Parts (38-42)

V

Chapter 10

Who We Are

Part 1: Returning

Tommy was in a pit of hopeless despair, he figured quite literally considering how Azkaban was as well as mentally. No hope. No future. No outside world. Their lives would forever be locked up in the dark desolate halls, confined to a small cell for all eternity with the Shadows gnawing on his mind. What had he even done to deserve it? Their mother said they put criminals there for breaking Ministry laws, she was there for torturing blood traitors - she didn't think the law should apply to them since they deserved it - trying to find their father's whereabouts. But what had he and Sal done? What were their crimes? They'd just been born there, how was that right? Why did they deserve to be locked up? Why didn't they get to go to Hogwarts and have lives? Why?! He knew there was no reason why and it just made him feel worse, everything was unfair and life... life sucked.

His misery put him into conflict with his mother, at least when he came to tears because the children of Lord Voldemort weren't supposed to be weak and cry. Some days he didn't even want to crawl out from under the burlap blanket, some days he didn't want to eat just because he didn't want to prolong his miserable life. Sal was his rock, he could always talk to her and she'd never think less of him. Even if there was nothing to say, she'd sit with him so at least he wouldn't feel alone. Or rather not just alone with a swarm of Shadows. She was sad too but she always seemed stronger than him, she didn't let it consume her like he did and didn't break down crying frequently. She urged him to try speaking to One, find out what else the Shadows were capable of to try to escape. She still thought escape was possible, she just didn't think anyone would come for them. He envied her strength and hope, he thought their mother was wrong. He should be the one in Sal's shadow, she was much more like their father then he'd ever be.

Time dragged by, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Their mother liked to point out bitterly that they should be ending a term now or starting a term or having exams, things they should be doing if they weren't prisoners. He wished they weren't prisoners, there had to be more to life than this. Their mother had decided it was Dumbledore's fault they weren't in Hogwarts, the Headmaster was being prejudiced and not allowing them to attend just because he was a filthy muggle loving blood traitor. Tommy couldn't find in his heart to hate a faceless name but anger at Dumbledore seemed to pull their mother out of her own slump of misery at least, he wasn't sure anyone but Dementors knew they existed anyway. Her rage only intensified as the year went on, she was fuming when they turned twelve at them having missed a whole year. He tried to psych himself up for the shower of the year, not wanting anymore Shadows to stalk him but the Dementors apparently decided he and Sal were safer separated which caused him to freak out and acquire another. He hated it, the more Shadows he got the stronger the call to not ignore them was or maybe it was because his mood was so poor.

Something odd started happening with their mother though as the year went on, she was convinced her Dark Mark was becoming more black or burning. She would wake them at random points in the night to shove her arm at them or excitedly tell them she was in pain from it, she thought it was a sign that Lord Voldemort's return was upon them. Sal thought she had just lost it, not that she'd say that in English. Tommy wouldn't go as far to call his mother crazy but he certainly wasn't going to get his hopes up again like he had for Hogwarts, he thought it was better to not have hope then to have hope crushed. Their birthday came and went, making it thirteen years they'd been prisoners and thirteen years they'd been alive. Tommy only felt worse, how many more birthdays would they have? How many more days in a cell just... existing? Was it even life compared to the things their mother told them about? Living as prisoners with the Shadows leeching off his pain, the cold never fading and the light never shining. What life was that? He just wanted to be free.

"HE'S BACK! HE'S BACK! THE DARK LORD HAS RETURNED! THE DARK LORD HAS RETURNED!"

Their mother's screech woke him from a dream he'd been having about killing Dementors with Shadows, the noise was tumultuous. Not just their mother but other prisoners were also screaming about his return, their mother was standing at the bars still shouting the same thing and laughing maniacally with delight. She brandished her other arm - the one with the Dark Mark - through the bars, Tommy's eyes bulged in shock as he noticed it was very definitely a jet black now and it almost seemed to be writhing on her flesh. He glanced around for Sal who was sleeping on the ground as it was her turn, seeing she was also bolt upright and equally stunned. He exchanged a worried look with her and they got up to peer through the bars, seeing other waxy, withered arms also sticking out of the cells further down. All with the Mark, all hollering the same kind of things. That their father, Lord Voldemort, had returned.

Dear Mr Calderon

I am writing to inform you that something of the utmost importance has come up in regards to my grandson, something I feel only you could help with and that must be discussed in person.

I implore you to meet me at Malfoy Manor - Hogwarts should have the address if you need it - on Thursday December 28th at around five o'clock, if this time is not convenient for you or this letter arrives too late then please write back with a more acceptable time and place as soon as possible. I do hope this is not the case as it is the holidays and this matter is extremely urgent.

Hope to see you soon so we can attend to this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Narcissa Malfoy

Calderon re-read the letter for what had to be the thousandth time since he'd received it that morning from a fast but rather tired owl, he got the impression she's wanted it to arrive as soon as possible. In fact, it was the day he was supposed to meet her that it had arrived. He was extremely concerned about it, worried both for whatever issue and come up with Scorpius as well as... the rest. He hadn't been to the Malfoy Manor since he was a child and his memories of it were far from pleasant, it was where his torture had begun after all. And then there was the fact his Aunt Narcissa was the one requesting the meeting, he'd only since her once since childhood and even then he'd been petrified of her recognizing him. She hadn't seemed to though, he thought Sal might have tampered with her memory as she'd only commented on his looking familiar the same way his Aunt Andromeda had when he'd met her.

He didn't like meeting his aunts, it always left him with strange conflicting emotions of terror at being recognizing as their sister's son and the urge to scream at them that he was their sister's son. He didn't know why he had the craving for some familial connection but he did, that was why he tried so hard to be good to his cousins Scorpius and Teddy. He thought it would only be worse now that he felt like that all the time, he didn't want people to know who he was but at the same time he so desperately did. He was tempted to not go, to insist she get Scorpius' parents instead and to arrange a meeting with someone of more importance like his Head of House or the Headmaster since they were the ones in positions to do things. Well, not Elwood as there really was no 'master' in 'Headmaster' anymore. Elwood was being nicer to him now, he seemed rather sad actually. Calderon supposed there was no reason to fear him taking his job - which Calderon had never wanted in the first place - when Rutherford was already doing it.

He didn't however, he felt compelled to go regardless of how much the thought of the meeting terrified him. And so he found himself telling Rutherford he was leaving for the afternoon, naturally Rutherford wasn't happy especially since Marigold had also taken emergency leave as his mother was ill. He couldn't really deny him though, he had no work in that moment and it was his first break all year. So Calderon trudged through the frozen ground to leave his home of Hogwarts, his lights blaring with the increasingly frantic beating of his heart. Once he'd passed the apparation limit, he stopped and closed his eyes. Turning his thoughts to memories to picture the wrought iron gates that reminded him of cell bars and the towering hedge that reminded him of cell walls... He disapparated in a loud crack and experienced the ever uncomfortable sensation as if someone was trying to wedge him into a pipe before reappearing with an equally loud bang, except this time outside the handsome yet scary manor. And Aunt Narcissa was already waiting for him.

"Do you think Mother's gone mad?" Sal asked of him in Parseltongue as their mother continued howling to the night that the Dark Lord had returned, as were a deafening amount of other prisoners. Tommy hadn't heard so much noise in his life.

"Only if everyone else has too," Tommy pointed out before switching to English as he approached his hysterical mother, as did Sal, "Mother, why don't... why don't you come back to bed?"

"HE'S BACK!" their mother told him as she turned to him and grabbed his shoulders, her usually heavy lidded eyes were wide and looked ready to bulge out of their sockets as she gazed into him with a demented grin. She licked her lips, "Don't you understand, Tommy?! He's back! He has returned, the Dark Lord has returned! Your father is once again back in all his power and glory."

"If he's back then where is he?" Sal demanded although he had a feeling that she'd meant it to be more of a question but she was ever the doubter. Their mother was in no mood for it though and struck Sal violently with the back of her hand, hard enough to send her back so she hit the bars painfully.

"DON'T YOU DARE DOUBT YOUR FATHER, SALAZIA! DON'T YOU DARE!" their mother screeched enraged as he helped Sal up, blood was oozing from the corner of her mouth while their mother jabbed a finger to the Dark Mark yet again except so forcefully she actually scratched herself but didn't seem to care, "YOU SEE THIS!? THIS MEANS HE'S BACK! THE DARK LORD IS BACK!"

Their mother and the rest of the prisoners remained hysterical about it, the Dementors had to sweep through the halls and scare people into calming down. Depressing the prisoners back into their sorrowful state of mind, Tommy included. Their mother curled in a ball rocking backwards and forwards, however she still had her face stretched into that manic smile as if it had been stuck that way while she muttered under breath that he was back over and over again until they stopped sounding like words to Tommy. It was certainly an odd turn of events at any rate, very out of the ordinary for old Azkaban. She didn't snap out of it by the morning, she was still convinced their father had returned even if she wasn't as hysterical about it. She clung to the fanatical belief that he was back and any day now he would come for them, Tommy didn't dare hope as she'd been wrong before. It appeared she would be wrong again too as days went by, weeks, months even without any sign of rescue. They'd been born in Azkaban and they would probably die in Azkaban, maybe there was only Azkaban after all. They'd never seen the outside world after all.

I could show it to you, One spoke into his mind, If you let me

"No," Tommy hissed, not having realized that the Shadow was sharing his mind with him and not wanting to risk another death, "And don't do that."

Sorry, Master. I want freedom as much as you do, to see more than Azkaban. I was born here too, congealed from the darkness when my Dementor Master spawned

"I don't believe you," Tommy pointed out, rather truthfully as something else occurred to him, "Since when did you start saying 'I?'"

Just because you stopped teaching me, it didn't mean I stopped learning. Let me show you, Master

"I SAID NO!" Tommy screamed at him, willing it to get the hell out of him and felt a chill sweep through him and leave to go back into his shadow. He'd spoken loud enough to draw the attention of his mother and sister though, "B-Bad dream."

He told Sal the truth later though, he couldn't tell his mother because she wouldn't believe him as she hadn't believed him before. She also was too preoccupied with waiting for the Dark Lord's return, often telling them about the great lives they would live killing filthy muggles and torturing mudbloods, leading their father's armies and sharing a fragment of his soul. Tommy didn't think that was going to happen. Sal thought he should give One a chance, see if he could really see the outside world.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Sal wondered of him in Parseltongue, "Azkaban supposed to be in the ocean not near any people, who is it going to kill?"

Tommy couldn't actually think of a good answer for her but he still felt like it would be a bad idea, he didn't trust One anymore. He would admit though, his curiosity was piqued. To see the outside world... it was probably the closest they'd get to actual freedom, the closest they'd get to real life. Sal kept encouraging him and after months of the same misery and entrapment - as well as no Dark Lord coming for them - he decided to give in on an especially cold day in the dead of winter, he called One to him and allowed it to explore. He sat nervously in his favorite corner as One shot off through the walls, he started to see an odd overlapping of his vision. It was only when he closed his eyes that he realized it fully, he was seeing... water. Massive amounts of water, rippling and rolling beneath the cloud filled sky. It was beautiful. Even if everything looked tinted as if in shadow.

"Sal," Tommy hissed at her and heard rather than saw her coming over to him, she sat beside him and he took her hand in his own while willing her to see, "Look."

Her gasp told him that it had worked, that was seeing the ocean too. It was so big, stretching out further than his range of vision. He and Sal huddled together, watching mesmerized for hours and hours, too transfixed to even speak. It could have been forever for all he knew or a dream for how realistic it felt, he thought maybe it was. Either way they watched until they were sleeping, dreaming only of the world outside and not knowing how close they were to seeing it with their own eyes.

"Thank you for coming," Aunt Narcissa offered in the clear, cold voice he remembered as she practically pulled him through the gates, "Must be quick now."

Calderon allowed himself to be led across the frosted grounds, only feeling eerily more reminded of his first visit here with every step. It was the first house he'd ever been into, the place he'd been taken to after they were saved from Azkaban. Sadly, he recalled the first time he'd walked this path he'd had Sal by his side. She led him inside and through the dimly lit halls, he looked around for any sign of his cousins but he neither saw nor heard any sign that there was anyone else there but them. His heart was pounding, memories trying to filter through of his torture or being led back through the halls battered and beaten from Master Rodolphus because of his failure, or of Sal's own cries of pain as his twin experienced the torture instead of him. He tried to squeeze his eyes shut to block out the memories but that didn't help, it also almost caused him to walk into a wall. He really wanted to be home now.

