Chapter 16
I pulled my jacket tighter to my body as a particularly chilly gust of wind blew through the back yard. The swing beneath me was enchanted to lazily blow back and forth, unaffected by the windy breeze. It was placed in the garden of the burrow long ago for the entertainment of the many children coming and going with the Potter-Weasley family. To this day, the swing allowed for a good place to sit and think. And I had much to think about.
My family hadn't followed me when I left the table, though I did hear muffled shouting through the door once I had stormed outside from my dad. Dominique hadn't come out either and I guessed she was trying to calm down my family. She was always the peacekeeper when Albus and I would get into childhood fights. Now, it seemed nothing had changed.
I heard the backdoor shut noisily and the sound of boots paving their way through the snow covered terrain. I didn't look up to see who it was, but felt them take a seat next to me on the swing.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lily asked. I was slightly surprised she had come out to see me. Lily was one of my best friends and most trusted cousins, but throughout the school year I didn't see much of her. Her long red hair was braided and capped by a white beanie that had caught snowflakes from the breeze.
"There's not much to talk about." I said quietly, toeing the ground with my own boots.
"I didn't know you were dating Scorpius." Lily began. "But I knew you had to be dating someone. You always looked happy at school." I couldn't help but smile. Scorpius really had changed parts of me for the better.
"He's one of the best people I've met." I said truthfully. I trusted Lily to listen and not judge. She was, after all, the most understanding fourteen year old I had ever met.
"I don't care that he's a Malfoy." She said, taking my hand in hers. "I care that you're happy. And I think the rest of the family will warm up to it soon."
"You really think my dad will accept him? He nearly died just hearing his name." I couldn't control the bitterness in my voice. I had been worried about my dad's reaction for months and now I was faced with it.
"Uncle Ron may take more time than the others…" She trailed off. I glanced at her and saw she was smiling. "But he can't stay mad at you forever. You're his daughter."
"You're right. I know you're right." I said firmly.
"Will you come back inside?" She asked hopefully. I bit my lip as the wind blew again. A stray gnome scuttled out of the bushes and shook its head dizzily. I watched the little creature with feigned interest as I weighed my options.
"I'm not coming back to dinner, but I'm coming inside. It's bloody freezing out here." I stood up from the swing, Lily following. We trudged across the garden and the gnome followed before stopping at a patch of weeds and burrowing into the ground. I almost wished I could join it.
At the door, I turned and pulled Lily into a long overdue hug. "Thanks, Lils. For everything."
I kicked off my boots once inside and quietly dashed through the sitting room to the staircase. I didn't want to be called back to the dinner table and have to face my family after my outburst. My dad's grumbling was impossible to ignore as I passed the door to the kitchen and headed up the stairs, skipping over the steps that creaked.
On the first landing, I could hear Albus's voice through his bedroom door. He was most likely reprimanding Hugo for his mistake at the dinner table and I quietly padded my way to his door. I pressed my ear against the wood and heard Al more clearly.
"I told you not to tell anyone! And what do you do, Hugo? You blurt it out in front of the entire bloody family! Merlin, you're impossible!" He hissed. I could only imagine Hugo's look of shame and I felt a little guilty. Even though he had severely messed things up for me, he was still my baby brother. I knocked lightly on the door.
Albus answered it, his hair sticking up in an obvious display of frustration. He didn't say anything when he saw me, but opened the door wider to let me in. I sat on the bed, away from Hugo.
"You should apologize to your sister." Al grumbled at Hugo. Hugo turned to me, his face white as a sheet.
"Rosie…" He started. He couldn't seem to find the words. I placed my hand over his and he relaxed.
"It's okay. I'm not angry. I was, but there's nothing I can really do about it now." I assured him. Hugo's shoulders drooped considerably.
"I didn't know it was that big of a deal." He mumbled. He sounded like he was speaking into a pillow.
"Well, it shouldn't be. Maybe you did me a favor, Hugo. Now I don't have to tell the family myself." I smiled at him, and he laughed shakily.
"What are you going to do now, Rose?" Albus asked. He was sitting in the chair at his desk, wobbling back on the legs dangerously.
