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To Have a Home Part 33

A/N: What's up y'all! I'm back. Maybe. Hopefully. Here's an update for you. Thanks for being patient. I still have plans for this story; don't give up on me yet! As always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.

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Draco fiddled with the seam of his shirt endlessly. He had sat himself on the couch over an hour ago with the attempts to calm down but he just couldn’t find it in his head that everything was going to be okay. A book he had been reading, A Wrinkle in Time, lay discarded on the coffee table; he had given up trying to read a while ago. He instinctively went to reach for his wolf, but he forgot that he had left it upstairs with the rest of his things. He didn’t want her to see them. He didn’t want her to know that he had them. It would make him look weak.

Abigail had told him that this lady would get here at 3:00, and it was 2:55. Five minutes until she arrived. Five minutes until he would have to talk to her about how he was feeling. About his past. About the things that Voldemort did to him.

His heart seized in his chest, and he felt the air escaping from his lungs, no attempt from it to come back. He wheezed, grabbing at the couch for support but not finding it. He didn’t know how long he sat there like this. However, an arm that he didn’t recognize calmly made its way into his tunnel vision.

“Deep breaths for me, okay? You need to breathe.”

Draco couldn’t exactly see who was talking, but he tried to level out his breathing. But it wasn’t really working; he didn’t really know how to calm his breath. It ended in a sort of hiccupped breathing cycle; one where he never truly was able to get the right amount of air back into his lungs.

“Here, try this with me.” The person in front of Draco sat down further to meet his level. Now Draco had a clear image of her; her dark brown hair pulled away from her face and her eyes flashed signs of concern, but they didn’t travel any farther than that. She looked calm, and Draco tried to mirror her appearance.

“I am going to breathe in five seconds, and exhale for seven. Do you want to try it with me?”

Draco nodded his head, gripping the edge of the couch as an anchor. He followed her breathing for a while, the hiccuping finally leaving. He got a hold of his breathing long enough to get a good look at the person in front of him.

She smiled, slightly. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Galena, and I used to be a student at Hogwarts. Do you remember me?”

Draco thought about it for a moment, then nodded slightly. “You played on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.”

“Yes, I was their Seeker a few years back.”

“I watched you play before I went to school there. I’m the Seeker for Slytherin…” The sudden thought of not going back to Hogwarts that school year rang somewhere in the back of his mind, and he slowly trailed off the sentences.

“Oh really?” Galena could only get a slight nod out of Draco, and noticing something was off, she decided to change the subject.

“Where is the rest of your family?”

“Um…” To be honest, Draco had no idea where they went. He asked them not to be around when Galena came, and they respected his decision. “I think Remus and Fred and George might be outside. I’m not sure where Mo–Abigail is.”

“Strange, none of them are around. Are they always not around?”

“What?” The question confused Draco for a moment. “Yes. I mean, no. I mean… They’re just not around because I asked them not to be. I didn’t want them…”

Again, Draco trailed off. To his luck, Abigail peaked her head out of the master bedroom.

“Is everything okay out here?” She noticed Galena crouched next to where Draco sat.

“Galena!” She called, throwing her arms around her when she got close enough.

“Professor Rose, it’s been too long.” Galena said, voice slightly muffled in Abigail’s shirt.

“Please, you can call me Abigail.” Abigail said, finally letting go. “You graduated, what? Almost five years ago. You’re good to–Draco? Are you okay?”

Draco had gone back to fiddling with the seam of his shirt. He wished that he had brought his wolf down with him now; he wanted something else to do with his hands, and his shirt just wasn’t working for him anymore. But his head snapped up at the sound of Abigail calling his name.

“...What?”

“Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t…”

“Abigail, is there somewhere that Draco and I can talk privately? I think it’s time we start. The quicker we begin the quicker I can get out of here, right Draco?”

He slowly nodded his head, going back to fiddling with his shirt.

“Okay, um…” Abigail thought for a moment before making her way to the study on the first floor. She opened the door slightly.

“You can talk in here, if that works for you. There’s a couple of chairs in there for you to sit on, or we can grab something else… Draco, I can be in here too if you want me to.”

“I think it would be best if it was just Draco and I.” Galena responded.

“Oh, okay. I was just offering. Do you need a glass of water or anything?”

“I’m fine. Draco, do you want something to drink?”

Draco just shook his head.

“Alright, then, we’ll start and be done as soon as possible, okay? I just want to get to know you a little, Draco.”

She started towards the door and opened it a little more, standing just inside the door frame. Draco looked from Abigail to Galena back to Abigail. He could feel the tears start to well.

“I will be right in the kitchen, Draco. Right here. You’re safe with Galena. I trust her, and you can too. Go on, go with her.” said Abigail. Galena finished her thoughts.

“Take your time, Draco. Take a few breaths, and then come when you're ready. I’ll wait for you inside, okay? Just close the door when you come in.”

Galena disappeared from Draco’s eyeline. He breathed in heavily a few times, feeling himself get slightly lightheaded. He could do this. He could just sit in that room with her and not say anything until she needed to leave. He’d done it before and he could do it again. She was just a human being, after all. Not some scary monster like Voldemort.

But what if she was working with Voldemort? What if she was going to take everything she discovered and give it right to him. What was he going to do then? He couldn’t protect himself. He couldn’t protect his family. And they would know where he is. And he wouldn’t be able to escape. And… And…

Suddenly the room felt really small. He grabbed at the collar of his shirt, trying to pull it farther away from where it sat around his neck. It was hot in here. And tight. And…

“Draco, what’s going on?” Abigail looked up from her mixing bowl. Draco looked like he was spacing out, breaths coming in faster than they should.

“I don’t think I can do this.” He whispered, quickly making his way over to her. He wrapped himself in her arms, burrowing his head into the side of her neck. “Please don’t make me do this.”

“It’s going to be okay, Draco. She just wants to talk to you…”

“But what if she works for him, mom? What if she takes everything she finds out about me and gives it to Voldemort. Then he would know where I am and…”

“Hey, hey, breathe for me, okay?” Abigail made sure she had eye contact with Draco. “She doesn’t work for Voldemort. I trust her. Remus trusts her. She’s a safe person to talk to. You don’t have to worry.” She paused for a moment, thinking through her next words.

“You should still go talk to her, but maybe you can leave the door slightly open. That way, if anything goes wrong, Remus and I can come in there for you. Okay? How does that sound?”

Draco nodded his head slowly.

“Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

Again, there was another nod from Draco, so Abigail took his hand in hers and they made their way over to the study. Galena was sitting in one of the chairs already, a small note pad in one hand and a pen in the other.

“Draco has a question for you.” Abigail said, pushing him slightly in front of her.

Draco nervously looked back at Abigail before asking if he could keep the door open.

“Just slightly. It doesn’t have to be far, and you can say no. I don’t want to come across in any way. I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“We can, Draco. You don’t have to explain yourself. Come on, take a seat. Let’s just chat.”

With one more look to Abigail, Draco carefully took a seat next to Galena, making sure there was enough distance in case he needed to leave fast.

“I’m proud of you, Draco. I’ll be in the kitchen, okay? Call if you need anything.”

And with that, Abigail slowly shut the door, careful not to close it completely. She could tell that Draco was still nervous, but he wasn’t having a panic attack, and that was a good enough sign for her.

She made her way back to the kitchen. She could hear the faint conversation in the other room, but she knew better than to snoop right outside the door. She was sure Draco would tell her what happened later. Maybe tonight would be a good night to make one of Draco’s favorites. She took out some flour from the cabinet. Pizza and breadsticks it would be, then.

As she kneaded the freshly made dough, Remus popped his head in the back door.

“Is the coast clear?”

“If you mean to ask whether or not Draco is talking to Galena, then yes, he’s talking to her. They’re in the study; I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t really care where they were as long as Draco is talking to her. Did he start off alright?”

“It was a little rough, but Draco managed to get there by himself. The door is opened slightly, so make sure to keep your voice down and the snooping to a minimum.”

Remus brought his hand to his chest in mock offensiveness. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Gale.”

She smirked. “You got some dirt on your face. And your arms. And your neck. You’re a mess.”

“Hey, not everyone can keep as clean as you. And if you think I’m dirty, you should see the twins.”

“Then the three of you better get cleaned up before supper. There’s no way I am letting you anywhere near food looking like that.”

“Like what? Like this? Sure, whatever you say…” He swiped a mud-filled hand onto Abigail’s cheek and she laughed in surprise, tossing a little flour at him.

“Get out of here, Remus! I’m serious. You won’t get any food if you do that again. Might even make you sleep outside.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you could get so serious.” Remus smirked, trying once again to swipe at Abigail. She dodged out of the way just in time to miss the mud that would have gotten all over the front of her shirt.

“Out, now! I don’t want to see you again until you’ve washed up. Tell the twins the same.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Remus peaked his head back outside, calling the twins to come in and wash up. Abigail knew that they were going to be dirty, but the extent surprised her. Mud was everywhere, some places that she didn’t even know mud could exist in. They didn’t stick around for long; when Abigail threatened no dinner, she meant it. Each boy took a different bathroom, trying their best to wash off. Abigail made a mental note to not let all of them garden together again.

After a while Abigail heard one of the doors open, and she was surprised to see not one of the twins or Remus, but Galena and Draco.

“Oh, hello. How was…”

“I’ll come back next week at the same time as today, and we’ll pick up where we left off, okay?” Galena directed her question at Draco, but she knew it was asked in front of her so she would know what was going on. Draco just nodded his head slightly.

“I think today was good, Draco. There was a lot you were open about, and I’m thankful that you trusted me.” Galena turned to Abigail. “Thank you for allowing us to talk in the study. There’s a little bit of homework that Draco needs to finish before the next time we meet. He needs a journal so he can write some things down. Can we get him one before our next session?”

“Yes, of course. We’ll get one right away.” Said Abigail.

Galena smiled. “Thank you. I will see you all next week. Remember what we talked about, Draco. I want to see if you can put some of those techniques to use.”

And with that, she floo powdered out, not bothering to wait to talk to Remus or the twins. Or to tell Abigail what they had talked about. She was going to have to see what she could know about what they talked about.

“So, Draco. How was it?” Abigail prodded, hoping that Draco would provide her with the answers she wanted.

“Fine. Good, I suppose. We just kind of talked about me and being here and…” He suddenly got quiet. The fiddling with his shirt returned. Abigail made a note of it; she would have to find something for him to fiddle with in his hands. She knew that he usually had his wolf with him, but he didn’t have it now…

“You don’t have to go into details about what you talked about, I’m just glad that you’re talking to someone.”

Draco just nodded his head, already turning to run up the stairs to his room.

It was at that moment that Remus stepped out of the bedroom, hair still damp. He had a towel thrown over his shoulders to try and stop his shirt from getting anymore wet.

“Was that Draco running up the stairs?”

“Who else would it be?” Abigail responded.

“Did he say anything about their session?”

“Not much, Remus. I wouldn’t push it right now. Let him process what happened. We can talk to him at dinner.”

“Alright, Abigail.” Remus pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Do you need any help in here?”

“Not really, but I wouldn’t mind if you stayed.”

Remus smiled. “For you, dear, anything.”

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To Have A Home Part 32

A/N: I'M ALIVE! Anyways... Here's Part 32! As always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.

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When Remus came back to the house everything was… not the worst it could be. Draco was back on the couch with Abigail curled tight into her side. He could hear the shaky breaths from his son.

Abigail stopped running her hands through Draco’s hair when she saw Remus, and Draco looked up, mad that the brushing had stopped. When he saw the reason why, however, he found he didn’t mind.

Draco ran over to Remus, throwing his arms around him. He didn’t say anything, so Remus didn’t either. They simply stood there, arms wrapped around each other. Remus didn’t want to rush him, so he waited for his breathing to even out before he even thought of letting Draco go.

After a few moments, Draco found a regular breathing cycle again, and he felt Remus pull away.

“See, there was nothing to worry about. I was just fine where I was.”

“But Mom…”

“That won’t happen again. I know it won't, so you should too.”

