Title: A Fragment in the Light
Author:
__vintagebomb
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After a recent divorce with Ron Weasley, Hermione hoping to forget events that happened three years ago. All her plans for supressing those painful memories become futile when she runs into Draco Malfoy and his son at Flourish and Blotts.
Author's Notes: As usual, I am forever grateful todazzled_x . Thank you so much for all the reviews - they keep me going. I also made a banner (instead of updating) the other day. Happy birthday, Hermione.
She heard laughter – the kind that started in one’s pit of the stomach and bubbled out contagiously. Hermione was not even sure where she was. She looked around her surroundings: the room was simple yet tastefully furnished. She was sitting on a comfortable rocking chair with a book open on her lap. A small lamp on a side table illuminated most of the room in a soft yellow glow. She heard the laughter again, not quite sure where it was coming from. Wanting to satisfy her curiosity, she set the book on the table and stood up. She opened the door, stepping into a narrow hallway. A breeze flew in through the open window down the hall. Hermione smelled the sea salt in the air. Her feet creaked on the floorboards as she inspected every room in the tiny cottage. The rooms were empty and she wondered where the sound was coming from.
Hermione walked into the sitting room and heard the laughter floating in through the open door. She stepped out into the cool night air. From the patio, she could make out a little blonde boy playing in the waves, while the sun slowly set. Purple and pink hues bounced off his platinum curls as he sprang away from the oncoming waves.
Scorpius. She sighed. She felt her heart soar for her tiny boy. She smiled and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Cold, love?” a man asked behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss at the top of the head. He pulled her closer whispering, “I love you.”
Hermione turned her head back, smiling. “I...” The words were on the tip of her tongue but were caught as she stared into the depths of his grey eyes. A white light engulfed her.
“Hermione!” Ginny yelped. “You’re okay. Stop screaming... it was only a dream!”
Hermione gasped for breath, clutching tightly at the duvet draped over her body. She looked around at her surroundings. She was sitting up on her couch in her apartment. Ginny, Blaise, and Harry eyed her worriedly.
“What happened?” Hermione asked. She kindly accepted the glass of cold water Harry handed her and took a sip.
“You passed out,” Blaise replied. “I panicked so I flooed the first people I thought of. Potter and Ginny flooed straight over. I’m sorry – I really did not think you would react that way. I should have been more careful.”
“How long have I been out?” she asked. It was already dark out, she noticed after glancing at a window.
Ginny replied, “About an hour and a half. You scared us all nearly to death Hermione! You were out for quite a while... I wasn’t sure whether or not to take you to St. Mungo’s!”
She shook her head, memories of their conversation filtering back to her mind. “No, it’s okay. You guys shouldn’t be worried. I’m fine. I just had a shock – that’s all.” She tried to get up from the sofa but two pairs of arms hauled her back down.
Flashes of her dream assaulted her and she felt sick to the stomach at the thought of telling Draco Malfoy that she loved him. She felt betrayed by her own body of even thinking about it. That was all in the past and she would never let herself feel that way again. He caused her so much hurt – hurt that she still felt to this day at the thought of her son. Hermione could not get the images of Scorpius out of her mind. The little blond boy playing in the sand was more than she could ever want. The realization of what Blaise had told her struck her hard. Scorpius was not a million miles away living with a kind, friendly family. Her little boy Scorpius has been with Draco Malfoy of all people all this time. Why hadn’t she known? She felt her chest constrict and tears threatened to spill over. She had to go see him now and she was not going to let anyone stop her.
“Where do you think you are going Mione?” Ginny asked, sounding almost like her mother. Her hand was on one hip and she cocked an eyebrow. Her features softened suddenly as she noticed the tears welling up in Hermione’s eyes. “Hermione! What’s wrong?”
“Ginny, you have to let me go, okay? I have to do this.” Hermione tried to get up again swatting her friends’ hands away. “I have to go see him.”
“See who, Hermione?” Harry asked confused. Hermione did not answer. She quickly dried the tears from her eyes and grabbed her wand.
