A/N: It's like awakening from a never ending sleep, but I feel a bit refreshed and happy to be back. I may have lost a few people along the way, and for that I am sorry. But I hope that I will be able to both regain them and make new friends along the way. I would like to thank my ever faithful beta and best friend for her help along the way.

But onto the story. It is a next generation Harry Potter fic, rated T but does contain language and inappropriate references. Later on there will be more action, violence, and possibly…murder? I believe you'll have to read and find out. Enjoy

In all his years of living in the Manor, young Scorpius Malfoy had never failed to notice exactly how cold and damp his 'home' was. It was his personal dungeon, short of rustic metal bars. Instead, he was metaphorically trapped in a thick prison of contradicting intolerance and social dissidence. It was a place that lacked comfort; a constant reminder of the absence of the true essence of 'home'. Instead, Draco Malfoy had busied himself in both the business passed on to him from his father, and in filling the heads of his wife and child with inconsistent beliefs about both the magical and non-magical worlds. The eldest Malfoy was conflicted within himself. Tormented by his lack of a proper childhood and loss of innocence at such an early age, Draco had developed both a bitterness toward his own father and the ideologies of the Dark Lord which robbed him of said innocence, and toward the Golden Trio which stripped away the former, the only life he knew. In his confusion, Draco Malfoy had projected both intolerance and tolerance on young Scorpius. Hoping to both drill the lessons of his Pureblood lineage, including the favoritism of the Dark Arts that followed it; while simultaneously praising the benefits of a world absent of Lord Voldemort.

Personally, Scorpius felt as though he would never fully understand his father. Tried as he might, Scorpius could never fully read the man. And as much as he hated it, he admired his father. Admired him in the sense that any son begrudgingly looks up to his father. Scorpius had done his best to mold himself into a replica of Draco Malfoy. He had nailed the confident swagger, despite the sneers of all of the world who spat on ex-Death Eaters and their families. He easily inherited his father's infamous smirk and handsome feature, alongside his mother's classic charm and allure. He spoke as if he were the final say in all matters, beside that of his fathers, and his wit knew no bounds. He was intelligent, surely not a know-it-all Weasley, but an intellectual nonetheless. Scorpius prided himself, and that was that. Yet, try as he might, he was not an impressive feature to Draco, and that was what drove Scorpius to near insanity. His father was persistently insatiable.

Scorpius pitied his mother more though. Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy was once a lively and beautiful woman, highly sought after as a Pureblood match. Astoria was still lovely and a very respectable Lady Malfoy, but years of marriage to Draco had left dulled white streaks in her once shining raven hair and a missing smile from her face. She was no longer the bubbly girl she once was, but now a mellow and quite woman. She did her best to shower Scorpius with the affection missing from Draco, but after a certain age, a young man no longer requires the motherly attention. Despite the fact, Astoria swore when her son was born that she would protect him all his life at all costs. Scorpius adored his mother, though his father's snarl tended to be a predominant feature on the son's lips each time Astoria reached out to her child.

But Scorpius secretly loved that his mother's care for him knew no bounds. It made up for the unwelcomed feeling he constantly felt while residing in the Manor. And yet again, as Scorpius crept up to press his ear to the door of the library, he had another occurrence to testify to his mother's devotion.

Their voices had escalated, and the lack of a Silencing Charm told Scorpius that a fight had not been intended. He knew well that his parents assumed that their son would be in the East Wing of the Manor, sleeping soundly after a late night with friends. But Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had fallen asleep early the previous night, and therefore were unaware that their son had decided to come home after his weekly Qudditch game with his mates, instead of going into London.

"Draco, do you hear yourself?" Astoria voice shrilled.

"Astoria, you will not raise your voice to me in such a manner," her husband asserted firmly, "And I hear exactly what I am saying. You seem to be missing the larger picture here!"

"This is our son! Our only son!" She snipped right back, Scorpius's blood went cold at the mention of him.

There was a pause before Draco spoke again, "I understand, love, I truly do." His tone had turned suddenly more gentle.

"Draco," Astoria's voice was on the brink of breaking, "Please don't do this. We don't need this."

"But we do." Draco persisted.

Scorpius was frowning, ear pressed harder to the door, as if that would reveal the grand mystery. He was upset upon hearing mention of himself. And by the sound of his mother's pleading, whatever Draco Malfoy had in mind must be far from good. Scorpius gulped and dared himself to keep listening.

"Our family name has yet to recover, even twenty-five years after the Dark Lords death."

