A/N: This is my first Rose/Scorpius fic. I've been working on this for a while, and I hope it's not too terrible. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to J.K. I'd be okay with having as much talent as she has in her little finger. For now all I own is this story idea.
Insomnia
Chapter 1
Head Boy, Meet Head Girl
Scorpius' POV
When I got my seventh and final Hogwarts letter, I almost didn't open it. It was sure to be exactly the same as the last six, and I'd had it memorized since third year. The only reason I ended up opening it was to see what supplied I would need for my last year at school. That's when I saw it. Nestled between Professor McGonagall's letter and my supply list was a badge and letter congratulating me on being appointed Head Boy.
Those two additions to my school letter made me laugh harder than I had all break. I was literally rolling in my bed, tears streaming down my face. It was the kind of behavior that would make my grandfather Lucius roll over in his grave. All the more reason to act that way, if you ask me.
Once I'd managed to curb my laughter enough to breathe properly, I wrote to Al to let him know. I couldn't help but chuckle every few minutes. What was Minnie thinking, naming me Head Boy?
Sure, I was second in our year, and Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I'd been a prefect the previous year. I was also in the running for most detentions in a single school year. Al beat me by two last year, something he's never going to let me forget.
Al and I enjoy a good prank every so often. If there's one thing we love more than that, though, it's a party. I guess McGonagall's just such a big fan that she can overlook my previous transgressions. She's always loved me. Not that I'm some arrogant git. I've been told one more than one occasion that I'm charming.
I sent the letter off to Godric's Hollow with my owl Apollo, and shoved the contents of my Hogwarts letter back into the envelope. I knew that my mother would have a fit if she found out I'd made Head Boy and waited more than five minutes to tell her. She'd be even more upset if she finds out I wrote Al before telling her.
My mother is nothing if not a creature of habit. I knew I'd find her somewhere among her millions of plants. She spends as much time as possible in her gardens, and loves the fact that our property is nothing but rolling hills.
When Mom gardened, it was the only time she would be caught with so much as a hair out of place. It was as if in the garden, there were no rules. Whereas normally her long brown hair flowed down her back, in the garden it was always gathered on the top of her head, as if the slightest wind would send it cascading down her back. It was the only way I ever found her, especially when she was in the taller plants. I watched as she bobbed along a row of sunflowers, a small smile on her face. She loves plants almost as much as Professor Longbottom.
"Hogwarts letter came, Mum!"
She popped up and brushed herself off as she hurried towards me. She extended her hand, and I had to laugh, because she had done exactly the same thing every year since I was eleven, and my first Hogwarts letter had come.
I wasn't about to give her any hints, because she tended to have wonderful reactions to surprises. I saw her face change as she fished around in the envelope, and I knew her hand had brushed against the badge. She drew it out with a little shriek and threw herself at me. Even though I'm over a foot taller than Mum, she has a bone crushing hug. As her grip tightened, I could feel the air rushing from me.
"Mum! I'll never be Head Boy if you squeeze me to death!" She pulled back and I saw there were tears in her eyes.
"Sorry sweetheart, You just make me so proud. I'm off to floo your father at work. I know he'll want to hear all about this!" With a clumsy pat on the cheek, she turned around and walked back to the Manor.
As she walked back towards the house, a black speck appeared on the horizon. Soon I realized it was Apollo, returning with Al's response. Apollo wasn't the most patient owl, and when I took more than two seconds to untie Al's letter from his leg, I recieved a peck to the hand. Once the letter was off, Apollo flew off with a hoot to be moody somewhere else. I sunk down against one of Mum's ancient trees and unrolled Al's parchment.
Scor!
Do you thihk Minnie's finally lost her mind? I know she's always been a big fan of yours, but Head Boy? Merlin, she's basically asking us to have a party every night. We won't even need the Room of Requirement anymore. Hopefully Head Girl isn't some crazy bird. Can you imagine a whole year in close quarters with someone like Finnigan? Pray to Godric Minnie has enough sense to make a smarter decision for Head Girl. Gran says to tell you congratulations, and that she misses you. She's really disappointed that you didn't get a chance to visit this summer, and insists that you come for Christmas hols. Sometimes I think she loves you more than me. Bring your thinking cap for the train. I think a welcome back do in the Head's common room is in order. See you in a week.
Al
I was sure that by the time we boarded the Hogwarts Express, Al would have a party schedule for the entire term ready. The letter was just so Al that I couldn't help but laugh. Especially about his grandmother. She really does love me.
I was a bit nervous about the Head Girl situation, to be honest. The girl McGonagall chose for Head Girl would be sharing a common room with me, and it could make or break the entire year. If Al had jinxed us because of his letter, and I was stuck with Violet Finnigan all year, I was prepared to hit him with a Bat Bogey Hex. I'd learned it from his mum during second year, and it had always been a personal favorite of mine.
If I was stuck with Violet Finnigan, or someone like her, it was more than likely that they find my body at the bottom of the astronomy tower before the first class of term started. Violet was nice anough, but she was terrifying in her own way. On the first night of first year after the sorting ceremony, I'd noticed her staring at me across the common room. I made the mistake of smiling at her, and since then she's taken to following me around. Six years of that can be extremely daunting, not to mention downright scary.
Trying to take my mind off the fact that I might be stuck with a crazy girl, I made my way back to the house. What I wasn't expecting was to see both my parents sitting in the kitchen. Not once in my seventeen years had I ever seen my father leave work early. Not when I got Dragon Pox, not when my grandfather had died. Here he was, standing in front of me. I guess there's a first for everything.
