-1THE SINS OF THE FATHER

OUTSIDE STOKE-ON-TRENT - ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 1ST - 2017

Albus was sat in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express with Rose Weasley sitting across from him. She seemed to be a perfect copy of her mother except her hair was a bushy red instead of brown. That was the only difference because just like her mother she had already changed into her robes and even had a copy of Hogwarts, A History Volume II under her arm. Rose's intelligence and unusual maturity was already well known.

Next to Albus was his medium sized bird cage with a grey owl named Tweakins, sleeping peacefully inside. He should have know that anything addressed from both his brother and his uncle George was bound to be trouble, even if it was a birthday present. And naturally it was. The beautiful grey owl that seemed to be almost statue like at that moment would explode in an excitable fit of craziness the moment anyone touched it. Sending letters by that owl usually meant that you would need a large box of plasters or even a healer near by.

Stowed away safely in his pocket was his wand, thankfully not something that turned out to be a joke by his brother. Dragon heartstring and willow, Fourteen and a half inches and carried a far more pointed tip then most wands. He had all his books and robes, along with his broom, spending money, class schedule and his own copy of Hogwarts, a History, but none of it helped. Albus had never been more nervous in his entire life. If he continued to bite his finger nails anymore then he already had, he was sure to hit the bone eventually. His left leg was vibrating at an alarming rate and every few seconds he would let out a sigh.

"Albus this is ridiculous! You're not going to be in Slytherin!" She said trying to comfort him but actually came off sounding quite bossy. "Your brother was just teasing you!"

"You don't know that!" Albus snapped back.

"I know that the sorting hat was on your brother's head for all of about two seconds before shouting Gryffindor! Vicky told me." She said emphasizing the evidence. Albus however wasn't listening; he was staring out of the window with sweat rolling down his forehead. "I can't be in Slytherin! I've never even met a snake…I'm not a parcelmouth…I look terrible in green…" He trailed off.

"You've got green eyes…" Rose said before realizing that she probably shouldn't have.

"Can they be changed?" Albus asked in a panicked seriousness.

"Albus this is getting annoying! As soon as that hat goes on your head you know you will -"

"Ahh!" Rose was cut of by Albus squealing like a girl!

Outside the compartment window was a floating serpent, bouncing in midair. Albus looked like he was about to go into heart failure. The snake suddenly vanished into a puff of green smoke. After a few seconds of giggling, three heads poked up from bellow the window of the compartment. His brother who looked like he was about to wet himself, Fred Weasley, who looked like he might already have done and David Johnson 'DJ' who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"JAMES! That is not funny! Why do you have to be so mean to your brother! Grow up!" Rose roared flexing the famous Weasley rage.

"Sorry mum!" James giggled before the three began to walk off.

"Good luck with your sorting Albus!" Fred laughed as he walked away.

Rose fumed for a moment before noticing how pale Albus had gone. "Are you alright?"

Albus attempted to answer but the babble that came out of his mouth was an as yet unidentified language.

'Albus was unfortunately picked on by his older brother on many occasions and was very rarely able to prove him wrong, so when James teased him about being chosen for Slytherin, he found it hard to ignore. Of course his fears were entirely unfounded but still, two very interesting things did happen at his sorting.'

A few hours later Albus, Rose and all of the other first years were stepping off the boat following what looked like a very large grizzly bear with a bear but was in actual fact the Care of Magical Creatures teacher Hagrid. The half giants attempt to ease Albus's nerves during the boat ride had failed miserably after he spouted off into a tale of how long it took the sorting hat to house his father. Hagrid became very embarrassed and guilty once he realized he wasn't helping. Albus was now so nervous he would probably have a seizure if some yelled 'Boo!'. It didn't help that every other first year seemed to be smiling gleefully and simply enjoying they're first time at Hogwarts.

After a few seconds a forceful but soft voice broke everyone's attention. In front of the students was an extremely attractive Asian witch in her mid thirties. She had long metallic black hair that came down to her shoulders and a warm smile. "Welcome to Hogwarts first years. I am the Deputy Headmistress and Defence against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Triennia Arken. Now I'm sure most of you are fully aware of what will take place once you go through these doors, however today will be slightly different." Albus's heart suddenly hit the roof of his mouth.

"Before the sorting takes place, there has been a very important change of staffing that you all need to know about. As I'm sure you are aware Headmistress McGonagall has decided to retire. The new headmaster will say a few words before you are all sorted." Albus had been so rapped up in his own fears that he completely forgot that Professor McGonagall was retiring. This also meant that for the life of him he couldn't remember who her replacement was. "So if you will all please follow me into the main hall." She moved gracefully towards the doors which opened revealing the enormous hall.

