A/N: I have very slightly plagerised some of what Scorpious says from a sitcom called 'The Vicar of Dibley', the lines were so utterly perfect for the situation and I couldn't resist, apologies. :)

Scorpious Malfoy wasn't afraid of very much, not after six years at Hogwarts anyway. He'd survived detentions in the forbidden forest, Quidditch matches, angry portraits falling on him, moaning Myrtle and on at least one occasion, giant carnivorous umbrellas. (Hagrid was getting experimental in his lessons)

He'd survived the ear-splitting embarrassment of asking his long-time best friend Rose to go to the reinstated Yule ball with him, and the dance itself. He'd got through kissing her without her laughing in his face. He'd told her he loved her and she'd said it back.

He had even, wonder of wonders, gone to her home and met her parents, not the easiest of things as the moment she had declared him to be her boyfriend, her father (a prominent auror), had leapt to his feet and attempted to turn him into a cockroach, and would have succeeded if Rose's mother wasn't an infinitely better magician than her husband.

But this, this was scary. Standing in his father's immaculate study, the almost white-haired man himself sat behind a desk of ebony wood, scowling in contempt at him, not out of any particular hatred; but because that was his father's usual expression and his face tended to settle that way.

'Well, what was it you wanted to see me about, Scorpious?'

The boy shuffled uncomfortably. 'Well, father, it's just that… well, father, I'm engaged to be married.'

Draco Malfoy's face broke into the widest grin Scorpious had ever seen. 'Wonderful my boy! Who is she? Ah, no, let me guess, Disiderata Wingthropp? The girl you said was good at potions? Good old family.'

Scorpious winced, Disiderata was a prime example of what the in-breeding of the pureblood classes could do to genetics. The girl was mono browed and (it was rumoured) born with flippers and a vestigial tail. 'No.' he replied quickly.

'Ahh, Eliza Bullrod then?' Draco winked, rising from his chair and spinning his wand. 'Not an aristrocratic lot but good people, and all purebloods. My goodness we must have an announcement in the Prophet! Ronald Weasley will turn green.' Draco spat the name of the hated blood traitor. 'His mudblood daughter was sweet on you for a time, wasn't she? Thank Merlin you're shot of her.'

Scorpious clenched his fists till his nails bit into his palms, he so hated his father's attitude, especially to the Weasley's, a family who, despite past grievances between their families, had welcomed him after a fashion.

They had opened his eyes to how a family should behave; the dinner he'd had with then had stunned him simply by being such a stark contrast to his own family meals.

Rose helped her mother set the table; Scorpious had never seen his own mother lift a finger when it came to housework, which was for house elves, not fine ladies. She certainly never asked for his help with anything, she seemed to think he made the manor look untidy.

Rose's little brother, Hugo, had trailed around after Scorpious, telling him jokes and getting under everyone's feet, generally making a nuisance of himself, and none of them seemed to mind. Hermione had tutted under her breath, but then cuddled her protesting son to her and called him her little darling. As far as Scorpious was aware, the closest his parents got to affection like this was a stiff pat on the shoulder or peck on the cheek, their only pet name for him was 'My boy.'

And the crowning surprise had been the moment when Scorpious had witnessed his girlfriend's father, Ronald, pecking his wife's cheek gently as she put his dinner in front of him and called her 'My love'. Scorpious had never seen his parents do such a thing, matter of fact he couldn't remember a time he'd seen them touching each other.

'Father, can we start this conversation again? How about you just ask me, whom it is I am going to marry?' he managed to force the words out without the anger.

Draco smirked indulgently, 'Very well, my boy. Whom are you going to marry?'

Scorpious swallowed. 'Rose Weasley, father.' He paused, then, hurrying before his father exploded, garbled out, 'Father you would like her if you got to know her, she's so bright and kind and beautiful father, what is more I love her desperately!'

Draco's eyes blazed. 'ROSE WEASLEY! I do not believe this! You come in here and tell me you mean to sully my family name by marrying that filthy, ginger, mudblood scum?'

'Don't ever speak of her like that!' Scorpious snapped back. 'Father open your eyes! No-one believes all that stuff about pure and half-blood, not since the war! There isn't a single wizard or witch alive who doesn't have some muggle-blood in them, and more to the point, if you loved me it wouldn't matter to you if she was a half-blood, pure-blood or even a giant!'

'How dare you!' Draco snarled, turning and storming to his desk once more. His hand snatched up his wand, calling out 'Accio will!'

The parchment flew from a drawer and Scorpious ducked as it jettisoned onto the desk. Draco grinned manically 'I'm drawing up a new will, right this moment!'

Scorpious sighed. He'd known it would come down to money, it always did with his father, but somehow he'd hoped that just this once, the man would see reason. It wasn't the first time his father had threatened to cut him out of the family fortune and Scorpious had long since realised that he didn't mean a word of it.

'Father, you don't mean that, it's just an idle threat.' He replied, his voice even. 'Like all the other times I haven't been what you wanted. Like when I was sorted into Gryfinndor, or when I didn't get onto the Quidditch team the first time and I refused to let you bribe them.'

Draco growled, scribbling new clauses furiously, 'Oh this is no threat my boy. If you marry that Weasley brat you will no longer be welcome in this house, I will no longer consider you my son and as my new will attests,' he flung the parchment across the room, it hit Scorpious in the chest and landed at his feet. 'You will have nothing!'

Scorpious raised one perfectly blonde eyebrow, knelt and examined the paper. Then he slowly placed it back on his father's desk.

'On the contrary, sir,' he spoke softly. 'I will have everything in the world that I desire.'

He turned and swept out of the office, down the long hall, and outside. He considered going back for his things, then shook his head. Either his father would relent, or he, Scorpious Malfoy, would make it without an ounce of help, as he had done all through his school years.

Because though Draco hated that his son was in Gryffindor, the house made Scorpious courageous, and though he had to work twice as hard to make friends among people who considered him a snake in lion's clothing, he had managed it. Though he hadn't made the Quidditch team the first time he tried, he practiced day after day, making himself use the worst school brooms he could find, and the second time he tried, he made Chaser with flying colours.

Living without his family's fortune was a comparative breeze.

He mounted his broom and rose into the air, heading for the Weasley's pleasant cottage, to Hermione's sweet smile and reassuring good-sense, to Hugo's ability to see the bright in everything, to Ron's begrudging acceptance, to Rose.