As soon as Astoria walked out, Narcissa turned to face me, anger darkening her blue eyes. "I meant what I said, Lucius. Do not even think about meddling in this again."

"Narcissa, he'll hate us. All of us," I replied. "Even if you didn't know before it happened, you knew after and you didn't tell him."

"I don't care!" she bellowed, and Scorpius looked up at her, shock on his little face.

I summoned an elf, not wanting to subject him to this conversation. "Can you please take Scorpius to the nursery and play while we discuss a few things?"

"Yes, Master Lucius," the elf squeaked, taking hold of Scorpius' tiny hand and disappearing with a crack.

Glaring at Narcissa, I said, "Honestly, you don't care if Draco hates us? If he never lets us see Scorpius again?"

"That doesn't matter. We're not going to keep doing this to him," she stated. "Falling together once could have been an accident, but twice? They're meant to be together. If we fix this, he might be able to forgive us."

I pondered her words for a moment before answering. "Do you really think he'll forgive her? He won't trust her when he finds out what she's done to him."

"I think he will. If she gives him all his memories back, he won't be able to forget her again. He's wanted that girl since Hogwarts," Narcissa said.

If Hermione and Draco ended up together, I wasn't sure that she would want to see us. We had certainly derailed her life. And what would that mean for Draco and Scorpius? Would we never have another holiday with them?

Deep down, I knew these were all things I should have considered two years ago, but I had acted on impulse. When I made the threat, I hadn't even truly known where Hermione's parents were, only that she had Obliviated them and sent them to another country. Despite everything I'd said, I never would have harmed them. When things hadn't been going my way, I simply resorted to Death Eater tactics, knowing that the easiest way to manipulate a person was to threaten their family.

It had worked when Voldemort used Narcissa and Draco against me.

"Lucius?" she prompted, pulling me from my thoughts. "You know I'm right. He loves her."

In an attempt to make her see sense, I asked, "What about Blaise? Do you think she'd abandon him for Draco?"

"In a heartbeat," she answered, not pausing for a single moment. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she started distancing herself from him the day Draco came back to work."

Could that be true? Had she been hoping this would happen? That Draco would remember?

"Darling—"

"Do not try to sweet talk me, Lucius," she spat. "Don't you realise this is the last chance you're going to get to tell Draco on your own terms? The last chance you have to save your relationship with him? I have no doubt that he will forgive me in due time, but you…"

"I'm well aware of how Draco feels about me, thank you." Letting out a sigh, I started to pace. "For Salazar's sake, he told me that if I ever tried to force him into a choice again, our relationship would be over. How will telling him what I've done help this situation?"

Grabbing my arm, she halted my steps momentarily and then redirected me into the sitting room. When she gestured to a chair, I sat and she took the one opposite me. She crossed her legs and folded her arms over her chest.

"You're missing the point," she began, her voice less angry than before. "You're making this about you, thinking about how it will affect you. You have to look at it from Draco's perspective. He's been suspicious something was off since the beginning, and we've tried to cover everything up. I'm sure he's remembered something or discovered some kind of clue since going back to work."

I placed my elbows on the table between us and covered my face with my hands. "I don't think there's been anything but the perfume and that shopping trip. The girl did a thorough job."

"And yet he still finds himself drawn to her," Narcissa replied. "I know you don't want to consider this, Lucius, but she is the woman he's compared all other women to. She is what he wants."

"All the more reason for him to hate me if I tell him!" I shouted. "Gods, Narcissa, don't you get it? No matter what — whether I tell him or he finds out on his own — he's never going to speak to me again. He may not even speak to Hermione, let alone stay in love with her."

She shook her head. "He will always be in love with her, just like I have always been in love with you, regardless of your choices." Meeting my eyes, she continued, "Don't you think he's more likely to forgive us — forgive her — if we just tell him what happened?"

I couldn't believe that she was truly this naïve.

"He isn't going to forgive anyone for this. Don't you see? There is no happy ending here!"

Hearing the hysteria in my own voice, I stood again, heading to the window overlooking the grounds. I truly meant what I said — there couldn't possibly be any joy after all that had happened. There was no way for me to apologise for the despicable plan I'd hatched two years ago.

Her hand came to rest on my shoulder, though I hadn't heard her stand up and walk over. "I think you underestimate what he can forgive you for, Lucius. If you explain that it was a mistake, apologise, and give him space… take the blame off of Hermione… then I think it could all work out."

"Why?" I asked angrily. "Why would it work out? Have you forgotten that I threatened to kill? Something I swore I'd never do again? Or that Hermione has every reason in the world to hate me?"

