After eating Scorpius instantly fell asleep. He didn't think it was going to be possible but it must've been the familiarity of home. That and the fact the short moment where he literally thought he was going to die from a massive creature in the middle of the Black House really took the energy out of him. When he woke up again, he changed into a dark hoodie, trying to flatten his hair a bit with his fingers before walking out of his room. There was the distant sound of soft laughing and chatter downstairs, so he followed the voices. Raven and Albus were in the study, where books lined all walls. They sat in two of the four chairs there, sticky notes on their foreheads with words on them.

"Am I human?" Albus asked, referring to the game they were playing. Raven smiles a bit.

"Humanish." She answers, drinking from her cup an orange liquid that looked like Thai tea. Scorpius walked forward and sat in the chair beside her, she looked up to greet him with a smile. He could read the word on her sticky note in Albus's neat handwriting; Professor Longbottom. On Albus's note, the name 'Narcissa Malfoy' was written in Raven's scrawl. Scorpius tried not to smile. He gestured for his sister's tea, and she passed it to him to try. Scorpius raised his socked feet up on the coffee table, leaning back.

"Am I a male?" Albus wondered, shooting the next question. He was deep in thought. Raven snorted and shook her head. Potter clicks his tongue. "Your turn." The brunette boy had changed into a simple red tee shirt which hung off him a little big, but had keep his dark jeans on. He took a drink of his coffee, seeming to resign himself from contemplating while Raven asked her questions.

"Do I go to Hogwarts?" She offered. Albus nodded, setting the coffee cup down on the table.

"Kind of, yes." He agrees. Raven bites her lip, looking over at her brother. Scorpius held up his hands like he wasn't going to help. She took her tea back, earning a scowl.

"Okay." Raven thinks for a little bit. "Am I a Professor?" She wonders, and he nods. "Am I Professor Slughorn?"

"No." Albus responds. Raven shrugs, gesturing for him to ask his questions. Scorpius gets up to head to the kitchen, in search to make his own tea. It was a large kitchen in comparison to others. Marble countertops and large clean appliances. There use to be employed cooks, but then Draco married his mom Astoria and she insisted on cooking herself. Guess she always liked to cook for her family, even when she was feeling ill due to the curse. After she died Draco never got around to hiring someone else, and Scorpius and Raven started doing it themselves. He didn't like to cook, but it was fun to do with someone else.

He makes himself a Thai tea from the leaves in the cabinet. By the time he returns the two teens are arguing. "I know you cheated, there's no way you would've guessed it so quickly!" Raven snapped, ripping the sticky note off her forehead. Scorpius quietly sat down, and they pretended to not have even seen him.

"Yeah? And pray tell, how did I cheat?" Albus retorts, his own sticky note in the palm of his hand.

"I don't know but you did. You mumbled something under your breath." Raven ripped her note in two and dramatically slapped the two halves onto the coffee table. Scorpius looked from his sister to Albus, taking a drink of his tea. Raven snapped her harsh cold eyes onto Scorpius, and he wanted to curl up under her gaze.

"I wasn't in here." He defends himself. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Have you considered that maybe I'm just good at the game?" Albus's tone was rather snappy. Raven got to her feet and left swiftly, seemingly annoyed with both of them. When she left the boys were silent. Then finally Scorpius asked.

"Did you cheat?" He rose one dark eyebrow, studying Potter.

"What do you think?" The phrase was defensive. Scorpius pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. Albus stood up, putting the sticky note under his coffee cup and going to the bookshelf to grab a thick dark covered book. The title was 'Casting Dark Charms; The Protective and Offensive'.

"You did. You wanted her to leave the room." Scorpius finally reveals. Albus sat back down, looking up to meet his eyes for a second. He opens the book up on his legs. "You shouldn't test my sister like that. One of these days she'll curse you just for the satisfaction of watching you squirm."

"Let her try. I'm a lot more clever than you give me credit for." Albus holds the book open to a page, and holds it over the table for Scorpius to take. The blonde sets the tea down, taking the book, but looking at the other boy.

