Like Fools: Chapter Five
Title: Like Fools
Author: Kimberry531/Clandestinelle (same person)
Rating: R
Pairing: Al/Scorpius
Word Count: 52,207 total; ~5k this chapter.
Summary: In the middle of his quest to find and master the Elder Wand which his father didn’t want, Al finds his family in the midst of a second Wizarding war. While in hiding, Al finds himself struggling to fight against feelings for one of the other refugees - blonde, sweet, innocent Scorpius Malfoy. However, when the war takes a turn for the worse, Al finds that he suddenly has bigger problems than his heart, and the two must embark on a frightening adventure fit only for Gryffindor idiots.
Notes: This fic is COMPLETE and will be updated every Monday and every Friday.
Dedication: Rosa, Slashfiend337, for getting me out of my two-month pit of despair of the last chapter and setting it straight within thirty minutes. Owe her my soul. And this fic.
“On me dit que le destin se moque bien de nous
Qu'il ne nous donne rien et qu'il nous promet tout
Parais qu'le bonheur est à portée de main,
Alors on tend la main et on se retrouve fou
I’m told that fate makes fun of us,
That it gives us nothing and promises everything,
When happiness seems to be within our grasp,
We reach out and find ourselves like fools”
- Carla Bruni
‘Oh, Baby, can’t you see? I’m blind for you - I’ll always be. You don’t need to send a tripping jinx at me, bay-bay - I’m t-t-t-t-trippin’ for you anyway!’
“I swear, if you don’t turn off this tripe, I will maim somebody,” Al growled.
Lily, Roxanne, Molly, and Lucy ignored him, continuing their dance party, the wireless set on a 24/7 Celestina Warbeck station.
“This is our room, Albus, and we can play what we like!” Roxanne said.
Rose shook her head.
Al sat up suddenly, his head spinning.
“Whoa, head-rush,” he said, clutching Rose’s arm. When he recovered he cocked his head toward the door and raised an eyebrow. He stood quietly and felt Rose follow him, their discreet departure escaping the notice of the younger girls.
Once they were safely in the hall, not being followed by the others for once, Al whispered, “I just heard the front door. Let’s see who’s here!”
At the bottom of the stairs, Al paused, listening. Voices were coming from the kitchen, so they headed downstairs. He pushed the door open and held it for Rose.
The room held Fred, Dominique, and James, all three looking tired and sullen. Granny Weasley was chopping vegetables at the counter.
“James,” Albus said. “What’s going on?”
James looked at him blankly for a minute and then blinked. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is happening, just like nothing has happened for the past two months. We’re just tired and hungry.”
This was nothing new. Though the Order hadn’t suffered any losses that Albus knew of, the members’ frustration at the lack of action and results was clear whenever anyone visited Grimmauld Place. Rhinehart was crafty - he kept his followers well hidden. There had been no hint or whisper of their whereabouts, and each attack was a surprise. His followers were almost always in and out before the Aurors or Order members could get there. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind the locations or timing of the attacks. The only common factor was the victims; all were Muggles, Muggle-borns, or “Muggle lovers”.
“Why don’t you go shower while I get the soup ready,” Granny Weasley said kindly. “Then you can eat and rest. You’ll all feel better tomorrow.”
“Go ahead, Dominique. Ladies first,” Fred said gruffly, and Dominique sent him a grateful smile and headed up the stairs towards the bathroom.
Al had always liked his older cousins rather better than the younger ones. Out of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur’s kids, Dominique was his favorite. He’d never spent much time with the eldest, Victoire, who was quite a bit older than him and had never wanted to play with the younger children, preferring to spend time with the adults or on her own. She was very much like her mother - all frills and vanity, with high heels, long flowing hair, and painted nails. Louis, on the other hand, was a small annoyance, like a gnat. He had perfect blonde curls around his young face, but his mouth never ceased to move. Dominique, in contrast, was quiet and brave, with perfectly straight strawberry blonde hair that hung to her chin.
Fred lowered himself heavily into one of the kitchen chairs, and James did the same, folding his arms on the table and lowering his head onto them.
“What’s the date?” James asked.
“January seventeenth,” Rose told him.
“Heard from anyone else recently?” Fred asked.
“My mum and dad were here for a few minutes this morning,” Rose said.
“And your mum was in yesterday. She didn’t mention your dad, but I guess if he’d been hurt or something we’d have heard about it,” Al told him.
“Of course he’s fine,” Granny Weasley said mildly. “Don’t put ideas in people’s heads.”
Fred nodded and leaned back to stretch, the chair complaining beneath him.
They sat in silence for a good ten minutes, James not lifting his head, as Granny Weasley bustled around the kitchen. Al helped as he could - finding bowls and spoons and some crackers and setting the table. Dominique came back down, her hair wet.
James stood wordlessly and headed up for his turn.
“Oh, it smells amazing in here,” Dominique said, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes. “Do you need any help?”
“No, thank you,” Granny Weasley said. “Just sit and relax.”
“He didn’t even ask if he could go next,” Fred said incredulously, staring at the closed kitchen door.
Al snorted. “You’re surprised? This is James.”
The door opened, and one of the twins - even living with them, Al couldn’t tell them apart - poked her head in.
“I smell soup,” she said.
“None for you, Molly,” Granny Weasley said firmly. “This is for Dominique, Fred, and James. They just came in and they haven’t had real food in weeks. You had lunch an hour ago.”
Molly frowned and closed the door again.
“How do you tell them apart?” Al asked suddenly.
“Molly is brasher, Lucy is sweeter,” Rose answered. “Or if they’re being quiet and you can’t figure it out by which is being brattier, Molly has this super tiny mole on her left cheek, Lucy doesn’t have one. You have to look close, but it’s there.”
“Rosie!” Granny Weasley admonished. “Don’t talk about your cousins that way!”
Behind her back, Rose rolled her eyes at Albus.
James reappeared a few minutes later, and Fred took his turn upstairs. They heard the front door open again, and Harry came down the kitchen stairs.
“Dad!” Al cried, jumping up to hug him. “Where’s Mum? Is anything happening?”
Harry absently ran a hand over Al’s head and turned to James. “It’s good to see you. Everything all right?”
“Yeah, it’s all fine,” James said. “Fred’s just upstairs showering.”
Harry nodded. “Your mum will be here soon,” he said to Albus. “Nothing new happening at all.”
Al nodded and went to get two more bowls for his parents. Rose started serving the soup just as Fred came back down from his shower.
Al was heading back upstairs to tell the girls to turn the radio down - they could hear it right down in the kitchen, and he didn’t want to know how anyone could listen to Celestina Warbeck at that volume, though Granny Weasley seemed to be enjoying it - when the front door opened and his mother came in.
“Albus,” she said breathlessly. “Where’s your father?”
“Kitchen,” Albus said quickly. “Is everything -”
Without waiting to hear his question, Ginny ran down to the kitchen, and Albus could hear her talking quickly.
The door opened again, and three or four more Order members came barreling in, heading straight for the sound of voices from the kitchen.
A few seconds later, Teddy came in, moving slowly. He took a deep breath and headed towards the stairs. He paused when he spotted Albus.
“C’mon, then,” he said to Al, cocking his head toward the kitchen. “You should hear this.”
Al followed him silently into the kitchen. One of the Patil twins was talking quickly and quietly.
“- about a hundred, but they don’t realize the wards are down, they’re entirely unprepared. If we hurry…”
“If we hurry, we can capture the lot of them,” Harry said. “I’ll Floo the Aurors and let them know to be on hand. Be ready to go in five minutes.”
Everyone began bustling around, hurrying to prepare for attack. Al and Rose stood like statues amid the chaos.
“Okay,” Harry said. “Are we ready? We’re meeting everyone else at the Burrow and moving on from there.”
There was a number of pops, and only Harry and Ginny remained. Ginny came over and hugged Al fiercely.
“I love you, Albus,” she said. “We’re all going to be fine. Just stay here. Be good for your granny.”
“I love you too, Mum,” Albus said.
