Everyone had gone home for Christmas. Exams were over, Formal was done. They'd been home for a couple days, cooped up in the house. Draco has been under inquiries by the Ministry, being kept tabs on at home and at work. He's actually had more days off since they were still contemplating if he should even be at work at at all. If he was to be deemed a threat, then it would pose security issues. Not that it mattered he was home. Other than preparing for the Christmas party, Draco would mostly tuck away in his study. Which left the twins alone.
Scorpius laid on the snow covered grass above his mother's grave, imagining how her body looked now. Mostly decayed, what was left of her skin sinking into her skull. Worms and other creatures living in what use to be her body. The thought made him feel worse. "I get it." He speaks out loud. He use to feel weird about this, talking to his mother even though she was dead. Now he didn't. "I understand why you didn't tell me about Cypress." Scorpius raised his cigarette up to his lips, taking a drag before feeling a tear slide down the left side of his face. His back was cold from the snow. It sunk into his black sweater and green striped scarf, making it damp.
"I wanted to be mad. I really wanted to be mad at you." Scorpius goes on, staring up at the overcast sky. "But you just didn't want me to feel like this. To feel... misplaced. Like I didn't belong." He felt more tears slip down his cheeks and he wiped them with his sleeves. "So I forgive you, Mum." Scorpius's face was pink now, his eyes red from crying. "I miss you." His voice cracks with emotion. Scorpius blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling.
"I don't know what to do anymore. It's like everything I knew is gone and I'm rebuilding from the ground up." Scorpius sniffles, taking another puff from his cigarette. He lets the smoke out of his mouth slowly, watching as it dissipates into the cold air. "I wish it was easier for me to deal with these things. I know if you were here you'd have me vent all my thoughts and feelings to you until I just fell asleep. But now I barely sleep at all." He felt guilt and frustration with himself. "I wish things were different. That you were here." Scorpius finished brokenly, condoning himself to silence after that.
It was a couple hours later when he walked back into the Manor, closing the massive door behind him. "Scorpius." Draco greets him, coming out of the entry room. "Come help me sign the invitations for this year's party." His father requests. Scorpius nods, following the older platinum man into the dining room. He sat down where all the invitations were, sitting beside Draco. "You smell like smoke." Draco observes.
"I wonder why." Scorpius responds, the sarcasm not lost on the older male. Scorpius dips the quill into the ink, pulling an invitation towards him where he neatly signs Malfoy. Draco didn't react to the sarcasm. He just grabs his own quill and begins to sign them as well. The signatures were identical. It was something that they all did, sign Malfoy in pretty perfect cursive. It was like their trademark. Or one of them, at least. "Don't you think I deserve an apology?" He couldn't help but ask. Draco shrugged.
"Raven deserved to know the truth. I don't regret anything." The man was level when he responded, no anger or contempt in his tone. They were silent for a bit, Scorpius subjecting himself to just saying nothing instead of arguing. Draco hadn't made any move to disinherit him or take the trust fund. Clearly he feared losing Raven more than casting Scorpius out of the family. Even though the knowledge that Draco was so content with removing Scorpius was painful for the younger boy, he tried to ignore it. Scorpius tried to look at it logically. How would he feel if a child he raised- who wasn't his son- gave him grief from the time he was eleven? After putting himself in Draco's position, Scorpius found it hard to judge too harshly.
They had been cordial to one another since break started. No arguments. It was almost as though they mutually decided to coexist as they have for many years; except no longer subject to pretend to care for another. Maybe Scorpius just wasn't ready to loose the only father he had known; even if they didn't get on well. When Raven begin to ignore Scorpius, probably still trying to process where they stood with eachother, he found himself latching onto whatever he had left.
Scorpius pauses on an invitation he pulls towards him. "You're inviting the Potters?" He asked, looking up at Draco.
"Figured I would this year." He nodded. "Why? Is that okay?" Scorpius shrugs.
"Doesn't bother me." He answers. "But why? You usually invite the Weasels but never the Potters." He commented, genuinely curious. Draco didn't reply. "Come on, I know there's a reason."
