Chapter XIII

Scorpius sent five hundred Galleons worth of silver articles to Nott & Goyle ltd.

Or not. Maybe he sent more than that, maybe he sent less. He was not an expert on precious metals and their value on the market, but he was sure that had he not reached the sum of Galleons that Scarlet was worth, Nott would have let him know straight away.

It had taken him a great effort to choose the items that he thought had the highest value amongst the ones stashed in the Trophy Room, and then shuffle the other trophies and plates around to cover the empty spaces he was leaving. He had to crouch in a corner far away from the prying eyes of Brutus Scrimgeour's portrait, to shrink them with a whispered, "Reducio". Then patrol time came around, and while he was profusely sweating his life out as he walked the corridors, he was also hoping that Potter couldn't hear the slight tinkling of the miniature medals and cups and awards in his pockets.

All of this he endured until the day he felt he had piled enough silver in his trunk.

So Scorpius sent the stolen silver to Nott & Goyle ltd. – and his Eagle Owl was very displeased with the little burden of shrunken items he had to bring all the way down to London, and made that painfully clear by biting Scorpius' fingers with a powerful snap of its beak as he tied the pouch around its claw – and they finally sent back one of their trademark cards with Scorpius' full name, a date and a time, and Scarlet's name at the very bottom.

The day was the twenty-fifth of February.

The time, ten in the evening.

And Scorpius waited impatiently for that day and time to arrive.

He was terrified of McGonagall or Filch finding out about his thefts before he could make his way to Hogsmeade for the second time. But the day of his appointment arrived faster than he had expected and nobody, not even Potter, who came to pick him up in that room every evening, noticed that anything was missing. After all, the notion of a student stealing from Hogwarts sounded so absurd that nobody went to verify the state of the items after he carried out his detention night after night. And in addition, there were so many old and dusty things in that room that even when forty-six items had been taken – stolen, he reminded himself – it most likely made no difference at all.

A second time probably wouldn't have gone unnoticed, but for now he didn't need to worry about that.

And the night of the appointment, Scorpius walked out of the school without thinking twice about what the Headmistress would tell him the following morning, once he had been found missing yet again. He was ready to resign his Prefect badge. He didn't care.

He was going to see Scarlet.

That was all that mattered.

oOoOo

"It's such a pleasure to see you again, Mr Malfoy," said Charles, his voice almost amused as he smirked at him. "Room number seven tonight, Sir, Freya will take you there."

A blonde girl guided him through the corridor. Scorpius didn't pay her any attention at all – he didn't even know if she had said anything to him. He had looked around himself the whole time, trying to memorise the place.

Apart from the thick curtain that led to the staircase, many doors opened on the round room. One led to the bedrooms where the girls met the clients, and that was the only one he had ever used. He suspected that one led to Nott's private rooms, as well as maybe those of the prostitutes, while he was afraid that one opened on to the playroom and whatever other depravity Nott had in there. Surely dungeons and cells for when the girls misbehaved.

For when Scarlet misbehaved.

The others… they could be fake doors, really, or they could lead anywhere, but he doubted they led outside, and that was the only thing that he needed to know.

"Scarlet will be with you shortly, Sir," said the girl with a slight smirk, as Scorpius opened the door and walked inside.

He looked around himself. The room looked the same as number fifteen and number ten, but the colour was yet again different. This one was blue, even though it had the same pieces of furniture and the same disposition of the other rooms. Scorpius took off his cloak and started to pace about the place.

He tried to list all the questions that he had thought to ask her. All the questions that he needed to ask her. What's the first thing that you can remember? How old were you when you started working here? Have you always lived here?

And many other things, too many, he hoped an hour was enough. He wasn't sure, but he had to focus and, above all, make Scarlet focus. Tonight, her mind couldn't wander. They couldn't talk about Viridina, or about spells. She had to listen and reply to his questions. She had to understand that he needed her to pay attention.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that distracted him from his musings, and Scorpius turned his head so quickly that he could hear his neck crack. "Come in," he said hastily.

Like the time before, the door opened and closed too rapidly for him to notice the movement at all, and soon Scarlet was in his arms. He had opened them right before she was on him, knowing that she would hurry to hug him and wanting to be ready to welcome her. She pressed her little body against him, and he squeezed her tightly, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. Her silky hair was soft against his skin, and her nimble fingers gripped the back of his robes as if her life depended on it.

"I missed you," he whispered, unable to restrain himself.

She pressed herself even more forcefully against him. "I missed you too," she murmured. She raised her head to look at him and beamed. "Are we going to do magic tonight?" she asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

He shook his head and unhooked her arms from around his torso. He took her hand into his own and guided her towards the bed. "Sit down," he said, tightening his hand around hers as she motioned to go and sit on the floor. "No," he continued, "sit on the bed with me, tonight."

