Since the moment I'd laid eyes on the strip of photos in Granger's office, my heart had been racing and my mind had been trying to connect the dots, but the holes and gaps kept swallowing me whole. When she'd told me she'd removed the memories completely, leaving no traces, it all made sense. Shopping for the gifts, the scent of her perfume… They were vague recollections. And it explained why I couldn't really remember seeing her around the office, either.

When she said she'd show me what was missing — but only after talking to a healer — I stormed out, leaving all the conspirators behind. They shouted after me, but I heard my mother say, "We knew this would happen. Just let him go and try to process."

As if I could ever begin to process this situation.

I stepped through the Manor's front entryway and walked up the path to the gates, wrenching them open and Disapparating.

Landing in my bedroom, I swiftly moved into the closet, summoning a small suitcase and packing enough clothes for a few days blindly. I didn't want to be away from Scorpius, but I couldn't even fathom being under the same roof as Astoria. She'd had a hand in this, had been lying to me for almost two years. From what I could gather, instead of talking to me about the affair, she'd gone to my father.

My father.

The man who had ruined my teenage years had apparently decided that I should never live my own life, that I should only be what he wanted me to be. It made me sick. Over the years, I thought he had really changed. But, of course, it hadn't lasted.

My chest was heaving and I was breaking into a sweat, my body starting to panic just as much as my mind had.

Granger. I'd been in love with Granger. Although, I'd always known that.

The new information was that we'd had a relationship and she'd been in love with me as well. Minus the whole marriage part, I'd had exactly what I'd always wanted for over a year. Even if I didn't deserve it, I'd had it.

And then they took it all away.

My anger flared again. Granger had taken it all away — every single memory, every single thing I would've cherished. It was all gone, lost to me unless she deigned to give it all back.

Why would she, though?

I'd made her be the other woman for over a year, and now she had Blaise. Just from observing them, I could tell that he always put her first, that he made sure she was happy before worrying about himself.

Shaking my head, I finished packing and Disapparated again, landing in the middle of Diagon Alley. I looked up at The Leaky Cauldron and wondered if Hannah knew — if she remembered the night of my stag party.

Had she known that I spent the night with Granger then? Or any other nights?

Surely we wouldn't have been stupid enough to stay there…

Deciding it was my best option, I walked through the door, immediately glancing towards the bar. Hannah was serving customers and smiling, but she looked up at the sound of the little bell that rang whenever someone entered. When she saw my suitcase, her expression faltered and she held up a finger, signalling that she'd be with me in a moment.

I stood off to the side, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Discreetly, I shrank my suitcase down, realising that was the most conspicuous thing about my appearance. When she made her way over to me, she had a key in hand.

"I'm assuming you need a room?"

"For at least tonight, probably tomorrow night, as well," I replied. "Can I—Is there any way we could speak? Privately? I have some questions."

She nervously chewed at her lip. "I'm not sure I should be the one to answer them if they're what I think they are."

"You can choose not to," I said, the little bit of hope I'd been feeling dissipating. "But I really do need to talk to someone, and I'm not ready to—I can't talk to Granger yet."

Her eyes filled with sympathy, and my suspicions were confirmed — she knew something, if not everything.

"I'll answer if I can, but there's a lot I don't know," she replied. "I only really had my own assumptions."

I nodded. "When are you off?"

"I can see if Neville is home." Handing me the key, she said, "It's for room ten. If he's able to finish up the night for me, I'll come and speak to you. If not, we can have breakfast in the morning."

Thanking her, I moved towards the stairs, keeping my head down. Though everyone in the pub likely knew who I was, I didn't want to draw more attention to myself than necessary. When I unlocked the room, I expected to feel some flicker of recognition, some flash of memory.

But then I remembered that it was gone. Completely gone. Just another gap inside my mind, a cavern for me to fall into.

There was a nightstand and a double bed, a small desk, an armchair, a fireplace, and a bathroom. It wasn't much, but it would do for a few days until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.

Tonight, I would talk to Hannah and try to get some idea of what had happened over the past three years. I would see what she knew and see if I could remember anything at all.

Less than half an hour later, there was a knock at my door. When I opened it, Hannah was standing there, a hot meal and a bottle of firewhisky on a tray. I was surprised she was going to feed me alcohol, but the situation likely called for it. Letting her pass, I tried to think of a way to start the conversation.

She set the tray she'd been carrying down on the desk and motioned for me to sit. She took the armchair, settling into it before looking over at me.

