Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 109 for you!
Happy 4th Anniversary! (02/02/2020)
I can't believe it's been four years, and I'm still receiving the same number of views per chapter. It really motivates me knowing that people are still enjoying my writing and keep coming back for each chapter. Also, it amazes me how many messages I get from people telling me they have only just started, I know myself I would not start a 680k piece of writing, and so I admire those of you for doing so with my story. I have planned TMD out until the end, so there's only one thing that will stop me from finishing this series, and that's my death, so don't worry those of you who leave comments or send me messages asking me not to stop, I'm not going
I seriously need to learn how to write shorter chapters. This chapter was supposed to be a short one but ended up being 7k words long, which is about the average length of my chapters anyway.
As promised, there will be another chapter in the middle of the month, around the 15th of February.
Love DW x
P.S. Enjoy
Draco had spent the night in the armchair between his wife and son, waking up at the smallest sound within the room. When Scorpius wakes up with a cry around six in the morning, Draco lifts him from the hospital crib, rocking him gently as a quick spell checks his nappy. He's dry, as expected after only changing him half an hour ago. He collects a bottle of milk from a box that Healer Heath had told them regulates its temperature, and steps outside of their room, not wanting to wake Hermione. Scorpius latches onto the bottle without complaint as Draco carries him into the family waiting room. He selects a comfortable looking armchair, lowering himself down and leaning back, without disturbing his son.
As it's six in the morning, there were only a few people around, mainly the junior healers chatting at the reception desk. He'd noticed Simon as he passed but didn't return the man's smile. He could have been the one to leak their information to Maddox. He has to trust Harry will get to the bottom of everything. He's going to be busy for the next couple of weeks.
Draco stares down at his son, drinking for the bottle, his long eyelashes fluttering as his eyes twitch. As he continues to stare, the moment becomes surreal in his head. He's holding his son. He's feeding his son. He has a son. A small smile graces his face. This tiny human in his arms is his, and Hermione's.
"I love you," He mutters. "I'm finding it hard to believe that this is real, that you are real, in my arms right now. My beautiful baby boy. You look so much like your mother, but with my face, the Malfoy face. Your hair and your eyes might not be the Malfoy's, but perhaps it's time our family took a new image for the future. You're my future, Scorpius, the future I never thought I would get, and I'm not going to let some silly prophecy take you away from me." He smiles down at Scorpius' light brown eyes. "Hello." He chuckles.
Draco stands, returning to Hermione's room, now Scorpius had finished his bottle and had settled. He replaces his son into the hospital crib and returns to the armchair, waiting for Hermione to wake. Their healer, Heath, had informed them the previous night that they would be able to go home this afternoon if all their checks go well.
He takes his phone from his pocket, wondering if he has any service. Despite there not usually being any in their world, St Mungo's was hidden in the Muggle world, so he's not too surprised to find he has two bars of service.
He writes out a text message.
Draco 06:23
Hermione and I are proud to announce the birth of our son at 2:30 pm on the 7th September 2000. He weighed 6lb 15oz. We look forward to introducing him to the family soon. Draco and Hermione.
He sends the message to everyone listed under the Malfoy group in his contacts.
"How's Scorpius?" Hermione asks with a yawn beside him.
He glances over to find Hermione facing him, still lying down.
"He's perfect, just had a feed." He stands up. "Do you want to sit up?" He asks.
Hermione nods, reaching for the remote control but Draco gets their first, pressing the button until she tells him to stop.
"Is he awake?" She asks.
Draco peers into the crib to find his son's eyes staring back at him. He leans down to pick his son up, cradling him in his arms as he turns to face his wife. Hermione grins, holding her arms out for Draco to place the small bundle against her chest.
"I can't believe he's here," She whispers, staring down at his small face snuggled into her pyjama top.
"It's surreal," Draco agrees, sitting beside her. "I wonder if our friends felt this way too?" He voices his question.
"Probably," she sighs. "What time is it?"
"Nearly half-past six," he answers.
"I slept well!" She admits. "I didn't hear Scorpius," she adds.
"I didn't sleep too well in the chair so I easily woke up with him." He says.
"I told you to share with me," she shakes her head.
"I wanted to make sure you slept well. You had a long day yesterday."
"Well, thank you," she smiles up at him for a second.
"I spoke to Healer Heath last night before he left at ten, he said he would come to see us as soon as his shift starts around three o'clock, and we should be able to leave around four o'clock this afternoon." He mentions.
