Custody (REDRAFTED- NEW ONE IS POSTED)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Wait. There isn’t a dot here. On… our house.” Right on cue, the alarms went off.

“Shit!” Ron said loudly, picking up Teddy from the high chair and holding him close to prevent him from crying.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Teddy laughed and started babbling, repeating after Ron. Draco glared at him and grabbed the map and newspaper. “We will talk about this later Weasley.”

“I’ve already packed for you. Come on.” Hermione urgently led them along. “Are there any other exits to the house other than the front door?”

“Yes.” Draco pushed away from Harry and pulled out his wand, casting a quick lumos. Hermione closed the shades while Ron tried to subdue the laughing toddler. “He’s going to get us caught!”

“I’m so sorry about this Teddy. Aunt Hermione still loves you.” She gave Teddy a quick kiss on the forehead before casting a silencing charm on him. Teddy carried on, not really noticing the lack of words. Harry frowned but he knew it was probably the best thing. As Draco started leading them, Hermione took up the rear, Harry directly in front of her. Draco led them into the library, taking them to the back where he pushed on the bookcase. Blushing, he ignored their looks at the room and made his way through a sea of pillows. He disappeared through a wall, making Harry and Hermione jump.

“I had no idea this existed.” Harry turned to Hermione who shooed him towards the wall Ron, Draco, and Teddy had gone through. He stepped through the wall, followed by Hermione.

“I have bad news.” Draco’s soft voice could barely be heard.

“What?” The Golden Trio spoke in unison.

Draco brightened his lumos spell, revealing the dark hallway. “These passages haven’t been exterminated yet. That’s why I didn’t tell Harry about them. There can be almost anything in here.”

“So stay alert. If you see anything, make sure you tell us. And protect Teddy.” Harry said firmly. Everyone nodded as Draco started forwards again.

The journey was relatively peaceful. A boggart had attacked Hermione. Everyone had been horrified when they saw Ron’s bloated corpse dangling from the ceiling. She had gotten rid of it quickly. A few pixies had flown around and tried to cause trouble, pinching Teddy’s nose in an effort to make him cry. When nothing had happened, they had gone after Draco to pull at his ears and tail. Harry, going into overprotective-mate mode had stopped them before they could.

“We’re here.” Draco stepped up the staircase, carefully pushing up the trapdoor. He climbed out and reached down for Teddy. Large, strong hands encircled his waist and chest, pulling him back roughly.

“Hello little kitten. I see my potion did well for you.”