Author's Note: Sorry all, I know it's been a minute haha. I could give excuses about college and thesis writing, but I won't bother because honestly, I also just had super bad writer's block. I was eh about this chapter, but I promise the next chapter will be a bit more exciting.
Chapter Seven
Draco looked over at his son with a sigh. The boy was sitting on the window seat in the spare room the Potter's had let Draco use, staring out at the snowy ground. Scorpius had been quiet and withdrawn since their visit to St. Mungo's several days ago. Now, it was nearing the new year and Draco was sure his son was finally beginning to process everything. Now came the hard part and unfortunately, Scorpius' return to school was only four days away including a two day trip to the coast the Potters insisted they come on.
"Scorpius?" He asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Scorpius tensed at the contact but relaxed within a few seconds, but Draco still noticed. "Love?"
"She's really gone, isn't she?" Scorpius whispered, not looking away from the window.
Draco sniffed, blinking back the water gathering in his eyes. "Yes, love. She is." He managed to get out. He was trying hard to be strong for his son, but it didn't make it easier to say out loud.
Scorpius turned around suddenly, throwing himself at his father, lurching with sobs as he buried his face in Draco's chest. Draco gave up on trying to fight his own tears, wrapping his arms around his son, letting his hand rest on the boy's soft hair. "It's not fair!" The younger Malfoy exclaimed.
"I know it's not." Draco whispered, pulling Scorpius closer. "I'm so sorry."
Scorpius began to cough, the sobs aggravating his recovering, but still itchy throat. "Shh. C'mon love." Draco soothed, trading circles on his son's back with his palm. "Easy now." Scorpius just buried deeper into his father's embrace.
They stayed that for what seemed like hours, crying in each others' arms. Finally, Scorpius pulled away from his father, wiping at his eyes. "She-she w-wouldn't want this." He said shakily. At Draco's questioning look, he continued. "Mum w-wouldn't want us to c-cry all day. She-she'd understand though."
Draco gave his son a watery smile. "She would understand, but she always hated to see us upset." He remembered what his wife had told him after his father died. It was odd to think it had been less than a year when it all seemed ages ago. "Draco, whatever your issues, he was your father. It's okay to cry for him. Cry as much as you need to, but remember how much more there is to life than death. Please, I can't- I won't- watch you tear yourself apart." He hadn't known how to grieve his father, their relationship had been so complicated, until she'd told him that. He had shut himself in his study for weeks before she came storming in.
Crying for his father and even for his mother had been so easy compared to crying for Astoria though. With his father, he had her to help him and his mother had moved in. With his mother, however, all he had been able to think of for the first day was that Astoria had died too. He had quickly felt guilty, tears falling for his mother as he realised the loss of his mother. He was glad his son had barely known his parents, at least this way he only grieved one loss, not three.
Scorpius was crying again, but less heart wrenchingly as before. "I can't not be upset." He hiccuped. "I-I didn't even get to say goodbye!"
It was then that Draco remembered that in the week following his wife's death, Scorpius had been the Death Eater's captive. He hadn't attended the small funeral or seen the place his mother rested. He hadn't gotten to say goodbye.
"Do you want to?" Draco whispered to his crying son.
"I never did." Scorpius sniffed. "I never wanted to say goodbye. But I think I have to. I-I can't pretend anymore." He broke into sobs again and Draco felt his heart shatter more than it already had.
"Okay." Draco managed to say. "We'll go tomorrow. We can go meet the Potters at Shell Cottage after we visit Mum."
The next morning Draco found himself with Scorpius apparating to a peaceful hillside. The normal England clouds seemed to have taken the day off, and the sun was shining bright in the blue sky. Draco wasn't sure if he was annoyed by the much too cheery weather or if he was pleased to think of Astoria shining like the sun for them. The snow crunched under his feet as he led Scorpius up the hill towards a collection of graves. Just as they reached the crest of the hill, a large bare meadow came into view on the other side of the hill. While it looked quite barren, Draco knew that come spring it would be filled with flowers. On the far side of the meadow from them sat a grand house, a pyre of smoke coming from its chimney.
