You'll Know Where to Find Me

Summary: Because, whether your mind remembers it or not, Potter, your body remembers, and it wants me. Just like it always did five years ago.

Author: slytherin-nette

Pairing: Draco Malfoy / fem Harry Potter

Genre: Romance / Drama

Rating: M

Warnings: Semi-AU, Post-DH. Spoilers from all seven books. Mature themes.

Notes: Chapter 3 of 3.

Chapter 3

Wincing, Aria squinted her eyes open that morning regretting the sheer stupidity of what she had done.

If the hangover she was feeling wasn't bad enough, as she glanced at the sleeping person beside her under the silk comforters, she felt a pang of shame when she remembered that she had just cheated on her fiancé – 2 weeks before their wedding - by having a drunken one-night stand with her former rival.

What the hell am I doing? She thought, suddenly disgusted with herself.

Aria sat up slowly, hugging the blankets to her chest, and glanced at Draco beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the Slytherin was still fast asleep. Biting her lip, she began edging away from him on the bed, blushing darkly as hundreds of intimate images of what transpired between them flooded her mind.

Unfortunately, it hadn't ended at what happened in the sitting room.

Despite her hazy recollection of last night, Aria recalled how, after Draco had carried her to bed and tucked her under the covers beside him, she had been the one to initiate another intimate tussle between them that had lasted until the wee hours of morning. Unlike what had happened between them in the sitting room, however, this one was more drawn out – with the both of them lingering endlessly over each other's body under the covers until they had collapsed in exhaustion, their bodies still intertwined.

Every single part of Aria's body still tingled at the memory.

I was supposed to put Scorpius to sleep, not sleep with his father! What the hell, Potter?! This is an entirely new level of sluttiness, even for you.

She scolded herself angrily, shaking her head as she remembered the way she had been so responsive to Draco's advances – particularly the way every part of her body had reacted to Draco in ways that Aria never realized it could given her past boyfriends. As unsettling as that was, Aria could have sworn that with the way Draco touched her last night, it was almost as though he knew exactly how her body would respond. Of course, her traitorous body had given in to him like an animal in heat.

Austin is never going to forgive me.

She felt wretched, guilty, and utterly ashamed of herself.

Why do I sabotage every single long-term relationship I have?

Blinking rapidly, she bit her lip and slowly turned to glance at the person to her right again, wincing when a shirtless Draco shifted and reached his arm out to wrap it snugly around her waist, drawing her against him. Shaking her head, Aria ignored the heat rushing into her cheeks as she slowly began to ease herself out from his arm, careful not to jostle the stray limb as she moved away from him.

Miraculously, she somehow managed to extract herself from the Slytherin without waking him. Taking another deep breath, Aria stood up and carefully began to collect her clothes, gathering them into her arms. As she glanced around the familiar room, however, she realized to herself that they were in Draco's bedroom.

How she knew that, however, Aria wasn't quite as sure.

Okay focus, Aria. Focus! You have to get out of here before he wakes up! Aria chastised herself, shaking her head as she rushed to his closet and began wrestling herself back into her clothes. As soon as she was dressed, she stepped back out of the closet and glanced around the bedroom again, looking for the rest of her things.

She found them on the tall dresser beside the door and moved hastily toward it, keeping her footsteps light along the carpeted floors so as to not make any noise. Just as she reached up to grab her bag, however, a framed photograph beside it caught her eye. Without thinking, Aria idly picked it up and held it up to the light.

It took her a couple of seconds to realize what exactly she was staring at, but slowly, very slowly, she began to recognize the people in the picture and the minute she did, her eyes widened and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. The photograph slipped from her hands, falling noisily down to the floor. Unaware of the fact that Draco had stirred behind her at the sound, her cheeks flushed as she knelt down and snatched the photo again, holding it up and staring at it with stunned, horrified eyes.

I don't understand.

Aria couldn't breathe, both of her feet rooted firmly to the ground.

There, in her hands, was an exquisitely framed, magical photograph of Draco and a woman whom Aria could only assume to be Scorpius' mother.

They were both wearing Hogwarts scarves – one Gryffindor, one Slytherin – and they were smiling at each other, with Scorpius as a sleeping infant cradled lovingly in his mother's arms. When Aria gasped and frantically began shaking her head in denial, however, the young, black-haired woman in the picture smiled and waved at her, allowing her to see her own green eyes shining back at her with love and genuine happiness.

No.

Aria suddenly felt nauseous as all of her blood drained out of her face.

That can't be…That…That doesn't make any sense!

Shaking her head frantically, Aria took another shaky step backwards, stifling a scream when she inadvertently crashed into a warm, firm chest behind her.

Swallowing painfully, she whirled around, staring up at Draco's worried, ashen features.

"Aria, please listen to me." His hand shook as he reached out and gently took the framed photograph from her hand, setting it back down onto the dresser. "I know you're confused and scared and everything doesn't seem to make sense but I promise—" He paused and reached for her again, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"—I'm not here to hurt you." He squeezed her shoulders gently, trying to reassure her. "I can explain everything but you have to calm down and trust me—"

Gasping for breath and frantically shaking her head, Aria ignored Draco's attempts to placate her, yanked her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at him.

"Legilimens!"

~~ Flashback: Summer after 6th Year (1997) ~~

"I thought I'd find you sulking in here again." Aria stood by the entrance to the deserted tower that afternoon and stared at Draco's stiff form by the window.

When he didn't answer, Aria sighed and leaned against the entrance archway, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't listen to any of them." She offered.

"Well I see them everyday, Potter. It's kind of hard not to." Draco retorted sarcastically as he scoffed and turned away from her, glaring down at the beautiful view from the window. "Besides, I'm used to it. I don't think any of the members of the Order of the Phoenix trust me. They all still blame me for Dumbledore's death."

Unsure of what else to say, Aria shrugged and tried to console him.

"Of course they don't."

When Draco blinked and arched an eyebrow at her obvious lie, Aria cringed and offered him a sheepish grin.

"Alright, so maybe some of them still blame you. But give them some time to get used to you first. You've only joined a month ago."

Draco didn't answer her and Aria's face fell when he stared off into nothing again, obviously deep in thought. After a long moment of considering her words, Draco sneered to himself and imitated her position by crossing his arms over his chest, leaning one shoulder against the wall for support.

"My father will never forgive me. Not for this." He mentioned softly, shaking his head and shooting a grim look at Aria's reaction. "To him, loyalty to your family should come before all else. And what I did…Joining the very organization that imprisoned him…" Draco sighed softly and lowered his miserable gaze to the floor.

Aria moved toward him, stopping a few inches away from where he stood by and leaning against the wall of the window opposite from his. She followed his gaze and stared out the same window in peaceful silence, admiring the view of Hogwarts castle outside.

It was only after Draco spoke a few minutes later that Aria realized that the Slytherin had been staring rather intently at her the whole time.

"Aren't you ever scared of what'll happen during the war?" He whispered.

Averting her gaze back to the window, Aria nodded without hesitation and sighed, wrapping her thick cloak tighter around herself when she began to shiver.

"Terrified." She agreed.

For some reason, her answer only seemed to make Draco even more anxious. He swallowed audibly and looked away, his expression dimming with self-disgust.

"Then how is it that you still manage to do what's right?" He asked softly, his voice sounding thick with frustration. "I suppose I'm nothing but a bloody coward."

