Fic: More Than Our Abilities

[the-birdnest.livejournal.com]

Title: More Than Our Abilities (Part One)
Author: Bird G
Characters: Scorpius Malfoy, Rose Weasley, Al Potter and a few others.
Rating: "G".
Word Count: 4,744
Author's Notes: Thanks to my betas libbi and shiiki for all their help! About two years ago this was posted under the cumbersome title Five Things About Scorpius' First Year At Hogwarts before I paused to rework it, making it more interview!canon-friendly and finding a better title for it. Since this is their first year and I intend to follow through to their 7th year, this is part one of about forty.

Concrit is always welcome and appreciated. And, of course, the characters and world belong to JKR. I am merely borrowing them.

"“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ Albus Dumbledore


He hated Diagon Alley, hated England, hated Twilfit & Tatting's and though he had yet to set foot inside, he was certain he hated Hogwarts as well.

From the moment Mum had told him they were moving to England and he'd be going to school at Hogwarts, everything had gone wrong. Dad had been in a bad mood ever since, even scolding Scorpius in front of his tutor when he told his parents he wasn't moving, that he was tired of moving and wanted to stay in India. That he'd done this by yelling and stamping his feet hadn't been wise, Scorpius realized that now and felt ashamed by his childish behavior, but still felt he shouldn't have to go somewhere he didn't want to!

Things seemed to pick up a few days later when they went shopping for his owl. Scorpius hadn't even thought about getting a new pet, he already had a pet ferret that his dad didn't like very much. As a treat, his parents let him buy his owl early so he could keep in touch with his family when they were in England. The moment he had set foot into the shop he'd been drawn to the beautiful snowy owl near the window and proclaimed that was the owl he wanted. Dad had been less enthusiastic (Scorpius suspected he just didn't like animals in general) and had tried to point him towards a large gray eagle owl like the one he'd had as a boy. Scorpius couldn't be persuaded; the snowy owl was identical to the one he'd seen in his book about Harry Potter, a fact he had pointed out to his father, who simply mumbled, “I know.”

His mum had helped him pick out a name for him, Antares, and reminded Scorpius not to let him and Scout out of their cages at the same time. Antares might be a smart owl but a lone ferret running around might prove too much temptation, she had warned. Scorpius was sure once they got to know each other that wouldn't be a problem but for now, he did as his mother said.

For a while, Scorpius had almost been excited about moving to England. Yes, it would be another move and he'd have to make friends all over again but Scorpius was used to that part. It wasn't like he wouldn't know anyone, all his cousins went to Hogwarts. Besides, he was going to the same school Harry Potter had gone to and he might even meet him while he was there! On the carriage flight over, he'd spent hours staring out the window imagining just how that would happen. He'd be walking down the street with Antares in her cage for some unknown reason when Harry Potter would spot them. He'd stop Scorpius and mention how he had had an owl just like that when he was a boy and then something exciting would happen. Scorpius hadn't entirely decided on what; maybe the dragon in Gringotts would get loose and go on a rampage or a group of vampires would swoop down and attack, but whatever it was, Harry Potter would be there to stop it and Scorpius would be right at his side to help. Afterwards, he'd be commended for his bravery and Harry Potter would tell him that once he was done with school, he should come be his partner at the Auror Office.

That fantasy had made time pass quickly and before he'd known it, they'd arrived in England. There they were greeted by Grandfather and Grandmother and spent the next few days at their manor where Scorpius was showered with gifts. From there they'd gone to their home, not far from Malfoy Manor, which Scorpius had been surprised to find already fully-furnished. His new room was very similar to the one he'd had back in India aside from some new clothes and a new broom - the Blitz 360. The same one he'd wanted for months: it was the fastest broom in the world and the exact model that Victor Krum used.

Passing a bookstore he saw the very book his grandmother had given him the week before, Hogwarts: A History. Eager for any information on his new school, Scorpius had practically devoured the book, refusing to part with it even at meal times and finishing it in two days. He'd brought it with him when his parents had gone to visit the Zabinis and, as usual, Scorpius had been forced to keep their daughter, Mei, company. Mei was eleven, like him, and was also starting Hogwarts in a week. Unlike him, however, she hadn't been interested in the book at all and had complained that he was ignoring her when he read it and complained about the book being boring when he tried to tell her about it. She'd briefly managed to lure him away from the book by telling him some new charms her mum had taught her. When they turned out to just be beauty charms he'd bored quickly. A trip to the Healer's office where he'd again be poked and prodded and made to swallow some truly awful potions sounded more fun than watching Mei do her hair and asking him if she looked "pretty".