"Do Auntie Daphne and Uncle Terence know we're here?" Scorpius asked quietly, looking at the house as well.
Draco had buried Astoria in her family's graveyard. Aside from him not wanting her lying next to his evil ancestors, he had always thought the Greengrass estate was far prettier than his own. She was at home here on the hilltop by the meadow she played in as a child. "Yes, they do." Draco answered. "But you never have to ask to come here, you know."
Scorpius nodded, but said nothing. Instead, he moved towards a grave under a large tree, kneeling in the snow. "Hi Mum." He said, his voice cracking with emotion. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. "You always said you'd never miss seeing me off to Hogwarts, but I guess I missed seeing you off to wherever it is you are. I- I guess you won't be seeing me off anymore either." Draco once again fought back tears, but stayed a few feet behind his son, sensing that the boy needed space.
"Dad says it was a small funeral." Scorpius continued. "Just him, Auntie Daphne, and Uncle Terence, but I wish I could have been there too. I-I wish I wouldn't have had to be there. Maybe then I-" He sniffed again. "I-I c-can't say goodbye. M-maybe it's not goodbye. J-Just see you l-later. Th-that's what you said wh-when I first went to school." Scorpius and Draco were both crying in earnest now, but Draco couldn't bring himself to do anything. "So-so I guess this is see you later, Mum. I love you." He hesitantly leaned forward, kissing the stone that marked his mother's final resting place. "I-I'll look out for Dad for you too." With that, he rose to his feet, stepping back.
Draco stepped forward, placing a hand on his son's shoulder again. "C'mon Scorpius." He said softly. "Auntie Daphne wants to see us for tea if you're up for it." Scorpius nodded, still wiping tears from his eyes. Still, he turned to walk down the hill towards the house. Draco paused for a moment, turning to his wife's grave. "We miss you. But you rest, darling. I know you're up there with the stars worrying about us, but we'll be okay. You- you just rest." He blew a kiss before turning away and following his son.
"James...James!" James looked up in surprise to see Albus standing in front of him, a bag slung over his shoulder as he waved a hand to try and get James' attention.
"Oh! Sorry. I was distracted… good book." James lied. "What's up Al?"
"Dad told me to call you." The younger boy answered. "We're leaving for Shell Cottage, remember?"
"Oh, oh yeah!" James jumped up. "Forgot about that. Let me just go grab my bag and I'll meet you in the foyer."
Albus looked at him strangely. "Are you alright?"
"Of course."
"You don't seem alright."
"I'm fine!" James all but snapped causing Albus to take a step back, his hands up in surrender. "I-Sorry I shouldn't have snapped. I'm fine. I'll just get my bag and meet you there."
Albus gave a weak smile, watching after his older brother with worry as James exited the room.
James ran up the stairs, popping into his room to grab the bag he'd packed the night before. He took a moment to compose himself, subconsciously putting a hand to his thigh where the stab wound ached. Despite his troubles, James was excited for the coming few days; he was looking forward to spending the next two days and New Years at Shell Cottage with Teddy. Somehow, Teddy had convinced his fiance to even allow the Malfoys to come along. James hoped the change of scenery and the company would help him relax. After a few deep breaths, he exited his room and went to the foyer where his family stood waiting.
"You ready Jamie?" Ginny asked.
James put on a smile and nodded, grabbing onto his mother's arm as Al and Lily held on to Harry. Soon, the odd, nauseating feeling of apparating was over and James found himself standing on a beach, facing the grey and choppy sea. He closed his eyes, taking in the smell of the salty sea and feeling the cold breeze on his face as he took a deep breath. His moment of calm was interrupted by Albus stumbling into him after having just let go of Harry's hand sending both of them into the sand with a thump. Al was notorious for getting dizzy after apparating, but it was always funny nonetheless.
