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The elf did as asked. One minute they were sitting and shivering on the floor of the dungeon, then they were suddenly transported to Severus's living room, Alyssa sitting in her usual chair with Draco on her lap, Dobby standing beside the chair.
"Hello," she said, trying in vain to halt the trembling that was still present from the curse, looking at her family, Merlin how she had missed them.
"Hi," Draco said softly, giving the frozen family a quick smile before burying his face in Alyssa's hair once more.
Harry was the first to react. He didn't know why the men in black kidnapped her, or how she was able to escape. All he did know was that she was back, and there was a strange child on her lap. But she was still smiling at him, still looked happy to see him, and so he reacted the way he always did if he hadn't seen her in a long time. Harry threw himself at his aunt, hugging her knees and looking up into tired black eyes that still managed to sparkle happily.
Alyssa shifted slightly, her abused muscles protesting as she shifted Draco enough that Harry could sit with her as well. "How have you been child?" she asked softly, stroking Draco's hair to get his attention. When he looked up, Alyssa motioned to Harry.
Harry didn't answer her question; he could do that later. Instead, he stared at the blonde boy with wide emerald eyes, curiosity overriding anything else. "Who's this Aunt Lyss?"
"This is Draco," Alyssa said softly. "His parents mistreated him, and I didn't wish to see him suffer. I am considering adopting him," she admitted, looking at Harry but speaking to the room at large.
"Hi Draco," Harry said amicably, holding out one small hand to the blonde, who hesitantly copied him, smiling slightly.
"Hi Harry," was his soft reply.
"Is it possible you two can continue getting to know one another while sitting somewhere other than on me?" Alyssa asked, only half teasing. She was sore and tired, and having two four year olds sitting on her lap didn't help that.
Harry flashed a cheeky grin at his aunt, hugging her before he swiftly slipped off her lap and went back to where he had been sitting on the floor. He motioned for Draco to join him, and the other boy complied after a moment's hesitation. It shocked everyone, other than Alyssa and Harry, when Draco hugged Alyssa in the same manner Harry had before he went to join his new friend on the floor.
Alyssa smiled fondly at the two boys on the floor before looking up at the others. She locked eyes with Remus, her Remus, and it suddenly didn't matter that she felt like hell. The look of profound relief mingled with love was enough to have her fly across the room, ignoring her brother and Sirius, and kiss her husband passionately, as though it had been years instead of hours since they had last seen each other.
"I'm back Remy," she whispered as she smiled at her husband's dazed expression.
"Thank Merlin for that," he replied, nuzzling her neck. "Now what's this I've heard about a new addition?"
"Are you talking about the adorable blonde boy chatting amiably with our nephew?" Alyssa asked calmly, her eyes flicking to said boy, making sure all was well. He was smiling as he played with Harry, making her smile as well.
"Yes, funnily enough I am," the werewolf replied, not releasing his wife from his arms.
She turned towards him, and he instantly knew that she was serious about adopting Draco; it wasn't temporary, and would be pushed through as soon as his parents were arrested. Provided, of course, that he agreed.
"Do you mind?" Alyssa asked, her soft voice unsure. "I didn't exactly plan for this to happen, but you didn't see him. He was crying; he believed he had no worth to anyone because he couldn't act how Narcissa and Lucius believe a good heir should act. I know I'm going soft, I blame you wolf."
"So since it's my fault, then I have to deal with the consequences of my actions?" he teased, happy to see Alyssa's mischievous smirk return to her face. Merlin, he'd missed this. A throat clearing got their attention.
Severus raised on fine black eyebrow as he looked at the couple on the couch. Sirius had moved at some point and was standing next to him. "When you two are finished, I would like to welcome my sister home as well."
Sirius let out a loud, bark-like laugh as Remus blushed, going redder than a Wealey's hair. Alyssa smirked, kissing Remus quickly once more before rising and going over to her brother, hugging him.
"That bored without me Sev?" she quipped, knowing that he was nowhere near as calm as he appeared to be.
"I'm the only Slytherin stuck between two Gryffindors. Dear Merlin Lyss, be glad that I am still sane," he replied, relieved that Alyssa was herself enough to joke with him. Whatever Malfoy did must not have been too severe.
"What did Malfoy do to you?" Sirius asked as he hugged his almost sister. She was like his sister, even if they weren't related by blood, and he had a better relationship with her than with any of his actual family.
"Nothing major," she replied calmly, knowing that the Cruciartus classified as major to them but not wanting to worry them. It might have worked if it wasn't for Draco.
"Father hurt her," he said, tears welling up in his grey eyes, "Father tortured her because I'm a bad heir. He came for me, and she stood in his way, and he hurt her instead."
"It's not your fault Draco," Alyssa said at the same time Remus asked, "How did he hurt you?"
Alyssa said nothing, looking at their entwined hands. Draco looked from one to the other for a moment before deciding that Remus should know what the elder Malfoy had done. He walked over to where Remus and Alyssa were sitting and tugged on Remus's pant leg, diverting the man's attention from Alyssa.
"It was a bad spell," he said as soon as Remus focused on him, "And it made her shake. It was cruc…curci… crucio. Crucio is what he said, and it made her fall on her knees, and she screamed once. She hurt her hands too." There were tears in his eyes as he looked at the dried blood on her palms. He knew that it was in his hair, from when she soothed him, but he didn't care.
"Oh Dragon," Alyssa murmured, ignoring the noises of outrage from the others as they heard of Malfoy's torture session. She picked up the diminutive blonde, holding him close as she murmured, "I'll always protect you Draco."
He felt another touch, feather-light, on his head. Looking up, he saw Remus gently carding his fingers through the slightly messy blonde hair. "You'll always have a place with us son."
Harry was feeling a little jealous of the attention that Draco was getting, but he saw the genuinely happy smile on the other boy's face and couldn't be angry. They had talked a little about Draco's real parents, and from what he said, Harry realized that Draco hadn't actually had anyone tell him that they loved him, that they cared about him.
"Harry, want to come with me to get a potion for your stubborn aunt?" Severus asked, noticing the slight jealousy on Harry's face.
"Ok Papa," he said, standing and walking with his father to the lab, leaving a puzzled Draco to ask, "Why does he call Uncle Sev Papa? Father said that it was disrespectful to speak like that."
"Your father was too strict Draco," Remus said, "Harry calls Severus Papa because that's what he sees him as."
"So…I could call you Papa? When you adopt me?" There was a hesitancy in the quiet voice that tore at Remus's heart, but the question did raise a valid argument. What should Draco call us?