Chapter 3:
Chapter 3: Club Bliss & The Disappearance of Lily LunaSummary: In the OG Timeline, we discover the fate of Lily Luna Zabini and the aftermath that affects Scorpius and Viola. In the New Timeline, a new head of the DMLE is announced to the surprise of everyone who works there. Scorpius and Viola come face to face with someone they never dreamed of meeting again, and a couple unlikely people find out about the twins. Theo's errands go a smidgen awry and Draco discovers a bit more about who Theo Nott is now.
Notes: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. CW/TW at the end of the chapter (This is an especially dark one)
20th of September 2031;
Unplottable Safehouse, Kingston upon Thames
Viola and Scorpius huddled close to each other as they watched their Uncle Blaise frantically pace back and forth, his eyes hard as he stared at the ground. The only sound in the safe house was coming from the ticking of the grandfather clock's hands, making time feel as though it were crawling. The seconds felt more like minutes, and each minute an hour or more; it was truly maddening. Their uncle stomped his foot in frustration, causing both twins to jump in their seats and hold each other closer.
"They should have been back by now," Blaise muttered to no one, his eyes flickering towards his watch before landing on the dark window as if it would get a clue to his children's whereabouts. Emotions were high, and both Vi and Scorp knew better than to say anything to the Italian wizard. The tension in the room was so thick that the twins wished that they were with their papa rather than here, as the waiting felt more dangerous than whatever project Theo Nott was working on.
"PAPA!" Vi's stomach sunk as she heard Al's scream echo through the bare townhouse. His familiar voice was ragged with despair, and it was without question that something had gone terribly wrong. The twins jumped from their positions on the couch and followed Blaise towards the kitchen where the team had just arrived. Even though they knew that as an underage witch and wizard, they weren't supposed to get involved, they couldn't help themselves. They had to know what was going on; what had happened on the mission to save Aunt Ginny's baby.
"–a trap, they knew we were coming. Someone who was privy to the mission told them–" James' tone was serious and bloodthirsty, causing a shiver to go up Scorpius' spine.
"–there were no signs of the baby–" Al was no-nonsense, his voice tight, trying to explain to his step-father, speaking over James.
"Papa, I'm so sorry…" Cole trailed off, his murmured apologies even more unsettling than what his brothers were already saying.
Scorpius stepped into the room and looked around at The New Order squad that had just arrived. James, Albus, Cole, and Lancelot were all standing in the kitchen, keeping the sole piece of furniture (a table) in the room between them and their father. Rory, the youngest of the Zabini brothers gathered at the moment, was only eighteen and was sitting on the ground, his head in his hands as tears ran down his face.
"What happened," Blaise shouted, slamming his hands on the table, making the rickety piece of furniture rattle and silencing the chatter of his sons. When none of the brothers spoke again, their father narrowed his eyes and hissed out, "I'm waiting." He turned his gaze directly at his eldest, who cleared his throat nervously at the glare being turned on him.
"It wasn't the Death Squad or Death Eaters, there's a new player." James finally answered, his red hair falling into his face, obscuring his hazel eyes from view. "This was no rescue mission, it was an ambush. Whoever it was, they knew we were coming and our weak points."
"Lily, where's Lily?" Blaise demanded of his sons, his voice low and dangerous as he counted the number of heads in the room, coming up short one. He scanned the space, identifying each of his children who had just returned. He searched for the long red haired woman, the only daughter of his that had gone tonight, and found that she was not accounted for.
"Where's Lily?" he asked again. It seemed the brothers' voices had failed them, as not a single one spoke up. "ANSWER ME!" their father bellowed, making all five men flinch. They may be men and every one of them a powerful wizard, but their father was still the most intimidating person of their acquaintance. None of his sons quite reached his six foot five inches, and when angry, Blaise was formidable.
"They took her, she was covering my seven and–"
"What do you mean they took her?" Blaise yelled, cutting Cole off. "Activate her tracker, we're going after her!"
"Papa, they cut it out–" Lance started to explain, but stepped back at Blaise's glare turning on him.
"They cut…her tracker…FLICK!" Blaise yelled, ignoring all safety protocols that had been designed to make sure that the House Elves were not endangered when they were summoned.
The tiny battered elf popped into existence, just as he was bound to do. "Master Blaise calls for Flick?" he asked, his voice croaking from lack of use.
"I need you to find Lily and bring her back here, now," Blaise demanded, his eyes never leaving his elf's.
Flick gave another bow and closed his eyes, readying himself to follow the order when his body phased out of sight just to be back again. With his eyes still closed, the elf titled his head as he reached out through his familial bond and a grimace crossed his face. "Flick can't go to Missy Lily, sir. Missy Lily has been bound to another, Missy Lily…Miss Lil…Missy…" The elf trailed off, "Missy Lily's Zabini family bond had been broken, sir. Missy Lily s-serves another."
"What do you mean Lily serves another?" Blaise asked, unable to keep the malice out of his voice, causing Flick to flinch away from his master.
"Ancient magics, sir. Flick cannot go to Missy as only bond left is Missy's bond to her new master–"
"LILY DOES NOT HAVE A MASTER!" Blaise shouted, as he flipped the table, throwing it into a wall. The flimsy piece of furniture shattered upon contact, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere, making everyone in the room hold their arms up to protect their faces.
"Papa!" Al said, stepping between the raging Italian and his cowering house elf. With his second eldest son's shout, Blaise seemed to finally come back to himself and realise that he was not alone while he caused his destruction of the tattered room. He looked over his sons again, finally noticing Vi and Scorp, hiding in the corner with their arms wrapped around each other while they watched this seemingly unflappable man lose his temper.
"I've got to go talk to your mother, this safe house may have been compromised, you'll all need to move. Lance, you and Rory go find Dora for calming draughts. Rory looks like he's gone into shock, quickly now. Cole, you'll come with me. James, meet with Ted to come up with a plan to find your sister, and Al, take the twins to Theo. I know he said he needed to work on something alone and it was dangerous, but I suspect he'll want to keep them close with what's just–happened."
A chorus of 'yes sirs' could be heard from all the men as they did as they were told, Blaise and Cole pulling their portkeys out to go to Luna. Lance put an arm under Rory, who's black hair hung in his eyes; he seemed to be becoming more catatonic as the moments ticked on and with a 'pop', the last of the Zabinis were gone, leaving James, Al, and the twins alone.
"Do you even know how to find Nott?" James asked his younger brother, ignoring the younger witch and wizard in the room.
"Fuck no, you think Nott is going to work on whatever bullshit he's up to his elbows in somewhere anyone could find him?" Al replied, his eyes flickering over to where the twins stood together. His eyes met Viola's and lingered for only a moment, before looking back at his brother again. "They ripped the tracker out of her."
"I know, but they knew exactly where the implant was." James' auburn hair was wet with sweat and stuck to his forehead before he pushed it back out of his eyes.
"That means they've been watching Lily, likely watching all of us. What do you think that means?"
