Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
So, I REALLY shouldn't be starting this (But I will have another chapter of DG out in the next 4 days), but it's been swirling in my mind for a good 2 months now, and I have a good 7 chapters planned already. Be aware, this promises to be a very bumpy ride as far as stories go. If you want something fluffy and light-hearted stay the hell away.
11 year old Scorpius Malfoy was sat in the corner of the library, in Malfoy Manor, diligently working on the mathematical assignment that had been left for him by his tutor when an owl flew up to the window and began to tap on it. Scorpius got up and opened the window and the owl dropped a letter in and flew off without a second glance. Scorpius bent down to pick up the letter without a second thought.
Draco & Astoria Malfoy
URGENT
He turned the letter over to see that it was sealed with a crest that any wizarding child would have recognised immediately. An 'H' surrounded by a lion, a serpent, a badger and an eagle. It was from Hogwarts.
'Must be something to do with me.' Scorpius deduced immediately. 'After all, mother and father are long done with their education.'
And so without a second glance at the boring maths that he had been assigned to do he walked out of the library and over to the other side of house, where his mother's room was located.
As Scorpius approached he heard giggling and a low male voice that he hadn't heard before. This was nothing new to Scorpius, for as long as he could remember his mother had always spent her days with different men in her bedroom. Shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, Scorpius knocked on the door.
"Who... is it?" his mother called out, her voice shaky, obviously trying to stop herself from giggling again. "Stop that!" he then heard her whisper.
"Mother, letter for you and father." Scorpius called out.
"Can you come back with it later, Scorpius dear. Mother is busy." she replied. Scorpius rolled his eyes. His mother always claimed to be busy, nothing new.
"It says that it is urgent." Scorpius replied. 'At least it is to me. Isn't this normally about the time the Hogwarts letters show up? Where in Merlin's name is mine?' Scorpius worried.
"Just a minute dear." she replied. And then there was more rustling before she and a tall black middle-aged man appeared at the door. Both of them were in a very unpresentable state. Their hair was dishevelled and Scorpius could easily see that they had been rushing to put their robes on. His mother's face was also rather red around her cheeks.
"Mr. Zabini was just helping me fitting some curtains in my room." his mother stated. Scorpius never knew why she bothered to tell him these lies. He wasn't an idiot. As a well read 11 year old he knew exactly what was going on. His mother had been snogging a man that wasn't her husband. They were most likely having that sex thing he'd read about too.
"Right, your curtains should be fine now." Mr. Zabini stated. "But if you need anything else, don't hesitate to floo me." he stated before walking off in the direction of the nearest fireplace.
"Now what's this letter about?" his mother asked turning to face him. Scorpius handed it to her wordlessly. His mother turned it around and stared at the crest also. "Hogwarts?" she murmured. "Why are they writing to us and not you?" she asked quietly a small frown beginning to make its way onto her face.
"That's what I want to know." Scorpius replied. His mother then opened the letter and began reading. Scorpius watched as the small frown turned into a large scowl. "What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.
"I need to go get your Father." she stated. "Go wait in the library." she then bent down and wrapped her arms around Scorpius.
"Mother, is there really a need to hug me at every given moment?" Scorpius asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm hardly a little kid."
"Hush you." she replied, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Anyway, I'm going to go talk to your father via floo. You should get back to that work of yours."
"Fine fine." Scorpius agreed the two of them walking off in different directions.
It really did not take long for the shouting to start. Scorpius had barely entered the library before it began.
"This is BULLSHIT!" he heard his Father yell. Judging by the direction it came from he would guess that it was the drawing room. "They fought a fucking war against this shit and they won! They don't get to go back on their morals now! Fucking hypocrites!"
Ever the curious one, Scorpius made his way to the drawing room quietly. The drawing room was by far one of the most extravagant rooms in the house. It was filled with colourful decorations and light-hearted paintings. Scorpius snuck behind one of the couches near the entrance out of sight from his parents.
"Draco, it's just an interview and a small test, what could really go wrong?" his mother asked.
"Why does he have to undergo this at all?" Draco asked. "He has done nothing! They do not get to treat my son differently!"
"So what? You'll send him to Durmstang or Beaubaxtons instead?" his mother retorted.
"No, I'm going to the board and going to let them know that what they are doing is illegal. They are not allowed to discriminate against an eleven year old child no matter what I did! I paid my debt to society, I give to charity, I even help out underprivileged muggle children. They cannot still turn around and tell me that they are unsure whether Hogwarts would be the correct place for Scorpius. They've never done that before, not even after the end of the first war. They do not get to do it now!" his father shouted, fists clenched.
'So, I might not get to go to Hogwarts.' Scorpius thought. A wave of sadness suddenly hit him as this thought went through him. Scorpius was no fool, his parents generally had tried to shield him from many things but being a child full of curiosity he often sought out answers to questions that his parents would have rather he didn't know. Most of his allowance he spent on books and quidditch equipment. And it was through these books he read about the first and second Wizarding wars that his mother and father were so reluctant to talk about. It had explained why anytime he went to Diagon Alley with either of his parents glared were always cast in their direction. People also moved to get as far as possible from them.
"I'm just saying Draco, he's such a good, intelligent, boy. I don't see any way in which he could fail any interview or test that they throw at him. I don't agree with this either. But surely it's better than the alternative when the other schools wouldn't have to take him either." his mother pointed out. "If we try it this way and fail, then we'll do it your way."
"Fine." his father spat before the scowl on his face softened. "Where is the rascal anyway?"
"I sent him to the library." his mother replied.
"I swear if that kid ends up in Ravenclaw I'll-" his father started.
"He won't." his mother cut him off. "He's too much like you, always coming up with schemes to involve himself in things he doesn't belong in. Plus he's far too perceptive in general." his mother mused.
"What, he catch you with your legs open again?" his father stated, his voice dropping dangerously low.
"It was an accident." his mother replied.
"Listen, how many times do I have to tell you to stop fucking random guys when your son is in the house! Why can't you just get a job and do it at work like any normal person!" he shouted.
