A/N: I'M NOT DEAD, DON'T WORRY.
Phew. Sorry it's been like, a week :P Had another fic I was working on, and just got sidetracked and all. Anyway, I'm back! Thanks for all of the kind reviews, and hope you guys like this one!
Rose gave a soft gasp as she stepped out onto the balcony of Allison's bedroom, watching in awe and wonder as the last rays of sunlight waved their orange tendrils goodbye before vanishing over the distant horizon. Her friend grinned beside her as Rose took in the gorgeous view before them from atop the small balcony.
"Great, isn't it?" Allison murmured. Rose nodded.
"You never told me you lived in a mansion." She replied, peering over the elegantly carved railing to peer at the gravel driveway far below.
"You never asked." Allison retorted. Rose chuckled at her friend's dry tone.
It was nearly halfway through summer break, and Rose had just arrived at the Sommerfield's mansion for her week-long stay there. She hadn't expected the house to be so exquisite. Or large. The towering establishment stood at three stories tall, not including the cellar and attic. It even had two separate wings. Rose didn't think she had even been in a house so ginormous before.
"What's that over there?" Rose inquired, pointing over the row of pine trees that lined the property border. A few tall, black spires peered over the tops of the trees from the neighboring yard.
"That's the Malfoy Manor." Allison answered, her voice clipped. Rose bit her lip, wishing she hadn't asked. Allison was so touchy about the subject of the Malfoys, she tried not to mention it if she didn't have to.
"Allison! Rose! Dinner's ready!" came a pleasant voice from down the hall.
"Coming, Mum!" Allison yelled in reply. "C'mon, Rose." She exclaimed excitedly to her as they ran to the door. "We're having our cook's infamous roast duck tonight."
"Sounds great!" Rose responded enthusiastically.
Dinner turned out to be a rather cheery affair. Mr. and Mrs. Sommerfield were both very kind and courteous, and Allison's younger sister Elsie was positively adorable. Rose had always wanted a younger sister, and the smaller, even blonder version of Allison quickly took to her, saying she was her 'new big sister'.
"We'll let you girls head on up." Mrs. Sommerfield said as the footmen were clearing the table. "You probably have a lot to talk about." She added, winking knowingly at them.
"Thanks Mum." Allison replied, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her mother's cheeks.
"Off with you, then." Her father jumped in, giving them a dismissive wave of his hand. Rose smiled appreciatively at her friend's parents before following Allison out of the dining room and back upstairs to her room.
Rose closed the door behind them, giggling as Allison flopped down on the mattress of her grand four-poster bed made of a dark red cherry wood. It had a dark cerulean comforter atop it, complementing the periwinkle hue of the walls. Rose admired the color as she sat down a bit more gracefully on the mattress than her friend had.
"You act like you're going to break something." Allison remarked, noticing Rose's look of discomfort.
"I probably will before this trip is over." Rose responded sincerely. Allison laughed.
"I'm sure it won't be anything I haven't already broken." She assured her. "Now, c'mon. Let's talk."
Rose scooted back onto the mattress compliantly, nestling herself into the mound of pillows as she settled in for a lovely evening chatting away with her closest friend. They talked and talked into the night until the moon was high in the sky and the stars were twinkling merrily outside. When they had finally exhausted their vocal chords, they voted on sleep and fell into a restful slumber.
The next morning dawned bright and hot, for Allison especially. Rose's friend had come down with a fever at some point during the night, and was now burning up faster than a wildfire in California. Quickly scurrying out of the bed, Rose bolted out into the hallway and summoned her parents and a few of the maids.
"I'm fine, really." Allison groaned as they all gathered around her bed.
"You're a long way from fine, miss." One of the maids replied, looking at the thermometer. "You have a fever of 103 degrees."
"Oh dear." Mrs. Sommerfield murmured, a worried expression painted across her thinly-shaped face.
"I'm sorry, Rose." Allison moaned, glaring angrily up at the ceiling.
"It's alright." Rose reassured her, taking her sickly friend's hand.
"Best be careful, miss." Another of the maids reminded her. "We don't want you getting sick too." Rose nodded, releasing Allison's hand.
