Chapter Twenty-Eight.

With a click of two little wheels winding together, voices started to come out of a small voice-recorder that had been placed on center of the table in front of everyone. No one knew why it was there - that muggle contraption that certainly had no use in the Wizarding World. Yet, pondering over the voice-recorder was less useless as its meaning, so they perked up their ears, sat straighter on their chairs, and listened carefully.

"Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry- -" And the first voice to sound around the room was that of Teddy Lupin; Auror. "You were informed about your rights and the lack thereof being convicted Death Eater almost two decades ago. You are to answer all the questions during this interrogation with complete honesty, and if it's dictated that you are lying, Veritaserum will be issued to gain the truth."

There was a pause, the voice-recorder making a sound like if it had been stopped and then fast-forward.

"You're saying that Tanya Rowle had blackmailed you into joining her and the group of witches and wizards she had collected for her destructive plans?"

"Yes." A different voice responded.

"In your earlier interrogation with the Head Auror, you stated that you were forced to participate in the attack at the French Embassy, which later led to a confrontation between Rowle's small army and our Ministry officials; where Percy Weasley was taken hostage."

"…I did."

"Was that a lie, Mister Goyle?" Auror Lupin asked the prisoner.

There was a brief pause. "..Not completely."

"What else were you aware of, Mister Goyle? What else did Tanya Rowle let slip to you about her plans?"

"I knew that she planned on attacking Luna Thomas. I-I….I knew she was keeping tabs on the Malfoy family, but I never assumed it was to cause them harm."

A small scoff was heard coming out of the voice-recorder. Almost like the interrogator was not entirely convinced with the explanation. "What else, Mister Goyle?"

"I didn't do this to hurt anyone, Malfoy is my friend."

"From what history shows, Mister Goyle, Seamus Finnegan and Luna Thomas were your 'friends' too. Except, you actually let one of them die."

"I didn't know about Finnegan!" The prisoner protested, sounding outraged.

Another short pause. "If your loyalties were with the Malfoy family, why did you not report any of it to the Ministry? Mister Malfoy is an Auror, and every citizen of the British Ministry knows perfectly well that its protection-program is one of the best in the Wizarding World."

"You don't understand." A choppy breath exited the tiny speakers of the voice-recorder; sending out waves of frustration from the prisoner's side. "I have…I had…" More frustration. " My family is the most important thing to me. I love my wife with all of my heart, and my children…they're Merlin's blessing to me…I couldn't risk them." Another puff of air was heard. "Tanya threatened to eliminate them all, and I tried protecting them…I asked for the Ministry's help, I was preparing a plan so my children had something to fall back on when I realized Tanya was going to end up killing Pavarti and I…but until then, I couldn't risk them. The problem was not with my kids, but with my wife and I.

And when you're a father…you're willing to sacrifice anything for your children. And I was willing to give up my life or, possibly, my freedom for them...Just so they'd get a chance at life."

There was a silence - silence taken by the Auror who was leading the interrogation. Something that the recorder did not show because it had no eyes, but in that exact moment, Teddy Lupin pondered over his own parents.

Because the world knew that Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks gave up their lives in battle for him; so he could grow up and live even if they wouldn't.

But it was not Teddy's place to connect an emotional memory to the motives of the prisoner.

"Until further notice, you shall remain under custody of the Ministry, and will be transferred to a cell in Azkaban until it can be decided if your sentence could be shortened. But as of right now, filed as an accomplice and traitor to the Ministry of Magic, The Wizengamot sentences you to five years in Azkaban."

With a high-pitched beep from the muggle-device, the interrogation that Auror Lupin had with Gregory Goyle came to an end.

But just as all the people inside of the room could get a chance to comment on what they heard so far, a second beep interrupted them and a new voice filled the air.

"- -State your name, age, and location of living before being apprehended by Ministry officials yesterday evening." Leading the second interrogation reordered on the little gadget, Harry Potter began with his duties as Head Auror.

