Familiar Thoughts

Draco stood at the bar and ordered another glass of whiskey. "And what will you have?" he smiled down at the girl, who smiled back, coyly.

"A double vodka and lemonade." The woman on the bar poured their drinks and Draco followed his companion to a booth. The Muggle pub they were in clearly had not been refurbished in years and had the atmosphere of somewhere that had been left behind by society at some point in the eighties. The dated red patterned carpet was faded and slightly sticky, as were the dark varnished wooden tables. The walls were clad in wooden panels. Placed here and there were framed printed reproductions of insipid landscapes. The place smelt faintly of body odour, stale smoke and disinfectant, as though the smells from the weekend still had not been aired out. It was exactly the type of shit hole Draco liked best.

He surveyed the girl before him and tried not to feel too disappointed that this was who he was to bring home that night. She was pretty in a common, slightly horsey way, with too much makeup on large dark eyes and teeth that stuck out slightly, as if her jaw was too small to contain them. Despite clearly being in her twenties, she seemed jaded and a bit rough, which suited him very well. She must be, to be out drinking on a Monday night in a place like this. She licked her lips, nervously, as if sensing his scrutiny and hoping she would be up to scratch. She dragged a hand through crudely highlighted hair, attempting to liven it up a bit, and took a sip of her drink. Draco did the same and decided to lay it on thick. A girl like her would not be able to believe her luck.

"So, Melanie," he drawled, emphasising her name, almost lovingly. "What do you do?"

She gave an inane giggle. "I work in a supermarket, on checkouts. It's alright," she shrugged. "Pays the bills."

"Indeed? And what would you like to be doing?" Asking girls about themselves always got results, if he acted like he was actually interested in their pedestrian, Muggle lives.

She giggled again. "Well, I know it sounds stupid, but I always wanted to be a singer. I've tried for X-factor a couple of times. You may have even seen me on telly one year! I made it to the first round." She smirked.

"Fascinating. You must be really good," Draco replied, injecting enthusiasm where really, he felt a great deal of pity. They both took another drink.

"What's man like you doing in a place like this, anyway? Don't really get your sort round here."

He shrugged and gave her one of his winning smiles. "I like the company."

"You're so mysterious."

"I do try." Draco smirked at his lie. He barely had to try at all; girls like her practically threw themselves at him. The voice, the clothes and the air of glamour he knew he still had attracted them like moths to a flame. It was sickening, really. It was so easy in a place like this, where being with him, even for a night, was the only chance they would get to fulfil a fantasy of being a Somebody. By the time they arrived in his dingy old flat and realised his duplicity - that he was as worse off as them - it was too late.

"Draco is an unusual name. What does it mean?"

"It's an old tradition of the family. We're named after the constellations. Draco is the great dragon that revolves eternally around Ursa Minor and Polaris, banished there by the goddess Athena." He smirked at her wide-eyed look of awe.

"Like horoscopes? I'm a Libra! I can usually tell what people are, astrology's a talent of mine. Are you an ... Aries?" she guessed.

Draco had heard of this Muggle branch of Divination. It sounded like complete garbage. He decided to humour her and opened his own eyes wide in a look of mock surprise.

"I am! How could you tell!?"

She smiled and winked at him. "Well, you're generous." She picked up her drink and wiggled it at him. "Independent - you've been here alone all night."

Draco knew she had been checking him out all evening; that was why he knew she was a safe bet. "And courageous," she added, as he grimaced internally. "However, I can also see your weaknesses."

"Do tell?" Draco raised his eyebrows. He was interested, despite himself.

"You're impulsive." With this she delicately laid a taloned finger on his chest and leaned in close. She smelt of cheap perfume and cigarette smoke. "And impatient," she added in a whisper in his ear.

Draco felt himself turned on. She was certainly bold, usually he had to make the first move. He was surprised they had arrived at this point so quickly. Or perhaps she was just drunker or more desperate than she looked. Either way, she was right: he was feeling frustrated enough to want to get her back to bed immediately. He smiled and told her to wait for him outside while he paid the tab, which consisted of subtly, non-verbally Obliviating the bargirl.

