APOV
I watched as Astoria vanished into the emerald flames, cursing her coldness and inhumanity. As the fires dissipated I heard a creak from behind me and turned in surprise to examine its cause. I had actually spun around so fast that my tears flew like stars off my cheeks. Scor had been listening to me and had run off towards his room the moment his mother had vanished.
"Scor! Dammit" I cursed chasing after him through the house. The marble was cold beneath my bare feet, there was a draft from a window that had shattered in the fight. I could feel the cold air blowing against my face. The whole house was cold as ice. What a place to live and grow up i thought to myself. My features shifted at the abject horror of what I witnessed as I burst into his room. I found him collapsed on his bed. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was crying. The only other time I'd ever seen him cry was when he told me they'd erased my memories. "Oh Scor. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that stuff."
"Go away. I... d-don't w-want you... to s-see me like sniff* this sniff*" Scor shot turning away from me.
"Aww. My big brother doesn't want me to see him cry." I said teasingly. I pulled him into a hug despite that. "Oh Scor. Emotions aren't a weakness. They're a strength. You should never feel the need to hold anything back from me ok? I promise you I won't go anywhere. I will be there, forever. For as long as you need me." He started to cry harder at that, turning slightly to hold me back. There was water blurring my sight. "Its alright Scor, you'll see, everything will be all right. I love you so much and I promise you everything will be all right." I held him as he cried through the night. I was sad that this was all I could do to help him.
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We had arrived at my house on Grimmauld Place late the next night. Mom and Dad had prepared a makeshift bed for Scor on the floor but we both knew he wouldn't be staying there. In the end we merely fell asleep in my bed watching pirated movies on my laptop. Scor had been so fascinated by the device that he swore he'd have to buy one too.
When I woke up the next morning it was to the sounds of a busy household. Scor had already descended, most likely for breakfast. It was unusual for him to be up so early and I felt oddly lonely when I stretched out my sleepy form only to find him missing. I merely flipped myself over to bury my face into the pillow realizing when I did that it already smelled like him. Sometimes my thoughts were so strange…
When I got downstairs I almost laughed. It was already chaotic even without James there to cause trouble. Our elf was obviously attempting to clean but was trying to stay as much out of my bumbling parents' way as possible. Lily was making a mess by wrecking everything she touched and our two Cheshires had gotten into a match of tag that had papers, notes and utensils falling or flying about the room.
"So dad, are we going back?" I asked chewing through a spoonful of my blond's cereal. Scorpius gave me a look that said i shouldn't talk with my mouth full, so I made a face at him.
"Yes yes... the paperwork came in this morning. Both of you pack your things and be ready to leave by dinner. I need to go into the office today, so you two behave for my beautiful wife alright?" Scorpius and I looked at each other excitedly. We were going home!
"Harry. I need to go to the Avalon court for some shopping, we can't leave the kids alone."
"Gin, its an emergency." dad shot across the room, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge as he reviewed a case file.
"There's always some emergency." Mom said tossing a rolled up copy of the Daily prophet at his head. He caught it and tucked it neatly under his arm in a familiar motion that i'd seen a thousand times before.
"Well can't you send one of the elves love?"
"No, its their day off. Patch is only here for another few minutes. I needed her to mend some robes. Besides they frown on elves appearing in the Avalon court. You know that. And I'm having lunch with Luna and Mione there."
"Al, Scorpius, do you think you could watch..."
"Alright. We'll take care of the evil beast." I offered with a resigned sigh, reading through my own copy of the daily prophet. The headlines read ~Midnight Raid on Malfoy Manor. The Minister for Magic will be forced to formally apologize today to Draco Ma...
"Yay! I get to spend the day with Allie and Scorpius." Lily shot hugging my best friend a little too affectionately.
"Oh piss off you little creep." I shot sticking my tongue out at my demonic little sister, grabbing her by the back of the collar to pull her off of Scor. She slipped her sweater, escaping my grip, and in a flash swept my feet out from under me.
"Karate sweep!" She cried as though it were a spell. I can't stand her sometimes.
"Mom!" I shot from the floor.
"Nice Al... you lost to your little sister... and she used her muggle technique too." Scor said trying to contain his laughter. I saw in the paper that Uncle George was having a sale at his chain of jokeshops this weekend, I'd have to buy extra products to get them back for this.
"No fair... why does she get to learn martial arts? I'd have won if I could use magic out of school!"
"You'd have blown up the whole house." Lily squeaked with laughter sticking her own tongue out at me. I lunged for her but she merely leapt over me. She was always so very quick. I was the better wizard, she the better… ninja.
"Mind your sister Al. None of that in the house."
"I promise i'll keep them from killing each other Mr. and Ms. Potter." Scor said grabbing me and Lily and holding us both at arms length from each other.
