I don't own Harry Potter

Scorpius was awoken by a loud shriek and then a lot of shouting. His feet got all tangled up in the sheets in his haste to get out of bed.

Finally, he made it out of bed and down the hall, where he found his father out of bed and pounding on Clarie's door in the guest chambers.

"Father!" Scorpius shouting, lurching forward. He was brought up short, however, when his father brought out his wand and pointed it threateningly in Scorpius's direction.

"Who is in my house?" He demanded, his voice pure rage.

"No one, Father, I—"

"DO NOT LIE TO ME BOY!" Scorpius flinched. "I know there is someone in my house, I can hear them. You got a girl in my house? A muggle?"

"No sir." Scorpius widened his gaze, trying to look scared as he reached for his wand inside his robes. That wasn't hard, considering he was absolutely terrified. "Father, I swear, she's a friend. She's from Hogwarts. She—"

"A mudblood?" His father seethed.

"No sir," Scorpius said again, his voice taking on a note of urgency. "She's a pureblood, father. Both her parents were pureblood."

Draco snorted. "I'd take you for a muggle lover, with your tainted house and all. Your little friends are tainted too, hmm?"

"No, Father." Scorpius would not say how angry it made him that his father cared about such things. Even when he was in his right mind, Draco Malfoy still had this air of someone who thought they were above everyone else.

"Hmm." Draco didn't seem to believe him.

"Father, please, let me take you back to bed."

"I'm sick of that bed," Draco snapped.

"Downstairs, then," Scorpius pleaded. "Father, there is nothing to be concerned about."

"There is an unwelcomed guest in my house, and I told you what would happen if I found one of your friends had snuck into my house in the night without an invitation."

"She had an invitation," Scorpius snapped back. "I invited her."

"You don't make the rules," Draco sneered.

"Really?" Scorpius rolled his eyes. "And you do? When's the last time you did any work around here, Father? When's the last time you got off you lazy, insolent—"

Goading his father was definitely the wrong choice. Scorpius had forgotten Draco still had his wand in his hand, and was uncontrollable with his magic when he was in his agitated state. Scorpius was lifted off his feet and into the air, hitting the wall behind him hard. His vision went black, and when he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was that the door to the guest chambers was open.

Scorpius sat up gingerly. His father was mere feet from him, and he was holding Clarie tightly by the wrist, his face inches from hers. There was complete and utter terror in Clarie's eyes as she struggled futilely. Draco's grip was too strong.

Scorpius let out an angry yell, that was actually much louder than he'd intended, and jumped to his feet, wand instantly in his hand. "LET HER GO!"

Draco and Clarie both turned, but he was still holding her wrist in a tight grip.

Unfortunately, that was the moment Aria's door swung open. "Daddy!" She screeched.

Draco paid her no heed, but Scorpius's fear level only intensified by the presence of his baby sister. "Aria, get downstairs!" He yelled, his voice coming out commanding and frightened at the same time.

"But—"

"DOWNSTAIRS NOW!"

Aria burst into tears and ran back into her room, slamming the door behind her. It was not as far away from them as Scorpius wished her to be, but at least she was out of the direct line of fire. Clarie, however, was another story entirely.

"Let her go, Father," Scorpius said again. "This has nothing to do with her. This is between you and me."

It didn't seem like Draco wanted to comply, but something in Scorpius's challenging tone had him hooked. There was a gleam in his eye as he shoved Clarie away from him. She stumbled and fell to the floor, but was back on her feet in seconds, clutching her wrist to her chest. Her eyes pleaded with him, but Scorpius glared at her and then slid his eyes to Aria's door, his message clear. Get my sister. Stay away. Keep her safe.

He wasn't sure if she saw his other unspoken message. Get away, let me handle this. I want you safe too.

"Is this what the firewhiskey is doing to you, Father?" Scorpius asked, trying to keep Draco's attention occupied for as long as possible. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clarie slowly but surely slip towards Aria's bedroom.

