Scorpius didn't feel at home in the Gryffindor tower. Once their prefects had lead them to the tower, Albus and Scorpius had entered their dorm room, along with their newest classmates, Avery, Nash, and Travis. Immediately, Nash flopped down on the bed closest to the door. He was the tallest of the five, and exuded confidence you could sense from a mile away.

"Mine," he proclaimed, throwing his arms around, and then flipping over onto his stomach. Scorpius noted that Nash's trunk was already at the end of his bed. Scorpius's bed was close to a window, which he liked. Scorpius pulled Diao's empty cage off his trunk and opened the trunk. He changed into his pajamas, and then lay down on his bed, exhausted. Al had the bed next to him, which made Scorpius feel slightly better, but he still wasn't comfortable.

All his life, Scorpius had heard his parent's descriptions of being in Slytherin. They had told him of elegant common room with the leather couches and the crystal lamps that emitted a soft green glow and the sleigh-like beds that were as comfortable as a cloud. He had heard of their adventures in the common room; exploring the dungeons at night, playing chess and gobstones in front of the fire, even celebrating Christmas in that common room. The Slytherin common room meant so much to Scorpius, even more than a place to relax, because it was his parent's. Whether the other students realized it or not, it was his parent's room, because they had created so much history there.

The Gryffindor common room was different. It was in a high tower, from one side of the room, one could look out over the lake, and from the other side, Scorpius could see the Quidditch Pitch. The chairs and couches were all red, but the upholstery didn't match. There was a chess set, an iron chandelier, and round tables for people to do homework at. The beds were all set in handsome cherry, and they all had heavy red velvet curtains pulled around the headboard. It was beautiful room, but Scorpius didn't feel comfortable.

"Are you okay?" Al asked quietly as he pulled down the covers to his own bed.

Scorpius smirked, and tossed his wand up and down in one hand. "I'm fine. Worrywart."

Al made a face, and then flipped over on his side with his back to Scorpius. Immediately, the smirk disappeared from Scorpius's face. Avery and Travis were still up and chatting about their home lives.

"Half-blood," Travis was saying. "My dad fought against the death eaters. Nearly got killed, too. But he escaped, just barely. My mum found him on the side of a road near Wiltshire, nearly dead." Travis threw a loathsome look at Scorpius. "He says a lot of old Death Eaters live in Wiltshire."

Scorpius felt his temper flare again. Both Nash and Al sat up in their beds, and turned to stare at Scorpius.

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius hissed, staring daggers at Travis.

Travis let out a short laugh. "It's a surprise you're in Gryffindor, seeing as how your parents were Death Eaters."

"They were not!" Scorpius jumped from his mattress, his hands curled into fists. The rest of the boys stared, and the Al spoke up.

"Scorpius is right. His parents helped defeat Voldemort." Everyone stared at Al, mostly because he had just used the name of the Wizard who they weren't allowed to discuss.

"Let's hope this Malfoy is as brave as his parents, then," Travis responded. He avoided Scorpius's eyes and he leaned down to pull open his trunk. Avery met Scorpius's eyes, shook his head slightly, and then leaned back on his mattress.

"I need water," Scorpius said quietly. He grabbed his wand off his nightstand and started towards the door that lead to the common room.

"It's after curfew," Travis pointed out.

"Well look at that," Scorpius sneered back. "I'm taking after my parents, aren't I? I'm a lot braver than you, breaking curfew…" Scorpius took care to slam the door behind him as hard as he could. He slowly crept down the iron stairs. Truthfully, Scorpius didn't feel as courageous as he had pretended to be. All he wanted was to get a glass of water and then go back to bed. But as his foot touched the ground to the common room, Scorpius saw a curious sight. A transparent figure floated through the portrait hole. It was a ghost. He had never seen one before. While his mother had told him there were many at Hogwarts, including a poltergeist, they had remained absent at the welcoming feast.

Scorpius glanced around him, looking to see if anyone was watching. When he was sure no one was, he scrambled through the portrait hole, and began to follow the ghost. He didn't shout out to it, because he didn't want to scare it away. Scorpius watched it float from staircase to staircase, and Scorpius would follow, careful to stay two staircases behind, so he wouldn't be spotted. On the third floor, the ghost floated off the staircase and began to move into the corridor. Scorpius hopped off the staircase and began to follow him. The portraits on the walls were all asleep, and in the dark, Scorpius squinted at his wristwatch, straining to see the numbers. The hands indicated that it was well past eleven, it was nearly twelve.

The ghost bobbed along the corridor, and then paused in front of a window. In the moonlight, Scorpius saw his first glimpse of the ghost's features. It was a sour looking man, with long, straggly hair and a hooked nose. He wore long robes that flapped around his arms. The man's eyes were black and round and extremely clever. But Scorpius could also see he was extremely sad.

The ghost floated through a door on his right. Scorpius stole out from behind the column he was stowed behind, and walked up to the door. Carefully, he placed a hand on the gold knob and opened the door. It was a long hallway, with torches on either side. Portraits lined the walls, and at the sound of the door opening, they awoke.

