Music I listened to while writing : Sweet Beliefs de Cyann and Ben

Chapter 5 : Abandonment issues

The Hogwarts Express

"Going to check if your vipers had a good summer?"

"Go play with your dumb kittens, James."

James burst out laughing and winked playfully at his brother before joining Ross Finnigan and his group of Gryffindors. That's how it was between him and his brother—always a healthy rivalry.

Albus headed towards the carriage that the Slytherins had claimed, a spot no one ever contested. He wanted to see his team, particularly the two main Chasers. The trials hadn't happened yet, but contrary to the rules, Albus already knew who he wanted on his team. Besides, he had seen Scorpius enter the Slytherin compartment…

Other students greeted him as he passed, and some girls stared at him intently before giggling shyly among themselves. Albus smiled despite himself, knowing they were probably fantasizing about his father when they looked at him.

He finally entered the Slytherin carriage. As soon as he did, Kyle Goyle shot him a dark look and spat in the aisle, full of hate. Albus despised that guy and his gang who gave Slytherin a bad name. The rotten ones James talked about—that was them. Degenerate "purebloods," and their inbreeding hadn't improved their magical talents. And that idiot was the product of Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson, people the adults in his family knew well.

Linz Carlson and Aaron Briani, the future Chasers, immediately came to greet him, glaring at Goyle, who eventually ignored them. They talked about the summer and their upcoming match when Albus noticed Victor Zabini talking with Dorian Nott.
Albus considered ignoring them, but Victor approached him to shake his hand:

"Hey Potter, how was your summer?"

"Perfect, but I missed Hogwarts. I heard you got named Prefect this year."

"Yeah, I don't know if it's a gift in fifth year with the O.W.L.s in June. By the way, this is Dorian Nott, he's in fifth year too. Nott, you must have heard of Albus Potter?"

"Only by name," replied Dorian, his eyes gleaming, "like everyone else."

To Albus's surprise, Dorian offered him his hand. Albus hesitated for a moment before extending his own.

"Nice to meet you," Albus said.

"Likewise," Dorian replied politely, but the strength in his handshake didn't match his sweet tone.

He's going to crush my fingers, Albus thought.

Finally, Dorian let go, a broad smile on his face.

"We'll have a chance to talk again, Potter, maybe at the Quidditch trials."

Here we go…

"You want to play? Great, I'll put you on the Slytherin list after the Sorting."

Nott nodded, satisfied, then turned back to Victor. Albus slipped away with relief.

He walked through the carriage and finally found Malfoy in one of the compartments at the back. He had opened the window and was smoking a Muggle cigarette, calmly watching the landscape go by.

When Albus opened the compartment, Scorpius jumped, and in a panic, threw his cigarette out the window.

"Oh, it's you! Stop scaring me," exclaimed the young boy as he recognized the newcomer.

"Sorry," Albus said, smiling, "I guess I've gotten used to surprising you."

"Very funny. I thought you were a Prefect or something."

Albus laughed at the boy's genuinely disappointed expression.

"Don't think you're safe just because it's me. I could report you, you know?" he said as he entered the compartment.

Scorpius slowly turned his head towards him, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Just try, Potter," he said defiantly.

"You're threatening me?" Albus asked with a laugh, playfully sitting across from him.

Scorpius smiled and bit his lower lip, but didn't reply. He was a bit surprised by Potter's boldness and confidence, amused too.

At Hogwarts, Potter was in his element, and he was very different from the hesitant boy Scorpius had met at the restaurant. But nothing else had changed—the same bright green eyes, messy black hair, a face that was both masculine and tender, and generous lips… Scorpius had to admit he was handsome.

He realized that Potter was watching him while he studied him and began to blush, something quite shameful since a Malfoy doesn't blush!

Determined to hide it, he searched his pants pocket for another cigarette, which he lit with the tip of his wand.

"You smoke a lot?"

Scorpius smiled as he exhaled the smoke.

"No, just when I get scared and throw them out the window before I've finished them. Then the count goes up, of course."

Albus chuckled softly but bowed his head in a sign of repentance, making Scorpius smile before he continued:

"I've been smoking less since I got back, mostly at night. I doubt I can find any at Hogwarts, so I'm enjoying the last moments of pleasure."

"You can find anything at Hogwarts," said Albus, winking at him, "and you can experiment with a lot of things, so don't worry about your 'moments of pleasure.'"

Something in Albus's eyes unsettled him, and Scorpius gently ran his tongue over his lower lip.

"Good to know," he finally said, determined to ignore the undertones his suspicious mind detected in Albus's words.

