CHAPTER ONE: Dinner Guests
Nineteen-days, twenty-two hours and seventeen-seconds until Scorpius Malfoy's return to Hogwarts, second year. He gleamed as he stared up at the calender glistening a moving picture of he, his dear friend Al Potter and Al's cousin Rose. In the photo they sat at hogwarts in black and white, on a marble-slab bench in the middle of the ground, grinning and laughing. Scorpius, a begotten Slytherin, had found company in Al, a gryffindor student, their first Potions lesson of the year. Al had been welcomed into the house, but the Slytherin-to-Gryffindor ratio was a bit off in the class, couples of Gryffindor doubles had sat side by side while Al copped a seat at the back on his lonesome. Rose, his cousin, had doubled up with another Gryffindor girl. Noticing, Scorpius sauntered to Al in a nervous disposition and asked the seat, not wanting to admit he did not know (or liked) many of the Slytherins. Friendship grew over their first brewing of concoctions.
Scorpius found Al funny.
Al thought Scorpius a kind ear.
Twelve months of almost inseperability came, topped with Rose Weasley's delightful presence. Tall for her age she stood a good few inches above Al and Scorpius and competed with Scorpius for grades of course.
Scorpius found himself grinning profusely at the memories, and instead then went on the getting ready for dinner.
His Grandparents still inhabited Malfoy Manor, and Scorpius and his parents therefor lived in a different manor house just outside of Godric's Hollow. He had his own bedroom, his own broom and his own house elf, a loving little elf named Tanny who catered to his every need and was dress in what used to be a giant green, purple, blue and red tea cosey.
His parents had made raised him a respectable young man but Scorpius found himself considerably more nervous, shy and quiet than his mother and father - and tonight would be no exception.
His grandparents were to arrive and stay for a dinner of a four course meal followed by tea and more idle chit chat than dear Scorp could bare. Al had been sending owls back and forth to the manor and each breakfast brought new letters and strange gifts, some even arriving in the evening. His parents watched with smiles but he knew not of his grandparents fraternising with Gryffindors.
"Scorpius!" called his mother, Astaria. "Come down now, and welcome your grandparents!"
"Coming mum!" Scorpius shouted back.
He had pulled on a high-collar black shirt and silver tie with a pair of skinny black jeans and a pair of large green muggle boots he adored, a present from Rose and her muggle-born mother, who knew all the best shops.
Scorpius rushed down out his room and down the stairs, almost tripping on his undone silver laces. He arrived to his parents standing at the bottom of the staircase.
"Come on now, son." Grinned his father.
"Okay dad!" Scorpius smiled back.
Twas not he did not love his parents, but Scorpius found Hogwarts an easier place to live in terms of socialising. When both your parents work at the ministry of magic and you are left with nothing but a yes-man house elf for company things sometimes get boring (hence he had now read all of the books he was about to use in his second year).
The two generations now stood in front of the fireplace. Not a moment before the third senior arrived did his mother not look down and groan.
"Scorpius, really?" glowering down at the weather-beaten pair of dark green shows wrapped around his small feet.
"They have character, mum!" he defended quietly.
"Cast an enlifement spell on an at least decent pair of shows if you want character! Not muggle-batted cast-offs!"
"I like them!" smiled his father, Draco. He had become much more jolly when his hair line started receding. "They suit you."
At that moment - while Astaria shot Draco a confused look- green flames sprouted in the firplace and out stalked his grandparents, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. Both now well into their sixties had silver hair and wrinkled faces. His grandfather still stood tall and intimidating, however, with cold grey eyes Scorpius did not understand he shared with him. He forced a smile as he stalked over to Draco.
"Father!" Draco smiled, swinging his arms around him and patting his back. Lucius did not look quite pleased at Draco's affection, but forced a polite smile.
Meanwhile, Grandmummy Narcissa gave Astaria a kind a hug and pat on the shoulder, then sunk to Scorpius's five-foot-one frame to hug her grandson.
"I have missed you, young man!" She said, squeezing him tight.
"And I you, Grandma." Scorpius smiled. He did adore old Narcissa, whenever he visited she got the cook to make him ice creams, and she had a special stack of sweets hidden away for his visits.
"Come and visit us more, you still have time before school starts!"
"I will Grandma."
Then came old Lucius. He sauntered over, as if knowing the fear in Scorpius's heart, he bent low and held out a hand.
"Scorpius, my boy, how are you son?" he grinned, still intimidating.
