Author's Note: This chapter is told from Scorpius' perspective.
"I knew a boy like yeh once, Malfoy," Hagrid said, sticks, twigs and possibly tree roots cracking under his feet.
Hagrid and I were taking a stroll through the 'safe' side of the Forbidden Forest. His words, not mine. Hagrid had found me. He must've seen something in my face. He gripped my shoulders and forced me up. After one question I couldn't shut up. My drawbridge came down. Everything from how I'm not a Malfoy, I'm not good enough to be a Malfoy, I hate the Malfoys and how every member of my family looks at me like I'm... Basically, all the crap I had built up over the years poured out. Most of it didn't even make sense now. Then I told him about the boggart, my boggart.
The air was different after I finished. Hagrid looked at me differently. His bushy eyebrows weren't glued together and his hands didn't turn into fists. Instead, he made various sympathetic noises and put his heavy hand on my shoulder. Father used to do that in another time. When I was younger, we talked about my problems: being lonely, fighting with mother or not understanding why I couldn't talk to or play with the house elf.
"Scorpius," he cleared his throat, correcting himself.
I blinked thinking I miss heard him.
"He's very famous now."
"Please don't compare me to Harry Potter," I grumbled. "It's not going to make me feel any better."
"No, not 'Arry." Hagrid shook his head. "Yeh would like the boy- well, man now- I'm talkin' about. He came from a well-known family where lots, if not all the members of said family, were high achievers, renowned, each special in some way. He felt that he was cast aside, the forgotten one. He thought he'd be nothin' in his parent's eyes. He was too replaceable. An' those feelings were felt towards everyone he met. He started thinkin' he wasn't good enough for his friends, always second best. Even with the new people he met. He thought they didn't see 'im, but saw whoever was with 'im, be it his friends or his family."
I nodded, I could relate, sort of.
Hagrid continued, "But in the end, twenty plus years later, he's the most famous Weasley today."
My head snapped up from the forest floor.
"Yeah, weird, ain't it? How some situations can mirror each other in the strangest ways?" Hagrid said giving me another clap on the back. "The great Albus Dumbledore is me inspiration, he once said, 'It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.' Ron is the best example of that. He saved Harry's life on multiple occasions and so many others. He helped defeat Voldemort, without 'im I'm afraid the wizarding world wouldn't be… not what it is today. Ron can put on a smug face but under it all, I don't think he really understands how important he was in all the mess."
I shook my head, "Ron Weasley and I don't even belong on the same page."
"Yet yeh're with Rose."
"That's different," I said. "I don't see her parents when I look at her."
"Yeh know what, Scorp? I think Ron would like you if he got over the…" Hagrid shook his head. "But take somethin' from my story. It's been bubblin' around me head ever since you left my house."
"If I didn't have the Malfoy face and name..."
A pale filthy hand reaching for me- I pulled a face. Stop!
"We can forget about that." He added. "For a while. No need to be pullin' angry faces over it."
"No, I… just… I can't stop seeing him." I pinched the bridge of my nose. Were these crazy flashbacks ever going to stop?
"Give 'em a day or two, I've discovered, over the years, the best thing to do is keep busy." Hagrid offered me a small smile. "Lemme show yeh the newest additions to the Hippogriff herd. They're little cuties."
I waited, but no 'I'm-joking' or 'Get-out-of-my-sight-Malfoy' look came to his face and he didn't say anything. Instead, Hagrid picked up the pace expecting me to follow. I didn't think about it. I just followed.