"What are you doing, boy?" One of them hissed at Scorpius. He wore a tea cozy on his head and had a frizzy mop of grey hair. Scorpius ignored him and shut the door quietly. He sunk down on the stairs, and then peered out behind the railing. The ghost had floated all the way down the hallway and had turned the corner. Scorpius stood up ad began to jog after the ghost. At the end of the corridor, a portrait suddenly stopped him.

"Stop," the person in the portrait commanded. Scorpius, startled, fell over. He looked up to see a tall portrait of a handsome boy who was a few years older than he was.

"Who're you?" Scorpius asked, standing up. He dusted off his palms on his pajama pants.

"My name was Cedric Diggory, back when I went to Hogwarts." The boy smiled kindly down at Scorpius, but then his voice took an urgent tone. "I'm going to tell you this: do not follow that ghost. That is the ghost of Severus Snape, an old teacher at Hogwarts. If he sees you down here, he will tell you're the head of your house."

Scorpius took a step back. "Thank you," he whispered. Slowly, he began to back up towards the door, as quietly as he could without making a sound. Suddenly, a whispering noise reached Scorpius's ears. Cedric looked panicked as another portrait whispered to him.

"He's coming," Cedric mouthed at Scorpius. Scorpius felt a pit of nerves drop open inside his chest. He had only been in school a few hours and here he was, poised to get in trouble. He had nowhere to hide, he was out in the open, and the door was several yards away. He had no time to run. Before Scorpius could sink to the floor and curl up in a ball, hoping to become invisible, a hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Someone yanked him harshly, and a cloak was thrown over Scorpius's body. Scorpius let out a breath of relief and looked to his side. James, Albus and Rose were standing under the cloak, breathing heavily too.

The ghost of Snape floated back into the room, and the four of them began to ease backwards.

"Do my ears mistake me?" The ghost asked in a slow, precise tone. "Or was a student lurking around this corridor a few moments ago?"

The portraits didn't say anything, even though Snape stared expectantly at them. Cedric finally spoke up.

"Professor, it was Peeves. He said he had seen a student sneaking around, and he was trying to find them." Cedric bit his lips. "His arms were full of blazing bombs, the Weasley ones…"

"Damn things," the ghost muttered, flying towards the group. The four of them ducked, even though Snape was at least three feet to their right. "They let off those god-awful screams and ruin all the carpets." Snape flew through the door and disappeared.

"Are you barking?" James asked, turning on Scorpius. "Sneaking around your first night? As a first year?"

"I hadn't seen a ghost before," Scorpius explained.

"It was scientific, James," Rose reprimanded her cousin. Albus and James rolled their eyes.

"You really should have been placed in Ravenclaw," Al told her.

"The whole family's been in Gryffindor, I wouldn't be a Weasley if I wasn't in that house," Rose beamed. Al glanced at Scorpius, who looked straight ahead, refusing to let his face betray his emotions.

"Come on," James said in a huffy tone. "Let's get back to the common room, alright? Wren, Mose and Reyna are all waiting. We wanted to take the cloak out tonight."

"You shouldn't even be taking it out," Albus protested as they cracked open the door and began to make their way down the third floor corridor. "You stole it from Dad."

"He gave it to me," James argued, and they hopped onto one of the moving staircases, which let out a loud creak as it sailed upwards. "Just…not this time. He let me use it last year, for a while…and I was supposed to give it back and I just…didn't."

"Whatever," Albus said, rolling his eyes. Out of the corner of Scorpius's eye, he saw Rose try to contain a giggle.

When they returned to the portrait of the Fat Lady, James gave her the password.

"Flaming Newt." The portrait swung open, though the Fat Lady looked extremely disappointed in them. James tucked the cloak in his breast pocket of his robes. "Go to bed," James commanded of the first years. The three other students in James's year were waiting on the couch. They all looked rather haughty, in Scorpius's opinion.

"Come on, James," said the girl, rising to her feet. She was extremely pretty, and Scorpius saw James blush a little when she said his name. She smiled, and her blue eyes scrunched up a bit. The other two students, one a lanky blonde boy, and the other, a handsome black boy with dreadlocks and green eyes, joined James and the girl. James swung the cloak over the four of them, and then exited the common room. Scorpius leaned against the arm of the chair.

"Where did you know to find me?" He asked Rose and Albus.

Albus nodded at Rose. "She knew."

Scorpius stared at Rose. She shrugged. "You didn't notice me when you came downstairs. I was sitting in that chair in the corner, reading. I said your name, but you had already gone. Al came down a few seconds later, looking for you, and then the four of them came." She threw her hand towards the door, gesturing to James and his friends. "Your blonde hair acts like a fire, you know. It's almost as easy to spot as mine, and I'm a flaming ginger." She stated this matter of factly, but then she smiled. "I quite like the color, you know. It's like corn silk."

"Thanks," Scorpius replied, grinning back. For a moment, Scorpius simply smiled at Rose, and she smiled back, and then Al coughed. Both of them jumped, and then stared at him. Al looked alarmed.

"I'm going to bed," he whispered.

"Oh yeah, I should too," both Rose and Scorpius said. The three friends headed towards their dormitories, Albus and Scorpius climbing the staircase on the left, and Rose on the right. When they all climbed into their own beds, they fell asleep as soon as their blonde, black, and red heads hit the pillows.

