"Has my Hogwarts letter arrived yet?" A white-haired, teenage boy looked across the table at his father.

"Not yet, Scorpius." The man replied after a sip of tea. As he looked at his son he could see himself at that age. The biggest difference between him and his son was no in the physical appearance but in the way his son had been raised. Scorpius had had a childhood full of love and happiness. Happiness, at least until his mother's death two years ago. Astoria had inherited a blood curse that shortened her life. They'd had thirteen years as a family of three and she had been there for Scorpius' first two years at Hogwarts. Now it was just the two of them; they were trying.

"Should be any day now." Scorpius reached for another sausage. "I wonder if they've been able to find a professor for Care of Magical Creatures yet…" He said more to himself than to his father.

"Are you hoping?" Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow at his son. Care of Magical Creatures had not been one of his favorite classes during his time at the renowned school for Witchcraft and Wizardry… although that could have a lot to do with his childhood in general.

"Yes. It was one of my favorites. I was hoping we would cover something cool like dragons or hippogriffs." Draco choked on his tea at the mention of the half-horse, half-eagle creature. That had been his first lesson under Rubeus Hagrid's professorship of the course. It was not a happy memory, even if he had apologized to Hagrid for all the trouble he caused.

"I'm surprised Hagrid retired as a professor before they were able to find a replacement. I wager he'll be looking for help with game keeping in time." Draco thought about the half-human, half-giant who had been the game keeper at Hogwarts for the better part of 50 years.

"I don't know, Dad. He's still pretty active, especially for his age." Scorpius looked at his father. He knew that his dad had basically been the school bully – especially towards Harry Potter and his friends. Harry Potter was well-known in the wizarding world and also his best friend's father. Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. It had been then that the Malfoys defected from the Death Eaters. He knew the tension between his grandparents and his parents had been about this belief that only pure-bloods were worthy. This was the ideology that Draco had been raised on and had followed for most of his childhood. Thankfully, Astoria and Draco had raised Scorpius to accept everyone.

"I think I hear an owl." Draco stood up from the table and headed to the front door. Just as he reached it, two letters came through the mail slot. He chuckled as he bent down to retrieve them. Scorpius had insisted on having the mail slot installed because he thought it would be a fun way to receive the mail.

"To one Mr. Scorpius H. Malfoy. Malfoy Manor." Scorpius read the name of the envelope when his dad handed it to him. "You got one too?" He noticed a similar looking envelope in his dad's hands.

"Seems so." Draco noted the name on the envelope. "Mr. Draco L. Malfoy. Malfoy Manor."

"Why are they sending you a letter?" Scorpius asked, opening his own.

"Guess I should find out." Draco hesitated and then slowly broke the wax seal. He hadn't received a letter from Hogwarts in quite some time. "You don't plan on running away again, do you?" He looked over at his son and raised an eyebrow.

"No. I think we learned our lesson last year." Scorpius certainly didn't want to go through all of that again. "So?"

"Did they find a professor for that class?" Draco changed the conversation so her could compose himself enough to read the letter.

"It appears so, actually." Scorpius was looking over his fifth year supply list. "'Students taking Care of Magical Creatures will need one copy each of The Monster Book of Monsters by Edwardus Lima and Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.'" Scorpius looked up at his dad and was confused by his horrified expression. "Oh, there's a post script… 'Just kidding about the Monster Book of Monsters. That will not be required this year.'"

"Oh, good." Draco sighed with relief. "That book was NOT fun…" He shuttered as he remembered the bites book Hagrid had required when he he took the class in his third year.

"So, what did the school want?" Scorpius looked at his dad.

"Apparently, they are wondering if I would be willing to do a series of guest lectures for the History of Magic and a few for Defence Against the Dark Arts." Draco wasn't sure about this.

"Albus' dad guest lectures for Defence at least once a year. I think his mom has done a few for History. I think she's also coached each Quidditch team a few times."

"Well, I can understand them being asked. I will write to the Headmistress for more information before deciding. I'm sure you will want to send Albus a letter and find out when they will be at Diagon Alley."

"Right. I should do that now." Scorpius turned to head upstairs.

"Oh, Scorpius, did the letter mention the name of the new professor?" Draco was curious. He knew a few of the current professors had attended Hogwarts at the same time he had.

"No, it doesn't. Do you want me to see if Albus or Rose know?" He offered.

"No, that's okay. Maybe I'll ask Professor McGonagall when I ask about the lectures." Draco shook his head. Scorpius darted up the stairs and Draco headed into the study. While he left all the portraits up as a reminder of that horrible time, he never once looked at them. He may be seen as a disgrace to his family for turning his back on the pure-blood ideology, it no longer bothered him. He knew without a doubt they had been wrong. He had learned to tune out their remarks. He sat at the desk and pulled out some parchment.

Dear Professor McGonagall,

I have received your invitation to take part in a series of guest lectures. Before I make any decision, I would like a little more information. Why me? We both know I was a horrid student and made poor choices as a result. Denouncing my loyalty to Voldemort and the Death Eaters does not negate the fact that I was a Death Eater. Nor does it negate the fact that I took on the task from Voldemort to kill Professor Dumbledore – even if I did not/could not go through with it in the end. Again, I ask, why me? Surely there are better, more appropriate, alumni to request this of.

Also, I am curious as to who the new professor is for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Scorpius is looking forward to taking the class again. I don't think I've seen him so excited… especially not since his mother's death.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

He folded the letter and stuck it in an envelope addressed to Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He took a deep breath, sealed it with a wax seal bearing the Malfoy family crest, and called for an owl. Not long after, Scorpius' own owl was flying out an upstairs window with a letter in its beak.