Astoria — 30th June 2007

Spending my Saturday night at home with Scorpius wasn't unusual for me, but tonight felt different for some reason. I was more exhausted than I'd felt in years, and my magic had been weak all day. Honestly, I felt more than depleted and run down.

I wasn't sure if it was because I'd spent the previous night out and about, acting like I was someone other than Astoria Malfoy, and then stayed up until the early hours of the morning with Marcus, or if everything — the events of the past few weeks — were finally catching up with me. I hadn't been sleeping well, even when I went to bed feeling like I could remain unconscious for a week.

Despite my exhaustion, I felt restless, and I knew that stemmed from Draco's longer-than-usual absence. He was taking yet another walk down memory lane with Hermione and since the moment he left, I'd been watching the clock, counting the minutes until he returned.

I wanted to be anywhere but here, and I knew that wasn't fair to my son.

Scorpius toddled around, moving his toys from one side of the room to the other, occasionally bringing one over for me to play with for a few minutes before taking it back and moving on. He wanted me to levitate them or make them zoom across the room, and I just didn't have it in me tonight. Of course, I loved spending time with him, but I needed some time to myself. I needed to plan for the future and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

With a sigh, I glanced over to the kitchen fireplace, waiting for it to light up with the green flames that would signal Draco's arrival.

But it didn't.

He'd left promptly at six, just like he always did, and it was nearly nine now. I didn't know what Hermione was showing him but, until tonight, it had only ever taken about two hours. For some reason, that was making me anxious.

Would he stay out tonight to punish me? To show me what it felt like to be the one left at home?

If he did, that was just cruel — I already knew what it was like to spend a night in this house on my own, wondering where he could possibly be. Or, even worse, knowing exactly where he was and being powerless to change it.

At least I wasn't completely alone this time around. I had Scorpius with me.

As I sat on the sofa, my legs tucked beneath me, I thought back to the previous night. It was a little hazy, but Daphne and I had gone to Theo's club. There were men everywhere, and I had felt eyes on me. I was recognisable and Daphne was, too. Everyone knew we were both married so most kept their distance, admiring from afar.

But Theo had spotted us, and he was with some of the Slytherins who had been a few years above Draco and Daphne. Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, Cassius Warrington — all of Draco's former Quidditch teammates from Hogwarts.

Cassius and Adrian had been polite enough but hadn't said much to me, preferring to move along and chat up single witches. Marcus, however, hung around, his attention focused on me. Daphne noticed, and when she raised an eyebrow in question, I shook my head, letting her know she didn't need to intervene.

He was forward, telling me that I was gorgeous, that he'd love to have a witch like me for a wife, that he couldn't believe Draco let me out of his sight. I knew he was laying it on thick, but I honestly didn't care. It was nice to be noticed, and I'd indulged in more wine than I should have at dinner.

When Daphne went to the bar to grab us more drinks, Marcus moved closer and his lips found my ear. "Are things okay between you and Draco? I don't mean to pry, but…"

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and finally worked up the courage to tell someone outside of my family.

"He had an affair. We're splitting up."

With a grin, he moved the slightest amount and stole a kiss from me, making me take notice of him in turn. My nerves fired, sending my touch-starved body into a frenzy. Yes, I was a little drunk, very exhausted, stressed out… but his lips — the way he flattered me — made all of that fade away.

It took me by surprise, but I kissed him back, curious to see where the night would take us if I let myself forget about Draco for even just a few minutes. Marcus' large hand cradled the back of my head, holding me to him, and I brought my hand up to the side of his face, letting my fingers trace his jaw, mapping out someone new.

"Flint, are you stupid?" Theo said, interrupting us. "She's Draco Malfoy's wife."

I jumped back, looking over at Theo. Daphne was standing beside him, a shocked expression on her face. Theo was holding two drinks — one for me, one for Daphne — and glaring.

Marcus' attention moved back to me. "I take it no one knows yet?"

Again, I shook my head, my fingers moving to my kiss-swollen lips. I made eye contact with Theo. "We're getting a divorce."

"Say no more," Theo replied, holding a hand up. "Enjoy your night."

Daphne smiled at me. "Do you need me to stay with you?"

"I'll find you in a bit," I replied, turning back to Marcus. "We're going to… talk a bit more."

And the rest of the night was blurry.

