Astoria — 4th July 2007

Waking up in the hospital was horrible.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I looked at the stark white ceiling and wondered if this would be my life from now on.

How quickly would I be relegated to full-time care?

While I hadn't discussed everything with Padma yesterday, it was clear the blood curse had been activated when I gave birth. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. In fact, it felt like the gods had a sick sense of humour.

"Oh, she's going to use a baby to trap her husband in a marriage he doesn't want? Well, wouldn't it be funny if that baby triggered a curse that will drain her magic and kill her?"

I wanted to cry and scream and lash out at someone, but I'd brought this on myself. That was clearer to me than ever before. Draco hadn't forced me to get pregnant; I'd been the one to ensure we conceived. When I drank that fertility potion, I had sealed my own fate.

My mind was racing, berating me for everything I'd done wrong throughout the years, telling me I'd been stupid to think that I could ever have a simple, wonderful life with Draco. And then my thoughts flitted to my son. He was likely going to grow up without me. Even if Padma found some way to temporarily counter this curse, it would only buy me a few years.

I wondered if Draco would remarry.

And that made my mind jump to Hermione.

The night he'd found me asleep on the sofa with Scorpius, it was clear that his feelings for her were growing more and more conflicted. That had been mere days ago, and he'd seen her more since then.

Without Blaise in the picture, she was attainable again. I had no doubt that she still loved him; if she didn't, she would've given him the memories and turned him away as soon as he found out about the Obliviation.

But would Draco ever trust her enough to be with her again? If they ended up back together and I died, would she raise my son with love? Or would she resent him for tearing them apart in the first place?

Hermione was a rational person, so chances were that she'd blame herself and not Scorpius, but I was still concerned since I might not be around. If she and Draco were truly soulmates, nothing would keep them apart indefinitely.

Their fates or destinies or whatever else people called it were intertwined. Even though their paths had diverged for a time, they were finding their way back to each other, one memory at a time.

I sighed and sank further back into my pillow, hating that I'd put myself — and Scorpius — in this position.

As the seconds audibly ticked by, my brain was at war with itself, one part hoping that Draco would let go of the past and make himself happy with Hermione and the other resenting that he had a chance to be in love when I may not.

Hell, what was I thinking?

He'd already been in love with her for years, whether he remembered their relationship or not. He loved her before, during, and after they were together. Even if he refused to admit it to himself, he probably loved her now.

Ultimately, the bigger debate was whether or not I should broach this subject with him or if I should try to talk to Hermione. Regardless of the awkwardness between the three of us, I needed to ensure that Scorpius was raised with nothing but love if I didn't survive this blood curse.

In the end, only my son mattered to me. If Hermione and Draco ended up together and she was a part of Scorpius' life in a positive way, I would accept that.

A soft knock echoed through the room, waking me from my doze, and I glanced over at the door. Draco was looking through the small window and I waved him in, forcing myself to sit up in the hospital bed. Padma told me that she was going to owl him, but I hadn't expected him to be here this early.

As soon as he sat in the chair beside the bed, he asked, "How are you feeling this morning?"

It was silly, but his kindness made me smile. This Draco — the one who seemed to care — was the one I'd always wanted as my husband. And while I knew it didn't change anything, I let myself be just a little bit happy.

"I'm okay. I didn't sleep all that well, but that's to be expected with people bustling in and out to check my magic levels and the like."

He nodded. "Healer Patil said that she'd be here this morning and we could all discuss the test results together."

"I'm sure she'll be by shortly. It's just after eight," I replied, glancing at the clock. "Did you speak to your parents at all?"

"Yes, last night and then again right before I came here. It sounds like Scorp has been spoiled rotten. He likely won't want to come home," Draco joked, smirking. "You know my parents love having him stay the night."

In the few seconds of silence, I bolstered my own courage.

"And did you see Hermione last night?"

His mask slipped into place, and I found that curious. He hadn't really been all that closed off about things between them.

"I did."

"And how did it go?"

"It was the same as always," he responded, keeping his tone even. "We had dinner, watched some memories, and I went home."

Dinner? I hadn't heard him mention dinner before, but I didn't allow myself to make a big deal about it.

"Anything you want to talk about?" I prompted.

"It's not a good time for that, Astoria. There is plenty that I want to talk about after seeing what I saw last night." Like he always did when he was agitated, he ran a hand through his hair, rumpling it. "We can discuss it when we're at home. I don't want to do it here."

Before I could ask him what memory she'd shown him, there was another knock at my door and Padma strode in.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," she greeted, setting my chart down on the counter directly across from my bed. "I've got a few answers for you today, though I'm sure most of them won't come as a surprise."

