The atmosphere in the Malfoy house had been chill at best the past day, and only now, when the three inhabitants were donning their cloaks did the atmosphere seem to soften. “Mother,” Scorpius asked, “can’t we just take brooms? Going by Floo Powder always makes me feel queasy…”
“Going by brooms would take us hours, Scorpius.” Draco told him sharply. Ever since the day previous Draco had been on edge, snapping at just about anything. He was worried. Worried that Rose was going to leave him, and take Scorpius with him, and this dinner with the Potters was going to make it even worse.
He cast a nervous glance over at Rose, who still wouldn’t look him in the face, before grabbing a handful of Floo Powder. “I’ll lead the way. Scorp, follow me.”
Draco tossed the green powder into the empty fireplace, and instantly green flames shot into the air. He stepped forward as if nothing was wrong with stepping into a fireplace full of deadly flames, and said clearly, “Godric’s Hollow!”
He shot forward into the Floo Network, racing passed dozens of grates before he finally began to slow down. He straightened his back and bent his legs slightly just before he shot out of the fireplace, into the Potter’s dining room.
He stumbled slightly, but regained his footing quite easily. He looked up and saw a young girl with flaming red hair staring at him open mouthed. The girl turned around and ran out the door shouting, “Mum! Mr. Malfoy’s here!”
Draco glanced behind him and saw Scorpius’ figure nearing. He stepped out of the way and as the boy stumbled out of the grate grabbed his arm so he didn’t fall to the ground. Scorpius straightened, and did indeed look greener than usual. Draco released his arm and the boy stumbled into a nearby chair, holding his stomach. “Can we please just travel by brooms next time? Or at the very least, cars?”
Draco nodded distractedly, looking around the room. It was warm, in both temperature and feeling…exactly the opposite of what he had just left. But it wasn’t Draco’s first time in the Potter’s dinning room; he had been asked a number of times to stay for dinner while he and Harry worked late, and accepted so as to not be rude. He quickly learned that Ginny’s meals were considerably better than Rose’s, but he would never admit it.
A few moments later, Rose stepped out of the fireplace gracefully beside him, looking as perfect as she had when they left the house. Draco offered her a smile, which she ignored, and instead bent down to speak to Scorpius. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” she cast a glare over her shoulder at Draco, as if it was his fault that Scorpius was feeling sick, even though he knew very well that Rose wouldn’t have allowed them to fly by broom or drive by car; they would have been late.
“Nnnmnnn….” Scorpius muttered, resting his head on her shoulder.
Draco stepped away from them just as Ginny came bustling into the room. “Oh, you’re all here. Wonderful!” she gave Draco a forced smile and then looked to Rose and Scorpius, “Oh dear, not feeling well, Scorpius?”
“He doesn’t do well with travelling by Floo.” Rose explained, rubbing the boy’s back and casting another glare Draco’s direction.
Ginny frowned, “Would you like to lie down?”
Scorpius shook his head and raised it a little, “I’m fine.”
He didn’t sound fine.
Draco stepped around Ginny and left the room, walking down the hall, passed the flight of stairs that led up to Harry’s office and the bedrooms, toward the drawing room, where he heard laughter.
He stopped just out of view of the room and peered around the corner. Harry sat on the floor, surrounded by his three children, playing some sort of Muggle game with them. All three children looked like they were having the time of their lives, until one of the boys – Albus, he thought – caught sight of him, and suddenly sobered. The other three occupants in the room glanced around, the two children’s faces fell, but Harry’s brightened, if only a little. Draco cleared his throat and stepped around the corner, attempting a smile at the children.
Harry stood from his spot on the floor and walked passed Draco, motioning him from to follow. Draco followed grudgingly, and Harry led him through the corridor into what looked like a storage room. As soon as Draco stepped inside, Harry closed the door, casting the room in darkness, which Draco quickly rectified by lighting his wand. Harry pointed his wand behind Draco’s shoulder and light spilled from a lamp on the wall. Draco lowered his wand, glancing around the room a little nervously.
“What do you want?” he asked Harry finally, his voice low.
Harry ran his hand through his hair, his face conflicted. “We both know the answer to that question…but…Ginny knows.”
Draco nodded, “Rose too.”
Silence engulfed them so that they could hear two women speaking in the hall. Draco shifted his feet nervously. “What are we going to do?”
Harry’s eyes searched Draco’s, “I don’t know…this isn’t something that will just go away.”
Draco glanced at the door behind Harry; the voices had stopped, but it sounded like someone had scuffed their toe against the door. “I know. But it can’t continue. Rose will leave me.” He spoke in more of a hushed tone.
Harry glanced behind him as well, aware of the eavesdropper, “We’ll discuss this later.”
Draco nodded and followed Harry out the door, stuffing his wand into the pocket of his robes. Harry stopped just outside the door, looking at the two people standing in the hall. Draco peered around Harry, and his stomach dropped – Rose and Ginny were standing there just as he feared, and were looking livid.
“Er…” Harry muttered, “Dinner?”
Ginny nodded curtly and spun around, her red hair fanning out behind her. Harry followed her quickly, speaking to her in a low voice, leaving Rose and Draco alone in the hallway. Rose’s anger seemed to dissipate almost instantly, replaced with despair. “I warned you, Draco…I warned you…”
She turned to leave for the dinning room, but Draco grabbed her arm. “Rose, we were talking. I told him that it was finished…that I chose you.”
“That’s not what it sounded like.”
“What did it sound like?”
“Like you were trying to find some way to fool us again.”
“I swear to you, Rose, on everything I hold dear, I was ending it with him.”
Rose sighed and shook her head, “I can’t take your word for that, Draco…I just don’t trust you.”
She pulled her arm away from him and followed Ginny and Harry into the dinning room. Draco stood there for several long moments, until Scorpius walked timidly into the hallway. “Father? They’re serving dinner.”
Draco nodded and followed Scorpius into the dinning room. He sat in the only empty seat – next to Rose. The air was tense as they ate, even the children could sense it. Harry’s daughter – Lily he thought her name was – didn’t take her eyes off of him the entire time they ate, except when she asked her mother to pass the pumpkin juice. She was looking at him with curiosity, which he didn’t expect. He expected her to hate him, just as Rose and Ginny hated him, even though it was impossible that the child knew why the adults were so edgy.
Finally when dinner was over and the dishes cleaned up, the Malfoy’s prepared to leave. Scorpio was distraught that they weren’t staying longer, but Rose was adamant, and Draco wasn’t about to cross her, for fear that she would just become more angry. But this seemed to infuriate her more, and as they thanked Ginny for the meal she refused to look at anyone except for the other woman.
When they landed in their dark house, Scorpius ran straight to the toilet, for fear of becoming sick. Rose didn’t speak to Draco, but hurried after Scorpius to make sure he was alright. She reappeared a few minutes later, still not speaking to him. “Is he alright?”
She jerked her head slightly, but still did not speak. She began to busy herself with tidying up the dishes from the previous meal, and then picking up Scorpius’ toys in the drawing room. Draco followed her around the house wherever she went, trying to get her to talk to him. Finally when they were upstairs in the bedroom, preparing to go to sleep he got her to speak.
“What can I do, Rose? What can I do to make this better?”
“You can’t make it better. Time will tell if we survive this. Luckily for you, I don’t believe in divorce.”
She went to bed without another word, and Draco couldn’t help but think that it was going to be a long forever if she continued to treat him like this.