Scorpius Malfoy's Black jeans soaked up to his knees as the two of them accidentally apparated into the swamp. There's a disgusted groan as Albus's pants soak through with dark water. "Don't be such a baby." Scorpius's lips spoke before his mind had time to stop him. Actually, he was rather grossed out himself. His blue grey eyes scanned the surroundings, and he shook the slight nausea he felt from the last teleportation. The boy looked towards the Neolithic buildings of Wiltshire, seeing that they had landed in the swamp not far from the Malfoy Manor. They'd have to trek a bit through town to get there.
Scorpius walked through the shallow pond and then stepped up onto harder ground, looking down at his soaked shoes. "You don't have to be a dick, you dragged me from Herbology to take a stroll through the mud." Albus's response was sour, and he sounded like his day couldn't get any worse. Scorpius thought it was funny, considering what he's been through recently. The Malfoy watched as the smaller boy trudged towards him. He offers a hand to help Albus out of the dark muddy water. Potter looks at the extended arm, seeming to contemplate how upset he was, then accepts the help.
"In my defense," Scorpius pulls Albus up, and waits until his feet are steady on firm ground before letting his hand go. "I wasn't about to walk into Daniel's house without backup. And the swamp was an accident. You can borrow some jeans when we get there." He looked down at Albus's pant legs. The brunette boy gestures to his father's cloak in his arms. It was wet as well. Scorpius didn't have an answer for that.
"Why didn't you bring Raven instead of me?" Albus asked. Scorpius ignored the question, and lead the way down the dirt road. His shoes thumping with each step, leaving a stream of water behind him. There's a soft sigh, a roll of the eyes, and then Albus is following the other boy towards the Manor. His unease grew with each step. The surrounding town may have been ancient looking and rather charming, but he felt like the buildings were looking at him. Scorpius could sense his unease, since he had grown up here he was use to the feeling. He slowed down to fall into step beside his friend.
After a few minutes of walking, Albus spoke again. "If you don't want to talk about Daniel, or Cypress Black... or why I'm here instead of your sister, then fine. But at least talk about something." He prodded. Scorpius lets out an annoyed sigh, fixating his gaze on where he was walking instead of the boy beside him. Albus's emerald eyes watched the other boy in concern. He carried his wand in one hand, and the other was empty, swaying slightly by his side as he walked. Albus was carrying the heavy material of the cloak, and it felt like with every step it gained a pound of weight.
"Fine. I don't want to tell Raven who I am. What blood I have doesn't change the fact we were raised together. We are siblings. I brought you instead because you already know everything. Mostly everything, at least." Scorpius pauses for a moment. "And honestly I don't think Raven retains a lot of Defense Against the Dark Arts. You seemed more suited for the task." Albus scoffed, loud and obnoxiously. It made Scorpius turn towards him with a raised eyebrow. Something he said?
"You've got to be kidding. I may not be bullied anymore, but I didn't suddenly grow assertive overnight. I'm still a pushover, Scorpius." He paused. The taller boy was about to interrupt but Albus kept going. "And you thought just because I knew the spells that I'd be able to cast them? Raven is like you. She might not have the same grades but she knows enough to make someone afraid of her. Why do you think I answered her summons on the first day I sat with you?" He deadpans, stopping in his tracks to have the conversation. Scorpius stopped as well, turning towards the boy who seemed a tad angry now. Was he trying to fight with him?
"Come on Potter, you're not actually scared of her-"
"And it's Albus. Don't call me Potter. You call everyone else by their first name, except for me." He points out. Scorpius was quiet, looking at the student before him who seemed to have lost his chill. Maybe it was the last straw. Maybe this time Scorpius had asked and said too much. Perhaps knowing that he was Voldemort's descendant wasn't as easy for Potter as he let on. His mind raced, wondering how to repair this situation before it escalated to Albus Potter dropping him. As a friend. As anything.
Scorpius's grey eyes looked a little darker than normal and bleak under the overcast sky. They met the lively and passionate ones of Albus, and he scrambled for an explanation. "Okay." He started, gathering his thoughts and letting out the honest truth. "I call you by your last name because it keeps a wall between us."
Albus sets the cloak onto the dirt road, tired of carrying it. And since they were just standing there anyways, why not? "What does that mean?" He prompts the blonde boy calmly.