"Not now, Al, go find some place safe to take them until Nott is done doing whatever it is Nott does. I've got to go report to Ted and Vic, and tell them…we might want to try and break the trace again, send all the girls to Italy to be with Nonna. Her villa is a fortress; no one is getting access there. It's the safest place now." James' eyes rested on Vi for a moment before he looked back at his brother and gave a nod. "We'll talk later," and without waiting another moment, James was gone.
Al looked at Scorpius and Viola and let out a breath, "Fuck." He walked across the room and took both of them into his arms. "Fuck."
Scorpius looked up at Al and laughed with no mirth, "What if I told you I had a pretty good idea where we could find our papa?"
"Well?"
"We can't get in; he's warded it against everyone aside from himself. However, he did have a contingency plan that no one knows of." Scorp wetted his lips and Al nodded for him to continue. "There's a place to go during an emergency, another safehouse. If we go there it will trip an alarm and my papa will know right away, but if we take you there, you can't tell anyone, Al."
"Not a soul," he agreed, looking down at Vi, "You can trust me with all the Malfoy-Nott secrets."
...
15th of February 2032
The New Order Headquarters, Brighton
Vi was laying on her bed, her eyes closed, desperately attempting to sleep. Even with the Muffliato charm in place, there was still too much activity in the bloody house to allow for any rest at all. She could feel the movement shaking the thin walls, the vibrations of so many people coming and going also bled through the floor. Vi looked out the window and watched the outline of the ferris wheel in the distance near the ocean as it slowly rotated.
No living person had used the damn thing in over a year, but the dead bodies that hung from the outside were strung up on the carriages. The intestines from each person were wrapped around the bodies like ropes, each corpse carefully on display. It was a warning of what would happen to anyone who questioned The Black Empress or tried to oppose her. The ferris wheel was one of dozens of such displays sprinkled over the country like grotesque monuments.
Vi turned away from the fogged glass, and went back to watching her brother, who was laying on his back playing with his newest tattoo.
"See how he swipes his paw when you try to boop his nose, brilliant. Uncle Blaise is–" his sentence was cut off as the silencing charms were broken and screaming commenced in the house.
"LUNA!" Blaise's voice could be heard shouting from the front of the house. The siblings exchanged a look before they both scrambled out of their beds and raced towards the hall. Scorp was in front, his longer legs making it so that he reached the madness first. Vi ran into his back with a thud, falling onto her bum as he froze looking at whatever was happening. Peeking around her brother's legs, Viola instantly understood what had shocked her brother and caused him to stop.
In the centre of the foyer, the scene was sheer gore. Lily's bright red hair was visible, but that was the only identifiable feature of the witch that Vi could make out. Her body was a mangled mess, splinched so badly that she was missing almost the entire left side of her torso, a chunk of her right calf, and part of jaw. Her bright green eyes were wide open, unseeing as her blood seeped into the wooden floor.
"Is that a…" Vi whispered, her hand flying to her mouth, a partial foetus was sliding from the opening in Lily's womb. The tiny thin legs and feet were easily identifiable, but the rest of the baby was still inside its mother.
Luna was kneeling on the ground, Lily's blood was pouring from her body covering her stepmother. The elder witch cradled what was left of her beloved daughter's head, desperately holding onto her. She shook with the force of her sobs as her head fell back and a wail was wrenched from her throat. Blaise held his wife, reaching out with one hand to close Lily's dead eyes, and then his own fluttered shut in grief, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
Pandora, who had followed her mother into the room, fell to her knees in the widening circle of Lily's blood. The denims she wore were soaking up the crimson liquid, but she didn't seem to notice as she held her cherished older sister's hand, begging the witch to wake up.
Lance was screaming,"No!" while Rory slammed his fist into the wall denting the plaster. The room continued to fill with the Zabini clan, including the fourteen-year-old twins, Nova and Apollo, who were witnesses to the scene. Apollo began to sob, and it was Nova who turned him toward her and hugged him tightly, the look on her young face threatening murder.
The screams and cries were reaching a crescendo when a hand landed on Vi's shoulder. "Viola, Scorpius," the sound of her papa's voice pulled Vi from the sight in front of her as she was lifted from the ground and cradled into the strong chest of her father. "Son," Scorpius hadn't moved from his spot, but Theo had grabbed his son's arm and was dragging him away from the sight of the mangled body. "Don't look. You don't want to remember Lily that way." Theo escorted his two children up the stairs and back into their room, shutting the door and silencing it behind them.
Theo looked at them sternly and commanded, "I want you two to stay in a safe house, at all times. No more sneaking out and doing whatever it is you've been doing since you turned seventeen, do you understand?"
"Yes sir," both children said in unison, unable to shake the image of the carnage and gore from their minds' eyes.
"You might not have the trace any longer, but that doesn't mean you can go off and do whatever it is you want."
"Yes sir," Vi muttered as her father laid her back in bed. A vial pressed against her lips, and she knew it was a dreamless sleep. Theo had always been worried about his children becoming addicted to potions, but there was a time and a place for dreamless sleep, and this was one of those times.
As the pull of the abyss drew her away from her conscious mind, Viola felt a single tear slip from her eye, mourning the elder sister that Lily had always been to her.
...
26th of March 2032
Outside the Wizard club, Bliss,
Leeds, England
Scorpius was standing against the stone wall, his hood pulled low, obscuring his platinum blonde head from view. Even in a darkened alley, it would draw unwanted attention that he couldn't afford right then. Scorp swore that he was going to dye it, but anytime he decided he would do it, he'd back out at the last second. Dying the tips was no problem, but when it came to dying all his hair a discrete brown or black, he just couldn't do it.
Stupid, really, not wanting to dye his hair. His entire body was littered with tattoos and piercings, but his hair, the one thing that he could change as many times as he wanted, was the only thing that Scorpius was holding onto. The thing about him that was most like his father, his white blonde hair feeling like a last link tying him to a dead man that Scorp had loved so much. Stupid sentimentality, but, well, that's just what it was.
So, here he stood in a back alley, waiting on his sister because he couldn't leave without her. When he'd found Vi at the safe house earlier in the night, they'd decided after being shut away in various safe houses for the past month they'd earned a night out. Vi had been going through a hard time, and had been distant since Lily's death. Scorpius made it a point not to press her on whatever it was that was bothering his sister, feeling she deserved some privacy.
He looked back at the door again, wondering what was taking Viola so long. The older man, one of the owners whom Scorp has seen meeting with James on more than one occasion, had approached Scorpius once he had noticed Scorpius inside the club and was less than pleased at seeing a teenager in his establishment.
He'd grabbed Scorpius and dragged him away from the bar into a corner and told him that he needed to leave. The man had even threatened contacting his father and telling him of his children's whereabouts. The threat had Scorpius rolling his eyes, but the message was loud and clear so he left. His eye roll hadn't been because he wasn't scared of his father, because he was. But so what if they were too young to be in the sex club? The world was literally burning around them, and everyone should be able to let off some steam. Still, Theo Nott didn't need to catch his children there, because if he did, there would likely be hell to pay.
Kicking his boot against the wall, Scorpius looked up at the door and squinted his eyes. He'd been standing out there for a few minutes, and there were still no signs of Vi. The owner had said that he was grabbing his sister, but being away from Vi for so long was making Scorpius nervous.
