A/N: Yeah, the fic has Dealthy Hallows spoilers, so watch out!
It starts off after the epilogue, 19 yrs. after the Final Battle, and yes, it IS Scorpius x Albus, so if you're not into slash then no burns and just leave the fic alone. If you're reading BECAUSE it's ScorpxAlbus, bear with me, because the second chapter will be more interesting for you slash fans. I mean, they're only 11 right now, come on, I'm not writng a pedo fic xD. So yeah, the fic will go through all their years at Hogwarts, they won'y stay 11 for more than a chapter and a half before we step ahead a little into the future.
Rated T for a little language and slight suggestive adult themes in first few chapers but may change to M in the future due to adult themes, stronger coarse language, and some violence. Adult themes won't be too graphic, but just to make sure and all, it may change.
Disclaimer: I do not own or any of the characters or content written by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter series which pwns the world.
Chapter 1
A wave of whispers and murmurs followed three friends up and down the Hogwarts express, luggage in tow, owls (in the girl's case, a cat) wide eyed and staring from their cages. It never seemed to age, the Hogwarts express, even with the many years it had made its journey to that famous magical school. Voices surrounded them, inaudible, mostly, and shushing as the pack of youngsters strolled past. However, the less courteous and much louder of the children spoke words that young Albus Potter could eventually wrestle into his ears-
"That's James Potter- and his brother!"
"The Weasly kid, too-"
"Harry Potter...my parents said…against the Dark Lord…"
"Harry Potter!"
Albus sniffled and shifted closer to James, who, with a smile of perfect pearly whites (very un-British of him), waved to his classmates. His brother wore the pride of his father's fame much like a prefect badge. As Albus grew older, he'd see that. In time, he'd see just how much of a cocky little prick his brother could be. As of then, he wasn't quite at 'cocky little prick' yet, more just mildly coasting at 'snot'.
Little Albus wrung his hands together nervously, feeling very alone even with James and Rose. He also was feeling every square centimeter of his plainly-clothed body being scrutinized by hungry eyes. Hungry eyes of children who, countless times, had been told the epic story of Harry Potter and his friends, a story so magical it seemed to belong in The Tales of Beedle the Bard or Mother Goose. So much like a gripping fairy tale, but made all that more fascinating in the sense that it really did happen, and Harry Potter's kin were just before them as living proof.
"Hi, hi there! Yeah, I'm James Potter. Oi, Albus! Come say 'hello'!"
"Not now…"
"Annnd here we go!" James opened the door to their own booth, letting the others in with a twinge of Gryffindor chivalry as Albus, Rose, and himself took their seats. "Carmina Vera said she'd join us-"
Just as they had gotten seated, the door glided open again, James ready to greet his friend from the previous year. They hadn't gotten along well at first, but James's charm had gotten to her.
It got to every girl, eventually.
Except Rose. Her mother was the vision of what a strong woman should be. She was raised immune to raging hormones and boys' winning smiles. Usually.
But, alas, the child that walked in wasn't the giggly brunette Hufflepuff girl, but a very blonde, and very lost, Scorpius Malfoy.
"Oh- I…"
"What's wrong, Malfoy? Don't got any Slytherin pals to room with?" James taunted almost cruelly, wearing a look of twisted joy in bashing the son of his father's enemy. They hadn't even met, though, unfortunately, the past of their parents trickled down to them. James radiated contempt, unwelcoming towards Scorpius. Nothing more needed be said. Stinging with the pain of James's words, as if whipped at, he backed up a cautious step.
James's owl even screeched in its cage.
Albus opened his mouth, but nothing came.
You can stay, you know…
"Sorry, Scorp, this is a Death Eater-free zone, how about you hightail yourself out and find some kids with Voldemort-loving parents. Like yours." James stood up, grinning widely. It wasn't a happy grin.
"I- sorry. I'll just leave, then." Scorpius blinked at the three of them. James, Rosie, horrified, but unable to stand up to James, and that weird kid with the blank stare and his mouth hanging open as if he'd forgotten how to breathe properly. Without another word, Malfoy turned quietly and left just as soon as he came, eyes looking for someone he knew, someone his father had introduced him to through his old friends…
But he had none. Nobody wanted to be friends with the spawn of a Death Eater family, not in these precious, peaceful times, not even Slytherins…
"That was not funny, James!" Rose squealed as soon as the door shut, trying to quiet her friend who was howling with laughter, as if that was just what his famed daddy would have wanted.
