Great Expectations

It was a beautiful summer morning and the dining room was filled with sunlight. The scent of roses wafted in through the open windows, mingling with the smell of the bacon cooking on the stove. A freshly laundered tablecloth covered the large dining table and crisp white napkins were neatly folded at each of the three place settings. A vase of freshly cut flowers sat in the middle of the perfectly set table.

A woman with long dark hair called out, “Breakfast’s ready!�

She smiled to herself as she heard her eleven year old son slide down the banister and race across the foyer, reaching the dining room in record time. Her husband made a considerably more dignified entrance from his study.

“Did you wash your hands?� Astoria asked her son, eyebrow raised.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and held up his hands in exasperation. “Yes, Mum.�

Astoria teasingly turned to Draco and repeated the question. He smiled and mockingly raised his hands for inspection too. She gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek prior to seating herself.

Before Scorpius had a chance to ask for the pancakes to be passed, several owls flew in through the open windows. Mercury, one of the Malfoy’s owls, skidded along the table and crashed into the vase. This resulted in a pile of feathers, flowers and broken china. Scorpius jumped out of his chair and picked up the bird while his mother magically repaired the vase. She then levitated it and the rearranged flowers back onto the table.

“Is Mercury alright?� asked Draco, before Vanishing the spilled water and refilling the vase.

Carefully looking their eldest owl over, Scorpius was relieved to see that Mercury seemed fine, despite his most recent crash landing. Mercury hooted indignantly so Scorpius quickly let go of him.

“Yeah, he looks okay,� confirmed Scorpius.

“Perhaps it’s time for him to retire,� ventured Draco, winking at Scorpius.

Mercury ruffled his feathers and answered with several angry hoots, making it clear this was out of the question.

Draco and Scorpius couldn’t help but grin at each other; Mercury had made the same refusal following his last dozen crashes.

“I dunno, Dad, I think he has a ways to go before retiring,� answered Scorpius, following their script.

Mercury stopped puffing up his feathers and appeared to be somewhat placated.

“As long as you don’t mind,� Draco told the owl with all the seriousness he could muster. “Here, have some toast.�

Mercury seemed to decide that the toast completed the apology, accepted it in his beak and flew off again.

Astoria ignored this routine as she opened a letter from her sister, trying to arrange for a shopping trip in Paris. Draco checked his pocket-watch and took a gulp of coffee before he returned to his copy of the Daily Prophet. It was a few moments before Scorpius realized that there was a letter for him. He let out a squeal of excitement upon recognizing the Hogwarts crest and ripped open the envelope, quickly reading the flowing blue script:

Dear Mr Malfoy,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Septima Vector,

Deputy Headmistress

Astoria hurried over to Scorpius and Draco proudly clapped him on the back, announcing, “This calls for a celebration! Tomorrow’s Saturday, we’ll all go to Diagon Alley, and you can pick out a Hogwarts acceptance present, we can get your school supplies then too!�

“You should write your grandparents and let them know you got your letter,� reminded Astoria, briefly dampening Scorpius’s spirits. Writing letters wasn’t exactly what he’d call celebrating.

“Is there really a giant squid in the lake?� asked Scorpius eagerly.

Draco smiled. “Yes, and we’ll answer all your questions at dinner tonight, but right now, I have to get to work.�

With that, he gave a final glance at his golden pocket-watch and Disapparated.

Scorpius was so excited he could barely eat his breakfast. Astoria quickly finished hers and excused herself, explaining that she had a tight deadline for her column. She wrote for Witch Weekly and had to send this week’s off in the next few hours. With a wave of her wand, the dishes cleaned themselves and soared off into the kitchen.

After writing the required letters to his grandparents, Scorpius spent the rest of the morning playing in the garden. The only problem with having a huge lawn was that it was a long walk to find anyone to play with. He was an only child and often lonely. Uncle Greg came to visit sometimes but he was hardly fun to play with and had no children of his own. What excited Scorpius most about going to Hogwarts was that he’d finally get to make friends his own age. The only children he ever got to play with were Gerald and Rachel Zabini and that was only because their mothers were friends at Hogwarts. Gerald was whiny and never wanted to go outdoors. Rachel was older and annoyingly bossy. She always had to choose the game or she wouldn’t play.

One time they’d finally managed to convince Gerald to go outside (he’d insisted he was allergic to grass) and Scorpius had found a toad. He’d proudly shown it to Rachel and Gerald. Rachel asked if she could see it and Scorpius had naively handed it to her. Rachel threw the toad as hard as she could and told him that toads were for babies. Scorpius had run crying to their mothers. Astoria had tried to explain to him that it was only a toad and nothing to cry over. Millicent Zabini simply looked disgusted with him for having wanted to play with something so slimy and unfashionable.

It wasn’t uncommon for Scorpius to find little animals. His mother was now annoyingly used to levitating baby birds back into the nests they’d fallen from or having to heal a mouse that her son had rescued from the cat. He was also hugely looking forward to taking Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, but knew that wouldn’t be until his third year. His parents had tried to coach him towards different branches of magic, warning him that the Care of Magical Creatures teacher was incompetent. They’d told him the story of how his father was brutally attacked by a Hippogriff during his very first class. Scorpius decided that while the teacher may be incompetent, he’d just be careful and make sure to read the textbook carefully. He wanted to be a Magizoologist when he grew up or perhaps work with dragons at the Romanian Longhorn Dragon Reserve. Spending so much time alone had given him a lot of time to read. He’d already read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a half dozen times. His new favourite book was written by Luna Longbottom on the new species she’d discovered. Scorpius had been delighted to see the first photographs of Blibbering Humdingers, which had been considered mythical for over a century. He couldn’t understand why his parents had been so reluctant to buy him the book; he’d had to specially ask for it for his birthday three times before they’d agreed to buy it for him. Normally he only had to ask once, unless it was an animal, then the answer was “No.�

Astoria Malfoy was not overly fond of animals. She pointed out that they had two family owls and a cat. That was more than enough. Scorpius didn’t find this anywhere near enough, especially since the owls were usually away on business for his parents. Snowflake, the cat, didn’t seem to like children and would scratch or bite Scorpius if he tried to play with her. She was a purebred Persian that Astoria’s sister, Daphne, had given her as a wedding gift. None of the Malfoys were particularly fond of Snowflake but Daphne would be insulted if they didn’t keep her.

*

That evening Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius went for dinner at Malfoy Manor. Scorpius always enjoyed their trips to visit his grandparents. His grandmother, Narcissa Malfoy, had an extensive aviary complete with her signature albino peacocks. Grandfather Lucius always had a few Galleons for his only grandson and would happily let him borrow books from the enormous library. Sometimes Scorpius wished that the family would move to Malfoy Manor. Astoria often tried to convince Draco to accept Lucius and Narcissa’s offer of living with them, after all there was certainly more than enough room. However, Draco firmly refused to move back into his parents’ home. Scorpius couldn’t be certain, but he suspected that his father disliked his childhood home; he never seemed to truly laugh when he was there. It always seemed as though a cloud of formality hung over the family when they were gathered together in the drawing room.

Scorpius had barely made his way in through the front door when his grandmother rushed over to kiss him on the cheek. “We’re so proud of you, Scorpius! In a few years you’ll be a Slytherin Prefect, just like your parents and grandfather were.�

Lucius hugged his grandson and then winked at him, saying, “And captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, just like Draco and I.�

Astoria helpfully added, “You know, Draco was the best Seeker Slytherin had for years.�

“I was a Chaser, myself,� added Lucius.

Draco was frowning a bit and pointed out, “Scorpius doesn’t have to be in Slytherin, you know.�

Silence fell upon the room. Scorpius examined the faces of his parents and grandparents. After a few very uncomfortable moments, Astoria laughed. “Well, of course he doesn’t have to be in Slytherin, but I’m sure he will be.�

“Ravenclaw is a very good house too,� added Narcissa unconvincingly. Before her husband could disagree, she continued, “Perhaps we should all start dinner before it goes cold.�

Once they were seated at the table, Scorpius asked, “How many houses are there? Four right?�

“Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor,� replied Astoria in a neutral tone.

“What’s wrong with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor?�

“Gryffindors are show-offs and Hufflepuffs couldn’t get into any other house,� answered Lucius.

Scorpius thought about this for a few moments. “How do you get into Slytherin or Ravenclaw?�

“Ravenclaws are very studious,� cut in Narcissa. She had been concerned that Lucius would use the term ‘know-it-alls’ and upon considering how much time Scorpius spent reading, she could envision him being shunted to Ravenclaw.

“Slytherins have a pure ancestry,� added Lucius.

Draco’s frown was more pronounced this time. “Slytherins are also very resourceful and creative.�

Astoria sensed the growing tension between her husband and father-in-law. “So you see, Dear, it’s fairly certain that you’ll end up in Slytherin because you’re creative and resourceful as well as being a pure-blood.�

“Oh.� Scorpius accepted this answer and the mood at the table lightened somewhat.

After taking a few more mouthfuls of pheasant, Scorpius had found more questions. “Is the ceiling in the Great Hall really enchanted to look like the sky?�

Draco smiled. “How many times have you read, Hogwarts A History, then?�

“A few,� muttered Scorpius, grinning at his father.

“Yeah, it really is enchanted like that,� answered Draco.

“What if I forget the password to the common room?�

“Then you’ll spend a lot of your time like your Uncle Greg,� answered Astoria, eyes twinkling. “He used to spend quite a while waiting for Draco with Crabbe…�

Astoria flushed a bit. They didn’t talk about Vincent Crabbe much. Draco often got upset; he didn’t like remembering the night Vincent had died, or how it had happened.

Oblivious to his mother’s faux pas, Scorpius continued with question after question. His parents and grandparents answered as many as they could; they told him about his professors, his classes, how he would get to Hogwarts and what the Slytherin common room looked like.

*

After saying goodnight to Scorpius, Draco went downstairs to the lounge and sat next to his wife as she sipped a cup of tea.

“I have to tell him,� he said in a voice devoid of emotion.

Astoria set down her teacup and looked at her husband. “You don’t need to tell him anything. You didn’t do anything wrong.�

Draco’s face twisted. “Really? I would have thought attempted murder would be considered wrong.�

“You were cleared by the Wizengamot. You had no choice.�

“That doesn’t mean there weren’t times when I wanted to…�

“Yes, well, that’s between you and I. There’s no reason to worry Scorpius over it,� replied Astoria.

“And what about when he arrives at Hogwarts and everyone knows all about his family except him?�

“It was twenty years ago, the other children will know only what Scorpius knows: he comes from a long line of pure-bloods.�

Draco ceased to argue with his wife. He still couldn’t help but mentally correct her previous statement; it had been nineteen years, three months and twenty-four days since it had finally ended. Neither Astoria nor Scorpius knew what it was like to be held prisoner by the Dark Lord and he was eternally thankful for that.

Sins of the Father

The next morning Scorpius could barely contain himself. His mother had only taken him to Diagon Alley a few times and he’d never gone with his father before. Occasionally Draco would take his son to watch a Puddlemere United game from the owner’s box. Family outings were typically to Malfoy Manor or to Paris to visit his aunt and other grandparents. Today their first stop was at Gringotts.

Scorpius had never been inside the bank before, nor had he ever seen goblins. He remembered what his grandfather had told him and made sure to hang on to his Galleons tightly. Before long Draco and Scorpius were in a cart speeding them through underground tunnels; Astoria had stayed behind as the cart rides made her feel ill.

Scorpius was amazed upon seeing the contents of the family vault. He’d known his parents were wealthy but he hadn’t ever imagined such an enormous pile of Galleons. There were several other things too, some seemed goblin-made. Others were jewels or fine china.

Draco couldn’t help but look smug. His Slytherin abilities had made him a very successful businessman. He owned a chain of apothecaries and they had flourished under his care. He had invested in several other businesses as well. He was rich and self-made, something neither his father nor his grandfather had achieved; both of them had inherited the majority of their wealth. He handed his son a money bag and encouraged him to fill it. Today was a day for extravagance and the Malfoys could easily afford it.

After another thrilling cart ride, the family was on their way to begin shopping for the school supply list. Astoria insisted on going to Madam Malkin’s first. Scorpius considered this the least exciting thing they could possibly do, however, he obediently stood still while the little old witch and her assistant measured him. They had been extra attentive once Astoria told them she wanted a half dozen sets of work robes, two winter cloaks, and a set of dress robes. Scorpius had read the list of required clothing and hoped there would be room in his dormitory for all the extra robes. He especially hoped that the extra clothes wouldn’t add to the time they were wasting in a boring robe shop. Upon seeing what the dress robes looked like he added the hope that he wouldn’t ever have to wear them, despite his mother having clasped her hands in delight and telling him how handsome he’d look.

When Astoria wasn’t looking Draco whispered in Scorpius’s ear, “Don’t worry, there’s no way you’ll have to wear them, at least not this year.�

Scorpius grinned up at his father in reply.

After what seemed forever to Scorpius, Astoria left instructions for the robes to all have nametags reading, “S. S. Malfoy.� In his hurry to move on to more interesting shops, Scorpius missed seeing the shadow that passed over Madam Malkin’s face upon hearing the name. Draco tried not to wince whereas Astoria simply ignored the older woman’s expression.

Upon exiting Madam Malkin’s, Draco turned to his son and asked, “How would you like a broom of your own?�

Scorpius’s face lit up at these words, but quickly fell again. “First years aren’t allowed brooms,� he replied in a dull voice.

“It would still give you the chance to learn to fly at home. I’d be happy to teach you…�

The rest of Draco’s words were drowned out by Scorpius’s shout of excitement. Astoria offered to pick up the cauldron, scales, telescope and phials while her husband and son picked out a broom. She didn’t like the idea of staring at broomsticks anymore than Scorpius wanted to shop for cauldrons. With that, Scorpius and Draco excitedly hurried over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, wearing identical expressions of boyish glee.

After browsing for nearly an hour they settled on the Thunderbolt, a beginner’s version of the Firebolt which had only been released the previous year. Scorpius loved the feel of the polished wood and could hardly believe it was his. They also purchased a broomstick servicing kit, Self-Straightening Brush and a Warning Whistle.

The sack of Galleons was considerably lighter upon leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies. As they walked down Diagon Alley, Scorpius noticed an older woman walking in their direction. Draco noticed her as well and told Scorpius, “Run along to the Magical Menagerie, I’ll meet you there in a little while.�

Draco then followed the older woman, whom he knew to be Andromeda Tonks. She seemed to be determinedly ignoring him so he tapped her on the shoulder.

“Mrs Tonks, I believe?�

Draco had prepared himself for anger but the look of contempt he saw in his aunt’s amber eyes was far worse than he had expected. He hadn’t expected the slap across his face either.

“How dare you?� she asked in an icy voice. The words stung nearly as much as his cheek.

“I… I wanted to invite you and your grandson over to my home for dinner… when-whenever is convenient to you both…� Draco didn’t normally stumble over his words but his aunt had completely unnerved him.

“We want nothing to do with you, your mother, or any other member of your family.�

“You are members of my family,� Draco pointed out, hoping to win her over.

“And that’s why my only daughter and her husband were murdered. That’s why my grandson grew up without either of his parents. Now you and your family can leave us well enough alone!�

She had raised her wand and was pointing it at him. Draco looked down, unable to continue to meet her furious gaze. “I’m sorry. I won’t bother you again.�

He hurried to the relative safety of one of his apothecaries. Once there, he took a few minutes to compose himself. Astoria had been right, contacting his aunt had been a bad idea, but doing it in person had been a disastrous one. He decided not to tell her about this run-in. When he had seen Andromeda walking down the street, merely feet from him, he simply hadn’t been able to resist trying to renew family ties. He couldn’t explain why, but had felt that bringing Andromeda and Theodore back into the family would in some way pay for his previous wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Scorpius was completely oblivious to his father having been slapped and shouted at. He’d been hurrying over to the Magical Menagerie, just as Draco had told him, when something stopped him. A girl, about his age, standing near a side alley was frantically looking about.

“Are you okay?� he asked.

Tearful blue eyes looked up into his. “I- I’ve lost my cousins and I don’t know how to get back to my uncle’s shop. We snuck off to Knockturn Alley and I got turned around…�

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you find it,� replied Scorpius. This girl already seemed much nicer than Rachel Zabini. “Which shop are you looking for?�

“Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes,� she answered.

“Oh! I know where that is, it’s just around the corner but you can’t see it from here.�

Scorpius led her around until the shop was within sight.

“Oh, thank you! We left out the back entrance, but I’ll just go in the front. Do you want to come too?�

“Sure!� replied Scorpius, excited at the possibility of having made a friend and meeting more.

“Are you shopping for your Hogwarts things?� the girl asked him.

“Yeah, it’s my first year, what about you?�

“Mine too! And my cousin, Albus. Maybe we’ll be in the same house!�

“What house do you think you’ll be in?� asked Scorpius, hoping the girl would say Slytherin. He really liked the idea of knowing someone in his house before he got there.

“Well, Dad’s always going on about how we all have to be in Gryffindor like him and Mum. But, I’m pretty sure he’s only joking. Mum says any house is fine. Most of my older cousins are Gryffindors. Victoire isn’t though. She’s a Ravenclaw and head girl! But her mum didn’t go to Hogwarts at all, well except for one year when she was in the Triwizard tournament with Uncle Harry…�

Scorpius didn’t really mind that his new acquaintance was doing all the talking; he usually only had himself to talk to.

“Uncle Harry was actually too young to be in the tournament but a man pretending to be their teacher tricked a cup into thinking it was okay. Uncle Harry doesn’t talk about the tournament much though, but Auntie Fleur told us how he rescued her sister and Dad from the merpeople at the bottom of the lake at Hogwarts…�

“There’s merpeople in the lake at Hogwarts?!� interrupted Scorpius. “That wasn’t in Hogwarts, A History.

“You read Hogwarts, A History?� asked the girl in delight.

“Well, yeah, how else would I know what to expect?�

“I read it too! None of my cousins ever did or my uncles or aunts. Dad said Mum and me are probably the only people who ever read the whole book but obviously that’s wrong since you read it too…�

Scorpius was feeling a bit envious of this girl and her enormous family. The way she spoke of her uncles, aunts and cousins made it sound as though there were enough of them to make an army.

“Rosie! Where have you been? Your parents are scouring Knockturn Alley with half the family!�

“Auntie Alicia! I got lost and then I met… actually I don’t know his name, and he helped me find the shop and he’s going to Hogwarts too! He’s a first year like me and Albus! And he read Hogwarts, A History too!�

Alicia turned to Scorpius and gave him a very peculiar look but quickly replaced it with a pleasant expression. “Well, thank you for helping Rosie find her way back.�

“You’re welcome,� answered Scorpius, politely. He was a bit nervous that Rosie’s aunt had looked at him as though he were a ghost. “I’d better go find my dad. I didn’t tell him where I was going.�

“Wait!� called Rosie, “I don’t know your name!�

He’d already started to leave but turned and yelled over his shoulder, “Scorpius!�

“I didn’t find out his last name,� Rosie complained to her aunt as Scorpius disappeared into the crowd.

“Malfoy,� answered Alicia, staring after the boy who was the spitting image of his father.

Scorpius arrived at the Magical Menagerie just before his father did. He noticed that his father didn’t seem as easy-going as he had been earlier and decided not to mention his detour to Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Draco calmed down as they browsed though, looking at assorted Kneazle kittens, Puffskeins, Pygmy Puffs, toads, snakes and even an Augurey. What fascinated Scorpius most were the Crup puppies. Draco let him play with them but warned him that they couldn’t take one home.

“Please, Dad?� begged Scorpius as one of the puppies licked his chin.

“Your mother would murder us both and you know it. She’s allergic to Crups.�

“Well, couldn’t I have a pet? The letter said I could bring an owl, cat or toad.�

Draco considered this. “The last thing we want is another cat, and any pet would have to come home during the holidays. No son of mine is going to take a toad to Hogwarts. That’s just begging to be teased. An owl wouldn’t be much extra work though...�

It wasn’t long before Draco left the owl emporium with Scorpius and a tawny owl. Astoria’s lips went thin upon seeing the owl cage, in a way that was highly reminiscent of Professor McGonagall. Draco thought it best not to mention the similarity to Astoria; he suspected he was in enough trouble already.

Their second last stop was at Ollivander’s. Silvanus Ollivander was quite old and had taken on an apprentice: his cousin’s granddaughter, Selene. Draco stopped a few shops before Ollivander’s, telling Astoria and Scorpius that he’d forgotten an appointment he had but to go on without him. Scorpius tried to hide his disappointment that his father’s meeting was more important than being there when he got his first wand.

His disappointment quickly turned to wonder as he entered the wand shop with shelf upon shelf of long thin boxes. Mr Ollivander came out to greet them. He gave Scorpius a look that was similar to the one Rosie’s aunt had given him, only more fearful.

“Selene! I think I need a cup of tea; perhaps you could see to young Mr Malfoy?�

Before Scorpius could ask how the old man had known his name, a young woman hurried out from the back room and asked him to hold out his wand arm. After she had taken his measurements, she muttered, “Hmm, nine to eleven inches by the looks of it…�

“Sorry?� asked Scorpius.

“Oh, the length of your wand is usually proportional to what your adult height will be. Ten inches seems like a good guess.�

She hurried over to a shelf and pulled down some boxes.

“What else determines my wand?� asked Scorpius, filled with curiosity.

“Well, wandlore isn’t an exact science, yet. However, there are a lot of patterns that have been observed over centuries. Length is usually the easiest to determine, but we know a bit about the wood and core of the wands as well. Here, try this ebony and unicorn hair.�

Scorpius had no idea what she meant by ‘try’ but obediently held the wand. Feeling rather silly, he gave it a flick. Nothing happened, except that the wand was snatched back.

“Nope. Well, the wood of the wand is determined by your physical self, when you were born, your natural abilities, that sort of thing. It’s hard to be precise since for many people, different parts apply to different woods, making it difficult to determine which wood is the dominant one. Birch and dragon heartstring, give it a whirl.�

Scorpius tried this wand as well but it too was snatched back.

“Er, so what determines the core?� he asked.

“The core actually chooses its owner. Each of our wand cores came from unicorns, dragons or phoenixes. Each of them has a personality and that is embedded, to some extent in the core. That personality looks at the part of you that’s more than what you were born: who you are. If the core doesn’t like you, it won’t work for you as well as another wand. If the core does like something it senses within you, it will work better for you than another wand. Aha! Elder and phoenix feather!�

However, that wand didn’t work either. As the pile of wands that didn’t choose him grew, Scorpius began to worry; what if there was no wand that liked him? Mahogany and unicorn hair, cedar and phoenix feather, oak and dragon heartstring, the pile kept growing.

At last red sparks shot from a wand that Selene had handed him.

“Hawthorn and phoenix feather!� she announced, beaming.

As Astoria paid the twelve Galleons for the wand, Mr Ollivander emerged from the backroom. His silvery eyes found Scorpius’s gray ones.

“I sold your father his first wand; it was also a ten inch hawthorn. It would seem that while you look quite alike, at your core you may be quite different.�

Scorpius realized that Mr Ollivander wasn’t just talking about wands but couldn’t figure out what it was that the old man was trying to tell him. Before he could ask any questions, his mother was taking him to Flourish and Blott’s.

“What did Mr Ollivander mean?� Scorpius asked his mother.

“Oh, who knows? He’s quite mad, but he makes the best wands in Europe.�

“The wandlore was interesting.�

“I wouldn’t put too much weight on that, Dear. She’s Mr Ollivander’s apprentice; he taught her that. Hopefully he also taught her how to make wands.�

“Oh.� Scorpius had found the wandlore quite fascinating. Perhaps he could find a book on the subject at Flourish and Blott’s. The bookshop was Scorpius’s second favourite shop on Diagon Alley, the Magical Menagerie was still first.

Draco was waiting for them when they arrived. He offered to help Scorpius look for a book on wandlore. Disappointingly, the owner informed them that he didn’t carry any. Scorpius still spent a good hour browsing the bookshelves with his parents. In addition to his schoolbooks, he bought Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, Dreadful Denizens of the Deep, and He Flew Like a Madman.

Astoria had arranged for all their parcels to be sent to them, although they took the broomstick, owl and extra books home with them. Scorpius enjoyed the rest of his summer. He played with his owl, learned how to fly and finished his new books. Still, he couldn’t wait for his first day at Hogwarts when he would finally get the chance to be around other children his own age. He was particularly looking forward to getting to see Rosie again.

The night of August thirty-first there was a gentle knock on Scorpius’s door. Draco looked more drawn than he had in many years. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, Son.�

Scorpius hadn’t the slightest idea why his father wanted to talk to him. He wracked his brain, trying to recall any recent misdeeds. Draco elaborated, “There’s something I need to tell you about my… my past, before you go to school.�

This sounded extremely interesting to Scorpius, his father hardly ever spoke of his childhood.

“Remember when Mum and I told you about the Great War?�

“The one against Voldemort?�

Draco winced. “Yes. We told you that he and his Death Eaters had taken over nearly everywhere and that a group called the Order of the Phoenix opposed him, even after he took over the Ministry.�

Scorpius nodded. “And you told me about how Mr Potter fought him when he attacked Hogwarts and how all the teachers defended the school.�

Draco sighed and rubbed his temples. “What I didn’t tell you was that I went to school with Potter. We hated each other. I tried to be friends with him on the way to Hogwarts, but he’d already made friends and wanted nothing to do with me. It all got worse from there. He even used dark magic on me and nearly killed me in our sixth year.�

Scorpius was amazed; he’d never heard any of this before. “You and Potter hate each other?�

“Yes, well we were Seekers for different houses, he was famous when he arrived at school and was always showing off, it was a schoolboy grudge and it was stupid of us.�

Draco swallowed and continued. “In the first war against You-Know-Who, my father was blinded by You-Know-Who’s lies and joined him. Once he realized what You-Know-Who was really like, it was too late to get out. When You-Know-Who returned it was the end of my fourth year at Hogwarts. Father had to return into You-Know-Who’s service or Mother and I would have been murdered.�

Scorpius’s eyes were wide; he’d never even imagined anything so horrible in his short, sheltered life.

Draco put a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder. “Father was given the job of procuring a prophecy but Potter destroyed it. Father was arrested and sent to Azkaban. To further punish him for not accomplishing his task, You-Know-Who forced me to join him. He gave me an impossible task to complete, telling me that if I failed he’d kill Mother and me.�

He was now reciting his story, almost completely devoid of emotion. “I didn’t fail, not completely. I managed half of my task, which meant that my life and Mother’s were spared. You-Know-Who was still angry with me though, I wouldn’t kill the man he’d ordered me to murder. He got Father out of Azkaban and kept us prisoner in Malfoy Manor. He did terrible things there.�

Draco looked into the horrified eyes of his son and gently told him, “I won’t tell you what happened there. We were kept prisoner for nearly a year. Then we were taken with him to the Battle of Hogwarts. Once there, Mother betrayed You-Know-Who and saved Potter’s life. Potter then went on to defeat You-Know-Who. The Wizengamot tried us as all three of us had been branded with You-Know-Who’s mark. We were each found innocent as we’d been forced to do his bidding.�

Scorpius was holding onto his father tightly. “Wh-why are you telling me this?� he asked in a frightened voice.

Draco hung his head. “Not everyone believed that we had no choice and it didn’t help that Potter and I didn’t get along as boys. I wanted you to hear this from me instead of some school-children who’ve been raised on their parents’ lies.�

Scorpius looked up into his father’s face; gray eyes met identical gray eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?�

Draco looked away and quietly answered, “I didn’t want you to be ashamed of me.�

To Draco’s surprise, Scorpius hugged him tightly, answering, “I’ll always be proud that you’re my dad.�

Pride and Prejudice

The first of September was a beautiful day, although it could have been pouring rain and Scorpius would still have thought it perfect. His parents helped him finish packing his belongings and they went to King’s Cross together.

Once there, Scorpius could barely contain his excitement. His mother was getting all teary-eyed about how “her little boy was all grown up.� Scorpius was hoping to get all his things and himself on the train before she embarrassed him. Fortunately, his father was much more reserved and Scorpius was grateful for it.

It wasn’t long before Scorpius was settled in an empty compartment on the train accompanied only by Merlin, the owl. He had said his goodbyes to his parents and was eagerly waiting for some kids to join him. He was quite excited at the idea of getting to spend hours making new friends.

It wasn’t long before a boy with dark hair knocked at the compartment door. “Is that seat taken?�

“Help yourself,� answered Scorpius eagerly.

The boy, who could be no older than Scorpius, extended a hand. “I’m Bernard Smith.�

Scorpius shook the other boy’s hand. “I’m Scorpius Malfoy, pleased to meet you and this is Merlin.�

The other boy’s eyebrows went up slightly upon hearing this and he no longer seemed interested in talking. Scorpius hadn’t the slightest idea what he’d done wrong, but to his dismay the boy mumbled some excuse about needing to look for someone and left.

He studied his reflection in the glass of the window. What had the other boy seen that caused him to so suddenly dislike him? Was this what his father had been worried about?

He heard a voice coming from down the corridor. “Well of course there’s space. There’s always space for everyone, we just might need to squeeze together a bit.�

Scorpius looked over; leading students down the corridor was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long flowing red-gold hair and beautiful light blue eyes. He knew he must be imagining it, but the girl just seemed to have a glow about her. She took one look at him and scowled. “Come on, I’ll find you another empty compartment.�

Scorpius was in shock. This was the second person who hated him and he hadn’t even had a chance to speak this time. He looked down at his hands as tears began to prick at his eyes. He firmly told himself that he was not going to cry.

“Scorpius!� cried out an excited voice. “Victoire! This compartment is fine; this is the boy I was telling you about earlier.�

Scorpius looked up to see Rosie’s head poking out from behind Victoire, who looked taken aback. “Rosie,� she hissed, “Do you know who this is?�

Rosie rolled her eyes. “Didn’t I just say that? This is Scorpius Malfoy, we met at Diagon Alley the day I got lost. He’s read Hogwarts A History just like me and Mum. Dad’s always said…�

“Rosie,� interrupted Victoire, “Do you know who his father is?�

Scorpius was getting a bit annoyed with the way Victoire was talking about him as if he wasn’t even there.

Victoire continued, “His father is the reason my father’s face is scarred.�

Rosie’s eyes went wide. The boy behind her asked, “Your father did that to Uncle Bill?�

Victoire’s eyes narrowed. “No. His father led the werewolf who did it into the school when he tried to murder Albus Dumbledore.�

Now Scorpius’s jaw had dropped as well. He couldn’t believe what this girl was saying. “That’s not true!�

Victoire gave him a twisted smile. “If you don’t believe me, ask your father.� She flipped her hair over her shoulder and added, “Come on Rosie, I’ll find you a better place to sit.�

“No.�

Victoire stared at her younger cousin. “What?�

Rosie stamped her foot. “You heard me. I’m going to sit here.�

Victoire was on the verge of losing her temper. “You want to sit with him? Do you know what else his father did? What his grandfather did? They were Death Eaters, Rosie, the kind of people that your father and Uncle Harry lock up.�

Rosie looked at Scorpius and asked, “Is that true?�

Scorpius gave Victoire a defiant look; she wasn’t nearly as pretty when she was angry. “No, it’s not true. Well, not completely. They had no choice; Voldemort was going to kill them if they didn’t and my grandmother too.�

Rosie seemed satisfied with this answer and gave Victoire an “I-told-you-so� look. Albus was still trying to decide which cousin he wanted to have yelling at him. Victoire was Head Girl, but Rosie might actually be in his classes, besides this Scorpius fellow didn’t look dangerous. He quickly made up his mind and sat next to Scorpius. “Hi, I’m Albus Potter.�

“Scorpius Malfoy, glad to meet you,� he replied, beaming in gratitude.

Victoire was not beaming. She very much looked as though she’d like nothing better but to drag her two younger cousins out of the compartment by their ears. “Fine,� she snapped, “But I’m writing to your parents tonight. We’ll see what they have to say about this.�

“What do you think Auntie Fleur and Uncle Bill would say if I wrote them about how you were snogging Teddy, in public?� asked Rosie in an innocent voice, eyes wide.

Victoire gave her two snickering cousins and the horrid Malfoy boy one last glare before she left. She had Head Girl duties to attend to and decided to deal with her delusional cousins later.

Back in the compartment, Albus, Rosie, and Scorpius were still laughing over Victoire’s reaction. It wasn’t long before they were talking about what they’d managed to find out about Hogwarts from their parents.

A blonde-haired girl with a kind round face knocked at the door. “Alice!� squealed Rosie.

Albus rolled his eyes but waved at Alice. She sat down beside Rosie and introduced herself to Scorpius. “Hi, I’m Alice Longbottom.�

“Scorpius Malfoy. Are you related to Luna Longbottom?� he asked eagerly.

Alice blushed a bit. “Yeah, she’s my mum.�

“I love her book!� exclaimed Scorpius, “I wish I’d seen her at King’s Cross.�

“Oh, well she’s going to be at the school in a few weeks anyway,� mumbled Alice.

“Really?� asked Rosie.

“Yeah, she wants to observe the Thestrals that Hagrid’s tamed. Apparently, all the tame Thestrals in Britain are descendants of the wild ones he helped tame.�

“That’ll be nice for you and your dad,� said Rosie, “Oh! And for Danny too, where is…�

“Alice’s dad is the Herbology teacher,� explained Albus.

Alice’s cheeks reddened a bit more.

“So are you a first year too?� asked Scorpius.

“No, I’m a second year but my brother, Danny, is a first year.� She turned to Rosie and asked, “Have you seen him around? He lost his toad and we went looking for it in different directions. I found Dolores but now I can’t find Danny.�

“Dolores?� asked Rosie.

Alice grinned and pulled Dolores, the toad, out of her pocket.

“He named her Dolores?� asked Albus in disbelief.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Dad named her Dolores. He and Mum think it’s hilarious, like some inside joke. Now the toad won’t answer to any other name.�

“Sounds like the sort of stupid thing your parents would do, Longbottom,� said a voice nastily.

Scorpius had nearly forgotten that Rachel Zabini would also be at Hogwarts. Alice turned to look at the other girl. “Shove off, Zabini.�

“Ooh, manners. Whatever would Daddy say?� asked Rachel in a mocking tone.

Alice’s jaw moved once or twice, but before she could reply Scorpius jumped to his feet. “Leave her alone, Rachel.�

Apparently, Rachel hadn’t noticed Scorpius until then; her eyebrows went up a bit, but she wasn’t the least bit flustered by his outburst. “Scorpius, you don’t belong here. You’re a pure-blood. We sit closer to the front.�

“I’ll sit with whoever I want!� snapped Scorpius.

Rachel laughed, “I don’t care if you don’t sit with us. I just thought you’d know better than to sit with them. Once they know who your parents and grandparents are, they won’t want you around and pure-bloods don’t accept half-blood’s rejects. You don’t want to associate with the wrong sort.�

Alice was looking at Scorpius suspiciously. Rosie was looking defiant but Albus seemed to be judging him again. Scorpius felt a twinge of fear, what if Rachel was right? Then he remembered how Rosie had defended him earlier.

