Gray: Scorpius Malfoy and the Blood Runes

by Fiery Gray

UNDER EDITING! (I): After a trauma, the Malfoys are reluctant to send their son off to Hogwarts, especially after Scorpius gets off to an eventful start and nothing goes as planned. He finds things are wrong at Hogwarts under the rule of a dangerous headmaster who has it in for him while in the shadows lie an even greater threat than anyone could have foreseen. COMPLETE

4. Chapter 4: Enemies and Allies

Parts (15-19)

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I

Chapter 4

Enemies and Allies

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Part 1: When Good Men Do Nothing

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Scorpius didn't sleep well that night. He tossed and turned for hours before he drifted off, Angelo's snoring didn't help. When he finally did sleep, he found himself in a nightmare. He was lost in Hogwarts, running around ever more frantically as he tried to find his way but the more he ran, the more lost he became. The corridors shifted constantly – literally - twisting around but impossibly he remained on the ground, running down the hallways that seemed to just get longer the more he ran if they even had an end. He closed his eyes and pushed himself onwards. He had to run. He had to get away. Abruptly he was forced to a halt as something grabbed his injured his wrist, he opened his eyes and saw it was Varanian holding his wrist. The headmaster dug his nails cruelly into the wound, it was agony. Scorpius screamed.

And then he was awake, breathing heavily as he rubbed his injured wrist. It was still sore. He pulled back the drapes and looked around the room, it was still dark and everyone was still sleeping. Angelo was still snoring. He sighed in relief, grateful that he hadn't screamed aloud or that no one seemed to have noticed if he had.

He got out of bed, cringing slightly at the cold stone slabs but tried to ignore it as he went down into the empty Common Room. He had expected as much since it was night or early morning, he didn't know the exact time but it was dark. He sat down in one of the chairs in front of the warming fire, curling up comfortably so his bare feet weren't touching the cold ground. He didn't want to put on socks as he didn't intend to be down there long.

He went to the bandage around his wrist and carefully started to unravel it, he wanted to inspect the wound. He could see the scar, - or rather scars – the three lines that wrapped themselves completely around his wrist although the outer two were disjointed. The cuts from whatever had grabbed him in the lake went over them, they were more random and sprawled and had scabbed over already to heal. There were fresh marks though, he noticed, marks from Varanian grabbing him the previous morning. Scorpius scowled, where teachers allowed to do that?

He sighed again and ran his fingers over the different lines, a shiver shot through him as he traced the one continuous livid line that went all the round and he stopped. The scars would never fade if everything went grabbing his wrist and injuring it more, he wanted them to be gone. He started re-wrapping the bandage around his wrist, the nurse had showed him how to it at St Mungo's because apparently magic didn't work on healing them. The bandage was longer now but the principle was the same, he thought.

Scorpius finished it easily, in fact maybe it was even a little better than it had been before since a few days had loosened it. He rested his head back and gazed into the flames, it was oddly comforting and cast a gentle heat that he found relaxing. It was nicer in the Common Room, peaceful away from Angelo's snoring. Maybe he would just sit there for a few minutes, rest his eyes...

"Wake up, Malfoy!" a voice yelled.

Scorpius barely had time to blink before someone slapped him across him the face, he literally couldn't breathe. For a brief moment of terror he thought it was Marvin waking him up, that he was a prisoner again. He forced himself to look at who had struck him, it wasn't Marvin. It was one of James' Gryffindor bully friends, the tall one. He relaxed slightly but the fear must have shown on his face.

"Scared, Malfoy?" the boy mocked with a smirk, "What's the matter? No one ever slapped you before and you told you what a pathetic excuse for a living being you are?"

"You'd be surprised," Scorpius whispered too quietly to be heard.

He took in his surroundings quickly as he got to his feet, sunlight was streaming through the windows and he saw several others already up and about. People who were dressed, he realized, suddenly feeling very self-conscious for being in his pajamas. Silently he cursed himself for falling asleep and tried to walk to the steps, only for the other bullies to block his path.

"Where do you think you're going, Malfoy?" James questioned drawing his wand.

"Want to get some more sleep, pajama boy?" one of the bullies mocked.

"Is it against the rules to come down to the Common Room and fall asleep in your pajamas?"

"No," the third snorted, a lump of a boy, "But it should be to come into the Common Room you don't belong in. Plus it makes you look like an idiot. Or maybe you did it because you feel like you own the place, Malfoy?"

"No. Look, it won't happen again," Scorpius said, really not wanting to engage them in his pajamas and without a wand, "Please just let me pass."

"Hmm... Well since you said please," James seemed to muse for a moment before barking, "No!"

The others howled with laughter at this and James grinned, seemingly pleased his friends had liked his comment. Scorpius frowned slightly and decided to try and squeeze past them anyway, he was fairly small after all. They were having none of it. As he got closer, the fat one shoved him violently back and something hit his head from behind which knocked forwards. He put out his hands to stop himself from falling flat on his face, wincing at the pain it caused his injured wrist.

"I did say no."

"You're not going anywhere, Malfoy."

"Not until we have a bit of fun with you anyway."

"Are you going to make me dance again?" Scorpius wondered trying to get back up but something shoved him back to his knees, he realized it was the tall one who'd slapped him before.

"How unoriginal would that be?" James questioned with a smirk, "So... you're supposed to get washed before you get dressed so let me help you with that because unlike you, I'm not evil."

On that note, James raised his wand and said a spell that Scorpius didn't recognize. Immediately water flooded down on him, he gasped at the shock of the icy cold water, shivering as he got to his feet. This time he wasn't pushed back down, the tall one was too busy laughing and a few other people were too. He was soaked to the skin quite literally, his drenched pajamas clung to his body while his dripping hair was plastered to his head.

He made another attempt to get to the dormitory, this time he ran but again he was rebuffed. The fat one grabbed him, flung him painfully onto the ground. Before he could get up again, James cast another spell and this one hit him directly. He felt it physically hit him, it was the first time he'd been directly hit by a spell but the sensation was familiar… somehow. He didn't have time to dwell it on though.

He wasn't sure what James had done to him at first, no one said anything but they looked at him expectantly as if waiting for something. He took the opportunity to try get to his feet but failed. Something was wrong with his legs. Every time he tried to get up they started shaking uncontrollably, wobbling and buckling beneath him. The bullies roared with laughter as they watching him struggling. Others did too. Other people were watching and laughing at him.

He felt his cheeks burning with humiliation but he forced himself to look at them, he was oddly relieved to see Molly Weasley and Michael weren't amongst the crowd. He did see the others from his dorm though, Angelo and Reuben were laughing but Albus wasn't. He was standing awkwardly by the wall near his brother, staring at the ground with a guilt-ridden expression. He refused to meet Scorpius' eyes.

"This isn't right," Abby's voice said from nearby, she and Rose were also amongst the crowd and amongst those who weren't laughing, "My dad would never approve of this. Should we get a teacher or... do something?"

"He deserves it," Rose said coldly and firmly but she still wasn't laughing.

He wondered what he had done to deserve it, Marvin's body thudding to the ground beside him came to mind. He shivered and looked away from the crowd as his legs gave way again, preventing him from getting away even if the bullies weren't blocking his path to the dormitory. For once he was glad he couldn't cry, he had a feeling that would only amuse them more. It wasn't fair. He didn't even have a wand to defend himself. He was eleven years old and in his pajamas.

"Let me have a go," one of the others said and Scorpius glanced up in time to see the fat one saying a spell that launched at him.

This time he didn't need to wait to see what had been done, from where the spell had struck him he felt something crawling beneath his skin. He yanked up his sleeve to see several shadowy lumps spreading out, moving around under his skin. He could feel them. He felt sick.

Scorpius knew he was panicking but he couldn't help it, what the hell am I supposed to do?! He started trying to hit the lumps but it didn't seem to do anything, they continued spreading out to his shoulder then to his chest and back. They were constantly moving, seemingly everywhere. It made his skin itch, incredibly uncomfortably.

Frantically, he just started clawing at them desperately, scratching madly at the itchiness that seemed to be everywhere. It didn't help but he couldn't stop, he didn't know what else to do. It was itchy all over. The crawling things didn't stop moving! He dug his nails in so deep it hurt, he knew he was leaving marks but he just couldn't reach them.

"Make it stop!" Scorpius screamed. They only laughed harder. It thundered in his ears.

"I think... I think that's enough," Albus voice pleaded weakly, "James, please make it stop."

