Title: Subverting Expectations
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: T
Pairing: None
Summary: I decided to write a series of short stories about subverting expectations for the children in the Epilogue. This is the second one.
All he could think about was the cold numbing sensation of rejection that he had suffered on the train journey here, the curious glances thrown his way the snide comments made regarding hair colour, and always the overwhelming consensus. 'pure snake.' The casual comment had become almost universally derogatory in meaning over the past twenty years, meaning as it did Slytherin, and everything attached to that house.
He'd expected it, since the day his father had first sat him down and had a proper grownup talk with him, about how he'd done some bad things in the past, but he was sorry for them, and sorry for the way that it would affect Scorpius. It was why he'd been brought up on the Continent, a few years in France, a few in Italy, one or two in Portugal, to keep him safe for a few years from the inevitable hatred that was going to cascade down on him.
There had been a lot of debating between Beauxbatons and Hogwarts- Durmstrang had not even been mentioned. Scorpius's French was easily up to standard, Beauxbatons would be less judgemental, and there would be distant relatives to ease the transition between home-life and school. On the other hand Hogwarts was more prestigious and undoubtedly provided the better education. Finally they'd asked him which he would prefer, and remembering his mother's bedtime stories of moving staircases, friendly ghosts and Great Halls he'd chosen Hogwarts.
Now he savagely wished he had chosen Beauxbatons where they did the sorting by alphabet.
Holding his head high, he let his gaze skirt over the other first years, most of their faces curious, some mocking, a few openly scornful. A pair of clear green eyes met his, and Scorpius was struck by the answering fear in them. The other boy was scared stiff. His eyes narrowed as he attached a name to that face- Albus Potter. What the hell did he have to be scared of? The memory of a similar boy with different colouring barging past him on the train, then turning with a cheerful apology on his lips, only to have it fade when he saw who exactly he'd knocked over, came to mind, and he curled his lip at the other boy. They judged him before they even knew him. Of course they would. They'd won.
He listened as the list of names got ever closer to M, then when Lovegood, Lysander had been sorted into Gryffindor, his name rang out- Malfoy, Scorpius. He set his jaw and pretended not to hear the muttering. With his face as stoic as he could make it- much like Father's was when the Ministry checked his wand every month, he picked up the shamelessly battered object and placed it on his head.
Even though he'd heard all about this from mother and father it was still a shock to hear the disembodied voice that suddenly became audible to his newly sensitized ears. It was neither encouraging nor unkind, simply neutral.
"Another Malfoy. One a generation you lot, oooh stretching back a very long way. And nearly all of you in Slytherin as well. But you're here now, and this does prove to be an interesting year. Very complex indeed. You hate them do you? That's a dangerous emotion boy. Hate brought Voldemort nothing but ruination . Besides what have they done to you yet?
"Nothing", he thought back silently. "Yet. But they will."
"So you want to go where you can be protected until you achieve your goals do you? Where you will be nurtured from the chalice of guile, and where you will grow strong? You're clever my boy, and you're brave, you're sly and you're loyal. But this kind of fervent hate? There is only one place for you." The hat opened its tattered brim wide.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Reviews... would be nice
Any questions as to why Gryffindor- just review/PM and I'll answer