Potter got up from his seat and stood in front of him. He took the cigarette from Scorpius's hand and brought it to his lips while looking him in the eyes.

Once again, Scorpius got lost in those emerald pupils. He turned his gaze away.

Albus blew out a long puff and smiled: "Do you never hold eye contact?"

Scorpius was about to retort, but the compartment door suddenly opened, and Goyle entered, flanked by two other guys.

"Hey Malfoy, did you see this?" he said, throwing a crumpled magazine page onto Malfoy's lap.

Albus immediately guessed what it was about. Malfoy unfolded the page—it was the photo of him and Adam Rice that had been published the day before.

"And that's not the most vulgar photo circulating about you. You've already got quite a reputation as a 'slut' before even stepping through Hogwarts' doors."

Malfoy remained impassive as he looked at the photo. Then he got up and slowly approached Kyle Goyle until he was close enough to hear him breathe.

The proximity seemed to unsettle Goyle, disturbed by Scorpius's face just inches from his own.

"Let me explain something, Goyle," Scorpius said softly. "This photo isn't vulgar; it's indiscreet. What is vulgar, however, is when your bitch of a mother flirts with my father as soon as she's had a drink, even with your dad right next to her."

Goyle suddenly went pale, then his face turned red with anger the next second.

Enraged, he lunged at Scorpius, who quickly moved against the compartment window… just as Albus stepped between them, taking Goyle's massive right hook straight to the face.

Mad with pain, Albus bent forward, his hands on his mouth and nose, which were bleeding profusely.

"That wasn't meant for you, Potter," Goyle groaned, backing away, visibly shocked at having struck the Slytherin captain. His friends had already left the compartment, and he quickly followed.

The pain was unbearable, and Albus couldn't see clearly anymore; his brain registered only the agony. His nose was probably broken. He felt around in his jacket pocket, found his wand, and pointed it at his face, murmuring an incantation. A loud crack was heard, and a new wave of excruciating pain washed over his face. But then his previously fractured nose hurt less.

As his vision returned, he felt gentle hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie down on the compartment bench. Those same hands tried to remove his from his face.

"Let me look," said a soft voice. It was Scorpius's voice. Albus blinked and finally saw him. He was leaning over him, tearing a towel into wide strips. He took one, rolled it up, and then pointed his wand at the cloth, murmuring "Aqua pareo."

He then placed the damp piece of towel on Albus's lips. The sensation stung; his lips must have been split.

"You're not as fast as Dorian," Scorpius remarked with a soft laugh.

"Sorry if I don't know how to fight like he does," Albus said bitterly as he relaxed under Scorpius's care. "I probably have less training."

"You still did well," Scorpius said with a smile.

He took another piece of towel, murmured the same spell to moisten it, and tried again to wipe the blood off Albus's face.

"But you wouldn't have been able to take the hit I took," said Albus as Scorpius wiped the lines of blood on his cheek, "why did you provoke him when you couldn't have fought him?"

"But you wouldn't have been able to take the hit that I did," said Albus as Scorpius wiped the blood off his cheek. "Why did you provoke him when you knew you couldn't fight him?"

Scorpius opened his mouth, seemingly about to respond, but then hesitated.

"What?" asked Albus. "What were you going to say?"

Scorpius didn't reply. He continued to clean the blood, looking a bit sad.

Albus pushed his hand away, suddenly sitting up with a hard look in his eyes. He stared at Scorpius, who was still kneeling beside the bench.

"You did it on purpose. You knew I'd step in," he said coldly. "You provoked him, made him furious, but you didn't care because you knew you wouldn't get hurt!"

"I didn't know that!" Scorpius shot back. He stood up and threw the towel onto the seat next to Albus. He stepped back and sat down on the bench facing the young Potter.

"I didn't know," he repeated, avoiding Albus's gaze. "I was hoping you would."

He seemed fragile again, deceptively fragile.

"Great," Albus said, picking up the cloth Scorpius had left behind to wipe his bloody lips. "So you get to run your mouth and let others take the hits?"

"No one forced you to intervene!" Scorpius snapped.

"What did you want me to do?" Albus yelled, losing his temper. "Just stand there and watch him beat you up?"

"So what? Why should it matter to you?" Scorpius suddenly shouted back, standing up, his eyes gleaming. "I didn't ask you to do anything! You acted because you wanted to, so don't blame me for your choices, Potter!"

