"Thirteen years! Thirteen years it's been, since you left mother and I to rot… and NOW you ask how she's doing?" roared Rius.
Draco looked to the floor, inhaling deeply. "I didn't leave you to rot, Rius. Now you're here we might as well tal-"
"Talk? Might as well talk? Look I don't think you get it, Draco. I don't want anything to do with you. You've been here for thirteen years, living happy families with your model wife and perfect son… knowing, knowing you had a woman out there who was raising your child and you didn't give a damn. Now, ha, now you expect me to care? Jog on, Draco." Spat Rius.
Draco glared at his estranged son, "you shall address me as Father. Whether you like it or not, that is what I am. I understand it's going to be hard, but I'm trying. I'm trying to be there for you, and you're pushing me away. You're mother isn't here anymore, however I am. So let me." Draco explained softly.
"I don't need you. I don't need any of you. I'm fine by myself. And don't you DARE talk about my mother you pathetic excuse of a father. You complete waste of space!"
Draco grabbed Rius by the arm, tightening his grip as his son struggled in his grasp. He pulled him closer and whispered "stop throwing tantrums like a little child, Rius. You're going to be staying with me now, as you're legally under my care. Now follow me, it's time I introduced you to your family," hissed Draco.
Rius stayed quiet, fuming he glared at Draco.
Rius had the same personality as his father, the same arrogance and anger. He was also the complete copy of him in looks. He shared the same deep grey orbs that his father inherited from his Grandfather, Lucius Malfoy. Rius had never met his any of his father's family before. It had always been his mother and him for as long as he could remember.
Draco let his son into Malfoy Manor, as he finally let go of his arm. Rius looked at the place his father had touched him with disgust. "I'll show you your room so you can get settled in before you meet your family," said Draco, not looking at his son. Rius grunted. Rius looked around amazed at the eloquence of the Manor. He grew up in a little cottage, with only three rooms. Suddenly he felt anger rush through his veins. How could his father leave him and his mother for 13 years to struggle on their own, while he lived in luxury? Rius promised to never forgive his father, even if he was living in his house. It's not like he chose to live there, he was forced to. As his mother had died and he was under the age of 18 (he was 16), it was the law that his father should take him under his wing, until he turned of age to leave.
Draco pointed to a room, "this is your room. Oh, and get changed into something nice, I'll be back in 10 minutes," Rius snapped out of his thoughts as his father instructed him. He walked into the room, and then looked down at the clothes he was wearing. He didn't see anything wrong with his clothes, and thought they looked 'nice'. He wore grey jeans, a grey t-shirt and a brown leather jacket on top with black boots that came up to his ankles. Dropping the bag he was carrying from his shoulder onto his bed, he considered whether he should change as he thought he looked fine, standing in front of the mirror. Rius walked over to the window, which took up half the wall, and watch the snow fall.
He stood there for at least 4 minutes before turning to look at his new room. It was much bigger compared to his old room. There was a double bed leaning pressed against the wall to his right, opposite his bed there was a wardrobe fitted into the wall, and near the window, which was to the left of the bed, was a full sized mirror.
Rius walked towards his bed and sat on it, his back to the door, and closed his eyes. Silence. There was complete silence since his mother died a week ago. A picture of his beloved mother flowed into his head. His mother was beautiful, she had cool blue eyes that soothed his worries when he was a child, and elegant brown hair which was so different to his white-blonde hair. She always wore a smile, always with an open ear whenever Rius needed one. A single tear slid down Rius' face and he let it. In-front of people Rius was hard and didn't show emotion, even when he was told the news of his mother dying. However, when he was alone, that was when he would let his emotions run wild. Rius quickly lifted a hand to his face to remove the tear when he heard the door open.
"Why haven't you changed?" Came the cold voice of his father. Rius waited a second to grab hold of himself before replying. "I don't see why I should have too," he simply retorted, still not facing his father who was standing at the door frame. Draco exhaled deeply, "Look, everyone's ready now so you'll have to come like this," after a few more seconds, Rius finally got up and turned towards his father. Draco led the way downstairs not saying anything else.
They finally reached the grand living room everyone was waiting in. As Rius entered the room he realised the main colour everyone was wearing was black, with a few exceptions. Draco, who was wearing black trousers with a white top and a black over-coat on top, started to introduce his family.
"This is your Grandfather, Lucius Malfoy," began his father. So this is the famous Lucius Malfoy thought Rius. When he was younger he really wanted to meet his Grandfather, as he was talked about a lot; and spoken about very highly among other wizards. Now, however, Rius really couldn't care less about meeting the infamous Lucius Malfoy. He shook his hand nonetheless. Lucius wore clothes similar to Draco, except he carried a Cane and the over-coat was slightly longer. Lucius had long white-blonde hair and pale skin, just like him and his father.
Next he was introduced to his Grandmother, Narcissa Malfoy. Rius was quite taken a-back when Narcissa embraced him into a warm hug. Rius didn't hug back. He stood there awkwardly with his hands at his sides. It's too late to get friendly now - thought Rius. His Grandmother wore a light green dress which covered her whole body and a long deep red coat on top. She also had black leather gloves on. Narcissa had a warm smile, and brown hair, like his mother, but she wasn't – she was gone.
