a/n: so here it is. I don't know when this thought popped into my head, but somewhere in my mind, this kept nagging at me. It's extremely AU, and I mean like, bordering on being a completely different character kinda AU. But if that's your jam, enjoy. If not, I'll be writing things a lot more canon for different fandoms, so just keep that in your head. Much love yall.

Draco sat in the headmaster's office, Snape behind him with his signature scowl on his face. He'd admit, he hadn't handled that as well as he'd planned. He had been doing his usual bullying but apparently, he'd gone a little too far. Not in his eyes of course, but enough for someone to sock him in the face. And a girl at that. It was becoming a theme. Last year, it had been Granger and now this girl. He didn't even know her name, just that she was a Gryffindor and apparently had a soft spot for Longbottom.

The girl in question sat beside him, looking around the office at whatever caught her eyes at the moment. She wasn't up here ever, usually she was a pretty good student. But hearing Malfoy taunt Neville over his parents, it hit a nerve. According to her mum, Alice and Frank had been good to her and she had fought side by side with them. But outside of that, no one deserved to be taunted over something so cruel as their fate. And Stella didn't put up with that. The only downside now was that her mother was coming, and while she was all for standing up for your friends, she wouldn't be happy that she had stood up using her wand and fist instead of words.

Both teens sat there, waiting for their parents for 10 minutes before the door opened and 3 adults stepped in. The first was Albus Dumbledore, followed by Stella's head of house, Professor McGonagall. Finally was who she assumed was Draco's father, they certainly looked alike. Same hair, same cold eyes. It was almost a carbon copy if Draco grew his hair out a bit more. Dumbledore sat behind his desk and the students sat up a little straighter as he spoke.

"We're just waiting on your mother, Stella. She was in the middle of a meeting when I flooed but she'll be with us soon."

Now she felt worse. If her mother had been in a meeting, it can't have been good. Rarely did the healers at St. Mungo's have to have them but when they did, it was always because something was happening. Maybe it had to do with the Triwizard Tournament? She slumped a little more in her seat, wallowing in her guilt. It was moments later that the door opened and her mother stepped in, still dressed in her uniform from the hospital.

Today was not the day.

The moment she had gotten to work that day, Elise Vance had a feeling it wouldn't be good. The healers had all been pulled into a meeting and that never meant good things. It was in regards to the Triwizard Tournament, just letting everyone know that there could be an influx of patients depending on the tasks the champions were given. But of course, that couldn't have been all.

Halfway through her meeting, the receptionist had alerted her that she had a floo call from Albus Dumbledore and she had rushed to the fireplace. After being alerted to the fact that her daughter, barely 16, had punched someone in the nose, she promised she would be at Hogwarts as quickly as possible.

Now she jogged up the stairs toward the Headmaster's office, her powder blue robes swishing as she rushed, wanting to make sure her daughter was okay before she laid into the girl about violence. Hopefully, the other parent wasn't a complete twat and they wouldn't press charges. The last thing she needed was that, along with everything else on her plate.

As she made it to the top of the spiral stairs, she ran a hand through her short black hair before pushing the door open and stepping into the headmaster's office. It hadn't changed much in her years since she was last up here. She stepped forward and shook hands with Minerva and Albus before turning and finding herself face to face with a full blown nightmare.

Shit.

It was the only word running through her mind.

There he stood, in all his glory. A man she hadn't seen in roughly 16 and a half years. Not since before Estelle had been born. When they had met up back then, it had been one night only. The night before he married Narcissa, before everything went to hell.

Lucius Malfoy stood there and she didn't know how to react.

She wanted to punch him, to kick and scream and fight because she knew what he had done. She knew his sister in law had ruined Frank and Alice's lives, her two best friends, and left them to rot in a hospital. She saw them every day. She held Alice's hand and sang to her. She showed Frank pictures of Neville almost every day. There was some part of her that hoped one day they'd remember, but she knew it was useless.

