Measure Of A Man

by inadaze22

To truly know someone is to differentiate between who they once were, who they are now, and who they're capable of being. Hermione realises the duality of one man as she rectifies what she knows of the past and begins to understand the pieces of who Draco Malfoy is now: a father, a son, and a man.

37. Even The Odds

Thirty Seven
Even The Odds

November 25, 2011

The moment was a study in contrasts.

Hermione's heart stopped. Then raced.

Time was endless yet reduced to each instant that dragged one breath to the edge of the next.

All around them, the earth's unnatural fury raged. Trees groaned as wind pushed their trunks and twisted their limbs with violent ease. The symbol of hate roared in the sky, and the clouds coiled around it like blossoming flowers.

In the eye of the storm, there was an eerie silence.

It lasted for one heartbeat, then two.

But drawn wands shattered the stillness with the force of frenzied magic.

A cacophony of hums started the onslaught.

Spells rained like falling stars, an array of malevolent colours Draco diminished to dust with a strong protection charm that glinted in the sky like shards of broken glass.

What he didn't catch, Hermione did.

Or tried to.

A few slipped past their defences. Blasting spells pummelled the playground like hail, shaking the ground beneath the feet. Despite the panicked screams from the boys who ducked per her yelled order, the equipment didn't buckle and her Unbreakable Charm held firm.

But the barrage didn't stop.

Too many to count. Too many to see.

They were closing in, and a quick look at Draco told her everything.

He knew, just as she did, that they couldn't keep this up for long.

Not unless…

"Trust me."

Hermione didn't wait for his response. In the moment between assaults, she lit every bench in the playground area with rapidly spreading bluebell flames. Another spell uprooted them, and the next turned the benches into burning weapons she hurled at the five Death Eaters.

Draco stayed on defence while she took the offence.

Sweat slid down her temple and Hermione's hand shook, but her voice was strong when she cast the spell.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

The ground quaked.

Wood and metal shrapnel sprayed everywhere. Their attackers yelled and took cover, trying to shield themselves from the chaos. One of the masked figures was impaled by a stray piece of iron and the others went down after being struck by shards of wood. That was the last thing Hermione saw before being temporarily blinded and deafened by the force of her overexertion.

Draco caught her with one hand while repeating an incantation that forced the result of her makeshift bomb away from them. The strain of his effort was evident: sweat beaded on his brow and blood trickled from his nose, but he held firm.

Debris settled like ash after a fire.

There was no time to exhale.

The air was teeming with an electric mix of magic and chaos.

As soon as she saw the Death Eaters start to move again, Hermione didn't wait for her ears to stop ringing or for the nausea to subside before putting eyes on each boy at opposite ends of the play set.

Both were protected from the aftermath. Pale and visibly terrified, but safe.

Quiet.

"I see now why we're down a dog." Rodolphus' voice was barely audible. "Go."

The crack sounded like a whip. A cloaked Death Eater appeared right behind a panicked Albus, who screamed and ducked when the wizard lunged at him first.

A second attempt never happened.

Hermione's aim was true, hitting the Death Eater in the chest with a stunner at the same time Draco's white orb sent him flying into the thick trunk of a nearby tree.

His head was twisted at an odd angle, and he didn't move.

But Draco did.

He all but dragged Hermione towards the playset while she deflected the spells that flew in their direction. They dove under the short metal group of slides, a curse missing Draco by centimetres.

Their ragged breaths filled the next few seconds.

Adrenaline buzzed through every nerve.

Draco wiped the blood from his nose and visibly reset.

"Al's in the left tower. Scorpius is on the right." Hermione's grip tightened around her wand while she peeked out. "Playground's covered in an Unbreakable Charm."

A fortress.

The last cloaked figure checked the impaled one then shook their head at Rodolphus.

Dead.

"It's three on two and they're regrouping. I'll get Scorpius." Draco readied himself with a few deep breaths, face hardening into a rigid mask of determination. "You get Albus."

They separated in a second.

Hermione slipped on her run but pain didn't slow her. It only motivated her to move faster. From the corner of her eye, she saw Draco duck beneath the tower where Scorpius was hiding. He Vanished the floor beneath his son and caught him with both hands, protecting them both from the fresh barrage of spells fired by Death Eaters who were back on their feet.

She made it to where she'd last seen Albus, but the spot was empty.

Panicked and unable to draw attention by calling his name, Hermione scoured the immediate area. He couldn't have gone far.

The covered slide caught her attention, and she ran to it. Dropping to her knees, she looked inside, locking eyes with a sweaty and fearful Albus. Spread wide, his arms and legs locked him in place.

He didn't come to her immediately.

She knew why.

Harry had taught his children well.

"Where The Wild Things Are."

And then she had to scramble away to rebound a curse. It struck a nearby tree that turned black before it cracked and fell, landing with a resounding crash. Hermione levitated the tree and sent it hurling in their direction. She heard them moving, firing spells that shredded the tree to wood chips that rained down on them all, but Hermione was singularly focused on Albus as he hurried out of the slide and into her arms.

"Aun—"

"Shhh. Close your eyes."

No time for hugs or words, they had to go. Now.

She took his hand and ducked low, then ran back to where Draco and Scorpius were waiting. Draco's badge was glowing in his hand.

"Three teams are on the way." He pocketed the badge. "You take th—"

Whatever Draco was about to say was lost under the roar of multiple cracks that preceded a rippling pulse of magic. Albus and Scorpius reached for each other instinctively, hands clasped together so tight their knuckles were pale.

"Is that them?" Hermione asked even though she knew the answer.

"No, it's too quick." Draco looked out from their hiding spot and settled back, glancing up for a moment and blinking. Then he swore. "Reinforcements."

Hermione peeked out the other side.

The odds were no longer in their favour. There looked to be a dozen of them now.

Something peculiar caught her eye.

A glowing object at Rodolphus' feet. It looked like—

"We're all stuck here now." Rodolphus sounded like he'd just swallowed gravel. "Nobody can Apparate in or out. We have nothing but time."

An anti-Apparition runestone.

Draco's eyes scoured the area, and Hermione knew they were both doing the same mental calculations. How far did it reach? The answer would be critical to their escape, but her attention went back to Scorpius.

Nobody in or out.

Nobody.

"We just want to talk," Rodolphus said.

The boys' harsh inhales were as sharp as a scream.

"This isn't a fight." Rabastan's laugh was haunting. "It's a family reunion."

There were several bristling chuckles from the others.

"How long has it been since you've seen little Scorpius, Rabastan? Three years?"

She couldn't place the voices. Cold dread flowed through her veins. Draco went just as rigid as the little boy who heard his own name.

"Shameful of you to keep him from his family."

Hermione covered Al's mouth when he squeaked, and Scorpius hid his face in his father's chest, eyes closed tight and shaking in terror. She stole another glimpse of the scene. The Death Eaters were fanning out, slowly surrounding the playground set. They moved carefully despite having the advantage of open space. She rapidly began to assess the situation and—

"I'll destroy the runestone." Draco peered out again. "Nobody in or out. Zippy might be able to get you three out."

"Zippy can take them but I'm not leaving you," Hermione said. "On you own, this is suicide."

"You always were a coward, Draco."

Draco's face tightened as though he wanted to argue with the taunt, but the urgency wouldn't let him.

"Fine," he whispered. "Zippy."

Several moments passed before Zippy arrived with a tiny pop. The second Draco gave his orders, the onslaught of magic resumed. Hermione's protection charm covered the four of them, but Zippy appeared just past the boundary. In the blink of an eye, the elf was struck with a dark blue jet of magic that made his little body—and their plans—crumple into a heap. Both boys gasped, but to her infinite surprise, it was Draco who pulled Zippy out of the sightline and took cover while Hermione checked him over.

Unconscious but breathing, Zippy bled heavily from the wound in his side where he'd been struck. Without her bag, the only thing Hermione could do was heal him with the strongest charm she could handle while the children looked on anxiously.

Draco sent a Death Eater who got too close flying across the field.

There was no way to tell if her efforts were enough. Zippy didn't wake.

They'd have to come back for him.

"Hear me out." Hermione redirected a curse. More began striking the playground, one right after another. The playset whined and creaked from the barrage of magic, but still, the Unbreakable Charm held firm. "You still need to destroy the rune, but I'll get them out the moment you do."

Running out of the radius would be impossible without knowing how far it went.

"I just wanted to talk, but have it your way."

Draco's face shifted as he retreated into himself, going completely blank. Occluding. He guided Scorpius over to her, mouth set in consternation as he got to work. Quick, efficient spellwork vanished him from sight, melting in the background. Disillusionment.

She tensed at the steady sound of approaching footsteps.

Someone was coming.

"Where are you going?" Hermione whispered.

"To execute the plan. Figure I should say hello to my uncles."

Draco was creating a diversion.

"Nothing reckless." Hermione's grip tightened on her wand. Her survival instincts eclipsed any pain. "Straight to the rune and destroy it. I'll Apparate them to my house and you follow. If you're not right behind me, I'm coming back. Agreed?"

She didn't need to see Draco to know he was not amused.

"Fine."

And then Hermione found herself alone with two shaking boys. She tried to comfort them as much as she could, but there was no time for anything beyond blunt directions.

"Hold each other. Stay as quiet as possible. Don't move or let go, no matter what."

Hermione turned her attention in the direction of the intruder, counting down silently.

Three.

"Can you both do that?"

"Yes."

The crunching footsteps grew louder.

Two.

Closer.

One.

The attack never came, but the sudden crack of bones preceded the body dropping next to their hiding space. The Death Eater's eyes were still open, but he was very much dead.

Al and Scorpius screamed.

The force of chaos broke like a wave against a seaside cliff. Spells sprayed like water in all directions. Shouts rang out as the Death Eaters tried to determine the source of a rogue spell. Curses and swears followed. Fading yells and the thump of bodies dropping filled the air. Even outnumbered, Draco was hidden in plain sight and on a violent warpath to the rune on the other side of the playground set. They couldn't stay there unless—

Suddenly the lifeless body was pulled away and another masked person appeared.