"That's too long away, I just want to go home and sleep in our own bed," she states.
"I know, we can go for a walk around the ward, get you out of this room for a bit. I don't want to venture down to the cafeteria with Scorpius in case there are reporters or anyone else we don't want to see." He says.
"I agree," she nods. "When is breakfast served?" She adds.
"It was about eight o'clock yesterday. I can go down the to the cafeteria and get you something if you're hungry." He offers.
"Nothing to heavy, maybe some toast and a yoghurt?" She suggests.
Draco smiles, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, and then the top of Scorpius'. "I'll be back soon." He tells her, collecting his jacket before he leaves.
A night sleeping in an armchair has left him with a creased shirt, and too tired to cast a spell to fix it, so he throws his jacket as he walks down the corridor. Over the course of the night, he must have gotten about three hours sleep. He stifles a yawn as he waits for the lift with another man, looking just as tired and dishevelled. They step into the lift, exchanging a knowing nod.
"First time father?" The other man asks.
Draco nods, "And you?" He asks.
"Second time father, first time with a witch. It's a lot more stressful in this world." He mutters.
"If there's a next time, ask for Healer Heath, he was trained in the muggle world too." Draco tells him.
The man thanks him before getting off on the ground floor. Draco continues in his journey down to the cafeteria, one floor down. Inside the room, he scans the menu board for anything that sounds appetising for himself. He decides on a breakfast sandwich and a cup of tea. He orders both their orders with the woman at the till, handing over a few galleons and pocketing his change.
He takes a seat at a table beside a window overlooking the Muggle world and removes his phone to check for any messages. He has a single bar of service here but has three texts from his family. He opens Hyperion's first.
Hyperion 06:30
Congratulations to both of you! We can't wait to meet him. Sarah asks if he has a name?
Draco smiles as he types out a reply.
Draco 06:45
Thank you, Hyperion. Sarah will have to wait to meet him. How is the 19th September? It will give us time to rest and that is Hermione's birthday.
Draco hits send then opens the text form Alarte.
Alarte 06:34
I thought for sure he would come on Hermione's birthday! CONGRATULATIONS! Remember our promise. You have to come get me. I won't be home for your visit. I can't wait to meet him.
Draco 06:47
I remember our promise. How about I bring you home when we visit your Dad? It's going to be the 19th, Hermione's birthday? We're going to be quite busy until then.
The next text is surprisingly from Neville and Carol.
Neville 06:36
Congratulations to both of you. Love from Neville, Carol, Joelle, Kyla, and Alexander.
Draco doesn't think Neville's text warrants another text, so leaves it. He's about to pocket his phone when another text come through.
Alarte 06:48
That's fine. You'll have to take me back to Birmingham though. What's his name? What does he look like?
Draco 06:50
Of course, I'm going to take you back afterwards. You'll find his name out with everyone else on the day. He has my face with Hermione's curly hair and eyes. Although, his hair is light brown.
As he presses send on the text message, the woman behind the till calls his name to collect his breakfast. He pockets the phones, collects the boxes of food and tray with two cups of teas, and leaves for the lift.
In their room, Hermione is sat in the armchair, Scorpius in her arms.
"Simon helped me move," she answers his unasked question.
"I don't trust him," Draco admits. "He was in the room during the birth and easily could be the informant." He adds.
"We don't know who the St. Mungo's informant is, and I wasn't going to wait until Heath arrives for help." She tells him.
"I wasn't going to be too long," he reminds her, pulling the table over, and lowering it down so she can reach the boxes.
Draco perches on the edge of the bed, leaning forward to eat his sandwich.
"Is he asleep?" He asks.
"Yes, he's snoring softly." She grins.
Draco smiles, leaning closer to listen, chuckling when he hears his son breath deeply in his sleep.
"I've had a few texts from Hyperion, Alarte and Neville, congratulating us on Scorpius' birth. I told them we would visit for an hour or so on your birthday. Is that okay?" He asks.
"That's fine, we'll have to see if we can set up a floo network." She mentions.
Draco nods, "I've told Alarte I'll pick him up and apparate him home so he can meet Scorpius too."
"He's going to love him."
"I assumed we would also be visiting your family on your birthday too," he says.
"Probably on the night since it's a weekday."
Draco nods, "Plenty of time for just the three of us in the morning." He smiles.
