Master of Death

Act 1 - Chapter 3

When they got to the castle, Harry sent the others on ahead while he waited with Scorpius for the other first years.

He was quietly telling Scorpius about the time he decided to help the twins prank Ron when a frantic voice called, "Scorpius!"

Harry turned to see Draco running over, surprisingly lacking his two bodyguards. He pulled Scorpius into a hug, not noticing Harry yet. "What happened?" he asked, worriedly looking him over.

"I'm alright, Dray!" Scorpius chirped. "Harry let me ride with him and his friends! He's really nice, just like you said!"

Draco's head snapped up to look at Harry in surprise. "Thank you," he said softly.

Harry smiled kindly. "Of course, Draco. He's a wonderful kid. Why don't you head inside? I'll wait with Scorpius."

Draco shook his head. "He's my brother. I've got it."

Harry fixed him with a stern look. "Draco Malfoy, you are not going to draw negative attention to yourself by being late. Everyone already hates me, being late won't change a thing."

Draco sighed. "Will you be okay with Harry, Scorpius?"

Scorpius nodded brightly and Draco kissed his forehead before heading inside.

Once the first years arrived, Harry explained the situation to Professor McGonagall before saying goodbye to Scorpius and walking into the Hall, sitting in between Fred and George as though he was perfectly on time. He ignored all the glares and curious stares cast in his direction and waited for the sorting to begin.

When it did, he caught Scorpius's eye and winked, mouthing, "You've got this."

Scorpius was sorted into Slytherin and Harry smiled brightly at him as he sat beside Draco, who smiled proudly and ignored the other Slytherins in favor of talking to his younger brother. Harry was staring at Draco, marveling at how different he seemed. He seemed... softer, more compassionate and caring.

He must have been staring for two long because George cleared his throat and he looked to see both twins smirking at him. "Looks like someone's got a crush," George teased quietly. "I don't know how we didn't see it sooner."

"Probably because Harry was always sitting with Ronnikins and not us," Fred suggested.

Harry only smiled. "I was just observing," he said.

"Sure, you were," Lee Jordan inputted with a devilish smirk. "Don't worry, we won't tell."

Harry rolled his eyes and watched impassively as food began appearing on platters all around him. He looked around before placing a small bowl of soup on his plate. While he couldn't die from not eating, Death had insisted they work on getting his appetite back up. So, he was required to eat at least three times a day.

As he ate, he observed the table at which the staff sat. In the DADA spot sat a woman wearing all pink. He frowned in her direction. He could sense her sins and knew she did not belong in a building with children.

"What's up?" Neville whispered.

Harry gestured to the professor. "The pink one does not belong here," he said quietly, so the twins could hear as well. "Her sins are too great and she does not have good intentions."

"What do we do?" Fred asked.

"I will take care of it," Harry said with a small smirk.

After everyone had eaten, Dumbledore began his speech. Halfway through, he was interrupted by the newest professor. As she spoke, Harry's apprehension grew. He already knew she had no good intentions towards the children, but if the Ministry interfered with Hogwarts? Who knew what could come of it.