A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry about how long this chapter has been in coming. I won't try and make up excuses, but I've nearly finished high school now, for good, so I'm hoping to be able to finish this story and start posting my new one. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it, I haven't given up, I just had other things to do. I'm hoping you like this new chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own or make any profit from the writing and publishing of this story. All credits belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 9 - Welcome Home
Monday July 2
Early the next morning, Draco woke blearily to a tapping on the window. He slowly, so as not to wake Hermione, turned over and got out of bed, an arm covering his eyes to stop the invading sunlight.
We walked over to the window and opened it to the beautiful snowy owl that swooped in and took her place on the desk. Draco went over to her and took the letter from her. Seeing as she stayed where she was, Draco concluded that Harry was waiting for a reply.
As he opened the letter, he sat back on the bed and furrowed his brow. It read:
Hermione and Draco,
Me and a couple of others (most likely Sirius and Remus) will come and pick you up at eleven from the Leaky Cauldron.
See you then,
Harry
Draco sighed. He didn't think it was a good idea. Especially since the idea involved bringing Scorpius out into the open; out into the Wizarding open.
He grabbed a quill and ink from his desk and wrote a quick reply, detailing that they would floo over to Grimmauld Place instead, so as to keep Scorpius out of sight by the wrong people. After sealing the scroll, and tying it to Hedwig's leg, he let the bird fly out the window and turned back to his very inviting bed.
As he climbed in, Hermione started stirring, and turned over to face him.
"What was all that about?" She murmured. Draco wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, closing his eyes and just resting.
"Harry just wanted to tell us that he was going to pick us up at the Leaky Cauldron at 11, but I told him that we didn't want to bring Scorpius out into the world quite yet, let alone our world, so I told him that we would floo over there instead." He replied. Hermione nodded tiredly, and fell back asleep rather quickly.
Draco couldn't go back to sleep though, and stayed awake until the next letter from Harry returned. After carefully extricating himself out of his fiancée's grasp, he opened the window again, and took the letter from Hedwig, explaining that they'll wait for them to floo to the house; agreeing that it would be safer.
After writing back a quick reply of thank you and sending it away, Scorpius awoke crying from the amount of noise. Draco sighed.
"What's wrong my boy? What's making you cry?" He asked, bobbing the tiny tot in his arms and swaying from side to side. Soon after, with Draco's cooing and rocking, Scorpius was back asleep, and his little hand was curled around Draco's middle finger. Draco smiled happily at his son, before extricating his finger and getting changed into a pair of robes and leaving a note for Hermione that he was going down to breakfast.
It was seven in the morning, so Draco was the only one up. He got the House-elves to make him his favourite (Bacon and eggs) and sat down to a marvellous breakfast. And hour later, Narcissa strode into the kitchen, already fully dressed and made up. By now, it was eight o'clock. Draco was reading the Daily Prophet with a grim look on his face.
"What's wrong my boy, you have that horrid look upon your face." Narcissa asked, sitting down next to him and immediately a cup of steaming tea appeared in front of her. She picked it up and took a relaxing sip.
"There's been a lot of muggle killings, and quite a few of muggleborn killings in Wizarding towns." Draco explained, turning the page.
Narcissa frowned.
"Is it too late to change sides?" She asked quietly, startling her son.
"Never." Both Narcissa and Draco jumped upon hearing Hermione's voice from the doorway. She was dressed in her dressing gown and held a gurgling Scorpius to her chest. Draco smiled to her in greeting and beckoned her over, calling a house-elf to get her breakfast once she'd sat down. He took Scorpius from her as she ate and started reading the paper again.
"I just want to change sides, but I don't want to fight." Narcissa added, looking slightly nervous.
"It's called being neutral, but you're just more neutral to one side." Hermione explained, smiling lightly at Narcissa, who laughed softly. By now, Hermione had finished her breakfast and got up to leave.
"Well, I'm going to go change into my robes so we can train. I'll be right back." She announced.
"Mother, can you look after Scorp? I'm going to go put on my training robes." Draco explained, holding his son out for his mother to take. Narcissa took the infant quickly, but carefully, and held him firmly. Draco got up and the two left to get changed, before they trained for 1 and half hours; 45 minutes on Magic and 45 minutes on Swords and archery. After training, the two of them had a shower before gathering their belongings and putting them in the living room beside the fireplace.
"Well Mother, it's time for us to leave. We'll see you soon though, okay?" Draco told her, hugging her tightly before letting go and stepping back.
"Of course. Very soon." She answered, while giving Hermione, who was holding Scorpius, an awkward but all the same loving hug. "I love you two, remember that. Have a safe trip."
Hermione and Draco waved and smiled to a nervous looking Narcissa as they threw floo powder into the fireplace and stepped through, announcing "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" as they went.