"Shut your mouth!" Draco demanded, eyes alight with rage and something else, something Scorpius did not like. He looked feral then, more than just just an out of control drunk. He looked like a wild animal, past reasoning with.

Clarie had made it to the door. She opened it as quietly as she could, and slipped inside. That was when Scorpius could breathe slightly, and was more focused on the threat of his father facing off with him. Draco was unpredictable. He was a stranger, and a deranged one at that. This was not the man Scorpius had loved and looked up to. Draco may not have been the most honorable man, but despite his personal opinions on those he considered lower in the wizarding community, he would never lay a hand on them. Not after the battle of Hogwarts. The war had changed him.

Scorpius lifted his wand. "Father, do not make me hurt you."

Draco grinned, and that grin was worse than any scowl or look of rage he'd ever bestowed upon his son. "You can try, boy. You can try."

Clarie's arm was killing her, and she was absolutely terrified. Aria was nearly inconsolable, but Clarie had been able to coax her into her arms. She sat on Aria's toddler sized bed and rocked the child back and forth in her arms while Aria sobbed, which was exactly what Clarie felt like doing.

But no, that would do nothing to help Scorpius. But what could she do? If she went out to help, Scorpius would just be distracted and then they'd both be in danger, and who would be there to protect Aria? Clarie knew Scorpius was an excellent wizard, but could he really face off his father, who had been known to excel in his school years, and who was now very drunk and highly unpredictable?

"Aria, do you have a telephone in your bedroom?" Clarie asked the child gently, for she didn't immediately see one of the muggle devices just lying around.

"N-N-No," Aria hiccuped.

"Okay then." Clarie bit her lip, thinking hard. There was really only one thing for it, because she could not disapparate yet, and there was no other plausible way of getting them out of the room and getting help. She would have to send a patronus.

The only problem was, she wasn't quite sure how to do that.

Clarie had produced a few tiny silver wisps before when attempting the patronus charm, but it had never taken on a full corporeal form. Even if she could do that, how would her patronus deliver the message to her parents, who were so far away at the moment?

"Come on Clarie, think. How to produce a patronus…"

"Think happy," Aria said, though she still had silent tears streaming down her cheeks, and her face was bright red and splotchy.

Happy thoughts. Right. But how in the world could she think of anything happy with what was going on outside at that very moment?

She glanced down at Aria, and her heart warmed slightly. There was her answer right there. Clarie hadn't been truly happy until she'd been with her adopted family, and that included Scorpius, Aria, and her friends. She thought back to Albus's last birthday, and how utterly happy she'd been when discussing her crush on Albus with Ginny and Lucy Weasley, and how excited she'd been to see Scorpius and Aria again, despite her being so incredibly angry at the Malfoy boy. They were her friends, her family. And family, her real true family that loved her, were her happy place.

Clarie pulled out her wand and whispered, "Expecto Patronum."

A wisp appeared. She tried again, and again, and again. Aria had started to giggle, and every time she did, Clarie's patronus seemed to strengthen in size and form. Whatever her patronus was, it was going to be big.

"Wolf!' Aria shrieked, delighted, when Clarie did the spell for about the tenth time. Clarie hadn't seen anything in the mist of silver, but Aria's exclamation gave her a form to hold onto in her mind, and the next time she cast the spell, a wolf really did appear.

It was larger than any wolf Clarie had seen. It was beautiful, too, all silver and white. Clarie wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do next, so she looked at her wolf patronus, which looked directly back at her, and said, "Go to my father, Neville Longbottom, and deliver this message exactly: Come to Malfoy Manor immediately. Scorpius needs help."

The wolf let out a howl, and with a swish of Clarie's wand, an idea that came to her from nowhere it seemed, the wolf dashed through the second story window and ran across the yard. Clarie could barely see its retreating figure when she and Aria lept up and ran to the window. Within two seconds time, the patronus was gone and Clarie could only hope she'd done the spell right and that the message would reach her father in time.