"Draco." Aria finally lifted her gaze and stared at him, noting the way Draco's eyes were downcast and his expression was twisted with bitterness. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid, you know. It's a natural response to our being human."

"My father was afraid of the Dark Lord, and look where it got him – where it got us!" Draco growled back, his eyes flashing. "My mother never wanted to join the Death Eaters and neither did I! We did it only because we were afraid!" He scoffed.

"And now, you're both trying to do the right thing." She told him.

Draco sighed at that and stared out the window again, his gray eyes clouded with the uncertainty of his thoughts. More as an attempt to change the topic of their conversation than anything else, Aria forced a smile and spoke up in a lighter voice.

"Do you ever think about what you want to do after the war?" She asked.

"What?" Startled by her question, Draco blinked for a few seconds before he sneered and shook his head. "What makes you so sure we'll even be alive by then?"

At his words, the smile on Aria's face immediately vanished and, without warning, she raised a hand and slapped him, causing his head to whip back sharply at the force of the action. They both fell into a shocked silence and for a second, judging from the anger in Draco's eyes, she thought he was going to hit her back.

But to her surprise, he gave her an apologetic grimace and dropped his gaze.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Aria didn't answer him, her shoulders heaving with anger as she tried to calm the rapid pounding of her heart. Finally, after a few minutes of hushed silence, she forced herself to wipe the dark expression from her face and offered Draco a weak smile.

"Will you continue running your father's company?" She asked.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief at her response, grateful for her implied acceptance of his apology. He considered her question for a while before he shrugged.

"I suppose I will."

Aria rolled her eyes at him and wrinkled her nose in disappointment.

"That's so boring and predictable, Malfoy." She said bluntly.

"Being the president of a company is 'not' boring, Potter." Draco glared back at her, looking annoyed at her reaction. "And what do 'you' want to do then? Oh wait, let me guess. You want to be Head Auror right? So you can continue utilizing this talent of yours in hunting down dark, evil wizards all the time. How predictable."

"Nah." Instead of getting angry at his mocking sentiments, Aria laughed softly and shook her head, her green eyes bright with mischief. "I'll admit I did want to become an Auror before, but then I thought about it and decided I've probably had enough of chasing down dark, evil wizards to last me a lifetime." She quipped, causing Draco to chuckle in spite of himself. "So I think I'm going to try my luck and become a Professional Quidditch Player. I hear Puddlemere United has an opening."

"You, really? A Professional Quidditch Player?" Draco smirked and arched an eyebrow at her in disbelief, causing Aria to scowl and elbow him back in retaliation.

"Hey! I'm good enough to be a Professional Quidditch Player! I'll be the star seeker too, just you wait Malfoy." She glowered and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, if we're going to talk crazy." Draco smiled to himself and turned to glance out the window again, a soft, thoughtful expression on his face. "I suppose…I've always wanted to work as a lawyer in the Wizengamot." He admitted.

Hearing Aria's amused snort, Draco's eyes narrowed and he glared at her.

"What?" He challenged.

"Nothing. It's just…" Aria's lips twitched as she tilted her head to the side, pretending to inspect him from head to toe.

"For some reason, imagining you as a stuck-up lawyer seems to suit you." She grinned at his disgruntled expression and added playfully, "I mean you always did like to pick fights with me for absolutely no reason all the bloody time. And you had such a natural talent for it too, I might add."

"Shut up, Potter."

"Wow look at you. Using such witty lawyerly insults already."

Draco gave her a deadpan glare, though the smile on his face gave him away.

They fell into another comfortable silence at that, both teens smiling as they pondered on the other's words. After a long moment, however, Draco spoke again and this time, the seriousness of his words caused Aria to look up and meet his eyes.

"Do you think we'll make it?" He asked softly.

When Aria blinked uncertainly at him, Draco swallowed and lowered his gaze again, scuffing the floor by his feet.

"Do you believe that everything will eventually work out?"

Aria met his gaze and answered him in a soft but resolute voice.

"I do."

Draco stared at her with wide gray eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" He whispered.

"I just am."

Oddly enough, Draco seemed to accept this answer and he nodded slowly, the anxiety in his expression clearing away.

As Aria turned back to stare at the window, entranced as she watched the sun beginning to set, Draco kept his gaze focused on her the entire time, admiring the way the sun cast orange hues on her soft features.

He had always known she was beautiful.

From the very first day they met in Madam Malkin's robe shop before their first year, Draco had thought that she was the most beautiful, most spirited, and definitely the most infuriating girl he had ever met. She had rejected him then, and rejected him every year for as long as he could remember, but he still wanted her.

He had always wanted her.

It was something Draco had come to terms with ever since their bloody encounter in the prefect's bathroom during their sixth year and she had cast that sectumsempra spell on him, gifting him with that permanent scar across his chest.

His feelings for her only seemed to intensify after that, fluctuating back and forth across the boundaries of hate and love until that one day – the day that Draco attempted to end his own life by jumping off this very tower, Aria had found him.

She hadn't just saved him from death that day.

She had saved him from himself.

And Draco had been madly and stupidly in love with her ever since.

"Aria?"

Startled at his use of her first name, Aria stared expectantly at him and Draco hesitated for a few seconds when he found himself staring at her bright green eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I just wanted to—" Swallowing nervously, Draco paused as he tried to think of the right words. "I never really thanked you properly for saving my life before."

"You're welcome, Draco." Her eyes dawned in understanding at his words and she nodded, giving him a small smile. "Honestly, I don't think I really did much."

"What do you mean?"

Aria chuckled at his confused expression and gave him a knowing smile.

"I don't think you would have jumped."

"What?" Draco couldn't help a surge of anger at her words and before he could stop himself, his eyes narrowed and he sneered at her in outrage. "Are you trying to tell me that you think I'm a coward? Is that what you mean?" He growled.

"You misunderstood me, Draco." Aria looked chastened upon seeing his reaction and shook her head. "What I meant was… I don't think you would have done it because…I think you're much stronger than you actually realize." She explained.

When Draco frowned at her, she went on to clarify.

"People who jump off towers and decide to kill themselves are those that have completely given up all hope in life and in themselves." She paused and gave him a soft smile. "Draco, you've always been a strong person. Even when you were broken and confused in sixth year, I could see it. You were so miserable because you wanted to do the right thing, even against your father's wishes. That's why you were so torn up back then." Aria reached out and took his hand, squeezing his fingers.

"That's not the kind of person who would just jump out of a tower to end his own life. You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for." She whispered.

Draco stared intently at her, feeling as though his heart was going to burst from his chest as heat began to rush into his cheeks.

"I have faith that you're a good person, Draco."

~~ END OF FLASHBACK ~~

"Aria!"

Draco's face was white when she gasped and pulled sharply out of his memories. She stumbled backwards, crashing painfully into the drawers behind her.

"Please listen to me—"

"I—I…What was that?! Why don't I remember that memory?! Did you make it up?! Are you playing with me?!" Aria stammered, running her hands through her tangled hair and subconsciously messing up the black tresses even more. "Answer me, goddamn it!"

Flinching at the panic he heard in her voice, Draco tightened his hold on her.

"I know how bad this must look to you but—"

"You have no idea how bad this all looks, Malfoy!" Aria screeched at him, her voice trembling with building anger. "None of this makes any sense to me right now! What am I doing here?! Is this all supposed to be your fucking idea of a sick joke?!"

