Title: Restoring the balance.
Author: ladyumbra
Fandom: Harry Potter
Genre: adventure
Rating: G for now
Summary: 19 years ago the wizarding world was saved , but not fixed. Not learning from their mistakes will come back to haunt those who should have known better, along with those closest to them
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: I don't trust the hat.

Scorpius Malfoy was free for the first time in his life. Free from his father's constant reprimands and disapproving looks. Free from his mother's smothering hugs and kisses. Free from being forced to socialize and play nice with people he barely knew or could become attached to. Free from all the rules and expectations placed on him as a Malfoy. Well, for a little while, at least.

In the hours it would take for the scarlet Hogwarts Express to get between Kings Cross Station and the station in Hogsmeade, Scorpius was free to do whatever he wanted. He could shed his starchy, stiff everyday robes and slip into his much more comfortable school ones. Oh, sure, they'd been the same when he'd first bought them, but nights of sleeping in them had made them tolerable. It'd been a bit of a fight with the house elf Gly to get him to clean them without returning them to their original state. In the end, however, Scorpius had won.

As the blond stared out the window, watching the world go by in a blur of green, blue, and gray, Scorpius thought about all the other things he could do now. Or he would have if his peace hadn't been interrupted by someone else entering his private sanctuary. The intruder was a boy his age, small, with unkempt dark hair and bright green eyes. His face was tinted red and he had a flustered look about him, and yet...a smile was forming? Why was this stranger smiling at him?

“ I'm sorry, but this was the only place I could go to get away from James. He won't stop bugging me, and Rose is no help, but James won't go near you.” The words came out in a rush and Scorpius watched the boy shift from foot to foot nervously. He had dragged a trunk and cage with a rather unhappy looking barn owl in with him.

It figured, the kid from before, the one he'd been told to watch out for, was here, using him as a shield. It was annoying, but Scorpius wasn't going to waste precious moments of freedom going on about it. He shrugged and returned to staring out the window, thinking about what he was going to do next.

Well, as soon as the witch with the trolley came, he was going to gorge on sweets--that was for sure. No one was here to tell him to watch what he ate or how he ate it. In fact, Scorpius thought, he might just eat a chocolate frog and lick his fingers afterwards in rebellion. Oh yes, that would be perfect, and his father would never, ever know.

“ Are you glad that there aren't any Thestrals to deal with this year?” Scorpius looked over at the unwelcome intruder who had interrupted his thoughts and shrugged again.

The other boy settled into a seat, slid his trunk underneath, and tried to mollify his owl, which was hopping about in its cage and hooting in an annoyed fashion. “ Hush, Ceci, I'll give you some treats later, I promise, just hush.”

Scorpius watched this and listened for some sort of reaction from Hunt. When none came, he bent over and peered into the cat carrier under the opposite seat. From what he could see, the Mau was fast asleep and had no intention of waking up anytime soon. It was probably for the better, since the last thing he needed was an upset Hunt demanding attention.

“Are you...are you afraid to talk to me because I'm His son?” Scorpius looked up at the dark haired boy whose voice was soft and trembled with uncertainty. He was staring at Scorpius in a way that unnerved him. Like he expected him to kick him out at any second, or maybe just plain kick him.

Scorpius sighed and shook his head. “I don't care who you are, I don't care if you sit here as long as you're quiet and I don't care about thestrals. Besides, we have to deal with the giant squid an-"

“ Squid! What squid? No one told me anything about a giant squid, just merpeople and a pervy ghost.” There was panic in the other boy's voice, and Scorpius couldn't help but be amused. Honestly, how would a wizard-born child attending Hogwarts not know these things? More importantly, why would someone mention merpeople and a ghost but not the squid? He was also curious about who this supposed ghost was.

“Relax, the squid has never hurt anyone before; in fact, if you fall out of the boats, it puts you back in.” The least Scorpius could do was keep the other boy from losing it completely. Even if it did take away from his free time. Beside, if he calmed the other down, then perhaps he'd be quiet.

“Oh, okay then. I guess that's better.” There was a small smile from the dark haired boy and then--“ Oh I'm Albus, Albus Severus Potter." Albus identified himself and Scorpius laughed.

“Asp, seriously, no jokes?” Why would the hero of the wizarding world give his child a name that was an acronym for a snake? Especially since a snake had killed Albus' middle-namesake.

