Chaser 2 of Magpies;
Prompt : Write your Chaser Three's NOTP (Ron/Hermione)
Optional Prompts : (word) liar; (song) Dollhouse - Melanie Martinez; (image) files/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-13%20at%2010.12.22%
Disclaimer : Owning things that one can make money out of is not something that I do
Word count : about 1074 (as told by google docs)
A/N : This fic will be a look at Rose's view of her parents (failing) marriage. I am saying this as a warning for those who do not wish to read about failing marriages or do get upset by the subject.
A/N 2 : Yes, putting who I put as a cheater is very common on this site, I am aware. I am just following the prompts I got and one of the is the song Dollhouse. If you had ever heard of it you will know why I did what I did.
Scorpius Malfoy was calmly sitting and reading a book in his family's library when he heard the unmistakable sound of a fireplace roaring to life. He turned his head to take a closer look at the newcomer and, to his surprise, out came an enraged Weasley— Rose Weasley, to be exact. She stomped her way over and stopped a few steps away from where he was sitting.
"Is there a reason you're here at"—he paused to look at the clock above the fireplace—"nine in the evening? I don't remember you saying you'd come over today."
"I couldn't take it anymore; they just won't stop!" She slumped into the seat across from him and buried her head in her hands. This was more serious than he had first thought.
He put his book down on the table on his left, stood up, and walked a few steps closer to Rose.
"Want to talk about it?" He felt a bit awkward, just standing there, but there was little about this situation that didn't feel awkward. He was glad his parents were attending that Ministry party this evening, so the two of them would be able to have this conversation uninterrupted. Rose seemed to be having a hard time already; there was no need to add his parents into the equation.
"I.. dun.. wun t..k..."
"Well then, will you at least lift your head up so that I can understand what you're saying?"
She lifted her head just long enough to look him in the eye and say, "No," before returning it to where it had been before.
Scorpius rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Real mature, Rose, real mature. Now, come on; you're here for a reason, are you not? And that reason cannot be addressed unless you lift your head and keep it that way."
"Fine." She put her hands down and sat properly. "Is this better?"
"It would be, if not for that expression on your face. Oh, wait, that's just your normal expression!" he said, feigning shock while taking a seat next to her. That comment earned him a smile and a punch to the arm. "Hey, that was uncalled for!"
"Serves you right, you little ferret."
"I take offence at that, you know. My father is the ferret. I, on the other hand, am not to be confused for such a creature."
"You sound like a Malfoy."
"Really, I never noticed," he deadpanned. They looked at each other and started laughing.
Sobering up, Rose sighed. "Thanks, Scorp, I needed that. It really has been a bad day."
"That's what best friends are for, right? Speaking of best friends, how come you're here and not talking to Albus?" He knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment the words left his mouth.
"Albus… wouldn't understand. He's still sticking to the illusion of the perfect family where no one is fighting and no one is cheating and everyone's smiling because they're happy. It's surprisingly Hufflepuff of him, now that I think about it."
"Albus does always try to see the best in everyone. I've been trying to help him get rid of that flaw of his, but he sticks to it like your mum to books."
This prompted a sad smile out of her. "My mum really does love books. She loves my dad, too. Did you know that she still has some old Muggle pictures of her and Dad going on dates in the Muggle world? You know, those weird pictures that don't move like the wizarding ones. Sometimes, she sits and looks at them for hours. I think it hurts her to look at them because she cries a lot when she does. She and Dad look really happy in them, too. They don't look all that happy these days. Then again, Dad's not home often enough for me to even know if he looks happy or not."
"Is it because of work again? I know you used to complain about him not coming home for weeks on end because of some Auror emergency or another."
"It's not just that. Mum thinks he's seeing someone behind her back. He says he's not, but it's kind of clear that he's lying. They try not to fight when Hugo and I are at home, but you can still hear them shouting sometimes. 'Liar!' 'Cheater!' 'Homewrecker!' Those are the most common words."
Scorpius stayed silent; he knew that letting Rose rant would do her good in the end.
"I wish they would just stop fighting already. Yes, so it happened. Dad cheated, but there's no need to fight about it every single night. It does more harm than good! Fighting won't solve anything. They'll just keep fighting and yelling and leaving and drinking and—and forgetting that we also live there and that we're also aware of what's happening. Hugo and I aren't ten anymore; we're practically adults! I wish that they would finally realise that and take our feelings into account as well. But they don't, and Dad leaves and doesn't return for days, and Mum locks herself in her bedroom and starts drinking. She thinks we don't know about her drinking problem, but she's not being all that subtle. The worst part is that no one else notices a thing! They just see a picture perfect family with big smiles on their faces. The loving father, the caring mother, and the perfect daughter and son. It's all so fake and plastic. It's the polar opposite of the truth. Sometimes, they let the masks slip, but as soon as anyone looks a bit closer, they go right back to being plastic!"
Tears fell from her eyes as she sat there, shaking. Scorpius, unable to look at her like that any longer, hugged her and simply sat there, holding her while she cried. He decided against telling her that 'it will all be alright'. He didn't want to offend her by making her hear any more lies. That was how his parents found them hours later, him sitting and holding Rose, who had cried herself to sleep. He just shook his head at the look his father gave him. They levitated the sleeping girl into a guestroom in the eastern wing of the mansion and went to sleep themselves. Explanations would need to be made the next morning after everyone had gotten their rest, but for now, they simply slept.