Albus laughed bitterly, devoid of humor. He stood up, looking at Scorpius with disillusionment. His mouth was still full of blood, and he spat on the floor. He stepped closer to Scorpius, their faces just inches apart. If he leaned in a bit, he could have kissed him...

Scorpius's breathing quickened, and Albus realized he was trembling.

"I'm willing to help you," Albus said. "But I'm not your toy or your human shield. When you learn to respect that, come find me."

With that, he opened the compartment door and left.

Scorpius stood there for a moment, staring into space, a strange, bitter feeling churning in his stomach. The door opened again. He turned suddenly, thinking Potter had come back, but it was Dorian who stood in the doorway, a smile on his face.

"Did you see?" he said, flopping onto the bench. "Potter got his face smashed in."

Scorpius sighed as he sat down next to him, burying his face in his hands.

"I'd love to know who did a number on him," Dorian added.

"It was Goyle," Scorpius mumbled through his hands.

"Okay," Nott said quietly. "And you know that because…?"

"Have you seen Nicolas?" Scorpius cut him off, eager to change the subject.

Nott looked at him suspiciously but continued : "No, I haven't seen your cousin. He's with some other Gryffindors. It's weird to think a Greengrass is hanging out with lions. I wanted to see him before we arrived; he still has some books of mine, and I don't want to go get them in the Gryffindor Tower—what's this?"

Nott leaned down and picked up a torn page from a magazine that lay at his feet.

"Goyle brought it," Scorpius explained. "It's the photo my father mentioned last night. Goyle said there are more copies circulating."

Dorian glanced at the picture, then tore it into tiny pieces and scattered them on the floor.

"One less."

Hogwarts, on the evening of September 1st

"What happened to you, Al?"

Albus had barely stepped off the train when he ran into James. He winced as his brother grabbed his chin to examine his bruised face.

"He got into a fight with Kyle Goyle," explained Rose, holding Albus's bloodstained tissues.

"The idiot hit a little too hard," Albus said, absentmindedly running his tongue over his split lips.

James let go of him and sighed.

"I hope you gave him a good beating."

"Not really," Albus replied. Then, seeing his brother's confused expression, he added : "The punch wasn't meant for me, okay? Let's just say I stepped in at a critical moment."

"Stepped in... for who?" James asked.

Albus was about to answer when he heard whispers and snickers behind him. Scorpius had just exited the train, with Nott standing beside him. They walked across the platform, drawing looks and whistles from the students.

"Hey Malfoy, I'm no actor, but I'd love for you to sit on my lap," called out a sixth-year, his friends laughing.

Dorian tensed, but Scorpius placed a hand on his arm. He turned to the guy and shot back, "Sure, and while you're at it, Nott can teach your girlfriend what a real man is."

More laughter erupted.

The furious sixth-year began to move towards Scorpius, and Dorian was already clenching his fists when Hagrid appeared amidst the crowd of students. Although he wasn't aware of the group's tension, his mere presence stopped any potential violence. The sixth-year backed off, mouthing "later" to Scorpius with a dark look while pointedly ignoring Dorian. Hagrid directed the first-years to the boats while the other students headed towards the carriages.

Dorian and Scorpius climbed into one of the carriages, and Malfoy was surprised to see that Potter, along with a Weasley—and James Potter—had joined them.

James stared at him, his face betraying no emotion, and Scorpius met his gaze, though his eyes weren't as indifferent as James's.

Yes, I remember you, he thought.

Potter smirked, seemingly satisfied, and looked away.

That's when Malfoy saw the castle. He said nothing, but his face betrayed his awe.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Scorpius turned to the girl who had spoken.

She continued, "It's a shame you couldn't do the first-year boat ride; it's even more impressive."

Scorpius smiled at her but didn't reply.

She extended her hand. "I'm Rose Weasley. Ravenclaw."

Scorpius shook her hand. "Scorpius Malfoy. Likely Slytherin."

He then turned to Dorian, who was ignoring the conversation and seemed determined not to join in. He sighed, pointed at him with his thumb, and added, "That's Dorian Nott."

Rose smiled at him.

She held blood-soaked cloths in her hand, and Scorpius felt that sharp pain in his stomach again. He then turned to Albus. The latter was watching him, his face handsome despite the split lips and the slight bruise on the left side.

Scorpius smiled timidly at him, but Albus looked away. Scorpius turned his attention to the scenery.

Upon arriving at the castle, Headmistress McGonagall asked Nott and Malfoy to wait until the other students had entered the Great Hall before they would enter themselves.

The Sorting Hat would place them in their houses before the first-years so they wouldn't have to wait long.