"Oh, come on, Rose! You know who his dad is!" said James, casting a smirk to Albus, who rapidly lost confidence in his sibling. With every laugh James seemed more and more…
"Like a Slytherin..." Rose grumbled. "You laugh, but sometimes it seems like you should have been sorted into Slytherin…"
"Aw, Rosie, don't say that-"
"It's true, and…" Their voices drifted away from Albus who, pensively, stared out the window. Scorpius seemed much less like his father. James didn't seem to see what Albus had seen, and it frustrated him just slightly as he took pity on the first-year Malfoy boy. That there was much less iciness to Scorpius, much less sinister anger than in his father, and the child more so held an air of confusion, loneliness, and neglect. After all, what kid knew what path to travel when his own father, pinnacle of guidance, was so conflicted himself?
Almost all the Malfoy lot had been Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord had been vanquished, Harry Potter's gang had saved Draco's life, but the family tradition, and somehow the other side seemed so right…
What resulted was a teen who had no direction. And his kid had no direction, either. No friends. Nothing but pure blood and a name that seemed to ooze and drip lethal venom.
Scorpius Malfoy.
Soon, Albus came to realize he was frowning, and shook it off as the candy trolley rolled up to their small quarters. He just wanted a nice big chocolate frog to take his mind off anything Slytherin, anything to do with Scorpius Malfoy and his father's troubled past.
All he wanted to do was get that sorting over with so he could join his brother and, surely, Rosie at the Gryffindor table…
-------
"FIIIIST YERS! O'ER HERE! FIIIIRST YERS!" A grayed and much older Rubius Hagrid waved over all the tiniest of the Hogwarts soon-to-be students, his 'girlfriend' (never officially married, those two) and former Beuxbatons headmistress, Olympe Maxime, readying the boats that would carry dozens of first years over to be sorted into Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin, the ancient houses, the houses they'd belong to for seven gushing-with-magic years.
Many more students attended Hogwarts than when Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, attended. However, through the crowd, an intimidated Albus caught sight of a streak of blonde in the crowd, deep blue eyes, and then-
"Albus! Lil' Albus Potter! C'mere and give ol' Hagrid a proper 'Hello' will ya?" Before Albus could react he was breathing in the smell of raw meat, fish, dodgy cologne, and a very odd fragrance that was somehow unique only to Hagrid. He choked as he was forced into a vicegrip embrace.
"Hi." He squeaked, brushing off his brand new robes as Hagrid set him free. Something about Hagrid had always bothered him, just a little. He was a wonderfully nice guy, but, Merlin's beard, he was just so loud and big and dull, sometimes. Plus, Albus was just much more…well…appreciative of his personal space and ability to expand his lungs.
An unexpected feeling of regret complained in his gut as Albus looked back to catch a sighting of Scorpius, still remembering clearly in his mind the painful feeling of being rejected plastered over the surefire Slytherin's face as James laughed right at him. He'd tried to conceal his wanting to join them, but Albus had seen it clear as day. Maybe James and Rose didn't, but he did. Scorpius had so much in his eyes, so much easily read emotion that no one else seemed to catch on to. Maybe he could apologize for his brother, make up for some of his cruelty…
"Albus? Aren't you comin'?"
"Oh. Right, Hagrid. Sorry." Albus forced a sheepish smile, making his way onto the boat and towards Hogwarts.
-------
"First, and foremost, I would like to welcome all of our students back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"
Headmistress McGonagall had retired years before, leaving her position to a woman he'd never heard of. A stranger. Professor Witwikki. Somehow, Albus was comforted at having such an important person at Hogwarts being unattached to his father's previous endeavors. A clean slate. No more, 'Aaah, another Potter's or 'Oh, yes, Harry and Ginny's child's. An impression for him to make all on his own!
"Albus. Psst. Albus!" His robes were tugged on by a stern ivory-skinned hand, a familiar freckled face bursting out from the many others around him. Rose furrowed her eyebrows, pursed her lips, and looked so freakishly like her mother that Albus jumped and wanted to reply, 'I swear, Mrs. Weasly, I didn't do it!'
"Oh. Hi, Rose…" Said Albus in a half-baked response.
"What? Where have you been? And who're you looking for?" Another tug on his robes.
"What?" He was still searching. Blonde hair, blue eyes…
"What, what?"
