Monday, April 4

Chapter Twenty-Seven of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Not Here, Not Anywhere

Pacing in the Gryffindor Common Room, my red and gold robes dripped mud and all sorts of things onto the rug. From afar, my other housemates looked at me with uneasiness in their eyes.
“Hey, Al,” said James. He left his spot on the couch, being admired by gaggles of girls, and stood beside me. “Come with me.”
Narrowing my eyes, I followed my brother up to his dormitory, where the litter of four twelve-years old boys was all over the floor. Stepping gently over a pair of undershorts, I sat down on someone’s bed, not caring that mud dripped all over the crimson covers.
“What do you want, James?” I said. Every time my brother had tried to talk to me this year it seemed, it was all about me trying to get Hazel expelled or spreading rumors about both of the Malfoy twins. “If this is about my friendship with Hazel, I will curse you.”
James made a small noise between his lips and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it. “I’m a year older than you, Al, and you think that I can’t do a Shield Charm?” He didn’t wait for a snarky reply. “Listen, your friendship with those pure-bloods, the Malfoys, is seriously damaging to both my reputation and our family’s.”
I snorted. “Your reputation, you mean. You spend too much time and energy worrying about how popular you are.” I stood from the bed and turned to leave, my Quidditch boots rubbing roughly on the carpeted floor. “Hazel and I are best friends, James, and you need to stop trying to change that fact!”
I was half-way to the door when my brother called back. “It’s not really about the fact that they damage reputations, dear brother. Those Malfoys don’t belong here at Hogwarts. They don’t belong here… or anywhere. Nobody except for you likes them, and that has to change. If it doesn’t… bad things will start to happen.”
I reached inside my robes for my wand and approached my brother, hands shoved in his pockets, and looking smug. “That was you, wasn’t it? You used that Vanishing Spell on Scorpius’s broom!”
“Oh no, that was Rose Weasley.” James let out a cold laugh. “It’s an O.W.L spell, but she can do it.”
“I’m going to tell Professor McGonagall,” I warned, but James just let out another cold laugh.
“If you do, or if you continue being friends with the Malfoys… a small bout of unconsciousness and a cracked skull is not the worst of the Malfoy family’s worries.” A wide grin spread across his face. “I can hurt them, Albus. How’d you like that on your soul?”
I inhaled quickly and slumped against a bedpost. “You wouldn’t do that. I know you would—“ But the look on James’s face stopped me cold. “What do you want?” I whimpered. I couldn’t let Hazel or Scorpius or anyone get hurt. They didn’t deserve it.
“You better break your friendship by tomorrow,” James warned,” or there’ll be more than just harmless jinxes coming their way.”

I sat upright, very straight at the Gryffindor table. James sat next to me, talking boisterously about the Quidditch match and how our chances looked for the Cup. Hazel was peering at me from across the room, motioning for me to come and sit with her at the Slytherin table. Her eyes were still red, and her nose was still running from the massive amounts of tears she had shed for her brother. Headmistress McGonagall had announced that Scorpius was going to be fine, he had a cracked skull and would be unconscious for a while.
“Luckily the ground was soft, and he only fell about ten or fifteen feet,” she had said with a grimace.
James shoved me roughly, causing gravy to be poured all over my sleeve. I glared accusingly at him. “James!”
“Here’s your chance,” he hissed. I frowned, confused, then realized what he was talking about as Hazel wedged herself in-between myself and a tall fifth year.
“Move it,” Hazel said rudely. The fifth year glanced at her furiously, then turned away, nose in the air. Hazel turned to me, and I resisted the urge to look away as well. Her piercing grey eyes seemed to look into my brain and read my thoughts…
“Why aren’t you sitting with me?” she asked softly.
“I…” I widened my eyes and nodded to the fellow Gryffindors sitting around me. “I just wanted to eat dinner with my house, that’s all.”
“Well, I need to tell you something really important,” Hazel said. She bounced slightly on the seat. “Can I tell you here?”
I nodded and leaned closer to her to listen. James poked me in the back, and I drew back, remembering that I had been blackmailed to not be friends with her.
Hazel dropped her voice and eyes so only the whites of them glinted in the candlelight. “Rose Weasley was the one who Vanished Scorpius’s broom.”
I swallowed and sat taller. Be brave, be brave, I told myself. I could face Lucias Malfoy, but not my brother, and especially not my best friend.
“Why should I trust you?” I sneered. Inside though, my insides were twisting. “You’re a Malfoy, and everyone knows that you can’t be trusted.”
Hazel looked at me, stunned. I could feel James, behind me, smiling cruelly. I’m doing this for your own good! I wailed inside, so wanting to tell her that.
Hazel shook her hair and looked at me with a glance so full of pain I thought that I would melt under it. “Albus, you don’t really mean that. I know that you don’t think I’m a real Malfoy, well, not a Dark Wizard or—“
“Go,” I said nastily. “Go back to Slytherin so you can share you next plans of murder, why don’t you? That is what Malfoys do.”
The grey eyes looking at me turned sharp and cold. Hazel jumped up from the table, green tie smacking her in the face.
“This isn’t you, Albus,” she decided. “You would never say those things, but I’m warning you.” She moved closer. “If you ever say anything like that again, I will curse your ears to fall off, friend or not.”
“I’m not your friend,” I snarled. “I would never be friends with a Malfoy.”

Chapter Twenty-Six of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Strike

The Quidditch pitch went entirely silent, and even the players stopped flying, and looked down, down, down to see my twin, my brother, my best friend hit the ground. His body was limp, like a rag doll’s, and his arms stretched over his head like he was waiting for death. I stood, almost hanging over the edge of the seats, not breathing. Then I turned to Rose Weasley, who still had her wand extended from where she had Vanished both Scorpius’s broom and the Snitch. And maybe his life.
“I’m going to KILL you!” I screeched, my voice echoing throughout the stadium. Without any thought of consequences or fear, I threw myself at Rose, knocking her wand out of her wand. Both of our wands now lay on the ground, but absence of magic wasn’t going to stop me from pounding her into a pulp. Muggles did it all the time, and I was so much better than any Muggle, so of course I could do it as well.
She killed Scorp, she killed Scorp. Scorpius is dead, he’s dead. Your twin is dead, Malfoy! Voices rushed inside my head, filling both my eyes and vision until all I could see was Rose’s face and how the blood that speckled it was a small price to pay, now that my brother had died…
“Miss Malfoy!” came a shocked voice. A pair of large, rough hands pulled me away from Rose, who scrambled backwards in fear that I would jump on her again.
“Let me go!” I yelled, trying to get back to Rose. The person holding me however, wasn’t listening, and pulled me away from Weasley, with me still screaming and kicking.
Finally the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Teachers teacher dumped me, sobbing, onto the ground. We were well away from the Quidditch pitch, and almost to the school.
Through my tears and racking sobs I could see that Hagrid was looking uncomfortable.
“Eh, don’t cry,” he said, looking to the side. “I’m sure your brother’s not ‘ead.”
My only reply was a howl of sorrow. Scorpius was my brother, and my best friend. Albus had told me how his Uncle George felt after his other uncle, Fred had died. According to him, Albus’s Uncle George was never able to produce a Patronous, and was never really happy again.
“He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead,” was the only thing I was able to think or say on my way to Professor McGonagall’s office.
I guess I could only speak the truth.