Finally Aunt Narcissa seemed to lead him to the desired location, taking him into a room and coming to a halt as did the encroaching memories. He hadn't been in the room before but he was equally disturbed, he thought it might have been a study but now it was... not. Every single wall was plastered with newspaper clippings, from ceiling to floor and it wasn't exactly a small room. What bothered him even more though were the subject of the articles, he recognized many of them from reading them himself and those he hadn't were easy to deduce anyway from the giant letters. They were all about how the Shadow Master was Voldemort's son, a misconception that would be correct if they changed one word of it.

He was starting to get the impression that this meeting may not have anything to do with Scorpius at all, he swallowed nervously as his lights flickered. Now they were no longer in motion, he turned to look at his Aunt Narcissa. She was still as fair as his mother had been dark, her long hair was such a white shade of pale that he wasn't sure whether it had turned with age or not. Her face was obviously more lined since the first time he'd been here but so was his, he also now stood the taller of the two. She didn't say anything, her piercing eyes studying him with the same intensity that he'd been looking at her with.

"So um... so what... what is this about?" Calderon stammered out nervously after the silence stretched on, Aunt Narcissa swallowed and allowed another pause as if pondering what to say first before finally opening her mouth.

"It's funny really, when most people heard the Shadow Master was the son of the Dark Lord they felt fear but I didn't. It struck a different chord with me, a memory," Aunt Narcissa explained quietly and seriously, her eyes not leaving his and her expression not becoming any more readable, "Of my late sister, Bellatrix, delighted at being chosen to bear the Dark Lord a child to be his Horcrux. How likely of a coincidence do you think it is really for someone else to be the bearer of his heir?"

"I... I wouldn't know."

"I've been reading these articles trying to jog my memory free," Aunt Narcissa continued as if he hadn't spoken, gesturing to the newspapered walls while Calderon felt sure his heart was going to beat itself out of his chest, "But I wasn't getting anywhere... Not until Scorpius got a photograph as a birthday present, one of which included you. A man who possesses the perfect mixture of the good looks of the Black family and what a boy named Tom Riddle used to have before he lost his humanity, you also share that name. Don't you, Tommy?"

Part 2: Black and White

A new year, a new start. Not that Tommy knew that at the time. There was no indication that anything was out of the ordinary, the Dementors came and took their mother for what he assumed was her shower which was all very standard. It turned out not to be the case though as their mother returned soon after, a smile on her face and walking with a stride that suggested she owned the place. The Dementors opened the cell for her but they didn't put her back inside.

"Come on, we're getting out of here," the mother offered to Tommy's absolute shock, he exchanged a look with Sal, "Get a move on! We don't have all day."

"Yes, Mother," Tommy and Sal said in perfect unison, not even breathing as they left with her.

He was expecting the Dementors to stop them, to put them back into their cell but they didn't. They followed their mother through the dark halls of Azkaban, he thought maybe she'd meant they were letting them shower together again. What else could she mean? They couldn't really be free, that didn't happen, that couldn't happen... It was just... just a wistful dream. They were led a different way to the way to the showers, through doors to a room without cells where there were two massive double steel doors open to reveal the world outside. Tommy literally couldn't believe it, couldn't wrap his mind around the fact they were leaving Azkaban. This was a dream, definitely a dream. He was asleep now, he had to be.

Tommy and Sal followed their mother through the doors and stepped out of Azkaban for the very first time, he gave a sharp intake of breath as his bare feet stepped onto the dirt. It was strange to feel the gritty substance between his toes as opposed to simply standing on smooth stone, he exchanged an exhilarated look with Sal and a smile slowly crept onto her face. They continued out after their mother, feeling the spray from the sea on their faces, the touch of the wind and the taste of the salt in the air for the very first time while their eyes hungrily devoured the scenery in front of them. There wasn't much landscape before the sea and what was there was barren, just a stretch of dirt and rocky around the edges where the waves crashed against them.

The dirt stretched around to the left and right of them though and out of sight around the prison, to the left there was some kind of black iron fencing cordoning off the area. It didn't look too different to Tommy except for the lumps of rock jutting out of the ground, maybe it was so people didn't run into the rocks. He heard a slamming sound behind and the twins both spun back around in shock, seeing the doors had now sealed shut behind them. It also gave him a glimpse of Azkaban from the outside for the first time, it was a foreboding building that was - naturally - as black as the interior, it stretched up into the thick gray clouds overhead well out of sight. Dementors swirled around it, gliding past the narrow barred windows while two more stood guard by the massive double doors but none made a move to stop them. Sal was glaring at the building with a look of utter hatred, she clenched her fist and out of nowhere there was a crack of thunder and a fork of blue lightning shot the ground before the door that caused him to jump.

"One day I'm going to destroy this place, Tommy, when I'm strong," Sal whispered to him in Parseltongue, still staring at the building, "I'm going to wipe it off the map. Then no one can ever put us back there."

"We're not gone yet," Tommy pointed out and almost on cue, felt his mother tugging him and also grabbing Sal to keep going.

"Come on, we mustn't dawdle and keep the Dark Lord waiting," their mother said and led them closer to the edge where Tommy realized there was a figure that he hadn't noticed before or had mistaken for a Dementor due to his black cloak, they were standing on one of the rocks with their long white-blond hair billowing back in the wind. He looked surprisingly clean, his features were pale, pointed and curled in a sneer while his eyes were as gray as the sky, "Kids, this is your Uncle Lucius. Say hello."

"Hello Uncle Lucius," Tommy and Sal chorused which only seemed to make their uncle's lips twist even more in disgust.

"Let us just go, Bellatrix, we've wasted enough time with you going back for them and the other nine are back by now," Uncle Lucius told them and held out a tattered blanket, "I want to be away from this place."

"Why, is poor wickle Lucius scared of the big bad Azkaban?" their mother taunted fearlessly and pushed them closer to their uncle, "Take a hold of the Portkey now, we don't want to accidentally leave anyone behind."

He and Sal both grabbed it immediately, holding in with a desperate tight grasp as if their lives depended on it. In a way, he thought they did. He could feel his heart pounding again, this time from not from fear but from excitement. Were they really leaving Azkaban? Were they really going to be free? Their mother also took hold of it and in the next instant, he felt as if someone had hooked him on a line and was dragging him through space. The world hurtled around him in an impossible way and Tommy feared he would be sick before they came to a halt, the adults managed to stay standing - for reasons beyond him - he and Sal fell to the ground. Or rather fell through the ground, there was an odd layer of soft but cold white stuff... He searched his mind for a name, snow? Was it snow? They got up and saw they were no longer in Azkaban but rather some place where there was a white blanket stretching out in every direction, not a prison or a Dementor in sight.

Calderon - or should he think of himself as Tommy again? - just stared at her, his mind too stunned to process what she'd said. His lights vanished and he just gazed into her eyes, waiting on his answer. He realized his mouth was hanging open a little and he closed it, swallowing nervously. He was afraid and relieved at the same time about his true identity being discovered but mostly he felt an odd calm, he didn't have to worry about the cat being out of the bag anymore. Of course he could deny it, call her crazy - which he thought was rather hypocritical considering he was crazy himself - and pretend to have no clue what she was talking about. Maybe she wasn't certain, she had said her memory had been messed with. In fact, he could probably erase it again and walk away with her being none the wiser. But he didn't. He'd long ago decided that he wasn't going to deny the truth if confronted with it, he thought there was a difference between pretending to be Marius Calderon and outright lying about not being Voldemort's son. Besides, he didn't even want to pretend anymore.

"Yes," Tommy - or was he still Calderon? - confirmed and Aunt Narcissa gave a sharp intake of breath, turning away from him and putting a hand over her mouth.

"Mother of Merlin," Aunt Narcissa breathed and took a few steps before looking back to him, still looking stunned despite the fact she'd guessed it. Now she was the one with her mouth hanging open and closed it as she seemed to realize, "And then you're... you're also the Shadow Master?"

"No!" Tommy told her rather forcefully, offended at the thought, "I am not."

"Then who is? An imposter? A twin?" Aunt Narcissa babbled worriedly and he reached out a hand to her head, a glow came from it as he channeled magic into undoing what had been done to her memory which she closed her eyes for. She was looking more certain when her eyes flicked back open and he moved his hand away, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Aunt Narcissa."

"I told you not to call me that."

"I know," Tommy confirmed with a shrug, feeling oddly at ease now that he didn't have to pretend anymore.

"So Sal is the Shadow Master," Aunt Narcissa said thoughtfully and Tommy nodded in confirmation, "The headlines are all wrong."

"From what I gather claiming to be the child of Voldemort became construed as 'son' and everyone's jumped at it."

"Who else knows who she is? Apart from me."

"And me. Brutus and Rabastan for definite, probably some other high ranked Soul Eaters."

"Who else knows who you are?"

"Scor and Pip- Varanian know I'm Bellatrix's son, they've probably told a few people. They assumed Rodolphus is my father though as far as I know, I think they know who I know the Shadow Master though. Just not that she's my twin sister."

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

"You seem to be taking this rather well," Aunt Narcissa pointed out.

"I know, it's weird," Tommy admitted truthfully with another shrug, "I'm surprised at myself."

"What are you going to do?" Aunt Narcissa asked him after a minute, surprising and confusing him at the same time as he frowned.

"What am I going to do about what?"

"About your sister."

Were they really free? They were really not in Azkaban anymore at any rate, not locked in a cell, there was just... just space around them. Tommy was smiling before he realized it, he hadn't even realized before how much the Dementors had had an effect on him but now that they were gone he felt like something had been lifted from him. He still had the Shadows but he felt happier still, Sal too was grinning from ear to ear.

"Freedom!" Sal cried in delight and jumped, punching the air before bolting much to Uncle Lucius' apparent dismay.

"Wait for me!" Tommy protested and raced after her, ignoring their mother's call for them to stop.

He didn't know where they were going, he didn't even think Sal knew and in fact they seemed to be going in random circles but a giddy rush of excitement flooded him and he found he just didn't care. He just wanted to run because he could, he just wanted to go in any direction because he could, he just wanted to wave his arms around crazily because he could. There was space, nothing but open space with no walls to stop them. He tripped just as he caught up to Sal, falling into her and sending them both tumbling to the ground. Not that it bothered them, there was nothing to run into and they rolled. It was fun to roll, leaving a trail behind them in the snow. He and Sal were still smiling as they helped each other up when they finally came to a halt, only to freeze fearfully when they heard a bang. Their heads both swiveled to see Uncle Lucius standing with a thin stick in his hand pointed at the sky, a shower of sparks raining down. Was that a wand?

"Better behavior is expected of the Dark Lord's children! Honestly!" Uncle Lucius snapped at them, making Tommy feel abashed, "Get back here! We still need to apparate back to Malfoy Manor."

"I don't think I like Uncle Lucius very much," Sal complained to him in Parseltongue, scowling as they trudged back over to the adults.

"I don't think Uncle Lucius likes us very much," Tommy added also in Parseltongue as they reached them, Uncle Lucius turned to their mother.

"Do you think you can apparate or do you need me to-"

Tommy never heard the conclusion of Uncle Lucius' sentence as in response, their mother grabbed his arm and there was another loud cracking sound like a thunderclap. Unlike the disorientating Portkey travel, this made him feel like his body was being compressed as if to fit through an uncomfortably small pipe. As soon as it stopped, Tommy fell to his knees on the frosted ground and lost the content of his stomach. He heard someone else retching and saw Sal do the same beside him, yet again the adults seemed unaffected.

"I don't like apparation," Sal muttered to him weakly before they were both hauled to their feet by the adults.

"You'll get used it," Uncle Lucius complained, already ushering them forward.

"Maybe I don't want to get used to it, there has to be a better way of travelling."

"SAL! DON'T YOU DARE START RIGHT NOW!" their mother screeched and Sal fell silent unhappily.

Tommy turned his attention back to where they were going and saw they were going through a pair of wrought iron gates, he swallowed nervously and shifted his quickly freezing feet as they approached what was beyond them. Some building, much smaller than Azkaban but much nicer looking. Everything was much nicer looking then Azkaban actually. He was surprised to notice creatures, little white two legged feathery things that strutted about. He watched them with interest, was that an animal? Were those birds? He'd never seen any birds around Azkaban, their mother said living things didn't like Dementors any more than humans did. They were led inside a door that opened as they approached where it was surprisingly warm, it looked much nicer inside then Azkaban did too although the corridor was also dimly lit.