"He's fine, Al, jeez you almost sound like you feel bad for the enemy," came James' reply.

"I don't!"

"Good."

Make it stop! Scorpius mind shrieked at him desperately as the crawling itch spread to his face, the laughter seemed to die down a bit as he clawed at his cheeks. Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! He wanted to scream but he had a feeling that it would do no good. Then again, scratching himself wasn't either. He starting hitting them again instead, it seemed equally effective but he couldn't stop. It was so itchy and it was everywhere.

Abruptly he felt something slam into his stomach, he gasped and fell to all fours. His body instinctively wretched and to his surprise, a spider shot out of his mouth. It was a strange kind of spider, about the size of a coin but with oddly pointed legs. It started crawling away immediately. He barely had time to register it before he felt something hit his torso again, another spider was jolted out. It happened again and again, he felt like someone was kicking him so forcefully it hurt. No one was near him though, it had to be some magic. But the spiders kept coming out, every time. As they did the itching lessened. Then there was no more things crawling under his skin.

It was over. No more crawling. No more kick-feelings. The pain remained though, he felt bruised from the invisible kicks. He let his body collapse on the ground and clutched at his stomach, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, he didn't want to be there. Some people were still laughing at him.

"You're so weak, Malfoy," the fat one sneered.

"What should we do next?" James wondered, sounding almost cheerful.

"I have an idea," one of the others offered brightly, "Anyone want to watch the Death Eater spawn squirm?"

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut tighter and tried to brace himself for whatever torment was next in store for him. He felt too drained to fight. He couldn't fight anyway. He was weak. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't protect himself. He hated everyone for doing this to him. He hated himself for being so weak. He hated Gryffindor. It wasn't fair.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" Michael's voice snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you people?!"

"You wouldn't understand. He doesn't belong here, he's a Malf-"

"Silence, you! So what that he's a Malfoy and his family were Death Enders?! Or whatever they're called. Scorpius hasn't done anything! He's eleven years old! He wasn't even alive when the whole war was happening! Are all your parents saints?! Should we punish everyone for their family's crimes?! Huh?!" Michael yelled and Scorpius realized everyone had gone silent, "My dad's a career criminal, want to beat me up too?! Each and every one you should be ashamed of yourselves! Picking on an unarmed boy and laughing at someone's pain like that... And the rest of you are just as bad! You know what they were doing is wrong but you just stand by and do nothing, not one of you did anything?! Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?! You're the ones who don't belong here!"

Not a word was spoken.

Scorpius opened his eyes, seeing Michael coming over to him. He tried to help Scorpius to his feet, making him see the mudblood in completely a new light. He would never have thought Michael capable of standing up to everyone like that, especially considering he was a First Year who wasn't particular adept with magic. That and he never spoke so much as a word in his defense when Nott was mocking him.

Scorpius' legs were still refusing to work though. He had to lean heavily on Michael for support, this was awkward as the mudblood really was shockingly scrawny. After a second, he was surprised again when Albus came over and looped his other arm around his shoulder. Scorpius started to wonder if he was dreaming again or had slipped into an alternate dimension somehow, where people did the opposite of what he thought. He risked a glance around and saw the whole room looked abashed, minus the bullies but they still said nothing. He still saw no sign of Molly.

They started to make their way to the dormitory, it was difficult with his jelly legs refusing to work. They were getting there, just slowly. He noticed James glaring at Albus as if he'd been betrayed but no one said anything, the bullies moved aside.

"Now give us back our wands, Freak," the fat one hissed at Michael and the mudblood shot him a dark look.

"Fetch," Michael said calmly and with his free hand, threw several wands across the room. The fat one looked ready to explode with anger.

"I'll get you for this, Freak, mark my words."

Michael didn't react and the fuming boy stormed away in the direction the wands had been thrown, the others seemed to follow suit. Scorpius couldn't tell as they pressed on to get upstairs, leaving the Common Room behind. It felt like forever before they reached his bed, every step seeming to take a long time. Scorpius lay down weakly, his legs were still shaking. He wanted to thank them but his mouth didn't seem to be working.

"We should take him to the Hospital Wing, get him checked out," Albus announced.

"We should get a teacher, they can fix his legs and they'll know what to do," Michael countered and Albus cringed in response, "What?"

"I just... I don't want my brother to get in trouble."

"Look, I'm fine, I don't need a nurse or a teacher," Scorpius intervened, finding his voice and both boys blinked as if they'd forgotten he was there.

"Your legs," Albus pointed out.

"Yeah and you... kinda look like Freddy Krueger tried to slap you. You're getting an adult to help, whether you like it or not."

"I don't want a fuss," Scorpius protested but the pair looked determined, "How about... how about... Calderon! Take me to Calderon. I trust him. He'll... just... he's just good."

"Do we even know where is?" Albus wondered.

"It's better than nothing, I'll go ask where he... would be. Good thing it's a Saturday!" Michael announced, already towards the door.

"Wait!" Scorpius called him back and the mudblood froze, "Thank you. Both of you... Thank you."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Michael brushed it off but there was a ghost of a smile on his face as he left.

"You should probably get dressed," Albus commented.

Scorpius nodded and carefully pulled the drapes closed. He started to get dressed, it was slightly awkward with his legs but they obeyed him enough to get on some clothes. He still wasn't really sure why they were helping him though, not after he'd yelled at Michael and Albus... Hadn't Albus called him evil just last night?

"Why are you helping me?" Scorpius' voice asked before his mind could decide whether it was a good idea or not to ask.

"Because..." Albus began in a strangled kind of tone before sighing, "Because it was the right thing to do."

Despite everything, Scorpius smiled.

"Maybe you're not so bad after all," Scorpius commented.

"Maybe you're not either... but you know this doesn't make us friends or anything."

"Oh no, of course not... I wouldn't think... that it would."

"Neither would I... It's not like... It doesn't change who are dads are."

"Yeah, I completely understand."

"Good."

"Okay," Michael's voice said as he returned, Scorpius pulled back the drapes. Now fully dressed except for his shoes, he reached for them as the mudblood came over to them, "Ready to go?"

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Part 2: The Aftermath

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It was equally awkward as the trio started off again, a part of him had hoped that whatever spell had been used on his legs would wear off but no such luck. Scorpius was forced yet again to lean heavily on the two boys as they made their way back down to the common room, he was glad to see the crowd had dispersed and the bullies were nowhere in sight. As they moved out into the main castle, they did get some odd looks but he supposed it was understandable. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and was sickened by the bleeding scratches going down his cheeks. No one said anything though, he was grateful for that. In fact, the people who didn't look were Gryffindors who went out of their way to not look. The Gryffindors who did look hadn't been amongst the crowd and looked as confused as the others. No one spoke the whole journey.

It was actually quite unpleasant for Scorpius, he ached all over and the scratches stung painfully. He knew some of them were bleeding, he felt blood trickling down his cheek especially. It made him shiver. He had done that to himself, they'd made him claw at himself so deep that he was bleeding. His hair was also still damp and skin still cold beneath the warm change of clothes, he longed for a nice hot bath when it was all over.

"This should be it," Michael announced as they came to a halt beside a door in one of the corridors, Scorpius thought it was a closet but Michael rapped on it anyway, "Calderon?"

Almost immediately he heard noise from behind the door, a thud followed what sounded like a stack of books falling, followed by cursing, followed by... Scorpius wasn't sure, flipping pages maybe, more thudding then Calderon's maniacal laughter. Finally, the assistant poked his head out of the door. There were bags under his eyes and from the state of his hair, Scorpius thought he had just gotten up. He still had the welt on the cheek. Scorpius hated Varanian.

"Yes?" Calderon questioned with a yawn.

"I'm sorry," Michael apologized, looking slightly guilty, "Did we wake you?"

"Nah, its fine. I'd only just gone to bed."

"It's the morning," Albus pointed out and Calderon scowled as he spared a glance for the window across the hall.

"So it is. I gotta ask for a room with windows. Or a clock. But the whole tick-tocking drives me mad. Err... Madder. Seriously, how can people stand it? Ticking and tocking and ticking and... Tick, tick, Ticcy."

"Um... yeah," Albus said awkwardly before Calderon could rant some more, "Could you... I dunno, help us maybe?"

"Sure. Wait here."

At this Calderon grinned and snapped his fingers before ducking back into the room, the door closing on them. Scorpius was barely paying attention, the second the assistant had snapped his fingers, Scorpius' legs stopped shaking. The curse apparently lifted. He was unsteady on his feet for a moment, seeming to have to adapt to having stable legs again. He did let go of the others though, he could stand unaided.

