This is a fic about all three Malfoys, and the Potters and Weasleys are in it too. It's set in the summer between Scorpius' first and second year.


PROLOGUE


Hmmm... said a small voice in his head. Cunning, yes. Ambitious, yes. A Malfoy too. And yet... There's something different about you. A strong regard for others and their feelings. And bravery, that is definitely a first in your family. No, I think you will do well in-
"Um, excuse me," whispered Scorpius, as quietly as possible, "I was wondering. Do you think you could, um, put me in Slytherin, please? You see, if I'm not in Slytherin, my granfather will kill me, then kill my parents, then my grandmother, then himself, so..." He trailed off, hopefully.
The voice in his head chuckled.
You do realise, it said, that the statement you just made sets you out as one of the least likely Slytherins ever?
Scorpius held his breath.
However, it continued, I have been wrong in the past, and you seem to be positive, so...
"SLYTHERIN!"
Scorpius heaved a sigh of relief as he lifted the hat off his head and went to join the other Slytherins.

***

CHAPTER 1
The fight

Not for the first time that summer, Scorpius heard raised voices. Sick of always being the one left out, he decided to risk everything and evesdrop.
Soon finding himself facing the drawing room door, he took a deep breath and pressed his ear to the door.

"Look, I'm sorry Dad, but-"
"How many times must I tell you, Draco," said Lucius Malfoy, icily, "don't call me Dad. It's such a vulgar word. Father will do."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Father, I forgot. I have to do what you say every single bloody minute of the day."
"Swear in my presence again and I'll-"
"It's my house, I'll do what I effing want to!"
"It's not your house!"
"YOU moved out, not ME!"
"Draco," cut in a nervous female voice, "please-"
"Not now, Mother," Scorpius' father snarled.
"Draco-" started another female voice.
"Asteria, get out of the way!"
"I can't believe you're being so sensitive," said Lucius. "Anyone can see that the boy is out of control."
Please don't drag me into it, thought Scorpius.
"I mean, honestly," continued Lucius, "next he'll be trailing around with that obnoxious brat of Potter's!"
I'd better not tell them that I think Albus is alright, Scorpius thought.
"And I'm merely pointing out," said his father, heatedly, "that, discontent with simply RULING MY LIFE, you're now trying to take control of MY son!"
"Don't speak to me like that!"
"I'll speak to you how I how I like! You can't just order me around; I'm not 5 anymore!"
"You could've fooled me!"
"STOP IT!" his grandmother shrieked. "STOP IT BOTH OF-" She suddenly broke off with a gasp. To his frustration, Scorpius couldn't see anything through the keyhole."
"See this?" said his father, his voice shaking with anger. "I believe you have one too. The mark that never comes off. THIS is where your judgement got me. It's where it got the WHOLE BLOODY FAMILY! VERY NEARLY EFFING MURDERED! Just because you're a lousy father, doesn't mean I have to be as well!"
The door was wrenched open quite suddenly. Draco did not look at all surprised to see his son standing in front of him, and seemed about to say something, but changed his mind and strode away up the stairs, leaving a shocked silence behind him.

***

CHAPTER 2
So close to the truth

Scorpius hovered by the open door, but noone seemed to notice him. His mother swept past him to see if she could calm her husband down, leaving Lucius and Narcissa alone.
"He didn't mean it," said Narcissa, quietly, after a long silence.
"Of course he did," growled Lucius. "He meant every single word. It's all MY fault!" He let out a groan of frustration. "Who am I kidding?" he asked himself. "Why did I ever think that I could make a decent father? I should have left right at the very beginning!"
The arm around his shoulder was withdrawn. "Oh really?" said Narcissa, coolly. "Well, I'm sure that would've made us all a lot happier. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on MY son."
And she left without a backwards glance.

Scorpius just stood and stared at his grandfather, unsure of what to do next.
"How much did you hear?"
Scorpius started: he hadn't realised that his grandfather knew he was there.
"Answer me!"
"F-f-from the whole, um, D-d-dad/f-father argument."
Lucius grunted and continued to ignore Scorpius. The latter eventually made his way into the room, gingerly.
"Grandfather? Can I ask you something?"
"Go on then," said his granfather, irritably.
Scorpius took a deep breath.
"Why is it all your fault?"
The question surprised Lucius. He gave his grandson a searching look. Deciding that it was safe to answer, he sighed and looked at the floor.
"We all make mistakes, Scorpius," he said. "But I seem to make more than most people. I should have realised a long time ago that bringing up my son the way that I was brought up was a bad idea." He paused.
"Is that why it's your fault?" asked Scorpius, puzzled.
"Of course not!" his granfather snapped. He took a few deep breaths before continuing.
"How much do you know about Lord V-v... Lord Vo... You-Know-Who?
"Not much," admitted Scorpius. "You don't do the first and second wars until OWL level. I just know that he was a really evil dark wizard who killed lots of people."
"Well, he also converted lots of people. Including-"
"He's twelve, Father!"
Scorpius and Lucius turned around. Draco was standing, rather reluctantly, in the doorway. He walked over to them slowly and placed a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "Please go to your room, Scorpius."
"What?" said Scorpius, scandalized.
"I think you should go." This time it was Lucius who spoke. "I'll tell you when you're older."
Scorpius didn't budge.
"Scorpius, please," said his Father, exasperatedly. "Your grandfather and I really need to talk."
Scorpius felt his temper rising. "I WILL FIND OUT!" he yelled, before storming upstairs. Draco turned to Lucius. "Will he find out?"
Lucius shook his head firmly. "It cost me an arm and a leg to wipe our names from all the records," he said. "He doesn't stand a chance."

***

I'll update ASAP, I swear.

CHAPTER 3
An unexpected invitation

Annoying as it was, Lucius was right. Scorpius spent at least a fortnight locked in his room, poring over every single book on the Dark Lord that he could lay his hands on, but to no avail.
He had just finished the last book that he could find, which, naturally, yeilded no new information. Resigned to his defeat, he flopped onto his bed and was on the verge of sleep when he was roused by a loud tapping on his bedroom window. Ignoring all of his father's warnings about strange owls, Scorpius crossed over to the window and opened it.
A handsome frogmouth owl swooped in and dropped the note that was, uncharacteristically, carried in its mouth; before hurridly taking off.
Curiously, Scorpius unfolded the note and read:
Scorpius,
This is Albus. You know, Albus Potter. I feel kind of stupid writing to you when I only spoke to you once or twice, but you seemed decent, so I think you can help me.
See, my brother, James (yes, the one who tried to turn you into a ferret because of that story Dad told us), has about six friends over for the summer, and Mum has just about had it with them, so she asked me to invite someone to stay for a weekend, just to balance things out.
The real problem is, my two best friends, Lorcan and Lysander Lovegood, are dealing with a Nargle infestation (don't ask) in Poland, and all of the other Gryffindors are either idiots or on holiday.
So, anyway, I was sitting in my room and I remembered that potions lesson when you, me and Lillith Goyle had to work together. You know, the one where she was all "If the Dark Lord had killed your Dad, Potter, I wouldn't have to be stuck with you" and then you told her where to get off. Remember?
Well, just thinking about it made me laugh, and, in a fit of madness, I wrote this letter. I haven't even told my parents, in case you say no, or in case they say no.
I don't know why I pouring my heart out to you here, but, hey, I am.
Ok, I just read over this letter and it sucks. I would simply not send it, but my owl, Fifi (it used to be my sister's, ok?), is really smart, and she KNOWS who I'm writing to, and if I don't send it, she'll find it and send it herself.
Anyway, can you come? Send your owl to me at 12 Grimmauld Place, London.
Albus
PS If you do come, I swear my Dad won't hex your Dad. Honest.

