From the moment he was born, Draco knew that his son was different from any other child. Though the twist of something in his heart that told him he was a parent was certainly there, as was the sparkle of pride that shone to a small smile, it was nothing he felt within himself that led him to believe Scorpius was strange. When he watched the boy play with others, there were the obvious signs: a strong independent attitude, and the confidence to do everything on his own. That his eyes were always on whatever was in his hands showed a great attention span, even for the age of 18 months. But when Scorpius's 3rd birthday came and went without him being able to utter a coherent sound, much less a word, Draco knew it was time to accept the facts.
His son, Scorpius Malfoy, was autistic.
The first year after getting the official diagnosis was, perhaps, the hardest. No doctor in the wizarding world could deal with the diagnosis, and so they were forced to turn to a Muggle practitioner. The Muggle man suggested that they should join a support group with other families who had children in similar conditions. Wanting nothing but the best for their only son, Draco and Astoria agreed, maybe too quickly, to do so. They met every Thursday for well over five years with the occasional people coming and going, but the regulars maintaining a precise schedule.
Scorpius came to know two of them quite well. One, the girl, was named Adele, and the other, the boy, was named Benedict. The three of them were all in the same year, and their parents even arranged it so they could go to school together. It was for the benefit of all, but Draco believed his son received the most from it.
On his 5th birthday, Scorpius made eye contact with Draco for the first time. Before December of that same year, he uttered his first word, "happy". In both instances, Draco was so happy himself that he couldn't fight back the tears, and had embraced his son as hard as he could without suffocating the boy. 2011 was a wonderful year for the Malfoys, after so many of disappointment and heartbreak.
