The Inquisitor's Son
Part Twenty-Five: The Leaky Cauldron
A few hours later at dusk, Albus and Scorpius awaited their fate. Professor Borgin wasn't so very pleased with Scorpius in regards to the bludger incident. She was more upset at the fact that Scorpius had cost Slytherin another ten points. Scoprius was her least favorite student even though he was one of the top students in her Potions class. He had cost the house so many points that she had lost count.
On the other hand, Professor Longbottom expressed more disappointment than anger with them. James didn't get off either and was also given detention. Professor Borgin, because she didn't like Scorpius or James, was quite relieved when Professor Longbottom meted out the punishment. After dinner, the three boys reported to Greenhouse Two for hard labor without magic.
"You must be used to this by now," said James to Scorpius.
Only Albus, Fred, and Rose knew about Scorpius' tutoring sessions. The rest of the students were still under the impression that Scorpius was just getting scores of detention for perceived misbehavior. "Yes," drawled Scorpius, "it's like my second home."
Albus sniggered, which James misleadingly assumed that his younger brother was agreeing with him. He added, "I'm surprise that you couldn't get out of it. You're not as slippery as your father."
Scorpius' eyes narrowed at James as he snapped, "Don't you dare talk about my dad like that."
"Why don't you make me?" taunted James.
"That will be enough," interrupted Professor Longbottom mildly. "This greenhouse needs to be weeded and manure needs to be spread on those beds." He pointed to several rows behind him. "Now if you three work together and cooperate, it shouldn't take no more than an hour and a half to get it done. No wands."
Albus stood between Scorpius and James. Professor Longbottom couldn't get over the irony of the situation how things were in reverse. Two decades ago, it was Malfoy who taunted Harry for being an orphan. Now it was the other way around. Professor Longbottom had to nip this in the bud before it got any worse.
Out of the three, Scorpius had the best grasp of Herbology, but that did very little good because James ended up flinging dirt at Scorpius who merely dusted it off. Albus, still mad at James, because of the additional reaming he had received in the common room, ended up shoving him into a patch of Devil's Snare. Acting fast, Professor Longbottom stopped it from choking James and gave Albus a firm talking to. James later retaliated by throwing some exploding thorns at Albus.
It took three hours before they were done. The boys had to go the infirmary to patch up the scrapes and bruises. Even Professor Longbottom's legendary patience had been put to its limits. He went home to the Leaky Cauldron and penned a letter to Ginny and Harry. The only good thing that he took from the experience was that Albus and Scorpius were on a first name basis now.
After the infirmary, Scorpius went back to the dorms reeking of dirt, sweat, and dragon dung. His housemates noticed him, or rather smelled him, but he paid them no mind before going to take a long, hot shower. When he came out, the bathroom was steaming. He heard someone in the dark dorm say, "It doesn't matter how long you wash, you can't get blood traitor stink off."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. The whole house stopped calling him Malfoy ever since he started hanging out with Albus and his cousins. "Blood Traitor" suited Scorpius just fine.
***
Lily's birthday came during the Easter holiday. Scorpius had elected to stay on Hogwarts grounds during that time much to the disappointment of his grandmother. In a show of support, Albus stayed on with him. Fred wanted to stay on as well, but he ended up going home just the same with his sister.
Scorpius had no idea what to get Lily for her birthday, so he settled on getting her some hair clips with tiger's eye beads in them. He had it wrapped in a small box and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron with Albus at the appointed time. Everyone was gathered from the school and family was there as well. Scorpius wasn't used to attending gatherings like these.
Scorpius felt very awkward as he looked around. There were students from the school some of them noticed him and pointed him out, talking amongst themselves. Scorpius wished he could have said something better about some of the adults, but they were also seemingly perplexed by his presence. If this was what it was like for his father when he had attended parties, it was no small wonder why he detested them. Scorpius wanted nothing more, but to go back to Hogwarts and forget the whole thing. However, he didn't want Albus to be mad at him later for leaving early.
Scorpius went over the table that was ladled with presents for Lily. He placed his present discreetly on the table. Even though it was wrapped, Scorpius had written on the label just, "Happy Birthday Lily," and purposefully left his name off. Roxanne Weasley had spotted him and joined him. "Hello Malfoy," she said pleasantly.
