Chapter Two: Someone Knows

Part One: August 10, 2028

As soon as the reception had started in the back gardens, I had rushed over to my mother for Micah. He looked charming in his tiny little black dress robes. He gurgled and moved around in them. Since we never went anywhere in France, he was not used to more than a simple nappy and one piece pyjama outfit. He fussed having to be in all these clothes.

I tried to hide away in the corner because no one had made the connection that he was mine. I wanted to try and leave it that way. Unfortunately, Iris Zabini had wandered over to me. She looked at Micah.

"Well this little bloke is adorable. Who does he belong to?" She asked. I could lie, but this was my best mate. She was devastated when I told her I was moving to France and never coming back.

"This is Micah and he's the reason I moved to France," I answered honestly. She stared back at me with wide chocolate eyes. It only took moments before her temper, something that she gained from her mother, got out of control.

"You moved to France because you had a baby? Who is the father? What's going on Cam?" She launched into a million high-pitched questions. I tried to get her to hush her voice before my brother's guests overheard.

"Hush, I'll tell you what I can later. Just trust me that I had to move to France, and I have to go back there once I see Scorpius and Rose off on their honeymoon," I whispered. She shot me an angry look.

She shook her head, but she let it be, "You will tell me later. Consider me a guest in your room tonight." Iris's voice was heavy with sadness. It made me feel awful. I really was the worst kind of best mate. I could have invited her over while I was in France. I was so daft sometimes, especially that time that I slept with Albus.

I walked away from the corner to face the rest of the room. Iris disappointed in me elicited the need to be recognized with my son. It didn't matter to me that someone may spot the similarities between him and a certain other member of the wedding party. Okay, it did matter to me, but I was going to have to take that risk because I would not spend my brother's wedding reception hidden. When I got to the main area, I noticed that my father was dancing with Rose while Hermione Granger-Weasley danced with my brother. The opposite parent dance was a tradition at Malfoy weddings. It meant that I had missed my mother dancing with Scorpius because that dance came first.

I had to look over at Ron Weasley. I noticed that his ears were very red. I had to laugh. My father had told me that Weasel would turn that awful shade of purplish red just because he was dancing with his daughter. I had to laugh just a little bit.

"What's so funny?" I heard a voice ask. I looked to my left to see James looking out at the dance floor.

"Just that your uncle looks like he's going to hex my father into Azkaban," I explained. He looked over to the man in question.

He chuckled, "Uncle Ron does have a temper. We all get that red thing from him you know? Whenever any of us kids are mad, we do that too."

"I know," I responded involuntarily.

"Really?"

"Well I did go to school with the lot of you and one of you always seemed to be mad at one point or another," I told him. He looked at me thoughtfully.

"You're right."

Micah squirmed in my arms to reach out to…his uncle. That was weird for me to think about so I chose to ignore it.

James looked down at him, "Well who is this?"

"This is Micah," I replied, hoping that he wouldn't notice the strong family resemblance.

"Is he yours?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you left for France?"

"Yes."

"Why?" He asked with a contemplative look. It was like he was trying to solve some puzzle. I rather wished he wouldn't.

"Because his conception was an unfortunate mistake and I would rather the father not be burdened," I countered.

James thought about that and stared at Micah with a puzzled expression before saying, "He's adorable. I don't think the father would be burdened, even if he seems to not like you much."

I gasped, "James, don't tell him." It was desperate and pleading, but I had to try.

"Not my secret to tell, but you know how he is. If you tell him sooner rather than later, then the row you two are bound to have will be a little less volatile. Plus, I wouldn't want to ruin any chances I have," he stated with a wink before walking to where the rest of the guests were.

I was lucky that the rest of the reception had been filled with everyone wanting to hold Micah and no sign of Albus. Merlin knew where he escaped to, but I was grateful for it. Now I was lying on my bed with my best mate.

"Spill," she commanded.