She wanted to blame him for everything. For the Potters, the Longbottoms, for all the muggles. But she couldn't. Because some twisted part of her still cared. Because she had known the broken boy he'd been when they'd attended Hogwarts. Because she, despite all her attempts at forgetting him, still loved him.

Even now.

She shook herself out of her head, nodding at Snape as she rushed over to where Stella sat. She looked over her daughter, making sure she had no marks on her before she dared a glance at the younger Malfoy. His nose was a little swollen, but it seemed that Poppy had set everything to rights. Once she was satisfied with the condition of her daughter, she sat in the chair beside her. Unfortunately, that chair was also next to the elder Malfoy and she could almost hear her heart pounding in her ears.

"Now that Ms. Vance is here, we can begin. Now Estelle, why don't you tell us what prompted you to punch Mr. Malfoy in the face, as well as fire a bubble jinx?" Dumbledore spoke with an even tone but Elise knew for a fact that he was probably a tiny bit amused by the situation. She and Alice had gotten into a bit of trouble at Hogwarts even though Elise was older and should have been more of a role model.

"I was walking to the library to finish my transfiguration essay and I saw Malfoy with Neville. I went to make sure Neville was okay and I heard Malfoy taunting him about his parents. I just...lost control. I'm sorry Professors, I'm sorry mum." Stella looked over at her mother, honest regret in her eyes. She wasn't one for physical violence but knowing who the Longbottom's were, she knew she had to stop him.

Elise sat with her eyes closed. Alice had been her best friend. The little sister she had wanted and found within these very walls. Elise had stood beside her and Frank when they got married. They had been in each other's rooms as they gave birth. Hell, Alice was Stella's godmother. Now she laid in a hospital bed with the inability to remember who Elise even was.

That combined with seeing Lucius for the first time in over a decade, it was overwhelming. The last time she had seen him, he was holding her, telling her all sorts of pretty words. It had been beautiful. And then she woke up in a cold bed with the lingering scent of him the only thing left. She had cried for so long, her face pressed into his pillow. And now she sat beside him again.

Little had changed. His hair was longer and although no one else could tell, he had slight lines in his skin, probably from all the scowling he did. But behind the hard exterior, she still saw the scared 15 year old boy she had snuck into broom closets with. The boy who made her a crown of roses and danced with her as if she were the only woman in the world.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she felt her daughter touch her arm. Her head shot up and she was looking directly into his eyes. Her breath caught but she concealed it before shaking her head and looking over at her daughter, well aware that his eyes were still on her.

"Stella, you could have gotten a professor. You could have taken Neville out of the situation. You didn't need to resort to violence. You know better than that."

Stella nodded to her mother, before sighing and looking past the adults to Draco. "I'm sorry I punched you, Malfoy." Her tone wasn't very repentant but Elise knew that was as good as it would get.

Lucius cleared his throat and looked to Dumbledore. "We won't be getting anyone else involved." He was blunt and to the point but it still relieved Elise that she wouldn't have to drain her account to deal with this mess. Dumbledore nodded toward him before looking at the students.

"You will serve a months worth of detentions with Mr. Filch. And there will be no more of this, understood?" Both teens nodded, looking down at the floor. "Well, get to class. I'm sure your professors have work for you. Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Elise, do you need to use my floo to get back to St. Mungo's?"

Elise shook her head, smiling before she stood and shook his hand. "I'll just use Minerva's if that's alright?" She turned her head to the older woman who nodded and smiled. Stella stood and the mother and daughter embraced. "Now you be good, little star, you understand?" The girl nodded and gave her mother a smile and a peck on the cheek before she and Malfoy exited the room with Snape and McGonagall.

Elise nodded to the elder Malfoy before walking out and down the staircase, her head rushing with all of the thoughts of the past 30 minutes. She wanted to linger, to see if he would follow her but she pushed that thought from her mind and followed the other to Minerva's office, returning to work and leaving her past behind her.