“I’ll stay where I am thanks. You’re the wrong sort if ever I’ve met one.�

Rachel narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to regret that once you’re in Slytherin.�

“Well maybe I won’t be in Slytherin then!�

Rachel laughed at this. “Your parents and grandparents were all in Slytherin. You’ll be a disgrace to your whole family! Although, I expect you’re dim-witted enough for Hufflepuff.�

Alice’s cheeks went bright red.

Rachel turned to her and added, “Were Mummy and Daddy disappointed that their little princess was too stupid to get into any other house?

“Hey, Rachel! It’s too bad there isn’t a house for ugly people, ‘cause then Slytherin might have been spared the embarrassment of having you!�

Scorpius knew it was a bad idea to anger Rachel even as he had said it, but he couldn’t resist. He very quickly found a wand pointed in his face but before Rachel could say anything, Alice drew her own wand. Rachel noticed and changed direction so that she was aiming at Alice instead. “Care to duel, Longbottom? I’m pretty sure I’d beat you just as easily as last time…�

“Yeah, well you have me to deal with this time.�

“James!� called out Albus in relief. His older brother was standing there, wand pointed at Rachel’s back. She saw that Fred Weasley was with James as well. Deciding that three was too much, she backed off and left.

“Wow, we haven’t even made it to Hogwarts yet and already I’ve had to save you,� teased James. Albus stuck out his tongue in reply.

“Who’s this, then?� James asked, pointing at Scorpius.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Ever the gentleman, aren’t you James Potter? Some people would simply introduce themselves.�

“Well, since you just did that for me, would you like to introduce him too?�

“I’m Scorpius Malfoy.�

James and Fred both made faces. James added, “Well then, you can follow your little friend to the Slytherin compartment. Mind you don’t get lost on the way.�

Scorpius’s face flushed. “Don’t listen to him, Scorpius. You can stay here and if James doesn’t like it, he can leave,� Rosie said.

“You want him to stay?� James yelped, “Have you gone deaf, he said his name’s Malfoy. He’s a Slytherin.�

“No, he’s not,� pointed out Rosie, sensibly, “He hasn’t been sorted yet.�

James gave her a look and corrected himself, “Fine. He will be a Slytherin. Do you really want to be associated with a Slytherin?�

“What’s wrong with Slytherin?� asked Scorpius, indignantly.

James grinned adding, “Make that a stupid Slytherin.�

“Better a stupid Slytherin than a show-off Gryffindor,� snapped Scorpius who was getting quite annoyed. This was the third person who made their mind up about him after only having heard his surname.

Alice made a bit of a snorting sound, which may have been concealed laughter. James puffed up like a bullfrog.

“Fine, Malfoy can stay here. Come on Albus, you too Rosie.�

Albus looked at his hands. He liked Scorpius but James was his brother. Rosie stubbornly crossed her arms and glared at her older cousin. “Stop acting such a prat, James. Scorpius helped me get back to the Joke Shop after you let me get lost. He’s been perfectly nice and even insulted that horrid Rachel girl.�

Alice decided not to point out that “perfectly nice� likely shouldn’t include insulting people, however horrid. James and Fred looked somewhat abashed. Fred held out a hand and said, “Fred Weasley, and thanks for looking out for my little cousin.�

Scorpius mumbled, “You’re welcome,� while shaking Fred’s hand.

James looked as though he had a rather large slice of lemon in his mouth but finally said, “Well, if Rosie thinks you’re so wonderful, I guess you can’t be all bad.� He didn’t offer his hand though.

Scorpius expected this was as nice as James Potter was likely to get and decided that would have to be good enough. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how many more of Rosie’s cousins were going to hate him.

The next hour or so went smoothly enough. Alice and Fred left to continue looking for Danny and James seemed to warm up to Scorpius slightly upon discovering that they both supported Puddlemere United.

“My dad’s friends with Mr Wood,� bragged James, “He still says that Dad was the best Seeker he ever had and sends us tickets each season.�

“Maybe you could come with us over the holidays?� asked Albus.

“My family owns about twenty-five percent of the team,� replied Scorpius, “We get tickets to the game too, but maybe we could all sit together?�

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,� replied Albus doubtfully.

“Oh, right,� replied Scorpius. He doubted Mr Potter would be civil to his father, if his eldest son was any indication.

“The family usually has a big party after the team’s last match of the season, even if we don’t all sit together you could come with us to that,� pointed out Rosie sensibly.

“How big is your family?� asked Scorpius.

“Well, I have a little brother, Hugo. Mum’s an only child so we don’t have any cousins on her side, but Dad has five brothers and a sister. Auntie Ginny is Albus’s and James’s mum.�

“Our dad’s an only child too,� explained Albus, “We have a little sister too: Lily.�

“Uncle Bill and Auntie Fleur are Victoire’s parents, Uncle Charlie and Auntie Moria have three kids: Bilius, Derek and Ashley.�

“But we don’t see them much since they live in Romania,� added James.

“I’m already confused,� replied Scorpius.

“It took us a bit of time to work it all out,� said Albus, “How many cousins do you have?�

“None.�

“What about brothers and sisters?� asked Rosie.

“None of those either; I’m an only child and so is my dad. Mum’s only sister doesn’t have kids; she just has a bunch of purebred cats.�

“Werid. But it must be nice around Christmas time,� said James.

“Not really. It’s pretty dull.�

They were interrupted by the arrival of the food trolley. In an effort to maintain the civility between himself and James, Scorpius offered to treat everyone, which included a Pumpkin Pasty for Merlin and the Potters’ owls to share.

“Whoa, how much pocket-money did your parents give you?� asked James in astonishment.

Scorpius’s face went a bit red and he mumbled, “About twenty Galleons.� He felt this wasn’t completely a lie in that each of his parents had given him twenty Galleons. His grandparents had given him considerably more.

James whistled. “Wish Dad would give us that kind of money. Not that we’d have anywhere to spend it, no Hogsmeade trips for me for another year, two for each of you.�

“I wish we could go this year,� sighed Rosie.

“Nah, if you want something, just give your money to Arthur or maybe Victoire, oh and Gideon’s old enough this year too! But don’t ask Victoire to bring back anything you’re not allowed,� answered James, making a face. Victoire had refused to get him several interesting items the previous year.

Scorpius highly doubted Victoire would be willing to get him anything. Perhaps if he gave his money to Rosie she could ask one of her older cousins for him. He really hoped that she and Albus would be sorted into Slytherin with him. He didn’t think he’d particularly miss James’s company.

“So which house do you want to be in?� he asked, Albus.

“Well, I want to be in Gryffindor,� answered Albus, looking worried.

“Al, I was only joking, you won’t be in Slytherin,� added James, looking as though he regretted teasing his brother earlier.

“Why not?� asked Scorpius. He realized too late that this had been a mistake. Albus looked even more worried and James was glaring. Rosie didn’t meet his eyes this time.

“I… I didn’t mean anything by it…�

“It’s alright,� answered Albus, “I won’t be in Slytherin because I don’t want to be in Slytherin.� He turned to look at Rosie and added, “Just before we left on the train my dad told me that the hat takes our choices into account.�

Relief flooded Rosie’s face. A moment later she was smacking Albus. “You stupid troll! You let me worry this whole train ride that I might be in Slytherin!�

James seemed to find this hilarious but Scorpius was beginning to worry. Had someone forgotten to tell him something about Slytherin? Perhaps they didn’t like the common room being under the lake? Was it too cold and damp? Did they have to wash all the breakfast dishes by hand? Annoyed for being left in the dark, Scorpius loudly blurted out, “Will someone tell me what’s wrong with Slytherin?�

“Not one Slytherin stayed to fight for Hogwarts in the last battle and almost all of Voldemort’s Death Eaters were Slytherins too,� replied Rosie, still not meeting his eyes.

Scorpius looked almost stricken. No one had told him that. “I thought that Slytherin was the house for the pure-bloods.�

“Yeah, because Salazar Slytherin was a prejudiced git, just like Voldemort who was also a Slytherin,� added James haughtily.

“Not all the pure-bloods were in Slytherin,� pointed out Rosie, “Dad, Auntie Ginny and all their brothers are pure-bloods and they were all in Gryffindor.�

“I don’t think my mum would be very happy if I was in Gryffindor,� said Scorpius miserably, “And my grandparents want me to be in Slytherin. Aren’t there any good Slytherins?�

“Nope,� answered James, “That’s why we try to stay away from them.�

“That’s not true!� replied Albus indignantly. “Dad says Severus Snape was the bravest man he knew and he was a Slytherin.�

“Severus is my middle name,� added Scorpius hopefully.

“Really? Me too!� answered Albus, obviously delighted.

The rest of the train ride passed pleasantly enough, partially because James soon left to go find Fred. Before long it was time for them to change into their school uniforms. As they got off the train, most of the students headed for the Thestral-drawn carriages.

Scorpius tried squinting at where he supposed the Thestrals ought to be, even though he knew it would do him no good. Meanwhile, a sandy haired boy ran up to Albus. Apparently Alice had not only found her brother, Danny, but had returned Dolores the toad to him as well. Danny seemed rather unsure of Scorpius but upon being introduced he put Dolores back in his pocket and offered to shake hands. Danny wasn’t overly friendly, but Scorpius felt that it was at least a start.

“Wait! I can’t leave Merlin behind!� called out Scorpius.

“It’s fine,� Albus assured him. “He’ll be taken to the owlery and you’ll see him at breakfast tomorrow.�

Scorpius didn’t like leaving his pet behind but he didn’t seem to have any other option.

“Firs’ years! Over here!� called out an enormous man. He had twinkling black eyes and a grizzled beard, mostly gray but with some black intermingled.

“Hagrid!� called out Rosie, in delight.

Hagrid turned and positively beamed. “Rosie Weasley! I can hardly believe you’re already comin’ to Hogwarts! Why it seems like yesterday that your parents were here for their firs’ year. And Albus Potter! Why, you’re the spittin’ image o’ Harry.�

It wasn’t long before Hagrid spied Danny Longbottom. “I remember when your father got here. He’d lost his toad… Trevor I think his name was… Anyway, we found the toad in the boats.�

Hagrid was happily telling many of the first years about when he first met their parents or grandparents. Now he was telling Jonathan Creevey about how his father had fallen in the lake and the giant squid had pushed him out.

“An’ there was Kevin Whitby, somehow he got it in his head that he’d have to wrestle a troll,� added Hagrid jovially. There were a lot of relieved expressions amongst the first years upon hearing this.�

Scorpius’s eyes met Hagrid’s. He had been expecting Hagrid to tell them all something about either of his parents but instead Hagrid cleared his throat and looked away. “Jus’ around this bend, you’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts.�

There was a collective gasp as the castle came into view. The next thing Scorpius knew, he was falling and had a face full of mud. Bernard Smith had tripped him and his timing was excellent; Scorpius landed in a puddle of stagnant muddy water. Scorpius hadn’t meant to shout as he fell, but as a result everyone turned to look.

“Wha’ happened?� asked Hagrid.

“He tripped me!� Scorpius angrily exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger.

“It was an accident,� assured Bernard in an innocent voice.

Scorpius balled his hands into fists. “It was not! You did it on purpose!�

He was about to hit Bernard but Hagrid intervened. “Well, if it was an accident, you should apologize,� he said, giving Bernard a meaningful look. Turning to Scorpius he added, “And we don’ solve our differences at Hogwarts with fists. I’d take off points but yeh don’t have a house yet.�

The enormity of the unfairness of it all overwhelmed Scorpius. “My parents were right about you; half-breeds shouldn’t be teaching here.�

Hagrid blinked and then growled, “That’s enough out o’ you. You may not have a house to take points from but yeh’ll be serving detention Thursday night.� He turned to Bernard and added, “We’re still waiting for you to apologize to Mr Malfoy.�

“I’m really sorry for tripping you, Mr Malfoy. It really was an accident,� he said in a convincing tone.

Scorpius was still quite certain that it wasn’t an accident. He was also furious with Hagrid for letting Bernard get away with it and giving him detention. Rosie and Albus were staring at him in shock. Danny seemed to have suddenly made up his mind about Scorpius and ignored him for the rest of the walk to the boats.

“No more’n four to a boat!� called out Hagrid.

As they reached the boats, Rosie, Albus and Danny got into one and sailed off before Scorpius could get in as well. Only then did he remember that Rosie knew and liked Hagrid. Thus, she probably didn’t like him anymore. Albus seemed to feel the same way and Danny had been wary of him to begin with. Scorpius ended up in a boat by himself. None of the other children seemed to want anything to do with him after what he’d said to Hagrid.

He tried to get as much mud off as possible by scooping up handfuls of cold water to wash off with. By the time they’d crossed the lake, Scorpius was in a foul mood. He’d been excluded, bullied, tripped, been given detention, had lost his new friends and was wet, shivering and still relatively muddy. As he trudged towards the castle he couldn’t help but glower at the half-breed who’d caused him so much trouble.

They reached the huge front doors and Hagrid knocked three times. A short witch in midnight blue robes answered and greeted them all, “Welcome to Hogwarts. I’m Professor Vector, Deputy Headmistress and Ravenclaw’s Head of House. In a few minutes we will begin the Sorting Ceremony, one of Hogwarts oldest traditions. There are four houses, each with its own defining characteristics and history.�

This statement was greeted with snickering and snorts from several students.

Professor Vector ignored them and continued, “Your house will be your family at Hogwarts. Together you will shape what your house will be remembered for by future generations. Each of you has the opportunity to add to the noble history of your house, or bring dishonour upon it.�

The atmosphere of the room became much more serious upon hearing these words. Professor Vector smiled. “I’ll give you a few moments to freshen up. When I return, I want you to be organized in a single file.�

Scorpius had the distinct sensation that there was nothing he could do to fix his appearance in the next few minutes. Being wet and rather muddy didn’t simply fix itself, neither did smelling of mildew. He unconsciously wrung his hands, dreading having to walk out in front of the entire school covered in slime.

It wasn’t long before Professor Vector returned for them, leading them into the Great Hall. It didn’t matter how many times Scorpius had read about the Great Hall, seeing the starlit ceiling and the thousands of floating candles was awe inspiring.

As the students filed past the tables into the Great Hall, Scorpius felt more and more ill at ease. The boy in front of him and the girl behind him left a large gap and he could feel the eyes of the students and staff judging him. It didn’t help that he was still rather muddy.

Alice Longbottom smiled at him and gave him a tiny wave. She was the only one though. The other children stared or whispered. A few even glared at him. It was a bit of a relief once they were done walking by the tables and he could hide in the group of first years, not that they were doing much of a job of letting him blend in.

Professor Vector pulled out a very dirty, old, and patched hat. Scorpius had expected something grander. After being placed on a stool, the hat began to sing. Scorpius didn’t pay much attention to the song as he was rather busy worrying about what house he’d be put in. His parents wanted him in Slytherin, but after what he’d heard from the other kids he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be there. Besides, spending the next few years living near Rachel Zabini wasn’t overly appealing. Gryffindor had that insufferable know-it-all, James Potter who would likely be mean again the moment Rosie and Albus let him, which would in all likelihood be soon. Alice Longbottom was in Hufflepuff and she seemed nice enough. However, he didn’t much fancy Hufflepuff either. Ravenclaw would mean Victoire as a prefect. He didn’t like the thought of being bossed by her for an entire year.

“Ackerly, Roma,� called out Professor Vector.

A very nervous girl with brown pigtails stepped forward and then sat on the three legged stool. Professor Vector placed the sorting hat on her head. After a few moments the hat called out, “RAVENCLAW!�

Cheers erupted from the table decorated in blue as Roma hurried over to it.

Scorpius gulped. He was running out of time and still had no idea where he wanted to be. Perhaps the hat would help him figure it out? He noticed that some students took longer than other with the hat, perhaps he should leave this up to it? After all, the hat had been doing this for about a thousand years; it likely knew what it was doing.

“Finch-Fletchly, Robert.�

“I bet the hat sends you packing,� whispered a boy who seemed to be friends with Bernard, “We don’t take kindly to prejudiced gits, so you’d better stay out of Gryffindor.�

“Jones, Adam.�

Before Scorpius could reply to this, Adam had gone up to the stool. The hat immediately shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!�

Adam Jones was welcomed to the red table with many cheers. This left Scorpius with some time to worry over what Adam had said. What if he didn’t belong in any house? Perhaps the hat would tell everyone that he didn’t belong at Hogwarts at all.

This thought was interrupted by Danny Longbottom becoming a Ravenclaw. One of the teachers even stood up and cheered for him. Scorpius looked up in desperation and that’s when he saw it. Glowing bright, on the ceiling of the Great Hall was Scorpius, the constellation he’d been named after. Suddenly he felt as though he could face whatever the hat had in store for him.

“Malfoy, Scorpius.�

Scorpius boldly marched to the stool, ignoring the fact that there was a great deal of whispering and pointing fingers. He sat down and Professor Vector put the hat on his head.

“And where shall I put you?� asked a voice, which Scorpius recognized as being the hat’s.

It doesn’t matter. Everyone hates me anyway.

“So, you were hoping to make friends here? Slytherin ought to help…�

They don’t like me either.

“Well, you’re a pure-blood…�

I’m more than a pure-blood. I’ll do just fine in any house, thank you.

“You aren’t worried what your housemates will think of you?�

No, I’m not.

“Well that’s brave of you,� replied the hat. “GRYFFINDOR!�

Whatever Scorpius had been expecting, it wasn’t to be put in Gryffindor. He slowly removed the hat, gave it one last look of contempt and walked over to the Gryffindor table. No one cheered; a few people clapped but quickly stopped. Knowing he wasn’t wanted and doing his best to show that he didn’t care, Scorpius sat down at the very end of the table.

It didn’t help that Albus Potter was quickly made a Gryffindor, taking a seat with James and Fred. The cheers had been deafening for him. Albus glanced over at Scorpius but quickly looked away after they made eye contact. He seemed to be talking to his brother and Scorpius was left with the distinct impression that he was the topic of conversation. The scowls from James and Fred confirmed his suspicions. He supposed that insulting a teacher that they liked hadn’t been very wise on his part, but surely someone ought to see his side; Hagrid had been completely unfair. Perhaps if he got a chance to explain his side, maybe to Rosie…

This thought was interrupted by Professor Vector calling out, “Smith, Bernard.�

Interested to see where his new nemesis would end up, Scorpius watched as Bernard sat there for nearly a minute. To his dismay, the hat yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!�

Now he was stuck with Bernard Smith for the next seven years. This didn’t sound like fun at all. “Stupid hat,� muttered Scorpius, under his breath. No one heard since Gryffindor had once again erupted in cheers, however, Albus Potter didn’t join in. He didn’t like what Scorpius had said to Hagrid, but he didn’t think Bernard tripping Scorpius had been an accident either.

Josh Thomas and Cassandra Tulley became Gryffindors as well. Jasmine Urquhart became a Slytherin and then to Scoprius’s immense relief, Rosie Weasley was made a Gryffindor.

The cheers for Rosie were almost as loud as those for Albus. Scorpius yelled for her and clapped along with the others. As she made her way towards the table, Rosie met his eyes. She looked rather guilty as she went to sit with her cousins, leaving him by himself.

Headmistress Sprout rose from the High Table and addressed the students, “I’d like to welcome everyone to Hogwarts, both new and returning students. I’ll be making several announcements after the feast, when you might actually be paying attention, but for now, dinner is served.�

With that, food appeared upon the tables. Scorpius found that he was indeed quite hungry; he hadn’t eaten since the train ride. Being alone at his end of the table did have the advantage that there was quite a bit of food that he didn’t have to ask to have passed to him. It was rather lonely though, especially since he could hear snatches of the happy chatter of other students. After what seemed like an eternity to Scorpius, Headmistress Sprout rose again.

“First of all, I wish to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is, as it name implies, forbidden. Any students found within its boundaries will be severely punished should they make it back out alive. Students are not permitted within fifty feet of the Whomping Willow. A complete list of banned items has been posted on each common room notice board, the bulk of which are products from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Students are also reminded that magic is not to be used in the corridors. Finally, Quidditch trials will begin week after next.�

Professor Sprout’s expression changed as she said, “And now let’s all sing the school song!�

With a flick of her wand, the golden letters twisted into the air. Scorpius didn’t particularly like singing. It seemed that everyone was singing a different tune anyway. Rosie and her cousins were practically shouting it, while laughing. He just mumbled the words, hoping that the song would soon end.

Next, prefects came to lead them to Gryffindor Tower. Scorpius dutifully went to the back of the line. It seemed forever before they finally arrived at the portrait of a large woman.

Scorpius didn’t catch the password and simply hoped he could convince Rosie or Albus to tell him later. Perhaps one of the prefects would tell him, after all that sort of thing was their job.

Scorpius hated to admit it, but the common room looked quite inviting with its cozy chairs and fireplace. He briefly thought that perhaps he would like it in Gryffindor after all. Then a man came through the portrait-hole and made an announcement.

“First year Gryffindors over here please!�

As soon as the little group had assembled the man continued, “I’m Professor Longbottom and Gryffindor’s Head of House. We have a slight problem this year in that we had a few more students in Gryffindor than we were expecting, so, at the moment, we’re a little tight on space.�

“He should go,� said Bernard, pointing at Scorpius. “He doesn’t belong here anyway, he should be in Slytherin.�

Before Scorpius had a chance to reply, Professor Longbottom intervened. “Everyone in this room belongs in Gryffindor because the Sorting Hat put each of us in Gryffindor. We will not be sending anyone away; I simply need a few minutes to make one of the boys’ dormitories larger. The girls may proceed to their dormitories now.�

Professor Longbottom frowned and looked at Bernard. “I’d like to see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning.�

“It’s alright, Sir,� said Scorpius in a dull voice, “I don’t think I belong here either. Perhaps I could be Sorted again?�

His Head of House looked at him and sighed. “I’m quite certain that you do belong here. Come by my office tomorrow morning after Mr Smith. We’ll have a chat.�

This sounded suspiciously like another detention to Scorpius but he nodded. With that, Professor Longbottom strode towards the boys’ dormitories. There was an uncomfortable silence until their Head of House returned. He ushered the seven boys into the room that had been magically enlarged.

They were interrupted by a patter of feet and none other than James Potter burst into the room. “Uncle Nev- er, Professor! Al can share a room with us!�

Professor Longbottom smiled. “Thank you James, but your father already warned me to only let you share a room if I wished to see Gryffindor Tower demolished. It managed to survive the Great Battle, Peeves and your uncles’ fireworks; I’d hate to see it fall now.�

“I thought the fireworks were banned,� pointed out Josh Thomas.

“Where do you think they first tested them?� asked Neville Longbottom, as he escorted James back to his room.

Scorpius was still hurt at Albus having abandoned him. He quickly climbed into bed, pulling the hangings shut. The other boys fell asleep quickly. Once Scorpius was fairly certain that they wouldn’t notice, he pulled the hangings open and crept over to the window; his constellation was setting. Suddenly he didn’t feel quite so brave anymore and he hurried back to his bed, pulling the hangings shut again.

*

The Sorting Hat sat upon a shelf in Professor Sprout’s office, thinking over that year’s Sorting Ceremony. Many of the students’ placements had come as no surprise to the hat, although there had been one or two interesting developments. The Smith boy had utterly refused to go into Hufflepuff, direct descendent of Helga or not, the boy desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor so the hat had finally agreed. Then there was the Malfoy boy. The hat was quite certain that Scorpius was the first Malfoy in over two centuries to say that they were more than a pure-blood. The boy didn’t seem taken with Slytherin. The Sorting Hat clearly remembered the last time a boy with many Slytherin abilities had been put off by being in the house most suited to him. It had been nearly thirty years ago; that boy had made an excellent Gryffindor as well. The Sorting Hat smiled to itself.

“What are you so happy about?� asked the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.

The hat only grinned in reply.

Seeing Things in a Different Light

Scorpius got up early the next morning, wishing to avoid his roommates. He took a quill, ink, and some parchment and wrote a letter to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

I don’t like Hogwarts. A boy named Bernard tripped me on the way to the boats and I was given detention for Thursday night. Bernard is now one of my roommates. I’m in Gryffindor and I hate it. No one likes me and everyone keeps telling me I don’t belong here. I asked my Head of House if I could be re-sorted but he said that I couldn’t. Is it too late for me to go to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang? Please write back soon.

Luv,

Scorpius

Upon completing his letter, Scorpius realized that he still didn’t know where the owlery was. Then he remembered what Albus Potter had told him, while they were still on speaking terms, and began his search for the Great Hall.

A half-hour and several wrong turns later, Scorpius managed to find his way. There were several Gryffindors sitting at their table, but none of them were first years, they still didn’t look terribly friendly though; he sat down by himself at the end of the table. Before he’d started into his porridge he found himself no longer alone; Merlin the owl was more than happy to join his owner, especially if a piece of toast might be shared.

“I need you to take this to my parents,� Scorpius told the owl after they’d finished their toast.

Merlin blinked solemnly as if to indicate that he knew the letter to be of the utmost importance. As Scorpius watched Merlin fly off with the letter, he couldn’t help but feel rather sad that he’d just sent away the only creature at the school who liked him.

By now most of the students had come down for breakfast. James Potter was proudly leading a group of first years, including Rosie, Albus, and two of the other boys who shared a dormitory with Scorpius. He wasn’t sure but thought their names were Creevey and Thomas.

James gave Scorpius a condescending look, highly reminiscent of Victoire and strutted past. However, one of his party didn’t follow.

“May I sit here?� asked Rosie in a rather strained voice.

Scorpius looked up, completely shocked. “Er, yeah. I s’pose.�

Rosie sat down next to him. James came over and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring her back to his group but she gave the offending hand a good smack and he took the hint.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,� she said, blue eyes fixed upon the tablecloth.

“Me too.�

“It’s just, Hagrid’s our friend and you really shouldn’t have called him names or said that he shouldn’t be teaching and suddenly it seemed like all the horrible things people have been saying about you might be true but last night I was thinking about it all and…�

“It’s okay,� interrupted Scorpius, “But I still think Hagrid was completely unfair.�

“But you called him a… a…�

“Half-breed? Well that’s what he is, isn’t he?�

Scorpius thought it may have been the first time that he had seen Rosie Weasley speechless. Her mouth was moving but no words were coming out and he still didn’t have the slightest idea why. Finally, after a few moments she whispered furiously, “That’s a horrible name to call someone!�

“No, it’s not, it just means he’s not all human,� replied Scorpius, although as he said the words, it occurred to him that perhaps ‘breed’ wasn’t the nicest way it could be worded. “Besides, what is he if he isn’t a half-breed?�

Rosie let out a little squeak of protest upon hearing the offending word again. “He’s a half-giant. It’s really rude to call anyone a… that word.�

Scorpius felt his cheeks grow warm. He’d had no idea that he’d been that rude; it was the word his parents always used. He mumbled, “I really didn’t know it was that bad. I’ll apologize to Hagrid when I go for my detention.�

Rosie smiled at him, obviously pleased that the whole messy business had been cleared up. Before she could say anything more, Professor Longbottom came round with their timetables.

“Good morning, Mr Malfoy. If you could come with me back to my office, we can have our little chat.�

Rosie waved a small goodbye to Scorpius as Professor Longbottom escorted him out of the Great Hall. As they walked through the school Professor Longbottom pointed out different things about it. “Watch that staircase, it has a trick step. I used to always be getting stuck in it,� he said.

As they continued down a corridor, he reminded Scorpius that the stairs move, gave him tips on how to find the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall and told him a story about one of the times he’d forgotten the password. By the time they reached Professor Longbottom’s office, Scorpius had begun to get the feeling he was going to like his teacher and that perhaps he wasn’t about to receive detention.

The office itself was quite interesting. It seemed to be a forest floor with a similar enchantment on the ceiling as that of the Great Hall. Plants were everywhere, some of them waving to get their owner’s attention.

“I don’t usually teach in this room but it makes a nice office,� explained Professor Longbottom, “There used to be a centaur teaching Divination here, although he had the ceiling always showing the night sky. However, once he rejoined his herd, the room was available and quite frankly, my plants love the constant sunlight from a similar charm. Help yourself to a seat.�

Scorpius noticed a nice brown squishy chair and still rather nervously sat down. The Herbology teacher took the seat behind his desk.

“So, how do you find Hogwarts so far?� Neville Longbottom asked.

“Er, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, Sir.�

“Well, most of us are surprised upon arriving at Hogwarts, some more pleasantly than others, especially upon being Sorted.� Professor Longbottom looked at Scorpius over the desk in a meaningful way.

“Everyone thinks I ought to be in Slytherin,� said Scorpius.

“Well, I wouldn’t say everyone,� replied his teacher, smiling slightly. “So do you think you belong in Slytherin?�

“I… I don’t know,� faltered Scorpius. “I mean, my family expected me to be put in Slytherin and people keep telling me that’s where I belong, the hat suggested it at first but…�

Professor Longbottom waited for Scorpius to finish.

“But everyone keeps saying that Slytherin is full of dark wizards and none of them defended Hogwarts in the Great Battle and that Voldemort was a Slytherin and…�

Neville held up a hand to stop Scorpius. “That’s not all entirely true. First of all, I know two Slytherins who defended Hogwarts: Horace Slughorn and Aurora Sinistra. Horace Slughorn was head of Slytherin at the time and he battled Lord Voldemort in his pajamas side by side with the head of Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall.�

“Was she in her pajamas too?� asked Scorpius, suddenly curious.

“I believe she had her dressing gown on. Now, back to the discussion of Slytherin; Severus Snape was another head of Slytherin and without him, the Great Battle would have been lost. Slytherin students didn’t stay to fight though, however, many of their parents and relatives were Death Eaters, so I wouldn’t have expected them to. Oh, and yes, Voldemort was a Slytherin, likely because he was directly descended from Salazar Slytherin.�

“So, are Slytherins good or not?�

Neville smiled. “They can be either, just like Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and even Gryffindors. There was a Gryffindor by the name of Peter Pettigrew who betrayed his best friends to Voldemort and helped him return to power. The house you’re in doesn’t determine whether you’re good or bad. Gryffindor has gotten a lot of good press lately because Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were all Gryffindors. The most celebrated heroes of the Great Battle were Gryffindors. However, very few sing the praises of Severus Snape.�

“But why?�

“Because, while Severus Snape was a very brave man, he showed it in ways that are more Slytherin in nature. He risked his life by becoming a double agent. He was extremely resourceful and cunning, but because of that, very few people ever knew the true extent of what he did for our side.�

“So… should I be in Slytherin?� asked Scorpius.

“Apparently not. The Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor, meaning it must see something in you that makes you a Gryffindor. I still think it’s important to remember that being in Slytherin doesn’t make one evil, just as being in Gryffindor doesn’t make one good. You are a Gryffindor, what you do with that is still up to you.�

Professor Longbottom smiled and started to get up from his desk.

“But everyone still thinks I should be in Slytherin,� argued Scorpius. “Perhaps I should be put there instead?�

“Everyone thought I belonged in Hufflepuff and now I’m Gryffindor’s Head of House,� replied Professor Longbottom, amused at Scorpius’s look of surprise. “So, perhaps you’ll make a better Gryffindor than you think. Here’s a note explaining why you’re late for Potions, do you know how to find the room?�

“I’m not sure,� answered Scorpius.

“Well, I’ll take you the set of stairs you need, after that you just follow it along the corridor, you can’t miss it.�

Just as they reached the staircase, Scorpius turned to his Head of House. “Umm, Sir? Why did you ask me to come talk to you this morning?�

Professor Longbottom looked at him seriously. “Well, after last night it seemed a good idea. I spent years trying to be what some people thought I should and trying not to be what other people thought I was. I did much better once I was simply myself and I thought perhaps you could use that advice too.�

“Thanks,� answered Scorpius, smiling slightly. Professor Longbottom had given him quite a bit to think over and he hadn’t even had a class with him yet. He hurried down the dungeon steps and knocked on the door.

“Come in,� called a man’s voice.

Scorpius walked in to be greeted with the words, “Ten points from Sl-Gryffindor for being late.�

“But, Sir, I have a note!�

“Oh? Let’s see it then.�

Scorpius rather nervously handed over the piece of parchment Professor Longbottom had given him. He didn’t like the way this teacher had taken points the moment he got in the door.

After quickly scanning the parchment, the teacher added, “Well, er, ten points to Gryffindor for… er, for having a note. You may take a seat Mr Malfoy.�

A quick glance around the room revealed that Gryffindor and Slytherin were in Potions together. Feeling increasingly awkward at standing in front of the class, Scorpius frantically tried to spot somewhere to sit. With a sigh of relief, he saw Rosie waving him over to her cauldron and hurriedly joined her and Albus.

“Alright then, you may begin,� announced the Potions master.

“What are we doing?� Scorpius whispered to Rosie.

“We’re brewing a cure for boils,� she replied, “Professor Macmillan put the instructions up on the board. Pass the dried nettles?�

As Scorpius turned to get them, he thought he saw Rosie give Albus a rather sharp elbow to the ribs.

“So, er, what are you doing for lunch?� Albus asked him a few minutes later.

“Eating, I suppose,� replied Scorpius.

“Well, you should sit with us,� added Albus hurriedly.

Scorpius was slightly tempted to say ‘no’, knowing that Rosie had coerced her cousin into making the offer. Then again, sitting alone wasn’t much fun and he had enjoyed Albus’s company on the train ride.

“Sure, thanks,� he answered. Perhaps today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Albus, no!� cried out Rosie.

Clouds of green smoke immediately filled their vision and there was a horrible smell to accompany it. Without thinking, Scorpius grabbed Rosie’s arm and pulled her away from the melting cauldron just as Professor Macmillan pulled Albus to safety. All four barely missed getting splashed with the potion.

With a wave of his wand, Professor Macmillan Vanished the mess. “Did any of you get splashed?� he asked, looking at the three children.

Albus and Scorpius both shook their heads.

“No, Scorpius pulled me away just in time,� Rosie answered, somewhat shaken.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for not carefully following instructions. This is not a class to be daydreaming in, it can be dangerous,� announced Professor Macmillan, rather pompously.

“Oh, and er, five points to Gryffindor for Mr Malfoy’s saving Miss Weasley a trip to the Hospital Wing. I expect an essay from the three of you on what went wrong. You can start writing while the rest of the class finishes up their potions.�

“I’m sorry,� mumbled Albus, face beet red.

“Don’t worry about it,� replied Scorpius, “We’ll likely be done our essays before the rest of the class have finished their potions. It was the quills being put in too soon, right?�

“Right,� Rosie whispered, “they weren’t supposed to go in while the cauldron was still over the flame; the heat causes the quills to break down too much…�

“…and the basic keratin to leave the quills and react with the acid from the horned slugs,� finished Scorpius.

“Exactly!� replied Rosie, beaming.

“What?� asked Albus.

“I told you that you should have read your texts over the summer,� sighed Rosie in exasperation.

“That was in the textbook?�

“Well, near the end of it,� Rosie mumbled.

“How did you not end up in Ravenclaw?� teased Albus.

“Stop worrying about that and start writing your essay,� answered Rosie, primly.