"I'm not talking til you eat something. And the whisky doesn't get opened til then, either."

I grimaced. The thought of food was absolutely repulsive right now. My stomach hadn't felt settled for hours, but I took a deep breath and walked towards the desk. I could suffer through a meal if I got answers afterwards.

When I removed the lid, I saw a heaping portion of curry on my plate, and it smelled divine. She smiled and said, "This isn't my first time feeding you when you're upset."

"Oh," I said stupidly. "Was I here a lot?"

Hannah shook her head and gestured to the food. "Eat and I'll talk."

Taking a bite, I looked at her pointedly.

With a sigh, she continued, "I suspected something was going on with you and Hermione from about Christmas of... 2004?"

"That lines up with what I found out today."

"Okay. You two would come through here separately, but always close to the same time. You specifically were a surprise to me because you would cross into the Muggle world," she explained. "You stopped in together for lunch a few times, but you always wanted to be seated out of sight. Hermione would say she didn't want to be bothered since you had limited time before you had to be back at work."

Sweet Salazar, we'd been carrying on basically out in the open. No wonder Astoria had found out.

I continued to eat, and she kept talking. "I assumed it started significantly before then, but I never knew for sure. And then, in the summer of 2005, Astoria got pregnant." Her hands subconsciously went to her bump, cradling the baby inside. "I think after Hermione found out about the pregnancy, she told you she didn't want to keep seeing you."

"I'm not certain," I replied, wiping my mouth with the napkin she'd provided. "I have no recollection of the relationship at all."

"I thought so. I've sensed you're different now." Looking straight at me, she said, "When Hermione tried to break things off — and again, this is just a suspicion, I don't know for sure — you started coming here after work. You were getting pissed pretty frequently, and you told me more than once that you were losing the love of your life."

My chest tightened, though her words weren't a surprise at all.

"And I would listen, but you never specified who the love of your life was. I never asked because I wasn't sure if you and Hermione were really together or if I was just seeing something that wasn't really there," Hannah stated. "But then, one night, you asked me to Floo someone to come and get you, and you asked for 'Granger' and said she needed to know what she was doing to you."

"That… Well, I suppose—"

She cut me off. "So I called her after everyone else had left the pub and she came to get you. She was devastated when she saw you, but I could tell she was having a hard time with the whole situation. She said all the right things — that she would make sure you got home to Astoria, that you must have called her because Astoria would likely be mad — but I knew she was trying to cover things up."

"Well, I'm sure I made it a bit obvious," I stated begrudgingly. "I've only been infatuated with her since I was a teenager."

Hannah laughed and nodded. "I know, but she didn't realise how much you were actually telling me. So, anyway, this continued to happen sporadically through September, and then I didn't see you again. I heard about your accident through the grapevine, and Hermione completely fell apart. I didn't really see her for almost an entire year. I only knew she was still alive because Blaise kept me updated whenever he'd pass through."

"Were they close before my"—I made air quotes—"accident? Or did it start after?"

"They were close before. I think she's been leaning on him for quite some time," Hannah replied, though she looked confused by the sarcasm I'd laced through the word 'accident'.

"Granger told me that we both stayed here the night of my stag party. Were you working that night?" I asked.

"I was."

"I guess that was when it all started. She was pissed and went to the wrong room and we had sex," I admitted, though I wasn't sure having sex with an inebriated witch said a whole lot about my character. "She didn't get into specifics, but I know we spent the night together and then Blaise came to get me the next morning."

Her eyes widened in shock. "I had no idea."

Snorting, I replied, "Neither did I, obviously."

"What do you mean?"

The anger burning in my chest made me want to tell her exactly what had happened, but I knew Granger could get into a lot of trouble for what she'd done. Even though I was furious with her, I couldn't bring myself to potentially hurt her that way or ruin her career.

"I just can't remember anything," I answered, though I suspected she knew I was being vague for a reason. "Can I start drinking now?"

Her eyes darted to my near-empty plate. "I suppose, though I do hope you don't make yourself sick."

"I just want to forget again," I said aloud.

And then Granger's words came back to me. I have the memories but, as someone who has lived with them for the past two years… they're not easy to live with.

I felt my anger cool marginally. Hannah said Granger had fallen to pieces. Hell, Potter and Blaise had both told me she'd been a mess.

"Thank you," I said, wanting to be alone again. "I needed to hear from someone that wasn't — isn't — directly involved."

