A/N: First off, apologies all! It's been a long time since I updated and I'm sorry for that. Normally this is where I would give the usual explanations; I am working full time, I also go to school full time, family stuff, etc. But really, the main reason was because this story is almost over and whenever I get close to finishing a story I have a really hard time updating because I don't want to. However that is the sad truth of it.

Thank you all for the amazing reviews and the many follows and favorites! I am thinking just another chapter or two before this story comes to an end. Let me know what you think!

Anyway, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

…..

"I love you," her last words haunted him now. He'd ached to hear them for so damn long and he finally got his wish. They wouldn't let him in the room as they worked on her. Blood replenishing potions had been given to her but there was no guarantee…she'd lost so much blood…the loss of oxygen to her brain could potentially be damaging even if she survives.

He wouldn't have even thought to owl her family if it hadn't been for the kind receptionist. "Mr. Malfoy," she'd said softly as he paced up and down in the waiting room. "Do you have any family you would like me to contact?"

"Yes," he rasped, "Ron and Hermione Weasley and Draco and Astoria Malfoy."

Now he was waiting. Waiting for the Healers to come in and say that she was dead. Waiting for his parents to show up and mourn with him. Waiting for her parents to come in and blame him for what had happened. Waiting for a miracle. Waiting for anything.

"I love you," she had said but he knew it before the words left her mouth. He'd seen the look in her eyes as he'd fucked her on the piano. He saw the shape her mouth was taking when she started to tell him after they finished but Rin had interrupted.

He hadn't even had the chance to say it back. But he was confident that she knew it. That was why she came back after all. She loved him and he loved her and everything would be okay. Please, please, please, let her be okay. She had to be!

"Mr. Malfoy," he spun around to see a Healer Assistant coming toward him.

"Yes?" he demanded impatiently.

"The Healer is still with Rose. She's…stable but something is wrong. The curse used on her isn't one that we can identify. We've seen wounds like hers before, during the…The War…but those patients…well, let's just say that we're doing all we can."

Scorpius paled and growled, "What is the problem? Why can't you heal her properly?"

"We…we can't figure out anything to close the wounds. We're giving her Blood Replenishing potions every few minutes but we can't get enough blood in her for her to wake up yet. Which is probably a good thing because I expect she'd be in a lot of pain as the open wounds won't heal over."

"No," Scorpius dropped his head into his hands and let himself fall down into a chair.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy."

….

Ron and Hermione arrived first. Neither looked very panicked, just confused and perhaps a bit worried. "What's going on?" Hermione snapped at once. "Where's Rose? We just received an owl from St. Mungo's saying that we needed to come here right away."

"They're…they're working on her," Scorpius breathed. "She was hit with a curse. A particularly bad one and they're not…not sure she's going to make it," his voice cracked on the word 'make' and tears started streaking down his face.

"No!" Hermione's cry of denial echoed in the room as she collapsed into her husband's arms. Ron's face was drained of all color and he looked like he was about to be sick.

"What happened?" his voice was rough with emotion but the Auror in him kept him calm and collected more than his wife in this situation.

"We were at home when Nathan showed up. He was demanding that I tell him where Norah was and where Dominique was but I wouldn't. So he shot a curse at me. Only Rose jumped in front of me. I swear, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I would have done anything to protect her, but she didn't let me. I never expected…" he gulped as realization dawned. "I should have known…I know her so well…Damn it! I know Rose has that fucking Gryffindor complex with playing the hero!"

"Don't blame yourself," Hermione pulled her head away from Ron's chest, her own face red, blotchy, and sprinkled with tears. "It's not your fault. You didn't cast that spell; Nathan did."

Scorpius nodded seemingly in agreement but was inwardly filling with guilt. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, and he could see all of his mistakes so clearly now. Why hadn't he anticipated Rose's course of action? It was clear to him now that she reacted exactly as he would have expected her to.

…

The last half hour he'd spent with his wife kept replaying in his head, her last words resounding like funeral drums. Why was it taking this long to hear something else? Was it a good thing or a bad thing that they hadn't received any recent news?

"I love you," would those forever be her last words?

…..

Harry and Ginny Potter arrived next, as Hermione and Ron had contacted them. Ginny dissolved into hysterics with Hermione, the two women had their arms wrapped around each other.

"I thought," gasped Ginny as she dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her witches robes, "that we were done with tragedy after The War."