Ginny released him and moved onto Rose. “Your parents will be in touch with you,” Ginny told her. “They’ll be fine. You two take care.”
Harry took his turn hugging Al.
“You’re a brave boy, Al,” Harry said solemnly. “I’m very proud of you.”
Al opened his mouth to ask what, exactly, he had done to be so brave, but Harry and Ginny had linked arms and Apparated away.
*****
“Where are your wife and son, Mr Malfoy?” the Ministry official asked, readying his quill at the top of the parchment, which read, “Interrogation: Draco Lucius Malfoy. February 20th.”
This was the most recent in a series of interrogations from the Ministry, the first of which had occurred the night he sent his family away. Each time the Ministry sent him home - with anti-Apparation charms applied and the promise to be very carefully guarding his Floo - disappointed. Then a few weeks later he’d receive word to come in again. It was tiring, it was tedious, and Draco was sick of it.
“It’s irrelevant where they are. Neither of them has anything to do with what’s going on; they’ve left so that they might be spared this trouble. Any business you have with the family only concerns myself and my parents, whom I believe you already have in custody,” Draco answered evenly. He found himself suddenly very, very thankful for at least this one positive result of his dark past - he knew how to trick Veritaserum, truthfully answering any questions, but - usually - managing to not answer at the same time. His Aunt Bella’s lessons in Occlumency certainly helped as well.
“Mr Malfoy,” the official said, clearly not amused, “where did you send your wife and son?”
“To stay with friends until everything here was sorted out,” Draco answered, still honest. “You see, on one side Rhinehart very much wants my son as his follower. My son, being a bright young lad, doesn’t wish to be involved. On the other side, I have you gentlemen trying to arrest us because of my family’s dubious behavior in the last war, which my wife and son were not involved in. So you see, you have no business with either of them. As I’ve already said, your business is with my parents and myself.”
The man looked at him steadily. “It’s very suspicious that as our investigations of the old Death Eater families begin, you send your family away.”
“It’s not suspicious at all, sir,” Draco said, his tone polite. “I knew without doubt that I would be facing trouble. But, for the third time, your business is with me.”
The official was silent for a moment. “Your little speeches suggest that you know why you’ve been brought in for questioning.”
“After several interrogations, yes, I’ve finally cottoned on,” Draco said sarcastically. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes, sir,” he amended. “It’s because my parents and I were Death Eaters during the last war. I suppose that means you believe that we are once again involved with the wrong side of the war, despite the fact that my parents are too old to ride their broomsticks any longer, let alone go out on Muggle-killing sprees.”
“Your parents’ case is separate from your own, Mr Malfoy. This is about you and your family.”
“Then I suggest it be made about me, sir,” Draco snapped, “because my wife and son are entirely innocent.”
The man acted as though Draco hadn’t spoken, riffling through the parchments on the table between them, reading something.
“According to your file, as a sixteen-year-old you attempted to murder Albus Dumbledore numerous times, resulting in the near death of two Hogwarts students, and later allowed a large number of Death Eaters into Hogwarts, an incident in which several people were badly injured and Albus Dumbledore was finally killed. Now, you’d like me to believe that this time you’re just sitting around while your family is hiding, and none of you have anything to do with what’s going on?”
“Yes,” Draco said quietly, his eyes angry slits despite the forced calm of his voice. “Firstly because I’ve grown up and am no longer under the influence of my father. Secondly because I have no interest in Rhinehart’s ‘cause’. Thirdly, and most importantly, because I have a family now. My son is fifteen, just months away from the age I was when I took the Dark Mark. I will do anything to keep my son from living like I lived - every day in fear. I took the Mark because I’d been raised to think it was the highest honor. But from the moment it became real, everything I did, I did for survival. I’d do anything to keep my son from ever knowing what that’s like.”
The official shook his head. “That’s a moving speech, Mr Malfoy, really. But I need proof that you aren’t involved with Rhinehart.”
“I’m under Veritaserum, aren’t I? I’ll say it plain - I am not involved with Rhinehart, or anyone else on his side, and I do not wish to ever be. Furthermore, my wife and son are not involved, and they do not wish to be either.”
“I cannot trust the Veritaserum,” the official said. “You’ve already evaded the question of your family’s whereabouts. Wait a tic…” There was a sudden gleam in the official’s eyes. “What, Mr Malfoy, is the exact location of your family?”
*****
Astoria, Gemma, Viola, Alexandrie, and Scorpius were sitting down to dinner. It had been months since they’d arrived, and they’d fallen into an uneasy peace.
After dinner, Scorpius and Gemma washed the dishes while Alexandrie fiddled with the radio, trying to find the British news.
“It is being said that a camp of Rhinehart’s men was discovered and stormed today -” the radio blared suddenly, and Alexandrie turned it down to a normal level as they all paused to listen. “Only one casualty on our side, along with a few minor injuries sustained. Let’s all have a moment of silence for the fallen, Dennis Creevey...”
Gemma and Scorpius shared a look.
“I’m worried that we haven’t heard from Dad,” Gemma said, out of nowhere.
“Gemma,” Astoria said from the sitting room, and Gemma fell silent.
Outside, a light snow began to fall.
“Neige,” Alexandrie said, pointing to the window.
The night was cold, and Viola conjured up extra blankets for everyone at bedtime - the heating charms wore off around three in the morning, and Scorpius hated shivering till dawn.
Under the heaviness of the warm blankets, Scorpius found himself sleeping deeply, feeling like he was in hibernation.
He was roused from his heavy sleep in the middle of the night by a scream downstairs. There was a crash, and another scream.
“Merde,” Scorpius hissed. “Merlin.” Panicking, breathing deeply, he jumped out of bed. It must have been after three, he decided somewhat absently, because the floor was freezing against his bare feet.
Alexandrie threw open the door, a long gash down her leg. “Run!” she cried, and there were flashes from down the stairs.
He heard Gemma’s cry again and a frantic yell from Astoria; she must have run down to help Gemma, who slept on a cot in the sitting room. Looking around wildly, he saw his angel illuminated by the moonlight outside. He grabbed it and dashed downstairs, wand out. Gemma was on the floor, her back against a wall. Astoria was being held at wandpoint against the opposite wall. A tall figure stood over Gemma, wand pointed at her face.
“Stupefy!” Scorpius shouted, aiming his wand at Gemma’s attacker, but his hand shook and the spell ricocheted.
The man turned.
“Expelliarmus!” Scorpius yelled, heading for the front door, and the man’s wand flew into his hand. The man swung his fist, and Scorpius saw stars, but he kept scrambling for the door.
Once outside, he ran barefoot through the snow, the man right on his heels. He looked at the angel statue under his arm.
“I wish Mum, Gemma, and I were back home at the Estate!” he yelled.
After the men had Disapparated away, Alexandrie stood at the front door, eyes scouring the yard. Scorpius’s footprints and a fine trail of blood crossed to the middle of the yard and then disappeared.
*****
Draco, released by the Ministry official - with the promise that he’d hear from him very soon - made his way to the Floo. However, when he threw down his powder and called out “Malfoy Estate!” nothing happened. He stepped out of the fire, took another fistful, and tried again. This time, the fireplace whisked him away, and he stumbled into the front room of his home, only to find three separate wands trained on him.
“Merlin’s balls!” he exclaimed in surprise, and the wands lowered.
“Draco!” his wife cried with obvious relief.
“Who would it have been? And what are you three doing here?”
“They found us,” Scorpius said breathlessly. “Rhinehart’s men. I got us out. I have one of their wands.” He held it out for Draco to take. He bit his lip. “I hope they haven’t hurt Viola or Alexandrie… in the moment, I didn’t think to help them…”
“They’ll be okay,” Gemma assured him. “The men were after us.”
Draco eyed his son carefully. “You’re bleeding.”
“He hit me after I took his wand,” Scorpius admitted.
Draco closed his eyes. “It isn’t safe for us to be here. I’m going to owl someone I know for assistance. Astoria, can you see to Scorpius’s head wound, please?”
He headed into his study and pulled out parchment and a peacock feather quill.