"She had every reason to hate Draco, and she still fell in love with him."

While I knew that was true, I didn't think she would ever forgive me for what I'd done.

"I'll think about it, Narcissa. Is that what you want to hear? That I'll consider throwing myself to the wolves, losing my entire family, on this sliver of a chance?"

"Yes. I want you to consider the two scenarios because, one way or another, he's going to find out, especially if he's trying to get close to her again. She may have grabbed hold of Blaise when she was drowning, but she loves Draco. If he wants her, then she won't be able to stop herself," she responded. "Think about which scenario he'd hate you less for."

"But if I'm the one to tell him… It was all for nothing. He's lost two years of his life and if I admit what happened, why did I do it in the first place?"

She smiled at me — a small smile, but a smile nonetheless — and said, "Scorpius. You did it for Scorpius. Even if it was wrong, you tried to do it for the right reasons, Lucius."

"What does that matter, though? The road to hell is paved with good intentions," I replied, taking a deep breath.

As her hand rubbed my back, I found myself thinking how lucky I was to have this woman. She'd followed me through hell and back out again twice before, and she'd come out a stronger, better person. I, however, appeared to be unchanged. I was still making bad decisions, especially when it came to my family and what was best for them.

"It matters because you wanted Draco to have a happy family. It matters because you didn't want to see your grandchild grow up in a broken home. Even if Draco can't see that at first, I do. I know what you were thinking," Narcissa said, trying to comfort me.

She knew she was close to breaking me down, to getting what she wanted from me. With enough time, she could convince me to do just about anything.

"Well, if you're so wise, why didn't you tell me any of this beforehand?" I teased.

"Because you were a fool who didn't think to consult your wife. I would have handled Astoria. I will handle Astoria when the time comes," she stated.

"Narcissa, in all seriousness, why didn't you encourage me to do this sooner?"

She exhaled, a rush of air leaving her lungs. "Because I knew you weren't ready to admit you were wrong. Honestly, at the beginning, I was hoping that you'd come to that conclusion on your own, but I should have said something after the baby was born. I saw how your guilt started to eat at you."

Again, I silently marvelled at how well she knew me.

"Let's go spend time with Scorpius," I said, my voice nearly shaking.

I held back the other sentence playing in my mind.

I don't know how many more times we'll be allowed to see him if Draco finds out.

As we passed the hours with Scorpius, I started to imagine him growing up without us. If Draco kept us away from him, I would never forgive myself.

And perhaps that would be the right thing to do. I shouldn't forgive myself for meddling in my son's life.

I committed every tiny smile and joyous laugh to memory, aware of the irony of the situation. I was trying to remember everything, and I had taken Draco's memories away from him. Watching as Scorpius rode a toy broomstick through the Manor, I felt a pang in my chest.

I'd done this same thing with Draco so many years ago.

He zoomed back and forth between Narcissa and me, each of us stationed at the end of an empty corridor. When she and I made eye contact, I could feel her asking me to really think about what we'd discussed. I still couldn't imagine how Draco would ever forgive me for this scheme, but she seemed certain that he would.

Scorpius climbed off the broomstick and ran to her, his little arms outstretched. Picking him up and hugging him close, Narcissa walked towards me. As soon as they were close enough, I reached for him and settled him on my hip.

"Are you tired, little one?" I asked, my voice softer than it ever was for anyone else. He nodded and rubbed at his eyes. "Grandfather will take you up to the nursery. I'm sure you could use a nap after all that flying."

Narcissa followed close behind as I walked up the stairs, knowing he favoured the gentle movement of walking to the squishing feeling of Apparition when he was tired. His fingers gripped the ends of my hair, but I ignored it.

When I laid him down in his cot, he looked up at me and smiled, his eyes fluttering shut. In that moment, I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Without Draco.

"He looks so much like his father," Narcissa whispered, moving to stand next to me beside the cot. "If we looked at a photo of Draco at this age, you'd hardly be able to tell them apart."

"I remember," I said, the words feeling harsh on my tongue.

I remember.

Because, unlike my son, I could remember everything about my life, good and bad.

Pushing my emotions down, I turned away and headed out of the nursery. I needed a drink. I needed to consider my options.

I needed a fucking Time-Turner so I could confront my past self. And Astoria's past-self.

Why hadn't I just said, 'he doesn't fucking love you' and moved on with it? I knew just as well as Narcissa did that divorces were no longer as scandalous in our world. I just hadn't wanted it to happen in the Malfoy line.

