Days were becoming both long and short for Scorpius, something he hadn't felt since his seventh year at Hogwarts and then the first year after when he and Albus had begun living together and starting their careers. Though times were stressful and required a lot of his attention, Scorpius always felt bitter-sweet thinking about it. Each of those instances involved new growth in his life and relationships.

Much like now.

Since talking to Albus about wedding planning and getting the ball rolling, Scorpius, Ginny, and Draco had been in full planning mode.

The couple had decided to commit to the idea of a small wedding at the Manor. Scorpius was worried about mentioning wanting to get married there but had blurted it out at a wedding planning power session a week ago. He was afraid that Albus and the other Potter/Weasleys would want to stick to tradition and get married at the Burrow.

To Scorpius' surprise, it was Albus who spoke up at the table and told his mother and Draco that the Manor, and specifically the gardens, reminded his Fiancé of his late mum. In turn, having the wedding there would mean a piece of her would be with the blonde man on their special day.

It nearly brought Scorpius to tears when Albus just got it. Who was he kidding, he was brought to tears. Ginny had no arguments and Draco, of course, was over the moon with having the opportunity to set up the massive grounds of the Manor. Finally proud of having something joyous to celebrate there.

Things were also getting better with his aunt Daphne. She and Scorpius had only spoken a few times over tea since the Andrew incident but seemed to come to an understanding. Albus had even come along to clear the air, though Scorpius noticed they both seemed a tad bit stiff around each other.

It was easy to put Daphne in the back of his mind, choosing to let things fall into place as they may.

Laurel was a different story. In the past few weeks, Scorpius and Albus had barely seen the young adult. She was either always running in or out of the Manor whenever they arrived. She did offer to help with a few parts of the wedding, but other than that she was a ghost.

And as much as Scorpius wanted to figure out what was going on, he simply didn't have the time.

Currently, he, Albus, and Andrew sat in their living room playing board games. Since the two had been running around for the past week they decided to have a fun day at home with the three-year-old who was overjoyed at the attention.

"Al its yours turns. You have to roll your mice!" Andrew stared seriously at the man to his left.

Laughing Albus picked up the two black and white cubes, "its dice squirt. They are called dice." He corrected sweetly.

"Mice. Dice. Whatever you two wanna call them, just roll babe." Albus looked over at his fiancé and winked letting the dice fall out of his hands.

"That is," Andrew counted the small circles on the dice "six. You have to move six times."

"Rats!" Albus exclaimed in frustration as he landed in one of the traps of the game.

"I think you mean mice." The couple laughed at the lame attempt at a joke while Andrew stared at them blankly.

"Scorpy its you's turn role, so I's can go next. I think I can win. When me and Gabe play sometimes I win and sometimes he wins. Vicky says it's how the game is made more fun when everyone can win. But this time, I wanna win."

Scorpius picked up the dice and shook them in his hands. The dice roll onto the game and presented a seven. Scorpius counted the spaces in his head quickly and realized he was close to the finish line. "I wouldn't be so sure Andy, I think I might be able to-"

Before the man could finish talking, there was a glowing blue light that came into the trio's view. Scorpius and Albus immediately noticed it was a Patronus Charm sent by the hospital.

"Uh-oh," Ablus said looking over at his fiancé who looked anything but thrilled. "A Patronus Charm on a Saturday is not good. It must be an emergency."

Scorpius nodded stiffly as the charm began to speak.

"Mr. Malfoy," they all heard the automatic voice from the charm speak, "you are being requested to come to the fourth floor for an urgent matter. Thank you."

"The fourth floor? Did they move potions down one?" Albus asked even though he knew it was unlikely.

"No. But remember that patient I was telling you about a few days ago? I think this may have something to do with him." Scorpius thought back to a certain older gentleman who complained of a headache and memory loss.

He stood from his spot on the floor and immediately came face-to-face with the disappointment in Andrew's grey eyes.

"Honey don't look sad. I will be home in one hour tops. I have to go check on someone who is sick."

"I don't want you to go. This is our fun family day." Andrew's eyes began to water and Scorpius nearly sat back down.

Before he could change his mind and possibly get in trouble at the hospital, Albus stood up and lifted the boy into his arms. "I used to get sad when Scor had to leave unannounced for work all the time, but you know what helps?"