"Halle - freakin' - lujah!" Michael exclaimed, noticing the curse lifted.

"He seems a bit... odd," Albus said slowly but looked amazed as Scorpius could stand.

"He is," Michael shrugged, "But he's the decent sort of person. I like him. He's the one who told me I was a wizard and helped get wizard stuff for school at um... Diegon Alley, is it? Best day of my life. Ever."

"And he did somehow save us on the train so that's... good."

"Do you still want to know what happened on the train?" Scorpius asked, wondering whether he should tell Albus about it after all. Did he owe Albus and Michael for helping him? It wasn't so much Albus he was afraid of telling, it was that Albus would blab and cause a panic or something.

"Well... yeah."

"Can we stop talking about what happened on the train, please?" Michael pleaded with a roll of his eyes, "We don't know what happened, let it go or your curiosity will drive you mad."

"Sorry, I just... I've never seen my dad and uncle look as worried as they did when I asked about the train. That's all."

"Well try think about something else."

"Like what?"

"Food, I'm starved."

"Why don't you guys go and get some breakfast then?" Scorpius offered, suddenly feeling bad that they were wasting so much time taking him to Calderon instead of getting fed.

"Nah, food can wait till Calderon's done with you."

"Yeah," Albus agreed.

"The spell to my legs is broken so I can stand alone now, Calderon's... I think he's getting dressed and will be out in a minute so you guys don't have to stand around waiting for me," Scorpius pointed out and they both frowned at him, "It shouldn't take long, I'll catch you up. Save me something if there's any food left."

"I don't know... What if Calderon wants to talk to us?"

"Then we'll go get you from the Great Hall. It'll be easier... to talk about... you know what... what... the thing that happened… by myself."

"Well... okay," Michael reluctantly agreed, "But if you're not back in half an hour then we'll come back for you, okay?"

"Okay."

Hesitantly, the other two Gryffindors left him alone, Scorpius couldn't help but feel relieved that they were gone. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful because he was. It was just there was a part of him that was humiliated that he had needed help in the first place, the same part that taunted him for his consistent failure to protect himself and sneered that he was weak like his family thought. But he was still grateful, his failings were his own, not theirs. He was still surprised they'd stood up for him, people he'd been warned against had saved his skin. It was incredulous. Besides, he wanted to talk to the assistant alone.

He shivered again and shook his head before Calderon's door swung open once more, this time Calderon's whole body was visible and he had indeed dressed himself. Yet again in muggle jeans and a sweater, he'd even brushed his hair. He still had the welt on his cheek. Every time Scorpius saw it, he hated Varanian a little more. Calderon scowled and looked both ways up the corridor.

"Weren't there three of you a minute ago?"

"They went to go get breakfast," Scorpius answered with a shrug and Calderon cocked his head to one side to study him, "You shouldn't have taken so long."

"Well it's hardly appropriate for me to entertain students in my underwear-turn-nightwear is it?" Calderon pointed out before sighing and moving aside slightly to allow him entry, "Best come in then, Scor."

Scorpius walked inside, quite pleased to see his legs were co-operating. He was shocked when he saw Calderon's room though. He wasn't sure he had been wrong when he thought it had been a closet, it was tiny. The room was barely the length of the single bed it held and not even twice as wide, there were no windows at all and the only light came from a jumble of floating candles that hovered around a ball of light that looked like the sun.

There was a desk wedged against the free wall with a spindly chair that didn't look like it was capable of being pulled out fully, it was piled with parchment and books anyway as was the desk. There were trunks rammed underneath the bed and several shelves that were floating around the room, they too were covered in a random assortment of items and books. Scorpius couldn't help but be shocked, he didn't think people could utilize such small rooms as bedrooms.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Calderon told him as he closed the door and made a bow, his cane making it awkward. But he had a strange smile as he motioned for Scorpius to sit on the bed, he did so as Calderon yawned again.

"You're tired," Scorpius stated. It was a fact, not a question and the assistant studied him curiously before speaking.

"It's understandable, I haven't really slept since I woke up in the Hospital Wing. Been working. Pippy isn't keen on me stopping to do foolish things like eat and sleep when there's work to be done."

"That's awful."

"That's the way it is," Calderon said with a shrug as he studied Scorpius with a curious expression, "So what happened to you?"

Scorpius bowed his head slightly, having to admit what had happened somehow made it worse. It made him more ashamed. He heard Calderon sigh and looked back up just in time to see the assistant hold out his hand, palm-first to Scorpius before light erupted from it.

Scorpius gasped in shock and his eyes jerked shut as the light hit him, consuming him as a feeling of warmth spread through him. It didn't hurt, in fact it felt gentle, relaxing almost. Then he seemed to be aware of every injury on his body, every throbbing bruise, every bleeding scratch. Even the scabbing wounds from the lake-creatures and then he felt the pain receding, fading away... Healing. He could feel his body healing. It was amazing.

Until he became aware of the scars on his wrist, it wasn't pain but perhaps slightly discomforting. But it didn't fade. It got worse. He could feel pressure on his wrist, like something was pressing down on the scars. The pressure got more and more intense, so intense that it hurt. He whimpered in pain but found himself incapable of moving. He couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't even open his mouth to tell Calderon to stop.

He thought he heard Calderon give a pained grunt himself before the pressure was lifted. The healing sensation vanished. The light was gone and he could move again. Scorpius blinked and opened his eyes, he saw Calderon leaning back against the wall and breathing heavily. He was about to ask what Calderon had done to him before he realized. The pain was gone. Everything. He looked at his arms, the assortment of self-inflicted scratches were gone.

"Wow," Scorpius breathed and started unraveling the bandage around his wrist, the marks from Varanian and the creatures of the lake were gone. Only the scars remained, they looked more livid somehow but it could have just been his imagination.

"You're welcome, Scor," Calderon commented with a nod, "So are you going to tell me what happened now?"

"I... okay."

Reluctantly Scorpius told him about what the bullies had did to him, careful to leave out who the bullies were. With the exception of James, Scorpius didn't know their names anyway. He knew them by sight and that they were Gryffindor, that was pretty much it though. You weren't supposed to rat out people in your own house, even if you hated the people and the house. Besides, he didn't want to make a fuss, what would his parents do if they found out what happened? It was proof they were right about him being weak. Maybe if he didn't get the bullies in trouble then they'd appreciate it and leave him alone too.

"I need their names, Scor."

"I don't know them."

"The house, or houses at least?"

"They were wearing normal clothes, not uniform. It is a Saturday."

"What did they look like?"

"I didn't get a good look."

"C'mon, I wasn't born yesterday," Calderon told him with a sigh, Scorpius didn't know what to say, "You shouldn't be protecting these boys just because they're in the same house as you."

"I never said they were in Gryffindor!" Scorpius burst out panicked and Calderon only laughed shrilly.

"No you didn't, I guessed and you just kinda confirmed it."

"Please don't do anything, I don't want to make a fuss. I don't want them to get in trouble, I don't want to get in trouble. I don't want my parents to find out. I'll deny it ever happened," Scorpius babbled anxiously and hung his head, "Please Calderon, I came to you because I trust you."

"Scor, those boys should probably be suspended for this," Calderon pointed out with a sigh, "It's wrong, Hogwarts does not teach magic so students can bully each other with it. Staff are really supposed to report incidences of bullying to the headmaster, punish the culprits accordingly because it's not tolerated."

"Why? I don't mind. I prefer it."

"It's the rules."

"Well knowing Varanian, he'd just expel me for it."

"You don't know him at all! He wouldn't expel you for it."

"He's evil and he hates me."

"He isn't evil and he doesn't... hate... you," Calderon answered awkwardly and oddly defensively, "He just... doesn't like people related to Death Eaters... much because he really hates Death Eaters... a lot."

"He is evil and he does hate me," Scorpius protested and just found his mouth blurting information, "He wanted to expel me and fire Professor Hagrid because of what happened at the lake and I heard him tell Harry Potter that he thinks my dad was the behind the attack on the tracks and that the warning was about me because I'm evil and I... I overheard your conversation yesterday, that he wants you to spy on everyone for him and I know he hit you and gave you that mark!"

"He didn't hit me, it was a spell," Calderon pointed out and held up a hand as Scorpius opened his mouth to protest that that was just as bad, if not worse, "And he doesn't usually do that anyway. As to everything else, he's just stressed, I don't think he meant any of it. He's very concerned about protecting the school and everyone in it. That night on the train... everyone could easily have died and well, it's never happened before and it's understandable he might be freaked out and a little paranoid because of it."

