0*J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter!)

*Title of this chapter comes from 'Nothing left to say' by the Imagine Dragons. If it's not obvious, they're me favorite band (even since before 'TPOBAW', which is amazing!)

*Oh, and the title of last chapter came from 'My Fault' by the Imagine Dragons! Give them both a listen :)

*Leave a review! ;)

My eyes open slowly and I yawn. I lay there for a moment, listening to Holden's steady heartbeat. I take in the feeling of his arm around me. He begins to rouse as well.

"Morning, beautiful…" Holden smiles lazily, his eyes clouded with sleep. He kisses the top of my hair, which I'm sure must look an absolute fright.

"You weren't supposed to let me fall asleep," I remind him.

After a little while, Holden frowns slightly. "I wasn't?" he questions. I shake my head. "Sorry…"

"My parents are going to murder me. I have to go."

"Belle, you're a grown woman. You can go home when you want to," Holden tells me, nuzzling my neck. "Besides, I need someone to keep the bed warm." One of his hands snakes its way up the side of my leg.

"Stop…" I mutter, even though I can't bring myself to put any feeling into my voice. "I'm leaving…" I make to get up but Holden stops me, walking his hands up my bare back.

"Don't go," he pleads, setting me with a pouty, blue-eyed gaze. "I don't have to be to work until later." How can I refuse him?

"I suppose I could stay a few more minutes," I say, letting Holden win. "Even though minutes always somehow manage to turn into hours with you."

Holden smirks at me. "I'm just that good, aren't I?"

I roll my eyes. "That wasn't what I meant. You just never let me get around to leaving," I clarify.

"Well, maybe I don't want you to leave," Holden tells me, bringing up a conversation we've had numerous times. His lips graze my ear. "Move in with me, Belle…"

His warm breath makes my skin prickle. "Holden, you know that I want to, but things just aren't right for that right now," I tell him. "My parents need help with Nina and Hugo." This isn't the sole reason, but it's at least one.

"But you're always complaining about how you want to move out," Holden points out. That is true.

"I know. But sometimes things bother you, but you don't really care enough to do something about it. Like the leaky faucet in the bathroom," I tell Holden, smirking. "You haven't fixed that yet."

"Teddy promised to take a look at it this weekend," Holden tells me indignantly.

"You said that two weekends ago. You're really wasting a lot of water like that," I inform him.

Holden frowns. "Are we really discussing leaky faucets right now?"

I nod. "I think we are. How stupid is that?" Holden messes with a tendril of my hair, wrapping the curls around his finger.

"Very," Holden agrees. "Hey, Rose and Scorpius came back home last night, didn't they?"

"Yeah. I swear, I don't know what's changed them so much. They came home last night asking me about their Mum and Dad," I tell Holden. His eyebrows furrow. He's probably just as confused about it as I am. He's known Rose longer than I have, and he gets along with Scorpius to some extent. They just never seemed discontent with their situation, which makes me wonder why they'd question it.

"They did?" He asks, sounding surprised. "What'd they say?"

"Well, they told me about how it isn't fair that they don't know their real parents, and that we don't ever talk about them," I explain.

"And what do you think?" Holden questions, as rubs a steady circle on my shoulder.

I shrug. "You know I'm biased," I reminding him of my situation.

"To which side?"

"I don't know. You know how I felt about not knowing Mum, and I understand where they're coming from. But at the same time, the fact that I do know their parents, Astoria especially, makes me not want to let Scorpius and Rose get to know them. And I know that if I tell them that I think it's better they don't, they'll hate me." Holden notices my troubled look and pulls me closer to him.

"Don't beat yourself up," he tells me quietly. "You're just trying to protect them."

"I know that. But I know they won't understand," I mutter, a troubled look crossing my face.

"Did you understand it?"

I shake my head. "No, and I was fourteen. I know it's going to be more difficult for them. And they want me to ask Mum and Dad for them, and I have no idea what either of them are going to think. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. Am I?" Instead of a response, I feel Holden's lips on mine.

"You always worry too much," he tells me, smiling against my lips. Holden kisses me once more, deeper this time, and I feel his hands beginning to roam.

