Three weeks since the start of term. Teddy had already caused Neville immeasurable amounts of trouble by masquerading as his classmates and Harry had to sit down and have a very strict talking to his godson.
Maxine Lane was a darling, wonderful, blessing of a girl. She and Scorpius had been working together on his reading writing and speech, and her own experience with dyslexia gave her a whole different approach to what Harry would've done. For now Scorpius was using a pen, just until he got fine control of his motor skills - skills which were developing at an outstanding rate.
The little boy worked twice as hard as every other student, Harry usually found him reading whatever he could in the library - which helped his speech tremendously too. Three nights a week he met with Maxine, and three nights he met with Harry, well two nights and a morning. Harry helped him with his magic, and his moving. Sunday morning Harry did some exercises with Scorpius designed for intensive muscle rehabilitation patients.
"Professor?" Harry smiled as Scorpius strode into the room. He didn't initially correct 'Mr. Potter' with 'Professor Potter' because the boy didn't need another change in his life, but two weeks ago he figured it out for himself.
"Could we talk? Just for a bit?"
"Of course Scorpius," Harry led him into the sitting room to the side of his office specifically for talking to students and they both sat down.
"I wanted to thank you, for all your help," Scorpius began timidly. "I'd still be so far behind everyone else if you and Miss Lane hadn't helped me out-"
"It's my pleasure Scorpius, you make teaching very easy."
Scorpius smiled at Harry.
"I wanted to ask about my sister," Scorp said, "Sadie, she's different."
"Different how?" Harry asked, a frown on his face.
"Father told me she's technically not my mother's daughter, because of some funny magic-"
"This is something you need to ask your father about, Scorpius." Harry told him sternly.
"Okay, Professor Potter." Scorpius said, looking a little shocked, and he stood. "I'll write my father about it, and thanks again."
He left, and Harry let him go.
Sadie was his daughter, and she was a year old by the time Draco lost Scorpius and his wife. She knew him, and he knew her, and god he missed her. Scorpius too was like a second son to him. Harry used to babysit the Malfoy kids all the time, especially in the summer, Draco worked almost constantly and Astoria worked three days a week, during the school term she would work at night and Harry would go straight from Hogwarts to Malfoy Manor.
Then the accident. Draco did enjoy travel by car, no matter what he told anyone else but didn't know much about it, so he didn't know the muggle born driver they hired being intoxicated and going 190 Km/H was very dangerous.
Astoria was in the front seat and Scorpius was behind her, and the driver wrapped that side of the car around a tree. Sadie was in the center, in her child seat and Draco behind the driver.
Astoria died on impact, the driver died moments after the Medi-wizards got there, Scorpius was in bad shape, and didn't wake up for seven years.
Somehow Sadie survived. Experts suggested it was either her own or Draco's magic that protected them. Draco himself had more than a few broken bones, and he never emotionally recovered from the crash, from losing his wife.
It wasn't so bad while Narcissa was alive, she kept him happy, kept him busy, didn't let him sit and drown himself in misery, but after she passed...
Harry tried, he really did, not only to see his daughter but to be there for Draco too. Well he hasn't spoken to Draco Malfoy in something like five years.
"Potter."
Harry was so surprised to hear that voice he actually jumped, his inkwell skittered across the desk splashing parchment and quills and...
"Damn it, my sandwich!" He fixed the inkwell and chucked his ruined sandwich in the paper basket by his desk, then used a quick spell to clean the ink of the sixth year's essays.
"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said, offering him a seat, "What do I owe the pleasure?"
Malfoy slammed a piece of parchment on his desk, Harry picked it up and read.
"Dear father,
I haven't written in a while, because my writing just isn't neat enough but Miss Lane and Professor Potter have been helping me lots. My Potions essay got top marks last week!
At first, school was hard. I didn't like it here but my extra classes with Professor Potter and Miss Lane have been helping me so much, and Professor Potter talks to me too, about the accident and everything I missed out on.
Which is why I'm writing. I was wondering if you could tell me about you and Sadie, what I missed while I was asleep.
And can you tell me about how Sadie is different, I asked Mr. Potter and he said that's a question for you to answer.
Lots of love,
Scorpius.
"His penmanship's good isn't it?" Harry asked, more excited by the boys progress than worried by Malfoy. Before mentioned Malfoy was seething.
