"I'll come with you…if you want me to."
Scorpius just nodded as he pulled on his boots, subtly drying his eyes as he bent over. Without another word, hand in hand, they departed from their house.
Rose and Scorpius arrived at the cemetery, Rose's hair whipping around her in the wind. December was winding down, and with it came the brunt of winter. Snow blanketed the earth around them, their footprints leaving indentations as they wound their way through headstones until Scorpius stopped in front of one. He hadn't needed to look closely at any of the graves to find his mother's, he knew exactly where she lay. Rose had been barely a step behind him, but by the time she reached Astoria Malfoy's grave, Scorpius was already on his knees beside her.
The only noise that could be heard was the wind whistling through the trees. Rose didn't want to disturb Scorpius, but wordlessly drew her wand in a circle, producing a wreath of flowers. She rested a hand on Scorpius's shoulder, handing him the wreath. Snow still fell around them, and as Scorpius placed the flowers, new flakes began to fall upon it, melting with a last glisten. "It's snowing. She always loved winter." His voice was hollow, broken.
"With her birthday so close to Christmas, it was her favorite holiday." He brought a hand to his face, wiping his nose but allowing his tears to flow freely. "I still don't know what to do without her. I feel so lost—no one tells me what to do, or—or where to go anymore. And Dad, he tries, but he's not the same person he was before… Everything's different now."
Rose crouched down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and hugging him tightly to her. She wasn't sure what to say, but she knew that he needed her there. Scorpius clung to these Christmas visits to his mother—as much as they broke him, they kept him in tune with her, they kept him going. "Everyone needs someone," Rose whispered. "She was very lucky to have you, Scorpius."
He didn't look at her but leaned into her embrace. They just sat like that for a while, Scorpius feeling the presence of his mother.
Rose put her hand in his. "Scorpius, you're freezing."
"I'm not leaving. Not yet."
She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be ready to go yet; she was already casting a heating charm around them. Snow swirled around them, falling warm and whole around them. Scorpius's cheeks were tear-stained, his body still shaking from crying and the now-absent cold. His heart was simply not ready to leave yet. He may never be ready, but Rose was there for him, ready to be whatever he needed, whenever he needed it.
.
A/N: Written for Advent Calendar Day 17: (pairing) Rose/Scorpius;
Writing Club – Disney Challenge S7: (dialogue) "Everyone needs someone."; Book Club – Liza Hempstock: (emotion) sad, (object) headstone, (dialogue) "No one tells me what to do, or where to go."; Showtime 37: (setting) Graveyard; Count Your Buttons D5: "It's snowing," W3: Freezing; Lyric Alley 5: How we cling to each Noel;
Fortnightly – Ninjas – Trainer: Scorpius Malfoy, Signature: "Tears and rain, fall down on my face, my body is unable to stay yet my heart is unwilling to leave." – Sasuke Uchiha
Writing Month and Dragons: wc 469