APOV

My gaze fell on James's as his eyes followed me. When shame finally forced me to look away I decided to chance a glance at Scorpius who looked just as equally confused by this whole mess as i was. The slow walk towards the Slytherin table felt like an eternity to me. My legs moved as though through marshland, the wet soggy mud pulling me deeper down. We finally reached the far end of the bench and sat together, away from the other members of our house. Nobody had clapped.

After a pause the sorting hat had coughed loudly. "well get on with it. I haven't got all day." At that the beak nosed professor simply resumed calling names.

Suddenly I felt a hand slip into mine and a whisper "Im so sorry… that potion must have changed us more than we knew… we can... we can speak to the headmistress later… I know you really didn't want to end up here." Scorpius said reluctantly into my ear. I was barely aware that my hand had closed around his and that I was nodding mechanically.

I ate nothing and was filled with the weight that was a thousand eyes boring into me. 'Freak!' 'Monster!' they all were shouting. After dinner we were led to our dorms where Scorpius and I slipped quickly from the common room to discover apprehensively that our belongings were placed at the foot of neighboring beds. Luckily they were relatively separated from those of our peers by the natural curve in the rooms design.

SPOV

I didn't mind ending up where I had already expected to be. I was more pissed by the fact that that foul smelling hat had dared to saddle Albus with the pain that would be seven years in a house that wasn't likely to ever accept him. The majority of Slytherin house consisted of children whose parents had all either been imprisoned or killed by Albus's father or immediate family. This was...

APOV

Scorpius sat down lazily on my bed with a sigh and was about to say something when a ghoulish brown haired boy trudged up to us.

"Not now Nott" Scorpius spat distastefully.

"WEll. If it isn't the treacherous little Malfoy. Hows your grandfather? Still a sniveling worm?" the boy looked too unevolved for speech I thought somberly as I sensed the beginning of an unpleasantness that I had not the energy for.

"And whats with your little shadow, a Potter in Slytherin what a joke? You—" The boy spat as he jabbed me in the chest. "—disgusting halfblood freak belong with the rest of the filth over with the kittens in..." but the boy never had a chance to finish. Scorpius had nocked over the trollish brunet with a wordless flourish of his wand and was already kneeling over the crumpled figure, wand tip held to the poor boys throat.

"Call him that again..." Scorpius started calmly eyes flashing dangerously as cold as their winter blue. "...in fact... so much as look at him wrong again and I wont leave you in a fit state to breathe let alone spew obscenity. Do we understand each other Nott?" Scorpius said venomously pressing his wand harder into the pink flesh beneath the boys chin.

"Yess! Yes! Gods you freak I didn't really..." The boy squealed.

"Scor! Stop! Its not worth it. He was just trying to rile me up, he didn't mean…"

"I know perfectly well what this filth meant and I wont ever…" Scor began, stopping when he saw the look in my eyes. "I… I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." He stuttered lowering his wand. I was actually really grateful for the level of devotion Scor had shown me, even if I hated confrontations. No one would ever have…

"Scary Scorpius, are you sure that kind of loyalty doesn't belong in Hufflepuff, my old friend." said an older boy approaching parallel the fleeing Nott. The sound of the voice was familiar, yet was so frigid I'm certain I would have remembered it. It rang like power and clear articulated malice.

"I thought you were too smart to risk attending Hogwarts." Scorpius offered, turning around slowly before stepping in front of me like a shield.

"Goyle's here too, and so is your adorable Aurora Parkinson, we were friends once despite the position your grandfather put us all in… to be raised as strangers in parentless homes. To have your treacherous father give us charity like commoners." added the boy coldly.

"Why did you come? Marvolo... Lestrange." Scorpius said defensively. What? I screamed inside my head thats… not...

"How can you be a Lestrange if..." I started before Scorpius turned to silence me with a glare that might have petrified a werewolf.

"I saw that little display of weirdness during the sorting. Scorpius will your father be pleased to learn of your unnusual connection to the miniature Potter? Well don't worry, it doesn't concern me. I resent poverty and the loss of the distinction that once was the sacred twenty-eight but I'm not stupid enough to start trouble Scorpius. Not yet. There isn't a reason to fight the tide nor would there be anyone left to fight alongside. I honestly wanted to tell both of you that Goyle, Aurora and I wouldn't mind being friends again." The boy finished with an exaggerated shrug.

"Those two I wouldn't mind. You are another story." Scorpius finished coldly.

"I know you somehow." I realized that it was my voice speaking. It felt oddly as though this boy and I had met somewhere… although I know i would remember someone as clearly malign as this. Everything about him screamed danger, although he seemed resigned somehow. As though he knew his nature would bring him nothing but pain. Scorpius looked at me strangely then.