"What's taken you so long?! The others are already-" a woman demanded as she strode over but stopped mid-sentence when she saw them, she looked healthy and had long blond hair like Uncle Lucius but bore more physical resemblance to their mother. She was dressed rather finely too although she was looking rather shocked, "You... You were pregnant?"

"Oh Cissy, little Cissy, it is nice to see you again," their mother offered with a demented smirk as she approached the woman, putting an arm around her despite the fact the woman was clearly only looking at him and Sal, "Kids, this is your Aunt Narcissa. Say hello."

"Hello," Tommy and Sal greeted her in unison and Aunt Narcissa's eyes widened even further.

"Try and find them some clothes before they meet their father, would you Lucius?"

"I was just about to suggest that," Uncle Lucius insisted through gritted teeth, "They need to remain hidden anyway. Your sister can give you the clothes prepared for you and take you to the Dark Lord, he'll no doubt have things to discuss with you. Come now, children."

"Why do we need to remain hidden?" Sal wondered as their uncle led them away while the women were left to talk, Tommy felt a stab of fear at being left alone with a strange man.

"Hasn't your Mother told you to not question your elders?"

"Several times, she never listens," Tommy pointed out quite truthfully as their uncle continued guiding them through the beautiful hallways, he forgot his far in amazement at all the things there was to see. Windows, pictures on walls, pedestals with... things on them, cloth pictures on walls. He had a feeling these things had names but they just didn't come to mind.

"Alright, wait here," Uncle Lucius told them finally and pushed them into an empty room, closing the door behind him.

"I don't think so," Sal scoffed immediately and went over to tug on the door, he went to cry out a warning as he didn't want to risk being in trouble with a man who could probably put them back in Azkaban as easily as he had taken them out but it was unnecessary as the door was apparently locked, "Damn. We're free and we're still prisoners."

"I think it's just so that we don't wonder off and get lost, I think there are more important things going on," Tommy said, too swept up in the excitement of being out of Azkaban to worry about it.

"Aren't we supposed to be important?" Sal wondered as she went over to try the window but it was also locked, instead she slunk to the ground and he sat beside her as she sighed with a scowl, "I guess we wait then."

"What do you mean what am I going to do about my sister?" Tommy wondered in confusion and Aunt Narcissa gave him an incredulous look.

"Have you not noticed how she's destroying the world right now?!" Aunt Narcissa pointed out, throwing out her arms as if to gesture to the newspaper clippings covering the walls.

"Oh yeah, that," Tommy mumbled unhappily, sadly recalling why the papers were all over it in the first place, "I'm not the one doing it, she's the Shadow Master."

"Are you on her side?"

"No!"

"Exactly. Tommy, you have to do something."

"Do something?"

"Come on, you're not stupid as well as insane!" Aunt Narcissa snapped at him in exasperation, "You and her can do things with magic that no one else can, you're so powerful- you couldn't even walk through the house without doing magic! You're the only one who can stand against her, you're the only one who has any chance of ending this war before anyone else in my family gets killed!"

"No, I'm going to go into direct confrontation with my sister," Tommy insisted weakly, making her look even more incredulous.

"You have the power to do something! You're stronger than her! You can stop her!"

"Look, do I hate what she's doing? Yes. Do I wish she would stop? Yes. But she's my sister! My twin sister! I'm not going to hurt her, she's a good person... somewhere," Tommy protested defensively and sadly, recalling the past when they were close and feeling his heart twist painfully as blue lights flickered around him. Why Sal? his mind asked uselessly, Why do you have to do this? Why did it have to end up this way?

"You've stopped her plans or helped stop them at least."

"Stopping her plans is different to stopping her."

"What do you really think is going to happen?" Aunt Narcissa asked of him, seemingly trying to make her voice calmer, "Do you think one day she's just going to wake up and think what she's doing is a mistake? That she's going to snap her fingers and everything will be alright again?"

"Well, maybe," Tommy mumbled miserably, knowing she probably was right but Sal... Sal had good in her, he knew it.

"No! No maybe, no!" Aunt Narcissa snapped determinedly once more, "She's taken over a country, she'd taken thousands of lives and destroyed millions more. She knows what she's doing, Tommy, she knows exactly what she's doing. Just like your Father-"

"She's not just like our Father, she has a heart!" Tommy interrupted defensively.

"That doesn't mean she's not capable of doing bad things because she can and is! She's not going to stop until she succeeds or is stopped!"

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do! And so do you deep down or else you wouldn't have helped stop her before!" Aunt Narcissa insisted and he turned away, "Which would you prefer, Tommy?! A ruined world she presides over or an intact world without her?!"

"You're seriously asking me to kill my twin sister?! She's all I have!"

"She's all you had, you don't have her anymore and she's attacked you so should be able to tell where she stands on this. You need to stop her or..."

"Or what? You'll go to the Ministry and tell them who we are?" Tommy inquired of her quietly as he looked back to her, her eyes widened slightly before becoming thoughtful as she searched his face and swallowed.

"You know, it's funny. Back when you were a child, every time I saw you I could only see the Dark Lord's spawn but now every time I look at you, I only see my dead sister's child," Aunt Narcissa told him before turning away, "No, Tommy, I'm not going to tell the Ministry on you. That would pretty much..."

"Destroy my life?"

"Yes, I won't do that to you," Aunt Narcissa confirmed and he felt a pang of relief for it that he hadn't realized he'd been concerned about, "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong. If you're really a good person like my grandson thinks you are, you need to stop your sister before there's not a world left to save."

Part 3: Problems With Potters

Harry Potter appeared with a crack, followed almost immediately after by an even louder bang as his brother-in-law appeared beside him. He spared his friend a concerned glance, he'd much rather Cel be with him right now and Ron be home resting. He was worried for Ron's health ever since his injury a few years ago, it took its toll on him still and he was barely scraping through physicals. He knew he probably shouldn't lean on his protégée so much but there were so few people he trusted right now and Cel was very capable without him constantly fearing he was putting the life of someone he cared about at risk. He'd had to give him some time off though, the Weasleys weren't so keen to babysit Vale in the wake of Percy's death and Ron was more antsy to be out doing things for the same reason. Maybe it would be good for Vale to spend some more time with his Dad and for Ron to be out a bit more to feel more useful, they were looking for a favor not a fight tonight anyway.

Harry looked around, snow was gently falling around them. It was a little country road, a winding dirt one that was now frosted over with white. There were trees either side and bushes, all of which had been stripped bare of their leaves which left them as angry twisted shapes jutting about jaggedly. They lit up their wands and walked on a few feet with Ron, coming to a right turn off which they took. That didn't have trees either side, rather a graveyard of signs telling people to keep off or stay away or even one reading 'LEAVE US ALONE!' in big bold letters. He hadn't expected the home of a former Death Eater to be welcoming anyway. They headed up the pathway and could clearly see their destination even from their current distance, the road meandered upwards on a hill upon which sat the dimly lit house they were after.

It was an old farmhouse and a rather unappealing one at that, the wood looked rotten and the roof so badly patched it made him think of a quilt. Half the windows were boarded up and the other half were cracked, there looked to be some kind of stable around the back. He approached the wooden door and went to knock but paused when he noticed someone had graffitied it - more than once he'd guess - despite apparent attempts to remove it, words like 'killers' and 'Death Eater scum' were still just about visible by the light of their wands. Ron picked up his slack, hammering his fist onto the door instead. The sound of footsteps echoed from inside and an instant later the door opened, not the former Death Eater he'd been expecting but rather a teenage girl. She was dressed rather plainly in jeans and flannel, both of which were stained with dirt. She might have been pretty if her expression wasn't so harsh, wavy hair red enough for a Weasley framed her face. The guy did live with his niece though, he tried to recall her name.

"Piss off," the girl spat and immediately went to close the door on them, Ron grabbed it though.

"Oi! Is that any way to speak to Hero Aurors?!" Ron chastised her immediately as she was forced to open it again, he moved his foot back.

"You're right. Fuck off," the girl said instead and went to slam the door had Harry not put his foot in the way, it collided painfully and the girl irritably opened it yet again while her name came to him.

"It's Lenore, isn't it?" Harry guessed and the girl's eyes narrowed as if annoyed her knew her name.

"Might be."

"I just want to talk to your uncle, is he here?"

"Here is a very subjective term, isn't it?" Lenore pointed out unhelpfully, "Is he here in this doorway? Obviously not."

"Is he here in this... Do you call this a house?" Ron countered acidly in frustration.

"Maybe it would look nicer if vandals didn't keep attacking the place. Don't suppose you're here about that?"

"You didn't answer the question."

"You didn't answer mine either," Lenore stated icily although truthfully, "And I don't know if he's here, I can't see him from my current vantage point."

"Can we come in?" Harry asked instead, seeing that was getting nowhere.

"Do you have a warrant?"

"No."

"Then no," Lenore scoffed and moved as if to close the door again but saw Harry hadn't moved his foot, "Read the signs and go away, we haven't done anything."

"I never said you had, I just want to speak to him," Harry insisted, "He's not in any trouble."

"What is taking you so-" a new voice asked and the door swung open further, the sentence finishing when crisp cerulean eyes spotted the two Aurors. He had a course, lined face and was dressed the same as her except his were men's and the flannel a different pattern and color, his clothes too were stained with dirt. He was slightly younger then Harry and Ron, unlike them he hadn't any thinning nor a touch of gray in his brown hair. John Avery, the man they were there to see, "Len, what have I told you to say to guests?"

"Piss off," Lenore repeated her earlier sentiment and John gave a wry smile.

"That's my girl. You two heard her."

"I'd like to discuss something with you, can we come in?" Harry asked for what felt like the hundredth time now.

"Do you have a warrant?"

"No."

"Then no," Lenore reiterated but John held up his hands.

"Not so fast," John chided her and moved aside as he opened the door fully, allowing them entry, "We have to be hospitable, wouldn't want them to start blowing up doors or walls to arrest us for existing. We only just got the roof fixed. I apologize it's not much to look at, that happens when the Ministry strips away the family wealth for 'reparations' and vandals keep wrecking things."

John wasn't kidding, it wasn't much to look at. The same wood as the exterior seemed to carry through for the interior, the floor, walls and even the ceiling was clearly floorboards from upstairs. The door opened into the living room, there were some couches also with the same wooden frame but thankfully some upholstery and cushions. They were arranged around the fire place that looked as if it was sagging, a smoldering fire resided within, there was a table, tattered curtains on the two windows and that was pretty much it except the two other doors leading off. All the wood was the same gritty dark that looked unfinished and rotted or rotting at least, the floor boards creaked underfoot as they entered and Harry noticed it was barely warmer inside then outside.

"You should tell someone about the vandals," Harry commented a John closed the door behind him, Lenore went and stood by the window in front of them with her arms folded.

"Already did," John sneered as he went to stand near Lenore, also folding his arms, "You people never do anything, say crimes against people like us isn't worth your time."

"Well we have more pressing concerns then vandals right now," Ron protested defensively, looking between the seats and the people standing as if hoping he'd get asked to sit. That didn't seem likely, they seemed content to stand. They shouldn't be long anyway.

"I'll have someone look into it," Harry said instead, former Death Eater or not he never meant to encourage a bias in regards to enforcing laws.

"Sure you will," John scoffed dubiously, "Just like you'll be punishing those kids who nearly killed my niece."

"I-I assure you that those kids were punished," Ron insisted as his face went red, his daughter and Corin had been the ones to do it after all. It wasn't fun to be reminded of things your children had done wrong, he was glad James finally seemed to be maturing and over his bullying streak. He hadn't got in trouble all year and was actually doing better academically, although he supposed with NEWTs only choosing subjects you wanted and were already passing might help with that.

"Yeah, because a detention and a slap on the wrist makes up for almost taking a life," John spoke with bitter sarcasm, "It's manslaughter, you can arrest people for that."

"It was an accident! Kids make mistakes."

"And? I still had to pay ten years for mine," John pointed out quite truthfully, he'd only turned seventeen after the Second Wizarding War had ended and had turned himself in. All things that earned him the leniency of a decade opposed to life in Azkaban, also things that made Harry consider he may be more co-operative then others they knew or suspected to be involved in the Black Market.

"Look that isn't why we we're here," Harry offered, very much wanting to just get to the point and get out. Ron looked relieved the subject was off Rose.

"Then why are you here?" John asked tiredly, the two Aurors immediately glanced at the only teenager in the room in hesitation to speak of things in front of her, "She's of age. Anything you can say in front of me, you can say in front of her."