As Scorpius had predicted, they had each finished their essays before class was over. Professor Macmillan insisted on skimming over their essays and Scoprius rather smugly noted how his teacher’s eyebrows raise upon reading them. Apparently they had done well as Professor Macmillan allowed the trio to make their way to the Great Hall while most of their classmates were left cleaning up.

“I don’t think Mum’ll be pleased about my cauldron,� stated Rosie nervously, twirling a lock of rather bushy hair about her finger.

“Don’t worry, I’ll write Dad and tell him it was my fault. I don’t think he did too great at Potions,� replied Albus. “Besides all you have to do is mention that you got into Gryffindor and they’ll be so thrilled that they won’t care about a stupid cauldron.�

“Uh oh,� said Scorpius, stopping dead in his tracks. “I don’t think my mum will be thrilled about my being in Gryffindor, I’m pretty sure she had her heart set on Slytherin.�

“She wanted you to get into Slytherin?� asked Albus, incredulous.

“Well yeah, she was in Slytherin. All of my family was in Slytherin.� Scorpius’s eyes widened a bit. “Grandfather is not going to be pleased. I think I’ll let Mum and Dad break the news to him.�

“I’m sure they won’t mind you being in Gryffindor,� said Rosie consolingly, “It’s a very nice house.�

“Yeah, I doubt they’ll see it that way,� answered Scorpius.

“Maybe you could just not tell them?� added Albus hopefully.

“No, I already wrote them this morning.� Scorpius winced. “And I asked to be transferred to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang.�

“Why would you do that?� asked Albus, in disbelief.

Scorpius gave him a rather withering look. “Let’s just say being made a Gryffindor hasn’t been as great for me as it has for you.�

Albus went red again. “Sorry ‘bout that,� he mumbled.

Scorpius sighed. “It’s ok.�

“Friends?�

Scorpius looked up to see Albus extending his hand, looking hopeful. After a moment, he shook on it.

“Friends,� he answered, grinning ear to ear.

Rosie was smiling hugely. “Well, now that’s all settled, what are we going to do about my cauldron?�

“We’ll use mine until your parents send a new one,� suggested Scorpius, as they entered the sunlit Great Hall. Most of the other classes were just getting out so they had plenty of room at the table. Albus sat next to Scorpius and Rosie sat across from them.

It wasn’t long before James and Fred arrived with the Gryffindor second years. “Ugh, Binns put me to sleep again,� complained Fred.

“Albus, why are you sitting there?� asked James, rather haughtily.

“Because I’m hungry and it’s lunch time,� answered Albus. Fred snickered.

“I meant why are you sitting with him?�

“Don’t be rude, James,� admonished Rosie.

“Don’t you remember what he said about Hagrid?� continued James.

“We’ve cleared that up, it was a misunderstanding,� explained Rosie. “Scorpius said he’ll apologize to Hagrid on Thursday.�

“You can either be nice or leave,� added Albus with a tone of finality.

James looked as though he had every intention of leaving but Fred gave him a look and took the seat on Scorpius’s other side. With a sigh of exasperation, James walked around the table and sat next to Rosie.

“So… how were your first classes?� Fred asked, trying to ease the tension between his cousins. He could usually count on Rosie to fill up uncomfortable silences, and comfortable ones.

“Well we had double Potions with the Slytherins. I’m not entirely sure I like Professor Macmillan; he had us brew a cure for boils and we melted my cauldron, but it’s ok because none of us got splashed with it…� She turned to Scorpius and added, “Thank you, by the way.�

“No problem,� replied Scorpius, somewhat embarrassed.

“You already melted a cauldron?� asked James incredulously.

“Er, yeah,� answered Albus, rather sheepishly.

Fred grinned. “Who added the porcupine quills too early?�

“Me,� replied Albus, face rather red.

“Don’t worry about it, little cuz. Someone does every year, it’s no big deal.�

“Really?�

“Yeah, our year it was Donald Corner and it was Arthur a few years before.�

“Except he didn’t get away from the cauldron in time and spent the rest of the day in the Hospital Wing,� added James, “You three are lucky that you aren’t covered in boils.�

“Scorpius pulled Rosie out of the way and Professor Macmillan saved me,� said Albus.

James gave Scorpius a newfound look of acceptance. “So you’ve saved little Rosie twice now? Rosie, you really need to stop getting yourself into these messes.�

“Odd, I find either you or your brother are the ones who get me into these messes in the first place,� Rosie, retorted.

“And you say I’m a bad influence,� scoffed Scorpius.

At these words, Fred choked on his orange juice and even James snickered. It wasn’t long before Fred and James were telling the three younger kids about some of their mishaps as first years.

“Watch out for Peeves, he locked us in a bathroom once,� said Fred, laughing.

“Remember how mad Professor Sinistra was when she found us in there?�

“Why would she have found you in a boys’ bathroom?� asked Rosie.

Fred and James only laughed harder. “It was a girls’ bathroom, we were trying to find the one that leads to the Chamber of Secrets,� James finally answered.

“And did you?� asked Albus.

“No, but we got to clean it for Professor Sinistra.�

“By hand, no magic,� added Fred, making it clear he thought this cruel and unusual punishment.

The rest of lunch went well, with all five of them talking and laughing.

“What do we have next?� asked Scorpius, who hadn’t so much as glanced at his timetable since Professor Longbottom had given it to him.

“Herbology and then Defense Against the Dark Arts,� answered Rosie.

“What’s Professor Proudfoot like?� Albus asked James and Fred.

“He’s… well he’s a retired Auror. He’s strict but he tells some amazing stories about the Great Battle,� answered James.

“Don’t talk in his class and pay close attention,� advised Fred.

“Thanks,� answered Scorpius as he, Rosie and Albus stood to leave.

“No problem.�

*

Scorpius found Herbology quite interesting. Professor Longbottom was obviously quite taken with the subject and had many interesting plants in the greenhouse. He awarded Scorpius five points for being able to name one of the properties of Mimbulus mimbletonia. Rosie had received ten and a girl named Cassandra Tulley earned another five.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was interesting, just as Fred and James had said. Professor Proudfoot did not seem like a teacher to cross. He prowled around the room while lecturing.

“Before you can defend yourself against the Dark Arts, you need to know what Dark Arts are,� he told the class. “Over the next several years, you will learn to protect yourselves against various potions, creatures, plants and spells. The question is, what makes any of these Dark?�

The class was quite silent and Professor Proudfoot continued, “Some potions can be used to cure certain ailments but can also be used as poisons, does this make them evil? A spell that can be used to help someone can also be used to hurt them, would this be Dark Magic? For next class I want an essay from each of you on what you believe constitutes the Dark Arts.�

Rosie raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss… Weasley?� asked Professor Proudfoot, after having consulted the seating chart.

“How long should the essay be?�

Professor Proudfoot paused for a moment. “There will be no required length. I simply want to know each of your thoughts on the subject. Class dismissed.�

Rosie, Scorpius and Albus made their way back to the common room, quite pleased that their last class of the day had finished so early. They decided to take the extra time to have a game of Exploding Snap.

After a few rounds Scorpius was suddenly elbowed sharply in the head. “Hey, watch it!�

He turned to find Bernard. “Find a new seat, Malfoy,� stated Bernard.

Before Scorpius had the chance to say or do anything, Albus and Rosie stood to face him.

“Shove off, Smith,� threatened Albus.

“You can’t seriously want to hang around a Death Eater’s brat?� asked Bernard in shock.

“So what if we do, what’s it to you?� asked James, who’d just come in through the portrait hole with Fred.

“This here is Scorpius, our friend,� added Fred. “And unless you want everyone in the school by the name of Weasley and Potter out to get you… I suggest you apologize.�

“And we know tripping him wasn’t an accident either,� added Albus.

“Sorry,� grumbled Bernard, stalking off towards the dormitory.

“Did you all catch that?� asked James, defiantly looking around the room. “He’s with us now, so anyone giving him a hard time will be answering to us.�

Scorpius highly doubted anyone had managed to miss James and Fred’s speeches and noted several first years suddenly become much more interested in their essays for Professor Proudfoot. While he felt a rush of gratitude towards Fred and James for what they’d said, he was feeling a bit embarrassed too. He could take care of himself. Still, being made part of the group meant a great deal to him.

That night, after finishing his Defence essay, Scorpius wrote another letter.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I still hate Bernard Smith, but Gryffindor isn’t such a bad house after all. I know you wanted me to be in Slytherin but I don’t think I would have been very happy there and I hope you don’t mind having a son in Gryffindor.

I’ve made some friends here. Albus Potter shares a room with me and his cousin, Rosie Weasley, is in Gryffindor too. They’re both quite nice. Professor Longbottom is my Head of House and he’s really cool. So, if it’s alright with you both, I’d rather stay at Hogwarts.

Luv,

Scorpius

Ruffled Feathers

Ron and Hermione Weasley were just about to clear up the breakfast dishes when Hugo came rushing into the room.

“Mum! Dad! You’ve got a letter!� he shouted, waving the envelope excitedly.

Ron eagerly took the envelope. Both he and Hermione had been waiting for news from Rosie. However, he immediately realized that the handwriting on the envelope wasn’t hers. Curious, he opened the letter.

Dear Uncle Ron & Auntie Hermione,

I feel it is my duty to let you know that Rosie has been associating with the Malfoy boy. I’ve warned her and Albus that they can’t trust him, but neither have listened to me.

Sincerely,

Victoire

Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing. She’d often thought that Victoire rather took after her uncle Percy. Then she noticed that Ron did not look as though he thought this a laughing matter.

“For goodness sake Ron, you look as paranoid as Victoire sounds,� she admonished lightly.

“Paranoid? I don’t want that boy around her. Victoire’s right; he’s a Malfoy and can’t be trusted.�

Hermione looked at her husband skeptically. “Honestly, Ron; he’s eleven and you haven’t even met him.�

“I saw him. He looked like a miniature of his git of a father,� answered Ron.

“Well, appearances can be deceiving,� replied Hermione loftily.

“So can Malfoys.�

Hermione sighed in mock exasperation and gave Ron a peck on the cheek. “I’d stay here and argue with you but I need to get to the office and start filing the motions for that new house-elf protection act.�

Ron grinned and kissed her back. “I know you’re only leaving because you know I’m right.�

“Just don’t set any Aurors on the poor boy before I get home. Fair enough?�

“And lose critical hours of surveillance? Maybe just one Auror?� Ron asked hopefully.

Hermione kissed Hugo’s forehead, stuck her tongue out at Ron and then Disapparated. Ron ruffled Hugo’s hair and asked him, “Perhaps an Auror-in-training?�

Hugo pretended to consider this carefully before answering, “Mum would murder you.�

“She would. Of course, she can’t murder Harry for doing it,� replied Ron, grinning. “Now, we’d best get you over to Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny’s.�

*

Astoria and Draco were having a pleasant breakfast when Merlin the owl flew in and deposited an envelope on the dining table then flew off again.

Astoria eagerly opened the letter. Draco noticed the expression on his wife’s face change from eager anticipation to a look that rather frightened him.

“That… that hat had the nerve to put him in Gryffindor!�

Draco nearly dropped his cup of coffee. He’d secretly been worrying for months that this might happen and now it had.

“And they’ve given him detention!� added Astoria, still furious.

Draco was still speechless but a part of his mind wondered how on Earth Scorpius had managed a detention already; maybe he really did belong in Gryffindor.

“He wants to be transferred. I’ll send an owl to Durmstrang, right after I send one to that idiot Sprout!� continued Astoria. “I’m going to demand he be placed in Slytherin and that detention was clearly undeserved! I’ll bet it was that perfect moron Longbottom! Well, if he thinks he can bully my son, that blood traitor has another thing coming!�

Draco decided it would be best to let Astoria continue to vent. His mind was still spinning from the fact that Scorpius was in Gryffindor. He knew that they couldn’t simply insist he be put in another house. Neither could he help but feel some disappointment at the thought of sending his son to Durmstrang. Draco absentmindedly read the letter from Scorpius and decided that if his son didn’t want to go to Hogwarts, he shouldn’t have to.

“I’ll write the letter to Durmstrang,� he told Astoria, who didn’t seem to be listening anyway. She was already dictating a scathing letter to Headmistress Sprout.

On his way to his study, Astoria called out after him. “Should we tell your parents?�

Draco turned, incredulous. “Are you mad?�

*

That evening, Ron and Harry Apparated to Grimmauld Place. Before they had a chance to remove their shoes, Lily and Hugo came running to them, clearly excited.

“Hurry! Al and Rosie sent letters! Mum and Auntie Hermione won’t open them until you come!�

“We’ve been waiting all day!� added Hugo, while tugging on Ron’s wrist.

Harry winked at Ron and said, “Oh… I don’t know. We’re really hungry and I think we might want to have supper first.�

“No!� shrieked Lily, who was also pulling her father by the hand.

“I think we forgot something at the office,� added Ron.

“You can go back for it later,� assured Hugo.

“I dunno; it was pretty important…� replied Harry.

“You two, stop teasing the children and get in here now or we’ll open these letters without you!� called Ginny from the drawing room.

“Race you!� yelled Ron, taking off.

All four of them arrived in the drawing room in a rather undignified heap. Hermione and Ginny couldn’t help but laugh, and even Kreacher chuckled.

“Alright, which letter should we read first?� Hermione asked.

“Whichever one arrived first,� Harry suggested.

“That would be Al’s,� replied Ginny, smiling. She opened the envelope and began reading aloud:

“Dear Dad, Mum, Lily and Kreacher,

I’m in Gryffindor! I’m sharing a room with six other boys because Uncle Neville said Gryffindor got more students than usual this year. James offered to let me share with him but Uncle Neville said we couldn’t. It’s ok though, I really like most of my roommates. Nigel Jordan, Josh Thomas and Mike Creevey are really nice. I’m not too fond of Adam Jones or Bernard Smith though. Scorpius Malfoy seems a really decent sort. He saved Rosie when I melted her cauldron. Anyway, I have to finish an essay for Professor Proudfoot, just thought you’d like to know I’m in Gryffindor!

Luv,

Albus S. Potter�

As Lily and Hugo whooped for having another Gryffindor in the family, Ginny and Harry exchanged looks of relief; they both knew how badly Albus had wanted to be put in Gryffindor.

“Wait, did he say he melted Rosie’s cauldron?� Harry asked.

Hermione smiled. “That’s why we send them off with used cauldrons for their first year.�

“But you can replace it with a nice brand new one; solid gold would be nice,� Ron added, grinning.

“I remember Hagrid talking me out of buying a solid gold one back when I was eleven. How many owls does it take to send a cauldron, anyway?� Harry wondered aloud.

“You’ll have to ask Percy,� Hermione answered. “Little Arthur melted his too, back when he was a first year.�

“What about Rosie’s letter?� complained Hugo, impatiently.

Hermione opened the second envelope and read to them:

“Dear Everyone,

I thought you’d like to know that I’m in Gryffindor! The hat suggested Ravenclaw as well, but it let me go to Gryffindor instead, I was ever so pleased! Ravenclaw wouldn’t have been bad though, except Victoire won’t be here next year so I’m much happier being with everyone else in Gryffindor. I like my roommates, especially Shannon Finnigan! And I made another new friend! His name is Scorpius Malfoy, we first met in Diagon Alley but we met again on the Hogwarts Express. He’s in Gryffindor too and shares a dormitory with Albus. James and Fred didn’t seem to like him much at first but they do now. He’s read all his textbooks too and he read Hogwarts a History! Albus, Scorpius and I are lab partners for Potions class. I don’t much like Professor Macmillan, but having Uncle Neville for a Head of House and teaching Herbology makes up for it! Professor Proudfoot is very interesting although his class was the shortest, but he did set us an essay. I hope mine isn’t too short, it’s only three rolls of parchment.
I’d better see if I can add any more to it,

Lots of love,

Rosie�

“My girl’s a Gryffindor!� Ron crowed.

*

Draco sat in his study, staring at the blank parchment. He’d sent the letter to Durmstrang hours earlier. Now he was dreading writing to his own parents. Had this been how Scorpius had felt when he wrote his letter this morning? Draco pushed that thought away and got back to the task at hand.

Dear Mother and Father,

I’m writing to let you know that Scorpius will be transferring to Durmstrang.

Draco crumpled up the begun letter and tossed it away; there was no point skirting the issue, they were going to find out about the Gryffindor placement. Lucius would yell that Draco had obviously raised Scorpius wrong. Narcissa would cry and then be cold as ice. Draco gave himself a bit of a shake and began the letter once again.

Dear Mother and Father,

Unfortunately, Scorpius was not placed in Slytherin. Due to this oversight and the declining standards at Hogwarts, we have decided it would be in his best interests to be transferred to Durmstrang.

Draco paused, once again envisioning his father’s response but was interrupted by an owl pecking at the windowsill. Merlin had returned with a second letter. Draco quickly opened it, wondering what else could have gone wrong in his son’s first twenty-four hours at Hogwarts.

�I know you wanted me to be in Slytherin but I don’t think I would have been very happy there and I hope you don’t mind having a son in Gryffindor.�

Upon reading the last words, Draco vividly remembered the conversation he and Scorpius had only two nights earlier.

“I didn’t want you to be ashamed of me,� he had said, still fearing Scorpius’s response.

His son had hugged him, saying, “I’ll always be proud that you’re my dad.�

Draco quickly crumpled up the second letter he’d started and began a third.

Dear Mother and Father,

Scorpius has been Sorted into Gryffindor and we couldn’t be more proud of him.

Sincerely,

Draco

After sending it off with one of his own owls, he started another letter.

Dear Scorpius,

I can’t begin to tell you how pleased I am that you’re happy and of course I’m proud of having a son in Gryffindor. I’ll always be proud to have you for a son.

For Every Action...

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were enjoying a late breakfast when Narcissa noticed an envelope on the table. She opened it and read the short letter then hastily tried to hide it. Lucius looked up from his Daily Prophet.

“What’s that?� he asked, casually.

“Just a note from Draco,� replied Narcissa carefully. Her face was even paler than usual.

Lucius smiled. “He wrote to tell us about Scorpius being the next great Slytherin?�

“Not exactly.�

Blissfully unaware of the fact that his grandfather was furiously blasting several Malfoy and Black family heirlooms, Scorpius was enjoying breakfast in the Great Hall with Albus and Rosie. Rosie’s roommate, Shannon Finnigan, had just joined them as Merlin arrived with a letter for Scorpius.

Dear Scorpius,

I can’t begin to tell you how pleased I am that you’re happy and of course I’m proud of having a son in Gryffindor. I’ll always be proud to have you for a son. Gryffindor wasn’t exactly what we were all expecting, but I know that Gryffindor has gained an excellent student. Perhaps it’s time for the Malfoy family to branch out into new areas. I’ll cancel your application to Durmstrang first thing in the morning. Try to stay out of detention, but have fun.

Love,

Dad

Scorpius couldn’t help but grin in relief; nevertheless, he folded up the letter before anyone saw what his dad had written.

“Isn’t Professor Longbottom amazing?� sighed Shannon as she gazed at the Head Table.

“Sorry?� asked Albus, clearly not seeing what was particularly amazing about his Uncle Neville, who was currently brushing toast crumbs off his front.

Shannon blushed. “I just mean, it’s so cool to be taught by one of the heroes of the war.�

Albus and Rosie looked at each other rather awkwardly. Shannon blushed even more. “Well, I mean… obviously you two are used to it… I mean, your parents are…� She looked around rather nervously and finally asked Scorpius, “Pass the orange juice, please?�

Wishing to avoid a discussion on parentage, Scorpius passed the juice and added, “I think Professor Longbottom’s pretty cool. What did he do in the war though?�

Suddenly Scorpius had the impression that everyone at the Gryffindor table was staring at him as though he’d just asked what self-stirring cauldrons did. Fortunately, Rosie quickly filled him in. “Professor Longbottom led the resistance against Death Eaters from within Hogwarts while he was still a student. He united three of the four houses and helped keep the students hidden, and then he helped lead them into battle when Voldemort attacked the school. He also beheaded Voldemort’s pet snake, with the sword of Gryffindor, when Voldemort tried to kill him.�

Scorpius was suitably impressed; he decided not to ask which of the four houses hadn’t united with the others to save Hogwarts. Instead he inquired, “So, why isn’t he teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts?�

Albus shrugged. “Dad said he always liked plants.�

“So what’s your dad like?� Shannon asked Albus eagerly.

“Umm… he likes Quidditch,� he replied awkwardly.

“Can he really talk to snakes?� called out Mike Creevey.

“Not anymore.�

“But he used to be able to, right?� continued Mike eagerly.

“I guess.� Albus was looking rather uncomfortable with the attention.

“And both your parents helped Harry Potter beat Voldemort, didn’t they?� Adam asked Rosie.

“Erm, yes. A lot of people helped,� she replied, beginning to go a bit red. “I think we ought to go to Charms soon, don’t you think?�

Scorpius cottoned on quickly. “Good idea; we don’t know the castle too well yet.�

On their way to Charms class, Scorpius asked in a low voice, “Do people do that to you all the time?�

Rosie made a face. “Well, not too often. I mean, our cousins are so used to our parents that it doesn’t mean much to them anymore. But Mum and Dad still get stopped at the Three Broomsticks and other places sometimes.�

“Yeah, Dad gets stopped in the streets a lot,� added Albus, just as they reached the Charms classroom.

“Yeah, it’s not all that great having famous parents,� muttered Rosie.

“You think you have problems,� replied Scorpius in a mock tone.

Rosie couldn’t help but giggle at that.

*

Lucius’s angry voice filled the room. “How dare you? You are a disgrace to the name Malfoy and to this family! I ought to disown you! Did I fail to teach you anything about the importance of the purity of blood?�

Draco listened to his father’s rantings echo throughout his study. He sighed and rubbed his temples while watching his cup of coffee shake.

“…obviously haven’t instilled any of the proper values in Scorpius. Your mother and I have never been so ashamed…�

At these words, Draco tried to start some paperwork. He knew from experience that his father could go on like this for a while. After nearly a half hour, the Howler finally came to an end. By this point Draco wasn’t in the best of moods and quickly scribbled a reply.

Father,

You’re the one who raised me, so this is probably your fault and quite frankly, I’m too old to be cowed by a Howler. Disown me if you want; I’m already wealthier than you. I also suspect that I have a much more accurate idea of ‘the importance of the purity of blood’ than you ever will.

Regards,

Draco

p.s. If you so much as hint to my son that you are disappointed in him, I will make certain that you regret it.

After sending off his missive, Draco was still rather out of sorts. He picked up Scorpius’s letter of the night before and re-read it. Now that the initial shock of the Gryffindor placement had begun to wear off, Draco noticed several other points in his son’s letter. It seemed that the world had been turned upside down; not only had his son been put in Gryffindor, he wanted to be friends with a Potter and a Weasley and, most disturbing, Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to become cool.

Draco shook his head in disbelief and returned to his paperwork. At the rate things were going, he was almost expecting Goyle to be declared a genius. He was still fairly confident that the world of basic maths had been left unchanged and decided that accounting would be a safe task for the remainder of the afternoon.

*

“How’d you do that?� Albus whispered to Scorpius, in awe.

“I have no idea,� Scorpius whispered back.

After nearly an hour, the majority of the class had seen no change in their matches. Scorpius had just succeeded in making his explode, which he would have considered a greater accomplishment, if he hadn’t been trying to Transfigure it into a needle.

“Umm, Scorpius? Your eyebrow’s a bit singed.�

“Great.� Scorpius noticed Professor Horton heading towards them and was hoping he wouldn’t take points for blowing up the match. Fortunately, the class bell rang and they were excused.

“Aren’t you coming to the Great Hall?� Rosie asked.

“I’ll be there in a bit. I’d like to see what’s left of my eyebrow first,� Scorpius answered. He waved goodbye to Albus and Rosie and began a search for the nearest boys’ bathroom.

Scorpius was relieved to see that his right eyebrow was mostly still there, although it didn’t look quite as blond anymore. Suddenly he stiffened; the reflection in the bathroom mirror showed Bernard and Adam heading towards him. Scorpius turned around and realized that the two other boys were between him and the door.

“You may have the Weasley and Potter kids fooled, but we know what sort of scum you and your family really are,� growled Bernard.

“What did I ever do to you?� demanded Scorpius.

“Well for starters, your father sat and watched while my aunt was tortured and murdered,� spat Bernard.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,� argued Scorpius.

Rather than reply, Bernard punched him in the stomach. Scorpius gasped as the air was knocked out of him. Before he was able to stand up straight, Adam had grabbed his arms from behind.

Ten minutes later, Scorpius was once again alone in the bathroom. He’d been punched several times in the stomach and was sopping wet from the bogwashing. Fighting back tears, he hid in a stall in the bathroom for the rest of lunch.

Once he heard the bell for the next class, Scorpius waited a while before venturing out. He was still wet and his stomach felt bruised. He decided to try to find his way back to Gryffindor Tower. Before he managed to find the portrait of the Fat Lady, Scorpius was discovered by one of the last people he wanted to see: Professor Macmillan.

“Why aren’t you in class, Mr Malfoy?�

“I… I have a stomach ache.� Scorpius felt this was reasonably close to the truth.

“And you thought you’d swim it off in the lake?� asked Professor Macmillan, who had obviously noticed that Scorpius was still dripping.

“Er, no. I tried splashing some water on my face to help…� Scorpius knew it to be a stupid lie, but couldn’t think of anything better at the time.

Professor Macmillan’s eyebrows raised. Scorpius added hurriedly, “I… I can’t find the hospital wing, could you show me the way, Sir?�

Professor Macmillan explained that he was rather busy but gave Scorpius directions. Just as Scorpius turned to go, Professor Macmillan added, “I will check with Madam Pomfrey to see that you arrive, if not, I will be taking thirty points.�

Scorpius gulped. Losing thirty points wouldn’t help his problems in Gryffindor. He followed the Potions Master’s instructions and found himself at the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey didn’t seem the least bit fooled by Scorpius’s story, but she made him some hot chocolate and prescribed bed rest anyway. She even wrote a note for him to give Professor Binns, although she told him that Professor Binns wouldn’t likely require it.

Scorpius ate his dinner in the hospital wing. He still didn’t much feel like facing anyone. Madam Pomfrey told him if he was feeling better, he could go back to his dormitory for the night.

On his way out the door she added, “And if you want to tell me what really happened, I’ll be here.�

Scorpius didn’t dare say a word. No matter how nice Madam Pomfrey had been, he didn’t want to tell anyone how he’d been humiliated. Upon climbing through the portrait hole, he heard a squeal.

“Scorpius! Where have you been? You never came back from lunch and then you missed History of Magic and dinner too. We’ve been looking for you everywhere!� Rosie ran up to him with Albus right behind her.

Looking beyond his friends, Scorpius noticed Bernard and Adam sitting in chairs by the fire. “I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to the hospital wing.�

He hated lying to Rosie and Albus but he couldn’t bring himself to admit what had happened, especially in front of Adam and Bernard.

“Are you feeling better now?� asked Rosie, concern evident in her wide blue eyes.

“Yeah, but I think I’ll go to bed early anyway,� he answered, heading towards the boys’ dormitories.

“Professor Binns is pretty boring; you didn’t miss much. We can lend you our notes if you like,� added Albus.

Scorpius turned and smiled in gratitude. “Thanks; that would be good.� As he left, he noticed Adam and Bernard whispering with Josh Thomas. Scorpius hoped he hadn’t made yet another enemy.

*

Scorpius tried to stay close to Albus the next day. He was fairly certain that neither Bernard nor Adam would bother him as long as one of his friends was nearby. Still, he felt ashamed to have to hide behind them.

Rosie still seemed worried about him. “Are you sure you’re feeling better? You’ve hardly touched your food.�

“I’m fine,� he lied. In truth, he was becoming increasingly nervous about the fact that he couldn’t stay in Albus’s shadow forever. He was also quite certain that Adam and Bernard didn’t consider whatever debt his family owed them to be fully paid.

“At least we have Defence this afternoon. That ought to be interesting,� added Albus.

This thought did cheer Scorpius somewhat; perhaps he’d learn how to defend himself from those bullies.

“Today we’ll be practicing a very basic defensive spell,� announced Professor Proudfoot. “Do not be fooled by the fact that it is simple; simple spells can be excellent defensive maneuvers. This spell, which can be mastered by a first year, became the signature move of Harry Potter.�

At this, most of the class stared at Albus, who squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. Undaunted, Professor Proudfoot continued, “Not only did Harry Potter use this spell to escape from Lord Voldemort at the age of fourteen, it is also the spell he used to ultimately defeat him. Now, who can tell me what it is?�

Bernard raised his hand. “A Stunning Spell, Sir?�

“No. Anyone else?�

Scorpius had no idea what the correct answer was, but was delighted that Bernard had gotten it wrong.

Mike Creevey guessed, “The Patronus Charm?�

“No, that’s actually fairly advanced magic, which we won’t cover until NEWTs.�

“The Body Bind?� asked Cassandra Tulley.

“A reasonable guess, but no.�

Albus raised his hand. “Expelliarmus.�

“Yes, excellent! The Disarming Spell. Five points to Gryffindor.� Scorpius grinned at his friend to congratulate him, but Albus looked rather red in the face.

Professor Proudfoot continued, “The Disarming Spell is one of the basic spells that everyone ought to know. May I have a volunteer?�

Several students squirmed in their seats. It was apparent that no one particularly wanted to volunteer. Deciding that things could hardly get worse, Scorpius raised his hand.

“Thank you Mr Malfoy. Please come to the front of the class, and bring your wand.�

Scorpius found it slightly disconcerting that Professor Proudfoot hadn�t needed to check the seating chart but obediently walked to the front of the class, wand clutched firmly in his hand.

Professor Proudfoot continued, “I just need you to stand about there. Face me holding your wand tightly, and on the count of three, I’ll Disarm you.�

Scorpius hoped it wouldn’t hurt, but tried not to let is show that he was worried.

“One...�

Scorpius gripped his wand tightly.

“Two…�

He set his teeth.

“Three. Expelliarmus!�

The hawthorn wand flew from his grasp, landing uncomfortably close to Bernard.

“Well done, five points to Gryffindor! You can retrieve your wand, Mr Malfoy. Meanwhile, everyone pair up. I want you to practice on each other. Even if you know other spells, don’t practice them on your ‘attacker’ simply try to hold on to your wand, and let your opponent know if you feel a pull.�

There was a scraping of chairs as everyone began to assemble into pairs. Scorpius grabbed his wand and turned to see that Rosie was already partners with Shannon.

“Want to be partners?� asked Albus.

“Sure!�

Neither of the boys noticed the bemused expression on their teacher’s face.

Albus’s eyes met Scorpius’s gray ones. “Does it hurt?�

“No,� Scorpius answered. “It’s just a tug on the wrist.�

After practicing the spell on each other a few times, Scorpius finally felt a gentle pulling. A few tries later, Albus reported the same. It seemed no one in the class had really mastered the Disarming Spell yet.

Meanwhile, Proudfoot was prowling about the room, commenting on their attempts. “Careful with your pronunciation, Creevey. Tulley, you need to flick your wrist more. Remember class, you have to say the incantation like you mean it!�

After a half hour, Scorpius finally managed to cause Albus’s wand to fly out of his hand. Professor Proudfoot had apparently been watching. “Well done, Malfoy! Keep up the good work!�

By the end of class, a few other students had managed the spell. Professor Proudfoot had assigned mastery of it for homework. “Next class, you’ll each have to Disarm me. Don’t forget to leave your essays on my desk on your way out.�

“I never want to hear Expelliarmus again,� grumbled Scorpius on their way to the Great Hall.

“Me either,� agreed Albus.

“Well, too bad, because I still can’t do it quite right,� added Rosie, with a sigh of frustration.

“I thought I saw Shannon’s wand fly out of her hand,� said Scorpius.

“No, she just got tired and wasn’t holding on tight enough,� Rosie explained.

“Well, since you’re lending me your History of Magic notes, we can practice before Astronomy, if you want,� Scorpius offered.

“Thanks. I really don’t want to be the only one in the class who can’t do it right.�

“Don’t worry, you probably only need a little bit of practice,� Scorpius assured her.

*

Scorpius had been happy for the excuse to practice with Rosie. The common room was a very safe place for him, especially with James, Fred, Gideon, and Arthur popping in and out. Scorpius didn’t know Gideon or Arthur very well but knew they were brothers, sons of Rosie’s uncle, Percy. Gideon was in third year and could often be found with Fred and James. Arthur was a fifth year and didn’t spend much time with his younger cousins. At that precise moment, Arthur was discussing strategies for Quidditch with his fellow Chaser, Yusef.

Albus had agreed to go exploring with Nigel, Josh, Mike, and Adam. Much to Scorpius’s discomfort, Bernard stayed in the common room, within earshot of him and Rosie all evening. Bernard had even offered to help Rosie practice the spell just as Scorpius was returning from putting his books away in the dormitory. Scorpius couldn’t help but feel a bit smug that Rosie had declined, explaining that her friend had already offered to help her.

It was nearly time to go to Astronomy class when Rosie had finally gotten the Disarming Spell to work properly. By this point, Scorpius had become quite good at it. James and Fred had joined their practice after Gideon had left to do homework. It had been a fun evening, even with Bernard skulking nearby.

When Albus and the others returned, Scorpius waited to go get his telescope with Albus. Once they were alone in the dormitory, Scorpius asked, “Albus? Today in class you knew the answer to Professor Proudfoot’s question all along, didn’t you?�

“Mhmm,� mumbled Albus.

“So, why didn’t you answer right away?�

Albus reddened slightly. “You know how everyone expects you to be a horrible person because of something your father did? Well, it’s not exactly easy when everyone expects you to do something brilliant because your father saved the world when he was seventeen. I don’t like the way they stare at me any more than you like how they stare at you.�

Grimacing, Scorpius explained, “You know, my dad really isn’t a horrible person, like everyone says. He’s really nice. You’d like him.�

Albus grinned in reply. “Can you keep a secret?�

Upon seeing his friend nod, he continued, “Mum’s always saying she can’t understand how anyone who managed to defeat Voldemort can’t remember a grocery list. Dad’s pretty normal; you’d like him too.�

Where the Truth Lies

Thursday evening Scorpius dutifully left the warm coziness of the common room for his detention with Professor Hagrid. He hurried down the staircase, hoping that Bernard and Adam weren’t close behind him. As he was nearing the Great Hall, he heard voices.

“Give her back!�

“What’s the magic word?� taunted Rachel Zabini.

Danny Longbottom was frantically jumping for something in Rachel’s hand, but the older girl easily kept it out of his reach.

“Please,� begged Danny. “You’re hurting her!�

“Is the son of the great brave Gryffindor going to cry?� taunted Rachel.

A pitiful croak came from within Rachel’s hand.

“Dolores!� shouted Danny.

Scorpius ran at Rachel, not even thinking about drawing his wand. She didn’t turn to see him in time, and he collided with her, hard. She kicked him in the shins as they fell to the floor. Danny and Scorpius were prying at Rachel’s hand, trying to force her to loosen her hold on Dolores.

