December Prompt #15: Culture

Ginny woke up, at the Malfoy Manor, in the middle of the night, her throat surprisingly parched. She yawned as she slid out of bed. She trudged down to the kitchens quietly as she didn't want to wake up any of the house-elves for just a glass of water.

She drank her fill and then made her way back up the long, winding stairs to the master bedroom, where Draco was snoring lightly on his back. When she slid back under the covers, Draco let out a small snort before shifting onto his side and wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to his chest.

Ginny smiled and was about to close her eyes to go to sleep when…

"Did you check on Scorp?" Draco mumbled sleepily in her ear.

Ginny's eyes widened. She shot upright, startling Draco into getting up too. She blurted out, "I didn't check on him! I'll be right back!"

Draco yawned and nodded, rolling over onto his front. "Go on then."

Ginny was a bit irritated by his behaviour, but she quickly hurried out the door and went to check on their son. She opened the door across from theirs and peeked inside. She didn't want to wake Scorpius up; her son wasn't fond of going back to sleep if he was jarred awake from his regular routine.

But then, her eyes landed on the empty crib in the middle of the room. Terror like she had never experienced before washed over her, and she sprinted towards the crib, her heart pounding. She screamed, "Draco! Scorpius is gone!"

"What?" A loud thud echoed through the corridor before Draco was stumbling into Scorpius's room, his eyes wide with fear. "What?"

Ginny pointed a shaky finger at the empty crib. "He's gone…"

Draco ran over to the crib as if he didn't believe her. He yanked off the covers and pillow, tossing them over his shoulder. "What the fuck? How's that even possible? He can't even sit up by himself—"

Ginny wrung her hands as all sorts of negative thoughts ran through her mind. Where was their son? Had he been kidnapped by Death Eaters that hadn't been caught by the Aurors yet? It was Christmas Eve, for Merlin's sake! Who would kidnap someone on Christmas Eve of all days? More importantly, who would kidnap a sweet little baby like Scorpius on Christmas Eve? He was a literal angel with his tuft of soft blond hair and hazel-brown eyes that gazed up so adoringly at them! And his precious babbling was the most beautiful sound on earth.

Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes and poured down her face as she panicked over the thought of never seeing her son's beautiful little face again or hearing him giggle when Draco played the very Muggle game of 'peek-a-boo' with him. She let out a soft sob and buried her face in her hands, her heart already breaking.

Draco was suddenly in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. He shook her roughly and said, "Hey, don't cry. We'll find him. He couldn't have gone far—"

"He can't even walk, Draco!" Ginny sobbed, clutching onto his shirt with both hands. She shook him back and forth and cried, "I want my baby! He was supposed to be safe here!"

Draco grimaced and pulled her into a tight hug as she continued to cry in absolute agony of losing their precious baby. It was as if Ginny was back in Hogwarts again, fearing for her life—and everyone else's around her—but this time, the terror was even worse.

Her only child was gone. Kidnapped from his room in the middle of the night with no trace of his assailant. There had been no cries, no screams, and even the wards hadn't alerted them of the intruder. There were no witnesses, no evidence—absolutely nothing except for the rumpled bed.

Just as the clock struck midnight, signalling to the occupants that it was officially Christmas, Draco kissed the top of her head and murmured in her hair, "We'll get him back, I promise."

Ginny could only hope that wherever her son was, he was alive and safe. She swore that whoever had kidnapped her child would pay with their blood.

Meanwhile, in the Apennines, the mountain region in northern Italy, Blaise stood looking down at the steep slope of the tall snow-covered mountain. From the grey clouds overhead came the wintry confetti, strong and bold. Dressed in his thickest and warmest winter clothes with three beanies covering his head, Scorpius was snug and happy in the baby sling and was secured to Blaise's chest with not only the thick straps but also an Incarcerous, an Impervius Charm for the cold, and a few layers of Warming Charms just in case.

