Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.

Note - Sorry this took so long. I know I warned you all that I might take time on updating now, but I still feel bad for taking so long. Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Read, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Rebel Malfoy

Chapter Four: Making A Point

Scorpius didn't know what to do after his realization. He didn't want to be in the house. He didn't want to see his grandfather. So that night, he told the house elf that he didn't feel well, and that he wouldn't be at dinner. When he heard his mother knocking on his door not long after, he had ducked under the covers of his bed, pretending to be asleep.

He'd lost track of time, but he'd apparently been avoiding leaving his room for two days. Because one day, there was a knock on his door. "Hey, Scor! You in there?" Mitch called out.

Scorpius didn't move from where he laid across his bed, not even when the door opened. "Hey," he mumbled dully.

"Wow, you look like an awesome mess," Mitch commented as he came to sit next to him on the bed. Mitch himself looked no different. Just his usual mess.

Scorpius gave a weak shrug. "Hm."

A bit of a frown came to Mitch's lips. "What happened? Something's wrong."

"My grandfather thinks I'm acting like a disgrace," Scorpius whispered. "He never really cared about me. Just his name. And to him, by being friends with certain people, and Trevor, I'm a disgrace. For fighting like I am, I'm a horrible addition to the Malfoy name."

Mitch scoffed. "Like the name has gotten you anything good anyways," he stated as he stood up.

Scorpius looked at him in a bit of surprise. Mitch too had kind of liked Lucius, which Scorpius thought was because Lucius never cared about his hair length, unlike everyone he seemed to know. "What?"

Mitch looked at him and smiled. "Yeah. Screw him. If he thinks that, then he's the disgrace. So what if you're not . . . a traditional Malfoy? You're a cool one, and one with pride and morals."

"I thought you liked him," Scorpius pointed out as he finally sat up.

Now Mitch shrugged. "Not if he doesn't like and support my best friend, and practically an honorary Avery brother. I can't like anyone who doesn't like you, my friend."

Now, Scorpius finally smiled a little. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Mitch just plopped down to sit next to him. "Don't worry about it. Even more important than being Slytherins, we're best friends. We have to stick together and support each other. Or else . . . we'd be lost. Not to mention, bored." Now both boys started to laugh, and Scorpius felt better than he had since he'd gotten home. Mitch patted him on the back. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Let's eat something."

Scorpius honestly had felt much better having Mitch around, not to mention he felt braver, and like he could face his grandfather now. And while his grandfather kept giving him looks of disappointment and shakes of his head, Scorpius ignored him. He would feel hurt later. For now, he thought, he had his best friend by his side.

"I can't believe Lucius would be like that," Lars muttered. He and Lana had come over with their parents. It was Christmas Eve, so Mitch had to go home tonight, but would thankfully be back for dinner the next day.

"Well . . . it's terrible, but I guess not too surprising," Lana sighed. "Whenever he talked, he sounded just like Dad, and Dad . . . well it's not secret how he feels about some things."

"But Dad tones it down around us," Lars argued.

"Because Mum makes him," Lana retorted. "If she didn't . . . I think he'd be a lot different around us."

"But he still loves us no matter what we do!" Lars pointed out. "He wouldn't call us a disgrace for what we do, and who we hang out with. He's said himself over break how proud he is of us for fighting for Slytherin."

"No matter how similar they think at times, there are key differences between Lucius and Dad," Lana retorted.

"It doesn't matter," Mitch interrupted. "I think what we need to do now is just make sure that Scor is happy." He looked at Scorpius. "So tell us, what will make you feel better?"

Scorpius gave a weak grin and shrugged. "I've got you guys here, so I'm ok."

"But we won't always be here," Mitch pointed out. "So we need something that will make you feel better in the long run. So, what will make you feel better?"

Scorpius shrugged now. "I guess I don't know."

"You know what makes me feel better when I'm around people who want to change me?" Mitch replied.

"What?" Lana asked.

"Doing the exact opposite of what they want," Mitch said with a sly grin. "It not only gets my point across, but I feel a bit happier seeing their disappointment."

"That's morbid," Scorpius laughed.

