Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, lucky JK is the one who does. So yeah.
Summary: DH SPOILER! A short little sequel to "The First Meeting" involving certain members of Rowling's world, particularly (as before) Scorpius and Rose, and maybe a bit of Albus.
--
The Party--
Draco exchanged a pained expression with his wife as the pair sat in the library, not quite sure what to answer their ten-year-old son Scorpius.
"So can I go?" he repeated, worried that they hadn't understood him the first time.
"Um… Well, Scorpius… You know that the other- that maybe… I have to talk it over with your mother for a bit, why don't you go… play in your room for a bit," Draco mumbled. Scorpius sighed, not unlike Draco himself, and nodded, leaving the room. Olivia was torn, not knowing what to say.
"Well, Draco, you know I would usually encourage… I mean, Scorpius barely ever sees anyone, and he needs to interact with children his own age. Your father's stories aren't helping him one bit, you know," she pointed out.
"I know, I know," he grumbled.
"But on the other hand, there'll be basically no one who'll even look at him… I don't want him to spend the party sitting in the corner…"
"He really wants it, doesn't he," Draco added, frowning, "I mean, we can't give him everything he wants, but you can just see in his eyes how much he loathes having to stay cooped up for too long. Even after that incident by the park, his moping only lasted for a few days and he was back at trying to leave the house."
Olivia nodded, "I'm not sure what we should do… I mean, I truly want him to get out and know other kids…" Draco looked at the ceiling; Scorpius' room was directly above the library. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.
"My vote is to let him go, and he can call on Theodore Nott's place if he wants to leave," Olivia continued. Nott was the son of a Death Eater, but managed to avoid taking the mark before the battle of Hogwarts. He had been all set to follow in his father's footsteps, but at one point, as with Draco, he had had enough. He'd come forward and his family had been granted a pardon, however he too had sought refuge on a muggle street. He'd move in four years prior, and Scorpius was often taken to visit when he grew restless.
"I'll call him in then," said Draco, getting to his feet and looking out the doorway, "Scorpius! Come down, your mother and I want to talk to you," and then he sat back down on the couch beside his wife, watching his son carefully as he entered the room. Scorpius walked in slowly, a grim expression on his face, and took long, slow steps to get to the center of the room. He wore black pants and a stiff white shirt and looked as if he hadn't gone to his room after all, but had in fact been eavesdropping. Nonetheless, Draco was unable to hide his smile when he spotted Scorpius' fingers crossed behind his back and biting his lip, eye open wide.
"Scorpius, darling, your father and I have decided you may go to the party. However, if things go wrong, just leave the house and go to Uncle Theo's. Alright?" Olivia asked. Scorpius was grinning in obvious delight, and he ran forward to hug his mother, arms wrapped tightly around her, a sloppy kiss on her cheek. He then slowly turned to his father, bowing slightly. It was probably something Lucius had taught him, but Draco would have none of that. He laughed and reached for his son, tickling him until the boy was nothing but a mass of giggles.
Ruffling his hair Draco smiled at his son and nodded, "Off to your room then, pick out something to wear…" Scorpius rushed out of his father's embrace and made a beeline for the staircase, "…No, wait, Olivia, you go help with that." Olivia smiled and kissed her husband on the forehead before leaving the room.
Draco watched her as she walked out, sighing and lying down on the couch. He could only hope that at least one of the children would talk to his son.
--
Later that day, as the moment for the party approached, Scorpius lay on his bed face-up in beige pants, a pale blue T-shirt and a navy blue jacket, muggle clothes for the party. Although the birthday boy came from a magical family, they too wished to remain low-key, albeit for different reasons. They would not be pleased that a Malfoy would be attending. No one was ever pleased around a Malfoy save for Uncle Theo, and no matter how hard his parents tried to hide that fact he'd understood it long ago. It had been made bitterly clear that day long ago when they'd gone to the park. Although the outing itself did not end well, it was the journey back home that he remembered the most.
Olivia Malfoy shielded her son Scorpius, holding him tightly as the trio walked through the street right before theirs. At first glance, it seemed to be quite a normal street, but behind the front doors lay spellbooks and wands. And, of course, witches and wizards galore. Having said this, the trademark Malfoy looks were of no help now that the war was over.
The Ministry had given out a pardon to all the Death Eaters and their families who came forward with confessions, information, etcetera. Lucius had refused to go, but Narcissa had gone around his back and taken Draco, who was more than ready to give it up. His sixth year at Hogwarts had definitely been his breaking point. And yet, although the Ministry had formally "forgiven" them, it didn't change the fact that he bore the Dark Mark on his wrist. Ever since the defeat of Voldemort it had faded, but it remained there. More importantly, it didn't change the fact that he was a Malfoy, a Death Eater, and many who saw him and recognized him from the list of "forgiven" ones held him personally responsible from any deaths or injuries of those they knew and loved.
As they walked down the street all the children out in the yards were ushered back to their homes by concerned parents who glared at Draco and his family. Near the end of the street an old woman went as far as running out of her house and intercepting them, with beady eyes and a sharp voice.