He was ready to ski down the mountain straight into Christmas with Scorpius. This was the Malfoy baby's first Christmas, and Blaise knew he wanted to make it memorable—well, Scorpius would get to watch his first Christmas when he was all grown up, but at least it would be memorable for Blaise.

A grin stretched over Blaise's face when he glanced at Theo hovering on his broom nearby, a small Muggle camcorder in his hand and a worried frown on his face.

"You alright up there, Theo?" Blaise called out, adjusting the baby sling against his chest. Scorpius cooed and babbled as he stretched his hand up towards Blaise, who immediately squeezed and pinched Scorpius's chubby pink cheeks.

Theo gave him an awkward thumbs-up with the same hand that was holding the camcorder. He grimaced and flew a bit closer to Blaise. "I still think you're barmy for doing this, Blaise. You insisted on no note, and Draco and Ginny are going to kill you—not to mention me when they find out I didn't stop you."

"We'll be fine. No one will even know we're here with Pee-Pee," Blaise said offhandedly. He rubbed his mittened hands against Scorpius's cheeks, warming him up a bit before bending over to pick up the ski poles.

"Please stop calling him that. The nickname will stick, and his parents will kill you and throw you off this same mountain," Theo muttered, shifting on his broom. He grimaced and said, "Why couldn't we have done something baby-safe… like, I don't know, sitting by the fire and drinking hot chocolate?"

"Because that's not how Italians celebrate Christmas," Blaise stated, bending his knees a bit.

"Scorpius isn't Italian."

"Shh, don't let my godson hear you," Blaise whisper-yelled, glaring at Theo. "Now, make sure you catch this all on camera. I want him to grow up and see how much fun he had with Cool Uncle Blaise."

"Hermione's going to kill me. Scratch that, she'll murder me and you won't have a body to bury," Theo muttered to himself, but he kept his camera trained on Blaise. "I'll blame you if anything goes wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong, I swear."

Those were infamous last words.

Theo followed Blaise on his rickety broom, his heart pounding every time Scorpius and Blaise hooted and hollered while skiing down the slope at top speed. The wind almost knocked Theo off-course a few times, but he managed to clutch onto the broom with one hand—even though his palms were sweating with fear at the thought of something bad happening to Scorpius.

"Pee-Pee's enjoying this!" Blaise roared over the wind as he whizzed past frost-white trees and through the narrow crevices.

Theo let out a quiet whimper when Scorpius bounced up and down against Blaise's chest, screaming his head off. Theo really hoped it was because the baby was enjoying it and not because he was terrified out of his soul.

His broom bucked under him as another strong gust of wind tried to knock him off. He was hit with a faceful of snow from Blaise's skis, causing him to choke and splutter. He shook his head to get rid of the growing numbing feeling across his face, knowing that he was probably going to die of the cold.

Aah, maybe Hermione won't get the opportunity to strangle me with her bare hands. Should I be grateful or disappointed?

Blaise's hollering broke him out of his thoughts. Theo's eyes widened when Blaise skied past a large rock, Scorpius's hand barely grazing against the jagged corners. Theo yelled, "Watch out, Blaise!"

Blaise didn't hear him. He continued performing stunts on his skis, skidding down the icy slope and twisting and turning quickly to avoid getting hit by the tree branches and jagged rocks.

Theo's heart was in his throat as he flew after his idiotic best friend, hoping Blaise wouldn't trip and tumble down the slope and end up injuring the six-month-old baby. He knew if anything happened to Scorpius, Hermione—Scorpius's godmother and the love of Theo's life—and the Malfoys would tear both him and Blaise apart and feed them to the Thestrals. Or maybe Hermione, Ginny, and Draco would shove them off this mountain and cackle as Theo and Blaise snapped their necks by slamming head-first onto the large rocks jutting out everywhere.

Theo's imagination was rife with horrifying images of broken bones and crushed skulls. He was so busy thinking of the consequences of their actions that he didn't notice the thick tree branch in front of him until it was too late.

