Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, as I've been saying for the past four years.
AN: Sigh. It took me longer to finish this then I would have liked, and I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it but it's here. This story has been slow moving mostly to my course load this semester. I would like to have this finished by August 2010 as that's when I'm hoping to enter Graduate school. On that note, when I do enter I'm afraid I'll being giving this up for the foreseeable future as I'll need to focus solely on my dissertation if I want to keep my fellowships. But enough of that, I hope you enjoy this and as always please review!
Chapter 3
The Last Weasley
Finding a bar was easy enough, a dark little corner tucked away from the normal traffic of the town. Running in hand along the seasoned wood of the table he stared into his pint, watching as the dim light played out in the amber depths, his mind traipsing back to a set of eyes that took on almost the same hue in moon light. The bell above the door tinkled lightly as the wind swept across his back, Scorpius instantly tensing slightly, more so out of ingrained instinct rather than any real caution to the new patron. He'd learned quickly that it was better to be overly cautious then not enough; lack of caution is what had sent him running home.
"You're still alive." Jerking his head up, Scorpius let his eyes fall on the man that stood next to his table. The flame red hair was the first thing that caught his attention, quickly followed by the all too familiar cinnamon eyes that stared at him, a mix of shock and hope reflected in their depths. Scorpius' breath caught in his throat as his mind slowly pieced together the clues.
"Hugo…" The other man brought a finger up to his own lips in a shushing motion before he could continue, quietly slipping into the booth seat opposite him. "We didn't know you were still alive."
Nodding his head Hugo motioned to the bartender for a drink, before turning back to Scorpius, gently rubbing at the stubble across his chin. "That's the way I wanted it in all honesty. It's not easy being the last one of your family alive when there's a bounty on their heads." Downing the whiskey that had been placed in front of him he slouched in his seat, staring into the now empty glass. "They're all gone now. Every last one." Slamming the glass on the table he gave a short, humorless laugh.
"Vic isn't." Scorpius whispered, quickly moving to take a drink of his beer. "And neither is her daughter." Hugo's eyes widened only marginally at the new, his lips paling just slightly. "They're safe. We're safe. For now in any case."
When Hugo spoke again his voice was hoarse. "Hide them. Lock them away and throw away the key. They'll stop at nothing till they've found every last one." His eyes darted anxiously around the bar before return to Scorpius, just a gleam of desperation in their depths. "They're looking for us, for my family. Every single member who has at least one parent from my family. Doesn't matter if they don't have the name or not, they're killing them all. They found something out, something to do with a way to stop them. They think that if we're all gone somehow they can't be stopped."
"Stay with us, Hugo." The other man shook his head vehemently, face contorting. "We're better off as a group. Staying together is better than facing them alone."
"I'm not facing them." He admitted, his voice softening. "I'm running as far away from it as I can get. I've lost my family, Scorpius. All of them. I can't face this and I suggest you don't either."
Scorpius shook his head. "You're not the only one who's lost family, Hugo." He ground out, disappointed in his voice.
Hugo snorted slightly his lips turning down into a sneer. "You lost your Mother, Malfoy, yes, but I've lost everyone. My Grandparents, my uncles, my aunt, my father. My sister. My mother's disappeared off the face of the planet and I'm left to do this alone. I'm sorry if I can't bring myself to put us both in the same category. It's nowhere near the same thing."
Giving a sort of nod, Scorpius gave him his own sneer. "Maybe not, but I'm still willing to fight even though I know what kind of pain it can bring. Can you say the same?" Hugo didn't answer, though he didn't look away either as the silence drummed on around them. Giving a dejected sight Scorpius toyed with the locket that hung around his neck. "Rose would have wanted us to fight. She would have wanted us to try, not run like cowards, hoping that it'll all go away."
Standing Hugo threw some money on the table. "That's what got her killed." The air between them stilled as they stared each other down. With a sigh, Hugo turned towards the door, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his oversized jacket. "I'm heading west. I suggest you do the same." Not looking back he walked out the door, the bells chiming just as they had been he'd walked in.
Slumping into the bench Scorpius ran a hand over his face, his pounding. Downing the rest of his drink he dropped his own money onto the table before pulling himself up. He needed to tell Vic the truth whether he wanted to or not, and with that thought he pushed himself forward and onward.
tbc.
Next: The Watcher
