Warnings: Sexual situations, slash

Author's Notes: Adapted from the gift written for midnight_birth for the Malfoy-Weasley Exchange on live journal. This story owes a lot to her original suggestions.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the wizarding world are the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I own nothing except my own ideas, and make no profit. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 1: PROSECUTION

"He couldn't have worn longer sleeves?"

Every student in his school year, with supporting family members, was gathering on the lawns in front of Hogwarts Castle for the graduation ceremony. They could all clearly see the damning skull and snake design branded into his grandfather's forearm. Scorpius wanted to die.

"It is rather hot," his father mitigated.

"You won't take your jacket off, will you? Please!" Scorpius begged. "Why is he even here?"

"He's proud of you. We both are." Draco patted his son's hand awkwardly.

This was meant to be Scorpius' moment of happiness, this was supposed to make all of that studying worthwhile. Instead he had to endure a couple of hundred witches and wizards – many of whom he'd been living with for seven years – pointing and smirking. It wasn't like he could pretend the ostentatious old Death Eater was nothing to do with him. There were only three men there with silver-blond hair.

Oh just perfect! That hot Ravenclaw boy with the dimples was whispering to his father and laughing behind his hand. Eighteen months' worth of glances across the library wasted!

It was so unfair! Why did he have to be the one with the infamous family? Why did it have to be his grandfather with the waist-length hair, a dark mark and a silver-topped cane?/p

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"Good afternoon, Harry. How can I help you?" Percy Weasley greeted the disembodied head of the Middle-Aged-Man-Who-Lived floating over his grate.

"Hi. Ginny and I are having this bar-be-que thing a week on Saturday and we were hoping you'd bring the girls."

"Sadly, my daughters will be away on holiday with their mother and step-father then."

"That's a shame. Still, you're very welcome without them --"

"Will I be the only single person there?"

"Erm."

"It'll all be couples, families and me, won't it?"

"Oh! No! Hang on, Charlie's between boyfriends again --"

"This event is in ten days' time, Harry. By then he'll be onto the next one, whereas I will be forever --"

"I'll get Fleur to bring her sister, Gabrielle."

"Is she single?"

"Pretty much."

"This isn't an attempt at match-making, I hope?"

"No, no! She's a nun."

"A nun?"

"Yes."

"Do nuns eat Bar-be-qued food?"

"Probably."

Families, couples, a nun and Percy? He tried to stifle a deep sigh. "Look, it's nice of you to think of me, Harry, but, unfortunately, I do have an awful lot on at work this month."

"That's fine. Another time. How is the Magical Law Advocacy? Better than the Ministry?"

"Oh, yes."

"You don't sound that sure."

"I don't regret the career change at all. It's just that I've discovered I'm to be given an Apprentice and I'm not sure what to do with him. It will involve a great deal of preparation and marking of paperwork --"

"Just say you won't do it."

"I can't. The Partners are very keen. His grandfather is an important client."

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After the ceremony, Scorpius and Draco stood to attention as Lucius examined the N.E.W.T. results in detail. There was going to be a big party in London on Tuesday. Scorpius hoped his friends weren't going to spend too much of it teasing him about today. He hoped he wouldn't be shunned. He hoped he was still invited! He tried to pull faces at his fellow graduates but they didn't seem to see him.

Finally Lucius looked up. "These results could be better, couldn't they young Scorpius?"

"I did my best, sir."

"I do hope that that's not true. Still, it shouldn't matter. I can pull a few strings. In fact, I already have. You start on Monday."

Monday? No! He'd been looking forward to a long, lazy summer like everyone else's. Scorpius looked over to his father for support, but Draco was studying his shoelaces.

"Start what? Sir?"

The party on Tuesday! They weren't going to let him go, were they?

"I have decided," Lucius drawled, "that the Malfoys spend far too much money on Lawyers. We need to have our own Advocate in the family. I have organised an apprenticeship for you."

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"Lucius Malfoy."

The proffered hand was cool and dry, the fingernails manicured and the skin as smooth and unblemished as that of a much younger man. He smelled of something sharp, sweet and familiar.

"Percy Weasley, sir. Pleased to meet you."

After they had shaken each other's hands, Percy was unable to reclaim his, because long, strong fingers still gripped him. Grey eyes assessed him, sweeping down his official white robes and back up to his face. Percy was clearly judged to be adequate, however, because Malfoy quirked up one side of his mouth into something like a smile. He released Percy's hand and stepped back.

"And this is my grandson, Scorpius, your apprentice."

The youth had the same haughty bearing and straight, pale hair as his grandfather. His eyes, however, were a piercing blue, and he lacked the older man's confidence and charm. He stuck out an arm reticently and Percy tried to welcome him with an encouraging grin as he shook hands with him.

