A/N – Welcome to my new short story – Scandal. Scandal has 6 chapters and updates will be on Monday and Thursday. I hope you all enjoy Scandal, and hopefully by the end of the story I'll have some news on my next longer story to be published.

Despite having two British parents, who had both grown up and attended school in England, eighteen year old Scorpius Malfoy had never lived in the country of his origin. He'd been born and raised in France, as had his younger sister, Cassiopeia. Of course he'd visited England as his paternal grandparents still lived in Wiltshire, but he'd never actually lived in what was to him, a foreign country. To be honest it had never even crossed his mind, until he'd been offered an opportunity of a lifetime.

In school Scorpius had achieved top grades and had known that he could pretty much do whatever he wanted after leaving school. Both of his parents had businesses that he could have joined if he'd desired, and he would even have had the resources to start his own business. Then of course he could have applied for a job anywhere that appealed to him. But despite all of these options, Scorpius hadn't known what he wanted to do with his life. The only thing he had known was that he didn't want to rush into doing something only to realise at a later date it wasn't what he wanted to do.

And then everything had changed when Beauxbatons had participated in a charity quidditch event and Scorpius was on one of the teams. Scorpius had always known he was a talented quidditch player, and his love for the game helped him to be the best he could be. But he'd never considered playing the game for a living. For him, it had always just been a pastime he happened to love. However, a scout from one of the English quidditch teams had been at the charity event and he'd offered Scorpius a trial with the team he scouted for – The Tutshill Tornadoes.

After talking things through with his father, who had been a Tornadoes fan in his youth, Scorpius had decided to attend the trial. Not that he'd expected anything to come of it, but it had been too good an opportunity to pass up. Only the trial had gone better than Scorpius could ever have dreamed and he'd been offered a very impressive deal to sign for The Tornadoes on a three year contract.

The offer was amazing for Scorpius, and even though he'd never thought about playing quidditch professionally, now he had the chance, he hadn't wanted to waste it. His parents had also encouraged him to take such a brilliant opportunity, which was why he was currently in England for five days to sign the contracts and get everything ready for his move to England in a few weeks time.

To be honest, it was the moving that was the only downside to the offer, and it had been the only thing that had given Scorpius pause for thought. On his visits to England, he'd come to love the country, but France was his home and he knew he would miss it terribly. And not just that, he would miss his family. He was lucky enough to have parents he genuinely got along with, and he knew he would miss them both an awful lot. And he would even miss his little sister, even if Cassie did get on his nerves sometimes.

Although he was also slightly nervous about the press reaction to his move. He'd never had to deal with the press before, but he knew it was something both his parents had been forced to deal with before they'd left England. In fact, press intrusion was part of the reason they each left England over twenty years earlier.

Scorpius knew all about his parents past, and their differing parts in the war that had almost torn Wizarding Britain apart. His father, Draco, had never hidden his past from either of his children and he'd always been brutally honest about faded The Dark Mark that still marred his pale forearm. Scorpius knew how his father had been forced to serve Voldemort and the abuse he'd suffered at the dark wizard's hands. He also knew how his father had been pardoned after the war, due to the extenuating circumstances of his situation.

However, Scorpius also knew that his father hadn't been left alone to try and rebuild his life. The press had constantly hounded him, eager to know how he was moving on with his life. Draco had fully admitted that while a small portion of the press vilified him, most were sympathetic to his plight. But that didn't stop them intruding on his life and making sure the entire country was aware of every move he made. Eventually the intrusion became too much for his father, and Draco had left the country to expand the Malfoy family business on the mainland of Europe. And luckily in France the name Malfoy meant very little to the wizarding public so Draco had been able to live a normal life and ensure that his children had the same.

As for his mother, Hermione Granger, she'd been on the other side of the war. While his father had been forced to do the bidding of the dark wizard, Hermione had been fighting to bring him down. Like Draco, Hermione had been open about her past and Scorpius knew she'd once been friends with the famous war hero, Harry Potter. She'd fought alongside Harry, and helped him bring down Voldemort, earning herself the title of war heroine.

