I had fun writing and thinking of this one. Enjoy! wordcount: 782 words
Disclaimer: JKR's.
"Severus…please…"
"Avada Kedavra!" the green light hit the headmaster, and Draco fell too, hurtling downwards next to what seemed to be the limp corpse of Albus Dumbledore.
Much to his surprise, Dumbledore's hand reached out to Draco and the speed of their falling bodies slowed until they were hanging in midair, still several stories above the ground. The wind did not stop, and it stung Draco's eyes.
Draco's hand was still clasped in Dumbledore's firm grip.
"You...?" Dumbledore's mouth barely moved, and his eyes were still glassy.
Draco did not know what to say. He tried to remove his hand from Dumbledore's. It would not budge.
"Murderer," Dumbledore's mouth moved more this time, his black pupils focusing on Draco. He blinked out the tears that had formed in his eyes.
"N-no," Draco stuttered, forcefully attempting to pull his hand from Dumbledore once again.
A hole began in the center of Dumbledore's cheek, spreading out and making the skin disappear and turn into a fine dust that whipped past Draco's face. Tears dribbled off of Draco's chin.
Draco shook his head, his eyes widened with fright. "I didn't—I d-didn't,"
"Yes," Dumbledore's lips fell away.
Draco could see the pale bone that was under the skin, and it spread faster until the fleshy softness of his headmaster's hand felt like a handful of knobby rocks.
Draco frantically tugged at his hand and it finally came free. But he was falling again, and the ground started to rush up towards him. He watched as the dust swirled around Dumbledore's remains.
"Draco?" the ground seemed to whisper. It came closer. "Draco!"
He woke up.
"You dozed off," Astoria said, taking her hand off of his arm. He got up, his body feeling heavy and his breathing still uneven.
Draco's hand clasped the ornate wooden armrest as he leaned against the chair.
"Draco?" Astoria turned to him. "You're pale. Paler than usual." She smiled and reached over, smoothing out the creases on his shirt that had formed near his shoulders.
"What time is it?" Draco said, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Almost eight." She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows at him. "You have somewhere to be."
"Right," he finally smiled. "I'll be a little while," he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.
"Of course."
Draco walked out of the drawing room. He went to the foot of the staircase and took his shoes off, leaving them near the bottom step. He hummed to himself as he took the steps two at a time, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt as he did so.
He stepped on the plush carpet and walked down the length of the hallway, turning at the second door on his right.
Draco made quite a show of taking a cushioned chair from the corner of the room and carrying it over to the side of the bed that was pushed up against the wall.
Draco eased into the chair and leaned a little towards the bed.
"What'll it be tonight, son?"
"Who's the best wizard ever, daddy?" a boy not past the age of seven sat up against some squishy pillows in his bed. He looked anything but tired.
"I'll tell you if you lie down," Draco replied. He waited patiently as Scorpius shifted lower into his bed, until finally turning on his side and facing his father.
"Who?" Scorpius eagerly asked again.
"Albus Dumbledore," Draco said simply.
"I know him!" Scorpius said excitedly.
"I know, you've got about eight of him, don't you?"
"Seven. I lost one card."
"I should think seven is enough of one person to have," Draco said back.
"But he's my favorite!"
"Why's he your favorite?" Draco laughed.
"His beard is long," Scorpius replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I want a beard like that one."
Draco laughed at Scorpius. "A beard? Why would you want a beard?" his hand reached up and touched his own slightly stubbly chin.
"He looks cool. Why's he the best?"
"He was kind and brave."
"Howwwwwwww?" Scorpius drew out the word.
"I can't tell you the whole story, that'd take forever!" Draco scoffed.
"Tell me the beginning! Please, daddy? Please please please?" Scorpius' hands latched onto Draco's leg.
Draco leaned back in the chair. "Okay, so it starts out with one person, really. He's almost as good as Dumbledore, actually. But let me tell you, he's got a really stupid scar…"
Ohh, I love Draco and Scorpius. I hope you liked it and I also hope you're enjoying the summer :) (although, alas. it is going too fast. it's over a month!). Reviews are always, always lovely, so if you'd like you can do that :)
-E