I'd drank more than I had in a long time. Marcus kept my glass full all night. We'd danced and he'd touched me openly, his hands roaming my body in the way I'd always wanted Draco's to. His focus stayed on me, his eyes never wandering to anyone else. I knew he was older than me and from a prominent family, one that would likely consider me an unsuitable match since I'd already been married, but I decided to enjoy his attention for the night.

He made me feel special, and whenever he touched me, I savoured it.

Gods, it felt good to be the first choice for once.

When Daphne didn't turn up again, I assumed she'd seen me with Marcus and left for the evening. Michael was waiting for her at home, and I knew she hated to leave him on his own for too long.

Much to my surprise, Marcus asked me to come home with him and I hesitated for a second. Kissing, dancing, light touching on the dance floor was one thing. But I wasn't sure I was ready to have sex with anyone else. Just as I was about to explain, he leaned forward and kissed me again, murmuring that he understood when we came up for air.

But that kiss and his understanding made me change my mind.

It had been a snap decision, but I didn't regret it. Not then, and certainly not now.

He had figured out my body quickly, and I'd gotten the sexual release I'd been missing since Draco had turned his attention to Hermione again, forgetting all about me.

As I thought about the way Marcus Flint made me shake and scream, a shiver ran down my spine and my blood heated.

The more I turned it over in my mind, the more I realised that Draco hadn't really put much effort into our sex life. Or maybe I'd felt somehow less self-conscious. I'd gotten off easily, my inhibitions lowered by the alcohol. And I hadn't been worried about Marcus comparing me to Hermione Granger—

"Mama?" Scorpius said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked down at him and saw Draco's face reflected back at me. He rubbed at his eyes, and I knew he was just as exhausted as I was. I'd been trying to wait for Draco to return, but it was clear Scorpius wasn't going to make it that long.

"Yes?" I replied, smiling at him.

"Sleepy," he said, raising his arms up, telling me that he wanted me to hold him.

Reaching down, I lifted him into my lap and let him snuggle in against my chest. I felt dizzy afterwards, but I shook it off, attributing it to my exhaustion. As I stroked my hand over his fine platinum hair and up and down his back, comforting him, I felt myself relaxing too.

I hummed softly, the way I always had when he was much smaller, letting the gentle sound lull him to sleep. When I felt him relax against me, I took a deep breath and continued to hold him. I could hardly believe it had been almost eighteen months since he'd come into the world. He would be a year and a half old in two weeks' time, and it felt like I had just brought him back to Malfoy Manor for the first time barely two months ago.

But, at the same time, the past two weeks had felt neverending.

I knew I needed Draco to leave. Whenever he was home, against my better judgment, I started to hope that he'd want to stay. And seeing him with Scorpius, the way he loved him, I yearned to be a full, happy family unit. We both loved our son so much that it was easy to forget there was nothing real between us sometimes.

I just couldn't do it every single day. I wanted to be with someone who wanted to be with me — only me — but I'd only ever considered a future with Draco.

The very thought of dating made my head spin and exhausted me. I never thought I'd have to do it, so I hadn't considered what I'd want in a potential partner. Honestly, having to make choices and put in effort sounded exhausting.

Then again, everything sounded exhausting right now, so I decided to think about it once I'd had some proper rest.

Too tired to move, I stayed on the sofa with Scorpius, just waiting for Draco to come home.

Shortly after I'd dropped off to sleep, Draco came through the Floo. He did a double take when he saw me on the sofa with Scorpius.

"Do you want me to bring him upstairs?" he asked, barely glancing at me.

The flat tone of his voice made my stomach churn. I knew it had only been twelve hours or so since I'd told him I wanted him to move out, but I hadn't expected him to treat me any differently. He knew as well as I did that there was no fixing what I'd broken. Or what we'd both broken.

"Yes, I haven't felt right today. I didn't want to carry him," I replied sleepily.

Draco walked over to me and scooped Scorpius up, careful not to jostle him too much.

Without another word, he turned and moved towards the stairs.

His heavy footfalls were also unusual, and his shoulders had been slumped when he'd first come through the Floo.

What had Hermione shown him tonight?

Since I didn't know much about their relationship, I couldn't even speculate. Clearly, whatever it had been, it had shaken him enough that he wasn't able to guard his emotions. It made me wonder what state she was in.

Sitting up slowly, I got dizzy again and pressed my fingers against my eyes in an attempt to steady myself. For the tenth time that day, I kicked myself for not accepting Marcus' offer of a hangover potion and a Pepper-Up.