Draco nodded his head along, but the clouded look in his eyes made Remus believe that he was not convinced.

“Come on, why don’t we go outside for a little bit; get some fresh air.”

“Better idea; why don’t we have dinner outside!” Abigail walked up behind the two of them. “You two go find a place to sit, and I’ll have Fred and George help me in here. Does that sound good, Draco?”

It took a moment for Draco to respond, but then he shrugged his shoulders. Abigail smiled, squeezing his shoulders.

“Alright, meet you out there.”

She called out for Fred and George to come help her in the kitchen as Draco and Remus made their way outside. They walked around for a few minutes, looking for the best spot for them to set up the picnic. There was the flower garden to the left, and Remus suggested setting up camp there, but Draco shook his head.

“There would be too many bees.” He remarked, pointing to the little dots that looked as if they were suspended in midair.

Remus nodded. “Where do you think that we should go then?”

Draco tugged at his bracelet, trying to get Remus to notice it before he started to speak.

“If this stupid thing were off we could go sit on the tree line.”

Remus chose to ignore his son’s protest. If he were to say anything either way, the rest of the conversation would not end well. He hummed to himself, pretending to be lost in thought before saying, “We could just go sit in the middle of the field. It’s away from the flowers, and there will be a nice breeze.”

He waited for Draco’s response, preparing for an outburst about the bracelet, but instead he was met with a nod of agreement.

“I’ll go find a place with even ground,” said Draco, not bothering to wait and finish his sentence by Remus. The older man chuckled, watching the boy run off. They had come a long way from where they started. Remus remembered when the faintest traces of a smile was all he got from Draco, and even those were a rare occasion.

Soon Fred came out with a large blanket, and Draco instructed him as to where to place it. The three sat there waiting for Abigail and George to appear. And when they did, what a feast to behold. There was so much food, the two together didn’t have enough arms. Some of the food floated easily behind them. They dined like royalty, and sat outside long enough for the sun to start making its way down from the sky. Fireflies started to come out, and Fred and George got up, making a game of how many they could catch. Draco watched them, looking like he wanted to join them, but something was stopping him. He looked back to Abigail and she nodded her head towards them.

“We’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

Draco smiled slightly, and got up to join the twins, almost knocking George over in the process. Remus scooted towards his wife, wrapping an arm around her. She sunk into him, watching the boys romp around in the tall grass.

“I could get used to this,” hummed Abigail, “The peace of the night. The boys getting along. This sense of…”

“Contentedness.” Remus finished for her. “And stillness.”

Abigail smiled, nodding. Out in the field Draco had managed to catch a firefly between his hands, his face beaming. Fred and George applauded for him, saying that they’d have to get a jar and make a nightlight. Fred raced off towards the house, and Remus and Abigail could hear him opening and slamming cabinets until he found a jar with a matching lid. He came back outside, where George and Draco had already collected a few more of the bugs to put in the jar.

“Have you told him about Galena yet?”

Remus’s question snapped Abigail back to the present.

“Well, yes. I said that someone would be coming tomorrow to talk to him about whatever he wants to talk about. I don’t want this to be something that he’s worried over all night.”

“From what I’m seeing, I don’t think that that’s a problem.”

Draco was holding the jar in his hands, watching the fireflies as they flew around in the jar. Fred and George were collecting twigs and leaves and things to put in the jar for the insects, joking all the while. And once again, it was peaceful. After a while of the boys running around, Abigail declared it was time to go inside and get ready for the night, to which none of the boys argued. They helped clean up and made their way inside, shutting the door to a calm, peaceful night.

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[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 31

A/N: Hey Y'all! Sorry it's been a while. Say it with me: School. Takes. Up. My. Life. Anyways, here's the next part of my story! As always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.

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“I’m only going to be gone for half an hour, okay?” Remus called over his shoulder. “I just need to check in on Sirius and make sure he’s doing fine.”

That was a lie. What Remus was really testing was how Draco would take to him leaving. He had told him early in the day, when they were all sitting at the table for breakfast, and had reminded him again and again that at 3:30 pm he would be leaving.

Now it was 3:30. Draco sat on the couch next to Abigail, a book opened on his lap, though he wasn’t reading. He stared blankly at the fireplace, twirling the soft fur of his wolf between his fingers.

“Okay, Draco?” His hand hovered over the fire, floo powder already in his hands ready to go.

Before he could leave, Draco shot up, racing over to throw his arms around Remus. He could feel him vibrating under his chin, his grasp on his almost suffocating.

“What if something happens? Please, I can’t let anything happen to you. I can’t…”

Remus could already feel the front of his shirt wet with Draco’s tears. He looked helplessly over his shoulder at Abigail sitting on the couch. She slowly stood up, a hand protectively going over her belly.

“He’s going to be just fine, Draco. Come on, why don’t we pick out a movie to watch later tonight.”

But Draco’s grip only tightened. “You don’t understand. I can’t lose you. I can’t. I won’t. You can’t go. Sirius can come here.”

“Sirius’s house is just as safe as it is here. I promise, I’ll be right back. A Half an hour.”

“But what if it’s not safe? What if he’s there, ready to… to…”

“Don’t be foolish, Draco. I’ll be just fine. The sooner you let go, the sooner I’ll come home.”

But he didn’t, and in the end, Abigail ended up calling George in to pry the boy off of him. Remus quickly threw the floo powder in before Draco could get to him, and he left the Lupin household with his son on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

~*~

“You going to relax for a bit?”

Sirius sat in an armchair close to the fire, a cup of tea held in his hands. The other cup that was made sat undrank on the side table. Remus wasn’t interested in it, though. He paced the living room, shaking his head.

“Sirius, I feel awful.” He fiddled slightly with his wand. “He was so scared, and…”

“Remus, you have to do this. How else is he going to understand that you won’t be around all day every day?”

“But there’s got to be a better way.”

“Would you at least sit down? You’ve got twenty minutes left, and I’m starting to worry more about you than Draco.”

Remus sat down in the armchair next to Sirius, picking up the cup of tea only to set it down again. They sat in silence, the only sound being Remus’s bouncing knee.

“Have you talked about getting a therapist for Draco?” asked Sirius. Remus nodded his head.

“Yes, she was the one that recommended we do this.”

“Oh,” Sirius set his cup down, “And who is she?”

Remus fidgeted with his shirt slightly, setting his wand in the inside breast pocket of his cardigan. “Her name is Galena. She was one of the first three students to graduate Hogwarts that took Abigail’s class. She’s incredibly sweet, and her specialty is helping children deal with traumatic occurrences in their lives.”

“Well, don’t you trust her?”

“Yes… Yes, I do, but the pain in Draco’s eyes. It hurt.”

Sirius grabbed his knee. “Sometimes you need pain before the healing.”

“I guess you’re right,” Remus sighed, “I just wish it wasn’t this painful.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a ‘drink’ drink?” Sirius asked, getting up from his chair. “Because last night, Isla brought over this aged fire whisky, and Remus, it is so good.”

Remus eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Burns all of the way down.”

“Remember when James snuck a bottle of fire whisky into the dorms…”

“And Castor drank all of it before anyone else could have a shot.”

Both of the men snorted as the memory passed by. Those carefree days when their biggest problems were who was snogging who. Whether the Gryffindor quidditch team was going to win against Slytherin. If James would finally ask Lily to the Yule ball, or if he was just going to stare at her longingly from across the hall. When their friendship hadn’t shattered when one of them showed their true colors. When James and Lily weren’t…

But they didn’t focus on those memories. Just the ones that leave you with deep smiles and brimming laughter. As much as Remus was enjoying himself, he couldn’t help but check in on the clock every few minutes. Sirius saw this and sighed.

“I hope this doesn’t last forever. I miss the boy nights. You. Castor. Pollux. All us acting like idiots. Getting away with things that we would never be allowed to when literally anyone else is around.”

“Me too. We just need to get through right now.”

Sirius looked at the clock. “Well, you have about five minutes left.”

“It’ll either be a nightmare on the other side or reasonably calm.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you this, but…” Sirius struggled with the words for a moment. “Thank you, for taking in Draco. I can’t think of a better place for him to land. I mean, I could never be that for anyone, let alone someone who is supposed to be my son.”

Remus put his hand on his friend’s knee, squeezing slightly. “Thank you, Sirius, but if you ever decide to have children, I know you’re going to be a great dad. Look at how Harry is. He gets his bravery and courage from you, Sirius. He turned out to be an incredible kid, and it’s because of you.”

Remus swore he could see tears starting to form in his friend’s eyes, but he decided not to push it. He got up from the chair, grabbing some floo powder from the mantle of the fireplace. He tossed it into the fire, vanishing from Grimmauld Place.

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Y’ALL!

Thank you so much for 50 followers! I never thought that anyone would be interested in my writing, but here we are! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 30

A/N: Hey Y’all! We made it to part 30! Yay! Sorry it took a while to update; I’ve been pretty busy. Uploads might be a bit sporadic for a while; I have a full load of credits this semester in college, and two jobs on top of that. But it’s okay; we’re thriving. As always, I hope you enjoy, and hopefully see you soon!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.

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The potion that Severus and Remus had made worked. Slowly, yet surely, Abigail found herself getting better day by day. It started with her being able to sit up, the next day she managed to swing her feet carefully off the bed. Soon she found herself making small trips to the living room to sit on a couch and read. Sometimes she’d go outside to sit in the sun. Sometimes she’d come to dinner with her family.

And no matter where she’d go, Draco was quick on her heels; like a little shadow. He was almost always there when she woke up, and most of the time he’d stay with her until Remus made him go to bed. Fred and George and Remus all tried their hand at getting him to do something else with his days, if anything for the sake of Abigail, but he wouldn’t fall for it. 

If Abigail was in the living room, he was sitting right next to her, a well-worn Little Women in his hands. Sometimes, if he was lucky, Abigail would read it aloud for him, changing the voices of each of the characters. If she was outside, he would simply sit next to her, basking in the sun. His hair was getting long enough that Abigail could braid wildflowers loosely into his hair, or make a crown made of them. Draco didn’t mind, as long as his mother was there.

On the days where Abigail didn’t get out of bed; the days where the pain in her abdomen was too great to do anything, were the days where Draco would crawl next to her, wolf in hand, and just lay there. Remus would come too. And they lay there, together.

Fred and George were a huge help around the house. They cooked, cleaned, tried to do laundry, though sometimes they were more clean than the laundry was. They managed to set up camp in the room behind Draco’s. Sometimes, when the nightmares were too much for Draco, and they were woken up by the screaming and the tears, they would travel back to Draco’s room, staying with him until he managed to go back to sleep. In the beginning, the Weasley twins thought that the nightmares would only be a temporary thing.

But they were getting worse: the nightmares. What started as out as just a cry for help at the beginning of the week turned into full blown panic attacks every night. Sweating, tears, and vomit were starting to become the new normal, something that scared everyone in the household. Sometimes it would take all the strength of Fred, George, and Remus just to reassure Draco that everything was alright. No one was going to get anyone. Draughts of Peace and Dreamless Sleep potions were made for Draco every night, but he almost always refused. He didn’t like not being in control of his body. It scared him almost as much as everything else did. 

He dreaded hearing Remus tell him that it was time for bed. He knew it was coming every time, and he tried to put it off, but nothing would make Remus budge. He would slowly say goodnight to everyone before going upstairs and slipping into bed. He would try and stay up for as long as he could, but eventually, sleep got to him, and he would doze off, only to wake up a few hours later in a pool of his own sweat and tears. 

It scared Remus to think that his son had constant anxieties, but what scared him even more was that his job at Hogwarts started back up in a little over a week, and knowing what happened last time, he couldn’t even fathom what would happen when he had to leave every morning. Abigail and Remus decided to tell him over a family dinner. They waited until he was almost done with his food, and Remus started by clearing his throat.

“Um, Draco.” Draco looked up at the sound of his voice.

“Yes?”

“Well, um… starting next week, I’m going back to work at Hogwarts.” He waited a second to see if Draco would say anything before continuing.

