By mid-May, Scorpius was well and truly tired of coming home to an empty house. His imagination ran rampant every night, thinking about how things might change and stay the same once he and Albus got married. Would it feel different, knowing there was someone he was tied to for the rest of his life? Would it feel restricting or freeing?

Comfortable, Scorpius decided. Safe and warm. Like it always is.

It was a particularly fulfilling day when he was finally able to give his first formal lecture. Scorpius was pleased when it was well-received by the historical society. In fact, his research was so sound that the current expert in magical artefacts had asked him to collaborate on his next project.

"Gathering information, of course," he'd said quickly upon seeing Scorpius' enthusiasm. "I believe I have the actual composition covered."

Scorpius came home that night, entirely calm until he spotted a fresh letter resting near the fireplace. He crouched down to retrieve it, deflecting a few affectionate licks from Zar.

May 16

Scorpius,

Hey, can you check in on my brother and make sure he's okay? I don't know what happened to make Ainsley break up with him, but I'm sure my parents are worrying over him and driving him mad. Just make sure he's all right and let me know?

Thanks.

Love,

Albus

Scorpius read the letter three times before it sank in that Albus, halfway around the world, had found out about this before he did. He read the letter again just to be sure.

Ainsley broke up with James.

Albus had apparently assumed Scorpius had known before he did, and Scorpius had every intent of checking in on James as soon as possible – right after he saw to his own family.

May 17

Albus,

I'll find out what's going on and let you know.

Love,

Scorpius

"Ainsley?"

Scorpius had checked most of the rooms in the Manor before going down to the kitchens, which, in hindsight, was one of the first places he should have looked for a Hufflepuff.

He found her sitting on the large wooden table that sat at the center of the room with her back to him. She was near the fire with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her hair tied into a messy knot at the back of her neck.

She turned her head to look over her shoulder and gave him a pitiful excuse for a fake smile.

"Hey, Scorp."

He approached her slowly, not sure what to expect.

"Why didn't you tell me something was wrong?"

She shrugged and turned back to face the fire. There was a plate on her lap, and when Scorpius rounded the corner, he saw that Pike had made her a handful of cookies. He pulled himself up onto the table and grabbed one, pleased to find that it was still warm.

"It just wasn't working out," Ainsley said.

"It looked fine a few weeks ago."

"Yes, well…" Ainsley trailed off. She took another bite, stalling. It gave Scorpius a chance to study her carefully and see the darkness under her eyes and the sallow look to her cheeks. She'd gone one day too many without washing her hair. "I just want to focus on work right now and… I mean, I started dating James when I was seventeen. I just want to see what else is out there."

She didn't meet his eyes, and Scorpius knew there was more to the story, but he'd also heard her voice waver just a bit over James' name.

"If you're not ready to talk about it, that's fine," Scorpius said, recalling how awful it felt in sixth year when he and Albus had briefly broken up. He wouldn't wish that upon anyone, and Ainsley hadn't pressed him then when he hadn't wanted to talk about it. "But I'm here when you're ready, okay?"

Ainsley nodded, looking down at the now-empty plate. He was at a loss – how many times had Scorpius had to comfort anyone that wasn't Albus or Draco? He could count the instances on one hand. He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She winced at the contact, but after a moment melted into his side.

Her face was hidden in his shoulder and he couldn't see her crying, but the intermittent sniffing betrayed her.

Diagon Alley was full despite it being the end of May. Students were still at Hogwarts, but the first truly lovely day of spring had finally arrived, and many families had chosen to get out and do a bit of shopping in the mild weather.

Scorpius had every intent of going straight home until he found out one of his favorite authors - an American witch named Gail Neiman – had finally come out with another installment in her historical fiction series about the Salem witch trials.

I can't work all the time, Scorpius told himself, soothing the voice in the back of his mind that said leisure reading was a waste of time right now. He had things to do! Problems to solve!

I have to take a break. I'm no good with my nerves frayed like this.

He wove his way through the alley, dodging glances from strangers and fearful looks from the children old enough to recognize his face from the papers but not old enough to know that recoiling was impolite.

Scorpius hoped the day would come when he and Albus would adopt their own children. Maybe then, if the wizarding community saw that he and his husband – husband – were raising smart, kind children, they'd see that he couldn't be all bad.

