Earlier - Gringotts Wizarding Bank

Astoria stared down in horror at the piece of paper the goblin had just slid in front of her.

Jack Neville Zabini-Malfoy.

Zabini? None of it made sense.

"That can't be right," she barked at the goblins, waving the piece of paper back in their unamused faces. "Blaire Zabini died in the battle of Hogwarts."

"With all due respect," the elder goblin said, starting to look affronted, "but our vaults never lie. That name you see there is the newest Malfoy heir. Born December twelfth, nineteen ninety eight."

"But it's impossible!" Astoria gasped, her heart racing furiously in her chest.

Because if Blaire had somehow survived...

"Is there a problem here?"

Astoria's head shot up at the familiar voice. Cedric Diggory was striding towards them, concern etched across his face.

"Cedric," Astoria breathed, relief flooding through her. He'd make the goblins see that they've made a mistake. "They are saying that I'm not entitled to what is rightly mine."

"That's because you aren't," the senior goblin clipped. "Now if you'd please kindly vacate the build-"

"Hang on a minute," Cedric frowned, placing a hand on the small of Astoria's back as he stepped up beside her, "what exactly is going on here? My lovely lady friend here, mother of my godson, is clearly distressed."

Despite this dire situation, a small thrill zipped through Astoria's stomach. Now this was a man.

"I apologise, Lieutenant," the goblin said stiffly, "but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do where a magical contract is concerned. It is locked into eternity and always knows the true heir; mistakes are never made."

"They're saying that Draco had another child," Astoria said tearfully, "a son born seven months after the war. Jack Neville Zabini-Malfoy."

A startled look flickered over Cedric's features.

"Zabini?" He hissed. "But that's not possible, she died during the battle of Hogwarts. They all did."

"Well, clearly," the younger goblin snapped, looking highly irritated by the whole charade, "the mother did not die before giving birth to the heir. Now if you'll please-"

"This heir," Cedric cut in, his grey eyes flashing fiercely, "is he still alive?"

"Of course," the elder goblin said in a low, sinister voice, "the contract only names those that are living."

Astoria's headache was returning. She suddenly wanted to get out of there; to go straight into the Ministry and dump the stupid, worthless baby on her equally stupid and worthless husband.

Without saying another word, she yanked the pram away from the desk and began to storm out of the bank.

That bitch had stolen everything that should have been rightly hers; Draco's heart... the Malfoy fortune...

She had never felt so angry in her life, tears were spilling down her face as she pushed the pram furiously along Diagon Alley, not caring about the peculiar looks she was receiving. All she wanted to do was confront that son of a bitch and give him absolute hell.

"Astoria! Wait!"

It took her a while to realise it was Cedric calling after her; she sped up, suspecting he was probably just chasing her to withdraw his position as godfather.

But prams and cobbled streets did not mix, and it didn't take long until a hand grasped at her arm, halting her in her tracks.

"Astoria," Cedric panted, his expression unreadable as his grey eyes flicked from her to the still silently screaming baby in the pram. "Let me take you inside someplace warm for a drink. I think the baby might need seeing to."

"Fuck the baby!" She yelled, "what's the fucking point?! Screw the Malfoy's, screw every single one of them!"

"There is a point if you calm the fuck down and come with me." Cedric hissed fiercely in her ear.

Astoria, shocked by his commandeering tone, nodded and allowed him to lead them into the Leaky Cauldron where the first thing he did was point her in the direction of the toilets.

"Change him," Cedric ordered, beckoning sharply down towards the pram, "and feed him. He needs to be taken better care of than this."

Grumbling, Astoria pushed her way through the crowded pub, emerging from the toilets twenty minutes later feeling extremely disgruntled.

"Why do you suddenly care so much about the baby's welfare?" Astoria sulked as she joined Cedric over at a table in the corner where he was waiting with two tumblers of whisky and a bottle, "it's not like he's the heir or anything."

"Well," he replied, watching her carefully. "Scorpius may not be the heir right now, but that's not to say things can't change."

