REMEMBER WHO WE ARE
Those green eyes
As soon as he saw King's Cross Station, Scorpius knew that everything was a serious mistake. Unable to remedy it, as if he were still an eleven-year-old boy worried about his immediate future, the boy turned to his mother.
"Please, do not force me to enter there". Scorpius begged his mother. He took a few seconds to look around. Everyone was watching them.
"Scorp, you need to be strong. All of us must be strong." Daphne Malfoy, his mother and the person he loved most in the world, kissed him on the forehead. He let her kiss him, even though he knew it was a sign of weakness.
Then they picked up his trunk and went into the station. As in the entrance, there were a lot of teenagers dressed in black robes who were undoubtedly Hogwarts students. They all seemed so excited to see each other again ... Scorpius wished, just for a moment, to be one of them.
They both walked quickly through the station until they had reached platform nine. His parents had told him a thousand times what had to be done there. Run towards the huge pillar that divides platforms nine and ten. This was the place where the muggle world ended and the magical world began. Scorpius swallowed.
"My dear son, remember who we are. Remember who we really are, because they will not. Remember that our identity is something to be proud of. Only then they will respect you."
"Come with me. Join me to the station." Scorpius did not feel ready to start this new life "Nobody will know…"
"Of course they will know. Everyone watches us, honey." Scorpius knew that she was right. Since they had returned to England, only a couple of months ago, they had been treated like stinkers. The Head Auror visited them the same day they arrived to England and left things clear. Among other prohibitions, he had told them that neither his father nor his mother were allowed to tread the magical world.
"It's better that way," His mother tried to convince him with a smile. "Just go" And he did. He started running toward the pillar in front of him and did not look back. Because looking back was too painful.
When he opened his eyes. The worst of his nightmares had been fulfilled. His mother was no longer at his side. Instead of her, there were only children and teenagers. Some of them were still with their parents while others had already joined in small groups and climbed the train together.
Scorpius grabbed his trunk and walked towards the train. He tried not to look at anyone. He really did not know anyone, but he had been told so many times that he looked like his father, afraid that someone would recognize him. But nobody was looking at him anymore. Surely they looked at them before because they had recognized his mother.
When he entered the train he found it practically empty. He supposed that the rest of the students would endure until the last minute to say goodbye to their relatives. He sat in the first empty compartment he found and wished it would not fill up the entire trip.
A few minutes later, the train began to fill with people. Scorpius heard their voices closer and closer. When the doors of the compartment opened, he could not help looking shyly at whoever was entering.
"Hi!" The boy who entered greeted him. It was a boy with light hair, almost blond, who looked about his age. –"Are you a new student? I've never seen you around here ..." He seemed kind, with a welcoming smile. Scorpius made an effort to calm down.
"I'm new. I mean, this is my first year at Hogwarts."
"Wow. That's great. I was getting bored with the usual people." He said, still smiling. Scorpius smiled too. "I'm going to fifth grade, and you?"
"Same" - Answered Scorpius with caution.
"Cool! So we are destined to be friends! As long as you do not go to Sytherin, of course… I'm going to introduce you to my friends." He disappeared for a few seconds and then returned with two people. The first was a redheaded girl with many freckles. She greeted him with a simple "hello" when she entered and tried to raise her trunk to the top drawers. The second of his friends helped her raise her trunk and then raised his own.
Scorpius knew that the green-eyed brown boy had looked at him as he entered, but he did not do it again until all the trunks were in place. He thought that this boy was really very handsome.
"I'm Michael, by the way. -said the boy he had been talking to before- Michael Brown. And these are Rose Weasley and Albus Potter. Surely you've heard of them ..." Of course Scorpius had heard of them. Especially about their parents. They were the reason why his family could not live in England. They were the cause of their misfortune and they were there, talking to him as if the past did not matter. Scorpius did not understand why, among all Hogwarts students, it had to be them.
He stared at them. He thought maybe they looked like their parents. He had never met the famous Harry Potter or his friends and had not even seen their photographs. But he knew everything he should know about them. Albus returned his gaze. For a moment, Scorpius thought he would have recognized him, but he didn't.
"And you?" He asked, interested.
"Me what"
"Your name" Said without noticing the rancor in Scorpius' voice.
"Scorp" Scorpius replied trying to hide his full name.
"What a strange name" Rose commented, as she got up. " Never heard it before… Anyway ... Michael and I have to start the round of prefects. Have fun".
"Nice to meet you, Scorp," Michael said before leaving the compartment with his friend. "Hope they put you in Gryffindor".
