CHAPTER 22

Malfoy Manor had settled into an eerie silence. A sense of dread set in amongst the occupants as they moved silently and with heavy feet between the heavy doors. A storm brewed outside and the wind pounded against the windows but it was nothing compared to the storm brewing inside Draco.

They had moved Scorpius to his own room, one that Narcissa had spent many months decorating before they arrived back in England. It was very reminiscent to his room back home only this was a little bigger with a wonderful view the gardens. They hadn't spoken much, not since Adrian's reveal. Once Adrian had confirmed the worst to be true, Draco picked up his son, grabbed Hermione's hand and walked out of the room. He hadn't said a word to her as he marched them to Scorpius' room. Even now as the little blonde was tucked safely under the covers, Draco still hadn't said a word. Hermione took a seat on the bed next to a sleeping Scorpius and Draco occupied the chair beside the bed. He held his head in his hands and tugged at his blonde hair in deep desperation. Hermione felt her heart tear a little at the sight.

"Draco," she called softly scared to trouble the silence. He looked up at her and then her heart really did break.

"It's a… blood curse… a blood curse," he repeated more to himself. "Hermione… I can't… he can't… oh Merlin" he cried pulling at his hair once more, his voice now thick with fear. Draco looked at his son on the bed and something clicked inside. Before Hermione could blink he was out of his seat and halfway to the door.

"Ippy," Hermione called to the elf who had been fidgeting about in the corner in worry. "Watch Scorpius for me," she told the elf, "I'll be right back." Ippy nodded vigorously and then moved towards the bed as Hermione left the room following Draco.

He was halfway down the corridor and Hermione had to pick up her pace as Draco flew down the stairs heading to the door that lead to the back gardens. The last thing she needed was to get lost in the Manor, so she all but broke into a run, nearly knocking poor Narcissa over as she reached the back door.

He was standing out on the veranda, the cold beating against him. But Hermione was fairly certain he couldn't feel it. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and Hermione heard him take several deep breaths.

"Draco…" she prompted quietly. Draco didn't seem all that surprised that she had followed him. Instead he just stood there watching the storm grow. Hermione didn't know what to say that would offer him any sort of comfort without the pretence that everything was going to be alright.

"I can't watch him die Hermione," he said softly. "I cannot watch my son die." He told her looking at her with tears in his eyes.

"You won't have to –" she started but Draco cut her off.

"It's a blood curse!" he cried harshly. "You can't undo a blood curse. It's virtually impossible to counter them." he told her. His knowledge on these sort of curses was fairly extensive thanks to the lessons he had suffered at the hands of his own father. "We can't undo this Hermione." He whispered.

"We will find a way Draco. Adrian is the best at this sort of thing and look, he's here at the manor! Despite all the bad blood he wants to help… and well we have you and Blaise and if I'm not mistaken I am the brightest witch of our age." She told him with a small smile, "Draco if anyone can defeat this, it's us."

He shook his head, "It's too late Hermione. The curse… it's already starting to take effect, more than before. We're already losing him to it."

"What do you mean?" she asked puzzled. "Is this because Scorp did magic? Really powerful magic?"

"Hermione you didn't see it," he told her. "That wasn't just him. It was the curse. He threw Astoria across the room and knocked her out! Under any other circumstance this would be amazing, but knowing that this is a blood curse changes everything." Draco told her solemnly.

Hermione reached forward and grabbed his hand, "Draco you cannot lose hope. Not now. We finally know what we're dealing with and we will find a way to defeat this." she told him forcefully. "You cannot break now. If you do, who will be strong for Scorp?" she asked him.

"But Hermione what if we can't save him? What if it defeats him?" he asked desperately.

Hermione sucked in a hesitant breath, "I don't know." she told him honestly. "I don't know Draco but I can't… no I won't think like that. I have to believe we can do this… and I need you to believe that I can." She said.

"What do we do?" he whispered so softly she almost didn't hear him.

Hermione stood tall, showing her determination into what she said next, "You're going to go back into that room and wait by your son's side. I'm going to speak with Adrian and we are going to find a way to defeat this bloody curse."

He frowned slightly at what she said. "Hermione you don't really expect me to just sit around while a blood curse slowly kills me son do you?" Draco asked with anger evident in his voice.

"Draco," she said softly, "Scorpius needs you right now. When he wakes up I am sure the very first person he will want by his side is his father." Hermione placed a hand on his chest over his frantically beating heart, "And I know that despite your anger and fear the only place you need to be right now is with your son."

Hermione had recognised the fear in Draco as it was coursing through her veins at that very moment too but she knew that she had been right in what she had told Draco. Nobody expected him to be anywhere but by Scorpius' side.

