"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" cried Lily, chasing the twins down the stairs in Grimmauld Place. Somehow, the twins had an experiment go awry that result in Lily's gorgeous ginger hair turn a gnarly green colour. Needless to say, Lily was not amused.
"Mum!" cried Cedric, running down the stairs.
"She's going to kill us!" cried Colin, close on his heels.
"Get back here you little twerps!" cried Lily, as the twins ran behind an unsuspecting Albus.
"What's going on - Lily, stop!" cried Ginny, grabbing Lily as she lunged towards her brothers who were hiding behind a stunned and surprised Albus who feared Lily's anger like every other Potter child in the house.
"Those little monsters ruined my hair!" said Lily. "I look like a ruddy troll!"
"You're a very pretty troll, Lily," offered Colin meekly, trying to make peace with his raging sister.
"Shut it!" said Lily, once again lunging forward with such force that Ginny had to pulled her back.
Just then, Ron appeared in the room, which made Ginny and her children jump from his sudden appearance.
"Hey Ginny," said Ron. "Lily, what's happened to your hair?"
"Mr. Malfoy?" said Al, incredulously.
"Hello, Albus, Ginny...other Potter children," said Draco, slightly bowing in the same fashion as his son.
"Ron, why is Draco Malfoy in my house?" asked Ginny, feeling more uneasy than surprised at seeing her brother's old school foe in Grimmauld Place.
"Draco's hiding spot was compromised," said Ron. "We need to hide him, and he's not staying in my flat, so..."
"So you decided he was to stay here, without telling me first?" asked Ginny, annoyed with her brother at this moment. The children and Draco could feel the tension in the room, and Lily was able to break away from her mother to be with her brothers, though she choose to stand slightly behind Albus.
"Please, Ginny," said Ron. "We can't keep him there, we already have Scorpius there and with the new baby..."
"Oh no," said Ginny, wagging her finger in similar matter as Molly Weasley which sent shivers down Ron's spine. "You don't get to play the new baby card with me. If you think Harry and I will let him stay in this house for even one second, after what he did to us as kids..."
"It's fine," said Draco, fearing Ginny's reaction at his interruption. "I can find another place to stay. I've managed for this long. As long as Scorpius is safe, then that's all I need to keep going. I'll go back to the shelter."
At his gentle tone, Ginny felt a ping of sympathy for him at that moment. This man appeared to be someone she didn't know. This was not the school bully that she had grown up with at Hogwarts. At that moment, Ginny felt horrid for the things she said.
"No, Draco," sighed Ginny. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so crass. As long as Harry is okay with it, you can stay here if you like."
"Thank you, Ginny," said Draco, a soft smile. "I appreciate it, really."
"Ginny? Ginny, who's there?" asked Harry, who had just arrived back to the Ministry. As Harry walked him, he stopped in his tracks as he looked at Draco.
"Hey mate," said Ron, addressing Harry but not willing to look him in the eyes.
"Ron, why is Malfoy in my house?" asked Harry.
"He needs a place to hide, Harry," said Ginny. "Remember how you were talking about Draco being MIA? Well, he's here now."
"Yes, I can see that, Ginny," said Harry. "Where did you find him, Ron?"
"In my apartment," said Ron. "Harry, someone from the Ministry sent people to kill off Draco. The people hiding him also disappeared without a trace."
"Bloody hell," groaned Harry, rubbing the bridge of his nose so that his glasses rose up on his face. There were times when Harry hated being right, and this was one of those times.
"Dad?" asked Lily. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sweetheart," said Harry, though Ginny knew he was clearly lying. "I'm fine."
"What about Mr. Malfoy?" asked Albus. "What's going to happen to him?"
"What did your mother say?" asked Harry.
"That he could stay," said Colin.
"Then Draco...Mr. Malfoy will have to stay here for the time being," said Harry.
Just then, Teddy appeared with Victoire, which neither Harry nor Ginny expected.
"Harry, why is Mr. Malfoy in your house?" asked Teddy.
"Oh bloody hell," said Ron, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm going home, good night everyone." Before anyone could say good night to Ron, he disapparated back to his London flat.
With that, Harry and Draco looked at each other. Both of them weren't exactly thrilled to see the other, however both understood the circumstances at hand and knew that right now, this was the best arrangement. Whatever childhood and juvenile thoughts they had about each other no longer mattered. The only thing that matter was survival.
"So..." said Teddy. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?"
