"Flipendo!" Albus pointed his wand at Lilac. She stumbled back a step or two. His shoulders fell and he sighed heavily as he watched Scorpius throw Marcus back several feet.

They'd snuck into the school, disabling the security system with a freezing charm, and made their way to the gym, where the group set up the gymnastics and wrestling mats for protection. In addition to Marcus, Jacob and Michaela, the group was once again joined by Sofia Calderon as well as Chris and Mason Corey, brothers who also attended Greyswood High School. Lilac helped him to his feet.

"Just try it again," she encouraged.

"Why bother?" Albus groused. "It's just going to be more of the same. This is why I didn't want to do this. I can't teach you guys anything. I'm completely hopeless."

"You're not hopeless," said Scorpius.

"Yeah. Maybe you just need to loosen up," Jacob suggested. "When I first got my wand, I couldn't even manage a wand-lighting charm. Marcus teased me mercilessly."

"'Til Ma Mere took my wand, and set a Langlock jinx on me for a whole day." Marcus added with a wry grin. "But I after that, I started helping him with his wand work. Try it again. This time, just take a deep breath, and rather than focusing on your target, focus on the outcome."

"C'mon. Try the knockback jinx one more time," said Lilac. "Imagine you're not holding your wand. Just focus on the spell," she whispered, before moving to a spot a few feet away from him, and taking up a dueling stance. Albus frowned, but nodded and faced her. Lilac gave him a pointed look, and he halfheartedly raised his wand.

"Flipendo!"

Lilac flew through the air and landed just a few feet short of the far wall with a grunt. When she didn't immediately get to her feet, a bubble of panic rose in Albus' belly.

"Bloody hell! I've killed her!" he gasped. They group rushed to her side.

"Unngh!" Lilac moaned. She raised a fist. "Fuck yeah, dude!" she declared. "Now that is how you do it!" They all began to laugh, and Scorpius helped her to her feet.

"Told you you could do it," Jacob patted Albus' shoulder.

"I think we should start some real-" Marcus began. They heard the clatter of a door opening and closing nearby.

"Shit!" Michaela hissed.

Marcus summoned his backpack. "Grab one! Hurry up!" he unzipped the bag, and everyone reached into the satchel and grabbed a toilet paper roll.

The cardboard tubes began to vibrate the moment they were touched, and a few seconds later, they found themselves in the abandoned boathouse where they'd first met. Cries of Lumos! went up around the space.

"Is everybody here?" Marcus asked, urgently.

"D'you think anyone saw us?" Lilac asked.

"Jeez, I hope not!" Sofia worried. "I'm already grounded. My parents are at the Jackalopes game, and I'm supposed to be studying for my ACT."

"Who do you suppose it was?" asked Scorpius.

"Probably Coach Garcia," said Jacob. "Or maybe a custodian."

"Let's hope that's all," Marcus sighed. "I guess we should just call it a night. I'll look for someplace else for next time, and let you know."

They all charmed their paper rolls with new portkey destinations and departed one by one. Scorpius and Albus portkeyed back to the Malfoys' house.

"Father?" Scorpius called out. "Are you there?" His voice echoed in the large house. "I guess they're not back just yet."

"I just texted Dad," said Albus, looking at his phone expectantly. After about a minute, it chimed. "He says they're still in Kansas City." Albus tapped out another message. "I'm asking if you can sleep over."

"I'm—what?" Scorpius' heart began to pound furiously.

"They said 'yes'. C'mon."

Scorpius hastily stuffed a change of clothes and toiletries into a satchel, and they went next door.

"I'm curious," Scorpius began, as they settled into reclining seats side-by-side in the theater, and Albus pointed a remote at the console below the large screen. "What did Lilac say to you before you cast your knockback spell?"

"Nothing really." Albus shrugged, scrolling through the movie titles on Netflix. "The Umbrella Academy. Looks kinda funny. What do you think?"

