"Serpen Aquamenti!" Scorpius casts the spell, and a massive serpent of water explodes from his wand, immediately drenching the foyer. The water-formed creature launches the short distance between Scorpius and Selwyn, and engulfs the latter in a swirling mass of floating water. Selwyn's mouth and nose fill with water, suffocating him. But a wave of his wand has the water receding like a bomb went off from within the mass. All the water coated the walls, rippling like it was glass against the stone. Selwyn pushes hair that was wet and streaming with water away from his face.
"Bombarda." Raven aims up at the chandelier above the man, and the ceiling explodes. The light fixture falling through the air at the speed of gravity, and Selwyn barely has time to jump out of the way before it shatters on the ground at impact. Shards of glass slide across the wet floor. Selwyn doesn't get up as he casts his spell.
"Incendio." It was like the water on the ground turned to gasoline. Scorpius went to his knees and stuck his hands into the water.
"Glacius." His charm instantly froze the floor, and the fire Selwyn begun instantly died out. The man got to his feet. "Flipendo!" Scorpius's jinx immediately knocked him backwards and off his feet again.
"Herbivicus Incarcerous." Raven points to the floor with her wand, and Scorpius watched as vines busted through the floor and wrapped tightly around Selwyn's wrists and ankles, holding him on the ground and immobilized. Scorpius looked at his sister, realizing how much she'd actually learned this year. He was impressed. Scorpius walked over to the man and kicked the wand out of his hand.
"You miscalculated." Selwyn told him, staring up at the boy from the floor. Scorpius's blood pumped through his body so loud he was sure everyone could hear it. And panic shook up his gut as suddenly darkness robbed him of his sight. Daniel.
"Raven!" Scorpius yells, hearing the exclamation of others all over the manor. It was dark everywhere. "Lumos Maxima!" A light like the sun erupted from the end of his wand, and when he looked back down where Selwyn was, the small space around him illuminated from his wand, the man was gone. Vines were broken and dead. Terror gripped him. "Raven!" He yelled again, spinning and holding his wand up in front to see where she was.
"Scorpius!" Her voice broke the darkness and Scorpius moved towards it, and she ran towards the light. She looked terrified as she met him. "What happened?" Her voice trembled. Scorpius was uncharacteristically steady as he took her hand and lead them towards the stairs.
"It's Daniel." He tells her quietly. Raven keeps her wand up, eyes scanning the darkness as they make their way through the place they call home. The bottom of her dress was wet from the water, and her hand was cold in his. The only sounds Scorpius could hear was their steps. They stop at the bottom of the stairs. "The light is a beacon." Scorpius makes eye contact with his sister. Raven takes a deep breath. "This is our home."
"Do it." She agrees without having to clarify.
"Nox." The light at the end of Scorpius's wand goes out. And they are left in complete darkness, without even the slightest of light. Scorpius could feel Raven's hand in his, and he made sure not to let go. Scorpius stepped out of his shoes, leaving him in socks, and he could hear Raven do the same. Shuffling in the dark. "We need to find father." He whispers to her, and they walk up the stairs.
A spell flashes from the top of the stairs, and they run the rest of the way up. Scorpius could hear Orion's voice and his mother's. And then another voice; one Scorpius recognized but couldn't place to a specific guest from the party. "Avada Kedavra!" A green flash lit up the room, and Scorpius spotted the figures of Orion and his mother, he and Raven both ran towards them.
"Protego!" Marius countered the killing curse, and it rebounded- hitting a two hundred year old vase that decorated the hallway. It exploded at the impact.
"You are going to have to pay for that." Scorpius says through the darkness, announcing their arrival. There's a sigh of relief and then laughter from Orion.
"That's been in the family since Abraxas Malfoy, so my brother isn't joking." Raven adds, voice shaky still.
"I didn't think he was." Orion's fingers touched Scorpius's coat through the dark, trying to find where they were. Scorpius reached up to touch his hand, and there's a sigh of relief as Orion felt that ugly scar on his skin.
"What happened?" Marius asks, clearly talking about the darkness.
"It's Daniel." Scorpius begins, hearing her voice close to where Raven was grasping his hand. "My brother. It's instinctual magic."