Weasley and I sat, glowering at each other. My tears had finally subsided, and now, in the same room with my enemy, I felt more anger than anything else. Professor McGonagall stalked between us, telling of our punishment.
Her voice shook with anger. It was so scary. Not.
“I am absolutely disgusted with the behavior you two girls showed today. Miss Malfoy, you attacked another student! For the second time this year. And not even a proper duel— you descended to brawling like a Muggle! And I—“
I crossed my arms and shoved my face in the green and silver scarf around my neck. McGonagall had refused to tell me anything about Scorpius, and now Weasley was staring gleefully at me like an idiot—
“—I’m even considering having you, Malfoy, be suspended from the Slytherin Quidditch team.”
“WHAT?” I sat upright in my chair. “You can’t, professor!”
Professor McGonagall ignored me. “But you will be certain to get a week’s worth of detentions and there will be fifty points deducted from Slytherin.”
“Professor, Scorpius…” I whispered.
“And,” McGonagall’s eyes flashed over me, like an eagle sizing up it’s prey. “I will be writing to your family, no doubt they are already here, for your brother.”
“Which family?” Interrupted Weasley. “The one’s in Azkaban, or the one’s who deserve to be there? Oh, I forgot, that’s everyone, isn’t it?”
I gripped both sides of my armchair and glared at her. If looks could kill, she would’ve dropped dead right there.
McGonagall turned to Rose. “Miss Weasley! You are not out of this predicament either. Not only are you are rude— your professors have made that clear— but you sabotaged a Quidditch match and seriously injured a fellow student!” The headmistress’s voice rose in pitch. “ Seventy-five points from Ravenclaw, a week of detentions, and you will be certain that I will write to your mother and father, expressing the certain need of discipline for you.”
She took a step back and glanced at both of us. “If either of you girls put another toe out of line, I assure you that you will be suspended for the rest of the year, you can count on that!”
“Professor McGonagall!” I yelled, not caring at possible suspension at the moment. She whipped around to face me, and I stood up. “I need to go to the hospital wing, see Scorpius, make sure…”
Her eyes softened slightly. “Alright, Miss Malfoy. You may go.”
I didn’t wait for another word and dashed out of her office, cursing at the stone gargoyles when they didn’t move fast enough, and sped all the way to the hospital wing.
Seriously injured, McGonagall had said. Not dead?

I curled my knees closer to my body and perched on the stool that Madame Abbot had brought me. Scorpius’s white blond hair had fallen over his eyes, and he was still wearing his yellow and black Quidditch robes. He looked perfectly fine, besides the fact that he was injured with things that Madame Abbot could not detect. His breath rose peacefully, but I watched, terrified that I would glance away, and the breath would’ve stopped entirely.
A gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. Looking up, tears began to stream from my eyes once more. Mum looked shocked, then came around and knelt on the ground. Her dark green robes fell beside her, and she looked into my eyes.
“Hazel dear, why are you crying?”
I stared at her. “S-Scorpius might d-die!”
“Don’t be silly,” Came Dad’s voice. There was a soft tap of his leather shoes as he rounded the chair and knelt beside his wife. “Scorpius is not going to die.”
“How do you know?” I asked. I wiped a mixture of snot and tears away with my sleeve. “You’re not Healers.”
Mum sighed. “Madame Abbot just told us. He’s going to be fine. He only fell fifteen or twenty feet, which is small compared to most Quidditch accidents.”
“The only person who’s in danger right now is Rose Weasley,” growled Dad. He looked around the room. “If I catch her, or her father alone, I-I’ll…” He trailed off, still looking furious.
Mum glanced at him disapprovingly. “Really, Draco, this is no way to act around your children. Hazel already got in trouble, big trouble in fact, for attacking this Weasley girl.” Her eyes darkened, and she brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Honey, your Dad and I know you have a temper, and are always trying to fight for what you think is right…”
“But you need to be careful,” Dad said. He lowered his voice and stood up, placed a hand on my chair, and looked outside at the darkening sky. “People will hold you accountable for these things, and will always judge you because your a Malfoy.”
“So are you asking me to just let them slander my family?” I asked. Madame Abbot poked her head out from her office, gave a dramatic Shush! and went back to her work. I dropped my voice. “Are you?”
Mum stood as well. “It’s just, dangerous. You cannot get expelled from Hogwarts, because I doubt that Beabaxtons Academy would take you.”
“Yeah, you’re not a spoiled French brat,” snorted Dad. I giggled, and Mum glared at him again.
“Really, Draco?” Mum sighed and walked over to Scorpius’s bed. She brushed the hair out of his eyes, just the same as she did to mine. Looking up, she said,” Do you think that it would’ve been better if we had given the kids my name?”
Before Dad could reply I stood and crossed my arms. “No way. I’ve decided that I’m not going to wish that I wasn’t a Malfoy. I’m going to do what Scorpius has always done, and be proud of it.” I glanced at Mum, then at Dad. “I’ll try and keep my temper at bay, but if Rose— or anyone else puts a wand or Scorpius and I—“ I snapped my fingers. “I’m hexing them.”

Chapter Twenty-Five of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Disappearing Snitch

A Bludger barreled right towards me, sun glinting off of it’s iron shell. Swerving to the side, the Hufflepuff Beater hit it away from me, into the patch of red and gold players.
The other Beater, Jack yelled at the other one. “Grimble! Don’t wait that long to beat that Bludger! Do you want our Seeker to be decapitated?”
Sighing, I turned my broom and flew down to the Hufflepuff side of the field. James Potter followed me, thinking that I had seen the Snitch.
“Hey, I saw the Snitch!” shouted Potter. He flew closer to me, reaching out with his hand. For one, horrifying moment I thought that the Snitch was hovering right next to my yellow and black robes. Potter let out a laugh. “Sorry there Malfoy, I thought you were the Snitch. What happened to your green robes? Did Slytherin not want you?”
Hissing softly, I shot up into the bright late-March air, trying not to look up into the sun. Once I had reached the desired height, I circled the pitch from above, searching for a speck of gold that fluttered innocently down below.
I’m going to kill Potter, I thought furiously. If he does that one more time, I’m going to grab his head and twist it.
Potter’s attitude was pretty common, though. Ever since my blasted grandparents went to Azkaban, it seemed like everyone else was trying to get Hazel and I to leave Hogwarts.
“You can’t show temper, Scorp,” I muttered under my breath. I leaned further on my broom, still looking for the Snitch. “Great advice, Hazel.” I has never shown temper before, that was Hazel’s job. But that didn’t mean that I didn’t have one, one that was almost as fiery as my twin’s.
“And there goes Jack Prince,” the commentator, a burly Ravenclaw named Emanuel Oke. “He’s pursuing that Bludger, it’s getting closer and closer, and YES! He’s beat it back! And now Hufflepuff’s very attractive Keeper, Hope Grace, is taking the Quaffle to the Gryffindor side… That’s a hard throw— will Gryffindor be able to save it?”
There was a pause, and Oke’s voice rang out through the stadium once more. “And, yes! She makes it!” There was an almighty roar from below. “Albus Potter, Keeper, isn’t looking very happy.”
I glanced at my sister’s best friend. Although he was far away, the look of both anger and frustration was evident on his face.
“Scorpius!” Came an anguished yell. I looked around, face to face with a spitting Prince. “What are you doing? The Snitch!!!”
Breath in my throat, I looked down and saw Potter speeding beneath us, his red and gold robes billowing, hand reached out to snatch the speeding golden ball…
“Knock a Bludger at him!” I yelped hoarsely, pulling into a dive. Oke’s commentary rang in my ears, and I could hear Prince yelling back at me.
“I could hit you, ya know!”
“Don’t care!” I wheezed back, urging my broom to go faster. My broom was a model better than Potter’s, the Nimbus 7500. But he had already gotten a huge head start, and although I was gaining on him, he could easily reach the Snitch now.
Come on Prince, I thought desperately. Almost as if I had accioed it, a speeding Bludger came hurtling right to Potter. The other Seeker made some kind of gasping sound, and twisted through the air, Bludger flying behind him. Potter had lost his lead, and I was gaining on the Snitch.
“Little farther,” I grunted, leaning forward on my broom. The Snitch glinted before me teasingly, it’s tiny wings fluttering and just begging me to catch it. The ball took a sudden dip towards the crowd and I sped after it, right over the heads of the Slytherins.
“Come on Scorp!” called Hazel. I could faintly see her white blond hair shining amongst the mass of yellow. The Slytherins were supporting Hufflepuff, because they sort of had to, and would rather die than support Gryffindor. “Get the Snitch!”
Reaching out, I could see that my brand new Seeker gloves where all dirty, which I loved. After a life time of getting only brand-new things, a little wear and tear was welcome. Come on, come on, I thought.
The Snitch was still a little bit out of reach. For one, frantic, scared moment, I froze, then gripped one hand on my broom. With the other I threw out to catch the Snitch, my body going over the broom. There was a shout that rose over the crowd, and a muffled pop!
Suddenly the Snitch wasn’t in my hands anymore. And neither was the broom. For one split second, I looked down, seeing Hazel’s shocked face reflecting my own, and, with her red hair gleaming in the sun, Rose, with her wand still extended.
The blue sky went farther and farther away, and the green ground came closer. The hard ground.