I gave her my full attention, listening as she confirmed that I was in fact in the mid-to-late stages of a blood curse that was brought on by my pregnancy and delivery. Of course, when she explained how it all started, Draco's eyes had widened and his jaw had tightened. I knew he was likely angry at himself and also at me for being so reckless.

"There was no indication that your late aunt's curse was activated by childbirth?" she asked. "It seems like it would've been something they realised."

I shook my head. "This curse has been in the family for ages, and sometimes it just stays dormant. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when it pops up."

"Is that because the women in the line didn't have proper medical care? Or—"

"I've no way of finding out," I said drily. "Everyone who has contracted it is dead."

Padma averted her eyes. "Of course. I wasn't sure if there were any records. I know how the Sacred Twenty-Eight families can be; they document everything in family archives. I couldn't find anything about your aunt in our files."

"I can ask my father, but I'm not sure if he'd have anything or not, and Rosier — well, he was a Death Eater, so his familial paperwork was likely all destroyed at one point or another."

"Not to worry," she answered. "As for your son, he appears to be perfectly healthy, though he does have higher than usual magic levels. However, it appears to be only natural magic. There's nothing dark about it."

Draco and I exchanged a look, both releasing relieved sighs.

"Since the curse activated during your pregnancy, I think it's possible that some of your magic was redirected and transferred to him in utero," Padma continued, her charmed quill taking notes as she spoke. "Once you delivered, the umbilical connection was cut off, so instead of going to Scorpius, the free magic started to be absorbed by the curse. As it strengthened over time, it started taking more and more of your magic to fuel itself."

"If the curse transfers magic to the heir, it could have been meant for one specific daughter and was cast wrong," Draco said, thinking aloud. "If it's been passed down the line, shouldn't it have weakened?"

"Honestly, I've never seen a case quite like this before. It's one of the challenges of magical healing. Every curse or hex can be modified in some way," she answered, sympathy in her eyes. "Everything I'm telling you now is solely theoretical and based on Astoria's timeline and Scorpius' magic levels when compared to other magical children."

Draco's jaw was clenched in frustration. I reached over and squeezed his arm, drawing his attention and trying to get him to relax.

Unsurprisingly, he jerked away and Padma narrowed her eyes with curiosity.

"So, what can you do for Astoria?" he asked.

Padma wore a neutral expression and I knew she didn't have a concrete plan. She felt guilty about it and didn't want to disappoint me. "Right now, we're still trying to figure that out. We have some potions that she can take to help bolster her magical core and raise her natural magic levels. As for the curse, well, it's still active. Unless we find a way to counter it indefinitely, it will continue to consume Astoria's magic." She met my eyes and asked, "Are you still breastfeeding Scorpius?"

I shook my head. "No. We stopped a few months ago."

"Good. The potions I'm going to give you haven't been extensively tested in children and we'll be casting countercurses on you from time to time. I wouldn't want him to be affected by any of it."

"There must be something more you can do to stop it from getting worse," Draco interjected. "This hospital must have hundreds of years of records and literature at its disposal."

"It's going to require more research and tests." Slipping her hands into her robe pockets, Padma continued, "And, I'm going to be honest with you, it may not be possible to stop it. I'm not sure if there is anything we can do to stop it altogether. However, your wife is getting weaker because her magic levels are so low. Her energy should improve once we get those levels up."

At the word 'wife', my stomach flipped and Draco's eyes dropped to the floor, both of us feeling awkward.

"Is there any chance these potions make the curse work faster? Will we just be feeding it more power?" I asked.

"Again, I'm not sure—"

"Are you sure of anything?" Draco snapped, surprising me.

She gave him a tight smile. "Mr. Malfoy, I realise you were hoping for more answers, but I've never treated a curse like this before. It's going to require some trial and error and time."

"What if she doesn't have time?"

"I understand your worry and frustration—"

"I have a son who isn't even two years old!" he shouted, losing his cool. "Do you think I can care for a toddler on my own?"

"Draco," I said, settling my hand on his arm again. This time, he didn't pull away. "You wouldn't be on your own. And I'm willing to try whatever Healer Patil wants me to. I don't want to die."

He looked over at me and I could tell he was holding something he wanted to say back. I glanced at Healer Patil and asked her to give us a moment.

As soon as she was out of the room, Draco said, "This all could've been avoided if you hadn't taken that fertility potion."

"I know," I answered, tears filling my eyes. "But I love Scorpius, and I know you do too. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Why couldn't you just let our marriage go? I was a terrible fucking husband." When I didn't answer, he continued, "I saw the night of our anniversary. You knew I didn't want to have sex with you and you made me feel so fucking guilty."

I felt my lips parting with shock, which quickly morphed into rage.

"You watched that memory with her?" I hissed. "How could you—"

"No, Astoria," he shot back. "How could you? Don't you see that you were in the wrong?"

My jaw clenched. Of course I knew I was in the wrong. "I didn't think you'd be watching that night together."

