Unfinished Business: Shattered Pieces
DISCLAIMER: Look at first chapter.
WARNING: Look at first chapter.
Keeping It Together
"Hi Daddy," Lily glumly greeted the green-eyed man before her as Molly showed him into the Burrow.
"Is there something wrong, Lily?" Harry asked as he knelt down before his daughter.
"It's just that…," she started with a frown. "Nothing is the way it's supposed to be."
"She's been like this for a while now," Molly said as she walked up to them. "Haven't you noticed dear?"
Truthfully, Harry had noticed his daughter's poor mood. After all, it had come about the same time his own had turned sour. Now that he remembered everything, and knew that his daughter had known all along, Harry guessed that when Lily had asked for a sibling, she had not wanted it to be with Ginny Weasley. Harry wasn't worried though. He knew how to lift up her spirits.
"I guess the thought of not being the baby in the family isn't sitting right with her," Molly suggested as Lily grasped onto Harry's hand.
"I'm sure that's it," Harry smiled. "And I think I know of a way to cheer her up."
Shortly after arriving, he and Lily said their goodbyes before leaving. When they were past the wards, Harry lifted his daughter into his arms. As soon as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, Harry Apparated away. After landing, and Harry lowering his daughter to the ground, it took Lily a while to realise where she was.
"The cottage?" Lily asked in confusion as they headed towards their summer home.
"Well, I don't like seeing my little girl so upset and had an idea on how to change that."
"How?" Lily asked suspiciously.
"Well, while at work, I came up with a great project that you could help with."
"What kind of project?"
"I thought you would like to help me turn the guest room into a nursery for when your little brother or sister is born."
"Oh," Lily said gloomily at the thought of the baby that was currently growing in that woman's belly.
For the rest of the walk, Lily's mood remained low. She didn't know how she was going to get her family back together now, especially now that that leach of a woman had wormed her way into her family. Her thoughts were so focused on ways to set things right that she failed to noticed when they had reached the front doors, or when they walked passed the threshold. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she even looked up.
"Now what has this little angel so down?"
"Pa- I mean Mr. Malfoy!" Lily exclaimed, her spirits suddenly higher even with her slight slip. It took all of her will to resist rushing up to the man before her and hugging him.
"Am I mistaken, or did she almost call me Papa?" Draco asked as he walked up to them.
"Almost," Harry agreed as the blonde knelt before the little girl. "Well we'll have to work on her restraint if we're going to go through with this."
"But first, I think we should put her mind at ease. How about a hug for your Papa?"
"Does … this mean … that you remember … everything?" Lily asked hopefully.
"She catches on quickly," Harry smiled pleasantly, causing his daughter to squeal in delight before wrapping her arms around her father's neck.
"She gets it from my side of the family of course," Draco smiled proudly as he returned the hug. "All Malfoy's are gifted with acute perception," he said as he lifted her up.
"And modesty," Lily smiled brightly at him.
"Her sarcasm, however, comes from your side of the family," Draco frowned as he turned to Harry.
Harry merely shrugged his shoulders, a cheeky smile on his face, before heading for the stairs.
"Fancy meeting you here," Astoria said after opening the door to Malfoy Manor to greet her company.
"Is it really, considering that you're the one who contacted me," Ginny said as she walked passed the brunette.
"Well dear… I just thought that I should congratulate you," the hostess said as she led Ginny into the same parlor room as before. "Whatever you did, it seems to have worked," she gloated as she poured her guest a drink.
"What makes you think I did anything?" Ginny asked, glancing at the appetizing beverage before turning it down.
"Well, I couldn't help but notice that soon after our little talk, my husband decided to move back home," she said as she took a sip of her drink, savouring the rich taste. "Though a part of me couldn't care less about what you did, another part of me loathes being unaware," she said as she walked to the other chair and sat down. "So, how far along are you?" Astoria asked, crossing her legs to the side as she placed her drink on the table.
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, shocked.
"After watching my sister, I've learned to spot the signs of an expecting mother. You turned down my drink and haven't moved your hand from your stomach since you arrived," she pointed out before crossing her hands over her lap.
Realizing where her hand was, Ginny moved her hands before looking up at her host.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm almost 12 weeks."
"Twelve weeks? Really?" Astoria pondered, unable to hide her slight disappointed. "Well," she smiled as she suddenly got up from her seat and clapped her hands once. "We must make the most of this situation. Do not let your husband have a moments rest. When he is not at work, keep him by your side at all costs. We don't want him wondering away any time soon."
