Hey everyone! I am very, very sorry for not posting for a long time. I've been so busy and I promise I will try my best to post more from now on. For now, enjoy this chapter!
Harry Potter was on his way to Saint Mungo's. After Draco had been taken to the hospital, he had gone home to tell his family of what had happened. He would have gone back to Saint Mungo's immediately, but Ginny had firmly told him that he needed to get sleep. After all, it was after midnight already. And when Ginny sounded like that, he would never dare refuse her. But he felt bad for Scorpius, who was alone in the hospital when his father was injured.
Albus had begged him if he could go to the hospital to see Scorpius, but Ginny had said no. Albus had thrown a fit and run into his room, which was nothing new, so Harry wasn't worried.
But now it was morning, and after a nap, he had agreed to take Albus with him to Saint Mungo's to see the Malfoys.
He entered the hospital with Albus, who already scanning around to see where his best friend was.
"Where are they? Where's Scorpius?" he asked, looking around. Harry went up to the front desk, where the same healer who had helped Draco was.
"Hello," Harry said politely. The man gaped at him, and Harry tried not to feel annoyed. "Which room are the Malfoys in?"
"I'll take you there," the man said quickly, jumping up from his seat. Harry followed him down the hallway, Albus right behind him.
"I'm sorry for saying he was a Death Eater…" the man said. "I didn't know he was your friend."
Harry forced a smile and said, "It's alright."
The room was downstairs, which Harry found a little strange. Why would Draco be kept in a room on the bottom floor instead of on the higher floors, with the other patients? Then he realized the answer.
They still didn't trust the Malfoys. Even Scorpius. Like so many people in their world today, the Saint Mungo's staff thought the Malfoys were evil, and didn't want to risk keeping them with their other patients.
Honestly, Harry couldn't blame them. He wasn't proud to say this, but he had been one of those people before he had actually met Scorpius and gotten to know Draco better.
And now, although he and Draco still didn't have the best relationship, he was almost as worried about Draco as he would've been if it were Ron or Hermione in his place. Not only for Draco's sake, but for Scorpius's. After all, Draco was the only family the boy had left.
"It's the third door down that hall," the man said, pointing at a door. Harry nodded.
"Thank you," he said. The man smiled.
"No, thank you, Mr. Potter. You saved the Wizarding World. You saved my family. And I could never repay you back for that."
Harry felt a bit uncomfortable. He had really never wanted anything in return for his actions, except a bit of peace and relaxation. Thankfully, the man seemed to realize this and looked at Harry one more time before walking away.
Albus hadn't heard any of this, and had set off down the hall immediately after the man pointed at the door. Harry had to run to catch up with him. Albus threw open the door and ran in. "Scorpius!" Harry heard him yell. He finally caught up with Albus and stopped outside the door, wheezing. He really was getting old.
He glanced down the hall behind him and his eyes widened. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were standing there. Lucius looked annoyed and angry, and Narcissa seemed to be trying to calm him down. When they caught sight of him, Lucius's eyes narrowed in suspicion when he saw which room Harry was entering. Harry couldn't help glaring at him.
It seemed he didn't know about his son's newfound friendship. That didn't really surprise Harry, because he had promised Draco to avoid mentioning to the public that he was ever involved with Delphi. The only people who knew were the obvious: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and their families. The time turner was Draco's, and if anyone else found out that he had one, he would've been arrested for sure.
Actually, now that Harry thought about it, he remembered that Draco had mentioned that the time turner was his father's. Had he stolen it from him? Harry looked at Lucius thoughtfully, but before he could do anything, the two older Malfoys disapperated in a swirl of robes. He sighed and turned towards the door, hesitating for a moment.
Would Draco want to see him? Harry definitely considered Draco a friend now. But he didn't know if Draco felt the same way.
He saw Albus throw his arms around his friend, and the two of hugged as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Harry smiled at the sight. It was nice to see that his quietest child had a close friend he could trust. Even if he was a Malfoy.
"Does it hurt?" Albus asked, pointing at the bruise on Scorpius's face.
"No, it's fine now," Scorpius replied.