Albus blinked in confusion before putting together what Scorpius had been talking about. “Oh, OH. Great, now I bet I'm destined for Slytherin, no matter what I tell the hat.” Leaning back against his seat, Albus put his head in his hands and groaned.

Scorpius rolled his granite grey eyes and gave a small put-upon sigh “It's not like it's the end of the world you know. Besides, the hat is supposed to be intelligent, and they say it puts you where you're supposed to be based on stuff inside you.. If you argue with it, then really you're arguing with yourself, which is stupid.” Scorpius had various thoughts on the hat and its choices, but now was not the time to discuss it.

Albus looked up and stared at the boy before him. That was something he'd never thought about: did he want to lie to himself, fight part of who he was? He was forced out of his thoughts as the door to the the carriage opened. Looking up, he saw a portly old witch pushing a trolley of sweets. Instantly, a smile spread across his face--perhaps now he could collect a few more chocolate frog cards without worrying about James nicking his best ones.

With identical looks of pleasure, Albus and Scorpius descended upon the trolley ,and when the witch and her goods left, it was with a significantly lighter load. Both boys, as if worried about never seeing or being able to purchase sweets safely again, had stocked up. They looked over at each other, examined the other's choices, and shared a smile.

An awkward silence followed, however, and inevitably Albus was the one to break it. “So, um, Scorpius.” He was glad he'd remembered the pale boy's name from when his father and Uncle had been talking. “What sort of pet did you bring?” He had missed Scorpius checking the carrier earlier and was wondering what, if anything, the other boy had brought.

Scorpius nodded to where Hunt's carrier was. “I have a purebred female Egyptian Mau named Hunt. She's the more common silver coloring with black spots, but she's still pretty brill.” His maternal grandparents had insisted he have one of their cat's kittens earlier that year, and he'd become attached to Hunt. So, despite his father's insistence that an owl was a more useful, he had convinced him to let him take Hunt instead.

Albus nodded, then pointed towards his owl's cage with a foot. “Ceci is just a regular barn owl, but she's never let me down yet.”

“Reliable owls are important," Scorpius admitted. He wasn't sure why he was letting this kid rope him into conversation, but it didn't seem to be too bad. Besides, he could sort his sweets while he talked and it would muffle the aggravating sound of wrappers crinkling and being rubbed against each other.

“I'm going to call you Asp, okay? Because Albus Severus is too much, Albus alone probably won't go over well, and Al is sort of crude.” Not to mention that Scorpius though Asp was a rather amusing name.

Asp shrugged. “Sure, it doesn't bother me any.”

With that said, a strange bond resembling a friendship was started, and for the rest of the trip to the castle of Hogwarts, the two talked. Scorpius learned that Asp's brother, while prone to teasing and pranks, was still a decent older brother. Apparently James was patronizing and protective, annoying but also admirable.

Being an only child, Scorpius didn't really understand this, but he did think it sounded pretty interesting and it made him wonder what life would be like with siblings.

When asked about his own family, Scorpius had answered as best he could without boasting too much or giving away anything he thought might be used against them. Mostly, he'd talked about traveling to visit relatives and some of his more comical childhood adventures. A few things were a bit embarrassing, and he was glad to see Asp fighting back laughter and unwelcome comments at those moments.

Their families might share a history riddled with hostility separated by momentary acts of kindness, but Scorpius saw no reason why he and Asp couldn't get along. At least for now, anyway. By the time the Hogwarts express came to a stop, there was little doubt in either boy's mind that they would miss the other should they end up in rival houses.

Cloaked now in their school robes, the pair disembarked leaving their trunks and animals to be picked up by house elves.

As they were lead down to the bank of the lake by a hulk of a man named Hagrid ( Scorpius vaguely remembered his father saying something about him being a half-giant ), the two boys shared a look that said 'same boat'. They wanted to share each other's company at least a little longer. They clambered into one of the many small dingies and were swiftly joined by a small, cross-looking girl. Once they were out on the water and Asp had nowhere to run, she began to berate him.

“ Honestly, Al, you didn't have to hide for the whole time you know. James is upset now, he thinks you're going to want to be in a different house just to get away from him. “ The girl's hair was red but its exact true shade was hard to tell in the failing light. She had a small smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and dark blue eyes that were filled with annoyance.

