Disclaimer: It really isn't mine. Harry Potter belongs to the genius that is J.K. Rowling.

"The line it is drawn,

The curse it is cast"

Bob Dylan, 'The Times They Are A-Changin'

How Does It Feel

Dinner was a silent affair, which was not unusual under the circumstances.

The boy, just turned seven, focused on his dinner. He was small and skinny, and looked somewhat worried by large portion of of roast pork and potatoes in front of him. His parents knew that he often lacked an appetite, but with his grandparents here his eating habits might draw attention. He really didn't want that yet.

During these visits, the atmosphere was always tense. He didn't know why, but when his grandparents came to visit Father was always very serious, and Mother was tight-lipped and cold.

After a long period of silence, the boy hesitantly put down his knife and fork. The food was beginning to feel like lead in his stomach. His grandfather noticed.

"You can't be finished already? You'll never get any bigger if you don't eat what's put in front of you," he admonished.

The boy's mother put down her own silverware, slightly louder than necessary.

Father spoke quickly, cutting off his wife – who's expression had twisted somewhat.

"Scorpius just isn't very hungry," Father explained. "He gets nervous."

"Nervous! What does he have to be nervous about?" Grandfather said, looking a bit annoyed. "He's a Malfoy – he should be making others nervous."

"Yes, Lucius," Mother said in tones of ice. "Thank you for that. But Scorpius shall be fine. He's not hungry."

Scorpius looked down at his plate miserably. Should he try to eat more?

Lucius continued speaking, apparently unaware of his daughter-in-law's growing impatience.

"The boy will end a Hufflepuff at this rate –"

"Lucius!" Grandmother snapped, warningly. She placed a hand on his arm, and he stopped talking.

As soon as the meal was over, Mother stood up.

"Excuse me," she said, tersely. "I think it's time for Scorpius to go to bed."

"But Astoria, surely the House Elves-"

"The Elves may cook and clean, but I shall be the one to raise my son. Come along, Scorpius."

As his mother tucked him in, Scorpius grabbed her hand.

"Mother? I'm sorry I-"

"Shhh," she said softly, smoothing back his blonde hair. "Don't apologise. No one was angry at you."

"Why do you hate Grandfather?" he asked, fiddling with her wedding ring.

"Lucius... well, first of all, I don't hate him. I never have. He just makes me a little angry."

"But why?"

"Well..." She sat down on the edge of the bed, and sighed. "Your grandfather did many things that were wrong for his family, wrong for your father. I love your father, but many of the things Lucius got him involved in harmed him, and made him a harder person. And now some of those choices may affect how people think of you. But I don't want them to, so I don't want Lucius to... influence the way you are brought up."

Scorpius nodded as though he understood. She knew he probably wouldn't until he started Hogwarts.

"What's a Hufflepuff?" he asked suddenly.

"Well, remember what your father and I told you about school? The school you'll go to when you're eleven? Well, there are four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"Is Hufflepuff a bad house?"

"No, sweetie," she told him, smiling sadly. "There are worse houses. Your grandfather just doesn't seem to understand that."

"What house were you in?"

"Slytherin."

"Can I be a Slytherin too?"

Astoria looked down into his blue eyes – the only feature of hers that he'd inherited – and saw hope, and love, and the need to please her. Who knows what they would show after seven years of Slytherin house?

She shook her head, and kissed his cheek.

"You can be whatever you want to be."

King's Cross – 4 years later

Scorpius sat on his trunk beside a rubbish bin a little way from the ticket barrier, hiding from the crowd on the platform. His mother would probably be looking for him, but he needed to hide, for now. He had experienced the public's reaction to his family before, but never had it been directed at him personally, or with so much hatred.

He wiped away the tears on his cheeks. His father didn't like him crying in public.

"Are you OK?" asked a soft voice.

He looked up quickly. A little girl with red hair was sitting in front of him. She looked too small to be starting school, but he was really in no place to judge.

"I'm fine," he told her, quickly swiping his hand across his eyes again. This was not how his journey to Hogwarts was supposed to begin.

