Scorpius's feet thudded down the stairs and he tightened the tie around his neck. The doorbell rang again and he rolled his eyes. The party was barely starting and he already wanted it to be over. Raven beat him to the front door, dressed in a white dress which came up just above her knees. It was long sleeved. Her hair was done in two braids, silver flowers entwined in the strands. She pulls the door open, and her smile disappears. "Oh, it's you." Scorpius reaches the bottom of the stairs and joined her in the entryway, looking at the first arrival. Before him stood Michael Greengrass. His cheeks were sunken in and his figure looked frail compared to Malfoy, even though he was taller. Actually, he was a little freaky looking. Which is why he didn't fit into any crowds when he went to Hogwarts. He graduated last year. He kept to himself. People didn't like him, he gave people the creeps.
His hair was a soft brunette, but it looked almost smoky and defeated, hanging without life off his head down to his shoulders. His eyes were grey. Thin lips pulled back into a sick smile when he sees the Malfoys. He was dressed head to toe in black, exaggerating his body shape. "Hello cousins." He lets himself in, pushing past both of them. "Looks like I'm early."
"Or everyone else is late." Scorpius retorts, not knowing the exact time. He finishes with his tie and crosses his arms over his chest. Raven shuts the front door and gives him a sideways glance before leaving the boys alone. The manor was decorated in white, matching the snow outside. Food was set up on silver platters on several different surfaces in the entrance hall. It looked more like they were hosting a ball rather than a simple party. "I thought you were leaving to Africa. You wouldn't shut up about working with Nundus last time I saw you." Scorpius tells Michael, gesturing for him to make himself at home. He hangs up his black jacket on the hooks in the entry and then walks into the large room like he owned it.
"I did. The Nundu reserve hired me on as a caretaker. I'm only here for the party." He paused, grabbing a glass of wine. "After all, it's rather unorthodox to not oblige an invitation from the Malfoy's." Michael looked like something that's been dead for a couple weeks, then came right out of it's coffin and put on some clothes to go out for the night. His words had two meanings, his tone was often devoid of emotion. Was he being sincere, or being rude? No one could tell.
"You're quite right." Scorpius agrees simply. Soft music played as more guests arrived. The manor begun to fill up. Mostly noble pure bloods. The ones who were prejudiced even. Even though the wizarding world was a lot more open about muggleborns and half-bloods, there will always be those who weren't. Scorpius stood beside his father Draco, if only because he didn't want to socialize with Michael. And certainly wasn't going to be left alone with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. His 'grandparents' weren't exactly on his list of favorite people. Especially since their motives could be questioned. And their favoritism.
It wasn't long before Hermione Granger-Weasley showed up. She was the Minister of Magic, after all. Plus, Draco was trying to win her favor back from him being under investigation and all. Though when Harry Potter walked in with the woman, Scorpius immediately assumed that Draco was now out of the frying pan. He was right, probably. They were having an affair with eachother. How scandalous. Draco seemed to notice their arrival as soon as Scorpius did. They shared a look. Draco looked amused and Scorpius smiles a bit. He could appreciate the sneakiness of Draco Malfoy, probably even more now that he wasn't so focused on trying to impress him.
It may sound weird, but they actually had gotten on better since Raven threatened Draco and abandoned Scorpius. Perhaps because they weren't pretending anymore. They had no reason to try and get along at all. So now, they just did. Perhaps not very smoothly, but it was better than before. The week of Christmas break leading up to this party had been very smooth sailing. They'd joke and talk about random things. Things they probably never would've talked about before. It also probably has something to do with the fact Raven ignored both of them. She found herself leaving the house to hang out with Ashton or her other friends. Even Christine. It left the boys alone most days and when Draco was at work then just Scorpius remained.
"I thought Albus was coming." Scorpius absently remarks. Draco shrugs beside him, turning back to the other men he was speaking with from work. A frown crosses Scorpius's face, and he walked over to Hermione and Harry, interrupting Hermione mid-sentence. "Where's Albus?"