"Hello Weasley."
"So what did you get her?" asked Roxanne, picking up the small box. Curiously, she shook it and listened to any noise, but there was no noise and very light.
"Nothing special," shrugged Scorpius. "It would be rude to turn up empty handed."
"Not jewelry then?" mused Roxanne playfully.
Scorpius raised a perfect brow at her. "I don't know your cousin well enough to get her jewelry. That would be a little presumptuous of me, wouldn't it?"
Roxanne looked a little disappointed. That was quickly passed because she knew that Victoire would be there. She did see the present and how Scorpius had left his name off it, and she was going to let Lily know later. Scorpius turned his attention elsewhere. "Excuse me," he said to Roxanne before leaving her.
"Hello Scorpius. Glad to see that you've made it," said Professor Longbottom warmly. "I'd like to introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Hannah, and my daughter, Alice."
Hannah Longbottom gave Scorpius a gentle smile, which he returned with a shy one. "It's a please to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom," said Scorpius as he extended his hand to her.
"I've heard so much about you from my husband," said Hannah as they shook hands.
Scorpius greeted Alice, "Hello, how old are you?" he asked without crouching down. He also shook hands with her.
"I'm four," replied Alice, wiggling her fingers in front of her face. "And it's Ally." She gave a petulant pout. "Daddy shouldn't call me Alice. Only when he's mad."
Professor Longbottom chuckled, "Yes, of course, I forget. Thanks for reminding me, pumpkin."
Scorpius felt a pang in his chest when Ally, for that was what she preferred to be called, said she was four. She said it the same way that Annie had. "How old are you?" asked Ally, fixing her hazel eyes at him.
"Fourteen," answered Scorpius. He showed her with his fingers, displaying his fine musician digits, "Ten of these and four more."
Ally giggled, "Daddy and Mummy need way more than that."
Her parents' reactions were separately predictable. Neville burst out laughing, while Hannah shook her head disapprovingly with slight grin on her face. Most people watching were a bit surprise that Scorpius had very little trouble interacting with a small child. They didn't know he had had two little cousins.
Scorpius spotted something that made him feel more at home. "There's a piano," he said out loud. "Do you mind if I play, Mrs. Longbottom? Please?"
Hannah nodded, "If you want to, go right ahead." She glanced at her husband who shrugged.
Scorpius marched up to the piano and opened the lid. He tentatively ran his fingers along the keys. It was an old piano and slightly out of tune. No matter. Scorpius sat down and started to play the first tune that came to his mind. He played a piece that his father frequently played to calm him down and to get him to sleep. Scorpius' playing drew attention and various conversations ceased in favor of listening.
"I didn't know that Malfoy could play the piano," said James.
Louis and his sisters had arrived with their parents. Victoire said with a nod, "He learned from his father."
Dominique put in, "He's cute. Too bad he's too young for me."
Victoire quickly said, "Good."
Bill shook his head as another person joined their group. "So glad you could make it, Sabine," said Fleur as she kissed the cheeks of the fair haired girl.
James perked up immensely forgetting about Scorpius or that it was his sister's birthday altogether. Louis was unaffected and gave James a sharp jab in the ribs with his elbow. "That's my cousin," he reminded James with a hiss. "And you're my cousin. It would be too weird."
"It's so good to see you, Fleur," said Gabrielle Renoir, the younger sister of Fleur Weasley. The sisters gave each other quickly pecks on the cheek.
Sabine paid no attention to anyone else at the moment. Her eyes were transfixed on the boy playing the piano. She was fourteen, part Veela, and all French. Slowly she sauntered up to Scorpius who was too focused on the keys. Scorpius stopped when she got really close to him. "May I help you?" he asked, looking nonplussed.
"I'm Sabine Renoir, you are?"
"Scorpius Malfoy," he replied without looking at her.
"So how do you know the birthday girl?" purred Sabine.
Scorpius replied, "She's my friend's younger sister."
"James?"
"Albus."