Draco's breath caught at the confusion and betrayal he heard in her voice.

"It's not a joke."

"Then what the hell is going on?!" Aria demanded furiously.

"Aria, you just used occlumency on me. You know as well as I do that the legilimens spell will only show you genuine memories." When Aria blinked and turned to stare at the picture on the drawer again, her cheeks paling in realization, Draco hesitantly continued.

"The woman in the picture is you."

Aria's face paled and her hands began to tremble even more violently as she reached them both up, raking them both through her long black hair.

"No. Th—that's impossible—"

"This picture was taken 5 years ago the day Scorpius was born. You were so happy, Aria, and it didn't matter to you that we were in the middle of a war—"

"No, that can't be. Then I would have remembered! I would have—"

Aria tried to pull away from him but Draco went on.

"—we became parents so young but we were so happy that we didn't care. You told me you'd always wanted a family and I promised that I would do everything in my power to keep you happy. That was all I wanted." Draco rushed out, his voice sounding thick with raw, pent-up emotion. "We both fell in love that summer, Aria—"

"No! Stop telling me this." Aria pleaded, her voice breaking as the tears that had pooled in her eyes finally began to roll down her cheeks.

"Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not lying." Draco went on, though from the pained expression on his face and the way his voice began to tremble, it was obvious that he was struggling to reign in his own emotions. "I never hid you from our son either. He always knew about you. Why do you think he keeps chasing after you? Why do you think you're his favorite Quidditch player and that he has all these photos of you in his room?"

"S—so you're saying I just…I abandoned my son?!" Aria's voice broke. "That I forgot about him?! That I missed the first five years of his life?!"

"Why would I do something like that?!" She croaked out.

"It wasn't your fault." Draco flinched as he reached out and placed his hands on her cheeks, wiping the tears from her eyes. "The Dark Lord, he distorted your memories, and I didn't know how else to help you! You were so sick and you kept screaming in your sleep every night! I'm so sorry—"

"No…stop it!" Aria screamed at him, dropping her gaze from his when more tears began to prickle at the corner of her eyes. "I don't understand what you mean! And I refuse to believe any of it! I'm getting married, Draco! I can't do this!" She stammered before she tore violently away from him, making her way to the doors.

"Don't you question any of it?" Draco asked again as he took another step toward her, carefully gauging the emotions on her face. "You lost more than a year of your life after the war, Aria. That may not seem much, but it was a lifetime for me! Don't you ever wonder why something in your life always seemed to be missing?"

Her shoulders stiffened as his words struck a nerve but she refused to turn around and look at him, her tear-filled eyes trained firmly on the floor by her feet.

"What would you know about that?" She whispered bitterly.

"I know that you don't love your fiancé." He said quietly.

"I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't love him."

Behind her, Aria failed to see the hurt and pain flash in Draco's eyes.

"You were always a horrible liar, Potter."

"I'm not lying."

Draco let out an angry, choked-up laugh.

"Fine then." She didn't see it, but Draco's eyes flashed at her words and he sneered. "If that's the case, why did you sleep with me last night?" He challenged.

Aria whirled around and glared at him from across the room.

"I was drunk!"

"You were lucid. We both were." Draco retorted bluntly. "Potter, you slept with me last night because you wanted to. You're here because you want to be." His voice lowered into a soft whisper as he approached her again, reaching out and tilting her chin back up so he could peer into her eyes.

"Because, whether your mind remembers it or not, Potter, your body remembers – and it wants me. Just like it always did five years ago." Despite the intimacy of his words, his voice held no trace of smugness or mockery – only truth.

It was throwing Aria completely off balance.

"Stop it." She whispered weakly.

"If you love him, then tell me why it was my name you were screaming last night? Why is that you all but surrendered yourself to me when I took you and that you eagerly welcomed each of my thrusts into your body? Again and again until you were just begging me to pound you sore, Potter." Draco drawled in that same slow, snide voice that Aria was so used to back when they were in Hogwarts that hearing it now, speaking such vulgar words, caused her to redden in anger and humiliation.

"I said stop it!"

"You wanted me last night the same way I wanted you." Draco pointed out; his mouth twisting into the mocking smirk Aria remembered had taunted her back when they were kids. "You may be able to lie to me, Potter, but your body can't!"

"Go to hell, Malfoy."

He scoffed at that, a grim smile on his face and he shook his head as though he knew some private joke but Aria had no idea what it was.

"Not without you."

Fuming, Aria felt her cheeks redden as she clenched her jaw and began stalking towards the doors.

When he blocked her and grasped her arm, however, she snapped and spun around, raising her hand and slapping him across the cheek. Startled, Draco stumbled at the impact of her hand against his face but he didn't let go, his fingers tightening around her arm as he held her back.

"I'm still waiting, Aria."

"Draco."

Aria lifted her gaze and stared pleadingly at him, her green eyes glassy with tears.

"I'm getting married."

To her dismay, Draco's expression went cold at her answer and he withdrew his gaze sharply, as though she had burned him. Backing away, he stared intently at the floor as though it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his life. At his reaction, Aria's face fell and she began to move away from him.

Just as she was leaving the room, Draco spoke up in a very quiet voice.

"You'll know where to find me."

Hearing the same, cryptic words yet again, Aria felt the bubble of anger and frustration that had been building up inside her burst instantly.

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

She spun around and glared at him, her shoulders heaving with anger.

"I have no idea what that means, Draco! Just what are you trying to tell me?!" She exploded.

When Draco fell silent and didn't look inclined to give her an answer, Aria didn't bother waiting for one.

She stormed out of his bedroom, slamming the door noisily behind her.

~~ 2 WEEKS LATER ~~

"Merlin's beard, Aria." Ginny teased as she stared at Aria's reflection through the mirror from where she sat with Hermione by the couch.

The three women were in the bridal suite - half an hour away from ushering Aria down to the church that morning for her wedding. Given the nervous, uneasy fidgeting Aria had been doing for the past hour, both Ginny and Hermione had been doing nothing else but trying to calm her down.

"Sweetie, relax." Ginny continued, giving the other woman an exasperated glare. "I'm not an expert on marriage or anything, but isn't the groom supposed to be the one looking as though he's about to be gutted at the altar? Smile! This is your day!"

"I—I can't help it, Ginny!" Aria blurted out, meeting Ginny and Hermione's eyes briefly through the mirror before she sighed and nervously began adjusting the beautiful lace veil that was covering her face. "I don't know…I know I should be happy about all this but something just…There's something I have to tell you."

When both of her friends fell silent and stared at her in concern, Aria sighed and looked through the mirror again, meeting Hermione and Ginny's solemn looks.

"I cheated on Austin."

"What?!" Ginny's eyes widened and she sat up from her seat in alarm at that while Hermione just froze, blinking several times and staring at Aria in blank silence.

"With who?!"

Aria bit her lip and looked away from her in shame, staring intently at a far, obscure corner of the small dressing room.

"Draco Malfoy."

"What?! Aria, what the hell—?" Ginny's eyes flashed and she looked furious as she began cursing and pacing the room, looking frustrated at her friend's actions. "This is unbelievable, Aria. How could you do this? Is this you trying to back out of another relationship? How did you even see Malfoy again?! And does Austin know?!"

"He knows." Aria whispered silently as she lifted her gaze again, staring wearily at herself in the mirror as though her reflection could offer all the answers.