"No, not right now…" I mutter, pulling away from him. "I really- oh, Merlin- I really need to be home." Holden gives me a slightly annoyed look, removing his lips from my neck.

"I'm kind of busy," he mutters. "But, if you absolutely must interrupt me…"

"I must. Hand me a shirt, will you?" I question, unable to find my clothes. They must have gotten lost in our haste last night. Holden reluctantly hands me a shirt of his, and I get out of bed to put it on. I notice him staring at me. "What?" I ask.

"You're so beautiful," he tells me, smiling slightly. I feel myself blush. It's been years, yet I still feel a bit uncomfortable around him sometimes. "Come back to bed?"

"Flattery gets you nowhere," I inform Holden, rolling my eyes. "Do you mind if I use your shower?"

Holden shakes his head. "Not if I can join you," he answers. That randy git

"Forget I even asked. I'll just shower when I get home." At least that way, I can do it by myself.

Holden frowns at me. "You aren't being any fun," he complains.

"I'm sorry," I sigh. "You know I have a lot on my mind right now."

"You weren't thinking about it last night…" Holden reminds me. I play with the silver necklace around my neck. Holden and Teddy got it for me on my fifteenth birthday. I've worn it since.

"Just because I don't say anything about it doesn't mean I'm not thinking of it," I inform Holden bitterly. "How can I not think about something like this?"

"I don't know. Tell Scorpius and Rose what you told me," he suggests.

"I couldn't possibly. I promised them that I would tell Mum and Dad how they felt. They're counting on me to do that." Holden doesn't say anything for a long while. I expect he's thinking of something to say to make me feel better. I can always count on him for that.

"I need coffee," he realizes. Merlin, I swear he can be so thick sometimes. Yet, I still love him. "Want some?"

"Sure…" I mutter. Holden slides on some pants and gets up. I follow him into the kitchen. "Really, it's almost ten. I'm sure everyone's wondering where the hell I am."

"You sound so eager to leave," Holden mutters sarcastically. "Y'know, you wouldn't have to if-"

"Holden, why do you want me to move in with you so bad? You see me nearly every day," I question. "Are you afraid of living alone?"

Holden rolls his eyes at the teasing look I give him. Until September, he and Teddy used to share this flat. Then was when Teddy got his job at Hogwarts. "Yes, I'm terribly afraid of the dark. Keep me company?" He offers, handing me a coffee mug.

"I'm sure a quick lumos would help you there," I tell Holden unsympathetically.

"But what about when I get lonely?" he questions, pouting like a little boy.

"I'm sure you can invite Teddy over."

"Belle, you know I can't do those kinds of things with Teddy…" Holden murmurs.

"What kinds of things?" I ask, playing dumb. "Enlighten me." Holden leans down to whisper in my ear. Each word he says makes my face turn a deeper shade of red.

"Now you understand, don't you?" He asks, taking in my shocked look with a smirk.

I nod slowly. "Completely. I'm sure Teddy would never look at you the same if you did that with him," I agree.

"So, how about it?" Holden asks again.

I sigh. "I can't," I answer. "Really, I can't."

"'Can't' implies a physical inability," Holden says mindfully, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"You know what I mean. I would like to, but I can't."

"Why not?" Holden questions, looking at me with interest. I'm not sure how to answer him. I have many reasons as to why I will not move in with Holden.

"It really would be too much of a hassle," I lie. "And then, what if something happens, and we aren't-"

"Together anymore?" Holden questions, looking at me like I'm a madwoman. I'm too ashamed to let him know that I think that way sometimes, so I don't say anything. My silence is answer enough.

"Er…"

"Come here," Holden says, pulling me onto his lap. "Isobelle Malfoy, you must be as insane as you think you are if you have it in your head that I'm ever going to break up with you," Holden tells me. He kisses my forehead, and I can't help but smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Besides, I'm really not too keen on putting seven entire years of dealing with you to waste," Holden says playfully. I hit him on the shoulder.

"Generally, Holden, when people get older, they mature," I inform him, rolling my eyes. Holden smirks at me.

