A spate of owls, large and small, tawny and brown, glided into the Great Hall at breakfast time on a cloudless morning in early June. The summer solstice would be arriving soon, and the sky was full of bright sunlight that streamed in through the tall windows from the east, shining in the faces of some of the students seated at the tables, dazzling their eyes and making their hair gleam. The year was almost at its peak.
As he ate his breakfast of eggs and sausage, Scorpius Malfoy kept his eye on the arriving owls, some bearing small letters fastened to their legs, others carrying newspapers, and a few with parcels gripped in their sturdy talons. Scorpius had been watching the owls every morning for the past week, waiting; there was a particular box he was waiting for. He searched each incoming owl eagerly, looking for a box of the right size and shape. It should be easy to spot.
This morning there were not many parcels brought by the owls, and Scorpius feared he would be disappointed again, but suddenly he saw it, a large brown owl entering the hall carrying something that looked just right. Expectantly, Scorpius watched the owl to see if it would go to the recipient he had in mind. Sure enough, it did not circle the room, as many owls did who were searching for their addressees; it flew straight to the head table and landed in front of Professor Longbottom, who picked up the package, turned it over in his hands to read the name of the sender, and then subtly met the gaze of Scorpius sitting at the Slytherin table and gave a slight nod.
Scorpius nodded back and gave Professor Longbottom a quick thumbs-up signal, then turned his attention to his breakfast again. He looked over to the Gryffindor table, where Rose Weasley was eating breakfast with her friends, chatting and paying no attention to the owls or to Scorpius. Even if she had glanced at him, she would have noticed nothing, because Scorpius had arranged that the package would be delivered not to him but to Professor Longbottom, who would keep it in his greenhouse until Scorpius called for it. You had to think of all these details, Scorpius reflected; you had to anticipate all the possible glitches and take steps to prevent them.
But so far, so good. Now he had to talk to Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher. He would catch her attention briefly as everyone was leaving the Great Hall and make an appointment to see her privately in her office later in the day, when they could converse at length without Rose’s noticing anything.
Later in the morning, after his classes, Scorpius climbed the stairs to the corridor where Professor Sinistra’s office was located, near the base of the Astronomy Tower. He rapped on the door and, upon hearing her say, –Come in,†he pushed open the heavy oaken door and entered.
He had never been in Professor Sinistra’s office before, and he let his eyes roam quickly over its contents. There were shelves, some shallow, holding books, and some deeper, holding planetary models and instruments for celestial navigation. Bare sections of the walls were covered by star charts and other charts whose purpose was not plain to Scorpius. Off to one side stood Professor Sinistra’s own personal telescope, a shiny brass instrument much larger that the students’ telescopes, supported on its tall tripod. With a pang of envy Scorpius let his gaze linger on it for a second longer. What a beauty it was!
He tore his eyes away from the telescope and directed his attention to Professor Sinistra, seated at her desk.
–Thank you so much, Professor Sinistra,†he began, –for letting me talk to you. The reason I wanted to talk to you was because there was something special I wanted to do before I left school, and for it I need your help.†Over the years, Scorpius had heard his father and grandfather speaking with people whom they wanted to influence or impress; he had observed how they phrased their sentences for maximum effect, and now he had the skill to do it himself.
Professor Sinistra turned her head slightly and looked at him quizzically out of the corner of her eyes. –Please sit down and tell me what you have in mind.â€
Scorpius moved the little wooden side chair to a place in front of the professor’s desk and sat down. He had the impression that Professor Sinistra didn’t get a lot of visitors to her office, given the paucity of guest seating, and indeed he himself had had no dealings with her for the past two years. He had been a competent Astronomy student, but not a remarkable one, and now he wondered if the relationship between the two of them was strong enough for him to receive a positive response to his request for a favor.
He took a deep breath and began. –You know that I was named for a constellation, Scorpius the scorpion. And I believe you also taught my father, Draco Malfoy, when he was a student here. He was named for a constellation too. It has been a custom in my family, although not always followed, to name new family members for stars or constellations. I don’t know why.