Finally he was introduced to a teenage boy, about the same age as himself. There was something about the boy, he just couldn't place what it was. Though it all became clear once his father had introduced him…
"This is your brother, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," beamed Draco proudly as he touch Scorpius' arm tenderly. "Father you forgot to add the half… HALF-brother, and no doubt the better son," hissed Scorpius as he glared evilly at Rius. Draco remained silent and Narcissa gently tapped him on the back of the head, saying "Scorpius," in a surprised tone.
Rius also remained silent as he examined him. Rius had his hair spiked messily to the side. Scorpius, on the other hand, had his hair in a neat side parting. They both had white-blonde hair, both inherited from their father. Scorpius also had the same pale skin as him, but Rius had light warmth to him, whereas Scorpius was cold. Rius stared at the boy in front of him, showing he wasn't scared. Scorpius wore black jeans and a black shirt, with a dark green tie and waistcoat. He looked as if he'd just got back from a very important meeting. Pathetic waste of pace, Rius thought to himself.
Finally, Draco cleared his throat to break the tension, but Rius kept his stare on Scorpius until the wimp broke away from eye contact.
Just when Rius thought the introductions were over, he noticed a lady standing on the right to Scorpius. She looked the same age as his father. She had long white-blonde and wore a peach colour dress and black shoes. He realised Scorpius looked like her a lot.
"Now Rius I'd like you to meet, Astoria Malfoy, my beautiful wi-"
Before Draco could finish, Rius walked out of the room, with his fists clenched. "Rius get back in here this instant," shouted Draco from the living room. Rius didn't answer. Draco called after him again, and Rius finally replied, "I don't want to be in the same room as the whore who broke my mother's heart," Rius replied coolly, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. "Don't talk about my mother like that you filthy beggar." Roared Scorpius, Draco caught Scorpius just in time as he raced towards Rius. Draco muttered something to Scorpius, and Scorpius walked into another room.
"Maybe it's time to have dinner," said Narcissa in shock. Rius watched Astoria and Narcissa walked into the same room Scorpius had entered moments before.
Lucius approached Rius with a stern look in his eyes. He came face to face with Rius, "Now listen boy, as long as you live under my roof you will NOT use that kind of language, especially not in front of my wife. Just because I don't know you yet, doesn't mean I won't punish you. Understand?" whispered Lucius coldly. Rius didn't reply he just stared into the eyes of his Grandfather, as if trying to read his soul, holding back his anger. "Understand?" pressed Lucius more coldly and loudly. Rius simply nodded his head slightly, hoping that would be a good enough response. As Lucius finally turned to leave, he quickly turned to face him again "And do not cause trouble with my grandson," he said before walking into the room the others had.
As Rius turned towards the door, to go outside, he heard Draco "You will not talk about my wife like that, am I clear?" when there was no reply Draco shouted "AM I CLEAR?" Turning Rius around, Rius simply got free of his father's grip, saying get off me. However, Draco grabbed him again, this time tightening his grip, "You will drop this attitude this instant. Now, go in there and apologise to my wife – or you'll get no dinner," ordered Draco pointing towards the door they had all entered. "I guess I just won't eat then. It's not like I'm not used to it," replied Rius, trying to contain his anger. Draco let out a deep sigh, "Fine. I'll let you off this once, but another disruptive word and I'll make sure you feel the end of my wand," threatened Draco, pushing Rius towards the direction of the door. Rius remained silent as he walked the short journey to the door everyone had passed through.
Draco beat him to the door and opened it. Rius looked inside and saw that it was a dining room. They probably have about 100 of these in this place, thought Rius.
Looking to the table he saw that Lucius was sitting at one of the heads of the long table. On his right was his wife, Narcissa. Scorpius sat to the left of Lucius. Astoria was seated next to her son, and Rius watched Draco take a seat next to his wife. Rius noticed there were many empty seats at the large table, many at the end of the table, where he could sit and eat in quiet, and seats next to his father. He noticed a seat between Lucius and Scorpius was free. Rius didn't know where to sit, and even to his surprise he chose to sit next to his grandmother, Narcissa, opposite of Draco. Narcissa turned to him with a smile on her face and placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed it for a few seconds, before turning back to the food. "Right, shall we dig in?" said Narcissa, smiling at everyone at the table.
There were all kinds of food on the table in front of Rius. To him it was a grand feast; to them it was just another dinner. Everyone started to take different pieces of food. Lucius took a bit of chicken and some salad, so did Scorpius, while Draco got a piece of stake and added mash and gravy, with peas. Rius watched Narcissa take a bowl of salad and put pieces on her plate. She must have noticed Rius hadn't taken anything and she offered him some salad, which Rius accepted. He didn't pay much attention to what Astoria was eating, as he didn't look her way. Stupid whore, he thought to himself.
Rius finished the salad he was given in just about five minutes, and took a big gulp of water. Just as he was about to leave the dining room to go to his own bedroom, someone spoke. "So, Rius, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" asked Lucius, putting his glass of orange juice down, with somewhat of a smile on his face. "Yes, please tell us. I'd love to know more about you," added Narcissa. Rius froze as the whole table of heads turned to his direction, even Scorpius, probably wanting to add more pressure to the whole situation.
