Rose Weasley had lied to her dad without so much as a second thought. She'd told Ron she would be meeting her cousin, Victoire, at Fortescue Memorial Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley, when really she was on her way to downtown London. She Flooed into the dinning room fireplace of the Malfoy Penthouse, located in one of the many magical buildings on the block.

Rose was awestruck by the flat's lavishness. It could only be described as immaculate. On the smooth marble floors sat various pieces of luxury furniture, some lined with what looked like gold. In a strange way, everything, but also nothing, matched, and the decor flowed together seamlessly. It looked like a palace.

"You made it," Scorpius said as he appeared from another room, having heard her arrival. He hurried over to her and helped her out of the fireplace, dusting her off.

Scorpius had gone back home after his week stay at Albus's, and it had been several days since the two had seen one another. Rose would have invited him over to her house if it weren't for the fact that her dad was home, and the chances of him leaving them alone were slim. When that plan had been shot down, Scorpius suggested she come to his place, something she'd never done in their three years of friendship. She didn't even bother asking her dad as she could only imagine what he'd have said if she'd asked to go.

Scorpius led her to what she supposed was a living room, though from how perfect it looked, she doubted anyone spent much time there. They sat together on a light grey leather sofa, in front of a large window, overlooking the city.

"So this is home," Scorpius said.

"This place," Rose said, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it all. "This place is..."

"Extra?" Scorpius offered with an embarrassed smile.

"That would even be an understatement," she said with a small laugh, her eyes still taking everything in.

Rose had never seen a home like this before. Despite her parents being well off, they certainly did not flaunt their wealth, and their house was modest and comfortable in comparison.

"So this is the result of old pureblood Malfoy money," Rose teased gently.

"Hardly," Scorpius snorted. "Greengrass money paid for all of this. The Malfoys have nothing left except their name. If it weren't for my mum's family, we could never afford any of this."

"Oh," Rose said, unsure of what to say next.

Scorpius didn't speak of his mum often anymore, and the mention of her made Rose uncomfortable. August would mark the one year anniversary of her death. Other than her funeral, Rose and Albus hadn't seen Scorpius that entire month last year, and he'd been late to come to Hogwarts in September. When he'd arrived in the third week of school, he made it clear that he did not want to discuss his late mother, not even with his two best friends.

"I thought your grandparents on your dad's side were well off," Rose said, almost apologetically. "I mean, from the stories I've heard you'd think they were rolling in it."

"Were being the key word," Scorpius replied, casually throwing his arm over Rose as they sunk into the sofa. "My grandparents, Lucius and Narcissa, have nothing left except the Manor. They lost everything after the war. My grandfather used most of his money to pay people off that he'd wronged or who had evidence against him."

"Evidence against him for what?" Rose asked, looking up at Scorpius from the crook of his should. Her interest was peaked.

He looked at her with disbelief.

"... you don't know?"

"No, should I?"

"Rose," Scorpius began, a seriousness in his voice she'd never heard before. "He's infamous for being a Death Eater. Malfoy Manor was used as Voldemort's Headquarter at the height of the war, implicating my entire family. My father was even forced to take the Dark Mark at sixteen, though I don't think anyone considered him a true follower."

"You're joking," she said with wide eyes, searching Scorpius's expression for any sign of playful deception. He shook his head.

Rose was shocked. How was she kept in the dark for so long? She'd always known Lucius Malfoy was a muggle hating bigot with crazy purest ideologies. She figured he'd been supportive of the Death Eaters, but to have actually been one, that was something else entirely that she hadn't expected. It certainly explained why her family had been so uneasy about her friendship with Scorpius.

"I'm surprised you don't know all this. I would have thought your dad would have let some of it slip to you by now," Scorpius said with a hint of bitterness. "I always thought you and Al just didn't bring it up around me to be nice."

A short silence fell where Scorpius gently drew light circles on Rose's upper arm with his index finger.

"Why isn't he in Azkaban?" Rose asked curiously.

Scorpius frowned slightly, before saying, "The Malfoys have a talent for slithering their way out of trouble. They defected at the last possible minute and were spared from any real consequences."

"I can't believe I didn't know any of this," Rose said. "I mean, these people are your family."

Scorpius sat up quickly, looking meaningfully into Rose's eyes.

"I'm nothing like them," He said earnestly. "I will never be like them. Believe me when I say that."

"Scorp," Rose said softly. She moved her hand to cup his face. "You don't have to tell me that. I know who you are."

Sensing his need for belonging, Rose leaned toward his face and tenderly kissed him. He responded, slowly at first, and then more intensely until they found themselves in a familiar position.

Then two young teens had become much more comfortable with each other since they had first kissed in the spring. They were no longer shy and timid when their lips met or when when their fingers brushed.

Scorpius had been Rose's first kiss, and a few months ago she'd have never believed she'd be one of those girls that were obsessed with snogging boys. How naive she'd been, she thought. Kissing Scorpius was intoxicating, and she was both excited and scared to want more.

Rose found herself on top of Scorpius, kissing him down the side of his neck while he let out an soft groan of enjoyment. She felt his hands glide up the back of her shirt and squeeze her shoulder blades. Daringly, she rocked her hips into his, and she felt his response immediately. He flipped her onto her back and attacked her shoulder with his mouth, inching towards the skin between the V in her shirt. Rose played with the hem of his, before slowly lifting it up over his head and casting it aside.

