Chapter 8
A strange thumping noise rang throughout the air in Astoria's room. She opened her eyes to see if she could find the source of the noise. She smiled when she saw Scorpius jumping up and down on her bed, a carefree smile on his face. His cheeks were flushed, and he had a serious case of messy bed hair.
"Didn't your father ever tell you that you're not supposed to jump on the bed?" Startled by Astoria's voice, Scorpius's feet slipped out from under him and he fell flat on his back on the bed. Astoria walked over to the side of the bed and gazed down at Scorpius with a stern look in her eye. He flashed her a crooked grin that made her anger and worry melt away. How could this young boy have such an effect on her after less than twenty-four hours?
"Sorry?" The grin was still on his face, and Astoria smiled back.
"You're forgiven. Just don't do it anymore, got it?" He nodded and rolled over off the edge of the bed, landing agilely on his feet.
"I'm hungry," he told her.
"Well, then let's go down to the kitchen and fetch some breakfast. Does that sound good?" He nodded enthusiastically and reached for Astoria's hand. She smiled and took his small hand in hers as he led her down the hallway; he definitely knew his way around better than she did. They entered the kitchen and were greeted by three house elves.
"Good morning young Master Malfoy and Miss Greengrass!" The most eager of the group, Pokey came up to Astoria and Scorpius. "What would young Sir and Miss like for breakfast?"
"Eggs!" Scorpius answered. "I love eggs. They're my favorite," he whispered to Astoria, his bright, blue eyes twinkling. Once again, Astoria wished she could be so easily content.
"And we'll have some toast and pumpkin juice as well," she told Pokey before he left to bustle around the kitchen to gather their breakfast. Astoria and Scorpius sat on the chairs that were by the kitchen counter.
"So, Scorpius, is your father still asleep?" She asked, genuinely curious; she had never known Draco to sleep so late. It was almost ten o'clock. Scorpius shook his head.
"Nuh-uh. He's real busy on Sunday. I dunno what he does, but he never gets home 'til it's dark. Normally grandma or grandpa comes, but you're here now!" Astoria's chest constricted at the mention of Lucius and Narcissa, but she pushed the thoughts away and focused on Scorpius.
"Since it's just you and me today, how about you show me around the manor a bit?" Scorpius's face lit up.
"Okay!"
He told Astoria about all the places around the manor throughout breakfast. Astoria smiled at how talkative and intelligent he was. He acted and seemed more like an eight or nine-year-old, not a six-year-old boy. She could not wait to see how well he would do with the schoolwork that she had planned for him.
After finishing their breakfast, Astoria and Scorpius both went to their rooms to change their clothes for the day. Astoria went and helped Scorpius pick out his clothes. It was a good thing she did, because he would have looked ridiculous in the clothes he wanted to pick out for himself.
"I want to wear the jumper, Miss Astoria!" Scorpius was hell-bent on wearing a thick, polka-dotted wool jumper, even though it was close to 80 degrees outside. He was also fighting to be able to wear his Quidditch robes, which weren't that bad on their own, but he wanted to wear them with the jumper. He was so stubborn Astoria just wanted to bang her head against the wall. Maybe he was a bit more like Draco than she thought.
"Okay, how about a compromise. You wear the shorts and shirt that I picked out for you and you can wear your Quidditch robes as well. Deal?" She proposed to Scorpius. She could not believe she was arguing with a six-year-old about clothes. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, but then nodded his head.
"Fine. I guess that will be okay." He took the clothes off of the bed.
"I'll be right back. I need to go put on my clothes. Now, put those clothes on and then go brush your teeth. And if I see you wearing that sweater when I come back, we're going to have a problem, my boy." He nodded, looking a little taken a back. Astoria exited the room to go and change her clothes.
She put on a flowy brown skirt that reached just past her knees and a short-sleeved, button up blouse. She tied up her wavy, black hair and brushed her teeth as well. After slipping on a pair of trainers she went back to Scorpius's room. He was seated on his bed with all of the correct clothes on, and Astoria smiled.
