Multi-Fandom One-Shots Part 2

The Hogwarts Rule - Scorose (Harry Potter)

There was only one rule at Hogwarts, the place that Scorpius had wanted to go to ever since he was old enough to know where it was. He'd heard stories about it since he was in his cradle. (Carefully edited, of course. Scorpius knew that he still hadn't got the whole story of what happened between his father and Pansy Parkinson at the Yule Ball, for one. Maybe he never would know, but being at Hogwarts was the only way to find out.)

At home, there were too many rules (Five hundred and twelve, to be exact - and Scorpius liked to be exact) and they changed depending on the situation. There were rules for family and different rules for company, depending on the company, and rules for Mother's garden galas. There were special rules for Grandfather ("Don't let him near a wand, or anything sharp - and don't mention politics to him, Scorpius, there's a dear. It'll only upset him.")

At Hogwarts, though, there was only one rule.

Don't be a Gryffindor. It had been hammered into Scorpius ever since he was old enough to know what a Gryffindor was - he fell asleep with it echoing in his head like a refrain, some nights. Don't be a Gryffindor, don't be Sorted into Gryffindor, don't act like a Gryffindor, don't even talk to Gryffindors. It was the only rule that counted - the professors' rules could be ignored, circumvented, or outright broken. ("Your father has enough money to buy the school, if he wants to do it. He can buy your way out of trouble if necessary, Scorpius ... just don't break the rule. It wouldn't do to have a Gryffindor in the family.")

His first Halloween at Hogwarts, Scorpius broke the rule. It was easy to do - Halloween seemed to bring an air of rule-breaking with it. They had learned the charm for levitation in class with Flitwick (Scorpius had mastered it weeks ago, but it wouldn't do for a Malfoy to show off, so he didn't). The day had been full of snacks and special treats - his mother sent him a package from home, full of pumpkin pasties and all of Scorpius' favorite sweets.

When he went down to the feast with his classmates, he gaped at the way Hogwarts had been transformed. The Great Hall was full of bats, swooping up near the ceiling, and hundreds of floating jack-o'-lanterns, each with a different face.

All of Scorpius' classmates were breaking rules during the feast - lobbing Peppermint Humbugs at the Hufflepuff ghost and charming the jack-o'-lanterns to make crash landings in the huge tureens of pumpkin soup. Scorpius was a model of good behavior (as a Malfoy should be).

The trouble came when they were leaving. Scorpius's belly was full with pumpkin juice and pumpkin soup and baked pumpkin and everything good, and he was having pleasant, sleepy thoughts about his bed and his secret stash of Chocolate Frogs. He certainly didn't mean to break the rule, but the Gryffindors got up to leave at the same time as the Slytherins, and they were all jammed together as they went out into the corridor.

"My father killed a troll here on Halloween," one of the Gryffindor girls said. "His very first year here, and he saved all of the students from instant death and dismemberment. He's the bravest student who ever attended Hogwarts - except for Harry Potter, of course."

She was right at Scorpius's elbow when she said it, and there was really no choice - there was no option but breaking the rule.

"No, he isn't," Scorpius said, looking straight at her. She was only a Gryffindor, after all, and there was no Gryffindor alive who was braver than Scorpius's father.

She turned away from her friends and stared at him. "I suppose you think your father's braver," she said, flipping her braids at him. "I doubt it. What has your father done?"

"He faced Voldemort down more than a dozen times without flinching," Scorpius told her. "He survived Fiendfyre and helped destroy one of the last Horcruxes. He's braver than your father, all right."

"I know who your father is," another Gryffindor said. He was standing at the girl's elbow and was too short to come up past her shoulder. Untidy black hair and emerald green eyes - Scorpius knew who he was, too.

"And I know who your father is," Scorpius said. He'd seen the Potter boy in classes, but hadn't paid him any heed. Potter hadn't done anything spectacular at Hogwarts yet - he hadn't even managed to Levitate his feather in Charms this morning. The girl had managed hers on the first try. (She'd beat Scorpius, as a matter of fact. Malfoys always let ladies go first.)

"Draco Malfoy," Potter said, pointing a finger at Scorpius. "He isn't any braver than my Uncle Ron."

The Gryffindors broke out with murmured accusations of "Death Eater" and "coward" but Scorpius paid them no heed. He stared at Potter and the girl, silently daring them to blink first.