"What do you want to know?" Rius replied quietly, surprised that they even wanted to talk to him. "Anything you think we should know, and the usual things like your hobbies and the sort," answered Draco, as he swallowed a slice of steak.
Rius waited a couple of seconds before replying, "Well, as you probably know my name's Rius Drayton. I attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for three years and I was part of Slytherin House. In my third year I was made Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and towards the end of the year I was made captain, however I left at the end of my third year. My mother and I moved somewhere else, so I couldn't go to Hogwarts anymore…" Rius paused as he thought of what else to say.
"Why did you have to leave?" asked Lucius, Rius waited again before he spoke, not wanting to give away too much, "I made too many problems for my mother… and she wanted a fresh start, so we moved." There was a silence, "do you have any brothers or sisters? Any other family out there?" asked Narcissa.
"My mother never got married again, so I have no brother or sisters. Like I said, it was only my mother and I. Regarding any other family members, well, there was my mother's family… but not all of them liked us-" "Why?" asked Draco, who stuffed another spoonful of steak into his mouth.
Rius looked Draco in the eyes to answer that question, staring deep into his soul, "Because you left mother, and she had to raise a child by herself, with no male protectors." Rius spat at Draco. His father remained silent. "I think that's enough questions for the day," stated Lucius, looking sternly at Rius. Rius said nothing and walked out of the room, heading for his bedroom.
Rius reached his bedroom door to a screeching sound coming from the window. He walked over to it, and saw that is was a tawny coloured owl, with an envelope in its claws. He opened the window and let in the owl, taking the envelope from its claws, "I don't have any money…" the owl gave him a sharp peck on the arm and flew out the window. Rius cursed the owl under his breath as he shut the window. Finally he looked down at the envelope; it was addressed to him, obviously. Rius opened the envelope and read:
Dear Rius,
I hope you're safe and well. I'm writing to let you be the first to know that the funeral will be held in two days' time: on Friday."
Rius froze and read that word over and over again, funeral on Friday. After he had digested the information, he carried on reading.
I know this is a hard time for you, and I want you to stay strong.
Your uncle, Jamaal
Rius crushed the letter up in his hand and felt the anger surge through his body. Tears starting to flood his eyes as he walked up to the wall opposite his bed and punched it with all the strength he could muster. His mind was exploding with thoughts and he couldn't take it anymore. Why did she have to go? She was a good woman; all she ever wanted was good for people. She went too soon… all because of me, Rius thought to himself.
He heard a cracking sound come from his right hand as he went for another blow at the wall, this time when he removed his hand there was blood and a tiny crack where he had made contact. He had enough and let go of all his emotions, all at once. Using his hands to shield his face he slid down the wall, not caring that blood was gushing out of his hand. Leaning his head against the wall he let the tears slid down his face, coating his face in water. He sat there silently sobbing to himself, when he heard a soft knock on the door, it was Narcissa, she asked if he was alright, however didn't enter the room as the door was locked.
When Rius didn't reply he heard her footsteps walk away. He didn't want to see or speak to anyone, especially not his selfish father's family, even if they were showing an effort to be nice. There was only one person Rius wanted to talk to. Only one person who would understand the hardship he was in, and the constant battle he was facing.
In an effort to try and disguise himself he got changed into black trousers, a grey top with a white cap, plus a dark green zip-up hoodie with the hood on, and black Nike Blazers. He also decided to take his gloves (which were black) as it was snowing outside. The last thing he wanted to do was catch a cold. Finally when Rius was happy he'd got everything he'd needed, he placed his wand in his pocket and headed for the door. The Manor was silent. Probably all in bed, he thought to himself. Quietly he made his way to the door. Once he was outside, he thought he'd got out safely, when he heard that cold, annoying, brooding, irritating voice that belonged to Scorpius Malfoy say, "Where do you think you're going, Cinderella?"
Rius turned to face him, and stepped closer to the door, glaring at Scorpius murderously.
"Stay out of my way you spoilt little brat!" Scorpius let out a snigger, "off to cry to mummy? No, no that can't be right. She's dead." Scorpius laughed coldly. Rius flung himself towards Scorpius and held him by his collar, "Listen here, you ugly son-of-a-whore, talk about my mother again and I'll make bad things happen to you. You understand me?" he let go of Scorpius and punched him, leaving a broken nose and blood hammering out of it. Rius nodded towards his nose (grabbing him around the neck again), "That was just a preliminary test. Next time you'll get the real feel of my fists," warned Rius in an icy-cold voice. Scorpius just nodded his head backwards and forwards like an overexcited dog. Rius threw him to the floor and gave him one last final kick in the stomach before turning and leaving.
To his relief he finally made it out of the Malfoy Manor gates, by climbing over them. They were protected and only Draco, Lucius and Narcissa could open them. As he starting walking into the darkness he felt his right hand start to sting. He took out his wand and whispered "Lumos" and then brought up his hand for inspection. There was blood all over it. His own blood and Scorpius' too. He wiped it on his trouser and looked more closely. It appeared as though he'd broken a knuckle and ripped the skin. He touched the surface of the rip and felt pain race through his hand, as if it was on fire, "damn!" he whispered to himself.
"Nox" he whispered and pocketed his wand. He didn't have time to worry about a bit of blood and a potently broken knuckle, he needed to see someone.
