AN: Here's another installment. I hope this suffices for a little while, I apologize for not updating sooner! It took me a good bit to work this out and I hope that it is to your liking! Enjoy!

Theodore sat up, an odd sensation that he hadn't felt in almost seventeen years racing down his spine. Hermione slumbered peacefully next to him, curled on her side with her back to him. He had convinced her sometime after her crying session in the upstairs parlor to go to bed, and he had gone with her just to make sure she was okay. Now, though, he was unsettled.

The feeling came back without warning and he sighed, throwing back the sheets and comforter to climb out of the bed. The room was dark still but he easily crossed to the bathroom, closing the door before throwing on the light. He leaned on the counter, arms bracing his weight as he stared at his reflection.

Bits of grey had started to appear near his temple, blending in with his coppery hair nicely. He had a few more lines on his face than he ideally wished for, but at thirty seven with a four year old daughter, he figured it could have been much worse. His eyes looked tired, something that hadn't really changed in too many years. Theodore sighed again, one hand lifting to his face so he could run a finger down the jagged scar on his left cheek.

He could hear the deep thuds of the boot making contact with his stomach over and over again. He didn't feel it, but he could hear it. He knew it was nearly over, he had been counting the thuds and it was getting close to thirty and that was when it would stop.
"Worthless, spineless, pathetic excuse of a son!" Another thud. And another.
And then something changed, something happened that he didn't expect and he could have never seen coming.
Angry hands fisted in the front of his shirt, hauling him off the floor and onto his feet so fast that his head spun and he lurched dangerously to one side.
"Stand up, boy! I'll teach you a lesson yet!"
A brilliant flash of green flooded his vision and he felt it this time, felt the white hot heat of a hex slash across his face followed by the sticky wetness of blood. He gasped and dropped to his knees, wanting so badly to reach up and touch his face, to feel how bad it really was. Another bolt of green blinded him again and he couldn't restrain the pained howl that was wrenched from his lungs.

Hours passed, he figured. He lay perfectly still, barely breathing and bruised and bleeding all over the shiny marble floor. He had been left to die, no doubt, as his father had parted long ago with a final kick to his gut and a spiteful hiss. He was fighting the urge to shiver. It had slowly gotten colder.
"Theo!" Silver and black entered his line of sight, hands rolled him onto his back and he could feel someone breathing much too close to his face.
When he woke several days later, it was to a worried and exhausted looking Draco as the blond sat at his desk in his bedroom, one hand cupping his chin as he stared at Theo. Theo returned the gaze, unblinking, and then slowly nodded.
And at sixteen, a life debt was owed.

The urge to shudder became too much to bear and Theodore let his body wriggle with the weird feeling of icy fingers running down his back. He looked up at his reflection again, briefly, and then his brain clicked into gear and he tore out of the bathroom without even turning off the light.

Scorpius folded his right arm behind his head as he lay on the dark green comforter of the four poster bed. He had found this bedroom a few minutes after running into the portrait of Draco. It was nicely decorated and, judging by the pictures on the dresser, it had once belonged to his father. His left hand unclenched around the Snitch in his grasp and the golden ball hovered a few inches out of his reach. With a sullen exhale he leaned up slightly off the bed and grabbed it again, watching with a small smile as its wings folded in around itself neatly. He collapsed back into the mattress, rolling on his stomach and punching the pillow into a comfortable shape beneath his chest. He had tried to talk to the painting of Draco but the image of the blond had been unsurprisingly sour, rebutting Scorpius' questions with unnecessarily snarky comments about being left alone for years on end.

Scorpius stilled, tense, as a heated sensation crawled up and over his shoulders. He stuffed the Snitch under the pillow and all but leapt off the bed, his left hand curled around his wand where it lay in his pocket. He crept to the doorway of the bedroom, peeking around the corner to see that the sconces at the end of the hall had been lit. Curious, he took a step out into the corridor, inching towards the open end of the hall that led to the staircase out of the west wing.

He walked silently down the stairs, his eyes glued to the faint glow coming from the empty room where the Floo network had deposited him hours earlier. Someone was here, someone had lit an actual fire in the grate and he could hear the soft popping coming from the logs as they burned. He made it to the bottom of the steps, adjusting his grip on his wand for a moment. He could see a pair of long legs, clad in black, reclining from a chair that had undoubtedly been conjured.

With a calming breath Scorpius moved forward, striding into the empty room as if he owned it. His wand was up and level with his shoulder as his arm held steady, his knuckles nearly white from the tight grip. When his eyes finally finished taking in the details of the person across the room his arm faltered, dropping just a few inches.

"T-Theo?"

"Evening." Theodore replied casually, his expression mild as he watched the blond teenager have an internal struggle for a minute or two. Scorpius raised, lowered, and finally put his wand at his side, frowning all the while. "I should have known you would come here."

Scorpius remained silent. He stared impassively at Theodore as the man stood from his chair. The seat quickly disappeared into thin air, leaving the room just as empty as it had been before. Theodore studied the blond for a moment, a soft smile making its way across his lips.