The two of them plus Scorpius and the bags landed in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, to see Harry, Sierra, James, Sirius, Remus and all of the Weasley's sitting at the table, just talking. There was a loud chorus of greetings and hugs of happiness from all sides as they said hello to everyone, but they eventually gained a couple of seats which Hermione could have sworn appeared magically, for there wasn't two spare chairs there when she got there.
"Everyone, this is Scorpius, mine and Draco's son." Hermione announced, once everyone began asking. Mrs. Weasley came over at once and started fretting over the infant whilst Draco and Hermione were congratulated. Mrs. Weasley eventually took Scorpius out of his mothers' arms, and carried him back over to her seat, where she sat and examined and cooed over him.
Draco and Hermione made their way over to where Harry and Sierra were sitting, and engaged them both in conversation; Draco and Harry talked about training, and went into more detail about what he and Hermione had been doing, while Hermione and Sierra gossiped and caught up on what had been happening between them over the past couple of weeks.
The entire room was full of noise when Tonks, Moody and Kingsley walked in to join the party. More greetings were thrown around and there was more cooing over Scorpius. After about half an hour more of catching up, Draco pulled Hermione to her feet.
"We'll be right back, Hermione and I have to take our stuff up to our room." Draco announced. A chorus of goodbyes followed them as they walked out of the room and up the stairs.
"I forgot just how noisy the Weasley's and company could be." Draco muttered, making Hermione giggle.
"I know what you mean; though I miss all that noise that comes with having a big family sometimes." Hermione answered. Draco shot her a smile.
"You fit right in, you know. Even though you don't talk so much, you do." He replied. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
"Coming from you, I can't tell if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult." She shot back. Draco laughed.
"It's a compliment love, have no doubts about that." He answered. Hermione laughed lightly.
"Trust me, I have none." She replied jokingly. They walked up the stairs to the second level, and opened the door to their room. Hermione chuckled and Draco rolled his eyes at the set up of the room. The two single beds that usually resided in the rooms had been transfigured into a queen-sized bed, and in one corner, which had been painted in clouds, snitches and quaffles and charmed to move, sat a white cot, with fluffy white sheets and blue blankets.
"Well, aren't they accommodating?" Hermione justified.
"At least Scorp will like his little corner." Draco muttered. "And I do like the bed. They did well there." He added with a cheeky smile. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.
"Of course you do. We'll have to thank them when we get back downstairs."
"We certainly shall." Draco answered, before taking his shrunk luggage from his robe pocket and putting it at the end of the bed. Hermione followed suit.
"At least we can finally unpack now." Hermione joked, sitting heavily on their bed. Draco chuckled, landing beside her as he sat too.
"Yes, finally. Come one, we'll do that later, we better head back downstairs." Hermione nodded and they both started back down to the kitchen. When they got there, they smiled at the sight before them. Everyone was cooing silently at their small son except for a small few who had already seen him. They walked in and took their seats in between Harry and Ginny.
"So, Malfoy, Granger, what have you been doing to keep up with your training?" Moody asked, ever the soft heart.
"We've been training nearly every day, all day for the past month. We started off with magic, but soon we realised that could use some muggle weapons to help us; one's that don't require use of electronics or technical work to use them." Hermione explained.
"We've been using swords and bows and arrows. Hermione's an expert at archery and mother taught me sword play when I was younger." Draco continued. Harry and the others all nodded and murmured their appreciation.
"That was clever you two. Do happen to have any weapons with you?" Remus asked, leaning forward in interest.
"We both have our own weapons, but I can only duplicate mine for use. I have a sword, quiver and bow. We can duplicate Draco's bow and quiver though." Hermione replied.
"Why can't you duplicate Draco's sword?" Harry asked. His face wasn't the only confused one in the room. Draco looked hesitant to answer, but with a nod and reassuring smile from Hermione he explained.
"It may not be safe to use. It comes from my house. I don't know what will happen if others use it, duplicates or not." The faces in the room cleared as realisation spread through them.
The group at large started talking war plans and strategies. Harry and Sierra turned to Hermione and Draco.
"What are you going to do with Scorpius when it all starts happening?" Harry queried. Ginny and Ron turned towards the conversation upon hearing the question.
"Narcissa's going to be taking my family, plus Scorpius and my friend Kaz I told you about to a secure, unknown location. We don't know where." Hermione answered, looking down at her hands before her head snapped up.
"I haven't told my parents about Narcissa being the one to take them." She gasped. Draco frowned at her.
"Didn't we send them a letter?" He asked. Hermione shook her head.
"No, we didn't. I should floo over now. I can't believe I forgot." She chastised herself.
"Go then. We'll cover for you here." Ron replied. Hermione smiled at him before getting up.
"I'll be back as soon as possible. I shouldn't be too long." She announced, kissed Draco and walked over to the fireplace. As she left, she could hear the confused questions from everyone in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.
Hermione arrived at her parents' house and immediately called out their names as she walked out of the fireplace.