Draco looked awfully conflicted; he wanted to be nowhere else but with his son but at the same time he wanted to start looking for a way to save Scorpius. It only took a gentle prod from Hermione for him to make his way back into the manor and up to the room where his son lay.

He watched as Ippy went about readjusting the blankets around his son's limp little body. "Thank you Ippy," he said softly once the elf was done. This time he took a seat on the bed beside Scorpius' sleeping form. Ippy bowed and then took a seat in one of Scorpius' chairs across the room, wringing her hands in worry as she watched her little master.

"Young Master is going to be okay?" Ippy asked in a small voice.

"I hope so," Draco replied quietly. He ran his hand through Scorpius' hair and watched as his son slept, "I really hope so Ippy."

"Adrian what is the meaning of this?" Narcissa asked trying to keep her voice even. "What are you doing here?"

"Well my dear, I thought I had explained that part already. It should be rather obvious by now I –" He answered with a small smile.

"Adrian!" she scolded, "How did you get past the wards? You promised never to set foot in Malfoy Manor again… especially after what had happened the last time." she reminded him.

"Yes well I found myself in a rather odd predicament," he told her. They had moved their conversation to the privacy of the library while Blaise and Harry had left to deal with Astoria. "Either I chose to stay away like I had initially vowed and ultimately see your grandson succumb to the curse or I could put aside those stupid notions and despite the sense of unease this place gives me, I could try my damn near best to save young Scorpius." Adrian explained.

"You came all this way to save my grandson?" Narcissa asked disbelievingly. Adrian merely nodded. "Why?" she whispered.

Adrian sat a little straighter in his chair upon seeing the look in her eyes. "Because Scorpius doesn't deserve this. Regardless of how much I may despise your husband, your grandson is innocent and I could never forgive myself if I didn't at least try to save him."

"You're going to do a lot more than try Adrian," a voice called from the door.

Both occupants turned to see Hermione standing with a very determined look on her face. She walked into the room, "You're going to help me save him because I will not watch him die."

She walked into the room looking at Adrian. "Tell me what you know." She said.

"Hermione… Scorpius?" Narcissa asked nervously.

"He's… running out of time." Hermione told her honestly. She didn't have it in her to lie. "How do you know that it is a blood curse?" Hermione asked. "And how did you get past the wards?"

"A few wards are hardly your concern right now dear." He told her. "After writing the letter I did a bit of digging into the blood moon and found a number of possible curses." He shifted in his chair slightly.

"This doesn't make any sense." Hermione said slowly. "Are you sure it's a blood curse?"

"Yes." Adrian said sadly. "I wish it wasn't but… look, the point is not how I came to know of this curse but that we know now." He told her. "You came to me because I am the expert so believe me when I tell you that you need to move quickly now if you want to save him."

"You called it…" Hermione trailed off trying to remember the name of the curse Adrian had briefly mentioned.

"Aah yes, the Imperaturum Curse," he said scratching at his beard with a grave look. "Though I cannot be sure if it is."

Narcissa frowned but didn't say anything. Hermione was not deterred by Adrian's doubts.

"So what can you tell me about the curse?" Hermione asked.

"I'm afraid not much. The historians were rather quiet on this particular curse for some reason." Adrian said looking troubled. "The name of the curse translates to mean Reign Supreme. As far as blood curses go, each one is uniquely different. But I believe our answer lies somewhere in this room." He added quickly seeing the panicked look on Hermione's face.

"Here?" she asked uncertainly looking around.

"Well yes. The last time I had come across this curse was when I was in here." Adrian told them.

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked.

"Your husband showed me the curse from one of these tomes." He explained. "Unfortunately he was smart enough not to show me the exact tome it came from."

"But it's here?" Hermione asked. "You're sure it's this curse?"

"Well if memory serves correct, young Scorpius fits all the symptoms that were listed… not to mention the blood moon. That is a key ingredient for any good blood curse." Adrian told them.

Hermione nodded but wasn't quite sure what to say next. "Don't worry my dear. I didn't come all this way to see him die." Adrian told her.

Narcissa rose from her chair. "I'm going to check on Scorpius." She told them. She bid them a quick goodbye and left.

Hermione looked around her to the hundreds of books the Malfoy Library kept. A sense of apprehension set in.

"Where do we even begin?" she asked softly looking around the massive library. It would take them forever to come through each individual book.

"I'd say over here. Family curses were shelved here." Adrian called out. He was standing at the far corner of the room. The shelves in front of him were filled with massive old tomes, each looking as imposing as the next.

"How do you know this library so well?" she asked moving to stand beside him.

Adrian sighed. "Lucius and I had a number of fair dealings before things went bad. We spent a great deal of time in this library, and naturally I became rather familiar with its contents."

