Chapter 2: Grand-mere

Summary: Narcissa's fate in the original timeline is revealed. In the new timeline, Viola struggles to cope with their changed situation as the only adult she could rely on is no one she recognizes. Scorpius sees his dad and mum for the first time in years, but they don't know him. Narcissa embraces grand-motherhood while Hermione checks in on the Zabini household.

Notes: Welcome to hell, we are your hosts. We would apologize but we aren't sorry. Content Warnings for the Chapter in the End Notes.

Chapter 2:

3rd of May 2030;

Nott Castle, on an unplottable island off the coast of Lowestoft in Suffolk

"Mother! Scorpius! Viola!" Draco was shouting as he ran ahead of Hermione and Theo, out of the main fireplace in Nott Castle. "Mipsy! Buffy!" He summoned the two little house elves who popped into existence. Their large round elfish eyes were even wider than normal with fear showing in their faces as Theo's husband continued running towards the stairs, blowing right past the little creatures he'd just called for.

"Masters and the Mistress are home!" The elder of the two elves, Mipsy, cried out. She held her hands clasped in front of her as she tried to control the trembling of her body. "Master Draco calls for Mispy and Buffy?" Her little black dressing gown and matching night hat she wore were skewed, presumably from being woken at the late hour.

Draco, however, didn't stop to acknowledge the elf's question as he reached the foot of the grand staircase and sprinted up the steps. Going two at a time he swiftly reached the top and turned left, disappearing from sight, heading towards the family wing, where he'd most likely find his mother and children in their beds. "Yes, he did," Hermione said, gliding up to their family's elves, her heels not even making a clicking sound against the pristine white marble floor that she walked over. "Is everyone alright? We were alerted just before midnight of a spike of magical energy across all of the United Kingdom and came straight home." She crouched down so that she was eye level with the little creatures, her hand caressing each of her beloved elves' faces as she inspected either of them for any signs of injuries.

"Oh, yes Mistress Hermione." Buffy answered, her sky blue eyes twitching while her chest heaved, showing the clear signs of distress. Her long bony fingers wrapped around Hermione's hand and held it to her face, desperate for the comfort of her mistress. "The children didn't wake from it, but Mistress Narcissa was disturbed as she felt a dip in her own magical core. Though she did tell Buffy not to tell Master Draco so that he wouldn't worry, she said nothing of Buffy telling Mistress Hermione nor Master Theo." Mipsy wrapped a thin arm around Buffy's shoulders to console the younger elf while Hermione and Theo shared a look of concern.

"Would either of you mind putting on a pot of tea and getting some biscuits? I feel we'll be in for a long –" Hermione's sentence was cut off by the sudden appearance of their mother-in-law. Wearing her cascade green dressing gown and robe, matching house slippers on her feet, she was rushing down the stairs being closely followed by her son, who was trying to speak to the elder witch, but she wasn't paying him any attention.

"Your rooms are already prepared and it's the middle of the night, mother," Draco was saying, motioning with his hand in the direction of which they'd just come. "The twins will be expecting you at breakfast and there's no reason for you to run off and check on the manor at this hour. If you're worried about Pippa, she's more than welcome to join us, you know that. Mipsy and Buffy will have no objection to another set of hands to assist in the kitchen, especially since the kids aren't to return to Hogwarts for a few days yet."

Theo and Hermione shared another look as Narcissa reached the foyer, for the first time noticing her son and daughter-in-law. "My loves," she said, sweeping towards them with her normal elegance, though when she touched each of their cheeks, Theo noticed that her hand shook. "I'm sorry to rush out like this on you at such a late hour, but I really must be getting back to Pippa. I have an early tea with Lady Greengrass and Lady Parkinson to discuss Astoria and Pansy's wedding plans. Augusta Longbottom is apparently being a bit of a thorn in their sides. She's insisting on ghastly centrepieces, is it any surprise, the way she still wears that dead vulture on her head. Truly awful taste."

"You're honestly leaving because you want to be a bridal consultant for a wedding that's not happening for another eight months?" Draco asked, sounding exasperated, not allowing either Hermione nor Theo to get a word in with Narcissa.

"Exactly, I'm glad you see what I'm saying dearest," Narcissa said, turning back towards her only son with an uncharacteristically soft smile gracing her lips.

"Narcissa, you seem a bit," Hermione paused as she searched for the right word, "unsettled, wouldn't you sit with us and have a cuppa before you go? Mipsy is already setting up the parlor and it would only be a few more moments."

"Oh no, dear. I must go check on Pippa and ensure that I have everything ready for what's to come." Narcissa's white hair was perfectly wrapped in her curlers–a muggle invention that she'd been ever so enthusiastic about when Hermione had introduced it to her, not a strand out of place as she leaned into her daughter-in-law, her lips brushing Hermione's cheek in a show of affection. "I love you and I'm more proud of you and everything you've built in this life than any words could properly convey dear, remember that." Narcissa whispered so low to the younger witch that if Theo hadn't been standing right next to them, he wouldn't have heard.

"You're honestly leaving? Mother, be reasonable. Pippa!" Draco called out, trying to summon his mother's elf, as he normally was able. "Pippa! Oh, where is that silly elf, probably playing with her new lipstick that Viola gave her."

"You watch your tone, Draco Lucius Malfoy, I'm still your mother and I'll have you know that Pippa is under the strictest instructions that she's not to respond to anyone after hours. Now," Lady Malfoy leaned in and kissed each of her children one last time before straightening up, tears glistening in her eyes. "I love you, and I'll be seeing you."

Before Draco could protest any further, Narcissa turned and disappeared into the floo in a flash of green flames. They hadn't even died down before Draco was in the hearth, attempting to get through into his childhood home, but when his request was rejected he was left cursing in the coals.

"I'm Lord of that bloody manor and she's locked me out of my house!" Draco stated rhetorically, storming towards the front door.

"Draco! Where are you going?" Hermione called, chasing after him as he stalked outside, bound for the apparition point.

Theo hadn't moved from his spot as he watched his spouses race from the room, not bothering to follow them as Hermione would be able to reason with their husband by herself. Theo knew that Narcissa was a crafty witch, and if she wished for Draco to not be able to enter Malfoy Manor, he would not be following her home, Lord or not.

Loosening his bowtie, Theo turned so that he was facing the grand staircase and began his slow treck upwards. The spike in magical energy had immediately resulted in a worldwide magical blackout, as if the magical core of every being and creature had been tapped into and drained. Every spell that had been cast ceased for a moment, causing the floating trays to clatter to the ground and the house elves working the Victory Ball had fallen to their knees. Hermione had even heard word from the Minister of Magic, Percy Weasley, that the muggle world had experienced an electrical blackout, thus throwing the entire world into darkness, even if it had only been for a moment.