“Her son,” Blaise replied quietly.
Harry and Ginny’s jaws dropped as they watched Hermione step out her door and apparate away with a crack.
----
“It’s time for bed, Scorp,” Draco said entering his son’s room. “Put the broom away now please.”
Scorpius zoomed around his bedroom, hovering over his toys scattered on the ground. “No!” he yelled stubbornly. “I don’t want to sleep.”
“Scorpius Malfoy, you better listen to me right now. Do you want me to return your broom to the store tomorrow?”
Scorpius stopped and jumped off the broom running to his father. He clutched his father’s legs. “I’m sorry! I’ll be good, Daddy. I promise!”
He smiled at Scorpius’s reaction. Draco had to admit that seeing Scorpius beg for his forgiveness was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He plucked Scorpius up from the floor and took him to the bathroom to wash up for bed.
Draco watched Scorpius's sleeping form fondly. The moment his little boy was tucked into his cozy bed he fell immediately asleep. He had been exhausted from the day’s activities. Scorpius was already tired out after the trip to Diagon Alley earlier in the day. He had also skipped his nap having decided to play with his new broom instead. Draco smiled, remembering the events of the day.
They had spent most of the afternoon flying together in the Malfoy grounds. Scorpius had a natural ability for flying at such a young age. He zipped around the gardens and over the vast lawns trying to catch up to his father while they played tag. Scorpius even convinced his grandmother to play along and all three of them raced around in their brooms. They spent endless hours laughing and bonding with each other.
Thoughts about his son quickly flitted from their exciting day to the first time Draco held him in his arms.
---
Draco was beyond irritated. He was called down to Professor Snape's office, hoping that he was going to be summoned by the Dark Lord an hour earlier. He was nervous and excited and he could not sit any longer and count down the seconds. Much to his dismay, he was instead escorted by his favorite professor to the Headmaster's office.
'Of course the old bastard knows my initiation is tonight. He bloody knows everything,' he thought cruelly. He played different scenarios over in his mind, trying to figure out what to tell the Headmaster. Nothing was going to stop him from going.
Meanwhile, thoughts raced through Draco’s mind as to why Professor Snape would be taking him to Dumbledore. Snape was one of Voldemort’s most trusted followers. Surely he would not interfere with his initiation. He sneaked a glance at his Potions professor. Draco assumed that Snape had nothing to do with this meeting. The professor was simply forced to follow orders. Draco was very sure that Professor Snape would help him find a way to get to his initiation that night.
After declining a lemon drop from the ancient wizard, Draco shifted restlessly in his seat. “You can’t make me change my mind,” he said coolly to the Headmaster. “It’s too late.”
"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore started, sitting behind his desk. "I am not here to alter your decision; rather I am here to give you a choice. Your father has raised you all your life to follow in his footsteps. You have learned about Pureblood superiority and were brought up to always strive in every field. Do not let me stop you, if you wish to grow up as a man like your father. You are of course a Malfoy. There are things expected of you. However, you do need to be informed of another path."
Draco looked that the Headmaster, quizzically, as if the old wizened wizard had sprouted another head. He had no idea what he was rambling on about. There was no other path. This was his destiny. He was born and raised to be a Death Eater. Nothing could change that.
Dumbledore motioned for Professor Snape to open the door. Madame Promfrey entered the room, carrying a blue bundle in her arms. With a nod from the Headmaster, Madame Promfrey placed Draco's baby boy in his arms.
Draco gave a nervous look towards Madame Promfrey. There was a tiny living breathing baby in his arms and Draco did not know what to do. He knew he did not want to drop him but he was not even sure if he was holding him right. “I don’t know how to hold him. What do I do?” he asked, hoping that Madame Promfrey would at least help him out.
She clucked her tongue but helped him out anyways. She would not let the infant suffer because of his father’s inadequacies. She showed Draco how to properly hold the young child in his arms, making sure that his head was properly supported.
