My first multi-chapter fiction. Hope you'll like it! This is CC non-compliant.

The story is rated M for language and scenes of sexual nature.

Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to JKR. Copyright Infringement is unintended.

1. Being an Auror Is Tough

"Bloody hell!" swore Scorpius Malfoy, as he got yet another paper cut. His fingers were currently covered with paper cuts. He waved his wand over his hand, closing yet another wound. He must have hit a record number of papercuts for a night.

He yawned widely and looked at the mountain of paperwork he had to get over with by tomorrow, or rather today morning, before he stepped into his office. He hated this part.

Served him right to have thought that being an Auror was only about fighting the Dark Arts.

His boss, Ron Weasley, didn't make his job easier.

Maybe he shouldn't have asked Ron if he could do the paperwork at his flat, which only encouraged Ron to give him a bigger pile to work with.

Scorpius thought about the wonderful, warm bed in his room and considered Imperiusing himself so that he could go and have a lovely sleep. The cool, stormy July weather didn't make matters easier for him. He felt his eyelids acting of its own accord, dropping down slowly when a shout woke him up.

"Oi Malfoy!"

Jerking awake, Scorpius turned his head towards the fireplace, to see his best friend, Albus Potter in it. He was looking concerned.

"Al, you need glasses. It's one AM. What on earth do you want at this ungodly hour?"

"Is Rose here?"

"Why would she be here? Check at Mungo's. I think she'd said that she had a night shift tonight."

"I did. She isn't there! She had popped in at Ted's guest house two hours ago. And left as quickly as she had arrived. Ted was worried about her because she looked like a wreck. He gave a floo call at her place half an hour later to check-in. But she wasn't there."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Ok?"

"She is still not there! I just checked."

"How about Elora's?"

"Elora's crashing here for the night"

"She must have gone over to one of her co-worker's place. Relax Potter! It's Rose, she'll be fine"

"But just look at the weather outside-"

Scorpius cringed as he heard the thunder roar outside.

"She is somewhere safe. I just know it. We'll look for her first thing in the morning, alright? I have a lot of crap to finish, which needs to be at your dear uncle's desk by 10 AM."

"What about Patricia? Isn't she helping you?"

"She's on leave. She left for Italy today with her boyfriend." Scorpius said with distaste, whereas Albus scowled, "Elora still up?"

Albus nodded with a hint of a smirk and a blush. "Oh yeah. She's quite agitated right now. It's been a week since I last saw her! We were just getting reacquainted when Teddy dropped by."

Scorpius made a face. "He must have walked into something ghastly."

"He's seen worse. He used to live with James, remember? Nudity reminds me; how was your second date with Serena last night?"

Scorpius sighed, "Yes yes. We had sex, and it was good. But I ended it this morning. After the sex, she started talking about her ex-boyfriends and how serious she was with them, which hinted enough. I am not ready to commit to anyone right now. I have too much on my plate to handle. So forget marriage, I guess it'll be no dates till I'm at least thirty."

"When you'll be graying, and most likely, will have a receding hairline. That'll really be an age when you'll be all hot and happening!' snorted Albus, "You really think you'll be single for that long? Almost seven years? Ok sure! But on the bright side, I'm sure my sister can wait for an entire lifetime for you."

Scorpius ground his teeth together and said, "Shut it, Potter! Lily is your sister. And both, you and her, know that I feel the same way about her. For now, focus more on your love life, eh? I'll get back to work."

"Ah, duty calls! See you later, ferret boy."

Scorpius scowled as Albus' head disappeared with a pop. He turned his head to the pile of papers and wondered uneasily if they multiplied on their own during the time he was on the Floo call.

He wondered if he should call in sick and take a day off tomorrow. He was sure he would not be able to get some rest tonight. But then it might not look professional, to not turn up at work when required. But then turning up at work would mean walking around like the Inferi. And then when the entire day turns out to be unproductive, then probably Ron would come to his senses and apologize for being an awful-

His head started hurting. He was thinking too much. He could have been in a worse off situation had it been someone else supervising him. He rubbed his forehead and went to prepare a mug of hot coffee for himself. He decided he might at least finish his work and call in sick once submitted.

Sipping some coffee, he sat in his wicker chair, grimacing at the sight of papers in front of him. He had been working nearly 14 hours a day for the past two weeks, and could now feel the tiredness in every cell of his body

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Being an Auror wasn't a child's play.

Especially for an ex-Death Eater's son.

Scorpius remembered the prejudices he'd faced since his childhood. Whenever he'd be out in public, people stared at him or talked about him once he crossed them. He had overhead many nicknames, the most common one being 'Death Eater Spawn'.

All this even before he started Hogwarts.

He'd thought things would get much worse the moment he stepped onto King's Cross, Platform 9 ¾. He was going to be attending school with children of war heroes and survivors.

And as predicted, he'd gotten his share of stares and furious whispers. But his father, Draco Malfoy had told him to not be ashamed of himself, and walk with his head high.