Scorpius mentally covered his ears and began to sneak back to the library. This was one conversation he did not wish to know any more about. He was under no delusions that his parents marriage was a farce. His grandmother had told him when he had asked earlier that year that they had been forced to get married. And it was obvious. They slept in different rooms across the house and honestly, they rarely spoke to each other unless it was to talk about Scorpius himself. It had never really bothered him, as he knew that both his parents loved him dearly, even if they didn't love each other.
Scorpius had barely made it to the library when there was a pop and his father appeared in front of him. Scorpius jumped slightly banging his leg on the chair he was just about to sit down on.
"Oww." he hissed.
"You know, if you had been sitting at your desk working that wouldn't have happened." his father stated with a glint of amusement in his eye.
"I just got up to get a book." Scorpius lied.
"Scorpius how old are you." his father asked. Scorpius simply glared at his father. he knew exactly how old Scorpius was. "Humour me."
"Eleven." Scorpius replied curtly.
"Right. And how many years have I known you for?" his father then asked.
"Eleven."
"So, it would be fair to say that I know you fairly well, right?"
'That's what you think.' Scorpius thought with a hint of rebellion letting itself be known in him.
"So, believe me when I tell you this. You can't lie to me. All the occulemency in the world couldn't help you lie to me." his father stated, his voice dropping in volume, as it often did when he was serious. And then suddenly as if a rubber band had snapped. "Anyway, ignore the work you weren't doing for now. Lets go for a fly."
Scorpius immediately perked up. Due to how busy his father could be, it wasn't often that they got to go flying together.
"We're going flying? But it's a weekday." Scorpius noted.
"And? Would you rather stay here and go over some work that I'm sure that you are quite capable of doing?" his father asked.
"Well when you put it like that." Scorpius replied with a grin. "I'd definitely pick the maths!"
"Oh really. I'm heartbroken." Draco drawled clutching at his heart. "Come on, lets go." Scorpius grinned and followed his father out of the library.
"So, how come you're home so early?" Scorpius asked. Scorpius exactly why. It had been the result of his mother going to get him after reading the letter from Hogwarts. Draco gazed down at his son with a critical eye. Scorpius looked down at the ground sheepishly feeling a little guilty.
"So how long were you listening in for?" Draco asked with a sigh.
"I left when you and mother started talking about sex." Scorpius stated with a look of disgust on his face. Having read more than one biology excerpt on the topic all he knew was that grownups were disgusting for even thinking about doing such things, even if it was how to make babies. This caused another sigh.
"Your mother is right. You are too perceptive for your own good." Draco stated with another sigh. "You really shouldn't eaves drop on conversations you know."
"But mother says that you do it all the time." Scorpius pointed out.
"Doesn't mean that you should." Draco replied. "Anyway, that brings me onto what I wanted to talk to you about anyway. But lets wait till we are up in the air."
The two of them walked in a comfortable silence till they were in the field at the back of the manor.
"Accio brooms." Draco stated with his wand out. Scorpius watched as two brooms zoomed in his direction.
"I need a wand." Scorpius stated in awe. Magic had always amazed him. It was if the limits of magic were simply the limits of ones imagination. And judging by the library in the manor, there was an infinite amount of things to learn about it.
"Don't worry. You'll be getting yours soon enough. Though I dread how the world is going to survive when Scorpius Malfoy has a wand in his hand." his father replied with a grin.
"I'm hardly going to blow up the world." Scorpius replied as he mounted his Nimbus 4000.
"Maybe not that. But I can just imagine you getting yourself into all sorts of trouble. You seem to have a knack for it." his father replied as he mounted his own Nimbus 4000.
The two of them took off into the air. Scorpius began flying simple circles around enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past his face. His father followed his circles seemingly revelling in the same feeling.
"So, Scorpius, how much do you know about the Second Wizarding War?" His father asked after their fifth lap around the house.
"Well, Voldemort came back, reassembled the death eaters, took over the ministry for a while and then Harry Potter killed him. At least in a few sentences." Scorpius replied.
"An accurate summary. And do you know why the death eaters supported him?" Draco then asked.
"Blood purity." Scorpius replied curtly. "He thought that purebloods were above everyone else. The fool." Scorpius then tacked onto the end. His father gave him a look.
"Fool? He probably killed more in a lifetime than anyone else." Draco replied.
Scorpius shook his head. "He can't even compare to even the small time muggle dictators. And on top of that he wasn't even a pureblood himself."
Draco looked at his son in awe. Sometimes he forgot just how smart his own son was. 'If only I had been half as wise as this kid at age 16.' was the specific thought that ran through his head.
"Anyway, I'm guessing you know then which side this family was on when it came to the war?" Draco asked tentatively. It was a subject he was very loathe to bring up, but now more than ever it seemed necessary.
Scorpius nodded. His family had been death eaters right until the final day of the final battle. Till his grandmother had lied to Voldemort.
"I don't know any easy way to say this. But we were on the wrong side. And honsetly, Scorpius I have to ask whether you really want to go to Hogwarts."
"Of course I do!" Scorpius stated. He didn't want to stay cooped up in the manor forever. It was boring and outside of his parents and the house elves he had no company.
"Your grandfather and I, we made a lot of mistakes in our lifetime. And people are going to target you for them." Draco stated sadly. "They'll be watching you with a magnifying glass, just waiting for you to slip up."
"Let them. They'll get nothing on me, I promise." Scorpius replied.
"It really won't be easy. And once you go, I really won't be able to help you much. The burden of restoring the Malfoy name will be solely on your shoulders. You sure you are ready for that?" Draco asked.
"I am a Malfoy aren't I." Scorpius stated puffing out his chest proudly as he gripped his broom. "I can take it. I will go to Hogwarts and prove we Malfoys are still a cut above the rest." the boy declared resolutely his eyes filled with fire. Draco grinned.
"That's my boy. now why don't you show me some of the new flying moves you've learned." he praised.
"Scorpius, are you dressed?" his mother yelled out.
"Yes mother!" he yelled back. Scorpius was dressed in dark wizarding robes. Today he was to be interviewed by one of the members of the board of Hogwarts. He read over the letter again that they had sent his parents.
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Malfoy
We are writing to inform you that should you wish to give your son a chance to undergo an education at Hogwarts we will be requiring him to be submitted to pretesting and an interview to find out whether such an establishment would be suitable for him.