"We all did," Harry said stoically and then nodded to Ron and the two of them quietly exited the room, obviously wanting to have a private conversation.

"What do you reckon they're talking about?" asked Ginny. Hermione shrugged, but they could practically hear the gears in her head turning as she thought through the possibilities.

When Ron came back, Harry was not with him. "What was that about?" asked Hermione.

"They caught Zabini. It's up to Harry and Kingsley what happens to the sod. They talked to the Healers and Healer Urquhart said that if a curse of that magnitude had hit Scorpius directly in the chest, as intended, it would have killed him almost instantly because it would have hit several vital organs. Zabini's being charged with 'attempted murder' and if…if Rose doesn't make it, he'll be charged with wizard-slaughter in the second degree. Harry wanted my opinion on what Kingsley suggested as punishment."

"Did you agree with the punishment they set for him?"

"I did."

"And what exactly is that punishment?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"Dementor's Kiss."

"What?" shrieked the two women. Scorpius remained silently indifferent.

"But that's barbaric!" Hermione began to rant vehemently. "There's only a small handful of Dementors left who work for the Ministry and the Kiss hasn't been administered to a criminal since…since…"

"Rodolphus Lestrange," Ron confirmed with a nod, "Five years after the war when we finally captured him in Siberia."

"Ron, I don't know, I just don't think…"

"I know that you've had a bit of a sore spot about the Dementor's Kiss since it was almost performed on Sirius when he was an innocent man, but Hermione, this form of punishment can be used on actual criminals who deserve it. This isn't his first offense, either. He was just released from Azkaban yesterday. Obviously it wasn't much of a punishment for him if he was so eager to go back."

"Yesterday?" Hermione asked critically and Ron immediately noted she was wearing her 'I think I am putting together a mystery' face. "That's awfully quick for his magic to be restored to such magnitude."

"Yes, well, it can happen. Anyway, it will probably take a day or two because Harry and Kingsley and the Healer need to get the paperwork together but then-"

"What?" Ginny cut him off, "I thought they were just going to perform the Kiss if Rose…if she…"

"No," Ron's voice was cold again. "The Kiss is being performed regardless of how well Rose recovers because damn it, she will recover."

…

They had Rose hooked up to a magically-run machine that was keeping a constant flow of potions going into her system, keeping her alive, but the Healer had to take a break from working on her. She was lying face down on a hospital bed, with her face turned so she could breathe.

Her back was covered in bandages and the blanket was pulled over her legs and bum up to her lower spine, the rest of her was bare aside from the bandages wrapped around her upper body. Blood kept soaking through it before their eyes and a nearby Healer would vanish it only to have more soak through moments later.

Scorpius couldn't help but agree with Mr. Weasley as he watched his wife's blood bleed out of her at an insane pace. Nathan Zabini did deserve to suffer the Dementor's Kiss for this evil he'd rendered on Rose. He sat in a chair by her head, stroking her hair, whispering softly to her.

Rin brought him a book and he began reading it to her aloud, just like he would have done if they had been at home instead of at the hospital. Even though she couldn't hear him, it was calming for him to do this for her. With her. The words flowed from his tongue like honey and he found that he couldn't cry when he was reading to her, because it made him truly believe that she was okay. He could almost convince himself that she was just sleeping. Almost.

….

When Draco and Astoria Malfoy arrived, they made their presence known by barging into the hospital room. "Mr. Malfoy!" squawked a Healer indignantly. "She needs those!" Because he began tearing off her bandages.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" Ron snarled, pulling out his wand, "Get away from my daughter!"

"She's my daughter too now, Weasley, and if you want her to live then let me Heal her!" Draco pulled the bandages from her body and ran his fingers over the deep gashes as they coated his fingers with blood. "Just as I thought," he mumbled. He held his wand aloft and began to recite an incantation that sounded more like a song. With his eyes half-closed he ran the tip of his wand along her wounds and they were sealing before everyone's eyes.

"Oh my…" Hermione gasped, hope swelling in her as she watched her daughter's skin knit back together. But it wasn't perfect. The skin looked tinged pink and it was obvious that she would carry heavy scarring as a result of this incident.

When Draco finally finished, his brow was sweaty and he looked exhausted. "It takes a lot of effort for that one," he breathed as he stumbled back and sunk into a chair.

"How did you…" a Healer began to ask.

"The spell used on her was Sectumsempra. The man who invited both the curse and the counter-curse was my godfather."

