APOV
My gaze fell on James's as his eyes followed me the entire way from the stool to my house bench. When shame finally forced me to look away I decided to chance a glance at Scorpius who looked just as equally confused by this whole mess as i was. The slow walk towards the Slytherin table had felt like an eternity to me. My legs moved as though through marshland, the wet soggy mud pulling me deeper down as if to drown me. We finally reached the far end of the bench and sat together, away from the other members of our house. Nobody had clapped for us. The only sounds were those of the storm's on the ceiling and the pounding fear in my chest.
After the pregnant silence had lasted long enough for the enchanted hat's patience to run out, it decidedly to loudly couch into the hall. "Well get on with it. I haven't got all day."
At that the beak nosed professor simply resumed calling names. Although nobody could truly forget what had just transpired.
Suddenly I felt a hand slip into mine and a whisper of "Im so sorry… that potion must have changed us more than we knew… we can... we can speak to the headmistress later… I know you really didn't want to end up here." Scorpius offered reluctantly into my ear, trying his best to console me.
In truth I was barely aware that my hand had closed around his and that I was nodding mechanically.
I could scarcely even touch any of the food, so filled with the weight that was a thousand eyes boring into me. 'Freak!' 'Monster!' they all were shouting. After dinner we were led to our dorms where Scorpius and I slipped quickly from the common room to discover apprehensively that our belongings were placed at the foot of neighboring beds. Luckily they were relatively separated from those of our peers by the natural curve in the rooms design. We'd have the far end of the chamber all to ourselves. Small consolation that would be...
SPOV
I didn't mind ending up where I had already expected to be. I was more pissed by the fact that that foul smelling hat had dared to saddle Albus with the pain that would be seven years in a house that wasn't likely to ever accept him. The majority of Slytherin house consisted of children whose parents had all either been imprisoned or killed by Albus's father or immediate family. Even house loyalty would not likely transcend that simple fact. A cruel and ironic twist of fates knife to Al's heart.
APOV
Scorpius sat down lazily on my bed with a sigh and was about to say something when a ghoulish brown haired boy trudged up to us.
"Not now Nott" Scorpius spat distastefully, clearly bracing himself for trouble.
"WEll WELL. If it isn't the treacherous little Malfoy. Hows your grandfather? Still a sniveling worm?" the boy looked too unevolved for speech I thought somberly as I sensed the beginning of an unpleasantness that I had not the energy for.
"And whats with your little shadow, a Potter in Slytherin, what a bad joke? You—" The boy spat as he jabbed me in the chest. "—disgusting halfblood freak, belong with the rest of the mudblood filth over with the kittens in Gryff—" but the boy never had a chance to finish. Scorpius had nocked over the trollish brunet with a wordless flourish of his wand and was already kneeling over the crumpled figure, wand tip held to the poor boys throat.
"Call him that again—" Scorpius started calmly, eyes flashing dangerously as cold as their winter blue. "—in fact... so much as look at him wrong again and I wont leave you in a fit state to breathe let alone spew more obscenities. Do we understand each other Nott?" Scorpius hissed venomously, pressing his wand harder into the pink flesh beneath the boys chin.
"Yess! Yes! Gods you rat, I didn't really mean it."
The almost squeal like pleas were what did it. I couldn't let him paint a target on himself either.
"Scor! Stop! Its not worth it. He was just trying to rile me up, he didn't mean anything by it."
"I know perfectly well what this filth meant and I wont ever let someone come for you like that—" Scor began, stopping when he saw the look in my eyes. "—I… I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." He stuttered lowering his wand. I was actually really grateful for the level of devotion Scor had shown me, even if I hated confrontations.
Why did the torture have to begin on day one? I almost broke down then and there.
"Scary Scorpius, are you sure that kind of loyalty doesn't belong in Hufflepuff, my old friend." A much older raven haired boy teased, approaching parallel the fleeing Nott. The sound of the voice was familiar, yet was so frigid I'm certain I would have remembered hearing it before. It rang like power and clear articulated malice.
Scorpius froze in place when he heard it almost as though paralyzed by a charm. Finally the blond turned around slowly and moved without pause to step in front of me like a shield. "I thought you were too smart to ever risk attending Hogwarts."
"Goyle's here too, and so is your adorable Aurora Parkinson, we were friends once despite the position your grandfather put us all in… to be raised as strangers in parentless homes. To have your treacherous father hand us charity like commoners."
"Why did you come? Marvolo... Lestrange." Scorpius rebuffed defensively.
Lestrange? How? What?
"How can you be a Lestrange if—" I started before Scorpius turned to silence me with a glare that might have petrified a werewolf.
"I saw that little display of weirdness during the sorting. Scorpius, will your father be pleased to learn of your unusual connection to the miniature Potter? Well don't worry, it doesn't concern me. I resent poverty and the loss of the distinction that once was the sacred twenty-eight but I'm not stupid enough to start trouble Scorpius. Not yet. There isn't a reason to fight the tide, nor would there be anyone left to fight alongside. I honestly wanted to tell both of you that Goyle, Aurora and I wouldn't mind being friends again." The handsome boy finished with an exaggerated shrug. Was he fifteen or sixteen? It was hard to tell.