Flourish and Blotts was packed when he arrived. The shopkeepers had thrown open all the windows to let the breeze float in. It carried the scent of flowers from the florist across the street, and for a moment Scorpius seriously considered grabbing a cup of coffee from upstairs and sitting in one of the Papasan chairs by the window and reading until the shop closed.

He moved around the first floor – sliding with his back pressed against the staircase banister to avoid pushing through a crowd of people – looking for an attendant. He'd never find Neiman's book in this disaster.

Being so tall had its advantages sometimes, and Scorpius was glad he could see the cause of the commotion without actually getting closer. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, craning around a wizard's tall hat to see the signing table at the back of the store.

Blaise Zabini sat amidst stacks and stacks of new books, his hand moving fast across the inside covers of the books placed in front of him. Scorpius could barely make out the sign behind him, and then wished he hadn't tried.

Slytherins in the Battle of Hogwarts: Stories from the Dungeons

Scorpius wrinkled his nose and backed away, wondering if Draco knew about his old friend's new writing career.

He pushed his way through the crowd toward the towering shelves of books, muttering excuse me and pardon me every time he bumped into someone, keeping his head down and his eyes averted. Just because he knew people would be giving him strange looks didn't mean he needed to see it.

It's easier with Albus here, Scorpius thought for the tenth time that day. It doesn't change anything, but it's so much easier…

"Excuse me!"

He waved at a young, harried looking witch levitating a stack of books taller than she was towards the back room. Reluctance flashed across her eyes and Scorpius froze, keeping his distance.

"I'm sorry to bother you. Truly. Could you possibly point me toward Gail Neiman's new book? I'm not sure where it would be."

"It's down there," she said, pointing with her free hand. Scorpius spotted an untouched-looking tower of books with a small sign indicating the author's name.

"Oh, thank you –"

Scorpius didn't get to finish thanking her before two small sandy-haired children came racing around the corner. The older of the two was clutching a toy Hippogriff that struggled against his grasp, beating its wings against the boy's hand, while the other – who appeared to be a younger brother – chased him and leaped at his raised hand.

"Give it back!"

The elder child wasn't given a chance to return the Hippogriff – not that his impish smile indicated he would have anyway – before he crashed into the witch. She'd barely had a moment to register the children's presence before the elder of the boys collided with her.

Scorpius reacted without hesitation as she lost concentration, her wand slipping from her grasp. Her legs came out from under her and she fell backward into one of the precarious shelves that gave Flourish and Blotts its quirky appearance but failed to consider safety.

The younger of the boys screamed as a handful of the books the witch had been levitating fell towards him. Scorpius jolted, seeing it all in slow motion as the witch hit the ground on her side with a shout, knocking the elder boy down with her. With great effort and his hands stretched toward the boys and the falling bookcase, he thought of every spell he could – wingardium levioisa – arresto momentum – feeling the magic pulling from his fingertips and being ripped from his core –

The falling books hung precariously in the air over their heads. Several books fell from the case as it teetered at a dangerous angle, threatening to dump the rest of the volumes onto the ground. Wincing with the effort – righting such a massive bookcase wasn't easy when he was out of practice – Scorpius curled his hand, summoning the case upright and back onto its bottom.

"Step back, okay?" he said to the younger boy through gritted teeth. The child seemed all too happy to oblige and step away from Scorpius, scrambling backward and away. Scorpius released the books with a mighty exhale, his breath fast and strained. It had been ages since he'd even tapped into that kind of energy for wandless magic – and for good reason.

He had to hurry to pull a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his robes to stop the blood that had now reached his chin. This was exactly why he never did more than levitate and summon objects light enough to carry or use small charms. It wasn't worth the consequences.

Scorpius was just about to ask the witch if she was okay when he found himself momentarily blinded by a flash bulb. He blinked and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses, trying to clear his vision. Once the floating neon spots cleared, he saw a wizard with a camera and a Daily Prophet badge hanging around his neck. His notepad levitated in the air at his shoulder, a bright green quill hanging over it, ready to take notes.

Bloody hell, Scorpius thought with a groan as a small crowd gathered behind him. He felt the handkerchief becoming moist and he was instantly glad he'd charmed it to be extraordinarily absorbent.

"Marnie! Are you okay?"