Which he had told her.

(That hadn't gone over well.)

Frowning, he felt a small stab of guilt for having been so short with Mei. Two days after his visit, Mei had fallen ill with dragon pox. It seemed there was a small epidemic sweeping the British Wizarding population and Mei had caught them from one of her friends. His parents had worried that he might have caught them from her but he hadn't, thanks most likely to one of those awful-tasting potions the Healer had fed him.

He had heard that she was feeling better and would be coming home from St. Mungo's in a day or two. For now though, Mei was still in quarantine. From what his parents had said, even her parents couldn't go past the protective barrier for fear they'd catch the disease. There were other children in the ward as well, but from what his mum had said, most were much younger. Mei seemed for all intents alone in a strange place, behind a barrier that only allowed the Healers through. Even someone as continually exasperating as Mei didn't deserve that.

It struck him that a gift might be just the thing to cheer her up, something that would keep her occupied or make her feel less alone. He didn't have a clue what this might be but there were enough shops here that he'd find it eventually.

Nothing in the windows looked like anything Mei would want. The only thing she'd want from the apothecary would be perfume or some such thing. She didn't care much for Quidditch and he didn't know what kind of books she liked to read. There was an ink and quill set in the front window of Flourish and Blotts that looked promising, the quill a pink and orange Fwooper feather and the ink a dusky rose color. When he saw the price, however, Scorpius decided to keep looking.

Finally, he came upon one shop with a large “Back to School” sign in the front window and an assortment of items on display, including a group of multi-colored Pygmy Puffs huddled in a heap in a cage. That could be a good gift for Mei; she was so jealous that he had two pets and was always asking to hold Scout or put stupid ribbons on her. And she liked things that were pink.

Scorpius looked up at the sign again, eyes narrowed, and tried to figure out what kind of shop it was.

“Weasley's Wizard Wheezes,” he said to himself. The first was a name, a very familiar one at that, and the middle word he knew, of course. It was the last word that he couldn't decipher.

His English was excellent but he still ran across words that stumped him sometimes. When that happened, he usually looked it up in the dictionary, but at the moment, he didn't have one of those. Looking in the window again, he guessed that it was a toy shop of some sort. Something aimed at children, anyway. With a glance towards his father, who was still standing in front of the apothecary, talking animatedly to the owner, Scorpius pushed the door open and went inside.
***
The shop was busy and judging from all the kids and teenagers inside, he'd been right in guessing that it was aimed at children. Unsure of where to start, he wandered down an aisle, looking at the items on display. It wasn't until he was halfway down that he noticed all the pink and realized he must be in the aisle for girl toys. Yet, nothing here seemed right for Mei. She definitely wouldn't be pleased if he bought her pimple vanishers and he prayed she never discovered the love potions.

In the next aisle he found the two-way mirror he decided he wanted for himself and almost thought about getting one for Mei. Except she might want to give the other half to him and then he'd have to talk to her. Still, looking around, he found that there was little in this aisle he didn't want – Extendable Ears, Darkness Powder, Invisibility Paints. This store was brilliant. If his father were with him, he'd beg for one of everything. Walking up the aisle, he looked at each product with keen interest. It wasn't until he was about to do as one sign said and touch the plain piece of paper in front of him that Scorpius realized someone was watching him.

“Unless you want to have red hands for the rest of the day, I wouldn't do that.”

Scorpius startled and looked to his left. There was a girl with wild red hair who looked to be his age, maybe older. She adjusted her glasses and continued, “It's covered with Red-Handed Powder so whoever touches it will have red hands for the next twenty-four hours. Or forty-eight. I can't remember. It's dead useful for knowing who's been messing with your stuff.”

“Oh,” he said softly, looking back up at the piece of paper. Sure enough, right next to it was a little bottle with the words Red-Handed Powder on the front. He made a mental note to get a catalog before he left this store; he knew exactly what he wanted for his birthday. And Christmas.

“Thanks for the warning. Wh--” his words died when he turned to find the girl had disappeared. Scorpius looked around the shelf, mystified as to where she could have gone, till he spotted her at the back of the store with another redheaded girl and a boy with brown hair. From the way the three laughed and talked, they obviously knew each other and Scorpius guessed that the two girls were sisters. He watched with an odd pang of loneliness as the three went and knocked on the back room door despite the sign that read “WWW Employees ONLY” and were invited inside.

He stood there for a few moments, staring at the sign and wondering why they were allowed in, till something clicked in his head. Weasleys. Red hair. Weasleys had red hair. They were probably the children of the shop owners, not to mention they likely knew Harry Potter himself.