"Have you got something planned?" She asks him.
"Nothing too exciting, you'll still need to rest." He tells her.
"It's in twelve days, I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Well, just to be careful, I'm not going to plan any strenuous birthday activities." He informs her, making her laugh.
Draco finishes his breakfast and stands up with his takeaway cup of tea in his hand. "I was thinking, in half an hour I'll go out and buy a copy of the Daily Prophet." He suggests.
Hermione's face falls. "We'll have one at home, waiting for us." She spoons some yoghurt into her mouth, not making eye contact.
"That can be the backup copy for when I rip the first copy up." He tries to make light of the conversation, but Hermione doesn't smile. "We won't be getting home until at least four o'clock. I don't want people walking around knowing whatever this prophecy is while we're sat here in the dark on the whole matter. I know it's terrifying, but we need to know as soon as possible. This is something I don't want to put off until later." He tells her.
Hermione sighs, finally looking back up at him. "You're right," she nods. "Wait until nine o'clock though, most people will be at work by then, so fewer people will be staring." She suggests.
Draco agrees, walking over to the previous day's copy on their bedside table. Beneath the paper is the envelope that Pansy brought with from the staff at Hogwarts.
"There's a card her that Pansy brought with her from the Hogwarts staff." He passes the envelope to her.
Hermione's smile returns as she opens the card. On the front is a large teddy bear, wearing a tartan green bowtie, waving at them. Inside there is a short message, 'Dear Professors Granger and Malfoy, congratulations on the birth of your son. We hope to meet your new family soon. Yours faithfully, the Staff and Students of Hogwarts'. Beneath the message, each member of staff had signed their name. From the large, nearly illegible handwriting of Hagrid, to the beautiful cursive handwriting of Madam Pince. Surprisingly, even Filch had signed the card from both himself and Mrs Norris. Darius Cain, the DADA professor, had simply printed 'Cain' at the bottom of the card in his usual abrupt manner. Draco appreciated Madam Hooch's signature, which had a tiny, levitating snitch drawn beside it. Hermione rolls her eyes when he points it out.
"It's very sweet that everyone has signed the card," She mentions. "We'll have to visit them at some point, introduce them to Scorpius." She glances down at her son. "I wonder which house he'll be in when he attends Hogwarts."
Draco comes to a realisation. "Every British Malfoy has been a Slytherin." He mentions.
"That doesn't mean Scorpius will be." Hermione firmly states.
"I know, I was thinking earlier how Scorpius is taking the Malfoy image is into a new future, a definite better future. He doesn't have the hair or the eyes of a Malfoy." He clarifies.
"I, for one, think it's time the Malfoy's went down a new path." Hermione says.
"I agree," He nods. "I wouldn't even mind if he was a Gryffindor." He jokes.
"You will be proud of whichever house he gets into." Hermione tells him.
Draco knows she's right, but he also knows he'll be a little disappointed if he's not a Slytherin. His own Slytherin trait of adhering to tradition shining through.
At nine o'clock, Draco steps out of the Diagon Alley entrance to St. Mungo's, stretching his back as he takes a deep breath of fresh air. He walks towards Flourish and Blotts, past the side street of Knockturn Alley. There were few people wandering the street, as Hermione predicted. Despite it being a Saturday, Ministry workers would be at work, Hogwarts students would be at Hogwarts, and it was early enough that most everyone else would still be at home.
Inside Flourish and Blotts, he stops in his tracks at the sight of Dennis Creevey behind the counter. He hadn't seen the boy since he visited his house with Hermione and apologised. He'd heard through Hermione that he had dropped potions for his sixth year after finding out Draco would be an apprentice.
Creevey was glaring at him standing in the doorway. "Can I help you?" He asks with forced politeness.
"Just a copy of the Daily Prophet, please." Draco walks forward, keeping his distance from the boy.
Creevey reaches beneath the counter, pulling out a copy. "Tell Hermione I wish her well and congratulations." He says as he presses some buttons on the till.
"I will, she will be pleased to hear from you." He mentions.
Creevey glances at him. "I saw her on Thursday in Transfiguration," He shrugs.
Draco nods, he was just trying to make conversation.
"Three sickles and two knuts." Creevey tells him the price.
Draco hands him four sickles, telling him to keep the change.
"Are you buying this for the prophecy?" Creevey asks as Draco turns to leave.
"Yes, have you read it?" Draco asks curiously.