"Thank you Scorpius dear. Always so helpful." Mom offered as she threw a scarf around dad and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "See you later love."
"Gin, I'm literally flooing there and back I don't need the scarf." Mom merely gave dad her death stare that said it was unwise to argue.
"Whitehall. Code verification, Harry Potter: Delta Delta Alpha Epsilon Zeta Omega."
"Here." She said, tossing him a banana across the room and into the fireplace. Dad caught it right before the green flames enveloped him. "See you both later. I'm off too. Be good for you brothers. Lunar Dew." She affixed her second earring and grabbed her bag before vanishing into a cloud of emerald fire. We had the house to ourselves, well nearly. I can't believe she'd called me AND Scor Lily's brothers.
"Well I guess we'd better pack. Come Lils lets chill in Al's room while he recovers from his humiliating loss." Scor said to my smiling sister as they left me a stunned mess on the floor.
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"Scor I can manage my own packing!" I shot to the blond as I entered the room to find him rearranging my clothing and supplies.
"Oh I doubt that Allie." Lily shot from her position on my bed.
"Ugh... you should be in school. I can't believe you missed your first year because of this terrorist bullshit."
"I don't mind. You and Scor delayed half a year too, and you're relatively fine. Besides I'm a genius so its ok. Not to mention the fact that Hugo and Roxy were also kept home. So there. The three of us will all be first years." I couldn't wait for next year. It would be our most important to date, every member of the Potter-Weasley clan would be at Hogwarts that year.
"You and Hugo might very well skip a year given how smart you are." Scor said to Lily, folding my underwear and arranging my most fragile belongings along the protective inside of my cauldron.
"Hugo's the real genius. Not Lils. Although Hugo also has real developmental issues."
"Hahahaha and the both of you don't?"
"Oh piss off you." I said before she came over to drape her arms around my neck. She gave me a quick kiss on the head before releasing me. She was either too sweet or too entirely annoying. I watched as she looked intently at the makeshift bed that lay on the floor, her eyes widening and contracting like focusing lenses. She had noticed something.
"I have a question before I piss off. Why didn't Scor sleep in his own bed? Are you two... you know." Lily asked bending her index finger dramatically.
"What?! I slept on the floor thank you very much... as uncomfortable as it was. We are not bent."
"Scor don't try to trick her she can tell-"
"So you guys are together!"
"NO NO! We're not Lily. That's not what I meant. He just slept in my bed is all. Its more comfortable than the floor. You don't expect a Duke to sleep like a commoner do you?"
"How did she know I hadn't slept on the floor?"
"She's erm..."
"I have Voldemort's blood in my veins. I have snake senses." She said very matter of factly. Scorpius nearly choked. "Well our dad spent a great many years as a Horcrux. You didn't think that we might have escaped our birth without some token from that horrid monster." Scor was looking at me as though I were an alien creature. I hadn't told him that yet.
"Oh its not that serious. It just makes Al and I erm... a little quirky, and maybe a good deal more powerful than ordinary wizards and witches. James lucked out, he's the only one who's as dull as bones." Lily smiled cross legged from my bed. "I'm taking the piss Scorpius. Lighten up." She finished deviously, throwing a sock at Scorpius's head. It was true though. She and I weren't normal.
"Sheshi salasi ashi ses eshi ejis si. Mrashi asheshi tsrish shis sashi ses, mets seesh shiesi hes?" She hissed at me. (Your friend is really too adorable. If you don't want him, then can I have him?)
"You know you are really creepy sometimes Lily. Fun, beautiful, and silly, but Merlin can you be scary. You sure you've never met Aurora Parkinson before?"
Lily merely cackled like she was mad. Which she was of course. Mad as a hatter.
"Shis rishi sheshi metesh asaji, meereesh, shiv het esh misrashi hcriss." (Get your own friends. Besides, he's too old for you.)
"What? I don't think so. Dad married his best friends sister, and she was younger than him too. Scor's only a year and a half older than me." She squeaked in plain english this time. Scorpius blushed at that. I should teach him parseltongue too.
"Are you nervous?" I asked the idiot after a moment. Ignoring my sisters awkward obsession with my best friend.
"Nervous? What for? We're going back. Aren't you happy about that?" Scor shot looking at me.
"Well, yeah I guess. I just... I was always more concerned about losing you than returning to school."
Lily made kissy noises at that so I threw a pillow at her face.
"Get out you horrid sister."
"Al...are you nervous?" Scor ignored Lily, staring at me intently.
"Ok... Ok... I may be a bit worried."
"About what? We have only a few weeks of class left and we're exempted from finals. In essence we can just enjoy being with our friends, so whats the problem?"
"I just, don't know what they'll think of... I mean... I don't want them to think I'm a..."