It was an event so bizarre and rare. There was no case like its kind in recorded history. Morgana Le Fay had once been rumoured to have caused a magical drain that spanned the entire British Isles during the height of her power in the middle ages, but there was no concrete evidence backing the claim—making it just another myth of the evil witch's power.

Opening the door to the twin's suite of rooms, Theo crossed the small sitting area until he was standing in front of a magnificent oak door engraved with a large script 'V'. He pushed it open and smiled to himself as he looked in at the emerald silk bonnet his daughter wore when she slept. Her glasses sat on top of her first edition of 'Alice In Wonderland' that her grand-mère had gifted her as a birthday present back in January, always having been a favourite story shared between the two witches. He silently slipped inside, pressing his lips to her forehead before backing away. He scratched behind the ears of Hermione's old familiar that was curled in an orange ball of fur at the foot of his daughter's bed, chuckling to himself as he swore the damn cat was going to outlive them all at this rate.

Pushing open the next door to check on his son, Theo paused when he found instead of the boy sleeping, Scorpius sitting in his window seat. His hazel eyes glowed as the teen looked out into the night, watching the waves crash into the moonlit rocks below.

"Grand-mère left?" His son asked, not turning around to face his father.

"She was worried about Pippa. Did the magical blackout wake you?" Theo asked, stepping forwards, letting his hand rest on his son's bare pale shoulder.

"No… Yes? I mean, I'm not certain. I fell asleep watching 'Hamilton' with Grand-mère, and then she-she screamed. It woke me up. Everything was pitch black when I woke, and she started muttering something and then sent me to bed after telling me how much she loved me, it was really weird papa." His son looked up at him, his hazel eyes filled with fear, the light from the moon making his unblemished alabaster skin glow.

"Not to worry, we'll figure everything out when it's daylight. I'll go with mum and dad in the morning to the manor and check on Grand-Mère and Pippa. Now, get in bed," Theo instructed his fifteen-year-old son. "It's been a long night and you know your sister will have you up and early practising for your Charms O.W.L.S. I overheard her on a firecall with Pandora about coming by to help you, telling her to bring Hermes along as well."

The blonde boy stood from the window, his pale bare chest glowing in the moonlight, wearing only his Slytherin joggers. Theo ruffled his son's hair as he passed him, making the teen groan smacking away his hands. "I should have stayed at Hogwarts instead of coming home for the holiday, would have been more peaceful if I had.."

"Oh, hush. Admit it, you love coming home."

"Sure, Papa, whatever you say." Scorpius said, smirking just like his father as he settled into his bed.

Theo kissed his son's forehead, eliciting another groan from the teen before leaving the room and shutting the door. As Theo headed towards his own set of rooms, his mind stayed on his mother-in-law and the odd way she'd acted before her departure. Hopefully, in the morning they'd be able to figure out what had caused Narcissa such distress.

...

The words were written in blood, the letters nearly a foot high. Theo shook as he looked down at the crumpled grey massed that used to be his loved ones on the floor. It must have taken every drop in their bodies to write the message.

"Blood Traitor Whore"

The bodies of Narcissa and her personal elf Pippa laid carved open below the crimson words. The Malfoy-Nott trio had barely stepped into the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor when they discovered the horrific sight. Narcissa's hair was still perfectly coiled in her curlers and her face hadn't been touched in the attack, so there was no question whose body was laid on the ground. The pain etched into her features showed that death had not come quickly to the only mother that Theo had even known.

"No…" Hermione whispered, her hands flying to her mouth as she choked back a sob at seeing the murdered body of her beloved mother-in-law.

Draco rushed forward, dropping to his knees, running his hands over his mother's bloodied and broken form He gripped his wand, desperately using every healing spell he could think of, his field healer training kicking in.

But it was simply too late. Narcissa had been dead for hours as had her faithful elf. Theo stepped forward, pulling his husband away from his mother's mutilated body and wrapped his arms around him. Draco trembled, but not another sound passed his lips as they looked at the crime scene.

"I'll dispatch for the DMLE. Draco and I won't be able to work the case due to our relationship with–Narcissa…" Hermione's sentence trailed off, her voice catching as she uttered the witch's name. She quickly turned, walking out of the room, "Head Auror Malfoy-Nott, calling in for a homicide investigative team to be dispatched t-to Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire." Theo could hear her saying from the hall, before cutting off her transmission as the sobs overtook her again.

The smell of the bodies in the beginning stages of decaying was starting to fill the room, but neither Theo nor Draco seemed unwilling to leave the woman. "I couldn't even get past the wards she'd put up," Draco whispered after a while, his arms hanging limp at his sides. "She was terrified last night and refused to stay with us. She knew someone was coming for her and she came here, alone, where she was totally exposed instead of staying with us where we could have protected her…Why? Why would she do this Theo? Who would do this to her?" Draco's voice was steady, his eyes never leaving his mother's body.

"They'll find who did this Draco, whoever did this is going to pay."

"I'll find whoever did this to her, and I'll make them pay." Theo studied his husband's face and felt dread as he saw a burning desperation for revenge taking over his husband's beautiful features. Theo couldn't help but worry what mistakes Draco might make in his blind rage, but kept that thought to himself for now. Hermione would never let Draco go into anything alone, and as long as they were together, they could keep each other safe.

...

9th of May 2013;

At Nott Castle, on an unplottable island off the coast of Lowestoft in Suffolk

Viola spun on the balls of her feet and looked at the man that was supposedly the younger version of her papa. He was staring open mouthed at the fireplace where her Aunt Luna had just disappeared as if in shock the woman had truly left him.

Merlin help her, he didn't just look horrible, but the smell that overtook the entire study was so bad that it stung her eyes. Vi was certain that he hadn't showered in weeks because even at a distance she swore she could see the oder coming off his body. Empty bottles of firewhisky and filled ash trays were scattered about her beloved papa's study, not to mention the small plastic baggies and dirty needles laying about. Parchment, books, and other flammable items were half heartedly stacked near the fireplace, almost as if he were asking to set the entire room to flames. Ink pots, broken quills, journals, and tomes lay scattered, as if he'd begun to use any of it and then just forgot where he'd put whatever he was using and instead of looking for it just started a new.

The disorder and filth he lived in was disturbing to say the least. Couldn't he even cast a Scourgify? She thought as she looked at the grime buildup on the window that she used to sit in and watch seals, orcas whales, dolphins, and sea turtles swimming at the surface of the North Sea. If it wasn't for the obviously hidden secret entrances being in the exact spots, then she would question if she was even in Nott Castle.