Scorpius read and reread the letter, but it didn't make anymore sense the fifth time than it did the first. Convining himself that it was a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep, he stuffed it unceremoniously into his desk drawer and collapsed, fully clothed, onto the bed.

***

CHAPTER 4
Rejoining civilization

I had a really weird dream. Albus Potter wrote to me and then I put the letter in the drawer...The drawer...Must get to the drawer...
Still half asleep, Scorpius staggered over to his desk and clumsily pulled the drawer right out and layed it on the floor.
"Oh no. It's still there," he yawned."Fly away little letter. Go on. Fly away." He waved his hands at it, hopefully.
It's not going to fly, idiot, he thought. It's a letter.
He stumbled over to the sink in the corner and splashed cold water on his face. Blinking a few times, he straightened up and looked back over at the letter, foolishly hoping that it had gone.
Drat, he thought, as he caught sight of it on the floor. He picked it up and smoothed it out.
He still didn't know what to do.
What the hell, he thought, folding the note up and placing it in his pocket. You only live once.
Gripped by the same fit of madness that had caused Albus to write the letter, Scorpius made up his mind to ask his parents.

"Nice of you to join us, Scorpius," said his mother, smiling as Scorpius sat down at the breakfast table.
"Civilization back on trend then?" said his father, innocently.
Scorpius sighed melodramatically. "No, I didn't find anything; yes, you were right; yes, you are always right; yes, I love you." He broke off. "Good enough for you?"
His grandfather ALMOST smiled. "It'll have to do," he said in mock-sorrow.
"So, what brings you down here?" asked his father. "Surely not the company of us lesser mortals?"
"Well," said Scorpius, playing along, "I haven't heard you and grandfather fight for over a week. Isn't that some kind of record."
"Watch it," said his grandfather sternly. "I'm not above cursing family members."
Scorpius' father and grandmother exchanged glances. "We know," they chorused.
"So what really brings you down, Scorpius?" his mother asked, calmly.
Scorpius' good mood vanished. He looked at his feet.
"Well," he mumbled, "I've been invited, um, to... someone's house for a weekend."
"That's nice," said his father. "Who's invited you."
"Well, er... The thing is... It's kind of..." He took a deep breath. "Albus Potter."
The mouthful of tea that his grandmother had just take was sprayed everywhere. "WHAT?" she gasped.
"Scorpius," said his mother, gently, "when your grandfather said about trailing round with Potter's kid. He was joking."
"I know!" said Scorpius, annoyed. "He just invited me completely out of the blue!" he looked at his father for support. "What do you think, Father?"
Everyone turned to look at Draco.
"The question is," said his father, slowly, "do you WANT to go?"
"Will you kill me if I say yes?" Scorpius asked, cautiously.
The corner's of Draco's mouth twitched. "Maybe."
Scorpius gulped. "Yes?" he squeaked.
His father sighed. "Then I can't stop you."

****

I need a bit more time to think, but I should be able to update later today.

****

Questions? Flaws in the plot? Just want to tell me how fab it is? Click here for Feedback. Pretty please!

CHAPTER 5
Walking to Harry Potter's door

"Have you got everything, Scorpius?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Are you sure you're sure?"
"YES Grandmother!"
Draco checked his watch. "Time to go, Scorpius," he said.
Scorpius battled his way out of his mother's and his grandmother's hugs and gave his grandfather an awkward squeeze.
"Are you sure-" his father began.
"Yes, yes, yes and YES!" said Scorpius, picking up his suitcase. "Now let's go!"
His father grimaced slightly but held out his arm. "Hold on," he said grimly.
Scorpius gripped his father's hand firmly. As it began to twist away from him, he hung on for dear life.
He had side-along apparated before, but he still hated the feeling, and he was very glad to find himself in Grimmauld Place. Despite Albus' assurances that there were never any Muggles around on a Friday, he couldn't help glancing nervously over his shoulder.
"There it is," his father whispered, pointing to a house between numbers 11 and 13 that Scorpius hadn't noticed the first time he had looked.
The pair of them stood and stared at the house for a while, before Draco turned to his son. "Well. Bye, then."
Scorpius looked at him in confusion. "Aren't you walking me to the door."
His father chuckled. "Scorpius," he said, "I will walk you to Harry Potter's door when Hell freezes over." He disapparated, leaving Scorpius alone.
Wanting to get inside as quickly as possible, he hurried up to the door and knocked.
The door opened a crack and Albus' nervous face peered out. He relaxed slightly when he saw Scorpius.
"Come in," he said, pulling the door open and dragging Scorpius inside. He turned to Scorpius. "Wait here."
He scurried off down the hallway.
Scorpius gazed round at the walls. They were hung with many smiling photographs. One of them caught his eye and he bent over to look at it.
Two boys and a girl stared back at him, pointing and whispering and giggling. One of them looked a lot like Albus, so Scorpius presumed that this was Harry Potter, his father. He was trying to spot the famous scar on the miniscule forehead, when he heard voices and jumped back in alarm.
"-don't see why you have to be so secretive, Al, dear."
"Please, Mum, when you see him, just hear me out, Ok?"
"Al, stop being so serious, it's not as if-"
The woman who was speaking broke off when she caught sight of Scorpius standing uncertainly in the hall. "Oh."
So, the idiot didn't bother to check with his parents first, thought Scorpius, angrily. Fantastic.
"Mum, just listen, Ok?" said Albus, quickly.
"Oh, Al," said Mrs Potter, looking Scorpius up and down. "I haven't got a problem with it but your dad-"
"You called?" said Harry Potter, striding up and peering over his wife's shoulder.

****
Oh dear, Harry is not going to be happy! By the way, I realised that I called Lorcan and Lysander by the surname Lovegood when it should be Scamander. The explanation is that both Rolf and Luna agree that having your mother's surname will protect you against Nargles.

