more. Yes, there are DVD extras, yes, they are underway. Thanks for the lovely compliments!

[yumikoyoshihana.livejournal.com]

BEST. TNG. FIC. EVARR

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Cheers, dears! (though you should really read mistful's one, it rocks!)

[maya231.livejournal.com]

Wonderful!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[honilee.livejournal.com]

Scorpius has rarely been this startled. "You are terrible gossips!" he exclaims. "I thought you were meant to be role models!"
Professor McGonagall chuckles quietly. "Oh Scorpius, it's adorable that you'd still think that in the face of all available evidence."
As the daughter of a teacher, I think I was doubly amused with what McGonagall said here! With all the gossip my mother brought home sometimes, I wouldn't've been too terribly shocked if I had found out that her school was actually the set of a soap opera! Of course, most of the gossip revolved around the staff themselves.

Perfect, perfect ending. I loved how you simply wrapped up the story with Harry and Draco finding out about their sons' romance and with them hopefully reconsidering their own. Albus' reaction to their fathers made me smile, too, because it seemed like something he would do. Good thing Scorp was there to drag him off for a swim, yeah?

Oh, yes. I found my way to your story by way of leochi's fanart for it from the_ass_ship. I think both the story and the picture compliment each other very nicely.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh you lucky thing! I always wanted a schoolteacher parent! (Mine are at the eccentric end of the parent spectrum.) I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, too. The end was propelled by me being trapped in a Sydney spring and remembering the perfect Oxford springs of my young womanhood, where the weather is softer, and so is the grass, and very little of the fauna will kill you.

Leochi is brilliant! I love the drawings she's done for this, they are so perfect and so evocatve.In fact, I should do a spot of pimping for her, now that I know what fandom pimping is ...

[lilliputian722.livejournal.com]

Ack, I cannot remember if I already posted on this story or not, so forgive me if this is a repeat, but I could not NOT comment.

This is the best story I have read in a fair bit! I loved it....so much so that I rec'd it to my RL pals to read!

Now, because of your awesome, excellent, fantastic, superb (okay, I'll stop) writing, I have to go see if you have other delicious morsels for me to devour!

Thanks so much for sharing this!

[lilliputian722.livejournal.com]

PS - Mucho thanx to sansa1970 for rec'ing this story or I never would have found it!

[lillithium.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the wonderful story. It's been such a long time since I jumped with joy seeing a story posted and neglecting the fact that I needed to eat.

Lovely story, and as a H/D shipper I very much enjoyed the H/D undertone. Thanks again! :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You are very welcome, but do be sure to eat! I do have the actual epilogue for this underway, which is wholly H/D, so I hope you like it.

Thanks for being so supportive through this!

[elfflame]

Oh, just perfect. And Albus's reaction to their fathers... :D I love it. Such a perfect end to a gorgeous story. I'm so glad you wrote it. :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy you liked that part, Al is such a sweet goose at times!

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Hi there. :)

I've recently been linked to your story (from leochi), and I'd just like to thank you for the amazing read.

I love how you incorporated the 20 facts about Scorpius; his enthusiasm for books and Albus' overall enthusiasm were so cute. :)

(Though now in my mind, I shall forever see Scorpius as a Ravenclaw, I fear. *g*)

Oh, and the implied something between Harry/Draco made me cheer quite loudly, so yay to you! *hugs*

Anyway, thank you again for the lovely read, your fic brought many smiles to my face. hearts;

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I clearly fail at coding. *facepalm*

♥ ♥ ♥

... there we go. :*

[rockcandy.livejournal.com]

This is my favorite story I've read in awhile. I loved every single piece of it.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm so glad it worked for you, and very grateful you took time to let me know.

[knic26.livejournal.com]

OMG!! I just found time to finish up the last 3 parts of this and I am so glad I did! This was completely beautiful and well written and just...AWWWW!

I am so loving Al/Scorp and the H/D undertones are great. Thank you for sharing this.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, I had a great deal of fun writing it. And, as you know, complimenting writers is like handing out free chocolate, so thanks for the happy hit!