"Miss Granger gave birth a couple of weeks early, you see," Dumbledore stated. "He was born two hours ago in a perfectly healthy condition. However, due to certain circumstances that Miss Granger does not want to discuss in detail, it seems that she does not want to keep him. The only explanation she gave was that she fears of her son growing up torn apart by a savage war. As his only legal guardian at his time of birth, she had successfully given up your son for adoption.”
Draco's jaw dropped, unbelieving what he had just heard. He never understood how much a complete family was to Hermione. It had meant so much for her to raise this child together as a family. She had wanted the two of them to watch as their son grew and Draco never really understood what was so important about that concept. He had two parents of his own and he did not see what the fuss was about. Honestly, he thought that he would be better off without them.
Did she really think that their son would have a better life with another family? He could not believe what she had done. He thought that she was smart. Surely she had known better to give up their child. His mind raced, thinking about Hermione's condition and what she had just done to their little baby boy. What would become of him? He tried to picture it in his mind: his little blonde boy living off with a wizarding family in America or some far off country. It was difficult and certainly did not feel right. His son surely did not belong there. He felt his heart sink. He looked down at his sleeping innocent child. As much as he hated to admit it, Draco knew that he had to do something.
"Miss Granger wishes for me to find him a suitable home with two loving parents. She wants your son to grow up, free from the evils of the upcoming War," Dumbledore continued. He registered the complete look of shock and confusion on the younger Malfoy's face. "Your son is your other choice. You can grow up to be the man that your father never intended you to be: a loving father. The decision is all yours."
It was a choice that Draco could not refuse. Clearly Dumbledore knew that Draco would never give up the young infant in his arms. Instead of feeling that he was tricked into a decision, he felt jubilant. He accepted without any hesitation. Just from five minutes of holding the little boy in his arms, Draco had grown to love him and there was no one who could tear them apart from that moment on. He was going to protect the little guy in his arms, love him, take care of him, and be a loving father. His son was not going to grow up like he did. He thought of the wise wizard’s words. Yes, this was definitely the path for him: the one unintended. Draco Malfoy was going to be a father at eighteen.
Dumbledore smiled fondly at Draco. It was the first time Draco had remembered him doing so. “Are you going to name him?” he asked warmly.
Draco thought it over for a minute. He remembered Hermione. The two of them had spent hours thinking up of baby names for their child. They had argued relentlessly on what to choose. They never agreed on any name but one: Scorpius.
He smiled and brushed his lips against the smooth forehead of his baby boy. “Scorpius Malfoy.”
The moment Draco made his decision, his mother was immediately notified. Much to Draco’s surprise, she had been hiding with the Order at their Headquarters, fearing her own husband. She was proud of Draco’s selfless decision and welcomed Scorpius into the family with open arms. Draco, Scorpius, and Narcissa were whisked away to France the next day where they stayed until the remainder of the War. Fortunately Narcissa had inherited a chateau from her late Grandmother that Lucius did not know about.
For the most part, Draco felt absolute bliss during the following months in the chateau. He enjoyed taking care of his new son and happily learned how to be a father. He was eager to learn anything about babies: from changing his diapers to feeding him.
It was only those times where he would remember why Scorpius looked or acted a certain way when he felt a strong pang in his chest. The most blaringly obvious feature his son had inherited was her hair. Like his mother, he had the softest curls. For the most part, he learned that Scorpius could be stubborn one moment and loving the very next. It was just too much like Hermione.
For days on end, the pang refused to go away until his mind would finally settle on something else. He broke her heart and made the biggest mistake of his life. She didn't want him anymore. She didn't want them. She had willingly given up the both of them for her friends, the Order, and the War. Hermione left and she was not looking back. Those words reverberated in his mind. He could not sleep at night during his bouts of depression. He tossed and turned remembering those nights where he would fall asleep curled up right next to Hermione, inhaling the scent of her hair. He wished he could take it all back.
Scorpius kept him going all the time. While Scorpius’s inherited traits brought him into the bouts of depression, Scorpius also brought him back to light. Draco remembered that he needed to stay strong and that there was someone else who needed him. He loved Scorpius harder than it was ever possible to fill that void in his heart. Scorpius became his everything. He never loved anything more than his son.