"I'm going to have to talk to them. I guess I'll start with my mum…" I trailed off. There was a lot of explaining to do. I felt a headache coming on and pressed my fist to my temple. There was another knock on the door, and Albus stood up with obvious annoyance.
"This isn't the sitting room, there's only so much space in here…" He grumbled as he opened the door to reveal Dominique's face. Her cheeks radiated a brilliant pink glow, which could only mean she was more than a little flustered.
"The family wants to talk to you, Rose." She said, pushing past Albus at the doorway and taking a seat on the bed. She sat down so quickly, Hugo almost fell off.
"I really don't feel like having a heated discussion with my parents about my boyfriend choices." I huffed. Dom's expression softened.
"I think you may actually want to consider what they're going to say." She began to braid her hair— a nervous habit of hers— and I reluctantly stood up from the bed.
"I'll go with you." Hugo piped up. He scrambled after me and out the door, grabbing my hand in the hallway. He hadn't done that since he was seven years old and was too afraid to walk around the house in the dark alone. "I'm the reason you're in trouble."
I didn't know what to say but I squeezed his hand in mine and we made our way down the creaky stairs. I could hear the voices of my family overlapping over one another the closer we got. Outside the door, I smoothed Hugo's hair back nervously. He didn't even make to swat my hand away. Together, we entered the dining room.
My mum and dad both had steaming mugs of tea in front of them. My dad's face was a disconcerting shade of purple. Uncle Harry was fiddling nervously with his fingers. The rest of the family were clearing the table and trying to exit the room. Grandma Weasley herded them out with an impressive stack of plates taller than her head could see over and winked at me as she left.
"Sit down, sweethearts." My mum said. Hugo and I took seats across from our parents. We didn't let go of each other's hands.
"We want you to know Rose, we're sorry at how we pressured you into telling us about Scorpius." She said softly. I was surprised at the use of his first name. My dad and uncle shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
"And we want you to understand that we're trying to process the idea of him being part of your life." She continued. I hid all expression from my face, trying to focus on her eyes. She was telling the truth.
"We don't want you getting hurt." Uncle Harry said. He sounded tired as he ran his hand through his hair. Like father like son, I thought.
"I'm not going to get hurt." I said firmly.
"You don't know that, Rose." My dad finally said. I could tell he was trying to keep his voice even. "This boy's father was one of the most hurtful people at Hogwarts in our day."
"I know that. That's all you've ever taught us to know about the Malfoys. You turned us against them before we even had a chance to properly meet them." I argued.
"Because we didn't want you to feel stuck in the same situation!" My dad half-shouted.
"Ron!" My mum scolded him. His shoulders tensed but he grabbed his cup of tea and was silent.
"Rose," My mum reached for my hand across the table. I let her take it. "You're such a smart girl. You're so strong too. I know you know how to make the right choices. So, I'm going to support you in this. But we do have one request."
I didn't say anything. I just nodded.
"We want to meet him. Properly, that is. We were thinking we could have him over before the break ends." She suggested. I was confused. I really couldn't picture Scorpius sitting at this table.
"He's gone home for Christmas, though. I'm not sure he'd be able to come here…" I trailed off as my dad audibly scoffed. My mum shot him a glare.
"Write to him? Ask him if he can come for only a few hours. We'll have the floo network open for him."
"I'll ask him. But if he comes here, I want him to be treated the same as anyone. Please." I directed this towards my dad. He met my eyes.
"Your dad and I promise to be open to him." Uncle Harry said. I smiled for the first time since sitting down. "Thank you."
Scorpius's POV:
It was always drafty in the manor. Despite the many fire places lit in several of the rooms in the house I knew so well, there always seemed to be a chill hanging around me as I walked down the hallways. I set my suitcases down on the black marble and barely noticed as two or three house elves scuttled out of various rooms to lug my bags up the stairs. I used to laugh at them when I was younger, but now I felt sort of sorry for them. I had a lot of crap in my bags this year.
I didn't know where I should go; who I should see. Neither of my parents had come to the train station to greet me. One of our servants did, a nameless face who side-along apparated us to the snow covered grounds of my house. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, walking aimlessly. My shoes tapped on the shiny floor.