A little sniffle was heard from the speakers. "Eliz Wilkes, nineteen. Florence, Italy."

"Do you know why you were taken into custody, Miss Wilkes?"

"Y-Yes." Another sniffle. "I do."

"Can you tell us about your involvement in Tanya Rowle's plans?" The Head Auror ask. "How exactly did a nineteen year-old girl from Italy end a part of a murder-spree in Britain?"

"…I-I was studying abroad." Eliz Wilkes began, her little cries echoing out of the speakers of the voice-recorder with every breath she took. "I used to l-live in Britain with my Aunt and cousin…b-but when I l-left, things weren't their most healthy."

"What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Wilkes?"

"My aunt was very sick, and my cousin and her had been rowing for ages about the same things…One of them was about m-me leaving for Italy." A pause. "I wanted to be a fashion designer…for muggles. But Aries thought it was a disgrace to our family history."

"Aries Yaxley is your relative?" They asked her.

"Yes. Our mothers are…were sisters."

There was a short pause as the sound of papers being shuffled came out of the speakers. "Duncan Wilkes, Knox Yaxley, both convicted Death Eaters; both deceased." Someone in the background said in a tone that suggested the statement was being read off an archive. "Except, Mister Wilkes died in the first war, more than twenty years ago and the prisoner is nineteen."

A little exhale. "Grandfather Wilkes died in the first uprising, and…my father was killed in the last battle at Hogwarts School." Eliz Wilkes explained before they asked her. "…I doubt you'll find a record though, mum always said they don't remember the incompetent."

Beep.

"- -No, n-no. That's not true! I would never!"

"Look, Miss Wilkes, unless you fully cooperate with us, you are very much implicated in this, and all these murders lay on your shoulders as well. I need the truth." Harry Potter's voice was strained. "Now, I'll ask again, what were the functions for Tanya Rowle and Aries Yaxley's plans?"

Another round of sniffles. "I…I can't…Aries is my cousin, and…and it's not entirely his fault. Tanya was really manipulative when it came to him."

"I understand the need to protect your family, Miss Wilkes, but do you think that the same loyalty crossed your cousin's head?" The Head Auror questioned. "You were tortured, Miss Wilkes, countless of times. You are still being treated to wounds Tanya Rowle left you, some that might have permanent scarring and will have after-effects. Do you think Yaxley thought about his family-loyalty to you when his partner was torturing you?"

A long pause; the little background noises taking over the speakers as the silence reigned on for a few more hesitant seconds. "….She wanted to get revenge over the Malfoy family, but also on all the others who managed to get through life after the second war."

"Others?"

"Relatives, direct family members, offspring of former Death Eaters that managed to be pardoned after the Dark Lord was defeated." Eliz Wilkes explained in soft mumbles. "Tanya Rowle repeatedly chanted to the other recruits about how difficult life has been for them post-war; the ones that were not forgiven by the Ministry or the people of the Wizarding World. She continued to point-out their lack of fortune, their mediocre lives, the stares, and the judgment that they all got…She always said it was not a matter of killing the impure, the less than purebloods, but to level the playing-field with the purebloods who managed to scrape by."

"But others were killed, important people that helped the Light Side during the war." Harry Potter said with a tone of anger. "How did that fit into her plan?"

"…To get the Ministry's attention, I reckon." Eliz replied with uncertainty. "She had no problem killing, Mister Potter, and if it would help her…she didn't care. Not even if they were c-children."

Then there came a moment of silence from the interrogator; a moment that was needed to collect his thoughts from former classmates that lost their lives during this episode. "You mentioned there were forced members in Tanya Rowle's plans. Do you have any names?"

"None that I knew…I wasn't allowed to speak to the others. Aries forbade it, he didn't want…he didn't want others to think that his relatives were forced into getting justice." Another short pause. "…All I knew of was Mister Goyle. I..I accidentally overheard the plans to murder his entire family, they were just waiting for the exact moment when they could implicate Mister Goyle in all of this mess before finishing him off.