Outside the door there was a loud bang, and Clarie heard clear as day Scorpius's piercing scream.

"I've checked everywhere," Hannah sobbed. "No one knows where's she's gone! None of her friends have seen hide or hair of her, she's not with my parents, and no one around town even saw her leave the house."

Neville put a shaking hand on his wife's shoulder. "Scorpius still hasn't returned my owl, either. Harry hasn't been able to trace her yet, because she apparently hasn't used any magic and is under some sort of protective enchantment."

"Do you think she's run off?" Hannah asked, voice breaking. It was almost as if she were hopeful for that answer. Neville couldn't blame her. The alternative was absolutely unthinkable.

"All our children," Hannah whispered, dissolving into tears again, "they're all gone!"

"Hannah—" Neville started to say, but was cut off when a bluish-silver mist started to form before their very eyes on the kitchen floor. Hannah stopped crying and they both stared. It was a wolf. A patronus, obviously, but a wolf indeed. Neville didn't know about his wife, but he had yet to come across anyone he was familiar with who had a wolf as their patronus.

The wolf opened it's mouth, and spoke in a voice that was very clearly their daughter's: "Come to Malfoy Manor immediately. Scorpius needs help."

The wolf repeated the message another two times, and then disappeared.

Neville reached for his wand, and Hannah grabbed his hand. "I'm going with you," she said, her voice hard. Her message was obvious: Don't you dare try and stop me.

Neville just nodded, not having time to argue, and closed his eyes. Seconds later, they were right outside Malfoy Manor, and Neville took off at a run, Hannah hot on his heels. They were not Malfoys, and therefore did not have automatic access to the house like Scorpius and Aria, but Scorpius had given Neville a key. "Just in case," he'd said, with a tiny hint of anticipation or fear in his voice, Neville couldn't tell which. Now he was very glad the kid had thought ahead.

Just as Neville's foot touched the bottom stair, they heard a piercing scream.

"Scorpius!" Hannah cried, and they rushed up the stairs, just in time to see Scorpius, who was writhing on the floor, point his wand at his father and shout, "IMPERIO!"

Draco went rigid, and Scorpius, who was now almost sobbing, yelled, "STOP THIS NOW AND PUT YOUR WAND DOWN!"

Draco did as he was told, and Neville's heart sank, though he was relieved. The look of barely controlled pain that had been written clearly all over Scorpius's face had vanished, and he stood shakily on his feet, pointing his wand at his father, who glared menacingly at him. "Get up," Scorpius snapped. "Get up now, and go back to your room. You will lay in that bed and you will not get up until I tell you otherwise."

Draco obediently stood and walked back to his room, almost as if nothing had happened, but there was a smear of blood across his right cheek, and there was clear tension in his shoulders.

When Draco had made it to his room, Scorpius turned to face them. He looked first to Neville, and then to Hannah, and said, "The girls are in Aria's room. I'm sure they're upset. If you'll excuse me, I must deal with my father."

There was a cold, flat look in the boy's eyes that Neville had never seen there before. It was a look much, much worse than the miserable one Scorpius had had two summers ago when Neville had first met the boy and offered him a place at Hogwarts.

Hannah turned her horrified, tear-filled gaze on Neville as Scorpius pushed past them. She reached out for him, but Scorpius just shrugged away and kept walking. Neville gently pushed his wife in the direction of Aria's bedroom. "Go check on the girls," he told her in a low voice. "I'll make sure he's alright."

Hannah nodded, still looking extremely concerned, and opened the door to Aria's bedroom. Both girls let out a scream, but Hannah was calming them down before the door had even closed behind her.

Neville sighed, and went to find the young boy whom he had no idea what he was going to do with. When had his life become so complicated?

When the doorknob to Aria's bedroom started to turn, Clarie gathered Aria up in her arms. She would protect that little girl with everything she had in her. They both screamed as the door was opened, but it was just Hannah, and she immediately ran to them.