Chapter Twenty-Four of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Thorny Rose

“Now,” Professor Wood said. He limped across the classroom, like he always did. Sighing, I leaned on my elbows and stared outside of the windows, watching the trees swaying in the wind. The warm March air whisked through the grounds, making stray leaves on the ground pick up and whirl them around like a tornado.
What I would give to be playing Quidditch right now…
Thankfully no one in Slytherin was ignoring me. In fact, now that I was on the Quidditch team they basically worshiped me, along with the rest of the team. We were so close to beating Gryffindor for the cup last year, and now we were going to win. Hopefully.
Everyone else in the school was growling at me, though. They moved away from me in the hallways, like I had some weird disease. The Muggle-borns just plain ran from me. Apparently, the death of twelve non-magical Muggles could really shake things up.
Lucias and Narcissa got their sentences yesterday. Life in Azkaban. And judging from how Lucias had still not entirely recovered from his brief spell in the prison, many years ago, they weren’t going to last that long.
“We were going to begin our unit on vampires,” Wood continued,” but I’ve decided, that in light of recent events, I may as well just give you a little lecture on the Unforgivable curses.”
A breath went through the classroom, and I folded my arms. Current events? I knew what he was talking about, and judging by how both the Slytherins and Ravenclaws were looking at me, they did too.
“The Unforgivable Curses,” began Wood,” and the use of them on a fellow human being will get you a one way ticket to Azkaban.” Hairs on my arms raised as I though of the prison, dark and imposing in the middle of the sea. I wondered how Lucias and Narcissa were faring.
Drifting off, I peered at Albus, who was trying to get my attention for across the aisle. Professor Wood had banned us from sitting next to each other, mainly because we both had a tendency to hex anyone who said something bad about the Malfoys or Potters. We would still do it of course, but I suspected that he was just looking for a way to get me in trouble.
Albus mouthed words at me. Why is he talking about this?
I bit my lip and listened closer to what Professor Wood was saying.
“Some famous incidents of Death Eaters using this curse, the torture curse, include the Longbottoms, the parents of Professor Longbottom. A more recent one, was the torture of Hermione Granger, at the Malfoy Manor.”
I froze, aware that everyone’s eyes were on me. Malfoy Manor, torture, Hermione Granger. Why now? I wailed in my head. I already had enough of my classmates continually pointing out that my family used to be Dark Wizards, and now my teachers were doing the same?
Professor Wood curled his lip at me. “Bellatrix Lestrange, who is thankfully dead now, tortured Mrs. Granger using this curse. It was a cowardly attack, for she wasn’t armed with a wand and all of the people who could’ve helped where locked in the magical cellar.”
“Hey Malfoy,” hissed a bushy-haired Ravenclaw. She grinned at me. “Did your grandparents teach you all about this stuff?”
I thought about my wand, laying on the desk, just asking me to pick it up and show them the real meaning of pain. I could do so many jinxes and hexes now… Scorpius and I poured over the books at night, making sure that we could deal with all of the teasing and duels in the hallways. But I didn’t. I would have, but I knew that it would only make things worse.
Straight-backed and stiff, I stared at Professor Wood, daring him to continue. I couldn’t feel fear, and I couldn’t blush or hide or anything. I didn’t feel proud of my great-aunt for doing that, who could?
Don’t feel anything, I told myself furiously. They may be insulting you and your family, but hexing them will make things worse.
Soon I could only see Professor Wood’s mouth moving. His words had been replaced by a low, angry humming noise that filled my ears. Fighting to not get red and explode, I focused as hard as I could on the foe-glass that stood a little behind the professor.
As I watched, a tiny crack sliced down the middle, then widened, sending other stray trickles outwards. It brought me back to when I had first shown signs of magic, when I was around six or five years old…

I was in the gardens of Malfoy Manor, all alone. The sun was shining brightly and I had borrowed my Mum’s old Hogwarts clothes. The robes trailed on the dusty ground, and I held an old branch like it was a wand. Running on the trail, kicking up plumes of dust, I broke out of the rows of bushes and flowers to step underneath a towering oak.
Three or four boys that I had never seen before were laying around it, quietly talking amongst themselves. One of them was standing up, standing guard for the rest. But with me being so small, I was able to come within meters of them without them noticing. 
“Are you sure that we should be here?” said the smallest. The older one, which now I think may have been his brother shook his head. 
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know the stories. That family who lives here are scared of everything. Why else would they always were those long coats and look like everything is about to attack them?” 
Another boy snorted. “They’re so pale, maybe their vampires!” 
“Don’t be silly,” said the largest boy. “Vampires aren’t real. That’s only in the movies.”
It may have been now when I realized that those boys were not nice, and were Muggles. I didn’t know what a “movie” was, and frankly, still don’t. But the lookout person saw me. 
“Look!” he said. All four boys turned their eyes to me. I was in the shadows, the stick that had pretended to be my wand on the ground. They approached me, talking about things that I don’t remember. 
That was all to that part of the memory, aside from looking down at the oak tree and seeing that branches had fallen and hit the boys of the head. 
They never came back again, thankfully, but the villagers still spoke of the incident as if it were yesterday. The pale girl, and how she made the sky fall. 