After many months at the chateau, Draco finally realized what Hermione’s fuss was all about. He could not think of living without his family.
---
Draco sighed and massaged his temples. He definitely needed a drink after replaying that memory. He walked down to the first floor and entered the sitting room. He poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and sat down on his favorite leather chair.
"Mister Malfoy," his house elf Merry walked into the room, oddly frightened by something or someone. "Miss Hermione Granger is here to visit.”
Hermione stepped into the room. Draco did not say anything. He was absolutely speechless to find her in his parlor of all places. Blaise had definitely something to do with this. He assumed she knew. It was not difficult to figure out, after all. Before he had a chance to say anything, she spoke.
“Where is he?” Hermione asked, her voice quivering. Her hair was wilder than usual and her face was a sickly pale colour. Draco guessed that she did not like the news of the whereabouts of her son.
“Asleep,” he replied, swallowing the last of his firewhiskey. “I’ll take you to him.” He motioned for Hermione to follow him out of the hall and up the marble staircase. He opened a door down the hallway and let Hermione inside. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He was not sure if she heard him. She said nothing in reply and rushed towards Scorpius.
She could not believe that she was looking at her son. Had she known that the adorable little toddler at Flourish and Blotts was her Scorpius, she would have picked him up and hugged him fiercely. It was surreal. She had long given up hope that she would ever run across meeting her own son.
He was sleeping in his bed, clutching tightly to a stuffed version of a Hungarian horntail. Hermione thought it was adorable as she noticed that he smiled in his sleep. She bent over his sleeping form, unable to stop the flow of tears that cascaded down her face. “Hello, my baby.” She caressed his rosy cheeks with the back of her hand, tracing the contours of his angelic face. She ran her fingers through his baby-fine curls marveling on its softness.
Had she really given this up all those years ago? She could not believe that she was able to let Madame Promfrey take him away from her without ever holding him in her arms. She watched the rise and falls of his chest and listened to his incoherent mumbles. His soft blond hair was starting to get long and fell over his eyes and framed his face. Hermione had never seen anything as angelic. Scorpius was her baby. Letting him go was the biggest regret of her life.
She knelt by his bedside and cradled her head in her arms as she wept. It hurt her even more that out of the people who had adopted her son, it had to be Draco Malfoy. It was not fair that after all he had done, he was able gain the rights to be Scorpius’s legal guardian.
He was a Death Eater. What rights did that give him to raise a child? As far as Hermione knew, he knew nothing on how to raise a child. He never read the books she checked out from the library all those years ago. He left that part all up to her. On second thought, what rights did he even have to roam around as a free man? Did he bribe the Ministry so that he would not get convicted? He was a Death Eater who most likely did horrible things during the War. It did not make sense that the Ministry would not serve justice.
And Dumbledore. She trusted him more than anyone else. How could he let Malfoy adopt her son? Dumbledore knew better than that. She felt betrayed and hurt by the old wizard. Didn’t he feel that Scorpius deserved better than having Draco Malfoy as a father?
She lifted her head up from her arms and looked at Scorpius once more. The tears in her eyes had long dried up. Her sadness was suddenly replaced with fierce determination. Things just do not end here. She had to get Scorpius back. It was the only way to make things right – to have her son in her arms everyday.
Hermione made her way back downstairs, hoping that Draco was still in his parlor. She realized that it was quite late and hoped that he still did not retire early after all these years. She was right. He was sitting on the same armchair, nursing a drink. He did not say anything when she entered the room. He just looked at her with unreadable eyes waiting for her to say something.
“I want my son back,” she said. “You’ll get an owl tomorrow.” She strode quickly out of the room and out of the Manor before Draco even had a chance to respond.
She did not see how Draco clenched the glass in his hand so tightly, it almost burst. She missed that he almost tore the hair from his own head in frustration. She did not see how his eyes suddenly got glassy at the thought that Scorpius might be taken away from him.