"'What does that mean'?" He echoes softly, scratching the back of his neck. Scorpius didn't want it to come off as sounding convoluted, so he thought his words out before saying them. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not really someone who has friends." He begins. "When I get close to people.. it doesn't turn out well. Calling you 'Potter' reminds me that I can't. That I shouldn't. You probably already know enough to.. turn tail and run." Scorpius felt like ripping his arms off would be less pain than what he was feeling at that moment. He hated himself for even saying it out loud. For how absolutely pitiful that made him look.
"And I haven't, Scorpius." Albus replies. Scorpius looked down at the cloak, as though suddenly it was a lot more interesting than continuing this conversation. "I haven't ran. You told me you were Cypress Black's son, related to the most powerful dark wizard who ever lived- and I let you apparate me into a swamp." The weight on the last word made the corner of Scorpius's mouth twitch in humor. Albus saw it, and started smiling. "You don't think you need anyone. Fine. But I do." He finalizes, picking up the cloak again and gesturing down the road. "I need you to get me a new pair of jeans and socks after you ruined these ones."
"I already said the swamp was a mistake, how long are you going to hold that against me?" Scorpius groaned, but started walking once again. Albus chuckles.
"Ask me in a year."
The Malfoy Manor was silent, cold. The dark house stood like a silhouette against the light grey sky. The gate opened under Scorpius's touch, and he closed it behind the two of them as they stepped onto the property. They were both tired from the half hour walk. Albus shivered a bit beside him, whether it was because of the manor or the cool breeze- Scorpius didn't know. "What is it about this place that freaks you out?" Scorpius asked curiously.
"Don't hate me, but part of it is because the Malfoys who have died were buried around the house. I'm use to cemetery's, so I always wondered if ghosts were inside." Albus was honest. The blonde boy snorted, holding back laughter. "I'm serious!"
"I know, that's why it's funny." Scorpius retorts, and strides across the short bleak lawn to the front door. "Come on, ghost boy." He calls over his shoulder. Albus rolled his eyes for another time that day.
"That's not even an improvement from 'Potter'." He muttered under his breath, dragging his feet to the front door. Scorpius unlocks the massive front door and closes it behind them. He stops at the entrance and takes off his wet shoes and socks, Albus looks around the empty mansion, his eyes scanning the home for a moment before following Scorpius's actions. "Why do the Malfoy's bury their own here, isn't that weird?" The brunette asks, actually seeming to be curious.
"In this family, nothing is weird." Scorpius replies, grabbing the wet shoes and socks and gesturing to Albus to follow him up the stairs. "The only time that it didn't make sense to me was when my aunt Daphne wasn't buried next to my mom when she died." He adds as an afterthought. Albus didn't move from where he stood by the door. "Come on." The blonde boy orders.
"What? Don't trust me meandering alone in the Manor?" He asked, clearly being testily for his own amusement.
"Would you trust me alone at your family's home?" Scorpius answers it with a counter question. Albus's face falls a little and then climbs the stairs behind the blonde, as though deciding that he probably wouldn't.
"Why wasn't Daphne Greengrass buried by your mother? Or at least they should've been buried somewhere else together." Albus changes topics back. Scorpius leads the way down the hall to his room as they reach the top of the stairs.
"My father wanted to keep my mother here when she died, as he should. She's a Malfoy by marriage. I think he would've wanted Aunt Daphne buried here too. But my grandfather never approved of his marriage, and he thought it was disgraceful to bury someone else here." Scorpius explained, opening the door to his bedroom and gesturing for Albus to go inside. The Potter boy looked a little hesitant, but didn't comment on it as he complied. "My father felt so bad that he took in my cousin for the last year he had at Hogwarts."
"Your cousin?" Albus rose an eyebrow, clearly not knowing Scorpius had one before now. Scorpius smiles a bit, walking over to the dresser and grabbing a pair of black jeans, tossing them to the boy. Albus caught them.
"Michael Greengrass, Daphne's bastard. He graduated Hogwarts last year, I'm sure you've met him." Scorpius explains. The brunette boy visually shivers. Yeah, that's the normal response when talking about Michael. He's more creepy then the manor and Grimmauld place combined. He was the kind of teenager you expected to hang around cemetery's at night and practice necromancy. Not that he actually did do that, but that's the vibes he gave off. Scorpius was intimidating; Michael was simply a freak.
