Soldiers and Serpents //Scorbus

56 He Who Wears The Crown

It was in passing when Scorpius mentioned who he invited. It was as he carried his morning coffee out of the kitchen, where Draco was sitting at the counter, the Daily Prophet open in front of him. "Marius and Orion Black are coming to the party tonight." Scorpius said as he walked out. But he was immediately called back.

"Excuse me, come back here." Draco ordered. Scorpius frowned loudly, and turned to stomp back into the kitchen. He leans against the counter and fixed his father with an annoyed gaze. "You said you invited Orion and Marius Black? Since when did you start hanging out with him? Half of our guests tonight will frown upon them." He says in such a way that sounded like a warning. It had the same feeling as Don't go out by yourself after dark, or Don't lurk in the cemetery during a full moon. Both warnings Scorpius hadn't listened to.

"And if grandfather was here, he'd frown upon them all." Scorpius pointed out. Draco pinches the bridge of his nose, and rubs an eye.

"I thought you'd want to invite Albus." He asks, and Scorpius forced a chuckle.

"Don't be ridiculous. Potter only finds books interesting. Plus, Orion is a pureblood. He belongs here, doesn't he?" His voice was a sneer. Draco looked annoyed with his son- adopted son. Even startled at the level of arrogance in his tone. Scorpius had always been a bit vain, but since Albus he'd become just a tad more tolerable. That was gone now. So was Albus.

"You told me Albus was more to you than a best friend." Draco recalled. "What happened?"

"You know," Scorpius leans in a little, feigning sincerity. "I remember when you told me that fun tale about how you were sixteen and felt like the world rested on your shoulders, and had no one to talk to..." Scorpius begins, trailing off. Draco sets his fork down on his plate of eggs and bacon. "But I'm not you. You were a beaten young boy who was forced to do something you didn't want to do." He was lashing out, he knew he was. But he couldn't help it. It was the only way- to keep Draco at a distance. To avoid talking about Aries. To avoid talking about Albus. "I'm the grandson of the Lord who threatened to kill sixteen-year-old-you. So I don't need to talk about anything. Not with anyone." Scorpius gave such a fake smile at the end that the Joker was worthy of it.

He walked off with his coffee the moment later, ignoring the flash of hurt that crossed Draco's expression. And the pang of guilt and rage that crashed through his chest. As soon as he returned to his room, he closed the door and tears fell. Scorpius set the coffee mug on his desk, and collapsed onto the rolling chair.

Within minutes silent sobs had the sleeves of his shirt damp and his cheeks slick with salt water. Eyelashes were stuck together with moisture. He focused on his breathing, and when it was calmer, he focused on drinking his coffee. Scorpius was halfway through when Raven opened his bedroom door, coming in and closing it behind her.

She was still in sleep shorts and a tee shirt that looked three times too big on her. Scorpius didn't understand the oversized shirt style personally. "Did you sleep at all?" His twin asks, sitting on his unmade bed. She didn't comment on the wet cheeks or red eyes- the clear indication he was crying. Sometimes drawing attention to it made it worse.

"A little." Scorpius told her honestly. It may have been filled with nightmares but yes, he slept. He pulled up one leg to tuck under the other on the chair, his sweats bunching up at the knees a little. His hair was wildly out of shape, and Raven's was tangled looking, a loose mess around her shoulders and down her back. "All the chambers on the third floor have been cleaned for everyone to arrive. The ones staying overnight, at least." He tells his sister.

"If father didn't serve alcohol then maybe they could all go home after the party." Raven complains.

"If he didn't serve alcohol these parties would be unbearable." Scorpius retorts, and it causes Raven to give a giggle of agreement. "Honestly even with the alcohol they are hard to cope with."