"You are not a freak Al."
"I beg to differ." Shot Lily, disappearing behind the door as I threw a book at her.
"But the rumors... I… and what Louis said about Marvolo causing trouble…"
"We were both ill, we were both absent so there are bound to be rumors about my family too. No need to be worried, we'll be freaks together. As far as Marvolo, lets not worry about things that we have no proof of yet."
"You're being unusually un-shit about the whole thing." I tossed at him, along with some robes and underwear.
"I am just happy to be going back at all. It will be nice to see everybody. I miss Max and Rory. Rose and Lou too." He was folding everything meticulously. I didn't know he knew how to do anything himself.
"Erm... Scor... how would you feel if... what Lily had said were true?" I asked seriously. He looked at me again, examining me with a weighted sense of purpose that seemed to shake the very air we breathed.
"Are you? Erm... you know?"
"What? Merlin not that bit!" He smiled... knowing that's not what I had asked.
"Oh... well... Do you? Have his blood in your veins? Is that how you speak parseltongue, and Lily's thing with her eyes?" He asked again. He didn't seem too concerned by the idea.
"How would you feel about it?" I asked, ignoring his question. I wanted to know his reaction before I revealed whether it was true.
"My last name is Malfoy... I don't really get to judge anybody else. Now correct me if i'm not mistaken, but your dad was one of Voldemort's horcurxes right? Yet he managed to save the bloody world with a part of that monsters soul stuck in him. I think your own nature outweighs anything else that might be living inside of you. Especially if its only a few drops of his blood." Scor said strategically. "Plus I figure we're stuck together now, so not much we can do about that."
"You know, I'm really glad you're my best friend." I was smiling again. He was smiling too. He was wearing his father's ring... and I had the nightfyre crystal on my finger.
"In case you didn't know, I forgive you for the other night. The aurors and all that." He said suddenly.
*Thump Thump*
That made me kind of angry. "Jee thanks, and I forgive you too." I offered back rather annoyed.
"What? What do you have to forgive me for?" He asked a little outraged.
"For not trusting me as much as I trust you."
"What are you on about? Are you completely mad? I trust you Al, as much as you trust me."
*Thump Thump*
I was getting even more annoyed.
"Yeah? So you know I'm part Voldemort. You know I conjured fiendfyre all over a little boy, and what do I know about you exactly, Master Malfoy?"
"What? Where did this come from? I've shared things with you that I haven't even told Aurora. Why are you being ridiculous?"
"Yeah so whats this?" I asked jumping up, turning Scor around and shoving him into my dresser. I pulled the bottom half of his pajamas down and lifted his nightshirt up to reveal the mark I'd seen a year ago in the bath. "What about the thestrals? Your mum? You never tell me anything?" Why was I so angry? I always knew Scor would tell me all of that when he was ready. Why was I pushing him? He broke out of my grip and spun to look at me then as though I were a monster. He looked ridiculously hurt and afraid as he backed himself as far up against the wooden dresser as possible.
"Scor, I'm sorry. I... something happened to me. I… don't… I…"
"You looked like you did on the train. The time I had to slap you." He returned seriously. "What on earth was that about?"
"I don't know. Forgive me. Please. I'm so sorry. I wasn't myself. I would never, ever, push you."
"I know Al. Its ok. I just... that was very strange." He was looking at me contemplatively then. "You were right though I suppose." He turned around and moved his hair out of the way. "I don't share nearly as much as I should. There is another hidden mark along my neck. If you put your hand on it, it should appear. First take a second look at my back."
I approached him very slowly. "Scor you don't have to. I swear I didn't mean what I said… I swear."
"Just go on. Whether you meant it or not, you were right." I was a little flushed as I lowered the rim of his underwear. The mark near his lower spine was beautiful, and entirely too recognizable for comfort. The symbol of the last queen. Then it was true… Scor had descended from her. Ashera, Sophia, Nyx, Diana, Dawn… the mother of many names. The daughter of the goddess herself. Queen of the Ljosalfar. I was speechless. How on earth did the wizarding world not know about the Malfoys? Or was it the Greengrass family that descended from…
"Go on Al… now the other."
I brought my hand up to Scor's brilliantly soft neck and ran it along the smooth surface until his skin began to shimmer, revealing the silvery mark. We were so strange I thought suddenly. Marks on us everywhere. What were we? My thoughts jumbled as I caught the scent of his hair. The marks weren't like the soul prints. They were immeasurably less complex, but they still seamed to ring with magic.
"Scor... what are they?" I asked quietly, moving even closer to him. I put my arms around him and pulled him gently into an embrace from behind. Something made me put my lips to his neck before I rested my head against Scor's back. The smell of his hair was driving me crazy. It smelled like… Faeric magic.