"I am wonderful, Grandfather, and you?" he smiled. He wasn't sure about hislvoe for his grandfather, admiration maybe. Admiration pinned down by fear more like.
"Oh, at my age I am proud and happy for the days I am given left, dear boy."
"Don't speak as if you're to die soon, Grandfather."
They were still shaking hands.
"Evidently dear boy, I don't expect much longer."
"May I remind you, you are wizard, aren't you, Grandfather?"
Lucius smirked. In all his life, Scorpius had never seen his grandfather do a single spell. He had once overheard his father in conversation with his mother, speaking about how his father had lost hope after his last wand was snapped, and rarely did spells nowadays. Evidently, old Lucius was wishing for death nowadays.
He erected and stared down at his grandson.
"Life is a blessing." Spoke Lucius in a sigh. "Now, for dinner, Draco?"
Scorpius sat in mostly silence at the table through out the night. No words passed his lips while he devoured the start-of-dinner cheese and meat dish, nor while he sipped pea soup. He did notice his grandmother watching him while he sipped his pumpkin juice though, through out waiting for the main course. Hogwarts had made Scorpius's belly bigger than he was used to, and when the house elf came and served the dinner of a roast beef dinner, Scorpius spied a colourful cake tray for a moment, filled with pink and greens.
"Scorpius, sweetheart, how is school?" smiled Narcissa.
Scorpius looked up from his carrots and swallowed.
"Erm, fine." He answered, whiping his mouth.
"And how are your classes? And your grades."
"Er, erm fine." Scorpius smiled again, taking a swig of pumpkin juice and then reaching for the silver jug full of it.
"Oh, he's being modest, Narcissa!" grinned Astaria.
"Mum..." pleaded a modest Scorpius.
"Truth is he's the highest in his Potions class and Herbology class."
"Oh?" his grandfather's cold voice called out, snapping his and Draco's conversation in two. "And what of Transfiguration? Or Defence Against The Dark Arts?"
Scorpius gulped.
"I'm in the top three tied." he tried to flail out of the conversation by reaching for the jug once again.
"Tied with who, Scorpius?" Lucius asked once again.
Scorpius squirmed.
"Who, sweetheart?" Narcissa asked, a more warm expression on hers.
"Er," Scorpius paused, still reaching for the pumpkin juice and switching his glance from face to face. Each were looking intently, but only his father and grandmother seemed to be holding kind faces. "Albus Potter and Rose Weasley. We're in the top three for Defence against the dark arts. Me and Rose are also tied in Transfiguration and Charms, grandfather."
"Rose Weasley...?" Lucius snarled and turned to Draco. "The half-blood? Mother was mudblood?"
"Father, don't say that in front of him," hushed Draco while Scorpius squirmed further foreward for the jug.
"Why not? I don't see how you're own son is tied with a half-blood for top when his decent is nothing BUT wizards!" Lucius's tone was growing to a hiss.
"He is better than what I was when he was my age." Laughed Draco.
"Not the point, that Mudblood beat you also!"
"Father! Drop it!"
"I will not...!"
All the time Scorpius grew annoyed, barely focusing on his way of getting the jug, and all the while listening to the anger-ridden hushes of his elders. He felt his eyes burning with fury at the mention of superiority in blood-relation. His neck began to sweat and his brain ache as his mother and grandmother now joined in the arguement.
"He has enough potential to overthrough many in his path-"
"But he's just a boy, and either way we're proud of him, aren't we sweetheart?"
"Of course, Draco! Lucius, you're looking at it the wrong way."
"Do not tell me that, Astaria."
"Lucius, darling, please stop, this was to be a nice visit, your ruining thenight-"
"I am not ruining the night, Narcissa, they are ruining our grandson! Work him, make him practise!"
"He's not allowed to use magic outside of school, Father!"
"I don't care! Do anything to get him ahead of that Half-muggle blood-traitor brat!"
At that moment, Scorpius snapped and retracted him arm, without will, he muttered the word spell "Accio" and the jug came flying. Past his head and landed on the floor with a loud clatter, juice spilling everywhere. The dining room fell silent... but not for long.
"See! Summoning charms!" said Draco, smiling at his breathless son. "I didn't learn summoning charms until my fourth year!"
"And without a wand!" Narcissa piped in.
With that, a loud "pop" sounded and Scorpius found a small hand tugging on his sleeve.
"Oh, hi Tanny!" smiled Scorpius.
She stood in her dirty tea cosey, big blue eyes staring up with a smile. She held a rag and what looked like a bucket to heavy for her.
