19 Years (HP - Drarry)

Chapter 24: Slumber Party

Friday, October 13, 2017

"So," Tilly said, as Scorpius stared up at the expanse of stars twinkling across the inky expanse of their ceiling, wondering idly if he could count them all, if he tried, "what are you here for, Ivy?"

"Ivan," came the annoyed reply.

Al snorted softly. Scorpius closed his eyes, burrowing further into his side. "Shhh," he muttered. "You're not even supposed to be in here. Sneaking into Hufflepuff during the day is one thing. Sneaking into the boy's dorm - into our room - at night is quite another."

Tilly sighed. "Please. I've put up silencing spells. You tested them yourself."

"That's not what I - "

"Ugh." He could hear her rolling over, but refused to look. After a moment, he heard her flop back down. "Are you sure you're not a Gryffindor, Scorp? You sure act like one sometimes."

Sasha snorted. "Pretty sure Gryffindors aren't particularly concerned with breaking the rules, Tilly. Surely you've heard the stories."

Scorpius could feel Al's grin against his neck. He'd heard the stories. They both had. Though he was pretty sure the version Al had heard was different than the one his father had told him.

"Whatever. Anyway. I want to hear Iver's story."

"Ivan."

Al snickered.

Scorpius scowled.

Sasha spoke up then, surprising him. "Actually, I want to know, too, Ivan."

"Well. Since you know my name. I suppose I can tell you." He paused a moment, and Scorpius could almost see him scrunching his eyebrows, gathering his thoughts. "I... you know about my uncle, I guess."

Scorpius remembered, suddenly, where he'd heard the name Creevey before. The war.

"Yeah," Tilly said softly, the laughter suddenly gone from her voice.

Ivan swallowed. "He took photos. Well, you probably know that. But... he wanted to be a journalist. He wanted to be the sort of journalist that changed people's minds. The kind that exposed injustices and made people care about people and animals and plants and places that they would never see." He paused. Cleared his throat. "I guess I want to do that too. Only I'm not so good with a camera as he was. But I can write. Maybe I can find a camera whiz to travel with me on assignment. Assuming I ever get assignments."

They were quiet for a bit, considering that.

Al yawned and turned, pulling the covers up to his chin and flinging one arm behind him, groping blindly until he snagged Scorpius' hand, then tugging it around him with a contented sigh. Scorpius smiled into his adorably-messy hair and wondered who had decided that it made sense for them to share one of the four beds, while each of the other three got their own. Even though, technically, Ivan had his own bed somewhere on the other side of Tilly's silencing spells. He suspected Tilly had had a hand in the arrangement - two, possibly - but couldn't find it in himself to mind. 

They'd separated the beds again, shoving them into the center of the room so there were only a few inches separating each one. The better for slumber party confidences, Tilly said. Scorpius thought she was probably making it all up as she went - according to some no-doubt dastardly scheme - but, then, he'd never been to a slumber party. Maybe there really were all these complicated rules. Like the You have to have a 'moral support' slumber party on nights your parents do embarrassing things in public that threaten your sanity rule that she'd cited when she suggested this mad endeavor, and the related you cannot talk about said embarrassing things at the 'moral support' slumber party rule. Although, those he was quite sure she'd made up on the spot.