Please leave Feedback


CHAPTER 6
Accepted by the Potters (not)

Scorpius watched nervously as Mr Potter's eyes widened. He went very pale and his mouth became a grim slash as he glowered at the son of his worst enemy, who just so happened to be standing in his hallway.
Albus seemed to notice all of the warning signs too, because he quickly turned to his father and said, "Dad, please, just listen-"
"Albus Severus Potter, you'd better have a really good explanation for this."
Ginny placed a restraining hand on her husband's shoulder. "Dear," she said, calmly, "I don't believe you've met Al's friend. You know, the one who's staying for the weekend?"
"Staying..." Harry growled. "For the weekend?" His eyes narrowed. "He bloody well is-"
"Scorpius, isn't it?" interrupted Mrs Potter, looking enquiringly at Scorpius, who nodded. "Lovely. Why don't you come on through, dear, we're just having lunch."
Harry looked outraged. "But-"
"This way, Scorpius," said Mrs Potter firmly, grabbing Scorpius and steering him past her husband and down the hall into a cheerful kitchen, Albus following close behind them, while Harry continued to fume by the door.
"Everyone," Mrs Potter announced to the room at large, "this is Scorpius. He's staying for the weekend."
An astonished James lowered the peice of ham that he had been about to take a bite out of, eying Scorpius with dislike. "He bloody well is-"
"Language, James," said Mrs Potter, pulling out her wand and conjuring a chair for Scorpius, who sat down a little awkwardly, feeling everyone's eyes boring into him.
Seemly very far away, he heard Mrs Potter say, "I'll just give you a little bit of everything, dear. Just leave what you don't like."
Still unable to speak, Scorpius nodded his thanks, but continued to stare at his feet.
"So," said a cold voice, "Scorpius." Scorpius looked up to see Harry glaring at him from the other side of the table. "How's your grandfather these days?" Then he added, hopefully, "Dead yet?"
James laughed loudly, and Ginny leapt angrily to her feet. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" she roared. "THAT IS NOT FUNNY!" The grin was wiped from Harry's face. "FOR GOD'S SAKE, LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE! WHAT'S HE EVER DONE TO YOU? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM!" She glared at James, who was still struggling to hold his laugh back. "Disgraceful!" she said, shutting him up. "Dispicable behavior, the pair of you! You should be happy, Harry. Glad that Albus is at least trying to patch things up with the Malfoys! It's more than you two will ever do!"
Harry rose to his feet, shaking with anger. "What are we supposed to do? Invite them to my Birthday party? What about a family reunion? Wouldn't that be fun." He adopted a high pitched girly voice. " 'Hello, I'm Narcissa Malfoy, aren't you the woman who killed my sister?' "
He laughed, brutally. "What fun THAT would be!" With that, he stormed out of the room without another word.
"HARRY POTTER!" screamed Ginny, sprinting after her husband. "I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!"
The room was oddly quiet after all the shouting. James and Lilly continued eating, unpeturbed, but Albus continued to stare after his parents long after they had gone, and Scorpius resumed glowering at the floor.
Oh what fun this weekend is going to be, he thought, bitterly.

***

Thx for the Feedback Robin A. B. Weasley! But I need more!

CHAPTER 7
All dreams end

"-and then, Moody waved his wand and BAM! Your dad was a ferret!"
Scorpius joined in with Albus and James' laughter.
The last two days have flown by, he thought.
Monday morning came far too quickly for Scorpius. He had grown to love the Potters and their friendly home environment. True, Harry still winced every time time he caught sight of Scorpius, and 'Uncle' Ron, who was staying in the guest room, had been thoroughly unpleasant, but James' jokes, Mrs Potter's fussing, Albus' kindness and Lily's sweet personality had made him feel more at comfortable in the Potter household than he had ever felt at home.
"Go on, James, " Albus begged. "Tell us another of Dad's stories."
"Ok," grinned James. " How about that one about Umbridge being-"
He was interrupted by the doorbell from downstairs.
Scorpius and Albus groaned. "That'll be my father," said Scorpius, sadly, heading for the door with his suitcase.
"I'll get it," shouted Ronald from downstairs.
The three of them froze. James swore loudly and rushed out to peer over the banister, Albus and Scorpius hot on his heels.
"Oh," Scorpius heard his father say, "it's you." There was a long pause.
"I've come to come to collect my son."
"Well I didn't think you'd come for afternoon tea," snarled Ron.
"You haven't changed, Weasley," retorted Draco.
"Neither have you, Malfoy."
"Whatever. SCORPIUS?"
Albus nudged him. "Coming!" he called. James however, held him back.
"Ten galleons says Uncle Ron wins the duel," he whispered, and Albus shoved him, playfully.
Downstairs, Draco started to hum an unfamiliar tune.
"Oooh," breathed Albus. " 'Weasley is our King' . This is gonna be good."
Sure enough, Scorpius heard an angry roar and the sounds of a violent tussle. Scorpius broke free and ran downstairs.
"Oh, you're here," said his father, calmly, releasing Ron's throat and smoothing down his robes. "Let's get out of here."
He seized his son's arm and dragged him outside.
"THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!" Scorpius shouted, as the door slammed shut and his father disapparated.

***

CHAPTER 8
A new beginning

"Scorpius!"
Scorpius turned and saw Albus waving enthusiastically from the Gryffindor table. He went over to him. "Hey, Al. Good summer?"
"Ok, you?"
Scorpius made a face. "Ok."
"Anyway, I- Oh, hey Rose," he said, casually as a red headed girl sat down beside him.
Scorpius did a double take. He stared at Rose, taking in her long hair, her easy smile and her gorgeous eyes.
Wow.

***

PLEASE tell me what you think.


Look out for my new fanfic, THE DARK LORD'S DAUGHTER, coming soon...

I couldn't just leave it there, so I'm going to be writing more.


CHAPTER 9
And an abrupt end

"What are you gawping at?" snapped Rose. Her eyes narrowed. "Hey, aren't you that Malfoy kid?"
Scorpius didn't answer.
Is that a bad thing? he wondered
Rose turned to Albus. "Dad and Uncle Harry made it clear that we were supposed to stay away from him."
She seized Albus' arm and dragged him to the other end of the table, leaving Scorpius to stare at them from ten seats down.
He swung his bag over his shoulder and marched out of the great hall, ignoring Albus' shout of, "WAIT!"
So, everyone's conspiring against me now he thought, angrily, as he stormed towards the Slytherin common room.
She's not THAT pretty, he added, trying to console himself.
"Quicksilver," he said aloud to a blank stretch of wall, and he strode into the common room.

He had only just collapsed into a chair when Lillith Goyle sidled up to him.
"Hiya, Scorpius," she cooed. Despite his frequent hints that he hated her guts, she still clung to him like a limpet. "Nice summer?"
Choosing to ignore her, Scorpius dug around in his bag and retrieved his copy of The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 2, which he tried to bury himself in. Lillith edged a little closer to him until she was almost on his lap, forcing him to look up.
"Can I help you?" he said, bluntly.
"I-"
"Oh, never mind," he interrupted, gathering his things, "I'm going to bed now."

It wasn't until he got up to the dormitory and put on his pyjamas, that he realised just how tired he really was. Sinking into his four poster, he fell asleep almost immediately, and, despite his best efforts, his dreams were all of Rose.

CHAPTER 10
The darkness is spreading

The owl hovering above the sleeping boy hesitaded, and then swooped low and pecked him sharply on the forehead.
Scorpius sat bolt upright, startling the owl. It hooted haughtily and stuck out its leg. When Scorpius had taken the piece of parchment, it soared off.

Scorpius, the note read.
I didn't do it. You HAVE to understand. It WASN'T me. Don't listen to anything they say. The newspapers have got it all WRONG. I will see you soon, no matter what.
DM

What the hell? thought Scorpius as he dressed slowly and followed the familiar route to the great hall, still clutching the letter. What is going on?