"I think you're deflecting. What's that film? It looks interesting. Black Panther. I wonder if he's an Animagus perhaps. Let's watch it."

"I'm not deflecting," Albus retorted. "Should we have popcorn?"

"Capital suggestion." They queued up the movie and went to the kitchen. "Albus, the force behind your knockback jinx was amazing. Have you talked to your father about it?"

"Merlin, no!" Albus slammed the microwave door, wincing slightly and giving it a gentle touch, as if to apologize to it, before pressing the 'popcorn' button to start it. "He'd totally freak. You know how he is. He would suspect everything I do."

"But surely he has to have noticed. What about your duelling lessons?" Scorpius asked. Albus grimaced.

"My duelling lessons are as predictably awful as ever," he replied. "I'm telling you Scorpius. It's an anomaly." The microwave beeped, and Albus waved his hand, summoning a bowl from the cupboard and filling it with the freshly popped corn. Scorpius snorted. "What?"

"Where's your wand?"

"In my pocket." Albus gave him an impatient look.

"It's as if it's second nature to you." Scorpius indicated the full bowl of popcorn. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go watch the movie."

Harry and Draco rushed for the door as the arena began to transform back into a derelict building, the fine seating and buffet vanishing, as the opulent sky box became a nondescript room with broken windows and rough-hewn floors of rotted wood that crumbled in places. They made their way through the now-dark corridors, punctuated by flashes of blue lights that shone through missing windows and cracked walls. When they were a few yards from the stairwell, a figure appeared ahead of them with a pop, and they pointed their wands.

"Whoa! Whoa! Stand down, guys!" Theresa Belton held up her hands.

"Bloody hell! Theresa!" Harry lowered his wand, but did not put it away.

"Let's get you out of here." She said.

"Ah, just a moment," he hesitated. "What was it you were looking to purchase when we first met?"

"Smooth move, Potter!" She gave him an impressed grin. "I do believe it was Chinese Chomping Cabbage."

"Let's go." Harry grabbed Draco's hand and took hers.

They landed seconds later on a quiet street in what appeared to be a small town business district. Theresa gestured for them to follow her into a brick building with an emblem on the door that Harry immediately recognized as the MACUSA Department of Magical Law Enforcement standard. Inside, she led them up a flight of stairs to an office with a frosted glass window bearing her name and title.

"Are we good?" she asked, warily cutting her glance at Draco.

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Theresa Belton, Draco Malfoy. Draco, Theresa. She's with the DMLE."

"So I gathered." Draco gave her a nod.

"What happened out there? Why was the arena location surrounded by muggle police?"

"We're not entirely certain. Our contact inside the local police says they received an anonymous tip-off that this was some sort of illegal rave." She shrugged.

"But the protective wards!" Draco exclaimed.

"I know. We're looking into that. We've got investigators combing through our intel to see if we might have missed any credible threat." She shook her head. "We had strict security! There's never been a breach of defenses at an event before!"

"Do you think it could it have been an attack?" Harry asked. Theresa sighed as she paced behind her desk.

"There was a meeting a little while ago at Second Salem. It was open only to members of the Philanthropic Society, but Melissa Parris can never pass up a blond vanilla bean coconut milk latte." She smirked.

"With a shot of Veritaserum, yes?" Harry raised a brow. Theresa touched her nose.

"What did she say?" Draco asked.

"She mentioned that there was a wizard in attendance."

"A wizard? How could they be sure?" Harry asked.

"She said that he performed magic—a color change spell on the walls, levitation—from her description, it sounds as if she placed a Langlock jinx on Thom."

"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed. "Have you considered embedding someone with them?"

"Well, why exactly do you think you're here, Potter? To look cute and grow flowers?" Theresa chuckled. "It'll take a sizeable donation to get into their inner circle. The Belton name carries quite a bit of weight, but the higher ups think it could have blowback on our company. They wanted someone under the radar that the No-Majs wouldn't suspect."

"What about the magicosm?"