"Bloody hell, Al." James couldn't help but laugh as he sat up, shaking sand out of his hair.
Al, for his part, was still laying on the sandy beach. "I hate apparating."
"Don't be a drama queen." Lily urged, pulling on Al's arm. "Daddy are you sure we're related?
Harry simply laughed as Al made an exaggerated face, still lying in the sand as Lily pulled on his arm.
"C'mon Al get up or you're gonna get too much sand in your hair." Ginny chided, though she too smiled at her son's antics.
"Better than sprinkles!" James joked, pulling Al to his feet.
"No, he'll always be Sprinkles." Lily decided firmly.
Before Albus could respond, Teddy's voice cut them off. "Hi! You're here!" He called excitedly.
The Potters turned around to face a little cottage perched atop a sand dune. It was a small looking home, but beautiful; adorned with seashells and painted a pale blue and white. Standing in the doorway on a rickety wooden porch was Teddy, his turquoise hair strikingly visible in comparison to his background.
"Teddy!" Harry called as the Potters hastened over to the cottage. He threw his arm around his godson, ruffling his hair fondly. "You've really done up the place."
"It looks wonderful, dear." Ginny agreed, kissing Teddy's cheek.
Teddy greeted them all eagerly, patting James and Albus on the back and allowing Lily to tackle him with a hug. Despite having seen him only a few days ago, all the Potters were ecstatic to be with Teddy. "Come on in!" He ushered them inside the house. "Your guests didn't come?"
"They're coming later." Harry replied. "They-er went to see Astoria."
"Ah." Teddy nodded before quickly changing the subject. "Vic! They're here!" He called up the stairs as the Potters shuffled into the small but cozy kitchen.
"Uncle Harry! Aunt Ginny!" Victoire called, coming down the stairs. She put down a small pink duffel bag in her hands, greeting her family with hugs. "I'm so glad you finally decided to come! Teddy's been talking nonstop about it!" She laughed. "It's just too bad I won't be able to stay."
"Oh right! You're going to France to visit Gabrielle." Ginny recalled.
That had really been one of the main reasons Harry and Ginny had consented to visiting Teddy and Shell Cottage. They knew it was Teddy's first holiday without his grandmother and, while he seemed to be alright, it was sure to be hard for him. He had confided in Harry that he didn't feel up to seeing Victoire's grandparents on his first holiday without his own grandmother. Victoire, in turn, had not wanted to leave him alone, but had also not wanted to let down her mother. Harry and Ginny figured they could help all four of their children in one as Teddy was basically theirs.
"Yes!" Victoire responded. "We always try to go visit Aunt Gabrielle, Mémé, and Pépé after Christmas. I've really got to get going, but I do hope you have a good time." She pecked Teddy on the lips before she stepped out of the house to apparate.
"Have fun! Love you!" Teddy called after her.
"Gross." Al made an exaggerated face. "Romance."
"Shut up!" Lily nudged Al. "I think it's sweet."
"Oh shut up!" Teddy scolded, though there was a pinkish tinge to his pale cheeks. "Shall I give you the tour? Harry's been here of course, but the rest of you? Or would you rather wait for the Malfoys?"
"We can wait." Ginny smiled. "I must say, Teddy, the place looks wonderful did you repaint-"
"Um, dad?" James interrupted as his mother and god-brother prattled on about the wall painting. "Is there any particular reason you're staring at the door with a silly grin?"
"James!" Ginny admonished.
Harry laughed. "It's fine Ginny." He glanced back at the door. "I was just remembering the last time I was here."
"If I recall the story properly there wasn't exactly anything cheerful." Al stated.
Harry smiled fondly. "There was one thing. We were all sitting right here in the kitchen." He gestured to the table. "And Teddy, your dad came knocking on the door like a madman. We thought something was wrong but instead he just barged in with a picture of this little baby with turquoise hair, yelling about how he was a father now and practically shoving the picture at me. This is where he made me your godfather." He wrapped an arm around Teddy's shoulder. "That was one of the best things that happened to me that year."