Another Flourish and Blotts employee pushed through the gathering crowd and helped his coworker to her feet, dusting her off and inspecting her.

"Did the Malfoy boy attack you?"

Scorpius wasn't sure which he was more indignant toward – the notion that he'd attack anyone or being referred to as a child.

"No," the witch said, but it was too late. Whispers of "attack" and "Malfoy" and "Voldemort" rose from the group of bookstore patrons, and Scorpius saw the reporter's quill writing furiously of its own accord on the notepad.

Scorpius sighed and looked at the two children. They were dusting each other off and crying when their parents arrived, frantically scooping them up and glaring at Scorpius in the process as they ushered them away, asking what happened – did that man hurt you? With his face undoubtedly covered in blood, he was sure he looked terrifying but tried to give a polite smile and wave anyway when he locked eyes with the father.

It didn't help. Scorpius sighed and struggled to his feet, shaky and unsteady but refusing to grasp the nearby shelves on the way up. With all of these people staring, he didn't want to look weaker than he already was.

"A-are you okay?" Scorpius asked the shop attendant. The Daily Prophet reporter, who Scorpius couldn't name but recognized as some distant acquaintance's son, had begun to approach her, already asking questions with his quill and notepad hovering nearby. He stepped back as Scorpius got nearer, and the attendant – Marnie – looked up at him. She, at least, appeared grateful.

"Thank you," she said quickly. "Thank you – I'm trying to tell him that you helped, that –"

"It's no use," Scorpius said, waving his free hand, still clutching his handkerchief to his nose. "They'll say what they want."

"Did you break your nose?" she asked quickly. "I can heal it –"

"No," Scorpius interrupted. He could feel the weight of at least twenty people's eyes on him, observing and waiting for a wrong move. Several witches and wizards had their wands in their hands, lowered, but gripped tightly and ready just in case.

"I'm fine. I best get out of here."

Marnie nodded, upset that she couldn't do more, but Scorpius needed to escape. He weighed his options and elected to head toward the back of the store, away from the others, sweeping through the forest of shelves until he got to the back door. The alley behind the shop was damp and smelled awful, but it was thankfully clear of people – his only requirement for a clean escape.

He made his way toward the Leaky Cauldron where he could Floo home. The bleeding had slowed but his heart hadn't stopped pounding and no amount of measured, slow breathing could help.

He looked over his shoulder at the back of Flourish and Blotts wistfully and hummed in lament.

He hadn't gotten his book.

May 18

Albus,

I stopped by work to see James earlier today since that was the only place I knew I could catch him. He said that he's fine and he looked okay, but didn't seem to want to talk about Ainsley. He just told me that she decided and that was it. I made him have lunch with me, but he didn't tell me what happened. He didn't say much of anything. I did most of the talking. I'm sure you're shocked.

I'll let you know if I learn anything else

Love,

Scorpius

May 21

Scorpius,

One of the witches here gets the Prophet. It's usually a few days late.

I saw the article about the incident at the bookstore. Are you okay? What happened? Write back soon, please. I'm worried.

I'm counting the days until I come home.

Love you,

Albus

"We're obviously going to have a 'welcome home' party," Scorpius said. Harry, who was busy cooking dinner, smiled over his shoulder at him. "Right?"

Draco nodded in agreement, though that wasn't unexpected. Draco Malfoy had never passed up an opportunity to plan a party. They were at the Potters' home for dinner on a lazy Sunday evening, and it was evident everyone was missing Albus, though Scorpius was confident he'd missed him the most today. Not only had a group of children nearly fled from him when he walked through the public section of the archive, but he'd also been tracked down for comments from a Daily Prophet reporter on the events at the bookstore.

"Of course," Harry said to Scorpius. He turned the hamburgers over in the pan, greeting Ginny with a smile as she walked in the room. In return, she pushed his glasses back into place.

"Thanks, love," he said. Ginny fell into the seat next to Scorpius, her somewhat graying red hair pulled into a messy knot atop her head. He hoped that someday he and Albus would be so comfortable.

"So how is everything, future son-in-law?" Ginny asked. Scorpius smiled at the notion.

"Good," he told her. "Things at work are better. Dad's trying to get me to start planning the wedding."

"That's why I wanted to have dinner here tonight," Draco huffed. "So we can start planning. You can't waste time on these things."

