This chapter's pretty short, since I updated yesterday, but it's a Friday and I felt like writing, so. . . enjoy!
Disclaimer: This world and these characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.
"I'M-GOING-TO-HOGWARTS-I'M-GOING-TO-HOGWARTS-I'M-GOING-TO-HOGWARTS!" Scorpius chanted, jumping up and down on his parents' bed.
"Scorpius!" Draco growled, sitting up. His platinum blond hair was sticking up in a dozen different directions, and his typical Black family grey eyes were dazed. The picture of Malfoy sophistication, he was not.
"But today's September 1st!" Scorpius informed his father excitedly. "Do you know what that means? It means I'M-GOING-TO –"
"Don't you dare," Draco growled threateningly, jabbing a finger at his son. Beside him, Astoria Malfoy sat up as well, looking cheerful. Early morning, late at night – it didn't matter when; Astoria was generally of a very calm, untroubled disposition.
"Mum, today's September 1st!" Scorpius told her, beaming. "And that means –"
"SCORPIUS HYPERION –"
"Fine! All right! I won't say it! Killjoy," Scorpius muttered under his breath. Then he brightened again, fairly bouncing with happiness. "I can't wait to go to Hogsmeade."
Draco eyed his son warily. "You don't get to go until your third."
"Of course I don't," Scorpius said breezily. He spun on his heel and exited the room, whistling a jaunty tune with his hands in his pockets. The memories from the pensieve had served to mature him a little, "a little" being the operative words, but he tried very hard not to show it. His lying skills had gotten monumentally better during the past three years, but that wasn't saying much, because previously he had no such skills to speak of. Now, they could only be considered dismal. He suspected it would take actually going to Hogwarts to transform him into the master of deception all the older cousins were.
He spent the next few hours wandering Malfoy Manor with barely contained impatience, happy at the thought of seeing Al, Rose, and Alice again. When they finally got to the platform, Scorpius was barely listening to his parents' words about school. Instead, he scanned the platform eagerly, looking for the telltale red hair.
He finally spotted Rose as the two families passed. He watched as Rose's father narrowed his eyes and leaned down to whisper something in Rose's ear. "Hmm," murmured his father thoughtfully. "I remember those two. Make sure to beat the girl in all your exams, Scorpius. If she's anything like her mother, she'll be an irritating know-it-all."
Astoria coughed at him, and Draco huffed. "Fine! She'll be intelligent."
"I already know that, Dad. You've met her before, remember?"
Draco frowned. "All too well. . . I suppose I should blame Aunt Andromeda for that – she never should have let your godson introduce you all at that party. . ."
Scorpius decided not to correct him. His father could find out just how close Scorpius was to the Weasley family when Scorpius was safely away at Hogwarts. "And the Potter boy will probably be a natural at Quidditch – but that's next year's business. Watch out for him in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration."
Astoria ignored Draco. "Enjoy yourself, Scorpius." She gave him a hug.
"I will," Scorpius promised, a wicked glint entering his eye. Draco didn't notice this.
"Well, I suppose I can't help that now – just don't get overly friendly with the Weasley girl. We'd have generations of Slytherins rolling over in their graves at that."
Scorpius paid no attention to this. "Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad!"
"Make sure you're sorted into Slytherin!" Draco called after him as he dragged his trunk towards the train.
"Draco!" Astoria scolded. She winked at Scorpius. "He's going to be a Ravenclaw!"
"If you'll follow me," said Professor Longbottom, who was apparently Hufflepuff's head of house.
"I heard we have to battle a dragon," said a boy, staring up at the castle.
"Don't be stupid! We have to recite the entire first chapter of Hogwarts, a History."
"Are you daft? We have to duel the Headmistress, and if we can stun her, we get sorted into Slytherin. All the losers are randomly put in the other houses, I suppose."
"And that's why you're not going to be a Ravenclaw," a girl told the previous boy. "Headed for Slytherin, huh? You're too stupid to be put anywhere good."
"Thank Merlin Lucy didn't hear that," Al whispered to Scorpius. They exchanged knowing smirks. They knew what was going to happen. The train ride had been a blast, and the four friends were immensely glad to finally be attending the famed school.
As they filed into a line in front of the hat, Alice muttered to Rose, "Hide me! If something goes wrong, my dad's going to be here to see it!"
"My dad told me he'll disinherit me if I'm not in Gryffindor," Rose offered. "So you've got it all right. Hey, do you think your dad will adopt me if that happens? I'd ask Scorpius, but I don't I got off to a great start with his dad."
"Won't the Potters take you in? You're family!"
Rose tilted her head thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah. . ."
As Alice moved forward, a new voice spoke in her ear. "You're related to the Potters? As in, Harry Potter?"