*****
Potter,
Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. It’s urgent. A matter of life or death for many, in fact.
DM
Harry read over the piece of parchment again.
“Well,” he said. “What does everyone think?”
“It’s obviously a trap, mate,” Ron said, and there was scattered agreement.
“Life or death, though…” Harry said, unsure.
“Saving-People-Thing,” said Hermione in a long-suffering tone.
“Hermione’s right,” Ginny said gently. “You know you tend to rush into these situations without a clear head. Malfoy is dangerous, Harry, he always has been.”
“Dad?” Albus spoke up. “Rose and I are rather friendly with Scorpius Malfoy. Last I heard from him, his dad wasn’t involved with Rhinehart at all. So this could actually be a serious thing.”
Harry bit his lip. “Let’s assemble some people. Disguise them, place them in the Leaky Cauldron, then if there’s trouble it’ll be him against us.”
Ginny frowned. “I don’t know, Harry.”
“Ginny,” Harry said. “If a ton of people are there to back me up, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Draco shifted from foot to foot. It was sleeting heavily, and the Leaky Cauldron was chilly.
The pub was quiet; a warty witch sat at the bar, a few warlocks were whispering to each other over pints, and a couple of cloaked figures sat hunched here and there.
The fire roared, and Draco watched as Harry Potter stepped out, brushing ashes from his shoulder. Draco caught the wink the witch sent him.
Of course, he wouldn’t have come without backup. It’s not like I came alone, Draco thought, tightening his hold on Scorpius’s shoulder. Gemma and Astoria stood slightly behind him.
Harry spotted them and walked over.
“I’m glad to see your Gryffindor bravery is still intact,” Draco said.
“Your son is covered in blood,” Harry replied.
“We’ve been attacked by Rhinehart’s men. They don’t appreciate me keeping my family out of his service.”
“What do you want?”
“Firstly, can you send one of your friends here -” Draco waved a hand, indicating all of the people in the pub “- to go send a message to the Minister? He’s one of your people, isn’t he? The Ministry has been infiltrated.” He gave Harry the name of the Ministry official who had disclosed his family’s location to Rhinehart and, at a gesture from Potter, the witch stood and Flooed away immediately.
“Is that all?” Harry asked.
“I’ve just helped a lot of people by doing that,” Draco told him. “I want to keep helping.”
“And what’s your price?” Harry asked flatly.
“Sanctuary. For my children.”
“Children?” Harry asked, taking a step back and appraising Astoria and Gemma.
“My wife, Astoria, and my daughter Gemini,” Draco said.
Harry looked at Draco seriously. “I can call the Order together and you’ll need to plead your case to them. I can’t make this decision on my own. I’ve never had a reason to trust you.” As he spoke, he looked down at Scorpius, and his frown deepened. “I’ll call the Order,” he said finally. “That’s the best I can do.” He turned to the barkeep. “Is there a bigger private room we could use, sir?”
*****
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood at the head of the table in the somewhat damp room, clutching the wands of all four Malfoys. The Order had been briefed on the situation, and some members were still murmuring amongst themselves, eyeing the Malfoys with equal measures of interest and suspicion.
“We have no way of knowing whether they’re going to betray us,” he boomed. “We will have a vote. Should the vote be against the Malfoy family joining us, Mr Malfoy will be requested to provide memories-“ here he nodded briefly to Harry, who had arranged for his Pensieve to be brought from Grimmauld Place for this purpose, “-that will prove his claims. After seeing the evidence, a second vote will be taken.”
“Why not just save the time,” Seamus Finnigan piped up, “and see the memories first?”
“Because, Mr Finnigan, if we vote him - and his family - as trustworthy the first time, we can spare him a room of strangers seeing his private memories. Now. All in favor of letting the Malfoys fight with us and enter our Headquarters, who believe he is trustworthy, let me see your vote.”
A few hands rose, Harry’s included.
“And all who vote that he is untrustworthy and should provide us with further proof?”
The rest of the room raised their hands.
“I’m afraid I’ve never been given a reason to trust you, Mr Malfoy,” Kingsley said. “I must go with the majority.”
Draco narrowed his eyes. Astoria shook her head in silent anger. Gemma reached over and took Scorpius’s hand.
Kingsley handed Draco back his wand to extract the memory. Immediately, several wands were trained on him.
“Honestly,” he muttered, but removed the memories, transferring them into a vial someone had pushed into his hand.
Kingsley emptied the vial into the pensieve and cried, “Ostendatio,” pointing his wand at the swirling mist in the Pensieve. A beam of light flew from the Pensieve to the wall, projecting an image.
Draco opened the window to accept an owl. He read it and looked up in alarm.
“Astoria, go lock yourself in our bedroom. Do not come out until I tell you. Rhinehart is sending men to talk to me.”
Astoria frowned. “Be careful, Draco.”
Draco shook his head, twirling his wand. “Don’t worry. They won’t be a proble.”
He went and lit the fire, and a few moments later the Floo roared to life, expelling two large men.
“Good to see you, Draco,” one of them said gruffly, as the other quickly disarmed Draco, who didn’t flinch.
“Ah, Dolohov. Rowle. Good to see you, also. How are your fathers? Still in Azkaban?”
Ignoring the jibe, Dolohov asked, “How is your wife? Daphne, was it?”
“Her sister, Astoria. She’s fine. She’s visiting family today.”
“Ah. I knew it was one of the Greengrass girls.”
“You have a son,” Rowle said, and it was not a question.
“Yes,” Draco answered shortly.
“At Hogwarts, yeah? Which house is he?”
“Slytherin, of course.”
“We should have assumed so. A clever boy, is he?”
“You should have assumed that as well.”
“Well since you’re so bright, Draco, you ought to know why we’re here.”
“And since neither of you are very bright, I’ll have to inform you that I do not wish to join Rhinehart’s ranks, and no amount of persuasion will change my mind.”
“We respect that decision, Malfoy,” Rowle said. “Especially in your position.”
“What’s my position, exactly?” Draco asked.
“Having turned traitor last time, and all. And having raised your son to be sympathetic to Muggle-borns.”
“I have raised my son to be decent, and intelligent,” Draco said stonily.
“We’ve both put our families into Rhinehart’s service,” Dolohov said. “I don’t see why you should be any different.”
“The difference is I don’t wish to. Now, I would appreciate it if you would accept my refusal, and leave me in peace.”
“We can’t do that, Draco. We can’t go back to Rhinehart and tell him we just allowed you to turn him down.”
In the instant their hands went for their wands, Draco had them pinned to the wall with a wave of his hand, their wands and Draco’s own clattering to the floor.
“Do not think that I am less trained in the Arts than you are!” Draco said, eyes flashing. “You will either leave here with the knowledge that I will never join Rhinehart, and neither will my son, or I will kill you both right now. You know I will. What will it be?”
Astoria appeared behind Draco, her wand trained on the men also. “And if he fails, I will finish his job,” she said strongly.
“We’ll go,” Rowle ground out. “We’ll go, but know this, Draco Malfoy - Rhinehart will not forgive you this treachery. He will not forgive until he has your son in his service.”
Draco released them, and the two men fell heavily to the floor before hastily Disapparating.
Draco turned to Astoria. “We must hide the children. Between Rhinehart’s men and the Ministry’s suspicion, we’re no longer safe here.”
The image faded, and everyone stayed silent for a moment.
“Well,” George said easily, “I must admit I’ve changed my vote. Merlin, Malfoy, that was very nearly Gryffindor of you. What happened to the ferret I used to know?”
Draco failed to hide his sneer.
‘Your dad is very brave,’ Al thought, eyes cast across the room at Scorpius.
‘He surprised even me,’ Scorpius responded.
“Need we vote again?” Kingsley asked the group, and subdued mutterings arose among the people.
“No,” Harry said, for all.
“Very well,” Kingsley said. “Now… let’s have supper, shall we? Albus, I believe our new members will need to know the location.”
They all Flooed back to Grimmauld Place, where Molly cooked a feast for the unusually large group.