Harry didn't seem pleased that Scorpius was asking. "It's none of your concern." He studied the boy through his glasses, narrowing his green eyes.
"Yes it is, he's my bestfriend." Scorpius retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Harry Potter looked annoyed with his choice of words.
"Albus decided last minute not to come with us." Hermione steps in, relieving Harry from the responsibility. She was more gentle when she explains to the blonde.
"Yeah, when he found out his father was sleeping with his aunt I'm sure he was thrilled to attend a party with the both of them." Scorpius snapped. They both looked guilty suddenly. He shook his head at them in disappointment and then walked out of the room, into the kitchen. He weaved through guests, avoiding meeting eyes so he wouldn't have to greet anyone or hold a conversation. Michael was there talking to Raven. She didn't look thrilled to be stuck in conversation with him. "Hey." He walked up.
"I'm going to check on Missy. She hates guests." Raven excuses herself, sending a somewhat grateful look at her brother. Scorpius nods slightly, acknowledging it without forcing any interaction.
"Still in Quidditch, Scorpius?" Michael asked after Raven had left. He was leaning against the counter, a drink in one hand. Scorpius shook his head no, explaining he didn't try out for the team this year since he didn't really have a good connection with the other boys. Michael seemed to understand that. He hated everyone and everyone hated him; so clearly he didn't have connections with anyone. They chatted for a bit, discussing random things particularly about Michael's work in Africa. Scorpius tried to look interested, but his cousin had too much energy that repelled him. Eventually Michael ended up departing as a group of guests arrived, a couple of which he must've known.
Bored of idle chatting, Scorpius left the party, taking the stairs two at a time until he reached the top, going into his room. He picked up his phone, seeing a missed call from... Oliver? Scorpius ignored it, figuring it was a butt dial, and called Albus. He picked up immediately.
"Hey I was just about to call you." Albus answers on the other end. He was sitting in the living room of his house, legs curled up to his chest on the couch. He was home alone. His siblings and mother had left to visit Uncle George, needing to get out of the house. He stayed behind expecting to go to the dance. But he couldn't show up with his father and his aunt- whom he had just learned is who his father was having an affair with. "I'm sorry I didn't come."
"You still can. We can avoid Harry and Hermione if you want." Scorpius tells him knowingly. "We'll just hang out, you and me." He offered, sitting alone in his bedroom. Truth was, he had been bored the last week. Having no one to see and nothing to do. Reading is only entertaining for so long. Albus sighs on the other end of the line. "Plus Raven is here. She's not mad at you. I'm sure she'd like to say hi." He adds in hope it would help convince him. "If it gets too uncomfortable we can just chill in my room. We'll avoid them all."
"Okay." Albus finally agrees, getting up from the couch. He held the phone to his ear. "I'm on my way." He hangs up. Scorpius lets out a breath and puts the phone on his desk. As soon as he sets it down, it begins to buzz again. His blue eyes read the caller ID: Oliver. Scorpius didn't answer, he just walked back downstairs to the party. Soft music played in the background to chatter.
People were laughing, talking. Reminiscing. Catching up. It was a successful event. Scorpius busied himself drinking some champagne and different juices put out for the guests. He'd been out of smokes for a few days now so he was kind of twitchy. He found that drinking water and everything else wasn't just good for him, but also satisfying for that restlessness. Is Albus was here he'd say that this was the exact reason why Scorpius should stop smoking. He was clearly addicted.
The boy didn't feel like he needed the smoke, even though his body was feeling that way. Psychologically he didn't have an addictive personality. Did he? Scorpius figures he probably wouldn't like to know the answer. It wasn't very long before Albus rang the doorbell. Scorpius gave a nod to Draco, signaling he would get it. He set his juice down and opened the front door. Albus was dressed in the same thing as he wore to formal. "Thanks for coming." Scorpius tells him, and Potter walks in to hug him. Scorpius immediately hugged him back, arms going over his shoulders. He could feel Albus's arms cling to the waist of his shirt. "Are you okay?"
