Harry found Ginny in the kitchen doing some late night cleaning. When she turned and saw his filthy, torn clothes and his bloody lip, she raised her eyebrows and turned off the water.

"What happened?"

"We found him," Harry said with a grin. His lip started bleeding again.

"You did?" Ginny's eyes widened and she approached him, excited.

"Yeah. I mean... he's going to need help, but he's alive and whole."

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him tight.

"That's such a relief," she said. He held onto her. "Is Al okay?"

Harry released her, a bit more serious.

"There was a fight. He took a bad hit," he said. "I'm not sure how bad. We're taking them to Saint Mungo's in the morning, but he's having trouble walking"

"Is he at the manor? Can I go see him?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Scorpius is exhausted and they're probably both asleep by now. I would have brought him home, but I don't think he'll be letting Malfoy out of his sight for a while."

Ginny nodded, understanding, and Harry told her about Daphne and her compatriots, and Pansy Parkinson's involvement while she brewed him a cup of chamomile tea.

"I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him," Ginny said finally, sitting across from Harry at their kitchen table.

"I can't either, but the truth is that he's frighteningly powerful," Harry said. "If he wanted to, he could be trouble."

"It's Scorpius," Ginny said. "He's more likely to get into trouble for keeping a library book out too long."

"I agree," said Harry, "but all the same, we should just be conscious of it."

Ginny nodded. "I bet Al is so relieved."

"I've never seen him the way he was tonight," Harry said. "He apparently took those defense lessons to heart or he would have gotten himself killed. The curse he took wasn't really his fault, and he did everything right."

Harry looked across the room at a photo of Albus and James just before James started at Hogwarts. Seven years had seemed like a lifetime.

"When I left, Scorpius was laying on this couch by the fire, and Al refused to leave his side so he just sat on the floor," Harry said. "Sound familiar?"

Ginny smiled with a wave of sad nostalgia.

"After the Battle of Hogwarts," she said. "Mum took you back to The Burrow and you and Ron ate everything in the house and then you slept for almost an entire day."

"And you stayed right there until I woke up," Harry said. He took her hand across the table and held it tight. "He might look like me, but there's a lot of you in him."

"That's probably what's kept him alive," Ginny teased, and Harry laughed, finishing his tea.


Draco was standing in the doorway to the study when Harry and Ginny arrived the next morning. He was clutching a cup of tea, watching Scorpius and Albus sleep well past dawn.

Ginny appeared at his shoulder and looked in as Albus shifted in his sleep and wrapped his arms tighter around Scorpius, and she smiled.

"I'm so glad he's safe," she whispered, and Draco smiled at her.

"I am too," said Draco. He looked over her to Harry who looked a little worse for wear, but was overall back to normal, save for a bit of swelling along his lower lip.

"Should we wake them?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Let them sleep," he said. "I know a thing or two about sleeping off something like this."

"Still," Draco began. "I think it's time we faced a great and terrible truth."

"What's that?" Harry said dubiously.

"That there is a very real chance we're going to be in-laws in a few years' time," Draco said, sipping his coffee.

"Don't tell Hermione or Rose," Ginny said. "They'll just place bets."

"There's another great and terrible truth, Draco," Harry said.

"What?"

"Ainsley Greengrass' sole guardian was just put in prison," Harry said. "She's sixteen years old and doesn't have any family other than her mother."

"Is this the part where you tell me I'm the next family member in line?"

"That isn't ancient and in St. Oswald's," Harry said. "She's in protective custody at the Ministry, but -"

"Bring her here, Harry," Draco said. "Of course you should bring her here. She must be terribly upset. She can't spend New Year's alone, though this is hardly a holiday."

"I'll send the owl," Harry said, but stood and watched his son sleep peacefully for a few moments longer.


When Albus woke a while later, he found Scorpius draped over him, but obviously awake. He was drawing circles on Albus' arm with his index finger.