"Yeah, not much to do here. I couldn't figure it out though." He shrugs with a smile.
"Thanks," Draco frowns leaving the shop and heading back to St. Mungo's, the newspaper under his arm.
Draco knew most prophecies were almost riddle-esque and need deciphering, but he hoped he would be able to understand this one since it related to his family. He takes the newspaper out from under his arm, scanning over the front page. It was a picture of him and Hermione from the Partner Ceremony, looking less than happy with each other. The headline read 'DEATH EATER LEAKS MALFOY PROPHECY. Draco feels himself run cold as he suppresses a shiver.
He manages to wait until he's back in their room before opening the newspaper. Scorpius is in his hospital crib, sleeping, and Hermione is still sat in the armchair. He spread the correct page across the table in front of her, leaning over the back of the armchair to read along with her
DEATH EATER leaks MALFOY PROPHECY
8th September 2000: Magnus Maddox
An unknown DEATH EATER, who remains an informant for one, Magnus Maddox, despite the end of the second Wizarding World, yesterday passed on to the esteemed journalist a prophecy. Under the apparent orders of the NEW DARK LORD, the Death Eater, known only by their codename 'COTIDIO', wrote only the prophecy and its seer, none other than SEER SYBILL TRELAWNEY, seer and former professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sybill Trelawney disappeared after the Battle of Hogwarts in May 1998 and has not been sighted since. Was this the decision of a seer who had predict the rise of a new Dark Lord?
The DAILY PROPHET first reported a rise in Death Eater uprisings in February after a small attack on Hogwarts. These new Death Eater uprisings seem to occur, on average, every twenty days, with the most recent happening just yesterday in the Peak District, Derbyshire. Thankfully, Aurors, including the SAVIOUR, HARRY POTTER, managed to bring the uprising to an end, and obliviate all one-hundred-and-sixty-two Muggle witnesses, in only three hours.
Harry Potter, a close personal friend of HERMIONE GRANGER, had his own prophecy foretold by Sybill Trelawney back in 1980, which predicted the fall of YOU-KNOW-WHO. While many remember Sybill Trelawney as a disreputable professor, it cannot be denied her prophecies hold much truth.
As reported in yesterday's issues of the Daily Prophet (7th September 2000) by yours truly, Hermione Granger and DRACO MALFOY, who were wedded under the MINISTRY OF MAGIC'S controversial MARRIAGE DECREE, brought their first child into the world. Their son, whose name is yet to be announced, was born at 2:30 pm after labouring since 6:00 am. This timing of which was deciphered by the Death Eaters and reported by Cotidio along with the prophecy.
Malfoy Prophecy
'At the grave of the hound, the meeting of the clock, the Heres walks round, start at Picus o'clock, half an Excipio, the heres is here.'
Decryption
Our top codebreakers are under agreement this prophecy was addressed to the newly reformed Death Eaters and their new Dark Lord as it seems to reference their 'meeting of the clock' and they were apparently able to decipher 'Picus o'clock' and 'half and Excipio'. However, how these apparent names relate to a time is being debated. The codebreakers have managed to understand that 'Heres' and 'heres' are referencing two separate people, with the latter being the Malfoy heir and the former perhaps being the heir to the DARK LORD? Throughout history, there have been many mentions of hounds, most recently that of SIRIUS BLACK, an unregistered animagus whose form took that of a large black dog. However, since his death took place within the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, it is unlikely the newly reformed Death Eaters are meeting in the most secretive and well-protected place in not only the Ministry but in Britain itself. If any of our loyal readers out there has any ideas, please send them in!
Neither Hermione nor Draco speak once they've finished reading the article alongside the prophecy. Their blood runs cold as it suddenly all becomes real that there is a prophecy and it seems to be about their son.
"Th-there's nothing here that references us," Draco mutters. "It only mentions an heir, how many other children were born yesterday? We can't just trust this Death Eater 'Cotidio' and his deciphering of the timings. Half an Excipio could mean anything. What does it even mean? It sounds Latin, I know little Latin." He states, sitting on the edge of the bed as his legs begin to wobble.
"I don't know," Hermione whispers, staring down at the prophecy. "It's capitalised, so it has to be the name of someone or something. Maddox mentioned the Death Eaters have codenames."
"We never had codenames." Draco interrupts, shaking his head. "The Dark Lord wanted everyone to know each other, in cases of deception we would know who had betrayed us and they would never be safe from the rest of us." He explains.