"I don't see what there is to plan," Scorpius admitted. "Don't get me wrong – I understand why you and mum wanted a big wedding. It was right for you guys, but Albus and I just want something small, I think."

Draco gave Scorpius such a hard stare that all the words he'd meant to say were lost immediately and Scorpius knew he wouldn't be escaping Draco's planning. He might as well start picking out flowers and ice sculptures.

Scorpius was grateful that all talk of his pending wedding was cut off by James stumbling into the kitchen, dusting ash from the shoulders of his Gringotts robes.

"Hi, James!" Scorpius said brightly. James forced a small smile in his direction before greeting both his parents with quick kisses to their cheeks. It wasn't the warm welcome he usually got from Lily, but it was better than nothing.

"Hi, Scorpius," James said after a moment. He nodded at Draco in greeting and sat down beside the Malfoys.

"How are things at Gringotts?" Draco asked after a beat. With wedding ideas and images of Albus in his dress robes buzzing in his head, Scorpius had entirely forgotten how awkward it must be for James to see them after spending so much time at the Manor with Ainsley. As James and Draco exchanged banter, he quickly made a mental note not to mention her – not to mention her at all –

"How is Ainsley?"

Scorpius jumped.

"What?"

"How is she?" James asked again, pointedly avoiding eye contact with both Scorpius and Draco as Harry handed him a fresh glass of water. James gulped it down quickly while Scorpius deliberated his answer, waiting until James wiped stray water droplets from the considerable stubble around his mouth. Scorpius glanced at Draco who shrugged.

"Er, she's fine," Scorpius said. "She's doing well. Work is good. She's getting to work with some of the children now – helping to place them in homes –"

"That's good," James said quickly, cutting him off. He looked up quickly and apologized. "Sorry. I just wanted to know if she was okay or not. I didn't mean… well, I didn't mean to be rude."

Scorpius decided not to mention that James had also been quite bristly when he'd visited Gringotts a few days before check on him.

"James," Ginny crooned, placing a bowl of salad on the table between them. Scorpius spotted Harry watching her closely as he continued monitoring the hamburgers' progress. Ginny and Harry exchanged knowing glances before Ginny placed a hand on James' shoulder to get his attention.

"James, do you want to talk about what happened?"

James didn't say anything and only stared pointedly at the salad tongs. It made Scorpius uncomfortable – the way he stared down the bowl with such intensity. He wondered if the glass would shatter, sending lettuce and radishes across the room.

No, that's just something that happens to you, Scorpius reminded himself.

"There's nothing to tell," James said, the same way he'd said it to Scorpius in the Gringotts hall. Ginny slid into the chair next to her son and smoothed his hair down.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked. Scorpius looked at him in surprise. Draco and James rarely exchanged words beyond small talk, but his father sounded genuinely concerned as he folded his hands on the table, watching James closely. "Ainsley hasn't wanted to talk about anything much, and I've honestly been worried about both of you."

"There's no reason to be worried about me," James said, standing up and moving over to where Harry continued toiling in the kitchen. James nudged his father out of the way and took over with the cooking. Harry shrugged, exchanging a confused glance with Ginny.

"She just said she wanted to move on," James clarified, turning the hamburgers again and busying himself with sorting out slices of cheese. "Said I shouldn't keep wasting my time on her."

Draco went rigid beside Scorpius, his back suddenly straight and his palms flat on the table.

"Anyway, it's not a big deal. If she was unhappy –"

"What did you just say?" Draco asked, his tone clipped and short, earning a confused and obviously offended look from both Ginny and Harry.

"Dad?" Scorpius muttered.

"What?" James asked, half turning to look at them. "That it's not a big deal?"

"No, before that," Draco said quickly. James paused, thinking.

"That she said I shouldn't waste my time on her? It didn't make much sense to me either –"

James was cut off by the scraping of Draco's seat as he stood abruptly, his jaw tight, nearly knocking his chair over in the process. Scorpius looked up at him, baffled.

"I'm sorry," Draco said quickly, apologizing to Harry and Ginny as he pulled his cloak from the nearby rack. He righted his chair with a sharp flick of his wand. "I have to go."

"Dad? What's wrong?" Scorpius asked. When Draco didn't answer immediately, Scorpius grabbed his arm, his grip firm enough to cause pain – enough to stop Draco in his tracks.

