The Inquisitors Son

Part Fifty-One: The Room of Requirement

The mood began to change as Christmas came. That it is it became more festive as the holidays approached for most, but Scorpius' mood predictably became dark and solemn. He didn't burden his feelings to anyone at school or at home. He found solace in writing Pansy.

Dear Ms. Parkinson,

How are you? I wish I could say that this time of year is my favorite. It used to be, but not anymore. I am irritated when people ask if I'm fine. What am I suppose to say? That everything is fine and jolly?

My best mate can't possible understand what it feels like to feel isolated and alone, even you're surrounded by people all the time. He means well. I don't want to be angry and jealous of him because he has things I miss and want. But I am. Am I a horrid person for it?

You knew my dad. I'd imagine him saying he's disappointed in me. It's hard to say because I learned much more about him after he died than before. Tell me, what did you know?

Regards,

Scorpius

Scorpius was still restricted from going to Hogsmeade as was James. It wasn't as if Scorpius wanted to go in the first place. James watched over Lily, who wasn't old enough to go. James played a round of chess with Hugo, while Roxanne and Lily watched. Seeing Scorpius with his violin case, James asked, "Where are you off to, Malfoy?"

Scorpius was so tempted to tell James it wasn't his business, but he civilly replied, "Getting some violin practice in, Potter."

"I didn't know you played the violin," piped up Hugo.

"I've been playing since I was four. My mum taught me," Scorpius told him.

Roxanne said, "I thought that you only played the piano."

"My dad taught me," said Scorpius. "They were both very proud of their talents, but neither backed down on which I had to learn. The compromise was to learn both."

"That's not really a compromise," stated Lily.

"For them, it was. For me, it doubled my practice, but I couldn't do anything about that."

James said, "Funny, I thought dear old dad would have taught you more things like the Unforgivable Curses."

"James!" exclaimed Lily.

Scorpius drawled, "Really, Potter, between the four hours of music lessons and practice daily and the home schooling with brain teasers before story and bed, who had the time? Not my dad. He had his work to worry about."

"I thought my mum was bad," said Hugo. "My dad made her let us take a break. He was the one who suggested Muggle school for primary, saying the teachers would be easier on us than her."

"Really? That sounded more fun than home schooling with a Ravenclaw mum and a Slytherin dad."

"Now that makes sense," said James as Hugo took his bishop. "I used to think that the most evil combination is a Slytherin with another Slytherin, but we now know better. You take the cunning ambition of a Slytherin and the cold logic of a Ravenclaw, and we end up with you."

Scorpius gave a short laugh and rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think you're the first person to figure that out? My dad knew that for years." He held up his case for emphasis and said, "I'm off."

"I don't care, Malfoy," muttered James.

Hugo cheekily announced, "Checkmate!"

Scorpius could hear James groan as he walked away.

A letter came from Pansy in a few days. Scorpius was busy with all the schoolwork that the teachers enjoyed heaping on just before the holidays. Scorpius was more motivated for the distraction than his friends were.

The fifth years were starting to really drill for the O.. James' parents reminded him that he should have loads of free time. Louis had banned James from the practices on the grounds that he was more of a hindrance than a help. On the last game just before the end of the term, Scorpius was invited to attend on the Gryffindor side.

The game was against the Slytherins. Upon seeing their most well-known member in a red scarf, they were up in arms. "I can't believe Malfoy. He's at it again."

"Digusting blood traitor."

"Maybe his parents killed themselves out of embarassment."

They didn't lower their voices. Scorpius heard every word, so did the bulk of the Gryffindor table. He saw the way Albus' jaw tightened. Not a good sign. "Al, eat breakfast," he urged.

"How can you just sit there?"

Fred was also angry. "Oh, beating them today won't be good enough," he hissed.

"And they wonder why I'm not sitting with them. Don't worry about it," shrugged Scorpius. He ate some grapefruit and a couple of pieces of toast. He downed some orange juice instead of pumpkin juice.

When breakfast was over, practically the whole school trudged over to the pitch and the spectators climbed to the stands several feet off the ground. Scorpius ended up next to Hugo. James squeezed in between Lily and Scorpius. The latter almost laugh, while the former rolled her eyes. She sat next to Roxanne, who giggled.

The announcer was Alfred MacMillan of Hufflepuff. "And they're up."

Louis met face to face with the Slytherin captain, Flint. Madame Hooch waited as they shook hands and the quaffle was tossed up into the air. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the game started.

Scorpius had brought his spy glass with him. He saw Albus take off higher as the Slytherin seeker followed suit. The snitch disappeared as soon as it was released.

James had a pair of binoculars. He was cursing under his breath as one of the Slytherin beaters, Banks, hit a bludger straight at the Gryffindor chasers.