“I’m going to try and come home every night to be back with you and Abigail, but I can’t… I can’t guarantee it. But I’ll try my best.” 

Draco avoided his eye, pushing some stranded peas around his plate.

“Oh.” It was almost inaudible, but Remus took it as a que to keep going.

“But in good news; Abigail will be staying here with Fred and George! I’m sure you four will have lots of things to do while I’m gone. Is that okay, Draco?” 

The four waited in silence as Draco carefully set his fork down.

“But you don’t have to leave. You could stay here with us.” 

Remus grabbed Draco’s hand with his.

“I wish I could, Draco, but I need to go back to work. They need me there. Not just to be the librarian, but also to protect the school.”

Draco pulled his hand away, standing up suddenly. 

“I’m going to my room.” He stated before running up the stairs, leaving the Lupins and the Weasleys alone.

“Don’t worry Remus, we’ll follow him.” George said, getting up, Fred following after him. They chased Draco up the stairs before he would lock himself in the bathroom.

Abigail grabbed her husband’s hand, brushing her thumb lightly over his knuckles. 

“Don’t worry. It’ll all work out in the end.” She hummed. Remus nodded along, but something deep down inside of him said otherwise. 

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home part 29

A/N: Hey Y’all! Happy New Year! Here’s to hoping this year is better than the last. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Draco woke with a start the next morning, a pounding in his chest that he couldn’t quite throw off. He cautiously looked around his room, taking everything in slowly. There was George, sleeping soundly in a bed to his left. His mouth hung open, like he was in the middle of a yawn. Draco couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at him. He looked so strange like that. 

    Fred slept on a bed to his right. Unlike his brother, he looked peaceful in his sleep, something that was notably absent when he was conscious, though his hair was tossed this way and that. His breath caught in his throat for a second, and he made a small noise, turning slightly in his sleep. Now Draco couldn’t see his face anymore; he was facing the wall. 

    Apart from the twin brothers, his room was incredibly empty. Sure, there was a wardrobe directly in front of him; the one that contained all of the clothes that Remus and Abigail picked out for him, but that was about it. His room felt… empty. Maybe he could ask Remus to get some other things for him to put in his room. 

    But this wasn’t really his room. His real room was sitting in Malfoy manor, waiting for him to come back. He couldn’t wait until he was able to jump into his own bed, and sleep under his own canopy. Where his real mother could sing him to sleep while his real father finished up work in the room next to him. 

But he was starting to think of this as his own. That maybe he didn’t want to actually go back. He was doing okay here, and he didn’t need to be anywhere else. Abigail and Remus had never pressured him to do things that he didn’t want to do. They loved him for who he is. On the other hand…

Those thoughts hurt his head slightly, and he pushed his hands up to his face, trying to rub away the pain he started to feel. 

Draco carefully slipped the covers off of himself and stood up, stretching out. He made his way out of his room and looked over the balcony of the second floor. Isla sat on one of the couches, a cup of coffee in one of her hands. She looked up to Draco and smiled slightly. 

“Good morning, Draco. Do you want to come join me down here?”  

Draco thought about it for a moment before descending the stairs. He made his way over to where Isla sat, tucking his cold feet underneath him on the couch.

“Don’t you want some socks? The wooden floors have to be cold on your feet. I can find some of Remus’s..”

“I’m fine, Isla, really.” 

They sat next to each other on that couch, watching the fire from last night slowly starting to die. Someone would have to build it up eventually. 

Isla cleared her throat slightly. “How are you this morning?”

“Fine.”

Silence. 

“...Would you like any coffee? You can’t have mine; there’s burbon in it.” She chuckled slightly herself. “You know, get that extra kick to wake me up.”

“I’m good.” 

More silence. Isla opened her mouth like she had something to say, but eventually closed it. Nothing she thought of asking Draco would get any more than a two word response, so she decided to just let them sit there in silence. 

“Is mo—Abigail okay?”

“She’s… she’s hanging in there.” Isla wanted to say more, but Draco was already on his feet, heading over to the Lupin’s bedroom.

“Draco, I don’t know if that’s the best…” 

Draco was already at their door, pulling it open quickly. Sirius sat on a chair next to the bed, his eyes cast wearily over Abigail’s unconscious state. He perked up slightly when he heard the door open, but when he saw it was Draco, he started to get up. 

“Draco, you’re not supposed…” 

Something was off; Draco could sense it. He raced over to the bed, making sure that Abigail was okay. Sirius tried to grab him, but he rushed over to the bathroom, opening the door. No one was in there.

“What are you looking for?” Isla asked, finally catching up to Draco. 

“Where’s Remus?” 

The question was innocent enough, but Sirius and Isla both knew what the answer entrained. 

“He’ll be back soon.” said Sirius. “He’s going to be okay.” 

But the hammering in Draco’s heart began to pick up. He could feel it in his ears.

“He… He left?” Draco grabbed the side of the door with one hand, clutching his stomach with the other. His mind started to swim freely. Oh God, Remus was going to get hurt just like Abigail. He couldn’t lose both of them. 

He felt sick. Isla went to comfort him, but he pushed her away, racing to the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet on time to be sick. Isla stood in the doorway, frozen to the floor. She wasn’t sure if she should go to him or let him fix this himself. Luckily, Fred and George were there. Fred grabbed a warm washcloth and tossed it over Draco’s neck. 

“What’s going on, Draco?” George asked, making sure to not overcrowd the boy huddled over the toilet. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened to me.” He mumbled, shaking a little as he brought his hands to his knees. It was true; the feeling washed over him suddenly, but in truth, it was because Remus could get hurt. He didn’t want to lose them. He had already lost too much. 

Everyone sat where they were until Draco felt ready to get up. Sirius had made tea and set it out for them in the living room, sipping casually on the cup he had. They waited until the flames in the fire kicked up, and Remus jumped out, unsceathed and untouched. Draco dropped his cup, running over to him, throwing his arms around him. Remus’s breath caught, but he didn’t hesitate to hug his son back. 

“Hello, Draco.” He handed the potion that he and Severus had spent the night working on to Isla who nodded and ran off to Abigail. “Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just glad that you’re here.” 

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 28

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here’s part twenty-eight to “To Have a Home!” Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! As always, I hope you enjoy, and stay safe!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.   

Or... Remus decides what he needs to do to help Abigail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus stepped out of the bathroom, hair damp from the shower he just had. Isla sat next to Abigail, the back of her palm resting cautiously on her forehead. 

“How is she?” He asked, sitting down where he had been for hours. He reached for Abigail’s hand, holding it loosely in his. 

“You know she’s not good, Remus. Not even Poppy could tell what was wrong. It’s going to… Oh, Remus…”

The tears that had refused to come all day finally emerged. He could feel them trailing down his face, but he made no attempt to wipe them away. 

“I can’t lose her, Isla. Not like this. Not after everything. I can’t lose her. I can’t…”

“No one is losing anybody, okay?” Sirius said, grabbing his friend’s shoulders. “We’ll find out what’s wrong, and we’ll fix it. And Abigail is one of the strongest people I know. If anyone can survive this, she can.” 

Remus shook his head. “I know, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing. There’s got to be something I can do. Anything.” 

“How about you get some sleep, okay?” Isla opened the door to the living room. “We can bring a blanket out there for you, and we’ll think about this in the morning?” 

“But that could be too late, Isla. I need to do something now.” He started to pace the room, his eyes never leaving Abigail. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Isla.” Sirius tried to get the attention of his friend. “You’ve had a long day, Remus, and you need sleep. Just close your eyes for a few hours, and we’ll figure this out then.”

“Snape could know something about this, right?” Remus shrugged Sirius off him. “He’s always had a thing for ancient dark arts, and he’s one of the only people better at potions than Abigail. He’s got to know what’s happening.” 

Isla shook her head. “Remus, I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do. It’s Snape.”

“But that’s his sister!”

“But that doesn’t matter. He’s an asshole, Remus; out of all people, you should know this. Who was the one who fought tooth and nail to keep you away from Abigail?”

“He was.” Sirius piped up and Isla nodded along.

“Right. Do you really think that he would help you?”

“I have to try!” Remus yelled, pointing to Abigail. “I am going to do everything that I can to save her, Isla. I love her!” 

Isla pinched her brows together in an attempt to calm her own nerves. “So no matter what Sirius and I say, you’re not going to even lie down for a few minutes?” Remus shook his head, and she sighed. 

“Sirius, can you floo powder McGonagall? Tell her it’s an emergency.”

*

The journey to Hogwarts was dark and long. There were three people accompanying Remus to his destination, not just one. It was the only way that Isla and Sirius would let him come. He met McGonagall at the doors, where she quickly led Remus to the dungeons. Flitwick stood guard, and when Remus passed, the professor merely nodded in his general direction. 

“He’s been yelling and screaming since Abigail left him early this afternoon, going on about how she is in terrible danger. He finally quieted down a few hours ago, so he might be asleep, but we’re not sure. Remus,” she quickly turned to him, “are you sure you want to do this?” 

Remus nodded, so McGonagall left him there, saying something about being close by as she wandered off. 

Remus gave himself thirty seconds to collect himself before opening the door to the cell.

It was dark in the room, but he could easily make out the shape of Snape laying on the disgusting cot with his back towards the door. He perked up when he heard the door open, turning around almost immediately, but when he saw that it was Remus, the light in his eyes suddenly disappeared. 

“What happened to Abby?” 

Remus didn’t say anything. 

“Oh… Oh God. Abby.” He took a step forward, but Remus pulled his wand, leaving the tip of it pressed into Severus’s clavicle. 

“Take one step closer and I swear to God I will end your life, right here and now.”   

“Do it then; end me! It would be better than rotting in this place. Forever reminded of what I’ve done. Forever haunted by my past.”

Remus struggled for a moment, wand shaking in his hands, but he lowered it to the ground, his eyes following. Severus scoffed, retreating wearily to his cot. 

“I knew you didn’t have it in you. A werewolf would never dream of killing a wizard. It’s too far above you, isn’t it? You would never get away with it…”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Snape, and it’s not going to work.”

“Alright then, wolf boy, what am I trying to do, hmm?” 

Remus stood in silence for a moment, gathering his thoughts. 

“You’re--You’re scared, Snape. And you’re desperately grasping for a power that is far out of your reach. You don’t know what’s wrong with Abigail. You can’t leave this room, though you know there’s something horribly wrong going on out there. Now you’re toying with me to see if I’ll let something slip. Isn’t that right?” 

Now it was Severus’s turn to be silent. He studied the cot he sat on for a long time, tracing some of the lines on the beat mattress. If Remus squinted hard enough, he swore he could see something wet underneath Severus’s eyes. Like he was crying. 

“What did he do to her, Remus?” 

Remus could barely hear him over the sound of his own pounding heart. Never once in his life did he ever hear Severus sound so… afraid. Snape always walked around like he owned everything. He always thought he was on top of the world, yet now it was just a husk of what was. His hair hung in front of his face, damp from the tears. His shirt hung off his shoulders, revealing years of scars and damage. His boney arms looked like they could barely hold him up. Remus just shook his head. 

“We… We don’t know. Poppy’s looked at her. I’ve looked at her. We just don’t know.” 

Severus’s hands furled and unfurled, angry at both himself and Voldemort. 

“Please,” It was Remus’s turn to come to him, “Help us find something to heal her. I don’t even know where to start. And I can’t just watch her as she withers away. I love her, Snape, and I know you do too. She’s all we have.”

“I know, Remus.” Snape used the ratty, old shirt sleeve to wipe his face clean. “I may have a few ideas as to what happened, and what potions might work, but Remus…” He reached for the other man’s arm, but he jerked away at the last moment. 

“...Will I be able to see my niece or nephew?” His voice was pleading, reaching out for Remus, but he backed up further, brushing the door with the back of his hands. 

“That’s up to Abigail to decide.” 

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 27

A/N: Hey Y’all! I have officially finished my semester! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while; school was taking up most of my life. Anyways, here’s the next part. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.  

