Summer started to shift in preparation for fall in early September. Draco still thought of Hogwarts every year around this time, nostalgia heavy in the air despite the fact that it had been years since he'd boarded the Hogwarts Express, years since he'd walked the halls of the castle. His son had a few years yet before he'd be whisked off on the train, for which he was grateful. He wasn't ready to send Scorpius away for so long.

Scorpius continued to show him the pictures he took each week, proudly displaying them, excited to show what he'd learned. It squeezed Draco's heart with things he wasn't about to name, but he played his part, showed enthusiasm in his son's work while he avoided Astoria's gaze each time. He didn't think she suspected anything untoward, but she seemed to know that Colin wasn't a subject he was comfortable with in spite of his recent apology to the man.

He was embarrassed at his behaviour the last time he'd seen Colin. What the bloody hell had that been? Colin seemed to make him feel things, do things, he didn't understand. He didn't want to understand why. Best to forget. Pretend it never happened. He'd avoided that man successfully for years now, there was no reason why he had to stop now. And so he threw himself into his life with abandon. He could forget. He would forget.

He should have realized that the universe had other plans.

"Astoria," Draco called as he ruffled through his coat pockets. "Where is my – "

"It's on the table, darling." Astoria appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing a towel along her long brown hair. All thoughts of leaving for work deserted Draco as he looked at her.

"I see that look, Draco, but there's no time," Astoria gently chided. "Get along now, you'll be late if you don't hurry."

Draco blinked. "Work. Yes." He grabbed the pocket watch off the table by the door and left with a quick wave to Astoria.

As he entered the bank he displayed his badge to the goblin stationed by the entrance. The goblin gave a curt nod and allowed him to pass beyond the employees' only access. Draco gave a grim smile. He loathed working with inferior creatures, but this job gave more than enough compensation to make such a thing bearable.

He was about halfway through his day when a goblin approached him at his desk. "Mr. Malfoy, you have a visitor."

"Is it my wife?" he curtly questioned, somewhat worried. The last time she had visited him at work, Scorpius had been quite ill.

"No. He would not give his name. Come with me." The goblin walked away, obviously expecting to be followed. Cursing under his breath at being interrupted, he swiftly trailed after the creature.

The goblin directed him to a small room just off of the main entrance hall that was normally used as one of three break rooms the bank allowed their employees. Draco entered somewhat cautiously; he wasn't sure what sort of situation he was walking into. "I'm told you wanted an audience with me?"

The man turned around, and Draco felt like he'd been hit by a train as he recognized Colin.

"What are you doing here?" He tried to keep his tone polite but didn't quite manage to hide the note of fear - why was he afraid?

"Draco," Colin said in weary greeting. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to barge in to where you work. I - I wasn't sure if you'd let me in if I showed up at your house."

Draco didn't know if he would have either, but he didn't say so. "Why are you here?"

The other man rubbed his eyes, and for the first time Draco noticed how worn down he looked. His mousy brown hair needed a trim and he seemed thinner than he'd been the last time he'd seen him a few weeks ago. Colin's brown eyes looked at him with desperation. "I need help."

"And what makes you think that I'd help you?"

"Because I helped you. In school, remember? I know you haven't forgotten – that – already."

Draco heard the implication in Colin's last sentence and felt a surge of anger, though he wasn't sure why. He didn't dwell on it. "You seem to foolishly think that I owe you."

"You would have been lost in your sixth year without me!" Colin said furiously.

"I apologize if I ever gave you the impression that I needed you," Draco folded his arms.

Colin sank into the nearest armchair. "I'm not even sure why I thought it would be a good idea to come here," he said. "I have no idea how you could help me. But I'm desperate and I thought - "

"Whatever you thought, you thought wrong," Draco broke in.

"Why are you acting like this?" Colin threw at him. "Are you so ashamed of what you said the last time we met that you've built up your walls to hide behind? You forget, Draco, that I know you. You can't do that with me. You never could."

"How dare you." Draco said. Something about those words seemed to sting, and Colin stood up suddenly. He looked like he'd been slapped.