She smiled wide and sat next to him, looking impossibly happy to be so close to him.

He turned a bit towards her and stared gravely at her face. She mirrored his movements to look back at him, brown eyes wide with expectation.

"Scarlet," he started resolutely, "I need to ask you some things tonight."

Her lips parted in surprise and she nodded. "Yes," she replied, "everything you want, Scorpius."

He nodded back and took a deep breath. "What's your first memory?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She frowned slightly, as if she found the question odd, but then she lowered her eyes in concentration while she tried to recall the first thing she could remember. "I… I…" she stuttered as she thought. "I think… I think my first memory is when I woke up in bed with Father one morning and he told me to dress quickly because I had to take a bath with the girls…"

"How old were you?"

She smiled at that, as if that was an easy question. "Nine, it was right after my birthday," she replied securely.

Scorpius swallowed. Nine. Nine. Lily's age when she had been kidnapped.

"I… I have other memories, you know," she added, fidgeting nervously, "but they feel different…"

"What do you mean?" asked Scorpius urgently.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she replied, "I have a memory of Father slapping me when I was five after I spilled a glass of milk, but it's all foggy, and one of him and Uncle Gregory laughing when I fell from a chair when I was little, but that too is all unfocused…"

He looked intently at her. Of course, if they were fake memories that would have explained why they felt different to her. But Merlin! Had she really started working there at the age of nine? That was revolting. Scorpius felt rage and disgust rising in his stomach. A child. She had been a little child when she became the most expensive prostitute in Nott's brothel. He wanted to kill Nott with his bare hands at that very moment. He wanted to feel the life leaving his body under his fingertips.

"Have you always lived here?" he asked her, trying to suffocate his feelings.

She nodded. "Ever since I can remember," she replied softly.

So Nott had brought her there from her grandparents' house and never let her out. She had been outside, she just couldn't remember it. He swallowed and took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?" he finally asked.

She shook her head, and Scorpius felt rather more disappointment than he thought he should. "No," she replied, before cocking her head a bit. "Is he in a book?"

He nodded. "Many books," he told her softly, "he's famous."

She beamed at him. "Maybe you can tell me about him?" she asked Scorpius, probably hoping to hear a tale from him.

He shook his head firmly. "Not tonight."

Scarlet looked at him, a bit taken aback, and lowered her eyes. "Yes, sorry," he murmured meekly.

Scorpius took a deep breath. If only he could, he would tell her everything. No, he didn't want to be the one to tell her everything. He wanted to look at her face as Harry Potter himself told her everything.

Everything about him.

Everything about her.

He placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to make her look at him. He smiled softly at her. "Not tonight, Scarlet," he repeated gently, "I need to ask you some more things."

Her brown eyes filled with confusion as if she didn't understand why he wanted to ask her so many things, but nonetheless, she nodded.

He smiled at her. "How do you know that Theodore Nott is your father?"

She looked at him, her mouth a perfect 'o' of surprise. "I know," she said softly, "I just… I just know… he told me."

Of course. "Scarlet, if you close your eyes and focus, are you sure… are you sure that you have never been in any other place but this one?"

She beamed at him. "Oh, but I've been in so many places! I've been in all the places that Viridina has been, and I've been to Hogwarts and I've been around the world with Newt Scamander as he looked for his fantastic beasts and—"

"No," he cut her off more roughly than he had wanted, "no, real places, Scarlet. Outside. I don't know, a house with a garden and a pond, or Diagon Alley, or… I don't know… a station."

She shook her head. "No," she replied dejectedly. "I've never been anywhere." She looked up at him and added, "I'm sorry, Scorpius…" her voice tiny.

"It's not your fault," he said softly, shaking his head.

"Maybe you can tell me about them?" she asked gently, her beam again stretching her lips.

"No, Scarlet," he replied almost impatiently, "not tonight."

She looked at his face, probably crestfallen to have annoyed him a little bit. She slid from the bed to her knees and hugged his waist, leaning her head onto his lap and starting to cry. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm sorry, Father is right, I'm only a silly, little girl… I'm sorry…"

Scorpius placed his hands on her head and started to caress her hair. He still had to ask her so many things, and she just wanted him to tell her stories. But it wasn't her fault. She couldn't imagine why he needed to know these things, nor could he tell her. It was too dangerous. What if she said something in front of Nott and he punished her and next time Scorpius came, he didn't let him see her?