[hdluff4eva.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* From begining to end, that was briliant!

Loved the HD at the end too!!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

My love for your icon is quite large.

Yay! Glad you liked it!

[tiria-thurin.livejournal.com]

I've half a mind to print out this story and add it to the end of my copy of DH. What a perfect way to continue the story. You fleshed out all of the characters brilliantly (the addition of the castle itself as a character was genius, by the way); you stayed within the bounds of canon, which I think is always impressive for a slash fic; and you even managed to get Harry and Draco together without it feeling forced or contrived, without turning Ginny into an evil hellbitch, and without piling on the infidelity angst.

In short, that was amazing.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I don't mind Ginny. She is under-developed and under-used in canon, but she seems basically good value. So sending her out into the wilds with Luna seemed a good way to give her something fun to do. And sometimes relationships just don't work.

I have to give castle credit to Sansa, but it was definitely fun to write! As to Harry and Draco, I am trying to write a one-shot for them in this world and I can't work out what tense works best for it (they keep changing!) so I am not talking about them today. [Pulls face.]

I'm v glad you liked it, thanks for a comment that is like virtual chocolate, happy making with details!

[averillovessev.livejournal.com]

Lovely, really lovely :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[ritaj540.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for a great story. I was so happy when I saw that you'd posted!
Although I am repeating what's been said above, I have to tell you that you've changed my opinion of Narcissa. You did a great job with her.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That makes me very happy, she is a little based on my grandmother, who could so easily have been Evil, but had a lifetime of good influences. Thank you for commenting, comments are always wonderful even if you feel you may be repeating (which you weren't, really, at all!)

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

i have finally given myself permission to take the time to read this.

i haven't the words to express how much i adore this. i've always loved present tense, seems more alive to me somehow (it is my preferred writing style). and your characters. am totally in love with the castle. no words. just so wonderful. and lily. [*flails*] totally worship at narcissa's feet.

i could sit here and gush for another couple of hours and i am so thrilled i actually get to meet you (i hope). you'll see this rec when i post tonight, but wanted to quote it here nonetheless since it helps express how much i adore this and you ♥

i know i rec'ed this before when it was only partially done, but really, if you haven't read it you must. sins of the fathers by blamebrampton, it's al/scorpius though gen for the first bit (cause they are ickle) and just gorgeous. blamebrampton has such a wonderful writing style and her next!gen and OCnext!gens are all absolutely marvellous. and her adult canon!hp characters are fantastic. i totally adore ron. and narcissa [*dies*] it's longish (5 lj chapters) so give yourself a bit of time to read. really. go read.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Awww ... snotygrrl you are a darling and a delight. I'm so glad you like Lily and Narcissa best, because Lily is (a bit) based on a younger me and Narcissa is (a bit) based on my lovely grandmother.

And we will certainly be meeting up in Welly! I have work there next year if the December trip runs into trouble, so the worst case scenario is simply that we miss the Fish. As it is, the December trip is looking v good indeed!

Thank you so much for your comments and rec, but most of all for your supportive cheer, it has been tremendously encouraging through my first ever completed fic! (Goodbye fandom virginity, goodbyeeeee!)

[tsosh.livejournal.com]

Lovely fic. It's inspiring how you managed to tell the story with such sparse details. You definitely mastered the "show, don't tell" rule... :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I nearly dropped my laptop laughing when I saw your icon! Very glad you liked it, thanks so much for letting me know!

[justllove.livejournal.com]

You win at life, mate. :]

I love the Drarry. It's my favorite-ever ship, so anything with it as a side-note [even if I usually stay away from post-Hogwarts] is just lovely. And you've even managed to make it believable! Ah, I love you.

<3

[justllove.livejournal.com]

I completely forgot to say how much I love the talking school! I always wondered if there was a way you could communicate with buildings [I am a tiny bit odd], so the whole touch-the-wall-and-talk-to-it-too thing really makes me happy. :]