Or, for this chapter: Fred and George fluff

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It was a knock at the bedroom door that startled Draco back to reality. He and Remus had stayed where they sat for the better part of five hours, just watching Abigail sleep. There was nothing else they could do.

Draco was surprised when he saw Fred and George standing there, dopey smiles on their faces. He didn’t get up to meet them; no, he waited until they were close enough so that he could throw himself into their arms. 

“Been a long day, Draco?” Fred asked, and his reward was George punching him lightly on the arm. Draco didn’t notice, he just nodded slightly. 

“How is she doing?” George asked Remus, who finally had a chance to stretch. He had held the boy in his arms for the majority of the time, trying to calm the distressed boy’s nerves.

“Not much. She’s breathing. She’s stable. That’s all that really matters.” It was Isla who answered. Remus nodded along to what she said. 

“Castor’s not taking it well. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” 

“Damn right he shouldn’t.” Sirius stood up from the chair next to the bed, one that had been hastily moved from the kitchen. 

“Sirius,” Remus pinched the brow of his forehead, “We’ve already talked about this. He thought he was doing the right thing at the time, and it was an honest mistake. It happens.”

Sirius huffed. “Well I’m glad you’re okay with it, because if not…” Isla grabbed the fist he was making with his hands, a silent warning to tell him to calm down, which he did. 

The group of them talked for a long time in that room, occasionally stopping when Abigail would stir and cough. She never quite regained consciousness, but it was just a little reminder that she was alive. The sun had gone down hours ago, and Draco was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. 

“What brought you two here anyways?” He asked the Weasley twins.

“Well... we came to look after you!” said George, glancing nervously at his brother. “We knew that there was going to be a lot happening in the house, and we wanted to help in any way we can…”

“And what better way than hanging out with our good friend Draco!” Fred finished the thought with a relaxed smile. 

“Thanks guys, but I think I’m okay right here.” Draco said, looking back at Abigail, but he could feel the adults in the room looking at each other.

“Well, Draco, it’s getting late, and I think that you and Remus need some rest…”

“That’s okay,” Draco cut George off before he could finish, scared of the rest of that sentence. “I’m going to just sleep right here. I can watch m--Abigail for tonight.” 

“Sirius and I are going to do that, Draco. You don’t need to worry about it.” Isla said, looking at Sirius for support. He just nodded along. 

“Come on, Draco,” George said, grabbing his shoulder. “Why don’t we go up to your room and get ready for bed? You can come back down here in the morning.” 

“No! No, I can’t leave Abigail.” Draco said, almost grabbing her. He would have too, if Remus hadn’t grabbed his hands before he could reach her.   

“Draco, you need to go upstairs and sleep in your room tonight, okay? I can go up there too if you’d like.” 

“No! But what if she gets hurt?”

“That’s what Sirius and I are here for. We’ll take care of that.” Isla said with a reassuring smile. 

Draco shook his head, looking desperately at Remus. “I thought you said that you loved me? That this was a loving family?” 

“Draco, we do love you. That’s why we want you to get some sleep. Isla and Sirius are going to keep watch of her; she’ll be okay. They aren’t even letting me stay awake tonight. If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know, okay? But right now, you need rest.” 

Fred went to grab for Draco’s shoulder, but Draco was not having it. He was ready to fight tooth and nail to stay in the room with Abigail. He had already lost his mother; he wasn’t about to do it again. 

When Fred reached for him again, he lashed out, swinging his arms, trying to get some sort of leverage on him. George jumped to the aid of his brother, attempting to calm the boy, but nothing can stop a caged animal; not when they’re fighting for their life. 

It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, when Sirius charmed Draco’s bracelet out the door, dragging the screaming boy with it. Draco wrestled with it, trying to bite it off, claw it off. Anything to just stay in the room with Abigail. With his mother…

But the damn bracelet. It was relentless. 

Fred and George waited until the boy was out of the room before they even tried to lay a hand on him. Fred had scratch marks on his arms from where Draco had landed his blows. George’s hair felt ripped out of his head. Remus went to go after his son, but it took one look from Fred and George to let him know that they had this under control. That is was going to be fine if he left them alone for a while. So he slipped into his bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar, just in case the twins decided that they did need him. But after a few moments, Isla shut the it for him. 

For Draco, the problem was on a whole other level. As soon as he was out the door, he pushed back, trying with all his might to break through the invisible barrier that was the door to the Lupin’s bedroom, but nothing was working. The final straw was Sirius shutting the door on him, as if sealing his doom. He pounded on the door, screaming with every breath in his lungs, but nobody was going to open that door to him. 

The tears that had finally stopped started to reappear again. Draco couldn’t help it. He sunk to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself, rocking slightly. The sense of peace he felt in that room was suddenly gone. 

Fred and George whispered behind his back for a few minutes before nodding in agreement. 

“Draco,” George said from somewhere behind Draco’s shoulder, careful not to touch him, “Fred is going to go make some tea and bring it up to your room. I’m going to sit here with you until you’re ready to go upstairs, okay?” 

Draco didn’t respond. He simply stared at the door in front of him. So George sat down next to him, waiting for Draco to be ready. There was nothing rushing them, and George thought that if Draco had just a little sense of control he would come when he was ready. 

Something dawned on Draco, and he started to shake. “My… my wolf’s in there.” 

Although it was almost silent, George understood what he said. Before Draco could go into a full blown panic, he was up, opening the door to the bedroom, much to Isla’s anger, and grabbing the wolf from the ruffled bed sheets.

He slipped the wolf into Draco’s hands, and Draco allowed himself to sink into the smell of it’s fur. The lavender was there, but there was another scent there too. One he couldn’t put his finger on. It was getting stronger, but it didn’t bother Draco. He liked it. Kind of.  

Soon Fred returned with the tea, saying that he was going upstairs. He fraised it as a question, hoping that Draco would come with him, but he didn’t respond. George looked up at him, shrugging his shoulders. He mouthed that they would be there in a few minutes, so Fred left. 

After a while Draco’s breathing evened out, and the shaking sensation he had felt was finally leaving. He looked up at the door and then back to George. 

“How are you doing, bud?” 

Draco turned back around quickly, avoiding the question. He was angry. And sad. And worried about Abigail. And confused. And hurt. And…

“I know I said I wouldn’t rush you, but listen; the ground really isn’t comfortable, and I don’t know about you, but my back’s starting to hurt from it. Buuuuut…” he nudged him playfully, “you know what is comfortable? Your bed. I would know. I wrestled you on top of it.” He paused, waiting to see if Draco would respond. When he didn’t, he continued.

“So, why don’t we go up there right now? And then we can be comfortable. And Fred’s got tea up there. And Fred’s there too. And Fred’s pretty cool. I should know; I’m his twin, and I’m pretty cool.”

Draco snorted a little at his remark which caused George to continue. 

“What do you say, Draco? Let’s go. Abigail will be here tomorrow, and you’ll be able to see her then, okay?” 

And then he waited. He waited patiently until Draco, ever so carefully, got up from the ground, wolf still in his hands. George smiled. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”

They walked up the stairs slowly to Draco’s doorless room. Fred was already there, pouring tea for them on the bed. 

“The tea’s getting cold, you know.” Fred said, trying to hurry them up, but George shushed him instantly. 

“What? I make good tea, and you two are going to drink it before it gets cold.”

Draco sat on the edge of his bed, cautiously accepting the cup from Fred. He hadn’t been up in his room since…. Well, since he broke his ankle. It was jarring; how familiar yet strange this room felt. Like it was his and yet it was completely foreign. He hadn’t slept up here in Merlin knows how long. 

The three of them drank their tea in silence, Freg and George occasionally trying to test the waters with a joke or two, but Draco never responded.  

The clock struck midnight by the time they had finished. Draco set his cup carefully on the tray, stifling a yawn. 

“Would you look at that? He is tired.” Fred exclaimed, whisking away the empty teacups, presumably to the kitchen sink. 

“Fred and I are going to set up some beds in the room down the hall, okay?”

Draco sat in silence for a moment. Fred looked at George and nodded, ready to head towards the door, but Draco shot out his arms.

“Wait!” He cried. George wheeled about, eyebrow raised. 

“Can you… Can you guys sleep in here tonight? I-I don’t want to be alone.”

George smiled. “Of course.”

“It’ll be like a sleepover!” Fred yelled, racing to the hallway closet to grab two shrunken beds. He handed one to George, and together they used the engorgio spell, making the beds large enough to sleep in. 

“I feel like such a baby.” Draco mumbled into his wolf’s fur. He hated the way he relied on everyone. He was a Malfoy, dammit. He should be braver than this. He shouldn’t need the help of these mudbloods, let alone a werewolf. And yet he couldn’t help feeling safe with them. He felt he was betraying himself, and he held his head in confusion and pain. Why couldn’t he just go back to his normal life? 

“Hey, Draco. You okay?” George asked, sitting on the foot of his bed. Fred had gone to use the bathroom across the hall, mumbling something about needing to get ready for bed. 

Draco didn’t respond to George, just burying his head deeper into the fur. He didn’t want to talk to George right now. He didn’t want to feel anything.

“I know things are incredibly confusing right now. But if you ever need anything, I’m right here for you. You can ask me anything; I don’t mind.” 

Draco didn’t respond, and Fred soon returned to the room, hopping into his bed. 

“Goodnight Draco! Goodnight, brother mine.” 

“Goodnight Fred.” George got up from Draco’s bed, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Goodnight, Draco.” 

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home part 26

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 26 to my story. My semester of college is quickly coming to an end, so I’m finding myself with less and less time to write. I’ll try and get something posted next week, but I can’t promise anything. After next week, however, I should be able to dedicate more time to this. However, in the meantime, enjoy! Thank you so much for reading each week; it truly does mean a lot!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took almost three hours for Madame Pomfrey to leave the room, her little medical bag thrown over her shoulder. She shot Draco a sad smile before making her way to the fire. 

“Madame Pomfrey!” Draco called after her. She turned around, the smile still plastered on her face. “Is she going to be okay?” 

“Yes, Draco. She’s just going to need some rest is all. I’ll come check up on her, I promise, but I need to get back to Hogwarts now.” She threw some floo powder onto the fire and took off. 

Draco waited all of three seconds before barging into the room. Remus sat on the bed next to Abigail, lightly brushing the hair out of her face. Sirius sat in a chair a little ways off, watching as Isla changed the damp washcloth on her neck. Draco cleared his throat, catching the attention of Remus. He beckoned him over to where he sat, scooting slightly to the side to make room for him. 

“She’s going to be fine. The baby too.” He said, using his free hand to rub small circles into Draco’s back. 

Draco let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, tears coming to his eyes. He buried his face into Remus’s shirt. 

“I was so worried she wasn’t going… And she’s pregnant… And I lo--she’s the closest thing I have to my mother. I can’t lose her.” 

“I know, Draco. It’ll be okay. She’s safe now; we’re safe now.” 

Draco thought about it for a moment, letting that reality sink in for a moment, but soon enough doubt started to trickle in. 

“But what if we’re not?” 

Confusion crossed Remus’s face. “Draco, what do you mean?” 

“I mean, what if we’re not safe? What if this happens again? What if… Oh my god, this is all my fault.”

“No, Draco. That’s not it.” Remus looked up to Isla and Sirius; giving them the look that meant, “Let me take care of this.” They both nodded, slowly leaving the room, shutting the door behind them. 

Draco could feel the panic pulling at his chest. Oh my god, he was a problem. He had almost gotten his mo--Abigail killed, and now here she was; fighting for her and her child’s life. And it was his fault. 

He didn’t hear Remus right away. It took a moment to pull him out of his panic. Finally, he snapped out of it, but his breathing was still coming in unstably. Remus accioed the wolf over from where it lay discarded by the door. He put it into Draco hands, pushing his head into it. The warm smell of lavender and flowers filled his nose, but there was something else there too. Something sweet that he just couldn’t put his finger on. 

“That’s right, breathe in and out. Deep breaths, Draco.” 

