my_thestral ◾ Fic: Art of denial (Part 19/1) (Reply)

Author's note: I've got a busy streak coming up in my life right now (it's actually upon me already, I have not been home a single day before 7 PM for days now), so I decided to put all my writing mojo into trying to wrap up this fic. I'm not gonna talk deadlines, but hopefully before my summer holidays. It should only be 2-3 chapters left after this one, but usually I'm just too knackered to write. Oh, well... this is a really long one, I've no idea into how many parts the LJ's gonna make me break it. It's best to just read this chapter on AO3 , though there the chaptering has been different (it's chapter 23). I know, very confusing, because the LJ is making me break the fics where there's no logic behind it. Aaaaanyway, this one has been terrible to write and it's not particularly pleasant to read, I kind of expect people to hate it, because it's rather boring and it doesn't bring any resolve. Oh, well, they can't all be impressive, this one is certainly far from it, but it has to play into the final chapter somehow.
Pairing: Ron/Draco
Word count: 2716 (this part)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: If only I could claim any of it - but sadly, not mine nor am I getting paid to ramble ;)

“He’s got your eyes! How the fuck has he got your eyes, Ron!?”

Words landed among them as if someone deposited a load of heavy stone in the middle of a fancy living room. Heavy, destructive, unforgiving.

In the end it was Harry who had said them. Not Hermione. Hermione was just standing there looking flabbergasted and wide-eyed, but Harry was… Harry couldn’t hold it back; in fact, he could barely keep it civil for long enough for hyper-excited Rose to grab a smiling and apologetic looking Scorpius Malfoy by the hand and drag him away in search of Albus.

And somehow Harry saying it had made it all worse.

It was Rose who had spotted the Malfoys first, she had been on the lookout for them ever since they arrived, eager to finally introduce her friend Scorpius to her family. She had been trying to persuade her dad for years to let “Scorp” visit, but somehow he always came up with one excuse or another and even Uncle Draco, who spoilt her rotten on every occasion he got and indulged her every barely hinted wish, was strangely reluctant to allow his son into the custody of the Weasley family home.

“I don’t think it’s such a grand idea,” he refused her time and time again, though kindly. “I’m afraid we had our differences in our time, your mother and your uncles. I don’t think he’d be welcome at this occasion. Perhaps another time.”

Rose had heard enough of the family history to know that Uncle Draco found himself on the wrong side of the dreadful war she never saw, because it was a million years ago, ages before she was even born, but it must have been a terrible one indeed, because it had left Uncle George the only surviving one of what were once notorious twins and Uncle Harry’s godson Teddy Lupin an orphan. She also found out that her dad and Uncle Draco had once been bitter enemies and Merlin knows they still bickered all the time, though these days there was no real malice in their attitude towards each other.

But for some obscure reason her dad never stalled or tried to change her mind when she asked to see her favourite Uncle – even though mommy said he wasn’t even her real Uncle, but just daddy’s partner at work, but she had no other name for him, he was one of the first people she clearly remembered and just always there… Nope, she only had to mention Uncle Draco to dad and he would fire-call and before you knew it, they were already on their way to meet him.

Rose loved her Uncle Draco. He was just the prettiest, the kindest uncle there was. He was always so well behaved, he always smelled wonderfuland he spoke softly and kindly – not like some of Rose’s other uncles, who were, save for Uncle Harry, a really loud bunch! – and he would always bring her presents and called her Princess. For the longest time she told anyone who was willing to listen that she was going to marry him when she’s all grown up like mommy and she was heart-broken when mommy explained that Uncle Draco already had a wife.

“But we never see her, daddy and I,” she had told her. “How do you even know he has one?”

Then mommy had taken her to a big building with shelves and shelves of books, books galore, books everywhere one looked, and she asked the lady to bring them an old newspaper – and there it was: an old frail yellowish picture of Uncle Draco holding a very pretty lady around the waist most elegantly and smiling most blissfully at…

“Mom, look, there’s daddy!” she exclaimed in genuine surprise and pointed at the tall redheaded figure by Uncle Draco’s side, holding his gaze. “Why is he so sad? And where were you?”

“I don’t think your dad was sad,” her mom had laughed, looking at all the wonderful new books greedily and paying almost no attention to the picture. “I think he was rather annoyed that he had to be there and to this day I don’t know why Malfoy… why Draco decided to invite him – perhaps just to rub him the wrong way, they’re always pushing each other’s buttons, even to this day. Very mature, those two, your dad in particular. NOT,” mom had rolled her eyes up and then kissed the top of her fiery unruly hair and answered the rest of her question:

“And I, my darling, was very ill that day, because a certain young lady in my belly gave me a lot of trouble, so I couldn’t attend. No matter, I think your dad might have been grumpy enough for both of us!” she gave another laugh and Rose looked at the picture one more time.

