Chapter sixteen
Mistakes made
Kaleb sat looking out of the window, waiting with James for the girls return. He looked distracted as James tried to strike up conversation with him and failed though picked up that something was going on.

“Your hiding something Kaleb I know you are” He stared at him accusingly, “What have you done mate?”
“Nothing” He muttered a reply; as he turned back focusing all his attention on the gamekeepers hut in the distance.
“There is something you’re not telling me, and I bet it has something to do with Indie and Mel” He continued to stare at the back of his head, “There’s nothing just leave it”
“Fine, but you have to admit it at some point” James got up to leave and opened the door,
“I’ve done something really stupid” they both turned to look at each other,
“Like what?” He closed the door,
“I might have told Anchorage that the girls were meeting there Dad today” Kaleb blurted the words out quickly and moved back closer to the wall as James came to wards him angrily.
“You did what!” James fists clenched, his body stiffened and his face went pale before turning a shade of red his great uncle Vernon would be proud of, then he fell forward on to the floor hitting his head hard as Kaleb put away his wand.
“Im sorry, I had to do it so you wouldn’t punch me” He smiled weakly “I know its not going to stop you when I release you but it might delay it and give me a chance to explain” He bent down and dragged James to the edge of the bed when he pulled out his wand “I hope this works… Wingardium leviosa” he pointed it at James, making him rise of the floor and hover over his bed when he took his wand away James landed on the quilt softly.

“Ok now, im going to explain” Kaleb pulled a chair next to him and began to talk.
“I went to see Professor Anchorage this morning before you woke up, he seemed very surprised to see me so I guess the trick worked well. I told him I knew everything about the twins and the Malfoy situation, and he told me he had his own suspicions on how they couldn’t be trusted” He looked at James his eyes where the only thing moving and the angry glare he got back was not what he was hoping for.
“Look, I had my reasons for not trusting Scorpius just as you did for believing him. I thought what I was doing was right, until he told me he would have to tell there mother.” James eyes stopped moving and looked at him unblinking in horror.
“Yes, I know, that was my reaction to. So then I told him not to get her involved, but then he said some things he shouldn’t have, like how there mum was using magic to keep Mr Malfoy away and that was how dangerous he was” He looked at James again whose eyes were still staring waiting for more information of his betrayal.
“Then I noticed how there stories never seemed to add up, he would say different things, I mean for a smart person he was really stupid in his attempts to get me to help him. I eventually agreed to keep quiet about what he had said, but it’s been eating away at me all day, so now im telling you because I’ve mucked up big time and I need your help”

He took out his wand and said the counter curse quickly and moved over to the other side of the room to avoid James’ wrath.

He got up slowly, his body stiff. He stood and stretched his arms and legs, it had only been five minutes but it felt like five hours. He turned to face Kaleb and drew his wand “How could you be so stupid!” He yelled walking closer, “Never mind punch you, I ought to curse you, do you realise how much trouble you caused I f she comes here….” His voice trailed off with his train of thought “Oh god” and pulled out a piece of parchment out of his other pocket with the other hand still holding his wand and pointed to it saying “I solemnly swear im up to no good” He sat on the bed and scanned the paper.
“She’s here” He looked at Kaleb, who looked like he was going to burst into tears,
“She’s with Anchorage in his office, help me find the twins” He studied the map till Kaleb pointed “Professor Longbottom’s office, there with Scorpius and his dad”
James cleared the parchment and put it away in his pocket, “You’d better stay here, you’ve done enough”
Kaleb looked at the floor “I was trying to protect them, they are my friends to I do care about them”
James turned and left leaving Kaleb alone with his thoughts, as he sat on his bed and drew the curtains around himself.
*****“How could he be so stupid” James thought to himself climbing the stairs and glancing at the map. He turned the corner and found them sitting on a bench. There eyes glazed over as they looked blankly at the wall in front of them.

“Indie, Mel are you ok” James walked cautiously towards them, his stomach twisted in knots he couldn’t tell them what Kaleb had done, they looked up and smiled when they saw him coming, “Hi James, what you doing here?”
Said Indie, “Where’s Kaleb, if you couldn’t keep away to see if things were all right surely he would want to make sure everything was a disaster”
“He’s in the common room sulking” He smiled weakly, “So why are you guys out here, nothing has gone wrong has it?”
“No, no, it’s all ok apart from our mother turning up” smirked Mel
“And then us finding out she lied to us about dad, and was keeping him away with magic its all ok” Indie grinned, “but on the bright side, they are officially Malfoy’s and our coming to live with us” Scorpius grin reached his ears just as Malfoy stepped of the office with a matching one.

*****
“Have a seat Draco” Neville pointed to a chair in front of his desk before sitting down behind it. They looked at each other carefully before Draco spoke.