Alfie gave his play by play, "That blighter Banks just hit the bludger straight for the Gryffindor chasers. Not to worry, Fred Weasley just hit blasted it back at the Slytherin chasers!"

Scorpius wasn't paying attention to what was going on. Instead he concentrated his efforts on looking for the elusive snitch. His father was a seeker and as such taught his son that it was what really won the game. Scorpius remembered the World Cup in Hong Kong that he and his dad attended. His dad said that a good seeker won't just look for the snitch. The spectators, some of them anyway, would be on the lookout for them.

He searched with his spy glass. He saw the snitch flickering in the distance. He put his spy glass away. "Can I borrow it, please?" asked Hugo.

Scorpius handed it to him. James glanced at him. "You hate having to sit here, don't you, Potter?"

"What do you think?" snorted James.

"I think Al is just fine," said Scorpius.

"It's not the same."

"Then next time you shouldn't pick a fight with Scorpius," pointed out Lily, earning a glare from her oldest brother. It was the first time she had said something directly to him about it.

James glared at her. "We'll talk about this later, Lily. But not in front of Malfoy."

"I don't mind," said Scorpius in an amused voice.

Lily grinned at him. James pushed her head away. "Stop that. You're annoying."

"Who is?" asked Scorpius.

"Both of you," sighed James.

"Then why are you sitting with them?" piped up Roxanne.

James scowled and answered, "You know why."

Hugo Weasley was strong academically, but he was as dense as his dad in other matters. He innocently asked, "Why?"

"Will all of you just watch the bloody game?" asked James in a very crossed voice. "You brats need to be quiet now, especially you, Malfoy. It's your fault I'm here instead of being up there."

Scorpius stifled a laugh as they went back to watching the game. In that brief conversation, the Slytherins were up by thirty. James' vocabulary became more colorful as a result. Madame Hooch blew her whistle when Dominique was fouled and allowed her three penalty throws. She was able to get two.

"Quite the beauty with a great throwing arm," commented Alfie. He always peppered his play by plays with opinions on the female players.

His tone shifted as Albus, who had been shadowed by the Slytherin seeker, started to accelerate. "The snitch has been spotted and Potter is going for it. Miller is not too far behind, but with the Mach broom he doesn't stand a chance. And neither does that snitch!"

Albus spun the broom so that he was upside down. Miller had been blindly following his flying for the entire game. He didn't reach for the snitch instead he watched as Miller followed his move. Miller wasn't ready for it, so when he spun he lost his grip and fell off his broom. Unfortunately, Miller was able to catch his broom in time. As he hung there, Albus sped off and went up right to the snitch. He deftly caught it and the crowd exploded in cheers.

"Potter has the snitch! The game is over. Gryffindor has 190, while Slytherin has 70!" announced Alfie.

The pitch erupted in cheers as Albus dove to the ground and landed. James was on his feet and was cheering. Scorpius stood up and clapped along with everyone else. He was glad that the attention was on someone else. He didn't have to worry about things for an afternoon. It was priceless.

Dear Scorpius,

How are you? Things are as they were the last time I wrote you. I would like to start with saying that what you are feeling is natural. There is nothing wrong with it.

As for your questions about your father, I don't know what to tell you about him. He was a complicated man. I knew him from before school. He had changed so much and so did I that in the end I doubted that we recognized each other. I'd love to tell you what I do remember about him. But it isn't a good time.

I should tell you that you should never doubt that he didn't love you or he wasn't proud of you. You and your mother were his life.

Regards,

P.

Scorpius read the letter. He studied the quill strokes. His mum said that you could always tell a lot about a person based on how they wrote their letters. She would explain the notes that his dad would leave to her.

Pansy's strokes were defined and deliberate. She wrote as if she had planned exactly what she had intended to say. There was some hesitation at the end as if she was holding something back. Scorpius wrote back.

Dear Ms. Parkinson,

I was wondering if it would be possible to meet you in person sometime during the holiday. I shall be returning to Manderlay by next week. Please write me back before then.

Regards,

Scorpius

He sent it off before breakfast on Sunday. His friends liked to sleep in on those days. He supposed he would sleep in, too, if his dreams weren't plagued by nightmares. He was restless afterwards, so he wandered around the castle aimlessly.

He came to a door that looked strange like someone would miss it if they weren't paying attention. He had never notice it before. He checked to see if it was even unlocked. To his surprise it was. He tentatively walked inside.

It wasn't like any other room Scorpius had ever been in the school. For one thing, there was a piano with music and a stand with violins next to it. He glanced at the walls and saw posters of his favorite bands and even movie posters that he had seen when his parents had taken him to the Muggle theaters.

There was a clear board with clips and a blackboard with chalk. There were stacks of magazines and newspapers along with push pins and a big ball of red yarn. There was a sofa that looked very comfortable to sit and sleep in. "Where am I?" wondered Scorpius out loud.

