Fractured

Wishes

You can tell me every secret that you been keeping
I'll hold it, lock and key
Up with you all night, holding you all night, I never leave

- God, Your Mama & Me - Florida Georgia Line

Chapter Eleven
Wishes

Scorpius sat on his bed, a reading light casting a soft glow across the sheets. Rose flipped off the overheard light and climbed up the ladder into her bunk.

'Hey, Scorp?'

'Yeah?'

'What's wrong?'

There was a momentary silence from the bed below. Rose waited quietly, staring at the plastic stars on the ceiling.

'Nothing, why?'

'Liar,' Rose said. 'What's up?'

'I'm not a liar!'

'Bruh. You've barely spoken all evening. And I beat you at chess. You never let me win.'

There was another long pause. Rose felt the bed wiggle as Scorpius moved around.

'Ok,' he said, finally. 'So, Dad was in the attic last night and he found some stuff-'

'Knew it.'

'D'ya want me to tell you or not?!'

'I'm sorry, go on.'

'Here, look.'

Scorpius waved something up in the air. Rose leaned down and took it. She turned her reading light on and saw it was a photograph.

'Is that Mum? Ha! What a dork!' Rose laughed. 'Who're the other people?'

'Look on the back.'

'Hermione Granger,' Rose read. 'Headmistress McGonagall, Professor Sprout, blah, blah...Oh my God.'

'Yup.'

'How old was she in this?'

'Sixteen. She had to retake her fifth year.'

'She kind of looks like you,' Rose mused, examining the blonde witch.

'Yeah? Everyone always says I look like Dad.'

'I mean, yeah, you do. I dunno. I think it's her smile. She smiles just like you. Or, I guess you smile like her?'

'You think so?'

'Yeah! So...does this mean our mums knew each other?'

'Not really. Dad says the year was a bit of a blur for Mum. Your Mum. I dunno about mine. Obviously. She didn't even realise til last night, apparently.'

'God, I bet she's beating herself up over that.'

'She shouldn't,' Scorpius protested. 'She can't remember everything!'

'Yeah, but you know what Mum gets like. Did Dad show you anything else?'

Scorpius passed her the newspaper clipping of his parents' wedding.

'Oh, she looks like a princess,' Rose sighed. 'Look how happy Dad is. This is absolutely adorable!'

Rose read the article, snorting at the colourful gossip.

'I love this part - "it was a disgustingly extravagant display of the combined wealth of these two pureblood families".'

Scorpius laughed quietly.

'They got married at The Ritz?!' Rose exclaimed. 'Damn! Why didn't we get to go there?!'

'Well, neither of us were born yet...'

'Not then, dumbass. The second time around! Instead we had to go to that crumbly old villa in Italy.'

'Which you loved,' Scorpius reminded her. 'I liked that we had it at the family villa. It was really romantic. And it was cool that all the wine was from our vineyard-'

'Not that we got to drink any of it.'

'Rose. We were six.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever!' Rose handed the photo and article back to Scorpius. 'That's really cool.'

'He found her old teddy bear too, look.'

The ears of a faded bear waggled at the edge of Rose's bed.

'Cute!' Rose laughed.

'Apparently she claimed it brought good luck. She took it to Hogwarts every year. It went in her backpack when she went travelling around Asia, too.'

'That's so sweet. You taking it to school with you?'

'Maybe.'

They fell silent again. Rose turned off her light, and Scorpius did the same.

'Rose?'

'Hmm?'

'What do you think she was like? My Mum?'

'You should ask Dad. But I bet she was really kind. She had a nice smile in her pictures.'

'It makes Dad sad when talks about her.'

'Ask your Aunt?'

'Auntie Daphne lives in Australia!'

'So? That's what computers are for. Maybe Grandma Cissy has some stories?'

'Maybe. I just wish I could remember her. Like...what her voice sounded like, or what she smelled like.'

'I know you do. You must miss her a lot.'

'Sort of. It's hard to miss someone I don't know. And I love our Mum, she's awesome. I just...I wish I knew her too.'

Draco turned away from their closed door, his throat tight. He scrubbed his eyes and tip-toed away. Two floating mugs of hot chocolate followed him back down the hallway.