DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter universe!

CHAPTER ONE

"I can't believe he's leaving! And just months before our wedding!"

Rose, who was the type of girl to throw a healthy punch instead of sob her eyes out, laid upon her mother's lap with tears streaming down her face. It was then that Ron Weasley begrudgingly admitted to himself that Rose did, indeed, have feelings for Scorpius Malfoy, and it wasn't all some sham. Watching his daughter look more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her before, Ron swore he'd get that git, Malfoy. Both of them. Their little adventure together to defeat Voldemort's daughter - which was still something he could not wrap his mind around - didn't do much to mitigate his irritation with the Malfoy clan, although at the insistence of his wife, he had reduced his negative comments around Rose, who was besotted with the youngest Malfoy. Seriously, what sort of a name was Scorpius?

"Mum, you're the Minister! Can't you do something about his assignment?" Rose wailed. Hermione shook her head with a sad expression on her face, but Ron, who had loved this woman for Merlin knows how many years, recognized an ambitious glint in her eyes. Was it possible? Could she have done something to rid this family of that ridiculously pale, sharp-chinned boy? The longer Ron observed Hermione's face, the more he found it possible. How absolutely marvelous.

Rose stood up with anger - ah, that was more like it - and stormed out of the room, most probably to give Scorpius a piece of her mind in a long-drawn letter. Ron turned to his wife, waiting for her explanation.

"It was the only way," Hermione said, shrugging. "I had to see whether he was committed to her, whether she was committed to him … whether Draco's family would truly accept her. It's for the best."

Ron could barely hold in his glee. He was held back, however, by guilt. "What about Rose? She's devastated. And besides, you and I were quite young when we …"

"Oh, hush, Ronald." Hermione walked up to him and elbowed his stomach, causing him to grunt in amusement. "That was different. We were stricken by war. I see much of myself in Rose. She's emotional too, though she doesn't let it on … it would break her heart if she knew how Scorpius' family feels about her - or at the very least, Narcissa and Lucius. She didn't grow up facing the same prejudice that I faced. She's tough, but I'm not sure if she could handle it. She's barely interacted with the Malfoys beyond Draco when he comes for lunch. If Scorpius is committed to her, then he will find a way to make this work."

Ron stared at her, bewildered. "You're telling me that you sent Scorpius away? With his family? What … what did you do?"

Hermione gave him a very un-Hermione-like smirk that simultaneously intimidated him and turned him on. "Use your mobile to call Harry and Gin. It's a funny story, actually … let's just say that the Malfoys will find themselves in a strange predicament."

"Scorpius, where did you get a bloody portkey?" Draco was sprawled on the ground, and for the second time that week, his hair was falling out of his ponytail. He scrambled up immediately to fix it, and en route, noticed that Lucius was doing the exact same thing. Feeling horrified at the notion that he was acting exactly like his father, for the first time in a long time, Draco let his hair hang down. Before examining his surroundings - and such was the vanity of Draco Malfoy - he made a mental note to go to that hairdresser in Diagon Alley and see if they'd shorten his hair … if they accepted people like him. Apparently, the rules of customer service did not extend to former Death Eaters, not that Draco could blame them. The second thing he did before checking his surroundings was making sure that his Dark Mark was covered. He let out an exhale of relief when he saw that his cloak had not ridden up his left arm.

Draco finally turned his attention to Scorpius, noticing that the four Malfoys were in a dingy hallway of some sort. There was an unflattering light-pink wallpaper that lined the walls, and it was peeling apart like the outer layer of dragon's crusty skin. There was a buggering, wailing sound that appeared to surround the building. The hallway was dimly lit and empty, revealing nothing but a set of doors, each carrying its own number. The four of them were jammed into the space between doors 22 and 23.

"Scorpius," Draco growled, noticing that his son flinched at the anger in his voice. Draco did not exhibit anger with Scorpius as often as he felt it. This time, however, his voice had risen to a yell. "Where in Merlin's beard are we?"