"Where to first?" Scorpius hopped off of the bed and stood next to Astoria, grabbing her hand. It somewhat astounded Astoria that he seemed so sensitive and expressive, while Draco was so standoffish and restrained. She had a gut feeling it was Narcissa's grandmotherly affection that had made him so kind.
They decided to start at the kitchen and work their way up through the manor. Astoria asked Scorpius about what was up the staircase behind the kitchen. The staircase from whence the maniacal laughter had come the night before. He shrugged.
"I dunno. Only Libby, one of our oldest house elves, can go up there. Dad never let's me go. Weird noises and stuff are up there, I've heard them." His voice faded into a whisper at the end.
"I've heard them, too, don't worry. How about we move on?" She decided not to dwell too much on what may be up the staircase; this was Malfoy manor, after all. He nodded and led her around the underground section of the manor. He showed her the house elves' quarters and the entrance to the dungeons, all though he did not know they were dungeons. The large, imposing wooden doors confused Scorpius, but Astoria knew exactly what they were.
"Dad won't let me in there," he said pointing to the wooden doors, "But I'll figure it out."
After that, the pair wandered around the first floor. Scorpius showed her the various parlors, the two dining halls, and the massive ballroom. A faint picture of witches and wizards in opulent robes, dancing and laughing flashed through Astoria's mind. She remembered looking up at the beautifully dressed women and men, asking her parents if she could stay a little longer. Astoria was pulled from her memory by Scorpius tugging on her skirt.
"Are you okay?" she nodded.
"Come on; let's head up to the second floor."
They wandered past the drawing room, an office, their bedrooms, and a few sitting areas before they reached a set of double doors. Astoria wondered what was beyond them. "What's in there?" she asked.
"It's the library, of course!" Astoria's eyes grew in surprise. She had completely forgotten to ask where the library was. This was where she would be teaching Scorpius everyday, and where they would be spending most of their time. This was also bound to be Astoria's favorite room in the house. They pushed open the double doors and she gasped at the sight before her.
There were shelves and shelves of books, filling the room from wall to wall. The library was at least the size of the huge ballroom downstairs, if not larger. There were chairs and desks spread out among the shelves, and the sun was spilling in through three large windows on the wall opposite the door. Astoria could not lift her jaw off of the ground.
With Scorpius still gripping her hand, she ran her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf closest to her. She could not believe how extensive this library was. Anything she would ever need to teach Scorpius was within these walls. The only problem would be finding the correct books to use as curriculum amongst the massive collection on the shelves. She stopped ogling the books when Scorpius tugged on her skirt again.
"When can we eat lunch? I'm hungry." Scorpius asked.
"I'm so sorry! Let's go eat now. You must be starving; it's nearly 1:30!" Astoria and Scorpius headed down to the kitchens where Pokey tended to them, once again. He brought them some turkey sandwiches and a glass of milk each. Once they had finished the sandwiches, Pokey bought out some pumpkin pasties, much to Scorpius's delight.
"I love pasties! They're my favorite, too," Scorpius informed Astoria with a giddy smile on his face. "Can we go outside next? I think you'll like all the pretty flowers outside. They will be your favorite." Astoria nodded and smiled. She had been waiting to see the gardens since she first arrived.
Once they had both finished their lunch, they left through the back doors to head out into the garden. There were enormous rose bushes, along with flower beds containing many exotic flowers Astoria knew were growing with magic. There was some lawn furniture set up in the center of the garden where Astoria remembered sitting with her mother and the other adults. This made Astoria wonder if it was still there.
"Scorpius, is there a big hammock hanging around here somewhere?" He smiled and dragged Astoria around another cluster of rose bushes. A hammock hung in mid air, obviously by magic.
Astoria remembered piling onto the hammock with Daphne and her friends when they were younger. She remembered being squished in between Draco and Blaise, while sharing the hammock with Pansy, Daphne, Vince, and Greg as well. They had all screamed and laughed while trying to fit on the hammock comfortably, which was an impossible feat. A smile made its way to her face despite the constricting in her chest.