After eating, as the adults milled about and Draco and Astoria were brought up to speed on recent battles and future plans, Al poked Rose, and they made their way through the crowd towards Scorpius and Gemma.
“C’mon,” Al said to Scorpius. “We can’t breathe in here. We’ll show you around.”
“Go ahead,” Gemma told Scorpius. “I want to stay with Mum and Dad right now. I don’t think they’re having me fight, but I’d like to hear what’s going on.”
Scorpius silently followed Al and Rose upstairs to the sitting room.
Al sank onto the couch. “So,” he said. “Why is it that we’ve known each other over four years and you’ve never once mentioned having an incredibly fit older sister?”
Scorpius shrugged. “You don’t talk about your family that much either. I only know about them because they’re at Hogwarts.”
Rose settled on the couch next to Al. “It’s awfully boring here, usually,” she warned Scorpius. “The only excitement is when someone who’s been out fighting comes in for a break and tells us what we’re missing.”
A small stampede on the stairs interrupted any response he might have made, and then an assortment of Weasley children stood in the doorway, staring at Al, Rose, and Scorpius.
“Oh yeah,” Al said. “And there’s that.” He jerked a thumb towards them. “They never go away.”
Lily and Roxanne sidestepped the younger children.
“Oh, Malfoy,” Lily said. “Hi.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Roxanne asked, a hand on her hip.
Scorpius raised his chin a little and didn’t answer.
“Maybe you should have come downstairs when you heard us all come back instead of being snobby and staying up here,” Al replied.
“We were busy,” Roxanne said with narrowed eyes, “and we ate earlier. What’s crawled up your arse and died?”
“Don’t be so rude, Roxanne,” Fred said, coming into the room, Gemma trailing behind him looking lost.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Roxanne replied hotly, and Lily tugged her back towards the stairs.
“C’mon, we’ll go ask your dad what’s going on.”
“This is the sitting room,” Fred was saying to Gemma, “and that-” he gestured down the hall, “-is Granny Weasley’s room. All the other bedrooms are upstairs - there’s a few floors above this one,” he added at her look. “I’d stick to the bathroom on this floor, by the way, the one higher up has a nasty ghoul.”
“Thanks,” Gemma said shyly.
‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my sister was flirting with your cousin,’ Scorpius thought.
“Albus,” Louis whined, “we don’t have room for another boy in our room.”
Albus looked thoughtful. “I guess we’ll have to move into one of the spare rooms - he’s right, there’s really not enough room in there for another person.”
“Well the girls’ room is already too full as it is,” Rose interjected; “Malfoy’s sister and I will have to move, too, if you get to.”
“It’s okay,” Fred said. “Now that we’ve got prisoners, we should really be able to start hunting out Rhinehart’s men using their information. I doubt any of us will be spending much time here at all from now on, so having fewer spare rooms shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll be able to spread out a bit more instead of keeping rooms open for us.”
Rose beamed. “Great! Sharing with the little girls has been driving me crazy.”
“Thanks a bundle, Rose,” Lily quipped, appearing in the doorway once again. She stuck her nose in the air and headed up the stairs with Roxanne in tow.
Rose sighed. “C’mon,” she said to Gemma. “You got bags? I’ll move my stuff to the new room and you can unpack.”
“I don’t really have anything,” Gemma said. “We sort of ran without much packing time.”
Rose looked her over. “You’re about Dominique’s size. She can probably spare a few robes and things for you.”
“My mum will buy me what I need,” Gemma said. “But for now, that would be lovely.”
Albus eyed Scorpius, who was holding only his wand and his angel statue.
“I guess we should go up, too,” Albus said to him.
The four of them trooped out, leaving Fred standing in the sitting room watching them go. The little kids scattered as they passed them, Molly and Lucy running upstairs ahead of them, Louis heading down to the kitchen. Hugo remained in the hallway.
“You’re leaving me to room alone with him?” Hugo asked Albus incredulously. “How could you possibly do that to me?”
“I’m a Slytherin,” Al replied. “One for me, and all for me.”
“I don’t remember the Sorting Hat ever saying that was a Slytherin trait,” Rose said. “And it definitely isn’t mentioned in any of the biographies on Salazar Slytherin.”
“No, trust me,” Scorpius dead-panned. “It’s totally a Slytherin thing. Personal gain is a big deal.”
“The Slytherins might know a thing or two about it,” Albus added, and Rose narrowed her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue.
The four of them headed up to the third floor, to find empty rooms.
“Here,” Rose said to Gemma, opening a door. “We’ll take this one. I’ll go get my stuff from the old room.”
Rose headed down her old room and Gemma disappeared into the new one.
Al led Scorpius into James and Fred’s old room. “Which bed do you want?” he asked.
Scorpius took the one closer to the window, and Al went to collect his belongings from his old room.
A few wild yells and some thumps floated up the staircase, and then Rose came up dragging her empty trunk behind her.
“Don’t know why they don’t want me gone,” she said from out in the hallway. “Now they’ve got the room to themselves.”
Al collected his own belongings with rather less fuss and returned to James and Fred’s old room, returning and dumping his possessions on his new bed. After a moment, Fred appeared at the doorway, Teddy behind him.
“We’re all heading out again,” Teddy said to them. “Your parents want to say goodbye.”
They all went downstairs, to find that most of the Order had left already, leaving only Al’s parents, the Malfoys, Aunt Angelina, and Uncle Percy.
“Lily,” Ginny said, “we’re going to be gone much longer this time. I want you to remember yourself. Don’t let Roxanne talk you into too much trouble. Help your brother with the younger girls. Behave for Granny Weasley.”
“Roxanne,” Aunt Angelina said, “I don’t want to hear any negative reports on you, miss. You behave.”
“Yes, Mum.”
“I love you.”
“Daddy,” Lucy whined piteously, “I want to go home. I don’t want to be left here.”
“Chin up, chum!” Percy said jovially. “Come now, Lucy, we have to do what we have to do.”
Everyone hugged and kissed goodbye, except for the Malfoys, who stood stiffly.
“Bye, Mum, Father.”
“Be helpful here,” Astoria said. “Don’t make trouble.”
“Be careful,” Scorpius said, and Draco smiled wryly, patting him on the shoulder.
There was a final volley of hugs, and the adults Disapparated.
“Now what?” Scorpius asked.
“Now the boredom sets in,” Al answered.
Rose made tea, and they sat around the sitting room by the roaring fire drinking it in silence. After a while, Louis wordlessly went up to bed, followed shortly by Hugo, Molly, and Lucy.
“We have to keep them entertained,” Al muttered, “or they’re going to totally lose it.”
“Hugo’s all right,” Rose protested.
“The twins, though, and Louis…”
“He’s only nine. He’s just a little excitable.”
“This is probably very scary for him,” Gemma said. “He’s got his mum and dad and both sisters out fighting, and he’s stuck living with a bunch of much older cousins who don’t like him very much, and he’s frightened and has no one to tell about it.
“Don’t lecture, Gemma,” Scorpius said quietly.
“No, she’s right,” Rose said. “We never thought about it quite that way.”
Lily yawned widely. “Not that this isn’t dreadfully exciting, but Roxie and I are going to head upstairs now.” They stood slowly, and made their way up the creaking stairs.
After a while, Gemma excused herself, leaving Scorpius, Rose, and Albus.
“Just like old times, eh?” Rose quipped.
“I wish we were back at Hogwarts. It’s boring here. I need a good party.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the snow fall outside the darkened windows, each lost in thoughts about their families and the war that threatened them.
“I’m heading up,” Rose said after a while, standing and brushing her legs off.
“Yeah,” Albus said. “I guess I’ll head up too. You comin’?”
Scorpius nodded, standing also, and the three made their way up the stairs, the lamps extinguishing one by one behind them.
As Al lay in bed, trying to get comfortable, he thought, ‘Hey Scorpius?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I know this is weird… but I’m glad you’re here.’
Scorpius didn’t answer for a minute, distracted by how nice it was to be back near Al, his thoughts a constant comforting presence.
‘Me too,’ he finally answered.
It was only a few hours later that there was a series of bangs from downstairs, followed by several distinct strangled screams.
