A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I am so sorry for the delay. I had a bunch of family problems (which I won't bore you with...but I kinda did... sorry) and I moved. Anyhooo, on to the story! I will warn you once again that this will be slightly darker (might/might not be too dark for your tastes) than the previous story. Still some fluff, like I promised! I also want to thank everyone again for actually taking the time to read my stories, especially this one! (I never expected anyone to review. You guys are beyond awesome!) Ahhh! I haven't written in so long, so I hope this is worth reading! Anyways, Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

It had been approximately five months since Hermione had picked up her job back at in the bookstore. It had also been five months since she was officially staying in Malfoy Manor. Time goes by so fast, she thought as she looked back at the memories. She stiffened slightly when she remembered the incident with Ron. She subconsciously wrapped an arm around her stomach. No more- Suddenly, a squeal of laughter erupted. Hermione snapped out of her trance and smiled as she watched little Scorpius run through the numerous sections of books. That boy sure loves books.

It was just another quiet day at the bookstore. Hermione was re-shelving the school books section when the chime on the door rang. She put down the books in her arms and dusted herself off. I need to dust this place afterwards, she told herself. She continued to dust herself off, not noticing the people in front of her. "Hello. How may I-oof!" She looked at the person in front of her as she fell to the ground. A big smile spread across her face. "My sweet!"

Big blue-grey eyes looked into her brown eyes with a bright smile. "Mummy!" He pecked her cheek, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. Hermione wrapped her arms tightly around his small body and placed a big kiss on his forehead.

"Young Scor said he missed you, even though you two saw each other this morning. He requested to see you at work. I hope we aren't bothering you," Narcissa looked at the two fondly. She watched as Hermione and Scorpius glue themselves to each other.

"It's no fun without Mummy at home all day! Can I stay here with you, please? I will be a good boy and sit quietly! I will even put away the books I read!" His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, begging Hermione to let him stay.

She contemplated for a minute before nodding. "Sure. Just don't go anywhere where I cannot see you, okay my sweet?" Scorpius nodded profusely before jumping out of her arms and dashing to the children's section. Hermione turned towards Narcissa. "If It's okay with you Cissy, could he stay here? I will take him out to lunch and then bring him back home before my break ends."

Narcissa nodded happily. "Of course my dear!" She made her way to Scorpius and gave him a hug. She turned back to Hermione and gave her a farewell hug. She turned and made her way out the door. Hmm, seems like Scorpius has most of her heart. I feel somewhat bad for Draco. Oh well, that stubborn boy…quite pathetic if you ask me. Losing to his own son, she apparated back home, giggling at her thoughts as she remembered the incident that occurred a couple days earlier...

...Draco roared out in frustration and shot out of his seat in his study, the morning paper crumpled in his fist. He paced furiously up the stairs into his parent's room and barged in, not even bothering to knock on the door. He yelled at them to meet him downstairs in the sitting room and walked away, slamming the door behind him. Lucius and Narcissa looked at each other with a knowing look.

Lucius sighed. "Well, he certainly has not lost his temper."

Narcissa giggled slightly. "This will be interesting."

As Draco descended down the stairs, he heard faint giggles coming from the dining hall. Curious, he slowed his pace and made a detour to the sound of giggles. Once he reached the door, he heard a little shriek. He pushed open the door and was about to ask what was wrong when the sight before him halted his actions.

Hermione giggled as she continued to draw some strange creatures on a piece of paper. As soon as she was finished, she put down the marker and held up the picture. She looked down, a mischievous smile on her lips. Scorpius looked up at her, his eyes filled with giddiness. "And then, the mean sea serpent attacked the royal palace!," she said as she held up her drawing, "He destroyed all of the exits, trapping all the merpeople inside. There was no where for them to be saved. All of a sudden, the sea serpent disappeared, but the merpeople knew better. They knew he was hiding. So they waited until-"

Hermione paused dramatically. The child looked up at her and shook her forearms lightly, his eyes beaming with curiosity and wonder. "What happened, mummy?"

"BOOM!" the child jumped in her arms, " An explosion occurred in the middle of the trapped merpeople. The sea serpent appeared before them, the scent of fear hung about in the water. The merpeople thought it was the end for them when-"

"Did you two even eat your breakfast?" Hermione and Scorpius jumped slightly and turned to the new voice. Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly when Draco smiled and grabbed a muffin, blushing slightly. She looked back down and winked. Before Draco knew it, she chucked the muffin at his head, a few crumbs stuck in between the hairs. Hermione and Scorpius erupted in a fit of giggles while Draco brushed off the crumbs. He glared at the two who continued to laugh at him.

"Hermione Jean Granger. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," he watched in amusement as the two straightened their backs and swallowed loudly, "You two, in the sitting room, now." He turned and walked away, a wide smirk on his lips.

Hermione and Scorpius looked at each other. "Daddy never says my full name unless he's really mad at me. I'm scared, mummy."

Hermione placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him on the forehead. "Daddy is not mad, my sweet. Your father used to do that when we were in Hogwarts. He did that to ensure fear into everyone. He may look like a mean and scary monster but he's more like a cuddly little stuffed dragon. Want me to prove it to you?" she watched as Scorpius nodded his head profusely. She bent forward and whispered into his ear. She pushed her chair back and made her way to the sitting room, her hand wrapped around Scorpius'. She walked in just as Draco began to scream bloody murder.

"What the bloody hell is this? I thought we were going to keep this a secret for a while! Hermione just got better! Are you two this daft? She could still be in danger! Has that little tidbit ever crossed your minds?"

Lucius and Narcissa schooled their features and gave him an unamused look. "We have no idea what you're talking about." Draco continued to glare at them menacingly. Lucius shrugged and put his arms behind his back while Narcissa wrapped an arm around her husband.

She sneakily put a roll of film into his palm and whispered, "You know what to do." Lucius coughed as Narcissa spoke up, noting that Hermione and Scorpius entered the room, "Well now, since we are not needed…Have fun you two! Remember, leave the door open or else I will get Bimbi to watch over you two." She disappeared upstairs, practically dragging him along. Draco cursed out for the millionth time that day.

Hermione looked down at Scorpius, glad that she placed a spell on him so that he wouldn't hear any profanities being said until Narcissa and Lucius left. She sighed and lifted the spell. She looked back up at Draco who sported the same amount of redness as her, she could only guess.

"I swear! I have a child of my own and yet they are treating me as if I'm still 11! And what was that?! Why would mum even suggest anything at the moment! In broad daylight! With my son in the room! I swear to Merlin, those two are not my parents." He flailed his arms around in frustration. His voiced-out thoughts were interrupted when he heard faint giggling behind him. He turned around and glared at the two, "And just what is so funny? You know you two aren't off the hook."

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. She glanced down at Scorpius and gave a little nod before making her way to Draco. "I'm sorry, Draco. You're just so adorable when you're teased. It makes it so much easier to mess with you as well. Lighten up a bit."

He felt a vein pulse near his temple. "Do not test me, Granger."

Hermione sighed and looked down, wrapping her arms around him warmly. "I'm sorry. I won't chuck food at you again, okay?" She nuzzled his chest with her nose, burying her face. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and knew all was forgiven. She checked the time and jumped out of his arms. "Ah! I'm going to be late!" She leaned down and gave Scorpius a big hug and kiss. She stood up and gave a quick kiss to Draco, kissing his shoulder instead of his lips as she walked to the chimney. She grabbed a handful of powder and just as she was about to say her destination, she looked at Scorpius and winked. "And that, my sweet, proves that daddy is wrapped around my finger. Bye my little stuffed Dragon!"

Draco's anger flared. "Wha- GRANGER! You little witch…" He shook his head as she disappeared into the green flames, smiling as he made his way up to his room to finish getting ready. He scooped up his laughing son and blew raspberries on his cheeks. "Mummy is becoming a bad influence on you."

Her thoughts were cut off when she felt a small tug on her hand. She looked down and noticed a book that was inches away from her face.

"Oh! Is it time already, my sweet?" She watched as a small head with platinum blond locks popped out from behind the book and nodded. She checked her watch and then nodded to Scorpius. She took the book from his hands and placed it on the shelf next to her. She knelt down and opened her arms wide, allowing Scorpius to crawl into her arms. He immediately jumped into her arms, nuzzling her neck affectionately. She squeezed him slightly and with her free hand, took the book off the shelf. She plopped down in the kids section and opened the book to the page they last left off.

About 20 minutes before her break ended, Scorpius decided to stop for the day and get something to eat to settle his stomach from the constant rumbling. As they were heading back to the bookstore, Hermione noticed that it was abnormally quiet in the little square. Pulling her guards up, she picked up Scorpius and quickened her pace. She relaxed slightly when the bookstore came into view. She was about halfway to the bookstore, when out of the dark alleys, four scarlet jets of light went aiming for her back. Just as she turned back, she was about to throw up a protection charm when all spells hit her on the chest. She was pushed back significant amount of feet away, Scorpius' body rebounded in the opposite direction. She immediately reversed the spell wandlessly, and tried to get up, only to fall back down. Agh, my legs. They feel so heavy. What-

Her thoughts were interrupted when a shadow fell over her form. She looked up and stiffened slightly. "Hello, love."

