Twists of Fate

Chapter 10: Reversal

The first night Scorp was on his own in the new world he was at what he now refers to as an in-between house. The minister thought it would be a good idea for him to spend a few weeks adjusting to a life without magic where nobody could see him struggle. He hadn't told a soul about the cabin. For him, it was a secret place. It wasn't special or extraordinary. In fact, it was underwhelming and unextraordinary. 

It was a simple cottage in the middle of the woods, hidden behind gnarled branches and dead leaves. It had a small kitchen just big enough for one person to use. A bathroom that smelled like soiled waste and a bedroom no bigger than a broom closet. Sometimes when he lay in bed he could still smell the musty air and hear the creaking of the old wooden floors. 

It was the least homey place on the planet. No windows. No decorations. No sign of comfort and yet he still thought about the cabin often. It was a place perfectly balanced in the in-between of before and after. Before he entered his new life and right after he left his old one. In those moments he should have been thinking about what his new missions would all entail or even what his friends and family were doing back home. 

Instead, he remembered thinking about how the silverware didn't shine. In the Great Hall, the silverware used to sparkle so brightly that he could see his reflection as clearly as if he were standing in front of a mirror. This silverware was cloudy with filth that should have been washed away long ago. He couldn't even see a blurred image of himself.

After he left the cabin every place he went the first thing he would do was check the silverware. Scorp wasn't sure why he did it. After some time it just became a second habit during meals.

At that very moment, Scorp found himself looking into his fork. The silverware didn't gleam like the ones in Hogwarts. He could at least see a disoriented version of himself. The laughter and questions still ensued all around him as the night continued to age. Scorp's mind stayed focused on the fork lying in front of him on the table.

Fred excitedly slapped his palms on the table, laughing at the joke he made about James' hair. The fork jumped in retaliation and landed on the floor taking Scorp's absurd silverware obsession with it. He blinked rapidly, grabbing the fork and placing it back on the table. He was glad nobody noticed the mishap. He already had enough embarrassing moments to last for the next few months.

Ever since Rose and Wood walked out to talk fifteen minutes ago, Scorpius' attention was divided between fulfilling answers, examining his fork, and sneaking glances at the backdoor. Maybe it was just jealousy rearing its ugly head, but something about Wood irked him in the wrong way. 

Wood was an alright bloke when they played quidditch together during school, but he always appeared too perfect. The best grades. Flawless games. Loved by all. Always on top of everything. 

Scorp wasn't close to him by any means. In their time as teammates, he'd never seen Wood mess up once. That in itself was inhumane. It was human nature to make mistakes. Lots of them. Daily. Scorp made mistakes all the time. He was littered with flaws and imperfections. For someone to not have any was scary. Terrifying really.

It shouldn't bother him so much that they weren't back. Of course, it did. He'd have to work on that if he wanted to keep being around Rose. In the time that he'd been back, he'd only maybe spent an hour with her. That was not enough. Not even close. There once was a time when they were together every wakening moment. Even then that hadn't been enough. 

Scorp didn't use to be a romantic. He'd never been a lot of things before he fell in love with Rose. She changed him in ways that he was still discovering and getting used to. Before her, the thought of being around someone romantically all the time was almost sickening. Spending every second together without getting bored or bothered with one another was unimaginable.