Trio

8

Scorpius

2 months have passed. The lessons were become extremely hard and the homework was more demanding than ever. While he and Albus were working their arses off every night, Rose, who has more subjects than they, seemed to manage it all okay, although she rarely spent time with them anymore. After lunch periods, she would go to the library, and after a long day, she would retire to the common room.

One dinner, she even actually dozed off in a bowl of beef soup, while Olivia cleaned her up as she got into a mental breakdown for lack of studying. But now she was alert, her eyes scanning every inch of paper in the book as she sat rigid as a board under a beech tree by the frozen lake. Albus was playing with Bubbles, her Pygmy Puff Scorpius bought, that seemed to favor Albus more than her, while Scorpius flipped through the pages of The Standard Book of Spells Grade 3 lazily.

Albus made the Pygmy Puff float a few feet above the snowy ground, twirling her in the air. The blue fire Rose conjured in a jar was the only one keeping them warm from the ice cold air. "This is not a good idea." Rose said, brushing snow of the pages of her book and straightening up. "I'm freezing, and this fire won't last any longer, evanesco!" She exclaimed, and the jar with the fire disappeared. She then stood up, retrieved Bubbles from Albus's grasp, much to his dismay, and scurried off. "Hey, Wait!" Scorpius said. The absence of the fire (and partially Rose too) made him get cold feet he scrambled to get up, shivering as he tightened the scarf around his neck.

"Man, I should think about a Pygmy Puff too. Arnold is boring." Albus said gloomily. "Don't tell anyone I said that." He added warily, scanning the grounds. The Slytherin Common Room was colder than usual, considering they were underground and right beside the lake. "D'you know how to do that blue fire thing?" Albus asked Scorpius, looking at the poorly lit furnace, that was probably growing colder by the minute. Scorpius sat down on a chair opposite him and groaned. "You think?" He replied.

Christmas vibes were swarming the castle. Earlier this morning, Slughorn listed the names of those who would be spending Christmas at the castle, and those who would be taking the train back to London. Scorpius was going home, along with his sister Serena. Albus was going home too. He and Rose, being cousins, were staying at the Burrow for Christmas Dinner with the Weasley family. They had begun packing this morning, before their departure at the twenty-fourth, so Scorpius nearly tripped over his luggage as he reached their dormitory. The snow was falling harder now, and their dormitory window was covered by icy waters.

"I'd be glad to go home at a temperature like this, the burrow is quite warm." Albus explained briefly, plopping onto his four poster. Scorpius nodded and thought silently. The Malfoy Manor was colder than ever. Scorpius's grandparents were pureblood fanatics that would not approve of half-bloods, especially since he befriended two. His father, although unhappy, was still keeping his silence, for he knew their mother would be okay with it. Their mother, Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy, was a joy to that terrible place. She was the only source of warmth that he and Serena could rely on whenever things were tough. Like when he was accused of being Voldemort's son for two years. The bullying at the time was depressing, and it was because of Albus and Rose, who stopped the rumors and spoke up about it in the end of their second year, did he stop getting hate and false accusations.

But before that, it was his mother who would comfort him, would tell him that it was alright and that as long as he knew the truth, none of their opinions mattered, with her favorite saying, "It matters not what they think but what you think." But that was over. Because his mother had faced a terrible fate, she had a blood curse that didn't allow her to live a full life. She had suffered greatly in her pregnancy with him and Serena, but she didn't care, as long as their dad had someone to be with when she was long gone. She was selfless, kind, and respected Muggles and Muggle-borns despite being a pureblood herself. This didn't make her their grandparents favorites, but dad didn't care. And now, Scorpius would never hear those words of wisdom from her warm, soothing voice. He didn't know how hard this affected his younger sister, who was far closer to their mum than he was, but nonetheless, he loved her dearly. He fumbled with the locket his mother had left him in her will, and thought about his poor sister, who faced constant bullies from his own fellow Slytherin's for being a Hufflepuff.