Everything I'd done from the time I was a teenager was supposedly for the prestigious, pure Malfoy bloodline. I wondered if Draco had felt the same…

Last year, at the birthday party from hell, Blaise had told me that Draco never asked Hermione out on a date because he thought I wouldn't approve of her.

I supposed that was true.

"Lucius?" Narcissa asked. "Lucius, where are you going?"

"My study," I answered. "I just… need some time. Can you please give me a few days to think?"

She nodded, knowing that if I was considering what she'd said, she was likely going to get her way.

When Astoria arrived back at the Manor, she was visibly upset. I could tell she had been crying, and it made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to ask her what had happened, but I didn't seem to have a choice. Letting her suffer in silence wasn't an option. Regardless of my personal opinion, she was still family.

"What's happened now?" I asked, though I could hear the slight slur to my words, the three glasses of firewhisky I'd consumed making my tongue feel as heavy as lead.

"Well, he knows that he and Hermione were friends before his accident," she stated, her voice louder and clearer than I remembered it ever being.

Although I was half-drunk, so I wasn't the most reliable witness.

Snapping my fingers, I summoned an elf. "Can you please ask Narcissa to join us?"

The elf nodded, its large ears bobbing, and popped back out of the room. A few minutes later, Narcissa joined us, looking concerned at my disposition and Astoria's tears.

"Explain," I said, prompting Astoria.

Crying, she walked us through her conversation with Draco. It had been short and to the point — other people had told Draco that he and Hermione were friends before his accident, that they'd seen them around together. Who these people were, I had no idea, but they were going to be the undoing of all this.

Now that Draco knew there had been something between them, he wouldn't be able to let it go. He would keep trying to get back into her life and, just like Narcissa had predicted, she would eventually let him back in.

I felt that with certainty in my soul because, if Narcissa and I were in that situation, I would do the same thing. I wouldn't just let her go, and our relationship was the closest parallel I could draw to what was between Draco and Hermione.

When I refocused on Astoria, she was still going. "—and he told me he needed to think and so did I because I had lied to him. I just, I can't! He can't find out what really happened. He'll never speak to any of us and he'll take Scorpius from me! He can't even handle the knowledge that they were friends without being angry."

Narcissa frowned. "This morning you said you wanted to think, Astoria. Now you've come to the conclusion that we need to keep deceiving him?"

"Yes!" she cried. "I don't want to lose my son."

I stayed silent. I hadn't yet come to my own conclusions about this situation, but things were escalating quickly; the wall of lies we built had started to crumble, and it was only a matter of time until it all came crashing down.

"You're a good mother. I don't think he will keep Scorpius from you. He is not that vengeful," Narcissa replied. "But, if we continue lying to him at this critical point and he finds out somewhere down the line, he may not ever forgive any of us. Do you understand that?"

"I don't think he'll ever forgive us now," Astoria admitted. "I know I wouldn't."

Hating to see my wife at war with herself, I spoke. "I think we need to talk to Hermione."

Astoria's head snapped up. "What? Why?"

"We need to find out if she can put his memories back, first and foremost," I said, reasoning through the problem on the fly. The issues we were facing had sobered me up quickly. "What would be the point of telling him if she can't?"

"Lucius, the point is that he deserves to know what happened," Narcissa began. "But I do agree — we should talk to Hermione before we tell him anything. She'll need to be prepared if we do."

"I don't want to tell him!" Astoria shouted. "I may have let your words get to me this morning, but after talking to Daphne, I don't think I want to give up on my marriage. I gave up so many things to be the perfect wife for Draco—"

"No one asked you to give up anything," I snarled, unwilling to let her place any sort of blame on her marriage contract. She could have broken it after the war, and we wouldn't have contested it. "You chose that life for yourself, Astoria. Look at Pansy and your sister. They decided to break with the old ways—"

"I know that! I didn't want to struggle like they did—"

"So you married him solely for the money?" I snapped back.

Her tears started flowing again. "I didn't want to lose my family. My parents didn't speak to Daphne for nearly two years after she broke the contract with the Goyles."

Narcissa looked to her sympathetically, knowing the pain of pureblood disownment. She'd often lamented the loss of her relationship with Andromeda. "Astoria, I can tell you're unhappy. Why would you want to continue living like this?"

Astoria threaded her fingers into her hair, disheveling it in a way I'd never seen before. "I l-love him. I love my family. This is how it's supposed to be — me and Draco and a baby."

The effects of pureblood brainwashing were certainly playing out in front of me, and Astoria's parents had done a number on her. I'd never seen an unhappy woman want to stay in a situation like the one she was in.

