We followed my stag up the dark, dank steps of Azkaban, with Draco's bringing up the rear.

The horrifying sounds of grown men wailing and pleading for death filled my ears and broke my soul. Draco, as though sensing my terror, squeezed my hand and pulled me closer to his side.

"Are you okay?" he murmured above the echo of our footfalls.

"Not really," I shivered, "I hate it here."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, although why we were talking quietly, I did not know. It was just that kind of place. "I'm sorry I've made you come with me."

"I'd do anything for you, you know that by now," I murmured back, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I do, and that is why I was selfish to ask."

I stopped mid step, turning to Draco as I lifted a hand to delicately dance my fingers against the firm porcelain skin of his cheek. "I'm glad you asked me, if this is important to you, then I want to be here for you."

He gave me a quick furtive kiss, wrapping his arms around me. "God, I'm so glad I've got you back in my life, Potter," he growled vehemently, resting his forehead down on mine. "I'm never letting you go again. Ever."

His grey eyes burned intensely into mine, and my heart fluttered, despite being in the middle of the most depressing place in the universe.

"Come on, we're almost there," I said, wanting to get it over and done with.

One flight of steps later, we were stood outside Lucius Malfoy's cell. His home for the past twenty-two years.

"Are you ready?" I asked, looking up at Draco as I placed the tip of my wand gently against the door.

I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat and his tongue swept nervously across his upper lip. His face paled.

I slipped a hand in his, his trembling fingers instantly clasping tightly around mine. Pale eyes met mine and he gave the merest of nods.

I unlocked the door with a tap.

Slowly, and with much creaking, it opened, revealing a figure slumped in the far corner of the small cell. A head slowly rose, and the lined, gaunt face of a man whom I no longer recognised as the proud Lucius Malfoy unveiled itself from behind a scraggy mass of dirty blond hair.

"Father." Draco spoke, his voice cold and hard, not betraying how nervous I knew he felt.

"S-Son?" Lucius stuttered, dull sunken eyes widening as they rested on his unexpected visitor.

Draco stepped fully into the room, and I followed. Suddenly, a great coldness swept over me and I felt the hopelessness squeeze my lungs. It took me a moment to realise that our stags had remained out in the corridor, forgetting that Patronuses were not permitted to enter the cell rooms.

A small, involuntarily shudder escaped Draco's lips, and his eyes flicked to the ceiling. I followed his gaze, my insides turning to liquid. The dark cloaked floating figure of a Dementor was hovering above us.

I tried to push away the distant screaming I could hear in my head. My mother. I closed my eyes and tried desperately to conjure up happy thoughts, but the screaming got louder, pushing any joyous memories away. I felt the room start to spin. I needed my Patronus - I could never cope being this close to a Dementor without one. Fingers grappled at my hand, and the coolness of Draco's skin against mine calmed me. He caressed his thumb across my knuckles and the action helped me to breathe, and eventually, the room stopped spinning.

"What- what are you doing here?" Lucius's voice was hoarse and croaky, as though he hadn't used it in a long, long time. His pale eyes flicked between me and Draco, confusion filling his face. "Potter?"

Draco's grip tightened around my hand. My heart thudded horribly in my chest as his father's wicked eyes penetrated mine, and I recalled how they had danced in amusement as he watched me scream in agony on the grave of Tom Riddle Sr.

"Etta is with me," Draco spoke sternly, pulling me in closer to his side as though I needed protecting from this weak, pathetic man.

"You're all grown up, son," Lucius spoke, trying but failing to stand up. In the end he gave up and stayed slumped on the floor against the wall. "You... you look like your mother."

"Mother is dead," Draco spat, and I saw something break in Lucius's eyes. "She gave up on everything after you ended up in here. Not even having a son made her want to live."

"D-Dead?" Lucius stuttered, his face crumpling in pain. "No... it- it can't be..."

"She went to bed one night, knocked back some poison and left a note simply saying 'Sorry'. Nothing else! That was all I fucking got!"

I blinked in surprise, trying to hide my shock at Draco's words. It was the most I'd ever heard him talk about his mother's suicide. And it was beginning to explain a lot about his past actions.

"Son, I'm... sorry. You were left... alone?" Lucius's eyes lingered questioningly down at our joined hands.

"Oh no," Draco scoffed. "Mother made sure I was married off first. Eager to find me a wife to ease the guilt of leaving me. I hadn't even returned from my honeymoon when she took her life."