He went for the piano. If there was one thing he really missed when he was away at school it was having a piano. He lifted the lid and slid it out of the way. He sat down and started to play. Scorpius played a piece that he remembered his dad singing to him. It was his mum's favorite.

"Stars shining bright above me..."

He sung until he was done. The Malfoy men had wonderful singing voices. It shouldn't be a surprise because they had great speaking voices. Scorpius sounded like his dad and grandfather. He couldn't be mistaken for the old man, but he could be for his dad.

It was a strange thing to find a tuned piano in Hogwarts. As far as Scorpius knew there was no dedication to the arts at the school. Wizards didn't really bother with musical instruments. They could wave their wands and the instruments could play themselves. Besides lessons were expensive, so music playing was strictly for the upper class or for those who truly wanted to learn.

Scorpius' dad's family was always upper class. Learning to play an instrument was part of family tradition. The Blacks used it as a way to show their wealth and class. Scorpius' parents never hired teachers for him, opting to teach him themselves.

His grandmother had barely talked about those dark years when his dad stopped playing the piano. His dad hardly ever talked about the war. Scorpius' dad had a faraway look from time to time. It wasn't until two years ago that Scorpius could understand it. He understood it too well now.

Had it already been two years? Two years since his dad and mum died. It didn't seem like two years. It seemed shorter as if only two days had gone. Scorpius felt something wet on his hand. It took a second for him to realize that he was crying.

He clutched his hands into fists on his lap. He couldn't understand it. He didn't wipe the tears away like he normally did. Perhaps it was because he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him and he didn't have to stifle any sobbing.

He had no idea that his dad had done the same thing in that very room in front of that same piano years prior.

Scorpius was in the Room of Requirement.

Sometime much later, Scorpius pulled himself together and took a real inventory of the room. The blackboard was next to a stack of papers. Scorpius picked them up.

Warrington's name was on it. Scorpius read it. These were the articles he was looking for. He started to read them. He was so engrossed that he didn't hear the knocking.

"There you are," said Albus as he walked in.

Scorpius gasped. "How did you find me?"

Albus smiled. He liked to let Scorpius think he did have something special about him beyond his parentage. He had access to the map that his granddad had made. "So, you're hiding out here?"

"Stop sneaking up on me," exclaimed Scorpius.

"Sorry. It's probably not a good idea because you could knock me out like James."

"That wasn't on purpose. It was the shielding spell."

"We met last summer, remember? It shocked me. Dad said that it isn't as passive as it should be."

"I don't think my dad intended it to be."

Albus shrugged. "So this is the Room of Requirement?"

"Is that what it is?"

Albus nodded. "My dad said that it's where he and his friends would meet; the room basically becomes whatever you need it to be. Uncle Neville hid out here his last year of school. The house elves call it the Come and Go Room."

Draco Malfoy didn't tell his son that he used the same room to plot the murder of Albus Dumbledore. "That makes sense," said Scorpius. "It explains the piano and the violins."

"The room is like a living breathing part of the castle," said Albus.

Scorpius searched through the stack and found an old Potions book. It looked like it had been through the ringer. He read, "Property of the Half-Blood Prince."

Albus stood up very fast that it startled Scorpius. "Seriously?"

"Stop that!"

"Sorry," apologized Albus, "but I know who that is."

"Who?"

"Severus Snape."

Scorpius asked, "That Severus? As in your middle name?"

"He was Headmaster before Professor McGonagall. He was brilliant."

"He was head of Slytherin. My dad had him as head for five years."

"So, this was his?" asked Albus. He looked over Scorpius' shoulder.

"This book's been through the ringer," observed Scorpius. He flipped through it and saw the handwritten notes. "Snape was a bit high strung. Look how sharp his letters were."

"There are some pages missing," said Albus.

"That seems weird. Snape may have abused this book, but it's downright disrespectful to rip pages out of it."

"You've been spending too much time in the library. You sound like Madame Pince, Score."

"This room gives you what you need," mused Scorpius. "But I don't need this."

Albus shrugged. He looked around the room. "What about the rest of it?"

Scorpius replied, "Most of it makes sense to me.". He had the book in his hand. He wasn't a sixth year, so he didn't need it. "How this end up here?"

"Maybe someone put it here?" suggested Albus.

"But why? The extra textbooks are kept by the professors just in case. There's got to be a reason," said Scorpius. He picked it up the book. There was something important about it. It was probably the most important thing in the room.


Authors Note: The bulk of this story was written on my ipod using an app. I had always planned to link the story back up to the original. Scorpius and Albus just stumbled upon an important clue. People are probably able to guess what the missing pages have in them.

Work has become a serious drag. I hate my job. I wish I could do what I want for a living. Beyond that, nothing much else to say, but its the reason for the delays. My apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.