"Shh, it's okay," she told them both, hugging them tightly to her chest.

"Mum!" Clarie cried, finding that the tears she'd been repressing for the last several minutes she'd been in Aria's room now could not stop flowing. "Mum, we were so frightened."

"I know love, but it's alright. Everything's alright now."

Aria kept mumbling, "'Anna. 'Anna," and playing with her hair. Clarie could feel the little girl's tears through her muggle clothes.

"What happened?" Clarie demanded, pulling away. She gladly let Hannah pull Aria into her arms. "Where's Scorpius? Is he alright? Where's Dad?"

"Scorpius is fine," Hannah assured both Clarie and Aria. "Neville is just outside, checking on him and on his father."

Clarie looked down at her feet. "You're very mad at me, aren't you?"

Hannah sighed. "Yes, I am angrier at you than I have ever been, but that can be put aside for a few minutes. Right now, I'm just so grateful everyone is alright. You did the right thing, letting us know. When did you learn to produce a patronus?"

"Just now?" Clarie said, a little sheepishly. "I wasn't really sure how. I mean, I knew the spell, and knew to think happy, so I tried over and over and over again until I could make one. I wasn't sure what to do after that, so I just told it to deliver a message. I suppose it worked."

"It worked very well," Hannah said, sounding highly impressed. "A wolf, huh?"

"Wolf!" Aria said, and giggled. That was a much better sound than that of her crying, which she'd been doing since they heard Scorpius scream in the hallway. Clarie would not rest until she found out what had made that happen. Scorpius almost never screamed.

"Beautiful, wasn't it?" Clarie said absentmindedly. "Mum, when can we go see Scorpius? I want to check on him."

Aria nodded fervently and said, "Check on Bubba."

"Later," Hannah told them, giving Clarie a stern look. "Let him come to you. Your father is with him now. I'm sure he'll be alright."

Clarie wasn't quite as certain. Scorpius had behaved like a totally different person than the one Clarie knew these past two days. She was scared that he might withdraw into himself after this, and that he might never be the same again.

"Scorp?"

Scorpius had known Neville would follow him as soon as he'd dismissed both him and Hannah and went after his father. After witnessing what they had, there was no way Scorpius would be walking away without some kind of lecture.

Instead of replying in any normal manner, Scorpius continued to stare at his father, who was now lying completely still and silent in his bed. Magic was fun. Scorpius didn't have to tie his father up, and he would remain totally silent without having to be gagged. "It's nice when he's silent, don't you think?"

Neville came in a shut the door behind him. "Scorpius, we need to talk about what just happened."

"I'm not sure we do," Scorpius replied. "What happened happened and I will accept whatever consequences you dole out, but your eyes cannot lie to you Professor. You saw what you saw and there is nothing I can do to change that."

"You can't simply dismiss this," Neville said, glancing briefly at Draco, and then diverting his full attention on Scorpius once again. "What happened before Hannah and I got here? Why was your father trying to attack you?"

"He wasn't thrilled by my idea of a house-guest."

He saw the look of shock, and slight horror, that crossed Neville's face, and he was almost glad of it. Let the professor think what he wanted. Scorpius knew he was a monster, and he couldn't blame it on a spell or alcohol like his father could. He had put Clarie in danger. No matter the situation, Clarie was Neville's child, not Scorpius. He would protect her over all else, and rightfully so. Scorpius wouldn't blame him if he decided it would be safer for Clarie and Scorpius not to be friends anymore. They'd probably still watch Aria, but Scorpius would wager he'd not be allowed back at the Longbottoms' house again.

"Clarie ran away yesterday," Neville said, making Scorpius look up. Where in the world could this conversation be headed? "We didn't know where she'd gone. We had everyone we knew looking for her. We'd planned to have someone come and look here, but I was scared you and Aria might have disappeared as well. We couldn't get ahold of you either. You can have no idea how upset that made Hannah."