She felt her insides churn with guilt and fear. His eyes were dead and bloodshot, the rings around his eyes an abnormal shade of dark red. "Harry…" He ignored her and turned his gaze to the little boy across. He made his way to him slowly and then held him by the neck. "Ruined everything…He ruined everything," Harry chanted. Hermione's skin paled, goosebumps marring her skin.

Then, more shadows appeared from the alley, all making their way towards the little boy. Hermione had to squint, but when she say the tell-tale ginger colored head of hairs she immediately recognized who they were. They closed in on the boy, all muttering incoherently.

"S-Stop. What are you doing? Stop." They all ignored her. She tried again, this time louder. She looked at Scorpius, his eyes filled with fear, just like before.

"MUMMY!" he screamed. Harry threw Scorpius to the ground roughly, a wide grin on his lips as he enjoyed the sound of his head colliding with the cobblestone, blood begin to pool around his feet.

"STOP! STUPEFY!" Hermione screamed out, tears of anger and fear falling. She watched as her best friend turned to her, licking his lips as a dark chuckle erupted. He winked and apparated, the rest all fleeing back into the shadows. Not caring about anything else, she ran towards Scorpius. She bent down and immediately began healing the blood wound on his head. She shook his shoulder gently, trying to get him to focus. "Sweet? Darling, can you hear me?" she breathed in a sigh of relief when his eyes fluttered open. She gathered him in her arms, cradling him gently.

"Mummy, are you okay?" She held him to her tightly, silencing him to say no more. She ran into the bookstore and called for the manager, the manager already witnessing the incident. He told her the floo was already open and that he had called the Ministry to investigate. She nodded and without another word, floo'ed home.

Just as she stepped at she caught sight of Draco jumping from his seat and rushing towards her. "The manager called. Are you two okay?"

Hermione ignored him and ran up the stairs with Draco hot on her tail. She brought him into her old sleeping quarters and laid him down on the bed softly. "Hey! Hermione-"

"Shut up and help me, Malfoy!" she lashed out. Draco noticed that her eyes were red and tears were still falling. He looked down was forced to take a step back. He felt tears fall at the sight of his son. Without another word, he accio'ed his medical kit and began cleaning and healing his son. He worked at rapid pace, forgetting where he was at. He continued to work for an hour. His pace slowed when he saw signs of the potions working. He sighed in relief and sat on the chair. He had blinked a couple of times for his eyes to get readjusted to his surroundings when his eyes caught a Hermione curled up: her knees to her chest, eyes looking at nothing except for Scorpius.

Cautiously, he moved closer to her. He was about to gather her into his arms when she buried her face in his arms. "Don't touch me."

He looked at her sadly and sighed. "It's not-"

She glared up at him, "Don't you dare say that it's not my fault. You know it is. I know it is. You seem to be forgetting, Malfoy, It is always my fault. So just leave me be." She untangled herself and exited out the door.

Once she was out, she closed the door and walked down the hall. She then went into the room closest to the guest bathroom. She locked the door and put a strong silencing spell on it. She looked at the large closet in front of the bed and ran towards it. She opened the door and locked herself in, allowing her tears to flow freely. Why is it that whenever something starts to go well in my life, someone appears and just ruins it all. Please forgive me, my sweet. I hope you can forgive me. I wasn't strong enough to save you. I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry…, she continued to cry as she re-wrapped her arms around her knees tightly, wishing nothing ever happened.

Draco continued to stare at his son's sleeping form, occasionally smoothing his hair to the side. His mind drifted to Hermione. He knew she was blaming herself and knew he couldn't change that, no matter what he tried to tell her. It was a part of her that actually never healed. He saw it when she thought he wasn't looking. It was the littlest gestures. Her smile would sometimes slip. Her body would twitch sometimes at night, curling herself into a ball for security purposes. Her hand would sometimes wrap around her arm, the left arm. He felt helpless, knowing that part of her will become permanently stained with fear and pain. All he could do is just hug her to him until she relaxes, but now it was something different. Traumatizing. It's not your fault, Hermione. Please, let me in so I could help you.

"Daddy…" he heard softly. His thoughts were dispelled and moved so his face was close to his son's. He breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes watering. He placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm glad you're okay, Scor. How are you feeling?" Draco brought a straw to his son's lips, telling him to drink.

Scorpius sipped slowly. "A little sore…" he said as he rubbed his head. He felt a small bump and his brows furrowed.

"The bump will go away. That's the swelling. It's gone down significantly. It should be gone by the end of the week," Draco explained as he placed Scorpius' stuffed dragon next to him.

Scorpius hugged the dragon and then looked around. "Is mummy okay?" He watched as his dad's face fell.

"I…I don't know, son." Suddenly, the door burst open and in came Lucius and Narcissa, worry etched on their faces.

"Are you okay, Scorpius?" Narcissa asked.

He nodded. "Where's mummy?" Lucius raised an eyebrow at Draco and gestured to the door.

Draco sighed. "I'll be right back son, okay? I need to talk to Grandmother and Grandfather for a bit. Get some rest." He watched as Scorpius closed his eyes and closed the door once everyone was out.

Narcissa folded her arms and whispered softly. "Son?"

Draco sighed. "Hermione and Scor got attacked. She refused to say anything else except to heal him. He had a small fracture, but it's healing. He will be fine. He needs a lot of rest though." The two let out a breath of relief.

"What about Hermione?" Lucius asked. Draco looked at the two and shook his head.

"She's been gone ever since I finished healing him. I don't think she is ready to face any of us. She blames herself for Scor's condition. My guess is that she thinks we hate her for it. Or worse, that Scorpius hates her. There's nothing that I can do to change her mind," Draco sighed.

"Do you? Do you blame her?" Lucius asked.

"You know I don't-"

Narcissa cut him off. "Then let's go find her! Your father and I can watch over young Scorpius. You need a break anyway. You look absolutely dreadful." She gave him a small grin before shoving him out the door. They closed the door on him before he could protest.

Draco sighed. Mum's right. I need to find Hermione. I hope she didn't run off, he began to panic.

He recalled hearing her footsteps retreat to the end of the hallway and decided to check the bathroom. He had just reached the door when he heard a strange yet familiar voice coming from outside.

Hermione stretched her legs and exited out of the closet hours later, not realizing she had fallen asleep. She noticed that her wards had dissolved and was about to open the door when she heard an all-too familiar voice coming from the outside.

"Step outside,filth, within the next 5 minutes or I will burn this place to the ground. Now, now, before you say anything else, I should tell you. I have warded this place so that you cannot apparate, floo, or fly out of here. The only way out is through the front door." A deep voice yelled out using the Sonorus spell.

Not a minute later, Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa came out of the Manor, all bearing a mask of indifference. Draco's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "Potter."

Harry ignored him and counted out how many were out. "Hmm, there seems to be two missing. Now, where are, Ah! Mr. Malfoy has the little brat. But…where's the star of the show?"

Draco clenched his fists tightly before a blur moved beside him and stood before him. "Ah! My beloved 'Mione! Wonderful! Everyone is present! Now it's time for the show, but first, we must set the rules." Hermione stood her ground, waiting. Something isn't right. Well, of course there is, but…I can't place it-

"Now, there aren't that many rules. Just one. Give me the brat, and I'll let you all free and unharmed," Harry bargained.

Hermione stepped up. "No."

"No? Hermione Granger denying Harry potter, her best friend and savior of the world?" Harry barked out laughing, nearly unable to contain himself. "Then, what? You'll take his place?"

Hermione kept quiet as Harry continued to laugh. As he sobered up, his face turned into a calm, yet terrifying look. "Ah, that was a good one. Hmm…I'll tell you what, 'Mione. I'll humor you. I will take you instead of the boy."

Hermione ignored the gasps behind her. Before anyone could say anything, she said "And not hurt him. ANY of the them".

Harry's patience was wearing thin. "Deal."

Draco launched himself at her and grabbed her arm. "Are you mad?"

She sighed heavily as she looked up at him. He could see that she was battling with herself and losing at rapid speed. "He means more to me than anything in the world, besides your family…our family…" she whispered the last part, causing Draco's mouth to drop open, "If giving my life to protect him is all it takes, then so be it." She brought her hand up to his face, ghosting over his features. Maybe then he will forgive me...

"Hermione, I hope you know that none of us blame you." she ignored him and closed her eyes.

"Don't sugar coat it for me, Draco." All the pain is worth it.

Draco lifted his hand so it could rest on top of hers, but it was forced back. Harry chuckled darkly as he sent a spell at her. "Do hurry up. I have other plans that are just waiting to be done."

