Chapter Twenty

It was like the dining room had expanded upward - he was sure of it. The usual warm colors that decorated the place were gone, and so was the morning-scene his mother loved to enchant the ceiling with. All that he remembered the room to be was replaced by shades of silver, pale-blue, and a lilac. The usually-enchanted ceiling was as neutral as he had ever seen it, nothing was displaying but floating paper-lanterns that spiraled their way up there; glowing with a bright candles inside. And if that didn't seem to add enough to the nauseating decorations he stumbled into, he had to dodge a few silver balloons that decorated the corner table, where vast amounts of gifts laid.

He glanced towards the empty dinning table as he attempted to get a glass of water, finding a majestic pastry sitting perfectly baked in the middle of the table. It was layered from biggest to smallest, about ten levels all decorated with the same shades of silver, pale-blue, and lilac. Curious candles stuck out of the cake with illuminating tips, almost like small stars lived in the ends. And past those frosted levels, at the top of a cake stood an almighty number, fourteen. Glittering like jewels on top of the cake.

Frowning at the over-the-top pastry, he headed out of the dining room with a bit of annoyance crawling up inside of him. "- -Happy Birthday, Ana!" And right on cue, Scorpius made it to the living room of his house to see the Thomas family apparate into it. "Happy Birthday, Savanna!"

Smiling hugely, Savanna Zabini made her way to the family. Her eyes sparkling for the gift that awaited for her. (And if there was one thing they looked forward to on birthdays, it was the generosity that Luna had with the children.) "Thank you so much!" She proceeded to hug them, excitement written all over her tanned-face.

From the corner where he was trying to hide himself in, due to the people invading his home, Scorpius saw his Grandmother Narcissa nudge Ariana to move towards the guests. "Thanks for coming, Mister and Mrs. Thomas." She said to the adults, her voice strained as she hugged them in welcome.

" Hope you like what we got you, Ana- -"

"- -Yeah, we gave it lots of thought." Lorcan and Lysander said, handing Ariana a box covered in ruby-colored wrappings.

"It's a book." Dawn whispered after her brothers made their way to their old friend - Dash Finnegan, who was spending the holidays in Britain.

"Then I'm sure I'll love it." The birthday girl replied, looking at the twins and smiling at them gratefully; even as her eyes glittered with something else.

"Thanks for making it, Luna- -"Walking past the crowd of people, Hermione Malfoy hugged her old friends. "Dean, thank you. I know you had a lot of work at the hospital, but I truly appreciate you bringing the children."

"Nonsense, 'Mione, it's a tradition. We couldn't miss it." Dean assured her.

Crack.

"Happy birthday, girls!"And adding to the living room stampede, George and Angelina Weasley apparated into view. Their twins walking out from the burning emerald flames of the Floo Network, both looking the sharpest as they smiled at the birthday girls. "- -Oi, where's Zabini at? I've brought the Firewhiskey!"

"George!" Molly Weasley scowled from an armchair at the end of the living room. "You better not even dare! You've got to open the store early tomorrow, these are the times it is more packed and you need to be fully aware."

"Got it covered, mum." George flashed a grin at his mother, pulling out his bottle of liquor and flashing it at Harry and Ron. "Fred's going to be helping me for what is left of the holiday."

"I am?" Fred asked incredulously, making James and Louis chuckle mockingly.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione took Angelina's coat. "Blaise stepped out for a bit, and Cho is cleaning up Angelo's the boys thought it was a brilliant idea to have a Quidditch game out in the mud."

Scorpius cowered more into the corner as his mother threw a frown at him, her brown-eyes showing her previous irritation. (But in his defense, if they didn't live in a muggle neighborhood they wouldn't have had to play so close to the ground and Zabini would have never had gotten splattered with dirt, anyway.)

"Lavender! My, it's so good to see you."George added, his arms open for the dirty-blonde woman chatting with Ginny and Pansy.

Scorpius leered, he was sure George had already had a few drinks before attending the party. (And if he had to handle the parade of people, Malfoy handled it loads better if some of them were drunk.)

"...So glad the Longbottoms went away from the rest of the holiday."Scorpius heard Roxy Weasley mumble to Savanna as they hugged in hello. "Not that there's anything wrong with them, but I just don't think Alice fits in our crowd, you know?"

Savanna grinned. "Of course not."

"Hey there, little cousin- -"Appearing next to Scorpius silently and undetected, Teddy Lupin ruffled the boy's blonde hair; smirking.

