Watching his grandmother age had been strange. When Scorpius was young, Narcissa had been the epitome of what a privileged pure blooded woman was supposed to be. She'd put more stock in appearances than anyone else Scorpius knew, even other purebloods. He wasn't sure when her carefully controlled demeanor had begun to change. It hadn't been overnight, but Scorpius' realization of the changes had been sudden, as if one day he'd woken up to a different grandmother than the one from his childhood.
She had grown physically, if not mentally, weak. Walking long distances was difficult for her without support, and unlike her husband, she resisted the use of a cane. To make up for her frailty, she sat more often than she used to. It took time for him to catch on to the way she was making more requests than she once had, like having others fetch things for her or greet guests at the door.
By the time Scorpius was out of Hogwarts and living alone, his father didn't like leaving his grandmother alone. Lucius had died nearly a decade before, but Narcissa held on with tenacity even as parts of her body failed her. Though she tried to hide the worst of her struggles, there were things she just couldn't do without assistance.
At a time when Scorpius should have been enjoying his independence-living on his own and not yet having children of his own-he found himself frequently at his childhood home to look after his grandmother when his father couldn't.
Time spent with her should have been precious, there was only so much of it left, but Scorpius tiptoed around her just as he always had, never sure what to do or say. His grandmother loved and cared for him, but she wasn't an affectionate woman woman. And the two of them were so different that there was typically little for them to discuss.
One day, he glanced up from his book to see her looking out the window. She felt his eyes on her and turned to look at him, her lips turned downward.
"I'd like to go for a walk," she said in the same voice she often used to disguise her requests for help as nothing more than statements of intent.
Scorpius looked past her, out the window that showed the manor's garden. It was a nice spring day. Many of the flowers were in full bloom, and the sun was shining. They didn't go outside often, so he couldn't fault her for desiring it. Still, there was a reason she stayed indoors.
"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly, marking his place in his book and setting it aside.
He stopped himself from saying more. They never discussed how hard it was for her to walk.
Instead of a verbal answer, her gaze grew sharp. It was a silent dare for him to call her frail, to say that she couldn't make the walk while he looked her in the eyes.
He couldn't do such a thing. Not to her, and not to himself. It would be as good as betrayal in her eyes, and as much as he knew it shouldn't, it pained him when he disappointed her.
He got up and helped her to her feet, hoping the that he hadn't made a massive mistake by agreeing.
They made it to the garden with Scorpius supporting most of Narcissa's weight. Though he'd gotten used to supporting her to the toilet or even all the way from her bedroom to the sitting room, he was growing tired by the time they were halfway through the garden. If it wouldn't have harmed her pride, he'd have used a charm to help himself out.
Narcissa's breath was a little quicker than normal, but she wasn't complaining about the exertion as her eyes travelled over the flowers that lined the path. Scorpius tried to focus on them, too, and ignore the weight of his grandmother. Never before had he felt so out of shape.
One of the family's white peacocks appeared in the middle of their path, causing them to pause. Scorpius cursed under his breath. He'd hated the birds since one had pecked at his shoe laces as a child. Thankfully, that bird had been old and died shortly after the incident. There had been a few months when Scorpius wouldn't enter the garden at all. As it was, he was still weary of the peacocks and avoided them whenever possible.
His grandmother, though, had different ideas. Narcissa moved towards the bird, tugging Scorpius with her. There was a small smile on her lips that rarely showed itself when she was sitting inside all day, so Scorpius tried not to cringe as they got close to the bird.
"Have I ever told you that the peacocks were bought at my request?"
Narcissa wasn't looking at him, her shining eyes on the bird, so Scorpius allowed himself a surprised look.
"Really?" he asked.
He'd assumed the birds were just a Malfoy family thing that had been around for centuries, just like most aspects of the house. He was fairly positive the same white rose bush had been growing for five hundred years, carefully groomed and maintained by successive members of the family. The idea of the birds being a recent addition felt strange when they'd been there his entire life.
"Yes," Narcissa said with a grin. "When your grandfather and I first married, I wasn't happy here at the manor. My mother-in-law was a scary woman; you're lucky to never have met her. She wanted to maintain control, and she was always waiting for me to make mistakes she could scold me for. She didn't approve of Lucius' marriage to me after the scandal my sister Andromeda had created."
She trailed off, even reaching out to brush her finger against the bird's feathers. Scorpius cringed but stared in amazement when the bird leaned into Narcissa's touch.
"Why peacocks?" he asked. "Why not a cat or something?"
"Your great-grandmother didn't like the garden. It was the one place I could go without her following me as she had terrible allergies and didn't like to take the potions for them. I was spending a lot of time out here, but I was by myself. I wanted some companionship. Lucius convinced his parents that the birds would enhance the property, not ruin it."
Scorpius looked down at the peacock. There was an elegance to it that he could understand as a decoration, but he still didn't trust their temperament.
Before he could speak, Narcissa continued.
"I tried very hard not to be like that with your mother, even though we never got along."
Scorpius' eyes grew wide. Narcissa had never openly acknowledged her dislike for Astoria to him, though he'd long known of it.
"I was never against the marriage as much as Lucius, but it's true that I believed Draco could have done better. However, I always remembered how my own mother-in-law had treated me when I looked at these peacocks. I tried, at least, to be civil with your mother. I would never wish the terror I felt in those days on anyone else. Bella used to joke that the woman would poison me at dinner."
Scorpius cringed, staring at the tail feathers of the bird in front of them without a clue what to say next.
"You won't have the same problems I did. Or your mother for that matter."
The words made Scorpius frown as he anticipated what would come next, but Narcissa was grinning.
"From what I've heard, Ginny Potter is rather fond of you. You've been far luckier in terms of mothers-in-law."
Scorpius shifted on his feet, tempted to let go of his grandmother to distance himself from her. Though he'd been with Albus for years, there'd been something unspoken between him and his grandmother that meant they never discussed it. He'd been engaged for a year, and this was the closest Narcissa had come to acknowledging it out loud.
"I admit that a Potter wouldn't have been my first choice for you," she continued, eyes on something in the distance. "But I can't deny that you made an excellent choice in terms of happiness. Your eyes always light up when Albus Potter is around, and his family cares for you. I can't fault you for the choice you've made."
It was the closest thing to approval she'd give him, and he felt the heat in his cheeks as she spoke. He couldn't look her in the eye, as he whispered, "Thank you."
The two of them stood on the path, watching the bird in silence until it wandered off.
Prompts
HPFC
Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - walk
Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments
Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: International Day for the Elderly - Write about a grandparent
Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Prompts: (word) scary
Word count: 1,449