“Stop it, the lot of yeh!� yelled a loud, angry voice.

Scorpius felt an enormous hand grab him, pulling him off Rachel, who seemed to have a bloody nose. Professor Hagrid was gripping one of Rachel’s arms in one hand and rather roughly grasped Scorpius’s shoulder with the other. To Scorpius’s relief, he saw that Dolores was safely in Danny’s hands, much safer than he felt in Hagrid’s.

“What’d I tell you about fighting, Malfoy?� asked Hagrid, angrily.

“But I had to!�

“Quiet!� Hagrid replied gruffly. Scorpius was immediately angry over being told to be quiet after having been asked a question. Hagrid was looking from Scorpius to Rachel. “The pair o’ yeh! Gangin’ up on another kid! I’m disgusted with the both of yeh!�

“But Hagrid! It wasn’t them against me; it was us against her,� confessed Danny.

Hagrid was clearly shocked. “Danny? Why would you do summat like that?�
Danny looked at his feet and clutched Dolores protectively. “She… she took Dolores and wouldn’t give her back. She was hurting her!� he said in a choked voice.

“That’s not true, right Scorpius?� interrupted Rachel. It was the first time in Scorpius’s memory that Rachel Zabini had looked at him in a manner resembling kindness. It suddenly occurred to him that if he helped Rachel out of this sticky spot, she’d owe him and he was fairly certain that she could help him with some of his other problems.

Scorpius looked between the boy who had abandoned him his first night at Hogwarts, and the girl he’d detested for years; finally, his eyes settled on Dolores and he made up his mind. “I was going to detention and heard them. I didn’t know what was happening at first, but I realized Rachel was hurting the toad and I got angry and tried to make her let it go before she hurt it more.�

“You little liars! Professor, they’re friends; of course they’d lie to save themselves…�

“He hasn’t even spoken to me since the night we got here,� argued Scorpius, narrowing his eyes.

Danny found an interesting spot on the floor to stare at. Hagrid looked rather shocked and cleared his throat. “Righ’ then. Five points each from Ravenclaw, Slytherin and er, Gryffindor fer fightin’.�

Scorpius wanted to protest but Hagrid continued, “Thirty points from Slytherin fer being cruel an’ a bully. Five points ter Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for defendin’ Dolores, the toad.�

“But…� Rachel’s voice trailed off.

“An’ I’ll be having a word wi’ Professor Sinistra regardin’ this,� added Hagrid. “C’mon Malfoy, you still have a detention.�

Scorpius followed Hagrid out onto the grounds. He wasn’t terribly pleased about detention, or that his points had cancelled out. Then again, he supposed that Danny had done no better and Hagrid seemed to really like Danny. Plus, he’d punched Rachel Zabini in the nose and wasn’t actually in trouble. Perhaps Professor Hagrid wasn’t so unfair after all.

“Umm, Professor?�

“What?� Hagrid still sounded rather gruff.

Scorpius had been trying to work up the nerve to apologize, instead he asked, “What am I doing for detention?�

“Muckin’ out stalls. Yeh’ll be gathering Hippogriff manure to fertilize some o’ Professor Longbottom’s plants.�

“Oh.�

After a few more steps, Scorpius asked, “Will I get to see the Hippogriffs?�

Hagrid looked at him quite oddly before answering. “No, fer yer safety they’ll be in a paddock.�

Scorpius didn’t quite manage to hide his look of disappointment.

“Wha’ is it?� asked Hagrid, wondering why the Malfoy boy was more upset at this news than over shoveling manure.

“I… I’ve never seen a Hippogriff before,� blurted Scorpius. “Mum and Dad don’t like them and… and I was just curious.�

“I wouldn’ imagine yer Da’ would be over fond of Hippogriffs,� agreed Hagrid. “There’s the stable. Yeh’ll find a shovel and two wheelbarrows in the far end. I’ll be back in an hour.�

Shoveling Hippogriff manure was not a particularly fun task, even after adjusting to the smell. Scorpius had just filled the second wheelbarrow when Hagrid returned.

“Righ’ then, we just need ter take these up to Greenhouse Two and yer free ter go,� Hagrid explained.

As they pushed the wheelbarrows, Scorpius decided it was then or never. “I’m sorry for what I said, Professor. I didn’t know what I called you was… well, I didn’t realize what it… I’m sorry.�

Scorpius focused his gaze on the path ahead of them. After a few moments, Hagrid cleared his throat. “It takes a big man ter say that. Apology accepted.�

Before Scorpius could reply, Professor Longbottom and Bernard Smith emerged from Greenhouse Two. “Excellent! That should be plenty for you to work into my plants, Mr Smith.�

Scorpius unsuccessfully attempted to hide his look of glee upon realizing that Bernard had been given detention by Professor Longbottom and he’d have only gloves separating him from the manure; at least Scorpius had been given a nice long shovel. His happiness was short lived upon seeing the threatening look on Bernard’s face.

“Professor Hagrid? Can I go back to the castle now?�

“Yeah, yer excused.�

As Scorpius turned to go, Hagrid called out after him. “If yer still curious abou’ them Hippogriffs, drop by sometime next week.�

Scorpius grinned. “Thanks! I will!�

*

“Hey, Rosie! Auntie Hermione’s in the Daily Prophet!� called James.

Scorpius had noticed that James, unlike Albus and Rosie, didn’t seem at all embarrassed to have famous relatives. James passed the Daily Prophet to Rosie, showing her the article.

“What’d your mum do?� asked Shannon, evidently interested.

“Oh, it’s just her work. They’ve set a date for a Wizengamot hearing on a house-elf act or something. It’s probably really dull.�

Scorpius quickly scanned the article.

Madam Weasley, well-known for her many accomplishments in aiding Harry Potter defeat infamous dark wizard, Lord Voldemort…

…Madam Weasley has been an outspoken defender of house-elves since her school days…

Scorpius had to agree, the article didn’t look particularly interesting.

“But, really, it is awful how a lot of people treat their house-elves,� added Rosie.

“Wasn’t it the Malfoy family that abused the house-elf that Harry Potter was friends with?� asked Bernard, rather loudly.

There was an uncomfortable silence after this. Scorpius hadn’t even known his family had ever had a house-elf. He was quite certain neither his parents nor grandparents had ever mentioned it.

“I don’t know and don’t see how it’s any of your business,� replied Rosie, primly.

Bernard looked rather stunned but Rosie wasn’t finished. “And what’s more, I’m sick of you saying horrible things about Scorpius’s family! I know you’ve been talking about him behind his back too, and I think it’s really nasty! Whatever Scorpius’s family did or didn’t do, he’s a good deal nicer than you are!�

All of the Gryffindors, as well as many of the Hufflepuffs at the next table, were staring in shocked silence. Bernard had looked increasingly uncomfortable as Rosie’s rant had continued and was now staring at his plate, face beet red. James began to clap, followed by Albus and Fred. Within moments, the majority of the Gryffindors had followed suit.

Both Rosie and Scorpius were now blushing too. She turned to Albus and Scorpius. “Erm, let’s go to the lake. It’s a nice day outside.�

As they were leaving, Scorpius noticed James, Fred and Gideon walk over to Bernard and could hear James saying, “Didn’t we already have to tell you to leave Scorpius alone?�

After they made their way outside, Rosie muttered, “Well, that was rather awkward, wasn’t it?�

“Only a bit,� replied Scorpius. “But thanks, both of you. So why are we going to the lake?�

“Because Albus and I are supposed to visit Hagrid in an hour and I didn’t want everyone staring at us ‘til then.�

“Oh.� Scorpius hadn’t realized that he’d be spending the afternoon alone.

They skipped stones across the lake until it was time for Rosie and Albus to leave for Hagrid’s. Scorpius decided to go to the library and work on some assignments. Even if Rosie’s speech and her cousins’ threats had had the desired effect upon Bernard, Scorpius still didn’t really want to see him.

After a few hours, Scorpius was pleased with his Transfiguration essay, for Professor Horton. He’d written a good deal about the theory behind the transformation of simple inanimate objects into similar ones. However, he still wasn’t sure if he’d be able to properly Transfigure a match into a needle. He was fairly confident that his eyebrows would remain relatively safe though.

“Hello, Scorpius.�

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as Rachel said his name. “What do you want?�

Rachel pouted a bit and replied in a falsely sweet voice, “There’s no need to be rude. I only said ‘hello’ to you.�

“Fine then,� he replied. “Hello Rachel, to what do I owe the pleasure?�

“Where’s your girlfriend?� she asked lightly.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have a girlfriend, so nowhere, I guess.�

“The Weasley girl who made that scene at lunch today,� elaborated Rachel.

“She’s not my girlfriend,� retorted Scorpius.

“That’s wise of you; your parents would have a fit if you had a half-blood girlfriend,� replied Rachel.

“No they wouldn’t!� answered Scorpius angrily.

Rachel laughed. “You really don’t think Mummy and Daddy would care that she’s the daughter of a Mudblood? Especially that Mudblood!�

“No, I don’t!�

“Really? You don’t think they want to keep their family pure?� she asked.

“No. And what did you mean by ‘especially that Mudblood’?�

Rachel laughed again. “Didn’t your parents tell you anything?�

Scorpius wanted to say ‘yes’, but after the revelation that they used to have a house-elf, he was beginning to feel as though everyone knew more about his family than he did.

“What do you know?� he asked, cautiously.

“Oh, just what’s common knowledge,� she answered silkily. “And what my parents told me, of course.�

“Which is?� prompted Scorpius, between gritted teeth.

Rachel considered him a moment. “Well, if I wanted to find out more, I suppose I’d read this.�

As she said this, she handed him a book entitled, Death Eaters Who Got Away, A Closer Look at the Malfoys, by Rita Skeeter.

“What’s this?� he asked, horrified.

“Your family history,� Rachel answered nastily. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to go. “Never get me in trouble with a teacher again, little Malfoy.�

Scorpius barely heard her as he stared in horror at the book she’d left him with. There was a bookmark in it. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he turned to the marked page.

As is widely known, Malfoy Manor was used as a base of operations for Lord Voldemort and his closest supporters. Prisoners were held captive in a secret room for well over a year and tortured for information without mercy. What isn’t as well known is that Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, were also briefly held captive there.

With Lucius, Narcissa and Draco’s assistance, the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange (sister of Narcissa), used the Cruciatus Curse upon Hermione Granger.

Scorpius snapped the book shut. His father had watched Rosie’s mum be tortured and had done nothing to stop it, instead he’d helped her attacker. He didn’t know what to think anymore. He simply couldn’t imagine his father doing that. It had to be a lie. Except there it was, in print.

Scorpius put the book into his bag and went to the Astronomy Tower. It seemed he had a lot of thinking to do.

*

The sun had set and the stars were beginning to appear in the sky. Merlin had managed to find his master and sat on his Scorpius’s shoulder, affectionately nibbling at his ear. Merlin had been a present from his father, who had stood by and watched an innocent girl be tortured. Scorpius felt that he was the one currently being tortured. Rachel Zabini was far more skilled at hurting people than Bernard Smith would ever be.

“Stargazing, Mr Malfoy?�

Scorpius was quite startled at the sound of someone else’s voice. He was even more surprised to find that the voice belonged to Professor Longbottom.

“You weren’t at dinner.�

“I… I wasn’t hungry,� Scorpius answered.

“Your friends were worried. I believe there is a Weasley-Potter search party underway.�

“They won’t be my friends after they read this.� He roughly handed the book to Professor Longbottom.

Neville sighed. “How much of this did you read?’

“Enough.�

“Too much then. Scorpius, I went to school with your father.�

Scorpius looked up in surprise. Professor Longbottom continued, “He… he wasn’t the nicest person back then but he certainly wasn’t as bad as this book makes him out to be. You shouldn’t put any trust in anything Rita Skeeter has written. She’s the sort of person who will take a grain of truth and twist it into something ugly.�

Scorpius barely dared to hope that the book was all lies. “The… the part that’s bookmarked… it says he helped someone hurt Rosie’s mum.�

“His aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange,� interrupted Neville, his voice full of bitterness.

Scorpius looked at his teacher in shock but Neville was looking into the distance. After a few moments, he spoke again, but his tone was even once more. “My wife was there that night. She’d been held prisoner for a long time by then. When Harry, Ron and Hermione were brought there, your father wouldn’t identify them. He immediately recognized Hermione and Ron (Harry was disguised) but he tried to cast doubt as to who they were. I can assure you that he had no chance of saving Hermione that night. Bellatrix Lestrange…�

Neville paused. “She was the one who tortured Hermione. From what I heard later, your father wanted no part of it. He and his parents suffered for the prisoners’ escape. Voldemort was not the forgiving type.�

“But then why didn’t Dad tell me?�

“I really couldn’t say. Have you considered that speaking of those events might be painful for him?�

Scorpius looked down at his feet. “No, I hadn’t.�

“You know your father better than that Skeeter cow ever will. I would advise burning that book. I expect it would make much better kindling than reading material.�

Scorpius managed a small smile. “Thank you, Sir.�

“Oh, and if you find your appetite has returned, I suggest that you ask Mr James Potter and Mr Fred Weasley for some advice concerning a ticklish pear.� Professor Longbottom gave a small wink and left.

Scorpius was left wondering if Professor Longbottom was quite sane. It wasn’t long before he found Albus and Rosie.

“Where have you been?� she demanded, hands on hips.

“I had some thinking to do and lost track of the time.�

“Oh. Is everything alright?� she asked.

“Yeah… I think so.�

“Did you want to explore the fifth floor?� asked Albus.

Scorpius’s stomach gave an audible rumble. “Sure, but I have to ask your brother something first,� replied Scorpius.

As they made their way through the portrait hole, Rosie added, “I nearly forgot! Hagrid wanted us to let you know that you’re invited for tea next Friday too. He would have invited you last night after detention, but he didn’t know we were all friends. So, if you’re free next Friday at two…�

Scorpius grinned. “Sure! That’d be great!�

He noticed that Bernard was writing at a nearby table and looked thoroughly disgusted with Hagrid’s offer, but was mercifully silent as well. Scorpius hurried over to the common room’s fireplace; James and Fred were sitting in the comfy chairs with Gideon.

“Umm… I know this sounds stupid, but Professor Longbottom told me to ask you about ‘ticklish pears’. Does that make any sense to you?�

Gideon burst into laughter, soon followed by Fred and James. Scorpius felt even more foolish. What had Professor Longbottom been playing at?

“Guess Uncle Neville noticed some missing food,� James finally said.

“You’re lucky he didn’t take points for it,� added Arthur, who was sitting nearby.

“What are you talking about?� asked Albus, indignantly.

James looked around to be certain the other students couldn’t overhear. “Care for a bit of an adventure?� he asked with a gleam in his eye.

The Mistaken Marauder

“Where’d you get that?� demanded Albus, once they were all in the dormitory that Fred and James shared.

James grinned, as he unfolded the Marauder’s Map. “Nicked it from Dad’s office.�

Rosie looked at him rather sternly, in a manner highly reminiscent of her mother. “James, you really shouldn’t have stolen it from Uncle Harry...�

James gave her a cocky look and raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to write him a letter telling him what a bad boy I’ve been or are you going to come along with us?�

Scorpius felt rather uncomfortable using something that had been stolen from Mr Potter’s office. Besides, what if it was dangerous? Who knew what sort of things the Head of the Auror Department had lying around his office? He looked to Rosie, but her expression was already softening. She lightly smacked her older cousin. “Of course I’ll come, Prat.�

James only grinned smugly in reply.

“Er... are you sure it’s safe?� asked Scorpius, trying his best not to look a coward.

“Have a look for yourself,� answered James, tossing the old piece of parchment to Scorpius. Fred gave James a look, but Scorpius didn’t notice.

Scorpius carefully examined the slightly tattered parchment. It certainly didn’t look dangerous. It didn’t look like something worth James having nicked either. “It’s just a ratty old piece of parchment,� Scorpius said after a few moments.

He’d barely finished speaking before the words began to appear on it:

Mr Prongs feels affronted that someone missing part of their right eyebrow would have the nerve to call this most dignified piece of parchment ‘ratty’.

Mr Moony agrees with Mr Prongs and would also advise young Mr Malfoy to comb his hair.

“Wh... how did it know? This looks like Dark magic!� Scorpius added nervously.

Mr Padfoot would advise anyone who is afraid of a bit of parchment to not partake of any sort of adventure.

Scorpius went red as James chuckled. Fred looked as though he was trying not to laugh as the writing continued.

Mr Wormtail would like to register his astonishment that a Malfoy managed to worm his way into Gryffindor Tower.�

“That’s enough,� said Albus crossly. Scorpius was surprised to see that he was looking at the parchment as he said it.

“Yeah, that’s over the line, there,� added Fred.

“What are you talking about?� demanded Scorpius, his cheeks still flushed from the parchment’s comments.

“I solemly swear that I am up to no good,� said Rosie, touching her wand tip to the parchment.

To Scorpius’s astonishment, an intricately detailed map of Hogwarts appeared. Upon looking closer, he could find the room they were in, within Gryffindor Tower. Even more shocking, there was a dot in that room, clearly labeled ‘Scorpius Malfoy.’

“It’s a map of Hogwarts,� Rosie explained, somewhat unnecessarily.

“But I’m on it!�

“My grandfather, the one I’m named after, and three of his friends made it when they were students here,� explained James proudly. “It shows the secret passageways, where everyone is, everything. It even gives certain passwords, but only the ones that haven’t changed in the past fifty years.�

“What are those passages that lead off the map?� asked Scorpius.

“Oh, those,� answered James. “They’re passageways to Hogsmeade, but they don’t work anymore.�

“Why not?�

“Well, there’s six in all,� Fred explained. “My dad told me that him and his twin brother used this one, before there was a cave-in and that the nasty caretaker, Flinch, or whatever his name was...�

“Filch,� supplied Rosie.

“Yeah, right nasty git anyway, from what Mum and Dad say,� continued Fred. “Anyway he knew about these four, so Seward probably knows too.�

Scorpius couldn’t help but make a face. Seward, the present caretaker was one of the most unpleasant people he’d ever laid eyes on.

“What about that one?�

“Oh, that one’s been sealed at the other end. You can get into the tunnel, but the trap door is locked on the other side and needs a password,� supplied James.

“Plus you have to get past the Whomping Willow first, and it’s being watched.�

Albus had been studying the map. “Where’s Uncle Neville’s office?�

“He’s your uncle too?� asked Scorpius in surprise.
It was Albus’s turn to redden. “No... he’s a good friend of Mum and Dad’s, but he’s like family.�

“So where’s his office then?� asked Rosie sensibly.

Scorpius couldn’t find it either.

“That’s odd,� said Fred. “We never noticed it being missing.�

Something that Professor Longbottom had said came back to Scorpius. “Did you say the map only gives fifty year old passwords?�

“Yeah.�

“Well... maybe that room doesn’t count as being fifty years old. Professor Longbottom told me they added a charm to the ceiling when he got it.�

“That could be it,� mused Rosie. “It makes sense anyway.�

“Doesn’t much matter,� added James. “We only need to use the map to make sure the coast is clear, we just won’t walk by that room.�

“It isn’t after hours, why do we need to make sure we’re not seen?� asked Scorpius.

“Because we’re not supposed to go into the kitchens and if we’re caught carrying food back with us... well, let’s just say we’ll be helping the house-elves scrub a lot of pots. Without magic,� Fred answered.

Rosie bit her lip. It was clear she didn’t relish the thought of her parents receiving an owl detailing her detention.

“Oh, come on, Rosie. Uncle Neville practically told Scorpius to do it,� pointed out Fred.

“It’s okay,� began Scorpius, “I don’t want us all to get in trouble on my account. Besides Professor Longbottom didn’t actually give me permission...�

Scorpius’s words were drowned out by a loud rumbling from his stomach. James snorted. “Look, if we get caught it’s not like we’re getting expelled and even if Uncle Neville didn’t quite tell you it was alright, it doesn’t matter: we have the map, we’re not going to get caught. So are you in or not?�

“I’m in,� answered Albus.

After a moment’s pause, Scorpius added, “Me too.�

“I suppose scrubbing pots wouldn’t be the end of the world,� agreed Rosie.

Fred inspected the map. “Alright, looks like Sinistra just passed by, Seward’s down in the dungeon, and Peeves is...�

“Who cares? He’s not between here and the kitchens, is he? Besides, we only have to be careful on the way back,� interrupted James, obviously eager to get going.

“Alright, remember it’s not after hours so we don’t have to sneak out. Just act natural,� reminded Fred.

With that, all five of them went down to the common room, through the portrait hole, towards the Entrance Hall. After climbing down the stairs, James led them down a staircase on their left and through a hallway with assorted paintings of food. Then James stopped dead in his tracks, causing Albus to crash into him.

“What’d you do that for?� demanded Albus angrily, while rubbing his forehead.

James shushed him and whispered, “There’s someone there and they’re looking at the painting.�

“So?� asked Albus.

“So, I don’t want to give away our secret to everyone,� snapped James.

Before James could say anything more, Rosie called out, “Alice, is that you?�

Alice answered, “Rosie? What are you doing down here?�

Scorpius noticed that James didn’t seem terribly pleased with Rosie or that it was Alice they’d found. Before he had time to wonder about this, Alice turned to him and said, “Danny told me about you helping save Dolores. That was really nice of you!�

Scorpius mumbled something about it not being a big deal. Fred interrupted with a warning, “Someone’s coming.�

“Quick, follow me,� replied Alice. She reached up and tickled a pear on the painting she was standing next to. Within moments, Scorpius found himself being pulled through a door, the handle of which had previously been the pear. He looked around to see what must have been a hundred house-elves. Scorpius had only seen pictures of house-elves before and was surprised at their high pitched voices, they certainly seemed happy to see him and the other students though.

“Would Sir like something to eat? Perhaps a bowl of trifle?� asked the nearest elf.

“Er... well I missed supper. Could I perhaps have a sandwich?� asked Scorpius.

Delighted house-elves had a small table heaped with plates of sandwiches in minutes and Scorpius found himself being urged to try the egg salad, corned beef and peanut butter. He quickly picked up a corned beef and started eating it. Meanwhile, James and Alice were having a less than cordial discussion.

“How did you know to tickle the pear?� James demanded.

“It’s not like it’s a huge secret,� snapped Alice. “Nearly everyone in Hufflepuff knows about it.�

“What?� yelped James, clearly horrified.

“Well the Fat Friar shows anyone who looks hungry to him.�

“Some stupid ghost is running around telling my grandfather’s secrets?�

“No you stupid prat! The Hufflepuff ghost shares a secret that he knew several centuries before your grandfather was even born!� retorted Alice angrily.

“Don’t call me stupid, you dumb Hufflepuff!�

Scorpius was shocked to see Alice slap James. James looked quite shocked too.

“Don’t you ever call me that again James Potter,� Alice threatened in a deadly cold voice. Scorpius noticed there were tears forming in her eyes.

“Alice I’m sure James didn’t...� began Fred.

“Stop it, Fred! I know exactly what he meant!� answered Alice, shrilly. She ignored the house-elf tugging on her sleeve who was trying to offer her tea to calm her nerves.

“Yeah, give it a rest Fred. If Miss Longbottom can’t deal with the fact that she’s just a Hufflepuff, then why should I be sorry? I don’t think I’ll be wasting my time helping her with Transfiguration anymore either,� replied James in a cruel voice.
“Stop it!� cried out Rosie. She turned to Alice and added, “You know he didn’t mean it, none of us think that...�

Alice wasn’t listening to Rosie either, but was still focusing her gaze on James. “I hate you, you stupid show-off Gryffindor! I should have done this long ago!�

Before anyone else could say anything, she raised her wand and aimed it at James shouting, “Asinusonorous!�

Scorpius looked from Alice to James, who didn’t appear any the worse for wear. In fact, he seemed smugger than ever. James looked as though he was about to point this out to Alice, but when he opened his mouth, rather than speaking, he brayed like a donkey.

Scorpius couldn’t help but laugh, especially upon seeing the look on James’s face. Rosie, Albus and Fred were laughing too.

A look of fierce pride had taken over Alice’s features. “Serves you right, you stuck up...�

“Heehaw!� interrupted James.

This only made the others laugh harder. James apparently, was not accustomed to being laughed at. Scorpius felt some pity for him, even though James had been quite rude.

“How long will it last?� he asked.

Alice shrugged, smiling.

Fred’s jaw dropped. “You aren’t going to make him go to class like that?�

“Heehaw heehaw!� added James, who seemed to be agreeing that this would be too cruel.

Alice gave them both a look. “As much as he deserves it, no. I’ll see that it wears off by midnight, but,� here she turned to James and gave him a penetrating stare before continuing, “next time you can go like that for a week, for all I care.�

Scorpius rather thought based on the angry look Alice was receiving from James, that any lesson had been lost.

“Maybe we should head back to our dormitories,� suggested Rosie.

Fred took out the map. “Coast’s clear. Let’s go!�

They all hurried out of the kitchens, James still looking as though he would dearly love to wring Alice Longbottom’s neck.

Alice waved good bye to the others and happily set off for the Hufflepuff entrance. Rosie was busy admonishing James. “For goodness sake James! Stop trying to talk, it’ll wear off on its own and you sound ridiculous.�

James it seemed, lacked the capacity to be completely quiet and stomped a foot in protest. This only made Rosie giggle harder, which in turn made James’s face go redder.

Fred clapped him on the back consolingly. “You know James, Alice may not be great shakes at Transfiguration, but come to think of it, isn’t she top of her class in Charms?�

Scorpius and Albus exchanged grins as James snorted.

*

From his office, Neville studied his own copy of the Maurauder’s Map. Glad to see that Scorpius was fitting in, and that they all managed to get some food without getting caught, Neville returned to grading second year assignments on Mandrakes.

Neville had always hated that rule about not getting food from the kitchens and didn’t feel the least bit guilty over having sent his students there. He’d been quite pleased when Fred and George had shown him how. None of them had known at the time how useful that information would be to Dumbledore’s Army years later, once the school was occupied by Death Eaters, of course they had eventually needed to get food from Hogsmeade instead. It was a shame that he hadn’t had a copy of the Marauder’s Map back then.

He briefly paused to wonder what had transpired between his daughter and James; the map didn’t reveal all secrets. He had the feeling though that Alice was feeling good about herself, based upon how her dot had seemed to approach the Hufflepuff common room far more boldly than usual. Good; it was about time that she realized that he truly was proud of her, no matter what house she’d ended up in. He rather hoped James hadn’t been shown up too much. His dot seemed to be lacking its usual swager.

Harry had given the map to Neville as a gift once he found out about the Head of Gryffindor appointment. After discussing the matter, George, Ron, Harry and Neville proceeded to make two more copies of the map. One was given as a gift to Teddy Lupin, Harry had pointed out that Teddy had as much right to it as anyone, being Moony’s son. The third copy wasn’t quite as accurate as the others. Harry, Ron and Fred had agreed to leave certain things off the map, such as the tunnel to Hogsmeade via the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, deciding to let their children discover some secrets for themselves. Harry had dutifully hidden the altered copy in a desk drawer and had written to Neville upon noting its disappearance.

Caught Unprepared

Once James’s speaking voice had returned, he lost no time in telling everyone what he thought of Alice Longbottom. Scorpius couldn’t help but feel Alice had been at least partially justified in her actions, and that James would have done better to keep quiet about it since after denouncing Alice, everyone wanted to know just what she’d done to James. James would then generally explain that it was a private matter. Scorpius also couldn’t help but note that not only did this response start wild rumours about just what Alice had done but that Alice was getting congratulated in the halls a good deal. He rather doubted this was the effect that James had been trying for.

By Tuesday afternoon, the donkey aspect of the hex had made it into the rumours. Scorpius overheard Cassandra Tulley asking Rosie if Alice had really given James a donkey head.

Before Rosie could deny this, Mike Creevey added, “I heard she gave him a tail too!�

“Well you both heard wrong,� snapped James.

“So, why don’t you tell us what really happened?� asked Shannon Finnigan.

“Because it’s between Alice and myself,� retorted James.

Shannon raised an eyebrow. “Well, I suppose it must be even worse than either of those guesses then.�

Fred quietly pointed out to James, “Why don’t you just tell them the truth and be done with it?�

“Because it’s embarrassing,� answered James between gritted teeth. He added in a somewhat louder voice, “I hate that stupid Alice Longbottom, can you believe she put me through this?�

“Honestly, James! No one would have known anything happened if you’d kept your big mouth shut,� replied Rosie. “You were rude, and maybe Alice overreacted but it’s your own stupid fault that everyone knows something happened.�

James, who wasn’t used to having his pride bruised, left in a huff. Rosie rolled her eyes. “It’s still his own stupid fault.�

Scorpius looked after James. “He’d probably do better to just tell everyone the truth, no one will care in a week; they’ll have something else to gossip about by then.�

“Yeah,� Albus agreed. He sighed. “Next week they’ll probably all be talking about how evil you are again.�

Scorpius nodded. “Guess I’d better enjoy it while I can.� He practiced his most evil grin. “So what’s this I hear about how Alice turned James into a tap-dancing winged monkey before giving him donkey ears?�

Rosie giggled most of the way to Defence class but became a good deal more sombre upon entering the classroom. No one seemed to be looking forward to the prospect of trying to Disarm a retired Auror, especially in front of their peers.

Professor Proudfoot loudly cracked his knuckles. This proved more efficient than simply calling the class to order.

“As I’m sure you all recall, today will be a practice in Disarming. I will aim a harmless spell at you and your task will be to Disarm me. You will have three attempts to properly do so. Should you fail to perform the spell correctly, I will expect an essay on the topic for next class. Any volunteers?� he casually asked.

The class was silent. Scorpius rather felt he’d been brave enough last class for being a volunteer. He certainly didn’t want to be the first person to try the spell in front of everyone. What if he didn’t do it right? Even worse, what if he went first, didn’t do it right and then everyone else did manage it? He squirmed a bit in his seat at this unpleasant thought.

Rosie looked even more nervous than Scorpius. She leaned over and desperately whispered to him, “How does the wand movement go again?�

“Ah, thank you for volunteering, Miss Weasley,� called out Professor Proudfoot. “I do not permit talking in my class.�

The little colour that was left in Rosie’s face drained away. She bit her lip and Scorpius thought she might cry. He noticed her hands were shaking too and without thinking about it stood up.

“It’s my fault, Sir. I asked her a question and she was just answering it; I’ll go first.�

Professor Proudfoot gave Scorpius a stern look. Both he and Scorpius knew it to be a lie. After a moment Proudfoot answered, “Fine. Mr Malfoy, you will go first. Next time it will be detention.�

Scorpius gulped and walked up to the front of the class, painfully aware that all eyes were on him. As he passed Bernard he heard him quietly say something and Adam’s answering snicker.

“Mr Smith and Mr Jones, did you fail to understand what I said about talking in my class being prohibited or did you labour under the delusion that my rules do not apply to such as yourselves?� asked Proudfoot sternly.

By this point Scorpius had reached the front of the room and could turn to see the frightened faces of Bernard and Adam who were mumbling incoherently.

“I suggest you both pay close attention as you will be following Mr Malfoy,� added Proudfoot.

Professor Proudfoot nodded curtly to Scorpius. “On three.�

Scorpius gulped and nodded.

“One...�

He recited the incantation to himself for the millionth time.

“Two...�

Scorpius looked up for a fraction of a second and saw Rosie clutching her wand hard enough that she was likely to break it. Both she and Albus seemed to be doing their level best to silently cheer him on.

“Three! Rictusempra!�

“Expelliarmus!�

Scorpius had always hated being so ticklish. He was laughing on the floor for only a few seconds before Proudfoot lifted the spell and offered him a grizzled hand.

“A good first attempt but you had a moment’s hesitation. In the real world, that can cost you your life. I certainly felt a tug on my wrist though. Are you ready to try again, Mr Malfoy?�

Scorpius nodded. He wasn’t sure it was the charm or the faint praise from his teacher, but felt a good deal of the tension leave him. Even if he got it wrong two more times, he’d gone first, he’d been close, his friends were supporting him and an essay wasn’t the end of the world.

“On three. One… two… three!�

“Expelliarmus!�

“Petrificus Totalis!�

This time the wand flew from Proudfoot’s hand, landing somewhere between them. “Excellent! Five points to Gryffindor! You may return to your seat, Mr Malfoy. Next!�

Bernard looked rather peaky as he passed Scorpius to take his turn in front of the class. Meanwhile, Scorpius took his seat between Albus and Rosie. Albus had given him the thumbs up sign as soon as the wand had left Proudfoot’s hand and was grinning ear to ear. Rosie still looked frightened about her upcoming turn but gave Scorpius’s hand a squeeze once he sat down. She was still clearly too frightened to risk talking in class again.

Bernard managed the spell on his third attempt. Scorpius felt slightly smug over how it had taken Bernard three tries and couldn’t help but be happy that Bernard wasn’t awarded any points either. As an added bonus, he got to watch both Bernard and Adam do some sort of jig after having Tarantallegra used on them. Scorpius made a mental note to look the wand movement up that night, it seemed quite effective. This thought was interrupted by the joyous discovery that Adam hadn’t managed the spell properly at all and was the first to be set the essay. Scorpius was beginning to think that Defence class would soon be his favourite, except perhaps Herbology. He hoped that Adam’s failure would help Rosie to relax a bit; at least now even if she didn’t do it right, she wouldn’t be the first to get it wrong.

Shannon Finnigan managed on her first try and was awarded five points. Cassandra Tulley was the next to have to write an essay. Mike Creevey managed on his second attempt, as did Albus. Scorpius gave him a congratulatory clap on the back; he couldn’t help but notice that Albus didn’t look very happy though.

“Miss Weasley, you’re next,� called Proudfoot.

Scorpius gave Rosie’s upper arm a quick squeeze and mouthed, “Good luck!� He hoped for her sake that she would do fine. Albus was crossing his fingers for her too.

“One… two… three! Rictusempra!�

“Ex-expelliarmus!� squeaked Rosie.

She was soon giggling as a result of the Tickling Charm though. “Your wand movement was perfect, but you need to be a bit more careful of pronunciation, Miss Weasley.�

Rosie nodded, her face as red as her hair.

Professor Proudfoot smiled. “After all, a few misplaced syllables and I may end up with a baboon’s head instead of having my wand fly from my hand. I suppose that could still be considered an effective defensive manoeuvre, however, I would prefer that we stick with Disarming me.�

Rosie only managed a small smile in return but seemed a good deal less frightened of her teacher.

“On three. One… two… three! Locomotor Mortis!�

“Expelliarmus!�

To Scorpius’s dismay, the wand remained in Proudfoot’s hand.

“Your pronunciation was much better that time and I did feel a pull. One more try then: one... two… three!�

“Expelliarmus!�

“Petrificus Totalis!�

Scorpius let out a sigh of relief as Proudfoot’s wand soared across the room. Rosie was positively beaming as she returned to her seat. As soon as class ended, Scorpius found himself engulfed in a hug.