"Astoria," I began, "I don't think anyone intended for you to live like this—"

"Stop!" she shouted. "This is your fault. It was your plan!"

"Well, you certainly didn't give me all the facts!" I responded, my anger rising to the surface. "You didn't tell me he was in love with her, that it had been going on for that long!"

"Why would I admit that?" Astoria snapped back. "Why would I tell you — one of the men set firmly in the old ways — that I couldn't make my husband happy? That he didn't love me?"

I supposed she was right, in a roundabout way.

Narcissa stepped in. "Enough. None of that matters now," she stated. "We need to get Hermione here, and I don't know how to do that without alerting Draco."

"It's Friday afternoon. This may have to wait through the weekend," I said, knowing it would be difficult to contact Hermione before the weekend.

And it would be even harder to get a note to her if she was still staying with Blaise.

Nodding her head, Narcissa said, "You're likely right. She'll end up with Blaise tonight and Draco will be home soon, I'm sure."

I heard Astoria sniffle again. "I don't know what he's planning on doing. He said he needed time to think. He might not come home."

"Well, I think the best bet is to owl Hermione in the morning. Even if she's with Blaise, it doesn't matter. He'll need to know, too. Probably the Potters, as well." Narcissa paused. "This is going to affect a lot of people and will need to be handled carefully."

"I still think it's a bad idea to tell him," Astoria offered, tears still streaking down her cheeks. "He's going to hate all of us."

Even though I agreed with her, I knew that Narcissa was right — it was now or never. If we continued lying to him and he found out later, the consequences would be far more grave.

"Let's talk to Hermione — and Blaise — and see what they think," I replied, trying to placate both women. "Maybe it's not even possible for her to reverse what she's done."

Narcissa sighed. "I doubt that she'd make it irreversible, but I suppose it's a possibility."

"I don't want to be here when you talk to her," Astoria stated. "I don't even want to be in the same bloody building as her."

"That's fine," I answered. "I'll handle Ms. Granger. I think she and I have an understanding of sorts."

The following morning, Narcissa woke me up early, knowing she'd need to persuade me to carry out the plan. While I knew what she was up to, I was more than happy to play along, making her think she was turning me into putty in her hands.

And her hands, they were roaming everywhere, driving me crazy the way they had for over thirty years. Since the day she first touched me, I'd known she would be able to get whatever she wanted from me, that I'd do anything for her.

As she moved over me, I found my concentration faltering, wondering if Draco had felt this way with Hermione. It was completely unbidden and inappropriate, but if she had made my son feel this way, I wanted to repair what I had damaged between them.

In the morning light, everything seemed clear to me. If I wanted to salvage any sort of relationship with my son and my grandson, I had to be honest. I had to come clean, to help him see that I left Hermione no choice. He shouldn't hate her.

No, he should love her.

"Lucius," Narcissa said, her fingernails digging into my shoulders. "Come back to me."

And I did, flipping us over and taking control of everything.

"I'm here," I replied, kissing her. "I love you."

She smiled up at me, her hands running into my hair. "I love you, too."

I knew that smile — it was the one she used when she thought she'd conquered me, gotten what she wanted all on her own. I would never tell her that she needn't ever persuade me of anything.

I would eventually give her anything she wanted, even if she just waited me out.

Right now, she was simply giving me the strength I needed to take control of the situation.

Later on, I made my way to my study, feeling a determination I hadn't the day before. I could do this. I could owl Hermione Granger, and I could try to set things to rights for Draco. He deserved to know. He deserved to be happy, to have a chance at true love with the woman he'd always dreamed of.

I'd taken everything away from him, and it was time to give it back. Hopefully it wasn't too late.

Hopefully she wouldn't stay with Blaise if Draco wanted to fix things between them.

Ms. Granger,

Narcissa and I would like to invite you and Mr. Zabini over for tea this afternoon. Are you available to speak with us?

Please let me know as soon as possible.

LM

As I watched the owl fly off into the distance, I prayed I wasn't making a huge mistake. I didn't know if I wanted her to come or to refuse. I didn't know if I wanted her to be able to restore Draco's memories or not.

It all depended on the chain reaction of events I was hopefully setting in motion.

If Hermione could restore his memories, would she be willing to?

If she was willing to, would he want her to? Or would he be too furious with her?

If he was furious with her, would he ever forgive her?

If he forgave her, would they be able to build their relationship again?

Would she want to be with him again?

Would he want to be with her again?

And how would this affect Scorpius?

With a sigh, I tried to let it all go. I had taken the first step, and now I could do nothing but wait for her response.