…I-If I could see a line-up, perhaps, I could identify the ones that were bewitched or forced into this."

"We'll schedule a line-up after this interrogation, Miss Wilkes." The Head Auror responded considerately and quickly, almost like he was trying to get her request out of the way. "- -You mentioned there was bewitched accomplices. Who bewitched them, Miss Wilkes?"

"…I saw Aries place the Imperius Curse on a few, but the majority that were bewitched were victims of Tanya Rowle. I heard once or twice about her brilliant skills in Legilimency and her fancy for the Imperius Curse, and that she studied and tested the Unforgivable."

"Tested?"

"She learned how to amplify the curse, is what I heard." The prisoner clarified for the Head Auror. "…She succeeded in it too."

"Meaning what exactly, Miss Wilkes?"

"I-I…"A shaky inhale was heard from the tiny muggle-device. "Aries constantly humored himself over the fact that Tanya had a Ministry Official under her rule - an Auror."

There was another shuffle of papers, of footsteps hurriedly rushing on the floor of wherever it was that the interrogation had taken place.

"Who? Who was bewitched by Tanya Rowle?"

"….Draco Malfoy." Eliz murmured.

A little gasp escaped from the voice-recorder.

Beep.

"This is a list of names of the deceased that we have linked to Tanya Rowle, Miss Wilkes." Harry Potter's voice came out again as the tape was fast-forward once more. "If you know anything about the reason of their murder, if you recognize any names, we demand full honesty and cooperation from you still."

And just as there was another quick stop from the voice-recorder, the people inside the room listening to the interrogation tape were passed out copies of the same list. So they could go ahead and see what the prisoner was shown when she was being questioned.

Avery- Death Eater; escaped imprisonment after the war and fled to the states.

Sean James and family - Wizard family found murdered in the States.

Anthony Goldstein - Former D.A. member.

Rosemary and Kevin Goldstein - Muggle wife of Anthony Goldstein and ten year-old son.

Jugson- Death Eater; murdered in Bulgaria three months after his release from Azkaban.

Rodolphus Lestrange - Death Eater.

Michelle Jones - Murdered after leaving graveyard in Russia.

Zacharias Smith - Former D.A. member.

Julia Smith née Diggle - Wife of Zacharias Smith; Found dead hours after her husband.

Zoë Smith - Fifteen Year-old daughter of Zacharias Smith ; Tortured and died in muggle hospital.

Dedalus Diggle - Former Order of the Phoenix member; father of Julia Smith.

Lucius Malfoy - Death Eater.

Seamus Finnegan - Former D.A member; Murdered on the outskirts of London.

Michael Corner - Former D.A member; Murdered in the French Embassy.

Natalie Corner née McNair - Wife to Michael Corner via Marriage Law; Pregnant when murdered.

Marietta Rosier née Edgecombe - Former D.A member.

Hunter Rosier - Murdered; Husband to Marietta Edgecombe via Marriage Law.

Pavarti Goyle née Patil - Former D.A member; Body found in a lake three miles away from her home.

Layla Goyle - Fifteen year-old daughter to Pavarti and Gregory Goyle; Body found in a lake three miles away from her home.

"Miss Wilkes- -" After the lists were handed out, the voice-recorder was played again and Harry Potter's voice came out from the speakers once more. "Anything look familiar to you? Anything that Tanya Rowle, Yaxley, or other culprits let slip of the people on this list?

"Seamus Finnegan was not suppose to be on this list, I know that without a doubt." The prisoner spoke after a second. "Dean Thomas had to take his place, the entire Thomas family had to. Tanya always emphasized on that."

Nothing came out of the tiny speakers for another few seconds.

"…The first two entries." She said in that soft whisper that she had been speaking with since the interrogation started; in that almost innocent and gullible way. "Sean James and his family were killed because of Avery." She continued. "It had been rumored among the few pureblood families left that when Avery escaped from Azkaban, after the mass breakout twenty-years ago, he started a family in the states…And Sean James was his son."