"What makes you so sure that he'll wonder?" Ginny asked as she watched Astoria pace around the room.
"Trust me, my dear. I know your husband better than you do."
"So you and Ms. Weasley aren't having a baby together?" Lily asked, sitting on the bed after Draco and Harry had brought her to the guest room where they started explaining things to her.
"That's correct," Harry smiled as he and Draco sat on either side of her. "But you will be getting a little brother or sister," he added as he placed his hand on his stomach.
"Yes!" Lily exclaimed. "It's going to be a girl. Papa promised," she smiled, causing Harry to give Draco a pointed look, to which the blonde smiled guiltily. "So when are we going to kick Ms. Weasley out of Grimmauld Place?"
"Not right away Lily," Harry said. "We need to find out a few things before that happens."
"And until we do that, you have to keep pretending you don't know that I'm your father," Draco added.
"You mean I have to keep pretending that I'm that woman's daughter," Lily said sulkily.
"I know it's a lot to ask," the blonde said pityingly as he wrapped his arm around his daughter. "No one should have to pretend to be a Weasley. It's just too cruel."
"Draco," Harry chided the blonde, who merely smirked while Lily giggled.
"What about Jamie, Scorp and Al? Are you going to tell them too?"
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Harry said. "Not until we know exactly how our memories were changed."
"And what about Halloween?" Lily suddenly asked, shocking the two men. "We always go over to the Burrow and trick-or-treat in the village nearby before staying over for the night."
"We can still do that?"
"With the three of us? While Ms. Weasley is there?"
"We'll think of something," Draco reassured.
"In two days?" Lily said skeptically. "I hope so."
As Albus and Scorpius sat around the common room table, with books piled before them, they heard the portrait entrance open before sounds of BJ cursing caught their ears.
"I take it from your sour mood that James' date went well," Scorpius said without looking up.
"He kissed him," BJ sneered as he fell back onto the couch. "That wretched Ravenclaw kissed him," he fumed, running his fingers half way through his hair before gripping onto it.
"I wouldn't worry," Albus said, taking pity on the older boy. "It was just one date. It's not like they're going steady or anything."
"How do you think going steady starts out?" BJ sulked as he sat up. "First, it's a date and holding hands. Then a kiss and suddenly they're inseparable," he said bitterly. "What I need is a way to separate them before they become inseparable."
"I think I might have a way to do that," Scorpius said, finally closing his book.
"Harry, where have you and Lily been this whole time?" Ginny said when the two of them finally arrived at Grimmauld Place.
It was already dark by the time they had left their cottage. When it was time to go, Draco had given Lily a long hug, saddened that he had to leave her. Lily had felt the same way as she had refused to let the blonde go, only doing so after they promised that she would get to see him again tomorrow. Then, after giving Harry a longing kiss goodbye, Draco Disapparated.
"Mother said that you guys had left the Burrow hours ago," Ginny all but whined.
"We were over at the cottage," Harry said calmly. "Lily was feeling a bit down so I brought her over so she could help me turn the guest room into a nursery."
"Over at the cottage? Why would you do that? I'm not moving out in the middle of nowhere."
"Lily, go up to your room and get ready for bed," Harry said to his daughter.
"Okay daddy," Lily said as she rubbed her eyes.
"And how do you expect to get a baby out in the middle of nowhere?" Ginny asked in a furious whisper as Lily tiredly climbed up the steps.
"The same way all the kids were brought there when they were young, with Sirius' bike," Harry said as he walked away.
"I am not putting my baby in that contraption," Ginny said resolutely as she placed her hand on her stomach.
"Don't worry. You won't have to," Harry snapped irritably before calming down.
The thought of Ginny stepping foot into his house, his sanctuary, had made him momentarily forget himself. The fact that she put down his little hide away home didn't sit well with him either. But what he had said was true. He would never let her set foot into his cottage again. It was partly because he had put wards around it preventing her from doing so. They had been put up a long time ago, after Lily had been born and Harry had been paranoid that Ginny would try and take her like Astoria had taken Scorpius.
"I'm just doing this so Lily can get used to the idea of having a little sibling to look after. If we get her excited about it now than hopefully she won't act up anymore," Harry said calmly as he walked into the kitchen.
"But why can't you just do that here? We already have a nursery next to our bedroom. All you need to do is fix it up a bit and you're done."
