Rose and Scorpius: Please Listen

(8) My House

Scorpius

I didn't want to sleep. Sleeping meant dreaming. Sleeping was sending a message to my grandfather come get me, I'm no longer conscious. Torture me. Try to make me live for You-Know-Who!

I just didn't want to see him that night. Ever since James, Rose, and Albus had talked to me I was so concentrated on being a could person. I couldn't let him ruin that.

I just sat in the common room. I didn't leave to go to my dormitory.

Rose

I couldn't sleep.

I'd had a nightmare about You-Know-Who. I didn't remember much about the dream I just remembered cruel eyes, the word 'crucio', and pain. Lots of pain.

I sat on my bed for a minute or two before I left to go to the common room. I could sit there and think for a while before going back to bed.

I sit down in one of the huge chairs. I can hear the clock tick. I'm relaxed until...

"Couldn't sleep?" asks a voice. It had startled me so much I probably looked like an idiot.

"Scorpius?" I say. He's sitting on the couch in front of the fire. He stared into the flames. He looked so calm, so relaxed. I wish I'd felt that way. Ever since he'd said that we were lucky and all I've careful about what I say and think, maybe I don't want to feel the same way he does.

"Why are you here?" I ask him.

"Nightmares," he replies. "I can't close my eyes without getting a bloody nightmare." When he'd said the last part his shoulders hunched over. He'd seemed sad, but that only lasted for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I had a nightmare," I said. "I'm not sure I'll get it again I just don't want another one. Sleeping can be torture sometimes." I gave him a small smile.

He nods his head and swallows. He's defiantly sad about something. He might not be sad though. Maybe he is scared or hurt.

"You were good in charms class," I say. "I could tell that it took you a lot to not laugh at Linton. I felt a little bit bad for him, I'm not sure he understands the spell is 'Wingardium Leviosa' not 'I SAID WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA YOU STUBBORN LITTLE DEVIL'!!!"

"Tell me about it," he smiles. "I'm not sure if he knows what the quality patience is, let alone possess it."

I laugh at him. He's not at all like I'd thought he would be. Why was I so mean to him before?

"Can I ask you something Rose?" he asks. I say yes. "What's it like, living with your family? How is it?"

I frown at him. "Is there something wrong about parents, Scorpius? I might have judged them freely, maybe a little too freely, but they must love you, you're their son."

"They do," replies Scorpius. "There are just things missing. Their unhappy in a lonely manor. They want me to be happy but they can't hide themselves from me even though they might want to. They can't raise me like a normal child because they're not normal people. They can only try."

I slowly start to talk. "Sometimes it can be annoying. Sometimes you want things to change but ultimately... you don't. They might make you angry but because of them your also relaxed. They might make you really sad sometimes but they also make you happy. Every corner you turn, they're there, but it would be worse if they weren't. They want to protect you. They love you. You've been through you're hardest and greatest days with them. They want the best for you. They're there for you no matter what."

I could see that Scorpius was upset about something, he was more upset now that I'd said that.

"Tell me about your family, Scorpius," I say. "There is good in them. There is good in all of us. There has to be."

"I'd rather not talk about it," says Scorpius, looking down.

"C'mon, Scorpius," I say. Not saying anything will make it worse. It's like salt on a wound. It will help the wound heal quicker. "It can't be good to never say anything, I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to."

Suddenly his sadness turns to anger, and I don't blame him. I'd said some terrible things about him.

"Why should I trust you?" he spits out. "You weren't this friendly to me not too long ago. Are you going to use it against me? You've probably noticed I've done about everything I can to make you see I'm not the person you treated me like. You treated me awfully and you'd never even met me. It makes me sick thinking about it."

It makes me feel sick too.

He walks away and I let him leave.

I feel terrible.