I decided to give Draco a moment to collect himself before I asked if he was okay. No matter how things turned out between us, I cared about him and wanted him to be happy, even if that meant he ended up with her after everything had been revealed.

After a few seconds, I stood up and walked into the kitchen, heading towards the cabinet that contained the firewhisky. While I knew I shouldn't encourage him to self-medicate, he needed something to take the edge off of whatever he was feeling tonight.

Instead of whisky, I poured wine — a glass for him and a glass for me — and carried them up the stairs. The door to the bedroom he'd been using was shut but Scorpius' was still open. Making my way down the hallway, I stood in the entryway and observed Draco. With his hands braced on the rail of the cot, he looked down at our son, seemingly lost.

I heard him inhale shakily, and I wondered if he was actually crying.

Something had definitely shifted for him tonight.

He wasn't angry, and I wondered if that emotion had finally burned out. He had been mad for almost two weeks and now he just looked defeated. I wanted to know what was on his mind.

Quietly, I said, "Draco?"

His shoulders stiffened and he raised a hand to his eyes, pressing his fingers into them.

"What?" he asked, not turning to look at me.

"I brought you some wine—"

"No, thank you," he replied curtly. "I don't want anything from you. There's probably love potion or something in it."

His words cut me to the bone, but I didn't retort. I knew he was looking to pick a fight, and I didn't want to wake Scorpius.

"I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm done trying to keep this marriage together, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. There was something different about tonight. You were gone for longer than usual, and you're upset—"

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, spinning around and advancing, gesturing for me to move. I stepped back and he exited Scorp's room, closing the door behind him. "I saw that she was in love with me tonight, Astoria. Even if she didn't say it, I could see how things changed between us from June to December."

I bit my tongue, keeping quiet while he continued.

"And I made her feel like she had to hide herself away and cut all of her friends off. Nevermind what I did to you, stepping out on you like that. I was a horrible fucking person—"

"Stop, Draco," I interrupted. "I think it's pretty obvious that we all screwed up. What good is berating yourself for something you did over two years ago going to do?"

"None. I know that," he admitted. "But I can't fucking forget the look on her face."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, even though I hated every single moment of this conversation.

I knew I had to try to move past everything if we were ever going to successfully co-parent Scorpius or have a chance at a friendship in the future.

He sighed and held out his hand for the wine I'd brought. After taking a long sip of it, he met my eyes and said, "My aunt — Andromeda — she knew we were having an affair and said something to her. And the necklace I bought her, she wore it and couldn't let anyone see it."

It was my turn to take a drink.

"She was miserable, and I'm sure you were, too," Draco continued, and the self-loathing he was prone to started to come out full force. "I was a selfish prick and I hurt both of you in the process."

"It's not like you were h-happy," I answered, and my hand started to tremble along with my voice.

Draco looked at me curiously. "Are you okay?"

I tried to steady myself. "I'm fine. I'm just tired." Taking a deep breath, I leaned against the wall, trying to stay upright. "You weren't happy, Draco, and I knew you weren't. I was just as selfish for trying to keep you in a marriage you didn't want."

We were standing in the hallway, just a few feet separating us, and the air was heavy with regret. He was watching me carefully and I wondered how bad I actually looked. Reaching out, he grabbed my arm.

"Let me help you to bed," he said, gently pulling me towards him. "You look like you're about to collapse, and we don't need to talk about this tonight. Or ever. It's not really fair to you."

His touch was sweet and caring, completely at odds with his mood. "You don't have to—"

"I know that, but you're ill. After everything… It's the least I can do."

Pity. He was pitying me again.

"Draco, I'm fine," I said, pulling my arm away from him. "I don't need you to help me because you suddenly feel bad for what you did years ago."

"That's not what this is—"

"You just said it's the least you can do after everything," I reminded him. "I don't need your pity."

He vanished the wine glasses with a snap of his fingers and grabbed my arm again. "Just let me help you, Astoria. I don't want you to fall."

I tried to wave him off. "I've been weak and dizzy my whole life, Draco. It's a bit worse right now."

"Just today? Or has it been worse for a while?"

Taking a moment to think about it, I realised I'd felt weak more often than not lately.

I knew I had to be honest with him. "I think the stress of everything that's been happening is getting to me. I just need to adapt. I'm sure it'll go back to normal soon."

