Author's Note: Hello fellow Scorbus fans! This fanfic is the longest I have ever written, but it's all worth it, because Scorbus is my ultimate OTP and I loved them even before The Cursed Child was a thing.After this, I will have many more Scorpius and Albus stories to come, mostly because I have already written them way before The Cursed Child, and because of that play, it's made me love these two even more.
Sadly, I deleted my Scorbus fanfic originally on this site called What the Future Holds. It was my most popular story too (mostly because of the Drarry aspects.) But I wasn't very proud of it (besides the Scorbus elements.)And with The Cursed Child, I had to switch quite a few things from my original fic. Examples: Albus being a Gryffindor, Rose being a Hufflepuff, Albus and Scorpius' meeting on the train, and Scorpius being sarcastic and laid-back in his early years. By their 4th year onward in this fanfic you will see the Scorpius and Albus I always intended. But honestly, the play barely changed much from my interpretation when it comes to their personalities - especially Albus.
IMPORTANT: This entire fanfic doesn't strictly go by The Cursed Child Canon. If you ship these two but dislike the play or certain aspects, then you won't necessarily need the info for reading this fanfic. At the same time however, I also want to keep most of the main aspects still in it for those who DID enjoy most of the play. So, it's open to your interpretation really. So, there are hints of continuity scattered around. ((END OF IMPORTANT REMINDER))Enjoy! And please leave feedback!
The bedroom ceiling that radiated down on Albus Severus Potter was a brilliant midnight blue canvas, displayed with forty-five luminous stars in all. Those details were well-known to the eleven-year-old boy because they had been the very thing his eyes were locked upon all night until now early morning. Aware of Albus' adoration for Astronomy ever since he was very young, his parents decided to bewitch his ceiling. Hence, a magnificent starry night sky would face down on him from above every night; he was sure going to miss that uplifting and beautiful display.
At daybreak, Albus stared at the enchanted ceiling, and the atmosphere around him was quiet and peaceful, perfect for sleeping, but he knew that it was too late to make that decision. He rubbed his drowsy eyes before stretching as he heard various footsteps pacing about the house and voices floating throughout that he had grown accustomed to.
The loudest footsteps of them all drew closer to his door, and without warning, the door flew open. Then emerged Albus' young sister, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"Albus!" Lily exclaimed. She scampered over to her brother and jumped on his bed, squashing his feet from where she sat. "Albus! Wake u— Oh, you're already up," she giggled.
"Yeah," Albus groaned, struggling to sit himself up with his eyelids partially shut. He felt so drained and slow in the head, and the high intensity of Lily's voice did not help the circumstances.
"You're so lucky." Lily pouted. "I wish I was going to Hogwarts too."
"Wanna switch then?" Albus grouched.
Lily giggled again. "I wish." Oh, how Albus wished that as well. He cracked his back and massaged his sore muscles. "Well, good luck today," she said heartily.
Al focused his gaze directly on his sister and grinned slightly. "Thanks."
Lily's boisterous voice was not always pleasant to listen to, but her casual optimistic, thoughtful, and chummy personality was a welcomed change from their older brother's negative and arrogant tendencies; they were both loud-mouths, but in different ways — James' was in the worst way possible.
Smiling, the little girl hopped off the bed, relieving Albus' toes of any further discomfort and shouted — presumably to their mother and father, "He's awake!"
This was it... his first day of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school was practically like home to his famous father, it was where he made many friends and achieved many accomplishments. The school where his mother had learned all of her greatest spells, and the school that his brother James always goes on and on about from friends, to Quidditch, and to magic.
Hogwarts was the reason for his lack of sleep that night. Not because he was excited, but because he was fretful. What if he doesn't make any friends unlike James and his father? What if he couldn't master any spells like his mother? What if he doesn't live up to the Potter name? But most importantly ... what if he was put in Slytherin -- the house that most evil wizards and witches have come from?
He would stay in his cozy and warm bed in the dark the whole day if he could, but he couldn't. He ultimately decided to get himself out of his bed — which was a dreadfully difficult task.
His unclad feet touched the nippy-feeling floor, and he walked over to his door, where he stood amidst the dimly-lit bedroom and a candle-lit hallway. If it was his decision, he would know in a heartbeat where he would choose to go, but it wasn't. So he gazed up into the ceiling with the illuminated stars one last time and with a disgruntled sigh, he exited his bedroom.
