Hello, sorry it has been a while. Due to an unexpected family illness I have been left with no time between work, studies, hospital and looking after my brother's two youngest children. I have already started the next chapter so hoping I will be able to update in the next couple of weeks (?!)

Thank you for all your feedback I appreciate it.

Chapter 26

Draco was having the best afternoon he had in a long time. Since the war he had struggled with the day to day aspects of life. Some days it was a hardship to force himself out of bed and get on with everyday life. During the day he used work to get through the hours, he crammed as many business meetings and work related activities as possible into his day. In the evenings and the very long nights he kept himself distracted with a bevy of women. He would attend as many parties and gatherings he could just so he didn't have any time alone. Being alone meant that his mind was free to wander and he had to think on things he would much rather forget. His memories of the war kept him up most nights unless he went to bed so exhausted that his mind couldn't function and he didn't have to dwell on those horrific memories. He had spent the duration of the war in a state of constant fear and anxiousness, he had been terrified that one wrong move on his part and his parent's lives would be lost.

Most of his contemporaries at Hogwarts had assumed that he and his family had it easy during the war, that as allies of the dark lord who lived as a guest in their manor they were being honoured above all else. But that hadn't been the case at all, he had spent the majority of the time when not in attendance of the dark lord brooding and hiding in his room. He had been so angry at his father and his mother for putting them in that position, they had fallen out of favour with Dark Lord after the department of mysteries and they as a family had never recovered. He had blamed his parents, his mother had blamed his father and his father had blamed himself even though it wasn't something that he would acknowledge out loud but Draco had seen the fear and the shame in his father's eyes.

Directly after the war every time he had closed his eyes he had seen the faces of the muggleborns and blood traitors he had witnessed and had been forced to participate in being tortured and killed. He had woken up hearing the screams of the victims, the pleas for mercy to be spared and it was like he was back there in that moment holding his victim under crucio and watching them bend and break under his wand.

After the fall of the dark lord he had expected to be locked up in Azkaban after the horrors he had been forced to take part in. But instead an unlikely saviour had come to his rescue and spoken up in front of the Wizengamot for him. Someone he had mocked and belittled for 6 years and someone whose life he had made hell at every opportunity. There had been other muggle born's at Hogwarts and he had barely paid them any attention as he had thought them beneath him. During the first year he had barely noticed the annoying know it all; waving her hand in the air during every class he shared with her. He and his friends had mocked her and found it amusing her need to answer each and every single question and her need to kiss teacher's arse. That had all changed during the summer holidays before the start of his second year. When his father had discovered that he had come second in his year he had been really vexed and he had to endure weeks of snide comments and he had spent a week in his room without his broom as punishment. After a couple of weeks his father had thawed slightly, that was up until uncle Sev had come for dinner one night and let slip that Granger was a girl and muggle born that had bested him. Well he had spent a further 2 weeks ensconced in his room as punishment. He had weeks of sitting in his room letting his anger and his imagination runaway with him and he had placed the blame at Granger. If it wasn't for her he would have been the best in his year, he wouldn't have to try so hard to even come close to her grades. There was no one else in their year that came close to matching his grades not even Blaise who came third in most subject behind him and Granger. That is when his hatred for Granger had grown and his hate for her had come close to matching the distaste he had felt for Potter.

So no one was more surprised when he had seen Granger's name on the witness list for his defence. He had thought it was some elaborate joke on her part to get back at him for what he had done to her during the school years and for what he had allowed his aunt Bella to do to her in his home during what should have been their seventh year at School. He remembered going to his room and being sick after witnessing his old class mate being tortured by his aunt. When Granger had walked into the Wizengamot he had felt the same sickness again and he had to take a few moments to control his breathing and force himself not to react. He had felt so shamed and numb when she had taken to the stand, he was sure she would sit there and berate him and his family, not that he could blame her but to have the knowledge of what had transpired become public domain had distressed him. It was bad enough that he was going to end up in Azkaban but to have everyone know what a coward he was had been too much.

