Soldiers and Serpents //Scorbus

59 Distraction

"Okay." He tells her, looking at Orion and Michael. Michael throws up his hands in annoyance. "Just for a bit." He tells James, who beams. The Potters tell the waiter that they'll all sit together, and then leads back to the table. Michael falls to the back of the group with Scorpius. "I know." Scorpius tells him in a low voice. "I don't exactly want to be here either."

"What? Why not? Aren't you and Albus like best friends or something?" Michael snaps at his rather passive aggressively. Scorpius looked at his cousin, and Michael's demeanor changed. "Oh. You're not?"

"Not exactly." Scorpius said softly, joining at the table before Michael could ask more details. He sat between Raven and Orion, who was by James. The waitress came to take their orders. "Just a butterbeer for me." Scorpius tells him.

"He'll have chicken strips too." Raven adds. Scorpius gave her a look. "You look thin." She scolds.

"He doesn't look that thin." Orion defends him.

"Yes, he does." Albus spoke up finally. James quickly changes the subject before Scorpius could snap It's none of your concern what I look like.

"So what brings you guys to my side of town, huh?" James wondered, in that casual loud way of his.

"Maybe we just wanted to see if the butterbeer was any different here than Diagon Alley." Raven jokes. "Why you so nosey, James? Wishing that I came to see you?" She taunts, casually glancing him up and down. And it wasn't for his benefit, Scorpius realized. It was to keep the attention off him. Even if Raven blamed him, her first response was to make him more at ease. Regardless of the situation. Scorpius decided to stay quiet, not really feeling like socializing.

"Damn Raven. By all means, hit my ego while you're at it." James sends that same energy back to her.

"I never miss an opportunity to remind a Potter what their missing." She was being a little nasty now. Considering this was definitely not just directed at James. Albus sets his fork down on his plate with a clang, clearly catching that.

"So where are you guys living?" James asks, and then gestures to Michael- who had also decided to be quiet and sulk. James wasn't just asking where- he was curious why they were living together. And if Michael was living with them.

"Aren't you full of questions." Raven easily deflects before anyone else could respond. Orion gave a loud laugh.

"You guys are living together?" Albus caught it, his tone clipped.

"At the manor? I'd love to see the place." Lily jumps in, eagerly.

"Perhaps I'll show you sometime." Raven tells the girl, still evading the questions smoothly. "It's been updated a lot, but there's still some impressive features to the land." Lily listens intently as Raven explains the double staircases, and foyer where they host parties. The labyrinth that changes exits every quarter hour. How far back in the Malfoy family it goes. Raven's stack of knowledge about it was spilled bare. And while Lily was engaged in her words, and Orion shallowly listened, the other's minds were only concerned with their curiosity.

"That sounds like a castle." Lily finally says. Raven smiles at her.

"Well there's servant chambers but since father-" her voice cracked and she coughed softly before continuing. "-since he took over the manor we haven't had any. Mum found it a little too rich. She wanted us to grow up humbled." Raven gave a short laugh. "As if we could grow up as a Malfoy and be humbled." Scorpius felt his heart empty out, her words cutting a hole in him. They were orphans.

He urged himself to go numb, to just not feel anything. But like all the times he wished for it to happen, he couldn't.

Not here. Scorpius shook himself out of his thoughts. "Here's your butterbeer." The waiter sets the glass down, and then brings the food.