The top of the wolf’s head was wet with his tears, but Draco couldn’t stop himself. The itch that told him he was worthless and pathetic was back. Even with Remus whispering sweet, comforting thoughts into his ear, he just couldn’t shake it off. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He didn’t want to be anywhere. 

He missed home so much. He missed his parents, but each day, he was finding it harder and harder to not see Abigail and Remus as his parents. To want to belong here. That this was his new family; his new parents. 

But that scared him too. Soon, would he just forget them? Would they forget about him? He really was a failure, wasn’t he? 

He snapped back to Remus shaking him slightly. He realized he was rocking, and the tears hadn’t stopped yet. He couldn’t control his body; it was almost like he had forgotten how to. 

“Draco, what’s one thing you can feel? Here, I’ll go first. I can feel fuzzy sweater your wearing. Can you think of something?”

“I… I can’t do this!” Draco hiccuped.

“Yes you can. I believe in you. What do you feel?”

Draco didn’t say anything for a moment, but then, very quietly, he said, “I--I can feel the s--soft fur on my wolf.” 

Remus smiled. “There you go. What can you smell? I smell an herbal tea.” 

Draco sniffed his wolf’s fur. “I smell vanilla… and fresh flowers.” 

“How about taste? I can still taste the cake we ate this morning.”

“I taste… Salt?”

“Salt? Strange, but if that’s what you taste. How about hearing? I can hear Abigail breathing next to us.” 

Draco was calming down now. The anxious whirlwind he was stuck in was slowly going away, though he could still feel its effects creeping close by. “I can hear Isla and Sirius walking around outside.”

“Good. Now, what can you see?”

Draco looked over his shoulder. “I see Abigail. I see that she’s sleeping and that she’s okay.” 

“I see my son sitting here with me. I see that he’s struggling, and that’s okay. We all struggle sometimes, especially when bad things happen.” 

“Remus…”

“Hold on, let me finish.  I see how much I love him and how glad I am that he’s here with us..” He paused, waiting to see if Draco would respond. When he didn’t Remus continued. 

“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to call us mom and dad.” 

“How do--”

“I heard you almost call Abigail “mom” when you were talking to Sirius.” 

Suddenly, Draco’s hands were incredibly fascinating. He didn’t want to look at Remus anymore, as the tears that had finally stopped had started to reform. 

“I’m scared I’m going to forget them, and that I’m not going to remember who they are when I can see them again. What if they don’t like me because I lived with you? What if they resent me? What if…”

“Hey,” Remus pulled at one of Draco’s shoulders, “Your parents aren’t going to forget you, Draco. They love you, you know they do. They’ll love you no matter what you do.”

Draco’s hands reached for his head, fearful and confused. “But…”

“Abigail and I don’t want to replace your parents, Draco. We just want to show you what a loving family looks like. One where you don’t have to be in constant fear everyday.”

Remus grabbed Draco’s hands, covering them with his own. “We love you, Draco. You know that. I know I’ve told you this already, but you can take your time. We don’t need you to call us mom and dad if you don’t want to.”

But that’s what they were to Draco… But they weren’t too. His real mom and dad were far away, and the threat of never seeing them again still hung heavy. No matter how much Draco told himself he would stay strong, he couldn’t help but start to like the Lupins. They were nice to him. They never did anything mean to him. They never stood back while the Dark Lord…

All of it confused Draco more than it helped him. He massaged his temples, trying to physically remove the pain he felt, but he just couldn’t. He looked back at the smiling Remus, the tears that framed his eyes too, and he just couldn’t help it.

He threw his arms around him, the tears already coming.

“I’m sorry…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Draco.”

“I’m just so tired of being confused.”

“That’s okay, Draco.” 

“I want to go home.” 

“But you are home.” Remus’s word struck a familiar chord of pain and assuredness.

“I know, but…” He missed everything else. But he didn’t. He just wanted…

Remus rubbed small circles into Draco’s back, hushing the soft whimpers he heard. He couldn’t imagine the distress Draco was feeling; what was going on in his head. He wouldn’t want to be ripped away from his family either, but he knew deep down it was the best thing for him. That in the end, Draco would have a better life because of it. He just needed more time and more patience. 

Switching the subject carefully, he picked up Draco’s wolf, sniffing the top of it’s head.

“Have you given your friend a name yet?”

Draco grabbed it from the man, examining it carefully. “No… But she’s going to want it back for the baby. It’s theirs anyways.” He tried to lay it down next to Abigail, but Remus stopped him.

“No Draco, it’s yours. You deserve it. We’ll get a different one for your sibling.”

Draco ran his fingers through the wolf’s soft fur, giving it a tight squeeze. He felt stupid for attaching himself to this thing, but it made him feel safe. 

“...Thank you.”

Remus smiled. “No need to thank us.” 

Isla opened the door slightly, a tray filled with tea in her hands.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I brought something for you guys to drink.” Sirius peaked his head in slowly after her, smiling awkwardly. 

“That’s okay. I think we’re all good now, right?” 

Draco nodded, a small smile coming to his face.

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home part 25

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 25 to my story. This chapter is a little intense--sorry! As always, I hope you enjoy, and stay safe!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.  

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A lot can happen in a moment. For example, in one moment, Castor was bursting through the fireplace of the Lupin’s household, a cold, broken Abigail in his arms. In that same moment, both Isla and Remus leaped to their feet, a mixed look of shock and anger in their face. In the same moment, Draco dropped the plush wolf onto the couch, bringing his hands to his face. 

Apologies came flooding from Castor. “I’m so sorry! I heard a child in distress a few blocks away, and when I came back from investigating, I found Abigail on the ground unconscious. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“That’s great that you’re sorry. Get her on her bed. Come on!” Isla practically pushed Castor towards the master bedroom, Remus following quickly behind them. 

But Draco was still frozen in fear. He hadn’t moved from the spot he was in. He could hear them in the other room, their voices topping each other in decibels, but he can’t quite make out what they’re yelling about. He knew it was bad. It had to be bad. He grabbed his wolf, clutching it tight to himself. And he was working up the courage to go in there and see what’s wrong, but he couldn’t quite figure out why his legs won’t move; why his head was spinning. 

Before he can even lift his head a fraction of an inch, Castor runs out again, practically jumping into the fire before the flop powder could take effect. He heard more feet pounding down the hall and turned just in time to see Isla running at him, shoving a bit of floo powder into his hands. 

“I need you to call Sirius, Draco. Tell him that Abigail is seriously hurt and he needs to get his ass over here.”

“What’s going…”

“Not now, Draco! Please,” she grabbed him by the shoulders, “This is a matter of life and death.”

Isla didn’t stay, running back to the room as soon as she heard Remus cry out. Draco looked down at the floo powder in his hands. If there was ever a chance for him to escape, now was the time to do it. He could easily floo over to his manner, leaving the Lupins far behind him. He would be back at his own house, safe from the dangers of this life. He could sleep in his own bed, have his house elves make him his own breakfast in the morning. He could find his actual mother by himself. He could be free…

He could also hear Remus crying in the other room, Isla trying to comfort him. Abigail’s breaths were pained, almost like she was panting for air. 

Draco got up from the couch, making his way quickly over to the fire. He looked for just a moment at the floo powder in his hands, and threw it into the fire. The fire lit green in response. 

And in that moment, Draco had a choice. To call for Sirius, or to run away. He only took a moment to choose. 

“Sirius… Sirius Black, please.” He said. The fire sputtered for a few seconds only to reveal Sirius’s silhouette on the other side. 

“Remus, to what…” he paused, realizing who he was talking too. “Draco? What are you doing?”

“It’s mo--Abigail. She’s hurt. You need…”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Sirius leapt over, practically landing on top of Draco. 

“Where is she? What happened?”

“Sirius!” Isla called from the bedroom. “Get your ass over here!” 

Sirius didn’t need to be told twice. He practically apparated into the other room, grabbing the wand out of his pocket. 

Draco stayed behind, studying the few flecks of floo powder that stayed on his hand. He could have easily gone through the fireplace, easily slipping away from the house: the Lupins. But something about Abigail had stopped him. Something inside of himself made him not want to go. 

Why was he like this? Why did he feel this way? Freedom was all his, just an arm’s reach away, and yet…

Draco heard a sharp cry from Abigail and Remus’s room, and it snapped him back to the presence. He felt something wet on his cheeks; he didn’t know that he had been crying. Had Sirius seen him crying? He tried to clean off his face as best as he could before grabbing his wolf and making his way down the hallway. He stood just outside the doorway, hesitating about entering. 

Taking a deep breath, he stepped foot into the room, carefully making his way to the bed. Isla, Sirius, and Remus were crouched around; all three pulling their head together over Abigail. They were talking, fast and urgently, about what to do. What could possibly be done to save their friend. 

Beneath them laid Abigail. She was so very pale, sweat dripping down her forehead, breathes coming in shallow. Her eyes were closed, her brows furrowed tight with pain. 

“Did Castor ever say what happened to her?” 

“He didn’t see. Thought it was some kind of--”

“Where did he run off--” 

“She needs something cold on her forehead, right? To ease the--”

“Poppy should be here soon. That’s where Castor went.”

“I’m going to grab some of the things we have in the study. Anything we’ve got could help.” Remus looked up to see Draco heading quietly into the room, wolf clutched tight to his chest. 

“Sirius, Draco’s…”

Remus didn’t even finish the statement. Sirius wheeled around, blocking Abigail from his view. 

“Come on, Draco. Let’s not stay in here, okay?”

“What’s wrong with Abigail?” Draco asked, his voice not above the sound of a whisper. 

“We don’t know. Castor… Castor didn’t do his job and now… we just don’t know.” Sirius looked away for a moment, and Draco could swear he was wiping a tear from his eyes. 

“Come on, let's get out of here.” This time, it was Isla to talk. Draco shook his head just slightly. 

“N-no!” He managed to get out. “I want to stay here with you. I want to help you.” 

“The best help that you can do is waiting outside the room, Draco.” 

“But I can’t leave her! She’s… She’s the closest thing I have to my mother, and I am not leaving her!” 

Sirius just shook his head, slowly approaching Draco. “ You heard Isla; you need to go out.” 

Draco was about to put up a fight; to go down swinging, but a small sound from deep in the room stopped them all. 

“Draco--” a fit of coughing erupted from the small frame that was Abigail. She shooed Isla away, reaching her hand out in the direction of the young boy. It took Draco a moment to get his feet to move towards her. He finally reached her outstretched hand, gripping it lighty. 

“Abi--”

“Draco, I need to let you know that… That I’m pregnant. I’m having a child. You’re going to be an older brother.” She smiled a little before another coughing fit surfaced. 

Draco was taken aback, tears starting to reform. 

“Whatever happens, Draco, I want you to know that I love you. I will always love you. You are the best son that I could ever ask for, and nothing makes me happier than you being here with us.” Her face pinched together, and she started coughing again; this time it didn’t stop. 

A loud commotion was happening outside the room, and before Draco could process what was happening, Sirius had pick him up over his shoulder.     Draco yelled out in surprise, pounding his fists into his back.

“Put me down! Mom!” He cried. It wasn’t until he was out of the room did he realize that Madame Pomfrey was there at Abigail’s side, already tending to her. 

Sirius put him down on the ground right outside her room. 

“Stay here until Pomfrey leaves, okay?” And with that, he turned back into the room, letting Draco sit alone with his thoughts and tears.

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home part 24

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here is the next part of THAH (To Have a Home)! School is still a lot, so this part is a little shorter, but as always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

Here’s Part 25!

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Abigail left her brother pounding on the other side of the door. He kicked and screamed to let him explain, but she was done with his deceit and lies. So she left, walking down the dark hallway by herself. 

“My dear, what happened down there? You look awful.” Minerva caught her in her arms when she finally made it out of the dungeons. Abigail was still crying, the sobs shaking her body.

“I don’t think that this was the best idea right now.” She said into Minerva’s robes. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here; that this was a bad idea. But I just thought that maybe…” 

“Shhh, Abigail. It’s okay.” Minerva waved Sprout over. “Can you get us some tea?” 

