Summary: After being hit with a harsh reality, Scorpius learns how to bond with his father.

Rated: T

Genre: Family

Warning: Medical & Health Related Issues; Depression; Heavily Implied Death; Child Finds Parent Passed Out

Competition/Challenge Block
Written for/Stacked with: The Houses Competition (Year 8); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 4); Whumptober 2021
THC: Slytherin - Astronomy; Standard ([Era] Next Gen; [Pairing Type] Father & Son)

MC4A: Hunt [OCD, Turkey, Stuffing]; Fireworks [All About Family; Little Rascals; Tight Knit]; Garden [Such a Kidder (Bedroom); Meteorology (Cloudy); Whump Fest B (Begging)]

Other Challenges: Whumptober Day 10: Oops, I Did It Again | Hospital; Flare-Up

Word Count: 1,992

Beta: Hope; Ash; Dhrish

When Things Start to Crack

It was a mild mid-August day, and several of the fruit trees were ready for harvest. Scorpius always looked forward to this time of year, even more so than his very first day of school, which was a mere two weeks away. He always spent quality time with his mother during harvest time, time that he had quickly learned to cherish once he realized, at far too young of an age, that her health was always unstable.

In Scorpius' excitement to get outside and to the orchard, basket in hand and ready to carry the cherries, apples, and peaches, he hadn't taken notice of his mother moving slowly and appearing faint before he ran off to weave between the trees.

Clambering up the tall step ladder to the peaches, he plucked a few of the delicate, fuzzy pink fruits from the branches and placed them in the basket.

"It looks like we have a great batch this year, Mother," Scorpius said, reaching for a couple more.

When she didn't answer back immediately, he paused in his picking to scan the row for a sign of Astoria, seeing no one within his line of sight.

"Mother?" he called a bit louder, hoping she'd be close enough to hear him.

Nothing.

Growing worried now, he climbed down the ladder and abandoned the basket with its contents as he retraced his steps through the orchard, calling for his mother every few seconds. When he found her, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening with fear and his heart slamming hard against his chest. She was lying on the ground, cloak askew over her frame, and, as far as he could tell, unconscious. Swallowing hard, he snapped back into himself and bolted to her side, dropping to his knees immediately. Scorpius gently nudged at her shoulder, looking at her unresponsive expression.

"Mum? Mum, wake up," he pleaded, and the tears started to prick at his eyes when she didn't stir. "Mother?"

His heart was racing, his breathing quickened, and in that moment of panic, he had no idea what to do. He was only eleven, so he couldn't do magic, he shouldn't do magic… but what else was he to do? He could be barred from ever attending school, but his mother needed help. Should he try to Apparate somewhere? But then he would be leaving his mother behind. His father was at the office that day, so he could go to him if he focused hard enough...

Scorpius mentally slapped himself, remembering there was someone else he could easily call for help instead: their house-elf. "Dizzy! I need you!"

The elf appeared immediately, dressed in a little blue-and-white marbled pillowcase, her large eyes growing even larger at what she saw. "Give me your hand, young Master."

He was openly crying now, but he took the elf's hand, and she placed her other hand on Astoria's shoulder and promptly took them to St. Mungo's Hospital.

Scorpius sat in the hall where the Healers had told him to wait. He was still trembling uncontrollably, tears long since dried on his cheeks. He kept whimpering, feeling the burn of tears behind his eyes but exhausted his body to produce more. That is how Draco found him when he stormed down the hall with an air about him that screamed he was not to be denied entry on where he chose to go. Dizzy was standing in front of Scorpius, holding one of his hands in her wrinkled ones, muttering words of comfort. Scorpius barely noticed when his father collapsed onto the bench beside him and pulled him into a vice-gripping hug.

"I'm so sorry…" Draco whispered, stroking the back of his son's head and planting light kisses on Scorpius' temple. "I'm here now. It's okay…"

His small body started to shake more at those uttered words, knowing that no, it really wasn't okay. His mother was sick, and she had fallen on the ground and was not waking up. How was it going to be okay?

Draco gently pulled Scorpius onto his lap, slowly rocking him and muttering quiet words of comfort. Dizzy relayed to Draco all the information the Healers had provided for the time being, since there was no way Scorpius would be able to form a coherent sentence right now. The elf hadn't written anything in the note she had sent to her master aside from, 'Emergency, St. Mungo's,' instead of going directly to him so Scorpius wasn't left alone even though it would have been a handful of seconds at best.

It was a desperate situation to be in for Draco. He wanted to check on his wife's wellbeing, but Scorpius needed his security and reassurance as well. Taking Scorpius in to see her might not be a good idea, yet bringing him home would take him away from Astoria.

Thankfully, a Healer approached him after some time passed. He wasn't sure how long exactly, being too focused on calming Scorpius down, who had fallen asleep in his lap, head resting against his shoulder. Draco continued combing his fingers through his son's soft hair while he listened to what the Healer had to say.

