"He's back?" Hermione repeated as he groaned over the coffee he was holding. It was a long full week where he nearly was a state of agitation.

"Yes, Hermione, he's back from wherever he was hiding. He brought his son along. I saw them at the funeral," Harry answered deadpanned, leaning against his seat. "A son, Hermione. He has a son now. He's with someone else."

"Harsh, mate," Ron muttered and he took a big bite off his sandwich. "And he still won't talk to you?"

Harry gave a small shake of his head, looking down at his hands. "I wish he would, then maybe I can really start moving on. I know it's been five years, but…"

"I understand, Harry," Hermione smiled. She reaches to the stroller beside her and carefully lifts a fussy baby into her arms and holds her close to her chest. "Already hungry, Rosie? Or are you just bored?" She cooed down at the child, tickling her little chin. "But still, maybe he will talk to you. It has been five years and he owes you even a bit of an explanation."

Harry smiled at his goddaughter as he met her eyes, feeling a bit envious that Hermione and Ron already does have a child while he… Well, he knew he wasn't alone, but he felt like it. "Stop saying the word maybe – I hate it. That's what he told me."

"I know it's a bit rough mate, but it's been so long. Maybe you should start dating someone else seriously," Ron shrugged and finished his sandwich. "I know you tried dating, but you haven't really tried really. You allow us to set you up. You show up or bail, or even not bother contacting the person again. Oi, I think that kid's lost!"

Harry looked up through the shop window and saw a little blonde boy crying near the middle of the busy streets. "That's Draco's kid!" He said as he got up from his seat, making a beeline outside the shop. Sure enough, it was Scorpius who was crying and looking frantically around for someone he knew to help him.

"Scorpius?" Harry said carefully, kneeling on the ground to be at the boy's level. "Scorpius, remember me? I'm Harry. Where's your dad?"

Scorpius sniffled as he finally looks at Harry and practically lunged at him. "I don't know," the boy hiccuped. "I want daddy."

He stood and had his arms wrapped his arms carefully around the small body to make sure he won't fall. "It's okay, Scorpius. I'll help you find your dad."

Ron and Hermione appeared by his side, making Scorpius' eyes widen and hide his face on Harry's neck, whimpering as if he was going to get hurt.

"Don't be afraid, Scorpius. I'm friends with them. The lady's name is Hermione and the man's name is Ron. They even have their little baby with them. Her name's Rose."

Scorpius carefully lifted his head and warily peered at the couple, Ron giving Scorpius a wide grin. "Hello there, Scorpius. It's very nice to meet you," he reached out a hand for a shake, which Scorpius cautiously took. "Firm grip you got there, little man. You're okay now, right? Harry's going to help you find your dad."

"You know my dad?" Scorpius asked in a small voice, sucking his thumb now. "Daddy said he doesn't have many friends."

"Well, we're not exactly friends with your dad, but we do know him," Hermione answered gently. She sees Scorpius peering down at the pram, so she pushed the cover up a bit so he can see. "This is Rose that Harry told you about."

"She pretty," Scorpius mumbled, still pink cheeked from the cold but no longer crying.

"Looks like little Rosie got her first admirer. Look, why don't you two go and do what you need to do and I'll help Scorpius look for his dad."

Hermione nodded slowly while she stared at both Harry and Scorpius. It was as if she was trying to put some puzzle pieces together, which made Harry wonder what was going on her mind. He shook his head and waved goodbye before going through the crowd to look for a certain blonde man.

"Ron, don't you think Scorpius is a bit older than what we imagined?" Hermione said slowly. "When Harry said Malfoy has a son, I thought he'd be around three at the most. That child looked like he was five."

Ron seemed to be stuck for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Oh yeah, you're right about that. Hermione, let's try not to get involved in this anymore. This is between them now. There are only two possibilities that we can think of. If we are thinking of the same thing, Harry is about to blow a gasket over this.

Harry chatted with Scorpius to ease the boy's mind as he carefully searched around the area for Draco. He should be fairly easy to spot, even in this crowd. He and Scorpius were on the topic of pets when he heard Draco's frantic cry for his son.

"Draco! Draco, over here!"

Draco's head snapped to his direction and pushed through some people and nearly snatched Scorpius from Harry's hold. "Scorpius! Oh thank Merlin you're okay! I was so scared! Why the hell did you take Scorpius like that, Potter! Are you that furious at me to make me worry for my son?"

Harry was taken back by Draco's angry retort, cooling his features to stop himself from frowning. "Hey, I didn't take him," Harry said evenly, not wanting to match the man's anger. "I was having coffee with Ron and Hermione two blocks from here when Ron spotted him. We were looking for you to give you back your son."