Both Scorpius and Rose paused for a moment. They'd never gotten this far before, and that seemed to dawn on both of them at the same time. Scorpius gave a small laugh before leaning in to resume their kissing, but a sound from the kitchen startled him.

Before Scorpius or Rose could move, a tall, slimly built man with short platinum hair and vampire-pale skin entered the living room. An amused smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

Scorpius hastily pushed himself off of Rose, and fetched his shirt to throw on while Rose sat up on the sofa, straightening her posture.

"Rose Weasley," Draco drawled, ignoring the teens' horrified expressions. "Nice to see you again."

"H-h-hi, Mr. Malfoy," Rose stuttered, flushed with embarrassment.

"Father - "

"Scorpius," Draco cut him off. "You didn't tell me Rose would be coming by today, but I suppose you didn't think I'd be home so early, did you?"

Scorpius said nothing, his eyes fixed at a spot on the carpet. "No, sir."

"No need to worry," Draco continued, taking a few steps closer to Scorpius. "You're welcome to have friends over anytime you like. I just can't imagine Mr. Weasley would take kindly to his daughter being in my home, though I'm sure Minister Granger would allow it... with supervision of course."

Rose and Scorpius remained quiet, and Rose hoped that this truly mortifying experience would come to an end soon.

"Why don't you two go get some lunch and get out of this stuffy flat," Draco suggested, handing his son a few muggle bills. "There's a delightful sandwich shop just round the corner. I imagine your both starving."

Scorpius begrudgingly took the money from his father's fingers and motion for Rose to follow him. The two hurriedly made their way towards the front door, desperate to get away from the humiliating experience.

"Oh, and children," Draco called before Scorpius and Rose were too far down the hallway. They turned, seeing a cunning smile light up his face. "This time I'll pretend I didn't see the scene I walked into, but not again." He looked at Rose. "Your mother loves to remind me that she and I have become somewhat friendly, which as much as I hate to admit, is true. Unfortunately for the two of you, that means I'm obligated to inform her of any future rendezvous I stumble upon. Don't let me catch you in that position again, understood?"

...

It had been the first day at the Ministry since Hermione had taken over that she had been close to clearing the stack of documents on her desk. In the last week, virtually nothing had gone wrong, meaning for the first time, there had been little added to her usually enormous workload. Hermione hoped the monotonous days continued for at least a while longer. She didn't want to be the type of Minister that was always behind and playing catch up. She wanted to be ahead of the game. Proactive and thoughtful.

However, Hermione wasn't being as productive with her time as she'd normally be. In fact, she was quite distracted. She and Ron had gotten into a huge fight the night before, and she wasn't even sure what about. It had all started when Hermione had told him she was too warm to sleep with her head on his chest. He'd pulled her into a tight embrace, and when she realized he intended for her to sleep in that position, she'd gently voiced her objections. "I really need a proper sleep," she had said, only to have Ron erupt in anger about how she was too busy for him now that she was Minister of Magic. In the whispered hisses fired between them, somehow it became about how the two of them hadn't been having sex, something Hermione couldn't even deny was true. It had been some time, and she supposed the extra stress she'd been under was likely a contributing factor. She had come up with a plan to hopefully smooth the entire thing over. Friday would be a date night for them. No kids, no work, and no stress. When she got home she'd run the idea past Ron, who she imagined was probably also feeling bad about their row.

As Hermione continued catching up on outstanding business, she noticed a large brown envelope on the top of her mail pile that hadn't been there before. Curiously, she walked over to her mail and picked it up, her heart stopping when she flipped it over. She recognized the scratchy writing from the documents Harry had shown her. On a sticky note attached to the envelope, the writing read: Time is ticking - reason with Potter.

With shaky hands, Hermione quickly fumbled open the envelope, pulling out a three page document, the St. Mungo's Hospital Emblem in the corner of each. The first page, a summary:

MEDICAL RECORDS

PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL

GRANGER, HERMIONE JEAN

DOB: 09/19/1979

Admittance Date: 05/30/1998 , 15:23

Discharge Date: 06/01/1998 , 13:48

Discharge Summary: Ms. Granger was admitted on May 30th into the care of Healer MacMillan. She was brought in after falling unconscious and at the time of admission, experiencing grade III vaginal hemorrhage. Upon investigation, it became evident that Ms. Granger was suffering a miscarriage in her first or second trimester - unclear given her poor gestational health. Emergency measures were required and started immediately. Treatment included: Essence of Dittany, transfusions charms, and replenishment serums. Loss of pregnancy occurred prior to her admission and Ms. Granger's condition stabilized at 16:53 on May 30th, post-delivery of the lost fetus. The plausible cause is suspected to be the lasting physical trauma after repeated subjection to the Cruciatus Curse, occurring weeks earlier, combined with severe malnutrition. Ms. Granger was asked to stay until June 6th for observation, but left on June 1st against medical advice. She was released into the care of Harry Potter, a friend and also father of the lost fetus. Both consented to arrangements made for the remains to be sent to St. Jerome's in Godric's Hallow, West Country.

Patient released to the care of: POTTER, HARRY JAMES

Authorized by: HEALER MACMILLAN, A

In completely shock, Hermione dropped the record on her desk, slowly sitting down in her burgundy upholstered chair. Her head fell in her hands as thoughts raced through her mind.

Pregnant. Harry had gotten her pregnant.

Fuck.