Chapter 21 – Discovered

Hi everyone! Wonderful response to the last chapter - thank you all for your reviews. I'm not going to say much, except that this chapter is different from the rest - it's mainly Scorpius' POV. I'll say no more...

"Merry Christmas, Hermione." Draco said, lifting his glass of wine to her, then sipping at it, delicately. The perfect picture of charm, if he wanted to be. She felt that pang in her chest again, desperately wishing she wasn't alone with him in a study because she felt she could hardly resist the temptation of kissing him, he looked so forlorn. Draco looked up from his glass at her.

"One kiss, for old time's sake?" he asked, disguising his sheer desperation with a small smile.

"I wish, Draco. But this is too hard…if you're going to pressurise me, I'll have to leave." She murmured.

"Fine, fine." He said, resignedly.

"So. About Astoria." She tried to change the subject.

"What about her?"

"Any leads on who he might be?"

"The bastard?"

"That's the one." She smiled at him.

"Merlin." He sighed. "No. No Hermione, I have no idea who's whisked my wife away for Salazar knows how long so she has no time to spend with her family any more. Does that answer your question?"

"Perfectly."

ooooo

Scorpius felt his body shudder, turning hot, then cold, then hot again. He felt numb – Merlin, what had he just heard? It couldn't be true – he must have misheard. He and Rose were going up to his room, but they'd stopped outside the study at the sound of his mother's name. He wished they hadn't.

"Scorpius?" he felt a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Look, we must have misunderstood."

"No, Rose. We didn't. My mother…is a cheat. Unfaithful. And my father knew, and he didn't even tell me. And yourmother knew about it, somehow. Sweet Merlin, this is unbelievable." He slumped against the doorway.

"Are you ok?" Rose bent down in front of him, tilting his chin up. His heart warmed slightly – she really was amazing.

"Not really." He tried to smile. "But you're making everything better."

"Was that meant to be sarcastic?" she raised an eyebrow…creepily like her mum.

"Nope. You know…it all makes sense. Why she's been pretty much out of sight the entire time we've been home. I just feel so stupid!" he pounded a fist against the wall.

They both froze at the sound of footsteps.

"Quick!" Scorpius hissed, dragging Rose to her feet, and round the corner, breathing heavily. But to their confusion, it wasn't the study door which opened, but the front door. Scorpius peered round the corner at the sound of high heels on the floor, and saw Astoria herself hurry into the house, looking furtively around. She quickly grabbed some sort of bottle off the small table by the door, then swept outside, as quickly as she'd come in. It was strange that she'd used the front door, he thought, before all coherent thoughts slipped out of his mind and quickly gave way to anger. She had obviously been with him.

"Rose, I've got to go." He slipped away from her.

"What?! Where?" she followed him.

"I'm going after her." He turned to her, quickly kissing her on the lips. "Cover for me, if father asks where I am? I promise I'll be back soon."

"Scorpius! Wait!" she grabbed his arm.

"Rosie, please don't try to stop me. I need to do this."

"Take this with you." She handed him a small, brightly coloured bag. "It might be useful."

He turned it around, so he could read the writing: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes: Invisibility powder.

"Rosie!" he grinned, hugging her. "You're brilliant. I need to go now."

"Be careful…I couldn't bear it if something happened to you."

"I will. And thank you." He briefly touched her cheek, before running to the doorway.

"You're welcome." She whispered.

ooooo

Scorpius turned his head quickly at a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was Astoria. He was lucky – he didn't know why she was walking instead of apparating, but he couldn't care less. Luck was on his side – or so he thought.

He followed her at a safe distance, trying to slow his breathing and the pounding in his chest. When he turned the corner after her, and saw her enter a house, he could only stop, and gape in shock. It couldn't be. She wouldn't do that…would she? He followed the familiar path, spotting an open window to his relief, creeping forward and staying low, stopping abruptly outside the window as he heard voices. They seemed to be right by the window.

"Yes gorgeous. I got the wine. Draco's best, as you requested. I can't believe I left it at the door!"

He heard someone walking across the floor boards. A familiar voice replied.

"Well. I have an empty house, a bottle of," he paused, "France's finest, and a beautiful woman in front of me. Why don't I put this situation to use?"

Scorpius saw red. He couldn't hear any more of this; ignoring the bile rising in his throat, he screamed out, and jumped up, leaping forward through the open window. He landed with a crash on the floor, and heard a shriek and a yell of surprise. Sitting up, he desperately rubbed his eyes, wondering why he couldn't see, until he realised that the entire room was in darkness. He stumbled to his feet, and lurched towards the sound of sobbing, taking no notice of the throbbing in his right arm.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" He heard someone bellow, before he was thrown to the ground again.

"I've got him!" the voice yelled, triumphant.

Scorpius quickly rolled to the side, straight into a pair of legs. Seconds later, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his stomach. Only then did he realise it was his mother's high heels. He groaned, and tried to sit up, only to be pushed down again. A crack resounded through the room, and suddenly it felt as though everything was spinning; he'd hit his head on the corner of a table on the way down. He spat blood out of his mouth, shuddering at the warm trickle running down the back of his head. As soon as he felt as though he could sit up, he was shoved down for – he didn't know how many times it had been – and felt the air knocked out of his lungs as something – or someone unbearably heavy landed on top of him. Then, pain coursed through his body – he could vaguely register being repeatedly pummelled by someone's fists, but he was so overcome with agony that it barely mattered.

A voice was heard from the depths of his consciousness.

"LUMOS!" and he could see nothing but a sharp white glow in front of his face. He started to choke on the blood he was coughing up.

"R-o-Ros-Rose" he tried to call out.

"STOP! STOP! It's Scorpius!" he heard a hysterical woman screech, as the voices began to merge.

"What?"

"RUN!"

"Salazar help us!"

"RUN! RUN!"

"I love you Astoria!"

Footsteps, thudding. It hurt, everything hurt. He couldn't see.

Sobbing.

"ST MUNGO'S!"

A woman screaming.

"I NEED HELP!"

Who was she?

Everything hurt.

Hurt.

Pain.

Hurt.

He couldn't see, couldn't think.

It hurt.

Hurt.

And then: nothing.

Poor Draco =( No Christmas kisses for him! Well...the next chapter carries straight on from here, and there's not a lot of Dramione in it. But bear with me - the last two are all mushy and romantic =D

So, the usual. Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! And at 256 reviews I'll update.

Tris xx