"I've always said you were clever." But Albus wasn't paying attention to his words, pointing at the open page. Scorpius looks down to see a sketched drawing of the monster which attacked them earlier. "Sleep Paralysis demon." Scorpius reads aloud, eyes widening slightly. He reads a snippet from the book. "'Sends victim into a comatose state in which they experience their worst fears in a lucid dream. The caster is summoned when the demon is attacked, though it is immune to many offensive spells.'" Scorpius paused. "Well that explains a lot."

"Keep reading." Albus points to a specific point on the page. Scorpius rolls his eyes and continues.

"'Can only be cast by witches or wizards whose abilities allow persuasion over beasts and creatures of the dark.'" He finishes, and his eyebrows furrow together. "I don't understand. What's this meant to mean?"

"It's a wonder how you have great marks." Potter seemed rather annoyed that he had to explain, and took the book back. "Your bloodline is known to handle beasts. Salazar Slytherin with the Hogwarts Basilisk. Voldemort commandeered different creatures, even dementors. I'd bet that Cypress conjured the demon through this charm." He was definite.

"You said you thought he was taken. That doesn't make sense. 'Hold on before you kidnap me, I'm going to protect the house while I'm gone?'" Scorpius mocked in a low voice. "It wasn't Cypress." He felt his stomach knot, and drank a bit of tea to try to stop the thoughts. "It was Daniel." The words hung in the study room like the books on the shelves. He hoped it wasn't true, but something deep inside him knew it was. "He's not just physically gone." Albus closed the book softly.

"You don't know that." Potter replies, as though trying to be optimistic.

"I do. I think I've suspected for awhile." Scorpius rubs his eyes. "If I find Daniel, I won't be able to reach him. He's been a foster kid. Selwyn is probably the closest he's ever had to family." He lets out a defeated sigh.

"You've always known the kind of person Daniel is. Knowing who his parents are won't change that. You just weren't ready to accept it."

The day seemed to last forever. Albus busied himself with studying, and they hung out in Scorpius's room. The taller of the two was sprawled across the bed, scrolling on his phone. At the desk, the brunette had a book open, his arm resting on his elbow to prop his head up. It was quiet other than the soft noise of the air conditioner. The house looked very different than it use to. The stone walls had mostly been covered with grey wallpaper. The floors had dark linoleum down. It was more modern than the medieval feeling from when Narcissa and Lucius lived here. Scorpius's room was warmer. Wood furniture and wood flooring matched nicely.

The ceiling fan was clearly installed much later than the house was built, because the wires poked out a little. The blades whirred above them, softly creating a breeze. Scorpius didn't know who had turned on the air conditioner since it was snowing outside. He wondered if it was just set to automatically turn on when it hit a certain temperature.

Online, Hogwarts students were gossiping about the latest turn of events. Under Luke's post on Instagram, a girl asked about what Olivia was going to do for Winter Formal, considering the fact her dress was stolen. Scorpius wondered if his sister was behind that. Many students posted family photos of coming home for the weekend, bright faces and happy smiles. Regardless of if they actually had a thanksgiving or not.

"You should try on that stuff." Scorpius suggests, pointing to the package which contained the suit he had got for Albus. It came in the mail and since they were here, he figured it would be beneficial to know if it fit. If not, they could return it and order something else before Formal, which was the end of next week right before break. Albus looked up, following Scorpius's grey gaze.

"Yeah. I could use a break from this." He agrees, standing up to change in the bathroom. Scorpius watched him go, and it's a few minutes when Albus returns. His hair was a bit curly, with from the moisture in the air or some other reason, Scorpius didn't know. The white button up was tucked into the black slacks. "It feels a little tight." Albus explains, buttoning the shirt up a bit. Scorpius gestured to look in the mirror hanging on the back of the bedroom door.

"It's not tight. It's meant to be like that." Scorpius responds. "See?" He stood beside Albus, both looking in the mirror. Potter's chest looked rather lean and smooth under the shirt. The white material hugging him in all the right places.

"Well I didn't even put on the Jacket." Albus messes with the cuffs of the shirt, like he didn't know if they were meant to roll up or not. They weren't. The sleeves went all the way to his wrists.

"Don't." Scorpius said before he could stop himself. His eyes looked at Albus's reflection, taking a minute to just admire it. He wasn't as thick as Scorpius was. His shoulder width was smaller, his waist smaller slightly. But there were some areas that were more lean with muscle. His arms and legs weren't rippling with strength but he certainly worked them here and there. His chest didn't hold a defined six pack, but the muscle was toned.