"Please tell me you have some of that up your sleeve." Orion jokes, tapping his thumb twice on Scorpius's hand which gripped his wand. He could feel that Orion was standing within a foot of him. Could feel his body heat.
"I can't use it unless we're outside. Do you know where Michael is?" The boy who's life is tied to mine? Scorpius wondered.
"No." Orion replies. "Shouldn't we go outside then?"
"The Aurors are outside. They don't know anything that's going on. They never do. If we leave they might mistake us as other guests." Marius points out.
"Agreed." Scorpius speaks up, realizing no one could see him nodding. "We need to find my father and Michael." Their conversation is interrupted as they are attacked.
"Imperio!"
"Protego!" Orion throws up the defense.
"Impedimenta!" Scorpius reacts at the same time, and they hear the attacker go quiet, stopped in their tracks. The green flash illuminated the space before it hits the target. There's a moment of silence, and Scorpius makes sure to find Orion again in the dark. "Stay close." He tells him and Marius. Orion holds onto Scorpius's sleeve as they move again, making their way down the hallway.
They shift through the darkness, hearing distant charms and spells being cast but not seeing any lights or flashes. Scorpius kept his wand up as they moved, and when they cleared the second floor, he headed back to the stairs. Raven and him both navigating easily in the dark. They stopped on the stairs as they heard voices.
"...find him anywhere." A female voice was saying. "It's too dark to see anything."
"Amycus, was I not clear when I asked them to find Harry Potter?" Selwyn asks. Scorpius held his breath as a new voice- Amycus Carrow- spoke up.
"You were clear to me."
"You find him then!" The first voice exclaims angrily. Scorpius placed it as Lillian Malfoy. Anger coursed through him. He led them down the stairs, slowly and silently. The voices grew louder as they reached the bottom.
"He hasn't gone anywhere. There's an Anti-Disapparation jinx on the entire property." Daniel says. Scorpius clenches his jaw. "He has no where to go. None of them do."
"You told me that Salazar would be coming back to the castle with us." Lillian growls. The castle? Scorpius tucked that name into his mind for future reference. It could be where they've been meeting.
"He will be." Daniel snapped back at her. "Willingly or not." Definitely not.
"I believe in the prophecy." Selwyn says to silence them. "He will change everything. In due time."
"You said the prophecy is about me." Daniel's tone was aggressive. Scorpius's knuckles turned white as he clenched his wand.
"Daniel do you doubt what we are accomplishing here?"
"Of course not Argulus."
"Then find your brother." He orders in a hiss. Scorpius's heart raced. There's the sound of feet scraping on the floor, shards of glass lacerating the ground as Daniel leaves them. The small group of four reach the bottom of the stairs.
"Heard you're looking for me." Scorpius speaks up as they walk through the entrance of the massive hall, the entertainment center of the manor.
"Protego Diabolica." Raven's charm sent blue fire onto the ground, creating a circle around the group. The blue light illuminated the room. The flames licked the air, cracking and whistling. The protection charm was simple, a test of loyalty. Where enemies to those inside the circle would burn in the fire. Those who weren't, could pass right through. Perfect for if it brought the attention of any other guests in the manor. And no doubt it would, considering the brightness in the dark. The three people who had spoken weren't the only ones in the room.
Selwyn, Lillian Malfoy, Amycus Carrow, and Aries stood there. They all faced the group. Scorpius drops Raven's hand. "On my signal lower the defense." He tells her softer, and walks up to the flames, standing just on the other side of them. "So what's the plan?" Scorpius addresses Selwyn, then looks at Lillian Malfoy. "Kill Harry Potter, kidnap me, and what? Torture me? Or will you just go straight to the Imperius curse? That's what I'd do." He put his mask on, appearing cool and calm. Taunting and arrogant.
There's silence and then Aries starts laughing, and walks up. She looked how she always did. Perfect makeup and hair, dressed like a Russian assassin. Head to toe in black. "How's that arm?" She taunts from the other side of the flames. Scorpius didn't so much as blink at her, not giving her any sort of response. His stormy eyes meeting dark ones.
He didn't know if this was an act for Selwyn or not. But right now was not the time to ask.
