Post by Rachael on Jan 17, 2012 9:33:01 GMT -8
Title: Family Feuds Part 2
Rating: (G)
Word Count: 990
Warnings: None
Summary: Scorpius' life is messed up a bit by the reappearance of someone he never had the chance to know.
Once his father had ensured that Scorpius and his mother were safe, he sat Scorpius down in the living room, sitting opposite him, a serious expression on his face. His mother was standing in the doorway, her face ashen. Mr Potter was somewhere beyond her, patrolling the manor, looking fiercely intimidating for someone who appeared so pleasant generally. Scorpius watched his father intently and could have sworn that the man’s platinum blonde hair had receded a whole centimetre since he had last seen him.
His father took Scorpius’ hands in his for the first time in eleven years and held them tightly as he met Scorpius’ gaze. “Scorpius, I won’t lie to you; I love your Grandfather very much but...you...and your mother...are much more important to me. You have been since I was first told of your existence. That is why I asked Potter to bring you here, to keep you safe until I would be able to handle things myself.” Scorpius glanced towards his mother, before flicking his gaze back towards his father, giving the man his full attention.
“For a long time, I’ve not spoken about what I’ve seen...what I’ve done in the War...but you’re old enough now to know the truth.” His father relinquished his hold on Scorpius hands and then undid the cuff of his left shirt-sleeve. Scorpius stared as his father began rolling the fabric up the length of his left forearm, revealing a faded skull and serpent tattoo. Scorpius reeled back in his chair, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Merlin, he had known his father had been in the War, but he had not known that he had been on the side of the Dark Lord.
“Why weren’t you in Azkaban, with Grandfather?”
The flash of hurt, before it was quickly squashed and hidden away, was unmistakable and Scorpius felt a pang of guilt for causing that pain. He opened his mouth to apologise, but his father was already speaking. “I never wanted to join the Dark Lord’s ranks. I was an arrogant, bigoted prat back then, but I wasn’t a murderer, Scorpius, nor was I a torturer of innocent people. But I did join the ranks, not for money, not for power, not for glory; I joined to save my father’s life. Father was no longer in the Dark Lord’s favour, because he had failed his mission. So, I joined the ranks and accepted a mission, because I knew that if our family were in favour again, my father would be safe.”
His father closed his eyes and tilted his head forward slightly. “You have no idea what it was like, Scorpius, waking up every day, knowing that one slip-up and your entire family would be wiped from the earth. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t like play-time. It was out-and-out war and people were in fear of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. The only reason your Grandfather wasn’t kissed by a Dementor, was because Potter spoke up for him at his trial in Court Ten at the Ministry. My father didn’t deserve it after everything he’d done in his life, but Potter did it because even men who were as entrenched in their ways can see the light eventually.”
His father opened his eyes again and gazed intently at Scorpius. “Your Grandfather sided with the Dark Lord, in the first place, because he believed in the supremacy of our blood; the supremacy of Pureblood Wizards.” His father glanced towards his mother and back to Scorpius. “My father prided himself in the fact that he, your Grandmother and I were all as inbred as we possibly could be, without having some form of deformity or problems with our magic. Merlin, Wizards bred with each other so much that you’re even distantly related to Albus. Very distantly, mind you, but it is there.
“But my father, soon, realized that he had made an error in judgement, following the Dark Lord as blindly as he had. Even Potter could see that, so Potter gave him a chance to keep his soul...and gave my mother and I the chance to redeem ourselves in society, because neither of us had been as truly involved as my father had. I don’t trust my father, but I do love him, and for that reason alone I am going to give him a chance to redeem himself...but I wanted to be sure you and your mother were safe first because nothing in the world matters more than that.”
Then, against all odds, Scorpius found himself being pulled into a tight embrace, the type he had not received since he was five years old. Surprised beyond belief, Scorpius hugged his father back. They stayed like that for a long moment, before his father deemed it prudent to pull back, breaking the embrace. “I’m going to head to Malfoy Manor, to meet your Grandfather. If you wish to accompany me, then it’s your choose, but if you do, you’ll do as I say. If I tell you to leave you will do so immediately....and if I tell you to save yourself, you will do so. I don’t trust him, and neither should you, for now. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Father,” Scorpius answered immediately, nodding. “I want to come. I’ve only ever seen pictures...read about him...even if I decide I don’t like him, I want the opportunity to decide it by myself, through experiencing a meeting with him.”
“Very well,” his father replied, his expression quite grave. Slowly, his father rose to his feet. “Let’s get this over with, then.” He strode to the door and paused, looking over his shoulder at Scorpius, before gesturing with his head that he should follow. Scorpius hastily scrambled up from the couch and followed his father, steeling himself to meet the man many a history text had described as sadist bent on the destruction of Muggle blood.