DM...
The obvious choice would be his father, Draco Malfoy, but why would he write something like this? It didn't make any sense.

With a start, Scorpius realised that he had subconsciously walked all the way to the door of the hall.
Stuffing the note away, he pushed it open.

The silence hit him first. It was literally deafening compared to the usual chatter. A strangled sob pierced the deathly quiet, and Scorpius discovered the source to be a pale and shaking Albus, barely visible in the centre of all of his friends.

All the Gryffindors had looked up when he had entered, and they continued to stare at him as he made his way to his usual seat at the Slytherin table.

Lillith was also staring at him as he sat down opposite her. Then, her eyes betrayed her by flitting down towards the Prophet in her hands. Without a word, Scorpius leant across the table and took the paper. The front cover was taken up by a huge headline and nothing else.



***

PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 11
The plot thickens

"Mr Malfoy?"

Scorpius spun around, dropping the paper in surprise. Professor McGonagall stood with an awkward arm around Albus, who was still crying. James was skulking behind her, looking pale and shell shocked.

The Headmistress beckoned for him to follow, and strode out of the room. Scorpius followed uncertainly, keeping his distance from the group.

What has this got to do with me?

"Um, professor-" he started, but James shot him a look of pure loathing, and he decided to keep quiet.

After what seemed like an age, they arrived at the head's office. The door swung forward to admit McGonagall, and she shepherded them inside.

The adults turned at their entrance. There was a few seconds of silence. Scorpius just stared at the floor, wondering why he was there.

Eventually, McGonagall cleared her throat. "Children, let me introduce you. This is Arthur Weasley..." A man who was slumped in an armchair lifted his head from his hands and gave a weak smile.

"Blaise Zabini, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister..." Scorpius recognised the tall, dark man who would often come around for dinner.

"Hermione Weasley..." A woman with bushy hair who had her arm around Mr Weasley nodded gravely.

"Harry Potter..." Harry didn't even acknowledge their precense, he just sobbed quietly.

"Ronald Weasley..." Ron also didn't look at them.

"And Lucius Malfoy..." Scorpius made the briefest of eye contact, and the look his grandfather gave him could prehaps have been interpreted as apologetic.

"Now," continued the headmistress, "we are all gathered here to get to the bottom of this Ginny Potter business."

Mr Weasley hiccoughed and Albus make an odd choking noise.

"We have all read the Prophet's view of things and-"

"It's all true!"

Harry struggled to his feet and staggered forward, looking McGonagall in the eye.

"I don't even know what they," he jerked his head at Lucius and Scorpius, "are doing here. we all know it was him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he," he glared at Lucius, "was in on it as well!"

"I can vouch for Lucius, Potter," sneered Zabini. "I was talking to him when it happened."

"The Ministry's still taking bribes then?" said Hermione Weasley, glaring at Zabini, who returned her look of hatred.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" roared Harry. He sounded a little drunk. "WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT LOWLIFE SCUM MURDERED GINNY-"

"With all due respect, Mr Potter," said Scorpius' grandfather with a slight sneer, "I think I know him better than you do. I fail to see what he would gain in murdering Mrs Potter, or even kidnapping her." He glanced sideways at Arthur. "Ransoms are generally presented to the parents, so, as you can see, she is of no real value-"

"SHUT UP!"

Hermione grabbed the back of her husbands jacket to stop him leaping on Mr Malfoy.

"Shut up." Ron repeated, turning away.

"Mr Malfoy," said Professor McGonagall, her nostrils flaring slightly, "please consider your position. I know you're convinced of his innocence, but-"

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Scorpius couldn't help himself. His bottled rage at Rose's cool attidude towards him exploded at at his being kept in the dark.

Everyone turned slowly to face him.

"Mr Malfoy," said McGonagall, a little more gently than usual, "did you read the Daily Prophet this morning?"

"Er..."

Professor McGonagall looked at Lucius for support, but he looked just as blank as she did.

"Tell him," he said finally. "He'll find out eventually."

Professor McGonagall simply stared at Scorpius, lost for words. Mr Malfoy sighed deeply and bent down until he was eye to eye with Scorpius.

"Scorpius," he said, "you did a lot of reading over the summer, right?"

Scorpius nodded, a little scared.

Why is he being so serious?

"So you would have read about the..."

"Death Eaters," Harry finished.

Scorpius nodded again.

"So you would recognise this." His grandfather pulled back his sleeve, revealing an angry burn on his left arm.

Though it was an ugly red colour, distorted by the years in which it had remained dormant, Scorpius could still see the skull, the snake...

The Dark Mark.

CHAPTER 12
Missing person number two

Emotions flooded through him. Anger... Hatred... Fear...

There was a thousand and one queations he wanted to ask, and a million more that he needed to ask...

"Has Dad really killed somebody?"

It was barely a whisper, but it was all that Scorpius could manage. Everyone exchanged nervous glances, but it was Harry who answered.

"Yes he bloody well did!" he growled. "Son of a murderer, how does that feel?"

"Mr Potter!" snapped Professor McGonagall. "Harry... we can't make presumptions... SIT DOWN!"

Hermione Weasley ran forwards and dragged Harry back to his chair, where he continued to seethe silently.

"Has Dad really killed someone?" Scorpius asked again, a little louder.

"Of course not," said his grandfather, quickly. "It's just-"

"Mr Malfoy, we cannot make presumptions!" hissed McGonagall. "As it is, we have a situation on our hands. I doubt very much that you three children can go back to lessons for a while, but..." she trailed off and looked uncertainly at Harry, who still looked a little insane. He glared defiantly back.

"If you are suggesting that I cannot look after my own children-"

"Harry, James, Albus and Lily can come and stay with us," interrupted Hermione. Ron nodded, but said nothing.

"I have no objection to looking after Scorpius for a while," said Lucius, curtly.

McGonagall thought for a moment. Finally, she said, "Well, there is nothing more to say. You may as well go."

They all stood for a minute in silence, and then Blaise Zabini murmured something unintelligable and swept from the room.

"You haven't got any Floo powder have you, Professor?" asked Hermione, helping Harry to his feet. McGonagall gestured to a pot by the fireplace and then hurried away.

With a little help, Harry mumbled something and was whisked away by emerald green flames. He was followed by Ron and Hermione, leaving Scorpius and his grandfather alone.

After an awkward pause, Lucius cleared his throat loudly. "Off you go."

Scorpius took a fistful of floo powder and said, clearly, "Malfoy manor!"

He had barely made it out of the grate when someone grabbed him.

"Your granfather? Is he coming?" asked his mother, her face chalk white. Scorpius nodded and pulled himself out of her grip.

His grandfather stepped out of the fireplace, and was dusting himself off when Asteria said hysterically, "Narcissa isn't with you, is she?"

Confused, Lucius shook his head. Scorpius' mother made a funny choking noise, and started to shake violently.

"She was supposed to be here," said Lucius, a little anxiously.

"That's what I thought!" Asteria wailed. "S-s-so I went to check your house, b-b-but it was as if someone had t-torn it apart, it was a complete wreck... and... and... SHE WASN'T THERE!"

***

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CHAPTER 13
A message

His grandfather went very white and almost knocked Scorpius over as he ran from the room. His mother burst into tears.