"You're scaring me. What's wrong?"

Draco looked at Scorpius', his eyes wild and fearful – something Scorpius hadn't seen for a very long time, and it made him feel cold. Draco opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it, his eyes flickering to the Potters.

"Come with me, Scorpius," Draco said, peeling Scorpius' hand from his arm.

"Draco, what –" Ginny started, but Draco shook his head quickly.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Potters," Draco said quickly, grabbing his son's hand and pulling him towards the fireplace.

Draco swept through the sitting room and into the Manor, checking his watch.

"Dad, what's going on?" Scorpius asked, raising his voice.

"If we weren't here, she'd likely take her tea in the library, right?" Draco asked. He didn't wait for an answer and started up the grand staircase, the heels of his shoes clicking with each quick step.

"Dad?"

Scorpius followed him tripping and stumbling until he caught up.

"I knew she was acting strange," Draco said. "What James said – that she said something about wasting his time – that's something your mother said when we were dating."

Scorpius stopped on the stairs, frozen until Draco paused at the top and looked down at him.

"Dad, are you saying she's…"

Scorpius couldn't finish the sentence. Instead of images of Albus and wedding things, he suddenly saw the papers scattered across his desk – notes pulled from the research and translations Jin had left behind and the work of several other potions and alchemy historians. It was the research he'd hoped he'd never use but had growing suspicions he'd need for himself, gathered in free moments and long nights at the archive while Albus was away.

Scorpius had suspected for several months that his mother's curse had been passed down to him despite his aunt's assertion that his power and talent were proof that the curse had faded into memory. He remembered from his early childhood how his mother bruised easily – how Draco protected her from anything sharp that could cut her, and how he'd always carried a vial of blood replenishing potion in his pocket just in case.

When the bruising had started, he'd started gathering information to assuage his own fears. Scorpius had learned young that doing his homework was the fastest way to put his mind at ease, and this was no different – beginning to gather the information he might need to seek out the counter curse Jin had mentioned in passing had helped put his mind at rest when he'd started to suspect.

But if he'd known he'd be needing it for Ainsley – if he'd had even the slightest inclination – he wouldn't have slept or eaten until he had a plan.

Draco's face had fallen into a helpless expression – his frown profound and shaky – his blonde eyebrows knit together in fear and exhaustion and anger.

"Dad," Scorpius said again, desperate. His heart beat faster as the reality settled in and he realized it wasn't just himself at risk. "Dad, please."

Draco said nothing and Scorpius climbed the last few stairs to join him.

"I could be wrong," Draco muttered. "I hope I'm wrong. It could be nothing – just something she said."

"It's not," Scorpius said, suddenly sure, anger clipping his tone. He swept past Draco towards the library, his face suddenly feeling hot and his hands itchy and uncomfortable.

It was one thing for her to have neglected to tell him about breaking up with James. It was something else entirely for her to have hidden this, Scorpius thought, acutely aware of his own hypocrisy.

He pulled off his robes as he strode into the library, tossing them atop the piano as he strode in to find Ainsley exactly where Draco said she'd be – at the library table he'd once used to play with his toy Hogwarts Express, and then for studying.

Ainsley looked up at them, her eyes flickering from Draco to Scorpius for a moment before she set down her tea, calmly slipping her bookmark between the pages of Zabini's new book.

"Gentlemen," Ainsley said, her voice slow and calculated. "What seems to be the trouble?"

All Scorpius' questions got lost somewhere between his brain and his mouth as he stared at her – small, delicate Ainsley who looked so much like his mother, who had cast herself directly into harm's way for him years ago. Ainsley, who never failed to ask how his day was, and who was the closest thing to a sibling he'd ever have on his own side of the family.

Fortunately, Draco often maintained his composure when Scorpius did not.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" Draco asked, approaching her. He pulled an empty chair around the table and sat close beside her. Ainsley's brown eyes flickered from Draco to Scorpius, and she watched him carefully for a moment as he tugged at his sleeves and then shoved his hands in his pockets to still them.

Ainsley swallowed hard and tucked her bangs behind her ear before looking back to Draco.

"If Scorpius is staring at me like that then I'm fairly certain you don't have to ask me anything," she said.

Draco placed his hands on her arm, still stretched across the table towards her tea. Ainsley's lower lip began to quiver at the touch.