In fine tradition the many students were sitting at their house tables while the teachers waited patiently at the staff table. The ceiling was its custom starry night sky with floating candles bobbing slowly in the air. The only change to the great hall from when Harry had been at school was the large golden seal, imbedded in the floor in the centre of the hall. The exact spot where Lord Voldemort had fallen, ending the second war. Harry had refused to let anyone put his name on the seal so 'The Chosen One'was now edged in clearly in golden letters just above the Hogwarts crest. Below that was 'May 8th 1998. The day of victory.'

Suddenly Albus's mind was overwhelmed. The fear of sorting had now been replaced by a hollow falling feeling. He was suddenly aware that the wizarding world would one day expect him to do something worthy of a seal like that one. What if he couldn't? What if he failed?

Albus's eyes were glued to the seal so much so that he almost didn't realize he had walked straight into the girl standing in front of him. He looked up quickly and mumbled an apology. She turned around to show a radiant smile and beautiful blue, wolf like eyes. She had long, silky, jet black hair that fell all the way down to her lower back. In the not too distant future she would be absolutely stunning. A small flush crept into Albus's cheeks as soon he realized that he was staring at her.

"Students!" Professor Arken said loud enough to gain the attention of the entire hall. "It's my pleasure to introduce you all to your new Headmaster, Professor Alexander Tannis." A tall man who seemed to be of Middle Eastern decent stood from the staff table and walked over to the podium. He was in his mid to late fifty's with a short goatee and was wearing expensive blue and white robes.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." He smiled warmly. He spoke kindly but with power in his voice and perfect pronunciation. "I would first like to say that it is the very greatest honour of my life being asked to teach at this magnificent school. I certainly hope I can live up to the many fine Headmaster's and headmistress's that have governed this school in the past. I know it won't be an easy task, following in the footsteps of such wonderful wizards and witches like Professor McGonagall and of course the great Albus Dumbledore but I certainly plan to do my very best. On a related matter, my first concern is for the well being, success and happiness of the students that attend this school, so if there is anything you would like to discuss or even complain about, my office is always open…provided I don't forget the password." There were a few giggles from around the hall. "So before I suck all the air out of the room with my endless babble, let the sorting begin." The hall erupted in cheers and applies as Tannis took his seat at the centre of the staff table receiving a few well wishes from other staff members along the way.

Arken stepped up to chair that had already been set out for the sorting. In one hand she held an unfolded piece of parchment with the names of all new first years' students. In her other hand she held the ragged but nevertheless legendry sorting hat.

"Please step forward and take a seat once I call your name." Albus's could have sworn that his heart just made the same noise at a piano being destroyed. "Lawson, Robert." A slim boy with brown hair walked up to the chair with a certain strut in his step. He sat down but before she had a chance to place the hat on his head he said rather loudly.

"Call me Bob." The Professor smirked slightly and placed the hat on his head. A second later it was alive and speaking. "Hmm…yes…oh, I've seen a mind like this before…I think…HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table erupted in applauses and with the same strut he walked over to join them looking very proud of himself.

"Little, Robert." Arken looked slightly confused for a moment as she just realised both boys actually had the same initials. Although he was shorter and less skinny he mimicked the previous Robert in everyway.

"You can call me Bob two." Much of the hall started laughing at that point and the professor placed the hat on his head while smiling. "Aha…oh dear, another one…yes…well, let's see…HUFFLEPUFF!" Bob Two strutted over to the other Bob while the table cheered again. He sat next to him and the two shook hands and said "Job's a goodan'." in unison. They obviously knew each other before coming to Hogwarts.

"Malfoy, Scorpius." Other then a few whispers, the hall had suddenly gone very silent. A boy with long and slightly messy blond hair stepped forward. Scorpius ignored the whispers and murmurs completely and sat in the chair. The hat was place on his head but for a few second it didn't say a word, but then, finally it spoke.

"Well, well…not your average Malfoy are you…nevertheless just as cunning…still could this be time for a change or will tradition stand?…hmm…well, it seems old ways are the best ways SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy stood and walked over to the slightly less ecstatic Slytherin table. He didn't receive any handshakes or pats on the back but still seemed to look perfectly content.