"Yeah, I met him alright. I gotta say, not a big fan." Albus said honestly. "Where's the bathroom?" Scorpius gestures down the hallway, and watches as the boy leaves to change and clean up. As he does, Scorpius changed out of his own pair of school jeans and into another. He only had a combination of ripped jeans and skinny jeans here, considering the other ones were at school. He went for the skinny, considering he was chilled from the swamp and didn't need gaps in any pants. He combed through his hair to manage it a little better, and then waited for Albus to return.
When he does, Albus occupies himself with looking around the room. His feet were barefoot, and Scorpius assumes he had hung the socks to dry in the bathroom. The jeans seemed a bit big on him, but they stayed up alright. The wood-stained furniture and neutral brown tones in his room contrasted with the rest of the grey and black house. The most notable thing in Scorpius's room was his bookshelves. They were filled, and for some reason Albus found that attractive. "What? Expecting something different?" Scorpius asked, hanging the wet jeans and socks on the dirty clothes hamper for drying.
"I don't know. You're really neat at school, so I shouldn't be surprised you're neat at home." Albus answers, picking up a book off the shelf. "The Rising." He reads the title, sending a curious look at the other boy. Scorpius day at the edge of his bed, shrugging.
"It's about Zombies. It's quite good." He says, almost in defense of his taste in books. The Potter put the book back and grabbed another one.
"For someone so organized, I wouldn't have thought that you had Stephen King's Doctor Sleep next to Newt's Fantastic Beasts." Albus was chuckling now, and Scorpius rolls his eyes. "So, what are we going to do about Daniel?" The Potter abandons the books and moves over to the desk, which only had a few things on top of it. Laptop, lamp, and pencil holder.
"I don't know. Cypress is probably already tracking him down. So is my father." He paused. "Draco." Scorpius clarifies which father he meant. He flops back onto the bed, hanging his legs off the end and crossing his arms under his head to elevate it. "I wouldn't even know where to start looking." There's a moment of silence, and Albus takes a seat at the desk, looking over at Scorpius lying on the bed.
"Do you think he went with Selwyn willingly? You told me that he knew who he was. That's why he had the ring." Albus considers. "Maybe he doesn't need saving."
"He was taken by a known deatheater."
"He's not a deatheater anymore, he did his time in Azkaban." Albus reminds him. "Maybe he's just looking out for Daniel. You saw the state of the house. Maybe killing his muggle parents were the best thing for him." He contemplates. "I'm just trying to see it from Selwyn's point of view."
"I know Selwyn's point of view. He's not looking out for Daniel, he wants to follow Daniel. Like he followed Voldemort. Let's not pretend that he's suddenly a good guy because the Ministry decided he was." Scorpius's words were harsh, criticizing. But they were true, which is why Albus didn't reply. Grey eyes stare up at the ceiling, and then he finally speaks. "The Ministry had my father follow Selwyn." He realized out loud. "Which means they don't actually think he's a good guy. But my father isn't an Auror why would-"
"Because he's a Malfoy. If Selwyn were to find that Draco was following him, there's a chance he wouldn't have attacked him." Albus stood up, starting to pace the room. "On the other hand, an Auror like my dad would've been immediately extinguished." Scorpius sat up a little, propping himself on his elbows to look at the brunette as he paced. Gears in his head turning. "The Ministry knows something is up, that's why they let him go. So they could see where he went." Albus sounded sure of himself.
"Okay Sherlock. I don't see how that helps anything. The ministry getting involved isn't a good thing. This is my biological brother we are talking about. It'll be traced back to me." Scorpius lets out a breath. "If any of them learn that I'm connected to the deatheaters and I have anti-ministry opinions, I'd be put under suspicion. Or worse."
"You're fifteen. No ones going to assume you are following in your grandfather's footsteps." He retorts, as though trying to assure Scorpius.
"Oh? And what was good teen Tom Riddle doing when he was this age?" Scorpius points out. "My father was supposed to kill someone at this age. You know that, you're named after the target." Albus recoiled like he was slapped across the face with a brick. "You know I'm right. Fifteen or twenty; if I'm connected to this, they aren't going to take a chance on me."
"My father would." Albus shakes his head. "So would my Mum. Just because you're related to bad people doesn't make you a bad person. My dad knows that." But the blonde boy didn't care. It wasn't about one person believing him. It was about the ministry believing him. He already knew Harry Potter wouldn't hold it against him. After all, he let Cypress Black go; even after he did follow Voldemort.
