Scorpius hated himself once more for executing a half-arsed plan. Now, he was stuck in the past, specifically the Hogwarts Library, trying to search for any spell to fix the Vanishing Cabinet. His father didn't exactly tell him how he was able to do it. The only thing Scorpius deduced was that Draco Malfoy was half-proud, half-disgusted with himself for successfully achieving a very difficult spell.
He tried to ask help from Dumbledore, because honestly, what did the Headmaster not know? But the Headmaster had been painfully evasive, constantly urging Scorpius that the library was always the delightful place to gain more knowledge.
If Scorpius' hunch was right, he'd say Dumbledore didn't want him to fix the Vanishing Cabinet immediately. It made perfect sense after all. Once the Vanishing Cabinet was fixed, the Death Eaters would travel into Hogwarts and make sure he'd kill Dumbledore.
So, although he knew he should stall, it wouldn't be wise to report to Voldemort he hadn't been doing his task. Scorpius involuntarily shivered, remembering how it felt like to be under the Cruciatus Curse.
'Yep, congratulations, Malfoy, for a wonderful half-arsed plan,' he snarled to himself. Scorpius sighed and leaned his forehead against the wooden table, trying to convince himself that everything he was doing was for the greater fucking good.
"Excuse me, but you're on my table."
Scorpius audibly groaned, recognising the voice of the swotty future Minister for Magic. He deliberately lifted his head just to rile up the Gryffindor Prefect. He found out weeks ago that he was the one that almost always ruffled Granger's feathers. His Dad absolutely watered down his story when he said the brightest witch of her age didn't like him one bit.
"Breaking news, Granger, but this is a public library," he drawled as he draped his arms across his chair and smirked. "Last time I checked, your name isn't engraved on this table."
Loudly sighing, Hermione leaned forward and tapped on a brass plate he hadn't noticed before. Scorpius frowned and glanced at the plate, only to guffaw loudly to see that it had her name written on it.
"What the hell? Is this even legal?" he asked as soon as he calmed down. Her cheeks already coloured with mild irritation and embarrassment, but Scorpius was too amused to be considerate.
"If you must know, I value my studies very much," she said. Scorpius snorted and bit down his tongue, stopping himself from replying that everyone knew about that. She glared and lifted her chin. "I specifically requested this table from Headmaster Dumbledore since it is quite secluded and quiet. So yes, Malfoy, my name is on this table and you're sitting on it."
Scorpius gaped in disbelief. "You really are a teacher's pet, aren't you?" he lightly teased. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, seriously!"
Hermione grew affronted and wrapped her arms across her chest. "Leave, Malfoy," she threatened. "You're on my table."
"No, Granger, I won't." He braced his arms tightly against the table and gave her a challenging look. "You can't make me."
Her wand hand shook and Scorpius tried to rein in his nervousness. As the brightest witch of her age, he knew her spells would be wicked and powerful. He had seen Minister Granger-Weasley in a battle before, too, and Merlin help him, he'd be shaking on his feet if he were standing right now.
Hermione finally expelled a huge sigh of defeat and pulled the opposite chair away from the table. The noise made him a little jumpy and she lifted an eyebrow at his twitchiness.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Well, since you don't want to leave my table and I want to study, I believe I'm trying to compromise, Malfoy."
His eyes widened a little at the idea of sharing a table with the Golden Girl. His heart quaked with excitement and he tried his very best to keep himself from stupidly grinning.
"Unless, of course, you're afraid I'll infect you with my mudblood germs."
He winced at the insult and frowned. He was about to tell her off that she shouldn't call herself that, that she was far purer than any Pureblood he had ever met, but he remembered he was the infamous Scorpion King this time. Using 'mudbloods' and other insults should come as second nature to him.
Hermione gave him a strange look and Scorpius immediately busied himself with the book on his table. He waited until she was sifting through her textbook before taking a quick peek.
It still unnerved him how she and Rose looked uncannily alike. If he imagined really hard, he could already picture Hermione's hair as red and her lovely, brown eyes as blue. His heart sped up a little at his scarily accurate imagination, wondering if it was really too good to be true for Rose Weasley to do her homework on the same table as him.
"What are you reading about, Malfoy?"
The red hair and blue eyes immediately disappeared as Hermione Granger stared right back at him. Scorpius was quite disappointed his fantasy was disrupted, but the Gryffindor already quirked an eyebrow, awaiting an answer. He then lamely gestured at the book in front of him and offhandedly replied, "Research."
She frowned and took a quick peek at the book he was pertaining to. "'103 Ways to Travel by Magic'," she muttered aloud. Scorpius was relieved he had grabbed onto a perfectly benign book rather than a Dark Arts one. "We're basically taking almost all classes together and I don't recall about homework on magic travelling.
