"This is my last Summer before my graduation year, my 7th year at Hogwarts. And I'll be an adult in one year too. Quite a lot to be excited about. And one more year before my N.E.W.T.S. If those are anything like my O.W.L.S, I'd not crack under anxiety and pressure. I know my skills and abilities and more importantly, I know myself well. I'm not like Rosie, always worried about failing. I just don't think about it afterwards. She's gotten more self-confident over the years, however she'll always think too much about her grades after her exams, no matter how much I tell her not to, and that's not very good for her on a whole." He was mumbling to himself in his own ostentatiously decorated little room. He quite liked being in his room, alone with his own thoughts. And he still sometimes talked to Mauve, his mirror friend. Mauve was like a diary to him, he told her every secret of his and he needed her especially when he was quarrelling with Zabini and Nott.
"Even if there's much to celebrate about for me, I'm still not Draco Malfoy, I am Scorpius Malfoy. Some people at school still call me 'Malfoy'. But as long as Rosie doesn't call me that, it's fine with me." He very often talked to himself when he was feeling a little stressed, he was this way because he worked more diligently than ever on his essays, potions and even practiced Charms objects and practiced spells and the like with his mother, Zabini and Nott. He knew those 2 ever since he was born, and they were always on his side, no matter what. And he was thankful to them for always being there for him.
On the other hand, his Father he didn't know too well, as he was often absent for work, but he could feel he was trying very hard to be a good Father since his last 2 Summers. And he gave him some other chances to redeem himself as a Father to him, by practicing his newly learnt spells from Hogwarts too with him, when his Mother was working extra hours at the Ministry. And so this was one of these times when he was trying to bond with his Father, after he changed his mind about Muggle-borns and whatnot :
"Father, I don't know what I should when I'll be out of Hogwarts."
"I don't know either, son, it's your choice."
"Really, Father? You're not going to impose your choice on me?"
"No. You are you, you are Scorpius Malfoy, not me, son."
"I agree with you there, Father, I really am Scorpius Malfoy, not you, Draco Malfoy, and you know what Father, I've made Head Boy, just got my owl from Hogwarts." This was his first time saying his Father's full name, and it impacted on his relationship with him a lot. Light tears actually fell from the adult's greyish eyes.
"Congratulations on that and thank you, son, for taking the time to be with me. I really appreciate that."
"No worries, Father. I enjoyed this afternoon too. But I'd like to ask you something?"
"Yes, son, go right ahead."
"What do you think about the Weasleys now?"
"The Weasleys? Why are you talking about them now, son, is there something I should know about them?"
"No nothing, I just want to know your honest thoughts and opinions about them, coming from you straightforwardly, Father. Not from Mother."
"Right then, since you asked, son, without my perceptions of them as 'blood traitors', I now they are all right folks, not so bad. Besides, Ronald Weasley, my ex-enemy in school changed a lot. And I got to know and appreciate Bill Weasley in my professional life, his older brother. He's quite an intelligent person really, helped me a lot with the thieve catching mission I had at work, so I partnered up with him for quite a while, and I am still his teammate at work. And after I've learnt to like him, I grew to like his little brother Ronald Weasley too. We're not best friends, of course, but we're still some sort of friends. Why we even go out sometimes for a drink or a meal."
"That's nice to hear, what's your job exactly though Father?"
"My job is to catch thieves and bank-breakers at Gringotts. And this particular thieve is quite intelligent. He's hid himself in the Muggle-world, illegally using magic around Muggles, and so it's quite dangerous for our world. We don't want to be seen by Muggles, you see, son." "Father doesn't want to talk about it anymore, so I'll respect his need for privacy." Growing up, he learnt to respect other people's personal space, but when Rose asked for some 'me' time with herself, he still had some issues with that.
"Yeah, I understand and that's why also you need to work with a Muggle-Born, isn't it? Thanks for telling me about your job, Father."
"It's fine, son. Don't hesitate to ask me if you need to know more about it. And what do you want to be anyway, after you're out of Hogwarts?"
"I don't know, I'm undecided, I still have a year to make a choice, Father."
"And that's exactly why I pushed you to get the best grades for everything, so all the doors are open for you in your career life. Because for those who haven't passed some courses, the choices are pretty slim."
"Thank you Father. I love studying anyway. And I'll be sure to get 'O's like all the other years."
"It's time to go to bed, son. Talking to you has been good, we should do it again sometime, and you've grown up, son. Why, you were a tiny toddler when I brought you home from St-Mungo's that night."
"Err, you've changed a lot too, Father." He was a little shy when his Father was talking this way about him.