Author:
__vintagebomb Rating: PG-13
Summary: After a recent divorce with Ron Weasley, Hermione hoping to forget events that happened three years ago. All her plans for supressing those painful memories become futile when she runs into Draco Malfoy and his son at Flourish and Blotts.
Author's Notes: As usual, I am forever grateful to
dazzled_x . Thank you so much for all the reviews - they keep me going. I also made a banner (instead of updating) the other day. Happy birthday, Hermione. She heard laughter – the kind that started in one’s pit of the stomach and bubbled out contagiously. Hermione was not even sure where she was. She looked around her surroundings: the room was simple yet tastefully furnished. She was sitting on a comfortable rocking chair with a book open on her lap. A small lamp on a side table illuminated most of the room in a soft yellow glow. She heard the laughter again, not quite sure where it was coming from. Wanting to satisfy her curiosity, she set the book on the table and stood up. She opened the door, stepping into a narrow hallway. A breeze flew in through the open window down the hall. Hermione smelled the sea salt in the air. Her feet creaked on the floorboards as she inspected every room in the tiny cottage. The rooms were empty and she wondered where the sound was coming from.
Hermione walked into the sitting room and heard the laughter floating in through the open door. She stepped out into the cool night air. From the patio, she could make out a little blonde boy playing in the waves, while the sun slowly set. Purple and pink hues bounced off his platinum curls as he sprang away from the oncoming waves.
Scorpius. She sighed. She felt her heart soar for her tiny boy. She smiled and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Cold, love?” a man asked behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss at the top of the head. He pulled her closer whispering, “I love you.”
Hermione turned her head back, smiling. “I...” The words were on the tip of her tongue but were caught as she stared into the depths of his grey eyes. A white light engulfed her.
“Hermione!” Ginny yelped. “You’re okay. Stop screaming... it was only a dream!”
Hermione gasped for breath, clutching tightly at the duvet draped over her body. She looked around at her surroundings. She was sitting up on her couch in her apartment. Ginny, Blaise, and Harry eyed her worriedly.
“What happened?” Hermione asked. She kindly accepted the glass of cold water Harry handed her and took a sip.
“You passed out,” Blaise replied. “I panicked so I flooed the first people I thought of. Potter and Ginny flooed straight over. I’m sorry – I really did not think you would react that way. I should have been more careful.”
“How long have I been out?” she asked. It was already dark out, she noticed after glancing at a window.
Ginny replied, “About an hour and a half. You scared us all nearly to death Hermione! You were out for quite a while... I wasn’t sure whether or not to take you to St. Mungo’s!”
She shook her head, memories of their conversation filtering back to her mind. “No, it’s okay. You guys shouldn’t be worried. I’m fine. I just had a shock – that’s all.” She tried to get up from the sofa but two pairs of arms hauled her back down.
Flashes of her dream assaulted her and she felt sick to the stomach at the thought of telling Draco Malfoy that she loved him. She felt betrayed by her own body of even thinking about it. That was all in the past and she would never let herself feel that way again. He caused her so much hurt – hurt that she still felt to this day at the thought of her son. Hermione could not get the images of Scorpius out of her mind. The little blond boy playing in the sand was more than she could ever want. The realization of what Blaise had told her struck her hard. Scorpius was not a million miles away living with a kind, friendly family. Her little boy Scorpius has been with Draco Malfoy of all people all this time. Why hadn’t she known? She felt her chest constrict and tears threatened to spill over. She had to go see him now and she was not going to let anyone stop her.
“Where do you think you are going Mione?” Ginny asked, sounding almost like her mother. Her hand was on one hip and she cocked an eyebrow. Her features softened suddenly as she noticed the tears welling up in Hermione’s eyes. “Hermione! What’s wrong?”
“Ginny, you have to let me go, okay? I have to do this.” Hermione tried to get up again swatting her friends’ hands away. “I have to go see him.”
“See who, Hermione?” Harry asked confused. Hermione did not answer. She quickly dried the tears from her eyes and grabbed her wand.