"After my last pet got away, I didn't know if I'd find another one I'd want to keep. The daughter of Hermione Granger though–yes, I think so. Your mother got away from me twice, not you though, I plan on keeping you right where I can see you." The cruel voice carried through the alley and had Scorpius taking off at a run towards where it had come from. When no scream or sounds of a struggle could be heard, the panic in Scorp's chest began to rise. It was possible that she'd been silenced the moment she'd been grabbed by whomever had taken her, but he couldn't help but fear the worst.
Searching in his pockets for something, anything that he could use, Scorpius pulled the key to his trunk out, satisfied that it would do. Waving his wand, he crudely transfigured it into a fire poker with multiple sharp hooks on the end. Whatever. It would have to work. Wavy golden blonde hair could be seen over the tops of bins, and it was without question what was happening behind there. Scorp pushed down the bile that was threatening to come out, but moved forward, the determination to save his sister and the fear of being too late driving him.
Coming up behind them, a scream ripped from the young wizard's throat as he thrust the poker with all the momentum he had into the back of the man on top of his sister, who was struggling to get free from beneath him. Tears were streaming down her face and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Scorpius sent all his fury into a freezing charm right at the tip of the poker and the man shuddered as the weapon went straight through his body. Blood splattered all over Viola as the tip emerged through the front of her attacker's chest, accompanied by the sound of bones splintering as it clipped the sternum. Scorpius ripped it backwards, twisting it to cause the most internal damage possible as his mum had always advised, destroying ventricles, arteries and organs as it tore through the rapist's flesh.
His hands shook and Scorpius dropped the deadly weapon as it transfigured back into an inconspicuous key, falling to the ground with a 'ting'. He shoved the dying man off his sister, not wanting to see what he'd done, only focusing on Viola.
Blood was everywhere. Vi's legs were covered in it, her dress was ripped, and her hands were bound. Mass amounts of bruises were already showing, and that was just what Scorpius could see.
Scorp could barely look at her attacker, bloody scratches across his face where Viola must have marked him before he bound her. As the monster's final ragged exhale went into the air, he lay dead in a pool of his and Viola's blood.
Lowering himself next to his sister, heedless of the mess that was now covering him, Scorpius sobbed out, "He was going to kidnap you…he, he's the…Lily…" Scorpius began to hyperventilate, unable to stomach how close it had come to Viola being taken just as Lily had been. He tore at the bindings on her wrists in a blind panic, before his body began shaking, vanishing the offensive leather.
The teen was only able to pull his sister into his arms, her body trembling while silent tears poured into his shirt. They still didn't release their hold of each other when their father appeared, screaming, "VIOLA, SCORPIUS!"
Their unflappable father was nearly hysterical as he fell to the ground and pulled his bloodied and blood covered children into his arms. The trio cried together, knowing what had been so close to happening, the cooling corpse beside them a stark reminder of how it could have been Viola's body bleeding out in the foyer like Lily had.
...
16th of May 2013
DMLE, Ministry of Magic, London
Looking around the corner of the wall, Hermione couldn't help herself as she rolled her eyes. The small platform was being set up for the press conference that would be held shortly. "I still can't believe that prick got the promotion. I didn't even know Podmore was looking at retirement–"
"Granger, you wouldn't have wanted to be head of the DMLE anymore than I would have," Draco snapped, cutting her off, making Hermione glare at him.
"It's the principal of the matter. You know, just because your mother locked you out of the Manor–"
"I'm the bloody Lord of the Manor!" Draco groused, annoyed.
"Yes, you've mentioned that," Hermione deadpanned before turning her attention away from her partner once again.
"She shouldn't be able to lock me out! Who does she think she is?" Hermione had heard the same rant from Draco nonstop for the past week, ever since the boy had appeared, Hermione hadn't heard from or seen Narcissa Malfoy. According to Draco, both the boy and his sister (who Hermione still hadn't met at this point) were staying with his mum and being waited on by her house elf. On the second day of Draco showing up to the manor to try and talk to the children, he'd found Narcissa had erected wards that blocked even Draco's entrance onto the estate. "I'm the fucking Lord Malfoy, the house is supposed to answer to me above all others–"
Hermione tuned out her partner, because really there were only so many times she could hear Draco complain about the same issue. She curled her lip as she watched the Deputy Minister of Magic, Percy Weasley, ascending the three steps and walking behind the podium with the Ministry logo on it. His short red hair was speckled with more greys than red at this point, and the pinstriped robes that he wore reminded Hermione too much of Cornelius Fudge. The only thing missing to complete the ensemble was a bowler hat, and if he started sporting one she'd have to use a silencing charm anytime she was near him to hide her laughter. The man tapped his wand to his throat and adjusted his glasses as the reporters in the room sat poised and ready for whatever announcement he was about to make.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press, it is good to see you all here, celebrating the end of an era and the beginning of another."
"I don't even know how she–" Draco was still complaining about his mother, so Hermione lifted a hand and covered his mouth, motioning to where Percy was standing and addressing the crowd.
"When we pass the torch of such an important position, all candidates that we take into consideration must show that they have the dedication and commitment to lead any department, but this one especially, with a clear and level head. That whoever is to take on a mantle as important as this, to be the best and to be driven for success." The cameras were flashing and Percy stood with his chest pushed out, his thin lips curved in what he might consider a smile.
"That is why I, Percy Weasley, Deputy Minister of Magic, chose to endorse such a person for the position. On the 10th of April, this individual took the initiative, saw the problem that was the Greyback wolf pack terrorist organization and took them down in one clean swoop. This man was willing to go into the wolf's den and eradicate the problem and cleanse our society from the evils that had pledged us for years."
"Oh, for fuck's sakes, he's acting as if the bleeding tosser did this all by himself," Draco complained.
"Have you seen the mission logs that he filled out? There are so many holes and loose ends that don't make any sense at all, yet Percy still signed off on it."
"Of course he did, Weasley backed McLaggen."
"We welcome Cormac McLaggen as the newest department head for the DMLE. He will be overseeing the Auror Office, Improper Use of Magic Office, Wizengamot Administration Services as well as the subdivisions of the office, those including the Administrative Registration Department, Department of Intoxicating Substances, Ministry-approved Hit Wizards, Investigations Department–" Percy continued listing all the sections of the DMLE, but Hermione wasn't listening anymore as he'd made his announcement. Cormac had gotten the top job, the job that she might have gone for, if she'd even known it was on the table.
"This is completely outrageous, you know that?" Hermione declared rhetorically, walking away and back towards her office, not wanting to hear what Cormac had to say about his new appointment.
"Naturally, I don't even know how he managed to find Greyback, much less stop his entire pack. Neville and Pansy have been working on this case since the start, not to mention all the others who've been brought in on it. Then McLaggen shows up and demands Potter to let him take a crack at it and instantly the entire pack is wiped out? No, I don't think so, there's something else going on here, but both Potter and Weasley signed off on his report and you know his fucking uncle paid off internal investigations so no one would look too closely."