Instead Granger had surprised him. She had passionately and vehemently insisted that Draco had been a victim of his parents' prejudice, that the way Draco had been raised he would not know any different. She had argued that he had allowed the death eaters into Hogwarts in order to protect his parents and anyone in his circumstances would do the same. Every time the prosecution would question her of an incident that had occurred between them she had told the truth, anyone else in her position would not have hesitated to implicate him further so that he receive a hefty prison sentence. He had walked into the ministry that day expecting to be go straight back to Azkaban and not ever leave again. Instead he had walked free on a years' probation.

His mother had been spared from Azkaban thanks to Potter's testimony and he had been grateful as the thought of his mother in that hell hole would have been a nightmare. He had been certain that his father would end up in Azkaban but yet again his father had managed to weasel his way out of Azkaban thanks in no small part to war hero Severus Snape. Without the help of his godfather his father would now be rotting in a cell in the North Sea. When his father had escaped Azkaban he had initially been so happy but then the anger had set in when his father had carried on like nothing had changed. Their world had been broken by a mad man and they had been on the side of this evil man, they had killed, tortured and destroyed lives and his father had acted like nothing had changed.

That is when he had gotten angry, he remembered it had been building for days and then weeks and then it had all come down to a confrontation one night when he had made one sarcastic comment to many. He recalled the shouting and screaming and his mother's tears. Afterwards he had walked out of the manor and he had spent the next few days in a haze of drink and women. He remembered eventually blacking out and for days there had been nothing.

When he had eventually awoken he had found himself in his room in his bed at the manor. He had seen his father sit in the chair beside his bed and he had tensed up waiting for his father to voice his disappointment in him. But his father had said none of what he had expected. Instead his father had looked at him and then stated what had been said and done was in the past and they will not speak of what had transpired any further. He had been too tired at the time to argue and he had expected things to go back to normal, carry on as if the war had changed nothing.

But he had noticed subtle changes over the next few weeks. He had seen that underneath all the arrogance his father wasn't as happy and content as he had been before the war, he had seen his parents' marriage unravel and slowly his mother had distanced herself from her husband that had shamed the family name by aligning himself with dark lord who had failed. His mother had started going out by herself more or so he had assumed. He had been glad at first that his father was being punished by his mother, his father deserved to suffer after what they had to endure but when the truth had emerged that his mother had taken a lover he had been shocked. He had wanted his father to hurt but not like that. After the details of the affair had become public knowledge his family was again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, people had said his father had deserved to be made a cuckold and who can blame his mother for seeking happiness elsewhere. Not that Narcissa has escaped unscathed; she had been called a whore, a bad wife and mother for abandoning her family in their time of need. His parents had appeared in the Daily prophet a with new story emerging every day for weeks. As long as the details were salacious and sold papers it had not been of consequence whether it was the truth or not. The only good thing to come out of his mother's betrayal had been that he had grown closer to his father after his mother had left. They may not have enjoyed a warm fluffy relationship but they had banded together and stayed strong and that had bought them a lot closer than what they had been.

Draco would do everything in his power to ensure that Sebastian had a much better relationship with their father than he had done growing up. He would not let Sebastian feel the bitter sting of disappointment in his father; Sebastian worshipped Lucius that much Draco had been able to see from the short time they had spent together. Sebastian was a good kid, he was funny, looked like a Malfoy so naturally good looking and he was smart. And to top it all he seemed to adore his big brother and it was important to Draco that he did not let his baby brother down.

"DRACOOOOOOOOOO!" Sebastian had been talking to his brother for the past couple of minutes and he was not responding to his questions. It was bad enough his father had left for a visit but now Draco was ignoring him.

"Sorry little guy, I was thinking" Draco said affectionately ruffling his brother's hair. There was something about Sebastian that bought out his sentimental side; he was slightly embarrassed about how emotional he was feeling. The only good thing was that no one had noticed and would not notice if he had his way. He gave himself a mental shake and concentrated on what Sebastian was saying.

"So do you think father will buy me a broom…."

Draco gave his brother a look of amusement and exasperation, every other sentence had been about said broom. Just as he was about to respond he heard the floo activate, expecting to see his father he turned to greet him.