Hermione handled them with a curse that made their mask melt and their skin burn as she sent them flying in the opposite direction. Where he landed, she didn't know because twin fearful cries of her name snatched her attention.

Then she felt the tug and her stomach dropped.

She lost her grip on Al's hand.

Rabastan's wand dug into Scorpius' neck, and he had Al's dark hair fisted in the grip of his other hand.

Everything stopped: her heart, her breath, the world.

A flash of blinding white meant Draco had made it to the rune and destroyed it.

But no matter the victory, with Rabastan holding both boys, it felt like a loss.

Friend or enemy, she didn't know, but the sound of incoming Apparitions brought about a strange suspension of reality.

This wasn't happening.

This wasn't real.

It couldn't be.

But there was no denying how real Rabastan's hideous smile was as it slowly spread across his face like a curse.

He pressed the tip of his wand tighter against Scorpius' throat. "Put down your wand, Mudblood."

"Okay." Hermione watched tears streak down Scorpius' cheeks.

She had to think quickly.

Neither pair of terrified eyes left her as she raised both hands and slowly lowered herself, placing her wand next to the still unconscious elf. Looking up, she brought her hands up to the sides of her head and quickly signed something.

Close your eyes.

Their trust in her made them do that.

And then a howl shook the air around them.

Followed by more.

Hermione held her breath for one beat.

Then two.

The distant echo of an answering howl sent a spike of panic through her.

"It worked." Rabastan's laughter was manic and giddy. "He's coming because of you. He's—"

Thin cords shot from her fingertips, wrapping immediately around his neck. And in the next moment, Rabastan was writhing on the ground, choking and tearing hopelessly at the binds.

Hermione picked up her wand as the boys rushed into her arms.

"Are you both okay?"

"Yes."

They tried to turn around but she stopped them. "Don't look. Close your eyes for me one more time."

When they did, Hermione bound Rabastan's legs, silenced him with a stunner, and Disillusioned him. She looked around. Their hiding space wasn't covered, just an open area behind a solid wall of the playset, but she pushed him up against the playground equipment for now. She'd deal with him later, or someone else would. Part of her hoped he would have to watch the carnage without the ability to move a muscle or make a sound.

Heart pounding, she tried not to think about the meaning of Rabastan's words and the swell of howls, but the stirring behind her made Hermione whip around, wand drawn and spell poised at the tip of her tongue.

"Zippy!" Scorpius sounded as relieved as she felt.

Hermione lowered her wand as the elf slowly sat up. He didn't look too well, but was getting to his feet nonetheless. "Shall I carry out Master Draco's wishes?"

"Yes, if you're able. Take them both back to my home." Hermione's hands were shaking when she sent a Patronus to Ginny and watched her otter race off. "Al, your mum will come through the fireplace. Zippy, if anyone else tries to enter, defend the house. Al, sweetie, I need you and Scorpius to hide if that happens, okay?"

"Okay." Their voices sounded so small, so faint.

Thunder rumbled and Hermione could see the arrival of a host of Task Force members. The colour of their robes identified them as his French team. The fight was loud now, but the spells weren't being aimed at the fortress she'd created.

There was no word fit to encompass the chaos, but she couldn't focus on that until the boys were safe.

"But—" Scorpius reached for her—just like last time.

The ground shook once more.

"We'll come back for you." She touched his face and squeezed Al's shoulder. "Zippy, take them now."

All three disappeared with a pop.

Hermione took a moment to ground herself before scrambling out of the hiding spot. It looked far worse than it sounded. While more Death Eaters had arrived since she'd last seen the fight, there were now just as many Aurors and Task Force members on the scene as well.

Evenly matched.

Now visible, with single-minded fury, Draco was efficiently clearing a path towards Rodolphus, who had made easy work of one Auror and was fighting two more in the middle of the fray. But before she could get to him, she was spotted.

Cornered.

Four on one.

Upon seeing her, one howled a slightly different way than earlier.

The beastly answer was closer.

"He's coming for you." He sounded far too happy about it. Eager. "We'll fix him and then he'll—"

Red shot from the tip of the masked Death Eater's wand, and the wolf dropped in a stunned heap.

"Filthy dog forgot the mission." The voice sounded feminine.

Then the remaining three turned their wands on Hermione as they advanced.

"I hear you're broken, Mudblood." The last one spoke. "I can't wait for him to—"

Hermione never let them finish.

With one wave of Hermione's wand, the female Death Eater was on her knees screaming in agony. Ducking a flash of green and something black and ugly, she made the caster pay by throwing him into the nearby tree and binding him with an Incarcerous.

The last one standing was the one who had called her broken.

The need to prove him wrong made her careless, and her aim was wild enough for him to deflect each of her curses while backing away.

But then she got her head together.

A severing spell cut the Death Eater's wand in half, and a blue glow connected the tip of her wand to his chest. He landed on the ground and started convulsing, spitting blood until the trembling stopped.

The stunned wolf tried to move, but Hermione put her foot on his neck and applied weight.

A spell she didn't cast struck him in the head and rendered him unconscious once again.

Hermione turned to face down the caster.

Draco.

More Aurors were appearing on the scene, but paranoia kept her hand steady on her wand.

She had to be certain. "What tea did I drink this morning?"

"Black. Splash of milk. One sugar." Draco looked around as Hermione lowered her wand. "Where are they?"

"Zippy took them back to my house." A flick of her wrist sent a curse aimed at them into the ground instead. Grey eyes cut to the smoke rising from the grass then back to her. His appreciation was visible but not vocal. "I saw you going after your uncle."

"I lost sight of him." Draco hexed whoever was approaching behind her and was about to go for overkill when he stopped himself. "There was a howl and I—"

"He's coming," she whispered.

But she was wrong.

Greyback wasn't coming.

He was already there.

A figure burst through the trees and into the clearing.

Terror paralyzed her.

In some strange suspension between man and beast, he didn't appear to be wholly either.

Blood matted part of his fur while cuts on his exposed skin kept forming and healing. Greyback didn't have hands; he had paws with elongated claws. His head was all wolf, but his eyes were human. Red with blood. Pupils black.

A walking nightmare. Her nightmare brought to life.

Hermione could still feel the phantom grip of his hands around her throat.

Smelling her, lifting her, licking her tears.

She was frozen under the weight of her own horror.

Even when he broke out in a run with human legs, she didn't move.

Draco seized her by the shoulders, snapping her out of her daze.

And then she found power over panic.

They took off in the opposite direction of the mangled beast.

Draco spelled the tree roots to coil around the ankles of anyone who passed as they fled, and Hermione summoned obstacles. Limbs and rocks and anything her waning magic could handle littered their path.

But nothing worked.

A deep, echoing roar directed the Aurors and Task Force members' attention to Greyback.

And the Death Eaters'.

Hermione and Draco slowed as a few ran towards Greyback, hands raised as if trying to tame the wild beast.

Then, for one horrific moment, everything stopped.

Greyback swiped at the first Death Eater that stepped close enough to be touched. Blood sprayed from deep gashes, and the man fell to the ground. Lifeless. Greyback turned and seized a second by the throat, dragging him closer like a doll at its owner's mercy until he sank his teeth into their neck and tore out a chunk of flesh. The Death Eater never had a chance to make a sound.

Greyback's roar thundered like a battle cry.

The attack became a retreat.

Death Eaters fled in all directions.

Hermione and Draco were stunned still, but she knew the instant Greyback picked up her scent.

A snarl curled his bloodied lips as his head snapped in their direction.

Draco tried to Apparate them out.

But the spell fizzled.

A breath caught in Hermione's throat. "I thought you destroyed the rune."

"I did."

Before she could blink, they took off running again, veering towards the soot-covered playground set, and dodging columns of smoke billowing from the ground around it. Twisted metal creaked and squealed, and swings still attached to the wreckage groaned their protest to salvation on weak chains.

For one haunting moment, Hermione allowed herself to think about the boys who had been on those swings not even an hour ago. In its current condition, they wouldn't have—

The cool spill of magic over her skin shocked Hermione out of her own head. From what she could see, Aurors and Task force members were distracting the beast as the Death Eaters fled. Draco had cast a Disillusionment Charm spell on her but not himself. She didn't understand why until she followed his gaze half a dozen metres away.

To someone familiar.

Rodolphus.

Holding a second rune identical to the first.

"Running away again? Just like your father. At least he begged for his life. Will you?"

"No."

"Pity." He tsked and looked past Draco.

Greyback was tearing through anyone who tried to hold him back. Incarcerous binds were wrapping him in gold, keeping him from advancing too quickly, but he ripped each new layer off as if they were little more than an annoyance.

"The Mudblood must be close. Good. I'll have my dog back."

Draco appeared calm, but she knew he wasn't.

Neither was she.

Trouble was closing in.

"You've been so good at hiding, nephew." Rodolphus tossed the rune up and caught it with each menacing step forward. "But lately you've gotten a little sloppy."

Draco's fingers twitched, as if signalling for her to go, and Hermione stepped away slowly, certain not to make a sound.

"Imagine my surprise to find you frequently. So easily. Now, now, don't look at me like that, nephew. Haven't you figured it out yet? No? Pity. Each time you use magic, I know. Diagon Alley. The Royal Conservatory. I thought you were smarter, but I suppose that's what happens when you degrade yourself with a Mudbl—"

Draco's curse burned bright, catching his uncle in the shoulder. Rodolphus clutched his arm in pain as blood seeped through his fingers.

The rune remained in his hand. They were still trapped.

"Stupid boy."

The fight began in earnest. Draco went on the offence and Rodolphus easily thwarted each spell. Greyback was still tearing in their direction, dodging every attempt to restrain him.

There was no time.