"Are you going to Hogwarts this year too?" he asked, trying to move away from Scorpius-centred conversation. This seemed to be the wrong thing to say, however, because she frowned.

"No, not for another two whole years." He noticed that her eyes were slightly red, and this made him feel less embarrassed. He wasn't the only one who'd been caught crying.

"You're only nine then?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting down next to him. "But it's not fair! I'll be ten in less than a month! And I have to wait two years."

"A brother or sister is going this year, yeah?"

"How did you know that?" she asked suspiciously.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Why else would you be here?"

"Oh, right," she said sheepishly. "Yeah, my oldest brother is in second year, and Albus is going to be in first year. I'll be all alone at home."

"I wish I wasn't going," Scorpius said gloomily.

"Why would you wish that?"

He shrugged, preferring not to explain his family's background right now. After all, she almost seemed to like him at the moment.

"I'm Lily, by the way," she told him, and stuck out her hand. He grinned and shook it.

"Scorpius," he replied. He looked up at the clock and decided he needed to go back onto the platform and find his parents. "I have to go, now. Thanks for talking to me," he added nervously.

"No problem," she said, smiling brilliantly. "It was great meeting you, Scorpius – even if you do have a silly name." Her brown eyes twinkled mischievously and she grinned at him before racing off.

He smiled after her, feeling inexplicably better about the day. Someone here didn't hate him. He found himself wishing that she was coming with him, but perhaps it was best that she didn't find out who he was.

After another moment, he crossed back onto Platform 9 and ¾.

"Scorpius! There you are," his mother sighed in relief as he appeared behind her. "Here he is, Draco."

"Good, you don't want to miss the train," his father said. Someone hissed behind him, but Draco didn't even turn around. "Are you all set?"

Scorpius nodded.

They approached the train, but the a lot of the noise had died down. People were all looking at the family further down the platform. He could see a few redheads through the crowd and a black-haired man. Clinging on to the man's hand was Lily, her read hair slightly darker, but just as startling as those around her.

Scorpius saw his father nod in the man's direction. He tugged his father's sleeve.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"That's Harry Potter," his father answered, frowning.

Harry Potter? The Harry Potter? The man who not only defeated the Dark Lord but who, Scorpius had heard, had spoken at Draco's trial, causing his sentence to be reduced to just six months. Did that mean Lily...?

"Who are the kids beside him? Are they his children?"

Draco shrugged. "Probably. I think the black-haired boy is, and the little girl beside him."

Lily Potter.

Scorpius and his father stood in silence for a few moments.

"Father," Scorpius said suddenly. "You and Mother were both in Slytherin, right?"

"Yes, you know that," Draco said, frowning.

"What house do you think I'll be in?"

The train whistle blew.

"Come on, Scorpius, get on!" said Draco, rushing him forward.

"What house, though?"

"Slytherin, of course. Don't worry about it."

Scorpius hugged his mother goodbye and his father patted him awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Will you write to me?" he asked his mother. His father sighed impatiently and frowned, causing Astoria to glare at him.

"Of course we will, darling."

As he climbed aboard the train, he heard his father make a comment about "learning to stand on his own two feet".

After he found an empty compartment and stowed away his trunk, Scorpius Malfoy pulled out a book and sat on a seat near the window. He could see his mother and father still on the platform, both looking straight ahead as the train slid away. But his mother's eyes kept flicking nervously from side to side. People were looking at them, muttering about them. Scorpius had heard people hissing as he made his way down the train. He could only hope that no one would bother him if he stayed here and read. If he chose a large enough book, maybe he could hide his distinctive Malfoy hair, as well as his features. As the train began to pull away he put his book back and looked in his bag for a larger one, but then the compartment door slid open.

"Hi!" said a cheerful voice. "Mind if we sit here? Almost everywhere else is full."

Scorpius looked up to see a boy smiling at him, with a girl standing behind him looking slightly horror-struck. He recognised the boy as Potter's son. Lily's brother. The girl he didn't know, but her red hair gave her away, somewhat. But why were they talking to him? Many had hissed at him and yelled at him already, and he would have expected the same treatment from them, if anyone.