But as with Draco, the press hounded Hermione, wanting to know the ins and outs of her life. Scorpius knew that his mother had been in a relationship with another friend of Harry's directly after the war, and she partly blamed the press interest in their lives for the breakdown in their relationship. It hadn't helped that her ex partner had loved the attention, unlike Hermione, so when they did break up he was happy to talk to the press and Hermione had ended up looking like the villain of the piece. And like with Draco, when the attention became too much, Hermione chose to leave the country and start a new life.

It was just luck that his mother had chosen France, as French had been the only other language she could speak, and it had been even luckier that she'd ran into Draco within a few months of moving. Scorpius thought it was pretty ironic that his parents had known each other since they were eleven, but it took them moving to another country before they even became friends, let alone anything else. If there was one thing Scorpius was sure of when he was growing up, it was that his parents belonged together, but he was well aware that had they stayed in England it likely would never have happened. Which was another reason he loved France. If his parents hadn't moved there after the war, he wouldn't be here about to embark on a career of a lifetime.

Only before Scorpius could start living his new life, he had to face the one thing he was dreading, a meeting with the press. When he'd signed his contract with The Tornadoes, they'd informed him that they'd arranged for him to see a quidditch correspondent, and he was to give them an interview. He'd been assured that the reporter was the best in the country, and that anything she wrote about him would be purely positive. The whole idea was to introduce Wizarding Britain to Scorpius and get Tornadoes fans excited about him joining the team.

In no position to refuse, Scorpius had agreed to the meeting. However, he had asked if the reporter could come to him. One of the things he'd been sorting while he'd been in the country had been accommodation, as even though they'd offered, he hadn't wanted to live with his grandparents. As such he was currently staying in a luxury suite in The Green Nymph hotel in London, which happened to be owned by his godfather, Blaise Zabini. Blaise had also offered to let him stay at the hotel for a reduced rate, but Scorpius didn't want to live at a hotel. He wanted his own place. Luckily, his grandfather had pulled a few strings and just that morning he'd signed a lease on a luxury penthouse in the heart of Wizarding London.

Thinking he had plenty of time before his meeting with the journalist, Scorpius decided to grab a shower and change into a fresh set of clothes. However, he'd barely stepped from the shower when there was a knocking at the door. Cursing the fact he was naked, he wrapped a green towel around his waist and went to open the door.

Standing outside of his room was a very attractive red-headed witch who looked to be around his mother's age. The witch in question was wearing a light summer dress which showed off her slender figure and amazingly long legs. Scorpius had always been one to appreciate an attractive woman, and the witch in front of him was definitely that. The fact she was older didn't bother him as his mother was still a very attractive woman, a fact his best friend, Alex Zabini wasn't shy in letting him know, and in fact Alex's mother, Daphne, was one of the most gorgeous witches Scorpius had ever set eyes on. And the witch in front of him had the same sort of allure about her.

"Hi," Scorpius greeted with a smile, hoping that she hadn't noticed him staring. Although to be fair, she'd also been checking him out and even now her gaze was lingering on his toned torso. "I'm Scorpius. You must be the reporter."

"Ginny," the witch answered in a husky voice as her eyes finally flicked back up to Scorpius's face and she gave him a dazzling smile. "Ginny Weasley. It's lovely to meet you, Scorpius."

"Come in and grab a drink," Scorpius said, ushering Ginny inside. "I'll just get dressed."

"There's no need to bother on my account," Ginny purred, flashing Scorpius a sinful smirk that had the blood rushing to his nether regions.

Pointing Ginny in the direction of the bar, Scorpius grabbed the clothes he'd laid out on the bed and darted into the bathroom. Suddenly he was looking forward to his meeting with the press, and he couldn't get dressed quick enough. However, even dressing quickly he was a true Malfoy and he didn't step foot outside of the bathroom until he was perfectly put together and didn't have a platinum blond hair out of place.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Ginny lounging on the sofa beside the window, a glass of fire-whisky in her hand and a second glass on the table obviously for him. Thanking her for pouring him a drink, he picked up the glass and went to sit on the chair opposite only to have her stop him and urge him to sit beside her.

"I won't bite," she teased.