"Master Scorpius made a mess?" she said with nothing but kindness.
"What? Oh, yes. Sorry." Scorpius apologized, blushing with embarassment.
"No need, Master, no need. Where?"
Scorpius pointed towards the cabinet with the spilt jug. Tanny nodded and strode over, dragging her rag acroos the floor, pulling pumpkin pulp out of the floorboards.
"I'll help you!" Scorpius said, jumping up from his seat and down to the floor by her side.
"Now he's helping Elves?" hissed Lucius
"Father, please! Tanny adores him!"
"Dent in the jug." Tanny muttered.
"Hmm?" Scorpius replied, wringing out the cloth.
"Dent in the jug, may be hard to get it out, Master."
"Oh, sorry, Tanny."
"Tis not my job Master, but Tanny is grateful eitherwise."
Within minutes it was spotless and Scorpius stood up look. Tanny then clicked her fingers to grab his attention.
"Hmm?"
"Hands, Master Scorpius, hands!" she exclaimed, pulling his hands into hers where she tightened her fingers around his wrists and watched as white jets of liquid wrapped around his hands and scrubbed off the dirt, then retreated to Tanny's palms. Tanny then retrieved a napkin from the table and gave it to her Master.
"Thankyou, Tanny." he smiled, drying his refreshed hands.
"Nothing else, Master?"
"Nothing else, Tanny."
"Should anything be needed-"
"I shall call, Tanny."
Tanny gave a hiccup of gratitude and popped away into thin air as Scorpius seated himself back at the table. His dinner had been taken and - while his Grandfather lectured his father - his mother and grandmother were helping themselves to strawberry cheesecake. from a silver spinning cake tray. Scorpius however, reached for the bottom layer, and exceptionally big slice of green cactus cake. Green and tangy and built like a cheesecake it was easily his favourite of all the sweets in the world.
His grandmother Narcissa, was growing tired of the argueing and then instead sliced some chocolate cake and placed it on his Lucius's plate, and covered it with cream. She pulled his face away from her sons for a moment and demanded "Eat" to her husband. Lucius went silent and reached for his fork.
"And what will you be having, son?" Narcissa asked.
"Cactus cake, mother." Draco smiled.
"Your son has ate half the cake." She warned.
"I know, we always argue over the last slice." Draco smirked, shooting Scorpius a loving glare.
Twas true. Since Scorpius's return he and Draco had been bonding over sweets and Quidditch mostly, usually sitting with a box of chocolate truffles charmed to never run out, while listening to the Quidditch on their old radio, or flicking through the articiles of the teams while spilling ice cream down their fronts in the garden on a hot day. Scorpius could've swore his father's belly had gotten rounder since he'd returned.
"Still, Draco, you must at least teach him all you can if he is to suceed."
"Father's he has already read all of the books for the next year, I even sent an owl to Professor McGonagall asking if we could have the list for next year in advance to give him something to read over the last three weeks."
"Not good enough!" Shouted Lucius, suddenly. "Do everything you can to ensure-"
"Excuse me, Lucius!" inturrupted Narcissa. "You don't even know what Scorpius wants to be, so don't go on abou 'ensuring his future'!"
Slightly harsh, Scorpius had hoped to skulk out of topic now that he had finished his last piece of Cactus Cake, but now found himself on the spot. He had entrusted his secret to his Grandmother in a letter near to Christmas, and now he was to admit his one wish in front of his unknowing parents and a hateful Grandfather? He felt his Cactus Cake now slipping back up.
"Grandma..." he pleaded.
"Scorpius." She said gently.
Scorpius gulped back down his Cactus Cake and stared from every member of kin to his hands and muttered:
"Wand-maker."
"What?" Lucius sneered.
Suddenly, Scorpius felt his insides burn with confidence.
"A WAND-MAKER!" He yelled, making the cheesecake jiggle. "I want to go around the world, collecting and make things that people need!" He breathed, once he erupted he didn't stop. "I talked to Mr Ollivander. In South Africa, there isn't even a wand shop, they had to travel so many miles and back again to pick up such a thing. I asked, and once there I finish at Hogwarts, there's a place for me to be an Apprentice to him in his shop." He paused, then looked at his Granmother, who was smiling intently, hanging on his every word. "Within two years I will be around the world, cutting Veela hair and tinting Dragon heart strings, chipping oak and elm. Is there anything better?"