Harry smiled at Scorpius, and looked over to the bed only to realize that Draco was asleep.
He shuddered at the memory of seeing his bloody body on the ground. It had reminded him of a certain incident in their sixth year. It had given Harry an immediate flashback to the Sectumsempra spell, and he had been guilty all over again.
"Is he better?" He directed the question to Scorpius, who didn't seem to realize the Harry was speaking to him until Albus nudged him. "Oh!" Scorpius blushed, and Harry noticed that it wasn't like his father. Draco only had small red tinges on his cheeks when embarrassed, while Scorpius turned full out red.
"Yeah, he's doing better," Scorpius answered. There was an awkward silence for some time.
"I saw your grandparents out there," Harry said, breaking the silence. Maybe Scorpius knew something about the time turner? Scorpius frowned.
"Were they here to visit him too?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Scorpius said tightly. He didn't appear to want to talk about his grandparents. Harry wondered why.
"You don't seem… fond of your grandparents," Harry said. Scorpius's frown deepened and he looked down at his dad again, looking troubled.
Albus, who had been quiet until now, said "Well, what do you expect? They were Death Eaters."
Scorpius looked at him sharply.
"My dad was one too! And he isn't evil," he said. Albus seemed to realize what he had said and looked down. "Sorry," he mumbled. Harry watched in surprise. Albus never would have apologized like that to anyone in their family.
The silence returned as the three of them watched Draco sleep. Harry knew that Draco would be furious if he knew that Harry was here, seeing him when he was this vulnerable, so he looked at Scorpius instead.
Harry saw that Scorpius really wasn't like any of his family before him. He seemed more innocent, but also more mature in a way. Harry was sure that if anyone had insulted Draco's father at school, even Draco's friends, he wouldn't have hesitated to curse them. Scorpius had handled it much more maturely.
Harry felt horrible for having believed that Scorpius was the 'dark cloud' around Albus. In fact, Albus had been the one to have the idea to bring Cedric back, as the two of them had insisted later.
"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Harry said. Scorpius and Albus both looked up at him, surprised. "What?" Scorpius asked.
"I judged you unfairly because of your family name, and I deeply regret having done that now," Harry admitted. "Albus really does have great taste in friends."
Scorpius blushed again and Albus smiled. "Yeah, I really do," he said, nodding in agreement. He looked up at Harry in approval, which made Harry feel cheerful as well.
"Your father and grandparents may not have been the best people, but they, especially your father, have come a long way since the war," Harry said. Scorpius beamed at him happily.
"Although, maybe not your grandfather as much," Harry half joked, wanting to see Scorpius's expression. His smile faded away slowly. Something was going on. Something to do with Lucius and Narcissa, and possibly Draco as well. And Harry was determined to find out what. Did it have to do with what Scorpius had found before he had come to Harry's house?
"Why don't you like your grandparents?" Harry asked, deciding to be blunt. Scorpius looked shocked at the question, then nervous and conflicted.
"I never said I don't like them," Scorpius spluttered, making it obvious he was lying. Another way he was different from his father. Draco was an expert at lying and deceiving.
"Dad, stop!" Albus argued. "He doesn't want to talk about it!" Harry looked at his son for a moment before returning his attention to Scorpius, who looked flustered.
"Scorpius, you can tell me anything," Harry said gently. It seemed to work, as Scorpius relaxed. "Did they do something to you?" At this, Albus quieted down as well, looking at Scorpius in horror.
"They better not have!" Albus said. Scorpius smiled weakly at him.
"No, they didn't do anything… to me." He said the last part so quietly that Harry had to strain to hear it. To me? Did that mean that they did something to someone else? Well obviously, because Lucius has been a Death Eater. And a willing one too, not like Draco. Lucius had obviously killed and tortured before, in both wars. And although Narcissa hadn't been a Death Eater, she was just as bad as her husband. But the way Scorpius said it made it seem like it was something more personal than just that.
"What do you mean?" Albus asked, obviously just as confused as Harry. Scorpius sniffed, and to Harry and Albus's horror, tears welled up in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Albus asked.