“Her son,” Blaise replied quietly.
Harry and Ginny’s jaws dropped as they watched Hermione step out her door and apparate away with a crack.
----
“It’s time for bed, Scorp,” Draco said entering his son’s room. “Put the broom away now please.”
Scorpius zoomed around his bedroom, hovering over his toys scattered on the ground. “No!” he yelled stubbornly. “I don’t want to sleep.”
“Scorpius Malfoy, you better listen to me right now. Do you want me to return your broom to the store tomorrow?”
Scorpius stopped and jumped off the broom running to his father. He clutched his father’s legs. “I’m sorry! I’ll be good, Daddy. I promise!”
He smiled at Scorpius’s reaction. Draco had to admit that seeing Scorpius beg for his forgiveness was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He plucked Scorpius up from the floor and took him to the bathroom to wash up for bed.
Draco watched Scorpius's sleeping form fondly. The moment his little boy was tucked into his cozy bed he fell immediately asleep. He had been exhausted from the day’s activities. Scorpius was already tired out after the trip to Diagon Alley earlier in the day. He had also skipped his nap having decided to play with his new broom instead. Draco smiled, remembering the events of the day.
They had spent most of the afternoon flying together in the Malfoy grounds. Scorpius had a natural ability for flying at such a young age. He zipped around the gardens and over the vast lawns trying to catch up to his father while they played tag. Scorpius even convinced his grandmother to play along and all three of them raced around in their brooms. They spent endless hours laughing and bonding with each other.
Thoughts about his son quickly flitted from their exciting day to the first time Draco held him in his arms.
---
Draco was beyond irritated. He was called down to Professor Snape's office, hoping that he was going to be summoned by the Dark Lord an hour earlier. He was nervous and excited and he could not sit any longer and count down the seconds. Much to his dismay, he was instead escorted by his favorite professor to the Headmaster's office.
'Of course the old bastard knows my initiation is tonight. He bloody knows everything,' he thought cruelly. He played different scenarios over in his mind, trying to figure out what to tell the Headmaster. Nothing was going to stop him from going.
Meanwhile, thoughts raced through Draco’s mind as to why Professor Snape would be taking him to Dumbledore. Snape was one of Voldemort’s most trusted followers. Surely he would not interfere with his initiation. He sneaked a glance at his Potions professor. Draco assumed that Snape had nothing to do with this meeting. The professor was simply forced to follow orders. Draco was very sure that Professor Snape would help him find a way to get to his initiation that night.
After declining a lemon drop from the ancient wizard, Draco shifted restlessly in his seat. “You can’t make me change my mind,” he said coolly to the Headmaster. “It’s too late.”
"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore started, sitting behind his desk. "I am not here to alter your decision; rather I am here to give you a choice. Your father has raised you all your life to follow in his footsteps. You have learned about Pureblood superiority and were brought up to always strive in every field. Do not let me stop you, if you wish to grow up as a man like your father. You are of course a Malfoy. There are things expected of you. However, you do need to be informed of another path."
Draco looked that the Headmaster, quizzically, as if the old wizened wizard had sprouted another head. He had no idea what he was rambling on about. There was no other path. This was his destiny. He was born and raised to be a Death Eater. Nothing could change that.
Dumbledore motioned for Professor Snape to open the door. Madame Promfrey entered the room, carrying a blue bundle in her arms. With a nod from the Headmaster, Madame Promfrey placed Draco's baby boy in his arms.
Draco gave a nervous look towards Madame Promfrey. There was a tiny living breathing baby in his arms and Draco did not know what to do. He knew he did not want to drop him but he was not even sure if he was holding him right. “I don’t know how to hold him. What do I do?” he asked, hoping that Madame Promfrey would at least help him out.
She clucked her tongue but helped him out anyways. She would not let the infant suffer because of his father’s inadequacies. She showed Draco how to properly hold the young child in his arms, making sure that his head was properly supported.
