Chapter 22

Through the cracks

The sun had been setting later and later in the evening over the few days since they had arrived at the Krum estate. Scorpius found him self uneasy in the dark, forbidding halls, instead finding a refuge in the expansive rooftop greenhouse instead. Vic was recovering well from her difficult birthing, the strain of a half werewolf child taking most of the energy from her body. As she ventured from her room more often she would at times join him in the greenhouse, rocking Nymph gently as she glided between the rows of trees and flowers. Sometimes they would talk about random trivial things, other times they were quiet except for Vic's soft humming to sooth her new born.

Scorpius often found himself amongst the muggle flowers planted along the far right wall of the glass enclosure. He didn't know why he was so fascinated by them, but he supposed it was because his mother had grown them in the side garden when he was a child, saying the name of each one to him as she planted it herself. Shaking his head he ran a finger over the velvety petal of an orchard.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Vic's voice broke through the calm recesses of his wanderings, drawing his eyes towards her sharply. Lifting a single eyebrow in question he watched as she nervously wrapped her arms around herself. "About Teddy."

He leaned back against the worn wooden shelves, crossing his own arms in a reflexive motion. "I thought you'd tell us when you felt like it." He shrugged, watching her carefully as she began to pace.

Biting at her nails nervously she stared down at her slippered feet, only glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. "It isn't his fault." Scorpius didn't reply to her blurted words, knowing that she more needed to say the words out loud for her self then to convince him. "We weren't planing on having a baby. Don't get me wrong I love my Nymph, but we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we joined up with the Falcon's. I didn't even know for sure till after we'd left London when the Raiders had closed in on us." She stopped for a moment teetering under the weight of her own words. "When I told him he was happy, at first. Then the news of what was going on out there reached us." She gestured wildly towards the window as though what ever was wrong lay just on the other side of the glass. "He pulled away after that. It didn't help matters that what little wolf was in me was crying out to be joined with his. He's not ashamed of being the son of a werewolf, he's just not proud of it either."

Clearing her throat she turned to look at him fully for the first time. "Krum threw him out after some things were said one night. I know where he is, I'm just not going to go looking for him, he's made his choice." Sighing she wiped away her tears. "Viktor's asked me to marry him."

Of all the things Scorpius had expected her to say it hadn't been that. Of what he'd seen of the stoic ex-Quidditch player he hadn't taken the man for a romantic. "What about Nymph?" He poked his head towards the gently rocking stroller not far from them. No matter if Viktor Krum was a man of honor or not he wasn't sure how he would take raising the child of another man.

"He's agreed to raise her as his own, along side the other girls." A found smile crossed her lips as she talked about Krum's daughters. "And they love her, Sophitia can't wait to be a big sister, being the youngest now."

Scorpius stared at her, his crystalline eyes narrowing. "But what do you want?" It was asked quietly but the firmness of the words was lost on neither of them.

She looked down at her feet before replying. "Teddy." The word was whispered so quietly he almost wondered if he had heard it at all.

Crossing the distance between them, he pulled the older woman into a hug as her sobs overtook her. He knew what it was like to be deprived the one the heart longed for, even if he and Rose had parted under much different circumstances. He wasn't sure how long they'd stood there as he rocked her gently, but when she gently pulled away to check on Nymph he didn't move to question her. Glancing over as Vic gently cooed to the baby he ran a weary hand through his hair. He felt older than he ever had in that very moment, and suddenly he found him self very tired.

"Are you going to tell Al?" The question hung uneasily in the glass room, Nymph cooing softly to herself, unaware of the density the air had just taken. Scorpius turned to look at her, but she refused to meet him eyes.

"I'm not sure there's an Al left to tell." He merely nodded, turning is eyes towards the sky. At that moment he wasn't sure if there was either.

The Krum estate was usually very quiet, the occupants of the house rarely making more than the slightest creak as they made their way around. Finding his was down from the roof he passed by the room he was sharing with Al, preferring to be anywhere else than in his company at the moment. Walking down the back stairwell he turned his attention towards the library, hoping to find solace in a good book, and a bit of quiet reflection. The door was slightly ajar as he came upon it, the soft glow of candle light spilling out into the empty hall. Soft voices murmured in frenzied speech, the words too low and quiet for Scorpius to make them out.

