Scorpius woke in the middle of the night. He wasn't sure why - his heart wasn't racing and he didn't remember having a nightmare - but he looked at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning, and when he came to his senses, he realized he wasn't in his bed at Hogwarts and the long day of the trial came rushing back in flashes and feelings.

Albus slept peacefully beside him, snoring lightly, with one arm under his head and the other draped across Scorpius' stomach.

Scorpius watched him sleep for several minutes, his hair messy and in his face, his lips slightly parted, all the tension and tightness he usually carried dissipated, leaving his face soft. Scorpius smiled and ran a finger down the line of his nose before pulling the blanket up higher around him.

Scorpius watched him sleep until he couldn't stay still anymore, and gently peeled Albus' arm back and slipped from the bed.

A glass of warm milk will help, Scorpius told himself, and headed for the kitchen.

The manor was empty and still and dark, but Draco had been leaving the lanterns on just a bit so instead of being frightening, the long walk to the kitchen was lit by a soft, flickering glow.

Scorpius tread carefully, barefoot, wrapping his arms around himself and wishing he'd grabbed a robe or a sweater, until he got to the first floor and heard a voice.

"I think he's going to be okay."

Scorpius frowned and followed it quietly. He couldn't quite make out what came next, but he knew it was Draco's voice, and he followed it until he got to the doorway.

Is he up talking to Dania at this hour? Does she even stay here?

Scorpius peeked in, fully intending to make his presence known, but what he saw instead was something he knew shouldn't be disturbed. It also wasn't something he should eavesdrop on, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to walk away.

Draco sat in his favorite chair by the fire in black silk pajamas. His hair was loose around his shoulders - something Scorpius was sure he hadn't seen for years - and he was leaning forward on his knees, a glass of brandy in his hand, staring up longingly at the portrait of his late wife.

"You would have been so proud of him today, Astoria," Draco said. "He's not like I was at all - not like I was when you met me. He was honest and open, and he's so much stronger than I've given him credit for."

Astoria stared down at him tenderly with a longing smile, her delicate, painted hands gripping a single red rose.

"And I'm so relieved - not just that it's over, but if Daphne's right, even though she's insane, and he doesn't bear your family curse, then I'm not going to -"

Draco's voice cut out and Scorpius watched as he bowed his head.

"I'm not going to lose him."

Silence fell on the room, and Scorpius stared at his father, mostly hidden behind the wall, but able to see a partial profile of Draco's face as he gathered himself.

He heard a hearty sniff, and Draco raised the glass to his lips and took a sip, clearing his throat.

"It's so strange, too - being around the Potters. I never thought they'd be family or that I'd have people I could count on, but that's what Scorpius does. That's what he's always done. From the day he was born, he fixed me, and I wish you could see. I wish you were here."

Scorpius wiped the tears from under his eyes with the cuff of his pajamas, watching as Astoria tilted her head and smiled down at Draco and Scorpius remembered that look - the way she'd smile down at him when he was playing or when he handed her a drawing. She was proud of him.

"He'll be graduating soon. And he has Albus, and I really wanted to hate the kid," Draco said, chuckling grimly to himself. "And now I feel awful because I never let you invite him over when they were young and you were here, and you never got to know the man our son fell in love with."

Scorpius placed a hand over his mouth and leaned on the doorframe, listening to his father.

"I know he's not healed. I don't know that he'll ever be. But he's safe and we got so lucky. In so many ways."

Draco stared up at his wife for a long time, and she smiled down at him. When he spoke again, his voice was very quiet.

"And I haven't told you about her - if you're even listening. I met someone. And I know you told me it was okay before you left. I know you said that I should move on and get remarried if I met the right person - but it's so difficult because she isn't you. And it's also easy because she's so different."

Scorpius rested his forehead against the wall. The lines of Astoria's face were blurred at a distance without his glasses on, but he could see her well enough to know she looked pleased.

"I couldn't sleep until I told you those things," Draco said, and Scorpius heard the smile in his father's voice. Astoria smiled warmly at Draco and nodded, and when she reached forward as if she could touch him, Scorpius cleared his throat and stepped into the room.

Draco looked over his shoulder at him, not upset, but not thrilled either.

"What are you doing up at this hour? You have to go back to school tomorrow."

"I could ask you the same question," Scorpius said, walking in slowly. He sat down in his chair beside his father and looked at him.

"I talk to her sometimes," Draco said after a moment. "I know the painting is just an echo and it's not her, but it helps me sleep."

Scorpius said nothing and just looked up at his mother. He'd stolen only a few quick glances at her portrait since December - each time he looked at it he saw Daphne, and it was hard enough looking at Ainsley - but seeing her now, smiling down at them both and looking between them, she looked very different from the mad aunt he'd seen at the trial.

