Bitter Chocolate - (A 'Veronica Weasley' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

63 - The Upside Down

No, no, no, no, no!

It had all gone horribly wrong.

Scorpius didn't want to live in a world where his sister wasn't. He loved Freida to pieces, the idea that she had never existed... it was more horrible, more unfathomable than his mother dying.

But... but if he went back in time and undid this then his mother would die all over again.

He would technically be killing his own mother to save his sister.

Scorpius felt sick; how could he ever make that decision?

He sat numbly in the car as his parents drove them home. He was relieved to see at least the house was the same.

"You'll be alright on your own, won't you Scorp?" His dad asked, lifting his school trunk out of the boot. "Mum and I need to get back to work. We shouldn't be too late back. But if we are, you can always get Chalky to rustle you up some supper."

"Chalky?"

"The house-elf."

Scorpius's mouth hung open. They didn't have house-elves. They had Nanny Cissy to look after them.

"Isn't Nanny home?"

"Scorp, are you feeling alright?" His father frowned, looking at him in concern. "Did you bang your head or something?"

"Where's Nanny?" Scorpius pushed. He couldn't bear it if something had happened to her too.

"At Malfoy Manor I expect... why would she be here?"

Of course, Scorpius thought. She was only practically living here to look after Freida. But there was no Freida.

He thought he was going to vomit.

"Can't Mum stay home with me? I've missed her." He tried desperately. This couldn't be all for nothing.

"Sorry, Scorp," she said, sticking her head out of the window. "You know how important business is. You're the one saying that you want us to buy that new mansion in Notting Hill, after all."

"But I like this place!" Scorpius started to panic. This house seemed to be the only thing that had stayed the same about his old life, and like hell he was going to lose that too.

"Maybe you should go and have a lie down." His father frowned, hesitantly getting back into the drivers seat. "It's been a long journey for you."

The first thing Scorpius did when he entered the house was race up to his sister's room. Except it wasn't hers anymore.

What had gone wrong? Scorpius wondered as he sat in what appeared to be a study instead of his sister's pink shrine to unicorns bedroom.

He was sat at a large desk that sat central in the room. Bits of paper covered it with what appeared to be recipes scrawled over them. The walls were adorned with framed certificates to 'Ron Appetit's' for various awards.

Scorpius felt bewildered. Why hadn't Freida been born? He had just assumed she would be here like everything else. She was a fact.

Did this mean he was an only child? He couldn't understand it. His mum had told him that they had tried so hard for Freida, that she was their little miracle. Her illness had made it difficult for her to conceive but they moved hell and earth to have her.

But if his mother never got sick, then why hadn't they had more children?

Scorpius thought his head was going to implode. He had so many questions he didn't know what to do with them.