“And he pushed me,” said the small pale blonde boy who was dressed in a sleek, black silk robe. “Why would he do that?” the high pitched voice added as the boy looked up toward his father.

Draco Malfoy looked down into the face of his beloved son and berated himself. I should have had this talk earlier. Now, on a train platform, is neither the time nor the place for this. Yet his son needed an answer - not the full answer, but an answer anyway. Keeping his back straight and bending his knees, he looked into his eleven-year-old son’s grey eyes, and said, “Scorpius, do you remember what your grandfather told you about the mistakes he made when he was younger? How he hurt a lot of people? How he went to prison?”

Scorpius swallowed and gave a small, wary nod to his father.

“Well, the children of some of the people he hurt are on this very platform, and will also be at Hogwarts. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is and shall be,” he added. Draco took a breath, searching for the right words. “Until they get to know you, you will be judged by what they know or think they know about him and me. And some of them will never let you live it down. It is not fair, but it is the truth.”

Scorpius looked to his left toward the older boy who had taunted and shoved him. He continued to scan the crowd close by on his right. The normally joyful and pleasant boy’s face looked tense. Children can be so thoughtlessly cruel to each other. I know because I had been that way myself.

Draco followed his son’s gaze to his right. Through the fog of the steam engine exhaust, where a large party was just barely recognizable across the distance, Draco saw Harry Potter. He had not seen Potter since his parent’s trial. At the trial, ‘the great Harry Potter’ had surprised many when he had testified for the defense. He had affirmed that Lucius Malfoy had lost his wand almost a year prior to the final battle. He had also testified as to how Narcissa Malfoy lied to the Dark Lord about his ‘death’ in the forest. Potter had even glossed over their actions at Malfoy Manor stating it had been his Aunt Bellatrix who had been the sole perpetrator of the torture of Hermione Granger. Mostly because of Potter’s testimony, the Wizengamot had not sent Narcissa Malfoy to Azkaban and they had added no additional time to his father’s previous sentence. Coming out of the recollection, he noticed Ronald Weasley and Potter staring over at him. He nodded his head in acknowledgment and smiled. The nod had been a small gesture, a silly thing to do, but he hoped it conveyed his appreciation.

Almost before he could reflect on what had just happened, a family of four stopped in front of him. A big black man wearing a red shirt and blue dungarees looked lost. He unsuccessfully attempted to hail a few passing couples. He next turned toward the Malfoys, and with a deep voice flavored by a West Indian accented English, he asked, “Excuse me, sir, this is our first time here and-” The sentence ended with an arm gesture of helplessness.

Draco’s first reflexive thought was Mudbloods. He caught himself, and through a somewhat forced smile, he responded, “Do you see the man wearing the blue coat and blue hat with the red strips? He’s the porter. He will see that your child’s luggage gets stowed. You’ve got about ten minutes before the all aboard is sounded.” The man smiled in appreciation, and then he and a thick set boy about Scorpius’ age carried forth a trunk toward the porter with an owl cage on top. A tall distinguished-looking woman in a modest tan dress held the hand of a girl who appeared to be around nine years old. While the mother’s eyes followed the two men in her life, the girl, who was standing in front of her mother, faced behind her, and eyed Scorpius curiously.

“My name’s Bethany,” she said in a near whisper.

The young Malfoy stiffened, taken by surprise from the strange girl’s forwardness. He looked up at his mother with widening eyes. “You’ll have to forgive my son, Bethany. He is a bit shy around girls,” said Astoria Malfoy, using the tone of voice mothers use to simultaneously embarrass and instruct their sons.

The boy took his mother’s hint. “I’m Scorpius Malfoy,” he answered with an exploratory smile and a half bow. Bethany responded back with a giggling smile of her own.

The girl’s mother turned toward the Malfoys, appraised the family, and smiled at them. “Bethany Dokes, you should not be troubling the family. They are about to say goodbye to their boy let them be, child,” she admonished.

Bethany pouted for a second, and as she was being turned by her mother toward her returning father and brother, whispered, “Bye.”

Astoria gave Draco’s hand a light squeeze. They had just watched their son’s first awkward encounter with a girl. She remembered her own first encounter with Draco as a gangly, scared, first year who had just been sorted into Slytherin House; and sitting next to the Prefect was the dreamily handsome Draco, who had taken her hand to welcome her. The memory evaporated as the conductor shouted, “Five minutes! Five minutes!”

Astoria looked down at her son. He looked so handsome and grown-up dressed in his best black robe. Her eyes filled with moisture, but she resisted, just as Mother Malfoy had reminded her “Malfoys do not cry on platforms. They go home and cry in private.” She and Draco said some encouraging words to Scorpius. He was not listening; the excitement (and maybe dread) had seemed to have cut off the connections between his ears and brain.

As the boy began his walk from his parents toward the lonely world of Hogwarts, Mr. Dokes turned. With his big hand outstretched, he said, “Thanks for your help, sir. No one seemed to be willing to come to our aid. Your kindness will not be forgotten. My name is Isaac Dokes, my wife is Rebekka, our son is Jimber, and I understand you’ve met Bethany.” The last words were amplified to show his displeasure without being unpleasant.

Draco hid his annoyance at the man’s interruption - he smiled and introduced himself, Astoria and Scorpius. He noticed that the two boys had taken the time to introduce themselves. The boys each thought that the other’s name was cool, and Jimber was showing Scorpius something on a silver chain around his neck. Malfoy eyed the two boys and asked, “Mr. Dokes. Isaac, if I may be so familiar?” Dokes nodded. “The train ride up to Hogwarts is a long one and since my son has no friends going to Hogwarts, and most likely your son doesn’t either, perhaps they could ride up to the school together?”

Dokes smiled. Draco stopped, caught his breath and in a soft voice added, “However, I must warn you that Draco’s grandfather was a criminal who has paid his debt, as they say. Yet some will not easily forgive. If your son were to travel with my son, he might get painted with the same brush.”

Dokes’ smile did not falter; he leaned toward Draco’s ear. Draco fought the urge to pull back from the Mudblood. “Well, to tell the truth, back on The Island, my father was a bit shady, as they say, and people there are like people here. I appreciate your concern and admire your honesty, sir.”

Draco felt surprisingly relieved by the stranger’s acceptance. He reached into his pocket, retrieved a little leather change purse, sifted through a half dozen or so the round pieces of scrap metal and pulled out the only two real coins in his purse. He reached forward toward his son “Scorpius, when the food trolley comes by, you can introduce your young friend to Mr. Bertie Botts and to Chocolate Frog cards.”

Scorpius’ eyes exploded from his head. Draco felt a pang. The coins in his hand represented the money he and Astoria had been going to use to buy food for their evening meal. However, a parent must sometimes make sacrifices. The young boy took the treasure and showed his new friend the large gold coins. The two boys got their last hugs from their mothers and disappeared into the steam toward the line of students filling the train.

A hollow feeling appeared in Draco’s chest. At Scorpius’ age, his parents had had dozens of stacks of Galleons in their vault that had been taller than he was. However, after the fall of the Dark Lord, the Ministry had confiscated almost all of the Malfoy family’s gold, treasure and property and the Malfoys were now poorer than the Weasleys had ever been. However, he would never let anyone, especially his son, know that.

The metallic lurching sound of the rail cars brought Draco back to the present. He stepped forward, finding his son through a window. Without thinking about it, he walked slowly after the moving car his right hand raised in the air in a frozen wave. Scorpius disappeared. Draco turned, almost walking, into Harry and Ginny Potter. They were whispering, and he was keen to avoid an awkward moment.

As he moved around the pair, Draco discovered that the three interlopers were still grouped around his wife. Astoria must have said something witty, because both of the adult Dokes were laughing.

Astoria said, “The Dokes would like to take us to a Muggle café they saw near the station.”

Draco answered, “I’m sorry, Isaac. My wife and I don’t have any Muggle money.” Actually, they did not have any Galleons either.

“Please, you were so helpful. Let me repay your kindness with a bite to eat,” the father earnestly requested.

Draco replied, “Your offer is most kind.”

Astoria took her husband by the arm. “Draco, maybe just some coffee and a sticky bun, so we can get to know our son’s new friend’s family,” she said, giving him that pouty little smile, that even after all these years of marriage always seemed to disarm him.

“Very well,” Malfoy said surrendering to his wife. He took his wife’s left hand and led the five of them out from Platform Nine and Three Quarters onto the Muggle railway platforms. Ahead of them, a mob of Weasleys and Potters were all saying goodbye to each other. Draco moved next to Isaac and asked, “After being raised in the tropics, how did you find our English summer?”

“When one occurs, I’ll let you know,” joked Dokes.

Draco laughed; out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley following him with their gaze. Draco walked on with his wife on one side and his new acquaintances on his right.

He half-dreaded what awaited Scorpius at Hogwarts. He also half-envied the fact that his son’s path, unlike his own, was up to him. Scorpius’ life was a clean slate.

---

********Hogsmeade Station**********

---

“First years, over here,” boomed a hairy mountain from the end of the platform of the Hogsmeade Station. Scorpius had been warned by his father about Hagrid, but nothing could have prepared him for the actual experience. As the steam exhaust from the Express escaped, it temporarily hid the figure bellowing toward the young students. The large man towered over all of them and he had to bend over double to talk to a questioning dark-haired boy. Scorpius squinted through the gamekeeper’s dim lantern light to check out the beast that sat next to giant. The creature was definitely not a mad Hippogriff, and nor was it a fire farting giant crab; rather it was the ugliest dog Scorpius had ever seen. For a second, the night breeze changed direction and Scorpius and Jimber caught a whiff of the duo.

“Back on The Island, a neighbor of ours once had a dog that smelled that bad. My grandfather shot it,” Jimber said his teeth shining. Scorpius had to laugh.

“That’s not funny. Not funny in the least,” sniffed a girl with bushy hair.

“Sure it was,” Scorpius defended.

“Hagrid is a teacher and a family friend. You should show him the proper respect!” Rose Weasley announced.

Jimber started to reply, but Scorpius touched him on the sleeve and answered, “My friend meant no disrespect. Yet you can’t deny someone up there is in need of a bath.”

“All right, you three, you’re falling behind. Best be getting down to the boats lest you’ll have to ride over together,” shouted Hagrid from the front of the now moving pack. The booming warning made the girl jump, and she quickly zigzagged her way to the front of the pack while the two boys trailed the group.

Just in front of them a large boy, for no apparent reason, tripped a small blonde girl. The tripping boy said something to the sprawled girl that Scorpius couldn’t hear. Jimber reached down and helped her to her feet. Malfoy watched as his friend aided the stranger. When the girl started to blindly reach down to the ground for her dropped items, Scorpius took out his wand and lit it. Jimber and the girl both looked on surprised, to see that one could produce light from a wand. While Scorpius held his wand aloft, the other two picked up the small items that had fallen out of her purse.

“Thanks. It was nice to find someone willing to help a stranger,” said the girl after she had dusted herself off and rejoined the others at the side of the lake.

At the lake, the hairy man motioned to the giant grey Mastiff and instructed, “In you get, now, Olympe’; that’s a good girl. Now, who wants to ride with my dog?” No one volunteered until the bushy haired girl and a dark-haired boy stepped in. As the girl sat down in the boat, the light from the boat’s lantern showed her make a slight face as the smell of the dog reached her. Scorpius grinned at Jimber.

As it worked out, the two boys had to share the trip across the lake with two other people. A light-skinned black girl named Grenda Zabini who had a narrow face and high cheek bones. Scorpius knew the girl’s last name from stories told by his father. Her dad had been a Slytherin. The fourth boat mate was a boy with slanted eyes and a Scottish accent who was named Cedric Wallace. Wallace was of mixed blood. The boy’s mother was a Ravenclaw witch and his father a Muggle minister.

Scorpius turned to ask Jimber a question. However, he paused. Jimber was looking up at the castle. He was simply awe struck, “It’s like something out of a picture book.”

Scorpius looked up at the brightly lit castle. The multi-colored window lights danced upon the lake water as the ripples of the other boats wakes broke before them. Although he had seen the school from the Daily Prophet and his parent’s photos, he looked up at his new home with fresh eyes. A “yea,” escaped his lips as the boat came into shore.

Hagrid motioned for all them to follow him up from the dock through a hidden door that led to a long flight of flagstone stairs and up into the hallway. Scorpius and Jimber moved up through the gaggle of students passing their fellows who had stopped to gape at the Entry Hall. The giant man stopped at the bottom of a giant stairway and motioned his charges to climb up the stairs past the statues of winged pigs.

At the top of the stairway stood a tall thick man who was approximately Scorpius’ father’s age; he wore a soft smile. The man quickly counted the assembled students and looked down at a scroll in his hand. “Okay, I’m Professor Longbottom, and I’d like to welcome you to Hogwarts. Does anyone need to use the loo?” he asked. About a quarter of the newcomers raised their hands in response to his question. Longbottom smiled and motioned to his right. A tall boy and the most striking girl Scorpius had ever seen stepped forward. They both wore an H on their robes. “AJ and Victoire, will you please take those with their hands up to the appropriate lavatory? The rest of you will follow me,“ Professor Longbottom added.

Professor Longbottom led the rest of the students into a small waiting room. As some of the students sat down on the few wooden chairs and others stared at the tapestries, Scorpius looked at Jimber and found he could not speak. It had just hit him- he was at Hogwarts! In a few hours the rest of his life would be affected. When the Head Boy and Girl returned with their charges, the teacher went over what would happen to them and when. Scorpius heard every word the man said, and none of it sunk in.

Scorpius found his feet walking out of the room and through the double doors without even realizing he was doing it. As he walked down the center aisle, he heard a boy’s voice exasperatedly say, “I know, Rose, your mom read to us all about the enchanted ceiling from that book of hers.”

Scorpius turned to grin at Jimber. He wasn’t there. Malfoy stopped. By stopping, he had caused a blockage in the aisle as he sifted through the moving crowd for his friend. Jimber was missing. Scorpius started walking back out of the hall toward the entrance. He was stopped by the girl called Victoire. He panicked and announced in a voice louder that he wanted, “My friend, Jimber- he’s not with us.”

The girl smiled and bent over to whisper into his ear “Two boys had to make a last-minute lavatory run. Now go up to the front. You can wait for him at the back of the group.”

Malfoy had no choice. He walked back to the crowd, but his focus was on the door at the back of the room, not on what the teacher was saying. He barely noticed that someone was singing. Finally, Jimber and a boy with blond hair and a large smile walked up to the group. Scorpius turned toward the front as Longbottom said, “Apphia Austin.”

The girl stepped up to a small wooden stool. Professor Longbottom took an old wizard’s hat from off of the staff table and placed it on the girl’s head. After a few seconds under the hat, the hat shouted, “Ravenclaw.” The table to their left exploded in applause, and the brunette girl bounced her way to the cheering table.

Harry Baird became the first Gryffindor. Thomas Bodes, the girl tripper, was the first Slytherin, and Derek Crestfeld became the first Hufflepuff student. While Scorpius was wondering how many people were ahead of him, the announced name caught his attention “Jimber Dokes” announced the Professor.

Scorpius watched his only friend in the school slide under the brim. Scorpius held his breath. “Gryffindor,” announced the hat. Scorpius watched his friend walk to the table of his family’s traditional house enemy.

More Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were created, but Scorpius took no notice at all. Finally the man said, “Scorpius Malfoy.” Scorpius blinked. He had heard his name, but the significance had not sunk in. The silence finally caused him to look up at the teacher. The professor motioned toward the lonely little wooden stool on the raised carpeted platform. Malfoy stepped forward. He turned toward the audience, and before sitting down his eyes found Jimber, who was sitting on his knees to get a good view. Scorpius turned toward the Slytherin table and saw the boy who had tripped the girl on the path. Where did he belong? Longbottom placed the hat on his head.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy waited for the inevitable.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Potter,

I am pleased to announce that your son, Albus Potter, arrived safely at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the Sorting Ceremony, your son was sorted into the Gryffindor House. The following students were also sorted into Gryffindor and are housemates of your son:

Harry Baird, Jimber Dokes, Jenelle Gleich, Kaitlin Jones, Scorpius Malfoy, Margaret Quince, and Rose Weasley.

Any mail that you wish to be delivered to your son should be addressed to your child’s name in the Hogwarts Great Hall.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s upcoming school year, please send your owl or Muggle post to his Head of House, Professor Neville Longbottom, or to me.

Yours truly,

Filius Flitwick

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry turned to find Ginny staring at him with her mouth agape. “Scorpius Malfoy?” he asked, looking for confirmation of what he had just read. Ginny looked again and shook her head. “I’d give a month’s wages to see Draco read his letter,” added Harry.

---

Malfoy Manor

---

Two owls were already waiting at the kitchen window when Draco entered into the room. Draco opened the window to allow the both of the birds to enter. The first owl to enter through the window held a leather-wrapped thick packet from Hannah Longbottom, and the second owl held something small and official looking from Hogwarts. Draco did not feel the need read about his son. The Longbottom letter was the more important package. He took the package off of the brown mottled tawny owl’s leg, untied the bundle, and pulled out the cover letter

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy,

I am happy that you are interested in moving your owl order business to our open storefront in Diagon alley. My husband and I reviewed your business plan and found your store would be a good addition to the viability of our market area. Enclosed, you will find a standard rental agreement, please have your barrister review the contract. If you have no issues with the contract, please return it, signed, to the Leaky Cauldron along with a draft from Gringotts for the first and last month’s rent.

Sincerely,

Hannah A. Longbottom

Abbott Family Properties LTD

Draco stood up from the kitchen table and moved away from the twilling owls. He could not afford to have someone check out the contract for him. He carefully read the contract, twisting the meaning of each word on the document and looking for some sort of trick. The paper looked okay. He also knew Neville Longbottom was too much an innocent to cheat someone; however, he knew that he also was not just anyone. During their school years, Draco had struck out at the Gryffindors though Neville. While Draco doubted that Neville would get revenge like that; he wasn’t so sure about the wife. The Abbott Family had run the alley for almost two centuries. If anyone could twist a rental agreement, it would be the last surviving Abbott. Malfoy sighed; his only option was to trust in Neville’s naive fairness.

Draco signed the note. He next went to the sideboard to gather the goblin-made necklace and chest plate that Astoria had inherited from the counter to sell to finance the Potions shop.

Draco looked up as the swinging door that led from the formal dining room into the kitchen opened, and slammed into the wall. Astoria stormed into the kitchen and explained that Mother Malfoy had demanded that her daughter-in-law serve her breakfast in bed again. As Astoria started to say that she was not a house-elf, she noticed the remaining owl standing on the counter. She reached out to untie the note from the leg of the impatient Hogwarts barn owl. Draco watched as she read only a few sentences, and then silently extended the note toward her husband. Draco read down to the word ‘Gryffindor’ and froze. He thought he could possibly live with the Hat’s decision; he just hoped it wouldn’t kill his parents.

---

Hogwarts School

---

Since it was the first class on the first day of the school year, the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors arrived as one large pack and tentatively stepped into Greenhouse Number One. The first sight that greeted them inside the building was of six clay flower pots that each contained a single large flower with a heart-shaped red blossom. The second thing they saw was Professor Longbottom. The smile on his face was a wide and warm, honest one.

Scorpius, Jimber and a short thin raven-haired girl named Kaitlin stood on the right side of the little crowd. In the middle stood all ten Hufflepuffs, and on the far left side of the group were the other five Gryffindors. Professor Longbottom looked the class over, bent down under the large rough hewn wooden table and pulled out a tray of long green grass with golden tips. He asked the class, “For five points, who can identify the plant in front of me?”

Rose Weasley’s hand beat Scorpius by an instant. Scorpius watched as the girl announced, “Merlin Grass.”

“Correct,” Longbottom responded to the class. “While the greens of the grass can be used as a food plant for both humans and animals, it is the golden tip that makes the plant so valuable. The tips are used in many potions; who can name one?”

Again Rose and Scorpius’ hands were the first into the air. Longbottom smiled at the two Gryffindors. He looked at Scorpius and said, “I think she was first again. However, if you have a different potion, I’ll let you answer also.”

Rose gave a smile toward Scorpius as she rocked to and fro from heel-to-toe before she answered, “Draught of Peace.”

“And Felix Felicis,” added Scorpius, returning her grin.

“Ten more points for Gryffindor,” awarded Professor Longbottom. “So, for the rest of our first class together, I’ll need you to break up into four different groups. And since this is the first day, let’s mix everyone so we can make new friends. Jones and Quince, please join these three ladies,” he said pointing to the left most three Hufflepuff females. “Gleich and Baird, you join the three gentlemen over here. The rest of you, please form your groups by house,” he added, his eyes moving from Rose Weasley to Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius and Jimber looked at Albus and Rose and no one moved. Professor Longbottom pointed to the unclaimed work bench with the tray and seedlings that was halfway between the Gryffindors. After a couple of seconds the four silently moved around the meter long grey metal container. After a long series of heartbeats, Albus Potter reached his hand out. Scorpius noticed that the hand was not reaching toward him but toward Jimber. “I’m Albus Potter, and this is my cousin Rose Weasley.”

Jimber smiled, “Hello Albus. Hello Rose. I’m Jimber Dokes and this is my friend, Scorpius Malfoy.” Albus reached forward and grasped Scorpius’ extended hand.

Scorpius saw that the silent Rose was watching him as if she was silently sizing him up. She looked down at Jimber’s hand as it tentatively reached toward her. She took the proffered hand and shook it once, and with a soft, obviously-practiced polite tone, said, “Charmed.”

Albus started to ask a question of Jimber, but before he could get more than a few words out, Professor Longbottom cleared his throat. The task set forth for the class was to fill their tray with soil, plant the Merlin Grass seedlings, add Chinese Red Dragon dung and finally water. While the other groups mixed conversation with their work and assigned individuals each a task, the Gryffindor four each took a quadrant of the long tray and did the whole assignment in total silence.

As Professor Longbottom moved through the class inspecting the results of his assignment, Albus turned toward Jimber and in a whisper inquired, “Were you born in England?” Dokes shook his head in the negative. “Where?” Albus prodded.

“The Island,” whispered Jimber.

The answer peaked Albus’ attention and even Rose seemed interested. “Which island?” Albus asked.

“The Island is an island off the coast of Haiti. The Island doesn’t appear on any Muggle map except as reefs and shoals to be avoided. The whole island has even been made invisible to Muggle radar and those satellites which have cameras,” he said.

Scorpius, who had heard the story on the train, watched the two cousins for their reactions. Albus Potter seemed genuinely interested and a little impressed. Rose Weasley was giving Jimber a discerning eye, like she wasn’t quite ready to believe him. Just as Albus was about to ask something more, the teacher showed up. With an appraising eye, a prodding pinky, and a sniff, he checked out the assignment. “Who did this part?” he pointed to the back right quarter. Albus raised hand shot halfway up and a sheepish smile appeared on the young boy’s face. “Way too much dung and water, and these two areas have too little soil and too much water,” he appraised as he pointed to Rose’s and Jimber’s sections of the tray. “The other is just right; tell me, Malfoy, have you done this before?” asked Longbottom, loud enough for the whole class to hear.

“Yes, Professor; my mother grows her own Merlin Grass to blend into potions and tonics. She taught me, and tending to them is one of my household chores,” Scorpius answered. The answer seemed to please his teacher.

A bell sounded from the school, and everyone in the class jumped to get their books. The Hufflepuffs would be joining the Ravenclaws in the Transfiguration classroom. The Gryffindors would be joining the Slytherins in History of Magic.

As Scorpius and Jimber walked through the common room door from their first History class, he heard the whole class gripe about the teacher. Jimber confined to Scorpius that twice during the period, he had almost nodded off. And no one in the class could miss the Kaitlin girl’s snoring after only fifteen minutes. How could someone, even a dead someone, be so boring?

Just as Scorpius and Jimber walked down the stairs from the dormitory into the common room on their way to get lunch, Scorpius noticed a gang of boys taunting Albus Potter. One of the group looked so much like Albus he could have been his brother. The boys were attempting to stuff pillows into Albus’ clothes. A member of the crowd of students who surrounded the scene moved to the side, and Scorpius saw that one the boys taunting Albus was the same boy who had pushed him on the platform yesterday. Scorpius felt heat rise into his face. He moved away from Jimber and strode over to the crowd in time to hear someone say;

“Now when you fall off your broom do try to land on something useless: like your head.” The comment drew laughs from the older boys.

Albus pulled a pillow out of his pants and threw it at the taunter. “Shut up, James,” he yelled with an injured voice. Suddenly, Scorpius felt someone brush past him as he himself was heading into the melee. It was Rose Weasley. Scorpius and Jimber followed the girl into the middle of the crowd. “What is going on here, James?” demanded the lone girl.

“I was just giving my little brother some guidance for his first flying lesson. We can’t have him ruin the family reputation by breaking his neck, can we?” James Potter answered, while looking around at the surrounding circle. The older boys laughed again.

Suddenly, the boy who’d pushed Malfoy recognized him and said, “Well if it isn’t our mis-Sorted Death Eater. Are you bags still packed so you can be moved to Slytherin where Malfoys belong?”

Scorpius stepped up to face the taunting boy. “If anyone in this room is acting like one of them, it’s you and not me.” Scorpius stiffened as he awaited a reprisal. The taller boy moved into Scorpius’ faces using his chest to bump against it. Scorpius did not move. Malfoy felt Jimber step next to him, offering his support.

James Potter broke the tension. “You better get down to lunch quickly so you and your little classmates can get back to the dorms and take their naps.” The older boys guffawed again and headed out of the portrait hole.

“He makes me so mad. Someday…” Albus punched air in front of him.

“He does it because it makes you mad. You’ve got to learn to ignore him,” Rose advised. She turned toward Dokes and Malfoy appraisingly, “Albus and I have to live with James, but why did you intervene?”

Scorpius looked at Rose and shrugged. Jimber looked at the cousins and said, “Our housemates are our family, we were helping a brother.”

Scorpius shrugged again. If that boy had not been there, what would I have done? He didn’t know.

Scorpius saw Rose Weasley pull her lower lip under her upper one and stared at them. She did not say a thing.

During lunch, Albus introduced his two new friends to what seemed to be easily a half dozen Weasley cousins. Scorpius marveled at how they could keep each other straight. He knew he couldn’t.

