Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
Chapter 1: The Ministry Party
Scorpius Malfoy had always hated large crowds and the one before him was no exception. He clung to his mother's hand as she led him into the massive ballroom, her other hand resting lightly on his father's arm. He hated the stiff formal robes he wore. They were immaculately white, perfectly creased, and he was sure he would stain them irreparably by the end of the night.
He looked around the room, but saw no familiar faces, and the only other children in sight were a cluster of redheads and brunettes. Above him, his mother said, "Well, I suppose he could always play with the Weasleys."
He looked up just in time to see his father grimace. "I doubt said Weasels would allow it," his father answered. "I wonder who else has come tonight."
Scorpius looked back at the other children as his parents led him past. He wondered what it would be like to huddle with them, whispering together and stealing glances at the adults around them as if afraid of being found out. He wondered what having any friends at all, or even siblings, would be like. He lost sight of them long before his family reached the food table, piled high with cakes and sweetmeats and bits of fruit. His mother handed him a plate with chocolate cream puffs before turning to speak with the woman beside her, whom Scorpius did not recognize. When their talk turned to dresses, he wandered over to his father.
"Why couldn't I stay home, Father?" he asked. "There's hardly any other children here."
"Because your grandmother is in Belgium right now and your grandfather had other plans and there was no one else to watch you."
Scorpius scowled. "Grandfather hates me. Why didn't you have more children like he wanted? Then I could have someone to play with."
His father crouched down to look him in the eye and said quietly, but forcefully, "Scorpius Hyperion! Never talk about your grandfather that way!"
Scorpius glared silently. The argument was an old one. His father stood again and Scorpius heard him call, "Theo!" Scorpius repressed a shudder. Mr Nott himself was not so bad, but his two sons, Thaddeus and Tiberius, were the banes of Scorpius' existence, a fact to which the adults were inexplicably oblivious.
Mr Nott joined them, his two sons close behind. Tiberius, a year older than Scorpius, smiled sweetly at him. Scorpius hated that smile and had no idea how his usually perceptive father could be fooled by it. Thaddeus, the older of the two, asked in his sickly sweet voice, "What's wrong, Scor?"
Thaddeus knew that Scorpius hated that nickname almost as much as he hated Thaddeus himself. When Scorpius' only answer was a silent glare, his father said, "Scorpius didn't want to come. He was afraid he wouldn't run into any friends."
"Well, he needn't worry now," Mr Nott said. "Run along, children."
That last phrase was supposed to mean, 'leave the adults alone so they can talk,' but the Nott boys thought it meant, 'go torture Scorpius.' When Thaddeus grabbed his wrist to lead him away, he tried to protest, but his father told him to stop sulking and he gave up. Abruptly, he changed tactics and tried to pull away through the crowd. Thaddeus followed until they were far from their parents, then he and Tiberius dragged Scorpius into a side room, where two boys he did not know were whispering.
"We brought him, Cadmus," Thaddeus announced. "Now where's our payment?"
The largest boy withdrew a bag from his robes. "It's all here, just like I promised."
"Even the Wheezes' darkness powder?"
"Yeah, now hand him over." Thaddeus shoved Scorpius toward Cadmus and grabbed the bag, which he pocketed in the same movement. Cadmus gripped Scorpius' shoulder so hard that it hurt. He tried to pull away, but the grip tightened. With his other hand, Cadmus grabbed Scorpius' chin and forced his head back. "Filthy blood traitor," he snarled. Then he spit in Scorpius' face. Scorpius winced and Cadmus shoved him to the floor in disgust.
Another boy straddled him before he could rise and pinned his shoulders to the floor. He bucked ineffectually, causing the boy to laugh. "I like him, Cadmus. Just think what we can do with him when he gets to Hogwarts."
"That rubbish?" Thaddeus asked. "He won't go to Hogwarts. He isn't allowed."
The boy on top of him looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Malfoy's little boy is a squib!" Tiberius chortled. Scorpius closed his eyes and prayed that when he opened them again, the nightmare would be over.
Cadmus added, "If you lied about that, you'll be sorry, Nott. I always wanted to torture a squib. That it's a Malfoy is just added fun."