"Miss Granger gave birth a couple of weeks early, you see," Dumbledore stated. "He was born two hours ago in a perfectly healthy condition. However, due to certain circumstances that Miss Granger does not want to discuss in detail, it seems that she does not want to keep him. The only explanation she gave was that she fears of her son growing up torn apart by a savage war. As his only legal guardian at his time of birth, she had successfully given up your son for adoption.”
Draco's jaw dropped, unbelieving what he had just heard. He never understood how much a complete family was to Hermione. It had meant so much for her to raise this child together as a family. She had wanted the two of them to watch as their son grew and Draco never really understood what was so important about that concept. He had two parents of his own and he did not see what the fuss was about. Honestly, he thought that he would be better off without them.
Did she really think that their son would have a better life with another family? He could not believe what she had done. He thought that she was smart. Surely she had known better to give up their child. His mind raced, thinking about Hermione's condition and what she had just done to their little baby boy. What would become of him? He tried to picture it in his mind: his little blonde boy living off with a wizarding family in America or some far off country. It was difficult and certainly did not feel right. His son surely did not belong there. He felt his heart sink. He looked down at his sleeping innocent child. As much as he hated to admit it, Draco knew that he had to do something.
"Miss Granger wishes for me to find him a suitable home with two loving parents. She wants your son to grow up, free from the evils of the upcoming War," Dumbledore continued. He registered the complete look of shock and confusion on the younger Malfoy's face. "Your son is your other choice. You can grow up to be the man that your father never intended you to be: a loving father. The decision is all yours."
It was a choice that Draco could not refuse. Clearly Dumbledore knew that Draco would never give up the young infant in his arms. Instead of feeling that he was tricked into a decision, he felt jubilant. He accepted without any hesitation. Just from five minutes of holding the little boy in his arms, Draco had grown to love him and there was no one who could tear them apart from that moment on. He was going to protect the little guy in his arms, love him, take care of him, and be a loving father. His son was not going to grow up like he did. He thought of the wise wizard’s words. Yes, this was definitely the path for him: the one unintended. Draco Malfoy was going to be a father at eighteen.
Dumbledore smiled fondly at Draco. It was the first time Draco had remembered him doing so. “Are you going to name him?” he asked warmly.
Draco thought it over for a minute. He remembered Hermione. The two of them had spent hours thinking up of baby names for their child. They had argued relentlessly on what to choose. They never agreed on any name but one: Scorpius.
He smiled and brushed his lips against the smooth forehead of his baby boy. “Scorpius Malfoy.”
The moment Draco made his decision, his mother was immediately notified. Much to Draco’s surprise, she had been hiding with the Order at their Headquarters, fearing her own husband. She was proud of Draco’s selfless decision and welcomed Scorpius into the family with open arms. Draco, Scorpius, and Narcissa were whisked away to France the next day where they stayed until the remainder of the War. Fortunately Narcissa had inherited a chateau from her late Grandmother that Lucius did not know about.
For the most part, Draco felt absolute bliss during the following months in the chateau. He enjoyed taking care of his new son and happily learned how to be a father. He was eager to learn anything about babies: from changing his diapers to feeding him.
It was only those times where he would remember why Scorpius looked or acted a certain way when he felt a strong pang in his chest. The most blaringly obvious feature his son had inherited was her hair. Like his mother, he had the softest curls. For the most part, he learned that Scorpius could be stubborn one moment and loving the very next. It was just too much like Hermione.
For days on end, the pang refused to go away until his mind would finally settle on something else. He broke her heart and made the biggest mistake of his life. She didn't want him anymore. She didn't want them. She had willingly given up the both of them for her friends, the Order, and the War. Hermione left and she was not looking back. Those words reverberated in his mind. He could not sleep at night during his bouts of depression. He tossed and turned remembering those nights where he would fall asleep curled up right next to Hermione, inhaling the scent of her hair. He wished he could take it all back.
Scorpius kept him going all the time. While Scorpius’s inherited traits brought him into the bouts of depression, Scorpius also brought him back to light. Draco remembered that he needed to stay strong and that there was someone else who needed him. He loved Scorpius harder than it was ever possible to fill that void in his heart. Scorpius became his everything. He never loved anything more than his son.