Eggs, bacon, and toast were all Albus could smell while meandering out of his room and strolling down the stairs towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, his father was cooking over the stove (as usual) with two frying pans going on at once, while his mother placed the dishes on the table — where both of his siblings were sitting.
"Whoa, Al. Love your new look," the teen at the table complimented, finding his little brother's disheveled appearance particularly amusing.
"Shut up," Albus muttered, sitting himself down between two empty chairs.
"James, take it easy on your brother. It's his first day," Harry lectured over the sound of the sizzling bacon and eggs.
Ginny kissed her youngest son on the head and examined his face; noticing the slight dark circles forming below his eyes. "Albus, did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really," Albus mumbled.
Ginny's lips remained at a slant as she settled his plate right in the forefront of him. "Well, at least you will be on a moving train for quite a few hours. You will get to rest there."
Harry scooped two pieces of over-easy eggs onto the plate of the child with whom he shared many features, as well as some bacon with a slice of buttered toast. He patted his back and whispered, "It will be great. You'll see."
When Harry moved on over to his daughter, Albus only sighed and carelessly tapped his fork along the side of his plate; not at all letting his father's words truly settle in.
XXX
"Son, it's time to wake up."
Scorpius Malfoy groaned at his unwelcome wakeup call, and opened his weary eyes, the blurry image of his father gazing down at him.
"Good morning, Scorpius," Draco greeted. "Your mother just made some breakfast for you before we get to King's Cross. Come."
Scorpius let out a yawn and stretched his back before following his father to his closet to pick out a presentable suit. He picked himself out a dark green turtleneck and a simple black overcoat, then marched over to the washroom as Draco walked on ahead to their scullery.
While in the bathroom, Scorpius replaced his pyjama bottoms with his black pants, and slipped on his simple turtle-neck and his dark overcoat and buttoned from top to bottom. He combed his unkempt morning hair so it could be slicked to the side and in the back, and finally checked himself in the mirror while his heavy eyes began to adjust to the light of the candles in the vicinity of him.
Today was going to be the first day of his official training to be a wizard. He was beyond eager to learn plenty of magic and to be in the castle of Hogwarts itself after all of the stories he had been told and what he read about it, but deep down he was truly troubled. Being the son of a past Death Eater was one thing to destroy a first impression, but having rumours about him being a potential threat to the Wizarding world for who he was (or who he wasn't) was another. Who would want to be friends with him with those rumours tying him down?
Draco was sitting at their excessive-long table — reading the Daily Prophet — when he heard, "Father." He then turned his head. "Does this mean that I will be seeing one of Harry Potter's kids?" Scorpius questioned, curious with a child-like innocence.
"Yes. You will," Draco confirmed, not really presenting a definite emotion while saying that. Scorpius' anxiety was overcome with joy from that statement.
Scorpius moseyed on over to the table that his parent was sitting at and opened up a book entitled Hogwarts: A History; he had already read through each page over the past few months, but he still couldn't get enough of it.
"My, don't you look handsome," Astoria flattered, presenting the young blond with a bowl of oatmeal and softly kissing him on the temple.
"Thank you, Mum," Scorpius appreciated, looking up at his mother briefly but then gluing his eyes back on one of the pages in the book.
"Scorpius, you can read that when you finish eating," Astoria said.
"Alright," Scorpius drawled, taking his time to actually close it. He scooped up a portion of his breakfast with his spoon and started to eat.
Astoria watched her son lovingly as she sat across from him to eat her own breakfast. "Incredible. As of tomorrow, you will officially be a wizard."
"Yeah," Scorpius agreed, smiling widely but feeling his anxiety creep back up on him. It's almost as if the positive and negative side of his mind were going at it in a duel.
XXX
Having succeeded in passing through the invisible barrier to reach platform nine and three-quarters, everything seemed to be a blur for Albus — everything from the sight of the scarlet steamed engine that was the Hogwarts Express, to the hundreds and hundreds of people bustling around him, to his family merrily speaking with his cousins, aunt, and uncle. The only thing that momentarily calmed his nerves was seeing his closest cousin Rose, because with her there with him, he wouldn't have to be wandering alone into the unknown void that was Hogwarts.