The partners walked the rest of the way in silence to their shared office, neither wanting to publicly discuss the mess that they clearly found themselves in now. Corruption in the ministry had never been a question of if it was happening, it was something everyone learned to work around, but this appointment in particular made Hermione very nervous. That, paired with her still not finding Harry, as she'd been looking for him for a week now, had Hermione beginning to think this situation might be more complicated than she'd originally anticipated.
...
"You know, this is just a thought, but I get the feeling we aren't supposed to be here."
"Alright, then you go back to the manor and let Pippa get you some more tea and biscuits. I'm going to figure out how to find Harry Potter's body to prove that we aren't crazy and to try and stop the Empress of Cunts from ever rising to power." Vi snapped back at her brother as she peeked around another corner of the DMLE.
The paper that morning had said that there was a big announcement, and it proved to be the perfect cover the twins had been waiting for, well, Viola at least. After a week of laying around and letting their grandmother and Pippa pamper them, Vi was itching to go and do anything.
"Or, and this is an idea, you have all that shit that Papa gave you, and you could just give it to Draco and Hermione. That's an idea with fucking merit," Scorpius said, his hands in his pockets as he casually strolled through the halls as if he owned the place and wasn't sneaking into a restricted area.
"There's no way I'm trusting any of them with everything that Papa left us. Now could you please be a little more inconspicuous? If we get caught, we'll have to explain why we're here, and from what you told me, Draco and Hermione aren't going to be of any help."
"I still can't believe that you haven't had the joy of meeting them," Scorp said with a smirk on his lips, still relaxed as ever.
"Yes, well, you let it slip to Grand-mere that she could lock Draco out of the manor and it didn't take her long at all to figure out the wards she needed to use. Now, quickly before someone–"
"Ah, Granger, there you are," the voice that haunted many of Viola's nightmares came from behind the siblings, causing Vi to freeze. "Did you enjoy my speech? I must say that I was as surprised as anyone–oh. You're not Granger, Cormac McLaggen, how do you do?" The man who'd given his name had stepped in front of Vi, and it was as if her vision was flickering between this moment and that horrible night two months ago.
Sure, he was much younger and in better shape, but the cold eyes studying her face were the same. His wavy golden blonde hair was styled the same, as if he decided on his look when he was fifteen and had never updated it. His crooked front tooth was the same as it had been, and the cologne he wore was that sickening scent that haunted her memory.
"Stay the fuck away from my sister, you sick fuck!" Scorpius yelled; his entire laid-back demeanour had disappeared at the sudden and unexpected appearance of his sister's attacker. His fist made contact with the older wizard's nose and an audible crack sounded as it broke under the force of the punch.
The shock that Vi had found herself in vanished as she watched the man stumble backwards and round on her brother. It was as if a bear had been released, and the older wizard was out to kill. "Malfoy, who the fuck–"
"AHHHH!" Vi screamed as she jumped onto the back of the man who had violated her and began to pound her fist onto the top of his head, trying to subdue him.
"HERMIONE!? DRACO!?" Vi heard a familiar female voice shriek, but she didn't pause in her attack, determined to keep this man from ever harming another woman again.
"HERMIONE!" Viola felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her away from the blonde man, "you're not Hermione…" Viola looked up, her vision blurry as she'd again lost her bloody glasses. The fuzzy shape of whoever was holding her was obscured, but she could make out that he was a very broad and tall man.
"Who the fuck are you two?" The same female voice asked, and Vi turned her head to see a small raven haired blob standing next to the form that she knew was her brother.
"Aunt Pansy?" Oh, they were fucked…
...
A knock at the office pulled Draco away from the files he was working on. He looked up to find a stern-faced Pansy standing in the doorway, and it didn't take long for Draco to piece together that something had happened.
"The two of you, with me, now," his old girlfriend said, pointing at both Hermione and Draco. "You both have a lot of explaining to do."
"Parks, I don't have time–"
"Now, Granger." The tone the raven-haired witch struck wasn't one that said this was up for further debate. Luckily Granger seemed to realise this as well, as she set her pen aside and stood from her desk. Pansy fled the room, not even waiting to see if they were following. The clicking of her heels as she went back towards her office was ominous and Draco worried a bit for what was to come.
"She's got to be fucking kidding, I have leads I should be checking on, not going for fucking tea," Hermione grumbled as they left the room, a list of contacts still in her hand. While they walked, she read through the notes of various interviews she'd conducted over the last week in her search for a living Harry Potter.
"I get the feeling Pansy isn't inviting us to her office for a cuppa and some biscuits, Granger," Draco murmured to his partner, not willing to speak any louder in fear that the other witch might hear. While he usually could calm Granger down so that she only shot a stinging jinx, Pansy's temper was on another level entirely. When she got pissed off, there was no taming her and she couldn't be controlled. If pushed enough, she would likely hex someone until they were in a state that she'd be forced to heal them.
"She's just so bossy and always thinks that whatever she has to say is the most important thing, as if someone else couldn't be equally busy."
"Pot, meet kettle," Draco muttered in response, only earning himself a glare from his partner. They made it the short way to Pansy and Neville's office and even after Pansy had demanded them to follow her, she'd still shut the door after beating them, tossing out a 'wait here for a moment' before disappearing.
Not one to waste any time, Hermione stepped forwards and pounded her fist on the door, showing her irritation at being delayed. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her trousers, her navy silk blouse tucked in the front, showing off the high waist and of course her Auror badge. Her hair was left down, in all its wild natural glory, making Draco think about how it had been two days since he'd tangled his fists into those wild curls while he pounded into her from behind.
Even though in the last week their lives had gone to shit, Draco hadn't been willing to give up this new pleasurable arrangement with Granger. Especially when they both desperately needed the release they could give each other.
Unable to help himself, Draco reached out and tugged at one of the curls, enjoying watching it as it bounced back up after he released it. A smirk formed on his lips when Granger turned around to slap his hand, but as the door opened, his face fell at the sight in front of him.
Resting his head against the wall was Scorpius, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. The knuckles of his left hand were covered with dried blood along with a few specks on his cheek that hadn't been cleaned off. Next to him was Viola, who, unlike the last time he'd seen her, was wide awake. Black cat eye glasses framed her bright blue eyes that were the exact same shade as Theo's, and the scowl on her face was the same one that Granger often wore, making the two witches look freakishly alike.
"Oh my god," Granger muttered, her eyes wide as she looked at the girl. Their entrance now being noted, the teenage girl jumped from her seat while her brother's lips curling into a smirk was the only change in his demeanour.
"Oh joy, you went and got our parents," the boy muttered, his eyes still closed. "Well, release us to their custody, and then we'll be on our way back to Grand-mère."
"Either of you care to elaborate on why I have your children detained for brawling with, wait for it–" Pansy paused for dramatic effect, "McLaggen. In the middle of the DMLE after the tosser had just been appointed the department head."
"You what!?" Draco exclaimed, looking at the two kids, neither of whom looked ashamed of their actions.
"Tosser had it coming," Scorpius said, clearly trying to have an air of nonchalance about him, but the tick in his jaw gave away that there was something more behind what had happened than just McLaggen being McLaggen.