“Did you know,” she continued before Asp had a chance to reply, "that you can tell the hat where you want to go? My mum did, it thought she would make a good Ravenclaw but she wanted Gryffindor. I think it's swell that the hat lets you pick sometimes because, I mean, imagine if mum had been sorted into Ravenclaw--then where would I be?”

Staring up at the sky, Scorpius asked the old gods why his new friend had a cousin who didn't shut up either. Perhaps it was genetic or something, a trait from the Weasley in him.

“ Rose, Scorpius says that asking the hat to put you somewhere is wrong because it's fighting the part of yourself, pretending it doesn't exist.” Asp countered .

Immediately Scorpius snapped his head down and let his eyes flick between the cousins. Why did he have to get dragged into this? Couldn't Asp have just said the fighting thing without involving him? Now there was going to be some sort of argument and he'd have to mediate while explaining himself.

Whatever Rose was going to say was halted by the appearance of a large grayish black tentacle rising from the lake, latching onto the back of the boat in front of them then pushing it away and propelling it forward through the water. Before they could react their own boat surged forward and they all grabbed the sides for support though the boat did not rock.

“ Relax, firs' years, the squid jus' wants to help us get there faster,” Hagrid called out to reassure them.

Scorpius thought he heard a hint of worry in the half-giant's voice. Still, a few more helpful pushes later and the students, along with their things, arrived safe and sound on the correct side of the lake. More than a few people were staring back at the now smooth and glassy lake, wondering what exactly had just happened.

Getting out of the boat, Scorpius left the now arguing cousins and walked quickly to stand at the front of the group of other first years. He had decided not to get involved in the family argument if at all possible. Not that it mattered much, as they were soon in the entrance hall where their footsteps echoed on the flagstone and then lead to smaller antechamber where they were placed in a line alphabetically and marched into the Great Hall.

Scorpius was forced to admit that the hall was indeed great . The enchanted ceiling high above him had perfectly copied the sky that he had seen outside, giving a sort of open feel to the room, as if it extended forever. Not to mention that the hall itself was huge, brightly lit, and inviting.

He let his gaze stray from the ceiling to the tables housing the older students. Closest to the doors from the Entrance Hall was Slytherin, where the students seemed to be bored. Next to them, under a blue and Bronze banner, was Ravenclaw, where there were several discussions going on. Beside them Hufflepuff, where all were quiet as they waited almost eagerly for the sorting; and on the far wall, Gryffindor, where it looked to Scorpius like some sort of betting was going on.

The teachers sat at a table on a raised platform at the front of the room. Much like with the students, there seemed to be happy, bored and distracted teachers.

In the center of the hall was a tired-looking young wizard with tar-black skin that seemed to melt into his robes. In his hands was a roll of parchment containing a list of names. He stood next to a three legged stool upon which sat an old weather-worn hat that looked like it had seen a patch job or two.

Scorpius thought the infamous sorting hat looked rather boring, considering how important it was supposed to be. Then as he'd been told the brim of the hat ripped open and the hat began to sing. The tune was catchy enough and the words held truth to them, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Well, at least not to Scorpius. Looking behind him, he could see Asp was in awe of the singing headpiece.

When the song was over and the sorting began, Scorpius noticed that Asp's awed state had been replaced by one of nervousness. He was visibly shaking, even if it was just a small bit. Following his friends line of sight, he saw the true source of Asp's worry. His brother was watching him intently while talking with his friends.

Scorpius might have his father and grandfather to impress, but they were far away and only capable of retaliating with written words and a possible howler. If in some way Asp embarrassed his brother during the sorting, he'd have to deal with daily taunts and reproachful looks the majority of his stay at the castle. They'd be mostly lighthearted and limited to James himself, but it wouldn't help Asp's self-esteem any.

“ Relax, as long as the hat sorts you, I'm certain you can make the best of any house you end up in,” Scorpius tried to reassure Asp. The boy was adaptable if a bit slow on the uptake--well maybe not slow so much as cautious, evaluating everything before making any moves or choices. Oh hell, Scorpius had no clue what went on in Asp's head and he was better off not trying to figure it out.

“ As long as? Has anyone ever not been? ” Asp asked in a panicked whisper.

“ No.”

“ What if--”

“ It will be fine,” Scorpius assured Asp with a confident smile. The other boy nodded and seemed to calm a bit.

“ Malfoy, Scorpius.”

Scorpius walked forward and ignored the few looks and whispers he got. He was well aware of the rumors and truths about his family that were spread about. He wasn't alone in this; he knew that children of others who had served Voldemort received the same skeptical treatment. Scorpius' grey eyes remained focused and calm as he sat and the sorting hat was placed upon his head.

