Hey! This fic is for the Choose Your Wand Challenge by Coruscanti Clover and the Ultimate Potronus Quest Challenge by Book of Hope. Enjoy!
Scorpius Malfoy had never felt so shell shocked in his entire life. He'd never felt so numb and hollow. His mother's death was no longer news. Yet he still expected her to come in his room at any moment, a permanent smile on her face and endless words of encouragement. She would never again give him advice, never help him with a summer homework assignment, and never cook him another meal. From now on it was just be him and his dad. Oh Merlin how was he going to survive?
There was so much he hadn't told her, so many secrets he'd yet to tell her. He would never get to confess that it was him who spilled her favorite perfume, or that he had known all along that his childhood cat hadn't just ran away and never came back. She'd never get to see him graduate from Hogwarts, or get his first job.
"Scorpius?" came a soft and hesitant voice from outside his bedroom, followed by a quick knock.
He'd never get to tell his mother about Albus. About how he really felt.
"You've been up here awhile. Can I come in?"
Their fathers had begrudgingly agreed to let Albus spend some time at the Malfoys mansion in the days leading up to Astoria's funeral. He'd been staying in one of the spare bedrooms down the hall from Scorpius' since the two families lived too far away and the young boy was unable to apparate. The two had spent more time together than ever. But now, on the day of the funeral, Scorpius wanted to be as far away from everyone as possible. Including his best friend. Yet hearing his voice, pleading Scorpius to let him in, he couldn't bring himself to shut him out any longer.
He opened the door revealing his best friend, wearing a suit and a worried expression. Scorpius thought about what a pity it was that he couldn't see Albus so dressed up on a happier occasion, when he could really appreciate it. He assumed it was obvious that he had been crying earlier by the way Albus' expression dropped even more at the sight of him.
"Sorry." Scorpius said, his voice sounding just as numb as he felt. "I sort of lost track of time."
"It's okay." Albus told him, stepping into his room. From downstairs Scorpius could hear the light chatter of people paying their respects to those who were close to Asotria. He could only imagine how many people had asked where he was. "I got you something. A little pick me up."
From out of his pocket Albus pulled out a bag that was all too familiar. Scorpius acutally managed a laugh at how well his best friend knew him. He took the Pepper Imps from his hand and turned them over in his hands a few times before setting them down on his bed. "Thank you. They'll definitely come in handy later."
There were a few moments of silence, both boys unsure of what to say to the other. During the silence Albus took note of the suit jacket and tie that remained untouched on Scorpius' bed. He picked them up then turned to his friend. "You gotta get ready mate."
Scorpius groaned loudly, taking the jacket from his friend and slipping it on. "What's the point? The only reason anyone wants to talk to me is to see 'how I'm holding up'. No one really wants me there."
"Your dad does." Albus corrected, much to his surprise. He took the tie and put it around Scorpius' neck and starting the knot. "He stopped me on my way up here and practically begged me to let him know how you were doing."
"He actually talked to you?" Scorpius asked in disbelief. He nodded, his eyes fixed on his work in progress. Over the summer Scorpius had sprouted up a goof three inches, leaving him just a bit taller than Albus for the first time. He was quite liking the change. "Did he say anything else?"
"Yup." Albus quickly glanced up before finishing up the knot. "He said he was glad that I was here. That it was really important to you."
Scorpius felt his heat up as quickly as if it had been engulfed in flames. Leave it to dad to say something mortifyingly embarrassing during his mother's funeral. "Oh, um… yeah." Was all he could say in response
"Well, I'm glad I'm here. I don't want you to do this alone." He straightened the boys' jacket a bit more. When he was satisfied that Scorpius looked presentable he took a few steps back. "You think you're ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be."
Albus reached for his hand as they exited the room and went downstairs to join the rest of those attending the funeral. As much as he wanted to, and as much as it pained him not to, Scorpius refused to let himself shed a single tear. His mother was one of the few people he ever cried in front of, and he wasn't going to cry in front of near strangers just because she would never be around again. Later that night he allowed himself a small cry alone in his room. But he wasn't alone. Albus once again came knocking at his door, ready to hold him and wipe his tears away. He told himself that his mother was smart enough that she could figure out how he felt about the Potter bot by the way he opened up to him that night. He only hoped that she was okay with it.