She wrinkled her nose, and straightened her spare pair of glasses that she'd put on. These ones didn't seem to fit just right, but that was fine, she could always adjust the fit once she got the chance. She'd made it a point to carry a few spare pairs of glasses on her at all times, ever since… Mum always said that having everything you might need was part of constant vigilance. Viola choked back a sob, her mum was here –alive– in this time…somewhere.

"So, you have another spliff? It's been a hell of a day," Scorp was saying, looking at their papa with a mixture of wonderment and confusion.

"Scorpius, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Vi hissed through her teeth, furious that her brother would encourage this behaviour.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we've only been thrown backwards through time damn near twenty years. And after we watched–"

"SHUT UP, SCORPIUS!" Vi shouted, her eyes flicking over the older man in the room. She couldn't think of him as her papa. He'd been the only stable thing they'd had in their lives in nearly two years. She just…couldn't see this broken person and believe they were one and the same, it seemed almost impossible with how far gone he was. He couldn't possibly be the papa she knew, there had to be some mistake, this man was hardly a man at all. Maybe the time turner had sent them to an alternate universe instead of backwards in their own timeline. Vi pondered this question as she watched the imposter patting his bare chest and pockets as if he were searching for something.

"Uh, I'll just let you two work this out…" Theo said, walking back over to his desk before opening the drawer and pulling out a small syringe filled with a brown substance. He tied off his arm just above his elbow and let the needle slide under his skin and injected the liquid into himself. The greasy man shuttered as the drugs took effect and he let out a sigh of relief.

"We need to get out of here," she tried to keep her voice low, however it still came out shrill as she spoke to her twin. Vi's eyes kept gazing back towards Theo whose body was now shaking from whatever he'd injected himself with. "Look at him, he's not going to be able to help us, he can't help himself."

"And where exactly are you proposing we go?" Scorp replied, his hazel eyes watching the other wizard as he walked over to his hidden stash and pulled out three new joints before putting the box back. "At least here I can get stoned and forget what a fucking nightmare this day has been, and maybe he'll be able to get us to see mum and dad and surly they'll be able to help us."

"Are you fucking kidding me!? You can't get high with him," Vi said, looking over her shoulder at the man who had removed the tie off his arm and had one of the spliffs lit between his fingers, taking a deep inhale. "Come on," Vi urged her brother, but he only shrugged his shoulders in response and ambled over to where Theo was now sitting on the ground with his legs sticking out in front of him.

Scorp's nose scrunched up as he got closer to Theo, but he sat down nonetheless holding out his hand as Theo passed the joint to his son without hesitation.

"I can't…" Vi said, backing away, the tears pricking at her eyes from watching her beloved papa's face in the body of a shell of the man she knew him to be. Without any thought, she pulled out her wand from the little beaded bag she always carried on her and disapparated without another word.

She stumbled upon her landing, her breaths coming in shallow as she attempted to get her bearings. The sea air whipped Viola's face as she stood up straight and looked out at the lush green landscape and the clear blue water in front of her. She instantly recognized the island as the one that was the home of the Zabini family, even though it had been years since anyone had lived there. Or, well, years for her.

"Hello," a voice startled the teenage witch from her thoughts and she turned around to see who had spoken to her.

"Hello…?" She asked, looking at the boy now in front of her. His black hair was sticking up in the back and his eyes were the brightest shade of green she'd ever seen. He had freckles that speckled over his nose and stood out against his ivory skin. Viola couldn't help but think that he looked oddly familiar…

"Are you a veela?" He asked, eyes wide and mouth slightly hanging open, not seeming to be alarmed at all by her unannounced presence on this private island.

"Er, no," she said, looking over the boy trying to place where she might know him from.

"I'm Albus, by the way, Albus Potter," he held out his hand and Vi felt like someone had sucked all the air from her lungs. No, this can not be happening.

Without another word to the boy, Vi spun on the spot again and disapparated with a crack, landing outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. "PIPPA!" She called out as she fell to her knees gasping. "PIPPA!"

The little house elf with large indigo eyes landed with a 'pop' in front of Vi. "Pippa, oh Pippa, where is Grand-Mère? Please, please, I need her. Everything is so very, very wrong." Vi sobbed, the tears she'd been holding back all day, finally breaking through at the sight of the only familiar creature who was the same as she remembered.

"Missy knows Pippa, but Pippa doesn't know Missy," the elf said, her long bony fingers gently patting Vi's back.

"Grand-Mère, please, I need, I need Grand-Mère," Vi continued to beg the little elf when suddenly…

"Pippa? Who do we–oh my, sweet girl," Vi looked up, her vision clouded because at some point in her hysterics her ill fitting glasses had fallen from her face, but she knew who was standing in front of her regardless. She didn't need to be able to see the witch to know–

"Grand-Mère!" Vi cried out, scrambling to her feet and leaning forwards, falling into the warm embrace that she'd craved so often over the past two years. Vi continued to mutter and cry, unable to string even two more words together.

"It's okay, sweet girl," the elder witch said, her voice soothing, but causing Vi to cry even harder. "Come along, into the house we go. I think first a shower and some clean robes. Then we can get tea and biscuits together for you and perhaps if you'd like I could read you a story. Have you ever heard of 'Alice in Wonderland?' It's one of my favourites."

...

Back at Nott Castle

"So, you're my kid?" Theo asked, taking another hit from the spliff between his fingers. The heroin that he'd injected was finally taking hold and giving some pain relief to his body after the explosion from the time turner mishap. When he crashed into the wall, he must have cracked a rib or two. Now he was feeling it, and was thankful for the drugs to take the edge off.

"Yup," Scorpius answered, accepting the rolled marijuana cigarette from Theo. The boy breathed in deeply and held his breath, letting the smoke roll through his lungs, looking forward to the high that would be calming him. Scorpius' heart felt like it was going to burst in his chest. Today had just been too much even by the standards of his life.

"I fucked your mum," Theo thought aloud, not use to having living breathing company in his study to reply back to his every word.

"Yup," the blonde teen took another hit before relinquishing control of the spliff.

"Cool."

"Yup. Though," Theo turned his head to look at Scorpius, smoke billowing out from between his lips as the boy spoke, "to be fair, you were madly, sickeningly even, in love. If that helps any."

Theo held the joint in his fingers, pausing before taking another drag. As he released his breath, he said, "I don't think I can love, and definitely no one has ever loved me." Theo handed over the spliff again, closing his eyes and letting the calm wash over him.

"Not yet, but they will." Scorpius took another deep inhale and blew smoke rings, watching them slowly disintegrate just like his whole life up to this point had.

...