"No." Albus answered, pulling away and blinking furiously. "My entire family is falling apart." He lowered his voice because of the guests.
"Join the club." Scorpius tells him, shutting the front door behind him. Albus smiles softly at the joke. "Let's hang out upstairs, yeah?" He offered, figuring that Potter didn't feel like socializing at this point. Had he known the state of him over the phone, he wouldn't have even suggested the party at all. Albus follows Scorpius up to his room. He closes the door behind them. "How do you feel about a movie night?" Scorpius offered, grabbing his laptop. Albus plops down on his bed, and then nods. He sat beside the boy, opening up the computer and going to Netflix.
"Can I stay here this weekend? Mum and my siblings are staying at Uncle George's. And my dad moved out. I don't want to be alone." Albus explains.
"Of course you can. It's mostly just me anyways. Raven goes over to Christine's and Ashton's. My father- Draco- usually is at work. He comes home late most nights." Scorpius responds. "I have clothes here so you don't have to worry about going back to get yours. Speaking of, how did you get here?"
"I apparated." Albus responds, looking over at him. He kicked his shoes off and set his phone and wand on the bed in front of him. Scorpius rose an eyebrow in disbelief. "I started practicing after term ended."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Scorpius. In case you forgot, you literally apparated us into a swamp." Albus points out. Scorpius rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I decided that I'd learn how to do it and then whenever we decided to ditch classes again, I could be the one doing the teleporting."
"Oh, so you think a couple weeks of practice will make you better than I am?" Scorpius wondered.
"Absolutely. You probably didn't even practice the way I'm practicing. If you had, maybe we wouldn't have ended up in the swamp." Albus taunts, but he was smirking. Scorpius didn't feel like asking him anything else. The boy would definitely just mention the swamp again. So he looked through Netflix for a movie instead. Albus snaps his fingers and the description for the movie 'The Family' pops up.
"Don't use magic on my laptop! It gets all screwy-"
"Oh relax. Have you seen this?" Albus asked. Scorpius resisted the urge to snap at him, scowling.
"It's a mob movie." Scorpius reads the description.
"I have a feeling it might be something you'd like. You don't strike me as the romantic comedy sort." Potter replies. Scorpius clicks the play button, turning to his friend.
"Whatever gave you that impression?" He wondered, leaning back on a stack of pillows. Albus lay down beside him, looking over.
"You're joking right?" Scorpius starts to laugh. "You're screwing with me." Albus realizes. "So I'm right then."
"I'll have you know my movie taste and music taste is very diverse."
"Mine too."
"Don't try and act interesting now, not while you're ahead." Scorpius jokes, meeting his eyes. Albus laughed.
"I'm serious. I like everything from Sex and The City to... Paranormal Activity." He explains.
"And mob movies about random caucasian actors parading around as Italians." Scorpius gestures to the screen.
"Robert De Niro is Italian. It's a good movie. Shut the hell up and watch it." Albus hits him on the chest. Scorpius mocked being hurt at the action. Green eyes flicked back to the screen, but grey ones didn't move them from Potter. "You're not watching it."
"Let's watch Hannibal." Scorpius suggests.
"A show? We won't get any sleep."
"We won't be getting any sleep anyways." He shrugs. Albus snaps his head towards him so fast it probably should've flew off. "What? The party goes on most of the night." Albus flushes.
"Oh. Right." With that the boys grew silent. Despite the party noise downstairs, they couldn't hear chatter or music. Stone walls tended to drown out most sound. They sat through the entire movie, and Scorpius laughed at some parts. Perhaps it wasn't that bad, actually. Scorpius found himself laying down and watching it on his side. Albus laid on his stomach, closer to the screen. As the end credits rolled Albus turned back to look at him. "It's good, isn't it?"
"I'd say it's deserving of at least four out of five stars, yeah." Scorpius agrees, fluffing the pillow under neath him to be more supportive.
"When it comes to you, four out of five is a high approval rating." Albus looked pleased. "Now what? You wanted to watch Hannibal? I've never seen it." He looked like he was already in higher spirits than when he first got there.
