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The Color of Secrets

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Chapter One: Childhoods, in Red and White

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Hermione woke up to an empty bed. The house was quiet, so she knew everything must be all right. The drapes hung open and a slight breeze flew through the bedroom, rustling the stack of parchment on the bedside table. It was dark out, the sky a navy blue, but not quite black. Hermione sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She slid her feet into her slippers and took her robe off the end of the bed, pulling it on as she walked out of the bedroom.

Down the hall was a newly decorated room, in pale yellows and greens, one entire wall with an enchanted mural of frogs and ducks who liked to swim inside the painted lake. Hermione peered inside the room. Ron had a small baby in his arms, cradling her as they sat in the rocking chair.

"Shh," he hushed.

"Did she wake up? I didn't hear her."

"I heard her starting to fuss before I went to bed. You've been asleep since four this afternoon."

Hermione nodded. She had been so exhausted earlier. Their new baby had awoken every two hours the night before and Hermione got up each time, in case feeding her would calm her down. In the end, after eight hours of constant crying, nursing did the trick.

"She looks like you," whispered Hermione.

"No, she looks like you." Ron looked down at their daughter.

Hermione crossed the room and pressed the palm of her hand against his cheek as she stood in front of the rocking chair. He looked up at her and she smiled.

"Why don't you put her to bed and then come to bed yourself?"

Ron nodded. "Sure." He leaned his head back further and Hermione kissed his mouth softly.

This was heavenly. Ron and their daughter were beautiful together, a perfect match, and Hermione was grateful to have such perfection in her life.

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Their whole lives they both wanted children , whether or not they ever said it. They didn't talk about having children together until they had been dating for several months. There was a gathering at the Burrow so Bill and Fleur could show off their new baby. Ron held her and Hermione smiled at him, saying, "You'll be a great dad someday."

When they had a moment alone, Ron asked her if she wanted to be a mum someday as well. Hermione said yes, and they looked at one another, somehow knowing that their future, together, included children. They married, as everyone already knew they would, and waited for almost two years before trying to have a baby.

Hermione took a leave of absence to the Ministry. She had just finished her work on helping the house elves and was set and ready to start a new assignment when she found out she was pregnant with Rose. There had been so much done for the house elves, which had always been Hermione's dream. She wasn't one to completely quit her job and become a housewife. However, she knew that a break would be good for her body and they could save money by not having to pay for a nanny for the baby.

By the time she filled in all the loose holes at work, she was six months pregnant. It was good timing because they hadn't even begun to buy anything for the baby or set up the new room. In fact, they hadn't even found a house!

Hermione and Ron looked for new houses on the weekends; they had been living in a two-bedroom home near London, but with a new baby, they wanted extra rooms so that Hermione wouldn't lose her office. It was difficult to please both Ron andHermione. Ron wanted lots of land to teach his children how to play Quidditch in the open air. Hermione wanted large rooms, especially a large room for all her work-things and books. Ron wanted a big kitchen to cook meals in. Hermione wanted to be near Hogwarts and the fabulous library there. Ron wanted to remain in England.

The house they found was in the country, in Scotland, with other houses close enough to see, but far enough away that they could never overhear their neighbors. The nearest neighbors were all witches and wizards, so Ron could teach his children to ride brooms without fear of Muggles seeing them fly. The room Hermione took for an office wasn't as large as she'd hoped, but there were built-in bookshelves from floor to ceiling, perfect for all her books. The kitchen was medium-sized, but Hermione had charmed the cabinets to hold an infinite amount of cooking necessities. Even though Ron had wanted to stay in England, Hermione reminded him just how much closer they were to Honeydukes now – which seemed to appease Ron.

Rose was born in that house, with the aid of a medi-witch and Ron by Hermione's side. Ron took two weeks off work to help with Rose, but eventually he had to go back to work. He didn't like leaving Hermione alone, knowing she was exhausted, but her mother came over to help on the weekends, and Ron's mother checked in during the week.

Once Rose began toddling around, Hermione began working on another project. It was in the research stages. She got every law book she could find and read through every wizarding law written. She made notes on the laws that left half-bloods with fewer rights than purebloods.

Before Rose's second birthday, Hermione found out she was pregnant again. She had a moment of panic and anger. She was too sick in the mornings to work on her new project, but the moment she felt the new baby move, she knew this was right. Ron decided to leave his job at the Ministry and go work for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Working for George would allow him more flexible hours to come home and be with his family and help Hermione. It would also allow him more time with Hermione herself, which was something Hermione always knew was important to Ron.