A hand gripped his chin again and the boy above Scorpius sneered, "Is he really?" Scorpius did not respond and the boy snapped, "Look at me, you worthless mudblood!" Scorpius wanted to protest that technically, he was not a mudblood, but he could not move his jaw to open his mouth. He kept his eyes shut. "Look at me!"
A sudden searing pain lanced through his head, followed quickly by another before he realized the boy was punching him. He could feel liquid running down his cheeks, but did not know whether it was blood or tears. He wanted to open his mouth and cry out, but his whole face hurt too much.
He did not know that the boy had stood until he slammed a foot down hard on his chest. Scorpius screamed in agony. Moments later, a door slammed and everything went still. Scorpius did not know how much time passed before a voice he did not know, female he thought, asked, "What's going on here?"
Cadmus sneered, "Well, well. The bookworm and her boyfriend have come to save the day."
"We aren't scared of you, Cadmus," another voice said, this one a young male. He heard feet shuffling between him and the new voices, then the boy continued, "and you're just pathetic, Linus, pinning your victims down so they can't fight before you pummel them."
So the boy who had punched him was Linus. Linus said, "What do you plan to do about it, Potter?" He said the name as if it was vile. "Run to daddy?"
"Don't need to," Potter answered. "Now get out."
The door slammed open again and there were more voices, everyone shouting at once, and Scorpius' head started pounding again. A hand was touching him, gently stroking his face. "Can you talk?" the girl Cadmus had called bookworm asked. He made no attempt to respond.
A man spoke above them. "Who is it, Rose?"
"I don't know, dad. How can those Flint boys be so cruel?" As she spoke, she never stopped stroking him, wiping away the blood, he thought. He felt her fingers sift through his hair and linger. "His hair is almost white. Is he albino?"
"Oh, God. Is that Malfoy's son?" Scorpius did not recognize that voice, either, but maybe its owner would get his father. He continued, "Al, do you remember who Draco Malfoy is?"
"Yeah," Potter, or Al, said, and Scorpius was surprised to hear him so close.
"Go get him for me." Scorpius heard the shuffling that told him Al was standing. To be honest, he was surprised that both he and the girl, Rose, had not left already. He was sure they would both abandon him, though, when they found out why Linus had beaten him.
He felt the simple healing spells as a soft female voice murmured them. Rose asked, "What's his name, Uncle Harry?"
The man who had sent Al away answered, "Scorpius Malfoy."
"Scorpius," she said, "that's a pretty name." Her father snorted, but she ignored him and continued to stroke Scorpius' face and hair.
When the pain had subsided a bit, a warm, wet cloth gently washed his face. As the woman worked, people were asking Rose what had happened and she tried hard to answer them all at once. To Scorpius, they sounded like too many buzzing bees.
"Will he be okay?" Rose asked when the questions subsided.
The same woman who had cast the healing spells answered, "I don't know, love. Both his nose and jaw are broken and I think at least one rib is as well. We'll have to get him to St Mungo's soon."
Running footsteps heralded his father's arrival. With a cry of "Scorpius!" his father knelt beside him and clutched his hand. Scorpius wanted to respond, but he felt sluggish and wondered vaguely if the healing spells were at fault. Weakly, he squeezed his father's hand. His father squeezed back and pressed Scorpius' hand to his face. "What happened, Potter?" he asked and his voice sounded more pained than Scorpius had ever heard it.
Rose's uncle answered, "From what I understand, Al and Rose found the Flint boys beating him up. Rose thinks the Nott boys were involved, too. She saw them dart away from the door not long before she and Al heard Scorpius scream." Belatedly, Scorpius realized he must be Harry Potter.
"That doesn't make sense. The Notts are Scorpius' friends."
"We're still sorting what happened, Draco." Mr Potter's voice was gentle, but professional, and Scorpius wondered if he and his father were friends. "Ready to bring him to St Mungo's?" His father did not speak, but a moment later, he was being gently levitated. Then he heard the spell that sent him into a blissfully pain free sleep.
Author's Note: Title changed from Being Different. I am enjoying writing this story, but have no idea where it's going. It's an experiment. Please review.