Hermione inhaled deeply as she saw a thin veil of black smoke wrap around her body before tightening itself around her. She let out a choked gasp as it tightened further, lifting her slightly off the ground. Her body levitated to Harry, her feet hitting the ground once again. Draco growled when he saw Harry start to wrap his arms around her. He caught a glimpse of something he knew that had to be a port key.

"Ah, I forgot to mention," Harry said casually as he rested his cheek on Hermione's shoulder, looking to the side, "once I am done with her, I will back. I shall be taking pleasure from watching you faces as I kill your little demon spawn," his voice lowered, laced with dark promises, "Let me show you what happens when something precious is taken away from you. Let me teach you what pain and torture really tastes like." He glanced at Hermione and shrugged. "You said not to hurt them. You didn't say I couldn't kill them on the spot. A bit of a big difference, darling. You are slipping, love. You used to be more specific."

Narcissa gasped as Lucius held onto Scorpius tighter. Draco made a step forward before he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. He growled slightly, his face turning feral as he watched Harry put the tiny port key into Hermione's mouth. "Now now, 'Mione. Since you can't use your hands…" Before Hermione could do anything, Harry placed his lips on hers. Hermione bend her head back and was about to spit it out when he forced his tongue inside her mouth. Harry smirked, feeling high levels of anger emitting off Draco. Harry's tongue touched the port key and the two disappeared.

Hermione tried to steady herself as the effects of the port key were slowly catching up to her. Almost instantly, she heard loud chuckling beside her.

Harry continued to laugh, clutching his waist. "Merlin, did you see their faces? Priceless!" He glanced at Hermione and kept a smile on. He noticed that Hermione flinched slightly. "Good..good. You fear me. That's a good sign." He pulled on her arm as he made his way to his destination.

"Where are you taking me, Harry? Why…Why are you doing this? I'm sorry I couldn't help you enough, but this-"

"Shut up, you selfish little bitch!" Hermione clamped her mouth shut as they made their way to the designated area.

Minutes later, Harry suddenly stopped. "Ah, here we are. Home sweet home." Hermione looked at the rotting door. Before she could say anything, the door opened and she was pushed inside. She fell to the ground and instantly gagged. The strong odor permeated her senses and forced herself not to throw up. She tried to look around to see what the smell was coming from, but the windows were covered. No light entered nor exited from the room.

Harry stepped before her and inhaled deeply. "Smell that? That is the smell of a hard day's work." He began to circle her, thinking deeply about something. "Tell me, 'Mione, do you know where you're at?" He watched as she shook her head. He gave a lopsided grin and tore the boards down. Instantly, Hermione knew where she was at.

"Like I said, home sweet home. Love the new house smell? It should be really familiar. It goes by the name of Ronald Weasley. Oh don't worry. His corpse is not here. His blood though, hate to to say it, but the stain won't come out of the carpet. I hope you won't mind." Harry smiled at the way Hermione was cringing.

Hermione tried to dispel her surroundings and focused on Harry. "Why are you doing this to me, Harry? Just answer me that and I will do whatever you want."

"Hmm, where should I start?" Just as Harry was about to say something, a little ding! went off in the kitchen. Hermione's eyes shifted from the kitchen to Harry, his grin turned menacing. "You're in for a treat, 'Mione."

Seconds passed by without a word. Lucius treaded carefully as he made his way toward Draco, Scorpius now in Narcissa's arms.

"Draco," Lucius started slowly. Draco spun around quickly and threw a spell at his father. Lucius easily deflected the spell and shot a little spell in return, knocking Draco back a few yards. "Get a grip, Draco!"

Draco laid there with a blank look. "Gone…"

Lucius felt his anger snap and grasped his son's shoulder roughly. "Pull your fucking self together, Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Reverting back to his old self, he raised his hand and slapped him roughly. "You aren't the only one that is feeling this way!"

Draco seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at his father, cradling his cheek carefully. He was shocked to see scattered bits of pain in his eyes. Draco's mouth hung open.

Narcissa wobbled up to the two, careful not to wake Scorpius. With her free hand, she slapped her husband's head and then her son's. "Stop it you two. You won't be able to solve anything if you keep fighting. Now, how about we all go inside and put Scorpius down. I swear, if he wakes up and sees you two setting a bad example, I will personally chop up your bodies and throw them into the Black Lake. Then for a good measure, I'll watch the Giant Squid devour you two slowly, understood?" Lucius and Draco immediately shot away from each other and dusted themselves off. Without another word, all three walked back into the Manor.

Once they entered, Lucius turned to the two and said, "Someone is already shadowing her. It's only a matter of time, now."He disappeared upstairs. Draco looked at his mum, taking Scorpius off her hands.

He raised an eyebrow at her. Narcissa shrugged. "I honestly didn't know, son. If I'm not mistaken, he is quite taken by her." Draco gave her a disbelieving look. "Oh come now, your father isn't all that bad. He just has a really really short temper. You take after him quite a bit. He just doesn't want to lose any family members. To him, family always comes first, despite what you think."

Draco rubbed his eyes angrily at his thoughts as he watched his son sleeping peacefully. It had been a few hours since Hermione was taken, yet the image of Harry's lips on Hermione's was burned in his mind. He couldn't do anything to help her before with Scorpius and he couldn't help persuade her to find another route. He felt defeated. He wasn't surprised, though. Her Gryffindor loyalty was always one of the things he hated and loved about her.

"Son," Draco looked up to see Lucius standing beside him.

"Father" he nodded and continued to stare blankly into the void. He took the silence between them as a sign of apology and understanding. "It's just like before. No, it's much worse."

Lucius stayed quiet. "How's mum?" Draco asked, trying to get his mind off earlier.

"Your mother is quite distraught at the moment. One minute she's crying, the next minute she's chucking one of the thousands of heirlooms at me, telling me what an ungrateful bastard of a husband I am because of my lack of intervening and all of that. " Draco's lips twitched and then disappeared, a look of sadness had been placed instead. I am the ungrateful one. I didn't save her...

Lucius put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't give up on her."

"Never." He answered.

"Good. Now, help me calm your mother down. I would like to sleep tonight and still have my family jewels in the morning."

Hermione gave Harry a confused look before she started to hear see little bubbles form on his face. "No. No…it can't be." She heard sizzling noises, signaling the near end of the transformation.

"Oh, yes. It is." The new person mocked. The person was taller, thinner. Their skin was paler than Hermione's, hair reaching mid-back. Their eyes changed from green to dark brown. They stepped into the light, an aristocratic smirk pastured on their face.

"Astoria Greengrass."

Astoria bent her head back and let out a maniacal laugh. "Very good, Mudblood. You now your superiors' names!" she clapped her hands together. She lifted the spell off Hermione.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, wincing as she saw her wrists were very tingly and nearly blue. She began shaking her hands, trying to get the blood flowing again. She looked at Astoria, who continued to walk around her. She was brimming with questions, but one stood out. "Why are you targeting Scorpius?" she asked.

Astoria's face scrunched up into a look of disgust. "That little brat deserves to be killed."

Hermione gasped inaudibly. "Why?! He's your son!" She felt a sharp and painful sensation all over her body and knew what was happening. Crucio…She started to scream at the top of her lungs. Astoria put a silencing spell on her and continued to talk.

"He is no son of mine. He's nothing but pure filth to me. That annoying little demon took everything from me," Astoria lifted the spell and sat on the sofa chair. She crossed her legs one over the other and leaned back, her arms resting in her lap. She looked at the window. "He's not the only one I am targeting. The whole lot of them. They begged me to marry their own son, did you know? Everyone in my family are paupers, yet they were the ones to ask me. Ah, how the mighty have fallen. No other pureblood family would even spare them a glance. Though, it did work in my favor for a while. Their name might have been tarnished, but their assets certainly weren't lacking. They were able to meet my conditions very well." The glint in her eyes hardened as she reminisced. "But they forgot to mention a loophole that was somehow undetected by the lawyer. The Malfoys really are sneaky Slytherins."

"What…did…they…do?" Hermione tried to mouth at Astoria, gasping out each word. She had forgotten than she was still under the curse.

Astoria blinked a couple of times and looked away from the window, trying to remember where she was at. She looked at Hermione, remembering that she wasn't alone. "I had to give them an heir. Like I said earlier, they were really sneaky. They even threatened to cut off all access to the joint account. So what choice did I have? I hated those nine months, but it did come with some perks. Apparently young men nowadays have this fetish for pregnant women."

Hermione gagged. What in the bloody hell is wrong with this woman?

Astoria giggled darkly. "Of course, darling Draco didn't suspect anything. Or, so I was told. It was so easy to manipulate that poor bloke. Doing anything to save face. When his little spawn was born, oh, he was wrapped around my finger. He would do everything for me, catering to my every whim. Little did I know that there was a second loophole to that little twerp." She got up and began to circle Hermione, her wand out and unnoticed to Hermione. Astoria lifted the silencing spell and without a second thought, doubled the amount of power the Cruciatus curse was inflicting on Hermione.