As he did have more chances to talk to him in the following months, he discovered some crucial information for his relationship with his Gryffindor girlfriend : his Rosie's father, too, no longer saw his Father as an enemy. "Well, it's going to be a piece of cake to tell them then. But I'm still scared of her father's over-protectiveness, even though I told Rosie to see the positive side of things last year."
And so that was why he was so pensive and filled with apprehension somewhat, when he entered his final graduation year. Other than his marks to think about, he had to think of things such as "how to tell her over-protective father about their secret relationship". "But since Albus and James and Louis and even Hugo took it better than I thought, he can't be worse than them." He was often reassuring himself this way, looking at it optimistically. Quite unlike Rose, he was quite a positive young lad, others might take it as "over self-inflated ego" or such the like, but in reality, he was just quite an optimistic guy. He tried to cultivate some of his positive spirit in Rose, but she always thought the worse about everything. One day he found out why, when he was doing a Charms essay with her in the library's section especially reserved for teamwork, so he can talk to her while writing said essay :
"Say, Rosie, why are you always so negative about everything?"
"Well, if I see it too positively, I might be disappointed if it's not so good, you know. So it's better for me to see it as negatively as I can, to avoid such great disappointments in life, Scorps. I'm not really like you, who can always see the good side of everything."
"Yeah, Rose, you should try sometimes to be like me, it'll help you a lot through the year."
"I suppose you're right, Scorps, but I just can't seem to. It's due to my mum's raising me, I think."
"Speaking of which, we'll need her when we tell our families about our relationship around Christmas, Rosie."
"Yes, I spoke to her about it already, and she's willing 100 % to help us, and she says she'll get Aunt Ginny and Fleur to help too at your family's Christmas party."
"That's great, Rosie. I'm glad she isn't holding anything against my family. I've heard she's suffered quite a lot with Father at school."
"But mum's a very forgiving person, and she wishes for the family feud to end too, like my Aunt Ginny as well as Auntie Fleur and Audrey. I just hope it's not going to be like last year's Christmas though."
"No, I'm sure it won't be. You are very close to your mother, aren't you?"
"Yes. And Scorps, why do you always call my parents and yours 'Father' and 'Mother' so formally?"
"Because my parents want me to respect them, I guess it's more relaxed in your family."
"Yeah, my family's the best out there."
"What about your father, Ronald Weasley?"
"Other than being a wee bit over-protective of me, he's really a good dad, and although I'm not this close to him as my mum, I still have a good relationship with him. And you mustn't have a very good relationship with yours, right? I've met your dad at the Christmas party, and he seems like the cold-hearted kind of person."
"Well you know what, he's changed a lot, and really trying to be a good Father to me. Although he missed my childhood and most of my teenagehood, he's trying to catch up with me and I appreciate his efforts." He said, defending his Father in front of her. He never thought he'd hear himself say these words, but it was true, his Father was really trying his best to be a good one to him.
"Good to hear, Scorps. I can't take anymore of that essay, we'll meet sometime again for it, okay?"
"Yea sure, but I think yours is already excellent after I've checked it for you. No inconsistencies or anything else."
"Yours too, bye Scorps, nighty." And she hugged him close before going to her dormitory.
Some days after he turned in his major Transfiguration paper, Albus Severus Potter was first to talk to him, though James and Louis weren't with him this year, as they already graduated a years ago. "What could he possibly want with me now?"
"So when are you going to tell your family and Rose's about you and her, Malfoy?"
"It's Scorpius, Potter. And it's none of your business."
"None of my business, when I was going to help you with that and I think I as her cousin, have every right to know about her relationship with you, Malfoy?" Albus almost screeched and insisted on calling him 'Malfoy'. He let it pass this time though.
"Fine then, Rose and I have decided to tell them around Christmas, after all it's the best time for that kind of thing. My family's going to host a party like last year and everything, and it'll be the occasion for us to tell our respective families about it. And by the way, how are James, Louis, Roxanne and Lucy? I've heard from Rose she was very close to them. Although they're a bit older than her?"
"Oh them, thank you for asking, Malfoy. They've been around my cousin Dominique's antique shops, that sell things used by famous witches and wizards, and it's quite a very busy business." He could tell the middle Potter wasn't very comfortable with calling him by his first name, so he just asked again :
"And what about Victoire, Molly and Fred? I heaven't heard about them since they left Hogwarts?"
"Victoire's doing great : she's attracting tons of customers using her part-Veela charms in Mol's fairy flowers and plants shop, called Victoire and Molly's Veela Gardens, funded by Uncle George and my cousin Fred, and she's engaged to Teddy Lupin your maternal cousin. Why are you asking about them?"