"Scorpius?" I heard my mother's voice from the top of the stairs. She appeared with her dark hair piled into curls on top of her head. The skirts of her dark cloak billowed around her feet as she gracefully descended the stairs. I smiled at her warmly as she pulled me into an embrace.
"It's good to see you, darling." She said. She pulled away to look at me. "You've grown."
"Come now, mother." I said with a half smirk. Her eyes seemed so far away as she babbled on about life around the manor. She always liked talking to me, my mum, but I don't think she ever really put much thought into the words she was saying.
We ended up in our dining room where house elves were lighting candles and setting the table for dinner. Our two dogs were lazily sitting by the fire place. Upon the entrance of my mother, they trotted to her side and nuzzled their heads in her lap when she sat down. I sat down across from her, feeling unusually awkward. She was still talking, now about the ministry. I nodded in all the right places to keep up my illusion of interest. Really, all I wanted to do was go up to my room and sleep.
My father entered the room then, a tall, blonde figure in a black suit and robes. I stiffened at seeing him and automatically smiled. I stood and met him with a firm handshake, something he had taught me was essential to a successful life at a young age. I never greeted my father without a handshake from then on. He nodded at me with his eyes that scared me and impressed me.
"Scorpius. You look good, son." He said. There was no emotion to his voice. He took his seat at the head of the table, the house elves immediately rushing to bring out bowls of savory stews and steaming dishes. A servant filled our glasses and set out silverware while my father placed his hand over my mother's.
Once the dinner was set, the house elves and servants left. My father served himself and my mother and I waited for him to begin eating to serve ourselves. This was another Malfoy mannerism I had learned to abide by in my childhood.
"How was the ministry today, Draco?" My mother asked.
"Dreadful. The minister has been calling on me right and left to attend to issues in the departments. Sloppy workers, careless assistants…" Their conversation blurred as I tuned out. I quietly ate my soup and wondered, not for the first time since the rest of the train ride home, what Rose was doing.
I imagined her and her scarily big family sitting around a fireplace, laughing. For some reason, I couldn't get the idea of about a dozen red-headed children running around a house. That was stupid though. I knew Rose didn't have any relatives that young anymore. We had already talked about our respective families. While she had several cousins, aunts and uncles to mention, I only had my mother and father, both of whom were staring at me in the present.
I cleared my throat. "Sorry, did I miss something?"
My father raised his eyebrows. "We asked you how your term was this past school year, Scorpius. Do try to pay attention." I refused to let myself redden at his answer, although my face was dying to bloom with heat. I thought of Rose and the way she shamelessly blushed at anything and everything.
"It was good. I've been learning a lot." I said blandly.
"We noticed your grades have been rising considerably since the past years, Scorpius." My mother said, a small smile on her face. "We're very proud of you." I couldn't bear to tell them it was all due to my girlfriend. They didn't even know about Rose.
"How has Quidditch been going?" My father asked. He didn't even look at me as he cut his dinner.
"It's alright. We won to Ravenclaw but lost to Gryffindor." My parents didn't say anything. Neither of them really cared about how I did with Quidditch. My father did play on the Slytherin team when he went to Hogwarts, though he showed little interest in my playing. He had only come out to a few games in the five years I had been playing. He used to take me to professional Quidditch games when I was younger, but he stopped once I started school.
"Would you like to be excused, dear?" My mother asked. I looked down at my plate which was surprisingly empty.
"Yes. I'm really tired and I'd like to unpack. May I be excused?" My father nodded at me shortly, and I pushed my chair away from the table. The house elves scurried to the table, clearing my dishes in a matter of seconds.
I heard my parents talking about business and neighbors as I climbed the stairs to my room which was on the second floor. The house elves had kept it considerably clean while I was gone. I closed the door behind me and flopped down on my bed. My suitcases were leaned against my closets. I could have asked the house elves to unpack them for me, but I felt like doing it myself. At the moment, I didn't feel like doing much else but leaving the manor. It reminded me too much of boring, lonely summers and stern talks with my father.
He had taught me a lot growing up. I looked up to him like crazy. He taught me how to ride a broomstick and bought me my first beater's bat. He taught me respect and manners and took me to important ministry parties to sharpen those skills at a young age. He was there when I bought my wand. He even bought me my first owl. I named it Ebony, I remembered. It died before I could go to Hogwarts but by that time, my father didn't think it was important to have an owl of my own.