"Aries, please." Selwyn waved his hand at her. Aries licked her lips, cackling like Scorpius was telling a comedy. But she stepped back from the boundary that lit the room. "You will join us. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow or next week. But you will. And I'm a very patient person." Selwyn tells him evenly. Scorpius couldn't believe the arrogance of this man. He was how you'd expect a villain to look like, except startlingly well dressed. Long face that had a harsh nose jutting out from it, and a glimmer of death twinkling in his eyes. Like he lived between life and death.
"You lied to Daniel." Scorpius confronts him. Selwyn raised one eyebrow.
"Which time?" He asks, and Aries laughs at his joke.
"Yeah, you're laughing now. But you've bred an explosive anger in him." Scorpius shakes his head. "When he finds out, I hope you can hide from him. Cause a man with nothing to lose? That's who you should fear."
"I fear no one." Selwyn obnoxious snaps. "Because it doesn't matter if I die. Aries will take up the mantle." Scorpius looked at the girl. His friend. Her gaze was cold, betraying nothing. "And if she dies, then someone else will. This is bigger than me." Scorpius looks around as guests from the party find themselves approaching the blue flames, following the light in the darkness of the manor. They looked between Selwyn and Scorpius.
"Well, you wanted to rally your allies." Scorpius looked at the guests. "Now it's your turn to choose." He looked back at Raven. "Now." And the defense fell. "Terra Vipera duo!" Scorpius shouts his charm, and the ground rumbles under the manor. And then the floor buckles and explodes outwards, raining dirt into the room. Two serpents made of earth and red molten rock crawl out of the earth, hissing in a way a flame hisses when water is thrown on it. The entire floor had split open. The serpents turn their attack onto Selwyn and Carrow.
As they throw up shields, Lillian flicked her wand towards Raven. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Protego!" Orion moved to shield the girl, and the shield he threw up rebounded the curse- and that green flash hit the caster. Lillian Malfoy falls to the cracked floor, instantly dead. Guilt immediately crosses his face, but Raven grabbed his arm in thanks and Orion shook off the look. Chaos seemed to unfold around them. The guests either started attacking Selwyn's people or Scorpius's.
"Aquamenti!" Selwyn desperately tries to snuff out the earth and fire snakes before him, but he was struggling. Scorpius decided he needed to kill him. He had the chance here, he needed to take it. He watched as Orion dueled Aries, Raven backing him up. And Draco slid onto the scene, disarming Amycus Carrow with one spell.
"Serpensortia." Scorpius conjured the snakes, and as the red-tailed boas slid into existence, they turned to look at him. And the parseltongue slipped from his lips like it was his first language. "Finish Selwyn." This time he didn't have to clarify. The Boas slithered away from him.
His legs launched into motion to cross the room as Draco is knocked backwards with a stunning spell, and throws up a shield. His eyes fixate on the one who'd attacked Draco, and he sees its Julian. Scorpius brings his wand up, and so does the other Malfoy. "Crucio!"
"Avada Kedavra!" Julian's was faster. Scorpius screams as the green flash hits Draco, who was struggling to get to his feet.
"No!" Scorpius felt pressure burst out of him, and the darkness lifts- the lights spring back to life in the room. He throws himself down to his knees by Draco, yanking the crown off his head that had started to slip out anyways. He looked back at Julian, and begun to cast the curse from where he sat. "Ava-" A hand grabs his arm, and he looks into green eyes. His heart stops until he sees the glasses and the aging, and realizes it's Harry Potter. Stopping him from using the killing curse.
Scorpius didn't hear what Harry told him, his eyes already went back to Draco's still face. "No." He repeats, tears streaming down his face. Sweat was beading on his forehead from the toll of the magic. He yanks his coat off, and leans over Draco, shaking and trembling. "No!" The entire house shook, and the sound of thunder roiled overhead. Scorpius knew that was his doing without even meaning to.
He looked up to see as Aurors hit the scene, but it all felt like a blur. Scorpius looked to where Selwyn was, just in time to see the man blow the earth snakes apart- falling in lifeless hunks of rock and dirt in the room. The conjured snakes strike- but Selwyn was prepared. He smoothly returned them to nothingness with a wave of his wand.
