Hermione wiped a stray tear that had escaped her eye. She had tried so hard to be nothing but positive for Scorpius' big day. She had made it through the robe fittings, deciding on the best owl, and buying him all the necessary texts plus a few more. She had even made it through Scorp finding his wand without shedding a tear, however, as she watched her oldest son board The Hogwarts Express, she found it hard to not sob. Draco draped his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze; he lifted one arm in farewell as Scorpius leaned back through the door one more time, a grin playing on his lips.

"When do I get to see Scorp again," Cass asked as she looked up at her parents.

"Scorp will come home just a little before Christmas," Draco replied as Hermione choked back a sob. "But you can write him as much as you want. He probably won't respond to every letter, but he'll write back when he has time." Cass nodded in understanding and turned to watch The Hogwarts Express pull out of sight.

"Mother, Father, can we go get ice cream now?" Leo looked expectantly up at his parents. Cass soon chimed in her agreement and eventually Hermione and Draco gave in. After all, you only have so many ice cream trips with your kids before they're off on their own.

On the train, Scorpius scanned the compartments looking for any familiar or friendly face. He caught a glimpse of Victoire Weasley halfway through the train, she was one year his senior, but it seemed to him she already had everything figured out. A few other pretty girls surrounded her and they were all smiling and chatting when he passed by. He eventually found an empty compartment and maneuvered his trunk through the door, making sure to take care that his new eagle owl, Atlas, was not jostled.

He settled into the bench and tried to find a way to entertain himself. After five minutes had passed, he became fidgety and wished he had just asked Victoire if he could sit with her, just so he wasn't so lonely. A knock startled him out of his reverie and he looked up and into the most beautiful hazel eyes he thought he had ever seen.

"Hello, my name is Lucida. Lucida Flint. Do you mind if I sit here? Every other compartment seems to be full." With a small dumbstruck nod, Scorpius would consider that the moment he fell in love. She sat down across from him gracefully and crossed her ankles, quite the prim and proper lady even at eleven. Although when asked, she would say she was eleven and a half. She quirked her eyebrow and fixed him with her gaze. It was then he realized that he hadn't introduced himself.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he said to her as he held out to his hand to shake hers. After all, his parents had raised him to have impeccable manners, and after the scene that had just happened; he knew he had a lot to make up for. She smiled and took his hand and gave it a firm shake before returning her hands to her lap.

"I do believe I've heard your name before, have we met?" she shook her head and replied.

"From what I know, our fathers were schoolmates when they went to Hogwarts. My father is Marcus Flint." Scorpius mentally smacked his forehead. Of course that's why she sounded so familiar. He wondered quietly to himself why they hadn't met before if their parents had been friends. As if she could read his mind, she added, "We've been living in Italy for as long as I can remember, but my parents thought it best for me to go to Hogwarts. After all, it is the best wizarding school."

Scorpius was finally shaken out of his reverie and he launched into a conversation about Italy with her. He was thankful that even though his mother made the family vacations educational, that they were still able to visit amazing places. By the time the train reached its destination, Scorpius was convinced in his eleven-year-old heart that Lucida was the girl he would marry.

As the first years were ushered into the Great Hall, Scorpius surveyed the ceiling in amazement. Of course he had read Hogwarts, A History; but that didn't prepare him for how awe-inspiring it actually was. As Deputy Headmistress, Professor Sinistra, called out names one by one, Scorpius saw the group of students around him begin to thin.

"Lucida Flint," called out Professor Sinistra. Lucida proceeded to the stool that typically housed the Sorting Hat and waited for it to make its decision. After a few seconds of deliberation, the Hat called out, "Ravenclaw!" Lucida gracefully made her way to her cheering housemates. Scorpius caught a few of the glances that were sent her way and tried to shake them off. Before he knew it, Professor Sinistra had called out his name. He took a deep breath and climbed the few stairs up to the stool. He calmly sat down and waited with bated breath. As the professor placed the hat on his head, he felt a nervous pit grow in his stomach. Then he heard a voice in his ear.

Ah, another Malfoy it is. But somehow, you are different than the rest…interesting. Ah, there it is, your mother. Hermione Granger. I rather enjoyed picking through her mind when she sat here. Such a bright young witch, she would have done well anywhere. Just as you will Mr. Malfoy; but the ever present question is where will you do the best? I see you have your mother's intellect, but you also have your father's cunning ability to achieve your end goal.

Scorpius quickly glanced up and noted that the entire hall was staring at him in anticipation.

Yes, yes. I do believe I know just what to do with you.

"Slytherin!" Scorpius rose from the stool and headed towards the table adorned in green and silver. A quick glance over at the Ravenclaw table revealed Lucida giving him a thumbs-up. He smiled in relief and continued on his way to greet his new housemates. It was there that he saw Victoire and he made a beeline straight for her. She smiled and patted the seat next to her, which he gratefully took. Once the sorting was done and Professor McGonagall had finished her opening remarks, the students all tucked into their long-awaited dinner. When the meal finally came to an end, Scorpius could say that he had never eaten that much in his life.

Later that night as he lounged in his dormitory with his new yearmates, Scorpius wrote a quick letter to his family back home.

Mother,

Things are well here at Hogwarts, I'm sure you're not surprised; but I was sorted into Slytherin. It's nice to have Victoire in the same house, not sure what I would do if I didn't have a familiar face. Classes begin tomorrow: potions with Ravenclaw. I'll do my best to make you and father proud.

Scorpius

He quickly ran up to the Entrance Hall to let Atlas go before returning to his dormitory. After all, he was half Hermione and it would not do if he was not well rested for his first class the next day. That night, he fell asleep to visions of pretty brown haired witches with sparkling hazel eyes.