He had been awake for a while now, and yet, Scorpius could not get his arse out of his bedroom.
His roommates had already left for Hogsmeade weekend and although he still had fifteen minutes to spare before he had to meet Granger in front of the gates of Hogwarts, he just could not bring himself to leave. It was like his legs weren't cooperating with him today, too paralysed by a fear he did not understand.
'It's a simple Hogsmeade weekend!' Al-the-Inner-Voice exclaimed in his mind. 'It's not as if you'll be going to war.'
Scorpius scowled. 'I feel like I'd rather go to war instead,' he thought. His eyes widened, though, upon realising what he said and hastily took it back. It was not the right time to think about stuff like that, now that he was sure war was looming and Voldemort would surely realise that Scorpius had been disloyal to him ever since he was branded.
Sighing, he finally dragged himself out of his bedroom and even congratulated himself when he was able to stumble out of the Slytherin dungeons. Blessedly, Pansy and his other friends were already out of Hogwarts. Pansy had been begging him incessantly to come with them, but he had to hastily reply that he couldn't since he was taking Astoria to Hogsmeade once more. The look of shock on her face was priceless, and Scorpius was thankful for Blaise, since he managed to drag Pansy away from him before she made a scene.
The corridors were almost deserted, save from students below third year who couldn't go out during Hogsmeade weekend. Scorpius had been silently praying that Hermione had forgotten about his stupid suggestion and had ditched him to be with her friends. He was, after all, under the influence of Felix Felicis; she might think he was just an overconfident, smarmy git who believed he could do anything.
But no, oh no, by the time he reached the gates of Hogwarts there she was, patiently waiting for him.
Hermione still had not seen him and Scorpius took that opportunity to slow down and just quietly observe. From this angle, he could easily mistake her as Rose, what with that wild, lioness-like hair of hers.
Scorpius once again tried to convince himself that the reason why he was just doing this, asking her to accompany him to Hogsmeade out of the blue, was because she looked like Rose. Somehow, it made him remember of home, and although just for a little bit, it made his homesick heart at peace.
He mindlessly stepped on a twig, its resounding crack alerting Hermione of his approaching presence. She swivelled around and saw him, a relieved smile stretching widely on her face.
The Slytherin took a sharp intake of breath, and the image of Rose was shattered.
Now, all he could see was Hermione, and dear Merlin, was she beautiful.
"Godric, I thought you weren't coming!" she exclaimed once he finally reached her side.
"I came just in time," he replied as soon as he found his voice once more.
Hermione merely sighed and ushered him to start walking.
As they arrived in Hogsmeade, most of the students were inside shops. There was a new product being endorsed by Zonko's, so students were predictably crowding that shop. Honeydukes also boasted of new creations and the lines outside the shop were almost a mile long.
"Can we go to Flourish and Blott's first?"
Scorpius didn't bother hiding a small smile. Trust Hermione Granger to prioritise her beloved books over any new crazy inventions by the other shops.
"Of course."
There were a few people inside when they entered. Thankfully, no one would instantly recognise the two. Which was a feat, seeing that she was one-third of the Golden Trio and he was the Scorpion King. Anywhere they go, they would surely be recognised.
Scorpius, not really needing anything from the shop, silently trailed behind Hermione as she snatched one book from another. She also bought some new parchments and ink pots and other studying materials she would surely need for the impending end-of-term exams.
"You do know that there is a high chance that the Second Wizarding War would be happening soon, yes?" he asked, amused at how things started to precariously wobble in her arms. He immediately rescued her shaking arms by relieving her of some of the materials. "Dumbledore might cancel the end-of-term exams, you know."
Hermione skidded into a halt and Scorpius peered at her face. Horror was clearly etched on her face, prompting him to chuckle.
"No," she squeaked. "I didn't think of that!"
She contemplated loudly whether she should continue buying these new materials, and Scorpius insisted that these things may actually come in handy by the time they started planning for the imminent battle.
By the time they left Flourish and Blotts, Hermione was sombre.
"Err... sorry," Scorpius said, massaging the back of his neck in guilt. "I shouldn't have brought up the... erm, you know... when we're supposed to be relaxing and not thinking about serious, adult matters today."
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "It's alright," she said. "I needed that since I'm getting ahead of myself."
She had been quiet ever since and Scorpius had no idea how to dispel the suddenly distressing and awkward atmosphere.
To cheer her up, he suggested drinking butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, which she thankfully agreed to.
