Draco was enjoying a cup of tea in the morning, reading the paper. It had been a while since he had time to enjoy a quiet morning; usually at least one of the children was up and bouncing around. Contently, he moved over to the window seat, looking out over his immaculate gardens that were beginning to wake up.

He glanced behind him, sure someone had been there. But he was the only person within the room.

"Where is Hugo?" With that, his peace was shattered. Cursing inwardly, he looked over to the door, expecting to see someone standing there. But he was alone.

"Hugo!" Hermione's shrill voice rang out throughout the house.

Rose got out of her warm bed, her mother having awoken her. Pulling a candy pink dressing gown on, she walked out into the hall. Scorpius stuck his head out at the same time. They met halfway between their rooms and barely spoke as they walked down the stairs together.

Both children had had Hermione enter their rooms, checking up on them. Rose didn't mind it too much, but Scorpius loved it; he always thought that checking up on him was something a mother would do. And now, he seemed to have one.

As Hermione's voice rang out, Rose shivered. She couldn't help but wonder why her mother was looking for her brother. Not that she considered him a brother. As far as Rose could see, her mother was wasting her time. Hugo spent most of his time on his own – not because everyone avoided him, but because he avoided them.

Draco looked up as two sleepy looking children entered the room. Immediately they went to him, waiting with him. Waiting for the inevitable.

They did not have to wait long. Within moments Hermione had entered the room, her eyes puffy and there was evidence of tears running down her face. Draco wanted to stand up and take her in his arms, but feared she would reject him. A nudge from either side of him gave him the courage he needed. Behind him, both children shared a smile.

Hermione watched as Draco approached her. His stormy eyes showed the emotions his face didn't. As she waited, his arms went around her, gently at first. His kindness broke her. Down came the walls she had put up to appear strong. She leaned her head into his shoulder, her sobs shaking her whole body. Draco tightened his hold slightly. Her hot breath brushed over his neck. Slowly, he felt her arms shift so they wrapped around his back. Her hands clutched his shirt as if it was keeping her up. He could feel her nails as he held on, but it didn't annoy him. It only showed him how desperate and upset this woman was.

"Draco...I...Hugo...he...gone..." Her voice croaked as she spoke, her face still pressed into his shoulder.

"Shh..." He whispered, wanting her to get it all out rather than trying to hold it in.

His kindness set the waterworks off again, and she held him as tight as she could.

Draco paced the length of the room. He had finally calmed Hermione down and left her in the care of his mother. He had no idea where the child was. And for some reason he found himself doubting they would find him soon. For Hermione's sake, he wished Hugo would show up perfectly fine.

Rose found Draco standing by the front door, wand in hand. He was muttering something in Latin under his breath, so she waited patiently as he finished.

Cursing out loud, Draco heard a small gasp behind him. Unaware he was no longer alone, he spun to find a little girl with her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at him. He just looked at her, partially embarrassed and confused as to what to say.

"I won't tell mummy..." Rose started.

Draco sensed she wasn't finished, so he decided to just look at her, the I-know-you-are-up-to-something look on his face.

"Ifyouletmehelpyou." She blurted out.

Momentarily confused, he tried to make sense of what she had said, but couldn't. "Rose, repeat that. Slower."

She bit into her lip as she looked down at the ground. Sighing, she mumbled, "I want to help you."

Draco couldn't help but ask her why, and waiting patiently until she had sorted her thoughts enough to form coherent sentences.

"It's making Mummy sad. I don't like her being sad, so we need to find out where he is."

The way her little booted foot scuffed along the wooden floor had Draco convinced she wasn't telling the full truth.

"Rose? Do you miss your brother?" He asked her softly, kneeling down to look her in the eye.

She shook her head. Then paused. A quick nod, then more shaking.

"Rose?"

"I did this." She admitted, biting her lip harder to stop herself from crying.

"How?"

Her small frame shook. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around the crying little girl.