"I j-just c-c-can't stand it!" she sobbed. "F-first Draco, n-now Narcissa..."

She moaned and clutched at Scorpius desparately.

"Who next?" she whispered in his ear.

"She's gone."

Lucius Malfoy staggered in and collapsed on a chair.

"I... I can't believe it. She's gone."

They sat in silence for a minute, as the situatuation sank in. Scorpius hadn't even realised he was crying until the salty water trickled into his mouth, making him gag. His mother had been reduced to a shivering wreck, and his grandfather was staring at the floor, lost for words.

"Ah. How... touching."

Someone's head was in the fireplace. A very evil someone. Their face was twisted into an evil leer as they gazed around the sumptuously decorated room.

"Who are you?" said Lucius, his voice a little shaky, but very fierce. "What do you want."

The face smiled nastily. "I wondered if you would recognise me. I recognise you."

"Who are you?" Lucius repeated.

Lips were pulled back, revealing blackened teeth and diseased gums. "This is what Azkaban does to you, Lucius Malfoy. You can stomach it once, but never twice. Never twice."

The face sighed as Lucius continued to stare blankly back. "It's been twenty years. Twenty. I confess, I expected you to remember..."

There was no colour left to drain out of Lucius' face, so it went ashen grey instead.

"No," he croaked. "It can't be..."

The face's smile broadened. "Now he remembers. That's a little better, isn't it? It's nice to know exactly who is reaping their revenge on you."

The evil face turned slowly and locked eyes with Scorpius, who found himself unable to look away.

"I have something you want," the face said, still addressing Lucius, though it continued to stare at Scorpius. "I have something that Harry Potter wants." It's eyes swivelled back to Scorpius' grandfather. "Come and get them. Or watch them die." It smiled again. "You can't renounce the Dark Lord twice. Someone has to make you pay."

Then, with a whirl of green flame, it was gone.

***

It's getting interesting, isn't it? Please leave feedback.

CHAPTER 14
Reluctant rescue

"Mr Malfoy, I would believe you if you would just say who-"

"No, Minerva, we have to go now!"

"Malfoy," said Harry, his head lolling uselessly, "you're cr-crazy."

"And you're drunk. We have to go!" said Mr Malfoy urgently.

Scorpius had never seen his grandfather so on edge. He was practically tugging on McGonagall's arm, and yet Harry, Ron and Hermione still looked sceptical.

"I can't tell you," pleaded Mr Malfoy. "Minerva... please..."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "All right. Wait here while I get some Aurors-"

"NO!" yelled Mr Malfoy, and, surprisingly, Harry.

"We do this alone," said Harry roughly.

"But-"

"Minerva, if we're going, we go now!"

"Oh you're being ridiculous!" McGonagall snapped. "We don't even know where-"

"Yes, we do," said Mr Malfoy, firmly. "Trust me... I know how we have to do this..."

"I never thought I'd say this," said Ron, slowly, "but I think it's worth the risk."

Harry stood up, wavering a little. He stuck out his hand.

" For Ginny."

Ron stepped forward and placed his hand on Harry's. Hermione glanced sideways at McGonagall, and then did the same. Mr Malfoy sighed and put his hand on top of hers.

Uncertainly, Scorpius put his hand in too.

Everyone looked at McGonagall.

"Professor," whispered Hermione. "I think..."

"This is absolute nonsense," said McGonagall firmly. Then she smiled slightly. "But I'm in."

For a few seconds, everyone stared at the hands in the centre of the circle.

Who'd have ever thought that there would be something in common with all of us? thought Scorpius.

Harry reacted first. He withdraw his hand and grabbed an ornament from the mantlepiece.

"Portkey," he said, holding it out for Lucius to take.

Lucius took it, closed his eyes and muttered "Portus," tapping the ornament with his wand. It glowed momentarily blue and shuddered a bit in his hand, and then returned to it's original colour.

"Twenty seconds," said Lucius, placing it on the table. Evryone gathered round it.

"Ten.... nine..." Lucius caught sight of Scorpius. "Scorpius! Wait! You can't-"

Too late. There was the feeling of being jerked backwards by a hook, and they were all whisked away.

***

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CHAPTER 14
Know thy enemy

"Are you sure this is the right - OUCH!"

Someone that sounded like Ron muttered an apology to Professor McGonagall, but it was hardly his fault, as everything was pitch black.

Scorpius suddenly inhaled a large amount of dust and started coughing loudly.

"Lumos"

Hermione Weasley's scared face was suddenly illuminated. Blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light, Scorpius crowded around her like everyone else.

"Where are we?" asked McGonagall hoarsely.

"I'm almost sure..."

Scorpius's grandfather ran his hands over the musty walls.

"This way," he whispered. Hermione pointed her wand down the way he was indicating, but they could make nothing out in the feeble circle of light that it cast.

"Right," said Ron quaveringly. "I'll go first shall I."

He too lit his wand, but Lucius threw out an arm to stop him.

"I'll go first."

Relieved, Ron let Lucius go first. McGonagall went awkwardly after him, and Harry staggered after her.

"After you," Hermione whispered to Scorpuius, who took a deep breath and followed the rest of them down the corridor, with Hermione's wand lighting his way forward.

"Watch out for the stairs," grunted Harry as Scorpius fell over the first step.

They climbed and climbed and climbed until Scorpius was convinced that they must be in outer space by now, when he suddenly crashed into Harry, who had stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Hermione hissed from behind him. "Why have we stopped?"

"Ready," someone said quietly. "One... Two... Three!"

There was a loud bang and they group surged forward very suddenly, piling out of what appeared to be a trap door into a dank room.

"Ginny?"

"Harry?"

Harry tripped over his feet as he seized the one of the pale figures tied to the wall as best he could.

"You found us," said Scorpius's father, wearily. Narcissa looked too weak to do anything except nod her gratitude.

There was a lot of embracing and bangs as manacles were broken or removed until everyone who had been tied up was free.

"Right," said McGonagall, helping to support Scorpius's grandmother. "Now let's get out of here!"

"It's not that simple."

Everyone looked at Lucius's grave face.

"W-w-what do you mean?"Hermione squeaked.

"You can't use the bridge without paying the toll," he said sadly.

"And you can't pay the toll," said a terrifying voice behind them, "without seeing the tollmaster."

***

Mwa ha ha ha, now you have to wait until my next update to find out what happens. Please leave me feedback, just to make sure I update soon!

CHAPTER 15
Revenge is ugly

It was a face that would haunt Scorpius's nightmares forever.

He thought it had been bad in the fire, but it had somehow got worse. Blackened and rotted gums were on show as he leered at them all.

"Happy families," he croaked. "Not really my type."

Narcissa suddenly gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. The man's leer widened.

"Got it yet? It took you long enough."

His face turned towards Harry, Ron, Hermione, McGonagall and Ginny. It didn't seem like he had noticed Scorpius yet.

"What about you five?"

Harry shook his head aggressively.

"We don't associate with evil psychos like you," he growled.

"But we have met before."

The man hobbled out of the shadows and leant close to Harry's ear. He whispered something, and Harry went stark white.