"Everything goes to that little ingrain!" She yelled out. She walked over to the coffee table and pulled out what looked like a curved dagger, her eyes held a look of dark amusement. It looked like an antique with it's dark engravings and familiar serpent designs on the crossguards. Astoria lifted the curse and made it so that she was face-to-face with Hermione.

"The attention," she dragged the tip of the dagger from the top of Hermione's left temple down to her jaw, drops of blood already dripping down onto her shirt. Hermione continued to stay silent, though her body was trembling uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of feeling in any part of her body.

"The money," Astoria changed directions and began dragging the tip from the top of her chest to the beginning of her shirt. She pressed the tip harder and without a second thought, ripped the shirt open, satisfied with a long gash and little pools of blood beginning to form.

"But most of all, the power." She pushed the dagger through Hermione's stomach. Hermione gasped, blooding leaking out of her mouth. Astoria pushed her off and wiped her hands on her skirt, disgusted that she had to touch another kind of filth.

Hermione gasped in pain as some of the feeling in her body was coming back, only to be redirected to another area. She touched the dagger and pulled it out, grunting and panting harshly in the process.

The light from the window caught the handle of the dagger, causing Hermione to squint. Her eyes widened and dropped the dagger, causing a small clink! to echo through the room. She saw Astoria smirk, "I do love the color of mudblood red on you. Brings out the dirtiness in your eyes. Oh, look familiar? It should be, considering it is the Malfoys' property. Nifty little thing, isn't it? The best part about this dagger is that it is laced with a wonderful poison that doubles pretty much like a curse. It's called 'Nox Atra Melle'. I believe you can figure that out on your own, being 'The Brightest Witch of Our Age.'"

Astoria sighed."I'm bored with you," she snapped her fingers, the rest of the boards on the walls disappearing one by one. As more light continued to pour into the room, dark figures began to appear, grinning at their prize. Hermione looked up at them, her heart pounding even louder. She recognized some of them: MacNair, Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr., Rowle, and Greengrass Sr. Hermione made out the others to be supporters of Voldemort. They all looked at Astoria.

"You can have her. Do whatever you want, but I do have a little surprise for her. Call it a parting gift." She walked to the coat closet and opened the door. Hermione's eyes widened, her blood running cold. Her eyes were met with tear filled grey-blue eyes.

"N-No…" she croaked out. One of the Death Eaters kicked her in the side, silencing her.

Astoria moved towards the person and took off the gag. "Say hello to your Hermione, Scorpius." She laughed as she walked out of the room. "I'll extend your regards to the family!"

"MUMMY!" he screamed, watching a large crowd form a circle around Hermione. The rest of the Death Eaters left a small opening, giving a view for Scorpius to watch. "LET HER GO!"

One of the Death Eaters, MacNair, walked up to Scorpius and raised his hand high.

"Stop…NO!" MacNair ignored her and slapped him across the cheek roughly, effectively shutting him up. Scorpius began to cry silently, his teary eyes wide and only on Hermione. He watched as the men began to strip her bare, her blood clinging to every part of her body.

"Just how I like them," Crabbe Sr. growled lowly as he smelled her hair, "Dirty and begging for a good and rough fuck."

Hermione felt every thought and nerve in her snap, her body switching to savage mode. no…no…NO. She closed her eyes, feeling every death eater's presence. Lacero, she whispered. Her anger was dispelled once she heard screams and wails of mercy. She opened her eyes and saw each one pressing down on various parts of their body unsuccessfully. In a matter of seconds, she began to see parts of their skin either beginning to unravel from their bodies or flaking off in large quantities. She smiled at her work and made her way to Scorpius.

"Sweet," her version swam and before she knew it, she collapsed onto the ground. Her panting grew soft and slow. She bent her head and tried to focus on the closet. She held out her hand, trying to reach him.

A dark figure placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to turn her attention to it. Hermione was too tired to feel anymore fear. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," the person said. The person watched as Hermione began to close her eyes and patted her cheek softly. "Stay with me, Granger," they begged her as her eyes lifted open and looked at the person with glazed eyes.

Hermione mumbled out a few words, her body convulsing into spasms. "Mum…Dad…Draco…Scor…Scor…Sweet…" Her eyes drifted to a close. The person checked her pulse and cursed loudly.

Just then, another figure appeared beside Hermione and checked her pulse. The two nodded at each other. One gently gathered Hermione into their arms and apparated away. The other sighed sadly and apparated away.

It had been almost two days when suddenly Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius jumped at the sound of someone apparating to their front door. Without a second thought, he dashed his way downstairs and flung the door open. "HERMIONE-" Draco stopped and looked at the person blankly.

"Hello, Draco."

"Blaise," he nodded and stepped aside. Blaise stepped in and headed towards the sitting room. Just then Narcissa and Lucius came down, following Draco to the sitting room. He faced the opposite direction, staring at the various paintings. He sighed and then turned around.

Blaise cleared his throat."I am pretty sure you are well aware now that I have been shadowing Ms. Granger for the past few months, so we can avoid any misunderstanding and get to my main point." Draco, who knew nothing about it, turned to his father and raised an eyebrow. Lucius shrugged, but his eyes spelled out something else. Blaise continued, "I came here today to discuss some rather disturbing facts we found regarding Ms. Granger's incidents and the relationship involving The Weasleys. First, when Ms. Granger stayed here at the Manor, what did she you find out about Ron Weasley?"

All eyes turned to Draco. He looked at Blaise and answered in a working manner, "I only assessed that he had been abusing her for a while."

"Could you give me an estimate the time frame for the scars?" Blaise asked, jotting down notes.

"It ranges from about 2-3 years ago to about 5 months ago. Possibly longer."

"And how did you find Ms. Granger?"

"She ran into me. It looked like she was running from someone. I had no idea about the abuse until I saw choke marks on her neck that she was hiding behind her scarf."

"And after she moved in, you became her physician and she was able to slowly recover until the next incident, correct?" Draco nodded. "You along with two other healers helped her when she was attacked 5 months ago, right?" Draco nodded again.

"The reason why I am asking is that I want to know what your intensions are towards Ms. Granger," he started. He saw Draco's face scrunch up in anger and held up a hand. "I am asking you because the Ministry cannot risk having the last and only heroine of the 'Golden Trio' to be wiped out."

Everyone gave him a confused look. "The Weasleys were killed in a night raid a couple months after war, including Harry Potter. Their son, Ron Weasley was the only one that survived because he was living with Ms. Granger. He did not suspect that his family were actually impostors. Yes, that's right. The 'Weasleys' that had Hermione for the past 24 hours or more were actually wanted Death Eaters that have been on the run since The Dark Lord's fall. Polyjuice, no less and spells that can alter their voice to sound like the real person. The bodies of the real Weasleys were actually in underneath the floorboards. The stench of the rotting corpses were masked and the real scents of each person was duplicated for good measure." Everyone's mouth hung open.

"As morbid as this sounds, I have to give them credit. They were able to trick Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger for almost 5 years," he paused, "It wasn't just the Weasleys they targeted. After more investigation, it turned out that everyone that was close to Hermione was under their radar. Neville Longbottom was killed after months of torture from the use of the Cruciatus Curse. It was said that his parents were finally fully healed and that they were captured again. They were forced to watch their son be tortured, making them relapse. They were all killed the same day. Luna Lovegood and her father were killed in a 'potion mishap.' That part wasn't true. Both bodies were found in the Dark Forest. Some of the creatures there said that they were looking for ingredients when they were ambushed by the same group of Death Eaters. Then, when it came to your family, they knew who to target first." Blaise's eyes drifted to the set of stairs outside the room.

"Scor," they all said. Blaise nodded, his gaze shifting back the family.

"The Death Eaters knew and observed how close she was with your son. They had timed it perfectly…" he drifted off, knowing that they knew the rest of the story. The three continued to sit in silence.

Minutes past until Draco decided to break the silence. "Who was behind all of this?"

"Crabbe Sr, Goyle Sr, MacNair, and Greengrass were behind the raids…"

Draco chuckled humorlessly. "No, Zabini. I meant who the fuck set all this shit up!" He shot out of his seat and grabbed Blaise by the collar.

Blaise gave him an unfazed look. "It was your darling ex-wife. Astoria Greengrass." He began explaining the story he had caught when he was hiding behind a strong disillusionment charm in the room. When he was finished, he caught Lucius and Narcissa's expressions. He nearly broke out into a grin seeing their wide eyes and disgusted looks. Well, what do you know… "The up side of that is that she has indeed been captured and will be given Veritaserum continuously for the next week or so. New law from the Ministry. Apparently, they won't go easy on anyone that was associated with The Dark Lord."

Lucius shivered internally. I may be an ex-death eater, but I am pretty sure that I have never gone to extensive measures toward just one person. Merlin, what in the bloody hell is wrong with these people. He glanced at his wife and son and sighed. I'm glad I was able to get out early and spare my family, thanks to Her- Ms. Granger. He felt his shoulders sag a little. Family always comes first. Nothing else.

