Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.

Note - I know it's a bit short, but I didn't want it to drag on. But here it is, nonetheless. I hope you guys enjoy it. As always, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Rebel Malfoy

Chapter Eight: The Painful Endings

Scorpius felt his heart pounding harshly in his chest. Quidditch tryouts. The day had finally come, and Aaron was making everyone try for their spots again. Scorpius's nerves were jumping since he'd woken up this morning.

"Just relax," Lana said with a smile at breakfast. "You'll do great. You've been training and practicing for like a year now basically. Aaron knows this, and he also knows your dedication to improving and winning. You'll definitely make it."

Scorpius could hardly eat though. But he did give her a slight smile. "Thanks. I just hope I can at least be a reserve player."

"That's the very least you'll be," Lana said confidently.

"Why is it that she doesn't give this pep talk to her own twin?" Lars muttered as he rolled his eyes, trying to hide how nervous he was too. Aaron had put him on the spot the other day, asking him in front of practically all of the older kids if he was going to try out. And not wanting to seem like a little kid, Lars had said yes. Scorpius liked that he at least wouldn't be the only one trying out from their year.

"You'll both do fine," Lana said, now with a roll of her own eyes.

But when he and Lars stepped onto the pitch just before tryouts, Scorpius felt his nerves start to jump again. Part of him wanted to turn around and just head for the stands to watch instead. But he kept moving toward the locker rooms to change.

"I might puke," Lars muttered lowly for only Scorpius to hear. "This is too much. If I end up sucking, I know Aaron will rip into me."

"It won't be that bad," Scorpius mumbled, although he himself wasn't sure.

They were both silent after that, and stepped into the locker room to change into a set of practice clothes. Other guys were in there, some just as quiet, others loud and nervous. Only a few were loud and cocky, Tyson being an example.

When Scorpius was back outside and waiting for the Chasers' tryouts to start, he just stared at his broom. It was new, it was fast . . . but that meant nothing without a skilled player on it. Again, he felt his nerves shaking. He closed his eyes and tried to let Lana's words from earlier float through his mind, trying to get himself to relax.

"Beaters! You're up! All of you, in the air!" Aaron barked, a scowl on his face as his eyes landed on Lars.

Lars looked at Scorpius, his nerves obvious in his eyes. Scorpius patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, bro. You'll do great."

Lars took a deep breath as he nodded. Then he moved forward, and like the others, mounted his broom and rose into the air. Now Scorpius watched the tryouts intently, watching Lars, who was going to be the fourth to go it looked like.

When Lars's turn came, and he moved forward, Scorpius could see the light trembling running through the bat in his hand. But he brought his up, ready for the first Bludger. Scorpius examined the pitch. The goal was to hit each Bludger through one of the hoops. This would determine strength and aim, two things a Beater needed.

Scorpius watched as Lars moved back and forth, preparing for the first Bludger, which shot at him faster than a hex. And while Lars hit it, he then stumbled in the air, quickly grabbing his broom to gain balance. The Bludger flew toward the goals, and barely went through the left one, after hitting the side of it.

Scorpius watched, as did Aaron, although Aaron did it much more critically, as Lars hit four more. He had only made three of them. One had missed the goals completely, and another had bounced against the ring of the post and shot back toward him, prompting Lars to hit it again, shooting it into the air. Aaron had shown no emotion as Lars descended, and only called up the next tryout.

Lars dropped onto the grass, shaking his head. "Merlin, that was terrible!"

"It wasn't that bad," Scorpius said as he kneeled by his friend.

"It was horrible! No one else has missed that many!" Lars groaned.

"Yeah, but no one else had that strong of a hit," Scorpius encouraged.

"Yeah, enough that it bounced back and almost killed me!" Lars complained as he dropped to his back.

"Chasers! Get ready! You're up next!" Aaron called.

Now Scorpius had to gather his own courage as he stood up straight, and went to stand with the others trying out, all of them older kids. Once they were in the air, still waiting as the last Beater tryout finished up, Scorpius forced himself to relax again.