Scorpius ran over to the hammock and jumped on. He laid in the middle, hardly taking up any room on the massive hammock. He let out a loud yawn and glanced at Astoria with lidded eyes. "Someone looks like they need a nap, and I think I do, too. Budge over," she told him. He moved over to one side of the hammock, making room for Astoria to lie down.
She lay on the hammock, resting her head against the soft cloth and closing her eyes. She felt the hammock move, and she opened her eyes when she felt a small, warm body cuddle up to her side. Scorpius had laid his head on her stomach and wrapped his small arms around her middle. She stroked his blonde hair before wrapping one arm around him and closing her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.
A chilly wind was blowing in the garden as the sun set. Astoria felt her consciousness return, but she did not open her eyes. She felt the steady rise and fall of Scorpius's breathing next to her, and she knew he was still asleep. She had to get him out of the cold air. Realizing how late it must be for it to be chilly outside, she opened her eyes. Darkness had enveloped the garden.
She did not want to wake him up because he looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. She decided to let him sleep for a while longer. She looked down and noticed that he had some of her shirt bunched up in his small fist. His mouth was open, and there was a stain on her shirt from where he had drooled on her. She had to stifle a giggle. He acted much more his age when he was asleep.
She glanced around the garden, seeing the flowers in the moonlight. Her heart stopped, and she nearly screamed, when she saw a figure standing by the bushes. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to steady her rapidly beating heart. She noticed that the figure had unmistakable white-blonde hair. "Draco?" she asked.
He walked toward her, his face becoming more distinct as he moved closer. He had an indecipherable look on his face, and he did not say anything; he stood and looked down at Astoria and Scorpius. Astoria rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes before speaking to Draco.
"I'm sorry we're out here so late, you must have been worried. We fell asleep out here earlier." He continued looking between her and Scorpius, unblinking. "What time is it?" She asked warily. He finally reciprocated.
"It's nearly seven." Astoria could not believe that they had slept for five hours. "I think it's time to head inside. I'll take him in." Draco reached down to pick up Scorpius, but when he tried to lift the boy from the hammock, he just tightened his hold on Astoria's shirt. Draco looked perplexed.
Astoria gently pried Scorpius's fingers from her shirt and handed him over to his father. The young boy's blue eyes flew open as soon as he was in Draco's arms. He looked frantic for a moment before his eyes rested on Astoria. He calmed down even more when he realized he was in the arms of his father. After receiving a sweet smile from Astoria, Scorpius's eyes closed and he snuggled deeper into his father's embrace.
Together, they walked Scorpius back into the manor and into his room. Draco quickly changed him into his nightclothes and laid him in his bed. Scorpius groggily opened his eyes and called to Astoria. "Miss Astoria?"
She came over and sat lightly on his bed. "Goodnight, Scorpius. You start learning tomorrow, are you excited?" He nodded sleeping and reached for her hand, as had become his habit. She squeezed his small fingers before kissing him lightly on the forehead. "Goodnight."
"Night," he whispered. She stood up from the bed and faced Draco.
"Wait in the hallway for me, if you would please," Draco asked her. She nodded and quietly exited the room and stood outside of the door anxiously. A few minutes later, Draco exited Scorpius's room. He looked at her with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"In the future, I would appreciate it if you would have my son back in the house at a more decent time. I don't want him catching sick, understood?" She gaped at him before nodding. "Good. You will start his lessons promptly at nine tomorrow morning. Don't disappoint me."
He turned from her without a backward glance and stalked down the corridor. He ran his fingers through his hair before entering his room and slamming his door. Astoria could not figure out why he continued to be so cold toward her. Deciding not to ponder this peculiarity any longer, she retreated to her room, a restless sleep all that lay before her.
A/N: I'm sorry... this was kind of a filler chapter. The real action will begin soon. Please leave me a review :]