"I told him about it a few days ago." She admitted.

"And he just…forgave you?" Ginny asked, blinking at her in disbelief.

If possible, the wretched expression on Aria's face worsened even more at this and she hung her head as tears of shame, guilt and confusion plagued her eyes.

"…Yes."

"What did Austin say?" Hermione asked gently, her expressly strangely neutral and devoid of any reaction or judgment. "What did Austin say to you, Aria?"

"He said—" Aria sighed, her shoulders slumping with defeat. "—I probably did that as some kind of last fling or one night stand before I got married. He said he understood and that he won't judge me for it, especially since he just celebrated his bachelor's party that very same night." She told them, refusing to meet their eyes.

"So he just forgave you?" Hermione asked again in a soft voice.

"…Yes."

"It figures." Ginny snorted at that, scoffing and crossing her arms over her chest. "I heard from George that things got pretty wild during their bachelor's party. So that's probably why Austin's not giving you such a hard time. He's probably not so innocent himself." She pointed out.

"I suppose that makes sense." Aria replied halfheartedly, shrugging and looking away.

"But still…Draco Malfoy? Why him? Didn't you two used to hate each other in school?" Ginny pressed further, painfully oblivious of the glare that Hermione sent her way.

"Ginny—" Hermione tried to interrupt them but Aria spoke again, her voice a quiet, almost death-like whisper.

"I feel terrible."

"Why? Because you cheated?" Ginny rolled her eyes and walked over to the black-haired bride, reaching out to place her hands comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Like you said, Austin already forgave you for what happened. Don't think about it anymore, Aria."

"That's not it." Aria clenched the beautiful lace trimmings of her veil with shaking hands.

"Aria?" Hermione finally stood up from her seat and walked over to her best friend, her brown eyes clouding with concern at the tormented look on Aria's face.

"Why do you feel terrible?" She asked calmly.

"Because." Aria looked up, allowing her brown-haired best friend to see the barrage of tears that were threatening to spill from her wide, glassy green eyes.

"I don't love Austin." She choked out.

"Aria." Ginny went pale at that and, her eyes wide, she tried to reach out to comfort the other girl but that was when Hermione cut her off, turning sharply to her and giving her a firm, pointed look. "Ginny, would you mind checking up on the groomsmen to see if they're in position for the march? We'll be starting in 10 minutes."

"But Aria just said—"

"Ginny." Hermione cut off her protests, giving her a sharp glare.

"Fine." Ginny gave Aria a worried look and squeezed her hand in comfort before she stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

As soon as Aria and Hermione were left alone in the room, the hand Hermione was using to hold onto Aria's tightened almost painfully.

"I can't do this to you anymore." Slowly, the former Head Girl of Hogwarts turned to face Aria with a somber, foreboding expression on her face.

Hermione studied her black-haired best friend's trembling form.

"Aria, there's something important that you have to know."

"Do you, Austin Flint, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

'After our sixth year in Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy defected to the side of the light.' Hermione said softly as she stared at Aria's stunned, crestfallen expression through the mirror. 'During the war, while he and his mother stayed in Grimmauld Place, you two…well, you became very close friends.'

Austin's blue eyes were warm as he stared at Aria from where he stood, a few inches away from her, on the altar. He smiled and squeezed her fingers in comfort.

'It was after Dumbledore died. You two fell in love and kept it a secret from everyone else. Months later, while we were searching for the horcruxes, you suddenly told me that you were pregnant. R—Ron was angry at first, and he even almost left. I was angry too, but we soon realized how wrong we were. We realized how much you and Draco loved each other and how much he really made you happy, Aria.'

"I do." Austin answered.

'You gave birth to your son a few days before Hogwarts was attacked by Death Eaters. Draco didn't want you to go but you wouldn't listen. You said you needed to be the one to defeat the Dark Lord. And you did defeat him, Aria.'

'Why don't I remember this, 'Mione? What the hell happened to me?!'

The priest smiled at Austin and nodded before turning to Aria, frowning slightly when he saw the distracted look on the bride's face. For her part, Aria was barely paying attention to the ceremony at all and was staring blankly at her shoes.

'O—on the night of the final battle, right before Voldemort died, h—he called his dementors. Aria, they—' Hermione's voice broke. '—they surrounded you. They flew at you – one by one. It was so horrible! Y—you were screaming for help – you were so weak and bloody.' Hermione had to pause when her entire frame became wracked with violent sobs. 'B—by the time Draco reached you, they were already administering the Kiss on you.'

"And do you, Harriah Potter, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

'We managed to get you to St. Mungo's after but not without consequences. You kept screaming in your sleep. The healers said that your brief exposure to the Dementor's Kiss had managed to distort over a year of your memories – forcing you to relive every single death, trauma, fear and pain you saw during the war. They would have damaged more years of your memories had Draco not gotten to you in time.'

Hearing her name, Aria blinked and looked up to stare blankly at both Austin and the priest's expectant gaze on her. She swallowed audibly as she tried to find her voice.

'The weeks that followed were horrible. We couldn't take you out of the hospital because you were too terrified to fall asleep. You just kept screaming and crying each night. It was like you were trapped in a flashback of all your worst nightmares, and we just no longer knew how to help you.'

"Aria?" The priest stared at her in concern.

'Finally, the healers suggested that maybe, if we obliviated your affected memories, all the horrible nightmares would go away. But then, so would the last year of your life.' Hermione's voice began to tremble as she said this but she forced herself to continue.

'Ron and I didn't want to at first, we knew how much you would hate the idea. How much you loved your son, and that if we obliviated your memories, you would forget all about him. But Draco – he held you every night, saw you screaming for your parents and Sirius all over again. He just didn't want you in pain anymore.'

'So he just obliviated my memories?!' Aria choked out, the tears that had gathered in her eyes finally spilling over and rolling down her cheeks.

"Aria." Austin's voice was tight and his smile was oddly restrained as he took her hand, and gave her fingers a kiss. "Don't dump me at the altar, sweetheart."

'It was the only way, Aria! You were so delirious from the nightmares, that you couldn't even recognize who we were! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!'

"I…can't."

Blinking in shock, the hand that Austin had around Aria's slackened, and the smile vanished from his face, only to be replaced by a look of hurt and confusion.

'He said he just wanted you to be happy, Aria. He didn't even care that he had to live the rest of his life with you hating him, never knowing the past that you both shared or the child you had. He loves you that much.'

'I don't understand any of this, Hermione.'

Austin and the priest both stared at Aria in stunned, awkward silence.

"What?"

'Draco asked you to marry him that night, you know.'

'…Did I say yes?'

'You did.'

"I—I'm so sorry, Austin." Aria tried to ignore the shocked gasps and rampant whispering from the guests seated around the large church. "But I can't marry you."

'I remember the last words he said before he obliviated you.'

"Aria, why are you doing this?" Austin stammered as he stared back at her, his cheeks flustered with hurt, humiliation and embarrassment.

The hand he was using to clasp tightly on hers loosened and he shook his head. "I don't understand."

'What did he say…?'

'He said—'

"I don't either." Unable to meet his eyes, Aria swallowed the painful lump that had formed in her throat and began to back away from him. Behind her, she heard Ron and Ginny calling her and trying to get her attention but she ignored them both.

'—you'll know where to find me.'

"There's somewhere I have to be."