"We're on better terms." Draco tells him, finishing signing an invitation to look up at his son. Scorpius waited for the elaboration, and finally Draco gave it. "He's been having marriage trouble, I've been helping him. Well, at least I think I have. Plus, he vouched for me to the ministry. Said that I have come a long way since the Wizarding War. I wouldn't fall back into being in league with any deatheater. Even Selwyn." He explains. Scorpius made a face. "I'm not particularly fond of him either, but considering that it might throw the Ministry off my scent- and particularly yours- I'd rather keep up being cordial."
"So basically what you're saying is you're going to kiss his ass to try and keep your indiscretions a secret." Scorpius threw his words out there. Draco looked at him across the table, a quill in one hand and the next one with an invitation. "This is on you. I'm the victim here, just so we're clear. I didn't choose who my parents are, but you sure as hell chose to hide The Dark Lord's grandson under everyone's nose." Scorpius deadpans. His 'father' looked like he regretted asking Scorpius for help with the invitations.
"I don't regret that decision. I owe Cypress Black my life. The least I could do was raise you as my own." Draco answers simply. Scorpius scoffed, but went back to signing. "For the record, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. After Astoria... I just didn't know how I would explain. She was always better with you." He sounded somewhat sad.
"It's not worth dwelling on." Scorpius ends the conversation, pulling out another invitation. "So how is Harry's marriage falling apart then?" He wondered aloud, trying to look inconspicuous as he signed.
"Can't tell you. You'll use it for some... evil scheme." Draco responds. Scorpius looked up, a bit surprised only to see that the man was smiling in humor. Scorpius rolled his eyes to mask mirth, and Draco continued. "Honestly? He cheated on Ginny." Scorpius didn't react at first, and then he cracked his joke.
"I would too if I was married to that redhead bore." Instead of scolding him, Draco actually laughed. "So that's why you're inviting them? How's that suppose to help?" Scorpius followed up with a real question.
"Oh it's not. I just want to see who he'll bring. If he'll bring Ginny or just the kids." He answers. Scorpius couldn't help but smile. Was he sure that he was Cypress's son? Because this was sounding a lot like something he'd pull. "Or if he brings any kids at all. They'll probably choose sides once they find out."
"They don't know?" Scorpius asked, wondering how Albus would take this. He felt worried suddenly. Here he is laughing over this while his friend is going to have to deal with family drama. He frowned at the thought. Maybe he really was a terrible person.
"No. My father and I are placing bets." Draco informs him. "Lucius thinks that James and Lily will sucker up and side with poor Ginny. Albus will cower and feel bad for his dad." He says, putting another invitation aside. "I for the other hand, think that both James and Lily will side with Harry, and Albus will side with Ginny." Draco concludes. "I know Albus and Harry don't have a good relationship. So perhaps my bet is biased."
"How would you know that?"
"How could they? They are so different." Draco shrugs. Scorpius thinks about it a moment.
"I think you're both wrong. The kids are all... annoying. But their righteous. They'll all see that their dad is in the wrong. How much is the betting pool?" Scorpius decided it wasn't actually evil to bet on someone else's family being ruined if they never found out about it.
"That trust fund is not for betting against me, it's for college. Or something useful." Draco scolded, and Scorpius laughed. "Besides, if that's the case, you'll get to rub it in our faces. Isn't that enough for you? You don't need money."
"When you put it like that, I do seem like an evil schemer." Scorpius shrugs.
"Are you inviting anyone this year?" Draco asks, changing the subject. Scorpius shook his head, signing another invitation without looking upwards.
"No. I wouldn't subject anyone to this kind of abuse." He held up an invitation, to specify that the party was the abuse he spoke of. Draco snorted, shaking his head in disappointment. "It's not like someone who gets one of these can say no. They'll fear being cursed." Scorpius grabs another invitation, the last in his stack. "No one says no to the Malfoy's."
"Harry Potter might." Draco offers. The boy couldn't help but consider that he would. Maybe that's where Albus gets it from. Scorpius looks through the signed cards, pausing on his cousins name.
"You're inviting Michael?" He grimaced. "I wish you wouldn't."
"He's your cousin." The Malfoy says, then realizes. "Well, technically he's not. But he doesn't know that." Draco saw the expression of displeasure on his son's face. "You shouldn't be like that. He lived here for a full year after his mother died. You both went through the same thing."