---

Grounds of Hogwarts

---

Neville added a scoop of the Brussels sprouts casserole onto his plate. Hannah gave her husband a “the vegetable won’t kill you” look. He responded back to her with a smile as an acknowledgement of her culinary prowess and added a second scoop. Hannah had sent him an owl with the good news that Draco and Astoria Malfoy did sign the contract, and all of Diagon Alley was finally occupied. The time, effort, and money they had spent to give the alley its first upgrade in half a century had finally paid off.

Neville’s recommended location for their cozy picnic near the Quidditch pitch had not been without an ulterior motive. During the student’s lunch period, Kaitlin Jones had complained that Thad Vance, the Quidditch captain, had announced the house team without even holding open tryouts. After Jones had left the staff table, Neville had called Vance over, but could not convince the stubborn boy to hold tryouts. Vance was the Captain and had the right to name his team. However, Neville felt not having tryouts was very un-Gryffindor-like.

As he chewed on a roasted chicken leg, Neville watched as his first years �“ Kaitlin Jones, Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Jimber Dokes and Rose Weasley flew like old hands. While Madame Hooch helped the other first years do the simplest maneuvers, Longbottom watched as his five Gryffindors and one of the Slytherins played a robust game of follow the leader around the pitch. As he ate his lunch, a solution to the tryout issue came to him.

Draco Malfoy looked around at the store. After two days of hard work, he and Astoria had the Potion shop ready to open. The counter tops were spotless. Astoria had placed vases with special plants in them to soothe the customers. Beside the counter, they had a collection of their most popular potions in fancy vials sitting on shelves ready for their first customers. In between the shelves of potions was a window which opened up to a back work room that was stocked with supplies. Almost every Knut belonging to his family was tied up in this store; if this failed, his family would be broke and eventually homeless. He could not fail; he would not fail. After all, he had repaired the cabinet. He stopped. Fixing the vanishing cabinet was something to be proud of, but what happened as a result of that was the source of even greater shame. The train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of a somewhat familiar face which peered through the painted words ‘Astoria’s Perfect Potions’ on the front glass door.

After a second’s hesitation, the last person Draco would have expected to be his first customer entered. As the door opened, the small brass bell tinkled from the door frame and Loony Lovegood stepped into the store. She paused, looked at him, and silently walked over to the counter. She read the labels under each vial on the shelves. Finally, Lovegood walked over and inspected the Potion Maker licenses from the Ministry of Magic. She turned her head to the right and seemed to contemplate him.

“Do you make Oberon’s Nectar?” she asked.

Draco did not answer. He turned toward Astoria, who was looking out through the work room window, and she answered, “I made some during my N.E.W.T. classes. However, I’ve not made any of it since. Why?”

“Well, Father Ollivander uses it in his wand-making process, and no one in Britain seems to be able to make it pure enough for our use. So we have to import it from a Potion Maker near Lisbon,” Luna responded.

How much do you use, and how often would you need a batch?” Astoria asked.

“Usually, we use a few dozen drops per each wand. How often? I’d have to ask Father Ollivander,” Luna said, as her head turned from Astoria to stare at the shoppers who were walking by the window.

“Father Ollivander? Do you mean Mr. Ollivander, the wand maker?” Draco asked. Luna nodded. Draco mulled over Luna’s question. “Could we come over to Ollivander’s in the morning to talk with Mister Ollivander?” Lovegood looked at him with those maddeningly large eyes. She nodded her head in the affirmative.

Draco escorted Luna to the entrance. As he opened the door, she turned to him and said, “You need a sign outside over the sidewalk to catch the shopper’s eye. When you walk up the street, Gringotts draws your eyes. You could walk right by here without even knowing it. It’s good to see you doing something positive with your life. Good luck.” As Luna started through the door she stopped, turned toward Astoria who was still looking through the window and waggled the fingers of her left hand in a wave.

Only two more customers showed up before lunch, and neither of them made a purchase. Astoria spent the free time searching for the definitive recipe for Oberon’s Nectar. She found two different versions for the nectar in her reference books. The ingredients for the potion would be very expensive, and the formula took almost two days of constant brewing to make. If she chose the wrong version of the elixir the cost of the failure might close the shop even before it got going. In desperation, she had sent her owl with a message to Hogwarts addressed to Professor Slughorn. She hoped he would help the former member of his ‘Slug Club’ with the correct instructions.

Just after Draco went home to pick up their packed lunches, another familiar face peered into the shop window. After a second or two of staring, Astoria recognized the window shopper; the face belonged to Rebekka Dokes. The shopkeeper saw Dokes take a deep breath and smooth the same tan dress she had worn to the train platform. The opening of the door triggered the bell to tinkle as the nervous tall black woman entered the shop. Astoria had moved away from the window, and she also adjusted her work wardrobe by using a cauldron lid as a mirror before entering the store front.

Rebekka paused when she saw the woman entering from the workroom was Astoria. “This is your store, Mrs. Malfoy?” asked Mrs. Dokes. Astoria, with her hands folded across her waist, smiled and nodded affirmatively. “Somehow, that makes this so much harder. Perhaps I should just leave,” added Rebekka, her accent somehow thicker than Astoria had ever heard it.

---

Hogwarts

---

The tea scheduled in Hagrid’s cabin on the first Friday of the school year had its guest list amended; because of Scorpius and Jimber’s support of Albus, he invited the pair. Rose also invited a girl from the dormitory. Scorpius had tried to, by motions and nods, get Jimber to not accept the invitation. So, when Jimber accepted, Scorpius smiled and followed the path to meet the gamekeeper who would escort them to his cabin beside the forest.

When Hagrid opened the door to his little hut, his dog Olympe jumped onto the giant man, and Hagrid scratched the dog behind her left ear. Hagrid then moved into the kitchen, and soon steaming mugs of dark tea, plates of flatbread biscuits and rock cakes were being placed upon the tall wood table. The gamekeeper was almost aglow with happiness as he beamed at the room full of children and said, “It seems like old times. Albus and Rose’s parents used to sneak down here just to visit and such. Even Malfoy’s dad did it once. ’Course, they all got detention that time.”

Scorpius was surprised. His father had never mentioned visiting Hagrid’s hut, nor had he been told him being in detention with Potter or Weasley. “My father was in detention?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah! Harry, Ron and Hermione had snuck down here after hours and your father followed them down. When he told Professor McGonagall, she gave all four of them the same detention for being out after hours.”

“Was that when they had to go into the Forbidden Forest?” asked Rose.

“Yeah, I believe it was, come to think of it,” the Hagrid answered Rose.

“Why’s the forest forbidden?” asked Jenelle, as she nervously twirled a strand of her blonde hair.

“Well the forest was once the home of unicorns, giant spiders, a wild flying car, thestrals, centaurs, and Grawp,” answered Rose in one quick breathe.

“Wow,” said Jenelle.

“What are Grawps?” asked Jimber.

“Grawp is Hagrid’s little brother,” answered Rose.

“Well, half-brother, Rose, to be truthful, but he’s up in his cave, not in the forest” added the big man.

Hagrid turned toward Jimber and said, “I hear tell you are not from Britain, but from The Island. Is that true?” Dokes nodded. “Well, go on. I’ve never met an Islander before. Is it true you folks don’t use wands but just touch plants and animals to do magic?” asked Hagrid.

Jimber nodded his head in agreement as he picked up a flatbread biscuit and nibbled it over his steaming mug of tea.

“You mean you don’t have wands on your island?” asked Albus. “How can you do magic without a wand?” he asked Dokes.

“Vardoo is a type of magic that was brought over by captured African witches and wizards. It is a different type of magic from your magic” Jimber paused searching for words. After a few seconds, Jimber turned toward Albus and asked, “Albus, what is your wand made of? “

“Dragon heart-string and Hawthorne wood,” he replied.

Jimber nodded and with a sad face looked around the group that surrounded the huge table. “You see something had to die to make that wand. Now, they may not have killed the dragon just to make the wand, but you do not know that, and a branch of a tree had to be cut off, too. They at least had to hurt a magical tree,” Jimber said. Scorpius thought that trees being hurt was impossible but remained silent, Albus could not, he snorted.

“Trees can be hurt. Saps can create scabs to protect wounds just as your skin does,” Jimber explained and Hagrid nodded. “Using Vardoo in casting a spell, you can make something float by taking hold of the golden crest of the Merlin grass, touching a unicorn tail and letting the magic flow through you while saying the incantation. I’ve done it.”

“However, wands make the magic easier and more powerful,” interrupted Rose.

Jimber nodded, “At what cost, Rose? How will there be wands when the last unicorn is dead or the final dragon is slaughtered? Vardoo is slower and less powerful, but the same plant can be used again and again, and nothing has to die,” Jimber replied.

Rose pulled her wand out from her robe and a little crease appeared between her eyebrows as she studied it. “Why don’t they teach Vardoo at Hogwarts? It would have come in handy when my parents were on the run with Uncle Harry.”

“Well, Rosey, that type of magic has been sort of looked down on because it’s not as powerful as ours and you’d have to carry a whole garden around just in case you might need a plant. Besides, too many wizards link it with what Muggles call it: Voodoo,“ Hagrid said.

“Voodoo? You mean zombies and such? Can you turn someone into a zombie?” Jenelle asked. She seemed all excited.

“Yeah, James, for instance,” Albus nominated, with a growing grin.

“I can’t, but my mother probably could. My mother was a Vardoo priestess, and my father taught at The Island’s Académie de Magie before it was closed.”

“Why was it closed?” Scorpius asked, dunking his rock cake into his mug and hoping the hot tea would somehow soften it.

“The Island was rocked with a giant earthquake and a tsunami wave struck. Many were afraid that our magical protections might be lost with the loss of the plants and so, most of the families that moved went to the States…a few to England,” Jimber said.

“Could your father teach us some of this Vardoo?” requested Rose..

“Well, he tried to see if he could get on here, but the Headmaster said that it would take a majority vote of the Board of Governors to add a new subject to list of classes. So he could apply for next year. If he did get hired, I couldn’t take the class,” Jimber said.

As the sun began to dip below the top of the tallest trees in the forbidden forest, Scorpius and the other Gryffindors made their walk up toward the castle. Jenelle wiggled her left front and Scorpius heard her ask Rose if Madame Pomfrey fixed teeth.

---

When the Gryffindors returned after supper back to their common room on Sunday, they saw that a large notice had been posted on the house bulletin board; the note instructed all Gryffindor first years to appear Monday in Greenhouse Number One a half hour before the normal Monday class. The notice, which was signed by Professor Longbottom, gave the students no reason for the change in schedule.

On the way to the greenhouse as they reached the wooden front doors, Rose Weasley reached out a hand to stop Malfoy and asked him, “You never speak. Why is that?”

Due to the little conversation, Scorpius and Rose were the last two to arrive. As the he and Rose took their place around the work table, Professor Longbottom smiled. “Last Monday, your classmate Kaitlin came to me with a complaint. The Quidditch captain had decided upon his team without any tryouts. Now, Mr. Vance is within his rights to do as he pleases. However, I think we can get him to change his mind. All we have to do is have the announced Gryffindor team play a friendly against the most naturally talented team in the school.”

“Who? The Slytherins?” asked Jenelle.

Longbottom smiled and replied by pointing to Jenelle and her classmates. “You,” Longbottom said with a straight face.

“Last week I saw you flying on the pitch and many of you can fly on a par with the current team. Now to be honest, I don’t think you’d make the team because of a lack of experience. However, I think some of you are good enough to deserve a tryout,” Professor Longbottom said.

“We can’t play them with the brooms we used Monday. They’d blow us out of the sky,” said Kaitlin. “I’ve got a new Weasley Comet at home, but I wasn’t going to send for it except for tryouts,” she added.

“Professor Longbottom smiled at the young girl and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements to take care of that”

Neville Longbottom looked into the mirror at the mess under his chin and, in exasperation, undid his latest attempt at tying his new tie. As he draped the scarlet and gold silk ribbon around the neck, he strolled from his bath room, through the master bedroom and into the formal dining room. Neville walked over to the dining room’s mantle piece, reached up, and opened the small mahogany swinging door to reveal a framed blank gold canvas. After he cleared his throat, Neville said in a loud voice, “Professor, are you ready to give your report?”

From the left side of the golden backdrop entered the black clothed figure of Professor Minerva McGonagall. She turned to face Neville. Neville watched as the portrait’s gaze passed from his eyes and down to the untied silk dangling around his neck.

After the second’s hesitation, she spoke in her clipped Scottish accent, “While no incidents worthy of note occurred over night, I did notice that Master Vance is spreading gossip from that Skeeter woman’s interview concerning her upcoming book about the Jones girl’s Aunt.” The old women’s painted face looked like she had swallowed something disgusting as she mentioned Skeeter’s name.

Neville, who had read the innuendo filled interview in the previous day’s Daily Prophet, asked, “Did Thaddeus mention Ginny Potter in regards to the gossip?” The portrait shook her head from side to side. “How are the two students that I asked you to keep an eye on doing, Professor?”

“Master Malfoy is a quiet and studious loner. While he, Master Dokes, Miss Rose Weasley and the younger Master Potter are quite sociable with each other. Malfoy does tend to be the group’s fifth wheel, as they say. I must say it was a brilliant stroke of yours to team those four together,” said Professor McGonagall, with a sense of appreciation in her voice.

“And Miss Jones?” Neville inquired; he steadied himself for the answer he suspected would come.

The eyes of the portrait rolled as she said, “I’ve never once seen the lass study. She talks only about Quidditch and she has already alienated most of the girls in her dormitory. And now, with the stories about her aunt, who knows how she’ll react?”

Neville nodded. It was as he’d feared. As he came back to himself, he noticed McGonagall was still in the frame and was looking expectantly at him. He paused and added, “Thank you for your report, Professor. I’ll see you on Saturday morning.”

Minerva McGonagall remained. Finally, she asked, “Longbottom, do you need help with tying your tie?” Neville felt like he was eleven again.

---

With his tie now in a proper Double Windsor, Neville walked down the wide carpeted stairs from the private rooms into the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron’s kitchen. As he approached the kitchen, the enticing smells rising up to him caused his mouth to water and an audible rumble from his ample stomach. Neville turned into the kitchen, the unmistakably pungent odor of a Dirigible Plum muffin was also present.

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite ladies in the whole world,” said Neville as he waved over at Luna. Luna, who was seated at a butcher-block work station holding her mug of Earl Grey over a small plate holding her half eaten muffin, smiled back at him.

Hannah, standing in the middle of the kitchen with her wand flashing, was like she a conductor directing multiple orchestras. Her wand was guiding a half a dozen knives that were chopping, pealing and dicing food on boards in almost a full circle around her. As Neville passed his wife he fought the urge to caress her, because the last time he’d tried it instead of a kiss he had almost lost an ear to an errant paring knife.

Hannah distractedly said, “Morning. Your muffin, fruit salad and coffee are next to Luna.”

As Neville eagerly ate his ‘light’ breakfast, he quietly planned a way to get a sausage sandwich delivered to the green house before his first class while the two women discussed their plans for the day. Luna and Hannah had bonded as friends after Hannah had suffered her first miscarriage. While Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione had been very supportive of Hannah; Luna, in her own special Luna way, had virtually adopted Hannah as a sister. And no one had been happier for Luna than Hannah was, when Luna had finally become pregnant. As a result of their close friendship, Luna had named Hannah and Ginny as joint Godmothers of her children.

“Our new friends spent another whole day just sitting in the pub. They were checking out everybody that entered and left. They stayed all day nursing cups of tea,” said Hannah. Neville sensed she was trying to hide her concern.

“The same two men in green robes?” asked Neville.

Hannah nodded.

“Well, if they come back into the Cauldron send an owl to Ron Weasley’s office. I spoke to him yesterday about this and he told me they’d keep an eye out for your owl,” Neville assured her. After he finished his ‘feast’, Neville said his goodbyes to Luna and walked over to his wife and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

---

Diagon Alley

---

Draco sealed the little bottle of the anti-nausea potion and placed the label with the healer’s instructions on the front. With a flick of his wand, Draco caused the vial to be wrapped and placed into a small paper sack on the counter. The harried mother took the sack containing the vial, placed the Galleon and five Sickles it cost onto the counter and headed out of the door. Draco’s shopkeeper smile persisted long after the echoes of the tinkling bell had died out. In the second full week of the shop’s existence - the first with the sign that Luna had suggested - Draco had noticed a dramatic increase in the foot traffic. If they were very careful, they just might end the week with a profit. The shop’s profit might be measured in Knuts, but it would be a profit. Draco turned toward the work room and found his wife looking curiously out of the work room window at him. Draco with a big grin on his face dropped the six coins from the sale into the cash drawer one at a time allowing each of them to loudly clang against the other coins. Astoria shook her head at her husband and turned to say something to Rebekka Dokes who was also in the work room.

Rebekka was assisting Astoria on the first full batch of Oberon’s Nectar to be delivered to Ollivanders. Rebekka was now working part-time at Astoria’s. She had arrived at the shop in such a desperate need for a job that Astoria, without consulting Draco, had made her a job offer. When he heard what his wife had done, Draco’s shout had almost blown the windows out of the little store.

The certificate Rebekka had from the Ministry of Magic only allowed her to be an assistant to a licensed potion maker. Rebekka agreed to work part time and to defer her salary until the business was profitable. The fact that she had agreed to such an arrangement showed how much in trouble the Dokes family was really in. Last week, Rebekka had been paid in food grown in the gardens of Malfoy Manor. If the potion she and Astoria were working on met Ollivander’s requirements for purity, her next pay might just include some bronze or silver.

As Draco contemplated the thought of a profit, the front door bell tinkled and in walked Isaac Dokes. Isaac was dressed in a jacket over his padded leather handyman’s outfit. He had a temporary job finishing the work on the public rooms above the newly renovated Leaky Cauldron. Astoria had arranged an interview for Isaac with Hannah Longbottom and Longbottom hired him on the spot. The job might be a menial one for a man who was a once a teacher in his native land, but a job was a job.

“So are you going tomorrow?” asked Isaac as soon as he saw Draco.

“Going? Going where?” answered a confused Malfoy.

It was now Isaac’s turn to be confused. “To Hogwarts to see the match,” responded Dokes. Draco’s confusion must still have been evident so Isaac continued his explanation, “The Quidditch match between our sons and the Gryffindor team.”

“Scorpius and Jimber are both Gryffindors. Why would they be playing against the house team? Are you sure you have not confused try outs with a match, Isaac?” asked Malfoy, trying to make sense of what Isaac was saying.

“Jimber sent an owl to us last week. The Quidditch captain closed the team without holding any try outs. So Professor Longbottom arranged a friendly match against a team of first years. Jimber is a bat man,” said Isaac in a long breath. As he finished he pantomimed the swinging of a Beaters bat.

Draco turned toward his wife, who was listening through the back room window; Astoria shrugged. Scorpius had only sent two letters to his parents and neither of them had mentioned Quidditch. Isaac reached inside his light jacket and pulled out of the pocket a flyer and he said, “I got this from Mrs. Longbottom along with three visitor passes to the match.”

As Draco opened the bright scarlet and gold announcement of a game that was just as Dokes had described it. After a listing of the players on the selected team, the members of the first year players were listed like acts on a wall posting:

Goal Keeper �“ Rose Weasley (daughter of two time Hogwarts’ champion keeper)

Chasers �“ Albus Potter (son of English Quidditch Cup and Harpies)

Scorpius Malfoy (son of former three year Slytherin seeker)

Jenelle Gliech (first time player)

Beaters �“ Jimber Dokes (nephew of The Islands Quidditch Cup player)

Margaret Quince (daughter of Muggle Rugby player)

Seeker �“ Kaitlin Jones (daughter of Tornadoes player and niece of Gwenog Jones)

Match Saturday at Noon on Hogwarts pitch

Draco finished reading and looked up into the face of the broad shouldered black man and asked, “You had a family member play for the cup?”

“My brother did. It was the only time that The Island had ever qualified for the Quidditch World Cup. We finished sixty-fourth out of sixty-four,” he reminisced.

“So are you going? Mrs. Longbottom gave me three tickets. I promised Bethany to take her to Hogwarts to see the school. And Rebekka hates Quidditch.” Isaac placed the ducat into Draco’s right hand. He looked down and the ticket seemed to call his name.

Suddenly the ticket was buried under a pair of shop aprons; he looked up to see the two women heading toward the shop’s front door. “The nectar is done and needs to set overnight. So do not meddle with it,” instructed Astoria in a faux stern voice.

“Where are the two of you going?” asked a befuddled Draco.

Astoria stopped and turned to look at her husband, “Well if we are going to open the shop tomorrow morning so you can go and watch the match we deserve a ‘girl’s night out’.” And after that the two women walked through the door donning jackets as they disappeared into the mid-September twilight. Draco smiled and, not for the first time, was thankful Astoria had foolishly agreed to marry him

---

Hogwarts

---

Bethany, Isaac, and Draco arrived via Floo powder at the little office off of the main school greenhouse. The last time Draco had been in this office, he had been here to serve a detention with Professor Sprout for using a tripping hex on Longbottom. As they stepped out of the grate, they were greeted by a tall, very pretty girl wearing a H Head Girl badge on her robe. The girl, one of the Weasley clan, bent down to Bethany and pinned on her lapel a scarlet button imprinted with the gold words Future Hogwarts Student. Bethany looked down at the button and turned toward the men with a face filled with pride.

Upon leaving the office, the trio entered the attached greenhouse. Isaac stopped to examine several varieties of the plants. He noted with surprise a large number of tropical plants that he recognized from his homeland. Draco feigned interest, but all he wanted was to get out of the greenhouses and down to the pitch.

After nearly twenty minutes of examining plants, the little group exited the greenhouse and turned toward the distant hoops. As they walked through the mild September morning sunshine Bethany began to ask questions about the school. The girl’s questions came so fast that Draco had trouble keeping up with her with his answers. Only when the girl asked about the white marble monument by the lake did his answers falter. Even as a seventh year in a school controlled by Death Eaters, he had always avoided going to the part of the grounds which housed Dumbledore’s tomb. Draco blinked and in that second he saw a flash of green and a body blown over the side of the tower.

“We’re at the stands, Draco,” Malfoy heard Isaac Dokes say from a long way away. In his voice, Draco heard Isaac’s concern and found it both a comfort and an intrusion.

“Yes. Of course,” Draco automatically answered as he raised his head to see the towering visitor’s gallery. Bethany sprinted ahead up the wooden stairs, trying to be the first one to seats. The men took steady measured steps up toward the seats. Isaac confided in Draco how glad he was that his wife had made him wear a jumper. Draco smiled and wondered how the Dokes would ever survive their first British winter. Just short of the top, the two men collected the girl, who had run out of breath and was seated on the top step of the next to last flight. Reaching down, the two fathers took the girl by the hands and stepped into the September sunlight.

The pitch’s grass was as green as Malfoy remembered. The brightly colored banners stood out, propelled by a steady breeze around the top of the stadium. Meanwhile, the students were just starting to filter into their seats following what would have been a late weekend breakfast. Bethany, slipped her hands out of the inattentive men’s grips, ran forward to the first row, nearly bowling over Professor Longbottom as he was orchestrating introductions. Upon reaching the front rail, she leaned so far forward that it almost looked like she was going to jump. However, a familiar red haired woman reached forward to pluck the child out of danger. Bethany’s rescuer was Ginny Weasley.

Isaac and Draco quickly stepped down to the front row to retrieve the errant child. Isaac bent down to give his daughter a stern look and words to match. As Dokes was busy, Draco smiled at the red head and realized that introductions would be necessary. As Isaac stood up with his daughter’s right hand now firmly grasped, Malfoy started the introduction using a very formal voice, “Isaac and Bethany Dokes, may I introduce to you Ginny We..err..Potter. Sorry old habits.”

The woman gave Draco a raised eyebrow, and said to Isaac, “Hello, I’m Ginny Potter and that man talking to Professor Longbottom is my husband, Harry.”

Isaac turned and noted the man wearing glasses talking to Neville. After a few seconds, his gaze returned to the woman. Draco, sensing an oncoming silence, added, “Mrs. Potter is in an interesting position; she has one son playing for the house team and a second one playing with our boys.”

Isaac raised his right hand in the air his index finger extended “Potter! Are you the Ginny Potter?” asked the big man. “According to Draco, some days your column is the only reason to read the Daily Prophet.” Ginny turned toward Draco with an expression of mild surprise. Malfoy just shrugged.

“Thanks,” said Ginny. Suddenly Ginny, looking over Bethany’s head in between the two men went visibly ashen and her smile disappeared. Draco followed her gaze and saw the famous form of Gwenog Jones step into the gallery, hand-in-hand with a tall early thirtyish brunette woman. Ginny quickly excused herself and walked over to her husband and took him by the hand. Jones, who had stopped talking to a man who was probably her brother, followed Ginny Potter with her gaze up to moment she took Harry’s hand.

With Ginny Potter gone, Draco’s first instinct was to find a comfortable corner somewhere and avoid the rest of this glorified Gryffindor homecoming. However, Ron and Hermione Weasley had just arrived and joined Longbottom and the Potters. Narcissa’s lifelong droning about keeping up pretenses trumped Draco’s desire to hide. He took Bethany’s hand and proceeded to walk with her and her father into the lion’s den.

Ron Weasley, who was laughing, stopped and gave Draco an icy stare. Draco walked up to Harry Potter and, with a voice so formally pleasant that it almost hurt, said, “Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley, may I introduce to you the family of a teammate of your children, Mr. Isaac Dokes and Miss Bethany Dokes. I’ve already introduced you to Mrs. Potter, Isaac and you already know Professor Longbottom.” Draco fought the urge to bow.

Harry Potter, as always, smiled his maddeningly easy smile and shook Isaac’s hand. The Weasley’s followed Harry’s lead, although it seemed to Draco their introductions somewhat less enthusiastically than their friend’s had been. Not one person in the little group of Gryffindors even acknowledged Draco’s existence, until Harry said, “So, Draco, how did your father react to Scorpius being sorted into Gryffindor?”

Draco forced a little smile. “Not as badly as we feared he would. He had only an overnight stay at St. Mungo’s,” he replied in faux good humor. The whole group, except Isaac, laughed at the comment. Draco, looking for a distraction, noted the two children that had followed the Weasleys into the gallery. “Forgive me for not being up to date, but don’t you have only the two children?” Draco added as he pointed to the boy and girl.