A rogue spell from Rodolphus set fire to a ring of grass around them. It spread like spilled quick-silver, instantly dangerous and completely out of control, but it provided a border between them and Greyback. Which gave them time. A summoning spell from her and a disarming spell from Draco caused Rodolphus' wand and the rune to fly in opposite directions.

Greyback jumped high over the spreading flames and landed with a rumbling thud that shook the ground.

"Kill him," Rodolphus shouted.

But the order was pointless with Hermione's scent in the air.

Draco destroyed the rune with a flash of white light. "Go!"

With her mind racing, hands shaking, and Greyback bearing down on her, Hermione closed her eyes, centred herself, and thought of one location.

Home.

The pull was sharp.

Painful.

All she could do was scream.

---

Hermione landed on her side with enough force to steal the air from her lungs.

She helplessly let the world spin until she could move her arm and seize a handful of grass. She twisted her legs under her slowly. The world was falling and rising around her in a dizzying display.

Apparition was dangerous in moments of confusion. She painfully relearned this lesson with ringing eardrums and her head screaming from the pressure.

But she was whole.

Alive.

Hermione slowly sat up, and something trickled down her face and the side of her neck.

When she touched it, blood marred her shaky fingertips.

Adrenaline still hummed in her veins, allowing her to ignore the pain of movement and rise to her feet. She needed to figure out where she'd ended up. Clear skies and a bold, bright sunset redoubled her head's pounding efforts. It was an odd contrast to the grey clouds from the park.

But one look around and she realised she'd made it.

Home.

Busy exhaling her relief, Hermione had no time to prepare for the wave of nausea that twisted in her stomach. Back on her hands and knees, she was too busy vomiting in the grass to notice anything else around her.

Only when she heard her name and felt a hand on her back did she recognise Ginny, who helped Hermione back to her feet when she finished.

Frowning at the sick, they left it behind just as Daphne appeared in the doorway with her wand drawn.

"You took too long." Daphne's voice was oddly distorted. "Hermione, your ears and nose." And then she ran back inside. By the time they entered the kitchen, Daphne was waiting with a warm towel to clean the blood.

"The boys?" Hermione asked.

"Panicked and anxious but in the conservatory. Safe and sound."

Hermione couldn't hold back her relief.

Ginny rubbed her shoulders. "Padma took Zippy to a Healer that specialises in house-elves, Theo is mobilising the hospital for the influx, and Ron—"

Scorpius and Albus interrupted Ginny by running into the room. Wrapped in blankets, their faces were swollen with tears. It didn't matter how disoriented she was, Hermione dropped to her knees and pulled them both into a tight hug. Their sentiments devolved into incoherence.

Hermione soothed them as best as she could.

She was there. They were safe.

They—

Hermione pulled back. "Where's Draco?"

"I have no idea." Daphne shook her head. "He's not here."

Dread returned like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach, but a loud pop from the conservatory stole her attention.

Daphne and Ginny rushed to the source while Hermione held the boys tighter. Barely two seconds later she heard Daphne swear and Ginny tell someone to follow her. Hermione made the boys sit on the sofa, then struggled to cross the room.

In the kitchen, Ginny was on one side of Draco, Blaise on the other, and together they held up his deathly pale form. He was grimacing and gasping for breath, with his wand clutched tight in one hand and the other wrapped around the bloody hilt of the dagger buried in his side.

A trail of blood marked their path.

"He landed on my desk." Blaise sounded out of breath. "Said to bring him here. Wouldn't let me take the dagger out."

Hermione scrambled to transfigure her island stool into a chaise, then Blaise and Ginny helped him onto it. Draco gritted his teeth all the way down, breath coming out in thready rasps.

"Blaise, call Susan. Ginny, get a Blood Replenishing potion from the store closet. Daphne—"

"Daddy?"

Every head swivelled to find a wide-eyed, shaking Scorpius by the sofa and the top of Albus' head peeking over his shoulder.

Daphne ushered the boys out of the room, steering them back into the conservatory before they saw anything else.

Everyone moved in a rush. Hermione summoned her beaded bag, catching it when it came hurling from another room. Blaise was back at her side first, arriving just as she found the bezoar, just in case, and made him take it with a pain potion that eased his breathing.

"You owe me a desk."

"I—" Draco's first word was slurred and laced with humour. "Bastard."

"Shut up and stop bleeding to death."

Ginny returned with the potion and moments later, he was grimacing at the taste without argument. Susan arrived looking fiercely irritated with a bright pink sleep mask on top of her head, but she jumped in without question, reaching into her own bag and pulling out an enchanted parchment and her wand.

Hermione focused only on her task.

Not the dagger sticking out of him or the sharpness of each pained breath he took when Susan began running diagnostic charms and checking the wound with blunt fingers. Not the pallor of his skin or the beads of sweat running down his face.

Susan looked at the results on the parchment and swore. "Did you give him a bezoar?"

"Administered first as a precaution, followed by a pain potion."

"Brilliant."

"What?" Blaise sounded far away, even though he was next to her. "Why?"

"Why is he sweating?" Ginny asked.

Susan cut her eyes at them both. Blaise held up his hands, but Ginny, unapologetic as always, merely waited for a response.

"It's the poison burning out of his system, thanks to Hermione's quick thinking."

"Oh."

Hermione checked his eyes. They were more focused and dilating. "The same one?"

"No or we'd be taking this to the hospital, but we need to get that dagger out to analyse it." Susan opened her hand and Ginny handed her the second Blood Replenishing vial. She made him drink it before clearing away the blood to get a good look at the wound. "It doesn't appear that the dagger is in a critical spot. Hermione, switch places with me."

"I can extract."

"No, you can't." Susan barely gave her a once over. "Your hands are shaking and your ears are bleeding from Apparition sickness. Not to mention I'm positive you overexerted yourself and likely compromised your own healing, but we'll talk about that later. For now, keep him still and I'll heal you after."

Even with a pain potion, pulling the dagger out was slow and painful work. Draco clutched her hand, bowed his head, and clenched his jaw.

Hard to tell who was shaking more.

When it was finally out, Susan poured dittany over the wound. His skin began to knit together, but not completely. A jagged scar remained. Draco would be sore for days, but as the colour returned to his face, Hermione thought it was a small price to pay.

She binned the discarded shirt and brought him a new one. Blaise left his side once Hermione returned, and after washing his hands and spelling Draco's blood out of his shirt, he went into the conservatory with Daphne and the boys.

"What happened?" Hermione helped Draco into a shirt while Susan washed his blood off her hands. "You were right behind me."

"My uncle grabbed me right before I Disapparated." Jaw tight, he puffed out a breath when the shirt was finally on. "I had to take him anywhere but here. We ended up in the rose garden at the Manor. We fought, I escaped, and—well, my aunt was a good teacher. Throwing daggers was her specialty."

Hermione winced.

She knew that all too well.

"Rodolphus was injured and bitten. But it's not a full moon."

Susan gave her a long look before she left his side.

While Ginny cleared the blood from the kitchen floor with a charm, Susan healed Hermione and gave her explicit instructions not to Apparate and go easy on her magic until they gave her a full work up. By the time Susan was finished, Draco had pulled himself into a sitting position.

Just in time for Daphne to return with Al and Scorpius.

The boys froze when they saw him, rough and obviously in pain, but one gesture from Draco brought them closer. First, he curled an arm around his son, and then accepted Albus' lean against him.

And that was when Hermione finally saw it.

The absolute fury in his eyes.

---

The absence of adrenaline left the boys dazed and exhausted.

It took mere minutes for Albus and Scorpius to fall asleep on the sofa in the living room, both snuggled together under Hermione's blanket. Susan, Daphne, and Blaise had gone home for the night with a promise to check in. Ginny returned to the Burrow to check on James and Lily after she'd run out immediately upon receiving her message.

She would return, but for now, they were alone. Hermione was on the stool and Draco stood between her parted legs. They hadn't spoken in the ten minutes that had passed since Blaise left.

"You're still shaking," Draco murmured.

"Everything's fine." Hermione shifted on her stool before Draco tilted her chin up to look at him. "We're fine, and because of that, I'm fine."

"Is that what you're telling yourself?"

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned against him as the events of the attack slowly began catching up with her. He was right. She was just going through the motions, utterly wrung out from the roller coaster of a day. It made her sick and weary, buzzing with an odd energy that kept her mind racing and made her feel like she was still on high alert long after the threat had passed.

Slowly, she brought her arms around him and tried to take what felt like her first breath.

But it was cut short when Harry came through the Floo.

Draco stiffened but didn't pull away.

Hermione didn't move.

"The boys?" He sounded frantic. "I was at another scene when I got called to the park."

"They're asleep, no thanks to your loud entrance." Draco's response was terse but then he gestured to the sofa. "The scene?"

"Under control. The Task Force is collecting evidence." Harry looked between them. "And you?"

"We're… as good as we can be right now." Hermione ignored the throb in her hand. "I tried to Apparate too far, Draco got stabbed with a dagger by his uncle, and you should send a team to Malfoy Manor for evidence or possibly an injured Rodolphus."

"I'll do that. I—"

"They tracked us—no, me to the park. We're supposed to have people on the inside that know their plans and report back with any move they make," Draco snapped. "Why didn't they warn us? My son—our sons—were out there and—"

"From what I've gathered, it wasn't planned. None of this was." Harry took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just met with all the implants and they had no idea about any of this. Only one saw Rodolphus prior to it, and he was under the impression Rodolphus was taking a group out on a reconnaissance mission for Greyback based on a sighting. Nothing unusual."

"They lured him there." Hermione sat up straight. "The wolves were under orders. One of them was hexed before he could boast more, but I was told multiple times that he was coming for me."

Words she would never forget.

"I'm done for the day," Draco tightened his hold around her.

It was barely three hours after they'd left for the park, but Hermione agreed. A hot shower and a quiet night was what they all needed.

"That's going to be a problem."

Draco tilted his head. "Why?"

"Well, in addition to all the Death Eaters we captured in the park, injured or otherwise, we found Rabastan tied up and stunned behind the playground set."

