"You better be fucking sure Theo." A second went past and he assumed it was part of a dream or a memory. Then his physical sensations started to set in and he began to panic. Warmth. He was comfortable and warm. Curled onto his side and there was a pillow that felt like the softest down molded around his head. He was dreaming. Just as he accepted that he realised he wasn't.

"Draco. Blaise is having a fit. Wake up mate and assure him you are alright. You've got a letter to reply to and the witch isn't happy." Theo's voice was louder and he opened his eyes. The sheets were so dark a grey as to be nearly black. It took a few seconds for his eyes to work in the bright light of the room. Then he sat up and looked away from the pillowcase he had been staring at.

"Draco. Look at me." He turned his head to find Theo leaning against the wall by the door. His heart was pounding now and he realised that he was not in the prison. Wasn't dreaming at Theo was standing against a blood red wall with lounge pants and a comfortable looking long sleeve. His hair was shorter than he had seen in prison. Then he remembered yesterday or whenever that was. He had gotten out. Scorpius wasn't abducted. Well he was but that was fine. Granger had him. The witch had their sons. His friends eyes held his and he could see when Theo knew he wasn't totally confused anymore.

"Your alright. Take a minute and have a coffee." Theo sat on the floor in front of him and handed him a mug.

The flavour burst across his tongue and he closed his eyes. Merlin and Morgana. He was out and at Blaise's. Theo was here and his son was fine.

"The pictures." He said in what sounded to much like a croak to his ears. Then he sipped again and didn't think about trying to summon them. He looked up from the creamy coffee in his cup when Blaise walked in. A long look and then a grin.

"Theo was right. That was way quicker. Took him about four days to look so much better. Get that in you and some food. Scorp is still waiting and Tray isn't happy so Bella isn't happy either." His tone was serious and he felt something burst in his chest when the face on the picture threw his head back and laughed. Most had Trayden in them too. The boys looked like brothers. He stopped at them laughing at each other on brooms. Helmets on and flying parallel to the camera.

"That's amazing." He said quietly and looked to Theo. Who had a picture in his hand too.

"I don't know. I mean I believe it and they have been writing me several times a day for five days now but it is unreal. What I thought or feared or whatever. That he would be better off without me wasn't one of them." Every word was like a slap.

"It's not like that Theo. It's fucking not." He looked to Blaise beside the doorway and was surprised at the level of emotion he could see. For months he had been trying to prepare himself. Mentally putting himself back together. Trying to mend the cracks and he thought he had done alright. He had been doing it since he went in but getting out meant he had to have it together. The hearing date and knowing the time had been enough to basically make that all he did and thought about. It had helped, he could tell. No flashbacks or magical spike. He couldn't help his small grin at the wizard watching him.

"It's so good to see you. See that grin." His friend's was nearly blinding and he looked back to Theo. Then flicked his hand out for the picture in his.

In a second it was all explained. There they were. Facing each other with a witch between them. Covers up to their shoulders went to the witch's waist and their heads were each pressed into one side of her rips. . She was on her back and had a hand in each of their hair. All three were sleeping and it was breathtaking. His mind was full of the image of her between them. The calm and relaxed looks on their faces and the security of it. The sheets were a lighter copper and he could see the sheen in the picture. Scorp's pale complexion stood out and his hair nearly glowed in what he thought was morning light. The witch looked like Venus and he tried not to look too closely at her exposed stomach, the shape of her chest under what looked like a thin t-shirt. He could see half of the letters on her arm.

In that second he knew he was going to be sick and Blaise had a bucket ready for him and had him clean and the evidence gone a minute later.

"Eat this. Your stomach is empty and those healing potions were no joke. She only brewed them for me in case you actually needed it. Which you didn't. It put you totally out. Like a coma I think for a day." His friend was serious and he blinked at him and accepted the plate of toast with jam on it. It looked like heaven and he put the plate on the bed so his hands didn't shake so fucking noticeably.

"Tell me what is happening Blaise. I'm clean enough for the next hour or so and I want to know before I open the letter you are holding so tightly." He tried for casual but knew from Theo's quiet hum that he hadn't managed it.

"I'll tell you from my perspective. She can give you hers. Twenty two months and eleven days ago I was walking through the lobby of my law office. I'm a lawyer, so Granger's head appears in my fireplace. She was a client of mine. Still is. Another thing that can be added later. Anyway, she told me that she had a problem and so did I. I had a meeting in an hour and wasn't sure what the hell the witch would have for me. Could be anything right?" Blaise settled down on the low settee in the corner and Theo kept his place on the floor but shifted so he could see Blaise and then accepted the cushion Blaise tossed him.