Things had gone wrong in the past, and it was in the past, so why ruin the present and the future?

While waiting on the platform with his parents, he had seen his father looking at a bunch of people, a group filled with redheads and brunettes. A tall, red-headed man and a bespectacled, jet-black haired man looked over at them, and they and his father nodded at each other in greeting.

"That would be Weasley, Potter and their family." His father had whispered to him. "A Weasley and a Potter are starting this year. Make sure you beat them in everything. Especially, the weasel's daughter."

Scorpius had felt comprehension dawning on him, as he finally put faces to the names he had heard for the longest time. He had also felt a dull ache in his heart at the size of the seemingly ever-expanding group. How much he'd longed for a sibling or cousins chattering happily around him like that, but he just didn't seem to have any, except Aunt Daphne's irritating older twin daughters, who were at Beauxbatons Academy.

Suddenly, the redheaded man's daughter had made eye contact with him and had given him a small smile, which he'd returned. His father had noted the exchange and had gripped his shoulder tightly, which had made Scorpius wince.

"Don't get too friendly with the Weasley. Remember, Grandpa Malfoy won't forgive you if you married one", he had said, the left side of his lip up in an unmistakable smirk.

Last thing he remembered before getting onto the train was being hugged warmly by his parents, and his father whispering in his ear, "You'll love Hogwarts. You'll have enemies, but you may also have friends. Just make sure you make the right ones. I never had a choice but I want you to know that you do."

Eyes had followed him since he stepped on the train, but the looks and stares weren't of admiration and awe, like the ones Potter boy and Weasley girl had gotten. He had found an empty compartment at the end of the train, and was alone for the rest of the ride.

Lazy applause from the Slytherin table was heard the moment the sorting hat had shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" for him. He had found himself being congratulated by his seniors, all saying, "Welcome Home, Malfoy" but he hadn't shared their sentiments. He'd had a very bad feeling that he would be known for his last name only. He'd feared that he'd end up having cronies as his friends, taking exactly like his father. Which hadn't been what he wanted.

He'd felt truly lost till the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN" for Albus Potter. He had been grinning from ear to ear as Albus sat on the table across, looking stumped and terrified. Scorpius had smiled at him, which Albus had returned tentatively. Soon, they'd become fast friends, chattering non-stop over the food. The next morning, Scorpius had found himself another friend, in the form of a hot-tempered, feisty Gryffindor called Rose Weasley, who had joined them at their table for breakfast, and since that day, there had been no looking back.

Hogwarts had found its new Golden trio. And the resemblance with the previous Trio was uncanny.

Albus was the leader and had a knack of getting into trouble. He had an adventurous streak which could put any Gryffindor to shame, and also attracted unwanted attention because of his name. The similarity between Harry and Albus Potter did not end at the looks only.

Scorpius was the charmer, the witty one of the group, with Quidditch skills and looks to kill for. Unlike Ron, he never really longed for attention, but just once in a while, he wanted to be known as a good Malfoy.

Rose was the voice of reason, with knowledge and talent that matched her mother's, and Quidditch Skills inherited from her father.

The three were also a part of their respective House Quidditch Teams. Rose had joined the Gryffindor team in her second year as a Seeker, whereas Albus and Scorpius had joined the team in their first year itself as Chaser and Seeker respectively.

Rose and Scorpius kept a record of their wins against each other and were tied at three-all when into the seventh year. The last Quidditch match had been the decider. Hugo, the Gryffindor Keeper had swallowed the snitch, and somehow had managed to spit it right in Rose's hands, who had been trying to get him to throw up.

Till date, Rose gloated about the win. There were times when he wanted to hex her just so she could stop talking. Because it didn't take much for them to start bickering

But he never did. It was just because he loved seeing her so happy. He couldn't bear seeing her cry. A tear from her eye would make him want to rip the world apart and hunt the person down responsible for her tears. She was one of the best people he knew in his life and knew that she deserved the best kind of happiness in the world.

Scorpius knew Rose had always felt conflicted, having them as her best friends; they had a habit of getting carried away when it came to protecting her. It eventually led to Rose venting out her frustration on multiple occasions. Rose Weasley in a temper was the last person you'd want to cross. But that did not stop them from loving her, and vice-versa. They were incomplete without each other. They were a little family.

Everyone at Hogwarts had believed that the word family applied to Scorpius and Rose, in a totally different manner. Rumours were rife about their alleged relationship, stories ranging from being star crossed lovers to being best friends in love. Initially, both had taken the whole thing as a joke, believing it to blow over soon. But it was only a matter of time before the teasing and the immense belief the population had about them got on their nerves. Roxanne Weasley had even enchanted a mistletoe to follow them till they kissed. And when they finally did, the news had reached their parents mysteriously and the howlers they had received had shaken them up, causing them to announce that they'd hex anyone who teased them about the other.