"Well, as much as I needed to know the truth, Hermione did too. She didn't believe me when I told her it was only that one night."

Closing my eyes, I leaned back into the pillows again, mortified at the thought of Draco's mistress seeing how pathetic I'd been, guilting him into sex and forcing him to help me conceive.

"It's still wrong that you let her see—"

Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I didn't—We didn't watch the sex. Once it was heading in that direction, we moved to the morning after." Sighing, he continued, "I don't know how you thought getting pregnant would fix things between us."

I didn't respond; I hadn't expected him to say that.

"You could've said no on our anniversary, regardless of how it would've made me feel," I pointed out. "Or you could've told me about Hermione at any point over that year and we could've discussed it, but you didn't."

"And you could've confronted me, but you didn't. You just kept holding on."

"This conversation is just going to go in circles," I stated, my stomach twisting. "We all could've done things differently and we all should have made hundreds of different choices, but there's no changing it now. The only thing we can do is find our way out of this mess, preferably before I die."

His elbows braced on his knees and he pushed his hair back with both hands. "I really don't think I can raise Scorpius on my own."

"Do you honestly believe that you wouldn't have help? Your parents, the Manor elves, my parents, Daphne…" After careful consideration, I added, "Hermione..."

His head snapped up. "There's nothing going on between us, Astoria."

I bit my lip. "Not yet. But I'm sure—"

"No," he interrupted. "I don't want to discuss it with you, especially right now. Like you said, the conversation will just go in circles."

Though he was putting on a good show for me, I knew that he wouldn't feel this way forever.

"Draco, we're split up. Blaise is gone. You two couldn't contain yourselves for two years. What's stopping you now?"

"Is that a serious question?"

Taking a deep breath, I counted to five. "Listen, what she did was wrong, but she was scared. Your father is a terrifying person and she was hurting."

"That doesn't make it right."

"I know that, but nothing about the past few years has been right."

"Just drop it," he stated. "We're here to find out what we need to do with your medical care, not discuss Granger."

"I'm not going to drop it indefinitely," I warned, trying to make myself seem stern. "It's okay if you want to find a way to be with her. I just want to make sure that she will treat Scorpius—"

"She doesn't blame him for anything," Draco interrupted. "She's said so more than once."

"Do you believe her?"

"What reason would she have to lie?" he answered without hesitation, showing me that he trusted her more than he'd let on thus far.

"I don't know, but I need to feel comfortable with her spending time with Scorpius. Maybe you could take him with you—"

"I'm done talking about this," he interrupted.

Rolling his eyes, he settled back into the chair and waited for Padma to return. However, I could tell he was thinking, and that was exactly what I'd wanted him to do.

When we landed in the back garden, I nearly doubled over, exhausted from the testing and the conversations about my illness. Before I could fall, Draco steadied me, gripping my waist with both his hands.

"Are you okay? I thought it would be better if I took you Side-Along, but—"

"I'm fine," I told him, allowing him to help me into the house. "Honestly, it's all the potions and tests. Padma said it would take a few days for me to get back to normal."

As we walked through the house and up the stairs, he was silent and I wondered what he was thinking.

Did he feel I was using my illness to trap him again?

I didn't want him to feel he had to be around to care for me. Deep down, I knew I could figure it all out on my own, but I was grateful that he'd been there for me while I was going through the testing.

Opening the door to my bedroom — the one that used to be our bedroom — Draco led me over to the bed. I hadn't bothered to dress when we left the hospital; I'd stayed in the baggy pyjamas they'd provided me with since we were able to Apparate home without stepping foot into a public area.

The perks of affording a private suite were nearly endless.

"I'll help you settle in, owl Granger, and then get Scorpius." He checked his watch. "My parents need to catch their Portkey in an hour or so."

I frowned. "Why do you need to owl her?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's what you choose to ask about? Not Scorpius?"

"I know where he is and when he needs to be picked up, I don't know why you have to owl Hermione."

"To cancel," he stated, clarifying. "I don't think you should be chasing after a toddler tonight, so I'm going to stay here."

Closing my eyes, I shook my head. "You don't have to do that."

He scoffed. "I'm not trying to be an arse, but you look like shit."

"Remember what I said earlier? You could take him with you—"

"Why? Are you planning on dying?"

I took a deep breath. "No, I'm going to do everything I can to survive, but if I don't, I need to be sure that someone will love him just as much as I would've."

Brow furrowing, Draco looked down at the floor. "And you think she will."

"She loves you, so I'm hoping that she'll love him too. He's you in miniature," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

His hands slid into his pockets and he met my eyes. "This feels all kinds of wrong. You pulled us apart and now it's like you're trying to force us back together."

"I'm not," I answered truthfully. "Draco, you and I both know that you still love her, even if you're angry. I just… I need to know that she's okay with Scorpius."

