Finally, finally, Scorpius was able to find the right spell to fix the Vanishing Cabinet. He thought it was quite amusing he came across from it in an old brochure about keeping safe during the First Wizarding War. Still, he couldn't believe his luck; now, the next thing he should do was to find some time to actually start fixing it.
Scorpius mentally thought about his schedule as the sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors sauntered into the Potions dungeons. With the holidays nearing, the professors were extra ruthless with homework and practice exams. Scorpius was always swamped with an essay, furiously scribbling on his parchment away just to achieve the mandatory length. There was also the issue of the impending Hogsmeade weekend and Slug Club's Christmas Party.
All in all, Scorpius believed the next few weeks would be too jam-packed. Grimacing in disappointment, he had an inkling he wouldn't be able to start fixing until the start of the holidays.
"Mister Malfoy, I know that you are currently my best student, but I still require you to listen," Professor Slughorn's voice suddenly cut through his muddled thoughts.
His eyes widened, not realising that classes had already started. All eyes were latched onto him, and he tried his best not to blush upon seeing Weasley snicker behind his professor's back. Slughorn thankfully didn't look mad, only mildly amused, and merely lightly admonished his inattention and went back to explaining about the potion they would be making today.
Scorpius sent a scathing glare towards Weasley and was surprised to see Lavender Brown sitting beside him instead of Granger. His eyes landed on the said bushy-haired Gryffindor, who was wearing a dark scowl on her face. Curious, he looked back at Weasley and made a face when Brown gave him a wet kiss on his cheek.
As they walked towards the cabinets to gather for ingredients, Scorpius discreetly sidled beside Harry and whispered, "What's wrong with Granger?"
Harry frowned. "What's it to you?" he spat back.
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Something's obviously wrong," he said, choosing not to answer Harry. "If Granger glared at her cauldron too long, I wouldn't be surprised if it started boiling."
The-Boy-Who-Lived sighed and shot a brief glance at his best friend. "After the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, which you missed by the way—"
"I had things to do," he shot back. He did want to watch the match, but Scorpius was strictly running out of time. On a brighter note, he was able to finally find the right spell to fix the Vanishing Cabinets.
"Whatever, I don't bloody care," Harry dismissed. "As I was saying, after the match, Lavender sort of threw herself at Ron and, ever since then they're inseparable." He made a face. "It's a bit sickening, to be honest. And Hermione... well..." He gestured weakly at her general direction. "Simply put, she isn't too happy about the new relationship."
"Ugh, way to go, Weasley," Scorpius said with an eye roll. Upon seeing Harry's questioning glance, he explained, "He's annoyingly daft. I don't know what Granger sees in him."
In spite of himself, Harry cracked a small, sad smile. "You know what?" he started. "Me too."
__________
A wide yawn tore away from his mouth as Scorpius blearily walked towards the Hogwarts library. He still had to finish a seven-feet essay for Transfiguration and complete his dream journal for Divination. Schoolwork seemed mundane now that he had other bigger responsibilities to do, but Scorpius knew he had no choice but to bask under the normalcy to keep himself sane.
He still had not found the right time to venture back in the Room of Requirement. Snape's Occlumency lessons became more frequent, with the DADA professor insisting he should master it now that the day of destroying another horcrux was nearing. Thankfully, Snape said he was becoming better at it – in a reluctant, insulting way, of course – and the headaches he got after every Occlumency sessions were starting to be less frequent.
"Cormac, can I talk to you for a sec?"
Scorpius froze, hearing Granger's unmistakable voice, and immediately hid behind an alcove. He scowled at himself, questioning why he suddenly had the urge to hide. He didn't have enough time to dwell on his weird actions, and instead peeked at the two Gryffindors.
"Hermione," the seventh year wizard drawled. "I have all the time in the world."
Scorpius made a face and almost guffawed at the disgust on Hermione's face. He wondered if McLaggen was able to see the expression on her face, or chose to ignore it.
"Err... all right," she continued. Conflicting emotions danced through her face, before she took a deep breath and continued, "Have you thought of going to Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party?"