"If this group is anything like the Death Eaters, they'll keep their membership rolls a closely guarded secret. Anonymity is everything in this game," said Draco. "I would assume also, that America's magical world gives little concern to the muggle press?"

"Actually, not as little as you might think, Mr. Malfoy," said Theresa. "While the older generation prefers largely to live in full separation from the No-Maj world, the wizarding community in America enjoys a loose integration into non-magical society. This development—Chadwick Valley—is an all-wizarding suburb." She pointed out of the window. "To the No-Majs, it's an anachronistic commune. To passing tourists, it's like a living museum. They don't really pay close attention to much other than the gas station and five-and-dime, where they buy souvenirs," she said. "At any rate, we have spells which allow us to employ muggle technology, to an extent." She flicked her wand and a large cabinet on the far wall swung open to reveal what appeared to be a vintage television. Another flick of the wand turned it on, and they saw a black and white test image on the screen. "The Wizarding Broadcast Network produces daily news reports and a few television programs. Maybe fifty percent of wizarding families without no-maj ancestry have a television in their home."

"And they report muggle news?" asked Draco?

"Yup! Of course, it's all run through the office of Covert Vigilance, but America is a very large country. We span across an entire continent, so we needed the easiest means of sharing information. Owl post tends to draw a certain amount of attention in some places, and mages have complained about that. They're also a restricted species as pets here."

"Really?" Draco pulled an expression of curiosity. "That must play havoc with post," he mused quietly, as he examined the knobs on the television.

"No. We have our own mail carriers in the cities. They're not that hard to disguise."

"So, this attack. Did there appear to be any injuries?" asked Harry.

"Fortunately, there were none," Theresa shook her head. "Security was well prepared."

"Apparently not," Draco asserted, turning away from the media cabinet.

"Come again?" Theresa gave him an indignant look.

"Draco!" Harry's face was a mask of exasperation.

"Think about it, Harry. How long did it take before You Know Who and his forces were able to penetrate the barriers around Hogwarts during the battle? I would assume that an event in a populated area of this size with, what—at least a thousand mages in attendance—that would warrant a bit more than Repello Muggletum, yes? Hours passed before the castle's defenses had been weakened enough to finally fail. It took scores of Death Eaters to make that happen. Someone would have noticed that many people hanging about, so would the muggles. Don't you think?"

"I suppose you have a point," Harry conceded.

"I'm lost then. A lone wolf attack makes no sense!" Theresa dropped into the chair behind her desk.

"No, not necessarily a 'lone wolf' as you say, but certainly a very clever wizard with a well thought out plan of attack. He, she, or they most likely infiltrated from the inside. American wizards, being so far removed from the war, wouldn't likely notice the signs."

"Signs?"

"If mages are attuned to the media, as you say they are, an incident such as this will certainly get their attention."

"Are you saying there will be more attacks?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," said Harry. "The Death Eaters began with attempts to entice wizards into their ranks. Whenever their efforts failed, they turned to torture and eventually to murder. Muggles were their playthings. And anyone who opposed them were obstacles who needed to be eliminated."

"There will be disappearances first," said Draco. "Likely taking advantage of personal vendettas."

"Have there been any other incidents like this one?" asked Harry.

"Nothing of this magnitude. There was a report about a week ago of a missing boy. No-Maj born. We looked into it. The parents said that he had run away. The mother seemed particularly distraught, but the father seemed a bit less concerned, if you ask my opinion."

"What do you think?"

"It was similar to reports we've had elsewhere. Things didn't add up. People left home without personal belongings, or left behind items that one might consider important or cherished. In an few cases, neighbors report having seen what appeared to be law enforcement personnel escorting people away, but we can find no evidence of arrests or detentions."

"Sounds like the Snatchers," Draco quietly commented.

"It's how things started with the Scourers," said Theresa. "We've embedded a few people in federal No-Maj law enforcement offices, but thus far we haven't uncovered any evidence that the government is involved directly."

"So, if it is Scourer activity, either the government doesn't know, or they're covering it up," Harry stated matter-of-factly. Theresa nodded with a frown.

