True to her word the next day Aunt Dolores sent us to the Ministry to see Uncle Draco. Except he wasn't my beloved Uncle any longer. I had to remember that.

Draco was impressive in a way I have never seen. He had the smell of power about him. Flying down either side of the room were Augurey flags with the bird emblazoned in a fascistic manner.

Draco was not amused at the time it took us to get there. "You are late."

"I am sorry sir." I murmured.

Scorpius still had yet to learn caution. "This is your office?"

Draco grew angry. "You are late and unapologetic, maybe you are determined to compound the problem."

"No sir, we aren't…" I tried but was stopped with an upheld hand.

Scorpius was still trying to wrap his head around the change. "You're Head of Magical Law Enforcement?"

Draco was having none of this non sense. "How dare you! How dare you embarrass me and keep me waiting and then not apologize for it!"

Scorpius finally started to realize this was NOT the father he remembered. "Sorry."

Draco was only slightly mollified. "Sir."

Scorpius corrected. "Sorry, sir."

Draco placed both hands on his desk. "I did not bring you up to be sloppy, Scorpius. I did not bring you up to humiliate me at Hogwarts."

Scorpius was confused. So was I. Everything I heard about the Scorpion King was that he was brutal and enjoyed torture. Everything THIS Draco should want. "Humiliate you, sir?"

Draco explained. "Harry Potter, asking questions about Harry Potter, of all the embarrassing things. How dare you disgrace the Malfoy name."

"No, please!" I Interrupted. "Lord Malfoy… that was all my idea… Scorpius was just…"

Draco turned his attention towards me. "Your Aunt seems to be under the impression you are seeking my blessing to end your current marriage contract for one with my family."

Wow, could that have been less romantic? "I…" In for a penny, in for a pound. "Yes sir."

"Embarrassing my family was how you intended to go about it then?" He asked sternly.

"No sir." I assured him. "We wanted to maybe… find some of the mudbloods and traitors who escaped,"

"So, looking to join the mudblood sports are you?" He chuckled.

It was the most terrifying sound I had ever heard.

Scorpius looked nauseous. "Oh no. Are you responsible? No. No. You can't be."

Draco warned "Scorpius…"

Scorpius continued, clearly angry and disgusted. "The Daily Prophet today, three wizards blowing up bridges to see how many Muggles they can kill with one blast is that you?"

Draco glared. "Be very careful."

Scorpius was nearly in tears. "The "Mudblood" death camps, the torture, the burning alive of those that oppose him. How much of that is you? Mum always told me that you were a better man than I could see, but this is what you really are, isn't it? A murderer, a torturer, a…"

Draco rose up and pulled Scorpius hard onto the table. The violence is surprising and deadly. All I could do was gasp.

Draco snapped. "Do not use her name in vain, Scorpius . Do not score points that way. She deserves better than that. Her death is not your toy."

Death… Aunt Aly… Dead? Gone? No….!

Scorpius said nothing, horrified and scared. Draco reads this. He lets go of Scorpius' head. He obviously didn't like hurting his son. That was… something. "And no, those idiots blasting Muggles, that's not my doing, though it'll be me the Augurey asks to bribe the Muggle Prime Minister with gold… Did your mother really say that of me?"

"She said that Grandfather didn't like her very much opposed the match." WHAT? Lucius Malfoy loved Aunt Aly… Scorpius must have heard other things… "He thought she was too Muggle-loving too weak but that you defied him for her. She said it was the bravest thing she'd ever seen."

Draco looked wistful. "She made being brave very easy, your mother."

Scorpius was sad. "But that was… another you. Another her." He looked at his dad, who looks back with a frown. "I've done bad things, you've done worse. What have we become, Dad?"

Draco hardened. "We haven't become anything we simply are as we are."

Scorpius scoffed. "The Malfoys. The family you can always rely on to make the world a murkier place. Are you sure you want to attach yourself to THESE Malfoys, Lils?"

I reached out and took Scorpius hand. "Together."

Scorpius nodded to me. "Like always. Together." He squeezed my hand reassuringly.

This hit home with Draco. He looked carefully at Scorpius and then at me.

Draco asked carefully. "This business at the school… what's inspired it?

Scorpius sighed. "I don't want to be who I am."

Draco stared at me." And what's brought that on?"

Scorpius looked desperately at me and for a way of describing his story. "I've seen myself in a different way."

Draco picked up a picture. "You know what I loved most about your mother? She could always help me find light in the darkness. She made the world, my world, anyway, less… what was the word you used "murky." Your mother was the best thing to have ever happened to me."

I remembered the last time he said this. I so badly wanted to take his hand as well, the way I had seen Aunt Aly do so many times.

Scorpius was so sad. I wanted to hug him. But this office wasn't a hugging sort of place. "Did she?"

Draco studied his son. "There's more of her in there than I thought. Whatever you're doing do it safely. I can't lose you too."