Sabine looked him over. Clearly, she liked what she saw. Here she had profusely complained about attending the birthday party of the Potter Princess. She thought most English boys were boorish and easily swayed. How refreshing it was to be wrong. Suddenly, Paris didn't seem so far away.
"Malfoy? That's French, isn't it?" asked Sabine, dropping next to Scorpius on the piano bench.
"Yes," confirmed Scorpius, uncomfortably. "Some of my ancestors are French." He didn't like the way she was invading his personal space, but it was by the grace of his upbringing that he didn't show it.
Playing coy, Sabine batted her eyelashes at him. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. Any further along the bench, he was going to fall off. Just then, Lily and her parents arrived. Scorpius along with everyone else turned their attention to their arrival.
Harry Potter was the most celebrated wizard in history. It was like a king had entered the room. Ginny Potter was a perfect match to her husband. Lily stood between her parents, giving an awkward smile. Her father had his hand on her shoulder as she looked around.
It wasn't surprising that Scorpius came. Fred had mentioned Albus inviting him. It did sting that her cousins' cousin was sitting beside Scorpius on the piano bench. He had clapped with everyone else and edged away from Sabine. She was the same age as Scorpius and Lily could see her place her French tipped, manicured hand over his shoulder.
"Let's get this party started," urged Ginny, pushing her daughter to mingle.
"Excuse me," said Scorpius, ever polite albeit a bit strained at this point with Sabine. He gave her a shadow of smile before hotfooting it away from her.
Lily wasn't the only one to notice the interest that Sabine had audaciously displayed for Scorpius. James wasn't too happy about it. Roxanne was having a difficult time not laughing, so much so that she was clutching her stomach. Victoire was about the only adult present who noticed. Her jaw was set as she went up to Sabine.
She guided her cousin away as Scorpius sought shelter. Teddy, who was mixing with a group of friends, grinned at him. "Oi, this is my cousin, Scorpius Malfoy," he announced, putting his arm around Scorpius' shoulders. Upon seeing the anxiety on Scorpius' face, Teddy asked with worry, "Something the matter?"
"Nothing," lied Scorpius, positively jumpy as he looked over his shoulder.
Teddy looked beyond him and witnessed a heated exchange in French between his girlfriend and her cousin. Teddy gazed at Scorpius who slipped behind him. A grin twitched at the edge of Teddy's mouth and his eyes changed from brown to green. "Oh someone's taken a fancy to you, hasn't she?" teased Teddy, relishing seeing Scorpius so unnerved by this.
"I don't even know who she is," hissed Scorpius. "She just started chatting me up." He looked fretfully over Teddy's shoulder. "She's coming this way."
Teddy's friend started snickering. Scoprius took another look at Sabine who was on the prowl, presumably after him. Scorpius wanted to go back to the castle. He never had a valid reason before to dislike socializing, but now he did. He shook his head as he threw his cousin a betrayed, hurt look before slinking off for cover.
Albus and Fred met up with him. "There you are," exclaimed Albus. "Where have you been?"
Scorpius wasn't about to open himself up for more teasing, knowing that Fred would be merciless. "Just mingling, you?"
"Looking for you," said Albus.
Lily walked up to them. "Happy Birthday, Lil," said Fred with a grin.
"Thanks, Freddie," said Lily.
Scorpius also said, "Happy Birthday. Quite a party you got." Scorpius gave Lily a smile that warmed up her insides better than any Butterbeer would. Ginny walked up to them. "Hello Scorpius," she greeted.
"Hello Mrs. Potter," returned Scorpius.
"Is everyone having a good time?" asked Ginny.
"Yes, Mum," said Albus and Lily in unison as Fred and Scorpius nodded.
Sabine managed to locate Scorpius in the meantime. He grimaced a bit before sighing. Albus threw him a questioning glance. Fred's amusement was clearly painted on his face. Ginny was following Scorpius' line of sight to Sabine. She looked to her daughter. Ginny interceded as Sabine approached them, "Hello Sabine. How are you? Enjoying your Easter break?" She put her arm around Sabine and steered her away.
"What was that all about?" asked Albus in a perplexed voice.
"Nothing," muttered Scorpius, quite relieved to be rescued by Ginny. He realized that he was standing closer to Lily than necessary. Really how foolish he must have looked to hide behind a girl who was shorter than the one he was avoiding? He started to laugh.