"At least everyone got out safely," she said. Draco sighed heavily.

"I sincerely doubt that. If you have connections to muggle law enforcement, you should certainly check their reports for any unusual activity in the vicinity."

"He's right," Harry concurred. "The presence of muggle police outside the building is unquestionably indicates a larger motive."

"That's what I was afraid of. In the meantime, I suppose there's little more to be done. I'm sure there will be a briefing called, once I've filed my reports. I'll let you know."

"I'll look forward to your message," said Harry. "Is it alright to separate from here?"

"There's an apparition point in the lobby downstairs."

Theresa showed them back to the main entrance, where they all shook hands before Harry and Draco apparated to the stretch of beach between their docks.

"Well, that was certainly an eventful evening," Draco declared.

"I can almost hear McGonagall saying, 'Why must it always be you, Potter?'" Harry mimicked the professor's brogue. Draco chuckled.

"Nonetheless, I must say that I did find the Quodpot match to be rather exhilarating and entertaining to watch." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Perhaps we can take the Albus and Scorpius if the opportunity comes 'round," Harry suggested. He glanced up towards his house. "I wonder if the boys are still up," she said more to himself than to the other wizard.

"You wouldn't perhaps…" Draco rocked on his heels. "Would you, erm…like to come up for a nightcap? I could certainly use a drink, after all this excitement."

They apparated into the family room, where Draco poured them each a measure of brandy.

"I, er," He took a seat on the sofa, and Harry sat opposite him. "I never really gave much thought to what you do—what Aurors do." He sipped. "They'd had always been painted as Ministry lackeys sent to meddle in our affairs."

"Well…" Harry began.

"I know." Draco held up his hand. "It isn't as if our affairs weren't deserving of such…close…scrutiny." He emptied his glass in one long swallow.

"Well, the past is done and gone, and there is precious little either of us can do at this point to change things—at least, not without a time-turner." Harry lifted his glass to his lips, but hesitated, just catching the slight sound of Draco clearing his throat. "You have a time-turner?" He lifted a brow.

"You didn't honestly think that the DMLE had confiscated all of Father's artefacts, did you?"

"Draco—" Harry started, but Draco held up a hand.

"Relax, Potter. I'm certain that he's forgotten all about it at this point, and when the house fell to me, I made a point to secure certain items that I stumbled upon. He wouldn't know where to begin to look for it."

"You could go to prison, you know." Harry finished his brandy. "Theodore Nott was arrested just last year for possession of an advanced and unregistered Time-turner."

"I could, but only if someone with intimate knowledge of my affairs were to become aware that I had such items in possession. As I am not actually in possession of said artefact, nor do I have any plans to engage its use, and as its current location is unplottable…" Draco raised a brow and set his glass aside.

"I'm not going to stitch you up," Harry replied. "Still, you should know, although you were acquitted, the Malfoys are still considered persons of interest to the DMLE." He too, set his glass aside.

"I can't say that comes as much of a surprise." He traced over the jacquard design with his fingertip. "I couldn't help but notice Ms. Belton's guarded demeanor."

"It's her job," Harry replied. "Still, she trusts my intel, and as I convinced Hermione some time ago to consider you a low priority, other than young Scorpius' recent escapades, there's been nothing to raise any concern."

"So you've been watching me…even after all these years?" Draco leveled his gaze at Harry.

"Well, I mean…" Harry averted his eyes. "It was just a matter of course," he replied.

"But you said we were 'low priority'. You could have passed the responsibility on to any of your subordinates—Weasley even." He leaned forward. Harry snorted.

"As per usual, you think too highly of yourself, Malfoy." Harry smirked and made to stand. Draco grabbed his hand.

"Muffliato!" Scorpius lowered his wand as Albus locked his bedroom door. "That ought to do it." He grabbed Albus' hand and pulled him close.