Certain he was right, he glanced at the counter but was surprised to see that both the redheaded man behind the counter and the redheaded man in front were staring at him. Whatever illusions he might have clung to that they hadn't been talking about him were squashed when they both jumped and turned away.

He hated that. He hated the looks and the whispers and that everyone seemed to know who he was and he didn't know anyone. He hated that buying his wand today should have been the best moment on this trip and instead it was the worst. First, his father hadn't been with them, ducking out to go to the cauldron shop instead. Then there was the way the elder Ollivander had looked at him when he entered the shop, a look that only soured when Mum gave their name. Scorpius had been glad that he hadn't been the one to wait on them, asking his great-nephew to help them in his place. The younger man, Oberon, had been patient and pleasant and Scorpius had been so excited at having a real wand that he had almost forgotten everything that had happened before.

"Walnut's a very tough wood. Virtually unbreakable." Then with a smile, he had looked at Scorpius. "Not that you shouldn't be careful with it."

"I will be," he had promised, enthralled with the green and blue sparks that shot from the wand.

"With the dragon heartstring core, it's a great wand for dueling. Not that... you should, mind you," Oberon had added with a worried glance to Scorpius' mother.

And that's when it had gone wrong.

The older man returned behind the counter, asking Oberon if he had heard correctly. When his great-nephew said that he had, the older man glanced at Scorpius with a hard look in his eyes and his mouth twisted into a frown. It had only been a glance but it was enough to make him want to throw the wand away and run out of the store.

Afterwards, his mother had tried to reassure him but it was too late - he had a tainted wand and everything was ruined. When his mother had left to make another run to the bank and it had just been him and Dad, Scorpius had been tempted to throw his wand away so he'd have to get a new one. Fear that his father would just take him back to Ollivander instead of going somewhere else was the only thing that stopped him. Instead he asked his father dozens of questions about wands and woods and cores, hoping to trick him into telling the truth about his wand. There was clearly something wrong with it and he knew his mother would only want to make him feel better. Dad, on the other hand, hadn't been in the shop and would hopefully be oblivious to what he was asking.

It hadn't worked. His father apparently didn't know much about wands. The only thing Scorpius found out was that when he'd been a child, Dad had wanted a wand with a dragon heartstring core because that's the kind Grandfather had and because he liked dragons.

Scorpius made his way to the front of the store and was ready to walk out the door when he remembered why he had come here in the first place. (Not to mention he still had the two-way mirror in his hand.) Tempted to just put it back and leave, he stood there for a moment, looking at the Pygmy Puffs. He'd come all this way and he didn't like the idea of running away as if he was scared. Squaring his shoulders, he turned and made his way to the counter.

"... the Fizzy Floating Soda. But that's a good idea, Perce," the man behind the counter said, giving a thoughtful look to the soda bottles they had in front of them. "That way we won't be competing with Honeydukes for business."

“Pardon me.” Both men glanced away from their conversation, twin looks of surprise on their faces.

“Can I help you?” asked the one behind the counter in a friendly-enough tone. Still, Scorpius' resolve wavered and in a softer voice than before he said, “I wanted to buy a Pygmy Puff. For my ... friend.”

He supposed Mei was that. When she wasn't annoying.

“All right. Let's go pick one out.” Scorpius followed the red-haired man over to the window display, not noticing until they were looking over at the sleeping Puffs, that he had only a scar where his left ear should be.

Unfortunately, the man looked up at that exact moment.

“I-I-I... I wanted the pink one.”

“You'll have to be a little more specific, we have a few pink ones,” the man said, mouth turned up into a wry grin.

“Right.” Scorpius looked into the display and pointed to the pink Pygmy Puff that was chittering loudly as it burrowed in and out of the wood chips. “That one. Please.”

The one-eared man nodded and scooped up the Puff. Once they were back at the counter, he said, “Now... wait, what's your name, kid?”

“Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy.”

He quirked an eyebrow at that but merely said, “Well, hello, Scorpius. I'm George. Now, I'm guessing this friend of yours is a girl?”

Scorpius nodded.

"A girlfriend?" George pressed on, looking amused.

"No! No, she is not. Just a friend." With a suspicious look towards the Puff, he asked, "This won't make her think she's my girlfriend, will it? It's not a romantic gift, is it?"

He didn't think it was; it was a small animal, not flowers or jewelry, but maybe in England boys gave Pygmy Puffs in lieu of flowers. "If it is, then I want something else."

"No, it's not. Though you might want to make it clear to her." George was, he realized later, joking. Still, Scorpius nodded solemnly and intended to do just that.

