Sunday evening, the night before leaving for Hogwarts
"Mum, have you seen my black turtleneck sweater?"
"Yes, Lily, the cat is sleeping on it in the dining room," Ginny shouted from the bottom of the stairs so her voice could reach the upper floor. "Al, make sure you've packed all your textbooks this time. James, I'll be checking your suitcase before we leave, I promised Professor McGonagall that you wouldn't bring any of your uncle's joke shop inventions to Hogwarts this year."
Ginny was out of breath. Three kids, and every year, the departure for Hogwarts turned the house into a ticking time bomb. On the eve of departure, everyone was bustling around to find their belongings.
"Every year we say we'll start packing on Friday evening to have a peaceful weekend," she said, collapsing into the green armchair by the fireplace.
"And every year we do it at the last minute," Harry remarked, who had also retreated to the living room to escape the commotion upstairs.
Albus checked the contents of his suitcase for the fifth time. He had all his textbooks for the compulsory subjects: Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration. At the end of his second year, he had chosen Muggle Studies because he loved their technology, especially the cinema, and Divination. He quickly discovered it was the most boring class he had ever taken.
He then checked his uniform, from the robe adorned with green stripes and the Slytherin crest to the striped tie. Finally, his favorite jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, and underwear. Everything was there. He placed magazines featuring the latest broom releases and sports reviews, which automatically updated, to follow his Quidditch team's results.
But as he looked for his copy of "Quidditch Games++," he realized it was missing. He groaned in frustration and headed straight for his brother's room.
He found James sprawled on his bed next to Lily, both engrossed in reading a gossip magazine.
"You shouldn't read that, it's in these kinds of magazines that you find the worst crap about our family," he said as he approached his brother's desk, hoping to spot his sports magazine.
"You're telling me," his sister replied, "James is in it again!"
"Oh yeah?" asked Albus, turning to his brother.
"Yeah, a bit, because of the scene Kathleen made at the club yesterday when I broke up with her," said James, "but they mostly talk about Scorpius and his new boyfriend."
Albus froze, a strange sensation running down his spine and a dull ache appearing in his stomach.
"A new boyfriend?"
"Yeah, look," said Lily, snatching the magazine from her brother's hands and handing it to Albus. He took it and examined the front page photo.
The magazine was from today. Scorpius was visible in the foreground. He had a glass in hand and was sitting on the lap of a young man who was kissing his shoulder. Albus immediately recognized the individual; it was a famous English wizard actor, Adam Rice. Albus wasn't surprised. Scorpius was known for having relationships with trendy personalities and celebrities.
"Do you think they're dating?" Lily asked her two brothers, taking back the magazine from Albus.
"Lily's boyfriend is dating Malfoy! Jealous, sis?" James asked, laughing.
"You're talking nonsense," the young girl said, throwing the magazine at her brother's head. "And even if it were true, Malfoy never keeps a relationship. The only serious one could have been with Lev Danilovich, and it lasted what? Two weeks?"
Albus remembered that scandal very well. Lev Danilovich was a great Quidditch player. Last May, the Malfoys attended the Wizarding World Cup, likely to anticipate their return to the Wizarding World. During the event, Scorpius made a bet with the new star of the Russian Quidditch team during the most important match against the English team.
The bet was simple: "If you win, I'll let you have me"... and the Russian team won with a landslide victory.
Lev and Scorpius stayed together for two weeks, and the Russian seemed very attached to Malfoy, but Scorpius ended the relationship quite quickly. Lev was devastated by this breakup, and disgusted by Scorpius, who Lev later admitted had never actually let him touch him.
"Malfoy is a little prick," said James, looking at the photo. "He plays with people, promises them lots of things, and then dumps them without giving anything. He disgusts me."
"And you, James, always keep your promises," said Lily, "when you tell someone you're going to "Have" them, you definitely do. The problem is you promise too many people."
"Don't you have a suitcase to pack, troublemaker?" retorted her brother, pushing her off the bed with his foot. Lily flipped him off with a smile and left the room.
"I love my sister," said James, laughing, then turned to Albus, "you came for something?"
"Yeah, my 'Quidditch Games ++'…"
"In my suitcase, which is closed," James interrupted, "you'll get it at Hogwarts."
"Don't forget to give it back," Albus sighed, heading for the door.
"Hey Al, wait."
James got up and approached his brother.
"Have you thought about what I told you? To stay away from Malfoy?" he asked in a low voice because the door was still open.