"We can't both be boring," he protests.

"I am not boring," I assure Holden. He raises his eyebrows as if he disagrees.

"Oooh, yoooou're nooot baw-ring?" He questions, drawing out his words dramatically, barely able to contain his laughter. To him, my accent is absolutely amusing. Holden is Scottish, and even though his parents have spent a ton of time in England, they both have thick Scottish accents. Holden and his sister have them as well.

"Don't make fun of my voice," I complain. "I can't help how I sound."

"I'm not making fun of it, I'm admiring it. Your accent's incredibly sexy, you know. Just like everything else about you," Holden tells me, giving me that look of his that drives me mad.

"I'm English, you're the one with the accent," I point out, smiling.

"Oh, whatever. Details, details." I pick up Holden's hand, glancing at the watch on his wrist.

"It's nearly ten-thirty," I tell him. "I really need to go home ,after I shower, and Merlin, my clothes," I remember, putting my hand to my forehead. Holden's eyes widen.

"It's that late?" He asks. I nod. "I have to be to work!"

"You were just harping on me about wanting to leave," I say, raising my eyebrows at Holden. "And look who's late."

"I am!" Holden realizes, standing up. Only too late does he realize that I was still sitting on him. I tumble off his lab on land on my bum.

"Ow!" I complain.

"Sorry," Holden apologizes quickly. "Er, Belle, d'you mind? I kind of need to shower." Holden says, helping me up.

"Not at all. I'll just find my clothes and leave you to get ready," I answer, rubbing the bruise that I'm sure is going to form on my bum.

"I think they're under the bed," Holden tells me thoughtfully. He gives me a quick kiss. "Good luck with your parents. See you later?"

I nod. "Yeah, of course."

I try to tiptoe as silently as I can past the living room, doing my best to make it to my room without being seen. "Daddy, Belly's home!" Nina announces loudly, pointing to me. I stop in my tracks and curse under my breath. Can I not go unnoticed for just one day of my life? Dad turns around from the sofa to look at me. He doesn't appear to be pleased.

"Where have you been?" He questions, gesturing to the pair of shoes in my hand. I glance at my flats and think of pulling a quick 'Oh, how did those get there?' but decide against it.

"I went out this morning," I lie quickly. Dad wrinkles his eyebrows at me. I'm a terrible liar.

"Really? I didn't see you at all last night after dinner. Hermione, did you see Isobelle last night?" Mum shakes her head. Rose and Scorpius both give me knowing looks, but they don't say anything.

"That's because I went to bed early," I say. "Ask Rose and Scorpius, they saw me last night." I ever-so-subtly widen my eyes at my siblings, instructing them to come to my defense.

"Oh, yeah, Belle was really tired," Rose says, nudging Scorpius' shoulder. She needs to take a lesson in subtlety.

"Yep, what Rose said. We actually went to tell her goodnight, and she was half passed out," Scorpius adds.

"At seven o'clock?" Dad asks, giving the three of us dubious looks. I nod.

"I really was beat yesterday," I inform my parents. "I'm sorry if you worried about me. I think I'm just going to shower now."

Dad narrows his eyes at me. "You didn't shower this morning before you went out?" Damn.

"Course, I did. I just meant that I needed to, er…shower again. You can never be too clean," I inform my parents. Mum gives me an extremely strange look.

"Rose, Scorpius, how about you take Nina and Hugo outside for a bit? It's nice out," Dad suggests. I sigh. Whenever Dad wants my younger siblings out of the room, it means that an argument is about to ensue. Scorpius and Rose stand reluctantly, giving me sympathetic looks over their shoulders.

"Let's go fly or brooms something," Scorpius suggests, much to Rose's dismay, as he opens the back door. As soon as they're a safe distance away and the door is closed, Dad turns to me.

"Isobelle, do you care to explain to me where you were?" he questions.

I shake my head. "Not particularly."

"Isobelle," Mum chastises. "Your father asked you a question."

"I answered him," I mutter, turning around. "The two of you are always in my business."