"Snape," said Harry with dawning comprehension. Draco gave him a nod. "I should have known," said Harry, feeling both foolish and guilty.

"What took you so long to get here?" Scorpius asked his parents as he watched Rose's face slowly begin regaining color.

"We were still out when the owl dropped off the letter from St. Mungo's at our mansion. We came here as soon as we got the message," Astoria answered, not taking her eyes off of Rose. "Are those…"

"Yes," said Draco shortly. "She'll have those scars forever. But she's alive."

"And that's what counts," said Scorpius firmly as he placed his hand over her cheek, marveling that it was already warmer than it had been minutes before. Healers were now bustling around the room, taking her off of certain potions and re-adjusting the dosages of others.

…

Al and Norah,

I thought I should probably tell you that Rose is in the hospital. Nathan came by our house yesterday and demanded for me to tell him where you were and also where Dominique is. When I refused to tell him anything (even though I really don't know where you are), he fired a curse at me. Rose jumped in front of me and it hit her.

I rushed her to St. Mungo's and she almost didn't make it. The Healers were unable to close up her wounds (I don't know how much Dark Magic you're familiar with, but he used Sectumsempra on her. Basically, it leaves deep gashes in your flesh and you quickly bleed to death. The curse is so strong it can even sever limbs).

Thankfully, my dad knew the counter-curse and he managed to Heal her, but she still has a lot of scars. She is stable now but hasn't woken yet; the hospital has been giving her a lot of potions for the pain and for dreamless sleeping which I'm sure she needs.

You don't have to rush home or cut your honeymoon short! I just wanted to keep you updated. But there's something else. And Nor, I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but they caught Nathan. He confessed and he's back in Azkaban. They have decided that since his last stint in prison obviously didn't change him that his punishment this time around is to suffer the Dementor's Kiss.

I know that you don't particularly care for your brother, and I honestly wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be there to see it happen, but if you want to be there, it's taking place the day after tomorrow. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about such a severe punishment, but as I watched my wife bleed on the hospital bed, not being able to help her or stop her from dying (as she almost did), I decided it was the right thing.

If you need to talk or have any other questions, you can send me an owl or use the Floo. I won't be home much but we have a private room at St. Mungo's and if you Flooed the hospital they could connect you to our room.

Hope you two are having a good time and that this news doesn't mar your vacation.

Love,

Scorpius

….

"…and this time, when he told her that he loved her, she believed him. The End," Scorpius glanced up at his sleeping wife. He had seriously just read an entire muggle romance novel to her aloud. It was a brand new one that she'd just bought the day before Al and Norah's wedding. She had gone on and on about how excited she was to read it and how much she adored the author's writing style.

Scorpius, however, had found it quite cliché, but the sexy bits did inspire him with a few ideas he wanted to try, even if they had been awkward to read while Healers bustled around the room. Rose's back had healed enough that they were able to roll her onto her back which was a more comfortable position. Scorpius fretted over her constantly and even now as he set the paperback aside, he ran his hand across her forehead and readjusted the blanket wrapped around her.

"Mr. Malfoy?" he glanced up at the Healer who entered. "Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk with you about your wife."

"Is everything okay?"

"Well…er…we think so."

"What does that mean?" snapped Scorpius as he glanced over at the machine filled with potions to make sure they weren't running low as they slowly dripped into Rose's system.

"It's just that we know you're aware, but your wife should have woken up by now. It's quite possible that even though her physical wounds are healed, the loss of oxygen to her brain could have caused damage there. We're concerned that she has slipped into a coma."

"She'll wake up."

"It's not that simple. If we used magic to force her into consciousness, it could permanently damage her mind. However, if we let it heal in it's own time, it might not ever happen."

"What are the chances of her waking up on her own without any damage?"

"There's a fair chance of that, actually. Her vitals are normal and we'll be taking her off of most of those potions today. Although it's not guaranteed. So what would you like us to do? Force her awake magically and risk damaging her already frazzled mind, or leave her alone and she might not ever wake up?"

"We wait for her to wake up on her own."

"But she might not, perhaps we should wait a day or two then reevaluate the situation-"

"She will wake up on her own," repeated Scorpius firmly.

Knowing that Scorpius Malfoy had the final say in what happened to his wife, the Healer nodded obediently and left the room. Scorpius took her hand in his and said softly, "Pushy sods. You're stronger than they realize, baby, just keep fighting and come back to me when you're ready."