The group turned toward the children, who were both staring at Bethany. Hermione gave a lopsided smile and answered, “We do. The boy is our son Hugo and the girl is his cousin Lily Potter. And I’m no longer Hermione Granger-Weasley anymore just Hermione Weasley.”

“Oh,” Draco said pretending he wasn’t aware of her recent name change. He was interested to see how much the subject would make Ron squirm. He smiled and thought, How nice it is that some things still derived me so much pleasure.

Draco felt Bethany’s little hand pull out of his hand. He watched as the girl and the other two children began to shyly talk. After a few minutes, the threesome was seated in the middle of a second row bench looking at Chocolate Frog cards and talking easily to each other.

“Ah, the young. They make friends so easily by just ignoring the gulfs in between themselves; a good example for us older and wiser heads,” said Isaac. The group nodded and it was obvious Dokes was commenting on the tension he felt in the group of adults.

The Potters and the Ron Weasleys sat on the left end of the second row bench. In the middle of the second row Hugo remained next to Lily who was now talking with Bethany. On the right side of the bench sat Isaac and Draco.

Draco looked around sensed the growing excitement. He was not use to watching others play Quidditch. He found he was nervous for Scorpius and couldn’t wait for the game to begin.

Suddenly a familiar voice came out of the Magical Megaphone: Lee Jordan. Jordan, who was currently an announcer on the Wizarding Wireless Network’s Quidditch broadcasts, announced the first year team: ”Weasley, Potter, Malfoy, Gliech, Dokes, Quince and Jones!” The first years took a lap around the pitch. It was obvious to all that one of the girls could barely stay on her broom and a second one flew at a Knarl’s pace.

Next, Jordan introduced the Gryffindor Selected Team: “Wood, Weasley, Vance, Thistlecrowne, Harris, Woolingsbee, and Potter!” The older players few a tight formation lap. The team seemed to go out of their way to brush against their younger competitors as they flew by.

On the ground in the middle of the pitch, Madame Hooch had the two team captains shake hands. Thaddeus Vance, who towered a good foot and a half over Jones, grasped Kaitlin’s hand at the signal and tried to use his bulk to force her back. She did not give in an inch.

“Good girl,” said a voice from behind Draco. He turned to see Gwenog Jones with a look of pride on her face.

Hooch released the balls. Jimber Dokes and Kaitlin Jones moved in to block Vance and Freddy Weasley as Scorpius swept in to grab the Quaffle. After grabbing the ball, Scorpius began a slow awkward looking retreat toward his own goal. The older Chasers charged straight at him. Just as the defenders arrived, Scorpius made a blind toss to Jenelle Gliech who was slowly flying toward midfield. Dodging a Bludger, Jenelle flew forward veering to her right and drawing Thistlecrowne and Freddy Weasley toward her. As the two players converged on Gliech, she tossed the ball back to the mid field where a streaking Scorpius caught it. Quaffle tucked securely under his left arm, Scorpius sped toward the goal post drawing behind him the all of the other team’s Chasers and a near miss Bludger. As Scorpius dodged the aimed shot, he seemed to lose his balance. However, it was really a crossing pass to Albus Potter who had slipped down-field unmarked. Potter reached above his head to catch the ball and in one motion threw a perfect shot through the left most hoop. The non-Gryffindors cheered.

“Unbelievable,” said Gwenog Jones’.“First Years lead 10 nil.”

The older team counterattacked with a vengeance. With Gliech stuck in the middle of pitch and Malfoy flying low over his broomstick to get back into position the path was open for the attack. Freddy Weasley zigzagged past Quince and hit a wide open Vance with a perfect pass. Rose Weasley angled her broom to cut off the right most hoop from the on rushing Chaser. As Vance approached, Rose moved to cut Vance off from the middle hoop. Draco was impressed. The girl was already a ‘smarter’ player that her father ever had been. Just as Vance was getting his shot ready, a resounding thud was heard in the stands, and Vance dropped the ball. Jimber's Bludger had hit its target perfectly. The red ball tumbled toward the ground until Freddy Weasley scooped it up at approximately knee height and flew straight for his cousin. The two Weasleys seemed to be paired in a little dance with each other, both brooms twitched to the right and back to the left. Freddy launched his shot toward the left hoop and Rose deflected it wide. However, Thistlecrowne retrieved the ball and found the recovered Vance whose shot at the right hoop deflected off Rose’s fingers and through. ”Score tied. 10 to 10.”

The first years scored two more goals before the older team figured out how to defend against the odd attack. Meanwhile, Jimber and Rose put up an amazing defense of the hoops even though they were almost always outnumbered five on two. Jimber seemed to never miss and when his balls struck they seemed to strike with more impact than the other Beaters did. Soon Jimber found himself the target of as many Beater attacks as did Potter or Jones. While watching the game with a former player’s eye, Draco saw that it looked like Jimber had time to wind up before striking with his bat. The fact became obvious, while the boy was hanging near the gallery, Malfoy saw that the Bludger did appear to slow down as it approached Jimber and the wind up caused the ball to almost unseat Thistlecrowne twenty yards away.

Draco was just beginning to analyze the action of the ball when a small hand tugged fervently on his sleeve. He turned to find Bethany Dokes and the Potter girl looking up at him.

“Does Scorpius have any cousins?” Lily Potter asked. Draco was confused by the question.

“Why does it matter?” he replied hoping the annoyance in his voice at her question would keep the girl from asking another one.

“We need someone to marry James. So if Scorpius has a girl cousin, she can marry James,” explained the child. Draco looked down at the program Bethany was holding in her lap. On the page, lines connected Lily to Jimber, Bethany to Albus, Rose to Scorpius and James was unattached. Malfoy shook his head at the girls’ inexplicable activity and turned to face the pitch.

Suddenly, James Potter and Kaitlin Jones streaked past the visitor’s gallery sideswiping each other at about one hundred feet above the ground and in tandem both dove toward the grass field. “That Kaitlin girl, she can marry James,” said one of the small girls near Malfoy.

The adults in the gallery rose as one to follow the dive of the two Seekers who were corkscrewing around each other, flat on their broomsticks with a hand extended over the front of their handle toward a blurry golden ball. Suddenly, both players seemed to launch themselves off their brooms in a final attempt to capture the Snitch. The two players landed side by side with their hands clenched hand-in-hand.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle and quickly flew over to the crash site to see if either of the players needed medical attention. What she saw instead was the Snitch wings feebly flapping between the fingers of both players. Potter seemed to recover from the fall first and began to wrestle the ball out of the girl’s grip. When Kaitlin realized what was happening, she rolled over on top of him and began to twist James’ fingers to get the prize. Hooch repeated blew her whistle, but neither player was going to surrender the prize.

Professor Longbottom took out his wand and waved it. In the middle of the front row of the gallery box appeared a corkscrew shaped slide leading down to the pitch. Longbottom was the first to use the slide to reach the field. Draco and Isaac moved in between the Potters and the Jones in the queue to use the slide. When the adults arrived, Longbottom walked forward and placed his hands over the hands with the ball. Jones and Potter glared at the interruption of their struggle until they realized who had stopped it. The thrashing stopped, but the Snitch was not released by either player. Finally, Professor Longbottom pried the winged ball out of the two Seekers grasps.

Neville and Madame Hooch consulted for about a minute before the referee took the Snitch back to the two young players. By this time all of the players of both teams (except Quince who seemed to be stuck in the middle of the pitch twenty five feet off the ground) had arrived to support their team’s claim to the ball and the victory. Hooch placed the ball in Kaitlin’s hand and waved her wand. The ball remained still and the older players cheered. Next, the grey haired referee placed the golden ball into James Potter’s hand and waved her wand. The ball remained dormant. The first years cheered. Professor Longbottom called over Ginny Potter, Gwenog Jones and her brother Owain into a conference with Madame Hooch. Finally after a two minute consultation, the referee took the hand of James and Kaitlin intertwined their fingers and placed the Golden Snitch inside. She waved her wand and the wings of the Snitch began to flutter.

“A joint catch! One Hundred Fifty points to both teams,” shouted the referee into Lee’s megaphone. “Final Score: Gryffindor team 190 the Challengers 180.” The stadium exploded into a roar and even the Slytherins cheered.

While the game was over, the battle for the Snitch was not. Finally, James appealed to his Head of House, “Tell her Professor! We won, the Snitch is ours!”

“Only half of it is, fetch me a knife and I’ll divide it for you,” Kaitlin said, a warning glint in her brown eyes.

Suddenly, James’ face lit up. He puckered his lips and announced, “Give me a kiss and I’ll give it to you.”

Horrified, Kaitlin released the ball and James raised the Snitch in triumph, until Kaitlin planted her free hand, now balled into a fist, on his chin, knocking him seated to the ground. As the boy attempted to shake the cobwebs out of his head, Kaitlin ripped the Snitch from his hand, shoved it inside her uniform tunic, and stormed off of the field toward the changing rooms.

As Harry Potter extended his hand to help his eldest child to his feet, Ginny Potter turned toward Gwenog Jones and said, “Ah, the world famous Jones subtlety. I’ve so missed it. Are you sure she’s your daughter Owain and not Gwen’s?” Ginny’s comment was light hearted although a bit forced.

Gwenog turned toward her former protégé, and said, “Well the boy is definitely your son. Taking wild leaps without any thought of what happens to yourself or others when you reach ground zero.” Owain Jones looked from his sister back to his former World Cup teammate, awaiting Ginny’s reply.

“Yes, we’ve both done that more than once haven’t we, Gwen?” Ginny said, as she laughed and reached out to her left to pull Harry into the conversation. “Gwenog Jones this is my husband, Harry Potter. The man I loved so much that playing Quidditch became unimportant,” she added. Harry and Gwenog exchanged stiff, but pleasant nods.

Gwenog smiled and reached out her hand toward the brunette she had walked in with. Smiling at the Potters, she said, “Ginny and Harry Potter, this is Giselle LeClaire. The woman I love so much that I’m not coming back next year to play for the Harpies.”

Ginny Potter looked straight at her former mentor and asked, “So Gwen, are you going to let Rita Skeeter twist the truth or are you going out fighting?”

Draco’s watching of the little scene was interrupted by a soft, sad, familiar voice saying, “Father, I’m sorry we lost and that you had to see that.”

Draco was somewhat taken aback by his son’s comment. He had been truly impressed with his son’s effort and raw ability. He also remembered his own father’s biting disapproval after Harry Potter had snatched the Snitch from his just behind his ear in his second year game. Draco pondered for a moment and pulled his son’s bowed head next to his own and said, “Son, I’m proud of you. Sure, we both wish the scores of the game were reversed, but it was five-and-a-half against seven out there. Next season, after a year of practice, I will expect victory. However, today is a day for pride.”

Draco looked to his left and saw Isaac Dokes in a bear hug with Jimber. Such vulgar displays might be fine for them, but they were not Malfoys. Draco grasped his son by the arm and openly congratulated him on his good play. Scorpius was surprised by his father’s un-Malfoy-like public display of emotion and decided never let his grandfather know it had occurred.

After showers and hearty meals, Scorpius Malfoy and his three friends walked back toward the Gryffindor Common Room excitedly reliving their roles in the afternoon’s Quidditch match. As they entered through the portrait hole, Scorpius, Albus and Rose drew their wands out from their robes. The reason for their action was that just in front of the fireplace; Kaitlin Jones hung in the air upside down. A couple of yards away from the girl stood two figures staring up at her: James Potter and the Quidditch Captain Vance. Vance had his wand lifted shoulder high pointing up at the girl.

“When I get down, you’re a dead man, Vance,” the red faced brunette spat in frustration. As he advanced to her aid, Scorpius saw Kaitlin’s hand desperately attempt to reach the seat of an arm chair where her wand laid.

“Give him the Snitch and I’ll let you down,” Vance said.

James Potter looked nervously from the dangling girl back to Vance. “Come on Thaddeus, it’s not worth it,” James said as Scorpius, Jimber, and James’ two cousins pushed their way through a stunned, silent wall of Gryffindors to support their classmate.

As they were breaking through the group of bystanders, Scorpius heard Rose whisper something to Albus. When they arrived, Albus tossed a pair of red seat cushions from a nearby couch onto the floor directly under Kaitlin. Rose pointed her wand up toward the upside down girl and shouted, ‘Liberacorpus.’

Kaitlin fell onto the cushions and, like a trained gymnast, deftly rolled to her feet. Jimber and Scorpius moved side by side between Vance and the still unarmed girl. Scorpius pointed a shaky wand hand toward Vance’s chest. Jimber’s right hand was fumbling in his inside robe pocket for his wand as Vance lowered his stick to match Scorpius’ hand. With a smile on his face, Vance waved his wand and blue light exploded from the tip and flew toward the two boys. The light came within an inch of both Jimber and Scorpius before it was somehow deflected back at its caster. Vance cart wheeled his arms to his side trying to get his balance. However gravity won and he fell over backwards. Kaitlin Jones, now fully recovered, crashed through her male protectors to land on top of her prostrate tormentor and her fists began landing blows.

Suddenly the room was filled with a flash of bright green light and a whooshing sound that caused all to jump. Scorpius turned to see stepping out of the flames was an irate Head of House Professor Longbottom with a linen napkin tucked under his belt. Professor Longbottom silently cast a spell which sent Jones and Vance to opposite sides of the common room.

” What started this?” demanded Longbottom to the room at large.

James Potter, looking anguished, answered, “I did, sir. I wanted the Snitch. It was my first game winning capture.”

“Joint capture,” interjected Jones. At her words, Professor Longbottom raised his right hand to silence the girl.

“She wouldn’t let me have it. Next, Thaddeus came to my aid and it all just got out of hand,” said James Potter, his head bowed accepting full responsibility.

Thaddeus Vance attempted to stand up and fell. Professor Longbottom looked at the three first-years with their wands out. “Who cast the trip jinx?” the Head of House asked in a tired voice.

Albus Potter shook his head. Rose Weasley, in tone of dismissal worthy of her mother, said, “I didn’t cast a trip jinx. I cast ‘Liberacorpus’, something sensible.” Rose and his Head of House both turned to face Scorpius.

Scorpius felt his pulse quicken and he swallowed. “I didn’t cast anything, Vance did. I don’t know a tripping jinx. We haven’t covered them in Charms class,” Scorpius said trying to defend himself. Vance, half way onto his feet, fell to his knees up against a footstool.

“Vance, on your position as the Quidditch Captain, did you cast the trip jinx?” inquired Professor Longbottom.

Vance started to answer. He stopped and finally shook his head up and down. “So, who cast the shield charm?” No one answered Professor Longbottom. Longbottom took hold of Scorpius’ wand, and waved his wand over it. Wisps of light and whispers left Scorpius wand as the Professor watched. The Head of House tried the same with both the wands of Rose and Albus. The results of his examination did not give him the desired result.

After pausing a few seconds, Professor Longbottom turned to the majority of people in the room and announced, “One Hundred points from Gryffindor for fighting.” The students groaned.

Professor Longbottom motioned for Jones to stand next to Vance. The Head of House waved his wand over Vance and the boy was able to stand. Looking sternly at the two combatants, he passed judgment, “Beginning Tuesday, you both will have two hours of detention every night for a week with me. On that day, I will be receiving a large, fresh shipment of Romanian dragon dung that needs to be prepared, by hand, into small batches for use in my classes.” Pausing for a second, the Professor looked Vance in the face and added, “Thaddeus, along with the Prefects, the Quidditch Captain is supposed to be a leader. So in addition, I am suspending you for one game from the Quidditch team. Wood will be the temporary captain and he’ll choose a player to be your replacement.”

Wood, the seventh year Goal Keeper who had walked into the room just behind the four first years, blinked at the unexpected responsibility. Finally, he looked at the first year’s standing in front of him and said, “Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, and Kaitlin Jones report to the pitch tomorrow at five for Chaser tryouts.”

Kaitlin turned toward Albus and Scorpius with a look of extreme confidence on her face and said, “Best if the two of you don’t show up on the pitch tomorrow. So you don’t get embarrassed in front of the whole school.”

Albus looked back at her in return and said, “I’m used to being publicly embarrassed. I mean look at the person I’ve got for a brother.” Kaitlin laughed, picked up her dropped wand from off of the chair and bounced up to the girl’s dormitory.

As Professor Longbottom exited the room through the door, Scorpius saw Vance glare at him as if Vance thought that he had somehow tricked Professor Longbottom. Vance’s look worried him.

.

Draco felt very uncomfortable about dining at the Dokes’ flat. The first reason for his unease was the fact that the Dokes lived in the middle of a Muggle apartment block and being in the Muggle World always had that affect on him. The other reason was that this would be the second time that he and his wife would be the guest of Dokes and there was no way that they could ever repay their kindness by inviting them to his home. His parents would never allow ‘Islanders’ in their manor; to his parents the Dokes were somewhere between the Weasleys and Mudbloods. Draco had argued with them, but some people never listen, so they cannot learn, which means that they will never change.

After he had checked the bronze number plate on the door to make sure it was the correct apartment; Draco shifted the bottle of wine into his left hand and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened and a smiling Bethany Dokes greeted the two adults. The young girl was dressed in an orange calf length dress and in her hair was a red flower. Astoria bent slightly down to gaze into the girl’s eyes and told their little hostess how pretty and grown up she looked. A large grin filled Bethany’s small face.

As Bethany stepped back from the door to allow them to enter, Draco saw Isaac wearing a flowery apron, step out from a behind a wall to greet his guests. Isaac smiled a wide grin and slipped the apron onto a chair back. He walked over to the Malfoys and shook Draco’s hand as he said, “Welcome to our home. You are our first non-Muggle guests.“

Isaac took the bottle from Draco and began to read the label as he escorted the couple into the combination kitchen-dining room. Pausing by the table, Draco, with his wand, conjured a top hat shaped silver champagne bucket on a long legged tripod which was filled with the exactly perfect amount of ice. With a flourish, he took the bottle from his host and placed it in the container to chill.

Rebekka Dokes, wearing a white linen smock over a yellow dress, came forward, and air-kissed Astoria. Draco smiled and quickly offered to the Dokes, “It’s not too late to go to Hannah’s Bistro at the Leaky Cauldron. If you remember, I’m the one who actually invited your family out to eat.

Rebekka just shook her head, “Please, it’s such a rare pleasure to cook for friends. Bethany, child, come over and help me with the meal.” Astoria and Bethany joined the cook in the kitchen part of the room.

As the women left the room. Isaac led Draco into the living room. Draco had expected a room expanded by magic like the Ministry of Magic autos his family had so often used. However, the room was ‘normal’ size. The room was full of plants and art that served as vivid reminders of the tropical home the Dokes had left behind. Across the room prominently displayed, on a small wooden mantle, were three dark stone statues. The largest of the statues was the image of a pregnant woman and her jade eyes seemed to follow you wherever you were in the room. Around the statue’s neck were three silver necklaces with trinkets on them, and sitting against the woman were two smaller figurines: a Griffin and a delicate flower.

Isaac noticed Draco’s study of the statues. “The statues were a fare-thee-well gift from my father. He gave them to us as we were leaving,” he told Draco.

“I’ve never seen anything like them. Did your father sculpt them?” asked Draco.

Isaac laughed loudly and responded, “My father can barely carve butter let alone something like that.”

Just as Draco was about to ask a question about the fine necklaces, Bethany entered the room and announced that the meal was ready. The two men turned and made their way to the table.

“It might be crowded at our little table,” Isaac said apologetically.

“No. Draco, Scorpius and I eat on a table in the kitchen that’s about the same size,” answered Astoria.

“Hannah said you live in a giant Manor House. I always pictured you eating on a big table in a fancy room,” said a surprised Isaac.

Astoria looked over at Draco. He heard her answer from far off, “Draco’s parents eat in there, but we don’t.”

---

Drip, drip. The tears of the pleading woman rolled off her battered face onto her cropped hair and finally fell onto the dark oak table. She begged for Snape to help save her and another shower of tears fell onto the wood. Draco could not look up at her. He knew she was as good as dead, and he hated her for her useless emotional demonstration. The more she cried the longer the Dark Lord would make it drag out, savoring each second of her suffering. Shut up woman! Shut up and let him kill you! As he finished the thought, green light was reflected in a falling tear. Both the tear and the person who shed it fell lifeless onto the table.

---

Draco blinked and saw the other four diners staring across the table at him. He forced a smile and mentally scrambled for cover, “So Bethany, have you and Lily Potter set up a chance for you to be introduced to your future husbands?” Bethany blushed at his comment.

Draco smiled as he energetically told the others about the two girls planning everyone’s marriages. Draco felt his own melancholy lighten as he teased Bethany. Rebekka just smiled and shook her head at her younger child. Astoria contemplated Bethany, leaned down, looked into Bethany’s small face and said, “Do you know what I did when I was eleven at Hogwarts?”

“No,” replied the small girl in a soft voice. The girl seemed to be rising above her embarrassment.

Draco looked at his wife and the sly look in Astoria’s eye worried him.

“I told a third year girl named Pansy Parkinson to leave Draco alone, because he was mine,” Astoria proudly said.

“You never,” asserted Draco.

“I did! Of course, she didn’t listen, the troll. And look who won out in the end,” replied Draco’s wife.

“I know who won. I did,” said Draco grinning as he reached over to take his wife’s hand.

Bethany’s giggles did not break the romantic moment. Astoria did. “We didn’t come here to play patty fingers did we?”

For a second Draco just smiled at his wife. After he finally agreed, Draco pulled out of his vest pocket a folded piece of paper. The note was a draft on the store’s Gringott’s account for all of the back pay Rebekka was owed and handed it to her. The woman looked down at the check and handed it to her husband. Isaac’s brow dropped over his eyes as he looked over the paper.

“Draco, Astoria, the amount is too much,” said Rebekka. “You paid me for more hours than I worked. Remember, you paid us with food the first two weeks I worked for you,” she reminded them.

“You got paid what you are worth. In fact, we would like to make you a full time employee. You can bring Bethany into the shop if it helps,” Astoria spoke.

“A full time position! I appreciate the offer. It’s just that I’m trying to get lessons to become a fully licensed potion maker. However, it’s been impossible to find someone willing to teach me for what I can pay,” answered Rebekka Dokes.

Astoria smiled and asked, “Do you remember me talking about a Hogwarts Professor named Horace Slughorn? Tomorrow on our way to work, we’ll lay in large supplies of Crystallized Pineapple and Oak Matured Meade. And when we get to the shop, I’ll send him an owl.”

“You’re too kind,” said Mrs. Dokes

“Not really. If our store is going to remain profitable, we need you,” asserted Draco, “In this case, our self interest and kindness can both be the same.”

“So, Draco, what will you do with your profits?” asked Isaac.

Draco’s first thought was of a procedure at St. Mungo’s to restore his thinning hair. Astoria answered Isaac, “We are saving for a place of our own. Nothing like Malfoy Manor. A real home.”

The week that preceded the Quidditch match between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors had been full of more than the normal pre-game anticipation. The Hogwarts student body was buzzing with the surprising news that the niece of Gwenog Jones was going to be starting as Chaser for Gryffindor instead of Thaddeus Vance. Another reason for the interest was that the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Gregory Bligh, had been telling everyone who would listen that he had found a fatal flaw in the Gryffindor team during their earlier exhibition match.

On the Saturday of the match, the weather was almost perfect. The temperature was unusually warm with the only thing marring the perfect conditions being a steady crosswind that would place flying skills at a premium over brute strength. Almost from the opening whistle, the Gryffindor Seekers Freddy Weasley and Kaitlin Jones shredded the Slytherin defense with their daredevil flying techniques, scoring goal after goal. Meanwhile, Jones’ manic in their face defensive play caused many dropped Quaffles and rushed passes that always seem to find a Gryffindor player’s hand. At the same time, James Potter seemed to toy with the Slytherin’s Seeker Archer tricking him into making needless dives or blocking him from getting to the Golden Snitch. Finally after three and a half hours of one sided play, James Potter leisurely plucked the Snitch out the air to give Gryffindor a 340 to 40 victory.

The cheering of the students in the Gryffindor common room was almost deafening. Wood made three attempts at his victory speech before his fellow housemates got quiet enough so all could hear him. The speech ended with a salute to the newcomers of the team: James Potter and Kaitlin Jones. Wood raised the pair’s hands into the air and the room was filled with a roar that caused the many of people in the room’s portraits to cover their ears.

As the cheering was dying down, a stooped shouldered figure plodded toward Wood with his right hand extended. The hand held the Quidditch Captain’s badge. Wood’s large toothy smile seem to drain from his face as he saw what was being offered to him.

“Take it. Go ahead and take it,” Thaddeus Vance spoke with a voice full of resignation. Wood just stood there, looking from Vance’s face to the open hand, making no move to grasp the prize.

The badge was snatched from Vance’s open palm, but the intercepting hand was not Wood’s hand. Kaitlin Jones, with fire streaming out of her brown eyes, held the badge up toward Vance’s face and spat out, “You’re quitting? You can’t quit! You are the Quidditch Captain!”

“You’re a better Chaser than I am. Wood led you to victory over our arch rivals,” the boy explained.

“Of course, I’m a better Chaser than you are! So is Albus Potter for what it’s worth. However, Wood can’t be the Quidditch Captain! He’s a good enough Keeper, but he couldn’t lead starving Bowtruckles to wood lice if he had a map,” shouted Kaitlin, her spittle flying.

“Hey!” said Wood in a delayed response to Kaitlin’s comment.

“It’s true Woody,” a smiling Minerva Harris said as she slipped his hand into her hand and kissed Wood on his cheek.

“You’ve trained this team for almost two years. If you leave, they’ll fall apart by the end of the season. Play Beater or sit on the side lines, but if you want us to win the Quidditch Cup you must remain the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain,” Kaitlin finished. The last words of her statement echoed in the now silent room. Smirking at Vance, Kaitlin placed the badge back in the dumbfounded boy’s large hand.

Thaddeus Vance looked each of the team’s players in their eyes as he gauged their response. They were all nodding in agreement at Kaitlin’s declaration. Vance visibly swallowed. He closed his hand on the badge and in a commanding voice said, “Well you lot get to enjoy this until Wednesday evening, because practice begins at six and goes till I’m satisfied.”