"I helped you." Colin sounded close to tears. "I never asked for anything from you, and was there for you all those months at school, even though you often treated me like trash simply because my blood happens to be less pure." Draco opened his mouth to respond, but Colin kept talking. "I just need you to help me, because I helped you, just this once. I'm not looking to get with you or anything – "

"Good, because that's never going to happen," Draco said shortly.

Colin gave a bitter laugh. "You were the one that kissed me first, do you remember? And you were also the one who seemed so eager - "

"Shut up," Draco said quietly, his tone deadly serious.

Colin stared at him for a long moment before he nodded, almost as if to himself. "This isn't how I wanted this conversation to go."

"I don't care."

"What?" Colin looked at him, stunned.

"Leave me alone. I don't care about you, or your life. Get the hell out of here and don't come back," Draco spat out coldly.

Colin looked like he wanted to say something, but then shook his head. "I don't even know why I thought you would help. Have you really not changed over the years, Draco?"

Draco didn't respond. He didn't know what he could say to that. Colin moved away, toward the door. His hand was on the doorknob when Draco spoke. "Colin."

The other man turned to look at him, his expression hopeful. "Draco?"

"I'd appreciate if you didn't say anything to Astoria about - about the past."

Colin's face shuttered. "It's not for me to say. Your secrets are your own to tell, not mine."

Draco didn't say anything, but he knew Colin would see the relief and gratitude on his face clear as day. There was a long moment of eye contact, Colin asking his question again, but Draco couldn't give him anything, it was too much for him to handle - yet somehow his heart felt like it had broken into a thousand pieces the moment Colin's face hardened and he walked away.

Scorpius' next lesson was a few days after Colin's failed attempt to ask Draco for help. He still wasn't sure why he thought it would be a good idea. Maybe he really was desperate. He tried to talk to Ron, before, but couldn't get the words out. And he owled Dennis, but he knew it would be days before the letter would reach his brother. He didn't know what else to do, who to turn to.

It took all of his concentration to focus on Scorpius. The boy was young enough not to pick up on subtle body language, so Colin was able to fake his way through an hour. Even with his distracted brain, he delighted in the wonder in Scorpius' face as they learned how to take night photos, the enchanted sky of the darkened ballroom glittering with stars above them.

After the lesson, Scorpius bounded off to show his favourite house elf the photos he'd taken. Astoria walked with him to the front door. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked him as they paused in the entryway. "You don't seem like yourself today."

"You're perceptive," he commented, unsure what to say to that.

"More perceptive than some people would like, I'm sure," she responded cryptically. She touched his arm. "Colin? I don't mean to pry. But I can tell something is up. Are you okay?"

Colin couldn't speak. He looked away. Slowly, he shook his head. No.

"I can't promise I can help," she said. "But do you want to talk about it?"

And no, Colin really didn't, but he'd once told Draco years ago that words have a funny way of pouring out when held in too long, and he'd been right. Haltingly, the truth spilled out of him, right there, in the home where his former lover now lived, to his friend who happened to be married to the man he'd loved back in a time when love had seemed so simple.

And somehow, as he poured his soul out to Astoria, he discovered that sometimes, life did put people in the right place, at the right time.

Two and a half hours later, he was in 12 Grimmauld Place with a packed bag. He shrank the bag, slipped it in his pocket. A short letter he'd written to Harry sat on the kitchen counter. Twenty minutes later he stood in front of the display case at Florean Fortescue's, asking in a whisper for the Cherry Mint Special. Two minutes later, he sat in a chair while a young man named Kenny took his information and asked him a few questions.

Fifteen minutes later, Colin sat in Astoria's office in the Underground.

"I feel guilty for doing this," Colin confessed.

Astoria slid him a form across the desk. "It's normal to have second thoughts, Colin. It means you're human."

"But he could change, right? I feel like I'm giving up. What if he just needs some more time, some more love, it'll all work out, I just have to be strong enough to - "

"To what, Colin?" Astoria cut him off. "To withstand whatever he says or does to you while he's screwing his head on again? And that's assuming that he actually does, that he actually can on his own."