Narcissa stood up, primly dusting off her robes. Despite having spiraled through a portkey to an unknown location, she remained the picture of elegance and sophistication. Unlike her husband, her blonde hair had not left the bun it was in at the top of her head. Her jewelry had not budged. Her face, on the other hand, was imprinted with a new scowl. "You tricked us!" She pointed accusingly at Scorpius. "That did not show us our most happy memories as a family as you said it would!" Lucius nodded in agreement, eyeing Scorpius closely.

"Please don't be angry," Scorpius whispered. "I … I secured an international portkey. We're in America."

"Ah, that explains why it's dark outside," Draco muttered, noticing that there were, in fact, windows at the end of the hallway. They were easy to miss because no light streamed through them. "Well, what are we here for? Wedding preparations? Visiting a friend? Scorp, I was unaware you had friends in America."

"Take us back," Narcissa ordered haughtily. "I don't care what business you and your father have in America; I will not be a part of it. Especially if it has to do with your - your engagement."

Scorpius looked at his family and squared his shoulders, trying to mimic the Gryffindor bravery that he had often seen Rose employ. "I'm afraid I can't take you back. This is a one-way portkey. And we're in muggle America. In some city called Boston, which means we're far from New York and far from MACUSA. In fact, I have no bloody idea if there is a wizarding community here! That means you're stuck in America until you're willing to do things the muggle way. You want to go to New York? Figure it out."

All three of their jaws dropped. And then, they all exploded. "I have work to do with the ministry, you foolish boy!" "I told Potter I'd make his quidditch match tomorrow evening!" "I had an appointment at Twilfit and Tattings to buy dress robes for the Christmas Gala!"

Draco turned to look at Narcissa. "Mother, Christmas is in four months."

Lucius sent his wife and son a withering glare, which caused them to be quiet. "Oh do stuff it, Draco. Scorpius, what have you done? What is the meaning of this?"

"You guys don't tolerate muggles! Or muggle-borns, or even half-bloods!" Scorpius shouted. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Rose, and I won't have you making her feel unwelcome! This is a lesson … for all of you. Even you, dad."

Draco raised his eyebrows in offence. "Pardon?"

"Dad … I know you wish I married some pureblooded girl so you wouldn't have to go through all of this and argue with grandmum and granddad. Besides, you're still not comfortable going out in muggle London. That's part of the problem, isn't it?"

"That has nothing to do with it! Rose is a witch! I don't see her gallivanting off into the muggle world, and I certainly don't see why I need to -"

"That's enough!" Scorpius bellowed. He was sure that all three of them were going to stupefy him just for raising his voice at his elders, let alone whisking them off to a different continent with no way back. He didn't care anymore, though. He had left Rose behind to complete this mission, and he was going to do it. "Let's use the night to think about it, shall we? We've got apartment number 22. Right now we have no other choice but to go inside, unless you want to try to apparate across the ocean."

Scorpius performed a quick alohamora charm, checking both sides of the hallway to make sure no muggles were approaching. Narcissa, on the verge of tears, stepped into the room with Lucius rubbing comforting circles around her back. Lucius looked equally miffed. The two of them took one glance at the apartment, lifted their noses in disgust, and picked a bedroom to enter. Scorpius was sure that Lucius would scourgify everything clean until he felt the muggle furniture was "pure" enough to lay on. Their door slammed.

Draco and Scorpius stood in the apartment, taking longer to observe it. Scorpius mentally thanked Hermione for providing them with what were actually nice, albeit small, living quarters. The burnt orange walls of the living room were covered in paintings of flower arrangements. There was a bookshelf filled to the brim with muggle books, and the room had a couple of golden-pillowed couches. Scorpius noted with a grin that it resembled a cheaper version of the Gryffindor common room, which he had sneaked into a few times with Albus to go visit Rose. There were many things in the room he didn't recognize, however, that he figured were muggle furniture items. There was a large, black screen, a table with lots of buttons, among other things. Thankfully, he would have time to figure out what they meant. As much as he was missing Rose, Scorpius felt excited to learn more about this world. Scorpius also quickly realized that his Muggle Studies textbooks from back at Hogwarts were outdated. This looked nothing like the drawings his book had from the 1980's. Had muggle furniture really changed that much in so little time?