"You like detective and cop shows, I think you'd like it. Gives me Dexter vibes. Kinda." Scorpius explains. Albus contemplates it, seeming to be convinced he'd like it. There's a light knock on the bedroom door, and Scorpius gets to his feet to answer it. When he opens it, he sees Michael Greengrass there. His cousin. "What?" He asked.
"There's some kid at the door asking for you." Michael says in a dull and bored projection. Scorpius furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. But Albus was already here? Who would possibly be looking for him?
"Who is it?" Scorpius wondered, gesturing to Albus that he was leaving. "I'll only be gone a moment." Scorpius tells him, leaving the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Michael curiously tries to look inside the room before the door shuts.
"I don't know who it is." He snorts. Well, that doesn't exactly help. It could be anyone, even from Hogwarts. When Michael was there it's not like he socialized to know anyone at all. Scorpius wondered for a moment if it was Daniel. He followed Michael down the stairs. "You've been missing the entire party." Michael deadpans on the way.
"Yes I have. I'm not subject to talk about things that I'm uninterested in with people who are less interesting. That's what parties are." Scorpius replies, cold. Michael snorts.
"Not all parties. We had fun when I lived here." He points out. Scorpius widened his eyes a bit, not liking those memories. Michael's parties weren't traditional. They were seances in the woods, ouija boards at our dead mother's gravesites. Necromancy books in the library. That was his version of a party. Compared to him, Voldemort seems a lot less creepy. Michael almost convinced Scorpius that they could bring Astoria back. They dabbled in time travel, until Draco found out. He took their wands from them. Scorpius isn't manipulated easily, but he could feel his cousin's subtle way of seducing someone's mind to play with him. Perhaps that's why now he was so disturbed and weirded out by the tall and strange boy. Honestly, if Michael just toned down the manipulation, he might be more bearable.
"We have different definitions of fun." Scorpius replies, going over to the front door. He tries to straighten his white shirt from where it was crumpled from laying down. Michael whistles in a sarcastic way. He glares as his cousin walks back to the thick of the party. Everyone there didn't seem to notice Scorpius come downstairs or go to the door. The adults were progressively getting more slushy as the night went on. There were those who had left but many more had arrived as well. Grey eyes scanned the familiar faces of his family's friends. Some people, specifically Harry Potter and Hermione, seemed out of place amongst the pure bloods. Scorpius couldn't help but wonder how many of these familiar faces would fall back into following a dark and prejudiced wizard if there was one to follow.
How many still believed in those ideals that mudbloods weren't equal, and muggles were inferior? Probably a lot more than those who would admit it. He finally opened the front door. In an instant his mood changed. "What the fuck are you doing here?" The boy standing on the other side winced at the tone.
He wore basic blue jeans, vans that looked wet from the snow. A tie dyed shirt poked out from underneath a Thrasher hoodie. It was black, the logo big across the chest in white font. His dark brown hair was curly in some places, straight across his forehead. Eyes were hazel in the light, but standing outside in the dark they looked brown. He wasn't short by any means. In fact he was taller than Scorpius. But the boy had a habit of slouching so that his height wasn't as noticeable. Baggy clothes hid his thin frame. He wasn't unhealthily thin, or anything. It was probably just his height that made people assume he was sick or anorexic. Really, the boy ate everything in sight.
"I did call you." Oliver responded, his voice smooth like honey. It didn't seem to have the normal breaks and cracks as the rest of teenage boys. "We need to talk." Scorpius didn't know if he was more angry or rattled. Not angry at him; angry that he'd show up here. He stepped out of the house, shutting the front door. Scorpius stood a few feet away from him, his socks doing nothing to keep his feet from freezing on the cold ground.
"Do you know how many pure bloods are in my house right now? They would literally have you for dinner." Scorpius snapped, crossing his arms over his chest against the cool air. At least it wasn't snowing.
