Christmas Wrapping (Blaise)

[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

Scorpius wouldn't have been at the Windsors' Christmas Eve ball if not for the fact that it got him out of the house and away from his parents for a little while. Neither his mother nor his father were particularly keen on the "Muggle" side of things; it wasn't really up their street, so to speak, though the opulence certainly was. Apart from the fact that he had walked into a Muggle palace, Scorpius didn't feel much different than he did at some of the pure-blood events that his parents dragged him to in his younger years, which was probably why he had come to the decision to hang around the fringes of the activity and watch other people's interactions more than getting in the middle of it.

He was good at keeping to himself, and he had the routine of getting dressed up in overly formal dress robes and standing around at parties down pat, so it didn't really bother him much. It was his usual thing, but he did look around to see if there was anyone he knew who wouldn't be too bothered by his presence. Blaise, his maternal uncle by marriage, was as sure a bet as any, and luckily he was close enough to him that Scorpius didn't have to make a fool of himself by crossing the entire dance floor or anything just to say hello.

"Hey, Uncle Blaise," Scorpius greeted him, hoping that his uncle was enjoying himself more than he was.

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[blaise leo zabini]

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Attending the Windsors’ Christmas Eve Ball was Daphne’s idea, though like with most events he went to with her, his wife had been whisked away almost immediately by muggles that were none the wiser about what was really going on around them. Blaise had become so accustomed to it by now that he really didn’t even anticipate seeing his wife again until it was time to leave, and he was fine with that. These sorts of things were more her type of thing anyways, and while he was once a fan of posturizing like the pureblooded wizard that he was, the years of waning trust he had in other individuals due to his line of work made him enjoy parties and galas all the less. Even Hogwarts for the first few weeks of teaching he had done last year had been mentally exhausting, his brain trained to think of students as soft-targets and the school as a prime location for another terrorist attack. And teaching was supposed to be the more relaxing of his careers too.

He had found a glass of wine at some point but was too busy walking the floor and scanning it for unwanted behavior, despite the event security being ran tighter than he had ever seen a muggle event done before. Old habits died real hard, and he was positive that this was something that would never go away for him. Too many years had been spent thinking the worst about people, getting into their heads and trying to figure out why they were the way they were. And then by the end, he was actively wiping memories and plucking out what was necessary to get the job. He still didn’t know what was worse: taking down the hardest of criminals or messing with memories. The latter was so invasive, and he had no idea why he had found being an Obliviator such an enticing career. It really wasn’t.

Caught up in his tortured thoughts on his past careers, he heard a voice greet him, and blinked a few times to see that it was his nephew, Scorpius. “Good evening Scorpius,” Blaise responded, taking a long sip of his wine as he looked across the room again. Draco and Astoria hadn’t told him that they would be attending, so that meant the boy was probably on his own. “This is quite the ball, isn’t it? I know we have our own parties, but royalty is at a different level.” He realized saying it like that made him seem overwhelmed by the whole thing, and he sort of was, in a way.

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[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

His uncle greeted him, sipping at his wine and looking across the ballroom. It must have been even stranger for him, being of a generation that hadn't had as much exposure to Muggles as his own, Scorpius supposed. The older Scorpius got, the more interesting it was for him to see how his parents and aunt and uncle handled occasions, particularly those with attendees that weren't solely the people with whom they had grown up. He did feel bad for them, in a way. They hadn't asked to be brought up as they had, but they had to deal with the effects of that, as did many people of his own generation.

"This is quite the ball, isn't it?" his Uncle Blaise commented, though Scorpius was surprised that he sounded so complimentary of it. "I know we have our own parties," he said, "but royalty is at a different level."

"It is," Scorpius nodded. He hadn't anticipated that there would be as many celebrities there as there were, and the ballroom was really a sight. It was obvious that the Windsors had spared no expense to make it look excellent, though Scorpius supposed that they, too, had certain standards that they were expected to maintain. It was more tasteful, he felt, than what was typical of the same sorts of events in the magical world. There weren't any elves, for one thing, and though the castle was impressive, it wasn't as though the Windsors were trying a little too hard. "I suppose Aunt Daphne is off socializing somewhere?" he asked, figuring that his uncle probably hadn't come to the ball on his own.

blaise leo zabini

[blaise leo zabini]

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“You suppose right,” Blaise responded. He had heard his wife’s tell-tale laugh a few minutes prior, the one that she put on around muggles that were in the industry. It was funny, only because they seemed to not understand that as an actress, she was always acting, especially around them. That was partially why her career was successful. Being able to completely hide her magical side of life was an interesting façade to watch in real time. None of it was malicious of course. They simply had no need to know. There were definitely others, and it wasn’t like the muggle world was completely devoid of magical folks in places of power. This lifestyle wasn’t for everyone, and Daphne had utilized what she was best at to get to where she currently was. Same as how he was with all of his career choices. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up on the phone with her agent all day tomorrow. She lands more roles through events like these than should be possible.” And that was all one-hundred percent her, no magic involved.

