Hello to whoever may find this among everything else on the site, thanks for even getting as far as reading this! This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction or anything else other than school work for that matter, so let me know what you think and whether you want me to continue with the story and see where it goes. I know that in this chapter the characters come across very stereotypical of expectations, but I like the softer side we see if scorp, and I hope to see albus become a very active part of their group and for rose to grow up from the character we see presented here! Hope you enjoy reading! Welcome constructive criticism and any other feedback!
1st September 2017
I Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy am about to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time! I'm exited, but nervous. I can hear my dad telling me that Malfoys don't get nervous. I disagree. After what my father has told me expect from my classmates, I'm very nervous. What if nobody likes me, or even worse, won't even talk to me.
I understand that my family did some bad things, but my family did good things too didn't they? My dad always focussed on that after every story he's told me over the years. He refused to tell them often but last night he sat me down and told me everything. He would always say how Grandmother saved Harry Potters life. Or how it is because of us that Diagon Alley is still standing. I think he hopes that these will outweigh the bad things my father and his family did before I was born. I don't think they do but I can't tell him that, he has worked so hard to try and change his ways. I can tell that I have been treated very differently to how father was treated at my age. According to father, grandfather would consider me 'soft' whatever that means. I assume it means that I haven't been exposed to anything difficult... But this is difficult...
All of a sudden all these suppressed feelings of dread and fear start to bubble over and I turn to mother for a hug. She is the only one who ever really is openly affectionate with me. Apparently it's not the proper thing to do. There are so many rules that I need to know apparently. I don't care about any of that. I just want people to like me and to make good friends. Better friends than the ones my father has. He told me he doesn't really consider them friends any more... Apparently he is to different to how he was twenty years ago to still be good friends with them. Apparently they didn't change like father did
"Son, I know iv told you over the years that our family was on the dark side during the war, but i think there are more things you need to know... To prepare yourself for how people might treat you tomorrow."
I don't know why he told me all of this last night, I think it would have been better for him to have told me a week ago or something, that way I could ask questions... That was probably why he did it last night actually... So I didn't have time to ask many questions. The only ones I had time to ask were is there were going to be any in particular in my classes who would hate me, he said that there were many Weasleys in Hogwarts and Harry Potter would also have two children at the school. He also said to expect some of the other purebloods in Slytherin to hate me too... This I didn't understand, why would they hate me? Our family's were on the same side, or is because our families were, past tense, on the same side. Had my father really reformed so much? The obvious answer to this was yes. He has clearly done everything to shield me from all of this over the previous eleven years. So well actually I didn't even know any of this before yesterday... Well that untrue, I mean he had told me stories, and I knew that they were true, but I never would have been able to guess that it would affect me so much. I didn't do anything wrong.
"Scorp, it's time to get on the train" mother says.
"Do you want me to put your trunk on son?" father says, he looks at me with concern in his eyes. So, about Malfoys not getting nervous, even fathers nervous. Hypocrite. I'm not sure whether that actually makes me feel any better.
"No it's fine" I say, I don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself, and anyway mother put at spell on the trunk so that it's not heavy. I give my mother a hug, and she makes me promise to write her tomorrow with my new owl Pamphilus and to stay strong. This doesn't help to quell the nerves in my stomach that are threatening to show themselves in large puddle on my feet. I mask my face though, iv watched father do it for years and it didn't take me long to perfect the blank expression on my face. I then throw a smile at mother and give her another quick hug as she kisses the top of my head, I then straighten up to my full height and turn to father. "Good luck son, I know you'll make me proud" he says in a gruff voice. So apparently everything iv ever been thought about not showing emotions has gone out the window for today. Good to know.
Another flash of concern races through me as the thought of houses crosses my mind. "What if I'm not in Slytherin, hasn't our family been in Slytherin for generations?".