Department of Mysteries, The Office of Unspeakable Nott (or, what's left of it)

The Ministry of Magic, London

"All I'm saying is first your mother shows up saying we have a son and now Theo Nott is calling on us to meet him in his office. There is something strange happening and I'm going to find out what it is." Granger was saying as they stood outside the partly charred door that acted as the threshold to Theo's office. "Plus what do you mean Blaise got a cryptic message from Luna. Tell me again what she said."

"Granger," Draco warned in a low growl as he raised his hand and knocked on the door, his knuckles coming back covered in soot that he had to wipe on his robes.

"Fine, fine, fine. But, you have to admit this is all very peculiar. I don't know that I've ever even spoken to Theodore Nott in my life. Not even when we got paired for projects, he would just hand his half to me without ever uttering a single word." Hermione rocked on her heels, her Auror badge on full display at the waistband of her pencil skirt, her Auror robes hanging open. "I remember he came in second to me overall, but beat the pants off me consistently in Charms practicals."

"I almost bested you in potions, if you remember," Draco joked as he nudged her attempting to play off just how nervous he was about coming face to face with his old friend.

"Only because Snape was your Godfather and gave you private lessons over every holiday, if he hadn't been so biased against Gryffindors–" Hermione stopped speaking as the door opened and the unholy fucking smell hit them. Draco struggled to stay professional and not cover his nose, but couldn't stop the gagging sound he made.

"Mr. Nott, I'm Auror Granger and this is my partner, Auror Healer Malfoy. We were told that you requested a meeting with us, is this a good time?" Hermione had put on her professional face, and as she stood there with her back straight and a hard look in her eyes, only Draco knew her well enough to see that she was struggling just as hard as him to not react to the sight and smell of their old classmate.

"Oh, thank Merlin's tits, you're here." Theo exclaimed, doing one of the stupidest things he could have, and reaching out and dragging them into his office. They'd hardly crossed into the space before Hermione had twisted the fool's arm, causing him to scream in pain as she pinned him to the ground, her knee pressed into his back and her wand drawn and pointed at the brunette wizard.

"I'd suggest you keep your hands off me and where I can see them," Granger threatened, her voice low.

"Fuck, Granger, he's bleeding," Draco said, pulling his wand happy partner off the emaciated wizard. "He has a bloody broken rib sticking through his side! Fuck, Nott, hey, it's me, Malfoy, can you hear me?" Draco asked, getting down on the ground and shining his lit wand in Theo's eyes. The brunette's pupils were blown wide, clearly he was on some sort of drug. Draco cursed under his breath before looking up at Granger. "I don't feel comfortable moving him to Mungo's in the state he's in without a portkey, I'll have to heal him here until he's come down from whatever he's on."

"Good lord, what did he do to himself?" Hermione's gasp could be heard as Draco finished opening the shirt Theo was wearing the rest of the way, exposing the scarred tissue across his abs, chest, rib cage, and sides.

"I'd glamour them for you Granger so I don't offend your delicate sensibilities, but blood loss makes it hard to hold the spell." Theo winced as he spoke, still trying to keep the cocky look on his face. "You act like everyone's father did not take a bullwhip to them on the regular while they were growing up. Then again, Thoros Nott was a special type of evil bastard so maybe not everyone's father did beat them to hell and back on the regular."

Granger's eyes were wide with shock at Theo's confession to the physical abuse he'd sustained as a boy. The Theo Nott that Draco had known growing up had never spoken so openly about the abuse he'd received at the hands of his father, so it begged the question of whether Theo even realised that he was speaking aloud or not. Draco turned back to the injured wizard who was looking at him, slowly blinking his eyes as if in a daze.

"He didn't do this to himself," Draco told Hermione, not looking away from Theo's body. "This is going to hurt, a great deal do you understand?"

"Go for it, mate." Theo muttered the consent and Draco waved his wand casting a surgical grade cleansing spell on the affected area, righting the rib that was sticking out his childhood friend's side. To his credit, Theo only groaned with a slight discomfort as the bone slid back into place and his skin stitched itself back together. Though, it most likely was all the drugs he was on and not some sort of self control or unnaturally high pain tolerance Draco realized.

Draco waved his wand over the sickly looking man to run a diagnostic and was alarmed as a healer as results began lighting up. "Good lord, Theo, you need to be in the hospital, for a month at least." Broken bones that had reset wrong, a punctured lung that was crudely healed, malnutrition, dehydration, his white blood cell count was high (indicating that he had an infection somewhere, if not multiple places), and the list of drugs that were currently coursing through his system should have put him in a coma.

"Hm, I like the way my name sounds on his lips. Been too long." Draco was dumbfounded at the confession, but only for a moment before he reasoned with himself that it was probably the blood loss talking and not Theo. Draco reached into his healer bag and unstoppered a blood replenishing potion, pouring in Theo's mouth and massaging the wizard's throat to force him to swallow.

"Fuck…" A voice that Draco didn't recognize spoke from behind him causing Draco to look over his shoulder to see who the bystander to this madness was.

A boy, no older than twenty was standing against the wall. His hazel eyes were opened wide in surprise and a bit bloodshot. He was looking at Draco as if he were seeing a ghost. Draco, on the other hand, was looking at the boy as if he were looking into a pensieve at himself from his teenage years. The resemblance between them was uncanny.

"Dad?" His eyes flickered over to Granger, who was also now looking at the kid with her mouth hanging open. "Mum?" The younger blonde dropped to his knees in front of them, tears falling from his eyes as his head swivelled back and forth, not knowing who to look at. "Y-y-you're here. You're alive."

Granger was the first to recover from her shock, and she cleared her throat, and spoke in her very swotty way. "Hello, young man. My name is Auror Granger and this," she motioned towards Draco, "is Auror Healer Malfoy. Would you mind telling us your name and what you're doing in this office?"

"Mum…" the boy murmured again, seemingly not understanding what Hermione had asked of him.

"His name is Scorpius Malfoy-Nott, I brought him with me from my house." Theo said, sitting up, though he did wince in the process and was holding his side. "He's from the future, he landed in Luna's office at her dad's old place so she brought him and his sister to me at my home office. Apparently, he's our son and his sister, uh, Viola, is our daughter. That's why I asked you to come here."

"I think you might have taken too many drugs today, Nott." Draco said, but even as he said it, Draco was startled again. The younger blonde looked like what he'd imagined his son would look like if he were to have one with Granger. He certainly didn't want her to know he'd imagined their hypothetical children before, but this one clearly was not hypothetical. The slightly wavy hair, the hazel eyes reflecting the same gold flecks that she had in her own brown, and a few freckles scattered on his arms–all little indications of who his mother was, while still being unquestionably Draco's.

"It's true, Malfoy, I swear I'm not making any of it up." Theo said, stopping to cough, making Draco turn his attention fully back to the man on the floor.