"He's a creep. And an asshole." Scorpius points out. "Plus, he thinks it's funny that Mum died. He and Aunt Daphne would always make fun of her for being with you." He makes his voice mockingly higher to mimic Michael. "'How can Auntie Astoria love that Beast? Malfoy's are sad excuses for pure bloods.' Blah blah blah. Selfish pricks." Scorpius leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up on the table. The older man frowned at the action but said nothing. "That year was worst thing that ever happened to me. I'd rather have... Rose Weasel move in instead of Michael." Scorpius shivers. "What a creep."
"Well, I have a creepy aunt. It goes around." Draco says. "I had to deal with her. You have to deal with him. That's life."
"Bellatrix wasn't creepy. She was just psychotic." Scorpius deadpans. "No one tortures a seventeen year old girl without so much as a flinch and isn't certifiable."
"Who told you she did that?" Draco reacted about the same way as when Scorpius let the bomb drop about his brother Daniel. The tone lowered into anger. Scorpius didn't seem phased.
"Albus of course, but I already knew about it before, he refreshed my memory. You just stood by, you and grandfather. Watched as she carved mudblood into Hermione's skin. Is it still there?" Scorpius demands, and could visually see the guilt come across his father's features. "A constant reminder that you did nothing."
"That's enough. Hermione and I are way past that." Draco shook his head. "We've made amends." He trails off. Scorpius rose an eyebrow.
"There's no coming back from that." He paused. "Now that I think of it, you might be under suspicion by the Ministry simply because she's getting back at you." Scorpius snorts. Draco's eyebrows furrow together. "Makes sense then that Harry is the one who defended you. It was Hermione. That's who he talked to about it." He realized. But Draco was confused now.
"Well, Hermione did say she was taking his statement under advisement but... she wasn't in the room when Harry gave it." The Malfoy man said. "So he told her before he gave it officially. Or afterwards, I suppose." He looks at Scorpius. "Oh."
"What? I'm confused." Scorpius tried to follow but gave up when he saw that Draco was in his own daydream.
"That's who he's having an affair with." Draco obliges.
"You think... Hermione and Harry?" Scorpius clarified, watching as the man nods in front of him. He takes his feet off the table. "Well... can't know for sure." He feels a bit guilty suddenly, wondering if that was actually true or just speculation. How would Albus take that? His father sleeping with his Aunt? That's a little weird, isn't it? And Scorpius thought he had family problems. "Well, I'm off." He stood up, straightens his sweater which was now dry from the heat in the house compared to outside.
"Where are you going?"
"You know, I'd love to say. But it just so happens that I don't have to tell you anything anymore. You're not my father." Scorpius lays it on thick, and turns away with a smug grin. He can hear Draco huff in annoyance.
—-
Scorpius walks down the stone road, looking at the houses lining it in his hometown Wiltshire. The Neolithic buildings had character, each of them individual and unique in their own way. He takes a turn down a familiar street, finding himself in the front of his friend's house. They weren't friends anymore, but Scorpius didn't know what else to refer to the boy as. He stood there a moment, looking up at the bedroom window that faced the street. The shades were drawn closed, shielding the inside from the outside world. He wondered if Oliver was in there now. His thoughts were interrupted when a car drove up to the driveway and parked there. None other than Karen, Oliver's mother, got out. Her face lit up when she sees Scorpius.
"Scorpius! Oh my boy!" She engulfs him in a hug. She was a thin lady without any hair from her chemotherapy. She had bright eyes like her son and a wide and happy grin always. Scorpius hugs her back, finding himself grinning. "Wow, I haven't seen you in so long!" She gushed. "Are you here to see Oliver?" She asked hopefully.
"Oh no, I was on my way to the cafe. I just happened to... you know." Scorpius shrugs, feeling a bit put on the spot. Karen nodded, and he noticed how much frailer she looked compared to a couple years ago. "Do you need help with the groceries?" He asked suddenly, seeing the paper bags in her car.
"Oh, that would be lovely." Karen beams, leading the way back over and unlocking the doors. "How's your father?" She asks, knowing that Astoria's death was hard on him. "How's Raven?" Scorpius picks up a few heavy bags and follows her into the house, talking on the way.
"He's doing good. I think he's just busy with work. As usual." Scorpius responds. The front door opened to the living room and kitchen, an open floor plan. "You painted." He observes, realizing the walls were grey instead of the soft cream they use to be. Karen nods.