"A lot of people are stressed, it doesn't mean they should act like that."

"Maybe so but it doesn't make him evil, Scor."

"Fine," Scorpius sighed in defeated, a part of him feeling oddly hurt by Calderon's reaction, "Tell him what happened to me then, but when he finds a way to make it my fault and expels me then don't be surprised. And be careful of Varanian, he shouldn't hit you and he is... not good so... keep an eye on him. Maybe I'll be better off at home anyway, I never belonged in Gryffindor."

"Okay, Scor, how about we compromise? I won't tell Pippy if you tell me who they are so I can see to giving them detentions. Does that seem fair?"

"I really don't know their names."

"Well describe them, I know every student in this school."

Scorpius sighed and reluctantly told him what the bullies looked like, it seemed like the only option. With the exception of James. He felt some obligation to protect Albus' brother, Albus had tried to get his brother to stop after all and had helped him. The least Scorpius could do in return was try not drop his brother in it. If he did tell on James then he wondered if Harry Potter would find out, decide he and his father were guilty as revenge and send them to Azkaban. He swallowed nervously. He would tell Calderon about James if the assistant asked for a description of the fourth, which seemed fair? When he finished speaking though, Calderon seemed content and didn't ask. Scorpius couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not.

"I know this isn't what you wanted," Calderon said when Scorpius started to leave, "But it really is the best thing to do. Hogwarts students are supposed to be safe, even from each other. I'll take care of it. And try not worry about Pippy, he's a good man really."

"I can't believe that. Not after the bad things he's said and done. He seems evil to me."

"Sometimes we only see what we want to see. You want him to be evil because if he is then it means he was wrong about you. You're not evil, Scor, regardless of what anyone says."

"I... I..." Scorpius began but trailed off, he had no idea what to say but he felt his heart beating faster, "I have to go. Bye, Calderon. Thank you for healing me."

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Part 3: Saturday

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It was only after he left that Scorpius realized he hadn't asked Calderon what was happening with the mail like he'd meant to. Or ask if there was any news about who had sabotaged the tracks. Or even if the assistant was okay. Silently he cursed his useless brain as he continued on his way to the Great Hall, not really looking forward to breakfast but he had said he would be there.

He was feeling a lot better though. Whatever Calderon had done to him had worked wonders, he felt much better than he had after being in the Hospital Wing. All the pain was gone and even his hair was dry, he didn't know the last time he'd felt so refreshed. He was quite impressed that he made it to the Great Hall, he only lost his way once but managed to find his bearings again without the portraits help. He made his way over to the Gryffindor table to where Albus and Michael sat, Abby and Rose were with them. It didn't go unnoticed by Scorpius the odd way they stopped talking when they saw him approach.

"Wow, you look good as new!" Michael commented brightly as Scorpius sat down beside him, "Did the nurse use magic to heal you? Can magic heal people? That's amazing!"

"No, Calderon did and yes magic is used to heal people," Scorpius answered while taking some food for his plate, he was actually quite hungry for once, "Potions too."

"What spell did he use?" Rose questioned, sounding somewhere between curious and annoyed.

"I don't know."

"Did he ask you about what happened?" Albus asked worriedly.

"Obviously."

"Are we allowed to make potions outside of school?" Michael wondered.

"I don't think so."

"How can you not know what spell he used?" Rose complained, glaring at him again.

"It was a non-verbal spell."

"What did you tell him?" Albus asked nervously.

"The truth."

"What about if we make potions at school and then bring them home with us?" Michael inquired slowly.

"I don't know, ask a teacher."

"Healing magic can be dangerous, y'know?" Rose announced testily, "He shouldn't really have done that.

"Well he did and I'm fine."

"Did you tell him who did it?" Albus asked anxiously.

"I described them and left your brother out of it."

"Because you know, technically you're not doing magic outside of school because you already did it," Michael pointed out.

"I told you, I don't know."

"Was he fine though?" Rose questioned and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"I don't know! What is this, Twenty Questions?!"

"What's Twenty Questions?" Abby wondered.

"It's a game you play when you're in the car and the radio isn't working!"

"What's a radio?" Abby asked, Scorpius groaned in exasperation but the girl gave him a gentle smile and spoke awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I know what a radio is. I was just teasing, y'know? Relax."

Scorpius didn't say anything, not sure whether Abby was being mean to him or being friendly. An uncomfortable silence ensured but the others stopped questioning him so he could eat, he was oddly hungry and didn't need any urging from Michael for once.

After a while the awkward silence was broken by Rose as she started talking about lessons instead, or at least the homework that needed to be done over the weekend for lessons. The others gradually seemed to come out of the haze of quiet and join her in talk. Scorpius didn't, he was only half listening really. He wasn't worried about his homework, in fact he was looking forward to it because he had no idea what he was expected to do in his free time. He was glad no one spoke about the bullies again.

He found his eyes going to the teacher's table, there weren't as many teachers there as at dinner. In fact, it was the emptiest that he'd ever seen the table. In fact, he only recognized two of the teachers there. Professor Slughorn was one - the Potion Master's plate was literally piled high with food - and Varanian was the other, even if he was a blonde now. He hated Varanian.

It got him thinking about what Calderon had said, that he just wanted Varanian to be evil. He did want Varanian to be wrong about him being evil - he would admit that – because he didn't want to be evil after all. But it didn't change Varanian's actions. He had hurt Calderon and Scorpius didn't care how stressed you were, maybe slapping someone in a fit of rage would be understandable but twice? And with a spell, a spell you needed to focus on and make a conscious effort to use? He hadn't told Calderon about Varanian digging his nails into his injured wrist. That definitely hadn't been an accident. He also wasn't convinced Varanian hadn't been serious about firing Professor Hagrid or expelling him, he didn't seem the type to make idle threats.

"If you keep glaring at the headmaster then he might actually expel you, y'know?" Michael pointed out and he looked back to the table.

"He is evil."

"So you've said..." Albus muttered before clapping his hands and speaking up in a cheerful tone, "So, anyone excited by the Quidditch tryouts in two weeks?"

"Why would we be excited? First Years almost never make the teams."

"Doesn't mean we can't try, James tried out last year and they took him on as a reserve Seeker. He never got to play last year but now the old Seeker's left, he's practically got the job and the tryout is really just a formality."

"My brother got Keeper for Slytherin the same way," Abby announced proudly before laughing, "My dad says its awkward when Gryffindor and Slytherin are against each other, has to cheer for his house and for his son. Shall be interesting when I have to do that too."

"You have a brother in Slytherin?" Scorpius wondered, genuinely surprised that one of the families he'd be warned against would have someone in the house that he was supposed to have been in.

"Yep and my sister's in Hufflepuff, if my little brother gets Ravenclaw then there'll be a Longbottom in each!"

"Not like that for my family. Weasleys all in Gryffindor," Rose pointed out somewhat proudly, "How a Malfoy landed in Gryffindor, I'll never know."

"Well that's one thing we can agree on," Scorpius muttered, "I'm not really into Quidditch anyway."

"Blasphemy!" Albus accused jokingly. Scorpius didn't smile.

"Muggle moment here," Michael spoke up, "But what is Quidditch?"

At this, Albus launched into a detailed explanation of Quidditch with the aide of Rose and Abby. Scorpius just went back to his food and zoned out, he wasn't quite sure why it depressed him so much but it did. Michael looked excited though, a game played in the air would be an alien concept to muggles as all their sport-games were on the ground. That he knew of anyway. Marvin hadn't liked organized sports, he preferred boxing or ultimate fighting, the occasional wrestling match. Scorpius had never understood why, all Marvin did was bet on them then lose and fly into a rage over it.

"Well we should be going," Rose announced when Albus was done, "If we want to be on time for tea with Hagrid."

"Cool, Hagrid seemed nice and really giant," Michael pointed out with a grin but Rose looked horrified.

"You're not invited! It's just Abby, Albus and I. Because we've known him for our whole lives. He's friends with our parents. You and Malfoy aren't allowed. Obviously. Sorry."

"I'm sure Hagrid wouldn't mi-"

"Albus, Hagrid invited us. Not them," Rose interrupted, earning her two pairs of scowls from Albus and Abby, "Anything else would be rude. It's not like they're our friends or anything."

"It's fine, we understand," Michael brushed it off, slightly awkwardly.