Author: Kimberry531/Clandestinelle (same person)
Rating: R
Pairing: Al/Scorpius
Word Count: 52,207 total; ~5k this chapter.
Summary: In the middle of his quest to find and master the Elder Wand which his father didn’t want, Al finds his family in the midst of a second Wizarding war. While in hiding, Al finds himself struggling to fight against feelings for one of the other refugees - blonde, sweet, innocent Scorpius Malfoy. However, when the war takes a turn for the worse, Al finds that he suddenly has bigger problems than his heart, and the two must embark on a frightening adventure fit only for Gryffindor idiots.
Notes: This fic is COMPLETE and will be updated every Monday and every Friday.
Dedication: Rosa, Slashfiend337, for getting me out of my two-month pit of despair of the last chapter and setting it straight within thirty minutes. Owe her my soul. And this fic.
“On me dit que le destin se moque bien de nous
Qu'il ne nous donne rien et qu'il nous promet tout
Parais qu'le bonheur est à portée de main,
Alors on tend la main et on se retrouve fou
I’m told that fate makes fun of us,
That it gives us nothing and promises everything,
When happiness seems to be within our grasp,
We reach out and find ourselves like fools”
- Carla Bruni
‘Oh, Baby, can’t you see? I’m blind for you - I’ll always be. You don’t need to send a tripping jinx at me, bay-bay - I’m t-t-t-t-trippin’ for you anyway!’
“I swear, if you don’t turn off this tripe, I will maim somebody,” Al growled.
Lily, Roxanne, Molly, and Lucy ignored him, continuing their dance party, the wireless set on a 24/7 Celestina Warbeck station.
“This is our room, Albus, and we can play what we like!” Roxanne said.
Rose shook her head.
Al sat up suddenly, his head spinning.
“Whoa, head-rush,” he said, clutching Rose’s arm. When he recovered he cocked his head toward the door and raised an eyebrow. He stood quietly and felt Rose follow him, their discreet departure escaping the notice of the younger girls.
Once they were safely in the hall, not being followed by the others for once, Al whispered, “I just heard the front door. Let’s see who’s here!”
At the bottom of the stairs, Al paused, listening. Voices were coming from the kitchen, so they headed downstairs. He pushed the door open and held it for Rose.
The room held Fred, Dominique, and James, all three looking tired and sullen. Granny Weasley was chopping vegetables at the counter.
“James,” Albus said. “What’s going on?”
James looked at him blankly for a minute and then blinked. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is happening, just like nothing has happened for the past two months. We’re just tired and hungry.”
This was nothing new. Though the Order hadn’t suffered any losses that Albus knew of, the members’ frustration at the lack of action and results was clear whenever anyone visited Grimmauld Place. Rhinehart was crafty - he kept his followers well hidden. There had been no hint or whisper of their whereabouts, and each attack was a surprise. His followers were almost always in and out before the Aurors or Order members could get there. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind the locations or timing of the attacks. The only common factor was the victims; all were Muggles, Muggle-borns, or “Muggle lovers”.
“Why don’t you go shower while I get the soup ready,” Granny Weasley said kindly. “Then you can eat and rest. You’ll all feel better tomorrow.”
“Go ahead, Dominique. Ladies first,” Fred said gruffly, and Dominique sent him a grateful smile and headed up the stairs towards the bathroom.
Al had always liked his older cousins rather better than the younger ones. Out of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur’s kids, Dominique was his favorite. He’d never spent much time with the eldest, Victoire, who was quite a bit older than him and had never wanted to play with the younger children, preferring to spend time with the adults or on her own. She was very much like her mother - all frills and vanity, with high heels, long flowing hair, and painted nails. Louis, on the other hand, was a small annoyance, like a gnat. He had perfect blonde curls around his young face, but his mouth never ceased to move. Dominique, in contrast, was quiet and brave, with perfectly straight strawberry blonde hair that hung to her chin.
Fred lowered himself heavily into one of the kitchen chairs, and James did the same, folding his arms on the table and lowering his head onto them.
“What’s the date?” James asked.
“January seventeenth,” Rose told him.
“Heard from anyone else recently?” Fred asked.
“My mum and dad were here for a few minutes this morning,” Rose said.
“And your mum was in yesterday. She didn’t mention your dad, but I guess if he’d been hurt or something we’d have heard about it,” Al told him.
“Of course he’s fine,” Granny Weasley said mildly. “Don’t put ideas in people’s heads.”
Fred nodded and leaned back to stretch, the chair complaining beneath him.
They sat in silence for a good ten minutes, James not lifting his head, as Granny Weasley bustled around the kitchen. Al helped as he could - finding bowls and spoons and some crackers and setting the table. Dominique came back down, her hair wet.
James stood wordlessly and headed up for his turn.
“Oh, it smells amazing in here,” Dominique said, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes. “Do you need any help?”
“No, thank you,” Granny Weasley said. “Just sit and relax.”
“He didn’t even ask if he could go next,” Fred said incredulously, staring at the closed kitchen door.
Al snorted. “You’re surprised? This is James.”
The door opened, and one of the twins - even living with them, Al couldn’t tell them apart - poked her head in.
“I smell soup,” she said.
“None for you, Molly,” Granny Weasley said firmly. “This is for Dominique, Fred, and James. They just came in and they haven’t had real food in weeks. You had lunch an hour ago.”
Molly frowned and closed the door again.
“How do you tell them apart?” Al asked suddenly.
“Molly is brasher, Lucy is sweeter,” Rose answered. “Or if they’re being quiet and you can’t figure it out by which is being brattier, Molly has this super tiny mole on her left cheek, Lucy doesn’t have one. You have to look close, but it’s there.”
“Rosie!” Granny Weasley admonished. “Don’t talk about your cousins that way!”
Behind her back, Rose rolled her eyes at Albus.
James reappeared a few minutes later, and Fred took his turn upstairs. They heard the front door open again, and Harry came down the kitchen stairs.
“Dad!” Al cried, jumping up to hug him. “Where’s Mum? Is anything happening?”
Harry absently ran a hand over Al’s head and turned to James. “It’s good to see you. Everything all right?”
“Yeah, it’s all fine,” James said. “Fred’s just upstairs showering.”
Harry nodded. “Your mum will be here soon,” he said to Albus. “Nothing new happening at all.”
Al nodded and went to get two more bowls for his parents. Rose started serving the soup just as Fred came back down from his shower.
Al was heading back upstairs to tell the girls to turn the radio down - they could hear it right down in the kitchen, and he didn’t want to know how anyone could listen to Celestina Warbeck at that volume, though Granny Weasley seemed to be enjoying it - when the front door opened and his mother came in.
“Albus,” she said breathlessly. “Where’s your father?”
“Kitchen,” Albus said quickly. “Is everything -”
Without waiting to hear his question, Ginny ran down to the kitchen, and Albus could hear her talking quickly.
The door opened again, and three or four more Order members came barreling in, heading straight for the sound of voices from the kitchen.
A few seconds later, Teddy came in, moving slowly. He took a deep breath and headed towards the stairs. He paused when he spotted Albus.
“C’mon, then,” he said to Al, cocking his head toward the kitchen. “You should hear this.”
Al followed him silently into the kitchen. One of the Patil twins was talking quickly and quietly.
“- about a hundred, but they don’t realize the wards are down, they’re entirely unprepared. If we hurry…”
“If we hurry, we can capture the lot of them,” Harry said. “I’ll Floo the Aurors and let them know to be on hand. Be ready to go in five minutes.”
Everyone began bustling around, hurrying to prepare for attack. Al and Rose stood like statues amid the chaos.
“Okay,” Harry said. “Are we ready? We’re meeting everyone else at the Burrow and moving on from there.”
There was a number of pops, and only Harry and Ginny remained. Ginny came over and hugged Al fiercely.
“I love you, Albus,” she said. “We’re all going to be fine. Just stay here. Be good for your granny.”
“I love you too, Mum,” Albus said.
Ginny released him and moved onto Rose. “Your parents will be in touch with you,” Ginny told her. “They’ll be fine. You two take care.”
