9 YEARS LATER

Draco had long since moved out of the Manor, choosing instead to make his home in a place that had no ties to the ancestral family name. And with his father shipped off to Azkaban following the end of the war, his mother was left alone. But of course, Draco had always been a mother's boy and he couldn't stand to leave her on her own for long.

My mother-in-law was far too stubborn to leave the Manor and move into a room in our humble family home and we certainly had no intention of moving back into the Manor either. So, we were left to compromise, and to visit the Manor regularly with our son in tow. I made sure to hide my reluctance from Draco, knowing that if he picked up on it, he'd grow further away from his mother. Besides, my hesitance was less about visiting my mother-in-law and more about having to return to the place where I'd been held captive, where death regularly stalked down the halls and where one of my classmates had bled out on the floor.

The moment we apparated into the Manor, Scorpius clambered out of my arms and ran on unsteady legs into his grandmother's waiting arms. Mrs Malfoy smiled so largely that it almost looked out of place on her face but that didn't stop her from lifting Scorpius into her arms as she carried him further inside.

Moving to follow after his mother, Draco hesitated for a moment in his steps when he realised that I was yet to do the same. Salazar, it didn't matter how many times I returned to this place, it still continued to bring bad memories to surface. It was so bad that I almost couldn't remember any fond memories made in these halls either.

Calling my name gently, Draco held out his hand for mine and with a small smile, I entwined our fingers. Dropping into step beside him, I let him lead me in the direction that our son and his grandmother had headed off in. Once we reached the sitting room, we found Scorpius settled onto his grandmother's lap with a content smile. But of course he was content, there was a large levitating plate of cookies in front of him and his grandmother stroked his hair with one hand, holding a glass of milk in the other.

Scorpius, far too perceptive for his age, looked up at the sound of my footsteps and froze as if he knew he'd done something wrong. He grinned adorably moments later and returned to the cookie in his hand. The cheeky boy knew that I couldn't exactly say anything to Narcissa without making it seem like she wasn't allowed to dote on her grandson. If there was one thing I had learned since Scorpius was born, it was that his grandmother knew exactly how to work around the rules I placed for him. Merlin, it was no wonder that Draco had been such a spoilt child.

Settling down onto the sofa across from Narcissa, I leaned into Draco's side as he sat down beside me. When the house-elf appeared to deliver our tea, I took my cup with a grateful smile. Raising the cup to my lips, I faltered slightly when Narcissa spoke up.

"Your father will be released soon," she spoke up, eyes remaining on Scorpius as he took a large drink from the glass of milk.

Almost at the same time, both Narcissa and I looked cautiously towards Draco to see how he would react. Draco was making very obvious efforts to keep Scorpius away from his grandfather, he had even refused to send a picture of Scorpius to Azkaban for his father to see. And when he found out that Narcissa had sent one anyway, he had blown up and refused to allow his mother to see Scorpius for almost 6 months.

Draco arched an eyebrow coolly, taking a sip from his cup. "Isn't his punishment supposed to last longer? Considering just how bad his crimes were?"

"The sentence was reduced," the older witch spoke slowly, finally looking towards Draco. "For good behaviour."

Draco scoffed harshly, glancing apologetically towards me when Scorpius started at the sound, "Are you sure he didn't bribe the guards?"

"Draco," I called out warningly, noticing the way the colour was beginning to drain out of his mother's face. She was torn between two halves of her world; the husband she loved more than she loved herself – more than he deserved and the son she'd risk her life for.

"Sorry, mother," Draco said eventually after holding my stare while he tried to resist my silent demand for him to apologise to his mother.

"It's fine," she dismissed. Narcissa turned her eyes away from her son to settle onto Scorpius who seemed to recognise the tension that filled the room. She tried to hold him a moment longer but Scorpius forced his way out of her lap and started to walk slowly across the room. "I was thinking that perhaps you'd be here for his release – all of you. It would be good to have the family all together?"

But he had no words. Draco watched in silence as Scorpius headed towards him to clamber onto his lap. Helping Scorpius up, Draco brushed a hand over our son's fair hair as he lost himself within the depths of his mind. Reaching out to squeeze his thigh gently, I smiled when he came out of his thoughts to meet my eyes. Neither of us had had the much luck when it came to the fathers we had been born to. It was one of the many reasons that Draco had been so resistant to the idea of us starting a family together. He'd eventually come around and as I watched his eyes soften when they focused on our son, I knew that those worries of his had been unnecessary. Draco was a good father, a much better father than he thought he was.