"Well, I suppose we should keep you in bed today, Allison." Mr. Sommerfield decided, stroking his small, neatly-trimmed beard.
"But –"
"No buts." Rose interjected, glancing down firmly at her friend. "I'll keep you company."
Allison eventually resigned herself to her fate, slumping back on the mattress. Rose could see that she was inwardly relieved; the beads of sweat dotting her forehead told the truth of her situation. She plopped down next to the bed on an armchair, promising to alert the maids and Allison's parents if there were any changes. Mrs. Sommerfield told her that she could feel free to roam about the mansion or take a walk outside if she so wished when Allison was sleeping.
It was about an hour later that she finally decided to take her up on the offer. Allison was sleeping away listlessly and Rose was getting fidgety just sitting around the room doing nothing but twiddle her thumbs. After notifying a maid that she was leaving Allison alone, Rose headed down to the main hall and left through the front door of the gargantuan house.
Walking out into the bright summer sunshine, Rose instantly felt both her insides and outsides warm as the bright yellow orb from above shone down in all its scorching ferocity. The Sommerfield's front lawn was massive, stretching for at least fifteen acres before dropping into a small pond, then continuing for another twenty acres where it then ended at the main road. A few trees were plopped here and there across the yard, with pines lining the property on either side.
Rose walked across the lawn, reveling in the lush, virid grass beneath her feet. Breathing in deeply, she inhaled the wondrous scent of the outdoors. The smells of trees, and grass, and fresh air never failed to remind her of the Burrow.
She reached the edge of the Sommerfield's property and decided to cross the dirt road and explore inside the woods on the opposite side. No cars were coming, though it wasn't much of a surprise. Cars were rarely used in the Wizarding Community, and only a few of the nearby populace were Muggles.
The trees towered above her as Rose strode through the underbrush, weaving and dodging her way around the foliage. The branches above provided a comforting canopy from the harsh glare of the sun. Strolling lazily, Rose kept a wary eye out for snakes and other woodland creatures that might inhabit the area.
A branch suddenly cracked not far away, quickly followed by another, and then another. Rose looked up from the forest floor and glanced around nervously. She definitely did not want to encounter a stranger in the woods today. Biting her lower lip, she spotted movement to her left and quickly managed to dodge out of the way just as a dappled grey horse crashed past her.
Rose tripped on a root behind her as she scrambled out of the way and let out a small yelp as she felt her body fall to the ground with a soft thump. She heard the horse being pulled to a halt as a deep voice slowly coaxed the beast into a calmer state. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her ankle, Rose propped her fallen body on her knees to see the rider dismounting its steed and stride over towards her. Her jaw nearly dropped halfway to the ground.
It was Draco Malfoy.
Rose had never talked to the man before. She had seen him, of course, and knew what he looked like. But she had never gotten the opportunity to speak to him personally. Considering the turn of events with Scorpius over the past year, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted the opportunity.
"Sorry, miss. Didn't see you there." Draco said in a surprisingly pleasant voice as he strode up to her. Rose could feel her heart pounding beneath her chest. This was Draco Malfoy. He had murdered Allison's aunt. More importantly, to her at least, this was Scorpius' father. "Are you alright?" he inquired, offering her his hand. Rose stared at it for a second before hesitantly taking it. The man gently pulled her to her feet.
"I'm fine." Rose finally answered in a small voice as she tested her ankle. It still stung a little, but she could walk on it.
"What are you doing out in the woods?" Draco continued, studying her up and down. Rose swallowed, noticing how much he looked like Scorpius; the same iron-grey eyes, the same silver hair, the same lean frame. Everything.
"I-I was just taking a walk." She stammered. "I'm staying with the Sommerfields." She was surprised to see a shadow pass across the man's face. A brief flash of what appeared to be pain surged through his grey eyes.
"I see." He replied in a stiff voice, glancing away for a moment before returning his attention back to her. "You're one of Ron Weasley's children, I'd say." He continued, eyeing her bright red hair. Rose bit her lip, then nodded.
"Yes, sir.' She confirmed quietly. "Rose Weasley." Draco nodded thoughtfully.
