Scorpius,
We hope you're studying hard. Can't let that Weasley
girl beat you. Hopefully you're spending equal amounts
of time on your books and your qudditch. I heard
something of a game coming up, why haven't you
mentioned this Scorpius? Your mother and I would
like to be present for it. Send us the date and time.
Remember, your OWL grades were not what we expected.
Do better.
Love Draco & Astoria Malfoy
He looked at the paper in his hand. His parents usually sent him a letter every other week as they cared about his well being. It was only the ones his mother wrote that he looked forward to. Even though this said it was from both of his parents, he knew it was his father that sent it. His mom wished he would stop playing qudditch after all. Draco always wanted him to become someone better than what he was in school. Meaning he had to study harder and practice harder than his dad when he was in school.
He knew that, that was expected. At this time in his father's life, he was probably already a Death Eater and setting out to kill Dumbledore. He heard the stories, were taught the stories to his great shame, in first year History of Magic. Whenever he heard his family name heard, he always slumped down in his seat as if wanting to become invisible. He hated that feeling. Everyone's eyes on him because they were shocked by the things his family had done. He had wanted to shout at them that they were not he. That he was better than them, but he hadn't. He had just stayed quiet and pretended he didn't care about what they were discussing in his class. After class, he would brag to his friends (all who's parents were among those on the wrong side during the war) and tell them that he was proud of his dad. They all soaked it up like a sponge.
But they would never know he was ashamed to be a Malfoy. He flaunted his wealth and status every chance he got. Used it as a way to seduce girls, an excuse to become someone he was not proud of. He would never tell people that. He let them all think he was the most awesome thing ever. After all... in a way, he sort of was right?
If he was so awesome - then why did his father nag him constantly? He adored his mother, even if she was a Greengrass (another hated name in the world). She had haughty look on her, but she was the one that made sure he was always well. She sent him food thinking that Hogwarts food wasn't enough for him. She sent him letters just to hear from her only child, and she always made sure to ask him how he was in them. His father just told him to get better.
He could do without his father, who in his life he never remembered as a loving father. He remembered his father as a stern figure who he was afraid of angering. He had yelled at him a lot, thrown things at him when he was in a particularly foul mood. Scorpius had learned to live around them and always disappear when he heard his father come through the door. Astoria would always come into his room later and tell him that his father was just having difficulty still adjusting to life without being respected as he used to be. He would forgive his dad if only he would stop yelling at him. If only he would stop sending him notes that he needed to be the best he could possibly be. Would he ever be just enough for his father to accept?
He knew the answer was no, but he would do everything possible to change that around. He would become someone his father was proud of. Someone Draco Malfoy would brag about to his friends. For now though, he could do without his dad breathing down on his neck. He took the thick parchment and ripped it in half, then that into half again. Even if he was in the great hall where everybody could see him, he didn't care. He just wanted it gone.
He couldn't disobey his father, and promptly opened his book bag. He threw the pieces of his dad's letter into his bag before taking out a fresh, clean sheet of parchment along with a quill and some ink. He made sure he addressed it properly, calling his dad sir, making sure there were no blotches; he was never anal about stuff like this as taking a mere look at his homework would show. He just didn't want his dad to criticize anything else about him. Rolling up the dry letter, he tied it to the family owl who was waiting for him while nibbling his toast and drinking his water and let it fly off. Hopefully his dad wouldn't show. The intense pressure that was put on him when his parents showed up watch him made him want to go off and drink a large pitcher of firewhisky (as he always did when his dad showed up unannounced at school).
His dad was a governor, since he had proved fully to the wizarding world he was completely turned from his journey on the dark side. Scorpius knew that people still did not trust him, as Draco complained about it whenever they had dinner together. He had been glad that his dad had gotten an actual job instead of relying on their huge family fortune and her mother's own occupation to live. It at least got him out of the house in the summer. During the school year, it was a different story. Draco constantly kept on visiting unannounced and expected his son to drop everything to be with him. His dad drove him insane.
And he knew that if he came to a qudditch game, he would yell at him afterward about not catching the damn snitch faster.
"Scor!" he heard someone call and he turned his head to see Diana Kensington approaching him.
He smiled at her and she slid into the empty seat next to him. For some strange reason, he was all-alone - that never happened to him. He always liked to be with people, being alone gave him too much time to think and he really hated that.
Diana kissed him on the cheek in greeting before proceeding to grab a bagel and smother it in cream cheese. Like all other thin girls before her, she did have a hearty appetite that Scorpius used to wonder at. She almost ate as much as him, but she was a stick.
"Why are you all alone Scor? Very out of character for you," she said with a smile on her face, telling him she was only teasing.