Much to my surprise, he didn't try to say that he couldn't trust her or that he hated her. He seemed to simply accept what I'd said.

"I suppose I could see if she'd be willing to borrow Potter's son."

In my mind, I saw a little boy who was a mix of Pansy and Harry Potter, dark-haired with green eyes, playing with Scorpius, their toddler giggles filling a room.

"That sounds perfect," I answered, my voice cracking.

Hermione — 4th July 2007

Even though I'd just seen her the previous day, I called Penelope for an appointment as soon as her office opened. I hadn't been able to sleep after Draco left my house. I'd tossed and turned, ripping my sheets and blankets from the bed.

Internally, I'd berated myself for the way I'd let Blaise into my life and how I'd been so blind to his obvious attraction. I'd been so desperate for some companionship that I hadn't even paid attention to the signs.

As I stood under the spray of my shower, I thought about Draco and how things were shifting between us. His anger had cooled significantly — I'd known that for a few days now — but it was obvious that his feelings were running deeper than a cordial acceptance. The connection between us was intensifying with each passing day, and I couldn't deny that my heart wanted us to repair our relationship.

He wasn't with Astoria anymore, and she'd been the proverbial roadblock in our relationship.

However, my head knew better than to assume that meant we'd be together. We'd hurt each other both before and after the Obliviation, and I wasn't sure that we'd even really get past it all.

For years, I'd been jumping to conclusions and behaving cynically; I didn't believe Draco when he told me that he and Astoria only had sex once, and it had been true. And he'd also been trying to divorce her, just like he'd implied all along. I didn't know why it had taken him almost a year to get to that point, but I also hadn't given him any indication that I wanted him to until we'd gone to Paris. Even then, it had been vague.

Not once had I given him an ultimatum.

Not once had I really told him how being the other woman made me feel.

I'd made myself believe that everything between us had been built on lies, and I focused on every negative thing I could find in my own memories. I didn't attempt to talk things through with him or another unbiased person.

No, instead, I'd simply Obliviated him and made him forget everything that had been between us.

Tears welled in my eyes, the same way they had over and over the past few days, and I let them fall.

Why did this have to be so fucking difficult?

"Hermione, I was surprised to see your name in my diary. We've met twice already this week," Penelope said in lieu of a greeting. "What happened?"

"Everything is changing so fast, and I need... I need help."

She nodded and gestured for me to continue, her quill poised to take notes.

"Yesterday, I told you about how Draco and I were going through all the memories and how he's changed." As usual, I paced while I talked, trying to get the nervous energy out. "Well, I found out that he didn't lie to me. He was trying to get a divorce, and the only time he slept with Astoria was the night they conceived Scorpius. She took a fertility potion and guilted him into it."

"And this is a bad thing?"

"For the past two years, I've been telling myself that he's a liar. That's part of why I didn't put up a fight and just Obliviated him," I said, my voice shaking. "Penelope, I made a mistake. A huge mistake."

When I glanced at her, she smiled at me. "Everyone makes mistakes. I know that's a platitude, but Hermione, this is all in the past. You can't change it—"

"I know that," I snapped. "I know I can't change it, but the feelings — they're coming back. It's like there's some invisible string pulling me closer and closer to him, and I don't know what to do."

"Have you talked to Draco about this?"

My heart nearly leapt into my throat. "Of course not!"

"Do you think he's feeling the same way?"

I shook my head frantically. "No, there's not a chance. He may not hate me as much as he did two weeks ago, but he'll never feel that way about me again."

Penelope stopped her quill. "Why do you think that?"

Holding up a single finger, I said, "I violated his mind." I raised another. "I conspired with his father and Astoria to keep this from him." I added a third. "I started dating his best friend. Do you think that's enough? Or shall I continue?"

"Do you think that maybe you're jumping to conclusions again? If you don't speak to him about it—"

My fingers carded into my curls and I tugged at them. "I can't just tell him that I feel something again. It's only been a week since Blaise left. What if it's not real? What if I'm trying to latch onto Draco because of that?"

"How are you feeling about Blaise? Have you missed him?" she asked, changing tactics. "Does it feel the way it did when you lost Draco?"

My answer was instantaneous. "No, it doesn't feel the same at all. If anything, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." Pausing for a moment, I thought about how to phrase the next part. "I think, more than anything, I'm going to miss his friendship. He was there for me when no one else was, and I just… leaned on him."

"Were you feeling anything for Draco before Blaise left?"

I took a deep breath. "I don't think I ever really stopped. Not completely."

"And you're still questioning whether those emotions are real or not?"

"Yes." A split second later, I corrected myself. "Er, no, not really. They're real, but I'm the one who made the decision to end things between us. I can't tell him I still care. That would be so unfair to him."