"Let's go back to Daniel's house. We can try a locator spell if any of his stuff was left behind." Scorpius suggests, changing the topic. He was tired of having to explain why the Ministry wouldn't side with him. Albus shook his head.
"We can't. Your father will have already told the ministry what happened. You need to talk to him."
"He won't be home for another few hours, ghost boy." Scorpius lets out a sigh. "Someone at Hogwarts will realize we've been gone."
"You're not actually going to call me that, are you?" He groans. "And since when do you care if you ditch school or not?"
"I don't care. But I know you'd want to go back. You don't want me to call you Potter, fine. Ghost boy is all the same to me." Scorpius smirked a little. "Plus, you don't like it. That's a bonus. No one is meant to like their nickname."
"That's not true." Albus crossed his arms over his chest, sitting in the chair again and facing the bed.
"Yes it is." Scorpius paused a moment. "Does Rose Weasley like hers?" Albus looked back at the books from where he sat when he answered, avoiding looking at Scorpius. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I caught the 'Ronnie' nickname this morning."
"She likes you, you know." Albus told the boy, almost like he was betraying some secret. Tough, cause Raven already spilled the beans.
"A lot of girls like me, until they meet me." Scorpius deflects. The brunette was looking at him now.
"What about Christine?" Albus asks. Is this what friends did? Hang around and talk about their love lives? If so, Scorpius wasn't a fan.
"Christine is like me. She just bothers to pretend to like people for their benefit and is a bit more know-it-all." Scorpius bites his lip in thought, casting his eyes back to the ceiling above his bed. "I was a different person when we started dating. I grew up and then she dumped me."
"But she still likes you, you are still friends- right?" Albus pries.
"What point are you trying to make, exactly?"
"If Christine likes you, the way you are, then why can't Rose?"
"Doesn't it matter if I like her?" Scorpius snorted. "If it's not mutual then it's not going anywhere."
"Of course it does. Is there a reason you don't like Rose?" Albus was trying to understand him better. How his brain worked, analyzed things.
"Yes. She's popular, she's bold. Her default setting is 'kill them with kindness', and I don't want to date her." Scorpius listed them as though he'd said these things before, finally replying to Albus's words with something other than another question.
"Some may argue that I'm popular now too." He was trying to make the point that Just because she's popular isn't a good reason, after all your friend is popular.
"Well, I'm not trying to date you either, am I?" Scorpius's counter was witty, a remark that someone wouldn't usually think up so quickly. The brunette didn't give Scorpius the response he wanted. He was expecting a blush, a recoil from asking further questions. He didn't.
"Are you saying that if I wasn't popular you would try to date me?" The words were a bucket of ice water thrown onto a sleeping man. Scorpius sat up and looked across the room at him, raising an eyebrow. Albus gave a nervous chuckle. "Sorry."
"I'm not interested in dating because it'll be another person who will learn about Cypress Black. How am I suppose to trust anyone to keep a secret like that?" He shook his head. "And keeping secrets- especially ones that make you question your every action- don't make a relationship work." The silence in the room stretched for a moment, echoing through the house.
"You've been questioning your every action?" Albus wondered, taking on a more gentle tone. Scorpius let out a breath and stood up, walking towards his desk where Albus sat and opened up the drawers there. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes, wallet, and his wand. Then the boy walked over to his chest of drawers, pulling out two fresh pairs of socks. He handed one to Albus, who realized that his words would probably be ignored. "Where are we going?" He tries again, running fingers through his brunette hair. It fell across his forehead as he did so. "My shoes are still wet." He adds.
"Fine. Borrow mine. What size are you?" Scorpius asked, looking in his closet at the shoes and then his eyes flicked over to Albus's socked feet, as though to gauge it.
"Nine." Albus stood up, seeing a pleasantly surprised expression on the blonde's face. "What?"
"I am too." He grabs a pair of his white and black vans, and holds them out for the boy to take. "We are going to eat." He finally answers his question as to where they were going. Potter tied the shoes on.
"Really?" The brunette didn't believe him.
"Yes. Its nearly noon. I know a place. It's the least I could do, considering I haven't taken you back to Hogwarts. I'm sure that's all you can think about." Scorpius ties his own tennis shoes, and looks up at Albus. Who had a contemplative expression, his nose scrunched up a little bit, mouth squeezed off to one side.