Harry took his turn hugging Al.
“You’re a brave boy, Al,” Harry said solemnly. “I’m very proud of you.”
Al opened his mouth to ask what, exactly, he had done to be so brave, but Harry and Ginny had linked arms and Apparated away.
*****
“Where are your wife and son, Mr Malfoy?” the Ministry official asked, readying his quill at the top of the parchment, which read, “Interrogation: Draco Lucius Malfoy. February 20th.”
This was the most recent in a series of interrogations from the Ministry, the first of which had occurred the night he sent his family away. Each time the Ministry sent him home - with anti-Apparation charms applied and the promise to be very carefully guarding his Floo - disappointed. Then a few weeks later he’d receive word to come in again. It was tiring, it was tedious, and Draco was sick of it.
“It’s irrelevant where they are. Neither of them has anything to do with what’s going on; they’ve left so that they might be spared this trouble. Any business you have with the family only concerns myself and my parents, whom I believe you already have in custody,” Draco answered evenly. He found himself suddenly very, very thankful for at least this one positive result of his dark past - he knew how to trick Veritaserum, truthfully answering any questions, but - usually - managing to not answer at the same time. His Aunt Bella’s lessons in Occlumency certainly helped as well.
“Mr Malfoy,” the official said, clearly not amused, “where did you send your wife and son?”
“To stay with friends until everything here was sorted out,” Draco answered, still honest. “You see, on one side Rhinehart very much wants my son as his follower. My son, being a bright young lad, doesn’t wish to be involved. On the other side, I have you gentlemen trying to arrest us because of my family’s dubious behavior in the last war, which my wife and son were not involved in. So you see, you have no business with either of them. As I’ve already said, your business is with my parents and myself.”
The man looked at him steadily. “It’s very suspicious that as our investigations of the old Death Eater families begin, you send your family away.”
“It’s not suspicious at all, sir,” Draco said, his tone polite. “I knew without doubt that I would be facing trouble. But, for the third time, your business is with me.”
The official was silent for a moment. “Your little speeches suggest that you know why you’ve been brought in for questioning.”
“After several interrogations, yes, I’ve finally cottoned on,” Draco said sarcastically. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes, sir,” he amended. “It’s because my parents and I were Death Eaters during the last war. I suppose that means you believe that we are once again involved with the wrong side of the war, despite the fact that my parents are too old to ride their broomsticks any longer, let alone go out on Muggle-killing sprees.”
“Your parents’ case is separate from your own, Mr Malfoy. This is about you and your family.”
“Then I suggest it be made about me, sir,” Draco snapped, “because my wife and son are entirely innocent.”
The man acted as though Draco hadn’t spoken, riffling through the parchments on the table between them, reading something.
“According to your file, as a sixteen-year-old you attempted to murder Albus Dumbledore numerous times, resulting in the near death of two Hogwarts students, and later allowed a large number of Death Eaters into Hogwarts, an incident in which several people were badly injured and Albus Dumbledore was finally killed. Now, you’d like me to believe that this time you’re just sitting around while your family is hiding, and none of you have anything to do with what’s going on?”
“Yes,” Draco said quietly, his eyes angry slits despite the forced calm of his voice. “Firstly because I’ve grown up and am no longer under the influence of my father. Secondly because I have no interest in Rhinehart’s ‘cause’. Thirdly, and most importantly, because I have a family now. My son is fifteen, just months away from the age I was when I took the Dark Mark. I will do anything to keep my son from living like I lived - every day in fear. I took the Mark because I’d been raised to think it was the highest honor. But from the moment it became real, everything I did, I did for survival. I’d do anything to keep my son from ever knowing what that’s like.”
The official shook his head. “That’s a moving speech, Mr Malfoy, really. But I need proof that you aren’t involved with Rhinehart.”
“I’m under Veritaserum, aren’t I? I’ll say it plain - I am not involved with Rhinehart, or anyone else on his side, and I do not wish to ever be. Furthermore, my wife and son are not involved, and they do not wish to be either.”
“I cannot trust the Veritaserum,” the official said. “You’ve already evaded the question of your family’s whereabouts. Wait a tic…” There was a sudden gleam in the official’s eyes. “What, Mr Malfoy, is the exact location of your family?”
*****
Astoria, Gemma, Viola, Alexandrie, and Scorpius were sitting down to dinner. It had been months since they’d arrived, and they’d fallen into an uneasy peace.
After dinner, Scorpius and Gemma washed the dishes while Alexandrie fiddled with the radio, trying to find the British news.
“It is being said that a camp of Rhinehart’s men was discovered and stormed today -” the radio blared suddenly, and Alexandrie turned it down to a normal level as they all paused to listen. “Only one casualty on our side, along with a few minor injuries sustained. Let’s all have a moment of silence for the fallen, Dennis Creevey...”
Gemma and Scorpius shared a look.
“I’m worried that we haven’t heard from Dad,” Gemma said, out of nowhere.
“Gemma,” Astoria said from the sitting room, and Gemma fell silent.
Outside, a light snow began to fall.
“Neige,” Alexandrie said, pointing to the window.
The night was cold, and Viola conjured up extra blankets for everyone at bedtime - the heating charms wore off around three in the morning, and Scorpius hated shivering till dawn.
Under the heaviness of the warm blankets, Scorpius found himself sleeping deeply, feeling like he was in hibernation.
He was roused from his heavy sleep in the middle of the night by a scream downstairs. There was a crash, and another scream.
“Merde,” Scorpius hissed. “Merlin.” Panicking, breathing deeply, he jumped out of bed. It must have been after three, he decided somewhat absently, because the floor was freezing against his bare feet.
Alexandrie threw open the door, a long gash down her leg. “Run!” she cried, and there were flashes from down the stairs.
He heard Gemma’s cry again and a frantic yell from Astoria; she must have run down to help Gemma, who slept on a cot in the sitting room. Looking around wildly, he saw his angel illuminated by the moonlight outside. He grabbed it and dashed downstairs, wand out. Gemma was on the floor, her back against a wall. Astoria was being held at wandpoint against the opposite wall. A tall figure stood over Gemma, wand pointed at her face.
“Stupefy!” Scorpius shouted, aiming his wand at Gemma’s attacker, but his hand shook and the spell ricocheted.
The man turned.
“Expelliarmus!” Scorpius yelled, heading for the front door, and the man’s wand flew into his hand. The man swung his fist, and Scorpius saw stars, but he kept scrambling for the door.
Once outside, he ran barefoot through the snow, the man right on his heels. He looked at the angel statue under his arm.
“I wish Mum, Gemma, and I were back home at the Estate!” he yelled.
After the men had Disapparated away, Alexandrie stood at the front door, eyes scouring the yard. Scorpius’s footprints and a fine trail of blood crossed to the middle of the yard and then disappeared.
*****
Draco, released by the Ministry official - with the promise that he’d hear from him very soon - made his way to the Floo. However, when he threw down his powder and called out “Malfoy Estate!” nothing happened. He stepped out of the fire, took another fistful, and tried again. This time, the fireplace whisked him away, and he stumbled into the front room of his home, only to find three separate wands trained on him.
“Merlin’s balls!” he exclaimed in surprise, and the wands lowered.
“Draco!” his wife cried with obvious relief.
“Who would it have been? And what are you three doing here?”
“They found us,” Scorpius said breathlessly. “Rhinehart’s men. I got us out. I have one of their wands.” He held it out for Draco to take. He bit his lip. “I hope they haven’t hurt Viola or Alexandrie… in the moment, I didn’t think to help them…”
“They’ll be okay,” Gemma assured him. “The men were after us.”
Draco eyed his son carefully. “You’re bleeding.”
“He hit me after I took his wand,” Scorpius admitted.
Draco closed his eyes. “It isn’t safe for us to be here. I’m going to owl someone I know for assistance. Astoria, can you see to Scorpius’s head wound, please?”
He headed into his study and pulled out parchment and a peacock feather quill.
*****
Potter,
Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. It’s urgent. A matter of life or death for many, in fact.
