A/N: First of all, this chapter COULD be considered M rated because of the language, so beware of that! Also, I have about a million excuses for not updating more regularly. I got a brand new job a couple of months ago that has kept me very busy and for those of you who don't know I am also working on my master's degree and school has been kicking my butt this semester.

PLEASE still love me even though I left you all hanging for so long! I'm so sorry! I am working on updating several of my stories right now so hopefully you won't have a long wait if you're following I Chose You, Life Swap, or The Time Spiral.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

WARNING: Language in this chapter.

….

"Daddy?" Scorpius hadn't realized Adara was awake until she spoke.

"Yes, darling?"

"I can't sleep. I don't like the hospital," the girl whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"We won't be here for very long. Just until your mum wakes up," Scorpius took this opportunity to inform her of what was going on. "I need to go home to get a few things for us. Do you remember Molly? She's going to come and stay with you while I go home."

"Can't I go home, too, Daddy, please?" her little voice quavered and Scorpius frowned in empathy. He didn't like being in hospitals either.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I need to take care of a few things."

"Is Draco still there?" it was a barely audible question.

"Yes, he is."

"Is he going to go to jail, Daddy? To Azkaban?"

"No, unfortunately not. But I'm going to make him forget all about us, alright? You'll be safe. I promise."

"Is Molly your friend?" Adara asked conversationally as she left her cot and climbed onto her father's lap.

"She's your mother's best friend. If your mum trusts her then so do I," he was absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"Scorpius?" his head snapped up to see Molly Weasley peeking her head into the door. Of course it was her. Nobody else could get into the room. As she entered the room Lorcan came in just behind her.

Scorpius shifted so that he could stand with Adara under his arm, tucked safely into his side. "Lorcan," he said formally and extended his right hand for his Hogwarts best mate to shake.

Lorcan raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly from Scorpius's outstretched hand to his face then back to his hand again. For just a moment Scorpius was worried that Lorcan was mad enough at him for leaving to not even shake his hand. But instead Lorcan threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly while mumbling in his ear, "Don't you ever fucking disappear again."

Adara giggled and whispered in Scorpius's other ear, "He said a naughty word, Daddy."

Both men laughed while Molly watched them apprehensively. Lorcan smirked at the girl and said, "You, young lady, must be Adara. Molly told me about you."

Adara looked him up and down in a calculating way that reminded Lorcan forcibly of her father. When she finally met his eyes she gave him a small smile and said, "I like your dragon hide boots."

All three adults laughed. "You said you needed me," Lorcan reminded Scorpius a moment later.

Scorpius nodded jerkily. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I thought it would have taken you longer to get ahold of Molly and-"

The look on Lorcan's face made Scorpius pause and quirk an eyebrow at him in curiosity. Lorcan took a step away from Scorpius and reached out to hold Molly's right hand in his own while Molly held up her left hand where a large diamond ring sat. "We were already together when I got your owl," Lorcan explained.

"Well bugger me! I never would have thought you would have ended up with a Gryffindor! Especially a Weasley!"

"Look who's talking mate," he nodded his head toward Rose's unconscious form.

"Point taken," Scorpius grimaced and asked, "So when's the big day?"

"We can talk about that later," Lorcan waved a hand dismissively and it didn't go unnoticed by Scorpius that he had already assumed they would have time to talk about personal things later. Was that what he wanted? Would that be what Rose wanted once she woke up? Certainly things had changed now that his father had found them and Molly and Lorcan were involved.

"Right you are, mate. I need you to, please, come with me back to my house. My father is still there and I have to Obliviate him before I let him go."

"What about me?" asked Molly who was so eager to help that she was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I was going to ask if you would stay with my children until we get back. I don't want to leave them at all, but I'll feel so much better if you're here."

"No!" Adara whined as she squirmed in Scorpius's arms. "Daddy, please! I don't want to stay in the hospital! I can't sleep here and it smells funny."

"If you want, I can take Addie and Lux to our flat. Lorcan can you bring you there whenever you two are finished…" she trailed off after receiving a quelling glare from Scorpius.