"Tell Professor Hagrid that I say hi," Scorpius offered, he hadn't had a chance to talk to the giant since he'd stood up to Varanian for him. Rose's eyes just narrowed at him.

"Why would Hagrid care what you say?"

"Fine. Have fun."

Scorpius rose and left, he had just finished his second plate anyway and he wasn't very well going to sit around and be insulted. He had enough on his mind already, he'd had enough for one day and it wasn't even lunch time. He stalked out of the Great Hall so fast and focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice his name being called. Abruptly he felt someone grab his scarred wrist, he turned angrily bark on his tongue before he saw who it was. He blinked in surprise as the older boy let him go.

He looked older than when Scorpius had last seen him, the day the moody then-fourteen-year-old had told him to make his own way back from the park because he had "better things" to do than babysit. He'd been going into the Fourth Year the last time Scorpius had seen him, that was more than a year ago now. The Slytherin had evidently not only started his Fifth Year now but had become a prefect, the badge gleaming proudly on his robes. Scorpius wouldn't have guessed the irresponsible, lazy Hal Davis would have been first choice for prefect.

"H-Hey Scorpius," Hal said awkwardly, his voice had evidently finished breaking now.

"Hey Hal," Scorpius answered, he had no idea what the Slytherin wanted with him. Hal had never given him the time of day before. Hal's mouth opened and closed a few times, as if trying to find the right words before he finally spoke again.

"I... I err... almost didn't think you'd be coming to Hogwarts considering... When I didn't see you with the other First Years and then when McGonagall read out your name and you weren't there I thought... that you weren't... y'know, up to coming... then when you were late and got sorted into Gryffindor... I erm... I haven't had the chance to talk to you but I... I... wanted to... I'm so sorry, Scorpius. I'm so, so sorry. I should never have left you alone. I should-"

"It's fine, Hal," Scorpius interrupted, he really didn't want to talk about it now, "I don't blame you."

"Everyone else did!" Hal snapped looking upset, if Scorpius didn't know any better he would have guessed Hal was on the verge of tears, "Your dad was so mad when he found out that I actually thought he was going to kill me. At first everyone thought you had just gotten lost, my parents looked for you for hours and I... I couldn't be bothered, I actually thought you doing it on purpose just to get me in trouble. They couldn't find you though. No one could find you. You were gone for such a long time."

"I know."

"I'm sorry, Scorpius, I'm really sorry," Hal whispered guiltily as he hung his head, "I never meant for you to get hurt, I just wanted to hang out with my friends a lot more than a ten-year old."

"Nine," Scorpius corrected automatically and Hal looked at him with pitiful eyes, "I was nine. It wasn't my birthday for another two weeks."

"Nine... I would never have left you if I knew what would happen, I swear. I was a stupid, self-centered, lazy ass but I never wanted you to be hurt. I'm different now, y'know? I cleaned up my act. I don't expect you to forgive me, even if you do then I'll never forgive myself. But if there's anything you need, anything you want, anything I can do to help at all - with anything - then just come to me, okay? No judgment, no questions, just anything I can do then I will."

"You don't need to-"

"I want to, it's the least I can do," Hal interrupted and looked so... desperate, Scorpius was stunned.

"Okay," Scorpius reluctantly agreed, not really thinking of anything the older boy could possibly offer him.

"Okay," Hal repeated and a ghost of a smile appeared on a face, "So... How you doing?"

"Fine."

"Really? My mum said you weren't the same anymore, broken... Looking forward to flying lessons? You were Quidditch mad. You wanted to be the best... Beater, was it?"

"Seeker," Scorpius corrected him tiredly, "I wanted to be a Seeker. I don't anymore, it was stupid."

"It wasn't stupid!" Hal protested and Scorpius looked away from him, he noticed for the first time that the others from the table were now in the doorway. Within earshot. Scorpius felt himself panicking, how much had they heard? "C'mon, Scorpius, haven't they already taken enough from you? Don't let them take your dreams too. Gryffindor need a Seeker this year, First Years can make the teams if they're good enough, like Harry Potter did. You have two whole weeks to practice, two flying lessons and I'll teach you in my spare time to give you a leg up."

"No, Hal."

"C'mon, it'd be good for you to do normal things again. You know, things you like."

"I'm glad you said that because I have homework to do, homework that is normal and that I like."

"Oh okay..." Hal muttered, looking almost disappointed but Scorpius was more concerned with the four sets of eyes boring into the back of his skull, "Will you at least promise to think about it? I want to help you."

"If I promise to think about it, will you let me go and do my homework?"

"Yes."

"Okay fine, I promise. Bye-Bye now."

"Wait!" Hal hissed before he could turn and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "The password to the Slytherin Common Room is 'Snape.' In case you change your mind or you want to talk or anything, I could even help you with your homework. Can you remember that?"

"Yes, I got it. Okay? Can I go now?"

"Sure, sure, yeah," Hal said, nodding as he backed off and started to walk away, "Think about it."

Scorpius sighed heavily and turned back to the Gryffindors. To his surprise, he saw only Michael was left, Michael who was suddenly very interested in a portrait of a sleeping man. Worriedly, he walked over to the mudblood, trying not to worry over how much they'd heard. He didn't want anyone to know he'd been abducted. With the way things were, the bullies would just use it against him anyway. The one thing he was grateful to his grandfather for, was that he had used his connections to keep Scorpius' disappearance out of the paper. He didn't think he could live with himself if everyone knew.

"Hey," Scorpius greeted Michael, who very obviously made a show of noticing him for the first time.

"Oh hey, didn't notice you there."

"I wasn't born yesterday. How much did everyone hear?"

"Not a lot," Michael answered awkwardly, "Just enough to know that you used to want to be Seeker, when you looked round a second later the others took off anyway."

"That's it?"

"Weren't you talking about that before?"

"It doesn't matter," Scorpius shrugged it off, feeling slightly more at ease that they'd missed the first part of the conversation. Michael didn't seem to be lying at least, "So, Library?"

Michael's smile returned as he nodded, they returned to the dorm briefly for their books and parchment then to the Library. They practically spent the whole day there, Scorpius picked a table as far away from the other Library-users as he could. He only got up to get a book from the shelf, use the bathroom or for the hour they took for lunch.

He actually found himself glad for the mudblood's company in the long run, Scorpius hadn't written an essay before but Michael had in his muggle school. Despite having terrible spelling and writing, Michael did have surprisingly useful knowledge on writing them. The structure, layout and language in them anyway, his magical knowledge was sorely lacking but then he had only been in Hogwarts a few days. Scorpius was still pleasantly surprised, he had a good day. He hadn't been kidding when he said that he liked homework, he liked having something to focus on so he didn't have to think or remember. By the time they went for dinner, their homework was practically done.

"So what do wizards do in their free time? A whole day of free time, I won't know what to do with myself!" Michael commented as they headed to the Great Hall.

"Don't you get free time at home?"

"Nope."

Scorpius did think that was odd but Michael didn't elaborate and he wasn't going to ask, he wasn't that curious or nosy. Much to his chagrin though, Michael sat down beside Albus and he was once again forced to sit opposite Rose. All she ever did was glare at him, it was irritating. None of them said anything about him wanting to be a Seeker, about the bullies or anything about his disappearance. He assumed Michael hadn't lied and they hadn't heard anything about it, or they weren't saying anything if they had heard. He could live with that.

He did notice the bullies weren't at the table again, they hadn't been at breakfast or lunch either. Not that he was complaining although James was. He seemed to be in a foul mood, barely looking up from his plate and if anyone spoke to him then he snapped at him. A lot of Gryffindors still wouldn't look at him or Michael, he noticed. Molly did, he realized as his eyes found her and noticed her watching him with a thoughtful expression. He hoped he wasn't blushing as he quickly went to back to his plate. He didn't look up from his plate for a while and when he did, it was to look at the teacher's table.

Varanian was now a redhead with a beard but Scorpius still hated him just as much. Regardless of what Calderon said, Scorpius didn't trust the headmaster for a second. Calderon was there, he hadn't been at lunch or breakfast either. He was standing again. Scorpius was beginning to wonder if the assistant was even allowed to sit and eat like everyone else, he had yet to see him do it. Calderon didn't look well though, he looked dead on his feet exhausted. Scorpius hoped he was alright.

When they finished, they headed back to the Common Room. His path to the dormitories was again blocked by the bullies however, minus James. The First Year boys walked over to them, Scorpius tried to get by with the group but the bullies were having none of it. They let Angelo and Reuben up without incident but blocked the way for the final three, Scorpius almost sighed but they surprised him.