"You're still here," Albus said. Scorpius looked up at him.

"Indeed," Scorpius said. "I was relieved to wake up here too."

"I bet."

Scorpius laid his head back down on Albus' chest and stayed still until his stomach started grumbling.

"I need to eat," Scorpius announced as he carefully extracted himself from Albus and the couch. When he stood, he was a bit shaky, but steady.

"You need to eat everything in the house," Albus said.

"Yeah, I know. I look pretty rough," Scorpius said.

Albus struggled to his feet with a groan. "You're fine. And you'll feel better in a few days."

"I hope the same can be said of you," said Scorpius, concerned. "Shouldn't that have gone away by now?"

"I don't know," Albus said. "We'll get it checked out later. First - breakfast."

Scorpius held out his arm to him and wrapped it around his waist, and Albus tried as hard as he could to keep from putting his weight on Scorpius.

"I'm not much help right now," Scorpius said, "but I'm here."

Albus smiled and together they made the slow trek to the dining room, where Albus was relieved to find his parents.

"Scorpius!"

Ginny raced across the room and embraced Scorpius, who only barely had time to release Albus, who hopped himself along the table to it down by his father.

"It's so good to see you," Ginny said. She gave Scorpius a kiss on the cheek and he didn't know what to do. It had been years since someone's mom had hugged him like this - like his own mother used to when he got off the train from Hogwarts.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius said finally.

"Dear, you look like hell," she said. Scorpius gave an empty laugh, embarrassed.

"I just need some scrambled eggs and more sleep," he said. Ginny escorted him to the seat next to his father, who immediately began scraping food onto Scorpius' plate.

"I'm glad you're on your feet," said Draco. "You looked like you got some sleep."

Scorpius glanced at Albus.

"I did. Finally," Scorpius said. He took a bite of his scrambled eggs and found immediately that his appetite had returned over night, and the smell of Pike's four-cheese scrambled eggs with peppers and onions made it even more profound. He ate the entire plate as quickly as he could, and then reached across the table for some toast.

Draco stared at him.

"What?" Scorpius said through a mouthful of bread.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm really hungry," he said, swallowing and immediately eating the rest of the slice, reaching for the orange juice. "It's either I eat or I go right back to sleep."

"Well, eat slowly then. It's going to be a long day," Draco warned.

"Yeah, I know. Straight to Saint Mungo's," Scorpius said. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Draco said firmly.

"And so does Al," Ginny agreed. Albus rolled his eyes and drank his coffee.

"And when we get back, Ainsley will be here," Draco told him.

Scorpius stopped eating and looked at him.

"Ainsley? I'm not ready to deal with other people. This," Scorpius said, gesturing to the people at the table, "is my limit."

"She has nowhere else to go," said Harry. "She's in a Ministry safe house because she has no other family to take her in."

Albus looked from Scorpius to his father. He knew Harry made it a point to ensure each child displaced by crime was put in a safe place as quickly as possible, and Ainsley was no different.

"If it makes any difference," Albus said, "I'll stay with you. You won't have to face her alone."

"It's hard enough looking at mum's portrait right now," Scorpius admitted. "Ainsley looks just like Daphne."

Draco sighed. "But she's not her mother. We are literally her only family, Scorpius. And she's been beside herself ever since you were taken. She wrote me every day asking for an update."

"Which is really ridiculous when you think about it," Scorpius said, "since it was Christmas break and she was at home with her mother - or at least she was with her mother when her mum wasn't torturing and starving me."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but had nothing to say.

"But you're right," Scorpius concluded after a moment. "We are her family. And I'm going to have to face her eventually. Might as well rip off the band-aid before we go back to Hogwarts next week."

"Next week?" Draco said. "Oh, no. You're not going back until you've got a clean bill of health. You need to rest and recover."

"I am going back to Hogwarts with Albus," Scorpius declared.

"I can stay home for an extra week," Albus said. "I already have our assignment lists anyway."