The whole team cheered and the rest of the Gryffindors followed suit. A grinning James Potter patted Kaitlin Jones on her back and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. Kaitlin turned to confront the boy, but when she saw his face she realized the true meaning of his gesture and self-consciously smiled over at him.

Scorpius had watched the whole scene in total fascination. Just the other week, Kaitlin had been ready to kill Vance and yet now she had just let him save face. He knew that Grandfather Malfoy would call Kaitlin a weakling for not crushing her enemy under her heal while she had the chance, but he admired her for it. Although, he was not that certain that he could have done the same.

---

The ache in Scorpius’ stomach jarred him awake in the middle of the dark December night. “I shouldn’t have eaten those last two helpings of pie,” he thought as he rubbed his stomach. He carefully undid the hangings of this bed, retrieved his wand from the night stand, lit it and headed for the loo. However, the trip seemed to do him little good. So he decided to go downstairs and wait it out. As he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he found the room barely lit by the last few surviving embers in the fireplace.

As Scorpius got to the bottom of the stairs, a noise caught his attention; it sounded like a snore coming from one of the cushy arm chairs in front of the fireplace. As he walked around to stand by the fireplace, Scorpius saw a small form curled up in the chair. At the sleeper’s feet was a textbook, and scraps of parchment were scattered on both the adjoining table and the carpeted floor. Adjusting his wand, he let the light fall across the face of the sleeping Gryffindor. It was Kaitlin Jones.

Kaitlin erupted from her sleep and blurted out, “Who’s there? What time is it?” She sat up using her knuckles to rub the lids of her eyes.

Scorpius pointed his lit wand at the mess on the floor. “What’s all this?”

“Nothing,” she responded very defensively, “I’m studying for the end of semester Charms’ test.”

Scorpius picked up a page from the floor and started to read it. The notes were about the levitation spell. Kaitlin’s notes were incomplete, incorrect and in places illegible. “The third line is wrong; it’s swish and then flick. You’ve got them backwards.”

Kaitlin snatched the page back from him, searched for a quill amongst the mess on the table, and corrected the notes. As she was scribbling, he started reading the next page from off of the floor. The quality of these notes was on a par with the previous one; mistake after mistake, jumped off the page at him.

“Thanks,” Kaitlin started to say until she saw him perusing the second sheet. “Hey! Give that back,” she said as she reached for the paper.

Scorpius pulled the page away from her hand. “You can study this forever and still not pass the test. By the way the spell is Wingardium Leh-vi-oh-sah not Levisosa. You need to write spell names phonetically,” he advised. Kaitlin looked confused by his advice. “Phonetically means to spell it the way it sounds.” She seemed to get it. “Jones, tomorrow, first thing before breakfast, wait here and I’ll get Weasley,” Scorpius instructed.

“Weasley? Which one?” she asked.

Scorpius was startled by her question. “Rose, of course,” he replied. It was funny that she was the only member of that large family he ever thought of. Kaitlin, who had been looking at her mess, started gathering it up and shoving it all back into her book bag. Scorpius helped her as much as she would let him, and the two walked to the stairs together.

---

Malfoy Manor

---

Draco heard his name bellowed from the room beyond the kitchen door. He looked up from his reading of Ginny Potter’s interview of Gwenog Jones in the Daily Prophet to see Astoria’s pinched nervous face. He calmly folded the paper, reached out his right hand to touch his wife and attempted to assure her.

“Not much longer.”

Astoria’s respondent sigh was drowned out by the second shouting of his name. Draco stood up, carefully adjusted his vest, straightened his tie, and walked through the door into the large oak-paneled formal dining room.

“Finally,” Lucius Malfoy spat out, “there’s an idiot in my fire. Tend to it.”

Draco nodded to his father and walked around the large oak table to face the double fireplace. Neville Longbottom’s face peered out of the green flames. Draco wondered how much of his father’s tirade his landlord had overheard.

“How may I be of service to you, Longbottom?”

The last words of his greeting were almost drowned out by the loud clanking of a bell from the head of the table. Draco bit his tongue and awaited a response from the face in the fire.

“Sorry to interrupt your family’s breakfast, Draco. However an incident has occurred that might affect the potions shop. The Magical Law Enforcement officers would like you to be present to hear the witness’ statement. Can you come via floo powder to the Cauldron?’

Behind him, Draco heard Astoria enter the dining room to answer the bell. Without any greeting, his father said, “Fetch me the marmalade from the kitchen.” Draco could sense the heat of his wife’s anger more pronouncedly than the heat of the flames containing Longbottom’s image.

“Give me a few minutes and we will be there directly, Mr. Longbottom. I’m sorry if anything you heard…,” said Draco let his voice trail away.

“See you soon, Malfoy.”

Draco stood up and turned toward the large table just as his wife returned from the kitchen, a crystal jar filled with orange marmalade in her right hand. Draco intercepted his wife, took the jar from her and slammed it down on the end of the long table with a bone-jarring force.

Lucius and Narcissa looked down the long table at their son and the girl. Lucius sat his knife in hand, focused on the distant jar. After a few deep breathes, he laid the knife down on his plate, with an annoyed expression on his face, picked up his wand off the table and waved it toward the distant jar. Draco held the jar in place, fighting off the magical summoning. He did not try to hide a smile as he saw the color in his father’s face redden.

“Draco!”

His father’s voice was filled with menace. Draco met his father’s glare with a look of stony confidence.

“My wife’s name is Astoria. She is not ‘girl’, nor ‘you’, nor your personal servant. Astoria is the mother of your grandchild, and you will stop treating her this way!” shouted Draco.

Lucius, making exaggerated motions with his head, looked up to the ceiling and around the room. “Excuse me, Draco,” he purred, “But this is still my house. And I will address her in any manner that I wish to.” The smug look on his father’s face caused something in Draco to snap.

“Well, enjoy this Christmas with Scorpius, Father. It will be the last one you will ever spend with him,” Draco said, letting ice fill his voice. And, with his words frozen in the air, he led his wife to the fireplace, opened the ivory jar on the mantle piece, removed a handful of powder and tossed it into the grate. “Leaky Cauldron,” he shouted, and he, Astoria, and the jar of marmalade all disappeared.

---

Leaky Cauldron

---

Draco stepped out of the grate. Just as he was getting orientated, he found himself the recipient of a deep and passionate kiss. Astoria touched her forehead to his forehead and, as she pulled back, whispered, “I love you.”

Draco turned to find a perplexed Neville Longbottom and a smiling Luna Lovegood, who was talking to a young man in light blue robes.

“What has happened, Neville?” Draco asked, peering at Luna and the stranger.

“Luna stopped in for our normal morning breakfast. She left out the back to go to Ollivanders and found two men trying to open the wall. They attempted to force her to open the way into Diagon Alley. They also asked her about the location of your shop,” Neville whispered.

Draco turned his attention from Neville to what Luna saying. “So I sent my Patronus into the Leaky Cauldron to get Neville, and he came out with his wand at the ready. One of the men pulled a pretty violet orchid from inside his robes and the other one produced a small animal talisman. The two men grasped both items and disappeared.”

“Mrs. Scamander, can I temporarily borrow your memory so we can prepare a proper description of the suspects?” asked the interrogator.

Draco was confused until he realized that he had never heard Luna’s married name. Luna agreed to the request and a silvery thread of memory stuck to the tip of the Auror’s wand as he drew out from her blonde head. The Auror dropped the strand in a palm size cauldron and out from the small cup rose the image of two muscular black men with matching facial scars, wearing green robes emblazoned with two silver symbols: a griffin and a small flower.

Draco inhaled and dropped the jar of marmalade onto the stone floor of the Leaky Cauldron. The Auror and Neville turned toward Draco. Draco walked over to get a better view of the image. The embroidered symbols on the robes matched the two tiny sculptures on the Dokes’ mantle.

Scorpius awoke early the next morning. He dressed quickly and was the first Gryffindor to arrive in the common room. He did not want to miss Rose when she came down from her dormitory. However, Kaitlin Jones was the first of the two girls to arrive at the bottom of the stairs. She was less agreeable to his plan than she had been the night before. After a couple of quick exchanges, he was able to get her to agree to wait by the fireplace chairs. Rose, who had walked down the steps talking to Jennell, froze at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Scorpius standing there. Jennell gave a Rose a little push in the back toward Scorpius that earned Jennell an angry look from her friend. Scorpius wondering what was up with the two of them. Rose waved to the giggling Jennell, who walked over to the portrait hole to watch. Rose leaned toward him wearing a timid smile and softly said, “Good morning, Scorpius. Do you need want to talk to me about something?”

”Yes, I need your help with Kaitlin,” he replied.

Rose’s smile disappeared being replaced by a look of hurt. Seeing the inexplicable change in her attitude, he quickly explained to Rose about his coming down the stairs, reading Kaitlin’s worthless class notes, and how he thought she was the only person who could help Kaitlin.

Rose folded her arms across her chest. “And how do you want me help her?” Rose responded with a surprisingly forceful question.

Scorpius stammered his answer, “I thought maybe she could sit next to you and Albus. You could show her the best way to take class notes and stuff.” Scorpius wondered at Rose’s glare, but as he explained what he wanted her to do the hard look in her eyes seemed to soften.

“Well as long as that is all you want me to do,” Rose slowly answered in a distrustful tone of voice.

“Why? What did you think I was going to talk to you about?” he countered.

“Nothing!” Rose’s voice was ice again.

Scorpius looked into her face and wondered what had happened to make her react this way to him.

“Hello!” Kaitlin shouted as she waved her hand between Scorpius and Rose, “No one has asked me about any of this. I’m not moving down front to the Geek’s row with Weasley and Potter.” Kaitlin glared at Scorpius like he had insulted her.

Rose shot an angry look at both Scorpius and Kaitlin and marched toward the portrait hole to join her friend. Just before she got to the exit, Rose turned and shouted so the whole room would hear her, “All right, don’t let me help you. You can fail as far as I’m concerned. You can lose your spot the Quidditch team. Albus can take your place. You’re the one who will have to explain it all to Vance. I don’t care.” And with that, she turned her back on the pair, waved her hand dismissively over her head, and strolled out the door.

”I don’t need a babysitter,” Kaitlin growled, and she went two steps out of her way to bump into him and mumbling insults about him, she followed Rose out of the common room.

As Scorpius watched the Kaitlin girl leave, he heard two familiar laughs. Scorpius turned to the middle of the common room to see Jimber and Albus barely able to remain standing as they were laughing at the fiasco.

In between guffaws, Jimber said, “There’s an old saying on the Island: a man who tries to help an alligator always ends up losing at a finger.”

‘I understand Jones. I mean, she’s always been difficult; but what’s up with Rose? She acted like I was mean to her or something,” Scorpius said to his friends as he raised his arms questioningly.

“Well, it’s a long story. When she got her book list, James came over to thank her because he thought he would never have to study again. He said all he would have to do was hand her his assignments and Rose would give him all of the answers. She socked him,” Albus said, with a growing grin.

Jimber, sporting a big smile, added, “I think you’re wrong, Albus. Do you know why I think Rose was so mad at our boy?”

”No,” responded Albus. Jimber whispered something into Albus’ ear so softly that a straining Scorpius could not hear a word he was saying. Whatever Jimber had whispered caused an explosion of laughter from the pair.

”What did he say? Come on, tell me!” plead Scorpius to the boys. Scorpius followed his friends down to the Great Hall for breakfast, but they continued to refuse to share the joke.

---

Leaky Cauldron

---

Draco and Astoria were about finished with their cups of coffee and small sticky buns, when the front door of the Leaky Cauldron opened. As the door closed, they saw the heavily bundled forms of Isaac and Rebekka who had just arrived at the Leaky Cauldron after their normal trip on the Muggle tube. Isaac and Rebekka stopped in the doorway peeling off the layers of winter clothes and talking to each other, but froze as they saw their welcoming committee of Hannah Longbottom, Draco and Astoria Malfoy and a strange man in light blue robes.

Auror Beren Sterling, as he introduced himself, motioned for the two Dokes to sit down at a table in front of him and placed a strange small cauldron on the table in between them. As the cauldron was being placed, Isaac eyes darted over to Draco possibly looking for some reassurance. Draco found he could not quite meet his friend’s eyes. Without any preliminaries, the blue robed Auror waved his wand and the image of the two men who had accosted Luna Scamander that morning appeared ghostly above the mouth of the cauldron. Rebekka grasped hold of her husband’s arm and with a voice filled with fear said, “Maliaites.”

Isaac dropped his head as if to gather himself. He visibly swallowed and looked up to face the crowd. In turn, he focused on Hannah, Draco, and Sterling. And in a hoarse voice said, “We’ve got something to tell you.”

---

Hogwarts

---

Albus, Jimber, and Scorpius all got to Defense Against the Dark Arts class late because of James Potter’s attempt at a practical joke. The trio was still snickering about how lame James had to be to hex himself, when they noticed that two of the three seats in the middle rows that they usually occupied were already filled with Rose Weasley and Kaitlin Jones. The boys stopped and looked at each other. Finally, Scorpius and Jimber moved up front to the ‘geek’s row’ and Albus sat at the table next to his cousin.

As Scorpius made his way to his seat, he heard Vestara Vesper, a brunette Slytherin girl, say loud enough for the whole class to hear. “I’d watch it, Weasley. According to Rita Skeeter, Jones girls have a thing for young Weasley girls.” The Slytherin girls roared with laughter.

Scorpius had just turned to ask the girls what was up, when into the class walked Professor Dawlish. Dawlish walked up to the lectern, turned toward his class, and then paused looking confused. After searching through his leather briefcase and the shelves inside the lectern, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wand, and waved it. In a matter of seconds a foot long scroll came floating into the class room and most of the Slytherins in the back of the class snickered. Today was not the first time that the Professor had forgotten his class notes. Rumor had it that a former Headmaster, Dumbledore, had cast so many spells on him that it had had a permanent effect on his memory. Dawlish’s bad memory had gotten him bounced out of the Auror’s office, and then Headmistress McGongall had hired him for the D.A.D.A. post.

However, when Professor Dawlish announced the subject of this class everyone sat up straight. Today, they were going to learn a new spell: Expelliarmus. As Scorpius sat taking notes on the spell, he heard the hushed voice of Rose Weasley helping Jones with her notes. Every so often, Rose would whisper, Jones would make an exasperated noise and a scratching of a quill filled his ear.

After explaining the nature of the spell to the class, Professor Dawlish gave the students time to place their notes back into their bags. As the bags were placed by the door, the students began to excitedly talk. The last class before the Christmas break would also be the first D.A.D.A. class in which they would use their wands! Dawlish made a long swish with his wand and the classroom desks disappeared and left behind a large empty space in the middle of the room.

To make things ‘interesting’, the teacher proposed to mix the participants up. Gryffindors and Slytherins were to be teamed up for the demonstration of the disarming spell. Scorpius was partnered up with the Zabini girl. She glared at him, pointed her wand at him and silently mouthed the word, ‘Boom’. Jimber was teamed up with Mars Pyter, a snarling brunette boy with a pronounced double chin.

Dawlish requested that all of the Gryffindors were to go first followed by all of the Slytherins. However, Rose Weasley, who was partnered with Vestara Vesper, objected, “Please, sir, it would make more sense, wouldn’t it, for every other person to perform the spell. That way we could see the results much more plainly.”

“I don’t see why, Miss Weasley,” Professor Dawlish responded. The answer was obvious to Scorpius. If all of the Gryffindors went first then they would be ‘defenseless’ to the Slytherin’s attacks. Scorpius looked over at the line of Slytherins and saw that Rose’s request had been as transparent to them as it had to him. The look in Vesper’s eye made him wince for Rose.

Scorpius, who had been taught all of the basic spells by his Grandfather before leaving for school, performed the best amongst the Gryffindors, causing Zabini’s wand to fly across the room. Rose had Vesper’s wand bouncing around her hand for a few seconds before it rested back into it’s owner’s hand. The rest of the lions got little or no results from their attempt.

The Gryffindors all tensed waiting to see what the now-free Slytherins would do to them. “Three, two, one,” Dawlish counted down. The grinning Slytherins shouted and spells shot forth. Baird’s and Quince’s wands flew across the room. Rose’s scream of pain was drowned out by the window rattling from a blast of red light which flattened the students opposite of Albus, Jimber, and Scorpius.

---

The three boys sat next to each other on a long low bench which was opposite of the open entrance door to the Headmaster’s office. Scorpius looked to his left to see Professor Longbottom flanking Albus Potter. In the middle was Jimber, and next to Scorpius at the end the right end of the bench was Professor Slughorn. The boys heard Professor Dawlish explain all that had lead up to incident. The School Nurse gave the Headmaster an update on the condition of Zabini and Pyter, who were still in the Hospital Wing, Rose, who had been bat-bogeyed and was back in the dormitory resting, and Grindus, a distant Malfoy cousin, had also been treated and released.

According to the testimony, Pyter, Grindus, and Zabini had also attempted the bat-bogey hex, not the disarming spell. The question was what had been the source of the explosion. As they waited, two Aurors were in the classroom gathering evidence and would report their findings. The boys just looked at each other. The five sat on the bench like they had forgotten how to speak. However, Scorpius would not have known what to say even if the two men had not been present.

When their investigation was complete, the Aurors, Sterling and Smith, the two Heads-of-House of the students involved, and the three boys entered Headmaster Flitwick’s office.

As they entered the Headmaster climbed out of his chair and onto a platter and it floated him around to the front of his desk so he could face his visitors. The two Aurors examined the boys’ wands and Smith announced, “The only spells cast were the disarming spells.”

Flitwick floated at the boys’ shoulder height, back and forth in front of the group. “I know of no charm or hex that could have caused this? Do you?”

Auror Smith nodded his head in agreement, but Sterling hesitated. Flitwick noticed the pause and flew to where he was standing eye-to-eye with the tall man. Sterling, caught off guard by Flitwick’s action, took a half step back before catching himself.

“Auror Sterling?” asked Flitwick.

Sterling looked down the line toward Jimber and back to his partner Smith. “Well Headmaster, I’m working another case,” Sterling said after clearing his throat. “And well the thing is that the parents of the Dokes’ boy are under investigation for possibly receiving stolen goods and smuggling contraband into the country.” Scorpius saw Jimber lean forward and turn toward the man with an anguished look on his face.

“Headmaster, have you ever heard of the Maliaites?” asked Auror Sterling.

Flitwick’s bushy eyebrows rose on his face as he said, “Mr. Dokes, are you wearing a talisman or necklace of some kind?” For a second, Jimber just stared at his Headmaster, then as comprehension dawned, he pulled forth out of his robes a silver necklace dangling the image of a Griffin standing on a plant.

“What is it?” asked Professor Longbottom.

“The Maliaites were the most fascinating African wizards. They were second only to the Goblins in their metal craft. They were famous for their powerful Vardoo talismans which were also as beautiful as jewelry,” said Flitwick, the teacher replacing the disciplinarian for a minute.

Flitwick took the necklace. He waved his wand over it while he said an incantation, then he returned the necklace to Jimber and said, “The necklace appears to be a hex reverser.”

“Vance’s tripping spell,” said Scorpius.

“James’ hex,” added Albus.

Jimber held the necklace up to the light and said, “My Grandfather gave it to me just before we left the Island. I didn’t know.”

“It could be that he did not either. Our wands make our spells more powerful than free-cast spells are. A talisman like this in a wand carrying world would be a major danger,” the small man added. “Imagine if Tom Riddle had had one of these?” Sterling’s eyes grew wide.

“Professors Slughorn and Longbottom do you have anything to say or comment on?” Flitwick asked. The two teachers shook their heads from side to side. Flitwick turned toward Sterling. “Do you want take the talisman?”

Smith chimed in, “I’m not certain, sir, and you know how much of a stickler old man Potter can be about taking people’s property.”

Sterling elbowed his partner and nodded with his head toward Albus. Smith looked very nervous. Finally, Sterling took the necklace and the two law enforcement officers left the office.

Flitwick lowered his platform until he looked the boys in the eyes, “Since no active action caused the explosion you will receive no detention. However, Mr. Dokes, you will have your luggage and person searched for any more such artifacts. If any more are brought into this school, it will mean immediate expulsion. Do you understand?”

Jimber nodded and the boys silently headed toward their dorm.

---

London Ministry of Magic

---

Isaac Dokes fidgeted as he sat holding hands with his wife. Without looking up he said, “Weasley, he was the man married to the bushy haired woman. It was their son who played with Bethany at the match.” Draco nodded as he looked up toward the grey haired bespectacled woman sitting at the desk that was between the foursome and the door to Ronald Weasley’s office. “He doesn’t like you.” Isaac’s comment was a statement not a question.

Malfoy inhaled, gave Astoria a look out of the corner of his eye, and scratched the corner of his lip, “Weasley, Hermione Granger, and I have a long history. We were adversaries in school. They got married about the time Astoria and I did. She at least accepts my existence. As for him, I doubt he ever will.” Draco’s voice trailed off.

“Why? What did you do to him?” tentatively asked Rebekka.

“My Aunt Bellatrix tortured his wife, Hermione, in the sitting room of my parent’s house. My aunt was scared. My Aunt was trying to force information out of her. When she was done, Bellatrix told Weasley that she would turn Hermione over to a werewolf to be devoured,” Draco said in a flat voice.

“So, this Weasley watched his wife getting tortured,” said Rebekka Dokes with a choked gasp.

“No, he was locked in another room. But he could hear everything. Now you know why Astoria and I have to get our own place. That place has too many memories and regrets,” Draco said looking at his feet.

A flicker of light came out from under the door and danced on the assistant’s desk. “You will be seen shortly,” the woman said.

The Malfoys were here because they had received an urgent owl to come to the Ministry. Draco and Astoria had been summoned to Ronald Weasley’s office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. When the Malfoys had opened the office door, they found the Dokes already in the Waiting Room.

To Draco’s surprise, when the door of the office opened, the person who walked out of the room was, not Ronald Weasley, but Harry Potter. Potter was dressed in casual Muggle attire, not in an official uniform. The two couples entered the office to find Ronald Weasley, also in Muggle clothing, standing in front of his wooden desk. Weasley pointed to the four chairs against the far wall.

Potter looked over at Weasley and then said to the newcomers, “An incident occurred at Hogwarts today.”

Astoria and Rebekka both stood up out of their chairs. Astoria took a step toward Potter and asked, “Scorpius, is he all right? Jimber?”

Harry Potter raised a hand toward the concerned women, “Everyone, including my son Albus, is fine. “ As the women re-seated themselves, it was obvious too all the mothers not totally mollified. Potter explained what had occurred earlier in the day during the D.A.D.A. class.

“If the boys are not injured, and no charges are being brought, why are we here?” said Draco, addressing his comment toward Potter and ignoring Weasley.

“It’s the taint, is it not?” said Isaac Dokes in a flat resigned voice.

“Taint?” Astoria asked, looking at Rebekka not the two law enforcement officers.

“When a Maliaite defensive talisman is triggered, it leaves a magical residue on those in the vicinity. The taint is a secondary weapon, so the attackers can be tracked down and dealt with by the wearer or their family,” answered Rebekka, facing her friend.

“We know from witness descriptions, that the two green robed wizards have been seen in Hogsmeade,” added Ronald Weasley. “It is lucky that the Dokes boy, Jimber, is not old enough to visit Hogsmeade yet. It is why we chose to wait to confiscate the necklace.”

“Yes, a brilliant plan Weas…” The phrase Weasel-King caught in Draco’s angry throat. “Mr. Weasley,” he finished glaring at Weasley.

“Draco,” said Astoria, taking his hand to steady him. Again, turning to the Dokes, Astoria asked, “How long does the taint last? Is there a counter spell or potion to undo it?”

Rebekka twitched and looked at her husband. He sighed and answered, “Normally, two or three days, depending on the number of attackers and the severity of the attacks. It sounds like the necklace repelled at least three separate attacks. It could be a week or maybe two.”

“That’s what Headmaster Flitwick thought. So it looks like none of us will be having a ‘normal’ Christmas,” finished Potter, looking at the four people across the office.

Draco blinked, getting his bearings, after the he and Astoria arrived via the special Ministry Portkey that Headmaster Flitwick had arranged. As his eyes focused, he saw Lily Potter and Bethany Dokes staring up at a tapestry of tutu-wearing trolls. The two girls began to laugh and spin on their toes with her hands forming a crescent over their heads. Draco turned to his left to find the Potters and the Dokes chatting with the four boys. Draco and Astoria joined the other parents.

As the Malfoys exchanged greetings with the others, Neville Longbottom wearing his teacher’s robes, walked down the hallway. “Well, it seems that five students are not going home for the holidays. So for your protection and the students’ protection you will have to stay here,” Neville said pointing to the blank wall.

Isaac Dokes spoke up, “We are to camp in a cold, breezy hallway?”

“No, Isaac. He means we will be staying in the Room of Requirement,” said Draco, who could hear the hollowness of his own comment. Draco found his legs taking him away from the place he knew the door to be and toward a familiar spot on the wall next to the tapestry.

Draco’s comment had not helped Isaac. So Longbottom continued the explanation, “The room is a magical place that takes the size, shape and form of whatever the user requires. It once became a hideout for dozens of students. The room can provide everything you need except for food. Luckily, we have the best staff of House-elves in Britain.”

Rebekka turned and, with a voice full of almost a regal authority which Draco had never heard from her, said, “No! Islanders are the children of slavery; we do not abide servitude in any form. Do what you want, but no slave will serve my family.”

Draco saw Neville give a little bow toward the tall woman, “As you wish. I meant no disrespect.”

Rebekka nodded in acceptance of the teacher’s apology.

“I happen to know that all of the Hogwarts House-elves were offered their freedom after Voldemort’s defeat. Only a handful of them took their freedom, but ever year on Albus Dumbledore’s birthday they are all offered the opportunity to take clothes,” Harry Potter explained.

Astoria chimed in, “Perhaps we could have some freed elves bring us food up from the kitchen’s pantry so we that could prepare our own meals.”

Professor Longbottom nodded in agreement to Astoria’s comment. Rebekka smiled at Astoria and said, “I think we can live with that.”

As the Potters and Dokes gathered around Professor Longbottom with requests for what their lodgings should be like, Astoria walked over to Draco who was seated on the floor, back against the stone wall with his knees raised. As she bent down, her long black hair fell from her shoulders and she asked, “Draco? What’s wrong?” He gave no response. She smiled invitingly and she reached down to touch his forehead with the palm of her hand. “Come. We must describe our home for the holidays.”

