Summary: Daphne may not be Scorpius' mother, but she was an amazing Aunt.

Warning Tag: References Curses

Late Night Truths

Daphne couldn't sleep. There were a few valid reasons as to why, of course, and Tracey's soft snoring beside her wasn't one of them. She just moved into Malfoy Manor with Tracey—after a lot of resistance from Lucius—to help Draco with Scorpius. Her sister recently passed away and her ceremonial burial was held a week ago—the day after Christmas of all days. Scorpius wasn't coping well with the loss, and she knew he was completely blindsided by Astoria's death.

She wanted to be angry at Draco and Astoria for keeping Scorpius in the dark about the family curse. It was the sole reason for her demise, and Scorpius deserved to know everything about it. Yet, at the same time, she understood why they kept the details to a minimum. They didn't want him to dwell on the inevitable, but it became a double-edged sword.

Regardless, males were carriers. Scorpius already showed signs of it dwelling in his magic, so she needed to set Draco straight and have him stop allowing Lucius to berate him. Daphne understood that Draco was mourning, but he had time to prepare for this, Scorpius didn't. Leaving him to his own devices while he fell apart was not something she couldn't tolerate any longer.

Scorpius needed his father.

Daphne gave Tracey a kiss on their forehead before slipping out of bed and into her slippers and housecoat. Her stomach growled for a midnight snack, and instead of calling for Dizzy, she headed for the kitchens. She tried to be as quiet as possible to not disturb the sleeping elves that nested in the pantry, but froze when she heard voices.

"Does Young Master wants warm milk to help him sleep?"

"Sure. Thanks, Dizzy."

Daphne approached Scorpius, offering a gentle smile. "Make that two glasses," she said, "and fresh toast from the loaf of bread you made earlier, that delicious whipped butter, and strawberry preserves please, Dizzy?"

The elf perked up at the request and nodded confidently. "Yes, of course Mistress Daphne!"

She got to work preparing the snack while Daphne sat in the chair across from Scorpius. The small corner table felt cozy

"Couldn't sleep either, I take it?" Daphne asked, breaking the silence.

Scorpius sighed dejectedly. "You're not going to tell anyone I come here, will you?"

She snorted at the question. "Only if you don't."

Dizzy placed a tray with two glasses of milk, jam, butter, and freshly toasted toast in front of them. "Dizzy will be cleaning if you needs her, yes?"

"Thank you, Dizzy."

She gave a bow and toddled off. Daphne grabbed the butter knife to spread the whipped butter onto the warm toast. "Got to get it on there before it cools. Here." She dropped a large dollop on her nephew's piece as well.

She let the butter settle before adding the strawberry preserves to her toast. "What do you know about blood curses, Scorp?"

He shrugged. "They're deadly."

"I know it's a difficult thing to grasp, but you have to learn about the Selinofoto blood curse," Daphne pressed on. "It's an old one—most are—placed upon our ancestors for who knows why. They cannot be taken lightly. Do you understand?"

Scorpius nodded, nibbling at his own jam-covered toast.

"I don't know what your parents told you about it, but you're a carrier. I am, too. It tends to remain dormant, but your mother…" Daphne let out a wavered breath. "She wasn't so lucky, unfortunately."

"Is that why you chose to not have children?" Scorpius prompted.

"Yes," she admitted, taking a large bite of toast. When she saw her nephews face fall, Daphne knew she messed up. "But don't you dare think you were the cause of all this. Astoria loved you more than she loved your father."

"I doubt that…" he muttered behind his toast.

"Oh, please. She wanted you more than the stars above despite knowing the extreme side effects. She loved you with all of her being. Your father does, too."

He scoffed, unable to look at her. "I told Father I hated him at the funeral, Theia. I ran away. I haven't spoke to him since he found me. He hasn't even…"

Scorpius trailed off, sipping his milk instead. Daphne remained quiet, patiently listening. "I overheard Grandfather tell him that he was a fool for… for falling for Mother. That he should've known better..."

"Your grandfather is an arsehole," Daphne all but spat out. "He's nothing but a bitter old man who got kicked from his pedestal by his own pride. Don't let him drag you down with him while he still falls from it my dear Starlight."

"Okay."

"Your father isn't perfect, either," she continued, "but he kept this from you to prevent you from dwelling on the inevitable like we had to. You deserved to be happy and cherish every second you could with your mother without having that knowledge tarnishing it. You may be angry at him about it now, but you'll eventually understand the why someday. For now, you both need each other. Being angry isn't going to do either of you any good."

They settled into a strange silence. Daphne finished her jam-covered toast. "We will talk about this more in depth later because it is important, but you need to forgive your father first."

"Yes, Theia."

She got to her feet. "It's late, we should probably get some rest."

Scorpius abandoned his toast and joined Daphne. "I suppose."

"You know you can always come crash in my room," she said, smirking. "Like old times."

Scorpius turned all shades of red despite the lack of light. "I'm fourteen!"

"Barely," Daphne teased. "You still sneak into the kitchen."