After many months at the chateau, Draco finally realized what Hermione’s fuss was all about. He could not think of living without his family.
---
Draco sighed and massaged his temples. He definitely needed a drink after replaying that memory. He walked down to the first floor and entered the sitting room. He poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and sat down on his favorite leather chair.
"Mister Malfoy," his house elf Merry walked into the room, oddly frightened by something or someone. "Miss Hermione Granger is here to visit.”
Hermione stepped into the room. Draco did not say anything. He was absolutely speechless to find her in his parlor of all places. Blaise had definitely something to do with this. He assumed she knew. It was not difficult to figure out, after all. Before he had a chance to say anything, she spoke.
“Where is he?” Hermione asked, her voice quivering. Her hair was wilder than usual and her face was a sickly pale colour. Draco guessed that she did not like the news of the whereabouts of her son.
“Asleep,” he replied, swallowing the last of his firewhiskey. “I’ll take you to him.” He motioned for Hermione to follow him out of the hall and up the marble staircase. He opened a door down the hallway and let Hermione inside. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He was not sure if she heard him. She said nothing in reply and rushed towards Scorpius.
She could not believe that she was looking at her son. Had she known that the adorable little toddler at Flourish and Blotts was her Scorpius, she would have picked him up and hugged him fiercely. It was surreal. She had long given up hope that she would ever run across meeting her own son.
He was sleeping in his bed, clutching tightly to a stuffed version of a Hungarian horntail. Hermione thought it was adorable as she noticed that he smiled in his sleep. She bent over his sleeping form, unable to stop the flow of tears that cascaded down her face. “Hello, my baby.” She caressed his rosy cheeks with the back of her hand, tracing the contours of his angelic face. She ran her fingers through his baby-fine curls marveling on its softness.
Had she really given this up all those years ago? She could not believe that she was able to let Madame Promfrey take him away from her without ever holding him in her arms. She watched the rise and falls of his chest and listened to his incoherent mumbles. His soft blond hair was starting to get long and fell over his eyes and framed his face. Hermione had never seen anything as angelic. Scorpius was her baby. Letting him go was the biggest regret of her life.
She knelt by his bedside and cradled her head in her arms as she wept. It hurt her even more that out of the people who had adopted her son, it had to be Draco Malfoy. It was not fair that after all he had done, he was able gain the rights to be Scorpius’s legal guardian.
He was a Death Eater. What rights did that give him to raise a child? As far as Hermione knew, he knew nothing on how to raise a child. He never read the books she checked out from the library all those years ago. He left that part all up to her. On second thought, what rights did he even have to roam around as a free man? Did he bribe the Ministry so that he would not get convicted? He was a Death Eater who most likely did horrible things during the War. It did not make sense that the Ministry would not serve justice.
And Dumbledore. She trusted him more than anyone else. How could he let Malfoy adopt her son? Dumbledore knew better than that. She felt betrayed and hurt by the old wizard. Didn’t he feel that Scorpius deserved better than having Draco Malfoy as a father?
She lifted her head up from her arms and looked at Scorpius once more. The tears in her eyes had long dried up. Her sadness was suddenly replaced with fierce determination. Things just do not end here. She had to get Scorpius back. It was the only way to make things right – to have her son in her arms everyday.
Hermione made her way back downstairs, hoping that Draco was still in his parlor. She realized that it was quite late and hoped that he still did not retire early after all these years. She was right. He was sitting on the same armchair, nursing a drink. He did not say anything when she entered the room. He just looked at her with unreadable eyes waiting for her to say something.
“I want my son back,” she said. “You’ll get an owl tomorrow.” She strode quickly out of the room and out of the Manor before Draco even had a chance to respond.
She did not see how Draco clenched the glass in his hand so tightly, it almost burst. She missed that he almost tore the hair from his own head in frustration. She did not see how his eyes suddenly got glassy at the thought that Scorpius might be taken away from him.
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