There will be a brief aptitude test conducted in the Ministry of Magic, followed by an interview with two members of the board.
These will be conducted on the 17th of July in room 394 on level 6 in the Ministry of Magic.
Hope to see you and your son soon.
Yours Sincerly
Richard McCabe Chairman of Hogwarts
Young as he was, Scorpius was easily able to read between the lines. They weren't looking to see whether Hogwarts was suitable for him, they wanted to see whether he was suitable for Hogwarts. They wanted to find an excuse to deny him his education that every witch and wizard had a right to in the united kingdom, based on his parents.
'I'll show them. Every single one of them.' he thought with some determination. 'Every single one of them will remember who Scorpius Malfoy is.'
"SCORPIUS!" his mother yelled out again.
"You shouldn't be yelling Astoria, it is not very becoming of a Malfoy." he heard his father stated from behind the door to his room.
"Whatever you say Draco." she retorted before walking into Scorpius' room. "Well look at my boy. Dressed up all nice and handsome." she cooed sweeping her eyes up and down him.
Scorpius felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. His father then came in and shook his head.
"Blushing Scorpius, really?" Draco stated with a grin. "You're meant to keep that Malfoy mask up. Come on."
Scorpius nodded and immediately attempted to slip on a mask of indifference onto his face as he had seen his father do so many times.
"Much better." Draco stated. "Now to the fireplace with you." The three of them walked over to the fireplace that was in his room. Astoria reached for the fine grain floo powder that was kept on a shelve next to the fire place before linking hands with both her husband and her son, they then stepped into the large fireplace.
"Ministry of Magic." Astoria said as she threw the floo powder to the ground. There was a brilliant flash of green and then they were sucked in and twisted into a vortex.
The Malfoy stepped out of the one of the many fireplaces at the entrance of the ministry of magic. Scorpius having never been to the ministry before took a good look around, the place was teeming with people moving in all directions.
"Follow me." Draco whispered before walking off without even glancing backwards. They began to walk through the crowd, that was steadily thinning. Immediately Scorpius noticed something was wrong. The crowd was thinning too fast. Everywhere he looked, eyes were on him and the rest of his family. People were whispering.
Sensing his apprehension at being turned into a spectacle, his mother leaned down to whisper in his ear. 'Ignore them. Pretend they aren't there.' she advised.
It was easier said that done. The whispering quickly descended into murmurs and muttering. There was even finger pointing. However, Scorpius held his head high and did his absolute best to look ahead. Eventually they came to a cage with a number of handles dangling down. The family stepped in and Draco yanked on one of the handles. The cage began to rattle before moving off at speed upwards.
"Hey this is kind of fun!" Scorpius quipped as he felt his stomach press downwards.
"Now's not the time Scorpius." his father immediately reprimanded.
"Sorry." Scorpius stated. It had always been like this. Whilst his father was always very loving in private, there were expectations to be held to in public. A degree of seriousness was one of them.
"Though I do agree." Draco tacked on as an afterthought, a very small grin reaching his lips which was mirrored by Scorpius. His mother however simply rolled her eyes.
"You men and your quidditch." she stated dryly.
The journey continued for another minute before they arrived at their destination. What they arrived to was shocking to Scorpius.
Stood waiting at either side of the exit to the cage lift were the paparazzi. Four men where snapping photo after photo.
"Mr. Malfoy, can you look over here please?"
"Scorpius, what are your views on muggleborns?"
"Astoria, is it true that you were paid to marry into the Malfoy family by Lucius Malfoy?"
"Scorpius, how do you feel about being one of the first wizards to be denied automatic entry to Hogwarts."
The questions kept on pouring out as they made their way towards the interview room. To the untrained eye it seemed like Draco Malfoy was completely at ease with the situation but Scorpius could easily tell otherwise. His father was walking directly ahead of him, and Scorpius could see his right hand clenched firmly around his wand within the pocket of his robe.
Eventually they reached the room and opened it. By the end of the short journey Scorpius was sure that he would be half blind if he had to deal with that amount of camera flashing on the way back.
"Ah welcome. If you would just take a seat over there. The previous child is just finishing up her interview." a young woman behind a desk stated. Already seated was an older man with shaggy dark hair.
"Flint." Draco greeted with a nod.
"Malfoy." the man greeted back.
Draco sat down away from Flint, Scorpius and Astoria joined him without a word.
The room that they had entered was rather a rather strange looking room to Scorpius. It looked more like the sort of room that somebody would use to conduct an interrogation. There was a glass panel and inside was a brightly lit room where Scorpius could see a boy with dirty blonde hair facing a dark haired man with a strong jaw and moustache. Sat beside the man was a woman with long curly brown hair. Scorpius recognised her immediately from many different books and newspaper articles. It was Hermione Weasley, one of the three most famous people still alive in the wizarding world today.
'What is she doing here?' Scorpius wondered.
"What is SHE doing here?" his father hissed exactly at the same time to his mother quietly. Scorpius couldn't help but note the venom in his father's voice.
"Draco, now is not the place or the time!" his mother hissed back with equal venom.
The family weren't seated in silence for too long before the boy got up and exited the lit room. Scorpius took a good look at his face. He was a rather thin looking boy with blue eyes, but what was most apparent was the the shaken look on the boy's face. He looked like he was terrified.
"Scorpius Malfoy?" the secretary called out.
"Yes Ma'am?" he answered whilst standing up.
"You may go in now." she replied.
Scorpius looked down to his parents automatically for a look of reassurance. His mother gave him a tentative smile, his father on the other hand was still focusing his glare on Hermione. Scorpius smiled back lightly and then walked into the lit up room.
Immediately Scorpius entered the room the door slammed shut by itself. He couldn't help but look back to see that the glass that had been easy to look at from the other side was a mirror on this side.
'This looks like one of those muggle interrogation rooms.' he thought with a note of fear.
"Scorpius Malfoy?" the dark haired man asked.
"Yes sir." he replied.
"Sit down and begin filling out the paper in front of you please." he then stated in a stern voice.
"Yes sir." he replied meeting the eyes of the two adults in the room who were watching his every move. He walked over calmly to the seat and sat down making sure to keep his posture absolutely straight before looking down at the paper that was before him.