"Ok, we've got a lot of you this year," Aaron stated as he flew in front of them, "so, I'm dividing you into groups of three, and you'll face off of against each other. One team must get the Quaffle to the other side of the pitch, and touch the middle goal. Do this three times. What matters not is the team that wins, but the skills you show off."

Scorpius was placed with Wade Macnair and Cody Reeser, and they were going second. So he thankfully was able to watch the first set, and see how others did. But he also let his mind drifted back to things that Trevor had told him. The game was about teamwork more than skill, especially as a Chaser.

So when their turn came, they met at the middle, and waited, tense, for Aaron to throw the Quaffle into the air. And when it did, a boy from the other team snatched it first, prompting them to chase after him.

Cody Reeser caught up to the guy and popped the Quaffle out of his hands, and made a quick pass to Wade. But Wade fumbled the Quaffle in his hands before losing hold of it. Scorpius quickly dove down to catch it, and made his way toward the goal posts.

When he saw Cody making his way beside him, Scorpius tossed the Quaffle to him. Cody caught it easy and dodged one of the boys from the other team. He tossed it back to Scorpius, who caught it, but it was knocked from his hands soon after, and into the grip of the other team.


Scorpius felt like burying his head in his hands as he sat on a bench in the locker room. He had already changed, his broom leaning against him, but he felt terrible. His team had only gotten one point! They showed off nothing! His stomach churned like it did when he'd woken up that morning. But not with nerves. With failure.

"I know how you feel," Lars mumbled as he sat next to him. "But we should still probably head out there. Aaron will probably announce the team soon."

Scorpius groaned. "Great! Let's go out and hear the rejection out loud," he muttered.

"Well, let's hope Aaron's at least polite about it," Lars said with a sigh as they got up and walked outside. They eventually all had come to stand outside and wait for Aaron's verdict, which didn't take too long. Scorpius was grateful. He just wanted to get this out of the way.

Aaron sighed as he walked to stand in front of them all, looking at what must have been his new list of players. "Ok, so I have my team made up and I should have a short list of reserves made by tomorrow. I'll put that list up in the common room. Moving on, our Keeper will be Dante Montague." He threw Dante his game gear. "Our Seeker . . . Tyson Derrick." Aaron didn't look happy about that one. "Our Beaters, Raven Bole and Lars Goyle."

Lars looked so shocked that he didn't even catch the gear that his brother threw at him, and let it land on his shoulder. "Seriously?"

Aaron raised a brow at his little brother. "Yeah, so don't question me." He shook his head. "Now, our two other Chasers will be Adrian Flint and Scorpius Malfoy."

Scorpius was just as shocked as Lars, but he at least caught his things. "No way," he mumbled.

"Ok, now I want the team to stay behind, everyone else can go," Aaron announced.

As others left the pitch, Scorpius hurried to stand by Aaron. "You really picked me?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes, I did. What is it with you and my brother being so surprised?"

"But . . . my team only made one point. We obviously did bad!" Scorpius tried to point out.

Aaron sighed as he gave Scorpius an honest and serious look. "You showed me that you had amazing teamwork. You didn't hog the Quaffle, but shared it. You were quick to respond whenever it was stolen, and didn't quit. You knew when to make a pass, and when one got tossed to you, you handled it great. You didn't drop it or even stumble with it. You just kept moving. And a Chaser needs that," he explained. "You have all of that, and you're young. You will get better the more you play, so I had to choose you. Not just for the team now, but in the long run of years to come."

Scorpius couldn't stop himself from feeling pride and being happy. "Thanks!"

Aaron, finally, grinned. "Just don't make me regret it."


Scorpius found that he loved being part of the Quidditch team. It felt like the one place where he was just one of the boys, not a Malfoy. Aaron was just as harsh with him as he was with the others. Dante, Adrian, and Raven treated him like a friend, not someone they expected to lead them to battle against Potter. And also, it was a place where he could forget about everything, and just think about Quidditch.

"I'm so excited for the Hogsmeade trip this weekend!" Dante said with excitement. Scorpius was walking back to the castle with him, Raven, and Adrian, while Lars waited for his brother, who was chewing out Tyson for a terrible practice.

