A/N: Hey guys, so I've adopted a story from the fabulous Martian Goddess, and for all the readers coming from there, welcome to my fandom This story is a little different from my traditional Dramiones, but as Avril Lavigne would say, What the hell? Review!
Chapter One: The News
Scorpius rolled out of bed – literally – upon hearing an owl pecking at his window. He scrambled frantically towards the owl when he realized what the noise was.
Today was the day; the day when his future was determined. He had gotten his N.E.W.T. results two weeks prior and immediately forwarded them to the Auror Training Office.
Today. Today was the day when he found out if he had been accepted.
Today was the most important day of his life. This was everything he has been working for since he had been old enough to understand his family history. He was determined to change how the wizarding world saw the Malfoy family. And he had already succeeded mostly among his peers at school. He may have been sorted into Slytherin but it was not for the traditional reasons. He was sorted into Slytherin because of his ambition to change the meaning of his family name.
And he had truly done amazing things while at Hogwarts. He was a gentleman to all, no matter their blood status. He worked for his grades rather than having them handed to him. He worked hard as a prefect and a fifth year to get all Os on his O.W.L.s. He had made Head Boy and gotten all Os on his N.E.W.T. examinations as well.
But now it was time for the real world. He may have gotten the test scores to become an Auror, but there was still the stigma surrounding his family. Would they really allow a Malfoy to become an Auror? After all, Aurors were dark wizard catchers and Malfoys were known for being dark wizards.
He also knew about the history between his father and the Head of the Auror Department, Harry Potter. From what his father had said, there were legitimate reasons behind his hatred of Malfoys. And yet, Harry had also testified at his grandmother's hearing after the war and kept her out of Azkaban; and through that, his father as well.
But he needed to become an Auror. If he became an Auror, people could no longer think him a dark wizard. After all, no one would dare contradict the great Harry Potter in his decision to make a Malfoy an Auror.
Scorpius' hands trembled as he took the letter from the owl's beak. He turned it over to see the crest of the Ministry of Magic stamped on the envelope. As the bird flew off, he walked slowly back over to his bed before sitting down on the edge. He stared at the letter as though in a trance. He slowly slid his index finger under the flap and slit it open. He pulled out the letter to read,
Dear Mr. Scorpius Malfoy,
As the Head of the Auror Department, I, Harry Potter, am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as one of the few to begin the three years of training to become an Auror.
He stopped reading there as he jumped off the bed and ran downstairs at full speed. As expected, he found his parents in the breakfast room, already up and dressed. He could tell from his father's face that his blatant disregard of manners was not appreciated, but he was too excited to care. He couldn't help but crow with joy. "I GOT ACCEPTED!"
Draco's jaw dropped. Scor knew that while his father had supported his ambition, he did not honestly believe that he would be accepted. His mother on the other hand… she smirked happily, ready with an 'I told you so' on the tip of her tongue. Despite the doubts of Draco, and indeed, Scorpius himself, she had claimed all along that he would be accepted. And his mother loved to be right. In spite of her urge to gloat, she chose to simply stand up gracefully and envelope her only child in a very big hug. "I'm so proud of you, my baby."
"Thanks Mum. Thank you for believing in me."
"Of course. I never doubted you. But," she pulled back to look him in the eyes, "there is something else that we must discuss now that your career plans have been solidified."
Scorpius raised an eyebrow in question. He could not think of anything else that needed to be discussed. He was only eighteen after all. He did not need to have his entire life planned out already.
His father chose that moment to speak up. "Your mother is correct, Scorpius. Come. Sit." Once obeyed, he called out, "Anna!" A house elf appeared before him. "Bring the list from my study, please."
"Of course Master Malfoy!" she replied in a high, squeaky voice before apparating away.
List? What list? Now Scorpius was truly nervous. When his father made a list, it was normally not for a good thing. What's on this list? What does it have to do with me? What did I do wrong that needs correcting? What part of my future could it possibly refer to? Why are they—
His internal musings were cut off as Anna returned with said list. Draco laid down the list in front of himself before speaking. "Now that your career is settled, there is one more matter of your future that must also be settled. As you know, Astoria's and my marriage was arranged—"
Scor cut him off there. "NO! No way! I refuse to have my wife picked out for me! I will find my own wife in my own time—"
Draco held up a hand to silence him. "If you remembered your manners and let me finish, you would have heard me say that we are not going to be doing things that way for you. Your mother and I were some of the very lucky few who fell in love with the one picked out for them. However, that is often not the case. As such, we have made a list. Each young woman on this list is considered acceptable for a marriage into a family such as ours. You may go about things as you wish, but you have until one year from today to be engaged to one of the girls on this list. I would have said you needed to be married within a year, but I think your mother would have killed me if I had tried to give her so little time to plan your wedding." The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile at the last comment.
Scorpius on the other hand could find no reason to smile. He had thought he had escaped an arranged marriage when his parents had never mentioned it before. After all, despite what they may say about having a choice, it was still an arranged marriage. And he was only eighteen! He wasn't ready to be married. He was just barely getting started on his career. Given the choice, he would have waited until he was a fully fledged Auror at least before considering becoming that serious with a girl. He looked between his parents' faces. His mother's reflected a loving determination. He could tell that she really thought that it was the best they could do for him. His father's reflected a cold determination. It was clear that while he approved of Scor's efforts to better the world's view of the family name, he still firmly believed in staying pure. Scor would have bet his entire inheritance that every single girl on that list was a pureblood. Probably all Slytherin too.
There was one more concern though that was of importance to him. "What about the girls? Do they have no say in this?"
His mother was the one to answer this time. "We have discussed the matter with each girl and her parents. They understand that any girl has the right to refuse your advances or proposal. However, each and every girl knows you and is willing to give you a chance."
"They all know me?"
"Yes. They were all in your year at Hogwarts."
Scorpius mulled over that for a moment. Hmm. At least he would have some background knowledge before going out with each girl. He could only hope that certain girls were not on that list. There were some girls in his year that were utterly unacceptable for what he had planned in life or simply utterly intolerable as people. There had to be at least one good girl on the list though, didn't there? At least one girl he would be willing to spend the rest of his life with…
Astoria spoke up again. "Would you like to see the list now?"
"Yes, please." Now he could see what his options were.
She slid the paper across the table until it rested face down in front of him.
He gingerly turned it over to read the names listed there.
Georgiana Goyle Mary Flint Jane Nott Marlena MacDougal Agatha Bulstrode Calinda Klutterbey Magenta Brown Rowan MacMillan
He was unsurprised to find that every girl was indeed, pureblood. He was however, quite surprised to see that they were not all Slytherin. In fact, while the majority was, there were included two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw. The lack of Gryffindors was obvious as the only purebloods, or close enough to purebloods, in that house for his year were all members of the Weasley-Potter clan. Any of them would of course not be deemed acceptable by Draco Malfoy.
Well, he had to start somewhere, so he might as well start with the one girl he knew quite personally. He was certain however that his father had only included her out of loyalty to his old friend. After all, everyone knew she was as utterly thick-skulled as her father.
A/N: Five reviews to update, and I didn't write this chapter or the next one, just trying to buy myself some time to write the others!