Theo stretched out and settled in. Blaise loved to tell a story and he was good at it. Details and observations. This was an important one too and his friend flicked his eyes between them. Shifting so he could see, Draco picked up the third piece of toast when it appeared and leaned back against the headboard.

"I get there and she is in denims and a hoodie with her hair all over the place, running back into the room. Then she threw up a set of impressive wards around her and demanded a vow. This was a first, for all that we had talked about and I agreed. Needed to know whatever that witch thought worth a vow. Her attire told me it wasn't the Ministry, she worked there for a couple years. The terms were that I not tell anyone of the involved parties without her permission and that I put their safety and well-being above my own." Draco put the last bit of toast down at that. The coffee cup on the side table was still steaming so he picked that up and had a sip.

"Then she laid it out. The attic window across the street was open and she heard a child scream and then a hit. She had her own issues with this and broke in to no doubt rescue whatever child she found being abused. It was them and she didn't know it when she brought them across the street to her house. Thought the grey eyes she had seen under the dirty blond hair had been her conscience or something I think. Anyways at her house with the lights on she recognized them. They knew their names and she knew they had never even been outside." Theo caught his eye and nodded once. Firmly. His son had been a captive or slmething? This was why the witch had left.

"The fuck Blaise. Granger found our sons being held captive or something. Across the street from her." His insides were roiling. He knew what it felt like to be hit. To be a small child and have adults take their anger out on you. Teach you that way. His voice was flat and Blaise only held his eyes.

"Yes. She took the witch out and left her for Potter to deal with later and took them home. Gave them a bath and decided she was keeping them. Had the credentials and I think she just thought we would win custody and then fight to have the complete secret of their existence broken. No one knew. I mean I think four people did. Knew that you each had a son and maybe only one knew where they were or how they were treated." He spoke as directly and honestly as Draco had ever heard him. None of the suave speech or drawl usually present. This had happened. This was what had happened. The vow he had been under was broken but ones put on the Ministry had held.

"She's in Italy though." He said and looked up from the half empty cup. Trying to get to now. Understand what was happening right now. That was priority.

"Right. So I met them. They were wary of me and already stuck to her like glue. They were in the raining back garden in her shrunken clothes. I realised the elves weren't there and so like we said. Snitch and Treacle are there too. Then I came back that night and we talked. She asked me what you would want us to do. With what we knew and what we thought. Run was my answer and she wasn't surprised but thought we would have time before something like that was needed. We didn't. Potter came through with a summons." Blaise stopped speaking when his cup shattered in his hands and calmly cleaned up the mess and gestured another from the tray towards him. This one had tea in it and he sipped it carefully. Hot and with lemon. It felt like a gift and he appreciated their lack of mentioning his magical surge. It was roiling in his agitation and he wasn't sure how to deal with that either. Dampeners for years meant it was almost a foreign feeling.

"Exactly. She didn't hesitate, warded Potter in and ran up the stairs to her room where the boys were. Asked the elves to take us to a place she has. Hadn't been there but Black left it to her. Said it was tight and unplottable. That was enough for her. They were there for about six weeks. Maybe a bit longer. Boys got better, recovered and she wanted to take them out into the muggle world. Didn't want to keep them caged. They hadn't seen anything. Tried anything and it bothered her a lot. She went after they were sleeping a few times when I was there to get things for them but it wasn't enough. So we did. Took them on weekends. To parks and shopping. Out to eat and just to see things. It was amazing for me too and they loved it. At a park outside Plymouth they came. Shot spells at her in broad daylight. In a bloody Muggle park, as she says it. We had plans and the elves took them back to the Den. That's the house, and then we packed and the elves took us to the place I had set up in Italy. I said I would take care of it and that was enough for her." Blaise was smiling now and he looked to Theo, whose face was as grim as it had been before.

"Spill it Theo." He demanded and Blaise shot him an appreciative look.

"Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet Drake but our sons have an idyllic life in Italy with the perfect mother. You want to snatch them to whatever hell we can offer them?" He spat the words and it was understandable. His friend was pessimistic and had all the reasons in the world to be. Their lives had been utter shit. Almost all of it. School was the best part and that had been tainted and trashed from the beginning.

"I've told you Theo. Fuck off and listen to me. They are waiting for you. Waiting for both of you to be in a good enough place. Mind and body, to come here and be reunited. Whatever they might have thought of you,if she hadn't found them and kept them, is irrelevant. They know you were in prison. My only concern is when they eventually figure out you didn't help her or help her more. The only thing they might take issue with is that. The witch is brilliant and they know quite a bit. She doesn't lie to them. Explained why they were leaving and they know what plans exist for if things go wrong again. They get out and see things. Go places and do things. Muggle though. Granger is too well known and even if no one knows about them and the failure to appear for summons isn't public, she doesn't trust they wouldn't come. Bella has done her best to make their time in hiding as normal and normalizing as she can. They know as much about you as she and I could tell them. You are their dads. She is their My. It has always been the plan for them to come back. To you." The last was said forcefully and he tried to take that in. It was easier for him to even contemplate this than for Theo.

