Just Because of a Stupid Baby

Scorpius looked up. He was trying to read a book, but he was finding it horribly boring. It was all about Potions – and he just couldn’t interest himself in potions. His Dad always said he should be good at potions in honor of Severus Snape, one of the war heroes, but to Scorpius, Snape was just another name in a boring history class.

Glancing around, Scorpius searched for the distraction that had caused him to look up from his book. He thought he had heard a loud sob. More out of boredom with his book than anything else, Scorpius got up to investigate.

Walking around a pair of dusty bookshelves, Scorpius saw a slim girl with light red hair, sitting with her back to the bookshelf and her arms around her knees. She looked old to him, probably seventh year, he figured, and very pretty. By her feet, Scorpius saw a vial full of some blue potion. Sighing that even this promising mystery was nothing more than potions, Scorpius made to scurry away.

But just then, from around the corner, stepped Professor Daleson, who taught Potions. By now, Scorpius was slightly intrigued by the connection of potions to this entire affaire, and he watched, fascinated, as Professor Daleson kneeled down beside the crying girl.

The girl looked up and gave a cry of surprise. Scorpius shrank back into the shadows, afraid he’d been spotted, but the girl was looking at Professor Daleson instead.

“Oh dear,� the professor said quietly, putting an arm around the girl, who was still crying.

“I never meant for it to happen!� the girl exclaimed, finally speaking, “We did the spell every time! I swear!�

“It’s alright, Vicky. I promise, it’ll be alright,� Professor Daleson assured in what for her seemed a very soft, comforting voice.

Scorpius wondered what could be so bad that Professor Daleson was being so kind, when she was usually so tough.

“Why don’t we just go and have a cup of tea in my office, Vicky?� the older woman suggested and the girl, Vicky, got up jerkily, picked up her blue potion and allowed herself to be steered away.

Curious, Scorpius headed back to his abandoned potions book. Perhaps he could find something about blue potions that made big girls cry, it occurred to him as he thumbed listlessly through the book.

He didn’t have anything else to do, anyway. It was Easter holiday; all of his friends had gone home, and the homework for First Years wasn’t so bad during break.

A mere five minutes later, however, Scorpius had lost interest in searching for a book that listed potions by color. He decided to head towards the Great Hall for some lunch. Maybe he would walk past Professor Daleson’s office – he’d been there often enough for detentions.

Soon, he was standing in front of the door. He contemplated for all of ten seconds, then curiosity won him over. Scorpius grabbed the pair of WWW Second Generation Extendable Ears out of his pocket. They were a pretty new invention, and he hoped Professor Daleson hadn’t barricaded her door against them yet.

Scorpius was in luck. Putting the end that wasn’t snaked under the door in his ear, he could hear the conversation on the inside loud and clear.

“Would you like to tell me whose it is?� Professor Daleson was asking.

“Ted’s! Of course he’s Ted’s! But I don’t know what to do! I’m only seventeen years old, what if he doesn’t want him?� the girl sobbed.

Scorpius wasn’t sure what they were talking about. From the professor’s question he would suspect that Vicky had stolen something – but the girl’s reply didn’t make much sense. Perhaps she had stolen a pet from this Ted.

“Have you told him?� Professor Daleson continued, “Have you two ever discussed … this?�

“No… No, I haven’t. We’ve talked… I mean, we were going to get married, right after I finish school. But that’s not for another year, and we wanted to work, anyway. It’s too early,� Vicky replied, and it seemed to Scorpius she was becoming more and more hysterical by the second.

“You know that there are ways to…� the professor started, but Vicky cut her off with a particularly loud sob, almost a scream.

“No! Not that, I want to keep him. I just… What if Ted doesn’t want to, what then? No one else will take me once I have him!�

“Vicky,� Professor Daleson said, and this time it sounded rather admonishing, “Surely that’s not the only reason you’d be marrying him!�

All this talk of different hims was confusing Scorpius horribly, but he was entirely intrigued by now.

“No!� Vicky wailed, “No, of course not. That was horrible of me, look what’s happening. I’m turning into my mother. Of course I love him, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to take me anyway. I’m just afraid…�

“Well, Vicky, I think you have to talk to him about it. But I want you to know, you can always come to me, if need be.�

The scratching of chairs on the floor was Scorpius’s cue to scram as fast as possible.

A few hours later, Scorpius was relaxing in his common room, when he saw the girl climb inside. As she headed towards her dormitory, she shot Scorpius a sad smile, and he grinned back. She looked so upset that Scorpius found himself wishing he could help her. The least he could do was grant her some privacy, he decided.


Scorpius was a curious boy by nature, but this time, he decided to really keep his nose out of it. By the last day of term, he had nearly forgotten about the entire affaire.

Then, that morning, his last as a First Year, Scorpius found himself alone again, quite unexpectedly. His friends were lounging by the lake, and he was on his way back to the dormitory to grab his swimming trunks. Walking along in the hallway, he heard voices from around a corner. One of them, he recognized as being Vicky’s. Stopping still, he waited to see if he could understand anything the voices were saying.

“Why didn’t you tell me, dammit?� a male voice demanded harshly.

Considering Vicky’s conversation with Professor Daleson last time, Scorpius expected her reply to sound tearful. Instead, however, she sounded very determined.

“It doesn’t matter! What matters is the baby!�

What baby, Scorpius wondered. Could the mysterious male be Ted, perhaps? But he didn’t think Vicky would have stolen a child. He listened raptly to the argument.

“But… but why didn’t I know about the baby until today? You’ve known for three months!� the man’s voice was softer now, and sounded younger, too.

“I… I’m sorry. I was afraid. I know, it’s stupid, but I was afraid of this moment, of this confrontation. And now it’s happened and it’s only this bad because of me. But… Oh, Ted, I was so scared you’d be mad…�

This time Vicky did sound like she was trying not to cry. Hearing no reply, Scorpius inched forward to see the two of them. There was Vicky, and with her a man, maybe three years her senior. They were holding hands, but standing apart, and both of them were crying, it looked like. All of a sudden, Scorpius felt a hot shameful feeling trickle down his back. This moment seemed so private he almost marched right back to his common room.

But then, with a strange jerk, the man, Ted, pulled Vicky into what looked like an uncomfortably tight embrace.

“You know Neville offered me a job. I could start next year; it’s your last at school. Then I’ll be with you when it’s time, and you can finish school, and…�

Suddenly, Ted was on his knees in front of Vicky, holding out a small box.

“Victoire Gabrielle Weasley, will you marry me?�

Even as Vicky reached down to accept the ring Scorpius was heading back outside. It had suddenly hit him that the two of them were going to have a baby of their own – his parents had explained to him how that all worked, but it had seemed pretty far-fetched.

Sitting down on the floor for a moment to think, Scorpius was glad, for some odd reason, to see Vicky happy. At least the whole thing hadn’t really had to do with potions, after all, he supposed. It was strange, though, all this fuss they were making. He’d been expecting something more exciting than a stupid baby.