"But why murder them?"

"They were going after Avery…I remember that one." Eliz's voice came out with an overwhelming guilt. "Avery had settled in a farm with his new, half-blood wife, and when Tanya and the others finally tracked him down…his son and his family happened to be present as well." The prisoner let out another sniffle. "…There were a lot of children, some muggles even…and those poor children…"

A sob stopped the rest of the reordered statement.

"…Anything else, Miss Wilkes?"

"M-Michelle Jones." She cried again as she replied to the Head Auror, this time a little louder than the sniffles she had been letting out throughout the recording. "She was my f-friend."

"Is that why they killed her, Miss Wilkes?" Harry Potter asked. "Because she was important to you?"

"…No." The way Eliz Wilkes breathed the word made the speakers fuzz. "But I suppose it was a fraction of the reason…Tanya Rowle had a grand smile on her f-face when she told me about that one." Sniffle. Pause. Sniffle. "The convicted Death Eater, Jugson, was her father…The Jugsons were family friends; Michelle and I…we grew up together…She was killed because she r-refused to embrace the heritage, because her mum changed their last name when Jugson was sentenced to ten years in Azkaban after the second war…"

"I'm sorry." It came out so quickly, so awkwardly that those who were listening to the tape barely caught the comment from the Head Auror, instead they heard a rough clearing of the throat and the next question. "Is that all, no other names?"

"No." The nineteen year-old prisoner said in her whisper. "…But I know of names that were meant to be on the list, people you'd still need to protect, Mister Potter, even if it seems like it's over. And some that you need to find."

Silence. "Who?"

"Ernie and Millicent McMillan and their family." Eliz said hurriedly. "Some of Tanya's recruits imprisoned them outside of Albania. Then there's Padama, Mister Goyle's sister-in-law. Her family is hidden in Sidney Australia. Her husband was tortured, and….and I'm almost positive he's missing fingers."

There was fast movement in the recording, one could tell by the quick and hectic conversations, the doors being shut, and commands being shouted.

"You mentioned that we needed to protect some, Miss Wilkes? Who?"

"Blaise Zabini- -" And she continued to cooperate with the Head Auror. "Theodore Nott; Narcissa Malfoy; Andromeda Tonks; and…um…"

"And who else?"

"Teddy Lupin."

Beep.

X

He was cold, very cold. There was a strong wind inside the blinding white room; swooshing piles of parchment past him as he awoke from the deepest slumber he had ever taken. He didn't want to open his eyes, he remembered, there was just so much exhaustion - but his skin started freezing and it interrupted his sleep.

He was already planning on elbowing his wife, that he expected to find next to him on their bed, but he was wrong to assume she would be there. Wrong about a lot in that millisecond. He was about to tell her that their children - most likely their son - was messing with the temperature-controller of their household, but he didn't see her in their bed. Because their was no bed; no warm body next to him, nothing but white.

He was on the floor; on a cold, colorless marbled floor that he'd never seen before. But before he could ponder over it, his ears perked up instantly and he rose up from the ground as he caught a noise from afar. A noise that sounded like weightless slaps on the marbled floor, but fast approaching.

Just as he squinted his eyes to try and see through the thick fog that took over the room, he instinctively reached into the pocket of his robes; his fingers explored the inside of the material but found nothing, his wand was gone. And before he could try and remember where he left it, the soft noises started getting louder and louder - until he saw it.

The cause of it.

"Demetria?"

And with a few more soft slaps to the ground caused by her palms, as she crawled her way towards the confused man, a little blonde child smiled beautifully. "Daddy."

At that moment - at that moment that he heard the child speak, that word so gentle and warm, Draco Malfoy took a step back; his pale complexion looking beyond shock.

Staring at his disbelief with the same smile she had on when she called for him, Demetria carefully, and a little shakily, rose herself up from the ground. Pulling on her puffy, white dress as parchment kept flying by. "Come." She said to her father, extending a tiny pink palm to him. "Come, daddy."