"Are you sure this curse is in here?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. This sort of curse is not something you'd find in your common healer's textbook." Adrian replied before handing her a number of books. "We'll start with these."

Hermione nodded and made her way back to the desk, depositing the books as she took a seat. Adrian soon joined her and they split the books between the two.

"So we find the tome to find the curse and then…?" Hermione trailed off.

"Then we save him my dear." Adrian told her firmly.

"Adrian…" Hermione said a little while later. He looked up at her expectantly. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Don't thank me just yet dear." He said. "When we save him… then you can thank me." He told her smiling.

Hermione gave him a small smile and then promptly returned to the book in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she prayed to Merlin that they would find something… and soon. Time was not on their side anymore.

"Get your hands off me!" Astoria shrieked as she was hauled to her feet.

"Easy there Greengrass," Harry said. "You were caught trespassing on private property."

"I was not trespassing!" Astoria argued. "I have every right to be there! I'm his mother!"

"Be that as it may, you're still not allowed in Malfoy Manor." Harry informed her.

"This is ridiculous!" she cried. "If anyone should be complaining it's me! I was the one that was attacked!"

"Yes by your own son." Blaise said from beside them.

"That really tells us all we need to know." Harry said. They had yet to take her into the Ministry. She most certainly didn't appear as though she was going to go quietly.

"That tells you nothing!" she cried. "Only that Draco has brainwashed my son into thinking that stupid mudblood is his mother!"

Harry growled and Blaise looked at her with nothing but disgust. "That is my best friend you're talking about so I suggest you watch what you say." Harry told her. "It might surprise you to know that the Ministry doesn't tolerate your sort of attitude anymore."

Astoria merely scowled at him. "I have done nothing wrong! I only came to see my son!"

"How did you get into the manor?" Blaise asked.

"What?" Astoria asked looking up at him.

"Trying to break in here is like trying to break into Hogwarts. How did you do it?" Blaise asked. "Who helped you? Was it the same person that helped you break our wards?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't have any help." Astoria said stiffly. "You over estimate the power of your wards."

"No," I'm fairly confident they're unbreakable." Blaise replied. "I'm not so sure that you're smart enough to break through them on your own though."

"Well maybe that was your mistake." Astoria said smirking.

"Help yourself here and tell us who you're working with." Harry said. Astoria pursed her lips and looked away. "Fine!" Harry said. "I'll take her in then." He told Blaise.

"This isn't over!" she told Blaise as Harry pulled her from her seat. "I'm going to get what was promised to me… just you wait and see!"

Harry pulled her into the fireplace with him and called out to the Ministry. Blaise was left alone, with a sickening feeling growing. Not for a moment was he planning to take Astoria's threat lightly. With everything going on with Scorpius, it would be unwise to overlook this.

But Draco had more than enough to deal with at the moment. This was not something Blaise wanted to trouble him with. Not until he knew exactly what Astoria was talking about. Knowing what he had to do next, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. There was no hesitancy as he called out his destination before the powder hit the floor and he was encircled by green flames.

Hermione pushed aside the book she had been reading in frustration. There was nothing here! And they were losing time. They had been locked away in the library for several hours now. Hermione had Ippy give her frequent updates on both Scorpius and Draco, but she had yet to leave the library.

They had scoured through countless books, but still nothing. Fear was beginning to set in deep for Hermione. She couldn't lose him. A part of her cursed the fact that she had crossed that boundary between healer and patient. He was more than just a patient now and it would hurt even more if he died.

But there was another part of her, the greater part that loved him with all her heart, the part that lived for his squishy hugs, his infectious laughter, and his tinkling eyes. That part was scared beyond a shadow of a doubt, and it was that fear that kept her in the library with Adrian. Everything seemed pointless and Hermione felt helpess.

"This is no use!" Hermione cried. "There's nothing here! We've been through nearly all the books on family curses and still nothing!"

"Now now Hermione," Adrian trying to placate her frustration. "We will find it."

"No!" Hermione said firmly. She looked up at Adrian from her seat with pleading eyes. "Don't promise that you can save him if you can't." she whispered holding back her tears. "I… we can't lose him. Please… Adrian there must be another way. This is taking too long!"

"I know but unfortunately for now this is the only way." Adrian told her. He could see she was getting frustrated at their lack of progress. "Hermione," Adrian said firmly pulling her away from her dark doubts. "We will find it."

"But what if what Draco said was true?" she asked in a small voice. "What if we can't save him?"

"We will cross that bridge when we get there." He told her. "Perhaps we should take a little break," Adrian suggested.

"No! We can't!" Hermione argued. "We don't have time!"