Both men's eyes landed on Hermione. Unbothered, she shrugged.

"He tried to take them." The more she thought of it, the more vengeful she became. "I stunned him before the binds could strangle him. Call it mercy."

Draco's jaw tightened.

"Malfoy." Harry rolled his shoulders in quiet confirmation of a rage. "Rabastan asked to talk to only you."

"Ignore all his demands outside of the bare necessities. And check his body for suicide vials he's too cowardly to use."

"Aren't you going to go tonight? I—"

"No." Draco left no room for argument. "Let him rot overnight. Alone. I don't operate on his schedule."

---

They didn't bother putting Scorpius in his own bed.

Instead, he was a warm, sleeping weight curled between them with his thumb in his mouth. He was facing his father with Hermione at his back.

Draco was still just as quiet as he had been when they'd woken the tired little boy for a quick dinner he'd devoured, gotten him prepared for bed, and found themselves there far earlier than usual after checking all the wards around the house. Hermione had no expectations for conversation, and was fully prepared to watch him guard Scorpius—guard them both—until he too fell asleep.

But when she was drifting in and out of sleep, he broke the silence with her name.

It left her wide awake. "Yes?"

Silence filled the seconds that followed, but if he wanted to talk, Hermione would let him begin in his own time.

At his own pace.

"My father." Draco exhaled in a rush, as though the two words had taken the rest of his energy.

But then he found more.

"My father died before he was set to go before the Wizengamot with additional information on the whereabouts of other Death Eater hideouts." Little more than a hush above Scorpius' head, Draco's voice was low, spoken from the edge of his pillow. "They were trying to find ways to show that he wasn't honouring his original deal that had kept him out of Azkaban."

"The attack on the Manor—"

"Was disguised as a visit. Given the circumstances, we weren't celebrating Christmas that year." Draco fell into a short, pensive silence. "They uh—They wanted my father to use his last connections to buy his way into influence so they could rise again, but my father refused. He said he was finished and told them to vanish while they still could. I thought it was over."

"Where were you when it began?"

"Out of the room, feeling sorry for myself." Chuckling darkly, Draco combed a hand through his hair. "I was summoned. When I walked in, wands were drawn, and my uncles had the Death Eaters who escaped the battle in our house."

Again.

"They wanted to kill my mother first. After all, she had lied, but my father created a diversion for us to escape…" Draco touched the top of his son's head. "I know the sort of man he was, and I make no apologies for him, just as I make none for the boy I was. He was difficult and demanding, but I worshipped him like a god until I learned that he was just a man."

A horrible man who still had enough love in him to risk his life to save his family.

In the end, not even death redeemed him. Not to the world or even to the son he protected.

"Your mother said he loved you."

"I know he did. I saw it." Grey eyes rose to hers. "But the only times I experienced it, the only times I ever saw my father's true self were during life or death situations. I saw him then, and I see myself in him now."

"As you should. He's part of you." Hermione raised up on her elbow. "But instead of focusing on the similarities, focus on the differences. There are many. Your capacity for change being one."

"Lessons that were all hard learned."

"All lessons are."

Scorpius shuffled closer to his father.

"What happened today isn't your fault," Hermione whispered in the quiet of the room. "It's not."

"My uncle was right. I let my guard down."

"Because you're not perfect and you both deserve to live. Before everything else today, Scorpius was happy and playing. Something he didn't do before." Hermione brushed the little boy's hair off his forehead. "Hold that memory and let go of the rest. We'll be more careful going forward. We'll put up safeguards to protect ourselves, but I won't sacrifice living and you shouldn't either."

Draco said nothing for a long time, his face proof of the remaining tension he carried.

But Hermione still had so many questions. "They said they hadn't seen Scorpius in three years. Did they—"

"My uncles tried once during one of Daphne's visits, but she escaped safely with Scorpius. We agreed not to tell Astoria about the threats. She would have worried, which would have adversely affected her health." Draco shifted uncomfortably. "There's a room in the Paris house that's filled with poisons disguised as childrens' gifts—cursed trinkets and letters, amongst other things."

It explained his intense paranoia and strict rules, security, rigorous checks, and Scorpius' lack of socialisation.

Draco couldn't take the risk.

And yet.

"Why did you keep it all?"

"As a reminder."

Of what could happen.

"What I'm still learning, what I keep repeating to myself in all this is that the past does not control the future. And we all need support along the way. It's not a weakness to depend on people." Hermione laced their fingers together. "It's strength because you have people around you that you can depend on. You don't have to carry the weight alone anymore, and neither do I. I'm still working through how I feel and what we'll tell Scorpius when he asks about today. You should, too, because he will ask."

"Of course he will." Draco shook his head in faint amusement. "I'll tell him—"

"That he was born into a family that made a lot of mistakes, and caused a lot of suffering and pain. But you'll also tell him that the generational curse will end here and now."

"With him?"

"Yes, but also with you."

---

November 26, 2011

Talking to children was like walking on ice.

If they stumbled on the wrong part at the wrong time, or applied too much pressure to any area, the ice covering the lake of curiosity could crack. Trying to explain things they weren't yet able to understand would drag them to the depths, and they would exert all their energy trying to fight their way to the surface to resolve the initial reason for the dialogue while distracted by the frigid sea of information saturating their minds.

After breakfast, they edged out onto the fragile surface by taking Scorpius into the greenhouse. Under the guise of introducing the month-old chicks to the outside world, she told him they had to be prepared for the imminent move to the coop.

He was moody, not speaking, only signing, and both adults followed in kind. The silence was nice, but plenty was said with their hands.

Draco was far more prolific in practice while Hermione was more widely read in theory, which helped her translate.

They worked together to communicate without sound.

Scorpius drifted through the motions while wrapped in her blanket with only his face and hands visible. Eventually, he abandoned it on her work bench stool, and held her hand as they walked through the greenhouse, touching the petals he was allowed to and placing his hand on the trunk of each tree. Somehow, he knew to save the olive tree for last.

After Hermione made sure the tired little chicks were happily settled back in the conservatory brooder, she returned to find Scorpius standing while Draco sat on the ground.

They were at each other's eye level. Talking.

Hermione hung back and listened as he answered Scorpius' murmured questions about the bad men. It wasn't easy, but Draco was honest. He kept his answers brief yet reassuring, just as they'd discussed. And he made sure to ask some of his own.

"Were you scared?"

"Yes, but Mum made it better. She saved us from the bad man." Scorpius shifted from foot to foot while Hermione tried not to make her presence known by audibly gasping. "Were you scared?"

Several heartbeats passed before Draco said, "I was."

"Did Mum make it better?"

From behind, Hermione saw his shoulders tremble with amusement. Then he turned, locking eyes with her. Caught in the act, she flushed.

"She did."

---

The morning's activities perked Scorpius up, made him less anxious, and when they brought him to the Potters before heading to the Ministry, he didn't fuss.

Draco's signed conversation with Scorpius was only private because Hermione looked away.

Back soon, Hermione signed before Ginny coaxed him to join the pile of children on the floor watching cartoons and eating candy and crisps at ten in the morning to de-stress. Scorpius slid in between James and Albus, who had nodded off, but Lily plopped on James, and after staring at Scorpius, she greeted him with a smile and a headbutt to his chin.

He petted her head between the cat ears she refused to let go of and she purred.

James offered him the bag of crisps and Scorpius took exactly one.

"We'll be back to get him."

"He'll be safe with us." Ginny's playful tone overlaid her seriousness. "Aurors are patrolling the area and we're only doing stress-free activities today. Whatever they want." She leaned a little closer once they were out of earshot. "Al cycled between detailing everything about you and Uncle Draco saving them, the bad men, and crying all night, but he seemed better once Harry talked to him, so we're working on it."

"Scorpius, too." Hermione looked back at Draco. "Not crying, he hasn't done much of that, but he ate like he was starving and slept for ages. I think them being together will help."

"And you?" Ginny's eyes creased with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Getting there. My focus has been on Scorpius, but I've had to process everything to help him, so that's what I've done. We…" Hermione looked over at Draco, who was pretending not to eavesdrop. "It'll probably take us several hours."

They waited until Scorpius was settled and relaxed before leaving. Draco hadn't asked her to come, as she was scheduled for her own interview in a few hours, but he hadn't asked her to stay behind either. He needed the support, that much she knew. She understood his silence, and the way he took her hand when it was time meant as much as a boldly stated invitation from a man still trying to get used to asking.

Reaching.

From Harry and Ginny's living room, they took the Floo into Draco's office, but before he steeled himself for the meeting with his uncle, Hermione held him back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him, forcing them both to take a few deep breaths. There was something wild in his eyes, frantic yet calm, and she couldn't quite figure him out, but it seemed a lot like trouble.

"Information is what you're there for. That's all."

"Scorpius and—"

"You want to punish him, I get it. I do too, but you don't need fully-fledged flames to do that. Just a spark. It'll catch and spread. They're tracking you. Neither of us noticed it. So just stay calm. Occlude if you have to, but you need to find out everything you can."

Draco looked away. "You might not approve of my methods."

"You'd be surprised what I might approve of."

Their eyes locked before he took a deep breath and exhaled, his grip slowly loosening.

"Do you want me to escort you to the Auror office for your interview?"

"Yes, I'm certain Percy is waiting for me there. It's bad form if I'm interviewed by Harry so he's having a subordinate conduct it." Hermione paused and closed her eyes. "Do you have a little more time?"

"Why?"

"I think we just need a moment. You look as heavy as I feel."

Draco made a barely audible noise. "I'd like a few normal days…"

When happiness wasn't challenged or fleeting.

He never said as much but he didn't have to. She knew.

She remembered.

"We'll have more days when this is over." Hermione lifted up on the tips of her toes to kiss him.

Quick to step back, his hand on her waist held her in place. Draco's returning kiss tasted like relief, like bitter frustration bleeding from his bones. The release left room for everything he'd been holding in to swell up and fill him instead. She filled the spaces of each emerging crack by grounding him in her embrace. The subtle shake of his hands was the only way Draco allowed himself to express his fears.