Penelope took a different approach. "You said that you feel like there's something pulling the two of you together. Have you ever researched soulmates?"

In my mind, I saw Anima , the ancient text that was currently sitting on my bookshelf. My cheeks heated.

"I have, and I'm fairly certain that's what we are, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't want him to forgive me because he has no choice but to end up with me. That's not fair to him, either," I replied. "So many things have happened in his life that he didn't get a choice in."

"You don't think he feels the same pull to you?"

"I'm sure he does, but I don't deserve his forgiveness. Especially not now that I know that he was honest with me the whole time."

"Well, the thing about forgiveness is that you can't force it either way," she said, and I could feel her eyes on me. "You don't get to decide whether he forgives you or not. He does."

Chewing my cheek, I considered her words. They were true enough.

"Don't you think that a lot of your problems with Draco could've been avoided if the two of you had properly discussed things?" Penelope asked pointedly. "What if you had told him about his father's threats?"

I paced back and forth, barely even noticing my surroundings. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"I know that he and I had issues communicating. I get it, I really do, but who's to say things would be any different between us now?"

"Communication is something you're always going to have to work at, Hermione. You have a tendency to just assume the worst and never ask questions when it comes to your personal relationships," Penelope stated. "You did it with Draco the first time around and then with Blaise, as well."

I didn't bother arguing. I knew she was right.

"Has he tried to talk to you at all?"

"We... Well, yes, a bit," I responded truthfully. "I kind of shut down when he started to. He said he could feel how upset I was, and I told him to go home."

"Why?"

"I'd just found out that he hadn't been lying to me all along, and Blaise… he'd had ulterior motives when he was there for me," I began, my pacing speed increasing. "I wasn't ready. I needed to process."

"What do you mean Blaise had ulterior motives?"

"When I thought we were building a friendship, he was angling to get into my knickers, or steal me away from Draco, or whatever you want to interpret it as, but I was so wrapped up in my feelings that I didn't even notice. I was fucking blind."

"Just because he had deeper feelings for you doesn't mean that his friendship wasn't genuine," Penelope said. "Have you been watching a lot of memories with Blaise in them?"

"Not particularly. I've watched some, trying to figure out if he ever gave me any indication that he was more than friends with Sara, but this one — the one I watched with Draco last night — was the first time I really reached out to him for help when I was struggling."

She nodded as she wrote, her quill scratching against the parchment.

"And did you watch the night of Scorpius' conception like I suggested?" she asked, moving the conversation away from Blaise.

"We did," I answered. "That's how I found out that he hadn't lied to me. In the memory, Astoria told him that they hadn't had sex in about six months."

"Well, that's a good thing. It should help you rebuild some trust with Draco," she stated. "I'm not saying that it'll help right away, but it's definitely something that will help your foundation, should you decide to start over."

With a sigh, I settled into the chair opposite Penelope and conjured a stress ball to squeeze. "Right, so I'll trust him, but he won't be able to trust me."

I didn't look at her. I kept my eyes cast down and passed the ball between my hands.

"I think he's a more trusting person than you are overall, Hermione. He might be able to move past what happened before."

"I don't think so. If I were him—"

"But you're not. From everything you've told me over the past few months, I can definitely say that you and Draco are very, very different people. Soulmates or not."

Everything she said felt like it had hidden meanings and I didn't know if I was going mental. Rather than holding it all inside my head, I decided to ask for clarification.

"What are you trying to say? Do you think I should pursue a relationship with him now that we're both free to?"

She cleared her throat. "I don't think you're ready for that, but you should consider the connection between the two of you. Do you really think that it'll just go away now if it hasn't already?"

"I know it won't," I began, looking up at the ceiling while I continued squeezing the ball in my right hand. "But I don't think that we can truly repair things between us, either."

"I know it would be hard, but if it's something you want, you should try to figure out how to fix it."

Honestly, I wanted to scream in frustration. "There is no way to fix our relationship. I broke everything that was between us because I didn't feel like I could trust him. Now he won't ever trust me."

A memory of the previous night came to the forefront of my mind.

His hands on my arms, grey eyes staring into mine as he said, "You did not ruin things, Hermione. Not on your own, anyway… You need to stop blaming yourself for everything."

"I've already told you that I think he'll trust you again, so we can come back to that," Penelope began, pulling me out of my own thoughts. "What's your long-term plan with Draco? Will you have contact with him after the memories are over?"

I couldn't imagine him disappearing from my life again, but I also couldn't see a way forward as friends.

"I don't know. I guess I'll leave that up to him," I said, though it was clear I wasn't sure about it. "I just assumed I'd be in the Department of Mysteries and he'd go on his way in the DMLE. We'd maybe see each other in passing."

"I don't think I have to tell you that if you end up in close proximity again, you're eventually going to slip up."