“You go ahead. Where-ever you and Scorpius are is home enough for me. Well, not the manor, any place but the manor,” Draco answered, not looking up at her.

As Draco watched his wife join the women and girls who were bombarding Longbottom with their requests, the boys chased each other up and down the hallway. James tripped his younger brother, Draco realized that Harry Potter was watching him. Not wanting Potter to consider him weak, Draco stood up, adjusted his vest and tie, and walked toward the pack of women.

Harry intercepted him about half way to his target. “Are you okay, Draco?” asked Harry.

“Why wouldn’t I be!” he answered too forcibly. Potter pulled his head in like a tortoise. Draco realized his err and added, “Sorry. It’s just that Crabbe died in there. I half-expected to be greeted by his ghost. I can almost smell the smoke. Silly, huh?”

“No. My dreams were haunted by the images of the dead for months after the battle,” Harry admitted.

“Did you know that his father died in the battle too? He got stepped on by a giant or something. When Vincent’s mother heard the news, she went mad. She stayed with us at the manor until she…” Draco let the tragic story end there.

“At the manor?” Harry repeated letting Draco talk.

“She was my father’s cousin. All pure-bloods are cousins…Weasley and I, for instance,” said Draco now focusing on Potter’s face. “Funny, I can talk with you about this, but not with Astoria.”

Harry shrugged and answered, “We are like old soldiers from the same war. Only we can truly understand what the other one went through.” Draco found his head bobbing in tacit agreement.

As the two men turned to join the harried Longbottom, Draco said, “Your boy, Albus, flies almost as well as his mother did. However, your older son is not a Seeker. He doesn’t have your focus. I’d say he’s a Chaser also.”

“I agree, but you try telling James that. Now, Scorpius has the talent and the focus to be either. He might need a year or two of seasoning. Although, I think the Jones girl will be the Seeker for as long as she wants to. Do you think Flitwick will let Gryffindor have two teams?” Harry asked Draco, as a hallway appeared in the stone wall across from the tapestry. In the new hallway were three wooden doors.

Astoria walked over to him holding an old fashioned looking skeleton key. She handed it to Draco. Outside of the opening day of the shop, he had not seen her look so relaxed and relieved. She seemed more beautiful than he had seen her in years. The change in his wife caused an involuntary swallow. He was suddenly nervous about not ruining this holiday for her.

Draco walked to the farthest right of the three doors, inserted the key and turned it. The door’s lock clicked and with a turn of the handle it slowly began to open. Draco reached into his pocket to get his wand so he could move the trunks, when he heard Astoria clear her throat. He stopped and turned over toward her. She was looking at him like he had forgotten something.

Draco’s mind raced. The number on the key had matched the door, so he was not in trouble about that. The key was still in the lock, but that wouldn’t merit a throat clear. What have I done wrong this time? He looked back at her with his please give me a clue look. Astoria sighed and lifted up her cloak like she was beginning a folk dance. Surely, she didn’t want to dance? They hadn’t danced since their tenth anniversary. Oh no! She really can’t expect me to do that? Not here! Not in front of these people! He shook his head toward her and mouthed, “No.”

Draco saw her lips purse and her eyes narrow. “Please, no!” he almost begged. From her reaction to this comment, he had one chance to get this right. Stealing a glimpse to the side, he saw Rebekka holding court with Longbottom and the Potters. Maybe he could pull this off without being seen.

Draco walked up to Astoria, made a sweeping motion with his arms across his waist as he bowed deeply and said, “Milady.” Hoping his back would not act up, he reached down to pick his wife up into his arms and headed toward the threshold. The way she caressed his neck with her arms meant he had gotten the hint in time.

Suddenly, he heard running footsteps and high pitched giggling. The pair of girls had seen them and was gawking at them. Maintaining as much of his Malfoy dignity as possible, he stepped through the doorway and as the door closed he heard Harry Potter say, “Don’t even think about it.”

The room that he walked into was not Malfoy Manor nor was it Astoria’s childhood home. The room was bright and airy filled with pine wood scents and had a modern, Muggle feel. Draco let his wife down to the floor and turned around, appraising his wife’s choice.

“It’s a house just north of Tinworth. It was featured in a ‘Witch Weekly’ article last month,” she probed Draco. Draco felt a smile spread across his face. He reached over and kissed her on the cheek.

---

Christmas morning was unlike any Christmas Draco had ever experienced. Astoria’s shocked smile at the necklace he had brought her and Scorpius’ excited opening of his own broom was worth all of the scheming he had put in to figuring out how to pay for them. Astoria’s gift to him was a silken robe, which he knew had been a gift she had gotten for her father before his death last summer. The robe fit well enough and was appreciated, along with a special I.O.U. he found from her in the pocket.

Just as he was considering when he should take advantage of the I.O.U., the door resounded with the pounding of the knocker. Scorpius opened and in entered the Potter brothers and Jimber Dokes with their presents to compare to his. The unfamiliar noise of yelling, running boys filled the air; the room was in anarchy. Draco looked at the mayhem and thought, “This is not how Malfoys observe Christmas. Christmas is a time of dignity and quiet reflection. Christmas is for feasting and family not this.”

At eleven o’clock, the Malfoys shut and locked their door. With Scorpius in the lead, the family walked next door to the Potter’s room. Scorpius did not wait to knock on the door; he just entered. His parents stopped at the threshold and knocked on the door frame to announce their presence.

“Come in,” said Ginny Potter, who was standing at a counter with Rebekka Dokes.

“Happy Christmas to all,” Draco and Astoria said to the two women who were preparing food for lunch on a counter top of a bright, rustic country kitchen.

“Happy Christmas,” Ginny replied. “The men are hiding from work in the living room,” she added, motioning toward the adjacent room. Draco stepped through the doorway while Astoria stayed with the other two women to do whatever witches do when no men are present.

On a table in front of the large couch, Isaac and Bethany were being showed a new doll house by an excited Lily Potter. Isaac noticed Draco and welcomed him with, “Happy holidays, Draco.”

Draco, who had learned from Rebekka that Islanders did not celebrate Christmas per se, answered, “Happy holidays, Isaac. Happy Christmas, Harry Potter.”

Harry, who had just taken in a swallow of coffee, waved in response to Draco’s greeting.

After about fifteen minutes of small talk with Isaac and Harry Potter, Draco began to focus on the floor where Scorpius and Albus were playing chess. Scorpius, who had easily dispatched Jimber, was now well on his way to defeating the uncertain Albus, when, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a young woman with her arms full of brightly wrapped packages walk into the room. He watched as the girl walked around the couch, approaching Scorpius from behind and taking the longest way possible to the Christmas tree. Just as she walked past Scorpius, she purposely tilted the stack to the left, causing two small boxes to fall next to him. “Oops! Sorry,” said Rose Weasley.

Scorpius flinched as the boxes bounced next to the board. Draco saw his son roll on his side, mouth open, as if he was going to admonish the owner of the packages. When he saw who it was, Draco saw a smile spread across his son’s face at the sight of the girl. Scorpius quickly scrambled to his feet and he grabbed the two presents saying, “You dropped these?”

“Oh, thank you. Could you help me get these over to the tree, Scorpius?” she asked. Scorpius escorted the girl to the Christmas tree in the corner. As they arrived at the tree, Rose laid the presents in her arms under the tree. She turned to face Scorpius and asked, “Having a happy Christmas?”

“Yeah, so far anyway,” he shyly said, as he handed the first present to Rose.

Rose accepted the present and looked Scorpius in the face. “The other day in the common room, I really didn’t mean to yell at you like that. It’s just that-” she began, but then Albus stood up and spoke in a loud falsetto to the room at large.

“Oh, Scorpius, you are so strong and handsome. Thank you for picking up those presents I practically threw at you.”

Jimber struck a pose with flexed arms showing off his muscles, and said, “No problem, Rose. We all know how irresistible I am.”

Rose glared at Albus, looked back in mortification at Scorpius, and then yelled, “Albus, you’re ruining everything.” And she ran past Scorpius and out of the room into the kitchen.

Scorpius turned toward his laughing friends and took the box he was about to give Rose and chucked it at Albus. Albus ducked and Scorpius followed the throw by tackling him. Jimber and James joined the scrum and soon loud yelling filled the room.

Draco thought, “All this mayhem, it is not how civilized people observe Christmas!” Draco blinked and suddenly realized that if Rose Weasley was here then, most likely, so were her parents. Draco stood and walked into the kitchen to find the adults looking out of the door and into the school corridor. Draco walked up to Hermione and said, “Granger, I need to talk with you directly.”

Ronald Weasley, color rising in his face, said, “Did your son do that? Rose mentioned his name as she ran by.”

Annoyed Draco answered, bristling, just to shut him up, “She wanted a private little talk with Scorpius and the other boys made fun of her.”

Weasley stepped in between Draco and his wife. “I’ve just about had enough of you Malfoys.”

“Ron,” said Hermione, as someone stepped next to Draco.

“Mr. Weasley, how nice it is to see you again. My, that is a lovely shirt, was it a Christmas present?” asked Astoria touching him on the chest.

Ron, confused Astoria’s very forward actions, answered, “Actually, it was a birthday present. Hermione gave it to me.” Remembering his manners, Ron added, “Mrs. Malfoy, have you ever met my wife Hermione Weasley?”

“Of course, your wife and I were both members of the Slug Club. She, of course, was the star and I was just an afterthought,” Astoria, practically fawning over Ron, said, taking him fully by the arm and leading him toward the living room. “And your daughter Rose, she’s such a beauty. I can see why Scorpius is a bit taken with her. He is always mentioning her in his letters. However, we mustn’t worry. After all, how many girls marry the boy they had a crush on at her age?” And with that Astoria had escorted Ron out of the kitchen and away from a possible fight with her husband.

“Slughorn once said that with her way with people and my talents we could run the entire ministry,” Hermione said as she watched the pair disappear.

“Granger, I need to speak to you outside please,” repeated Draco, in a softer tone than before.

“On two conditions, I first must check on my daughter. And second, this must be the last time you ever call me Granger again. I don’t know why you and Ron have to act like asses every time you meet. Do you agree to both?” Hermione demanded.

“Are you willing to take my word?” deflected Draco. He liked tweaking Weasley through his wife.

“Yes, your word as the loving father of a Gryffindor student,” she replied, both testing and trapping him.

Draco was completely undone by the way she had worded her argument. “Mrs. Weasley, when Slughorn had you and my wife running the ministry, did he ever say which of you was going to be the Prime Minister?”

An enigmatic smile appeared on Hermione’s face as she walked out of the door and headed toward the tapestry, where her daughter stood being consoled by Bethany Dokes and Lily Potter, who were patting her on the back.

After about five minutes, Hermione returned to Draco, who was waiting outside of the Potter’s door. “Mrs. Weasley, I know that you are a lawyer, and that the law, like medicine, has different specialties. Rebekka is worried that she and her family will be forced to leave Britain and return to face trial on the Island. I need to know what will happen and what could prevent such an occurrence, if possible. Of course, if this is not your area of expertise, I understand. And if that is so, could you provide me with the card of a barrister who could help?”

Hermione looked into Draco’s eyes, searching for something. Her look reminded him of the look Astoria gave him whenever he promised to move out of the manor. After a few seconds, she asked him, “Why do you care?”

Hermione looked into Draco’s eyes, searching for something. Her look reminded him of the look Astoria gave him whenever he promised to move out of the manor. After a few seconds, she asked him, “Why do you care?”

The question caught Draco off guard. “Rebekka is a valued employee; Jimber is Scorpius’ friend, and Isaac is my friend.” Hermione was still probing him with her eyes. He felt suddenly under a very bright spotlight and added, “He may be my only friend.”

Hermione paused for a second, considering her answer. “I’m not an expert on the subject, but there will be a hearing at the Ministry of Magic. At that meeting in a few weeks, they will rule whether the Dokes’ actions warrant immediate deportation. I can also confirm that the ruling council of the Island is demanding expedition of deportation so the Dokes can be returned to stand trial.”

Draco was alarmed. “Stand trial! I thought it was Isaac’s father who was responsible for the stolen goods.”

“It seems that the Council of the Island wants to make an example of some of the people who abandoned their homeland after the disasters. Isaac and Rebekka were just a part of the substantial exodus of young, talented citizens,” Hermione responded.

“And they are a readymade case, just waiting to be prosecuted. Or would it be persecuted? Do you know anyone who has contacts on the Island? Someone who could represent their case in front of the bar?” Draco asked.

“You’re thinking of the British style of the law, Draco. The style of law is very different there. However, I do know a Justice Shaman named Andris. I met him at an Elf Rights conference. I could contact him for you,” Hermione offered.

“Please do and let me know if there is any way I can help,” Draco said.

“Well, if you stay in the kitchen after lunch, you will find out how you can help tonight,” Hermione offered.

After they had helped the adults clear the table, the kids, along with Ginny Potter, went back into the living room and an additional round of opening presents. As the voices faded into the other room, Harry Potter, the Malfoys, Dokes, and Weasleys all gathered around the kitchen table.

“What a warm and loving home. Was this where you grew up, Harry?” asked Astoria.

Harry snorted and answered, “No, we are in a replica of the house that Ginny was raised in.”

“Not bad for a bin,” added Ron, as he fixed Draco with a stare.

Does the man never let things go?Draco thought

Harry looked around the room to insure that none of the children had lingered or were eavesdropping. “Tomorrow, Auror Sterling will take Polyjuice potion and turn into Jimber Dokes. He will wear the necklace as his partner Smith hexes him. The spells will leave him with the taint. After he has been tainted, Sterling, Isaac, and Rebekka will by Portkeyed to their flat in London. Meanwhile Ron and I will be in the apartment under my cloak waiting. When the Maliaites show up, we will capture them.”

Draco listened to Harry, sizing up the plan and waiting for his role in the capture of the green robed wizards. After a couple more particulars, Harry finished his talking. Draco was confused. Turning toward Potter he said, “A sound plan, Potter. However, I was led to believe that Astoria and I had a part to play in the capture.”

Ron Weasley chimed in, “We want to keep the children to distracted until it’s all over. So with Harry and the Dokes gone, we don’t want the children needlessly worrying about their parent’s location and safety. So, if you and your wife could host a sleepover for all the kids and keep them in the dark until after the trap is triggered, that would be very helpful.”

“You want me to babysit!” Draco almost choked on the words.

“Yeah, got a problem with that, Malfoy?” asked a smug Ron Weasley.

“Of course not, we will do what’s best for our friends and the children,“ said Astoria. Draco just nodded his head. He fought the urge to reach across the table and slap that look off Weasley’s face.

---

Boxing Day

---

Rose Weasley, who showed up with her younger brother Hugo at the Malfoy’s door, was dressed in a simple red blouse and blue dungarees. Since she arrived just before the Dokes’ and Potters, it had caused a few minutes of awkward silence and long stares amongst the inhabitants of the Malfoy dwelling.

Jimber and Bethany were the last two of the kids to arrive. As Draco closed the door, he saw Harry, Isaac and Rebekka walking toward Auror Sterling in the corridor outside.

The children immediately separated into three separate groups: the girls occupied the master bedroom, the four younger boys roughhoused in the living room and James followed Draco and Astoria around. James seemed to be fascinated with the fact that Draco had been a Slytherin and he had known his parents at his age. “Where is the Slytherin common room? Is it true, what the older boys said, about Slytherin girls being easy? Did you ever play Quidditch against my father? Who was a better player my mom or my dad?”

Draco forced a smile and gave only the essentials in his answers. “The location of the common room is a secret and I cannot tell. They might seem easy, but anything that happens is probably part of a plan that you will never see coming until it’s too late. Yes, he beat me every time we played. Your father was a very good player, but your mother played like one possessed.”

Draco looked at the six-day clock on the wall and was saddened to see that only an hour had passed. At the same time, Rose Weasley came out of the master bed room and convinced Astoria to join the girls behind the shut bedroom door.

Draco, mostly to escape James, walked into the living room to find Scorpius, Albus, Hugo, and Jimber playing a broomless version of Quidditch, throwing a sponge ‘Quaffle’ through sets of four foot high hoops. James teamed up with Scorpius and the match was on. Draco marveled at the endless well of energy that the five boys seemed to have. As he kept score and made penalty calls, the hours seemed to melt away.

At six o’clock, two freed elves showed up at the Malfoy’s door with three large silver trays filled with a Muggle food that Draco had never eaten. The food was called Pizza. Upon hearing the door close, the five ravenous boys entered the kitchen ready to attack the food. Draco stopped the boys from starting to eat. He sent Scorpius to the bedroom to fetch the females back to the kitchen. Scorpius returned to the hungry boys and said to his father, “Mother said to for the boys to take their seats each with an empty seat in between. We will be allowed to eat after the show.”

“Show?” asked Draco. What is my wife up to now?

As he turned toward the kitchen door, he saw Astoria enter. She looked different, although he could not place the nature of the change. Astoria held her wand to her face and announced, “Miss Bethany Dokes.”

Into the kitchen strolled Bethany with her hair weaved, her lips red with lipstick and some paint on her eye lids. Bethany walked around the kitchen as if she was a queen and sat next to Albus.

“Miss Lily Potter,” was the next to be announced by Astoria.

Lily, her hair piled high on her head, was also decked out with makeup on her lips and eyes. She walked around the kitchen and sat down next to Jimber. Draco shook his head and worried that the boy’s reactions might ruin whatever the girls had planned. He knew that at the boy’s age all of this was nonsense and the show was important only to the girls.

“Miss Rose Weasley.”

Rose entered the room. The dungarees that she had arrived wearing had been replaced by a modest knee length pink dress with a black leather belt that accentuated the hint of her future figure. Rose’s face wore much less makeup than the younger girls did. Draco looked over at Scorpius. He was not laughing at Rose like Albus was. Scorpius wore a vacant smile on his face. Draco sighed and thought Puppy love. Rose did not sashay around the room like the younger girls had; she looked very uncertain as she sat next to Scorpius. Rose, was looking down at the floor, so she missed Scorpius glancing at her appearance.

Suddenly, Bethany announced, “Mrs. Astoria Malfoy.” And Astoria walked around the room and sat down next to Draco.

The smell of the strange food was making Draco’s mouth water, when he heard his wife clear her throat; he knew what was required of him. He turned to the boys and reminded them that gentlemen make sure that their ladies were served first. The boys were indignant. The younger two girls were excited.

Draco took a slice of the pizza, placed it on a plate, and handed it to his wife. As he handed it to her he added, “You look very lovely, Astoria.” As Astoria bowed her head in acknowledgement of the compliment, Draco reached onto the tray and took a slice and placed it on his plate.

Scorpius followed suit. He reached onto the closest tray and took the largest slice, placed it on the plate and handed it to Rose. “You look very pretty in that dress, Rose,” he said, as the other boys sniggered. Rose’s face almost turned the same color as her namesake. Draco nodded and Scorpius was allowed to fill his plate.

James turned to the empty seat and announced, “You look lovely, my dear.” He then reached onto the tray and placed two slices on his plate.

Hugo laughed as he imitated his older cousin and sat with a plate of two slices. Hugo looked at the remaining two boys with a triumphant look on his face.

Jimber and Albus realized that serving their ‘dates’ and giving them a compliment was the cost of being allowed to eat. So the boys gave the girls next to them a plate with a small slice of food and followed it with very hollow praise. The two young girls giggled and Astoria winked over at Bethany.

Within twenty minutes, the three large pies were consumed and everyone retired to the living room. The five boys took turns played chess and Exploding Snap. The younger two girls sat in the corner playing with dolls. Rose went back into the bedroom to redress in her dungarees and then passed the time sitting cross legged and barefoot on the couch next to Astoria, reading one of her spell books. Draco, paying close attention, saw that Scorpius and Rose would each look at the other and immediately look away when the staring was noticed.

The boy is too young for this. After all, I hadn’t even noticed Astoria’s existence until she was nearly fifteen. Why the Weasley girl of all the witches in the world? At least they have time to grow out of it.

Around nine, Astoria took the girls to their bedroom; she stayed in the room for over a half an hour. Draco heard the unmistakable rhythm of his wife’s voice telling a story to the three girls. The boys wanted to stay up all night in the living room. Draco agreed, as long as they left the girls alone and did not make enough noise to wake him up.

When Astoria exited the girl’s bedroom, she was not alone. Holding her right hand was Bethany Dokes, and Astoria walked her into the master bedroom. Draco craned his neck, waiting for the girl to leave the room. She did not. After another half hour, Draco warned the boys to behave and walked into the master bed room. A bottle of blue flames rested upon the chest of drawers at the side of the bed to light up the room. By the feeble light, Draco found Bethany wrapped in Astoria’s arms, asleep in the exact middle of the large bed. Draco used his wand to summon his pajamas and, as silently as possible, changed into his bed clothes.

The sound of thudding bodies came from the living room and he thought about forcibly hushing the boys. However, he waited and counted to ten. With no reoccurrence of the noise, Draco slid into the bed, adjusted the pillows, and fell asleep.

Draco was standing on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower, the Dark Lord was standing behind him with a wand repeatedly poking him in the back. “You are a coward. All Malfoys are cowards,” the Dark Lord hissed. “Join Dumbledore at the bottom of the tower”, he added poking, Draco hard in the back.

Suddenly the ghostly form of Dumbledore appeared floating in the air and said, “Are you finally ready to join the fight on the right side of magic? You already know what needs to be done. Don’t you, Draco?”

Draco awoke with something shoved into his back. He slid off the side of the bed. He turned to see the small form of Bethany Dokes lying sideways in the bed. It had been her head not the Dark Lord’s wand, pushing him over the edge.

Draco grabbed his wand and slipped out the door without waking his two bedmates. He crept through the living room and into the kitchen. He lit his wand and saw that the six day clock showed it was five o’clock in the morning. Draco took the tea pot, filled it with water from his wand and heated it. After allowing the tea leaves to brew, he poured a cup full of his favorite strong tea. As he finished the drink, the kitchen was filled with light and through the door appeared the familiar form of a stag.

Draco walked out of the kitchen to find Potter and the Dokes in the hallway. Harry gave Draco a nod, confirming the trap had worked.

Draco asked, “Did you get any sleep?” All three tiredly shook their heads in response. “Well, we will keep the children until after lunch so you can get some rest.”

“How are they?” asked Rebekka.

“The boys are all right. Bethany slept in between Astoria and me,” he replied.

“Bethany kicked you out of the bed, did she?” prompted Isaac.

Draco smiled and returned to the kitchen.

After lunch, Draco heard the whole story from Potter and Isaac. The green robed Maliaites had arrived at sundown. Having the advantage of surprise, one of the wizards had looped a necklace over ‘Jimber’ which caused him to fall instantly asleep. One of the wizards was demanded that the Dokes give them the statues and necklaces in exchange for reviving the boy, when Ron and Harry pulled off Harry’s invisibility cloak. The invading wizards were captured before they knew the other two were in the flat.

Draco congratulated Potter and asked if Isaac and Rebekka’s cooperation would help them before the tribunal. Harry looked uncertainly at the Dokes and in a soft voice said, “It can not hurt their case.”

As Draco began to return to their room, he saw Rose talking to Scorpius in the school corridor. Draco paused and fought the urge to eavesdrop on the conversation. He looked at his son’s face. Scorpius’ expression was guarded. Draco went into his room to ask if Astoria had a clue about what was happening between the ‘love birds.’

---

Scorpius, who had just returned the forgotten chess set to Albus, was walking back to his family’s rooms from the Potter quarters when Rose emerged out of the door in front of him. She stopped and looked at him. Startled, he hesitated staring back at her. Rose’s eyes darted to the left and to the right. Finally, she set down her bag by the door and walked toward the tapestry in the Hogwarts corridor. Without any prompting, Scorpius followed her. When she turned to look at Scorpius her face was sad and concerned.

“Scorpius, I’m sorry for everything that’s happened. It’s just that Jenelle and Margaret said that they thought that you liked me and I really wanted to believe it. So I began trying to act like a girl friend. I wasn’t being me. Do you understand?”

Scorpius shook his head in agreement, but none of it really made sense. The two of them stood in a long awkward silence for several minutes. Finally Scorpius spoke. He had to know something, “So you don’t really like me?”

Rose looked at him with a face full of panic. “Of course, I like you. It’s just, I’m not ready to like anyone that way. Did that make more sense?”

Scorpius just shrugged. “So we’ll still be friends and, maybe, someday…” He tried to collect it all in one sentence.

Rose smiled at him, and he thought she seemed understood. “We will be best of friends.” And she extended her hand to shake his.

Scorpius looked down at the hand, but did not take it. “Friends then,” he said as he turned to go back into his family’s rooms. Like a sleep walker, he stepped over Rose’s bag, walked through the kitchen past his parents, and into his bedroom. Leaving the bedroom door open, Scorpius sat down on the edge of his bed, trying to figure out how he could feel both disappointed and relieved by the same news.

---

Draco, from the kitchen, looked out of the door to see Rose sadly watching Scorpius walk away. He knew that something had happened to end the little romance. Draco looked at his wife. He knew that she too thought it was probably for the best, but Draco also knew that Astoria had come to like the Weasley girl. Draco thought Astoria saw a bit of herself in Rose.

Astoria waved at Rose, who returned it with a melancholy wave, picked up her bag, and walked toward her relative’s rooms.

For the next few hours, Draco and Astoria made unnecessary trips past their son’s room to give him chances to talk to them and so they could innocently check up on the boy. Astoria, on one of her trips, caught her brave little man wiping a tear from his eye, but no tantrums or crying sessions occurred.

While the Potters returned to their home the next day, the Dokes and the Malfoys remained at the school. The rest of the holiday was more like a wake, between the sad and preoccupied Scorpius and the anxious Dokes, whose hearing was in little more than a month, there was very little cheer for the New Year.

The Malfoys arrived at the potions shop through the floo network. They had left Hogwarts with the Dokes on the evening of New Years Day. Draco and Astoria had quietly made their way to bed and came to the store at first light to avoid his parents.

Just before leaving the Manor, Draco had paid a visit to the greenhouse to pick up a couple of plants they were growing there for the flowers and shoots that were used in potions. The shop needed restocking of some items; when they had left the shop before the holiday, they had only planned to be closed for three days, not the ten days they had been gone.

