"Why are you here, dearest?" Aunt Aly hugged me. "We missed you in Italy."

"Why I came to antagonize Harry of course." I could have sworn I saw Uncle Draco's lips twitch a bit.

Harry looked at Uncle Draco carefully and then turned away. "I have to protect my son."

Uncle Draco scoffed. "From Scorpius?"

"Bane told me he sensed a darkness around my son. Near my son." Harry said flatly.

Ah yes, the dirty sneak of a centaur. I made up my mind to hate him.

Uncle Draco turned deadly. I mean I could literally see him turn in to… I don't know what a Death Eater was supposed to be like... but this would fit the bill to me. "What are you implying, Potter?"

Harry turns and looked Draco dead in the eye. "Are you sure… are you really sure he's yours, Draco?"

"Merlin's beard, did you just ask that?" Aunt Aly shouted. "You complete and utter arse!"

Harry just glared at her and there was a deadly silence.

Uncle Draco didn't stay silent for long. "You take that back… right now."

But Harry didn't take it back. Aunt Aly pulled me aside and I learned why as uncle Draco pulled out his wand. "Love…" she whispered.

But it was far too late. Harry pulled his own. "You do not want to do this."

Uncle Draco was determined. "Yes, I do."

"I don't want to hurt you, Draco." Harry said, "We still have to work together."

"How interesting, because I do want to hurt you." Uncle Draco squared his shoulders. "And I quit."

The two squared up. And then release their wands. Wizard duels are only fun if one is not in the blast zone. Aunt Aly threw up a shield to protect us both.

Both at the same time shouted. "Expelliarmus!"

Their wands repelled each other and then broke apart.

Uncle Draco shouted. "Incarcerous!"

Harry dodged the blast from Uncle Draco's wand. A kitchen chair went flying.

For all that Uncle Draco claimed to want to hurt Harry he was casting to bind not injure. That had to mean… something. I hoped.

Harry cast to bind as well. "Tarantallegra!"

Uncle Draco threw himself out of the way.

Did Harry sound out of breath? "You've been practicing, Draco." And maybe a little impressed?

Uncle Draco sounded a bit out of breath as well. "And you've got sloppy, Potter. Densaugeo!"

Harry just managed to get out of the way.

Harry called. "Rictusempra!"

TICKLING jinx? Really? Do men ever grow up?

Uncle Draco used a chair to block the blast.

Uncle Draco twisted his wand. "Flipendo!"

Harry was sent twirling through the air. Draco laughed.

No, evidence shows they do not grow up.

The two squared up again... Harry threw a chair with a flip of his wrist.

Uncle Draco ducked underneath it and slowed the chair with his wand.

Harry panted. "We're the same age, Draco."

"I wear it better." You know, he really did. I bet Scorpius would look just like him when he got older.

Harry caught him off guard. "Brachiabindo!"

Uncle Draco was bound tightly.

Uncle Draco sneered. "That really the best you got? Emancipare."

Uncle Draco released his own binds.

They went right back at it until Harry literally picked up a chair and threw it at him.

Aunt Ginny came back with the tea. "I only left this room three minutes ago!"

She looked at the mess of the kitchen. She looked at the chairs suspended in the air. She signaled them back to the floor with her wand. "What did I miss?"

Harry and Draco sit far apart. Aunt Aly and Aunt Ginny stood between them.

Uncle Draco. "Sorry about your living room, Ginny."

"And sorry if we frightened you, Lilliana." Harry tried.

"We are not speaking." I glared at him. "You broke up me and my friends."

"I have not said YOU may not hang out with Scorpius." Harry reminded me.

"Oh yeah, like you could." I glared at him. "My father has a LOT to make up for and he won't agree to that. And we are not speaking."

Harry sighed. "Lilliana… I…"

"Stop talking." I snapped. "Just stop. If you are going to feed me some crap about the boy I… am best friends with… just forget it."

I didn't miss how Uncle Draco and Aunt Aly looked at each other and smiled.

WHY do I keep making this so awkward?!

Aunt Ginny tried to break the tension. "Oh, it's not my kitchen. Harry does most of the cooking."

"Well good." I smiled at her. "Then he can repair it."

Uncle Draco looked so sad suddenly. "Scorpius and I don't talk. As hard as I try, I can't reach him. You can't talk to Albus. I can't talk to Scorpius. That's what this is about. Not about my son being evil. Because as much as you might take the word of a haughty centaur, you know the power of friendship."

"That centaur is a dirty sneak." I nodded firmly. "But Scorpius he really loves you, Uncle Draco you know, he just…" I didn't know if I should continue.

"He what, Lilliana?" Aunt Aly gently prodded.

"He thinks that when you look at him you wonder how you could have created a son like him." I finished. "And NOT because he is Voldemort's." I glared at Harry.

"Why would he think that?" Uncle Draco was genuinely surprised.