Diana Kensington was the type of girl his father wanted him to marry. She was pureblood, which was extremely important to Draco despite the fact he attempted to show the public he didn't care about blood anymore. He told him on many occasions that marrying a muggle born would get him disowned. Luckily he never really considered any girls like that. His mind was filled with the same prejudices as his father before him had. Another thing he hated about Draco Malfoy.
She was also lovely. Every boy they passed this summer while on vacation together with their families had stared at her. He knew they couldn't help it - he could hardly help it himself. She was gorgeous with her lean frame that matched his in height, and her abundance of long blonde locks. Draco also told him not to marry someone ugly. He wanted pretty grandchildren. His father was too picky.
She was smart, she was independent, she could play qudditch, and most importantly she didn't care about the pureblood bullshit they were both placed in. She was his best friend ever since she smacked his head with her toy broom when he attempted to take it from her.
"I'm not allowed to eat by myself now?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.
He was staring at her eyes. He knew that if he didn't have a focus point of some sort, his eyes would drift over her divine figure. He didn't want to be one of those guys that just lewdly stared at her breasts or ass, no matter how lovely they were. They had a fling once, this summer. They were both drunk, their parents had pretty much let them alone the entire trip in France, and she had been wearing an extremely revealing dress. He had made the first move, and both had ended up waking up in bed together.
He had found out it was both their first times, and she regretted giving it away so early, but she was glad it was to him. It didn't change anything though. They would never be together in that way. She had made sure to include that it had felt like incest to her because they were so close. Scorpius agreed with her on that fact. They were the closest of friends, nothing more.
"No. You have an image to uphold Mr. Malfoy," she told him before shoving the last bit of bagel into her mouth.
"So do you Dee, you pig."
She reached for another bagel, before slapping him on the arm. "I resent being call a pig Scorpius."
It didn't bother her in the slightest though, as she smeared this one in cheese as well and ate it. He shook his head and reached for a cup of water.
After she was done eating, she turned to look at Scorpius. "You cancelled qudditch tomorrow you bloke. We need practice if we're going to win."
"I know, I know. But Binns put me into some stupid project."
"Ooo... special project. Do spill."
Scorpius took another drink of water, rolling his eyes at her annoying habit of wanting to know absolutely everything about his life. It made him feel like a gossiping girl, but she had told him that she was sure he was not a girl. Or else she would be afraid of his sexuality.
"We have these journals from the founders, and he stuck me into some book group type thing. I have to discuss what I read with three idiots."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like fun. And who are these three idiots?"
"Weasley, McCord and that freak who never talks to anyone in Hufflepuff."
"Weasley as in... They breed like rabbits you know. Weasley could refer to a billion people."
"Rose."
Diana bit her lip, before bursting into a laugh. Everyone around them turned to look at what was exactly so funny. Slytherins weren't known for having a good laugh after all. Diana was too happy to be placed in Slytherin. If it weren’t for her mischievous and cunning mind, he would have been afraid she was placed in Slytherin to spy on them or whatever.
"Excuse me? Why are you laughing Dee?" Scorpius asked, wondering what had overcome her.
She stopped laughing for a moment to answer. "I just feel sorry for you Scor. You're stuck with
Weasley, uptight, bitchy Weasley. If that's not bad enough, Binns just threw McCord into the mix - qudditch captain of our most hated rival. I remember you telling us to make sure we did everything possible to knock him off his broom last game. You detest him. And you have West. Melanie isn't that bad, but her sister is such a sociopath, it's so scary. He seriously couldn't have picked more different people."
She started to laugh again, and he shook his head. That was exactly how he felt about the whole situation. He just didn't say it as eloquently as Diana did.
"I can run practice you know. You didn't have to cancel the whole thing with only our seeker missing," she told him after her laughing fit was over. "I mean, we don't want Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff to steal the pitch because we cancelled."
"Ravenclaw's a threat. Hufflepuff we don't have to worry about. McCord has to cancel practices too... I doubt he'll think of letting someone else run them. Great idea Dee, I'll go make sure we get the pitch tomorrow night again." Scorpius told her, grateful once more for his best friends.
"Hey, just doing my job as co-captain. The least I can do is this, since you hardly let me fly around with those bludgers anyways," she said, smiling at him in her special way. He was too over-protective of her.
"Just do the regular drills. Make sure they all beg to come back in before you let up."
She shook her head. "You're a nasty piece of work, aren't you Malfoy?" The clock chimed and she looked at a watch she wore on her thin wrist. "Shit! I'm going to be late for class. Bye loser," she told him, kissing his cheek before running off to a class he didn't have.
He stayed at the table, as he had nothing first thing. He needed something to do for a couple of hours before his first class. He should read that journal... but it was turning out to be such a nice day.
He asked some first class that was lost if there was any little flying class going on at the pitch, and when he knew there wasn't, he headed to grab his broom.
The journal he needed to read, was long forgotten.
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