Chapter Text
When Albus stepped into James’s kitchen he hadn’t expected to see his daughter sitting at the table sniffling, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” he asked, voice laced with concern. As soon as she realised he was there she let out a shout, jumping down from her chair and racing over to him. Albus knelt down so she could leap into his arms and wrap her hands around his neck.
“Do you want to tell him what happened?” James asked, his voice strict but not harsh.
Aurora burrowed her face further into Albus’s chest, murmuring something that was muffled by the fabric.
“You need to speak up Aurora,” Albus prodded, gently prying her away so he could look into her eyes.
“I didn’t do anything wrong Daddy!” she exclaimed, a pout forming on her face. Albus could imagine how that would escalate as she got older, morphing into crossed arms, stamping feet and slamming doors. But for now, there was only the pout and watery eyes.
“Aurora, come on now. It’s okay,” Albus soothed, still not knowing what had happened, but knowing that if it had been anything really serious then James would have called him at work.
“I don’t want to be in trouble! It wasn’t my fault!”
Sensing that she wasn’t going to be forthcoming about the events that had occurred, James’s voice piped in to explain.
“She was outside playing with Mia, and Evan was supervising them on the training brooms. She pushed him off of his. Luckily, they weren’t too high up. There weren’t any broken bones or serious injuries, but he was pretty shaken.”
“No! Daddy, no! I didn’t push him, I didn’t!” Aurora cried, pulling on Albus’s sleeve to turn his focus back to her.
Albus, who had long ago learnt how to mask his emotions, held back a frown. Aurora had never been violent before, not beyond playfighting. But to push her cousin off his broom and cause him to fall, when she knew he could get hurt? It didn’t sound like his little sweetheart at all.
“Remember what Papa told you. You need to take responsibility for everything you do. Good and bad,” Albus stated, hoping she would own up to what she had done.
“I would take res.. pona… ibily… if I had done it, but I didn’t push him Daddy!”
Albus silently cooed at her trying to pronounce the word. Scorpius had been reading to her since the very first night they had brought her home, and she definitely had a better vocabulary than most other children her age. But every so often they’d come across a word she hadn’t mastered yet, and Albus felt the same burst of pride every time she learnt to perfect it. He’d have to add responsibility to the list of words she had to work on.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened then, hmm?” Albus suggested, straightening up and crossing the few steps to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Aurora took a step forward then hesitated, probably still scared that she was going to get into trouble. He and Scorpius tried not to be strict, controlling parents. They gave Aurora a lot more freedom than they had been given as children, but they still disciplined her when she needed it. The biggest thing for them, as they discussed as the adoption was being finalised, was to make her feel like she could come to them with anything. Any problem she had or thought she was feeling. They wanted her to feel comfortable coming to them for guidance or comfort. They had both had strained relationships with their fathers growing up, with Draco pulling away when Astoria died and Harry not being able to understand Albus. They wanted their daughter to never feel that way. And so, they truthfully answered every question she came to them with, wiped her tears when she was hurt and told her it was okay to cry, explained to her why some people were mean to them as they walked through the streets.
Albus patted his knee gently, shooting a soft smile to his daughter. She reached up to wipe away the tears from her eyes and scrambled over, pulling herself onto his knee and elbowing him in the stomach during the process. Albus held in a grimace as she made herself comfortable, eyes darting across to James as he took the seat opposite them. They made eye contact and James just gave a small shrug, raising one eyebrow. He didn’t know what she was going to say.
“We were practicing our flying, but then Evan is so much bigger than me and Mia, and he started showing off. He was flying really high and doing flips like the ones Papa does. He came back down to us and I told him I wanted to do that too. But he just laughed at me and said I was too little. And I just felt myself get angry, I was angry Daddy! He was laughing at me and I thought ‘I wish he would just fall off his broom’ and then he did! He just fell! I didn’t push him though I promise!”
She was looking up at him with pleading eyes, gripping tightly onto the sleeve of his jumper. Albus reached out and smoothed her hair, indicating to her that he wasn’t mad.