"Yes, about a year ago now. We felt we needed a change. The grey is more modern." She explains, gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen. He sets the bags down, looking around the bottom floor in awe. It felt like he hasn't been inside here since forever. "How's everything been?" Karen asks, putting away the milk, cheese, bread. Scorpius sat at the kitchen island and watched in peace as she hurried around, putting things away.
"You know. Just the same old stuff. Raven is seeing someone though. His name is Ashton." Scorpius tells her. She smiles, pausing in organizing to catch her breath. Oh no. Scorpius could feel his heart clench. It only took a few minutes out of the car for her to be tired? He knew what that meant. He felt like he could cry. Scorpius didn't though, he put on his brave face around this woman. Because that's what she was; brave.
Karen rose her eyebrows suggestively. "Tell me all about this Ashton boy. He must be good if Raven is dating him." Her words had him smiling.
"Well, he's a hufflepuff. That means he's very loyal, and values friendship. He's been giving me pencils almost every day for over a year." Scorpius laughs lightly. "He thinks we're friends."
"You and your games, Scorpius Malfoy." Karen gives him a mischievous grin. "Oliver never liked your games much." She recalls. Scorpius watched as her breathing becomes a bit more steady.
"He wasn't very good at them." Scorpius agreed.
"He could beat anyone at chess though." Karen declared, and Scorpius agrees with that. She wore flowy clothes, that loosely covered her frail shape. It made her look not so sickly upon first look at her. She was extremely sick though. "I'll never forget when you finally won. He celebrated with you. It was sweet."
"Don't get all gooey." Scorpius jokingly says, and Karen smiles at him, turning on the sink to wash her hands. "Only the student can surpass the master, Karen. You know that." She wipes her hands off on a hand towel and laughs a bit, nodding.
"That May have been the case for chess. But he never could do transfigurations. You did that just to brag." Karen reminds him. Scorpius winced and looked down at the counter. "He never seemed to mind though. He liked that you knew magic. Even if he couldn't do it." She paused. "There's not going to be anyone else like you Scorpius."
"There's tons like me." Scorpius replies quietly. "He just likes to believe I'm special."
"You are special." She finalized, turning to get a mug down for herself. "Would you like some tea dear?"
"Oh no, thank you. I should be on my way." Scorpius stood up off the island stool. "It was great seeing you." He tells her, and she comes around to give him a hug. He holds her close a moment. "Thank you, you were always so supportive of me." Scorpius tells her softly as they embrace. Karen nods.
"Of course. You mean so much to this family, Scorpius. Don't you forget that." She tells him, pulling away. He meets her clear blue eyes, and then leaves out the front door. Scorpius spares a glance up to the windows on the second story, but the curtains remained drawn. He didn't know what he expected, Oliver to look down and watch him from afar? That's not the kind of guy he is.
—-
"Hello?" Scorpius answers his cell, sitting outside a hole in the wall cafe down Diagon Alley. A butter beer sat on the table in front of him. His hair was in the normal feathery tossed way that gave him a neat but casual appearance. He wore a hoodie with a jean jacket over it, and dark jeans over his thermal. Needless to say, it was cold outside. Luckily the air wasn't sharply frosty, or the breeze wasn't blasting anyone's faces off. It was cool enough to see your breath in the still air. The snow on the ground wasn't as piled up as in other places. Here, it was patted down or melted due to the busy witches and wizards bustling about.
He sat there alone, watching as people went about their business. His wand was tucked inside his jean jacket. His phone rang, so Scorpius readjusted to grab it from his pocket, a house key tucked safely in the opposite side. He held up the phone against his ear with his hand. "Hi." Albus's voice comes across the line. "What are you doing?"
"I'm stalking people, what are you doing?" Scorpius responded, grey eyes glancing across the street where Ashton began to walk out of a pet store. It wasn't an ordinary pet store, it focused primarily on owls and cats and bats. Things you'd find witches and wizards walking around with. You'd also find creatures there such as Nifflers and Bowtruckles. Of course, you had to be of age and with a license to actually purchase one of those.
"'Stalking people'?" Albus echoes, ignoring the question altogether. Scorpius snorts at his response. "Who?"