After walking for about an hour and a half, Rius became fed up. He wanted to get there faster. It was about 2:47am, and he hadn't learnt to apparate so he decided to run as fast as he could. And he did. Finally he reached the large field, he had to cross. He stopped running and stood breathing heavily with his hands on his knees for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath. As soon as he had composed himself, he started to climb up the gate that surrounded the field. This proved to be a difficult task with his stinging hand. He had to try numerous times before getting to the top, from which point he jumped down onto the field. The field was owned by an old wizard and protected by dogs that weren't afraid to bite, or kill.
Rius walked as quietly and carefully as he could. He'd gone half-way across the field when he'd clumsily stepped on a twig, which made a sound. Inevitably that set off the alarm. Rius let down a heavy gulp as he heard the dogs start to bark. "Shit!" he muttered to himself, he took one look behind him and started to bolt as fast as he could to the gate at the end of the field. There had to be at least 13 wizard-killing dogs chasing him. And they were fast.
The instant Rius thought he was close enough to the gate; he made a dive for it! Jumping as high and hard as he could, he made a grab for the top of the gate, just pulling himself over, in the nick of time. That was close he thought to himself. "Get me now, you runt," Rius snapped at the dogs, who were on the other side of the gate, extending his arms acting like a child. Rius decided it was time to go when he heard the voice of the owner, shouting into the distance "what's going on out there," Rius turned his back to the gate and started walking into the blackness of the night. "Oi, you! Come back 'ere, you stupid trespasser." Rius closed his eyes and carried on walking.
Rius finally made it to where he wanted to go. It was 3:48am when he got there. Rius walked to the back garden of the house and picked up a stone. Gently he threw it at the top right window, and 4 stones later, a girl opened a window. "Who is it?" she asked half-asleep rubbing her eyes, not recognising Rius in his hat and hoodie. Rius took off the hood, leaving the hat on and looked up at her smiling, despite his knuckle still hurting venomously. "Rius! What are yo-" she exclaimed, Rius put a finger to his mouth, putting his hood back on, "Shh! Let me in, I need to talk to you," he half whispered and half shouted to her. "OK, come around to the front, I'll be down in a minute."
Rius waited outside the front door and embraced the girl with a hug when she opened the door. Before she could start bombarding him with questions he headed for her room, the girl following him. Rius always loved visiting her house, it wasn't too small and it wasn't Malfoy Manor; it was a cosy-family-home. A home and not a house, that's what Rius liked the most.
Once Rius was securely in the girl's cream-coloured room, he was pleased no one had woken up. The girl came in shortly after him, and shut the door.
"Rius, what are you doing here? How did you get here? And what's happened to your hand, look its bleeding!" she squealed going slightly shrill, as she grabbed his right hand. Rius gave out a painful look on his face when she touched it, "Oh, I'm sorry. That must be killing. Let me get some stuff to clear it up." "No, it's OK. I need to talk to you anyway," "I'm concerned about your hand and I won't be able to concentrate if it doesn't get cleaned up," she replied before walking out of the room. Rius smiled to himself, he was lucky he had someone in his life that cared for him, now his mother was gone.
She returned a couple of minutes later with water, towels and some bandages. Once she was satisfied she'd taken care of the hand properly, which was about 10 minutes later, she sat on the bed next to him. "Before you start you need to answer my questions. How did you get here? And where have you been? We'd thought you'd run away after receiving the news. I was so worried. We didn't stop looking for you, and your uncle said he didn't know where you were either," she finished as she took off his hood and placed his hat on the bed, then wrapping him in a hug. Rius hugged back and then let go, he ruffled back on the bed to lean against the wall as he began to explain.
"I really don't know where to begin… well, after my uncle told me about my mother, I headed out to clear my mind. Try and think. I was all over the place. I was heading to the park near my old house when some Ministry Officials approached me, telling me that they had to appoint me a new guardian, now my mother's gone," the girl smiled at him warmly and put a loving hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Rius continued, "Yeah, so they dragged me to the Ministry to wait for this new guardian. I thought it would be my uncle, Jamaal, but it turned out it's none other than Draco Malfoy," Rius paused for a moment, "I refused to go, but they forced me to go. Something about being under 18, apparently it's the law, well where was the stupid law when my mother and I were struggling. Where was that thoughtless, inconsiderate, heartless man then? And now they expect me to accept him with open arms?" Rius paused again, trying to regain his temper. "Anyway, I somehow ended up going with him to his humble Manor. Finally met the famous Lucius Malfoy and his wife; however what infuriated me was he had the nerve to introduce me to the promiscuous slut, yeah, the one he went off with, leaving my mother's heart-broken. The one that he started an affair with behind my mother's back, while he was still married to her. The loose slag he chose over his wife and son."