Malfoy gave the blue-haired wizard a shove, fixing his strands as Teddy chuckled mockingly. "Been drinking, have you, Teddy? You reek of cheap alcohol and cigarettes."

"Mum magicked the liquor cabinet at home." Teddy sighed. "Luckily, I can rely on my Metamorphmagus side to get muggles to sell me the stuff. Not as good, but it works just the same."

Scorpius stared at his alleged cousin with bored eyes. "Planning on sobering any time soon? Or are you risking letting Ginny murder you across my sister's gift table if she sees you like this? I think my mother would be upset, but I wouldn't mind."

"Easy, mate, easy. I'm properly prepared." He patted on the pocket of his robes,taking out a little flask of blue potion. "So, what did you get Ana?"

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked, raising his eyebrow at Teddy.

"Well, it is her birthday, and even you must have had a heart to get her something."

"Oh." Scorpius looked back at the crowded scene, spotting his sister sitting blankly between Rose and Dominique. Something in her face looking like she was faraway, like she wasn't having half as much fun as Savanna was in their adjoined birthday party. "Got her socks."

Teddy laughed loudly, snickering like a witch as he slapped a hand over his mouth; wobbling in his stance. "Oh, real classy, Malfoy, I can see the joy on her face already."

"Well, I was going to send the beast to a trip to the mountains so she could visit her family of giants and hopefully get recruited, but mum said I had to give her something practical." Scorpius grunted, frowning as he remembered the almost-smack his mother threatened to give him. "It was either socks or a toothbrush, but it is winter, so I went for the socks."

"- -Ah, Ted, I thought I smelled you from upstairs." Looking fresh and clean, both Albus Potter and Angelo Zabini moved towards their best friend as they walked down the steps of the second level of the house. "Been drinking that generic stuff again?"

Scowling at his adoptive brother's comment, Ted pulled on his robes; sniffing it. "Bloody hell. It had to be that shot of tequila Dra - I mean, oops. Clumsy me, best get cleaned off."

Before Scorpius could even question Teddy about what he was going to say, the blue-haired wizard wobbled towards the dinning room without a glance back; chugging the potion in the flask down. Giving Malfoy the sense that he should be suspicious about something.

"Oi, Angelo, where did your dad go, mate?" Frowning to himself again - finding that the solitary corner he had chosen was now getting invaded by the leeches around him - Scorpius pressed his back deeper into the wall as Lily and Peyton made their way to them. "I want some cake already, and your mum and Hermione refuse to cut it if Blaise isn't here."

"Yeah, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hermione's muffins aren't cutting it." Lily said after her cousin, holding up a half-eaten blueberry muffin to Angelo's face. "I want cake, damn it."

Zabini's eyes lit up and he took the small pastry from the redheaded girl, bitting into it. "Dunno, lads. Mum said that dad went on a quick errand, but I find that pretty odd for dad, he never misses a single second of our birthdays."

"Maybe your mum threw him out again, it's happened before." Peyton Weasley leered, all the essence of Pansy Parkinson that he had inside of him took over. "He took the cake with him as a bribe, remember, just she would let him back in?"

Angelo glared at the eleven year-old. "Piss off, Weasley."

Al rolled his eyes, and looked towards his best friend. "Malfoy, in all of this, where exactly is your dad?"

Scorpius narrowed his eyes at Potter, trying to keep his expression cool and reserved. Trying to hide that he had been thinking the same thing since yesterday - when they had barely taken out the Malfoy children from Hogwarts unlike the rest of the lot. (It was the first Christmas they had spent in school, but by the look that his Grandmother Narcissa had on her face when she picked them up at the Head Office, neither Scorpius or Ariana decided to question what the motives were.)

"...Ana's been wondering the same, you know?"Lily Luna said in a small whisper as her Aunt Fleur passed them, giving her arm a tiny squeeze as she did. "I heard her talking to Rose a few minutes ago." She clarified, looking up at Scorpius's grey-eyes. "She said she asked about it, but your mum didn't answer her. She just told Ana to go greet the guests and for her not to worry."

As the people around him started staring at him the same way the youngest of the Potters was, Scorpius frowned in returned. Loathing the feeling of pity and worry they were giving him. Almost like they knew something he didn't. "Excuse me." He said to them, pushing past his own little crowd before he hexed one of them in the face.

"- -Fourteen is a big deal, girls, remember that."