"Weasley, Rose Granger." Rose gave out a little squeak before regaining her composure. The hat was place on her head while she desperately tried to remain calm. Albus saw the nervousness in her eyes which only made him feel worse. Especially since she had spent more of the train journey telling him that his fears were just silly paranoia.

"What this? A Weasley and a Granger in one head…this should be interesting…I wonder…hmm…oh there's intelligence alright, buckets of it, I wonder if you might be better suited in Ravenclaw where the thinkers go…then again…the mind is only as big as the heart I always say. GRYFFINDOR!" The loudest applause yet suddenly filled the room. The Gryffindor's were on their feet clapping and cheering as Rose walked over and sat down at the table.

Professor Arken suddenly gave an interesting look to the headmaster. She smiled and seemed to be looking slightly excited. "Potter, Albus Severus." Albus didn't even have a chance to move, the room had already erupted in cheers and he hadn't even been sorted yet. James had bragged for hours that the same thing had happened to him. Albus slowly approached the chair, unable to control his shaking. He spotted Professor Longbottom at the staff table smiling and waving at him. Just one more person to disappoint! Albus despaired in his own head. As the cheers died down he sat, but still felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into the chair. He felt the hat being placed on his head.

"Hmm…well, well, full of surprises I see…well this is interesting…even your father didn't give me this much trouble…" Albus felt like the hat was somehow squeezing his head very tightly. "There's a bit of everything in here…you would do well in any house I think…but where would you belong? That Is the real question…hmm…let see…"

I can't deny there's power… Albus's heart stopped. He knew instantly the hat wasn't talking aloud anymore, it was talking directly to him, inside his own head. Something different. You've always felt that you were different haven't you? And here's the proof. But being different shouldn't be feared. Different can be very good indeed. There's a strength in here that I haven't seen in a long time. But it seems like your waiting for something…That makes things difficult, I wonder where to put you?

Albus focused every fibre of brainpower he had and screamed NOT SLYTHERIN! As loud as he could, inside his own head. But why not? I see a lot of Slytherin in here you know, he was a great man. And there's strong mind like Ravenclaw although it's clouded with doubt. A fairness as well, just like Hufflepuff. But I see your far more concerned for others and prefer to please those around you, rather then you yourself. Another Gryffindor quality. You know you can't carry on like that forever though, sooner or later you will have to embrace what you are, not what others want you to be

Despite the conversation in his head Albus still noticed everyone in the hall was staring at him with confused looks. A sorting had never taken this long before. He didn't look but knew the teachers were thinking the same thing.

What's it going to be then Albus? Be what you are or what you think they want you to be? You or them? Albus again focused and spoke in his mind. Please, Gryffindor! There was a short silence when he heard nothing in his head then… Very well Potter.

"GRYFFINDOR!" That was shouted to the entire hall which immediately exploded into cheers. Even the other houses were cheering him and his heart beat began to return to normal. Something it hadn't done all day. Albus made his way over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Rose who hugged him and smiled. Even James, Fred and DJ gave him a thumbs up. A few seconds later he spotted Victorie Weasley sitting a few students down giving him a huge prideful grin. Her 'Head Girl' badge giving off a slight shine. He suddenly felt a bit guilty, thinking back and knowing that he had ignored them all on his zombie like walk into the hall. He smiled back then turned to see who the next poor nervous wreck would be.

"Ewan, Marcus." A tall boy with brown hair stepped forward. He sat in the chair not seeming the slightest bit nervous. After a few seconds the hat yelled. "GRYFFINDOR!" The table again erupted in cheers.

Marcus made is way to the table and sat next to Albus. "Bloody hell, I'm glad that over with." He said quietly to Albus. "Tell me about it!"

"You looked like you were about to pass out mate!" Marcus giggled.

"I Thought I was going to be put in Slytherin!" Albus defended.

"A Potter in Slytherin, no chance!" Marcus laughed.

The two laughed for a second before the hall quietened down again.

He suddenly caught Arken giving the headmaster another look but this was different. She looked wary, almost cautious. "Lennox, Aurora Dawn." For a few seconds most of the students looked like they hadn't heard the right name. Some even asked what the professor just said. But before any answers could be given a girl had begun to walk forward. Immediately looks of pure distain and hatred were being shot at her.

"Bloody hell! I've heard about her…and her parents!" Marcus whispered.

"What's wrong with her?" Albus asked.

"You're joking! Don't you read the Prophet? They need to get some Auror's in here and arrest her!" Marcus said quickly.

'Why?'

Scorpius was suddenly snapped out of his tale by his granddaughter. "Why?" He asked, trying to concentrate. "Why did everyone hate her?" She asked truly confused.