"It will be your first," Raven said with a sigh. He had seemed to be in a weird mood all through practice.

"Are you hanging out with us?" Adrian asked Dante, his question vague and his tone of voice weird.

Dante nodded. "Yeah. I was really excited when Aaron invited me. You're coming too, right, Rave?"

Raven shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't really decided yet."

"What's with you, man?" Adrian questioned as they stepped inside. "You've been weird for the last few days."

"Nothing," Raven said dismissively. "I'm fine."

"What a lie," Adrian said with a scoff.

"Is something wrong?" Scorpius asked a bit more politely.

"It's nothing!" Raven insisted, avoiding their eyes.

"Raven?"

The boys stopped, and Raven almost seemed to drop his broom as he quickly whirled around. The others turned around as well, and saw that it was Stacy West who had called to Raven. She was another fifth year, and Scorpius thought she was very nice. She had light curls to her hair, which was a very light blonde color, and her bright green eyes seemed to shine.

But despite the smile on her face, Raven seemed almost scared, he looked so nervous. "Oh! Um . . . hi, Stacy," he greeted in almost a mumble.

Stacy seemed to hardly notice. "I know we agreed to study tomorrow at break, but I was wondering if you would mind studying with me tonight instead? I'd like to be a bit prepared for tomorrow's lesson."

Scorpius glanced at Raven, who looked ready to start shaking. "Oh, uh . . . well sure, I guess. But, I . . . I need to drop off my broom and things. Could I . . . um, meet you in the . . . li-library?" Scorpius was confused as to why Raven was so nervous and was stuttering and stammering so much.

Stacy nodded. "Sure. I'll see you in a few minutes. Bye, boys."

"Bye, Stacy," the other three boys said as she walked passed them to the stairs.

Immediately, Adrian pounced. "What was that, Rave?"

Raven gulped and quickly started to walk toward the dungeons. "I don't know what you mean?"

"You looked ready to puke as you talked!" Dante said with a laugh.

"Since when did you start having a thing for Stacy?" Adrian questioned.

"A thing?" Scorpius inquired.

"A crush. Man, you're young," Adrian said with a small laugh. "But, seriously, when did this start?"

A surprising and rare blush took over Raven's face. "It's not a big deal," he mumbled.

"Is she why you've been acting weird lately?" Dante asked.

"You should just ask her out," Adrian stated. "Invite her to Hogsmeade with us."

"No way!" Raven said quickly. "She would definitely not agree with what would be going on!"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Then just go on a date with her instead of hanging out with us. We'd understand."

Raven just looked at the ground as they stepped into the common room. "I couldn't. It's not like she'd say yes. We're way too different."

"So?" Scorpius replied. "Why does that matter?"

"It matters!" Raven insisted. "She'd say no and reject me!"

"Don't be such a wuss!" Adrian retorted. "Man up and ask her out. So what if she says no? There are dozens of other girls."

"Not like her," Raven mumbled. And before they could say anything else to him, he walked into his dorm and shut the door on them.

Dante sighed as he shook his head. "He has it bad."

"It seems so weird," Scorpius mentioned. "I don't think I've ever seen someone . . . like someone so much."

"Ah, our friend is growing up," Adrian said with a bit of a laugh. "Can't blame him, though. Stacy is kind of hot."

Scorpius scowled. "Well she's pretty," he muttered.

Adrian just ruffled his hair. "You're just young."

"I am not!" Scorpius disagreed. "I just don't like most girls' personalities!"

"You get used to that," Adrian said with another laugh as he headed for his dorm.

"Girls are confusing creatures," Dante said with a bit of a nod. "And when we get older, I wonder which one of us will have changed. The girls, or us boys."

Scorpius was still scowling as he looked at Dante. "I think you guys are just confusing. And when I turn thirteen, I hope I don't confuse younger kids like you do to me."


"I think it's sweet, that his crush has him tongue tied," Miley commented over breakfast the next morning.

