𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One plus Epilogue

I liked to imagine the proposal between my parents. I never knew how it would have happened because Papa hated talking about Daddy, but I liked to think it was sweet and loving. All I knew was that he proposed on the anniversary of Uncle Sev and Uncle Remus' wedding.

I've dreamt of it before. I imagined Papa down on one knee, with Dad in shock. Of course, my dad knew it was going to happen, since they were so madly in love with each other, but Papa's timing was just right, in my head at least. I like to think Dad didn't have to think for very long. He had made up his mind the moment he saw Papa bow done. Uncle Remus had given him the ring-it had been a gift from Sirius Black, and that wasn't my imagination. That one was real. Papa used to wear the ring on a necklace after Dad's death. Uncle Sev had gone in to get it and that was how they discovered he was a spy. Papa's body was never retrieved, so I could never wear it. I really wanted to, though.

It would have been so beautiful if Dad had woken up to see the ring on the pillow next to him. I had seen that in a movie once and had instantly wondered if that was how Papa did it. Now that I've met them when they were younger, I could see that happening. Papa seemed to be the type of person who would do things that way. I thoroughly doubt he would have baked it into a muffin or put it in Dad's food. It's far too cliché, and Dad would probably sulk about getting the ring so dirty and covered in saliva if he truly had put it in his mouth. And then you get those strange Muggles who propose during massive sporting events or on the radio or with those signs on the back of aeroplanes, but Papa wouldn't do something that extravagant. He'd want something personal and intimate.

He could have always done it after making love, which is a way I could see my dad appreciating. I know how much they love each other and the idea of that would suit them just fine.

I wonder if it would be any different this time around.

I was hoping to catch the proposal this time, just to see if it happened the way I wanted it to. I really, really did.

It didn't take him long to recover after he woke up. Now that he was awake, Poppy could help him even more, focusing on where it hurt most or where it didn't feel right. When he found out about the permanent limp, he had originally cried, but was reassured that things would get better. He would learn how to live with his disability.

Scorpius was overly relieved to see both his parents, though, and it shocked him to see his grandmother watching over him as he woke up. He had cried himself dry; clinging on to her, until Draco gently pried him off her. When Scorpius had seen who had grabbed him, it made him cry even harder as it all overwhelmed him. In a few years, he was going to be born and he would be given the life he had always wanted.

That also meant that Scorpius had to go back soon.

It took him three days to be up and walking, albeit with a cane. Lucius had given him his own, having gotten it strengthened just for him. Of course, this had the Malfoy heir crying again.

That third day was also the day Ginny woke. The spell cast on her body was enough to keep her from moving, and it also prevented any emotional stress the news would have brought upon her. The Weasleys were overly thankful for that. From her position on the bed, she could see Fred's limp out of the corner of her eye, and had dared to ask where Charlie was. It was George who explained it, but her reaction was beyond them. The spell keeping her calm stopped her from feeling the emotions she should have been feeling. It irked them, even though they knew about the spell.

By Scorpius' fifth day awake, he had decided that he had to leave. He knew he had to do this. His job had been done. And while others fussed about Dean and his first full moon since the incident, Scorpius was getting to know his parents and his grandparents as much as he possibly could before going back to the hell that was his life. He could only hope that the changes he had made in this time would reflect in his own time. It would be heaven for him to go back to his own time only to find his dad there with him.