"Do you have the Greengrass curse?" Draco asked. "Is that why you broke up with James? I need you to tell me."

The look Ainsley gave Draco was so open and vulnerable that, when she nodded, Scorpius was certain he could hear his father's heart break from across the room. His shoulders slumped, and he hung his head, and the sight was so horrifying to Scorpius that he couldn't look away.

"How long have you known?" Scorpius asked.

The hesitation in Ainsley's answer was perhaps worse than her response.

"It was a bit after James and I started dating that it started – Quidditch bruises that didn't heal quickly were my first clue," she said, her voice so soft that Scorpius was forced to step towards the table to hear her. The sound of his shoes on the wooden floor in the stillness seemed overly loud – too annoying – and he hated them for breaking the quiet.

"I wasn't certain until a few months ago when I was playing with Zar and he scratched my arm – not bad at all – but it kept bleeding for two days. That was when I knew for certain."

Draco swore under his breath.

"There are potions you should be taking," Draco said. "Things that can slow the effects. You can have a near-normal life for years if you start early."

"I've been taking them," Ainsley assured them. "Enough to help, but the minimum. Not enough to make me tired all the time like Aunt Astoria – not yet."

Draco cringed at the sound of his late wife's name.

Scorpius pictured his mother in her last year, struggling to stay awake in the early evening, worn down by the curse eating at her and the potions keeping her alive. It was hard to reconcile that woman with the one he remembered from his early childhood – vivacious and warm – and even more difficult to reconcile her ailment with Ainsley, who had yet to lose the color in her face or the light from her eyes.

"I made a deal with myself. I'd take the potions and live a normal life – and they stopped most of it. I felt pretty good. I healed decently. But the day I got a papercut that didn't close up for twelve hours I knew I…" Ainsley's voice faltered and she looked down at Draco's hands on her arm.

"I couldn't do that to James," she said. She started to cry softly and Scorpius braced his arms on the table, palms flat against the surface, and hung his head. "I remember Aunt Astoria and she loved you both so much and I know I didn't talk to you then, but I remember seeing you on Platform 9 ¾ right after she passed – both of you, and you looked so sad and beaten. I couldn't do that to him. I know I can't spare you – you're my only family and I couldn't bear to run away, but I could spare him. By the time James finds out, he'll have moved on. I was weak to have held onto him so long. It wasn't fair."

She choked back a sob.

"Don't you think that's his choice to make?" Draco asked. Scorpius didn't look up, but he could see the way Draco stroked her forearm with his thumb – comforting without smothering.

"I didn't want to give him a chance," Ainsley said. "A chance to be noble. You know how those Potter boys are."

Scorpius let out a broken laugh despite himself because he did know how those Potter boys were, which was precisely why he'd decided not to tell Albus until he came home permanently. Hopefully by then he'd have some kind of plan.

"But we can get you the best care available," Draco said. "And Dania is an excellent healer. She'll be here to take care of you."

"I know," Ainsley sobbed, finally breaking. For the second time that night, Scorpius heard the aggressive sound of Draco scraping a chair across the floor as he moved closer to her. Ainsley's voice became muffled, and he knew she'd buried her face in Draco's shoulder. "But I'd rather do the minimum and keep my strength. I love my work with the children – helping them find homes and making sure they're safe and loved – and I don't want to give that up. I know it will cost me several years, but I don't want to take what Aunt Astoria took – not if the end result is the same. I know there's nothing that can be done."

Scorpius stared down at the mahogany under his palms and ran a finger along a faint scratch he'd left there as a child playing Exploding Snap with his mother.

"What if there was?"

Scorpius looked up at her. Ainsley was nestled against her uncle, looking up at him as Draco stroked her hair, his chin resting atop her head and his arms around her lithe shoulders. His jaw was set in a hard line and Scorpius knew he was barely keeping it together.

"What are you talking about?" Ainsley asked.

Scorpius swallowed hard and straightened himself, compulsively tugging his waistcoat straight and fidgeting with his cuffs as he began to explain.

"Do you remember while ago, back when I was working with Jin – the visiting Japanese scholar?"

"I remember," Ainsley confirmed.

"He found some research on breaking blood curses. At the time I asked him not to tell me anything. I didn't want to know if there was something that could have saved mum."

