Disclaimer: I am not JKR
Chapter 7 – The Friendship
The slight jerk I felt told me that the Hogwarts Express had started moving. Dev, my brother, shot off looking for his friends' compartment. I had my own friends to look for. As I moved through the train, I saw several faces I knew, but the ones I were looking for eluded me. Finally near the back of the train, I saw a familiar black-haired, green eyed boy, who was talking to a blonde, grey-eyed one.
I smiled at my best friends. It was good to see them.
The compartment was empty save for them.
„Hi Al, Hi Scorp! How are things?"
They looked up and grinned back at me.
„Su! How was your summer?" Albus Potter asked me.
„Pretty good. I fought a lot less with Dev. I met with my orthodontist. He said I might get them off soon!"
My parents had gotten me Muggle braces in the summer before Second Year. I didn't really mind then, but it had been fodder for the bullies.
„That's great! Come on sit down." said Scorpius Malfoy.
As I smiled at their faces, I was reminded at how I befriended them. It was a sad tale, but it had resulted in our friendship.
Flashback: September 2017
I was on my way back from the grounds when I heard the dreaded group laughing in the distance. They seemed to have found another first-year to terrorize. I knew that it would probably be painful, but I didn't want another kid to end up like me.
When I rounded the corner, I saw a black-haired boy on the ground, who was semi-conscious. Kneeling next to him was a blond one. He was shouting at the boys.
„What have you done! He didn't do anything!"
„His family are blood traitors, Malfoy. You should know. Our fathers are in prison because of his father."
„That's not his fault."
„Look at that. You're defending him. Seems that we have another blood traitor to our midst."
One of them raised his hand to strike the boy, but I called out.
„Stop it! You're going to beat him up too? They're just kids, Dickhead."
The boy turned to me with unbridled rage.
„You! Its all your fault. You started it and now such scum is ruining our House."
„Shut up!" I was pushing it.
„Shut up? You know better than that, Mudblood. Clearly you haven't learnt."
His fist aimed a punch at my face, but I dodged it. The third boy raised his wand, but I blocked it and cast a Full Body-Bind on him. As I turned, the last boy's right hook caught me in the jaw, and I was on the ground. Again. I couldn't help but feel terrible. All that practice, and they still bested me. I clearly needed more.
Luckily they left after that. The Malfoy kid helped me sit up.
„Are you alright?"
„Just peachy." I said, wiping the blood from my mouth. „That'll leave a bruise. Why did they get you?"
By then, the boy was awake and sitting up. I recognised him as Albus Potter, James's younger brother who got sorted into Slytherin.
„Ah. I see. Well, we're going to have to work on this."
„Thank you for helping us. Did they get you too?" He asked me.
„Last year they did. See, I am a Muggle-born in their House, that's the worst thing possible for them."
„I'm sorry."
He looked pretty bad.
„It's alright. Here, let me get you." I fixed his swollen face, broken nose and large bruises.
„You look like you've done this before."
„Only for myself. I never let the bruises show. Hurt like hell, but I can't deal with the satisfaction on their faces if they see me."
The Malfoy kid finally said something.
„This is terrible. It has to stop. We should tell someone."
I was happy to hear that he wasn't like his Housemates.
„No. We settle this ourselves. I spent whole of last year learning spells and hexes. I will keep on learning them. One day, I'll get them so bad, they won't dare to come after me anymore. I have gotten pretty good, but not good enough to best them 4-on-1."
„We'll help you." He replied immediatly.
„Are you sure? Associating with me will cause isolation and similar treatment for you."
Now it was Albus's turn to speak up.
„We're sure. People died to stop this. So will we."
I smiled a little at those words.
„Alright. I'm Su Holkar."
„Scorpius Malfoy."
„Al Potter."
„Well we all seem to have another thing in common: unusual names."
Scorpius snorted. „Wait till you hear my middle name. Hyperion."
I stared at him in disbelief. Surely no-one would name their child Scorpius Hyperion?
End of Flashback
„Earth to Su. Did you listen to a word I was saying?" The unfortunate child in question was looking at me.
„What? Sorry, I just zoned out."
„That's what I thought."
„I was remembering the moment we first met."
„Oh. Well, all's well that ends well."
I smiled at that. I had come a long way from the bubbly eleven year old who had befriended Fred and James and Roxanne, and later from the quiet, lonely 12-year-old who hid her bruises. With the help of Albus and Scorpius, I had come quite close to my normal self, so my brother never found out what happened to me. I hadn't been surprised last year when he got sorted to Gryffindor. Now Al and I both had brothers in Grffindor, which made the three of us frequent visitors to the Gryffindor table. Rose Weasley, Al's cousin who was in the same year as him, was originally his best friend, but the Sorting had drifted them apart. I had eventually taken her place, even though I was a year older.
Al very happy about one thing in particular.
„We can come with you to Hogsmeade this year!"
„That'll be cool. It's so boring to go alone."
„Don't you meet Lucy there?" They knew almost all my secrets.
„Very rarely. Bea and Haily usually take her with them. If she lies and they catch her, she'll be busted for sure."
„That's sad. Thank Merlin my dad isn't like that. I still have to meet others though."
Draco Malfoy was completely reformed and hadn't had a problem with Scorpius being the best friend of an older Muggle-born witch. Luckily, as I didn't know where I'd be without my boys.
A/N: Time Jump! To be clear, all Su's problems haven't been resolved. The ones that have will be explained later. Hope you don't mind the format!
