It was a longstanding family tradition, generations of Malfoys had done it before him. This was a dignified task and honorable. Lucius kept repeating this in his mind as he tried not to swear or give up entirely.
He sat hunched over the impressive oak table of his study trying to stitch a constellation to the front of a baby's romper. The golden thread complimented the jade fabric perfectly, though color coordination was not the reason Lucius had chosen that particular thread. It was laced in protective charms and while they were technically functional, they primarily served traditional purposes.
The entire thing was traditional, otherwise Lucius Malfoy would not have spend the last two days holed up in his study, sewing a bloody romper and then some hours more sewing decorations on it. By hand! Like some muggle!
The Malfoy family prided themselves on their wealth and power, both embodied in this tradition. The first clothes a child of the Malfoy family would wear, would made by the child's father, symbolizing his devotion and ability to provide for it.
Later generations of Malfoys had started to prove their desire for the child's health and safety by incorporating charms in the threads hoping to ensure just those wished for the baby future.
Another little star took shape on the little romper and miraculously Lucius immortalized Rastaban, a star in the constellation his son would be named after, without poking himself in the finger. Narcissa had been very persuasive, when they had decided on a name for their child.
She wanted to keep the Black family tradition of naming ones children after stars and constellations (even though her parents had broken that particular tradition when naming Narcissa herself). Lucius had tried to put up a fight but relented easily to his wife's charms. Now he knew that the argument he should've continued discussing, was which particular name their child would get, not which family they should follow when naming their offspring.
Draco was a name befitting of a Malfoy, Lucius would even say he liked it. That, however, was before he had to stitch all fifteen stars of the intricate constellation by hand. Now he wished that they had agreed on the perfectly acceptable name of 'Aries', named after a four-star-constellation that was basically a straight line.
As he did the final stitch and tied the end of the thread, he muttered to himself: "Never again." Vowing to never touch a needle ever again in his life. He didn't needed a repeat of this exhaustion or the jabbed fingers!
Not a month later Narcissa gave birth to Draco Lucius Malfoy - a little, red, wailing thing with a tuft of blonde hair. The jade romper was too big on the small boy. His wife's watery eyes looked down on little Draco without a care in the world, entranced by the tiny creature her arms were holding. When she looked up, catching his eyes, Narcissa gave him the most breathtaking smile. "Lucius", she whispered, her voice still hoarse from the past hours of grueling labour, "come, look at him. He is perfect."
The newest scion of House Malfoy slowly settled down as his father gently patted his tiny head.
Maybe - just maybe - Lucius thought, he would be willing go through it all again, prick all his fingers just to see his wife with a little baby girl in her arms, eyes shining with love and radiating happiness.
They would have to name her Cassiopeia though, that constellation was easy enough. Those five stars, roughly shaped like a 'W', he could manage Lucius thought.
Written for:
Assignment #7: Arts & Crafts - Task #1
The 365 Prompts Challenge: Prompt #58 Color Jade
Auction: Restriction: no using the word "but"
Unicorn Day: List Dialogues - "Never Again."