"Mr. Potter. Miss Weasley. Mr. Malfoy. What is the meaning of this disruption?" Professor Snape asked, looming over them. His voice was worn down to a whisper, a sure sign that it had been a long day for him.

When a rule was broken, there were only three options: lies, half-truths and feigned innocence. Scorpius tried to look innocent. "Nothing, Professor. We were just headed back to our Common Rooms."

"Then see that you do so without blocking every doorway and corridor on the way there, Mr. Malfoy." Snape strode off, his black robes billowing behind him. He hadn't done anything to them - no points taken, no detentions, no lectures. Scorpius' parents would be hearing about it, though, that much was certain.

("It's a rule that every Slytherin worth his skin knows, darling. Put yourself above all others, and put yourself far, far above the Gryffindors. Never stoop to their level.") It wasn't a rule - not the way that Don't be a Gryffindor was a rule that had to be followed, but it was the Slytherin thing to do, and Scorpius hadn't done it.

Professor Snape may have mellowed, from what Scorpius had heard ("War and near death experiences will do that to a person, dear. Don't ask embarrassing questions.") but he was still Head of Slytherin, and he was still sure to report this bout of disgraceful, non-Slytherin behavior to Scorpius's parents.

Scorpius hurried back to his Common Room, already drafting a letter in his head. He had broken the one Hogwarts rule, and an unwritten Slytherin rule as well - but it was nothing that a properly worded letter to his parents couldn't fix.

----------

The next time that Scorpius broke the Hogwarts rule, he did it on purpose. It was Halloween again (honestly, it was the time of year for parting the Veil between worlds. It was only natural to break rules then). The air had turned fresh and cold, and the leaves crinkled underfoot. Scorpius had just come back from a Hogsmeade weekend, his pockets full of sweets and Wheezes.

One of the slower Slytherins tripped over Snape's black cat, and got a full-faced scratching in return. Scorpius laughed - he couldn't help it. Nott had been teasing that cat mercilessly for the past three terms, and he deserved every scratch he got.

Scorpius had heard the rumors going around Hogwarts - that the cat was a demon summoned from beyond the Veil, that it was Voldemort reborn, that it was the familiar that had saved Snape from near-certain death, clever enough to bring him a bezoar at the last possible second. None of it was true. Scorpius had given the cat to his Head of House ("Your father's godfather, dear. Choose something appropriate for him.") as a Christmas present, two years ago.

Bending down to smooth her ruffled fur, Scorpius whispered in her ear. "Give me some of your luck for today, Ebony? Seeing as it's Halloween?" She meowed, batting at Scorpius's hand with her paw, and he looked up.

Rose Weasley had stopped on the stairs and was watching him. "Finally given up on your Slytherin friends and realized that you'll get more intelligent conversation out of that cat?" she asked.

Scorpius straightened up, brushing the cat hair off his hands. "I - no," he said, gaping at her.

Rose had turned into the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, Gryffindor or no. Her brown hair fell past her shoulders, and caught every ray of sunlight or candlelight, shining ten times brighter. She had perfect posture and beautiful eyes, and she still beat Scorpius when it came to learning spells, nine times out of ten.

"That's fine," she said, turning past him. "I thought that maybe you had changed, but... well, let me know if you ever do get over your Slytherin snobbery."

("When you do date, Scorpius dear, remember that any girl appreciates a little flattery - but don't overdo it. Moderation in all things, and remember, you'll want to bring the lady home for Grandfather's approval, so be careful who you choose.")

Scorpius stopped staring after her and scrambled up the steps. He stooped to give Ebony one last pat (it couldn't be true, what they said about black cats giving good luck on Halloween, but it didn't hurt) and he caught up with Rose in the Entrance Hall.

"Wait."

She turned to face him again, and the hint of a smile curved her lips. "Changed your mind already?"

A little flattery, but not too much. Scorpius squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. "I like your smile so much, I changed my mind."

Rose didn't flush or simper, like a Slytherin girl would. She looked at Scorpius as though he had just become interesting, one eyebrow quirked at him. "Is that so?"

"It is." Scorpius reached out to take her packages from her, his fingers brushing against her forearm. "May I carry these for you? Where are you going?"

She looked him over again and then nodded, handing him the packages. "I'll go to the library," Rose said, "that way you can walk with me. Gryffindor Tower's a bit out of your way, isn't it? And I need to start revising for the next Charms exam, at any rate."