"You look very much like Draco did at your age. You always have looked like him. Except for your eyes, and smile. Those are all Astoria." Theodore sighed, a heavy sound that seemed the drag the room around them down even further. "Scorpius, I know this cannot be easy for you. But I must ask you to come home and-"

"I am home." Scorpius interrupted defiantly. Theodore stopped short, not expecting the vehemence coming from the blond. "This is my home. It's where my real family lived. It's where I should have lived. This is home."

"Scorpius, I understand your anger."

"Do you?" Scorpius scoffed. "Do you know what this feels like? What it's like to be lied to your whole life about who you are? To not know why you always felt so different? I had to find out from a book! A fucking book! About who I am, about what my family did!" He was on the verge of screaming, his entire body shaking with rage. His wand had started to emit sparks, blue and green and red particles of light dancing about on the floor. "I had to learn it by myself because no one bothered to tell me! No one cared!"

"Your mother-"

"SHE'S NOT MY MUM!" Scorpius was roaring furiously now, his wand letting off an explosive shot of red that crashed into the marble beneath his feet. He panted heavily against the tears that had cropped up quite suddenly, streaming down his face as he stared at the former Slytherin by the fireplace. Scorpius wiped angrily at his face with his sleeve, embarrassed by his crying. "She's not my mum."

"I know." Theodore watched as Scorpius fought the tears that seemed to never stop. The teenager's wand finally fell to the floor as he brought both hands to his face, his palms swiping over his cheeks and eyes as he tried to get himself to stop crying.

"She's not my mum." Scorpius repeated the phrase weakly, his breath catching on the last two words. Theodore moved then, quick and long strides carrying him to the boy as Scorpius began to sob in earnest. The dark haired man wrapped both arms around the boy's shoulders and Scorpius simply let himself be embraced, burying his face hard into Theodore's left shoulder. "She's not my mum."

"I know, Scorpius. I know."

"She hit him?"

"Right in the face. He bled for hours afterwards. We took the piss right out of him for it, of course, and he gave us pure hell for the next month and a half, but it was spectacular. She had a brilliant right hook." Theodore chuckled as he reminisced about his years at Hogwarts. He had conjured another set of chairs for himself and Scorpius to use as they talked. The blond boy had spent only fifteen minutes in a state of uncontrollable emotion and when he had finished the only thing he wanted Theodore to do was talk about Draco.

"I tore her up with this, didn't I?" Scorpius asked quietly, staring at the dying fire. Theodore nodded slowly. "She's going to hate me."

"It is absolutely amazing that the two of you think the other will hate you. She spent nearly two hours crying about the fact that you would never forgive her for not telling you, and here you are telling me that she will hate you for running away." Theodore snorted, rolling his eyes.

"She's not mad?"

"I suspect on some level she is, but first and foremost she is concerned only for your safety. Not responding to her owls did not help your case, either." Scorpius had the sense to look ashamed at the slight admonishment. Theodore waved a casual hand. "I merely told her that you needed time. She understands, of course, but she is worried. She did dedicate the last sixteen years of her life to you, after all."

"I know." Scorpius looked down at his lap, chewing on the inside of his lip. The silence between them lasted a few minutes before Scorpius broke it. "Why did she do it? Why did she take me in, if they hated each other? They weren't even on the same side."

"I do not know." Theodore replied honestly. "That is a question better asked of Hermione. Only she knows her reasons." He didn't miss the way the blond teen glanced nervously around the room. "Are you anxious, about seeing her?"

"Yes. I imagine she'll yell for a bit."

"If you think she is going to yell, then I do not think you know her at all."

"You don't think she'd yell?"

"When has Hermione ever yelled?" Theodore asked. He quickly amended his inquiry. "At you, mind, not at me."

"She hasn't yelled at you since Rhi was born." Scorpius suddenly blanched, terrified. "Oh, Merlin. Rhi. She'll never understand. She probably thinks I deserted her!"

"Rhianon has been pleasantly occupied with play dates with Olivia. I would not worry about her too much, although she did ask when she could go flying again." At this Scorpius laughed and Theodore scowled. "She insists that the only person fit to go flying with her is you. It drives Hermione insane, actually, because you fly like a maniac she says, and if Rhianon learns to fly in any style similar to yours I imagine I shall owe St. Mungo's quite a bit of Galleons before she even goes to Hogwarts."

"Sorry." Scorpius said sheepishly. He quieted again, once more biting his lip. "Did my father fly?"

"Like a man possessed." Theodore laughed heartily. "The first time we ever flew together, it was here at the Manor. We were seven. Draco had just convinced Lucius to let him use the bigger brooms, the real ones, instead of the toy brooms. We thought we were invincible. Draco took off and flew straight into the magnolia that Narcissa loved. He snapped the broom right in half and fractured his left leg, but he swore it was the best flight of his life." Theodore smiled fondly as he thought back on the day. "It absolutely terrified me, of course, and I could not bring myself to get back on a broom in any serious capacity until Third Year. Draco was a great Seeker as well. It is such a shame he had to go against Potter at school. I would like to think that Slytherin could have won several Quidditch Cups if Potter had stayed on the ground."