"She wanted you to marry Potter?!" The disgust in Lucius's voice was clear. "Cissy would never!"

"No." Draco stilled, his hand tightening in mine as he paused to draw breath. "I married Astoria Greengrass. Mother arranged it all. She was- she was... adamant."

"Greengrass..." Lucius's lips formed the name as a frown etched in his already lined brow. "But they had questionable views. The parents refused to join-"

"Well luckily for you, Father, she is dead now!"

Draco's harsh words cut through the air like a knife. Lucius's mad angry eyes flashed at me, leering in such a way that my blood turned colder than a Dementor could ever make it.

"And so now you've taken up with Potter?" Lucius gave a bitter laugh. "The enemy?"

I wanted so much to spit in his face. Instead, I turned my head away, I could not look at him any longer. It was taking me everything to keep quiet and allow Draco to have this conversation the way he needed it to go.

"Etta is not the enemy!" Draco sniped, letting go of my hand to curl his arm protectively around my waist. "She is the woman I love, the woman whom I've always loved! Didn't you realise Father, when I refused to give her away to your shithead of a boss all those years ago despite you begging me to? I loved her then and I love her now."

"How dare you." Lucius said, his voice shaking coldly. "How dare you speak that way about the Dark Lord!"

Draco gave an incredulous bark of laughter. "You are deluded, Father! This place has fucked with your mind. Your so-called 'Dark Lord' is dead - thwarted by a teenage girl!"

Cheers, Draco. Way to make the whole thing sound fucking pathetic.

"You are no son of mine!" Lucius barked, seriously getting his mojo back despite the great big Dementor hanging over our heads. "When the Dark Lord returns, I shall deny your existence!"

"Good," Draco spat coldly, "because I only came here to say goodbye. As far as I'm concerned, I have no father."

He started to tug at my hand, turning on the spot to make for the door, but before we could exit, Lucius's nasty voice cut into the air.

"Watch your step, Potter," he said sinisterly as we halted, "it's not over."

My heart thudding, I turned my head and looked right at him. The second his cold eyes pierced into mine, my body jolted and buckled as a searing pain shot through my scar. I dragged my hand out of Draco's to clutch at my forehead, trying with all my might to stop my head from splitting in two.

"Etta!" I heard Draco shout from somewhere next to me. Arms immediately went around me before I could collapse to the ground.

A cold high-pitched cackle sounded in the corner of the room as Draco dragged me from the cell, slamming the door firmly shut behind us as we reached the safety of the corridor. The pain was gone.

"Etta! Speak to me!"

Gasping and gulping for breath, I let my hand drop, looking up at Draco who was still holding me up, worry etched all over his face.

"Your scar?" he whispered shakily as I slowly nodded.

"Get me out of here," I gasped, feeling weakened from the pain, "Get me out, now."

Nodding wordlessly, Draco allowed me to lean heavily against him as he headed us out, escorted by our glowing Patronuses.

"Are you able to hold on?" Draco asked anxiously over his shoulder once we mounted my Firebolt on the edge of the island.

I nodded, clinging my arms tightly around his torso with everything I had as he flew us through the crashing waves and dodged thunder bolts of lightning.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Draco murmured repeatedly once we arrived in the safety of my home, exhaustion causing us to sink to the floor in the hallway, leaning our backs against the closed front door.

"I can't go through this again," I sobbed as Draco cradled me into his lap, letting my tears soak his shirt, "I can't go through another war, not now I've finally found happiness."

"It doesn't necessarily mean that," he soothed, stroking my hair, "your scar hurting can mean any number of things."

I looked up at him, wiping my eyes.

"I'm sodding head Auror - who am I supposed to go to for answers?" I wailed dramatically. "In the past I always had someone to turn to - Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin. And now I have no one." My god it was fucking lonely at the top.

"You have me," Draco said, cupping my face in his hands, his eyes burning fiercely into mine, "and you've got Granger and Weasley, not to mention the support of thousands of others. You're not on your own."

I felt my body relax instantly at his words as a gentle warmth settled over me. He was right. I was being dramatic. I had him. I did have him, and I knew he wasn't going anywhere.

"Draco?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Your father's a real shit, you know that?"

"Yeah," he chuckled softly, pressing his lips fervently against my brow. "I do."

*****