"Aria, wait! Stop!"

"I have to go."

Austin made a move to grab her arm but then Aria had already spun on her heel and began running as fast as she could down the aisle towards the church exit.

She's not coming.

Draco tried to ignore the painful ache in his chest as he stared down through the large window of a tall, deserted tower near the back of Hogwarts castle.

It was an old and lonely stone tower – abandoned years ago so that the school was no longer maintaining it regularly. Despite its lack of upkeep however, the tower was quite beautiful and over the years, it had become Draco's one special place to go to whenever he just needed time to think to himself or whenever he thought of Aria.

In silence, he stood by her favorite window, the one with the landscape view of the school castle.

I would have jumped out this window if she hadn't stopped me.

He remembered how Aria had found him that day, ready to jump off the ledge and plummet to his death on the rocks below.

Since then, the day she had saved him and the day she had discovered his secret hiding place, they had spent most of their time together meeting each other secretly in this very tower. It was the one place that nobody else knew where to find them.

For the past five years, since Aria had lost her memories of their relationship, Draco still came here every morning.

Every single day.

If only because he hoped, with all his heart, that Aria would come and find him again.

You'll know where to find me.

Draco's heart sank as he glanced down at his watch, noting that the wedding ceremony would have been over by now.

The wedding is over.

As the words sank in, Draco realized he couldn't breathe as he stared blankly at the scene of young, Hogwarts students rushing in and out of the castle.

She's not coming.

His heart clenched painfully as Draco reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the window.

As he turned around, intent on heading for the staircase leading down to the grounds, he inadvertently looked up and suddenly froze in place.

There, standing just by the narrow entrance to the tower, stood a beautiful vision in white. It took him a couple more seconds to realize that the vision was Harriah Potter, staring back at him, wearing an exquisite wedding dress and looking so beautiful that Draco was almost certain she had stepped right out of his dreams.

"Aria."

Draco paused when heard the dryness of his voice and swallowed nervously, trying to piece together the words he wanted to say.

When nothing seemed to come to mind, he gave up and contented himself with just staring longingly at her, his hands trembling with raw emotion.

"Draco."

For her part, Aria stood there, unmoving, and stared at him as though she were seeing him for the very first time. The expression on her face looked pained, confused and conflicted as she watched him, her green eyes lingering intently on his features.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, until Draco couldn't take it anymore and he broke the silence when he glanced at her and gave her a small, sad smile.

"I always knew you'd make a beautiful bride." He tried to tease her softly, though the way his voice trembled easily betrayed the forced lightness of his tone.

When she didn't answer, Draco spoke again, though he avoided her eyes and stared intently at the ground by Aria's feet.

"Shouldn't you be at your wedding?" He asked.

Aria flinched at that and looked away, fidgeting nervously with her dress. She eventually answered in a soft, inaudible voice that Draco leaned in closer to hear her.

"I ran away."

Draco lifted his gaze slowly at her words, though he was careful to hide his expression so she couldn't see the small glimmer of hope that flickered in his eyes.

"…I see."

He took a careful step toward her, causing Aria to stiffen and back away from him in panic.

"It's okay." Draco whispered soothingly as he stilled and looked up, meeting her green eyes with a calm, reassuring gaze. "Why did you come to this place, Aria?"

"This was where I stopped you from jumping that night." She took another step away from him, her back was pressing against the stone surface of the tower.

Draco nodded slowly, accepting her answer but refusing to say anything else.

"There's something about this place." Aria whispered as she inspected the tower with a pained expression on her face. "So many memories. But I just can't remember."

The expression on Draco's face softened at her words.

He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and waiting patiently for her to continue the conversation. It took Aria a few more seconds before she swallowed and looked up, tilting her chin and surveying the tower's old, deteriorating stone walls.

"You wanted me to find you here." She whispered in realization, more to herself than anyone else.

"Yes." Draco answered carefully.

"…Why?"

As she was studying their surroundings, her eyes inadvertently locked with his and Aria froze when Draco slowly reached his hand out, waiting for her to take it.

"Let me show you."

Aria studied his offered hand uncertainly, trying to gauge his expression.

"I don't understand." She whispered.

Draco's soft, reassuring gaze was unwavering as it held hers.

"Look into my mind."

After a few seconds, she moved toward him and hesitantly placed her hand in his. The instant their palms touched, Aria felt a blast of images overwhelming her like a tidal wave and she faltered as his memories came rushing into her all at once.

~~ Flashbacks: 1997-1998 ~~

"I have faith that you're a good person, Draco."

Draco fell completely silent at that and was unable to do anything else except stare at her, mesmerized by her words and the way they seemed to be filling him up with such a strange warmth that spread to every inch of his body. Aria met his gaze easily, and before Draco could stop himself, his gaze dropped down until he was staring at her mouth. He swallowed audibly, his breaths coming in slow and shallow.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened at Draco's admission and she blinked, staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face. When Draco swallowed and looked away, as though anticipating her rejection, Aria surprised him when she moved forward and, without any hesitation whatsoever, stood on her toes to press her lips against his.

As soon as he felt her soft lips against his own, Draco lost all form of coherent thought together. He responded almost instinctively, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and pulling her closer against him so that their bodies were aligned and pressed intimately together. Her lips parted and Draco took eager advantage by tilting his head and deepening the kiss, coaxing her tongue teasingly with his own.

Without breaking their kiss, Aria moaned and arched against him, her hands linking themselves invitingly around his neck while his hands moved down, grabbing the back of her thighs and lifting her up until she was pressed firmly against the wall behind her. They both gasped as their bodies pressed together, her legs wrapping invitingly around his waist as Draco ground his hips against hers, eliciting another moan from her lips as she raked her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer [1].

...

The memory seemed to grow hazy after that.

It was followed by a series of images of Aria and Draco spending most of that summer [2] together – kissing, laughing and smiling together, holding each other as they watched the sunset from that tower – their tower. Interspersed within these memories, there were passionate images as well – private, intimate flashbacks of them both, moaning, gasping and screaming each other's names as they made love each night, their bodies intertwined so closely together that it was almost impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

There were so many of these private memories.

They were both young and in love, and Aria realized that they must have spent every waking hour of their few times together, memorizing each other's body. Both of them were too naïve to have predicted the consequences of their actions.

And so, of course, what happened in the next 9 months seemed inevitable.

Draco hadn't even known about it, and it was a miracle in itself that Aria hadn't gotten hurt while she, Hermione and Ron had been hiding all around England in search of Voldemort's horcruxes. Draco hadn't even been with her at the time. He had been with the Order of the Phoenix, helping out the other survivors, magical and muggle alike, and fighting back against every attack the Death Eaters aimed around London.

The day he found out was the day they saw each other again in Bill and Fleur Weasley's cottage, only a few days before the Battle of Hogwarts.

...

"Oh god! This hurts so much! Please just get him out of me!"

Aria screamed in pain and clenched her eyes, sobbing hysterically as Mrs. Weasley and Fleur scrambled about in front of her, readying her for the baby's delivery.

"Okay, I can already see the baby's head." Mrs. Weasley called out, ignoring Aria's screams of pain as she held Aria's legs apart and gestured for Draco to step aside.

"We're going to have to deliver this baby now. Aria, deep breaths—"

"What's happening? Is my son going to be okay?! What's going on?!" Draco demanded, his eyes wide with worry as he stood by Aria's bed, clasping tightly onto her hand. Gritting her teeth, Aria tightened her grip around his fingers when she felt another violent contraction rip through her entire body, causing her to scream again.

