Summary: Scorpius loves the stuffed toy his mother made, so much so it never leaves his side...
Rated: K
Genre: Family
Warning Tag: Implied Illnesses & Medical Conditions; Child Meltdowns; Lost Item
Competition/Challenge Block
Written for/Stacked with: The Houses Competition (Year 8); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 4)
THC: Slytherin - Astronomy; Standard ([Theme] Travel; [Object] Stuffed Toy)
MC4A: Hunt (Fa Setting [On a Train]); Settings Bingo (4D [Lake/Pond]); Fall Bingo (5B [Fireplace]); Ship War (Stellar Legends - Su Big [Painting/Drawing]); ICs (Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Artist MC x2; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion x3 (Yx2); Tiny Terror (Y); The 3rd Rule; Ship Sails x2 (Yx1); Zed Era (Y); Slytherin MC x3; Ravenclaw MC; Magical MC x5; Old Shoes (Y); Go Fluff Yourself (Y); Colors Galore (Y); Kinder); BCs (Jet Fuel; Second Verse (Lyre Liar; Spinning Plates; Sneeze Weasel; Nontraditional; Persistence Still; Not a Lamp; Ladylike); Chorus (Some Beach; Tomorrow's Shade; Mouth of Babes; Delicious Lie; Machismo; Wabi Sabi; SS (Schoonrer; Shout); O3 (Orator; Oust); FR (Satisfaction); T3 (Tether); Mea (Bisect; Rampant); TY (Enfant)); (SoC; PP; NC; SIN; StL; ToS; BAON; FPC; Cluster; ER; Fence; Star; SHoE; SS; O3; FR; T3; Mea; TY)
Word Count: 1,565
Beta: Ash Juillet; Dhrish; Hope
When the Lost Are Found
The small family arrived at the massive train station of King's Cross, tickets and magically obtained Muggle identification in hand. However, they were not waiting for the magical train that would whisk them off to Hogwarts. Instead, they were waiting to board a Muggle train destined for Paris, France. Eight-year-old Scorpius used to dislike waking up so early to head for the train station, but after doing it every six months for the last two years to visit his aunts Daphne and Tracey, he had learned to enjoy the long, tedious journey by horse carriage from Malfoy Manor to London, and by train from London to Paris. He still hated waking up early, though.
Muggle transportation became a normal thing in the Malfoys' lives when his mother's health started to be affected by magical travel. Most people found it peculiar, but Scorpius had learned at an early age the benefits of ignoring the opinions of others. The family used the commute time to play chess or Exploding Snap, or to catch up on reading, work, and tutoring assignments. His mother usually worked on some kind of sewing or knitting project, but lately, she took the long traveling hours to rest and conserve her energy.
Scorpius clutched at the green-and-blue knitted dragon plushie his mother had made for him when he was a baby. He took it everywhere with him, even on simple errands to the apothecary shop. He had named it Torch. As he huddled close to his mother's side, he clutched its soft, weighted body to his chest as they were finally able to board their train.
They found their seats near the front by the engine, and Scorpius helped his father stow the belongings in the storage space above. His father always declined the offer from the steward to do it for them because trusting a Muggle with their things was never the best of ideas.
Scorpius sat beside his mother, taking the window seat of course, and sat Torch the stuffed dragon on his lap.
"I believe this is the first time we've gone during autumn," Mother said, adjusting the blanket Father had draped over her before he'd excused himself from their private compartment. "It is going to look exceptionally pretty when we get out into the countryside."
"Yeah. But I like looking at the colors at our house," Scorpius said, sulking.
He liked autumn because it meant he got to spend a lot of time with his mother outside. She always liked to tend their little garden and orchards by hand, but this time they weren't doing that. He wondered why they ended up leaving a little earlier to Aunts Daphne and Tracey's home than usual, normally visiting during the first week of December. This time it was just nearing the end of October.
"It's good to change things around sometimes, starlight," Mother assured, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulders to give him a squeeze. "We decided to visit a little earlier this time because your aunts are going out of the country for winter."
"Oh."
"I brought a lot of art things with us. Would you and Torch join me in drawing what we see out the window once the train gets up to speed?"
Scorpius smiled lightly, picking up Torch and having the little stuffie nod before he bopped its nose on the side of his mother's cheek. She laughed that soft, twinkly laugh that always lit up her hazel eyes. He couldn't help but let out a little giggle as well; it was just so contagious. They didn't notice that Draco had listened in until the compartment door slid open.