"You're awake?" Draco asked automatically, staring at the hand stretched out towards him, still not taking it. He studied it, almost like he could identify it by the marks on her fingers, like he was trying to mentally-compare them to the hands he used to hold when Demi and him walked the park some mornings. "Dean said there was no chance."

Demi's smile deflated inside her chocolate-colored eyes. "I can move now." She said clearly, still keeping her palm out. "Come, daddy."

"…But how?" Draco asked, hesitantly taking the hand of the almost-three year-old as she turned them to the direction in which she came from. "I don't understand." He confessed. (After all, no one was around but her.)

Deciding not to speak as long as the white took over them, Demi continued to lead her father down the overbearing room, her short legs wobbling as she did.

It had been a while, maybe a few minutes or a few days, that she got the full feeling of her legs back; of her entire small body. She remembered clearly being in a bind, but then it had stopped out of nowhere, just like Sirius Black had promised.

She was no longer in the white room, no longer frozen in a sleepy-state that had taken over her world for what seemed like years. She found herself in that place where she had met Fred Weasley and Teddy's parents, but it had gotten much beautiful since the first she had seen it.

And that's where she wanted to take him - because someone told her he was waiting for her to lead the way.

"- -You found him."

And just as the walls of white started fading out, a burst of green vegetation took over Draco and Demetria's vision as they stepped onto a field.

As incredulity seeped into Draco's body, a man from his childhood smiled in an arrogant way as Demi nodded in response to the statement. "I knew you would, no help whatsoever."

"Brilliant mind, just like her mother's." Another figure spoke, someone Draco had been accustomed to now…before. "Alright there, mate?"

Narrowing his eyes at the two men that stood before him, and other gas-points that started sprouting in thin-air and started forming themselves into solid form, Draco took a step back impulsively with his daughter; almost like he sensed danger in the atmosphere.

"Never send a baby to do a man's job, yeah?" And from one of the gas-points that had transformed, Fred Weasley smirked from feet away. "Even if that kid belongs to Granger."

"Granger, mate? You're seriously behind news." Seamus Finnegan said to the redheaded man.

"Oh, right, right. She's a Malfoy now." Fred replied casually, nodding once at Draco. "Not bad, Malfoy, not bad at all. I suppose I'm late in the congratulations, right? Not that there's anything I could give you here, but I except George gave you something wickedly amazing."

"A life supply of Puking Pastilles, I think?" Seamus wondered out loud.

"Stop talking." Draco hissed, his mind overwhelming itself from the random conversation between the two men; from the deep gazes of other people, especially of a silver pair that used to follow him when he was a child. Voices and eyes from people he used to know - people that were dead. "What's going on?"

"You see?" Fred continued to talk, huffing to himself. "I should have gone to collect the bastard instead of Demi. The bloke has no clue!"

Stepping away from the background, Draco saw Nymphadora Tonks smack the Weasel beside the head. "And how many times do we have to tell you, Fred, that a family member is suppose to collect the newcomers?"

"And I'm saying, Dora- -"Fred scowled, rubbing his head. "That it would have been a downright good laugh if he saw me."

"- -You've got questions." And finally, bringing him away from the bickering of his cousin and Fred Weasley, Draco saw the man with silver-eyes speak. "Ask away, Draco."

Looking up at her father, Demi nodded at the confused man. "Granddad." She said with her smile, a small finger pointed at the other man.

Breathing in once, letting the air of the field enter his lungs, Draco looked towards his father; ignoring the rest. "Why am I here - Why is Demi here?…You're all dead."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Fred mumbled in the background.

"Do you remember what happened, Draco?" Lucius Malfoy asked his son, the gentle wind pushing his white-blonde hair backwards. "Anything from before you woke?"

Looking down at the grass, Draco forced his memory to open. To push past all the white that had instantly taken over everything.

He could see little dots of something, of lights - of spells. He could see a building crumbling, Percy Weasley, then Goyle.