….

Scor,

I'll be there for Nathan. I've spoken with the Ministry and I'll have a few minutes to talk with him before the kiss is performed, but I've taken your advice and I'm not letting this mar our honeymoon.

Albus and I almost rushed home to be with you and Rose but Albus talked with his Aunt Hermione and she told us that Rose is still unconscious and that we wouldn't be any help. If you need me to come home, please tell me. You've been more of a brother to me than Nathan and your father was always more of a dad to me than Blaise. You're my family, Scor.

I love you and as strange as it is for me to say, I love Rose, too. If Albus or I can do anything, please let us know! If I don't hear from you before Nathan's punishment is carried out then I guess I will see you there.

Love,

Norah

…

James Potter found out that his favorite female cousin was in the hospital by chance. He was at Quidditch practice when one of his teammates asked how Rose was doing.

"Good, I reckon," James had replied casually as he tossed the Quaffle to O'Brien. "Haven't talked to her in a couple of days."

"Shit, mate! Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Rose is in the hospital. I heard from my mum who works with Draco Malfoy…"

"What?" James yelled.

Within five minutes James was at St. Mungo's, his feet caked in mud, dripping sweat, still in his practice jersey, wandering the halls looking for her. "Rose!" he gasped upon seeing her.

That was the day after she'd been admitted to the hospital. He'd been angrier than anyone had ever seen him when he discovered that his parents had purposefully kept him in the dark about this. "But why?" he asked again.

"For several reasons, James," said Harry tiredly. "First, you have a game this weekend and if you want to make England then you need to be at the top of your game. There's also the fact that we wanted to keep this as quiet as possible and you're not exactly the best secret keeper in the world."

"I am with important things!"

Ginny and Harry looked at him and he threw his hands up in exasperation. James had barely left her side since, which meant that he was spending a lot of time with Scorpius Malfoy. To his surprise, the bloke was easy to get along with. By the time evening came, they were friends.

…..

Rose came back to consciousness slowly. She felt groggy and wrong, but at least she was alive, which was surprising. Before opening her eyes she wiggled her fingers and toes, mentally making sure that she was, at least, not missing any important parts.

A low groan reached her ears and with a start she realized it was coming from her as she brought her hands up to touch her head and face. What the hell had Nathan hit her with? It felt like she'd been thrown under the Knight Bus!

"Baby?" She recognized that voice even though her eyes were still closed tightly. She would know that voice anywhere.

"Daddy?" she croaked. Merlin, she sounded hoarse!

"I'm right here, Rosie," she felt his strong warm hand on her forehead and she peeked her eyes open just a slit. The face of Ron Weasley swam in her vision with a mixture of worry and relief in his features.

"What's going on?"

With a half-sob half-laugh Ron bent down to hug her tightly and kiss the top of her head. "You were cursed, sweetheart. But don't worry, you're at Mungo's now and they're taking good care of you."

"Nathan…" Rose tried to sit up but Ron gently edged her back down.

"They caught him, don't worry."

"How?" She looked around and noticed they were the only two people in the room.

"Wasn't exactly hard, was it? Just went to his house and he was there. The Aurors didn't have any trouble according to Harry. The Aurors knew before your mum and I did. Scorpius told the hospital what happened as soon as he brought you here, but was so worried he forgot to owl us for a while."

"What did he hit me with? I feel awful," Rose reached for a glass of water on her bedside table and Ron hurried to grab it for her and tip it up to her lips.

"Sectumsempra. Nasty little spell that was used a lot by Death Eaters during the war. But Scorpius saved you."

"No, she saved me," Scorpius stood in the doorway with a cup of tea in his hands. He approached her slowly, cautiously, set his cup down and brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Welcome back, love, you had us worried for a while there."

"Scor," she breathed his name, whipped her hands up to tangle into his shirt and pulled him down to connect their lips. "I love you."

"So you said," he ran the pad of his thumb across her jaw.

"I'll never stop saying it now so you had better get used to it!"

….

After the excitement and chaos after she awoke, Rose was feeling a lot more like herself. Mentally she went through certain checklists, concerned that perhaps something in her mind had been injured beyond repair.

With relief she discovered that as far as she could tell, she was perfectly fine in her mind. That was when everything that happened to her really sunk in. Merlin, she'd almost died.

