October 9th

Hermione,

I am sorry for the way that I acted at the funeral. You can't imagine what I am going through with Sonny gone. I just can't get off the field work. Every Death Eater I kill is one step closer to having her back, to holding her in my arms. Kiss Rose for me.

Ron

Hermione sat there, rereading over the letter she had gotten from Ron. The first letter anyone had received from him, the first anyone had heard from him since the funeral.

"I'm sorry Ron," She whispers, holding Scorpius in her arms. Looking down at her son, she kisses his forehead lightly as Draco walks into the room.

"A letter from Weasley?" He asks, feeling the tension in the room. Hermione lightly nods, handing their sleeping son over to Draco. "What did he say?"

"Simply that he was sorry for how he behaved and that he is killing others to bring Sonya back." Hermione replies, standing up and walking over to the dirty dishes.

"He's sodding lost it." Draco answers, taking off his tie single-handedly. Since the funeral, Draco and Harry had both done as Arthur had asked, taking office jobs within the Ministry. They both still worked in the Auror Office, both of them still being titled as Aurors, but now instead of fighting the Death Eaters who still carried around the Dark Mark with honor and pride, who still marked new members with the Dark Mark out of "respect" for the Dark Lord, they stared at pictures all day of the "Ministry's Most Wanted" and wore suits and robes to work. It was a big change for both of them, but it kept their families safe.

"He hasn't lost it Draco!" Hermione hollers, turning around abruptly to face her husband. "He is simply grieving over his lost fiancée."

"He thinks killing others is going to bring her back Hermione." Draco argues back, his voice still calm. "That means he has lost it. Was he at least sober enough to write the letter?"

Hermione looks down at the piece of parchment paper on the bar, mentally picturing the words. Ron had never been one for neat penmanship, but even for him, the writing was sloppy and uneven. "I'm not sure." Hermione answers, turning back around to face the sink. Her face told the shame she had for her once-best friend.

"Exactly," Draco answers, "Look Weasley was there for me too. Whenever we found out you were pregnant, whenever my parents passed. Weasley was there for it all and saved my arse quite a few times but now he's….he's not the same person Hermione."

Hermione kept her back turned to her husband, a single tear streaming down her cheek. "I just wish there was something I could do to help him." She answers, sighing as she looked out the window.

"Weasley is just going to have to figure this out on his own." Draco answers, walking out of the room with his sleeping son. Hermione stared out the window at the tree Draco had told her he had climbed so often as a child, him and Blaise had climbed together as friends. The same tree that Draco had promised Hermione he would teach Scorpius how to climb whenever he was old enough. Hermione couldn't imagine Ron not teaching Rose the same sort of things, how to climb trees and play practical jokes on her cousins, on Freddy Jr. but at the rate Ron was going now, with the Death Eaters and the missions, Hermione was unsure if Ron would even see Rose to be of age to climb a tree.

"Potter has been following Blaise. He thinks he is the one behind what happened with Sonya." Draco states as he walks back into the room. "He has him on the Most Wanted list."

"Are you sure it was him? That's a mighty strong accusation Draco." Hermione replies, still staring at the tree. "I mean, you know him better than anyone but-"

"Knew him better." Draco interrupts.

"What?" Hermione asks, turning around quickly

"I knew him better than anyone. The Blaise I knew would never become a Death Eater. He would never kill someone else to better himself." Draco answers, putting his head down with shame. The Blaise he knew was better than himself. Much better than anyone Draco could ever become, much stronger. The Blaise Draco knew was nothing like this man he had faced at the fire of the Ministry member back in July. He would never try killing someone, especially threatening to kill his ex-best mate's family. That was not like Blaise. "I don't even know Blaise anymore. I just know he knew enough about you and Scorpius to make me sick."

"He…He knew about me and Scorpius?" Hermione asks, fear filling her eyes as the welled up with tears.

"He even knew Rose was only a half-blood." Draco answers, looking Hermione in the eyes. "I think he knew enough that if he didn't do it, he was the one who assigned someone to. Probably worked under my father."

Hermione nods in fear, "Are we safe here?" She asks, thinking of their son sleeping soundly in the other room. Of what would happen not if Blaise came while Draco was here, but if he wasn't. She knew she could defend them if she was expecting it, but if she were in the other room. If she weren't prepared, what would happen to their son.

"We are," Draco answers, "They have been keeping an eye on all of the Aurors' homes ever since.." He lets the sentence drop, Hermione nodding her head understanding. Regret filled Draco that it had taken Sonya's death to cause the Ministry to watch out for the families of the Aurors.

Hermione nods, still fearful. She can't help but wonder. What if the Ministry was wrong? What if they couldn't save their families? What if Hermione and Scorpius were still at risk?