Narcissa held onto her husband's hand tightly while she discretely hid her tears behind one of her handkerchiefs. She looked at the handkerchief and broke down. It was her favorite one: a velvety and soft light mint colored cloth with a Narcissus flower embroidered at the corners representing her. It was a gift from Hermione a couple months after the agreement to her permanent stay at the house.

"It's my 'thank you' gift for letting me stay here Cissy," she gave her a sheepish smile, "It's also a 'thank you' gift for giving me a chance…and letting me be a part of a family. Your family…Our family."

"Hermione," Narcissa sniffled and whispered quietly to herself, "oh, my dear…"

Draco stared at him with wide eyes. He looked away and cursed, throwing himself down onto the sofa. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping at the roots. "Fuck….fuck…everything…It's all my fault. If I hadn't looked for that stupid job for her, everyone would've been fine…" Draco continued to rant on, mumbling and throwing his hands up every now and then.

Blaise looked at him and tried to lift the mood in the room. He knew Draco well enough and knew that he becomes very destructive and reckless when he spirals downward. He grabbed Draco's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Calm down, mate. I have more news aside from that.." Draco looked at him with a broken look, saying are you trying to fucking kill me? I'm dying as it is already. Blaise rolled his eyes. Granger is living in a place full of divas…

"Everyone! Calm the fuck down!" Three pairs of eyes glared at him but nodded.

"We have her." Narcissa let out a loud cry of relief and Lucius visibly relaxed, rubbing his wife's back soothingly. Draco continued to look at him blankly, but Blaise knew better.There is something else. Say it.

"She currently on her way to America where she will be looked over and treated. Now, before you jump off the deep end, let me explain. I couldn't link your family to the information directly because there is a chance she could still be targeted. Her progress will be passed throughout myself and then handed off to you." He turned to Draco, "Remember earlier, I had asked you questions before and asking if you really did take care of her and the situation between her and Ron Weasley? I had to make sure that, well, you were truly honest about helping her and that you really care about her wellbeing. Though you are my best mate, it's a standard procedure."

He then turned to Narcissa and Lucius. "It is actually kind of hard for me to believe that you two allowed her to stay," his eyes focused mainly on Lucius, "but nonetheless, I am grateful. That leads me to my second reason: All of you are not her immediate family-"

Draco cut him off. "Not to be rude, Blaise, but we can discuss that stuff later. Trust us or not, I don't care. Just tell me what happened to her."

Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes in a soft circular motion. "She's wounded, but not like the whippings she received before. She's been carved with a dagger by Astoria, though there are no malicious things written on her. Deep cuts, but those aren't bad as…"

Draco felt himself start to tremble. "As…w-what Blaise?"

"As what she used. Astoria played with Hermione using your family's dagger. The one with the emerald gem on the handle with the letter 'M' on it. Astoria stabbed her with it."

Lucius shot out of his seat. "How did she get that? I never gave it to Draco. It's been sealed within the drawing room, untouched with the rest of the dark artifacts there."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't know, Mr. Malfoy. My guess is she sneaked in before you had set the wards or paid one of her family's elves to get it or something," he glanced at Lucius, blood draining from his face at rapid speed. "So you know what it is laced with, I'm guessing? Her reaction to the dagger was not quite normal. She was bleeding, but not in the right color. It was really dark and thick, almost like paint." He watched as Lucius nodded.

Draco placed his hand roughly on his father's shoulder and pulled it so that his father was facing him. "Laced with what, exactly?" His anger visibly rising. Lucius cleared his throat, obviously trying to explain it the best he could.

"The dagger was laced with what is known as 'Nox Atra Melle.' It's a dark and ancient type of magic, darker than the one she was hit with that was reported months back. It was created by Voldemort himself that was entrusted to only the most vicious killers; it doubled as both a poison and a curse. Well, them and those that were within the inner circle. The spell causes the blood flowing in her body to turn black. Once the blood turns black, it becomes thick like honey, preventing the flow to slow down and eventually stop; however, that part accumulates over time. The blood becomes poisonous as well. If the fumes of her blood is inhaled for a split second, it can enter the person's lungs and essentially into the bloodstream. The condition can last from a couple of minutes to a couple of months." Lucius looked away and tried to get his breath regulating properly after explaining. He continued to look away, feeling somewhat ashamed that he had something like it in his home.

Draco let go of him, staring at him with disbelief. He took a couple steps back. "W-Why…would you even have that?" His hands clenched into fists. "No. Of course you would have smoothing like that. If anything, you are nothing but consistent, father. This has been the second, possibly third, time that you have done something that put Hermione in some sort of state. I should blame you for all of this," Draco spat out at his father. He knew that he was wrong, but he didn't care. Years of pent up anger towards his father's mistreatment towards him and the path that was often changed during his adolescence often led Draco to keeping to himself and bottling up pain. To him, it was his one chance to make his father feel as helpless and ashamed as he did.

"Draco, stop." He looked up to see Narcissa place her arm around him gently, rubbing it up and down in a soothing pace. "Don't take your frustration out on your father. You know he's already paying for his mistakes."

Draco sighed, but refused to look at Lucius. Instead he turned his attention back to Blaise. Blaise took this as his cue and picked up where he last left off. "That curse wasn't the only thing she was hit with." Draco's back stiffened, "When the cost was clear, I had assessed the damage inflicted on her. From the looks of it, she had been hit pretty bad with the Cruciatus curse. Very powerful. By the time I was able to intervene, she was already convulsing into spasms severely. As I mentioned earlier, we have transferred her to America…"

He looked up at Draco, his eyes shining with something. Draco sighed irritably, failing miserably at the thought of killing his best mate. Draco knew where he was getting at. He acidly gritted out, "You apparated her. Even when she was hurt. You know what happens-"

"I am well aware, Draco. We had no other choice. If we floo'ed her, it would've been too late." Draco's knees gave out and crumpled to the floor, unable to take in everything all at once. It's just like before. The one time I actually do something to help someone I have mistreated all these years…taken from me. Merlin, Morgana, every single thing and human above, please…get Hermione safely back to me. He felt his heart slow, his eyes filled at the brim with tears.

Narcissa took over for her son. Obviously he couldn't and didn't want to say anything else. "What about the rest of the Death Eaters?"

Blaise forced out a lopsided grin. "If we know Ms. Granger well enough, we should be able to guess the outcome." Narcissa's eyes glinted with a tiny hint of amusement, prodding Blaise to go on. "This girl is like an iron maiden. In the worst state and yet she was able to perform something so powerful. She created a wandless, realistic illusion. By the time I intervened, it was right when she hit all of them with the spell. They looked all fine on the outside, but they were screaming for mercy. They were all gripping various parts of their body. I say, I never want to be on her bad side. Pretty vicious to people she really hates."

Draco felt unfazed at Blaise's words. That was old news for him. He had already witnessed it in school and the war. He chuckled sadly. That's our little lioness for you. He swallowed hard.

"…We have arrested them either way and are now making their way back to their lovely home in Azkaban." Blaise tried to lift the mood, but failed and sighed.

Something in Draco ticked in his mind. "H-Hold on a minute. Why couldn't you have just sent her to St. Mungo's over here? You said it yourself, I am her physician! She is under my care!"

Blaise shook his head. "St. Mungo's here isn't as advanced in the use of both potions and technology than the one in America. Extreme cases, like Ms. Granger's, are always deported there. Ah, which reminds me, I haven't been able to pick up any information on her parents. I need full consent from any of her family members to go on with any possible surgeries or any transplants. Do you know where her family is?"

Draco tried to lunge at Blaise again, but Lucius intervened. Every single little detail about Hermione at the moment made him lose control.

Lucius seemed to be fed up with his son's anger and once again, slapped him across his cheek. "Draco, listen."

Draco looked up at him, his eyes broken mirroring his father's. "Stop being a selfish little brat, Draco. You're not the only one who doesn't want to go through this; Your mother and I are feeling lost as well. We want her alive and well just as much as you do. Don't you want her to be with us? Healthy and able to play with Scorpius? How do you think he feels? She is part of our family, remember?" He turned to Blaise and nodded, "As far as her parents are concerned, we are her parents. All of her information is under our name."

Blaise made a mental note. "I'll floo you if anything happens. I sincerely apologize," Blaise turned and apparated away.

Just before he left, Draco felt the remains of his anger seep out, "She's not dead, Zabini. Don't make it sound as if she is." Blaise ignored him and stepped into the green flames.

Draco rubbed his eyes as a few tears fell out. Today had been an awful day that was just nothing but an emotional roller coaster. He turned and was about to walk away when he remembered something. He turned to his father, who caught his eye at the same time. Draco raised a questioning eyebrow. I thought I told you that her situation was confidential. And why in the bloody hell did you not tell us anything?

Lucius rolled his eyes, reading his questioning eyes like an open book. "Come now, you obviously didn't think that I didn't know? I asked Zabini for her file and put two and two together. I remember you telling me not to ask you or her for any information, so I went with the next option. It was finalized a couple days ago, so all we have to do is to wait for the documents and signatures to be returned to us. Seriously son, give me at least some credit."