Stop.

He concentrated, flashes and swirls of what were supposed to be his memories started taking over inside his head.

Goyle - He remembered seeing Goyle. Seated in an interrogation room, chained, tears in his eyes, but there was fury in the memory, Draco could feel it. Then there was Hermione, crying and pleading, being held back by Potter. He saw Weasley running towards his daughter; Rose tied up in a chair like hostage.

Hostage - Ariana.

He saw her tossed on the ground, tortured and burned in various parts of her exposed skin. There was blood, her blood, he was sure of that. Tanya Rowle was standing over her, a foot on her stomach, an evil glitter in her eyes as she pointed her wand at Ariana.

Her wand - the spells, the revelation.

Tanya was responsible.

'You have a choice now, Mister Malfoy. Do you choose to save a little girl's father but let her die, or do you take away her father and let her live?'

Draco dropped his wand, he approached Tanya, resignation in his eyes as he lowered next to the body of his fourteen year-old daughter, he squeezed her hand, she sobbed silently next to him, he sang her something, Hermione cried louder in the background, Ariana closed her eyes, the flashes of light took over, and he felt something warm pierce his body.

"- - Ariana." Draco snapped, his focus coming back as he stared worriedly at his father, squeezing Demi's hand a little tightly as his heart thumped. "My daughter, where is she?"

Lucius nodded solemnly, knowing that his son remembered what he needed him to. "She's in a grave state in St. Mungos, she'll need a lot of rest, but…she's alive."

As his heart settled from his father's statement, something crossed Draco's head. "She is…I'm not."

"- -Show him." In the back with his wife, Remus Lupin spoke to Lucius. "Show him, Malfoy."

With a quick wave of his wrist, Lucius Malfoy pointed a finger to the right side of where Draco and Demetria stood. A blur of an image appearing in the air like a projected vision.

'- -No! No! Don't tell me that, Dean!' With crying and devastated eyes, Hermione's face appeared in the projection. Her body shaking as Ginny Potter rushed over to her, holding her up as Healer Thomas looked saddened.

'I'm sorry, Hermione…but Demi's heart gave up. It was a matter of time.'

As his heart broke from his wife's visible-destruction, Draco glanced at his daughter. Staring at her with a conflicted gaze as she smiled at him still, like there was no care in the world.

Demi shrugged, turning back towards the projection as it blurred. It was time for her, and she wasn't sure how to explain that to her father.

In the fog-made screen, Angelina Weasley appeared next to Dean Thomas; whispering something to him as her own tears sparkled in her eyes. Her gaze flickering back and forth towards the devastated Hermione as she spoke to the Healer.

'…Hermione.' Dean called, his expression looking more defeated as he nodded once at his fellow Healer. 'I'm sorry…about Demi…and…'

'And what?' Mrs. Potter retorted, now getting assistance from her husband and her brother. 'And what, Dean? What more could you tell her? Her daughter's….Just bring a calming draught!' The redheaded woman hissed, looking furious as Hermione continued to whimper.

Not reacting to Ginny's order, Healer Thomas sighed unevenly as he closed the file in his hands. 'Draco died five minutes ago, Hermione…I'm sorry.'

At the mortifying sob that no one could guess came from Hermione Malfoy, the projection disappeared as the brunette fell to the ground. Ripples of misery coming out of her body and past her mouth as she sobbed even more.

"How?" Draco asked immediately, something inside his chest falling as the image of his wife burned in his head. "How?" He repeated louder as no one answered him. "How could I have died in the hospital? I was murdered in Malfoy Manor, protecting my daughter!"

"In the moment that the spell was headed your way, Harry casted his own shielding spell." And the one to answer was Tonks; her voice neutral and soft. "He didn't have much time, but he reacted in a precise moment. He couldn't possibly know what was going to happen, but he knew that the same spell had saved his life many times from death."

"The spell bounced off the one Potter casted." Next to explain was Seamus. "Instead of hitting you or your daughter, it got Tanya Rowle."