DM
Harry read over the piece of parchment again.
“Well,” he said. “What does everyone think?”
“It’s obviously a trap, mate,” Ron said, and there was scattered agreement.
“Life or death, though…” Harry said, unsure.
“Saving-People-Thing,” said Hermione in a long-suffering tone.
“Hermione’s right,” Ginny said gently. “You know you tend to rush into these situations without a clear head. Malfoy is dangerous, Harry, he always has been.”
“Dad?” Albus spoke up. “Rose and I are rather friendly with Scorpius Malfoy. Last I heard from him, his dad wasn’t involved with Rhinehart at all. So this could actually be a serious thing.”
Harry bit his lip. “Let’s assemble some people. Disguise them, place them in the Leaky Cauldron, then if there’s trouble it’ll be him against us.”
Ginny frowned. “I don’t know, Harry.”
“Ginny,” Harry said. “If a ton of people are there to back me up, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Draco shifted from foot to foot. It was sleeting heavily, and the Leaky Cauldron was chilly.
The pub was quiet; a warty witch sat at the bar, a few warlocks were whispering to each other over pints, and a couple of cloaked figures sat hunched here and there.
The fire roared, and Draco watched as Harry Potter stepped out, brushing ashes from his shoulder. Draco caught the wink the witch sent him.
Of course, he wouldn’t have come without backup. It’s not like I came alone, Draco thought, tightening his hold on Scorpius’s shoulder. Gemma and Astoria stood slightly behind him.
Harry spotted them and walked over.
“I’m glad to see your Gryffindor bravery is still intact,” Draco said.
“Your son is covered in blood,” Harry replied.
“We’ve been attacked by Rhinehart’s men. They don’t appreciate me keeping my family out of his service.”
“What do you want?”
“Firstly, can you send one of your friends here -” Draco waved a hand, indicating all of the people in the pub “- to go send a message to the Minister? He’s one of your people, isn’t he? The Ministry has been infiltrated.” He gave Harry the name of the Ministry official who had disclosed his family’s location to Rhinehart and, at a gesture from Potter, the witch stood and Flooed away immediately.
“Is that all?” Harry asked.
“I’ve just helped a lot of people by doing that,” Draco told him. “I want to keep helping.”
“And what’s your price?” Harry asked flatly.
“Sanctuary. For my children.”
“Children?” Harry asked, taking a step back and appraising Astoria and Gemma.
“My wife, Astoria, and my daughter Gemini,” Draco said.
Harry looked at Draco seriously. “I can call the Order together and you’ll need to plead your case to them. I can’t make this decision on my own. I’ve never had a reason to trust you.” As he spoke, he looked down at Scorpius, and his frown deepened. “I’ll call the Order,” he said finally. “That’s the best I can do.” He turned to the barkeep. “Is there a bigger private room we could use, sir?”
*****
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood at the head of the table in the somewhat damp room, clutching the wands of all four Malfoys. The Order had been briefed on the situation, and some members were still murmuring amongst themselves, eyeing the Malfoys with equal measures of interest and suspicion.
“We have no way of knowing whether they’re going to betray us,” he boomed. “We will have a vote. Should the vote be against the Malfoy family joining us, Mr Malfoy will be requested to provide memories-“ here he nodded briefly to Harry, who had arranged for his Pensieve to be brought from Grimmauld Place for this purpose, “-that will prove his claims. After seeing the evidence, a second vote will be taken.”
“Why not just save the time,” Seamus Finnigan piped up, “and see the memories first?”
“Because, Mr Finnigan, if we vote him - and his family - as trustworthy the first time, we can spare him a room of strangers seeing his private memories. Now. All in favor of letting the Malfoys fight with us and enter our Headquarters, who believe he is trustworthy, let me see your vote.”
A few hands rose, Harry’s included.
“And all who vote that he is untrustworthy and should provide us with further proof?”
The rest of the room raised their hands.
“I’m afraid I’ve never been given a reason to trust you, Mr Malfoy,” Kingsley said. “I must go with the majority.”
Draco narrowed his eyes. Astoria shook her head in silent anger. Gemma reached over and took Scorpius’s hand.
Kingsley handed Draco back his wand to extract the memory. Immediately, several wands were trained on him.
“Honestly,” he muttered, but removed the memories, transferring them into a vial someone had pushed into his hand.
Kingsley emptied the vial into the pensieve and cried, “Ostendatio,” pointing his wand at the swirling mist in the Pensieve. A beam of light flew from the Pensieve to the wall, projecting an image.
Draco opened the window to accept an owl. He read it and looked up in alarm.
“Astoria, go lock yourself in our bedroom. Do not come out until I tell you. Rhinehart is sending men to talk to me.”
Astoria frowned. “Be careful, Draco.”
Draco shook his head, twirling his wand. “Don’t worry. They won’t be a proble.”
He went and lit the fire, and a few moments later the Floo roared to life, expelling two large men.
“Good to see you, Draco,” one of them said gruffly, as the other quickly disarmed Draco, who didn’t flinch.
“Ah, Dolohov. Rowle. Good to see you, also. How are your fathers? Still in Azkaban?”
Ignoring the jibe, Dolohov asked, “How is your wife? Daphne, was it?”
“Her sister, Astoria. She’s fine. She’s visiting family today.”
“Ah. I knew it was one of the Greengrass girls.”
“You have a son,” Rowle said, and it was not a question.
“Yes,” Draco answered shortly.
“At Hogwarts, yeah? Which house is he?”
“Slytherin, of course.”
“We should have assumed so. A clever boy, is he?”
“You should have assumed that as well.”
“Well since you’re so bright, Draco, you ought to know why we’re here.”
“And since neither of you are very bright, I’ll have to inform you that I do not wish to join Rhinehart’s ranks, and no amount of persuasion will change my mind.”
“We respect that decision, Malfoy,” Rowle said. “Especially in your position.”
“What’s my position, exactly?” Draco asked.
“Having turned traitor last time, and all. And having raised your son to be sympathetic to Muggle-borns.”
“I have raised my son to be decent, and intelligent,” Draco said stonily.
“We’ve both put our families into Rhinehart’s service,” Dolohov said. “I don’t see why you should be any different.”
“The difference is I don’t wish to. Now, I would appreciate it if you would accept my refusal, and leave me in peace.”
“We can’t do that, Draco. We can’t go back to Rhinehart and tell him we just allowed you to turn him down.”
In the instant their hands went for their wands, Draco had them pinned to the wall with a wave of his hand, their wands and Draco’s own clattering to the floor.
“Do not think that I am less trained in the Arts than you are!” Draco said, eyes flashing. “You will either leave here with the knowledge that I will never join Rhinehart, and neither will my son, or I will kill you both right now. You know I will. What will it be?”
Astoria appeared behind Draco, her wand trained on the men also. “And if he fails, I will finish his job,” she said strongly.
“We’ll go,” Rowle ground out. “We’ll go, but know this, Draco Malfoy - Rhinehart will not forgive you this treachery. He will not forgive until he has your son in his service.”
Draco released them, and the two men fell heavily to the floor before hastily Disapparating.
Draco turned to Astoria. “We must hide the children. Between Rhinehart’s men and the Ministry’s suspicion, we’re no longer safe here.”
The image faded, and everyone stayed silent for a moment.
“Well,” George said easily, “I must admit I’ve changed my vote. Merlin, Malfoy, that was very nearly Gryffindor of you. What happened to the ferret I used to know?”
Draco failed to hide his sneer.
‘Your dad is very brave,’ Al thought, eyes cast across the room at Scorpius.
‘He surprised even me,’ Scorpius responded.
“Need we vote again?” Kingsley asked the group, and subdued mutterings arose among the people.
“No,” Harry said, for all.
“Very well,” Kingsley said. “Now… let’s have supper, shall we? Albus, I believe our new members will need to know the location.”
They all Flooed back to Grimmauld Place, where Molly cooked a feast for the unusually large group.
After eating, as the adults milled about and Draco and Astoria were brought up to speed on recent battles and future plans, Al poked Rose, and they made their way through the crowd towards Scorpius and Gemma.