The small boy shook his head 'no.'

"Ice cream!" Let's head to the kitchen and get a bowl. We will leave the board pieces right here and when Scorp gets back we can finish up and do something else fun, alright?"

At the mention of ice cream, Andrew's mood began to change. He squirmed down from Albus' arms, hugged Scorpius' leg, and ran to the kitchen waiting for the frozen treat.

"Thanks love. I'll be quick." Scorpius gave the shorter man a quick peck on the lips before heading to their room to change and leave for the hospital.

—-

"Lisa is everything alr-"

Lisa turned around so quickly that her papers flew out of her hands. Scorpius reached down and helped her retrieve them as she began to hurriedly spout out words to him.

"Scorpius! I am so sorry to call you in. But this is an emergency. We got him to calm down a bit, but I think you are in for a shock."

Scorpius stood up and looked at the door. The chart to the left read "Leon." He couldn't imagine what was behind that door, but once he opened it, he knew it wasn't good.

In the middle of the room, Leon lay on the bed. His eyes were closed and Scorpius could tell he had been giving a calming draught. This wasn't shocking for people to receive on any floor of the hospital. What was surprising was the three people standing in the room beside the bed.

"Hello, Scorpius. Sorry to pull you away from the family, but this was urgent." Harry spoke first of the three that stood in front of him.

He, Hermione, and one other woman stood before him all in their official ministry uniforms, immediately letting Scorpius know this was business and not pleasure.

"No problem Mr. Potter. Minister," Scorpius nodded in Hermione's direction, "What seems to be the reason for this summons?" Scorpius always felt weird when he had to refer to either Harry or Hermione in their official titles, but as all three were in a professional setting and the company of non-family members he knew it was best.

"Healer Malfoy, this is Amy Winchester. She is the head of the department for misplaced children." Hermione spoke in the direction of the woman wearing light purple robes and a red bob hair cut but that framed her face nicely.

"Due to the nature of which you found Andrew and at my special request, I was able to become the third party to the temporary custody you and Mr. Potter have for the young man. But we have recent news that could require Mrs. Winchester's presence." Scorpius nodded still not understanding what was going on.

"Scorpius," Harry decided to drop the formalities and walk over to the young man who would soon become his son-in-law. "To make this plain and simple. Leon has recovered his memories."

"That's…good news… correct?"

"Yes. In the grand scheme of things. But for you and Albus…" Harry took another deep breath. "When you last saw him a few days ago, he couldn't tell you anything about himself besides his first name. This morning, and after a few extensive treatments for spell damage by the other healers, he remembered a few things. And asked specifically for you."

"Me? I was only with him for less than an hour. I wouldn't say I am his healer. I just noticed it wasn't potion poisoning and sent him here."

Harry nodded, "Yes, we saw the chart. That isn't why he is asking for you. If you are ready, we are going to wake him from the calming draught and let him speak to you. We first needed him to calm down as so not to get worked up and scare anyone."

Scorpius didn't want to know what this was about and what the sleeping man on the bed had to say, but he knew there was no way out of this. He nodded his head, and Lisa appeared next to the man and waved her wand saying a low incantation.

The man in the bed groaned and the dull grey eyes Scorpius remembered began to open.

Lisa took a few steps back towards the door, and for the first time, Scorpius realized the man was charmed to the bed by the ankles.

"Mr. Leon. Per your request, we have brought in healer Malfoy. Please tell him what you told us." Hermione spoke to the man in a neutral tone.

Though it was only a few moments passed, Scorpius felt like time had stopped. The man's eyes focused on the room and the people in it for a moment. Calming drought, Scorpius had known first hand, was extremely powerful. It often made its taker feel like they were out of the body for a few moments.

Scorpius noticed Leon's eyes getting more clear as he looked around the room and landed on him.

"You." He said calmly, although Scorpius assumed he meant it sterner. "I… remember you."

Scorpius took a small step closer to the edge of the bed, "yes, I was your healer a few days ago, very briefly. I suggested they send you to this floor for further evaluation and treatment."

The man shook his head, "No. You were in the papers. You… you have my son!"

"Excuse me?"

"Andrew. He is my son. You have him. And I want him back."