"No," he gasped. "You're in Azkaban! I caught you myself!"

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall and Draco all yelled "YOU!" at exactly the same time. The man chuckled softly.

"Me."

His eyes travelled slowly over the shaking group.

"But here's someone I haven't met!" he said, in a falsely hearty tone, darting forward and seizing Scorpius's hand.

"How do you do," he said, solemnly, getting down to Scorpius's eye-level. "You've probably heard this a lot, but you look a lot like your father. And your grandfather. And your great-grandfather, too, as a matter of fact."

Scorpius shivered slightly. The man leered again, and then straightened up and began pacing.

"Revenge," he said simply. "All of you have wronged me. All of you wronged," his hellish smile widened, "him."

Hermione Weasley was sobbing into her husband's shoulder. Narcissa vomited quietly all over the rubble strewn floor.

Scorpius shivered again. He still had no idea why he was here. He didn't know this man. Who was 'him'?

The man's smile was suddenly replaced by a snarl.

"And then, one of you did the unthinkable. You killed him."

Harry finally broke down and started shaking uncontrollably.

"And one of you, lied to him."

Narcissa let out a soft scream and started to cry noisily. The man's smile flashed again briefly, but it was gone as quickly as it came..

"And now, he's gone. And someone's got to avenge him. Someone's got to," his smile returned again, wider and more terrible that ever, "bring him back."

"No spell to reawaken the dead,"said Scorpius's father fiercely.

"You're wrong," said the man softly. "You're very wrong. There is a spell to reawaken the dead. And that's why," Scorpius felt a hand close around his wrist, "I need your son."

***

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Sorry it took so long to update, but... Ta-dah! A brand new chapter! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 15
He will return

The man laughed madly and waved his wand. A cage appeared, boxing Scorpius in and giving him a sudden attack of claustrophobia. Narcissa shrieked and fell into a dead faint, but everyone was to stunned to bother to catch her.

It was as if someone had flicked a switch. Everyone started shouting at once. Hexes and curses where flung in every direction. And, in the midst of it, the man just laughed.

Slowly, Scorpius felt the cage began to rise. Higher and higher, until he was looking down at the tops of everybody's heads.

There was a sound like a gunshot and the talking ceased.

"Enough of this pointless chit-chat," the man hissed. "It's time to get to the point." He smiled his gummy smile again. "I need your blood." Hermione Weasley clapped her hands to her mouth. "Well, not everyone's blood." He strolled round the group at his leisure, delighting in the frightened faces.

"Well, for starters, I'll need, your blood," he said, pointing accusingly at Harry. "That much is obvious... you killed him... And you two... " Hermione and Ron shrank back. "...You helped..." He moved along a little. "You..." he pointed at Scorpius's father. "...And her." He jerked his thumb at Narcissa, who was still on the floor. "The rest of you are not needed."

There was a shocked silence. "How much blood do you need?" asked Ron suspiciously.

"Oh, just a drop," he said calmly, drawing out a knife. "Only one life need be taken to bring him back."

All eyes travelled upwards. And suddenly, Scorpius realized just how much danger he was in.

***

[cry of despair] I'm in a real hurry, so that's all I can do (I know it's pathetically short) but I'll try with every fibre of my being not to leave it this long next time. Argh, I don't even have time to put in a feedback link! But please do give me some, there are links on all the other chapters! Gotta go!

Ellie
xxx

I am FINALLY back! It has taken the space of roughly 3 million years, but I now have some free time!

CHAPTER 16
One body, two minds

It was all a blur. There was screaming, shouting, the glint of a knife, the drip of blood from deep wounds, and at the centre was Scorpius, in a dreamlike trance, only able to think of one thing.

I am going to die.

He felt strangely calm, like he was suspended in a tank of water. In another world, he saw the evil man daub thick red liquid onto the dirty stone floor, using the blood that had collected around the arm of the still unconscious Narcissa. Vaguely, he noted the messily carved runes that formed a circle on the floor around his cage. Hermione's eyes swept over them, her mouth forming the words silently. McGonagall, faster at translating, went ashen grey.

Wiping his hand clean, and collecting some more from the floor around Scorpius's father, the man wrote three names, forming a triangle. The Dark Lord, Scorpius Malfoy and Rabastan.

Rabastan. The name seemed familiar, but Scorpius couldn't think where he had heard it before.

The man Scorpius supposed was Rabastan dipped his hand first in the pool of blood at Ron's feet, then the one at Hermione's. carefully, he drew a red 'X' on his front, and then repeated the symbol above his own name in the triangle. He drew a large circle in the middle of the floor, and then drew it again above 'The Dark Lord'. Finally, he drew a skull above Scorpius's name.

Scorpius's grandfather swore. "You don't know what you're doing!" he said, half angry, half afraid. "You'll kill us all!"

Rabastan stared at him through sunken eyes. Slowly, he ran his finger along Harry Potter's wounded arm, and, approaching scorpius slowly, stretched out his bloody hand. Scorpius felt the warm, wet blood come into contact with his forehead, and then everything went black.

***

The first thing he became aware of was a whispered name: Rabastan.

"Rabastan. Rabastan."

The voice sounded close. Almost on top of him... It took him a few seconds to realize who was whispering. Himself.

He opened his eyes. He gingerly moved his right index finger up and down. He pushed down on the floor of his cage with one arm. Nothing seemed to be broken. Suddenly, strong arms lifted him down from the cage and set him on his feet. Rabastan looked deep into his eyes, his face full of concern.

"Master?"

Something inside him stirred. He was smiling, and he had no idea why.

"I reward faithfulness, Rabastan. You have done well," he said, even though the words made no sense to him.

"What am I saying?" he said out loud. Rabastan's triumphant face froze.

What is this?

He could hear someone speaking, but he could tell that everyone around him was silent.

A jolt of pain ran through him, and he shuddered violently.

"How could it possibly go wrong?" he said, and it was again as though it was not him who was speaking. "How could you mess it up? HOW?"

He whipped out his wand. Then he stared down at it.

Avada Kedavra! screamed the voice in his head. Nothing happened.

"I don't want to kill him," he said, mostly to the voice in his head. "I can't."

"What do you mean, you can't?" he hissed to himself.

"Do that spell. I can't."

His own wand turned to point at himself.

Rabastan! What did you do?

Rabastan was gaping at Scorpius, open mouthed.

"Master...."

There was a loud bang, and Rabastan was flung back against the wall, stunned. Nobody else moved.

"Is that..." Harry, began, sounding completely sober and alert.

Scorpius whipped round to face him.

"YOU!" he yelled. Then he caught himself.

"No!" he shouted. "I'm me! ME!"

He dropped the wand. More pain coursed through him.

Obey me, boy!

"Go away!"

I will have control of this body! It's mine!

"GO AWAY!"

He tried to hit himself. He tasted blood in his mouth. Hermione tried to come to him, but Harry shouted, "Stay back! We don't know for sure..."

Kill them! Kill them all!

"No!"

He felt two rushes of anger, that hit him simultaneously. He got his hands around his own throat, struggles for a moment, before fainting.

***

I hope you like it. I'm trying to get the main story moving a bit. Please leave feedback!!

