Fic | Regarding Trains
Title: Regarding Trains
Author: attilatehbun
Gift For: magglenagall
Summary: A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Again and again and again.
Rating: PG
Contains: vaguery, atypical narrative structure
Word Count: 2100+
Author's notes: magglenagall, I was utterly thrilled to get you for this fest. tehgiantsquid (whom I can now thank properly), you already have a pretty high Awesome Quotient, but your beta skills never fail to raise it a few points. ILU BOTH, GUYS. ♥ ♥ ♥
~*~ Originally written for smrw_ficafest~*~
~*~
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. They were running; they bump hard. The little boy falls down and the little girl laughs. The little boy's face crumples as he starts to cry.
You should have been looking where you were going, she says, all upturned nose and I-know-better.
So should you, he sniffles. I'm going to tell Mother, and then-and then you'll see.
Well I'm going to tell my mummy, and she's the smartest witch of everything ever, so your mummy won't stand a chance.
Tears still run down the little boy's cheeks. T-that's not fair. You knocked me down.
No I didn't!
Yes you did!
N-no! I didn't! she says as the bravado begins to crumble.
Footsteps in the corridor, and the little girl's face goes pale beneath her freckles. The little boy watches her flee as a dark-haired woman appears and kneels beside him.
Oh darling, what happened? Did you trip, Scorpius? Scorpius?
:.
"Scorpius? Have you seen my blue robes? I can't find them anywhere."
"Just a moment, Mother." Scorpius withdraws his head from the Floo, using one hand to hold the line open. "What was that, Rose?"
Rose peeks around the door. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your call. I just can't find my blue robes, you know, the ones with the-" she gestures vaguely around her middle, "and that floofy bit at the back? I wanted to pack them."
"Did you try Accio?"
Rose snorts. "Not with Madame Malkin's right downstairs."
Scorpius rolls his eyes and laughs. "Perils of living in a Diagon Alley flat,
"Right," they finish together.
"Did you check the dress robe garment bag in the closet?" he says.
"...I have a garment bag? Erm. Just a tick." Rose whips out of the doorway and bounces back thirty seconds later, brandishing a garment bag that does indeed contain her blue robes.
"Found them!" she says proudly. "But you have to stop putting my things away; you know I can never find anything."
Scorpius puts on his most serious face. "I don't think the floor is really an adequate organizational system, Rose."
"Shows how much you know," she says, and sticking her tongue out at him, she is gone.
Scorpius sighs and sticks his head back into the fireplace.
"Sorry, Mother. Just had to help Rose with something...Yes, I know...No, we won't be late, I promise...Yes...Yes, Mother, I know. Don't worry...Yes, yes, yes, I know. We really won't be late...Yes. See you then, Mother. Goodbye."
Scorpius pulls back out of the fire, bumping his head soundly on the mantel as he does.
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Neither is looking; they are both struggling with large trunks. The girl's trunk crashes to the floor and the lid pops open. Books and robes spill out over the worn carpet.
Goshdarnit! says the girl as the boy says, Oh, I'm so sorry.
They both drop to the floor and slowly begin to replace trunk's contents . As the boy hands her the last of her things-a thick, much-read book-the girl looks and says Thank you and
Oh! She jumps to her feet.
He stands too. What's wrong? he says. But his face has already fallen; he knows.
The girl fidgets, locks her trunk, fidgets some more. It's, erm...I-I don't think I'm-I don't think I'm supposed to talk. To you. She bites her lip.
The boy scratches the back of his neck. Oh. Um. No, I understand. It-it's fine. He looks anywhere but her.
The girl stares at her toes, crosses them. I'm sorry, she whispers.
The boy's cheeks pinken, he picks up his trunk. I, uh, I-I have to go.
He turns and fades down the corridor. The girl chews on her lip. And then-she straightens, watching him, and calls, Good luck with the Sorting!
The boy pauses, then disappears into a compartment.
The girl stands there for a moment, watching the space he had been in. A dark-haired boy comes up behind her and grabs her arm.