"Oh god! Make it stop! Please make it stop!" She sobbed.

Hearing the way Aria's voice cracked with tears, Draco's self-control snapped and he lashed out at Fleur beside him, jostling her angrily. "What's happening to her?! Why aren't you doing anything to help her?! She's in pain, can't you see?!"

"Draco!" Fleur blurted out in exasperation as she extracted herself from the Slytherin's grip and tried to give him a quelling look. "I promise, Aria's going to be fine. But the contractions are coming in fast because she's about to give birth. Mrs. Weasley and I are not prepared for this, so we need to focus. Can you calm down?"

His face ashen, Draco swallowed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"I—I think so—"

Aria screamed in pain just then, cutting him off and causing Draco to flinch as he rushed to her side, grabbing her hand and holding it to desperately his lips. He kissed her hand as she began crying and breathing in time with the Fleur's counts.

"That's good, Aria. Okay, deep breaths now. Inhale…Exhale. On the count of three, you're going to push as hard as you can, alright? Now…One. Two. Three!"

Tear-brightened green eyes slammed shut as Aria tightened her grip around Draco's hand and sat up. Gasping, Aria squelched back a scream and pushed as hard as she could, falling back onto the bed a few seconds later in complete exhaustion.

"I can't do this." Her bottom lip trembled and another batch of tears came pouring down her cheeks as she hiccupped, burying her face into Draco's shoulder. "I can't do this. It hurts too much, Draco. I can't." She pleaded.

"What are you talking about? You're doing great, love." Draco shushed her gently and leaned down, placing a lingering kiss onto her forehead. "Now come on, just one more push and we'll finally have our little Slytherin." He teased her gently.

"Slytherin?" In spite of herself, Aria's lips twitched weakly at his words. She opened her eyes slowly, giving him a reluctant smile. "Do you really think I'll let you influence my child to be a Slytherin after I spent 12 hours in labor just to give birth to him?"

Draco chuckled at that and leaned down, giving her a tender kiss.

"Aria! One more push, sweetheart, come on! He's almost out!"

At Mrs. Weasley's urging, Aria sat up again and, after one long, deep breath, she squelched a scream and pushed, gasping and falling back onto the bed when she heard the sound of a slap, followed by the most adorable cry she had ever heard.

"9 pounds!" Mrs. Weasley announced with a smile, cradling a tiny, wrinkled baby in her arms. "He's a handsome and very healthy baby boy! Congratulations!"

"He's so tiny." Aria choked tearfully, her throat dry as Mrs. Weasley deposited her newly born infant son into her arms.

"Draco, is he okay? Why is he crying? Is he hurt?" She whimpered.

"He's just fine." Draco whispered, his voice sounding laced with tears as he leaned over her and bent down, dropping a shaky kiss onto their baby son's head.

"He looks like you." Aria whispered, smiling softly as she cradled her son closer against her chest and stroked the few strands of platinum blonde hair away from his forehead. His throat too dry for him to say anything, Draco leaned down again and he answered her by pressing his lips against hers in a sweet chaste kiss.

"Hello there, darling." Aria took one of her baby son's hands in hers, admiring each perfect little tiny finger, and pressing each one to her lips.

"Ten fingers…Ten toes." She whispered, laughing softly despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Draco smiled back shakily at her, his eyes misty with tears.

"Would you like to name him?" Aria asked softly when she lifted her gaze. She stared at him, giving him a tender smile. "I'm okay with any name you choose."

"Scorpius Abraxas." Draco paused and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "My Grandfather's name. I've always respected him…More so than my father."

"Scorpius, huh?"

Draco bit his lip and watched Aria's reaction carefully, studying the way her eyebrows fused together as she considered the name. After a few seconds, however, her expression softened and she smiled, reaching out to caress their son's cheek.

"My darling little Scorpius." She whispered, laughing tearfully when their son began squirming and wriggling in her arms. Scorpius began to cry just then, whimpering as he blinked up at both of his parents with big emerald green eyes [3].

"Mommy and Daddy love you very much."

...

The memory faded but more images of baby Scorpius soon followed.

There weren't many of them, as Draco remembered they had only gotten the chance to spend a few precious days with their son before Voldemort's attack on Hogwarts, but those brief, tender moments of their young family's stolen times together had kept him going during that Death Eater attack on Hogwart's grounds.

It was a bloody battle; one that cost them dozens of lives.

Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and so many others.

That night, as Voldemort and his Death Eaters began to kill off her friends one by one, Aria had taken each loss like a physical blow to her chest. When she couldn't take it anymore, she did the one thing the prophecy set her out to do.

She killed Lord Voldemort.

And as she stood there, standing over the Dark Lord's body, the Elder Wand held tightly in her hand, Voldemort had given her one last malevolent smile.

As he lay there, dying, he surprised everyone when he began laughing maniacally – as though he knew some sick, inside joke that only he could understand. And then, just before he died, he screamed out an unfamiliar spell that suddenly caused the horde of dementors watching them to descend upon Aria, trapping her inside a circle.

They heard her screaming for help as the dementors swooped down on her one by one, sucking out bits of her soul each time they swept through but it was too late.

Her friends were too far away from her.

Draco was too far away from her.

By the time Draco had reached her, screaming her name and desperately fighting his way through the Dementors that had crowded around her, Aria had already lost consciousness and she lay very still on the ground. After he and the others had finally managed to drive all the remaining Dementors away, Draco knelt down beside her and he began to tremble in fear when he realized the way Aria's green eyes had dimmed and the way the Gryffindor seemed to be staring lifelessly up at the sky.

She was screaming and crying hysterically as they had rushed her to St. Mungo's that night but the damage was already done.

The healers explained that her exposure to the Dementor's Kiss had altered about a year's worth of her memories. Her memories of her time with Draco and Scorpius were gone now, tarnished with gruesome images of pain, fear, loss and death – every single horrible thing that Aria had experienced during the war. They left her with waking nightmares every night, causing her to scream out in her sleep.

It was Voldemort's final, parting gift for Aria just before he died.

...

Aria's anguished scream reverberated loudly through the silent corridors of St. Mungo's that evening and Draco flinched when he heard it.

When he noticed a middle-aged female healer making her way towards him, Draco re-adjusted Scorpius' wailing form in his arms and stood up from his seat, cradling his infant son against his chest as he approached her. As he neared her, Draco tried not to notice the worried look on her face.

"Mr. Malfoy?" She asked quietly.

"What is it? Have you found anything? Is there something we can do to help her?" Draco rushed out, struggling desperately to keep his emotions in check as he adjusted Scorpius in his arms again, his fingers trembling as he tried to stroke them comfortingly through his baby son's mane of blond hair.

"She hasn't been showing any signs of improvement." The healer began.

"Just tell me you're doing all you can to help her!" Draco snapped.

"We're doing the best we can—" The healer assured him, though she winced in concern when she saw the hysterical way Scorpius was crying in his father's arms.

"—but like I said, this is very dark magic. All of the horrible images that Aria keeps seeing in her head have been imprinted so deep into her memories that it's almost impossible to filter them out without damaging her mind. In the meantime, we could try a powerful sleeping draught so she could rest—"

"No, don't. She'll just have nightmares in her sleep." Draco interrupted her in a drained voice and shook his head, his eyes falling to the floor. "At least when she's awake, she understands somewhat that the images aren't real." He whispered quietly, swallowing the painful lump in his throat as he tried to calm Scorpius down.