"You keep away from here, understood?" she snarled, gesturing around as Olivia tried to sidestep her and Scorpius whimpered, "These are good people, from good families, so you just keep away!"
Draco exchanged a pained look with his wife, "Ma'am, please, I just want to-"
"Is there a problem here Celina?" a young man cut in, having dashed out of his own home from across the street.
"Of course there is, boy," she said, "Don't you see these murderers trying to traipse through our street?"
The man took a step back, eyeing Draco with a subtle fear in his eyes, "Sir, we don't want any trouble…"
"What are you sir-ing him for? He deserves to rot in Azkaban!" Celina snapped.
"Celina," the man whispered at her, "Just let them through, no one wants them here, so the sooner they leave, the bet-"
"What is the problem with you?" Olivia cut in, handing Scorpius into Draco's arms and ignoring his warning stare. "He was a practically a child, he had no say in what to do. If you want to blame anyone, blame You-know-who! He destroyed many families and many lives, but death was only one of the ways. My husband's life was cursed from the day his own father pressured him to become one of them, and he's been regretting it ever since. He can't even go out with his son, my child, without being feared and shunned by society. Is that not punishment enough?"
Celina whipped out her wand and pointed it at Olivia, "I've had enough of this rubbish! Now leave, all of you! Before I lose my temper right here, right now, and take the child myself! The poor boy deserves better than diabolical parents!"
Olivia took a step back, surprised, but Draco was quick to hook his left arm around hers, Scorpius with his head on his shoulder as they walked around Celina and the man, rushing as fast as they could home.
But despite how frightening that day had been, he wanted to go more than anything. An actual party, for the first time. Rolling over, he grinned into his pillow, grateful as he heard his mother calling from downstairs.
--
Draco watched glumly from the dark as Olivia and Scorpius approached the porch nervously. Olivia politely rang the doorbell and smoothed back her son's hair as a curly-haired lady approached the door. Upon spotting them she froze, looked around a bit and then opened the door.
"Can I… Can I help you?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes.
"My son, Scorpius? He's here for your party. The party for little William," Olivia explained gesturing at Scorpius who stood beside her, mastering an expressionless face.
"Um… the party… of course… although it is kind of late…"
Olivia's eyes hardened and the woman sighed, "Oh, all right then. Just don't let Celina catch wind of this. It's bad enough as it is." Scorpius smiled and followed the woman inside the house, while Olivia bit her lip and watched. Draco materialized out of the shadows and tucked his wand back into his pocket, sliding an arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek.
"Come on, he'll be all right," he murmured, and she nodded slowly, and they both headed back home.
--
Scorpius looked around as the edgy woman led him through a long corridor, passing several doors and a staircase, through a set of sliding glass doors and out to the back. The backyard was swamped with children who milled around, a large group playing tag, another in the center, dancing while the most amazingly bright neon and ultraviolet rays of magically summoned light rained above them, and the latest from the Weird Sisters blared on the stereo. Others swarmed around the tables laden with goodies that would continually refill. However, of the many children there that night, not a single one of them even looked at him. Head hung in humiliation and resentment, Scorpius made his way over to a swing set that stood abandoned in the corner.
It was a little rusty, but still in pretty good shape, partly hidden by a large spruce that grew right in front of it. Sliding onto the wooden seat and ignoring the slight creak it made, barely audible over the music, he stared at the grass. His fingers tapped on the chain links that held the swing, and his shoes dug into the ground. Defeated, he sighed, but he was resolved to wait out the night; he would sit on that swing for hours on end if he had to. Draco had been a rather easygoing father, but Lucius was always there, prowling in the corner. His grandfather had told him stories that had horrified him, stories that had humiliated and emboldened him, that made him strive for nothing less than his pride and dignity in one piece. He refused to back down.
A voice suddenly spoke right beside his ear, "Hiya stranger." Scorpius started and nearly fell off the swing, looking over his shoulder as he struggled to regain his composure. He narrowed his eyes, unable to make out anything more than a dark figure behind him.
"Rose Weasley," she said, walking around and plopping down onto the swing right beside him, "My father said not to talk to you, you know."
Scorpius turned his head away from her and snapped, "Well my father told me not to talk to you either."
She peered at him, "Well you just talked to me."
"So did you."
"I was joking." Scorpius turned red, thankful that the darkness hid his face.
"I- " focus, breath, take control, he told himself, "I'm merely making an exception."
"Why wouldn't you want to talk to me? You were the weird one."
Scorpius flashed back onto that day at the park, amazed he could still remember it, "I don't know what you're talking about. I barely remember you at all. And I've always been… I wasn't weird."
"Well you did say some rather nasty things." When Scorpius said nothing, Rose continued, "I lied. I actually wasn't joking. My dad did tell me not to talk to you. Do you know why?"
Scorpius glared at the ground. He didn't really have anything against the quirky girl, but he was certain that he knew why no one seemed to like him. He personally refused to believe the awful things Celina had said about his parents four years ago and continued to mutter every time she saw them. Deep inside he had no clue why it was that his family was hated so, but he definitely knew that they were hated. He didn't need some yakking brat like Rose to remind him.