"Familia Revelio," Draco's head snapped up to find Hermione with her wand trained on the boy, who went from looking stunned and confused to terrified as he clamoured off the floor and backed into a wall, attempting to flee from Granger's wand pointing at him.

"Granger, what the fuck are you doing!?" Draco hissed, after shoving a potion down Theo's throat that would help heal some of the internal damage to his lungs that he'd surely sustained at some point, either today or an older untreated injury.

Before she could answer a light shot out of the boy's chest, two gold strands weaving their way through the room until they were connected to both Draco and Hermione. Draco dropped the empty vial, the glass making a loud tinkling sound as it hit the hardwood floor of the office. Draco eyed the strand connecting him and this child, knowing that there was no denying that this was in fact his direct descendant.

"Mum…?"

"I don't believe it," Granger said, waving her wand again, dismissing the proof instantly before training her wand back on the scared boy. "What potion or charm have you taken or performed on yourself to trick that spell. I would know if I'd ever given birth and I most certainly have not, so explain yourself."

"For fucks' sake, Granger! Lower your wand! He's just a boy!" Draco yelled, jumping in front of the witch, his arms spread wide to try and shield Scorpius from her.

"Have you lost your mind, Draco!? There is something strange going on here and I intend to find out exactly what that something is. Now get out of the way!" She shouted at him, never lowering her wand or taking her eyes off the teen standing with his hands up in the corner of the room.

"He has your eyes, Granger! Look at him! There is no potion or charm that can fool that spell and you know it! He's our direct descendant, as proven by your own spell, and we owe it to him to allow him a chance at explaining what happened! A chance to explain how he came to be here."

"Lots of people have brown eyes, Draco! That doesn't prove anything, he might even be Polyjuiced or something." If she didn't have her wand pointed at the teen boy, Granger would have had her arms crossed and would be stomping her foot. Draco normally would have found her stubbornness adorable, if she wasn't being bloody difficult.

"My name is Scorpius Draco Theodore Malfoy-Nott, I was born on the third of January 2015 to Hermione, Draco, and Theodore Malfoy-Nott. I am the biological son of Hermione and Draco, my twin sister, Viola Hermione Alexandria Malfoy-Nott is the biological daughter of Hermione and Theodore. My father, Theo, sent me back from the future where the Third Wizarding War is taking place. The leader of the New Order is Ted Lupin along with James and Albus Potter and my Papa serving as the senior leadership attempting to take down The Black Empress and her army. Our safehouse was compromised, and with no other option available, my Papa sent myself and Vi back with a time turner from the ninth of May 2032 to today." By the end of his speech, the boy–Scorpius–was looking much more self confident and was standing up straighter. His face had even transformed into a sneer as he eyed the wand Granger still had pointed at him with disgust. "I'd appreciate it, if you'd lower your wand, Hermione." He spat her given name with revulsion, his eyes flickered up to her face and back down to her wand–even going as far as to raise his pierced eyebrow defiantly.

"How do we know what you're saying is true and that you aren't an imposter?" Granger asked, still not lowering her Vinewood wand.

"Granger," Draco growled, trying to calm the witch.

"No, Draco. I used a bloody time turner when I was fourteen years old. Trust me when I say I know how the damn things work, when they were still able to be used, because they haven't been in working order since 1996 as they're stuck in an endless loop. They work by going back hours, not years. Hell, even if you could manage to go back a year, which you can't, your body, mind, and magical core would sustain such horrible damage that one would most likely be dead from organ failure or be in a permanent vegitative state. Believe what you want, but I'm not going to just blindly trust someone who just happens to look like you," Granger snapped.

There was no way his kid was going to tell us what he knew with Granger being so aggressive. And this was precisely why whenever they had a case involving children, Granger handed the reins over to him. She was not exactly the warm maternal type and dealt better with adults.

"Papa gave everything to Vi and Vi's not here." The now cocky boy said, rolling his shoulders back and dropping the sneer, replacing it with a smirk similar to one that Draco remembered perfecting in a mirror as a boy. "I'm just an irresponsible playboy. It is not my job to keep track of shit, I'm here to look pretty and be the heir to the Malfoy fortune. I don't have any proof with me, you'll have to wait until you see my sister for all of that. I just thought I ought to warn you that Harry Potter is dead and with his death, the first domino to a shit future has already fallen. If you'd like to avoid the depths of hell that I've just come from, then you might want to get to work on tracking down the actual criminals, Auror Granger." In a bold move, Scorpius pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the fireplace–one that had various bricks missing with numerous empty holes that should have made the entire thing unstable–and picked up the bag of floo powder.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other places to be. MALFOY MANOR!" He shouted before walking into the emerald flames without any resistance and was gone.

"He can't just leave!" Granger cried in outrage as she ran forward to try and follow him through the floo. Only, instead of being able to enter Draco's ancestral home, Granger found herself hitting a wall, unable to go any further. "Draco, what the fuck is happening? Why can't I get through?"

"Oh, uh, unless the wards are altered, you can't just get into the manor without an invitation. He's clearly a Malfoy by blood, so he can get through."

"He must be an illegitimate son of Lucuis's. That or another one of your cousins, like Luna." Hermione stated, turning back to face Draco, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

"My father and Pandora were the only children Abraxas had and I can assure you, Granger, that I am an only child." Draco said, rolling his eyes looking at his partner. "Seriously, he just told you that Potter's dead and you're more concerned about how he got through the Malfoy wards?"

"Harry is not dead, we just saw him at work the other day."

"We haven't seen him since he disappeared after his speech at the victory ball, and I told you Blaise just got that weird message from Luna when we were at lunch and that he had to run off." Draco leaned against Theo's desk, crossing his feet at the ankle and his arms over his chest, making himself look more at ease than he felt. "You can't be so dense that you're refusing to believe that something could have happened to Potter out of sheer stubbornness or stupidity on his part, honestly witch, you need to think!"

"You know as well as I do that Harry's probably off in some muggle dive bar like he always is when he doesn't have the kids. Are you going to get me through the damn Malfoy wards or not?"

"Oh, I'm not going near my mother again right now. As many questions as that kid raises, there's no way I'm facing a Narcissa Malfoy who's just been handed what she'll believe as living breathing proof to her claims that we had a kid in her lap."

"Are you fucking with me, Malfoy?" Draco grimaced and shook his head. As much as Hermione clearly wanted to get her hands on Scorpius again, he wasn't about to help her. At least, not right now. Draco thought it better that he go alone, and without the pressure of Hermione Granger's wrath coming with him when he did so. He may be an Auror working in a field healer role, but he was still a qualified investigator. Their son – because that's who he obviously was – wasn't going to provide any information to Granger while she was being so confrontational with him. Honestly, Draco didn't blame the boy. She was demonstrating the same infuriating attitude that she'd had in school that had pushed every single one of his buttons.