"Hermione, take a break and go check on your family." Adrian pressed.

"No!" Hermione yelled. "I am not leaving till I've found it!"

Adrian looked at her with great concern. She was frantically searching through the big tomes in front of her muttering under her breath. She barely spared him a glance as he walked towards her. He placed a hand on her shoulder gently and she sighed as she held back a sob.

"I can't…." she said explained hesitantly. "Draco will want to know if I've found a way to save Scorpius… and we haven't so I can't say we have and I don't want to lie… not about this so I can't leave."

"Hermione," Adrian said softy, "the two people Scorpius will want by his side right now his is father and you."

"Adrian, I can't be a mother right now… I need to be a healer so I can think and save him." Hermione said holding back her sobs, "If I think like a mother and he dies then I'm losing my son. Healer Hermione has a better chance of saving him right now."

"You've healed him," he paused and then corrected himself, "You've healed them in more ways than you can imagine. Your compassion, you love for them has power beyond what you can imagine." He told her wisely. "Don't shut that out because you are scared."

"I don't know if I'd survive him dying." She whispered. "We fit, like a family," she said smiling as the tears ran freely down her face now, "I can't watch him die…"

"We won't," Adrian said. "But now you need to be with him and Draco." He said taking her hand and gently pulling her from her seat. "I will stay and continue our search." He promised.

Hermione seemed rather hesitant to leave, "Go Hermione," Adrian pushed gently, "Go and see what it is you're fighting for."

Hermione didn't need any further encouragement, as her feet took her swiftly out of the library and down to the room in which Scorpius lay asleep.

She walked into the dimly lit room, the curtains were drawn and in a seat not far from his bed, sat Draco, watching the rise and fall of his son's chest.

"Hey," she said softly, kicking off her shoes and coming to sit beside Scorpius on the bed. Her fingers ran through his hair as they watched him sleep.

Draco smiled slightly at her and then his eyes travelled to his son, "Why hasn't he woken up yet?" he asked.

"He'll wake up when he's ready to," Hermione answered softly. "For now, though, it's better that he's asleep."

"Do you think he's in pain?" Draco asked afraid that she might say yes.

"No," she told him looking up at him, "Right now he's not in pain."

Draco nodded mutely and then looked away. Hermione quietly rose from the bed and padded across the carpeted floor to him. Without speaking he pulled Hermione into his lap and cradled her close to him. Silence filled the room as Draco ran his hands up and down her arm.

"You look tired," he murmured breaking the silence. "Have you eaten?" he asked worried.

Hermione smiled a little at his concern, "You shouldn't be worrying about me right now Draco," she told him.

He tucked a curl behind her ears. "I've told you before, I'll never stop worrying about you." He said as he placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Have you… found anything?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Hermione said with a heavy heart, "But Adrian is still looking, and I'm going to go back… I just wanted to see how you were doing." She said trying to move of his lap.

"No," he said tightening his hold on her, "Stay. Please."

She didn't have to think about it and nodded immediately, settling her head on his shoulder. Draco rested his cheek against her hair and they sat in silence, not needing to say anything else.

"What if we can't save him?" Draco asked and Hermione tensed immediately.

"That's not an option," she told Draco. "He cannot die." She said vehemently more to herself than him. "We will find something, Draco, we always do." She told him running her fingers through his hair hoping to sooth his worries a little.

"He refused to believe Astoria was his mother," Draco said several moments later. A fond smile played delicately on his lips.

"Really?" Hermione asked looking at him.

"Hmm, she told him they were going with 'mummy' and he asked for you." Draco told her.

Hermione smiled at his words, "I didn't mean to take her place," Hermione said quickly, "She will always be his mother."

"She was never his mother. Just the woman that gave birth to him." Draco told her simply. "He loves you so much and you haven't replaced her. He's never had a mother, but he does now. You love him like he deserves to be loved and you shouldn't doubt how important you are to him… to us." Draco said.

She was crying again, but she only noticed when Draco gently wiped away her tears. "I love you," he said.

She leaned up and kissed him fiercely, "I love you too," she whispered against his lips. "We're going to save him Draco. One way or another we're going to save our son." She said her eyes flickering to the bed, where their innocent boy lay.

Hermione had returned to the library a short while after her visit with Scorpius, this time with Draco in tow. He was determined to help with the search, and Hermione knew no amount of pleading would stop him. With Ippy keeping a close eye on Scorpius, they all filled into the Malfoy library. Silence took its place as they determinedly moved through the books. Each quickly falling into the pile with Hermione muttering a frustrated 'useless' as each joined the next.

The roaring of the fireplace made them all jump for a moment a Blaise stepped out looking grim.

