"Lucius, he has to be... the boy told me he was."

The couple had been searching what seemed to be the never ending corridors of the castle for their son for nearly an hour. They knew he was alive. The last time the boy saw him he was, at least. At that point, a parent's worst nightmare was on the horizon in both of their minds.

Aching and tired, they both needed rest more than they thought. The usually very clean Lucius Malfoy was bruised and bleeding from fighting. His long, white-blond hair was a mess. Narcissa, while not bloodied, was in the same state as her husband. Dark circles had formed under her eyes. The long, blond hair that usually cascaded down her back in silky waves was now frayed and somewhat greasy.

She collapsed in the middle of the corridor they had been moving through, burying her face in her hands. "My son," she sobbed. "My only son." Her thin frame shook more violently with each breath she took in. "Our son, Lucius."

He had frozen behind her. "Cissa," was all her uttered, unable to form any more of a response. His legs threatened to give under his weight, but he couldn't let them. He had to be stronger for the both of them and push her to continue on the quest to find their son. "Cissa, he's-"

"I should have protected him." She removed her hands from her face, revealing flushed, tear-stained cheeks. Tears flowed down her face and made a very soft splatter as they hit the floor of the corridor. "My baby could be... he could be-" She was unable to force herself to finish the sentence. The thought pained her more than could be imagined. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself, Lucius."

The mere thought of their son being dead made his heart sink. He had lived for his son and wife. At one point he had been so proud to serve the Dark Lord, but in recent years, that sort of passion he had dwindled. He had a family to look out for. If he hadn't returned as a faithful Death Eater, who knows what would have happened to his family.

"Mum? Father?"

Both of their eyes practically flew to look in the direction from where the voice had come from. "Draco," she breathed, pushing up to her feet despite her body's protest. "My Draco." She ran to him, throwing her arms around his skinny, trembling frame. "I was afraid you-"

She stopped herself at the sensation of his suddenly uneven breaths. "Mum," he whimpered, melting into her tight embrace. "I-I-"

"Shh," she sighed as she stroked the back of his head gently. "Don't."

A pair of arms wrapped around the both of them at that moment. Lucius placed a kiss upon both his son's and his wife's foreheads. "Everything is going to be fine." A tear fell upon Draco's shoulder. "Everything."

No more words were said after that, leaving them in a peaceful and much needed silence.