When Rose was two and a half, Hugo was born. He was a squishy little thing who cried a lot and Rose seemed very put-off by him. Hermione tended to Hugo a lot the first couple of weeks and Rose bonded with her father. That bond never wore off and throughout the years, Rose was closer to Ron – and consequently, Hugo closer to Hermione.

At Rose's fifth birthday party, everyone was there except for Lucy Weasley who was still kicking around in Audrey's stomach. She had a chocolate cake and asked for Chocolate Frogs and Quidditch supplies from all her relatives. Hermione got her a book on Quidditch, as was Hermione's style, but Ron got her a child-sized broom, charmed to fly exactly one and a half meters off the ground. It was a gift that changed her life.

Hugo was not only two years younger than Rose, but also always two steps behind. He wanted to read all the books she read, but couldn't yet. He wanted to climb onto the same broom, but was too small, too uncoordinated. There was jealousy there and Hermione picked up on it immediately. She couldn't figure out what Hugo was good at yet. He was clever, of course, but he didn't show any aptitude towards anything.

Rose, on the other hand, was very clever, but didn't show any interest in trying. She went to a Muggle school, just as her mother had, and while she scored the highest marks on her tests, her teachers complained that Rose barely handed in her homework. They complained that she drew pictures in her notebooks instead of doing her classwork, yet when she was called upon, she almost always knew the answer.

"She's got your brains, and my work ethic," said Ron jokingly, "or at least, myschoolwork ethic."

Luckily her marks in Muggle school had no bearing on whether she'd get accepted into Hogwarts. Hermione simply wanted her children exposed to the Muggle world, to understand them better, but to also understand their Muggle heritage better. Hugo seemed overly interested in the Muggle world, whereas Rose seemed interested in Quidditch and chocolate.

Rose turned eleven on Valentine's Day. She was budding into a very attractive young woman. Her hair was auburn, a direct cross between Ron's ginger and Hermione's brown. Her eyes were blue, just like Ron's. She had her mother's nose and mouth and her father's tall and lanky body. Fortunately, her lankiness hadn't become awkwardness, at least not yet. She was confident, but not overly so; she was quiet and didn't like to talk to new people. Her best friends were her family – Albus, Louis, and Roxanne especially, as they were all roughly the same age and entering Hogwarts at the same time.

There were a lot of Weasleys at Hogwarts already. Victoire was entering her seventh year, Dominique, her fourth. Fred was also a fourth year and would be joined by his sister Roxanne. James had been at school for two years already and Albus was now eager to join (unfortunately, so was Lily and was very upset that she had to wait for another two years to join her brothers). Molly was a second year. Rose didn't much care for Molly; she was a bit stuck up. And Victoire and Dominique were always pleasant, but always spoke to one another in French. They were so much older that they didn't have much in common with Rose, but she did enjoy when they came over for giant dinners with the entire Weasley clan.

Rose and Albus were particularly close in many, many ways. Roxanne, however, more easily understood Rose's interest in boys and they often giggled over the posters of the professional Quidditch players in Albus's room. Rose had always seen Albus much more than any of her other cousins, which was because their parents were such excellent friends. When Rose and Albus were accepted into Hogwarts, they read each other's letters (even though they were exactly the same) and begged their parents to take them to Diagon Alley immediately.

When it came time to go to King's Cross, neither of them could sleep the night before. Hermione checked on Rose several times that night, only to find her flipping through her books or reorganizing her trunk; she wanted everything to be perfect. In the end, Hermione was able to make Rose get in bed.

It reminded Hermione of when she was eleven, getting ready for her first journey upon the Hogwarts Express. Rose was very like her in so many ways.

"Nox!" Hermione whispered once she was sure her daughter was in bed for good, and left Rose's room.

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"You were such a brat when we were little."

Astoria's chin rested in her left hand as her right pushed the food on her plate around with her fork. She glanced at her sister, sitting at the end of the table. "What?" she said, even though she heard Daphne perfectly well.

"I said you were such a brat."

"I was younger than you; I think that's a rule, isn't it? For younger sisters to be little snots?"

Scorpius laughed. He sat across the table from his mum and he generally laughed at anything containing the words "snot" or "bogey."

"Eat your carrots," instructed Astoria.