The girl hugged Rius tightly and rested her head on his shoulder, still listening to every word. "I'm sorry if I start to get angry. I can't help it when it comes to them… they have a son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, as Draco said it. He's even more slimy and backward than both of them put together…"
"Rius, how did you wound your hand?" "You could say I had a bust up with the son-of-a-slag, he deserved it, trust me… back onto the subject. Hani, I'm here because I got an owl from my uncle yesterday at around 11:48pm. My mother's funeral will be held this Friday. I just don't know what to think right now, my heads a mess. I don't know if I can do it, Hani. But if I don't go I'll never forgive myself, I'll never forgive myself for never saying goodbye. I didn't have the chance to say goodbye when she was alive, now I certainly don't want to miss this chance, but I'm scared. Hani, for the first time in my life, I'm scared. Right now, right now I can believe what I want, you know, but on Friday it'll be official and final, it'll be the end and I'll be forced to accept the truth," Rius explained with emotion in his every word. He felt his eyes swell up and as he went to wipe his eyes, Hani stopped him. "It's ok to cry, Rius," she whispered.
She stopped leaning on him and sat up properly, looking at him warmly. "Rius, you have to understand, it's perfectly normal and understandable that you're scared. I know you feel like you have no one, but Rius, you have me. I'll always be here for you no matter what. You're my best friend and nothing can change that. You're strong Rius. You don't want to make a mistake in the spur of the moment and end up regretting it for the rest of your life… most importantly you have to remember your mother will never leave. She'll always be with you in everything you do. She'll be with you in here," she pointed to Rius' heart. Multiple tears started to fall down his cheeks, as he let his armour crack for the first time in front of someone. "Rius, its ok to cry and it's ok to feel emotion. As long as you know you have me, always. I know I'll never be as good of a woman your mother was, but I'll always be here, if you want to talk, if you don't want to talk – no matter what. Sariah was a phenomenal woman, and she'll be missed by us all. But you have to stay strong Rius."
Rius sat there, taking in his best-friend's words. Hani put her arms around him and he also put his arms around her. He was extremely grateful to have someone like Hani in his life. She wasn't his girlfriend or anything. Just his longest, best and closest friend ever… they'd been buddies for as long as he could remember, and his mother was best-friends with Hani's mother and father. Rius closed his eyes as he embraced his life-long friend.
"You promise to be there with me on Friday?" he asked Hani softly. "No matter what," came her reply.
A couple of hours later Rius woke up. He turned his head slightly to see the clock on the wall, it presented the time as 10:28am. He was still leaning against the wall with Hani's head resting on his left shoulder. He watched her breath, deep in sleep. Hani had dark brown hair, ice-blue eyes and she had a healthy-tan skin colour. Rius was wondering whether he should wake his sleeping friend when he heard her father, Adam, knock softly on the door.
"Hani, sweetheart, it's time to get up," he called gently.
Rius watched his friend slowly wake up; she yawned, stretched her arms and then rubbed her eyes. She smiled tenderly at Rius, mouthing "good morning" before replying to her father.
"I'm up dad; I'll be down in a few minutes. Just getting dressed,"
"Ok, just make sure you come down before your mother finds out you're not awake," teased Adam.
Hani got off the bed and starting rummaging through her wardrobe and drawer, looking for something to wear, Rius sat on the bed awkwardly, was he supposed to sit there and watch her change or something? He had no idea.
Hani, who was wearing loose white pyjama bottoms and top with a cream woolly jumper on top, turned around to address her uncomfortable friend.
"Rius, can you please go into my brother's room while I get changed?"
"Sure,"
"Thanks."
Rius got off the bed and walked to the door and unlocked it. Smiling at Hani, who was still deciding what to wear, he exited the room.
Hani, who was the same age as Rius – 16, had three brothers'. Tobias, who was three years older than her, Isaac, who was her twin brother and Zakariya, however everyone called him Zak for short. Zak was 4 years old.
Rius walked towards Isaac's room through habit and found him fully dressed doing his hair. Isaac was wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a white top with a checked black and blue over-shirt (the buttons undone) and finally black and white woolly Christmas socks. Unlike his twin sister, Isaac had inherited his father's black hair. However like Hani, he had his mother's smooth features. Isaac, along with all his siblings also had a healthy-tan skin colour. Isaac was the only one to inherit his father's eye colour: a dark brown. All his other siblings had their mother's ice-blue coloured eyes.
Isaac was extremely popular at Hogwarts for his good-looks. All the girls loved him and the guys wanted to be him, and although Isaac looked like the type to be arrogant about this, he wasn't. He was actually a Geek disguised as a bad-boy. All of his close friends knew this. And that included Rius.
"Rius, good to see you, mate. When did you get here? I didn't hear you knock," Isaac spoke, looking at Rius through the mirror.
"Yeah, good to see you too, I arrived earlier today. Hani invited me in, everyone was asleep," Rius replied smiling, as he took a seat on Isaac's bed.
Isaac finished styling his hair, and took a seat near Rius. "Why didn't you wake me, man? Been worried about you, you're alright though, aren't you?" asked Isaac with concern in his eyes and words.
"Yeaah, I'm fine mate. Could be better but I'll explain later,"
Isaac nodded. "Come and get your breakfast! It's all going cold," came an Italian accent from downstairs, it was their mother, Giovanna (called Gi for short).
"I'll race you down there," Isaac hollered, pushing Rius off the bed, racing for the door.
Rius followed after Isaac. Once he'd reached the kitchen he was received with smiles from Adam and Gi. "Rius, lovely to see you, when did you get here?" asked Gi, taking Rius into a hug. "Rius, my man, been looking for you everywhere, anyway you're probably starving so I'll ask you later about it. Garb some breakfast," beamed an overly enthusiastic Adam, taking Rius into a man-hug.