We've found a compartment, c'mon. Room enough for all of us. Come on, Rosie.
:.
"Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose."
Scorpius utterly fails to get her attention. Rose, her hair frizzing out of her rough ponytail, is flying from bedroom to living room to bathroom and back again-her standard last-minute dash. Finally she stops at a desk, one hand riffling through a stack of parchment, the other at her head attempting to smack the frizz back into submission.
"Apparition papers, Apparition papers, Apparition papers," she mutters under her breath.
Scorpius waves a hand under her nose. "Rose!"
"What?" she says, still looking through the parchment. She uses both hands and switches to muttering, "Itinerary, itinerary, itinerary," instead.
"We really need to get going," he says, just as she stands abruptly, holding a sheet of parchment, and yells, "A-ha!"
They bump heads, and for a moment are both consumed with staggering backwards and saying "Ouch!" a lot.
Rose shakes it off first. "What were you saying?"
Scorpius rubs the knot rising on his forehead. "We have to go. We're going to be late."
"Scorpius. If I don't check and check and recheck everything, I guarantee you, we will forget something. It's practically a Weasley law."
Scorpius doesn't actually look at his watch, but the look he gives her tells her that he's certainly imagining looking at his watch. Imagining it very hard.
Her eyes go soft. "I'll hurry."
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Or rather, the girl bumps her shoulder against the boy's, a nudge.
N.E.W.T.s, eh? she says.
She loosens her yellow tie almost completely. His blue tie is still perfectly knotted against his throat.
But now it's summer. Summer! she says, and bumps him again. And no more school to go back to in the fall. But I bet you're sad about that one. She looks at him sideways.
The boy's face can't help but grin. Oh, go on with you, he says and bumps her back.
Yeah, you're right, she says, I'm sure you'll find some way to study.
His eyes go fake-hard and he bumps her again. The girl topples off the seat and bursts out laughing. The boy holds back, holds in, but the girl tugs on his leg until he too is laughing on the floor.
They lie on their backs, staring at the sky through the train window. The boy's back is too straight, as if lying on floors is not something it's used to.
Say you'll come visit me at the shop all the time. All summer.
If the boy flushes, the girl doesn't notice. His voice is deliberately even. I'll come visit you at the shop all the time.
Right, but mean it.
Well, I can't promise. I'm supposed to be working...
The girl glares.
But I'll try.
Good, says the girl, as she flops back and stares at the clouds.
She whispers, Thanks, Scorpius.
:.
"Scorpius, can you come give me a hand with this?"
Scorpius hands the last of the Sickles to the driver and turns to help Rose. Their teetering pile of luggage hangs in the air between them; it's too big, and Rose can't quite levitate it around the corners by herself. Scorpius grabs and twists and together they get it through. Once the trunks and bags are secure, they settle down and brace themselves for the inevitable Bang that is the Knight Bus taking off. Everything clatters and bumps as it speeds away. It's not long before the motion of the bus has Rose going green.
Scorpius takes out his watch and glares at it. Rose snickers.
A few minutes later he takes it out again. Rose sighs.
When he takes it out for the third time in five minutes and starts tapping his foot, Rose has had it.
"Relax," she says. "We're going to be fine."
"It's just that we're almost out of time."
"We'll make it," she says. And to emphasize her point, she steps on his tapping foot to silence it.
"You know, we could just take the Knight Bus the whole way there. Then we'd make it with no trouble," he says. Rose goes a bit greener.
"Urg. Taking the Knight Bus makes me ill. I would even take it now except we can't possibly Apparate with all that luggage."
"I know," he says. But he starts tapping his other foot.
Rose leans over and squeezes his hand. "We'll make it," she says.
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Except that they don't, they never touch. The boy is sitting in the dining car, the girl turns away from the bar, their eyes catch across the room.
There is a long pause.
Finally, the girl's back goes a bit straighter. She lifts her chin and crosses to his table.
Er, hi.
The boy swallows. Hi.