"My sister's boyfriend." Scorpius answered simply. "He's out with friends and I'm simply making sure there's no funny business." He makes it sound light and innocent, his eyes finding Polly Chapman- another Hogwarts student, and Calum Hood. A student who graduated last year. Calum and Ashton were best friends. Scorpius knew Calum since he was in Slytherin house, and he never liked the boy. Granted, Scorpius didn't like much of anyone, but Calum always seemed like a quiet know-it-all. Polly Chapman was in the same year as Scorpius, and she was rather obnoxious in his personal opinion. She had asked him once to the Blood Ball at Hogwarts but Christine shut that down immediately with a sharp 'Who the fuck do you think you are?' which put the Gryffindor student in her place.
Scorpius knew in that moment that he loved Christine. Polly Chapman annoyingly spoke her mind on subjects that didn't concern her at all, whatsoever. Gossip that she simply liked to poke at just to poke. She'd consistently been one to partake in the shaming of Albus Potter. Now, she wouldn't dare say anything about one of the most popular boys in school. But that wasn't the case a year ago.
He was unaware that she was good friends with Ashton until recently, when he did research on the boy. What? He wanted to make sure his sister wasn't getting into bed with some terrible person. Even if she was currently not talking to Scorpius- it didn't stop him from looking out for her. She'd do the same thing. In fact, she very obviously did the same thing to Christine when they first started dating.
"Funny business? Like what, Ashton is cheating on her or something?" Albus snorted. "He's the most innocent and sweetest thing in the world and you think he's cheating on Raven? Merlin's beard, she would castrate him." The Potter boy sounded like he closed a door, and Scorpius wondered where he was. But he was too distracted to ask.
"I don't think he is." Scorpius watched the three teens walk down the sidewalk across the street, laughing and smiling. Ashton's smile was dimply, and the cheesiest of all of them. "Calum seems to like him too much, though."
"Calum, as in Calum Hood? Slytherin Calum? I thought he moved away, wasn't he an exchange student from Asia?" Albus ignorantly asks. Scorpius tried not to give him attitude.
"That was just a rumor. He's not Asian at all. He's Kiwi and Scottish, I think." Scorpius corrected the boy over the phone, keeping his tone level.
"Well, I don't think Calum is gay. So-"
"Well Ashton is bisexual. You never know. Hufflepuffs can be manipulative too." Scorpius cuts off his words, watching the dirty blonde boy as they go into another shop and disappear from view.
"How do you know he's bi? And you really think that curly haired, dimply smile, optimistic sunshine boy Ashton Irwin is manipulative? And you think Calum could be manipulated into having sex with his best friend? Wow, Scorpius. You've really gone off the deep end." He replies, laughing like Scorpius was telling a joke. The blonde palmed his face with his free hand, and then lifted his drink to his lips. Around him, people bustled about. Despite the weather, everyone was smiling. Enjoying their weekend.
"I just know." Scorpius only responds to his first question, ignoring the rest like he didn't even say it.
"Oh yeah? And you're a professional on bisexual people now?" The question was rhetorical but it still made Scorpius bristle.
"What are you trying to say?" He snapped.
"I'm just kidding." Albus chuckled, trying to make light of it when he figured he probably shouldn't have said that. Scorpius changes the subject quickly.
"Well, you sound smitten about Ashton." He observes, watching the shop door and wondering how long they'd be in there for. It was a place for Quidditch gear. Probably because Calum wanted to go in there; he was on the Slytherin team at Hogwarts.
"I am. He's adorable. Anyone who has eyes and likes guys would think he's cute." He explains, then pauses. "I'm not interested though. Actually I didn't even realize he was gay, even partially. Regardless, he's too much of a... Lolita type." Scorpius's nose scrunches up at the description. "Soft guys are cute, but they live in the clouds. Luke is more down to earth than he is, probably."
"Well, Raven seems to pick guys whose personalities don't obscure hers. Merlin forbid someone stand in the spotlight if it's not my sister." Scorpius answers. "I'm sure he's perfectly pure, I just need to put my mind at rest when it comes to who my sister is dating. I don't always trust her judgement." The blonde boy takes another long drink, and licks his upper lip. "Can't say I trust Ashton's either. He's hanging out with Polly Chapman." At this statement, there's a disgusted reaction from Albus. Just her name alone brought about a groan from the other end of the line. Scorpius could imagine the way his face looked, lip pulled up slightly in a grimace, eyebrows knitted together a bit.