"So, these codenames are new, introduced by the new Dark Lord. They must mean something." Hermione states, producing a pen from somewhere and circling the words with capital letters. "Heres, Picus, and Excipio." She states. "Do we know anyone who knows Latin?" She questions, glancing up at Draco.
He shakes his head before remembering with a sigh. "Benjamin, Blaise's Muggle friend, he knows Latin."
"You have phone service, right? You texted your family. See if you can call Blaise," She sits taller, the excitement of solving the puzzle, and fear of knowing the answer is about them, visible in her face.
Draco nods, walking over to the window. He scrolls down to 'Blaise' in his contacts and presses call. His friend answers after a couple of rings.
"Hey, Draco," Blaise yawns.
"Are you just waking up?" He checks his watch.
"Yeah, it's only half-past nine, and Pandora was up most of the night." He explains. "Are you alright?" He asks.
"Yes, Hermione gave birth yesterday." He announces, since his best friend didn't seem to know.
"Really, that's amazing, congratulations." His excitement evident in his voice.
"I assumed you knew; it was all over the Daily Prophet yesterday." Draco admits.
"I stopped the paper, the owls scared Benji, and I haven't been into our world for a few days." He states.
"Well, my baby is called Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, and he was born at half-past two yesterday afternoon. He's beautiful." He grins.
"I'm so happy for you mate," Blaise says. "Wait, you said it was in yesterday's Daily Prophet, that gets delivered really early. How-" He starts.
"Blaise," Draco interrupts him. "There's been a prophecy, like Harry's, about my son, apparently he's supposed to bring an end to these Death Eat-" Draco pauses, turning to face Hermione.
"What? Hello?" Blaise calls down the phone.
"Wait," Draco calls back as he wordlessly accios the newspaper, scanning the prophecy again. "Hermione, there's no mention of the end of the Death Eaters. Tabitha told me she knew the prophecy and it foretold the end of the Death Eaters." He states at the prophecy in confusion.
"Draco, the Latin," She reminds him.
"Oh, Blaise, is Benjamin there?" He asks.
"You want Benji?" He asks, sounding confused.
"Yes, the prophecy has some Latin in it, we need to know the meaning," Draco explains.
He hears Blaise sigh as he climbs out of bed. "One second." He mutters, opening his door. "Yeah, he's here. Benji, Draco needs to speak to you about Latin." He calls over to his flatmate.
"Why?" He hears Benjamin asks.
"I don't know, it's important to him though." Blaise lies.
"Fine, pass the phone." Benjamin's quiet voice agrees. "Don't throw it!" He shouts, getting louder as the phone seemingly flies through the air. "It's a good thing I can catch." He chides.
"It's a good thing I can throw," Blaise counterargues with a laugh.
"Hello?"
"Hi Benjamin, I've got some Latin I'm in desperate need of translating." He tries to sound friendly.
"Is it much?" He asks.
"No, just three words."
"Okay, go ahead," he agrees.
"Okay, the first word is 'heres'."
"Heres? It means heir, as in successor, h-e-i-r, but also can mean master." Benjamin informs him.
"Heir as in successor, and also master," He repeats, passing the newspaper back to Hermione who writes it down. "What about 'picus'?" He asks next.
"What?"
"P-i-c-u-s," Draco spells the word out.
"Picus," Benjamin repeats the word. "I'm not sure, sorry."
"Okay, how about 'excipio'?"
"Excipio means to receive, or welcome, or succeed. What is this about?" Benjamin asks.
"To receive, welcome or succeed," Draco repeats for Hermione's sake.
"Draco, Cotidio," She reminds him.
"One more, Benjamin, Cotidio?"
Benjamin sighs as he thinks, "Cotidio means every day, or daily."
"Thank you, Benjamin. Is there any way you could find out what 'picus' means for us?" He asks.
"I suppose I can check my Latin dictionary, wait a second. I'll see if I can find it." He tells him. "Blaise, can you watch Dora?" He calls through the flat.
"Yeah," Blaise calls back.
Draco listens as Benjamin rummages through his possessions, in search of his Latin dictionary. He whispers to Hermione that 'cotidio' means every day and that he's searching for a dictionary for 'picus'.
"It means 'woodpecker'?" Benjamin doesn't sound convinced.
"Woodpecker?" Draco repeats, just as confused. "That doesn't make sense."
