A/N
Ok, I know the last few chapters haven't been satisfying, but I swear I'm building up on it!!!!! I am, I am ... Trust me, it WILL get better...
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Scorpius's POV
We drove smoothly down the road, moving at an even pace as we zipped down the noisy streets of London. Silence prevailed.
"Bloody hell," Draco said in a low whisper, and I saw his eyes widening in the rear view mirror. "I can't believe we just bumped into Granger."
"She hasn't aged much," Astoria commented vaguely, staring out the window.
"Scorpius, do you know who we just bumped into?" Draco asked, eyes twitching with humor. As if this was some grand reveal that I should know nothing about, not that she fought with the famed Harry Potter, or was the current Minister of Magic, or my girlfriend's mother, or anything remotely like that.
It's not like I've been living under a rock all my life.
I cocked an eyebrow, "The Minister for Magic?"
"Yes," Draco murmured thoughtfully. "But she also happens to be—well, to be the girl your mother and I, say, used to tease in our school days."
"I did nothing of the sort, it was your father who did all the bullying," Astoria said in fake haughtiness.
"Wow. Really? You're gonna throw me under the bus like that? After everything we've been through together?" Draco exclaimed.
"I was never in front of the bus, so fairly it's not my problem."
"You're my wife!"
"This wasn't part of the job description."
"And to think I trusted you."
I started laughing. I couldn't help it. I had missed seeing my parents play with each other all day.
"So, Scorpius," Draco said, all the humor fading from his voice. "How are you doing with your studies?"
That was my cue: the laughter faded.
"Have you been following up on what we talked about the last time?"
Well, Father, you see I would have gotten more Os if McGonagall hadn't assigned Rose Weasley to distract me all year.
I cleared my throat.
"Yeah. I got a few Os," I softly. I was annoyed to hear that I didn't sound convincing at all.
"Oh, well. That explains the Ts all over the mid-term report I received two weeks ago."
Oh. Right. Reports.
"Scorpius, how many times do I have to tell you that studying is an important aspect of being a student, before it actually stamps itself into that thick head of yours?" Draco said, exasperated. "You're eighteen. Eighteen should be old enough for you to start taking responsibility for the things that you're doing. Merlin knows what you're doing, but we're not going to be here forever, you know. And it's up to you to carry on the Malfoy Business without throwing it out the window!"
"I know," I mumbled.
"Where do you think money comes from? Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?" Draco snapped. His was voice rising still, the way it does when he's on a roll: a roll down memory lane. "We work to make a living. I may have made some poor decisions in my lifetime, but at least I worked hard—a-and made up for it, and I was able to earn the rights for the Family Business."
"Draco," Astoria muttered, her eyes filling with tears.
The car sped up.
"Do you think I got here all on my own? No! I had the teachings of my own father. But he—he was different than me, he didn't help me like this." he said. "But that's why I want to be different. I realised how important studying was, and now I want to be here for you. I know I've made some bad choices, but I'm trying. I'm trying! I'm trying to be a good father, because I wasn't a good student. I let my school and my family down. Do you want to be like that?"
There was an agonising beat of silence. These were things I had heard before, of course. Talk of working his way up again, amending his reputation—these ideas floated around the house all throughout my childhood.
And yet. There was something strange about his voice today. Maybe it was because of everything I had learnt this year: the way my eyes had opened to things I had never dreamt I would learn about. Like the danger of Death Eaters. Like Rose Weasley.
I was at a complete loss for words.
Draco was still so lost his outburst that he didn't notice the tree that beelined straight towards us.
"Draco, look out!" Astoria screamed.
Draco's eyes flicked towards the screen and his eyes widened in alarm. He spun the steering wheel. The cacophonous screeching of tires raked against my ears. I grasped the handle above me, ignoring the seatbelt that cut hard through my shoulder. The car jerked to one side.
And then to a stop.
Silence.
Draco and Astoria were both panting hard, eyes wide as they stared at the road ahead of them. I stared at them.
Draco's knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
After a solid five minutes of silence Astoria opened her door. Then without a word she ducked out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her.
Draco swore under his breath, before quickly sliding out of the car after her.
I watched through the car window as the two of them argued about the long scratch that raked up the side of the black Lamborghini. I didn't have to see it to know it was bad.
After a while I took out my wand and did a non-verbal spell, sending both voices echoing through the car.