"Well… You are so brave and so smart… well, everything he thinks he isn't." I rushed to continue. "But he really is! Amazing I mean… you know... he is just worried you will be disappointed because he isn't like you."

Uncle Draco smiled at me. "I am not at all brave. I am quite cowardly. Just ask anyone. And smart? That was before the whole Death Eater thing. Now… well, some people don't let go of that easily. How could he ever think he could disappoint me?"

Aunt Aly reached out and took his hand and… something happened. He just looked… better somehow. Like she could heal his soul just by touching him. I thought about Miranda being a healer and I had to wonder if Aunt Aly didn't have a touch of healing powers herself.

"Oh I don't know, bad arse Auror, single handedly brought down dozens of escaped Death Eaters." I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, can't imagine why he thinks you are amazing."

Uncle Draco leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you, Lilliana."

Harry still tried to defend himself. "Draco, whatever you may think…"

"Oh you mean when you called me the Dark Lord's whore? That kind of thought?"

Aunt Ginny gasped in outrage. "You did WHAT? Harry James Potter you will apologize now or you will move in to Grimmauld Place tonight!"

"Oh, alright." Harry held up his hands. "I AM sorry Alya, I… I am just so worried and… no, what I said was inexcusable. My deepest apology."

Aunt Aly went right over and hugged him. HUGGED him. "You are forgiven Harry. You are family you will always be forgiven." She gave me a pointed look.

"Don't look at me like that." I glared at Harry. "He hasn't asked for MY forgiveness. And I need my friends. I can't make it without both of them."

"Something you should understand." Aunt Ginny glared at him.

Uncle Draco took my hand. "I always envied you them, you know... Weasley and Granger. I had..."

Aunt Ginny looked kindly at him. "Crabbe and Goyle. And Alya, of course."

Uncle Draco snorted. "Two lunks who wouldn't know one end of a broomstick from another. And I hurt Alya so many times. You... the three of you, you shone, you know? You liked each other. You had fun. I envied you those friendships more than anything else."

Aunt Ginny looked wistful. "I envied them too."

Harry looked up at Ginny, surprised. "I need to protect him..."

Uncle Draco sighed. "My father thought he was protecting me. Most of the time. I think you have to make a choice at a certain point... of the man you want to be. And I tell you that at that time you need a parent or a friend. And if you've learnt to hate your parent by then…"

"Or your grandparents hate you and your Mum is…" I wanted to weep.

Uncle Draco patted my hand. "And you have no friends… and you think you have to protect the woman you love from… everyone… then you're all alone. And being alone... that's so hard. I was alone. And it sent me to a truly dark place. For a long time. Tom Riddle was also a lonely child. You may not understand that, Harry, but I do... and I think Ginny and Lilliana do too."

Aunt Ginny whispered. "He's right."

Uncle Draco went on. "Tom Riddle didn't emerge from his dark place. And so Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort. Maybe the black cloud Bane saw was Albus' loneliness. His pain. His hatred. Don't lose the boy. You'll regret it. And so will he. Because he needs you, and Scorpius and Lilliana, whether or not he now knows it.

Harry looked at Uncle Draco, thinking. He opened his mouth to speak. He thought some more.

Aunt Ginny was done thinking. "Harry. Will you get the Floo powder or shall I?"

Harry looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry, Lilliana. I love you very much and I am sorry."

I sighed. "I love you too, Uncle Harry. You are forgiven." If Aunt Aly could forgive him for accusing her of cheating on Uncle Draco with Voldemort of all people, who was I to withhold my forgiveness?

Uncle Harry hugged me as we walked to the floo.

Uncle Draco smiled at me. "Your kindness reminds me of another remarkable witch I know. And she was the most important thing to ever happen to me."

Aunt Aly blushed. "Draco… you still make my tummy flip over. Even after all of these years."

"Nice to know, my love." Uncle Draco winked down at her. "What's say when this is over we go find a broom closet somewhere?"

"Somewhere NOT in my home." Aunt Ginny looked sternly at them both.

"Spoil sport." Uncle Draco laughed.

I was glad this visit ended far differently than it started.

I wanted that. I wanted to be looked at by someone as if I were their entire world. "You two are seriously the best."

When we stepped out of the floo Uncle Harry asked me if I would please go get both Scorpius and Albus.

"Bring them to the Headmistress' office." Uncle Harry instructed.

"Absolutely. I know where Scorpius will be and Albus should be…" It occurred to me I had no idea where he would be. He wasn't Slytherin any longer. "We will find him, don't worry."

"Lilliana." Uncle Draco called after me. "Thank you for telling me about Scorpius. And thank you for being the best thing that will ever happen to him."

"You mean me and Albus, right?" I tried to hide my blush.

Aunt Aly laughed. "I don't believe he does, dear. Malfoy men are very decisive like that."

"I… ummm… I am going to go find them now and…" I was suddenly feeling very awkward. " …be anywhere except here."

I heard them all laughing behind me.