As for Scorpius, Blaise was interested in how his nephew had come to be invited. Obviously the Malfoy name held power in all the right circles, so it wouldn’t be unsurprising if that was the case. “Are your parents here? Or is this strictly an invite for only you?” There were plenty of Ministry employees wandering about, some more lost amongst the muggles than others, but it was an interesting way to look at it. Bringing in two different worlds for one event always had a way of making spicing things up. Hopefully in a positive way. He didn’t really feel like dealing with whatever fallout and international crisis that could come from something like this ending poorly. “I was given one of those cellphones your department has been working on,” Blaise continued, pulling out his new, magic phone that the Ministry had provided him for work. “Quite the concept. Never would have thought something like this would be possible and have a positive outcome like it has.”

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[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

"You suppose right," his uncle said about his Aunt Daphne's whereabouts. She was, in other words, mixing and mingling elsewhere in the room. With as large as the ball was—and with as many people as there were, many of whom were relatively influential—Scorpius figured that it would be a while before his aunt would be back, provided that Uncle Blaise didn't have to go off in search of her and drag her out of there at the end of the night. "I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up on the phone with her agent all day tomorrow. She lands more roles through events like these than should be possible," Blaise added, and Scorpius didn't doubt it—even if the next day was Christmas, he wasn't about to put it past her.

“Are your parents here? Or is this strictly an invite for only you?" Blaise then asked him. It was an understandable question, especially given who his parents were, though Scorpius was sort of relieved that they had chosen to sit out the Windsors' ball.

"No," he explained in reply. "They could have come but chose not to." Even though his parents hadn't said it in so many words, he got the feeling that it was because of the Muggles.

"I was given one of those cellphones your department has been working on," Blaise went on, to which Scorpius merely gave a nod at first. He didn't really know what his uncle thought of all of that and didn't want to assume anything one way or the other. Scorpius watched, though, as his uncle pulled out the device itself. He recognized it in an instant. It was, indeed, a mobile phone, and it didn't surprise him at all that it was magical—not that it was any different in its appearance from a Muggle phone. "Quite the concept. Never would have thought something like this would be possible and have a positive outcome like it has."

Scorpius, not having expected to hear that from his uncle, was almost dumbfounded and could only smile for a moment. Obviously, he thought that the integration of Muggle technology into magical life at a wider scale was hugely important and gave them all so much more potential to do things than they had ever thought possible, but he knew that his views weren't shared by everyone—and the generations that had come before him were particularly rigid about that kind of change. "I'm glad you like it, Uncle Blaise," Scorpius told him sincerely. "Are you finding it easy to use?"

blaise leo zabini

[blaise leo zabini]

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No Draco or Astoria. His in-laws were definitely the type that would have stuck to their sort at an event like this, though mostly because muggles wouldn’t know how to handle the Malfoys. Daphne was the odd one out in the Greengrass family, at least at the beginning of her career, though with her repeat success in the film industry that had since changed. It was funny how things worked out like that. Between his wife’s career and his own, the Greengrass family actually paid attention nowadays, though he was sure that was mostly because they realized that the Zabini’s coffers were a little more crowded than their own. Six step-fathers of notable wealth certainly padded the vaults nicely.

Of course Scorpius was unlike his parents at his current age, which may have been a result of the times or the fact that the Malfoys actually wanted to change and regain their ‘honor’, if such a thing was still feasible. Blaise knew that he was far from being the same person he was at twenty, fresh out of Hogwarts and post-wizarding war, as most people were, so he could see change happening. That didn’t mean the Malfoys would want to be around a party filled mostly with muggles. Royalty or not, there were some old habits that were impossible to shake. Plenty of the pureblooded sort still thought that way.

Blaise left the discussion about Draco and Astoria at that, preferring to talk about his nephew’s career instead. He was earnest in his intrigue, as it had been long thought within the Ministry that things would continue to be stagnant whilst the muggles moved on - and rapidly at that. “Quite,” he answered. “Though if I were to be completely honest with you, I see very little value in using one while at school. It would be one thing if we had access to informative websites like out counterparts, but that sort of thing simply doesn’t exist yet. Completely removing the necessity of books and practical lessons in class that have been built upon for centuries…I just don’t see it happening in the same manner that it has elsewhere.” He kept his usage of magical keywords to himself as a group of muggles passed by where they were standing. There would be one or two slip-ups from someone on their end throughout the night, he was sure of it. Years within the Obliviator department had taught him well.