Her husband sat next to her and she felt him place a hand on her thigh, as though to calm her down. Daphne was a stuck-up little princess, even though she was thirty-seven years old. They'd grown up with wealth and never knew the meaning of want. Daphne had married into the same sort of old, family wealth, and everything she owned was expensive and custom-made. Astoria's story was much different. Draco's parents had both passed on, in a rather unnatural way, but no one ever truly spoke of how they died. The fortune they'd left Draco was smaller than they'd realized – much smaller. Draco had a business going dealing in antiquities, but he had to double his profit just to continue their lavish lifestyle. Though her robes were always new and expensive, they weren't custom-made and she decorated her house on her own, instead of hiring someone else to do it.

Everything was like that now. They had two house-elves, while Daphne had six. Oftentimes, Astoria had to prune her rose bushes herself because they couldn't afford a herbology-expert to come and tend to their gardens. It had humbled Astoria and angered Draco that they couldn't throw away money in the same way as they used to, but they were actually fairly happy.

Scorpius had turned out to be a lovely boy, very clever and very quiet. He liked to laugh, but he was shy and hadn't any friends yet. Astoria didn't like to attend the business parties Draco had for his clients, so she and Scorpius usually took a trip via Portkey on those weekends to see her grandparents in France.

It was strange to think that Daphne came from the same parents as Astoria since they were so very different. However, Daphne was always favored. She was beautiful, slender with sleek hair and full lips. At Hogwarts, she always seemed to have a boyfriend, always surrounded by a large group of friends. At home, their mother doted on her, gave her the antique family diamond earrings to wear to the Christmas parties, introduced her to all the eligible pureblood wizards, and bought her robes made out of the finest silks. Astoria got new robes as well, but her name was often left out of introductions and the only jewelry she was ever given was from her grandparents, a simple locket when she turned seventeen.

"Are you listening to me?" asked Daphne, clearly annoyed.

"No," answered Astoria. "Why are you here if you're going to be rude? This is my house and this is the last dinner I'm going to have with my son until Christmas holiday. He leaves for Hogwarts in the morning and I'd like to have some peace at my dinner table. Scorpius, eat your carrots."

"You're too stressed," said Daphne. "If you could go to the auction block on Saturday, get yourself another house-elf, then you wouldn't have to do so much work."

"I don't want another house-elf."

"Can you afford it? Has he started making you work for him? Keeping his books? Like a servant?"

Astoria felt heat rise in her body. She had let it slip to her sister that instead of paying someone else to keep track of his antiques and profits and all his other bookkeeping, Draco had asked if she, his wife, had wanted to do it instead. She gladly agreed, not seeing anything wrong with it. Daphne, on the other hand, didn't think that wives of pureblood wizards should have to lift a finger except to put on expensive, glittering rings. Astoria considered Draco to be her one true love and that was more important than jewelry or gold. She didn't need material things to make her happy; she was already happy enough with her husband nad son.

"Yes, I keep the books and yes, we can afford another elf." Astoria knew this wasn't true. The house-elf auction block was really a nicer name for the house-elf black market. Hermione Weasley had somehow convinced the Ministry to pass a law, giving house-elves rights, including small salaries if they wanted, and the ability to have time off and be free. They could quit their families if they didn't like and they could wear clothes if they so chose. Some house-elves weren't comfortable with this new freedom, but others exercised all their rights. The new laws meant no one could buy or trade house-elves any more, so getting a new one was expensive; witches and wizards had to negotiate fees and work schedules. There were binding spells put on some house-elves, connecting them to the witch or wizard who bought them in illegal auctions, forcing the elves to do everything their masters told them to do, just as the tradition had been for thousands of years before Hermione Weasley came along.

"Mum, how come you and Auntie always fight?"

"We're sisters and sisters always fight," Daphne replied. "Eat your carrots, like your mother said. I'm going into the kitchen and see what pudding you have."

Astoria watched her sister leave the room. "She's impossible!" she cried when Daphne was out of earshot.

"Just be glad her little snotty children aren't going to Hogwarts to torment Scorpius."

"I can take care of myself," mumbled Scorpius.

"I know you can, son, but your cousins are vicious. I'd rather you focus on schoolwork than worry about seeking revenge on other students."

"What about the Potter and the Weasley kids? Aren't there a million of them in school already?"

Astoria laughed. "Yes, there are. They're taking over Hogwarts, but you mustn't fight with them."

"Don't we hate them?"

"No!"

Draco cleared his throat. "You can hate them if you want--"

"Draco!"