"Malfoy," the fat one spat and glared at him, "I. Have. To. Tell. You. That. I. Am. Sorry. For earlier."

"What?" Scorpius blinked in shock.

"You bloody well heard me! I'm not repeating it!"

"But don't think we mean it," the taller one barked angrily, "We still hate your guts. We just... have decided it's in our best interests to back off you for the time being."

"Well... good," Scorpius answered awkwardly and they stepped aside, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He almost smiled as he and Albus started to climb the stairs, before he realized they'd stopped Michael. The fat one hissed something into his ear, Michael's expression was unreadable but after a moment they let him go. He went up the stairs with them and refused to speak about it, Scorpius slept uneasily that night.

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Part 4: The Owlery

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Scorpius woke up early the next morning, not so early that the world was still in darkness but just before the others in his dormitory. He got dressed anyway and decided it would be a good time to send that message to his parents, he pocketed the letter as well as some owl treats and prepared to take Free to the Owlery. He knew really Free should probably have been there already but he liked having the bird nearby, he stroked Free gently and fed him a treat before heading down.

He was actually relieved to see a few Gryffindors were also early risers, they pretty much all refused to look at him but if other people were awake then he was allowed to be anyway. Free squawked in his ear, it reminded him of the task at hand. As he started to walk to the exit, he noticed Molly Weasley coming down the stairs from the girl's side. His stomach seemed to do a somersault again. He would have to get it to stop doing that somehow. Oddly, the redhead noticed him and started to walk towards him. Am I imagining it? He wondered but she continued walking towards him, shooting Free a smile.

"Cute owl," Molly commented and cautiously reached out to stroke the bird, Free squawked in approval at the attention and her smile widened, "What's his name?"

"Free," Scorpius answered clumsily, "He's an owl. A white-horned owl, I mean. I'm taking him to the Owlery."

"Cool. Do you want me to show you the way?"

"Yeah, sure."

Scorpius followed Molly as she led him out of the Common Room and through the castle, they talked about owls while they went. She had an Eagle Owl that her grandfather had bought her as a gift when she started Hogwarts, she'd named him Hopper because his first flight he'd injured one of his legs and had to hop for a while. She claimed he had rather an odd personality compared to the owls in the family, nipping the people that he liked or his habit of flying off with extra bits of paper or occasionally forgot the letter in his enthusiasm to fly. He could fly faster than lightning, she claimed.

He was almost disappointed when they reached the Owlery. There was a sign on the door that looked new and beneath it a bag. The sign instructed pupils to write the perch number of the owl they wanted to send a letter on the envelope of the letter itself, or an 'H' if you wished to use a school owl. After that, you were supposed to simply place the letter in the bag. At the end of the day, someone would check your owl to make sure they were alright to travel. Finally, they'd be given your letter and sent on their way. Scorpius had to resist the urge to snort in disapproval, by 'check your owl' they should have put 'check your mail because Varanian is a paranoid, evil creep who should be fired.'

"That's new," Molly muttered as she too read it, "Guess that's the new rules being enforced."

"Yeah. How do you know what perch your owl is supposed to go on?"

"They put a sticky thing..." Molly answered and trailed off as she moved her hand up Free's legs. A second later removing her hand, he saw a small piece of paper in her hand that she glanced at, "Yours would be '113.'"

"I didn't bring a quill or ink with me anyway, can just leave Free here and come back later."

Molly nodded as she led him into the Owlery, he shivered at the shock of cold but quickly realized that the windows not having glass would do that to a room. The floor was covered in straw, as well as what looked like owl droppings and regurgitated bones. The walls seemed to be nothing but perches filled with owls. No sooner had they walked in then a fast blur shot towards them, it was an owl.

The huge bird - that he assumed was Hopper - dropped what looked like rags on her shoulder before landing her, he looked oversized on her shoulder and quickly bit her ear. Molly rubbed her ear and mumbled a complaint before the owl nuzzled her and squawked, Molly only smiled and started stroking Hopper. Scorpius noticed the owl was missing a toe on the leg Molly had said he'd injured. Free flew off his arm and excitedly flew around the room, Scorpius wasn't sure why but he was grateful as his arm had been a bit tired holding him all that way.

"Want to say hi to Scorpius?"

As she spoke, Molly stretched out her arm towards him and Hopper looked at him with his bulging orange eyes. The owl squawked and tentatively walked, edging itself sideways down her arm to her wrist. Cautiously, Scorpius raised his hand to stroke him, Hopper peered at his hand for a moment before biting him.

"Ow!" Scorpius exclaimed, pulling back his hand, it hadn't been hard enough to make him bleed but it still hurt. Molly laughed.

"That's his way of saying that he likes you," she pointed out as Hopped flew onto Scorpius' shoulder and started nuzzling his face, "Now you can stroke him."

Awkwardly, Scorpius stroked the bird on his shoulder, who seemed to give a vocal squawk of approval. He hoped it was approval anyway. After a minute, he moved his hand away and Hopper bit his ear, screeched and nuzzled him again. Scorpius carried on stroking him and almost smiled, it reminded him of the Davis' dog. She loved being petted and if you dared stop her would whine then hit you with her paw. He went to looked back at Molly but saw she had moved over to the windows, her arms were folded and she was watching him a worried expression.

"Is something wrong?" Scorpius asked, moving over to her as Hopper flew back over to her shoulder.

"No. Yes. Maybe. Sort of. I don't know," Molly answered awkwardly and sighed, "This is going to sound really weird but... here goes. Have you heard of Divination?"

"Yeah, seeing the future and stuff?"

"Yeah. It's one of the subjects I picked this year and... well on Friday we had to try Crystal-gazing, looking into a crystal ball and trying to see the future. She said most people can't do it the first time but I... I saw something. I saw you. You were fighting this darkness, the darkness was everywhere. Then you just stepped back and kinda stepped out of the window."

"Well that's... different," Scorpius offered, not really sure what to say to that.

"I know. I'm not trying to freak you out but... it's what I saw and it seemed so real. The professor said it could be metaphorical, the darkness is not an entity but an emotion or a challenge or something and then you... kill yourself which is... kinda just as bad as you being in danger," Molly told him and he resisted the urge to say it was probably nothing, Divination wasn't exactly a science but she seemed so troubled, "I guess I felt like I should warn you or something, just in case you are in danger from... who attacked the train or something."

"Wait, what makes you think someone attacked the train?"

"Well Calderon wasn't injured when I saw him on the train but he was after, I figured the Shadows attacked the train and Calderon fought them off or something. They retreated but one of them couldn't resist shooting their symbol into the sky and that weird message, that's why my uncles were investigating because dark magic was used. I think everyone's just keeping it quiet to not start a panic," Molly explained with a shrug, "That's my best guest anyway, feel free to tell me that I'm wrong. You have to know more than us as they questioned you too."

"You're... partially right. Shadows? Is that the name of the dark group who use that skeletal snake symbol?"

"That's what the Ministry is calling them... That's why I thought they might be the ones after you, Shadows and shadows. Hopper brought part of a report my father was writing on them - he works at the Ministry - the way he accidentally brings me things. No one really knows what they want or who they are but they've done some seriously dark crimes and Dark Magic, they wreak havoc and just leave behind that symbol... It's weird."

"It is," Scorpius agreed worriedly.

"But don't worry, we're safe here. Hogwarts is safe, protected," Molly said with a forced smile that faded, he had a feeling neither of them believed it, "Just be careful, Scorpius. I know I probably sound like a lunatic right now but I just don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"No its... sweet of you, most people wouldn't bother trying to help me."

"Most people wouldn't try to save a stranger from Slytherins, even when they offered you a way out. And you knew I was a Weasley, considering our family histories and... everything."

"It was the right thing to do," Scorpius said with a shrug, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"Still, it was brave of you," Molly pointed out, "I meant what I said before about welcoming you to Gryffindor, don't think you've heard that a lot... I heard about what my cousin and his friends did to you yesterday. But you know what? Gryffindors are supposed to be picked for their bravery and you have more courage, more right to be here than everyone who stood in that room and watched. And don't you forget it."

"Thanks," Scorpius muttered awkwardly, looking down and hoping he wasn't blushing, "I guess I can't blame them though, Gryffindor wasn't top of the list when I thought about what house I'd be in. In fact, it wasn't even on the list. My dad is probably gonna freak when he finds out."