"Baby, it's fine. It's just a scratch—"
"Just a scratch?!" Astoria spluttered. She sighed, beautiful eyes frustrated and pleading and sad. "Draco, that's not the point! You think everything can be fixed with money, but it can't. Some things... some things you need to take responsibility for."
Her voice got softer still, leaving me only the muffled sounds and the agonized expressions on their faces.
"I'm going for a walk," Astoria said. "By the time I come back you'd better have sorted everything out."
Then, wrapping her black shawl tighter over her chest, she turned and headed down the road, leaving Draco by himself.
It took him a moment before he ducked back into the car.
I quickly stuffed my wand back in my pocket before he could notice.
"Hey," he said, staring at the large screen in front of him.
I didn't answer.
"You're mother's pretty pissed about the car," he said with a forced laugh, attempting dry humour. "It's a good thing it's just a car, and nothing else, huh?"
"Yeah," I muttered, barely over a whisper.
"Look, I shouldn't have yelled—"
"No, it's fine, really—"
"No, no, it's not. I was angry, I wasn't thinking straight, and because of my careless attitude I almost got everyone kill—"
"Dad, seriously, I'm fine! Honestly, I deserved it!" I said, not quite sure if it was true. "Really, Dad. I know my grades have been pretty bullshit these days, and that's definitely not acceptable. And I have been pretty careless lately and... I-I'll try to improve."
There. That sounds about right, doesn't it?
Apparently it did, because a familiar, warm approving smile slid across Draco's lips. I didn't need to see his face to know it was there.
"Thank you, Scorpius," he said. "You know, I really shouldn't doubt you these days. I mean, you've already proved you'll go far in life. Not to mention, with that Malfoy charm of yours—" his eyes glowed playfully "—so I guess all that's left now is for me to have more faith in my son. I know you won't disgrace the family name."
DING! And there it is! The big arrow through the heart. What a way to ruin the moment! Ladies and gentlemen, will Scorpius continue his forbidden love with the infamous Weasleys, or will he stop the relationship before he completely obliterates the Malfoy name? Send us an owl and let us know what you think.
"Of course," I managed to reply in a strained voice. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Let's pick up your mother."
The engine roared to life.
I sighed in relief, thanking God there was still time before I dropped the bomb, but there was no denying that no drill on this Earth could prepare what was coming.
$$$
"There's mail."
I glanced up to see Draco picking up a pile of letters from the long dining table as he sipped his coffee Mug.
"From whom?" Astoria called, eyes never leaving the Daily Prophet.
"Gringotts... your sister... some party invitation," his brows furrowed curiously as he swung the letter around. "It's from Pansy and Blaise. Oh, I think Blaise told me about this... Yeah, yeah, some charity thing. What do you think?"
"I wouldn't mind. It's been a while since I've seen Pansy anyways. She's so busy these days with the baby."
"Tell me about it. Bloody hell—Mother Pansy?" Draco laughed. He turned back to the letters, "By the way, babe, do you know a Rose by any chance?"
My ears perked.
"What do you mean, dear?" Astoria asked in a distracted voice.
"There's no surname," Draco picked up the letter. "'Scorpius ... dinner ...' Huh. Scorpius, I think it's for y—"
I snatched the letter out of his hand and darted up the stairs without a word. Behind me, I could hear Draco chuckling something about kids.
I slipped into my room, shutting the door discreetly behind me. I sighed. It took me a moment to recognize the familiar feeling of the green painted walls and the black-satin kingsized bed that was planted in the middle of the large room.
I propped myself on a chair, scooching towards the desk in the corner of the room. Gently placing the letter on the dark mahogany, my eyes quickly scanned the parchment. Heart aflutter.
Scorpius,
There's a whole family Dinner tonight at our place. And by whole
I mean WHOLE!
They're expecting you at 6:00, pls wear something formal. And don't even think about being late.
- Rose
PS. Bring a jacket.
What a way to treat your boyfriend, I thought, smirking at her bossy tone. We've only been dating a week and you're already scheduling dinners with extended family.
I glanced back down at the parchment and was lucky to realise she hadn't put down her last name. Oh God, what a nightmare that would've been.
I looked up at the clock. 4:15.
I'd better get dressed now if I'm having dinner with the Weasleys. Who knows? Maybe if I'm polite enough, I'll actually have a chance at surviving.