The Snake she Charmed
Snake Charmer according to Scorpius
(Harry Potter Next Generation - Mainly Lily L. Potter x Scorpius H. Malfoy but contains many other pairings.)
There were two things the people of Hogwarts were sure of. One being that Lily Potter hated Scorpius Malfoy and the other being that he hated her back.
However what they didn't know was how good at deception Scorpius Malfoy really was. The Slytherin was not the person they all thought him to be. He was just doing his best to get himself through the awful situation he had got himself into.
Join him on his mission to change the firey little redhead's opinion of him. A girl who has captivated him since the moment he saw her.
Chapter 1: Trouble
From the moment he saw her, he knew he was in trouble. She had the most vibrant red hair he'd ever seen, he was certain it had to be magical. It glowed brighter than a sunset and looked as if it would burn to touch. He wished he was closer to her so that he could test out his theory but alas, she was far from reach. He was sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and she stood on the platform outside.
He couldn't determine the colour of her eyes only that they were light, either hazel or blue: not grey. Her skin was a pearly white and free of freckles which he knew to be unusual. He'd often heard his grandfather talk about a family who in his words had 'ghastly red hair and hundreds of unsightly freckles.' Scorpius knew the family his grandfather referred to, they were the Weasleys.
The majority of the Weasleys had hair of varying shades of red and a mass of freckles. His grandfather had pointed them out to him on one of their trips to Diagon Alley. "Stay away from that family Scorpius. They are nothing but trouble." His grandfather had told him. Not that that had stopped him from getting to know members of that family. He disliked his grandfather as much as he disliked brussel sprouts and pop music. He very rarely did what was asked of him.
The girl just did not fit the mould of redheads as he knew them. He longed to discover who she was, because this little redhead was undoubtedly the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his near thirteen years of existence. He watched her closely and as the engine began to roar her facial features started to change. He was horrified to realise that she was in pain. Tears began to stream down her angelic face and she chased the Hogwarts Express down the platform when it set off. For some inexplicable reason, her tears pained him and he would have gambled the world away if only to make her smile. He frowned as his heart ached to comfort her and he puzzled over what had come over him. For Merlin's sake, he didn't even know her name!
He had no reason to be drawn to her but he couldn't take his eyes away from the sight her. His body had a mind of its own and as the girl started to lag in pace, he pressed his nose up against the glass so that he could continue to watch her.
It was only when she faded into the distance that he finally leant back in his seat. He sat there listening to the gentle chugging of the train and thought of her. He saw her face perfectly in his mind having inadvertently memorised every part of it. He pondered on her sadness and hoped that it wouldn't last long.
She'd been waving goodbye to someone and he felt a surge of resentment towards them. He wished it had been him she was so saddened about leaving, but then if it had been, he didn't think he would have been able to get on the train. He would have gladly stayed at home instead of returning to Hogwarts for his second year. Not that he needed any encouragement for not wanting to go back to Hogwarts.
His first year had been hell and he knew his second year would be just as bad but for an entirely different reason. It was a reason of his own making and now that he had made his bed, he was going to have to lie in it until the day he graduated. The very prospect made him miserable.
The door suddenly slid open waking him from his thoughts. "Is anyone sitting here? Oh it's you." A voice said turning cold when he realised who he was talking to.
Scorpius' silver eyes stared icily into a pair of green eyes which shone like jewels. He felt a pang of regret when he recognised the boy instantly. An elder boy was standing next to him who was identical to the other in every way except for being slightly taller and his eyes were a chocolate brown instead of green. Scorpius knew them both almost as well as he knew himself. Under different circumstances he would have been pleased to see them. However, the times weren't different and he had done things to them both which could not be undone. He frowned and worked on hiding his regret, locking it away.
The elder of the two misinterpreted his expression. "Don't worry, we wont hang around." he spat and directed the younger away from the compartment without a backwards glance. Scorpius sighed, there was no point in going after them like he wished to do. What was done, was done and there was no going back. Seeing the two boys again after the summer made him recall his mother's words to him the day before he started Hogwarts last year.
She had been sitting at her dressing table brushing her soft golden hair whilst examining her reflection in the mirror. He had been sitting nearby just enjoying the peaceful look on her face. She caught the image of him in the mirror and then turned and beckoned him over. He joined her eagerly and she pulled him onto her lap. He made no words of protest about him being too old now to sit on her knee.
She stroked his platinum blonde hair which was several shades lighter than her own. Tenderly, she kissed the back of his head and hugged him. He felt safe and loved in his mother's arms but he knew she could sense his nervousness. He hadn't spent a single day apart from his family before and tomorrow he would be on his way to boarding school and wouldn't see them until Christmas. "Just be yourself when you're at school Scorpius," she told him, "and you'll make some great friends. People wont care about what this family has done in the past if only show them who you really are." She was so confident when she told him that and he had listened to his mothers advice without question.
He had met some great friends on the train before they even arrived at Hogwarts. However, his mother had not prepared him for what was to come. As soon as the Sorting hat had been placed on his head and sorted him into Slytherin he knew he would be separated from them. Minutes later, his fears were proven right and Scorpius found himself torn apart from his new friends as they were sorted into Gryffindor.
