A/N: I think I may have misled people slightly with the title of my last chapter. When I said "beginning of the end" I meant the end of school, not the end of the story. Still a little while to go before that!

Disappointments and Decisions

Mum and Dad,

Did you have a good Christmas? I certainly did. The teachers were obviously feeling generous, because they didn't really give us very much homework over the holiday. It was nice to have a chance to relax. Of course they're making up for it now. Between homework and prefect meetings, I don't think I've had a free moment since term started again.

Anyway, I'm writing to tell you about something very exciting. There's a programme starting up at the Ministry next year, one related to Muggle Relations, which I'm hoping to get involved with. The only qualification required is at least and E at OWL level Muggle Studies, and as I am hoping to achieve an NEWT in it I hope I should be able to get in fairly easily. Dad, I'm aware that this may go against some of the beliefs you hold, but it's something I really want to do and I'm going to explain exactly what it involves in the hope that you may come to see it the way I do: as something incredibly good that can be extremely beneficial to the Wizarding World.

Basically, the programme is based on the idea that most of the antipathy towards Muggles is created through lack of knowledge about them, and that if we were to raise awareness among the Wizarding community then we could convince people that Muggles aren't really that different from witches and wizards. It would include making Muggle Studies compulsory for First and Second Years at Hogwarts, running adult Muggle Studies classes for those who never did it at school, encouraging witches and wizards to practice by spending more time among Muggles, hopefully without drawing too much attention to themselves, and possibly even progress to sentencing those who break laws regarding the treatment of Muggles to spending time living in the Muggle world without magic, rather than simply fining them or sending them to Azkaban.

I know this probably isn't the career you had planned for me, but to me this is an incredible opportunity. It's very exciting, and I plan to send in my application within the next week. I'd like it if I knew you approved, though.

Love,

Scorpius


Scorpius,

We both had a wonderful Christmas, and I'm glad you had the opportunity to relax a little before beginning this term. I think this one may be a difficult one for you, and for everyone in your year. I'm sure you'll cope excellently, however.

As for this Ministry programme, I don't hate the idea the way you seem to expect me to. Perhaps it may have gone against some of the misguided beliefs I once held – and Grandad certainly wouldn't have approved – but I can feel nothing but pride that you want to be involved in something like that. It sounds like an excellent programme, and I can think of no one more suited to it than you. Perhaps if something like that had been in place while I was at school, I might never have been taken in by the rubbish my father and his pureblood friends were always spouting. It's certainly something the community needs, and hopefully it can prevent anything like the War ever happening again.

It's funny: you're actually right about this being a career I would not have wanted for you. Your Grandad was determined that you would get a job in the Ministry, and I was always equally determined that you would not. Well, he's got his way, and I couldn't be more pleased, though I can't imagine he would be. When we thought of jobs at the Ministry, we were both thinking of a career like his, bribing people to get laws passed in his favour, manipulating people and generally representing everything that was wrong or corrupt about that Ministry. Neither of us ever considered that you might get a job with the Ministry doing something worthwhile. But of course you are and I'm thrilled.

Good luck with your application, though I'm sure you don't need it, and Mum sends her love.

Dad


Rose,

Hey, you still awake? That's a stupid question really. Of course you are. I got a reply back from the Ministry of Magic. There was an owl sitting on my bed when I came up to the dorm. I haven't opened it yet, though. I guess I'm too scared to.

Scorp


Scorp,

Well don't just sit there and look at it you idiot! Open it! It's not like there's even any doubt about what it says. Of course they must have accepted you. This is so exciting! I can't believe this is actually finally happening. You've wanted this job for ages and now you've finally got it! Congratulations, Scorp!
Rose


Dear Mr Malfoy,

We were pleased to receive your application and have considered it carefully. Unfortunately, you are not quite what we are looking for in regards to this particular job.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Mackenzie

Muggle Liaison Office


Calm down, Rose. I opened it. They turned me down. Apparently I'm "not quite what we are looking for". I guess it was too much to hope for. That I'd send in an application and just like that I'd have my dream job. I was being stupid, even thinking I had a chance at this. They must have had loads of applicants.