—-

Spinning. Scorpius' head was spinning. He was in utter shock at what he had just been told. Before anyone could elaborate further, Scorpius had excused himself and walked out of the room. He sat on a bench in the hallway directly across from Leon's room.

'Leon… Andrew's… father Leon.'

His heart was broken. He had no idea what was coming next but he kept replaying, "I want him back." Over and over again.

"Scor? Babe." Scorpius had his head leaning backward on the wall and his eyes shut. He felt a hand touch his shoulder but it was the voice that got him to react.

"Al…I," he saw the man standing in front of him with worry in his eyes.

"Dad sent a message and said I needed to get here immediately. I left Andrew with James at Mum's. What's going on? Did something happen with a patient?"

Scorpius shook his head, stood up, and buried his face into the side of Albus' neck. "Andrew… his… his dad. He's here. He wants him back! Albus. He wants to take him back!"

Albus' body went stiff to the touch. He had no words to speak, which wasn't like him. The two stood in the hallway embracing each other. Both with a million things on their minds.

After a few moments, Harry came out to collect the men and bring them back into the room. He didn't want to rush the couple, but some things needed to be discussed.

"Mr. Leon this is Albus. My son. He and Scorpius have been taking care of Andrew together. Please explain to them what happened the night you lost your - you lost Andrew."

Leon and Albus met eyes. Neither looked friendly at the other. Albus too noticed that Leon was being held to the bed by a charm, and figured he had caused a scene for this to have been the result.

Leon sighed, "I only got my memories back this morning, but the night I lost Andrew, we had just come into the Diagon Alley after a month-long trip. We needed food before we headed back to our home. I remember walking down a specific part of the alley and hearing music. After that, I was attacked. I woke up confused and in the forest and Andrew was gone. I didn't even remember I had a son until I got here and the healers did the spell damage treatments. I had been wandering around countrysides for the past few months trying to figure out who I was."

The man took a pause, then continued. "A few nights ago, I was sleeping in an abandoned cottage when my head started hurting. It was a pain I had never felt before like something was trying to come through. I found some wizards in a house nearby and they brought me here. I guess they were afraid of me since I was screaming in pain, so they didn't come in with me. Just left me outside."

"When I finally got my memories back today, I remembered the night I lost Andrew. I also remembered reading an article with a picture of you two" he pointed to the young couple, "a little bit ago and how you had found a young boy who showered werewolf genes and caused some sort of disturbance. It was your face I remembered most, maybe 'cause I saw you in the papers and then you were my healer." He looked directly at Scorpius as he spoke.

The small woman, Amy, took a step closer to the bed and finally spoke. "Mr. Leon. Though you claim to remember details of the night you lost your son, and have been tested under Veritaserum to confirm those events, I hope you realize you cannot simply come in and take your son back. He was abandoned and his report mentioned mild abuse in the form of neglect. There must be a further investigation and overall vote on where the child should go."

"WHAT!" Scorpius was shocked to hear Leon and Albus scream at the same time.

"Hold on, You are telling me that even though there is evidence of mistreatment of an abandoned child, this man still has the possibility of getting him back? That is rubbish."

"Albus!" This time it was Harry, Hermione, and Scorpius yelling.

"What! We have been taking care of Andrew for months. He is happy and healthy. You can't just allow someone to claim they are his father and take him from us. He clearly wasn't doing what he needed to be doing when he had Andrew before we found him."

"Honey…" Scorpius began.

"No! This is absolute rubbish. We are not losing our son. And more importantly, he isn't losing us. We promised him Scor. We promised we would look after him."

"Your son?! Young man, I know exactly who your father is." Leon said looking at Harry from across the room, Scorpius noticed that Hermione had a gentle hand on the older Potter's arm holding him in place, "And I know who your father is as well Mr. Malfoy. I can assure you, that neither of you is going to use that privilege to keep my son. You two are notorious for getting into a bunch of bullshi-"

"Enough!" The voice came from Hermione. "I understand tensions are high, but I will not allow this kind of behavior in this hospital. You will all calm down, lower your voices, and listen to the next steps in this process."

All the men in the room seemed to understand, even though the tension was still present. "Now Amy, will you please explain to everyone what has to happen next."