'Oh, fuck no, Granger,' the Slytherin sneered, noting how Cormac's face lit up like Christmas came early. Before he could register what he was doing, he pushed himself off the alcove he was hiding and strode towards the two students. Hermione saw him first, as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Malfoy," she greeted, her voice a tad shrill and panicked.
"Gods, Granger, where the hell were you?" he snarled. "Davies called for a meeting."
She grew confused. "Meeting?" she asked. "What—" Her eyes widened at his pointed glance. "Meeting. Right... yes, yes."
A frustrated look grew on McLaggen's face and he latched onto Hermione's wrist. "We aren't done talking," he protested. "And if you must know, I do plan on going to Slughorn's Christmas Party, Hermione."
The buffoon looked stupidly hopeful, Scorpius almost felt sorry for him. "Granger, really, I have no time for your dawdling," he snapped.
"Fuck off, Malfoy," Cormac thundered.
Hermione hastily pulled her wrist away from Cormac and scampered closer to Scorpius. "Sorry, Cormac, but duty calls," she said.
She didn't wait for the older wizard's answer as she quickly latched onto Scorpius' wrist and dragged him away from Cormac. She pulled him quickly until they were inside the Hogwart's library. Madame Pince sent them off a curious glance, but Hermione paid her no mind.
She only stopped when they reached her table – well, their table, seeing that Scorpius frequented this, too, - and gratefully looked at the Slytherin. "Merlin, Malfoy, you have no idea how thankful I am for your intervention."
Scorpius snorted and placed his book bag on the table. "McLaggen? Really?" he asked. "I'm starting to think you have a bad taste on men, Granger."
She furiously blushed and plopped down on the seat opposite her. "I didn't know what came into me," she said, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Let me guess - Weasley's a bloody wanker so you wanted to invite someone else to make him jealous," he answered. When her cheeks inflamed, confirming his suspicions, Scorpius sighed. "Ding ding ding, ten points to Slytherin."
"Shut up, Malfoy."
Scorpius leaned forward and waited until Hermione looked into his eyes. "Weasley's a bloody wanker," he reiterated. "And McLaggen isn't too far behind from him. I don't know what has gotten into you for even considering that stupid Gryffindor."
"Ugh, I know," she snapped. "It was a momentary lapse of judgment."
"Tell you what, Granger," he said, casually leaning back on his chair. "Why don't you take me to the Christmas Party instead?"
Hermione gaped and Scorpius was tempted to copy her expression. 'Where the hell did that come from?' Al-the-Inner-Voice exclaimed.
"W-what?" Hermione sputtered out. She knitted her eyebrows and frowned. "What are you playing at, Malfoy?"
He shrugged and desperately quashed that stupid inner voice. "If you want to make Weasley jealous, take someone who he absolutely hates. McLaggen might have fit that description, but please, Granger, at least spare yourself from the misery of spending with a buffoon for hours."
She lifted an eyebrow, amused. "And you think I won't be miserable if it's you instead?" she shot back.
"Fair point," he replied with a smirk. "But I don't see you preparing to scat now, do I?"
Hermione grew silent and contemplated his words. Scorpius nervously waited for her answer, desperately schooling his emotions behind his mask of indifference. He half-expected that she would reject his offer, but a small, tiny hope bloomed in his heart and it wouldn't go away.
"What will everybody think if the Scorpion King brought the Gryffindor mudblood to the Christmas party?" she carefully asked. There was no malice in her voice, only genuine curiosity, but still, Scorpius couldn't help but snarl at her words.
"Stop calling yourself that name," he snapped.
The witch's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" she asked. "Mudblood?"
Scorpius scowled and moodily looked away. "Yes," he curtly replied.
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. A question sat at the tip of her tongue, that much Scorpius knew, and he didn't know what to answer if she started asking questions that may reveal his terrible secret. Still, it did not sit quite well in him when the most powerful witch of their future kept on degrading herself like that. Granted, it most definitely did not bother her anymore, but Scorpius still felt uneasy with her casual offhanded insult.
"Okay," she merely replied.
