Disclaimer: I own none of this! (don't I wish )
I'm planning a series of little one-shots about the friendship of Albus and Scorpius. Feedback much appreciated!
The friendship began, like most friendships do, completely unexpectedly. First year was a hard year for many Hogwarts students, but it was an even harder year for two in particular.
We find our first student wandering the halls of Hogwarts past bedtime. Albus Potter had been unable to sleep after a particularly nasty row with one of his supposed friends. So with the help of the invisibility cloak he had nicked from his older brother, Albus was wandering the halls alone and unseen.
But not deaf and so Albus heard quite clearly the sounds of sobbing coming from the boy's second floor bathroom. Quietly he slipped inside. Removing his cloak and stuffing it in his pants' pocket he called out,
"Hello? Is everything okay?"
He rounded the corner to come face to face with another little first year, a blond Slytherin he didn't recognize. The boy had obviously been crying and at the sight of a Gryffindor he tried to run past and escape the torment he was expecting. But Albus stopped him, looked him deep in the eyes as though searching for a kindred spirit, and said,
"I'm not here to laugh, I promise. Do you wanna talk? If it makes you feel better, I'm miserable too."
The blond gave Albus a once-over and then he shrugged and sat down on the bathroom floor. Albus followed suit.
"I might as well tell you, since it makes no difference anyway," the blond started, "Simply put, I have no friends."
Albus smiled sympathetically. "I don't either really. That's why I'm so miserable tonight. I had a row with one of my friends and it's been keeping me up."
"Do you wanna talk about it?" The blond asked and the two boys laughed.
"You first," Albus said.
The blond sighed. "Well, you see, my dad was…a death eater of sorts. People hear my last name and they just assume I'm like him. No one will even give me a chance."
"What's your name?" Albus asked.
"Scorpius Malfoy. Yes, my dad is Draco Malfoy and my Grandpa is Lucius Malfoy." Scorpius said with a sigh as though struggling to get it over with.
"I don't see why people are giving you a hard time," Albus said softly, "After all; your dad was acquitted by the ministry for all the roles he played in the war."
"Exactly!"Scorpius said, his face lighting up, "That's exactly right!"
Albus smiled. He felt good about helping the boy to smile when then he felt his stomach tighten as the blond asked,
"What's your name?"
Albus sighed. Well, here goes another chance at friendship. "Albus Potter. Yes my dad is Harry Potter."
The blond stared at him a second. Albus used the silence to continue. "My supposed friend and I had a row because apparently all he wanted was to meet my dad. When I told him I'd rather go over him for Christmas he threw a fit and I realized he was only really friends with me for the fame. They all are."
Scorpius gave Albus a sympathetic look. "That really sucks man."
"I know" was Albus's monotone reply.
The two miserable boys sat glumly for a minute, each wallowing in his own misery when suddenly Scorpius exclaimed,
"I've got a brilliant idea! We should be friends!"
"How do you figure that?" Albus asked curiously.
"You won't discriminate against me cause you get that I'm not my dad. And I won't chase after your fame cause I really don't think your father would ever wanna meet me. Then we can trust each other and stuff. Besides, we both need friends." Scorpius explained.
Albus gave the idea some thought and then smiled widely. "Sounds like a plan." He said and the two boys shook hands.
It was on that bathroom floor that one of the greatest friendships was born, a friendship that would cross houses and prejudices, a friendship that would soon take Hogwarts by storm.