He slid a hand down her arm and she raised her head to look at him. He wrapped his finger around her soft flesh and guided her back on the bed, closer to him, until her knees bumped into his.

"You are not a silly, little girl," he murmured seriously. He cupped her cheeks and brushed away her tears. "You are perfect," he told her, stretching his neck to plant a kiss on her forehead. "And I want to tell you everything, every story and tale that I know, but I can't tonight, Scarlet, okay? I… I just need to ask you more things… about you…"

She nodded, but looked disconsolate. "But you already know everything about me, Scorpius," she whispered.

He nodded back. "I know what you do all day," he agreed, restraining himself from adding, 'and all night'. "But I need to know what you used to do before you worked here."

She shook her head, still confused. "Nothing," she replied softly, "I've always worked here."

"Do you have anything… anything that your father didn't give you? Anything… a piece of clothing, a ribbon, a bracelet…"

She shook her head. "No."

"Do you ever dream of people you've never met?" he went on asking, his tone almost frantic now. He didn't know what he was looking for; some proof, some tangible proof, maybe, that she was not Scarlet Nott. That she was someone else.

That she was Lily Luna Potter.

She lowered her eyes. "No," she replied, her voice tiny. Her cheeks flushed slightly and she seemed to want to add something, but she didn't.

He swallowed and asked, "Does the name Lily tell you anything?"

He was not an expert on how Memory Charms worked exactly. But he remembered that they had studied that each one was different, depending on what the caster wanted to erase. And Nott had seemed to have wanted to erase every bit of her life until the day he had taken her away.

She shook her head. "No," she replied, before sniffling. "I'm sorry…"

He furrowed his brow. "Why?" he asked confused.

"Because I don't know anything," she sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "No," he whispered soothingly, "it's all right, Scarlet." After all, now that he thought about it, that was exactly the proof that he needed. She didn't remember anything, not only her family and herself, but she didn't remember Nott before she was nine, and when she did she was confused, as if those memories had been planted there by someone else.

She had to be Potter's daughter.

She had to be Lily Luna Potter.

Yes. Scorpius didn't need to ask her anything else. He was sure now. He had been sure for a while, but the absurdity of it all had made him doubt it. Made him doubt her identity.

They stayed in the arms of the other for more time than Scorpius thought it should have been wise. But even though he had more questions for her, he didn't need to ask her any of them, and he just couldn't bring himself to let her go. She was small and soft and smelled so good. She was breathing softly against his neck and his flesh was covered in goose bumps right where her breath tickled him. He wondered if she could hear his frantic heartbeat, if she could feel that her proximity did something to him, if she could notice that he had to take shallow breaths to calm down and shift on the bed to hide his half-hard member.

He didn't care if she noticed though. He just didn't want to let her go. Ever.

But he had to. Time was flying. He didn't even know for how long he had kept her in his arms. For too short a time, honestly. He wanted to keep her there for all his life. He closed his eyes and saw himself at the Manor, with Scarlet by his side curled on a couch in the drawing room and a merry fire crackling in the hearth. He saw himself kissing her and heard her giggling against his lips. He imagined her little digits threading through his blond hair.

With great effort, he opened his eyes and forced himself out of his reverie. He unwrapped his arms from around her body and made her tilt her head back. "Scarlet," he said seriously, "don't tell your father anything about this, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes wide and her lips parted in her usual surprised expression.

He smiled softly at her. "Good," he whispered, "good…" He pulled some locks behind her ear and brushed her cheek lightly with his fingertips. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so badly that the desire burned through his veins and made him ache.

And somehow the fact that Scarlet Nott was a prostitute didn't matter.

And not even the little detail that Lily Luna Potter was the only daughter of the Head Auror, and sister to Albus Potter, made any difference.

Scorpius didn't care. Whoever she was, he had fallen head over heels in love with her, and all he wanted was to take her away from that place.

Take her away from Nott.

"Scarlet…" he murmured, looking at her ruby lips.

"Yes," she breathed, waiting probably for him to say something, anything.

"I… I want to… I need to…"

But once again it felt as if the bell had known his intentions, because every time he was about to kiss her, the infernal sound bounced on the walls of the room.

Scarlet whimpered at the sound, her white, soft hands gripping the front of his robes. "You'll come back?" she asked frantically.

"I promise," he murmured, bringing his lips to her forehead to kiss her.

Then the second bell rang, much sooner than he had expected, and she looked at him longingly before standing up and hurrying outside. Once again she was gone too quickly for him to even say goodbye.

Scorpius sighed as he grabbed his cloak and donned it. He had wanted to tell her that next time he would come back he was going to take her with him. But he had no idea how to do it or when that would be. And he couldn't risk her saying anything, not even to her house-elf – because what if the creature told on her? And then what if the next time he booked an appointment with her, they forbade him from seeing her?

