Down In The Dumps

a story by lovedmund

August 23, 2019.

It was the worst day for the Malfoys. Astoria, the mother of Scorpius and Emma, and the only daughter-in-law of the Malfoy family, died after a full year in bed. The disease she suffered from was the Maledictus Disease, a blood curse that originated from the cursed Greengrass family. The curse reappeared after several generations and sadly, it was Astoria who carried on the curse and was responsible for her lifelong weakness and untimely death.

The gray sky seemed to imply the sadness that the Malfoy family was experiencing at this moment. The Potters, Weasleys, Notts, and Scamanders, along with other relatives, attended Astoria Greengrass's funeral to offer their condolences.

At the funeral, Draco's face was pale with empty eyes, and so were Scorpius'. Emma could only cry in her Aunt Daphne's arms.

After the funeral was over, everyone went to Malfoy Manor to entertain and liven things up there. The parents went to see Draco and the rest of the Malfoy-Greengrass family. Meanwhile, the kids went to comfort Scorpius and Emma. However, it seemed that Emma was not in the best mood to meet them. Coming home from the funeral, she immediately ran to her room and locked her bedroom door.

"Sorry about Em. Usually… she's not like that," Scorpius said with a small smile.

"It's okay, Scorp. We understand. We feel sorry for your loss," said Victoire, showing a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you to all of you."

Hermione walked over to the children. "Children, we must go home," she said. "Scorpius, you are a good boy. Please be strong. We will always be here for you, darling."

"Thank you, Auntie Mione." Everyone said goodbye and gave Scorpius a sympathetic hug.

"Auntie Mione, I'm going to see Emma for a bit."

"Okay. I'll tell Harry and Ginny to wait for you in a bit." Hermione walked away from them.

"Sorry Al, but... I don't think she wants to meet anyone right now," said Scorpius.

"At least I'll say goodbye to her."

"Okay, then."

Albus and Scorpius walked up the right wing of Malfoy Manor to get to Emma's room. Upon arriving there, Scorpius immediately knocked on Emma's door.

"Emma, it's me, Scorpius." Scorpius knocked on Emma's door again. "Albus wants to see you."

There was no answer for about thirty seconds; then it was Albus' turn to speak. "Er... it's me, Albus."

"Sorry, I don't want to see any visitors right now, Albus," Emma's voice was hoarse.

"Then I'd like to say goodbye before I go home."

Albus smiled as he looked at Emma's bedroom door before finally slipping a letter under the gap. "Goodbye, Em."

Albus finally hugged Scorpius before walking downstairs to go home with his family.

To Dearest Em,

I feel sorry for your loss. Mrs. Malfoy was a lovely woman. At last, she has been freed from all the pain that had tormented her ever since. Please don't dwell too much on your sorrow. You still have your grandparents, your father, Scorpius, Aunt Daphne, and friends who will always be there for you.

Even though I've never experienced what you have gone through, I understand that losing someone you truly love can be incredibly painful. I know your mother would be extremely proud of you and Scorpius. You are a strong person, Emma. I recognized this from the moment we met. If you and Scorpius ever need someone to talk to, my home will always be open to you. Remember, you will never be alone.

Your friend,

Albus S. Potter

.oOo.

September 1, 2019.

"I can't believe I'm going to Hogwarts now! Which dorm do you think I'll be going to, James?" muttered Lily as she pushed her trolley beside James.

"You're probably a Gryffindor, Lils. You're definitely not going to end up in a sneaky snake house like Slytherin."

Annoyed, Albus said, "James! Slytherins aren't that bad!"

"Oh, James. Stop teasing your brother. You're already in your fifth year, dear."

"Sorry, Mum."

"Apologize to Albus, James."

James glanced at Albus lazily. "Okay... sorry, Al."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Have you brought everything you need?" asked Ginny to make sure.

"Yes, Mum," replied the three Potter siblings.

"James, Albus, I hope you guys can look after Lily. Especially you, James. Don't tease Lily at Hogwarts. Your constant bickering with Albus is driving me crazy. Stop picking on both of them or I will ask Professor McGonagall to kick you off the Gryffindor Quidditch team," warned Harry.