12 Grimmauld place

Harry was very concerned about Hermione; he could hear how she was struggling for breath and seemed to be in the midst of a panic attack. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze but she did not seem to notice his hold on her hand.

Snape glanced at where their hands were joined and looked like he wanted to say something but seem to change his mind.

"I will floo first and you may follow." Snape stated and without another glance at them he disappeared into the fire place.

"Hermione? Are you ready?" He watched his best friend take a deep breath and nod at him.

Hermione was petrified as she reached for the floo powder, even though she wanted to see Sebastian and there was nothing she would not do for her child she was scared. She did not want to lose her composure in Malfoy Manor in front of her son; she had to remain strong for him. Despite the Headmaster's assurances she highly doubted her son was ok. Lucius Malfoy had no doubt made his distaste for his half-blood son clear and Draco the petulant brat had no doubt been unhappy to discover he had a brother whose mother was his former class mate who happened to be a mudblood.

With a determined mental shake of her head she reached for the floo powder determined not to let the Malfoy's get the better of her.

Malfoy Manor

"Father!" Lucius was surprised at the exuberance and the enthusiasm with which his youngest son greeted him. He felt touched that someone was happy to see him; he could see the joy in the boy's eyes as he ran over to him and put out his little arms wanting to be held. This time Lucius knew exactly what was expected of him and he reached for Sebastian. He reached down and held his child at arm's length and took a long look at him, he still found it hard to believe he was a father again, that he had another chance to do things properly.

Realising his son thought it was a game when he started giggling and swinging his little legs he bought the child closer and held him to his chest. He felt a swell of emotion rise in his chest that he did not recognise, he took a deep breath and tried to control himself before he got too emotional and he did not want the eagle eyes of his eldest to notice.

"How was everything Father, did you sort things with Uncle Sev?"

"Ohhh is uncle Sevvie coming? We can show him some tricks that you've told me about on the broom Draco. I will have to use your old one as I don't have my own" Sebastian finished with a sad pout looking at his father.

Draco tried to hide his amusement at his little brother; the kid didn't give up. He was determined to get a new broom and if it meant trying to guilt his father and brother then clearly nothing was off limits. He looked at his father who looking at his youngest with pride and some other emotion he couldn't quite place.

"Severus had something to take care of but should be with us shortly. I left him 30 minutes ago and the matter should not take long".

Draco was about question his father on his whereabouts for the past half hour but he had caught a whiff of firewhiskey so he no longer had to wonder. He was about to make a sarcastic comment but thought better of it. The old man had been through a lot and he did not think he would take any of his comments or observations lightly today as he normally did.

"Sebastian has something he would like to ask you father." Draco looked at his brother and winked and gave an encouraging smile.

Sebastian looked at his father and gave a cheeky grin.. "Can I plea….Uncle Sevvie" Sebastian shrieked in excitement as he watched the Headmaster come through the floo. Sebastian was about to run over to greet the headmaster but was stopped by his father. Severus did not look to be in the best of spirits and Lucius was in no mood to comfort an upset child and to be frank he would not know how to comfort a crying child.

"Afternoon Severus." Draco was surprised to see his uncle look so grim and moody. While still sarcastic and temperamental he had lost some of the angry sullenness since the war. Draco loved his uncle not that he would ever admit it but when he was in this sort mood he always felt the need to make himself scarce.

Severus glanced his way and nodded his acknowledgment but did not say anything. Severus looked at his father; both men seemed tense and seemed to be having a conversation without actually saying any words which pissed him off. Clearly this was something to do with Sebastian and he had a right to know, this was his baby brother dammit and he wanted to know what was going on so that he could protect him. Draco opened his mouth and was about to deliver a blistering sarcastic comment but his brother's words stopped him.

"Mummmmmmmmmmy".

The Granger residence

Evan Granger had been trying to contact his daughter for the past half hour and wasn't having much luck. He had tried the house number every few seconds but the line was ringing out. He had then got even more desperate and called his wife but again had no luck with getting in touch with her.

He did not know what else to do