"How much of that did you hear?" Draco asked.

"Enough." Scorpius didn't want to tell him how long he'd been there, and Draco didn't ask.

He looked up at her for a moment longer before addressing his father.

"You should let yourself be happy," Scorpius said. "She'd want you to be in love again."

"I know," replied Draco. "That's what I'd want for her if the situation had been reversed."

"I hope I get to know Dania better. Once school is over, I mean."

Draco laughed. "I tell her about you all time. I'm confident she feels like she knows you."

"Then tell me about her," Scorpius said, drawing his legs up into the chair and wrapping his arms around his knees. He looked at Draco expectantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said with a grin. "I have to figure out if I approve or not."

Draco leaned back into his chair and set his glass aside. He began telling Scorpius about Dania and her work as a healer and her knowledge of muggle medicine, and when he grabbed his wand and levitated a few more logs onto the fire, Scorpius smiled because if his father had that much to say, it meant he was happy.


Scorpius and Ainsley walked into the Great Hall at lunchtime, complaining to each other about the amount of work they had to catch up on to leave time to prepare for exams.

"I'm glad I'm not in my N.E.W.T year," Ainsley confessed. "With all of this going on, I'm sure I'd fail."

"I'm looking forward to them being over," Scorpius said.

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Albus said from behind them. Scorpius stopped walking - they'd gotten too far ahead of him, and he couldn't keep up. "Without Quidditch I feel like I have an extra day in my week."

"Well, you're used to more time restraints," Ainsley said. "And I still have Quidditch."

"Lucky you," mumbled Albus as they got to the center of the room. He'd been scanning for a place to sit, but most of the tables were full. It wasn't until he stopped to look around again that he noticed the hush in the hall and the eyes following them.

"There," Albus said. "End of the Slytherin table."

Scorpius caught the eye of some antagonistic Gryffindors. They looked away quickly, staring down at their plates.

"I think they're afraid of me now," Scorpius said with a yawn. His conversation with Draco had lasted until near dawn, and he'd only gotten a few hours of sleep.

"Good," said Ainsley. "Maybe they'll leave us alone."

From behind him at the Ravenclaw table, Scorpius heard the words "mother" and "Azkaban," and turned before he could think better of it. He recognized the voice - Janus Fortescue, the most annoying sixth year.

"What did you say?" Scorpius demanded, though he was pretty sure of what he heard.

Fortescue had always been an arrogant child, and when he stood up and folded his arms, Scorpius noted how comical they must look. He towered over the Ravenclaw.

"I said maybe they should have locked you and her up in Azkaban with her mother and we'd all be safer."

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you," Albus said, stepping to Scorpius' shoulder.

"What are you going to do, Potter?" Janus asked. "Limp at me?"

Albus sighed and looked at Scorpius.

"Can I hit him with my cane? Please?"

"No," said Scorpius. "We promised McGonagall."

Fortescue smirked.

"Frankly, I'm surprised they let you back through the doors," he said to Ainsley. "You're either a Death Eater in training or you're a complete idiot to have not known your mother was -"

Albus had his hand raised but was too late. A swift movement and a crack cut Fortescue's monologue short. He stumbled backward and fell alongside the Ravenclaw bench, grasping at the back of his housemates' robes.

"I didn't promise Professor McGonagall anything."

Ainsley shook out her hand with a grimace, but Albus grinned. He wasn't sure she'd ever punched anyone before, but he'd be happy to teach her to do it right once she was done with detentions.

Scorpius folded his arms and watched as Professor Longbottom walked over, shaking his head.

Ainsley looked at Albus and Scorpius.

"Miss Greengrass!" Neville said. "Mr. Fortescue. Both of you come with me."

"It's somewhat liberating, I guess," Ainsley said grimly as Neville helped a dazed Fortescue to his feet. "It's not like they can write to my parents or anything."

Scorpius watched her walk away with Neville as Fortescue held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I was going to punch him," Albus admitted sheepishly.

"I know," said Scorpius, restrained. "Ainsley shouldn't have done that."

"No, she shouldn't have," Albus agreed. "I'm going to have to teach her how to do it better."

Scorpius looked down at him and shook his head while Albus grinned proudly.

"Still, she did shut him up."

Scorpius turned and walked towards the vacant end of the Slytherin table, muttering.

"Maybe you should have been a Gryffindor."


Ainsley found Albus and Scorpius at their usual table at the back of the library, looking none too concerned about the weeks' worth of detention she'd received.

"Honestly," she told them, "it's fine. Actually, Professor Longbottom seemed amused. But if I could do what you can do, Scorpius, I'm not sure I would have just ignored him."

"I've decided I'm not interested in any more notoriety," Scorpius said, striking out a few lines of an essay. "Once I'm done here, I want to live quietly."