"Oh please! Please, Daddy, can I, please?" Adara begged as she hugged him around the neck.

With a sigh of defeat he reluctantly gave in. "I reckon I won't hear the end of it unless I agree. Alright, Addie, you can go home with Molly. It will probably be safer there for you anyway. I don't suppose there's any reason why my grandfather would know where you live?"

"No," Lorcan shook his head. "I mean, he's a Malfoy so it probably wouldn't be very hard to ask the right people and find out, but I doubt they would come looking for you or your family at our flat. It's in a muggle neighborhood, they know I'm engaged to Mols, and they haven't spoken a word to me since asking if I knew where you were five years ago."

"That's going to have to do I guess. Adara, I need you to be a big girl and take good care of your little brother, okay?"

"Yes! Of course! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed the little girl. Her delighted shrieks woke her brother who yawned before sitting up in the crib he was in and blinking at his father curiously.

"Come on, little wizard," he said the term affectionately as he plucked the infant from the crib and hugged him. "Daddy needs to take care of a few things so you're going to go with your sister to Molly's flat for a while. Daddy will be there to get you as soon as I can."

"Mol! Mol! Mol!" Pollux clapped his hands together twice then reached his tiny little hands out toward her.

"Looks like he's okay with it," said Lorcan with a chuckle. "Let's be off then."

"Lor-" Molly reached out and grabbed hold of his arm, tugging him back as he had made to move forward. "Be careful."

"I will. We'll be back before you know it." Lorcan wrapped a hand around to the nape of her neck and tilted her head upward as he bent to kiss her soundly on the mouth. Scorpius waited patiently as they snogged for several awkward moments before clearing his throat.

Molly, Adara, and Pollux waved to the duo as Scorpius took hold of Lorcan by the wrist and spun on the spot to go home.

…..

Draco Malfoy was lost. Metaphorically, of course. Not physically. How could a fully qualified wizard ever truly be lost? All he would have to do is Apparate home if he lost his way. No, Draco's misguidance was entirely mental, emotional, and perhaps a bit spiritual.

When the baby had cried, he'd hated it. He wanted to kill it. The stupid Weasley chit had realized that much when she saw the expression on his face. But then, when he'd seen his granddaughter and made the connection between her and himself, his heart melted. Or grew. Or shattered. It did something in his chest that was painful, but in a good way. He hoped.

After seeing her, meeting her, speaking to her, Adara, well he didn't think he was capable of hating anyone ever again. Especially not muggles or muggleborns. Because there was no way that something, someone, so perfect could have come from the type of beings that he always pictured muggles to be.

The Weasley girl's words had baffled him as well. Were all muggleborns truly the offspring of a squib somewhere down the line? If so, that certainly changed things at least a little bit. Although it didn't change everything, not by far. Dislike of the entire Weasley family was too deeply engrained in him for him to change his mind about that.

Adara. Adara Malfoy. Four years old and having adult-like conversations with Draco in her kitchen. Her bold as brass personality must have come from her mother's side of the family, but that intelligence was definitely from the Malfoy side. Unbidden, thoughts of Hermione Granger-Weasley came to mind but he pushed those aside. Sure, she was book smart, but that was all she had. Like some sort of recording device. Taking in knowledge and repeating it when called on.

Damn it, he knew that wasn't true, but he'd told himself that for so long that he had actually started believing it. For years after Scorpius had left Draco wondered what he could have done differently to keep his son. The problem was that he did not condone the marriage of purebloods to mudbloods, muggles, or half-bloods!

With perfect clarity he remembered his duel with the insufferable witch whom his son had procreated with. Resourceful, knowledgeable, and skillful. Her skill had actually caught him off guard and he had to admit that he had underestimated her. Was it because of her parentage?

There was a moment, although he'd never admit it, when he actually thought the wench was going to win. All because he'd let his guard down. How was he supposed to know that she actually knew what she was doing with that wand? Powerful magic she had. With a start Draco realized that the bloody half-blood tramp's magic was more powerful than Astoria's.