"That fucking witch." He said into the heavy silence and Blaise chuckled.

"I knew you would take it better. Her part in it, I mean. You always thought she was like a goddess. Unattainable." He said seriously but with a twinkle and he scoffed.

"She was. Still is. I don't usually say this but I got lucky. Scorpius got lucky. That she found them. Probably would have kept anyone's kids but this wasn't that." He answered.

"Alright. So Theo is panicked by encountering their happiness and you think it will be alright?" He asked their friend and felt so much relief at being here with both of them.

Theo and him had missed Blaise's steadying presence. The normalcy of having him around and how much better he made things. Being presented sons out of nowhere had been like the last nail in the coffins slowly surrounding them. As if it was another knot in the hopeless situation they lived in. Complete with Unbreakable vows to tell no one and hide their existence. Elves had been the best they could do.

"So the Ministry took them. Somehow hid them from the elves?" This didn't make sense and Blaise was grim then.

"That was a shock. Bella thought it alarming too. Whatever magics or contracts or wards they had found. It was as if until Snitch seen Scorpius he couldn't find him. Was in rough shape. Both of them were but it only took a few weeks for them to be better than I ever remember. She doesn't quibble with them either. Her stint in the Magical Creatures Department paid off for all of elf kind." He was grinning then and Draco could see that he had missed them too.

The letter floated in front of his face a minute later and interrupted his thoughts about everything he had just heard. The writing was not perfect but it wasn't illegible and he ran a thumb over the word. Dad. Not father either but dad. Knowing he wouldn't open it if he didn't do it now, he would overthink it, he turned it over and was surprised to see a seal in dark green wax. An engraved M. Not his family crest but a seal and he looked up at Blaise.

"All of it. Mother has been in alt to have someone so diligent to teach and the boys know it's part of how you grew up." His words were quiet and he could only nod. Later he would think about the witch. It was a single sheet and he made himself read each word carefully.

Dad

I'm so glad you are out. We have been waiting and Blaise says you are at his flat. I've never been there but he says it's nice.

Are you okay? Trays dad has been sleeping a lot and getting stronger. Do you have to do that too?

My says you are okay. Blaise says it too.

I want to see you for my birthday. Last week of November. Six days until our week starts. Can we come visit?

We fly every day and I want to show you. My says it's cold there. Charms work there too and she does special ones on my fingers and toes when we go to the snow.

love you dad.

Scorp

He read it twice and looked up.

"Can we do that?" He could hear the tightness in his voice and looked to Theo when he spoke.

"Five days." Theo said and he didn't know what to think.

"If you are good to stand and take a piss unaided then I'll get the elves to take us to the Den. It's her place. They stayed there and it's secure." Blaise said and then looked at him expectantly.

"The Den." He said quietly and Blaise nodded.

"It's hers though." He said and looked to Theo who shrugged. He could see the conflicting thoughts in his friend's eyes.

"She offered and the boys are safe there. Her too." The last was reluctant he looked up. Not having processed that part.

"The hell? Like they want to arrest her or something?" He was disbelieving and Blaise nodded once.

"We will talk about all this. I don't want you to inside this box. The boys will want to be outside. They are a lot and she talked about not just changing the prison they lived in. Let's go." Blaise stood and he could see that his friend meant it. More than that too and he wasn't sure why he didn't want them to be here but things were not alright it seemed. Not emergent but Blaise wanted them at this place. He held the dark brown eyes that were so familiar but that he hadn't seen for more than five years. Blaise clearly meant to go on as if there had been no pause in their friendship.

He nodded back and looked to Theo.

"I'll prove I'm able and then we go yeah?" He asked and got a nod and then he watched his friend relax some.

"You think it will be alright?" He asked quietly and Draco held his friends eyes. This time he felt like it would be and he nearly smiled at the certain feeling. So different from before. When nothing was certain and everything was always getting worse.

"Yeah. It will be hard. Our problem is that both boys are happy and safe. It's a good problem Theo. Granger won't just drop them and let us fuck it up either." He shot a glance at Blaise who grinned. It was reassuring and it looked easy. Blaise wasn't forcing it.

"Of course not. Bella is thorough and always follows through." He assured them and flicked his hand toward the en-suite door.