"Come on Scorp!" Albus called. He was standing in the doorway, ready for dinner. Scorpius jerked in a comical fashion as he realized he was once again, delving into his thoughts. But somehow, he didn't feel hungry anymore. He shook his head softly towards him. Albus nodded curtly and left the dorm. Scorpius changed into his pajamas and lay in bed. He then dozed off into sleep. His dreams filled with images of his mother in prison, looking miserable while Serena was bullying Hufflepuffs.

***

The Hogwarts Express finally reached the stop, and the students began filing out and into Platform 9 3/4, where parents stood awaiting their children for Christmas. Rose, whose father did not approve of Scorpius befriending her, pretended she didn't know Scorpius and jumped onto her father's arms, Hugo trailing behind. Scorpius was used to this, and knew it was all for the best, so he too played along and spotted his father a good distance away. Serena now appeared beside him and together they walked towards their waiting father, grabbed his arm, and everything went black. Scorpius felt like he was sucked down a tube and air seemed to get out of his lungs.

A moment later, they were standing outside large steel black gates overlooking a grand mansion. They walked forward freely through the still closed gates as if it were an illusion. The gates then hardened as they walked away from it, and into the big house known as the Malfoy Manor. "Good morning, mother." Draco said as they entered a handsome living room. Narcissa Malfoy was sitting in an armchair by the fire, sipping tea and looking very austere. "Ahh, you're home." She said calmly, standing up and greeting him and Serena. "Draco, you have letters." She added in an undertone to her son. Draco sighed.

"Dad, don't go to work." Serena pleaded. She had been asking for her dad's attention ever since their mum died. Draco however, seemed to be getting more and more closer to work than ever. Draco smiled sadly. "We'll see my dear. We'll see." He said. Serena sighed and nodded once, and climbed up a shiny black marble staircase leading to their bedrooms. Scorpius nodded curtly to both his grandmother and his father and trailed behind Serena, up the stairs, and far far away.

He was able to take a peek behind Serena's room before she shut the door. It was now filled with her house colors, yellow and black. This did not please grandma and their dad, but Serena would not permit them to change it. So therefore she was the only one that contrasted the silver and green hue of the house. She was rather proud of it though, and Scorpius admired her outspokenness. His room was larger than his sister though. It had it's own grand bed in the center, the hangings silk green, and all furniture were velvety black. Scorpius plopped down on his bed, caressing the sheets. It was as smooth as he left it.

"Dinner!" His grandmother announced a little while later. Scorpius, realizing just how hungry he was, made the effort to get up and walk down the staircase going to their dining room. There was a single long dark oak table in the center of the large room. Handsome chairs were situated on these tables, with only four that seemed to be frequently occupied. Scorpius sat down on the chair beside his father, opposite Serena, who was wearing her yellow and black scarf that their grandmother was watching sharply. Serena ignored this as they began serving food.

"How was school?" Draco began rather stiffly after eating in complete silence. All heads turned to his, and his fathers pale face was tinted with red. "It was good." Serena said in a lofty voice. Scorpius nodded in agreement. Silence followed this small attempt at a conversation. This has always been as it is in the Manor. His mother usually was the best at beginning conversations. Draco was trying his best to reach out to his only family and failing. Scorpius appreciated his father fully, but although Draco was trying to make up for his past mistakes two decades ago, he still couldn't quite forgiven himself.

Scorpius sighed internally. He felt a sudden pang of jealousy at the thought that his two bestfriends were together right now, at the burrow, full of people, food, laughter, and love. Whereas he was here, dark, nearly deserted, and a too huge for too little mansion that could have once been as exciting as the home Rose and Albus were at now. They must be enjoying... They must be cozying up together, reminiscing all the good times. But what good times did this house hold? As far as he could remember, this used to be where Death Eaters hold meetings. This very place is where Voldemort once sat, planning death and destruction. And Scorpius was feeling very miserable at the life he was thrown at, and the life he could have had if his mother was still alive. His only true source of light in this dark place, but as unlucky as humanely possible, Death took his mother too, making him as miserable as you could imagine.