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[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

"Quite," his uncle replied. "Though if I were to be completely honest with you, I see very little value in using one while at school." Blaise elaborated that they didn't have access to as many informative websites, when compared to their "counterparts"—Muggles, in other words—and that he was concerned about the implications that those might have in any case. "Completely removing the necessity of books and practical lessons in class that have been built upon for centuries… I just don’t see it happening in the same manner that it has elsewhere."

"We might not have the same resources on the WWWW yet," Scorpius acknowledged, "but the internet is very useful." He had heard that Muggles were concerned that the internet would make books and other paper materials obsolete, too, but he wasn't as concerned about that. If anything, it opened up a whole universe of truly phenomenal possibilities. "And our… 'counterparts' have developed libraries full of resources—all on the internet," he clarified for Blaise. "They just search whatever they want to know about, and there are books right there." Not everything had been uploaded to the internet, of course, but the idea excited Scorpius. "Imagine if students could find out if a book is available in the school library without having to go there and check the shelves," he continued. "Or if they've left their textbook in their dormitory, they could open it right on their phone without having to leave the lesson or share with the person beside them." It would save them and their teachers, like Blaise himself, valuable time.

blaise leo zabini

[blaise leo zabini]

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Blaise felt old. He knew he was in the eyes of his children and nephew, but the discussion on the usefulness of the phone in the classroom really made him realize that he was just a bit out of touch. Only because of how he viewed the absolute laziness that could be formed from it. There were some textbooks where he agreed with Scorpius: the Standard Book of Spells series, for example. If someone wanted to convert that onto the internet and add a visualization aspect to it for wand movements, he could absolutely be behind that. Then again, someone could have already done that to the books. The fact was that he knew there were parts where these magic phones and laptops that could absolutely assist in education. He just didn’t trust the students to pay attention in class when they already found it difficult enough when they had their books out.

“Cataloging the entire library would be worthy of an Order of Merlin, I would think,” Blaise mused at his nephew’s example. “It sounds like you’re offering to do it, Scorpius,” he joked. “But honestly, I am impressed with what your department has managed. We could have been here decades ago if some of these dusty old fogies could have gotten their heads out of their cauldrons.” The progression amidst the political turmoil of multiple Minister turnovers was something of a wonder to him. There was no doubt that such a thing would manifest itself under the watchful eyes of Kingsley Shacklebolt or Hermione Granger, and he was glad that it finally had. Enough intelligent young people had entered the Ministry since he left a few years ago and were making headway with things that had merely been whispers at the time.

“If the school overhauled, and that’s a big if where I don’t see it happening under McGonagall, then maybe such a thing could happen,” Blaise continued. He knew the Headmistress too well at this point, and she probably wouldn’t budge on going through with such a task. Unless there was such an overwhelming push from the Governors and the Ministry to do so, it simply wouldn’t happen. And even then, McGonagall would drag it down to a slog until she could retire first. Allowing the phones into the school in the first place had been a surprise to him, but that was already drawing her ire a bit. All in due time though. One day it would probably happen.

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[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

"Cataloging the entire library would be worthy of an Order of Merlin, I would think," his Uncle Blaise considered as Scorpius explained to him what all could be done through the power of the internet. From what he understood of the process, though, putting all of the Hogwarts library on the WWWW would be quite the task; his uncle was right about that. It would mean copying over every last page of information, and he definitely didn't have the resources to tackle that alone, even though his uncle teased him that it sounded like he was offering to do it himself. If he didn't have plenty of other work to do under ordinary circumstances, Scorpius didn't doubt that he would at least try.

"But honestly," his Uncle Blaise admitted to him, "I am impressed with what your department has managed." It wasn't always easy, but they at least had the blueprint of what they had done over in the United States with that technology first. They had had to refine some things, of course—and passing the legislation to permit any of it had been half the battle. "We could have been here decades ago if some of these dusty old fogies could have gotten their heads out of their cauldrons," in his uncle's words.

Scorpius maintained a straight face, though he did wish that they were in an environment in which he could laugh at the comment without being concerned that someone higher up in the Ministry than he happened to be within earshot to take offense to it. It was amusing enough that he couldn't resist the urge to raise an eyebrow, however. (He agreed, for the record, that there were still too many people running the Ministry whose mindsets were relics of the past.)

"If the school overhauled, and that’s a big if where I don’t see it happening under McGonagall, then maybe such a thing could happen," Blaise added. McGonagall, although old, wasn't so set in her ways as to be pushing back progress by a century or two. She was more traditional as far as academics went, and Scorpius doubted that she really wanted to see Hogwarts overrun with mobile phones and computers. The bigger question in Scorpius's mind was when the Board of Governors would be more accepting of it. Scorpius felt that it was inevitable that Hogwarts would need to progress as far as technology, seeing as the Ministry and St. Mungo's were already moving in that direction, but the argument that Hogwarts was a school and that electronics were already too much of a distraction was one that he assumed anyone who could would wear out until the end of time.

