Fate works in the strangest ways sometimes. (Pythagoras/Icarus)

"Astoria glanced at his arm, then at his carefully arranged features, and she suddenly realised that Draco Malfoy, on top of being a show-off, was an extraordinary, shameless liar. That injury was faker than leprechaun gold."

In which Draco insists he's almost been killed by a Hippogriff and Astoria sees right through him.

It suddenly occurred to her that Draco might give her flowers. That was the sort of thing a boyfriend did on Valentine's Day, wasn't it?

Scorpius loved the chaos. He loved talking to people, bouncing from one conversation to the next, finding his own place in this huge, sprawling family. James had taken to calling him an 'honorary Potter', and those two words never failed to put a smile on his lips. If he wanted to go to James's stupid New Year's party, Albus didn't have it in him to say no.

It was Christmas Eve, and this was their home, and Scorpius simply couldn't not be there. But he wasn't.

In which Astoria Malfoy starts a family tradition that will outlive her.

He wanted to steal a kiss. He wanted her to smile for him, because of him. He wanted her, in so many different ways… But he would only take what she gave. A hand, a stolen moment, a dance on the ice beneath the stars.

"I've got a Weasley jumper," Scorpius said giddily, almost to himself. "My very own Weasley jumper."

He wondered if this was it: the moment in which Albus would realise how odd he was and leave. Normal children had real friends, not snowmen and imaginary companions, but that was all Scorpius had known before he'd gone to Hogwarts.

Albus leaned back, taking a good look at his boyfriend. "Your hair," he said slowly. Scorpius's lovely platinum hair had turned a vibrant shade of violet.

"If I have to learn your ridiculous wizarding carols, Potter, then you have to learn mine. It's only fair."

"James is having a little too much fun with the fact that you're Al's boyfriend. And he's jealous because you're here for Christmas and his girlfriend isn't, so he's being a nuisance. Rose and I had a bet going on, to see how long it'd take Albus to crack and try to murder him. She owes me two Galleons."

"I would walk over hot coals with bare feet just to spite Lucius Malfoy." Astoria's hazel eyes blazed. "Thankfully, sharing a meal with him won't be as painful. Physically, at least." And Draco knew that was the end of the discussion.

As Scorpius had cheerfully pointed out, a Christmas tree just wasn't the same without real, living fairy lights.

In which Albus mopes, Lily is orange, and James is (almost) grounded for the rest of his life.

Albus unwrapped the package, careful not to tear the paper. His heart was beating a little too fast. This was much more exciting than seeing his pile of presents underneath the Christmas tree. It was his first gift from his first real friend.

On his first day at Hogwarts, Albus Potter makes a choice and a friend. "We're not our fathers, are we? I'm just Albus and you're just Scorpius. Being a Potter or a Malfoy doesn't have to mean anything."

She'd tried to deny it, but she knew that she was in love with the once clumsy Gryffindor who had turned into a brave leader. She'd fallen in love with the shy boy who had comforted her when her mother died. She'd fallen in love with Neville Longbottom.

AU Every full moon, a child must join Lord Voldemort's army. When Tonks is chosen, she is taken to Slytherin Forest, where she meets a boy. Together, they must survive one night in a forest full of werewolves, but, in the end, a sacrifice must be made.