His eyes immediately flitted to the first question in front of him and he began reading.
Arthur is walking down the street when he accidentally walks into Derrick. Derrick is an aggressive muggle who immediately starts insulting Arthur. What should Arthur do.
Scorpius wanted to roll his eyes at the question. It was so obvious what they were trying to do. They wanted to assess on paper his attitudes towards muggles. Well that was so easy he didn't even have to fabricate the truth. He picked up the quill that was on the side and began writing.
Arthur should first of all distance himself from the assailant, Derrick (Using as little force as possible and absolutely without using magic). He should then inform the nearest police officer that he has been assaulted by Derrick.
Scorpius would have grinned if he was not being watched under such a careful eye. It covered all the bases. It demonstrated that he had a impressive knowledge of the muggle world. It demonstrated that he knew that magic was not to be performed around muggles and most of all it demonstrated that he bore no ill will towards them. The questions continued in a like manner, testing his morals.
'This is too easy.' Scorpius thought. 'They are up to something. They have to be. In all the books I've read, this sort of easy test only happens before something really hard comes along.'
"Sir, Ma'am, I've completed the test." Scorpius stated.
"Good. Put it to the side." the man commanded. Scorpius did as he was commanded.
"So, Scorpius, how did you find the test?" Hermione asked.
"It was interesting." Scorpius answered. 'Not so much interesting as obvious.
"Interesting you say. What about it did you find interesting?" the man asked.
"Well, it wasn't mentally taxing to be honest." he replied.
"You like tests that are mentally taxing then?" Hermione asked.
"Well Grandma always said that it is good to keep the mind active." Scorpius replied.
"Your Grandmother on which side?" the dark haired man fired back instantly.
"My mother's side." Scorpius lied. He knew that it wouldn't do to show any sort of affiliation with his Grandma at that point in time, even though he loved her dearly. He had to show he was as far from a death eater as possible. The man looked downwards and seemed to scribble down something on a piece of parchment.
"So Scorpius, tell me, what do you do in a typical day then?" Hermione asked her voice sounding genuinely curious for the first time.
"Well I wake up in the morning and usually my tutor has studying that he has assigned me to do." Scorpius started.
"What do you study?" the man asked quickly. Scorpius tried to conceal a grin. There was a question he had seen coming from the moment he had started his story. It was like this ministry interrogator was hellbent on finding out exactly what Scorpius said, did, spoke and thought.
"Oh Mathematics, English, Latin, Geography, History, Theoretical Potions and Herbology, that sort of thing." Scorpius replied loftily. 'And next he asks what I've been studying in history and my thoughts on it to see whether I've been studying any pureblooded ideas.' Scorpius deduced.
"So, what sort of things have you been studying in History then?" he asked, right on cue. Scorpius had to try extremely hard to stifle even a smile breaking out on his face when on the inside all he wanted to do was giggle like any other 11 year old boy.
"Mainly muggle history. They are really interesting." Scorpius replied.
"Interesting. So can you give me some examples?" the man continued. Scorpius smiled. He had plenty to pick from.
"Well what I've been learning about lately is the Second World War. The Americans and the Russians liberated so many from the Nazis after the British and the French initially failing to beat them. It's all quite interesting really." Scorpius stated.
"And which side do you prefer?" Hermione asked.
"I liked the American policy best. They stayed out of the war till they were attacked and then they helped the british and the french invade. And afterwards they helped prop up Western Germany with lots of money so that the country would still be favourable to the west." Scorpius replied brightly. 'It was a brilliant scheme and they made a ton of money off it. The Marshall Plan made the Americans so rich after the war when the rest of Europe was poor.' he thought to himself.
The man seemed to write all of this down on paper before looking to Scorpius again.
"What hobbies do you have?"
"Reading and Flying." Scorpius stated. It was the easiest question yet. As a child in the manor there had been little to do so he had begun to start reading all the different books inside the library of the manor. So from the age that he could read at 4 he had begun to immerse himself with the books there. And then at age 6 he discovered his father's nimbus 2001. Having only read about how to fly and being a curious boy he had immediately jumped on it. His first experience on the broom had ended in a sprained ankle, a massive grin on his face and a severe scolding from his father. However since then his father had been buying him his own broom and made it a point to spend time with him teaching him to fly.
"So what kind of books do you like?" Hermione questioned.
"Plenty. But at the moment I'm really enjoying the classics on Greek Mythology." Scorpius answered. Their gods and heroes were always interesting.
"Greek Mythology?" the man questioned.
"It's a muggle era." Hermione whispered to her partner.
"You seem to know a lot about muggles. Any particular reason for this?" he then asked.
'Because I'm planning to kill them all, that's what you want me to say isn't it.' Scorpius thought bitterly. "Over 99% of the population is muggle. It would be stupid not to." Scorpius justified whilst staring down the dark haired man. He seemed to be determined to look for a reason to state that Scorpius was some kind of pureblood supremacist.
Hermione caught sight of the glare that was beginning to make its way onto what had been a face of all (fake) smiles and leaned over to whisper into her partner's ear.
"Maybe we should stop here. He's clearly just a normal boy, an intelligent one even." she whispered.
"I don't buy it. I think he's lying. Why would Draco or Narcissa Malfoy allow him to even read Muggle Literature?" the man hissed back.
"Well Draco Malfoy has been reported to do business with muggles and even give money to their charities." Hermione whispered back.
Scorpius watched the exchange with a little worry. He'd answered nothing wrong, so he didn't see the need for any conferring between the two.
"So Scorpius do you have any questions you wish to ask?" Hermione asked. Scorpius nodded, there was no way he was going to leave the room without at least letting them know his displeasure at even having to go through such a humiliating process.
"You're Hermione Weasley right?" Scorpius asked.
"Yes."
"And you were the one who pushed for the equality of rights for house elves and other humanoid creatures?"
"Yes."
"So can you tell me why I have to be here today, when most 11 year old witches and wizards are just receiving their Hogwarts letters?" he asked his eyes going cold. Hermione flinched at the coldness of the gaze she was receiving from the 11 year old child. It was uncanny just how much it reminded her of his father.