“I see your prospects have changed dramatically since school”
“I’ve been back here five years and it’s more home now then ever before” Neville smiled “The events of are childhood are not to be forgotten but we were only children”
“I see befriending Potter finally paid off” Draco smiled slightly but still worried
“It did, im a Herbology Professor and a volunteer for the wizarding law enforcement department”
“I don’t behave that way anymore; I’m different to how I was when first set foot in this school, Im more then capable of living a death eater free existence”
“I can tell, lets discuss Indigo and Imelda shall we and not relive the past” Neville took out parchment and a quill as Draco nodded.

“So you where here today to meet them against there mothers wishes”
“Yes but didn’t know I was going to be meeting them, I have, it seems very clever and sneaky children” Draco smiled vaguely,
“Then they take after there father in that respect” Neville glanced at him before continuing to write, Draco forwent the urge to reply and remained silent.
“So without your knowledge they arranged for you to see them without there mothers permission?” Draco nodded “I’ve never even seen the girls in the thirteen years I knew they existed, my son found out about them, I don’t know how, but they became close and when I came to tell him about them today, well I was sprung with the shock of finally seeing them and then Elizabeth interfering”
“You are aware you had a meeting arranged with the school and Miss Hathaway to meet them on the eighth”
“Yes but from what she said today, she had no intention of it ever going ahead, she told them I never wanted to see them, but for all this time she used magic to keep me away”
“I see, is she still on the premises”
“Anchorages office”
“I heard they are engaged”
“I am not privy to that information, however, it has been organised that the girls are to live with me and not them”
“I see no objection to that happening although the ministry might have something to say, as she is there primary carer you would have to have Miss Hathaway’s full permission or go to the wizard family court”
“I do not wish to air my dirty laundry in the public eye, they are my daughters if they want to live with me I can’t see why they shouldn’t” Draco stood up to leave, “I understand Draco, but this has to be sorted out for there sake if not though the ministry then use the school, she can use the fact you don’t know them properly against you and, I doubt you could get to see them regularly if you don’t declare them as your daughters. I would advise you to tread carefully but I know you care”
“I do” Draco’s face was filled with anger “But she robbed me of them and I won’t let it happen again, what I have to say to her has been said, it is there choice that they live with me and I have no wish to disappoint them by refusing them because of there mother, I will go ahead with or without her permission”
“Don’t act to hastily Malfoy”
“I don’t plan too” He grinned and opened the door greeted with four smiling faces.

*****“Is it all right if he comes to the party in our house Professor, only this would be the first time he’s with us for our birthday” Mel looked up at him turning on the puppy dog eyes which weren’t really necessary in this case,
“I don’t see why not, you will have to leave via my office tonight unless you would rather stay here there are guest quarters available?”
“No Thankyou, but could I use your fireplace now just quickly, you see I have there presents but there at home” Neville nodded “I’ll wait and escort you to the common room”

They nodded as the twins, James and Scorpius walked up to the Gryffindor common room and let in much to the surprise of the fat lady that they were bringing a guest from another house let alone a Slytherin.

James led the way up to the boy’s dorm where they found Kaleb still hidden behind the curtains of his bed,
“Come out Kaleb, im not telling them you have too” James whispered as the twins and Scorpius grabbed boxes of decorations and food and then went back down the stairs.
*“Happy birthday”, Draco handed them a gift each smiling. They were rings of silver there names, as Malfoy’s, engraved on the inside of them. “I can’t stay im sorry. But for now I think its best we keep this all quiet for a little while, there are still legal things to work out with your mother”
The girls nodded placing the rings on there fingers “thankyou” he hugged them both and left just as people began to arrive in the common room and from there dorm’s.
*“There going to kill me im not taking the risk” Kaleb sniffed and huddled himself deeper in the covers
“Im not telling them for you, this is your mess” James yanked at the curtains pulling them open and began to attack the mass under the quilt, “Come out you big coward”
“Aww me nose, geroff” came the muffled reply, “can’t it wait till tomorrow”
“Now” James got a firm grip on the quilt and pulled it off the bed “you have to tell them it was you who got there mother involved, they could have seen him today and not have to be questioned by anyone, they could have had a good day and not seen there mother at all, but you caused it”
“Kaleb is that true” Indie looked at him then to James “You brought her here” she was standing in the doorway looking disappointed.
“Yes, now do your worst, im ready” He sat cross legged on the bed and closed his eyes waiting for the impact of a punch or a spell but neither came. “What were you thinking?”
“I would have thought it obvious he wasn’t” Said Mel’s voice from behind her sister. “You didn’t trust us to make the right decision and now you made things worse” she stared at Kaleb his eyes wide open in horror that she had heard it like this, then she turned and fled down the stairs and retreating to her dorm.
“Im going to go and talk to her, I understand you thought what you did was right but you should have trusted us” Said Indie leaving to go after her sister.
Kaleb flopped backward on his cushions, while James walked to the door preparing to leave.
“Great now what are we going to do?”
Kaleb focused on the water jug to the left of his bed as James spoke with a slight smile,
“I don’t know about me mate, but you’re on the wrong side of the Malfoy family, what is there to do apart from go into hiding”