19 Years (HP - Drarry)

Chapter 12: Paper Dragons

Saturday, September 23, 2017

"No, I really think it should go here."

Scorpius stepped back to survey the wall, and then nodded. "You're right. It looks much better there."

Al grinned. "Told ya!"

Scorpius chucked a pillow at him, which Al fended off, laughing. "Watch it!" he yelped, mock-offended. "I've not stuck it down yet!"

Scorpius grinned, unrepentant. "You could always fix it, if it broke. Or ask Mum for another one."

Al rolled his eyes but grinned back. "Yeah, yeah." He turned his attention back to the elegantly framed photo he was holding, forehead wrinkling in concentration as he muttered the charm to affix it to the wall.

Uncle Teddy had caught them lugging hammer, nails, and tape to their room and put his foot down. He had relented, at their identical pleading expressions, and taught them a charm that would stick their decorations to the castle walls without harming either. Scorpius, of course, performed it effortlessly on the first try. It took Al a bit more concentration, but he was determined not to let his best friend beat him, and insisted on doing half the work, even if he did find it more difficult.

Al relaxed as he felt the charm snap into place, lifting the weight of the photo out of his faintly trembling arms. He stepped back to stand beside Scorpius and tipped his head back and forth, studying their efforts. Satisfied, he nodded. Perfect.

Scorpius grabbed his arm then, tugging him toward the bed and flopping dramatically down onto it with a groan. "C'mon, Al. I'm tired."

Al snorted, but allowed himself to be pulled down next to Scorpius. His arms were pretty tired after straining to hold the pictures up all morning. He glanced around the room again, studying it from this new vantage. "It's still missing something."

Scorpius propped himself onto his elbows, blowing a lock of platinum hair out of his eyes and frowning. "Hmm. How about... I know!" He snapped his fingers and rolled over to hang off the bed, digging around in the box of art supplies he kept under it.

Al snorted when Scorpius emerged, face tinged pink from hanging upside down, a sheaf of multi-colored paper in his hand. "Paper?" Al asked, confused.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Origami paper. Here – look." He bit his lip, frowning at the array of colors, then whisked a sheet of iridescent emerald paper from the stack and began folding, his long pale fingers flickering over the paper as he carefully pressed the intricate folds.

Al startled as Scorpius flicked open a fold here, pressed a crease there, and then held up a perfect tiny paper dragon. "Oh!" he exclaimed, "That's beautiful."

Scorpius grinned and tossed the dragon into the air. With a flick of his wand, the tiny dragon flapped its wings and rose up to dart about near the ceiling, blowing tiny jets of paper flame. "Your turn."

Al gaped at him, then glanced pointedly down at his own fingers, shorter, stubbier, and much less clever. "No, I'd better not. I'd ruin that gorgeous paper."

Scorpius sighed. "No you won't. Here, I'll help. What shall we make? Oh, I know." He pulled out another sheet of paper, this one a vibrant orange and began directing Al's hesitant fingers. "So," he said, after they'd worked in comfortable silence for long enough to add several perfect dragons, a phoenix, a peacock, three unicorns, a couple of frogs, and a few somewhat lopsided cranes and rabbits to the growing menagerie near the ceiling, "how's your dad holding up?"

Al groaned. "The same as last week, as far as I can tell." His fingers stilled on the paper, not yet confident enough to continue without his full concentration. "Yours?"

Scorpius made a face. "The same." His gray eyes rose to meet Al's, clouded with worry. "They've not shown up to meals in weeks, now. We have to do something."

"I know. I just don't know what we can do. Dad won't listen to me – I'm not sure he even really heard a word I said when we had brunch together the other day."

"Yeah. My dad was pretty much the same way. Maybe James could help? He's in your dad's house..." Scorpius trailed off, frowning, as he remembered James bragging loudly in the Great Hall about how his father let him get away with his latest cruel prank. "Or maybe not."

Al snorted humorlessly. "James has only gotten worse lately. He's the one that started some of the more vicious rumors about Dad lately, did you know?"

Scorpius stared at him, horrified.

"Yeah, those." Al shrugged. "Anyway, James isn't an option. Nor any of my cousins."

He propped his chin on his hand, thinking hard. "What about your mum?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No good. She's off on a photo-shoot in Germany this week. And I'm pretty sure she's going directly from there to that gallery in Prague that's thinking of showing some of her work. She'll help when she gets back, of course, but..."

Al nodded glumly. They really needed to do something before that.

"What about your mum?" Scorpius asked. "I thought she was keen on helping, too?"

"Oh, she is. Only she's got some promotional thing with the Harpies for the next couple weeks."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Which just leaves – "

A knock sounded on the doorframe they'd put up earlier, separating their room from the rest of the dormitory, and a familiar head poked through their beaded curtain.

"What are you two doing inside on such a lovely Saturday afternoon?" Teddy asked, voice hovering somewhere between amused and exasperated.

"Uncle Teddy!" Al and Scorpius exclaimed together. "We were just talking about you!"

Teddy frowned, stepping through the curtain. "Oh?"

Al grinned. "We need your help."

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Our dads are being insufferable idiots."

Teddy snorted. "What else is new?" He folded himself onto the end of the bed and studied the two of them curiously. "So, what's going on?"

---

Teddy listened with growing amusement to the fragmented, somewhat confused tale. The two boys fell over themselves trying to explain, backtracking and then backtracking again. Luckily, he already knew most of it, so he wasn't too lost, and the new details the boys provided gave him some definite ideas.

"Well," he said, when they'd fallen silent, "I should reprimand you for meddling in your fathers' lives like this..."

Al and Scorpius exchanged a worried glance, and Teddy couldn't help but grin. "However, that would be rather hypocritical of me, since I'm trying to do the same thing. So. I was actually planning to meet with Headmaster Longbottom and Professor McGonagall later today about this, and I'll definitely bring up your concerns. I'll let you boys know if we come up with anything."

Teddy stood up, grinning at the little green paper dragon that chose that moment to dive down and do loops around his head. "In the meantime," he said, turning back to the two boys, "I would suggest caution. Your fathers are both a bit... volatile just now. They could do with some kindness from their sons. If you do discover anything, though, please come to me. I've a feeling we'll need all the help we can get."

"Oh, and, boys?" Teddy added, already halfway through the beaded curtain.

"Yes, Uncle Teddy?"

"I love what you've done with the room. But, for Merlin's sake, get outside! You could both do with some sun. And, no, Al, you may not bring a book."

Teddy grinned to himself at the muttered grumbles, and relented. "You might find Headmaster Longbottom in the greenhouse," he called back to them. "I believe he's planned some sort of expedition into the Forbidden Forest this afternoon. Something about a possible colony of Columbian Venomous Creeper Vines."

He hurried out, then, shoulders shaking with repressed laughter at the sudden flurry of excited activity behind him.