"I just wanted to know about them, that's all. And Potter, good luck with your mid-terms and N.E.W.T.S and everything else this year."
"Same to you, Malfoy. Lilykins' been quite right about you : you're not like your ex-Death-Eater dad Draco Malfoy at all."
"Well, thanks for saying that about me, Potter. See you in class." "Could it be Lily who told them to apologize to me for her cousin Rose last year?"
"You too, Malfoy."
"Good thing we're on friendly terms this year." He remarked to himself after Potter left him alone.
But he thought this year was so different from his other years at Hogwarts in general. For one thing, he could publicly hug Rosie and everything, because their families have become friends and everything. This was a weight less on his mind because he thought they were going to be more accepting about his relationship with her.
If these were great things for him, however, on the negative side of things, he didn't watch a single Quidditch match no more, simply because he had developed a horror for the sport ever since he discovered he had airsickness and watching others try out and practice made him quite moody. Even Zabini and Nott took note of his strange attitude towards Quidditch, and so they asked him one day, concerned :
"Why aren't watching us play anymore, Scorps?" Zabini asked, always so straightforwardly.
"Well, because hummm… I don't know how to put this…"
"The great Scorpius Malfoy, at loss for words?"
"Well erm, Zabini, it's like this…" He tried once again. He was on a whole quite eloquent, but this time because it was something personal about him, he was struggling with the right words to describe how he felt to his two best mates.
"Why don't you just tell us honestly, Scorps? We're just worried about you because you've so unhappy these days and you not watching Quidditch is something out of the ordinary." suggested Nott.
"Plus, you can tell us anything. We've been friends since we were babies and even grew up together."
"Guys, thank you. I've decided to stop watching Quidditch because I'm airsick, so I can't play anymore."
"You should have told us sooner." reproached Zabini.
"Yes I know Zabini, Nott, I shouldn't have kept it from you guys for so long."
"Zabini and I are going to resign from the team, Scorps."
"What for? Why?"
"Because you don't want to watch us play anymore."
"You two play, you don't have to do this for me."
"I insist, Scorps. Don't worry about us, we're doing this for you voluntarily."
"No Nott, you and Zabini love to play. I won't let you do this for me."
"Scorps, Nott and I can do without Quidditch, since we'll have to study harder to for our N.E.W.T.S now, so no time for silly amusement like Quidditch."
"Are you two certain about this?"
"Yes." And Zabini nodded in agreement with Nott.
"So that's settled, Scorps. We'll be resigning tomorrow."
He then read it from the student newspapers that Zabini and Nott soon were replaced by Goyle's daughter and Crabe's son, Slytherin's infamous and notorious bullies, harassers, a bit like the Potters in the past. Alison Goyle wanted his heart too once before he got in a relationship with Rosie. He knew this because once he found what she was going to do Rose, even though he was seen as her enemy then, he still talked to Miss Goyle out of doing anything to her. But now he's heard from some Slytherin female gossipers she's with Crabe's son, Mark Crabe. "Excellent match : one's got no brains, and the other's got no looks. She can't even compare with my Rose."
All seemed to go so well for him, in school he's got "Os" for every test, and his relationship with Rose was blossoming and she was less shy than before about physical touching, therefore she kissed him more passionately than ever now and he loved that. He couldn't wait until Christmas to tell both his parents and hers about the news. And in the bat of an eye, it was inevitably Christmas break.
"So see you on Christmas, Rosie."
"Yeah, see you then." Since he noticed Albus was watching them, so he didn't dare to kiss fully her on the lips, but he hugged her close to him.
"Everything will be out in the open after Christmas. And I can kiss her whenever I want, no need to hide it anymore."
"Mother, Father, I'm home."
"Hello son, so you've got back? It's been such a long term. And you've grown taller than the beginning of the year."
"Yes, Father. I'm all grown up now. I'm almost an adult now."
"Emphasis on the 'almost'."
"So your Mother's been telling me about Rose being your girlfriend and everything, so I know your secret."
"Mother's been telling you about that? And you're fine with it?" He was a little affronted by his Mother's telling his Father without telling him, but he thought : "It's better than me telling him myself about it."
"Yes, ever since I got to know the Weasleys more, I grew to like her family. And I think she's a brilliant girl and very lady-like, she'd make a great Malfoy wife."
"But Father, I don't want her to be a Malfoy wife, I want her to be herself, that's why I love Rosie."
"Well, all right then. Let's have dinner."