“No, I need to go home. I need to check on Draco and Remus. I need…”

“Okay, Abigail, okay. But I’m going to walk you to the door.” Minerva reached into her robe pockets. “Here, have some chocolate.” 

Abigail took it gratefully, nibbling on a corner of it. “Thank you.” 

Minerva just smiled. “Whenever you’re ready, dear.” 

Abigail took a moment to refocus herself, taking a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. She nodded her head a little. “I’m ready.” 

“You sure?” Sprout put her arms around Abigail’s shoulder. “You can stay here for a little while and…”

“Yes, I’m sure. I need to see my family again.”

So Minerva walked Abigail all the way to the front gates. They took their time, placing one foot in front of the other at a steady pace, talking about the small trifles of life; about how Abigail was going to decorate the child’s room. About what Hogwarts was going to look like in the upcoming school year. About Draco. Abigail had forgotten what it was like to talk to someone other than her husband and Draco. So much time had been put on them that she realized how much of a break it was to just not be home. To be in the company of her coworkers. Her friends. Even if it did mean she had to see her brother. 

Soon they reached the front gates. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me or Hagrid to walk you to the village? It’s not that far of a walk, and we don’t mind.” 

Abigail shook her head, smiling. “I’ll be fine. And besides, Castor shouldn’t be too far ahead. He knows to wait for me and the bottom of the trail.”

Minerva cocked her head to the side. “Ah, Castor. That troublesome Gryffindor who couldn’t stand still to save his life? Let’s hope so.” 

Abigail laughed. “He’s matured between his time at Hogwarts and now. He’s an uncle, you know. Very proud of it too.” 

“I’m sure, dear, I’m sure.” 

“Well, this is goodbye, I guess.” This time, it was Abigail who offered her arms to Minerva. In return, Minerva hugged her back. 

“Goodbye, dear. Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t!” Abigail called, already heading down the trail. 

“And stay safe, dear!”

But Abigail didn’t hear those words. She was already too far down the trail. The autumn wind made her pull her coat tighter around herself and she continued down the trail. Occasionally, an owl would hoot in protest of the setting light, impatient for the darkness so they could hunt. 

Finally, Abigail reached the place where she and Castor had said they would meet, but he was nowhere to be found. She turned back around. The school was close enough; she could make it back there before it got truly dark, but would Castor think she was in danger? 

She decided to give him five minutes to show up, and then she would allow herself to worry. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she grabbed her wand with one hand, ready for something, anything to happen, but she was too late.

Three figures dressed in black robes appeared from seemingly nowhere, masks covering their faces. Before Abigail could even take her wand out of her pocket, one of them had used the confrigo spell, knocking Abigail into unconsciousness.  

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 23

A/n: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 23 to my story! School has picked up quite a bit, so sorry for not being as active. There’s so many papers to be written! As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

Here’s Part 24!

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“Abby, I didn’t expect…”

“Please don’t call me that.” Abigail held her hands up, “And please don’t come near me.” She finished saying as Snape started to get up from the bed. It was like being in a room with a wild animal, except the animal was her brother.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Snape studied his sister from where he sat, scared that if he got any closer she would be scared off. Abigail decided to take a seat by the door, pulling her wand out of her cloak, just in case Severus tried anything. Anything at all. 

“So, how…” 

“What did Voldemort do to Draco?” Abigail didn’t let Severus finish his thought. She was here for one thing and one thing only. 

“Ah, Abbs. I see we're cutting right to the point.”

“Please, Severus. Don’t play games with me. If you’re not going to help me, then don’t say anything.”

And the silence that followed was deafening. Neither of the siblings moved. There was no clock in the room, but Abigail swore it felt like hours that they sat there. 

Finally, Severus cleared his throat.

“I was never included as to what happened in the Malfoy Manor.” 

“That’s a likely story. Did you not know you were serving Voldemort either? Or maybe, perhaps, you didn’t know you were about to kill Dumbledore either. Maybe you weren’t included in that meeting too.”

Severus shook her head. “I was locked in a vow, Abby! I would’ve died if I didn’t try. Even now I don’t know how I’m still alive.”

“But you have to have some clue as to what happened in that house.”

“All that I know is what Lucius and Narcisssa told me, which was very little.”

Abigail was so angry she was shaking, her fists clenched in her lap. Why had she wasted her time on him? What did she think would happen? 

“...I know you’re lying.” She chose her words carefully, straining against the urge to let loose at him. He shrugged his shoulder.  

“I don’t know what happened…”

“B.S., Severus, and you know it.” Abigail started to get up. “I knew coming here for information was useless. But still I came anyways, because there was a little part of me that just said, ‘This time, you can trust him. Just a little.’ And yet here we are: You lying about what happened in that household. I know you know what was happening. I know you do!” She paused, waiting to see if her brother would respond, but he said nothing. 

She shook her head, scoffing. “What a waste of my time. To think that my own brother would be keeping secrets from me when a child’s life is on the line.” 

“I’ve already told you, the only thing I know is that Voldemort did… things to Draco.” 

Abigail turned around. “What were the ‘things’ that he did to him?”

“Dangerous things. Old, old Dark Art practices. I’m not even sure I know what they are.”

“Please, try Severus.”

He furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “It was a curse, I know that for sure. A cousin of the cruciatus curse, but I can’t remember the name. It started with a c… con…”

“Contritum?” Abigail asked, her eyes going wide. A curse worse that the unforgivable three combined. Used too much, and the curse would leave a person as a shell of who they once were, ever haunted by the demons that hit them with it. 

She took a step back in shock, tripping over a step behind her and knocking her into the door. Severus got up from the cot slowly, hands out in front of him where Abigail could see, but she still held out her wand defiantly, warning him to stay where he was. 

“Abby, are you…”

“I’ll be fine. But Draco…” She took the hand not holding the wand to her head. “I don’t know any potions or countercurses to that… that monstrous curse. Severus, please tell me you have some sort of clue…”

Severus didn’t say anything; not for a long time. 

“Severus, you meddled with the dark arts, and you didn’t figure out anything for that curse?”

“Well, I never thought that I would ever see that curse, okay?”

Abigail shook her head, tears starting to form. “Why couldn’t you have been just a normal brother? One who did well in Hogwarts and then graduated and took a job at the ministry? Why a Death Eater? Look at you. Look at where you are.” She gestured to the dark, damp cell. In the distance, if they were quiet enough, they could hear rats fighting over lost crumbs; water leaking from Merlin knows where. The cot he sat on, if you could call bundled hay that, was sunken in the middle, giving way from where he slept. 

“You don’t understand, Abby. I had to do this.” 

“Like hell you had to, Severus.” 

This time, when she stood, Severus knew she was leaving. The fire that was normally in her eyes was gone, replaced with an unsettling emptiness. 

“I’m pregnant, Sev.” She whispered, her voice barely reaching him. 

The blood rushed out of his head as he shot up out of the cot, standing up just in front of it. “Abby, I…”

She turned towards him slightly, he could just see the small baby bump. He reached out his arms towards her, but she shook her head.

“If you think for even one moment that I would ever let you see my child, you’re wrong. You are so wrong.” She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“Goodbye, Severus.”

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 22

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 22 of my story! As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

Here’s Part 23!

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“It’s getting a bit cold outside, isn’t it?” Castor pulled the scarf he wore around his neck further up. From where Abigail stood, all you could see was his curly chestnut hair, dark brown eyes, and the freckles that peaked from his nose. 

“You can say that again,” she agreed, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t think I’ve been outside like this in months. Everything’s so…”

“Different? You can say that again.” He sighed. “Pollux’s being super cautious about everything going on. He doesn’t want Primrose or Peony to be caught in the crossfire. And now with Hogwarts starting up soon, he’s trying to spend as much time with them as humanly possible.” 

“And how are those two bundles of joy?”

Castor’s smile widened. He always had a permanent smile on his face. “They’re beautiful as ever. And they adore their Uncle Castor. Pollux, Prairie and I all went for a picnic in their backyard this weekend.” He chuckled to himself. “You know, I don’t think Peony understands yet that her father and I are twins. She gets this confused look on her face, and she’ll say, ‘Daddy and Uncle Castor are the same?’ And her mom goes, ‘Yes they are.’ And then she points to Primrose and says, ‘But we’re not the same.’ And Prairie responds with, ‘Well, you aren’t Primrose’s twin, are you?’ And then we all laugh because she’s just that cute.”

Abigail couldn’t help but laugh along with Castor.

“And now you’ve got one on the way too!” 

“Well, we don’t need to announce it to everyone, do we?” Abigail said quietly. And although they were walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, there was no one around to listen. The quaint shops that dotted the town had their lights dimmed, and people hushed as they walked by. Never could be too careful with Voldemort on the rise. 

“Eh, nobody’s paying attention anyways. They can’t see who it is with that hood all the way up over your head. You look like a… well, a witch.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” laughed Abigail.

They made it to the edge of town. All the way to the outskirts of Hogwarts. Where Severus Snape was being kept at the time. 

“Well, I think this is as far as I can go before the school’s alarms will sound, so you go talk to Severus and I’ll just wait here for you.” He planted his feet on the ground. “Right here, and I’m not going to move.” 

“Don’t drink too much firewhisky at Hog’s Head.” Abigail called over her shoulder, heading up the trail. 

“Hey! I’m not going to say you’re wrong, so I won’t! I don’t even like Firewhisky. Knotgrass Mead is where it’s at!” 

“Whatever you say, Castor.” 

Abigail spent the next five minutes walking in silence. She could see where Castor stood and the entrance to the school at the same time. She felt safe even under the given circumstances. 

Minerva Mcgonagall stood waiting at the front gate for her. Her smile was tight against her face. “Good afternoon, Professor Rose.”

“No need to call me Professor, Mcgonagall.”

“No need to call me Mcgonagall, Abigail.” Her smile loosened a little, and she held out her arms. Abigail ran to meet her halfway, wrapping herself in the hug.

“I’ve missed this so much,” Abigail mumbled into her robes. “You. The other professors.The school itself.”

“We’ve missed you too, dear. Would you like me to put on tea and we can catch up?”

“As much as I would love to, I need to get back to the boys. I’ve never been away from the house, and I don’t want to leave them alone for too long.” 

“Ah, of course. I wouldn’t want to upset the doting mother, would we?” 

“Is it that obvious?” She looked down at the long robes she had put on before leaving the house. If she could conceal the fact that she was pregnant from her brother just a little bit longer, it would make her life ten times more easier. 

“No, Abigail, but when you put in your letter for maternity leave, I started to grow suspicious.”

Abigail’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, right. I’d forgotten I’d done that. But Remus will still be around Hogwarts, making sure everything is in order.” 

“Yes, our school needs a trusted librarian. Will you be fine by yourself?” 

Abigail nodded her head. “Fred and George are going to help out around the house. Draco’s taken a liking to them, so it’ll be nice for both sides of the party.” 

“That’s always good to hear.” Minerva turned to lead towards the castle. “Come, lets not keep you here any longer than you have to be.” 

Minerva guided Abigail through the castle’s empty hallways, catching her up on all of the school’s doings since she was away. In return, Abigail told her about the trials and errors of trying to raise Draco in their small cabin. 

“In all of my years teaching Mr. Malfoy,” Minerva said, opening the doors to the dungeons, “I’ve learned that what he needs is attention. He looks for it all the time, but most of the time, it’s not in the best of places.” 

“But all Remus and I have been doing is showering him with affection and attention, and we still can’t reach him. It’s like he acts out whenever we do pay attention to him.” 

“Just give him time, Abigail. It’ll take more than a few weeks to get to him. You and Remus make a great pair, and are even better parents. If anybody can reach him, it’ll be you two.” 

“Thanks Minerva.” Abigail smiled softly. They had made it to the bottom most part of the school; the place most students didn’t know existed. It had been closed off for years, and there was no intention of ever reopening the space, but desperate times called for desperate measures. 