Months went by and before everyone knew it, it was over a year. There was still no word on how Hermione's condition was holding up, or even worse, if she was still alive. Everyone at the Manor tried to avoid any bad thoughts involving her.

Lucius took the idea of a no call as a good sign, though he often had to literally drag his legs away from the telephone when it was time for him to go to work. Another day. Another 8 hours of nothing but anxiety spent with a bunch of dim-witted twits.

Narcissa took to staying outside in the gardens with a basket full of romantic and heartwarming books in hand. It was her way of thinking of alternate worlds where Hermione was alright and that she and Draco were being dense idiots about their feelings for each other.

Much like now, really, she thought as she flipped to the next page of one of her novels. She felt that the stories kept Hermione close to her heart. There were moments, however, when things weren't going so great and her heart would start to twist in pain. Then, and only then, would she go out on a shopping spree for the family. It boosted her energy, temporarily numbing the pain even just for the moment. Once she had gotten home and delivered the new toys and clothing, she would automatically go back into the garden and resume where she had left off.

Draco looked like a walking corpse. He was a walking corpse. He felt as if something was missing. He knew what it was, but he didn't want to acknowledge it just yet. There were repercussions if he even remotely thought of something along the lines of it.

I'm already dying here, his heart clenched at those words. No, no.

He continued to drag himself every day to go to work, leaving in the early morning and coming back late at night, sometimes not coming in for the night. One night, Narcissa had had enough of his behavior and cornered him, making him feel guilty about how he was behaving towards his son. With a wide smirk and fake tear-filled eyes, Draco made arrangements so that he could work from home. From there, he was able to watch Scorpius every now and then, coaxing him to play with the new toys Narcissa had bought for him. Every time he tried, he failed. Draco gave up with a sigh, knowing that nothing will take his mind off Hermione. Like father, like son. More like, 'Like grandfather, like father, like son,' he chuckled at the thought. 'Look at what to you have done to these poor men, Hermione.'

Draco's heart clenched at the thought of Hermione yet again. Ever since he had learned of the curse from his father, he had been spending extra time in his makeshift lab that was next to Scorpius' 'sacred haven.' He did extensive research regarding Hermione's condition: Wondering who else had suffered from that same fate, jotting down all the symptoms that were mentioned, and the properties of the ancient spell. He then began pouring countless weeks into different types of potions that always ended up in a failure.

He threw the potion onto the ground, the vial shattering and dissolving into the rug. "Fuck!" He put his arms on his desk and buried his head in, his fingers resting in between his hair. "Why isn't it working?" He turned his head and glanced at the notes. Each potion he mixed would result in either killing the patient completely or shortening their life span by 50%-

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard high-pitched screaming coming from the next door. Draco bolted out of his room and into the next door. He watched as his son continued to scream, thrashing about on the bed. He leaned over and turned on the light, his opposite hand shaking Scorpius awake.

Scorpius was found constantly in Hermione's old room. The family deemed it his 'safe haven'; It was the only place where he felt peaceful and somewhat okay. Every time one of them went in to check on him, his eyes were always closed and puffy; his arms were wrapped around a piece of her clothing while laying in her bed. Even when his sixth birthday arrived, he refused to celebrate, saying that his 'birthday present' still hasn't arrived. Everyone gave him a saddened look, knowing who he really wanted most.

Scorpius' eyes opened immediately, his vision still slightly blurry from his tears. He pulled the covers off him and jumped into his father's arms, his hands wrapped around Draco's neck tightly.

"Whats wrong Scor?" Draco asks.

"I had a really bad dream, daddy. All of us were in this house, tied up. Grandmother was crying and Grandfather was yelling. You were screaming at Mummy…and Mummy…Mummy," he sobbed harder.

Draco rubbed his back in soothing circles, "It's okay Scor, tell daddy what happened."

Scorpius calmed down a bit and wiped away his tears, fresh new ones threatening to fall over. "Mummy was on the ground, not moving. I ran to her, shaking her to move, but she wasn't moving." He wrapped his arms tighter around his father. "I want mummy back home."

"I do too, son." He hugged his son tightly. I know it hurts, son. Please…stay strong. He placed a kiss on his forehead.

They sat there in silence for a couple minutes until Scorpius spoke up. "Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to get stronger."

Draco furrowed his brows and pushed Scorpius to look at him in the eyes. "What?"

"I want…to get stronger. I don't like crying. It makes me look and feel weak. I feel bad for not being able to help mummy. I want to be strong…so I can protect mummy."

Draco continued to stare at him speechless. His son never ceased to amaze him. "U-Um, son. I know you want to get stronger, but you are still too young. I can only start teaching you when you are a couple years from going to school."

He watched as his son's face fell and quickly added, "I can't teach you a lot of things at the moment, but what you can do is start reading some of the history about the school you are going to. Wait here, I will be right back." He left to his room down the hall and plucked a book from his shelf.

He returned moments later and handed the book to Scorpius. "This here is mummy's favorite book in the world. I used to tease her a lot in school about this book. She would recite it word for word. This here is the newest edition. It also happens to be mummy's book." He smiled as Scorpius' eyes widened and hugged the book to himself, a small smile forming.

"I want you to read up on it until mummy comes home. I'm sure she would want you to do some reading way ahead of time. Mummy always did that when she was at school." He looked at the book fondly as images of Hermione resurfaced in his mind. He swallowed thickly and gave Scorpius a smile, remembering something about the book.

"If I remember correctly, it mentions mummy in the book. Now don't ask me what page, I want you to read this and find it yourself. I know you love reading and I am sure you will enjoy it. You will find a lot of interesting facts that I'm sure mummy will tell stories about when she comes back, okay?" He watched as Scorpius' eyes brightened and nodded profusely.

Draco sighed in relief as he saw no traces left of Scorpius' nightmare in his eyes. 'Get some sleep, Scor. You have a busy day ahead of you.'

He chuckled as he watched Scorpius place the book on his nightstand and snuggled back into the sheets, his stuffed dragon crushed in his arms. "Night, daddy. Thank you for the book. I love you." I will remember every word for mummy, just like she did.

Draco gave him a smile and tucked him in. He kissed his forehead once more and turned off the light. "Anytime, son. I love you, too. Goodnight."

Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes as he leaned against the door to Hermione's old room. My own son wants to become stronger for Hermione, he chuckled to himself. My own son beating me, becoming more of a man than I am.

His smile immediately disappeared and stood up straight. That's right…I need to become stronger. I need to be the man that can fight and protect Hermione from anything else. I need to help her. I need- his thoughts were interrupted by his new found determination.

He walked back to his temporary workstation and closed the door, a soft click! echoing in the room. Without a second thought he summoned all his notes and potions, rolling his sleeves up as everything was set up. He took a one of the vials containing one of his theorized antidotes and held it up to his eye-level. I will work harder for you, Hermione. I will continue find a way to heal you, no matter what it takes. He smiled for the for the second time that night.

"Healer Malfoy, there is a phone call for you," the receptionist said.

Draco rushed to his office and shut the door. He picked up the telephone, "This is Healer Malfoy."

"Hello Draco." Draco furrowed his brows.

"Mum? What's wrong?"

"Come home, now." Narcissa hung up.

Seconds later, Draco stumbled out of the floo network, nearly tripping over his own feet. He looked up to see their guest. He nodded slightly. "Blaise." He straightened himself and walked closer to him.

"Now, we can get going," Blaise started. "We got a call from the hospital in America…"Everyone held their breath.

"They told me a couple of things. First, they don't know what's going on. Don't worry, she isn't under critical condition anymore. They were able to get rid of the curse; however, she isn't waking up. They say there is a slight possibility that her body had tried to fight off the curse, but rebounded and ended up putting her in a coma. She's been that way for a couple months now. She is still alive, but they don't know when…or if... she will wake up," he gnawed on the inside of his cheek, waiting for them to give him the 'okay' to go on.

Draco held his ground and nodded, his eyes dulled completely. "Go on."

"There was a new potion that they tested on her. What it is, is like a liquid Penseive. The concept is simple. With her brainwaves hooked up to a monitor, they were able to access her memories: specifically, the day of her attack. Two things stuck out. One, the wandless spell was actually an strong illusion spell that can make the person feel as if it is really happening. Two.." His eyes widened slightly. So that's why she said that…

"Ah…Two, she was looking at an illusion herself. The reason why she attacked all of the Death Eaters at once was because she was provoked. Apparently, before Astoria left, she brought out her last weapon of choice, Scorpius. It seemed like she couldn't tell the difference between what was fake and what was real, her condition in mind and all of that. Astoria made it so that he was watching Hermione get assaulted…sexually. Very convincing illusion. Scorpius was screaming and everything."

Draco covered his eyes, breathing in slowly. Merlin, she was raped as well? And using Scorpius. What it Merlin's name-

"Scorpius is alright, correct?" Blaise asked. Everyone nodded grimly. Ever since Hermione's attack, he began reverting back to his old, quiet self, if not worse.

