Scorpius felt the familiar crushing pain around his skull as he and his father apparated into the courtyard out the front of Malfoy Manor. He pressed his hands firmly over his eyes as everything seemed to expand before him and he caught his father whipping out his wand to illuminate the large, dangling lamps that grappled to the brickwork of the building.

The courtyard was flooded with warm orange light from the lamps and Scorpius looked up to survey his home. There were far less vines clinging to the various buildings and a lot of the tangled bushes and weeds had been ripped away.

"I thought I would start clearing the place up while you were at school." Draco mused, "I had hoped to have it finished before you came home but…the time got away from me."

He headed in through large wooden entrance door and Scorpius followed, taking his suitcase from his father as he headed upstairs.

"Would you like something to eat, son?" Draco called up the stairs.

"No, thank you, I'm fine!" Scorpius called back down, flicking his wand to unlock his bedroom door and hurling the suitcase at his bed. His bedroom was large and airy and his father had clearly been in here while he was at school to clean up and make sure it was ready before he returned home. The tall bay window on the far left-hand wall was wide open and the thick, maroon curtains that hung around it had been sucked out into the breeze. Scorpius dragged them back in and pulled the windows to, surveying the view of the grounds below. His father had certainly been working hard to uproot everything. Some new oak trees had been installed down the end of the grounds and almost all of the poison ivy and sickle spine bushes had been ripped from place and presumably destroyed. Everything seemed much more open and clear now and Scorpius certainly appreciated what his father was doing to make this a home for them.

"I should have done that years ago." Draco said, standing over Scorpius' shoulder, "Back when your mother was around; she always wanted a nice, open space for you to ride your broomstick."

"Good thing I'm hopeless on a broom then." Scorpius joked and his father placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"I always feared that your grandparents would be angry if I changed anything. Now it all seems so silly. I should've listened to her." Draco almost choked out the last word and Scorpius was sure – without looking – that his father had tears in his eyes. Scorpius gazed further down towards the end of the garden where a barely visible, shimmering rectangle of magic vibrated. It protected the spot where his mother had been buried. There were a bunch of white roses laid in the middle of the rectangle.

"That reminds me, we're having dinner with your grandparents tomorrow." Draco added.

"Actually, Dad, I was hoping…we could just have dinner here. Just the two of us." Scorpius protested feebly.

"I was hoping the same but they insisted. Better to get it out of the way than have them pestering us next year."

Scorpius was almost certain his father was talking about himself, after all, his grandparents never spoke directly to Scorpius. Never sent an owl to see how he was. They definitely never visited Malfoy Manor. After Draco and Astoria had gotten married, the Malfoys left their property to the newlyweds and bought a large cottage out in the country. They had never returned to their former home, not even for Astoria's funeral, a fact Draco still resented to this day.

"You should get some sleep, son. It's been a busy day, I imagine." Draco commented, hovering in the doorway of his son's bedroom.

"It has." Scorpius said, wistfully thinking back to the rather hectic evening he had enjoyed.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Draco asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Scorpius thought for a moment. There was a lot he wanted to tell his father. After all, other than Albus, his Dad knew the most about him. But this one secret felt too precious to share, as though he didn't have the permission to tell his father.

"No." Scorpius replied, swallowing hard. Draco nodded, wished his son a 'good night' and disappeared downstairs. He had set up a bed in the large study downstairs several years ago, for he didn't sleep in the bed he had shared with his wife.

Scorpius fell backwards onto his bed, his skin making contact with the scratchy blanket atop the softer covers. Without climbing beneath the sheets, or even undressing, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Almost immediately it settled on Albus and danced around his lips, the feel of Albus' hand on his lower back, drawing them closer. A breeze from the slightly ajar window rustled over Scorpius body and chilled the exposed flesh on his thigh where Albus' wand had burnt a hole in his trousers. His nose crinkled up in silent laughter as he felt the flush of warmth from the healing spell all over again and remembered how flustered Albus had looked. He remembered the sight of him disappearing around the corner of their secret, little alcove.

His final thought had been a fantasy of the future. He found himself standing on Platform 9 ¾ next to the Hogwarts Express, which was bustling with students returning from their holidays. From a distance, Scorpius spotted Albus rushing towards him. Their bodies crushed together as Albus flung his arms around Scorpius and pressed their lips together once again. There was no crackle of electricity, no fire burning between them but he felt safe. He felt cared for and protected with Albus holding him.

"So, Scorpius, have you got a girlfriend at Hogwarts?" Lucius Malfoy, inquired, as he buttered a slice of bread with an exquisite silver knife. There was an extravagant 'M' carved into the handle.

"Yes, you must be quite popular with the ladies." Narcissa added.

"Well, actually-" Scorpius began.

"Don't be shy, boy, we've softened up a little in our old-age. Just make sure she's at least half-blood." Lucius interrupted, a devilish smile on his lips.

"Oh, he's kidding of course, don't look at us like that, Draco! It was a joke, wasn't it, dear?" Narcissa protested, elbowing her husband in the side.