"Dads can be like that sometimes," Molly offered and he looked up in surprise, "Last year I tried out for Quidditch and got put as reserve Keeper to a seventh year, this year he's gone so I'll be the Keeper. I only picked four extra subjects so I would have more time for it. My dad freaked. Not sure he was madder that I hadn't chosen to do all five or that I was going to be Keeper but... Yeah, I know it's not exactly the same situation as you but I know what it's like to be pressured by your parents, I mean."

"Wow, I thought I was the only one."

"No," Molly laughed and Scorpius couldn't help but smile for some reason whenever he heard her laugh, "I think all parents do it in some way or another. Best you can hope is that even though they freak and get mad, they do still love you and will accept who you are."

"Yeah."

"And you know, I'm sorry about my cousin. He's not that bad once you get to know him... he just doesn't like you very much, I'm afraid. Albus and Rose are in your year though, they're not like James."

"Rose kinda is, if looks could kill then I would be dead a lot."

"She's not that bad when you know her... She just doesn't like you very much, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, I got that."

"It's just that you're a Malfoy and our families do kinda have a history, Albus, James and Rose's parents especially. I don't know if your dad told you about Harry, Ron and Hermione?"

"He warned me against them," Scorpius told her with a shrug as Free came back and landed on the window beside him, he gently stroked the owl.

"Did he tell you that he used to pick on them when they were in school?"

"No! My dad would never do that, he's really nice-"

"To you?" Molly interrupted and he tried not to look furious, "You're his son, he's bound be nice to you but when he was younger, less mature and with enemy kids that he didn't like? People can surprise you how they are with others, until yesterday I never would have thought James was capable of... what he did."

Scorpius moved his hand away from the owl, considering what she said. He thought of what the bullies had done to him yesterday, how hurt and ashamed he'd felt, he still did feel humiliated. His dad would never do that to anyone... would he? He had been a Death Eater for a time. Had his dad really been that bad a person in the past? The same man who used to read him bedtime stories and take him to Quidditch matches? The same man who put off more important things to play just one more game of Wizard Chess? The same man who'd buy him a chocolate frog when he was sick so he'd have something to look forward to when he got better? The same man who came running when he had a nightmare and sat with him until he felt safe enough to fall back to sleep?

But then Molly was right, his dad could be a good dad but a bad classmate. He was more than one thing and it had been in the past. It still hurt to think of his dad as a bully, had he ever made someone feel as bad as the bullies had made him feel? He hoped not, then again it was a cruel irony if he had. Would he pay for his family's past ills forever?

"Yeah, you could be right there," Scorpius said finally but Molly seemed to have lost interest and was scowling at Free, "What?"

"Those scars on your wrist, they look really nasty," Molly commented and Scorpius was horrified to realize he was stroking Free with his scarred wrist, his sleeve had fallen back to give her a perfect view. Hurriedly, he snatched his wrist away and yanked the sleeve down forcefully to cover them, "I was going to ask how you got them but it's okay if you don't want to say."

"I don't... I... Not that... I don't... I..." Scorpius stuttered in panic, somehow afraid she'd just know what happened to him from the scars but she looked guilty more than anything.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you comfortable. It's okay really," Molly offered in a gentle tone that did oddly put him at ease. As did her eyes, a beautiful sky blue, "Relax, I'm sorry... Are we still friends?"

"Friends?" Scorpius repeated stunned, "You want to be friends with me?"

"You say it like you don't have any," Molly offered with a slight smile, clearly not realizing he had no friends. He had none at Hogwarts anyway.

Yip was his friend. The muggles from the park were no longer his friends because all muggles were evil, plus he had no contact with them and really didn't know them that well. Albus had been very clear they were not friends. Michael was nice to him, did that make him his friend? He didn't think so, after all Hal had been nice to him and he didn't consider him a friend. Besides, Michael was still a mudblood and muggles were evil. The other First Years were definite no's. Was Professor Ashain his friend? He might have said yes but he had a feeling the professor wouldn't consider him a friend, although he did call him Scorpius now. Calderon? He might have said yes again but didn't think the assistant would feel the same. He hadn't interacted much with anyone else besides the bullies and they certainly weren't his friends. Did his owl count as his friend? Maybe. Was he allowed to be friends with a Weasley?

"Okay," Scorpius said, nodding as he snapped himself from his thought train. He offered out his hand with a cautious smile, "Friends?"

"Friends," Molly confirmed and returned the smile, "Would love to stay and chat but I kinda have to go write a ten-page essay for Transfiguration."

"Okay. See you later."

"See you. And take care."

---

Part 5: Sunday Stroll

---

Molly shot him a smile before leaving and Hopper squawked in protest before immediately landing on his shoulder instead, nipping at his ear as if to complain about the lack of attention. He shook his head and stroked the two owls for a bit, letting everything she'd said sink in. He couldn't help but feel oddly cheerfully that he had a friend now, despite her warning. He didn't know why he liked Molly but he did. He stayed with them awhile before giving them each an owl treat - he hoped Molly wouldn't object to his feeding Hopper - and heading off.

He returned to his now-empty dorm, it made him wonder whether he'd missed breakfast but he was too focused on his task to really care. He just wanted to get the letter sent while he was still in a good mood and not so afraid of being disowned, he wrote the number as instructed and set back out for the Owlery to put it in the bag. He had considered just sending Free without bothering obeying the rules but he didn't want to risk incurring Varanian's wrath, he had kept the letter very short anyway so it wasn't as if he was giving away a lot of personal information. He was quite pleased at knowing the way, he was very determined to learn the layout and never get lost again. He knew it was irrational to be afraid that getting lost would get him kidnapped again but he didn't know how to stop the niggling fear at the back of his mind.

After he left the Owlery, he just let his feet wander as it was a Sunday and he had no obligations. He just walked. It felt good to just walk, anywhere he wanted at his own pace. Freedom. He'd been a prisoner for such a long time. If he hadn't been handcuffed to a bed then he'd been handcuffed to Marvin to stop him from running off, he could only walk where Marvin made him walk. Even after, his parents weren't keen on allowing him out of the house for fear of something happening again. No one understood the novelty of just being able to walk. It was odd the things you missed.

He saw people as he passed but no one spoke to him, he was glad as he was enjoying himself. He walked for a while, he wasn't sure how long. He made his way to and from every classroom he had to attend, he got a bit lost on the ones he hadn't been to yet but he did find his way in the end and after the second, third, fourth or fifth time, he was pretty confident. He also included the Main Entrance, the Library and Calderon's room on his route. He included the Great Hall too but he'd missed breakfast by the time he got around to it, he was the first to lunch though and had finished before most people got there. By the time he was done with lunch, he was really confident he knew the layout well enough for every room he would need to go to in the near future. It was a good start although he did find himself stuck on what to do after lunch.

He decided the Library would be as good a place as any, there was actually a book he wanted to check out. He noticed the other Gryffindor First Years there, or at least Albus and Abby. His view of the second half of the table was blocked by a bookcase but he assumed Rose and Michael were there too. Best not to disturb them, he thought and selected a book to check out: 'Divination for Dummies' which seemed the least advanced of the Divination books. He thought he should know more on the subject before he dismissed or panicked over what Molly had seen. He went to check out his book and noticed Professor Ashain checking out several copies of a Defense Against the Dark Arts book, for a more advanced class than his by the look of the covers.

"Want some help with those, Professor?"

"Oh, Scorpius? Thank you, that would be great," Professor Ashain said gratefully as he stacked a number of them into Scorpius' arms and they headed off, "Start of term, you need to check out all these books and check them back at the end. Seems rather pointless if you ask me, should just keep them in the classroom all the time or have the students bring them but no, they're older and rarer textbooks and harder for the students to get their hands on, blah, blah, blah. It is quite ridiculous, is it not?"

"Sure," Scorpius agreed, the professor didn't seem to be in the best of moods and he decided it was best to just go with the flow.

"I mean, there are loads of ways around it that don't involve lugging books around a humungous castle. So much simpler ways but no, it has to be this way. Why did I let that madman talk me into taking this job in the first place? That stupid idiotic Varanian and his stupid idiotic rules."

"I hate Varanian."

"So do I! I mean, what the hell is he thinking?!" Professor Ashain continued ranting and Scorpius was somewhat pleased that someone besides him saw Varanian for what he was, "Don't envy Calderon working for that guy, no wonder he's nuts! No sane person would be able to stand his company for long, he is just unbelievable. And I swear, just because I spoke against him on that first night that he hates me now. I mean, he was being completely irrational to you and Hagrid but somehow I'm the bad guy in this?"