"The point of this is not to get it done quickly, but to get Lily involved," he said as he started making himself some tea. "If we just fixed up a nursery we already have than she won't feel like she contributed. Besides, she loves the cottage and is already excited about helping out. Telling her that we're not doing it anymore will only make her act out again."
"I just wish you had told me about this first," she said as she ran her finger through her hair, wondering what she was going to do now.
"For that I am sorry," Harry said, feeling sorry only if she was just a pawn in someone else's game. But Harry promised himself that if Ginny had been involved with their memories being modified, she would have a lot to answer for.
"Darling, you're home late," Astoria pleasantly greeted Draco when he finally arrived at Malfoy Manor, then moved to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes and now I'm going to bed," the blonde said stoically, moving out of her reach. "Goodnight Astoria."
"Goodnight dear," she smiled.
As Astoria watched her husband head for the stairs, there came a loud popping sound, signalling that someone had Apparated into their home. A feat like that should have been impossible with all of the barriers surrounding Malfoy Manor until she saw the little raggedy House-elf standing before Draco.
"Twinkle," Draco greeted as he looked down at the little elf, so named by James himself because of the way her big eyes twinkled when she looked up. "What is it?"
"Twinkle has a letter from Master Scorpius," she said as she held out the letter to the blonde.
"You went to Hogwarts?" Draco chided as he took the letter from her.
"Master Scorpius called to Twinkle. Master Scorpius wanted Twinkle to give Master Draco that letter," she said as Astoria walked up behind the blonde.
"Well, what does it say?" Astoria asked as she glanced at the letter, completely missing the irritated sneer he gave her.
Opening the letter, Draco found himself unable to hide his smirk at his son's request. It would work splendidly with his needs.
"Absolutely not," Astoria said resolutely as she snatched the letter from his grasp. "I will not let their kind roam around in my home."
"Well seeing as Malfoy Manor is my family's home, you don't get a say on the matter," the blonde said as he took back the letter.
"But they're half-bloods and blood traitors. Surely your parents wouldn't agree to it."
"I hardly doubt that my parents would deny their grandchild a request to invite his friends over for Christmas. Personally, I would like to get to know this little boy that Scorpius has become so attached to," he said, playing along. "I guess I'll have to contact Potter to arrange the whole thing. Mother will probably want to return home and start preparing the manor for a party of some kind. You know how she gets excited about those sorts of things," he said before looking down at the house-elf. "Twinkle, you can tell Scorpius that his friends can come over to stay during Christmas break, pending the approval of Albus' dad."
"Belay that order," Astoria demanded.
"Twinkle, don't listen to Astoria. Go and tell Scorpius the good news."
"Thank you, Master Draco. Right away, sir," the little house elf said before disappearing with a pop.
"How dare you," Astoria fumed before she suddenly found a wand at her throat.
"Don't you dare contradict me ever again, Astoria," Draco said in an eerily calm voice. "Remember that the only reason you're even still living in this house is because of Scorpius. So I suggest that you do everything in your power to make sure that he's happy. Do you understand me?"
"Of course, dear," Astoria smiled with a pleasant voice as if she wasn't being threatened.
"Good," Draco said with a false smiled before lowering his wand. "Now I've had a long day. I'm going to bed."
Watching as her husband walked up the stairs, Astoria silently fumed. That little boy was ruining everything. Scorpius' request to let his friend and the rest of the Potter family stay over at Malfoy Manor for the Christmas holiday could disrupt her plans. Harry Potter will no doubt constantly be near her husband, slinking around the man she had long ago claimed as her own.
So many plans had been ruined, so many good ideas turned into dead weight. All because Harry fucking Potter couldn't keep his hands off of her man. The wizarding saviour was like a lost puppy dog, constantly finding his way back to the blonde, no matter what she tried.
And she had tried.
Her plan to use the Polyjuice Potion and get Ginny Weasley to help her trick them into breaking up had been her favorite by far. It had managed to keep those two apart for three years. The only flaw was the conception of that blasted child, James. If she had gone through with her plans only a few months sooner, the world where Draco was actually married to her would be real, instead of this simulated one.
Kidnapping Scorpius had been one of her poorer plans. It was a desperate idea that only ended up costing her more than she bargained for. Everything had been taken from her after that. Her whole world had been turned upside down, her life turned into ruin.
She had nothing left.
This latest plan was her last hope. It was her last chance to get the man that was rightfully hers. She had been groomed to marry into wealth, trained to keep a man satisfied. With this new world, everything that was supposed to be hers finally was.
She would not fail this time.
End of Chapter: Keeping It Together