“Any questions?” Wood asked. I glanced up from my desk, his voice piecing the intentness of my memory. The same bushy-haired Ravenclaw raised her hand. Wood nodded, and she took a breath.
“Because we’re talking about current events, I was wondering if you would consider the Malfoys to be almost as cruel and heartless as Voldemort himself.” There was a beat in the classroom, and my hands started shaking. If I were a dragon, maybe a Chinese Firebolt, steam would’ve been billowing around me.
That’s it! I thought, and, good intentions flying out the window, grabbed my long wand and prepared to shove it in that girl’s face.
But someone got their first. In a blur of blue robes and red hair, Rose Weasley of all people pointed her dark wand at the other girl’s. She advanced, face set in an expression of loathing.
“You obviously don’t know your wizarding history, Nina,” hissed Rose. “Voldemort is a creature that cannot be compared to any other wizard in history. Not even Salazar Slytherin. And the Malfoys?” Her brown eyes flickered to me. “Well, Nina. Let’s put it this way. Would you like it if everyone called you a Mudblood and Wizard-killer? Just because your ancestors were?”
I stared at Rose, shocked. Of all the people in the school, she was the last whom I thought would stand up for me. Maybe I judged her, just the same as everyone else judged me.
And that, I knew, wasn’t a good feeling.

It was after class and I ran after Rose Weasley. Trying to stuff my Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook into my bag, I yelled her name. After a couple of tries, she turned around.
“What?” she said, her voice impatient and harsh.
I skidded to a stop and stood, three inches taller than her. “I just wanted to say thanks for defending me back there.”
Rose let out a cold, harsh laugh. “Help? Malfoy, the only reason I did what I did was because I hate Nina even more than you.” She began walking down the hall and called back to me. “If you ever want to succeed in life, you shouldn’t be as gullible as that.”
I stared at her retreating back, fingering my wand. It took a lot of my remaining energy not to curse her.
I would be expelled for that, and being expelled wouldn’t be a very good thing. After all, who else would take care of Scorpius?

Chapter Twenty-Three of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Muggle Killings

Hazel was still radiating heat when we ate breakfast in the Great Hall. Albus was edging away from her, I suspected that she had been arguing with him all morning. I just leaned back, ate my sausages, and watched the show.
While we were at the Weasley’s party, Mr. Weasley and Dad were talking in the front hall. Around eight o’clock or so, all of the guests could hear explosions and raised voices, even over the horrible Muggle music that was playing. When Hazel and I got to the door, in front of everyone, Mr. Weasley had blown a hole in the opposite wall, and Dad was standing his ground with his wand drawn.
After that, everyone had their wands out.
“How can you say that Mr. Weasley didn’t start it? Do you think that Dad started it?” Hazel had abandoned her orange juice and muffin and was glaring daggers at her best friend.
“Well, it is up for debate,” Albus said tentivally. “And none of us were there, so we don’t know.”
I winced, seeing Hazel swell taller. “Debate?” she spat. “Okay, Albus. Let’s have a debate.”
I jumped away from the Slytherin like it had burned me. “I can’t take much more of this,” I muttered, and moved to the Hufflepuff table. I sat on the edge of the table, respectively. I knew by now that nobody would sit with me, and if I did sit next to someone I would be glared at. Any other day I may have not cared, but Hazel’s constant arguing was getting on my nerves.
I took a bite out of crisp toast. It’s butter and crumbs stuck to my chin, and the rest floated down to land on my black robes. As I brushed the little bits of wheat off, a thump distracted me.
The Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, a thin six year named Jack Jecka was probably the only person in Hufflepuff who had liked me. He always wore his yellow and black sweater, and now was grasping a sleek Firebolt in his hand.
“Yes?” I began tentivally.
Jack smiled at me. “Scorpius, right?” I nodded, and he went on. “Did you hear what happened to Edin Taylor, our Seeker?”
“No.”
“Well, she broke up with her boyfriend,” I noticed that he went very red at that statement. “And he’s on the team… So, she quit, and since you were our second choice, I’m inviting you back onto the team.”
“Really?” I asked. Jack nodded, and I grinned. “Great! I’ll do it.”
“Good, Scorpius.” Jack stood up and patted me on the back. “So, practices are every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday.”
“Why so many?” I asked, shoving toast into my mouth. Crumbs sprayed everywhere, but I was too excited to brush them off of my robes. “Slytherin and Gryffindor haven’t even started. They will in March. We’re two months early.”
Jack looked delighted. “You have friends on the other team? Great! Do you think you can tell us what they say?”
I looked to the side and shrugged. “I guess.” Hazel and Albus didn’t tell me that much. They usually just argued.
Quidditch! I thought ecstatically. Just like Dad, I’m a Seeker!
For some reason though, a little voice nagged at my head. He wasn’t on the Hufflepuff team, was he?
“Stop!” I told myself. I leaned on my elbow as Jack trotted back to the rest of the team, who always ate together. “Lucias and Narcissa aren’t like that anymore. You don’t have to keep hearing them in your head!”
If they’ve really changed. Hazel, Dad, Mum, and Albus may believe it, but too many of my memories included them yelling, the Howler… There was just too much to forgive. I shook my head, strands of white blond hair flying everywhere.
You’re on the Quidditch team, I reminded myself. Keep thinking that way, Seeker.
Hazel plopped down beside me. Her cheeks were flushed pink and she was breathing hard. I glanced backwards, hoping that my sister hadn’t killed Albus or anything.
“Okay, Albus and I have stopped fighting now,” she said. “Will you come back to our table?”
I opened my mouth to tell her the good news, but my voice faltered as the owls swooped into the Great Hall. Hazel gazed up at the ceiling, eyes narrowing.
“Are there more of them now?” she asked. I shrugged, and pointed to Accio, who was taking long, lazy circles over our heads.
“Accio,” I hissed, patting the table. The brown owl landed lightly on the Hufflepuff table, and held out his leg. He dipped his beak into my glass of milk and began taking small sips.
Leaving Hazel to untie the letter I looked up to the ceiling and dreamed of all of the Quidditch matches Hufflepuff would win once I was on the team…
“Scorp,” Hazel said suddenly. She held out the letter from our parents, which was short and looked like Dad rushed to write it.

Dear Hazel and Scorpius,
Lucias and Narcissa left the Manor early this morning and went down to the Muggle village. There, they killed several Muggles and are now being transported to the Ministry, where they will almost certainly be placed in Azkaban.

I looked up, gasping. “What? But I thought that they were good now…” Hazel looked grim, and I ducked down to read the rest of the letter.

No doubt all of the other parents are telling their children to avoid you two. The news was in the Daily Prophet this morning, and that blasted Rita Skeeter wrote it. And you know how she feels about the Malfoys.
Remember that your Mum and I love you,
Dad

I frowned. “Since when does he conclude his letters with Dad? Every other time it’s been Draco Malfoy, right?” I stared at Hazel, hoping that I wasn’t missing something.
“Seriously, Albus,” Hazel said. “Dad’s parents are going to Azkaban! Of course he’s stressed out about it! And the way that he spends all day lurking around Malfoy Manor does no help at all,” she added disdainfully. “So if he signs letter weirdly it’s the least of his and our worries.”
“What are our worries?” I asked.
Hazel rolled her eyes and sighed. “Scorp, everyone’s been telling us for years that Lucias and Narcissa deserved to be in Azkaban, and now they’ve done something else that proves their point. Muggle-killing.” She gestured to the students, who had quieted down upon receiving the news. “See?”
“Muggle-borns, run for your life!” A seventh-year from the Gryffindor table said. “The two Malfoy twins are going to kill you like their grandparents murdered your kin!”
“Will you shut up?” I shouted. The Great Hall fell silent and I blushed, unused to having so many eyes on me. “We are not Lucias and Narcissa! Now you all better be careful, or I’ll, I’ll get my Dad to turn you all into beetles.” Hazel, for once didn’t say anything, just smiled at me.
She leaned forward, not caring about the silence that surrounded us like a heavy shroud. “Nice, Scorp. You show them.” She stood from the table and walked back to the Slytherins, glaring at everyone the entire way there.
I sank down onto the table. Was I becoming like my grandparents? They too threatened everyone like that. Guilt made the toast I had just eaten churn in my stomach.
Was I destined to be nothing but a Malfoy?

