Author's note: This chapter is told from Scorpius' perspective.
Even though Dinky said stick to the muggle part of London, our wizard cloaks, owl and orange eyed cat were too much for London to handle. At least that's what I thought. Rose dragged me out of the dry Leaky Cauldron, up the road and into a wet park. We were out in the drizzle and damp air again sitting on a bench. Pumpkin sat between us watching a duck paddling in a mossy pond like a bag of treats waiting to be opened.
"It's sad," Rose started off. She rested her hooded head on my shoulder. "Potter stared at me for merlin knows how long and he didn't recognise me. We were best friends. In-bloody-separable at the best of times."
"No offence, Rosie, but I think he was staring at me."
"Well, you are very attractive."
"I know." I chuckled.
Rosie sighed, "I suppose it's good he didn't find out. Potter's the last person in the world who needs to figure it out."
"You would prefer your parents finding out?"
"Would you prefer yours?"
I thought about it for a second. There was something entertaining about picturing dad's face going white with anger. I wondered did they still burn people off the Black family tree?
"Yes, my parents are not at Hogwarts so we could deny it or say we broke up. Or they could get on with it."
"Scorpius," Rose grinned looking up at me. Her brown eyes were wide and just… brilliant. "You know you're now officially a 'blood traitor'? Forgive me for using stupid, pointless labels."
"I think I've been a blood traitor for a long time." I agreed. "I love the lifestyle. Being Pureblood was exhausting. I think I marked my face from all those years glaring at you."
"Aw, I marked you. Isn't that cute?"
"In a freaky way? Yes." I teased. She didn't bother protesting. She rested her legs on my lap and tucked her head under my chin.
She sighed again.
"Are you trying to get me to ask you what's wrong?"
"I was about to tell you what's wrong. I don't need a man to ask me."
"I think I saw a woman down the street."
"It's alright, Scorpie, you'll do just fine." She pecked my neck. "I don't understand how Uncle Harry can be so-"
"Thick?" I offered up. Maybe Harry Potter banged his head during that legendary duel or while organising raids on Malfoy manor. Probably the latter, some karma had to come out of it. The Malfoys weren't doing anything these days beyond making childish comments.
"Blind," sensitive Rose corrected. "Uncle Harry's been under the same roof as him all Easter. He has to know." Then Rose grumbled. "Probably waiting on little Potter hand and foot."
"I think I know why."
"Amuse me."
"He's clinging to perfect family idea. Harry Potter is probably beaten up mentally 'cause let's see he was living under some stairs at some point, was suddenly a wizard, my father probably played some sick part in it and then you have Voldemort chasing after him. I can't imagine living with a proper death threat over my head. The wizarding community that loved him suddenly gone, oh, and living in the woods for months-"
"You've read my mom's book. That's the order she lists things in the introduction. She wanted to make sure people understood before they started reading."
I shrugged, I did read it ages ago when my 'like' for Rose suddenly changed to 'like-like.' I wanted to find out more about Rose, invasive stuff that a Slytherin friend couldn't ask to her face. But there was nothing about her in there. Not even a trace. Just Harry blah, blah, blah Potter. 904 pages for nothing.
"It was in the library." On a very high shelf, in the corner. "It's a good book. A little heavy on the details though."
"No such thing." Rose protested. "Mom's original was 1500 pages."
"What did she take out?" I frowned. Time may have the past but I always wanted to know every detail about Rosie.
"Quotes offered up by dad. They didn't really come off… fairly well on paper or make sense. Mom said he got nervous because anyone in the wizarding world could read it."
"Oh well, want to kiss? There's no one around." I asked. I didn't feel like I was asking her the first time, I felt like I was asking Rosie all the time with my eyes.
Rose rolled her eyes playfully, "We're were just talking about my parents."
"Kissing you has nothing to do with your parents." I defended. "It's addicting. The good kind of addicting."
"Scorpie, is that a wise idea?" She looked very pointedly down at my lap. I pulled back to get a good look at her face. Her expressions were always hilarious. Her red cheeks made her look even cuter. "You're clearly in a mood." She added driving her point home.
I nudged her. "And you're not? Earlier you very clearly kept brushing against me 'accidentally' in the kitchen."
She giggled despite herself. "I meant doing it very out in the open might be a bad idea."
I shook my head, "Kissing you is never a bad idea." I leaned in and planted one on her. Not thinking about how sickeningly sweet my words had sounded.
"Welcome back, Master Scorpius and Miss Rose," Dinky said grandly. There was some shakiness to his 'welcome.' The house elf slumped at the sight of the broken furniture in the drawing room. The leather was torn and the stuffing was thrown everywhere. He really was not getting paid enough.
"Pumpkin, do not eat that!" Rose scolded. The cat had his mouth open and was moving towards a cloud sized piece of stuffing. I seconded it, half-heartedly. I was more focused on the broken picture frames scattered around the fireplace. Backs and photographs ripped out.
Pumpkin hissed and skulked out the door.
Then Rose's hand was on my shoulder. I looked from the mess to her. She was capable of asking me if I was okay with a single look.
"Yeah," I replied to her look. "Do you see me crying?"