"Do you need help?" The healer flicked her glance back and forth between the exhausted expression on Draco's face and the wailing, red-faced infant in his arms. "Your son hasn't stopped crying for hours now. He could get sick if he doesn't stop."

"I—I know. He's just hungry but I—"

Draco's voice broke and before he knew it, the tears that had gathered in his eyes spilled over, trailing slowly down his pale cheeks.

"I don't know what to do! Aria is the one who feeds him—"

He swallowed a hushed sob, biting his lip to keep it from trembling as he looked up pleadingly at the healer again and shook his head.

"I—I was going to wait for Aria to feed him but she looked so terrified a—and she just kept screaming and thrashing around, I was afraid she might accidentally hurt him! But now, my son's hungry and Aria's still sick, I really don't know what to do anymore. Please help me, what do I do—?!"

"Breathe, dear child. Here, take this." At the panicked, desperate look on Draco's face, the female healer seemed to take pity on him and she reached into her pack, handing him a towel and a fresh new set of clean baby robes. "Your son looks drenched with sweat, he might get sick in those robes. I'll fetch for more diapers—"

"N—no, that's not it! He just needs his mother! Aria needs to get better—"

"Mister Malfoy!" The healer admonished him sharply, causing the Slytherin to flinch at the reprimand in her voice. "Whether you realize it or not, that baby son of yours is starving, and we do not have the time to wait for his mother to get better! Do you understand?!"

"I—I understand but—" Draco ignored the looks he was receiving from the other patients around the hospital and stared imploringly up at the middle-aged healer. "Will Aria be okay? You have to help her get better! She doesn't deserve this. She just saved the entire wizarding world, damn it, she deserves better than this!"

"Like I said, we will do what we can, Mister Malfoy."

"That's not bloody good enough! You don't understand—"

"I shall prepare a mild sedating potion for your son's mother." The healer interrupted, gathering Scorpius from him when she noticed the way the baby's whimpers had dissolved into coughing fits. "It will be able to sedate her for a short while. It won't be long, but it will give me a chance to extract some milk for your little boy."

...

Those next few weeks that Aria had spent being transferred from one hospital to another were painful for Draco and her friends but none of the healers seemed to have any idea what to do, or how to help her. Her nightmares just kept coming back, sometimes even when she was awake, and it came to a point where Aria could no longer function properly as she did nothing but scream and sob for the horrible images to go away.

Often times, at night, Draco would wake up from where he sat beside her hospital bed to the sounds of Aria's terrified whimpers and sobs, and he would hold her close and whisper soothing words into her ear until the wee hours of morning. Since her condition hadn't improved since the time she had first been brought to the hospital and they couldn't rely on extracting milk from her whenever she was asleep, the Healers finally provided Draco with a special milk formula for Scorpius that would replace his mother's milk whenever he was hungry. It wasn't ideal, but the Healers were running out of options, and Draco began to lose hope with each passing day.

Finally, after a month in confinement, the Head Healer of St. Mungo's called for a private meeting with Draco, Ron and Hermione one afternoon.

...

"No!"

The tips of Ron's ears were flushed red with outrage as he glared at the Head Healer's resigned expression. Seated next to him, Hermione paled and buried her tear-streaked face into her hands, her shoulders trembling with harsh, violent sobs.

"Tell me you're not actually suggesting we do this to her! There's got to be another way, tell me there's another way!" Ron raged again, and the way his voice had risen into a furious shout drew the attention of the other visitors in the lounge.

"We are out of options, Mister Weasley." The Head Healer sighed wearily and shook his head in dismay. "She was exposed to the Dementor's Kiss too long, she's lucky to be alive. Those horrible nightmares are too heavily intertwined in her consciousness now, if we try to extract them, we could wind up damaging her mind!"

"B—but you're talking about obliviating a year's worth of her memories [4]!" Hermione stammered, her voice trembling as she stared imploringly at the middle-aged Healer. "Those memories define who she is, her choices, what she's done with her life! If we erase them, Aria won't even remember anything at all about the war!"

"Then perhaps that might be for the best." The Head Healer replied grimly. "All the trauma, deaths and horrors she experienced during this war are the source of these horrible images. Perhaps, if we truly want her to live the rest of her life without waking nightmares plaguing every hour of the day, we should consider this solution."

"No." Ron's face darkened and he shook his head, his features creasing into a frown. "Aria wouldn't want this, and it wouldn't be fair to make his decision for her."

"It is the only way she will be able to live her life normally again." The Head Healer said with a heavy sigh.

"I—I don't think this is right." Hermione faltered when the Head Healer suddenly turned his questioning gaze to her. "There has to be another way to help—"

"Do it."

Gasping at the soft, defeated tone of Draco's voice, Ron and Hermione both glared at the Slytherin in stunned disbelief as he cradled his infant son against his chest. Ignoring their shocked reactions, he met the Head Healer's expectant gaze with red-rimmed gray eyes and nodded slowly, stroking Scorpius' silver locks of hair.

"If it'll help her get better, then I'm willing to do it."

"Malfoy, what are you saying?!" Ron blurted out, glaring at Draco as though he had gone mad. "There has to be another way to help her! There has to be!"

"There isn't any other way, Weasley." Draco whispered weakly, avoiding his eyes as he stared intently at his son's sleeping face.

"If we do this, she'll forget that Scorpius was even born—"

"I bloody know that, damn it!" Draco's eyes suddenly blazed at Ron's words and before he could stop himself, he rose to his feet and sneered down at him in anger. "Do you think I 'want' to erase her only memories of our child together?! Do you actually think that I'd agree to this if I had a bloody choice?!" He growled at him.

"Draco." Hermione spoke softly, her misty brown eyes growing wide with sad realization at the meaning behind Draco's words. "If you erase Aria's memories of the past year, it's not just the war she'll forget." Her voice lowered and studied Draco's reaction carefully, noting the way that he was purposely avoiding her eyes.

"She'll also forget that she fell in love with you."

Despite the gentle way that Hermione had spoken those ugly words, Draco still felt as though a knife had twisted in his gut when he heard them. Biting her lip, Hermione averted her eyes and stared sadly at the tiny bundle of blankets that Draco was cradling against his chest.

"She'll forget that she ever had your son."

Slowly, Draco looked up and met her tearful gaze with his own, swallowing painfully before he nodded, shut his eyes and looked away.

"I know."

...

"Draco, what are you doing?"

Aria's eyes were wide as she stared at him, watching as a pale-faced Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the scar on her forehead. In spite of the resolute decision in his eyes, his entire expression slowly began to break down as he stood in front of her, his hands trembling with the anguished sobs that wracked his frame.

"I love you." He whispered in a choked-up voice. "You know that right?"

"Draco. I know what they said to you." Aria paled as she raised both of her hand up at him, trying to inch away from his approaching form. "But please don't do this. I don't want to forget. I—I don't want to lose you. Both of you." She pleaded.

"You won't lose us. I promise." Draco's voice shook and his fingers tightened painfully around his wand as he stared achingly at her, memorizing each and every inch of her beautiful face as though it would be the last time he would ever see her.