"I'm quite certain I would have remembered you. Your mother the beautiful quidditch player, your father the dashing Hero auror. You, apparently like your pompous brother have inherited much from your parents and more. You are obviously going to be as adorable as your Delacour cousins. Strangely I hear you're as smart as your Muggle-born aunt. What other hidden talents does our boy wonder possess?" The boy asked curiously as he approached.

"Back off Rid... "

"-NO doubt cunning Scorpius will have found some way to use you." the boy interrupted quickly, flashing Scorpius eyes that screamed murder.

"I'll leave it but so should you." Scorpius started dangerously. "I'm really just protecting you from him you know. You have no idea how much I'm not in the mood Volo. I can't afford to be caught fighting on my first day." Scorpius said calculatingly.

"I do know you from somewhere." The boy said genuinely surprised. "why do I know you?" he asked confused staring for several moments before Scorpius cut me off from him entirely. The curiosity in his expression left me shivering. "Well good night Young Potter, Master Malfoy". The boy said with mock obsequiousness.

Two younger less hostile students came over and greeted Scorpius when they saw their .

"Hello Matheus. Aurora… so glad your respecting the fact that this happens to be the boys dormitory. As much as I would love to catch up..." Scor started in a tone that said he really would rather do hard manual labor. "its been a long day and I'm not sure I feel like doing this now." Scorpius said eyeing a retreating Marvolo rather than looking at the two who he had actually addressed.

"We… um we just wanted to thank your Dad for managing the estates while…" the boy started genuinely grateful.

"—Sentimentality is not welcome in Slytherin." interrupted the girl with feigned seriousness. "So don't let anyone else hear it." She added leaning in with a small smile. "Besides Scorpius, you know I tend to go wherever I please. Would you care to try and stop me?"

"Not particularly."

"Then for now i offer you both a Goodnight." with that she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Scors cheek before dragging the boy back in the direction of the common room. Scor looked more annoyed by the gesture than anything.

SPOV

"Scorpius I wanted to thank you for everything today" Al started wearily after he was sure nobody else would interrupt. "Like you said its been a long day and I just want to get some sleep before more trouble presents itself." he continued rather sadly.

"Ok Al I just wanted to thank you too. I had a lot of fun." I really meant it too. "I hope you don't have too much trouble sleeping". I added knowingly. Al gave me a weary smile and climbed into his bed shutting the curtains. Sometimes Al was really a genius and other times he seemed distant and detached, and others still he seemed the eleven year old he really was. He's like me. Trapped. Time for an early night too I decided.

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of soft sobs. I could have sworn he was more… I started sleepily looking over in the direction of Al's bed. I don't know what possessed me to do what I did next. I swung my legs over the matress, descending quietly to the floor in a single graceful motion. i sighed when i reached him, not knowing what to expect when drawing back the curtains. for a moment my eyes decieved me. i stood eyeing the empty space skeptically untik i realized what had happened. I reached for the fabric and pulled off the cloak revealing an unruly haired eleven year old clutching his Lion plush and sobbing quietly. I rolled my eyes with a discrete groan before...

"Move over." I said, climbing in next to the leaking mess that was fast becoming my best friend.

"Scor, what are you… sniff… doing?" he asked. leaking...

"Shut up." I snapped wrapping my arm around him.

"We will talk to the old bat in the morning and get this mess sorted. Besides this is what I imagined normal people do to comfort each other so I thought I'd give it a try." I joked dryly, but I knew Albus would get it and he started to chuckle through the tears.

"Thanks Scor." came the whisper, his fingers closing over mine. I sealed the curtains so none of the snakes could use the photos as leverage for the ruin of our families then settled my head on the pillow.

"A Gryffindor Lion… seriously Al? Was that James's idea of teasing or Louis idea of being adorably… Louis?" I asked sarcastically.

"In the morning i'm burning it and we will never speak of this again." Al said chuckling. "Dors bien mauvais perdant" He added softly (sleep well sore loser).

"Mais n'importe quoi" I said drowsily (utter nonsense).

The last thing I remember before drifting off was the smell of toffee, the eerie sound of some monstrous creature in the lake and the warmth of Al's Hand… If seven years of this didn't kill me… I'm certain Father would if he ever found out I'd shared a bed with a Potter *YAWNN*


I updated a packet of 7 chapters to give readers a taste of whats to come. 1 if any of you survived the incredibly long A/N before the prologue and are still intrigued or brave enough to have come this far... Wow and thanks. If anyone is feeling particularly excited or intrigued and reviews or PM's me I WILL BUY YOU POUNDS OF HOT CHOCOLATE. Well no. BUT! you will have my undying gratitude. 2 i will be editing chapters 8-20 and i will be motivated more by reviews... or cookies... whichever you can get to me faster. (I've already uploaded 15 chapters but new readers who decide to review this or earlier chapters instead of plowing forward might just get an extra chapter written and dedicated just to them so if you are enjoying yourself consider that a bonus!)