At the mention of Lord Voldemort, Scorpius swore his heart had come to a complete stop. He was beginning to deduce just where this conversation may be going, and that fact scared the hell out of him.

"Says you, Draco Malfoy." His mother had suddenly found the fire in her voice, "This-this... obsession you have with your family name! And now you want to do exactly what your father forced upon you!"

Their son felt a shiver erupt through him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants nervously, beginning to contemplate his options in this mess.

"It is the only way!"

Scorpius jumped at the sound of his father slamming his fists on his desk. Without thinking, the young man shoved his hands into his pockets and clutched his wand protectively.

"You do realize what you are asking for, don't you?" His mother bit back, "You will begin another war."

With that, Scorpius's gut turned as his fears were confirmed. He instantly began to plot. Plot anything he could. An escape, a solution, a plea for his father to come to his senses.

"Astoria," Another feminine voice purred suddenly.

Daphne Greengrass was in the library with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, a notion that only mildly surprised the youngest Malfoy. Her cool voice turned anyone to ice. She was, as a drunken Draco Malfoy once confessed to his young son, 'almost like that sociopath, Aunt Bella'. She was sleek and slender, near boney but with an air of sophistication and class that challenged the charm of her younger sister. Her cruel nature secured her chances of never receiving marital status, according to the more likeable Greengrass sister. This never seemed to faze Daphne though, for she had her sights set on grander horizons.

"You, again, fail to see the larger picture here," the eldest sister countered, "We already have a dozen friends who would be more than willing to support the cause, and highly likely to pledge loyalty to someone as cunning as your husband."

"No, Daphne, you seem to fail to see the larger picture. You are discussing anarchy !Another wizarding war. One which Harry Potter will have even an easier time diffusing, and on top of it all? You want to involve my son! My only child!" Astoria was breathless, struggling to gather air in her lungs.

There it was, everything laid out right before Scorpius's ears. The Purebloods were at it again, another self-righteous, prejudice and pride-fueled war to which they would no doubt lose, again. The youngest Malfoy was no fool, blood status or not, another war was a ridiculous idea that was indeed bound to fail. Yet, his father had the nerve to not only consider resurrecting the old 'cause', but to lead it as well. As if the Malfoy name was not in enough of the gutter to begin with. But that was why Draco was even considering it in the first place. Scorpius knew his father was about titles, status, and respect. The Malfoy name was still highly sought after, but that was among the aristocratic. To the rest of the wizarding world, even twenty five years later, the name Malfoy was tolerable, in the best of cases.

"We have a visitor." Daphne spoke up in a solemn tone.

Before Scorpius could scramble away, the oak door swung open. Gingerly, the youngest Malfoy stood straight and looked down at his aunt, his face surprisingly more pale from guilt.

A toothy smile crept across Daphne's lips, "Hello, Scorpius."

"Good morning, Aunt Daph." He replied with sudden composed politeness, fidgeting with his shirts and brushing invisible dirt from his pants.

"Eaves dropping is unacceptable behavior, Scorpius." Draco Malfoy, who had been posed behind his desk, stepped slowly around in order to reach his son.

"I wasn't eaves dropping," Scorpius lied effortlessly, despite being caught, "I just woke up and came here to find you guys, and only heard mum going on about her precious boy again, or some nonsense." He dared not look at his mother, but he felt her hurt stare.

"Clever boy, this one is." Daphne said nonchalantly as she began to circle him.

Scorpius was aware that he was being watched intently by all inhabitants of the room. He squared his shoulders and lifted his nose into the air casually. He wanted to emit a presence of calm and collected, knowing well that his father and aunt would pick up on any faltered traces. Then, father and son locked eyes and tumbled into a battle of glares. When Draco narrowed his eyes at his son, Scorpius knew what was next. Desperately, the young man braced himself against his father's mental attack. However, Mr. Malfoy pounded relentlessly at the mind of his son, and though Scorpius had had years of practice, his father was vastly more experienced.

"Draco-"

Astoria was cut short when her husband raised his hand to her, silencing her without needing to break eye contact with his son. Soon, the barricades of Scorpius's mind were crumbled and Mr. Malfoy had full access. Fortunately for Scorpius, his father was after one specific thing, and that was whether the young man was lying or not. Thus, just as quickly as Draco Malfoy entered his son's thoughts did he leave them with a assured smirk.

Daphne, seeing her brother-in-law's response, took out her wand and pointed it at Scorpius.