"Yeah, I remember when my Roxy turned fourteen- -"George Weasley stared into his goblet of Firewhiskey, looking lost in memory. "That's when everything started going downhill and before I knew it, she turned fifteen. It's like a curse."

Roxy glared at her father, her cheeks turning pink as Dash Finnegan laughed. Both of them seating closely together, no one really quite noticing the way they leaned into one another. "Dad."

"Well, it's true, Roxy. You stopped being cuddly and sweet, and next thing I knew you were buying feminine things." Mister Weasley shuddered, downing the rest of his liquor. "Then all I got left was Fred."

"Like I was saying- -"Lavender began again, looking at Ariana and Savanna with an all-knowing expression as Fred protested from his seat. "These are the times when things start changing, it's natural. For example, you will start developing feelings for a boy, or you become more curious about...certain things."

Ariana scowled and Savanna blushed red.

Catching the disgust and discomfort written heavily on her daughter's beautiful pale complexion, Hermione laughed as she stood from her chair. "Oh, get rid of that look, Ana, we already had this conversation."

"And it bothered me just the same." Ariana retorted, still looking uncomfortable as James Potter sat across from her, eyeing her flirtatiously.

Managing to avoid the Thomas twins and their questions about some Transfiguration-related question, Scorpius caught his mother just in time before she headed towards the circle of adult women. "- -Mum."

Hermione turned around, smiling as she saw her blonde son. "Yes, dear?"

Their eyes locked and Scorpius saw it all - that glazed over reflection in his mother's eyes. Something that usually takes over the brown hue in her orbs when something goes unplanned or unexpected, like when his muggle-grandparents passed away when he was five and she refused to tell him for a week. (But even then, he had never been easily fooled.) He took a deep breath, having to find some courage to bring out his question. "Mum, when is dad coming home?"

His mother cleared her throat, stretching a hand towards his cheek and resting it there after a few seconds of silence. That smile not falling from her face, even when it was obvious it was fake. "Don't be so impatient, Scorpius, just enjoy the party."

And that was it - that was all she said in response to his question. She left him there, standing among the crowd of people invading their house, heat entering from every angle, but Scorpius felt the cold weather of the outside pour in like a blizzard. Making his muscles tense up, like a bad feeling was growing in his bones.

X

"This was by far the best birthday ever." Peering up from her new silk dress, Savanna smiled grandly at Pansy Weasley. "This is beautiful, Pansy, thank you so much. I can't wait to have an excuse to flaunt it around."

"I wonder where she gets that attitude from." Cho muttered sarcastically underneath her breath, taking the box from her daughter's hands and handing it to her husband. "Nothing but silk and dragon's skin, eh, Blaise?"

The dark-skinned man grinned, happily taking the box as his little girl sparkled underneath the light like a gem. "All the best for my princess."

"She's so spoiled, I'm telling you, mates." Angelo said, brows furrowed at his parents. "Thank Merlin I'm not like that." He let out a puff of air, fixing his new blazer that he had flaunted all day and wore like it was a trophy. ('Feel, mate, feel. It is the newest edition to an Italian's designer collection, it's made of the finest unicorn hair.') "Bloody brat."

Scorpius and Al exchanged looks from their seats, both of them shutting off the candles of the paper-lanterns floating over their heads to pass the time. "Yeah, mate, good thing you're not like that."

A sneer appeared on Scorpius's face as Zabini turned around again, trying to get a good luck of which presents he was going to have to out-beat his sister in on his birthday. "How long until you think he notices?" He muttered to Al, his wand-tip pointed at the back of Angelo's new blazer; splashes of color appearing on it.

"Five sickles, tomorrow morning." Al snickered.

"You're on, Potter."Malfoy said, adding colorful swirls and twirls to the material.

"- -I knew you'd love it, Savanna. A Godmother always knows best." Pansy grinned smugly as the redheaded woman next to her rolled her eyes. "Much better than anything you got, I expect."

"It's just a dress, Pansy, get over it." Ginny frowned. "The day you get her Merlin for her birthday, then I'll be impressed."

Despite the annoyance in her sister-in-law's face, Pansy kept the smugness on. "Ana, how did you like yours?" Her dark-eyes landed on the brunette girl, watching as she just stared at the silver wrappings of the box she still hadn't open. "Ana- -"Pansy poked the girl on the arm. "I am talking to you, girl."

Blinking wildly at the hard jab she received, Ariana's focus came back. Her silvery-eyes coming in contact with the annoyed expression on Pansy's face. "Erm...I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, you were saying?"