"Ah yes, Aurora. You see, much like my self, Aurora's parents had, let's say less then perfect reputations. Or to put it another way, Aurora's mother was a witch of what some described as 'Terrifying Power' and her father was one of the only men that Harry Potter himself never managed to apprehend."

"You see after Aurora's mother was murdered, her father went on a rampage of vengeance that took a great many lives. He then disappeared, no one knew exactly where. And then for his daughter to suddenly turn up in Hogwarts, when her fathers wanted poster was still being issued in the Daily Prophet, well not only did it scare a great many people but they also thought that she tooshould be locked away."

Anya looked at her father in an extremely confused manor. Scorpius smiled at the innocence of his grand daughter and decided to explain a little more clearly. "You see she received the same treatment I did when entering Hogwarts because of her parents. My father and his father were known death eaters whom had also escaped a stint in Azkaban. At the time the Malfoy family was in disgrace. And I, in perhaps a selfish manner, hated my father for his past misdeeds."

"I hated him because although I had never committed a crime, didn't have any quarrels about blood purity and hated the very idea of a dark lord, I would be seen as a blight on the school. Simply because of my families sins…Aurora, who parents crimes had occurred much more recently was looked at in the same or if not worse way that I was." He paused to take a sip of wine.

"She was hated by any whom supported the Potters because her father John Lennox, very nearly killed Harry during his quest for vengeance. Harry of course being the one sent to stop him. Despite the fact the he was a Squib; John was a highly trained and extremely dangerous man. He was a soldier; some even called him an assassin. And Aurora's mother Rachael was an incredibly powerful woman that had mastered a verity of spells that would be considered experimental at best. Illegal at worst."

"Rachael was murdered, much to the wizarding worlds delight and John carried out terrible revenge on any he found to have had a hand in the murder of his love." Scorpius continued. "Harry eventually caught up with him and a dangerous battle ensued, one that John was able to win. Harry had to spend several weeks in St. Mungo's from the injuries he sustained during that fight and John was able to carry out his vengeance in the mean time."

Scorpius studied the faces of his listeners for a moment waiting to see if ay would object to him carrying on. He noticed that very subtly Dawn was pretending to take no notice but at the same time listening carefully.

"It was only after John's rampage that it was discovered that he and Rachael did in fact, have a daughter and the rumour spread quickly that John and his child had fled England. So for her to turn up at Hogwarts after a great many people were fully aware that she had been raised by a man that was nothing less than a mass murdered, chilled many to the bone…needless to say, the new headmaster got his fair share of complaints in those first few months of him taking the position." Scorpius laughed and continued. "But more than her arrival, I found, her sorting to be far more interesting…"

Aurora sat down in the chair. She much like Scorpius had completely brushed off the whispers and murderous looks that were being thrown at her. Albus had his eyes locked on her. She was none other than the girl he had accidentally bumped into and in return, received the sweetest smile he'd ever seen. The hat was place on her head and the room fell silent.

"My my! Never seen one like this before…I wonder why you are even here…" Albus was captivated. He quickly looked at his brother, who was glaring with every evil thought he could. "Really…Oh quite right." It took Albus all of two seconds to realize that she was speaking to the hat with her mind. The hat laughed as if it found the conversation with her enjoyable! Half the hall was stunned in silence, the other half confused. The hat was silent for at least another two minutes when it suddenly spoke up again. "Yes…very true…Very well miss Lennox, RAVENCLAW!"

There were no applause, but again she didn't seem to care. Quietly and gracefully she stepped out of the chair and made her way towards her table. That's when without warning she looked Albus straight in the eye and gave him the very tiniest of smiles. Albus didn't know why, but he returned the smile. Marcus nudged him on the arm pulling him away from Aurora's eyes.

"Trust me mate you don't want anything to do with her! Would have thought you would know that!" Marcus said.

"I've never heard of her!" Albus said completely perplexed.

"What?! Your old man's head of the Auror Department and you never heard the name Lennox?" Marcus looked scandalised.

"What you mean that bloke that killed all them people?" Albus took a wild guess.

"Duh! That's her old man!" Marcus said making sure he wasn't overheard.

"You're joking!" Albus was shocked.

"Wish I were mate!" They both quickly shot a cautious look at Aurora who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. The nearest students to her had moved as far away as possible. Although she didn't seem the slightest bit affected by this, Albus felt a wave of pity wash over him. Nobody knows for sure that she was as bad as her father! Albus thought to himself and yet they treated her like the plague. It was horrible for him to watch but it must have been even worse for her.