"I'm so sorry, Draco," she replied. "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now."

Swallowing hard, I looked away. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"How did you find out?" she asked tentatively.

"I found a photo and a note I'd written her."

Her voice shook. "I was hoping she told you—"

Letting out a humourless laugh, I started to open the firewhisky bottle. "Yeah, like Blaise would allow her to do that." As I poured the liquor into my glass, I continued, "And all she seems to care about right now is placating him, so I have to wait for answers."

My words were bitter and not entirely true — I'd been the one to storm out, and she hadn't said anything about Blaise — but the jealousy and anger were twisting inside of me, making me lash out.

"For what it's worth, I think she loved you, too," she said.

Instead of comforting me, her response made the pain just a little bit worse.

"She said as much," I replied, but I could hear how bitter I sounded. "Hannah, thank you, but I think… I don't want to say anything to upset you. I need to be alone."

Since I'd been so blunt, she rose and took the tray, leaving me with only the bottle and the glass. "Just send a Patronus if you need anything."

The Patronus. The otter.

"Wait," I said, just as she reached the door. "Maybe you know…"

She turned and looked at me.

"Expecto Patronum."

My emotions were tamping down my ability to focus on happy memories. Only a wisp of silver vapor came from the tip of my wand.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's… an otter. Potter seemed perturbed by it and said it had changed."

I saw tears welling in her eyes. "Hermione's Patronus is an otter. Or at least it was back at Hogwarts."

And, just like that, it finally made sense.

The next morning, my head was fucking pounding.

When I opened my eyes, the sunlight sneaking in through a crack in the curtains nearly blinded me. My mouth was sticky and I was still in the clothes from the night before, alone in an unfamiliar bed.

For just a few seconds, I didn't remember what had happened the previous day. I didn't know that I'd had — and lost — the girl of my dreams.

I didn't know I'd been a shit husband, a lying cheater.

And then it all came back, and I groaned, rolling onto my side and turning away from the sun. I didn't want to get up and deal with the fallout from my discovery. I didn't want to talk to my family or to the fucking healer who had allowed all of this to happen.

But I did want to see my son. I was sure he'd been thrown for a loop when I wasn't at home last night, and that wasn't fair to him. Regardless of my anger towards Astoria, I had to keep his needs at the forefront of my mind.

With a curse, I sat up and covered my eyes with my palms.

"Fuck," I groaned, eventually looking over at the bottle on the desk. It was more than halfway gone, and my tolerance for alcohol wasn't all that high anymore.

Squinting at the clock, I saw it was after nine, and I knew I had to owl the Ministry to let the DMLE know I'd be taking the morning off, at the very least.

I dragged myself to the shower and stood under the spray, bracing my hands on the wall and tilting my head down as I simultaneously tried to remember and forget what had happened yesterday.

Mentally, I planned my day. I knew I had to go to the Manor first, though I wasn't looking forward to speaking with my father. And my mother — well, I was ambivalent there. She may not have initiated the plan, but she definitely didn't tell me anything after the fact.

Why did she always protect my father?

And my father… He loved my mother above anything in this world. If Granger and I were supposedly in love, why would he take that away from me? Especially knowing what it felt like to be in so deep?

As I washed, my mind raced, and I thought of the month and a half — and, fuck, how had it been so little time — since I'd returned to work, replaying every moment I'd had with Granger since the beginning.

I found myself getting more and more angry. All the signs had been there, screaming in my face, but she and Blaise had covered their tracks well.

From my first day back, Blaise had been possessive of her, wrapping his arm around her waist, holding her hand, popping in and out of her office whenever I tried to talk to her. He'd taken her to Italy, threatened me when I got too close to her, made sure to come into the office with her every single morning and make sure I saw them.

Make sure I knew they'd spent yet another night together.

He'd played the game so well, keeping me at a distance. But I'd still been drawn to her, like a moth to the flame, like a mere wizard entranced by a Veela.

And Veela may be an accurate description for Granger — beautiful, alluring, and fierce, but she turned ugly when crossed, when hurt by someone.

I'd definitely hurt her, and she'd gotten her revenge, ripping the memories I would've cherished from my mind and moving on with my best friend.

The more I let myself think, the angrier I became. Then I'd try to calm myself, talk myself down, and it would all start all over again.

Once I was dressed, I made my way downstairs, avoiding looking at Hannah. I immediately used the Floo and headed to the Manor, my rage fuelling me.