"I feel like it's the beginning of the end for him," Mitch muttered. "Dad says that women are always the end of men."

"We make your lives better," Lana disagreed.

"Well I can't see myself ever going and letting myself get wrapped up in a girl," Mitch retorted. "They can be mean, selfish, and all while thinking that they're saints and sweethearts. They don't realize they're mean."

"So we're like that?" Miley demanded.

"Sometimes, but you aren't as bad as others," Mitch said honestly.

"She said yes!" Suddenly hands were on Scorpius shoulders, and were pulling him back into someone. "She said yes, Scor!"

In shock, Scorpius turned around to see that it was Raven, who looked absolutely ecstatic. "What?"

"Stacy said yes! We're going to Hogsmeade!" Raven continued to exclaim, as he moved further down the table. "Adrian!"

Lana looked at the others. "I get the feeling Stacy said yes," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm surprised he actually asked," Scorpius replied, thinking of the day before.

"Well he seems happy," Miley said happily. "Even though women are a man's end." She looked at Mitch with a raised brow.

Mitch just shrugged. "If it makes him happy. Doesn't mean it would make me happy."

"You are so weird in your thinking," Miley stated.

"Why thank you, dear Miley," Mitch said with a playful smile.


As the end of September was nearing, more and more of the older kids only talked about the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Scorpius tried to ignore it, but inside he was a bit envious, and wished that he could go too. He just reminded himself that he only had one more year before he would be allowed to go too.

"Bret's been trying to teach me this chord, but it's really difficult," Mitch commented. He and Scorpius were sitting in their dorm alone. Scorpius was finishing his Transfiguration essay, while Mitch was ignoring his own and practicing his guitar.

"Why not have him show you again?" Scorpius suggested.

Before Mitch could reply, the door opened and voices interrupted. "I'm telling you, something is up with him."

"Well . . . he is acting weird."

It was Lana and Lars, Lana looking firm and Lars looking hesitant. They walked in, and grew quiet when they saw the two of them.

"Hey, guys," Mitch greeted.

"Something wrong?" Scorpius inquired.

"No," Lars said uncertainly.

"Yes!" Lana ran right over him. "It's Aaron. He's been acting weirdly secretive for the past few days, and I know something is up! Aaron can't normally keep secrets."

"That doesn't mean he's up to something bad," Lars tried to defend, although still didn't look too sure himself.

"Even so, it's not like you can do anything about it," Mitch pointed out. "If he really does have a secret, I doubt he'd just come out and tell you."

"Exactly, but she wants to spy on him!" Lars told them, shaking his head.

"Spy on him?" Scorpius repeated. "You want to spy on Aaron?"

"I want to know what he's up to," Lana stated. "As his siblings, it's our job to make sure he's ok. And as his sister, it's my job to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, you're the sister," Lars said. "I'm the little brother. If he caught me spying, he'd kill me, and let you live!"

"Then don't come with, you baby!" Lana retorted. "But I'm doing it. He told me earlier that he was going to the library to study Defense Against the Dark Arts with the boys, and I'd bet they're really going to talk about whatever secret they have."

"How can you be sure?" Mitch asked.

"Because he's going with Dante, Adrian, and Will, who are all in different years than him. They can't study the same class work together, obviously. They're all up to something," Lana said with a grin. "Are you boys game?"

Mitch put down his guitar. "I'm always up for a bit of fun. I'm in."

"And I don't want you to go alone in case any dumb cats get any ideas," Scorpius said as he closed his book and got up from his bed. "I'll go."

Lana looked to her twin. "Well? Are you coming?"

Lars groaned. "Fine, fine! But if he catches us, I'm running, and running fast."

"Whatever, let's go!" Lana insisted.

The four of them hurried out of the common room, and made their way through the castle and up to the library. There were mostly older kids in the library at night, as a lot of them spent all the time they could studying for their O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T. exams. This meant that if the guys were planning to discuss something "secret" as Lana thought, they'd have to be hidden in a corner, and away from Madam Pince.

"Where is the most isolated place in here, beside the Restricted Section?" Lars asked in the quietest whisper he could manage.

