A/N: Hello! I know that I promised you all an update months ago, and I'm really sorry for the long delay. It's one of the more important chapters in the entire piece, so I tried to think very carefully as to how to narrate it... and I ended up getting a massive writer's block along the way. I really hope you all like it, if only to make up for my lateness. And as the title says, this is Part I, so there will definitely be a Part II. I won't make any promises anymore, just that I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

If you spot any grammatical errors, please feel free to point it out so I can edit it. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as are reviews, so please let me know what you think after reading it.

On with the chapter!

Tomorrow couldn't come any faster for the four Malfoy children. They woke up with a mixed feeling of anticipation and anxiety; if they were to describe it, it was like waking up on the day of the finals of the Quidditch Cup or the final exams. What they were feeling was a perfect mixture of dread and hope that something good will come out of what was to come.

They were silently eating their breakfast in the Great Hall, none wanting to be the one to burst the bubble and express what they were all thinking, when Blaise approached them at the Slytherin table.

"Morning, Uncle Blaise," Artemis greeted.

"G'morning, kids," Blaise replied good-naturedly, before taking on a more serious tone. "Listen, your dad flooed me earlier, and he asked me to allow you to go to Hogsmeade. You're going to talk things out with him, then?"

"Yes, we are, Uncle Blaise," Hades was the one who replied this time. "We'll have to face to Dad sooner or later, so we might as well talk everything out with him now. And besides, things would probably just get worse the longer we drag it out."

Blaise heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin. You had me worried when I last talked to you, you know." Indeed, basing from his last conversation with the children, he thought this conflict would go on for much longer. But he should have known better, he thought, since he himself was a first-hand witness to Draco's fleeting temper and short-lived grudges. It only made sense that his children were the same in that respect.

"So do we have it? Your permission, I mean," Apollo asked as he chewed on a piece of bacon.

"Yes, of course," Blaise said. "But promise me that you will make amends with your father. He was very miserable when you left, and I know that whatever it was that he did, he feels genuinely sorry about it. So forgive him, alright?"

"We'll see, Uncle Blaise. But we promise to talk it out with him," Apollo replied. Blaise knew that that was the best that he could get out of them.

With a nod, Blaise said, "Well, I'll leave your four to it, then. Good luck!"

The four watched Blaise walk away to the staff table, and then shared a glance.

"Don't, alright. Nobody speak," Apollo said as he went back to his meal.

"We have to talk about what we're going to tell Dad later. We might as well do it now," Hades said.

Apollo tried to glare at him, but knowing that it only came across half-heartedly, he grumbled. "Fine, fine."

Snow was falling heavily as the four made their way to The Lady and the Knight, a homey tea house located in the posher part of Hogsmeade just off of High Street. Because of its location and its prices, it wasn't very popular with the students, so it was relatively quiet there even on a regular Hogsmeade weekend. It was also bigger than Madame Puddifoot's, so much so that they even had rooms for those who wanted absolute privacy.

It was just what they needed.

There was quite a commotion when they came through the doors of the tea shop, since Poseidon had almost slipped from the snow that had gathered on the front steps. Luckily, there were only a few patrons in the sitting area who didn't mind a bit of noise. They were more than grateful for the wave of warmth that suddenly hit them when they were all inside.

One of the waitresses recognized them and led them to one of the back rooms, even opening the door for them. The Malfoy brood stepped into the room to find their father standing by the window looking at the street outside, lips pursed in concentration. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice the children's entrance. The four exchanged glances; it wasn't easy to sneak up on their father, with him being a trained Unspeakable and all, so for them to be able to get this close to him without getting his attention made them wonder what exactly was running through his mind.

Hades cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room.

Draco turned around to look at the source of the sound, and was evidently surprised to see the foursome huddled by the door.

"You came," Draco said softly. He seemed to want to move closer to them, but chose to stay by the window. It was rather unnerving, seeing their father, their strong, confident dad being so hesitant.

"We wrote you back, didn't we? We said we'd meet with you," Hades replied, offering him a small smile. Draco's lips curled into a sad smile in return.