“Evan said that you pushed him. Are you sure that you didn’t touch him at all?” James asked softly, trying not to make it sound like an accusation. “You won’t get into trouble if you did, we just need to know the truth.”
“No Jamesy!” she exclaimed, using the nickname that had been around since she had learnt to talk, wiggling around to look at him. “I promise you I didn’t push him. He just didn’t want to tell you he fell off his broom all on his own cause he’s silly!”
“Aurora,” Albus said, making his daughter’s eyes turn back to him. She grabbed on to his jumper sleeves with her two little hands, fisting the material in them. Albus looked into her eyes. He believed her. It might seem foolish to say that, but she didn’t lie to him or Scorpius. Or if she tried, she was just so terribly bad at it from lack of practice that it was easy to tell. She didn’t look like she was lying now.
“You said you were angry and then you wished for him to fall off his broom and he did,” Albus repeated.
“Yes Daddy,” she asserted, nodding her head vigorously.
“Has anything like that happened before, sweetheart? You’ve wished for something to happen and then it just did?”
Aurora’s brow furrowed slightly as a look of concentration overtook her face.
“Once I was sitting in my bed and my book was on the floor, and I wished that it would just fly into my hands and then it was there,” she replied.
Albus nodded, letting out a small noise of acknowledgment, not interrupting her but prompting her to go on.
“Oh! The other night you and Papa had put me to bed and I wished that I could just have one more story, and the light came on!”
She looked a little sheepish as she told him that, but Albus tried to give a reassuring smile even as he felt a tightness start to develop in his chest.
“Anything else angel?” he asked. She thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“Thank you for telling me,” Albus replied, noting the smile that stretched over her face at this praise. It was something they always said to her when she spoke to them about things, to try and encourage her to do it more.
As she curled into him for a hug Albus looked up at James, who had a similar look of surprise and curiosity in his eyes. What she had described sounded a lot like wandless magic. But considering the fact that she didn’t even know how to do any spells with a wand, it seemed like a massive conclusion to jump to.
Albus knew that the tightness he felt in his chest was anxiety. Even his dad, one of the greatest wizards who had ever lived, couldn’t do wandless magic. He had never heard of anyone doing it accidentally. And definitely not without years and years of intense practice. How could it be that his little girl could do it when she had never even picked up a wand?
With a few more encouraging words and promises that she wasn’t in trouble, Aurora happily trotted out to join her cousins in the other room. Albus ran a hand over his face, feeling it shaking.
He felt a hand fall firmly on his shoulder.
“Hey, don’t panic,” James said, probably noticing how skittish he had become.
“James… how is this possible? This isn’t just accidental magic when her emotions become overwhelming. This is... this is…”
“Controlled wandless magic. I know Albus. I can check with people at work, but I don’t think this has ever been heard of before in someone so young. I mean, she’s still years and years away from getting her wand.”
James had followed in his father’s footsteps and become an Auror. He had limited excursions in the field and spent most of his time working on spells and curses from the safety of the ministry building. He didn’t want to risk his life when he had his wife and children to think of. Albus has never wanted to follow that career, had always known he needed to steer well clear of anything that even remotely linked him to his dad. His job at the creature sanctuary was perfect for him, and he had never once regretted chasing his dream. Although, the contacts he had made through caring for magical creatures were not going to be of much use here, which was why he was relieved at the reputation and pull James had at the ministry.
“What do you think this means?” Albus asked his brother.
“I think this means she’s going to be an extremely powerful witch.”
Albus sighed, closing his eyes and nodding in what felt a bit like defeat. Aurora didn’t need anything else making her a target. She was already a Malfoy and a Potter – drawing ire from those both sides of the war who still harboured anger. And especially from those who were less than thrilled at the way the families had been linked. Albus remembered back to when he was a boy, still young and fresh at Hogwarts with his whole future ahead of him. Draco had warned him then, what it might be like for the two of them. He had shrugged it off at the time, and when it was only him and Scorpius they could deal with the hurled insults and dangerous looks. But when Aurora had been brought into their family things had changed. They would do anything to keep her from harm, to stop her from hearing any of those harsh words. They tried to shield her from the horrors and judgement and cruelty of the world, and made sure her life was filled with smiles and happiness and love. They would do anything for their daughter.