"Do you ever wish-" Scorpius stopped himself. There was a reason he wasn't meant to be speaking with Gryffindors - they drew out the worst qualities in Slytherins. If he continued at this rate, he'd be making heart-felt confessions and saving helpless souls before dawn.

"Do I wish what?" Rose looked over at him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She frowned, her forehead wrinkling.

("In for a Knut, in for a Sickle - but make sure you file the proper expense reports, and remember what's your due as well as giving them theirs, Scorpius.")

Scorpius hesitated and then went ahead and said it. He'd broken the rule already. "Do you ever wish you weren't limited by your parents and their expectations for you?"

Rose brushed her fingers against his arm, stopping him in the middle of the corridor. "That's very perceptive of you, Scorpius. I do, sometimes."

There was no need to say anything more - Scorpius knew what she meant. Story after story had featured Hermione Granger-Weasley, she was part of the legends of Hogwarts when she wasn't headlined on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Living in her shadow must be no easier than following Scorpius' father.

She pulled him into motion again, guiding him toward the library, and continued. "After you spent the last four years ignoring me, I was beginning to wonder about you - if you'd just taken after your father, or if you were one of the silent-and-stupid Slytherins... but you seem like a good sort, Scorpius Malfoy."

(Scorpius wasn't about to admit that some of his fellow Slytherins were silent-and-stupid... not before he insulted the silent-and-stupid members of all the other Houses, anyway.)

Rose stopped just outside the library, and shook hands with him after taking her parcels out of his arms. "I'll be seeing you around, then? Maybe we can speak more than twice in four years, from now on."

"Wait." Scorpius's tongue felt thick in his mouth, and his palms itched where he'd touched Ebony. Halloween or not, black cats brought good luck, everybody knew that. "I - I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

His mother hadn't given Scorpius any advice for this, the moment itself. He swallowed past his thick tongue and wiped his palms on his robes. "Would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Rose blinked, shifting her packages from one hand to the other. "What? Why?"

("When everything else fails - everything - tell the truth.") Scorpius took a step closer to Rose and spoke quietly so that no-one would be able to overhear him. "Because I think we could understand each other. Because I know what it feels like, to have your parents expect you to follow in their footsteps. Because I'd like to know you better... and because I think you're beautiful."

His throat had grown tighter and tighter as he spoke, but he forced the last words out and forced himself to stay and wait for her answer.

Don't be a Gryffindor, don't act like a Gryffindor, don't talk to the Gryffindors, don't risk everything like a Gryffindor - that was the first and only rule for Scorpius here at Hogwarts, and he'd broken it. Talking to Gryffindors was contagious and he'd only done it twice. Here he was, turning into one already.

"I-" Rose hesitated, brushing her hair away from her face. She looked at Scorpius and finally, she nodded. "Sure ... I think I'd like that," she said, giving him a smile before ducking into the library.

("You have to remember, darling - what we don't know will hurt us. You've the Malfoy family honour to uphold, and your father will want to know how everything goes at Hogwarts - to boast of your accomplishments when you succeed, and to perform damage control if necessary. You will owl us every week, won't you?")

Scorpius hadn't told his parents the truth, the first time that he spoke to Rose, and he wasn't about to start now. A Gryffindor, a half-blood, daughter of two of his father's greatest enemies... What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, just this once.

----------

After three years of breaking the rule and keeping secrets, Scorpius hadn't expected to be found out by a Weasley, of all people. Rose had assured him that her family would love him as soon as they knew how much she loved him. (They might accept him for her sake, if nothing else. Scorpius wasn't confident about it, but it would have been ungallant to question her.)

It was his last Halloween at Hogwarts, and Scorpius had had enough of feasts. Pumpkin juice, pumpkin bread, baked pumpkin, pumpkin trifle, pumpkin à la mode - there were only so many things that the house elves could do with pumpkin, and there were things that Scorpius would rather be tasting. (Rose's lips, for one.)

He waited outside the Great Hall until he saw the Gryffindor girls go past in their usual gaggle, giggling and gaping at him. He smirked and nodded at them - he'd got to know them well enough, these past three years, but he didn't want to talk to them just now. All of his attention was focused on Rose, who trailed after the other girls, her nose in a book as always.

Scorpius snagged Rose and pulled her out into the rose garden, casting an umbrella spell to keep them both dry. He plucked the book from her hand and kissed each of her fingers. "What did you say about not wanting to turn into your mother, my Rose?"

