"Adam, can you come here, sweetie?" I called down the hall of our small apartment from the living room. I heard him call back an 'okay' from his bedroom down the small hallway next to the bathroom. So, I sat on the couch and waited anxiously, going over everything I wanted to say. When Adam joined me he hopped up onto the couch and looked up at me, his big, green eyes so wide and innocent.

"What is it, Momma?" he asked curiously.

I swallowed before forcing a smile onto my face. "Well, um, do you remember the other day when we were going to the joke shop, and I ran into someone I knew?"

Adam tilted his head, looking confused. "You mean the angry man who grabbed your arm?" he asked, glancing down at the arm Draco had grabbed, as if expecting a giant bruise to appear on my skin.

I bit my lip, this was exactly what I was worried about.

"Um, yes, that man. But he didn't hurt me, sweetie," that day, "he was just trying to get my attention. We knew each other in school."

Adam scrunched up his face. "Okay." he answered dubiously.

I sighed. "Anyway, the thing is…Well, you know what a…a 'father' is, right?" I asked hesitantly.

Adam straightened at the sudden change in topic. "Is that the same thing as a dad?" I nodded and he continued, "Yeah, I know what those are. Uncle Bill is Victoire's dad, and Pop is Fred and Uncle George's dad. And Uncle Harry told me that Teddy's dad, Remus, was a war hero." 'Pop' was what he called Arthur, and he called Molly 'Nana'.

I smiled slightly at how Adam's face lit up talking about all the people he thought of when he heard the word 'dad'. Oh, how I hoped Draco wouldn't taint that image for him.

"Well, h-have you ever wondered about your own dad?" I asked carefully.

Adam looked confused as he thought this over. Finally, he slowly shook his head. "No. I have a dad?" he asked, his voice so full of childish wonder.

I swallowed before nodding slowly, unable to force a smile on my face.

"Where is he? How come I never met him?" Adam asked, looking upset.

I licked my lips before speaking, "Well, he needed to leave to help out with the war, and I never got to tell him about you, and I couldn't track him down afterwards." I explained, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"What's his name? Can we go find him?" Adam asked excitedly, getting on his knees next to me and bracing his hands on my leg.

I took in a deep breath, terrified of how he was going to take the news. As calmly as I could, I answered, "Well, that man from Diagon Alley the other day? Who grabbed my arm? That was Draco Malfoy, a boy I went to school with…He's your father."

Adam's face went blank for several moments, and the silence ate away at me.

Finally, after several moments of tense silence, Adam spoke, "But…he was mean to you. Why is he my father?" Adam asked in confusion, looking lost.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. How was I supposed to answer that? Telling your child about where babies really come from is an awkward conversation all on its own, and certainly one you have when they're older than four! Children are supposed to be created through an act of love. What kind of explanation could I possibly give to my four year old son about how and why he came to be?

"Momma?" Adam brought me out of my thoughts. "Everyone else's moms and dads love each other. They're families. But…that man was mean to you. He didn't talk to you the way Pop talks to Nana. He hurt you! I don't like him!" Adam shouted indignantly, crossing his arms angrily. I smiled sadly, feeling my eyes water up. 'If only you knew how he hurt me,' I thought to myself.

"Adam, I told you. He didn't hurt me when he grabbed me. It's like me grabbing your hand when we walk to the twins' shop so I don't loose you. And he looked angry because he thought I'd kept you a secret from him deliberately. He was upset he didn't get to watch you grow up. He really wants to meet you and get to know you, Adam." I explained gently, wrapping an arm around my son and pulling him closer to me. "He'd really like it if you could give him a chance."

Adam eyed me doubtfully for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Okay."

OoOoOoO

We entered the small diner at just a few minutes before five o'clock. Wouldn't want Draco making a big stink about us being late like last time. I scanned the room until I found the familiar head of silvery hair. Sucking in a deep breath, I took Adam's hand in mine and lead him over.

"Remember. Behave okay?" I nearly pleaded with my son. He simply nodded up at me as we came into Draco's view.

He spared me a glance before looking Adam over with a small smile. He stood up and gestured to the booth across from him, and I allowed Adam to slide in before I sat next to him.

"Hello Adam. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm your father." Draco explained.

Adam glanced up at me and I gave him a reassuring smile. He turned back to Draco and gave him a small, unsure smile.

"Hi." he answered simply. I was mildly surprised he wasn't saying more. He's normally so talkative.

The waitress came and took our order before Draco asked the usual question.

Leaning forward on his elbows, he asked, "So, Adam, tell me about yourself."

Adam tilted his head. "Like what?"

"Like, what do you like to do? Tell me about your friends, and school." Draco emphasized.

"Well…I like watching Quidditch with my Uncles, and playing with my flying cars, oh and I love it when Uncle Charlie tells us stories about dragons!" he bounced once in his seat and looked excitedly up at me. Even though Charlie didn't work with dragons anymore, he still had plenty of stories saved up, "oh, and I like pulling pranks on people, but Momma says there are some people I shouldn't prank." he finished seriously, as if mimicking the tone I'd used when telling him that.

Draco smiled strangely before looking at me. "I…thought you said your family didn't survive the war." he stated quietly.

I opened my mouth to explain when Adam swept on.

"They're not my real Uncles. That'd be weird 'cause Momma's 'dating' Fred, which Uncle George said means they kiss a lot." Adam explained with a disgusted expression, "But Momma said Nana and Pop took us in when I was a baby, because my real grandma and grandpa died in the war. And they became our family. So did my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry. Harry Potter's my Uncle, did you know that? Not my real Uncle, he's not related to my other uncles, but Uncle George always teases that him and Aunt Ginny are gonna get married someday and have lots of babies."

I watched Draco's expression go from content to thoughtful to angry, even though he was trying to hide it. He looked back over at me, his sharp gray eyes like cold steel.

"Fred, George, Ron, Hermione,…Harry…" he listed off quietly, his gaze burning into me. "You didn't mention the family that took you in was the Weasleys."

I met his gaze firmly, refusing to show the fear that was churning in my gut. "Would you have preferred they turned me and my son away to die all those years ago?" I questioned quietly, not wanting Adam to hear this conversation.

"You could've mentioned it before. It sounds like they've already been a bad influence on him."

"Why, just because he enjoys doing a prank now and then?" I asked quietly.

"Look, I already told you I've changed, but that doesn't mean I want them raising my son." Draco hissed.

I leaned forward so I could talk while Adam became interested in the silverware. "I brought my son here so you could have your wish to meet him and get to know him. The Weasleys are more his family than you are. If you want to discuss this, we will do so without Adam here to witness. And just so you know, if you want to actually try and take him away from them…he will put up more of a fight than I will, and that's saying something."

The rest of dinner went as well as it could, Draco encouraging most of the conversation by asking Adam questions. I rarely said anything. After about an hour I took Adam home and sat him down on the couch.

"So, what did you think? Do you like him?" I asked carefully.

Adam looked thoughtful, a slight grimace on his face. "I don't know. He seemed…weird."

"Weird how?" I asked curiously.

"Like he wasn't…telling the truth?" he tilted his head, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"You felt like…he wasn't being honest?" I asked, trying to understand.

Adam thought before nodding. "Yeah. And I don't think he likes the Weasleys. I don't like that." he stated firmly.