"I told you he was fine!" Malfoy shouted. "He gets help at home, Potter-"
"Draco," Harry said. "I say this as a man who knew you for a good year a long time ago, you were trying to make him normal again too quick, at the rate hes going he'll be caught up early next year - top of his classes if he can keep up working as hard as he is.
Now I'm talking to you as His head of house, and saying I wouldn't let that boy continue his schooling without help. Look at this."
Harry opened the top drawer of his desk where Scorpius' first letter to his father was and handed it to Malfoy. Something in the man's face changed as he read it.
"You were telling him how important it is to catch up without giving him time to do it, he was in tears because he couldn't express himself properly, or to a high standard and..."
Harry had to pause for a second.
"You know he ran to me and hugged me during the sorting because he finally found someone he recognized " Harry asked. "Sadie is what, nine, you're more distant than ever, his mother and grandmother are gone and I guarantee none of his healers or tutors are a familiar face, Malfoy."
"You think you can tell me how to raise my son, Potter?"
"I'm not Harry Potter your school rival anymore Draco. I'm Professor Potter head of Slytherin with six years of teaching under my belt, and you really would do well to listen to me."
Malfoy glared at him.
"Did you write him back and congradulate him on his improvement and his marks and encourage him?"
"Potter you can't tell me how to raise my children!"
"I'm not trying to, my letter was to get you involved with the extra classes Scorpius will be taking this year, so we can fill in the missing seven years of his life without any kind of deadline. He's dealing with a big thing here."
Draco only deepened his scowl.
"I forbid the extra lessons." Draco said harshly. "He doesn't need them."
"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said pleading with the man. "Think about it?" He just asked simply. "Scorpius needs this."
Malfoy stood so suddenly his chair was flicked to the floor, and he turned on his heel and left.
Harry shook his head.
"Stubborn git," He sighed, pulling the essays back toward himself and righting the fallen chair with a flick of his wand.
"Professor?" Scorpius was standing in the doorway, shuffling his feet.
"Yes Scorpius?" Harry waved at the boy to come in.
"Dad said no extra lessons?" Scorpius asked sadly. Harry nodded. "So I can't do my flying lessons this year?"
Harry sighed.
"He meant-"
"But he didn't say-"
"Scorpius," Harry walked around his desk to stand in front of the blonde boy. "You're father made his meaning clear, and he is your father, I can't encourage keeping secrets from him, what he says, goes."
"You're my head of house!" Scorpius argued, Harry put a hand on his shoulder.
"Doesn't matter, your dad overrules me."
"I wish you were my dad," Scorpius pouted, "Teddy's lucky."
Harry kept quiet at that.
"If you need help you can always come to Maxine or I," Harry told him, "But from now on we can't have scheduled lessons."
"So, on the usual days, it'd be a good time asking for help, because those times just freed up?" Scorpius asked.
"I suppose so, yes," Harry said.
"Thank you Mr. Potter!" Scorpius cried, "I won't tell dad, I promise!"
Scorpius ran from the room, leaving Harry standing in the door, feeling guilty.
"Better tell Maxine," He muttered. Leaving the essays unmarked and heading to the hospital wing.
Maxine was making up the beds, or rather overseeing the beds being made up, her wand out and the crisp white linens flying about.
"Maxine!" Poppy barked, "Tie up your hair!"
"Sorry Poppy, Maxine chanted, she stuck her wand between her teeth, causing the linens to fall Limp in the air for a bit while she scrunched up her fuzzy red hair and restrained it with a thin leather band.
"Hello Professor!" Maxine said, she was only young 19 maybe, a third year when he began teaching.
"it's Harry, Maxine," He reminded her softly.
"Right, Harry sorry Sir," she said, he gave her a pointed look.
"Old habits," she said unapologetic.
"Scorpius' lessons are off," he told her, "Mr. Malfoy came to see me today and expressly banned them."
"That stubborn Git!" Maxine said quietly. "Scorpius is improving enough to keep his head above water, did you hear about his potions essay?"
Maxine looked delighted to be telling him about Scorpius' potions essay, Harry nodded, just as proud.
"He has a long way to go. Still."
"Not quite physically recovered," Madame Pomfrey said, inviting herself into the conversation. "He's too small, but that may never be fixed, tires quickly, has a lot of trouble with more complex emotions, doesn't bond well with his peers, bouts of down right dangerous accidental magic. But, as far as his development goes, his reading and writing and general learning are all average, if a little below average. Fine motor skills still a bit shaky."