"I'm just trying to help," He snaps. "Oh, wait, 'pica' means magpie," he adds.
"And?" Draco asks annoyed.
"They're both birds, maybe you're looking for a bird or something." Benjamin offers.
"Bird is avis," Draco shakes his head.
"How much Latin do you know?" He asks, sounding annoyed himself.
"Not much," He admits.
"Well, avis is Latin for a bird, but there's always a specific word for specific birds," Benjamin explains, and he can be heard flicking through the pages of his dictionary. "Like crane is grus, and, oh my," he starts laughing. "You're not going to believe this, a griffin is gryps but also picus. What a coincidence! You know what a griffin is, a mythical lion eagle thing." He rambles.
"A griffin. Picus could also mean griffin." He stares at Hermione who stares back at him in terrified awe.
"Yeah,"
"Thanks, I've got to go," Draco hangs up quickly. "What do we know?" He asks, standing beside Hermione, rereading the prophecy, now with Hermione's notes.
"At the grave of the hound, the meeting of the clock, the heir or master walks round, start at woodpecker or griffin o'clock, half a receive, welcome or succeed, the heir is here." Hermione reads out.
"It's got to be griffin. Start at griffin, you're a Gryffindor, the birth of Scorpius started with you" He suggests.
"It would make sense," Hermione agrees. "I think the Heres, as in the capitalised word, is the name of this new Dark Lord. They're the heir of Voldemort and the new master." She mentions.
Draco nods, rubbing his face tiredly. "I can't believe this is actually happening."
"We'll figure this out," Hermione takes his hand in hers, pulling it away from his face. "And if we get stuck, you can guarantee half of wizarding Britan will be trying to decipher the prophecy too." She adds.
"That's true." He agrees. "I just don't understand this 'o'clock' part. I get the 'start at Gryffindor', if that's correct, but 'start at Gryffindor o'clock'. Is it just going off the clock analogy from the previous section?" He thinks aloud.
"Maddox mentions my labour started at six o'clock, so 'picus' must also stand for the number six, somehow," Hermione suggests. "And 'half an excipio' must mean half-past two, when Scorpius was born." She adds.
Draco points at the word 'welcome' written down. "We welcomed Scorpius at half-past two. In this context, 'excipio' could mean welcome, but it could be a bit of a reach." He shrugs.
"We received him, welcomed him, and he as our heir, he is our successor. It all makes sense." She sighs.
"I'm certain the words are capitalised because they're Death Eater codenames, though." Draco mentions. "Heres, meaning the heir and master must be the new Dark Lord."
"That would suggest a Gryffindor is a Death Eater," Hermione points out.
"Not impossible." Draco raises an eyebrow.
Hermione runs through every Gryffindor she knows, but can't think of a single one who would join the Death Eaters. "I'm not sure, I think it just references me."
"They have so many different meanings. This is why I hate prophecies, they're like riddles. I would forever be locked out of the Ravenclaw common room." He half-jokes.
"Going off the codename logic, there is also a Death Eater that receives, welcomes or succeeds and one that is every day or daily. Are they named after their tasks?" She questions.
"Excipio could be second in command if anything happens to the Heres, they succeed. Or they could welcome new recruits. That was Yaxley during my time." He admits, realising he doesn't know of Yaxley's whereabouts.
Draco walks back over to the window where he has better service and calls Harry. The other man answers on the second ring.
"Have you read the prophecy?" He asks without a 'hello'.
"Yes, we think we've got the gist of some of it." He admits.
"You know Latin?"
"No, but we've got it. I need to ask you about Corban Yaxley." He tells Harry.
"Corban Yaxley?" Harry repeats. "He's number one on our most-wanted list. He hasn't been spotted since the Battle of Hogwarts."
Draco curses, turning to face Hermione. "No sighting, at all." He asks.
"No, is this about the prophecy?" Harry asks.
"Yes, we think all the capitalised words refer to a Death Eater. Maddox mentioned codenames so we think Excipio is Yaxley." He states.
"Why?"
"Excipio means to welcome, and Yaxley's main job during the first war was to welcome new recruits, so to speak," Draco explains.
"I assume that means a little torture to ensure their loyalty," Harry says.
"Yes, but the Dark Lord would specifically say the new recruits had been welcomed by Yaxley. I just think it's too big of a coincidence." Draco admits.