Draco turned slowly but didn't meet his eyes, his expression unreadable. This was the moment he could do it – confess that he was afflicted too and that he'd been gathering as much information as he could before seeking more concrete answers – but Scorpius couldn't do it for all the same reasons he hadn't yet confessed to Albus. Telling Draco now wouldn't change anything he had to do, but it would hinder him if Draco insisted on weekly checkups and round after round of potions with exhausting side effects, and so he held his tongue despite aching for some comfort himself.

He'd definitely missed Albus the most today.

"I don't know much about what he found, but if there might be a way to rid you of this, then we have to explore every option."

"What do you need from me?" Draco asked, his voice firm. "What can I do? Where do I need to go?"

Scorpius held up his hand to silence his father before he began offering every knut in the Malfoy vault, the fixtures from the walls and the silver in the cabinets to finance a cure.

"I'll need to sift through what we have carefully," Scorpius said. "Everything I can find. Once I have a better idea of what to ask, I'll contact every expert Jin knows, but it might take me a few weeks to get there, and even then I don't know how long it will take to find something viable.

That's why I'm going to make you a deal," he said, looking at Ainsley.

"A deal?" she said, skeptical.

"Two conditions. Take the potions and everything you can – side effects or not."

Ainsley pondered his offer for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. What else?"

"Tell James everything you just told us."

Ainsley sat up straight, scowling at him. Scorpius hadn't even known she could scowl.

"I've already hurt him," she said. "There's no sense in –"

"I just saw him," Scorpius interrupted, his harsh tone surprising even himself. "He wanted to know how you were. He wanted to know if you're okay. And you're right; I do know how those Potters are – I daresay better than anyone. I know that neither Albus nor James nor Lily have ever backed down from a challenge, and I know that if it were me -"

Scorpius stumbled over his words, emotion churning uncomfortably in his chest as he pictured Albus' face in the sunlight, grinning as he said "yes" after Scorpius had proposed.

"I know that if it were me, Albus wouldn't leave. It wouldn't change anything. So you need to talk to James. You need to tell him and you need to let him decide for himself."

"He wants children," Ainsley protested. "And I won't pass this on. I refuse."

"Don't give up yet," Scorpius countered. "We're not out of options."

Finally, Ainsley agreed. She nodded and leaned in to rest her head against Draco's shoulder, looking nearly as exhausted as Scorpius felt. Not for the first time, he wished he were a child again so he could crawl onto his father's lap and stay there until Draco rocked him to sleep.

"I'll tell him," she said, closing her eyes. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

Draco looked up at Scorpius, meeting his eyes for the first time. Scorpius wasn't surprised to see Draco's eyes had reddened, nor was he taken aback by the broken expression on his face, and he felt the sudden need to explain himself.

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Scorpius said. "When I found out – I couldn't bring her back and I didn't know that we'd be needing to explore this and so I didn't tell you. I know how much you searched for anything that would help."

"You don't have to justify it," Draco said, his voice so quiet that Scorpius couldn't tell if he was angry or sad or simply drained. "But you do have to tell me what I can do to help."

"And I will," Scorpius said, knowing it was a lie. "As soon as I know what to ask for."

"We have time," Draco assured him, looking down to Ainsley. "If it's paper cuts and bruises then you're in the beginning stages. It's not until the wounds don't heal without considerable magic and you get uncontrollable nosebleeds that it's time to worry."

"No, I'm not there yet," Ainsley confirmed, her eyes shut tight. Draco kissed the top of her head again, and slowly disentangled himself from his niece.

"I'm going to go find Dania and see what we need to do tomorrow," Draco said as he stood, straightening his clothes with unshakable composure. He seemed several inches shorter than when they left the Potters' home, beaten down by the last twenty minutes. He reached down to pat the top of Ainsley's head again and offered his handkerchief before stepping back and looking at Scorpius.

"You could have told me," Draco said, stepping towards his son. "That must have been an awful burden to bear."

Scorpius gave only a nod. To tell him that it was a terrible burden would result in a confession-filled breakdown he wasn't equipped to handle.

Draco gave Scorpius' shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving the library in search of his wife.

Silence settled over Ainsley and Scorpius, broken only by her shuffling as she carefully wiped her tears away, leaving her face splotchy and raw.

