we rise like smoke

Scorpius Malfoy || Master || Slytherin || Prefect || Chaser || 16 || Better than you in every way Sanctimonia Vicet Semper

[domscor-blog]

“I’m not sleep tired. Only…exhausted. It’s a little different,” he said, not sure if he even made sense. He raised a brow at the question about how it was a long week, unsure why Scorpius was even asking. “You explained my reputation to me perfectly. And Dominus are demanding people. Therefore….long week,” he said easily. Plus, he’d had to get those chocolate frogs to make his sister happy and he’d had to get that potion to help the second year and it was always one thing after another. He watched the food set down in interest, but he didn’t move for it quite yet. “I speak with people from all houses and years. And rumor is that you don’t exactly ignore my siblings. All horrible excuses,” he said with a soft smile.

“I get it. What’s the most pretentious thing anyone’s tried to get you to do? Have you had to cut up someone’s food before or something?” Malfoy chuckled as Albus pointed out why each of his excuses were dumb. He hadn’t been actively avoiding the other boy, they just didn’t have much in common or any classes together, and their social circles were vastly different. “That’s different. James is hell on a broomstick, he makes me better. We’re winning that cup this year for sure, if Lysander doesn’t hex anyone on the pitch.” Of the three other Quidditch Captains, the Ravenclaw was by far the scariest and most intense. “And Lily is...more of a favor to a friend. She still hates me.”

[domscor-blog]

He ran a hand nervously through his hair as he realized exactly how ridiculous he was being. And he realized how rarely it was that he was around someone that he truly wanted to be around and how ill-equipped he was at handling it. Pretending for people he didn’t like was easy, but this was another thing entirely and he was ruining it all. He moved from the window, sitting in the overly warm and comfortable chair next to Malfoy as he took a deep breath. “Sorry. Didn’t meant to make things weird. It’s been a long week and I’m a little tired,” he said in an attempt to make an excuse. “I don’t think it’s okay for me to do any of those things, actually,” he said with a small laugh, doing his best to put his usual facade up. “Do you think it’s weird that we’re in the same year and never really talk?”

“It’s okay,” he breathed out, watching Albus finally take a seat next to him. Luckily there weren’t a lot of insomniacs in the castle with so many magical ways to fall and stay asleep, or he would have a lot of explaining to do to the next person that walked in. “If you’re tired you can sleep. I don’t mind. Long week how?” Draco set the container of food along with a fork down in the neutral space between them on the end table, an unspoken offer without pushing too hard. “Not really. Different houses, different statuses, inherited father rivalry. It seems expected that we’d rarely talk.”

[domscor-blog]

His eyes narrowed slightly at the comment, as Scorpius outlined exactly how ridiculous this entire thing was. He was right - it was weird. And while Albus knew why he was there, he didn’t know why Scorpius was okay with it. “I like the cold,” he responded when Scorpius more or less offered him a seat. The cold kept him from getting too comfortable. The cold kept him grounded in reality instead of allowing him to succumb to some strange fantasy. He shook his head when he was asked if he was hungry, though his stomach tightened in protest. Still, as much as he did things to earn food, it was never for him. He felt guilty taking anything he wasn’t supposed to have. “This is stupid, right?” he started as Malfoy went on about days and hopes and dreams. “It’s stupid. I shouldn’t have come. I just wanted to see you and now I have and I’ll go. You’re busy, anyway,” he said, gesturing awkwardly to the parchment stretched out next to Malfoy.

Malfoy wondered if liking the cold came along with his perfect Servus attitude. Next he’d be telling him he really enjoyed stale bread and being an his knees. Although he arched an eyebrow as Albus seemed to backpedal entirely, a complete 180 from where he had been two minutes ago. It was either the food or the words that had triggered it. “Why are you making this weird? I want you to stay. You don’t have to, but you should.” Pointedly, he rolled up the parchment into a perfect tight scroll and tied it with spare twine, sick of looking at it for the night anyway. “It’s okay to be warm and to eat food and to talk to me. I’m not going to tell on you.”