Maybe he'd talk about it more under the cover of darkness.

Maybe he wouldn't.

It didn't matter either way because right then she gave him the reprieve he needed before he stepped back and held the door open as they walked out.

---

Hermione's interview went smoothly.

She told the truth, save the relationship between her and Draco and minor details she conveniently left out. But the moment they were alone, Percy walked her over to Harry's office to reconvene. Messy as ever, they both frowned at the chaos that was his desk. Hermione wondered how he ever managed to get anything accomplished.

"You omitted a few things," Percy said once they were seated in the privacy of Harry's office. "I can always tell when you do that."

"Several things, actually. I'm not certain who's reading the Auror reports so I was being careful not to mention that the Death Eaters are tracking him."

"What?"

"Yes." After exhaling, Hermione folded her arms. "Draco's interrogating his uncle to find out how. For some reason, Rabastan will only talk to him."

"This has the potential to go very badly."

"It does." Hermione stretched and leaned back in her chair. "I told him to do what needed to be done."

The door burst open and Harry stomped in.

"Malfoy locked me out of the interrogation room." He squinted at her non-reaction. "He could—"

"He might." Hermione shrugged. "But he won't."

"I should go back and break down the door."

"Don't be dramatic." Hermione bit back a laugh when Harry gave her a look that proved her point. "I'm serious. If you want, we can wait outside the door together, but let him do this his way. He needs information more than he needs vengeance. Trust me."

"How do you—oh. I see you two sorted it out."

"We did." Hermione joined him as he led the way out with Percy trailing just behind.

"Good because he was a fucking terror. I had to send Deloris his way for everything because I knew he wouldn't be a prat to her. She's the only person he likes in the entire department."

"I thought you two were partners?"

"We are, but that doesn't stop him from doing things that make me want to punch him—repeatedly."

Percy chuckled and pressed the button for the lift. "About how I feel about my brothers."

Harry scowled. "Malfoy is not my brother."

Hermione had to smother her chuckle in her fist, which drew both their attention. Her best friend's face softened once the lift started moving.

"I'm happy you're happy."

Hermione smiled. "Don't do that thing where you threaten him if he hurts me."

Harry barked out a laugh. "What makes you think I haven't?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I—"

"What makes you think we haven't?" Percy said.

Hermione's eyes snapped to Percy. "Et tu?"

"Of course. You're family."

Her exasperation faded as an understanding settled between them; a reminder of something she'd known all along but sometimes forgot. Family often came packaged as friends. There was little distinction.

The rest of the ride and the walk to the shut door of the interrogation room passed in silence.

Then, the first hour flew by.

Pansy, with her visitor's badge on display, joined them during the second hour with food she hadn't cooked, and dragged them into an empty room nearby to sit down and eat.

A touch of worry came and went in the third hour, which prompted Hermione to return to her post, leaning against the wall next to the shut door.

When Draco walked out with his sleeves rolled up, she knew he'd gotten what he needed.

"He'll come for me." Rabastan's cold voice filtered through the room.

Hermione shivered.

Draco stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm counting on it."

The door shut behind him just as Harry, Percy, and Pansy joined them.

"So?" Harry gestured for him to begin.

Percy set a Muffliato to keep the conversation private.

"You'll be happy to know, Potter, that your prisoner is intact."

Harry looked doubtful.

"He isn't an Occlumens," Draco said simply.

Which meant Draco either dosed him with Veritaserum or dug around in his uncle's mind. Hermione privately hoped it was the latter.

"They've been tracking me since the attack at Godric's Hollow. I got cornered in an alley there and I—" Draco exhaled. "I didn't think about it, but they likely took enough blood to put something like The Trace on me. Each time I do magic, it notifies them of my location."

Harry seemed to be puzzling it out. "Charms like that should only work outside of warded areas, and you don't go out much."

Hermione winced. That, for the most part, was true. Except for small outings. She could think of all the places they'd Apparated to and walked through. The day out with Scorpius. Even a few of their dates. The recent trip to the Apothecary. He'd cast warming charms in the park. That had to be how they'd been alerted to their presence.

"Appare Vestigium." She folded her arms across her chest. "The trace on him notifies them of his general location, right? They could send out a scout, and use that spell to illuminate his magical footprint in that area. Doesn't work within warded boundaries but it could get them close enough to pick up patterns."

"Right. My movements weren't of any interest until late." Draco gave Hermione a pointed look. Her. She was the reason. "Since they lost Greyback, it's been about you."

"Me?"

"It makes sense, just think about it. Sightings in the city days after our trip out. He tore those Muggles apart in the woods near where I found you. Without Greyback, their hold over the wolves is tenuous at best. And they need them if they hope to have any chance at surviving. What they lack in numbers, they want to make up for with force. Up until this point, Greyback's been their muscle, their terror advantage, but with him feral—"

"We should check Padma's wolf count. How many are they losing?"

"No idea." Draco shook his head. "Sounds like their attack at the hospital did more harm than good."

"They're trying to lure Greyback out to capture and heal him, but they failed. I'm certain killing us all would have been an added bonus, but with their use of mostly non-lethal hexes and curses, I'd guess they were trying to draw it out long enough for Greyback to show. And sure enough, he came running when the wolves called."

"Destroying the runestone and getting the Aurors on scene put an end to that plan."

"My scent." It all dawned on her. "He's locked in on it but he's also running on instincts. Smell and taste, mainly." Hermione frowned, still working through the problem. "He was lured to the park, but the attack of those Muggles in the woods was after I woke up. The sighting in the city came days after our outing with Scorpius. Every other place I've been has been warded."

"We'll keep Aurors in the area." Harry sat up straighter, eyes on Draco.

Something else struck her.

"My parents. Draco, they came to your house. My dad came to mine. He—"

"We already have two Aurors at their location now during their impromptu trip to Ireland."

"Two Aurors versus a rampaging, rabid werewolf." Percy whistled lowly. "I don't like those odds."

Harry frowned. He didn't either.

"Have you been anywhere else?" Pansy asked.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other.

"Potter, send a team to the Apothecary in Diagon Alley as soon as you can." Draco was confident with the command. "That's the last place we went and it's not warded. With her scent fresh on his mind, he can track it farther than before. Granger cut her hand while we were there and there could be enough blood to draw his senses. Spread the search out at least a kilometre in all directions, and if he doesn't show, we'll—Well, let's try this way first."

"If we're right, he's either been in the area or will be," Hermione added even though the idea made her stomach twist.

"Got it." Harry left to round up a team.

"Any movement from Tiberius or the Minister?" Draco asked Percy.

"No, they've been quiet since Cormac's escape from the hospital."

"Think they know where he is?"

"I'm not sure what to think anymore." Percy frowned. "How's your search, Malfoy?"

"Ongoing but we've had a few recent developments. He hasn't left the city, too many sightings for him to be gone, though he must be staying somewhere warded tight. I planned to do this in a week or so, but my patience is wearing thin." Draco touched his badge and it lit up. Not five minutes later, a Task Force member—the woman who smiled far too much—was stepping off the lift and approaching them.

"Sir." Her accent was heavy, voice as sultry as the sway of her hips.

"I have an assignment for you, Margot." Draco brought his hand to his chin and looked her over. "Casual Muggle clothes that blend. Turn your eyes and hair brown. Soften your cheekbones and your jaw. Good. Now, pull your hair back."

The blonde Metamorphmagi's features melted before Hermione's eyes, shifting and changing, meeting Draco's request to perfection. Pansy looked intrigued and Percy tilted his head slightly, eyebrows scrunched. In fact she—

Hermione squinted. "Why does she look like a paler version of me?"

And then Margot changed her skin tone to match.

Not quite identical, but they looked as if they could be sisters.

"McLaggen has a type." Draco's eyes slid to her before pulling a folded note from his pocket and handing it to the witch. "Go to the last few pubs the rat was sighted at and track him down. Draw him out if you have to. When you find him, get his attention, ignore his advances, put a tracking charm on him, and give him this note."

"Is that all, Sir?"

Hermione's jaw ticked at the tone she'd taken, and the way she looked at Draco didn't help. But Hermione kept it to herself, especially given Draco's complete lack of reaction and her unwillingness to bring attention to their relationship.

"Yes. You may go now."

Margot inclined her head and left the same way she came.

Hermione's curiosity outweighed her irritation. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Putting out bait."

There was little time to discuss it further. Percy and Pansy left together, Harry only returned long enough to confirm that one team was being dispatched to Diagon Alley and another was already patrolling his neighbourhood. After talking through the logistics, they agreed to remain at Hermione's home. Without the use of magic outside of warded areas, Draco couldn't go out in the field—at least not until the dust settled.

Andromeda's was their next stop. They divulged everything to the sisters, which led to a choice: Narcissa could remain there for the next few weeks or she could come to Hermione's with them.

She chose to stay.

They spent the following few hours at the Malfoys' home, packing everyone for a longer stay, and advising the staff to lock everything down. They triple checked the wards and closed all but one Floo, limiting its connections in the process. Hermione gathered more clothes for Scorpius, checked on Narcissa's and Andromeda's progress, and saw Draco's bedroom for the first time when she happened upon him packing his own belongings.

She sat on his bed and watched, looking around the bedroom dressed in neutral tones that only made it feel emptier. His bag must have been equipped with an extension charm or the sheer volume of clothes would have made its seams burst. There was no telling how much of anything he packed. All the same shades, it was hard to distinguish one piece of dark clothing from the next as he floated an ungodly amount of fabric into his bag.

The last thing Draco did before they left was shrink the guest bed they'd spent weeks in, frame and all, and pack it away with the simple excuse that they needed a bigger bed.

But she knew the truth.

Draco thought of it as theirs. She did, too.