As he looked around, his mother was radiating pride, his grandmother was tearing up and his father had stood up and walked to his side to shake his shoulders and tell him 'well done'. As they somewhat celebrated his admittence, Lucius fumed at the end of the table.
"NO!" He shouted, banging on the table in anger. "Top in every class and you'd have his whittling wood and chasing unicorns? Why not Ministry? He could be Minister!"
"He doesn't want to be minister!" argued Narcissa.
"Anyways, you can't chase a unicorn, you have to trap it," Scorpius muttered to his father, who nodded in agreeance.
"Well he's a child, he doesn't know what he wants!"
"AND YOU DO?" Scorpius suddenly screamed. "Rich talk coming from an ex-Death Eater!"
Everyone gasped. Little twelve year old Scorpius in sich a frenzy was never anything to behold, he was quiet and restrained, now he exploded with rage.
"You forced your own son into them too! I've seen it, I've seen dad's mark!" Tears now filled his eyes as Astaria tried to restrain him, but he pulled away from her, taking one last glance at his grandfather. "You're a bad person."
Scorpius then took to the stairs and up to his room, voices calling after him. He shut the door, locked it and pushed his writing desk in front of it with great difficulty. For a while, he stood pacing his bedroom angrily and muttering to himself, until his anger rose up and he found himself screaming into one of his pillows.
After a good half an hour, Scorpius finally decided on pulling back his desk and going downstairs. He kicked off his boots and made for the stairs, assuming his Grandparents had left by now he was hoping for a kind word and hug from his dear old parents, instead...
"He's coming to live with us during the rest of the holidays!" called out his Grandfather's cold voice. "I'm going to push him to become better than that Half-blood!"
"Father, please! He is reaching the necessary grades needed to become a wand maker-"
"HE IS NOT BECOMING A WAND MAKER!" Lucius suddenly spoke shrilly. "Malfoy men have worked at the ministry for as long as we can remember, this will be no exception. Parading around South Africa under another man's name and business? Shameful!"
"Father, please-"
"Enough! He'll pack his bags tonight, he's leaving with us in an hour and you will see him at the platform in September."
There was a pause, a silence that seemed to stretch forever as little Scorpius listened intently for his father disapproval.
"Fine then, father-"
"Draco!"
Scorpius's stomach lurched. Three weeks with a cold old man who was trying to brainwash him into becoming Minister of Magic? He'd rather never eat Cactus Cake again. Scorpius ran back up the stairs and into his room, pulling back the desk over his door once again. Without haste, he took out his trunk - already half-packed - and shoved the rest of his clothes into it. When he had finished he closed it shut and pulled on his green boots and a black hoodie, zipped it up and uprighted his trunk.
"Tanny?" He then called.
His little house elf apparated in front of him, a tight grip on her teas cosie dress. She looked particularly worried.
"Y-es, master?" she stuttered.
"Get me outside, out of the gates please." He said with no hesitation. "With this." He indicated towards the trunk.
Tanny's big bright eyes twitched with fear.
"Where is Master going?" she gasped.
"I don't know, but," he paused, tripping over his trunk and landing to the eyesight of his house elf. "Al told me about a certain bus, something his dad took when he was younger - helps wizards get away from places. Calls it the Knight bus!"
Tanny shreiked so loud, that in Scorpius's shock, he flailed out and covered her mouth with his palm, wincing. A good few moments past before she calmed down and he removed his hand.
"Master can't! Not safe! Not safe!
"I don't care, Tanny!" he hissed, "get me out, now!"
At that he no longer felt the soft of his carpet, but instead the wet pavement of the road outside. Realising it, Scorpius scurried for his trunk, that had soon dropped outside by his house elf, onto the pavement. As Scorpius pulled both himself and his trunk up, he once again heard a voice behind him.
"Master, tis not safe! Not smart! You are smart!"
"I'm a fool to think my dad'd not hand me over to the old crone. Sod it! They'll see me next summer!" He spat angrily.
He was rummaging through his trunk, hissing in anger, scowering.
"What is it Master wants?" Tanny enquired.
"My wand, I can't find my wand!"
Tanny paused, then hung her head.
"Tis in Master's back-pocket sir."
He stopped, straightened, and pulled out his seven inch elm unicorn hair wand. It's handle was straight, but then the wand bent forewards. Scorpius remembered his grandmother telling him about her sister's wand being like that, then looking very sad. As anyone, he had picked it up a year ago from Ollivanders. And at that note, he felt sad.
"What does Master do now?" She asked.
Scorpius paused.
"I'm going." He answered, raising his wand above his head.