"Uh... sure," he said.

"Thanks," Potter said, and began trying to put his trunk away above the seats. He seemed to be fighting a losing battle, so Scorpius helped him shove it the last few feet.

The girl was still frozen in the doorway, and seemed uncertain about coming in.

"Albus, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked. "Out here?"

"Okay," he said, clearly bemused. "We'll be right back," he added to Scorpius.

Scorpius tried to pay attention to his book, certain he didn't want to hear what they were saying. But the compartment doors really weren't very thick.

"What's up, Rose?"

"What's up? What's up? That's Scorpius Malfoy!"

"I know that!"

"Well, my dad said-"

"I heard your dad, but my dad said that-"

"Do you even know what his father and grandfather were? They tormented our parents! Almost got them killed! Or even expelled!"

"... You're being a bit stupid about this, Rosie. He didn't do that. It was his family."

"Well, I know, but... can he be trusted?"

"We're on the train, Rose. What can he do? It's not like he can betray us to a no-longer-existent Voldemort on the way to school. Lighten up."

They came back into the compartment then. Potter was smiling again.

"Sorry about that," he said cheerfully. "Don't think we introduced ourselves. I'm Albus Potter, and this is my cousin, Rose Weasley."

Scorpius was slightly unsure of how to proceed. On the one hand, his father had hated Harry Potter, and this boy had mentioned Scorpius's family history and the girl clearly disliked him. On the other hand, neither of them had openly insulted or mocked him, and Potter seemed perfectly willing to sit in the same compartment as him.

Mind made up, he stuck out his hand, as Lily had done earlier.

"Scorpius Malfoy," he said as he and Albus shook.

Scorpius Malfoy had been dreading this day, and that morning had been pure hell until his odd meeting with a little girl who didn't even know his last name yet. But the train journey was actually rather fun. At first Scorpius just read while Albus and Rose chatted, but when Rose pulled out a book, Albus demanded that no one – including Scorpius – was to read for the rest of the journey, lest he die of boredom. This caused Rose to protest, but Scorpius couldn't help but grin, and put away his book. The atmosphere lightened considerably after that and they spent a great deal of time talking and, surprisingly, joking. Scorpius found himself able to grin and laugh (admittedly somewhat nervously) more than he ever really had before, as he had always lacked close friends.

The two cousins had bought a lot of food off the trolley when it came around, and at Albus's insistence Scorpius took a chocolate frog. He really wasn't very hungry – he was still unable to eat when at all uneasy, and their destination terrified him. But as he talked, and as Rose's suspicions seemed to ease off, the knot in his stomach unclenched a certain amount.

"Here now, don't call me Potter," Albus protested at one stage, after a comment of Scorpius's. At first he was afraid that Albus had taken offense, but as he continued speaking Scorpius relaxed. "I always think about Harry Potter, wizarding legend, when people call me that – instead of just Harry, who's my dad. You can call me Albus, or Al if you prefer. Albus is a bit of a stuffy name, innit?"

Rose giggled. "It really is, when you think about it," she agreed. "Do you ever shorten your name?" she asked Scorpius suddenly.

"Uh, not really," he answered nervously. Rose had a very demanding way of asking questions. "What could you shorten it to? I always thought 'Scorp' would sound even worse, honestly."

"That's true," Al laughed. "How about... 'Scorpy'?"

"Good God, no!" exclaimed 'Scorpy', as Rose snorted.

"What about..." Both cousins seemed to think about it for a long while, before giving up – as Scorpius knew they would.

"Your name is silly," Al grumbled.

"Al, at least he doesn't have an old man's name," Rose reminded him.

"It's a tradition," Scorpius explained apologetically. "In the Black family everyone's always been named after constellations, as far as I know. Draco, Andromeda, Bellatrix..."

"Weird tradition."

"Yeah," sighed Scorpius. "I know."

"Well, there's nothing for it," said Albus solemnly. "We'll just have to come up with a silly nickname for you."

"Ooh!" said Rose, looking far too interested for Scorpius's liking. "How about..."