After a trembling breath, she looked to Scorpius, who was the only person in the room aside form herself, and he calmly explained the whole story. "When are they performing it?" she asked quietly.

"The Dementor's Kiss? Tomorrow. At noon. Norah wants me to be there, but I don't want to leave you-"

"You should be there, Scorpius. You need to be. When it's finished you can come back immediately. I'll still be here," with an agitated sigh she flopped back onto the pillows. Several Healers had been in and out of the room performing several different tests. They told her she wasn't allowed to leave for at least two more nights. They wanted to be sure she was okay before they sent her home.

"It's for the best, baby. As hard as I know it will be for you, you need to be patient," he chided.

Rose was grumbling and squirming. Merlin this was going to be a long next few days. With a frown she picked up the discarded book and flicked through the pages. "Hmm," she hummed as her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

"I've never read this book, but I know it. I can tell you everything that happens in it. Isn't this the one I just bought?" she held it up for him to see.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Yes, it is. I read it to you while you were unconscious."

"The whole thing?"

"Yes."

"Godric. I must have been able to hear you," she closed her eyes and smiled. "I don't consciously remember you reading it to me, but I must have been listening intently because I especially remember a few of the naughtier parts," she smirked at him.

A flash of heat shot through his body. Since they'd been married this was the longest they had gone without having sex with each other. "Well it's obvious that almost dying didn't do anything to hinder your sexual appetite. That's a relief," he teased.

"How about you come over here right now and let me satisfy this outrageous sexual appetite?" she baited with a flirty wink.

"Absolutely not!" Scorpius looked terrified by the very idea. "You're still healing! We're in a hospital room! Your family could walk in at any moment!"

Rose sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "I need to use the loo anyway," she told him as she stood on wobbly legs, trying to hide her disappointment that he had turned her down. She nearly fell over but Scorpius caught her by the elbow. "I've got it," she said between gritted teeth with determination. She hated showing weakness.

With shaky movements she slowly made her way to the lavatory, putting one foot in front of the other purposefully the whole way there. It bothered Scorpius to not help her but he knew she would hate it if he tried. He decided to wait patiently standing beside her bed until she returned. Until - "Oh Godric!" she cried.

Scorpius was in the lavatory the next moment. However nothing appeared to be wrong. Rose was standing facing him, her eyes wide and filled with horror but nothing was amiss that he could see. "What is it?" he asked roughly as he peeked into the lavatory behind her.

"My – my back. Why didn't you tell me?" the awkward hospital gown she wore was open in the back; the Healers said this was best for her scars to breathe. There was a mirror behind Rose and she peeked over her shoulder to glance at the reflection of her back and shuddered violently. "It's awful. Can't they make them go away?"

"No," Scorpius's heart constricted at hearing how small and vulnerable Rose sounded. "Your flesh was cursed open with Dark Magic. We're lucky you survived at all."

"No wonder you didn't want to have sex with me," it was a whisper, barely audible, but it registered in his ears and he instinctively felt his arms go around her, careful not to touch the scars as he was sure they would be sensitive and possibly painful.

"I didn't want to have sex with you because I was worried it would hurt you. The scars don't make any difference to me, Rose, and you should know that. They're beautiful."

"They're horrific! I'll never be able to wear a backless dress again. Perhaps not a strapless one either, one of the scars comes up almost to my shoulder. And this will also seriously limit the number of sexual positions we can engage in to keep them from being in your view –"

Her rambling was cut off with his lips. "Do you want to know what I think of these scars, Mrs. Malfoy?" he growled as he nipped along her jaw. "Lie down on your stomach on that bed and I'll show you."

Hesitant but curious, Rose pulled away from his embrace and obeyed, lying on the hospital bed with her naked back facing the ceiling. With surprise she felt his nimble fingers quickly untying the thin laces that held the hospital gown on her body so he could pull it off of her and she found herself completely naked.

His large warm hands were on her arse, massaging it sensually and she couldn't help the small moan that escaped her. One hand slid down, between her legs, to rub over her clit in slow circles. Rose pressed her hips towards him instinctually and Scorpius stilled her movements, using his free hand to lock her hips in place on the bed.

"Scor, you don't…you don't have to do this. You don't have to prove anything to me," tears filled her eyes as she said this. Surely he couldn't find the sight before him arousing? The grotesque scars zigzagging down her back must have been staring him right in the face.