You're a clever one, sneaky too, a bit judgemental and determined, but still, I think you're best suited to--“Ravenclaw!"

Scorpius strode calmly over to his house table, amidst more glances and looks. Still, it wasn't overly bad, and his new house mates seemed unfazed by his inclusion into their fold. Once he was seated at the table, he let his gaze wander back to the center of the hall and the sorting.

Scorpius wasn't particularly interested in the rest of sorting, but Asp was to be sorted soon and he wondered where the boy would end up.

“Potter, Albus.”

As Asp walked forward, Scorpius resisted the urge to sigh. Somehow, in the few minutes since he'd left him, the boy a had gone and worked himself up again. He was clearly hopeless.

“Ravenclaw.”

What? How in the name of Merlin's beard had Asp managed to get sorted into a house renowned for their wits when half the time he seemed incapable of putting a proper sentence together? Scorpius supposed that the hat must have seen something hidden in him or else he wouldn't have been put there...unless Asp had asked to be in Ravenclaw because he was there.

The thought disturbed Scorpius, and as Asp approached to applause, he watched him carefully. The other boy seemed somewhat in shock and that mollified Scorpius. The last thing he wanted was to be responsible for another's choice of house, since it was so important to a person's time at Hogwarts--though he was glad that his friend had been sorted with him.

Asp sat down beside him and cracked a small smile. “James looks so jealous, he's always going on about how much better than me he is.”

“If you believe that were sorted by our strongest traits, then he's got more courage than you could ever have and it's him that others should depend on to act boldly and righteously in times of need.” The tone of Scorpius' voice showed he believed no such thing.

Asp, picking up on the disbelief, raised an eyebrow, green eyes filled with curiosity.

Scorpius smiled a bit at the chance to share his theory. “I think the hat is a liar and that it puts us where we'll best serve it, not what best serves us. It's got a good memory, probably remembers every student it ever sorted. It's putting us where, yes, we are suited by talents or personalty, but it's also deciding who we're apt to make friends with and what sort of older people influence us as house mates. I don't know what the hat wants or why but I do know that I don't fully trust its choices. There have been too many reports of people who seem to be mis-sorted for me to believe in it.”

An upperclassmen who'd been listening to them while watching the sorting looked over and smiled. “Not bad, Malfoy, you figured it out awful quick. There's a few who'll expand on what you said later, if you choose to talk to them.”

Asp, who was drummed his fingers on the table, said “Mmm, well, my father says that the hat used to warn people when Hogwarts was in trouble and stuff. Maybe it's trying to protect the school or something.”

The older Ravenclaw, who, Scorpius now noted, had mouse-brown hair and dull blue eyes, nodded. “That's one theory we have, but we'll discuss that later, okay?”

The sorting finished just then and neither Scorpius nor Asp had time to say anything else. Not that they would have been heard over the outraged cries of many as Rose Weasley was sorted into Slytherin. Asp, he noted, was silent but shocked as he watched the fuming girl stalk over to the Slytherin table.

The next few hours were long and boring by Scorpius's point of view. The headmistress was a middle-aged, somewhat stuffy-looking witch called Minerva McGonagall. She had black hair and squarish glasses, and his father had mentioned her in passing as one not to cross . She gave a boring speech and list of rules and some forbidden objects. Nothing that really interested him, but Asp seemed amused by the banning of a good deal of products made by his uncle's joke store.

Then had come the feast, and while it had been grand, it was nothing Scorpius hadn't seen before at some of the elaborate parties his mother's family sometimes hosted. Still, he had enjoyed the food and the chance to talk to his housemates a bit. Looking around, he'd noted that Ravenclaw alone was full of truly proper networking. At all the other tables students seemed to talk by age, but here, at his table, everyone talked about everything. There was no distinction between the experienced and the non-experienced, just like minds meeting.

For all his earlier nervousness Asp had managed to hold his own and Scorpius had to admit that, masked by his many questions and reluctance to be the center of attention, Asp had a mind that was worthy of his sorted house.

Still, as they walked towards Ravenclaw tower following the older students and Prefects, Scorpius paid little attention to his friend as he was lost in his thoughts again. He needed to think about what he would write home, and whether to write duplicate letters to all family members or give everyone bits and pieces of what had been happening.