"Okay that you agree to bring me to Slughorn's party or okay you'll stop calling yourself that ridiculous name?"
To his surprise, a small smile appeared on her face. "Okay to both," she explained.
"Wait... seriously?" he asked, thoroughly surprised. "You're actually agreeing to take me to Slughorn's party? Not that I don't want to, Granger, but I honestly thought my suggestion was really stupid."
Her grin widened as she copied his posture and leaned back on her chair. "Better anyone than McLaggen," she pointed out. He opened his mouth, but Hermione already answered, "Yes, Malfoy. Even you are better than him."
Scorpius snorted. "Huh?" he said. "What has the world gone to?" Inside, he was doing a happy jig. Operation: Sucking Up was starting to progress.
She casually shrugged, then started taking out her schoolwork from her bag. Scorpius stared at her for a full minute before pulling out his own things to start working on his Transfiguration essay.
Exactly thirty minutes passed when Hermione broke the silence between them. "Malfoy?" she asked.
"Hmm?" he distractedly asked, messily scratching out a specific sentence that didn't quite belong in a paragraph.
"I... err... I used to be self-conscious about my two front teeth, so when you accidentally hexed me back in fourth year, I let Madame Pomfrey shrink them to a size that I wanted," she revealed.
Scorpius frowned and lifted his eyes. He'd heard this story from his father before, one he wasn't entirely proud of. Draco soon admitted the minister looked better with her teeth shrunken. "Why are you suddenly telling me this?" he asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes despite her inflamed cheeks. "I thought we're doing this 'I tell you a secret, you tell me yours' thing?" she replied back. She defensively crossed her arms against her chest and frowned. "I'm just living up to the end of our bargain."
"Oh, right," he said, lifting an amused eyebrow. "And that isn't a secret, Granger. Everybody knows you've let Madame Pomfrey shrink your teeth for your vanity."
"It wasn't for vanity, per se," she protested. "I just wanted to... feel good about myself."
Scorpius snorted. "Like I said, vanity," he said. Hermione scowled but didn't correct him this time.
He then placed his parchment and quill aside and smirked. "My turn then." He grew pensive and tried to think of another of his secrets to tell Hermione. "Aha!" He grinned. "Back in fourth year, I was hopelessly in love with the Weird Sisters and I tried to recruit some of my mates to build a band."
Scorpius fondly recalled how Albus was beside himself with happiness, thinking his plan was wicked. They recruited three more Slytherins to their band, the Oddballs they called themselves, and actually got a gig in Three Broomsticks during one of their Hogsmeade weekends. There weren't any gigs that followed, seeing that it was also that year when his family had another scandal to distract him from other things. It was a pity, now that he was properly thinking about it – they were actually quite good.
"A band?" Hermione gasped, aghast. "Sorry, Malfoy, but I can't really imagine you as that kind of person." She knitted her eyebrows and frowned. "Now that I think about it, I should at least have heard about your band or something."
"It fizzled immediately," he said with a casual shrug. "I have other priorities that year."
She still looked wholly unconvinced. "O-kay," she slowly said. "If you're just pulling my leg to humour me, though..."
"Believe whatever you want, Granger," he said with a smirk. "I'm just honestly being truthful to you."
Hermione snorted. "I highly doubt that, Mister-I-Have-a-Bloody-Secret-but-I-Can't-Tell-You-Yet-Because-We're-Not-Close," she pointed out.
He choked out a laugh and had to immediately clamp his lips shut once Madame Pince's hawk-like eyes settled on their table. "That was a pretty impressive nickname," he pointed out, his eyes shining with mirth. "It has a nice ring to it."
She rolled her eyes, but was unable to suppress a small smile. "So, we're not close yet?" she asked.
"Tough luck, Granger," he said with a smile.
She sighed and went back to her homework. "I figured as much," she merely replied.
__________
"You're spending an awful lot of time with Malfoy," Harry pointed out once Hermione settled on the Gryffindor bench. Ron gave her an accusing glare, while Ginny lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.
"No, I'm not," she snapped irately, annoyed at the accusatory glares of her best friend.
