Draco barely left my side during the days of the treehouse.

He'd clasp my hand whenever he could, hug me and kiss me at any chance we got to be alone, and every night I'd fall asleep in his arms as he held me tightly against him.

And that's not to mention the occasional times he'd wake me up in the dead of night and sneak me away to the sofa in the games room where clothes were discarded and we'd hungrily fuck until we were both exhausted and spent.

It was as though he was terrified of losing me again.

"Of course I'm fucking terrified of losing you!" He hollered angrily when I asked him about this after a particularly intense session on the sofa. "I thought you were dead for six fucking years! I literally never got over you! Do you know what that did to me? I was like a fucking zombie, not being able to function properly, I'd have killed myself if wasn't for Mother! I was forced to marry a woman I didn't want, wishing every single fucking day she was you."

"Drac, don't," I pleaded, my heart twisting in agony.

"You don't want to hear me say it?" He spluttered, his face screwing up in anger, "you don't want to hear me tell you how I lay in bed with another woman, fucking her when you were hiding underground with our son-"

"No, I don't want to hear you talking about killing yourself!" I said fiercely, trying to control my own anger and frustrations. "To hear that you were so broken that you thought about ending your life!"

He looked momentarily shocked at my words before his face crumpled and broke.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, suddenly gathering me tightly in his arms as his body shook against me, "I'm so sorry."

I was afraid he was never going to forgive himself for something that wasn't even his fault. And I knew the only way we could move forward and have any kind of contentment was to kill the very person who had caused it all.

But sadly, that was looking easier said than done.

******

The dreams were coming hard and fast, disturbing Draco's sleep to no end.

Kill the snake.

He'd wake up in the same cold sweat, his heart thudding fearfully, only being able to comfort himself with the presence of Blaire by his side, looking down at her sleeping body as their son slept peacefully beside them.

He knew what it meant. It had to be him. Somehow, when Longbottom died, the task of destroying the final Horcrux had been passed to him.

But the idea of leaving the confines of the treehouse, of walking away from Blaire and his boys terrified him beyond belief.

Because he was scared he wouldn't come back.

He made the most of them, never taking them for granted. He took pleasure in seeing Scorp's smiles as he changed him and held him, played game after game of cards with Jack, and simply touched Blaire whenever he could; revelling in her physical presence, still fearful she was just a ghost who would disappear the second his back was turned.

And through it all he was biding his time, wondering when he could no longer deny the task he had to do.

But not yet. He needed to hold on that little bit longer.

He couldn't tell Blaire; afraid to see the disappointment in her eyes when he confessed he was too scared to take the action that would help save her friends.

But as it was, Pansy and Crabbe's application to adopt Rose had been successful and she was now residing at their home, being properly looked after.

It helped ease Draco's guilt somewhat.

******

"I'm worried about Ginny," I confessed to Narcissa one morning as I heated up some milk for Scorpius in the kitchen.

Ginny had been keeping herself to herself, locking herself up in her room from the rest of us, even refusing to come out and see Rose, her own niece, whenever Pansy brought her round.

"She's suffered a major loss," Narcissa sighed heavily, placing a coffee in front of me. "I recognise it. It's not much different to how Draco was when we thought we'd lost you. He shut himself away from the world, including from me."

"She really loved Harry," I concluded sadly, suddenly feeling a horrific twist of sympathy; the idea of ever losing Draco making me literally want to vomit.

"Yes," Narcissa said sadly. "She would have imagined a whole future with him that was cruelly snatched away from her. It would be enough to destroy the strongest of us."

"And Drac," I whispered, feeling guilty for talking about him behind his back, "do you think he's going to be okay?"

"He's got you back, hasn't he?" Narcissa murmured; a smile not quite reaching her eyes. "It just takes time, that's all. He's a good boy. He does what he's told. The marriage with Astoria... he's probably struggling with his moral compass right now. But I think it's more towards feeling he's betrayed you rather than the other way round."

"I wish he would realise I don't and can't hate him for it," I sighed, testing the heat of the milk on my forearm. "I love him with all my heart."