–What I would like to do before I leave Hogwarts for the last time is to go up onto the Astronomy Tower platform and look at the constellation Scorpius, get a really good look at it. I know that it’s up in the night sky in June, but low on the horizon. I’ve never had a really good look at it before, even though I’m named after it. I’ve just seen it traced out on star charts in astronomy books. And since it’s up in summer, we don’t really observe it here at school.â€
Professor Sinistra looked thoughtful. –Yes,†she agreed, –the best month to view Scorpius is July. But, as you say, at our latitude it’s always low on the horizon, which is a shame because it’s such a beautiful constellation, well worth seeing.â€
Scorpius felt encouraged by her words and pressed on, leaning a little forward in his chair. –Would you be willing to bring me up to the viewing platform on some night soon so that I can really see it well before I leave school? Some night when there is no class there and I won’t be disturbing anybody?â€
Professor Sinistra seemed pleased by his interest. She smiled as she said, –Yes, I think that can be arranged. I’m glad you still have some of your old interest in the stars, even though you didn’t pursue Astronomy at the N.E.W.T. level.â€
–Well, that was because my parents told me to take N.E.W.T. courses that would be good for my career,†Scorpius explained apologetically, –but I always thought it was interesting.†He hoped she would not hold it against him. He leaned back into his chair again, feeling relieved to know that the professor had not rejected his odd request outright. Relaxed and happy, he continued, –Thank you so much for your kindness, Professor Sinistra. This means a lot to me. There’s one more little thing. Would it be possible to allow my friend Rose Weasley of Gryffindor House to come with us?†He waited eagerly; this was the final part of his plan.
To his disappointment, the smile faded from the professor’s face, and her eyes narrowed beneath a frown. –Miss Weasley is your girlfriend, is she not? I have often seen you two together. Why do you want to bring her with you? Is she as keen to see the constellation? Or did you have something else in mind? I’m sure you are aware that the door to the viewing platform has been locked for several years, and not only to prevent a repeat of that tragic event concerning the Ravenclaw student. It is locked to prevent students sneaking up there for romantic trysts.â€
This is a setback, Scorpius thought, but I can overcome this. He put the most earnest expression on his face that he could, and leaned forward again, holding both hands open, palms up. His father had taught him about negotiating skills and about body language; this was a posture that denoted sincerity and lack of guile. Body language often spoke louder than words, and Scorpius had learned to trust it.
–If I just wanted some snogging and groping, I could do that anywhere, anytime. I wouldn’t have to come up here with you as a chaperone. And if all I wanted was snogging and groping, I wouldn’t be worth much as a boyfriend. I want to get a good look at Scorpius, including through the telescope. And I want to share it with her. I want her to see what I see and know what I know.†He kept his gaze on Professor Sinistra’s face, trying to read her reaction to his words.
–Why do you care about this constellation all of a sudden?†she asked evenly. Scorpius was encouraged; her suspicions seemed to be fading, but he knew he still had some convincing to do.
–In my family, almost everyone is named after a star or constellation,†he reiterated. –When I was a kid, that was just an odd familial quirk, but now I try to understand it more. Do these stars and constellations mean something, or was I named because someone threw a dart at a star chart?
–When I was a little kid, before I came to Hogwarts, I went to a private school that my parents and some of their friends set up for us kids. Some of the other kids teased me about my name, said I was a creepy-crawly thing, and sometimes they called me Beetle-bug or Earthworm. It pissed me off — er, it made me angry — but I didn’t know how to make them stop doing it. It was just stupid kid humor; they finally grew out of it, but it always made me have mixed feelings about my name, and I’d like to do something about that. I’d like to progress beyond that point. What do I have to identify with, other than a little creature that scuttles around in the dirt and stings people?â€
–Did you ever ask your parents why they chose this particular constellation for your name?†Professor Sinistra asked, as if that would have been the obvious first line of inquiry.
–No, I never did,†Scorpius replied, hoping that she would not hold it against him, would not order him to go back home and interrogate his parents before she would entertain a request for a midnight trip to the viewing platform. –In the long run, their reasons, whatever they were, don’t seem important to me. The fact is, I’m the person saddled with this name for the rest of my life, and I need to have my own reasons for being proud of it.â€
He looked up hopefully. That ought to do it. If Professor Sinistra still balked at his request, he wasn’t sure what else he was going to say.