Harry sighs, "We have two aurors already attempting to track him down but he's extremely skilled in obliviate and imperio. Apparently, he was rarely seen even when he worked at the Ministry." He mentions.
"I'll let you know if we figure anything else out." Draco tells him before they both bid goodbye and hang up. "There's not much Harry or the aurors can do. He's been on the run since May 1998 and hasn't been seen since." He tells Hermione, sitting on the bed.
"At least this Excipio could be Yaxley, he's still on the run. We're on the right tracks." Hermione tries to lighten his mood, but it doesn't help. "Let's think about Cotidio, who could that be? What does every day, or daily even mean in this context? And if there is a Gryffindor Death Eater, it narrows the population down to about twenty-five per cent." She adds.
Over the next three hours, they write down all their thoughts on a piece of parchment that becomes longer and longer the more they brainstorm. At half-past one, Simon, the junior healer, enters with lunch for Hermione and to check on both her and Scorpius. Draco quickly gathers up all their notes with a wave of his hand before the man can read anything. Simon does his checks and leaves. Draco's about to spread their notes out again when Hermione tells him to go fetch himself some lunch from the cafeteria.
"The break might reset your brain," She adds when he starts to complain.
However, during the time it takes him to walk down to the cafeteria, order his soup, sandwich and pumpkin juice, collect his order, and walk all the way back to the cafeteria, his brain is thinking about the clock. It's the one part of the prophecy he is stuck on the most.
Hermione is just finishing her own sandwich when Draco returns and she can see the look of intense thought on his face.
"You were supposed to clear your mind." She tells him.
"My mind is never clear." He mutters sitting on the bed.
"You're brooding," She tells him.
"Sorry," He shakes his head as he takes a bite out of his sandwich.
When Scorpius starts to fuss, Hermione takes him out of his crib for another feed. They talk about going home during their lunch, taking a break from all thought of the prophecy, although they remain at the forefront of their mind. Once Scorpius settles against Hermione's chest, eyes fluttering closed as he falls asleep, they begin with their notes again.
While Draco was stuck on the clock, Hermione was having a difficult time getting her head around the grave of the hound. The rest kind of made sense with what they already knew but, arguably, the first two lines are the most important as they seem to announce where the Death Eater's meetings take place. She does not agree with the Daily Prophet's idea of it referencing Sirius Black. The newspaper had never liked the man and despite Harry clearing his name on multiple occasions, they still like to drag his name through the mud every now and then.
The couple were so lost in thought that a knock on their door an hour or so later made them jump, just as their Healer, Heath, entered the room at the start of his shift. The man stops at the end of the bed, staring at all the pieces of parchment and newspaper pages that were spread about, and just shakes his head.
"I thought I told you both to rest. Especially you, Ms Granger." He points out, taking his wand out of his pocket as Draco gathers up all the notes once again. "I'm sure you both want to get home with Scorpius, so let's get started with your checks." Heath states.
Draco, realising the would be leaving soon, starts to pack Hermione's belongings while Heath does his check on his wife and son. He finishes just as Heath picks up Scorpius, cradling him in his arms as he checks the baby's eyes and ears. He then places him in his crib before waving his wand over his body, muttering some spells and smiling.
"Both mother and baby are healthy enough to go home today. I'll send one of our junior healers in to discharge you both and sign some paperwork and then you'll be free to leave. I would like to see both you and Scorpius next week, on the fourteenth of September, for his weekly check-up. He'll be having these weekly check-ups for the next two months, then they'll become monthly. You'll receive reminders two days before each appointment, so don't worry about remembering anything." He tells them. "Congratulations to the both of you," He finishes.
"Thank you, so much Dr Heath. I'm very glad you were our healer." Hermione tells him.
"You're welcome, best of luck." He nods before leaving.
Draco passes Hermione a sleeping suit and coat for Scorpius and helps her to dress their son so he's warm enough to leave. Even though they would be flooing back to their house, the hooded coat would hide his face from any reporters waiting for them in the foyer.
Ten minutes later, Simon enters with a clipboard full of parchment. He spends fifteen minutes talking them through everything before having them both sign at the end. Then he hands them a birth certificate to sign. The time of birth and Scorpius' birth weight had already been filled in, presumably by Heath, who had signed his name, Heath Hawkins, as the lead healer. Draco carefully wrote 'Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy' where he was told to, then signed his own name under 'father', passing the certificate to Hermione to sign under 'mother'.