Albus crossed the kitchen and stood leaning in the doorway, watching Aurora run around giggling as Evan chased her.
“Do you want to tell Dad?” James asked, moving to stand behind him, a force of strength at his back.
“Not yet. See what you can find out first.”
“Okay Albus. But I think you should talk to him.”
“About what?”
“About her parents. If we are to understand how she has this power we need to know where she comes from, what her lineage is.”
Albus felt anguished and defensive all at once. He wanted to stumble away from James, scream about how Aurora was his daughter. That him and Scorpius were her parents and that it didn’t matter who gave birth to her. But he knew James was right. He didn’t know much about the state Aurora had been found in. Only that she was severely malnourished, almost hypothermic, and cried when any kind of magic was used on her. She had been tiny when his dad had found her on that raid; barely big enough to stretch the length of Albus’s forearm.
His dad had taken her straight to St Mungo’s where they tested her for curses and healed the ailments that she had. It hadn’t been planned that Albus and Scorpius would take her, but one visit was all it took for them to fall hopelessly in love. The first time Albus had held her he had been struck by how delicate and fragile she was. She had already suffered so much in her short life, and Albus knew that he couldn’t let her go into the foster system. He knew that he and Scorpius could take her, and that they could give her so much love. They loved each other in an incandescent, all-encompassing way. And they had always wanted children to share that love with.
Many long nights of talking and negotiating took place, proving to the child protection officers that although they were both only 23 they would be suitable parents. That they could provide a nurturing, caring environment and raise this little girl with stability and affection. It had taken so long for them to decide. Albus remembered the nights he would lie with Scorpius cradled in his arms, praying that the people on the panel would look past any prejudices they may have and grant them their wish. And finally, it happened.
Albus had never asked about the parents after that, only remembers his dad bringing it up once just after they had taken Aurora home. They didn’t know much about them – they were an enigma of smoke. Perhaps he didn’t want to know the true details of what horrors had been afflicted upon his little girl. Perhaps he just had no interest in discovering anything about her real parents. But James was right. His dad had worked every angle of that case until there had been nowhere else to look. They had hit brick wall after brick wall, every lead turning to dust. But any information about them he would know.
“If you want, I could start teaching her. Nothing dangerous, maybe a couple of stunning spells, some protective ones. It might help her control it, give her a way to harness her power but meld it into something that’s not going to be a threat to others, or to herself.”
James was right. Evan could have been seriously injured falling off his broom, and who knows what else she was capable of. Turning a light on was one thing, but what is she was then able to set something on fire? Uncontrolled power left to fester and grow was dangerous. Soon it could be strong enough to overtake her.
“Would you? That would be… that would take so much worry off my shoulders,” Albus replied, turning round and giving his brother a quick hug. No matter how their relationship had been when they were children, they had moved past it long ago as they grew from boys into men. Now, Albus felt like he was as close to him as he was to Lily, and he could always count on them to be there for anything that he needed. The comfort and support that Albus received from his siblings was only surmounted by Scorpius’s.
“Just try to be subtle, and keep it between us for now. If this got out…” Albus trailed off, not wanting to go there even in his thoughts.
“Don’t worry Albus. I’ll be discreet. You can trust me, and everything will be okay.”
James’s words sounded like a promise. And Albus let himself believe them.