Draco was equally in awe. As angry as he was with Scorpius, a niggling part of Draco's brain admired his courage. It was a rather clever idea, to entrap his parents into the muggle world, and besides, it wasn't as if Draco had any commitments. The Potters occasionally invited him over for dinner, and he was becoming acquainted with the Weasleys due to his son's engagement, but Draco spent most of his time in Malfoy Manor, analyzing texts about alchemy and trying to brew potions that he didn't have the license to brew. It was a lonely affair, and yet, Draco needed to pour his ambition somewhere. It wasn't as if the Ministry would hire him (although Lucius somehow maintained his Ministry position, the corrupt prat).

"It's beautiful."

Scorpius' voice drew Draco out of his thoughts. Draco walked up to where Scorpius was standing, in front of a large window that encompassed the wall of the living room. Draco secretly agreed, although he had no idea what he was looking at. There was a river, and so many lights Draco felt his head would implode. Nevertheless, it was an enchanting scene that piqued his curiosity.

"Scorp," Draco started slowly. "I must let you know … that I'm not angry with you. I understand why you did this. Astoria -" his voice broke slightly, "your mum would've found this hilarious. She would've agreed with you. And to honor her, and my commitment to you, my son, I will help you in whatever it is you hope to achieve."

Wiping at his eyes, Scorpius turned to look at his dad. The two shared a private smile. "Thanks, dad. That really means a lot. And you asked where I got the portkey from … Minister Granger-Weasley gave it to me. I asked her for help."

Draco couldn't help but laugh, although it lacked humor. "Leave it to Potter's meddling friends. Of course it was Granger. Well, it makes sense that the bleeding-heart Gryffindor would try to change the Malfoys, wouldn't it?" He couldn't help but feel stung by the idea that Granger had planned this elaborate scheme behind his back, with his son, to manipulate his parents. Sure, they could all do with some tolerance - but were the younger Malfoys really so unworthy of the Weasleys they needed to be cast away for some form of "training"? He thought things were going well. They had lunch a few times since Scorpius and Rose announced they were seeing each other.

Eager to distract his mind, Draco looked around the room until he found a clock hanging on the wall, above the doorway that led into the kitchen. Too overwhelmed to even begin looking at the kitchen and its muggle technology - besides, Draco had never spent much time in a kitchen, having house elves - he simply read the time and referred back to Scorpius.

"The time is two in the morning here. If you want to have a productive day, even if you aren't tired, I'd suggest you go to sleep. Try."

Scorpius nodded, knowing not to argue with his father after what he had done. He searched the hallway for another bedroom and found one, thanking Hermione mentally once again for providing him with an apartment with three bedrooms. The last one would be Draco's. Closing the bedroom door, Scorpius flopped onto the bed and shut his eyes. He didn't bother looking around the room. He just drew Rose's face over and over again in his mind, desperately imagining the next time the two could be together.

Draco stayed in the living room, pulling one of the spare chairs in the room underneath the window so he could look outside it for longer.

Draco and the night were very well-acquainted. It had been years since Draco had had a good night's sleep. Before Astoria, there were nightmares from the war. During his marriage to Astoria, he slept peacefully for the most part … and after she passed, Draco's sleep was once again clouded with nightmares of Voldemort and Malfoy Manor's old drawing room. What was worse were the dreams he had about her. He saw Astoria every night, a vision in the white dress she had worn at their wedding. She was beautiful and heartbreakingly distant. Every time he tried to reach for her hand in his dreams, she would fade away and he would wake up. Draco quickly learned not to touch her right away. He would stay still in his sleep, his roaming eyes doing their very best to memorize what she looked like, and when he felt like he could tolerate no more grief, he would step towards her, take her hand, and willingly wake up even if he needed more sleep.