"Because you still live in my house," Dad points out. He acts as if I so desperately want to be here for the rest of my life. I don't

"Either way, I'm twenty-one, not twelve," I remind him.

"You seem to forget that," Dad retorts. How can he say that? I haven't done anything irresponsible in such a long while, that he can't even hold it against me.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm here when you need me to be!" I argue, glaring at Dad. "I don't have to tell you every time I step foot outside the Manor!"

"Don't yell at your father," Mum says calmly. "He's right. It isn't too much to ask that if you're going to be gone for the night, you at least tell us where you're going to be."

"No one even said-"

"Are we still keeping this going, Isobelle?" Dad asks exasperatedly. I'm not the one choosing to have this conversation.

"Fine, I went out last night. You're treating me as if I snuck out, when I have the perfect liberty to do whatever I want and leave whenever I want," I remind Dad. Why do he and Mum insist on treating me like I'm Hugo's age, or even Nina's?

"No, you can't! If you're running off in the middle of the night doing Merlin knows what, next Scorpius and Rose are going to believe it's completely acceptable to do such things!" Dad tells me.

I roll my eyes. That's complete bullshit. "Scorpius and Rose are twelve. Where are they even going to go?" I question.

"Where did you go?" Dad retorts.

"I don't have to tell you!"

"Isobelle, your father and I aren't asking anymore. You're to tell us," Mum orders, growing impatient. I don't see what they're so bent out of shape about. I'm the one being interrogated.

"Fine, I spent the night at Holden's. Are the two of you happy now?" I glower at my overly-inquisitive parents. Mum doesn't seem too happy about this, but Dad seems far more upset than she does.

"You did what?" He demands, sounding outraged.

"I said I spent the night at Holden's," I repeat. "He wants me to move in with him." I didn't originally plan on mentioning it, but I knew it would bother Dad.

"There is no way in hell you're living with a man you aren't even married to," Dad assures me. "You can go ahead and get that thought out of your head right now. It's bad enough you're sleeping with him."

I frown at Dad, utterly disgusted that he would even mention such a thing. "How do you even know?" I question, utterly annoyed.

"Must I remind you of how many times your mother and I have caught you and Holden inside our home?" He questions. A part of me wants to answer yes, just to irk him even more.

"Fine, keep me prisoner in here.. Neither of you are helping anyone anything."

Mum frowns at me. "What are you talking about?" How the hell can she be so bloody oblivious?

"You and Dad are all but forcing me to stay here!"

"Isobelle, you know it isn't anywhere near fair of me to let you move out. Holden would be taking care of you for the rest of his life!" Dad argues. Mum gives him a scathing look.

"Draco!" She hisses, as if she's doing a great job of protecting me.

"Hermione, if Isobelle wants to argue, then I'm at least going to be realistic with her about it. Isobelle, what can you do for yourself?" Dad questions, tilting his head to the side as if we're having a casual conversation about the weather.

I feel my face flush with rage. "Holden wouldn't have to take care of me! And even if he did, he'd still love me! That's what you fail to understand, and I honestly don't see how you can criticize my behavior so much! You made me this way!" I shout. Both of my parents regard me as if I'm absolutely mad.

"Isobelle, please calm down," Mum says.

"How can you expect me to be calm? Do you hear Dad?" I question, staring at her. Then I realize why she's being so quiet. "You agree with him, don't you?"

Mum opens her mouth to say something, and then closes it. "Well, I… I'm not saying that you and Holden aren't …. Look, I just want you to be mindful of what you're doing, alright?" Mum asks, giving me a wary look. Who the hell is she talking to?

"You're telling me to watch what I do? I don't have a child I should have been taking care of, unlike you did at my age! Your children don't even know who their father is, and Scorpius doesn't know his mother! When Nina finds out what the two of you did, she's going to hate you both! And you want to call me irresponsible?" I scream, waving my hands madly about.

In an instant, Dad is up on his feet. "Don't you ever raise your voice to your mother like that again!" He roars. "You honestly believe you can do anything for yourself with that kind of attitude? Nina behaves more maturely than you do!"

"Well, I can damned well see why! She's had two parents to raise her the right way! Pity they aren't both hers, isn't it?" I question, narrowing my eyes. Words cannot describe the look on Dad's face after those words leave my mouth.

"Isobelle, I swear to Merlin if you weren't my daughter, I would-"

"Draco, calm down!" Mum says hurriedly, stepping between us. She gives Dad a look. "It's early, and Isobelle hasn't yet taken her calming draught. So, Isobelle, why don't you go do that, and then when you come back, we can discuss this like adults?" She suggests. How can Mum be serious? She's just going to blame this on me not having already taken my calming draught, instead of actually listening to me?

I shake my head. "Forget it," I say, turning to retreat upstairs. "It doesn't matter. But you aren't helping any of them, keeping their parents away." That wasn't how I meant to tell either of my parents about what Rose and Scorpius said, but I suppose it'll have to do. I really have to work on holding my tongue when I get upset. Then again, I can't forget who my father is.

Mum glances at me briefly, until she notices that I'm looking at her as well. "Do you want to say something?" I ask, not to be rude, but out of curiosity. Mum purses her lips.

"I'm sorry about this morning," she apologizes.

I shrug. I'm used to getting into arguments with Dad. When I was about fifteen, we had a calm couple of years, and then we began to drift apart again. I think it's because I never fully got over all of my resentment toward him and Mum, and now that I want nothing more than freedom, being so close to him only reminds me of that. "It doesn't matter," I mutter, leafing through a book. "I was planning on going to Flourish and Blotts later on today… if I'm granted your permission, of course."

Mum sighs. "Isobelle, I understand that you're frustrated-"

"You don't understand," I interrupt. "I'm sure your parents never kept you in your house like some glass figure." I give Mum a steely gaze. I know she dislikes it when people bring up her parents, but what other reference can I make?

"You know your father and I don't mean anything by it," Mum assures me.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I ask. "You won't let me move out; you don't want me to live with Holden… I don't even know why I listen to either of you. I could just leave if I wanted." I've known that for a while, so why don't I just leave? I want to move in with Holden, but I also don't want to be a burden to him. I won't move in with him because I love him so much. And it hurts that I don't feel like I can tell him that.

"It really is better for you to stay at home. At least until you have everything sorted out."

I close my book. "And how long is that going to take? It's been six-and-a-half years, and I don't feel as if I've made any progress. I'm still living at home, I can't even move in with my boyfriend, and I don't even have a job," I complain, waiting for Mum to give me some sort of lie to make me feel better about all this.

"Speaking of that, I spoke to Mister Montague the other day," Mum starts. Mr. Montague is one of Dad's old friends from school. He used to play for the Falcons, until he retired and got a job in the Ministry. I'm not sure exactly what he does.

"And?" I question, wondering what relevance this has to anything.

"And he said he would be nothing less than thrilled to have you come in a few days out of the week and help his son out. He's about your age," Mum tells me. I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this news.

"What does his son do? I won't be filing paperwork all day, will I?" I ask. "I'd at least like to be paid."

Mum gives me an odd look. "I assumed that if you really wanted to get out of the house, it wouldn't matter to you whether or not you were paid, or what you did," she tells me. Well, it isn't a deciding factor, but some money for my work would be nice.

"I was just asking," I inform Mum. So, I'm obviously not being paid anything, and I'll be interning with some bloke whom I've never even met. How incredibly fun I'm sure this will be. "When do I begin?"

"Tomorrow, actually," Mum informs me. Talk about short notice.

"Brilliant, but who's going to watch all the younger ones?" I question. When you have four siblings, it gets a bit tiresome to say all their names every time you want to refer to them collectively.

"Victoire offered," Mum informs me. Although Victoire and I have had our issues in the past, we get along reasonably well now. However, this is probably because we don't ever really speak, and even then we're only civil for Teddy's sake.

"Oh, how kind of her," I say unenthusiastically. I only hope that Victoire doesn't rub off on my siblings. I wouldn't be able to handle any replications of her.

"Isobelle, I really think this will be good for you," Mum tells me. I can tell she's being sincere, but I'm still a bit upset with her.

