A/N: Welcome to my first ever fic! I've dabbled with writing before, but nothing ever seemed to be good enough to post until this idea hit me. This will be a next generation story through all their years at Hogwarts, and I've got most of it planned out. Fair warning, this story is not going to be short, but I update frequently as I can and I will NOT abandon it. I love these characters too much. I hope you stick around and enjoy! UPDATED: Just want to point out a couple things, this is the first chapter and it's just a set up for the plot, I'm much happier with the later chapters. Also, this is ScorpiusXRose, but give it time. I promise it will happen. Alerts make me happy, favorites make me jump for joy and reviews are adored above all else. I hope you give my not so little fic a chance as I am finally done rambling. Enjoy!

UPDATED 6/21/12: Warning, there are some dark moments in this story which include character abuse, injury and death.

DISCLAIMER: It's not mine. I wish it was, but it never will be.

Scorpius Malfoy and the Quest for Redemption

Year One

Chapter 1: The Boy in the Shadows

Depending on who you asked, you would get very different opinions on the only child of Draco Malfoy. His mother would tell you that Scorpius was a charming boy, and smart too. His father would quietly remark that his boy would go farther in life than he did. Most people had a favorable opinion of Scorpius Malfoy, but of course, then there was his grandfather.

On August 31st, five Malfoys sat around the large dining room table in Malfoy Manor. Scorpius sat at the head across from his grandfather as today was his day, the day before he left for Hogwarts to begin his first year. If Scorpius was allowed to be a normal boy, he wouldn't have been able to stay still. Sitting still and being quiet while his parents and grandparents made polite conversation was more painful than usual when he was brimming over with questions about what to expect tomorrow. He knew better than to speak without being addressed when his grandfather was around, so he kept his eyes on his plate, slicing his steak into small pieces and tried to picture Hogwarts castle.

"Scorpius," the voice of his grandfather echoed across the vast room, "In the Slytherin common room you should remember to always-" Scorpius kept his eyes on his grandfather while tuning out the rest of his sentence. Lucius Malfoy made it sound as if he had already been sorted. It was true that Malfoys for generations had been in Slytherin, but that didn't mean that he was destined to be the same.

"Are you listening to me boy?" Scorpius snapped back into focus to see the ice cold eyes of his grandfather glittering dangerously.

Scorpius considered his options, if he said that he was listening, his grandfather would make him repeat what he said last and catch him in his lie. If he said no, that would make his grandfather extremely angry and would probably result in punishment. In a manner similar to his father at his age, Scorpius lifted his head in defiance and said, "No." It was his last night, it's not like the punishment could be that bad.

Lucius's hands tightened around the fork and knife that he was holding. Scorpius watched carefully, ready to pull his brand new wand from his pocket despite being underage with no idea what spell to use. "I wish that you had done a better job raising your boy Draco." Lucius drawled, "If you did, maybe he would have manners more becoming of a Malfoy and not a Weasley." Draco scowled, but remained silent. "Perhaps, the boy should go to his room, now."

Scorpius rose from the dinner table at the dismissal of his grandfather and looked to his mother, "Dinner was lovely Mother, Father, Grandmother." He nodded to the three members of his family that he got along with, and then swept out of the room. As soon as the door to the dining room fell shut, he went running up the spiral staircase, down the hall and into his room. Frantically, he dug around in his packed Hogwarts trunk until his fingers touched the rubber material of a Weasley Wizard Wheezes extendable ear. His family would be disappointed if they knew if he had any of those "rubbish" products, but at times like this, they were incredibly handy.

With the speed and silence of an expert eavesdropper, he slipped down the stairs and into the shadows nearby the door to the dining room. He snaked the ear under the door just enough to hear his family and their murmurs became more clear.

"-Not like you." It was his father speaking, and he sounded angry. Scorpius felt very glad that he was no longer in the room. His father was kind to him, not doting like his mother, but more of a quiet support. When he was in one of his moods though, Scorpius would duck into one of his many hiding places. Now it sounded as if his father's mood would send him running out to the maze of gardens to hide as far away as possible.

"It is fine if he is not exactly like me Draco, but I expected you to teach the boy some manners at the very least. Due to the way that you raised the boy he won't end up in Slytherin and be a disgrace to our family." Lucius spat back.

"You are the disgrace to our family, father, if I remember correctly. I believe that I am the one who has spent nearly twenty years trying to piece our family name back together after you got wrapped up with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The fact that Scorpius is nothing like you, nothing like me when I was his age, makes me hopeful that maybe the Malfoy name won't be worth nothing in a few generations."

"You have not done anything for this family Draco! You didn't marry the woman that we had picked out for you," Scorpius gripped the extendable ear tighter, how dare he insult his mother! "And then you have a child with this woman of your choice and he turns out to be disgrace! If he didn't look so much like you, I would say that Astoria has been sleeping around because he is nothing like this family. Pity that her pathetic personality has rubbed off on the boy."

Scorpius was about to burst into the room ready to hurt his grandfather in anyway possible when there was an explosion. He didn't need the extendable ear to hear the rest of the screams.

"Draco!" His mother yelled.

There was a gurgling noise, and then his father's voice loud but shaking rang out, "Don't you dare insult my wife ever again, or I will do so much worse to you. You are not a part of my family. Sorry for the mess Mother, you can choose to sort out Lucius if you wish. I wouldn't." Scorpius knew that his parents would exit the dining room shortly, so he quickly pulled the extendable ear, shoving it in his pocket as he ran.

The vast Malfoy Manor was like a maze. Scorpius spent many hours exploring all the rooms that were open, and so he knew the quickest way out to the gardens. After a few turns, he burst through the last door and out into the warm night. His anger fueling his speed as he flew across the grounds, past the flowers that he and his mother had tended to together, past the quidditch pitch where his father taught him to fly, and into the orchard where he picked a sturdy apple tree to swing up into.

He gripped the tree so tightly that the bark cut into his skin, drawing drops of blood. Tomorrow he would be leaving for Hogwarts. He wouldn't hear his grandfather screaming at various members of his family. He wouldn't have to see the broken looks in his parents eyes. He wouldn't see his mother cry or his father snap. Eventually, Scorpius knew that the bruises on his body from the beatings his grandfather gave him would fade. At the same time he worried. He worried that Lucius would target his mother when he was gone, and that he would come home and find her even more broken than she was now. Looking up at the stars that many members of his family were named after, Scorpius wished, not for the first time, for his grandfather to die.

"Scorpius?" He glanced away from the stars and saw his mother standing at the base of the tree. Her eyes were red and she looked even more pale in the moonlight. Being careful of his scraped hands, Scorpius swung down from the tree landing with a thump in front of her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled a few leaves out of his light hair. "I'm so proud of you Scorp, your father and I love you very much and know you will do great things. It doesn't matter which house you are put in, what matters is what you do in your life."

He nodded and gently wrapped his arms around his mother. "I know Mum, I'll be fine tomorrow."

As he and his mother sat outside that night until the sun rose and the stars faded, hiding from the shouts and curses that were no doubt echoing around the Manor, Scorpius Malfoy knew that he would be fine no matter what house he ended up in. What he was worried about was the day after, once the news of which house he was in spread.