The Slytherin knew there would be lesser people now, seeing that the long lines in both Honeydukes and Zonko's were still present, but as he went inside the famous pub, he skidded into a sudden halt. His eyes immediately settled on a small table, where Pansy's unmistakable shiny hair and Goyle's atrocious table manners greeted him. It was only Blaise who saw him, and he was about to call him over, but Scorpius vigorously shook his head to stop him. Blaise frowned, peered at the person behind Scorpius, before realisation dawned. Rolling his eyes, Blaise shooed him away and Scorpius did not need to be told twice. He ushered Hermione out of the shop once more and firmly closed the door behind him.
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Is it crowded inside?"
He shook his head and pulled her as far away from The Three Broomsticks as possible. "No, no, it's just that, err, my friends are inside," he explained. "I kind of told them I'll be meeting Astoria instead."
Scorpius expected Hermione to blow up in rage and accuse him of still prioritising his Scorpion King reputation above all else. But then, to his surprise, she merely sighed and shook her head. "I knew it," she simply said.
He was confused. "Knew what?"
"That you weren't exactly serious about this... this... whatever the hell you call this thing." She frowned. "I shouldn't have trusted you back then, especially since you're under the influence of Felix Felicis."
"What?" he asked, bewildered. "No, Granger, I was serious. It's just that—"
"—your Scorpion King image will be marred?" she helpfully supplied.
Scorpius scowled. "No, it's because you've never been friends with prejudiced prats and I'm sure if I told them who I'm really taking to Hogsmeade today, they'd go ballistic, owl their parents, and inevitably tell Voldemort." He tiredly shook his head and sighed. "Blimey, now I understood why my father had a terrible childhood."
Hermione started laughing, and Scorpius was confused. "You're not mad?" he asked.
"Of course I'm mad, because I'm seriously hungry and I really want to drink butterbeer," she protested in between fits of laughter. "But I empathise. Thank Merlin I'm a mudblood."
"Ugh, are we at it again?" he complained. "It's Muggle-born, for heaven's sake. Back in our time, anybody caught saying that stupid name will be branded as a Voldemort-loving bastard."
She just grinned prettily it was annoyingly distracting. "Come, I wasn't kidding when I said I was hungry."
Scorpius trailed behind her, not really minding the direction they were going in. They were nearing Madame Puddifoot's, and he thought Hermione would continue walking forward, but when she turned and entered the said shop, he baulked.
"We're eating here?"
Hermione stopped and craned her neck. "Well, yeah, because I'm sure there will be lesser, annoying people inside," she pointed out. "Besides, despite their sickening sweet desserts, they actually make a decent hot meal."
Scorpius had no choice but to comply, knowing that with Hermione's growing hunger, he'd be the receiving end of her wrath if she wasn't fed sooner.
Like she had predicted, there were lesser, annoying people inside. He spotted some couples, already lovey-dovey with each other, and Scorpius could feel a blush creeping up from his neck. Although he felt the same when he brought Astoria here last time, the awkwardness between them was dispelled immediately because they really didn't have romantic feelings for each other.
But with Hermione... well, bollocks.
She led him to the farthest booth and immediately placed her order. Scorpius mechanically ordered for their roast beef and some iced tea, and was almost sorry when the patron left their booth. Now, without any intrusion, an awkward atmosphere hung above their heads.
"Err, will Madame Puddifoot's still exist in the future?" she asked, breaking the silence.
The Slytherin slightly breathed a soft sigh and was thankful for a non-dangerous conversation topic. "Yes," he replied. "In fact, almost all of the shops in Hogsmeade will still be standing in the future."
"Good," she hummed. "That's good to hear."
Silence settled between them once more, and Hermione started humming under her breath and tapping her fingers on the table.
As Scorpius discreetly wiped off the forming sweat on his forehead, he couldn't help but think that the mere fact that he was going out on a date with Hermione Granger might already be changing the future. What was worse was that he was terrified with the idea that Rose and Hugo might cease to exist, just because he was stealing their mother away from Ron Weasley.
Come to think of it, how was Draco Malfoy supposed to be born? The mere idea of canoodling with Astoria made him sick to the stomach, so that was out of the table. This whole damn situation was super twisted, and suddenly, the future generation ceasing to exist was all he could think about. Perhaps his addition in this timeline would have disastrous results, and Scorpius felt dreadful that James Potter II or Lorcas Scamander would not be born at all because of him.
"Are you alright?"
Her soft voice broke through his panicked thoughts. Scorpius tried to calm his bloody heart just to not worry the brunette across from him.
"Err, yeah," he stuttered.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced. "Sure?" she asked. "You look like you're having a panic attack or something." She frowned and leaned forward. "Is this because you're really not serious about asking me out on Hogsmeade weekend?"
Despite his nervousness, he managed to roll his eyes. "And like I said, I was serious," he interjected. "Why do you keep on believing that this is just a mere joke?"