"Did they do something to your dad?" Harry asked curiously. Who else would Scorpius get so emotional over? Besides Albus.
Scorpius hesitated for a second before nodding. Harry couldn't believe it. What could they do to their own son?
"What-what did they do?" Harry was almost afraid to ask. Scorpius didn't answer. He seemed reluctant.
"I don't know if Dad will want me to tell anyone," Scorpius said softly.
Harry wondered what it could be. Lucius and Narcissa loved their son. At least, Narcissa did for sure.
But then Harry remembered the times he had seen Draco with his father when they were in school, how Lucius had used his snake cane to smack Draco's hand and shoulders. How quiet and tense Draco became while his father was around. How he almost seemed… afraid.
"Was it something done to him by Lucius when he was younger?" Harry asked hesitantly. Scorpius's mouth dropped open. "How'd you know?" he asked, surprised.
Harry was shocked. Draco had always seemed like such a spoiled brat who admired and loved his father more than anything. Anyone who had met him would have been able to tell. Almost his every sentence started with the words 'my father'.
"I've had my suspicions," Harry said softly. Scorpius looked shocked. "You knew? You knew that he was being abused and you didn't do anything?" Harry winced at the word and shook his head quickly.
"Scorpius, if I'd known then, I would've tried to help your dad," he said. "I wouldn't have just left him there."
"My grandfather is a cruel man," Scorpius sniffed. Harry couldn't agree more. How could a parent hurt their own child? It was one thing for the Dursleys to neglect him. Although it still wasn't right for them to do it, he wasn't their actual son. He knew that even though they were cruel people, they would never hurt their own son. But Lucius was a horrible, cruel man for having hurt his own child. Harry didn't want to know what he had done to his son in private if he had treated him so cruelly in public. He had always hated Lucius Malfoy, but now the hatred for him grew twice as much.
Harry heard shifting from the bed and looked over. Almost as if he had sensed that people were talking about him, Draco sat up in bed, looking groggy. As soon as he saw Harry, his grogginess disappeared and his expression became guarded.
"Potter," he greeted stiffly. Harry realized that Draco probably didn't know about about what had happened after... everything.
"Draco," Harry said softly. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"What are you doing here?" He sounded confused.
"Dad, after… that happened," Scorpius said, obviously referring to Draco hitting him. Draco winced and looked away from Scorpius. He looked so guilty, Harry now had no doubt that he had not meant to hurt Scorpius.
"I went to Mr. Potter's house, and then we went back to the Manor to find you. Then we went into the kitchen and saw…" he trailed off at the end, looking at his father's left arm.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Albus's voice rang out. Draco looked at Albus, surprised. He had obviously not noticed him.
"Hello, Albus," he said, and Harry noticed that he was considerably warmer when talking to Albus than when talking to Harry.
"Are you feeling ok?" Harry inwardly groaned. He hoped Albus would not begin to question Draco about what had just been revealed. Draco had been through enough in the past few hours. It would not help to make him recount his probably unpleasant memories.
"Yes, I'm feeling better," Draco said in a puzzled tone. He had obviously picked up on Albus's hesitation.
"Scorpius told us about your father," Albus blurted out. Harry looked at Draco's expression, which was slowly turning into shock. Scorpius's eyes went wide in surprise.
"I'm sorry," Harry said quickly, giving Albus a stern look. "Albus, I think it's time for you to go."
"What?!" Albus yelled. "But-"
"No buts," Harry said firmly. "Go wait outside for me." Albus grumbled as he stepped outside the room and closed the door with a slam, obviously unhappy.
Then Harry turned his face back to Draco. The shock from before had disappeared, back to his emotionless, guarded stare.
"Oh? And what did he tell you?" Draco asked quietly. He glanced at Scorpius, who looked guilty.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Scorpius said guiltily. Draco didn't say anything.
"He didn't exactly tell us," Harry said. He didn't want to get Scorpius in trouble. "I kinda guessed..."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't lie to me. How could you guess? It's not like you ever saw my father beat me." He looked like he immediately regretted saying that, but it was too late.
Harry couldn't hold back a gasp. Lucius had beaten his son? As punishment? That was not punishment. That was abuse.