Draco stood and immediately addressed his friend, "What did she say?"

"Not much," Blaise said, his annoyance with the bint clearly shown. "She claims she only came to see her son and refuses to say who she's working with."

Draco growled and clenched his fists, looking at his friend he got the sense the Italian wasn't telling him everything. "What else?" Blaise shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Blaise!"

"Potter had to let her go," he said wincing.

"What?!" they all exclaimed.

"Apart from a trespassing charge, there was not much he could charge her with. She is still legally Scorp's mother," Blaise explained.

"So… he just let her go?" Hermione asked frowning.

"Unfortunately," Blaise said. He looked at Draco again and was unsure how to tell him the next part.

"There's more," his friend said looking at him with a grim expression. Blaise nodded "Go on then." Draco growled.

"She said that she was going to get what was promised to her." He said sighing.

"What?" Draco asked confused. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Mate, I have no clue." Blaise answered earnestly, "She seemed pretty confident that she would though."

"Did she say what it was?" Hermione asked.

"No," Blaise said shaking his head. A dark look fell over Draco's features. "But I could take a guess. A very good guess in fact." He answered looking at Hermione solemnly. "After all there are no such things as coincidences, right?"

Hermione felt her stomach drop, "Scorpius," she muttered. "She was promised Scorpius."

Draco looked livid but couldn't bring himself to say anything. "Who would promise Scorp to her?" Hermione asked. "No one has that power but you Draco."

Before Draco could answer there was a faint popping sound and Ippy appeared. "The young master is awake!" she cried.

Her news was meet with silence, before everyone could get their wits together. Draco and Hermione were the first to leave the room, in a rush with the rest following closely behind. It was Draco with his long legs that had reached the room first.

"Scorp?" he asked rushing into the room.

The little boy froze in his efforts to climb down from the bed, while Tully, Narcissa's house elf was trying to get him to stay.

"Daddy!" he cried seeing his father. Without hesitation, he pushed the remainder of the covers off and jumped into his father's arms.

"Scorp! You're awake!" Draco said relief flooding him. He held his son close as the rest of their family finally joined them.

Scorpius pulled back to look at his father. "I'm sorry daddy! I didn't mean to do it!" he cried, tears running down his pale cheeks. His small hands wound around his father's neck, holding on tightly. "She was s-saying mean things! A-and … she said Mione wasn't my mum," he said hiccupping slightly, still adamant to explain himself to his father. "Are you mad?" Scorpius asked, his voice gone small, worried at what his father might say.

"Shh," Draco said running his hands over his son's blonde hair. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad at you." Draco said calmly as he adjusted Scorpius so they were looking at each other.

Draco looked over Scorpius' head to see that the rest of his family had joined them. Hermione stood watching with tears brimming and he gave smile.

"B-But she said that Mio-" Scorpius started.

"Don't listen to anything she said," Draco said softly but firmly. He took one hand away from Scorpius and held it out for Hermione to take. "Look," he told his son softly as Hermione walked towards them.

"Hello sweetheart," Hermione said softly causing Scorpius to gasp in surprise.

"Mummy!" he cried wriggling out of his father's grasp. Hermione reached over and quickly pulled him into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and held him tightly pressed to her body.

He pulled back and grinned at her with enthusiasm, "Hi," he said sweetly.

Hermione chuckled, "How are you feeling sweetheart?" she asked.

"Okay," he said shrugging. Hermione nodded and handed him over to Narcissa who looked as relieved as they did. While everyone celebrated the fact that Scorpius was now awake, Hermione took a seat on the bed, pulling out her wand.

She waited until Blaise had said his hellos and Adrian too, before Scorpius made his way back to her. With help from Draco, he climbed up onto the bed and Hermione was able to do a quick check-up. Hermione wasn't sure what to feel when she realised that there had been no change to Scorpius despite his magic outburst. Surely the curse would have affected him somehow. Hermione couldn't help but feel that maybe the curse was trying to lure them into a fall sense of assurance.

"Hermione?" Narcissa asked.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the poised older woman. "It's okay," she said calmly so as not to worry Scorpius who was looking at them curiously. "But I really think it's time we continued our research." She continued, her eyes conveying the worry her voice could not.

Nodding with a new sense of determination, Narcissa led Adrian and Blaise back to the library giving Draco and Hermione some time alone with Scorpius.

"Are we going home now?" Scorpius asked quietly.

"Not yet mate," Draco answered. "We're going to stay here for a while okay?" he asked.

Scorpius seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment. "We're all going to stay?" he asked looking at Hermione now.

"Yes," she told him ruffling his hair. "Unless you don't want me to stay?"