I didn't know what to say to her, "There's not much to tell." She looked at me with big chocolate eyes that looked just like her father's. They told me she didn't believe me even a little bit.

"Carina Astraea Malfoy, I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. I know that you're lying to me. You have a baby for Merlin's sake. So you will bloody tell me why said baby sent you off to France of all places! You know how much we hated those Beauxbatons' kids when we went to the Triwizard Tournament at their school. Why?"

When she used my full name in the manner that my parents or brother did, and said it all like that, I knew that I had to tell her the secret that I wanted to hold in for the rest of my life.

"I slept with Albus at Scorpius's birthday party," I started, "Not on purpose. We were tankered and well I don't know what actually happened because I don't remember any of it, but the waking up part. Three months later I find out I'm pregnant and I'm making my parents and Scorpius swear that they wouldn't tell him."

"Albus? As in Albus Potter? As in boy you've hated since you were eleven years old?" She asked skeptically, but then she looked over at the bassinet that held my son. He had untamed ebony hair shooting out from everywhere.

"Yes, but I told you. I didn't bloody well do it on purpose. We were drunk," I said to her. I didn't want her to get these mental ideas she used to have when we were fifteen. She used to say that there was a fine line between hate and love and sometimes Albus and I crossed it. I told her that was a load of rubbish as I would never reduce myself to loving Albus Potter. Plus, my father would have a stroke if his only other child married into the Potter-Weasley clan as well. He was still barely dealing with Scorpius's foray into that world.

"Yes well they say that you always do what you feel you can't when you're sloshed. Kind of a way of getting over your inhibitions," she answered with a sly grin. I shook my head vigorously. I would not willingly pursue that wizard.

"I do not love him no matter how much you're going to use that bloody tired line about love and hate," I responded.


Part Two: September 1, 2019

I stared at the scarlet steam engine in front of me. This was the Hogwarts Express. My parents had taken this train to school when they were my age. My brother had taken this train for the first time to school two years ago. Now it was my turn.

My father took my hand and walked with me over to my godfather.

"Hello Blaise," he greeted the darker man. I looked up at my godfather with a big smile. If he was here that meant my best mate was too. I looked around for Iris. She was still standing with her mother.

"Good morning Draco. Fine day for the kids to be starting Hogwarts," Blaise said as he patted my head, "Are you excited Cam?"

I nodded my head, "Of course Uncle Blaise! Scorpius told me about the Sorting Hat, the Great Hall, all of it."

"Well just don't be following in that brother of yours footsteps. I don't want to hear about you befriending some Potter kid," he responded.

"Blaise, don't start with her. Potter saved my arse, if she wants to befriend one of his lousy kids let her," Dad said to him. I shook my head. I didn't know the whole story of their childhood other than the stuff that was in the history books, but I knew they should probably be over it by now.

"Dad! Let her go! We're going to miss the train!" Scorpius screamed from a couple of meters away where he stood with his best mate, Albus Potter. He had spent the last two years talking about all the trouble they would get into with professors. My dad would shake his head and mutter something about the bloody absurdity of a Potter in Slytherin.

"Come on Cam before your brother throws a fit worse than your father's from our Hogwart's days," Blaise said as he took my hand to walk over to Iris and Mrs. Zabini. Iris noticed me and gave me a hug that took all the air out of my lungs. I heard my dad call him a sod and follow behind us.

I climbed onto the train and tried to find a compartment with Iris. The only one that wasn't full to the brim with students was the one that had Scorpius in it.

"All the other compartments are taken," I said as I entered the compartment with Iris.

Scorpius just let me sit on the seat across from him and his friend, and went onto talking.

"Really mate? You're going to let her sit with us? I went through all this trouble to make sure Lily was somewhere else and we're going to get stuck with your little sister?" Albus asked. I glared at him. Scorpius and I had never had a problem being around one another.

"I won't even bloody bother you," I defended myself.

"I'm sure you won't, princess," he taunted back.

It was the beginning to our hateful relationship.