To Be Continued
Rating: (G)
Word Count: 990
Warnings: None
Summary: Scorpius' life is messed up a bit by the reappearance of someone he never had the chance to know.
Once his father had ensured that Scorpius and his mother were safe, he sat Scorpius down in the living room, sitting opposite him, a serious expression on his face. His mother was standing in the doorway, her face ashen. Mr Potter was somewhere beyond her, patrolling the manor, looking fiercely intimidating for someone who appeared so pleasant generally. Scorpius watched his father intently and could have sworn that the man’s platinum blonde hair had receded a whole centimetre since he had last seen him.
His father took Scorpius’ hands in his for the first time in eleven years and held them tightly as he met Scorpius’ gaze. “Scorpius, I won’t lie to you; I love your Grandfather very much but...you...and your mother...are much more important to me. You have been since I was first told of your existence. That is why I asked Potter to bring you here, to keep you safe until I would be able to handle things myself.” Scorpius glanced towards his mother, before flicking his gaze back towards his father, giving the man his full attention.
“For a long time, I’ve not spoken about what I’ve seen...what I’ve done in the War...but you’re old enough now to know the truth.” His father relinquished his hold on Scorpius hands and then undid the cuff of his left shirt-sleeve. Scorpius stared as his father began rolling the fabric up the length of his left forearm, revealing a faded skull and serpent tattoo. Scorpius reeled back in his chair, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Merlin, he had known his father had been in the War, but he had not known that he had been on the side of the Dark Lord.
“Why weren’t you in Azkaban, with Grandfather?”
The flash of hurt, before it was quickly squashed and hidden away, was unmistakable and Scorpius felt a pang of guilt for causing that pain. He opened his mouth to apologise, but his father was already speaking. “I never wanted to join the Dark Lord’s ranks. I was an arrogant, bigoted prat back then, but I wasn’t a murderer, Scorpius, nor was I a torturer of innocent people. But I did join the ranks, not for money, not for power, not for glory; I joined to save my father’s life. Father was no longer in the Dark Lord’s favour, because he had failed his mission. So, I joined the ranks and accepted a mission, because I knew that if our family were in favour again, my father would be safe.”
His father closed his eyes and tilted his head forward slightly. “You have no idea what it was like, Scorpius, waking up every day, knowing that one slip-up and your entire family would be wiped from the earth. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t like play-time. It was out-and-out war and people were in fear of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. The only reason your Grandfather wasn’t kissed by a Dementor, was because Potter spoke up for him at his trial in Court Ten at the Ministry. My father didn’t deserve it after everything he’d done in his life, but Potter did it because even men who were as entrenched in their ways can see the light eventually.”
His father opened his eyes again and gazed intently at Scorpius. “Your Grandfather sided with the Dark Lord, in the first place, because he believed in the supremacy of our blood; the supremacy of Pureblood Wizards.” His father glanced towards his mother and back to Scorpius. “My father prided himself in the fact that he, your Grandmother and I were all as inbred as we possibly could be, without having some form of deformity or problems with our magic. Merlin, Wizards bred with each other so much that you’re even distantly related to Albus. Very distantly, mind you, but it is there.
“But my father, soon, realized that he had made an error in judgement, following the Dark Lord as blindly as he had. Even Potter could see that, so Potter gave him a chance to keep his soul...and gave my mother and I the chance to redeem ourselves in society, because neither of us had been as truly involved as my father had. I don’t trust my father, but I do love him, and for that reason alone I am going to give him a chance to redeem himself...but I wanted to be sure you and your mother were safe first because nothing in the world matters more than that.”
Then, against all odds, Scorpius found himself being pulled into a tight embrace, the type he had not received since he was five years old. Surprised beyond belief, Scorpius hugged his father back. They stayed like that for a long moment, before his father deemed it prudent to pull back, breaking the embrace. “I’m going to head to Malfoy Manor, to meet your Grandfather. If you wish to accompany me, then it’s your choose, but if you do, you’ll do as I say. If I tell you to leave you will do so immediately....and if I tell you to save yourself, you will do so. I don’t trust him, and neither should you, for now. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Father,” Scorpius answered immediately, nodding. “I want to come. I’ve only ever seen pictures...read about him...even if I decide I don’t like him, I want the opportunity to decide it by myself, through experiencing a meeting with him.”
“Very well,” his father replied, his expression quite grave. Slowly, his father rose to his feet. “Let’s get this over with, then.” He strode to the door and paused, looking over his shoulder at Scorpius, before gesturing with his head that he should follow. Scorpius hastily scrambled up from the couch and followed his father, steeling himself to meet the man many a history text had described as sadist bent on the destruction of Muggle blood.
To Be Continued