"Don't worry, if your in Slytherin we'll be proud, but even if your not I don't think I could ever be disappointed, you surprise me with your attitude everyday, and nothing makes me prouder". He gives me a rare smile that instantly makes this worry seem less concerning. "Now off with you, get on the train, we don't want you missing it". He slaps me on the back as a weal my trunk to the train, turn one last time, wave and clamber on.
It doesn't take me long to find an empty carriage. The train isn't very busy yet, but i know it won't take long before it's heaving. I put my trunk onto the luggage rack and sit down, placing Pamphilus opposite me. I look at the striking barn owl, who has his head tilted to one side looking at me intently, his brown markings slightly different to the others at Eeylops Emporium. I reach into the pockets of my muggle trousers and pull out a few treats which I push through the cage to my new familiar. A soft hoot in response puts a smile on my face. I only got him last week but we have gotten on so well as yet.
I settle myself down for the long journey up north to Scotland, accepting that it might be a quiet journey. I pull out my new edition of 'Hogwarts A History', guest edited my none other than Hermione Weasley nee Granger, and pick up on the chapter about the houses and the personality traits that often accompany those who belong to the houses as I feel the train start to move.
Am I brave like the Gryffindors, not so much. Ambitious and cunning like the Slytherins and all my ancestors bar a few, defiantly not. I don't want to manipulate, I want to earn anything I achieve. Ravenclaw? maybe, I am quite clever, I find it easy enough to retain information and my common sense is good enough. That's a possibility I suppose. Hufflepuff? Am I loyal enough, I do value fairness and I want to be round inclusive people. I reckon I will be in Hufflepuff. It could be worse, it could be Slytherin. The very thought makes me shudder. The book then does go on to say that it's not personality traits that get you sorted, it's traits that the individual aspires and thinks the most of. That does make me feel better. At least I don't have to worry about Slytherin. The book gives insightful examples to back up this point, about a Peter Petigrew who was in Gryffindor but was actually a coward.
I jump from my seat and book when I hear a knock on the carriage door. I look up to see I pair of warm brown eyes looking at me and bright red hair. The girl to whom they belong opens the door and smiles. "Can we sit with you?" Gesturing the dark haired boy behind her who looked like he wished he was anywhere apart from this carriage.
"Your a Weasley?" I say, noticing the red hair that my father mentioned in passing that graced the entire family.
"Why yes, yes I am! I'm Rose and this is Albus my cousin, and your Scorpius Malfoy yes?" she said with a large smile on her face looking eagerly towards the spare seats.
"Yes... Why do you want to sit with me?" My head is so confused, shouldn't she hate me... Father said expect them to be mean or avoid you. He didn't say what to do if they were pleasant...I feel utterly confused and I know that my face is showing my concern, as I remember to mask my face in one of indifference.
"My father said I shouldn't become friendly with you, so I naturally decided we have to share a compartment". She walked in, clearly no longer waiting for a invitation for her to join me. Her cousin, Albus did she say, slowly sat down next to her. He looks around the carriage like he expected to be attacked at any minute. He looks uncomfortable, well at least he's not the only one. Rose, seemingly oblivious to the obvious discomfort and awkwardness radiating of both me and Albus, starts nattering away. First topic of conversation; the book still in my hand. "You've read the whole thing yet? I have! Ten times already. That's not including the number of time mum read it to me when I was younger though. I do find it very interesting!". She talks so quickly that I find my self having to sit up straighter just so that I can fully concentrate on what she is saying. "Did you know that my mum got to guest edit the newest edition! She was so happy when she got the news! They asked her to write her first hand account on the 'Battle of Hogwarts' but she declined, she wanted to keep the book factual, but she did include a few stories scattered through instead. She said 'I think it makes better reading when there isn't a whole section just dedicated to what happened to me'...". Rose kept talking despite my increasing discomfort, which was getting harder and harder to control. At least that answered one of my questions. She was Hermione Weasley's daughter, that must make Albus Harry Potters son. I start focussing again on what she is saying. "I reckon I'm going to be either in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Just like my mother thought. Where do you think you're going to be sorted?" She looks at me expectantly, realising she finally wants me to also partake in the conversation.