"Astoria, answer the question," Draco said, leading me into the bedroom that used to be ours.

Now it was just mine.

"Lately, I'm tired all the time," I told him as I sat down on the edge of the bed. "My magic has been weak at best. I've been saving what I can for Apparition or if I need to carry Scorpius upstairs. Today has been particularly bad, but I think it's just because I didn't sleep much last night."

"Have you been to see a healer?"

Shrugging, I asked, "Can you get me something to sleep in, please?"

He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back in the way that I'd always liked. He was losing his composure, seeing right through what I was trying to do.

But he opened my dresser drawer, taking out one of the least sexy nightgowns I owned.

"Let me ask again. Have you seen a healer?"

"No, I haven't. I'm sure it's nothing. Think about how the last two weeks have been, and I was stressed before then," I answered, trying to brush it all off.

He handed me the nightgown and his hands landed on his hips. "If you're struggling to use magic, I want you to get checked out. What if something happens and you're alone with Scorpius?"

"Draco, I can call an elf from the Manor at any time—"

"No, Astoria. You need to get checked out by a healer. Stress doesn't make it hard for a young person to stay upright," he said. "And your magic shouldn't be going away. You know that's not normal."

I looked down at my lap, knowing that he was right.

"Fine. I'll go on Monday if you're that worried about it," I conceded.

"Why wait until Monday? You could go tomorrow—"

"I'm going to see your father in the morning. He returned my owl tonight."

"Oh," Draco said, understanding my meaning. "Right."

"Do you… Did you want to come with me? We could talk to him together."

He looked at his watch. "What time are you going?"

"Midday. I think we're going to have lunch," I said carefully, hoping that he'd agree to come. "He wants to see Scorpius, as well."

"I don't think I'm ready to talk to him. As much as you and Granger were involved, everything with him just feels different."

I knew pressuring him would do no good; when it came to this situation, he had to make decisions on his own. "Sleep on it. You don't have to tell me right now."

With a nod, he asked, "Do you need help with anything before I go?"

I couldn't ask him to help me get undressed. It felt like I'd be trying to get him to look at me naked.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you for asking, though," I replied with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

He said goodnight before heading out and, even though I felt like shite, I was a little happy that he and I were at least on speaking terms. And he seemed to care about my well-being, even if it was in a roundabout way.

Maybe he had started to forgive me and we'd be able to form some kind of friendship after we were officially divorced.

Lucius — 1st July 2007

It had been five days since I'd decided to clear my head, to stop drinking and figure out what to do to make amends with both Draco and Narcissa.

In those five days, nothing had come to me, and I was growing more and more miserable by the day. I couldn't sleep and I felt like I couldn't breathe properly. Without my wife and my son's forgiveness, I'd be doomed to this existence, to sleeping alone and spending all my time at the office.

"Are you planning on speaking to me before Christmas?" I asked when I entered the dining room, taking my seat across from Narcissa.

It was Sunday, and I had no plans to leave the Manor; Astoria was coming by to discuss something with me. Quite honestly, I was sure it would be unpleasant, no matter what it was. However, she'd promised to bring Scorpius along, and I was looking forward to seeing him.

Narcissa glanced at me over the rim of her teacup and shook her head, withholding her words.

I groaned, and I thought I saw her lips twitch, as if she wanted to smile at me.

"I don't know what to do to fix this," I admitted, hoping she'd take pity on me and say something. "I'm going to speak to Astoria today, but I'm sure that won't do anything to lessen Draco's anger."

She shrugged, not making a sound.

"This is getting ridiculous, Narcissa. We're not children. The silent treatment isn't going to last forever. We both know it."

As I looked across the table, I could see that she was at war with herself. She wanted to retort but didn't want to give me what I wanted.

"What's ridiculous is that you're too blind to see how to fix this," she said, ultimately breaking her silence. "It's so simple that Scorpius could figure it out, for Merlin's sake!"

"Oh? Is it? He understands what it's like to ruin his son's life twice?"

She slapped both her hands on the dining table. "Encourage Astoria to divorce him, Lucius! Give him the freedom to make his own decision about Hermione!"

I scoffed. "And you think that will make him forgive me?"

"It's a good first step," she hissed. "Show him that you're willing to move away from the old ways."

Glaring at her across the table, I said, "And I would've been four years ago if he'd spoken up! I wouldn't have made him marry her if he didn't want to!"