If Melanie had been disappointed to be brought back to the estate, she had not shown it. If she had been disappointed by the sex, well, Draco didn't care. It was rough, impersonal and sweaty, with the heat of the August day stuffily trapped in the room, clinging to their bodies like a smog. After a while Draco rolled off her, relieved for it to be over and unconcerned with her satisfaction. Usually he might have been more attentive, but he was not in the mood tonight. He stared at the ceiling as she quietly made her way to the bathroom and allowed the immediate post-sex feeling of satisfaction wash over him, mixing with the warm buzz of the whiskey. It was exactly what he had needed. He was asleep by the time she got back.

Draco awoke a few hours later, sober and with a cracking headache. He sat up and cursed quietly as he made out the Muggle's sleeping form next to him. The room smelt of sweat and unwashed bodies. He felt clammy and disgusting and so cast a quick cleaning charm on himself. He got out of bed, pulled on some pyjama bottoms and pushed the window wide open, allowing the fresh air to breeze into the room. The sky was beginning to lighten and he felt inordinately sad at the sight.

He looked round for Melanie's bag on the floor, picked it up and rooted around, searching. There was so much shit in there, but finally he found what he was looking for. He took the packet of paracetamol and popped a couple out into his hand, before knocking them back with a sip from an old glass of water. Scorp had introduced him to this particular Muggle medicine a couple of years ago when they had run out of pain relieving potion. Sometimes they worked, but of course they were incredibly slow to act and completely unpredictable. Draco did not understand how Muggles coped without magic.

He lay back on the bed and stared at Melanie's exposed back. She was thin to the point of being underweight, and in the light of the dawn Draco could see her ribs protruding slightly through her milky white skin. She had a small, gothic looking tattoo on her left hip which made him grimace. He tried to remember Astoria's back but found he could not. The last time he had slept with her had been over twelve years ago. Details like this were starting to fade, slipping out of his memory like dreams. He tried to bring up an image of what she looked like, naked. Her smooth, soft waist; her small, perfect breasts; and the dark fuzzy patch of hair between her hips and thighs. But was that right? He was not sure if he had just conjured up a memory of a memory. Or a memory of an imagined thought. After so long alone in Azkaban, and then after so many different bodies flitting through his bed since, he could not quite remember what was her and what belonged to others. He felt himself slipping into a deep melancholy as thoughts of Astoria swept through his head. She was so pure, so good, so loving. What the fuck had she seen in him? Draco suddenly felt rise up within him such a deep loathing for himself he wanted to disappear. He glared at the Muggle and felt anger bubble up at the sight, wondering why the fuck she had not left yet.

Suddenly an image of Hermione Granger sprung to mind, sitting behind her desk, gloating at the idiocy of wizards. Draco's mother had always said he was good at compartmentalising his feelings. He was self-aware enough to realise it was true. That was how he had dealt with everything over the years and how he had allowed himself to get in so deep with so many fucked-up things. Finally, for the first time, he allowed himself to think about that interview. That fucking interview with Granger. How dare she say those things to him, bring up his past in front of Scorpius just to get one over on him?

The day had been going well until that point. Scorpius had been moody and sullen, but Draco could tell he had been mildly impressed by the school and the teachers. Draco had been as well, truth be told. Despite the location, it really had not been as bad as he had expected, and from what he had caught of Granger's speech, he was impressed by her passionate statements of equality and of standing up to prejudice. He had left the hall, quietly hopeful about Scorpius's future. That maybe he would not be judged for his father's mistakes.

But of course, a former Death Eater could never expect to get away in life without encountering prejudice at every turn. Of course she meant equality only for a certain type of person, i.e., someone without a Dark Mark. He knew that was the reason behind every job rejection and he could deal with that, but to encounter it from her, the poster girl of equal rights and opportunity? He shouldn't have been surprised, why should she have been any different? Despite trying to change and be someone better, it was as if people did not want him to. They still wanted him to be the villain and wanted to remind him of it at every turn. To the Greengrass family, he was a blood traitor and Muggle lover, allowing their precious Scorpius to be corrupted. To people like Granger, he would forever be a Death Eater, a bully and blood purist. Neither side would accept him, and his heart ached for what that meant for his son.

