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The Marked One
"Scorpius."
"Draco."
His brother. His twin brother. Hair a little longer. Little more mass, too. Draco's appetite these days was not very demanding. Well dressed, but then when had a Malfoy ever looked shabby? The most notable difference were the eyes. The absence of shadows under them, no empty darkness when you looked into them. No, he had been sheltered, protected from the tantrums of a capricious madman. No black skull marred his perfect skin. Draco couldn't help his gaze from returning to his brother's arm, even though it was covered by the sleeve of his immaculately pressed suit. He couldn't bloody well look into his face and stomach seeing a healthier, handsomer, happier image of himself staring back at him. There was also the fear of his brother seeing the resentment that Draco was fighting to keep suppressed, the feeling of something akin to a loathing so deep it burned him, that his brother looked so fucking content. He shouldn't be. Their father was in prison. Their mother was tiptoeing around the fine line between depression and hysteria. The Wizarding World spat at the name Malfoy now, but that was in England. His brother needn't worry about that. Scorpius Malfoy was the heir of his uncle Lucumo, the patriarch of the Malfoy family in France. His father's brother and wife, unable to conceive, had adopted Scorpius as their own to continue the family line, taking him when he was just an infant. It had torn his mother's heart but Lucius, being more enamored with the family name and prestige than the actual family itself, had been adamant. Narcissa had poured her love into Draco and he had kept her sane.
"Draco?"
Narcissa's voice echoed through the large empty halls. She entered the sitting room and stopped when she saw her two sons together and a smile broke over her face. She hurried her pace and enveloped her sorely missed son, tears brimming over her pale cheeks.
"My son, my darling child."
"Mother." Scorpius smiled as he scooped his frail mother into his arms, a small laugh escaping them both.
...
"Father..I mean Uncle has assured me that he can manage without me for the foreseeable future. I think Father sent him a letter about your health, Mother."
Narcissa frowned slightly at the turn the conversation was taking.
"Your father has always been overly concerned about me. I'm not a china doll, though I'm grateful that it brought you." She smiled affectionately.
"I assure you, I'm perfectly fine."
Draco, who had remained silent for most of the conversation, which had revolved around Scorpius's work and his life in France with his aunt and uncle, chose this moment to give a small snort of disbelief. Narcissa, predicting that a continuation of this conversation would only end badly, patted Draco's knee and said,
"Draco, why don't you show your brother London while I prepare a room. The house elves have taken your things to Draco's room for now as we weren't aware you would come so suddenly, but that would surely be inconvenient for you both."
She kissed them both and rose, calling for the elves who scurried to do her bidding.
...
Draco didn't think he could manage conversation for an entire evening without support, so he had invited Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini to join them in more discreet location than the Leaky Cauldron, where he couldn't be assured an uneventful evening. Even though Tom, the barkeep, had no problem with him frequenting his pub, his other customers could be unpredictable. The brothers made their way into the semi crowded Wizarding pub, The Red Salamander. Draco, surveying the room, glimpsed Theo who raised a glass to signal his greeting. Leading his brother towards the men seated at a side table, he took a seat with an exhale of relief at the sight of the whiskey Blaise had had the foresight to order.
"So, Scorpius is it?", Blaise questioned as he emptied his own glass of strongbow and motioned for another.
"Blaise. And this is Theodore. Theo." Draco introduced as Scorpius shook their hands and settled into the seat beside him.
"Twins, huh? I don't remember you mentioning him, Draco." Theo questioned with a raised eyebrow towards his friend.
"That's because I didn't." Draco replied, sending a warning glance towards Theo. "It would have been a bother to explain it all."
"Well, this puts you at a disadvantage, Draco. You've brought your long lost brother into a pit of your childhood friends who know every embarrassing moment of your miserable existence." Blaise grinned wickedly at the pair of them.
Draco smirked at his blatant attempt at blackmail.
"Go ahead. Let's hear what you've got."
"Let's start with the girls." Theo laughed at the amused bewilderment on Scorpius's face.
...
A few hours into the evening had the four men laughing around the small table. The pub had filled up considerably and the general aura of relaxation and fun had lightened up Draco's earlier dark mood. He emptied his glass and looked around the crowded room for the waiter. His eyes found a lone woman with curly brown hair tumbling down her back, wisps escaping from her clip, sitting near the bar sipping on a firewhiskey. His stomach clenched as his earlier mood descended down upon him with a vengeance.
Bloody great.
It was Granger.
Hermione fucking Granger.
A/N: Hello wonderful readers! Hope you like how I recast Scorpius. I debated whether I should just create a new character but I thought Draco and Scorpius would go together better as names for twins. The Dragon and the Scorpion.
For the few beautiful souls who are following me: Yes I know, I'm a terrible person for starting another story while I have one already going but inspiration comes and goes and if you don't write when it comes, it's gone forever. Also, I was in a bad mood so I decided that Draco should suffer a little as well. =P I'll be updating my other story within a week and it'll be a long chapter just for you.
Hope your day is like a cauldron full of Felix Felicis.
Rowena
