Chapter 9

                                        

                                              
Published: July 27, 2025
Harry was fuming and sulking as he finalized reports that had nothing to do with him. Robards intended to bury him under a mountain of paperwork, but he left at lunch anyway and Apparated to Andy's house.
"Is he awake?" Harry asked when he walked in the front door.
"Not yet. He's been stirring. I put him into the guest room after you left. Teddy is still at Molly's for a few hours. How did it go?"
Harry reapplied the Silencing ward, just in case. "Bad for Malfoy. Robards wants his head on a platter. My intervention with the boy only made it worse for him. They already interrogated Draco with Veritaserum and denied me access to him."
"But... they can't interrogate people like that!" she gasped.
"But they do," Harry lamented. "I've been vocal about it since day one. Robards hates me and packed me into the Death Eater task force, chasing ghosts and tips. They keep me out of the office, and if I catch anyone, I'm taken off the case. Robards is a power-hungry bastard."
"Oh, Harry," Aunt Andy said.
"I don't have proof, really. Ron... Ron might. He wants to do it... but he supports the mission. He chose Robards today," Harry said, sadly. 
"I'm sorry, honey."
Harry nodded and hugged her. However, they heard a soft "Papa?" from the guest room.
Harry lowered the Muffliato Charm and opened the door. The room was bright from the sun through the curtains, and the child was looking around, confused. He sat up and looked at Harry when he came in the door. Aunt Andy followed him in. Harry stepped to the front of the bed, trying not to scare him.
"Hello, young man," he said, gently.
The child recognized the greeting and mumbled with a slight nod. "Hello, sir... umm... where's my Papa?"
Harry's heart melted, unsure of what to say but determined not to frighten him. "Your Papa can't be here right now. He asked me to take care of you until he can return." 
The boy's green eyes widened and welled up with tears. "Where is he? Où est mon père?" he cried.
"Non, mon enfant... ton père travaille. Il ne peut pas venir," Aunt Andy responded in obvious French.
"Parlez-vous français, Madame?" the child asked. 
"Oui, je suis ta tante, ta Tante Andy," she replied, gently. 
"Ma tante?" he said, wiping his eyes. "Papa... il n'a jamais...."
Thankfully, she switched to English, seeing Harry's confusion. "I have never spoken to your Papa, child. We were not close, but you are my nephew. You are my family, and you will be safe here until your Papa comes to get you."
The boy nodded. "How-how long? When? Please... Tante Andy!"
She looked to Harry. He met the boy's eyes again and realized he didn't know his name. "What is your name?" Harry asked, gently.
"Je m'appelle S-Scorpius, monsieur..." he started, but then blinked and switched to English-French mix. "But mon père...my Papa, he likes to call me Scorp."
"It's nice to meet you, Scorpius. Do you remember me from last night?" Harry asked.
"Mr. Potter?" he guessed.
"You're a smart kid. Do you remember what your Papa said?"
Scorpius bit his lip nervously. "He said... to listen to you?"