"So wrong."

"Totally wrong! And what right has he to treat us like prisoners?!"

"Wait, prisoners?" Scorpius questioned in genuine puzzlement.

"Yes! Oh wait, students didn't hear his new rules for teachers. Guess what? We're not allowed to leave the school without Varanian's permission. Can you even believe that?! And that's not even to permanently leave, this is for our free time! Even on weekends, even if it's just a beer in the pub in Hogsmeade or to visit your family. All staff cannot leave the Hogwarts grounds unless you go to Varanian, tell him your reasons and how long you expect to be gone - to the minute! - then wait for him to make his decision. I needed a drink after hearing that and you know what he said? 'Denied!' Can you believe that?! And if you don't comply then he has grounds to dock your pay or fire you! We're adults! How can he treat us like that?! Should just quit and go back to what I was doing before."

"What were you doing before?"

"Trying to die! I'd certainly be better off dead now!" Professor Ashain continued to rant but Scorpius felt an odd stab of pain in his heart.

"I wouldn't be better off with you dead," Scorpius said quietly and fearfully, "I don't want you to die. Please don't die. Varanian's evil but you can't just die and leave me all alone, we should stay strong together."

"I... I'm sorry," Professor Ashain offered, his anger seemed to fade and he looked guilty, "I'm just upset about this whole thing. I don't mean it, Scorpius, don't worry. I'm alright now, I'm better, I won't... you know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Scorpius muttered, looking down at the books.

"If you want to carry them, you could just do this," Calderon commented and Scorpius glanced up in time to see the assistant had just turned on to their corridor, he smirked and waved his injured hand. Immediately, all the Defense Against the Dark Art books flew into the air, hovering around their heads and bobbing up and down. He laughed shrilly, "You are both wizards, remember?"

"Oh yeah, never thought of that. Then again, I'm not you," Professor Ashain muttered and scowled slightly, "I was meaning to talk to you actually, you said you would fix my phone so it'd work in Hogwarts and you haven't."

"Been kinda busy, Ticcy," Calderon answered with a tired sigh, "Hand it to me and I'll do it now."

Professor Ashain fished a cell phone from his pocket at this, it was so odd to see someone dressed in wizard robes pull a muggle phone out of their pocket. Scorpius frowned, the professor was a pure-blood who hadn't even taken Muggle Studies so why did he have a muggle phone that he wanted to be able to use? He didn't have time to ponder it more though as the professor tossed it to Calderon who awkwardly caught it, his one hand being on his walking stick didn't help. Soon as he did though, the books came crashing down all around them. Calderon winced and staggered backward into the wall.

"Sorry," Calderon apologized weakly, "Little off my game today."

"Are you alright?" Professor Ashain asked with concern that Calderon brushed off with a smirk.

"Fine. This is nothing, Ticcy," Calderon answered and seemed to clutch the phone tighter, his expression turned to one of intense concentration. It glowed for a moment, got so bright it looked like he held the sun itself in his hand for a moment before the glowing stopped and his smile returned, "Done. Will only get signal in the tallest towers though, if you're outside on the rampart. Or the Owlery works if you're beside a window."

"Thank you," the professor offered as Calderon threw the phone back to him.

"You know, I think we got this, Scor. You can probably run along and enjoy the rest of your weekend, eh?" Calderon said, turning to him.

Scorpius didn't really want to go but he felt they needed to talk alone or the assistant wouldn't be sending him away, he didn't blame them. After all, he did want to ask Calderon about what he'd said or done to the bullies to make them leave him alone and possibly thank him. He didn't want to bring it up in front of Professor Ashain though, the less people knew the better. He respected their privacy.

He nodded and said his goodbyes, picked up his Divination book and left to return to his empty dorm. The bullies had said they would leave him alone but he still felt safer in the dorm than in the Common Room, for now anyway. He hoped Calderon and Professor Ashain would be alright, he was becoming more concerned with the assistant's health and he didn't want the professor to get fired or quit... or worse. All because of Varanian, he did agree the headmaster was being unfair.

He tried to put it out of his mind as he nestled comfortably onto his bed and dived into the book, it was actually quite interesting and he lost himself and his worries in it for a long time. He didn't actually stop reading until he heard footsteps, the other First Years returning from dinner. He was slightly shocked that he'd missed dinner, he hadn't realized he'd been that engrossed. Although he had had a large lunch to make up for not having breakfast so it wasn't too bad, he hadn't been hungry clearly.

"Umm..." Albus began awkwardly and for the first time in hours, Scorpius looked up from the book, "Where's Michael?"

"Isn't he with you?" Scorpius asked, peering around the room and seeing only Angelo and Reuben. No Michael. He scowled.

"No. I haven't seen him since breakfast, he was going looking for you and I haven't seen him since."

"Well I haven't seen him since I got up," Scorpius pointed out truthfully, starting to feel worried. Sick even, as he was reminded of his own disappearance, "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" Albus protested but looked as anxious as he felt, "Should we... go look for him or something?"

"Tell a prefect," Angelo called over from his bed, "They'll be able to find him better than us, we haven't even been here a week yet!"

Albus nodded and went to go tell a prefect, only to return a few minutes later. Apparently the prefects wouldn't do anything – or really cared - until it was past his curfew. Angelo and Reuben climbed into bed, unconcerned and promptly fell asleep. Scorpius and Albus however just sat together in awkward silence, every second seeming to drag by even slower than the last as they waited for the stupid clock to strike nine. Scorpius was reminded again of being prisoner, there was nothing to do but wait or watch the TV that Marvin left on for him.

"So... What's the deal with you and Quidditch?" Albus asked after a while, clearly not as used to waiting like Scorpius was, "You said you weren't really into it but that boy said you were Quidditch mad and wanted to be a Seeker. What's the deal?"

"People change, people grow up. I'm just not that into Quidditch anymore."

"You can't just lose interest in Quidditch, you should take him up on his offer! You're mad if you don't, Scorpius."

"What happened to your brother being Seeker? You really want a Malfoy on the team anyway to sully the good Gryffindor name?" Scorpius asked, expecting him to retract his comment and shut up about Quidditch again. He'd decided he didn't like being reminded of something that had made him so happy in the past but not in the present, he hoped that was his reasoning for not liking people talking about Quidditch. If not then he was still struggling with his emotions, they always seemed to be two steps ahead of his mind.

"You'd probably only get reserve anyway but you should still try, you won't get another chance for a whole year. Are you really going to throw that away? And as to being a Malfoy... you're not that bad and if you can be good at Quidditch and it's your dream then go for it. You can't succeed if you don't try and if you do fail... well you'll just be right back where you started, no worse for wear."

Scorpius was about to reply before he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, their heads jerked to the doorway as Michael came up. The mudblood was shivering violently, his face was whiter than snow, making his eye look worse. The left eye was black, as well as swollen from bruising. His clothes looked dirty and torn, his hair looked even more a mess than usual. He walked oddly and clutched his arms almost protectively around himself, he glanced at them briefly before starting to limp towards his bed.

"What happened?!" Albus burst out.

"Are you alright?!" Scorpius demanded.

"F-Fine," Michael answered quietly in a croaked voice with a nod and tried to walk but they blocked his way, "P-Please, I j-just want t-to go to b-bed."

Reluctantly, Scorpius moved aside, he didn't know what else to do. Albus did the same and Michael continued limping over to his bed, he practically collapsed onto it and pulled shut the drapes. He exchanged another look with Albus, a mixture of worry and guilt and silent wonder over what they should do. Neither of them said anything though and finally they went back to their own beds. Scorpius pulled shut the drapes and changed into his pajamas, tried to get comfortable. Then he heard a sound, it was muffled as if they were trying to mask it but it was definitely someone crying.

He pulled back the drapes and looked around to see who it was, Angelo and Reuben still sleeping and Albus was looking around the same as him. It was Michael, he realized, the mudblood's drapes were still closed. Scorpius didn't know what do to, should he go over to him and try to help? Then again, he had gotten the distinct impression that Michael wanted to be alone so was it better to respect his wishes? Albus looked as torn as he felt. Finally, Scorpius pulled back the drapes and lay back down. If their positions were reversed then he certainly wouldn't want anyone to know he was crying - let alone an acquaintance trying to awkwardly comfort him when they didn't even know what happened - so it seemed fair to give Michael his space. Scorpius still felt bad though. Michael cried for a long time.