"No, think about it," Mitch defended. "They don't like you. They want to change you. And I don't want to be changed. I like who I am. So I like seeing them upset when they try to change me. Because it means that I showed them that I am my own person, and they can't dictate who I am, or who I want to be."

While it was such a typical thing for Mitch to say, it struck a thought in Scorpius. That was what he'd kind of been doing to Potters and other kids at Hogwarts for months now. Proving to him that he was who he was. He was a Slytherin and Malfoy, and he would fight for it. And he was happy when he won a fight, be it physical or verbal. So maybe . . . maybe he did need to do something to prove to his grandfather that he may be a Malfoy, but he was still his own person.

Scorpius looked at Mitch. "What can I do?"

Mitch grinned happily, yet deviously. "A lot of things. You just need a bit of help. Let's start with how you will be at dinner tonight."

Scorpius now felt a bit hesitant. Sure, he wanted to make a point to his grandfather, but his mother would still be at dinner, and this felt like going against what she'd told him too.

"I don't know about this," Scorpius muttered.

"Trust me," Mitch said, which had been probably the tenth time he'd said it in the last ten minutes.

Scorpius was sitting down, while Lana was running a comb through his hair. But not in a normal way. She was combing it the wrong way, making his hair stick up and look like a horrible mess. From what Scorpius could see in the mirror behind her, he looked like he'd just gotten out of bed.

"Ok, let's wear this at dinner," Mitch told him as he put a simple black shirt on his bed.

"A black shirt?" Lars scoffed. "That'll show Lucius."

"Let me finish," Mitch countered. "Now, do you have something I can cut with?"

Scorpius looked at Mitch quickly. "For what?"

Lana grabbed his head and moved it back. "Stop doing that!" she complained.

"I'm going to cut the collar and sleeves," Mitch answered. "It's just a black shirt. You can get hundreds. Trust me."

"Here." Lars handed Mitch the knife from Scorpius's potion kit. "Will that work?"

"It'll make the cut and fabric jagged . . . it's perfect," Mitch complimented as he started.

Scorpius gulped. "I think my mum might kill me once she sees me."

"You worry too much," Lars argued. "Your mother is big on people expressing themselves through fashion. This is you doing just that."

Lana finally moved away from him. "Ok, how's this, Mitch?"

Mitch looked over at Scorpius. "Perfect, Lana. You're like an expert with this."

Lana rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that. Hairstyling is such a girly thing," she muttered.

Scorpius looked at himself in the mirror. A mess. His hair was an absolute mess. He looked down at his shorts. He'd gotten them from Trevor when he'd started running with him. He'd shrunk them down to Scorpius's size, and called them "running shorts." Mitch thought they'd be perfect, especially since Lucius didn't like Scorpius hanging out with Trevor in the first place.

"Ok, put this on," Mitch instructed as he tossed the now badly cut shirt to Scorpius.

Scorpius slipped it on and looked at himself again. The collar was cut into more of a V shape, although it was jagged. And now there were now sleeves. Just a bit on his shoulders, and that was where the fabric stopped.

"You look awesome!" Mitch complimented.

"You kind of look like a . . . well a muggle," Lars admitted.

"That's why it's perfect," Mitch replied. "This is sure to prove his point to Lucius."

"As long as his mum doesn't force him to change," Lana mocked.

Scorpius looked at Mitch. "Yeah, what do I do then?"

"You hold your head high, and tell her that you aren't changing," Mitch answered. "Be brave, have no fear, and hold your ground."

Scorpius gulped as he looked in the mirror again. "Words are easy. Action is difficult."

"We'll be right beside you," Mitch promised.

"Always," Lars agreed. "If you get sent away with no dinner, then we'll follow."

"They're right," Lana assured. "You're our brother, and we won't abandon you."

So with his friends by his side, Scorpius held his head high, and walked with the pride and dignity of a Malfoy. He entered the dining room, ignored the gasps at his appearance, and took his seat. The others followed suit, also staying quiet.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!" Lucius exclaimed. "What are you wearing?"

Scorpius looked at his mother instead. "What do you think, Mum? It's a new style I'm going to try." He hoped to appeal to her views of fashion.

His mother looked at him with a critical eye. "Hm," she hummed. "Well, it's statement. One that you want to make?"

