Son of a Dragon
Chapter 1: Giant Puffskeins and Rejected Licorice
Summary: Scorpius has to deal with, among other things, a portrait portfolio, a New Age ghost, the Malfoy Internal Spy System, cruel instigator/dumb blond stereotypes, crippling food allergies, and the Murderer's Map (not to be confused with the Marauder's Map.)
Malfoy nodded curtly at Potter, and turned to Scorpius. "Goodbye," he said curtly. He stared at the train, and his eyes misted over ever so slightly.
"If you ever need me, I will be in the third pocket of your leather satchel." He turned pointedly, seeing Scorpius looking altogether more frightened than what was befitting for a Malfoy.
"Make me proud, son. You are a Malfoy; you have nothing to fear." His deep voice, intended to comfort Scorpius, instead appeared to make him quail. "Your going-away gift will be in your dorm." Draco said, softer.
Scorpius walked forward, stiffly, bearing the weight of an enormous trunk made out of stained mahogany. A silver dragon adorned the lock, with fiery ruby eyes. He sighed, and handed the trunk to a porter, who smiled at him with a politeness that seemed compulsory. Scorpius walked onto the train, feeling completely naked as eyes set on him. His pale hair seemed to accentuate the idea that he was under a spotlight.
He finally chose an empty compartment and sat down on the plush velvet seats, noticing how he held himself like a deer poised for flight; his tendons were bunched up like tight shipman's knots, and he wondered idly if he could untangle himself. As though to prove his theory, the door to the compartment slammed open, and he stiffened, his legs prepared to spring up. A striking Asian boy with dark eyes, and black hair that in the incandescent lighting almost looked to have a blue tinge, like the shell of a beetle walked in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, this is the compartment where the prefects will be meeting. You can stay here if you want…" He trailed off. Scorpius seemed to try to make himself smaller, bunching up at the corners, and he shook his head quickly, and he fluttered out of the room.
His face paled with embarrassment, a trait he supposedly picked up from his father. He could hardly imagine his father embarrassed, though, and he heaved a quick sigh. Scorpius picked a compartment at random, only to find it occupied by an African-American boy with a rainbow scarf tied around his neck.
"Umm, hello. I'm Scorpius," he said hesitantly, shyly.
"I'm Seamus Thomas, and don't you laugh at that, Malfoy," he spat out venomously.
"That's not funny," Scorpius said, "my middle name is Hyperion." He hoped for a laugh or a chuckle, a tentative step towards starting a friendship. He received a glare that would wither daisies in return.
"Boo hoo." Thomas said, acid burning on his tongue.
"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, closing his eyes briefly, knowing the answer.
"You're a Malfoy. Your grandfather killed the man who I'm named after." If looks could kill, Scorpius would be feeling his life slip away from him speedily. As it was, looks didn't kill, but Scorpius still felt his life slipping away from him slowly. His father had warned him about this. The Malfoys were viewed by both former Death Eaters and Aurors as traitors.
"I'm sorry…" Scorpius said. He turned to shuffle out.
"Get out of here. Look for sympathy from someone else, like the Potters." Thomas laughed bitterly. "Wait till James gets a hold of you. You'll be dead before anyone can say 'pale bastards.'"
Scorpius ran outside, and collapsed outside of the compartment. He was a Malfoy! He shouldn't have to spend his first ride ever into Hogwarts in the bathroom!
He sighed, and closing his eyes, opened the door to a random compartment.
What greeted him was the sight of an enormous Puffskein big enough to be a beanbag chair staring at him with large, yellow eyes. Its fur shone a tawny gold color which offset its striking eyes. A boy leaned up against the back side of the Puffskein, cradling a black and white kitten in his arms. Meanwhile, another boy who looked exactly like the first, from the milky-white hair to the twinkling blue eyes, had next to him a rat the size of a cat. Scorpius gulped fearfully, and slammed the compartment, running out.
However, next to him, he found a squeaking gray rat, and he realized he would probably have to return it. He turned back, and opened the door. He picked up the squirming rat by the tail, and dropped it back in side. He prepared to close the door when the twin with the giant rat snapped,
"Hey you! Where do you think you're going? Get in here!"