Admittedly he had been wound up by her 'wizards are lazy' comment, and her broad sweep of distain she held for their rich traditions and cultures, and their progress and achievement. Maybe he had been a little over the top with his comebacks, but he had not been completely serious. He had been playing with her somewhat, as it simply had been too tempting an opportunity once he realised how easily she could be wound up with her charmingly sincere beliefs. He really had not meant everything he had said, and Draco thought she would realise that it had been a pitiable attempt at banter, but evidently Granger's sense of humour did not pick up on this.

Instead, she couldn't wait for him to fulfill whatever pre-conceived ideas she had about him, dredged up from fourteen years ago when he had been a conceited little dick. With a sinking heart he acknowledged that obviously he still was that same person. What idiot jeopardises his son's happiness with his own pride? Well, as Draco was proving that time and time again, he did.

He had been surprised by how good Granger looked once they had sat down across from each other at her desk. He had been dimly aware at school that she was pretty, but having been blinded by his prejudice he had never really acknowledged it. Her physical attraction had been below his notice, and if in weaker moments if he had ever noticed it, it was just another thing to hate her for. However, times had changed and as he bemusedly shook her hand, Draco could not help but notice the awkward, bookish teenage girl had grown into real beauty.

The confident, professional air that he had witnessed during her talk had slipped slightly upon welcoming him inside, and Draco had felt himself relax once he realised she was as nervous as he was. During the interview he had been impressed that she had attempted to and succeeded in engaging in his moody son, and he had felt the stirrings of hope that just maybe he had finally made a good decision by choosing Burbage. But that obviously had been utterly foolish once the two adults had collaborated to dash that notion. Of course he deserved everything she had said, and more, but he could not believe that she would go there in front of Scorp. Throughout Draco's incarceration he had idiotically held onto the tenuous hope that Granger had somehow seen through his Death Eater mask and that had been one of the reasons why she and Potter had come forward at his trial. But now he knew that the only reason had probably been due to their infallible Gryffindor hero complexes and belief in doing the right thing. Why should he have believed he deserved anything more from someone like her?

Draco felt himself slip deeper into hopelessness as he thought of his son. What would Scorpius encounter at Burbage High? Would Granger target him? Would he get blamed for any blood-purity bullying that occurred? He was already disadvantaged, just from Draco's performance today and even his whole existence. Draco knew that he should just accept the Greengrass's money and send him to Hogwarts. At least there, in Slytherin, Scorpius would be accepted. But Draco knew that it could never happen. They were in too deep, his pride would never allow him to crawl back to the sneering faces of Apollon and Amelia and beg for money. The amount of satisfaction they would get would kill him. He would lose Scorpius and he would not survive that. Draco was disgusted by his own selfishness and felt, not for the first time, that Scorpius would be better off without him.

Draco continued on with these thoughts while he drifted in and out of sleep for the next few hours. He barely noticed when the Muggle got up and crept out with a whispered goodbye. He lowered the blinds, lay in darkness and sank deeper into his depression. Thinking of how he had let down his parents, Astoria, and Scorpius. How he could never offer his son the childhood he had enjoyed, how he would never be good enough for someone like Granger, how he would always be scum. And it was true - Draco was scum. Stealing to survive, barely able to keep a roof over their head, selfish to the point of harming Scorp, thinking himself above Muggles, when deep down he knew he was no better. Fucking them as a way to distract himself, when he should have been spending time with his son. He felt like he was back in Azkaban, with nothing but the distant chill of Dementors for company, reminding him how worthless he really was.

Finally, he was stirred by a crack of light coming through the darkened room and a small voice calling his name.

"Father? Are you ok? Please answer."

Draco blinked in the light and stared at the outline of Scorpius in the door. "Scorpius. What time is it?" he croaked.

"It's four in the afternoon. I tried knocking earlier, but you didn't answer."

"Why didn't you come in, to wake me up?" Draco asked.