When all the students had entered the castle, the Headmistress led them into the Great Hall.

As soon as they entered, Scorpius and Dorian looked up at the ceiling—a magical ceiling, as Draco had told them, depicting a magnificent starry night.

But when they lowered their eyes, reality was quite different. All eyes were on them.

Despite himself, Scorpius recoiled, a burning desire to flee from the place overtaking him, but Dorian, sensing his fear, took his hand and gently stroked the back of his fingers with his thumb.

The Headmistress, standing behind a lectern adorned with a golden owl, signaled them to approach.

Dorian, still holding Scorpius's hand, walked through the hall under the students' gazes and whispers, and they stopped at the foot of the steps.

At the top of the stairs, in front of the teachers' tables, stood a stool. Professor Longbottom then entered the Great Hall, carrying the Sorting Hat, followed by all the first-years. He climbed the stairs and stood beside the stool.

"It's your turn, Mr. Malfoy, you go first," Professor McGonagall said.

Scorpius took a deep breath as Nott gently tugged his hand to lead him up the stairs. When their hands parted, he felt empty, nauseous. He approached the stool and sat down.

Professor Longbottom placed the Sorting Hat on his head, but even as it barely touched his scalp, it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Relieved, Scorpius took a deep breath as if his lungs hadn't worked for the past ten minutes. No applause was heard, but he smiled at Dorian and caught Potter's eye, seated at the Slytherin table, who gave him a slight nod of approval.

"Mr. Nott, if you please," said McGonagall, indicating the stool.

Scorpius descended the stairs, but instead of joining his new house, he stopped at the base of the steps to wait for Nott. He turned to watch as Dorian sat down. Professor Longbottom placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

Scorpius expected the sorting to be as quick as his own had been. But something was wrong. It was taking too long.

Dorian, who had remained composed until now, suddenly looked uneasy and worried, as if engaged in a silent, internal struggle.

That's when Scorpius realized: Dorian was trying to negotiate with the Sorting Hat.

Suddenly, Dorian paled, and he sighed, "No…"

And the Hat shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!"

"No!" Dorian yelled. He swung his arm over his head, grabbed the hat's brim, and dug his nails into it. He ripped it off his head and violently threw it to the ground.

The entire assembly froze in terror, and the first-years screamed.

"Stop it, Dorian!" Scorpius rushed towards Nott, wrapping his slender arms around him to prevent him from furiously stomping on the Hat.

Students began to stir and rise from their seats. McGonagall called for calm with authority, and Longbottom picked up the Hat.

Once the hall was silent again, Professor McGonagall turned to the two new students:

"The Sorting Hat's decision is final, Mr. Nott, and no outburst of rage can change that. However, it has earned you your first detention. Any further display of fury will result in points being deducted from Gryffindor. Now, Mr. Nott, please join your house. You as well, Mr. Malfoy."

Dorian nodded quietly, defeated. He was breathing rapidly.

He placed his hands on Scorpius' arms, which were still around his waist. Scorpius let go. They descended the stairs together. Murmurs rose around them.

Scorpius wondered if he had ever truly been alone. When in his life had Dorian not been with him? Scorpius couldn't even remember. Panic suddenly tightened his chest, and breathing became difficult.

As they reached the center of the aisle, Dorian spotted Nicolas Greengrass and Sally Macnair signaling for him to join them at the Gryffindor table. Scorpius gently nudged him toward them, his hands trembling.

Dorian turned back to him, and Scorpius gave him his most reassuring smile, to no avail. Nott didn't smile back. He leaned in to whisper, "Stay with Potter." Then he walked away.

Scorpius, now alone, turned toward the Slytherin table and searched among the staring faces for those bright green eyes that belonged to the only person in his lost world. He found the eyes of Albus Potter, who motioned for him to come over. Scorpius made his way to him and sat down by his side.

End of Chapter 5

Feel free to follow me on social media, but ABOVE ALL, don't forget to vote for the chapters of this story, it helps me immensely as an author. Also, leave comments on the chapters, during or after reading—it's always a great joy to read your reactions.
You can also follow me on Instagram: tiffanybrd0

💫 Support me on ! 💫

BECOME A FREE MEMBER FOR FREE !
If you like my story and want to help me continue writing, please visit my page. Your support will allow me to dedicate more time to writing, improve the quality of my stories, and also work on new projects. By joining my community on , you'll gain access to exclusive content, early chapter releases, voting rights (for story continuations or plot developments), and much more!
Thank you for your support. 🌟
🔗 My : p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m./TiffanyBrd