The girl scrapes at the label of the bottle in her hand, tears it with her fingernail. It's, erm, it's been a while.
Yeah, it-yeah. The boy folds his newspaper. So. How've-how've you been?
Oh! Erm, good. Good. You?
Good, he says.
Good, she says.
The boy unfolds his newspaper. Refolds it.
So, er. The girl shifts on her feet. She scratches the back of one leg with the other. What are you doing here? I never-well, I didn't expect you'd ever take a train again. Her face tries for a smile.
I, it's...business. You know. I. Well actually, I didn't get my foreign Apparition papers filed in time, so, er…
A noise that's almost a laugh rises in the girl's throat. Guess I rub-guess I influenced you a bit, eh?
Yeah. Yeah.
The girl bites her lip. The boy turns and turns his paper cup of coffee.
A-and you? he says. What are you-?
Er, we're-I'm on holiday. With…
The boy's face pales. He sees that she's holding two bottles. Oh! You're with-
Yeah. We're-
W-What's his name?
His-it's Reg.
Oh. Is he-?
No, no. Er, he's Muggle. That's why- The girl gestures at the train.
The boy turns the strange pen over and over in his fingers. I, uh. Congratulations.
Erm, thanks. The girl peels more of the label off. The boy unfolds his newspaper again.
Actually, I-I should probably. I should probably be getting back, she says. He's, uh, he's probably waiting.
The boy clenches his jaw, sits up straighter, tighter, in his chair. Oh, no, I-I won't keep you. I⎯enjoy your holiday.
The girl shifts her weight again. Yeah. Yeah, you too. She turns to go, turns back. It was good to see you again.
The boy looks away. The girl turns again, fighting the jolting motion of the train as she leaves.
When she's gone, the boy stares at the door. Good to see you too, Rose.
:.
"Rose, you might as well stop running. It's gone."
"Bugger!" she yells, panting for breath. The train speeds away, faster than she can catch it. "I can't believe it," she says. "We missed our train."
"You can't believe it?" Scorpius says, arching an eyebrow. He pulls out his watch and shows it to her.
Rose wrinkles her nose. "Oh, fine. You said we were going to be late, and you were right."
"That's all I wanted to hear," he says. She looks sideways at him. He almost-but-not-quite-fails to hide his smile.
"Shut it, you," Rose says, giving him a light shove. His arms come around her and he pulls her until she bumps against his chest. "Still. Late for our own wedding. We're hopeless."
"Speak for yourself," he says.
"Thanks, I will." Rose turns in his arms and watches the last car of the train disappear from sight. "So now what?"
"Now we take the next one," he says. "So, who do you think will fret herself into a coronary first? Your mother or mine?"
Rose laughs. "My mum, easily. But I don't care. I've got a couple of Uncle Harry's Auror tricks up my sleeve, if either of them need calming down."
Scorpius kisses the back of her head.
"Besides, it's our wedding," she continues. "It might takes us a bit longer to get there, but we'll make it.
"We always do."
.:
A man and a woman bump into each other on a train. Eventually. But first they regard each other from opposite ends of the corridor. The woman's face is nervous, the man's face is tight. The woman turns to go.
Wait, the man says. Please wait.
I don't know if there's anything left to say, says the woman. It's passed. We missed it. I-
The man looks down at his clenched fist. I don't want to have missed it. We've-
She turns away again.
The man looks up. I've missed you, he says quietly.
The woman takes a few steps closer; her eyes are soft. I've missed you too. But she steels herself. But I don't think that's the point.
It is to me, he says. All the point that matters.
She crosses the remaining distance. Can we really-
We never tried. And- He gets no further. The woman launches herself at him, arms tight around his neck.
I've missed you so much, she says into his neck. So so much.
The man's body softens, finally. Finally he kisses her, eyelids, nose, cheeks, forehead. Finally her lips. He whispers against them.
I want to try. Maybe it's not too late.
She kisses him again.
It's not.
~*~fin~*~
Now with bonus line I totally forgot in the original, because I am teh smrt!