Lily craned her head up to him. He had a musical laugh. It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh like that. Fred started laughing along with him. "She's got you running scared. Most of the time Sabine just complains about how boring it is and how dull we Brits are," chortled Fred.
Albus roared with laughter as Scoprius shook his head. "I've never had that happen before. I had no idea what to do."
"Just blow her off," Fred advised him. "Her mum's okay, but she always acts so bloody superior."
"That'd be rude," said Scorpius automatically. He sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "My mum drilled these manners into me." He would have said more, but someone came through the hearth that he wasn't expecting. He was nonetheless delighted to see her as he came up to her. "Grandmother, what are you doing here?" he asked as he came up to her.
Narcissa was a bit startled to see her grandson. She had clearly forgotten that he would be there, but she pulled him into a quick embrace. "I was invited by Harry Potter," she said as smiled at him. She could see that he was getting taller. Before long he was going to be taller than her. They exchanged kisses. If anyone ever noticed, Narcissa always gave Scorpius two kisses out of habit.
"Mr. Potter invited you?" asked Scorpius as Professor Longbottom came up to them.
"Ah, Professor Longbottom, I presume?" asked Narcissa to the Herbologist. "We've never been formally introduced."
"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mrs. Malfoy," replied the professor. He offered his hand and they shook hands.
Scorpius looked back and forth between them somewhat bewildered. "You two know each other?"
"Yes, we do. The professor started to correspond with me after the incident at Hogsmeade," replied Narcissa. "The one you didn't tell me about." Scorpius' eyes flickered only slightly. He didn't write his grandmother about it because he didn't want her to worry about him. It was almost always his reason for not telling her things. This was how they were though as a family. They kept things from each other to keep the other from stressing out.
"Harry and Ron have already spotted us. They've been waiting," said Professor Longbottom.
Scorpius wore a confused expression as he realized that there was something going other than Lily's birthday. "What is going on?" he demanded as his brows furrowed.
"I have to discuss something with Professor Longbottom and the Aurors," replied Narcissa evenly.
"It's about me, isn't it?" assumed Scorpius.
Harry and Ron had come up to them. They could already see that Scorpius was threatening to be fractious. Harry could easily relate to how the young Slytherin felt, but he had to do what he thought was best and he already knew that Narcissa would agree with him. "Excuse us," he said as he cleared his throat.
Scorpius was now upset. "If you're going to talk about me, why shouldn't I be there?" he demanded as his eyes flashed. He reminded them strongly of his father at that moment. He tilted his chin in a very Draco-like manner.
"You will wait until we are ready to speak with you," said Narcissa in a very commanding, yet hushed voice.
Scorpius had to decide if he wanted to raise his grandmother's ire or to be patient and wait for whatever they wanted to tell him. "It's not fair," he muttered. He folded his arms over his chest. He had a very insolent look about him.
"You already know that life isn't fair, my love," said his grandmother, softening slightly. She bit her lip. She found her resolve to stop him waning, especially since he looked so much like his father. "You will go back to the party and we will talk about it later. End of discussion," she said severely. Her voice left no room for compromise.
"This way, Mrs. Malfoy" directed Professor Longbottom. "We'll talk in the office in the back." He led the way as Scorpius was forced to watch with both his jaw and hands clenched. Harry and Ron brought up the rear.
Author's Note: Scorpius is attempting to have some semblance of a normal life much like Harry did in the story. The next chapter is going to be a continuation. I like naming the chapters after locations where key scenes take place. This one ran a bit longer than it should have, but I couldn't resist throwing in Sabine. She is one of the few original characters that I was looking forward to. This story uses a minimum of them because the characters are so undefined that they're practically original characters.
I also read the most interesting commentary on Draco Malfoy's character and how the sixth book is his coming out party of sorts. Everyone else is so set that it's refreshing to see both Draco and Neville change in the story. I skipped the last two movies in theaters and then watched them on DVD while writing this story. I was going to skip this upcoming one, but my dad wants to go and like a child I must accompany him. The books are always my primary source material. The movies help inspire me to keep going.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.