The two left Scorpius alone with Potter. Albus sat across from him and Scorpius felt really uncomfortable.
"You do not talk much, do you?" He asked, still looking at him.
"I speak when I have something to say, I suppose"
"So you have nothing to say to me" His expression was strange. He seemed ... offended? "If you prefer, I'm going…"
"As you wish" Interrupted Scorpius, angry. Albus started to leave the compartment, but before he had crossed the door he stopped. He closed the door and sat down again.
"At least explain it to me," he said seriously. Scorpius tried to look into his eyes. The first time he had done it, he had met the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. Of course that was before he knew who he really was.
"Why don't you just leave me"
"I guess I want a new friend. I like new friends" He said as if it were a joke "Love it." Scorpius smiled at such an answer. He saw his smile and continued. "Don't you want a new friend? Because I really do".
"Okay, you can stay," agreed Scorpius. Albus seemed pleased.
"Perfect. Then tell me something about you. Where have you studied so far?
That guy was someone incredible. Scorpius decided it after an hour talking to him. He seemed genuinely interested in everything he had to tell, as if he wanted to live his life through him. There was more illusion in his eyes than anyone could imagine. Albus told him about his life, but above all about his dreams, about those dreams that Scorpius does not dare to imagine.
In that train, for a few hours, he thought that Hogwarts would not be, after all, such an horrible place. Maybe it had not been after all a bad decision.
The compartment door opened when it was already dark. Both were startled to see that a boy about his age was entering. Scorpius knew him. It was Simon Nott, the son of two friends of his parents. He had met him in the United States for one summer. He had not thought Simon could study at Hogwarts. After all, the Death Eaters' children were not supposed to be able to study at Hogwarts unless they were granted authorization.
"What are you supposed to do talking to a Potter?" It was the first thing he said when he saw him. "Has not your father taught you anything?" Scorpius remembered Simon well, just as he remembered his father. That man had always treated the Malfoys fatally because he considered them deserters. He supposed that Simon would treat him as badly as his father had treated his. Scorpius was not going to allow it.
"Do you know each other?" Albus was really uncomfortable. Scorpius guessed that he and Simon must be archenemies, or so.
At that moment, Simon smiled maliciously. "So you don't know who he is?" Albus looked at Scorpius, intrigued. Then he turned to Simon with the coldest look anyone could have.
"Nott, get your stinky ass out of this compartment and don't ever talk to me again. Do not speak to me again because I swear it would be the last thing you'll do."
Simon went to answer, but he thought twice when he saw that Albus was about to take out his wand. He left the compartment and just before disappearing whispered "you'll see, you'll see ..."
"I guess you do not know anything about Hogwarts, Scorp. Luckily, we still have time, so I'll explain the essential things." Albus sat next to him, as if what he was going to tell him was something really private.
"First of all, never get together with a Slytherin, never talk to a Slytherin, they look like people, like you and me, but they're not. Do you understand? Also, you do not have to worry about going to Slytherin. Since the end of the war, only those whose families have expressly asked for their children to go there have to go there."
Scorpius swallowed. Of course he would go to Slytherin! All his family had gone there and Scorpius had to do the same. Suddenly he became nervous, because he understood that he could never be friends with that boy. He understood that he would never be friends with any of them.
"Are you okay?" Albus asked him when he saw that Scorpius was turning pale.
"Albus, I need to tell you something. I'm really sorry I did not tell you before." He must be brave, he thought.
"Whatever." But Scorpius could not do it because Michael and Rose suddenly appeared. During the remaining travel time, they did not stop talking about how difficult it was to deal with the first graders.
When they arrived at Hogwarts Michael kept ranting about them and both Rose and Albus let him do it without interrupting him. Scorpius preferred to be quiet, so he appreciated Michael's words. However, when they had entered the castle Scorpius could not help but say out loud that this was impressive.
"Only impressive? It's awesome! It's the best thing that has ever happened to you, Scorp" Albus told him with false outrage.
"Mr. Malfoy." The voice came from behind. An older woman approached him. "You can sit directly at the Slytherin table, it's your family's will." Both Scorpius and Albus were shocked. Scorpius wished he had the chance to tell him who he was. He noticed how Albus instinctively separated from him. Michael and Rose did the same. The whole room was, in fact, silent.
He nodded, unable to articulate a word. When the teacher had left, Scorpius looked for Albus. He found him quite apart from him, looking at him with the same look he had given Simon Nott hours before. No trace of those green eyes that had attracted him so much.