Chapter 5
They fell asleep that morning after Christmas, apparently their spiked up emotions exhausted both of them. Rose gave him a bottle of Marmite before leaving just to spite him, and Scorpius hadn't gotten a chance to meet her Nan again. It was for the best, if her Nan couldn't recognize him the first time they met he didn't want to see her reaction now. So much clues point towards a possible familial relationship and he didn't want to accept the fact that her Nan was clearly Rose's grandmother but not his.
Spring was almost in the horizon when Scorpius returned once more to her house. They have Biology together and chose to partner up for a Birds Behavioral Study. Scorpius realized Rose is a very inquisitive person, choosing to challenge and speculate rather than accept feeble-minded answers. At least Rose was pleased he was not of facile and shallow intellect. In fact they could go head to head with their academics. Unfortunately, anything remotely related to sports is another story.
"You will stay this time for dinner right? I won't have Nan cooking up just for you to leave the last minute." He grimaced at her accusation. He panicked that time, how could she blame him still. Scorpius finished a line in his essay before admitting he has to text his Aunt first.
Her bedroom door was wide open today, perhaps it's because her Nan is in the house, preparing dinner so to speak. They never looked back to their previous conversation, both in silent understanding that some things are better left unsaid. None of them dared hope in fear of disappointment.
"Aunt said I'm good to stay… texted 'I want to meet her too.'" He showed her phone to her and she shrugged back in response. Another ding alerted his phone and she suddenly contorted her face in disgust. "Eow, did not need to see that."
Scorpius laid back on on her chair, snickering behind his screen. The guy was flirting again with Camilla and she shuddered to think what they're talking about.
Rose left him to go get refreshments. She wished for a cold one but her Nan wouldn't be pleased to see she's drinking with a boy in her room, besides she's too young in her Nan's eyes. She settled for some Coke instead, too sugary but with the added caffeine. She needed a pick-up from their dull school work. She was about to head back when Scorpius suddenly appeared behind her, making her jump. The guy snickered at her expense and she had to swat his arms repeatedly in annoyance. With their friendly banter they barely realized her Nan returning in the kitchen.
"Oh Draco, I didn't know you were coming for a visit…."
"Hermione darling, you should have mentioned visiting today. I would have prepared some of that treacle tarts you two favor so much. Oh, just don't tell your father." Her Nan winked before retreating back outside to tend to her garden. Her Nan sometimes have difficulty with her memory, often times mistaking her for her Mum and forgetting Pops has passed.
"Sorry about that, Nan is just…" Rose stopped short. Scorpius was rooted to the spot, shaking like a leaf, distress clear on his face. "Scor…"
"What did your Nan just call me?" He asked, suddenly breathless. As if all the air from his lungs was forcefully expelled.
"Uhm… didn't quite catch it. But she always mistake me for my Mum. Are you, are you alright Scorp?" He only mumbled a response, their previous mood turned perturbed.
"Can't hear you Scorp…"
"She called me Draco." She didn't understand what was wrong, perhaps a boy in the house confused her Nan and mistook him as well as one of her Mum's friends.
Her face was obviously confused, her eyebrows knotted together. Scorpius rubbed at his face roughly and ruffled his hair in clear signs of distress. Honestly, she was starting to get worried and wanted to ask him to sit down or at least breathe slowly. He looked like about to bolt in panic again, and she hated it when she's left perplexed.
"Your Nan… just called me by my Dad's name."
"Wha…"
"Draco. Like the constellation, like my name… like yours."
Rose dropped the can of Coke she was holding. Too caught up to bother with the mess she made as her mind suddenly turned into chaos.
… … …
The two left their current research in favor of having a stroll. There was a large park behind her house. Her house was starting to get suffocating and she needed the air and a different scene. Crossing Heath Road they walk towards an old trail she found that leads to a secluded area near the barrows and past the bathing pond.
It was the first of springs, and their hike seemed bathed in lush greens. Rose settled on a fallen trunk as Scorpius followed. They haven't spoken yet. Rose ran to her room and left Scorp to wipe down her mess before he invited her to go outside.
Scorp was scuffing his shoes among the large roots, while Rose's legs dangled from her perch. It was a beautiful day, they both agreed. They couldn't believe they were about to waste it in her room researching and writing their paper.
"Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together?" She asked more in musing than to someone.
"I think, some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences." Rose held a snob at his words and shook her head in denial. From a far one would think they were lovers in quarrel.
