Epiphany |Scorpius Malfoy|

Chapter Eighteen

After weeks, Scorpius finally decided to approach Isabelle, but it seemed like luck was not on his side this time. He could just never find her alone, as usually, Cassidy was in her company. Even when the Hufflepuff was not around, though, Rose would not be far away. He had even caught her spending time with Effie, something that had been quite the surprise initially.

As the days passed, though, he decided that he would not wait much longer. He would approach her no matter who was around. In that Hogsmeade trip, he got to the village with Albus by his side, mainly in search of the Hufflepuff.

If he knew her, she was most probably going to buy any gifts for her friends as Christmas was coming closer and then, she would probably retire to the Three Broomsticks to enjoy the warmth. Albus had informed him that her company for the day was Effie, making his plan easier. All he had to do, was find them.

That did not prove to be a hard feat. After all, he knew her. Some hours after walking aimlessly around Hogsmeade with Albus, he spied her walking with the female Slytherin, the two seemingly immersed in a conversation. They did not notice him and Albus approaching them until they stopped in front of them.

Effie was the first to look up, and as she saw the two, she blinked before a smile formed on her lips. "Well, I certainly did not expect you to join us."

"We are not going to stay for long," Albus spoke up, sending a smile at Isabelle as she looked up at him. "If anything, I came because I remembered that you, Effie, are owing me something?"

"What?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I hardly remember that ever happening."

"You owe me an explanation as to why you woke me up this morning."

"Obviously because you would otherwise lose breakfast?" she inquired as she let Albus lead her away.

"Did you actually expect me to believe that for a second?"

Their voices trailed off as they walked away, leaving Isabelle and Scorpius alone. He looked at her, taking in her form that he had so missed. And she looked up at him, then, but there was no smile on her lips.

At that moment, he felt like he had been punched, because, for the first time in his life, her gaze actually held dissapointment, and he found himself wishing to run away. His feet, though, seemed to be rooted on the spot.

"How dare you?" she spoke, these three words holding the most accusation he had ever heard her use in her voice. "You appear after about a month of ignoring me as if I had done something wrong, and you don't even say anything? How dare you stand here before me after ignoring all my attempts to make things normal between us? I.. I don't even know why I should be the one to fix our friendship - I hardly did anything wrong! I was so upset, Scorpius, we've spent so much time together, I thought I knew you, and yet here I am, realising that after all these years, perhaps I don't know you as much as I thought I knew you."

She seemed to breathe heavily and it was evident that she had more things to say but was holding herself back. Then, she narrowed her eyes up at him, and the glare she sent him was probably worse than the one he had received at the start of the term when he had learned of her situation.

"Are you going to say nothing?!"

For some time, he remained silent, his expression blank as he looked down at her. They were lucky they were the only ones in the street, because if the case was different, they would have probably never managed to have that conversation. Scorpius, however, did not seem to wish to take the chance given to him as he remained unresponsive.

Eventually, Isabelle grew tired of his silence and with a scoff, she turned around to leave, only to hear him mumbling something she did not quite catch. Without turning her body around, she turned her head slightly in order to watch him. "What did you say?"