"I don't see how that question is relevant to this interview." the dark haired man replied.
"I think it is very relevant." Scorpius fired back.
"Scorpius, honestly, I don't agree with the premise behind these interviews either." the war hero admitted. "But that is why I agreed to help with the interviews. And it gives us a chance to identify any children that might have problems assimilating themselves into Hogwarts."
Scorpius nodded. 'Makes sense I guess, but it this is still a ridiculous process.'
"Anyway we're finished here. We'll let you know the outcome of this test soon via owl." the man stated irritably. "You may leave."
"Thank you very much, Sir, Ma'am." Scorpius greeted as he stood up.
"It was a pleasure." Hermione replied. "Oh and Scorpius."
"Yes Ma'am?"
"I think Hogwarts will be very lucky to have you as a student." she stated with a smile.
'Well that's as good as saying I've gotten in.' Scorpius thought. He didn't even try and conceal the wide grin that made it onto his face. "You flatter me." Scorpius replied. Sure he was overdoing the flattery and politeness, but it never hurt rather it seemed to be disarming when compared to how they obviously expected him to act judging from the questions that had been asked.
Scorpius walked out the room with a slight bounce in his step which his parents instantly picked up on.
"Things went well?" his mother asked. Scorpius nodded.
"Let's get out of here then. You can tell me all about it when we get home." Draco said.
-x-y-z-a-b-c-
The traditional Hogwarts letter had arrived 3 days later.
Dear Scorpius,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than August 7.
Yours sincerely,
Neville Longbottom
Deputy Headmaster
However it hadn't been the only outcome from the visit to the ministry. The Prophet had published a tiny article on him with a picture, much to his Father's chargin.
Youngest Malfoy at the Ministry
The Malfoy family were spotted by many today as they visited the Ministry of Magic for the first time since they were tried by the Wizemgamot and given out various punishments. The young wizard walked with a practiced air of superiority much like his father. Heads all held high, the family went to see the Department of Education for an interview.
It was a poor article. It wasn't like there was anything to really write about after all Scorpius was hardly a muggleborn hating minature Voldemort. But Scorpius had kept it anyway as a memento of the first time he had been placed in the paper.
It was now August 17th and Scorpius was preparing for another outing. This time he was going alone. It hadn't taken much convincing at all to get permission. He had simply waltzed up to his mother's door when she was 'entertaining' another male guest and told her that he was going outside. He heard her give his approval without thinking and skipped off.
Naturally his mother would only realise what she had consented to when it was too late.
"Dapper!" Scorpius called out. There was a pop as one of the Malfoy house-elf appeared in front of him.
"Yes, Master Scorpius?" the house elf answered.
"How many times will I have to tell you, it's just Scorpius." the boy reprimanded.
"Sorry Scorpius. Dapper will stop making these mistakes." the elf apologized.
"Nevermind that. Can you apparate me to Gringotts please?" Scorpius asked.
"Dapper worries that Scorpius has never sidealong apparated before." the elf noted with a degree of worry on his face.
"Don't worry, it will be fine." Scorpius stuck his hand out towards the elf who took it. The elf twisted him around and Scorpius felt himself pulled into vortex.
Upon their arrival Scorpius had to steel his stomach which was feeling very close to spilling out the contents of his lunch.
'I knew it made you nauseous but wow. That was something else.' he thought. He then looked ahead to see the Gringotts bank towering over him along with people streaming in and out of the bank. He turned around to face the rest of the Diagon Alley. The place was teeming with people. Clearly it was a back to school rush as he could see plenty children and teenagers wandering around with their parents in toe.
"Are they incapable of doing anything for themselves?" Scorpius wondered out loud. The boy then shrugged his shoulders and made his way into the bank.
It became apparent very quickly that it wasn't the normal thing for 11 year olds to visit Gringotts themselves to Scorpius. He immediately felt a lot of eyes centre on him despite how busy the bank was. He watched as one of the Goblin clerks walked towards him.
"How might I help you young sir?" the Goblin rasped. Scorpius squared his shoulders and stood up tall as he had watched his father do countless times before delivering his answer.
"I wish to withdraw 100 galleons from the Malfoy vault." he stated.
"And do you have your wand with you as proof of identification?" the Goblin asked.
"No, I am not in possession of a wand yet. I'm withdrawing money to buy one amongst other Hogwarts supplies." Scorpius replied, making sure to show no sign of hesitance. It just wasn't the done thing as a Malfoy.
"Sorry, of course. Follow me please." the goblin then rasped waddling over to one of the cashiers. Scorpius followed with Dapper in toe. "Debit 100 galleons from the Malfoy vault." the goblin then stated to another that was behind the cashier. The goblin simply looked down at Scorpius from his high post and nodded. He then handed the first goblin a pouch that was full of galleons which was then handed to Scorpius.
"Thank you very much sir." Scorpius said upon receiving the pouch before hurrying back out into the alley. He placed the pouch in his inside pocket and then pulled out a list.
First-year students will require:
Uniform Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)
One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags. Books The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble Other Equipment 1 Wand 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set of brass scales Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.
"Dapper?" Scorpius called out.
"Yes Scorpius?" the elf answered.
"If I give you 20 Galleons can you get me all the potioning and take them home before meeting me at Ollivanders?" the elf nodded. "Thanks."
'Now I guess I should go get my robes first.' Scorpius began walking down the street. At first the journey was annoying. 'Ughh. Why does everyone have to be taller than me.' Scorpius complained internally. Even for an 11 year old he was short, meaning that people kept on bumping into him as if he wasn't even present.
And then someone realised who he was.
"Isn't that Scorpius Malfoy?" one middle aged woman said to another. The woman said the word Malfoy, like it was the most disgusting word to ever come out of her mouth causing Scorpius to clench his fists subconsciously.
'Crap, I can't cause a scene.' Scorpius remembered. So the boy took a deep breath and unclenched his fists and kept on walking. However now that someone had pointed him out all of a sudden people were moving aside for him and there was murmuring going on around the street.
'What did I ever do to these people.' He thought. 'They don't even know me and yet they all seem to hate me.' he thought sadly. Still he held his head up high and continued to walk down the street pretending not to notice the stares, the pointing fingers and the parents who moved their children out the way.