"I want to," his teeth were on her ear and his rock hard cock was rubbing against her slick folds, teasing her.

Rose whimpered and twisted her fingers into the sheets. She wanted him so badly that she almost forgot about how undesirable she must look to him. Almost. "I can roll over. Or you could sit down and let me straddle you –"

"No," it was a firm command that made her shiver. Scorpius was rarely demanding with her and she found it to be quite the turn on. "I want to take you just like this."

She buried her face into the pillow to smother her cry of pleasure when he entered her, sending pleasure from her core throughout her entire body. "Oh, Scor, you feel so good," she assured him as she wriggled in an attempt to press her bum even more firmly against him.

"So do you, baby. Fuck, so good." His movements were slow, deliberate, and Rose was letting out wordless mewls of pleasure in an attempt to spur him to go faster. He kept up the torturously slow pace until she let out a particularly loud cry when she felt the tip of his tongue tracing along the scars down her back.

They were more sensitive than she'd realized but it didn't hurt. It felt strangely good and she didn't want him to stop. As one of his hands skimmed up her body to cradle her neck and tilt her head, he whispered, "You're so beautiful, Rose. The most gorgeous woman I've ever seen."

She believed him.

…

Rose Malfoy was not an idiot. As a matter of fact, she was quite brilliant, thank you very much. Which was why she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer when she ordered Scorpius to go home with his parents for the night. She couldn't carry out her devious plans with him around, after all.

When they'd finished making love she had noticed the dark circles under his eyes and realized he'd gotten much less rest than her while she'd been hospitalized. Draco and Astoria happily assisted her in getting Scorpius to spend the night in his bed at the Manor.

Scorpius had, of course, argued valiantly with all kinds of excuses; he couldn't sleep well without her, he would be lonely if he left, she would be lonely if he left, he shouldn't leave his wife's side while she was still injured, and many more. But in the end Rose had breathed a sigh of relief as Draco and Astoria each latched onto one of his arms and escorted him out of St. Mungo's.

Mr. Blaise Zabini,

This is Rose Malfoy. I know you're aware of what transpired between your son, Nathan, and myself on August 27th. I just awoke today in St. Mungo's and was informed that his sentence for his crimes will be to suffer the Dementor's Kiss tomorrow at noon. Before this takes place I would like the chance to speak with you. I know we've never met before, but I wanted to have the chance to express to you my sincerest apologies, in person, for everything. I have a few other things I would like to say as well and I think it's important for you to hear them. Please, please, come meet with me before noon tomorrow.

Yours Most Humbly,

Rose Malfoy

….

"Rose?" Harry Potter peeked his head into the room before entering. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes. I wanted to speak with you not as my Uncle Harry, but as Auror Potter."

He frowned at her in confusion but gave a jerky nod of acceptance. "Alright, what exactly is this impromptu meeting in regards to, Mrs. Malfoy?"

With a small smile, Rose began, "I was thinking that we could help each other out, Auror Potter…"

….

"Go."

"I don't know. Maybe I should stay. You look a bit pale and –"

"I'm fine, Scorpius. You need to be there for Norah. Now get your sexy arse into that fireplace and floo over to Azkaban."

With one last worried look at his wife, Scorpius kissed her forehead and disappeared in a swirl of green flames. Not a moment too soon, either. Rose breathed a half-nervous half-relieved sigh as the second her husband disappeared, the door opened and in stepped a completely composed Blaise Zabini.

He didn't look much like his son, but there were a few similarities. Rose knew that Scorpius would disapprove of her plan. He wouldn't let her put herself in danger this way. Not to mention he probably wouldn't have believed her in the first place.

But this was the only thing she could do while being stuck in a hospital bed. Because she was the only person who knew the truth.

"Ms. Weasley," said Blaise with a slight inclination of his head in her direction as he closed the door behind him.

"It's Mrs. Malfoy, actually," she saw how this irked him and his mouth tightened. She barely repressed a smirk. This was going to be easier than she thought.

…

Nathan Zabini hadn't lied to Rose. His father put him under the Imperious Curse and it hadn't lessened at all over the past month and a half aside from the time Nathan spent in Azkaban when the magic-draining wards had made it easier to fight. But it came back in full strength the moment he was released.

Albus and Norah's wedding had been, mostly, Nathan himself. He regretted not being able to walk his sister down the aisle but he couldn't blame her really. He'd been an arse to her most of his life. When they were young he'd been kind and considerate, the way a big brother should be. Did she remember that at all? Or had she been too young?

