There were no more compartments.
Scorpius had told his parents that he needed to go over and over, but his father was insistent on a ten-minute lecture and his mother wouldn't stop kissing and hugging him. He didn't mind the attention as much as some other kids would, but he'd have gladly just given them each a wave if it meant he didn't have to stand in the corridor like a pathetic twat.
This can't be happening, he thought miserably, and began to trail back the same way he came. This actually can't be happening. Anyone else probably would have been able to handle not getting their own space, but he wasn't anyone else. He was the boy the press liked to call Voldemort's son, although he was the spitting image of his father. Not that the resemblance helped, his father wasn't exactly the most revered man in England either. Scorpius had still hoped to avoid being called a Death Eater or getting thrown out a window but it looked like that wasn't going to happen at this point.
He continued to walk, however, trying not to give up, looking through door after door after door to no avail. Every so often, he'd catch someone's eyes through the glass and his cheeks would burn with embarrassment, so that by the time he was back to the front of the train his red face was a stark contrast from his fair hair. Not one of the compartments were empty.
Well, maybe Megan and Greg are in one together, he thought. He hadn't seen the two of them in a couple of years, but he knew them. They wouldn't throw him out even if it would be awkward. Normally, Scorpius didn't like to be in uncomfortable situations, but he didn't think he had any other choice. With a bit more resolve, he turned around, but one of his shoelaces got stuck under the other shoe and he was sent crashing into the door on his right.
First came a very loud, very painful thump, and then he fell to the floor. "Ow." he groaned, although no one was listening. "Ow." His head throbbed as he clutched it, and when he tried to sit up he was dizzy enough that he simply flopped back down. "Ow."
He heard some muffled speaking, the sound of a door sliding open, and then there were two blurry faces looking down at him.
"Are you alright?" asked a voice that seemed to be coming from the face with frizzy red hair. It was energetic and high-pitched and somewhat alarmed. "That was a really loud bang." Scorpius squinted to try and get a better view of the girl—was it a girl? His vision cleared slightly to see her, thin and freckled, with a dark-haired boy next to her. Her large blue eyes were widened in concern and her companion was extending an arm.
"Thanks." Scorpius strained to say, grabbing hold and pulling himself up. Once he was standing, he gave the boy a grateful smile.
"Cheers," he replied, grinning back. Then he blanched. "You're bleeding."
"What?" Scorpius shrieked, and he stared down at his hands, one of which to his horror was stained with blood. His head. Shit shit shit shit shit. He glanced back up at the boy and girl, who were both as taken aback as he was. "Oh—oh Merlin, oh no, oh no." His breath was quickening and he felt lightheaded. He was going to die before he even reached Hogwarts.
"No, it's okay, it's okay." said the girl frantically, and she took his clean hand and tugged him into their compartment. "Sit down, it'll help you." Scorpius did as she said, too shocked to protest, as she paced back and forth. "Albus, do you remember what the healing spell is?" she asked without looking at her friend. Albus. Wait. Scorpius turned but everything was getting blurry again.
"Rose, do you really—" Albus started, but he was cut off.
"Oh, I know, it's Episkey." said Rose. Albus. Rose. Wait. Wait. It couldn't possibly be that Albus and that Rose. If Scorpius had been more calm he would have focused on that, but he was panicked enough to ignore it. "I'm going to try this spell on you, alright? I think it should turn out fine." Scorpius opened his mouth to ask how sure she was but thought better of it. "Episkey!"
A blue light emitted from her wand. Scorpius expected more of a fanfare, but his head just went hot, then cold, and then he felt the cut close. Thank goodness. He tentatively patted his head, feeling no pain, and his hand came back red and wet. The wound was gone but not the blood. "Merlin's beard, can't anything go right?" he exclaimed, scowling angrily before he remembered that he wasn't alone. "Sorry, I forgot to thank you." he apologised. "I just—"
"Have blood in your hair?" interjected Albus, though he sounded amused. "I think I know the cleaning spell, actually—"
"Oh don't worry, I know." Scorpius hastened to say, not wanting to further indebt himself. "I'd feel stupid if you two were doing it all." He pulled out his wand clumsily and pointed it in the general direction of the blood, imagining a great ugly splotch of scarlet in his pale blonde hair. "Scourgify!" Years of watching his parents and a good month of reading spellbooks had taught him the motions he was supposed to perform, and he was satisfied when ten seconds later his head felt clean and dry. That was an ordeal.
"Well, that was an ordeal." Rose remarked, and Scorpius laughed out loud. She looked surprised, but began to join him, till all three of them were giggling. It lasted until Scorpius properly realised who he was laughing with and stopped.
"Thank you again, both of you." he said, meaning it. He knew who they were and he knew that they weren't going to be mates but he liked them. All of the compartments were of course the same but this one felt warmer and brighter and Scorpius felt a little sorry to leave. "I ought to go now, I—"
"No, stay!" said Rose. "You should sit for a bit just to rest your head, Episkey doesn't heal dizziness. Unless, you know, you have to get back to your friends." His friends. And then he properly realised that he had nowhere to go.
"I don't have a compartment, actually." he admitted, knowing that he would appear (rather truthfully) like he had no friends. "I couldn't find one, they were all full."
"Oh, you can just sit here." said Albus, though his mouth was full. Somehow within the few seconds that Rose had been talking he had taken out a Cauldron Cake and was contentedly munching. "We don't mind, do we Rosie?" His cousin nodded in agreement, but that agreement would likely dissipate in the space of a few seconds. "What's your name?"
And now he was going to be thrown out the window. Well, it was a good try. "Scorpius Malfoy." he ground out. He gritted his teeth and focused on the platform outside. Rose's mouth dropped open and then she was still.
"Oh." she breathed.
Albus stopped chewing. "Oh." he said quietly.
"Yeah." The three of them were silent for a full minute, which to Scorpius felt like an hour. "Yeah, I should probably go." he mumbled nervously, and stood up. It was disheartening, to say the least, but he wanted to leave before they asked him to because that would have been even worse.
"No, stay." said Rose before he reached the door. She looked uncomfortable, but not enough for him not to listen. "We're not—it wouldn't—you haven't done anything wrong and it's not really fair to make you go just cause you said your name." Her face softened slightly and she tried to smile. She was actually trying to smile
Albus bobbed his head up and down. "We won't be rude till you're rude." He continued to eat without another word, and Rose shoved him good-naturedly. Scorpius was struck extremely hard by how lucky he was. He thought they would have thrown hexes at his back and cackle while he trudged away, before following him, stealing all of his sweets and his clothes, and then becoming his enemies forever. "Wait, do you know who we are?"
"Albus Potter and Rose Granger-Weasley." he said without was absolutely no possibility of him being wrong, and they nodded. "No, I figured it out as soon as you said each other's names. There aren't that many Roses and Albuses. Well, maybe more Roses but not with an Albus, that is. Sorry, I'm rambling."
"Oh, she's the queen of rambling." Albus said mischievously and pointed to Rose, who frowned and smacked his arm. "Ow, geroff!"
"I'll do that as soon as you stop being the king of pissing other people off." She turned her gaze to Scorpius and this time she really did smile. "You can sit down, Scorpius."
So he did.