It was true, but I didn't want to think about it. Just like I didn't want to think about the way I'd felt his magic brushing against mine, even when his hands were on my arms and our skin was separated by my old cardigan.

"Penelope, he's said he hates me numerous times. I don't think he's ever going to want to be with me like that again, so I'm not even going to consider it."

Even as I said it, I heard his voice in my head.

I don't think I can hate you, Granger. Not after seeing these memories and how much you were hurting.

"But if you're feeling the pull, he likely is too," she countered.

"Why are you pushing this?" I asked, trying to get her to back off. I wasn't ready for this conversation yet. "I didn't think that it was your job to tell me to get involved with someone."

She saw right through my defence and continued pressing forward. "It's not, but it is my job to help you. I have a feeling that you're going to have some hard decisions to make really soon, and like you said, things are changing so fast."

I couldn't answer her right away.

Even though we'd been watching the memories for weeks, I hadn't allowed myself to consider a future with him in it. Over and over again, I'd told myself that we would only hurt each other, just like we had before.

My mind had focused on the infidelity, the jealousy, and all of the bad things for so long that I'd forgotten the good. Now that I was seeing them again, I wanted them back.

I wanted to be in love, and I didn't think I'd ever feel that way again if I didn't get some type of closure with Draco.

Deep down, I knew that I'd eventually have to lay everything out on the table for him, strip myself bare and tell him that I still loved him.

Even if he didn't feel the same way, I'd still have a concrete ending that we would both remember.

"Okay," I breathed. "Yes, that makes sense."

"So let's talk openly and we can come up with a way to move forward."

I nodded and then looked at her. "Let's figure this out."

When I got home, I looked at the trunk of memories sitting on my table. My first instinct was to show Draco the night he'd told me about the pregnancy, but that would just be more pain, and I didn't think I could handle it tonight.

I thought about the time between April and June and what had happened in those months. The obvious answer was the Ministry ball that occurred every May, and there was no doubt that there had been fireworks between us that night. Chewing on my lower lip, my fingers danced across the memory vials and settled on the one for that night.

I remembered how I'd felt when I saw him come into the ballroom with Astoria on his arm, the way they'd smiled and talked to all the other pureblood families. I remembered how they'd danced, how I'd watched as he held her close and acted rashly.

And then how he'd come to my house after the ball.

It was the perfect thing to show him between the heavier memories. There was still angst — there was always angst between us — but it was a bit lighter than the pregnancy.

I lifted the vial from the trunk and rolled it between my palms before setting it in the basin of the Pensieve. Draco wouldn't be here for a few more hours but I didn't want to search for it again, and he seemed to enjoy watching his own memories.

Penelope and I had discussed next steps at length and she suggested that I read back through all of my journals again. There were certain entries I needed to make sure that Draco saw when the time came, so I started marking them one by one.

Some were just filler, showing nothing more than the mundane passing of time, but others were important, like the one from the first time I'd seen him in Diagon Alley and the very first one from when I went into the hospital.

If the memories didn't help him to understand, maybe my letters to him would.

I had gone through with the Obliviation because I loved him and wanted him to have a happy, full life with his son.

As hard as some of the entries were to read, I pushed through, letting myself cry when I felt like it. I had a pad of Post-It notes in my hand, and I was marking each relevant page, leaving him another small note about why I found each entry important.

I remembered reading through these before I went to find Blaise, but it somehow felt different now. When I was trying to push my feelings for Draco down, the entries took on a whole new light. They told a very messy love story. He'd pined for me for years before the affair started, and I'd done the same after the Obliviation.

Our timing was always off.

By six, I'd been through a few journals. I stacked them up on the table beside the trunk and sat in my usual spot to wait for him to come through the Floo.

When the green flames roared to life, Draco stepped out, but he wasn't alone.

He had Scorpius in his arms.

My stomach lurched and I didn't move, completely unsure of what to do or say. I hadn't expected him to just drop in with his son in tow.

Taking a few steps towards me, he forced a smile. "I didn't want to cancel on you at the last minute, but my parents are heading to France and Astoria is still feeling under the weather after her tests."

"You could've owled or Floo called," I told him, my eyes darting to the toddler in his arms. "I'm sure Astoria isn't happy about you bringing him here—"

"It was her idea, actually," Draco interrupted. "I thought we'd see if we could borrow Sev or James…"

My heart sped up.

What was this about?

I felt my lips move, trying to form words, but I didn't know what to say.

"Was this a bad idea?" he asked. "I can call for a house-elf."

"No!" I said, finally finding my voice. "I was just surprised. That's all."

Scorpius was holding a stuffed dragon and he raised it to his face, hiding behind it. I stood and moved closer, peering around the toy. "Hi there. Do you remember me?"