"Actually I haven't really been thinking about it. Though, I'm happy to leave. This manor of yours isn't exactly friendly. To think aunt Hermione was tortured here..." Albus seemed to regret the words as soon as they left his mouth. "Not that you or your family had anything to do with- well actually she is your Great aunt technically-"
"Technically I'm very distantly related to the entire family." Scorpius cuts him off, throwing away the weirdness before it set in. "I'm not even a Malfoy." He points out. "Come on."
—-
When they apparated this time Albus didn't seem to feel any side affects. Scorpius didn't either, perhaps because it was a shorter distance. He looked at the cottage in front of them. While many cottages had greenery surrounding and wind chimes hanging around the front porch, this one had none of that. It was a plain brick building, grass didn't grow within three feet of the entire perimeter. It looked small from outside. Not even the size of the complete second story of the Malfoy Manor. But for those with magic, entering into it was like finding a diamond in a coal mine. Inside it was large and lavish, perhaps as grand as the Malfoy Manor once stood.
"This looks like a wonderful place to eat." Albus was being sarcastic. "You always take me to the nicest places. Daniel's dump of a muggle home, a swamp, a haunted house, and a shack in the middle of nowhere." The Potter looked around at the open grass hills, then fixated his emerald eyes onto Malfoy. The green eyes almost seemed to glow amongst the grass behind him. He didn't look all that excited now.
"This is where my grandparents live." Scorpius explains.
"Oh." Albus nods, and immediately realizes what that meant. "Are you crazy!" Scorpius lets out a bit of a groan. "I'm not going in there!" He hissed through his teeth, appalled at his companion's audacity. He's heard the stories. Albus was all but told stories of Lucius Malfoy as a child to eat his vegetables at dinner. Potter wasn't really a coward, not really. He would get nervous, but Lucius? He thinks he'd rather face Voldemort.
"Harry Potter faced Voldemort at our age. You can't even face Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy?" Scorpius snorted, almost like he was reading the boy's mind. Albus hit him in the arm, in a weak attempt to take this seriously.
"That's not the same, and you know it. They won't want me here." This time Scorpius agreed. They wouldn't want him here. But Scorpius wasn't here for a social call, he wanted information about Daniel and Selwyn. This was the only source he had left who probably knew more than Draco did. At least that's what he was hoping. It was a long shot. The wind picked up around them in a moment, blasting both of their hair out of shape.
"Don't worry. You're with me." Scorpius told Albus, looking him in the eye. "If I thought they would actually endanger you, then I wouldn't have brought you."
"Glad to know you care."
"Oh I don't. I just don't want anyone thinking that I want to kill the Potters. That wouldn't be quite good, considering my lineage." Scorpius looked back towards the cottage, a smile across his face. He heard Albus give a mix of a giggle and a chuckle. Then they approached. The bricks were a rust red color, but looked dusty from the wind. Scorpius went to unlock the front door but Albus grabbed his elbow.
"That's rude, knock at least." He orders. Scorpius rolled his eyes and then dramatically made a show of knocking on the door, as much attitude going into the action as possible. Albus looked like he wanted to run, and Scorpius could see beads of sweat forming on his skin. "Aren't you nervous to-" right before he could finish scolding Scorpius any more, the door opened.
Lucius looked how you'd expect. Shoulder length Blonde hair was highlighted with grey, his face had a little bit of scruff. Winkles showed his age, particularly around the eyes. His face was narrow, and his figure was looming in the doorway. His eyes looked a little more blue when they landed on Scorpius. "My boy, you're just in time for tea."
"Sorry for the unannounced arrival, Grandfather. It was a last minute plan." Scorpius apologized, which automatically made Albus confused. Of course, he had heard Scorpius apologize before; but never twice in one day. This was a new record. Lucius's eyes flirted over to Albus Potter when he replied.
"Great wizards never apologize Scorpius. Though, you might have to in regards to him." Scorpius followed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can stay outside." Albus murmurs, looking rather uncomfortable under the older man's scrutiny.
"Nonsense. Bring Mr. Potter inside." Lucius turns back into the house and walks off. Albus lets out a huge sigh of relief, but the look of alleviation disappeared almost as quickly as he recognized his own name. Did he look so much like his father that Lucius recognized he was a Potter by looking at him? They'd never met before- right? Scorpius couldn't help but laugh at the expression of terror on Albus's face.
"It's rude to refuse an invitation from the Malfoy's." Scorpius tells the brunette, following his grandfather into the house.
—-
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