"No, you won't," said Ginny. "You've already missed enough school."

"You skipped the end of the semester, didn't you?" Scorpius asked Albus.

"Are you daft? Of course I did," Albus said. "I've got lists from Flint and Farley."

"Well, then it's settled," Scorpius said. "We have to go back next week if Albus missed the last week of classes."

"Al can go back without you," Harry said.

Albus shook his head. "Al can go back without him, but Al won't."

"You need to be in the care of a healer," Draco said. "And the healers at Saint Mungo's -"

"Can surely send instructions to Madam Pomfrey," Scorpius interrupted.

Silence fell over the table and Scorpius tried to keep his breakfast down. He'd eaten entirely too quickly.

"If the healers say it's okay," Draco began, "and if you've taken care of yourself, then you can go back to Hogwarts next week."

Scorpius sighed and reluctantly agreed with his father. They shook on it.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Scorpius said, standing. "I think I'm going to be sick."


When Scorpius didn't return, Albus went looking for him, limping down the hall using the walls for support. He found him seated against the wall near one of the manor's many bathrooms, his eyes closed.

"Scorp?"

"I just..." Scorpius trailed off, taking another deep breath. "I wasn't paying attention. It was dark down here, and..."

"You don't need to explain," Albus said, bracing himself against the wall and holding his hand out. He helped pull Scorpius to his feet and for a moment, they leaned on each other.

"No dark places for a while," Albus said.

"I'd rather not go anywhere alone," Scorpius said quietly. "If that's okay."

"Of course it is," Albus said. "I'll stay with you. I'll be like velcro."

"What's velcro?"

Albus sighed. "I'll point it out the next time we see a movie. The point is, I'll stay with you. Where you go, I'll go."

"I don't mean to be a pain," Scorpius said. "It's just... I can't explain it."

"You don't have to," Albus said. "I promise. If you need to sleep with the lights on, that's fine. If you need some space, that's fine too. Just tell me."

Scorpius nodded and tapped Albus' bad foot with his bare toes. "Let's get that leg looked at."


When they apparated to Saint Mungo's, the press was waiting. Daily Prophet reporters stood at the front of the pack with cameras and Quick-Quotes Quills. Scorpius closed his eyes against the flashes as Draco walked him across the lobby, his face stoic and reserved. Scorpius kept his head down, looking back only to make sure Albus was behind him, being helped along by Harry.

It took only a few minutes to get checked in, but it was far too long for Scorpius. After a long fifteen days in near-solitude, the throng of people surrounding them was too much, and he turned his face against his father's shoulder. Harry attempted to corral the reporters and push them back, demanding a perimeter, but as a public space, there wasn't much he could do.

Albus leaned on the counter beside Scorpius and looked to the receptionist.

"Can't you get us out of here?"

"This was a mistake," admitted Draco. "I should have had someone come to the manor."

"Our healers don't do house calls," said the receptionist coldly. She handed them four badges and directed the group to the fourth floor, offering a clearly-pained Albus a wheelchair, which he promptly refused.

They got into the elevator, helped along by Harry, who shoved at least one reporter back through the doors when they tried to follow.

"They can't follow us past the lobby," Harry assured Scorpius. "The report from last night is public record. They must have anticipated we'd show up, but they're gone now."

Scorpius nodded, but didn't look up. Albus took his hand and found that it was shaking.

When they arrived on the fourth floor, the healers immediately took Albus in one direction and Scorpius in another. When Scorpius gave him a pained look, Albus protested, but got nowhere.

"You need entirely different departments," the healer explained. Albus squeezed Scorpius' hand.

"I'll just be a few halls away," he assured him. Scorpius nodded reluctantly and released him, following his father.


Draco demanded a complete examination, which took a toll on Scorpius' energy. He drank a powerful restoration potion and was given several more to take over the next week in addition to salves for his burns, cuts and bruises. Draco wrote down all of the instructions from the healer, who was sympathetic, kind, and very pretty, making sure no details were overlooked.