"The history books," Mitch guessed. "That's the most boring class, and not many older kids take it."

"He's got a point. Let's try there," Scorpius agreed as they quietly made their way through the book shelves. And after making their way to the history section, they found a table occupied, and by the ones they were looking for.

"There they are," Mitch whispered. "But I don't think we can get close enough to hear them."

Lana rolled her eyes and moved to stand right by the edge of the bookshelf, almost putting her into the table's view. The boys froze, terrified that she'd been seen, but Lana seemed to have no fear as she listened in on her brother's whispered conversation. And as her face became more surprised, Scorpius wished that he knew what they were saying.

"They can't be serious," Lana whispered. Then without giving the boys a chance to stop her, she whirled around the corner. "Aaron Gregory Goyle!"

"No!" Lars complained, rushing to grab his sister, and thus coming into view, where he froze. Not wanting Lars to face Aaron's wrath alone, Scorpius and Mitch came to stand with them.

The boys at the table all stared at them, and then looked to Aaron, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, Lana, what are you guys doing here?"

"I heard you!" Lana hissed. "Are you crazy? You're underage!"

"Lana, relax," Dante tried to calm her.

"No! My idiot brother is going to get himself into serious trouble!" Lana said with a glare.

Aaron sighed. "Ok, ok, let's get out of here, and talk about this somewhere else." He grabbed his book, which wasn't even opened, and quickly got up and with a hand on his sister's shoulder, led her out of the library, the others following after them.

When they were out of the library, Aaron led them to an empty classroom, away from ghosts and paintings that could overhear.

"What is going on?" Scorpius asked with a bit of confusion.

"These idiots are going to go out drinking on their Hogsmeade visit!" Lana exclaimed. "And they're going to get caught!"

"No we won't!" Adrian said with a laugh, but he stopped when Lana glared at him next.

"Lana Goyle, listen to me!" Aaron said firmly. While Aaron did have a soft spot for his sister, he wasn't afraid of her. "Now, we are not going to get caught! I'm not going to go out and buy it myself, I'm not stupid!"

"Yeah, a friend, who is of age, is going to buy it and bring it to us," Adrian said, now hesitantly. "He's already graduated, so it won't be an issue."

"It won't be the first time I've done this," Aaron admitted.

"You've done it before?" Lana questioned.

"Since my fourth year," Aaron stated honestly.

"You've been drinking since fourth year!" Lars exclaimed with surprise.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Not every day!" He calmed a little. "Just on certain Hogsmeade visits, especially the first one. With all the crap some of us had been put through by others, it's been a nice escape. A way to forget, at least for a day."

Now Lana was no longer glaring, but looked a bit hesitant herself. "You really forget?"

Aaron looked at his sister curiously. "Yeah. That's why we do it at least once a year. We forget how much it sucks . . . to be us, at least for a day." Then a kind of realization seemed to come to him. "Oh no! No, no, you are not doing this with us! You aren't even allowed into Hogsmeade yet!"

"We will be next year," Lana pointed out quietly.

Aaron ran a hand over his face, then looked at the others. "Everyone, out. I need to talk with her, alone. Lars, that means you too, but I will talk to you later. Now out!"

The others all began to leave the room, Lana and Aaron still standing in the middle. When they reached the hallway, Dante moved to rest against the wall. "Wow, I didn't think Lana would be into the idea."

"That was surprising," Adrian admitted. "I thought she'd lose her mind over what we planned to do."

"She's been weird since last year," Lars said quietly, looking at the now closed door. "Ever since she was alone and got picked on by a group of girls. She's been different."

"Makes sense. After all, it's the same reason we do it," Adrian replied as he moved to sit next to where Dante stood.

"It's why I'm doing it this year," Dante mumbled. "I would like one day where I don't think about it."

"I thought you didn't care, and that you were proud to be a Slytherin," Scorpius commented.

Dante grinned humorlessly. "Doesn't mean I don't think about what they say. Doesn't Potter still get to you? Don't his words hurt, no matter how proud you are?"