Back at her house, their first step was to move her bed into the guest room Pansy hadn't started work on just yet, and after, Hermione took her time hanging all of Scorpius' clothes up and unpacking his things. By the time she finished, Draco was waiting in the doorway.

"All unpacked?" Hermione had cleared half her closet and three drawers for him. Thinking of how many clothes he brought with him, she cringed at the prospect of needing new bedroom furniture. Or a new closet. Maybe both. He'd barely scratched the surface of his own closet.

"I am. I also finished unpacking the office and setting up the map."

Her office and bedroom were now a mesh of both their things. They'd have to sort through it all soon.

"We should pick up Scorpius and—"

"I called over and they're all asleep."

"Likely from a sugar high." Hermione laughed. "But okay. We can arrange the office and—" She was about to pass Draco with the destination of their next project in mind, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her to him.

"We've got time." He looked down at her. "We're alone."

Something about his tone brought her closer.

It was as inviting as the finger looping through her belt buckle.

As it turned out, they already had plans for the rest of the afternoon.

---

December 5, 2011

Days passed quicker than Hermione's thoughts.

Even with the heightened awareness and security, they fell into a routine easily. They all functioned in tandem, like they'd lived together for years instead of weeks. Days began with Draco resuming his habit of morning swims disguised as checking his empty house. By the time Hermione woke most mornings, he was already in the shower.

It was easy to slip in. He always waited.

Scorpius completed his morning chores with her.

They had breakfast—sometimes with Narcissa and Andromeda, sometimes without—and she and Scorpius decided what they were going to do each day. They harvested ingredients for potions, checked and cleaned the stores together, and worked in the greenhouse with Neville.

Hermione even started using the yoga mats Susan kept "accidentally" leaving behind. Scorpius had started joining her a few days prior, his eyes closed in silence. It was hard to tell if he was meditating or sleeping sitting up, but it didn't matter. He seemed calmer and more focused after that as they worked in some of his school books to keep his mind fresh.

No shortage of people came by for a variety of reasons.

The kids for visits. Sometimes Roger would call for an opinion on a case. Other times Theo would come through for tea or lunch. Padma visited daily. Memorably, Cho came by the day before with lunch, and though she remained somewhat distant, she smiled at Scorpius when he brought her a fork from the kitchen.

Then again later when he picked a flower for her in the greenhouse.

During Hermione's appointments and meetings, Scorpius napped. Sometimes she joined him after she finished, but more often than not when he woke, he came to wherever she was, already dressed for a walk. Fresh air made his cheeks rosy, and for a boy who liked the sun, he liked the cold, too. And he liked to run ahead of her.

But Scorpius always came back.

And so did his father.

Draco returned at the same time each day, unless he knew he'd be late. When that happened, he made sure to tell them during their standard midday visit. Without many safe options for outings, and Draco's office directly connected to Hermione's Floo, she and Scorpius made a habit of taking his father lunch. As agreed upon, Draco was bound to warded locations—which meant desk duty.

He spent mornings and afternoons in strategy meetings with Harry and their teams planning the upcoming response to the park attack. Status meetings about tracking Greyback were daily, but despite him destroying whatever remained of the Apothecary, they had yet to trap him. Even without being able to work out in the field, Draco was buried under his caseload.

But for a few minutes each day, he made time for them.

By and large, her favourite part of the day was watching Scorpius hand the oversized lunch bag to his father. A few times they stayed and joined him, but normally they were only there long enough for Scorpius to eye an enormous book and flip through a few sections while they talked.

They mostly ate dinner together, with the addition of a rotating guest list filling the extra place settings at the table. Various combinations of friends came and went in an endless cycle, and while the company was nice, the occasional dinner with just the three of them was always a highlight.

Sometimes they stargazed. Sometimes Draco talked or read books, and he frequently worked on sign language with Scorpius. As soon as he learned how to sign "How do you sign—" Scorpius was off to the races. Signing became something she did to work on her dexterity, even through the pain.

Once Scorpius was fast asleep, Hermione always pulled Draco away from whatever he was working on that night. She entertained him, debated with him, but only until it was time to quiet both of their minds.

Her signal was in the form of action.

Sitting on his lap and closing the book he was reading or flipping his files shut.

Draco never argued or asked for more time. He either led or followed her upstairs, set a charm to alert them if Scorpius got out of bed, and then they explored to their heart's content.

Regularly.

Thoroughly.

Today had gone like many of the days past.

Draco had taken Scorpius to Andromeda's to drop off a batch of potions for Narcissa and the ring he'd finally finished making adjustments to, leaving Hermione alone for the first time in days. She was reading a book on the sofa when Theo came through the Floo.

She closed her book and looked him over. "Are you going out?"

"Yes. Dinner."

"With Cho?"

"No, she's still not speaking to me." He only sounded mildly frustrated, like he'd put it on the backburner to settle until such a time he was ready to revisit. "I'm having dinner with the hospital board to discuss business. We're reviewing the hospital breach after dinner and there will be presentations regarding how to correct the security wards that were compromised. We'll also be discussing the vaccine trials."

"Sounds illuminating." Hermione took a chance. "Vaccine trials?"

"Yes," Theo answered. "We used the attack on the hospital to gather as many poison samples as possible. Roger's team created a vaccine that looks promising, so I've shifted away from producing antidotes and focused on vaccine development."

Ensuring no one else went through those symptoms again was ideal.

"Percy and I think Ministry employees should be the first to be vaccinated against the poison, followed by St Mungo's employees. We'll start branching out beyond that as the supply becomes available."

"Makes sense." Hermione nodded along. "They're the most at risk."

"We're also not making any announcements about it that might make the paper."

Hermione almost asked why when the reason dawned on her. News spread in the most mysterious ways, and broadcasting a vaccine was a sure way for Death Eaters to begin making adjustments to the poison that might nullify their progress. It was smart, but it begged the question of how they would get everyone to take a potion and not talk about it.

She was too curious not to ask, "How will you convince the employees to take—"

"Ah. It's a bit inspired, actually. I thought we would have everyone sign an agreement with a jinx that only activates if they tell anyone. Ethical consequences only, of course. I'm not sure forehead boils would pass muster, but we'll figure something out."

"Of course."

"Besides, we have an agreement with Tiberius and the Ministry, so we need to make sure the consequences matter enough to buy their silence. Maybe we should consider fiscal. Hmm. Anyway, they've made a point that the first approved batches should be given to the senior Ministry officials."

How convenient.

"How much are you able to produce? How long would it take to get out to the public?"

"Two months." Theo sighed. "I know, I'm trying to push for faster production in tonight's meeting. It'll be more expensive, but getting it dispersed to the general public will help. You've already been exposed, the vaccine won't work on you, but Draco hasn't."

And neither has Scorpius.

"Good luck."

"I don't need luck. I intend to make them offers they can't refuse." Theo was as cryptic as ever. "Before I forget, I ran tests on the dagger Susan brought me. The use of such common poison plus confirmation of the Potion Master's death from Rabastan makes me think either their stores are low or they're saving what they have left."

"One last fight?"

"Sounds like it."

"I'll let Harry and Draco know."

"How are you all settling into your medical leave?" His eyes cut to the little gloves Scorpius had left behind. "And other changes."

"It's an adjustment, of course." Hermione crossed her legs. "I'm certain we'll have hiccups, but so far it's been an easy transition."

"And Scorpius? He seems happy here."

"He's back to sleeping through the night after the playground incident." Hermione gave him a look. "How are you? I thought I'd try to circle back to your mentioning of Cho."

"Are you meddling?"

"I think it's only fair."

"I asked if we could start over as friends and she needed time to think about it."

"What are your intentions? Friends or…"

"I need a little distance from everything to figure it out. I do care for her. She's—" Theo looked away. "What we had wasn't healthy, but I can't focus on anything new until I'm better."

Hermione nodded. "What if she moves on before then?"

"Then she moves on. She has every right to do what makes her happy."

"And what about you? What will you do?"

"The same, but only when I'm ready."

Theo left just before Draco returned with a sleeping Scorpius in his arms. It was an hour before his normal bedtime, but he'd had a busy day. They only took off his shoes and jacket, then tucked him under the covers. Draco turned on the projector, they set the charm, and soon they were alone in her office.

"My mother was disappointed not to see you."

Hermione's eyebrow rose. "I think she wants to corner me into another conversation, as if the last one wasn't enough."

Draco picked up something she'd seen him look at from time to time.

The blueprint.

Then he took her hand and led the way to the conservatory.

She was rapidly realising that outside of the brewing room, this was his favourite spot in the house. He'd only been here a few weeks, but it wasn't uncommon to find him in the conservatory instead of the office. They got comfortable on the sofa, and she tucked her feet at her side while she leaned against Draco as he reclined. He put his glasses on and unfolded the blueprint.

Hermione let the silence stretch until she couldn't bear it. "What are you thinking?"

One question led to them making changes together, and creating a shared space. They agreed to keep the office for them both and the rooms upstairs would stay the same. Draco liked the idea of the addition, but he didn't think his mother would use it as Hermione had intended. With a simple spell from her, the lines moved as it morphed into a reading room with three walls of bookshelves and space to lounge. She thought about the pool he was giving up and wondered if they could make room for one. Draco seemed excited by the prospect, but the biggest change she hadn't expected was his idea to lift the ceiling of the conservatory and add a second floor.

By the time they finished dreaming, it was late.

And then reality returned.

Hermione had almost forgotten to tell him something important. "My parents are back and I've invited them for dinner tomorrow."

Draco looked surprised but said nothing.

"I'll need to talk to them about everything. I want to keep them out of it all and safe, which likely means sending them away. I refuse to use magic, so talking is the only way I can convince them."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Are you busy?"

"Percy wanted to discuss a few things, but I'll cancel."

"You don't have to, I can—"

"I'll cancel."

For several moments, Hermione watched him with a steadily growing sense of his strength of character and loved him a little more for it. For everything. She leaned in, picking up the hand entwined with hers and kissing his knuckles.

Then his lips.