Draco hated sleeping, and so he sat next to the window, trying to stay awake. Time passed by exceptionally slowly. Draco observed the buzzing lights down on the streets below, which he eventually realized were muggle cars. He searched for the stars and found none underneath the heavy clouds. He tried to read the lit-up signs of distant buildings - were the Americans that gaudy? - and found himself failing more often than he was successful. By the time the clock had hit 3 AM, Draco resigned himself to the fact that he should try to sleep. After all, he didn't know how to work any of the muggle technology in the room, and he wasn't interested in reading the muggle books on the shelf - not yet, at least. Draco loved to read, but there was a time and place for reading, and being slightly depressed in a foreign setting didn't exactly provide him the motivation to read.

"Open up, you stupid door!"

Startled, Draco leapt out of his chair and inched slowly towards the door, pulling his wand out. It seemed that somebody was trying to enter - a woman, most probably, judging by the sound of her voice. Draco looked with terror as the doorknob shook.

"Protego," he muttered, putting up the shield charm to protect himself as well as his family. Then, Draco thought, it had to be a muggle. Who else would fumble with a door instead of using a simple alohamora to enter?

He strode faster to the door and peered through the hole in the door, finding his vision warped. He could barely make out the frustrated look of the girl. Muttering irritably to himself, Draco threw open the door before the woman could play with the doorknob again.

"What?" He yelled.

The woman's face immediately drained of color. "I - I'm so sorry. I thought … I thought this was my apartment."

"Are you bloody thick?" Draco continued. "Are you incapable of reading the damned numbers on the wall? It's simple, isn't it? Or are you Americans so ill-educated? Merli- I mean, honestly - I wouldn't be surprised if ..."

To his shock, the woman began to cry. Draco felt immediately uncomfortable. Her shoulders shook as she curled into a ball in front of his doorway. Although her head was buried in her hands, Draco could make out some of her features. Although she was light-skinned, her skin had far more color than Draco's had. It was slightly - what was it called? - "olive" tinted. Draco always found that notion ridiculous; the woman wasn't green. Her thick, black eyebrows were scrunched together, and she wore a black scarf on her head, reminding him of Pansy's latest favorite pureblood fashion trend, although this woman's scarf was fully covering her hair. The woman's face was now blotched red with both embarrassment and the remnant of a good cry … and she was wearing the most hideous set of blue pajamas Draco had ever seen. They weren't even monogrammed, he noticed with distaste.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up," she said, standing up and wiping her tears. As she faced him with a watery smile and a light blush across her face, Draco noticed with a pang that she was actually decently pretty. He felt bad for making her cry as hard as he did, although she was the unreasonable one banging on his door in the middle of the night. "I've had a long day, you see. My shift at the hospital just ended, and one of my favorite patients died … so I'm sorry. I'm an emergency doctor, which is why I'm in my scrubs and why I'm just now getting home … anyway. Sorry for babbling. I'll get out of your hair now. I don't know how I confused your apartment for my own. I must be more tired than I thought …" and with that, she turned around and fumbled with door number 23 using her key until the door fell open. The door slammed shut and Draco could hear her sobbing inside. Rolling his eyes - muggles were truly absurd - Draco slammed his own door, and went to the third bedroom, hoping that whatever dreams his mind brought him, they would be sweet ones.

Author's Notes:

Hello, dear readers! (More like reader, at this point - which I am SUPER appreciate of! Thank you for following my story!)

I don't have much to say about this chapter, but I will say that Rose's perspective will not be coming up much. It's mostly going to be from the Malfoys, although Scorose will be central to the story. I'm also really excited to introduce the other characters in this story! You'll see them in the next few chapters. For now, though, everything is introductory. I'm hoping that chapters will get longer and explore greater themes the more I write. I'm planning on making this a long story.

Once again, reviews are appreciated! Please let me know what you're thinking! (And share this story with others if you like it!)

Much love,

dreaminginsilver