"And be a professional bookworm?" Albus asked, grinning and leaning back against the wall. He'd been taking a study break for nearly a half an hour and had been resorting to different methods of distracting Scorpius, which thus far had included throwing small wads of paper into his hair, tugging incessantly at his sleeves, and, most successfully, biting at his year while he was trying to write.

"That's the plan," Scorpius said. "It sounds terribly exciting."

"It sounds great," Albus said warmly.

"Are you still moving in together after Hogwarts?" Ainsley asked.

"Yeah," Albus said. "We have to find a place first."

"So I'll be alone at the manor with your dad?" Ainsley asked.

"Well, no," Scorpius said. "We'll be around. And you can always hang out with us at Harry's place when we go over there."

"Speaking of," Ainsley said, looking at Albus and digging into the pocket of her robes. "I got a curious note from your brother today."

"My brother?"

"Yes. Apparently, he heard about me punching the Ravenclaw," she said, flattening the parchment out on the table. Albus took it and read it aloud.

"'Good job taking out Fortescue'," Albus read. "'He always was a snot nosed little wanker, and he bent the bristles on my broomstick once. Next time I see you, drinks are on me'."

Scorpius was surprised. "That sounds like James flirting."

"That is James flirting," Albus clarified. "Believe me, I know. He tried to give me lessons before Hogwarts - thought he was an expert."

"Thank Merlin that didn't take," Scorpius mumbled. "Although you could have used lessons."

"Like you're a master," Albus said, sarcastic.

"Why is your brother flirting with me?" Ainsley asked, bewildered.

Albus shrugged, running his hand over Scorpius' back idly as he organized notes.

"You're pretty and nice," Albus said. "Maybe he just wants to see you again."

Scorpius saw that she looked skeptical, and took his glasses off - a sign that he was done for the night.

"James isn't bad," Scorpius said. "Al is probably right. Besides, I'm sure he respects that you punched Fortescue. He's kind of like his mum that way."

Ainsley quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Albus said. "You'll see him again at some point, though I am wondering how he knew. Lily, most likely. Or Rose."

"Sounds like you made some fans today, Ainsley," Scorpius said. "You'll find the Potters and Weasleys love a good fight."

"Well, it's not going to make me popular in Hufflepuff, that's for sure," Ainsley said, standing up.

Scorpius looked up at her, sympathetic. "I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be everyone's favorite person in Slytherin either. Besides class, I've been here today."

"Well, I'll let you know how it goes in the morning," Ainsley said. "Get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Ainsley hugged Scorpius and kissed his cheek, which he accepted gratefully. He'd always been jealous of Albus having family at Hogwarts, even when they didn't always see eye to eye, and now he only regretted that he hadn't reached out to Ainsley sooner.

He watched as she gave Albus a hug too before leaving and sighed, leaning over the table.

"There's just so much to do," Scorpius said, looking at their notes spread across the table. "Work on top of work and then reviewing for N.E.W.T.s."

Scorpius looked at his calendar of classes and tests leading up to the exams. He was in a brief interlude between the holidays and the hardest part of the term and it didn't feel like a break at all.

"Cut yourself some slack," Albus said, resting his chin on his hand. "You're brilliant. You probably don't even need to study."

Scorpius gave him a doubtful look.

"Not that I think you should stop studying," Albus said. "You're... kind of beautiful when you're reading and focused on something."

Scorpius leaned back to look at him with a wry, amused smile.

"What?"

Albus shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "You heard me."

"Say it again."

"You're beautiful when you're studying. And when you're sleeping. And when you're eating... basically all the time."

"You've never said that before."

"Well, it took me four years to tell you you're kind even when you desperately needed to hear it," Albus said with a soppy smile, resting his chin on Scorpius' shoulder. "I'm not going to make that mistake anymore."

Scorpius closed his eyes contentedly and rested his temple against Albus' forehead.

"You're not so bad yourself," Scorpius said. "And if you keep looking at me like that, we're not going to make it back to the dorm."

"You're terrible at threats," Albus said, reaching under Scorpius' chair and pulling him closer. Scorpius draped an arm around Albus' shoulders and brushed his lips against Albus' cheek, nuzzling him gently as Albus ran his fingers over the sensitive spot behind Scorpius' ear.

"I need to make sure you know things, and sometimes they're the things I'm not good at saying," Albus said quietly, and Scorpius wondered if anyone's eyes had ever been greener or more earnest. "That you're beautiful and kind and that I love you."

Albus closed his eyes and breathed him in - all parchment and ink and pumpkin juice - turning his face into his collar. He wondered if the novelty of Scorpius being alive and warm would ever wear off.

He hoped it wouldn't.