"Those two I wouldn't mind. You are another story." Scorpius finished coldly.
"I know you somehow."
I realized that it was my voice that had spoken. It felt oddly as though this boy and I had met somewhere… although I know i would remember someone as clearly malign as this. Everything about him screamed danger, although he seemed resigned somehow. As though he knew his nature would bring him nothing but pain. Scorpius looked at me strangely then.
"I'm quite certain I would have remembered you. Your mother the beautiful quidditch player, your father the dashing Hero auror. You, apparently like your pompous brother have inherited much from your parents and more. You are obviously going to be as adorable as your Delacour cousins. Strangely I hear you're as smart as your Muggle-born aunt. What other hidden talents does our boy wonder possess?" The boy asked curiously as he approached.
"Back off Ridd— "
"—NO DOUBT cunning Scorpius will have found some way to use you." the boy interrupted quickly, flashing Scorpius eyes that screamed murder. They bore a sickly pale uranium green color to them, not like the rich mossy forest green of my own eyes.
"I'll leave it here for now... but so should you." Scorpius threatened dangerously. "I'm really just protecting you from him you know. You have no idea how much I'm not in the mood Volo. I can't afford to be caught fighting on my first day." Scorpius added calculatingly.
"I do know you from somewhere." The boy mumbled in a strange sort of genuine surprise. "why do I know you?" he asked confused, staring for several moments longer before Scorpius cut me off from him entirely. The curiosity in his expression left me shivering. "Well good night Young Potter, Master Malfoy".
I couldn't help but bristle at the mock obsequiousness with which Volo had drawn out the name Master Malfoy. I wanted to punch him for it.
Two younger less hostile students came over and greeted Scorpius when they saw that the enigmatic teen had retreated.
"Hello Matheus. Aurora… so glad you're respecting the fact that this happens to be the boys dormitory. Now as much as I would love to catch up—" Scor started in a tone that said he really would rather do hard manual labor than that. "—its been a long day and I'm not sure I feel like doing this now." Scorpius had eyed the retreating Marvolo rather than looking at the two who he had actually addressed. As though a bag of snakes might have suddenly erupted from him.
"We… um we just wanted to thank your Dad for managing the estates while… well you know." the boy stuttered, his gentle gratitude a surprise for a slytherin.
"Sentimentality is not welcome in Slytherin. So don't let anyone else around here hear it." She teased leaning in with a small smile. "Besides Scorpius, you know I tend to go wherever I please. Would you care to try and stop me?"
"Not particularly."
"Then for now i offer you both a Goodnight." With that she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Scors cheek before dragging the boy back in the direction of the common room. Scor looked more annoyed by the gesture than anything. He hadn't stopped her from doing it... but he had wiped his face where the girl lips had landed.
SPOV
"Scorpius, I wanted to thank you for everything today." Al started wearily after he was sure nobody else would interrupt. "Like you said its been a long day and I just want to get some sleep before more trouble presents itself."
"Ok Al I just wanted to thank you too. I had a lot of fun on the train." I really meant it too. "I hope you don't have too much trouble sleeping". I added knowingly. Al gave me a weary smile and climbed into his bed shutting the curtains. Sometimes Al was really a genius and other times he seemed distant and detached, and others still he seemed the eleven year old he really was. He's like me. Trapped.
Time for an early night too I decided. Reset for tomorrow.
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of soft hiccuping sobs. I groaned to myself in annoyance. 'I could have sworn he was stronger than this' I thought sleepily to myself, looking over in the direction of Al's bed. I don't know what possessed me to do what I did next, nor did i realize then that i'd just started a bad habit that would last almost our entire time at Hogwarts. I swung my legs over the mattress, descending quietly to the floor in a single graceful motion. I couldn't help but sigh when i reached him, not knowing what to expect when drawing back the curtains. For a moment my eyes deceived me. i stood eyeing the empty space stupidly until finally i realized I was looking at. I reached for the fabric and pulled off the cloak of invisibility, revealing an unruly haired eleven year old clutching his Lion plush.
I rolled my eyes with a pained laziness...
"Move over." I ordered, climbing in next to the leaking mess that was fast becoming my best friend.
"Scor, what are you… sniff… doing?" he asked through his tears.
"Shut up." I snapped wrapping my arm around him.
"We will talk to the old bat in the morning and get this mess sorted. Besides this is what I imagined normal people do to comfort each other so I thought I'd give it a try." I joked dryly, but I knew Albus would get it and he started to chuckle through sobs.
"Thanks Scor." came the whisper, his fingers closing over mine. I sealed the curtains so none of the snakes could use the photos as leverage for the ruin of our families, then settled my head on the pillow.
"A Gryffindor Lion… seriously Al? Was that James's idea of mocking you or Louis's idea of being adorably… Louis?" I asked sarcastically.
"In the morning i'm burning it and we will never speak of this again."
"Dors bien mauvais perdant" He added softly (sleep well sore loser).
"Mais n'importe quoi" I yawned drowsily (What utter nonsense).
The last thing I remember before drifting off was the smell of toffee, the eerie sound of some monstrous creature in the lake and the warmth of Al's Hand wrapped in mine… If seven years of this didn't kill me… I'm certain Father would if he ever found out I'd shared a bed with a Potter *YAWNN*