He paused when he noticed Asp was no longer following but had stopped to stared at a wall. Torches on the far wall illuminated the object of interest and Scorpius could make out a name carved into part of the wall: Fred Weasley .

Ah, well, it made sense then. Asp was paying tribute to his uncle--one he'd never met--but still, it wasn't uncommon. There were parts all over the castle where names and plaques hung, proclaiming the deaths and sacrifices of those who'd died in the epic battle all those years ago. Student and teachers alike were known to pause for a moment or two to pay respect, or so he'd heard.

Of course, the memorials were, for some, just a reason to be late to class. No teacher ever deducted points from students who were late and used that excuse, because who were they to know if the truth was being told? It was insulting, to be sure, when the memorials were abused, but what could you do?

As they neared the base of Ravenclaw tower, Scorpius realized he'd not paid nearly enough attention to where he'd been going. Not to mention that a door to his left had suddenly turned to stone, either returning to its natural state or disguising itself. He supposed he should have taken his father's warning seriously when he said that the castle could and would make life difficult. It didn't help that Ravenclaw tower was so far from the great hall. It had been a long day and Scorpius was tired; remembering how he'd gotten here was not going to be an easy task.

When the group stopped, he turned to Asp to ask if he'd fared any better, but kept his ears tuned to listen to the prefect's voice so he could hear the password . He was confused when. instead of a simple password. the older boy gave a strange password that sounded like he was answering a riddle.

Before he could ask a question everyone was shuffled into into the common room and the prefect spoke again. "That's right, for those of you who didn't know, the way into our common room is by answering a riddle. If you cannot answer it, you will be locked out until someone comes along and does answer it correctly. This promotes greater learning and tests you daily to keep your skills sharp. I hope never to have to see any of you waiting for assistance.”

Scorpius resisted the urge to groan. He really should have been paying attention earlier. He wasn't certain if he needed to ask for a riddle or wait while the guardian created one. After all the stair climbing and corridors they'd gone thorough, his memory was fuzzy on whatever everything even looked like.

Dismissed, the girls headed to the right for their dorms and the boys to the left . Scorpius would have liked a chance to get a better look at the common room first, but, then again, he was also exhausted and probably wouldn't have appreciated it.

Scorpius pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a headache coming on--a headache by the name of one Albus Severus Potter . While walking to the dorm, he'd caught sight of his friend in his peripheral vision and seen that he had that look in his eyes, that look that meant there were questions coming. Come they did as they and two others entered their room. Long ones and short ones. Complicated and easy, meaningful and pointless. He wondered what he had done to be saddled with the boy who never shut up.

Scorpius answered as many as he could while he settled into the room, unpacking his things (he had never been more thankful than now for house elves, as he'd never have managed to lug his things this far) and releasing Hunt. In a flash of silver and black, the cat hopped up onto Scorpius' bed and sprawled across his pillow, looking as though she belonged there and had no intention of moving.

The hint of a smirk graced his lips when the other boys in the room stared at Hunt. She was quite eye catching with her bright silver coat and black-spotted pattern. Hunt knew it too, which was why she chose that exact moment to stretch and release a soft musical mew. It figured his cat was a show-off. “Cute, Hunt, but that's my pillow and I'm going to want it back,” he informed her with a no-nonsense tone to his voice. It surprised him not at all that she paid him no mind, and Scorpius ignored the snickers of the other boys in favour of searching for his nightwear.

In the Slytherin dorms, Rose Weasley sat in her bed, unable to sleep. Again and again, the words of the Sorting Hat echoed in her head. You pursue knowledge but in a ruthless manner; you are open-minded yet have prejudices deeply ingrained into you, and you are dedicated but that can easily lead to obsession. I could place you anywhere and you would flourish, but I think you'll benefit most from--“Slytherin.” How could she have ended up here, and how could the hat possibly think she could benefit by being surrounded by people who'd likely back-stab her as soon as possible? Not to mention that her father would probably never speak to her again, well, not after the howler she was bound to get tomorrow. Rose would sleep fitfully tonight if she slept at all.

AN: Mau's are actually well knows for their strange sounding mews there is nothing special about Hunt. Next chappie will probably be from Asp's POV and will include some insight into how James is faring as well.
Chapters from Scorpius's POV will usually be more thought driven and to the point. Asp's POV will be more action , description and open.

Much love to my beta evr-afire.

C&C welcome.