"You do realise," Scorpius interjected, "that if you give me a ridiculous nickname I can easily give you one, right?"

Rose grinned. "He's got us there, Al."

"Damn."

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" a loud voice boomed across the crowd of students, causing Scorpius to jump slightly. He cursed his unsteady nerves.

"What is that?" he asked Albus, eyeing the giant man's form in the darkness.

"What? Oh, that's Hagrid, the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He's really nice."

"How come he's so tall?"

Albus shrugged, clearly uninterested. He seemed to be thinking deeply.

Scorpius was practically trembling at this stage from fear and unease. His mother had always told him that she would be proud of him whatever house he was in, but he always got the impression that it mattered a great deal to her. And his father... well, his father didn't seem to think there was any question. But Scorpius didn't feel particularly cunning or ambitious. Though he liked to read, he didn't think he was very smart. And right now, he felt the complete opposite of brave. However, he was reasonably loyal, and pretty hard-working. Maybe Hufflepuff would be the house for him, despite his grandfather's scorn.

As they climbed into the boats, all three of them were silent, as was the fourth person, whose name Scorpius didn't know.

They had all avoided the subject of the Sorting while on the train, partly because it may be awkward because of their families' histories, and partly because they were all unsure of their place.

The castle was beautiful and majestic as it came into view, the clear, cold night showing perfectly the tall turrets and strong walls, lit by a perfect crescent moon. They arrived at the castle doors without anyone falling in, which Professor Hagrid informed them had caused problems in the past.

When they were led into the Great Hall, Scorpius was seriously considering making a run for it, if it wasn't for the fact that that would attract more attention to him. He knew that as soon as soon as his name was called out, the entire hall would know exactly who he was. The faces the tables looked somewhat impatient, but welcoming. He knew that would change.

What house did he want to go to, anyway? The answer should be Slytherin, he knew. But many at their table looked like they recognised him already. And they weren't happy to see him.

Professor Longbottom, the deputy Headmaster, had already explained the purpose of the four Houses in the Entrance Hall, and now he came bearing the well-known Sorting Hat. He seemed to carry it deferentially, and placed it with care upon a three legged stool near the top of the hall.

Everyone in the hall stared at the hat expectantly. Even though Scorpius knew what was going to happen, he twitched when it began to sing, and he noticed Albus doing the same.

Every year year for a thousand or more,

I've sang a brand new song,

Many say I'll soon run out,

Yet they couldn't be more wrong,

I sang for the founders when

This proud school was started,

And your lack or faith, it wounds,

And leaves me quite downhearted.

The founders four entrusted me

To sort all you to come,

I have no other purpose,

So for a year I hum.

I think up a snappy tune,

A melody unique,

Then add words and heart,

To tell you what I think

Of Ravenclaw, her wit renowned,

Forever striving to learn.

Of Hufflepuff, her kindness,

Loyal, and working hard to earn.

Gryffindor, brave of heart,

Protecting those in need.

And Slytherin, whose cunning

Lived not to follow, but to lead.

Gryffindor created me,

He whipped me off his head,

He gave me brains so I could think,

And sort in their stead.

But Slytherin gave me insight,

Into your dreams and hopes,

Hufflepuff gave me compassion,

To know where you could cope,

But Ravenclaw, fairest of fair,

With her lyrical voice,

Gave me music, eternal,

To sing about their choice.

The applause was loud but brief, as Professor Longbottom unrolled a list of names.

"Abercrombie, Aaron," he called.

A boy stumbled over to the hat and put it on.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat announced after a few seconds, and the boy rushed over to the table on the far left, which erupted into applause.

The next few were 'SLYTHERIN', 'SLYTHERIN', 'RAVENCLAW', but Scorpius was no longer paying attention. His palms were sweaty and his face was flushed. He felt sure he was going to be sick.

"Are you all right?" Albus asked, beside him. Albus also looked incredibly nervous but, Scorpius thought somewhat venomously, the soon-to-be Gryffindor didn't look like he was going to faint any time soon.

"I'm fine," he muttered back shortly. Albus nodded, and continued dealing with his own terror.