Nathan sat alone in his cell in Azkaban, waiting for the Ministry officials and the Dementor and Merlin only knew who else. His lips were, metaphorically, sealed shut. The force of the curse placed upon him prevented him from being able to tell anyone the truth. It had been a miracle that he'd been able to tell Rose.

The loop holes in his father's mental instructions combined with the draining effects the prison had on the curse had made it possible. But just barely. And she hadn't believed him. She hadn't taken his suggestion. She'd been his only hope and she had let him down.

This was supposed to be his second chance. After Hogwarts he'd moved out of his parent's house, he'd stopped drinking, and though it was hard, he was starting to become a better man than he'd been before. As he had done many times over his lifetime, he cursed his father again as he waited for a fate worse than death to take him.

He heard the unmistakable creak of metal against metal and glanced up to see his sister, Norah, entering his prison cell with Scorpius Malfoy. Hoping against hope, Nathan couldn't help but ask, "Rose didn't come with you?"

Scorpius's eyes narrowed in disgust. "No. I'm sure you'll be sorry to hear that she's recovering. Your spell nearly killed her, but she's alright now."

Relief mixed with dread rushed through him at these words. Relief – he hadn't killed the girl. Dread – she wasn't coming to his rescue. "Why did you do it?" he almost couldn't bring himself to look into the large brown eyes of his little sister. Younger than him by two and a half minutes.

When he finally managed to lock his gaze with hers he could see the tears starting to form and her lower lip was trembling. How many times had he made her cry? How many times had he been just as big of a bastard as his father? Godric he felt sick. Somewhere deep down he wondered if he didn't deserve this. No, he hadn't done the things they were accusing him of. At least, not on purpose. But he had been a bad person. A Dark wizard.

Changing now was too late. Maybe if he'd been a good person his whole life, right from the very start, they wouldn't have been so quick to believe that he did this of his own accord. Maybe if he hadn't acted so much like his father they would have been able to tell a difference between his actions and his father's actions.

He didn't even know the spell that he used on Rose. He'd never heard of it before until it came from his lips, not from his own volition, but by the presence that was in his head because of that damn curse. His arm had pulled back in a movement he was unfamiliar with and the spell shot forth and hit her like a speeding hippogriff.

Nathan opened his mouth to reply to Norah's question. He wanted to tell her, "I didn't! I didn't do it! It wasn't me. It was him! He made me do it!" but all that came out was, "She was in my way."

He saw the last bit of hope leave his sister's eyes. So she'd been hoping he would show some remorse at the last minute. His father wouldn't let him. Norah nodded sternly, as if convincing herself that this punishment was okay with her because he truly was a monster, but Nathan fought harder than ever before to break hold of it. It was useless. He couldn't throw off the Imperius Curse if his life depended on it. And, ironically, it did.

…..

"You must be very upset about Nathan," said Rose without preamble. It was already past 11:30. She didn't have much time.

"He's my son. Of course I am. But I must admit to also being just a bit relieved. People like him should not be allowed to live. His actions were unforgivable," Blaise stood at the foot of her bed, ramrod straight, with no emotions on display.

"I'm sure your relief has nothing to do with the fact that as soon as the Kiss is performed there will be no evidence of your crimes, Mr. Zabini. That is, no evidence except for my own statements."

His eyes narrowed malevolently. "What are you going on about, you silly girl?" he hissed in what was clearly a warning. But Rose didn't care. She was Rose fucking Malfoy and a slime ball like Zabini didn't intimidate her.

"I know, Blaise. I know what you did to Nathan and I will not let you get away with it."

"Again, what are you talking about?"

"Your son is about to suffer the Dementor's Kiss for your crimes! He didn't curse me. You did," she accused bravely, being sure to keep her hand under the blanket that was draped over her because clutched tightly in her white-knuckle grip was her wand. Just in case.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Malfoy," he sneered, "but that spell must have addled your brains. My son is paying for crimes that he committed against you. I've never hurt you."

"But you have and we both know it. Let there be no more pretenses, Blaise. Nathan is under the Imperius Curse and is being controlled by you."

There was a heavy silence between them now and Rose's hand itched to brandish her wand and defend herself. But Blaise was making no move to extract his wand. Instead, he said evenly, "You can't prove it."