"How long have you known?"

"I didn't even suspect," Scorpius said. "I should have and I'm sorry."

"No," Ainsley said, looking up at him with a steely expression. "How long have you known you have it too?"

A chill ran from Scorpius' shoulders to his toes and suddenly the blue of the library was less welcoming. It felt like ice.

"What do you mean?"

"When Albus left you had a hickey on your collarbone," Ainsley said. "I don't even know why I saw it, but it was still there when I saw you last week and that's a long time, so I'm assuming you're skipping the potions that I'm taking to avoid the side effects for some reason."

Scorpius bit the inside of his mouth, shuffling his feet.

"Don't tell dad. Or Albus."

"Your secret's safe with me," Ainsley said. "Though I do wish you'd told me there might be a counter curse. I've been terrified."

Scorpius felt guilty immediately. If he'd even suspected she had to worry about this… he'd gotten used to handling his own fear, but subjecting someone else to it was something he wasn't willing to do.

"I don't know for sure that there is," Scorpius said. "Blood magic is old magic and it was taboo here before good records were even kept. I guess that whoever cursed our ancestor was either foreign or well-traveled. I suppose… well, I suppose I've been in denial a bit – just doing my homework, pretending that was enough."

"How far along is it for you?" Ainsley asked, turning Draco's handkerchief over in her hands.

"Far enough," Scorpius said, firm enough to stop any further questions. Ainsley understood. "Does using magic make it worse for you?"

Ainsley shrugged and shook her head. "Not that I've noticed. Does it for you?"

"A bit," Scorpius lied.

"I didn't know until last week for sure that you had it," Ainsley said with a small, forced smile. "I was going to talk to you about it next week – ask you to meet me for dinner so we could talk privately."

"I understand," Scorpius said. "But we're still young. We've got years at worst."

"If I have to tell James, then you have to tell Albus when he gets home," Ainsley bargained. "And then you have to tell Draco."

Scorpius sighed and rubbed his face.

"Promise me," Ainsley insisted. "As soon as he gets back. That very day."

"I know. I was already planning on it," Scorpius confessed. "Keeping anything from him is so awful, I just… I was just trying to put off dad finding out as long as possible – at least until I had some answers. Upsetting them so far in advance seemed senseless."

"Do you have some answers?"

Scorpius cocked his head to one side.

"Do you have some answers? Do you think there's…" Ainsley faltered again, her fingers playing nervously over her bracelet. Scorpius spotted the broomstick charm he'd gotten her for her last birthday. "Do you think there's a counter curse?"

"I know that there are counter curses for some blood curses," Scorpius admitted. "I am not sure if there will be one appropriate for ours, and I don't know if the cure will be worse than the malady. Some of them are."

"What do you mean?"

"Some counter curses kill the host, but free the bloodline," Scorpius said. "That would be pointless for us unless you decide to have children because I clearly am not."

"Not if I'm risking passing this along," Ainsley said. "I decided that a long time ago, before I even knew."

"I never had to consider it," Scorpius said. "By the time I could even fathom the idea of children, I was already with Albus and knew he was it for me."

"You proposed to him," Ainsley realized. "You did the exact opposite of what I did."

"Albus knows me too well," Scorpius said with a sad smile. "And I'm a terrible liar when it comes to him. If I'd tried to leave him, he'd know something was wrong, and if I told him, he would have dragged me directly to Saint Mungo's and then directly to the Ministry for a marriage license just to make a point."

She nodded, running her finger around the delicate rim of her teacup.

"I almost told him," Scorpius confessed, hoping it would make him feel lighter. "I nearly did the night he got home, but we had one day and he was going to have to leave again and there's nothing he could have done, so I decided to wait. And then the next morning he was just lying there asleep and he was just so peaceful and perfect. All I could think was 'counter curse or not; this is how I want to wake up every day for the rest of my life.' I suppose it got the better of me."

"You're always so soppy when it comes to Albus," Ainsley teased.

Scorpius laughed, wiping under his eyes with the edge of his sleeve. "I suppose I am."

Ainsley opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, tapping her fingers on the table.

"James is it for me, too," she said after a beat.

"Those Potter boys are something else," Scorpius chuckled. A genuine smile broke across Ainsley's face, and it was enough to lighten his heart.

"Yeah, they are."