Now Scorpius glanced at his grandfather. "Yes. Yes it is."

Astoria gave a nod. "Ok. As long as after dinner, you let me touch that shirt up a bit, and not let it look so . . . ragged. Also, we need to cut your hair. If it can make that much of a mess, it's too long."

Scorpius smiled at the typical way of his mother. "Maybe we can cut it a little shorter. Just not as much as normal?"

Astoria gave him a nod. "Of course, sweetheart. You're almost twelve-years-old now. You can make your own choices on what you do with your hair, and how you dress. Just . . . make sure it fits you."

"It is quite a . . . different look for you, son," Draco commented.

"He looks like a common muggle!" Lucius seethed. "Go and change!"

Scorpius felt his stomach quake a little, but after glancing at his friends, he stayed strong and looked only at his father. "I know it's different, but I feel like this fits me a bit more at the moment. And as Mum says, your style should complement who you are."

Draco smirked. "I didn't know you held so much faith in your mother's words and belief of fashion."

Astoria raised a brow. "Is that a bad thing?" she teased.

"Oh, not at all," Draco said with a chuckle.

"Scorpius," Mrs. Goyle addressed, "is it just me or are you looking a bit tanner than usual? Have you been spending more time in the sun?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes. I go running with the captain of our Quidditch team every morning, bright and early."

"It looks nice on you. Especially with such a nice tone of blonde hair," she complimented.

"Training for a Quidditch tryout next year, I'd assume?" Mr. Goyle said with a chuckle as he looked at Draco. "Seeker, I'd guess?"

"Oh," Scorpius mumbled. "I . . . I guess I hadn't thought about that. But, I'm not sure I'd be a Seeker."

"Your father was," Mr. Goyle pointed out.

But Draco just gave his son a curious look. "What position would you like to play, son?"

Scorpius thought about it, but then shrugged. "I don't know."

Draco gave a nod. "Ok then. Over the summer, you and I will take some time for you practice your skills, and we'll see what works best for you. How does that sound?"

Scorpius smiled. "It sounds great." And at that moment, he felt great. Because not only were his parents being accepting of how he was acting, but also because his grandfather was still staring furiously.

Scorpius blinked groggily as he got up from bed on Christmas morning. As he'd gotten older, he was finding the practice of a Malfoy Christmas morning to be more boring and lonely than exciting. He looked forward to the dinner, where his friends would show up and join him.

He walked down to where his family was already waiting. While everyone greeted him, his grandfather was silent.

"Morning," Scorpius mumbled as he rubbed a bit of sleep from his eye.

As the family went through the ritual of opening gifts, his mother handed him one that he could tell she had not wrapped herself, nor had a house elf. "This came in the mail for you a few days ago." A letter was attached to it. Scorpius unfolded the paper first. It was simple, but it made him smile.

"Scorpius,

Merry Christmas.

Trevor"

Scorpius hurried to unwrap the gift and was curious at what he saw. It looked like a really thin book with a bright green cover. He looked at the cover, which in the corner said something about a hundred papers. He opened it only to see a small and square piece of paper stuck to the first page. Scorpius was surprised when he was able to peel it off with ease.

"I do this every morning and night, so the routine is ingrained in my mind and body. So I thought maybe you could get a better use out of this notebook than me."

Scorpius looked at the first page and started to read. "Regular Crunch: 20 reps – Lift shoulders off the floor." It dawned on him what it was, and Scorpius was in awe, and felt amazing gratitude. This was Trevor's exercise routine's instruction! He had given it to him, and shared the secret! Trevor . . . he trusted Scorpius.

"Scorpius, how about we cut your hair later this afternoon, so it looks nice for dinner?" Astoria suggested.

Scorpius looked at his mother in mild surprise, being pulled from his previous amazement at his gift. But he nodded. "Sure, Mum," he agreed.

"Also, son," Draco addressed, "I had a thought. How about tomorrow, you and I go out to Diagon Alley and buy you a new broom?"

Scorpius couldn't stop the eager feeling in his belly. "Really?"

"Of course. If you're serious about trying out for the Quidditch team next year, then you'll need a much better broom. Besides, you're due for a new one anyways," Draco replied.