Rose turned to see who had spoken. It was a tall, dark skinned boy. "He's my uncle," Rose answered. The boy's eyes widened, and he poked her arm gingerly.
She snatched it away. "Stop looking at me like I'm a thestral!"
"Aren't those invisible?" the boy asked confusedly.
Rose rolled her eyes. Merlin, I forgot how stupid these first years are, she thought, conveniently forgetting that she was a first year herself. "Never mind."
"Alice Longbottom," Neville called, and Rose peered over the heads of her peers keenly as her friend shuffled towards her father.
After a moment, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
With a pleased expression, Alice slid off the stool and gave her father a grin before joining the Gryffindor table.
"Scorpius Malfoy."
Rose gave him a thumbs up when he glanced back at her. He grinned a little and sat on the stool, waiting for the hat to speak. No time passed before the hat declared, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Everyone gaped. A Malfoy, in Gryffindor? What was next? A Potter in Slytherin? When Neville called, "Albus Potter," hundreds of low murmurs erupted through the hall, having just died down from the previous sorting's commotion.
There was a long minute during which Albus appeared to be arguing with the hat before it pronounced him a "GRYFFINDOR!"
Finally, Professor Longbottom called, "Rose Weasley." Ignoring the whispers that started at the sound of her name, Rose went to sit on the stool.
Another Weasley, I see, said the hat, sounding thoughtful. Very ambitious, quite like the rest of them. Remarkable brains, inherited that from your mother, hmm?
Don't you dare separate me from Al, Scorpius, and Alice! How could you even consider it? Rose scolded the hat.
Very well. You'll suit the house well, so if you're sure, better be – "GRYFFINDOR!" There was wild applause as Rose, quite satisfied with herself, sprang off the stool and took her place beside Scorpius.
Later that night, they were all seated in the common room, writing to their families with news of the sorting. Glancing up from his letter, Scorpius joked, "Do you think I'll get a Howler?"
Al grinned. "Want to wager?" He remembered Lucy and Dom's wager from their first year.
Scorpius shook his head ruefully. "I hope my father reacts better than Mr. Weasley did, fainting like that. He didn't recover for a week! Anyhow, I reckon my mum will stop Dad from sending me a Howler."
He was quite right. He did not receive a Howler. What did occur was foretold by a certain dinner conversation from three years ago.
Several things happened when news of Scorpius's sorting reached his family's ears:
Lucius Malfoy rolled over in his grave.
Draco Malfoy turned very pale and screamed a name that did not belong to his son.
And Auror Trainee Teddy Lupin was afraid for his life.
It turned out that everyone survived with their health intact. Well, everyone except the four's professors, that is. While Teddy Lupin got off with an apology, Draco Malfoy survived after a conversation with his wife, and Lucius Malfoy resigned himself to the fact that there wasn't much a dead man could do about it, the professors were constantly wary of the first years' antics.
It was clear from day one that the children were brilliant. It was also clear that, much like the Marauders and the Weasley twins before them, the four Gryffindors were not very concerned with actual school work and were more interested in making life "interesting."
For example, on the first day: Four feathers were floating in the air, much to Professor Flitwick's disbelief. "Merlin's beard!" he gasped. He narrowed his eyes at Scorpius, Rose, Al, and Alice. He'd been seeing feats like this from the older kids of that lot, as well. Why was it that every Weasley, Potter, or close friend of theirs had to be ridiculously intelligent? How did that make sense? How was that fair?
He would never understand it. Grudgingly, he resigned himself to another loss of the House Cup for Ravenclaw as he awarded Gryffindor house twenty points.
On a Hogsmeade weekend: Headmistress McGonagall froze when she heard voices emanating from an empty classroom. That was never good. Frowning, she entered the classroom only to find the infamous Gryffindor quartet lounging lazily, sprawled across the desks and chairs and sipping butterbeers while engaging in pleasant conversation.
"Where did you get those?" McGonagall demanded, trying to hide her amusement. Just like their parents, they were.
"Minnie!" Scorpius cried in delight. "Can I call you Minnie?" Minerva was struck, suddenly, by the image of another Black, forty years ago, with the same cheerful, haughty air, greeting her affectionately with that nickname. Before she could answer, Scorpius continued, "Dominique Weasley brought it for us from the Three Broomsticks, of course. We're first years, didn't you know?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm well aware, Mr. Malfoy." Deciding to let them be, she turned around and walked back out the classroom door. As she left, she heard Alice Longbottom say, "Could we be any more idiotic? I bet she heard us speaking!"
And Rose Weasley answered, "Oh, right. Muffliato."
And then she heard no more. As Minerva left the corridor, she couldn't help but wonder how the girl had possibly managed that spell. Then, with faint amusement, she realized she probably didn't want to know.
As long as they weren't raising another dragon with Hagrid.