I'll admit that it made me a little nervous, but before I could turn and run for the hills, my mother's face lit up, identically to how it had when she'd discovered the badge.
"Scorpius, darling, look who came home to celebrate! Belly's cooking all your favorites for dinner."
I couldn't help but smile at my mother's enthusiasm, but at the same time I was wary of what my father would say about the situation. He cleared his throat, as he always did when he had something to say, and I waited for a noncommital phrase that I'd become all too accustomed to from my father.
"I'm proud of you, Scorpius. Seems like McGonagall likes you a sight more than she did me." He smirked, and held out his hand, the standard Draco Malfoy gesture.
His words were enough of a surprise, I couldn't expect any other deviation.
The next week passed in a blur of buying supplies in Diagon Alley and packing, topped off with a side of tears from my mother on a daily basis. It seemed that every time we were in a room together she would become emotional, because I was growing up too fast, and she couldn't believe that I was already starting my last year at school. I'm leaving in the morning, and as much as I love my mother, I can't wait to go.
I'd been sitting in the yard with my mother for two hours, listening as she recounted the day I got my first Hogwarts letter, and our first trip to King's Cross. She went on the tell me a story about each year since then. If I didn't love her as much as I do, I would have preferred the company of Violet Finnigan, but for my mother, I was willing to make an exception. I wasn't about to cause my mother any more emotional stress. That didn't mean, however, that I wasn't thanking Godric when my father came home from work, and came to my rescue. With a nod of his head in my direction, he gently guided my mother by the elbow into the house. They headed towards their bedroom, which was on the opposite side of the manor that mine was, and their voices began to fade. When they were gone completely, I made a mad dash to my room.
Since I'd turned seventeen in February, I was finally allowed to use magic to pack my trunk, and unlike the other six years, it took less than a minute.
As always, I had trouble sleeping. I had a terrible case of insomnia, and the first day of school had always made it worse. It was around two in the morning when I finally managed to fall asleep, only to wake up in a cold sweat an instant later from a nightmare that consisted of waking up in my Head's bedroom to Violet Finnigan watching me sleep. After that I gave up all hope of sleeping, and sat awake, hoping I'd be able to get some sleep on the train.
When it was finally time to head out, my mother started sniffling as I disapparated to King's Cross. She had to side along with my father because she felt she wasn't emotionally stable enough to do it herself without getting splinched. Sometimes my fathers lack of emotion is definitely better.
When the three of us were finally settled on the platform a few minutes later, my father gave me the customary handshake, and threw me for a loop when he patted my back.
"I really am proud of you, son. You've become a much better person than I ever was at your age."
My father had never hid any of his past from me, and he had worked extremely hard after the war to make a name for himself other than 'Former Death Eater'. All I could do was nod back at him, and hope he knew what I meant. I had never been ashamed of him, because all my life he had been nothing but an employee at the Ministry, and the man who taught me how to fly. If people like Mr. Potter had managed to forgive him after everything that happened, I didn't see a reason to let it affect my relationship with him.
My mother had been watching our interaction, and for a second was still, before launching herself at me. She was crying harder than she had all week, and squeezing just as tight as she always did. I patted her back, hoping to calm her down, but she continued to blubber. There was no hope for me to understand what she was saying, and my father rolled his eyes at me, which made me smile.
Over her head, I saw Al across the platform, and realized that he was my ticket to freedom.
"Mum. Mum! Al's here. I have to go."
Mum was one of Al's biggest fans, and the excitement of seeing him was enough for her to release me. Al had walked over to us, and was shaking hands with my father when he became the latest victim of the squeeze. In her haste to hug him, she jostled the glasses that he detested wearing, but needed more than even his father ever had. Al's face turned bright red, and I couldn't help but laugh at him.
"Mum, you can't squeeze him to death, either. We need him for Quidditch." Al rolled his eyes at me.
"It's nice to see you Mrs. Malfoy." After a second she stepped back to give him a look, and squeezed his cheek, something his grandmother did to me every time I visited the Burrow.
"You've gotten so handsome, Albus." His face turned even redder, and my father gave a quiet snort.
"That's enough, Astoria. The boys have to go." He grabbed her arm, and forced her away from Al. I took the moment to grab Al's shirt and race towards the train, screaming goodbye to my parents as I went.
"'We need him for Quidditch,' my arse, Scorp. You're a huge prat."
We were laughing as we looked for a cabin away from the younger students, when I realized that I was supposed to meet the Head Girl to discuss things. All the nerves I'd had the night before returned with a vengeance.
"You find a compartment, Al, and I'll find you soon. I have to go meet the Head Girl."
Al started laughing, and I knew him well enough to know that something was up. The look in his eyes gave him away.
"Albus Severus Potter, you know who she is! You know who got Head Girl, don't you!" He kept laughing.
"Why don't you go find out. I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises, Hyperion."
Al was nothing if not stubborn, and I knew he wasn't going to tell. I punched him in the shoulder, and began to make my way to the last car on the train to face my counterpart.
The second to the last car came much quicker than I thought, and I gathered what little courage I had. I took a deep breath and prayed that when I opened the door I wouldn't be met by the platinum hair of Violet Finnigan, or any of her crazy blonde friends.
I stepped in front of the car and steeled myself. As I slid open the door, I let the breath out that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The only blonde in the head's compartment was my own.
A/N: I honestly didn't want to end my first chapter with a cliffhanger, but the way this story is going to go, I didn't want a super long first chapter. I'll have the second up hopefully sometime next week : )