"Thanks, Dad!" Scorpius thanked happily.

"Seems like too much of a treat when you consider how the boy's been acting, Draco," Lucius finally spoke up, making Scorpius tense up.

"He's been acting just fine, Father," Draco said with a sigh.

"Really? From what I've seen and heard, he's dressing and acting like a common muggle," Lucius sneered.

"Father," Draco sighed again. "We'll speak about this later, ok?"

Scorpius found himself feeling sick and nervous after those words. What would his father say? Would he agree? Scorpius worried about this all day, even when he was sitting in his mother's work studio, letting her cut his hair.

"Mother," he whispered. He knew if anyone could make him feel better, it would be his mother. And . . . she'd always accept him, right?

"What is it, dear?" Astoria asked as she carefully pointed her wand at the small chunk of hair she held between her fingers. The cut was small and clean.

"Do you think I've been acting and dressing like a muggle?" Scorpius asked, curious and frightened.

"Hmm," Astoria hummed. "I guess. But honestly, I think muggles and those of magic act more alike than they think."

Scorpius tried to look at his mother, but she held his head in place as she trimmed his hair. "Really? So . . . you're not upset with me?"

"Scorpius, all I want for you is to be happy. And if you like dressing the way you do, and acting as you do, then I can't really complain," Astoria commented.

Scorpius felt a bit better, but . . . "Grandfather hates muggles. He's upset."

"Yes. Yes, he is," Astoria said honestly. "But your grandfather is a bit old-fashioned in that way."

"Father was like that," Scorpius murmured.

"Your father and I have both changed," Astoria said firmly.

Scorpius felt shock run through him. "You used to hate muggles, Mum?" But . . . his mother was one of the most understanding people! How could she . . . hate anyone? Muggle or not?

"Of course I did," Astoria said is if were obvious. "I was a Slytherin pureblood during the time leading up to the war, and during the war. I was raised to believe that muggles were hideous and that I was superior to them and all that liked them."

"What changed your mind about them?" Scorpius asked curiously.

Astoria came to stand in front of her son, now working with his bangs. "The war. I was still at school when . . . well when the Dark Lord took over the school, and Death Eaters ran it. I was young. Some of the things I saw . . . I was horrified. Some of the things I would see happen to muggle-borns, half-bloods, and what they called blood traitors . . . I almost always ran to the restroom to throw up. I did puke once in the middle of class after watching a professor torture a boy as a lesson," she explained in a soft voice. And Scorpius could see the memories pass through her eyes.

"They did that?" Scorpius whispered. He'd heard stories about the war from his father, but his father wasn't at Hogwarts when it really began. But his mother . . . she was, and she'd never talked to Scorpius about it.

Astoria nodded as she carefully trimmed his bangs. "Yes. It was horrifying. Sure, they did it to kids that I had fought and argued with for years . . . kids I thought I hated, but . . . when I really saw it happen, it was like something clicked. My gut knew that I didn't want to be part of it. That it was wrong. No one deserved for something like that to happen to them. Especially if it was because they were just being themselves, something they couldn't control."

Scorpius thought of Hogwarts now. It was like the same thing. Maybe they weren't having the Unforgivables used on them, but it was still a torture of its own. And it was happening to them just because they were Slytherin, or in his case, a Malfoy.

"No one deserves it," Scorpius whispered in agreement. "So . . . why do people still do it? People stare at us, hate us. Why? If they found it so wrong to be done to them . . . then why turn around and do it so someone else?"

Astoria smoothed her son's hair, brushing away any stray hairs from his shoulders as well. Then she placed a hand on his cheek, and while it might have been childish, Scorpius felt comforted by her warm touch and small smile, no matter how sad it was. "Because many different reasons. Some don't realize that they do it, while others think that it's a form of justice. Something we deserve. Others simply are afraid, and do it out of fear of what we might do."

"But I'm not going to do anything!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"I know, dear," Astoria whispered comfortingly. "You're such a sweet and open-hearted boy. But fear . . . it's irrational, and it can be very powerful. I know. Fear was why I never helped the poor boy that was tortured right in front of me. Fear that I would be next if I did. A selfish fear of what would happen to me. It's something everyone has, and not everyone can fight it off."