Scorpius fought to lift himself to his feet, and ran through the battle to Raven and Orion. Who was still withstanding against Aries. Selwyn would have to wait. He casted them aside with one spell. "Carpe Retractum!" The charm grabbed Aries and pulled her towards him- and when she was in arm's reach, he knocked the wand out of her hand. True terror reached those soulless eyes then. And he felt a little justice for Cypress Black. "Petrificus Totalus." Aries's entire body went stiff and she fell onto the ground, eyes still wide in surprise.
The sounds of shouted spells and curses were almost drowned out by the thunder outside. Scorpius tried to focus in on that pressure inside of him, but it felt unreachable. For the first time he was truly wondering if he could get control of it.
Amycus ran over to Aries, his daughter. But when he looked up at Scorpius there was no sign of disdain or hate towards the boy. Perhaps he realized that not killing Aries was a courtesy.
Selwyn attacks Harry Potter, and Marius ended up fighting at his side. Through the mass of battle, Scorpius watches as Selwyn's killing curse misses twice and hits home on the third time. He didn't realize which one of them had died. A shout from Orion answered that question. Selwyn exclaims in triumph, and points his wand to the ceiling. The thunder and yelling drowns out his words as he breaks the Anti-Disapparation jinx on the house.
A loud crack that sounded like the upper floors were beginning to crash down shook the house. Like the Anti-Disapparation jinx had been built into the very walls. And it helped hold the manor together. A white light momentarily blinded them all as the jinx broke. Immediately his followers begin to disapparate, escaping.
Before Selwyn disappears, he looked directly into Scorpius's eyes, as though to promise he'd be back for him.
Scorpius's heavy legs carried him to his father's body, and he kneels there. Raven wailed, screaming in pain over his lifeless form. His entire chest ached, and he knew it wasn't from the battle but the heartache he felt. Draco was dead. This was his fault. This was all his fault. Scorpius sobbed, his wand clattering onto the floor.
Someone must've cleared up the weather because after a bit the thunder stopped. Harry Potter tries to talk to him, but both Scorpius and Raven weren't reachable.
When they finally stopped crying, Draco's body was cold.
—-
"... safe place for you to stay." Harry Potter was telling them, kneeling down where Scorpius and Raven were still on the floor. Beside Draco. Tears had dried on Scorpius's cheeks, making them feel weirdly tight. His eyes were red from crying. Orion sat on a party chair several feet away, staring into the abyss. And Scorpius knew it's because Selwyn had managed to kill Marius- probably while aiming for Harry.
They were orphans. And now they had to leave their home.
"I'm not leaving the manor." Raven finally speaks, her voice cracking. She looked up at Harry Potter with eyes that dared him to tell her otherwise.
"I understand how hard-"
"No you don't!" Raven screamed at him, and even Orion turned his head to look. Other Aurors were standing off, taking reports of what had gone on from the guests who ended up not supporting Selwyn. Despite how few that was. And even they looked over at Raven's words.
Maybe Harry did understand. Maybe he didn't. Either way it didn't matter because those weren't the words that comforted Raven. And he knew what would, so he reached over to her, setting his hand on hers that clenched their father's coat. She looked up at him. "I promise I'm not going to leave you." He tells her, and fresh tears start to stream down her cheeks. Raven nods. "We can't stay here." Scorpius tells his sister. She cries a little harder, but nods again. He turns to Harry Potter, his voice scratching and his throat raw. "I want to stay in the House of Black. 12 Grimmauld Place." He tells him.
Harry nods. "It seems only right, considering you're a Black. I'll get it ready in a couple hours. You'll have to clean it up, probably." He warns. Scorpius just nods.
"Orion will be staying too." He sniffles. Orion didn't dispute the claim, so Harry Potter agreed. Scorpius knew that the Auror would end up coming back with questions and more legal things considering that all three of them were under the age of seventeen and technically were required to live with a legal adult. Then a thought occurred to him. "And Michael Greengrass." Scorpius wipes his eyes, looking around the room and spotting his cousin.
Harry Potter stands, and leaves to make a phone call. Scorpius didn't know if he could keep doing this. He looked down at his father, and had no idea how he was going to recover. You have to be strong. For Raven. He clenched his fists. For Raven.