"Draco, please." Aria pleaded, her voice weak as she stared quietly up at him. "I don't want to get better. I don't want to lose my son. I want to stay with you."

"I've been meaning to ask you." Draco whispered tenderly; trying to give her a smile despite the fact that his chin was beginning to quiver in time with emotion.

"Will you marry me?"

She met his eyes without any hesitation.

"Yes."

Draco's eyes stung with tears at her answer. In spite of the excruciating pain in his chest, he forced himself to smile again, lost in the beautiful green of her eyes.

"Then I'll be waiting for you."

At his words, Aria's eyes softened and her gaze locked intently onto his.

"I love you too." She whispered.

Draco trembled at that and he managed to give her one last, tearful smile.

"You'll know where to find me."

With that, Draco forced himself to close his eyes and look away from her, sobbing harshly as he pressed the tip of his wand against the scar on her forehead.

"Obliviate!"

~~ End of Flashbacks ~~

"No."

Aria's voice broke and she felt her knees begin to give out as she pulled her hand away from Draco's and stumbled backward a few feet, her green eyes wide and rapidly filling up with tears of realization, anguish, happiness, regret – every single emotion she could possibly think of.

It all came rushing back into her all at once, filling her chest up with so much raw pain and overwhelming emotion that for a minute, she couldn't breathe.

"Oh god…I—I'm so sorry…"

Aria's clenched her eyes shut and she knelt down onto the ground as more tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

Before she realized it, her restraint broke and she began crying uncontrollably, crystal droplets pouring down her flushed cheeks as though they would never stop. The sharp, twisting pain in her chest became so painful that she began gasping for breath in between her sobs. Within a few moments, she felt someone kneeling down onto the ground in front of her and soon after, she felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrapping tightly around her, pulling her against a hard frame.

"Shhhh." From the way Draco's voice shook, it was obvious he was crying as well but he held onto her tightly, kissing her hair and stroking her cheek in reassurance.

"It's okay." He whispered tenderly against her hair. "It's going to be okay."

"I'm sorry, Draco. I'm so, so sorry." She sobbed as she collapsed against him, buying her tearful face against his chest. "I c—couldn't remember, I didn't know—"

"I know. And I never doubted you. Not for one second." He managed a tearful smile at that and kissed her hair, pushing the black strands away from her face.

"I knew you'd find your way back."

Her knees buckled at his words and her face crumpled as she tightened her arms around him, whispering, "I'm sorry" over and over again in between her sobs as Draco shushed her gently and pulled her closer against him. He pressed his lips soothingly against her cheek and she held onto him, trembling so much that Draco was worried she was hurting herself. He leaned in and whispered softly into her ear.

"I love you so much." Draco whispered brokenly, barely able to restrain his own tears as he tightened his arms around her waist.

"I love you too." Her voice was sounded broken, barely audible in between her sobs but Draco head her perfectly.

They were both crying as they clung onto the other, as though they were afraid the other was going to disappear. They stayed like that for a long time, both too drained from the intensity of their emotions to do or say anything else.

Finally, when Aria heard a couple of tiny footsteps approaching, she stiffened and glanced uncertainly at Draco, causing him to give her a small, shaky smile.

"Father?"

Aria's breath caught in her throat.

Slowly, she pulled away from Draco and turned around, staring at the blonde, green-eyed five-year-old standing by the doorway and watching them.

For a few seconds, Scorpius hesitated when he saw the tears on his father's face. When Draco just smiled gently and beckoned him closer, however, the uncertain look on his handsome face began to clear and Scorpius stared at Aria again, his identical green eyes locking intently with hers.

"…Mommy?"

Hearing the nervous, hopeful tone in Scorpius' voice, Aria's restraint over her emotions broke again. Her eyes stung and a choked-up, tearful laugh tore itself from her lips as she knelt down in front of her son, admiring his handsome face up close.

"H—hi baby." She forced a smile as she stared imploringly at him, watching as a myriad of different emotions seemed to cross Scorpius' features.

"My darling little Scorpius." She croaked out.

For a long time, Aria could do nothing else but stare at him, her precious little baby boy, admiring his perfect little cherub face. Her heart twisted when she saw how much he had grown without her and her knees almost gave out at the pang of loss she felt when she realized how much of his life she must have missed.

"Look how much you've grown. She whispered shakily and bit her lip when she felt it tremble, barely able to hold herself together.

Scorpius stood a few feet away from her, as though unsure of how to react, and Aria had never wanted anything as badly as the chance to pull him into her arms.

"Can I hold you, baby?" Aria pleaded softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her little boy was beautiful.

He was a spitting image of his father – sleek, platinum blonde hair, handsome aristocratic features – but his eyes were Aria's. Warm, emerald green that seemed to glow brightly with hope and happiness as he stared at her just then, his expression lighting up in realization.

"You remember me?" He asked, his face softening into a shy smile.

"Oh sweetheart." Aria squelched back another sob as she finally gave in and swept him up into her arms, holding him tightly against her and dropping kisses onto the top of his blonde hair over and over and over again. "Mommy loves you so much. I've missed you so. I'm so sorry." She croaked out, cradling him close to her chest.

"I've missed you too, Mommy." Scorpius told her pointedly as he hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her neck. "What took you so long? Father and I have been waiting for ages. Did you get lost along the way?" In spite of herself, the self-assured tone in Scorpius' voice caused both of his parents to choke back a laugh.

"I think I did." Aria whispered back as she pulled away and tenderly stroked his cheek.

"How did you know where to find us?" Scorpius asked curiously as she stood back up, holding him tightly in her arms.

"I'll always know where to find you, darling." She answered softly, giving him a tearful smile.

Scorpius blinked at that and stared up at her, tilting his head curiously to the side.

"Always?" He asked.

"Always." Draco answered him with a small smile as he approached them, causing Aria to turn around slowly and look up at him over Scorpius' shoulder. She froze as she stared at him, suddenly feeling very nervous when she saw the way Draco raised his eyebrows at her in concern.

"Aria?"

"I've been meaning to ask you." She began uncertainly, biting her lip as she recalled the very same words that Draco had spoken to her almost five years ago.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Scorpius squealed loudly, cutting off his father's answer and throwing his arms around her neck.

When Aria let out another choked-up laugh at Scorpius' answer, Draco smiled weakly and answered her by leaning down, their lips meeting in a long, deep kiss. Not trusting herself to say anything else as she pulled away, she dropped a kiss onto her son's hair and then wrapped her beautiful family tightly in her arms.

She wasn't planning on letting either of them go for a very long time.

END

Notes:

[1] If I'm not mistaken, this was probably when Scorpius was conceived. Haha. This was sometime around late July or early August. She gives birth to him a few days before the Battle of Hogwarts.

[2] In this universe, Aria doesn't actually go back to Privet drive after 6th year but alternated her time between Grimmauld Place and Hogwarts to meet with the Order of the Phoenix regularly. That's how she was able to spend time with Draco.

[3] I know babies don't get green eyes right away when they're born, but I felt that the scene wouldn't have had the same effect if Scorpius didn't have Aria's green eyes right away.

[4] After defeating Voldemort, the Dementors all swooped in on her to administer the Dementor's Kiss. Draco was able to interrupt them and save her before they could finish, but her exposure to it managed to contaminate a year's worth of her memories with Dementor magic, thus making her relive all of her horrible memories and driving her insane every time she fell asleep.