Scorpius paused as if he did not know what he should say. "You were so angry yesterday when we got back... And then you went out. I thought you didn't want to see me, or talk to me." He sounded nervous and very sad.

Draco felt his heart wrench and sat up. "Come here, Scorp."

Scorpius shyly entered the room and walked over to stand at the foot of the bed.

"Get in with me." He opened the covers on the other side and held out an arm. The boy hesitated, but then slowly climbed in. Draco pulled him close and wrapped an arm around him, reveling in his son's closeness and his warmth, allowing it to spread through him.

"Were you scared of me?" he asked, quietly. Scorpius nodded, minutely.

Draco let out a slow, shuddering breath and shut his eyes. "I never want you to be scared of me, Scorp. You've got no reason to be. I was not angry at you yesterday, I was angry at ... myself."

He paused. "You've only known me for a couple of years, so I get that you are unsure of where you stand, but you have got to know that I love you so much. I don't know what your grandparents told you about me, but I would never do anything to hurt you or put you at risk. You are everything to me and the most important person in the whole world. I'm so sorry I made you feel like that." Draco tried not to think about the fact that this was the second time he was apologising in as many days.

Scorpius was silent, the only indication that he had heard was the tightening of his arms around Draco's torso.

Suddenly the enormity of the situation hit him. He had effectively been out of action as a father for twenty four hours. He groaned, as the familiarity of the situation weighed heavily on his chest like a tonne of guilt. Granted, he had been doing better recently, but when this happened he may as well be back to square one in his efforts to be a good father to Scorp. "What have you done today? And last night? What have you eaten?"

"Last night, I went round Jake's for tea. I think his mum is getting a bit suspicious though, she kept asking about you. I, er... I nicked some bread from their kitchen last night, for breakfast this morning, just in case you were... asleep again," Scorp said, rushing the words out.

Draco let this sink in. By allowing himself to indulge in his own misery about being a bad father, he had made the situation ten times worse by neglecting Scorp further. It was a viciously familiar circle.

"And for lunch today?"

"I haven't eaten."

"Right! That's it! Let's go out for dinner!" he said, smiling shakily down at Scorpius, who looked up, his eyes wide in shock.

"But what about money?" his son asked, uneasily.

"Well actually, someone sent me some money yesterday for a batch of potions I made a while back," he lied smoothly. Scorpius's face broke into a smile and he wriggled away from Draco to jump out of bed.

"Come on then! Can we have burgers? There's this amazing looking American themed restaurant I've seen around the corner. You can get these MASSIVE burgers and baskets of chips and huge milkshakes! I've seen people having them through the window. Please can we go there?" Scorp gabbled, happily.

Draco smiled back. "Of course, it sounds delicious. Let me shower and get dressed, I'll be ready in ten minutes."

Scorpius bounded from the room, and Draco crawled from his bed, relief flooding him at his son's forgiving nature.

The burgers at the American diner were indeed delicious. Draco beamed as Scorpius laughed uproariously at one of his jokes, beef juice running down his chin. He felt good for the first time in days, and marvelled that how only an hour before he had felt the complete opposite. It was all Scorp's doing; the child was like an angel. They sat, happily slurping on chocolate milkshakes and licking their salty fingers and Draco listened to his son chat away about his mates and what they had been up to over the summer. Soon the conversation turned to Burbage High. Draco had not wanted to push the topic, so he was relieved when Scorpius brought it up.

"It's so annoying that I won't be able to bring my new broom to school," Scorpius said, frowning.

"But at least they have Quidditch!" Draco consoled. "That was a bit of a surprise, I wasn't sure they would with their location. Great idea using a Portkey to get to a safe location to play."

"I can't believe you thought of sending me to a school that doesn't play it! I'm meant to become a Seeker like you, Father!" Scorp said, indignantly.

Draco laughed. "Well, you're the one who goes on about football all the time. I thought you'd be happy with that!" he joked.

Scorpius looked outraged. "Football is fun, but honestly, I can't wait to show them how well I can fly."