Scorpius's heart quickened erratically, he knew what the punishment for lying was. Hesitantly, Scorpius withdrew his own wand. He had recently turned seventeen years old, and being of age meant that he could use all the magic he needed without worrying about being expelled from Hogwarts. That was not Scorpius's first thought though; to Scopius it meant he could finally properly protect himself.

"How dare you!" His aunt shrieked in disgust.

Scorpius chanced a glance at his parents, both who were watching him with shock etched across their faces.

"Raising your wand to an elder, have you gone daft?" Ms. Greengrass asked in sardonic humor.

Scorpius gripped his wand, "N-no."

"A much worse offense then lying, you little twit." Her lips curled into a frightening smile.

The young man was aware that the punishment for lying had always been his immobilization while either his father or his aunt carved 'liar' into his skin. His father had only done this a handful of times in his life, and had always sought to place a silencing charm over his son in order to avoid hearing the child's cries of anguish. 'A mercy my father elected to skip.' Scorpius heard his father's voice repeat in his head. His aunt, however, enjoyed her nephew's cries, and would even dig harder into his skin in order to elicit more screams.

That was the reason for Scorpius raising his wand to his aunt. Her consistent need to 'teach him a lesson', because she did not have her own children to torment.

"I'm sick of being tormented by you." Scorpius said more sure than he actually felt. "It's enough. I am not a boy anymore."

"Oh?" That evil smile turned into a grin, "So, you are a man now, correct?"

Though he could sense where this argument was heading, Scorpius did not lower his wand. He merely gave a small gulp and nodded his head slowly.

"Let's see how much of a man you are Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." Daphne snarled.

Scorpius braced himself, his wand at the ready. But nothing, no nothing could prepare him for what came next. In the next moment, his aunt had shouted something unfamiliar and Scorpius was on the floor consumed in what felt like an internal fire. He could do nothing but clutch himself, praying that would alleviate the pain, but it did nothing. Instead, the pain swallowed him whole, engulfing him entirely. Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut, and bit down hard on his tongue to prevent himself from screaming. The iron taste of blood filled his senses, but Scorpius was doing his best to not give into the pain. His bones were incinerated to his core, and soon tears streamed down the young man's face. As his eyes rolled into his head, Scorpius heard the sound of his mother screaming and pleading with her older sister.

When it felt as if the pain would either go on for eternity, or his body would simply succumb to the allure of pending death; Scorpius felt it mercifully subside.

"Exelliarmus!" Astoria shouted in panic, "Merlin! My boy, please Scorpius get up!"

Barely conscious, Scorpius Malfoy felt the soothing hold of his mother's arms wrap around him as she pulled him into her lap. Everything was muffled to his ears and blurry to his eyes. Scorpious was struggling to keep awake while his mother cradled him, sobbing uncontrollably. Though he could not be sure of what was being said, he could identify his mother's cries, his father's shouts, and his aunt's shrills. Slowly, as if in a sequence, the world began to return to its normal state as Scorpius fought hard to recover quickly. His hearing cleared out and the sight before him became illuminant once more.

"-ever touch my son like that again, Daphne!" Astoria yelled through her tears.

Scorpius than realized that his mother was cradling him, and hurried to squirm from her grasp.

"He's fine, Astoria, stop being such an over-sensitive brat."

"Daphne!" Mr. Malfoy snipped at his sister-in-law, "Astoria has a point! He is not your son, you had no right to use that curse on him."

Scorpius heard his aunt snort, "Then you be a man, Draco, and you do it next time." She headed toward the door, "It builds character, and this kid needs it. He's a coward, like his mother. Don't go all soft on us now too, Draco Malfoy. No one would dare follow a man of such weakness."

Another wicked grin plastered itself across the woman's face. She turned on her heels and left without another word. Scorpius weakly pulled himself to his feet, pushing away any assistance from his mother. She withdrew, obviously hurt but said nothing. As Scorpius wavered a bit, Draco advanced on his son without warning.

"Are you mad!" Mr. Malfoy hollered as he gripped his son's shirt by its collar, "You are to never raise a wand to your elders! Understood?"

Scorpius did not cringe in fear, nor did he look away from the glare of daggers his father shot him. Instead, the young man met his father's eyes and refused to blink. Mr. Malfoy snarled and shoved his son away. Scorpius did not stumble, but remained firm in his stance as he felt his strength returning.

"You let that woman curse your own son, father?" Scorpius said through gritted teeth.