"I know," Narcissa smiled, this time full of genuine warmth as she touched my shoulder. "And so does he. He loves you so very much."

Our tender moment was interrupted by none other than Draco himself, who swooped into the kitchen carrying Scorpius under one arm, directly aiming for me.

"Hey," he murmured softly, touching a hand to my back. "Is Scorp's bottle ready yet?"

"Affirmative," I said, holding it up.

"You're such a dork," he muttered, his eyes glinting warmly as he took the bottle off me and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Says Daddy," I retorted, rolling my eyes dramatically down at Scorpius whose little face broke out into a heart melting smile. "Mr I Sit Up All Night Making Badges And Song Lyrics To Antagonise My School Friends."

"That was like ten years ago!" Draco scoffed irritably.

"Don't tell me you wouldn't do that today if you had the chance?" I grinned wickedly, enjoying the rise I was getting out of him.

"You be careful or I'll make one for you, next," he muttered, pressing the bottle to Scorpius's mouth. "And believe me, it won't be one you'd want being repeated in front of the children."

"Oh real classy," a voice snarled, causing Draco and I to both whirl round in surprise.

Ginny was standing in the kitchen doorway, a fierce scowl on her face and arms folded across her chest.

"Ginny, we were just-"

"Joking about how you used to bully a man who literally died trying to save you?" She spat, shaking in fury. "Or laughing about how you made a disgusting and degrading song up about my brother? My brother who is currently locked up somewhere, not even knowing that his kid is being looked after by some fucking sex crazed pug!"

Her words made my cheeks go hot with shame, and I felt awful.

"That wasn't what they were doing, Ginny," Narcissa said firmly.

"Seems very much like it to me," Ginny glared at me accusingly. "Did you forget everything they've done for you? And now here you are flirting shamelessly with a married man as he feeds his newborn baby whom he snatched from his dying wife; not giving two fucks that my entire family have been torn apart and captured and are probably being tortured as we speak!"

Draco bristled, and I could almost feel the anger coming off him. "I will not have you talk about Blaire like she's some Jezebel!" He snarled dangerously.

"Well if the shoe fits," she scoffed.

I quickly put my hand on Draco's arm before he could lunge across the kitchen.

"Ginny," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "you know I'm just as worried about your family and the others as you are. I lived with them for six years. They helped me bring Jack into the world and he sees them as his own family. So please don't assume I don't care because I do, I do so very much; I owe them everything. In fact, I would hand myself in in a heartbeat if I thought it would make a difference. If there was anything I could do that could help reunite Ron and Hermione with their daughter, then I'd do it."

It was only for a fraction of a second but I could feel Draco freeze next to me, as if the impact of my words had momentarily Stunned him.

"And one other thing," I continued before Ginny could open her mouth and run off a smart reply, "as for my relationship with Draco - I don't have to justify anything to you about that. Because, quite frankly, it is none of your god damned business."

Ginny continued to defiantly glare at me, anger flashing in her eyes; but seemed unable to come up with a response.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that enough has been spoken on the matter," Narcissa spoke sharply through the mounting tension. "Now Ginny, dear, why don't you sit down and I'll make you some breakf-"

But she didn't get to finish her offering of a kind gesture as Ginny whirled on the spot and stormed away, slamming the door shut behind her.

Draco, I noticed, rather than looking angry like I had expected, had paled significantly. In his arms, Scorpius began to grizzle and squirm, grumpy that his father was holding the bottle just out of his reach; forgotten.

"Here, let me," I offered, carefully relieving Draco of his son. "Drac, you're shaking."

"I- I-," he stumbled over his words, seemingly struggling to produce a sentence.

"Drac?" I enquired, suddenly feeling sick with worry, as I gently rocked Scorpius, "what is it?"

"I- I-" he repeated, opening and closing his mouth, not being able to look me in the eye.

He paused to exhale a shuddering deep breath and, for a horrifying second, I thought he was going to burst into tears.

The words that fell from his lips next, however, left me feeling as though someone had doused my insides with an ice cold bucket of water.

"I know how to kill him," Draco whispered shakily, "and I think- I think it's got to be me."

******