“Thank you so much! You shouldn’t have lied for me but I’m so grateful you did and if you hadn’t helped me practice I never would have gotten the spell right at all and just… well, thank you.�

Scorpius smiled rather awkwardly as Rosie let go of him. “That’s what friends are for, right?�

“Still, I wanted to say ‘thank you’. It was awfully brave of you to go first like that.�

“It’s really not a big deal,� Scorpius replied, beginning to feel embarrassed.

“She’s right; it was a pretty brave thing to do,� agreed Albus, clapping Scorpius on the back.

He grinned in reply and rolled his eyes. “Next you’ll be telling me that the Sorting Hat knew what it was doing.�

Scorpius couldn’t help but feel that Albus’s smile didn’t seem quite genuine. He resolved to ask him about it later, once they were back in their dormitory. In the meantime he was enjoying the hateful looks he was receiving from Bernard and Adam, upon hearing Rosie’s and Albus’s praise.

*

Early Friday afternoon Scorpius took some time to write to his parents.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I’m really liking Hogwarts! Professor Longbottom and Professor Proudfoot are really cool! I burnt off half of my eyebrow in Transfiguration but I did really well in Defence class. I was even given points!

Rosie and Albus are my best friends. We went to the kitchens last week (don’t worry, Professor Longbottom sort of said it was alright). We went with Albus’s brother James and their cousin Fred. While we were there, James got into an argument with Alice Longbottom and she used a really cool charm on him. I like her, she seems really nice. Her dad is Professor Longbottom and her mum is Luna Longbottom! I’m hoping I’ll get to meet her mum later this year when she visits Hogwarts! I brought my copy of her book and I’m going to ask her to sign it! Anyway, everyone keeps talking about the fight James and Alice had so no one seems to be talking about me anymore which is really nice for a change.

I was wondering if you could teach me some spells like the one Alice used when I come home next. Flying lessons are next week, I’m going to go even though you already taught me how since I won’t get many other chances to fly this year. I’d like to try out for the Quidditch team next year. James and Fred both are this year, they really want to be Beaters, but there’s only an opening for a Chaser and Keeper. They’re going to go practice this afternoon while Albus, Rosie and I go to visit Professor Hagrid for tea. He said he might even let us see the Hippogriffs! I can hardly wait!

Luv,

Scorpius

“Hurry up, Scorpius,� urged Albus impatiently.

“Just a second,� he replied, careful to hide the last words of his letter in case Albus saw that he’d written ‘Luv’.

“We do have plenty of time,� pointed out Rosie.

Albus shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s Friday, and we haven’t been outside since Tuesday. If we leave soon we can skip stones at the lake for a bit.�

Scorpius carefully sealed his letter. “Can we stop at the owlery first?�

“I don’t think we’ll need to. Isn’t that Merlin at the window?� Rosie asked, pointing at the large common room window where the little owl was waiting expectantly.

Scorpius beamed. “Yes, I told him at breakfast that I’d have a letter for him after lunch. He’s an awfully smart owl,� he added with affection.

Merlin gave a hoot of pleasure at the compliment before flying off with the letter and then the three friends set off for the lake. On their way they passed James and Fred, bound for the Quidditch pitch in order to have a practice session before tryouts. Arthur was already a Chaser and had agreed to give them some tips.

It seemed to Scorpius as though it were a perfect day for flying. He dearly wished he’d been allowed to bring his broom to Hogwarts with him. First years were stuck using the school brooms until second year. It seemed a stupid rule to him, but his father had explained that it was because so many first years who didn’t know how to fly would get lost at night. Besides, the Forbidden Forest was a dangerous place to be lost, especially after dark. Scorpius gave a small involuntary shiver at the thought, despite the warm September day. This thought quickly vanished as he heard a loud splash followed by a screech; Albus had just thrown a large rock into the lake and managed to splash Rosie in the process. Within minutes the three of them were laughing and splashing each other.

“What are we going to do now? We’re all soaking wet!� exclaimed Scorpius, laughing.

“Don’t worry, Hagrid’ll dry us,� answered Albus as he sent another wave of water in Scorpius’s direction.

“We should get going,� chimed in Rosie. “We told him we’d be there in fifteen minutes.�

The dripping trio walked towards Hagrid’s hut, chatting happily. At first when Rosie looked up and screamed, Scorpius thought that James and Fred had decided to pull a practical joke on them. He quickly realized though that there were three cloaked people on broomsticks, and they were all much larger than either Fred or James.

“Stupefy!� roared one.

Scorpius dodged the jet of red light as Rosie screamed again. He fumbled with his wand, trying to pull it from his wet robes; Albus seemed to be having difficulty finding his wand too. Rosie had withdrawn hers and yelled, “Expelliarmus!�

The wand flew out of the first man’s hand but Rosie kept her eyes on the wand’s flight, rather than their assailants.

“Petrificus Totalis!� bellowed another man on broomstick, his face hidden behind a mask.

The look of triumph over having correctly used the spell froze on Rosie’s face. Her entire body went stiff as she continued to tightly clutch her own wand.

“No!� screamed Albus frantically, scrambling to grab the wand that had fallen.

Having finally freed his own wand, all Scorpius could think to do was raise it and shout, “Expelliarmus!�

Another of their attackers’ wands flew high in the air but as it did so, the man swooped low and snatched up Rosie. To Scorpius and Albus’s horror the three men flew off with her, taking her over the Forbidden Forest. Rosie was gone.

Hostage

Scorpius felt numb as Professor Hagrid escorted him and Albus into the castle. The half-giant had seen what happened from his vegetable garden but the kidnapping had been too quick for him to stop. Large tears leaked down their teacher’s face, mingling with his beard. He took them to Professor Longbottom’s office and had explained what had happened. Professor Longbottom went paler as Hagrid continued with the story of how he saw Death Eaters attack the three children and abduct Rosie Weasley. He told Hagrid to remain in the office with Albus and Scorpius, grabbed some papers from his desk drawer and ran out of the room. That had all been nearly a half hour earlier. Madam Pomfrey had been by and given them each a cup of tea and checked the boys for any injuries. Hagrid had his arm around Albus’s shoulders and both were crying. Scorpius noticed absently that there were tears trailing down his face too. He didn’t even care that Albus and Professor Hagrid could see him.

A gentle knock sounded at the door. Professor Longbottom had returned; he looked like he’d aged thirty years since he’d left the room. “Albus, Scorpius, I need both of you to come with me. Hagrid, once you’ve had time to collect yourself, could you talk to the centaurs? We’re putting up our best security measures, we need to let them know, and we need to know if they saw anything.�

Hagrid nodded his assent. Scorpius and Albus followed Professor Longbottom to another room. They’d barely walked in when a man with dark messy hair grabbed Albus and pulled him close. Scorpius didn’t have time to think about this before a very tall man with red hair grabbed him and started shaking him. Then several things happened very quickly. The red haired man started yelling, “Where is she?� and Professor Longbottom started yelling too, but at the man with red hair. A woman who had been crying in a corner screamed something, there was a loud bang as the door flew open and Albus yelled, “Uncle Ron, no!�

“Get your hands off my son!�

The tall man let go of Scorpius and drew his wand. Standing in the doorway, his own wand drawn, was Draco Malfoy. Relief rushed through Scorpius; his dad would make sure everything was alright. Scorpius couldn’t remember ever seeing his father so angry.

Draco Malfoy’s face was white with rage, whereas Ron Weasley’s was a blotchy red. Ron lunged at him, aiming a curse. Draco blocked it as Neville and Hermione jumped in.

“Ron! This isn’t helping, please, let Harry handle this for now,� Hermione pleaded.

“He kidnapped Rosie,� choked Ron. He turned to Draco and shouted, “We saved your life, you worthless scum and now you do this!�

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Weasley,� snarled Draco, stepping protectively in front of his son. “But if you ever lay a hand on my son again, I’ll kill you myself!�

“Ron, calm down,� ordered Harry.

“Will someone tell us what’s happened?� begged Hermione, clutching Ron’s arm.

“Everyone, sit down, wands away,� commanded Neville. He motioned to the chairs in the room. No one in the room had ever had cause to hear Neville speak when teaching an unruly class. Everyone obediently sat down; the Malfoys faced the Potters and Weasleys; Neville sat in the middle.

“I got an urgent message that there was a kidnapping,� began Draco.

“Yes,� shouted Ron, “My daughter! Now where is she?�

“How should I know?� snapped Draco.

“Quiet!� boomed Neville. “Rosie Weasley has been kidnapped. She was on her way to visit Hagrid with Albus and Scorpius when they were attacked by three men on brooms, dressed as Death Eaters. Hagrid saw the entire thing from a distance but was too far away to help. Albus and Scorpius both tried to save her. Naturally, we alerted all of you. Harry, where’s Ginny?�

“She’s safe at home with Lily and Hugo. Kreacher’s on orders to bring any urgent messages,� Harry answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Astoria’s in France for the week, on business,� supplied Draco, lest she be added to the suspect list too.

“But w-why would anyone t-take Rosie?� sobbed Hermione, wringing her hands.

“Our children would be ideal targets for Death Eaters,� supplied Ron, still glaring at Draco.

“But it’s been nearly twenty years since there’s been any Death Eater activity,� pointed out Neville. “It doesn’t make sense. Besides, even if they really were Death Eaters, they wouldn’t actually gain anything by taking your daughter.�

“So why has he been trying to get his brat close to my Rosie and Harry’s Albus?� asked Ron, shaking with rage.

Neville stood up; there was a dangerous edge to his voice. “Perhaps we should let Scorpius and Albus leave. I thought it would be good to have them here to give testimony and be with a parent, but if this is the direction we’re going to go in, I’ll have them escorted to Gryffindor Tower.�

Harry cleared his throat. “Perhaps Albus should tell us what happened.�

Albus looked as though he would like to be anywhere else. “W-we were walking to Hagrid’s. We’d been playing at the lake and we were wet, so when they came it was hard to get the wands out of our pockets. I… I didn’t manage to get mine out in time. Rosie disarmed one, and Scorpius another. I only managed to grab the d-dropped wands. I’m sorry!�

Albus broke down crying, and Harry put his arm around him. “It’s okay, you still did well. Do you remember what spells they used?�

“Y-yes. The first one tried to stun Scorpius,� explained Albus, a little calmer. “I… I remember because he had to dodge the red light.�

Harry smiled and gave Albus’s shoulder a light squeeze, encouraging him to continue.

“A-and the one th-they used on R-rosie was P-pet-petr…�

“The Body-Bind Curse,� supplied Scorpius dully.

“Do you still have the wands?� Harry asked.

Albus sniffed and nodded. He pulled the two fallen wands from his robe. Harry cleared his throat again. “Er, Mr Malfoy, would you mind showing us your wand again?�

Scorpius couldn’t read his father’s expression. It had changed when the wands had been produced and now he was slowly acquiescing. “Ten inches, hawthorn, unicorn hair; I believe you’re familiar with it.�

“He has to ask, though,� pointed out Neville diplomatically. “Besides, it might help clear you.�

“I need to perform the reverse spell effect on it,� added Harry.

Draco nodded his assent.

“Prior Incantato!�

Little puffs of smoke came off the wand. Harry murmured, “There’s the block, and the one that blasted the door open, Security Charm, Heating Charm…�

With a wave of his own wand, Harry ended the spell. “Well, that wand seems to be cleared then.�

Before Draco could reply, Professor Macmillan entered. “Headmistress Sprout has received a ransom note!� he exclaimed, flourishing it.

Ron snatched it from Ernie’s hand. “They want ten thousand Galleons, by Tuesday. They’ll let us know the time and place later and… and they promise they won’t hurt her if we do as they say.�

Hermione started sobbing again. Ernie turned to the Malfoys. “So you’ve caught one of them, eh Harry?�

Draco snapped, “Don’t you dare accuse me you…�

“Well it’s pretty obvious you did it,� sneered Ernie. “Once a Death Eater…�

“That’s enough, Ernie,� added Neville sternly.

“I’m just saying he has means, motive, and I think we all know what he’s capable of,� added Ernie, dismissively.

“Let Harry and Ron do their jobs,� snapped Neville.

“Oh, no, please let’s let Professor Macmillan explain what’s so obvious to him. What was my motive? Why would I kidnap Weasley’s daughter? And how did I do it?�

Professor Macmillan was only briefly taken aback. “Well, judging by the ransom note, your motive would obviously be the money. As for how you did it, I expect you’ve been using your son as a spy. He seems to have wormed his way into…�

“Ernie!� barked Neville.

“First of all, I expect I’m considerably richer than Weasley. Shocking, I know. Why would I risk Azkaban for money that I don’t even need? Secondly, how would I even know where they would be today? Do you honestly think that I knew about their spur of the moment plans to go to the lake and had time to grab two other people, dress them in Death Eater costumes and…�

“What do you mean costumes?� interrupted Harry.

Draco gave him a look of surprise as Ron shouted, “So it was you!�

Before Ron could curse him, Draco explained, “The Aurors confiscated my mask nearly two decades ago. I believe you currently have it in storage, thus if I were the mastermind behind this, I would have had to create fake ones. Do you really think I’d keep a wardrobe full of Death Eater outfits, of assorted sizes, for twenty years, just in case I decided to kidnap Weasley’s daughter for money I’ll never need?�

“That doesn’t prove it wasn’t you,� pointed out Ernie rather feebly.

Draco sneered, “Well, really why would I dress myself and two other people as Death Eaters? Why would I go to the trouble of outfitting us all with the robes and masks just to make every idiot think it was me?�

Ernie seemed at a loss for words.

Harry turned to Ron. “He’s right. Why would a known Death Eater do that?�

“To convince you that it wasn’t him!� supplied Ernie.

“Ernie, this isn’t helping,� warned Neville, rising from his chair.

Draco’s gray eyes were once again inscrutable as he drawled, “So unless you have any more questions, Potter, may I assume that I am free to go?�

Ron looked like he wanted to arrest Draco anyway, but instead he stroked Hermione’s hair as she cried on his chest.

Harry sighed. “Yes, but until this is cleared up, I can’t let you leave the country.�

“I understand and have no plans to leave anyway. Let’s go, Scorpius,� Draco said, rising from his chair.

Scorpius paused to give a nod of goodbye to Albus, who waved back miserably.

“H-how are we going to get ten thousand Galleons?� choked Hermione into Ron’s chest.

“Shh… We’ll do it somehow,� murmured Ron.

Harry was about to speak when Draco stopped at the door and turned. “I’ll put up the money. I can have the full amount transferred to any account at Gringott’s by tomorrow.�

“Th-thank you, but why are you helping us?� asked Hermione, blinking back more tears.

Draco paused then took a deep breath. “The school sent me a letter requesting I come immediately as a kidnapping had taken place. I never want to go through the panic I felt at those words ever again. I wouldn’t wish this on even my worst enemy.�

Draco strode towards the door with Scorpius close on his heels. He indicated for Scorpius to go through first and then turned for a final remark. “Oh, and Potter, be sure to catch whoever actually did this; I’d like my money back.�

Slytherin’s Legacy

Draco looked down at Scorpius as they walked through the deserted hallway. “Are you alright?�

Scorpius nodded, staring at his feet and fighting back the lump that was rising in his throat. He still couldn’t believe his best friend was gone. He’d only met Rosie Weasley a few weeks earlier but she was already the best friend he’d ever had, and now she was gone. He kept replaying the kidnapping in his head, wondering if there was more that he could have done to stop it. If only he’d learned more spells...

Draco put a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. “I need to talk to you alone.�

He pulled Scorpius into a deserted classroom, locked the door, and put an Imperturbable charm on the door and windows. He then leaned in confidentially and whispered, “Listen very carefully. I know you’re upset because your friend was kidnapped, but I’m not convinced she was the target. It doesn’t make sense. We are far wealthier than Weasley or even Potter. If the kidnappers were after money, they should have tried to take you.�

Scorpius started to argue but Draco cut him off.

“I want you to be extremely careful. Avoid going outside and don’t go anywhere alone. The school’s staff are going to step up security, but I want to know that you won’t do anything… rash.�

Draco gave Scorpius a penetrating look.

“What do you mean?� asked Scorpius.

“Just… just don’t leave the school. However, my other concern is that if the school is infiltrated again, you’ll be trapped here. So, I’m giving you this.�

He reached into his robes and withdrew a forest green pouch made of velvet with an ornate silver ‘S’ embroidered on the front. Draco carefully untied the silver drawstrings and withdrew a ring, which he then handed to Scorpius.

“Jewellery?� asked Scorpius in disbelief.

Draco smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. “Not exactly. It’s a Slytherin Prefect’s ring. Salazar Slytherin was always concerned about Muggles storming Hogwarts. He made rings for the prefects of his house that would serve as an escape from any of the rooms in the dungeons, including the Slytherin common room and dormitories. It only serves as a way out of the school; it can’t be used to get back in.�

“Why do you still have it?� asked Scorpius, examining the old ring. It was a silver snake with an emerald eye, such that it entwined its body around the wearer’s finger.

Draco paused. “My last year at school didn’t end in typical fashion.�

“But... I’m not a Slytherin, I shouldn’t have it,� pointed out Scorpius uncomfortably. He was surprised to find himself engulfed in a hug.

“Slytherins take care of their own. I’m a Slytherin and you’re my son,� explained Draco, his voice thick. After a moment he broke away from the hug and cleared his throat.

“Here, let me show you how it works.�

*

“I still think that slimy git had something to do with it,� Ron growled.

Harry tried to shrug diplomatically. “Well, let’s start by taking these wands to Ollivander and see what he can tell us. If Malfoy did have something to do with it, he either wasn’t present or used a different wand.�

“He probably had goons do it for him,� continued Ron. “He got to the school pretty fast.�

“Ron... maybe you should go to Grimmauld Place with Hermione and Hugo...�

Ron’s glare stopped Harry mid-sentence. “Rosie’s my daughter; I’m going to get her back and then I’m going to kill whoever did this.�

Harry nodded. He’d dearly love to murder anyone who dared to harm his niece.

*

Scorpius walked with his father as far as the portrait of the Fat Lady before continuing alone into Gryffindor Tower. As he climbed through the portrait hole, he couldn’t help but think of the velvet pouch he carried; he still doubted whether he should be allowed to have it. His father had insisted though and his father had never let him down. Scorpius hoped that Albus was already back; he really didn’t want to have to face all the Gryffindors alone.

Upon having walked into the common room, his heart sank when he realized that there was no sign of Albus. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there weren't any Potters or Weasleys within sight. However, the rest of Gryffindor seemed to be out in full force; there wasn't an empty chair available, not that Scorpius had any intention of sitting down. He wanted nothing more than to go to the relative privacy of his dormitory. A somewhat longer look around the common room confirmed that Mike, Nigel, Bernard, Adam and Josh were all present, meaning that if anyone was left in the dormitory it was Albus, the only person in the castle whom he wouldn't mind seeing just now.

Scorpius only got as a few steps towards the boys' staircase when a tall sixth year blocked his way.

“Are you going to tell us what happened?� demanded the older boy.

Scorpius had to crane his neck to be able to look his questioner in the eyes. Before he could answer, a seventh year girl snapped, “Honestly, Wood! How do you expect him to answer that?�

She turned to Scorpius and said in a much calmer voice. “The entire school was called to assemble in the Great Hall and then Professor Longbottom had us all escorted here. He told us there’d been a kidnapping and then asked all the Potters and Weasleys to go with him, leaving all of us here wondering what’s happened.�

Here she gave Wood another annoyed look before continuing, “And some of us seem to think that Professor Longbottom left them in charge.�

Wood looked insulted. “Well, I am a Prefect...�

“And a git,� interrupted the older girl. She turned to Scorpius. “Would you mind telling us what you know? We’ve been waiting for news for over two hours.�

Scorpius nodded and began to explain, “Rosie, Albus and I were on our way to visit Professor Hagrid when we were attacked.�

“Are you the only one who got away?� asked Yusef in surprise.

Before Scorpius could reply, a fifth year girl who Scorpius had also seen with Arthur Weasley a few times jumped in. “Albus and Rosie weren’t both taken were they?�

A wide eyed girl with long brown braids asked, “Is Professor Hagrid alright? I didn’t see him with the rest of the staff in the Great Hall.�

A lump rose in Scorpius’s throat but he continued miserably, “No, everyone’s fine except for Rosie. She was hit with a Body-Bind Curse and then they carried her off over the Forbidden Forest.�

Shannon Finnegan gave a soft moan and covered her face with her hands. Cassandra Tulley put a comforting arm around her; she looked like she might very well start to cry too.

“Don’t worry,� Cassandra mumbled. “Rosie’s dad and uncle are Aurors; they’ll get her back.� She looked up at Scorpius. “Right?�

Scorpius gulped then paused before answering. “They’ve already started looking.�

“Do they have any idea who did it?� asked Mike Creevey.

This time Scorpius was saved the trouble of answering by the portrait hole opening again. To his relief, Arthur, Gideon, James, Fred, and Albus walked in, accompanied by Professor Longbottom.

“Yeah, Dad thinks...� began James.

“I expect that your father’s investigation is supposed to remain confidential,� interrupted Professor Longbottom.

James’s face flushed. He mumbled, “Er, Dad and Uncle Ron have some ideas.�

“Well, we can be thankful that Albus and Scorpius were with Rosie at the time. They’ve provided Harry and Ron with their best clues thus far. Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll get Rosie back quickly and catch whoever is responsible.�

Neville turned to address the rest of his house. “I know this has been a very trying day for all of you. We have placed additional security to the school and grounds. The centaurs have kindly agreed to let us know about any activity within the Forbidden Forest, all of the teachers have placed their own protections upon the school, and Aurors have also been stationed near the entrance to the school. However, we’re asking each of you to be extra cautious. While no one can get into the school, we are concerned at the idea of students being lured outside of the safety of the grounds. If any of you receive a request from anyone, even a parent, to leave the school, I want you to contact myself or another member of staff. There is no reason to be alarmed; we are simply doing everything within our power to keep each of you safe.�

Shannon was still sniffling in a corner. A few of the first and second years looked frightened.

Neville continued in a softer tone, “As I said before, I know this has been difficult for all of you, and if anyone would like to go to see Madam Pomfrey or simply just talk to any of their teachers, you are welcome to do so. Also, you needn’t feel that you have to stay in Gryffindor Tower; you’re all safe within the castle. I’ll be in my office if anyone wants to talk, and I have hot cocoa and biscuits.�

*

“Reducto!� yelled a furious voice. The door to Lucius Malfoy’s study splintered into tiny pieces. Lucius looked up from Nature’s Nobility and glared at the intruder.

“What have you done?� shouted Draco.

“Since you’re the one who just blasted down my door, I could ask you the same thing, Draco.�

“Where is she? What have you done with her?� Draco bellowed, pointing his wand at his father.

“What have I done with whom? And put that away, Draco,� he commanded with an edge to his voice.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! I will go to the Aurors if I have to; you’ve gone too far! And if you dare to try it again...�

Lucius gave Draco a look of utter bewilderment. “Draco, are you going to even tell me what it is you’re accusing me of?�

“A botched kidnapping, with my son as the target!�

“WHAT?� roared Lucius.

“Now, tell me what you did with the girl!�

“I didn’t do anything with any girl! I don’t know what you’re talking about!�

“Draco! What do you think you’re doing?� snapped Narcissa, entering the study.

Draco pointed an accusing finger at his father. “Your husband staged a kidnapping. I still don’t know if the point was to actually kidnap Scorpius, bankrupt me, or to simply frame me for another child’s abduction so that you two would be able to take custody of my son, but I intend to find out,� he explained, his voice shaking with rage.

Narcissa gasped. “How dare you say that, Draco? How could you even think such a thing? Your father would never endanger...�

Draco interrupted, “He opened the Chamber of Secrets in my second year; he’s capable of quite a lot. Did he tell you about that at the time? Did he even consider the danger he was putting me and all the other students in? Somehow, I doubt that Basilisk would have cared about my blood status, had it crossed my path.�

Narcissa bit her lip and twisted her hands until her knuckles turned white.

Lucius snapped, “Whatever I did before, your current conspiracy theory is preposterous! I obviously had nothing to do with this.�

Draco lost his temper. “Don’t pretend with me! I know you’re behind it! I saw your wand; the Aurors have it!�

“Don’t be ridiculous, my wand’s right here,� answered Lucius, striding to his desk. He yanked open the drawer and then the colour drained from his face.

Den of Vipers

Lucius Malfoy’s hands shook as he stared in horror at the empty desk drawer. “My wand… it’s gone,� he whispered in a terrified voice.

“Well of course it is! I told you already, the Aurors have it!� snapped Draco. “Now, what have you done with the Weasley girl?�

“I haven’t done anything to any Weasley girl!� shouted Lucius.

Narcissa had gone quite pale, her eyes darting questioningly between her son and husband.

Draco still had his wand drawn but was doing his best to master his emotions. “It won’t be long before the Aurors discover whose wand was found at the scene of the crime. I suppose the fact that it was bought in America will slow them down. It will be easier for you to confess now; I expect Ron Weasley will kill you himself if he has to track you down to find his daughter.�

An ugly look came over Lucius’s face. “And when they trace my wand, who will it be traced back to?�

“I bought you that wand when no one would sell you one!� bellowed Draco. Lucius dodged under his desk as the jet of red light hit it.

“Stop it! Both of you!� screamed Narcissa, brandishing her own wand at her son.

Both men froze. Narcissa continued in a pleading tone, “Please, Draco, this is ridiculous. Lucius couldn’t have done anything; he’s been here all day.�

“Did you actually see him, Mother?�

Narcissa bit her lip.

“I didn’t think so. Do you really expect me to believe that he isn’t trying to frame me so that he can take Scorpius away from me?�

Lucius was about to say something, but Narcissa held up her hand. “I won’t let him,� she said quietly.

Draco and Lucius stared incredulously. Narcissa was shaking as she took a deep breath. “I… I don’t know what to believe. But, Draco, I won’t let you be framed. I would never let anyone take Scorpius from you… n-not even Lucius.�

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “If the Aurors trace the wand back to you, I’ll tell them that it was Lucius’s.�
*

Scorpius followed Albus up the boys’ staircase and into their dormitory. Scorpius had been hoping to talk to his friend, but Albus made a beeline for his bed and pulled the hangings shut. Before Scorpius had a chance to say anything, he heard footsteps approaching the door and decided that pulling his own hangings shut might not be such a bad idea.

Within moments, Mike and Josh entered the room, deep in a conversation about the kidnapping.

“I want to know what the clues Albus and Scorpius gave the Aurors were,� grumbled Mike.

“Maybe they have to keep it a secret,� suggested Josh.

“Do you?� Mike asked the twin sets of drapery.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Scorpius mumbled, “I don’t know. Albus?�

“Whatever the official statement is, it’ll be in the Prophet tomorrow,� answered Albus dully. “That’s what happens with all of Dad’s cases.�

Scorpius wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading tomorrow’s paper, or to what was going to be said about him and his father.

“Do you think it could make the Evening Prophet?� Mike asked eagerly.

“Maybe,� replied Albus.

“Come on Mike, I think they’ve had a long enough day,� Josh hinted.

“Oh, er, right. Sorry.�

Albus made a noncommittal noise as Mike and Josh left the room. Scorpius continued to lie in bed, staring up at nothing in particular. Every now and again he could hear a sort of gasp from Albus’s bed. Scorpius suspected his friend was crying and decided to give him his privacy. He felt like he had no tears left, as though everything had been drained out of him. Having nothing else to do, Scorpius left to find a different place to be alone. As he walked through the common room, many heads turned but Scorpius headed straight for the exit.

Once outside Gryffindor Tower, he didn’t really know where he wanted to go. After about twenty minutes of wandering he found himself climbing the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. It was still too light out to see any stars, but the sun was beginning to set. Scorpius couldn’t help but remember the first time his dad had taken him star gazing.

Draco had taken his son to a grassy hill early in the evening. It was Scorpius’s seventh birthday and Draco had promised him a night of camping. They had been roasting marshmallows over a campfire and Scorpius had asked for a story.

“Do you see those stars just there?� Draco asked, pointing at a cluster.

“Yeah,� replied Scorpius.

“That’s your constellation. It’s a scorpion that has followed the hunter around the skies for thousands of years.�

“It never catches him?�

“No, I suppose it’s a very determined scorpion,� added Draco, smiling.

“Like me?�

“Very like you,� laughed Draco. “After all, you did insist we build this campfire the Muggle way.�

Scorpius grinned. “And we did it!�

“Yeah, after going through how many of those matchstickies?� Draco had agreed that they could camp Muggle style. Scorpius had come across a book on how some wizards had spent two weeks camping as Muggles and had been obsessed with Muggle camping ever since.

“Only a few boxes. I think the marshmallows taste better this way,� added Scorpius.

Draco laughed. “That would be because we worked up an appetite setting up the tent, chopping wood and then spending two hours trying to start a fire without magic.�

“But it was fun,� argued Scorpius.

Draco smiled down at his son. “Yeah, it definitely was. Just don’t tell your grandparents.�

“Did you and Grandfather ever go Muggle camping?�

Draco snorted. “No, we definitely didn’t. We had a tent when we went to the World Cup, back when I was fourteen, but that wasn’t really camping.�

“Oh.�

They both stared into the flames for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts.

“So do you have a constellation?� asked Scorpius.

Draco pointed up again. “See that one there? That’s Draco, the dragon.�

“Dragon? Cool! What does it do?�

“It’s circumpolar.�

“Circ-umm-polar,� replied Scorpius, sounding out the new word.

“It means it’s always there,� Draco explained. “Most constellations rise and set, but Draco never sets; you can see it all night long. If it weren’t for the sun being so bright, you could see it all day too. It will always be there, just like I’ll always be here for you.�

Scorpius stayed until the sun finished setting, waiting until the dragon constellation was visible. He was still worried about what was going to happen to his dad. Rosie’s father and Professor Macmillan seemed pretty intent on arresting him. Scorpius had been so relieved when his dad had saved him from Mr Weasley. He’d also felt a surge of pride when his dad had volunteered to give them the ransom money. No matter what anyone said, Scorpius was proud of his father. Now he just hoped that Rosie would be alright.

Merlin flew to Scorpius’s side and blinked at him a few times. Scorpius petted the little owl absently for over an hour, eventually realizing that he was shivering from the cold. He felt stiff as he got up to leave. Giving Merlin a final pat, Scorpius started back to Gryffindor Tower.

“It’s after curfew,� growled Professor Proudfoot.

Scorpius had completely forgotten about the time. “I- I’m sorry, Professor. It’s just that…�

“It’s alright, Malfoy,� the grizzled teacher informed him. “I’ll escort you back to your common room, but I don’t think it’s a time to be taking points. Besides, from what I’ve read, you Disarmed at least one of the kidnappers.�

“What you read?� asked Scorpius in confusion.

“It made the Evening Prophet,� explained Professor Proudfoot. “It’s obviously not Harry Potter or Ron Weasley who gave the interview, which does leave the question of who leaked the story to the press.�

Scorpius gulped.

“I wasn’t suggesting it was you, Malfoy; some idiot teacher gave them other information too. Besides, you haven’t had time to be giving interviews.�

Scorpius thought about pointing out that he had been up on the Astronomy Tower for at least two hours.

As though he’d read his student’s mind, Proudfoot clarified, “The Evening Prophet was printed about an hour and a half ago. Someone blabbed right after the staff meeting.�

“Do you have any idea who?�

Proudfoot considered this a moment. “Not yet, but I expect they’ll be sulking about. I doubt they realized what angle the reporter wanted to use.�

“Oh.� Scorpius bit his lip. “Will the article make it harder for the Aurors to get Rosie back?�

Proudfoot considered the question for a few moments. “Based on the article, I don’t think it will make things more difficult. It explains that two wands were confiscated, but whoever did it obviously knew that. But it will mean a lot of crackpots and ‘concerned citizens’ will be owling the Auror Office non-stop with their theories of who’s behind it all.�

“I guess it’s a good thing you taught us that spell in class,� added Scorpius.

“It is a highly useful spell,� agreed Proudfoot. “I would have preferred it if you hadn’t needed to use it so soon.�

“Me too.�

Just as they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Proudfoot took Scorpius aside. “I’ve noticed in class that you’re friendly with the younger Potter boy.�

Scorpius braced himself for another round of questioning.

Proudfoot continued, “He’s going to need a good friend now, and don’t take it personal if he’s angry with you.�

“What do you mean?�

“That article wasn’t kind to him.�

Before Scorpius could ask any more questions, his teacher had left. Upon entering the common room, all thoughts of Professor Proudfoot’s words left him. There was a crowd of Gryffindors and they were clapping, for him.

“What’s going on?� Scorpius asked.

Mike stepped forward. “It’s in the Prophet about how you Disarmed one of the kidnappers! You’re a hero!�

Wood, the sixth year Prefect, came over and clapped him on the back saying, “You’re the hero of Gryffindor Tower tonight!�

“Most first years wouldn’t have been able to do that,� added someone else.

In an attempt to escape the unwanted attention, Scorpius made his way back to the dormitory. He wanted to talk to Albus, but the hangings were still pulled shut and Josh was also in the room.

“I just finished reading the article in the Prophet,� supplied Josh.

“Oh?�

“Have you read it yet?�

“Er, no.�

“Here,� replied Josh. “You can borrow my copy.�

Scorpius accepted the offered paper and went over to his bed before glancing at it.

KIDNAPPING AT HOGWARTS
Rose Weasley, daughter of the well known heroes Ron and Hermione Weasley, has been the victim of a kidnapping. This afternoon she was taken from Hogwarts by three Death Eaters.

The only clues the Auror Office currently has are those which were provided to them by an eleven year old, who came to Miss Weasley’s defence. Harry Potter’s youngest son, Albus Potter, was also present but failed in his attempt to duplicate his father’s signature spell. It is expected that Mr Potter, head of the Auror Office, also Miss Weasley’s uncle, will make every effort to trace the wands as soon as possible.

Mr Potter refused to comment on the possibility of the Death Eaters raising a new army. However, a staff member of Hogwarts has given his assurances that the school’s security is no longer inadequate. Centaurs are currently being questioned by members of staff…

Scorpius was too disgusted to continue reading. Now he understood what Professor Longbottom had meant about how a person could twist the truth into something ugly. Curious, he checked to see who had written the article: Rita Skeeter. Scorpius crumpled the paper into a ball.

“Hey! That was mine!� exclaimed Josh.

“It’s rubbish!�

“Well yeah, it is now,� grumbled Josh.

Scorpius didn’t feel up to arguing and pulled his hangings shut again, but it was hours before he managed to fall asleep.

*

The weekend passed by horribly slowly for Scorpius. There were numerous articles in the Daily Prophet, none of them remotely helpful. The vast majority either attacked the competency of Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, the staff at Hogwarts (particularly Professor Hagrid), or the general trustworthiness of centaurs. There were also several more jabs at Albus not living up to his father. One particularly scathing article referred to him as “the boy who did nothing.�

To make matters worse, Scorpius’s reputation was still being positively affected by the news clippings. It seemed incredibly ironic to him that he’d spent so long wishing that everyone didn’t hate him; now he was the most popular first year in the school and he’d gladly go back to being shunned if it meant Rosie’s safe return and Albus not being dragged through the mud. Monday morning, half his wish came true.