"We're in the kitchen Hermione!" Her mother called back. Hermione made her way into her kitchen and over to her parents, who looked up in confusion.
"What are you doing here darling? Aren't you supposed to be at Harry's house by now?" Her mother asked. Hermione sighed.
"I forgot to tell you. Narcissa, Draco's mother, has asked if she could come with you to the hiding place. Draco and I believed it would be a good idea, because it would mean that less people would know of where you had gone. Narcissa can create a portkey and take you with her, to a place of her choosing, where you cannot be found. She doesn't wish to fight in the war, and we believe this may be the safest option for her as well." Hermione explained. Her parents looked at her for a few minutes, considering what they had just been told.
"I don't see a reason why not. We'd have to meet her first though. I don't believe we have." Mr Granger replied, Mrs Granger nodding along beside him. Hermione sighed in relief.
"That should be easily done. Just tell me what day you should with her to come over and I'll organise it." She instructed. After settling the details with her parents, she bid them good bye and flooed back over to the burrow, intent on writing her letter to Narcissa.
When she returned, it was to find the room emptier; only Harry, Draco, Ginny, Ron, Sierra, Sirius, James and Remus remained. They were all talking about their holidays so far.
"We haven't really been doing much other than training. Although we did go into London a couple of times, and walked around Hermione's town." Draco was saying while holding little Scorpius as he slept.
"How often have you been training? I know you said nearly all the time, but how much?" Sirius asked. Hermione sat back down in her seat beside Draco and took Scorpius from him.
"Straight after breakfast we'd train for an hour each for swordplay, archery and magic. Then we'd have lunch and do the same thing over again before dinner." Draco replied. "How about all of you? What have you been doing?"
"Pretty much the same as you two from how it sounds; just without the archery and swords. We saved them for until you got here, so you could teach us." Harry answered. Draco nodded. Before he could answer, Scorpius woke up and started crying in his mothers' arms.
"You're hungry, aren't you, little boy? Yes you are. Come on; let's go feed you, hey?" Hermione got up and walked out of the kitchen before heading into another room, locking and warding it.
Conversation didn't really start up again straight away afterwards, and James noticed his son's thoughtful silence.
"What's wrong, son? Why so silent all of a sudden?" He asked. Harry took a deep breath before looking up and into his father's eyes.
"I don't think I'm going to go back to Hogwarts." He announced. Sirius, James and Remus all looked concerned, back Ginny, Ron, Sierra and Draco had determined faces on.
"But what about school, Harry? You need to go back to keep learning." Sirius asked. Harry sighed.
"I can't go back, Sirius. There are so many things I need to do out of school. Besides, we have Luna, Neville and some others to help get the students ready back at Hogwarts. My time is better spent elsewhere." He explained. The three adult males all looked confused.
"What are you talking about Harry?" James asked gently. Harry took a deep breath again.
"I'm going to have to explain something to you, but it can't leave this room. I won't put anyone else in danger because they know this." All of the people in the room nodded.
"Do you remember the day Dumbledore came here to see me? Well, he didn't come to talk to me about my studies. He came to tell me about these things called Horcruxes." There were confused looks on everyone's faces.
"Horcruxes are objects that encase a part of someone's soul inside them. They can only be made by killing a human. It can make the person stay alive, as long as they aren't destroyed. Dumbledore believes that Voldemort made seven of them, because he's a highly superstitious man and seven is a "magic" number. Dumbledore's already taken care of one, Voldemort's grandfather's ring. We took care of Riddle's diary in second year, in the Chamber. Dumbledore found a fake one. It's a replica of Slytherin's locket." He explained.
Ron looked disgusted, as did Ginny, James and Remus. Sierra, Sirius and Draco were all thinking it over.
"You mean he had to kill seven people to make these Horcruxes?" Ron asked, disbelief lacing his words. Harry nodded.
"That sounds like something he'd do." Draco muttered. Their eyes turned to him.
"Father sometimes talked of him and his want to remain invincible. He never knew I was listening when he talked with Snape about it." He clarified.
"Snape knew about it?" Sirius asked. Draco shrugged.
"I don't know. Dumbledore may have told him, the Dark Lord himself may have. I don't know, he never talked about it with me and it was one of those things you didn't ask about. Though, I can't see the Dark Lord telling his followers everything about his plans. I doubt any of them know about this." He explained. The others nodded.
Hermione walked back into the room just as Draco finished. The others filled her in on what they had been talking about and she thoroughly agreed with them.
"Draco and I were talking about not going back to Hogwarts yesterday. We both agreed that if we die in this battle, then we want to spend as much time with our son as possible before we have to send him away with our parents. Those Horcruxes sound incredibly bad though Harry. Do you even know how to find them? Or what they are?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head as he looked down at his hands on the dining table.
"No I don't. But I'm going to," He looked up at her with intent eyes. "And I'm going to hunt them down and destroy them."