Percy felt a strange disappointment as Lucius swept from the room, but he didn't have time to examine it, because as soon as they were alone together, the young man's attitude changed. His expression became surly and he sat down heavily on the top of Percy's lovingly polished desk, looking round the room.

"This is it?" he asked.

"I was thinking you could work at this desk," Percy suggested, indicating a little table and chair which he had squeezed into a corner near the window. He hoped his clients wouldn't find it too intrusive.

"We've got cupboards bigger than this office at home," Scorpius complained.

"Come and sit here," said Percy, firmly.

Scorpius merely shifted his posture to look out of the window. "Oh, great view!" he sneered. Percy was a very junior Advocate in the Partnership and his office looked out over a nondescript rooftop to the blank brick wall of the next building. "We on Diagon Alley?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes, we are. I have prepared a few files for you to look over --"

"Do I get to go shopping?"

Percy tried to stay calm. "Possibly in your lunch hour. If you have completed all your allotted assignments."

There was a pause. The two men weighed each other up. Percy stood in the corner, holding the papers he expected Scorpius to study. Scorpius leaned back on Percy's expensive walnut desk. There was a moment of silence. Then the young Malfoy swung back his heel. His heel hit the leg of the desk with a loud noise. Percy winced. Scorpius grinned. He kicked back his leg again.

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The next Sunday Charlie burst out of Percy's fireplace and stood on the pale carpet yelling, "You bastard!"

"Good morning, Charles. Why don't you get your Fireplace cleaned? I know that's not my soot."

"I thought you were going to be there yesterday! It was all married couples and me. I was relying on you!"

"Harry said he was going to invite a nun. Could you stop pacing dirt into my carpet, please."

"Well, he didn't. Thank Merlin. And how would that have helped? It's bad enough being celibate myself without making small-talk with some religious spinster!"

"Would you like a cup of tea? Please can you sit in the leather armchair, it's wipe-clean." Percy rose from the sofa and went into his spotless kitchen area.

"Stop talking like a Muggle!" Charlie yelled after him, slumping into the designated chair anyway. "You only need to cast iScourgify/i. Two sugars and a shot of Old Ogden's in mine, please."

Percy popped his head round the doorway while the kettle boiled. "I'm sorry. I've been catching up on work all weekend. Was it awful?"

"It was lonely. Why haven't I got kids?"

"Well ..." Percy pretended to consider the question while he summoned the teacups, "you've never had a relationship that lasted longer than a couple of months. Oh, and none of them were with women."

"Oh, details, details," Charlie dismissed, hefting his boots onto the glass coffee table. "Even little Lily had her boyfriend with her."

The two brothers stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Why did their family have to be so full of, well, families? Percy looked at Charlie and wondered how his older brother could look younger than he did. His muscled arms were still firm, he always had a grin and his eyes were bright. He would find someone new soon and Percy would be left alone on the shelf again. It never took Charlie long.

He always found someone young, energetic, good-looking and infatuated. He would take Charlie to exciting places to do youthful things. Just imagining it made Percy feel very tired. And what about the sex? How did he have the energy? Percy stared at the rugged, fit man in his armchair and wondered how they could be related.

Charlie stared back at his sensible, intelligent, patient brother and wondered the same thing. How could he be so focussed on work that he missed a party? How did he stay so slim? How had he suffered the boredom of staying married for twenty years? All that time he had been loyal and faithful, doggedly providing for his family. Charlie got restless after a few weeks with anyone. Those lovely daughters were Percy's reward. He wouldn't stay single for long – he'd be swooped up by some woman who appreciated a calm, constant man. Then Charlie would be the only one again – the Weasley who was different.

"Why are you so busy at work?" Charlie asked.

To his surprise, Percy dropped his head into his hands and moaned. Percy didn't usually go in for displays of ostentatious emotion.

"What is it?" Charlie asked again.

Percy's voice came up from between his fingers: "The spawn of Malfoy! Lucius Malfoy called in some favours and the Partners have landed me with his grandson as an apprentice."

"Not a man to say 'no' to," Charlie sympathised.

"His name's Scorpius. Appropriately. Because he's venomous."

"What does he do?"

"Nothing. Worse than nothing. He disrupts everything I do. He hides papers and drops rubbish in strange corners. I have to prepare work for him, which he doesn't do and he uses up all my ink and parchment not doing it. He's supposed to listen in on interviews, but he upsets the clients with sarcastic interruptions and intrusive questions. He even started whistling in the Wizengamot. So, when I go down there I have to leave him in my office. On Thursday I got back to find a mirror-ball, coloured lights and ear-blisteringly loud 'Scissor Sisters'."

"Would you like me to have a word?"

Charlie looked serious, but Percy laughed in a tight way. "He's not a Third Year who's just nicked my chocolate frog cards. You can't beat him up for me."