"You pushed him towards her at every opportunity—"

"Her father wanted an answer! A yes or a no from Draco."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at me. "I would've considered the years of silence an indication, but that's just me."

"Not once did he tell me that he didn't want to marry her. And, once they were married, he never said a word to me about Hermione Granger—" Narcissa's lips parted to speak, but I held up a hand, silencing her "—and he never asked me for a divorce. He just snuck around with her. His actions didn't show that he loved her or was serious about her!"

"He went straight to the solicitor, Lucius. He didn't think that you'd be willing to let them divorce," she snapped. "I was able to get the paperwork after you had him Obliviated."

"He didn't ask—"

"And you didn't bother to ask him. You just jumped straight into Obliviation and didn't look back. You always think you know what's right for this family, and you make me complicit in it!"

She'd struck a nerve and I wanted to lash out at her, but I held back my temper. Yelling back would do nothing to fix things between us.

"I understand what you're saying," I began, trying to speak as calmly as I could. "But Astoria told me it was an affair, that he was just sleeping with her. And by that time, he wasn't really spending full nights at her house. He would go there for an hour or two. What does that seem like to you?"

Narcissa's blue eyes flashed with anger. "And you thought that something that was just sex would continue for well over a year? That Draco would keep it up after he found out about the baby?"

"I never said I didn't act rashly. This — it's all in the past. It can't be changed without a Time-Turner. What can I do now?"

"Like I already said, you need to encourage Astoria to divorce him. And we need to find a way to earn Hermione's forgiveness, too," she said, thinking aloud. "I'm sure she wants nothing to do with us, and that will make things harder for Draco—"

"We need to find a way?" I interrupted, looking at her hopefully.

"Don't make a big fuss about it, Lucius," she stated coolly. "How do we get Hermione to forgive us?"

I didn't have an answer to that question right now, but I knew we'd find a way if we were working on it together.

"Lucius?" Astoria called, entering the library. "Where are you?"

I conjured a ball of light and set it on the shelf I was examining to hold my place. Checking my watch, I realised that I'd lost nearly two hours in the stacks already.

"I'm here. Just give me a moment," I said, rising to my feet and dusting my robes off.

When I reached the end of the aisle, Astoria was seated in one of the large armchairs by the fireplace. She waved her hand, attempting to start the fire, and nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes in curiosity, watching her as she grew more and more frustrated. Finally, she withdrew her wand and waved it, conjuring a feeble flame.

Tucking my hands in my pockets, I walked towards where she was seated and she smiled wanly.

"Are you well, Astoria?" I asked, concerned that she'd struggled with a task that most magical children could perform before they turned age six.

She shrugged. "I've been very tired lately. I'm going to see a healer tomorrow."

For a moment, I panicked, wondering if she could possibly be pregnant again. She'd not tolerated pregnancy well at all.

"Do you have any idea what could be wrong?"

"I think it's all the stress," she began, gazing into the flickering flames. "It's not like I've had an easy go of it lately."

Slowly, I settled into the chair beside her, angling my body towards hers. "Of course."

Running her finger along the carved arm of the chair, Astoria said, "Let's not drag this out, Lucius. I came here today because I need you to let Draco divorce me."

Her words shocked me silent.

"He knows everything now — the fertility potion included — and there's no hope left. He's not going to forgive me, and he's going to fall in love with her all over again if he hasn't already," she continued, looking up and meeting my eyes. "I shouldn't have tried to hold on to a marriage that never really started."

I'd been prepared to offer her anything she wanted to divorce Draco, but here she was, simply asking me to let her with no demands.

She was just tired, and I was too.

"What will the two of you do with Scorpius?"

"I think we'll come up with a schedule. I'll obviously have him during the day, and I'm assuming Draco will want to keep him on weekends." She took a deep breath. "I'm not quite sure yet. Once he finds a new flat or house, we can decide."

Even though I was fully on board, I asked her, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I want to be happy," she replied honestly. "And I'm not happy sitting at home, wondering what Draco's doing."

I nodded, trying to show my understanding.

"So you're okay with it? You'll sign off on it?"

"Astoria, I was going to ask you what it would take for you to agree to a divorce. This conversation has been far easier than I imagined."

Just then, Draco strode into the library, looking from Astoria to me.

"Father," he greeted, his tone dry.