"It seems that Mrs. Malfoy's blood pressure dropped rapidly, which is what caused her to pass out. We have her stabilized now and she is resting, but her regular Healer wishes to keep her here overnight for monitoring of the minor concussion she may have sustained," the Healer said, turning her attention to Scorpius. "He is very brave, your child. When they got here, he knew exactly whom to seek help from immediately, using her main Healer's name and everything, and he even explained what had happened relatively calmly."

Draco held his son a little tighter at the words. "Thank you."

"Would you like to see her?"

He stood up slowly, adjusting Scorpius' weight and position as he did so, and nodded. He followed the Healer down the hall, trying not to jostle his son too much in the process.

Scorpius woke from nightmares almost every night leading up to September 1st. Draco had been at his side for every one of them, and eventually, he had his son sleep in their room at night so they'd all get proper rest. He clung to Astoria throughout the night, but during the days, he'd avoid her all together like he was afraid to see her in such a terrible state again.

Draco thought he'd refuse to leave for school when the time came, but Scorpius seemed excited. Astoria even forced herself to accompany them to the platform, giving him words of encouragement and comfort before hugging and kissing him goodbye.

Winter came before they knew it, and with it, Astoria's health only continued to deteriorate. Scorpius had come back home for winter break and could sense the gloomy tension that permeated the Manor because of her poor state. It was Christmas Eve, and it was just Draco and Scorpius present at the dinner table with a respectable Christmas supper laid out before them. Astoria was currently recovering from a nasty cold, which left her unable to leave her bed to join them.

The seasoned turkey filled the air with its warm, welcoming aroma, blending its oregano, cumin, and paprika mixture with the spices and vegetables in the stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes, and spring salad. But even the warm, inviting atmosphere that the dinner provided, it wasn't enough to lift spirits.

Scorpius barely touched his neatly organized plate, never liking his food to touch, looking detached and sad. His gaze would wander over the empty spot where Astoria would normally be seated, a sigh releasing at seeing she had yet to fill the empty space.

"Scorpius," Draco said, resting his utensils on the side of his plate to fold his hands together. "Would you like to take a plate up to your mother and eat with her?"

It wasn't something that they ever did, eating somewhere other than the dining room, but something told Draco that it may become a regular thing soon. Adjusting and accommodating would be hard but essential for the family to remain intact and together.

Scorpius perked up a little at the suggestion, eyes widening with the silent question. Draco got up and grabbed his own plate to solidify the proposal.

"I'll grab yours. Why don't you prepare hers? Ask Dizzy if you need any help, okay? I'll let Mother know and meet you up there."

Family holidays and day trips to the city became less frequent as the years slipped by. Draco did his best to lift Scorpius' spirits and get him out of the house whenever possible, but hiding the ever declining health of Astoria was futile.

Her presence was greatly missed during Scorpius' school shopping for his third year, especially because it was yet another reminder of how little he could share with her. The new privilege of being able to visit Hogsmeade had him gain the chance to see his father and spend time with him, but he could never have that experience with Astoria.

"How about we drop off your wand to be sanded and polished while we go for ice cream?" Draco suggested, looking at Scorpius for confirmation.

Scorpius shrugged, not bothering to verbally respond. Astoria was in poor shape that morning. When Scorpius went to say goodbye, Astoria had had to convince him not to stay home with her. She'd always made their trips fun and unique, so it would be different without her. He knew his father was trying, but it was hard to enjoy himself when his mind dwelled on his sick mother.

"How about we check out Quality Quidditch Supplies instead? Didn't you say you needed new shin guards?" Draco offered instead. "I hear they have a new lightweight dragonhide set that comes in black."

Scorpius perked up a little bit at this. "I'd need brown, but the new Galaxy Comet broom model just dropped, too!"

"Oh, yeah. It has, hasn't it?" Draco smiled, glad to have brought that small spark back in his son's eyes. "Let's go see if it is in stock."

And without a doubt, Quality Quidditch Supplies didn't disappoint. They procured the mentioned shin guards (in brown to better match Ravenclaw colors) as well as a broom-polishing kit.

Draco was at the counter while Scorpius wandered through the store, only coming back to his father's side once he had scoured the entire place.

"Not to disappoint you, son, but the brooms are out of stock," Draco said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Scorpius' face fell at this, but Draco turned to fully address him, holding out a broom. "It's a good thing I preordered it, or we might've been in a sorry situation."

"Seriously?" he half-shouted, voice cracking in his excitement. "You got me one!"

Draco half-shrugged. "Your mother wanted me to give it to you for your birthday, but I felt like you could use the pick-me-up. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Thank you, Father!" Scorpius squeaked, accepting the broom with a bright expression. "I love it! Thank you!"

The first thing that Scorpius did when they got home was bolt up the stairs. He made a beeline to his parents' room to show Astoria the new broom.

"Mum! Look what I got! I know you wanted to wait, but Father said I could have it early, you have no idea how happy I am!" Scorpius said, speaking excitedly but in a low tone.

He approached her side of the bed, seeing that she appeared to be sleeping and was unusually still despite this. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he gave her the gentlest of nudges.

"Mother?"

He grabbed her hand, and the icy coldness of it had him draw back in shock. Stumbling, Scorpius fell back on the floor, shouting for his father.

It was in that moment that the cracks in the family had finally shattered.