Scorpius agreed. "Yes. Sir."

Draco looked at his son one last time as though he were trying to understand his head. "For Voldemort and Valor."

Scorpius looked at him and backs out of the room grabbing my hand. "For Voldemort and Valor."

"That was… bracing." I shuddered.

"He knows." Scorpius whispered. "I think my dad knows… something."

"Don't be silly, Scorp." I reassured him. "How could your dad possibly…"

"When he slung me to the table." I winced at the memory. "The Time-Turner slipped out…"

That made no sense. "Then why didn't he take it? Stop us? Why just…"

"Mum…" Scorpius choked out. "He wants me to bring back Mum…"

"I… yeah, I get that." My throat was tight. "I thought at first when we started doing this that maybe I could get my Mum to the hospital in time… maybe…. But we only ever get five minutes and…"

"Umbridge killed her." Scorpius interrupted.

"I… what?" I mean I knew Aunt Dolores was evil, I had spent enough time in her offices to know exactly how awful she was.

So evil, yes but capital "E" evil?

Enough to kill her own sister?

"It is in the history books." Of COURSE he read it in a book. "It is all about how she rescued you from muggles and a blood traitor. She got a Merlin Second Class for it. If you make something distinguished of yourself she will get upgraded to First Class."

I was ready to be sick. "And… your Mum…?" I didn't want to know, I HAD to know.

"My grandfather." Scorpius looked as ill as I felt. "When her actions during the war were discovered… my grandfather decided to purify the family's blood. By killing her."

"And your sisters?" I asked. "Were they…?"

"Safe. I suppose. Both were sent to Beauxbatons. Mum didn't want them to go to Hogwarts. She didn't want me there either but dad… he insisted I be kept close. Miranda is married off in some arranged pureblood marriage to some pureblood bloke named Gavin Wood. I understand their first child is expected to come to Hogwarts next year." Scorpius gave a fake clap of happiness.

"Have you seen her? Talked to her?" Could she be an ally I wanted to ask.

"NO!" Scorpius looked at me in horror. "Do you think I want Miri to know what I have become?"

"Right… no of course not." OK so it was just us.

"We can't talk here." Scorpius grabbed my hand and dragged me to the floos. It should not have come as a surprise to know that he had access to a floo that took us straight to the Hogwarts Library.

Scorpius and I entered the library and he started desperately to look through books. He found a history book. "How did Cedric become a Death Eater? What have I missed? Find me some… light in the darkness. Tell me your secrets. What have I missed?"

I jumped when Craig Bowker JR. suddenly appeared. "Why are you here?"

Scorpius turned to look at a rather desperate looking Craig, his clothes tattered and worn.

Scorpius looked around confused. "Why can't I be here?"

Craig Bowker JR. sounded pitiful. "It's not ready yet. I'm working as fast as I can. But Professor Snape sets so much of it, and writing the essay in two different ways. I mean, I'm not complaining… Sorry."

Scorpius controlled his annoyance, but only just. He hated to be interrupted during research. "Start again. From the beginning. What's not ready?"

Craig Bowker JR. looked ready to cry. "Your Potions homework. And I'm happy to do it grateful even and I know you hate homework and books and I never let you down, you know that."

Scorpius was even more confused than before. "I hate homework?"

Those words were so wrong I could almost feel Scorpius' brain malfunctioning.

Craig Bowker JR. nodded, eager to please. "You're the Scorpion King. Of course you hate homework. What are you doing with A History of Magic? I could do that assignment too?"

"But why are YOU doing Scorpius' homework?" I was confused. I didn't remember Craig from school. Were they friends?

I looked at Scorpius who just shrugged.

"I am really good, miss." Craig tried to defend himself. "And as a halfblood…"

Halfblood. Like me.

If my Aunt wasn't headmistress, would I have been reduced to this as well?

Scrounging around my "betters" trying to make a place for myself in a world that did not really want me?

Scorpius looked at Craig a moment and then walked away.

"Is he angry with me, miss?" Craig looked terrified.

I remembered the screaming from the basements. How the tortures had been Scorpius' idea.

What had Scorpius become in this new world? What had I become? What would happen to us if we couldn't fix things?

"I will make certain he isn't." I assured Craig. "Don't worry… just… go back to your homework."

Craig looked at me so gratefully I almost vomited. "I could do your homework as well miss. I will find the time. I have found I really only need a little sleep."

I looked at the poor ragged boy. "If I can't fix anything else, Craig, I promise I will make things better for you."

It was the best I could do. By Merlin if I couldn't save anyone else in this world I would save Craig Bowker JR!

I had no idea how that simple heartfelt vow would change so much for me later.

I hurried to catch up with Scorpius. We are after all, still on Scorpius time.

Scorpius stopped suddenly and turned to me. "Did he say Snape?"