"See you aren't the only one with strange blood. It hasn't surfaced in any of my forbearers until now." Scor whispered gently.
"Mom's back. Are you two ready?" Lily shot coming back in. "Did I interrupt something?" she tossed slyly at us. I immediately released Scor and stepped several paces back.
"You know how I deal with Aurora when she's being a horrible little creep?" Scor shot playfully at my little sister.
"I'm not the creep. You were the one in bed with my brother and now you two are being weird together. I'd say you were the-"
"Like this!" He said grabbing her and tickling her like crazy.
"Al! Help me!" She pleaded, trying to free herself. He merely kept tickling.
"I'm sorry. Is my ittle wickle sister in trouble? Couldn't be. My sister would hardly call me a freak. She loves me too much." I giggled out tauntingly, sitting back down on the floor.
"I'll get you... hahahahahahaha... when i'm done with him!" She shot slipping snakelike out of Scorpius's grasp. She leapt from the floor to the bed and then onto Scor's back. She was so fast that I could hardly keep up. I watched her twist Scor's arms and legs to throw him off balance, laughing like a madwoman as she danced around him. He finally tipped over and...
"ahhhhhhhh!" I yelled, scrambling to get out from under the falling blond. Suffice it to say I was not successful. He landed on me with a yelp while Lily had flung herself gracefully back onto the bed, sitting down cross legged to admire her masterpiece.
"Whats all this then?" Mom asked coming in to find Scorpius and I tangled together in a mess of arms and legs.
"See mom! They don't even have the decency to wait till I leave the room before they start their lewdness!" Lily cried with artificial shock.
"Its not true mom. Lily attacked us!" I cried indignantly. "Why'd we have to watch her anyway? She's old enough to look after herself."
"Lily don't cause trouble." mom shot concealing a little chuckle.
Scorpius merely started laughing. It was such a wonderful thing. Until it got annoying.
"Why are you laughing so loudly you!" I asked, shooting daggers at the blond as he extricated himself from me.
"Your uncle is going to explode when his favorite niece ends up in slytherin with us!" Scor howled laughing. I did not appreciate the humor. Scorpius never laughed like this. It was sort of nice, I admitted grudgingly. It was like we were family. I always had such strange feelings whenever I looked at Scor.
"Don't worry about your stuff, a Hogwarts elf has come to take it all."
"Oh great. Now we won't have to carry anything. We'll be down by the fireplace in a few minutes."
"Mom says there's been a change of plan. You two are to take the port key at headsman's hill. Al you'll show Scor to it right?"
"I'm standing right here Lily, no need to give them orders on my behalf."
"But I like ordering boys around. Its fun."
"Al we don't have to be at school for hours, want to take another leap off the mountain? You could show me the cave this time!" Scor shot excitedly. Lily dropped her textbook and Mom froze. Scor shouldn't have said anything.
"You've already shown Scor the Headsman's Hill." Lily whispered darkly.
"Albus Severus Potter, you leapt off that mountain again? With Scorpius no less. What if you'd gotten yourselves hurt, or killed?"
"Mom this happened a year ago. A bit late to scold us. Besides Fawkes saved us."
"Not this again Al."
"I would love to see that beautiful specimen again. I've never seen a phoenix quite like that." Scor said coming to my rescue. I would have to kiss the twit later as thanks.
"See. Told ya he was real." I shot at my sister and mother. Their shock was so apparent that I almost started laughing.
"You saw this creature too Scorpius?"
"Of course. The creature wrapped us in a blanket of mist. I doubt Al's magic alone would have been able to save us from a fall like that. The creature was the most beautiful thing i'd ever seen."
"We all thought Al had made him up. Sorry Albus." Mom offered my way.
"Hey mom, if Allie and Scorpius are going, can I go too?"
"I'm sorry none of you are going anywhere but to school." Mom said dangerously. I turned to whisper into Scor's ear. "Don't worry. I'll show it to you one day. I promise."
This is a big shout out to my readers.
I want to thank Mattie aka Ikuinen Talvi my awesome Beta. I wish you only the best and I hope that everything you're currently dealing with resolves itself.
I want to thank Dormiens Puella my newest Beta for joining the team.
I also want to take a moment to mourn 14Gracie15 (one of my favorite readers) for discontinuing the story (personal stuff and all)
To the following I want to wish you all well and say thanks for being awesome:
BigDamnFanboy
JJanee S
Suzume Batchii Taichi
GarionRiva
Whoever left the review on May 26th
Luke
A Grain of Sand
Diet Coke Addict
Starvision89
nav
and especially Buford.
Hope you are all still with me and more importantly Al and Scor.
I'd love to hear from you guys if you are! Hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving!
(BTW this chapter is twice as long as almost every other chapter, i expect feedback! ~.~)
