I hovered outside Scorp's bedroom door before knocking.

He was sat gloomily on his bed, looking down morosely at a shiny gold trinket in his hand.

I swallowed. It was the Time Turner - the cause of all this trouble.

"It's time to fix this, Scorp," I said gently. "Albus is here and it's time to get your sister back."

"But you're going to die again?" He said sadly, furling his fingers tightly around the offending item.

Slowly, I nodded, my heart feeling heavy. "It's got to be this way Scorp, we can't mess with time. You do realise that now, don't you? Even the slightest change can cause serious ramifications."

"Like people popping in and out of existence, you mean?" He laughed wryly.

"Yes, Scorp," I said, sitting down next to him on the bed. "Which is why we need to go back and stop you from going into that kitchen. And when you and Albus go back to the future; to now, it should be exactly how you left it."

"I don't want to lose you again, Mum," he sobbed. "I did this all for you, to get you back."

My heart broke as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me. "You're such a good boy. I love you Scorp, you know that, don't you?"

He nodded, burying his head into the crook of my neck. "I just wish you didn't have to die Mum, we all miss you so much. Especially Dad. I- I'm scared for him."

"He'll be fine," I assured him, "he's actually tougher than you think, just give him time."

"I don't see how any of us can be okay without you."

"You will, now tell me about Freida, tell me about your sister."

And we sat, me comforting my son as he told me all about my little girl.

It somehow made everything easier.

*****

Draco gave my hand a gentle squeeze as he started up the car.

"You ready?" He asked, his eyes full of sadness and apprehension.

Slowly I nodded, giving him a small smile as I squeezed his hand back.

"Ready, boys?" Draco added, looking in the rear view mirror at Scorp and Albus sat in the back seat.

They too nodded mutely.

We were off to Peverell Manor.

*****

"Merlin, I never thought I'd ever step foot back in this place again," Draco murmured, looking apprehensively up at the huge iron gates.

He moved a fraction closer to me, entwining his fingers with mine, looking down at me sadly.

"It's going to be okay, you know," I breathed. "I just have this feeling; we'll be together again, somehow in some way."

"You know, one thing about the two different worlds," Scorp said, watching us curiously, "in both of them you two are sickeningly in love. I'd say it's gross, but you guys actually make me believe in it. Other couples, they seem to despise one another and you wonder why they even stay together."

"Yeah, like my parents," Albus muttered. "Bloody Mum is always nagging at Dad, I reckon he'd just be relieved if she ever picked up a deadly virus."

"Albus!" I cried, "she may be a stuck up bitch since she married that fucktard but that's still my sister you're talking about!"

"Mum!" Scorp winced.

Albus just shrugged before giving me a wistful look. "I'm sorry I never really got to know you, you seem pretty cool for an aunt."

"Yeah, I reckon we'd have got on," I smiled, a heaviness in my heart causing it to not quite reach my eyes. "You seem pretty cool for a Potter."

And to my surprise he stepped up to me and threw his arms around my middle. Letting go of Draco's hand, I hugged him back, trying to bite back the wave of emotion that overcame me.

He stepped back, looking slightly awkward as he glanced sheepishly at Scorp.

"Scorp, come here," I said, beckoning him over. "I have something for you."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"What's that?" Draco asked, frowning down at it. "I thought we weren't going to meddle with the past?"

"We're not," I assured him, handing the letter over to Scorp. "Give this to your dad when you return back from the past. I'm hoping it will help him."

"Is that a love letter?" Draco asked, horrified. "You've written a love letter to another man?!"

"It's to you!" I sighed, "telling you to stop moping about and start being a dad!"

"Yeah well I'm sure that's going to cheer me up; receiving threatening letters from my dead wife!"

"I know you, and I reckon it will help." I said, cupping my hand to his face. "I know it's risky, but we've got to try for our kids, they can't lose both of us Draco. They need you. They need their dad."

I felt tears pricking dangerously behind my eyes as I stared up at his mournful face.

"You really are the best person I've ever known, Ronnie." He said with a deep sadness in his voice; a single tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm so sorry for all the years I hurt you. I'm sorry I sent you running across the world, and I'm sorry you had to die."

"It's got to be this way," I said, stepping on my tiptoes and kissing away his tear. "This was our story, Draco."

He nodded, pulling me to him, burying his face in my neck as he wept some more.

"Are we ready?" Albus asked, removing Harry's old Invisibility Cloak from his pocket.

We all nodded and Albus pressed the intercom.

"There," Scorp announced, pointing to the bushes next to the great lawn after we managed to gain entry by claiming a delivery.

Amazingly enough, the four of us managed to hide under the cloak which baffled me to no end.

And, positioning ourselves behind a nearby bush, Scorpius held out the Time Turner.

"Let's do this," I said, squeezing Draco's hand in mine.

Taking this as his cue, our son began to turn the small gold trinket as we all gathered together, and the world as we knew it began to slowly fade away.

******

The Peverell-Malfoy Wedding, 2004

Scorpius blinked, looking around. The marquee was there. It had worked. They were back in the past.

And if his calculations were correct, then the 'other' he and Albus should be behind the bush a little way in front of them underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

"Brace yourself. Past Dad incoming." Albus muttered in his ear.

And sure enough, there was his dad, striding across the lawn with Blaise as they heatedly exchanged words.

"Oh my hippogriff," his mother breathed behind him, "this is just too weird."

"I know," his present dad said, "I'm sure my hair used to be lighter than that."

"It is exactly the fucking same, Draco," his mother muttered.

"Will you two concentrate?!" Scorpius hissed. "As soon as Dad and Blaise enter the tent, that's when 'we' go up to the kitchen to find Mum- I mean you- I mean... whatever."

"We know, Scorp," his father said. "We're ready."

Scorpius felt his stomach give a slight twist. He was about to say goodbye to his mum for the last time all over again. He almost didn't want his dad and Blaise's conversation to end.

He spun around to look at her one last time. "Mum, I-"

"I know, Scorp," she said sadly, reaching out to give his fingers a gentle squeeze. "Just think of your sister. This is how it's supposed to be."

He heard Blaise mutter "coward" and felt the panic begin to rise in his chest. He wasn't ready, he just wasn't ready.

"I love you Mum," he whispered, looking up into her beautiful face, trying to memorise every inch of her.

She pulled him in for a fierce, furtive hug. "I love you too, I will always love you, my darling wonderful boy."

"It's time!" Albus hissed as Blaise followed his past dad into the tent.

Letting go of him, his mother gave him one last wistful look before she and his dad hurried over to the bush where his other self stood with other Albus under the Invisibility Cloak.

Scorp watched with his heart in his throat as his mum and dad restrained their past selves, begging them not to go up to the kitchen.

"It's working, look," Albus breathed next to him.

And sure enough, his mum and dad started to fade as they explained about Freida's non-existence.

Scorpius felt his heart break as his mum and dad finally vanished completely.

That version of them no longer existed.

It was time to go back.

"Let's go," Albus said, beckoning down to the gold trinket in Scorpius's hand.

And back they went; back to the future where his sister should be alive, and his mother should be dead.

It just wasn't fair.

*****