"Alright," Harry muttered hesitantly, James had just turned of age and he wouldn't want him anywhere near a conversation like this, "Alexis Loren broke into Hogwarts earlier this night-"

"Is Maurice okay?" Lenore questioned immediately, her voice betraying her concern which seemed to embarrass her as she quickly added, "And the other students."

"They're fine, she didn't get very far. The Ministry attaché and Head Healer are the only ones injured, both are expected to recover."

"Is Loren okay?" Lenore inquired instead, relaxing somewhat while Harry felt slightly puzzled and she shrugged, "You don't want to be on the wrong side of Maurice, if they meet then one of them is going to wind up hurt or dead."

"She got away," Harry admitted but thought she had a point, he hadn't forgotten Maurice's actions. He knew the boy's willingness and ability to use Dark Magic, including the most unforgivable of curses and the Aurors he'd inadvertently killed, not to mention talent as a duelist. He could only hope Maurice could move past the soldier mentality or Harry really would have to arrest him, underage or not he was dangerous, "She was using Polyjuice Potion to turn into a member of staff to get in, which is what I wanted to speak to you about."

"I'm not helping her," John snapped immediately defensive, looking actually offended, "Or any of them. I'm no Shadow and I have no desire to get mixed up in this war, I don't give a damn who wins because I'm on my own side. Mine and the people I care about. You're wasting your time, I'm not a Soul Eater."

"I don't think you are," Harry pointed out truthfully and the former Death Eater seemed to relax very slightly although he was still scowling, "But what I do think is that you have ties to the Black Market, I want to know if she bought it there."

"Black Market? Never heard of it," John lied readily.

"Look, we don't know exactly what the Soul Eaters wanted but she was caught so quickly that she very likely didn't get whatever she wanted so she or they might try again, we might be able to set up a sting operation and catch her," Harry told him seriously, catching the man's eyes, "You may not care about the war but you should care about this. Next time she tries to break in, the castle might not be so empty. This is a woman who sacrificed her own children to the Soul Eaters, she's not going to hesitate to hurt or kill anyone who gets in her way. Student or staff, or Head Girl."

"I-" John immediately glanced at his niece as he said this, his harsh expression softening maybe slightly before he looked back to him and seemed to ponder his next words very carefully. He sighed, "Okay, I might have heard of the Black Market."

"Not going to arrest him for that, are you?" Lenore asked, her hostile tone mingling with genuine concern yet again.

"This conversation isn't happening so anything said isn't going to go down against you," Ron spoke up for the first time in a while, leaning against a wall for support.

"She didn't buy it off the Black Market," John admitted immediately with confidence, uncle and niece apparently feeling more at ease at hearing that.

"Are you sure?" Harry wondered, feeling his hope at a lead falling and John nodded in confirmation.

"Very, Loren's wanted posters are all around. She couldn't have bought it without someone recognizing her, people would be talking about it but they aren't."

"Was there anyone out of the ordinary getting some then? Maybe she got someone else to buy it for her."

"Not unless she bought it way in advance," John pointed out thoughtfully, "Polyjuice is hard to make, there's very few who can make it and even less who can make it good quality. Right now they're out, been out since November and the last people to buy some were regulars."

"Alright," Harry conceded his defeat, "Thank you for your help. Contact me if you hear anything."

"Your Aurors would just-"

"I said contact me," Harry cut him off, "Directly. Or Ron here or Cel Rooke. No one else."

"Why? Trouble in Ministry paradise?" Lenore wondered with a smirk, Harry really didn't want to admit he was sure there was a leak.

"You can never be too careful," Harry said finally and cautiously, "We'll be going now if there's nothing else."

"There's nothing else, nice to not have this conversation with you," John offered as he strode over to open the door for them to head back out into the cold night.

"Good riddance," Lenore called cheerfully after them.

"I can see why Rosie wanted to poison that girl," Ron grumbled.

James Sirius Potter was having the time of his life, it was the best holiday of his life. He loved the Bahamas. The house was fantastic and spacious, his room was easily twice the size - if not more - of his room back in Grimmauld Place. He got to sleep in as late as he wanted without being nagged to do chores - servants took care of that - and stay up as late as he wanted without being nagged to go to bed, it also didn't feel cramped like home did. And that was just the house. The Bahamas were beautiful, it was a tropical paradise untouched by the cold winter weather and he could easily see why Heather Longbottom didn't like leaving it to go back to dreary old England. The sun was always shining, smiling down on the glistening sea and the soft sand. James loved it. And they were right on the beach, the got the best spots to just lie there soaking in the sun. There was also the sea if they fancied a swim or beach volleyball if they were feeling energetic, or if they wanted to watch. Xerxes also took them sightseeing once or twice, sailing around the beautiful coast or exploring the island a bit. At night he often took them out for a delicious meal or a show, in particular James loved the fire dancing.

He also had wonderful company, it was so relaxing to just hang out with Carver laughing and having fun without the annoyance of homework or classes. He even managed to forget his own issues and insecurities about his father not loving him and his sexuality, not even news of Uncle Percy's death could drag him down. Uncle Percy was his least favorite uncle anyway, he was such a pompous nag. He'd have to leave his beloved Bahamas slightly earlier than planned to go to the funeral but otherwise he wasn't bothered, he missed Uncle Charlie and Aunt Fleur but Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey? No. Definitely not. James was having fun and that wasn't going to ruin it, he loved spending time with Carver and the great weather had another advantage. It was so hot and they were mostly on the beach so he and Carver frequently went around shirtless, giving him a perfect view of Carver's perfect, firm muscles. James longed to run his hands over them and to feel Carver's strong arms around him, he spent many days lost in those fantasies. A part of him wanted to say something to Carver about how he felt, hoping it was possible Carver returned those feelings but he was too afraid of rejection - Carver was very picky in who he liked - and losing his best friend over it, he was also too ashamed. It was one thing to like guys, it was another to be open about it and have a boyfriend. He wished his feelings would just go away.

And then there was Xerxes. Carver's father was awesome, he seemed to have mastered the perfect blend of spending time with his son and giving him some space. Xerxes was also very generous, always willing to buy anything for Carver and even James was treated to anything he asked for as he was a hospitable host. Xerxes was also fun to be around and it was obvious where Caver got his good looks from although Xerxes did remind him oddly of someone else he couldn't place, still James had taken an immediately liking to him. He was friendly and funny, he had such great stories to tell about growing up in Greece. Yet he was also a good listener, showing genuine interest in things James was telling him and he was so understanding, like being amused by a prank he'd played on Slytherins instead of chastising him like his parents would have. Xerxes treated with respect too, speaking to him like an equal. Which he was as James was of age and Xerxes took that into account. James had his first alcoholic drink with him, a coconut of tequila as they watched the limbo contest. James really felt like Xerxes understood him, not like his parents at all. The only thing that really bothered him was Xerxes flirting with women a lot but James supposed everyone had flaws, besides he might just be jealous that Xerxes liked women which wasn't something James could ever claim.

"You know, I just had an awesome dream," James offered to Carver as he joined him for the quiet dinner they were having that day after he'd taken a nap in the sunshine, there was always food waiting for them to eat as they desired anyway much like the Hogwarts meals except curtesy of the servants here. He wished he had servants.

"'Bout what?" Carver mumbled through a full mouthful of food, his plate already piled high. James started putting food onto his own plate as he talked.

"Well, do you remember how Leebin was a counsellor and he lied and said he'd help me but then he ditched me?"

"Jay, he was fired. They fired the counsellors, remember?"

"So he ditched me," James insisted, refusing to believe it was anyone's fault other than Leebin's. So what if he was fired? He should have still stayed, Carver didn't look convinced but James proceeded with his story anyway, "In my dream I saw him again and I was furious, he tried making feeble excuses and I started beating the crap out of him. And he started crying and telling me he ditched me because I was already perfect and he didn't think he was good enough to help me, he said he'd make it up to me. He started unbuttoning his shirt and he had abs just like Cel then we started making out while he praised how great a Seeker I am and how great in general."

"How was he speaking if you were making out?" Carver asked as Xerxes joined them, the older man only catching the tail end of James' story.

"I don't know, it was a dream," James shrugged as Xerxes started adding food to his own plate, "Do you ever dreams like that?"

"Erm... Not... not exactly like that, no."

"Why praising you for Seeker? I thought you were a Beater?" Xerxes wondered in slight puzzlement while James took a bite of the sea bass.

"I am a Beater on the Gryffindor team but a Seeker is my true calling, you know? Like my Dad," James explained once he'd swallowed, "I should be Seeker though, when I graduate Hogwarts I'm going to play Quidditch professionally as a Seeker. I was put as the Reserve Seeker in my First Year, did you know?"

"The Captain only did that because you are Harry Potter's son," Carver pointed out and James scowled at him, he refused to believe that too. Carver was simply mistaken, he hadn't known anything about Quidditch when James had first met him.

"No, it was because I was good. That dirty rotten cheater stole it from me, he's dating the Captain so obviously she gives him the position he wants."

"That must be frustrating for you," Xerxes offered sympathetically as he poured himself some wine, he hovered the bottle over James' glass after and gave him a look in askance whether he wanted some. James nodded and was poured some as well, "To have so much talent yet have your shot ruined by someone undeserving."

"Exactly!" James exclaimed, so relieved that Xerxes understood while Carver rolled his eyes for some reason, "No one understands that, they're all on Malfoy's side and are fooled by his pretty boy looks and his family's money but I know the truth, he's rotten to the core."

"Can I have some wine, please?" Carver asked, somewhere between pleadingly and tiredly while James took some delightful gulps of the sweet liquid.

"No, Carver. You're underage," Xerxes chided him, stopping cutting his food and instead moving the bottle further from Carver as if afraid he may try to grab it anyway.

"My birthday is only a few months away!"

"So you can wait a few months, I'll be seeing you over the summer or Easter anyway because you have to meet your little brother or sister since its due around Easter," Xerxes informed him before turning back to James and resuming cutting his sirloin steak, Carver merely rolled his eyes. He did that a lot actually of late, "Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that you feel that no one understands you. Unfortunately, people never seem to get what they deserve."

"They only get what they deserve if you give it to them," James pointed out as he jabbed his food, thinking of the Slytherins who would be living their perfect lives if he didn't punish them, "I'm the good guy here yet I always get punished, just for doing the right thing and getting those scum who deserve to suffer."

"That seems rather unfair, if they deserve it then you're doing a good thing. It's not much different to what your father does, is it?"

"Exactly!" James exclaimed yet again and Carver slapped a hand to his face, Xerxes just seemed to really get him. Unlike his father, "But my Dad doesn't understand, he says Slytherins are people too and gets mad at me for doing things to them who deserve it like the Death Eater spawn Malfoy and his freaky friends."

"I pity you," Xerxes offered sympathetically, taking another a sip of his own drink while James did the same and Xerxes' tone took on a somewhat darker edge, "My Father never understood me either, he never even tried. He was too blinded by anger at my Mother leaving him, always favoring my younger half-siblings with his new wife."

"I know what that's like," James added bitterly as he downed his glass, pushing it to Xerxes to be refilled, "My Dad loves my brother and sister more than me. And Vern. He loves the child of the cousin who tortured him more than me. Hell, I think he likes Malfoy and Dragon-breath more than me."

"Imagine that, a father paying more attention to his son's friend then his son," Carver pointed out in an oddly acidic tone as Xerxes refilled James' drink, he was probably still bummed at not getting to have any wine but Xerxes was just looking out for him. At least Carver understood, despite having a father as awesome as Xerxes.

"And you know, there's this Invisibility Cloak that's been in my family for generations," James told Xerxes - Carver already knew - as he pulled his refilled glass to him, glancing to make sure that Xerxes' violently violet eyes were on him, "It gets passed along from father to son and my Dad... my Dad gave it to Albus. He gave it to my little brother instead of me."

"He didn't," Xerxes wondered in disbelief and James nodded sadly, sipping his wine at the painful memory of his receiving the cloak - along with his father's love - over him.

"I just want him to love me, be proud of me, you know? What did I do wrong? I didn't ask to be gay or to not look exactly like Dad like Al does, my Dad's my hero... But he doesn't. All of my family are ashamed of me, they hate me," James continued and looked back to Xerxes who was nodding in understanding, his expression sympathetic was he too could genuinely relate, "Did you ever get your father's love?"

"No," Xerxes shook his head and James felt a less hopeful but Xerxes' next words were both strong and bitter, "I realized I didn't need his love or his approval, I was great the way I was and if he couldn't appreciate that then that was his problem not mine. He didn't deserve a son like me, it was his responsibility to care for me not the other way around, I hadn't chosen to be born after all."