It would make sense then, when combined with Scorpius's own above-average-in-strength magical core they would create a child who was also so powerful. For Godric's sake, she'd warded the bedroom door by herself! Without a wand! Fully qualified wizards would have trouble with that!

Draco Sodding Malfoy, who had taken the Dark Mark at the age of 16, who had fought in several battles, who had training and practice with undoing defensive spells, couldn't blast down the damn door. He was – dare he say it! – proud of her! Proud of his granddaughter.

Now was not the time for this inner turmoil, however. Now was the time for action. His son had left only moments previously and he was left dangling absurdly in mid-air bound in ropes. With a sharp mental flick of his magic the ropes fell and he landed lithely on his feet.

Had Scorpius really been foolish enough to think that these ropes would hold him? Then again he never had divulged some of his deeper secrets with the boy. Like the fact that he'd trained himself for years to perform all sorts of mental magic. Some people were born with the innate ability to call upon magic at will without a wand (Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort came to Draco's mind), but he had had to train it and hone the skill over several years. Now he was a natural.

With long elegant fingers he brushed off his cuffs, straightened them, and went upstairs to retrieve his wand. Along the way he took the time to glance at the family photographs. Galloping Gargoyles! The same tug at his heart came when he saw the little boy's face as well. Like his sister's it was heart shaped, but the boy looked much more like Scorpius. Except the reddish tint to his curling hair. Scorpius's grey eyes. Draco's grey eyes. He needed to get out of this house.

After finding his wand Draco waved it around the sitting room and fixed all of the destruction the duel had caused. It was immaculate. There. If Scorpius called the Auror's now they would probably think he was crazy. After all, how could Draco Malfoy have gotten out of such a precarious situation without a wand? Grinning at his own deviousness, Draco Disapparated away from the scene of his crimes.

….

Harry Potter was supposed to go to a family dinner that evening but work held him up. The letters came less frequently now, five years after the fact, but he still had a significant pile on his desk claiming to have spotted Rose or Scorpius. After the first hundred dead ends he had stopped looking too much into the letters unless the writer had some concrete proof.

"Mr. Potter?" the head that peeked in his door was one he was familiar with. He was a young and eager Auror fresh out of Auror training. It was not abnormal for him to pop his head into Harry's office several times a day for advice, to ask questions, or to inquire if there was any more work he could do.

"Yes, Auror Hunter?" Harry asked with a small smile. He knew that this wizard would mellow out in a few years and would make an excellent Auror once he did. Now, however, the overenthusiasm was something Harry found endearing and refreshing after being in the field for so long.

"There's a case that has just come in and it ended up in my hands but I really think it's something I need to consult you about. For the past six months or so there have been small traces of magic coming from a muggle residence seemingly from a muggleborn witch or wizard coming into his or her powers-"

"Naturally," commented Harry as he took the file from Hunter's hands and opened it with interest. "But isn't this an issue for Hogwarts to handle? The Headmaster-"

"But, Sir," interrupted Hunter, "that was what it appeared to be until today. Today there was a very obvious and serious duel in the household. The Ministry keeps tabs on underage magic users and it can detect magic being performed in certain neighborhoods, as you're well aware. This afternoon several serious curses, hexes, and jinxes, were fired from at least two, but we suspect three, different sources."

"What sorts of hexes?" asked Harry with a furrowed brow.

"Everything you would have expected to learn in DADA. The magic usage ended very abruptly and after that there has been no trace of magic being performed at the residence at all."

"Let's not waste any more time," Harry stood and pulled a cloak over his shoulders.

"Sir, what do you think-"

"I think that some pureblood extremists saw a muggleborn child performing magic and attacked the family."

Hunter gulped, nodded, and followed Harry out of the office.

….

Lorcan and Scorpius landed in the sitting room and before Lorcan even had his bearings he heard his best friend cursing. "Fucking hell!" Scorpius lashed out and kicked a reclining chair. Everything was in perfect place and his father was gone. "That son of a bitch! Quick, Lor, see if you can find any traces of magic we can follow…"

Scorpius and Lorcan performed a series of spells in quick succession. It became quickly apparent to both of them that Draco Malfoy was long gone, he left no detectable traces, and they had no idea where he was.