Scorpius came in again, flinching like a wounded dog.
"Why did you pick the rat up by the tail? You could have broken his spine!"
"I didn't know that, sorry," Scorpius said timidly.
"It's okay," the one leaning on the Puffskein. "He didn't know, Lorcan."
"Well, yeah, but…" Lorcan frowned.
"Anyways, I'm Lysander," the other one said calmly. "That's Lorcan over there. Who are you?"
"Scorpius Malfoy," he answered with a sinking feeling. Lorcan snorted.
"You know your dad used to make fun of my mom all the time?"
Scorpius paused. "My dad apparently did that to a lot of people… Who was your mom?"
"Luna Lovegood." Lysander said.
"That's so cool!" Scorpius said. "She discovered the Magorian, right?"
"That's our mom!" Lorcan said with a sarcastic enthusiasm. "So let me guess, you're getting beat up by a bunch of pissy people who don't get that you can't help what your dad did?"
"Just about," Scorpius admitted, feeling extremely relieved.
"Well what makes you think I'd be any different, you stinking Malfoy?" Lorcan snapped, his eyes growing cold and hard. Scorpius visibly sank in sadness.
Lorcan eyed him with a cold appraisal, then broke into a smile.
"Fooled you, firstie." He grinned. "I was being sarcastic."
"He does that a lot," Lysander said gently. "Anyways, you're welcome to stay in here. Anyone who tries to mess with you will have to go through Mungo first." He patted the gargantuan Puffskein, which chuckled darkly in a deep voice.
Scorpius sighed in relief. "Yeah, the only people I really have to avoid so far are Seamus Thomas and Maxima Goyle."
"Goyle's kid?" Lorcan laughed, petting the giant rat at his side. "I can see why. As the Muggles would say, she's 'built like a Mack truck.'"
Scorpius quirked a pale eyebrow, and then decided to give Lorcan the benefit of the doubt, and laugh.
"Are you allowed to bring the Puffskein, by the way?" Scorpius asked, gesturing to Mungo, who turned to him and glared.
"Yes and no… He can change size. My dad rescued him from Chernobyl. Most magical creatures left a while ago, except for Mungo, and he got a lot of the radiation. It had a very strange effect, as you can see." Lysander explained calmly. "Mungo will keep small when we get to Hogwarts… Right?" Mungo just grinned somewhat evilly.
"Yeah, it was a pity, I had to leave all my rats at home." Lorcan said. "I could only bring Günter and Prewitt." He pointed at the giant rat first then the small gray rat that had run away.
"And we had to leave behind the family pets as well," Lysander said, somewhat dejectedly.
"Yeah, our life might seem completely unrealistic to you, but it's All True," Lorcan said with mock solemnity. "Anyways, we're second years, so I guess we could consider showing you all the ropes."
Lysander laughed, gently laying a hand on his twin's shoulder. "Come on, Lorcan, be nice."
"Meh. This is me at my kindest. I only get more horrible and meaner. Within three weeks I will be craving human flesh and going out of my way to kick handicapped Muggle children." He stuck a tongue out at Lysander, and wore a very strange face halfway between laughter and a growl.
"Don't mind Lorcan," Lysander said, obviously used to this. "He's often sarcastic and rude. He's really very nice, though, or at least I think." The last he said in a fake stage whisper.
Scorpius chuckled.
"Oh yeah, we have to introduce you to our other friends. Do you know James and Al Potter?"
"Umm, no," Scorpius said quickly. "Anyways, I need to go." He dashed out of the compartment, squeezing past a boy with straight black hair and green eyes.
He opened the door to an apartment, gritted his teeth, and walked in. There was a girl with auburn hair clutching a small tote bag.
"I'm Scorpius." He breathed, not bothering to give a last name. "Can I hide out here for a little while?"
"You're the Malfoy, aren't you?" She asked appraisingly. "My dad told me your dad was a slimy git, and that I should outscore you on everything. And sure." She patted the seat next to her. He sat down, sighing in relief. He stared at her.