[domscor-blog]

Albus nodded, shortly in an attempt to stop it from being sadly. Because yeah, he got that people liked to use other people. He experienced a lot of that as the more agreeable Potter and he’d learned it from a ridiculously young age. Still, that didn’t mean he always wanted something. Sometimes it was nice not to. He was confused about the topic change to Malfoy’s house, but listened carefully anyway, trying not to be too distracted by the way the shadows of the fire flickered over his face. He finally let out a small laugh when  Scorpius brought the point that tied it all together to light. “You’re allowed to think the worst of me. Most people do. It’s absolutely your right. It’s not like I’ve given you any reason to think otherwise,” he admitted.

“I don’t want to think the worst of you. I want to have a normal conversation, in the middle of the night, in the dungeon, with a person I barely know. Nothing weird about that,” he shrugged, voice dripping with irony. “You can sit wherever, you know.” Malfoy gestured to the armchair closest to his or the loveseat also perched near the fire so he didn’t have to stand against the ice cold glass. Chill snuck up on quiet feet in the dungeon. “Hungry?” Scorpius hadn’t know him was coming but had packed a container of a random assortment of sausages, vegetables and gravy from the dinner table earlier and he knew they were fed absolute shit. “Here’s the part where you tell me about your day. Then we can move on to hopes, dreams, and aspirations.”

[domscor-blog]

Albus frowned slightly, unsure why Malfoy would have thought the interest wasn’t genuine. He leaned casually against the thick glass behind him, the chill of the water on the other side spiking through his spin. “Why do I have to want something?” he asked curiously. “You’re interesting. That’s all there is to it.”

“People tend to want things from other people. I’m sure you know that better than anyone.” That was why they had Servus alongside the other students in the first place, after all. He managed a small smile in response to the words, leaning forward in his chair to bring himself closer to the fire. “I love this house. I wouldn’t trade into any other. Sometimes, rarely but still, it gets really exhausting trying to figure out what’s genuine and what’s lies, and that trickles down to everything else. I’m sorry I keep thinking the worst of you.”

[domscor-blog]

As much as Albus spent his time around Dominus, he’d never seen a Common Room that wasn’t his own or Gryffindors. So Slytherin was…something new completely and he was already a little in love with it. He’d have been content to spend hours sitting in the cool calm of it while watching the water in front of him, but that was yet another thing he wanted and would never get. He finally turned towards Malfoy, forcing a small smile on his face to hide the fact that he was already regretting showing up. There was no way this would turn out well. “I do a lot of inconvenient things when they’re something I want,” he tried to shrug casually. “Honestly, I was surprised the password even worked. You’ve never seemed very fond of me.”

“I could never tell if the interest was genuine,” he admitted coolly when Albus pointed out Malfoy’s usual disinterest. Plus the whole Potter situation in general was one he tried to avoid except for Lily. He and James had it out once or twice in the past, so there was no knowing what to expect with Albus. “So what is it that you want?” He asked, turning Albus’s own words back on him.

[madnessofmichelle-blog]

Cuff links in Hogsmead

It had taken all morning but Michelle was finally satisfied with the way she looked in the mirror. She gathered up her things and headed out to Hogsmead with a spring in her step and a lump in her throat. They had decided to meet outside of Honeydukes, though she doubted that was where Scorpius wanted to actually go, given he was supposed to be wearing his cuff links today. The thought of them brought a smile to her face, or maybe it was just him. It was hard to tell but all she knew is that every time she thought she saw his figure rounding the corner her stomach flipped in surprised delight. If nothing else came from this, she would have this excitement to remember. Finally she actually saw his form appearing from out of the crowd and her face broke into a bright grin, “Looks like I win again, huh? You’ve got alot of catching up to do.”