Squaring his shoulders he knocked quietly, waiting as the voices dimmed further. Krum's voice echoed an entrance from with in, his voice its usual gruff baritone. Pushing the door open further he bowed his head slightly, though not before letting his eyes glance over the dark stranger that stood in the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but Victorie asked that should I see you to tell you that she had retired early." Krum's thick brows knitted together in concern, but Scorpius moved to assure him. "It is only a headache, sir." Nodding Krum retook his seat, his own eyes sliding to the stranger that stood beside his desk.

"Allow me to introduce you. Scorpius, this is Bastian Upton. Upton, this is the young man I was telling you about." Nodding to each other Scorpius held out his hand in greeting, almost flinching at the cold feel the man's hand held.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Upton almost purred in a strong Scottish burr. Retracting his hand Scorpius nodded, only slightly surprised by the man's accent. It had been quite some time since he'd run into another native speaker that was not already in his acquaintance.

"Like wise, sir." he replied in a strong, even voice. He wasn't sure what it was that unnerved him, but there was something in the other man's eyes he didn't trust. "If you need nothing else, sir, I will be retiring early my self, I've suddenly become aware of exactly how long of a day it has been." He gave a nod of respect to both the men before slipping out the door and back into the darkened hallway.

Scorpius purposefully took that long way to the second floor, stopping off in the kitchen momentarily to grab a bite to eat and talk briefly with the house elf that worked here. He found it odd at times that they were used for servants, as his mother had adamantly objected to the idea when he been a child. The cottage had been run by her alone, with the help of a maid who had worked for them as long as he had been alive. He had never even seen a house elf till he had visited the manor after his mother had fallen ill. Shaking off the thoughts nipped at the sweet bun Tizzy had given him. He preferred talking to the house elf in all honesty, her conversations much more pleasing than any he'd had with Al since departing from France. Sighing heavily he stopped at the second landing to stare out the window for a moment. He missed England in a way he never thought he would while he had been living there. He missed the small things mostly, Yorkshire pudding, and football, speaking the same native tongue as those around him. Staring at the tile lined roofs, muted in the overcast of the day, he felt a deeper pang. He missed his home, the small grey stone cottage his parents had raised him in, Hogwarts, Rose. He missed everything that had ever made England his home at all. He knew deep down that if Rose had been beside him, holding his hand, he wouldn't miss it half as much, because she was home to him more than anything else.

Turning back towards the hall way he almost fell backwards, startled by the sudden appearance of a black clad girl. "You frightened me." he laughed but stopped short as he saw the tears collecting in her large cinnamon colored eyes. "Are you alright?" The girl shook her head slightly, down casting her eyes. "Can you tell me what's wrong? Come here." He lead her to a small ornate bench in the hallway urging her to set down. Crouching down next to her he handed over his handkerchief. "Now, do you want to tell me what's the matter... Titania was it?"

"Titiana." she corrected quietly, dabbing her eyes even though she did not look up at him.

Scorpius smiled at her openly, pulling out the extra sweet bun Tizzy had given him. Pressing it into her hand she looked at him briefly before continuing to stare at her hands. "Now, do you want to tell me what's wrong? You don't have to mind you. You could just eat the treat and be on your way without a word." His assurance seemed to take some stiffness out of her shoulders. "I personally hate being forced to do anything. My mother had her hands full when I was a child. Never wanted to listen to a word she said. Got myself in trouble quite a bit over it too." He laughed, his smile staying when he noticed just the slightest upturn to her own lips.

Staying there for a moment he was sure she was going to take him up on his offer not to talk when she moved. "I never knew my mother." It was a soft admission by Scorpius had a feeling she'd let him in more with that one sentence then she'd let anyone in. "She died, when I was two, giving birth to Sophitia. Petia remembers her a little better, she was six." Scorpius simply nodded, allowing her to control the conversation. "I like the way you speak." The words only shocked him mildly, mostly because he did not know where they had come from. "The words seem to flow so much easier for you. I find I some times have difficulty saying what I mean."