Scorpius felt his words ring in his ears, and a familiar feeling of unease settle in his stomach. "Mind if I join you next year?"

"Out of everyone, I think you've earned it," Adrian agreed. "Of course you can."


When Lana and Aaron had apparently finished talking, Lana simply came out of the classroom, and walked away without saying a word to the boys. Scorpius, Mitch, and Lars were ready to chase after her and ask what happened, but Aaron stopped Lars, wanting to talk to him as well. That left Scorpius and Mitch alone to find where Lana had gone.

They followed her all the way up to the Astronomy Tower, which was empty, but cool with the evening air. Lana sat at the edge of the tower, seemingly staring at the dim night sky.

"I got Aaron to agree to let me and Lars go drinking with them next year. I assumed you two were already going," Lana said, not even looking at the two of them.

Scorpius and Mitch came to sit next to her, and Mitch looked at her with a bit of concern. "Are you sure about this, Lana? I mean, I have nothing against it, I'll try anything once. But . . . is this what you want?"

"I'm no different from them, or you guys. I'd love nothing more than to, for one day, forget about how people look at me as a death eater's daughter. To forget the taunts and teasings that I've endured. If for one night at least," Lana whispered.

"What did those girls say to you that day?" Scorpius demanded. "Because it changed you. What did they do to my sister?"

Lana silently sighed, her shoulders sagging a little. "They pointed out true facts . . . but in a different light. In a way I hadn't looked at it before."

"Like what?" Mitch asked gently.

"My hair was short," Lana started, running her hand through her hair. It was as long as Scorpius had seen it in years. "I hung out with only boys, I look like my brothers, I don't act like a normal girl. Things like that."

"They mean nothing," Scorpius assured.

"No, you're wrong," Lana said softly. "They're true facts. I've always been a tomboy. I've thought that girlish things were stupid. But . . . it's different now."

"So you've let them brainwash you?" Mitch demanded.

"No," Lana disagreed. "It's not that I suddenly believe in what they think. But for days, I thought about it. And . . . I gave those things a try. I hung out with the girls more, I started playing with hair and fashions . . . and I do like them."

"So . . . what's up with you then?" Scorpius asked.

"I realized that . . . even though I have changed, I've grown a little, I like similar things that those girls do . . . it doesn't matter. Their view of me won't change," Lana whispered.

"We're still the kids of death eaters," Scorpius said with a nod.

"We're evil, not to be trusted, and didn't deserve to be born," Mitch added in his own somber tone.

"And for the first time . . . I wished that I was someone else," Lana mentioned. "I wished that I was someone else's kid. That I wasn't a Slytherin, or related to who I am. I mean, I'm proud of who I am, my family, and my House . . . but there was that moment."

"It comes to all of us," Scorpius assured. "I've felt like that multiple times. We all do."

"I hate the feeling," Lana stated. "The feeling of being so helpless. Because no matter what I do . . . nothing will change. Not their opinion, not the paper's, and not the fact that my father was a death eater. There's nothing I can do."

"I started going to Diagon Alley a lot this summer," Scorpius told them. "Because, with my hair like this, people didn't recognize me. They didn't know I was a Malfoy, and they treated me like any other kid. It was . . . addicting. But in the end, when I went home, it hurt. Because I knew that if I made my hair blonde again . . . they would hate me in an instant. All because of who my family is."

"I got thrown out of Flourish&Blotts one year," Mitch admitted. "I was with Brandon and Kim, and I was just looking over book titles when I heard these two guys whispering. They were talking about me and my siblings. About how for all they knew, we could grow up and be death eaters too. I knocked over a small shelf and kicked the books at them, and asked them if we'd burn the books before the world. If that's what death eaters did, and I just lost it. Brandon and Kim had to drag me out, and now I don't even go in to buy my own textbooks."

"We can't do anything about who we are," Scorpius murmured. "We can try and hide it, but in the end, we are who we are. We can't change it, and we can't change what they think of us."

"We can only survive and try to be happy with what we have," Mitch agreed. "Because even when we hide it, or lash out loudly . . . it still hurts in the end."