"I have to confess," the healer said, "I was following the story in the news over the past weeks. I was relieved to hear that you were found this morning."

"It was in this morning's paper?" Scorpius asked. "Lovely."

"There weren't any details," she said. "But I was here when Mr. Potter brought in Miss Parkinson."

"How is she?" Draco asked.

"She's awake," the healer said, pulling a chocolate bar from the drawer and handing it to Scorpius. "But it's clear she's been through an ordeal. She's cooperating with the authorities."

"I want to see her," Scorpius said. Draco looked at him, shocked.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Scorpius said.

"If she'll accept visitors, she's in the ward at the end of the hall."

"Are we done here?" Scorpius asked, pulling his sweater back on over his head.

The healer nodded. "Drink one of these every day, and apply the salve at night. Drink plenty of water and eat your chocolate, and you should be feeling better in a few days," she said. "At least physically."

Scorpius nodded and slid off the table just as Albus' voice echoed down the hall.

"I am not using that thing."

"Al, be reasonable," came Harry's voice. "It might be temporary."

"It might be temporary? Do you hear yourself?"

Scorpius stepped outside and saw Albus settling against the wall, Harry in front of him, holding a cane.

"I'm seventeen years old," Albus said. "I refuse to walk with a cane."

"What happened?" Scorpius asked, approaching.

"Well, the healer," Albus gestured wildly down the hall, "says that this kind of curse isn't always something you recover from. Especially when it settles in your joints."

"What are you saying?"

Harry looked at Scorpius. "That it might be permanent."

"No," said Scorpius. He looked back at the healer standing next to his father. "That's not possible, is it?"

"Unfortunately, it is," she said gently. "When someone casts a curse with intent to cause serious harm - a real hatred - it can cause permanent damage."

"Like the Unforgivable Curses?" Scorpius asked.

Harry sighed. "You have to mean it, and unfortunately, she really wanted us dead or disabled."

"It's difficult to say," the healer continued. "You could recover over the next few months."

"Months?" Albus looked horrified. "I have a Qudditch match in two weeks."

"You'll just have to wait and see," said the healer. "And take your potions."

Albus looked at the ceiling and Scorpius shuffled his feet, guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Albus.

"I have another patient," said the healer, turning to Draco. "If you need any more help, please just send me an owl."

She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and scribbled something on it, handing it to Draco.

"You won't have to come in and deal with the mob."

"Thank you," Draco said. She began to walk away. "I didn't get your name."

She smiled over her shoulder and called back to him.

"I'm Dania."

Draco watched her go a little too intently, and Harry smirked behind his back, but said nothing.

"You'll get better," Scorpius said to Albus. "You have to."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Albus looked at his watch. "This has eaten most of the day and you look exhausted. Let's go back to the manor."

"I need to see Pansy Parkinson," Scorpius said.

Harry looked between him and Albus. "You've both lost your minds."

"Dad, I need to talk to her," Scorpius insisted.

"Are you sure you want to? After what she did..."

"I don't think she wanted to hurt me," Scorpius said. "I don't think she wanted to be there at all. She could barely look at me."

"If you feel like you need to talk to her, then you should," Albus said. Scorpius gave him a grateful smile.

Draco nodded and ushered Scorpius down the hall with Albus and Harry following along. After a few steps, Albus groaned.

"Just give me the damn cane," he said.

"Call it a walking stick if it makes you feel better," Draco said over his shoulder. Albus rolled his eyes.


Scorpius found Pansy Parkinson at the end of the ward. One auror as seated near her bed, and the other was stationed at the door. Both nodded respectfully to Harry when he entered.

"I'll only be a minute," Scorpius said. Draco offered to accompany him, but Scorpius declined.

He approached her bed slowly, and cautiously, feeling the others' eyes on his back the entire time. He pushed his glasses up on this nose nervously as Pansy saw him and sat up in the bed.