He shook his head to send those scary thoughts away.

But how, how could he take her out of there? Maybe he should have alerted the Aurors, but then he would be sentenced to Azkaban for presumably having been with Scarlet, even though he had never been with her at all. He wondered if his word – and maybe hers, if someone asked her – would have been enough against the registries where his name appeared so many times next to hers.

Again, he tried to send those thoughts away, but he only managed to end up thinking about what awaited him when he would go back to Hogwarts, because surely Potter had told on him once again. Surely, McGonagall was waiting for him at the gate. Maybe she had found out about the missing pieces from the Trophy Room after all. Maybe he was going to be kicked out of school… but suddenly, he didn't even care that much. School seemed such a stupid thing at that moment. Especially when he thought about Scarlet and her life.

He had lived all his life like a spoiled prince and the girl he loved was a slave. How could he care about something as trivial as school when he thought about that? He was not even going to work after Hogwarts, he was a Malfoy, he had a fortune to spend as he liked, he didn't need to conclude his studies. He wanted to stay in his Manor with Scarlet. With Lily. He wanted to be with her forever.

He shook his head as his heart clenched at those thoughts. He finally walked towards the door, opening it and stopping in his tracks as he looked down at the tanned and cunning face of Lulu.

"Mr Malfoy," she said with a sneer, "Mr Nott would like to talk to you."

Scorpius swallowed hard. "Why?" he asked dryly.

Lulu smirked in response. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to his office," she replied, and Scorpius suspected that she, as well, didn't know why the owner of the brothel would want to talk to him.

Scorpius didn't want to follow her. What did Nott want? He hoped fervently that it was something about the payment he had made. Money was not a problem, he would tell him to contact his father; Draco Malfoy would bark and howl but he would pay in the end and after that all Scorpius needed was more money to see her. One last time.

But what if Nott… Scorpius didn't even know. What if Nott had noticed something? But something like what? He had told Scarlet not to say a word to her father and she had nodded and promised him. But what if he had other ways of getting to know things? What if he had used Veritaserum on her, or if he spied on them when he came to see her? What if he was going to tell him to never come back?

Scorpius felt his heart growing heavier as he finally stepped out of the room and followed Lulu into the corridor. She walked swiftly and he had to hurry to keep up with her. She guided him all the way back into the round room, and closed the door at his back when they were inside.

Scorpius glanced furtively at Charles, but the man was busy with a client and didn't even look back at him. Lulu, though, guided him towards one of the many doors in the room and opened it for him.

"Follow the corridor, Sir," she told him, brushing his back with her hand, "it's the door at the very end."

Scorpius nodded stiffly and walked inside. The moment the door closed at his back, lights sparkled to life on the walls. He swallowed again. He had to stay calm and look composed. He hadn't done anything wrong. He had just talked to her. Was that the problem? Did he have to have sex with her? Was that mandatory when one booked an hour with a prostitute? What if one didn't want to? He would accuse Nott of violation of privacy, if he had anything to say to him about that.

He could feel his heart in his throat as he stepped in front of the door that sported the name of the man that he had come to hate so much.

He raised his hand to knock, but Nott's voice reached him loud and clear before his knuckles could even touch the wood. "Come in," he said calmly.

Scorpius bit his bottom lip as he pushed the door open.

Nott was sitting at his desk, apparently busy writing some documents. He smiled and gestured for Scorpius to sit on a comfortable armchair opposite to him, but didn't even look at him as the young man followed his wordless directions.

"Hello, young Malfoy," the wizard finally greeted him as he closed the folder in front of him. He looked at him and smiled almost affably.

"Mr Nott," replied Scorpius stiffly.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from anything important," he said calmly, "even though I couldn't help noticing that tonight is a school night, and if I'm not mistaken you should be at Hogwarts."

Scorpius shifted nervously. "You are not mistaken," he replied icily, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm surprised Professor McGonagall would let you roam freely about the country at night while at school," he continued, "especially to visit a prostitute."

Scorpius gritted his teeth. "Obviously, she doesn't know."

Nott laughed. "Obviously," he repeated. "I don't think she would allow anything like that if she knew." He smirked and added, "Ah, what one does for a woman, young Malfoy, am I right? Especially one like Scarlet." Her name rolled on his tongue almost vulgarly and Scorpius couldn't help thinking that that name didn't belong on that man's lips.

"Especially one like her," replied Scorpius coldly, his grey eyes narrowing as he stared at the man in front of him with hatred.