Rius took a chair at the table, smiling. He was always welcomed and accepted at the Hakeem household. They were like family to him. Especially now he's mother was gone.
"Uncle Adam, Aunt Gi. I'll explain everything later and thanks for letting me stay for breakfast," Rius replied, smiling.
He took a piece of toast, and added butter, before grabbing a cup of tea and dipping it in. Isaac did the same.
"Rees!" exclaimed little Zak smiling from his mother's lap, trying to avoid his cereal.
"Hey, Zak, you alright there buddy?" Grinned Rius.
Zak replied something that was inaudible, as Giovanna had stuffed a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Zak didn't look too happy about it. Gi kissed Zak on the forehead, and told him he had to eat in-order to become a "big-boy" like his brothers'.
Isaac turned his attention to his mother. "Hey, mum, where's Tobias? He was going to drive me to the library,"
"He's at work, darling. He was asked to go in early today, as they're short-staffed due to the snow. I'll get your father to drop you off, right after we get back from the doctor's with Zaky," she then said something that sounded loving to Zak in Italian, rubbing his nose with hers.
That petite moment reminded Rius of his mother so much; he could have cried there and then, if it wasn't was Isaac snapping him out of his day-dream.
"No, it's ok mum. I'll walk; I could do with the exercise anyway. Thanks anyway. I'll be back in a couple of hours," Isaac kissed his mother on the forehead and gave his father a high-five as he walked out of the kitchen and up to his room.
Hani finally came down to breakfast and Rius was just finishing his tea. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and hugged her mother, thanking her for the breakfast in Italian. She tugged on one of Zak's chubby cheeks, telling him to "eat up, little man," she then took a slice of toast and took a bite out of it.
"Mum, dad, Rius and I are going out for a bit. I'll be back before dinner," she grabbed Rius by the arm and walked out the kitchen and towards the front door.
Hani was wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a red and white coloured Christmas woolly jumper, with a green parka coat on top. She had a red and white woolly hat that matched her jumper sitting on her hair, which was straight. She also had black boots on.
No idea what was going on, Rius asked, "Where are we going?" as they stepped out of the front door.
"To your new house, so you can change your clothes. Then we're going to catch up with what's going on," she answered coolly, folding her arm in his.
As they started walking Isaac raced past them, smiling and telling them to have a "great day". He walked off in the opposite direction, towards the town library. He wore the same clothes except he had his black Ray-bans on, with a green parka coat and woolly black and white Christmas hat sat on his black hair.
Hani called for a taxi, and they arrived outside Malfoy Manor in about 38 minutes. Rius walked with Hani up to the Manor, her arm still wrapped around his. Rius took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
An angry and worried looking Draco opened the door. "WHERE have you BEEN? Do you have any idea how worried I was?" questioned Draco, choosing to ignore Hani.
"I'm not your property, Draco." Spat Rius, stepping into the house and then walking in the direction of his room, Hani following him quietly.
"I'm not finished talking to you, Rius. Fine, act like a little child; but when you've decided to be an adult about this, we'll talk… whether you like it or not, we WILL talk." Draco called after Rius.
Rius finally reached his bedroom. Hani waited outside while he got changed. Once he was, he invited her in. Rius wore beige chinos and a white shirt, with a black zip-up hoody on-top. He also put on black ankle high boots.
Hani talked to him about respecting his father and giving him a chance. However, Rius didn't think he deserved his respect or any chance, as he pointed out all the things he had done to them. Hani listened intently, nodding every so often.
"So, have you got any girls in your life?" asked Hani cheekily, trying to change the controversial subject.
Rius' cheeks went slightly red. Although he'd hidden it and tried to force himself it wasn't true, Rius always liked Hani. But he knew that he couldn't start a relationship with his best-friend, this was HANI HAKEEM he was talking about! His closest friend and that was it, only a friend.
"Erm, well, you know me, not really a ladies man!" teased Rius. Hani knew he was being sarcastic, all the girls at Hogwarts would've done anything to be with him, or even just have a chat with the charming Rius Malfoy, as was his real name. Hani was his only close female friend, he was always shy around girls he didn't know too well, and didn't know what to do.
"How about you?" asked Rius.
"No, not since Damian stupid-Heart-breaking Hill, at the moment I'm enjoying life as a single lady. I don't want any stupid boys messing with me. All that stuff can come later." Replied Hani.
Rius remembered Hani and Damian's relationship well. He also remembered the aftermath. Everyone thought they were one of those couples who found love early and grew old together. They were together for four years and things were starting to get serious when Damian kissed Hani's classmate, Zara. Damian cried and said he'd never do it again, but Hani wasn't a doormat. She knew this was a sign for her to move on, and so she did. But it wasn't so easy. Rius was the one Hani went to when she needed a shoulder to cry on, and that's another factor that made their friendship so strong.
"Hey, what about Isabella Richmond? Do you still like her?" asked Hani, falling backwards onto the bed.