Scorpius asked in horror, "No! No! Stay! It will be fun mummy," he said smiling sweetly at her.

Hermione chuckled, "Yes, it will be," she said the words turning sour in her mouth. "Why don't we get Ippy to run you a bathe and then I'll read you a story?" Hermione offered trying to sound more upbeat this time.

"Okay!" he agreed happily as he followed Ippy towards the adjoining bathroom. Draco and Hermione shared a look of relief briefly before it was replaced with worry. But that was soon gone when Scorpius called from the bathroom that he wanted Hermione to bath him. As Hermione got up, happy to comply with his request, Draco flopped back onto the soft cushioning of the bed.

Allowing himself his first moment of calm since Scorpius had passed out. He closed his eyes and could practically feel the tiredness seep through his bones and into the welcoming blanket beneath him. A fond smile graced his face as he heard Hermione and Scorpius happily chatting away in the bathroom. It was when he heard his son's infectious laughter, ringing loud and full of heart that Draco gave into the exhaustion he felt. Knowing that Scorpius was safe in Hermione's hands for now was all the comfort his brain needed as it dragged him beyond the depths of consciousness and into nothingness. He felt no fear or pain as sleep finally took its course.

When Hermione returned to the room with Scorpius wrapped carefully in a towel in her arms, she was not at all surprised to see Draco asleep on the bed.

"Ssshh" she told the little boy as she placed him in the armchair. Scorpius looked over to the bed and placed a tiny hand over his mouth to hide his giggles. "Daddy's sleeping," he stated.

"Yes, he's very tired." Hermione said as she pulled on a sweater and pants. She brought the towel and ran it over his head to dry his damp hair. "There! All done," she announced remembering to keep her voice low.

"No mummy! You forgot my socks!" Scorpius said holding onto his bare feet.

"Oh silly me!" Hermione said teasingly, "Let's see," she said walking over to his drawer and pulling out a few options. "Which one?" Hermione asked walking back to him with three different socks in her hand.

"This one," he said pointing to the one with golden snitches on them.

"Good choice," she said as she pulled them onto his tiny feet.

"Now we're all done!" he announced happily. "Can we read now?" much softer this time as Hermione pressed a finger to her lips and then pointed to Draco who was still asleep on the bed. "Can we?" he whispered this time.

"Of course, I did promise!" Hermione told him. "Go pick out a story and we'll join Grandma Cissa in the library."

Nodding, Scorpius climbed down from the armchair and walked over to his book shelf. Picking his favourite book on dragons, Scorpius scampered back to her.

"This one?" she asked not at all surprise by his choice. He nodded, grinning adamantly. "All right then." She conceded before turning to look back at Draco.

"He needs a blanket," Scorpius told her. "He'll get cold."

"Hmm you're right," Hermione agreed and then with a quick wave of her wand, conjured a soft blanket that delicately fell over Draco's sleeping form. Leaning onto the bed Hermione pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. She scooped Scorpius up in her arms and the pair quietly made their way out of the room to join the rest of their family in the library.

It was only a few hours later when Draco woke, the room shielded in a tranquil quiet and darkness that didn't feel so imposing anymore. Pushing the unfamiliar blanket of him, that he guessed must have been conjured by Hermione, he left the room seeking out his family. He walked the empty halls of the Manor going straight to the library. He knew that was probably the only place Hermione wanted to be right now.

Entering the well-lit room, he was not surprised to see he was right. He leaned against the door for a moment, grateful for her. She had her head buried in some tome, muttering under her breath. Every now and then her eyes flickered to the sofa where Scorpius was seated with Pansy. Adrian and Narcissa were seated much closer to the large windows, having a private conversation of their own. For the first time in a very long time, Draco didn't feel so alone in his battles.

Pushing off the door, Draco walked into the room, towards Hermione but it was Pansy that saw him first.

"Ah! Sleeping Beauty is awake!" she joked drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "I was starting to worry that we might have to send Hermione to give you true love's kiss or something…" she teased earning a laugh from everyone.

Draco merely rolled his eyes at his friend but he was grateful to her for lightening the mood a little. Rather than commenting, he simply waited for Scorpius to run to him, before scooping him up and making his way towards a slightly blushing Gryffindor. He took the seat beside Hermione, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Hermione smiled at him and reached over to run her fingers through Scorpius' hair. He stopped wriggling and finally settled himself in his father's lap.

"When did you get here Pansy?" Draco asked looking across the room to his friend. "You're supposed to be in Paris right now, right?"

Pansy scoffed. "Draco the only place I need to be right now is here." She told him. "Paris can wait."

"Pansy, you shouldn't have to put everything on hold just because…" Draco trailed off looking down at his son.