"--but remember it's more important to do better in school than them. If you fight, do it in defense. If you start a fight, you'll get punished. Let them get the house points taken away, not you. You have to be clever about these things."

"Draco, that is terrible advice. Sweetheart, we want you to do well in school so you can get all your NEWTs and get a good job."

"But we also want you to do better than the Weasleys, especially the ones who are also half-Granger."

"Don't listen to your father. You need to do what's good for you, to get yourself ahead. Think of your future, after Hogwarts. But don't get in fights."

"You are number one, Scorpius, remember that. Your mother is right about doing what's best for you."

"Do your homework and study for your exams. Have fun, though. Make sure you take your set of Gobstones and Exploding Snaps. I wish you could take your broom, but first-years aren't allowed. Still, book some time on the pitch to fly around. I know you enjoy a good fly."

"Yes, Mum."

"Eat your carrots, son," instructed Draco. He softly squeezed Astoria's thigh, as though to reassure her that Scorpius was going to be all right at Hogwarts. Still, she knew she was going to miss her only son greatly.

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Astoria had always known who Draco was in school. He was a few years ahead of her, in her sister's year, and while she didn't fancy him, she did notice him. Shamefully, she had a slight attraction to Harry Potter. Perhaps it was his predilection towards death, that dangerous will-he-or-won't-he-die-today question that lingered in the air whenever he walked by. He wasn't overly good-looking, but there was excitement surrounding him. She didn't like how he associated with everyone, regardless of blood status; that was unacceptable in Astoria's eyes, or at least unacceptable when she was school-aged and her opinions were influenced by her parents.

A few years after she had left school, she bumped into Draco in Flourish and Blotts. She reached for a book, he reached for the same book, and they ended the afternoon with some drinks at the Leaky Cauldron. She confessed her attraction to Harry, after several drinks, but Draco didn't laugh with her. He wasn't amused, yet he seemed more aggressive after her admission. Perhaps he wanted to have someone who liked him better than Harry, perhaps she was a conquest, but it didn't matter because she fell in love with him and she knew he loved her as well.

The Greengrasses were not amused by the news of their relationship. The Malfoys were not well-thought of anymore; nowadays no one wanted to be associated with Death Eaters. Still, Astoria was strong-willed and didn't much care what her parents thought. At first, her sister Daphne wasn't fond of Draco, but was pleased that her sister was dating a pureblood. Later, Daphne began to despise Draco as much as her parents. The only people who didn't seem to mind Draco were Astoria's grandparents, with whom she had always been closest.

They were married less than a year after having met, and Scorpius was conceived almost immediately thereafter. Draco appeared very stoic, but Astoria was able to see a different side to him. She ignored everything with the Death Eaters and dismissed all the rumors she heard about his family. Draco was a different person now, although in many ways very much the same.

His reaction to the news of Scorpius was calm. He didn't smile or hug her. He simply said, "All right," and, "Do you think it's a girl or a boy?"

Their marriage began quietly and even after Scorpius was born, remained quiet. As a baby, he was tiny and thin, only crying when he was hungry. He didn't talk until he was almost four; instead he drew pictures and gave them to Astoria so she could charm them to move. More than pictures, he liked to fly. It was something he and his father shared a love for and Astoria adored watching them out in the back garden on their brooms together.

Scorpius was very intuitive, Astoria had learned. He observed everything and forgot nothing. Over the years, she and Draco dropped comments about the Weasley family, about how Draco had to be extra careful in his work, because Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were both part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Draco was convinced they would look for any excuse to investigate him. After the Final Battle was over and the news of it died down, neither Harry nor Ron acknowledged Draco's presence whenever they saw him. Perhaps there might be a nod of hello, but not every time. Astoria knew that Draco felt himself too important to ignored, so Harry and Ron's behavior always put him in the worst of moods.

When Scorpius was eight, he met his first magical friend. Another wizarding family moved in the house next door and they had a son about Scorpius's age. Scorpius and the other boy, whose name was Antonin, played outside nearly everyday and made up a secret language that they used to talk to one another in front of their parents. Astoria pretended she didn't know what they were saying, but it had actually only taken her a few days to figure out their special code.

A few months after they first met, Antonin had a birthday party, but didn't invite Scorpius. Scorpius was devastated; he stomped around the house, barking orders at the house-elves, and slamming doors. Astoria marched right over to Antonin's parents, demanding to know what their problem was.