Teddy turned slightly pink again as Al, James, and Lily giggled at the embarrassed look on his face.
"Oh Harry, you old sap!" Ginny laughed, but she too looked over at the kitchen door fondly. "Oh look! I think the Malfoys are here!"
Sure enough, the Malfoys had appeared on the beach in front of the cottage and were making their way towards the house, both holding backpacks. "Hello." Draco called, waving as he and his son approached the front porch where the Potters and Teddy waited. James took a brief moment to study the Malfoys, noting their slightly forced smiles. A glance at his father's furrowed eyebrows indicated that he was thinking the same thing. However, James did not find himself surprised given where they had just been. "Sorry it took a little, Daphne wanted us to have tea." Draco added.
Scorpius, for his part, waved as well, but said nothing.
"Oh, it's not a problem!" Teddy cut in. He smiled brightly at Scorpius. "We only met briefly at The Burrow, but, hi, I'm Teddy." He stuck out his hand which Scorpius shook with slight hesitation. "I guess you're my second-cousin right?" Teddy continued.
"I am?" Scorpius asked, looking up at his father.
Draco nodded. "Well, Teddy's mum was my cousin, but- um- we weren't actually that close." He seemed uncomfortable so Harry stepped in.
"Well Teddy, why don't you show us around?"
"Oh yeah, sure!" Teddy grinned, obviously also having sensed the tension. He led them back into the house, talking animatedly about all the upgrades he'd done as he led them through each room. It was a small house, but James could see how comfortable Teddy and Victoire had made it as well as how excited Teddy seemed about his new house. Despite this, James found himself distracted both by the constant ache in his body and by Scorpius who was in front of him with slumped shoulders and his head , Teddy had finished his tour, ending on the top floor and showing the Potters and Malfoys to their rooms. Teddy was staying in his and Victoire's room but had set aside three spare rooms for his guests to use as they saw fit. "I figured the kids could share a room or whatever works." Teddy smiled. "I'll let you all settle in while I make some tea. Otherwise, make yourselves at home!"
Hours later, James sat on the sandy beach, watching Al and Lily splash in the freezing water, still dressed in their jumpers and jeans, shrieking with laughter. Scorpius had decided to take a nap and James was banned from going in the cold water due to his recent illness. Instead, he was staring at a book in front of him but not actually reading any of the words. He had been becoming increasingly aware of slight twinges of pain all over his upper arms and back where there were numerous knife scars from Bellatrix's dagger. After his nightmare a few nights before, he realised the stab scar ached too. It had been almost a year since those injuries had been inflicted, so why did they still ache ever so slightly? Most times, it was barely even noticeable, but as James thought back, he realised those marks had never quite healed as well as the others had.
He was hesitant to bring this up to his father though. It wasn't that his parents didn't know about Bellatrix's dagger being used on him. That had been something he had been unable to hide due to the rather prominent stab scar on his thigh. The healers recognized it right away. In fact, it was because his parents already knew that James felt reluctant to give them more details. His father had seemed troubled, saying it couldn't have been possible because he'd thrown the dagger into the English Channel after burying Dobby. Then Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione had been roped into the whole mess, with Aunt Hermione being in a bit of a state for obvious reasons, having a bit of a panic attack that made James feel so guilty for no real reason. James had eavesdropped on them as much as he could.
While Ginny had been oddly calm, Harry and Hermione had fretted, saying it couldn't have been the same dagger. Ron, on the other hand, had surprisingly been the most logical. "Sure it could be." He had said. "I mean, Bellatrix Lestrange was psychotically pureblood and proud. She hated anything non-magic. I mean we already guessed the dagger was cursed but she was proud of her possessions and I assume her husband is too. Harry just chucked it in the water, all Lestrange would have to do is use a summoning spell near the channel. I can't imagine there are too many cursed daggers at the bottom of the English Channel."