"Oh, can't I? The spell he used was Sectumsempra which hasn't been used since the war. It was invented by a wizard who was your Head of House as well as a fellow Death Eater. The night before he came to our home, Nathan was happy about not having to marry Dominique but suddenly the next day he was demanding that she be with him and not embarrass him."

Blaise gave a shrug and forced a look of indifference. "So Nathan has mood swings and picked up a few tricks from the Malfoys. Who, by the way, were much closer to Severus Snape than I ever was."

The implication was clear. He was suggesting that if anyone were to have Nathan under the Imperius Curse it was more likely to be the Malfoys than him. Rose had the urge to scream at him, 'Who the hell do you think I am?'

Therefore that was exactly what she did. "Who the hell do you think I am? I am Rose Nymphadora Malfoy; daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley. If you think you can fool me with that shite you're an even bigger idiot than I previously thought and that's saying something. You put your son under the Imperius Curse over a month ago! Everything he has done to get him sent to Azkaban and sentenced with the Dementor's Kiss was done by you! Lie to me again, Blaise Zabini, I fucking dare you."

…..

"Mr. Malfoy? Mrs. Potter? It's time," Scorpius and Norah looked up at the Azkaban guard and both shivered violently as a Dementor glided into the cell behind the guard. Nathan didn't move a muscle. He couldn't. His father had given him a strict command to not make a scene and accept his punishment stoically.

….

"All you have, you stupid child, is a number of unfounded accusations! What did you hope to accomplish by inviting me here today? Did you expect me to turn myself into the Aurors? Feel guilty for what I've done and run crying to Azkaban to get my son off the hook? I don't think so."

"All I wanted," said Rose steadily, her insides quivering with nerves. "Was to have my suspicions confirmed. I am, after all, my mother's daughter, and I do so love hearing that I was right. More than that, I'm sure you're desperate to own up to your own accomplishments. Brilliant move to get someone else to do your dirty work."

Blaise Zabini couldn't help but smirk just a little bit. She was right about that. "I thought so as well. Norah left and was marrying that Potter bastard. Then Nathan came in and was starting to become as big of a blood traitor as his sister. I had to do something to salvage at least one of my children. To make sure that at least one of them didn't shame the name of Zabini."

"So you did it. You Imperiused him. You forced him to come to my flat that night and beat me up for Norah's location. You forced him to go to her flat and try to kidnap her. You forced him to let the Aurors find him and take the blame. You made it impossible for him to tell anyone the truth. Then, once he was free of Azkaban, and free of the marriage law, you despised the idea of a Weasley leaving him at the altar so-to-speak so you were going to seek revenge. You wanted him to find Dominique Weasley and make her either marry him or suffer for refusing him. You, through your son, were the one who used Sectumsempra on me."

There was another lengthy pause and Rose could feel her heart beating in her throat. Had she gone too far? Would he attack her? Try to kill her before she could spread this truth throughout the whole of the wizarding community?

Instead he smiled broadly. "Right on all counts. It seems you are your mother's daughter after all. I commend you for figuring it all out. But nobody will believe you. I'll give the option right now, Rose; I can Obliviate it from your memory or I can kill you to silence you. Which will it be?"

…..

"I'm sorry," Norah whispered to her brother, feeling as if this was all her fault. As if she could have somehow made him into a better person if she had tried just a little bit harder or been just a little bit better of an example for him. But nothing could help Nathan Zabini now.

The Dementor glided forward and Nathan tilted his head up, almost welcoming the kiss. A bony fleshy hand came from the hooded figure and he reached up to the brim of his hood, pulling it back so he could administer his most feared gift.

….

"Go to hell, Zabini!" Rose whipped her wand up and barely had time to deflect the spell shot her way, a jet of purple light, before hitting him with a spell of her own as an entire team of Aurors, headed by her Uncle Harry, flooded the room and pinned Blaise to the floor.

"Did you get that?" Rose asked anxiously as she scrambled to climb out of the bed.

"Yes," Harry assured her, "we heard every word."

….

"STOP!" Norah, Scorpius, the Azkaban guard, and Nathan all glanced up to see Auror Teddy Lupin barge into the room. "He got it!" he cried happily with a fist-pump. "Harry got Zabini's confession!"

As if on cue, the curse that had been plaguing Nathan for so long was lifted. With a deep intake of air he flung himself back, away from the Dementor who was much too close for comfort, and began yelling. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I've been under the Imperius Curse!"