As soon as I stepped into the entrance hall, my mother rushed to me. "Where have you been, Draco?"

I glared at her. "Did you honestly think I would come here or go home to Astoria last night?"

"Yes! You have a child to think about! Or have you forgotten—"

"Actually, that's pretty much the one thing I haven't been made to forget, Mother."

She faltered at my words, realizing the faux pas she'd made.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"Where is Father?" I asked, not acknowledging the apology at all.

There were tears forming in her eyes, but I didn't let them break me.

"He's in his study. He's… not well."

With a scoff, I started up the staircase. "I'm sure he's really broken up that his whole scheme is over."

"Draco—"

"Do not defend him. Not if you want me to forgive you anytime soon." I turned and looked her squarely in the eyes. "There is no excuse for what he did, Mother. Child or not, having me Obliviated… It's unforgivable. Especially with everything else he's done throughout my life."

"He knows that," she murmured, and my shock must have shown. "He's been feeling guilty since Scorpius was born. It's been eating him alive."

I couldn't let her words stop me today. They were something to think on later. Much later. Possibly a few years from now.

He didn't deserve to be forgiven again, to get away with ruining my life a second time over.

Again, I turned and started marching up to his study. I didn't knock. I simply flung the door open, and he pointed his wand at the intruder.

When he realised it was me, he lowered it. "Draco. I wasn't expecting to see you—"

"And you won't. Not anytime soon, after this," I interrupted. "Avery was the healer in this mess, yes?"

He nodded.

"And do you have him tongue-tied or anything of that nature?"

He nodded again, completely speechless.

"I need you to come with me and undo it, then," I snarled.

"When?" my father asked.

I wanted to say immediately, but I thought of Scorpius, and I knew I needed to go home first. Avery could wait another couple of hours.

"After lunch," I responded. "I'm going home to see Scorpius first."

"I'll meet you there at one."

When I turned to leave, he quickly said, "I know you hate me, Draco. I just—I hope that someday you understand—"

"How can you expect me to understand what you did?" I replied, not turning around. "Why would you think I could ever understand?"

He didn't say anything in response, so I continued walking. I wasn't surprised to find my mother pacing outside the study door. Before she could try to stop me, I said, "I'm going to see Scorpius and then Father is meeting me at Avery's office to undo all the curses he put on him."

She nodded. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Astoria, too. She was—"

I held up a hand. "I don't care what she was. She's just as guilty as Father and Granger."

Looking nervous, she said, "We owled her over the weekend, you know? Hermione. We wanted to talk to her about telling you everything."

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not. You can ask her yourself. Astoria, too. We wanted to try to fix things," my mother admitted, on the verge of tears. "It took me a long time to get them to agree, but they finally had, and Hermione never responded."

Rolling my eyes, I took another step forward. "I'm sure she was too busy riding Zabini to come to your little conspiratorial meeting."

She grabbed my arm. "That's a nasty thing to say."

"After what she did to me, she deserves far worse."

When I yanked my arm out of her grip, she tried a different tactic. "Fine, Draco. Hate everyone for now."

I really didn't understand why she thought I'd react differently. "Don't act like I'm being unreasonable! I was Obliviated against my will by the woman who — for all intents and purposes — I considered my soulmate at my father and wife's request. Did you read what I wrote to her in that book I was carrying yesterday?"

"No, I didn't."

"Then don't try to make me feel guilty," I hissed. "I found out less than twenty-four hours ago. Don't you think I need some fucking time? Or some more information?"

"I'm sorry," she apologised again. "I know it's only been a day, but it feels much longer."

Probably because you fucking knew the whole time, I thought to myself.

"He's upset. I'm sure he needs you," I said, jerking my head towards the door. "I need to get home."

"I'll see you soon, Draco."

Even though I had no plans to return to the Manor, her statement seemed true enough. I knew I couldn't shut her out indefinitely.

The first sound I heard when I entered my house was Astoria crying.

Scorpius was sitting at her feet, playing with a large assortment of toys, and he looked up at me and smiled. He stood and toddled over to me, extending his arms and saying, "Up!"

The shock I felt likely showed on my face because Astoria said, "It happened two days ago. I didn't get a chance to tell you."

Lifting him up, I kissed his cheeks. "You're brilliant," I praised. "I'm sure you'll be telling me stories in no time."