"No! Just, don't do that, Dad. I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

Harry smiled as he looked at his firstborn. "Good. Now, let's go inside and search your compartments. You guys have to take care of each other, okay?" Albus, Lily, and James nodded.

"Lily will be with me. Come on, Lils." He took his little sister by the hand and they walked away, pushing their trolleys. "See you later, Mum and Dad!"

"I will be in the same compartment as Scorpius, Emma and Diana."

"Please take care of yourself, Albus," said Ginny, stroking Albus's cheek.

"Of course, Mum." Albus hugged his parents before finally walking onto the train.

Albus scanned each compartment, starting from the front and ending at the very back.

"Albus!" someone called from behind him.

"Oh, Ashley! Which compartment are you in?"

"Not far from here. I'm with Lorcan, Lysander, and some Gryffindors. How about you?"

"I'm with Scorpius, Emma and Diana."

Ashley said in a slightly disappointed tone, "Oh, I thought you were with James."

"James is with Lily and my other cousin, Ash. So what? You wanted to meet James, right?" Albus smiled mischievously.

"No, I'm not asking you," replied Ashley.

"Don't dodge it, Ash. I'll tell James later when I get to Hogwarts."

"Don't! Oh come on, Albus."

"I was only kidding, Ash. Of course I'm not going to do that and lose my only friend I can prank."

Ashley rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Fine, then."

"By the way, do you know where the compartments of Emma and the rest of my Slytherins are?"

"I think they're three compartments from here."

"Thanks, Ash. See you at Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, see you too!"

Albus walked closer to the compartment Ashley had just told about. Sure enough, when he opened the compartment, there stood Diana, Emma, and Scorpius.

"Hello, guys," said Albus.

"Oh, hi, Albus!" Only Diana responded to Albus' greeting. Scorpius and Emma didn't even glance in his direction or acknowledge him; they were both staring out the compartment window.

Albus sat himself down beside Scorpius. "Diana, what's wrong with them?" he whispered to her across from him.

Diana lowered her body slightly. "Dunno, they've been like this ever since I got into the compartment."

Albus was silent for a while before finally whispering to Diana. "Do you have any ideas to cheer them up?"

"I'm going to take Scorpius around to find the lady selling the candy cart so we can buy some."

"All right," Albus agreed.

"Scorp, let's go look for candy on the train," said Diana.

"I'm not in the mood, Diana," Scorpius said without taking his eyes off the window.

"Just try it, Scorp. Maybe walking around with Diana will help you get your mood back."

"Albus is right," said Diana. "Come quickly with me." She tugged on Scorpius' shirt a little.

"All right, all right." The two of them went out of the compartment.

Albus sat silently as he watched Emma. Her platinum blonde hair, usually tied into a ponytail, was now messy. The reflection of sadness in her gray eyes showed. She wasn't the same Emma he had once known; yet, she was still the same Emma whose make Albus's heartbeat would sometimes quicken unexpectedly.

Albus called out, "Emma?" but she seemed not to notice.

"Em," called Albus again, but this time he waved his hand in front of Emma's face while crouching in front of the girl.

Emma, who had awoken from her reverie, was surprised to see Albus's face in front of her, "Oh... hello, Al."

Albus asked, "Are you okay?" as he adjusted his seat in front of Emma.

She smiled a little. "I'm perfectly okay," she said.

"But your eyes don't reflect that you're okay, Em."

"What do you expect from a girl who has just lost her mother only a month ago, Albus?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, Al. Where's Scorpius?" she asked.

"He went with Diana to buy some candy."

"Oh."

Albus and Emma both fell silent. Emma looked back at the window, while Albus also studied her silently.

"Emma," he said, "did you perhaps read my letter?"

Emma looked directly into Albus's eyes. "I… did. Thank you, Albus. It somehow made me feel a bit better."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but remember my word, Al. Don't you dare to have feelings for me."

"Of course I won't, silly." They both laughed. "But you have to remember my words too. You'll never be alone, Em. Even if the world is against you, I'll be the first one who protects you."

Albus immediately became nervous when he realized that his words sounded quite strange to her. "And Scorpius, of course. Don't get me wrong, okay?"

She smiled. "I see what you mean, Al. You don't have to explain any more."