"Scorpius? What are you doing here?"

"Dad wanted me to see the healers," he told her. "And Albus got hurt."

She looked past him to where Draco, Albus and Harry stood. Albus snarled at her.

"Please tell him I'm sorry to hear that," Pansy said. She looked back up at Scorpius and moved as if to fold her hands in her lap, but only scraped the handcuff attached to the rail along the metal rung, earning a reproachful look from the nearest auror.

"Why'd you do it?" Scorpius asked. When Pansy didn't answer, he continued. "You clearly weren't into it like the others. So why were you even there?"

"I lost everything after the war," she said. "I told you that. Daphne started off talking about helping the pure-blood families reorganize and reassert their authority, and when I agreed to help her... I had no idea..."

"I believe you," Scorpius said. "But you didn't back out when she asked you to kidnap me."

"I didn't know it was you until we were there," Pansy said. "Otherwise I never..."

"So you would have kidnapped some other guy willingly, but not me?"

Pansy looked down and said nothing.

"I didn't know what she was going to do."

"That's all I needed to know," Scorpius said. He turned and walked away slowly, his energy waning, and Pansy called after him.

"I'm sorry."

"Save it for the trial," Scorpius called back. When he reached the door, Draco wrapped an arm around him.

"Did you find out what you needed?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "She only tried to help me because I'm your son. That really clears up a lot."

Draco sighed and shook his head, looking back to Pansy in the distance.

"It wasn't what I wanted to hear," Scorpius said.


The sun was already low in the sky when they arrived back at the manor. Pokey greeted them at the door and squeaked when he saw Scorpius' face.

"Master Scorpius!"

"I'm fine, Pokey," Scorpius assured him, handing over his coat. "I'll be fine."

"Is there something Pokey or Pike can do?"

Scorpius smiled sadly and shook his head.

"Not really," he said. "But some of those lovely brownies you make would be a nice distraction."

Pokey agreed, happy to have a task, and Scorpius hung his head as he walked away.

"What is it?" Albus asked quietly.

"Everyone keeps asking what they can do," Scorpius answered. "Drinking those potions and eating isn't going to help."

Albus sighed and ran his hand over Scorpius' shoulder. "Can you think of anything that will help?"

Scorpius opened his mouth to say that an entire bottle of firewhiskey might do the trick, but was cut off by a whimper that echoed in the atrium.

"Scorpius?"

He looked over to see Ainsley with her arms wrapped around herself, looking uncertain. In her oversized Hufflepuff sweater and her hair down, she didn't look as much like her mother - or maybe Scorpius had simply gotten better acquainted with Daphne's face and could pinpoint all the differences. Still, the similarity to her mother was gut wrenching. He steeled himself for her sake.

She took a step forward, uncertain.

Scorpius gave her a sad, apologetic smile as Albus stepped back.

"Hi, Ainsley," Scorpius said.

"Can I hug you?" Ainsley asked, uncertain. "Because you look like I might break you if I do."

He didn't answer and just held his arms out to her. Ainsley rushed to him and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Scorpius," she said.

"Why does everyone keep apologizing to me?" Scorpius asked, hugging her tight. It was easier when he wasn't looking at her. "You didn't do anything."

"I didn't help you fight them off."

"Well, they were crazy," Scorpius said. "And I'm glad you didn't put up more of a fight, because they clearly didn't have any problem with the Unforgivable Curses."

"What?"

"Never mind," Scorpius said.

"Did they use them on you?"

Albus shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Clearly, the depth of Daphne's hatred had not yet been explained to her.

"Well, yes," said Scorpius. "But I'd rather not discuss it."

Ainsley shook her head, still clinging to her cousin.

"I should have known she was up to something," Ainsley said. "She was gone all the time."

"I'm just sorry that this is affecting you," Scorpius said, releasing her. Ainsley stepped back, wiping tears from her face. She gave Albus a small glance before looking down.