Regardless of how many times her mom had said it, daddy really didn’t look grumpy – she knew his grumpy look, his nose turned up and there was a wrinkle between his eyebrows – but here his lovely eyes, Rose’s eyes, shone softly, all big and blue, and he kept looking at the floor and back to Uncle Draco as if he couldn’t keep his eyes off him. And she knew the smile Uncle Draco wore very well: he always greeted her and daddy with it and the happiness seemed to glow subtly from his narrow pretty face...

Rose sighed sadly.

So Uncle Draco really had a wife and if she made him smile like this, then he must have loved her very much. She would ask him about her next time, she decided, she wanted to be just like her... in case Uncle Draco ever changed his mind. Always be prepared, her mom taught her.

“Uncle Draco, why don’t we ever meet your wife?” she asked him next time she was safely harboured in his lap, making a plait out of his loose blond strands. She felt his muscles go stiff underneath her, but only for a moment, while her dad frowned and suddenly paid her a most peculiar look of concern.

“Well, my wife, lady Astoria, is very busy, you see,” explained Uncle Draco calmly. “She has tea-parties to uphold, our rather grand household to run, she travels a great deal and she’s very busy raising our son, Scorpius.”

“You have a son?!” Rose couldn’t hide her awe. Here she was, spending every week in Uncle Draco’s company and she never knew…

“I most certainly do,” confirmed Uncle Draco most proudly and then added rather unexpectedly: “Would you like to meet him, then?”

“Malfoy….” Her dad interfered and she knew he must have been irritated by her cheeky blond Uncle, because he would only call him by his surname when it was followed by scolding of some sorts. But this time she didn’t give him a chance, this opportunity was too good to pass upon!

“Oh, yes – yes please! That would be wicked! May I daddy, please, please!? I really want to, I really do!”

And after her dad’s eyes darted for a while from her pleading baby blues to Uncle Draco’s grey ones, sparkling with mischief, he finally rolled up his eyes and mumbled something unintelligible, which probably meant some sort of a grumpy consent – but she was too elated to care if it did or if it didn’t.

“Yuppee!!!” she exclaimed happily. “Now - can we go now?! Please, daddy, please!”

“Well, certainly not now, Rosie!” Uncle Draco laughed at her enthusiasm with that warm rare laughter he gave when he was genuinely entertained. “Scorpius is at my mother’s place on Thursdays, feeding the peacocks and riding a pony, he won’t be disturbed, not without beforehand announcement, he won’t. Perhaps another day.”

“You have peacocks?! And ponies?!” Her eyes got as big as galleons. “I should very much like to ride a pony, may I, daddy?!” She was – technically speaking – looking at her dad, but pressing her head softly, persuasively against her Uncle, knowing very well that he could barely deny her a thing when she pleaded like that - and somehow she knew once he gave permission, her dad will yield.

And Uncle Draco saw through her childish game and laughed in genuine and kissed her cheek, deciding warmly:

“And so you shall. The peacocks, the ponies, the whole lot – and my son. I hope you shall be great friends. Did I ever tell you that your dad here was his godfather? No? It must have slipped my mind, then. Yes, exactly like Uncle Harry is to Teddy Lupin. Wonderful, isn’t it? Shall we say tomorrow, then?”

And Rose could barely put her eyes together that night from all the excitement. She was going to meet a new friend - Uncle Draco’s son at that! – and she couldn’t wait to tell Albus and James she finally had a friend they couldn’t share. And when the next day came, Rose was not disappointed.

The peacocks were beautiful and regal and riding a pony was fantastically scary if you’ve never done it before – but it was really Scorpius Malfoy who was all that and more. If she cherished her Uncle Draco for as long as she could remember, she positively fell in love with his son. When he approached her on a flawlessly white pony - riding all by himself like a proper adult! – he was an apparition of everything majestic, beautiful and grand about this place. The long blond hair running down his back caught all the light of the sunshine behind his back and it seemed as if he was glowing – an angel, if there ever was one.

She stared at him open-mouthed, suddenly feeling small and insignificant, and he carefully stopped his pony in front of her and looked at her with most astonishing, strangely familiar blue eyes:

“You must be Rose Weasley,” he said kindly, his voice strong and sounding somehow noble, every bit like Uncle Draco. And when she nodded, mute and awed, he smiled at her most blissfully, a smile that started somewhere inside his lovely eyes and that one, too, seemed familiar... Then he proceeded to offer her his hand:

“Pleased to meet you, Rose Weasley. I’m Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and this is my horse Sleipnir. Would you like to take a ride with me around the property?”