Rius thought about this for a moment. Isabella was his former girlfriend and the only girlfriend he genuinely liked. Or so he thought. Isabella and Rius were together for two years, at first it was just a casual boyfriend / girlfriend relationship. But things started to get serious pretty quickly. However, Rius found he didn't have the same feelings he did at the beginning, and one year into it, he knew this wasn't what he wanted. Despite this fact, Rius stayed in the relationship thinking it could grow on him, or he could develop feelings for her again. He was so wrong. He split up with her a year later, and they hadn't spoken since. Isabella was completely heart-broken. Sure, Rius till cared for her, but she wasn't right for him, there was no connection, no spark.
"No, that died ages ago. You knew that. But there is someone. I'm just not sure if they feel the same way," he replied looking down at his friend.
Rius and Hani talked for another half an hour sitting on his bed, Hani was doing her best to keep Rius' mind off of the funeral tomorrow.
"Rius, do you mind if I use the bathroom quickly?" asked Hani.
"Yeah, sure. Erm, follow me… I'm not exactly sure where it is, but I'm sure we'll find it," smiled Rius.
He opened the door to his bedroom and walked to the top of the staircase and froze dead in his tracks.
Rius stood there for a few seconds unable to move, taking in the sight before him.
Hani noticed Rius' actions and walked towards him slowly, preparing for the worst.
After what seemed like 10 minutes, which in reality was about 20 seconds, Rius spoke.
"Isabella, what are you doing here?!" Rius asked with shock and anger in his voice, he was almost shouting at her.
He hadn't seen or spoken to Isabella since they split up, which was about a year ago. What angered Rius wasn't the fact that she was at his house, but it was because she was kissing Scorpius' face off.
As soon as she heard Rius' question, Isabella stopped snogging Scorpius and looked up, surprised and angry. It was obvious she still wasn't over the break-up a year later.
"I don't have to answer anything to you, Drayton! And if you're that interested I'm here at my BOYFRIEND'S house, WHAT are YOU doing here?" Snarled Isabella shooting Hani a death stare.
"Boyfriend? He's your boyfriend? Since when?"
Hani stood quiet not knowing what to say, while Scorpius looked visibly confused. He was obviously oblivious about the past between the two.
"Yes, she's my girlfriend. Got a problem with that, stupid?" Sneered Scorpius.
Without a word Rius walked down the stairs with Hani following quietly behind him. Isabella stared at Hani with venom in her eyes. She looked like she would kill her then and there.
Rius walked into the living room looking for someone who could point him in the direction of the bathroom. He found Lucius, who was sitting reading a book.
Rius cleared his throat, catching Lucius' attention and then spoke, "can you please show me where the bathroom is?"
Lucius got up and looked from Rius to Hani. Hani's cheeks went red with embarrassment. He ordered them to "follow him" and showed them one of the bathrooms.
"I'll wait out here for you," Rius smiled to Hani as she stepped into the bathroom and locked the door.
"And who's that?" asked Lucius in a caring tone, smiling.
Rius looked at the floor, answering, "a friend,"
"Girl… friend?" teased Lucius.
Rius looked up at Lucius with wide eyes, "What? No, no just a friend. A close friend but not girlfriend,"
Lucius looked at Rius for a moment, he could tell he liked Hani, and strangely, Rius reminded Lucius of himself. He learned into Rius' ear and whispered.
"Rius, if you like the girl you have to show her before she becomes someone else'. Don't waste your time, son."
Rius looked up at Lucius, shocked. How did he know, he thought. Just when he was about to reply the bathroom door opened.
"Sure Grandfather, Hani wouldn't mind staying for dinner,"
Rius was stunned at his reply. He'd just called Lucius Malfoy "Grandfather"!
Lucius smiled at him lovingly, with a caring glint in his eyes, noticing his Grandson's attempt to change the subject. He nodded and noticed Narcissa walk into the library and followed after her, his smile staying firm on his face.
Hani phoned her parents, informing them that she was having dinner at Rius' father's house. Naturally her parents were sceptical at first, but once they spoke to Rius, they warmed to her staying a few more hours.
Rius did the best he could to keep his mind off the funeral tomorrow, and it had worked. The whole day he hadn't thought about his mother or the reality of saying goodbye for ever.
Draco called Rius and Hani down to lunch at around 8:00pm.
Lucius sat at the head of the table, Narcissa sitting to his right and Scorpius to his left. To Rius' annoyance he noticed Isabella had also stayed for dinner, she was sitting, with a smug face, in-between Scorpius and his mother. Draco sat next to his wife.
Rius opted to sit next to Narcissa, and opposite Draco. Hani sat quietly beside him.
Lucius said a few words, and everyone started to eat. After a few minutes of silence and tension between the four teenagers, Draco spoke.
"So Rius, Scorpius, aren't you going to introduce your friends?" he asked taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
Rius looked towards Hani, who was looking down at her food not wanting to be the centre of attention.
Scorpius stayed quiet, enjoying his grilled fillet of fish, so Rius spoke first.
He put down his knife and fork and cleared his throat. "This is my best-friend Hani,"
Hani smiled and said hello.
"Oh, so the beautiful young woman isn't your girlfriend then, dear?" asked Narcissa smiling at both of them.
Rius purposely avoided Isabella; however he could tell she was fuming at the idea of Rius having a girlfriend that wasn't him. Hani let out a soft choke as she drank her water. Lucius stopped eating to give Rius his full attention. Rius didn't know why, but Lucius gave him a warm feeling inside, like he was wanted. However, Lucius also unnerved Rius, quite a bit.