He smirked, making Draco laugh again; the expression looked so sweet on Scorpius. "I thought Burbage was great. I can definitely see you fitting in there," he said, carefully.

Scorpius bobbed his head side to side. "It was okay... Well, it was pretty cool. But I can't believe the headmistress is going to be one of my teachers. She's a bit... scary." He trailed off, anxiously glancing out the window and away from his father.

Draco frowned. Granger was pretty scary now he thought about it, particularly to an eleven year old. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Scorp. Just be yourself and you'll be fine," he said, lamely. Draco wanted to tell him that Granger would be bound to love him but he did not think he could make the lie sound convincing enough. "Just don't give her any reason to pick on you, don't draw negative attention to yourself."

"She already threatened me. After you left. Not to use that word on any students." He scrunched his face up, as if imagining that he would ever do such a thing. "Said I'd be expelled."

Draco felt anger surge up. Already she was penalising his son for his own irrational reaction to her provocation. "Just be careful, okay? Miss Granger may use any opportunity she can to find something wrong with what you do or say. Just work hard and show her how clever you are; I know for a fact that will impress her."

Draco hated telling his son to try and smarm up to the witch, but he was still a Slytherin, and sadly knew that manipulating people was the only way to get through life sometimes. "People like Miss Granger might hold your name against you, but you've got to remember that they are wrong to do so. You are your own person and although you should be proud to be a Malfoy, other people may not see it that way."

"But if most people at school are Muggle-born, then they won't know our name? It won't matter?" Scorpius said, hopefully.

"Exactly! It's a fresh start!" Draco smiled and Scorpius returned it while nibbling on the last of the chips. "Come on, let's go. It looks like it's going to be a really clear evening tonight and it's a new moon. How about you and me go to the roof and do some astronomy? Even with the light pollution we should be able to make out more than usual."

Draco sent Scorpius outside and wandered up to the waitress at the till. He thanked Merlin the restaurant was mostly empty.

"Here's your bill sir, was everything okay with your meal?" Draco smiled grimly, holding his wand concealed in his sleeve. He looked about him once again, confirming no one was around and lifted his arm as if to take the bill.

"Confundus." A dreamy smile slid on to her face as she gazed at Draco. He tried to squash the knot of unease in his stomach. It was worth it if Scorpius could go to bed full and happy tonight. He willed the waitress to look back to the till. She pressed a few buttons and looked back at him, confused. Her eyes slid out of focus and she smiled dreamily again. "Keep the change," he said pleasantly.

"Thank you, sir," she said, still dazed.

He nodded and strode away to the door. When he got outside he paused, seeing Scorpius standing round with his group of friends about twenty meters away, back towards the estate. There were about six of them in total. Three were sat on bikes and the other three were larking about, as if acting out some hilarious scene to Scorpius, who was laughing. They all looked as if they were aged between ten and fourteen. Draco could see the group were passing around s can of something and the oldest two were sharing something that looked like a hand-rolled cigarette. He frowned as he caught the smell of weed in the air and began to walk over, hearing the tail end of the story.

"And then Ricky just ran for it and the stupid old perv fuckin' fell on his face and Robbie was all over that shit. Got his wallet and his phone! Ma bruv is gonna sort him out a sweet deal." The boy ended with a snap of his fingers and suddenly looked up, noticing Draco standing quietly behind them.

The laughter died down as they all backed away from him. "Oi, what you lookin at? You some sorta pedo?" he squared up to Draco as best as he could at five foot two. The boy's bravado was impressive.

"Chill out, Sachin, this is my Dad." Scorpius said, stepping between them.

"Shawn, mate, your Dad is well creepy though! He looks like a vampire, innit!" Sachin said, stepping away and clapping his hands in laughter.

Shawn, who the fuck is that? Draco opened his mouth to ask, but Scorpius cut in, reacting to his father's look of shock at the name.

"We was just in that diner, Dad took me out for these sick burgers. They were well nice." Scorpius flashed him a desperate look; one that clearly said, please keep quiet.

Draco felt pretty speechless anyway; why was Scorpius speaking like a common Muggle?