Scorpius looked down at his feet. "I didn't get a letter from you," he said.

Neville nodded. "I'm beginning to realize that. Now Clarie, she's not stupid. She knew better than to use any magic to get to you. She knew the aurors would find her if she did that. So I wager it took her a very long time to get here."

"I had planned on telling you," Scorpius said immediately, looking up. His tone was desperate, in spite of everything. He wanted Neville to believe him. "It was so late when she arrived, and I'd already put Aria to bed and had to deal with my father. It seemed too late to do more than sleep. I regret that now, but I let her stay in our guest chambers. I had made sure to lock it up and everything, telling her to wait to come out in the morning until I'd made sure the coast was clear."

"What happened?" Neville asked softly.

"My father found his wand." Scorpius sighed deeply, shooting an angry look at his father on the bed. "He thought I'd brought a muggle or muggle-born friend to his house, and he didn't like that idea at all. I was awoken by screaming. I...I think he hurt Clarie's arm."

In fact, Scorpius knew he had. Clarie had been holding her arm with a pained expression on her face, even after Draco had let go of her. Scorpius couldn't feel worse about the situation.

"I'm so sorry I let this happen, Professor," Scorpius finally whispered. "It is all my fault."

He felt Neville put a hand on his shoulder, but Scorpius refused to look up.

"Scorpius, none of this is your fault."

Scorpius snorted.

"No, listen to me," Neville said again, with a little more force in his voice. Scorpius stayed silent. "This is not your fault. Your father is sick."

Draco was glaring at them both ferociously.

"It is not your fault your father did what he did. It is not your fault your father is sick. It is not your fault Clarie ran away from home to come and talk to you, or that it was so late at night and you couldn't turn her away. It is not your fault you're having to raise your little sister. It is not your fault those Death Eaters came that night and tortured you and your father, and it is most certainly not your fault that your mother died and that your life isn't the way it was two years ago."

Scorpius could hardly breathe. How had Neville known? Scorpius blamed himself for all of the above, and though he didn't really believe the professor's words, he was still surprised he had seen through Scorpius's armour he wore everyday, trying to hide his flaws from the people he cared about.

"It's all my fault," Scorpius whispered.

"No it isn't," Neville said again, his voice growing even harder. "None of this is your fault, Scorpius."

"But Professor—"

"And for goodness sake, stop calling me 'Professor'!" Neville threw his hands up in the air and started pacing around the room. "I don't know what to do with you, Scorpius. You've practically lived in our house for two years and you still insist on calling me 'Professor' when we're not in school. I have a name you know. You are free to use it. Heavens know all the other kids do, sometimes even in class."

"Sir—"

"And this 'sir' nonsense," Neville continued. "What is that all about? Do I look like the kind of man who would mind if you called me 'sir' or not? Who gives a flying flip about proper manners? This is 2019. No one calls adults sir anymore. Now Scorpius, I really must insist you give up this nonsense and come back home."

Home, Scorpius thought. Come back home. So Neville understood that this wasn't Scorpius's home, too.

"I can't," Scorpius said softly.

Neville started to say something again, so Scorpius held up a hand.

"Wait," he said, "hear me out. I can't come back. I must take care of my father. I know you say there are people for that, but my father can't help what happened to him anymore than your parents could. The situations may've been different, Professor, but the outcome is still the same. My father was tortured to insanity, same as your parents, and none of them truly deserved it. My father was a better man than he had ever been. He was respectable, and a good husband and father. He had his bad qualities too, no denying it, but you remember how he was raised. I was not raised like that, so I understand differently. My father is sick, and I must take care of him. Not for the man he has become, but for the man he once was. The man I once loved and respected."

Neville let out a long sigh. "So you won't come back with us, then? Not until the summer's end?"

"No sir," Scorpius told him. "However….I would be more than happy to visit much more often than I had planned."