Rose tried to reign in her feelings. Their circumstance just felt too unfair. Too surreal. Her Pops gone, her Nan succumbing to early stages of memory impairment, her in a new school, a new home, even an entire new country.
She shook herself and jumped up from the log to balance herself. Back and forth she tried pacing first, distracting her gloomy thoughts.
"There's no point dragging this out. Obviously there is a puzzle here we have to solve." She said, suddenly filled with energy.
"Shoot."
"Birthday?" She asked him.
"The ninth of November… yours?" Scorpius shot back.
"Same."
"Mother's name"
"Hermione Jane Granger." She jerked her head towards him.
"I don't know mine. My Aunt only knows my Dad, Draco Black."
"Okay. Your Aunt…"
"What about her?"
"How is she related to you?"
"My Aunt had a brother, who married my Dad's Aunt." Rose stopped pacing this time and sat beside him, the two looking over the glade.
"You said had." She said carefully. To which Scorp just shrugged, "Yup…It's just me and my Aunt."
"Just like me and Nan."
"Do you think she's also my Nan?" He asked her, and honestly for Rose she really wasn't sure.
"Well, do you think she's my Aunt?" She countered.
It was a few more silent moment before Rose realize she didn't know his Aunt's name and had asked him. "Her name's Bethany Tonks." However, her name didn't ring any bells for Rose, still unfamiliar, just as the last name Black.
"Oh! I have a picture of him." Scorpius suddenly said, pulling out a wallet from his back pocket. Rose shakily took the photo from his hands. She brushed the silhouette of a tall man sitting on a Victorian settee, a little boy with equally blonde hair sat on his lap. If she looks closely, the image seemed alive. As if the fire from the fireplace was crackling, that the hand steadying who she assume is Scorpius was also embracing him, and that his Dad's silver eyes had a warm glimmer on them while his lips twitch in amusement. For a moment she could imagine another pair, of a woman with dark curls holding a child who looked exactly like her.
Suddenly as if by some spark, she jumped from her place. "We have to go!" She squealed, hauling him up forcefully making him tumble a bit. The two broke into a run as Scorpius tried demanding an explanation from her, but Rose just shout back to follow her.
They tumbled inside her room once more, Rose closing and locking her door to make sure they won't get disturbed. She noticed her Nan was asleep by the fireplace and she didn't want to wake her up.
"What are we doing Rosie?" Scorp asked, sounding winded from the run. For someone not into sports, Rose could out run him.
"Your picture…" She said, frantically opening her cabinet and drawers.
"Could it be in one of these bags you still refuse to pack out?" Scorp teased making her actually growl at him. She was turning over every bag and boxes, until she dove under her bed. When she finally retreated she was dragging a medium sized wooden box.
It was a simple wooden box, almost the size of a shoebox, with indistinct carvings of vines and tiny roses. Same vines he had on his necklace. He couldn't distinguish what flower really it is, but it was quite familiar.
"It's a Narcissus…" Scorp looked at her questioningly "The flower. It's a… they call it black narcissus or dahlias. Nan said they were Mum's favorite."
"Do you think it means something?" Rose shrugged, with her Mum everything has a meaning. Her name has a unique origin, a flower translates to a poem, every book her Nan passed to her had a history, even the periwinkle jumper her Mum once had represents her favorite color, one of faithfulness and trust. Rose shook her head at Scorpius, clearly not wanting to explore that.
"This doesn't matter anyway. What I want you to see is this…" She opened box and took out a similar looking photograph. Of a little girl cuddled on her mother's arms. Mahogany locks intertwining each other, you could barely distinguish which is whose. Her Mum was looking radiant in a two piece terno in pale yellow. She doesn't realize it as much, but her Mum was truly beautiful. Scorp agrees as much. Her photo was more weathered than Scorpius', and she could barely make the background of it. But they were also sitting on a Victorian settee, and sometimes if she closes her eyes she could picture warm fire in an opulent study.
Without realizing it, they were already trying to bridge the two pictures. And in an instant, as if by some unforeseen force, or perhaps by magic. In a flash, their photos stitch back together. As if they were never apart. Both too stunned to make any move, and had only dropped the photo after the fireplace in the background suddenly flickered alive.
"What the fuck was that!" They both said.
"Ditto." They said again. Both of them too stressed out, that instead of freaking out like they intended, the two just succumbed into hysterical fits.