I was lying on my bed, twirling my wand around my fingers when there was a knock on my door.
"Come in!" I called. It had to be a house elf. My parents never knocked on my door personally. I sat up to see I was right as one of our elves, Binny, entered with a letter in his hand. He bowed deeply, the tip of his nose touching the floor and the letter extended towards me.
"For you, Master Scorpius." He squeaked.
"Thanks, Binny. You can leave now." I said, rubbing my eyes and taking the letter. He gazed up at me with big, brown eyes. They almost reminded me of Rose's eyes but to be honest, Binny's eyes were a little freaky.
I broke the seal of the letter with my thumb, not bothering to see the stamp. The letter fell out of the thick envelope and I was surprised, but really glad to see Rose's long, curly handwriting all over the parchment.
Scorpius,
My family knows. They found out at dinner (I'll explain how in person) and they want to invite you over for Christmas Eve dinner here with us. I understand if you have to eat with your parents that night, but try to come? My mum and dad are actually willing to meet you. I want to see you.
Love, Rose.
Bloody hell. As soon as I read the first few words, my stomach had promptly started doing backflips. How the hell did Rose's family find out so soon? I was betting every galleon in my bank account that one of her cousins had let it slip. Albus came to mind first, but then again, he had been something of a help to our relationship in the past few weeks.
"Shit." I swore to myself. I never used foul language in front of my parents. Mainly because my mother would faint and my father would give me a look of deepest disappointment. Now, I felt like a choice word was needed for the situation at hand. I messed up my hair nervously and re-read the letter.
I was probably over analyzing it, but Rose had signed the letter with "love". This made me nervous too, but in a different way. And she wanted to see me. I got up and paced my room. My parents and I had a tradition of dining together, but on the actual night of Christmas.
"Lucky me." I thought. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to see Rose badly. I already felt my happy attitude lately slipping away into the dark walls of the manor. I was more apprehensive about her family.
I had to meet them though, didn't I? They already knew. And for some weird reason, they actually wanted to meet me. Properly. I exhaled sharply and returned to my bed.
"Binny!" I called. The elf appeared in a loud crack that made me jump in the middle of my room. He still had an apron tied around his usual pillowcase that he wore.
"Master Scorpius called, and Binny answers!" He squeaked again. He bowed so deeply, he nearly toppled over. I almost laughed; he was endearingly clumsy.
"I need to write a letter. But I can't have my parents know I'm sending it. And I'll be away on Christmas Eve." I explained. Binny nodded, his ears flapping around. He disappeared and reappeared, this time with a piece of parchment and a quill.
"Oh, I could have gotten a quill from my bag—" I started. However, Binny was already posed with the quill to the parchment. He gazed up at me, waiting for words.
"Um, start it with 'Dear Rose,'" I began. I felt awkward giving him directions to write for me. I knew he would throw something of a fit if I didn't let him however.
I took a long time to get my stupid, fumbling words in my head to come out right on paper. When the letter was finally done, Binny disappeared to attach it to one of the family owls and didn't come back. I almost missed him.
That night, as another house elf tended to the fireplace in my bedroom, I pretended to be asleep. I kept thinking about meeting Rose's family. What the hell would I say to them? I would have to be careful about my social skills. Of course, they already probably thought I was an arse-hole to begin with.
I had to tell my parents I was leaving, too. They most likely wouldn't care. I couldn't tell them I was going to the Weasley's however. Not only would they forbid me from going, but they would both die from shame.
This was going to be an interesting holiday.
A/N: Helloooo guys! I wrote an apology about my infrequent updates on the chapter updates on my main page but I'm not sure how many people actually read it. Please do read it! I update it to let you guys know what's being written! Anyway, I'm sooooo sorry for leaving this story un-updated for months and months :( I've been drowning in three AP classes and dance practices and I promise you I have not given up on this story! It makes me so happy writing it and I actually have so many ideas planned! I'm so excited :D The holiday season is coming up soon so feeling very generous and jolly I'm going to try and update very frequently this December! I love all of you and please leave a review to motivate me! ;)
~yours in eternity, Amy