I looked down at my son's anxious face as I placed his Fox the Explorer hat on his head.

"It's okay," I said, crouching down to give him a reassuring hug. "Have you got Mr Dog?"

He held up a small hand, showing me the tiny silver Monopoly piece that sat nestled in his palm.

"Good boy, Jack," I whispered, curling my fingers over his so that we both held it together. "Remember that Daddy is always with you, looking after you just as I am."

He gave a small, frightened nod; his lower lip trembling as he sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm Fox the Explorer," he whispered, "not Jack."

"Okay, little fox," I grinned, rubbing my nose against his. "Now what do you say we do some exploring?"

He answered with a small, watery smile, removing his hand from mine to pocket the Scottie dog back in his shorts.

I stood up, taking his hand as I turned on my torch and led him out into the tunnels.

Understandably, he'd been nervous about 'exploring' ever since I'd told him about Voldemort. But exercise was important, and the tunnels were still the best way we could achieve that. They stretched for miles, giving a great opportunity to run and properly stretch our legs.

I tried to make a game out of it, so Jack wouldn't fear the darkness. We were explorers, I'd tell him, just like foxes underground.

"Last one to McGonagall's chambers is a stinky loser," I whispered in his ear, laughing as my son quickly let go of my hand and raced on up ahead, the light on his hat bobbing wildly up and down in his eager haste.

*****

Despite being an early springtime evening, it was dark, very dark.

Draco drew in a deep shuddering breath as his eyes roamed over the tall turrets of the place he'd once called his home, the restored castle looking just as it had all those years ago.

"Man up," Diggory muttered, his eyes dancing cruelly. "It's just a fucking building."

But it wasn't just a fucking building. It was the place where he'd lost everything.

Draco felt like throwing down his wand and punching the actual shit out of Diggory; he hated him more than he hated Voldemort. The fact that he had ever touched her made him feel sick beyond belief, let alone the added reason that he'd murdered one of her closest friends and had been one of the sick fuckers that had lifted their wand and taken her from him.

But the sudden feeling of darkness and despair pressing down around them quickly sucked all the fight back out of him. It was soul destroying misery at its finest.

Obviously feeling it too, Diggory lifted his wand and instantly cast his Patronus; a giant rat, unsurprisingly.

Draco wearily lifted his own wand, wondering if he even had it in him anymore. Reminding himself of his promise to put old ghosts to rest, he decided to try focusing on the future instead; he was about to become a father, his child was growing inside his wife's stomach.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Nothing.

He tried again and again, forcing himself to imagine holding his child for the first time, hear him call him 'Dada' and watch on proudly as he flew a broomstick for the first time.

But it was wrong, all wrong. For these were the things he'd imagined doing with his and Blaire's child, and all it did was make him feel more depressed and more heartbroken than ever.

"Come on, Malfoy," Diggory goaded, "surely all you need to do is conjure up a memory of doing that gorgeous wife of yours and you're away. It's what worked for me, anyway. Man, I wouldn't mind banging that sweet little drum, if you know what I mean?"

Draco shakily lowered his wand, not being able to hide the look of sheer disgust upon his face as Diggory gave a dirty snicker. He had to suppress the surging rage he felt from within, reminding himself that if he did anything to piss off a lieutenant then it could mean grief for his mother, maybe even death.

So, doing his best to ignore the fucktard, he concentrated on thoughts of Blaire, trying to push down the pain of missing her and focusing instead on how he had felt when they'd been together; the many hours spent sitting side by side on beanbags in the treehouse playing games, her beautiful smile and infectious laughter, the way she had felt in his arms when he was holding her, kissing her... loving her.

"Expecto Patronum!"

And, as always, it worked. The light of the fox casting a warm glow around him, giving him the comfort and courage that he needed.

It was strange, he'd always imagined his Patronus would be a Scottie dog, although he could just imagine the mocking remarks he'd receive from the others for that.

No, the fox baffled him, but not in a bad way. Every time he looked into its eyes, it was as though he was looking at something familiar to him... a feeling of being home, almost.

"Ah, excellent - there you are!"

Draco looked up to see his ex Defence Professor waddling alongside a slinking glowing cat as she made her way towards them.

She greeted them with a sickly sweet smile, saluting them both as she let them through the gates.