And when she nodded again, completely flabbergasted, her Uncle Draco quietly lifted her on the back of the pony to sit behind his beautiful son and Rose buried her face into his warm silken hair that smelled of summer and roses. She then wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and closed her eyes. She could stay like this forever.

“Here we go,” he warned her confidently and she wasn’t afraid, not even one bit, when the animal moved and took them with a slow pace around the beautiful gardens of the Malfoy Manor.

“Like father, like daughter,” she had heard her dad say quietly, incomprehensively, to Uncle Draco and as they were slowly moving away she opened her eyes only to catch a most peculiar sight of Uncle Draco brushing his hand against her dad’s terrifically gently, just a passing touch, accompanied by a soft “Ron, don’t…” – but she didn’t understand any of it and it was beside the point because this, sitting behind this pretty angel boy, kind and beautiful and hers only, was too exquisite and by the time she got home, she had forgotten all about Uncle Draco’s sad, hungry eyes when he looked at her dad, because her mind was full of one image only, one boy she could see even if she closed her eyes: Scorpius Malfoy, her perfect new friend.

It was not all they did that day – they also went to feed the beautiful elegant swans in the large pond the garden boasted, they had a picnic on the blanket under an ancient oak tree, complete with strawberries and cream and tiny little pastries that were only a mouthful each but there was a small million of them and Scorpius had shown immense interest in the world of Muggles Rose was quite familiar with. It was a perfect day and Rose fell asleep in her dad’s arms on her way back with a big happy smile on her face and managed to entirely miss the scolding her mom gave dad over their late arrival.

After that day dad no longer objected when she wanted to see Scorpius – but in the end it was her mother who drew a line after one such glorious day, arguing in a raised voice that they were spending almost as much time at the Malfoys’ than at the Burrow and it just wasn’t proper... Knowing her resolute mom, Rose was convinced right then and there that this was the last she had seen of Scorpius Malfoy – and she hadn't even managed to say her proper goodbyes! But while she stood there, looking utterly miserable and frozen, her dad unexpectedly decided that the issue was worth arguing and crossed his big scarred arms on his chest defiantly:

“I believe I have a say in that, Hermione! I am the boy’s godfather after all and Scorpius is a good boy, not even remotely alike Draco at this age. I’ll have you know Rosie is very fond him and he loves her right back. He’s very bright and kind and treats her right, not teasing her all the time like Jamie and Albus do – and let’s not even lose words over Hugo, the little scoundrel! Those two - they’re great friends. I don’t think he has too many; you know the Malfoys – always thinking they’re too good for anyone else – but I won’t see my godson grow up lonely and I’m fairly certain Scorpius won’t give our Rosie up, he’s got a heart in the right place, that little boy.”

And he had said it with so much pride and conviction that it had somehow shut his mother up and she didn’t bring the issue up again. Besides, as her Uncle Harry always said with a sigh: one would have to be raving mad to argue a Weasley once they had made their mind up, the bull-headed lot, every last one of them...

But though her dad still wouldn’t let Scorpius visit for years after that – that, too, was finally about to change. He’ll have to let Rose introduce her friend to her family now, on the Platform 9 3/4, there was no going around it, and once they see how perfect Scorp was, Rose was sure he would be allowed to visit in spite of her father’s bizarre objections and curious evasions.

Though she had been initially a bit worried that all of the sudden she will no longer be Scorpius’s only friend, but just one of many; that perhaps Scorpius, all in all a proper boy, would find out he had more in common with her cousin Albus than herself – she also came to recognise that she was just bursting at the seams to show Albus that Scorpius was not merely a figment of her imagination, as he often teased her, but all in all a real person - and a fabulous one at that!

She knew that Albus must have been curious about her mysterious friend, even though he’d rather eat his tongue than admit it; after all, she found out from Lily that he tried to pry some information out of Hugo, but her oblivious baby brother apparently only shrugged and mumbled “I suppose he’s alright, he’s like us, really...” – though no one could know for sure what the enigmatic little ginger meant by it.

But Albus wasn’t the only one curious. Hardly anyone had ever met Scorpius Malfoy and even her mother along with the rest of her uncles had at one time or another tried probing her with questions about the reclusive boy. Which made Rose more eager than ever to introduce him to the lot of them, because regardless of how hard she tried to convey what it was that was making Scorpius Malfoy so “cool” and special, she knew there was no way in the world her words could do him justice – they just had to meet him. And now they would.

~End of Part 19/1 ~

Next:
See also:

Art of denial (3): Some First time... some Second time...

Art of denial (5): Milestones

Art of denial (7): Cracked open and oozing true feelings

Art of denial (15/2): Come to me