"She's toxic, it really does take a hufflepuff to give that kind of person a chance at friendship." Albus agrees.
"Calum clearly doesn't like her. He's only putting up with her because Ashton is his best friend." Scorpius explains.
"Obviously he doesn't like her. What's to like?" Albus retorts.
"Well, she's bold I guess. That's attractive to some people." Scorpius shrugs, trying to consider any positive traits to Polly Chapman. "She's kind of pretty. But her personality zaps whatever beauty she has. They cancel eachother out."
"Sounds like you and her were a match made in-"
"Are you insane? She's repulsive." Scorpius cut his words off immediately.
"Well you two have so much in common already." Albus trails off. "Bold, High ego, favors narcissism-"
"Yeah okay, piss off." Scorpius spat, and he hears Potter laugh. It brought an involuntary smile to his face. They were silent for a moment, and the boy finished his drink, watching as the students came back out of the shop. They turned a corner at the end of the street and disappeared from view. Scorpius considered going after them but then decided they weren't interesting enough. From his observations, Ashton had a poor choice in friends. But that's nothing Raven wouldn't fix. He didn't seem like the kind of bloke who needed Scorpius to intimidate him. Ashton was just too good. It's unlikely he had any dirt. Still, as a brother, it's better to check. "So what are you up to?"
"I've been walking around the block. My parents are arguing." Albus says, his tone dropping to become a bit more serious. "I think they are separating. My mother is furious. It's a long story." He shrugs, his sigh sounded emotionally drained. "It's doubtful that Dad will be living with us anymore though. He's sleeping on the couch. It's bad." Scorpius bit his lip, feeling bad for his friend but not knowing what to say.
"Are you upset about that?" He wondered.
"No. I thought I would be, but no. I'm upset that he'd..." Albus paused, there's a slight sigh. Scorpius wondered if he stopped walking to sit somewhere, trying to find the words to explain what happened. He remained silent to wait, feeling that Potter would tell him in a moment. "He cheated on my Mum." He finally reveals. "We're all upset about it. James is really pissed. He left to stay at Yann's until everything cooled off here. Or until Dad leaves, I don't know. Lily is ignoring him, like he doesn't even exist. I guess we're all handling it our own way." Albus sounded emotional, like he was hurting a lot more than he was letting on.
"You can come to my place if you want. We have a guest room. Well, several." Scorpius offered, not knowing what else to say. A waitress came outside and grabbed his empty glass, and he gave her a silent nod of thanks.
"Thank you but... I think my Mum would be really lonely if I left too. I've been keeping her company, just sitting around and reading." He paused. "But my dad is taking me to the Malfoy party. I'll see you there, I expect?" He wondered, sounding a bit more bright.
"I didn't know you'd be going with him." Scorpius responded, not exactly pleased with the news. The parties were ridiculously annoying. Of course he considered that Harry Potter would bring his kids- but after their family drama Scorpius assumed he would come alone.
"Do you not want me to come? I don't have to."
"No!" Scorpius shook his head. "That's not it. I just figured if you were so upset with your dad then you wouldn't be coming. If I'm honest, I'm mildly surprised that Harry Potter decided he'd come at all." Scorpius explained, trying not to make it sound like he didn't want Albus there. He just felt like he had to protect the Potter from his family. Or rather, the Malfoy family. It grew weirder everyday to continue calling them family when now Raven won't even speak to him.
"It's not for my dad. It's so I can see you, of course." His words were so easy to come to him, speaking through the phone the truth so effortlessly. Not finding any problem with his words. Scorpius's stomach seemed to do a backflip though, his brain wanting to interpret those words into something with more meaning.
"I guess I just didn't expect you wanting to see me enough to overcome the anger at your father." He replies, his voice a bit more quiet now.
"You're my best friend, Scorpius. Of course I'd put up with my cheating dad to see you." Albus laughs like the Malfoy was being ridiculous. Scorpius found himself smiling lightly, balling his free hand up in his sleeves. Best friend? "Anyways, I have to go. But I'll call you soon." They depart and Scorpius hangs up, tucking his phone into his pocket.
"Best friend." He repeats softly out loud, looking around the street. "When did that happen?"
—-
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If there's inconsistency, feel free to point it out. Sometimes I forget what the boys have talked about/haven't talked about, etc.