His broom slammed into the thick bough, and Theo shrieked as the camcorder flew from his hands and landed somewhere on the snow nearby. He flailed his arms and tried to grab his broom, but the strong gale finally won the battle.

Theo tumbled off his broom and onto Blaise and Scorpius, knocking them to the ground.

"Oh, fuck!" Blaise roared, letting go of the ski poles and wrapping his arms around Scorpius to stop him from getting injured.

Theo would have scolded him for cursing in front of the baby if he hadn't been terrified out of his mind. The fat flakes clumped together and came flying at him, whacking him in the face like a personal 'fuck you'. Theo was powerless against the cold as the snow slid straight down his clothes, making him shriek like a little girl that had just seen an enormous spider.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold," Theo shrieked, trying to get up but falling over onto his face. He fell over thrice before he managed to stand up straight, shivering at the freezing cold seeping into his bones. He was going to die out on this mountain, and no one would be able to find his body to return it to Hermione back home.

Nearby, Scorpius wailed at the sudden change in temperature. Theo hurried over to roll Blaise onto his back, noticing that his friend was out cold. There was a bit of blood on Blaise's forehead, and for a moment Theo panicked that Blaise was already dead, but he realised Blaise's chest was still moving.

"Blaise! Scorp!" Theo cried, his hands trembling as he tried to pull out his wand. It fell onto the ground and began to roll away, but Theo got onto all fours, scrambling to pick it up.

Renervating Blaise, Theo let out the breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding when Blaise opened his eyes and sat up, juggling Scorpius in his arms. Blaise quickly looked over Scorpius, and they both slumped in relief when they realized Scorpius was fine—only a bit startled by the sudden tumble.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Uncle Blaise's got you," Blaise murmured, rocking Scorpius from side to side. Scorpius sniffled but quietened after a few minutes.

Blaise glanced up at Theo and asked, "You okay, mate?"

"Just peachy," Theo deadpanned, his heart still thundering against his ribcage. He lay down on his back, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. "I can't believe we're alive."

Blaise guffawed and reached over to slap Theo's thigh. "I can't believe I wasn't the one who fucked up this time!"

Theo shot him a half-hearted glare, but he knew Blaise was right. It was usually Blaise who got them in trouble, but this time, it had been Theo's fault—more importantly, they had fallen over because of Theo's overactive imagination.

"Is Scorp okay?" Theo asked, still a bit worried for the baby's safety.

"Pee-Pee's fine," Blaise assured him, grinning as he held Scorpius up. The baby's cheeks were pink and splotchy, and his brown eyes were filled with tears, but overall, he looked fine. Blaise puckered his lips and leaned in to kiss Scorpius's runny nose. He said in a high-pitched baby voice, "Who's a brave little boy? You are! Yes, you are!"

Theo placed his hand on his heart and waited for it to stop thumping as quickly as a hummingbird's wings. His stomach was still clenched, and his gloved hands were clammy with nerves. He had almost lost control of his bladder the moment the wind had knocked him off his broom.

"Can we please take him back before Draco and Ginny find out he's gone? I really don't want to have to answer them," Theo said after a few moments.

Blaise held up a softly giggling Scorpius and grinned. "Alright, that's enough fun for today, huh? Let's get our baby home."

"For the last time, Blaise, he's not our baby," Theo said with a soft groan.

"Yes, he is. He's the first baby born to our generation, so he's everyone's baby."

Theo rolled his eyes but Accioed the camcorder and turned it off before putting it in his pocket. "Whatever. Let's go."

Blaise wrapped his arm around Theo's shoulders before he Disapparated with him, Scorpius happily resting his head on Blaise's chest.

Ginny and Draco had already alerted Harry, who was the Head Auror at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Hermione, who they knew would have a way of getting Scorpius back. The group was standing in the manor's living room, and Harry and Draco were arguing about the best way to get Scorpius back when there was a soft crack of Apparation outside.