For most of the year, he remained friends with the Potters and Weasleys but his housemates made it difficult for him. Scorpius was bullied mercilessly behind the doors of the common room and he had nowhere to escape from their torments. He kept his difficulties from his friends and only Rose seemed to suspect the extent of the problems their friendship caused. She'd tried to approach the subject but he denied it, not wanting her to worry.
Eventually he wrote to his father explaining his difficulties. He still remembered the words in the letter his father sent back to him. Acting on those words had had devastating consequences. The words read: 'I want you to know that your years spent at Hogwarts will not define you as the man you will later become. Do what you have to do to make it through but remember the person you really are. It is what you do with your life after you graduate which is all that really matters. Hogwarts is just a means to an end. If it becomes too hard there are other Wizarding schools you can attend.'
As a result of his father's advice, Scorpius chose his house over his friends. His lack of bravery was probably what landed him in the Slytherin house to begin with. He ditched his friends and started bullying the other students whom were not in the Slytherin house. He used terms he objected to and did everything he could to earn the respect of his housemates, whilst locking his true self up deep within himself. He embraced his new persona and the bullying ceased, although he did have to deal with the hostility from his former friends.
The door of the compartment opened and his attention flew to the door once more. This time it was some fellow Slytherins whom entered. "Hey Malfoy, how was your summer?" Duanne Zabini asked as he took seat opposite him. The other boy, Thomas Warrington sat in the seat next to him. Scorpius had mixed feelings towards the latter. Thomas had been one of his tormentors, but had seemed to take a more subservient role after Scorpius had been accepted into the group. Scorpius tolerated him because it was better to get along with his housemates than to stand against them. He never wanted things to go back to how they were in his first year. Duanne Zabini, however, was the closest thing Scorpius now had to a friend and their friendship was genuine.
"It was ok, quiet as usual. How was yours?" he replied.
Duanne sighed heavily as if his holiday had been a nightmare, "My sisters have been driving me insane. They can't wait to go to Hogwarts and they just missed the cut off age by two days. Needless to say, they've been hell to live with." he explained.
Scorpius nodded, he knew Duanne had three younger siblings. His two sisters were identical twins and would be turning eleven in a couple of days. He also had a younger brother Dorian who was only six. He'd never met any of them but Duanne had mentioned them often in the early days of their friendship. Scorpius felt the familiar pang of loneliness mixed with jealousy about being an only child.
"Was that the Potters before?" Warrington asked in a somewhat suspicious tone causing Scorpius' attention to be drawn away from his thoughts again. He turned to the boy and frowned showing Warrington that he did not appreciate his scepticism.
"Yes" he replied nonchalantly.
Warrington's eyes narrowed, "What did they want?"
Scorpius shrugged, "Looking for the rest of those snivelling weasels no doubt." He sneered and saw Duanne nod with approval. The part of him he locked away disapproved with him talking about his former friends in that way. He told himself he was doing what was needed to survive the next year with the least amount of damage: The part of himself he kept locked away relented its protests. Scorpius knew his standing among the rest of the Slytherins was still tenuous. They didn't trust him yet. So if any of the Slytherins thought he was getting friendly with the Potters again, the torture would restart.
When Scorpius caught Duanne's eyes, he saw them roll. It was obvious that his friend thought the other was just being difficult. He felt relieved and grateful for his friend's confidence in him.
Several minutes passed when they were interrupted again by someone opening the compartment. "You're late Goyle" Warrington snapped when a short stocky boy entered the compartment.
The boy grimaced and dragged his trunk through the door, "I had a run in with Rose Weasley, I swear she's the most insufferable know-it-all on the planet." he explained quickly.
"Malfoy here gives her a run for her money" Duanne teased.
Picking up on the jest in Duanne's tone, Scorpius raised a white blonde brow, "Are you saying I'm insufferable?" he asked keeping his tone level.
Duanne chortled and started shaking his head, "No man, not anymore: just a know-it-all. I swear you are the only one who could knock that girl off her high horse. It's unendurable to watch her act as if she's the most wonderful thing on the planet." he admitted which caused Scorpius to smirk. In truth, Scorpius didn't believe that Rose acted in that way. She was genuinely intelligent and strived to improve her knowledge and understanding of the world which was often misinterpreted as being bossy, over-bearing and superior. Regardless, he wasn't about to voice his opinions and he allowed the conversation to drift to safer topics.
As the journey continued, the other three boys were deep in conversation. Scorpius became detached and his eyes lingered on the passing scenery through the cabin window. He could see the mountains in the distance and knew they were getting closer to Hogwarts. His thoughts returned once again, to the little redhead. He wondered who she was and when he would ever see her again.
In the year that followed, he found himself turning more Slytherin with every passing day. He gradually found himself becoming a more dominant member of the group and soon Warrington and Goyle were willing to follow his commands as law. His tolerance of them slowly turned into something more like friendship: he actually started to like them! His friendship with Duanne became stronger and it wasn't long before there was no risk of Scorpius becoming target practice for his fellow Slytherins.
As the Potters and Weasleys became more hostile towards him, he found it easier to suppress his feelings of guilt. It was only Rose who appeared to realise he had done what he'd done to them out of necessary and not true dislike. She didn't confront him about it though, she just did what she could to keep her family away from him.
Though he'd finally found his place in the Slytherin house, there were still times when things got to much for Scorpius to handle. When that was the case, he'd seek out a quiet place and picture the little red-haired angel from the platform and would somehow feel at peace.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story. Thanks for reading.