Eventually Scorpius made it to Madamme Malkins. Instantly Scorpius realised the shop was nearly at full capacity. There were Hogwarts aged kids everywhere with their parents.
'Damn, this is going to take a while.' Scorpius sighed whilst searching for a cleric that wasn't engaged.
"It's like a zoo isn't it." A young male voice stated.
"Yeah." Scorpius agreed without thinking. 'Wait what?' He looked around to see another kid next to him who appeared to also be assessing the scene. Next to him stood a boy roughly his age with spiky brown hair and blue eyes dressed in muggle clothing.
"Oh, I'm Felix." the boy greeted holding his hand out.
"Scorpius." he replied shaking the boy's hand.
"I take it from the way that you are dressed that you're not a muggleborn like me then?" the boy asked.
"Yup, pureblood." Scorpius confessed.
"So you can help me out with all this magical stuff then, cause I have no clue." Felix stated with a grin.
"Sure." Scorpius stated matching the boy's grin. "But wait, where are your parents?"
"Oh Dad's at work so I came alone." Felix explained.
'Hmm... he didn't mention his mum.' Scorpius noted. 'I guess she isn't around.'
"Anyway, let's go get those robes." Felix stated walking towards one of the clerks who was now free.
"And what can I do for you two boys?" the old lady asked.
"We need Hogwarts robes please." Felix asked.
"Brand new or second hand?" the clerk asked.
"Brand new." both boys said at the same time. The old woman then turned to Scorpius.
"You're Scorpius Malfoy right?" she asked to which Scorpius responded with a nod and a smile. "I suppose you'll be wanting tailored robes then." she then said with the smallest hint of a sneer in her voice. Scorpius chose to ignore the sneer.
"That would be brilliant." he replied with the most charming grin that he could muster. "And some for my friend Felix here as well." he added on. 'Can't hurt to help out the only kid that has ever bothered to speak to me.' Scorpius thought.
"Let me just go fetch my tape measure then." the woman stated before walking off.
"Before you even try, I can pay for my own robes. Dad left me with 200 galleons." Felix said to Scorpius. "More importantly, what did you do to that poor store clerk that made her dislike you?"
"You noticed that?" Scorpius replied in shock. It hadn't been an easy thing to notice.
"Of course. Though she tried to cover it up she clearly isn't a practiced liar." the brunette boy explained.
"And you are?" Scorpius asked with a smirk.
"I'm okay. My dad however is a professional bullshitter."
"I didn't realise you could be a professional liar."
"It's called poker. Heard of it?" Scorpius racked his brains and then like a lightbulb he remembered where he had read about it before.
"Muggle gambling card game right?" Scorpius asked.
"Exactly. It's all about your ability to lie and tell if other people are lying." Felix stated with a wide grin. "You would probably be quite good at it. You were quite good at pretending you liked the clerk yourself."
'Damn, this kid is a little dangerous. Father would love him.' were the two thoughts that ran through Scorpius' head.
At this point the clerk returned tape measure around her neck.
"Right you first..." she stated looking at Felix expectantly.
"Oh Felix, Felix Colclough." he stated.
"Colclough? Don't think I've heard that name before among wizarding families." she said conversation tone whilst measuring the boy's height.
"That's because I'm a muggleborn." Felix replied. At this the clerk cast a worried glance at Felix and then a glare at Scorpius.
'Here we go again. More reverse blood purity rubbish.' Scorpius thought.
"That's interesting. Scorpius here is one of the only pureblood children left." she stated.
"Yes and when I have kids they probably won't be pureblooded either, the horror." Scorpius said, tacking on some sarcasm at the end. Felix let out a snort of laughter at this.
"I take it this blood purity thing is a big deal then?" Felix asked.
"Oh huge." Scorpius said his voice thick with sarcasm. "It's such a big deal that I make it a point to avoid each and every pureblood. Oh and the people who bring it up unnecessarily around kids when it is of no importance." his statement had the desired effect, as the clerk that was finishing up measuring Felix at least had the decency to look embarrassed with herself. 'Good.' Scorpius thought. 'Serves her right for making assumptions about me.'
"Okay you now." the clerk stated gesturing to Scorpius.
"So do we really get to ride around on broomsticks?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, it's amazing. Why don't we go get you one after I get my wand." Scorpius offered
"Oh I need to get a wand too."
"Right. If you two boys go and get your wands now, your robes will be delivered to you via owl sometime in the next week."
"Awesome." Felix stated.
The two boys walked back onto the street where they were met with a camera flash.
'Great, more journalists.' Scorpius thought. Felix however seemed to take it in his stride.
"Come on man, smile for the camera!" he stated before wrapping his arm around Scorpius' shoulder and throwing a grin at the camera. Scorpius followed along and grinned also.
"Scorpius who is this next to you?" one of the photographers asked.
"Oh, I'm Felix Colclough, muggleborn. Pleased to meet you." Felix said allowing a charismatic smile to shine out.
"Scorpius, how does your father feel about you being friends with a muggleborn?" another reporter asked.
"He doesn't mind." Scorpius answered. 'He doesn't mind because he doesn't know.
"Felix, have you ever been to Malfoy Manor?"
"Wait, you have a whole Manor?" Felix asked Scorpius.
"Yeah, you can come visit at some point if you want." Scorpius whispered. "Anyway can we go and get our wands?"
"Sure." Felix whispered back before turning to address the photographers. "Well it's been fun, but we need to go get our wands now."
The two boys walked off with grins on their faces.
"You never told me you were famous Scorpius." Felix said.
"I'm not famous." Scorpius replied indignantly.
"Then what do you call everyone knowing your name and reporters asking you for interviews then?" Felix fired back.
"Infamy." Scorpius answered. "My family is infamous."
"Awesome, you like some sort of mafia?" Felix replied his eyes lighting up. This response caused Scorpius to double over with laughter right in front of Olivanders.
"If only you knew." Scorpius replied a large grin on his face before opening the door and stepping into the small store.
The shop was dark and dusty.
"Just a minute." a soft voice called out from underneath the counter. The two boys stood and watched as a very old wrinkly looking man stood up. "So what can I do for you two then?"