She snatched the book back and shrank it, slipping it into her pocket. "NEWTs are this year, I'll have you know - and I know you, Scorpius Malfoy. You're just as afraid of your father as I am of my mum. I bet you're burning the candles out in your dormitory these nights, studying until you can't bear to read another word, the text is so blurry."

(Sometimes Scorpius wondered if the rule about not speaking to Gryffindors came from the fact that they were insufferably smart, and too smug for their own good, to boot.) He shrugged and reached out through the umbrella spell, plucking a late rose from one of the bushes. "A rose for my Rose," he said, offering it to her.

"That hasn't worked since the Yule Ball, fourth year," she said, but the corners of her mouth twitched and she took the rose from him, lifting it to her nose to smell it. The petals brushed against her lips, leaving them wet, and Scorpius leaned in to kiss away each raindrop.

"You still like it," he said, lingering close and stealing another kiss.

"You still can't change the subject," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him away. "Now, about you and your father-"

"Yes, do tell." Ron Weasley, angry-looking Auror and Rose's father, stalked around the corner, his wand pointed straight at Scorpius. "Scorpius Malfoy. If I'm not mistaken, your father is Draco Malfoy, and that's my daughter you're taking advantage of."

Rose stepped in front of Scorpius, her hands stretched out to her father. (Part of Scorpius wanted to die of embarrassment at being protected by his girlfriend, but most of him just wanted to kiss her again. Rose was beautiful when she was over-protective.) "Dad, it's not like that-"

"If you think that a sneaky, slimy Slytherin is-"

If Scorpius hadn't expected to be found out by a Weasley, after three years of breaking the rules and taking painstaking care to keep it a secret, he hadn't expected to be rescued by Professor Snape, either. Snape, saving Scorpius when he'd broken the only Hogwarts rule that mattered - it was unfathomable, but there he was, gliding up behind Weasley.

"Weasley." Snape stopped just behind him, clearing his throat. "I think that you'll find that Ministry employees are not authorized to draw their wands on Hogwarts students under the normal course of things."

"A Slytherin kissing my daughter is not the normal course of things-"

Snape continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Moreover, I think you'll find that the Ministry doesn't care to pay either of us for wasted time. When you request a potions consultation from me in the future, do feel free to come directly to my workroom instead of dawdling here."

"You've let this go on under your great beaky nose, you git," Weasley said, swiveling to point his wand at Snape instead. Scorpius caught his breath, but forced himself to let it out slowly - Snape knew how to defend himself.

"You let your Slytherin seduce my daughter, you-"

"On the contrary, they have been more than discreet." Snape's gaze flicked past Weasley to Scorpius. "Moreover, they are both of age and free to make their own decisions. I suggest that you come to terms with that as soon as possible, Weasley... before you lose your daughter because of your own pigheadedness."

Scorpius found Rose's hand and he squeezed it tight. She squeezed back, looking over her shoulder to blow him a kiss. "It'll be all right."

Rose's father was still spluttering as Snape led him away, but Scorpius ignored him for the moment. He pulled Rose closer and leaned into her, resting his forehead against his own. "Well," he said.

Scorpius had broken the rule for years and got away with it. His parents wouldn't be happy to hear about it, but... ("Contrary to popular belief, Slytherins do have happy endings - just look at the way your father manipulated things to his advantage after the war. Slytherins make their own happy endings.")

He kissed Rose again, letting his lips linger on hers. It was as sweet as it always was between them - she tasted like afternoon tea and, even with the umbrella spell, she smelled like fresh rain. Scorpius held her closer. "What was that you were going to say about our parents?"

"My father will love you, once he gets over the shock, and your father..."

"Will hex me within an inch of my life for daring to disobey him?"

"Well," Rose said, pulling away from Scorpius to look him in the eye. "I've never actually met him, so I couldn't say for sure, but I'd wager that he loves you too much to do that. At any rate, your mother will protect you before he gets any lethal curses in, won't she?"

Whatever you do, don't be a Gryffindor. It was the only rule - and Gryffindors believed that rules were made to be broken. "Yes," Scorpius said. "I suppose she will, at that... of course, failing that, my Gryffindor Rose might just beat her to it." He closed his eyes and leaned in for another kiss.

He stopped, his throat tight. "Come meet my parents over Christmas?" he asked, his lips still a millimeter away from Rose's. "I'm sure it'll all work out, some way or another."

Rose smiled and kissed him. "I'd love to."

(Slytherins make their own happy endings ... they do.)