-----
Scorpius was working late, an occurrence that was not uncommon. He often stayed home in the morning whilst Albus went into work, spending a few hours with Aurora before dropping her at one of the many babysitters she had. They were careful to spread out the schedule so that neither Draco nor Harry and Ginny would feel like they were spending less time with her, and sometimes she got to go to Teddy’s or James’s to play with the other kids. Albus would pick her up late afternoon, make her dinner and then get her ready for bed. Sometimes Scorpius would be home for dinner, sometimes he would be home to read Aurora her stories, but sometimes he wouldn’t be home until Albus had already crawled into bed. As his responsibilities increased at the hospital he often ended up working more and being waylaid, not returning home until hours after expected. Albus would never begrudge him that, he understood that emergencies happened, and Scorpius couldn’t control many things about his patients. But tonight he wished that his husband had been there with him as he went about Aurora’s bedtime routine.
As he sat at the side of the bath rubbing shampoo in her hair there was no sign of the tears that had graced her face earlier that day. After telling her she was going to get to see James more and practice actual magic she had been beside herself with excitement, jumping up and down and asking when they would start. She was so young, so full of joy and the excitement of life. Albus wanted her to stay that way for as long as possible.
She splashed around as the rubber duck that Scorpius had charmed swam around her in the water, ducking its head under the surface every so often and shaking it when it came back up. Every time Aurora gave a little giggle.
Once she was washed they sat on her bed, Albus up against the wall with Aurora in between his spread legs. He sang to her as he brushed the tangles from her hair and styled it into two neat plaits. He knew he could do it by magic, but these moments with his daughter were some of the most wonderful, and he wouldn’t give them up for anything. If he had a bad day at work, or was annoyed and angry, he could always count on his little bundle of starlight to brighten up his world again.
He tucked her into bed and picked up the book she had chosen. She loved the muggle books that Hermione would buy her, especially ones which talked about magic. This one about training dragons was one of her favourites, and Albus couldn’t help but wonder if that had something to do with him and his job. And so he read to her, his voice carrying her on an adventure even as she lay in bed with a sleepy smile. Albus didn’t take his eyes off of her until she was asleep.
Without Aurora’s light and energy to distract him, Albus found himself getting lost in his thoughts and worries. So he did what he would always do when he was feeling anxious – clean. When he was like this he always did most of it without magic, the way he had done when he was a child before he was allowed to do magic at home. It had been a coping mechanism for him then and had followed him into adulthood. He started with the kitchen, doing the dishes from that night’s dinner and giving all the worktops and table a good clean. He moved onto the living room, tidying everything away and dusting the surfaces, using a vacuuming spell to get rid of all the crumbs on the floor. By that point it was after ten o’clock, and Scorpius still wasn’t home. So he cleaned both of the bathrooms as well.
The house was still silent once he had finished. He creaked open Aurora’s bedroom door to check she was still sleeping soundly, before heading to his bedroom and changing into his pyjamas. He hesitated at the side of the bed, deciding that he didn’t want to be in it without Scorpius. So he trudged downstairs and lay on the sofa, summoning a blanket and a recently published article on the breeding of occamys to occupy his time. He waved his wand and the flames flickered in the fireplace, casting a warm glow to the room. He wriggled until he got comfy, and started reading.
The sound of the door closing jostled him awake, and he scrambled to sit up as he heard Scorpius’s keys land on the table by the door. He must have seen the light from the fire because a few seconds later he was standing in the doorway, jacket half-way off his shoulders and his light pink hat still on his head. Albus was relieved to see him.
“Hello,” Scorpius said with a smile, tossing his jacket onto an armchair as he passed and sitting down on the sofa beside Albus.
It was a testament to how well they knew each other that Scorpius could tell there was something wrong after only a heartbeat of looking into Albus’s eyes. The easy smile fell off his face.
“What’s wrong?”
Albus didn’t say anything in reply, just reached up and pulled Scorpius’s hat off, running a hand through his hair and trying to smooth it where it was sticking up.
“Do you think we’ve been foolish?” he asked, running his hand from Scorpius’s hair down his cheek, along his jaw then down to his collar bone, and down his arm all the way to his hand that was lying on his knee. Scorpius intertwined their fingers before raising them to his mouth, giving Albus’s knuckle a soft kiss.
“Oh Albus, we’re always foolish. You’re going to need to be more specific.”
