Astoria Malfoy worries over Scorpius's hair, trying to arrange it just so. He lets her, because he knows that she needs to do something to distract herself from her fears and sadness at the thought of sending her only child away, and because he will miss her. "... and don't forget to write us every day, and make sure you-" she is saying before Scorpius's father cuts her off.
"Stop smothering the boy, Astoria," he says before grinning at Scorpius. "He'll be fine, and having far too much fun to write us daily." He winks at his son, and then the train whistle blows and in a flurry of hugs and goodbyes Scorpius is on the train and speeding away from his parents and hurtling toward an uncertain future at Hogwarts.
He walks down the train in search of an empty compartment and notices people staring and whispering at him again. It happens whenever he and his family go anywhere in the public Wizarding World. After someone threw a soda at his mother in Diagon Alley two summers ago, his father explained to Scorpius about how they had been on the wrong side of the war and done some horrible things. Scorpius couldn't imagine his wonderful parents ever doing anything so bad it would warrant the hatred of an entire population, but the glares from bystanders and the pain and guilt he sometimes saw in his parents' eyes spoke of different times.
Someone calls Scorpius a bad name and he keeps his head down and continues on his way.
Two train cars later, Scorpius seems to be the only student still without a compartment, and he is somewhat resigned to spending the entire ride wandering the train alone, trying not to get in anyone's way. Just as he is beginning to despair, he hears behind him, "Hey, wait up!"
He turns to see a girl with bouncy, orange-gold hair and sparkling midnight eyes coming out of a compartment he just walked past. She jogs up to him spiritedly. She has a spring in her step as well as her hair, is three inches taller than him, and is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. "Dominique Gabrielle Delacour Weasley at your service." Even her voice is lively. Scorpius feels a natural smile begin to come over his face because she just makes him feel like smiling, but then he realizes the issue: she just said her name was Dominique Weasley. His father had explained about that, too, the Potters and Weasleys who had fought for the right side in the war and who his father had allegedly been horrible to. She didn't recognize Scorpius yet, but when she did, she would be sure to avoid him like everyone else. "What's your name?" Dominique prods, and Scorpius realizes that he has been silent for an absurd amount of time.
He hesitates, but knows that it'll come to this sooner or later, and he might as well get it over with now. "Scorpius Malfoy," he says, barely audible, looking at his shoes so he won't have to see her expression shift to disgust.
"Well, Scorpius, do you want to join my friends and I in our compartment?"
His head shoots up. "What?"
She is still smiling. "Do you want to sit with us?"
Scorpius is shocked. "Don't you know who I am? I'm a Malfoy! My parents, they fought against your parents. They-they did horrible things! They were on the wrong side of the war. My dad was a Death Eater! You can't possibly want anything to do with me!"
Dominique raises an eyebrow. Her smile never faltered. "I know who you are. And nothing you said has anything to do with the fact that I want you to come sit with me."
Scorpius stares at her. Dominique sighs, grabs his hand, and forcibly drags him to her compartment. She slides open the door and reveals four other students. They situate his suitcase and Dominique sits down and pats the space beside her for Scorpius. He hesitantly sits down.
"Okay, introduction time!" Dominique says cheerfully. "This is Lena Vector," she motions to the thin, pallid, glasses-clad girl across from Scorpius. Lena smiles and nods. "She's a third year Ravenclaw." The boy next to Lena has thin, blond hair and is extremely overweight. "That's Castor Rigby. He's a Hufflepuff fourth year. And that's Colin Simmons," she says about the skinny, diminutive redhead beside Castor, who grins. "He's a second year Hufflepuff, like me. Over here is Melissa Prince," Dominique says of the girl beside her, who has frizzy brown hair and horrible acne. "She's a second year, too, in Slytherin." She turns back to Scorpius and smiles. "I am, as you know, Dominique Gabrielle Delacour Weasley, and you are Scorpius Malfoy, first year and as yet unsorted."
Scorpius says hello to everyone, and they return to their business: Lena reading an Arithmancy textbook, Castor and Colin playing Exploding Snap, Melissa watching, and Dominique chattering up a storm to Scorpius. He is amazed that he is sitting with not one, but five nice people from three different houses and hopeful that he will have at least one friend at school.
Dominique is telling him about the time she and her sister put a spell on their brother's shampoo and turned his hair purple for a week. "... and Louis was so mad, he about turned purple himself! It was February, and he was trying to get this girl he liked to go to Hogsmeade with him, and here he is with purple hair! He tried to get McGonagall to change it back, but even she couldn't do anything! Oh, it was just the best!"
Scorpius laughs and is about to start an anecdote of his own when the compartment door slides open and a boy with messy brown hair sticks his head in. "Dom, we're having a family meeting."
Dominique sighs. "Right now? I don't want to..." She glances sidelong at Scorpius.
The boy runs his hand through his hair, making it look worse. "Come on! It's about your sister and a certain Mr. Lupin." He grins and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh, honestly, James, why do we have to have a meeting about that? We've known that was coming for years! I haven't seen my friends all summer!" She motions around the room. Everyone nods.
James rolls his eyes and surveys the compartment. "Whatever, Dom, stick with your strays, we don't care. Just don't come-" his eyes land on Scorpius and he stops dead. "What the hell, Dom? What are you doing with Malfoy?"
The rest of the compartment is deadly silent, and Scorpius cannot bring himself to look at any of his new friends. He looks at his hands and tries to make himself invisible. Of course no one would approve of someone like him hanging out with Dominique Weasley. He was an idiot for ever thinking-
"Scorpius here happens to be my friend, and if you don't like it then get out." Her voice is hard. Scorpius sneaks a glance at her and sees that her glare is fierce and wonderful.
James puts his hands up. "Whatever. Not my problem. See you later." He gives a sort of half salute and walks out, sparing a look of disdain for Scorpius.
Dominique glares at the door for a few seconds more and then sighs and leans back. She glances at Scorpius. "Sorry about that. James can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he's not so bad once you get to know him. I just can't stand the way he treats people."
Scorpius nods slowly and gives a tentative smile. "Do you want to hear about the time I broke my leg sliding down the banister?"
Dominique's smile returns again. "I most definitely do!"
And Scorpius tells her.
A/N: Updates hopefully to come soon. Drop me a review to let me know what you thought! Cheers!