"James, why are you talking about this? Yeah, I've thought about it, but I don't see what you mean. Why would I go near Malfoy?" Albus exasperated.
"Because I've seen how you look at him. With his looks, he attracts attention, that kid. And you're one of the people who look at him a bit too much. And I told you, if things go wrong, you don't want to be on the wrong side."
"You're delusional. I don't know what you're plotting or what you know, but you should be careful because if 'things go wrong' as you say, I won't hesitate to talk to Dad. And he doesn't appreciate stupid prejudices."
"I'm not into anything, Al," James said calmly. He smiled and put both hands on his brother's shoulders, bringing his face close to his. "I'm just warning you. It would be stupid for you to end up alone because Malfoy isn't worth it. Don't fool yourself. He'll never be close to a Potter."
"What do you know?" asked Albus, uncomfortable with the proximity of his brother, who was taller than him. He felt dominated.
"Oh, I know," said James, releasing his brother. He lay back on the bed and picked up the magazine. "I won't forget to give you back your magazine when we're back at the castle, don't worry about that."
Albus stood frozen for a moment, examining his brother, then left the room.
James continued to look at the photo of Scorpius and slowly ran his fingers over his image.
"You're going to pay for this," he murmured before tearing out the page, crumpling it, and making a basket into the trash can.
King's Cross Station, Monday morning
It was cold and damp on this Monday, September 1st, and platform 9 ¾ was crowded with young wizards and their families, luggage, and pets. The Hogwarts Express was already at the platform, but it wasn't yet eleven o'clock.
Some students were boarding the train and crowding at the windows to wave to their families. Others stayed on the platform to enjoy their last moments with their parents, whom they wouldn't see again until the December holidays.
As they prepared to leave, the Potters and Weasleys shared their last family moments.
"Don't forget to pass our regards to Neville and Hagrid… and Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn," Harry said, casting a spell on Lily's luggage to make them lighter.
"This year, it's Hugo's turn to say hello to Hogwarts," said Rose, relieved that her burden from last year was over.
"Will Teddy take the train with us?"
"No, Hugo," Hermione answered her son, "Teddy is already at Hogwarts since yesterday, like all the other professors."
"Will he be a house head?" asked Hugo, sorting his Chocolate Frog cards in hopes of trading his doubles to complete his collection.
"Certainly not," exclaimed Ron, "it's already incredible that he's the Charms professor at 22, even if he's very talented."
James turned to his brother and whispered, "If Teddy thinks I'm going to call him 'Professor Lupin,' he's completely wrong."
The young man then noticed the adults had heard his words and were looking at him with raised eyebrows.
"What?" said James, shrugging, "The guy who used to put dead frogs in my shoes when I was ten is going to be my Charms professor. I'm not going to take him seriously!"
At that moment, a group of young witches passed by, casting longing looks at the two Potter brothers.
"I have a feeling this year is going to be fun," murmured James, watching the girls walk away.
He felt his mother's hand smack the back of his head before he even heard her voice.
"Focus on your O.W.L.s, James. We expect more than satisfactory results from you," Ginny said in a firm voice, though there was a hint of amusement in it.
James grumbled when something caught his eye. Albus knew immediately what his brother had seen and followed his gaze.
The Malfoys were there, Scorpius and his parents, along with Dorian and his father. They stayed a little apart from the other wizards, and the people who passed by them kept a certain distance and cast suspicious glances at the family.
"Curious reaction," noted Ginny, "they're not the first children of Death Eaters to go to Hogwarts, Macnair's and Goyle's offspring are there too."
"It's Malfoy's presence that intrigues them," said Ron. "After all, Lucius was the leader of the Death Eaters, and Draco the youngest servant of Voldemort."
"Nott came to accompany his son," Harry observed. "I would have thought he would stay away."
"His mother didn't come?" asked Ginny.
"She's dead, she was an alcoholic," said Ron.
Rose turned to her father, visibly shocked, and asked if alcohol had killed her.
"In a way," Harry replied, "while she was drunk, she fell in the bathroom and hit her head on the edge of the sink. She was too intoxicated to understand the seriousness of her injury. She wrapped a towel around her head before going to bed, and she bled out during the night. I believe Dorian was too young to remember."
What a stupid death, Albus thought involuntarily.