My stomach turned with nerves, but I controlled my expression. "Draco. How are you today?"

"I'm fine. I just left Scorpius with Mother," he answered. "Shall we discuss—"

"There's no need for discussion," I interrupted, holding a hand up. "Astoria's said she wants a divorce, and after everything, I'm assuming that's your preference, as well."

"You're not going to fight us on it?" Draco asked, surprised.

I shook my head. "Despite what you may think, I do care about what you want." His mouth opened, ready to interrupt, and I shook my head again. "Just listen to me. I know it doesn't seem like it after all I've done, but I do. I—I had no idea how serious things were between you and Miss Granger—"

"So you decide that threatening to kill her parents is the best way to get rid of her," Draco snapped, glaring at me. "Are you ever going to change, Father? Or do you enjoy being the type of person that people fear?"

Quickly, I rose to my feet. "When Astoria first told me about the affair, she didn't say it was anything serious, and your girlfriend didn't ever correct my assumption that the two of you were simply having sex. I was thinking about your son's future."

"I understand that part of it," he replied through gritted teeth. "Really, I do. But tell me, Father, when will you treat me like a man and stop trying to control my life?"

"Do you think a man—a real man—stays married to one woman when he's in love with another?" I asked, stopping his tirade. "If you'd come to me at any point—before or after the wedding—I would've—"

"I don't believe you." His grey eyes, a mirror of mine, flashed with anger. "You would've let me abandon my duties as the heir to be with a Muggleborn?"

"I'm not saying I would've accepted it immediately—"

Astoria stood, cutting me off. "I'll let you two talk this out."

As she started to walk away, I noticed Draco watching her carefully, looking worried.

When she'd left the library, I silenced the room. "How long has her magic been weak? She could barely start a fire."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "She's never been particularly powerful, but she told me she's been feeling this way for a while now. She thinks it's exhaustion and stress. I didn't even notice until yesterday. I told her she needs to get to a healer."

"She said she's going tomorrow."

With a nod, he replied, "I know. Mother agreed that she'd keep Scorpius for the day."

"Of course we will." Gathering my courage, I said, "I meant what I said, Draco. I would've granted you this divorce if you really wanted it."

"Then why not talk to me? Why just go and threaten Granger? And don't say that it was a quick reaction; you found out in June and didn't approach her until August."

I gestured for him to take the seat that Astoria had vacated, and I sat down in the chair I'd been in. Slouching in the way he used to when he was a teenager, he sat and angled himself towards me. I summoned a bottle of firewhisky and two tumblers.

"I was watching you," I admitted, pouring a measure into each glass. "I wasn't sure what to believe. I saw you go to work, to Ms Granger's house, and to The Leaky Cauldron."

"And you never heard me talking to Hannah?" he asked.

"Who's Hannah?"

"The landlady at the Leaky. She told me I was in there a lot and would talk about how I was losing the love of my life," Draco said, trying to find any way to poke a hole in my story.

"Well, I meant I watched your movements. I had a trace on you. I would pop in, see you were alone, and then leave the pub."

His eyes were hard and angry, and he took a deep drink of his firewhisky, despite the early hour. "I will never understand why none of you even tried to speak to me."

"And I will never understand why you didn't come to me if you truly thought she was your soulmate. A soulmate — that kind of love — it changes everything. You know that better than most."

"Do not try to compare your relationship to mine. You were somehow betrothed to your soulmate before she could even talk," Draco snapped.

I sighed. "I know that."

For a few minutes, the room was heavy with silence, unsaid words choking both of us. I didn't know what else to say to him, and he was apparently in the same boat.

"I still don't forgive you," he said, taking another gulp.

"I didn't expect you to."

My words seemed to surprise him.

"Draco, I knew how you'd react if you found out." I swirled my glass, debating on if I should allow myself the liquid courage. "I was swayed by the idea of family. I didn't want Scorpius to grow up between two homes, and it seemed like you were conflicted, as well. The drinking, the short visits to Ms Granger's, the way you started sleeping at home again…"

"Well, Father, I'd love to tell you my thought process, but I don't remember it," he spat angrily.

"Blame it all on me," I told him before rising from my chair. "Don't blame it on your mother, or Astoria, or even Ms Granger. It was my idea."

Vanishing my glass, I glanced down at him.

"Forgive them, Draco. If anyone deserves your anger and your hate, it's me."