Epiphany |Scorpius Malfoy|

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"A spider, Scorpius," Isabelle groaned some hours later as she tried to explain the situation to Scorpius, "there were so many beautiful animals, but no, my Patronus is a spider!"

The boy watched her as she paced in front of him, a small smile on his lips as he witnessed her annoyed state. He couldn't exactly blame her, as a spider wasn't the best animal one could have as a Patronus, but she failed to realise that she had actually managed to produce one, which had been her initial goal. It seemed like nobody could have everything they wished for, no matter how much they wanted it.

"Someone got a doe, Scorpius, what's better than having a doe as your Patronus? Cassidy got a lion, and no-one ever gets a lion as their Patronus, and here I am, with a spider!"

"I don't know any person that has a spider as their Patronus, Belle."

"Probably because they died of shame!" she exclaimed as she finally sat down beside him and placed her head on her hands. "Why should I have a spider? Why not something else?"

With a small smile, he put an arm around her shoulders as he pulled her towards him. "I'll have you know, a spider is not the worst Patronus you could get."

"It wasn't even a small spider, it was a huge one!" she exclaimed, "At least a small spider is cute - what am I saying," she groaned, "there are no cute spiders!"

"A spider is not a bad animal, Belle," he mumbled, "they are actually pretty useful, hardworking and resilient. I would say they are pretty good artists too, have you ever watched their webs closely?"

"Do I seem like an artist to you, Scorpius?" she raised an eyebrow, "Some of my classmates actually screamed when they saw it, I've got the worst Patronus of all-"

"Alright, that's enough," he cut in, his voice slightly more stern now, "you might not like spiders, but they are very nice creatures and we could learn a thing or two from them if we paid attention. Not to mention that it's your Patronus, which means that you've got some things similar to them, and I won't have you talking about something that resembles you in such a way."

"But-"

"No," he shook his head with a smile, "my mum's favourite animal was actually a spider. I thought it was peculiar at first, but then she explained to me that I should never judge something from its appearance, but rather its value and when it comes to people, character. A spider is not the most beautiful animal, but it is actually a really useful one, as I told you, and I think I prefer this animal to something big or scary, like a lion. Because, frankly, I do believe that a spider is way more useful than a lion or even a doe."

For some time, Isabelle was silent as she processed his words before she finally looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Your mother's favourite animal really was a spider of all things?"

"Well, to be honest, she loved all animals and her favourites changed from time to time, but yeah, the latest favourite animal of hers was actually a spider," he smiled softly, "she always tried to find an animal that held a special meaning to her, and she found that meaning in the spider."

She shook her head, her eyes wide as she placed her hands on her lap. "I.. I don't know what to say."

"Accept that your Patronus is rather unusual, considered terrifying or disgusting by some, but is still useful and it means something. And that something can't be something bad."

"You think what you are saying is really going to lift my spirits?" she laughed slightly as she looked at him, a smile remaining on her lips as she shook her head. "I tried hard to actually manage to produce a Patronus. Despite its worth, I would have liked something more..nice."