Scorpius Malfoy sat in a vast room with blank, stone walls, a high, dark ceiling and an empty echo in the air. A vast fireplace lay in the centre of it, though it held no roaring flame nor emitted any warmth. Opposite the sofa in which he sat were two towering arm chairs.

The occupant of the first was a tall woman with white hair pulled tightly back, as pale as her ghostly skin. Her face was lined and though there was a well-worn weariness for her 67 years, she sat stiffly upright. Her former beauty was evident, but somehow wasted away, though there was a stern stoicism in her pale blue eyes that almost ordered respect.

Her husband sat next to her. He too looked older than his years, and was slightly hunched. His grey eyes, almost precisely the same as Scorpius', peered coldly at the floor. The top of his head was near bald. All of it that remained was a light silver.

'I've barely seen you in days, Scorpius,' said his grandmother, Narcissa, in a cold, clear voice. 'You've been up in that bedroom.'

'I've been working,' he said quietly, evading conversation.

'Too much work to spend time with your own family?' she asked bitterly. When he did not meet her eye, she muttered, 'I thought not.'

Then a horrible wailing took over the room. Narcissa winced and Scorpius covered his ears – Lucius scarcely reacted. It was a horrible, rasping sound, like someone shrieking as they fought for breath. An unnatural sound.

'Astoria, I thought you had that damned Pettigrew ghost under control?'

For Astoria Malfoy had just come through the large double-doors at the end of the room. She had an old-fashioned, serious beauty, with her chiselled features and statuesque figure. Her robes were a deep, midnight blue and they seemed to glide along the elaborate carpet as she strode towards the fireplace where they sat. She took a place next to Scorpius on the sofa.

'Sorry, Narcissa, but you've been trying to get rid of him since before I met Draco, so perhaps it's time we just accept that we can't do anything.' Narcissa looked displeased at this reply but Astoria did not take heed, for she turned quickly to her son. 'You're joining us for dinner then, Scorpius?' she said affectionately, a tender hand on his shoulder. He nodded.

His mother was the one member of his family that he felt some open affection for. His grandmother had a certain charm to her, were it not for her steely, hardened persona and deep-set faith in the blood bigotry that had faded to ridiculousness for most of the Wizarding World. And he loathed his grandfather, the broken man by the fire; not that Lucius said much at all anymore. Neither had been able to stomach the Malfoy fall from grace.

'It was never a question with Draco,' announced Narcissa. Astoria turned her head towards the old woman, slightly bewildered.

'What do you mean?'

'We would never ask Draco if he was dining with us. We made the decisions in our house,' Narcissa's stern, blue gaze turned to Astoria, who bit her lip slightly but then let out a small, polite laugh.

'Very good manners I'm sure,' said Scorpius dryly. 'Did Voldemort appreciate your hospitality?'

Narcissa gasped as cold anger seeped into her face. Lucius had shuddered slightly at the mention of Voldemort, but made no other movements.

'You shouldn't talk to your Grandmother like that,' said Astoria, but her voice was far from anger. There was only the slightest reproach in her gentle tones.

'Astoria, you're being far too soft with the boy,' said Draco fiercely, appearing at Narcissa's shoulder, having just slipped into the room. 'You're insolent, you know that? How dare you talk to someone far older and wiser than yourself like that?'

'Wiser?' snapped Scorpius. 'Maybe if they were a bit wiser you wouldn't have to lie to them about whose house I went over the other night and who my friends are at school.'

Now Draco's face whitened in fury. 'You dare-'

'Oh, I dare,' he sneered. 'You know my greatest friend in all the world is Rose Weasley – the perfect blend of blood traitor and mud-blood! Then there's her cousin Lily, Lily Potter. I believe you're acquainted with her father?'

'Draco,' came the creeping, cold voice of Lucius Malfoy, 'you let your only son mix with scum like that?

Scorpius stood up.

'I've had enough of this. I'm sick of you all. They're not scum. They're normal and happy and fun – not locked up in nasty old houses with all their bitterness and stupid superior beliefs.'

'If you hate it so much then you're welcome to leave,' said Narcissa coolly. Draco and Astoria exchanged a concerned look, but Narcissa continued to stare straight at Scorpius.

'I-' he stammered, his mind racing. He'd love to leave, of course he would, but where on earth could he go? Rose's, perhaps, but he knew that Ron wasn't sure of him, and though it was only for the weekend until they went back to school, he couldn't bring himself to ask. Lily's? No, he barely knew her family at all. With nothing left to do he turned and stormed up out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.

'He's not going, is he?' said Draco quietly.

'Oh, don't heed the boy,' said Narcissa, 'He'll be crawling back by his bedtime.'

Scorpius felt his pulse beating in his head as he stalked the corridor towards his room. All there was, was a blur of fury and fear and confusion. Wherever I end up is better than here, he thought fiercely. So without ado, he grabbed pristine, black leather school trunk and piled in a few pairs of robes, jeans and jumpers. Scorpius ran to his bedside cabinet and grabbed a small bag of Galleons and Sickles.

The Leaky Cauldron, he thought. He could travel there by Floo Network, and if he was in London money would be no worry at all with his Gringotts vault so nearby. It was sorted then. He grabbed his case and Cronus' cage, just managing to hold onto both as he tucked his broom under his arm. But as he stepped towards the fireplace, there was a great roar of flames and a person flew towards him, knocking him off his feet. Cronus' cage was open, so the owl went flapping wildly and hooting around the room as the contents of his Hogwarts trunk spilled over the bedroom floor.

'What the-?'

'Sorry,' came a timid voice from the bundle of robes before him. Rose pulled up her head and gave Scorpius a tentative smile as her freckled cheeks reddened.