It's a pretty suckish story but it's been sitting in my computer for a while and I thought, "I'm not going to work on it more so I may as well just upload it."

Enjoy. Though I doubt you will.

You know how sometimes your parents embarrass you so much you just want to disown them? Well, that couldn't be more true for me. I mean, sure, Dad's not exactly a Death Eater anymore, but he still scrunches up his nose at muggle-borns when they get too near him at Diagon Alley. And it's not like Mum's a perfect little angel either. The way she talks about the "Mudbloods" and "blood-traitors" that annoy her at work, with their apparently trivial concerns, makes me want to just pack up and leave

But I guess I can escape all that at school, and I was looking forward to third-year more than previous years. Not just because Mum was thinking of trying to separate the muggle-borns at work, but also because my friend Albus's little sister was coming to Hogwarts. He'd promised we could play all sorts of pranks on her, leave the over-protectiveness to James, y'know. So I'd packed my bags with no trepidation at all and swung my arm around Al as soon as I saw him at the train station. This action has always caused my parents to cringe, but they know Al and I are way too good friends for anything to stop it.

"You guys look like a gay couple," scorned James, looking around the platform.

"Well at least I haven't been stood up by my girlfriend," countered Albus as I took my arm away. "Jamesie, face it, she isn't going to search the whole platform just for-"

But Albus stopped when only the prettiest sixth-year, Dannaye Finnigan, flung her arms around James's neck. Al and I turned away, not out of politeness but rather out of disgust, and I turned to Al.

"Where's your sister then?"

"Dad's getting her straight on the train," said Al, rolling his eyes. "He's been fretting about her all summer, it's been annoying the hell out of me and James. Make sure she doesn't get picked on, keep an eye on her, make sure she eats enough."

I laughed because I can imagine the famous Harry Potter, who cowered not in the face of Voldemort himself, doing just that.

"Teddy says 'hi', by the way," said Al as we hopped on the train.

I smiled. My second cousin or whatever made me kinda half-related to the Potters, even though there's no blood connection between Ted and Harry, and even though my parents hate it. They never even visit him, but I guess that's 'cause Dad hardly even knew he had an Aunt Tonks, so why should they give a werewolf the time of day?

That's how they thought, anyway, but I quite admired Ted. I'd snuck around to see him, and Victoire, heaps of times. She's really lovely, just the sweetest thing, and she'd insisted on inviting me to their wedding last summer. I got there without my parents knowing too, and Al and I had hid under tables tripping his cousins, and even Ted a few times (he's got the clumsiness of his mother, I tell you).

But somehow I had never caught site of Lily and I kind of wanted to know who I would be pranking for the next five years. As the train picked up speed, we found her staring out the window at the meadows rushing past in an empty compartment.

"Morning Lils."

She turned at Albus's words and I couldn't see how we could prank her of all people. I mean, she looked so…innocent. Waves of red framing a petite sun kissed face, complete with the huge blue eyes and button nose.

But then her eyes set on me and her nose scrunched up.

"Blond hair, hideous facial features – you must be a Malfoy," she spat.

"I-" I stuttered at that, a blush creeping up my face.

But she giggled.

"I'm kidding, Al's told me heaps about you," she smiled, and she seemed so…friendly. "Scorpius, right?"

"Yeah…" I said, taken aback. I was about to ask her name but she spoke, a hint of curiosity in her voice

"D'you like that name?"

"It's not the best," I admitted with a shrug.

"What's your nickname then?" she asked, shoving her hand in a small backpack at her feet and shuffling through its contents.

"Um, well, some people call me Scor-"

"Scor?" she frowned, stopping her search. "So you represent a bunch of numbers?"

"Well, I don't mind what people call me," I shrugged.

She sat silent for a moment, but when Al opened his mouth to speak, she got in first.

"What about Corey?"

"I'm sorry?" I was genuinely perplexed.

"The nickname. Corey," she pressed.

"That's actually not that bad," Al conceded after a long silence.

Lily sat back with that smug, know-it-all smile on her face that eleven-year-olds often get and I'm tempted to roll my eyes. Al, however, seemed to be smiling pointedly at her.

"I'll just go to the bathroom for a sec," I excused myself, slipping out of the compartment.

But as I slowly closed the door behind me, I heard Al reprimand Lily.

"Scor doesn't take the Malfoy jokes so well," he hissed.

"He's Corey now," said a defiant Lily.

I couldn't help but smile. Corey. Finally, there was something normal about me.