Then, after 'MacDougal, Morgan' had been sorted into Gryffindor, came "Malfoy, Scorpius".

Whispers broke out in the Great Hall. When Scorpius didn't move, Albus nudged him, gently. He stepped quickly towards the hat, feeling like his legs might give out.

He picked up the hat and placed it on his head, and before the material covered his eyes he thought he saw even some of the teachers eyeing him with distrust. He was thankful when he could no longer see.

"Hmm," said a quiet voice in his ear, causing him to twitch. "Another Malfoy."

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut, suddenly certain of his sentence. However, the hat continued to speak quietly.

"But not nearly as easy to place. Your father had his mind made up before he ever put me on, and you grandfather, well, he didn't take any suggestions of other houses with equanimity. But you... Hmm.

"You are intelligent, but do not care for learning without practical application. You work hard, but never without great incentive. You have a great desire to prove yourself, but lack the confidence to believe you ever could. You lack cunning of any sort – which is surprising.

"You are terrified of what I will say, you are terrified of you teachers, your classmates. You are scared of your father's disapproval. Yet here you are, and you are not pleading to be like the rest of your family, the most anonymous choice. This shows bravery that you did not know you possessed. You also seek to please everyone but yourself. I think I know where to put you..."

Before Scorpius could think to object, the Hat shouted to the Hall "GRYFFINDOR!"

In the horrendous silence that followed, Scorpius wished he could melt into the ground, turn invisible. The Hat was lifted off his head by a shocked-looking Professor Longbottom. Scorpius walked slowly, still in a daze, over to the Gryffindor table, which remained eerily silent. But then one boy began to clap, almost defiantly, and then a few others at the table – as if jerked out of their stupor – hesitantly applauded with him. Scorpius looked around for a seat, and the boy who had started the clapping shifted to make space. Relieved, Scorpius quickly sat down. His head was beginning to spin.

As the sorting resumed, the boy next to Scorpius clapped him on the back once before turning to watch. It suddenly occurred to Scorpius that he was almost entirely surrounded by a crowd of red-haired students. The boy who'd welcomed him had the darkest hair, but it was still very red. The others were a brilliant, fiery red.

"Potter, Albus."

Scorpius looked back at the line of first years. Albus made his way quickly to the hat. People seemed to pay almost as much attention as they had to Scorpius, but this time there were no hisses or insults.

There was a minute of silence.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

This time the table erupted with cheers, the red-heads around Scorpius causing by far the most noise. Scorpius joined in the clapping, glad that he knew someone in his house now. Albus ran over to the table, his grin large and silly with relief. He sat down across from Scorpius.

"Well done," Scorpius congratulated him.

"You too," he replied, his grin, if possible, widening. "I wasn't expecting us to be in the same house – it'll be nice to know someone in the dorm though."

Scorpius grinned back, suddenly feeling a lot calmer. He had at least one friend here.

"Pay attention, Al," the boy beside Scorpius whispered, as 'Pucey, Damon' was called.

'Weasley, Rose' was the last one to be sorted, and she joined them, after a long wait under the Hat, at the Gryffindor table.

As everyone quieted down, the Headmistress stood up.

"I would like to welcome all our new students, and welcome back our old," she said, smiling slightly. Her hair was iron grey and her face was worn and lined. But her emerald-green robes flowed around her upright and proud figure, and her eyes were keen as she surveyed her students. She was Professor McGonagall, who had taught his father at school – and had apparently disliked him.

"I know you have all had a long journey," she continued. "So I shall not delay your feast any longer. Enjoy."

She sat back down as food magically filled the plated in front of them.

The students all began talking and noise filled the large hall.

"Well done, Al," the boy next to Scorpius said, grinning. "Knew you had it in you."

Albus scowled at him. "Did you? Because this morning you said I was going into Slytherin."

"Oh come on! I was messing!"

Albus still looked annoyed, but he turned to Scorpius. "This is my brother, James," he explained, indicating the boy. "He's a second year. Oh, and don't believe a word he says - about anything."