Theodore turned in on himself suddenly, staring at the red embers of the burning logs as they began to die out.

"He was a good man. Draco never wanted any part of what he ended up having to do. I am sure you have read through some of the more atrocious things that were forced upon him. He was not an evil person, just unfortunate. He saved my life once. I owed him a life debt and in the end I could not hold up my half of the bargain. I tried to help him, to save him from the same illness that now eats at you, but I failed. I should never have stopped researching but when you did not show signs of the curse as a young child, I thought perhaps Hermione had saved you from it. I was wrong, and I am sorry."

Hermione was beyond infuriated. She had woken up to an empty bed and absolutely no explanation whatsoever as to Theodore's disappearance. She had searched the whole manor, even recruited a house elf or two to help her, and due to Rhianon's unnaturally stubborn performance at breakfast, her patience was wearing thin.

Rhianon was currently playing with her new tea set, an impulse buy of Theodore's when he had been strolling through Diagon Alley after finishing up his monthly report at Gringotts, and was seated on the floor by the end of the chair where Hermione had planted herself. The woman was brooding, of course, her brows knitted together tightly as she stared out of the window overlooking the back gardens.

"Mummy?" Rhianon paused in her playing, a blush pink teacup held daintily in her left hand. Hermione hummed acknowledgement and looked down at her daughter. "When is Scor coming home?"

The question blindsided Hermione, who blinked dumbly for a moment or two as she looked at the tiny brunette on the ground. Rhianon simply stared up at her mother, wide and innocent green eyes unwavering.

"I don't know, baby." Hermione finally answered, her smile dull and wholly fake. "Whenever he thinks it will suit him, I suppose." At this Rhianon let out a small huff of disappointment, standing from the floor and brushing off her bright blue dress. She planted her small hands on her equally tiny hips, her little lips pursed in a well-practiced pout.

"He promised to take me flying!" She even stamped her foot in annoyance and Hermione let out a measure of unhinged laughter, thoroughly entertained at her daughter's antics. "It's not funny, Mummy! Scor never breaks his promises! Not ever!"

"I know he doesn't, darling." Hermione beckoned to Rhianon with one arm, gathering the girl up onto her lap. Rhianon accepted the attention with a noise of contentment, snuggling into her mother's chest. "So he should be home soon, yes? Because he has a promise to keep."

"Will you read another book to me?" Rhianon squirmed her way down from her mother's lap, tugging at Hermione's hand eagerly. "I want you to read the one about the three brothers again!"

"We've read that one twice in the last week, Rhi!" Hermione stood from the chair, allowing the girl to pull her out of the parlor where they had been sitting. Rhianon just shot an irritated glance over her shoulder.

"I know, Mummy, but I want to hear it again! Uncle Harry's cloak is in it!" Rhianon said smartly, entering the library just as Hermione felt the wards around the manor shift. She stopped in her tracks, Rhianon jerked backwards a little by the sudden halt in momentum. Hermione let go of her daughter's hand and turned towards the staircase, taking a few steps forward. Rhianon called for her but the girl's cry fell on deaf ears as Hermione looked over the banister and down into the foyer. Her breath caught in her throat as tears welled on her lower lashes. Rhianon stomped to where her mother stood, her mouth opening to demand something of Hermione when she too looked down into the foyer.

"Scorpius!" The girl was off like a shot, racing down the winding staircase until she could take a flying leap into the blond's grasp. He swung her around twice, peppering adorably loud and overly dramatic kisses across her face. Rhianon squealed with glee, her hands clapped firmly to both of Scorpius' cheeks.

"You didn't go flying without me, did you?" He asked, holding her at arm's length. She kicked her legs and giggled, shaking her head in the negative before throwing her arms out towards him. Scorpius reeled her back in, crushing Rhianon to his chest in a tight hug. Over the top of her head he looked at Hermione, silver eyes catching brown.

Hermione smiled tearfully and nodded, her hand slipping into Theodore's as Scorpius and Rhianon began walking down the hall together, still laughing and chattering excitedly.

"He does not wish to discuss anything further about it tonight." Theodore said as he raked his eyes over his wife's face. Hermione sniffled once. "We spent nearly four hours talking at Malfoy Manor. I suspect he will come to you in time. Probably tomorrow."

"I know." Hermione leaned heavily into her husband's side. He planted a kiss into the hair near her temple, pointedly ignoring the few streaks of grey that had wormed their way into the golden brown curls.

"He will forgive you." Theodore whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they began to follow the same path the children had taken to the back gardens. Hermione sighed and tried her best to smile as she followed the flying figure of her daughter.

"I hope so."

AN: Okay so I SWEAR at some point I will have the major talk. It may take me another week to get it together but...we'll see. Please let me know what you think!