"Where's your head, Ariana?" Mrs. Potter asked, looking at one of the birthday girls with calculating eyes as the other kept rampaging threw her presents. "You've been zoned out all day, is something the matter?"

"She's right, you know?" Pansy added as Ariana shook her head hesitantly. (Ha, as if she could fool them.) "Ginny and I stayed so you could open our gifts, and you haven't been paying attention to anything. Do you know how much that dress cost me? Ron almost threw a fit!"

"Did not." Mister Weasley interjected, sitting at the furthest end of the dinning table as he poked at his fourth piece of cake. "I just think we could have gotten a bargain over it."

Standing behind her mother, Rose scoffed at her father's remark. "Dad, you wanted mum to ask Grandmum Molly to duplicate it just so you wouldn't have to pay for two dresses."

"Shh, Rose." Ron snapped, pointing his fork at her. "You don't rat out your father, Rosie, what's wrong with you?"
Ariana looked at the people around her, thanking whoever was up in the sky that the majority of the guest had gone home - that way she didn't have to deal with more people waiting anxiously on her like if she had announced that she would be confessing her secrets after dessert. "I'm just tired." She said to the women still looking at her, ignoring the small snort her brother had let out from his place next to his friends. "But, thank you so much for the gifts. I'm positive I'll love them all."

Watching the girl as undetected as he could, Al's smile slowly faded from his face as he realized that Ariana was not about to open Pansy's gift. Which meant she wouldn't get to open the one that was next - his. Something he had put much effort into choosing since he needed to be on her good side again. And once he had found out the James got her one of her favorite books, he had to go on the hunt for the perfect gift to make him look bad. "Mum, Lily's falling asleep over here, maybe it's time to go home." He spoke, nudging at the twelve year-old snoozing on his shoulder. (But, perhaps, the best thing was getting everyone out. Al always knew when Ariana just wanted to be alone; it was part of those senses that his mind had for the girl.)

Ginny sighed, nodding in agreement as her daughter started drooling on Al's shoulder. "Well, after the massive amount of cake she ate, it was expected that she would crash from the sugar soon. Harry, I think Al's right, I think we should call it a day."

"You can leave her here if you want, Ginny." Hermione said, who had been sharing a private conversation with Harry Potter on one of the sides of the table."We're visiting Demetria at the hospital tomorrow, and Lily asked to go."

Before Ginny could respond to Hermione, the silver balloons still circling over their heads started disappearing. Transforming into little balls of silvery-gas and then evaporating into the air, making the dinning room appear bigger by the lack of birthday decorations. And through the colored fog, a man stepped into the room - a big box wrapped in purple tucked underneath his arm.

"- -Dad!"And in the moment everyone noticed him, Ariana sprang to life. Waking Lily up and distracting her brother from the vandalizing he was making on his friend's clothes. "Dad, you're here." She said, a smile stretching on her face and illuminating all of it.

Carefully settling the box on the corner of the dinning-table, Draco Malfoy cleared his throat; slightly opening his arms for the almost-brunette peering at him with wide eyes. "Happy birthday, Ariana."

His daughter stood rapidly from her chair, racing towards him in record time and throwing his arms around his waist. "I didn't think I'd see you until midnight- -"She pulled herself away a bit, looking up at him. "Grandmother Narcissa said you were working very late."

Draco cleared his throat again, retreating from the embrace his daughter still had on him. "Sorry for my tardiness, Ana, I had a case pending in the office. I promise to make it up to you." Not being able to stare into the girl's eyes as his lies flowed out, Malfoy moved his own to the other people. "Evening." He said with a strain tone, his gaze meeting up with his wife's.

A moment of silence froze around the dinning room, the adults looking especially uncomfortable as Hermione glared at the newly-arrived blonde man.

"Erm...I think it's time to leave- -"Harry spoke, discomfort in his bespectacled eyes. "Gin, take Lily by the Floo and I'll take Al by sidelong-apparation." The Chosen One looked at Malfoy, his wife and daughter walking towards the living room. "See you at work tomorrow, Malfoy. I...erm..I'm sorry you had to work this late, but you know Kingsley."

Draco gave a nod - feeling a bit of gratitude as Potter covered him .

As Al's goodbye and the crack of apparation echoed away from the room, Cho also made Savanna stand from the chair. Looking just as uncomfortable as the air felt, knowing that it was best for all of them to leave the Malfoys on their own for now. "Well, I think it's time we headed home too - Come on, Blaise, grab Angelo."