Rius replied quickly, before any other speculations arose. "No. No, Hani isn't my girlfriend. She's the oldest and closest friend I have, but that's it."
"May I ask, Rius… what background does your friend come from?"
Not understanding what Lucius meant by his question, Rius answered, not knowing if he was saying anything relevant.
"Erm, well Hani's father is English and her mother is Italian. I don't know how that's of interest but I think that's what you meant," frowned Rius, trying to understand why Lucius would ask such a question. Surely he didn't have anything against people of other nationalities?
"No, no, that's not what I meant at all. Are your friends parent magical, Rius?" asked Lucius seriously.
Rius immediately caught on to the question. "Yes, Hani is indeed Pure-Blooded," confirmed Rius.
Lucius simply smiled and carried on eating.
"Right, so that's you done, Rius. Scorpius, your turn, son," smiled Draco.
Scorpius lazily put his knife and fork down.
"Yes, er, this is Isabella she's-"
"I'm his girlfriend," sneered Isabella, staring at Rius. Rius still avoided contact.
"I see, and may I ask, what is your family name, Isabella?" asked Lucius, not looking impressed.
"Richmond, sir. My names Isabella Richmond," beamed Isabella, obviously proud of her roots.
Lucius nodded, and carried on eating. Draco and Narcissa asked her a few questions, however Rius wasn't paying attention. Only when his name was mentioned did he look at her.
"Why, Rius?" spoke Isabella, breaking into a quiet sob.
Rius looked visibly confused. What was she talking about? Surely she wasn't about to embarrass herself by crying in front of the Malfoy family!
"Isabella what is it? Has the rat done something to you? If you've done anything to hurt my girlfriend you'll-"
"Why did you leave me Rius? Wasn't I good enough? What has SHE got that I haven't? ANSWER ME! LOOK AT ME!" wept Isabella.
Everyone turned to look at Rius, with confused faces. Rius felt his ears burn with embarrassment. Hani placed a hand on Rius' knee, to try and keep him calm.
"You're going out with HIM? HE'S your BOYFRIEND? You just can't help yourself, can you?" with that Scorpius made a jump for Rius, however Draco caught him just in time, placing him back in his seat.
"Whaat?! No! What're you talking about?! You're absolutely deluded! And no. I'm not her boyfriend. I'm not pretending I don't know her, because I do. I'm her ex. We split up over a year ago! I left HER! I haven't seen her since! You need to get your act together and move on. I don't want a relationship OR future with you, and although Hani isn't my girlfriend, she's ten-times the woman you'll ever be," following his revelation Rius stood up and left the room. Hani said goodbye and followed after him.
Everyone remained quiet, all you could hear was Isabella bawling even louder and harder, obviously heart-broken yet again. The whole room turned to face her.
Following the outburst at dinner, Rius took Hani home, via a taxi.
He bid her goodbye and then setoff back to Malfoy Manor.
Once he'd reached his room he looked at the clock, it had gone two minutes past midnight. Today is the day thought Rius as he fell onto his bed, and closed his eyes, drifting off into fabrication of dreams.
Sometime later Rius woke up. It was still dark outside, so he knew he can't have been asleep long. His assumption was made positive when he looked at the clock, it read eight past three in the morning.
Rius sat up and rubbed his eyes, in an attempt to see more clearly.
Once he'd got himself together he got up and opened the curtains, and then a window. Breathing in the fresh air, he noticed the beauty of the night sky. Rius looked up at the stars and he felt the tears well up in his eyes.
"The stars," he whispered to himself. Rius remembered his mother and himself when he was younger, they used to go out and count the stars, saying the name of a loved one, and how their looking down on them, protecting them.
Rius knew it was childish, made up and probably ridiculous but he couldn't help but wonder if his mother was up there now. Was she amongst the stars, looking over him? Protecting him?
Just as a tear ran down his cheek, he heard his bedroom door open. Hastily he wiped the tear and turned to see who it was.
It was Draco. He was dressed in a black suit, with another black suit in his hands.
"Rius, I know it's early, and I figured you'd be awake… you never used to sleep as a baby either, when there was an issue, you'd sense it…" Draco paused, as if reflecting on his words and reliving memories. Finally after a pause of about 5 seconds he shook his head and continued, "anyway, I got sent this suit from your uncle, Jamaal, he sent one for me and you. Here, put it on. Rius, I want to talk to you, and I know, I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but I need to tell you something. I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes. I'll be in the living room," Draco spoke softly and affectionately. Rius said nothing but stare at the suit lying on his bed as Draco walked out, closing the door behind him.
Rius let out a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. He picked up the suit, and stared at it. It was a black tailored suit, with black hand-stitches along the sides. A few moments after taking in the design of the suit, he decided to put it on.
Rius sat on his bed, fully dressed in his suit. He wondered what Draco would've wanted to talk to him about. He made his way towards the door, and down the stairs. Draco was waiting at the bottom of the stairs; he looked up at his son and gave him a small smile, nodding in his direction.
Draco walked with Rius around the Malfoy Manor gardens. He explained to Rius how he was truly sorry about his mother passing, and that he'll be there for Rius from then onwards, no matter the date or time.