"I didn't say it's for schoolwork, Granger," he explained. "This is more for an... err... extra-curricular."
"Extra-curricular?" she echoed, highly amused. "Since when does the mighty 'Scorpion King' do some extra reading?"
"You're not the only swotty, know-it-all in this school," he drawled in reply.
To his surprise, Hermione was fighting off a smile. "Of course," she said. "That was terribly presumptuous of me."
He lightly glared and gestured at the book she was reading. "What are you reading about, then?" he asked.
She lifted the book so that he could see the front cover. "It's the Ancient Runes textbook. I think this is the only class we don't attend together." She made a face and placed the book back on the table. "I still don't understand why you chose Divination over Ancient Runes, Malfoy. You're clearly more intelligent for that... that hogwash."
"Did you just compliment me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. He grinned when Hermione flushed. "You think I'm intelligent, Granger?"
"We might hate each other very much, Malfoy, but I'm not blind," she snapped back, trying to cover her embarrassment with annoyance.
Feeling wonderfully validated, he leaned back on his chair, his grin still in place. "I have too many things to do than attend Ancient Runes," he explained. "Divination, on the other hand, I can pass it with my eyes closed. And I mean it literally because Professor Trelawney always yammered about finding the Inner Eye better with the eyes closed. I've been following her suggestion ever since, to be honest, and she thinks I'm brilliant. And, I'm getting enough sleep, so that's an added bonus."
To his utmost disbelief, Hermione leaned back her head and released a laugh. It was soft and lovely, and her eyes crinkled a bit.
Scorpius stared.
"And what, pray tell, are the other things you are busy doing to stop you from attending Ancient Runes?"
"Ah, but Granger, we aren't that close yet," he replied once he composed himself. "I'm not obliged to tell you."
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Imagine the horror if we ever become close," she said with a frown. Her eyes, though, were still smiling and Scorpius stared once more.
She then proceeded to look at her wristwatch and sighed. "Great, I'm supposed to meet Harry and Ron now." She gathered her things and place them inside her bag.
Then, to Scorpius, she said, "Don't even think about ditching me for our patrol tonight, Malfoy." Hermione stood up and shouldered her backpack. "My warning still stands - I will report you to Dumbledore."
Hermione gave him an odd look as he smirked. She rolled her eyes, her lips twitching upwards once more, before turning around and walking out of the Hogwarts library.
Scorpius' eyes widened once he was alone, the fact that he had just interacted with Hermione Granger finally sinking in. A disbelieving smile bloomed on his face, the books about magical transportation already forgotten.
__________
"Where are you going, Scorpius?" Blaise asked as the blond stood up from the cosy, black couch in the Slytherin Common Room.
"Patrol."
Pansy pouted. "You know that's with Granger, right?" she asked whilst scrunching her nose in distaste.
Scorpius became confused. "Err... yes," he slowly said.
Crabbe snorted, triumphantly smirking when a Gobstone blew all over Goyle's face. "But mate, you never went on patrols with Granger," he pointed out. "The Heads always tried to pair you up for some inter-house ridiculous shite, but you didn't really give a flying fuck for those things."
Scorpius stopped in his tracks and furrowed his brow. As the Scorpion King, he should ditch Granger and do whatever the hell he wanted. But as Scorpius, he somehow would feel a little guilty if he didn't show up. Besides, Minister Granger-Weasley could be frightfully mean if she wanted to. Granted, this was her younger self, but still. She was the brightest witch of her age. Scorpius felt honestly nervous becoming the receiving end of her wrath.
"I'm bored," he quickly said as an idea came up. "I'd like to piss off Granger to pass the time."
Blaise lifted an eyebrow and Scorpius had a feeling he didn't buy his excuse. Crabbe and Goyle were already too engrossed with their Gobstone match to even bother waiting for Scorpius' decision. Pansy looked put out, but she harrumphed and looked away.
"Whatever you say, Scorpion King," Blaise drawled.
Scorpius narrowed his eyes before finally turning around and striding away from the Slytherin dungeons. He checked his wristwatch and was relieved to note that he still had five minutes to spare.
He broke into a jog to meet Granger in the Great Hall, but he immediately stopped in his tracks as blinding pain shot through his left forearm. Scorpius stifled a groan and panicked, immediately yanking his sleeve up to glance down at his Dark Mark. It stood stark and red against his skin; it continued to burn his arm raw.
Scorpius gingerly touched his Dark Mark. He knew from History classes that touching the Dark Mark would trigger apparation, but he was inside Hogwarts. 'Hogwarts: A History' forbade anyone from apparating in and out of the school, unless he was the Headmaster.