Draco looked like he was ready to collapse when Harry was done explaining, still holding Scorpius close to his chest. "Look, I'm sorry. I was just scared."

"No problem. Look, how about I get both of you some hot chocolate? The Leaky Cauldron is not far from here."

Draco looked like he was about to decline but Scorpius was already nodding his head. "Daddy, I want hot chocolate," Scorpius mumbled, looking at the two adults reproachfully. It seemed like that was all it took for Draco to give in and nod, following Harry quietly until they reached The Leaky Cauldron.

They took a spot near the corner of the pub while Harry ordered something. Draco refused to let Scorpius go despite the fact that he was already safe in his arms. It was just too much, being back and worrying over everything. He kissed the top of Scorpius' head before letting him sit by himself just in time for Harry to bring in a tray of food and hot chocolate.

"I figured you'd like something to eat," Harry mumbled as he settled across Draco.

Scorpius smiled wide and immediately started eating, obviously famished from what happened earlier. Harry smiled as he watched the little boy eat, passing him a cup of hot chocolate. "Careful, you don't want to get burnt," he reminded gently.

"Potter, I'm sorry about earlier," Draco muttered, warming his hands around the cup. "I just got scared that I lost Scorpius. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."

"It's fine, Draco. Of course I understand. I just got surprised that you'd accuse me for trying to take your son away. No matter what happened, I wouldn't go that far. I hope you know that. Where were you anyway?"

Draco let out a shaky breath and nodded. "We were at Gringotts' as I was trying to clear out father's will and settle the finances. I hoped mother would do it, but I'm the heir. Despite her being his wife, the estate and all his possessions are under my name unless stated in his will. I ran into Pansy and was talking to her. Next thing I knew, Scorpius was gone from my side. He was just playing with the pigeons that were feeding on the ground."

"Gringotts'? That's almost three blocks from where I found Scorpius," he answered in confusion. "How on earth could a little boy go that far?"

"A tall man talked to me and told me he was your friend, daddy," Scorpius piped up between bites. "I was playing and running after the pigeons when he talked to me. He said that you'd meet us to get some ice cream."

Draco paled immediately and turned to look at his son. "Scorpius, how many times have I told you not to talk to stranger? If he was daddy's friend then I would've introduced you to them!"

Scorpius flinched visibly, obviously not used to Draco's outbursts like that. "I-I'm sorry, daddy," he sniffled, clutching his cutlery tightly in his small fists. "I thought he was your friend. He took my hand and just walked and walked. I tripped and hurt my knee when the tall man disappeared."

Draco seemed like he was ready to hunt down whoever the man was but simply turned on his seat to examine Scorpius' knee. There was a scrape on the soft skin and he gently tapped it with his wand, healing the skin immediately. "There, all better now. Next time you don't go with people I haven't introduced you to, okay? If someone says they know me, call my attention next time."

Scorpius pouted and gave a small nod, now just playing with his food. Harry leaned in and placed a few marshmallows in Scorpius' cup, winking at him. "Don't worry; your dad is all bark no bite. I doubt he'd be angry at you for long."

"I'd appreciate it if you don't undermine my authority in front of my own son, Potter," Draco said coldly.

"I wasn't. Your son is nearly in tears again and I just don't want to see him cry again. He was shaken enough today as it is," Harry sighed. "Look, I don't know what I did to you, but I'm only trying to make the kid smile again. Why would someone even try to take Scorpius away from you? You've been gone for so long and only a few people know you're back. Hell, no one would dare to act prejudice against a fellow wizard these days. We've been stomping that out of everyone's system for the past few years, you should know that."

Draco vehemently shook his head and looked around. "Potter, now is not the time and place to talk about that kind of stuff."

"Nowhere is the right time and place for you, Draco! I sent an owl a few days ago, asking you to meet me so we could talk, but you just ignored it. A simple response would've sufficed. If you wanted me gone that badly, you should just flat out tell me to get lost and leave you alone! Five years, Draco. Five years that I didn't know what happened! Please… Just for the sake of my sanity."

"Scorpius, we're going," Draco said shortly, picking the child up before he could complain.

"Draco, don't do this. At least talk to me," Harry pleaded, getting up from his seat.

"Look, if I can talk, I would. You should know me enough, Potter. I really have to go, I'm sorry. Thank you for taking care of Scorpius."

Harry looked helpless as Draco hurried out of the pub, clutching Scorpius tightly in his arms. It even seemed like Draco was hiding something from him. He groaned to himself and ordered a full bottle of firewhiskey. Hermione wasn't going to be happy that he as drowning his sorrows with alcohol, but he didn't know what else to do.

A/N:

Another quick update for this story!

Thank you for the kind words and keep those reviews coming!