Then, something clicked in Draco's head. "Hold on, Scorpius had a nightmare of Hermione not moving. Granted, we were in there, but could that mean something?"

Blaise eyes furrowed. "She hit her with that as well?" Draco gave him a questioning look. "Astoria hit with her another spell then. At the most vulnerable moments of the person's life, everything seen through one pair of eyes is manipulated and warped the utmost ways for the other. She linked that bond to Scorpius. These spells she had been using were way beyond The Dark Lord's time. I don't know how she got ahold of these. There were cases like these on young first years just before the war. Unfortunately, those students had committed suicide under the influence of the Imperius Curse soon after." All eyes looked to the flight of stairs leading upstairs, their skin turning beyond pale. Blaise immediately cut in. "Like I said, Hermione's out of the danger zone. That includes that particular curse. Scorpius is safe. The only way for him to not feel vulnerable is to get his mind off of it. No thoughts of anything bad."

Draco's mood lifted slightly. Way ahead of you, Blaise. Huh, whaddya know. Thought of it way before anyone else did. Boy, I'm smart. An arrogant little smirk twitched on his lips.

Blaise caught Draco's little smirk and rolled his eyes. He handed him a piece of paper, a smirk forming on his own lips as Draco's disappeared.

Draco looked at it dully before handing the paper over to his father. Lucius sighed. "So, we are scheduled for a trial."

Blaise nodded. "After investigating Mr. Weasley's apartment, we have found traces of both of your magic and fingerprints around the room. Anyways, I shall see you two next Monday to discuss what is going to happen." Blaise turned and was about to walk away, when he remembered something.

"Ah. This may be some good news for you. I forgot to mention it a while back. At first I thought I was barmy, but," he glanced at Narcissa and Lucius, "she called you two Mum and Dad. I found it strange at first, but now I understand." Narcissa broke out into a wide smile, shaking Lucius while tears fell freely. Lucius comforted his wife, holding her tightly and whispering good things to her. He nodded to Blaise as a 'thanks.'

"Until then," He gave them a nod and floo'ed back to his office.

Lucius and Draco sat beside each other in the main courtroom, the jury's box filled with people. Draco twiddled his thumbs back and forth. "Why are we sitting at the defendant's side instead of the accused seat?" he whispered to his father. Lucius shrugged.

An hour passed as the rest of the people filled in the rest of the seats, including the Minister himself. "We will now call Astoria Greengrass to the front."

Draco's gaze hardened at the sight of her. Astoria's eyes caught his and sparkled with content. She wrapped her manacled hands around the bars of her cage. "Hello, my darling husband," she said sweetly.

Draco was sickened and growled at her. "Shut up, you bitch. I swear, I should kill you right now-"

"Not another word, young Mister Malfoy, or else those will be your last." Draco shut up immediately.

The Minister for Magic turned his attention to Astoria. "Astoria Greengrass, you have been charged for the attempted murder of Hermione Granger. You have been charged for the gathering of murder of Harry James Potter and the Weasley family with the exception of Ronald Billius Weasley. You have been charged for the murder of Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood. How do you plead?"

"Guilty" she said with a smile.

The Minister nodded, satisfied with her answer. "You are sentenced to 50 years of life in Azkaban. Should you disobey, you will be given the Dementor's kiss in the next room after this." Astoria nodded along, not really caring.

The guards grabbed hold of her cage and began rolling her away. As they rolled her away, Astoria looked at Draco once more. "How's my little 'Mione and Scor doing? 'Mione sure looks good in a hospital gown. How about Scor? Still has those wonderful dreams about 'Mione? How about you, my dearest? How does it feel? Bitter, isn't it? Hah, my work is done here. Sweet sweet perfection."

Draco launched out of his seat, ready to attack her, only to be held back by his father. He glared at her until she disappeared behind the door, her maniacal laughter echoing in the hallway.

Before he could do anything else, the Minister spoke up. "Young Mr. Malfoy, Lord Malfoy. Please come forward."

Both Draco and Lucius walked it to the middle of the room, facing the Minister. They stood up straight, giving the illusion of superiority and power. Draco smirked internally. The little perks being a Malfoy has…still works wonders.

"Lucius Malfoy. Draco Lucius Malfoy. You two have been charged for the murder of Ronald Billius Weasley. How do you plead?"

They both answered in unison. "Not guilty."

The Minister scrunched up his nose distastefully. "Might I inform the both of you that Auror Zabini has found traces of the use of 'Sectumsepra' coming from Young Mr. Malfoy's wand, while laced around another spell that prevented Mr. Weasley to do anything from Lord Malfoy's wand. I'm afraid the use of two dark spells, especially coming from two Death Eaters will not get you out of this. You two will be-"

Draco cut him off. "The only reason why I performed that spell was for one thing. He was trying to kill Hermione. He nearly did so by placing the same spell my father put on him." He gritted out.

"I'm afraid I-"

"Don't believe me? Fine. Take my memories. Go on. They won't be tampered with. Go ahead and give me Veritaserum as well."

Everyone in the court seemed surprised; they had never seen a Death Eater give in so easily. One by one, each of the jury nodded their heads. The Minister looked around and then nodded as well. They took Draco into a separate room and did so. He then was taken back to the courtroom, reclaiming his seat beside his father.

"I've never seen you this flustered before, Draco." Lucius said nonchalantly.

"Where have you been the last twenty-plus years, father?" They looked at each other, twin smirks on their faces.

The Minister returned minutes later with a blank look on his face. He studied the two Malfoys for countless minutes. After ten minutes, he rubbed his eyes, "After witnessing such an account, the jury and I have come to a decision. Though you two are Death Eaters, you two have been let off the hook off once before by Harry Potter. Since then, you have proved yourselves that you have somewhat changed. You, Lord Malfoy, have contributed greatly to the Warfunds, Hogwarts, and the Ministry. We cannot thank you enough. You, Young Mr. Malfoy, have indeed proven that you can do something for the good by becoming a Healer. From your records, I see that you have succeeded reversing the severe effects of those who have been bitten by Fenrir Greyback. Though these are signs of change, I cannot, however, let the fact that you two have killed someone..."

The Minister paused, before adding."…That is why, you two will be placed under house arrest for the next 72 months. Both of you will only be able to go to work and home. The Ministry will be placing physical and magical trackers on you that will only be taken off once the sentence has been fulfilled. If you try and tamper with it, like using magic or physically trying to remove the tracker, your wands will be taken and the both of you will be sent to Azkaban immediately. Is that understood?"

Draco and Lucius swallowed loudly and nodded. The Minister hit his gavel, signaling his final say. Just before he left, Draco ran up to him. "Um, Minister. I have to ask. Not that I am disappointed with the arrangements or anything, but why the sudden change in our sentence?"

The Minister looked at him straight in the eye, a glint of irritation shimmered in his eyes. "'A little bird told me to.'"

Draco looked at him confusedly, but let it go. "Thank you though, Theo."

Theodore Nott smiled, his business facade vanished for the moment. "No problem, mate." His voice lowered to a whisper. "And just so you know, it took one Obliviate and an Imperius Curse to get them to agree with me."

Draco smirked. "I was wondering where your Slytherin side was at. Oh, and we're still not even…ex-death eater." Theo's eyes shined with amusement.

An hour later, Draco and Lucius emerged from the green flames, both looking relieved and tired.

Scorpius shot out of Narcissa's arms and ran to Draco. He immediately opened his arms and hugged Scorpius tightly. "Hello, Scor." Draco rested him on his hip, kissing his cheek while rubbing his back softly.

Lucius made his way to his wife, holding her hands while rubbing her hands with his thumbs in a calming motion. "Calm yourself dear. There is nothing to worry about." He told her of the Minister's decision and watched her relax considerably.

Narcissa's lips turned up slightly. "That's good. I can't bear to see any more of my family to be taken away from me."

Everyone's expressions turned glum as they part their ways to different sections of the house. Just before they all dispersed, they heard the sound of the floo network go off once again. They all sighed with a heavy heart and slowly made their way to the living room once again.

Just as they were facing the door that was separating them and the room, they heard a faint but recognizable voice. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening. "Could it be?" Narcissa shifted her gaze to her husband.

Scorpius gasped and jumped out of his father's arms. 'MUMMY!' Scorpius ran towards her voice, trailing behind the smoke trails Draco left behind. Draco tore open the doors and let out a loud cry in happiness.

Hermione stood there with a big smile. Her skin was marred with faint scars, but her skin was glowing with health. He lifted her hand and waved and him slightly. "H-"

Suddenly, a loud squeal echoed through the room as little Scorpius sprinted towards her. She knelt down with open arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his body. "My, my, love. You have grown taller. Even more cute and handsome than before. What happened to that little boy that I loved to play 'pretend' with?"

She teased lightly as she checked him over to see if he was okay. She was still feeling some minor effects of her torture, mainly about Scorpius' health. Thank Merlin, he's okay. She showered kisses all over his face.