"…And now, for the sorting!" Rows of first years started forward down the isles between the massive tables, ready to be sorted. Albus was so deep in his quest to find that same someone, he almost forgot to walk with them, shoved into the crowd.
"Sorry, sorry…" He mumbled as he snapped back to the fantasy world around him, candles warmly glittering in mid-air, a night sky glowing with billions of stars on the ceiling above him, and hundreds of be-robed students beaming at the first years (some poking fun at the mini-ness), picking which ones they wanted in their house. Albus even swore he caught James giving him a thumbs up as he shuffled with the other first years towards their own table.
This was it…
"Emily Abbott…Hufflepuff!"
"Abbot, that's a very old wizarding name, I've read of some famous Abbots in Hogwarts, A History. My mum lent it to me…" Albus tuned Rose out. It was quite easy, actually, once he'd successfully done it for the hundredth time. He could often make it as if the little redheaded brainiac wasn't even there. It was a talent.
Dad said my opinion counts, that the hat will listen to me, too…Albus thought hastily, again controlled by his constant mind's whirring.
"Rosmerta Applebaum…Ravenclaw!"
Anything but Slytherin…
"Trisha Callisto…Ravenclaw!"
Suddenly, Albus wondered, what was so bad about Slytherin? Being in Slytherin didn't make him a bad person, and Scorpius hardly seemed cold-hearted at all…
"Scorpius Malfoy…" Albus jumped in his seat, gaining awkward stares from his fellow first-years. At the name 'Malfoy', many took immediate watch. A long row of teachers, most of whom recalled the family's history, watched on with both curious and grave eyes, waiting to see what would become of Draco Malfoy's son. Most curious of all appeared to be Professor Neville Longbottom, whose gaze pierced the boy on the sorting stool with raw intensity.
The hat was lowered towards the young child's head, all eyes on Scorpius, who stared ahead stonily, blocking out the whispers of his family's past. No emotion. Just a boy, on a stool, with a hat.
Lower, lower the hat came, and just before it could even touch…
"Slytherin!" Mouths gaped and eyes bulged as the hat had chosen young Scorpius's fate without even having to touch a hair on his head. Teachers recoiled into their seats, exchanging knowing glances…
"Just like his father…"
"Just like a Malfoy…"
Without a look of either pride or disappointment, Scorpius stood, mirroring the exact same sorting his father had had, and made his way towards his respected table. Again, Albus, without ability to stop himself, drifted away into his thoughts…
He was almost pureblood. His father, Harry freaking Potter was almost sorted into Slytherin…
All Albus could fathom to think about were those two houses, and what would happen if he became Slytherin. James's angry glare, the look on his parent's faces as they concealed their utter disappointment with fake smiles as their son joined the serpent house, the house Voldemort had proudly been part of…
"Ella Ollivander…" Where they on O's already? Oh, no, they were so close…
Slytherin or Gryffindor…Slytherin or Griff-
"Albus Potter…Albus Potter!" He jumped alive, shaking slightly as he hurried to the stool where his fate would be decided, as if it were life or death, as if that could be the last stool he was to ever sit on!
All the faces in that giant room were turned towards him.
He broke into a cold sweat.
Slytherin or Gryffindor…Slytherin or-
"Hmm…the son of the Great Harry Potter." Had he really sat down? Everything was just blank. The hat was already on his head. This was it.
"Slytherin or Gryffindor…" The hat echoed his thoughts precisely, out loud. After all, he was named after two greats of both.
Albus…Dumbledore.
Severus…Snape.
"You would do well in both, my child…" The Sorting Hat's wise voice pounded loudly in his ears along with his constant, booming heartbeat.
Slytherin…
"Now…which one to choose…" Said the hat, and suddenly, unintentionally, Albus found himself caught in Scorpius's gaze. They were staring straight at each other, the only two people in one overpopulated room…
Slytherin can't be that bad, can it?
"SLYTHERIN!" Announced the Hat, and the sky dropped to Albus's feet. He sat, shocked as everyone else, expecting the stars suspended in the ceiling to fall, for it to rain, storm, rip everything around him apart. For an apocalypse, for the world to end!
What had happened?
Did he really just say 'Slytherin'? Was this a joke?
Did Albus get his money back or something? A refund? A redo?
Instantly the voices of every student erupted into space, everyone talking, everyone gossiping already:
The second son of Harry Potter was no more- or less- than a Slytherin.
-------
A/N: Thanks for reading! Much more to come in later chapters.