Abigail stood back slightly as Minerva spelled the bolted door open. They creaked open, protesting loudly as if their old hinges hadn’t done this so many times before.

Professor Sprout sat slightly far off from the door, wand at the ready in her hands. She stood up when she saw Abigail coming in from behind Minerva. 

“I’d never expected to see you here, darling.” She said, her robes engulfing the younger lady.

“And I never thought I would end up down here.” Abigail responded. “How is… he?” 

“Cold. Angry. He hasn’t said anything to any of us in maybe a week. He used to pound on the door and scream through the night, pleading that he was innocent, but once he realized no one was listening, he simply got tired of trying.” 

“He’s further down the hall. Come, I’ll walk as far as you want me to go with you.” Minerva took Abigail’s hand and together they walked down the hallway. Abigail could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She was scared. Scared of what he would think. Scared of what he would do. Scared of what he could do. 

It was dark in that hallway. Abigail swore she could hear a rat scurrying down the hallway. Every part of her being was telling her it wasn’t worth it. She could run away and no one would blame her. She told herself that she would never have to see her brother again.  

Something bright came up behind her. She turned around, but had to blink away the brightness. A shimmering silver wolf had followed her down the tunnel; a small dragon on its back. Abigail let go of Minerva’s hand to completely turn around. 

They were the patronuses of her husband and her best friend; there to comfort her. She grabbed the wolf around its neck, sticking her face in its warm fur. The dragon hissed a little, climbing on her shoulders. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, trying not to cry. The wolf nodded as if it understood, and with that, they both disappeared. Abigail stood up. Minerva was standing by a completely metal door, locks lining the opening from the ceiling to the floor. 

“Are you…”

“I’m ready.” was all Abigail had to say. Minerva nodded, starting to unlock the door for her.

“If you ever need anything dear, just yell. Sprout and I will be right outside ready to assist. 

Abigail nodded, and stepped through the slightly opened door. Inside the room was almost completely dark, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

There, on the small bed in the corner, sat a rather skinny figure. His skin seemed almost translucent and his hair greasier than ever. Abigail took a step towards him, but stopped when he started to move. 

He looked over his shoulder, eyes locking onto Abigail’s. It took a moment for him to recognize who he was looking at, but then it slowly came to him, like a memory out of the mist. 

“...Abby?”  

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 21

A/N: Hey Y’all! It’s been a while, but school’s been keeping me really busy. Anyways, here the next part! As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.     

Here’s Part 22! 

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“Oh… Oh my God.” Abigail dropped the papers on the desk as she finished reading the notes. “Draco… Oh my God.” She paused, breathing in slowly. “Is… Did he really get hit…”

“Twelve times with a cuicio curse? Yes, you read that right.”

“And Lucius did nothing at all.”

“Yeah, makes your blood boil, right?” Isla took the paper, tucking it back into her jacket. “And he had the audacity to ask to see his son again. After willingly letting his son get abused over and over again…” Her hands clenched up. “It makes me wish I had hit him harder.”

Abigail just shook her head, angry tears starting to form. 

“Hey, hey,” Isla grabbed both of her shoulders, shaking her a little. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, okay? Draco is already ten times better off than he was, and he’s got you and Remus, two of the most loving people I know.” 

“I know.” Abigail took a deep breath. “I know. Thank you, Isla.” She looked to the closed study door. They left Remus and Draco out in the living room, a little confused and troubled. Isla came in so fast, saying so many things that scared Draco into shock, Abigail had to pull her into a different room just to talk to her. But now Abigail saw what Isla was talking about, and she was ready to go wands ablazing at any death eater she could her hands on. 

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m not sure. I need to hear this from Draco, but I don’t want to make him relive it. I don’t want to cause more pain to him.” 

“Aren’t you good at legilimency? You could pry it out of him. Isn’t that easier than trying to talk to him about it?” 

“Yes, but it’s… uncomfortable. For both him and myself. I’ll resort to it, but only if I have to.” 

With that, the two of them left the dark study, walking into the lighter living room.

Draco was sitting on the couch, hands clenching and unclenching around his knees. His wolf sat discarded next to him, waiting to be reached for. Remus sat on the other side, helplessly looking on the boy. He was trying hard, but was desperately failing, at connecting with Draco. So he sat next to him, a solemn look on his face. 

“Draco.” Abigail’s voice was soft as she walked towards him, partially to warn him it was her, and partially because she was scared of what he was thinking. 

But Draco was already lost in his thoughts. He was already shaking by the sound of her voice. They had found out. They knew everything. They would never look at him the same way again.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said before Abigail could even get off what was on her mind. He never wanted to talk about what happened again. He had tried to block what happened out of his mind, and it worked for a time, but now, the edges were fraying. The pain of last winter was coming back. His mother’s screams. His father’s cries. The sounds that came from him…

“Draco, sweetheart, I know you don’t. But we need to know what happened so we can help you.” Abigail’s voice was even softer now. She kneeled before him now, taking one of his clenched hands in hers. 

“I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to think. Please,” tears were already in his eyes. “Don’t make me do this.”

Abigail’s face grew somber, and she looked to Remus for support. He cleared his throat. 

“Can you try for us, Draco? Can you just try?” 

“No! Please, you don’t understand.” He grabbed for his wolf, holding it closely to himself. “I’ve tried to… stop… thinking about what happened. I want just as much as you to help myself. But I just can’t get out of my head. I just want it to stop.”

The back of the wolf’s head was wet; Draco’s face was buried in it. 

“Hey, look at me.” Abigail’s soft yet commanding voice turned Draco’s eyes to her. Before he knew it, she was pulling him into something. Something that had happened before. 

“No, please,” was all Draco could get out before he was pulled into Abigail’s legilimency. It felt like a whirlpool of different scenes of his life. Specific scenes of his life. The ones where he was hurt. The worst ones. It only took a few before he slipped out of her gaze. 

Abigail fell backwards, almost over the coffee table. Draco threw up on the ground in front of him. Remus raced forward to brace his wife while Isla spelled the ground in front of Draco clean, summoning a warm washcloth from the bathroom. She held it to Draco’s neck as he put his head between his knees. He tried to remember the breathing technique George taught him, but all he managed was to gag on his own vomit. 

Abigail, on the other hand, found tears coming to her own eyes. Remus held her close, rocking slowly to try and ease her breathing.           

“What happened?” Isla looked from the distraught Draco to the equally distraught Abigail. 

“Those memories…”

“They hurt, don’t they?” Draco looked up slightly, meeting her watery gaze. 

“Yes, but that’s not normal.” She shook her head. “I haven’t felt anything like that ever, and I used to do this daily.”

“Then what are you saying?” Isla asked, flipping the washcloth. 

“A memory that induces pain isn’t common; it’s a dark arts practice.” Abigail shooed off Remus to go back to Draco. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen.”

“Do you think that therapy would help too?” Isla added. “It might be nice to just talk it through with someone who’s trained to help in these situations.” 

“Yes, but there’s also something darker here. Something dangerous. I need an incantation, like a charm, to break whatever’s got a hold of the memories.” She cupped the side of Draco’s face in her hand. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, sweetheart, okay? Trust me.”

Draco said nothing in response, he simply nodded his head. All he felt at the moment was numb. He was appreciative of Isla, but quite honestly, he wanted to disappear into the couch. To dissolve into nothingness. 

“Can I… Can I go upstairs?” he asked, not sure if this was a question he was supposed to ask. 

“Uh, sure, Draco. I’ll bring you some tea in a little bit, okay? Call out if you need anything,” Abigail called out as Draco limped upstairs. They waited to hear Draco reach his room before talking again.

“So this incantation,” Isla started, “How are we going to get it?” 

“Well, I don’t know it personally.” Abigail went to sit in one of the chairs. “Isla, you’re the DADA teacher; do you know what it is, or what it could be?” 

“I’ve heard of spells that are supposed to help with curses similar to this one, but nothing that’s spot on. I would say to just try something, but I don’t want to hurt Draco any more than he already is. But…”

Isla hesitated. The word hung heavy in the air. Remus looked grimly at Abigail. Everyone did, and she knew why.

“Severus might know what’s wrong.” Abigail mumbled, mostly to herself. 

Remus went to reach for his wife’s knee. “I can go…”

“No, one of us has to stay here with Draco. We can’t both leave him alone. Not after all of this.” 

“But you can’t go all the way there by yourself.” 

“Remus, we can ask for someone to escort me there, but I don’t feel safe leaving him here without one of us. He trusts us.” 

“I’ll go with.” Isla turned to look at both of them. “If Remus can’t go, then I’ll go…”

“We all know you can’t,” said Abigail. “You know where Draco and Lucius are, and no one’s supposed to know where all three prisoners are.”

“That’s such a stupid rule!”

“Yes, but it’s to keep everyone safe. I’m sorry, Isla.” 

Remus stood up, walking to the fire to collect some floo powder. “If you’re going to go, then you’ll need someone to escort you. I’ll talk to Sirius about it.”

“And I’ll stay here with Remus.” Isla got up from the couch, using her wand to start a kettle going on the stove. “Someone has to make sure the boys don’t burn down the house.” 

Abigail smiled slightly, but returned her gaze to her hands. She never wanted to see her brother again, not if she had anything to do about it. After everything he’d done to her and Remus, she never wanted to see his face. For as much love as she had, she couldn’t find any for him. Not the slightest bit. 

“I talked with Sirius,” said Remus, turning from the fireplace, “and he said that Castor’s going to come over in ten minutes to escort you to where Severus is.” He walked over to her, reaching out to grab her hands. With a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” 

“But I do. I have to for Draco.” She brought his hands up to her mouth and kissed them. “Thank you, though, for thinking of me.” 

“For you, darling, anything.” He smirked, kissing her back.

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 20

A/N: Hey Y’all! We did it! We finally reached part 20! I hope you’re enjoying this story as much as I am! It’s so much fun to write for these characters. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

(TW: Isla beats up a character.)

Here’s Part 21!

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From the outside, 20 Jericho Road looked like any abandoned house. The windows were boarded up. The front door had eviction notices all over it. The grass was overgrown. There was a rumor around town that it was haunted. “Someone died there in the twenties, I think,” was whispered among the local school children. Those who were brave would throw rocks at the windows and quickly flee on their bikes and scooters. 

Even the adults, who were wise beyond their years, would stay clear of the house. No one dare touch it. No one would even look at it for long before shuddering and walking the other way. Crossing the street before they could even see the house. 

But for Isla, it was her home. It was a place where her friends and allies could feel safe and secure. It was where they would hold meetings when Grimmauld Place was unavailable. It was where she hosted an Easter brunch before… well, before everything. It was where Tonks, Alexander, and Charlie called home too. 

But it also hosted something different entirely. Something evil. 

Deep within the house, tucked far away in a corner, was a windowless room. A doorless room as well. All that was in there was a thin cot, an empty picture frame, and a bucket.

Oh, and the man. He sat on that cot, head in his hands with his greasy platinum blonde hair framing it. He looked disheveled, mostly because he was. He couldn’t tell you the last time he’d seen the light of day. Or the last time he ate something he recognized. Or the last time he had heard another person apart from himself speak.

Of course there was the man in the painting who would leave food for him, but he could never get him to talk to him. It was his son’s old art teacher; the one who had trapped himself in a painting with dark magic. He made the mistake, once, of ripping the frame off the wall, but he didn’t get food for almost five days. It was only when he passed out from sheer exhaustion did he wake up to everything normal again. His gruel sitting disgustingly by the frame.   

Everyday was like the one before. He’d wake up on his uncomfortable cot, trying desperately to shake sleep from himself. There was always a new plate of gruel would be where it always was; next to the empty picture frame. There used to be utensils brought too, until he tried ripping the painting. Soon after, the painted man never left anything other than the bowl. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he’d catch the man in the painting himself, breaking the clear sheen between the painting and the real world, but that hardly ever happened. After that, he was stuck by himself for the rest of the day, pacing the horribly small room. He could always tell when the end of the day was near, however, because the painted man would come back, taking away the old food and bringing new things for him to eat. And it was like that, day after day. 