"That's cool, mate." The oldest-looking boy spoke up. "Alright, Mr Malfoy, is it alright if Shawn 'ere comes hang out wiv us this evening? My mum's headin' out so the boys are comin over for... pizza and movies." He took a swig on what Draco could now see was cider, gave a sly look and a wink to the group and they all cracked up laughing, no doubt at the preposterousness of the idea of a quiet night in.

Scorpius pretended to laugh but Draco could tell he was incredibly uncomfortable. He looked down at him, expectantly. He wondered how his son would deal with this.

"Actually mate, I'm gonna hang out wiv Dad tonight." He had his hands shoved in his pockets and kicked a weed in the ground. Scorp glanced up at the older child. "See ya later though."

"Bye Shawn, have fun wiv Daddy! Make sure you sleep wiv garlic round ya neck!" The joker, Sachin, said to great bellows of laughter from the others.

Scorpius grinned back. "Whatever, I saw you wiv ya Mum last week. 'Please Mum, pleaaasseee can I have some sweets?'" Scorpius dropped down on his knees and mimed begging, shuffling around on his knees.

"You didn't, you fucker!" Sachin shoved Scorpius good-naturedly and he fell to his hands, laughing.

"Its so true though, Sach! You is such a mummy's boy!" piped up one of the others.

"Catch you up in a sec," Scorpius said quietly to Draco, giving another pleading look.

Draco stalked off, leaving Scorpius to say his goodbyes. The children's laughter and shouts echoed off the concrete square and faded as Draco rounded a corner. A second later Scorpius caught up with him and a very awkward silence settled between the pair as they continued their walk towards the flat.

"So," began Draco, tersely. "This is why your mates have never been to our flat. You're embarrassed."

"Father, it's not like that, it's just -"

"I thought I was Dad now, Shawn."

Scorpius winced. "You don't get it!"

"Get what? That you're ashamed of who you are?"

"No!"

"So you pretend to be like them, like a Muggle."

"Stop acting like we're better than them!"

"But we are." They had stopped walking by this point and stood in the stairwell of their block, facing each other in frustration.

"No, we're not! You sound like Grandfather! I used to think so too, when we we first moved here, but I was wrong! Just because we can do magic, it doesn't mean we are better than them. You need to change! What you said to Miss Granger was horrible, and yes, I was ashamed of you then." The words came tumbling out and Draco felt rocked by them.

"But, that story that you were lapping up, that the idiot was telling. They robbed an old man and are dealing in stolen goods. How are these people you want to impress, to be friends with? That idea you had the other day, about us stealing from the rich to survive. That wasn't from TV was it? That was these boys influencing you!"

"Father, you are the one who went to jail for ten years, and I know that you haven't paid the rent in months! You don't have any money, how can you pay it? You don't have a job, how do we get food? I'm not an idiot! You can't pretend you're better than them!" Scorpius was red in the face and looked close to tears.

Draco was stunned. Fuck, he thought he had been careful in covering his deceit. Of course Scorp was sharp enough to have picked up on it.

"Fine. Maybe I'm like them, but you're not, you don't have to stoop to that level. Please, Scorp, I don't want you to see them again. People like that will drag you down."

Scorpius scowled angrily. "But they're my only friends! What am I meant to do? You won't introduce me to any wizard friends, and I don't go to school, so these are the only kids around." He threw his hands up in a gesture of frustration. "I haven't done anything stupid, I haven't done anything bad!"

Draco paused and thought about it. He knew it was not healthy for a boy to be cooped up all day without friends, and it was his own fault that these boys were his son's only option.

"If I find out you've been smoking or drinking I will be so disappointed. I think that boy was smoking drugs, Scorpius. I don't even need to tell you not to do that. And if they're planning any shoplifting or pushing over old men I want you to come home immediately." Draco couldn't believe he was having to say these things to his eleven year old son.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but was obviously relieved. "Obviously! I would never do any of that stuff. Anyway, I start school soon, and I'll make new friends there," he said reassuringly.