After he learnt his Mother told his Father about it behind his back, he felt a bit betrayed, but didn't reproach her for it. "After all, she did it all for me." And then the Weasleys, the Potters, and his maternal Grandparents, the Greengrass, all came for Christmas and he felt just a bit excited about it. But this time, his Granny Narcissa came without her husband, his Grandfather. "This is going to be big." He thought about the party.
"Everybody, please sit anywhere you like. My husband and I have something important to say." He heard his Mother say when all the guests sat down for dinner.
"Our son Scorpius Malfoy has been in a relationship with your daughter Rose Weasley for about 2 years already." Draco Malfoy announced quite bluntly and tactlessly.
"So Rosie, he's the mystery boy you've been telling us in your letters about all this year, yeah?" She merely nodded, not even looking at her dad, Ronald Weasley.
"Boy, you'd better treat my daughter Rose good, or else. And I hope you're not going to be like your Father : a cheater and a playboy." He was threatening him.
"Sir, you should know this : I really am Scorpius Malfoy, and not Draco Malfoy, so I'd like you to not confuse me with my Father, even though we look alike." He was just little nervous as he said this.
"Scorpius won't do this to Rose, he's a great guy. I can vouch for him. I've seen it with my own eyes, when he protected Rose against that big bully Allison Goyle, Uncle Ron, he's trustworthy." To his surprise, Al stood up for him. "And he's seen me protecting Rose against the female Slytherin bully?"
"Yeah he's a loyal and faithful guy. I've not seen him with any other girls than Rose, for 2 years already." Roxanne also said for him. He thought his relationship with his girlfriend's cousins was indeed strange, since they stuck up for him without being close friends with him.
"And you, Hugo, what do you think of him?" Her father wanted to hear his only son's opinions about him. He prayed to Merlin the little Hugo Weasley would answer his father positively.
"Yes dad. He's very good to Sister Rose and to me as well. He's been acting like an older brother to me, and even letting me off when I did something bad to him in school."
"Really, Hugo? Is that really what you think of him?" If her father believed it, her grandfather Arthur didn't.
"Yes, Grandfather, although he's a Slytherin, and a Pure-blood and a Malfoy, and can be quite a bit sly and everything, he's not evil, he's a good person at heart."
"Wow, did Hugo just praise me?"
"Besides, Ronald, you've cheated on me with Lavender Brown yourself, so you can't be a hypocrite and ask him to be perfect, there's no such thing as a perfect guy in this whole wizarding world, just give him a chance, even though he's a Malfoy."
"Yes, listen to your wife, Ron, she's right. They deserve another chance." "I'll have to thank her Granny Molly too afterwards."
"And you've snatched away the woman I was in love with for all these years and I've even forgiven you for this, so why can't you give my son a chance? To have the things I could never have, including the woman he loves?" He never knew his dad to be this honest about his feelings ever before, this was a first for him. "So that's why he hated Rose's dad so much in school. But what about Harry Potter? I'll have to ask him about it."
Her dad and granddad Weasley said nothing afterwards. He was now overlyjoyed the tense Christmas dinner was over, and thank Merlin her father didn't over-react, due to her cousins speaking for him and everything. And neither did his, because he knew about it all beforehand. He found him to be quite understanding of his relationship with Rose. So he went to find him on his own once :
"Thank you, Father, for accepting Rose in the family."
"Well, since you're as stubborn as your mother and won't like any of those girls I had in mind for you, I didn't think it'd do me or you any good if I were to oppose openly to it. Besides, as I said before, I really like Rose. She's well-mannered and everything. So no need to thank me."
"I wanted to thank you anyway."
"You're going back to school soon, Scorpius." His Father changed the topic to school because he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"You called me Scorpius, Father, you never did before?"
"Well, you are Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you?"
"Yes I am, Father, thank you for recognizing that. And just another thing, are the N.E.W.T.S anywhere like the O.W.L.S?"
"They are a similar, only the N.E.W.T.S are more challenging. The only advice I can give you is : study as much as you can."
"Yeah, Father, I will. And now that I don't watch Quidditch anymore, I'll have more time to study and everything."
"I wish you luck on your N.E.W.T.S and your Mother and I will be coming to your graduation ceremony."
"You will? Thanks, Father."
"Why don't you call me 'Dad' for a change?"
"Really, I always thought you didn't like it when I called you that."
"Well you thought wrong, that way it's going to make us closer, Scorpius."
"All right, Dad." He felt something strong when he first called him 'Dad' and he saw a tear falling from his usually cold grey eyes. "He's a changed man."
"Just something else, Dad, I wanted to know something else about you."
"Yes Scorpius?"