Chapter Twenty-Two of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Two: What the Minister Had Dropped

Dad looked at me with a forced smile. “You look lovely, honey.”
I glanced at him, both sides of my head aching from the weight of my red hair in pigtails. I was just about to tell him that prettiness wasn’t part of my profession when there was a knock on the door. Dad put on a smile and strode forward. His black robes fluttered out behind him, and for a moment I was able to see the Auror that the entire Ministry saw and respected. But it vanished, just as soon as it appeared. My father had never been anything but a sidekick, and he would never be anything but that. 
The front door opened, and I saw, among the white flakes of snow, my weak cousin Albus standing there like an owl. His pink face gleamed in the light that spilled from my house out onto the step. 
Dad held the door open wider. “Come in, Albus,” he said warmly. It was no secret that my father had always loved his nephew better than his own daughter. 
Albus faltered on the doorstep. “I didn’t come alone, Uncle Ron. I came his my friend’s family, and their—“
“They can come in!” Dad said. “This party is for everyone!” 
I rolled my eyes. I knew who Albus’s friends were- the Malfoys. I wasn’t going to tell him that. Sometimes it’s more fun to watch other people fall on their faces. 
Hazel Malfoy entered first, acting like she was a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin. Anything other than a Malfoy, at least. I sniffed at the other girl. She was always trying to act like she wasn’t all brooding and evil, but everyone could see through the act. It was just my idiot cousin who believed that Malfoys should should get a second chance.
Dad was still smiling as Scorpius and his mother followed. I don’t think that he knew who they were, for if he did, the smile wouldn’t be there.
Removing her grey cloak, Hazel nodded curtly to me. Strands of white blond hair fell across her face, and she brushed them off. Her twin glared at me. Obviously he hadn’t forgotten how I had told him the hard truth about Hufflepuffs. 
Well, two can play that game, I thought, narrowing my eyes even more than they already were. When I’m the Minister, I’ll remember Scorpius Malfoy. And how rudely you treated me!
Scorpius opened his mouth and appeared to have something to say to me, but a sharp intake of breath from my father distracted all three of the Malfoys. 
The entrance hallway was already thick with evil, but once Draco Malfoy stepped into our house, the amount of evil increased by a thousand-fold. 
Dad’s face was facing a little aways from me, but I was pretty sure that he was looking shocked that Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret and Death Eater had dared to walk into his house. Albus let the door close and stood, his wet, snowy boots soaking the hardwood floor. 
“Uncle Ron,” he said evenly,” these are the Malfoys.”
Thanks for the introduction, Albus, I thought. Albus continued talking, introducing each one of the Malfoys. I clenched my teeth together. But I’m pretty sure that we know who these people are. Aside from Astoria Malfoy, who looked like none of her family, their white blond hair, cold grey eyes, and sharp features gave them away. 
I watched as Draco held out one pale hand to Dad. His shirt sleeve drew back a couple of inches, and I could see a jet-black scar vividly. The Dark Mark. Although it had faded into just scar, one could imagine the thing pulsing as Voldemort issued orders. 
After a couple of seconds, Dad shook his. I noticed how their fingers barely touched, and Dad’s ears were red. With anger maybe, or fear. 
Probably fear, I mused. I locked my gaze with Scorpius’s, who was still glaring at me. Dad’s always been afraid of Draco. He’s never stood up to him or anything, or if he did he always came out worse. 
Dad drew his hand back and turned to me. “Rosy,” he said, face stiff and smiling. “Can you please show Hazel and Scorpius to the dining room? Albus, why don’t you go to. Leave us adults to catch up with each other.” 
I didn’t ask how Dad knew the Malfoy children’s names. It was bad enough being grounded, but speaking to the people who put me other punishment was almost worse. Without another word to Dad, I spun on one heel and walked to the side of the staircase, following the sound of laughter and clinking of china. 
Albus hurried behind me, his feet clipping the back of mine. Hazel and Scorpius followed him, walking beside each other. If they hadn’t been different genders, it would’ve been hard to tell the two apart. Their faces were both set in the same emotion, and both pairs of grey eyes glittered coldly in the bright light of my house. 
After a couple of strides, the talking grew louder, and as we turned the corner, passing by the swinging door to the kitchen, we came to the dining room. Witches and wizards of all ages were in there. The youngest were my brother and Albus’s sister, who dashed around tripping people. The older children talked in the corner, no doubt about me. 
Most of the adults were eating, but a couple of pairs were dancing to the Muggle music Mum enjoyed so much. Apparently the pure-bloods and half-bloods enjoyed it too. I stopped at the threshold, but Albus and Scorpius dashed right in. They went to the tables that stood on the sides of the room, and started grabbing as many sweets as possible. 
Boys, I sniffed. They’re all the same. 
“I heard what you did to the Ravenclaws, you know,” Hazel said. She stood beside me, white dress fluttering around her knees. “That wasn’t very nice of you. And your own housemates?” She shook her head. 
“Nice?” I asked. My brown eyes blazed. “Nice doesn’t get you anywhere in life, Malfoy. And the Ravenclaws— those aren’t my housemates. They’re stupid, lazy, and want to have fun half the time.” I spat out the words like they were booger-flavored Bertie Beans, a treat I enjoyed when I was younger. 
Hazel gaped at me, then stomped into the dining room. I hoped that I was ruining her evening. I couldn’t stand her for some reason. 
I surveyed the room, then decided that no one in there was worth my attention. Maybe I can sneak back upstairs, I thought. I had a chart that gauged the effectiveness of my new “I’m not being nice” campaign. Spinning around, my face was enveloped in something warm and mushy. 
“Ack!” I yelped, stumbling backwards. I looked up, about the scold whoever it was for not watching where they were going. But the words died in my throat as I saw the person I had never met, yet always wanted to be. 
The Minister… I stumbled backwards, stuttering. 
“Um… Sorry to, to bump into you, Mi- Minister.” Immediately I cursed myself. Stuttering always was weak, and the first impression always mattered.
“No problem, Miss Weasley,” said the Minister. He had clearly seen the massive amount of freckles and dark red hair that I had. He strode forward, robes waving. He brushed up against me, and a small pamphlet fluttered out and onto the ground. 
Picking it up, and read the title and decided not to give it back. This piece of paper could change everything. 

The Junior Assistant to the Minister Application Process. 

