the weight of living ⁂ scorpius malfoy

thirteen ⁂ snow

December 26, 2021

Scarlett woke up to her covers laying on the floor, and she had no idea why. She shivered, but realized the change in temperature was from the weather, not the climate control in the dormitories. Scarlett quickly dressed in her coat, scarf, and hat, then sprinted for the nearest balcony or window. She didn't notice Scorpius sitting in the common room, reading by the fire or the fact that he followed her.

    Scarlett ran up the stone castle's stair up into a balcony overlooking the lake. Her hands pressed up against the hard rock of the railing and fortunately it was untouched by the graceful white flakes falling from the sky. Scarlett gasped in happiness, her breath turning into a white wisp as it touched the cold air. She laughed, running into the clocktower courtyard. At least a foot of freshly lain snow covered the courtyard, a true winter wonderland. Scarlett ran her hand over the snowy antique fountain in the center and watched the soft snow fall under her gloves.

    "What's so funny about snow?" A voice asked behind Scarlett. She slightly jumped in surprise before turning around to see Scorpius.

    "Its exciting!" She crossed her arms. Snowflakes fell into her hair and on her coat.

    "You act as if you've never seen it." Scorpius said, slipping on his gloves.

    "I have, once or twice a year. But it doesn't snow where I'm from."

    "Have you ever had the pleasure of getting hit with a snowball?" Scorpius smirked. Scarlett knew she should be mad at him, but she could help smile. She looked away, staring up into the cloudy sky.

    "No, but I don't plan on— oof!" Scarlett flinched after feeling the painful 'pleasure' of a cold, hard snowball. "Ow! Scorpius!"

    Scorpius only laughed. A devious look appeared on his face as Scarlett bent down and started balling snow together. She threw it at Scorpius, where it hit his legs and bursted apart softly.

    "What did I do wrong?" Scarlett pouted.

    "You have to really pack the snow together." He replied, giving her a visual of packing the snow tightly together. Scorpius chucked the frozen ball at the castle wall, and it harshly exploded upon impact.

    Scarlett got to work, packing the snow in between her gloves as tight as she could. She hurled it to Scorpius, who was hit right in the bum.

    Scarlett burst into laughter while Scorpius cursed under his breath. She mumbled a 'sorry' between giggles.

    "Its fine, that arm is good for the team." Scorpius said, wiping the snow off his pants while Scarlett did a double take.

    Her jaw dropped in a smile. "Did you just compliment my quidditch game?"

    "No." Scorpius replied too quickly, as he watched Scarlett fall on her back and disappear into the snow. He laid down next to her, burying himself in the snow. His beanie was getting damp, but Scorpius didn't mind.

    "Mmmhmm. I'm too happy to protest." She hummed.

    "I still don't understand." Scorpius stared into the cloudy sky until a snowflake landed in his eye. "It's not that beautiful and way too cold."

    "Not beautiful?" Scarlett sat up, looking over to Scorpius with a disbelieving face. "You live in England."

    He sat up as well, nodding. Scarlett stood up and brushed the snow off herself. "Follow me."

    Scarlett broke into a sprint down a long corridor, and when Scorpius was being too slow, she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. They ended up at the long wooden bridge. Scarlett showed Scorpius the view he sees everyday from walking to different classes. It was the lake, surrounded by mountains and various pine trees. The only different thing was that it was snowing.

    "The view is beautiful, and the snow enhances its beauty. Admit it." Scarlett leaned over the balcony.

    Yes the view was quite beautiful, but its not the snow. Scorpius was suddenly taken aback by the thought that had just popped up into his mind. He didn't want to think like that about Scarlett, but he could still feel her warm hand on his own even though it returned to her pocket. "It's not, stop being so dramatic."

    Her voice softens. "Fine. Just look at it though. Plus, its fun to play in." Scarlett turned toward Scorpius, who wasn't even looking at the mountains. He never was. He thought her voice was fascinating. He wanted her to keep talking, to listen to her fascinating accent, to keep watching her lips and the white mist dancing around in front of them.

    Scorpius didn't know what was wrong with himself. He needed to get out of there, away from her. "Yes, I see it now."

    "Good." Scarlett looked back to the mountains and the fluttering snow, proud of the small accomplishment in his words. When she turned back to see the familiar ice blue eyes, all she saw is that Scorpius Malfoy was gone.