"We are in need of a wand each, sir." Felix said.
"And your names?" he then asked.
"I'm Felix Colclough."
"Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius drawled.
"Right, Scorpius, why don't you try this one." Ollivander suggested, offering a wand from a dusty box. Scorpius picked the wand up and immediately felt a tendril of energy course through him. The wand suddenly felt burningly hot in his hand causing him to drop it suddenly. "Interesting." the wandmaker stated. "Why don't you try this one." handing Scorpius another wand.
Scorpius knew from the moment he touched it that this was the one. His face lit up as he gripped it. 'How have I ever gone without this?' he questioned. It felt like an extension of his own self.
"How very curious." the wandmaker stated.
"What is it sir?" Felix asked.
"Well that wand is almost exactly like the one I gave to his Great Aunt." Ollivander explained. "They were even fashioned from the same tree."
"Which one?" Scorpius croaked, worried.
"Your Aunt Bellatrix." Scorpius felt his heart sink at the answer though made sure to hide it from the two he was with. "A twelve and three-quarter walnut wand with a dragon heartstring core. Yours however is a ten and a quarter inch. It will do you well that wand, should be capable of very powerful magic." he stated, with a voice that seemed a bit elsewhere. "Anyway, lets get you sorted Felix. I think I know exactly what wand to give you. Haven't given one of these out in a long time either."
The wandmaker turned around and brought out an attractive silver coloured wand. Felix took the wand and grasped it in his hand.
"How does that feel?" Ollivander asked.
"It's weird. I can feel the wand." he stated.
"Try giving it a flick or a swish." the wandmaker suggested. Felix gave a quick flick forwards and there was a quick gust of wind that caused some wandboxes to fall down.
"Woah! That's awesome!" the young boy stated in disbelief.
"As I thought. Silver lime, twelve inches with a phoenix feather core. Owned by plenty of seers and wizards capable of legilimency." Ollivander said. "You two will definitely be two wizards to watch."
'Better keep this out of the press. I can just imagine the headlines when they find out that my wand is no different to HERs.' Scorpius thought bitterly.
"Thank you very much. How much do we owe you sir?" Felix asked.
"10 galleons each." he replied. The two boys paid and left the shop.
"So where to now?" Felix asked.
"My favourite store. Flourish and Botts. We need to get the books on the list."
The two boys trudged over to the bookshop which was also full, ignoring the odd photographer that snapped a picture at them.
"Well aren't we fortunate. They have the first year books out at the front." Felix as he compared his own list to the books at the front of the store. He then turned to look over to where Scorpius had been just two seconds ago to realise the platinum blonde haired boy had disappeared. "Nerd." he muttered picking up one of the first year book piles before heading off into the store to find Scorpius.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of those books are not on the reading list." Felix stated when he found Scorpius five minutes later carrying a stack of books that was nearly as tall as him.
"Well I went and got the books for all seven years for charms, transfiguration and defence against the dark arts." Scorpius explained.
"And why the hell would you do that?" Felix asked.
"So I can get ahead." Scorpius shrugged.
"Nerd." Felix said shaking his head. "Let's pay and get out of here." And with that the two boys paid for their books and left the building. Only to run straight in a very angry looking blonde man.
"SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY." a voice shouted as the pair exited Florish and Botts. Scorpius jerked to a halt. He knew that voice anywhere and better than any other.
Reluctantly he turned around.
"Yes, father?" he greeted struggling to keep a tremor out of his voice.
"Would you kindly explain why you are out in Diagon Alley, ALONE, without telling either your mother or I?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
"I did tell mom." Scorpius protested. "She was just too busy to notice."
At this Draco could be heard muttering a string of words which included whore, legs and mentally scarred.
"In any case what are you doing here?" his father asked turning his steely gaze onto Scorpius again.
"If I may sir, I think Scorpius was just looking to save you some time by getting his Hogwarts gear himself." Felix interceded. Draco turned to Felix, noticing him for the first time.
"And just who are you?" Draco asked.
"Felix Colclough. It's a pleasure to meet you sir." he responded.
"Colclough, don't think I've ever heard the name before." Draco stated.
"That's because I'm a muggleborn sir."
"That explains why you seem to be quite happy to talk to my son." he muttered. "In any case, Scorpius should still have asked. So what is left for you two boys to get on your list?"
"Pets." Scorpius replied.
"Well lets get them and go home." Draco stated. "Where are you parents then Felix?"
"Working sir." Felix replied.
"And he just let his son go to a completely different world that he's never heard of or seen?" Draco questioned in shock.
"He's a big believer in independence sir." at this Draco shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright then, let's go get those ruddy animals." he stated walking up the street without a glance back at the other boys.
The three arrived at the pet store without too much incident, despite the whispering and general avoidance of Draco and Scorpius.
"It's really cool how every is totally scared of your Dad you know." Felix whispered as they entered Magical Menagerie. The store was cramped and noisy with every inch covered with cages.
"So what you going to get?" Scorpius asked Felix.
"Well I need an owl really. What about you?"
"Dunno, might get a cat or something." Scorpius said whilst looking around. Then a certain pet caught his eye.
Scorpius went up to one of the cages where inside was a large white ferret. The ferret stodd up on its hind legs and staired at Scorpius as he staired back. Then as if Scorpius has suddenly become uninteresting it went back down and turned its back on me.
'Hmmm, no creature gets to turn its back on me.' Scorpius thought with disdain. 'Definitely going to buy you now.' Scorpius then picked up the cage and made his way to the cashier.
"How much for this ferret?" Scorpius asked the store owner.
"8 Galleons." he replied.
"8 Galleons for a ferret?" Scorpius replied incredulously, not even owls were that expensive.
"Well, it's actually a jarvey ferret crossbreed, so it's a lot more intelligent than your average ferret. It might even be able to learn to talk. On top of that finding albino ones are next to impossible."
"Fine, I'll give you 6 galleons for it. Nobody would pay 8." Scorpius stated with an air of authority whilst handing the shopkeeper 6 galleons.
"You haggle well young man." he replied.
Scorpius turned back around and went to go find his father who was stood outside the store.
"Hey father, look what I got." he held up the cage with the white ferret to his father.