“Now, will you be carrying her home or would you like a cage?”

He asked for a small cage, not wanting to deal with a rambunctious Pygmy Puff for the rest of his trip. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the Zabinis would be mad that he had bought Mei a pet. Hopefully, they didn't dislike Puffs as much as his dad disliked ferrets and owls.

Once outside, he fully intended to return back to the apothecary where his father was. That, however, was before he was nearly run over by a redheaded boy being chased by a smaller black-haired boy.
***

“Give it back, James!” called the second boy as he followed James behind the store. Curious and a little concerned, he shifted the cage and bag to one hand and took his wand out of his robe pocket before trailing after the two.

“He gave it to me, you rotten berk!” squealed the dark-haired boy as he tried to grab the soda bottle that James held above his head. The berk, regrettably, was not only taller with longer arms, but was effortlessly holding the smaller boy at bay with one hand to the forehead while the other dangled the bottle over him. Scorpius noticed it was identical to the ones they had inside the store and guessed the boy was yet another Weasley.

For a moment, James seemed to relent and held out the bottle to the other boy but the moment the other boy reached for it, the redheaded boy pulled it back with a mocking laugh.

“You better give it back or...”

“Or you'll what,” James taunted, a smug look on his face. “Run to Mummy and Daddy like you always do? Oh, poor ickle Albykins! He's just a poor widdle baby that never, ever does anything wrong! Noooo, not our widdle Albykins! It's everyone else's fault that he's a sneaky lit--”

“Shut up!”

“Make me!”

Scorpius held onto his wand tightly, wondering what, if anything, he should do. After their first trip to Diagon Alley, Dad had promised he would teach him some defensive spells once he had his wand. But they hadn't done that yet and the only spells he knew were some warming charms, Aguamenti and Expelliarmus. He wasn't sure if Expelliarmus worked on things that weren't wands and he didn't think he was close enough to hit James with Aguamenti even if he did get it to work.

Still, it was better than nothing, he guessed. Wand raised, he was just ready to throw the spell when “Albykins” threw himself at the older boy, arms flailing as he tried to grab back his soda. James, however, was quicker and again held the smaller boy back with one hand to his forehead till he stopped fighting. Arms folded, “Albykins” glared at James, who held the bottle high and smirked. “Now, see here, Al--”

He didn't get to finish that sentence as the black-haired boy rushed forward and, rather than making another futile grab for his soda, swiped at James' face, knocking off his glasses. Back now turned to Scorpius, “Albykins” folded his arms and looked up at James, the glasses now on the ground behind “Albykins”.

“Give me my glasses, Al.”

Mimicking his tone, Al replied, “Give me my soda, James.”

A mulish look on his face, James glared down and for a second, Scorpius swore he was going to hit Al. But he didn’t; instead he held tight to the bottle and muttered something Scorpius couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it earned a violent reaction from Al who pushed James. Or tried to push James: instead his hands landed uselessly against the larger boy's chest, not even rocking him. James laughed and Al's shoulders' tensed.

Then he took one step backwards and James' laughter died under the sound of breaking glass.

Whatever doubts about that move being deliberate disappeared when Al proceeded to ground the other boy's glasses under foot with a sarcastic, “Oops.”

Scorpius let out a surprised chuckle before covering his mouth.

“You little brat!” cried James, throwing the soda bottle down and breaking it. With one push he sent Al to the ground. He was spared any further blows by a woman running over to break up the fight. “James! Stop it this instant!”

“But he--”

“I don't care! You don't push your brother around!”

“But, Mum!”

“I don't want to hear it!”

The woman had red hair, like James and like the man following her. Scorpius recognized him as "Perce" from the shop and guessed that she must be his wife. Or sister. Or someone that would make him related to two boys. He didn't think he'd ever seen so many redheads in one place before. It would be downright weird if they weren't all related to one another.

Scorpius leaned against the wall, rather interested in how all this was going to turn out. He'd have been perfectly content to stand there and eavesdrop if it weren't for one sound that had him standing up straight and looking around him. It was too busy and noisy for him to be certain but he was pretty sure his father was calling for him. And not just calling but doing so in that tone that told Scorpius he was in trouble. Without a second glance to the squabbling redheads, he ran back to the apothecary.

“Scorpius!”

He turned around and looked up at his father's angry face. “Dad! I was just--”

“What did I tell you about wandering? Do you realize how dangerous that is? You don't know your way around here. What if you got lost or, God forbid, someone tried to--” He stopped mid-rant and tilted his head, a bemused expression on his face. “What on Earth is that?”