[domscor-blog]

Scorpius broke through the crowd easily, weaving his way between bodies as he made his way to Honeydukes. He had abandoned his normal robes for the clothes underneath, black slacks a blazer and a white button down, highlighted by the occasional flash of emerald on his cuffs. “Someone looks amazing,” he teased, glad for the distraction of something as simple and straightforward as an outing with a girl. “Which reminds me: sorry it was so late. Once you won I lost the motivation, but I cracked it last night,” he grinned, pulling a box from his pocket and handing it to her with a flourish. “I’ve never forged metal with magic before. Surprisingly fun.”

[domscor-blog]

Albus startled slightly at the voice, but relaxed considerably when he turned and saw Scorpius. Stupidly beautiful Scorpius who was highlighted so flawlessly by the light of the fire and the almost eery reflection of the water. He turned back to the glass, walking up to it until he could place his palm gently against it. He wished his own Common Room had something like this. It was beautiful. “I could think of worse fates,” he mused at the mention of mermaids drowning people. His own fate wasn’t much better. At least being drowned by mermaids was an interesting story. “I wasn’t sure if you were serious about the invite. Sorry for taking so long,” he said, though his focus was still transfixed by the water in front of him, an entirely new world that he’d never get to explore through a simple pane of spelled glass.

Malfoy watched as he pressed a palm to the glass, so at peace watching Albus without being watched in return. In the old version of Hogwarts, the common rooms were strictly enforced as safe places for their house only, but in the second coming the attitude of their generation was reflected clear as day. No one followed rules anymore because they were told almost constantly they didn’t have to, so it was weird to think there was a person left who hadn’t been in at least one other common room. “I wasn’t sure you’d go through the effort when it wasn’t convenient. I guess we were both wrong.”

[albusfreakingpotter-blog]

It had been two days since Scorpius had given him the password to the Slytherin common room, and while the ink had long since been washed off, the word in perfect script seemed etched into his brain. And maybe Malfoy only wanted to use him like some of the others - but would it really be so bad? At least Albus would be getting something out of it too. Then again, maybe it was a trap and Malfoy was waiting for him to sneak in so that he could get him into serious trouble and out of his life. Either way, his curiosity had gotten the better of him and at about twenty after midnight, he’d managed to sneak through the halls and down into the dungeons, muttering the password to enter once he was there. The Common Room was dark and cold save for the fire in the fireplace and the view of what he could only assume was under the lake was kind of amazing. Amazing enough that he couldn’t look away as he headed over to it, forgetting to see if Malfoy was even there or not.

[domscor-blog]

Albus always seemed so eager to jump the gun around him that Scorpius had expected him to come the first night. Or even the second. But he never showed, and Malfoy thought it was just as well. He didn’t need something else plaguing his thoughts, and it was better to know now that Albus was all talk. He had been curled in an armchair closest to the fire for hours writing a potions essay, so deeply sunk into getting through it that he didn’t even look up right away. It was probably just another snake sneaking in drunk. He looked up just in time to see Albus creeping closer to the glass that separated him from the lake. Malfoy remember his first day in the castle, being utterly transfixed by the same sight. The lake gave the whole room an eery green glow and was one of the only places he always felt safe. “Careful. The mermaids are known to try to get students to meet them at the edge so they can drown them.”

[domscor-blog]

Michelle raised a teasing eyebrow, “Oh? When did you dig up a muggle movie?” She laughed at his expression, “Sounds like torture to me. They get so much wrong about the magical world that it stops being funny and just becomes sad.” She had read quite a few muggle books throughout her life and every time they brought up magic she was fascinated at how little they knew. No wonder why muggleborns were so far below the others, it’s hard to come from parentage like that. Malfoy’s grin only made Michelle’s blush deeper and she reminded herself she shouldn’t assume anything about his offer, that would be foolish. But then he actually called it a date and she almost froze in surprise. She reminded herself to keep her cool as she nodded back, even managing a wink that (she hoped) was cute, “It’s a date.”

“During a summer I’d rather forget,” he teased. As painful as it was to admit to anyone with extreme blood prejudice, there were muggle things he found entertaining. Mainly music - his mother loved it and with her whole equality for all philosophy, he listened to a lot of it growing up. “They’re making the best guess they possibly can with the painfully small amount of information they have. I wonder sometimes if that’s what we’ll look like if there’s another species in the galaxy. Like dumb humans struggling to keep up.” Now that he had gotten the confirmation he came for he quietly packed up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll see you around, kid.”