"Fine, then I'm going to go check in with Ginny and make sure that she's not having a fit. When you finally grow a spine and can face your mother, talk with that kid and find out more about what the hell is going on." Hermione brushed past him and without even a glance back his way, she tossed a handful of floo powder and called out 'Zabini Cottage,' before disappearing.

Draco looked at the empty hearth, the coals still glowing green from Granger's recent and very abrupt exit. A throat being cleared pulled Draco's thoughts away from the boy that looked so like him and back to the man still sprawled out on the dysfunctional office's floor.

"Well, Auror or not, might not be wise for you to stick around. The Head Unspeakable can get a bit tetchy when non-Unspeakables are left to their own devices down here." Theo pressed his palm to the floor and winced as he tried to lift himself, "mind giving me a hand, Malfoy? Rib's still a bit sore."

Their hands touched, Draco pulling the other wizard to his feet, and the blonde couldn't stop himself when he wiped away the filth from Theo onto his outer robes. The action didn't seem to offend Lord Nott, though, who only chuckled as he walked over to his desk, pulling the bloodied shirt off his shoulders and tossing it to the floor where it landed with a 'splat'.

Opening one of his drawers, Theo rummaged around until he seemed to find what he was looking for, pulling out a lime green floral button up short sleeve shirt. He sniffed it, before making a face and pulling it on, wrinkles and stains clearly visible on the hideous garment.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" Draco asked, staring open mouthed at the dried blood still visible on Theo's abdomen since he hadn't buttoned up the shirt, wearing it just as he had the previous one.

"I have a few errands to run since I'm in London, anyway." Theo said, actually winking, winking,

at Draco. "I do wish you luck with all this," he waved his hand in the air. "I'm the only person who can apparate in and out of this office and once I'm gone the floo locks, just so you know."

"You're not coming to the Manor with me?" Draco asked, unable to comprehend the strange turn of events his life was rapidly taking.

Instead of going towards the floo, Theo walked backwards doing bloody finger guns in Draco's direction. "Oh no, I told you, I have errands to run. So, all the luck to you with Granger, hope you find Potter. I'll get a hold of you later, yeah?"

"I genuinely hope one of your stops is a bathhouse," Draco said, only making Theo laugh. It wasn't a joke, the smell coming from him was enough that Draco was going straight to his flat to shower after this and burn the clothes he was wearing as Draco had doubts there was a strong enough cleaning charm to get the stench out. Without another word, Theo turned on the spot and was gone.

"And they say I'm going to end up with him…"

...

Zabini Cottage,

Samson, the Isle of Scilly in Cornwall

"Aunt Hermione!" She'd hardly stepped through the floo before a little raven haired boy crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her legs. "I saw a veela today! Or, at least I think she was a veela. James says that veela are the most beautiful creatures and that's why Uncle Bill follows Aunt Fleur around and why Teddy does the same with Victoire, since they're both part veela."

Hermione looked down into the bright green eyes that reminded her so much of her old friend and ruffled her godson's hair. "Sure, Al, if you say so," Hermione scoffed to herself. Al was such a sweetheart, the thought of this kid helping lead a resistance was laughable at best. "Do you know where your mum and mama are by chance? I just thought I'd stop real quick to say hullo."

"Oh, sure, they're in their sitting room. Blaise is back there too, he silenced the room and they haven't come out since. Flick helped James get out the brooms so me, him, Cole, and Lance can fly. Selene was throwing a fit saying that she can fly better than Lance since she's older, but–"

"You know Al, I think I hear your brothers calling for you," Hermione fibbed. It wasn't that she didn't love talking to the boy, it was just, if you didn't cut him off, he'd never stop talking.

"Right on, alright, well, see you later Aunt Hermione!" The excited boy called, waving as he ran off to find his brothers.

Exhausting, that was the best way to describe the Zabini Cottage. The island that Blaise had purchased had this 'cottage,' an Italian style villa with more than twenty bedrooms. The magical home had already been built and the Italian wizard declared it to be the perfect place to raise his ever growing family. The muggle repellent charms in place made it appear as if the island was uninhabited, their property appearing to be just the remains of old stone cottages. There was a full sized quidditch pitch, an in-ground pool, and tennis courts. That wasn't even to mention the private beach the family could enjoy, the open meadow and the industrial sized playground that was also on the island. Yes, this island had anything and everything that this family of eleven (and counting) could need.

As the front door slammed shut, Hermione turned and walked the familiar path down the long hall that led to the grand staircase. It was on the second floor where all the bedrooms were located. Even though there were multiple wings to this seaside mansion, the three parents to all these children preferred everyone to sleep close to them.

The boys – James, Albus, Cole, and Lancelot–shared a set of rooms while the girls – Lily, Selene, Ember, and Delia – had their own separate wing. It was hard to believe that in a few short weeks they would be adding another three children to this madness. Hermione had long ago decided that she did not want to have children of her own, and being a godmother to every child that Blaise, Ginny, and Luna had was more than enough to scratch whatever minimal maternal itch she might have. Her own mother had never been particularly affectionate, that was an understatement really, as Jean Granger had often been neglectful towards the daughter she'd never wanted. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, was never going to take on something that she thought she'd be bollocks at. Children deserved mums like Ginny and Luna, not like her.

Her mind wandered back to the boy, who claimed that he was her own. Hell, even that spell indicated that he was hers, and as his birthday slipped from his lips and being told that he was seventeen by Narcissa, Hermione was in all honesty, terrified. She very much doubted that he was a time traveller from almost twenty years in the future, as that was just not possible with the limitations of the devices, before they'd been rendered ineffective.

If he was born in January, that would mean that she would have fallen pregnant with him in April or May of her fourth year. And if what he were saying was true, she also had a biological daughter with Theo Nott – someone who she'd never spoken more than four words to prior to today. For Godric's sake, she'd been a virgin fourth year, unless everything she remembered was a lie?

She'd erased her entire existence from her parents' minds, and that was nineteen, almost twenty years of memories (including her mother's pregnancy). Thus, the possibility of having an entire person erased from one's mind wasn't a question of if it was possible. Because it was, she'd in fact done it herself at only seventeen-years-old, flawlessly in fact. The boy was evidence that she did have a biological son – one that she did not recall a pregnancy for nor a delivery of. His birthday was over winter holiday and because of Umbridge, Hermione had left Hogwarts and she'd spent it with The Order. Going to St. Mungo regularly to visit Arthur Weasley, or at least that's what she remembered now.