Scorpius tried to blink away the few tears he felt coming, but he was unable to stop them from falling down his cheeks. But as always, his mother was there to brush them away for him.

"Just follow me!" Mitch urged as he ran up the stairs of the manor. Scorpius, Lana, and Lars followed after him, curious as to why he was carrying a bag on his back.

"Are you staying over again?" Lars asked.

"You'll see what it is, just come on!" Mitch told them. He looked as clean and classy as Mitch ever could. He wore nice charcoal dress robes, his hair combed back as well as it could be. The others were dressed much the same, Scorpius and Lars in dress robes, and Lana in a nice dress.

As soon as the four of them were in Scorpius's room, Mitch shut and locked the door. Then he opened up his bag and pulled out a bunch of clothes.

"What is this?" Lana demanded.

Mitch grinned as he quickly ran a hand through his hair, messing up what Kim had probably spent an hour on. "We're taking the next step in rebellion. This dinner has been Lucius's idea, right?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes. He said he didn't want to lose touch with 'trusted friends' which probably just means purebloods from Slytherin," he muttered.

"Exactly. So we're going to stick it to him," Mitch said as he threw a pile of clothes at Scorpius.

Scorpius laid out what he'd been handed. It was a pair of muggle jeans, black and obviously loose. There was a white shirt with sleeves like the ones Mitch had cut for his shirt on Christmas Eve. "What's this?"

"What you're wearing to dinner tonight. I've got outfits for all of us," Mitch assured.

"Are you crazy?" Lana demanded. "Our parents will kill us! They view this as a very formal and important dinner!"

"And Uncle Draco has invited a lot more Slytherin families," Lars added. "Remember, we asked him to!"

"I know, so it's perfect," Mitch promised as he handed a pile of clothes to the twins. "Besides, if you wear what I give you, you won't match." That was true. Lars's dress robes were the same shade of green as Lana's dress.

Lana looked at the clothes she had. It was a denim skirt which was probably way too short to be considered proper, and a thin pink top with a black pattern of some kind on it. She sighed. "I'll change in the bathroom," she stated as she walked toward Scorpius's own bathroom.

Scorpius gulped as he looked at the clothes. But he followed suit and began to change into his new outfit. How angry would his parents be? His grandfather? What would the others think? Scorpius looked at Lars and Mitch. Lars was slipping on a dark black shirt, which honestly showed off how broad his shoulders were for a boy his age, and grey cargo shorts. Mitch had some a black shirt with some kind of logo on it, one Scorpius didn't recognize, and grey muggle pants.

Mitch looked at Scorpius and Lars. "We'll just have to do something with your hair," he commented.

Lana came out of the bathroom, and Scorpius would admit that the outfit suited Lana much better than the dress. She was even smiling a little when she looked at them. "I'll do it," she told them as she took the flower clip out of her own hair, letting her bangs fall to her eyes.

So Lana worked with Lars's hair, which was easy considering how short it was. Then she went to work on Scorpius. While his mother had cut his hair, it wasn't horribly short like Lars's. Lana sighed as she looked at his hair. "If I could use magic, I could do so much more," she mumbled.

Mitch grinned as he dug through his bag. Then he tossed a bottle to her. "Use this. It's a muggle product I got from Kim. I guess she got it from one of her muggle born roommates or something. She uses it whenever she messes with my hair," he told her.

Lana looked at the bottle curiously before turning it Scorpius's hair and pressing on the nozzle. A spray hit his hair, and Lana immediately began to work with it. Scorpius waited patiently as she worked, listening to the sound of each time she sprayed the bottle.

"That looks awesome," Lars commented as he watched his sister work. "How does it make it so she can stick his hair up like that?"

Mitch shrugged. "I don't know. Muggles are pretty amazing with what they come up with."

"I still don't see how they can live without magic," Lars retorted.

Lana looked at Mitch. "I love this stuff. Think Kim could get a bottle for me?"

"Better yet, I'd bet we could find it ourselves," Mitch assured.

Lana handed him the bottle, and moved away from Scorpius. "Ok, what do you think?"