"I'm not sure. My whole family has been in Slytherin. I don't fancy it really though" I keep my anxiety on the subject to myself just briefly highlighting the fact that I wasn't sure. I look at her as I speak assessing her dress. She's wearing a black dress that comes to just above her knees and looks soft and sturdy, with black boots and tights. The only colourful thing she's wearing is her cardigan which is a shade of red. By all accounts the red of her hair should look ghastly against her cardigan but it somehow looks pleasant and seems to match what I know of her personality so far. Bright, outspoken and sensible. Iv always preferred muggle clothes, to my fathers horror but he never stopped my wearing them at my mothers insistence. She always thought little boys looked better in muggle clothes anyway and that they had a larger selection. I swear shopping is my mothers favourite thing to do. Apart from parties. She loves throwing and attending them.
"That's not true!" Rose says drawing me back into conversation. "Your cousin was in Hufflepuff, and your grandmothers cousin was in Gryffindor". She looks very proud of herself as if she had figured out the answer to a difficult puzzle that had been causing me stress and I couldn't help but smile slightly back at her enthusiasm for trying to help, despite my mild confusion.
"My cousin? I don't have any...". I rack my brains for a cousin that I might have been introduced to over the years but no... There arnt any. Aunt Daphne does not have any children, choosing instead to spend her life travelling all over the world, but she spends most of her time in Paris or New York.
"Yes you do. He just graduated. His name is Teddy" Rose responds with an air of obvious disbelief that I don't know I have extended family. That's unsurprising actually after all iv heard of her family. Apparently it's massive and very close. "Although he does spend most of his time living between Albus's house and his grandmothers. Did you know that he's dating my cousin Victorie, she's a prefect you know in Ravenclaw. I want to be a prefect one day! Like my parents!".
She kept on talking but I'd stopped listening. I was in shock. I have a cousin. I wonder what he's like. How come iv never met him. I always wanted someone to spend time with, I mean we had house elves and they looked after me but they weren't very good at playing with me when I was younger. I turned and looked at Albus, he was still assessing me, and I said with a hint of despair coming through my otherwise controlled voice "What's Teddy like?".
Albus looked stunned for lack of a better word, that I'd initiated a conversation with him or that I displayed emotion. "He's cool. He graduated last year and starts Auror training next week. According to my dad he has a similar personality to his dad, quiet and kind, but has the same desire to make people laugh as his mother. He's pretty much my older brother. He's always been there.". He looks at me as if challenging me to say that he said something wrong.
"What happened to his parents?" I ask openly to both Rose and Albus. They continue to look shocked. As if I don't know anything or it was common sense the answer. "They died during the Battle of Hogwarts... He was orphaned at a few moths old" Rose replies in a somber tone.
That's when it hits me... His family, Teddy's family, must have been on the light side during the war. His parents must have been friends with Harry Potter. That's why they know Teddy and I don't. Of course Teddy wants nothing to do with me, my family might be the reason he doesn't have parents. I feel the gut wrenching feeling start up again, like I'm going to be sick. Rose and Albus or only here because they are taking pity on me, they're not going to be my friends, everyone is going to hate me. What if there is someone in my class who's family member my grandfather killed. I don't think I could cope with that. I hate violence and confrontation. Why didn't they send me Beauxbatons. The dread continues to grow until I lurch up, open the door and bolt down the corridor of the train to the toilet open the door continue to be sick in the toilet. Dry heaving heavily for the next few minutes.
"Shit. Firsties really need to learn how to control their stomachs. Uch that stinks. Shit." I raised my head in horror realising I had forgotten in my haste to close the door. Their, in the doorway stood a lanky boy a couple years older than me with flaming red hair, freckles and a face that bore an expression suggesting that he couldn't decide whether he was disgusted or whether he wanted to cry of laughter.