Author: attilatehbun
Gift For: magglenagall
Summary: A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Again and again and again.
Rating: PG
Contains: vaguery, atypical narrative structure
Word Count: 2100+
Author's notes: magglenagall, I was utterly thrilled to get you for this fest. tehgiantsquid (whom I can now thank properly), you already have a pretty high Awesome Quotient, but your beta skills never fail to raise it a few points. ILU BOTH, GUYS. ♥ ♥ ♥
~*~ Originally written for smrw_ficafest~*~
~*~
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. They were running; they bump hard. The little boy falls down and the little girl laughs. The little boy's face crumples as he starts to cry.
You should have been looking where you were going, she says, all upturned nose and I-know-better.
So should you, he sniffles. I'm going to tell Mother, and then-and then you'll see.
Well I'm going to tell my mummy, and she's the smartest witch of everything ever, so your mummy won't stand a chance.
Tears still run down the little boy's cheeks. T-that's not fair. You knocked me down.
No I didn't!
Yes you did!
N-no! I didn't! she says as the bravado begins to crumble.
Footsteps in the corridor, and the little girl's face goes pale beneath her freckles. The little boy watches her flee as a dark-haired woman appears and kneels beside him.
Oh darling, what happened? Did you trip, Scorpius? Scorpius?
:.
"Scorpius? Have you seen my blue robes? I can't find them anywhere."
"Just a moment, Mother." Scorpius withdraws his head from the Floo, using one hand to hold the line open. "What was that, Rose?"
Rose peeks around the door. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your call. I just can't find my blue robes, you know, the ones with the-" she gestures vaguely around her middle, "and that floofy bit at the back? I wanted to pack them."
"Did you try Accio?"
Rose snorts. "Not with Madame Malkin's right downstairs."
Scorpius rolls his eyes and laughs. "Perils of living in a Diagon Alley flat,
"Right," they finish together.
"Did you check the dress robe garment bag in the closet?" he says.
"...I have a garment bag? Erm. Just a tick." Rose whips out of the doorway and bounces back thirty seconds later, brandishing a garment bag that does indeed contain her blue robes.
"Found them!" she says proudly. "But you have to stop putting my things away; you know I can never find anything."
Scorpius puts on his most serious face. "I don't think the floor is really an adequate organizational system, Rose."
"Shows how much you know," she says, and sticking her tongue out at him, she is gone.
Scorpius sighs and sticks his head back into the fireplace.
"Sorry, Mother. Just had to help Rose with something...Yes, I know...No, we won't be late, I promise...Yes...Yes, Mother, I know. Don't worry...Yes, yes, yes, I know. We really won't be late...Yes. See you then, Mother. Goodbye."
Scorpius pulls back out of the fire, bumping his head soundly on the mantel as he does.
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Neither is looking; they are both struggling with large trunks. The girl's trunk crashes to the floor and the lid pops open. Books and robes spill out over the worn carpet.
Goshdarnit! says the girl as the boy says, Oh, I'm so sorry.
They both drop to the floor and slowly begin to replace trunk's contents . As the boy hands her the last of her things-a thick, much-read book-the girl looks and says Thank you and
Oh! She jumps to her feet.
He stands too. What's wrong? he says. But his face has already fallen; he knows.
The girl fidgets, locks her trunk, fidgets some more. It's, erm...I-I don't think I'm-I don't think I'm supposed to talk. To you. She bites her lip.
The boy scratches the back of his neck. Oh. Um. No, I understand. It-it's fine. He looks anywhere but her.
The girl stares at her toes, crosses them. I'm sorry, she whispers.
The boy's cheeks pinken, he picks up his trunk. I, uh, I-I have to go.
He turns and fades down the corridor. The girl chews on her lip. And then-she straightens, watching him, and calls, Good luck with the Sorting!
The boy pauses, then disappears into a compartment.
The girl stands there for a moment, watching the space he had been in. A dark-haired boy comes up behind her and grabs her arm.