"I can't quite understand it," she explained as he and Diggory followed her across the grounds, their Patronuses escorting them close by. "Of course I'm not complaining about the excellent job they are here for; we can't have blood traitors or half breeds running around causing chaos, after all. But it does pose an issue with the students, you see. Only last week one of the first years accidentally got their soul sucked out after passing out during a flying lesson. The paperwork has been a dreadful nightmare and I can't afford to waste another week of tedious form filling. So, if you could just find out what's drawing them here and take the necessary steps..."

Whilst Diggory sympathised with her about paperwork being a soul sapping thing in itself, Draco concentrated on his fox, hypnotised by its big bushy tail which swished and flicked from side to side as it prowled onwards.

He realised, after a while, that they were heading towards the Whomping Willow, one of the few original standing features that hadn't needed to be restored after the battle.

As he looked up, Draco felt his insides freeze at the sight of the thick black mass of Dementors completely covering the sky like some kind of evil blanket.

Something was definitely drawing them to this spot, but what, it wasn't clear from where they were standing.

"I'll leave you boys to take a look around, shall I?" Umbridge asked, the telltale tremor in her voice exposing her fear. "Nothing I can really do except point out the obvious."

"Very well," Draco answered authoritatively, earning him a glare from Diggory; he didn't like to feel his station was being threatened. "We'll send you our report and plan of action once we've fully inspected the area. How long that will take, we can't be certain."

"Take all the time you need, Draco," she smiled fondly up at him, patting his arm, "I know you'll do your best, you always were such a hard little worker for me back in the day."

"Teachers pet," Diggory muttered after she'd turned and left, throwing a disdainful look before he himself strode off down to inspect the lakeside.

Draco chose not to accompany him and instead observed his Patronus, which seemed oddly eager to get nearer to the tree; odd because it was not usually in the habit for Patronuses to lead the master.

As he moved closer to the glowing fox, it suddenly turned on its heel and lay down on the ground, nuzzling its head into the grass.

Huh? This behaviour was beyond bizarre.

Without taking his eyes away, Draco slowly crouched down and reached out towards the fox, feeling the pull to touch it. And, as soon as his fingertips reached the ethereal green glow, the tinkling sound of a child's laughter rang out.

"Mummy!"

Draco instantly drew his hand back, his heart racing as he whipped his head round. The sound had been so clear, as if a child was running somewhere close by.

But there was nothing; just a deathly eerie silence all around.

He frowned back at the fox which continued to flatten itself into the ground, its eyes cast upwards as if it was trying to communicate something.

"What is it, little fox?" Draco murmured quietly as he found himself getting lost in those eyes. "Tell me."

"Malfoy?"

Draco jumped, taking him a second to realise it hadn't been the fox that had replied, but a rather perplexed sounding Diggory instead.

"Are you talking to your Patronus?" He scoffed incredulously. "My god, you must be starved for conversation. Doesn't that pretty little wife of yours have much going on between the ears? Well, I suppose you can't have it all."

"Will you shut the fuck up about my wife, Diggory," Draco gritted, getting to his feet and wheeling around to angrily glare in his face.

"It's lieutenant to you, or sir," Diggory snarled, jabbing a finger into Draco's chest. "And I'd watch how you address me in future if you don't want any unnecessary trouble for you or your precious mummy."

Draco fingers twitched around his wand as he resisted the urge to just fucking hex him to Jupiter.

But his anger, he realised, wasn't at Diggory's words; no - he'd grown immune to his taunts and threats a long time ago - he was angry because the fox was about to show him something, something important, and that fucking prick just ruined it.

"Come on," Diggory continued in a bored drawl. "There's nothing here. I'm not wasting anymore time on this shit. We'll just tell the old toad that it's a seasonal thing and will pass over time. Dementors are probably just getting a taste for the young ones. Nothing we can do about it."

And without waiting for a response, he marched on back towards the gates.

Draco blinked down at his Patronus, which had now picked itself up off the ground and stood obediently beside him, waiting to escort his master out of there.

Had he just imagined it? Was his mind just playing tricks on him in his misery filled state?

But he couldn't help but feel that something was out there, just beyond his reach. Something that needed him just as much as he needed it.

Pull yourself together, he scolded himself as he gave himself a mental shake and stormed on out after Diggory, refusing to look back down at the fox.

The only thing that was needed from him now was to be the best father he could be to his unborn child.

And he would never let this child down. Never.

*****