"I was raised to speak English though. Not your fault we make it so bloody difficult." He jested, smiling more easily when she joined in on his joke. Leaning back he pushed his hair out of his eyes, watching as she flicked her gaze to look at him. "You should eat that now, they taste better when there still a bit warm." He pointed towards the bun she still held in her small hand. She raised it to her lips, taking a small bit before wrinkling her nose up just slightly. "Not to your liking than?"

She shook her head, dark curls bouncing around her shoulders. "I don't like the cinnamon one's." she said, staring down at the treat before laying it on her lap. "Tizzy makes me lemon sometimes when father is away on business. Father likes the cinnamon." She said no more on it, as though that was all to be said. "Victorie will be going with you when you leave?"

Scorpius corked an eyebrow but shrugged. "I don't know. Not really sure when I'll be leaving in all honesty." He sighed heavily. "Besides, your father has asked Victorie to stay here. I'm not sure if she wants to stay though."

Titiana stared at her hands for a moment, her black hair curtaining her face. "I do not want her to stay." Scorpius opened his mouth to counter her but she'd continued on. "Everyone who stays dies. Everyone in this house dies."

Grasping her had Scorpius forced her to look at him. "Titiana, does your father hurt you?" She shook her head but refused to look at him. "Titiana, answer me truthfully." His quiet urges drew her eyes to him, brimming with tears and sorrow.

"He hurts because he does not wish to see. I understand that, and I know what to do. Victorie is light, she does not deserve to live like that. The baby does not either." Scorpius slumped back slightly, allowing his hand to go limp.

"You don't want her to get hurt." Titiana nodded furiously, wiping at her eyes to conceal the extent of her tears. Scorpius tried to smile at her soothingly but was sure he was failing at it. "I believe Victorie will leave with me when I go from here, when ever that is. She misses England as much as I do."

Titiana smiled shyly up at him, nodding before turning her eyes to the dark hall. "I would very much like to see England." Her admition didn't surprise him, Titiana seemed well versed in things English, and she seemed to have a natural curiosity.

"How old are you, Titiana?" Her eyes shot to him for a moment before sliding back to stare at her hands.

"Fifteen." she quietly admitted, as though that was something to be ashamed of. Scorpius smiled at her just the same.

"Than I believe, Titiana Krum, that it is very likely that you just may see England someday soon." Her eyes widened to a dangerous degree her hand shaking as she held back a sob.

"You will take me with you?" she whispered, her pale lips ghosting against the words. He nodded, grinning at her. She flew at him in a second, hugging his tightly as she cried her thanks. Calming her down enough to set back on the bench she smiled happily for the first time since he had seen her. Her face sobered slightly as though as dark thought had passed over her. "I will tell you what troubled me now." Scorpius nodded as his brows knitted together in concern. She leaned in close her breath tickling slightly against his ear. "You were right. There is not much of him left."

Standing stiffly she ran slightly shaking hands down her dress to smooth the wrinkled velvet. Nodding down at him he held out his handkerchief to him. "Thank you, Scorpius Malfoy." With out saying a further word she turned and glided down the staircase. He stayed there for a moment, letting her words glide over him as though they were water.

Shooting to his feet his eyes widened as the true meaning of her words sipped into his fog thick mind. Grasping the handkerchief tightly in his hand he stomped the rest of the way towards the room he had been sharing with Al. Pushing open the door with no little force his eyes fell on his best friend, lounging on his bed. "Where have you been?" His voice was the same as it had always been, his eyes the same shade of green. She had to be wrong, he couldn't fully believe that the cloud that had been hanging over them was in fact true. Staring at him more closely he felt his stomach clench. He knew, even if he didn't want to. She was right.

tbc.

Next: Silence Screams: The darkness is approching faster than any of them could ever know. What will happen when they are confronted with it once more?

AN: Thanks for reading, and I hope you all remembered to review. That means even if you hated it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All of it is the property of JKR and I make no money from writitng this story.

AN: Finally done! This chapter has taken me forever to write mostly because I've also been wading through course work and my original writing at the same time. This one is a bit longer than the last few have been and there is a reason for that. The action in this section is going to start moving faster than it did in Part 1. Don't worry, I'm going to try to update once a week for the next few months, but that is a rough estamite. Mostly I just really want to finish this story so it will stop pestering me. Anyway, as always enjoy and please review!