Using his wand from across the shop, Draco flipped the sign from Closed to Open. Half an hour later, the first person to enter the shop in the New Year was the same person to ever visit the shop; the door opened and Luna Scamander entered. She was carrying a plum colored purse and a newspaper.

“Happy New Year,” she announced as she entered and walked straight to the counter.

“Happy New Year,” the two Malfoys replied.

Luna placed a copy of the ‘Daily Prophet’ on the counter. She looked at Draco and said, “Hannah and I thought you should see this.”

Draco flattened the front page of the paper out and saw a headline which read “Harry Potter Hero Again.” The story was a slightly glorified account of the capture of the Mailiaites in the Dokes’ flat. It wasn’t until he got to the middle of the third paragraph that Draco saw the reason the story affected him. The story read:

Rebekka Dokes, a former Priestess of Justice for the Island’s governing council, is a Potion Maker at the Diagon Alley potion shop ‘Astoria’s Perfect Potions,’ owned by former Death Eater Draco Malfoy and his wife. Any connection between the Dokes’ unlawful activities and her employment at the shop is not yet clear.

“Damn,” said Draco. “After all we’ve done,” he added as he turned toward his wife. Draco sensed Luna watching him.

Draco returned the paper to her. “Thank you for showing us this.”

Luna smiled at the pair. “Well, I’ve got to get to Olivanders. Today will be a busy day. It will be fascinating to see what inventive things people did with their wands after they have more wine and relatives than they could handle.” Luna took back the paper, folded it in half, slipped it under her right arm, and walked over to the door. After she opened the door, she turned and waggled the fingers of her left hand in a little wave and exited the shop.

Draco pulled out his wand and gave it a flick. The sign on the front flipped back from Open to Closed. He turned to look at the shop and looked into his wife’s eyes. They were so close, maybe just a few months from having enough to move out of the Manor. He had been convinced that they were going to make it. Could a few sentences of unfounded charges undo all of their work and dash their hope?

Draco put his arms on the counter and lowered his head to think. Astoria walked over to check on him and he stood up ramrod straight. He had to be the man his family and business needed him to be. He turned and smiled at Astoria. She warmly returned the smile to him. Draco kissed his wife’s cheek, turned to face the door, and once again extended his wand. For the last time that morning, the little sign flipped to show the store was open.

Let them come. We’ll show them.

---

Draco, Astoria, and Hannah were at the door of the Leaky Cauldron when the three Dokes arrived on the first Monday in February. Despite the fact that the day was unusually warm for the time of year, the family was wrapped in multiple layers of coats and cloaks.

Rebekka turned to greet the welcoming committee; she smiled at Draco and gently took his hand. Next, she hugged Hannah Longbottom and hugged and air-kissed Astoria Malfoy. “Thank you, my friends… for everything.”

Hannah ushered her guests into the Bistro, where breakfast awaited them. The four adults ate lightly and conversation was sparse. Bethany wolfed down two whole Belgium Waffles, a number of sausages and spoonfuls of scrambled eggs. Rebekka was repeatedly unsuccessful in her attempts to get her daughter to ‘eat like a lady.’ Astoria smiled and looking at the girl asked, “Is that how you’d be eating if Albus was here?”

Bethany froze with a sausage that had been impaled on her fork, halfway in her mouth. “Uh uh,” she squeezed out of her overstuffed mouth. The small girl looked at all of the adults and slowly began to properly chew her food.

Astoria looked at Bethany and whispered, just loud enough for Draco to hear, “You and I are going shopping in the Alley this morning. We are going to buy something for Mrs. Longbottom.”

Bethany looked over at Hannah, whose pregnancy was just beginning to show. “And for the baby too?” Astoria nodded and gave a smile and a nod to the girl.

Draco saw Isaac and Rebekka look at each other. The look was a melancholy one. But whenever Bethany turned toward her parents, both faces met her wide grin with smiles of their own.

At eight-thirty, Draco and the Dokes bid fare well to Hannah and, using the fire place, made their way to the Ministry of Magic. Draco led the Dokes to the security desk so all three of their wands could be registered.

After receiving their receipts, Draco led Isaac and Rebekka to a room that he knew all too well. Court Room Number Five had been the room where they had held his hearing following the battle of Hogwarts. For five days, he given and heard testimony that had changed his life. The verdict had been a split decision; twenty-four for acquittal, twenty-three for conviction and two members of the Wizengamot who had abstained. By one vote, they had allowed Draco a chance to change his life. Draco hoped the room would be as lucky for his friends.

Draco held the door open for the Dokes and together, the three entered the courtroom. Draco led the other two into the visitor’s gallery. To his right was a middle aged, tall, dark skinned man wearing a cream colored linen robe with maroon and gold embroidery on his collar and shoulders. In front of them was a low mahogany railing and on the other side of the railing in the middle of the court room were a desk, and a raised dais.

Rebekka noticed the man to their right and said to Isaac, “Ka-Sich Korhogo.” Isaac turned to look at the man, his brows furrowed. After a couple minutes of study, he shook his head at his wife.

“Who is he?” Draco asked.

“He is my replacement on the High Council. He will be happy to lock our jail door and throw away the keys,” responded Rebekka.

“I bet that linen Kanzu cost an average man’s full year of wages,” Isaac added. The distrust and contempt in his friend’s voice revealed more derision for Korhogo than Draco had ever felt for Ron Weasley.

A bell tolled and Draco motioned for the Dokes to walk through the gate, down the two steps and to sit at the desk. Draco sat just to the side of his friends so he could help them with the ways of the British Style of Law. The door behind the dais opened and through it entered a black robed man wearing a black Porkpie Hat on his silver haired head.

“Hear ye, the hearing of the Magical Law Enforcement Immigration office is now in session. Alfred Bede’, the head of Magical Law Enforcement Immigration Office, presiding,” said a disembodied voice.

Draco was surprised. He and his father had been tried before the entire Wizengamot and his mother had been tried before a five judge panel. The chaining chairs had mercifully been replaced by simple wooden chairs and desks. Could the change have been part of Minister Shacklebolt’s reforming of the Ministry and its legal system? Or maybe this is how a simple Immigration case was always heard?

Bede’ walked to his chair. He reached into his robe pocket to remove his glasses, placed the glasses on his face, lifted up a leaden ball and banged it on the high dais. “The hearing is now in session. Are Mr. Isaac Dokes and Mrs. Rebekka Dokes present in the court room?”

The Dokes rose and faced the dais. In tandem they answered, “We are.”

The Ministry Official nodded and added. “These documents list a son, Jimber, and a daughter, Bethany, are they present today?”

Rebekka rose again. Bede’ waved for her to sit, saying, “Please only stand if you wish to address the court without prompting.”

Rebekka bowed toward the dais, seated herself and said, “Forgive me, in my homeland we are required to stand. Our son Jimber is currently a student at Hogwarts and our daughter is with a family friend.”

The presiding official nodded and scratched something with his quill on the high desk. He looked at the Dokes. “This is a hearing, not a trial. I have the charges from the Ministry and you will provide your explanation of your actions or inactions. After the evidence has been presented, I will reach a ruling. My ruling can only be overturned on appeal, only if I have committed an error in my interruption of the statute. Do you understand?” he asked the Dokes.

Rebekka Dokes nodded and said, “We do, your Honor.”

“Mrs. Dokes. I am the head of the Immigration Office, not a judge. Sir or Mr. Bede’ will suffice. I see we have an audience. I would like all in the court other than the Dokes introduce themselves, please.”

Draco saw the presiding official’s head turn toward the tall man sitting to the right of Draco. He arose and made a half-bow toward the dais, “Ka-Sich Korhogo, Priest of Justice for the High Council of the Island. I am observing for my government.”

Bede’ next looked past Draco to his right. “Advocate Weasley, are you in the wrong court room?” he asked someone at the back of the room.

Draco turned to see Hermione Weasley holding a file in her hand. “Forgive me, I was delayed in my office. I have letters of reference to give the Dokes.” Hermione walked to the railing next to Draco and handed the folder to Isaac and added a softly spoken, “Good Luck.” Hermione turned and handed Draco a slip of paper. With her errands completed, Hermione Weasley smartly turned on her flat heeled shoes and exited the room.

Draco realized it was his turn. He stood and said, “I’m Draco Malfoy, family friend. I am here to offer support and to help translate our legal system to them if it is necessary.”

“Draco Malfoy?” Bede’ eyed him from the dais and, for a second, Draco wondered if it might be best for them if he left. “Mr. Malfoy, you will resist from translating during the testimony. You will wait until the hearing is in recesses. Understand?” Draco nodded and quietly exhaled.

A flick of a wand was visible above the dais and four scrolls appeared on the desk in between the Dokes. Rebekka unrolled the documents and began a quick review. Bede’ read, “On June sixth of last year, your family arrived at the magical customs office. According to these documents, you were asked to declare magical articles such as totems and magical jewelry that you were bringing into the country. Nowhere on the form are any statues or necklaces listed. The second document is a receipt of property signed by Auror Beren Sterling, listing magical necklaces and possibly magical statues. The same articles were listed as non-magical in June. The third document is a handbill, dated June Eighth, from the government of the Island warning that a ‘national treasure’ of three statues and four necklaces had been stolen. The last document is a transcript of the confession of a Mr. Jimber Quarrell Dokes, stating that he received the items from the thieves and gave them to his son to take to England. I accept these documents into evidence.”

A silence passed through the room as Rebekka read the documents. Draco looked over at the visitor from the Island. He had a smug look on his face that reminded Draco of Yaxley, just before he began a round of torture on his victims.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dokes are you ready to explain or challenge the case of the Ministry?” inquired the Presiding Official. Isaac and Rebekka talked for a couple of minutes while all of the occupants of the room waited.

“Yes, your honor. When we prepared to leave our homeland for here, a fare-thee-well party was thrown by our friends and family,” said Rebekka Dokes. Draco was surprised at the ease with which she started her defense. The phrase from the article, Priestess of Justice, suddenly came to Draco’s mind. He wondered what a Priestess of Justice was. “My father-in-law publicly presented our son, Jimber, with a simple silver necklace like any number of common Island necklaces. He also presented us with a box which held some family art work. After the party, we placed the box with our other items to go to our new home.”

Rebekka drank a sip of water from her glass and continued, “When we arrived, the Ministry officials inventoried our property. They asked if things were magical or not. When we left, we had no magical silver necklaces or statues, so our answers in June were honest ones. When we unpacked in our little flat, I discovered that the box from my father-in-law now contained three statues and three silver necklaces. I mentioned this to my husband. He examined the contents and recognized the items as belonging to his closed school. Also in the box was a note from Isaac’s father, Jimber Quarrell Dokes, saying that we should hold onto them until it was safe to return them to the Island. We placed the items on the mantle of our home and awaited word from him.”

“You knew that the items were stolen and you did not turn them in to the Ministry so they could be returned?” asked Bede’. “Mr. Dokes is your father a criminal or a fence?”

Isaac turned to Draco, confused by the term. Draco quickly whispered to Isaac, “A fence takes items stolen by others and finds buyers for the stolen goods.” Isaac nodded.

The Presiding Official was not happy. “Mr. Malfoy, do that again and I will have you forcibly removed from my hearing. Do you understand?”

Draco felt his face warm. He stood up and formally bowed to the court. “My apologies, sir.” He sat back down on the suddenly hard wooded bench.

Rebekka turned to address the court, “Jimber Quarrell Dokes, is a man who lives in the shadow of the law. He has been known to smuggle magical plants to Vardoo communities on surrounding islands so Shamans could heal their patients. He also smuggled illegal Muggle chemicals to kill the fungi that threaten the Merlin Grass fields of the Island. And for his Humanitarian works he does not charge. He is a man that gets things done and has friends in all classes.

Rebekka’s comment triggered a raised eyebrow on Bede’s lined face. “Have you had any further contact with this Jimber Quarrell Dokes since you arrived?” he asked.

“Only a letter in August. He claimed that he had received the statues after the thieves were not paid the promised amount. Jimber Quarrell made discreet inquires about returning the stolen goods. However, he became increasing convinced that the theft had been organized by either a member of the government or someone who had influence in the government. The letter was the last we heard from him,” Rebekka said.

“Do you have these letters?” Bede’ inquired.

“No. We destroyed the letters as he had requested,” replied Rebekka. “We were keeping the items safe until he heard it was safe to return them.”

“How do you know he was not lying to get items out of the country?” asked Bede’.

Isaac said in a clear booming voice, “My father is a man of many sins. However, lying is not one of them.”

Draco winced. Even if Isaac was correct, his statement sounded more like an excuse than a reason. It was not a reason that the court would find convincing.

Rebekka entered into evidence the reference letters from Harry Potter, Ronald and Hermione Weasley, Hannah and Neville Longbottom and the Malfoys. The Presiding Official gave the documents a cursory glance and set them aside.

During the review of the letters, Draco opened the folded sheet that Hermione had left him. The note read,

Justice Shaman Andris Andojian Tower of Justice. He estimates the equivalent of eleven hundred Galleons.

Draco felt his eyes almost pop out of his head at the estimate. Draco read the rest of the note and looking up from the note to see Rebekka and Isaac holding hands under the desk.

After an additional half hour of the hearing, the presiding official called a recess. In spite of Rebekka’s great legal and oratory skills, Draco, Isaac and especially Rebekka knew that the case was probably already lost.

It was a time of decision for the Dokes. Rebekka could accept defeat and keep any additional arguments to herself, and away from Korhogo’s eyes, for use in a court room she was familiar with. However, that strategy would put her in a court controlled by people who had it in for them.

Or she could attempt to build a case that Deportation to the Island could be life threatening. She could paint the government of the Island as monsters. It might keep her in a British jail if it was successful or make her defenseless on the Island if she was not. As Rebekka talked with Isaac, Draco pulled out the paper Weasley had given him.

Draco interrupted, “Do you know Andris Andojain?”

Rebekka looked surprised, “Yes, he has brought cases before me. He is very good young Shaman.”

Isaac perplexed asked, “How do you know him, Draco?”

“I had Hermione Weasley contact him. He is willing to take your case,” Draco said.

“Andris is not an idealist. Why would he take the case? If he wins, he will make powerful enemies and, worse for him, if he loses, it will hurt his reputation,” she said.

“How much did he ask for?” Isaac asked.

Draco hesitated. He thought about lying to his friends and quoting a lower number. However, it was their lives on the line and they deserved the whole truth “Eleven Hundred Galleons,” Draco answered.

Isaac’s eyes widened. “We barely have a hundredth of that. He might as well have asked for the moon also.”

“Don’t worry, you have friends here,” Draco added. “Let me go and talk with Hermione Weasley so we can arrange things.”

Rebekka looked at Isaac. He nodded back. Turning toward Draco, she said, “Go.”

---

Hogwarts

---

Scorpius watched as Jimber dove under the table in the Great Hall to pick up his dropped fork. It was about the fifth thing that his distracted friend had dropped or knocked over this Tuesday morning. Albus and Rose were also closely watching him. The three were powerless to help their friend. Scorpius noticed Rose elbow Albus and he looked up to see Professor Longbottom walking down the aisle toward them.

“Jimber, could you please come to the Headmaster’s office with me?” asked Longbottom. Jimber gave a half nod. “I’m certain the Headmaster wouldn’t if mind your friends accompany you,” he added.

Jimber could not speak he just nodded again. So the four young Gryffindors followed their Head of House to Headmaster Flitwick’s office. They sat on the same bench the boys had sat on just six weeks earlier. And once again, the fate of them all waited beyond the door.

The door opened and Professor Hagrid walked out of the office. He stopped and gave them a half hearted smile as he made his way to the revolving spiral staircase.

“Come in,” said the voice of the Headmaster from the office.

Jimber looked at Scorpius “My feet don’t want to move.” Jimber looked at each of his friends in turn and then, as if he was lifting an elephant on his back, he struggled to his feet. The three friends followed Jimber into the office.

Headmaster Flitwick walked over to his young visitors. He looked Jimber squarely in the eyes and said, “There is no way to make this easier for you, but your parents lost their case. Your family will have to leave Britain and return to your homeland. The day of your deportation is this Friday.”

Scorpius was irate. “Why does he have to go now? Why can’t he finish the school year here?”

“Yeah!,” added Albus.

“Yes, the Island’s magical school is closed. He should be allowed to continue his education,” Rose chimed in. Scorpius smiled; it was the first time since the holidays that the three of them had been truly united.

“I agree. However, the law is very specific on this, I’m sorry to say,” replied the Headmaster. “However, Mr. Dokes, I have arranged with the Auror office for up to three of your classmates to accompany you to London on Friday. It will mean that any class work missed will be due on Monday.”

Rose, Albus and Scorpius nodded. Scorpius would have finished a month’s worth of work to be able to support his friend. Jimber said nothing but nodded accepting the offer.

---

Malfoy Manor

---

Dumbledore floated in the air just beyond the ramparts of the Astrology Tower. Draco asked him what he wanted. What did he want him to do? Dumbledore was silent.

Draco awoke in the middle of a panic attack. He slid out of bed and sat down on the floor. Draco heard Astoria roll over in the bed behind him. “Draco?” she asked.

“Go back to sleep, Astoria. Just a bad dream that’s all,” he told her in a voice that was calmer than he felt.

“Dumbledore, again? You were calling his name,” she replied, as she slid to the edge of his side of the bed and began to stroke the side of his head with her hand. “It’s been years since you had nightmares about that night.”

“No, they are new dreams. He wants me to do something. And all he says is that I know what must be done,” he said. “Why can’t the old bugger just tell me?”

A slight snicker emanated from the bed behind him. “Dumbledore was always a mystery. When did the dreams start? Over the holiday at Hogwarts?” Draco nodded in the dark. “Tell me about this Andris character.”

Draco reacted so violently that he bumped his head against the side of the bed. “Andris? How did you find out about him?”

“I saw Hermione Weasley having lunch with Hannah while Bethany and I were out. She wondered if she should give him the go ahead.”

“I meant to tell you earlier. It’s just the cost - It could mean another year here,” he said.

“Like I could be happy in my new home, knowing what it cost my friends to get it!” she said, and the hint of anger in her voice made him ashamed of himself.

“It’s not just the money, Astoria. If we are going to truly help Isaac and Rebekka, we must first take the most precious things in their lives away from them. I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.”

“Do what, my love? You’re not making sense,” Astoria said.

Draco turned to face the bed and rose on his knees. Following her breathing, he found her lips and kissed her as gently as he could in the dark. “I think I know why Dumbledore is haunting my sleep. I can’t let history repeat itself. I can’t let the innocent suffer while I can stop it. Astoria, will you support my decision even if it means we have to live in the shop?”

“I’d live in an alleyway, if I could have you and Scorpius with me --” she replied. His kiss cut off the rest of her sentence.

“In the morning, we must get to Hermione Weasley’s office first thing. We may already be too late.”

---

Ministry of Magic

---

Although Rose and Albus knew their way to Ron Weasley’s office, they let Jimber set the pace. Once at the security booth, where, as part of the ruling, he had to turn over his wand to the Bailiff, and a second time, getting on to the lift, he just seemed to freeze. Unable to take a step toward his destination, he just stood there and his friends let him proceed at his own halting pace.

When the foursome finally reached the proper floor, Jimber’s eyes followed the lift’s gate as it opened. He slowly exited the lift and stopped. He looked to his right toward Rose and asked, “Which way?”

Rose nodded to her left and the little group of first years made their way through the hallway filled with walking adults. Jimber walked slowly until he saw the door on the left side of the hall. The painted smoke glass window bore the name of Ronald Weasley.

Jimber turned toward his friends. He shook Albus’ hand and said, “Give James a kick in the pants for me; I owe him one from Christmas.” Albus’ attempt at laughter came out as a choked squeak.

Jimber next looked into Rose’s eyes and gave her a bear hug. “You look after these two - they’re gonna get in all kinds of trouble without me to keep them in line.” And, whispered into her ear so softly that only she heard, “Take care of Scorpius. He likes you more than he’s willing to admit.”

Rose gave a quick sniff and reached into her jean’s pocket to pull out a hanky.

“Scorpius, old friend, remember me, will you? Don’t let Rose do all of your thinking, or let Albus have all the fun, okay?” Jimber’s voice quavered.

“Jimber,” was all that came out of Scorpius. His brain, his heart and his soul seemed to be locked up. Scorpius attempted to smile, but he knew it didn’t look like it.

Jimber Isaac Dokes straightened up, turned the door knob and entered the office waiting room. Already, in the room were his sister, Bethany, a woman sitting at a desk by the door and the two Aurors from the Hogwart’s investigation: Smith and Sterling.

Ron Weasley stood in the doorway of his office, looking at the eight people in his waiting room. He avoided his daughter’s and nephew’s gazes, as he gave his men their orders. They were to take the Dokes children to their sealed flat: Collect clothes, possessions and books that they would need and wait until their luggage had been inspected by both the British Customs and the Island Customs office. The items removed from the flat would also be inspected and the children would be allowed to take these items with them for everyday use.

Auror Smith looked down at Bethany and said, “Do you know, I’ve got a little girl just a few years younger than you. She’s eight. How old are you?”

Bethany looked at her brother as if asking him if it was okay to answer. Jimber nodded.

“I’ll be ten next week.”

With that answer Bethany began to sob and her big brother wrapped his arm around her and they left the room.

Rose just kept glaring at her father, almost daring him to say something. After some uncomfortable minutes, Ron broke down under her gaze and spoke,

“It’s all out of my hands, Rosie. I’m sorry.”

And with that said, Ron Weasley picked up a folder from a cabinet top and walked over to his assistant.

Without being asked she said, “The minister and Mr. Potter will be up on the first level - room three.” Ron Weasley smiled at his daughter and she did not return it. Disappointed, Ron left his office to report to his bosses.

As they waited, Rose slipped off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the cushioned chair in front of her father’s assistant, reading the Muggle Newspaper ‘The Times’. Albus and Scorpius passed the time with the portable chess set. Scorpius was so distracted, Albus would have had him checkmated in three moves, but a blindingly bright owl flew through the wall of the office and landed in Mr. Weasley’s office. The kids and the assistant ran in the room through the door.

The owl spoke with Smith’s voice. “A large, maybe pregnant, green-robed witch attacked us at the Dokes’ flat. Sterling is down. I’m attempting to hold her off. The Dokes kids have run out of the door into the Muggle street. I need immediate assist…” The owl disappeared with a contorted look on its face.

The aged assistant’s features turned into the same color as her hair. She hurriedly walked back into her office, picked up her wand from the desk, began to scribble notes on paper and tapped them with her wand, sending out the word.

In the office, Albus, Rose and Scorpius looked at each other. Jimber and Bethany were lost in the Muggle world without wands. Rose spoke first. “They live in a Muggle area. Has Jimber ever mentioned any Muggle friends he might hide with?”

“No. And even if he did, he would just be putting them in danger against a witch who can take down Aurors,” Scorpius replied. “Jimber would try to get help from the magical world, but there is nothing near there.”

“So they’re running down Muggle streets?” asked Albus.

“Maybe a bus?” prompted Rose.

“No, the tube! They went by tube to get to Diagon Alley, and Bethany has been coming to the Potion shop with her mother by the tube for months. They’re heading toward the Leaky Cauldron via the Underground,” said Scorpius.

The children heard Ron Weasley tell his assistant to alert St. Mungo’s about downed Aurors. They heard her chair scrape and the door shut. Just then, in walked Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and three blue-robbed men. Weasley shouted, “We’ve got at least one man down at the flat. Eyre, you and Bertram, go to the Muggle street and attempt to find the children. Harry and I will go straight to the flat with Elliot.”

“Dad!” shouted Rose.

“Don’t worry honey, we’ll get them,” he said as he, Potter, and a third man disappeared in front of them.

“We know where they’re going,” Albus shouted as the other two Aurors disappeared.

Scorpius looked at his friends, wide-eyed, “It’s up to us.”

Rose’s jaw dropped as she said, “Are you crazy? She defeated two Aurors! We’ve just turned twelve!”

“We don’t have to defeat her, we just have to get them to the Leaky Cauldron.” Scorpius explained. “There’s sure to be dozens of witches and wizards there. Maybe even Aurors. “

“Makes sense, Rose,” added Albus.

Rose chewed the inside of her cheek for a second. “I don’t know. I think we should wait for an adult.”

“Who?” shouted Scorpius. Albus shook his head vehemently in agreement.

“Uncle Percy?” Rose tentatively offered.

“You can’t be serious,” Albus responded and Rose was forced to agree.

“Okay, on one condition.”

Rose took a blank sheet of paper off of the assistant’s desk. She took the quill from the desk and wrote.

We think the Dokes’ children heading to Leaky Cauldron via Muggle tube. Scorpius, Albus and I are going to nearest station to Cauldron to help them. Send help to station or Leaky Cauldron. Rose Weasley

Rose placed the paper on the assistant’s desk and the three children raced out of the waiting room toward the lift. Five seconds after their lift left the floor an inter-office memo flew in through the door and landed on top of Rose’s note.

Draco was having trouble getting his collar pin straight. In the reflection of his dresser mirror, he saw his wife behind him, appraising his appearance. “My, we are getting all dressed up just to visit a married woman’s office. Should her husband be jealous?” Astoria asked.

Draco finished adjusting the collar and concentrated on centering the tie pin. “Her husband is lucky to have found the only woman in Britain who would have him.” Draco turned his head from side to side to insure that his hair was its usual perfection.

Astoria leaned into him and kissed his neck just above the collar on the left side. Faking annoyance with her little game, he said, “Are you done marking your territory, Astoria? I’ve got to finish up.”

Draco looked in the mirror as if he was examining himself, but he was really watching his wife’s curious behavior. Is she jealous of Granger? He couldn’t have that. It would complicate all they had to do. “You know that since Scorpius’ sorting, I have been ingratiating myself to Granger. As a small business man with a history, I needed an in with a respectable barrister. Hermione is only a tool. An admittedly sharp tool, which today I will brilliantly manipulate to do what I require of it. Even if it means she bends the rules, in the belief that what I want is not only desirable but necessary.”

Astoria’s arms wrapped around his chest and spoke. “There is nothing sexier in the world than a Slytherin Man on the make.”

Draco smiled and thought to himself, “Just remember that later.”