"Yes, a joke." Lucius replied, rolling his eyes and dropping the silver knife so that it clattered against his plate. He brushed a long silvery strand of hair out of his face and tucked it away with the rest of his ponytailed hair, that had mostly changed from white blonde to an aged silvery tone in recent years.

"Now, now. Mother, father, leave the lad alone, won't you?" Draco spoke up, raising both his hands as though in surrender.

"Is she in Slytherin, dear?" Narcissa pushed, leaning closer over the table towards Scorpius, who shuffled uncomfortably in his exceptionally uncomfortable chair.

"Can you imagine, Narcissa, a Malfoy dating a Gryffindor or – Merlin forbid – a Hufflepuff?" Lucius sneered upon uttering the house's name.

"You see, there's-" Scorpius began but his father intercepted him.

"Scorpius, could I have a word with you in the kitchen please?" Draco asked sharply. Scorpius noticed that his father's hands were balled into tight fists and he got up from his chair wordlessly and followed him into the kitchen as Narcissa called after them,

"Draco, bring us some ice."

Draco grabbed a large, polished silver bowl from out of one of the cupboards above his head. The handle on the cupboard door was adorned with a twisted bronze serpent that wriggled ever so slightly as Draco closed it. He pointed his wand at the inside of the bowl and flicked his wrist,

"Aguamenti."

Scorpius watched in silence as a steady stream of clear water poured out of his father's wand, filling the bowl. When it was almost full, he flicked his wrist again and the bowl of water solidified into a dome of ice.

"Scorpius."

"Yes, dad?"

"You mustn't tell your grandparents what I believe you were planning on telling them." Draco muttered, surveying the bowl of ice.

"You know?" Scorpius asked, the words almost failing him. A large lump had formed at the base of his throat and was threatening to constrict his wind pipe.

"This isn't a matter of what I know or do not know, Scorpius. Your grandparents, you see, are rather old-fashioned." Draco replied sharply. Scorpius wasn't used to his father talking to him this way, he had always been unusually gentle with his son, in contrast to how he spoke to the rest of the world.

"You think they wouldn't accept me?" Scorpius asked, shrinking away from his father.

"It's not that. Wizards aren't as close-minded as Muggles with regards to these kinds of issues. The problem is your grandparents value our bloodline above all else." Draco admitted.

"So, they would be angry if I couldn't give them grandchildren?"

"More than that, they want me to have an heir. A Malfoy to carry on the legacy. And I do believe it's my fault that you've been burdened like this." Draco said cryptically.

"How?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, if your mother and I had been able to give you a sibling then you wouldn't be in this position. It's my fault." Draco's shoulders sank as he hunched over the bowl of ice.

"Dad, no-" Scorpius began.

"So, I need you to not say anything, Scorpius."

"You can't expect me to lie to them?" Scorpius snapped, feeling resentful towards his father for asking this of him.

"It wouldn't be lying, just avoiding the truth." Draco protested.

"Dad, that's exactly what lying is." Scorpius countered.

"Please, Scorpius, don't tell them." Draco begged.

"You can't make me do this."

"I'm your father and I can do as I please." He replied, his words so harsh they struck Scorpius in the chest like acid running through his veins.

"I'll run away!" Scorpius yelled, feeling powerless against his father who he had so trusted and expected to trust him and his decisions in return.

"What? You're too old to be making these kinds of threats, don't you think? Besides, where would you go?"

"To Albus. I'm sure his mum and dad would love to take me in. Their own grandson living under Harry Potter's roof, I'm sure that'd kill them, eh, dad?" Scorpius sneered, revelling in his unusually cruel tone.

"Scorpius, please, I'm trying here. Can't you understand that?" Draco continued to plead.

"No and I won't try to! I'll run away and you'll never see me again. See how you like that, driving your own son away and-"

"NO!" Draco yelled, slamming his fist on the counter and sending a wave of red sparks out of his wand that cracked the ice in the bowl into pieces and sent several hovering jars whizzing around the kitchen. Draco waved his wand around above his head and the jars returned back to their usual place, floating just inches above the countertops.

"I've already lost your mother. You are all I have left. All I care about. I love you, son, sometimes I don't show it because of the way your grandparents raised me but I do. So, could you do me this one favour?" Draco pleaded, pressing his hands together with his wand sticking up between them. Scorpius nodded reluctantly and Draco added with a sly wink, "Besides, it won't be forever, they have to die someday."

The pair returned from the kitchen with the bowl of shattered ice, which Narcissa took gratefully and begun spooning the ice shards into her husband's drink.

"Everything alright, Draco?" Lucius asked, eyeing the pair suspiciously, "Quite a commotion you caused in there. Trouble in paradise?"

"Not at all, father. I'm just a little rusty with the spell to make ice cubes," Draco commented, noticing that his mother had turned her nose up at the jagged shards of ice in the bowl, "Good thing Scorpius here knows his way around a blasting charm." He clapped his son hard on the back at that and Lucius shot a half-hearted smile at Scorpius.

"Now, Scorpius, you were telling us about your little girlfriend." Lucius drew the topic of conversation back.

Scorpius hesitated for a moment, catching his father's pleading gaze.