Chapter Twenty-One of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-One: Same Skin, Different Heart

Lucias had the gaunt look of the people from the Uncurable Ward at St. Mungo's. He was a shadow of his former self, his white hair almost translucent and eyes wide and dark. I noticed that his shirt sleeve was rolled down, and he no longer touched his Dark Mark when he thought that nobody was watching.
He took in a deep shuttering breath. “Potter— Albus,” he rasped. Immediately my best friend leaned closer to me for safety.
“You are right.”
My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open I studied Dad’s face, watching his sharp features lose their distinctness in shock. Mum looked over to Lucias, also astonished.
“I am a Dark Wizard,” Lucias continued. “I have never been much of a father—“ Dad sat up very straight, grey eyes soft. “—or a grandfather.”
I looked to the ground. I knew that Lucias was right, he had never really loved me or anything, but I didn’t want to show that I agreed with him. It was apparent that my grandfather was suffering already.
“My obsession with blood has clouded my judgment,” he said,” and it had led me to great lengths, where, looking back at them now, were unlawful and cruel.”
And now he’s talking about his Dark Mark, I thought.
Narcissa stepped beside her husband.
“And I have been wrong as well,” she said, voice soft. My head spun; it was as if my whole universe was crashing around me. Everything that I had ever known was disappearing as rapidly as casting a spell.
Dad stood up, face face somber and grimaced with pain. His normally neat hair was mussed, probably from where he had yanked it. Both him and myself did that sometimes.
I watched as Dad wordlessly crossed the room, his leather shoes crushing the torn wrapping paper littering the floor. He put his arms around Lucias, but stiffly, the way he had been taught.
But Lucias knew that was not how fathers hugged their sons. He squeezed Dad tightly, probably for the first time in forever. When he released Dad, both of the men’s eyes had tears in them.
I looked to my left, where Albus sat. I squeezed his hand and whispered,” Thank you, Albus.”
He looked surprised, and whispered back,” What did I do?”
I gestured to Lucias, Narcissa, and Dad.
“You healed them. Their souls and hearts were broken, until you brought them back with your words.”

Chapter Twenty of Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty: The Universe has Gone Array

Christmas crept up on me like a cat pouncing on a bird. The days leading up to it were so new, so strange without Lucias and Narcissa. They had been holed up in their rooms, and refused to come out. Personally, Hazel and I thought they were plotting to kill Albus. We didn’t share that thought with him, although he probably though the same. Without my grandparents, there were no long speeches about how great the Dark Lord was. There was only laughter and quiet conversations flooding the halls of the Manor now.
Albus made a difference as well on my family. Hazel was happy to have a friend at last, and never stopped smiling. Even though she had me to play with,  I knew she had always wanted a friend. Mum adored Albus, and treated him like he was her second son. Dad was very nice to him, which was a little more than I expected. I thought that Dad would’ve blown by now.
But even with all the new peace, I still woke on Christmas morning with a Quaffle thrown on my chest.
“What?” I said frantically. Albus took back his Quaffle and now tossed it from hand to hand. The Gryffindor Keeper was a horrible roommate. First he snored, then he kept spreading his mound of pillows and blankets over my room, and now he wakes me up with a Quaffle.
“What is it?” I asked again.
Albus looked at me. “It’s Christmas!”
I was way to sleepy to understand what he was getting at. “And?”
“And,” Albus said slowly. I noticed that he was already in his Muggle clothes. “It’s almost ten in the morning, and your Mum says to get you down here or she’s going to jinx you.”
Sighing, I threw the covers off of my body and stumbled to the door. Albus plodded behind me as I walked down the dark hallway. The pictures on the walls were crooked, mainly because pictures of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord had once lined the entire manor. Dad had managed to get a couple off, but the rest had an Unbreakable Sticking Charm. Now we had a lot of pictures of our family.
“Your hair is all messy, Scorpius,” Albus said. I stopped walking, one hand on the banister.
“Yours always is,” I rebuked. “Mine looks like this after I sleep.”
Hazel met us at the bottom of the stairs. “Finally you’re up,” she said, exasperated. “I was going to start opening presents without you. Mum and Dad are already in the family room,” she said, and turned on one heel, stalking to the room. I shrugged and followed her, Albus close behind.
I couldn’t help smiling when I entered the room. A fire was blazing in the heath, and Mum and Dad were laughing and joking. After being teased and laughed at by almost everyone in the Wizarding World, it was moments like this that was what I liked doing. Just Hazel, Mum, Dad, and I. People who loved me.

Mum was serving hot cocoa when life turned back to normal.
We were sitting amongst pieces of paper and torn boxes, talking about Hogwarts with Dad. I was holding a brand new broom, a Firebolt 7. Next to me there was an assortment of sweets, and Hazel was already sneaking mine.
Hazel had received a pile of Muggle books, which she enjoyed reading almost as much as she enjoyed bashing people’s heads in with Bludgers. Albus got a ton of sweets like me, and a Weasley sweater. It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen, but I wasn’t going to tell Albus that.
“Thanks, Ms. Malfoy,” Albus said. He took a mug of coco she handed him.
“You’re welcome, dear,” she said. “Draco, would you like any?”
Dad lifted his gaze from the present from Hazel, Mum, and I. It was an album of pictures that ranged from Mum and his wedding, to when Hazel and I left for Hogwarts.
Mum liked taking pictures.
Dad opened his mouth to reply when the doors of the family room creaked open. Lucias appeared in the doorway, Narcissa peering over his shoulder.
As the two of them walked in, I felt Albus tensing beside me. He probably thought that they were going to Avada Kedavra him or something. But it was a good thing that I had not yet gotten my coco, because if I had, I would’ve dropped it, hearing Lucias’s next words.


Chapter Nineteen of Family Legacy

Chapter Nineteen: I Am Willing

The Burrow was filled to the very brim with family. I was sitting on the stairs, trying to work on my final plan to become the Minister of Magic. I shouldn’t have tried. The Burrow made the Ravenclaw Quidditch team look like they spent the entire day sipping tea.
James Potter, Hugo Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Lily Potter, Victoria Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fleur Weasley, George Weasley, Angelina Weasley, Percy Weasley, and a whole lot more were jammed into the Burrow’s four bedrooms. All of the children were losing their stuff, and yelling to accuse someone else of taking it. Chocolate frog cards were scattered all over the floor, and Hugo and Lily raced around tripping everyone.
This was why I hated Christmas.
I focused on my parchment, grabbing the edges as it waved in the wind. Mum and Dad had just come into the house, bringing in the chilly winter air along with them. Sighting me on the stairs, Mum walked towards me.
She sat down.
“Hey, Rose” she said in a light tone. “Haven’t seen you in a while. Are you doing homework?” She reached and grabbed my plans gently.
Horrified, I pulled it away from her. “Don’t look at it!” I growled. The same feeling that had overcome me on the Hogwarts Express came back. “Do you just have a need to touch every single thing? Gosh, Mum. Stop being so grabby!”
Mum stood up. I could see the hurt in her brown eyes, and Dad stood beside her.
“Teenager alert,” he said, trying to joke.
I glared at him and folded my parchment. “Don’t call me a teenager!” I yelled, and pounded up the steps.
“Rose, come back!” Dad yelled. I ignored him and kept going, heading for the attic on the fifth floor.
On the way Lily and Hugo ambushed me. Both of the two brats grabbed one of my legs and smiled up at me. Once upon a time I may have smiled and played along with them, but that Rose was the weaker, nicer one. A future Minister of Magic could not be weak.
“Get your hands off of me!” I snapped at them. Hugo let go first, and sat on the ground, probably astonished that his sister was so grown-up.
Lily tumbled off. Her red hair was sticking up from where it had rubbed against my leggings.
“Rose, why are you being so mean?” she asked. I stamped my foot.
“I am not mean!” I shouted. I left the two younger children and continued going up to the attic.
“Mummy, Rose is being mean to me!” Hugo shouted.
Mum’s voice rang through the house. “Rose Weasley, get down here this instant!”
  “No!” I yelled down the stairs. I reached the fifth floor and pushed the brown door open. It smacked against the wood with a bang.
Steaming, I locked the door and sat behind it. My parchment was wrinkled, and to my disgust still had tear stains from the train ride.
Why won’t they just do what I want? I thought furiously. This is all I want, and they are making it so hard to accomplish my dreams!
There was a loud knock that vibrated through the door and went into my body.
“Rose? Are you in there?” It was Mum. I didn't answer, and I heard her sigh. “Look, I don't know what’s gotten into you, but I just want you to know that everyone’s worried about you. You’re usually not this, angry. Just know that we’re here if you want to talk, okay?”
I didn’t respond. Mum had said “we’re all worried about you”.
“That’s it!” I whispered excitedly, and grabbed the Muggle pen and my parchment.
Strategy for becoming minister:
Be mean. Everyone pays attention to you when you are. Being nice is a sign of weakness, but when you’re mean people want to know more.