These people with their overactive emotions. He sneered in his mind.

How would you be if your son was the one missing? Or in hospital? The voice in his head, his conscious he supposed, stressed the end of the sentence; stressed, in the hospital.

Wisely, he stopped himself before he could argue back. Looking down at the girl in his arms, he waited for her to stop crying enough to talk. Even then, she refused. Deciding that he wouldn't press the issue, he allowed her to follow him upstairs to Hugo's room.

In the darkness, the room was still, cold, silent. The walls were done in red with blue accents, just as Hugo had picked out. With a quick gesture, the curtains open, letting light into the room. Though the bed remained unmade, there were no other signs the room had been used the previous night. It just looked like a normal bedroom belonging to a child.

Draco continued looking around, unsure what he was looking for him. Beside him, Rose stood silently, thinking.

"He ran away." She stated simply.

Draco nodded his head. "I know. No one can get inside this house without wards going off, especially at night."

Wards.

Turning on his heel, Draco went downstairs. He knew Hermione had tried various spells, including point me, but only to have them tell her Hugo wasn't within the area. The wards surrounding the property marked the area; anything outside classified as a different place. He never knew why that was, just accepted it. Having never had reason before to search for a child outside the barriers, Draco completely forgot about it.

He waved his hand at the front door, watching as it began to open. He truly loved having taken the time and patience to learn wandless magic. He was too busy in his thoughts to notice the door's erratic movements.

Rose followed Draco out of her brother's room, still silent. She blamed herself for Hugo leaving; she had been a bad sister to him, and had once wished he would go away so she could have a perfect family with her mother, Draco and Scorpius.

Her guilt was overwhelming her, and she struggled to take a few breaths to rein in her emotions. One thing she had picked up from Draco; keeping emotions under wraps. Well, most of the time. Inside, she was crying out for her brother to come back. She knew, no matter how much she told herself she hated him, deep down she couldn't deny that he was her little brother and she loved him. She wanted him back; it wasn't until he was gone that she realised she couldn't imagine life without him.

She continued following Draco, watching wide eyed as he opened the door. Someday I hope he teaches me that. She was in awe...Until she watched the door. It didn't open very far before it bounce back, as if hitting an object in its path. Unfortunately, Draco was looking at his feet.

There was a loud thud followed by a string of curses. Rose ran over as Draco was picking himself off the floor. Angry, he shoved the door forward, only to have it run over something, slowing the movement down. Draco looked down at the found in amazement. Below the door was a lump of silvery metal, blocking its path. A quick glance told him that the 'puddle of silver' was, or used to be, the lock on his door.

Though easily repaired, Draco found himself once again wondering how strong the magic of Hermione's children was.

"Did...Did Hugo do that?" Rose asked softly.

Draco nodded in response.

"He wanted to get away that badly?" She whispered.

"This isn't your fault, Rose. He made the decision to leave, not you." Draco tried telling her.

"I was a bad sister." She told him. "I didn't want him as a brother. I blamed him for what happened to Scor." She lowered her voice, so it was only just loud enough for him to hear. "I wished he would go away."

"Rose. This is not your fault. Wishes don't come true like that." Believe me, I would know about wishing.

"But...what about Scor? I wished he would wake up and be fine...and then..." She swung her arms out to indicate what happened.

"That was...different..." How does one tell a little kid about the miracles magic can sometimes perform?

Rose gave up arguing, thinking she was right and he wasn't. Another 'talent' inherited from her mother. She slipped out the door, looking around. "Where would he have gone?"

No comment came as Draco followed her. They knew Hugo wasn't within the perimeter of the property, so he had to have left somehow. And seeing as the boy was too young to fly a broom, the only way he could have left was on his own two feet.

Automatically, he headed toward the only exit that the children knew of – the iron gates. Though they clanged together in the wind, they were very sturdy and with the added wards, they would keep most people out. Draco shook one gate, satisfied when they stayed together. The chain at the top held fast, keeping the gates shut. There was no way a child could get the chains off; they were at the top of a fence that was over two meters tall. Even Draco couldn't get them off without his wand.