"I bet he regrets it now," James pointed out with a grin, "Since you have this awesome house in the Bahamas with servants, you sure showed him."

"Yes," Xerxes confirmed, the corners of his mouth curling into a triumphant smirk of his own, "Look at me now, I have everything while his very country was destroyed by the Soul Eaters. He appreciated me then, begged for my approval but it was too late. He came down with a case of sudden death soon after."

"Oh, I'm sorry," James offered at Xerxes' dead father while Carver's expression became very set as he stared at his father but they gave it no mind. James thought he was probably still annoyed at not getting wine, "At least you got some closure though."

"Very true," Xerxes nodded before downing his own glass of wine and going to pour himself another, they'd finished their dinner by now and were really just sitting, talking as they drank, "But you can do that too, James, people like you and I have to stick together. I made something of myself and proved my Father wrong, you could do the same. In fact, the organization I work for could really use a smart, talented individual like yourself should you ever decide to settle instead of Seeking."

"Really?" James wondered in surprise that some fancy company could think him worthwhile - even if he still planned on being a Seeker - and Xerxes nodded. Then again, he supposed he was Harry Potter's son, "Well I really am honored even though I'm still going to play professionally, that should show my Dad I deserve to be a Potter."

"Well then I wish you the best of luck," Xerxes pointed out, raising his glass and James smiled as they clinked them together before drinking. He felt a sliver of pity for Carver who was rather left out without any wine but he supposed it was for the best, Carver wasn't of age yet like he and Xerxes. They'd have plenty of time to drink together though when Carver did come of age, you had to be of age to drink responsibly like he and Xerxes did, "I'm sorry about your uncle's death by the way, a pity this holiday will be cut short."

"I know," James said with a sigh, "Uncle Percy picked a lousy time to die. Then its back to classes and homework, least we can go back to giving that Slytherin what he deserves."

"Can't you pick a different Slytherin to punish?" Carver asked him, not for the first time.

"Now, Carver, I'm sure the Slytherin deserves it since they're not people and all," Xerxes offered in his defense, James thought Xerxes really was the most understanding father ever. He thought it must be great to have a father who'd back you up instead of being mad at you for no reason.

"Slytherins are people!"

"No they're not," James scoffed darkly and Carver pinched the bridge of his nose, "That brat is evil."

"You know, I'm tired. I'm just going to go to bed," Carver decided as he stood, James frowned as he'd rather Carver stay, "Have fun being of age."

"Goodnight."

"Your time will come!" Xerxes called after his son assumingly as Carver left.

James started telling him of the atrocities the Slytherin had done to him, humiliating him by helping him, daring to stand up for other scum, trying to manipulate events to get Carver expelled. James told him and Xerxes listened, often offering encouragement or outrage at the awful things the Slytherin had done. Xerxes was so on board that he started telling him about the things he'd done to get back at him, the funny pranks - some even caused Xerxes to laugh - and the vengeful beatings.

"That is one thing I'm looking forward to going back to," James admitted as he finished his... whatever number glass of wine that was, "Someone needs to put him back in his place."

"There's more to it than that though, isn't there?" Xerxes asked him curiously.

"What do you mean?" James wondered in surprise as Xerxes also finished his glass before leaning in to speak to him quietly, saying something James hadn't even dared admit to himself.

"You like it," Xerxes told him in a whisper and James felt a shiver creep down his spine, he couldn't take his eyes from Xerxes' though and he couldn't lie staring in the man's brilliantly violet eyes, "It's not just that he deserves it, you get relieve from venting your rage and deep down you just like it. You enjoy beating him, enjoy the feeling of power, enjoy seeing the pain in his eyes."

"Yes," James confirmed in the smallest of voices, feeling fear in the back of his mind, "Does that make me a bad person?"

"A bad person?" Xerxes repeated at normal volume, leaning back and giving him a smile as he shook his head, "Of course you're not a bad person, you're Harry Potter's son! It's not like you're hurting a real person and enjoying it anyway, it's just a Slytherin."

"I'm glad," James said with great relief and went to pour more wine only to realize it was gone, he supposed it signified the end of their chat and time for bed. He couldn't help but wish he could talk to his own father as easily as he could to Xerxes, "Thanks, Xerxes, it's been great talking to you."

"Likewise," Xerxes offered and returned the smile James gave him as they both stood to leave, he clapped him on the back affectionately as they parted ways to get to their separate rooms, "My door is always open should you need. Like I said, people like you and I have to stick together."

Part 4: Newness

Scorpius ended up spending most of the rest of the break with Molly, after a few days of Flooing to and from the Burrow every day his parents let him just stay overnight as it was less hassle. He didn't think his parents were too pleased even though let him go, it was a good thing they did because he was going to be there for Molly whether they approved or not. He didn't even see Varanian although he did 'ring' him to tell him of Percy's death in the hopes Varanian would look into it, he wanted to know who did it and why if possible.

It was strange staying at the Burrow compared to home, he had known before the Weasleys did things differently to the Malfoys but it was still more noticeable over an extended period of time. For starters there was only one bathroom, this was the same for Hogwarts but there were still multiple toilets, showers and sinks. At home there were multiple bathrooms and he essentially had one to himself, his parents used their ensuite and his grandmother used the one closer to her room so having to wait in line was rather new to him on more than a temporary basis. Home was also quieter, aside from Sol crying - and he was sleeping through the night now anyway - it was quiet and even the conversations seemed quiet but the Burrow was loud, other Weasleys were always popping in and out making hustle, bustle and conversations very common. The ghoul that lived in the attic started rattling pips if things got too quiet, he didn't understand why they didn't get rid of the damn thing.

For another thing, it wasn't so... proper. The Manor was neat, things were put in their place and the house-elves kept the place clean much like Hogwarts but here things were cluttered and chaotic, being told to put a towel 'just anywhere' left him rather stumped on more than one occasion. They also didn't seem to think it was strange going to breakfast in their pajamas or in a bathrobe with their hair in a mess, Scorpius was often the only one fully dressed. They also didn't have house-elves to make the food and had to so themselves, dedicating a portion of time daily to preparing three rather delicious meals. Scorpius had taken to helping out, feeling as if he should considering he was the only one not grieving and chatting to him about cooking seemed to take Mrs Weasley's mind of things too, at least for a little bit. He thought it was just because of Percy's death but other Weasleys often popped in with some food they'd prepared for their parents or grandparents, they would also then stay for the meal. That was another thing, they were so... close with one another, popping in to offer their support and share their grief. Even in a time of mourning, there were more laughs then at home. Scorpius felt rather left out, even when some of the visitors were his friends or at least people he was on good terms with.

It actually made him worry over his relationship with Molly, his parents already thought they'd be done by the end of the year and he thought maybe they were right. Outside of Hogwarts they came from very different families who didn't really like each other, it was strange for him being around the Weasleys and he thought it would be strange for Molly too if she spent time with his family. He tried to shove those thoughts aside though, regardless of what might happen he was there now. Both Molly and Lucy were staying with their grandparents, in fact they - or at least Lucy since Molly was of age - were to be in their custody it seemed. Molly in her father's old room, Lucy in Mrs Potter's old room and Scorpius had Bill's old room.

Molly gradually seemed to be doing better. She was crying less as the days went on and he was getting her to eat more, he even manage to get her to go on walks with him around the grounds to get her some fresh air. He kept talking at her and eventually managed to coax her into conversation more, she'd say little at first but as the days wore on she spoke more although was still quite sad understandably, he'd always listen. In contrast, the younger Lucy seemed angrier and he often saw her glaring at Molly as if it was somehow her fault. He was so desperate to ask Molly what had happened but at the same time, he thought it would be wrong to push her. He recalled all too well the breakdown he'd caused Calderon to have. There was also something else that he had to think about after he saw the headline on the Prophet late December that Mr Weasley was reading, complete with a picture of Rutherford. He wasn't fond of the press after everything slandering Varanian, Maurice tended to fill them anyway as he always read it but Scorpius was too intrigued to not make an exception.

HOGWARTS SAFE AGAIN FROM SOUL EATERS

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is no stranger to danger, not in the past or in recent years with numerous targeted attacks from both Voldemort and his son, the Shadow Master. Numerous parents and concerned citizens have asked the question: why is our Ministry not doing more to protect our school? People need not feel disillusioned with the Ministry anymore however, the new Minister for Magic takes the protection of our students seriously and last night an attempted attack was stopped because of this.

After the debacle over the summer where several students were abducted while on a standard Hogsmeade trip by the Soul Eaters for reasons still unrevealed at this time, the Ministry put in place an attaché to work on improving security at Hogwarts. Gerhard Rutherford, 32, is said attaché and has worked tirelessly to secure the safety of the students with new measures such as a clearer disciplinary rote or extra testing to ensure students are on track to achieve the most of their potential. One particular measure helped thwart an attempt by the Soul Eaters to infiltrate Hogwarts and likely cause harm to those students staying over the winter break.

The perpetrator is believed to be Alexis Loren, 35, the mother of two is a known Soul Eater who is confirmed to have been involved in the abductions of the Hogwarts students last year and to have tortured her muggle husband into insanity by use of the Cruciatus Curse before his miraculous recovery. Loren's younger son, Maurice Rivers aged 14, is currently in Hogwarts but we suspect she was there for more than a friendly chat. Loren took on the identity of Hogwarts Head Healer, Jace Marigold, to assuage other staff members and extracted information on how to get into castle from him. Marigold, the fatherless child of a mentally insane muggle, was only very mildly tortured for this information and is expected to make a full recovery before the school year resumes. One has to question the hiring choices of Hogwarts as if Healers give away sensitive information at the drop of a hat, it is not surprising Hogwarts has so many security issues, which would not be a problem if the Ministry had more control over Hogwarts of course.

After disguising herself as Marigold and slipping past the aging half-giant Gamekeeper, Loren infiltrated Hogwarts but didn't get very far thanks to the Ministry of Magic attaché. Mr Rutherford quickly deduced the imposter and activated an enchantment he'd put in place, one that immediately alerted the Auror Office of the break in at Hogwarts. Within minutes Aurors were swarming the castle to arrest Loren while Mr Rutherford kept her occupied in a duel, Loren was forced to flee and while she unfortunately got away, she was in the castle mere minutes and hadn't time to locate let alone harm students. Mr Rutherford sustained injuries from heroically fending off the intruder, he and Marigold were the only harmed by Loren's assault.

Mr Rutherford is also expected to make a full recovery, intending to continue the Ministry's noble aims of keeping Hogwarts secure from the Soul Eater threat. Parents are urged to put their minds at ease, if this is how much the security has been improved in just one term then it can only go up from there. The Ministry and their employees are dedicated to protecting the public and our children from this threat, as testament to this Mr Rutherford's first words upon awakening are quoted as being: 'Did they get him? Are the students okay?' Despite the widower almost seeming surprised to have a reporter waiting for him upon awakening, which is a true sign of his and Ministry's dedication. While the Shadow War continues, it is a relief to know it seems the dark days of Hogwarts are finally behind us.

Scorpius would have crinkled up the paper if he'd had it in his hands, disliking how much it praised Rutherford. So what if his security system worked? He was still a terrible person who thought chaining up werewolves was alright along with using Legilimency on students, Scorpius also very much doubted Hogwarts was as safe as the article's writer - some Rita Skeeter woman - seemed to believe. He ringed Varanian to inform him of that too although he did probably know already since he paid attention to things happening with the Shadows, they were trying to stop them after all. Although he was glad at least it meant students still in Hogwarts - including Maurice - were alright, it brought up questions on why Alzay had been trying to do in the first place.

After the New Year though, he did end up having to return to the Malfoy Manor for Sol's birthday party at his parents' insistence. Scorpius wanted to go anyway, both to be there for his brother's first birthday party and because Leebin would be there as it was a joint party for Leebin's son and Sol as they had been born on the same day. Leebin was a counsellor and he was hoping could advise him on how to help some of his friends, in fact he could even ask him what he should be doing to help Molly with her grieving. It was only for a day and he'd be back in the Burrow by the evening anyway so he didn't feel too bad for leaving, he came back to find the parlor had been transformed.

His mother had gone all out with decorating it for the party, there were streamers and balloons, brightly colored flags lining the walls and a large banner reading 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' hanging the width of the room. Multiple baby toys and stuffed animal toys had been brought in that were usually confined to Sol's room or play pen, winged paper animals flew around as if on an invisible mobile. There was a table, the cloth had brightly colored animals stitched into it and the table itself was filled with all kinds of hors d'oeuvres that also seemed to be attempted to fit in with what he was starting to sense was a theme of animals since Sol was fond of them. Like the camels in Egypt had captivated him, he also laughed and clapped with delight every time an owl flew in with mail. There were also drinks, primarily consisting of juice. His family were happy to see him and his mother was in a rather cheerful mood in general, he couldn't say the same for his father and grandmother.

