Found In the Past

29

Scorpius's POV

"And this is um... another sitting room," I motion disheartenedly to the doorway next to me. Mrs. Potter and Lily are the only ones I'm still guiding around Malfoy Manor, the others having given up pretty quickly, Albus included.

"Interesting," Al's mum says kindly. I can tell none of us are invested in seeing all of the random rooms anymore, so I decide to wrap up the tour.

"You'll be staying on the fourth floor. I can show you to your rooms if you're tired," I offer with a small smile. Just as the words escape my lips, there's an audible crashing sound from downstairs.

"My husband..." Mrs. Potter sighs and looks at me with a wry smile. "Maybe we should go find the rest of them before anything else happens."

"Totally. This is boring," Lily declares and I have to stifle a laugh.

"Lily!" Her mum looks horrified.

"It's quite alright!" I assure her quickly, giving another tiny smile. I motion for them to walk behind me. Even with the lengthy tour, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Potters accidentally wandered off and became hopelessly lost their first day. I begin heading back the way we came, taking my scarf off carefully. I forgot to remove it earlier in the rush of things, but that's because I was very distracted. I run down the spiraling stairs, making sure the two Potters are still following.

This is all so weird since Albus never talks about his family. Ever. I know he's had issues with the 'Potter legacy he's supposed to uphold," but he's never directly talked to me about it. Following the Time Incident, he hasn't said much about what's changed on how he views them now. Maybe this is finally the time I'll finally get to see what Al's family is like beyond his resentment. I'm not sure he realizes how lucky he is to have these people with him... Mrs. Potter's smile is achingly familiar to what my own mother's grin was like.

"Scorpius are you alright?" I come back to my senses as someone places a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Mrs. Potter's eyes and realize I must have frozen.

"Yes, sorry," I flash her an unconvincing smile and quickly start walking again. I try to stay out of my mind for the rest of the way to the dining room where my grandmother is attempting to hold fort.

"Yes, we have house elves. Pottah have you seen the size of this place?? Besides, we PAY our house elves," My father already looks out of his wits.

"We're wizards, Malfoy! We can use MAGIC!" Al's dad pulls out his wand to emphasize his point. I look around to see my grandmother laughing silently in the corner of the room, clearly amused by the bickering. "If I had half a mind I would report you to the minister and we all know how SHE gets," Mr. Potter remarks. My father rolls his eyes and glares at Al's father, as if daring him to try it.

"Don't worry, Scorpius," Al's mum tells me under her breath, nearly giving me a heart attack. I am not used to all these people around me... "They were even worse than this during their school years," she steps out from behind me and starts trying to diffuse the situation. I glance back at my grandmother only to find she's already watching me. She points to the kitchen door with a discreet wink. I can't stop the small smile from forming on my lips as I take the hint. Albus.

I push open the kitchen door and slip out of the dining room, unnoticed by the grownups still arguing about house elves. I close the door behind me and turn to see my best friend grinning sheepishly at me. My heart skips a beat and I nearly dart right back out of the door. I don't feel prepared for this reunion in the slightest.

"I think I finally understand why your father didn't want us to be friends," I mention with a nervous laugh, nodding at the door. There's a small silence and I realize I just ruined the moment like the idiot I am.

"Oh. Yeah. Me too," Albus says carefully and starts playing with his hair. "But that's not going to stop us," he smiles adorably and I can't help but grin back.

"Yep," I move away from the door to sit down on a stool facing the kitchen island. "So uh... hi," I offer awkwardly. I give an exaggerated wave and he rolls his emerald eyes.

"Hi," Al says. He chooses to stay standing but leans on the island to face me.

"I missed you," I tell him quietly, unsure if that's what I'm supposed to say.

"I missed you too! Oh, but I should tell you that while you were away I narrowly avoided death," he shrugs casually and leans against the wall as my mouth falls open.

"Death?! Albus!!!" I exclaim in disbelief.

"Yeah that was fun... I sort of stood up to Brutus and he didn't like that very much," Al tells me with a slight grin.

"Of course you did," I laugh, falling into our familiar pattern. I already feel a huge weight lifting off my chest now that my best mate is here. A silence settles over us, but it almost looks like Albus wants to say something else. Before I can ask him what's bothering him, someone interrupts us. Of course.

"Alb- oh there you are!" the door opens and I whirl around to find Lily standing there. "Hey, Scorpius," she waves and turns back to Albus. "Mum wanted to see you."

"Guess I'll go see what she wants," Al sighs and stands up. He hesitates a moment too long, staring at me with an odd expression overtaking his familiar features. "See you later?"

"Yeah. I do live here you know," I comment dryly and he laughs.

"Oh my god you two," Lily complains, giving us a look that I don't quite understand. I glance over to see Al's face turn bright red. His eyes narrow with understanding, so I suppose he gets it.

"Coming!" He rushes out behind Lily, glaring daggers at the back of her head. I smile to myself and turn back to the table, slumping over slightly. The adrenaline rush that hit me earlier has worn off, leaving me feeling drained and alone. I have a few moments of silence, just trying to breathe right, before another person walks in. I turn to see Al's father standing in the doorway now, looking surprised. His eyes flit back to the door.

"Oh. Hullo, Scorpius," he says with a tight smile.

"Hullo Mr. Potter," I say politely, sitting up. I've always been slightly scared of Al's dad. I mean, he's famous, he seems to hate my family, and he's well, Albus's father. Equal parts of me really want his approval, but also really want me to run very far away.

"Do you happen to know where the cups are?" Mr. Potter asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets. If possible, he looks more nervous than I feel.

"Yeah," I step up and grab one from a cabinet. I turn to see him watching me with an odd expression. "Are you alright?" I venture to ask, placing the cup on the counter. He fills it with water quickly and steps back to the door before looking back at me and answering.

"I never apologized to you for what happened," Mr. Potter tells me with a sad smile.

"Oh... it's alright," I reassure him quickly, taken slightly aback by the random comment.

"It's not. I know that your father and I haven't ever gotten along... but you seem to have turned out a great friend to my son. I'm truly am sorry for not seeing that sooner," Al's father leaves me stunned and speechless as he walks out the door.