What if – and she wouldn't put it past the dead todger – what if Dumbledore had known of her pregnancy and not only kidnapped her children, but also obliviated her and the fathers? Erasing away all memories of her pregnancy and time with Draco and Nott, and covered the entire thing up. Nott, she remembered Draco saying that he'd started using drugs their fifth year – what if Dumbledore messing with his mind had been what had started his addiction? What if the reason she hadn't wanted children was because Dumbledore had removed core memories from her developing psyche? Yes, her parents had been neglectful and emotionally abusive, but lots of people move on after such a childhood to want to have children of their own, what if Dumbledore had stolen that from her?

She had been a fool and trusted Dumbledore implicitly and spent time at the bloody headquarters, where he was a frequent visitor. He easily could have cornered her, especially since she was staying there when the twins would have been born. Nott, well according to Draco he had been in and out of St. Mungo's until Voldemort's return, Healers wouldn't have thought twice of a headmaster coming to visit an ill pupil.

Draco, he was the only questionable one of how Dumbledore would have obliviated him. Then again, Snape was his godfather and Dumbledore had Snape under his thumb. Fuck, and they both were long since dead and the only person who could reverse an obliviate was the caster. It seemed that fate was cruel, as she had removed herself from her parents' memories and lives, someone had removed her children from hers. That someone being Albus Dumbledore, of that much she was positive.

He not only had the motive to do so, but he had the power. The probability was making her anxious and she'd been lashing out all day, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She was now more glad than ever that she'd never bothered restoring her parents' memories, leaving them blissfully unaware of her existence. Unlike her, they were happier not knowing of the child they'd accidentally created. If these were her children, Hermione was really pissed off that they'd been stolen from her.

She'd finally reached the familiar parlour and knocked—knowing that they would hear from the other side, regardless of the silencing spell. After a very short wait, Hermione was face to face with the Italian wizard that she'd grown so close to over the years. "Blaise," she greeted him, his brows drawn in a very unfamiliar way. His normally cheerful eyes, instead looking worried, "can I come in?"

"I think it's best you do, I'll give you ladies some space. I wanted to go find James and Al, spend a bit of time with them anyway." He said, stepping back in the room and walking over to where his wives were, Ginny sat with her feet up, her hugely pregnant belly sticking out in front of her. He kissed each witch on the lips, gently rubbing both of their bellies before nodding towards Hermione and disappearing.

"We think Harry might be dead, Hermione. I need you to start looking for him. Luna said she was told he was killed after the victory ball and that makes sense, since he got bloody shit faced then left. Idiot would have been an easy target." Hermione watched as Ginny struggled to sit before giving up and rolling to her side instead, letting out a sigh of relief as the babies were no longer pressing against her lungs.

"Did you meet your children then?" Luna asked, her head tilted to the side, "did they tell you about Harry and that's why you're here?"

"Hello Ginny, Luna," Hermione said instead of answering the blonde witch's question, and asked one of her own. "Luna, are you expecting again?"

"Oh yes, little Pandora will be here the fifth of January, but enough about your goddaughter. Tell me, how did it feel meeting your children from the future?" Luna clapped her hands and one of the elves popped in with a tray of tea, biscuits, fruit, lasagna, a jar of peanut butter, BLT sandwiches, and a banana split before popping out again. "Peanut butter?" The blonde offered, gesturing towards the jar.

"Er, no thanks. If you're talking about that Malfoy boy, then yes I did. Nott called myself and Draco to his office and had him in the DOM. Nott was a right mess, had a bone sticking out of his side when we walked in." Luna's eyes, of course, lit up at the mention of her friend while Ginny only groaned (either in discomfort or annoyance at the mention of her wife's best friend, possibly both).

"Now, we're not just going to take the boy's word for it. I promise you, we'll find out what really happened to Harry and why he hasn't been in contact with any of us for a week. I will find him and everything is going to be okay." Hermione heard the venom in her voice while talking about a child who couldn't be anything other than her son. As much as she hated herself for blaming him for his existence, she couldn't seem to hold it back, making her just as bad as her own parents.

"I think you need to ask Scorpius and Viola what they know, Hermione. It will be the fastest way to find Harry's body. I haven't felt his connection to the boys recently, and I initially feared that it was because of the drink, but if he's dead it makes much more sense now." Luna said, her thumb rubbing over the top of Ginny's hand in a comforting motion.

"Luna…You can't honestly believe that they're really from the future."

"You of all people should believe that they're from the future, Hermione. Seeing as you yourself have experience with time travel and time manipulation, you know what is possible better than most."

"While that may be true, those were mere hours that I was going back in order to take extra classes, not coming back years to rewrite the future. Oh, come off it, Luna, the boy was suggesting that he was from almost two decades in the future. Be reasonable."

"Be reasonable? Was the girl not proof enough that what they said was the truth? She wore your leather jacket, had your beaded handbag. Not to mention that she's the spitting image of you with a bit of Theo sprinkled in." Hermione was a bit taken back by the forcefulness of how Luna spoke, as she'd only ever heard her get like this when defending Theo Nott.

"There was no girl, Luna. Just some boy, who looked like he's probably your cousin or something." Hermione exclaimed, her tone begging her friend to stop arguing with her, she couldn't handle this right now. She did not want to admit what an absolute arse she'd been, but at the same time she was in shock at what had most possibly been done to her seventeen years ago.

"Nonsense, Draco's my only first cousin from my mother. Uncle and my mother were grandfather's only children and uncle only ever sired Draco, it's part of the Malfoy curse to only be able to have legitimate children once married. Though, I suppose uncle could have sired a bastard child before he wed Narcissa. They were only fifteen at the time of their bonding though, so I do doubt it." Hermione dropped her head into her hands as she let out an exasperated breath.

"What did you say to that poor boy, Hermione?"

Hermione only looked up at Luna, before the blonde was on her feet and storming towards the older witch, her finger shaking as she pointed it in Hermione's face. "Hermione Jean, you don't have to be Rowena Ravenclaw to see that what they say is the truth. They just watched Theo, who in their time is their beloved father, die before they were thrown back almost twenty years! They watched you, their mother, and Draco, their other father, die! For as smart as you are, you really struggle with seeing exactly what you need to, even when it's right in front of your face. Your stubbornness is going to be the death of you and me!" Luna turned on her heels and stalked back over to her seat next to Ginny before sitting and lifting the jar of peanut butter, dipping a spoon inside and taking a bite.