"I don't see why we couldn't have had this party with just us," his grandmother complained, "Then we could've had it on his actual birthday."

"It wouldn't have been a party if it was just us," his mother insisted and batted away his father's hand as he tried to take one of the ladybug crostini which had his father scowl on top of the sour expression he'd had once seeing Scorpius had worn off, "Not until they arrive, Draco."

"Well what was wrong with it being just us?"

"Maybe it's nice for my son to socialize and have a friend."

"He's one! He couldn't tell that werewolf from a shoe!" his grandmother burst out in frustration while his mother frowned, "Why do you want him to be friends with a werewolf anyway?!"

"There's nothing wrong with werewolves," his mother said defensively and Scorpius was inclined to agree, "Myriam is a good person and Lysel is just a baby, the poor child."

"Yeah, werewolves are people too," Scorpius added as he bitterly thought of the article praising Rutherford after he chained Michael up like an animal. His grandmother threw her arms up in the air.

"Why is everyone in this family friends with werewolves?" his grandmother wondered of no one in particular as she threw her arms up into the air, "Draco, I blame you. If anyone wants me then I'll be in my room."

"Just make sure you're back when they arrive!" his father called after her but she gave no answer, his father sighed and turned to him, "And you, stay close to me."

"Why? I wanted to talk to Leebin about some things," Scorpius pointed out truthfully and his father looked incredulous, Sol laughed loudly at the griffin that just flew near him obliviously.

"Why? Odds are he won't be there anyway, that guy is always working."

"He has to, Wolfsbane is free but Lysel needs a whole costly potion regime to survive the transformations since it's even more stressful on an infant and Myriam has a hard time finding work now she's a werewolf," his mother spoke up, Leebin's wife - presumably Myriam - had been bitten by a werewolf while pregnant during the werewolf attack on Hogsmeade a year and a half ago, apparently both mother and child were infected, "And her husband will definitely be here. Lighten up, Dear, it's not that bad."

"It's not that bad?" his father repeated in frustration, "That's easy for you to say, you just sit and chat with your friend while I am left entertaining the girl of a thousand questions!"

"Well she's at that age when she questions everything, don't you remember when Scorpius was like that?"

"Yes but I can't just tell him to go ask someone else like I did with him when you two are busy talking, besides Scorpius never tried to make me play tea parties or princesses with him," his father grumbled and Scorpius laughed at the thought of his father doing either of those things, his father blushed and scowled, "I said she tried, I never said I did it!"

"Maybe you'll get that chance with Sol then," his mother pointed out jokingly and joined Scorpius in laughing, his father shooting her a dark look instead, "Maurene's only five, what do you expect?"

It wasn't long before the Leebins arrived after that, it was the first time he'd really met Leebin's family. Flannery Leebin was of average height, he had unruly reddish brown hair that and oval-shaped spectacles. His daughter - Maurene - had inherited his hair except hers was longer and glasses although her eyes were a deep brown to match her mother, she was also quite dainty like her. His wife - Myriam - was rather dainty and petite, her dark hair was neatly straight and framed her porcelain face. It hadn't struck him until then how young Leebin was. His father was just into his forties, his mother was almost there too while Leebin wasn't thirty yet. Myriam was somewhere in the middle even accounting for being a werewolf causing premature aging, she was at least a few years older than her husband.

And then there was baby Lysel. He had shockingly golden eyes like werewolves' turned after their transformation, they were eyes weighed by black bags though and in fact his skin had an unhealthy tinge to it as well. He was the same age as Sol but was noticeably smaller and thinner, he was reminded of the unhappy Vale. Unlike Vale however, Lysel seemed perfectly happy. He laughed and smiled just as much as Sol did, babbled away happily and seemed more advanced with Sol on words too. Sol was more advanced with crawling - not that it stopped Lysel from trying - but Lysel was just as energetic and playful, excitedly playing with the toys and gobbling down anything he was given. Myriam was friendly enough although after saying hello and settling in she engaged his mother in conversation, praising the decoration. Maurene went straight to his father to show her a picture she'd apparently done of him - which looked more like of penguin to Scorpius - and Leebin was thankfully hanging out with the babies in the playpen, giving Scorpius the perfect chance to speak to him.

"Ah well, that is most interesting," Leebin was saying to Lysel as he finished a string of inherent baby babble, this prompted Sol to gurgle and remove the soft toy fish he'd had in his mouth to hand to Leebin as it still dripped with saliva, "Thank you, Sol, I will treasure this gift for the rest of my life."

"Can you really understand what they're saying?" Scorpius asked curiously as he reached them, Leebin laughed and shook his head though.

"No, of course not. I'm just pretending, it's good for them."

"Right," Scorpius nodded in understanding and noticed again the difference between the two babies, thinking again of Vale who wasn't much older while Leebin gave Sol the toy back, "Is... Is Sol just fat or... what? He's bigger and chubbier then other babies."

"No, Sol is the healthy one," Leebin explained and spared his son a saddened glance, Lysel gave him a toothy oblivious grin in response, "Lysel is a werewolf, the full moon is extremely bad for him due to his age. He loses his appetite and is too weak to eat, as a result he loses weight and just starts to regain it before the full moon hits again. An unfortunate cycle. But that is why he is smaller, thinner and weaker then Sol."

"He still seems happy though and he must be stronger then he looks to get through it," Scorpius offered and continued when Leebin said nothing, "Vale is thin and he's not happy, he's a strange baby but not a werewolf."

"Vale Rooke? Cel's son?" Leebin wondered and glanced back to him, Scorpius recalled he worked with Aurors and nodded.

"Yes, he always looks sad but rarely cries. He doesn't really play and if you try he isn't interested, wave a toy in front of him enough and he might try to take it. He'll move his hand to and from it for ages before taking it and even then he just holds it, he does the same with food and it takes forever to feed him because of it. He just likes to stand and stare at the world. That's not normal, is it?"

"No."

"What is wrong with him then?"

"I don't know, it could be a number of things. It could be he was some underlying condition or a sign of trauma, neglect or abuse, or possibly picking up that behavior from witnessing a parent or carer like that," Leebin told him with a slight frown as he scratched his chin, he didn't say anything more bust stared off thoughtfully and Scorpius decided to move on. It was probably a condition or maybe seeing people grieve was bothering him.

"Can I talk you?"

"You just did," Leebin pointed out with a small smile.

"I mean in private," Scorpius admitted sheepishly, gesturing mildly to the other people in the room.

"As you wish," Leebin shrugged and Scorpius led him out after Leebin mentioned Scorpius was showing him around to his wife so that they'd know to keep an eye on the babies.

"-If it's expensive then wouldn't it matter if it breaks? Then there would be lots more pieces that are all expensive," Maurene was saying to his exasperated father as they passed them on the way out, his father giving Scorpius an annoyed look over the top of her head.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Leebin asked him when they were well away from the parlor, Scorpius leading him around at random, "Still want help overcoming your fear of drowning?"

"No, it's not that," Scorpius shook his head and looked around, feeling rather exposed in a random corridor, "Can you cast a charm to ensure we can't be overheard or something?"

"Probably not, I did flunk out of Hogwarts and I'm pretty terrible at magic."

"Can't you try? I can't use magic outside of Hogwarts or I'd do it."

"I would but I don't want to risk accidentally blowing something up, even that vase my daughter was looking at probably cost more than my house," Leebin pointed out and Scorpius was about to insist he wouldn't have to pay for anything if it went wrong but decided against it, Leebin seemed pretty sure and somewhat ashamed, "We are a way aways from the others, would you prefer if we found a room for privacy?"

"No, it's alright," Scorpius brushed it off and started by telling him about Molly's father dying, how things were with her currently, "So what can I do? You know to help her through this?"

"Scorpius, you're actually doing everything you can already," Leebin told him with a small smile to Scorpius' surprise, "Grieving is a messy and painful process, there's no way to just snap someone through it. Ensuring she's taking care of herself and letting her lean on you emotionally is the best thing you can do, she'll talk about it when she's ready and just let her express herself."

"But I feel useless, sometimes I even just hold her silently when she cries."

"Just because you feel useless, it doesn't mean you are. These things mean more then you realize, even babies are comforted by just being held when they cry, it's very basic human behavior. As much as you want to, there's nothing you can do to take away her pain. You have to settle for just making it more bearable."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded, feeling somewhat better that Leebin thought there was nothing and moved on to the next thing he was concerned about, "So I also wanted to talk to you about my friend, Michael."

"Scorpius, do you ever feel that you focus so much on solving the world's problems to avoid facing your own?" Leebin asked of him randomly and Scorpius scoffed in disbelief.

"Of course I don't. So anyway, about Michael," Scorpius brushed it off and launched into an explanation of what had happened with Michael, not afraid to mention Rutherford chaining him up since it was apparently alright with permission. He was quite satisfied by the brief flash of outrage in Leebin's eyes when he mentioned it, "So what do I do about him?"

"Honestly... I'm not sure. People are different, every single one and I don't like to jump to conclusions especially about people I haven't spoken to. Even if I had, there's not a quick fix," Leebin explained and the disappointment must have showed on Scorpius' face as he elaborated, "Michael has been through a lot, he's had a rough life for years and there's nothing you can say that's going to make that change. The mind is a complex thing not a problem to be solved, undoing damage and healing take time. But if you do want to help your friend then you need to repair your relationship, I'd start with an apology."

"An apology? But I was right."

"About every single thing you said?" Leebin wondered and Scorpius scowled as he shook his head as he recalled some of his words, "Lashing out at him like that likely hurt his feelings, it doesn't matter if you were right or wrong. Telling someone they're upset or angry for a stupid reason isn't going to help them or change how they feel, in fact it would likely make them feel worse. You can't diminish how he feels just because you can't see it from his point of view, what matters is that he feels that way. Letting him express how he feels without being attacked for it will do more good then snapping at him, that'll just encourage him to clam up even more and he'll be even less likely to open up to you. Do you understand?"

"Hardly ever," Scorpius sighed, "Feelings are hard. How do you know what to do you?"

"I had training, remember?" Leebin chuckled.

"What are you people doing out here?" a voice questioned and they both jumped, they had been walking aimlessly and had apparently managed to cross paths with his grandmother.

"I was giving a tour," Scorpius lied and realized their talk was at an end, "Come on, Grandmother, we should probably all get back to the party though."

Part 5: There

The rest of the party passed uneventfully. The house elves brought out two cakes for the two babies, a huge smiley faced sun one for Sol and a towering chocolate one for Lysel. Leebin had to leave early to get back to work so Scorpius didn't get another chance to talk to him anyway, his grandmother retreated to her room as soon as the candles had been blown out and Myriam finally left with her children after that. His father wanted to spend time with him but Scorpius brushed it off, the day after next was the return to Hogwarts so he took the opportunity to pack in readiness and to pick out the blackest robes he had for the funeral tomorrow. After that, he flooed back to the Burrow for dinner.

The Weasleys had gone all out in an entirely different way for the funeral, a family more suited to bright colors became adorned in the somber colors he'd associate with his own family and decorations were all black, even the food seemed dark. Except Aurelius of course, he was wearing patchwork robes of varying shades of grays and blacks that made him look like a walking quilt. There were much more people then funerals he'd been to before, even if they either seemed to have red hair or were stuffy looking Ministry blokes. James had returned from his trip to the Bahamas with a tan and was in exceptionally good spirits, attempting to tell anyone who would listen about how great a time he'd had but everyone kept shushing him as it wasn't appropriate for a funeral. This quickly returned to him to sour spirits.

Several people gave eulogies, including each of Percy's surviving siblings and an elderly wizard he'd worked with who gave an incredibly long and dull speech on the trials and tribulations in the Department of Transportation as well as Percy's dedication to it. Even Molly said a few words to his surprise, standing up shakily and smoothing out the piece of paper she'd scrunched into a ball from nerves to read from. Speaking to a crowded funeral was probably a bit different to a speech to the Quidditch team that she was used to.