Scorpius sat down to breakfast and sensed that something had changed. The kids who had been nice to him the day before no longer looked at all friendly. Albus, who’d barely spoken to anyone in days, was staring dejectedly at his untouched oatmeal.

“Pass the orange juice?� asked Scorpius in as light a tone as he could manage.

Bernard shoved the jug towards him, slopping some on Scorpius’s robes.

“Oops,� he added in a mocking tone as some other kids snickered.

“Would someone like to tell me what’s going on?� Scoprius asked angrily.

In answer, yet another Daily Prophet was put in front of him.

MALFOY ARRESTED ON KIDNAPPING CHARGES
Aurors arrested Lucius Malfoy this morning after tracing a wand used in the Rose Weasley kidnapping. The wand in question was purchased by Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius, in America, which is why it took Aurors three days to trace. While the wand was bought by Draco, his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, wife of Lucius, has testified that it is in fact her husband’s wand. However, a letter was found in the possession of Draco Malfoy, sent by his son, detailing where Rose Weasley would be at the time of the kidnapping.

All three former Death Eaters are currently being questioned with regards to the kidnapping of the daughter of Ron Weasley, but as of yet only one arrest has been made…

The paper was snatched away from Scorpius before he had a chance to read any more.

Bernard said in a carrying voice, “I told you all that he was scum, didn’t I? If only Rosie had listened to me, maybe she would still be here.�

“Asinusonorous!�

Scorpius hadn’t even seen Alice Longbottom approaching the Gryffindor table. Bernard looked thoroughly dumbstruck.

“How dare you say that?� demanded Alice. “Everything in the Prophet lately is rubbish! Look at the horrible things they’ve said about Hagrid and Albus!�

Bernard tried to speak in his own defence but could only bray.

Alice continued, “My father knows that whatever that Skeeter woman writes is pure poison! He’s told me that he thinks it’s disgraceful that she’s even allowed to do this! Do you even care that Rosie’s gone? Or do you just want to make Albus and Scorpius feel worse?� Alice turned defiantly to the Gryffindor table. “You’re all Gryffindors; you should be supporting each other instead of acting like this!�

Several of the Gryffindors looked abashed. Scorpius took the opportunity to go change his robes before Potions class. As he hurried out of the Great Hall, he couldn’t help but notice that Alice and James seemed to be on speaking terms again. Even though he ran, Scorpius barely made it into the dungeon classroom on time.

“Five points from Gryffindor for being late, Mr Malfoy.�

“But I’m not late!�

“Another five points for talking back, and five more for not addressing me with due respect. Do you want to make it an even twenty?� asked Professor Macmillan in a stern voice.

“No, sir,� muttered Scorpius, furious.

Albus raised his hand. “Sir! He really wasn’t late though, there’s still a minute before class starts.�

“Fine,� snapped Professor Macmillan. “Only ten points from Gryffindor. Now if there aren’t going to be any more interruptions, I’d like to continue with the lesson.�

Once they’d been given instructions on what to brew, Albus leaned over and whispered, “What’s with Macmillan?�

Scorpius shrugged, glad at least that Albus was speaking to him again. “I dunno. He probably read the Prophet this morning.�

“I’m sorry about your family being questioned,� mumbled Albus.

“Thanks,� sighed Scorpius.

The pair worked in silence for a few minutes and then Albus accidentally knocked a jar of pickled toads off the desk.

“That will be detention, Malfoy,� barked Professor Macmillan.

“It wasn’t him, it was me!� snapped Albus.

“If you’re so intent on always covering for him, Potter, then you can join him in detention tonight,� added Professor Macmillan. “Come down here at six o’clock, sharp!�

Scorpius couldn’t believe the unfairness of the situation. His classmates seemed shocked too, but none dared to anger their teacher further. However, criticism for Professor Macmillan was quite loud throughout lunch.

“I can’t believe he did that!� exclaimed James in disgust, once Albus had finished telling him the story.

“You ought to go to Professor Longbottom about it,� advised Fred.

“I think Unlce Neville has enough on his mind right now,� pointed out Albus miserably.

“Yeah, he and Macmillan were practically shouting at each other in the hall yesterday. Professor Proudfoot and Unc-Professor Longbotton accused Macmillan of being the one to talk to the reporters,� explained James.

“Was it him?� asked Scorpius.

“Probably.� Albus shrugged. “It would explain why he’s been in such a rotten mood.�

“At least we get to do detention together though,� pointed out Scorpius. He’d quite missed Albus’s company.

“Yeah, I just hope we don’t have to dissect anything,� added Albus, making a face.

“Any real news?� James asked Fred, who was still reading his copy of the Prophet.

Fred sighed. “No, I saw an article with the name ‘Weasley’ in it, but it’s about Auntie Hermione; doesn’t have anything to do with Rosie.�

“Figures. Sprout would have made an announcement if there’d been any progress,� agreed James. “So… do you guys want us to do anything to Macmillan for you? Fred and I still have a bunch of stuff from the joke shop and you’ll be in detention, giving you a perfect alibi…�

*

As ordered, Albus and Scorpius went to the dungeon for their detentions that night; Professor Macmillan was waiting impatiently.

“I want you to sort through that tub of pickled Flobberworms, put the good ones in jars and throw out the bad ones. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on your progress. I simply don’t have time to supervise every detention.� With a flourish of his robes, Professor Macmillan left, snapping the door shut behind him.

“Gross!� said Albus, gagging.

“I really really wish we’d thought to bring gloves,� commiserated Scorpius, gingerly prodding a pickled Flobberworm.

“I think I’m going to be sick,� complained Albus.

“I think that one looks like Professor Macmillan,� added Scorpius, pointing out an obviously rotten Flobberworm.

Albus couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He pointed out another rotten one, “That one looks more like Bernard.�

“Now I really don’t want to touch it!�

Albus looked around the room. “Here! There’s a pile of newspapers, we can at least pick up the rotten ones with these.�

He handed a bunch of the newspapers to Scorpius. Scorpius began to fold over the newspaper when he noticed an advertisement:

House a mess? Have a disgusting job to do? Look no further: rent an elf!

“Wish we had a house-elf around now,� grumbled Albus, reading the advertisement too. “My family has Kreacher, but Mum and Dad have been using him as a family messenger; he won’t come when James or I call him lately.�

“Maybe we could rent one to do this for us? I’ve got plenty of pocket money� pointed out Scorpius. He continued to scan the advertisement.

All of Smith’s Cleaning house-elves are well behaved…

“Hey! I bet that’s Bernard’s family’s business. Slimy git. I wouldn’t want to rent a house-elf from him,� grumbled Scorpius.

“Doesn’t much matter. My Auntie Hermione would have a fit if she knew we were even talking about it.�

“Why?�

“She does all sorts of house-elf rights stuff,� explained Albus, shrugging. It had been accepted long ago in his family that Auntie Hermione was a bit fanatical when it came to house-elves.

Something clicked in Scorpius’s mind. “Is today’s Prophet in that pile?� he asked suddenly.

Scorpius had asked with such force that Albus dropped ‘Professor Macmillan’ the Flobberworm onto the floor.

“Er… it might be. Is it important?�

“Very!� exclaimed Scorpius. “Quick! Help me look!�

After a few minutes of scrambling through the papers, and Albus nearly being sick after Scorpius slipped on ‘Professor Macmillan’, they found the right paper. Scorpius flipped through it until he found the headline he wanted.

Madam Weasley Plans To Excuse Herself From Wizengamot
Due to the stress from her daughter’s kidnapping, Madam Weasley has announced plans to excuse herself from the Wizengamot, indefinitely. Her decision to leave on the eve of her controversial house-elf act has left many surprised. It is doubtful that the act will be passed without the strong support of Madam Weasley…


“Look!� exclaimed Scorpius. “The kidnapper chose the ransom to be the same day as this house-elf act hearing! That’s why they kidnapped Rosie!�

“But who would care that much about a house-elf protection act?� asked Albus doubtfully.

“How about the Smiths?� asked Scorpius, jabbing an accusatory finger at the advertisement.

Albus looked doubtful. “Look, I know Bernard is a git, but I don’t see how his family could have anything to do with this.�

“Hasn’t Bernard been trying to be friendly with Rosie ever since we got here?� pointed out Scorpius. “I bet his parents told him he had to so that they could know when Rosie would be outside!�

Albus still didn’t look convinced. “Okay, well… even if that’s why he keeps bugging us, we haven’t been hanging out with him. You were the one we told about Hagrid’s, and I know that you didn’t send that letter soon enough for your dad to have done anything,� he added hastily.

Scorpius thought about this for a while. “Bernard was there when you and Rosie invited me. And he was writing a letter at the time! That has to be it! Besides, how many other house-elf rental places are there?�

“I don’t know of any,� admitted Albus, beginning to share Scorpius’s excitement. “And you’re right, the ransom is the same day as the beginning of the hearing… Oh! Bernard was bragging about how his family live on the edge of Hogsmeade! That’s the direction the kidnappers went in!�

“Rosie’s probably being held at his house!� finished Scorpius. “We have to tell someone, right away!� He rushed over to the door, only to wrench uselessly at the handle. “That idiot locked us in!�

“What?�

Scorpius yanked at the door a few more times. “That stupid bully of a teacher locked us in! Now what do we do?�

“I guess we have to wait for him to come back,� groaned Albus.

“No! It might be too late! We need to go rescue Rosie ourselves!�

“And how do you suggest doing that?� asked Albus sarcastically. “The door’s locked.�

“With this!� answered Scorpius triumphantly, withdrawing a velvet pouch from his pocket.

“What’s that?� asked Albus.

“My dad gave it to me. It can get us out of the school from any part of the dungeons. Here, let’s try it!�

Scorpius put on the ancient ring and said in a carrying voice, “Great Slytherin, help us escape!�

The two boys looked about eagerly, waiting for something to happen.

“Maybe it only works for Slytherins,� suggested Albus.

Just then, a sound of moving stone was heard and an archway opened up in the wall. The force of it nearly knocked Albus into the Flobberworm tub, and several jars fell off their shelves, the slimy contents of which splattered on the stone floor.

“Well, now we need to get out of here anyway,� joked Albus. “There’s no way I’m going near any more slimy things.�

The two friends walked through the archway, the entrance sealing itself behind them.

“That didn’t sound good,� admitted Scorpius.

“Lumos!� exclaimed Albus. He very nearly dropped his wand; they were at the beginning of a winding stone hallway, filled with live snakes.

The Rescuers Down Under

“What are we supposed to do now?� yelped Albus, looking at a large green serpent.

“I... I don’t know,� admitted Scorpius. “Dad didn’t mention what to do once we opened the secret passageway.�

Albus was still frantically trying to shoo away the snakes that were slithering towards his trainers. Scorpius was looking back at the sealed entrance. “I guess we have to go through the snakes,� he admitted, miserably.

“But they’re everywhere! I can’t go another step without walking on them!�

“There must be a way to get through them... Umm, Albus? I think the ring is hissing at me!�

The old ring had begun to glow and the silver serpent unwound itself from Scorpius’s hand. It grew, emerald eyes flashing, winding itself up Scorpius’s wrist and eventually falling to the dungeon floor, then it began to slither along in front of the boys, hissing all the while. The sea of snakes immediately parted before the glowing silver adder.

“Quick! Let’s follow it!� exclaimed Scorpius.

Albus followed down the dark tunnel, trying to ignore the piles of snakes on either side of them. “It must be telling them something in Parseltongue!�

“Any idea what?� asked Scorpius.

“Hopefully something about not biting or touching us.�

“That would be rather helpful.�

“Why did it have to be snakes?� whined Albus.

“I suppose because the snake is Slytherin’s symbol, and it’s his escape tunnel,� replied Scorpius, a bit distracted.

“I don’t like snakes,� moaned Albus.

“Well, at least it wasn’t Gryffindor’s great escape tunnel. I know I’d rather a bunch of snakes to lions.� Scorpius had never really minded snakes.

“I would have preferred this be Hufflepuff’s brilliant idea and just have a bunch of furry little badgers running around our feet.�
“I’m not sure badgers are much friendlier than lions,� Scorpius pointed out.

“It would still be better than walking through a tunnel that’s probably creepier than the Chamber of Secrets!�

“Oh, right! That was mentioned in Hogwarts, A History,� answered Scorpius eagerly.

“My mum and dad were in it,� replied Albus, a glimmer of pride overshadowing his nervousness.

“Really?� asked Scorpius, obviously interested.

“Yeah, back in Mum’s first year, she had been kidnapped and dragged down there, so Dad and Uncle Ron went down to rescue her...�

“Your Auntie Hermione didn’t go too?� Scorpius had noticed that in most of the stories he’d heard about Mr Potter, Rosie’s parents were also involved.

“She couldn’t; she was Petrified.�

“She’s that scared of snakes?� asked Scorpius. He found it hard to believe that such a celebrated hero of the war was afraid of anything so harmless.

“No,� scoffed Albus. “She wasn’t petrified from being scared; she was Petrified as a curse from seeing a Basilisk’s reflection in a mirror.� He sighed. “It’s a long story.�

Scorpius grinned. “I think I have a few minutes to spare.�

By the time Albus had finished telling the tale of his parents’ adventure, they were approaching the end of the tunnel. To the boy’s surprise they found themselves just outside the school’s walls. Albus turned just in time to see the tunnel reseal itself, perfectly hidden until it would be required again. Meanwhile, Scorpius was bending down to pick up the ancient ring; as he put his hand out, the silver snake curled around his arm and began to shrink eventually wrapping itself around Scorpius’s finger, as it became solid once more.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to be outside!� announced Albus. “I think that’s the way to the Smith mansion!�

“Are you sure?�

Albus studied their surroundings critically. “Well, the sun’s setting that way, so if the Forest is on that side... Hogsmeade is this way, and so is the Smith’s place.�

The two boys hurried in the direction Albus had pointed out, without noticing the pair of glowing eyes following them.

*

Neville Longbottom studied his copy of the Marauder’s Map carefully, his coffee left untouched upon his desk. He’d looked everywhere he could think of and neither Albus Potter nor Scorpius Malfoy seemed to be within the castle. Had they discovered a secret passageway that the marauder’s never had? It seemed unlikely. Granted, Harry and Ron had managed to discover the Chamber of Secrets while only in their second year. Still, if the two boys were merely exploring the school, why hadn’t they brought Fred and James along?

Fred and James currently seemed to be occupied at the top of the staircase to the Great Hall. Judging by the vigorous movement of the dots, they were now being most enthusiastically pursued by Mr Seward and Professor Macmillan. Neville couldn’t help but sigh at the sight. He guessed he had approximately ten minutes before his miscreants arrived at his office. He really didn’t want to have to meet with Macmillan tonight. Dealing with Mr Seward was trying enough; the man had done an excellent job of replacing Filch after his retirement.

Neville continued to scour the map for any sign of Albus or Scorpius; he was beginning to have a bad feeling about their seeming absence. Once he saw the dots of Fred and James being escorted towards his office by the dots of his colleagues, he quickly hid the tattered piece of parchment in a desk drawer, pulling out a stack of fourth year assignments that needed grading.

A sharp rap at the door indicated that his guests had arrived. Neville sighed again before answering, “Come in!�

He was already running out of ideas for creative detentions for the two boys and they were only in their second year. Professor Macmillan was holding a squirming James Potter by the ear, while Mr Seward had an iron grip on Fred Weasley’s left arm. All four carried the distinctive aroma of Dungbombs.

“Professor Macmillan, Mr Seward, boys, to what do I owe the pleasure?� asked Neville in the most pleasant tone he could manage, while giving each a curt nod.

“Since these troublemakers are in your house, I thought you ought to be the one to supervise their detentions,� snapped Macmillan.

Neville’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Certainly, Professor. Now, what is it that they’re being punished for?�

Mr Seward’s eyes bulged slightly. “Are you daft? Can’t you smell that stench?!�

Neville tried not to roll his eyes. “Yes, Mr Seward, unfortunately I can smell it. However, I was merely trying to establish if Mr Potter and Mr Weasley had only been caught throwing Dungbombs, or if they had managed to further add to the list of incidents that I will be writing to their parents about.� Here, Neville did his level best to give both the boys a stern look.

Mr Seward shifted uncomfortably. “Er, no. It was just the Dungbombs, er, Professor Longbottom.�

“Have you already taken points?� Neville asked casually.

“Twenty,� replied Macmillan. At the courteous nod from Professor Longbottom he added, “Each.�

“I would have thought that it ought to be twenty-five, but since you feel twenty is sufficient, I certainly won’t argue,� replied Neville.

Macmillan was unable to mask the sour look on his face. “Well, what are you going to do about their detentions?�

“I haven’t decided yet, but I’m sure I’ll think of something,� replied Neville cheerfully.

“I expect them to be properly disciplined,� added the Potions master with an air of haughtiness.

“If you’re concerned I’ll be too lenient, by all means, feel free to assign them detention yourself,� offered Neville, with the faint hope that he would be spared trying to think of something after all.

“I’m already supervising enough detentions of your unruly students,� snapped Professor Macmillan. “If you can’t properly discipline your own house…�

“Which students?� interrupted Neville.

“Malfoy and Potter; they were completely disruptive in class today; tardiness, talking back, disrespectful…�

“What are they doing for detention?� asked Professor Longbottom. He was quite certain he’d already checked all the normal detention rooms for the two missing boys.

“Sorting Flobberworms.�

“Where?� Surely Macmillan hadn’t been so idiotic as to send the Potter and Malfoy boys into the Forest. Even Ernie couldn’t possibly be that thick.

“In the Potions class, where else?� asked the now thoroughly confused Potions master.

Neville dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. “When did you last check on them?�

Professor Macmillan looked slightly uncomfortable. “Well, it was a large tub of Flobberworms… I suppose it’s been a few hours since I left them.�

“Albus and Scorpius had to show up at six o’clock,� volunteered Fred.

“For their completely undeserved and unfair detention,� added James, still glaring at his captor.

“I don’t have to justify my decisions to a second year student, particularly one who’s nearly failing my class and just broke school rules,� snapped Professor Macmillan.

“Forget about that, has anyone seen Albus or Scorpius in the past three hours?� asked Neville urgently.

“Well, no, but they’re perfectly safe in the Potions classroom.�

“Only if they’re actually still there,� argued Neville, who was almost certain that they weren’t.

“Of course they are,� replied Professor Macmillan. “They couldn’t have simply wandered off; I took the precaution of locking them in.�

“You what?!� demanded Professor Longbottom.

*

Meanwhile, Scorpius and Albus were approaching the Smith home. The boys had to crawl through a small hedge to gain access to the grounds, however, this didn’t prove overly difficult after their adventure in Slytherin’s tunnel. The sun had finished setting and a nearly full moon had risen, illuminating the mansion’s elegant white columns. A few windows shone with a soft light, contrasting with the dark ivy that grew up around them.

“How are we going to get inside?� whispered Scorpius, still crawling through the shrubbery.

“Maybe through a window?� suggested Albus.

Scorpius pointed to one of the highest windows, also one of the few with a light on. “I bet that’s where they’ve got Rosie.�

“Why?�

Scorpius shrugged. “I dunno. Isn’t that how it goes in the stories? It’s always either the highest room in the tallest part of the place or the deepest darkest bit of the bottom of the cellar.�

“Well, I’ve had enough of tunnels for a lifetime; let’s try the top window then. Even if she isn’t in that room, we’ll still be inside. Besides, I think I can climb that tree next to it.�

“I wish I had my broomstick here, it would make this a lot easier,� sighed Scorpius, craning his neck as he looked up into the branches of the massive oak.

“Give me a boost?� asked Albus, rubbing his hands together.

“Sure.� Scorpius put his wand in his pocket then cupped his hands. Albus placed his right foot onto them and grasped for the lowest branch then furrowed his brow.

“What is it?� Scorpius asked.

“It’s what you said about your broom,� began Albus.

“Well, it doesn’t make much difference, it’s not like I was allowed to take it to Hogwarts even,� pointed out Scorpius.

“No, about it being easier. Don’t you think it should have been harder to get in here? Like shouldn’t the grounds be guarded or have jinxes or something?�

Before Scorpius could answer, a deep familiar voice behind them answered, “As a matter of fact, they are.�

Scorpius’s wand was still in his pocket and Albus was hanging from a tree. Two men in hooded cloaks stepped out of the shadows. Scorpius never even had a chance to yell before the jet of red light hit him.

Out of the Shadows

When Scorpius opened his eyes, he found four anxious blue ones staring back at him. After a few moments, the four blue eyes resolved into two and belonged to none other than Rosie Weasley.

“Are you alright?� she asked in a shaky voice.

Scorpius was so happy to see his friend that he sat up too quickly and the second Rosie returned; both were kind enough to reach out to steady him.

“You’ve got a nasty bump on your head,� Rosie explained, slowly letting go of his shoulders and then hugging him. “I’m so glad to see you, and that you’re not badly hurt!�

Scorpius gingerly felt his forehead; the bump felt like it was the size of a goose egg. “Are you okay?�

Rosie nodded. “Albus hasn’t woken up yet though.�

It was only then that Scorpius realized that Albus was lying on the floor to his right. One of the lenses of his glasses was cracked, but he looked fine otherwise.

“I think you both must have been hit with Stunning Spells, but that shouldn’t have givn you a bump,� mused Rosie. “Which reminds me, how did you get here? And where are we? I think it must be somewhere I’d recognize because they put me in a room with a tree blocking the view from the window. Whenever they bring food they always make sure I can’t see their faces, or perhaps it’s only one person. I really can’t tell. Do you know if my dad is going to find us soon? I’ve tried to find a way out but they took my wand away. It looks like they took both of yours too.�

Scorpius tried to focus on the information and the questions, but it made his head spin a bit and a second Rosie briefly appeared again.

“Wh-what happened?� croaked Albus, beginning to wake up.

“Are you okay, Albus?� asked Rosie, rushing to her cousin’s side and embracing him in a hug too.

“Yeah... we came to rescue you,� Albus answered, still groggy. “Surprise!�

Rosie looked mildly alarmed at this statement. “But... where are Dad and Uncle Harry?�

Albus shrugged. “Scorpius figured out that it was Mr Smith who kidnapped you, so we came to rescue you ourselves.�

“Mr Smith?!� asked Rosie in shock. “Why would he want to kidnap me? I’ve never even met him!�

Albus was studying his broken glasses. “I guess those slimy gits took our wands, so not only can we not escape, but I can’t fix this lens.� He looked to Scorpius. “Maybe you could explain everything to Rosie? I think we’re going to be stuck here for a while.�

Scorpius was still fighting back a bad headache and tried holding his head in his hands. He took a deep breath and looked up at Rosie. “It has to do with your mum’s house-elf thingy. The Smiths own a house-elf cleaning business and since you’re being ransomed tomorrow, your mum decided not to go the hearing or whatever it is.�

“I’m being ransomed?� asked Rosie, eyes wide.

“Yeah,� Albus answered. “For ten thousand Galleons.�

Rosie’s voice quivered. “B-but, Mum and D-dad don’t have-�

Albus interrupted, “Scorpius’s dad offered to put up the money.�

A blush began to creep up Rosie’s cheeks. “That was really nice of him. Thanks for coming to rescue me too.�

Scorpius could feel his own face beginning to warm. He feigned a cough as Albus replied, “Yeah, well our great daring rescue hasn’t exactly gone according to plan, has it? What did happen anyway?� He turned to Scorpius. “I remember you giving me a boost and then... nothing.�

Scorpius rubbed his head again; there was a horrid tapping noise that was making his headache worse. “I bet I got this bump from you landing on me after they Stunned you.�

“That would make sense,� agreed Albus. “Sorry, mate.�

Scorpius ignored Albus’s apology as he was currently lost in his thoughts. “I remember just before the light hit, they said something... there was something important...�

“Do you have any idea what it was?� asked Rosie, wringing her hands.

“I dunno, I have a pounding headache,� replied Scorpius. “And that horrible tapping is making it worse! Could you please stop it Albus?�

“It’s not me,� replied Albus indignantly.

“Look!� cried Rosie in excitement. She was pointing at the window, where a small tawny owl was pecking impatiently.

“Merlin!� exclaimed Scorpius. Ignoring his throbbing skull, he hurried over to the window. “It’s locked too!�

“We could break the glass,� suggested Rosie. “But we’d better come up with a plan first. They might hear the window break downstairs.�

“Merlin, can you hear me?� Scorpius asked.

The little owl blinked solemnly.

“Okay, wait right there. Whatever you do, don’t fly away, alright?�

Merlin blinked again then ruffled his feathers.

“I wonder how he found us,� began Scorpius.

Albus peered out the window. “Not that it’s important, but since he’s sitting on top of a dead snake, I think I can guess.�

“What’s a snake got to do with it?� asked Rosie.

“We’ll tell you later,� replied Albus. “Right now, we’ve got to write a letter; no one knows we’re here.�

“Well, all we need then is ink, parchment, and a quill. I don’t suppose we’ve any of those handy?� added Scorpius, with a touch of sarcasm.

“No, of course not,� snapped Rosie. She bit her lip as she scanned the room. There was an empty dresser, a threadbare bed with a musty pillow, a rather uncomfortable wooden chair, a chipped bowl, a slightly bent spoon, an old goblet, and a few candles. “There must be something we could use for a message...�

*

“I... I don’t understand,� blurted Ernie, staring into the wrecked Potions room.

Neville’s face had gone pale upon seeing the smashed jars inside. Even more disturbing, the door had still been locked when he and Macmillan had arrived. Who would kidnap the boys and then lock the empty classroom behind them?

“We have to alert the Aurors, immediately!� barked Neville. “James, Fred, you’re both to stay with me until I can escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. Ernie, contact the Aurors patrolling the corridors and grounds, then we need to send letters to the Potters and the Malfoys. Mr Seward, get everyone into the Great Hall, now!�

Professor Macmillan didn’t even pause to argue, but took off at a run. Mr Seward sprinted up the dungeon steps showing surprising agility for someone his age.

“What’s happened to Albus?� demanded James, in a quavering voice.

“I don’t know,� replied Neville, “but I’m not taking any chances. We’re going straight to Professor Proudfoot. Now hurry up; there’s a shortcut this way.�

*

Three men were eating in the dining room of the Smith mansion. The shortest of the three looked up at the chandelier. “Did you hear something?�

The largest man’s deep-set eyes flickered upwards, but only a grunt escaped from him as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

The third man was easily twenty years older than the other two and considerably better kempt, with his long blond hair elegantly queued back. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the lack of manners from his troll-like dining companion. “Perhaps you should check on the children,� he suggested primly, while dabbing his mouth with a napkin, embroidered with the Smith family crest.

The first man shrugged. “There’s no way out of that room when they’ve got no wands. It can wait until after dinner.�

“Are you sure that’s wise?� asked the eldest, hoping for an excuse to send the glutton upstairs so that he could finish his meal in peace.

“If you’re that worried, you can go check on them.�

The blond man dropped the subject; he wasn’t about to leave his dinner.

Nearly a half hour later, the three men had each finished their meals. “I suppose we really should make sure they haven’t gotten up to anything,� the first man stated. He looked at his largest accomplice. “Go on upstairs then.�

“Should we really send him alone?� asked the blond man.

The short one rolled his eyes. “I think he can handle three wandless eleven year olds.�

Meanwhile, Albus had his ear pressed against the door. “Quick! I can hear footsteps!�

“I still can’t believe they didn’t hear the glass break,� whispered Rosie, as she braced herself against the dresser.

“I hope this works,� added Scorpius.

Within moments, the doorknob was being turned. However, the three friends had barricaded it with the bed, chair, and dresser and were now bracing themselves against it too.

“Hey!� grunted a deep voice. “Watcha do to the door?�

He continued to push on it, but despite his bulk, there was simply too much furniture in front of it.

“Yeh’d better let me in or I’ll blast the door down!�

“Go!� mouthed Scorpius. He and Albus ran to their stations with the old blanket as Rosie lit the old pillow on fire with the aid of one of the candles.

“REDUCTO!�

“NOW!� yelled Scorpius. He scarcely had time to absorb the shock of recognizing the face of his captor.

Gregory Goyle barely had time to register that something burning had been thrown at him before a blanket landed on his head.

“Quick! Get his wand!�

Rosie and Scorpius were struggling with Goyle for the wand until Albus smashed the already chipped bowl over Goyle’s head. Goyle released his grip on his wand as he slumped to the floor.

Rosie scooped up the wand as Albus gave Goyle a well aimed kick, for good measure. Rosie then pointed the wand at her cousin’s face. “Reparo!�

“Thanks!� Albus adjusted his mended glasses and looked down at their captor-turned-victim. “Looks like he’s going to have a bump to match yours,� he cheerfully informed Scorpius.

“I’m sorry, Scorpius; I don’t know any Healing spells yet,� added Rosie.

Scorpius wasn’t really paying attention; he was staring down at the limp form in horror. “He... he was a friend of Dad’s... I... I used to call him Uncle Gregory... I recognized his voice, but I couldn’t place it until now...�

Albus looked somewhat uncomfortable. Rosie grabbed Scorpius’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we really have to get out of here. Someone must have heard the crash.�


Scorpius tried to pull himself together. He still couldn’t believe that his father’s friend could be involved in this, but he knew Rosie was right: they needed to escape. The three friends ran out of the little room and down a hallway, hiding in a small room near the stairs.

Moments later, the two other men were running up the staircase. Scorpius peeked out to make sure they had both passed and then motioned for Rosie and Albus to follow him down the stairs. Unfortunately, a step near the middle creaked when Scorpius tread upon it.

“They’re on the stairs!� shouted one of the men.

“Run for it!� yelled Albus. The trio went down the stairs as quickly as they could until they heard a loud pop at the bottom of the steps. One of the kidnappers had Apparated at the bottom. Scorpius whirled around but Goyle and another man were guarding the top.

Goyle was leering in a manner that made Scorpius wonder if he’d lost his mind. The other two men had their hoods up and Scorpius still couldn’t see their faces.

“Gimme back my wand! Yer trapped!� Goyle began to advance on them.

Scorpius quickly weighed his odds. Even without a wand, Goyle was still formidable and there was an armed man behind him. Thus, down seemed the way to go. “Rosie! Albus! Follow me!�

Scorpius had slid down his own banister most mornings when he was in a hurry. Without even thinking about it, he leapt onto this one and began a rapid descent. Rosie and Albus followed suit. Rosie even had the sense to aim a spell at Goyle with his own wand.

“Wingardium Leviosa!�

Goyle looked utterly perplexed as he slowly rose off the ground. The man at the top of the stairs had aimed a Stunning Spell at Albus, but it hit the rising Goyle instead. Meanwhile, the trio was speeding down the banister, straight towards the tall hooded man at the bottom, who was momentarily distracted by the unconscious floating Goyle. He didn’t even have time to utter an incantation before they crashed into him. The kidnapper’s wand went flying across the room and skittered under a sofa. Unforutnately, Goyle’s stolen wand snapped during the collision. The three children managed to untangle themselves much quicker than the eldest of the kidnappers, who’s left leg was dangling at a strange angle. Scorpius only had a few moments to assess the situation. He correctly guessed that the odd angle of the man’s leg meant it was broken and that they were temporarily safe from him. However, there was still a hooded man chasing them down the stairs.

Somewhat disoriented, Scorpius took a wild guess and ran towards the nearest room, his two friends on his heels. This room turned out to be a large sitting room, with another door at the far end. The doorknob was nearly in Scorpius’s grasp when a chillingly calm voice called out, “Colloportus.�

The three friends were cornered and wandless. The kidnapper advanced on them slowly, while laughing softly. He removed his hood and Scorpius noted the resemblance between this man and Bernard.

“You must be Mr Smith!� he guessed in an accusatory tone.

“Well done, young Mr Malfoy,� remarked the man, softly clapping in a mocking fashion. “I don’t know how you and the Potter boy found your little friend here, but I can assure you, you won’t be leaving here.� He turned to Albus and Rosie. “I don’t mind ransoming the two of you.�

“Wh-what do you mean you won’t let Scorpius leave?� asked Rosie, tremulously.

“The Malfoy family owes my family a debt. They’re responsible for the death of my step-sister, Charity Burbage, and I will have my revenge.�

“We won’t let you kill him!� declared Albus. He and Rosie had both protectively stepped in front of Scorpius.

Zacharias Smith smiled. “I wasn’t going to kill him, yet. I think the Cruciatus Curse would be a more appropriate beginning.�

“No! We won’t let you!� Rosie shouted. “Besides,� she added in a pleading tone, “Scorpius never did anything to your step-sister. It’s not his fault!�

“I don’t care what a silly little girl thinks,� snapped Zacharias. “Now stand aside or I’ll be forced to curse both of you too.�

Zacharias began to advance, wand outstretched but before he could say anything there was a loud bang as Draco Malfoy Apparated between Zacharias and the three children.

“RUN!� yelled Draco, as he aimed a jet of red light at Smith.

The trio scattered while Smith dodged Draco’s spell. Zacharias dove behind a large armchair as he sent a curse towards Draco, who easily deflected it with a Shield Charm and then set the chair that Zacharias was hiding behind ablaze.

“Augamenti!�

While Smith was distracted by putting out the fire, Draco aimed another Stunner at him. The two men continued to duel but it was clear that Draco was the stronger of the two. Zacharias suddenly changed tactics and grabbed Scorpius by the hair, jabbing his wand against Scorpius’s throat. Draco froze, gray eyes glittering with a mixture of hatred and helplessness.

“Now, throw your wand over there if you want your son to live another five minutes,� ordered Smith.

“Calm down, Smith. It’s me you really want anyway, isn’t it?� pointed out Draco as he carefully tossed his wand towards the center of the room.

“Incarcerous!� hissed Zacharias, with a look of triumph on his face. Ropes shot out of his wand, binding Draco. He then repeated the spell on Rosie and Albus, while maintaining his grip on Scorpius.

“Now, Draco. While I do want to make you suffer, I still think it would be better if I make you watch as I torture your son before I kill you. After all, we were all forced to watch the Death Eaters use the Cruciatus Curse on Charity before they dragged her off.�

“That wasn’t my fault and you know it!� argued Draco.

“It is according to the book Skeeter wrote,� raged Smith. “Not only did your aunt torture Charity, she was murdered at your house!�

Draco struggled against the ropes as he tried to reason with Smith, “My family was under house arrest by the Dark Lord, there was nothing we could...�

“You were a coward! Your whole family are cowards!� yelled Smith, losing his temper. A few sparks shot from his wand and Scorpius felt them burn on his skin.

“You’re calling me a coward?� taunted Draco. “I’m not the one who pushed first years out of my way to escape Hogwarts. I’m not the one who kidnapped a little girl. I’m not the one threatening children!�

“Don’t push me,� growled Zacharias in a menacing tone. “Cru-�

“NO!� screamed Rosie. Scorpius couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard something else as Rosie screamed; when he tried to turn to check Smith viciously yanked on his hair.