"Still, you could've changed your mind. I wouldn't blame you if you chose not to show up, after what I…" Draco paused, averting his eyes to the floor. "…after what happened."

Artemis sighed. "Dad, look. All of us are unhappy with what happened, and I am especially hurt because of what you did, but we're willing to forgive you. However, we need you to listen to us, and to answer our questions, because Merlin knows we have a lot of them."

Draco regarded her for a moment, before letting out a long sigh of his own.

"Alright, I'm all ears. And no more secrets either. Let's get settled first, shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the seats gathered by the fireplace. It was only then that the four managed to fully take in the sight of the room. The space was rather cozy, with wooden floors and walls, and a chandelier hanging low from the ceiling. The window that their father was looking through earlier was huge, taking up an entire wall from the floor to the ceiling. However, the glass seemed to be charmed so that only those who are inside can look on out, but those outside cannot see through it. In front of the fireplace there was a plush L-shaped settee, and a matching armchair was placed just a little ways beside the fireplace.

"I hope you don't mind, I've taken the liberty of ordering for all of us. If you want anything else, just tell me so we can alert one of their staff here."

Indeed, there was an assortment of pastries and snacks – all of which were their favorites – and a pot of tea laid out on the coffee table by the fire, kept fresh by a stasis charm. The four sat down on the couch, while Draco took the armchair. With a wave of Draco's wand the teapot was tipped to pour the drink into the cups, which were then served to each person in the room. For a while, everyone was silent as they minded their tea.

Hades cleared his throat again. "So, Dad-"

"Let me go first, please," Draco interrupted, holding one hand up while the other lowered his cup down to the table. "I'm sorry, I really am. I especially owe you an apology, Artemis. I never should have hurt you like that. I just… I don't know what came over me, to be honest. I'm just so sorry."

Hades, Apollo and Poseidon looked at Artemis to see her reaction. She contemplated Draco's words for a moment before giving him a small smile.

"Dad, I can't really say that it's all well and good, since it's not," she started, "But of course I'm willing to forgive you. You're my Dad, our Dad, and we do love you despite everything. Just like you love us despite everything."

"She's right, Dad," Hades added. "I mean, we can't say that we're alright with what had happened, but we're a family. That's just how it is: we do all these stupid and crazy things to each other, but at the end of the day, we all still love each other. And I think I'm speaking for everyone else here."

Poseidon gave a small nod in agreement. Hades directed a pointed stare at Apollo, who merely grunted and shrugged.

"Whatever," Apollo muttered under his breath, but everyone else in the room knew that he also agreed to what Hades said.

Draco let out a sigh of relief as he looked at his children. He really didn't deserve to have children as good as them, but he was thankful for them all the same.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "And there's another thing, actually. I know that this probably isn't enough to make up for everything, but I'm having someone investigate on Serena."

That immediately caught the children's interest. They sat up straighter and focused on what Draco was saying.

"Well, the investigation just started yesterday, so there's no news yet, but I'll let you know when I already have the information. But even if it turns out that she's a perfectly normal lady, I still won't marry her. I'm calling off the engagement."

"Really?" Apollo asked disbelievingly. "But I thought you liked her?"

Draco nodded as took a sip from his tea. "I do, but you don't. I should've done it sooner, from the moment you told me how you felt about the engagement. More than anything, I was thinking about what would be best for you when I proposed to her, since you're all growing up and you need a mother now more than ever. But marrying her isn't worth it if it would tear our family apart like this. It's not even really a choice, you know. I just should've told you that sooner rather than let you believe that you weren't important to me. You will always be my first priority, and your opinions will always matter to me. Always."

The four just looked at him, touched that he would give up something like that for them. Artemis got up and walked to his seat, perching on the armrest of the chair and pulled him into an embrace.

"We love you, Dad," Artemis said softly. "You're the best dad in the entire world."

Draco pulled away from the embrace slightly, just so he can cup Artemis' cheek. "I really am sorry, sweetling. When I found out that I was going to be a father for the first time, I promised myself that I will be everything that my father was not. I will do to my children everything that he didn't do for me, and I will never do to them the things that he did to me. I promised myself that I would never hurt any of you in the way that Father had hurt me, but I did just that, didn't I?"