"Sound familiar?" Fred grinned lightly, crossing his arms as he inhaled the air of the field. "That Potter learned from the past, smart lad."

"…So what exactly happened to me, then?" Draco questioned, ignoring the redhead. "If the killing curse did not touch me, what happened?"

"A battle blew out, that's what." Fred answered, not getting the hint that Malfoy did not want to hear from him. "Oh, and there was some kind of by-product of the two clashing spells that got you."

"Like what happened to Demetria?" Draco asked.

Lucius shook his head, aiming a small smile at his granddaughter. "Demetria was exposed to various spells, but you got traces of the killing curse in your system. Not enough to kill you in that moment, but to end you eventually."

At the explanation his father gave him, Draco pressed his lips into a tight line.

He was dead - how could that be? How could he be dead? How could Demi be dead for that matter?

It wasn't suppose to happen…Not for many years at least. His daughter was supposed to make it past two, learn how to walk perfectly, to go off to a muggle-school, to go to Hogwarts, to have an entire life…But she was dead.

His story was different - he was an Auror after all, and a reformed Death Eater. His life expectancy wasn't as high as his daughter's, but he knew in his heart that he was meant to grow old with his wife. That he still had ages of crawling into bed with Hermione, of holding her next to him, of pressing his lips to hers, of making love to her like there was no tomorrow…

And now there truly wasn't.

He never got a chance to amend what Tanya had destroyed. And so, he left her thinking that their love - his love wasn't true.

"I can't be dead." Draco muttered sternly, like he was trying to reason with himself. "I can't be." He shook his head, glaring at the people staring at him. "I need to fix things. I need to be there for my children, to make sure Scorpius grows up a good man, that Ariana follows in her mother's footsteps….I need to be with my wife. This can't be the end."

Fred's grin slanted. "Resignation takes twelve-steps." He said to the once-nemesis to his family, aiming a look at Lucius as the latter nodded at his statement. "It's a good thing Demi accepted it on the spot, that's a smart child for you." He took a step forward, cracking his fingers as he stretched a palm out towards Draco's chest. "Be sure to remember that next time, because there won't be a turning-point for that one."

Raising an eyebrow at the redheaded man, Draco's retort was halted as he watched his father kneel down in front of his grandchild and extend a palm towards her chest too. "…You be a good girl, Dem Dem." Lucius whispered, pressing a featherlike kiss to forehead.

Jab. Jab.

Draco was being electrocuted - at least it felt that way. Fred Weasley pressed his palm on his chest once again, grinning like an idiot as Draco felt a searing sensation inside his body; pulling on his heart and burning his bones.

"You're an okay bloke, Malfoy." Fred huffed at the man, pressing his palms harder on his chest as the field started disappearing and Demetria started fading away from her stance; waving goodbye at the others as she did. "We'll meet again."

And with that, Draco started soaring backwards. All the white, all the parchment started blowing past him. All in the quickest and shocking of manners, barely allowing him to lock eyes with his father before he vanished into a gas-point with the rest.

'Love your family, my son.'

With the last words that he heard from his father, Draco jerked back; a black cloud engulfing him as he felt like he collided with something.

One - blurs.

Two - flashes.

Three - darkness.

Four - light.

Five - wires and tubes.

Blinking like he was seeing the sun after a long nap, Draco opened his eyes to find a pair of hazel ones staring at him with the grandest disbelief in the world.

Feeling like his entire body was sore, he forced himself to move his fingers; to squeeze back at the ones that were holding on to his. And with a inhale, and a quick glance to that muggle-contraption that did nothing more than beep, beep, beep, he smiled. "Hermione."

They were alive.

AN: Well, this was unexpected. LITERALLY. I was NOT planning to write this chapter - hence no third generation this chapter - and I WAS planning on killing a character.

But you all get the best of me. (:

Hope you guys like it and that it's not TOO confusing to understand.

But if you are, I'll answer questions.