'For the next two years, Albus carried a great swell of pity for Aurora. Especially when he saw her alone and purposely being ignored and banished from what should have been groups of friends. But then that was another quality Albus displayed early on which was again ignored by most. He refused to judge people until he knew for certain that his instinct or mind was right about them.'

"Stepping, Claire" Arken called out and yet another student began to walk forward before being sorted into Hufflepuff.

'Marcus's father was an Auror working under Harry at the time. Harry who much preferred to keep his home life separate from his job rarely, if ever, told his family about his work. Mr. Ewan however seemed to be far more open about sharing his professional life with his family. Marcus Ewan would often be known for dishing the gossip on the outside wizarding world and quickly informed everyone of everything he knew about the Lennox case. This only added fuel to the fire that was already burning wildly around Aurora.'

'Myers, Susan' Arken called out again.

Anya's mouth couldn't have been hanging lower if she had dislocated it. "So you see two very interesting things happened that day." Scorpius said feeding off the wonder that the youngest members of the table were showing. "Not only was Albus's sorting longer than any known sorting before him. But the second longest was for a girl that had an even worse reputation than mine at the time."

"I never heard about that." Violet said speaking up with a smile on her face.

"I didn't know he had a friend called Marcus!" Marcus said causing a few laughs around the table.

"Oh, unfortunately his friendship with Marcus didn't last." Scorpius said sounding sad.

"I wonder why." Dawn scowled.

"Not for the reasons you are thinking Dawn." Scorpius shot back quickly. Dawn shot her father a distasteful look before going back to her wine.

"Well then by all means tell us dad!" Dawn glared.

"Albus's life was relatively quiet for a time. He, much as his family had advised never even spoke to me or Aurora for his entire first year. Then again, there weren't many people that did. He finished his first year with reasonable marks. Excelling of course in Care of Magical Creatures. But to the dismay of many he was only an average student at Defence against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. Charms and Potions he was similarly intermediate at. He did however also excel at Herbology and strangely enough Muggle Studies. Much like Rose's grandfather he found Muggles to be fascinating creatures, almost as amazing as animals."

"Would that be the reason he killed so many Muggles?" Dawn scoffed.

Scorpius, seeing that the rest of his family were just as annoyed by Dawn's interruption as he was, decided to ignore it and carry on. "His second year carried on much in the same way. His friendship with Marcus grew in leaps and bounds and the two were rarely seen apart. Rose was also a great friend to them both and it seemed almost as if a new 'Golden Trio' was emerging. Even if they weren't making the same headlines that the original trio did."

"Of course Albus was also forced to put up with a great many pranks played on him by his brother and his friends. Something I find it hard to believe now because he simply brushed off and ignored them. In his later years he took insults, especially towards those he respected as a serious offence. Of course, many of these insults from his brother were warranted by his failure to be accepted into the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Albus, I can honestly say was one of the worst flyers I had ever seen!" Scorpius laughed. "His brother, it was said, had more talent on a broom, than both his mother and father put together! And yet Albus could barely stay on a broom for more then about two minutes!" Scorpius was laughing so loudly now most of the table looked slightly startled by his hilarity. "To think a man that did so much couldn't even handle a broom!" Eventually, after quite a lot of loud laughter, he managed to regain his composure.

"However, a darkness had slowly started to creep in from the shadows and although it only affected Albus indirectly, it would begin a chain of events that would cause him to finally step into spotlight and show himself as a truly courageous and in some ways dangerous man." Scorpius carried on.

Albus, Marcus and Rose were sitting in the great hall eating breakfast as the owls began to arrive carrying their various packages and letters of all shapes and sizes. One flew over Rose and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her.

She unfolded it and began scanning the headlines.

"I bet Parkinson gives us loads of homework for potions again!" Albus sighed.

"Probably, I think she's just trying to make her self look good." Marcus agreed.

"That's gonna take a lot of work! Even the other teachers agree, she's an idiot!" Albus laughed.

"I know, you'd think it would be obvious! Her first names Pansy!" Marcus giggled.

"I think she should just change her name to Professor Incompetents!"

The two almost choked on there cereal from laughter.

"This is horrible!" Rose said.

"Oh come on Rose, even you have to admit that she a complete bit-" Marcus was cut off.

"Not her! This!" She said throwing the Prophet at him.