"Dad, you're nothing like Grandfather," Poseidon said on the couch. "Didn't you hear Artemis? You're the best dad in the world, and we," he gestured at himself and his brothers, "happen to agree."

Draco looked at his three boys and his little princess – they really were growing up so fast. He gave a small sniffle and stood up, giving Artemis a small kiss on the temple.

"Alright, enough of this sappiness. Why don't I join you over there?" he said lightly as he plopped down on the couch in between Hades and Apollo, with Artemis sitting beside Apollo.

"Forgive me?" Draco asked Apollo quietly.

Apollo just looked at him and softly replied, "Always, Dad." Draco responded by ruffling his hair, which caused Apollo to let out a small yelp and start scooting away from him. The others just laughed at his silliness and tried to do the same thing to him.

"So, you said you had questions for me. I take it this is about Pansy, correct?" Draco asked when they had settled.

The four exchanged looks. "Well, yes," Hades started. "We wanted to know why you disliked her so much. From what we've seen of her, she's a really nice person, so we just don't see why."

They watched as Draco contemplated on what to answer them. They easily saw how his mood changed from being happy and relieved to brooding and pensive. Silence again took over the room for a long moment, before Draco spoke.

"I've known Pansy all my life, and I mean that literally. Our mothers were friends since their time in Hogwarts, and our fathers were business partners, so it was inevitable that we would meet. I remember meeting her when I was three, but there are pictures which would prove that we've been made to play together since our time in the cradle. She was my first friend, and then eventually she became my best friend. Being of the same age, we went through the same things together.

"Eventually, we went to Hogwarts, despite Father's insistence that I go to Durmstrang instead. But it wasn't until we were in Fourth Year that I started feeling different towards her. Without me even realizing it, it had become my personal mission to make her laugh every day. There were days when just having her smile at me made me feel as if I'd won the Quidditch Cup. I wanted to be with her all the time, and I instantly got jealous when someone else acted chummy with her. Later on I realized that I was feeling that way because I liked her, so I asked her to be my partner for the Yule Ball. And yes, we officially became a couple that night."

Draco had to chuckle when Artemis let out a small squeal. Ruffling her hair a little, he continued.

"But then, as you know, later that year Voldemort returned. When I heard that I knew that things would take a turn for the worse very soon. My father would have been summoned, and I would most likely be expected to take the Dark Mark and eventually take my father's place in the ranks. But the thing was, I didn't particularly agree with what the Death Eaters stood for. If purebloods were supposed to be superior to the half-bloods and the muggleborns, then why were they taking orders from a half-blood in the first place? No matter how powerful he was, purebloods were supposed to still be a notch above him. It didn't make any sense to me. And when I shared this with Pansy, she agreed. We had the same circumstances, you see, and she also didn't want to take the Mark. We started planning a way out, and the only way that we could think of was by helping the Order. And so we did."

"That was how the Rebellion started?" Poseidon asked.

"Yes. Well, initially, we just talked to Harry and the others about wanting to help their cause. That wasn't a pretty picture, since they didn't trust us at the beginning, and for good reason too. But we managed to set our differences aside and come to an agreement. They were the ones who told us that other Slytherins had also approached them. So Pansy and I approached those Slytherins – without trying to attract any attention, mind you – and soon after that, the Rebellion was formed. We figured that we had the advantage, since no one would really suspect Slytherins of aiding the other side, especially not our parents. We can pretend to be sympathetic to Voldemort's cause and pry for information, while trying as much as possible to delay our Marking. Along the way, Pansy and I became the leaders of the Rebellion, and we had to juggle our activities with school and quidditch and everything else, really. That was our situation for close to two years.

"The funny thing, though, is that in the midst of all of the chaos, Pansy and I fell even more in love with each other. I guess it was because we realized that there was hope, that there was a future waiting for us at the end of it all. We'd even made plans for our life after the war; what we were going to do, when we were going to get married, how many children we were going to have. But everything went downhill soon enough. We knew we couldn't postpone the Marking forever. It was during the Christmas break of our Seventh Year when our parents told us that we were going to take the Dark Mark and that the ceremony was to take place in the Manor. We tried reasoning with them, tried telling them that we can support the Dark Lord's cause without taking it, but they wouldn't have it. They said that as the only heir and the eldest child, in Pansy's case, we would have to take our fathers' positions in Voldemort's inner ranks. So we did what we had to do; we caused a scene at the Marking ceremony, injured a few Death Eaters, and apparated the hell out of the Manor and went to the Order's headquarters.