[domscor-blog]

“I believe that one should always consider things from other perspectives, and ghosts are a fascinating one indeed. Especially when you read of the muggle’s warped perception of ghosts, it’s almost comical.” Michelle didn’t want to come right out and admit that she had been wondering if Adrian was dead, especially as Scorpius had been his best friend. No one wants to hear something like that. “Everyone gets morbid now and then,” she said simply with a shrug. At his suggestion Michelle’s face grew hot, “I would be very interested,” she said smiling brightly while mentally berating herself for sounding so silly with her response.

Scorpius had looked right past Michelle for a long time, but he felt more connected to Adrian when she was around. He knew it was cruel to keep from her that he was alive, or at least had been the last time Malfoy had seen him, but he’d made a vow. “It’s nothing compared to their movies. I got sucked into watching a muggle horror film and it was the most painfully inaccurate two hours of suffering I’ve ever endured.” Malfoy grinned at her response, the blush so sudden he was sure he could feel heat coming off of it if he was close enough. “Perfect. It’s a date.”

[domscor-blog]

Everything Scorpius said was more or less true. And people like his brother couldn’t stand him for it. But what was lesser known was how often he got extra food for the younger years, or learned complicated healing spells with his shite wand to help fix younger and less experienced Servus students. He got potions where he could and did everything in his power to help students in ways he’d never been helped. Even something as small as the smile on Lily’s face when he’d managed to get her a few chocolate frogs made it all worth it. People like his brother could suck a dick if they were too hard headed to see how he really was. “People think I’m clever? I’m a real Ravenclaw after all,” he said with a grin. “And if I feel the need to see you? I should follow her as she brings my letter?” he asked cheekily when Scorpius didn’t automatically shut him down at his earlier comment.

“No, I added that part in myself.” The same cheekiness that grated on his nerves in others seemed endearing on Albus, something he wore so naturally that it worked. Except inconveniently he could never tell if he was bluffing or not, if this infatuation was real or put on. So he decided to test it, narrowing his eyes as he considered him. “If you want to see me, I’m always the last one up at night in the common room,” he said, unslinging his bag so he could fish out a bottle of ink and a quill. Taking one of Albus’s hands in his own (bigger than he expected, and warm) he etched out the Slytherin password. It was changing in the next few days anyway so it wasn’t like it mattered. How much damage could he cause? “Drop by anytime after midnight. Careful, though. Getting caught out late and in the wrong part of the castle could get you in some serious trouble.”

[domscor-blog]

Albus had to put in a lot of effort to not be visibly bothered by the mention of his ‘reputation’, one he certainly didn’t like. Though, he was sure it was slightly different on the Dominus side of things than, say, on the side of the poor Servus younger years that Albus always helped and got things for. “What reputation?” he asked with a smirk. “There are plenty of Dominus I can spend time with for that if I need to. Pen pals could be fun. Though, I wouldn’t mind seeing your face as well. But that’d strictly be for my own enjoyment and nothing else.” And fuck, one day he’d have to learn to be subtle. Or even a normal person.

“Charmer. Overly friendly to Dominus. Eager to please, useful, clever. Trust at own risk,” he rattled it off like a profile, tuned in enough to the general consensus to know that much. What remained unspoken was that he was pretty certain the other Servus hated him for it, which must get lonely. Dominus were prone to using others because they could. How much could a person be used before they were simply used up? He chuckled at the praise, ducking his head as he considered. “If you feel the need to send me a letter, Eris knows where to find me.”

[domscor-blog]

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t be. Different upbringing and all,” he shrugged. And Merlin, how he wished he’d had a different upbringing than the slavery filled one he’d gotten. At the very least, it would have been nice to have an owl or a cat or even a toad of his own. “Are you volunteering?” he asked with a flirtatious smirk at the mention of pen pals, though he knew it was inappropriate. His entire infatuation with Scorpius was inappropriate, he knew, but it was hard to completely ignore. It wasn’t like anything would come out of it anyway, so who cared?