Colin covered his face with his hands. "Magic can fix anything, right? I'll be okay, maybe I should go back before he notices I'm gone, maybe..."

"Colin. Look at me." Astoria's tone brooked no nonsense. "If your brother was in your place right now, what would you tell him? Would you be fine with telling him to go back to his lover? Would you tell him to withstand the anger, the fear, the abuse? After all, magic can fix a broken wrist, right?"

Colin stared at her. Astoria captured his eyes with her own. Softly, she added, "A Dementor is not the only source for losing a soul. Magic can't fix a broken soul, Colin."

There was a long pause. Colin looked away. "There was a moment. The last time. I fought back, I pinned him to the ground. And he was looking at me like - like he was challenging me, like he wanted to fight. And as I was looking at him I felt like I - like I wanted to too." He paused. Took a deep breath. "I realized in that moment that I could hurt him. And it scared me. I don't want to end up like that. I don't want to be like that!" He looked back at Astoria. "I know. You're right. But I still feel guilty."

"And that feeling is completely valid," she said quietly. "But don't let your emotions ruin your good sense. You know what you need to do. You've known it for awhile, haven't you."

Colin nodded. "Yes." He turned his attention to the form Astoria had given him earlier and began to write. When he finished, he slid the parchment back over to her. Astoria thanked him and then stood up. "Usually I have Skye give new arrivals the tour, but I've sent her on an errand, so I'll show you around myself."

"How many people work here?" Colin asked.

"We're a small staff. There's myself, my assistant Lena, Kenny, who you met earlier; he usually is the first face people see when they enter the Underground. There's also Landon, who does a little bit of everything, from handyman to administrative work, depending on the day. We have several people who do contract work for us on an as needed basis as well. Anything else that needs to be done I rely on our staff of about a dozen house elves. Skye is the house elf in charge; she has shown a talent for leadership and is incredibly inquisitive about the world."

They walked down the hallway that lead away from Astoria's office. Colin listened attentively as she showed him through the building. There were classrooms, a cafeteria, laundry rooms, private individual rooms - Astoria had thought of everything it seemed, and he told her so as they walked. She looked at him, and pride sparkled in her eyes. "I built this place from the ground up, figuratively speaking," she said.

"How many people are currently here?" he asked. He'd seen several people as they'd gone through various rooms, but hadn't thought to count.

"We have about twenty people at the moment. Two are nearly ready to leave, and another five should be ready to leave in about a week."

"When you say ready to leave...Kenny explained some of it earlier, but what all does that entail?"

"I was getting to that," Astoria said. "I'll explain more when we get back to my office. Just one more room to show you." She opened a door and Colin's mouth dropped. "Wow," he whispered.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Astoria said, and Colin had to agree. The room was transformed into a stunning garden, with winding paths and what sounded like a waterfall somewhere. "We call it our underground garden," Astoria said. "It's not underground, of course, but the name Lena gave it has stuck."

"It's magical," Colin said.

They made their way back to the office after that. Colin felt a little overwhelmed, everything had happened so fast, and he could feel the need for some quiet time. Astoria seemed to sense it, for she smiled at him gently as they sat down in her office, and told him that they were almost done, that he could settle in as soon as they were finished here. He was more than ready, but listened carefully to her words.

"You don't have to give me the answer to these questions right away, please take your time," she said. "I won't ask you to decide what you want right this very minute. But for us to assist you to leave the Underground, you'll need to tell us what you want. Some of our clients are looking to make a clean break. We move them to a different city, or a different country. New name, sometimes even a new look - they need to be able to hide in plain sight, because whomever they're running from will track them down otherwise. Other clients don't want or need that kind of assistance. Sometimes we're able to facilitate all parties involved to receive counselling or whatever help they need so the client is able to resume their life without leaving or changing their identity. We have some reading material to give more information - you'll find it on your bed when you get to your room - and of course you can ask all the questions you want. We're here to help you, Colin."