He laughed and the sound calmed me more than anything else had over the past twenty-four hours.

"Dada," he chirped. "Dada!"

"Scorp!" I responded. "I'm right here, buddy!"

When he cuddled against my chest, I settled further. Looking at Astoria, I said, "I'm here to spend some time with him. I'll be heading to the healer in a couple of hours."

"Do you—Can we talk?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I'm not ready. I need to know more."

"I can tell you more." There was desperation in Astoria's voice. "I can tell you everything that happened from the day we were married on."

"You can tell me your version of things, how you saw them. I'd rather see it through my own eyes."

"You're not going to be able to watch years of memories in a day, Draco," she said. "Let me explain."

Everyone wanted their turn to explain, but no one seemed to care how I felt or what I wanted right now. What I needed.

"Not yet," I answered, walking towards the stairs. "I'm not ready to discuss anything with anyone."

When she started crying again, a pang of guilt rolled through me, but I refused to feel sorry for her. Everyone involved deserved every little bit of pain they were feeling.

Salazar knew I was in agony.

As I sat on the floor and played with Scorpius, I started thinking about the timeline again. Astoria had told me she was pregnant on my birthday. After that, she'd gone to my father. Two months passed before my father approached Granger, but I was willing to bet he was doing his research, trying to figure out how to separate us. And then, from there, it had taken another two months for her to Obliviate me.

Why so much time?

Granger had mentioned a trip.

As I thought, another piece clicked into place. Astoria had insisted that I travelled all the time for work, but I hadn't gone anywhere in the past two months.

Did I take a lot of trips with Granger? Just leave my life — and my wife — behind?

Would I have continued to do that with Scorpius around?

Shaking my head, I tried to refocus on my son, making one of his toy dragons float through the air. He stood and reached for it, grabbing it out of the air and laughing.

Would I have given up moments like these to spend time with Granger?

He toddled around the nursery, grabbing new toys to play with every so often. Of course, he had far more possessions than any child should, but we all spoiled him. He handed me a soft toy — a kneazle — and I graciously accepted it, pretending to pat its head. Scorpius ran his hand along the faux fur, mimicking me.

"I bet you'd like to have a pet," I whispered. "I always wanted one, and all we ever had were owls and those bloody peacocks."

A sniffle broke through into the room and I saw Astoria watching us from the doorway. Her arms were wrapped around her middle and she looked like she might collapse.

"Do you need me to keep Scorpius today, Astoria?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I called Daphne. She's going to come in an hour or so."

"I can bring him to the healer with me. It's not the end of the world."

More tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why won't you let me explain?"

"I told you, I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Not with you, not with my parents, and not with Granger."

"But Draco—"

"Astoria, I understand that you're upset. Really, I do. But you need to think about how I feel right now. If we talk, it's not going to end well." The venom in my tone was clear; I wanted her to feel my anger. "Trust me when I say you want to give me time to cool off."

She nodded, looking away. "I don't want you to take Scorpius to the healer's office. Between Daphne and me, he'll be fine at home."

Though I didn't feel right leaving my son with a distraught woman, I knew Daphne was more than capable of caring for him. I swallowed hard, knowing that this was likely Scorpius' future — sharing time between me and Astoria — because I didn't think I could ever forgive her for what she'd allowed to happen.

I had to start adjusting to the new normal.

"When Daph gets here, I'll leave."

Realising she'd been dismissed, Astoria walked away, leaving me to focus on Scorpius once more. I resolved to give him my full attention and blocked out all thoughts of Granger, the affair, and the Obliviation.

He was what mattered; I had to hold it all together for my son.

I arrived at Healer Avery's office before my father. When the man saw me, he paled.

"Hello, Ignatius," I greeted. "My father will be arriving momentarily, but I wanted to speak to you alone first."

Nervous energy radiated off of him.

"How dare you stand by and let him — and her — dismantle my life. What kind of a healer just accepts that?" I braced my hands on his desk and leaned closer. "I should haul you into the Ministry right now. You were complicit in several crimes against me alone, and I'm sure you're involved in more. It's time you cleaned up your act."

Just as I finished speaking and stood straight again, my father entered the room.

"L-Lucius," Avery stuttered in greeting, his eyes darting between us.

My father looked from the healer to me. "Ignatius. I'm here to lift all the enchantments. Hold still."

Removing his wand from the walking stick he still carried in public, he started to wave it in a complex set of motions, all focused on Avery. I saw his lips moving but couldn't make out the words he was murmuring. When he stopped, he said, "Try to talk about the Obliviation, Ignatius."