"My father says it's because your father was a 'bloody sod', and then Mum said 'not in front of Rose' and then Dad said 'don't ever repeat that Rose' and then Mu-"
"Oh shut it Rose, you've waffled on long enough," Scorpius muttered, still glaring.
Rose gasped, then retorted "Oh grow up, you're not six anymore, are you?"
"And neither are you," he said through gritted teeth, "You were beastly enough then, no need to keep at it now."
Rose stood up, speechless, "You're a… a… a sod! A bloody sod!" and she marched off. Scorpius sighed, leaning back on the swing and staring at the stars. For a moment he considered leaving right then and there, heading to Uncle Theo's would be more fun than sticking around. A trio of laughing boys, all giggling incessantly with a sugar rush, tumbled over by the spruce tree and spotted Scorpius on the swings.
"Blimey, what's he doing here, Will?" snarled the boy to the right, with a head of tight, russet curls.
"How should I know? Oi, Malfoy, what're you doing here? I didn't invite you." William snapped. Scorpius lowered his head and narrowed his eyes at the boys.
"Are you bloody deaf? I said I DID NOT INVITE YOU!" William said through a smirk, waving a hand in front of Scorpius' face, "Hello? Anybody there?" The boys doubled over with laughter. Scorpius' hands tightened around the chains of the swing, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"Aw, little baby Malfoy's gonna cry? You want to go back to your Daddy and Mummy?" said, the first boy. More laughter and then he turned to William, "Will you take a look at the duffer? I say we kick him out here and now." Will and the other boy nodded, grinning, and Scorpius stood up slowly.
"I'm not leaving," he stated. William's smile widened as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small, fist-sized package, in bright red and yellow, and adhesive on one side. In one fluid motion he ripped off the seal and stuck it on Scorpius' chest. Laughter ensued while Scorpius realized what had happened and tried to yank it off, with no result. The boys ran away as he noticed a spark that was running down a coil of twine very quickly to the center of the package. Just as he'd managed to tear the jacket off and throw it into the sky the package burst, making a flurry of little golden and scarlet lights. It was certainly not enough to kill him or hurt him badly, but it had certainly frightened him. However, it only made him more determined to stay.
Making sure the trio had left to go torment someone else he settled back onto the swing, watching his jacket drop to the floor and trying to think of how to explain the small hole to his parents. As he tried to relax, leaning back and forth to rock the swing slightly, a head poked in beside the tree.
A boy's voice called behind, "Ro! Rose, where'd you go? Rose?"
Scorpius rolled his eyes as Rose's voice rang clearly right in front of him, panting slightly, "What was that?"
"What was what?" Scorpius asked, frowning at her.
"We heard a bang," Rose explained, "So I wanted to know what happened."
"Rose!" gasped the boy, stumbling into view.
"Al, this is Scorpius Malfoy," Rose introduced, easing herself onto the swing beside Scorpius.
Al flinched and took a step back, muttering, "Uncle Ron said not to talk to him Ro…"
Rose sighed, exasperated, "Whatever Albus Severeus, if you want to play at that I can easily tell Auntie Gin exactly what you've got hidden in your room. I'm sure she'd like to know about the stash of the fireworks you got last time we stopped by Uncle George's."
"It's not my fault," Albus defended himself, "Freddy gave them to me!"
Rose rolled her eyes, "Of course he did! He's only seven!"
"Nice to meet you Albus," Scorpius murmured almost inaudibly. It was clear that whoever it was would simply be another one of those who feared or despised him.
"Um, hi," Albus answered nervously, looking around, "I'm gonna go get candy, wanna come Rose?" Rose shook her head and swung slowly as he walked away. Sighing, she got off the swing and lay on the grass face-up.
"Come on Scorpius, don't be so dull, it's a lovely evening," she said, patting the patch of grass beside her. Scorpius shrugged and got off the swing, lying down beside her.
It was then that Albus came back, hands occupied with strips of licorice. He guiltily shoved them down his pocket and hesitantly lay down as well.
"I haven't done this in a while," he thought out loud, "Ted used to take us, remember Rose?"
"Yeah… I miss that."
"He knew all of the constellations," Albus continued with a snort, "He's such a nerd, just like you Ro!" She huffed, but if you squinted in the dark you could spot her smile.
"I used to know a few," Scorpius cut in, "but I stopped learning them a while back."
Albus chuckled, "So you're one of those nerds too then?"
"Yeah, I guess," Scorpius admitted, grinning. For the longest time there was a silence. A nice, peaceful serenity in which the three gazed at the sky.
"Brill, innit?" Rose whispered, watching the stars.
"Yeah," Scorpius murmured, eyeing a flickering white star that seemed to call to him from the dark of the night, "brill."
--
I'm considering putting this "sequel" as a second chapter to "The First Meeting", but I'm not sure if I should make both part of a short story or just leave it ass is. I'd love to hear what you have to say! Eventually maybe I might write a third, in which case I would probably put all three together and remove this post. Opinions?
Happy reading and reviewing!