Astoria’s little smile disappeared as she fondled his tie pin. Draco saw her eyes move up to his collar pin and down to his cuff links. “Draco, why are you wearing this old dark opal set? Where is your Malfoy triple diamonds formal set?”

Draco winced and said, “I sold them to buy Scorpius’ broom and your necklace.”

“Oh, Draco,” she sighed and turned his face to kiss his lips.

After removing lipstick traces and rechecking his cuff links, he turned to face the mirror one last time and thought, “Today is the day that I prove that I am still a Slytherin.”

---

The Ministry of Magic

---

Draco and Astoria were already waiting at Hermione’s office when she arrived. Hermione greeted the Malfoys saying, “I got your owl and I understand what and why. However, I fear that you may already be too late. Over Christmas would have been the best time.”

Draco smiled at Hermione and said, “Well, Dumbledore just started talking to me at Christmas. However, we both know he and I never communicated well.”

Showing her confusion, she replied to Draco, “Dumbledore?” In response to her question, Draco quickly told her of the dreams and his dawning realization of its true meaning.

After he finished, he leaned forward and with all of the real and fake earnesty he could muster asked, “Can you help my friends?”

“I don’t think you understand what needs to happen. We will need an interview with the Dokes, a hearing and approval from Alfred Bede’ and all of the paper work that has to be perfect. And even then, you need an agreement from the subjects,” Hermione answered.

“That’s why we came to you. You’re the only person we can trust,” Draco said.

---

Atrium

---

When the lift doors opened onto the atrium, the three young Gryffindors sprinted out.

“Where to?” asked Albus to Scorpius and Rose.

“The security desk,” answered Scorpius.

“Why?” responded Albus.

Rose rolled both her head and eyes toward her cousin. “We need to be able to get to the Muggle Street. So we need to use the visitor’s exit,” she replied.

“Huh?” said Albus. Scorpius was happy that his friend had said that and not him. If Albus hadn’t, Rose would have been as impatient with him as with her cousin.

“So we can get to the Underground station,” Rose said, using the are-all-boys-this-dense tone that she was expert at. Although Rose was the last one to the desk, the boys were happy to let her do all of the talking. “Hello. Ah well, we need to use the visitor’s exit. Where is it?” she asked the guard.

The guard, not looking up from the sports page of the Daily Prophet, replied, “Just ask for it and it will appear.”

Rose looking to the ceiling said, “I need the visitor’s exit.”

The guard, now fully paying attention as the telephone box lowered from the ceiling, said, “Hey, you need to turn in your visitor’s badges!”

As the three jumped in Rose answered, “Sorry, we don’t have any badges.” The door of the box shut and they were lifted up through the ceiling and onto a Muggle alleyway. Scorpius struggled with opening the door. Rose sighed and pulled the folding door toward them until the door opened.

Albus had already taken three quick steps toward the larger street when this time both of his friends called his name. He stopped and returned. “Haven’t we got to go?”

“Where? Have any of us been to the Leaky Cauldron from the street?” asked Scorpius.

Rose sighed again. She walked out of the alleyway to the street, stepped to the curb and held out her wand over into the street. Scorpius and Albus were just able to exchange what-in-the-world-is-she-doing-now looks before there was a bang and a large triple-decker purple bus appeared.

Out of the bus stepped a young man. “Welcome to the Knight Bus. I’m your conductor, Caleb-” was all the young man was able to say before Rose interrupted.

“We need to get to the Muggle Charing Cross Underground Station. How much will that be for the three of us?”

The conductor looked offended, but then replied to the bossy girl, “A Sickle and six Knuts each.”

Rose reached into her change purse, pulled out the exact amount and entered the bus. Scorpius dug in his pants and was happy to find two Sickles hiding in his jeans pocket. Caleb returned the change and all three looked toward Albus.

“I don’t have any money!” he said ashamedly.

“Albus Severus Potter! How can you not have…Oh, well!” and with that Rose snatched the Knuts from Scorpius’ hand and added some coins from her little purse.

“Potter! Are you related to the Harry Potter?” asked Caleb to Albus.

Albus nodded his head and mumbled, “He’s my dad.”

“Stan, there’s a boy here who says he’s Harry Potter’s son. Stan is our bus driver and he’s always talking about meeting your dad loads of time and being placed under a spell to fight against him. I think it’s all a bungle of pooh.”

“Are we going or not?” Rose almost shouted.

“Where are we going again?” Caleb answered.

Three high pitched voices answered at once, “Charing Cross Underground Station!”

“Oh, yeah. Take it away, Stan,” yelled Caleb.

The bus lurched forward and the trio almost fell down. Scorpius latched hold of a chair and grabbed Rose by the hand, pulling her to the chair next to his. Albus was able to crawl into the seat across from the others. He looked over at his friends and grinned. The pair’s hands were still intertwined and neither of them seemed to notice.

Soon the bus came to a halt in front of a wrought iron fence holding a blue and white sign saying Subway and a white sign with a red circle and a blue strip containing the word Underground.

“Charing Cross Station, Trafalgar Square entrance,” called Caleb. The trio all stood up as one. It was only in the standing that Rose looked down at her left hand like Scorpius had somehow kidnapped it. Scorpius saw her face and he looked down and then slowly released the grip. The pair refused to make eye contact as they shuffled, toward the door. Just as soon as they were two steps from the bus, it disappeared with a loud crack.

Down through the entry portal, the three friends walked. Down and down they went until they reached a large open concourse full of hundreds of Muggles going about their business. As they watched, the enormity of their task hit Scorpius.

“How are we going to find them in all of this?”

For once, Rose had no answer.

“Maybe, we can have a bloke make an announcement like they do at King’s Cross and tell Jimber where we are waiting,” said Albus perking up.

“Yeah and we can also invite the fat witch chasing them to come too?” answered Scorpius.

Rose reached out to touch Scorpius’ arm and he jumped. Scorpius followed Rose’s gaze and saw a heavy-set black woman in green robes walking slowly out of a tunnel to their left. She was holding a necklace in a triangle in front of her. The token in the middle of the triangle was swinging wildly. Rose crooked a finger forward and the boys followed her.

They kept the woman in sight. It was not that hard to follow her progress because of her size and bright green robes; she stood out. Scorpius knew that the trick was to not let her know they were following her until they found Jimber. Yet, if they waited that long it might be too late to help their friends. Rose suggested that they should take turns in leading the group so if the woman turned around she would not see the same three kids together, but a different kid trailed by two others. Scorpius smiled and was glad Rose didn’t play chess.

Down another level, the green robed witch turned onto a sparsely populated platform. It was Albus’ turn to be the lead. Suddenly, the Scorpius saw his friend turn around in anguish. He and Rose turned the corner to find only Albus standing on an empty platform.

“I saw her turn to the left and when I got here, poof. Do you think she Disapparated?” asked Albus.

Scorpius turned to Rose and they both said at the same time, “No.”

Scorpius saw Rose smile at him. She lifted her hand, palm up, inviting him to speak.

“It’s like Platform Nine and Three quarters. We need to check the walls for a hidden entrance.” As he finished, Scorpius saw Rose nodding in agreement.

Albus, Rose and Scorpius began to touch the walls of the platform trying to poke their hands through a hidden gateway or an illusion. Scorpius heard a slight gasp to his left from Albus as his right hand disappeared through the wall side advertisement for Purge and Dowse Department Store. Albus pulled his hand back and reached into his pocket for his wand. Just as it immerged in his hand, Rose grasped it and pulled it back.

“What?” silently mouthed Albus toward his cousin.

“We need a plan,” whispered Rose. “Those two Maliaites at Christmas used necklaces as weapons. I’ll use ‘Levicorpus’ and maybe her necklaces will fall off.”

“And I’ll use Expelliarmus”, added Scorpius.

They both focused on Albus. He paused looking thoughtful and suddenly his face lit up. Albus sprinted up the real platform to a bench. He dove under the seat and began to scrape its bottom. After a minute or two he returned. “I’m ready,” he said with his smile still present. Rose looked like she was about to say something to her cousin, but changed her mind.

The trio stood beside each other before the wall. Rose counted to three. At three, they burst through the wall onto a hidden platform to find the green robed witch attempting to slide a necklace around a struggling Jimber’s neck.

“Levicorpus!” shouted Rose and she pointed her wand at the witch. As the woman spun upside down in the air, necklaces, totems and plants fell from around the woman’s midsection.

“Expelliarmus!”, said Scorpius and the necklace flew from her hand onto the floor.

Stretching out her right hand, the green robed woman grasped a fallen totem and raised it toward her attackers. As the woman began to mumble in a foreign language, Albus placed a pellet on the palm of his left hand and shouted, “Waddiwasi!”. The dried wad of gum flew from his hand and into the woman’s mouth causing her to choke and the totem fell back onto the tiled floor.

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius ran past the grasping woman to their friend’s side. As they ran past the upside down woman, Albus kicked the pile of magic items, spreading the debris across the floor.

Before they could say anything, Albus was almost knocked down by a charging Bethany who hugged him around the chest. She looked up at him with a tear-stained face. “Albus, I knew you’d come to rescue us!” she cried.

From behind them, the mumbling had begun again. They turned to face their opponent and saw a talisman glowing bright yellow. Scorpius instinctively grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her down to the floor while knocking Jimber down. A flash of lightening exploded past the falling Gryffindors and smacked the far wall. Albus pulled free of Bethany and reached into his pocket. On his left palm were three pellets. Again he shouted “Waddiwasi!”.

Two of the wads flew into the woman’s mouth and the third went up her nose.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” shouted Albus.

“How?” asked Rose as Scorpius helped to pull her up.

“This way,” said Jimber, and he was running to where Bethany had been hiding. Albus, holding onto Bethany, and Scorpius, still holding onto Rose, followed their friend to find that the platform dead ended. However, approximately twenty feet above them was a stairway that went up two flights to a metal door.

Scorpius pointed his wand toward Albus and Bethany and gave it a swish and a flick. He said, “Wingardium Leviosa.”

Bethany gave out a little yelp and wrapped her arms around Albus’ waist as the two rose up to the stairway. As Albus landed he tried to pry the girl off of him. He could not.

“Go,” shouted Jimber. “Get my sister to safety.”

Albus looked down at the girl and said, “Bethany, take my hand.”

She let go of him and accepted his offered hand. The two began to climb toward the door. Scorpius raised Jimber and then followed by levitating Rose up to the next level. Just as Rose touched down above him, Scorpius heard mumbling from around the corner. Scorpius looked around and saw the witch holding a blade of Merlin Grass and a necklace. “Expelliarmus!” he shouted and the necklace fell out of her hand and onto the floor.

Grinning, Scorpius walked under the stairway. He wondered if he could control his flight if he levitated himself. However, he never found out. Rose was just swishing her wand when he saw her. “No,” he shouted at the same time she spoke the levitation spell.

As his feet left the floor, Scorpius heard a body thud on the tile floor around the corner. Rose’s first spell had ended when she had activated her new spell. Scorpius saw an anguished look on her face as she realized what had happened and for a second Scorpius began to fall. But before he began to fall very far, Rose stretched forward her non-wand hand to pull him up to her.

As soon as he touched down, Scorpius, still holding Rose’s hand, began to run up the stairs almost pulling her with him. As Jimber shut the door behind Rose and Scorpius, the sound of a fireball was heard and the door glowed red.

Scorpius looked around. They were standing in a Muggle alleyway. Jimber smiled and said, “Just a block and a half to the Cauldron. How did you know where we’d be?”

Rose, shrugging at the question, said, “We’re your friends. Who else would’ve known?”

The trio ran out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. About a half a block ahead, they could see Albus and Bethany walking very quickly through the crowd of Muggles. Trying not to draw attention to themselves by running, they also walked slightly hunched over and as fast as possible.

Then Scorpius heard Jimber whisper, “Damn.” Jimber stepped into a door way about four businesses shy of the Cauldron. Scorpius and Rose joined him. They looked back to see the green-robed witch turning onto the street with her necklace in the tracking triangle she had used in the station.

---

Ministry of Magic

---

Granger and Astoria had been amazing. Astoria had spent over an hour talking to Isaac and Rebekka. She used her prodigious skills to convince Rebekka of the logic of the request and to get them to make the sacrifice.

Right now, Hermione was waiting in Bede’s office to get his approval. However, even with his approval, they would need an additional hour. So as distasteful as the task was, he had come to Ron Weasley to try and buy the extra time.

As he got off of the lift, he noticed that blue-robed people were running to and fro. He slipped into Weasley’s office, and found a harried, elderly assistant sifting through a six inch high stack of paperwork. At first she did not notice him, so he cleared his throat, and said “I’m here to see Mr. Weasley, please. I’m afraid I don’t have an appointment.”

“I’m sorry, sir. There has been an emergency and Mr. Weasley is out,” answered the tired secretary.

Holding his face as neutral as he could, he thought, “Maybe I can get my hour without having to debase myself with Weasley.” What he said was, “I can wait.” Just trying to get in good with the assistant, just in case it might pay off later, he asked, “Can you tell me, why all the activity?”

“Sorry, Ministry security business,” she answered as she sorted through the memos. Draco seated himself in front of a table which held a chess set abandoned in mid game. Just as he was trying to figure out which color had the advantage, he heard a gasp from behind the desk. The woman, holding up a sheet of paper, cried, “Oh, no! It was buried under all of this other paperwork. How could I have known?”

“What’s wrong?” Draco asked, and he stood up and began to read the precise penmanship upside down. Draco froze. After a few seconds, he found his voice, “The Weasley girl was here! Was she alone?”

The assistant, who was inking her quill, replied, “She was here along with her cousin Albus and a blonde boy whose name I didn’t catch.”

Draco pulled the note around and read it carefully as new notes flew from the assistant’s desk and out the door. He had no idea about the location of the Muggle Underground, but he knew exactly where the Leaky Cauldron was.

Thrusting his hand into his vest pocket to confirm the location of his wand, Draco sprang through the door and out of the office.

---

Leaky Cauldron

---

The three young Gryffindors looked at each other and nodded. They sprinted the last fifteen yards to the door of their goal. When he entered the pub, Scorpius saw both Bethany and Albus talking at the same time to Hannah Longbottom. He could see no one else was in the pub. As soon as they got close to Hannah, Jimber and Rose added their voices to the Bethany’s and Albus’ babble.

Suddenly, a bright March Hare was hopping around the room. The bizarre sight caused all of the children to quiet. “Could you please be quieter, I just got Lysander and Lorcan down for their naps. Albus, why aren’t you in school?” asked Luna.

“A witch in green robes is trying to kidnap Jimber and Bethany. We stopped her, but she’s followed us here. She’s already beat two Aurors,” Albus practically shouted at the two women.

“A green robed witch,” said Hannah, as she turned to look at Luna.

Luna returned her friend’s look and, without missing a beat, said, “Hannah, take the kids upstairs. Protect them and the twins. I’ll hold her off down here.”

“No, this is my business and I say who goes where,” rebuffed Hannah.

Luna walked over to Hannah, reached out and touched her abdomen. “You can’t endanger this one. You and Neville have been trying too long to risk it, Hannah.”

Scorpius watched Mrs. Longbottom set her jaw and shake her head. “We’ll both stay. That’s what mother’s do. Protect the young.” Hannah Longbottom turned toward Rose and in a calm, no-nonsense voice said, “Now, Rose take your friends upstairs. Get Luna’s twins; they are asleep in the small bedroom off of the formal dining room. You are responsible for keeping them safe, understand?”

Rose nodded. Rose turned and at that moment both she and Scorpius realized that they’d been holding hands again, this time since the stairwell. She smiled at him and did not attempt to shake him off. The five rushed through the kitchen and up the wide carpeted stairway into a formal dining area.

Rose noticed a large picture frame above the mantle place where an orange backdrop had been painted. She released Scorpius’ hand and ran over to the mantle to yell, “Excuse me, whoever you are in the portrait, I need to speak to you immediately. Please, my name is Rose Weasley.”

Minerva McGonagall entered the portrait from the left side. She had a cross look upon her face. In her scolding Scottish accent, she inquired, “Miss Weasley, what in the world are you doing in the Leaky Cauldron?”

“Please, ma’am, a witch has attacked Jimber and his sister. She will be here any second. Mrs. Longbottom and Aunt Luna are going to try and hold her off, but she’s already defeated two Aurors. We need help.”

“Very well,” replied McGonagall. “I will go to the Headmaster’s office. One of the former Headmasters has a portrait in the Auror’s offices,” she added as she turned and walked out of the frame.

Rose turned around, looking relieved. Her face changed to perplexed as she focused on Scorpius. “What?” she asked.

Pointing toward Albus, Jimber and Bethany, Scorpius ordered, “You three go get the twins and bring them here. Now!” The three exited into a small bedroom. “Rose, don’t you see,” he added pointing over Rose’s shoulder.

“What?” she said as she turned back toward the portrait. He walked up behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder and pointed to the obvious. “Brilliant,” Rose replied.

Draco caught his breath at the alley door of the Leaky Cauldron. He pulled his wand out of his robe and slowly turned the knob to open the door into the pub. As he peered in, the room seemed filled with a blue smoke. Through the thick haze, about six feet in front of him, he could see a green-clad black woman stood barefoot on the stone floor. Flying in circles around her, like planets around a sun, were four glowing totems. A necklace spun around each of her extended wrists. The room lit up as a blue bolt of lightning fired at a blond woman crouched behind an overturned table. Luna Scamander deflected the lightning, but the electrical charge made her fine dishwater blonde hair stand on end. As Draco blinked to rid his eyes from the after image of the bolt, he saw an inert body lying at Luna’s feet.

Luna fired a spell whose purple light seemed to be blocked by a floor-to-ceiling light blue shield. Draco concentrated and silently cast “Stupefy”. The red light burst forth from the wand and seemed to pierce the blue shield, but was blocked by a green one. After his spell struck, one of the totems crashed to the floor.

Suddenly, a gale was blowing from the green totem. Draco was forced to turn his head to the side as the wind blowing into his face seemed to steal his breath away. As the wind filled his robe, almost pulling him back, Draco forced his hands in front of his nose to block the wind and the wood splinters from the shattered furniture from striking his face; he made a stabbing motion with his hands and silently cast “Stupefy!” The spell struck the witch’s shield spells and bounced up, cracking a wooden beam in the ceiling and sending plaster crashing on the floor. The attack put an end to the windstorm.

Draco barely got a shield up in time to block a fireball. As the witch concentrated on him, he saw Luna fire a second spell which caused a second totem to fall. Draco immediately recast his spell and for a second the shield held, but finally the red light struck the witch and she fell to one knee. Before she could recover, Draco ran forth and pulled the necklaces off of her wrist. As he did, the last totem, and the woman, fell to the floor.

As he pulled back from his adversary, Draco heard Luna shout, “Hannah! Are you okay? Please, say something!”

A moan came from the figure on the floor and the form rolled into a sitting position. Just as Draco arrived to ask the women the whereabouts of Scorpius and others, a green flash erupted in the fireplace and out charged Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and two blue-clad men. The two Aurors walked over to the unconscious witch. They used a binding spell and levitated her body from the floor.

Weasley signaled for Luna and Draco to step to the side. The shock of the battle seemed to be wearing off for Draco as he approached Weasley.

Luna’s hair was still standing on end, plaster dust and wood chips decorating her mane.

“Hello, Ron. Draco. It’s been quite an adventurous day… for a Friday…in February,” Luna greeted them.

“The children? Scorpius and the others, where are they?” Draco asked her.

“Your son, Rose, Albus and the rest went upstairs to protect my twins. I would be very carefully going upstairs after them- they were really excited. They might attack first and think later.” Luna confided, as she pointed to the doors to the kitchen.

Out of the bursting flames in the fireplace, Neville Longbottom, followed by Headmaster Flitwick, stepped. Neville saw Hannah seated on the floor next to destroyed tables and ran shouting her name, to her side. Draco turned toward the door that Luna had pointed him toward.

As he reached the kitchen, Ron Weasley joined him. The two old adversaries looked at each other then and turned to jointly walk up the stairs. Luna was two steps behind them. At the top of the stairs, Draco and Ron shouted out the children’s names. When they received no response to the calls, the two men began to run from room to room without finding anyone. After about five fruitless minutes, the two men ran back into the dining room to find Luna holding a piece of paper.

“I bet all that very masculine running around and bellowing helped with the tension you both felt, but I found a note on the table from Rose. It says they went to Grandma’s. I assume she meant the Burrow,” Luna said, in a sing song voice. Reflecting for a second, Luna added, “I hope they put the twins down for a nap, else they will more than I can handle.”

Weasley looked at Draco and shrugged. Draco thought, “I use to think of her as such a waste, but in small doses.”

Draco gestured for Ron Weasley to go to the fireplace first. Weasley raised an eyebrow at his manners. Draco smiled at him and said, “With your parents most likely sitting in front of the fireplace with their wands at the ready, I feel it would be best if a familiar face was the first one to appear.”

Ron Weasley smiled and said, “Makes sense.”

The three parents each took the proper amount of powder from the jar that sat on the dining room table next to the note, and with Ron Weasley going first stepped into the fireplace shouting, “The Burrow.”

---

The Burrow

---

Draco gathered himself as he entered the kitchen of the Burrow. He recognized the room from its duplicate that he had spent Christmas in at Hogwarts. Ron Weasley was hugging his daughter. Draco stepped aside to wait. Luna stepped out of the fireplace.

“Hello, everyone. Are the twins lying down?” asked Luna to Molly Weasley.

“Yes, Rose and the other little girl took them into Ginny’s old room right after they arrived,” Molly said, smiling at the younger woman. “Dear, why don’t you let them sleep? You can pick them up later. It will be fun to have little ones in the house again.”

Luna turned her head to the right looking out of the kitchen window to the yard outside and said, “You better hide your chickens. They like to try and ride them.”

“I’ll lock the chickens away,” replied Arthur Weasley, as he attempted to hide a chortle.

Luna walked to the fireplace, turned to the group, waggled the fingers of her left hand and used the floo network to return to the Leaky Cauldron.

Draco stood by the fire place; he held his wand by his side, rolling it in his fingers. He wished that Scorpius was not present. If the boy had been elsewhere, what he had to do would be so much easier.

Ron looked at Rose and said, “Way to go, Rosie. It was brilliant of you to think about using the floo network to come here for protection.”

Rose blushed and shook her head. “I didn’t think of it. Scorpius did. He even suggested where to go. He was brilliant.” The young woman smiled at the boy. He awkwardly smiled back.

Draco saw his son’s face redden with embarrassment and the Weasley girl’s look of adoration. He sighed. I thought we got past all of this. However, a father’s curiosity trumped any romantic misgivings. Draco asked, “Scorpius, why here of all places?”

“We needed someplace that we could leave a note and have that witch be clueless about our destination. Plus we all know that Rose’s Grandma defeated your Aunt Bellatrix to protect her children. Imagine what she’d do to protect her grandchildren.”

Ron looked at Draco. It was obvious that the boy’s logic was as brilliant as the girl thought it was.

Molly Weasley offered the two men, mugs of hot tea and biscuits on a plate. Ron Weasley, acting very uncomfortably, turned down the offer. Draco buying time accepted the mug and tried to initiate the Grandparents in conversation.

However, Ron Weasley reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch with a golden chain. He opened the watch and it said, “Three Twenty-Seven P.M.” Draco watched as Ron looked over at his daughter, who was standing next to Scorpius, and chatting with Jimber Dokes. Weasley seemed to be readying himself for an expected blow.

Ron stood up with his wand in his hand. The elder Weasleys focused on their son as he said, “Bethany. Jimber. It’s time we took you back to my office so you can go back to the Island.”

Rose stepped between her friend and her father. She had a look of anger on her face. “No. Dad, you can’t do this!” As she yelled at her father, and beside her stepped Albus and Scorpius, holding their wands extended, formed a wall in front of the two Dokes.

Jimber’s sad voice cut through Rose’s repeated yells, “Rose, we all knew how it was going to end.” Jimber reached out to physically lower Scorpius’ wand from Mr. Weasley’s face. “Bethany and I will never forget you three for all you did.”

The hurt look on Ronald Weasley’s face almost made Draco sorry for him. However, Draco could not allow Weasley to do what he wanted.

“Expelliarmus!” Draco shouted. The word almost seemed to stick to the roof of his mouth, but he got it out. The wands of Ron Weasley, his mother, his daughter, and Scorpius and Albus all flew toward him. Like a flock of oddly shaped Snitches, Draco caught all of the wands. Stunned, the occupants of the Burrow fell silent.

Draco took Mrs. Weasley’s wand and set it on the wooden table in front of him. He then took the kids wands and sat them next to her wand. He placed Ron’s wand in his front robe pocket. “I’m sorry, but we can’t leave for another half an hour.”

“What are you playing at, Malfoy?” asked Ron Weasley, confusion overlaying a touch of anger.

Draco smiled at Ron. He turned toward Arthur, whose hand was reaching into his Muggle bomber jacket pocket, and requested, “I know that the Order used talking Patronus to communicate. Could you send one to Hermione’s office and a second one to Ron’s office and instruct your daughter-in-law and my wife to come to your home? And if they run into Harry Potter, have them invite him along also.”

Arthur Weasley looked at his son, Ron shrugged. The elder Weasley pulled out his wand and Draco saw a hesitation in the hand. Draco was wondering if Mr. Weasley would attempt an attack. Arthur Weasley looked into Draco’s eyes. After ten or so seconds, two bright weasels burst forth from the wand, disappearing through the walls.

“Perfect,” said Draco, sounding more confident than he felt. He looked in the middle of the table and saw the dish piled with biscuits. “Are those Ginger Snaps? If they are the same recipe as the ones your daughter made over Christmas, I wonder if I might bother you for a couple of them, Mrs. Weasley.”

Molly Weasley started to slide the dish over, until her caution overtook her natural sharing instincts. Draco leaned forward and took two of the cookies into his hand. After taking the first bite, which was as good as he remembered, he turned toward Ron Weasley. Weasley’s face was turning redder by the second. Draco had to do something to puncture the man’s anger or else he might find himself in a duel with a trained Auror.

“You should be thankful, you know, Weasley,” Draco drawled. “I’m saving you from the temporary loss of your daughter’s unconditional love and respect. And at the same time, I’m keeping you from sleeping in the kennel. You’ll thank me later.”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” Ron Weasley responded.