"Was it with your father's cane?" Harry asked tentatively.
Draco glared at him.
"That's none of your business," he said stiffly.
"It was," Scorpius said quietly. Draco gave him an exasperated look.
Harry felt horrible. How had nobody ever noticed that Draco was being abused? It certainly explained a lot about his behavior though. How he bullied everyone else, how he had been so obviously jealous of Harry and his friends. He had even told Harry that.
Even though it was not his fault, Harry couldn't help feeling guilty. Draco had been suffering right in front of their eyes, and no one had noticed.
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" Harry asked. Then he felt stupid for even asking that. This wasn't normal, everyday conversation. Even Harry hadn't talked much about the Dursleys at school with his close friends. Draco's friends weren't even that close to him, so why would he have told them?
"There was nothing to tell," Draco said flatly. Harry looked at him in shock. Could he actually believe that?
"Draco, you could have told me," But Harry knew that even if Draco had trusted him enough to say something, past Harry wouldn't have believed him, or worse, wouldn't have done anything to help. Judging by Draco's angry expression, he knew that as well.
"Excuse me if I didn't realize that I need to tell Golden Boy Potter everything that happens in my life!" Draco snapped.
"Dad!" Scorpius gasped.
Annoyance built up in Harry's chest. Why did Draco act so difficult? It was like he did it on purpose, just to annoy Harry. Every time they encountered each other, they ended up angry and fighting about the most ridiculous things. Even now, as adults, when they should have gotten over their childhood rivalry. But Draco was just so infuriating!
"Look Draco, I'm trying to help you!" Harry yelled.
"I don't need your help, and I definitely don't want it!" Draco shot back.
Harry threw up his hands in frustration. "And who else would try? Most people hate you, and for good reason too."
He hadn't meant it in an insulting way, but he thought about how Draco must have heard it and immediately regretted saying anything. He was supposed to get Draco to trust him, not get angry at him! But it was too late. Draco jumped off the bed and grabbed his wand from the bedside table, advancing towards Harry.
"Stop!" Scorpius cried, but Draco ignored him. Harry stood his ground calmly. He wasn't afraid of Draco.
Draco's gray eyes glinted with malice and spite, just like they had when he was younger. And the sight just made Harry remember why he had hated Draco so much all those years ago.
Harry tightened his hold on his wand as well, just in case Draco tried anything.
"You think I don't know that?" Draco asked furiously. "Go on, Potter, remind me of how you, the precious Chosen One, are loved by everyone in the public and how much you and everyone else hate disgusting Death Eaters like me."
Harry glared at him. He didn't think of anyone in that way. He didn't hate Draco for being a Death Eater when he'd had no choice. How could Draco think that Harry was so prejudiced like that? Draco had been the prejudiced one!
Draco raised his wand and Harry did the same, their bodies tensing as they prepared to fight.
"Flipendo!" Draco yelled, and Harry felt himself lift off his feet and hit the wall on the other end. His back hit the wall hard, and pain flared his vision for a moment. He got to his feet with a grunt and pointed his wand at Draco, who was smirking at him cruelly.
"Expelli-"
"Stop it!" Both men jumped in surprise as Scorpius leaped in between them. Harry had almost forgotten that the boy was even here.
Draco immediately lowered his wand and took a deep breath. Harry felt his rage disappear, replaced by guilt. He had wanted to help Draco, and they had ended up dueling.
"Stop fighting like that!" Scorpius looked bewildered at the way the two men were insulting each other. He was watching Draco with a stunned expression. It was obvious that he had never seen that side to his father before.
"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Harry said guiltily. He turned to Draco. "You too, Draco. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you."
And he was truly sorry. They were adults now, and they shouldn't have let their petty childhood rivalries get the better of them. But Draco was one of the only people who could get under Harry's skin like he had just now. They could only get along when it was absolutely necessary, like in Godric's Hollow.
Draco nodded stiffly. "I apologize as well, Potter. I should not have been so… difficult." But Harry could see the irritation that remained in Draco's cold gray eyes, and he knew that he was not completely forgiven yet.
Harry sighed.