Tears of pain already prickled his eyes as Scorpius desperately broke into a run. The pain was unbearable and he wanted it to stop. He was able to run throughout the great length of Hogwarts until he reached the front gates. As soon as he stumbled out of the premises of Hogwarts, he immediately touched his Dark Mark and was sucked into the void.
He rematerialised within seconds inside the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. Scorpius doubled over and gasped in relief, the pain on his forearm now receding into a dull throb.
"Young Malfoy."
Scorpius' blood ran cold as he slowly lifted his head and met the eyes of Lord Voldemort. He had busied himself for days just to keep his mind from the fact that he would inevitably meet this monster once more. He would demand some progress report from him and it was enough to keep him awake at night sometimes.
"Ma-master," he said, immediately falling onto his knees and bowing low. He wanted to hurl for even addressing Voldemort as such, but as a spy for Dumbledore, he knew he had no other choice.
"Arise," Voldemort ordered.
Scorpius hastily clambered back on his feet and strode forward when Voldemort beckoned him closer.
"What of the Vanishing Cabinets?" the Dark Lord inquired.
"I-I'm still working on it, my lord," he murmured.
Voldemort hissed and Scorpius flinched. "You must make haste, Scorpius," he calmly said, descending his dais to stride closer to the shivering blond. "Dumbledore must already die."
"Yes, my lord, of course," the young wizard quickly replied. "B-but forgive me. I... I have schoolwork to attend to and... and..." He faltered and bit down on his tongue, hard, because he knew he was rambling and spouting ridiculous things that would undoubtedly enrage Voldemort.
"Do you not prioritise your mission, Young Malfoy?" the Dark Lord hissed.
Fear gripped his heart when Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand underneath his chin and forced it up. "Do you not prioritise your life?" There was anger in his red eyes and Scorpius desperately wanted to run back to the safety confines of Hogwarts.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't—" His words died down as his body suddenly felt on fire. Scorpius was brought onto his knees and was unable to hold back a scream.
He didn't know how long it lasted. He wasn't quite sure what spells Voldemort used. All Scorpius wanted was for everything to stop, for the pain to stop, and end his misery. He begged him to stop, uttering promises to be good. Scorpius begged Voldemort to end his torture and vowed that he would immediately work on the Vanishing Cabinets. But the Dark Lord was ruthless, and Scorpius wanted to die.
How did his father endure this? How could his father still be alive after being subjected to these horrors and pain?
Scorpius wanted to go home.
Scorpius wanted to see his Mum and Dad.
Scorpius wanted to die.
It had soon ended and Scorpius could barely keep himself awake. He heard voices he didn't recognise. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he heard Narcissa's sob.
Somebody was trying to help him stand, but Scorpius cried at the pain on his left leg, and crumpled back onto the floor. He then heard whispered words and he instantly felt numb. The pain had blessedly disappeared and he wanted to cry in relief.
He was being brought onto his feet once more, but this time there was no pain on his left leg.
"Stay with me, Scorpius," a voice, sounding like Snape's familiar voice, whispered against his ear. Then, he felt the familiar tug in his navel, and he fainted.
__________
Hermione was furious beyond belief, muttering curses for Scorpius Malfoy under her breath.
She should have known this, of course! She should have known that the irresponsible Slytherin Prefect would still ditch her for their nightly patrols.
Hermione felt a little stupid, hoping that he would show up this time. Malfoy hadn't really been acting like himself lately, and she thought he could be pleasant when he wanted to. Their interaction back in the Hogwarts library still felt surreal, but it was real, and Hermione dared hope that the stuck-up, arrogant jerk she went to school with for the last five years had finally become a civil, young man.
'That's it, Malfoy,' she snapped. She was going to report him to Dumbledore and beg for the Headmaster to strip him off from his duty. She was always big on giving second chances, in seeing the good in everybody. She had tried desperately to tell herself that Scorpius Malfoy was merely a troubled, misguided child, unfortunate to be raised up in a household that was very different from her own. But she still had her limits, and she really could not tolerate people who carelessly handle huge responsibilities.
"Acid Pops," she harshly replied. The gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office jumped down from its place and revealed the spiralling staircase. As soon as she reached the top, she took a few, deep breaths to calm her furious heart. It would be sensible to speak with Dumbledore with a level-head; if she barged in angry and incoherent, Dumbledore might not take her too seriously.
She was about to grab the brass knuckle and knock on the door but was surprised to see that the door was already ajar. Tentatively, Hermione pushed the door open and peeked inside.
"Professor Dum— "
Words had left her as she stared at the scene in front of her. Dumbledore and Professor Snape were bent over a bloodied and battered figure. Hermione released a gasp in horror to see that a huge amount of blood was already staining Dumbledore's rich carpet. She shakily backpedalled, recognising that this was Scorpius Malfoy, and blanched.