"Would my two giggle-fit loves like a breakfast scone and tea?" his father asked, stepping in and taking a seat across from them. "I believe I picked everyone's favorites."
He sat the scones on the small table mounted under the window and Scorpius bounced forward to be closer to it. He sat Torch on the table to look out the window.
"No toys on the table, Scorpius," Father said.
Scorpius scowled but moved Torch to sit on the small ledge on the window instead before tucking in.
The route to Paris never changed, so there was nothing really new to take in aside from the several species of trees sporting their mixed shades of autumn colors of blended reds, yellows, oranges, and browns on their ever-growing bare branches. Scorpius did sketch out a lovely image of the lake the train went past, managing to capture the scene from the other side and put in the green-and-black train surrounded by the vibrancy of the trees in the background. His mother loved it so much she asked to recreate it, and of course, he said it was fine. She always made them look far better than he ever could.
Normally he didn't fall asleep when they traveled; the adrenaline from being a nervous traveller tended to keep him awake and relatively alert until they were settled at their destination, but this time the lull of the cabin gently swaying and the constant white noise of the engine had done him in. Clutching Torch to his chest, Scorpius soon fell fast asleep, using his father's cloak as a makeshift pillow.
He didn't remember being carried off the train by him, either. By the time he woke up a few hours later at his Aunts Daphne and Tracey's house, he realized that something was terribly wrong.
Torch was not with him.
His mother was sitting in the tea room with his aunts when he entered the room, the warmth of the fire crackling in the fireplace on the far wall was inviting and comforting. His father was nowhere to be seen in the immediate vicinity, but it was likely he had tucked himself away with work or went out. He tended to do either one a lot while they visited.
"Mother, have you seen Torch?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "They weren't with me when I woke up, and I didn't see them in the bed anywhere."
"I'm sure Torch is around, darling. We will find them," his mother said, taking a light sip of tea.
"Good afternoon, my favorite nephew," Daphne said brightly. "You up for a cuppa? We saved you a spot."
"Hello Aunt Daphne and Aunt Tracey," Scorpius said, almost forgetting where he was. "Sorry, I don't usually fall asleep until I am here."
Tracey fetched a tea cup from the spare ones nearby and placed it in front of the vacant seat. "It's alright. Perhaps the autumn rains helped soothe you. It always does for me. Hearing the rain's dull patter against the train roof and the soft sway of the compartment is strangely comforting."
Scorpius sat down and reached for the honey. "Where's Father?"
"He stepped out for a bit," Aunt Daphne supplied, placing a tea cake in front of him. "Try this. Your aunt Tracey made them this morning and they are quite delicious."
Scorpius wasn't too keen on them trying to distract him away from something. He went to clutch his stuffie to his chest out of instinct, as he always did whenever he felt that way, but remembered Torch was missing.
He didn't want to fret over it. Perhaps he did miss seeing Torch mixed in the covers. They were similar shades of green, and it isn't like it hadn't happened before. But when he finished the tea and cake, he politely excused himself and darted back up the stairs to his room in search of his stuffed friend.
Next thing he knew, the room was torn apart, the contents of his suitcase were strewn about, and Scorpius was on the floor crying his eyes out. Torch wasn't anywhere. They were gone.
"Oh, starlight," Mother cood, gently collecting him in her lap on the floor. "We will find Torch."
"Bu-but they coul-could be… be anywhere!" he wailed, burying his face in her shoulder. "I'm ne-never going to see Torch ever again…"
His mother combed her fingers through his hair, rocking him gently while humming one of his favourite songs. Scorpius sniffled, starting to calm just a bit, but the emptiness of losing Torch was heavy on his mind and heart. He lost the creation his mother had made just for him to keep and cherish, and soon she wouldn't be there to cherish and love. Torch was supposed to be with him forever…
The hours ticked on, and Scorpius managed to settle long enough to drift in and out of sleep from exhaustion of the trip and the stress of losing his favorite stuffie. When he did wake up long enough to realize Torch was still missing and his father was still gone, the meltdowns happened all over again.
It wasn't until the early hours of very restless sleep and bouts of meltdowns did Scorpius stir awake enough to see his father knelt in front of him, pushing Torch carefully into his arms. He felt the dragon's softness and its weight rest against his chest, and it had him let out a heavy breath in relief. The tightness in his chest dissipated almost immediately. Gray eyes drifted closed again, and words of appreciation were muttered as the last thing he felt was his father pressing a kiss to his forehead and his arms curling protectively around Torch the stuffed dragon.