"Draco, I know that we can never be best friends because of all our history. But don't you think that we should at least try to be civil?"
Draco scowled. "Well, you're not making it easy," he said, crossing his arms.
Harry forced himself to stay calm. He knew that Draco was just naturally defensive, so he tried not to take it personally.
"Dad…" Scorpius said. Draco gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were calm, and he watched Harry silently. Harry didn't want to risk invoking Draco's temper again, so he decided to play it cool.
"I know, and I'll try to make it easier now," Harry said. Draco opened his mouth and closed it again in shock, obviously having expected Harry to take the bait and yell at him. Harry couldn't hold back a smirk. He had surprised Draco enough to silence him.
"I know that this isn't something you want to talk about," Harry said. He knew how Draco felt. It was hard for him to talk about the Dursleys to anyone, and it would be even harder for Draco to talk about his father.
Draco still looked shocked, but he recovered quickly.
"Just forget about it, Potter. This is not something that I wanted anyone to know," Draco sighed. For the first time, Harry saw how tired he looked, with dark shadows underneath his eyes. Draco's normally immaculate hair was disheveled. He looked undignified, which was rare for him. In fact, the only time Harry had seen him look any less than perfect was during their sixth year.
"But-" Harry stopped talking when he saw the anger flare up again in Draco's eyes, and he held up his hands.
"Ok, ok, I'll forget about it, Draco. Truce?" Harry asked, holding out his hand. Draco hesitated, and for a moment, Harry thought that he wouldn't take it. But after a few seconds, Draco took Harry's hand.
"Truce," he agreed, shaking Harry's hand. Harry grinned and thought about when Draco had done the same thing more than 20 years ago, on their first train ride. Harry had refused then, but now he was the one offering Draco his friendship. And Draco had taken it. It was so ironic that Harry couldn't hold back a snicker.
Draco stared at him. Harry was unable to hold back his laughter now, just looking at Draco's startled expression. Draco rolled his eyes and looked away, but Harry could see the smirk he was trying to hide.
Scorpius looked utterly confused. "What's going on?" he asked. Draco just shook his head. "It's nothing." Harry tried to stop laughing.
But Harry knew that he couldn't just forget what he had discovered, no matter how much Draco wanted him to. He was too guilty, and he couldn't help but feel like he could've helped Draco somehow.
"Maybe you should leave now," Draco said. He motioned towards the door. "Your son is waiting for you."
Harry nodded. "Of course."
"Should I go too?" Scorpius asked. Draco looked at him, and his expression softened. Now Harry felt horrible for ever doubting Draco's love for his son. He obviously loved Scorpius as much as Harry loved his kids.
"Yes, Scorpius. I think you should leave now. You should go home," he said.
Harry walked out and shut the door softly behind him. He hoped that the senior Malfoys weren't still there, because if he saw them now, he would not be able to stop himself from cursing Lucius.
Scorpius followed him, and Albus was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Albus?" Harry asked. Scorpius shrugged.
"I don't know," he replied. Harry assumed that Albus had gotten impatient and went back home.
"Are you alright, Scorpius?" Harry asked, seeing the unhappy look on the boy's face. Scorpius shook his head.
"I think my dad is mad at me now," he sniffed. "I shouldn't have said anything to you."
Harry touched Scorpius's shoulder. "He's not mad at you. If he's mad at anyone, it's me." Scorpius gave him a small smile. Harry had to cheer him up somehow.
"Do you want to know why I was laughing?" Scorpius nodded curiously. Harry grinned.
"When we first met on our first train ride, your dad offered me his friendship. I refused because, no offense, your dad was kind of a jerk back then."
Scorpius grinned. "Yeah, I've heard," he said.
"And I found it ironic that I offered him my friendship this time, and he actually accepted it! Honestly, I thought he wouldn't, so he could get revenge on me for when I refused," Harry laughed. Scorpius laughed too, and for about the millionth time, Harry could see how different he was from Draco. And then his thoughts shifted back to what he had found out, and his smile disappeared.