"My Father..." Molly began and trailed off, for a second Scorpius thought she was going to cry but she kept going, "My Father may not have been the most well-known Weasley or even the most popular but he was the only one I could call 'Dad.' Being born into a big family is great but can also be a lot to try stand out amongst talented or mischievous siblings, he tried his best to carve his own way and make his own name. He liked rules and order, took responsibility seriously whether it was doing his job at work, being a father or even Prefect duties back in his time at Hogwarts. It isn't always fun having responsible, having to be the bad guy and did he take his responsibility a little too seriously at times? Probably but imperfection what makes us human and what he did was still admirable. Even if we don't always like them, what is life without rules? Chaos.

"My Father was dedicated to bring order to the craziness that is life, he was dependable and he was always there. Whether it be for a birthday or Christmas, if I was ill or had a bad dream, even just replying to a letter. He would always be there. And now for the first time, he won't be," Molly's voice cracked slightly and she took another breath, wiping her eyes but continued just as strong and clear, "He was a good father and he was there, people often forget the importance of just that. Family mattered to him, more than most people know. There was a time when he estranged from them, he often said he didn't realize what he had until he lost it and because of that he appreciated his family that much more. It takes a good man to make the right decisions but it takes a great man to realize you've made the wrong decisions and to come back from them, to learn from your mistakes and have the courage to try to right them. My Father will always be a great man and I'm... I'm glad he got to be my Dad," Molly concluded with tears leaking from her eyes but was apparently done anyway as she shoved the paper in her pocket and left the podium to rejoin him.

"I wish you died," a voice whispered and Scorpius' head jumped in shock to realize it was Lucy in front of him, speaking so quietly to her sister as she passed that he very much doubted anyone other than them three heard. Molly paused momentarily as Lucy eyed her sister with a look of loathing piercing through her puffy eyes, "I wish you'd died instead of him."

Molly said nothing and instead returned to sit beside Scorpius, burying her head into his neck and crying silently for the first time that day. Although whether from her sister's words or the grief of her father's death, he wasn't sure and just held her close regardless. He had no idea what that was all about, he thought it was a pretty harsh thing to say to your sister even if she was upset. He nearly said something but he didn't want to cause a scene, besides Lucy had also lost her dad. After the funeral most people went home while they returned to the Burrow, there was a Ministry of work to get back to and trunks to be packed for the return to Hogwarts. Bill stayed though, as did Freddie with his girlfriend Caitlin and baby daughter Charla, who seemed healthy and happy like Sol, Dom and Aurelius also stayed. Things didn't seem to have improved with Bill.

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if the sky was green and the grass was blue?" Aurelius asked randomly, earning him a murderous look from Bill.

"Are you actually insane?!" Bill demanded of him.

"I don't- Did you ever think that's a strange word?" Aurelius started to answer but veered of midsentence as something seemed to occur to him, "Insane? If sane is good the its good to be in the sane which is what insane implies you think about if you didn't know what it meant previously, it would also be pointless word though since using sane would suffice like we have health but not inhealth although we do have words used interchangeably in general so maybe it wouldn't be. In is sometimes used as a negative prefix like inhumane but considering the meaning of the English word in, it makes the words rather funny if they ask me. In my opinion they should have used a different negative prefix like 'un' which would have been better, doesn't unsane sound much better and less confus- I'm sorry, what was the question again?"

"I want to kill you," Bill growled in frustration and his daughter shot him a dark look.

"That's not a question," Aurelius pointed worriedly before looking apologetic, "I'm sorry, I have a hard time focusing."

Michael's break had improved exponentially since Christmas, alcohol was amazing. It made him feel good for once and eventually he didn't have to worry about anything anymore, it was no wonder Annie liked it. Hangovers were not so amazing though. However as he headaches and the full moon sapping him of his strength, it wasn't too much to get through and he could avoid them depending on when he stopped. Annie also came to visit him for her 'day off' from Varanian, taking him out to the cinema and to eat out just because she figured he could use a break which was nice. He told her about what Bertie had said and she promised they'd make sure he didn't hurt his family, she seemed oddly distracted though.

"Hey!" Annie snapped abruptly and angrily as they passed a couple snogging on a bench, cutting him off mid-sentence as he was telling her about the last Quidditch match. The couple paused and looked at her in surprise, "This is public property, don't do that here!"

"Since when is that a crime?" Michael asked her quietly while the couple ignored her, irritably continuing from there they'd left off.

"Jerk bastards, think I should jinx them?" Annie grumbled, eying them murderously.

"No!" Michael protested and Annie scowled but started moving again regardless, taking a long swig from the bottle of beer she had in her hand as her expression switched to a melancholic one, "What was that about?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it. So you were being pelted by Bludgers, I believe?"

Michael did his best to, at least she restocked her dwindling apartment beer supply that she thought Jack was throwing out on her. He felt slightly guilty for taking them all but she drank too much anyway, besides she could buy more whereas he couldn't. He also went back to the old abandoned house to scour it for bottles Bob had stashed, the memories were so overwhelming he ended up using a lot of what he found though to chase away thoughts of being brutalized. He took what was left though and stowed it away in his trunk along with what he'd taken from the apartment, hopefully with some moderation it would last him until Easter. He didn't really want to go back to Hogwarts with worrying about OWLs and everything but he didn't really want to stay home either, he just didn't really want to be anywhere at all.

He made sure his trunk was packed ready before deciding he may as well have a drink on his last night before he'd have to deal with school and his friends and Rutherford, he may as well relax before he had to go pull his happy face on. The sickening liquid started to make his mind sluggish, shaking loose thoughts slowly. He was worried about leaving, not just because of facing Hogwarts but because of what he was leaving behind. Bertie had been happier after talking him and frequently liked following him around because he felt safe with him, Michael wasn't supposed to use magic outside Hogwarts but if Jack tried to harm one of his siblings then he would defend them and he was quite capable. He excelled at casting a Patronus and was quite good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ashain was a good teacher. However he worried about Bertie's safety and the others for while he was gone, would Varanian really be able ensure they were safe?

He groaned and started on another bottle, drinking was supposed to make him not worry about things. Why should he have to worry about protecting his family from his dad destroying their souls anyway? He was fifteen, he was supposed to be just fifteen. Why did everything have to rest on him? Didn't most fifteen year olds just worried about grades, girls and sports? Adults were the ones who should have to worry about stopping people destroying souls. Why did Jack have to go and do this? Things could finally have been stable at home and he has to go join the Shadows or One or... something. He felt tears prick his eyes, why couldn't he just have a normal dad who loved him and didn't make deals with darkness or beat him? Didn't Jack know he was at risk now? He could die, Shadows were not people to make deals with. Whatever he'd said, he didn't want his dad to die and it hurt. It hurt to think his dad might die, that his mum might die, that his brothers and sisters might die just because of Jack. Why had he done that? Why?!

Michael had to know, he had to know why before he left. He finished the bottle and pulled his body up, making the world spin dizzyingly. He wiped the tears from his eyes and continued on though, standing and staggering to the door on unsteady legs. Jack was still there, of course he was still there because he was always still there. He leaned on the wall for support as he moved down the corridor, his parents' voices reaching him from downstairs before he'd even gotten to the top of the stairs. Had the corridor always been so long?

"You've been so good to me, Jack," Crystal was saying, "These past few months with the little ones and Michael... I don't know what's up with him lately. I don't know how I could've done it without you."

"Of course you could have. You're stronger then you think, forget what that monster said," Jack's voice assured her and there was a pause so long that Michael wondered if their voices had gone invisible. Wait, could voices go invisible?

"I lied to you before," Crystal's voice finally returned as he reached the top of the stairs, not looking forward to the mountain he had to climb down but he had to know. He was going to confront Jack, dammit! He had his wand. Wait, did he have his wand?

"Lied about what?" Jack wondered in obvious confusion as Michael started to head down, quietly clutching the bannister and moving slowly to keep himself steady.

"I never stopped loving you," Crystal said breathlessly and Michael's head shot in their direction so fast he swore he heard a crack, looking through the bannister he could clearly see them sitting beside each other on the couch gazing into each other's eyes.

"Me either," Jack whispered and Crystal leaned in, pressing her lips against Jack's. Michael felt as if he'd been slapped in the face, he almost threw up but thankfully Jack pushed her away and his next words sounded tearful, "We can't do this, Crystal, I'll just end up hurting you again."

"After everything I've been through, there's nothing you can do to hurt me more than I've already been hurt," Crystal assured him and leaned in again.

This time Jack only hesitated slightly before giving in, cupping her face as he kissed her passionately back. Michael gagged and bolting back upstairs, shocked and shaking with all thoughts of confronting Jack gone from his mind. He threw himself back onto his bed, he wasn't sure if it was because of the drink but he couldn't even process what he'd seen. His parents... what?! Just... what?! What was Crystal thinking?! Was she insane?! Was he the only sane one in the entire damn family?! What the hell?! Just... What?! And it only got worse as he heard his parents coming up the stairs, he poked his head out to see. Their lips were still locked, hands all over each other as they practically fell through her bedroom door. He slammed his own in disgust but they didn't notice or at least no one came to see him, he grabbed another bottle and drank. He just drank.

Scorpius claimed to go to bed early to give him a chance to speak to Varanian, Portkeying himself to the hideout and having to trudge through the slushy remnants of snow to reach it. He passed Roman on his way in, the man looking just about ready for bed and holding a cup of cocoa. He spared Scorpius a solemn glance which made the shadows beneath his eyes more noticeable.

"How did Christmas with Orous go?" Scorpius asked out of curiosity.

"I'm a terrible father and I hate both myself and my life," Roman told him deadpan as he headed into his room, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Scorpius offered uncertainly and headed down into Varanian's basement, Annie was sitting at the table practicing Transfiguration by the looks of it with her back to Varanian while the metamorphmagus himself was facing the board although had his head swiveled over his shoulder to watch her, "Hey."

"Hey," Varanian offered as both adults turned to him instead, "Long time, no see."

"I was bus-"

"Its fine," Varanian brushed it off as Scorpius continued down the stairs, Annie took a swig of the beer bottle she had with her which had Varanian scowl.

"So did you find out anything?" Scorpius asked as Varanian pulled up chairs for them, Annie went back to trying to transfiguring buttons into beetles.

"Yes," Varanian confirmed with a distracted nod as he glanced at Annie, now not even needing to look over his shoulder to stare at the back of his head. Scorpius waited for him to continue but Varanian seemed to have lost himself in thought.

"Are you going to tell me what?" Scorpius prompted, jostling Varanian from his thoughts and drawing his attention back to him.

"What?" Varanian wondered and Scorpius felt incredulous at his lack of focus.

"About Percy Weasley's killer and the attack on the school."

"Oh yeah, I found out who killed him and I know about the attack," Varanian confirmed and was distracted again as Annie took another swig from her drink, which apparently finished it off.

"Well now I need another one," Annie decided as she stood to leave, "I'll be back."

"You don't need a drink," Varanian protested in exasperation but she left anyway and frowned after her instead of returning to the conversation with Scorpius.

"Varanian!" Scorpius snapped at him which successfully drew his attention again, "Focus! What is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing!"

"Then stop staring at Annie and tell me what you know."

"I wasn't staring at her, I was making sure she was doing the wand movement correctly," Varanian insisted icily while his face flushed, much to Scorpius' surprise, "You're awfully pushy today."

"Only because you're awfully... weird," Scorpius admitted slowly, not sure what to make of Varanian's odd behavior but the metamorphmagi chose to clear his throat and move on.

"Anyway, Selwyn is the one who killed your girlfriend's dad. He was there for some other reason and when he was discovered there was a short scuffle, Percy got killed and Molly slashed Selwyn's face. They haven't mentioned what he was after but are greatly amused the torturer got his face slashed by a girl not out of Hogwarts yet."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded, pleased to have a name for Percy's killer, "What about Hogwarts? Why were the Shadows trying to break in?"

"They weren't."

"What?" Scorpius wondered in confusion, his face twisting into a scowl, "But I read Alzay Loren broke in?"

"She did but it wasn't on Shadow business, she wants revenge on her son for killing her father. She broke in without any kind of authorization and approval, the Shadows had nothing to do with it," Varanian explained, Scorpius felt a slight bit relieved the Shadows weren't after the school again but also a slight bit worried that Maurice was wanted dead, "So there you have it."

"Have you figured out anything else important?" Scorpius asked of him and Varanian shook his head while his attention drifted back to the staircase, staring after Annie weirdly. He had no idea what was going on with him, he decided he'd chalk it up to it being Christmas time and only worry if Varanian was still acting strangely next time he saw him, "I'll see you then, I'm back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"I know," Varanian confirmed with a nod and offered a hand in farewell as Scorpius headed off, passing Annie on her way back now with a new bottle, "Be careful, Scorpius, good luck with Rutherford."