He was watching Dorian, who seemed completely indifferent to the world around him, his hands in the pockets of his uniform, his back straight. His father stood by his side. He was a tall, dark-haired man, who might have been handsome, but his complexion was pallid, almost sickly, which robbed him of any vitality. Not far from him stood Scorpius's mother, a beautiful woman, it was true, but a disconcerting coldness emanated from her. Draco Malfoy was talking with his son.
Suddenly Draco Malfoy turned his head toward him, met his gaze, and Albus blushed and looked away.
"If something goes wrong," Malfoy said to his son, "call me immediately."
"I know, Dad, but it'll be fine, you'll see."
"And even if nothing happens, write to me."
Draco Malfoy looked at his 14-year-old son in his Hogwarts uniform. He was happy and proud because Scorpius had his place at Hogwarts, like all the Malfoys, and he had been ashamed to deprive him of this honor for three years, even if it was for his own good. But now, at the time of departure, he was afraid. He had noticed the looks, the people who "accidentally" bumped into them. And Scorpius wasn't built for fighting. He resembled him but had inherited his mother's slender, lanky frame. He was too delicate for it to be an advantage. He thought this was yet another burden for the young boy to bear. His bones were slight, his wrists fragile, and his fingers thin. If there was a fight... he wouldn't win.
Luckily, he knows how to run very, very fast, Draco thought.
He gently tugged on his son's hair to tilt his head back.
"No makeup today?" he asked teasingly. Scorpius smiled and pinched his father's hand to make him let go. "You'll behave yourself?"
Scorpius didn't answer. Draco had tolerated all his son's excesses while they had lived in safety, thinking that Scorpius and Dorian's antics were a sort of identity crisis since they were forced to live away from their own most of the time and didn't feel entirely comfortable in the Muggle world. He had explained to the two young men that he expected different behavior from them now that they were back.
The publication of a photo of Scorpius the day before hadn't reassured him…
"Dad, they're watching us," said Scorpius, discreetly nodding toward the Potter-Weasley clan.
Draco turned and recognized familiar faces. He quickly greeted them, then turned away.
"Far too many redheads..." he said to Scorpius, "I shouldn't be surprised, they've always had a tendency to multiply rapidly. And I think Weasley is starting to get some gray hair. Living with Granger must be wearing him out…"
"You know, I talked to Albus Potter," Scorpius suddenly said.
Draco was surprised by his son's sudden revelation, not because the information was incredible—although the knot that formed in his stomach wasn't very pleasant—but because Scorpius seemed to attach importance to it.
"Really?" he finally said. "And what did young Potter say to you?"
"He said he wasn't my enemy."
Interesting... Draco looked at Albus. The young boy looked a lot like his father at his age. With a few differences, however. Albus was better fed and didn't have the skinny frame of teenage Harry Potter. He also didn't have the famous scar on his forehead or glasses. And he seemed more thoughtful and gentler.
A handsome young man, Draco admitted reluctantly…
"A Slytherin, it seems?"
Scorpius nodded.
"The Potters are trouble magnets," Draco sighed, "but they're not liars. If he told you that, then believe him."
Scorpius nodded, a discreet smile on his lips.
Watching his son, Draco had the unpleasant feeling that he had given his consent to something beyond his understanding.
The train suddenly whistled, and Draco's heart tightened. It was time to leave.
Dorian turned to his father, who gently placed his hand on his hair but made no further gesture toward him, as always.
He then turned to Draco, who placed his hands on his shoulders in a gesture of comfort.
"Don't forget to live and have fun, Dorian, you're not going to war, you're going to school."
Dorian smiled and nodded. Draco took his face in his hands, kissed his forehead, and then let him go. Dorian took his suitcase and Scorpius's and headed for the train.
Astoria kissed her son on the cheek and wished him a good trip, without any further ceremony; feigning affection was tiring after all. Malfoy turned back to his father, who took him in his arms. The train whistled again, and Draco let go of his son and pushed him toward the train. Scorpius joined Dorian, who was waiting for him at the open compartment door, and they boarded together, even as the train began to move.
Nott and Astoria were already leaving the platform. Draco waited for the train to disappear completely when he noticed Blaise Zabini approaching.
He greeted him with a nod.
"It's hard to let your kids go," said Blaise.
Draco nodded but didn't respond.
"It'll be fine, you'll see," Zabini continued, "he won't be alone. Nott and my son are there. And the others too."
"I know…"
"Want to have a drink?"
"At eleven o'clock?"
Blaise shrugged.
"Okay."
End of Chapter 4
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