Heartbeat ~ Scorbus fanfic

The Dark Mark

     Scorpius hated ink. The way it dripped off of his quill, an onyx splash soaking into the parchment, the same way the ink had seared his skin, blistering his forearm, and cursing him with it.

That stupid mark, the Mark that now decided his fate. He had only agreed out of fear, out of desperation to save his family from various methods of torture. He'd have to live with the traitorous thing for the rest of his life.

He lifted the bandage wrapped around the wound, and found that slowly, the skin had started healing. It was a wonder what muggle medicines could do.

Scorpius hadn't spoken about that night for two days, and he was due to go back to Hogwarts at any time. Draco was worried about Scorpius, knowing that his son wasn't just sulking because of recent events.

"Scorpius, I know you're upset with more than just the mark. You can talk to me, you know." Draco said, making breakfast one morning.

"Albus and I broke up, and that's why I originally came here. To talk about that, and try and figure out what to do. I broke it off, but he hadn't spoken a word to me in weeks, and that's not how a relationship should go. And then this happened." Scorpius indicated his bandaged arm, glaring at it with disgust.

"I hate myself for doing it, but if I didn't, I might have lost you. It was bad enough loosing Mom, I can't loose you anytime soon."

Draco sighed as he flipped a pancake. "You could have said no. You could have stupefied the entire room if you wanted, but you didn't. You were supposed to be the one in our family to change this, to have no affiliation with the Death Eaters. Yet, I'm sure your 'I'll do it' , had to deal with some plan going on up in there."

Draco tapped Scorpius' head, before going back to cooking.

"Well, partly, but I didn't want you to get hurt for a lie. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for family, and that's what I did." Scorpius said, picking up the Daily Prophet.

"But you're just a child. My child, nonetheless. I told you to stay out of this, and you go and put yourself in the middle of it! This can ruin people. It could ruin your reputation as a student, or as a person in general!"

"It's not like my reputation hasn't been ruined already." Scorpius turned the page, reading about new developments in Magizoology.
"Being called the Dark Lord's son doesn't exactly give people the best vibe about you."

"Neither does joining the Death Eaters. But you weren't forced into this position," Draco argued, taking two glasses out of the cupboard.

"Actually, I was forced." Scorpius pointed out,
"The remainder of my family would have died if I hadn't accepted- this includes myself. So, technically you and I wouldn't be alive, which forced me to say yes."

"I guess you're right, to a point. He probably would have killed us in a heartbeat if you hadn't joined."

Scorpius smirked, slightly happy that he had won the argument. He had thought about writing to Nyx or Albus, but he couldn't say what he really needed to in a letter. It could get intercepted, and it was far too dangerous if he were to go on with betraying the Death Eaters as he had planned.

"You know, I remember when your mother would tell me that you were my child, because you were such a stubborn toddler. Now, I can say that you're just like her, with your beliefs, and your willingness to protect those around you. She'd be proud of you, even if protecting your family meant doing something you regret."

Scorpius sighed, "But this," He pointed at the mark. "What price will I have to pay if I'm found out? If another student so much as glances, and sees this, what then? Will I have to give up my life? Give in to years of torture, when I was forced into this- even if I knew what I was getting into?"
Scorpius' voice was calm, but his mind was drowning in a sea of terrible thoughts.