"Your father's a good man." He replied. Rose stared back at him in shock, unable to believe the man who had always been painted as a traitor and murderer in her eyes had really said something like that.
"He is." She agreed, smiling tightly. Draco smiled as well. Rose felt the familiar ache in her chest when she realized how much his smile was like Scorpius'.
"Well, I'll let you go back to your walking." He eventually responded, dipping his head in a gesture of respect. "It was nice to meet you, Rose."
Rose watched as the man turned and began walking back towards his horse. Surprise was racing through her veins at full-throttle. She hadn't expected him to be so…nice. A horrible thought struck her; what if she had been wrong about the Malfoys? What if Allison was wrong about them? Had she abandoned her closest friend for nothing?
"Mr. Malfoy?" Rose called after Draco. He spun back around to face her again.
"Yes?" he responded. Rose hesitated.
"Could…could you tell Scorpius hi for me?" she replied. She could see the surprise written across his face, though she sighed in relief when he nodded.
"I will." He assured her. Rose gave another small smile, watching as he mounted his horse and urged the beast back into the depths of the forest.
While Draco pounded away atop his steed, Rose's mind could only focus on one thing; Scorpius. She was beginning to think that she had quite possibly made the biggest mistake of her life.
Scorpius lugged the heavy picnic basket across the front yard of Malfoy Manor towards where his parents were already seated atop a blanket that was spread out on the lush, green grass. They had decided to have a picnic dinner out on the lawn, just to change things up a little.
Summer break was nearly halfway over, and Scorpius was already dying to go back to Hogwarts. Life at Malfoy Manor was…interesting, to say the least. Lucius hadn't been as hard on him and his family this summer, but Scorpius could still sense the tension in between his father and grandfather. Thankfully, Lucius wasn't there currently; he had some business in London he had needed to take care of and wouldn't be back for a few more days.
"Thank you, Scorpius." Astoria said in her soft voice as Scorpius set down the basket. His mother opened the lid and began pulling out the contents: cold chicken sandwiches, potato salad, and a mixture of fruits to choose from.
"Well, I have some news for you two." Draco spoke up after a few minutes of munching their food in silence. Scorpius glanced up, his ears perking upward in curiosity.
"Yes?" Astoria inquired, seemingly just as curious as he was.
"Lucius is taking a two-year trip to Asia." Draco stated. Scorpius raised his eyebrows, wondering if such a thing could possibly be true.
"Are you serious?" he asked in an incredulous tone. Draco nodded.
"Yes. Says he wants to do some exploring before he settles down for good somewhere." Scorpius tried to keep from looking too happy as he took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Well…" Astoria replied in a careful voice. "I'm happy he's getting to do what he wants." Scorpius could tell she was really saying that she was glad to be rid of him for two years, since that was what they were all thinking.
"He won't be able to contact us much." Draco added as an afterthought. Scorpius was beginning to think this was a dream and he was going to wake up any minute.
"That's a shame." His mother replied, though there wasn't the slightest bit of sorrow in her voice. Draco merely grunted in reply.
"Oh, I ran into a girl in the woods today." He exclaimed after another few minutes of silence. Scorpius glanced up again, confused. "Rose Weasley." His father looked at him straight in the eye. Scorpius could feel his stomach dropping.
"Oh." He replied simply as the familiar sensation of longing filled his chest. He still missed her.
"She said to tell you hello." Draco continued.
Scorpius nearly choked on his sandwich. Rose had reached out to him. His eyes widened as his mind raced, considering all the possibilities. Perhaps she wasn't mad anymore, or afraid. Maybe she wanted to reconcile. One thing was clear, however, especially with Draco's announcement about Lucius;
There may still be some hope left for them after all.
A/N: There ya have it ;) totally stoked for third year. It should be fun. Also, just a random side note: I'm not an expert on English food. I'm not sure if they even have potato salad in England, but I'm American, and I live in the south, and over here we have potato salad during picnics. Sorry if any british people read this and thought 'what the heck is potato salad?', I was just sticking with what I knew. Ok. That was really random.
Moving on…thanks for reading and please review if you get a chance! God bless, and hope you all have a great day!