Albus' stomach was compressing from a great deal of stress. Why did he have to be a Potter? Why couldn't he just be a normal student? That way people wouldn't expect anything from him.
He investigated his pet ferret Gerald inside of the cage clutched in his hands to make sure he was safe, and he grinned when he saw his safe self curiously poking his head from the cage. He also owned a barn owl — who was already safely stowed on-board along with James' — but his connection to that owl was not nearly as strong as it was to Gerald due to the owl's immense liking for James and his own owl, sometimes seeming like James owned two pet owls. Animals was Albus' biggest passion, and learning about all sorts of magical creatures within Hogwarts was one of the few things he was actually looking forward to. He was soon to meet the Care of Magical Creatures professor, Rubeus Hagrid, who was very close with his family, and he was certainly looking forward to discussing magical and non-magical creatures outside of class. Although that still didn't outweigh Albus' overall fears.
"Look who it is."
Albus snapped back to the present from vacantly staring at the ground in deep thought and looked ahead to see who was being referred to. Who he saw was another family, a husband, a wife, and their son. The man was tall, colorless, and his lengthened, receding platinum-blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and his son's appearance was fundamentally identical to his, right down to dressing in black — only unmistakable difference being the hair length.
The young Malfoy seemed to be just Albus' age, no doubt going to be sorted into the bad house like his father. When the Malfoys recognised his family from across the platform however, he mentally withdrew that assumption when he saw the way the other boy looked at him; he wore a tremendous genuine smile and his eyes were dilated in inquisitive wonder. Albus shyly smiled back at the boy.
XXX
"Dad, I see Albus Potter! It's his first day too!" Scorpius piped, tugging at his father's tuxedo jacket.
"It is," Draco acknowledged.
The Malfoys stowed away Scorpius' cage containing a large snowy owl, and heavy luggage onto the train so they could get their son on board as soon as possible. Draco dusted off the sleeves of Scorpius' suit and made sure all of his buttons were properly fastened.
"Make sure to send us a letter once you are sorted into your house," Astoria said, gently.
"I will," Scorpius said. Suddenly, a voice was nagging at the rearward of his mind, and he felt that it was necessary to finally address it. "Mum, Dad." His smile faltered, and he timidly looked round at the onlookers that had been staring at him the moment he emerged from the barrier. "What if... what if I don't make any friends?"
Draco and Astoria peered over at the people making their boy feel distressed, and Draco revealed his trademark sneer while his wife attempted to retain her manners. "Our son is not some fancy object on display. Now, please stop with your staring. You're making him uncomfortable." She triumphantly maintained her manners, but her voice was laced with just the right amount of bitterness to show that she meant business.
Slouching down to Scorpius' level, Astoria's features softened. She was agitated by the rumours and stares, but she refused to show it in front of her child. "Do not be ridiculous. Of course you will make friends. You know why?" Scorpius shook his head. "Because you're Scorpius, and people would be absolutely mad if they didn't want to be friends with someone like you."
"Here's something important I want you to keep in mind: if someone comes along and judges you based on rumours and chooses not to be your friend because of it, they are not worth your time. A true friend would look past what they heard about you and still want to be with you no matter what. Your friend will see you for who you truly are."
The corners of Scorpius' eyes creased and his lips dimpled in anticipation.
"And don't forget..."
Astoria's hand delved into her dress-pocket and pulled out a small pouch.
"Sweets, they always help you make friends," the mother and son sang in unison. Scorpius laughed buoyantly and gripped the small but crammed bag out of her hand. "Can I have one now? Pleeassse?"
"Just one," Astoria said. "You'll have to save some for your friends."
Ecstatic, Scorpius reached inside the bag and popped a Pepper Imp inside his mouth — which produced a humongous gust of smoke to ring through his ears.
"Better get boarding," Draco stated.
Scorpius stuffed the sweets inside of his coat-pocket and stiffly sheathed his arms around his mother for a quick but loving hug.
Draco watched his offspring with a prideful grin.
Astoria kissed Scorpius' cheek when they parted. "I love you."
"I love you too", Scorpius returned.
Scorpius altered himself to face Draco, and he firmly placed his hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "I love you too, son. You will make an excellent wizard, and remember to have fun."
"Thanks, Dad," Scorpius said, hurriedly springing up to the carriage. He waved good-bye to his parents and watched his father's grin of pride and his mother's bitter-sweet tears welling up in her eyes.
