Summary: CURSED CHILD AU. Albus and Scorpius decided to take a page out of Harry Potter's book.
A/N: I don't really like The Cursed Child. I've never read it and the plot made me want to hurl a heavy book at whoever wrote it. So, this is an entirely different take on how it could've gone without all that nonsense about Delphini. Let's gloss over that part. The title is also inspired by Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran because each time I hear it play, I just imagine Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
Mid-August 2021, Wizarding World Britain
The Wizarding World buzzed with unease as residual power radiated in the air.
Harry Potter walked with stiff shoulders around the Ministry, his voice grave and lethal, as it was back in the days of war. The story isn't clear but these are the facts all of Wizarding kind knew: long escaped Death Eaters and known purist sympathizers have all been found murdered in the most gruesome way imaginable.
Death Eaters that ran down to the deepest depths of the world in hiding, bidding their time, as aurors hounded after them for more than a decade were torn to pieces, flesh by flesh. Purist sympathizers that have been well-known to have enjoyed the momentary reign of Voldemort's return were found with bones broken a hundred different ways before they were strangled.
Those who have been murdered thus far have been poor or magically untalented. They never saw what was coming and it left before anyone else caught on. The purebloods and their ilk have barricaded themselves behind high walls of fortune and complex charms and wards, bidding their time as well, to see which side would benefit them more.
No one seems to have seen nor heard of anything from anyone. But one thing is certain: this darkness somehow has to do with Voldemort.
They say that this new darkness is the child of Voldemort, avenging his fallen father, slaughtering his followers and worshippers for their failure. It didn't matter to anyone that this child would have benefitted more by keeping Death Eaters alive. It didn't matter to anyone that their war heroes remained safe, no none at all. The only thing that mattered to any witch or wizard was that there was a boy of the right age they could blame.
A boy they knew nothing of but existed beyond anyone's reach. So, they whisper that this could only be about a boy riddled with mystery. They believe that this boy would be in Hogwarts now, with pale hair and grey, stormy eyes. A boy in disguise. A boy with immeasurable strength for darkness, like his father. A boy residing in the last remnant of his father's faction.
A Malfoy, wizards and witches spat. A bloody, cursed Malfoy.
Something is strange about this boy. No one seems to have a measure of him, despite spending four years in Hogwarts already. All they knew was that he was rightly in Slytherin, his hair was pale, his eyes casted downwards, and his best friend was one Albus Severus Potter. The second Potter son. The Slytherin Squib. The pair of them made for quite the gossip. The cursed Malfoy boy and the nearly non-magical Potter boy. Nothing could come from that alliance but bitterness and resentment, you can ask anyone. What else can a talentless, Slytherin Potter feel but shame and jealousy for his better siblings and cousins? What else can a boy named Scorpius be but the spawn of a warmongering despot? What else can a cowering Malfoy do but dabble in the darkest magic they can get their hands on?
So, the rumors spread across the country like wildfire. Until, of course, as all rumors do, were heard by the wrong ears. Thus, this is where the trouble began.