CHAPTER 16
Interrogation

Scorpius was floating in a sort of sleep-like trance, his dreams half his own and half someone else's.

Sometimes he came close enough to consciousness to feel someone squeezing his hand. Sometimes he could here people talking: His father, his mother, his grandmother, his grandfather, McGonagall, Mr Potter...

He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but, quite suddenly, he sat bolt upright in his bed, his eyes wide. He was in some kind of hospital ward. The curtains were drawn, and the place was deserted, apart from a middle aged woman sitting in a corner with a reading lamp, humming to herself as she knitted a multi-coloured scarf. She looked up at him, hearing his heavy breathing, and smiled.

"Hello, dear. You had rather long nap."

She put down her knitting and made her way over to his bedside, pulling up one of the little chairs from a cluster against the nearest wall and snatching up a clipboard from the bedside table.

"Now, there's no need to feel nervous," she said kindly. "My name is Healer Fanstead, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions and I want you to say everything that comes into your head. Everything"

"Foolish woman. What makes you think that you will be get answers from me?" said Scorpius, though he had not intended to say it, and did not even realize he was speaking until after he had finished. Healer Fanstead made a note on her clipboard.

"Excellent. Now, can I have your full name?"

"Scorpius Hyperion-" Scorpius started to say, but he cut across himself. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Healer Fanstead nodded, scribbling furiously.

"How are you doing that?!" Scorpius said, so angrily that he shocked himself. He had only wanted to ask a simple question.

"A few drops of veritaserum were administered an hour ago," said Healer Fanstead. "Did you or did you not return from the dead?"

"No. Yes."

Healer Fanstead frowned and made a few more notes on her clipboard.

"Do you understand whose body you are currently inhabiting?"

Scorpius stared at her.

"I don't-" he began. Then, "Yes, I do."

"Do you realize, that you are violating every single basic law of magic in being here?"

Scorpius felt an evil smile spread across his face, a smile that scared him. "Yes. I do."

The Healer nodded again, and asked him a few more quick questions about his family, his life before Hogwarts, and his teachers at Hogwarts. Every time he responded with an answer unfamiliar to him, and each time Healer Fanstead scribbled some more on her clipboard. Finally, she looked up and smiled.

"Well, Mr Malfoy, I think I can safely say that you are suffering from some kind of acute disassociative identity disorder. You will be transferred to the Permanent Spell damage Ward in the morning. I think you'll find that the majority of your family will be in there. Raving about the return of the Dark Lord." She smiled. "But we know that that's impossible, don't we?"

She stood up and headed towards the exit, picking up her knitting as she went.

"Goodnight, Mr Malfoy," she said pleasantly, closing the door behind her. Long after her footsteps had died away, Scorpius began to laugh. A high, cold chilling laugh that was not his own.

***

I know it's not much, but at least it's something. [winning smile] Feedback...?

CHAPTER 17
Permanent Spell Damage

The beauty of the Permanent Spell Damage Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was that if you weren't mad when you went in there, it didn't stay that way for long. There was no torture or trickery involved, just endless days melting slowly into a timeless period of Healers talking to you in falsely sweet voices, treating you as though you were very sick; dying, even.

"Good Morning," they would trill at every conceivable hour of the day. "And how are you today?"

The responses varied from a muttered, "Fine," to, "I feel like I'm back in Azkaban, except that the Dementors all look like people," to general screamings from those incapable of forming articulate speech. Unpeturbed, the Healers would plump up your pillows, dump your food tray down or do whatever it was they had come to do before retreating under the ferocious glares of their patients.

The Healers saved their special smiles for Scorpius, the only child in the ward. They patted his head, and asked him how he was feeling in their sweet, sugary voices. In the beginning, he'd only scowled and said nothing. He knew it was all a trick.. a conspiracy... they were all against him...

Mr and Mrs Potter had their children, who wrote frequently, always resulting in much tears from the pair of them. Scorpius's grandparents had each other. Ron Weasley had his crosswords in the Daily Prophet. Hermione Weasley had her 'Women In Leadership' column in Witch Weekly, which, although she was no longer allowed to send in her writings due to her mental instabilities, she still typed up determinedly every week. Scorpius's father had his dark, cynical mutterings; Professor McGonagall had her knitting. Scorpius had nothing: nothing but the voice in his head.

For the first few days, it slipped between ecstatic laughing and angry muttering. Scorpius, through experience, learnt to control it, and keep it inside his head, as opposed to having it talk through his mouth. Then, one day it started to speak to him directly.

Glowering at another Healer's retreating back, he heard it whisper to him.

Yes... They're all so fake. They're lying, Scorpius Malfoy, they're all against you. You must break free... Get out...

It told him of its plan over the next couple of weeks and he listened. He understood; the plan was for him to escape, and him alone, but, somehow, he didn't feel at all guilty about leaving the others behind. He started immediately.

"Good morning, sunshine," said a Healer with a dazzling smile as she brought him his lunch.

"Good morning," he replied cheerfully. "How are you today? That looks delicious, thank you."

The Healer faltered; her smile flickered slightly. All down the ward, people were staring at him. She put down the tray slowly.

"I'm fine, thank you." she said uncertainly. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he said cheerfully. "In fact, I'm feeling miles better."

The Healer whipped a notepad out of her top pocket and made a quick note before scampering away.

Yes, that's it, Scorpius... They think you're cured, I can sense it... Yes, they'll come for you soon... You must deny everything... Then, if I know the ministry...

It broke off and laughed. The laugh, after all this time, still sent cold shivers down Scorpius's spine. Scorpius laughed too, under his breath.

Soon we will be free!

***

A little brief, sorry . Hopefully you'll find it in your hearts to leave feedback though...

A new update should follow soon!

CHAPTER 18
Freedom, and What Comes Next

The Healer that Scorpius hurried back mere minutes later, with Healer Fanstead right behind her.

"Him?" Healer Fanstead asked the other Healer, as if Scorpius wasn't there.

"Yes."

"You think...?"

"Yes."

There was a pause.

"Perhaps..." the other Healer began, and Scorpius saw her mouth 'Veritaserum'.

"Yes, I think so," replied Healer Fanstead. She turned to Scorpius. "Come with me."

He got out of bed quickly and hurried after Healer Fanstead through the ward. On all sides, people gave him strange and inquisitive looks.

At the end of the ward was a plain wooden door, bare except for a keyhole. Healer Fanstead opened in and beckoned Scorpius inside. The room beyond the door was sparsely furnished, almost empty except for a large wooden desk and straight-backed chair. With a flick of her wand, Healer Fanstead conjured a stool and set it in front of the desk, where a china mug of tea was already waiting.

"Have a drink, dear," she said sweetly, indicating that he should sit. He sat, assuming an expression that said he had absolutely no idea that his tea was mixed with veritaserum. He pretended to take a sip.

"Now," said Healer Fanstead. "Do you have the Dark Lord inside your head?"

"No," said Scorpius, taking another pretend sip of tea.

"You're quite sure?"

"Yes."

"And you agree that there is absolutely no way that the Dark Lord could have possibly returned?"

"Yes."