"I'm sorry, Scor."

"To be honest, I half expected something like this to happen." With a groan he dropped down onto the sofa and let his head fall into his hands. "We need to find him. Fast."

"We'd better get out of here right quick," Lorcan muttered this as he peeked suspiciously through the blinds to look out at the front lawn. "If he comes back with others…"

"Shit. Right. Okay. I need to get some clothes and things together," as he spoke he got to his feet and headed toward the stairs with Lorcan right behind him. "You go into those rooms there and get the kids some clothes. Just Accio them into a suitcase."

…

"There's definitely someone in there, Sir," reported Auror Pole as she cast a few preliminary spells on the house that prevented whoever was inside from leaving the premise.

"Thank you, Auror Pole. Hunter, Wilkes, and Farley, I want you to stay back and watch for signs of trouble. The rest of you lot follow me." Harry led the way, wand drawn, into the unassuming house.

….

"I can't Disapparate," said Lorcan as he and Scorpius met up at the top of the stairs, each carrying some luggage.

"Damn. Why would he set up something like that? I mean, we can just as easily walk out the front door. Come on, let's go," Scorpius automatically assumed it had been his father who had set up the Disapparition Charm. After all, that made the most sense to him.

As they approached the front door, however, it blasted open. "Scor! Get down!" Lorcan jumped on his friend's back and the two ended up sprawled at the foot of the stairs.

Before they even really knew what was happening they were both immobilized and, to Scorpius' horror, face-to-face with Harry Potter. "Of all the things I expected to find here," commented Potter, "Scorpius Malfoy was probably the last of them."

"Let me go! I don't even know why I've been attacked in my own house! You have no right to be here!" Scorpius snarled as he struggled against the Charms keeping his hands and feet bound.

"Actually, we do. We have reason to believe that a serious duel took place in this house. You say it's yours? Pole!" Auror Pole snapped to attention. "Check out that file from Hunter. Tell me the name of the legal residences of this address."

"Malfoy, Sir," replied Pole a moment later. "According to the muggle legal documents a Mr. and Mrs. Scorpius Malfoy live here along with their two young children."

Harry Potter's green gaze locked with Scorpius' grey one. "What did you do to her?"

"Excuse me?" growled Scorpius.

"You heard me! This is your house, a serious duel took place, now I arrive to find you and-and-….Lorcan?" it was the first time Harry even paid attention to the other wizard they had caught. The moment he'd seen Scorpius he hadn't taken his eyes off of him.

"Hullo, Harry," said Lorcan uncomfortably as he, too, wriggled against the invisible forces holding him in an awkward position.

"Blimey, sorry about that, Lorcan. Can someone please let Mr. Scamander go?" at Harry's command several Aurors leapt up to release Lorcan. Harry turned back to Scorpius. "I won't ask you again, Malfoy. What did you do to Rose?"

So many possible answers ran through Scorpius' mind. He wondered how the Chosen One would react if he told him the truth. He imagined informing the man of the encounter with his father but that would mean informing him that Rose was in the hospital and it would turn into a big mess. Finally, he decided on a simple, "Fuck you."

"Right." Harry turned away from him in anger and asked, "Lorcan! What's going on here! Wait. Before you answer me, can someone please check him for an Imperius Curse?"

"He's clean, Sir."

"Good. Now, Lorcan, what happened?"

Lorcan shifted uneasily from foot to foot and after a quick look at the pleading expression on his best friend's face, he replied, "Er – I can't tell you, Harry."

"Excuse me?" snarled Harry.

"That's my doing," Scorpius lied easily, "tongue binding curse and whatnot," he shrugged in an off-hand sort of way that had Harry barely resisting the urge to throttle him with his bare hands.

"Azkaban," said Potter, "we're taking you to Azkaban, Malfoy, and you will be questioned until I get answers from you. Lorcan, you can go home. I'm sorry you somehow got mixed up in this."

Lorcan looked to Scorpius for an answer as to what he should do. Scorpius gave a barely perceptible nod in his direction and Lorcan was able to Disapparate away.