Ginny's head snapped up at the sound, and she shot off the sofa in a hurry. Hermione ran over to the large floor-length window and peered through the curtain. She gasped loudly and cried out, "It's Scorpius!"

Ginny screamed and sprinted for the doors, Draco and Harry right at her heels. She was just about to throw open the large doors when it slowly opened just a smidge and Blaise and Theo tiptoed inside, Scorpius half-asleep in his baby sling.

"My baby!" Ginny shrieked, startling Scorpius and causing him to burst into tears, but she didn't care. She yanked Scorpius out of the sling, snarling like a wild animal at the number of ropes wrapped around him. She finally had Scorpius in her arms, and she clutched him to her chest, sobbing in his three beanies. "Oh, Merlin, Scorp! Are you alright? What happened to you? Oh, I'm so happy you're home!"

"What the fuck were you two doing with him?" Draco demanded, storming up to them, his wand out in his hand. He pointed the tip of his wand at Blaise. "You! This was your idea, wasn't it?"

Blaise raised his hands sheepishly and said, "We went skiing, that's all."

"With my baby?" Ginny cried, hugging a crying Scorpius to her bosom. She rubbed soothing circles on his back and rocked side to side to calm him down. "What were you two thinking? He could have gotten hurt—or worse!"

"He's perfectly fine," Theo said, but he was interrupted by Hermione, who stormed up to him and smacked his head. "Ow, Hermione! Why—"

"You're an imbecile," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes. "Theo, I can't believe you two would do something so dangerous with Scorpius! He's not even a year old—couldn't you two have waited for him to grow up a bit at least?"

Blaise piped up, "I went skiing with my grandfather when I was barely a year old, people, and I turned out fine, didn't I?"

"Let's see: you took our child—without informing us—to ski in the middle of the night when he should have been sleeping like a regular baby. Does any of that sound fine to you?" Draco demanded.

"Also, the fact that Malfoy here woke me up in the middle of the night is also a criminal offence," Harry said, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes sleepily. "I was having the most wonderful dream, too!"

Ginny sniffled and held Scorpius tighter to her chest. "You two kidnapped him. That's—I don't even know what to say to that."

"We're really sorry," Theo said gently, turning to them. "Blaise just wanted to make some memories with Scorpius, that's all…"

"Memories?" Ginny asked, her curiosity piquing at Theo's explanation. "What do you mean?"

Theo glanced at Blaise, who—for once—looked ashamed of himself. "There's an Italian tradition Blaise wanted to share with Scorp. People up in the northern areas go skiing before midnight and ski right into Christmas. He grew up with that and it's a part of his culture, and he just wanted to share it with the person he loves most… Scorpius."

No one spoke. Ginny turned to look at Blaise, who had ducked his head and wasn't meeting anyone's gaze. Her heart melted at the realisation, and tears welled up in her eyes. She walked up to Blaise and reached down to take his hand. When he glanced up at her, she murmured, "I don't fault you for sharing a part of your culture with Scorpius—although I do think you should have told us first. We wouldn't have been so scared about his safety then."

"Woah, hold up," Draco said, storming up to Ginny's side. He scowled at Blaise and demanded, "You really love Scorpius that much that you'd take him skiing but not us? What kind of a friend are you?"

"A terrible one, I know," Blaise said sheepishly, ducking his head again. "I'm sorry for scaring you all… We didn't think you'd wake up at night and find him missing. Theo and I were planning to put him back as soon as we returned."

"Can you at least apologise to me for disturbing my sleep too?" Harry grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Sorry, Potter," Blaise said with a grin, and Harry rolled his eyes but nodded in acceptance.

Ginny chuckled and wrapped her arms around Blaise's waist, smushing Scorpius in between them. She smiled sweetly up at him and said, "Next time you try something like this, rest assured I will chop you up in tiny little pieces and feed you to the peacocks outside, okay?"

Blaise swallowed but nodded. "Okay."

Draco rubbed his hands and leaned forward. "Now, about this skiing business…"