Albus once was careless enough to state that they both reminded him of Rose's parents whenever they bickered. He couldn't walk straight for a whole week.

Even though there were no feelings, Scorpius knew one thing. Rose meant to him more than any girl at Hogwarts, any girl in his entire life. He wasn't in love with her but he honestly couldn't imagine life without her. Even though there were quite a few girls he dated at Hogwarts, none of them lasted long enough because they were all sick of being second to her. And they were. She was his priority.

Everyone believed that they had similar plans after school. Albus and Scorpius definitely did. Both wanted to be Aurors. It was a bit of a surprise for everyone at first that Scorpius had chosen to be an Auror as well, especially when he had already been offered to play for various league teams. Scorpius knew he wanted to do something worthwhile, something to show that he wasn't just another Malfoy. Rose, however, had wanted to work as a Healer, which had taken the boys by surprise because they had expected her to go for the Ministry. She had reminded them that since they were going to work as Aurors, someone had to be there to take care of them in case they lose a vital organ.

Scorpius had faced many tribulations and prejudices when he joined the Auror Academy. And the Auror supervising him was no one else but Ron Weasley. From day one, Ron had made it clear that he didn't have any prejudice against Scorpius, but he didn't like him either. So Scorpius had worked day and night to win his mentor's heart. And he did that. Ron had been thoroughly impressed by the young Malfoy's sincerity and hard work. After finally believing the fact that his daughter and the Malfoy kid were friends and nothing more, Ron never made it a secret that Scorpius was his favorite student.

And surely, Scorpius had become a full-fledged Auror just five months back. His mother was in tears at his graduation, where he collected the award for the top Auror graduate, his father holding on to her and smiling proudly. Ron had been gloating to everyone that the student winning the award was from his stable, and had joked that Harry should just leave the teaching part to the best.

He'd even got an apartment from the Auror Accommodation Office, which was provided to the best Auror graduates. Life had never been better. He was finally being known as Scorpius Malfoy, rather than Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius' eyes snapped open when the clock chimed two. He got up from his chair and yawned widely, and had just started to move towards his kitchen to get some more hot coffee, when he heard someone banging on the front door. The person was someone he was definitely on friendly terms with. Or else the security alarm would have gone off. However, he whipped out his wand as a precaution. Who really would be stupid enough to drop in at two in the morning and that too, in such a stormy weather?

He opened the door and scowled.

"It's two in the morning! Where on bloody earth were you?"

A redhead stepped inside the house without replying to him. Scorpius closed the door, cringing as he heard another thunderclap. He then wheeled around to face his best friend. He had just opened his mouth to shout at her, but one good look at her shut him up. Rose Weasley's eyes didn't have the usual twinkle. Her skin was blue; perhaps she had been walking around in the rain for a long time. She looked so vulnerable. Scorpius feared she would break if he tried to touch her. He summoned two thick blankets and a cup of hot coffee.

"Damn it, woman! Were you walking around in the rain?" he murmured as he wrapped the blanket around her, and handed her the mug. Noticing that she was shaking miserably, he pulled her gently towards the fireplace. Scorpius watched as Rose stared at the fire, her cup of coffee untouched. Using a Drying charm, he dried her hair and waited for her to speak. She looked so lifeless, especially the eyes he loved so much. Her eyes expressed her best and her worst emotions. Right now, they weren't saying anything at all. And that scared him.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked soothingly, caressing her hair. Rose finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, which startled him. Without any warning, Rose flung herself at him, and broke down completely, terrifying him. He had never seen Rose like this.

"Hey. Ssshhh. Talk to me. What happened?" he whispered in Rose's ear, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rocked back and forth. He could feel the wetness from her eyes on his chest now.

Something was really, really wrong.

He continued rocking back and forth, a trick his mum had taught him.

"Just wrap your arms around the distraught person very tightly so that they feel safe, and keep swaying gently. That's how I used to calm you down whenever you used to get terrified whenever there were thunderstorms."

And soon enough Rose's sobs had stopped, though he could hear the occasional sniffs. He smiled to himself. The trick still worked when it came to Rose. He had been stupid enough to tell James Potter about this trick at school. James had gone about looking for any girl crying her heart out, so that he could comfort her. He, however, did come back with a few handprints on his cheek.

He suddenly felt Rose pulling back. "How do you do that?" she asked with a small smile.

"What?"

"Making me feel better, whenever I'm at my worst."

"I am quite the charmer, aren't I?"

Rose's face broke finally broke into a watery smile. The smile always made him believe that at the end of the day, everything would just be fine.

"So planning to tell me what is wrong, preferably by the end of this decade?"

Scorpius frowned as he saw her smile disappear. She again turned back to stare at the flames. He knew what she was feeling. The only times she refused to look at him was whenever she felt guilty.

Oh dear! What had she done?

"Rose?"

What Rose said next was barely louder than a whisper. But it was loud enough for him.

"I'm pregnant."

AN:-

Badatam tssshhhhhhhh.

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