Pansy looked hurt for a moment. "I thought we were family."

"We are." He told her.

"Then I can't possibly think of anywhere else I need to be." She told him sternly. "I told you Draco, I want to be here." She added sincerely. Draco sighed but didn't argue any further.

"Where is Blaise?" he asked a moment later.

"Checking the wards," Narcissa told him. "She may try to break in again, and I don't want to take any chances."

"She won't come back," Adrian said trying to soothe her worries. "She'd be stupid to come back after what happened last time."

Pansy snorted, "You underestimate her stupidity."

"Regardless, we're taking the necessary precautions." Narcissa told them.

Draco nodded and then reached forward to the pile of books. "What are we looking for?" he asked Hermione.

"A very specific curse called the Imperaturum," she told him. "Adrian think's its mostly likely a family curse so we're checking through all the Malfoy tomes first." Hermione said stifling a yawn and gesturing to the pile in front of her. "If we find the tome, we might get lucky enough to find a way to reverse the curse."

Draco looked at her closely and could see the tiredness in her eyes but before he could ask, she shook her head and brought another book into her lap.

"Why can't you just tell us what this curse is about? You're supposed to be the expert." Draco said looking at Adrian.

The older man sighed with resignation, "I'm afraid that while I might be an expert on curses, I don't know everything about every curse. Especially if this is a family curse, its secrets would have been well guarded by the family so only the few and necessary would know."

Draco didn't look all too pleased with his answer. "So, this curse is in here somewhere?" he asked looking around the dishevelled library.

"Yes," Adrian answered.

"We're going to find it Draco, no matter what," Hermione encouraged. She placed her head on his shoulder and gave his hand a squeeze.

Draco swallowed and was saved from saying anything further by another voice interrupting them.

"Well, that should keep the bint away for good." Blaise said striding into the library. "Draco!' he greeted.

"Blaise," he replied nodding to his friend. "Any idea how she got in?" he asked.

"She didn't break through, if that's what you're asking." He said looking solemnly. "Obviously, someone is helping her. First us and then the Manor." Blaise said. "She's not smart enough or powerful enough to break through… twice." Draco groaned. "Don't worry. I've got this. You worry about that." He said with a small smile, motioning to the woman sitting beside Draco.

Looking down, Draco saw that Hermione had placed her head on his shoulder and was now asleep.

Adrian chuckled, "She's been fighting it all night," he said.

Draco smiled, knowing that it was true. Hermione's stubbornness would take her to the brink of exhaustion. Scorpius shifted his way out of his father's lap and Draco turned and gently picked took the book form Hermione's hand. He placed it back onto the table, before turning and picking her up into his arms. In quick strides, he carried her over to the sofa and laid her down. He conjured a blanket for her, similar to the warm one she had covered him with hours early, and draped it across her sleeping form.

"Come on," Draco said quietly turning to the rest of his family, "We have work to do." He turned and walked back to the table, picking up the book that was previously in Hermione's hand. He looked over at the sleeping witch as was found himself filled with her determination. If they were going to save Scorpius, he had to start believing to believe that they had the power to do so. Hermione was right, they were going to save him, no matter what.

The pain shot through her body, making her blood boil. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe. Everything was on fire. She was screaming again, her vision becoming blurred once more. The sounds from the distance drowned out only by the pain she felt.

When her vision cleared a little, hermione was able to make out the menacing face hovering over hers. Bellatrix.

She wanted to move, to crawl away but her body would not respond to her pleas. Instead she lay at the mercy of this blood thirsty woman.

"Tell me how you stole it?" Bellatrix asked again. Her voice had Hermione shuddering in pain.

"We didn't… s-steal anything!" Hermione coughed out. She could taste the metallic tinge of blood in her mouth.

"LIAR!" Bellatrix roared raising her wand once more. Hermione closed her eyes preparing for the worst. She was not disappointed as only moments later, searing white hot pain blinded all her senses.

Her screams filled the drawing room as her nails scratched at the floor.

"Bellatrix please!" she begged.

"How dare you speak my name! You filthy mudblood!" Bellatrix spat. "Now tell me how you broke into my vault?" Bellatrix demanded.

"I…I…" Hermione spluttered out but she could manage no more. Exhaustion was being to set in and Bellatrix's prolonged tortured finally wearing her down.

"Fine!" Bellatrix spat. "I'll just have to spill more of your pathetic filthy blood if you won't speak."

Hermione whimpered but before she could object Bellatrix was holding her down more forcefully to the cold floor. Hermione tried to struggle out of her grasp but when the Death Eater started muttering Hermione was truly lost.

It was unlike anything she had felt before. The pain so unbelievable, she was sure there was no surviving it. The only thing that registered for Hermione other than the pain was the wet sensation running down her hand.