"Oh yes, she's quite lovely. She's a Slytherin," that elicited an 'ooh' from his grandparents, "She's a half-blood, I think. Not that it matters, right?"

"Absolutely not, dear." Narcissa replied, placing a few chunks of ice into Draco's goblet.

"A half-blood is better than a mud-"

"Lucius." Narcissa snapped at her husband, who turned sullenly away from her, "And she's pretty, is she, Scorpius?"

"Very. Actually, she's the most gorgeous person I know." Scorpius admitted, feeling a sense of pride at covertly describing Albus.

"Sounds like you've bagged yourself quite a catch, eh, son?" Draco added, trying playfully to ruffle his son's hair but instead the gesture came off as rather forced and awkward.

"Well, how did you meet this girl?" Lucius asked between sips of his blood-red drink.

"It's an interesting story actually. We've been good friends since I first went to Hogwarts, best friends really. I thought she wasn't interested in me but at Christmas she kissed me and ran away." Scorpius explained, deflating a little on the last point. Narcissa tutted loudly.

"Sounds like she's playing coy to me! Yes, I knew quite a few wand teases back in my days at Hogwarts."

"If she keeps you away from that dreadful Potter boy, then I approve." Lucius raised his glass in a sort of mock cheers.

"Albus is my friend. I'm quite capable of managing a friendship and a relationship, thank you."

"You would be wise not to take that tone with me, boy!" Lucius snapped, pointing his wand at Scorpius, at which point Draco hastily intervened.

"I think what he meant, father, is that he's a very talented young man! I'm sure Scorpius' girlfriend won't mind his little friend tagging along."

"Yes, quite." Lucius mumbled, stowing his wand away, and spent the rest of the evening in moody silence.

The Malfoys had presented Scorpius with a gift of a rather expensive new broom, which he decided upon opening would end up in his bedroom, gathering dust for years to come. Nevertheless, he thanked them and his grandmother pulled him into a tight hug. Scorpius suspected that if she had her way, she would have far more contact with him and his father but it felt as though his grandfather preferred the family to be divided. They handed Draco a velvet bag filled with Galleons and told him that he should use the money to invest in his son's future. Draco had forced a smile and stowed the bag away in his pocket.

When Draco and Scorpius returned home, there was a stack of roughly wrapped presents waiting for them in the entry way. Draco must have placed them there just before they departed that morning. Pulling apart his father's shoddy wrapping, Scorpius found inside the various wrappings a book on ancient Wizarding history, a fancy new quill that shimmered a dazzling golden colour under light, a green jumper and various boxes and packets of sweets. The final present from his father hadn't been wrapped but sat under the pile and it immediately brought tears to Scorpius' eyes. It was a photo that he had never seen before, nor did he remember it being taken. Scorpius, only three years old, stood wedged between his father and mother who were both smiling broadly. They leaned in towards each other and shared a kiss as the little Scorpius looked up puzzled at them. Scorpius stood for a moment, clutching the photograph and watched as his parents leaned in and kissed over and over as the smaller version of himself watched them.

"I found that in her study. I remember the day we took that; it was your third summer. Lovely day so we decided to go for a walk through the fields. You loved it. I thought you'd like to have this, for when you go back to school."

"Thank you." Scorpius whispered, a great teardrop rolling off his cheek and plopping on the photo. He stowed it away inside his new jumper, hugged his father and gathered up his presents to carry upstairs.

"Oh, there's one more, son!" Draco called after him and Scorpius set down the gifts from his father and returned to find a little parcel wrapped in red and gold paper. He tore it open and found a roughly knitted, midnight blue scarf inside with his initials crudely sown into one of the ends. There was also a card inside, the front of which showed the entire Potter family gathered around a log fire in matching jumpers, with their arms around each other. Scorpius spotted Albus, flanked by his mother and sister in the middle, he could tell that although Albus was forcing a smile he was genuinely enjoying himself.

Inside the card read:

'Dear Draco and Scorpius,

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Hope you have a lovely day!

Sorry about the scarf, Harry insisted.

All our love,

The Potters.'

And then beneath that, every member of the family had signed their own names individually. Scorpius looked for a moment, puzzled at Albus' signature which definitely didn't look like it normally did, actually, it looked rather like his mother's handwriting.

Scorpius passed the card to his father, who skim read through it.

"I almost feel bad for not sending them one." Draco commented before hastily adding, "Almost."

Scorpius took his presents and the card from the Potters up to his bedroom. He laid the card out on his bedside dresser and wrapped the scarf around his neck. At once, the stitching begun to come apart and Scorpius suspected it wouldn't last the month. Harry Potter had many talents, but clearly knitting was not one of them. Scorpius sat down on the edge of his bed and surveyed all of the Potters individually, beaming up from the Christmas card. He let his eyes rest on Albus and wondered how soon it would be until he heard correspondence from his friend. They usually sent each other an owl at New Year but Scorpius had half-hoped, given the events of the previous term, that he would receive something much sooner.

And that's how he spent the entire Christmas holiday, perched on the edge of his bed, waiting for news and trying to divine anything from the little, photo Albus.

It was a long holiday.

A long, quiet holiday.