She shrugged her shoulders, her frown still in place. "I don't know," she said as she broke her gaze away. "You always gave an impression that you don't want to get too close with us."
"I do?" he asked, surprised.
Hermione nodded her head. "And I get it," she said. "I get it because—well—this isn't your home."
Scorpius wryly smiled. "Hogwarts will always be home," he lightly cajoled, but Hermione was already shaking her head.
"No, you know what I mean." She tugged her curls in frustration. "Even after we discovered who you really are and what your agenda is in helping us defeat Voldemort, you haven't changed. You still keep us at an arm's length."
"Granger—"
"If what you said were true, that you could never go back to your own time because things might reset back to normal and all would be for nought, then maybe at least you should, you know, start opening up to people." She gave him a small smile in return. "I mean, isn't that what your father failed to do before? Open up to people? It's... terribly lonely."
Somehow, her assumptions made him a little angry. "You bloody don't get it," he snapped, surprising Hermione. "You have no idea how it feels like, knowing that your mere presence in the past may inevitably cause some of your classmates, your bloody friends, to cease to exist." He jammed a finger against his chest and leaned forward. "I'm an anomaly, Granger. You and I both know that that possibility isn't far off from reality."
A tensed silence met his tirade, and the waiter took that time to deliver their food. Scorpius took that short time to calm himself down, gulping down the panic and distress that were starting to claw their way out of his throat.
"Is this about Rose and Hugo?" Hermione whispered as soon as the waiter was away.
His eyes widened and he refused to look at Hermione.
"You think... you think this" – she wildly gesticulated between her and him – "would cause them to cease to exist."
"You're supposed to marry Weasley, Granger," he spat. "Not go on a stupid date with me."
She answered his claim with silence, and Scorpius actually felt bad with his tone. Expelling a deep sigh, he started, "Look Grang—"
The words left his mouth as Hermione's small hand enclosed his big one. Surprised, he directed his grey eyes at her warm, smiling, brown ones.
"Time's a bitch," she whispered.
Scorpius found himself almost snickering at her words. "I actually concur," he replied.
Her lips stretched into a small smile. "Okay, so maybe this thing going on between us is awkward, mostly for you, but I'd like to think that somehow, someway, Rose and Hugo would still be born in the future. Just... just in a different way, you know. I mean, Draco Malfoy for example! I'm sure you don't want to canoodle with Astoria, your bloody mother, just so he would still be born."
"Gross, of course not!"
Hermione chuckled and retrieved her hand back. Scorpius had to stop himself from reaching out once more. "And well, look at you," she said, gesturing at him. "You existed in this timeline with a different set of parents. Your family tapestry is testament to that."
Scorpius' eyes widened, realising what she was saying. "That actually made sense," he replied. Then, narrowing his eyes, he accused, "You've read this in books now, didn't you?"
She shook her head, her wild curls flying around her face. "Just hazarded a guess," she corrected with a smile. "I mean, that's the only explanation I could think of, seeing now that you're suddenly the son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy."
His troubled mind and heart quietened with his words. "Thank you, Granger," he softly replied, prompting her to merely smile in return.
After that disastrous conversation, Scorpius started warming up to Hermione. The awkwardness between them was dispelled and he was able to talk to her about almost anything under the sun.
As he was almost finished with his meal, a surprising visitor dropped by their booth.
"Scorpius!"
The familiar voice of Astoria snapped him off a conversation he was having with Hermione about a particularly embarrassing memory of Al. "Astoria," he greeted with a huge smile, immediately standing up from his seat to give her a huge hug.
"You're with... someone," the younger witch said, eyeing Hermione curiously.
Scorpius couldn't help but blush at the tone of her voice. He remembered the time when he introduced a girl to his parents during the summer of his fifth year. Astoria was surprisingly besides herself and had been twittering around the girl, peppering her with questions out of curiosity. Scorpius still somehow blamed his mother for chasing her away, to be honest.
"Err... yes," he finally replied.
"Hello," Hermione greeted with a smile. "You must be Astoria."
The Slytherin silently nodded her head. "And you're Hermione Granger," she merely pointed out.
"So, you want to join us?" Scorpius asked, because it was seriously the only thing he could think of right now.
"Oh no, no, terribly sorry to intrude," Astoria said with a dazzling smile. "I just came here to say hi and I didn't realize you were on a... date."
"It's not a date," he protested. Horrified, he chanced a glance at Hermione, who merely looked amused with his claim.
"It's 'whatever the hell this is'," Hermione corrected in jest.