"But Drake just got here!" Blaise protested, already opening a Firewhiskey bottle he had saved for when his best friend would arrive.

"Now, Blaise." His wife snapped, frowning at him. And instantly, her children and husband stood.

"Yeah, I think we'll go with them- -"Ron set his fork down on his empty plate. "George took Peyton and James, and I promised Ginny I'd make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid with the boys. Last time Peyton spent a day with his Uncle George, I swear I thought traces of a muggle-tattoo that had been freshly removed on his face."

"And he was just seven." Rose added, also standing as she too could feel the awkwardness invade the atmosphere.

Taking slow steps, Pansy followed behind her husband and daughter. And just as the two redheads crossed into the living room to take the Floo, the dark-haired witch looked at her old friend with a twinkle of a glare in her eyes. "...Bet you were working hard, eh, Malfoy?" It came out low, just enough so Draco could hear. "You disappoint me." She said, elbowing him as she walked past him.

The silence had taken the room even faster and thicker than anything else they had ever experienced - Scorpius and Ariana stared at their parents, both waiting for something. There was that feeling that things were being left unsaid in the air, they could taste it as they breathed. They had not felt this sort of tension together since their mother had quit working at the Ministry; a choice their father had supported a hundred-percent even when Hermione was not fully committed into being only just a homemaker. It had been the biggest fight Scorpius and Ariana had witnessed, but by the look of things, they were about to be corrected.

"Scorpius, why don't you and Ariana head up to your rooms, darling?" Mrs. Malfoy did not look at her son, her gaze was completely focused on the blonde man staring back at her with those indifferent silvery-eyes that had torn her apart recently. "It's time for bed, I think."

Ariana raised her eyebrow, knowing that it was not yet passed eleven in the night. "But, mum, dad just got home- -"

"To your room, Ana." Hermione hissed uncharacteristically, her chest heaving as she turned red in the face. "Now."

Scorpius stood at that, every fiber in his being fighting against it, but he had no choice. "Come on, beast." He grabbed his sister's arm, pulling her up from her chair. "If you stay any longer in the moonlight, I'm positive you will turn into a werewolf. And how do we explain that to the muggles?"

The girl stared at her mum - the tears obviously burning in her eyes as she still looked everywhere but at them. Her heart started aching, feeling in suspense. Like it was already preparing itself for something beyond painful. She hated to admit it, but she was glad Scorpius was there at the moment. (It was the first time she didn't wish he was combusted spontaneously and disappeared forever.)

"You're late- -"They heard their mother accuse as soon as they had crossed the living room, both of them stopping as they reached the staircase. "How do you even plan to make this up to your daughter, Malfoy?"

"- -I'll find away."

"No doubt. But, of course like it is in your nature, you'll send everything straight to hell and make it worse- -"

"Move." Scorpius hissed at his sister, waiting for her to walk up the steps towards their bedrooms as the voices of their parents paused. "Mum will murder us if she knows we were listening, beast, and I'm not about to risk that for you." He jabbed her back with his wand, even giving her shoulder a shove as she didn't obey. "Move on."

"Do...Do you think it's bad?"Ariana's voice came out small, turning to face her brother as she held on to the rail of the staircase; ignoring his command.

Knowing the perfect answer to that, Malfoy sighed as he could tell that Ariana was fighting with herself to keep from crying. Especially in front of him. It wasn't pleasant to hear your parents arguing - at any age, and as coldhearted and cruel as he could be with the girl, he couldn't add fuel to her fears. It would be like igniting his own. "Of course not. Mum's just upset she had to spend the day watching Blaise trying to snog Cho at every corner of the house by herself. They'll be good as new tomorrow."

Ariana gave a tiny smile, nodding at that as she made herself believe it. "It was disturbing, wasn't it?"

A leer stretched on Malfoy's face, his gray-eyes sparkling evilly. "Not as much as your face, beast, but we deal with that."With a scowl and a kick to his knee, Scorpius knew he did the right thing as he walked behind her towards their rooms.

Besides, it was still her birthday, and he owed her something extra for the mismatched socks he gave her.

AN: Well...Okay. First off, Im sorry if this chapter really didn't GO anywhere. I was checking what I was going to be doing with the next one and things didn't line up right, so I had to take the plot of this chapter and add it to the one that is coming up.

So...Yeah. Lol.

Hope all of you had a great New Year's!(: