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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Family Reunion
Rose looked around the chamber awkwardly. It had taken nearly a week to persuade Astoria to let them go and then to get the necessary clearances. And standing there, feeling the cold oppressive nature of the place, she was beginning to wish they hadn't.
The Azkaban warden was casting a charm over them, making sure they didn't have anything concealed on their bodies that they shouldn't have. Finally, he gave a satisfied nod but as Rose stepped forward with Scorpius, he held up a hand and looked at her. "Not you."
Rose was thrown. "What?"
"The prisoner's only agreed to see his son. Not you."
"But I said I'd go with him!"Rose protested.
The warden just stared at her, stony-faced, unmoved by the comment.
Scorpius turned to her. "Can you wait here?" He looked back at the warden. "Is that all right?"
The warden gave a nod of confirmation.
"Are you sure?"Rose asked him.
"Yeah, I'll be okay,"Scorpius confirmed but he still sounded nervous.
Rose hugged him, wishing she could do more. When she released him, he followed the warden through to the visiting area.
The room was bare except for a single table and two chairs. Four wardens lined the walls, wands drawn, which Scorpius felt was a bit excessive. He'd had to hand his own wand to a warden before being allowed in. He'd pointed out that underage magic was illegal but the wardens had ignored him. They were probably thinking that jailbreaks were illegal as well.
Draco came through from the opposite door. It was the first time Scorpius had seen his father in nearly a year and he was shocked at what he saw. Draco's face seemed thinner, as if he'd lost weight. His hair seemed darker, as if blackened by dirt and lack of sunlight. But he still gave him a smile as he approached. "Thanks for coming,"he said quietly.
"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier,"Scorpius apologised,"but Mum…" He trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"She didn't want you coming?"Draco prompted.
"Not exactly, it's just…she didn't want to come."
"Yeah, I heard that." Draco nodded towards the guards. "They told me you brought that Weasley girl with you. You're still friends with that lot?"
Scorpius felt somehow uncomfortable at the question. "Yes."
Draco shrugged. "Well, I was never much good at picking friends. Maybe you'll do better than me." He suddenly gripped Scorpius' hands intensely. "I'm going to make sure you live with me again, Scorpius. That's what you want, isn't it?"
Scorpius was somewhat thrown by the question. "But…you're in here."
"Yeah but…I won't always be. I mean, I could be paroled in two or three years, your grandfather's got people working on it. And when I do, you'll want to live with me, right?"
Scorpius thought about this. "Rose's parents live apart and she splits her time between them. Maybe I could do that with you and Mum?"
"Sure, sure,"Draco agreed. "So long as you're with me."
It seemed like only a few days since the Potters had lasted visited King's Cross but the Easter holidays were over. Harry and Hermione walked at the back of the family with Lily at the front, running up and down the platform and encouraging the others to move faster, while James and Albus travelled at a more sedate pace between them.
"Mum! Uncle Harry!" The shout came from Hugo, who was waiting at the platform with Ron and Parvati, having spent the last part of the holidays with them. He ran to Hermione and hugged her.
Hermione smiled, surprised and delighted at the gesture. "Hello again, Hugo. Did you have a good time at your dad's?"
"I think you two have created a monster,"Ron noted. "He wanted us to play Quidditch with him every day. Good job I've got all those friends who let me use their stadiums."
James noticed Martin and Emily with Neville and Luna further along the platform and went over to the family. "Hi, Emily,"he greeted his…girlfriend? He remembered the feel of her lips against his the last time they'd stood on the platform and hesitated for a moment before kissing her again.
Emily blushed slightly. "Hello, James."
"Oh, don't mind me,"Martin muttered. "I'm only your best friend."
Luna patted him on the shoulder absent-mindedly. "Don't worry, you'll understand one day."
Rose and Scorpius appeared with Astoria. "One Weasley returned safely,"Astoria noted. "Despite the day trip to Azkaban."
Rose noticed Ron seemed to be on the verge of another outburst. "It's not as bad as it sounds,"she told him.
"Thanks for having her,"Hermione interjected hastily. "We'll have to return the favour and have Scorpius some time."
"Or we will,"Ron added pointedly.
Astoria straightened her son's collar. "Now, I'm expecting to receive a letter from your new head of house telling me what a good year you've had. What's her name again?"
"Professor Havelock,"Scorpius sighed, sounding like he'd said it several times.
"Don't you know her?"Harry asked, surprised. "She was in your year."
Astoria shrugged. "There was a large intake of girls in Slytherin that year. I didn't know all of them."
James grabbed Emily's hand. "Come on, let's get a good carriage." They ran towards the train. Rose and Scorpius linked hands and followed them.
Martin, Albus, Lily and Hugo remained where they were. "So this is what it's going to be like from now on,"Martin sighed. Albus nodded sympathetically.
"Don't worry,"James called over his shoulder. "We won't ignore you all term. We've still got a mystery to solve."