"I was just about to start practice with a quill," Maxine said, "I honestly believe he would be done with his spare literacy lessons by Christmas, even if he still came to see me about his emotional responses."
"You've done well, Maxine." Poppy praised her intern and turned to Harry.
"What are you going to do?"
"Change the name?" Harry asked, Maxine grinned.
"Oh," Poppy said after a moment. "Is that strictly ethical?"
"Probably not," Harry admitted, "maybe we focus not on the tasks but the journey?" Harry said, struck by inspiration.
"Yes, master Yoda," Maxine muttered out through her giggles.
"it was cryptic for Harry," Poppy agreed, "but true. Focus on emotional and social skills more than anything and he will make friends and develop the rest, practice and such. Come on Harry I have some ideas."
Harry was expecting Scorpius on Sunday morning.
"Hello Scorpius," Harry said, "I want to do things a bit differently now."
"Yes?"
"I want to help you, of course, but your father doesn't want the added stress of these extra lessons, so I'm going to show you some things that you can practice, okay? In your own time."
"Okay Professor," Scorpius replied.
Harry tipped the box of goodies on the desktop and sorted them out.
"Paint," he said, "playdough," he stacked the tubs of bright dough on the desk, "and..." Harry paused and lifted the 3/4 guitar from next to his desk, placing it where the boy could see. "You're going to learn guitar."
"For my hands?" Scorpius said, gently grabbing the guitar and looking at it in wonder.
"Yes," Harry confirmed, "I believe Maxine has volunteered to show you some things to practice as well."
"Thank you Professor." Scorpius said softly.
"No problem Scorp. one more thing," Harry took a breath before continuing. He always hated talking about emotions. "I want to talk to you about things you feel and how you cope with them, is that alright?"
Scorpoius nodded so Harry continued.
"Alright then, anger, tell me about feeling angry."
"Oh," Scorpius looked a bit confused, but continued anyway. "When I'm angry it's because I'm hurt, or, or something's unfair, yeah."
"Very good, that's normal," Harry assured the boy, "not a nice thing to feel, is it?" He asked.
"Not really, makes me feel like I shoud do something."
"Me too, when I'm angry, and how do we cope with anger?"
"Not allowed to hit, and sometimes you can't make things fair, so calming down. You deal with anger by calming down, thinking about something else or stopping and deciding what to do about it."
"Very good Scorp. Ok, how about confusion?"
"Easy!" Scorpius said, "you don't understand something, so you can ask for help, or look for answers."
Harry did this for all the usual emotions; excited, surprised, pleased, bored and uncomfortable, they were all easy, Scorpius knew what they were and what caused them and how to deal with them it was the next few which had him worried, especially after his whole ordeal with the Dursleys, at least there were no problems with anger.
"Okay, how about Anxiety, do you know what that is?"
Scorpius paused.
"Being worried," He said, his eyes on the floor.
"That's right, do you worry a lot, Scorpius?"
"I don't want to talk about it," It was nearly a whisper, but Harry caught it.
"Just let me, for a minute. Worry, Anxiety or Stress happens when you have a lot of things to do, or very important things to do, like exams or lots of homework. Sometimes you're stressed and you don't even realize but, what's important is recognizing that sneaky stress for what it actually is and then calming down, relaxing, okay?"
Scorpius nodded.
"You know how you deal with anxiety, Scorp?" Harry asked gently.
"No Sir."
"Talk about it, or write about it, in a journal or something similar. A friend is a good person to talk to, or a teacher, not just me, any teacher, or Maxine too, your father or your sister, okay buddy? The most important thing is to not bottle it up."
"Okay Mr. Potter, may I leave now?"
"You can Scorpius, but do me a favor?" Harry asked the boy.
"Yes sir," Scorpius said, his bag was in his hand ready to go.
"I want you to start a journal," Harry encouraged, pulling out a green material covered blank notepad with a silver and red dragon on the front. "Your eyes only, and you should write about all your emotions and what caused them and what they mean whenever you feel a bit overwhelmed, and could you come see me for another chat, there's one more thing I want to talk to you about?"
"I will sir, Tuesday maybe." Scorpius accepted the journal and left the room.
Harry was dreading Tuesday, because if bringing up anxiety could make that boy close off like that, he didn't dare to think what making him talk about sadness and grief was going to be like. Harry, Poppy and Maxine all had a sneaking suspicion Scorpius didn't actually believe his mother was dead.