We've found a compartment, c'mon. Room enough for all of us. Come on, Rosie.
:.
"Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose."
Scorpius utterly fails to get her attention. Rose, her hair frizzing out of her rough ponytail, is flying from bedroom to living room to bathroom and back again-her standard last-minute dash. Finally she stops at a desk, one hand riffling through a stack of parchment, the other at her head attempting to smack the frizz back into submission.
"Apparition papers, Apparition papers, Apparition papers," she mutters under her breath.
Scorpius waves a hand under her nose. "Rose!"
"What?" she says, still looking through the parchment. She uses both hands and switches to muttering, "Itinerary, itinerary, itinerary," instead.
"We really need to get going," he says, just as she stands abruptly, holding a sheet of parchment, and yells, "A-ha!"
They bump heads, and for a moment are both consumed with staggering backwards and saying "Ouch!" a lot.
Rose shakes it off first. "What were you saying?"
Scorpius rubs the knot rising on his forehead. "We have to go. We're going to be late."
"Scorpius. If I don't check and check and recheck everything, I guarantee you, we will forget something. It's practically a Weasley law."
Scorpius doesn't actually look at his watch, but the look he gives her tells her that he's certainly imagining looking at his watch. Imagining it very hard.
Her eyes go soft. "I'll hurry."
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Or rather, the girl bumps her shoulder against the boy's, a nudge.
N.E.W.T.s, eh? she says.
She loosens her yellow tie almost completely. His blue tie is still perfectly knotted against his throat.
But now it's summer. Summer! she says, and bumps him again. And no more school to go back to in the fall. But I bet you're sad about that one. She looks at him sideways.
The boy's face can't help but grin. Oh, go on with you, he says and bumps her back.
Yeah, you're right, she says, I'm sure you'll find some way to study.
His eyes go fake-hard and he bumps her again. The girl topples off the seat and bursts out laughing. The boy holds back, holds in, but the girl tugs on his leg until he too is laughing on the floor.
They lie on their backs, staring at the sky through the train window. The boy's back is too straight, as if lying on floors is not something it's used to.
Say you'll come visit me at the shop all the time. All summer.
If the boy flushes, the girl doesn't notice. His voice is deliberately even. I'll come visit you at the shop all the time.
Right, but mean it.
Well, I can't promise. I'm supposed to be working...
The girl glares.
But I'll try.
Good, says the girl, as she flops back and stares at the clouds.
She whispers, Thanks, Scorpius.
:.
"Scorpius, can you come give me a hand with this?"
Scorpius hands the last of the Sickles to the driver and turns to help Rose. Their teetering pile of luggage hangs in the air between them; it's too big, and Rose can't quite levitate it around the corners by herself. Scorpius grabs and twists and together they get it through. Once the trunks and bags are secure, they settle down and brace themselves for the inevitable Bang that is the Knight Bus taking off. Everything clatters and bumps as it speeds away. It's not long before the motion of the bus has Rose going green.
Scorpius takes out his watch and glares at it. Rose snickers.
A few minutes later he takes it out again. Rose sighs.
When he takes it out for the third time in five minutes and starts tapping his foot, Rose has had it.
"Relax," she says. "We're going to be fine."
"It's just that we're almost out of time."
"We'll make it," she says. And to emphasize her point, she steps on his tapping foot to silence it.
"You know, we could just take the Knight Bus the whole way there. Then we'd make it with no trouble," he says. Rose goes a bit greener.
"Urg. Taking the Knight Bus makes me ill. I would even take it now except we can't possibly Apparate with all that luggage."
"I know," he says. But he starts tapping his other foot.
Rose leans over and squeezes his hand. "We'll make it," she says.
.:
A boy and a girl bump into each other on a train. Except that they don't, they never touch. The boy is sitting in the dining car, the girl turns away from the bar, their eyes catch across the room.
There is a long pause.
Finally, the girl's back goes a bit straighter. She lifts her chin and crosses to his table.
Er, hi.
The boy swallows. Hi.