"Well that's something," Neville relented. "But how will you get there?"

"How did you know to come here when you were direly needed?" Scorpius shot back.

"Clarie sent a patronus," Neville said, sounding for all the world like the proud father Scorpius knew he was.

Scorpius shrugged. "Do that then. Whenever you want me to come by. I'll concede to weekend visits, but please don't use this to con me into traveling back and forth everyday. That is a lot of work, especially with a baby."

"Well, you could leave Aria at our house—"

"No!" Scorpius said a little too quickly. Neville flinched. "Er, sorry," Scorpius said, lowering his voice. "It's just….I'm sorry. I can't be away from my sister."

Neville nodded in understanding.

"Alright, well if things ever get to be too much—"

"I know, Professor." Scorpius turned his head. He could see Neville roll his eyes at Scorpius calling him 'Professor' again, but this was so ingrained into him, that Scorpius felt it would be too hard to change now. "Why don't you go check on the girls? I'll stay here and put my father to bed."

"May want to take off that Imperio charm," Neville said warily, already moving towards the door.

Scorpius paused. "Should I, though?" He mused. "It isn't as though I'd harm him, and obviously the Ministry cannot tell when an unforgivable curse has been performed on these lands. Or underage magic."

Neville came back in the room, then, putting a hand on Scorpius's shoulder. "Yes, you must," he urged. "You did what you had to in a time of need, but it is cruel to keep such a spell on your father for a long amount of time. It could cause further damage to his mental state."

Scorpius stared at his father, contemplating. He didn't want to see his father more damaged….did he? Right now, it was hard to tell.

"Professor, do you think Mr. Potter or Mr. Weasley will look after my father for the next couple days? I intend to return, but for a few days, I think I wish to return to your home."

Neville looked slightly taken aback. "Of course. I'll send the messages."

Scorpius nodded. "Thank you. I believe I will take the spell off him now, after I give him a sleeping draught, of course."

"Oh, I can do that." Neville appeared alarmed.

"Afraid I'll poison him?" Scorpius inquired, in his same, uncaring tone. "I suppose that makes sense. I am very angry with him right now. However, I know he cannot help what has become of him. I do not want to see him dead."

"Honestly, Scorpius, why don't you go see to your sister? I'll make sure your father gets the rest he needs—"

"No." Scorpius's voice was soft, but firm. "I will not come with you until I have done this, Professor. Please leave me to it."

Neville hesitated. It was clear that everything in him said not to trust a young boy with a such a request, but he was trying. Or maybe he was just afraid to trust a Malfoy.

Whatever it was, Neville seemed to decide that Scorpius was to be trusted, at least with this. He turned on his heel and left the room as silently as he had come.

Scorpius turned back to his father, who was staring at him in silent, slit-eyed hate. "Sleep now, Father," Scorpius murmured, conjuring a potion from the bedside table into his hand. "And if you ever put the Cruciartus curse on me again, I will break many a bone in your body."

Draco's eyes widened at that, but Scorpius had already tipped the potion back into his father's mouth. Draco's eyes fluttered shut, and Scorpius finally took the spell off him.

Now, he sat there, watching the easy rise and fall of his father's breathing, and wondering when he, Scorpius, would ever sleep so soundly again.

As soon as Neville entered Aria's bedroom, his daughter's mass of blonde hair collided with his chest. Neville bent and scooped her up in his arms, savoring the sweet scent of the little girl she was slowly but surely growing out of being.

"Clarie," he whispered, shutting his eyes. "My sweetheart, are you alright?"

"I'm okay Daddy," she said, pulling back slightly. Clarie almost never called him Daddy. Dad, yes, or Neville, but Daddy was special. "Where's Scorpius? Is he alright?"

Just like her to worry about everyone but herself. It was a beautiful and foolish quality Neville both loved and grew incredibly frustrated with about his child.

"He'll be alright," Neville assured her—though this he was not sure about this himself—and set her back down on the ground.