But not today. Today was different, and Lucius Malfoy didn’t know why. He had woken up, but there was nothing on the floor for him to eat. Never in his time here had that happened. As he was getting out of the cot, the picture frame was slammed to the side by an outside force. An entry way that Lucius had never seen before was there, as if it had been carved out of the cement that encased the entirety of the room. He had only a moment to react before Isla came in, shutting the painting back into its place as if it were a door. 

Lucius went to open his mouth, but Isla held up her wand to his throat, pushing the tip into his Adam's apple. He choked, slightly, trying to back up but finding no room to move. 

“What happened to Draco?” she hissed.

“I don’t know…”

“Choose your next words carefully, because I am not afraid to leave you dead. What. happened. to Draco?” 

“I could ask you the same thing.” He said, gulping. “I haven’t seen him in Merlin knows how long. Anything could have happened to him with that godforsaken werewolf or disgusting half-blood.” 

Isla backed up for a moment, lowering her wand ever so slightly. Lucius took it as a sign of relief, but it lasted only a second. Isla wound back her right arm, punching hard into his face. His head went flying back, hitting the back wall with a skull splitting thud. Isla grabbed the front of the shirt to keep him from falling to the floor. 

Blood trickled out his clearly broken nose, and he spit it out from his mouth, choking.

“Let me try this again. What happened to Draco to give him those scars on his back.” It was a statement, not a question. Isla wasn’t here to play games. She wasn’t here to play good cop/bad cop with herself. She was here for answers. Now. 

“Please, I don’t know…” Another punch, this one aimed for his gut. He doubled over, landing on the floor, where Isla gave him a kick for good measures. 

“Don’t play stupid with me,” she said, “but if you want to--well--I’m just getting started too.”

She lined up her foot one more time, but Lucius held his hand up.

“Wait!” He brought himself up onto his hands and knees, almost kneeling before her. “I…”

“You what? Please, if you’re going to waste my time, I can sure as hell waste yours too.” 

With those words, Isla beat into him, not holding back. She would wait a few seconds in between the wailing and pounding to see if he’d say anything, but when he wouldn’t respond, she’d go right back to it. 

“It was him!” He finally got out, his voice ragged. 

Isla froze mid-kick. “...Voldemort?” 

“Yes! Yes,” He spat out blood again, the red staining his teeth. “He did it to get to me. I couldn’t do anything about it! I…” 

Before Lucius could continue, Isla grabbed him and sat him up on the cot. She pulled out a self-writing pen and an empty parchment. 

“Talk clearly, and tell me everything. If you leave anything out, anything at all…”

She didn’t even finish the sentence. Lucius babbled out a yes, crying pitiful tears. And he told her everything. Every little thing. It took him over an hour to account what happened, and he needed a moment to throw up in the empty pail. 

Isla showed him no sympathy. No pity. Not when he shook. Not when he cried. He had let this happen to his son. His only son. And for what? For recognition from him? 

The pen stopped writing when Lucius stopped talking. Tears fell from his face, leaving the front of his shirt soaked. 

“Please…” His voice was barely a whisper, “Please understand, there was nothing I could do…”

“There was nothing you could do?” Isla’s voice was dangerously quiet. “Nothing at all?” 

He shook his head. “No. He had me between a rock and a hard place…”

“Defending your son put you between a rock and a hard place?”

“You don’t understand!” He flailed his arms. “He… He would have dropped me! Left me alone! I love Draco with all of my heart, but...”

“So you’re telling me,” Isla put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched. “That if you would have told Voldemort to stop, you would have lost your standing with him?”

Lucius stopped squirming. “Please, Isla. To lose your standing with him means more than you think. I would lay down my life for Draco, I would! But…”

“Then why didn’t you?” She asked, staring him directly in the eyes. The same couldn’t be said of Lucius. She waited a few moments, before pushing him down. 

“Well, it seems like you have quite a while to think about it, then.” And with that, she turned to leave.

“Wait!” Lucius called out from the cot, not having enough energy to stand up. “Can I at least hear my son’s voice again?” 

Isla laughed a cold, bitter laugh. “Not on my life.”

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 19

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

A/N: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 19 to To Have a Home! I’m super excited that the story has gotten this far! Sorry for the infrequent posting; this school year is a lot, and there’s so much going on, but I didn’t want to leave the story hanging, so here we are. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

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“Abigail, are you keeping an eye on the cake?” Remus called from the living room, his eyes skimming through that week’s copy of The Daily Prophet. 

“No, are you?” She called from the bedroom, where she was currently putting two braids in her hair. 

“No, but it does smell like it’s burning…”

Abigail shot out of the bedroom, her long light blue sundress billowing out around her. “Then why aren’t you doing anything about it? Remus!” She pulled her wand out from the front pocket of her dress, spelling the oven door open and sending the chocolate cake to a cooling tray. “You could’ve helped.”

“But I knew you had it under control,” he mused, not looking up from his newspaper.

“You’d better be careful, Remus, or you’re not going to get any of it. Draco and I will eat all of it right in front of you and you can just watch.” She smirked. “We’ll see if you like it when I’m in control.”

“You really don’t have to bake me a cake,” Draco mumbled, pushing his face further into his plush wolf. “It’s not that important.” 

“Oh, but it is!” said Abigail, getting to work on frosting the cake. She piped the light green mint frosting onto the top, making a swirling pattern. “You’re finally getting that boot off and we’re going to celebrate it!” 

“Now we know that jumping out of windows is not the best thing to do, right?” Remus looked over the top of the newspaper, a smile forming across his face. 

Draco rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever.” 

Remus set the newspaper down on the table. “What’re you reading there?” 

“Oh, nothing.” He flipped the book closest to him over, but Remus grabbed it quickly. 

“Charlotte’s Web, eh? It’s one of Abigail’s favorites.”

“You’re reading Charlotte’s Web?” Abigail perked up from behind her large cake. “Wilbur’s some pig, isn’t he? I used to read that book almost every day of my childhood. Then I discovered Little Women, and the game changed. Remus, what was your favorite?”

He thought about it for a moment, setting the book back by Draco. “Hmm… I think my favorite was The Hobbit when I was growing up. Something about the dwarfs and the dragon made it my favorite.”

Abigail smirked. “Of course the one with short people trying to get back their gold is your favorite.”

“This is coming from the person who was obsessed with a talking pig for most of their childhood.” 

“But that’s not… you know what? Nevermind.” She put the icing down on the counter, licking some of the stray bits off her fingers. “Draco, what’s your favorite?”   

“Well, I really like Little Women, but I don’t know if it’s my favorite.” But he did know. That was his favorite book he had ever laid his hands on. Whenever he was sad, he would pull it out from under the couch and just read. He’d read about Jo’s struggles to publish her book. He’d read about Amy and her relationship with Laurie. It made him feel safe and secure, like a friend that he could hold in both hands. 

“Oh, sure, agree with Abigail,”Remus rolled his eyes, “that’ll help boost her ego.” 

Abigail flung a bit of frosting at him, threatening to lay a silent spell on him. He held up his hands in mock defense. 

She went back to setting up the table, spelling plates and forks and fresh fruit on the table. Draco spied the discarded newspaper on the table and he grabbed for it. Remus was faster, snatching it away before Draco was even close. 

“But…”

“No Draco, you can’t read this.” Before Draco could protest any further, he threw it into the burning fireplace. It caught a flame immediately and burned to pieces, reduced to ashes. 

“I want to know what’s going on out there! I want news that you won’t tell me.” 

“There’s a reason that we don’t tell you Draco. Besides, you shouldn’t be worried about what’s happening out there. All you need to focus on is yourself.” 

Draco was about to open his mouth to argue again, but Abigail came up from behind him, all smiles. 

“I think it’s time for the boot to come off!”

Something about how excited Abigail was made Draco forget about the newspaper fiasco. He gripped his plush wolf hard as Abigail started to pull the straps loose on the boot. It came off fairly easily, but the skin underneath was incredibly dry. 

“Hmm… we’ll have to put some lotion on that sometime.” Abigail said, mostly to herself. “Honey, can you grab me a warm washcloth?” 

Remus didn’t get up from his seat, but he did pull his wand out of his pocket. Muttering accio under his breath, the washcloth came floating into the living room. He handed it to Abigail, who ran it over his ankle. Draco hissed a little under his breath.

“Is everything okay?” Abigail asked, confusion spread across his face.

“Yeah, it just feels different.” He said, looking down at his feet. His left ankle didn’t look too different from his other one; if anything, it was a little more swollen still. But since Abigail wasn’t worried, he decided he didn’t need to either. 

“Okay,” Abigail finished up cleaning his ankle, “I’m going to move it around a little bit. It might feel tight, but that’s normal. If it hurts more than a feeling of tightness, tell me.”

Draco nodded his head. When she started to move it, Draco felt his jaw clench up. The tightening sensation came up on him, but it wasn’t necessarily painful. Just… different. A good different. 

After a few minutes, Abigail stopped, straightening up as she dusted off the front of her dress. 

“I think that’s good enough for today. We can keep doing those stretches so you’ll have the full range of your ankle again. But…” she looked over her shoulder at the table. “The cakes all the way over there, and I think Remus is done giving piggyback rides…”

“For forever.” He said, standing up to join his wife. “But if you say please, I’ll drag you.”

Draco laughed, bracing himself at the end of the couch. For over a month he’d dreamed of this moment. When he had his leg back. When he wasn’t at the will of Remus and Abigail anymore. He could move where he wanted to, when he wanted to for whatever reason he wanted to. 

He felt the carpet with both of his feet, and very slowly, he pushed himself off the couch. He thought he was going to lose his balance, but at the last moment, he managed to find it. Taking in a deep breath, he took one step forward, and then the next. He felt a little pain, but it was enough to power through it. Abigail took to his side almost immediately, not close enough to touch him, but near enough to catch him if he were to fall. 

Finally, Draco was at the table. Abigail gave a cry of joy, throwing her arms around him. 

“Okay, thank you, Abigail, but please get off.” His voice was muffled under her. 

Abigail took her time, messing up his hair as Remus cut the cake with a spell. All three quickly dug into the cake, not bothering with formalities. After Draco’s third slice, Abigail cut him off. 

“No more, or you’re never going to sleep tonight.” 

“Wow, Abigail, you sound just like my…” Draco didn’t finish the sentence. A silence fell over the group, no one knowing how to cut the silence. 

“Well, um… What movie should we watch tonight?” Remus said, putting his fork down. “I was in the mood for something with a happy ending.”

“Is there any of those--Disney I think they’re called--Disney movies we haven’t watched yet?” Draco said, liking the way this conversation was going. 

“I think there was a new one that came out last year that we haven’t watched yet… Hercules, if I’m not mistaken.” Abigail got up, walking over to their vast VHS collection. She ran her finger over a few titles, before pulling out the right one. 

“Here it is! Or, if you want, we could watch Cinderella.” She pulled that one out too. “I know we haven’t watched that one either.”

“Yuck, Cinderella is a girl’s movie. I want to watch Hercules.” 

“I guess that settles it then. Hercules it is!” Remus winked at Draco. “I didn’t want to watch Cinderella anyways.” 

“Well, we can watch Hercules, but not because Cinderella is a girl’s movie. Cinderella is a wonderful movie. It’s about seeing someone for who they truly are, and I think that’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because you’re a girl.” 

Remus laughed at Draco’s remark, which landed him a pillow to the face courtesy of Abigail. 

“Whatever, boys, just get over here so we can watch this thing.” 

And for a moment, they seemed like a normal family. A loving one. The ones without cracks or blemishes. One without faults and secrets.

But alas, moments are only that: moments. 

Before anyone could move, the fireplace roared to life, fire spitting out in every direction. Abigail moved back quickly, and Remus went to bodyblock Draco. 

Out of the fire was spat Isla, looking dazed and angry. Her head swiveled towards Draco, and she rushed towards him. 

“What did he do to you?” 

Draco wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re…” 

“Your father, Draco. What did he do to you?”