They packed their essentials in the next few hours, and Scorpius made sure to grab important things from Draco's office. Everything would have to be gone through. An Auror took Orion home, apparently to explain what had happened to his step-father and work things out. It was unclear if he was going to be allowed at the House of Black since technically his step dad was still a parent.
That would be up the the father and the Ministry. Aurors- who had introduced themselves to Scorpius but he'd already forgotten their names- took his bags and stuff to the House of Black. And then Raven and Scorpius were brought there. By the time it had all been finished, it was early in the morning. The black night skies were starting to lighten just a little to display that the sun was starting to shift.
Raven, Scorpius, and Michael all stood in the hallway of the House of Black. Silence between them. "This place is creepy." Michael breaks the silence.
"I never thought I'd hear you call anywhere creepy. Considering we once resurrected your owl in a graveyard outside of a church at witching hour." Scorpius replies, an attempt at a joke. But none of them laughed.
"I'm going to shower." Raven walked away from the boys and down the hall towards the stairs. She was distant, her voice far away even when she was here.
"Harry told Kreacher we were staying, so... don't worry about the house elf. I guess." Scorpius says, but she was already gone. He definitely wasn't expecting to spend his summer here. Scorpius held up his hand which Feyre perched on, and the owl took off into the house. Missy, on the other hand, didn't move from his side. He looked at Michael, who yawned in sleepiness. "There's bedrooms on the upper floors. Check for boggarts, the house has been empty for awhile." He tells his cousin.
Michael jokingly salutes, and walks away down the hall. Scorpius walked into the drawing room on the next floor, and pulled his wand out. Dust was thick on surfaces. And before he could whisk it away with his wand, Kreacher enters the room. "Salazar Gaunt. Kreacher heard you would be returning." He greets. Scorpius fixed the old house elf with a stern look.
"I'm going to be repairing the house Kreacher. I trust you'll allow me too?" Scorpius clarifies. The house elf looked inclined to disagree with any changes, but his duty overcame his stickler disposition.
"Mistress Walburga would wish Salazar the best to restore her noble home." He bows, his boney hands waving over a stack of books. Which levitated with the magic and returned to their shelves.
Scorpius held his wand out, and wracked his brain for the cleaning spell. Having used nothing but offensive and defensive magic today, it was hard to get out of that zone. "Scourgify." He focused, and before his and Kreacher's eyes, the dust lifted and disappeared. "Reparo." The repairing charm worked in hand, and the rug in the center of the room shifted straight, brightened in color. The couches seemed to become vibrant with youth. Like the decades had been reversed. There's the howling of darkness as a boggart is disturbed from the writing desk, and whisks out- which Kreacher traps and removes.
The piano was once again shiny, the wood polished and gleaming. The glass fronted cabinets shook as the objects stored inside were polished, reverting back to how they must've looked originally. Cobwebs disappearing as though an invisible cloth was wiped over them. Scorpius looked up, the lights brightening instill of being so dull. The wallpaper along the ceiling repasting itself.
Missy purrs softly, watching everything become brand new again. "This place is magnificent." Scorpius realizes, understanding then that the Black Family was potentially as rich and lavish as the Malfoy's.
Compared to the rest of the place, this room was bright and comfortable. At least for those use to living in a place that resembled royalty. Someone from middle class upbringing might feel out of place. Scorpius wondered if Orion would feel comfortable here.
He decided he'd be doing this to the rest of the home. And possibly change the light fixtures. They were so outdated, especially in the hallway and dining room. Scorpius opened the curtains to the street outside, which was dark. The street lamps illuminating it softly. Missy sat at the bottom of the floor length windows, looking out. "Kreacher, how does the Fidelius charm work here?" Scorpius wonders.
"The charm is only half in affect, Master Salazar. After the war it's location became rather public knowledge, therefore nullifying the Secret-Keeper aspect. However, it does still remain invisible to muggles. A witch or wizard must be looking for 12 Grimmauld place for it to reveal itself." The house elf explains, fastening the curtains open. "As you know, the home is unplottable. Which means it's only accessible to a witch or wizard. A muggle would be unable to open the door." The house elf looks at Scorpius. "Sleep, Master Salazar. The house will still be here to finish tomorrow."