"I see." Healer Fanstead opened a draw in her desk and began to sift through her papers. "Well, in that case I'll write the order for you to be mover to the Temporary Ward." She looked up and smiled. "You look as if you're on the mend, dear. With luck, you should be back at school soon. That's nice, isn't it?"

Scorpius smiled innocently. "Very nice, thank you."

***

Scorpius spent a grand total of one and a half days in the Temporary Spell Damage Ward. Then, he was sent home.

It was early October, and the middle of the school term. Scorpius decided to wait a few weeks before returning to school, where he'd surely be bombarded with irritating questions. On returning home, he locked himself in his room, completely ignoring his mother's attempts to get him to come out and talk to her.

You must go back to the school.... Yes... Then act like nothing is wrong... Ignore the questions... Life will soon go back to normal... I will help you to excel at your lessons, and on seeing your talent, they will be easy to influence... They have to trust you completely... Then, using their resources, I will become your teacher, the greatest teacher you ever had... When you are ready, it will all be in place... I am now you, and you are now me... With your Horcrux, I shall rise again!

The voice in his head laughed. Without knowing or understanding what it was actually saying, Scorpius laughed too.

***

Hope you like it... I hope the next few chapters will be a bit better... Please leave feedback

CHAPTER 19
Back to school

The door to the Great Hall swung open in front of Scorpius. The babble of chatter rising from the four house table quietened, as if someone was slowly turning down a volume dial in the Hall. Scorpius could feel all eyes on him as he walked confidently towards a spare seat on the Slytherin table; the people on either side of him seemed to flinch as he sat down as if his alleged madness was catching, but Scorpius just smiled a cold, serene smile and began to neatly butter his toast.

He had barely picked up his knife before he felt someone standing next to him. He looked up and his eyes narrowed.

What is he doing here? the voice in his head hissed.

"Hello, Albus," he said icily. "What are you doing here."

Scorpius' cool and formal tone made Albus look as though he'd been smacked in the face.

"I wanted to... apologize," he said slowly. "On behalf of my brother as well. We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Your dad hasn't done anything wrong."

"Is that all?" Scorpius asked, delicately examining his fingernails. Albus looked taken aback, but nodded. Then, swallowing, he spoke again.

"How... How are...?" He trailed off, his voice trembling slightly.

"They're fine," said Scorpius indifferently. "And if that really IS all..." He returned to his toast. Albus stood beside him for a few seconds, staring helplessly at the shell of his former friend before turning and scampering off.

He suspects you, the voice in his head warned. You must allow me access to your memories to allow me to recreate your former personality.

Always willing, Scorpius closed his eyes and allowed whatever it was in his head to dig deep into his past.

Excellent, the voice said, locking Scorpius' memories back in his head. If this is the case... If all goes well... I think we have our target.

The word target meant little to Scorpius, but some ghost of his former consciousness managed to make him feel slightly uneasy. He didn't know what was in store for Albus, but something was telling him that it couldn't be good.

***

Sorry, it was really short, but I hope it was enough to merit some of your highly valued feedback.

A/N: This is a chapter specifically from Harry's POV, just to show how things are going to start getting interesting.

CHAPTER 20
Harry's Dream

It was a familiar feeling for Harry: a dream so vivid that it could have been a vision. He was sitting in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, slowly working his way through what looked like his lunch. There was a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling that was hard to place. Expectant. That was it. He was feeling expectant.

He glanced across to the other side of the room, his gaze meeting with that of a thin, rather sad-looking boy with messy black hair and large, thickly rimmed glasses. He couldn't see it from where he was, but he knew that the boys eyes would be the brightest green.

Smoothly, he swung his legs over the bench and got to his feet, his housemates staring at him as he walked towards the other boy.

"Albus," he said when he reached the table. His tone was surprising to say the least; the very last tone of voice you'd expect to hear from a person standing as tall and as erect he was. It was friendly, apologetic and a little breathless. "Hi. I, um, wanted to apologize for earlier. I wasn't myself, y'know? It's just," he sighed very deeply, "I've been through a lot-"

Albus cut him off, his expression having changed from suspicious to slightly guilty. "Don't even mention it, Scorpius. I know what it's been like for you..." He paused awkwardly. "Well, I don't know, but I can imagine."

He nodded in reply. "Thanks, Al. I appreciate it." He gave a tentative smile; a very convincing fake one. "And your parents love you very much. You know that?"

Albus made a strange face, as though he were choking. "I... I know." He patted his friend on the shoulder.

"Well, I'll see you in Potions, I guess." As elegant as always, he turned on his heel and strode out of the Hall.

While he was walking, he began to laugh. He was no longer expectant - he was gleeful, with a little bit of accomplishment mixed in there.

"What's the joke, Scorpie?"

A girl had appeared, and the feeling of happiness all but vanished. She walked towards him in what she clearly believed to be a seductive way, swinging her hips so wildly that she was practically a health and safety hazard.

"Lillith. I would say good afternoon, but unfortunately my afternoon has been ruined by your arrival." No longer was his voice friendly, or warm. It was now how it truly should be - cruel and icy.

"But, Scorpie-"

"Do you have something in your eye, Lillith, or is there some other motive for your increased blinking rate? Merlin forbid that you think it's attractive..."

Lillith looked distinctly rumpled now. He took a sort of dark pleasure in seeing her begin to crack, so he continued.

"I'm sorry, have I offended you in some way? Perhaps in that empty space between your noticably large ears, you think that by giving me a deeply irritating nickname and flinging yourself at me in the most disgusting way when we are barely thirteen years old is the proper way to go about things." Lillith was almost in tears now, and his smirk grew. "Oh don't worry. I'm sure, given time, you will be able to interpret my open contempt for you as attraction, and continue to stalk me in a most unhealthy way. Because, surely, I ignore you because I like you, not for some absurd reason such as regarding you as a one-dimensional, uninteresting, brainless hag with a face that could crack mirrors ten feet thick and the most atrociously died hair." Lillith's sobs became more and more vocal.

"Mummy was right, Scorpius," she choked. "All Malfoys are... are..." She appeared to be either struggling to remember exactly what 'mummy' said, or trying to find a word bad enough to describe him in order to replace whatever milder word her mother had chosen originally.

"Don't worry, Lillith," he said in a sarcastically soothing voice. "I'm sure, somewhere in the world, there is someone who would be vaguely attracted to you. A troll, perhaps. But only if he's deaf, blind, and incredibly desperate."

With one last anguished cry, Lillith turned tail and ran, allowing him to continue on his way. As he turned a corner, something on the floor nearby caught his eye; it reflected the light of a nearby torch on the wall, winking enticingly. He bent over and picked it up, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He examined his pale features, raising a hand to touch his blond hair. Yes, this body was perfect. Just perfect.

His eyes flashed scarlet and he began to laugh once again, the chilling sound echoing off the stone walls.

And many miles away, in the Permanent Spell Damage Ward in St Mungo's, London, Harry Potter awoke, drenched in sweat.

***

Please leave me feedback... You don't know what it means to me when you do *sob*. Oh, and by the way, in case anyone's forgotten, Lillith is Lillith Goyle-Parkinson. That would make her mother Pansy. And I don't think dear old Pansy would be all too happy with Draco's marriage to Asteria myself...