Harry wondered if there were any laws against child abuse in the Wizarding World. He knew that in the Muggle world, hurting children was against the law, and people could go to jail for that. Even what the Dursleys had done to him was technically illegal in the Muggle world. If that was illegal, what Lucius had done to Draco would definitely be considered abuse. If this was the muggle world, Lucius could have gone on trial and been in jail already. So why couldn't that happen here too? Harry knew he had to do something to Lucius. What he had done to his son was horrible, and Harry wanted to see some punishment for it.
"Mr. Potter?" Scorpius said hesitantly. His laughter from before had faded away, and he looked nervous now.
"Yes?" Harry asked absently, his mind still focused on Draco's situation. "When you cursed my dad... did you mean to hurt him?" Scorpius asked. Harry frowned in confusion. "What?" he asked. Cursed?
"Sectumsempra," Scorpius said, and Harry felt a pang of guilt in his chest, the guilt he had had ever since the day he had almost killed Draco.
"Of course I didn't mean to hurt him. I didn't even know what the spell did," Harry said softly. How did Scorpius know about this?
Harry had to know why Draco had told Scorpius. He knew it wasn't any of his business, but Harry had always been too curious for his own good.
"Scorpius, if you don't mind me asking, why did your dad tell you this?" Harry couldn't help asking. Scorpius looked surprised.
"He didn't tell me. I found out myself." That made much more sense to Harry. Draco didn't seem like the type to discuss personal things with anyone, even his son.
"How did you find out?" Harry asked, curious. Scorpius looked hesitant for a moment before beginning to talk.
"It's kinda a long story," he said. Harry sat down beside him, in the chair.
"I've got time," Harry said.
And so Harry listened as Scorpius told him everything that had happened, from the moment he stepped into the pensieve to when his dad hit him. Harry was filled with horror at the descriptions of abuse that Scorpius gave. He couldn't believe that Draco's worst fear had been his own father. How could a child fear their own parent so much? Harry couldn't understand. Maybe it was because he never had his own father figure, but even in his school days, he had seen how a father should treat their children because of the Weasleys, and even Hermione's parents. He felt so guilty for not having seen the signs in Draco.
Now that he thought about it, it was so obvious. Draco had always been his normal, arrogant, loud self until his father came. The moment his father was around him, he would tense and become quiet immediately. Harry remembered Borgin and Burkes in his second year, when he had been in the cabinet. Draco had been nothing like his normal self, and Harry had wondered how that was the same boy who showed off and bragged at school. And in their fourth year, when Harry had seen Lucius and Draco at the Quidditch World Cup, he recalled seeing Lucius hit Draco on the stomach. Hard enough to bruise. Draco had obviously been in pain, but hid it well.
And he had made a pensieve. Harry remembered when he had gone into one with Dumbledore, when they were learning about Tom Riddle's past. And then again, when Snape had given him the memories.
Suddenly, Harry realized. The pensieve was proof! Proof of the child abuse that Lucius Malfoy was guilty of. If Harry managed to show people this, they may request a law against child abuse, if one didn't already exist. And it helped that the Minister of Magic was one of his best friends. Then he could send Lucius Malfoy to prison once again.
"Scorpius," Harry said. He didn't know how to ask Scorpius if he could see the memories. After all, they were Scorpius's dad's memories, and Scorpius would not want to show Harry. Harry had to convince him somehow.
Scorpius was looking at him. "Yeah?"
"Would you… be willing to show me those memories?" As expected, Scorpius shook his head.
"I can't show you. I wasn't even supposed to see them," he answered.
Harry thought hard. What could he say that would convince Scorpius?
"Scorpius. Think about this. If we manage to get this out to the public, what do you think will happen?" Harry asked, watching Scorpius's reaction. Scorpius's eyes were becoming wide. He really was a smart kid, Harry thought, watching as Scorpius immediately understood what he was saying.
"He could be sent to prison!" Scorpius said excitedly. Harry nodded. Now he was seeing Scorpius's Slytherin side.
"Exactly. So will you show me?" Harry asked. Scorpius frowned before nodding.
"Come with me. I'll take you to my dad's room, where the pensieve is,"
Harry smiled. Now was his chance to help Draco, something he had never done before.