He was battered beyond recognition, but his blond hair, although matted with blood, was unmistakable. The only indication that he was still alive was his breathing, but that too was shallow and quick. Terrified, she wondered what could have happened for him to become reduced in such a state.
"What are you doing here, Granger?!" Snape suddenly bellowed.
Hermione tore her eyes away from Scorpius' body to look at the enraged face of her DADA professor. "I... I just wanted to..."
Dumbledore slowly stood up and strode closer to her. His towering form had effectively blocked her view of Scorpius. "Miss Granger," the Headmaster said as calmly as possible. "Would you please be so kind as to bring Madame Pomfrey here immediately?"
She dumbly nodded her head, but her legs wouldn't cooperate.
"Immediately, Miss Granger," the old wizard repeated, his soft gaze hardening a little.
This seemed to snap Hermione off her stupor as she quickly tore out from Dumbledore's office and into the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey had given her an earful for making a ruckus when she arrived, but Hermione had tears in her eyes and profusely begged the mediwitch to come with her to Dumbledore's office.
Madame Pomfrey had not said a word but she shot a worried glance at the clearly terrified Gryffindor. Hermione was unable to answer her questions, but merely urged her to run faster.
They had finally arrived and Madame Pomfrey gasped. Hermione noted that the pool of blood had been cleaned, but Scorpius Malfoy was still lying motionless on the carpet floor.
"What in Merlin's name had happened to him?" the school mediwitch cried as she fell on her knees and brandished out her wand. Fast incantations flew out of her mouth and Hermione breathed a little better when his breathing returned to normal and the swelling on his face started to disappear.
"Will he be all right, Poppy?" Snape gruffly asked. The worry in his voice was loud and clear.
"Yes, yes, I think he will—" Madame Pomfrey released a loud gasp and skidded away. Hermione tried to see what had caused her sudden distress and was able to spy the Dark Mark on Malfoy's pale forearm.
Hermione's blood ran cold, her eyes staring intently at the mark of evil on a boy. Harry was right, after all, but it didn't ease her mind. This was... this was just a boy. Scorpius was almost the same age as hers and for her to see someone marked by Voldemort... Hermione felt like she was going to get sick.
"Poppy," Dumbledore gently urged, "the boy needs your help."
"B-but Dumbledore, he—"
"He needs your help," the Headmaster firmly repeated, his normally twinkling, blue eyes now a steely grey.
Madame Pomfrey slowly nodded her head and started repeating her healing spells. Hermione watched as his cuts were sewn shut and the bruises disappeared. She still stood near the door and scrutinised until she was able to recognise Scorpius again, but her eyes could still not tear themselves away from his Dark Mark.
"I believe you should leave now, Miss Granger," Snape stepped in, glaring down at her.
Hermione normally would have withered under his gaze, wanting to please her teachers as much as possible, but she needed answers. She resolutely held Professor Snape's gaze and lifted her chin. "Professor—"
"Leave."
"Severus," Dumbledore appeased, striding closer to the infuriated professor. He placed a gentle hand on Snape's shoulder until the Potions Master shrugged his hand away and scowled. Then, to Hermione, he said, "Miss Granger, I know you have a lot of questions right now, but I am afraid I cannot afford to answer them all now."
Her shoulders deflated, prompting Dumbledore to smile.
"I will call for you, Mister Potter and Mister Weasley soon to answer some of your inquiries," he assured.
"You're planning to tell them?" Snape hissed.
Dumbledore expelled a soft sigh and Hermione briefly saw a very old wizard instead of the celebrated, powerful sorcerer that was her Headmaster. "A wise man once told me that sometimes, withholding information may bring more harm than necessary," he quoted with a secretive smile. He glanced at Snape and continued, "I have thought about this for days, Severus, and I believe they should be let on in the plan already."
"You can't possibly tell them everything," Snape urged.
Hermione grew confused as they both shot a quick glance at the unconscious form of Scorpius.
"That is not my secret to tell, no," Dumbledore reassured. "But there are things that they should already know."
She wondered what secret that wasn't Dumbledore's he couldn't tell them about, but hazarded a guess that it had something to do with Malfoy.
"Miss Granger, I think it is best if you leave now," the Headmaster then said. "I will send you an owl if your presence is required in my office. For now, you should go back to your dormitories and rest."
Hermione hesitated and shot a quick glance at Scorpius. "Professor, will he be..."
"Poppy is trying her very best," he assured, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Mister Malfoy is quite strong. He will be well soon."
She numbly nodded her head and slowly slipped out of the room. She gave Scorpius one last glance before completely closing the door behind her.
As she travelled back to the Gryffindor tower, Hermione mulled over the events that had happened tonight. She was still terribly confused about everything that was happening but one thing was sure – Scorpius Malfoy was in the middle of it all.