Voice trembling, Avery began to speak. "In October of 2005, I watched as Hermione Granger removed memories from your mind using a combination of Legilimency and the technique used to retrieve memories to be viewed in a Pensieve. I'm not sure if she did anything else, but I was there to ensure your brain function was not affected by her actions."

My father nodded. "Good. It seems you can speak freely now."

I made eye contact with the healer. "Granger said I needed to talk to you about getting the memories back."

"I'm not the one who has them," he replied. "She does. She'd need to be the one. I'm not sure why she thinks you need me."

"She's probably worried about the mental ramifications of giving them back," Lucius stated. "Surely you're not that stupid, Ignatius."

"Maybe that's it. It probably wouldn't be wise to just give it all back…" His voice trailed off as he thought. "I think she would likely know a bit more about it than I do, though. She did all that research to try to sort her parents out."

"But she said she Obliviated me differently. How do you think this will work? If I watch the memories, will they just go back to wherever they were stored before?"

"As far as I know, yes. I would suggest starting slow. Maybe one memory per day and see how it goes," Avery said. "I'd feel better if Ms. Granger was there to monitor you, as well. She has more experience with memory modification than I do. If you get a headache or faint, she can call for me. It will be easier for her to monitor your function since you'll be conscious this time."

I felt like my insides were filling with a group of pixies, flapping their wings and making me nauseous. The thought of Granger roaming freely through my unconscious mind was horrifying. I had so many fantasies, so many feelings—

Since we'd been in a relationship, I suppose that didn't matter much; she knew it all already, had seen it all. I just felt like she hadn't since I couldn't fucking remember it. Much to my chagrin, I found myself getting frustrated that I'd had sex with Hermione Granger — likely a lot of sex — and I couldn't remember how she felt beneath me, how she looked when she was riding me, on her knees, her arse in the air…

These clearly weren't the most important things, but I'd wanked to thoughts of her so many times and, fuck, I wanted to know what the real thing was like.

How she tasted. What sounds she made when she came.

Clearing my head of the incredibly inappropriate thoughts, I refocused on Avery. "Right. So, as long as we take it slow, you think it's okay for everything to be restored?"

He nodded. "I don't see why not. Wizards used to store memories for later review. It's why Pensieves were invented in the first place."

My father nodded. "And we have one in the vault, Draco. I removed it from the Manor when we had so many… houseguests."

"I thought they were rare?" I asked, though it was more reflexive than anything else.

"They are. Incredibly so, but I think you know that's never mattered to the Malfoy or Black families," he replied. "I forget who acquired it, but it was centuries ago."

As always, he waved it off like owning a rare magical artifact was of no importance whatsoever. Ultimately, I supposed it wasn't when you'd been raised to believe that those from long magical lines were truly superior to Muggleborns.

My anger at my father was carefully tethered right now; I didn't want to show any sort of feud to Avery, but I was still fuming inside.

His thoughts of superiority were what had landed us in this mess in the first place. An arranged marriage to a pureblood witch was something I never truly wanted, but I'd accepted it out of familial obligation and the self-doubt that had been ingrained in me after the war. I didn't think I was good enough, that I deserved more, even after I became an Auror and started to restore my name.

That was also my father's fault — he'd chosen our allegiance in the war long before I was born, and I'd inherited my place as his heir.

I'd never had a choice.

Checking my watch, I saw it was nearing two. I mentally debated heading to the DMLE to confront Granger, but I wasn't even sure if she'd gone into the office today.

Would it be better to owl her? To see if Hannah could get her to come to the Leaky? To let her come to me first?

"Draco," my father began, pulling me from my thoughts. "Are you coming back to the Manor?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm going to try to find Granger, I think. I want to get this over with."

"Very well. I'll head to Gringotts to retrieve the Pensieve, then. Just come by when you're ready for it."

The formality of our interaction was not lost on Avery.

"Avery, you'd do well to remember what I said," I stated before turning and heading for the door. "If I hear of you deceiving another patient like this, I will arrest you and you will lose your license."

I didn't stay to hear his reaction, nor look back to see my father's.

Next, I needed to confront Granger.

Author's Note: Again, I'm overwhelmed by the love and support for the last chapter!

So many of you asked why Hermione didn't tell Draco about Lucius' threats. It's going to happen soon. I promise.