"Glad to know you still care." Oliver mused, earning a look that probably should've killed him right then and there. "I'm having a bad night. Taylor broke up with me. And I didn't want to do anything stupid so-"
"I already told you, I can't be that person for you anymore." Scorpius was being cruel, he knew. But his stomach was in his chest and his entire body was shaking. Whether it was because Oliver had just shown up out of the blue or because it was cold, he didn't know. "Talk to your mom about it." He adds on a more gentler note. Oliver shook his head.
"She's in the hospital. The doctors don't think she's going to be leaving alive." He explained. Scorpius felt his heart shatter. "She's going to die. I'm sorry, I didn't come here to put that on you."
"But- I saw her less than a week ago." Scorpius felt like crying. Karen was his second mother practically. Up until he and Oliver weren't hanging out anymore. Of course, that didn't stop her from loving him and leaving birthday gifts for the twins every year. Even for Christmas. "Oh no." He rubbed his eyes. "I don't even know what to say."
"There's nothing you can say." Oliver stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Isn't that what you told me, when Astoria-"
"Fuck, Olly. I have other things I need to worry about right now- I mean- what-" Scorpius was not handling the news well. Oliver took a step towards him. "Don't. Just don't." Scorpius stopped him in his tracks.
"Look I'm sorry. I didn't come here to ruin your night. Or... make you worried. I just can't be alone right now. And there's no one... I need you S." Oliver didn't look like he was falling apart, but Scorpius could tell he probably was crying before he came here. Or is about to break down. Scorpius hated how he suddenly didn't give two shits about anyone inside. Because this was Oliver. Didn't he deserve better after all the shit Scorpius pulled? "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry."
"I can't be your crutch. I told you I can't be what you need." Scorpius tells him, now shivering for real. "I'm sorry Taylor broke up with you. And... I'll visit Karen in the hospital. But this?" He gestures to around them, standing outside the Malfoy Manor in the cold night. The front door opens and Harry Potter comes out with Hermione. Scorpius quiets then, turning his gaze towards them as they leave. The adults send them curious looks before apparating away. Once their gone Scorpius finishes his words. "This is dangerous." His teeth chatter through the words.
Oliver pulls off his hoodie, revealing a long sleeve tie dye shirt underneath. He extends it towards Scorpius. "Just swallow your pride for a minute and take it."
"Fuck you." Scorpius takes the hoodie, pulling it on immediately. He felt like his bones were rattling with the cold air. Oliver hides a bit of a smile.
"Still have a foul mouth, Malfoy." He observes, trying to make light after the words between them. Scorpius hugged the hoodie to himself, feeling Oliver's body heat still on it. Oliver didn't seem cold at all.
"You can stay in a guest room." Scorpius finally gives in. He hated the prospect of Oliver staying here when Albus was too. What was he going to think? Would Albus like Oliver, or would he pry into his life? Scorpius didn't want to think about it, actually he felt a crazy amount of anxiety just thinking about it. Oliver lets out a little sigh of relief. "Only because of Karen. Taylor can suck my ass." Scorpius added.
"He'd probably like that." Oliver deadpans.
"And keep your filthy mouth in a deep dark cave where no one hears it in this house. Got it?" Scorpius snapped at him, and Oliver salutes sarcastically. "And honestly fuck you for doing this." He opened the front door, looking inside to see where everyone was before gesturing for Oliver to follow him. Scorpius felt like a dirty whore, sneaking someone into his house. They quickly went up the stairs. "Go to the guest room. I need to do something first." Scorpius tells him, gesturing down the hall. He is about to turn away when he remembers the hoodie.
"Keep it."
"No, no. We don't keep each others clothes anymore. We aren't children." Scorpius insists, pulling it off and giving it to him. Oliver grabs his arm. "Olly-" Oliver pulls him into a hug, reaching under his arms to hold like like a child might. Scorpius wanted to push him away, but after a few seconds he simply hugged him back. Right there in the middle of the hallway. Raven interrupts as she came up the stairs, realizing who that was.
