And when the winds and rains came, She protected me enough;
Scorpius lived a rather sheltered life before Hogwarts. The Malfoy Manor held everything Scorpius could ever dream of. He didn't feel the extreme need to leave the Manor and explore the terrifying world. He ever knew exactly the reason for the whispers during his occasional outings with his parents, but he knew it was most likely;
The Rumor.
The dreaded rumor his parents spoke about so often when the topic of anything involving Scorpius leaving home came up. He had no idea what the rumor is and truly he had no interest in learning about it. That was until his parents sat him down one day for a serious talk, about 2 weeks before September 1st came.
"Scorpius, come here, you're mother and I need to speak to you." His father called him into the large family room where he discovered a large white board with his mother's handwriting scribbled on it. He approached his parents carefully and curiously.
"Scorpius there's something we wanted you to know before you go to Hogwarts, and that it. Well there's no easy way to say it." His mother looked towards his father worriedly. Despite Scorpius' somewhat flawed ability of reading body language he could tell his parents did not want to tell him. He examined the boards set out in front of him. One was filled with news clippings taken from the most popular wizarding world printing companies. Another showed his family tree. The final one was filled with writing, noting important dates before and during his lifetime.
"So there is a rumor, Scorpius. And it leads many to believe that. Well they think-" His mother fumbled with her words, unsure how to break the unfortunate news to an innocent 11 year old.
"The rumor - I'm related to Voldemort?" Scorpius guessed based off the presentations in front of him.
"Not just related, many believe that you are his son." His dad corrected him. Scorpius gaped. The son of Voldemort? He didn't know what to think. All he could do was sit there silently with his mouth agape and tears pricking his eyes.
"But it's not true, honey. It is impossible for it to be true." His mother rushed by his side to council him. She held his face and gave him her sweet comforting smile. He felt at ease. Moments passed as Scorpius digested the information. He thought about it, hard. Voldemort had died more than 20 years before his birth, so how is it possible that he was his son.
"I don't unders- Why do peop... It's impossible?" The words died as he spoke them. He was completely puzzled.
"Yes, Scorpius. It is impossible and completely false." His parents explained the ins and outs of the theories and speculations about his heritage. He found it all a tad unnerving that people found his own heritage such an fantastic topic to speculate on, even though it's a quite straightforward plot. "Scorpius the reason we are telling you all this now is because, well, you're going to Hogwarts and, well, you're father's history at the school is not exactly heroic." Both boys nodded in agreement with his mother's statement. He had read books and books about Hogwarts and how his father was an evil traitor but truthfully, it all seemed a bit biased to him. Or maybe he was just naïve to believe that his father couldn't have been the cruel boy he was described as in those books.
"We just wanted you to know it, hear it from us, first. The other students there, you're peers, they will likely pick on you and call you names. If they do, just ignore them. They don't know you, they don't know a single thing about you. If anything happens you are free to talk to Professor McGonagall. We have already set up precautions in case of emergencies. We just want you to be safe, okay?" His father's voice was the softest he'd heard it. It sort of made Scorpius' heart break. They seemed so scared for him to leave. For some reason though it didn't seem to phase Scorpius. The severity of the situation seemed to fly over his innocent head those few weeks before leaving. The family continued discussing the dark topic, laughing at the ridiculous words people have spoken about their lovely family.
A memory that feels like a lifetime ago, Scorpius recalls walking through Diagon Alley with his mum and dad to the bookstore. They stood sharply on either side of him holding his hands tightly as he skipped away peacefully. At the time he failed to recognize the whispers, points, and rude remarks but remembering it now, he wonders what stopped him from noticing. He remembers the sweet nothings his other whispered. The songs she sang to him as they marched through the crowd. She made him laugh to distract him from the staring eyes of the other families, while his father sent his messages with a bold brow and snarl. It was easier then becuase he had his mum. She knew how to make every situation fun.
Now after 4 and a half years at Hogwarts Scorpius thought he would've found it easier to ignore the bullies, the name-calling, and the evils he faced but it certainly hadn't. In fact, after his and Albus's small adventure it grew worse. Rumors of Scorpius being the one to kill Craig, Scorpius purposefully reviving Voldemort, and faking his chronic injuries from the experiences spiraled. He was once again, the talk of the wizarding world. In parallel to the image of his young self, he walked through the large halls of Hogwarts with Albus as people did whatever pleased them. Scorpius shrunk himself to avoid it all but Albus didn't. Albus held the wrist of Scorpius tightly and led him through the moving crowd to get to where they needed, sometimes whispering wordless words to him. Then, at their destination, Albus would make him forget about how bad it was. Even if it meant tumbling down the stairs or allowing Scorpius to talk. In a full circle, Albus had cracked him just the way his mum had all those years ago. But Scorpius still couldn't understand rumors, and why they circle.