She seemed to relax a little; the tension faded from her shoulders and she said, –Very well. What you ask is not unreasonable. I appreciate what you are saying.â€
–Thank you so much, Professor Sinistra,†Scorpius said. –This is important to me. Someday I will be naming my own children. I don’t know if I want to continue this tradition or not. It has to mean something. Maybe I can start to figure that out by starting with the stars themselves.â€
–You’re young to be thinking about naming your children.â€
–Names are important. I want to be sure.â€
–When do you want to do this?†Professor Sinistra asked him.
–Well, uh, when do you think would be best?†he stammered, not having had a particular date immediately in mind.
–Visibility would be best at a time when the moonlight is the least. Tell me, Mr. Malfoy, is the moon waxing or waning at present?â€
Scorpius was caught short by her question. He had no idea what quarter the moon was in. Frantically he searched his memory for any notice of the moon in the previous few days, but the truth was that at this time of the year, sunrise was so early and sunset was so late that he had paid no attention to the moon. He had nothing on which to base a guess, and he dared not jeopardize the fragile trust between himself and the professor by trying to bluff.
–I don’t know, Professor. I haven’t noticed.†He hung his head a little, a bit of body language to indicate humility. I am throwing myself on your mercy.
–For a supposed lover of astronomy, you are surprisingly unobservant,†she remarked drily. –The moon is waning. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt; you have probably been keeping your nose in your books, studying for your NEWTs.â€
He nodded, quite willing to seize on this explanation for his ignorance.
–The new moon will occur on Friday, June seventh, so the sky will be moonless at midnight, dark enough to see the stars very well,†she continued. –July is the best month for seeing Scorpius at a reasonable hour, but you won’t be here in July. On June seventh, Scorpius will be at its highest point…†She picked up a circular star chart from her desktop and rotated an attached ring around it. –…at 1:00 a.m., which is really June eighth. There will not be any classes on the platform that night at that time. Hope that this good weather continues so that the sky will be clear.â€
Relief flooded through Scorpius. She was going to do it, despite his foolishness about not knowing the phases of the moon.
–Were you planning to bring your telescope, Mr. Malfoy?†the professor went on.
Uh, oh. thought Scorpius. Another mistake. –Um, I don’t have my telescope with me this year, since I’m not taking N.E.W.T. Astronomy. I was sort of hoping we could use your telescope…†He turned his head to gaze longingly at the gleaming brass instrument that dominated the side of Professor Sinistra’s office. –It’s bigger than mine, and it’s so beautiful…†His voice trailed off. Can’t you see how much I want this? Please say yes. He had never even touched her telescope, much less looked through it.
Professor Sinistra sighed. –Very well, Mr. Malfoy. We’ll use my telescope. I presume that Miss Weasley has agreed to this?â€
–I haven’t mentioned it to her yet because I didn’t want to get her hopes up until I knew for sure you would say yes. But I’ll tell her right away. I know she’ll want to come.â€
–You’ve made a good choice, Mr. Malfoy,†Professor Sinistra told him, and at first he was startled. A good choice in girlfriends? What did Professor Sinistra know about that? But she continued, –Scorpius is one of the most beautiful of all the zodiacal constellations. It’s a star pattern that actually looks like what it’s named for, made of fairly bright stars in the otherwise rather dull summer sky. And its alpha star, Antares, is visibly red, a real jewel in the darkness.†Scorpius could hear the warmth in her voice. She really does love them, he thought. Lucky for me.
–I will notify your Heads of Houses. Slytherin and Gryffindor, right? Meet me here at my office on midnight of June seventh. And one more thing. Before we go to the viewing platform, we will stop off at the celestial sphere classroom. I want you to demonstrate to me that you understand what you will be seeing.â€
She stood up, and Scorpius hastily scrambled to his feet and held out his hand. –Thank you so much. I’ll always be grateful.â€
She grasped his hand. –Not at all. I hope you find what you’re looking for.â€
Dark Enough To See The Stars by Oregonian
Story Notes:
This story is a gift to my fellow Slytherin, Georgia/Draco7052, because she likes Scorpius/Rose. As ever, many thanks to my Gryffindor beta readers, Nagini Riddle and Elaine/Islastorm, who always encourage me. You guys rock!