…

"Is this where you live?" asked Adara timidly as they landed in the sitting room after Disapparating from St. Mungo's.

"Yes, this is my flat," Molly adjusted her hold on Pollux as she let go of Adara's hand. The boy was asleep again and Molly hoped that his sister would soon follow. But luck was not on her side it appeared. Instead, Adara wandered around curiously and made sure to investigate every room.

"It's very…clean."

"Thank you," Molly only just managed to suppress the urge to laugh.

"Do you have food here? The hospital had food but it didn't taste very good. I'm very hungry."

Molly laid Pollux on the couch and cast a cushioning charm on the edge so he couldn't roll off before replying, "Yes. What are you in the mood for?"

"Mum always makes me a peanut butter sandwich when I'm upset." Adara said quietly as she followed Molly into the kitchen.

"Are you upset, sweetheart?" Molly picked her up and set her on the counter as she began rummaging through cupboards.

"Yes. My mummy's asleep and won't wake up. My daddy is at home with Draco and there isn't anything I can do to help," she pitifully held out her hands in gesture of surrender.

"Hmm. Well don't worry, Your mummy and daddy will both be just fine. Also, I'm not sure if I have any peanut butter…"

Adara busted into blood curdling sobs. "I – want – hic – peanut BUTTER!" she demanded as she dropped her head into her arms and cried harder.

"Shh! Shh, love, you'll wake your brother!" Molly cooed as she embraced the little girl and held her tightly. "How about some macaroni? Do you like macaroni?"

She was crying so hard she couldn't speak as she shook her head 'no' and continued to bawl. "Fish and chips? There's a place down the block that delivers and-"

"Yes!" with a few more sniffles, she ceased crying and nodded eagerly at her babysitter. "I want fish and chips."

"Okay, you go out to the sitting room and I'll call about the food."

"Do you have a telly? We have a telly at home but Mummy said most wizards don't have a telly."

"Yes, do you know how to work it? The remote is on the coffee table."

Without so much as a 'thank-you' she scuttled out of the kitchen and Molly breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew that such a darling little angel would have inherited both Rose's over-dramatics and Scorpius's deviousness?

…..

Since the end of the Second Wizard War the Dementors were no longer under the employ of the Ministry. With so much happiness and joy over the past generation, the species had diminished greatly and no longer guarded Azkaban prison.

Harry Potter wondered darkly if they shouldn't try to find a few to watch Scorpius's cell. "Are you going to tell the Weasley's about this?" Scorpius tried to appear unconcerned as he rode across from Harry in the carriage that traveled from the edge of the island to the jail which was located in the center of the island.

"I can't," growled Harry. "As much as I wish I could, it would be against the law for me to reveal so much about my work to anyone without an official release of the information."

"Mr. Potter," Scorpius leaned forward and Harry poked his wand threateningly in the younger wizard's direction. Scorpius ignored it. "Would you believe me if I were to tell you that Rose is in danger and that I am actually trying to protect her?"

"Not on your life," said Harry evenly.

"Didn't think so," he leaned back and propped his chained hands behind his head. "But it was still worth a shot."

"Just so you know, a team of aurors are searching your residence as we speak. If we find any evidence that you've done harm to my niece, make no mistake, I will kill you myself."

Scorpius snorted. "Godric you're an idiot. I love the witch. I married her. I had children with her. And you think I what? Murdered her, chopped her into tiny little bits, and buried her in the backyard?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," was the retort.

"Damn it!" Scorpius snarled. For the first time all day he felt an acute rush of anger. He'd been relaxed and happy all day until receiving Rose's patronus. He'd been panicked and worried as he rushed to rescue his family. He'd been scared and decisive when taking her to St. Mungo's. But now that he was away from Rose and Harry bloody Potter was keeping him from standing guard at his wife's side, he was absolutely furious. If something happened to Rose because he wasn't there it would be Harry Potter's fault. How fucking ironic. Wasn't he supposed to be the best of the 'good guys'?

Harry watched him skeptically, waiting anxiously for anything that would give him an excuse to hex him. After several deep breaths, Scorpius said evenly, "I am not my father and I am definitely not my grandfather."