He shook his head, and his blond hair swayed with the movement.

"I'm Hermione. We had ice cream together one time."

At the mention of ice cream, I saw a sparkle in Scorpius' eyes and he looked up at Draco and kicked his feet. "Dada!"

"You're in for it now. He's going to remember you said that. We'll be at Fortescue's before the night is up."

"Well, that's fine. Let me pop over to Grimmauld and see if I can wrangle up one of the boys," I said, moving towards the Floo, my nervous energy propelling me. "I'll be back quickly I'm sure."

When I stepped through into Harry's kitchen, James screeched and wrapped himself around my legs. Pansy was standing at the stove and she smiled when she saw me.

"I'm panicking," I blurted, looking to her for help. "I don't have a lot of time, but Draco just showed up at my house with Scorpius, and I don't know what that means."

Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"He said Lucius and Narcissa are going away and Astoria's ill and he didn't want to cancel on me again. He suggested that I get Sev or James or both, like a playdate or something."

Harry came downstairs, carrying Sev on his shoulders.

"Hey, Hermione," he said, smiling. "I thought I heard your voice. I didn't know you were coming by tonight."

"Draco's just turned up at her house with Scorpius," Pansy stated. "She wants to borrow the boys."

"That's what he wants!" I replied. "I was ambushed, and I don't know what this means."

"Why does it have to mean something?" Harry asked.

I swallowed hard. "If we're not watching a memory, then what are we doing? Are we friends?"

Pansy came over and settled a hand on my shoulder. "Do you want me to talk to him? Find out what he's up to?"

"You really haven't spoken to him in quite some time. Wouldn't that be strange?"

She shrugged. "I'm not worried about that. I've known him my whole life. He can't lie to me."

As I covered my face with my hands, I said, "This is just out of nowhere. Why wouldn't he cancel on me?"

"Hermione, it doesn't have to mean anything. We can come with you, and you won't have to be alone with him."

If I was honest, I wanted to be the one to talk to Draco. I wanted him to tell me why he'd brought Scorpius.

"I think I'll be fine. I'm just… surprised."

"Are you taking one or both of the boys?" Pansy asked.

Looking to Harry, I said, "Want to help me bring them over to my place? I can return them later tonight."

He nodded. "Only if you're sure."

"I don't really have time to overthink it. He's in my house with Scorpius," I replied. "The kids will be a buffer. I'm sure I won't even really have time to interact with Draco."

Pansy looked at me sceptically.

"What?" I asked her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm worried," she stated. "I don't understand why he'd do this unless he wants to see how you treat Scorpius."

"Scorpius is innocent in all of this. I'm going to treat him just like I treat Sev and James and Lily."

"I know that," she said, emphasising the 'I'. "But he could've left Scorpius with an elf."

"He offered to call one. I was shocked silent at first," I admitted. "But I couldn't turn him away. He's so perfect."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. He's Draco's son. How could he not inherit the Malfoy genes?"

Ignoring her quip, I looked down at James. "Want to come to my house to play for a little while?"

He nodded his head and yelled, "Yes!"

Sev also looked excited at the prospect.

Pansy turned to Harry. "Don't leave them until Granger's sure she's okay."

"We know Hermione is perfectly capable—"

"Draco is pulling something," Pansy interrupted. "I don't know what it is, but I can't imagine Astoria knows that Scorpius is going to be spending the evening at Hermione's."

I felt a knot forming in my stomach. "He said it was her idea."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Well, if that's the case, then I'm sure she wants to see how you handle her son. If I were dying and certain that Harry would be moving on with someone else, I'd want to make sure that woman could be trusted with my children."

"But there's nothing going on between us," I replied feebly. "There's no reason for her to be concerned."

Pansy frowned. "I can't imagine Draco would just bring him by if you two were still arguing all the time."

"We're not arguing, but that doesn't mean—"

"It means he's forgiving you," she interrupted. "This — bringing his son over — he's thinking about what the future could hold. Kids aren't something that good parents take lightly."

"So I shouldn't do this?"

"No, if you want to, you absolutely should. I'm just telling you that this is getting more complicated than it already was," she answered.

I wanted to pace but I held back, somehow containing my nervous energy. "I didn't think that was possible."

Harry snorted. "Neither did I."

"You'd better get going," Pansy said, breaking the momentary silence we'd fallen into. "He's probably panicking by now."

I nodded and scooped James up. "Ready? Grab the powder!"

He stuck his little hand into the jar and handed me some Floo powder. I threw it down and stepped into the fireplace.

Knowing Harry would be following me closely, I immediately stepped further into the room.

When I appeared, Draco looked up at me. He was sitting on my floor and Scorpius was climbing all over him, likely clinging since he was in an unfamiliar location. James immediately squirmed and I set him down. Right away, he ran over to Draco and Scorpius, and then Harry came through with Sev.