"Neville!" Aria screeched, launching herself from Hannah's arms toward Neville's, who moved to catch her.

"Hey there darling." Neville's smile came easily then, for the first time that night, "How's my little one?"

"I'm not little," Aria pronounced, defiant as always.

Neville laughed, and set her down on her toddler bed. "Of course you're not," He ruffled her hair, and then turned to his wife. "Hannah, can I see you in the hallway for a moment?"

She nodded, stepping out of the open door. Clarie moved to follow, but Neville stopped her, putting both his hands gently on her slighter shoulders. "No, honey, I need you to stay here with Ari."

"But if it's Scorpius—"

"Clarie." His tone was a warning.

"Neville, I must see how he is!" She exclaimed. "He is my friend!"

"Clarie, you need to stay—"

"I will not!" She tried to keep her voice low in front of Aria, but it seemed to take everything in her not to shout. "He screamed so loud, Father, so loud…"

"I know." Neville pulled his daughter into another brief hug, and then looked into her eyes, very seriously. "It's alright. He does not appear to be hurt, and Draco is back in his bed. Scorpius is coming to stay with us for a few nights. But right now, I need to talk with your mother in private."

Clarie sighed, finally subsiding. "Fine, but he sleeps in my room tonight."

Neville's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

Clarie crossed her arms. "He is my friend, and I would like to talk to him. Alone."

"Clarrissa, you know your room is off limits to boys—"

"Don't 'Clarissa' me," Clarie said, almost angrily. "He is practically my brother. He stays with me tonight."

Neville glared at her for a moment, before straightening up and going into the hallway. "We will talk about this later. I do not have time for this now."

"Is he really alright?" Hannah demanded, the moment Neville shut Aria's bedroom door behind him.

Neville sighed, pitching his voice so low that he hoped no young ears listening from either bedroom could hear him. "I cannot be sure. Hannah, you should've seen the look in his eyes, the way he talked…" Neville shook his head grimly. "He seemed so...empty. Like he would never be cheerful again."

Tears sprung up in his wife's eyes, and she put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my poor boy…"

Neville didn't know when Scorpius had gone from "the poor boy" to "my poor boy" in Hannah's eyes, but the change had come long ago, and there was no doubt that Scorpius was as good as their child. Not to Hannah.

"He is staying with us for a few nights, but he is insistent on returning here for the summer. All I could get out of him was the promise of frequent visits."

"Oh dear…."

"Also, your daughter wishes for him to sleep in her bedroom tonight."

At this, Hannah dropped her hands, giving him an exasperated look. "Really Neville? That has bothered you, after everything you've heard today?"

"Why must she insist on killing me?"

"Neville!"

He sighed. "Oh, alright. What are we to do about Scorpius? And about punishing Clarie for sneaking off?"

"Has our daughter not been punished enough? Can it not be something simple, like no sweeties from Honeydukes for a week?"

Neville considered this, remembering the panicked look in his daughter's eyes, the absolute conviction on her face, the protectiveness and worry. "Make it two, and we'll consider the matter dropped."

Hannah was obviously fighting a smile. "I will get Scorpius. You help the girls pack Aria's things." She paused. "This is good parenting, right?"

Neville nodded emphatically. "This is fantastic parenting. After all, our child produced her first patronus."

"Professor, I asked for a moment of privacy," Scorpius said, not turning when he heard the door open behind him.

"Not from me, you didn't," Hannah said, almost cheerfully.

Scorpius still didn't turn, but he raised an eyebrow. "Hullo Hannah. May I have a moment of privacy?"

"No, you may not."

At this, he did turn, and he gave her an incredulous stare. Hannah was always so polite, and though her voice still sounded so, her words left no room for argument.

"Not even a moment, then?" He asked.

"Not even that," she confirmed. "I believe you have had quite enough privacy, and your father is well asleep. If you need more time to think, you can do it in the comfort of our home."

