I don't own anything; it's the property of JKR, Raincoast, RTD, Cowlip, Showtime, et al.

Warnings for this story: slash, of course, language, adult themes.

Home is not where you live but where they understand you.
~Christian Morgenstern

This scene is set between Season Four and Five.

For Mimi and Ladyleoki who've been waiting (im)patiently.

Originally posted: 17 Dec 2015

Coming Home Vignettes

post S4, pre-5.1

When Draco opened the door, he knew.

He and Jennifer had suspected, of course, but none of the incidents were otherwise inexplicable. The appearance of the man on the doorstep, however, made it incontrovertible. "May I help you?"

"Good afternoon. My name is Jason Cassidy. I'm the assistant headmaster and student liaison officer of a school for gifted students called Salem Academy. May I speak with your parents?"

"That would be difficult, but I assume you're looking for my aunt. Jennifer Taylor?"

"Sorry, yes, Jennifer and Craig Taylor."

Grateful that Molly was out with her father for the day, Draco led him up the stairs and into the living room. Jennifer looked up from her book and must have recognized what was happening as well because she took a deep, bracing breath before she stood and extended her hand with a polite smile.

"Salem Academy is a school for people with extraordinary gifts," Mr. Cassidy said once they were all seated. He went on to explain, more cautiously, that magic was real, that Molly was a witch, and that Salem Academy could help her learn to use and control her power. "Not training her would be dangerous," he concluded, "not just to Molly, but to those around her."

Draco and Jennifer were silent through most of his speech, nodding or murmuring when required but not reacting much otherwise, and Professor Cassidy grew increasingly uncomfortable, as though he were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Assuming Molly is amenable to the idea, where would we buy her supplies?"

Cassidy blinked. "Once we have an answer, you'll be given a welcome kit which will include a list of necessary supplies and provisioners, term dates, transportation information, and such. One of the staff can assign an escort if that will make you more comfortable. I must say, you're taking this better than most of the families of Muggleborns," Cassidy added with a relieved sigh.

Jennifer and Draco exchanged a look, and Draco knew that she was leaving the decision to him — she wouldn't reveal her connection to the wizarding world, but he could do as he wished. Suspecting it would be easier for Molly if she didn't live in an exclusively Muggle household, Draco admitted that he himself was magical. To prevent the questions that would follow, he added that he'd left the Wizarding World years before; that would raise other questions, of course – ones that would be much harder to answer – but they were legitimately none of Cassidy's business, and Draco would happily tell him so if he asked them.

He didn't. In exchange, though, Draco couldn't ask about politics. Had things changed for the worse, Draco thought, Cassidy would have said something. Almost certainly. If Draco was wrong about that, though, he'd prefer not to find out from a stranger in the living room, and he'd have access to textbooks, via Molly, soon enough.

Cassidy accepted their decision to tell Molly privately but promised to return not long afterwards.

It was a good thing he did. When Craig began issuing threats, he was able to contact Auror Smith. As a licensed Obliviator, she was able to send Craig away thinking he'd argued with Jen and Molly, using their support of Justin as the reason for the break. It was also helpful having someone there afterwards to answer Molly's questions, questions that were as much to justify her choice to sever her relationship with her father as they were to obtain information about her new school.

After they'd left, Molly had gone to bed, though Draco doubted she'd be able to sleep for a long while yet, and Jennifer sighed. "Thank Christ." She sounded so much like Debbie that Draco smiled. "I've dreaded having that conversation with Craig since the day we met. I think I knew, then, how intolerant he was and just didn't want to face it. It might have been easier if I had, but then Molly and Justin wouldn't have been born, and that would have been a tragedy." Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed again before looking back at Draco. "We need to tell Justin... and Brian."

Draco was torn: keeping the magical world a secret from Muggles was a tenet ingrained childhood, but he'd spent the last few years evaluating just those sorts of tenets, and trying to judge them on their merits rather than tradition. And secrets, he knew, were potentially damaging to increasingly important relationships.

Wanting to learn from the best before he picked up bad habits elsewhere, Draco had interned for Brian for the past two summers as part of his marketing degree. In that time he had learned that Brian had a very finely-tuned bullshit metre: evading was near to impossible, never mind lying, and Molly disappearing was something he'd notice.

Finally, he nodded. "We should tell Brian first, since Justin's still in California. You know he's going to be pissed he didn't know earlier, and Brian's probably the only one who'll be able to get him to calm down."