I sighed and placed the pen on the floor. I didn’t yearn for the weak Rose, the one who I used to be, but sometimes my heart didn’t obey my brain.
Stop wishing! I told myself. You’re willing to do anything to become Minister. If that means having everyone hate you— so be it.

Chapter Eighteen of Family Legacy

Chapter Eighteen: The Sorting Hat was Right

Dad was never afraid. In all of the stories he told James, Lily, and I, never did he falter or stutter. He was never afraid of failing, or being killed. Dad was so brave, and was the poster boy of Gryffindor. I think it was because I look so much like him that I was so afraid of not being as brave as he was. I never was brave, I too often second-guessed myself to be strong and courageous.
But, running down the staircase of Malfoy Manor, I felt no fear.
Hazel and Scorpius rushed behind me, and as we came closer to the ground floor the fight grew clearer. I took one step off the stairs, and was ready to barge into the dining room, where I knew the adult Malfoys were.
“Wait, Albus!” Hazel said softly. She grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. Her grey eyes were serious. “Are you really going to stand up to them? Because, remember. Lucias and Narcissa are not like my parents. They are actually real Death Eaters. They could really hurt you if you rile them up.” Scorpius didn’t say anything, he only nodded beside his twin’s shoulder.
I shook my head. “Whenever someone says Malfoys are horrible or evil, you two are always defending your family. I have to do that now.”
“You have to?” asked Scorpius. “Are you just doing this because you want to be a hero?”
“No,” I hissed. I took a step closer to the heavy wooden doors that led into the dining room. “I’m doing this because I won’t let Lucias and Narcissa insult my family.” I flung open the doors, and Hazel and Scorpius squeaked.
The shouting ceased, and all four Malfoys stared at me. I felt Hazel come up behind me, and stand next to me.
Lucias and Narcissa stood across from Hazel’s parents, as intimidating and powerful as my father’s stories had ever made them to be.
Hazel’s mother spoke first. “Albus, honey, what are you doing here?” She motioned to Lucias and Narcissa with her hands.
Lucias curled his lip and took long strides to where Hazel and I stood. As he came closer I could see the Dark Mark on his forearm, and the feeling of bravery drained out of me. I swallowed as he stood a couple of feet away from me.
“You stand there in the house of pure-bloods like you have a right to be here,” he began, and I cut him off.
“I do have a right to be here,” I interrupted. “Hazel’s parents said it was okay.”
Lucias looked at his son. “Draco,” he said, voice soft. “Did you really give sanction for this, impurity to spend Christmas with us?”
Hazel’s father gazed steadily back. “Yes, I did,” he said.
“But that’s not the point,” I said. I took a step towards Lucias. “You cannot insult my family.”
He sneered. “You think that you can just come and tell me that?”
“I don’t think I can. I am,” I said. “I’m also telling you that you are a vile person. You, Lucias Malfoy, are what makes your children and grandchildren suffer. You don’t know?” I said, seeing his face. “Everyday at Hogwarts Hazel and Scorpius get teased by all of the other houses, just because you’re what’s given the Malfoys their bad name.”
Hazel turned pale beside me.
“And why? It’s your obsession with blood,” I spat. Lucias was quiet, and something was brimming beneath his cold eyes. “And you know what, Lucias? Blood is all the same.” I snatched a knife from the already set dinner table. Bringing it down, I nicked part of my finger. Immediately blood came oozing out.
“Albus!” Gasped Hazel. She wrenched the knife out of my grip and hid it behind her back.
I approached Lucias, showing him the crimson drops. “Blood,” I said. “Does not matter. It is all the same. Does yours look any different than mine?”
I turned and walked back to the doors. I turned to glare at Lucias. “I didn’t think so.”

Chapter Seventeen of Family Legacy

Chapter Seventeen: The Hall of Memories

As soon as I stepped into Malfoy Manor a tremendous weight of relief descended on me. Although the Slytherins respected me, and were nice, they were nothing like my family. Although many bad things happened at home, the air vibrated with love and happiness to me.
I showed Albus the family room first. Dad was in his dark room, so he could think. Mum went with him, probably to console him. Dad had done a lot of bad stuff when he was younger, and sometimes the memories caught up with him. Scorpius was locked in his room, hiding from our grandparents in case they came to yell at him.
I didn’t know where Lucias and Narcissa were, but thankfully they weren’t in the family room. They like to sit by the fire sometimes, so they could glower at us. I was their favorite grandchild, so I wasn’t scared of them, but if they were here now Albus would sure get a fright.
“What do you think of it?” I said, my socked feet padding on the carpet. I wasn’t wearing my school uniform, and instead wore a pink shirt, jeans, and my favorite grey cloak. The cloak whirled around me as I leapt around on the carpet.
The family room was dark, with heavy red velvet curtains over the windows. We usually did that in the winter, to keep the cold air out. A magic fire crackled in front of the soft black couches and chairs, and bookcases lined the other three walls. There was a door next to the fireplace, that led into a room that we never spoke of in my family.
Scorpius looked around the room, then smiled at me. “It’s really nice,” he said. Then he looked guilty. “Based off of my Dad’s descriptions, I thought that it was going to be cold, with very little furniture.”
“It used to be,” I told him. I gestured to the bookcases on the far side of the room. “There are paintings behind those cases. They’re pictures of all of the Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord.”
“Voldemort,” Albus said immediately. He gazed at me intently, his green eyes strong. “Fear only makes him stronger.”
I shrugged, and thankfully we dropped the subject. The Dark Lord was a touchy subject with my family, and whenever we did talk about it, Dad rubbed his Dark Mark over and over again like it was burning him.
“Anyway,” I said. “Do you want to see where you’re sleeping?” I dashed across, feeling the heat from the fire lick my stockings. I grabbed the stone handrail of the staircase. I turned around, but couldn’t see my friend. “Albus?”
A jolt of fear went through me, and I walked carefully to the black door that stood alone by the fireplace. It was open, and I grasped the handle.
“Albus?” I said again, looking in. I couldn’t see much, but from the green glow of lanterns hanging from the ceiling, I saw the faint shape of Albus darting in and out of the relics on tables, cases, and on the floor. “Albus!” I hissed. He didn’t respond.
I looked back into the family room. I had promised Mum and Dad from a very young age that I would never go into the Hall of Memories, but I couldn’t just leave my best friend in there. Taking a deep breath, I swung the black door open and walked into the Hall of Memories.
Dad claimed he never went into the Hall, but I saw him go into the room once or twice. He had suspended green lanterns from the ceiling, which cast an eerie glow, a lot like the Slytherin Common Room, on the relics.
I knew that Lucias and Narcissa, when they owned Malfoy Manor had many pieces of Dark Magic artifacts and stuff, but I never thought that Dad kept it. I always thought that he had thrown it away, done with his old life. Apparently not.
I stopped looking for Albus and stood staring. On a small, rickety table there was a small, ragged book. It’s leather cover was pierced in a single hole, and out of it oozed green liquid. My breath caught in my throat.
“It’s the diary…” I whispered, and screamed as a hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Hazel!” Albus said. His face was sweaty and his hair was ragged. “Sorry I scared you. Can we go?” He followed my gaze. “Wait— is that that Tom Riddle’s diary?”
I nodded, too astonished to correct him on the Dark Lord’s name. We looked at the diary some more, when a clawed hand grabbed my shoulder. I yelped again, and stared into Lucias’s wrinkled face.
His white hair had greyed, and now had a translucent breakdown. But his eyes were still clear and piercing, and they looked straight into my soul.
“What are you doing here, Hazel?” He rasped. I stepped backwards and grabbed Albus’s hand.
“Um, sorry Grandfather,” I said. The word “grandfather” felt weird on my tongue, but if I called him Lucias he would explode. I felt Albus squeeze my hand tighter.
“We-we were just, um—“ I stuttered, the words stalling.
Albus stared at Lucias. “I got lost, and thought this was the right room. Hazel just came in to find me.”
“And who in Merlin’s Beard are you?” Lucias asked.
Before I could come up with a lie, Albus told him.