"At that time, we worried about what we were going to do once classes resumed. We had Housemates and other classmates who had taken the Mark over the Christmas break, and they will hunt us down when we get back. But we needn't have worried. Shortly after we fled, Hogwarts had been taken over by the Death Eaters, and the war reached its climax. We fought alongside the Harry and the Order, and well, as they say, the rest is history."

Apollo scrunched up his face in confusion. "Wait, so when did Professor Parkinson disappear, then?"

Draco heaved a sigh, not looking forward to reliving this part of the story. "It was just a day or two after Voldemort had been defeated. Everyone was exhausted from the battle, and I had a few injuries myself, so I was confined in the Infirmary. I had just found out then that Mother had been killed in the Final Battle, and that Father had been caught and was going to be administered the Kiss. I may not have agreed with their ideals, but they were still my parents, and there was a time when everything was peaceful, when we all loved each other dearly. And so at that time I was grieving, not for the parents that I left at the ballroom of the Manor, but for the mother who tucked me to bed each night with a kiss and loved me so much that she convinced my father to let me attend Hogwarts because it was closer to home, and for the father who made sure that I had everything I could possibly want and need and who I looked up to as a role model when I was growing up. My family was gone, just like that. But, I remember telling myself back then that I still had Pansy, so I wasn't completely alone in the world.

"Pansy had stayed with me in the Infirmary since I was first brought there. Then she said that she just had to leave for a moment to check on something, and that she would be back soon. Because I was still recovering at the time, I just nodded and went to sleep. But when I woke up, she wasn't there. I tried asking everyone who entered the Infirmary if they'd seen her, but they all answered in the negative. I started getting worried because there were still a few of Voldemort's followers who hadn't been caught, and they would kill her for being a turncoat if they saw her. I looked everywhere for her, tried asking everyone, but she was nowhere to be found. I even asked some members of the Order to look for her in Wizarding London, but still, nothing. She just disappeared without a trace, and no one's heard from her since.

"I was in a slump after that. The next two years were the lowest point in my life. Later on, I realized that she had probably planned on leaving me even before the war broke out. She probably never even loved me in the first place. I felt cheated, betrayed. She was my whole world back then, and she left me hanging. That had hurt like nothing else. It took your mother and everyone else around me to fix what was left of me. So when you told me that she was teaching at Hogwarts, I got scared. She would easily be able to tell that you were my children, and I was afraid that she would do to you what she did to me. I didn't want any of you to ever know that kind of betrayal. That was why I told you to stay away from her, but well, what's done is done."

The four were silent after that. This was the first time that Draco had shared his past with them with so much detail. Now they knew the entire story behind the current goings-on. No wonder their father resented Pansy so much; she didn't even tell him why she left, and even just from how Draco narrated the story to them they could already feel how much he loved her. The question, though, was why not tell him?

"You said she was the eldest," Hades said. "She had siblings?"

"Just one," Draco replied, clearing his throat. "She had a younger brother, Rowan. He was two years younger than us. He was rather sickly when we were growing up, so much that their parents even hesitated to send him to Hogwarts. I just don't know if that was because they were worried about him or they were ashamed of him."

"What happened to him?"

"After that Christmas break when we fled from the Manor, we received word that he had taken the Mark. Pansy was devastated and worried for her little brother at the same time, but we couldn't communicate with him. It was just too risky. After the war, no one really knew where he'd gone off to, not even the Death Eaters who were questioned as to his whereabouts. He's still recorded as missing until now, but for all we know he's already dead."

There was a pause as the four shared a look. "Well, about that…"

Draco raised an eyebrow in confusion as he watched his children fidget and eye each other. "What's going on?"

"Erm… well," Hades started hesitantly. "The truth is that Apollo and I had to go back to the Manor last night because he left his wand. You may or may not have seen us."