"Now I know why you hated Ronald Weasley in school, but why did you hate Harry Potter and do you still hate him after all these years?"
"Why do you want to know that, son?"
"I'm just curious, that's all."
"Right, so I hated him because he turned down my friendship arrogantly in my first year like Rose Weasley did with you and since then, we've been enemies. Now I'm indifferent towards him, if you must know, Scorpius."
The other half of his year was hectic for him, he took his Father's advice seriously and found it quite helpful : "Work as hard as I can." He passed on this advice to Rose, who if she was confident about herself, still had anticipated the worse in everything, but he didn't know her mother was this way too in school, so she took after her in this, only she was way worse than her. She was always saying to him :
"What if I fail everything, Scorps?"
"No, you won't, Rosie. You've studied everything again and again and again until you memorized everything by heart."
"But what if I forget everything during my N.E.W.T.S?"
"No you won't Rosie. Listen to me and tell yourself : I will pass with 'O's in every exam."
After the N.E.W.T.S he revised so hard for, everybody in the 7th year was now making a big fuss about graduation.
"So what are you going to wear for graduation, Scorps?"
"I don't know yet, Rosie. I'm just a little nervous for it, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Sitting side by side, surprising everyone in different houses, he and his Rose went through the boring graduation speech and the award ceremony. Both Rose and he won several honours : "Best Prefects", "Best Head Boy and Girl of the year", "Honour N.E.W.T.S result students" and etc, making their parents and family proud. He heard some shocked comments about them as a couple in the crowd : "What? Them two together?" and "a Slytherin and a Gryffindor?" and further more : "A Malfoy and a Weasley together? It's the end of the world!" But it wasn't.
The Summer following his graduation, he got offered a Junior-assistant position at the prestigious Wizengamot, and she got her dream job : playing professionally for the Chudley Cannons, like her Auntie Ginny once did too. Because both he and she a stable job quickly, he proposed to her one night under the clear Moon and a starry sky :
"Rosie, will you do me the honour to be my wife?"
"Yes Scorps, I will." She said wiping away her tears of happiness and joy.
Then decided his family and her decided that his wedding would be held in autumn. There was a grand celebration for it in the Malfoy Manor. His Granny Narcissa, the Weasleys, the Potters, the Greengrasses, as well as the Grangers and even Andromeda Black Tonks and her grandson Teddy Lupin all came along to the wedding. Zabini was his best man and Nott his witness, some female Gryffindors were her bridesmaids and maids of honour.
The only one who didn't attend was his overly traditional Grandfather : Lucius Malfoy, who never accepted Rose Weasley, "a half-blood", as his granddaughter-in-law. Arthur Weasley, Rosie's granddad however, on the contrary, wasn't like Lucius Malfoy. Molly Weasley, as he planned it with Rosie, eventually successfully convinced him to accept him as his grandson-in-law, even though he's a Pure-Blood. And so for every future Christmas family get-togethers, her Granny Molly even hand-knitted for him the Weasley jumper. He of course wore it with pride.
At his wedding, he learnt his normally self-centred Aunt Daphne had some reserve about this because his chosen one wasn't a Pure-blood, but after being coaxed by his parents, she came too and was congratulating him on his marriage to the one he loved with his whole heart :
"Scorpius, congratulations, as your Aunt, and Rose, as your Aunt-in-law by marriage I am giving you both these : this pair of lockets for eternal love, one for men and the other for women. These were in my family for a very long time. Rose, I wore yours when I was a little girl."
"They're lovely! Thank you, Aunt Daphne." both exclaimed in chorus.
"And don't you two forget to give me a grandniece, or a grandnephew."
"Yes, we will."
His marriage to Rose was a very big family reunion, past grievances during the war were all forgiven at such times like these. Finally, this was how through 2 generations of hatred and feuding, the Malfoys, the Weasleys and Potters and the Greengrasses became all one family through marriage and love. And he was the first man in the Malfoy family to be married to the woman he was in love with, and not through a political or an arranged marriage, like all the Malfoy men before him.
Epilogue
Some years later, he asked his beloved wife one night:
"So Rosie, do you regret being married to me?"
"Regret it, me? Never, Scorps. I married the man I love, you silly. Why would I regret it?"
"Mummy daddy, what are you talking about?" asked his daughter Laura Weasley Granger Greengrass Malfoy innocently.
"Nothing, sweetheart. You should be in bed by now."
"But mummy, I want a bedtime story, please?"
"Not tonight, honey, this will be for some other night perhaps."
How did you find it? Bad or good? I'd like to know your opinions about it, thank you very much, readers! Don't forget to read, review, and comment eh?