"Am I not already home?" He asked, though he did not believe it himself.

"Scorpius, stop this rubbish," Hannah said, and she lost her cheery tone. "You are worrying your sisters, and I have not the patience to deal with your impotence."

"Hannah—"

"I will not have you close yourself off from the world again. It took almost all of the past two years to make you feel at home with my family, and I do not wish to make the journey again. I will not lose my little boy. Before, I did not know you, so I had only to gain in affection from and for you. Now, I have everything to lose. Do not put me through that, child, for I do not think my heart could bear it."

Scorpius stared at her. He'd heard everything she'd said loud and clear, but his mind could only focus on a few words. I will not lose my little boy.

Hannah did not have any children of her own, and for that, her heart had opened to a little lost girl. She and Neville had adopted Clarie, who had no one else in the world. But Scorpius had not realized that, in an unofficial way, she had done the same with him and Aria.

There had been a time when Hannah hadn't been able to handle Aria, claiming she had never had a baby and did not know how to care for one. That time had passed in all of about a month, when she had had to care for her several times. And by that point, she'd loved her deeply. Scorpius knew Hannah cared for him too, but he hadn't thought he might seem to her as her child, in the way Clarie and even maybe his sister had.

Hannah knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers. "I once told my husband, on your first day at Hogwarts, that I could not handle taking care of your sister. And in response, he told me I would not have to. He said you and your sister were not my problem, and that we would not be responsible for raising you both."

Scorpius looked down at his feet, feeling awful. They were doing exactly what Professor Longbottom had promised his wife they would never do; they were raising Draco Malfoy's children.

"But you know what?" Hannah squeezed his hands again, and Scorpius glanced up, involuntarily. "My husband was halfway right. You and your sister are not my problem."

"Hannah, we never meant to impose—"

"You are not my problem," she went on a little louder, "because it is my privilege to have you in my life. We may not be responsible for raising you, but we are doing so, because it is what we want. Now, I know you can take care of yourself, and I do not care. To me, you will always be a little boy of whom I will protect with my life, because you are my little boy, just as Clarie and Aria are my little girls. My husband was wrong. I can handle caring for your sister. And you are not my problem, you are my heart. You, Aria and Clarie hold my heart in three equal pieces that are as easy to hold as they are to break. Do not break my heart, Scorpius Malfoy, for I could not bear to lose you."

Scorpius did not realize he was crying until Hannah reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Scorpius then did something he had not done to anyone in a very long time. He threw his arms around Hannah and sobbed into her loving embrace, "Take me home. I want to go home!"

Hannah smoothed down his hair, whispering, "Shh, it's okay, it's alright. We're going home. It's alright."

But it wasn't. Scorpius hadn't been hugged like this, as if by a mother, his mother, in almost three years. And now Hannah Longbottom was hugging him tightly, whispering comforting things in his ear that a mother would say. She was not Scorpius's mother, who had long since passed and whom Scorpius would never see again in this lifetime, but Hannah was another mother to him. If she had room in her heart for two more children, then he had room in his heart for two mothers.

A hug was so simple, and yet it was everything to Scorpius. It was a hug from his mother, one that held the promise of love and home, and was all that was keeping his head above water.

Hey guys! Sorry for the long, long wait. As you may have guessed, May is my busiest month. Exams, dance recital, end of the school year things, Mother's Day, and to top it all off, my birthday. Now, what does this have to do with the OTHER months I didn't post anything for any of my stories? Nothing. That can be attributed as writer's block and laziness. This should be the last story I update, seeing as I just updated in April, but inspiration does not work that way. Sorry.

For my Auslly fans! I am working on WOSC and Already There updates. I have VBS this week and my mom is having to have surgery again this summer, so I don't know how frequent my updates will be, but I will try. That is all I can promise. Again, I am sorry, and I hope you guys can work with my. Love you guys so much!

*I don't own anything you might recognize.

God bless you all!

-Daddysgirl11