"Shame, I might like it," he replied flirtatiously as he sat down beside her.

Ginny let out a low chuckle and shook her head slightly. "You are not quite what I expected, Scorpius."

"What did you expect?" Scorpius asked, suddenly wary as he wondered if the witch he was talking to had a history with his family.

"Considering how much you look like your father, I thought you might be a bit more like him," Ginny replied. "He was also so serious and uptight."

"You knew my father?"

"We were at school at the same time," Ginny replied with a shrug. "But I can't say I really knew him."

"He is more serious than me," Scorpius conceded. "But then again, we were raised very differently and I haven't had the experiences he's had. I love my grandfather, but he's very strict. I grew up with a lot more freedom than my father did."

"You did inherit the Malfoy looks," Ginny commented. "You're all very striking."

"Thank you," Scorpius replied with a dazzling smile. He knew he was good looking, but he never thought anything of it as he knew he'd just been lucky enough to have good genes.

"I guess we better get on with it," Ginny said as she sipped her fire-whisky, her eyes never leaving Scorpius.

"On with it?" Scorpius muttered, feeling hot under the collar as Ginny's tongue darted out to lap up a drop of liquid that was running down the side of her glass.

"The interview." With another husky laugh, Ginny set down her glass and pulled out a small silver box from her bag. "You don't mind if I record the interview, do you? I find it easier if we just talk and then I can listen to what's been said and write up an article. I prefer it to firing off questions and writing down answers."

"That's fine with me," Scorpius replied.

Setting the recorder going and placing it on the table between them, Ginny leaned over to Scorpius and placed a hand on his thigh. "So Scorpius," she began silkily. "Tell me why a lovely boy like you, with a sexy French accent wants to come and live in dreary old England. Surely you could have signed for a French team. Their league is very good."

"It is," Scorpius agreed, trying to focus on the questions, rather than Ginny's hand on his thigh, or the fact she found his accent sexy. "But the British and Irish league is the best in Europe. Besides, it was The Tornadoes who approached me. Before that, I'd never thought of playing quidditch professionally. I never thought I was good enough."

"Really, I heard you were very impressive," Ginny breathed, her hand sliding even higher up Scorpius's thigh.

"That's very flattering," Scorpius muttered, rapidly losing interest in the interview as Ginny's sultry perfume invaded his senses and he was overcome with the urge to see if her red hair was as soft as it looked.

However, like it or not, the interview continued. Scorpius quickly realised the article was going to be a puff piece as the questions Ginny asked weren't too probing. She just wanted to know about his love of quidditch, how it had began, and what he hoped to achieve in England. She then asked him a few questions about growing up in France, before inquiring about his love life with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"So, you haven't left a broken hearted girl back in France?" she teased, her hand still resting on his thigh.

"I like to think I've never broken anyone's heart," Scorpius replied with a smile. "I've dated a few girls, but I don't have a girlfriend back home."

"And what type of girls do you like?" Ginny asked. "I'm sure you're going to be a hit with the witches of Britain, so I may as well help them out and tell them what you look for in a partner."

"I like women who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it," he replied, giving Ginny a bold stare. "I like strong, confident witches."

"And what about physically?" Ginny asked, her gaze locked onto Scorpius's piercing grey eyes.

"I do love witches who have a good pair of legs," he answered, letting his eyes drop to Ginny's long, toned legs.

"And do you prefer blondes or brunettes?"

"I'm not fussed," Scorpius replied quietly, inching his head closer to Ginny's. "But I've always wanted to try a redhead," he confessed in a low voice. "I've heard they're smoking hot."

"You've never had a redhead?" Ginny asked innocently as she pulled her wand from her bag and flicked off the recorder.

"Never," Scorpius answered.

"Funny, I've never had a Malfoy, and I hear they're something special," she returned boldly as she closed the small gap between their lips.

Never before had Scorpius been so relieved not to be a virgin. He hadn't been with many girls, but he knew his way around the female form and he had every confidence that he could show the older witch in his arms a good time. Although he suspected Ginny could teach him a trick or two, and he'd always been such a fast learner and eager to soak up new knowledge.