"Hi, Albus."

"Hey."

"Have you talked to my dad?" Scorpius asked. "He said you can stay here as long as you like."

Ainsley nodded.

"Yeah, it's just..."

"It's not home," Scorpius said. "I know. But there's plenty of space and... well, we're here."

"It's all over the papers," she said. "I'm not looking forward to going back to school."

"You'll get by," Scorpius said. "My dad did. Some people still ask me if I'm the spawn of Voldemort, so it's possible to make it through."

"Yeah, and you have friends. And we have friends, so you can stay with us. We won't let anyone bother you," said Albus.

Ainsley smiled at them through her tears.

"Thanks."

Scorpius looked back at Albus, who was leaning heavily on his cane.

"Let's get you sitting down," Scorpius said, and Albus nodded gratefully.

As they walked toward the sitting room - Scorpius was eager to get back to a fireplace - Ainsley asked -

"How did you get hurt? The papers didn't say too much."

"Albus, my dad and Harry all rushed in to break me out," Scorpius told her. "I was about two seconds too late to stop the curse that hit him."

"At least no one was killed," Ainsley said in an attempt at optimism.

"Not for lack of trying," Albus mubled.

Scorpius opened the doors to the sitting room and was grateful to find it warm.

"What?"

"Selwyn actually did try to kill me," Albus said, dismissive. "I dodged, but I really think he would have tried again -"

"He tried to kill you?"

Albus sat down on the couch in front of the fire.

"Well, yeah," Albus said. "Before we pushed them back, he cast Avada -"

"You didn't tell me that," Scorpius interrupted, sitting next to him. "So you not only got hurt - you almost died."

"But I didn't, and that's what matters."

Scorpius stared at him, then shook his head.

"This is all just so -"

"Awful? Disappointing? Upsetting? Devestating?" Ainsley supplied.

"All of the above," said Scorpius.

Draco entered and saw the three teenagers staring into the fire blankly.

"Will the three of you at least perk up for a New Year's Eve dinner?"

Albus rested his head on Scorpius' shoulder with a sigh.

"Scorpius, there are people who want to see you. The Minister and -"

"So my entire family?" Albus asked.

"Yes," Draco admitted. "Essentially. They've asked to visit and see that you're alright for themselves."

"Fine," Scorpius sighed. He wrapped his arm around Albus and stroked his hair. "Fine, but I'm exhausted. Just dinner."

"Just dinner," Draco agreed, coming around the back of the couch and kissing the top of his son's head. "There are people who care about you who have been so deeply concerned."

Scorpius nodded and gave Draco a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"It will be good to see them," Scorpius said.

"Ainsley? Would you come with me," Draco asked. He held his hand out to his niece, who regarded it for a moment before taking it, and Scorpius cringed. Her hands were identical to her mother's, and he turned his head, resting his chin atop Albus' head.

"Why?"Ainsley asked as she stood.

"I'd like to acquaint you with our house elves," Draco said, "so they may know what you like to eat."

"That's nice," Ainsley said, as if the idea was foreign to her.

When they were gone, Scorpius slumped back against the couch.

"I don't want to see anyone," Scorpius said. "Saint Mungo's was terrible."

"That's the trouble with having family," Albus said. "They worry about you, and then they have to see you themselves to make sure you're okay."

"So they're coming to see you?"

Albus looked up and shook his head, his nose an inch from Scorpius. He smiled and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Not at all," Albus said. "They love you, Scorp. You're quite lovable. Over this last year, they've come to know you and care for you. Once you've got a Weasley sweater, you're one of us."


Author's Note: I haven't got a clue why there are 1,000 more words here than in the copy on AO3, but if you've found the duplicate passage, please let me know.

As always, I love to hear from you. If you're enjoying the story (or if you hate it, though if you've made it 70,000 words in, I'm thinking you don't), drop me a note! I quite like hearing from you.