"That's not fair!" James exclaimed. "I told you about the Sorting Hat, didn't I? When mum and dad wouldn't tell you?"

"Yeah, you did. But I must have missed the part where it went on fire to test my bravery. Maybe it forgot this time?"

"It must have," James agreed cheekily and turned to Scorpius. "Nice to meet you, Malfoy."

"You can call me Scorpius," Scorpius answered, nervous.

"Well, I would," James said, "except I'd probably end up chuckling about half way through. Tell me, is there a particular reason your parents did that you?"

"Shut up, James," said Al. Scorpius was looking even more embarrassed, so Albus quickly changed the subject. "Most of those with red hair at this table are my cousins, by the way. I'm the only one here with Weasley blood that doesn't have a head that looks like someone put a match to it."

"That's not true!" argued Rose, beside him. "Dominique and Louis both have blond hair. And mine is practically brown." It wasn't. It was red.

"You're not fooling anyone, Rosie," James told her. "Look on the bright side. At least we don't look like someone dropped a bucket of soot over our heads, eh?"

"Or look like someone attacked you with bleach," Al added, smirking at Scorpius.

"Thanks, Al," Scorpius said sarcastically. "But I'd rather have the bleach than the sooty-look any day."

The banter continued, mainly between the Potters with an occasional Weasley interjection – Scorpius mainly only spoke when he was directly asked something, but as the night progressed he found himself speaking more and more. He ate as they spoke, not noticing that he was actually quite hungry, and ate quite a large dinner.

When the pudding arrived, Scorpius joined in a brief scuffle for a chocolate cake. He lost, inevitably, being rather small, but enjoyed his trifle all the same. As they ate, Albus began pointing out people he knew in Gryffindor, with James helping him out.

"That's Victoire, she's in seventh year. That's her sister, Dominique, over at the other end of the table – they don't really get along... there's Louis, their brother, he generally tries to stay out of it. He's in James' year. Nice guy, rather quiet – for a Weasley.

"That's Molly – she's a prefect. She'll help you with your homework if you ask, but you won't escape a really long lecture."

"Then there's our cousin Fred. He's just over there," James said, pointing at a boy just a few seats away. "He'd sit with us, normally, but for some reason he chose to sit with Sarah today." James grinned. "Sometimes I wonder about his priorities."

"How many cousins do you have?" asked Scorpius in amazement.

James shrugged. "I don't know. Eight, nine? About that. And then there's Lucy, Roxie, Hugo and Lily, our sister, who haven't even come yet." He grinned. "But don't worry. Victoire'll be gone next year, so the legion will be one less."

"Yeah," said Al, "but then Dominique will rule the roost. And I don't think that'll be much fun..."

James shuddered theatrically. "Yeah, you're right. That'll be horrible. There may not be any survivors..."

"Your brother seems nice," Scorpius commented to Albus as they followed Prefect Molly Weasley to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Albus shrugged. "He's all right. A bit cocky, and you should never bother trying to be serious about anything with him. Oh, and if you ever start joking with him, he'll probably turn it all around on you. He annoys me so much... But he's OK if you want a laugh, and if anyone other than him gave me a hard time I'm pretty sure he'd help me out."

After they got to a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress, the prefect told them the password, 'Oddment'.

Scorpius had been told that the Slytherin common room was below the lake, in the dungeons. Steeped in history and grandeur, his father said. His mother had told him it was dark and cold and a little spooky. He wondered, now, if she had been trying to tell him something.

His first impression of Gryffindor tower was one of warmth, and light. Everything was decorated in bright, rich colours, and the large room was full of big, stuffy armchairs that looked incredibly comfortable, and made the room seem cluttered and cosy.

Any further examinations of Gryffindor life were put on hold as Scorpius and Al dragged themselves upstairs into their new dormitory that they shared with three other boys.

Scorpius fell asleep within minutes.

A/N: Please tell me what you thought, good or bad. I strive to learn. :)

This is a fic about the friendships and hardships of Scorpius Malfoy, and the girl who helps him along the way. I do not know how long it will be, but I hope you'll like it.