"I've already looked it up." Astoria spat as she knocked back the whisky in one gulp. "The Malfoy fortune goes to the first born son, no exceptions. Zabini's little brat has already taken it."

"No, Astoria, not at all." Cedric said patiently, refilling her glass at once. "Don't forget, your husband is still in line to be successor. It only dictates that the fortune will disappear if no sons are born to the heir. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would mean Scorpius here could still claim that title?"

Astoria looked up, her head hurting even more.

"But... how?" She asked, her brain feeling fuzzy with tiredness.

Cedric gave a deep low menacing chuckle. "What if Zabini's kid were to simply... stop existing?"

Astoria's eyes widened in understanding. "But- but we don't know where he is," she whispered shakily. "He could be anywhere. It's been almost seven years."

"There's someone who might know," Cedric answered, taking a deep sip of his drink.

"Well if you mean my husband then think again," Astoria laughed bitterly. "All he's ever done in our entire marriage is mope around over a 'dead' girl. It's beyond pathetic."

"He always had an unhealthy attachment to Zabini," Cedric muttered, and despite Astoria's tired and fuzzy head, she could sense some deep resentment brewing there.

"You dated her once, didn't you?" Astoria frowned, feeling the familiar stirrings of jealously. Merlin, how she hated that bitch! "I vaguely remember her being your girlfriend during the whole Triwizard thing."

Cedric flinched. She forgot; he didn't like to talk about the tournament.

"Hardly a girlfriend," he scoffed, "that bloody ferret kept coming between us; wouldn't leave her the fuck alone."

She noticed a tiny muscle pulsing along his jawline and a fierce flashing in his eyes. She could almost feel the hatred coming off of him in thick waves.

"You really dislike Draco, don't you?" She said, raising her eyebrows.

Cedric shrugged, a ghost of a smirk playing at his lips. "Tell me, Astoria," he said, his voice now silky soft, "how well do you actually know your husband? Because if Zabini is still alive with their rugrat, then I guarantee he knows where they're hiding. Believe me, he's like a dog with a bone when it comes to her."

Astoria frowned, thinking hard. If she was to be honest, he certainly had seemed to stop moping so much lately; in fact, she'd observed only at Christmas that there had been a change in him.

"Go home tonight and cook him a nice meal," Cedric continued, "be the good attentive housewife he wants you to be and if he does in fact already know about this other child, then watch him squirm from head to toe."

"And then what?" Astoria asked, her heart racing in her chest; whether from anxiety or excitement, she didn't know.

"Nothing, let me do the rest." Cedric said slowly, pouring them both another measure of whisky. "Just whatever you do, don't let on that you know. You wouldn't want to give him a chance to warn them."

"Why would you do this for me?" Astoria asked, feeling utterly perplexed. As much as she'd admired Cedric in the past, he had never shown her anything more than a civil politeness.

Now he was suggesting killing a child for her.

He leaned in close, trailing a single finger down her cheek.

"I like you, Astoria," he said silkily, the tickle of his hot breath upon her face causing shivers to shoot down her spine. "You and I could be something good."

"What about my h-husband?" she stammered, desire making her tremble.

"I can take care of him after I've dealt with the boy." A hand on her knee. "And then you'll be free to take on another."

She wasn't stupid, she knew he was just after the Malfoy fortune, but in that moment she didn't care.

"You and me?" She gasped quietly, her stomach knotting wildly as his hand moved slowly up her thigh.

"Just say the word, Astoria," he drawled; grey eyes swirling hungrily into hers, "and I'll take care of everything."

******

Now - Home of Draco and Astoria Malfoy

Astoria smiled as she watched the owl disappear into the night sky; a warm glow filling her entire being.

It was goodbye little brat Zabini and goodbye Draco Malfoy.

She turned from the window, humming serenely to herself as she made her way to bed.

Soon she'd be in the castle with her prince and the baby she had been promised.

It didn't matter if the journey had all been a bit twisted on the way.

The main thing was, she'd finally get her dream come true.

******