Astoria giggled, much to Scorpius' surprise. "I'm sure it is," she replied. Then, to Scorpius, "Sorry, I can't stay. My friends are waiting for me outside. I actually came here to thank you for my lovely Christmas gift. And also to remind you not to eat your toffees in one sitting. Merlin, I bought enough to last you a year!"
Scorpius chuckled. "Yes, you did," he replied.
"Anyway, that is all," she said, waving her hand in goodbye. "Have fun in your 'whatever the hell this is'."
She bounded away, prompting Scorpius to sigh in relief.
"She doesn't know she's your mother, yeah?"
Scorpius looked at Hermione like she was barmy. "Merlin, no, that would be super weird," he replied. "Especially since I'm clearly a year older than her. Imagine the humiliation I'd get if I told her she was my mother and... and tell her I miss her so much." He scowled and grumbled at his plate. "I bloody miss her so much."
Hermione once again held his hand and it comforted him a bit.
"I'm the tiniest bit devastated my father won't be able to meet her," he lamented. "She was... she was the single, guiding light in his dark, bleak life."
"She sounds lovely," she supplemented. "She sounds like she really loved your father."
"Oh, she really did," Scorpius said with a fond smile. "My mother used to joke that my father only married her for Pureblood's sake, you know. Especially because the Malfoy family's name was dragged into the mud and of course a strategic wife would be beneficial. Then, Dad would remind her that she accepted him despite everything that he did in the past. Loving her was inevitable."
He sadly smiled, the nostalgia in his heart blooming. "I was really lucky to grow up having parents like them," he claimed with a sigh. "I kind of pity my father for growing up under Lucius' scrutiny. I mean, thank Merlin the bastard's in Azkaban when I travelled back to this time. And also thank Merlin my father didn't turn out to be like him."
"You seem to love your father very much."
"I'm here now, aren't I?" he said, gesticulating at himself.
The smile on her face was quite sad, he thought.
Hermione suggested going back to Hogwarts after eating.
__________
"So that we can avoid anyone we know," Hermione reasoned out, prompting Scorpius to blush and apologise profusely again. She merely laughed and waved her hand dismissively, beckoning him to start the short trek back to Hogwarts.
Like she had predicted, there were fewer people in the corridors. Scorpius was able to accompany her until in front of the portrait that guarded the Gryffindor Common Room.
The Fat Lady had been snootily eyeing him and Hermione had no choice but to pull him away until they were hidden in one of the alcoves of the seventh floor.
"She could be awfully meddlesome," Hermione complained. "I'm a little afraid she'd start blubbering about it to anyone who wishes to climb inside the common room."
Hermione then proceeded to rummage inside her robe pocket while Scorpius watched curiously. She pulled out a keychain of a miniature Hungarian Horntail, able to breathe out fire. He placed his finger against its mouth as it once again breathed fire, and he snickered, merely feeling warm and ticklish.
"Err... so I know it's late as a Christmas present," she started, "So maybe a Happy New Semester gift?"
He knitted his eyebrows. "A gift?" he asked.
She placed it on his open palm and replied, "It reminded me of your father – Draco... the Dragon." She shifted her gaze at the small dragon and smiled. "You know, dragons were once renowned as gentle, intelligent creatures of magic. They only turned ferocious due to the corruption of wizards and witches alike."
"Now where did I hear that story before?" he joked, prompting Hermione to sadly smile. "Thank you, Granger. This is brilliant."
"So, I think this is the right time to ask you once more if we're already close?"
She asked this jokingly, but there was something in her eyes that were hopeful. Scorpius did not hesitate anymore when he answered, "Yeah, well, if it's what you feel, too."
"Yeah," she said, prettily smiling once more.
They started at a ruckus outside, signalling the return of students, and this broke them away from their little moment.
"I... uh... I'd better go," she said. "I had a wonderful time today, Scorpius, thank you."
His eyes widened at how she addressed him. "I, err, I was afraid you'd label this as one of your worst dates ever," he confessed, albeit lightly.
"I've never been on too many dates to compare this."
Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "You know what? Me neither," he revealed. "But... but I had fun today, too. Thank you... err, Hermione."
Her grin stretched wider and to his surprise, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "See you," she bid as her goodbye.
Scorpius stood rooted on his spot even after minutes she had gone. The small dragon on his palm was already nudging his fingers to get his attention.
Groaning, he lifted the dragon until its small, yellow eyes were levelled with his. "Bloody hell, she shouldn't be too sweet to me because my heart is swayed too easily," he grumbled. The dragon breathed a small fire, prompting Scorpius to sigh. "She's not making the situation between us easier. At all."
He finally pushed himself off the alcove and journeyed back to the Slytherin Common Room, his thoughts mostly consumed of Hermione Granger and her pretty smile.