"We didn't realize you were a Malfoy," Antonin's mother said.

"How did you not know?"

"Scorpius said your name was Astoria Greengrass."

"It was, but now it's Astoria Malfoy. What's the problem?"

"We know all about the Malfoy family and we don't want our family or friends to know that our boy ever associates with a Malfoy. Now, if you please, can you get off my back step? My guests will wonder where I am. I can send Antonin over tomorrow with some leftover cake for Scorpius. I do not wish his feelings to be hurt. I know you can understand, yes? Good day."

Astoria never allowed Scorpius to see Antonin again, but after another few months, his family moved away so the problem solved itself. At that moment, Scorpius seemed to understand the meaning of having the Malfoy name. Some people wanted to know the Malfoys and associated them with wealth and power. Others, like Antonin's family, wanted nothing to do with them. Scorpius realized his name was both a blessing and a curse. It was something Astoria hated for her son, but it was best for him to understand the truth and to grow up with a sense of realism.

Scorpius didn't have any other friends, so when the time came for his Hogwarts letter to arrive, Astoria was especially pleased. He would finally get a real chance to interact with other children and make real friends. She hoped he would be able to; she hoped his isolation hadn't killed any social skills he may have once had. She knew Hogwarts would be good for him and she was so excited for her son.

As excited as she was, she knew she was going to miss him terribly. Draco had planned for a trip once Scorpius was gone, to get Astoria's mind off him leaving. They were going to go to France and visit her grandparents, and then off to Asia to explore. Astoria knew Draco was going to do business while in Asia, but she had to admit she was excited to finally have alone time with her husband and also see other wizarding cultures at the same time. If Draco was excited, he didn't show it; he hardly ever showed any emotion other than anger.

Daphne came over the night before Scorpius left for school, but she returned home shortly after she ate all the chocolate pudding. Astoria sent Scorpius upstairs to bathe and get ready for bed, but told him not to turn off the lights until she'd had a chance to say goodnight.

She hadn't tucked her son in since he was eight years old, but she felt the need to do it on his last night home. She went upstairs and down the hall to his room. Stopping outside his door, she looked at the old Quidditch poster he had on his door. She let herself inside and gazed about Scorpius's room. He had Quidditch memorabilia everywhere and all of his colors were in green and orange.

"You don't have to put me to bed. I'll be doing it myself for the next seven years."

"I know, but this is your last night, so I wanted to say goodnight properly." Astoria sat on the edge of Scorpius's bed. "Don't go sneaking off the grounds and don't go to Hogsmeade. That Madam Rosmerta has a sharp eye for students who aren't third-years or above."

"I thought she was ancient?"

"She's old, but not blind. Her niece runs the place, but Rosmerta still owns it."

"I'll be careful. Don't worry."

"I'm your mother, I'm supposed to worry." She smiled and touched her son's cheek. "Goodnight."

"'Night."

Scorpius turned over and buried himself under the covers. Astoria stood. With a whispered, "Nox!" she left the room and shut his door.

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On September first, Rose and Scorpius saw each other for the first time, on the platform. They were with their parents, waiting anxiously for the train to depart. Their palms were sweaty and their heads swimming; the train was overwhelming and all the older students intimidating. Neither of them knew quite what to think about going to Hogwarts for the first time.

Scorpius looked over at Rose; Rose looked over at Scorpius. They didn't know each other's names, but they knew their families. Scorpius knew she was a Weasley, standing amongst the Weasley-Potter clan. The children all looked different, red hair and brown hair, tall and short, thin and stocky – but what he recognized were the parents, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, from pictures in wizarding history books. And even though they helped save the wizarding world, Scorpius knew he was supposed to hate them.

Rose knew Scorpius was a Malfoy. She heard her dad say something about them, but over her eleven years, she had heard stories about Draco Malfoy. She knew there was mutual dislike between Draco and her family. She knew they didn't like him, didn't like that he was able to have a wand and be a normal wizard. Her father was very ill towards the Malfoys. She knew Draco had been horrible to her mother when they were in school. Even though it wasn't specifically said, Rose knew she was supposed to hate them.

They looked at each other, recognized each other, but it ended there. Rose got on the train and found seats with her cousins. Scorpius boarded and found an empty compartment and pulled out a book. That moment on the platform was the last time they really thought about the other, and were able to go through several school terms without so much as a glance at each other.

Until they were sixth-years.

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To Be Continued ...

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