Amy nodded, "Though this situation does not happen often there are protocols in place. They are intended to make sure that the child is safe and that there is a fair judgment of what must happen. Due to the nature of this situation, I am going to assemble my best agents first thing Monday morning. We are going to go over every piece of information we have, call each of you in for interviews and present our findings to a judge early next week. In the meantime, Andrew will be placed into a group home-"

"Oh no." Scorpius's eyes began to fill with tears. He reached over and took Albus' hand and squeezed it tight.

"It is the safest place for him to be until a decision is made, I am sorry." Amy looked over to Leon, "Mr. Leon, I am aware of your situation and your memories are coming back slowly. I suggest you do your best to rest and recover what you can. You will be asked several extensive questions, about yourself, your son, and his mother. The more details you provide the stronger your case will be. Keep that in mind moving forward."

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, you will also be asked to recount all over again how you found Andrew, and what you two have been doing to provide a safe and stable home for him. I must warn you, this isn't a case of who deserves him more. Even though you have taken care of the child, the council will be focused on if Mr. Leon is stable enough to take his son back, regardless of all the good and time you have put into the boy."

"That doesn't seem fair at all," Albus spoke, trying to remain calm.

"Maybe, but that is how this works. Now, I must ask you two to turn over the child to me so he may be placed into a group home today so the investigation may begin."

Scorpius couldn't take it, he began to openly cry. He was sick of the thought of having to give Andrew over to strangers, even for a few days. Since he come to live with them, he hadn't spent more than one night away from them. Most importantly he had promised the boy that Albus and himself were his new home. How was he going to tell him he had to now leave and possibly forever?

—-

"James! You and Andrew come into the house for a moment please."

Harry called out the back door to his home where his eldest son and surrogate grandson were heard running and playing in the yard.

Albus, Scorpius, Amy, and Hermione all stood silently in the family room. Scorpius had pulled himself together long enough to stop crying because he didn't want to alarm the child more than needed.

"Hi, Harwy! Jamie and I were playing tag, do you wanna play wit us?"

"Next time squirt. Some people in the other room wanna talk to you. Promise me you are going to be a big boy?"

The child only nodded. James gave his had a questioning look but received no answer.

Harry picked up the boy and walked him into the room full of people.

"Hi, Alby and Scorpy. Hi, 'mione. Are we all going to go play board games now?"

Harry walked over to his son and placed the small boy in his arms. "Andy, you know Scor and I love you. And sometimes, even when you don't want to, you have to be separated from the people you love." Albus immediately jumped into explaining things as best as he could. "Right now is one of those times where we have to be apart for a little while. You are going to go with this nice lady for a few days."

Andrew took a moment looked over at Amy, the only person he didn't recognize in the room, and spoke to Albus. "So I has to leave? But, Scorp promised I was going to stay wit yous. is this cause you are becoming married?" The boy's grey eyes began to water.

"No, not at all. I'm sorry bug, I didn't realize that I made that promise too soon. But Albus and I are going to make sure that we do everything we can to get you back. All you have to do is be strong and make some new friends where you are going."

"But I don't want new friends, I wanna stay with you." Andrew hugged both men tighter around the necks. It took everything from the adults in the room to hold it together, especially James who had no idea what was going on, only that his brother was about to lose Andrew.

"We know. But this won't be for long. We are going to miss you so much. And We are coming to see you on Monday. All you have to do is make it through two sleeps and we will be there to visit you. Then more sleep after that and…" Scorpius couldn't finish the sentence. He had no idea what would happen after that.

The family took another moment together hugging and whispering to each other. The older men assured Andrew that he would be safe and they would be there to see him bright and early on Monday and would stay as long as they could.

With one final hug, Albus walked Andrew over to Amy, who had been eyeing them silently, and kissed his forehead.

"Try not to worry too much. I will get everything moving as soon as humanly possible. This is the only case I will be working on for the next few days. He will be safe, and I promise what's best for Andrew will be the final call. Harry, Minister. I will see you both Monday morning, I'm sure."

Andrew gave a final small wave, and the two apparated out of the house leaving everyone in a somber mood.

Ugh, such a difficult chapter to write, but it was needed to get us to the next phase of this series. I'm going to be wrapping this story up in the next 3-4 chapters. Thanks for being patient with the updates and I truly appreciate the feedback I have been receiving! Until next time,

Jazz.