Draco chanced a glance at Granger, who appeared to be in a staring contest with Viola. The younger witch had her eyes narrowed and shooting daggers at her mother, while the elder witch was open mouthed, gaping at the girl. She was wearing a well-worn brown leather jacket that looked strangely similar to the one that Granger had just recently purchased, making Draco think that they probably had a similar taste in clothes. The combat boots and the ripped jean shorts the girl was wearing were fairly close to something that Draco knew he could catch Granger wearing on the weekends, and seeing the two women, next to each other, it was obvious to anyone that they were mother and daughter.
"Malfoy," Longbottom said, trying to take back control of the room, "Needless to say, Pansy and I have a few questions–" Pansy scoffed at 'a few,' and Neville shot her a look that only he could get away with. "As I said, we have a few questions. Starting with where have you been hiding twins for seventeen years?"
Draco shot a look at Granger, who seemed to have composed herself a bit more, her eyes still darting back to their daughter, before she caught Draco's stare. She'd told him, in detail, her theory that Dumbledore had kidnapped the children and then obliviated them and Theo to cover up the existence of the twins. It made sense, more so than them coming from the future, but they'd also agreed that they weren't going to share this idea with anyone until they had proof to back up the claim. Because even in death, Dumbledore had a following and speaking ill of the manipulative tosser could cause issues.
"We didn't raise them," Draco answered instead, leaving it very open-ended. "We just became aware of their existence last week, and they've been with my mother ever since, and we haven't had a chance to speak with either of them."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me, Drake." Pansy shouted, slamming her hands down on her desk, making everyone in the room jump, "now you start talking and tell me where–"
Pansy's rant was cut off as Longbottom's badge lit up, and a voice came out of it.
"Longbottom, I've got Nott here again. He's driving the K9 unit mad, and the other officers keep getting confused when they get too close to him. I think he's been experimenting with repellent charms again, and I need him out of my holding cell, now."
The connection cut off, and Longbottom's head fell back as he let out a groan, rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation. "For fuck's sakes, I don't have time for this shit," the dirty blonde wizard whispered before looking back up at Draco and Hermione. "This conversation isn't over, but since I've got to go deal with this, it is on hold. You two, sort out your kids and hope that McLaggen doesn't decide to press charges against them."
"Where are you going?" Draco asked, ignoring the first part of Longbottom's statement. Needless to say, Draco was not equipped to handle teenagers and he had already decided that since they'd been staying with his mother that he was going to let her continue to take the lead in what the fuck he was supposed to do with two seventeen-year-old kids.
"It's part of my job, Malfoy. I have to go collect any witch or wizard that gets picked up by the muggle police. Honestly, do you really have no idea what it is I do?"
"Can any Auror go pick them up?" Draco asked, looking back at Granger who was still uncharacteristically quiet, sneaking glances at Viola every few seconds. "Does it have to be you, I mean?"
"Well, I suppose he'd release Theo to anyone, why?"
"If you're busy, I could go grab him." Draco quickly offered, for the first time realising that he hadn't seen or heard from Nott since they'd parted ways in the DOM a week prior. "I've got nothing pressing to see to that is, and if you're busy…" Draco tried down playing it, but by the look Longbottom was giving him, it seemed that he wasn't buying it.
"You've got nothing else pressing to see to?" Pansy asked, pursing her lips as she put her hands on her hips and looked at the twins. Draco followed her line of sight to the children who both looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than sitting in an office in the DMLE.
"Yeah, just call my mother, she'll take care of them." Draco said, turning and making a hasty exit from the office. "Thanks Pans, I owe you!" Draco called over his shoulder, he had another wizard that he needed to tend to.
...
15th of May 2013
Some Brothel in Muggle London
"Big T!" J.C. shouted from the dingy couch he was perched on. A cigarette hanging from the man's lips and his teeth stained yellow, but at least he still had teeth.
"J.C., what do you have for me?" Theo asked as he stumbled in, rubbing his hand over his face. He was sure that he was smearing something on his cheek, but he couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment. It had been days since he'd last been home, and Theo wasn't even positive how he'd gotten to the brothel he now found himself standing in.
The Squib smirked as he eyed Theo, clearly looking to see just how far into his bender the drugged wizard was. "Genie," the man called, sucking the air between his teeth as he smiled at Theo. "Your best customer is in. Make sure you take extra special care of him, would you? Looks like he could use a good ride."
A giggle came from the doorway and Theo smiled at the little auburn-haired woman. She wore a hot pink bustier set with a black lace overlay and a garter with a matching g-string. Her tits were perked up perfectly and Theo was very happy with what he was seeing. "I'll take her," Theo said, pulling out a wad of muggle money and tossing it to the man on the couch, who only laughed when he caught Theo's cash.
Did he always overpay anytime he showed up here? Probably, but he didn't care, he had enough money that there was no way he would even make a dent in his family vaults before he died. Might as well spend it how he liked.
Theo reached out and took the hand of the giggling prostitute, and tugged her towards the staircase that he was familiar with. It was narrow and the wallpaper was peeling, but no one came here to admire the interior design. Each step creaked under their combined weight as they moved towards the bedroom that they used whenever they were together.
They walked into the room, a bed with the sheets not put on correctly and a little corner chair next to a fireplace that was more of a fire hazard than anything else. It would do.
Regina dropped to her knees without Theo saying anything and pulled his already hard cock out and began to pump her hand over the shaft before sticking the entire length in her mouth. Theo let out a hadn't even realised how hard his shaft had been before she'd begun to service him. Grabbing a handful of her teased hair, Theo rammed her face into his pelvis, causing the woman to deep throat him without any warm up. It's not like she needed it anyway, she was a seasoned professional.
Theo's head dropped back as he slid down her throat, her nimble fingers playing so gently with his sack and her other hand kneading the soft flesh of his arse. The tongue piercing she had rubbed against the underside of his cock, and Theo knew that the gurgling and gasping sounds she was making indicated that he should pull out and let her get a breath. However, Theo was selfish, and he was so fucking he was generous and pulled out just enough to let her get a breath before he slammed his hips back into her face, spilling down her throat while he held her face in place.
Pushing her off him after she drank down all his seed, Theo moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He looked at the whore still knelt on the floor, her makeup running down her face and her jaw was covered in her own spit as she looked on at him waiting for her next instruction. "Come lay down, I've got a job for you."
A wide grin spread across the girl's face as she scrambled up from her position on the ground and obediently laid just as Theo had instructed. He gave the ivory flesh a slap, enjoying the way her bum jiggled and turned red at the abuse before he rubbed his hand over the area. The g-string she was wearing was soaked and ruined, but Theo had no intention of giving her any pleasure, that wasn't why he was here.
Theo loved Regina's perfect arse, it was wide enough for him to lay out multiple long lines of cocaine. He gave her a little kiss on the lips before he turned back to her arse laid out in front of him. He put the powder he was craving along the flat part of her arse cheek making her giggle again. She tried to hold as still as possible, knowing that she was his favourite table and he paid for the privilege of using her this way.