"You spent a lot of money on the jacket, I'm going to wear it-" Albus messes with the collar, unbuttoning the top only to try it again. "What?" Potter realizes he's staring. "I told you it was tight."

"It looks good. Leave the jacket off, if you're that concerned about the money I'll get a refund. Looks better without." Scorpius ordered, turning away to sit back on the bed.

"It looks unprofessional without the jacket, Scorpius." He mumbled, as though that mattered much to the Malfoy. "It's too tight." He repeats, fumbling with the cuffs again.

"You only think that because you constantly wear James's clothes. That's how it's meant to fit. It looks like that in the photo online too." Scorpius snapped his fingers together to get Albus's attention. The brunette huffs, turning around to face him. The Malfoy takes it upon himself to unroll the cuffs and button them. "Stop worrying, it fits perfect. All you need is a tie." He finished the cuffs and Albus turns again to evaluate his reflection.

"What tie are you going to wear?" Potter inquires, brushing lint from the shipping off the white shirt. He ran his hands down the material, seeming to actually appreciate the quality of it. Scorpius averted his eyes, feeling the beginning of a blush crawl up his neck.

"I'm not wearing one. Ties aren't my thing." He coughs, shaking spare thoughts from his head.

"Neither are rules." Albus adds, a mumble under his breath. "Well, thank you by the way. You really didn't have to buy me this."

"Now you'll have something nice to wear in case your family ever attends a fancy party." Scorpius suggested, waving off the thanks. It wasn't a big deal, he had too much money. Money that shouldn't belong to him. This was Malfoy money. He wasn't a Malfoy. He's taking advantage until the family cuts him off from the inheritance and funds. If that would ever end up happening, anyways.

"Speaking of fancy parties, are the Malfoy's throwing a party this year?" He wondered aloud. Scorpius shrugged.

"I don't know yet." He sounded disinterested. "They are a total drag, so I hope not."

"You don't like them?" Albus sat down beside Scorpius, curious now.

"Wanna change?" Scorpius suggested, getting up from where he was sitting to put more distance between them. Clearly he was a bit flustered, thoughts of running his fingers down Albus's chest or twisting into his slightly curly hair had him uncomfortable. He didn't even realize that Albus was asking him something until he witnessed the slight frown. The same expression of slight disappointment or sadness whenever Scorpius avoids his questions and changes the subject abruptly.

"Yeah, I'll change. It's cold in here anyways." Albus agrees nonchalantly, quietly leaving to go back to the bathroom. When he's gone Scorpius lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. If he can't even deal with a few minutes of size checking, how was he meant to attend a dance? Perhaps he'd have Albus wear the jacket after all. Would Potter suddenly wonder why the change in attitude? Maybe he was use to it by now.

—-

The table was set for three when Draco got home surprisingly early from work. "Father, I didn't know you'd be home so early, I would've set the table for you." Raven immediately apologizes, standing up to grab another plate. Scorpius says nothing, sticking a piece of pork into his mouth with the end of a fork as he watches. They sat at the very end of the long table. Albus sat across from Scorpius, and Raven sat beside him. Draco shook his head to dismiss his daughter's worry as she brought a plate. He sat down at the head of the table, looking from one boy to the other.

"I didn't know you both were coming this weekend." He comments, sounding rather clipped with it. Scorpius tried to look at ease, but he felt very out of place now that his father had taken a seat. Or rather, not father but surrogate dad as it were. Draco serves himself. "Does your father know you're here?" He asked Albus, who stopped eating immediately. "I didn't think so." Draco narrowed his eyes.

"This is great food Raven, thank you." Albus tells the girl as she sits back down, trying to put on an effortless smile. He looked more like he needed to use the restroom instead of being casual. Scorpius stuck another forkful of food into his mouth, but he wasn't hungry anymore. He stopped eating altogether after that, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie down. Albus seemed to sense his discomfort because he quickly tried to divert the conversation. "How was work?"

"Is Harry Potter subject to this kind of inquisition when he comes home as well? Does he tell you the gorey tales of catching the dark witches and wizards?" Draco was rude this time, not trying to mask it. Raven frowned, looking at Albus apologetically.