Colin took in her words quietly. "Thank you," he told Astoria at last. "I will need some time to think things over."

"Like I said, you are more than welcome to take the time you need to decide what you are looking for," Astoria said. "We can talk more later. I'll have one of our house elves show you to your room now, if you'd like."

"Thank you," Colin said again. "I'd like that."

He followed the house elf to his room in a daze. The moment he shut the door he could feel the tears sting his eyes and he sat heavily on the bed. "I'm so sorry Harry," he whispered. Overwhelmed, he curled up on the bed. One thought repeated over and over.

How had they ended up here?

Astoria watched Colin walk from her office. He was distressed, she could tell. She'd never had a client come through her doors that she'd known well, and wasn't sure how to separate herself emotionally from the situation.

She slipped Colin's paperwork into a file. She wished, not for the first time, that she could talk to her husband. It was hard, when so much of her emotional bandwidth was spent on her worries over her clients, and the confidential spells in place kept her from being able to voice them to anyone who didn't work at the Underground.

A couple of weeks went by. She watched as Colin adjusted to his new surroundings. Watched a few of her clients leave to start their new lives. Watched as Jane excitedly talked about the new things she'd learned in her healer classes. Watched Jane turn from a quiet, reserved personality into a smiling and energetic woman.

It had something to do with Colin, she knew, but Astoria couldn't figure out what. She had overheard what sounded like an argument between the two the day after Colin had arrived at the Underground. Astoria had decided to take a walk through the garden to stretch her legs; she'd been sitting behind her desk for hours and needed a break. She'd not walked more than a few minutes before she had heard people around the corner and had recognized the voices. It sounded heated.

"...didn't know what else to do!" Jane was saying.

"Did it ever occur to you - "

"It did!" Jane said forcefully. "Of course it did! But I - "

Astoria couldn't catch whatever she said next; Jane had lowered her voice. The two had moved out of earshot after that, and although she was curious, she hadn't wanted to spy on her clients. Since that day, the pair had seemed to become fast friends. Colin had an easy going manner about him, and Astoria watched as he interacted with other clients. He made friends with everyone, she noted. She asked Colin about it one day, as she was eating lunch with him and Jane. "You've settled in well," she said. "I suppose I should have known that you make friends easily."

"I've grown into it, I suppose," Colin said. "I've been a photographer most of my life. But when I started working as one I had to become both invisible and personable at the same time."

"I remember you in school," Astoria said. "You were not invisible. But personable? I'd believe you were that way back then too. I'm not sure your type of charming is something you are able to learn."

Colin didn't respond, but she saw the small smile that crossed his face. Jane piped up then, with a question about what Colin had learned in the photography class that day, and Colin lit up as he talked about camera functions he hadn't known about. Astoria had once helped the famous wizard photographer Luis Lou escape from his abusive household, and had been thrilled when he'd offered to teach classes to any budding photographers that happened to come through the Underground. Colin, skilled as he was, had learned quite a few new tricks from Luis' instruction. Colin had been able to show Scorpius some of those tricks in turn.

Astoria had asked Colin if he was willing to continue teaching Scorpius while at the Underground, and when he agreed, she'd found a way to make it happen. It had taken a couple of days (and more curse words than she'd known existed) for Landon to complete some complicated spell work to create a door into the Underground's garden from outside. She told Scorpius that they were in Colin's special place, and that to be respectful they needed to keep the garden a secret. Her son had nodded seriously and told her that she could count on him, and he sounded so grown up that she nearly cried. Only a few more years until he went off to Hogwarts - where had the time gone? Just yesterday he'd been a crying babe in her arms, or so it seemed.

Scorpius was eager for every new lesson, and after each one he would animatedly give his Father a rundown of what he'd learned and show him the photos he'd taken. Draco would listen patiently, and give encouraging remarks, and Astoria loved him for it. She could see something in Draco's eyes each time, and she wanted to understand what that look meant but she couldn't ask. She had her suspicions, but Draco didn't seem to be ready for her questions. And so she waited.

After all, Hogwarts wasn't built in a day.