The first line went up his nose quickly, his heart rate already beginning to accelerate from the drug. As he leaned in and began to snort the second line, the door burst open.
"PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" The shout came as muggle police officers flooded the room, their weapons drawn on the couple.
"I'll bring you a nice big tip next time," Theo said as his face was slammed into the floor.
"I look forward to it," Regina replied, as she was handcuffed much more gently. "Don't be a stranger, sweetheart."
...
16th of May 2013
HM Prison Belmarsh, London
The brick building was massive and filled with cages, and different machines that Draco had to move through just to get marvelled at how clever muggles could be as he'd never seen anything like it. He'd worked as an Auror for years, and never once had even thought about what happened with wizards that got picked up by muggle police, but he was about to find out.
"I'm looking for," Draco looked down at the business card that Longbottom had provided him, "Officer Gerald Goodfield." He showed the card to the guard that was checking Draco's muggle identification as Draco continued to look around at the entrance of the prison.
The man in front of him picked up a receiver after confirming that Draco was who he claimed to be, "Goodfield, someone's here for you about an inmate transfer of custody." The man looked at Draco, a silent and bored question in his eye, not bothering to look at the paperwork Longbottom had provided Draco with Theo's information.
"Oh, uh, Theodore Alexander Nott," Draco provided, to which the man relayed. Apparently, Gerald Goodfield was rather excited to be rid of Theo, because the doors opened quickly, and a man with all grey hair and more wrinkles than he probably should have appeared and was looking around. Draco walked up to the confused-looking officer and held out a hand.
"Officer Goodfield?" Draco asked, making the man look at him with a raised brow.
"You're not Longbottom. Where is he at?" The elder man asked looking Draco over with a bit of disgust, "you must be a Malfoy, didn't realise that any of you worked."
"You know who I am?" Draco asked, shocked that this muggle man would know his family name, reputation, and apparently of their wealth as well.
"Of course, I'm a Squib, not a corpse. I work as the liaison between the muggle and magical world for whenever a witch or wizard gets picked up by the muggle police here in London. Though, I'll tell you what, between Nott and that bloody Irish pyromaniac, your Ministry needs to increase my stipend. I'm doing my best to maintain the Statute of Secrecy here, but this is ridiculous."
"I didn't even know that this was something the ministry coordinated to be perfectly honest with you," Draco replied, shocked by this man, this squib. The world he grew up in, he knew squibs existed of course, but they were the dreg of society, outcasts that no one wanted to even acknowledge. Filch, who worked at Hogwarts, was the only one he'd ever met, so Draco just assumed that all squibs worked odds and ends jobs that no witch or wizard wanted to do.
"What? You think that there isn't a place in society for Squibs, is that it?" Gerald asked, as if he'd read Draco's mind. "I'll have you know that there's a lot in other professional fields such as hospitals and schools looking out for witches and wizards wandering into places they ought to not be and causing problems for the rest of society. Well, here we are." They'd stopped walking and stood in front of a cell that had a dog sitting outside it, growling while looking in at Theo, who was wearing the same shirt he had pulled on before leaving Draco in his office a week prior.
"He's got drugs on him, been driving the dogs nuts because we obviously can't find them. Has forced five or six K9s into early retirement because our commanding officer thought that they had gone a bit mad. If you could do me a favour and keep him out of my jail for longer than a month, I'd appreciate it." The older man said before he stuck a key into the lock and pulled open the door.
"Nott?" Draco called out, trying to get the other wizard's attention, but he was completely passed out and unresponsive. "Is he alive?" Draco asked, stepping into the small cell and crouching down next to the man who smelled even worse than Draco remembered. The rise and fall of his chest indicated that Theo was at least still breathing, but brain activity was another question.
"Theo, I need you to wake up and come with me," Draco said, shaking the man who at the contact shot up, looking frantically around the cell.
"Huh? Who? Where am I?" Theo asked, pulling his wand out and pointing it at Draco, who merely swatted it aside.
"You've been arrested by the muggle police, Theo. I'm here to collect you." Draco told him as his blue bloodshot eyes finally settled on Draco.
"Well, what the fuck are you doing here? Where's Nev? Gerald, I don't know this man. You can't let him take me." Theo said, looking over the top of Draco's head and towards the squib officer.
"He has the paperwork and they don't pay me enough to keep dealing with you, Nott. Get out of my cell and please, for the love of whatever deity is listening, get yourself clean and stop getting arrested." The officer stood holding the cell door open while the dog continued to growl and whimper as Theo groaned his protest and stood from the cot he'd been sleeping on.
"Well, in that case, tell your mother I say hello, Gerald."
"Nott–"
"And your sister, I missed Claudia while I was out and about this week. She still has my floo address, right?"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!" The officer started shouting, ushering Draco and Theo from the holding cell block as quickly as he could. They'd hardly walked through the exit before the older officer was slamming the door on them. Draco turned to look at Theo, who was stretching and then waving a hand over his pocket. He pulled out a bottle filled with little blue pills and popped a couple into his mouth first before Draco snatched the pixie dust from him.
"Are you fucking kidding me!? We haven't even left, and you're already doing drugs?" Draco exclaimed, pocketing the pills out of Theo's reach.
Theo only narrowed his eyes in Draco's direction, clearly not happy to see the blonde wizard. "Why are you here, Malfoy? Neville never talks this much when he comes to get me, just gets me home and gives me some weed to smoke, then bounces. We aren't friends. You don't just get to insert yourself into my life because you feel some obligation to me."
"I'm a fucking field healer, Nott! The last time I saw you were half dead, and I'd just put a rib back in place after it was sticking out of your body. You said you had errands to run, not go on a week-long bender. You're a father now; you can't be acting like this!"
"I AM NOT A FATHER! SHE MAY BE MY DAUGHTER BIOLOGICALLY, BUT I AM NOT A FATHER!" Theo bellowed, causing the guards that were on the wall above them to look down, but Draco couldn't care less that they had an audience for this conversation.
"PROBLEMS WITH YOUR BABY'S MAMA, NOTT?" One of the guards yelled down, seriously how often was Theo here to be known by so many?
"FUCK RIGHT OFF, CLARENCE!" Theo yelled back, obviously a frequent enough visitor at the jail to be on a first name basis with them.
"YOU CAN'T KEEP GETTING HIGH ALL THE TIME!" Draco cried out, frustrated beyond belief with his old friend.
"I don't get high, I stay high. There's a difference." Theo stated, the fire of his anger leaving him so suddenly that it was eerie and gave Draco emotional whiplash. He leaned forwards and patted Draco on the cheek before turning on his heels and walking towards the parking lot. "They aren't even going to be born for two more years, I'm not supposed to be taking care of anyone but myself right now."
"You aren't even taking care of yourself! Look at you! When was the last time you ate something! Or showered?" Draco shouted, following after the retreating form.
"That's my problem and not yours; I'll thank you for remembering that for any of our future encounters," Theo said, waving as he slipped behind a large van, preparing himself to apparate.
"Oh, no you don't," Draco said, taking hold of the man. "I suggest you don't fight me; no need for you to get splinched on top of everything else."