"I hope so. " Mum studies me for a while, but neither of us makes a sound.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" she asks finally.

I said a lot of things. "About what?"

"You said Draco and I weren't doing any good keeping them away from their parents. That didn't come from nowhere," Mum tells me. Of course, I wish I could blame that little outburst on the heat of the moment, but Mum is too smart to believe something like that. "Where did you hear that from?"

I suppose I may as well just tell the truth. I made a promise to do so anyway. "Rose and Scorpius," I answer. Mum raises her eyebrows.

"They only got home yesterday," she points out skeptically.

"That's when they told me. Last night… before I went out," I answer. "Scorpius wants to get to know Astoria, and Rose wants to get to know Ron." I watch Mum carefully when I say this, seeing how she'll react. She presses her lips into a thin line.

"They just came up to you and told you this?" She questions.
I nod. "They seemed to have given it a fair bit of thought, though," I tell her. "They knew exactly what they wanted to say."

"Well, I don't understand what they thought you were going to do." Mum says this out loud, but it sounds more like a thought she meant to keep in her head.

"They wanted me to ask you and Dad about it," I explain. I'm rather glad that Dad isn't here for this conversation. I can't really rely on him to stay level-headed the way I can Mum.

Mum puts her hand on her forehead. It's obvious that she never thought this day would come and if she did, she didn't expect it to come so soon. "I don't know what to tell them, I absolutely couldn't have Ron back. It would just raise too many questions, and I don't know how he's going to take everything. He can't simply walk in and out of the picture just like that," she rambles. Mum's ex-husband is a very sensitive subject. They'd known each other from childhood, become best friends, fought a war together, fell in love, married and had children, and then divorced, which resulted in Mum marrying one of her 'enemies'. Somewhere in that timeline I fit, seeing as I was one of the causes for the divorce. It was a shock and a scandal to the entire wizarding world when the news was made public, but Mum stuck by us and didn't let any of that rubbish bother her. Yet, I still feel as if a part of her still cares about what Ron thinks of her. That I don't understand.

"I know, but do you think it would be fair?" I question.

Mum sighs, a defeated look on her face. "I honestly don't know. Of course, Rose and Hugo should know their father, but that really isn't up to me. I'm not just going to go to his home and ask him to reclaim his children after all these years," she says resignedly. "I'm sure he'd rather act as if none of this ever happened."

I frown at Mum. "The last I heard, Ron was in Romania," I tell her. "Is he not still there?"

Mum shakes her head slowly. I wonder why she never told me this before. I suppose it just wasn't relevant information. "He came back to England a few years ago, actually. He married some muggle woman," she informs me. Wow, Ron must really have a thing for women with muggle heritage. I decide to keep that thought to myself. I wonder how Mum even knows those things about Ron, but I don't ask. That's another conversation for another day.

"What about Scorpius and Astoria?" I question. "Do you think he should get to know her?"

Mum shakes her head vehemently. "Oh, heavens no. I understand she is his biological mother and everything, but I just don't agree with it. Granted, Ron and I had our arguments, but never in front of the children. Astoria was downright abusive to the both of you," she explains. Astoria treated Scorpius and I pretty badly, but it was always obvious that she favored Scorpius over me.

I can't help but wonder that even if Astoria and Dad had just grown apart and divorced, would Mum have wanted Astoria back in Scorpius' life? Mum loves Scorpius with everything she has, and I can tell that it bothers her just a bit that he isn't technically hers. I hate to say this, but I've always been able to sense Mum had a bit of envy toward Astoria; envy that Astoria gave birth to such a wonderful son as Scorpius. But she was too stupid and selfish to realize what she had when she had it.

I really wish Scorpius could remember how terrible Astoria was.

(A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry, I've been super busy this week! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Had to put a little bit of Belleden –that's going to be their official pairing name!- in there. Tried to keep them as cute as before. And then some Isobelle/ Draco conflict of course, because they can never really get along well for too long, can they? So, what do you think? Should the parents come back? Let me know! Thanks for reading :)