He became vaguely of a pair of quiet voices, whispering as they approached.

"Did he somehow open the gates?" Rose spoke softly, still trying not to cry.

Draco had no idea what to say. He knew that the gate was the only way Hugo could have gotten out, but somehow the child had managed to do the impossible. At least he didn't break my gates like he did to my door. Draco couldn't help thinking.

A peal of laughter echoed through the air, followed by a sharp gasp. Pulling his mind out from his thoughts, Draco looked down to see his son standing on the other side of the gates. Before he could rein in his surprise for long enough to form a sentence, the blond boy stuck his leg between two bars and slipped his body through. He fitted easily.

Draco pulled his child away from the gate, as a high pitched ringing ran through his head. Instantly he felt a headache coming on. A quick scan of the kids revealed they didn't, or couldn't, hear the noise.

"What the hell is going on?" He shouted, trying to cover his ears and block the noise, with no success.

The two kids looked at him worriedly, but within a minute he stopped blocking his ears as the noise dulled to a thudding pain in the back of his head.

Just before he could ask what was going on, his mind came up with something.

Wards.

The whole place was warded. Draco had hired an expert warder to come and do the work for him when they had first moved in. Basic but strong wards were set down, and then stronger ones that would come up once all the occupants in the house had retired for the night. But until recently, the wards had never gone off. With a wave of his wand and a mutter of Latin, the wards silenced, leaving behind a dull pain in his head.

Casting his thoughts back to the previous night, Draco remembered he had gotten a headache that night. In fact, he had been getting a lot of headaches recently. Ever since the incident with Weasel, and then with Astoria. Could they have something to do with this?

Draco shook his head. Weasley would have nothing to do with this, he doesn't even know where I live. For many good reasons. But Astoria could.

His thoughts were interrupted by the approach of his mother. She guided the children back inside, telling him to come. Obediently, he followed, but not before he had put an extra layering of wards around the entrance to his property. He knew some basic wards, but not anywhere near the skill of the warders.

Once inside, he found the children, his mother and Hermione sitting together in the living room. Instantly, he crossed the room, sitting down next to Hermione. Her teary face gave him a watery smile as she took his hand. Secretly pleased, Draco gave her small hand a squeeze, watching as she smiled again.

He gave them a quick run down of what he had discovered, and then shamefully admitted he had missed the wards going off. Hermione patted his arm as she summoned a potion, handing it to him. She seemed sympathetic, like she actually cared.

"It's not your fault." She told him, softly but sternly.

"Yeah." Rose stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's not your fault either, Rose." Her mother stated.

"It is no one's fault." Narcissa interjected.

Hermione agreed with her, half- glaring at Draco, then at Rose until they murmured their agreement.

"How is it, if such a loud noise alerts you to an intruder, that you never heard it before, you just had the after effects?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

Draco shrugged.

"Is it because you are related to Scor, unlike Hugo?" Rose suggested.

"Could be." Draco agreed, thinking Rose's idea made sense.

"So would it be Astoria setting off the wards?" She asked, stumbling over the name "Astoria".

"That makes sense. Though, I can't help but begin wondering what she is doing here all the time. She doesn't live here, never did. And for her to be...watching the house all day...that is..."

"Creepy!" Rose supplied.

"Not what I was going for...but it will do."

"That means this Astoria might have some idea what happened to Hugo!" Hermione stated, rather excitedly. She wanted her son back, as soon as possible. She missed him, and would do anything to have him back, safe in her arms.

"The question now is," Narcissa started, "Where in the world do we find that stupid whore?"

Draco didn't comment, mentally agreeing with Narcissa. He looked to Hermione, who was trying to hold back tears over the thought of Astoria with her son.

"Don't worry Hermione, we will find them. We will find Hugo."