"What are you–" and with a crack, Draco apparated them back to his London flat, Theo stumbling upon the landing, almost falling on his face. Draco utilised that momentum and dragged the other wizard towards the guest bath; Draco's hand gripped his wrist like a shackle, keeping Theo moving swiftly so that he could not escape from Draco's intent.
Fully clothed, Draco threw the filthy wizard into the shower. Theo landed on his back with a thud, feet in the air. He grunted at the impact and scowled at Draco. And with a flick of his wand Draco covered the man in suds and started the shower, "I can't handle smelling you anymore. Did you forget how to cast a Scourgify? You are bloody disgusting."
...
Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire
Hermione stole another glance at the girl that looked exactly like her, unable to believe her eyes. Shortly after Draco had left to go get Theo, Pansy had all but thrown Hermione and the kids out of her office saying that she was not Draco's personal house elf and that she would not be getting ahold of Narcissa to come collect the children.
Still being stunned by the sight of the girl, Viola, Hermione hadn't had her wits about her to refuse Pansy, and simply walked out with the kids in tow. Though, since Narcissa had effectively blocked anyone apparating in or using the floo, that meant that Hermione and the kids were going to have to take the long way to get to Malfoy Manor.
Both teens had been silent since they'd left the ministry, and Hermione hadn't wanted to break the tension by striking up a conversation. What could she possibly say to either of them? Oh, hi, I'm your mum. I don't know who you are because I'm fairly sure that Albus Dumbledore kidnapped you at birth and then obliviated me.
Even better, I know you said you're from the future, but that sounds too far-fetched to be true, that even with magic I don't believe that's actually the case. In fact, I've spent the last week compiling evidence to prove that it is impossible.
Or her favourite, there's no way that I could be your mother because I don't want children after being neglected and emotionally abused by my own mother. Even if you are biologically mine, you probably shouldn't want anything to do with me because in the end I'll just disappoint you since I'm unwilling to be a mother, and I refuse to do anything that I wouldn't be good at.
Another glance at the kids solidified Hermione's decision that in this case silence was the best option. The last time she'd talked to the boy it had ended up fairly explosive and she'd drawn her wand on him. Though, to be fair, she was in an unfamiliar environment and had just been told that she had children that she didn't know about. Was that even an excuse, really? Just more evidence of her complete inability to be anyone's mother.
Walking the path, Hermione didn't remember it being this long. Then again the last time she'd taken this route, she'd been riding on the back of an Abraxan and not walking. It seemed the twins weren't prepared for the long walk either, as the boy had gone from being fairly serious to falling over his sister, almost knocking her to the ground on multiple occasions, making the girl finally stomp her foot and scold him.
"Could you please–"
"Scorpius, Viola? Is that you who activated the wards?" Narcissa Malfoy appeared, perched on top of an Abraxan riding side saddle. "Hermione, what a surprise to see you here as well, I didn't realise you were able to get in."
"She insisted I bring her with me, Grand-mère, so the wards allowed it." Scorpius said, stepping forwards and pulling himself up on one of the smaller Abraxans that had come with Narcissa.
"She said that she wanted to speak with you in private, and since you keyed the grounds to only allow the three of us onto the land or through the floo with guests, well, you see what happened." The girl said, going over to climb on top of the other giant winged horse with Narcissa.
"You're telling me that the two of you had me walk over five kilometres when either of you could have apparated or flooed us straight to the manor!?" Hermione asked, her voice a bit shrill as she narrowed her eyes at the two teens.
"You never asked," Vi said with a shrug to her shoulders before turning her horse and taking off at a gallop before soaring into the air.
Hermione watched as her mini-me disappeared into the sky with an open mouth before remembering that there was another person she could take her irritation out on. Scorpius, however, didn't look the least bit worried at her reaction, just sat smirking down at her as if he didn't have a care in the world. "How's your search for Potter going? Any luck thus far?"
"I have a few leads that I could be following up on, if someone hadn't decided to waste my time," Hermione ground out with her teeth clenched.
"Hm, that's a shame. Would probably be easier if you had some notes or something for you to go off. Well, good luck." Scorpius pulled on the reins and took off after his sister without another glance back at his fuming mother he'd left standing on the path in the forest.
"If that'll be all, is there anything else that I can help you with, Hermione?" Narcissa asked, the look in her eyes colder than Hermione could remember seeing on her in recent history.
"Pansy and Neville caught them wandering around the DMLE–"
"Well, the ministry is a public building, I don't see what would be so wrong with that." Narcissa cut Hermione off, only making the younger witch's irritation grow.
"Scorpius broke Cormac McLaggen's nose, and Viola was punching him on the top of the head, and he ended up with a concussion because of it." Hermione finished, putting her hands on her hips as she raised a brow, challenging Narcissa to excuse their behaviour.
The elder witch actually shrugged her shoulders, in a clear dismissal that she didn't care in the slightest what the two teenagers had done. "He's the new head of the DMLE, Narcissa! He's my boss's boss! I have to figure out a way to convince him to not press charges against the twins, and from what I know about them, I can't come up with a single good reason not to!" Hermione exclaimed, waving her hands around.
"Oh, stop fussing, I'll handle McLaggen. From what I gather, you still haven't been able to locate Harry Potter then?"
"No, I have searched every John Doe that's been admitted to muggle hospitals and put out a missing persons announcement to a few international wizarding law enforcement agencies as well and questionable social societies that I've known him to run off to and disappear in for a week or so."
"Well, then perhaps it's time you stop following your own theories and listen to your son." Narcissa had never spoken so tersely to Hermione, and she looked at the older witch in surprise. Narcissa raised an eyebrow before she too followed the twins, leaving Hermione standing alone, wondering what was happening to her life.
...
Draco Malfoy's Flat,
London
The medical ethics behind his decision were questionable at best, but Draco had to push that aside for now. This was what was best for Theo, and frankly, Theo had proven time and time again that he was in no position to make these decisions for himself.
After Draco had finished showering Theo and had gotten the stench off him (that alone had been a few hours' task that included stunning the disgusting wizard a few times. It had been especially needed as he had struggled against Draco as he attempted to wash Theo's matted curls). Theo had promptly jumped from the shower, and wrapped only in a towel, ran to the clothes he'd been wearing. Reaching into a pocket, Draco recognized a vial of opiates that the brunette threw into his mouth and swallowed.
In a panic, Draco had done the only thing he could think to do to help Theo, and that was to put him in a magically induced coma to force a detox of the man. So, yes, the ethics behind it as a healer were questionable at best, but Theo desperately needed help, and Draco couldn't think of what else to do.
A disillusioned stash with muggle repellant charms on the pockets, it was no wonder that the drug dogs at the jail had been unable to find what they could smell on him. Vials of LSD, more opiates, coke, and some quaaludes; it was hardly a surprise that Theo was still such a mess if that's what he'd been using.
Draco couldn't help but feel guilty that Theo had ended up in this condition. A week ago, he'd said that he was needing to run errands in London since he was in town, and Draco had thought nothing of it. Then while he was gone, Draco hadn't had more than a passing thought of where Theo Nott might be. Out of sight, out of mind–but really bloody thick on Draco's part when it came to someone dealing with an addict.