"You don't need to be that way. I know it's me you're annoyed with." Scorpius snapped, getting the older man's attention. "Just spit out whatever it is you wanted to say when you first saw me." He demands, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair. Blonde hair falls into his eyes.

"Very well." Draco turned to his son, meeting his eyes unblinkingly. "I've spoken to your grandparents about stripping you of the Malfoy inheritance. While my father was supportive of this decision, my mother disagreed." There's a dramatic pause. "Of course she would. You're her prize position. The descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself." The words were like poison in his mouth. Raven furrowed her eyebrows, looking between the two of them. She was clearly confused, not having the slightest idea what they were talking about. "Still, it's not Narcissa's choice. It's mine. I'm making Raven the sole heir of the estate, I'll be filing it at work this week. I'm legally obligated to house you until you're seventeen, but after that I'd suggest you look into somewhere else to stay." Draco was sour. "In fact, if it didn't put your life in critical danger, I would've already stripped you of your name as it is."

Albus had grown more and more shocked at every word, his green eyes looking over at his friend in concern. He felt hurt for him. "Do it." Scorpius taunts, seeming to have no fear despite the words. "Your threats are empty." He snarls. "You know if you did Cypress Black would show up. Not to mention what dear grandmother would do. I can live without you, but can you live without her, father?"

"Stop!" Raven interrupts, all eyes at the table now looking at her. "I don't know what this is about, but I'm sick of hearing you both at each other's throats." Draco seemed like he had just been handed a gift when she finished. Scorpius knew immediately what was about to unfold. His stomach twisted into knots.

"Oh? Your brother didn't tell you? That's surprising. I thought you both were so close." The man paused, looking between them. If Scorpius had his wand on him he probably already would've muted Draco. But it was upstairs and he was subject to simply watch as his sister's world crumbled. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy isn't my son at all. His real name is Salazar Marvelo Black, according to his father Cypress Black." He deadpans. "The grandson of the dark lord. One of the only living descendants of Salazar Slytherin." Raven seemed to realize with a jolt the gravity of the situation.

"What?" Her voice cracked. She looked over at her brother, face twisting up. "You're not my twin?" Scorpius couldn't even bare to look her in the eyes. "How long have you known?" He was quiet, and then answered.

"Since I was suspended."

"A... a month?" Raven choked out. "You've known for about a month?" She stood up, tears about to spill down her cheeks. But she was more angry than saddened. "And you?!" Albus recoiled as her wrath turns to him. "I get it. Let's pull the wool over Raven's eyes, she's too daft to-"

"That's not it! I was trying to protect you." Scorpius stood up now, but Raven was ahead of him. She had her wand out so quickly he didn't have time to blink. "Raven." He looked at the wand and then to his sister, pleading for her to try and understand. "Let me explain."

"Why would I give you that courtesy?" She snapped. Her sharp gaze turned back to Draco. "How dare you? Manipulate him? I'll tell you one thing, if you disinherit Scorpius, I'll leave you. You'll never see me again, father. Then you'll have no heir." Her voice was venom. Albus even had goosebumps. Draco was taken aback by her voice, obviously not expecting a threat to that degree; if a threat at all. "You've ruined my appetite." She smoothed down her shirt and then leaves the room.

"Are you satisfied?" Scorpius snarled, turning his gaze onto Draco. The man actually looked upset though, not satisfied at all. He was clearly expecting something else. "Not only have you alienated both your children from you, but also from eachother. Welcome to purgatory, dad." The word was given with as much sarcasm and hatred that Scorpius could muster. He left the room, not turning to see if Albus was going to follow him or not. At the top of the stairs Scorpius started down the hallway to Raven's room, to find the door was cracked open.

When he entered she wasn't there. On her desk was a note:

Gone back to Hogwarts -R

It had him stifling tears. He couldn't tell if she was more upset at Draco or at him. Did it matter? Scorpius sat on her bed, the paper in his hands. He let himself go numb, blocking out everything so that he didn't have to feel or confront it. It had been a few minutes when Albus came into the room slowly, looking around at the light colored walls and the large mirror on one side of the room. A large window on the opposite side which usually let in sunlight, now it