Scorpius didn't argue, and Missy followed him up to the top floor. Where Harry had said they'd put his stuff in the bedroom. He opened the door to Regulus Black's room, and decided he'd make that one his. Scorpius made a mental note to completely rearrange the room, but for now he just laid on the bed and made room for Missy to curl beside him.
He hardly slept for the next few hours.
—-
Scorpius showered and dressed in jeans and a hoodie, considering the house was cold that morning. He busied himself the entire morning getting the rest of the house into proper condition. And when it was finally all done, it was left in between honoring the preexisting decor and adding his own flair. Regulus's bedroom- which was now Scorpius's- looked completely different. Scorpius changed the sheets and bedding, and put miscellaneous stuff into the storage closets. He unpacked his things into the dresser, and set up the books he'd brought. His laptop and father's files all sat in a pile on the desk.
He even took down the old Slytherin flags and decor. He thought Regulus somewhat boring; to decorate his room in House stuff. When he was done, it looked less like a teenager's room and more elegant. He figured Orion would take Sirius's room across the hall from his, so Scorpius only cleaned it and left the rest for the other boy to choose what to do with.
Michael had done something similar in the bedroom on the first floor above the ground. And Raven had taken the largest room on the third floor; Walburga's previous bedroom. But she hadn't bothered to change it at all yet. Scorpius knocked on that door, leaning against the doorframe. He hadn't seen her all morning, and didn't know if she was even awake yet. But he heard a voice from inside telling him to come in, so he opened the door.
It was dark inside, the the room was probably twice the size of his. Which Scorpius didn't mind. "Hey." He sees her on the bed, dressed in leggings and a oversized tee shirt. Her long white hair was in a messy bun and she looked how he would've expected. Without makeup, and over all just messy. "Are you hungry? Michael's ordering food."
"No." She says, scrolling through some social media app on her phone in the dark. Scorpius sat on the edge of the bed, and Raven looked up at him. "I don't really want to be around Michael or anyone."
"I know. But I want to be around you." Scorpius replies. "You don't have to eat. But at least change your shirt and come downstairs with me. I fixed up the house. I want to show you." He prompts. Raven softly sighs. "Nothings going to change whether you sit up here or come downstairs with me." He adds. She nods, sliding to the edge of the bed. Scorpius turns away as she changes, and then they leave the room together.
Michael was in the dining room as they walked through the ground floor. "It looks really good. You did this?" Raven asks, marveling at the transformation the house had made.
"Well, magic did." Scorpius replies. "I'm thinking, change the wallpaper, repaint a few things. It'll look authentic and updated."
"Why?" Raven crossed her arms over her chest. The creamy turtleneck sweater she put on kind of blends into her skin and hair. One would expect it to wash her out but strangely it accentuates her natural features without the need of makeup.
"Why?" Scorpius echoes. Raven raised her light eyebrows that were normally darkened with a pencil.
"Your talking like we aren't going back to the manor." She grits through her teeth.
"We are." Scorpius realized he probably shouldn't have sounded so excited about it. Honestly he wasn't really processing the fact Draco had just died. "I just meant since we'll probably be here awhile... and Harry is probably more likely to put this place in my name if I've shown him I'm planning to take care of it." Raven frowns. Michael looked over from where he was sitting at the long dining table, like he could smell the rising tension.
"Seriously?" Her snap nearly made Scorpius flinch. "That's what you're thinking about right now? Twisting this..." She waves her arms to the room, to the house. "this tragedy to your advantage?" Raven glared at him, meeting his gaze unflinchingly.
"I know you're upset, but don't take that out on me." Scorpius retorts.
"Scorpius, this is all your fault!" She yells at him. Michael stood from his seat and walked closer, slowly and to assess the situation. "What happens when I die? Are you just going to move onto the next place, and fix it up?" There were tears in her eyes. Scorpius reached out towards her and she hissed at him to stay away. But he continued towards her, until he could put her arms around her. "I treated him so horribly." She sobs into his shirt. Scorpius felt tears form in his eyes at her pain, and that hole in his chest seemed to widen.
He could feel it all. The heart-wenching pain that everything was going to be different now.
—-
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