Left Behind.
September the first dawned with the two Malfoy children waking up in very different moods. Scorpius couldn't wait and get up so they could head to the train station for him to catch the Hogwarts Express for the first time. He was about to start Hogwarts, and he couldn't be more excited. However his younger sister Lyra, was less than enthusiastic about the day ahead. She also wanted to go off to Hogwarts, and she was unimpressed that she was being left behind.
Over breakfast, it became clear that Scorpius and Lyra's attitudes were mirrored by their parents. Draco was almost as excited as his son, and the two wizards spent the entire meal talking about the fun Scorpius would have over the next seven years. Hermione was much more subdued as she dealt with her son heading off to school. She wanted Scorpius to have the time of his life at Hogwarts, but she couldn't help but feel slightly sad about the fact her little boy was grown up and heading off to boarding school.
"Come on, we need to get going if we want to be on time," Draco said the second breakfast was over.
"Have you got everything, Scorpius?" Hermione checked.
"Yeah," Scorpius replied.
"Go and make sure," Hermione ordered her son. "I don't want you forgetting anything."
While Draco headed off with Scorpius to check everything was packed, Lyra wandered into the front room and collapsed onto the sofa. Leaving the dishes until later, Hermione followed her daughter to check she was okay.
"Why can't I go to Hogwarts, Mum?" Lyra asked with a pout. "I want to go to Hogwarts."
"You will," Hermione said to her daughter as she sat down next to her. "You'll be going soon enough."
"Yeah, in two years," Lyra muttered.
"It'll come round soon enough," Hermione promised. She didn't know what she would do with herself in two years' time when both her children were off at school.
"I'm going to miss Scorp," Lyra confessed quietly.
"I know sweetheart," Hermione said, pulling her daughter into a hug. "I'm going to miss him too, but he'll be back for Christmas."
"That's ages away," Lyra said moodily.
"He's not going to forget about you," Hermione reassured her daughter. Even though Lyra hadn't expressed any worries about Scorpius forgetting about her, Hermione suspected her daughter was scared in case Scorpius going off to Hogwarts would ruin their close bond. "You'll always be his little sister, and nothing will change that."
Lyra nodded, but didn't get a chance to respond before Draco and Scorpius entered the room. Scorpius was carrying his tortoise tank and dragging his trunk behind him, and his excitement at starting Hogwarts was evident for everyone to see. Even Lyra and Hermione couldn't help but smile at Scorpius's enthusiasm as he hurried them up. Both witches might be going to miss Scorpius when he was gone, but they couldn't help but be pleased he was so happy.
"Come on, let's go," Draco called when everyone was ready.
Hermione took hold of Lyra's hand, while Draco grabbed hold of Scorpius's arm. With two simultaneous cracks the adults apparated their children directly to platform nine and three quarters. The platform was already bustling with students and parents, and the two Malfoy children looked around in awe. They'd both heard plenty of stories about Hogwarts as they'd grown up, and they could hardly believe they were on the platform where the fun would begin.
"Let's get your trunk on board and see if we can find Alex," Draco said to Scorpius.
Within five minutes of arriving at the train station, they'd located Scorpius's best friend. While Scorpius and Alex got themselves sorted on the train, Blaise and Draco stood reminiscing about their first journey on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and Daphne meanwhile were sharing their thoughts about their sons going away, while Lyra stood beside her parents watching the train with a sad expression on her face.
"We've just came to say bye," Scorpius announced as he and Alex hopped back off the train and wandered over to their parents.
"The train doesn't leave for another ten minutes," Daphne pointed out.
"Yeah, but we met a couple of cool lads on the train," Alex told his mother. "We're all going to share a compartment."
"Let them go and make friends," Blaise said.
"Be good," Hermione said to her son as she pulled him into a hug, despite Scorpius's protests that she was embarrassing him.
Wriggling out of his mother's grasp, Scorpius vowed to behave. After saying goodbye to his father, he promised his parents he would write regularly before he turned to his little sister. Lyra was still standing with a sad expression on her face and Scorpius wished he didn't have to leave her behind.
"I'll be back before you know it," He whispered as he hugged Lyra. "You'll enjoy the peace and quiet with me gone."
"True," Lyra said with a smile. "You are rather noisy."
"Don't worry, I'll make up for it in the holidays," Scorpius grinned down at his little sister. "I promise to be as loud and annoying as possible in the holidays."
"In that case don't come back," Lyra joked. Sharing a smile with her brother, the mood then turned serious again. "I'm going to miss you, Scorp."
"I'll miss you too, Lyra," Scorpius said quietly. "Be good."
"I'm always good," Lyra shot back, his smile reappearing. "You're the one who needs warning to be good."
"Where's the fun in being good?" Scorpius asked with a wink. "It's much more entertaining to be bad."
"Bye Scorpius," Lyra said, laughing lightly at her brother. No doubt he'd end up in trouble numerous times over the course of his school career, although he probably had enough charm to talk his way out of most things.
Saying a final goodbye to his family, Scorpius joined Alex and the two eleven year olds headed onto the train. Lyra watched her brother disappear onto the red engine with mixed feelings. She was pleased Scorpius was looking forward to going to school, but she hated being left behind. The next two years couldn't pass quick enough for Lyra. She couldn't wait to be joining her brother on the trip up to Hogwarts.