"Oliver?!" Her voice was a hushed yell. Scorpius immediately stepped away from the boy like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Oliver looked over and he grinned. "Scorpius what is he doing here?" She walks over, turning to him. Scorpius was surprised she was talking directly to him, much less realizing she was asking him a question. "Don't you realize we are having a party- you can't be here." She tells Oliver. He nods, gesturing sideways and she gives him a soft hug. "You're going to hide him, right? Because if father sees-"
"Yes yes. I know. I'll hide him in a closet and swallow the key." Scorpius waves her off, standing there a bit awkwardly.
"Shoving me back in the closet, S?" Oliver smirked.
"Scorpius never left." Raven mused, and they both laughed. "I'll leave you boys to it then. The party ends in a couple hours. Let's raid the pantry afterwards, like we use to." Raven offers, walking down to her room at the end of the hallway. Oliver gives her a nod, agreeing.
"This isn't a sleepover, we aren't having fun." Scorpius tells him. "Now just wait in the guest room." He demands. Oliver's smile disappears, and he walks over to the room. Scorpius waits until he's inside before going into his room. He closed the bedroom door and leans against the mirror. "Oh I'm so screwed." Scorpius shakes his head at himself. What was he thinking? Why would he give in like that? He's already on a thin line with Draco. If he realizes that Scorpius allowed Oliver- a muggle boy who he was never fond of- to stay inside the manner? While Narcissa and Lucius was here? Oh he really goofed. He fucked up.
"Hey. That took awhile." Albus says, still laying on his stomach. He was looking through something on his laptop, probably Netflix titles. When there was no reply from Scorpius right away he looked up. "What happened? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"I did." Scorpius felt like he wanted to curl up and die. What the hell was he supposed to say to Albus? Of course Albus wouldn't care. He's easy going and sweet and would probably even suggest he and Oliver play a board game. Scorpius didn't know if he was ready to witness them get on. That's the issue. They'd get on well. What if they became friends and left him? What if they became more than friends? Scorpius was probably completely off the wagon with this train of thought but he was actually panicking. "So I have an unexpected guest." He begins, walking slowly over to the bed. What was he doing? What if they talked about him? What if Oliver told Albus.
"Oh cool, more the merrier. It's not your cousin though right? Because I don't like Michael. Not in Hogwarts and not now." Albus sits up, sitting cross legged on the bed. Scorpius realizes that he changed into a pair of his sweats and a tee shirt. "Sorry, I didn't bring clothes with me. I figured you wouldn't care." He adds, following his gaze.
"No. It's okay. I don't mind." He paused, trying to think again. "It's not my cousin. Actually it's complicated." Scorpius clears his throat awkwardly.
"You seem fiddly." Albus narrows his eyes. "I didn't think I'd ever see a day where you acted so awkwardly."
"I'm not really in the mood for jokes." Scorpius replies straight-faced. He scratches his chin. "You know my uhm old friend Oliver?" Albus nods. "Well, something happened." He thinks about it a moment, contemplating telling Albus the Karen was in the hospital. The woman who use to babysit the boys when they'd hang out. Who made him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Who always was smiling, even when she could barely breathe or had just spent the night sick from chemo. "It's not something I want to think about because honestly I'll probably break down so." Scorpius gave an empty laugh. "But Oliver is staying the night. In the guest room. Down the hall."
"Really! Oh that's brilliant. I'd love to meet him. He's probably really great if you guys got on." Albus beamed. "You don't seem excited."
"I'm... worried." Scorpius admits. "We haven't talked in awhile. Couple years. It feels weird." He bites his lips. "I just thought I'd tell you, in case you see him in the hall or in the morning or something. You can sleep in here of course. There's plenty of room in my bed." Scorpius runs his hands through his hair.
"Well I can take the guest room if you'd rather Ol-"
"No, absolutely not." Scorpius cuts him off, disturbed. He realizes how defensive that was and then corrects himself. "I just mean I'd rather you sleep in here. Plus, we were having a movie night, right?"
"We should invite him, at least. It's rude otherwise. We can have a proper hangout." Albus leans back against the pillows, folding his hands together on his chest. "It'll be fun." Scorpius had a bad feeling about this.
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