They had debated this for a while before Ginny had thrown her hands up and exclaimed, "Does it matter how they got the dagger or if it was that dagger? My boy was stabbed!" After that they had accepted Ron's idea and the dagger hadn't really come up after that. Needless to say, James was not eager to bring it up again, but those twinges of pain just wouldn't go away.
He glanced over his book at Al and Lily again who had now been joined by Teddy. James' eyes strayed from his siblings to the far end of the beach and his brows furrowed. Several yards away a lone figure stood atop a small rocky dune. Before he knew what he was doing, James had closed his book and found himself walking towards the dune. "Dad?" He asked as he reached the man. "Are you alright?" James peeked over his fathers' figure to see a grave-stone, adorned with fresh flowers and reading "Here Lies Dobby, a Free Elf". It was then that James remembered why his father had been opposed to vacationing at Shell Cottage. It wasn't that he never came to this beach, but when he did it was for less than enjoyable purposes; a grave visit.
"Hey James." Harry murmured, not turning around.
"I-I'm sorry." James was not sure what else to say. "Are- are you alright?"
Harry turned around, managing a tight smile. "I'm okay, Jamie."
James nodded, taking a step back. "I'll- uh- I'll let you be then."
"No, it's okay." Harry said. "Stay if you want." They lapsed into silence for several minutes before James felt a hand on his shoulder.
The boy jumped, calming down when he realized it was only Teddy and Ginny, with Al and Lily in tow. Smiling sadly at James, Ginny walked past him, wrapping her arms around Harry and pressing a kiss to his cheek as he pulled her closer. "He would have loved you all." Harry whispered.
Together, the six stood in front of the grave, mourning for an individual only one of them had met, but they all felt close too. Despite the melancholy occasion, James couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest as he thought about his family all standing together. Sure, they were tattered and hurt, but they had each other. As the six turned away from the grave to make their way back to the little cottage, James couldn't help but feel a little hopeful even despite the twinging of his scars.
The group returned to the cottage in much better spirits, joking and laughing with the Malfoys over dinner and pudding. James was almost beginning to think this vacation was the answer to all their issues until he and Al were helping Harry and Teddy clean up after pudding after everyone else had gone to get ready for bed.
James picked up the paper with the attention of throwing it away when a picture caught his eye. He gasped, dropping the paper and stepping back as Harry whirled around and Al grasped his shoulder. "Are you okay?" His little brother asked.
James swallowed. "Yeah. Sorry, just-" He pointed at the paper lying on the floor of the kitchen. "I don't know why, he just- he looks familiar."
"Who?" Harry asked worriedly as Teddy went to pick up the fallen paper. Teddy showed his godfather a picture of a rather intimidating looking man; his hair was greying but his eyes were jet black as he glared out of the picture, his scowl deepening in the moving picture. "Albert Runcorn?" Harry asked bewildered.
Al peered at the picture over his father's shoulder. "Doesn't look familiar to me, who is he?"
"I-I don't know." James answered honestly. He wasn't sure why seeing Runcorn's face had given him such a visceral reaction, but something about the man seemed familiar, and not in a good way.
Harry was furrowing his eyebrows. "You shouldn't know him, he's- well, now he's a nobody. This is just about his attempts at returning to the public eye. He was one of the Ministry stooges back before the end of the war, he said he was imperiused but we'll never know. He's the one I impersonated with polyjuice, I've told you that story, right?"
Teddy, Al, and James nodded, but the latter still seemed troubled. "Maybe, he just reminds you of one of- well, you know." Teddy suggested, seeing James' troubled expression.
"Yea, that's probably it." James answered, still not convinced. "Anyway, we should go to bed."
He turned and scrambled up the stairs with Al on his heels, not quite missing the way Harry pocketed the crumpled newspaper, a troubled look on his face.