Draco paused and tried to think rationally. He trusted his son; trusted his character. If Scorp was pretending to be someone else to fit in, at least he could take comfort from the fact that his son was only pretending.

"Friends with whom you don't feel the need to change your name and talk differently?" Draco said, softly. They began to walk up the stairs.

"I had to. If I spoke like this then they'd never be friends with me. What kind of name is Scorpius anyway?" he added.

Draco sighed and launched into the usual talk. "The Black family name may have died out, but you and I are two of the last remaining descendants who still carry on the traditions of-"

"I know, naming us after the constellations and stars. But why couldn't you name me something more normal, like..." There was a long silence as Scorpius racked his brains. "Leo!"

"Absolutely not! Not the house mascot of my old school rivals!" Draco said in mock outrage.

"Okay, there are no other options! They're all terrible! There's no way I'm doing it to my kids."

"That's up to you, Scorp. It was actually your mother who wanted to name you Scorpius, not me. I was like you, and ready to wash my hands of it all. But she thought it was important. And I'm so glad she got her way, as I think it suits you perfectly. Couldn't imagine you called anything else!"

Draco got a rueful smile out of his son at that, and despite still feeling annoyed at the whole situation, was relieved to be back on friendly ground after his performance this morning. After an exhausting climb during which they both lapsed into thoughtful silence, they arrived at their door and went inside.

"Father, I am sorry. I didn't want you to meet them, not because I'm ashamed of you, but because I was embarrassed of how I have to act around them, and I didn't want you to hear or see any of that. I promise I haven't been lying to you, I have been going round Jake's mostly - he's not friends with that lot. I can invite him over so you can meet him if you want, you'd like him." Scorpius was trying to act casual, but Draco could tell that it was an act.

"That would be fantastic. Why don't you invite him over for astronomy tonight?"

Scorpius looked unsure and chewed on the side of a fingernail, anxiously.

"Really? I could ask... I don't think he knows anything about the stars. He might not care."

"Worth a try? He might surprise you."

In the end, Jake did accompany them on their nighttime expedition to the roof. Draco was pleasantly surprised to find that Jake was a polite and well-mannered boy and genuinely interested in what they were doing. Scorpius was not even talking that differently around him. Draco entertained the two boys with grand tales about the various members of the notorious Black family, pointing out the different stars, constellations and galaxies from which they'd got their names. Of Cygnus, the swan, high above them flying along the milky way; his grandfather and how he spoilt Draco as much as Apollon spoilt Scorpius. Of Arcturus in the west, one of the brightest stars in the sky, and as a very scary old man had terrified Draco as a child with horrific tales of his own Black methods of torture. Of his crazy great-great-aunt, Cassiopeia; whose constellation they found towards the north. She was the Ethiopian Queen who chained her daughter, Andromeda, to a rock in the ocean, who was also poking just over the horizon, and for whom Draco's aunt was named.

"What was she like, Dad?" Scorpius asked, his interest sparked in hearing about an unknown family member Draco rarely talked about. Draco paused.

"Actually I've never met Andromeda. There was... a bit of a family row before I was born. In fact, she's still alive and I think she has a grandson who's about your age, Scorp." He said, cautiously.

Scorpius looked up from his telescope and gazed at his father in excitement. "Really! Can I meet him?"

"Maybe one day," Draco temporized.

"Your family sounds pretty scary, Mr Malfoy. Is that like why you live here? Are you like in, witness protection or somefink?" Jake asked, sounded somewhat impressed.

Draco laughed. "Something like that."

As they packed up their telescopes a bit later and began to descend the stairs back to the flat, Draco contemplated that despite everything, he had managed to make a success of the day. He and Scorpius seemed to have reached a better understanding of each other, and Draco even seemed to have impressed one of his son's friends, which was a completely unexpected and pleasant accomplishment. He knew, however, that something had to change. It had to, especially as Scorpius' pleas about getting a wand were getting more and more urgent, with justification. School started in only a few weeks.

Draco knew what he had to do, but he had been putting it off for a long time. Especially since now it seemed that all deals with his Greengrass in-laws were out the window. It was time to make a trip to visit his mother.