“C’mon,” Al said to Scorpius. “We can’t breathe in here. We’ll show you around.”
“Go ahead,” Gemma told Scorpius. “I want to stay with Mum and Dad right now. I don’t think they’re having me fight, but I’d like to hear what’s going on.”
Scorpius silently followed Al and Rose upstairs to the sitting room.
Al sank onto the couch. “So,” he said. “Why is it that we’ve known each other over four years and you’ve never once mentioned having an incredibly fit older sister?”
Scorpius shrugged. “You don’t talk about your family that much either. I only know about them because they’re at Hogwarts.”
Rose settled on the couch next to Al. “It’s awfully boring here, usually,” she warned Scorpius. “The only excitement is when someone who’s been out fighting comes in for a break and tells us what we’re missing.”
A small stampede on the stairs interrupted any response he might have made, and then an assortment of Weasley children stood in the doorway, staring at Al, Rose, and Scorpius.
“Oh yeah,” Al said. “And there’s that.” He jerked a thumb towards them. “They never go away.”
Lily and Roxanne sidestepped the younger children.
“Oh, Malfoy,” Lily said. “Hi.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Roxanne asked, a hand on her hip.
Scorpius raised his chin a little and didn’t answer.
“Maybe you should have come downstairs when you heard us all come back instead of being snobby and staying up here,” Al replied.
“We were busy,” Roxanne said with narrowed eyes, “and we ate earlier. What’s crawled up your arse and died?”
“Don’t be so rude, Roxanne,” Fred said, coming into the room, Gemma trailing behind him looking lost.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Roxanne replied hotly, and Lily tugged her back towards the stairs.
“C’mon, we’ll go ask your dad what’s going on.”
“This is the sitting room,” Fred was saying to Gemma, “and that-” he gestured down the hall, “-is Granny Weasley’s room. All the other bedrooms are upstairs - there’s a few floors above this one,” he added at her look. “I’d stick to the bathroom on this floor, by the way, the one higher up has a nasty ghoul.”
“Thanks,” Gemma said shyly.
‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my sister was flirting with your cousin,’ Scorpius thought.
“Albus,” Louis whined, “we don’t have room for another boy in our room.”
Albus looked thoughtful. “I guess we’ll have to move into one of the spare rooms - he’s right, there’s really not enough room in there for another person.”
“Well the girls’ room is already too full as it is,” Rose interjected; “Malfoy’s sister and I will have to move, too, if you get to.”
“It’s okay,” Fred said. “Now that we’ve got prisoners, we should really be able to start hunting out Rhinehart’s men using their information. I doubt any of us will be spending much time here at all from now on, so having fewer spare rooms shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll be able to spread out a bit more instead of keeping rooms open for us.”
Rose beamed. “Great! Sharing with the little girls has been driving me crazy.”
“Thanks a bundle, Rose,” Lily quipped, appearing in the doorway once again. She stuck her nose in the air and headed up the stairs with Roxanne in tow.
Rose sighed. “C’mon,” she said to Gemma. “You got bags? I’ll move my stuff to the new room and you can unpack.”
“I don’t really have anything,” Gemma said. “We sort of ran without much packing time.”
Rose looked her over. “You’re about Dominique’s size. She can probably spare a few robes and things for you.”
“My mum will buy me what I need,” Gemma said. “But for now, that would be lovely.”
Albus eyed Scorpius, who was holding only his wand and his angel statue.
“I guess we should go up, too,” Albus said to him.
The four of them trooped out, leaving Fred standing in the sitting room watching them go. The little kids scattered as they passed them, Molly and Lucy running upstairs ahead of them, Louis heading down to the kitchen. Hugo remained in the hallway.
“You’re leaving me to room alone with him?” Hugo asked Albus incredulously. “How could you possibly do that to me?”
“I’m a Slytherin,” Al replied. “One for me, and all for me.”
“I don’t remember the Sorting Hat ever saying that was a Slytherin trait,” Rose said. “And it definitely isn’t mentioned in any of the biographies on Salazar Slytherin.”
“No, trust me,” Scorpius dead-panned. “It’s totally a Slytherin thing. Personal gain is a big deal.”
“The Slytherins might know a thing or two about it,” Albus added, and Rose narrowed her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue.
The four of them headed up to the third floor, to find empty rooms.
“Here,” Rose said to Gemma, opening a door. “We’ll take this one. I’ll go get my stuff from the old room.”
Rose headed down her old room and Gemma disappeared into the new one.
Al led Scorpius into James and Fred’s old room. “Which bed do you want?” he asked.
Scorpius took the one closer to the window, and Al went to collect his belongings from his old room.
A few wild yells and some thumps floated up the staircase, and then Rose came up dragging her empty trunk behind her.
“Don’t know why they don’t want me gone,” she said from out in the hallway. “Now they’ve got the room to themselves.”
Al collected his own belongings with rather less fuss and returned to James and Fred’s old room, returning and dumping his possessions on his new bed. After a moment, Fred appeared at the doorway, Teddy behind him.
“We’re all heading out again,” Teddy said to them. “Your parents want to say goodbye.”
They all went downstairs, to find that most of the Order had left already, leaving only Al’s parents, the Malfoys, Aunt Angelina, and Uncle Percy.
“Lily,” Ginny said, “we’re going to be gone much longer this time. I want you to remember yourself. Don’t let Roxanne talk you into too much trouble. Help your brother with the younger girls. Behave for Granny Weasley.”
“Roxanne,” Aunt Angelina said, “I don’t want to hear any negative reports on you, miss. You behave.”
“Yes, Mum.”
“I love you.”
“Daddy,” Lucy whined piteously, “I want to go home. I don’t want to be left here.”
“Chin up, chum!” Percy said jovially. “Come now, Lucy, we have to do what we have to do.”
Everyone hugged and kissed goodbye, except for the Malfoys, who stood stiffly.
“Bye, Mum, Father.”
“Be helpful here,” Astoria said. “Don’t make trouble.”
“Be careful,” Scorpius said, and Draco smiled wryly, patting him on the shoulder.
There was a final volley of hugs, and the adults Disapparated.
“Now what?” Scorpius asked.
“Now the boredom sets in,” Al answered.
Rose made tea, and they sat around the sitting room by the roaring fire drinking it in silence. After a while, Louis wordlessly went up to bed, followed shortly by Hugo, Molly, and Lucy.
“We have to keep them entertained,” Al muttered, “or they’re going to totally lose it.”
“Hugo’s all right,” Rose protested.
“The twins, though, and Louis…”
“He’s only nine. He’s just a little excitable.”
“This is probably very scary for him,” Gemma said. “He’s got his mum and dad and both sisters out fighting, and he’s stuck living with a bunch of much older cousins who don’t like him very much, and he’s frightened and has no one to tell about it.
“Don’t lecture, Gemma,” Scorpius said quietly.
“No, she’s right,” Rose said. “We never thought about it quite that way.”
Lily yawned widely. “Not that this isn’t dreadfully exciting, but Roxie and I are going to head upstairs now.” They stood slowly, and made their way up the creaking stairs.
After a while, Gemma excused herself, leaving Scorpius, Rose, and Albus.
“Just like old times, eh?” Rose quipped.
“I wish we were back at Hogwarts. It’s boring here. I need a good party.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the snow fall outside the darkened windows, each lost in thoughts about their families and the war that threatened them.
“I’m heading up,” Rose said after a while, standing and brushing her legs off.
“Yeah,” Albus said. “I guess I’ll head up too. You comin’?”
Scorpius nodded, standing also, and the three made their way up the stairs, the lamps extinguishing one by one behind them.
As Al lay in bed, trying to get comfortable, he thought, ‘Hey Scorpius?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I know this is weird… but I’m glad you’re here.’
Scorpius didn’t answer for a minute, distracted by how nice it was to be back near Al, his thoughts a constant comforting presence.
‘Me too,’ he finally answered.
It was only a few hours later that there was a series of bangs from downstairs, followed by several distinct strangled screams.