Rosie rolled her eyes playfully.
The truth was I didn't know how to react to seeing the manor after the raids and don't even get me started on my possibly guilty family. Why couldn't there just be a guide book for me to follow- Merlin, I sound like Rose. Father and mother tried to be good but gave up hope. They slinked back into their old ways because it was easier. Sounds a lot more innocent in a collected thought.
"Dinky has finished cleaning master Scorpius' room. Good as new- well as before. Master Scorpius can never keep things clean for more than a week." Dinky smiled. He snapped his fingers. One of the sofas started stitching itself back together. "Dinky's on room five of one hundred and fifty. Don't look so shocked, Miss Rose, this is normal for Dinky. Dinky chose his employment." He puffed out his chest. "Dinky likes the work it keeps him busy."
"What about ripping someone's house apart where is the excuse for that?" Rose demanded.
"It's a manor, not a house." I reminded her gently.
"Does it keeps the ministry busy?" Rose half-shouted.
Dinky piped up, "Dinky imagines."
"Did they take anything?" I finally asked the golden question. It's usually father who asks that but who else was there to ask Dinky?
Dinky shrugged, "Nothing from the cellar or dark arts related. The wizards were very secretive. They made Dinky wait in the kitchen and make tea. Dinky made very bad tea. The Aurors got the bad cutlery."
Rose crossed her arms beside me. Her body language stronger than words and half-shouts.
"Oh, stupid Dinky! The forgetful house elf! Mistress Narcissa is in distress. She demanded you read to her. Dinky gave her a calming draught. She's asleep now. Dinky hates to see Mistress Narcissa upset."
Since Rose's arrival, I hadn't read to her once. It was easier to find hours to read to Grandmother when I was stuck in the manor all day waiting to go back to Hogwarts.
I looked down at Rose. If there was anyone else in the room with me I would've been embarrassed because I'm a self-absorbed Slytherin. But Rose seemed more focused on the ripped apart the room. I laced my fingers with hers.
"We'll do that now, I guess," I said.
"Change first," Rose put forward. "These clothes feel like I dragged them across the quidditch pitch."
"Quidditch reference." I grinned. "Does that mean you've finally seen the light?"
"It was a negative reference."
"I'll take it. Thanks, Dinky." I led Rose out of the room.
"My legs are tired," She moaned, giving me that look that would make me fork over my every last galleon and even (gasp) downgrade my broomstick to something laughable like the comet 260.
I sighed pretending to be annoyed, "Rosie, you're going to break my back one of these days."
Rose raised an eyebrow.
"Not a comment about your weight," I said quickly.
Rose dropped her eyebrow, "Oh, don't be so 2005. Don't tell me were falling into that trope. It's your lack of faith in my healing skills that annoys me."
"Blood stopping-"
Rose clapped her hands over her ears.
There was a soft thump. I looked to the stairs. That could have been my imagination. Sometimes the manor was so quiet your mind started making up sounds or maybe that was just me. The anti-pureblood. Anyway, it was time to get to my cranky grandmother before she started up again or started adding to the thump.
"Get on my back," I said crouching down. "Let's try it this way."
"Hello disaster," Rosie muttered cautiously gripping my shoulders.
"Don't worry we have experience now."
And success. I supposed it had something to do with me having more confidence touching her. I gripped her thighs properly and pulled her onto my back. Rose cheered and kissed my neck.
"Scorpie?" Rose called weakly. I turned from the hardest task in the world: trying to find a shirt that was both clean, crinkle free and grandmother appropriate.
"Rosie?" I pulled myself out from under my bed. I cursed as I whacked my head on the way out.
Rose didn't comment or laugh so it had to be serious. Especially since she had her back to my shirtless body. She was facing my desk, her arms crossed and her head bent.
"Another letter?"
"I wish. Did you put that there?"
"What?"
"Merlin, come see. I'm imagining the worse right now."
I stood up and hurried over to her casually slipping my arm around her. I dropped it when I saw what was there.
I stared for a second at what shouldn't have been on my desk.
"Your red thingy- bra." I cleared my throat. "I didn't touch it," I said carefully. Something in my chest dropped. It wasn't there this morning when I sat at the desk to write a letter to my parents. The last time I had seen it was the night before on Rose and then on the floor somewhere.
"You're joking." She laughed weakly.
"No, you're joking," I said. "Are you sure you didn't throw it on the desk before we left?"
"No," she protested. "What about Dinky?"
"He's a free elf."
Rose frowned, "I meant the washing or something. I see the way he goes around picking up after you."
"Maybe," I bit my lip. What if they had found it in the very thorough raid? Maybe there wasn't a 'what if' in that question. Neither one of us voiced it. I made a move to pick up the bra. Carefully, like it could turn out to be a portkey-
"If you're going prod at it please do it..." Rose's cheeks were flaming. "Casually."
I brought my hands back down to my sides, bra-free. I doubted Rose had her full name embroidered on the tag.
I sighed, "My father better not heard about this."
"What about your mother?"
I cursed, "Actually father can hear about this all he wants. Pray to merlin my mother doesn't hear about this."