Draco met his child's glare, "You rose your wand to her, she acted on instinct."

"Instinct!" Scorpius nearly gawked, "What the bloody hell was that? That was malicious and planned, not instinct!"

"The Cruciatus Curse," His father sighed, "Hurts like bleeding hell, doesn't it?"

"Scorpius-"

"No," He cut his mother off, "You watched as that woman perform an Unforgiveable Curse on me! Both of you!"

The youngest Malfoy was half tempted to draw his wand out again, but after the pain of the Cruciatus, he thought against it. He decided that his words would have to be ammo enough, for now.

"You want to resurrect a war, and you are calling me mad for standing up to the very aggressors you can't seem to make up your mind about?" He seethed at his father.

"Listen here you pompous little prat," Mr. Malfoy started, sheepishly his wife came to his side and held his arm, but he quickly shrugged her away, "You will listen to me, because I am your father."

"Ha!"

Losing his patience, the older Malfoy drew his wand and his son was silence, "Either you do as you're told or that inheritance you rely on his out of the window, and you can kiss the family entitlements good-bye."

Scorpius did not open his mouth to argue. That was a lot to put on the line.

"If you ever disrespect a member of this family in the manners you did today, you will regret it." Mr. Malfoy kept his wand pointed at his son, "Now get out."

The rebellious side of the young man wanted to stand his ground, but after a few minutes he knew he had no other choice. Storming back toward the East Wing, Scorpius Malfoy made sure to break each and every vase he encountered on his way, while scurrying little house elves followed behind him to clean up each mess. When he reached his room he slammed the door purposefully enouch that it echoed through the halls.

He collapsed onto his bed, running his hands through his hair anxiously. Draco Malfoy was intent on starting another wizarding war, just to regain respect. Not only that, but he had the full intentions of dragging his unwilling son into the mix .Scorpius buried his face into his palms. He was content with where is life was going, with the hopes of becoming an Auror in order to redeem his own association with the name Malfoy. He had made the acceptable marks on his O.W.L.'s effortlessly, and he was already signed up for the appropriate N.E.W.T. level classes for his intended profession. Though the presence of the Dark Arts still lingered around the Manor, Scorpius had done his best to avoid involvement with them.

And now his father sought to crumble all that Scorpius had worked so very hard for. The youngest Malfoy did not want to follow his family legacy, but wished to create his own. It wasn't that black and white though. There was always fourteen shades of grey in between. Scorpius hated relying on the Malfoy family fortune, but he had no choice. His family was magically bound to that fortune, but it came at a cost.

The youngest Malfoy was overwhelmed with frustration. He was to start Hogwarts in less than two week's time, it seemed like a suitable escape. But Scorpius knew that this would not just disappear. In fact, without him here to talk some sense into his father, Scorpius feared this ridiculous revolution would build faster. He needed to stop his father, but he didn't know how. If Aunt Daphne was serious, and Mr. Malfoy did already have a dozen potential followers; than Scorpius would not be able to handle this on his own. But who could he turn too? The Headmistress would probably have his father thrown in jail. The Minister of Magic was a former Gryffindor. And Harry Potter would probably have so much intolerance for that kind of anarchy, that Scorpius wouldn't be surprised if his entire house was raided within a day of contacting the old war hero.

The thought of asking his friends crossed his mind, but then again how many of them would actually be willing? Most of his friends came from the homes of ex-Death Eaters as well. The situation was near hopeless, but Scorpius was stubborn enough to try.

Scorpius did not leave his room for the rest of the day. He refused the meals Dippy insisted on bringing every two hours. He couldn't eat; it was an unhealthy habit of his. When he was determined to focus his energy on something, he could not focus on meticulous things like food. He was determined to come up with a suitable plan. Yet, try as he might, by the end of the day Scorpius Malfoy was left with a room covered in crinkled papers and gaping holes the size of a fist in his bedroom walls.

That night, Scorpius jolted awake. He was covered in cold sweat, struggling to catch his breath. He nearly jumped with surprise when he saw his mother.

"Shh," She hushed him and rested her hands gently on his shoulder, "You were screaming in your sleep."

Scorpius looked away, embarrassed, "I had nightmares," He mumbled.

"A side effect of the curse, nothing to be ashamed of." She assured him kindly.

He laid back down, only to plunge into another nightmare. Scorpius Malfoy did not sleep well the following few days.

A/N: Let me know how it was. Thank you guys :D