---

December 6, 2011

It took a team to complete a task Hermione used to do alone.

Andromeda made certain the house was in top order. Luna quadruple checked for Wrackspurts. Susan and Cho set the table for five. Per the suggestion of her mother-in-law, Daphne made a vegetable pot pie, testing more options to make for Scorpius when he visited. Ginny made Shepherd's pie for the rest. Padma and Parvati provided dessert in the form of Baath cake from a local bakery.

And Pansy made it clear she was only there for one reason:

Moral support.

Well, two.

Moral support and drinks.

"I'm not doing shots over dinner with my parents." Hermione scoffed at her friend.

"It's not a terribly bad idea, all things considered." Pansy shrugged. "Might help clear the air."

"Or…" Daphne smirked. "Mixed drinks instead of shots?"

"No drinks at all."

"That's dull." Pansy only sulked for a moment before she summoned the bottle of wine she'd brought and popped the cork with a twist of her wand. "I'll have to drink for your good luck, then. Doing my part as your friend, as I should."

"That doesn't make any sense at all." Cho's lilt was soft in the noisy kitchen. She and Susan came in together from the conservatory and joined Pansy at the island.

"Yes it does." Pansy started to hand the bottle to Susan, who'd taken the seat closest, but then she drew it back. "Wait, your mouth has been on Weasley."

"So has yours."

Pansy opened her mouth then shut it, offering the bottle. "Well played."

Susan accepted it with a smirk.

"How's that going?" Ginny asked, and when Pansy baulked, her look intensified. "I trust Susan with my mental health over you. She won't scar it."

"There's not much to tell." Susan shrugged. "I'm not stringing him along, but I'm taking it slow for both our sakes. I'm not a rebound. I'm aware of what he wants. However, I also know what I want, what I require from him, and what he should require of me. Maybe one day we'll get there."

Everyone just stared at her.

Cho's whistle was low. "That was—"

"I'm not painfully independent like Hermione, or involved in a whirlwind romance with a widowed man who has a child and a list of issues as long as he is tall. I'm also not coming out of the trauma of a shite marriage. I don't know your trauma, Cho, but I didn't marry my first love, nor did I defy my entire family for happiness like you, Daph." Susan drank from the bottle and took a moment to continue. "I just—am myself. Boring, I'm sure, but outside of a lot of dead relatives, I'm not complicated. I have basic needs and wants and—not everything has to be loud."

"Nothing wrong with that." Ginny smiled. "Not every story has so much turmoil. My brother has had the whirlwinds, but I—in the last few weeks, he's been trying to figure this thing out quietly."

Susan looked thoughtful. "He's learning." And all of a sudden her attention swivelled to Hermione. "And how are you learning with Draco and Scorpius here?"

"Things are going well. It's been an adjustment since the playground attack, but he's doing better. When he wants to talk, we listen. When he has night terrors, he comes to us, but they're less frequent than they have been." And, if nothing else, Scorpius was the personification of resilience. "He was a little sad earlier, so Draco came home for lunch and they went for a walk. He only just fell asleep before you all arrived."

Pansy and Daphne stopped. "Draco did what?"

"What? He and Scorpius are probably more in tune than ever." Hermione laughed at their gobsmacked faces. "I didn't even call him. I'm not sure how—Oh."

The notebook.

Scorpius had called and Draco came. Warmth bloomed in her chest at the thought of father and son using her gift as a vessel for the communication they'd only just established. She could see it so clearly: Draco's scrawl fanned out beneath Scorpius' misshapen letters on matching pages in two different places. It was—

Pansy picked up a stirring spoon and banged it on the island like a gavel. "That's all well and good with Scorpius, glad for it, but the real question is how are you and Draco?"

"I want to know, too." Parvati hopped up on the clean portion of the island, ready for a story.

Next to her, Padma shook her head and laughed.

"If you won't say anything, I will." Pansy looked her up and down. "You look—"

"Relaxed," Susan interjected.

"Energised." Ginny grinned.

"Calm." Cho gave her an appreciative look.

"Happy." Padma took the final stool next to Cho.

"No one's going to say it?" Parvati looked around. "Fine. You look shagged the fuck out. Good for you, mate."

They all dissolved into laughter.

"Well…" Hermione shrugged with a coy smile.

"Regular sex looks good on you both." Susan took another swig from the bottle. "Malfoy didn't have one comeback during our last session, and he turns up to yours like clockwork."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He fusses when I overdo it."

Much to her irritation, but also oddly to her excitement.

Draco tested her daily.

In some ways, Susan had been right. Her pain was at least partially psychosomatic, all but washed away in the rush of adrenaline during the attack, but she hadn't completely recovered, which led to a serious focus on healing her nerve damage. It would take time.

Draco routinely handed her items and made her accept them in her right hand, rather than her left. She was signing, albeit slowly, and performing small tasks that were different takes on the exercises Susan told her to complete each day.

And if some tests led in an unexpected direction, with Draco exhaling roughly on her skin while she worked her hand up and down his cock—well, it was beneficial to more than just her recovery.

"I'd—well, that's more domestic than I anticipated." Parvati pouted. "I thought you were just shagging each other into oblivion."

"Not saying we aren't, but we're still dealing with other things, and our focus is Scorpius' comfort and acclimation. We're narrowing down schools. By the way, Ginny did you—"

"Yes, I think we can visit. The school is warded, security would be allowed, and they have a team of their own. They wouldn't start until after Scorpius' birth—"

"Wait a minute." Parvati waved her hands. "I thought this conversation was going to be hot and you'd spill all of Malfoy's bedroom secrets, but this is domestic and warm and—" Her eyes lit up as if a new realisation had dawned. "Actually, I take it back. This is hot. Draco Malfoy: dad I'd like to—"

The entire room erupted in varying admonishments while Parvati cackled.

"Well—" Daphne clasped her hands together after the hysterics passed. "I have news! Dean and I are thinking about more children." When everyone began to wonder loudly if she was already pregnant, she blushed and shook her head. "No, I'm only just back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. We're actually waiting for Halia to turn one, maybe by then Blaise and I will be finished with our expansion plans for the company and we'll have time to look for a bigger home."

"Ah!" Ginny beamed. "Fair warning, two kids equals the work of three, and if you have more, it compounds."

Everyone laughed until a puzzled Luna rushed into the room looking flustered.

"I found a Wrackspurt!" It sounded as if it were the end of the world. "Quick, everyone, think positive thoughts!"

From there, the gathering devolved into madness that left Hermione relaxed, not focused on what was ahead. Being with her friends, cooking with them, and letting Pansy drag her upstairs while Daphne helped Scorpius dress had done its job to make her forget about her nerves.

Pansy was long gone by the time Hermione came down, dressed and ready for the occasion.

And a quick look around showed everyone else had left, too.

Everyone except Draco and Scorpius.

Draco wore grey trousers and a black shirt, no tie. He was tying Scorpius' bowtie, and the little boy tried to watch, but Draco tilted his head up.

Hermione leaned against the railing. "Everything good here?"

Both turned their heads at the same time.

Scorpius smiled, all gaps and dimples, and Draco very clearly looked her up and down.

Now she understood it meant he liked her dress enough to want to see her out of it.

"I have it covered." Draco finished what he was doing. "They should be here soon. Two Aurors are riding with them. Two flying under Disillusionment."

Of course they had escorts. The danger was still all too real.

Not twenty minutes later, there was a knock on her front door. Scorpius beat them both to the door but waited for her to open it. Hermione's father met her with a smile and a tight hug. It wasn't until she pulled back that she caught her mother's eye. They both turned their attention to her dad, who was waving at Scorpius. For all his earlier excitement, Scorpius was attached to her side.

"Mum."

"Hermione."

She had little hope for the night, but the start already left something to be desired.

"Come on in. Both of you."

She stepped aside and her mother entered, removing her jacket to place it on the coat rack. Her dad followed, and Hermione noticed the box behind him.

"What is that?"

"Oh, an early Christmas gift for Scorpius."

When Hermione looked down, she expected to find Scorpius staring at the gift, but his wide blue eyes were fixated on her mother instead. She was staring back as if surprised by his presence.

"Sorry, this is Scorpius." Hermione laid a hand to the top of his head. "Scorpius, this is my mum."

Polite as always, he waved but didn't offer his hand.

"Your father told me that—"

"Ah!" Her dad brightened. "Mr Malfoy, pleasure to see you again."

Hermione hadn't noticed him behind her.

"Mr Granger." Draco stepped alongside her and shook her father's hand before greeting her mother with a polite, "Mrs Granger."

If at all possible, her mother appeared even more confused.

A quick tour was given as they journeyed to the conservatory. A few glances back caught her mother looking around in silence. Face blank, she was even harder to read than Draco, but her eyes did widen when she entered the conservatory.

Dinner was quiet, dotted with polite conversation. Hermione said little outside of smiling whenever Scorpius gave her squinty looks of concern or Draco nudged her with his foot under the table.

Her attention was on her mother, who watched each interaction the same way Hermione would herself—curiously and with a bit of judgement.

Maybe more than a bit.

She could almost hear the unasked questions. Her dad was as habitually quiet as he had always been, but he'd learned some basic sign language and showed off to a pleased Scorpius. He and Draco had a conversation about football that lasted long enough for both Hermione and her mother to give them both strange looks.

"I thought you'd prefer more pretentious sports like golf or polo." The word came out as if it were sour on her father's tongue before he chuckled. "I didn't think you were an Arsenal fan."

Hermione brought her glass to her lips to cover her amusement.

"I've played both." Draco left it at that. "But I'm not an Arsenal fan."

She stopped as his real meaning dawned on her.

Draco Malfoy was making an effort with her father.

It continued after dinner when they temporarily moved into the living room for Scorpius to open the gift from her dad. Stuffed full, it held a colourful array of paints, brushes in all shapes and sizes, and a wooden palette—all of which the little boy stared at in awe.