The following morning, Scorpius got up earlier than he normally did. He put on clothes and went out of the common room. He grabbed a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink from his bag, and then ventured out into the castle. He slipped out the front doors, and began to walk across the courtyard, and then the lawn. Across the suspension bridge was the owlry. Scorpius began the laborious climb into the owlry. When he arrived at the top step, he sank down and began to write on the parchment.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I arrived at Hogwarts all right. I met some kids who are nice, but Dad, I'm not sure if you would approve. Mum, I know you liked Rose Weasley's mother enough, but the other kids I met are the Potter brothers. Why don't you like them, dad? They seem nice enough to me.

I'm sorry if I seem agitated. I suppose I should just tell you now that I was sorted into Gryffindor. That's why I'm so angry. I wanted to be in Slytherin like you were. I suppose things will just get better. At least, that's what I hope.

I have to go, I have my first classes today.

Scorpius

Scorpius folded the parchment and headed inside. He looked up into the rafters, but he couldn't spot Diao. Quietly, he let out a little whistle through his two front teeth. At once, Diao swept down from the rafters. Scorpius held out an arm, and Diao's talons closed around it as the owl gracefully landed.

"Here," Scorpius said, and handed the letter to Diao, who clenched it tightly in his beak. "It's not a long journey, so I'm not putting the letter on your leg, alright? Take this to mum and dad."

Diao let out a muffled hoot, and then took flight, soaring out of one of the glass-free windows.

"Writing to your mum and dad?" Rose had appeared in the doorway, holding the bottle of ink and quill Scorpius had left on the steps.

"Thought they might want to know how I'm doing," Scorpius replied, somewhat sullen after pouring out all his feeling onto parchment. Rose was quiet as she turned her own letter over in her palm.

"My mum feels the same way," she said quietly, beckoning down a huge barn owl. She tied the letter to its extended leg as it blinked rapidly at her. "She worries a lot, my mum. Especially after the time she was raised in." Rose lead the owl over to the window, stroked its wing, and then threw it out into the wind. Scorpius stepped over to her side and they looked out over the forbidden forest. "You were writing to tell them you were put in Gryffindor, weren't you?"

"Yes." Scorpius didn't know quite how she detected these things, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. It was like having the sorting hat with him at all times.

"You wanted to be in Slytherin," Rose guessed. Scorpius nodded. Rose sighed and pulled her long red hair up in a ponytail. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Scorpius stared at her. "Yeah."

Rose's eyes were heavy. "I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. I felt like I would do best there, I really did. But I knew Al was going to be in Gryffindor." She swallowed. "I was afraid. I wanted to be in the same house as Al, because he's my only friend. So I made the sorting hat put me in Gryffindor."

"That's not true," Scorpius began, and Rose's eyes flashed. "Al's not your only friend." Rose blushed as she smiled at him. "Plus, he's your cousin. So I'm not sure that really counts."

Rose nodded and rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant. Were you scared, Scorpius? When you got put in Gryffindor?"

Scorpius paused for a moment before answering. "Terrified."

Rose suddenly linked her arm with his. "Let's get breakfast. Look at us, the cowardly Gryffindors."

"Yeah," Scorpius said, looking down at the grounds below. "I hope you aren't afraid of heights." Rose pinched Scorpius's ear.

A little while later, while Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy were eating breakfast in their grand dining room, a tapping sounded at the window. Celia abruptly pushed back her chair, ran around Draco's chair, and pushed open the window. Their son's handsome owl flew inside, landed on the table, and dipped it's beak in Draco's water glass.

"Disgusting bird," Draco muttered, pushing his goblet away. Diao nipped at Draco's fingers, and then flew back out the open window. Draco turned to see his wife, slumped in her chair, scanning the letter from Scorpius. Her peaches and cream face had suddenly turned very, very, white. Her eyes got bigger. "What is it, Celia?" Draco demanded, taking in her appearance.

Celia gulped as she looked at her husband. Silently, she handed the letter to him.

"See for yourself." Celia folded her hands together and placed them on the table. She was caught between the bizarre urge to laugh and swear. Draco silently read the letter, and then slowly placed it in front of him. He did not make a sound, but instead, leaned his elbows on the table. Celia watched as her husband hung his head, and then laced his hands and looped them around the back of his skull. "Darling?"

Celia waited for a minute before getting up and crouching next to her husband's chair. Gently, she reached out and pulled his elbow off the end of the table. Draco looked up at her, and his face showed tears glistening on the pale skin. Celia felt anger boil under her skin.

"You're that disappointed?" She asked, her voice icy.

"Disappointed?" Draco asked, and his voice was thick. "God, no. I'm relieved." Draco seized his wife's hand, kissed her fingertips, and then her wedding band, and held her palm against his face. Her thumb ran over the tears, blending them into Draco's pores, so they were invisible, like they had never happened. "Don't you see?" Draco rose, dragging his wife up along with him. He clutched her against him. "Our son will never make our mistakes. He will be able to finally, finally, give the Malfoy name the redemption it deserves."