"Malfoy," he greeted, stepping up beside me. "This was a surprise."

"Potter," Draco responded. "It wasn't planned on my end, either."

Sev's feet were swinging and I took him from Harry.

"Mi!" he screeched. "Mi!"

Laughing, I said, "Hello, my love. Do you want to play?"

He nodded. With a kiss to his little cheek, I set him down and he joined James.

I summoned the toys I kept for the boys and James grabbed the kid version of a Golden Snitch. As soon as he touched it, the wings started fluttering and he chased after it. Sev and Scorpius followed suit.

"Thanks," Draco said, getting to his feet. "I don't know if he would've left my side if there wasn't a familiar toy involved."

"He's not been around other kids much?" Harry asked.

"Not really. There aren't many females with young children in Astoria's circle at the moment."

Standing there awkwardly, I looked between them and wondered where the animosity had gone. They weren't really badgering each other at all, and it was a bit strange.

"So, now that the kids are running around, I can go. Unless you want me to stay, Hermione—"

"No, Harry. It's okay," I answered. "You can head home and spend some time with Pansy. Lily is still easy enough to care for."

"She'll likely be asleep for a few hours," Draco stated. "If I'm remembering correctly, the first month is mostly easy."

Harry nodded. "If you're sure, it might be nice to just have dinner with Pansy and no little ones to worry about."

"Enjoy yourself, but don't get her pregnant again," I teased. "I know that the baby factory is closed."

Squeezing my shoulder, he tossed me a wink and headed for the Floo. The boys stopped him for a moment, and he told them they could stay here for a little while. James and Sev both smiled and resumed their game.

"Do you want to take them outside?" I asked, turning to Draco. "There's more space and it's a nice night."

"Sure," he answered. "You know, I've never seen the outside of your house."

"I mean, you have," I pointed out. "You saw it in the memory last night."

His cheeks reddened. "Well, either way, it'll be nice."

Whistling, I rounded up the boys and grabbed a few more flying toys and headed for the door. "We're going to take this little party outside."

There was more shrieking and the sound of little feet running towards me. I opened the door and they all ran out into my front garden. When Draco stepped onto the ground, he turned, taking everything in.

"It's nice here. I like how secluded it is."

He'd liked that before, too.

"I enjoy it. It's quiet and the trees give plenty of shade in the summer," I explained, releasing all the toys.

The boys started toddling along again, and Draco noticed that Scorpius was still carrying his dragon. He stole it and, just when I thought Scorpius was going to throw a Malfoy-level fit, Draco charmed it to fly. A smile spread across the toddler's face and he ran after it.

Standing beside me, Draco said, "I never imagined that I'd love seeing my son run around with Potter's."

"They're Pansy's too. I'm sure you imagined that your kids would play together," I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.

"True, but I never thought... Well, it's like I said to Potter when Scorp and Sev were born, he and Pansy are a strange couple."

As I debated telling him how perfectly matched they actually were, I saw his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He was nervous and trying to expend energy.

"They're like us," I said softly, not daring to look at him. "When they touch, that's it. Skin to skin, and everything else falls away."

"I've touched your hand," Draco said. "And we controlled it."

"I didn't really have a choice there. You didn't know."

"And I made myself focus on Scorpius and Astoria."

"I don't know what you're trying to do tonight," I began, my eyes still focused on the kids. "But it's confusing to me, Draco. We've never discussed anything like this, and most days we're struggling to be friends."

He sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing, either. I just knew that I still wanted to see you, and Scorp — I haven't been spending enough time with him. I didn't want to leave him with an elf tonight."

"That's why I did it, you know," I replied. "I didn't want you to have to miss out on time with him. I couldn't bear the thought of taking you away from your son."

"And you were done coming second to a woman I didn't even love," Draco said, making my breath catch in my throat. "And then my father threatened you."

Nodding, I just continued to watch as James chased the Snitch, looking so much like a miniature version of Harry and his namesake.

"Hermione, I'm not trying to make this harder, I swear."

"It doesn't seem like you are. My mind just has trouble keeping it all straight sometimes. Now that Blaise and Astoria are both out of the picture, it feels different."

His hand settled on my lower back and he took great care not to touch me anywhere else. I turned my head to look at him, and I saw that his eyes were shining.

"I wanted this," he said. "I wanted all of it with you. I might not remember everything, but I know—"

"I know," I answered. "But there's still so much you have to see."

Slowly, his thumb stroked against my spine, giving me goosebumps. And then his hand fell away.

"I know, but let's just enjoy tonight. The memories will be there tomorrow."

Author's Note: Just a reminder, next update will be on May 1st.

Thank you to my team - I was concussed all week and didn't get to make the edits on this chapter until last night. They're all amazing and went through them first thing this morning.