Scorpius Malfoy sat reading a book on dragons Albus had given him. He was curled up in an armchair near the fireplace in the Slytherin common room. He heard tentative footsteps coming from behind him, as if whoever it was was trying to be extremely quiet. He felt a warm hand settle on his jumper-clad shoulder.
"Hello, love. How was your 'nap'?" he asked without so much as an upward glance. He heard a dramatic gasp from behind him. It was low and gruff and sounded just like his f-
"'Love'? You're dating someone? Who is she? Why didn't you tell me?"' he heard the surprised voice of his father, Draco Malfoy, demand.
He stood and walked around the armchair to face his father. It was almost as though he was looking into a mirror into the future, despite the long hair his father wore tied back. The same nose, same eyes, the same fair hair. He took a deep breath.
"I-" he clears his throat, a bit too noisily, and starts again, now talking to the toes of his comfy black slippers. "I don't have a girlfriend, father. I have a...um a boyfriend," he coughs on the word 'boyfriend' so as to make it less likely to be understood, therefore making the confession slightly less mortifying.
"oh..'." his father's voice faded away into the crackling of the low burning fire. He detected zero signs of emotions in his father's cold eyes, yet he still felt as though he had disappointed him somehow.
"Are...are you angry?" Scorpius asked meekly. His voice was tiny and just barely heard through the thick, uncomfortable silence that had fallen on the pair.
Draco seemed to be fuming. He was breathing deeply through his nose, his hard gaze locked on an unknown point over his son's shoulder. Scorpius waited. He waited for what seemed like centuries but could've only been a few moments. He waited for an answer. An answer of any kind.
"Father?" Scorpius asked, just loud enough for the older Malfoy to hear. His eyes were shut tight as he awaited his fathers rath. He knew his father was angry, had heard his homophobic comments. He waited for the cruel sting of his father's outlash. Waited for fury and disownment. Waited for anything but it never came.
He waited in an eternal heavy silence that was broken only by his father's retreating footsteps and the sound of Scorpius' quiet sobs.