"If the Ministry would pay me to do it," Scorpius replied, "I would develop a plan to put the Hogwarts library on the WWWW." It was an important safeguard, just in case. Having physical books was good in case something happened to the digital ones, and having digital books was good in case something happened to the physical ones. With enough progress, students wouldn't have to worry about how many people wanted to read something specific. There would be less losing physical copies of books, and surely they could find some way to keep the books in the Restricted Section restricted to only those who had the necessary permissions.

blaise leo zabini

[blaise leo zabini]

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The sheer amount of books that existed in their world was immense. He knew that muggles could do things like ‘scanning’ the books into their computers to make it go faster, but with the shape some of these books were in, it could prove dangerous and potentially destructive to the texts. Or trying to place something like the Monster Book of Monsters. The damn thing would eat the scanner in a heartbeat. Keeping it calm enough to flip through all of the pages would be impossible. Blaise was obviously against child labor, but digitalizing the Hogwarts library would take a lot of hands to get done in any sort of normal timeframe. Unless Scorpius wanted to spend his entire career doing so. The only way he could see McGonagall going through with having students help would be if a club was created or if it would greatly benefit the school. Which it would. If books were available on phones or computers like they were in the muggle world, then there would never be an issue with a student waiting for a book to be returned. And it would also keep the more dubious ones inside the restricted section safe from being mishandled.

“Propose it during the next Board of Governors meeting open to the public,” Blaise stated flatly. That was how everything with the school got done. These days it was under better control and in the hands of members that actually cared about education and children. Though compared to when he was in school, virtually anything would be better. “You’d need a decent mock-up of your plan and how it could benefit the school. And more than just for the students too. Something that’s easy for parents to understand as well.” Even planting the seed of the idea would be beneficial to do. If Scorpius could get his name on the record as being the first to propose such a thing, they would certainly return to him once it was a sure deal.

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[scorpius hyperion malfoy]

December 24, 2025

"Propose it during the next Board of Governors meeting open to the public," his uncle suggested without blinking. That was a thought, certainly, and Scorpius knew that he didn't have much to lose. The worst that the school's governors could say was no, and he had already cemented himself as going against the grain when it came to the elitist circles to which most of those people belonged. "You'd need a decent mock-up of your plan and how it could benefit the school," Uncle Blaise continued. "And more than just for the students too. Something that’s easy for parents to understand as well."

Scorpius nodded, making a mental note of what his uncle had just advised him to do. "Would you mind my sending you a draft before I present it to the Board of Governors?" he checked. It wasn't really creating a conflict of interest or anything. (Besides, Scorpius was sure that the Board of Governors had done far sketchier things in relation to nepotism.) He hadn't set the system up that way. He simply would be playing the same game as everyone else.

blaise leo zabini

[blaise leo zabini]

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Going from planning meetings utilized for government training of aurors and hit-wizards to Hogwarts curriculum had been a difficult switch at first. Blaise was so used to not having to hold back at the Ministry. Being blunt and critical of his respective departments was part of the job. Someone had to do it or else the entire Ministry would fall apart. Whether that was currently happening or not was impossible to tell, and only in hindsight would anyone ever be able to realize it. That was sort of the unfortunate truth about his time there. All that work for what? The same thing over and over again. The collective brain drain of the upper echelon of the Ministry was very much still a real thing. It had gotten better over the years, with people who really cared about their world taking up positions of power, but the old ways still stuck in certain places. Working at Hogwarts now was his way of engineering that change at an earlier age. The children were smart (bar a few), and getting to them now before it was too late was a good thing. Scorpius was a quality example of how quick it could happen too. From his grandparents, it filtered out through his parents, and now here he was. It was impressive.

"Of course. They like to be...buttered up a bit still. Sort of ridiculous if you ask me, but some things never change." Just one example of the old ways holding strong. In his opinion, the members that comprised of the Board of Governors should only be on as long as they had children at school, or if they had experience in education. Even then, the more intelligent of the old warlocks that still held positions of power could be tough to sway. He could see a proposition concerning technology being one of those hard lines they wouldn't cross.

A flash of motion out of the corner of his eye drew his attention, the waving of his wife's hand as she beckoned him from across the room to join whatever conversation she was in. The group surrounding her looked to be muggle. Probably film producers. Switching gears to that frame of mind would be difficult after his discussion with Scorpius. "If you'll excuse me Scorpius, it looks like your aunt either secured herself another movie deal without her agent present, or she needs an escape. We'll find you later in the evening if you aren't busy. I know she wanted to talk to you as well." Leaving his nephew, Blaise put his muggle cover story at the forefront of his brain and strode across the room to join Daphne.

THE END

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