The guilt at not even realising that his friend was in trouble was eating him alive, and Draco felt that he had to do something, anything really, to fix this. Years ago, Theo had pushed Draco away, and he hadn't done anything more than a few feeble attempts to contact the wizard. When Theo cut him off, Draco had given up too quickly. Not this time though. He wasn't going to let his friend continue to fall down the hole he found himself in, Draco was determined that he was going to be there and he was going to do whatever it took to get his friend back.
Especially since now there were children involved, they all had to do better.
A knock at his front door pulled Draco away from Theo's bedside, where he had a diagnostic flashing over him. The rib that Draco had healed a week prior had been re-fractured, and his oxygen intake was much too low. The infections that were running through his body, if not taken care of sooner rather than later, would most likely cause permanent organ damage and ultimately death. So, it wasn't just the detox for which Draco had him in a coma; he would probably recommend this exact treatment plan, really, to anyone who came to him with this sort of chart.
Leaving the guest room, Draco walked through the sitting room and pulled open the door, his jaw dropping open at the sight before him.
Granger stood at his door wearing a trench coat and a pair of heels, bringing her up an extra four inches at least. Upon opening the door, the witch had pulled the belt of the coat so that it now hung open, showing that she wore nothing else beneath it.
"You weren't home when I got there, so I came looking for you," she said, stepping through the threshold, her naked body pressing against his bare chest. "I've missed you," she whispered against his lips before capturing him in a kiss. On instinct, Draco's hands slipped inside her opened coat, and a groan at the feel of her silky skin under his fingers had him pulling her into him.
Hermione jumped into Draco's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, rolling her hips against his pelvis and he could feel her drenched cunt pressing against the cotton joggers he'd thrown on earlier. Using one hand, Draco slammed the front door shut, the sound echoing through his front room. His cock felt the heat from her and jumped to attention instantly, knowing what was coming, not able to help himself.
Granger pulled her wand from her pocket, and with a quick flick, the joggers were gone, and there were no barriers between them anymore. In one motion, Draco filled her to the hilt as he threw the little witch up against the wall next to the front door. Granger's walls stretching and clenching around him had Draco dropping his head into the crook of her neck and biting down on her shoulder, most likely leaving a mark that she wouldn't be able to hide come morning.
She'd sharpened her nails so that they were biting into his back, equally marking him as hers. The pain only spurred Draco to thrust into her even harder, the abuse to the wall she was pressed up against most likely to have a Granger-sized imprint when they were finished. That'd be the best interior addition he'd make to the place, in his humble opinion.
Reaching between their bodies, Draco's thumb found Granger's clit and he pressed against it, making her cry out as her orgasm ripped through her, the clenching walls pulling him even deeper inside her. His rhythm became erratic as he felt his own sack tightening and then he was spilling inside her with a grunt.
"Fuck, Granger," he muttered against her shoulder as he kissed the bite mark he'd left behind. "You have that devil vagina magic."
"Where did you hear that term, Draco?"
"American muggle television."
Laughing, she slid to the floor on shaky legs and with a small smile gracing her lips, she took his hand and started to lead him towards his bedroom. "Of course, well let's see just how magical it is," the lust still filling her eyes already had Draco's prick perking up readying to go for a second round. As they passed the guest room, where the door was cracked open, Granger stopped at the glow of the diagnostic floating above the unconscious body. "Care to explain why Nott is in your guest bed?" She asked, because of course she noticed who was in there instantly.
"Oh, uh, he's sort of a mess. If I take him to St. Mungo's he'd probably be arrested, so I thought it might be better if I just leave him here and heal him myself. His body is in horrendous shape and if he didn't get help soon, I'd estimate that he had a week or so left before it just gave up on him." Draco explained, running a hand through his hair.
"Hm, did he consent to the treatment?" she asked, turning her large brown eyes at him making Draco blush.
"Not exactly," Draco admitted.
"But he was dying?"
"Yes, the organ failure was imminent," Draco answered, hopeful that she would see that he'd only acted in Theo's best interests and not in a malicious way.
"Fair enough, maybe just let Luna know that you have him here. I know she's used to him disappearing for days on end, but he's already been MIA for a week, so she was starting to get worried. Now, about finishing what we'd started…"
...
17th of May 2013
City Morgue, Canterbury
The room was cold, the only reason she knew that was because it was a fact. Morgues were kept cold, because they housed the deceased, not because she could actually feel anything. Hermione stared down at his body, her best friend for her whole life, cold and lifeless as the morgue attendant looked on.
The discovery that Harry Potter was dead felt unreal. He was stabbed to death in a modern muggle pub, just like they had said. In fact, everything was the exact way the boy had said. The date of death, that he was killed and no one in the wizarding world any wiser to it. The tag on his toe said 'John Doe' because his identification had been stolen, and the muggle world would not have known who Harry was just by his signature look. They wouldn't have cared that he was a father, a friend, and had saved the freaking world at only seventeen years old.
That boy knew this was where Hermione was going to find Harry. Or at least he knew that he would be found in a muggle morgue. What if–what if these kids actually had something to do with Harry's death? No, that would have been impossible. The report clearly said that Harry's body was found behind a dumpster the morning of the third of May. Besides, this kid was no murderer. She'd worked enough homicide investigations to know that the only way that boy would bloody his hands was if it were in self defence.
Harry's hair was just as impossibly messy in death as it had been his whole life. Hermione restrained the urge to tidy it. There was no point anymore. His glasses were missing from his face, and according to the report, he hadn't been wearing them when his body was found nor had they been found nearby. He looked peaceful, as if at long last, the solace that he'd been searching for in life, he had found in death. That at least took some of the sting of the loss away.
If Hermione was being honest with herself, however, their friendship had fallen apart at the same time that Harry and Ginny's marriage had. Hermione thought she had been diplomatic about the whole sordid mess, and yet Harry pulled back from the close friendship that she had always enjoyed with him.
When he'd cut himself off from everyone around him, Harry had made sure Hermione was included. Even at work, he'd been her boss, but she'd carried the weight of the department without the title, still running behind Harry and trying to clean up his messes and save him. He'd never shown any appreciation either, just expecting her to do what she'd always done.
His drinking and what she had suspected was a sex addiction had slowly syphoned the last of the joking lovable Harry she had known away. She'd tried over the years to get him to go to counselling, rehab, and it had never been enough to get through to him. It was hard to watch someone that she had loved like a brother be unable to move on and grow to his potential. In many ways, Harry had always been trapped in that tiny room under the stairs on Privet Drive and had never really gotten out.
A tear ran down her face as she was finally forced to accept the harsh truth that Harry Potter was gone. Though, as that thought crossed her mind, she also felt the crushing realisation that if Scorpius had been telling the truth about Harry's murder, could everything he'd said have been the truth? Could she have been that wrong?
Notes: TW: Kidnapping, Stalking, Graphic depiction of mayhem/death including depiction of a dead foetus (miscarriage/late term pregnancy loss), Rape/non-con, murder, sex-work, drug use, non-consensual medical treatment.