Simon duplicates the certificate twice, handing the original back to Draco.
"You'll need to take the original to the Department of Registration for them to take a copy of for their archives." He states. "You must do so within a month." He adds.
Draco scoffs at the thought of having to meet with Alexander Vyner again, after he had threatened and bribed Hermione to sign a deal revoking their archive deal.
Simon cleared his throat. "You are now free to leave, congratulations." He tells them before leaving the room himself.
Hermione's face beams at being told they can return home. Draco passes her coat over, which she pulls on over a loose-fitting pair of trousers and a jumper, then slips her feet into a pair of flat shoes. Once she feels presentable, she picks Scorpius up from his crib, ensuring the hood of his coat is covering his face as she cradles him to her chest. Draco picks up her suitcase, opens the door for them, and they're on their way.
They don't run into any trouble until they step out of the lift on the floo area. They are instantly swarmed by a group of reporters. Draco's eyes scan for Tabitha Penn, Maddox's assistant, since he and Hermione had already agreed they need to have another word with her, however, he could not see her. None of the reporters come any closer than three feet away and they all move out of the way as they walk towards the nearest fireplace. However, the shouting of questions startles Scorpius, who begins to scream at the top of his tiny lungs.
Draco raises his wand, "I will silence you," he threatens, loud enough for those nearest to hear. It has an instantaneous effect on the reports who quieten, or rather all but one who takes advantage of the quiet to ask a question.
"What's his name?" He shouts.
Draco glares at the man, and with a quick flick of his wand, and a non-verbal cast of the silencing charm, he too falls quiet.
At the fireplace, Hermione leaves first with Scorpius, but Draco follows seconds behind.
"That was intense," Hermione sighs, sitting on their couch to remove Scorpius's coat, not wanting their son to overheat in their warm house. "He looks like a starfish," She laughs to herself.
Draco glances over to where Hermione has Scorpius held up. His tiny arms are stuck out still inside the coat, and his legs are in his sleeping suit, both are made from thick material making it difficult for him to move his limbs.
"I think we should take a nap," Draco suggests, placing the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs.
Hermione nods, standing up with Scorpius in her arms.
"I think a nap in our own bed is just what we need," she agrees.
"You head up, I'll make us both a cup of tea to relax with, and a sandwich," Draco tells her.
Hermione nods, climbing the stairs carefully with Scorpius. "Welcome home, little one." She whispers, Scorpius's eyes staring at her, although she read most babies don't focus on faces until around eight weeks.
She opens the door into Scorpius' nursery, "This is your bedroom, Scorpius." She says, gently lowering him down into his new crib.
Scorpius waves his fists around as he struggles, his face scrunching up in preparation for a cry. Hermione softly caresses his face as she closes the heavy curtains with a wave of her hand. It blocks all light from the room, which seems to calm Scorpius down. She had also read that a baby's eyes are sensitive to light. She continues to soothe her son until she hears his breaths deepen as he drifts off. Even then she doesn't move away from his crib, watching his peaceful face. She doesn't leave until she hears Draco walking through the living room towards the staircase.
In their bedroom, she changes out of her comfortable clothes, into a clean pair of pyjamas, just as Draco enters.
"I quickly checked on Scorpius," he admits. "He's adorable when he sleeps, as though there's nothing wrong in the world." He adds, levitating the tray down on to the end of their bed.
Hermione chuckles, "I don't think I've ever heard you call anything adorable." She says.
"I save the word for very rare occasions, such as describing how my son sleeps, or my son in general." He admits, changing out of his own clothes, that he has been wearing since the previous morning, and slept in last night.
"I'm sure teenage Scorpius will love that." Hermione smiles, climbing into bed.
Draco pales, "Can we not talk about teenage Scorpius when he's only just over a day old?" He says, not wanting to think of his adorable son as an angsty teenager who hates everything.
Hermione laughs again, levitating the tray up to between them once Draco has also climbed inside. They enjoy their cups of tea and sandwiches as they discuss the joys of parenthood that are soon to come for them. Once finished, Draco levitates the tray onto their vanity table before both of them shuffle further under the bed covers. Scorpius usually only sleeps for ninety minutes at most before want to feed, so they make the best use of their spare time by taking a much-needed nap.
I would like to once again thank all my readers for sticking by me and The Marriage Decree, it wouldn't be half as fun to write without a willing audience.
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