Marcus began to read the article aloud. The body of Hector Stammins was discovered last night by Auror's inside his home in Finchley. Stammins who was recently released from Azkaban after serving a fifteen year sentence for supporting Death Eater activities during the war died of massive blood loss caused by a deep wound to his throat. Magic was apparently used at the scene but only to disarm Stammis. The fatal wound seems to have been caused by a cleaver or large knife. This is the seventh body to be found in the same brutal manner in the past six months. All seven victims have been connected to Lord Voldemort's activities during to second war. "We are following up every lead we have. The person behind these murders is clearly insane and somehow thinks he is doing the wizarding world some kind of a service. These terrible crimes will not be aloud to continue and the very best Auror's the ministry has are working as hard as they can to stop them." Auror Ewan was quoted"That's my dad!" Marcus blurted.

"Duh!"

"Seven people in six months." Rose said gravely.

"They were all death eaters or at least they helped out the death eaters at some point." Marcus objected.

"And that warrants a horrible death does it?" Rose scowled with shock.

Marcus backed down. She was half Weasley after all and he was not willing to test her rage. "What kind of a monster could do these kinds of things?" She asked.

"A crazy person!" Albus suggested. "Dad, Uncle Ron and Marcus's dad will sort it out. They took care of the death eaters didn't they? I'm sure they can handle one loony!"

"I know that! It's just there are a few student's here who's parents have a less the perfect reputation!" Rose said quietly, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

The two boys looked around to see Scorpius eating his breakfast and reading the Daily Prophet. All three then turn again to see Aurora on her own at the very end of the Ravenclaw table. She seemed to be completely engrossed in a large book sitting in front of her.

Again Albus found himself feeling almost guilty that she was so disliked. In some strange way it did translate down to Albus. Her father had almost killed his and because of that she was now hated by the entire school.

"He may be a Malfoy but that doesn't mean he deserves to die in some horrible way!" Rose exclaimed.

"Look, this guy maybe crazy but he's not stupid! He's not just gonna waltz into Hogwarts to kill the son of a Death Eater!" Marcus brushed off.

"There's always Polyjuice." Albus said glumly.

"I thought there were detectors and stuff at the school." Marcus questioned back.

"Well either way, I still think we should keep our eyes open for anyone we don't recognize!" Rose insisted.

"Of course I wasn't attacked, nor was any of my family. Although now I look back at it, the mire fact that they were concerned for my well being makes me feel a great swell of pride." Scorpius said smiling at his wife.

"Oh I just didn't want you bleeding on my textbooks!" Rose laughed.

The table giggled for a few seconds. Even Dawn let out a quiet snigger.

"Well, raving lunatics aside, Albus's second year passed by. The only real develops being that Rose, naturally, was top of all her classes and even made it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Scorpius continued

"Was there ever a doubt?" Rose asked scandalized.

Again the table began to laugh before finally quieting down for Scorpius to speak.

"Unfortunately, there were more murders in the exact same style as the others. In fact by the end of the school year the total had now risen to thirteen. No one at Hogwarts was targeted however and our school days were mostly unaffected except for the occasional story in the Daily Prophet. Albus, Rose and Marcus bid each other far well at King's Cross until they would meet up during the summer. Of course Albus didn't see much of his father during the summer because he was at work even more than usual, attempting to catch the deranged serial killer." he explained. "At the same time Ginny was travelling around the country to cover Quidditch games, leaving Hermione and other members of the Weasley family to watch over the children…" Scorpius stopped. He seemed to be trying to recall certain memories that were being stubborn and refusing to surface.

He smiled.

"No, it wasn't until his third year, or at least the summer before his third year that his life truly began to take shape…" His smile slowly faded.

Scorpius stared for a moment at his goblet of wine. He seemed locked on it, like nothing else mattered in the world but the velvety red liquid inside that cup. Violet noticed it first. A tear had fallen from his left eye and was making it's was down his cheek.

"Dad?" Violet asked with worry in her voice.

Scorpius was suddenly snapped out of his daydream and hastily whipped the tear from his cheek. "Yes!" He suddenly sounded almost jolly now. Like they were just getting to the good part. "Yes the third year! Oh…no…the summer…" Suddenly his mood dropped again. He looked on the verge of tears.

Everyone at the table now looked worried for Scorpius. They seemed to be getting ready to catch him in case he collapsed. Then suddenly he spoke again. "I stand by my statement…I have never met anyone that suffered as much as Albus did…and that suffering began in the summer…before his third year." His words were brittle and forced. The mere memory of it was enough to upset him beyond all else.