He shook his head back and forth, tears soaking her shirt. "I'm still here mummy. I'm so glad you are okay. I thought I was going to lose you like the time that funny orange-haired man took you. I missed you so much. I slept in your bed every night, hugging your sleep clothes. Daddy also gave me a book to read. It had a long story about you and two other people. He said that it was your favorite book..."

Hermione smiled as he continued to talk. Once he finished, she begins to talk. "I'm sorry for worrying you, my sweet love. I didn't want to put any of you in harms way, especially you. You mean so much to me Scorpius. I love you with all my heart, I hope you know that." She felt him squeeze tighter and placed a kiss on his neck. "C'mon, let's meet up with the rest of them and then we can play together. Unless, you are too old for 'pretend?'" she looks at him with a mischievous grin.

Scorpius shook his head back and forth, shouting "No! I'm never too old for that mummy. I've been waiting to play that game. I haven't played that game ever since you were gone, but I don't want you to feel any pain when we play. I can wait," he suggested, squeezing her hands.

She gave him a smile and shook her head. "I'll be up there in a few minutes, okay?" He nodded, making his way up the stairs while waiting patiently for her.

Hermione turned to the rest of the family, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry. I was just worried about him. I mean I was worried about all of you, I just-"

She was cut off as Narcissa ran to her and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "My dear, we are so glad you are okay. Last time was scary, but this time, it was a living nightmare. You have a knack for attracting bad luck." Hermione giggled bashfully, causing Narcissa to smile. "Ah. I have missed that smile. It is really great to have you back here, Hermione. I cannot tell you how much I have missed you. I'm glad that you don't have to worry about that family any longer. You are completely safe. Oh! Which reminds me. We-"

Hermione stifled her giggles when she saw Lucius cut Narcissa off. "I'm glad that you are well, Hermione. You did give us quite a scare, but you are back. We are all grateful for that. Yes, that is strange coming from me. If it makes you feel better, I now don't have to deal with Draco's moping." His eyes rolled to the side, gesturing to Draco. "Which reminds me, your mother has some interesting stories to tell you about Draco's younger days and how he wouldn't stop talking about can work that out," he said, creating an even lighter feeling in the room. It really is good to have you back, my dear.

Lucius felt two pairs of eyes glaring at his back. He turned and caught the eyes of his son. "Oh, Draco," he said dully, "You seriously need to make yourself heard. Wear a bell or something. Learn to make yourself noticeable. Merlin, you have too much of me in you…" He turned to his wife and bit his lip. He watched as the vein on her forehead was pulsing. "Ehm, love I didn't mean to-" All of a sudden, his head connected with her hand.

"Idiot! I was still talking!" She turned back to Hermione and smiled brightly. "As I was saying earlier, we must make up for lost time. Lucius is right though! I must tell you the summer just before your second year…ah! I'll tell you the rest of that, but first," she took Hermione's hand in hers, giving her a loving smile. She tugged her close and whispered in her ear, "You have put such a strain on your poor mother's heart and now that you are back, you are going to do me a little of it as what the Muggles call 'being grounded.' I am going to drug you and force you to have a baby with Draco and make him marry you out of wedlock. When you two are married, I will lock you in one of the rooms, making sure that you will never see the light of day again. Only then will I feel better and forgive you for all this pain."Hermione's jaw dropped. She turned to Draco, blushing at the thought of being pregnant.

Narcissa took her silence as a yes. "Wonderful! We shall go tomorrow morning! Lucius?" She grabbed his collar and pulled her so he was face to face with her. She gave him a small smirk and lowered her voice, "I believe you deserve a bit of a punishment for what you have done earlier." Lucius' eyes widened and swallowed loudly, a faint blush dusted his cheeks. Narcissa walked away and dragged Lucius along, waving her hand at the two as she made her way upstairs. She whispered in his ear, I'll be borrowing a extra few thousand galleons from our account tomorrow as well, darling. I also found this adorable little number that I know will knock the socks off Draco. Plus, I have the little gazebo in the garden has been finished quite recently. Lucius looked at her before it dawned on him.

"So soon, Cissy?" He saw a mischievous smirk form on her lips before she placed a finger on her lips and slammed the door to their room with her foot. Lucius swallowed. Merlin, my wife is crazy...

Draco decided to speak up,causing the silence between them to dispel as the continued to stare at the doors that lead to the stairs. "I swear, those two like to do that just to piss me off. Well, that or make me want to stab my eyes out with a fork. Those are images I would like to not have burned in my mind." He smiled when she erupted in fits of laughter.

He turned his attention and began making his way to her. Once he approached her, he pulled her to him and embraced her tightly. He felt as her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging him tightly to her. They stood there for minutes, relishing the feeling of each other's form.

"I'm so glad you are okay, love. I thought…I thought you were going to die, just like before. It felt like you did when Zabini informed us about your condition. I spent every single day trying to find a solution so I could get you home, but I ended up failing. Each time I tried again, it would always end up in a failure. I felt like a failure to you…I felt so useless…I didn't know how to live with myself."

Hermione continued to look at him silently, her heart swelling "Every second without you was so difficult. Sometimes I would do what Scor did. Although I didn't sleep in your old room, I did bring out some of your clothes and hug them to sleep on our bed in our room. I swear to Merlin, you have made me soft, Hermione. You have cut through all of my hard exterior and brought out the best of me. Anyway, I know I haven't said this before, I should have. All this time, every single second of the day since the day you stepped in this place, I have loved being with you. At first it was just you being my patient, but as time went on it began to change. You've brought so much happiness and fun into this home. You've looked past our history and yet I wanted to do so much more for you. Being your doctor wasn't enough. When I saw your state of being change into a better one, I felt like I wanted to keep it that way. I became fond of our little conversations and how you would react to even the littlest of things. I already knew how much you adored Scor by the way both your eyes and his would light up when you see each other. You became something…no…someone that I wanted to have in my life, permanently, alongside the rest of my family. Once you were officially staying with us, I knew this was a chance for me to try and win your heart. I had a feeling you were going to reject me at first, but after you said yes to Scor I realized at that point that I would do everything I can to make you happy. I…what I'm trying to say is…well, maybe I've let it slip a few times but-"

Hermione glided her hand down his back slowly, chuckling as he started to mumble. "What you're trying to say is that you love me, right? Yes, I know how hard it is for you Malfoy men to declare your love to a woman. You don't need to say it, Draco. Although, it would be nice to hear it from time to time." She heard Draco chuckle. "You show how much you love me every single day. You do things for me that are above and beyond my expectations. And…I love you too." Draco felt his lips curl into a warm smile and lowered his head to hers. Hermione slowly closed her eyes and leaned in when-

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Is it true that you fought against Daddy at Hogwarts? He always told me that there was som-"He stopped and looked at the two. "EWWWW!"

They both separated from each other and found Scorpius with his hands covering his eyes.

Scorpius had been wondering what was taking Hermione so long. Once he entered his room, he resumed the story that included Hermione. He had already finished the story countless times, but it made him feel better. He knew she just came back, but he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and decided to see if she was ready to come up.

He peaked through his fingers and stormed towards stood in front of Draco, his arms spread apart and shielding Hermione from Draco. Draco chuckled at the idea of this being Scorpius' idea of protection towards Hermione. "No one gets kisses from Mummy until we're done playing together! Especially Daddy! Those are special, and they are for me! Only me!" They watched as he put his hands on his hips, his face scrunched up together.

Draco and Hermione burst into laughter. They kneeled so that they were at eye-level with Scorpius. "Is that so, Scor? What if I ask Mummy for one and she says yes?" Draco asked. Hermione put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling.

Scorpius looked at him, contemplating his answer. "You have to ask me if you can have one," he smiled at his answer to his dad.

Draco looked up and locked eyes with Hermione. You have some tough competition, love. Draco smirked.

Ah, they don't call me the Slytherin Prince for nothing, my dear. He looked down at Scorpius and nodded. "Okay. I will ask you," he lifted Scorpius off the ground and spun him around in his arms, "after our little game of 'pretend.''' Scorpius nodded and Draco set him down. Scorpius raced back upstairs to set up his room.

The two shook their heads and smiled as they watched him go. Hermione began to make her way upstairs when she felt Draco wrap his hand around his waist. He pulled her to him and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Hermione returned the kiss with as much passion until the two ran out of breath and broke the kiss.

"You sneaky Slytherin," she panted out with a smile.

"Don't you know it," he said as he went in for another kiss.

She placed her index finger on his lips, "Later. I don't want to keep Scorpius waiting. I owe that sweet boy for waiting for me all this time."

Draco pecked her finger and nodded in understanding. He took her hand in his and made their way to Scorpius' room. He leaned down to her ear and whispered before they entered. She smiled. Welcome home, love.

A/N: 'Nox Atra Melle' means 'Black Night Honey.' 'Lacero' means 'shred' or 'rip.' Thanks for reading! :)