Then something flashed in his mind. An idea. A risky, stupid idea. An idea that had no business being executed, especially because Scorpius was already sure of Scarlet's identity. But he felt like he wanted to try it. For some unknown reason, deep inside, Scorpius wanted to try it. He crossed his arms over his chest and almost smirked at him, feeling suddenly bold. "She's beautiful like a flower, isn't she?" he asked softly. "Yes, pretty and innocent-looking. Like a lily flower…"

Scorpius' voice trailed away and his words hung in the air for a long moment after he had stopped talking, but then the boy had to grit his teeth to keep himself from reacting to Nott's reaction.

It had only been a flicker over the man's face, quick like the flutter of the wings of a butterfly, but his muscles had tensed for a spare second, his eyes had flashed with a sinister light as he glared at Scorpius at the mention of the flower.

Oh yes.

She was just like a lily.

No.

She actually was Lily.

Scorpius smirked at him. "Isn't she though?" he asked calmly.

"She most certainly is not," he replied coldly, before barking out a laughter. "There's nothing innocent and pretty about a prostitute. She's very skilled in the art of pleasing a man, though. But I'm sure you know everything about that, young Malfoy."

Scorpius felt the colour drain from his face as he listened to him, his audacity from before completely forgotten as he tried to push images of Lily and Nott in bed from his brain. "Yes," he replied icily.

"Even though," said Nott, thoughtfully, "I don't think you've taken her in the arse yet, am I right?" He smirked and added, "She squeals and cries so deliciously when someone does. You can hear her throughout the whole whorehouse."

Scorpius felt nausea rise inside his stomach. He didn't even want to think about that. The very thought of Scarlet crying as someone took her like an animal made him sick. He stared coldly at Nott and didn't reply.

Nott sneered at him, surely sensing his discomfort like an animal sensing fear. "But I'm glad you find her of your liking, young Malfoy. I've never seen someone come back quite that often for a prostitute. Not even for her." He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "But then not many people have access to such sums of money as you do."

"I imagine they don't," he replied frostily.

Nott nodded, cocking his head. "She's worth that money, though," he said, before adding in a lower tone of voice, "but one has to be careful not to start feeling something for her." He looked at him with a piercing stare. "She's a prostitute after all, and she doesn't know what love is, all she has always known is lust. The lust of many men before you, Malfoy, and even after you. Long after you'll get tired of her company and forget her, she'll still be here, pleasing man after man and bringing money to my humble enterprise."

Scorpius' hands balled into fists, he was not sure he could hide the hatred on his face at that moment. He wanted to hex him. He wanted to kill him and go get Scarlet and disappear into the night with her. Let her know that he would never get tired of her. He could never get tired of her.

"I'm afraid I have to go, Mr Nott," he muttered, his voice like ice. "It is a school night after all, as you pointed out."

"Of course," said Nott, standing up. "I understand." He smirked and added, "Please, do send us more of those valuables, in case you want her services again, Malfoy."

"I will," replied Scorpius, standing up, turning on his heels and walking towards the door.

"Malfoy," Nott called him before he could walk out.

Scorpius stopped and looked at him from over his shoulder.

"She's not the flower you think she is," said Nott, his voice far tenser than a few seconds before.

Scorpius stared at him warily, before smirking softly. "Then I must have mistaken her for someone else," he replied, giving him his back again as he opened the door and walked into the corridor.

"Malfoy," Nott called him one last time.

This time Scorpius didn't even turn as the man hissed, "I'd rather see her dead than have her taken away from me."

And then the door slammed shut, and Scorpius' insides turned to ice as he let Nott's words sink into his brain.

oOoOo

Scarlet didn't fall asleep that night.

She passed out under Nott, after he took her for the third time.

He exited her tight cunt with difficulty, his own muscles strained with the effort of thrusting into her with fury, his body covered in sweat. He collapsed next to Scarlet and manoeuvred her body until she was facing him. His arms wrapped around her in a mocking gesture of love. He brushed her matted hair from her face and made her tilt her limp head up.

"What do I have to do with you, my little flower?" he whispered to her. "Should I have died your hair? Should I have scarred your face? Should I have cut off your tongue?" He looked at her closed eyes and caressed her flushed cheek. "But then you wouldn't have been Potter's daughter anymore, and I needed to preserve you like I found you, I needed to see your mother on your face every single day… You are my spoil of war. He might have taken all my money and my business, but I took you from him." He squeezed her in his arms and she whined pitifully in her sleep. "But that Malfoy boy is not as stupid as I thought he was… We will have to guard ourselves from him, my little flower…" He kissed her on her forehead and smirked, "We don't want him to take you away from me…"