"Yeah, I did. I thought I was just seeing things."

"Well, that was us. And as we were leaving, I saw this," he brought out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Draco. "And before you say anything, Dad, we didn't open it. I just took it because I thought you'd instinctively destroy it upon sight, because of how much you hated Professor Parkinson."

Draco took the envelope and promptly froze when he read the sender's name. With shaky hands, he began to open the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. It was written with a rather messy handwriting, and quite a lot of erasures too. But Draco recognized the scrawl which essentially looked like how he remembered Rowan's handwriting, and so he began to read, vaguely aware that his children were reading over his shoulder.

Draco,

I know that you must be surprised at receiving a letter from me. This was something that I should have done ages ago, before things got so out of hand. I am writing to you to rectify a mistake that should never have been made in the first place. I know that you most likely hate Pansy for walking out on you all those years ago, and I can't really blame you if you do. But I will tell you this: it was not her fault. I am the one that you should blame.

I cannot write everything down here in case someone else gets this letter by mistake, and because, as you can see, I'm having quite a hard time writing. If you're still interested to hear what I have to say, you can come and visit me at the Fourth Floor of St. Mungo's. You can ask the Healer in charge about me, and she will point you to the right direction. I will tell you everything that you want to know about that day.

I hope I'm not yet too late.

Rowan

P.S.

I have just one favor to ask: please be very discreet when you visit. If at all possible, don't tell anyone that you're coming to visit me. It's for Pansy's sake as well as mine. Thank you.

Draco stayed perfectly still, not quite knowing how to react. One part of him was relieved to know that Rowan was alive, but another part of him was confused and irate and still disbelieving. He knew he wasn't going to report this; former Death Eater or not, Rowan was his friend. His instincts told him that it wasn't a trap; the letter wasn't charmed to begin with, otherwise something would've already happened to Hades the moment he first touched the letter. And besides, he highly doubted that someone who seemed barely able to hold a quill up would be able to cast a complicated spell, let alone hold up a wand.

"You'll go, won't you?" Artemis asked. "He has the answers to your questions from all those years ago. At the very least, you'll finally be able to make peace with that part of your past and move on."

Draco looked pensive for a moment. What was he going to do about this? On the one hand, Artemis had a point; the questions that had always plagued him can now be answered. But on the other hand, he also had a feeling that this would give rise to more questions, and besides, he had been fine with not knowing what had really happened all this time, so what was the point?

As if sensing his hesitancy, Apollo rushed to add, "And even if you're not interested in finding out the truth, maybe you can just visit him? I think he sorely needs it, if this is any indication."

He handed another envelope to Draco, who took one look at the heading and looked up at them questioningly.

"Wait- where did you get this? How did you get a hold of this? This is confidential!"

"Dad, calm down," Apollo tried to placate him. "We… er- Professor Parkinson dropped it in the corridor and we just happened to pick it up. It was already open, I swear! We just got curious since we didn't really know anything about her apart from what was discussed in History of Magic. We thought he was her husband or something. And that's just a copy, we gave the original back to her. So, really, there's no reason to fret."

"'No reason to fret?' You could be sanctioned for what you did, you know that!" Draco admonished. "I'm assuming she doesn't know about this other copy?"

Apollo just gave him a sheepish smile and shook his head. Draco just sighed at how Slytherin his children were becoming. And to think that even Hades was in on this. Straightening the piece of parchment in his hand and began to read. The contents made his stomach drop.

"What…?"

"So you see, Dad, according to that he doesn't have much time left. You have to see him," Hades said softly. "Even if it's just to say goodbye. We don't think he's a bad person, even if he does have the Mark. Otherwise he wouldn't have reached out to you like this."

Draco glanced up at his children, who were looking at him expectantly, then looked out the window. Dusk was already starting to settle in, painting the skies a light shade of blue-grey with streaks of orange from the setting sun. Taking one last look at the contents of the letter, he stood up and turned to his children, having already made up his mind.

"Let's get you back to Hogwarts. It's getting late, and I have to rest early tonight. I'm going to St. Mungo's tomorrow morning to visit an old friend."