"And what's your name?" He asked.
"Rose Weasley. My dad is Ron and my mom is Hermione." He gaped at her.
"You're the kid of two war heroes?" He said with shock.
"Well, you're the kid of a war coward and an American…" She said with a smile.
"Thanks for not hating me. This kid named Seamus Thomas was like about to beat me up."
"I don't go for this whole 'rivalry' thing. If you don't act annoying to me, I won't to you. Sound like a plan?"
"Yeah. So do you like Quidditch?" He asked hesitantly, trying to further along the conversation.
"Well, Dad is obsessed with the Chudley Cannons, Mum could care less. I was taught how to fly real early on, though, so I'm good at flying. I'm not obsessed with it, though, I just like recreational flying. You?"
"My dad is obsessed with it in general; I have a Firebolt back home and he makes me practice constantly. I'm too small to be anything but a Seeker, though."
"Wasn't your dad one?"
"Yeah, so was Harry Potter," Scorpius said bitterly. He didn't like the man who had made his father a traitor, and himself an outcast.
A witch came through their compartment, pushing a cart covered with candy. Scorpius, feeling so excited at making his first real friend, ordered two Licorice Wands, handing one to Rose.
"Thanks." She said, staring at it, smiling. "I don't like licorice though," and she handed it back to him. Scorpius smiled at her hesitantly.
"Yeah. I'd advise you to stay away from James," Rose said, her face turning serious, deep in thought. "He is a bit of a prick, thinks he owns the school, and such, and he has no problem carrying on the rivalry."
"Yeah." Scorpius said, slightly gloomy. He perked up slightly. "Hey, have you met Lorcan and Lysander?" He realized he didn't even know their last name (it wasn't Lovegood, because that was their mother's name)
"Have I met them!" She laughed. "We're family friends. They're crazy about the animals."
"Definitely. Lysander had this Puffskein that was almost four feet tall!"
"Oh, Mungo? Not surprised." She said, coolly. "Be glad they left some of their other pets at home."
"Yeah," he said philosophically, "I guess I should be. So do you have any other friends here?" Scorpius asked, hopeful that he could make friends by association.
"Sorry, other than Al, Lysander, and Lorcan, no. And I wouldn't hang out with Al, either; I don't think James would take to kindly to you trying to befriend his brother."
Scorpius nodded. He didn't want to hang out with a Potter. On the other hand, a Weasley-Granger was not objectionable to him at all. Well, to him was the key word. His dad would freak, as the colloquialism went. His mother would not care, but then again, his mother was dead.
Scorpius sighed loudly, and put his head against the seat.
"How much longer do you think it will be?" He complained with an over exaggerated whine.
"God, I hope not much longer," Rose said with a grin. "Oh no! It's a Malfoy! It's gonna eat me!" She stuck out her tongue at him. He laughed, and asked her on the spur of the moment, "Did you learn any magic before you came here?"
"A bit. I learned the spell for lighting the wand, but that's about it. You?"
"I learned the spells to lock and unlock things, and how to Stun people."
"Isn't that a second-year spell?" Rose asked, impressed.
"My dad taught me for self-defense purposes." Scorpius said, paling slightly at the very thought of having to defend himself. He was a Malfoy, he thought to himself again, as he always had, you should be strong. If you're a Malfoy, he replied to himself, you're a pretty shoddy one. Making friends with the daughter of Ron! Was he deranged?
Nah, he comforted himself with a thought; at least I'm not a Muggle-born. I have wizard blood, centuries of it, running through me. I'm not stupid like them.
He said those words his father had often told them, and wondered to what extent he really believed them.
He laid back against the seat, pressing his head into the pillow, and fell asleep, feeling Rose's eyes press against the back of his neck.
So, R R! Dudes, really consider this. Umm, if Scorpius isn't exactly like Malfoy, if he has a conscious, doubts, and a lack of conceit, he's an INDIVIDUAL. He's not the second coming of Draco, he's his own person. Also, blame Maxima Goyle.