Scorpius stood up and looked at the mirror on his wall. He looked at himself in surprise. His hair stood up to come to some kind of spiky style. He brought a hand up and ran his hand carefully over the spikes his hair made in the middle. "Woah," he mumbled.

"That is awesome," Mitch complimented, patting Lana on the shoulder. "We'll all go out, and I'll buy you a bottle as a Christmas present, since you did such an awesome job with it."

"My dad is taking me shopping for a broom. Maybe we could meet up afterwards," Scorpius suggested.

"We'll plan that out later. For now, let's go do this before I lose my nerve," Lars said as he fidgeted with the hem of his new shirt.

"You worry too much, my friends," Mitch said with a chuckle as they made their way from the bedroom.

"We're not used to doing this," Lana retorted.

"But we must get used to it," Mitch stated. "Scorpius has a point to make. Plus, can you really tell me that you don't like those clothes? Don't you feel so much freer wearing them, and picking your own outfit?"

Lana rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue the point. Even Scorpius agreed with it. While it was different, he liked it! Not having to worry about smoothing his collar, not wearing heavy and hot dress robes, and not having to make sure his hair was just a certain way. It was . . . liberating.

The four of them entered into the parlor, where the kids usually all hung out until the house elf called them for dinner. And they received gasps and many looks when they stepped in.

"What the hell, Mitch! I worked hard to make your hair up to Mum's standards!" Kim complained.

"Those outfits are awesome!" Dante complimented. "But . . . won't your parents kill you for doing this during a formal dinner?"

"I think it's awesome," a girl with dark curly hair disagreed, looking at Dante dryly.

Dante rolled his eyes. "Bite me, Megan. I was just pointing out the facts."

"I think it looks awesome," Brandon complimented with a bright, white smile. "Keep the look, it suits you guys."

"How do you make your hair do that?" little Alec Avery questioned curiously as he looked up at Scorpius.

"It wasn't too hard," Lana said proudly, looking at his hair too.

"Can you do it to my hair?" Alec asked excitedly.

Lana shrugged. "Maybe another day, kid."

"Ehm," a house elf cleared their throat almost timidly. "Dinner is ready now."

The kids all got up and made their way out of the room and toward the dining room. Scorpius personally felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he could hear it in his ears. He was surprised that he wasn't shaking with how nervous he was.

But when they came to the dining room entrance, Scorpius hesitated, the others stopping to see what he would do. But then he took in a deep breath, and moved to stand in front of them all, and enter first. He had to be brave. He couldn't back down. Like Mitch said, he had a point to prove.

His entrance into the dining room was met with loud gasps and surprised stares. But the others were all quick to enter with him. Scorpius didn't linger, but hurried to his seat, not even looking at his grandfather, or even in that direction.

"Son, what happened to the dress robes you were wearing?" Draco demanded, although it was in a surprisingly calm manner.

Scorpius gathered his courage. "They were too hot, and felt heavy. I like this much better."

"I quite agree," Mitch agreed with a smile.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mr. Avery mumbled.

"Mitchell D Avery," Mrs. Avery sighed with a shake of her head.

"I think it looks nice on them," Brandon spoke up as he sat across from his mother. "Plus, if the robes were too big for them, no need for them to be so uncomfortable throughout dinner."

"How did you get your hair to do that?" Mr. Goyle demanded as he looked at Scorpius's hair with confusion.

Lana now smiled proudly. "I did it. It was actually really easy."

"You seem to have a knack for doing hair," Astoria commented idly as she looked at her son's hair.

"We thought this did well at keeping it out of his eyes," Mitch remarked with a devious smile, making his parents shake their heads again.

"I get the feeling that this has more to do with our son, Draco, Gregory," Mr. Avery apologized.

"No!" Scorpius said quickly. "I wanted to wear this. I don't like dress robes is all."

Astoria looked at her son, this time a bit curiously and critically. And Scorpius knew that she was trying to figure out what he was doing. "Hmm. Well, it's ok for now. But how about next year you at least find something a bit more . . . formal? At least do that for me?"

Scorpius relaxed and nodded. "Yes, Mother. I will," he promised. And he would. Because right now, he'd gotten his point across. He could tell by how he had been feeling Lucius's stunned glare since he'd sat down.