“Were we foolish to take Aurora? She could’ve had a normal life with someone else. Anyone else but us.”
“Albus…” Scorpius whispered, the fondness from moments before replaced with sadness. “What’s brought this on?”
Albus just let out a shuddery breath, moving himself so he was wrapped around his husband, almost sitting in his lap. Scorpius let go of his hand and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, letting Albus nuzzle into his chest.
“We have so much baggage,” Albus started, drawing comfort from the way Scorpius’s hand moved slowly up and down over his back.
“Our names will always be paired with whispers. Our faces will always draw out the sneers and insults. She could’ve been happier with someone else. Someone without the fame and sordid history connected to us. Have we ruined her?”
“Of course not,” Scorpius replied vehemently, the conviction strong in his voice. “Can’t you see how happy she is? We’ve done a wonderful job raising her. She’s smart and kind and sticks to her convictions. Even now I can picture the fire and defiance she’s going to have as she grows up. We did that Albus. We helped to mould her into something beautiful and strong. She has a loving home, she is always surrounded by family. She doesn’t even know the meaning of the word lonely. What more could anyone else give her?”
Albus knew he must sound irrational. But what really scared him wasn’t the fact that Aurora seemed to be able to do wandless magic, it wasn’t even the fear that she would accidentally hurt herself. It was the unease he felt about the knowledge getting out. A child of this age with this kind of power? It was unheard of. It was unnatural. He feared the murmurs of dark magic that might surface, the whispers about the Malfoys beginning anew with more fervour and strength. Rumours that had never died down after the war, despite everything Draco did to prove he had changed and the fact that Scorpius was one of the kindest souls to ever walk the earth. All these people needed was an excuse to latch on to, then the family would be crucified once more.
Albus took a deep breath and started to explain. He told Scorpius everything, the discovery of Aurora’s power, James offering to teach her and promising to find out everything he could about wandless magic from his work. He told him his fears and concerns: that these whispers would create ripples that would turn into waves, waves that would crash into them and destroy everything they had. That Aurora would be hurt because of them.
“Oh Albus,” Scorpius repeated, pulling him closer and tightening his grip.
“We don’t know that would happen. Besides, we don’t know why Aurora has this power. Maybe she comes from two really strong, pure-blood lines. Maybe there are previous examples hidden throughout history. A genetic explanation is highly probable. Maybe it’s like curses that skip generations, and it’ll turn out that if we look back at her families there will be examples of great power. You can understand why they would never report it, how it could be kept secret. It might have just manifested early in her, for a huge number of reasons. You don’t need to jump to the worst situation you can possibly imagine. And you know that us Malfoys can take care of ourselves.”
Scorpius had the innate ability to sound completely logical and reasoned, no matter what he was saying. Perhaps it was the tone of his voice, or the confidence he held in his own beliefs. Whilst Albus’s mind always flew to the horrors that could happen Scorpius always tried to stay away from that, veering into the positives that he could think off. Albus didn’t know how he did it, after everything he had faced in his life. He was just inherently good. He shone. Whenever Albus found himself falling into the abyss Scorpius would always be there to catch his hand and halt his descent, pulling him back into the light.
“You’re a Malfoy-Potter now,” Albus muttered in reply, smiling at the little jolt of Scorpius’s chest as he breathed out a small laugh.
“Well, both the Malfoys and Potters can definitely take care of themselves, so I am going to have no problem whatsoever.”
They lapsed into silence, and after a moment Albus scrambled to sit up, reaching out to cup Scorpius’s face.
“We’ll be okay? She’ll be okay?” he whispered, searching Scorpius’s eyes for even a hint of apprehension. He found only love.
“Yes,” Scorpius replied, softly but with a staggering belief. He lent forward, resting his forehead against Albus’s and lifting his hands to lace around Albus’s neck. Albus felt Scorpius’s breath on his lips, but neither of them made any move to connect them in a kiss. They just sat like that, Albus soaking up Scorpius’s strength. His love.