"What in Merlin's name is that?" Draco asked his voice dropping low as it often did when he was about to blow his top.
"It's a hybrid albino ferret jarvey." Scorpius replied.
"Take it back. Now!" his father snapped.
"Why? I like it! I'm keeping it!" the boy stated obstinately.
"You are not keeping that fucking creature!"
"Father, I already paid for it. And it's not like you'll have to see it."
"I better not. In fact if I ever see that creature past today again, I promise you that either you or it will leave the Manor... forever!" his father stated with a huff before walking off.
"What's up with him?" Felix asked whilst holding a cage with a black Owl inside.
"He doesn't seem to like my ferret for some reason." Scorpius replied. "Oh well. I'm keeping it anyway."
"Anyway, I have to bolt otherwise might end up being later for dinner. See you on the 1st?"
"Yeah sure, we'll grab a compartment together."
"SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY!" a voice yelled out. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE NOW!"
"Draco Lucius Malfoy, if think that I will allow you to use language like around your son I will charm that mouth of yours to spew soap water. Don't think just because you're now 37 that I won't do it!" Narcissa Malfoy fired back.
Scorpius couldn't help but laugh as he heard his grandmother scolding his father before casting one more look at his packed up trunk and the cage carrying Helios the ferret (Scorpius had decided to name him Helios as that happened to be the son of Hyperion in mythology). He cast one more look at his room as a farewell before grabbing his trunk and walking out with it rolling behind.
"There you are at last dear. Took you forever." his mother said with a smile. "Can't believe it, already off to Hogwarts, I remember when you were still crawling around this house everywhere."
"Mum, really that was a long time ago." Scorpius stated with an eyeroll.
"Scorpius, come give your grandmother a hug." Draco called out. Scorpius walked over to the two of them and he wrapped his arms around his grandmother.
"You better write to me." she whispered. "I'll make sure to send you sweets."
"You ready?" father asked son.
Scorpius nodded.
"Astoria?" Draco then called out.
"Coming." Scorpius grabbed his father in one hand and had the other on his trunk. His father then drew his wand and spun the three of them round on the spot.
'This place is crowded.' was the first thought Scorpius had when the three of them materialised. Everywhere he looked their were children with trunks, owls, cats and parents. 'So these are the people I'll be residing with.'
"You write if anything comes up dear." his mother said, bending down to give him a hug. Scorpius hugged his mother back and then turned to his dad who seemed to be staring elsewhere.
Scorpius followed the gaze down to a middle aged man in glasses that man, woman and child could have recognised. Harry Potter. He was stood within a sea of redheads of different generations. The two of them seemed to share a nod. Scorpius then watched as his father changed the focus of his gaze slightly to Ron Weasley allowing a full glare to encompass him before he looked away.
"Hey Father, if you're done glaring at Ron Weasley I think I have to get on the train now." Scorpius said, tugging on his father's robes.
"Hey, some words before you go Scorpius." Draco replied looking down at his son with a warm smile. "First of all don't owl me with the news that you've been placed in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor." he said with a large grin.
"Draco!" Astoria admonished. "You can be in any house you want." she then said to Scorpius.
"Secondly, if anyone gives you trouble, stupefy them." he then said seriously.
"But that knocks them out." Scorpius replied.
"Exactly." his father replied with a small grin before his face turned serious again. "Look, I'm not going to pretend things will be all happyness and butterflies. I did a lot of bad things when I was younger, things that I'm afraid people are going to associate you with. It's up to you to prove that you're different. Make me proud."
Scorpius nodded.
"Oh and one last thing. See that girl over there?" his father asked, looking in the direction of where Ron Weasley and Hermione Weasley were. Stood with them was a tallish girl with long curly hair.
'That's Rose Weasley.' Scorpius thought. He'd seen her before in papers. 'How is she so tall? Obviously never seen a hairbrush in her life either.'
"That's Rose Weasley, daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley. It would give me great pleasure for you to beat her in every test, exam and any other trial that the two of you both undertake."
"Why?" Scorpius asked.
"Ignore your father. He's just trying to continue a grudge that has nothing to do with you dear." Astoria replied before glaring at Draco.
"Just beat her, after all that money I've spent on books and tutoring the least you can do is make your old man happy. Oh and also it's probably a good idea to stay away from the Weasleys and the Potters, they might not take too kindly to you." Scorpius nodded. After his visit to Diagon Alley he had gotten the impression that the only people who would were those who had never heard the name of Malfoy. It was a problem that he intended to deal with.
There was a loud whistle that came from the train filling the place with steam.
"Time to go Scorpius." his father stated. "Take care."
"I love you dear. Have fun." his mother said with a smile.
"Bye mother, father." Scorpius replied. He then picked up the cage with Helios inside and turned around and stepped onto the Hogwarts express.
'Now where is Felix?' he asked himself as he began making his way down carriages.
"Hey, Scorpius, down here!" a voice called out. Scorpius turned around to see a boy with spikey brunette hair and blue eyes waving him over. Scorpius grinned and followed Felix over to a compartment. Inside was a dark skinned girl with braids and a boy with messy sandy hair.
"This is the guy I was telling you about." Felix said to the other two who were in the compartment. The train then gave another whistle and like everyone else in the compartment Scorpius looked outside the window to find his parents watching. His father gave him a smile and his mother a wave. Scorpius waved back. The train then whistled again and lurched forward. Scorpius was off to Hogwarts.
It's a slow LOOOOOOOOONG beginning I know I know. Don't worry, for the next few chapters it will be one year a chapter till I get to year 5. Then things will start getting more intense. (Not that there won't be drama before, because there will be plenty). And don't worry, the next chapter will devote a lot more time to the Weasleys and Potters that I'm sure you all love (especially plenty of Rose time), I just had to give you guys a lot of Malfoy backstory.
Reviews, love em, need em, can't write without em. Seriously, just even a quick piece of praise or a ton of complaints makes me the happiest person ever. And did I mention how much they make me dance. So leave plenty.
I should be able to keep to a once every two weeks release schedule on this though January may mess that up lots (3rd year uni exams... yay). Anyway, press that review button, you know you want to.
Firemaker