The exchange of thank you and you're welcome was comical. Her dad forgot the sign and Scorpius proudly showed him. Then, her father pulled over Scorpius' easel Hermione had left in the corner of the room for him. Waiting patiently as Scorpius left and returned with a fresh canvas, there was a softness in her dad's eyes that spoke of how much he cared for the little boy.

They set up the canvas, but didn't paint.

No, at first they just mixed colours.

And, for a while, she and Draco watched from the kitchen in silence with her mother; the only noise being her dad's voice as he explained colour theory to a five-year-old. Scorpius paid close attention.

Draco made ginger tea, Hermione handled the dishes, and her mother took turns watching the scene in the living room and them. She said nothing until Draco placed the cup of tea in front of her.

"My husband is quite attached to your son." There was a pause. "As is my daughter."

Hermione froze.

Draco wisely said nothing.

"Are you two…" Her mother gestured between the two of them. "Dating?"

"Yes." Draco didn't miss a beat. "However, I prefer the term courting."

"It seems rather archaic." Hermione couldn't blame her mother for saying as much, she'd held the same opinion. "Why courting and not dating?"

"The difference is intent." Draco poured her mother a glass of chamomile lavender tea and handed it to her. "Dating presents two people with a number of potential ends, whereas courting only has one."

Hermione nearly swallowed her tongue while her mother choked on her first sip of tea.

They both stared at him.

"Quite the statement after such a short amount of time."

"That it is." Draco dipped his head. "Excuse me. I'll leave you two to talk."

After giving her hand an encouraging squeeze, he left in the direction of the living room with his tea. Scorpius smiled at his father once before picking up red and blue paint to mix for purple. Hermione's father and the little boy were painting the twilight sky together. Draco simply watched as they brought the stunning sky to life. And when her father turned on the Wireless and tuned it to a station playing instrumental music, Draco didn't complain.

Now alone, Hermione picked up her tea and gestured to her mother to join her in the conservatory. They drank in silence while her mother looked up through the glass ceiling at the starry sky.

"How was your ride here?" It was the only way Hermione could think to start the conversation.

"Long." Her mother sipped her tea. "It's very quiet out here. I prefer the city."

"I know."

"And yet you live so far from it, willing to make your father drive three hours."

"I didn't make him do anything. He chose to." Hermione thought about how happy he looked to be back tonight. "I'm not certain whether he actually likes it here or he just respects how much I like it."

"Your father also seems to like your little family."

"He does, doesn't he?" Hermione smiled, perfectly aware of the fine line she was walking. "Do you?"

"I think that Scorpius is very sweet, but his father is rather… intense. I'm not certain what to make of him just yet. He's not as easy to talk to as Ron was." Her mother winced at the deadpan look Hermione was giving her. "Sorry."

"I don't compare the incomparable. They're different men."

"Your father says he's newly-widowed, yet he speaks as though he's certain of you." She wasn't wrong. Hermione was also taken aback until she reminded herself that this was who Draco was. "I just think it's all very sudden and you should be careful. His family might be reformed, but you're rushing into something that's much larger than you realise. Part of me wonders if this is your reaction to—"

"Perhaps it does seem sudden to you," Hermione interrupted. "In ways it is for me, too, but I was fighting this with everything I had before I even knew what it was." She looked down at her hands and chuckled dryly. "I lost, or should I say, I let go and gave in to the inevitable."

"Believe it or not, I do respect your decision, but—"

"Draco is who he is. He makes no apologies for that." And Hermione would never make him. "But what he isn't is an impetuous decision. I agonised over him, I overthought, I drove myself to the brink of insanity before I accepted him. Somehow, we made it here and we're just trying to do what feels right. I'm… happy."

Her mother said nothing for as long as it took to finish her tea. "The last time I spoke with you—"

"The last time we spoke wasn't a good conversation to point at for an example." The sharp edge of Hermione's tone wasn't lost on her mother.

"I thought we weren't hashing up old issues tonight."

"Old issues implies that we've resolved them and they're resurfacing again. This isn't the case."

Hermione's mother took an impatient breath. "Your father made me promise not to fight with you tonight."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't. We should just talk."

"Okay." She placed the empty teacup on the table. "I've realised in the months of fighting with your father that I've been upset with you for longer than I cared to admit."

"I know."

"And I've punished you for it."

"I know."

Nobody punished themselves more than Hermione.

But she was done with that now.

She had to be.

"I think what happened to you made me understand why you felt you had to… do what you had to do. But that hasn't stopped me from being hurt." Her mother's voice softened, eyes downcast. "I try, but I'm not sure how. It's not like you need us. You haven't for a long time." The words stung as much as they had when she'd heard her father speak them in the car. "What hurts me more than anything is that you tucked us away in Australia and forgot about us."

"I didn't forget about you. Not once."

Day and night they'd filled her thoughts, kept her company in her dreams, and gave her hope when she'd had none left.

"But I forgot you." Her mother's voice was hardly a whisper. "A mother should never forget and—"

"Mum…"

"I've been trying. I'll admit that I've made some mistakes, but the more I pull and the more I try to help, the more you push and resist. I meant what I said before. I want you to be happy, but it seems your happiness is taking you away from us."

"That's how you perceive it, but if anything, the way you've acted hot and cold with me for years has made me keep my distance, however unconsciously." Hermione sighed. "I didn't invite you over here to fight, nor did I invite you here to apologise."

"Then why did you invite me here?"

"Several reasons." Hermione ran a hand through her hair. "I know we should discuss our issues. At one point I thought perhaps tonight we might make amends, but now that you're here, now that you're talking, I'm realising I'm not even sure I'm ready for that."

"Would it mean anything if I had regrets about the things I've said?"

"Of course. And I do, too, but…"

But that didn't mean she was obligated to mend every bridge. Every gap.

And she was reminded of Astoria. Maybe she had been right in understanding that all parts of her life didn't need to be in harmony. Peace was healing in and of itself.

Healing she hadn't realised she'd done.

But how long did a scar linger after a wound was healed?

Some took a long time, and even when they did, whatever emerged would always be changed. New skin never knitted together exactly the same way.

Maybe it wasn't the worst thing.

Just something she would live with and learn from.

Be changed in the same way other events in her life—war, a seizure, near death, and the entire process of opening her heart—had shaped her into who she was right now. Hermione's rumination ended when her dad peeked into the room.

"Scorpius has earmuffs on." The corner of his lips quirked. "He'll paint while we talk."

They brought the little boy, his easel, and the conversation into the conservatory. Whatever music was playing, Scorpius loved it, but he peeked every now and then from around the canvas just to be sure everyone was still there.

Each time Hermione would give him a nod.

Draco was all business. "We have a situation that may affect your safety."

He turned it over to her, and Hermione told them about Greyback following her scent, and the Death Eaters tracking Draco. When she told them about the attack at the playground, her parents looked borderline sick, even after she explained all the added security measures.

"Are—are we in any danger?" Her dad looked uncomfortable. "I thought the escort was a bit much, but now I'm wondering if it's enough."

"At this point, I don't believe you're a target." Draco replied. "But we think it's safer to mitigate all risks."

"Do—" Her mother folded her hands in her lap. "Are we going to lose our memories again?"

"No." Hermione shook her head. "Of course not."

"We'll disguise you with magic to make you both unrecognisable." Draco picked up seamlessly right where Hermione left off. "The issue with you remaining in London is that we don't know how long I've been followed, or if someone knows where your home is. We have Aurors guarding your home at all times, but for optimal safety, we think it might be best if you take a trip—at least until the start of the year. We're conducting raids that might cause retaliation, and we don't want either of you targeted in the fallout."

"Okay." Her dad exchanged looks with her mother. "We don't have to return to Australia, do we?"

"Of course not," Draco said. "You're welcome to go wherever you choose, and I'll provide everything for you to remain comfortable until the threat is eliminated."

Hermione turned to Draco. That hadn't been part of the plan. She caught his eye and he gave her a little nod before focusing on her parents.

"It'll be your decision," Draco added.

They all knew Hermione hadn't given them one in the past.

Outfitted with a warming charm, her parents went out into the cold to weigh their options. For the length of time it took Scorpius to finish his painting, play with the chicks, and nod off on the sofa with his thumb in his mouth, Hermione observed them from behind the glass panes. Alive with worry that they would refuse, she nearly couldn't hold back her relief when her parents returned to the conservatory.

"We'll do this." Her father gave her a soft smile. "But you must keep in contact with us. Buy a mobile and keep us up to date with what's happening."

"Don't leave us in the dark." Her mother took a short breath before adding, "Please."

Hermione locked eyes with her mother, and began to reach, like she always did on instinct, but she kept her hands to herself, happy with her quiet decision that not all landforms were meant to be connected by bridges. Perhaps one day they might construct one, or maybe not, but for now, the chasm between them was more of a benefit than a detriment.

"I hear Fiji is beautiful this time of year." Her dad nudged her mother with a smile that was returned in kind.

"I'll make the arrangements." Draco's eyes slightly narrowed when he caught her expression, but Hermione squeezed the hand she'd been holding ever since her parents had left to talk. When he opened his mouth to say something, a sound stopped him short.

Her Floo had flared to life.

It was quickly followed by a knock on the conservatory door.

Percy.

Calmly, he greeted everyone in the room. He was familiar with her parents after years of holiday dinners while she and Ron were together.

"Apologies for the intrusion, but I need you both to come with me."

"Why?" Draco asked but stood anyway.

"Your rat is sitting in my office." Percy's voice was a mix of bewilderment and disbelief. "He's waiting for you both."

Hermione's breath caught. "What does he want?"

"Immunity."

The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.
Norman Schwarzkopf

---

A/N: Thank you all for your love and reviews. I appreciate each of them. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. That action sequence played in my head like a movie but putting it to paper LMAO, that was fun. This is fine. We all know how much I love action...

Anticipated update: February 4th-6th, as I have work stuff going on and I'm on chapter 39 in writing. Should that go as well as 38 did, we're all good.