{random writings} not where I thought I'd be

[For Emergency DE: Ficlet Prompt]

Scorpius sat in the armchair positioned by the window that overlooked the gardens. He'd sat there many times on his visits to Malfoy Manor, usually as his grandfather sat behind the desk, reading the Daily Prophet to him or listening to the Quidditch game on the Wireless with him.

It was dark outside, even the moon had disappeared behind a cloud, and there was no game on or Daily Prophet about.

Lucius too was missing from the scene.

He'd never be around again.

Scorpius sniffled and wiped at his eyes as the door to the study creaked open.

"Scorpius?" His grandmother crossed the room to him with a quiet grace, placing a hand on the top of his head when he glanced away. "Oh, darling."

Narcissa sighed, pressing a kiss to his forehead as grief overtook them.

"I never thought - He was just - "

"I know, darling." She patted his hair back, took a deep, shuddering breath, and stood tall again. "Go home to Albus, Scorpius. I had Bitsy Floo him and he's waiting for you. Astoria already took Draco home and there's nothing to be done now."

He clambered to his feet, his grandmother giving him a tired smile. Her eyes were red, her skin pale. She needed time to herself. To mourn her husband.

"Grandma - "

"I know. Shall I expect you in the morning?"

He nodded and embraced her. He could feel her trembling as he pulled away. He was trembling himself, all through the Floo and into his own study where Albus was waiting.

"Scorp - "

{random writings} tree tops

[For Emergency DE: Ficlet Prompt]

"Where were you this time?" Rigel asked, sorting through the scrolls that were piled on his desk - a backlog of cases for the Wizenmagot to view and for him to review after his lunch hour ended.

Scorpius lounged in the chair across from the desk, still smelling faintly of Floo powder and of the Leaky Cauldron, where he'd picked up two lunches before stopping in at the Ministry.

"Cambodia," he reminded his friend, not upset he'd forgotten. Rigel always had a lot on his desk. "And, mate, it was amazing. There was this faction of wizards, who lived in these massive trees, uhm - Banyan trees, right? The whole neighbourhood just lived in a knot of them with their houses built in the tree tops and then they had their shops under, within in the roots.

"When I told Albus and showed him the pictures, he said it reminded him of some Muggle book he'd read," Scorpius added, fondly rolling his eyes as he picked at what remained of his fish-and-chips lunch. "Robin Crusoe, I think."

"And when you told him you wanted to move there - ?"

Scorpius blushed. Rigel knew him well. He'd just asked Albus that morning.

"He laughed. Said I'd probably change my mind in a month, like last time, but that he'd think about it, as always.

"I would live there, though. It was like -

" - Flying, just without the broom?"

Scorpius laughed. (Okay. He was about to say that.) "Oh, shut it. It was."

Living in the tree tops? He could do that.

{random writings} when i grow old

[For Emergency DE: Ficlet Prompt]

Scorpius sat observing his grandfather. His feet swung back and forth, toes more than a foot from the floor as he sat back in the far-too-big-yet-comfiest armchair in all of Malfoy Manor.

"And the Caerphilly Catapults have the Quaffle in hand - "

"Has a Malfoy played Quidditch before?" he asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees until his grandfather gave him a look. He straightened and sat back again.

"Professionally?"

"Yeah! - I mean, uhm. Yes, sir."

"Cassidy passes the Quaffle to Arendsen - "

His grandfather smiled briefly before clearing his throat. "Once or twice, but none in our direct line. Are you considering it?"

"Oh no," Scorpius said, sitting up all the more, quite nearly bouncing on the cushion. "No, sir. I want to be a curse-breaker! Uhm, after Hogwarts, of course."

"Of course." His grandfather chuckled. "And when did you decide this? Just last week you wanted to be a dragon keeper."

"Arendsen is stopped by a Bludger from Nilsson - "

"Oh, I still want to be a dragon keeper, but then when you read that article last week about the tomb, uhm - The tomb ex- exca- "

Scorpius frowned, trying to remember the word.

"Excavation," his grandfather filled in for him.

"Yea - Yes, sir. That! It sounded so cool. Maybe I can keep dragons like you keep peacocks?"

"The Magpies have the Quaffle! - "

"I'm afraid the Ministry has rules against that, and we're not to break the Ministry rules, Scorpius," his grandfather reminded him with a stern look.

There was something else to the look too, something behind it, but Scorpius paid no mind to that: The Magpies just scored against Caerphilly. He whooped with joy.

As the crowd cheered through the Wireless, Scorpius sat back with a look of his own.

"...Maybe playing Quidditch would be cool too."