Hermione felt she had screamed herself hoarse by the time Bellatrix had stopped. She lay on the drawing room floor, her brown eyes filled with tears. She felt Bellatrix moving away for reasons beyond her understanding and she was grateful.

Looking down to her arm, she saw the pale skin tainted with red. It flowed from the newly formed scar curtesy of Bellatrix. She watched the blood running down her arm onto the floor, pooling on the dark wood floor. Then it moved, with a mind of its own, her blood moved further away from her. She watched, the pain holding her movements hostage, as her blood raced across the drawing room floor to a figure covered by the shadows of the room. Gone were the other occupants, just Hermione and the dark figure. The figure stepped a little out of the shadows to reveal finely pressed black slacks and polished black shoes. Only the face remained hidden.

She watched from the floor as her blood, red and warm ran to him, eventually pooling at his feet. Her gaze shifted to his face and when he took another step forward, his shoes smearing her blood along the floor.

She gasped and quickly turned away from the dark figure only to find Bellatrix's terrifying face hovering over hers once more. Her fear returned to the surface and Hermione heard herself screaming once more as she saw Bellatrix's wand aimed at her…

Hermione was thrown rapidly from her nightmare only for Draco to catch her, with Bella's torture still at the forefront of her mind.

She felt Draco hold her a little tighter and she grasped at his shirt. She couldn't seem to get her breathing under control or stop the tears that flowed over her flushed cheeks.

"Mione, you're safe," he whispered to her. "It's alright." He reassured her.

But the pain from her nightmare had felt so real, that she could only grasp him tighter.

"D-Draco…" Hermione hiccupped. She pulled away to look down at her arm, to see for herself that it had only been a nightmare.

"She's not here Hermione," Draco told her calmly but firmly. "She's gone. You're safe now."

Hermione tore back the sleeves of her sweater to see her skin, pale as it had always been. Yet, now her scar screamed out at her, almost taunting her in ways her nightmare could not reach.

She clutched at her hand with the other, her vision filled with hot tears. They pelted down her arm and all too soon, she was sobbing hysterically on the couch.

Draco reached out and pulled Hermione to him. There were no words to heal her this time. So, he simply held her as she cried. He looked up to see the rest of his family looking at them with equal concern.

"You're safe now Hermione," Draco told her. He couldn't quell the guilt coursing through him. He had been so careless to bring her back to the Manor after everything she had endured.

It was a little while before her breathing eased out but her hold on him did not. She merely shifted to get a better look at him. Her face was blotchy and red but her eyes shone with something that had Draco equally intrigued.

"It's about blood purity," Hermione said quietly.

"What?" Draco asked confused. He pushed the hair away from her face to look at her properly.

"The curse." Hermione explained. "It's about blood purity."

"How do you know?" Draco asked.

"Adrian said that in most cases curses are all about purity." Hermione told him. "And we know this is a blood curse." Her mind flickered back to her nightmare and she couldn't help but shudder at the memory of it. Pushing it to the back of her mind she continued with her explanation. "Your ancestors were all about purity. Blood purity to be more specific. I think that however this curse may work, it must do with his blood. His very powerful, very pure Malfoy blood."

Draco released Hermione's hands and brought ran them through his hair. Slowly he got off the couch where Hermione had been sleeping and started pacing, looking from Hermione to Scorpius to the floor and back again.

Scorpius, who was currently in his grandmother's arms looked at his father in curiosity.

"If someone wanted Malfoy blood, why his?" Draco eventually asked quietly. "I'm older, my magic is more advanced and my blood is more powerful than his. I am part Black and part Malfoy." Draco said looking at her. "Why him? Why not me?"

"Because he is a child," Adrian said with a defeated sigh. "His innocence makes him more pure than you and therefore more powerful a source."

"A source? A source for what?" Narcissa asked worried holding her grandson closer to her.

"Magic," Hermione muttered. Draco looked at her, his silver wide in horror, "It's stealing his magic Draco."

A/N: Hello! I am so super sorry for the extremely long wait! I really have no excuse other than life sometimes gets in the way.

Once again thank you to all those who have favourited, followed and reviewed this story! It's really make encourages me to continue with this story! I can't believe the wonderful responses I've been getting despite the long wait. I have been writing a lot more recently so hopefully you won't have to wait another 11 months for another update! I promise i will not under any circumstances abandon this story!

If you haven't already please do check out my other story Coveted.

I love reading your comments so please do review!

I am in need of a beta, and it would really help speed up the updates so if anyone is interested please let me know!

Thank you my dear Katy for all your help and and encouragement!

xoxo

Immortal Dragon Empress