"This isn't about your family," said Harry, "It's about the evidence. You ran off with Rose Weasley five years ago. Now you show up on the auror radar because of a serious duel taking place in your home. A home in which only two qualified magical beings live; yourself and Rose. A home which, because of your desire for secrecy, has a location unknown to other witches and wizards. The logical conclusion is that you and Rose dueled. Quite seriously from the reports, too."

"I didn't duel with Rose," Scorpius' voice dared Harry to argue with him.

"Then why wasn't she or the children there?"

Scorpius said nothing and Harry threw up his hands in agitation. The rest of the ride to Azkaban was spent in an uncomfortable silence.

…..

"Astoria!" Draco boomed as he entered his mansion. His wife, no less beautiful now than she had been five years previously, came swooping into the room.

"Draco! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

Astoria Malfoy went to Healer training right after Hogwarts. She and Draco had always been in an arranged marriage. As a result of the war she knew she would have to work hard to redeem the tarnished Malfoy image in the wizard world. Becoming a Healer seemed like a good start. Show the public that the Malfoys were compassionate and caring of all; not just purebloods.

On a more personal note, Astoria was also more predisposed to actually like half-bloods and muggleborns. Since her son had run off she had spent many sleepless nights wishing she would have taken his side. Wishing that she would have told him that she supported him even if his father did not. Draco Malfoy was not a cruel man, it was true, but if there was one thing he would not tolerate it was the belief that purebloods were equal to half-bloods and muggleborns.

In addition to keeping up appearances with her husband and his family, Astoria was biased in favor of purebloods. She did not wholeheartedly approve of her son's relationship with the Weasley girl, but by herself she would not have disowned him over the issue!

Now, however, she wasn't sure she even favored purebloods. Since Scorpius ran off with Rose, Astoria had secretly kept in contact with Hermione Weasley, the two corresponding regularly and meeting up for lunch at least twice a month. If being honest with herself, Astoria would call Hermione her best friend. Draco, of course, knew nothing of this.

"I've been busy," Draco drawled mysteriously. "I need you to get me into St. Mungo's."

Astoria cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "It's a public facility, dear, you can walk in there whenever you please."

"I will need access into the most restricted room. If I am correct in my assumptions there will be someone in a private ward with the most protection that Mungo's can throw at it."

"But – Draco, if that's true, then it will have restricted access. I won't be able to get in-"

"Is there no way?" he asked desperately.

"I mean – I might – maybe….if I ask my superior for a transfer to the ward and if the Healer assigned to the room isn't able to provide for all of the needs of the patient at all times…but it could take weeks for a transfer…" she rambled.

"Make it happen immediately," said Draco with finality and disappeared up the stairs into his study leaving Astoria baffled in the foyer.

…..

Not knowing what else to do, Astoria went immediately to St. Mungo's. Just as Draco predicted, there was a room that had been given the highest restrictions just that day.

To her surprise, it was Molly Weasley who was the assigned Healer to the room. Working quickly, Astoria made her way to the fourth floor where Molly Weasley's locker would be.

If anyone found out about this, Astoria would not only be fired but also booked a one-way ticket straight to Azkaban prison. Her trust in her husband was sure enough that she knew he wouldn't let that happen to her. Although the marriage had been arranged, they had been fortunate enough to fall in love and even when he was curt with her or demanding, he was never mean to her or treated her badly.

With that comforting thought in mind she slipped into the staff room. Relief flooded through her when she realized it was void of any other employees. The locker that was her goal was as apparent to Astoria as a giant target. It said, "Weasley, M." In big bright letters and she rushed to it in a hurry.

Astoria leafed through the contents with quick jerky movements, knowing exactly what she was looking for in the extra sets of staff robes and muggle clothes. Finally, in the hood of a thick cloak, Astoria found a single long red hair that held a defining curl.

Now all she had to do was add this to the bottle of Polyjuice Potion that was currently weighing down her right pocket, drink it, and she would be an exact duplicate of Molly Weasley and the wards around room 414 would allow her entrance.