The-Boy-Who-Lived darted a quick glance at the Slytherin table before moving closer to the brunette. "Hermione, really, you and I both know he's bad news," he protested. "I know Dumbledore wants us to work with him, but he didn't say about becoming friends with the smarmy git. Have you forgotten what he did to all of us before? How can you easily trust him now? You're way smarter than that."
Ginny rolled her eyes at the pitiful Gryffindor, but Hermione wasn't able to notice it. Her eyes flared at his insinuation and she gave him the darkest glare she could muster. It didn't help that Harry withered under her gaze.
"It's not your bloody business if I start trusting him or not," she whispered irately. "You lot are just blinded with prejudice and ridiculous school rivalry to actually get to know him." She was still dubious with his revelation that he started a band during their fourth year, but his eyes were genuine when he was retelling this secret of his.
"Hermione," Ron whined. "He's called you a mud..." His words dangled as his cheeks coloured.
"A what, Ronald?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Say it."
He scowled. "You know what," he angrily replied. "He'd been nothing but antagonistic to us, but you're willingly giving him your bloody trust, Hermione." He mellowed a bit, his eyes shining with sincerity. "We just don't want you to get hurt."
Harry vigorously nodded his head, fully concurring with his best friend's words. Beside him, Ginny was slowly shaking her head.
"You idiots," the youngest Weasley called.
Having lost her appetite, Hermione abruptly stood up from her seat. "Well, I guess it's good to know that you don't trust me enough to decide about things on my own," she snarled. Harry and Ron flinched with her tone, but she didn't pay them any mind as she shouldered her strap and stomped out of the Great Hall.
"Way to go, you buffoons," Ginny sighed once she was gone.
__________
Today was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year and Scorpius Malfoy would be lying if he said he wasn't a bundle of nerves. He already excused himself from his friends, telling them that he was going to Hogsmeade with Astoria Greengrass. Pansy was aghast at his choice of companionship, pointing out that she was a weird, little thing unlike her older sister, but Scorpius merely gave her a smile and broke away from the group.
He was waiting for her at the gates of Hogwarts. The DA Core had passed by a few minutes ago; Hermione gave him a small smile, while Luna and Ginny voiced out their greeting. Unsurprisingly, Potter and Weasley were growling at him. Neville's expression was nervous, but he greeted him still, and Scorpius thought it was a nice change. His nose wrinkled in disgust when Lavender Brown was included in their small band, throwing him a suspicious glance.
"I'm sorry for being late," Astoria greeted, slightly out of breath. Scorpius brilliantly smiled at her arrival, marvelling at the youthful beauty his mother exuded. His mother was always poised and calm, every bit the Pureblood princess she was brought up to be, and to see her relaxed was like a breath of fresh air for him.
"For you," he said, offering a single yellow rose to her. Astoria's smile widened and she tucked the stem to her ponytail.
Their stroll to Hogsmeade was a relatively silent affair, save from brief exchanges of pleasantries hither thither. Scorpius was admittedly distracted throughout the whole ordeal, trying to command his heart to calm the fuck down. His heart ached every time Astoria smiled, and it took great self-control not to throw his arms around her and cry.
Thankfully, they reached the Three Broomsticks and they immediately strolled inside. Scorpius grimaced upon seeing that the whole place was packed without an available table in sight.
"Maybe it's best if we go to another place," she suggested with an amused smile.
Sighing, Scorpius shrugged and allowed Astoria to direct him to another place. It was only when they entered the familiar rose-scented store when he realised she brought him to Madam Puddifoot's.
He paled and panicked, knowing that this place was notorious for couples. A few people were inside, thankfully, and Scorpius had no choice but to follow his mother to a place at the very back of the shop. He mentally cursed himself for not directing her to a better, less intimate place; his main goal for this whole weekend was to earn her friendship. It would be disastrous (and downright disgusting) if Astoria got a different message.
"How's Mistress Narcissa?"
His eyes widened in surprise at her question, but Astoria's eyes were already shining with concern. Scorpius found himself lightly smiling and replied, "Well, I believe. Though, my Na – mother is notorious for sugarcoating her words to keep me from worrying for her."