Scorp


Scorp,

They turned you down!? TURNED YOU DOWN? Why on earth would they do that? I saw your application, and there's no way you're not good enough for the job. And as for having loads of applicants, I hardly think that's likely. No offence Scorp, but I doubt there are many people whose dream job would be working on a Muggle awareness campaign. The fact that the only qualification you needed was an E at OWL Muggle Studies shows how desperate they were.

Are you sure they sent you the right letter?

Rose


Rose,

Well, it has my name on it. There's no point in getting worked up about it. I appreciate you ranting in my defence, though.

Go to sleep, Rose, and stop worrying about it.

Love you.

Scorp


Scorp,

Alright, I'll go to sleep, but I'm not giving up on this. I will get to the bottom of it.

Love you too.

Rose


Scorpius Malfoy,

I'm sure you received a letter yesterday turning down your application for a job at the Ministry. This letter I'm writing now is completely unofficial and off the record. My name is Steve and I'm head of the campaign you were applying to join.

When we started advertising for applicants, we deliberately set the qualification limit very low because we didn't really expect many people to apply. When your application came in I couldn't believe my eyes. Nine OWLs, four of them Outstanding, and you're going on and doing NEWTs. Not only that, but you had an excellent reference from your Muggle Studies teacher and seemed to have a genuine passion for what we're trying to do. Compared to the other idiots we'd had applying, you seemed absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately my boss, Alan, took one look at the name at the top of the application and refused to even read the rest. He insists we cannot have a Malfoy working for the Ministry, and certainly not in the Muggle Liaison department. While this is clearly a prejudiced and narrow-minded view to have, he is sticking to it and has instead hired two kids who barely scraped a couple of OWLs and then had to drop out of school because they couldn't cope with NEWTs. In addition, neither of them actually gives a damn about the campaign and are only doing this because they can't get any other job.

I am writing this letter because I don't want you to give up on the job. I fully intend to convince Alan that he's being stupid, and I hope you will still consider working with me.

Yours,

Steven Hopkinson


Rose,

As usual, you were right about what you said last night. I've enclosed a letter I just received. Turns out instead of me redeeming the Malfoy name – like everyone seemed to think I would – I'm just going to be held back by it. Was it naïve of me to think that it would be like Hogwarts, and people might be a little bit hostile at first but I'd soon win them all over? I guess it was. The real world isn't like Hogwarts. It's time I stopped thinking it was. Obviously I'm not going to get the job, though it's nice of Steve to try. I suppose I should have known all along that this would happen.

I don't want you to start trying to convince me that I should keep trying. I don't think I've got the strength for more disappointments. I'm only showing you the letter at all because it proves you were right.

Scorp


Mum,

I mentioned that job in the Ministry that Scorp was applying for in my last letter, didn't I? He got turned down, but it turns out it was only because he's a Malfoy. Apparently the actual head of the campaign thought Scorp would be perfect for the job, but his boss has a prejudice against the Malfoys.

It seems so unfair that Scorp shouldn't get his dream job, just because of his dad and grandad. He says it's not a big deal, but he's been absolutely crushed. Over the last week, he's been so much quieter than usual. It's almost like back in first year, when those idiots were bullying him. I thought he'd gained confidence since then, and I think in many ways he has, but when it comes to people discriminating against him because of his family he just doesn't know how to react. If it was him they objected to then he'd make every effort to solve whatever problem they had with him and become a better person, but when it's nothing to do with him as a person then there's nothing he can do.

It must be hard, I suppose, after spending six and a half years proving to the students of Hogwarts that he's nothing like his father and grandfather, to suddenly discover that he's going to have to start all over again once he leaves school. He can do it – I know he can – but I think he needs a little bit of help getting started.

That's what I'm writing to you about, Mum. I've got a plan, but I'm going to need your help with it. Do you reckon you'd be up for that?

Rose


Rose,

Much as I disliked his father, I hate to think of Scorpius being treated like that. He's one of the sweetest, kindest, most unselfish people I've ever met, and I think he could go far. Even your dad likes him and if he can win over Dad – with his longstanding hatred of the Malfoys and stubborn refusal to change his ways – then I think he can win over anyone if given the chance.

A plan: now that sounds intriguing. I've always liked plans. What exactly did you have in mind?

Mum