He likes to stay out of everybody's way. Doesn't want to cause trouble. Doesn't want to bring attention on to himself. Nope, his dad did that enough for both of their lifetimes. So Scorpius just minds his own business, and never puts a toe out of line. He's nice, he'll give you the answer if you're stuck on an Arithmancy problem, and he'll let you know if your shoelace is untied. Smart, but not in an in-your-face-know-it-all kind of way. A Ravenclaw. A guy on the sidelines at every match.
He knows what he thinks is his place.
And he likes it there.
So what if he doesn't really have friends? (But he'd really like some, actually.) People don't pick on him anymore. (No, they just whisper.) And so what if he's never had a girlfriend? (Well, maybe a girlfriend would be nice too.) So what if he's never had people applaud him, or gotten a compliment when he hadn't given one first? (Well-) He shouldn't complain. He should feel blessed. Yes, he's spent his whole life feeling blessed, blessed or not. Just thankful for being alive and able to smile.
It's just, sometimes, Scorpius would like to be known as more than "that Malfoy kid, whatshisname." To be known as something more than a Malfoy- oh yes, oh yes, the name that's been stabbed into him like a weapon and whispered in his ear like a prayer, "You are a Malfoy." And was that a good thing or not? He was never sure. Always getting mixed messages, until he had decided himself that names don't matter. So he tries so hard to be good, to give the name a new meaning.
But it's so bloody hard.
Hands in his pockets, head down. Submissive to the world, the air. Walking down the corridor like he knows where he's going.
"Shove off, Lowry."
A girl's voice. A little too loud.
He looks up, and sees Rose Weasley, sitting on a bench by a window, a book in her hand. Sitting next to her is Dave Lowry, one hand resting on her shoulder, the other rubbing her thigh. Rose is loud and smart and pretty. She used to go out with Leo Davies, one of Scorpius' dorm mates. That's about all he knows about her. Dave gets lots of girls and is good at Quidditch, but besides that Scorpius can't tell you a thing about them.
"Oh, please, Weasley. Admit it. You want me."
Scorpius grins as he watches Rose wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"Surprise you as it may, I'm really just. Not. Interested. Get the picture?" She extracts his hand from her thigh as though discarding something filthy. But instead of giving up, Dave scoots closer to her, wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her onto his lap.
"Get the fuck off of me!" she shrieks, pulling her wand out of her knee high sock. But Lowry plucks it out of her hand. She wriggles, but she can't break away. And while Rose is really very pretty, and he could see why Lowry would be interested in her, Scorpius has a terrible feeling about this situation.
"C'mon, stop playing hard to get, Rosie."
Scorpius freezes. The scene's just a couple meters away from him now. He could do something.
But that'd be causing trouble.
But it'd be more trouble if he didn't, right?
So he takes a couple brisk steps forward, wand pointed in front of him.
"Hey, Lowry, what do you think you're doing?"
The boy in question rolls his eyes and Rose Weasley lets out an exasperated sigh.
"Sod off, Malfoy. I'm just teasing." He puts up his hands, palms facing out, and Rose stands up. She sticks out her hand, and Dave places her wand on it. He stands and she pokes the tip of her wand under his chin.
"Now get the fuck out of here or I will hex your dick so bad the only thing 'hard to get' will be boners. Are we clear?" she hisses, eyes squinted.
Lowry backs away. "God, Weasley, you're such a freak." He storms off down the hall.
Scorpius laughs a little, and Rose whips her head back towards him, which silences him immediately.
"As for you," she says, jabbing her index finger against his chest.
"Me?"
"Oh, yes, you. What the bloody hell do you think you were doing?"
Scorpius is confused. Why is she angry? Didn't he just help her out?
"Um, well, I-"
"'Um, well, I,'" she mimics, her finger accenting each word. He backs up a step each time, and realizes his back's against the wall. "I can take care of my bloody self, Malfoy. You are the last person I would ever want to defend me, anyways!" Her face is so close, and he can smell her perfume. He tries not to inhale noticeably deeply.
"Do you think that I'm a princess, Malfoy?" she says, her tone venomously sweet. She's on her tiptoes, and he can feel the heat radiating from her body. Merlin, she's pretty. And he's imagining what would happen if she kissed him, if she were to put her hands on his neck, on his shoulders, on his chest...
He hopes that his new found arousal won't make itself apparent.
"Do you think that I'm some little damsel in distress? Hmm?"
Yes, he's very certain he's hard now.
"Well, listen to me good, Malfoy. Next time you want to be some knight in shining armor, you wanna be a hero- don't." And she's out of his face in a flash of red hair, marching down the hallway in the opposite direction that Lowry took.
And Scorpius is left, hard and confused and a little offended.
He thought she hadn't wanted to be around Lowry. That she would be happy to be rid of him, especially since he had taken her wand and had seemed like he was goin to take advantage of her.
And besides, Scorpius thought she would appreciate him, Scorpius, for helping her out. That she would thank him, and maybe even smile at him and say, "Thanks, Scorpius." But instead she was, of all things, wonderfully angry.
And that frustrated Scorpius.
In more ways than one.
a/n So... there ya go! Not quite sure where this is going, but just had an idea that expanded into this. Feel free to leave suggestions and ideas in your reviews! Which, of course, you're writing, right?
ses