Scorpius nodded as he left, trudging back through the slush and Portkeying back to his room in the Burrow. He felt thirsty after that and headed down the many flights of stairs, however he stopped when he noticed light from Molly's room and the door wide open in passing. Instead he took a detour and went to investigate, he poked his head in and saw she was packing the trunk that lay open on her bed. He leaned in the doorway and Molly glanced at him as she noticed him.

"So what did Aaron say?" Molly asked of him using their code name for Varanian, much to his surprise.

"How did you-"

"You're wearing your leather jacket and your shoes have slush on them, clearly you went somewhere and I'd guess Aaron since you went to bed early."

"Clever," Scorpius complimented her powers of deduction and she inclined her head as she continued packing, "He told me some things but it can wait. What are you doing?"

"Just packing so I can go back to the grind."

"You know, I'm sure it would be okay for you to put off going back for a while if you don't feel up to it."

"No, its okay," Molly shook her head, "Will be good to have classes to distract me, besides it's my final year and my Dad wouldn't have wanted me to miss it. Not like I'm really doing another then mope around here anyway, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Your father died, you're allowed to be upset," Scorpius offered gently as he approached her.

"I'm of age!"

"Adults are allowed to grieve too."

"I know, I just... I still feel like I should be stronger," Molly admitted with a sigh, "After Mother died, he was all the parent I had left and it just... hurts. To think that I have no one at home to write back to, that I don't even have a home to go back, that he won't get to see me graduate like he wanted or my see my NEWT results, that he never even got to open the Christmas present I got him..."

"It's okay," Scorpius told her lamely as he pulled her into a hug, sensing she was on the verge of tears again, "And you do have a home and family, your grandparents here and aunts and uncles, cousins. You have such a big family."

"It's not the same," Molly said sadly as she pulled away but seemed to have composed herself, "I won't be coming back here anyway. If there's any morbidly good thing to take from this, it's that after I graduate I can go to helping Aaron full time like Lat's doing without having to deal with my Father. This war has taken enough people from me and I'm going to fight until it kills me or them, you were right all along. This is the priority."

"Yeah," Scorpius muttered, feeling oddly disheartened now that Molly was focused on the war, "But there's still two terms to go, exams and Quidditch."

"Quidditch?" Molly repeated and her eyes drifted sadly to a broom resting in the corner and it wasn't her usual broom. It looked new, with sleek black handle which contrasted with the clear white-gray bristles. On the handle was 'Fallstar' engraved in white letters.

"Fallstar? I haven't heard of it," Scorpius admitted and Molly shrugged.

"You wouldn't, it's not on the market yet. My Father used his connections as the Head of the Department of Transportation to get it, it's the fastest broom in the world apparently and has only just been approved."

"Have you tried it out yet?"

"No, my Father gave it to me just before he died. The last Christmas present he ever gave me... I'm not sure I should even bring it."

"You should," Scorpius offered encouragingly, "Your Father wanted you to have it, I'm sure he'd like for you to use it too."

"I don't feel like I even deserve it," Molly told him as she sat down unhappily on the edge of her bed, he sat cautiously beside her, "Do you know how my Father died?"

"Not exactly," Scorpius said slowly, he knew who and got the gist of what had happened from what Varanian had told him.

"We went to see what was taking Lucy so long and heard voices in her room, we walked in and there was a Shadow - he was wearing their emblem. He fired a Killing Curse the second I opened the door, I threw myself out of the way and... and of course, my Father was standing right behind me. He took the curse instead. It's my fault, it's all my fault he died," Molly explained tearing up again, "If I hadn't moved then he'd still be alive."

"It's not your fault," Scorpius assured her seriously as he put his arm around her, although he thought he knew why Lucy had said what she had earlier.

"But-"

"But nothing, it's instinct to get out of the way when a fatal curse is fired at you! It's what we've been taught! When you have a split second to react, that's your first reaction, that's anyone's first reaction. Don't you think that if your Father had gone in first then he would have done exactly the same as you did? That he'd be the one sitting here beating himself up for his instincts?"

"I guess... maybe," Molly admitted hesitantly, seeming taken aback by his argument, "But then what about my premonition? I'm certain that was about my Father, I saw his death and I didn't save him. What's the point in seeing the future if I can't stop the bad things I see from happening?"

"The future's a tricky thing," Scorpius pointed out quite truthfully, "You should know that more than I do, it's not your fault just because you had a premonition that you didn't even remember. It's not your fault, Molly, and that's the truth whether you can see it now or not. If you could've saved your Father then you would have, this isn't your fault. It's the man that fired that curse."

"And you know who that is, don't you?"

"Selwyn. Apparently he's pretty sore about having his face slashed by a girl not out of Hogwarts yet."

"I hope it hurt," Molly muttered darkly and looked thoughtful before glancing back to him, "Thank you."

"It's nothing, you should thank Aaron since he's the one who-"

"No thank you just... for everything," Molly interrupted and Scorpius hoped his cheeks didn't tinge pink, "It can't have been fun hanging out here with me instead of with your family."

"Well I don't care what's fun, I care about you. In the good times and the bad," Scorpius offered awkwardly and lamely, not sure how to express himself. Molly pressed her lips against his briefly and gave him another tight hug, he held her close and hoped he'd never have to let her go. He pulled away though and stood, knowing it was getting quite late now and she still had to pack, "But erm... you should finish packing if you want to be there tomorrow."

"Yeah," Molly nodded in agreement as she stood also.

"Want some help?" Scorpius offered as he picked up a pile of clothing by the trunk until he noticed the top item was a frilly bra, his face flushed a furiously deep shade of scarlet and he immediately handed the pile to her, "Or mayb-maybe I should jus-just leave you to it."

"Maybe you should," Molly grinned at him in amusement as he left her to it, "Night, Scor."

"Night, Mol," Scorpius called back to her in a squeak as he hurried back to his room. It was only much later that he realized that had been the first time Molly had smiled all break.

The next day Scorpius Flooed back to the Manor to go to the platform with his parents, he thought it was kind of a waste of trip when he could just have easily gone with them or Molly with his family but he hadn't thought to ask his parents beforehand and he was worried seeing him saying goodbye to his parents might be upsetting in the wake of her father's death anyway. He was actually quite looking forward to being back to Hogwarts despite everything, it was at least more productive. They arrived on the platform with plenty of time to spare, passing Byron Knight in tears begging to not have to go back to Hogwarts to get his trunk onto the train.

"Well bye," Scorpius offered to his parents and went to go find his friends but his father grabbed him back, "What?"

"Can't you spend more than five seconds with your family? We've barely seen you all break and you'll have the whole term with your friends," his father asked of him, looking oddly... upset?

"Hi Scor!" a familiar voice greeting him saved him from having to answer, Orous coming over to him with a friendly smile, "How was your Christmas?"

"Whatever," his father growled unhappily as Scorpius started talking with Orous, his mother having to put a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Orous!" a girl's voice called out delightedly, cutting off Scorpius' question about Orous' Christmas and in the next instant Lily had reached them with a wide smile as she hugged her boyfriend.

Orous smiled as well as they pulled apart, Scorpius noticed the rest of the Potters - minus Harry - just behind her with Vern, clearly they had just arrived and were going over to put their trunks on the train. James abandoned them, waving as he apparently spotted a friend and went to greet them and Albus stood glowering at Orous. Mrs Potter and Vern seemed to take this opportunity to take this as a sign it was their responsibility to get the trunks onto the train as they headed off to do that.

"Orous, I wanted to talk to you real quick," Albus offered in a growl that wiped the smile from Orous' face, making the albino look exceptionally worried. Lily was completely unfazed though.

"Shove off, Al," Lily told him quite calmly but strongly and Albus' jaw dropped as his little sister took Orous' hand, leading the now surprised boy away, "So how was your break?"

"Can you- I- Did you just see that?!"

"See what?" Rose asked as she joined them, flipping her untied hair back over her shoulder.

"Lily told me to shove off!"

"Well Al, shove off. She can date who she wants."

"Just like Maurice can date who he wants?" Albus countered and Rose's face went as red as her hair.

"That's completely different! Orous is a good person, Lenore is evil and is taking advantage of him," Rose insisted and gestured into the crowd where he saw Lenore hugging the man he'd seen her with before, who he assumed was her uncle.

"I know that guy," his father spoke up abruptly, Scorpius hadn't even realized his parents were still close enough to hear, "He was a Death Eater."

"A Death Eater you say? See, she's hanging out with Death Eater. She is evil," Rose said triumphantly before seeming to realize that might have been offensive to his father as she glanced back to him as Latimer and Molly joined them, "Not that all Death Eaters were evil. Just ones that aren't you, Mr Malfoy."

"Nice save," Latimer quipped in quiet sarcasm that had Rose bat him as she blushed, Scorpius gave Molly a hug. He was surprised to see Lenore spot them over her shoulder, heading over to them instead. She was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes, her shiny prefect and Head Girl badges in place.

"Hello," Lenore offered almost reluctantly in greeting.

"Did you know that guy you were with is a Death Eater?" Rose blurted out immediately.

"You mean my uncle? Yes, yes I do and he's the greatest man I've ever known," Lenore insisted, sounding extremely certain and so sure it took Rose by surprise and Lenore moved on before Rose could think of a reply, "Anyway, I just wanted to ask if any of you know sign language. I've been trying to learn it to surprise Maur when I see him again and I want to make sure I'm doing it right not accidentally insulting him."

"Well we don't speak sign language. Why would we do that?"

"Because you're supposed to be his friends and he finds it easier than his necklace but never mind then," Lenore explained and went to leave, hesitating when she spotted Molly, "I um... I'm sorry about your Father by the way, I know that's pretty rough."

"Thank you," Molly said quietly and Lenore continued off.

"Can you believe her?!" Rose snapped, "Pretending to be all nice and calling him 'Maur' and since when did he like sign language better than his necklace, that is so much easier and obviously what he prefers."

Scorpius still wasn't sure what to make of Lenore but he thought Rose was wrong, at the very least she wasn't the source of all evil even if she wasn't the more altruistic person to ever walk the Earth. He caught up with his other friends as he waited, meeting up with them as they arrived except for Maurice who was back in Hogwarts and Michael who was oddly late. It wasn't until people were starting to board the train that he finally caught a glimpse of that tangled mane of hair and heard his friend's voice.

"Why do people have to be so loud?" Michael groaned, head hung as he rubbed his temples.

"Oh sweetheart, is that aspirin still not kicking in?" Crystal offered gently with a look of concern, Michael went to shake his head but seemingly thought better of it. She kissed his forehead as if he was a small child like the swarm of young siblings with her as well as - surprisingly - Jack, "I'll get your trunk on the train, we're lucky to have made it in time."

"I'll stay with him," Jack offered and Crystal flashed him a smile that he returned widely as she pushed the trolley with the little ones.

"Can't you just stay away from her?" Michael complained darkly and glanced up to his dad, "Stay away from all of them. You're only going to hurt her. If you really care about her then you'll stay away from her and from the little ones. Do you understand? Don't hurt any of them."

"Mikey-"

"For once in my life, can't you get my name right?!"

"Hey Michael," Scorpius greeted him, deciding to step in and Michael almost flinched.

"Why do you have speak so loud?!"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Jack explained to him with a smile, "Migraine to boot. Nice jacket, by the way."

"Thanks," Scorpius said and felt a sad pang, Jack had been the one to introduce him to leather jackets he loved and motorcycles. And now he was involved with a Specter.

Crystal returned momentarily and Michael barely had time to bid them all farewell before leaving, Scorpius said goodbye to his own parents and got a sloppy kiss from Sol before he also joined the others on the train. He didn't have time to speak to Michael like he'd wanted as his friend had to sit in the prefect compartment, along with Molly, Abby and Latimer. The train journey was uneventful and filled mostly catching up with the friends he could see, especially the ones he hadn't seen over the break. He didn't manage to get a carriage with Michael either and Rutherford's stupid seating plan meant Abby was the only one of his friends he could talk to, her Christmas hadn't been too bad considering the absence of two of her siblings which was good. He also noticed that despite the papers make light of Marigold's injuries, he was the one in a sling while Rutherford seemed unhurt. After an admittedly delicious feast, they trudged back to their dormitories and he finally got to speak to Michael.

"I wanted to apologize," Scorpius offered as soon as the other three went to the bathroom, Michael looked back to him in surprise, "I shouldn't have been so harsh on you before, I was just upset you were hurt."

"It's alright," Michael brushed it off with a smile and a dismissive gesture, "Water under the bridge."