A half hour later, Albus, Scorpius, and I were still holed up in Scorpius’s room. Dad, Mum, and my grandparents were still dueling downstairs. Not with their wands, but with yelling.
“The manor is tarnished with the very being of him!” Narcissa shrieked.
“You are being ridiculous—“
“Hazel’s friends—“
“I will not allow it—“
“You do not decide, Father. This is my house, and Hazel is my daughter!”
And then everyone started yelling again, until we couldn't make heads or tails of the argument.
“I shouldn’t have come,” Albus said.
I opened my mouth to reply but Scorpius beat me to it. “Don’t be silly. We like you, and want you here. Lucias and Narcissa don’t count. They have a problem with the wind blowing.”
“You really like me?” Albus asked.
I was speechless. “Really?” I said. “Are you seriously asking that?”
“No.” Said Albus. He grinned. “Can we go downstairs? I want to tell Lucias and Narcissa how I deserve to be here.”
How is it that I’m afraid of my own grandparents, I asked myself, and Albus, the Potter, is going to face them? No wonder he’s in Gryffindor.

Sunday, April 3

Chapter Sixteen of Family Legacy

Chapter Sixteen: What Hazel Forgot to Add

Once getting off of the train, I could see my parents immediately. It’s never hard to see them, on account of the fact that all of the other people avoid them like they have the Muggle illness Black Death. I stood in the exhaust fumes from the Hogwarts Express, anxiously studying them before approaching. 
Mum and Dad looked the same as ever; Dad with his sad grey eyes, and Mum with her loving glances that could turn nasty any moment. 
Here I go, I thought, and with a massive surge of fear I stepped away from the train and began walking towards them, dragging my feet. Suddenly I wished that I had not worn my Hufflepuff scarf. 
Mum’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw me. 
“Scorpius!” she exclaimed, and enveloped me in a warm, comforting hug. Soon, Dad’s arms encircled me as well. I peeked out between my two parents, searching for Hazel so she could take some of the hugging. 
Finally they released me. Mum bent down slightly so she was my height.
“How are you, dear? You haven’t written us any letters.” Her brown eyes held nothing but love, and I felt ridiculous for trying not to talk to them. 
“I thought you would be mad at me,” I began, and looked up at Dad. “Because I was sorted into Hufflepuff.” 
“Scorpius,” Dad said calmly. “We would never be mad at you for something like that. We never thought you would be in Slytherin, anyway.”
I bit my lip and looked away from my parents. “That’s good,” I murmured, then saw Hazel dragging Albus with her. “Oh, there’s Hazel!” 
Mum squinted. “Who’s that with her?”
“That’s her friend who’s staying with us,” Dad said. “What was his name again, Scorpius?”
My eyes widened. No wonder they were so okay with Albus staying with us! They didn’t even know who he was. 
“Uhh…” I said, then was saved by my twin’s voice.
“Oh, come on Albus! You are so annoying sometimes!” Albus said something that we couldn’t hear, and then Hazel huffed loudly. “Look, Albus. They will not bite you.” Hazel grabbed Albus’s robes and yanked him closer to our family. 
“I’m not afraid of that,” he said, looking at Dad. 
Dad narrowed his eyes. “Did Hazel say Albus?” he asked me. I fiddled with my fingers and looked up. 
“Um, no. Why would she say Albus? Hazel said, um, Draco.” I cursed myself as soon as I said that. I’m not a very good liar, unlike Hazel, who could think of another name in a heartbeat.
Dad and Mum’s faces crinkled into a vision of confusion. 
“What?” Dad said. “Scorpius, I highly doubt that Hazel said “Draco”. That’s my name, remember. Now what is her friend’s name?” He tapped his shoe on the pavement. 
I opened my mouth, about to say something, then thought better of it. I side-stepped away from my parents and grabbed Albus by his robes. 
“What the heck are you doing?” he sputtered. 
“Come on, Albus,” Hazel said. She let go of his black robes and looked at me. “Just make him believe that we’re not going to eat him or anything, okay?” 
Albus stood taller. “I do not need to be dragged. You just grabbed me and thought that I needed too.” 
I sighed and followed Hazel and Albus back to my parents. 
“Good. Hazel,” Dad said. “You’re brother won’t tell us who your friend is. What is your name?” he asked Albus. I stepped next to the other boy for support.
“You didn’t tell them?” Albus hissed to Hazel.  My twin shrugged, and Albus looked back at my parents. 
“My name’s Albus Severus Potter,” he told them. 
Both of them stared, and I was pretty sure that only one word had registered with their brains. “Potter”.  
Mum was the first to recover. She extended a hand and shook Albus’s warmly. “Nice to meet you, Albus,” she said, glancing at Hazel. “You’ll be staying with us over the entire break?”
“If that’s fine with you,” he said softly. 
“It’s no problem at all,” Dad said. Hazel and I both looked at our father, surprised. Albus looked shocked too. 
“You don’t have a problem with it, the fact that he’s a Potter?” Hazel asked. 
Dad sighed. “I’m fine with it. Lucias and Narcissa might not.” He smiled. “But when they jinx you, I promise it won’t be permanent.”
Albus’s face paled, and it almost rivaled mine. 

“He’s kidding,” hissed Hazel.