The girl scrapes at the label of the bottle in her hand, tears it with her fingernail. It's, erm, it's been a while.
Yeah, it-yeah. The boy folds his newspaper. So. How've-how've you been?
Oh! Erm, good. Good. You?
Good, he says.
Good, she says.
The boy unfolds his newspaper. Refolds it.
So, er. The girl shifts on her feet. She scratches the back of one leg with the other. What are you doing here? I never-well, I didn't expect you'd ever take a train again. Her face tries for a smile.
I, it's...business. You know. I. Well actually, I didn't get my foreign Apparition papers filed in time, so, er…
A noise that's almost a laugh rises in the girl's throat. Guess I rub-guess I influenced you a bit, eh?
Yeah. Yeah.
The girl bites her lip. The boy turns and turns his paper cup of coffee.
A-and you? he says. What are you-?
Er, we're-I'm on holiday. With…
The boy's face pales. He sees that she's holding two bottles. Oh! You're with-
Yeah. We're-
W-What's his name?
His-it's Reg.
Oh. Is he-?
No, no. Er, he's Muggle. That's why- The girl gestures at the train.
The boy turns the strange pen over and over in his fingers. I, uh. Congratulations.
Erm, thanks. The girl peels more of the label off. The boy unfolds his newspaper again.
Actually, I-I should probably. I should probably be getting back, she says. He's, uh, he's probably waiting.
The boy clenches his jaw, sits up straighter, tighter, in his chair. Oh, no, I-I won't keep you. I⎯enjoy your holiday.
The girl shifts her weight again. Yeah. Yeah, you too. She turns to go, turns back. It was good to see you again.
The boy looks away. The girl turns again, fighting the jolting motion of the train as she leaves.
When she's gone, the boy stares at the door. Good to see you too, Rose.
:.
"Rose, you might as well stop running. It's gone."
"Bugger!" she yells, panting for breath. The train speeds away, faster than she can catch it. "I can't believe it," she says. "We missed our train."
"You can't believe it?" Scorpius says, arching an eyebrow. He pulls out his watch and shows it to her.
Rose wrinkles her nose. "Oh, fine. You said we were going to be late, and you were right."
"That's all I wanted to hear," he says. She looks sideways at him. He almost-but-not-quite-fails to hide his smile.
"Shut it, you," Rose says, giving him a light shove. His arms come around her and he pulls her until she bumps against his chest. "Still. Late for our own wedding. We're hopeless."
"Speak for yourself," he says.
"Thanks, I will." Rose turns in his arms and watches the last car of the train disappear from sight. "So now what?"
"Now we take the next one," he says. "So, who do you think will fret herself into a coronary first? Your mother or mine?"
Rose laughs. "My mum, easily. But I don't care. I've got a couple of Uncle Harry's Auror tricks up my sleeve, if either of them need calming down."
Scorpius kisses the back of her head.
"Besides, it's our wedding," she continues. "It might takes us a bit longer to get there, but we'll make it.
"We always do."
.:
A man and a woman bump into each other on a train. Eventually. But first they regard each other from opposite ends of the corridor. The woman's face is nervous, the man's face is tight. The woman turns to go.
Wait, the man says. Please wait.
I don't know if there's anything left to say, says the woman. It's passed. We missed it. I-
The man looks down at his clenched fist. I don't want to have missed it. We've-
She turns away again.
The man looks up. I've missed you, he says quietly.
The woman takes a few steps closer; her eyes are soft. I've missed you too. But she steels herself. But I don't think that's the point.
It is to me, he says. All the point that matters.
She crosses the remaining distance. Can we really-
We never tried. And- He gets no further. The woman launches herself at him, arms tight around his neck.
I've missed you so much, she says into his neck. So so much.
The man's body softens, finally. Finally he kisses her, eyelids, nose, cheeks, forehead. Finally her lips. He whispers against them.
I want to try. Maybe it's not too late.
She kisses him again.
It's not.
~*~fin~*~
Now with bonus line I totally forgot in the original, because I am teh smrt!