At that moment, the image of an otter flooded the kitchen with light. Out of the Otter’s mouth, Hermione Weasley’s voice spoke. “Astoria, Harry and I are at the Leaky Cauldron. We are coming through.”

Draco walked around the table to face the fireplace with his wand extended. Hermione spun in the hearth and stepped out into the kitchen. She froze when she saw Draco standing their holding his wand. Just as Hermione stopped, Astoria stepped out of the flames. She stopped next to Hermione. Draco raised a questioning eyebrow toward his wife and she gave a slight nod in return as she asked, “Draco? What have you done?”

When Harry Potter did not immediately follow the two women through the fireplace, Draco began to worry about the cause of the delay. After about five minutes, Harry Potter spun out the fireplace. Harry looked at Draco, Ron and the children standing with their friends.

“Forgive me. It’s just that Weasley and I have been discussing why he can’t take Jimber and Bethany to the Ministry for Deportation today,” Draco said, stretching the truth about as far as he could.

Harry’s eyes darted from Draco to his best friend. Potter grimace and answered, “I doubt that, but go ahead anyway.”

Draco saw Ron give Harry a confused look. Draco wasn’t certain what game Harry was playing, but as long as they wanted the same thing, he didn’t matter. He knew that his time was limited.

“We all know that your men and the Dokes children were attacked. And only a fool would consider the timing an accident. It is also obvious who arranged the attack: Korhogo.”

“Yes, he visited my office yesterday. He kept mentioning the time of his departure. I found it very odd and only when I reflected on the attack did it become obvious that he was setting up an alibi. How could he have anything to do with an attack that occurred while he was in transit back to the Island?” said Harry Potter. Weasley head bobbed in acceptance of the analysis.

“So Korhogo orchestrated the attack, but to what end?” asked Draco. He attempted to answer the question, hoping to sculpt the discussion toward his resolution, “Maybe, the attack was an attempt to orchestrate a hostage swap. The Dokes children for the two Mailiaites?”

Ron shook his head, “Shacklebolt’s Ministry doesn’t negotiate for prisoners.”

Draco nodded. However, before he could give the answer that he wanted everyone to agree upon, Ron Weasley added, “Could be revenge? The taint is something that can be used to get revenge on those who attacked your tribe.”

Draco forced a smile. Who would have thought that Weasley would have a thought as insightful as this one?

“Yes, but how would that have helped our visitor from the Island? No, I think the attack was a message to the parents. We can get your children no matter what you do. And you will be in jail during your trial.”

“That fits what Rebekka and Isaac were afraid of. With Isaac’s father in jail, the kids would have had to live with Rebekka’s elderly widowed mother,” chimed in Hermione.

“Exactly. The children as pawns,” inserted Draco before someone could change the subject. Draco walked over to Bethany and Jimber. He flicked his wand and two chairs were conjured. He motioned with his arm for the children to sit in the chairs.

Bethany and her brother sat uncertainly on the edges of their chairs.

Draco crouched down to place his face on the same level as his subjects. “Bethany, do you know what a guard is?”

The little girl’s head bobbed and she said, “A guard protects something.”

“Yes,” Draco said as he nodded in agreement. He paused, trying to frame the argument in his head. He knew that he would have only one chance to get this right.

“When I was a little older than James, my father was arrested for doing bad things. So every day for a month, I had to go to the courtroom with my mother past people who shouted insults, past reporters shouting questions, and listen to people say how bad a man my father was. It was hard. My mother came home every day from the trial and cried all night. And even though I knew they were right about my father, it still hurt. When your parents return to the Island, they will be in a trial with your grandfather Dokes. People will tell lies about them and you will have to sit there being quiet and not react.” Bethany who looked on the verge of tears looked at her brother. Jimber reached over to take her hand and gave Draco a stony stare.

“Mrs. Weasley and my wife have got papers that give Astoria and I guardianship of the two of you. It doesn’t mean that you are not your parent’s children. It means that your parents want you to be safe, and, until the trial is over, you would stay here. And when the trial is over, you may join your parents, or your parents may come back here. Would you want to stay here with us?”

“I want to be with my mommy!” Bethany cried. Draco looked to Astoria, but she nodded her head. It was up to him.

“Bethany, your mommy will be in jail. You would only see her in a courtroom,” Draco said softly to the crying girl. He turned from the girl to be brother. He might be able to use the boy’s protective feelings toward his sister to win the day. “If you go back to the Island, you will be in danger. And the better things go in the courtroom for your parents, the more danger you and your sister will be in. They will try and use you to hurt your parents.”

Jimber gave a little nod. “I think Scorpius’ dad is making sense, Bethany.”

“Jimber, Bethany, we will need you to sign the paper work that Mrs. Weasley and my wife have brought,” Draco said smiling at the children.

“Their signature is not all that you need,” said Hermione. Draco nodded. Of course, he would have to sign the paperwork also. Then, she said something that shocked him, “Ron has to sign too.”

“Huh?” blurted out both Ron and Draco in the same breath.

“Draco, with your family history, the Ministry Officials required witnesses to our guardianship. He would only grant the request if we could get someone to monthly file paperwork attesting to the status of the children. Hermione volunteered the two of them as the official witnesses,” said Astoria, speaking barely above a whisper.

“You volunteered us to do - what? Go to Malfoy Manor and have tea and crumpets while we reminisce how his aunt tortured you there?” a disbelieving Ron Weasley asked.

“You won’t be visiting the manor. Late last night, Astoria and I moved all of our things to the back room of the potion shop,” Draco said looking at his son. “We also got most of your things Scorpius. I doubt your grandparents will deny you anything we missed.”

“Why’d you move out?” asked Ron Weasley.

“My parents wouldn’t let Isaac and Rebekka eat in their house. So if we were to take responsibility for Bethany and Jimber, we knew we had to move out. So we will temporarily live in the back of the shop until we can find a place to rent,” he replied.

“Why not buy your own place?” asked Harry Potter.

Draco looked over to Potter. He had almost forgotten he was in the kitchen.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Potter,” said Draco.

“Draco. What’s more important your pride or the children,” Astoria rebuked her husband.

Draco looked at his wife. He delayed his response, as her eyes bored into him. Finally he said, “We almost had enough to purchase a modest place, but we sent that money to the Island to help pay for Isaac and Rebekka’s legal fees.”

He saw Potter make a pensive face. Then his mouth twitched and he said, “Not very Slytherin of you was it?”

Draco’s head retracted slightly. He would have expected such a comment from Weasley, not Potter. He reflected on the statement and could not find any response that fit. Finally, he shrugged in response.

After a couple of seconds of silence, Hermione stepped forward to the kitchen table. She conjured a quill and an ink bottle and she showed Jimber and Bethany the place to sign. The two Dokes children signed the paperwork, and Jimber handed the quill back to Mrs. Weasley.

Draco stepped up to the documents. He saw where Astoria had already affixed her signature. He dipped the quill in the bottle and froze. Turning toward Ronald Weasley, he said, “You know, if I’m charged with a crime, these papers are worthless. So, Auror Weasley, are you going to place charges against me for disarming you earlier?”

Ron Weasley seemed to have forgotten about Draco’s earlier action. He paused as if he was weighing the ramifications of all of his options. Finally, he announced to the room, “As I recall there were a whole lot of angry wands pointed in the room at the time. You might have saved my life. We will never know.”

Draco straightened up. Weasley had surprised him again. Draco wondered what his response would have been without his wife and daughter watching him. Draco nodded at Ron accepting his reprise no matter what the reason and said, “Thank you.” Draco lifted the quill and signed his name and handed the quill to Weasley.

After Weasley signed the paper, Draco checked his owned pocket watch. It was well past four thirty. He looked at Hermione and asked, “Now what?”

“Bede’ gave us to four thirty to return with the paperwork,” she answered, concerned. “He may have already turned them over to the Islanders.”

“No, he hasn’t,” chimed in Harry Potter. “After the battle in the Leaky Cauldron, I sent a Patronus notifying Alfred that the Dokes and their children were material witnesses in our investigation of attacks on ministry personnel. He gave our Department until Monday to finish our investigation. So no one will be going to the Island until Monday.”

Draco laughed. His response seemed to shock himself more than everyone else in the room, so in response he looked to Molly Weasley and asked, “Could I have another one of those Ginger Snaps?”

---

Diagon Alley

---

Draco still had a crick in his back from where Bethany had pushed him out of their temporary bed in the backroom. As he arched his back exploring to see if the stretch would help with the discomfort, the bell tinkled and three people walked into the room: Harry Potter, his wife Ginny, and their daughter.

Bethany peeked through the door and, seeing Lily she ran, screeching, to greet her friend. As the girls walked to the window seat of the store, Draco focused on the adults.

“Mr. and Mrs. Potter, how can we help you?’

“It’s actually how we might be able to help you,” said Ginny Potter. By this time, Astoria had walked out of the work room, drying her hand on a towel as she approached. “Do you think you could close the shop early today?”

Draco looked out of the window. The threatening February sky had kept the foot traffic to a trickle all morning. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Girls, we are about to take a trip. Come here, please,” instructed Harry Potter.

“Where are we going?” Astoria asked.

“Bethany, take my hand,” said Harry Potter. Draco, Astoria and Bethany joined hands. Bethany took Potter’s left hand and the instant she grasped it the whole group Disapperated.

They arrived in a small grassy area across from a block of run down Muggle buildings. The six walked across the street to where the fence between numbers eleven and thirteen met.

“Where are we going to, Potter?” asked Draco. He was trying to not insult the man.

Harry Potter smiled and instructed his three guests, “I own a house at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

Suddenly, in between the two existing addresses, a new yard and doorway appeared. The adult Potters walked toward the door. The Malfoys trailed behind them. Bethany, amazed, talked excitedly to Lily. Lily was giggling.

Harry unlocked the door and all six entered. As the door closed, two house-elves appeared. One was, what appeared to be, a young elf and the other an aged elf whose back was bent so low that his face seemed to be permanently staring at his feet. “Kreacher and Krowker, may I introduce you to the Malfoys.”

“Malfoys?” croaked the ancient elf. He lifted up his head. Draco instinctively extended his hand. The elf stared at Draco’s hand. Suddenly, the old elf grasped hold of Draco’s wrist. He seemed to stare at Draco’s shirt. “I would know these cufflinks anywhere. Oh, how many times did I clean them and place them on my master’s sleeves. Master Black, Kreacher is here to serve you again.”

Draco looked at Harry Potter, who was also confused. Astoria broke the silence, “Draco - the dark opal formal set. Where did you get it?”

“I inherited it as a child from my grandfather,” Draco started to answer. “Potter, what is this place?”

Harry did not answer him, but spoke to the elves.

“Kreacher. Draco Malfoy and his family, who are the last of the Black blood, need a place to live for awhile. Do you think that you and your nephew can take care of them?”

The old elf practically stood up straight. “Kreature would be honored to return to the service of the Noble House of the Blacks.” And, taking Draco by the hand, the small creature led Draco down the hall. “I will show you the tapestry. I will show you the place of honor you already hold in this household.”

Astoria stopped in front of Harry Potter. “How much will we owe you?”

“Nothing. It will keep us from having to come up with things to keep the two of them busy,” said Harry. “Stay here until schools out. If you like it here, maybe we can work something out.”

“No! I maybe a Malfoy by marriage, but Malfoys are not beggars,” she said, as she raised up to here full height. Actually, Astoria wanted to be convinced.

Harry looked at Ginny at a loss.

After a few second, Ginny smiled and said, “There is a fund at St Mungo’s Hospital, the fund pays for the care of those who cannot afford it. Perhaps a donation of a few Galleons every month would be an acceptable rent. And at least once a month, you will have to entertain Lily and Hugo in this house. And maybe overnight, if there is a need.”

Astoria smiled and nodded to the Potters.

Bethany walked over to Harry Potter. “Is there a room for me?”

Harry lowered his head toward the girl’s face. “There are a lot of rooms. Why don’t you and Lily pick the best one out,” he said. The two girls were running down the hallway yelling at the top of their voices.

Suddenly, a sound as loud as the two girls filled the hallway. Harry Potter walked down to a portrait, pulled out his wand, and then he seemed to change his mind.

“Kreacher, maybe you would like to introduce your mistress to the new family who will be living here?”

Draco was pulled in front of a portrait of an old woman. After Kreacher finished, Draco bowed to the portrait and complimented it for the lovely house. Suddenly, an almost purring sound emanated from the painting.

Draco turned toward his wife and smiled. They were home.

Draco walked through Kings Cross Station hand-in-hand with his wife Astoria. Two steps in front of the couple, Bethany Dokes and Lily Potter were talking about all of the different Muggles making their ways home from work. The girls made comments about how silly the men with briefcases and women in dress suits, wearing trainers and running to get on and off the trains looked. Lily seemed to be entertaining Bethany by making up little stories about the people who crossed their paths.

Draco and Astoria watched the girls as they led the adults to the pillar that was the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He marveled at how different the last five months had been while he had been outnumbered in his household by the two females. He couldn’t wait to get the two boys back from school so he would no longer be in the minority.

Draco returned from his reflection to see the two girls, without pausing, run through the entry way. Draco and Astoria looked around at the crowd and when no one was looking they stepped through. As they walked around the corner, Draco saw Harry and Ginny Potter talking to Gwenog Jones and her friend. Lily, followed by Bethany, ran up to her mother.

The Malfoys followed the girls to the Potters. “Good Afternoon,” Astoria greeted them.

Ginny Potter looked over at the newcomers and replied, “Afternoon. How were the girls? They didn’t try to play dress up with Krowker again?”

“No, we told them that if they bothered the house-elves again, there would be no dessert. It worked wonders,” answered Draco.

“So have you decided about the place?” inquired Harry.

“Well, we thought we had a deal on a house in St. Angus’ Watch near Blackpool. It had some acreage, in which we could have built a greenhouse and have grown plants for use in the shop. However, the widow changed her mind about selling the place. Also, Grimmauld Place is so centrally located, and with the elves, make it’s hard to beat,” Astoria answered. “If you could give us a couple of weeks - Scorpius has never actually been there - we’d like to see how he takes to the place and the elves.”

Harry nodded and Draco leaned conspiratorially toward him. “Potter, I was just wondering if you’d be willing to tell us how James got his black eyes?” he asked. “Scorpius only mentioned that it had occurred, but not how it happened.”

Harry pulled his head back in surprise and looked over to Ginny, who shrugged in return. “What black eyes?”

“That was Kaitlin’s doing,” admitted Gwenog Jones. “After they won the last match and the Cup something happened between the two of them and she broke his nose giving him the black eyes.” The woman’s tone was somber and almost apologetic, but her face wore a bemused look.

“Oh, please tell me that he didn’t try and kiss her again?” replied Ginny.

“I asked, but my brother refused to say,” admitted Gwenog.

“Ron, Hermione, over here!” shouted Harry and he waved his hand above his head to signal their location. Draco turned to see Hermione Weasley pointing toward Harry’s hand and then the three Weasleys moved past the other waiting families to join their group.

“Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,” Draco said. He smiled and half bowed toward Hermione to see if it would bother Ron. Alas, it did not.

“Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Wow, Astoria, what a lovely dress - is it new?” asked Ron. Draco fought to keep from looking at his wife. Was the dress new? And then he saw a smug look on Weasley’s face and knew he had been beaten at his own game.

Draco saw Hermione roll her eyes and guessed that his wife was doing the same behind him. To get past being judged by the women, Draco asked Ron, “So, we all made it through their first year. You don’t think it will be like our time at school? A crisis every year, I’m not sure I can take it.”

Ron Weasley nodded in agreement.

Hermione turned to Astoria and said, “I heard from Andris that good news was on the way. Have you received anything from the Dokes?”

“Yes, the letter arrived two days ago. It took an hour to convince Bethany to wait ‘til today so Jimber could hear the news at the same time,” replied Astoria.

“Didn’t you open it? So you would know how to cushion any blows?” asked Hermione, looking at Draco.

“Of course not, the letter is addressed to the children. It would be against the rules of guardianship to read their mail,” Draco replied, trying hard to act hurt. Hermione just raised an eyebrow. “Well, we may have peaked, but don’t tell our Witnesses of Guardianship. They might turn us in to the Ministry,” Draco added with a smile.

Suddenly, a rail-thin young man with the most bizarre hair style and coloring Draco had ever seen walked up to Harry and Ginny. The boy’s hair started out jet black on the left side of his head, slowly turned yellow as it gained altitude onto a row of spikes, then, in the valley between spikes the hair slowly turned from yellow to green until it started the next spike row where it became bluer as it reached the top of the peak and finally returned to the same black on the right side of the head. As Draco attempted to ignore the strange hair, he found that the young man’s face did look vaguely familiar.

“So what was your decision, Teddy?” asked Ginny Potter of the boy.

“I decided not to ask Victoire. What you said about letting her live some of her own dreams before we both build ours made sense,” said the young man.

“It’ll be better in the long run. Besides you’re both still so young,” Ginny replied.

“I’ve decided to wait till I graduate from my Auror training to propose,” Teddy Lupin confidently answered.

“If you graduate,” said Ron and Harry in unison.

“Victoire Lupin… It does have a nice sound to it,” chimed in Hermione, her voice supportive of the boy.

In the distance, a chugging sound could be heard and all of them turned to look up the platform. The hissing, smoke-belching monster came roaring into the station. Finally, the ear piercing sound of metal scraping on metal filled the platform and the train came to a halt. The platform became almost unbearably hot as jets of steam escaped from the engine.

As students began to step down from the cars, Draco craned his neck to look for a familiar face. A Weasley or a Potter should signal the probable car to search for. In the second car back, the tall Head Girl stepped on the platform. She turned toward the group in which Draco was a part and shouted, “Teddy! Over here.” As the young woman waved her hand, the young man rushed toward her and the blue in his hair miraculously changed to red and an orange stripe was now visible down the middle of his skull. Teddy Lupin lifted the tall girl and as they spun, he kissed her.

Draco heard a sigh, but he could not tell which of the women had uttered it. For some reason, he hoped it hadn’t been Astoria.

After about five minutes, Draco saw Kaitlin Jones and Rose Weasley step off the same car together. The boys were not visible. Draco found that a bit odd. Ron Weasley stepped forward and levitated both of their trunks over to the waiting adults.

Kaitlin and Rose followed Ron back. “Rose Weasley, this is my Aunt Gwenog and Giselle.” Rose smiled at the two women. “Giselle, did you make all of the arrangements with Aunt Gil?”

The tall woman looked down at Gwenog, smiled at her and finally spoke to Kaitlin. “Yes, you have the Harpy’s practice pitch for the first ten days in August. And she will be glad to help your friend.”

Rose bounced on her toes with an enraptured ear-to-ear grin on her face.

“What did you ask Gillette to do?” asked Gwenog Jones.

Jones comments were almost drowned out by Hermione’s question, “What have you two planned that you didn’t tell us about?”

The two girls started to answer, talked over each other, and stopped. Finally Kaitlin motioned for Rose to explain.

“Well, it’s all Scorpius’ fault actually. He saw that Kaitlin was having trouble keeping up with her school work and that she was in danger of not being able to stay on the team. So he tried to get me to help teach Kaitlin how to be a better student. Of course, being a boy, he sort of bungled his explanation and we both sort of yelled at him. However, at breakfast, I realized that Kaitlin and I could help each other. I organized Kaitlin’s studying like she was getting ready for a Quidditch match, not an exam. We game-planned test schedules and scouted for possible questions. She took to it like Thestrals to raw beef. Now, I want to be the next Goal Keeper for Gryffindor. I love the position; it’s a real thinking player’s position. So, in return for my help, she promised to have her Aunt Gillette Pierce, former Harpies Keeper, give me some lessons during the summer. The position will be open next year. Wood was a seventh year.”

“And you were going to ask for your parents’ permission -- when?” asked Ron to his daughter. However, the smile on his face let Rose know she already had his support.

Suddenly, Kaitlin bellowed, “Malfoy, Dokes, Albus, and Panda Boy, come here.”

The whole group of adults turned to see the four boys exiting the same car as the two girls had. As James approached, the slight outline of his almost-completely-healed black eyes was just visible on his face.

“First ten days of August. Be there or forget making the house team next year. Understand?” she ordered the boys like a drill sergeant.

James’ face turned as red as part of Teddy Lupin’s hair. “You’ve got no say about who makes the team next year. You won’t be the captain. It’ll probably be Freddy or Thistlecrowne. They’ll be senior to you.”

“Thistlecrowne! He will lose his position to you, Albus or Scorpius,” replied Kaitlin to James.

James turned and shouted over to his cousin. “Freddy! Kitty-Kat has already kicked Thistlecrowne off next year’s team and set herself up as the next Captain.”

The whole group watched as Freddy Weasley detached himself from Angelina’s hug and walk over to their group. “I’ll be a seventh year and you’ll be a second,” Freddy Weasley said, attempting to use his over a foot of height advantage to intimidate the girl. “So, I’ll be wearing the badge next year, not you.”

“Fine, wear the stupid badge if it comes in the mail. However, I’m going to be reorganizing the whole team. We need a full reserve team of seven players as back up to the starters. So, in case of injury, we don’t have to scramble. Also we need a developmental squad of three or four first-year players, who can learn by practicing against the starters. The developmental players can imitate the stars of other teams, making practices more realistic and competitive. After I’m done with the team, Gryffindor will win the cup every year for a decade.”

Draco shook his head a bit to re-focus his senses; he could have sworn the girl had grown a half a foot in height during her lecture. Draco also saw that James seemed to be the only true objector among the younger boys to Kaitlin’s plan.

Freddy Weasley threw up his hands in disgust and turned to join his parents, George and Angelina Weasley, in loading his trunks onto the trolley. As Freddy walked, his loud mumbling could still be heard over all of the other noise of the platform.

“And I’m not replacing anybody. I’m the Gryffindor Seeker. You’re just the one of the team’s Chasers, Jones. Get use to it,” James said in a slow, simmering voice.

Jones turned to the trolley and reached into a large, lumpy bag. Out of the bag, she pulled a Quaffle and threw it at James’ face. He batted it back at her. James’ anger was growing.

“You can throw all the Quaffles in the world at me, Kitty-Kat, and I’ll still be the Seeker and you’ll still be a Chaser next year.” And with that pronouncement James turned on his heel and walked over to join Freddy.

Kaitlin placed her hand on her hips, stamped her left foot on the platform, shook her head and made a little growling noise in her throat while glaring at the back of the retreating boy.

“Uh, Oh. I’ve seen that little act before. Did you ever see it, Ginny?” asked Giselle.

“Yeah. First practice my last year, right after Georgette Tawbel had told Gwen to stuff it,” Ginny answered. looking back to Giselle. “For James’ sake, I hope it doesn’t mean the same thing with Kaitlin as it did with Gwen.”

“She gave me that same reaction after I told her my client wasn’t going to re-sign with the Harpies for her pittance. The next day, she asked me out on a date.”

Ignoring the adults and James, Kaitlin turned toward the remaining boys. “Now, for the first time, the World Cup will have a junior division championship. I want us to practice this August, so, in two years Team Gryffindor will represent Britain.”

Draco saw Scorpius’ face light up with imagined glory. A quick look around at Rose and Albus revealed the same far off smile on their faces. So much for a quiet summer spent at home.

“Bethany?” Draco yelled, letting his voice find the erstwhile girl.

“Here,” she replied, stepping between Albus and Hugo.

“Jimber? We got a letter from your parents. I think you should read it to your sister. And afterward, I’d like to let everyone here know what they wrote. After all, they all care about you and your parents.” Draco reached into his inside suit jacket’s pocket to pull out an envelope. He extended the packet toward his foster son.

Jimber greedily took the envelope, walked over to Bethany and pulled open the flap. Draco saw their faces light up as they read what was written. About three or four minutes into the letter, he saw both Dokes children steal glances at their friends. When Jimber was done, he hugged his kid sister. The two siblings seemed to cling to each other for a long minute. As he watched them, Draco felt Astoria’s slip her arm around his and they grasped hands.

Jimber walked back to his friends and handed the letter back to Draco. Draco turned to the group and, without referencing the letter, announced, “The Island’s government has dropped its charges against Isaac and Rebekka.”

A wave of relief passed through the adults. The children began to cheer and then stopped when he continued, “Justice Shaman Andris and Rebekka are currently trying to get the charges dropped against Isaac’s father. Ka-Sich Korhogo has left the Island. It seems that he was the one behind the thefts of a number of the artifacts from the school and other government buildings.”

Harry Potter made a comment to Ron Weasley that was lost amid muttering of the adults and the cheering of the children.

“The Ruling Council of the Island has asked Rebekka to return to the Island and resume her former post as the Priestess of Justice. They also have given approval for Isaac to reopen the Island’s magical school. He thinks it will be two years before it can start having classes. So they want Jimber to stay with us and return to Hogwarts for school next year.” The kids all cheered.

“I’d like to read this part of Rebekka’s letter.” Draco said. He opened the letter and, with his index finger, located the passage.

“We of the Island have kept ourselves apart from the other magical peoples of the world for far too long. We saw outsiders as possible oppressors. We must change that. When our family journeyed from home, we found a group of people who not only befriended us, but were willing to make sacrifices to help us. It is time for all of us to step forward and take our place in the wide world. We must all learn to forgive others for the sins of the fathers.”

Draco finished reading and carefully placed the letter back in the envelope. “So, Jimber will be staying here with us until school starts. Just before school begins, Isaac and Rebekka will come here to pick up Bethany to take her back with them. And while he’s here, Isaac also would like to set up an exchange program between his school and Hogwarts. So we can all learn from each other.”

---

The Jones’ left the platform first. Gwenog had a public appearance to prepare for. As they left, James had to defend himself from a second thrown ball. Kaitlin yelled, “August first, be there or face the consequences, Panda Boy.” James answer was lost in the bustle of the crowd.

As the children talked and chased each other, the parents organized the luggage on the trolleys. Calling out the children’s names, the three families made their way back to the portal to the Muggle train station. Just before they reached the place, Draco turned to the Weasleys and the Potters and said, “There is this little Muggle coffee shop up the way. How about joining us there for a coffee and a sticky bun? Our treat.”

Draco stared wide-eyed looking at the group; the invitation had not been planned. The offer just seemed to slip out.

The Potters said they would go, but only if they could pay their own way food. Ron and Hermione both nodded. And the three families left the platform to begin the next chapter of their adventure.