Ginny's eyes drifted closed as a stream of tears dribbled down her cheek, "Please Hermione. You just need to find him. I don't care if it sounds crazy or if you swear it can't be true. If what those kids are saying is correct, then Harry is dead and I'm going to have to tell my oldest children that their father is gone." She sniffled as Luna leaned in, carefully dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I'll find out, Ginny. I swear it." Hermione said, as she watched the two Zabini wives. The care which Luna gave Ginny, made Hermione's heart swell. Her redheaded friend had been through so much, and to see her in such a loving and committed marriage at last, made Hermione willing to do anything to keep her happy. Even if it meant calming her temper and speaking to Scorpius again to find out what he might know about the disappearance of Harry Potter.

...

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire

"Mother!" Draco called out, stepping into the receiving room of his childhood home. A little pop signalled the arrival of his mother's personal elf who gave a low bow. She wore a lilac coloured ruffled dress that came to her knees and a real golden tiara adorned with precious gems that was somehow staying perfectly positioned on the elf's bald head between her large batlike ears.

"Lord Malfoy, shall Pippa inform my lady that you has arrived?" Draco rubbed his eyes, already sensing his mother's irritation with him through her elf.

"Please don't call me that, Pippa," Draco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose when the cheeky little thing gave another low bow to him. "Can you just tell me where I might find my mother?"

"You'll find my lady reading in the library with her guest, is there anything else that my Lordship needs from Pippa?" Draco's only answer was to narrow his eyes at the irritating creature before she shrugged her shoulders and popped away. He'd free the elf, he swore to all four founders, Merlin and Circe that one day he'd finally have enough of her sass and he'd free her.

In fresh robes–because yes he did indeed go back to his flat and burn what he'd been wearing after a long scalding hot shower. He walked at a much brisker pace than he typically did when calling on his mother, determined to find her and her newest house guest. The Malfoy Library was a thing of legend and more than half the reason he swore Granger had even struck up a friendship with him in their eighth year. Coming to the grand mahogany doors (that slowly opened as soon as he stepped forwards), he thought to himself that he'd probably have to bribe the witch with a week's pass to save himself from being cursed seven ways next time he saw her.

"Mother," he called out, walking past the giant directory and into the maze of shelves towards his mother and Granger's favourite spot to read. The little sitting area was positioned right next to a large bay window that overlooked the pasture that the Abraxans grazed in. The soft whinnies could be heard through the glass as the giant winged horses ran and played at all times of the year bringing great joy to both women. So much so that Draco had recently expanded the stables to also house unicorns in the near future.

"Ah, mother, there you–" Draco stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him. Curled up, with her head in his mother's lap was Granger. Well, not Granger, but someone who looked as if she could be her sister–or daughter. Her damp curls hung loose, her face contorted as if she were having a nightmare before his mother would run her fingers through her hair and the girl would calm again. The robes she wore were clearly his mother's as they hung a bit past her feet and were too long in the arms, but when the girl whimpered and snuggled in closer to his mother, he could no longer see the overly large robes and only saw… "Viola?"

"A grandson and a granddaughter, all in one day. Though, I've since learned that their conception and birth is a bit more complex than it initially appeared." Narcissa said, running her fingers through the damp curls again, "the poor dear was so scared she requested that I sit with her while she showered, afraid to be alone even for that short amount of time.

"I'm not alive when they come from, so I think seeing me came as a bit of a shock to them both." Narcissa looked up at her son, her eyes sad as she spoke, "they've lived through true horrors, and all things considered, it's taken its toll."

"So you believe that they're your grandchildren? You believe that I have children with Hermione and Nott?" Draco asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Of course, they're your children, Draco Malfoy. Don't play coy, I can see in your eyes that you know the truth as well as I do," she scolded, looking back down at the sleeping girl in her lap. "The tapestry doesn't lie. It must have picked up their magical signatures the moment they came back in time."

At that, the sound of the library doors opening and closing echoed through the room. Draco turned and saw Scorpius walking out of the stack a few moments later. The boy was wearing what appeared to be Draco's old clothes. But instead of the pristine condition that he'd always dressed in, his son had ripped the sleeves off the black dress shirt and cut the black dress slacks right above the knee, turning them into shorts, and his feet were clad in only a pair black socks.

"Oh joy, you're here. Come to call me a liar some more?" The boy walked right past Draco to sit next to his sister and glared in his father's direction. Narcissa also narrowed her eyes, and any lingering doubts that this was not his child were washed away. The resemblance between grandmother and grandson was uncanny.

His whole life, Draco had been told that he looked exactly like his father, but the truth of the matter was that he very closely resembled his mother. And it showed in this moment through his son.

"To be fair, I didn't call you a liar. That was all Granger," Draco said, trying to take some of the blame off himself while simultaneously trying to calm his mother before she got more upset with him.

"You didn't stop her either."

"I don't know what she's like in the future, but there is no stopping this Granger when she has her mind set on something."

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "She's dead in my time, so I'm not really sure how she treated other adults. I mean she's nothing like my mum was. She was Head Auror before she died, so I suppose you're right in that nothing can stop her once she decides to do something."

"Granger is the Head Auror?" Draco asked, not entirely shocked by this information. She'd only been passed up for the job in favour of Potter when Robards had retired. It really had only been because he was the Chosen One. While he'd been a decent Auror before his drinking had gotten out of hand, Granger had always surpassed him in every way, making his promotion still a bit of an upset.

"Was, was the Head Auror, the two of you died when I was fifteen, the Black Empress had you both publicly executed as examples of what would happen to families like ours. Mixing blood status is worthy of the death penalty. Anyway, the future is a shit show and now I'm stuck back in the past with a mother who refuses to believe I'm her son, an addict for a father, and another father who – well, I haven't exactly figured you out yet, Draco." Scorpius sat back leaning his head against the couch, his thigh touching his sister, and a hand resting on her back.

"You've mentioned the Black Empress twice now, who is she?" Draco asked, his stomach clenching in fear that his aunt might have somehow found how to claw her way out of whatever shallow grave she'd been tossed in.

"Not a clue what her real name is, but she's the one who killed Harry Potter. Remember I'm just the playboy Malfoy heir. It's not my job to know anything. Besides, Teddy Lupin is no Albus Dumbledore. Children don't fight for the New Order. I wouldn't have been allowed to join until next year after completing my education—that's assuming I lived that long." Scorpius blew his bangs out of his eyes, looking at Draco with the cynicism of someone who's seen war and expected that he would die. Draco knew that look well enough, every young person who'd lived through the second Wizarding War had it. He'd seen it in his own eyes, in the mirror of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom in sixth year and it had stayed there until years later.

Horrified, Draco stared at his son and looked down at his sleeping daughter in consternation. Bloody hell. This was really happening. They were going to have to save the world … again.

Author's Notes: Warnings for Chapter 2: Murder/Death and mentions there of, blood, medical procedures, mentioned child abuse, pregnancy, drug use, graphic depiction of a corpse.