Scorpius followed his father's gaze to the caged Pygmy Puff. “That's a Pygmy Puff.” Then with his best attempt at wide-eyed innocence, he added, “I got her for Mei. Since she's sick and all. She always wanted a pet! And it's pink and she likes pink.”

Rather than being mollified by this as Scorpius had intended, his father looked at the Puff than past him to the store. Frowning now, Draco replied, “That's very thoughtful of you. Still, you don't go off like that! I shouldn't have to run around, bellowing for you like you're a house-elf. You know better.”

“I know. I'm sorry,” he said contritely. “I won't do it again!”

“Yes. Well. Come on. Your mother is off looking at books.” He rested a hand on his son's shoulder. “She must be wondering what happened to us.”

“When we get home, do you think we could go flying?”

“I don't see why not," he said thoughtfully, then looked down at Scorpius with a grin. "You'll need to get some practice in before Quidditch tryouts after all.”

“Oh, yeah.” While focusing on all the things he didn't like, he had nearly forgotten one of the few things he'd been looking forward to. “You really think I'll make the team?”

“I think it would be a crime if you didn't.”

He smiled, lost in his daydreams as his father guided him through the crowds. It wasn't until they made an unexpected right to cross the street and Scorpius nearly walked into a woman that he snapped back to the present.

“Pay attention, Scorpius,” Draco murmured, his grip on Scorpius' shoulder tightening then lifting as his dad moved to the other side of him. Scorpius was about to ask him why he moved till he glanced over and saw why. Across the street, and now partially obscured by his father, was that pub they had passed the other day.

It had been their first day in England and Dad had wanted to stop at the bank before they went to their new home. Since his mother had been tied up in a business meeting, Scorpius had accompanied his father on this trip. Gringotts and its dragon had been a thrill to see and afterwards, Dad had promised they'd stop for ice cream and look at Quidditch supplies.

They did neither.

On their way to the ice cream shop, they had passed the Leaky Cauldron. Though it had been early in the evening, the pub was busy, with the noise from the crowded pub inside easily heard on the street. Just as they had passed by, a small group exited the tavern.

“Oi! That's Malfoy,” one man had called.

Draco's steps had slowed but both hands now rested protectively on his son's shoulders.

“Junior or senior?”

Scorpius' had been alarmed, scared for a moment that they had meant him.

“Junior,” he had heard the man snarl and Scorpius had tried to turn to get a better look at them but with his Dad standing directly behind him, he hadn't been able to see a thing.

“Malfoy! Oi, Malfoy! You got – you got a lot a nerve coming back here!” At this point people had stopped to stare at them as they passed. “A lot of bloody nerve!”

“C'mon, Kevin. It's not worth it,” another man had said. There had been a discussion and it had sounded like more people had gathered in front of the tavern. All he could remember now was that feeling of being watched, the way his father's footsteps had sped up when he had whispered, "Keep walking."

Then Kevin had started again. “Yeah, you run! Run, you coward! You should be rotting with your friends in Azkaban!”

Scorpius hadn't heard another thing after that because then his father had grabbed his arm tightly, told him to hold on and they had Apparated back home. He was so grateful to be away from that man, grateful to be safe at home, that he hadn’t even been bothered by the sudden Side-Along Apparition. Aside from asking him if he was okay, Dad hadn't spoken much about what had happened. Instead, he had busied himself with redoubling the wards around their home while Scorpius had played with Scout.

Later, after Mum had returned and after dinner, his parents had sat him down in the parlor to tell him about the war. The conversation was short, they hadn't gone into detail and he'd been too overwhelmed to think of any questions to ask. He wasn't sure what more there was to know other than that his family had been on the wrong side. Lying in bed that night, he wished that they'd never set foot in England.

Scorpius sighed.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” he lied, not wanting to upset his father by telling him he wasn't sure he liked it here, that people stared and whispered and he was worried it would be the same at school. They were here now and it was abundantly clear that his complaining wouldn't change that.

He looked around, hoping to spot his mother. Instead, his attention was drawn to a dark alley that seemed to be home to more shops but none they'd visited. Scorpius craned his neck, trying to get a better look. “What's down there?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Dad's tone dissuaded any further questions. Still, Scorpius turned his head, curious at what was down there. It wasn't till they were about to turn the corner that he noticed the sign above the street entrance - Knockturn Alley.


A/N II: Just because I know it wasn't obvious - the walnut wood and dragon heartstring core of Scorpius' wand makes it identical to that of Bellatrix Lestrange, his great-auntie. Hence, Ollivander's reaction.


(Part Two.)