Finally entering the train, he observed round in utter wonder. He discreetly searched each compartment until he found one with a duo of nice looking girls practicing their magic and rejoicing. Both of them were dressed in robes bought from Madam Malkin's with a tie that did not match any of the houses, indicating that they must have been new like he was. He gathered the bag of sweets from his pocket and entered. Just the sight of him ceased the two girl's laughter and smiles.
"Hello," Scorpius greeted, faintly yet civil. "Is it alright if I sit here? I've got some wicked-good sweets to share."
"Oh, um, we're not actually sitting here. We were just browsing each compartment to find the right one," one of the girls said apprehensively, lifting herself from her seat and motioning for her friend to do the same. "Sorry about that."
"Oh, no problem. I understand," Scorpius said, making an effort not to expose his distress. The girls didn't say anything more, but instead hurried away like they were escaping from a dangerous creature about to attack at any moment.
XXX
At present, Harry was reminding Albus imperative advice as he securely embraced him with one hand on his head and the spare on his back, but Albus was hardly concentrating.
"What if I'm in Slytherin?" Albus whispered into the hug so nobody but his father could hear.
Harry withdrew his arms and grinned in a heartened approach as he slouched slightly down to his offspring's level. "Albus Severus, you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."
"But just say—"
"—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al, but if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."
"Really?" Albus asked, his distraught expression suddenly hopeful.
"It did for me."
Albus beamed in a combination of relief and bliss, but he was beginning to regard the doors of the scarlet train slamming shut and the last-minute reminder being announced for all students. He raced over to an unfastened door, and Rose was there, excitedly but impatiently waiting for him. The second he hopped on, Ginny scooched the hatch closed behind them while blowing her son and niece a kiss.
Albus felt ready, he felt confident, that is, until he noticed the student's solitary attention being directed at Harry. It wasn't just on the train, but everywhere.
"Why are they all staring?" Albus demanded, his sense of relief dissolving.
"Don't let it worry you," Ron said. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."
Albus laughed, and so did Rose.
The two Hogwarts newcomers rushed over to the nearest free-seated compartment they could find, and it happened to have James and two girls he was chatting up inside. Albus sat by the window on the side James was on, and Rose on the opposite.
Through the swarms of people waving, crying, or blowing kisses, Albus and Rose saw Lily and Hugo with their eyes roaming the train — possibly searching for them. Rose rapped against the glass of the window for their attention and called their names. Lily was the first to hear, and within a blink of an eye, her hand shot up in the air and waved. Hugo also waved, but less frantically.
Before long, the Hogwarts Express jolted, and with the sound of a train whistle blowing, the carrier commenced clicking along the rails and advanced forward. Lily and Hugo raced down the platform in the direction of the train and continued waving, with Hugo's then growing more frantic and tears swarming his vision from watching his pushy but beloved sister leaving for an extended period of time.
With the platform no longer in view, Albus settled back in his seat with an exhale of breath, unsure of the journey he had ahead of him.
XXX
The rejected blond stared through the window of the desolate compartment, watching the world rush past him. Every inch and ounce of his body tried to summon some much needed positivity, and he reminded himself of his mother's advice. He longed to see his family through the window right now, but it was too late. Probably for the best; he didn't want them to see him in this hopeless state.
A modest number of students of all ages appeared by his compartment before the train started to move, but then trampled right past it from seeing him sit there. The more schoolmates neglected, the less faithful he became.
Since the train departed from King's Cross, the individual speck of hope he had vanished. Removing a Jelly Slug from his pouch, a tear glided down Scorpius' cheek. With a wipe of his sleeve however, the tear disappeared.
While observing the fresh landscapes outside of the window, he swore he heard footsteps pattering outside the now fastened door of the compartment. He knew he was unmistaken when he heard the door slide open.
His eyes speedily sought out the source of the now open door, and what he saw was a recognizable boy with jet-black hair much like Harry Potter (only his hair was highlighted with his mother's red,) and bright-green eyes. Like earlier on the platform (but in reversed order), the boy smiled at him, and Scorpius smiled back, his heart pounding quicker in anticipation.
"Hi. Is this compartment—"
"It's free," Scorpius interrupted, his enthusiasm restored. "It's just me."