The colour had drained from Draco’s face as Zacharias had begun the incantation to the Unforgivable Curse. Smith grinned with malice. “It would be so easy...�

Draco changed tactics. “Look, this is between you and me. Leave my son out of it; you can torture me into insanity; I probably deserve it, but don’t hurt an innocent child.�

“As though any Malfoys are innocent,� scoffed Zacharias.

Draco was looking into the distance but then focused on Zacharias’s face, adding in a softer tone, “You don’t want to do this.�

“Oh? And why not?� mocked Zacharias, sending sparks out of his wand again.

Draco smiled grimly. “Because I told the Aurors to follow me here, and it looks like they’ve just arrived.�

Ron and Harry’s Stunning Spells hit Zacharias before he even had time to turn.

“Rosie! Are you alright?� asked Ron, hugging his daughter tightly after Vanishing the ropes.

Rosie was crying and hugging her father as tightly as she could. “I was so scared!�

Ron patted his daughter’s hair and told her in a soothing tone, “Shh, it’s over now. You’re safe.�

“What took you so long?� complained Draco, still bound on the floor.

“We ran into your mate: Goyle,� snapped Harry. He used a Severing Charm on the ropes binding Albus and then Draco.

“Goyle?� asked Draco in disbelief.

“Wait!� blurted Scorpius suddenly panicked. “You only found Uncle Gregory? There were three of them!�

The door that Smith had previously locked opened and the tall blond man limped into the room. “Very good! Now, if you would kindly all put down your wands, I won’t have to hurt any of you before wiping your memories.�

Ron and Harry seemed rendered speechless. Draco stared in horror at the older man who slowly approached them, wand drawn. Finally, Draco spluttered, “What the hell are you doing here?�

Gilderoy Lockhart flashed a dazzling smile. “So you do remember me!�

Tying Up Loose Ends

Gilderoy Lockhart limped forward just as Scorpius got up the nerve to ask, “Who are you?�

Lockhart gasped at the unintended insult. “I,� he exclaimed with an air of self-importance, “am none other than Gilderoy Lockhart!�

Scorpius was utterly baffled; the man was acting as though he should recognize the name. He couldn’t help but blurt out, “Who?�

Gilderoy could barely conceal his annoyance. “Gilderoy Lockhart! Not only was I the recipient of Witch Weekly’s Most-Charming-Smile-Award five consecutive times, I also wrote such well known titles as: Magical Me, Break with a Banshee,Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, Travels with Trolls, Voyages with Vampires, and Year of the Yeti!�

“You left out Wanderings with Werewolves and Gilderoy Lockhart’s Guide to Household Pests,� added Rosie.

“Yes! Thank you! So not all of the younger generation has become illiterate,� replied Lockhart, giving a small bow in Rosie’s direction while twirling his wand. The momentary distraction was all the two Aurors needed.

“Expelliarmus!� shouted Harry and Ron together. Lockhart’s wand flew high into the air and Albus managed to catch it.

Lockhart’s smile froze and the colour drained from his face. “Now... let’s not be hasty... I was only joking when I said I intended to erase your memories...�

“Yeah, just like you were only joking last time you tried to erase our memories,� snapped Harry. Ropes shot out of his wand, effectively binding Lockhart.

Ron gave him a look of sheer loathing then turned to Harry. “Amazing. The gilded git managed to get his memory back and still can’t do a simple Shield Charm.�

Gilderoy bristled. “What I lack in the skill of defensive magic, I more than make up for with my excellent...�

Lockhart never managed to finish bragging as Ron used a Silencing Charm on him. Ron glared at his former teacher. “We won’t be lifting that until its time to question you.�

“We should really get everyone out of here,� added Harry, glancing around in case any more of his old Defence teachers made an appearance. Being face to face with Dolores Umbridge after everything else that had happened in the past week would simply be too much.

Ron nodded to Harry while hugging his daughter close to him. “You call for Hit Wizards to secure and search, I’ll send a message to Hermione.�

With a swish of their wands, Harry’s stag and Ron’s terrier Patronuses took off at a full run. Draco stood, retrieved his wand and crossed the room to Scorpius, putting a protective hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’d better let your mother know what’s happened to us, she’s likely going out of her mind.�

Having regained some of his composure, Draco turned to Ron and Harry. “Where should I tell her to meet us?�

Harry adjusted his glasses. “I suppose you ought to come with us to Auror Headquarters. You obviously aren’t under arrest though,� he added hurriedly.

Draco nodded his acknowledgement to Harry and then a large silver wolf burst from his wand and loped off through the wall. There were popping noises as Hit Wizards appeared around the room.

“No one move!� yelled a young Hit Wizard, his wand aimed at Draco.

“It’s alright, Brocklehurst; Malfoy’s no longer a suspect,� Harry explained rapidly.

Brocklehurst reluctantly lowered his wand as Harry continued with instructions. “I want Lockhart, Smith and Goyle brought in to be questioned by Ron and I. Keep them in separate rooms. Also, I want this place searched from top to bottom. Mr Malfoy, Ron and I will be escorting our children to Headquarters. If you’ll excuse us, our wives are probably very eager to see the kids.�

The Hit Wizards hurried off to their respective tasks. Harry picked up a ruined cushion from the charred sofa, muttering, “Portus.�

“Alright, now everyone grab hold on the count of three. One, two, three!�

Scorpius felt himself being jerked into the unknown. After a few moments, they were all standing in a modern office. Two women were standing there, with a little boy and girl. Scorpius recognized Mrs Weasley and guessed that the woman with red hair must be Albus’s mother.

“Rosie!� Hermione dashed across the room to hug her daughter, tears streaming down her face. Hugo and Lily ran over to join in a group hug. Scorpius noticed that there were tear streaks down Mrs Potter’s face too as she enveloped her son in a tight embrace.

“I was so scared; I thought I’d lost you!�

Albus’s reply was muffled in his mother’s robes. When he managed to squirm far enough away to be able to breath again, Scorpius still couldn’t hear him because there was a good deal of shouting outside.

“I don’t care what you think your orders are; I am going to see my son! You have three seconds to get out of my way before I blast you and the door you’re blocking!�

With a stab of joy, Scorpius recognized the angry voice of his own mother. Draco chuckled before he informed Harry, “Unless you want your staff sent to St Mungo’s, I suggest you let my wife in immediately.�

Harry hurried over to open the door but it was blasted open, just as Astoria Malfoy had promised. The guard on duty was cautiously peering out from underneath his desk.

“Er, thanks Stan, but Mrs Malfoy does have an appointment,� Harry explained rather lamely.

Scorpius found himself being hugged and cried over as well; Astoria’s anger had vaporized into relief upon seeing her son safe. She asked in a choked voice, “What happened, Dear? The school told us you were kidnapped...�

“He wasn’t kidnapped,� Draco wearily explained to his wife. “He and the Potter boy used a secret exit from the school to try to rescue the Weasley girl.�

“WHAT?� demanded several adults, in shock.

“Well, we sort of were kidnapped,� added Scorpius defensively. He considered being knocked unconscious and subsequently locked in a room to be close enough to count as being kidnapped.

“What do you mean ‘sort of’?� Astoria questioned in her no-nonsense voice.

Scorpius and Albus exchanged glances and then began telling everyone how they went from being in detention to being captured.

“And then Merlin found us!� Scorpius explained.

“Merlin found you?� asked Ginny, completely confused.

“Merlin’s his owl,� Astoria clarified.

“How did your owl find you there?� Harry inquired.

“I guess when the tunnel opened, a bunch of snakes came out and Merlin likes to eat snakes. He probably caught some and then followed us; he had a dead snake in his talons when he found us.�

“That makes sense,� added Ron. “What I don’t understand though was why you didn’t send a letter to the Auror Department or even the school.�

“We didn’t have anything to write with or on,� Rosie explained. “Scorpius still had the ring from Mr Malfoy and we also had a goblet with the Smith coat of arms on it. I’d had it the whole time but I didn’t know it was the Smith crest; Scorpius recognized it right away and he said his dad would too. We had a few candles so we melted the wax for one and then gave it and the ring to Merlin to take to Mr Malfoy.�

Draco jumped in. “I’d just received a letter from Macmillan saying that my son had been kidnapped when a second owl landed on my desk with my old ring and the piece of wax. Scorpius was right; I did recognize the crest immediately and I knew the ring meant that he had left the school. I sent Potter and Weasley a message and then Apparated to the Smith mansion.�

“But how did you know how to do a Patronus message?� Harry asked.

For the first time since they’d arrived at the Auror Department, Draco began to lose his composure. His voice shook a bit as he answered, “I spent a lot of time under house arrest with Wormtail. He’d known for years how the Order of the Phoenix communicated and had made it known to the Death Eaters. I asked him to teach me.�

Draco’s voice became harsher. “I showed Mother once after I learned how to do it. When she saw it was a wolf she made me promise not to show anyone else. She thought it might associate us too closely with my cousin and her marriage to Remus Lupin. We had already fallen out of favour with the Dark Lord and couldn’t afford to fall further.�

Astoria took Draco’s hand in her own, her eyes once again filled with tears. After a few moments Hermione broke the increasingly uncomfortable silence. “It’s been a long day for all of us and I need to present to the Wizengamot tomorrow... How about we all meet tomorrow evening for dinner and then Harry and Ron can tell us how Lockhart and Goyle are involved in this?�

Ron gaped at his wife, unable to believe she’d just invited the Malfoys to dinner. Before he could protest, Ginny settled the matter. “How about we have everyone over to Grimmauld Place? I’ll send for James. We should be safe from being overheard by Skeeter there too,� added Ginny, making a face.

“That’s very kind of you,� replied Astoria. “We’d be delighted. I also have an idea that ought to prevent Rita Skeeter from writing about this; Mr Potter, could I have a word with you?�

A Few Trips Down Memory Lane

When Scorpius first woke up the following morning, he was momentarily confused by his surroundings. He’d already grown accustomed to seeing the bright red and gold hangings when he opened his eyes each morning. This morning, however, he was back in his room at home. Mr Potter had suggested that none of the children return to Hogwarts until all the suspects had been interrogated. He’d pointed out that until the information was public, there was little point in sending the children back only to be prodded for information by their classmates. Scorpius had been quite pleased when his parents had agreed to this; he’d already found out how uncomfortable it was to be questioned by all of Gryffindor.

It felt wonderfully relaxing to be home. Merlin was sleeping on a perch by the open window, all the books he’d had to leave behind were still neatly arranged on his bookshelf by his little desk, and leaning against the bed was his Thunderbolt, gleaming in the sunlight. Scorpius resolved to ask his dad if they could go flying together later that afternoon. Draco had sent an owl to the office the night before, explaining he’d be taking the day off to spend with Scorpius. However, before Scorpius did any flying, he needed breakfast. His stomach gave a loud rumble of agreement with this plan.

Scorpius left an Owl Treat on the windowsill for Merlin to find when he woke up. The little owl had more than earned it. Scorpius then made a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up before sliding down the banister in his customary fashion.

Upon entering the dining room, he was surprised to see that his mum wasn’t there. Draco was sitting in his normal place, cup of coffee in hand. He looked up from reading the Daily Prophet and smiled broadly. “Good morning.�

“Where’s Mum?� Scorpius inquired, seating himself in front of a plate of bacon.

Draco grinned like a Cheshire cat, handing his paper over to Scorpius.

ROSIE WEASLEY RESCUED by Astoria Greengrass

To the immense relief of her friends and family, Rosie Weasley was rescued from her captors late last night. Well known Aurors, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, have taken three men into custody for the kidnapping of Ron’s daughter. Zacharias Smith, Greg Goyle and Gilderoy Lockhart were brought into Auror Headquarters late last night by Hit Wizards. While Mr Smith’s reasons for the kidnapping have been discovered, it is still unknown how Mr Lockhart and Mr Goyle are involved. However, this reporter has been granted her request for an exclusive interview with Mr Lockhart, which will be available in tonight’s edition of the Evening Prophet.

First year Hogwarts students, Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter (son of Harry Potter and cousin of Rosie Weasley) were the first to discover Mr Smith’s involvement in the abduction. From various Prophet news clippings, they realized that if Madam Hermione Weasley’s house-elf protection legislation was passed by the Wizengamot, Mr Smith’s business would be financially devastated. Due to her daughter’s safe return, Madam Weasley will be able to proceed with her motion to protect house-elves, the first hearing of which is scheduled for this afternoon...

Scorpius continued to read the article. He’d never taken much interest in his mother’s articles before since most of them were about the latest fashion trends. Today, however, he was quite proud of what she’d written.

“When did Mum have time to write this?� he asked, while helping himself to some scrambled eggs.

Draco poured himself a second cup of coffee as he explained. “She was discussing it with Potter last night while you were saying goodbye to your friends. Then she stayed up until two in the morning writing it. The Prophet, of course, was only too happy to accept the story, especially since she’s going to have that exclusive interview with Lockhart.� Draco paused to check his pocket-watch. “She’s probably just arriving at the Ministry now.�

*

Astoria Malfoy exited the lift at level two and walked towards the Auror Department, her heels clicking smartly on the stone floor. She didn’t need to wait long before Harry showed her to a small room with a viewing window.

Harry offered his hand, which Astoria accepted lightly. After the slightly awkward pleasantry was over with, Harry cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. “I’m glad you’re here. He still refuses to talk to either Ron or I, but we think he’ll be more than happy to speak with you, especially if you identify yourself as a writer for Witch Weekly.�

Astoria smiled. “Excellent. I’ll be sure to pose as a fan. It shouldn’t be difficult, my mother adored Lockhart for years. My sister, Daphne, used to brag about how he autographed all her schoolbooks.�

“Knowing him, he’d probably have autographed the ones he didn’t write too,� added Ron, rolling his eyes as he walked over to join them.

Astoria laughed good-naturedly at Ron’s joke, while noticing that he looked at least ten years younger than he had the night before. The dark circles that had been under his eyes weren’t quite gone, but the tension in his posture had disappeared. She added, “Draco’s told me stories. Apparently he was never quite as big a fan of Lockhart as Daphne was.�

Harry ushered her towards the door. “Well, he’s all yours. We’ll be watching and listening outside. He doesn’t have a wand, but we’ll be ready in case he does become at all aggressive, although, I really don’t think that’s likely.�

“Thank you,� replied Astoria, as she walked inside.

Gilderoy Lockhart took in Astoria’s appearance almost instantly: designer robes and accessories, perfectly applied make-up, and well coifed hairstyle. Gilderoy immediately felt that he’d found a kindred spirit in Astoria Malfoy.

“Mr Lockhart!� gushed Astoria. “I’m so pleased to meet you in person! I’m Astoria, and I write a column for Witch Weekly.�

Gilderoy flashed her his award-winning smile; if he’d had any remaining doubts about Astoria, they vanished upon hearing the name of the magazine she worked for. “Delighted to make your acquaintance! Please, call me Gilderoy.�

“Thank you, Gilderoy.� Astoria sat down across from him while removing a long roll of parchment and her rose coloured Quick-Quotes Quill from her handbag. “I would love an interview; I believe the world needs to know the story of Gilderoy Lockhart.�

Gilderoy’s posture visibly improved at these words. He dearly wished that the insufferable Aurors had allowed him his hair rollers the night before. Lockhart stretched his hands expansively, hoping that Astoria would note his neatly manicured nails instead of his less than perfect hair. “Then I suppose it’s my duty to oblige. Now, where should I begin?�

Before Astoria had a chance to reply, Gilderoy began a monologue. “As most people know, twenty-five years ago I had just finished writing the literary masterpiece, Magical Me. I had worked tirelessly for over a decade to accomplish my two secret ambitions: ridding the world of evil while marketing my own line of hair-care potions.�

Gilderoy was once again somewhat discomfited by the fact that his own hair was rather in need of such a potion. Nevertheless, he ploughed on with his story. “Albus Dumbledore had begged me to take the position of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, and I decided that I owed it to the next generation of wizards to teach them what I could, especially when I realized that young Harry Potter would be at the school. He obviously needed all the help he could get; the boy’s hair was a disaster! He was trying to gain popularity: making a grand entrance to school, signing photographs, that sort of thing. I tried to take him under my wing, but well, fame engenders spite.�

Gilderoy sighed theatrically. The Quick-Quotes Quill was still scribbling furiously. Astoria was briefly concerned it might cause the parchment to catch fire. She looked up to see Gilderoy humming absently while examining a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Gilderoy?� she ventured.

A vapid smile immediately stretched across his face. “Hello, have we met? Would you like an autograph?� he asked, searching his robes for a quill.

Astoria was only momentarily caught off guard. “Actually, I was wondering if I could interview you before you gave me the autograph; you can use my quill then. I must have forgotten to introduce myself; my name’s Astoria and I write for Witch Weekly.�

Gilderoy’s smile widened at these words, and Astoria noted with relief that his eyes appeared more focused. “Excellent magazine! I can’t tell you how honoured I am to have been the recipient of the Most-Charming-Smile Award, no less than five times.�

“Yes, it is quite the accomplishment,� agreed Astoria. “I was wondering, did it cause any of your students or colleagues at Hogwarts to be, well, jealous of you?�

“Well, now that you mention it, yes. Naturally, most of the staff were rather envious of my prodigious skill. I remember that Snape fellow, terrible hair by the way, was quite put out when I offered to show him how to brew one of specially formulated hair-care potions. Really, though, it’s odd you mention students, because there was one who was immensely jealous of me: Harry Potter.�

Astoria raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise. Gilderoy happily continued, bolstered by the reaction of his interviewer, who he already couldn’t recall the name of.

“Now this Potter, really had no fashion sense. I mean, I understand that he can’t do much about the scar, but he never combed his hair, and really, the glasses did nothing for him. Still, I tried. I explained to him that crashing a flying car instead of taking the train wasn’t the sort of publicity that would help him. Anyway, he and his little friend, Woozly, or whatever his name was, they attacked me at the end of the year and I lost my memory.�

Astoria gasped, and reached out a comforting hand. “How awful for you!�

“What was?� asked Gilderoy, blue eyes filled with curiosity.

“When you lost your memory, as a result of the attack,� Astoria answered in a slow, careful tone.

“Oh! Yes, it was terrible! However, a person such as myself doesn’t let something like that stop them! After nearly twenty-five years in St Mungo’s I was released: completely cured!�

“That’s amazing,� responded Astoria weakly. She made a mental note to do a story on the current state of the Magical Health Care System the following week.

“Well, if I do say so myself, I am quite amazing,� explained Lockhart cheerfully. “Yes, once I was released, a lovely woman named Galadriel Dungeon, or something like that, offered to let me stay with her. Sweet woman.�

Astoria couldn’t help but notice that Gilderoy was beginning to hum the same little tune he had before.

“Er, where exactly did Mrs Dungeon live?� prompted Astoria.

Gilderoy turned in surprise. “Who?�

“The lady you stayed with after you left St Mungo’s,� reminded Astoria, trying not to grit her teeth.

“Oh! Dyllis! Lovely woman. She used to write me the most charming letters.�

“Do you still have any of them?� asked Astoria eagerly. Dyllis, or Galadriel, or whoever she was, must have written something more coherent than what her poor quill was trying to piece together.

“Why, yes! As it happens, I have one on me. The Aurors let me keep it, although I would have preferred if they would have let me keep my hair rollers,� explained Gilderoy, while gingerly patting his hair.

“May I see it?�

“They aren’t special hair rollers. Besides, I don’t have any; the Aurors confiscated them.�

Astoria dug her perfectly manicured nails deep into her palm. “Would I be able to see the letter then?�

Astoria was fully prepared to seriously harm the man in front of her if he dared to ask, “What letter?� Instead, she was surprised to hear him whine, “But it’s my private letter.�

Astoria’s first impulse was to rip out Gilderoy Lockhart’s precious hair. Instead, after a moment’s thought, she subtly aimed her wand at her handbag while maintaining her conversation with Lockhart. “Would you perhaps be willing to let me see it if I were able to find you some hair rollers? I almost always keep some in my handbag...�

“Really?� exclaimed Gilderoy.

“Oh yes,� lied Astoria. “After all, one never knows when they might have a hair emergency.�

Gilderoy nodded, while holding out his hand, in eager anticipation of the promised hair accessories. Astoria was relieved to see that she had properly Transfigured her lipstick and mascara into two hair rollers. She then exchanged them with Gilderoy for the letter. While he eagerly pocketed the coveted rollers, she quickly memorized the return address on the envelope: Miss Gladys Gudgeon, Seventeen Hollybrook Lane, Devonshire. Hoping that Gilderoy’s goldfish-like memory would continue to fail him, she quickly slipped the envelope into her purse. After all, neither of them had specified how long she was allowed to see the letter for, and he did still have her Transfigured make-up.

Gilderoy was already happily humming away again. He also seemed to have forgotten that Astoria was still there, because he had taken the hair rollers back out of his pocket and was busy putting them in his hair. Astoria silently asked Merlin for patience. She then amended her inaudible plea, specifying that she meant Merlin the great wizard and not her son’s tawny owl. Gilderoy didn’t notice as he was currently focusing his attention on the flowing movements of the Quick-Quotes Quill, delightedly reading what it was writing about him. Astoria changed her mind; she’d even ask the owl for help if it would get her away from this twit any quicker.

Nearly two hours later, Astoria had Transfigured most of the contents of her purse into hair rollers, cologne, dental floss, tooth whitener, and tweezers. She’d also had to sacrifice her comb and nail file. However, she felt it was well worth it. She had her story, on an eight foot roll of parchment, and it was quite the story if she said so herself.

Gilderoy waved goodbye to her merrily. He’d somehow remembered that he’d promised Astoria an autograph, although he couldn’t recall who she was. He had noticed the slight flush in her cheeks when he signed her handbag for her, and thus felt that he’d given her enough of a treat that he needn’t feel overly bad over having forgotten his acquaintance’s name. Five minutes later he was humming to himself again, while industriously filing his nails.

Meanwhile, Astoria was vigorously using every cleaning spell she could think of in hopes that her favourite handbag could be saved from her own never-fade ink. She was somewhat surprised to hear Harry Potter’s voice. “My mother-in-law can get that out if anyone can. If you want, I could take it for her to look at and give it back to you at dinner.�

Astoria smiled gratefully. “I’d really appreciate it. I never did very well in Charms; Transfiguration was always my strong suit. Unfortunately, this ink will not simply Transfigure into nothingness.�

“Not to worry. The Auror Department will pay to replace the handbag and all its contents,� Harry informed her.

“Ah.� Astoria smiled. “So, getting your mother-in-law to fix it is just a way of saving your department some Galleons.�

“Are you sure you don’t want to keep it that way?� asked Ron. “I mean, it does have Gilderoy Lockhart’s signature on it. Perhaps we could have a fundraiser selling genuine Gilderoy Lockhart autographs.�

Astoria grimaced as she looked at her watch. “I really need to get my story into my editor if it’s going to make the Evening Prophet as promised. Can you let me know which charges will be laid before five o’clock?�

“We’ll let you know about the charges as soon as it’s decided,� answered Harry.

Astoria nodded as she started to tie the large roll of parchment.

“Just out of curiosity... could I see your notes?� Harry asked.

Astoria handed him the parchment which Harry quickly scanned through, reading aloud.

“Mr Lockhart’s eyes glisten as he searches for the right words to describe his many trials... You can’t mean to print this.�

“Of course not,� replied Astoria. She tapped her wand on the parchment as she exclaimed, “Veritas!�

Harry glanced back at the same line which now read:

Mr Lockhart’s eyes glaze over as he once again forgets the question he was just asked.

Astoria explained, “I couldn’t very well let him read that during the interview; he would have refused to speak to me. That’s the beauty of my rose-coloured Quick-Quotes Quill; it gives a glowing view of my subject and then a simple spell gives a much more truthful version.�

“Wish Skeeter would’ve used a few of those,� grumbled Ron.

“Well, we won’t keep you any longer,� added Harry, who had noticed Astoria checking her watch again. “Is seven o’clock too early for dinner?�

“No, that’s perfect,� replied Astoria. “Thank you again for allowing me to do the interview, we’ll see you tonight! Oh... and could you perhaps take your time in releasing my father-in-law? I wouldn’t complain if his paperwork was misplaced...�

*

“So you really don’t like Mr Potter or Mr Weasley, do you?� asked Scorpius, swinging his feet from a tree branch. Draco had agreed to take him flying and they were currently sitting in an old apple tree, enjoying some of its fruit.

Draco shifted uncomfortably. “We can be civil to each other,� he answered diplomatically.

“Does that mean you still hate each other?�

“No, that means that we don’t particularly like each other.�

“But you like Rosie and Albus, don’t you?� Scorpius asked in a rush.

Draco took another bite of his apple, chewing thoughtfully. “The most important thing I learned from the war was not to judge someone because of their family. Family is important, but that only means that you should look out for your family. It doesn’t mean judging people because of theirs.�

“So do you like them?�

Draco looked into his son’s gray eyes, which seemed desperate for approval. “I don’t really know Albus or Rosie, but they seem quite loyal to you. So even though I don’t get on with their parents, I’m glad they’re your friends... and yes, you can invite them over for part of the holidays.�

Scorpius grinned and took a bite of his apple. “They told Bernard’s dad that they wouldn’t let him kill me. They even tried standing in his way,� he added.

A small smile twitched on Draco’s lips as he quietly muttered, “Gryffindors.�

“What?� demanded Scorpius, his newly acquired Gryffindor pride slightly bruised.

“So... is this Rosie just a friend?� asked Draco, changing the subject.

*

BEHIND THE KIDNAPPING by Astoria Greengrass

Twenty-five years ago, Gilderoy Lockhart was employed as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Near the end of the school year, he tried to modify the memories of second year students, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter as they had just discovered that he had been claiming credit for the work of others in all of his then-popular books. As it turns out, one of the few spells Mr Lockhart could perform correctly was the Memory Charm. Unfortunately, for Mr Lockhart, he failed to notice that the wand he stole from Ron Weasley was damaged and the spell backfired, erasing a good deal of his own memory and permanently damaging his short term memory.

Mr Lockhart spent the next twenty-two years in St Mungo’s. A recent discovery in Memory Enhancing Potions enabled Mr Lockhart to recover a good deal of his short term memory capabilities. Gladys Gudgeon, a fan who wrote to Mr Lockhart weekly for over two decades, then offered to take him into her care. After Ms Gudgeon passed away, Mr Lockhart was no longer given reminders for taking his Memory Potions and his condition worsened. He took to wandering aimlessly, often finding himself in taverns. It should be noted that alcohol only worsened his memory problems.

Several months ago, Mr Lockhart chanced to meet another of his former students, Zacharias Smith, in the Hog’s Head. Mr Smith had just read about Madam Weasley’s proposal to extend house-elf rights, and realized that if the Wizengamot passed it, his business would be unable to recover. Mr Smith was also aware of Lockhart’s skill in performing Memory Charms and together they devised a scheme of revenge and financial gain.

Mr Smith had a long standing grudge against the Malfoy family and Greg Goyle. Greg Goyle was promptly put under the Imperius Curse by Mr Smith, and remained under his control until late last night. It was quickly realized that placing a member of the Malfoy family under the Imperius Curse would not go without notice. Instead, Mr Lockhart stole Lucius Malfoy’s wand and then modified his memory. Since both Mr Malfoy and Mr Lockhart are tall, with long blond hair, it was assumed that if Lockhart was seen he would be mistaken for Mr Malfoy and that the stolen wand would further condemn Mr Malfoy. Mr Smith used the wand of the late Ms Gudgeon, who had purchased her wand from the late German wandmaker, Gregorovitch, making it nearly untraceable.

Mr Smith’s son, Bernard, played an unwitting role in his classmate’s abduction. Mr Smith strongly encouraged his son to befriend Miss Weasley. Mr Bernard Smith mentioned part of Miss Weasley’s schedule in a letter to his father, giving him a time and place for the kidnapping to occur.

Mr Lockhart blamed Ron Weasley and Harry Potter for his memory loss and was planning on using his fifty percent of the ransom of Miss Weasley to start a new life in America. Mr Smith’s main interest in the kidnapping remained in preventing Madam Weasley’s house-elf protection act from being passed, but was planning on using his share of the ransom to start a new business in the event that the motion passed without Madam Weasley’s support.

Mr Smith is to be tried by the Wizengamot and it is already expected that he will be given a life sentence in Azkaban. The Auror Department has agreed that Mr Lockhart will be made a permanent ward of St Mungo’s until such time as he is seen fit to stand trial. All charges against Mr Goyle and Mr Malfoy have been dropped.

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner

“Rosie loves Scorpius! Rosie loves Scorpius!� sang Hugo Weasley as he tore around the house, his sister hot on his trail.

“I do not!� shrieked Rosie, aiming a jinx at her brother.

Realizing that capture was imminent, Hugo hid behind his father. “Rosie loves Scor...�

“I DO NOT!� yelled Rosie, blushing furiously.

“Hugo, stop teasing your sister,� ordered Ron. “Rosie, you know you aren’t allowed to do magic at home, so put the wand down.�

Ron went upstairs, leaving his two children glaring at each other. He couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly after Rosie’s safe return the two had gone back to fighting with each other. Hugo had cried himself to sleep every night that Rosie had been missing. Now, to celebrate his beloved sister’s return, he was running around the house teasing her. Ron had hoped for at least a few days break.

“I still can’t believe you invited the Malfoys for dinner,� grumbled Ron, walking into the bedroom.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Ron! They helped save Rosie; I’m not about to snub them. Besides, it’s just one night. Are you actually planning on wearing that?�

“What?� asked Ron, happily looking at his reflection in a full-length mirror. “There is nothing wrong with these robes. Besides, you bought them for me.�

“You are not wearing your ‘Gryffindor Pride’ robes to dinner,� snapped Hermione, while busily brushing tangles out of her hair.

“That’s only because I don’t have a set that say ‘Former Death Eaters can go to...�

“Ron!� hissed Hermione, while looking worriedly at the open bedroom door. “Besides, you said you liked Astoria.�

Ron smiled with an air of superiority. “Actually, Madam Weasley, I believe what I said that I liked her better than her git of a husband.�

“Even so, tonight you will act as though you like Astoria, ‘her git of a husband’, and their son, or you had better hope that Harry and Ginny let you sleep on their sofa.�

Ron perked up a bit. “So you admit he’s a git?�

Hermione didn’t even smile. “I mean it, Ron. Rosie is not going to be happy if you insult the father of the boy she likes.�

“Oh, come off it,� answered Ron. “You sound like Hugo. She’s far too young to be interested in boys.�

Hermione smiled and answered, “Of course, dear. I just meant that she likes him as a friend.� Silently, she wondered how thick her husband could be. Then she remembered the first six years she’d known Ron. Deciding that some things are best left unsaid, Hermione began picking out earrings to wear to dinner. Ron started looking through a drawer for a tie, trying to determine which would be most likely to annoy Malfoy.

*

“Is it time to leave yet?� asked Scorpius.

Draco rolled his eyes and tossed his pocket-watch to his son. “No, just like it wasn’t time five minutes ago, five minutes before that, or five minutes previous to that. We were asked to be there for seven o’clock. What time is it now?�

“Six,� grumbled Scorpius, scuffing his shoe in frustration. “Wouldn’t it be more polite to get there early?�

“No, it would be rude,� replied Astoria. “We will be arriving at precisely ten minutes past seven: fashionably late. Besides, you’re going back to school tomorrow morning and will have plenty of time to see all your friends then.�

“Rosie and Albus are pretty much my only friends anyway,� answered Scorpius.

“Did you try making friends with any of the Slytherins?� asked Astoria, somewhat surprised.

Scorpius furrowed his brow. “Well... no, I guess I didn’t. Rachel Zabini said the Slytherins wouldn’t talk to me if I stayed friends with Rosie and she was the first person who was nice to me on the train.�

Draco narrowed his eyes slightly, but tried to keep his tone light. “What do you mean she was the first person who was nice to you?�

Scorpius felt his cheeks grow warm and started speaking more quickly. “No one else would sit with me when they heard my name. Rosie convinced her cousins to give me a chance... did you know ‘half-breed’ is a bad word?�

Now it was Draco and Astoria’s turns to redden. Astoria looked to Draco who shrugged helplessly. Glaring at her unhelpful husband, Astoria explained, “Er, you see, Honey... Back when we were your age that was the word that most people used. It’s just not ‘politically correct’ anymore. It’s difficult to change.�

“Do you use it when you write articles?� asked Scorpius.

“I hardly ever write about half-br… er, part-humans, Dear,� answered Astoria.

“Oh.� Scorpius turned to go, but remembered a conversation he’d had with Rachel. “Is ‘Mudblood’ a bad word too? Rosie’s mum is one, and I don’t want to call her that if it’s rude.�

Draco’s face resumed its scarlet shade. “Er, yes… I believe they’re saying ‘Muggleborn’ now.�

Astoria stifled a smile. “I think it would be safest to simply not discuss blood status at dinner tonight, Scorpius. That’s really something that’s better suited for when we have dinner with your grandparents. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of other things to talk about: Quidditch, school, recent kidnapping plots…�

Scorpius grinned, “Yeah, I guess.�

Astoria continued, “Whether or not you should be grounded over the holidays for breaking so many rules and putting yourself, as well as the Potter boy, in imminent danger…�

“You’re looking really pretty, Mum. I think I’ll go clean my room,� replied Scorpius, running off.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?� groaned Draco, after Scorpius was safely out of earshot.

“I’m not the one who spent most of my school days calling Hermione Granger a Mudblood,� replied Astoria tartly.

Draco smirked, in spite of himself. “No, Mrs Malfoy, you spent your school days calling Creevey a Mudblood.�

“Yes, well, he’s not going to be at dinner tonight.�

Draco’s face froze, but he tried to keep the mood light. He didn’t see the need to point out to his wife that Creevey had died in the battle at Hogwarts. He then silently cursed himself for getting stuck going to Potter’s for dinner at all. This was obviously going to be a disaster.

*

“This is going to be a disaster,� announced Harry.

“Shh!� scolded Ginny. “The kids will hear you!�

A loud crash came from the general direction of the stairs, followed by Lily shrieking, “MUM! James crashed his broom into the dining room and I just finished setting the table; I’m not going to do it again!�

“Over the racket they’re making?� Harry asked incredulously.

Ginny sighed before shouting, “JAMES SIRIUS POTTER! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to ride your broom in the house?�

She then turned to Harry. “Can you go fix whatever he broke? I’m still busy trying to get dinner ready.�

Harry gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying off to see what needed repairing. While Harry was busy mending all the broken dishes, Albus entered the kitchen.

“Mum, the upstairs toilet’s clogged.�

Ginny looked at her youngest son suspiciously. “How did it get clogged?�

Albus stared at the newly polished kitchen floor and mumbled, “I was practicing for Potions and tried to flush what I made…�

“What kind of potion did you make?� asked Ginny quickly.