Malfoy could only imagine how the Potters were brought up, since there father was the only one who had even come close to defeating the Dark Lord. Much different from his own cushy life with a father and mother in power. Scorpius lifted his chin up at the suggestion, amusement clearly written in the smirk playing on his lips. “Don’t you need actual face time with a Dominus to maintain your reputation?”

[domscor-blog]

“Seems strange to me to put faith into an animal at all,” he admitted, though he certainly understood it. He wondered, morbidly, if that’s how the Dominus felt about the Servus. He gave a small laugh at the mention of the bird being Malfoy’s moral compass and he supposed that worked out well for him since the owl seemed to thoroughly like him. He raised a brow at Malfoy’s response to his apology, amused that he wasn’t actually apologizing back but still pleasantly surprised he wasn’t quickly shutting him down again. Still, he was fairly quickly changing the topic back to the owl and he couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or relieved. Albus considered what was being said, trying not to take offense at the thought of him needing an owl. “Well, I don’t really have much mail to send,” he said, attempting to keep things light. “I….thank you, though. I surprisingly like her company.” And it was rare for him to truly like anyone’s company anymore.

“That isn’t how I see it,” he shrugged, having grown up more at piece around intelligent animals than most humans not in his immediate social circle. His attention turned back to the Servus in front of him, more and more bizarrely intrigued by Albus with every passing second. In fact he was looking for an excuse to stay, but he came up empty. “You’re welcome. Maybe you’ll start finding new pen pals.”

[domscor-blog]

“It really does. It makes you feel selfish, if you want loved ones to stick around after death, just so you don’t have to deal with grieving.” Michelle was quiet for a second before giving him a half smile. “But I doubt this subject is interesting to you at all. What I should really ask you is how you like your new cufflinks?”

“To the contrary. I find it fascinating,” he told her truthfully, having just read a book about all the known ghosts in existence. “Did anything in particular trigger this line of thinking?” Malfoy pressed quietly, since she had seemed so lost in thought when he had first sat down. “I haven’t gotten a chance to wear them yet, I think they’re too elegant for every day use. I was thinking drinks in Hogsmeade this weekend, if you’re interested.”

[domscor-blog]

His breath hitched slightly as Scorpius moved towards him and it was hard not to be too obvious about breathing his scent in once he was close. He watched as Scorpius pet the bird and he couldn’t help but smile at her reaction to Scorpius’s praise. “Can’t argue there,” he said lightly as he watched, wishing not for the first time that he was allowed to have a pet, to have the sort of connection that Dominus were allowed and most didn’t care about. “Well…she’s not wrong,” he said with a laugh at the explanation of the mouse as he set it back down. “We’re not exactly well fed here. And I’d be shite at catching mice,” he said with a laugh, trying not to feel too good about the owl being one of the first people to want to take care of him without wanting anything in return. He brought his clean hand up to run through his messy hair nervously, before letting it fall to the back of his neck. “Hey, I…erm….I’m sorry about the other day. I was unfair to you and I said shite I shouldn’t have. And I’m sorry. And before you get mad that I’m sucking up or some shite…. I’m not.”

“I’m sure it must be strange to someone without that connection, to put so much faith in a bird. She has better judgement than I do, though. My little moral compass.” And Merlin did he need that extra help sometimes. He’d been too caught up in his own head and weird blood prejudices to have a normal conversation with Albus the other day without resorting to threats. The swoop of his hair as Albus brushed it back was annoyingly distracting, perfectly rumpled in that way Scorpius could never quite manage. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot at the apology, figuring they were never going to speak of it again. “Same. As for Eris, she’s very attached to you. Teddy’s my best friend, he’s the only other person she’s ever really warmed up to. And yet she isn’t following him around the castle. Point being, I think she knows that you need her more than he does. More than I do, even. And if that’s the case, I’m not going to take her away from you.”