Albus smiled tentatively, inhaling the citrusy scent that he'd come to associate with the other young wizard, and inclined his head, gently kissing his neck.

"Mmmmm!" Scorpius growled, his hands beneath Albus' shirt, fingers dancing over his back causing goosebumps to rise to his skin.

Albus gripped Scorpius' waist and pulled him closer, his breath hitching when he felt an unmistakable bulge against his own awakened manhood. He lifted his hands and began to unbutton Scorpius' shirt.

A trail of discarded clothing stretched from the double doors of the sitting room, past the double-sided fireplace that separated it from the bedroom of the master suite, right up to the regal bed where the once arch-rivals now lay in the throes of passion. Harry closed his eyes and clutched the sheets in his fists, breathing heavily as Draco lightly trailed his fingers over every inch of his skin.

"Merlin's wand! How do you—ohhhhh!" he moaned.

"Albus!" Scorpius breathed. Albus laced his fingers with Scorpius' as he rolled his hips down against his and kissed his jaw just below his ear. Scorpius let out a breathy sigh and pushed Albus as he rolled atop him.

"Oh, Albus!" Scorpius panted. He felt Albus' heartbeat pounding against his chest as he stretched his body out over him. He nipped at Albus' bottom lip and kissed along his jaw. Albus arched his back, shuddering with the sensation brought on from the way that Scorpius teased at the spot just behind his ear, just as he'd done to him.

"Oh! Ohhhh!" Albus cried out. "Mmmm!" His entire body seemed to tingle and he felt overcome with giddiness. It was a feeling that he couldn't quite place his finger upon, but which he was positive he'd never experienced before.

Harry let out another low moan as Draco began to kiss down his torso. Draco disappeared beneath the covers and a moment later, Harry bucked suddenly, letting out a gasp of surprise.

"Wha—" he pushed up onto his elbows. "Fucking hell!"

He stared down at Draco as he licked his member from base to tip, pausing a moment before licking away the jewel of precum there. "Oh my—ohhhhh!"

Draco took Harry in, pushing Harry's legs a little further apart and slowly began to slide his lips down his shaft. Harry moaned again and Draco moved a little faster, hollowing his cheeks. He bit his lip, his breath coming out in short bursts as he watched his prick disappear between Draco's smooth lips. He moaned as the pale-haired wizard's tongue swirled around his head.

Albus twined his fingers in Scorpius' hair and hooked his leg behind Albus' holding him close. He could barely breathe, and felt as if his heart could beat right out of his chest in this moment.

"I—please! I can't—I can't—" Albus let out a keening wail and a moment later, Scorpius did the same, shuddering with release.

"Wow! I—wow!" he exclaimed breathlessly as he rolled onto his back. "Are—are y-you alright?"

"Are you?" Albus asked.

"I think—I think so. That was—"

"Intense!" Harry heaved a satiated sigh. "I, erm…I get the feeling that I'm not your first." He rolled onto his side to look at Draco, who took his hand, lacing their fingers.

"No," Draco replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'd always hoped that it would be you, but…" he sighed.

"You don't have to—" Harry began.

"There isn't much to tell." Draco rolled onto his back, but continued to hold Harry's hand. He stared up at the ceiling. "It was a one off. No one you know."

"He was a Death Eater?"

"Some bloke who came back from Germany with him. I was so stressed with all that was going on; the manor overrun, the school in chaos…I got completely shit-faced during the winter break, and one thing led to another."

"I see."

"I don't know what became of him. Rumor has it that the Dark Lord discovered his…predilections, and he was summarily dispatched. I had too many other concerns to worry about at the time, so…" Draco shrugged again.

"I suppose we should get dressed," Scorpius suggested.

"Yeah," Albus yawned. He reluctantly pushed back the covers and summoned his pyjamas. Scorpius scoffed as he pulled on his pyjamas.

"What?" Albus stepped into the striped trousers and pulled a shirt over his head.

"Just…" Scorpius crawled across the bed and planted a soft kiss on Albus' lips. "You're amazing."