Albus meekly replied, “Forgetfulness Potion.�

Ginny let out a sigh of relief. “That becomes water soluble fairly quickly, it should unclog soon.�

“But I don’t think I made it right,� added Albus. “Is it supposed to smell like rotten eggs?�

Without answering Ginny made a dash for the upstairs toilet. Upon arriving, she discovered that the entire room now smelled of rotten eggs, green water was spewing from the toilet, and the towels that had soaked in the green water were changing into fire-belching toads. She quietly moaned to herself, “This is going to be a disaster.�

The doorbell rang and James shouted, “Mum! Dad! Uncle Ron, Auntie Hermione, Rosie and Hugo are here!�

“Thank goodness,� added Ginny. One of the toads burped, setting a roll of toilet paper ablaze. “Hermione! I need you up here!�

Ron joined Harry in the dining room. “Why is it that girls always have to go to the bathroom in pairs?�

Harry shrugged. “Do you smell something burning?�

Over the course of the next hour, Kreacher rescued the dinner, which only suffered the loss of a few burnt potatoes. Harry and Ron put out fires started by escaped toads while the cousins tried to capture the belching amphibians. Ginny and Hermione were able to restore most of the upstairs bathroom, although the water in the toilet bowl stubbornly remained green. They had an entire five minutes to spare before the doorbell rang a second time.

“I’ll get it!� shouted Albus, racing for the door with Rosie, James, Lily and Hugo on his heels.

“Hi!� Albus said brightly, upon opening the door. Lily and Hugo hung back a bit, not really knowing Scorpius and having grown up hearing tales of the fearsome Draco Malfoy.

“Welcome to Grimmauld Place!� added Rosie.

Scoripus waved to Rosie and Albus.

“Hurry inside, we’re starving,� blurted James.

Neither Draco nor Astoria was accustomed to being greeted so informally, or by so many children. Before either had a chance to reply to anyone, Harry arrived at the door.

“James!� he warned. “Why don’t you take Mr and Mrs Malfoy’s coats upstairs?�

Stifled somewhat under the weight of the coats, James made his exit.

“Sorry about that,� apologized Harry. “Why don’t you follow me into the sitting room? Dinner’s almost ready.�

Astoria and Draco followed Harry into the sitting room, where they joined Ron and Hermione. Meanwhile, Scorpius followed Albus and Rosie upstairs.

“This is my room,� explained Albus. “It used to belong to someone named Regulus. James’s room used to belong to Regulus’s brother, Sirius. Lily’s room is one floor down, next to Mum and Dad’s.�

Scorpius looked around with curiosity. It wasn’t unlike his own room, and was decorated in blue and gold, Puddlemere United’s colours. The hangings on the carved wooden bed even bore the crossed golden bulrushes. There was a small rusted cauldron in the corner, a Wizarding Wireless by the window, an old worn Quaffle by the foot of the bed, and a bookshelf with many odd looking magazines on them.

Albus followed his friend’s gaze. “Do you read comics too?�

Scorpius had no idea what a comic was, but noticed Rosie roll her eyes. “What’s a comic?�

Albus looked at Scorpius in delight, while pulling half a dozen comics from the shelf. “Here, I’ll get you started with these! They’re Muggle stories and they’re great!�

“Don’t get him started on that trash!� blurted Rosie.

Grinning at his cousin, Albus replied, “Now Rosie, how can you deprive Scorpius of the greatest of Muggle literature?�

“That is not literature!� argued Rosie.

Scorpius still had no idea what his two friends were arguing about, but decided to pick up one of the magazines and begin leafing through it. Meanwhile, having completed his duties towards the Malfoy’s coats and having heard the raised voices of his brother and cousin, James returned.

“What’s going on?� asked James in a casual tone.

“Albus is trying to get Scorpius addicted to comics,� answered Lily, who had apparently been eavesdropping from around the corner.

“And Rosie called them ‘trash’ and told Al not to,� added Hugo, who had also refused to be completely left out.

“I dunno,� added Scorpius. “I hardly know anything about Muggles; maybe this would be a good way to learn?�

Judging from the enraged expression on Rosie’s face, Scorpius surmised that she did not consider comics to be a good representation of Muggle culture.

James then stepped in, putting his arm around Scorpius’s shoulders. “Come young Scorpius, I will show you the best of what Muggle culture has to offer.�

James led Scorpius downstairs, towards the den. “Have you ever heard of a Wii?�

*

“I really enjoyed your article, Astoria� began Hermione, as she sat down next to Ron.

“Thank you. I appreciate having been given the opportunity to interview Lockhart,� replied Astoria. She gave a quick smile to Ron and Harry, before taking a sip of from the cup of tea Harry had just served her.

Silence fell upon the room. Draco began to drum his fingers on the arm of the sofa. He vaguely recalled being in the house before, back when his great-aunt still lived in it. Draco had been four and terrified of the house-elf heads mounted on the wall. This visit was turning out to be worse. He searched his mind for something, anything, to say. Silently sitting across from Potter, Granger and the Weasel was torturous. Judging from the way Weasley was tapping his foot, he wasn’t enjoying this any more than Draco was. A faint trace of his characteristic smirk crossed Draco’s face at this thought.

Harry suddenly blurted, “I almost forgot, Molly repaired your handbag. I’ll just run upstairs to get it.�

Silence descended upon the room again, as Harry made his escape. Once having left the sitting room, Harry walked as slowly as he reasonably could to get to his study. He also took a while to retrieve the handbag from his desk, decided that it needed to be brushed off, and then remembered that it had been ages since he’d watered the Fanged Geranium that Neville had sent him the previous Christmas. Harry was debating on just how slowly he could walk back when the doorbell rang yet again. Curious as to whom it could be, and thrilled at a new excuse to not immediately return to his guests, Harry hurried to answer it.

Meanwhile, Ron was debating on who he’d rather strangle: Draco, for being himself, or Harry, for having abandoned them to the horrors of small talk. They had sat in deafening silence for nearly five minutes and Ron thought that if Harry took another five minutes, he might have to share a room in St Mungo’s with Lockhart.

Ron’s grim thoughts were interrupted by a loud ribbit, followed by a puff of smoke.

Draco barely had time to register the fact that a toad had set his robes on fire before Astoria leapt into his arms and screamed at the top of her lungs into his left ear. Hermione tried to catch the toad while Ron burst into helpless peals of laughter. Draco finally managed to free his wand arm enough to extinguish his robes.

Astoria had calmed down and Hermione had managed to Vanish the toad when Draco sniffed the air. “Do you smell something burning?�

“Hermione! Your hair!� shouted Ron. All three adults very helpfully tried to aid Hermione in putting out her hair, the results of which left Hermione thoroughly soaked, although her hair was mostly saved.

Hermione and Draco were both dripping wet with a fine covering of soot on them. Harry and Ginny came rushing into the room, having heard Astoria’s screams.

“Wh-what was that?� asked Astoria in a shaky voice.

“Er, one of the mutant toads from a botched Potions experiment,� replied Ron, also answering Harry and Ginny’s unspoken question.

“Perhaps we should go get cleaned up,� Hermione suggested to Draco. “I’ll take the upstairs bathroom, there’s another down the hall, next to the den.�

Draco acquiesced and began his way down the hall. As he left, he heard Harry begin to explain, “It turns out there’ll be one more for dinner tonight...�

Draco could barely remember the basic layout of the house, as it had been over thirty years since his last visit. A quick glance up the stairs revealed that the Potters had removed the house-elf heads from the décor. Sensing that he was being watched, Draco quickly turned and could have sworn he saw a house-elf’s head. Giving himself a bit of a shake, he continued on to the bathroom. He didn’t need very long to tidy up, but he decided to take his time.

As Draco was starting back he heard Scorpius shout, “Quick! Do something! I’m going to die!�

Panicking, Draco drew his wand and charged into the room, shouting, “Let him go!�

Upon entering the room, he realized that not only did Scorpius appear to be perfectly fine, but so did the other children. In fact, all but the youngest two seemed utterly bemused. Lily and Hugo, however, appeared to be on the verge of tears. Feeling completely wrong-footed, Draco had no idea what he ought to say or do and before he could determine what would be appropriate, a young man with bright turquoise hair burst out laughing.

“I- I’m sorry!� the young man gasped. “I guess Super Mario must have sounded pretty intense from outside.�

“Supermar- what?� Feeling slightly dazed, along with a rush of relief, Draco attempted to put together what was left of his dignity. “Am I to understand that no one is in danger?�

Scorpius tried to suppress a grin. “Super Mario. It’s a Muggle game, Dad. You have to try it!�

“Super Maria is a Muggle game?� Draco asked. “What sort of games do Muggles play where you can die?�

“Super Mario,� corrected the young man, his hair now a dazzling purple. “Don’t worry, we’re all perfectly safe. I’ve been playing this game since I was eight. Why don’t you watch for a few minutes and then, if you like, we can teach you to play?�

Deciding that it couldn’t possibly be as bad as being set ablaze by another toad, or even worse, having to sit in a room with his old schoolmates, Draco decided to stay.

Lily and Hugo were still shy of Malfoy and remained fairly silent. Rosie, however, was more than happy to educate Mr Malfoy on how a Nintendo Wii operated. Draco was doing his best to listen politely, and nod when it seemed appropriate.

“It’s a Muggle device that runs on electricity,� she explained. “Muggle programmers write computer code for a game, and design the graphics. Then when you insert the game into the playing console...�

James rolled his eyes. “Rosie, I’ve been playing this for years and I still have no idea what you’re talking about. We don’t care how it works.�

Handing a small white box to Draco, James explained. “You push this one to jump, and this is how you steer. See? When I press the button, the person on the telly jumps.�

Draco hated to admit to himself that he was impressed. Apparently, Muggles were more industrious than he had ever realized. He had no idea what a telly was, but assumed it was the rather thick and oddly framed photograph which had a small strangely dressed jumping man.

Twenty minutes later, Kreacher was making his way towards the den. He was curious to see the Malfoys, great-nephew and great-great-nephew to his poor old mistress. Even though he was thoroughly dedicated to the Potter family, he was curious as to what had become of the master he had wanted so many years ago. He couldn’t help himself, but suspected that Draco may have caught him watching earlier. He was about to tell the children that dinner was ready, when to Kreacher’s astonishment he heard Draco shouting, “NO! I needed that mushroom!�

Meanwhile, Astoria was silently cursing her husband for leaving her alone with Potter and the Weasleys. Hermione had been searching for something to say to relieve the tension, but before she could do so, Harry and Ginny walked into the room. Ginny announced with a forced cheeriness, “Dinner’s ready!�

“I’ll go get the kids,� offered Ron.

“Don’t bother, Ron,� called out Ginny. “Kreacher’s already gone to get them.�

“Draco’s been a while,� ventured Astoria. “Perhaps I should go look for him...�

As she said this, Draco, Scorpius, Albus and Rosie appeared in the hallway. James and Hugo were flanking a young man with brilliant purple hair. Lily was sitting atop the young man’s shoulders giggling with glee.

“Orange! Change it to orange, Teddy!� she laughed.

Teddy obligingly changed his hair to orange, much to Lily’s delight.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a Metamorphamagus before,� exclaimed Scorpius.

“I can’t believe you know what one is,� teased Albus.

“Yeah, you’re like Rosie, you obviously read too much,� added James.

“There’s no such thing as reading too much,� scoffed Rosie. She paused grinning. “Unless it’s those stupid comics of Albus’s.�

Albus pretended to look hurt. “Tsk, you just don’t appreciate great art.�

“Well, at least we can all agree about Wii,� James added.

“Yes, I believe we can all agree that I’m the best at it,� supplied Teddy, as they reached the dining table. “Down you go, Miss Lily.�

Ginny turned to Astoria to explain, “We normally have Teddy over for dinner on Tuesdays, but with all the excitement, we forgot that today was Tuesday. I’m terribly sorry, Teddy.�

Teddy grinned. “No problem, Aunt Ginny. The more the merrier, right?� Teddy flashed his godmother a quick smile and then walked over to Draco and Astoria.

“I’m sorry; I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Teddy Lupin, Harry and Ginny’s godson,� he explained, extending his hand to Draco.

Draco tried not to let his jaw drop. “I... I’m Draco Malfoy, your first cousin, once removed, and this is my wife, Astoria.�

Teddy didn’t let his surprise at Draco’s words alter his expression. “Ah, see that’s why you’re both learning so quickly with the Wii, it must run in the family, right Scorpius?� added Teddy. He winked at Scorpius as he shook hands with both his newfound cousin and Astoria.

Scorpius hadn’t realized that he was in any way related to Teddy. He had never had a cousin of any kind before and now it seemed he was second cousins with the boy that James and Albus had grown up near and admired. He grinned back, simply saying, “Yeah, that’s probably it.�
Draco couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of what his mother would say if it was suggested to her that an ability to play Muggle games ran in her family.

Harry was less than thrilled at the mention of how his godson was related to the Malfoys. He cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should all sit down.�

An awkward silence fell over the table again.

Astoria carefully folded her napkin on her lap. “Dinner looks lovely, Ginny.�

“Thank you,� replied Ginny. A few more seconds of silence ticked by, punctuated by the ancient grandfather clock in the hallway.

“I really enjoyed your article, Astoria,� supplied Ginny, without realizing it had also been Hermione’s only ice-breaker.

Teddy looked up in surprise. “Are you Astoria Greengrass?�

Astoria blushed slightly. “Well, yes. My married name is Malfoy, but I had already begun my career in journalism before my marriage, so I didn’t bother to change the name I write under.�

I wouldn’t either if my name changed to Malfoy, thought Ron. He too, was not pleased at the mention of Teddy’s lineage. Hermione, while obviously not a Seer, had a gift for divining her husband’s thoughts. She put her hand over his, hoping she wouldn’t have to remind him that he too was distantly related to the Malfoys.

Teddy continued, “My girlfriend, Victoire, loves your articles for Witch Weekly. If she isn’t your biggest fan, it would have to be her sister or mum. Could you maybe autograph a Witch Weekly for her?�

Scorpius tried not to let his jaw drop. How could the snobby girl who was so mean to him his first day of school be his mother’s biggest fan? Had the world turned upside down?

“I think I can do better than that,� replied Astoria. “If you like, I can arrange for her to get a free year’s subscription, and I’d certainly be more than happy to autograph the first one.�

Teddy beamed. “I’m sure she’d love it! I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble though.�

“No trouble at all,� replied Astoria airily. “I have several free subscriptions I can give away. However, it isn’t really the sort of thing Draco or Scorpius read.�

“Well, I have to admit, I don’t tend to read Witch Weekly either,� replied Teddy. “I have been forced to take all the quizzes though. Last time I got caught asking Aunt Ginny for the answers. Victoire was pretty miffed about that, but I suspect this will make up for it.�

Teddy continued to keep the conversation flowing throughout dinner, and eventually the awkwardness faded. By dessert, Draco even found himself laughing at one of Ron’s jokes. Deciding it would be best to end the evening on a high note, the Malfoys excused themselves shortly after, on the pretense that it was a school night and they had to return Scorpius to Hogwarts in the morning.

“That reminds me, I was going to offer to drive James, Albus and Rosie in the morning,� mentioned Teddy.

“Why thank you, Teddy,� replied Ginny, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t suppose this generous offer has anything to do with Victoire being at Hogwarts?�

Teddy grinned. “Nah, I just like to remind Uncle Ron that I’ve had my license longer than he has.�

“I still can’t believe you didn’t use magic,� added Hermione, giving Ron her best suspicious look.

“Don’t be silly,� Ron scoffed. “I’m a natural driver, right Harry?�

“Definitely,� agreed Harry. “It felt quite natural that time you crashed us into the Whomping Willow.�

The children burst into laughter at this, as Harry and Ron’s adventure with the flying Ford Anglia had been a bedtime favourite for many years. Scorpius, who had never heard the story before, looked quite puzzled.

Noticing this, Teddy added. “I can tell you the story tomorrow, Scorpius. As long as it’s okay with your parents, I don’t mind driving you too. Besides, that’s what long-lost second cousins are for, right?�

“It’s fine with us,� supplied Astoria.

Draco added, “And you’re always welcome at our home, Teddy. After all, you are family.�

Teddy’s grin widened. “Well, I’m not sure what Gran will have to say about it, but I’m game. Thanks, I’ll have to take you up on it sometime.�

As they waved goodbye to the Malfoys, Harry whispered to Ginny, “I’m quite sure I know what Andromeda Tonks will have to say about it.�

“Don’t worry,� Ginny whispered back. “Teddy’s a big boy, and I think he’ll be good for Scorpius.�

“What about the influence Draco will have over him?�

Ginny shrugged. “People change. Kreacher told me that Draco was playing on the Wii with them.�

“People don’t change that much,� Harry argued. “I still don’t think he’s a good influence.�

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Harry Potter, have you forgotten who sent you that Wii ten years ago?�

Sheepishly, Harry answered, “Well... I suppose you’re right, that was a pretty dramatic change. Still, it’s not like we ever talk or anything. I’ve never heard from his since and I don’t plan on ever contacting him. Besides, that has nothing to do with my not feeling good about Malfoy.�

“I’m not saying Malfoy’s, but he does seem to have changed a lot since school.� Ginny kissed her husband lightly on the cheek. “I’m going to go see if Kreacher needs any help.�

After she left, Harry wandered back to his study. He unlocked one of his desk drawers and removed an old letter.

July 31, 2007
Harry,
I know this doesn’t make up for everything that happened between us, or all the crumby birthdays, or lousy Christmases, but I just wanted to say ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’. Since the family was taken out of hiding, I assume your side won. I would have written sooner, but it took a long time to figure out a way to get this to you. I finally asked Mum and after a while she told me to try sending it to your old school. Thanks for saving my life that summer. You’re definitely not a waste of space.
Big D

Full Circle

Scorpius found the car ride back to Hogwarts passed all too quickly. James had sat up front with Teddy, while Scorpius sat in between Rosie and Albus in the back. They’d told him family stories and Teddy had asked Scorpius to tell them a few of his own family stories. Scorpius couldn’t help but think that this trip to Hogwarts could hardly be more different than the train ride he’d taken less than a month earlier. Teddy even suggested that they stop in Hogsmeade for lunch.

“Just wait ‘til I tell Fred I went to Hogsmeade!� bragged James. He looked up at Teddy. “Hey! You’re of age, so you could buy us...�

“Don’t even think about it,� interrupted Teddy. “Your mother and grandmother would both kill me.�

“Nah, they love you too much for that,� argued James. “Besides, what they don’t know...�

“I’ll buy you each a Butterbeer,� Teddy stated diplomatically.

“You don’t have to do that...� began Scorpius.

“Shh! I’m okay with that!� added Albus.

“Of course I do! You’re my long-lost-little-second-cousin; it’s the least I can do.�

“Thanks!� Scorpius couldn’t help but grin. He quite enjoyed that Teddy had a nickname for him, even if it was ridiculously long.

“Can we go to Honeydukes after?� asked Rosie. “I want to get something for Shannon; she sent me a really nice letter, telling me how happy she was that I was safe. She’s my favourite roommate and she collects the Chocolate Frog Cards, so I thought I’d buy her some of those and maybe a few Deluxe Sugar Quills...�

“Anything you like,� replied Teddy.

“Why does she get anything she wants and I can’t have just one little drink of Firewhiskey?� whined James.

“Because,� sighed Teddy, “she was the kidnapping victim while you’ve earned a record number of detentions. Besides, Rosie’s not about to ask me to do anything illegal for her.�

Before James had a chance to argue further, Teddy ushered them all into the Three Broomsticks. Once inside, James resigned himself to the fact that he would have to settle for a Butterbeer and corned beef sandwich.

“Dad can’t stand eating those,� Rosie said, while wrinkling her nose. “He says Gran Weasley always made him eat them on the train ride to Hogwarts but that Uncle Harry would share with him.�

“Yeah, well, Dad loves all of Gran Weasley’s cooking,� pointed out James, through a mouthful of sandwich.

“Because his aunt and uncle hardly fed him,� added Albus.

“Uncle Harry was an orphan and his aunt and uncle raised him,� Rosie explained to Scorpius. “Uncle Harry hardly ever talks about them though. They must have been pretty horrible to him.�

“Bet they were even stricter than Teddy’s gran,� chimed in James.

“Both my parents died in the Battle of Hogwarts,� Teddy explained. “My gran raised me, but I was always welcome at Harry and Ginny’s. My father and Harry’s father were friends at school. Dad asked Harry to be my godfather just after I was born.�

“I wish you’d been over to my house too,� sighed Scorpius. “You’re the only cousin I have.�

“Well, I was talking with your dad, and I’ll probably be dropping in from time to time,� answered Teddy, winking. “I won’t tell my gran, if you don’t tell yours.�

“I still don’t understand how you two are related,� blurted Albus.

“Dad’s mother is sisters with Teddy’s gran,� explained Scorpius. What his parents hadn’t taught him about the Battle of Hogwarts, they’d more than made up for in teaching him how to trace a family tree.

“And their cousin, Sirius Black, is who James got his middle name from,� added Teddy.

“And my room,� added James.

“So he would have been my... first cousin, twice removed?� asked Scorpius, wrinkling his brow.

Teddy shrugged. “I just know that we’re both related to him. He died before I was born, but was also a really good friend of my dad’s.�

Teddy cleared his throat. “My father, Sirius Black, the first James Potter, and another bloke named Peter were best of friends at Hogwarts. They called themselves the Marauders and created a rather ingenious map of Hogwarts. Uncle Harry gave me a copy when I was a student... but seeing as how I’m not there anymore... and you four are...�

Teddy withdrew a battered piece of parchment from within a pocket of his robes. Albus was about to say something, but James kicked him under the table.

“Uncle Harry told me it should be kept in the family, so Scorpius, I’ll trust you with this, but I know you’ll be sharing with these three hooligans.�

Rosie let out a small squawk of indignation at this comment.

“With this upstanding young lady, and her two hooligan cousins,� amended Teddy. “I’m sure they can show you how to work it, so all I’ll say is, make me proud.� Teddy gave them all a devilish grin.

“I... I can’t take something that was your father’s,� faltered Scorpius.

“I have lots of things that belonged to him and Mum. Besides, I know Dad would have wanted it to get used,� argued Teddy. “I already had seven years of fun with it. It’s your turn now.�

Scorpius felt a lump rising in his throat but managed to croak, “Thank you.�

“Wait a minute, I was at Hogwarts last year but you didn’t give me a map!� piped up James, clearly insulted.

Teddy chuckled. “I believe you have a map of your own, James Sirius Potter.�

Butterbeer sprayed out of James’s mouth. Rosie couldn’t help but giggle at her cousin being caught off-guard. Albus, on the other hand, wasn’t so amused. “Gross! James, you got it all over my sleeve!�

“How did you know about that?� James demanded, ignoring his brother’s comment.

Teddy leaned back in his chair and grinned. “I overheard a rather interesting conversation between your parents, with regards to how they had planted a fake Marauder’s Map and how it had gone missing.�

“They what?!� exclaimed Albus, forgetting his sticky sleeve.

“Yeah, so now I know why they made me promise not to give my copy away. Mine is an exact duplicate, but yours has a lot of things missing.�

“But if you promised not to give yours away...� began Scorpius.

“That’s the beauty of it,� declared Teddy. “See, I promised not to give it to a Potter or Weasley and to ‘keep it in the family’ and, as you can see, I have! So... who solemnly swears to get up to no good?�

“Won’t they be angry if they find out you gave it to me?� asked Scorpius, still worried.

“First of all, there’s no reason for them to find out. Secondly, I didn’t break my promise. Thirdly, what would Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs have to say about it?�

Teddy Lupin was greeted by four identical evil grins. He couldn’t help but feel that his parents would have been pleased. After all, it was his father who had allowed Harry to keep the map when he was a student.

*

Nearly two hours later, the little group arrived at the gates of Hogwarts to be greeted by Professor Longbottom. Scorpius was quite glad to see that it wasn’t Mr Seward, as all their pockets were bulging with contraband.

“So good to see you again, Mr Lupin!� exclaimed Neville, while extending his hand. “My! What a lovely bouquet of roses and Flitterbloom! Although, I do rather prefer potted plants...�

Teddy grinned good-naturedly. Professor Longbottom had always been one of his favourite teachers, even though he had little interest in Herbology. “Actually, Sir, I was planning on giving this to the Head Girl...�

“No need to call me ‘Sir’, even if the flowers aren’t for me,� replied Professor Longbottom, genially. “You’re not my student anymore, so plain old ‘Neville’ will do just fine. I’ll let you go find Miss Weasley, while I escort these four back to Gryffindor Tower.�

“Thanks, Si- er, Neville. Quick, Rosie. How do I look?�

Rosie studied him critically before replying. “I think you could use a bit more green in your eyes, to match your robes better, and maybe some highlights in your hair...�

“Is my nose straight?� asked Teddy, as he screwed up his face in concentration.

“Yes,� replied Rosie.

“And my hair and eyes are alright now too?�

Rosie chewed on her lip a moment before replying, “You look quite handsome.�

James, Albus, and Scorpius were snickering behind her. Teddy rolled his eyes, before heading towards Ravenclaw Tower. “You’ll understand one of these days.�

“Is my nose straight?� mimicked James.

“Looks kinda lumpy to me,� offered Albus.

James made a mock fist. “I can get yours to match...�

“I don’t think that will be necessary,� warned Professor Longbottom, “unless you want to join your brother and Mr Malfoy in detention tomorrow night.�

“WHAT?� blurted Albus.

Professor Longbottom smiled slightly. “Professor Macmillan pointed out that not only did you two desert your original detentions, you also created a sizeable mess and left the school grounds without permission.�

“But that’s not fair!� exclaimed Scorpius.

“Not to worry, Mr Malfoy,� replied Professor Longbottom. “I decided to save you from two further detentions with Professor Macmillan.�

Albus beamed. “Thanks!�

“Don’t thank me just yet,� replied Neville. “You still have to serve two detentions. However, since Professor Proudfoot cleaned up your mess downstairs, we’ve agreed that you will be serving detention in the Forbidden Forest.�

“But doesn’t that mean it all works out the same in the end?� asked Rosie.

Neville smiled. “Yes, well, Professor Macmillan wasn’t terribly keen on the idea of actually having to supervise two more Gryffindor detentions. Especially since Professor Proudfoot had a good deal to say about the, er, wisdom of leaving you two locked alone in a room... Well, let’s just say that Professor Macmillan didn’t mind handing the reins over to me.�

Scorpius couldn’t help but smile at this news. Whatever Professor Longbottom had in store for them, it couldn’t possibly be as bad as what Macmillan would have chosen. Curious as to what his Head of House would consider to be an appropriate detention, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sir? What will we be doing?�

“I really have no idea,� confessed Neville. “I’ve decided to turn you both over to my lovely wife, who needs a few assistants to help her with her Thestral research in the Forest. She should be arriving tomorrow afternoon and you can start your detentions with her in the evening.�

“But that’s excellent!� chirped Rosie. “Scorpius, weren’t you saying before that Mrs Longbottom is your favourite author? She’s really nice too! �

“She makes really good cookies!� agreed Albus enthusiastically. He then muttered in Scorpius’s ear, “But don’t try her Plimpy soup.�

Rosie ignored her cousin. Instead she looked up at Neville in curiosity. “You already knew that Scorpius was one of her fans though, didn’t you?�

Neville seemed deep in concentration, carefully studying his fingernails, before turning to Scorpius. “Oh? Are you a fan? What a delightful coincidence! However, seeing as I have already assigned the detentions... But really, how would I know that you read her books?�

Rosie smiled knowingly. “I would expect Alice told you. Does Mrs Longbottom need any more volunteers? To be honest though, I’m not sure I’d like being around Thestrals since I can’t see them. Besides, I’ll probably have homework to do...�

Rosie suddenly stopped in her tracks. “I must be horribly behind by now!�

Neville smiled. “I think we can be reasonable about allowing you to catch up. Being kidnapped and ransomed seems a fairly good excuse for handing in a few assignments late.�

“Rosie!� called out Shannon, scrambling through the portrait-hole.

“Incidentally, in celebration of your return, classes have been cancelled this afternoon. There’s also to be a celebratory feast in the Great Hall. See you there!� added Professor Longbottom, before turning to go back to his office.

Scorpius wasn’t sure that Rosie had managed to hear all of this since Shannon Finnigan was half-choking her in a hug. What did shock him was the wave of cheers and applause when the five of them made their way into Gryffindor Tower.

All of Rosie’s Gryffindor cousins had been waiting for them in the common room, along with the rest of the Gryffindor students. Kids who’d been rude to Scorpius were now clapping him on the back. Most shocking, Adam Jones even came up and congratulated him. Meanwhile, Rosie was lost in a mass Weasley-Potter hug. Albus was busy telling Josh Thomas and Mike Creevey about the snake-filled tunnel. It was a few moments before Scorpius realized who was missing from the scene.

“Where’s Bernard?� he quietly asked Albus.

Albus shrugged. He didn’t much care if he ever saw Bernard Smith again.

“He’s in hiding, I expect,� offered Mike. “I would be too, if I were him. He spent all that time going on about how Scorpius was going to be the next Dark Lord and now his own scummy dad’s committed a couple of Unforgiveables.�

“Yeah, he’s skived off most of his classes since the article in the Prophet came out,� explained Josh.

“Enough about him,� interrupted Albus. “Now, tell me about this feast...�

Feeling a bit suffocated, Scorpius quickly excused himself and went to the only place in the castle where he’d found he could simply sit and think. On his way to the Astronomy Tower, he passed the door of the Hospital Wing and couldn’t help but glance inside. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

“What happened to you?� he asked in a hushed voice.

The form lying in the bed could hardly be described as human. Scorpius wasn’t even certain if he was addressing a boy or a girl since it looked more like a slug sprouting small tentacles.

“Bullies,� answered a stern voice from behind. Scorpius turned to see Madam Pomfrey.

“Poor boy came in barely recognizable,� she added. Her expression then softened. “But it’s nice of you to visit. I think you must be the first one all day.�

“I still can’t believe anyone would do this,� replied Scorpius in disgust, not bothering to point out that he wasn’t actually there to visit. He didn’t see any reason to add insult to injury. “Why would anyone be so mean?�

The slug’s face seemed to wince. Madam Pomfrey sighed, “I suppose when word got around about what his father has been accused of, well there was bound to be some problems. Still, I don’t think any of the teachers expected this.�

Scorpius stared dumbfounded at the swollen figure of Bernard Smith, suddenly realizing that this was the true reason for Bernard’s absence from Gryffindor Tower. Madam Pomfrey was busy measuring out some potions and didn’t notice the change in Scorpius’s expression.

Without looking up from the bottles, Madam Pomfrey added. “Oh! Professor Macmillan forgot to bring me the Deflating Draught! I’ll be back shortly.� As the matron bustled out of the room, Scorpius felt a wave of anger rise within him. He had actually pitied this boy, before knowing his identity. Scorpius’s fingers twitched beneath his robes, itching to add what few curses he knew to Bernard’s injuries. After all, the only other time Scorpius had been to the Hospital Wing had been due to Bernard’s bullying. Without thinking, he withdrew his wand and aimed it at the slug-like face.

“Go ahead,� mumbled Bernard, glaring up from the bed.

Scorpius paused, torn between the desire to hurt Bernard and the small, yet insistent, part of him that still felt a small stab of pity for his enemy. At least his friends had stood by him. Rosie had been prepared to defend him against the world, Albus had stood up to James and Mr Smith, and even James had declared to all of Gryffindor that he was on Scorpius’s side. Bernard’s best friend, Adam Jones, hadn’t even come to visit him. Instead he was enjoying the Gryffindor party.

Despite still being filled with the desire to torture Bernard, Scorpius slowly turned and walked towards the door, his hand firmly grasping his wand. At the doorway, pride gave in and Scorpius turned. “It’s beneath me,� he drawled.

Bernard let out a mixture of a snort and a groan. Gasping between words, he taunted, “You’re just... afraid... of getting caught. Nothing’s... beneath a Malfoy.�

Scorpius couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened, Bernard was still trying to maintain the pretence that the Smith family was better than the Malfoys. Without meaning to do it, he caused a shower of red sparks to fly from the tip of his wand.

Taking a deep breath, Scorpius tried to calm himself. “I wouldn’t blame someone for something their father did.�

“I... suppose... this is the... part... where I say... I’m sorry.... and you say... all you ever... wanted was to... be friends,� mocked Bernard.

Cold gray eyes met Bernard’s. “No, this is the part where I walk away, because no matter what your father did, you’re still the bastard who made my first few weeks here miserable. You may still think my family’s worse than yours, but you are beneath me.�

With that, Scorpius walked out the door, not caring what Bernard may have to say in reply. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the Astronomy Tower, where Merlin was already waiting for him. Scorpius was surprised to see that Merlin wasn’t alone; Rosie and Albus were already there too.

“What are you doing here?� Scorpius asked.

“Looking for you, obviously,� replied Albus, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like we’re trying to get ahead on our Astronomy homework.�

“Well, I need to catch up on mine...� began Rosie.
“I’ll help you with that; it’s easy,� interrupted Scorpius. “But how did you know to look for me here?�

“It’s where you always go, isn’t it?� asked Albus.

“Oh. Yeah, I s’pose. So... how’d you get here first?�

Rosie smiled. “Alice showed me a short-cut a while back.�

Albus looked around a bit. “What do you do up here anyway?�

Scorpius felt his face redden slightly. “Well... I sometimes like to look at the different constellations.�

“Do you know many of them?� asked Rosie. “I mean, I can find most of the planets when I use a telescope, but I don’t really know many of the actual constellations. I can mostly just find the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt.�

Relieved that Rosie didn’t think him odd, Scorpius quickly pointed out a few other constellations to her and Albus. “And that one is Scorpius,� he added, pointing.

“You were named after a bunch of stars?� asked Albus in surprise.

“Well, yeah... A lot of my family were,� explained Scorpius, a bit embarrassed.

“Which are your family members?� asked Rosie, clearly interested.

“Over that way is Draco, the dragon. My great-grandfather was named after Cygnus, the swan,� replied Scorpius quickly. Suddenly remembering their earlier conversation with Teddy, he added, “And over there is Sirius, the dog star. It’s really bright in the summer. And the brightest star in Leo, the lion, is Regulus.�

“The guy who my room used to belong to,� reminded Albus, now more interested in the extra Astronomy lesson.

“And very Gryffindor-ish,� added Rosie. “The lion constellation, I mean. But wasn’t Regulus in Slytherin?�

“I think so,� replied Albus. “I’m pretty sure it was Sirius who was in Gryffindor.�

“How come his name never came up when I wanted to know if there were any good Slytherins?� asked Scorpius, somewhat indignantly.

“Are you wishing you had been in Slytherin after all?� asked Rosie, grinning.

Scorpius smiled back. “No, I think I can live with Gryffindor. I mean it’s not that bad.�

“Sorting seems like it was forever ago,� added Rosie, gazing off in the distance.

“It’s only been a few weeks,� reminded Albus. “It just feels longer because of all the detentions Scorpius and I have to do. Oh, and maybe because you were kidnapped.�

“So... we’ve already escaped the school, battled Dark wizards, been in trouble with Macmillan a bunch of times, had to deal with the press, raided the kitchens, and now we have a better Marauder’s Map,� summarized Scorpius.

Rosie smiled at him, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “And just think: this is only the beginning.