Astoria smiled and gently patted his arm. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "About everything your family has been going through right now."
"Don't be," he protested.
Her smile turned forlorn. "It must have been a hard year for you, Scorpius," she pointed out.
He took a deep breath and cracked a wry smile. "Oh, you most definitely have no idea," he said.
The atmosphere between them soon became relaxed, and Scorpius found himself telling her about all the mundane things he was experiencing this year. He missed this – he missed talking to his mother about everything he could think of. Future Astoria always tutted, saying he never ran out of words, but she would steadfastly listen to him and offer some pieces of advice if necessary.
By the time they left Madam Puddifoot's, Scorpius' heart was already bursting with emotions. His eyes were stinging with tears, his mind already a jumbled mess as he stared at the beautiful, raven hair of his mother. He wondered what future Astoria was thinking about right now, what she was doing, and how she was feeling. He wondered if it really was wise for him to turn back into time and leave her to comfort his father alone.
"Scorpius?" teenage Astoria's voice cut through his musings. He flinched when she touched his cheek, and that was when he realised he had started to cry. Alarm flashed in Astoria's eyes and she hastily looked around. Thankfully, the few people on the streets were too distracted to notice the suddenly crying Scorpion King.
Scorpius allowed Astoria to pull him into a small, concealed land behind Madam Puddifoot's.
"What's the matter?" she worriedly asked, peering at his swimming eyes.
Unable to stop himself, he enveloped her into a tight hug and buried his nose in her hair. 'Mum,' he cried inside. 'Mum, I miss you so much.'
"Everything's going to be all right," she soothed, comfortingly patting his back. Scorpius tightly closed his eyes and imagined it was his future mother holding him close until his tears abated. "Hush, now, Scorpius."
He held her for minutes until he stopped crying. Scorpius could already feel his cheeks warming in embarrassment.
"Err... sorry about that," he croaked as he pulled away. He refused to meet her gaze, afraid of what he might see in them. "I did tell you it was a terribly tiring year."
Astoria grasped his hand and waited until his eyes met hers. He was surprised to see that there was no judgement in her eyes, only worry and warmth that was definitely his mother.
"I... I don't know what happened," she confessed. "I somehow think that something's changed. Something is definitely different about you, Scorpius, and I can't quite put a finger on it. But... but if you need a friend to talk to, I'm right here." A lovely grin grew on her face as she comfortingly squeezed his hand. "In fact, I'd like to spend another Hogsmeade weekend with you, if you like."
"That would be brilliant," he hastily replied, matching her wide grin.
"Although..." She made a face. "Just to be clear: We're just friends right?" Scorpius stared at her in horror. "I mean, I think you're good-looking blah blah blah, but no offence, Scorpion King, I feel a little queasy thinking about being more than friends with you."
His cheeks blazed. "Fuck, no," he quickly protested. When Astoria quirked an amused eyebrow, he added, "I-I mean, I think you're beautiful and wonderful, but it'll be totally awkward if things..." He faltered and blushed redder. "I mean, no offence, Astoria."
To his relief, she merely laughed. "I understand," she said. She lifted her hand and fondly touched her yellow rose. "I figured that you didn't want anything more when you gave me a yellow rose. I thought since you knew what lilies of the valley meant, you'd understand that a yellow rose meant friendship, right?"
Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Astoria got the right message when he gave her the flower. "Yes," he said. "I'm glad you understand."
Astoria touched his cheek, still wet from the tears he had shed a while ago. "You're really different," she said with a smile. "If you become that arrogant and stupid buffoon you were months ago, I won't just stand aside." Her eyes glinted warningly, prompting him to grin. "As your friend, I am obligated to slap your head to knock some sense into that thick head of yours."
His grin widened. "Really, Astoria, why did you think I was desperate for your friendship?" he asked.
She chuckled, fondly patted his cheek, and stepped away. The mirth in her eyes melted, replaced by sincere worry. "If something's bothering you, Scorpius, you know where to find me," she said.
His heart throbbed once more. "Thank you, Astoria," he whispered in reply. "That really means a lot to me."