"Bloody hell, Rosie!" yelled Ron.
When Ron looked down he saw a man on the ground brushing himself off. The man had dirty blond hair that was tied back and a blond, bristled beard on his face. His robes were dark but clearly worn from the weather and elements, as the edge of the robe was frayed and slightly dirty. It took a Ron a second to recognize the man, but once he did, he was stunned and speechless.
"Father?" said Scorpius.
"Hello, Scorpius," said Draco Malfoy, getting up from the floor after Rose had stunned him. Before Scorpius could embrace his father, Ron rushed over and picked up Draco. Ron pinned him against the wall with one arm and pointed his wand towards Draco's face.
"Dad, stop!" cried Rose frightened by her father's brash manner.
"What the hell, Weasley!" yelled Draco.
"Shut it!" said Ron, firmly grasping Draco's collar. "If you're Draco, what was the first thing you said to me at Hogwarts before the Sorting ceremony?" Draco attempted to free himself from Ron's hold, however Ron was stronger than him and Draco realized he had no choice but to answer Ron's question.
"Red hair, hand-me-down clothing, and a stupid complexion," said Draco. "You must be a Weasley."
"It's him, Ron," said Hermione, as Ron released his hold over Draco's collar. "If it wasn't the real Draco, then he wouldn't have entered the flat - only people who share Scorpius' blood ties could come through the flat."
"Father!" said Scorpius, running to embrace him. "Father, you're alright!"
"Scorpius, my boy," said Draco joyfully as he clasped his son's face between his hands. "I've missed you."
"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" asked Ron, still staring down Draco.
"Isn't it obvious, Weasley?" asked Draco with a more pointed tone. "I'm here to see my son."
"How did you know where to find us?" asked Hugo. Wondering about the same question, Ron change his gaze from Draco to Scorpius.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" said Ron to Scorpius. "After all we have done for you these past few months, do you know how much danger we're in?"
"Dad, Scorpius would never do that!" said Rose, putting herself between her father and Scorpius. "Scorpius has missed his parents, but he's not reckless!"
"It's not his fault, Weasley," said Draco defensively. "Because I found you on my own!"
"Alright, both of us, in here!" said Hermione dragging the sleeves of Ron and Draco into the master bedroom. As the door shut behind the adults, the younger ones stood in the living area in stunned silence. For a minute, there was an awkward silence between the adults as they had a checkered history among them.
"So, Granger," said Draco, trying to make small talk as he sat on the chair for the vanity. "Congrats on being, you know, pregnant."
"Thanks," said Hermione, rather cooly. Although Hemione was more understanding towards Scorpius, she could not easily welcome Draco with open arms. Hermione never forgot Malfoy's cruel taunts and bullying she had to endure for almost six years at Hogwarts. It was already difficult enough being a Muggle at a wizarding school, but to also be teased for being studious and clever.
"Right then," said Ron, sitting on the bed with Hermione next to him. "How did you find us, Malfoy?"
"I'll tell you, if you'd let me, Weasley," snarled Draco making Ron tense up and nearly ready to knock his lights out. Before Ron could react, Draco took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that," said Draco in a genuinely apolegetic tone.
"It's fine," said Ron, more uneasy at Draco apologizing to him than snapping at him.
"I found these two morons in the Forest of Dean," began Draco. "I learned from them that Scorpius was still with you two. However, I couldn't let them know who I was because my hiding place had been compromised."
"By who?" asked Hermione.
"The Ministry," said Draco. "It had to have been, because when I returned home where I had been staying, I found the entire family missing."
"What do you mean, missing?" asked Hermione, her heart racing a bit at hearing this story.
"What do you think, Granger?" retorted Draco. "As far as I could tell, they literally vanished. I also didn't really have time to investigate, because I was ambushed shortly thereafter by some bizarre Red Deatheater squad."
"Deatheaters?" said Ron and Hermione as their minds raced back to the Voldemort Reign.
"Not like those Deatheaters," said Draco, struggling to describe what he saw. "But they reminded me of them. They had red robes and gold masks."
"So, like Gryffindor Deatheaters," said Ron as Draco nodded in agreement.
"Just like the figures who attacked us at the Burrow," said Hermione. "Draco's right - it has to be the Ministry behind this, and no doubt Jason Charmer!"
"But, how did you get here?" asked Ron. Draco's remarkable story stunned Ron and Hermione. Draco left for London to find his wife and son in the midst of this chaotic time. For over six months Draco hid in shelters, disguised himself, and Never in their wildest dreams did they ever imagine the boy with well-tailored suits and shiny shoes would be roughing it out amongst the elements.
"Ever since then, I've been searching all over for Astoria and Scorpius," said Draco, finishing his story. "I still haven't figured out where Astoria is, but I decided that Scorpius was the main priority. I was convinced that he didn't go back to Hogwarts after what I went through and assumed he was in hiding with you two, so I started looking for where you were living..."
"So, it was you?" asked Hermione, remembering the day when she thought she had seen Malfoy. "You were there - at the Ministry."
"Bloody hell," said Ron, making the same realization. "It was you at the bus stop."
"Yes," said Draco. "I...I admit I was following you, and it took me a while to find where you lived. But please understand, it was for good reason. I needed to find Scorpius and get him out of here."
"What on earth do you mean?" asked Hermione. "Get him out of where?"