Title: Narcissa's Contemplation
Rating: K
Pairing(s): None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 565
Summary: Narcissa contemplates while Scorpius arrives into the world.
Notes:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Major & Minor Arcana – Write a story having to do with the theme of beginnings. – The birth of a first child

All Those Characters Challenge: Character – Narcissa Malfoy

The Great Maze Chall/Comp: Draco has decided to follow you through the maze. Wonderful. You walk together and reach the next gate: What goes up but never comes down? Tell me about getting older.

As Much As You Can Competition

Represent the Character II


Narcissa paces across the floor. She wishes she could be in the room with them, but she's doesn't belong in there. Across from her, she sees Esmeralda Greengrass pacing and Daphne Greengrass resting her head on her husband's shoulder. Daphne's daughter is sitting on her lap, playing with her mum's hair.

"Love, sit down," Lucius calls gently.

"Lucius is right. Worrying isn't going to make anything move faster. Esmeralda, you sit down, too."

"I can't sit, Lucius."

"Either can I. My baby girl is giving birth right now!"

Daphne rolls her eyes. "Mum, she'll be fine. You've given birth twice; I've given birth once. Nothing is going to go wrong."

After what feels like forever, the mediwitch comes out of the room. "It's a boy."

Narcissa claps, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Can we see them?"

"Of course, but you need to be quiet." He looks at Daphne and Blaise. "If your daughter is going to make any noise, she needs to wait out here."

"Bianca will be fine," Blaise says.

They all walk in. Astoria is lying back against the pillows, holding a blue bundle. Draco is looking down at the baby. When he looks up, his smile is bright and there's a sheen in his eyes, remarkably like unshed tears, that Narcissa recognizes all too well. She remembers having the exact same sheen and although Lucius would deny it, he did, too. It's the sheen that all new parents get.

Narcissa holds out her hands, silently begging to hold her first grandchild, her first grandson. She's not sure if Draco and Astoria are planning on having more kids, but Narcissa hopes they are.

Draco takes the baby from Astoria's arms, gently cradling his head, and hands him over to Narcissa.

She looks at the innocent face. There's a puckered mouth and blue eyes that will eventually change colors. She hopes he gets the Malfoy grey eyes. There are ten fingers that are wiggling, and she hopes that if she was to count, there would be ten toes as well.

Narcissa smiles, holding the small baby close to her chest. "What's his name?" She whispers, not wanted to break the spell.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," Draco answers.

Narcissa can't help but feel her age. She guesses it makes sense. From what she's heard, most witches start feeling old when they hold their first grandchild.

She hasn't had the easiest life. With her husband as the right-hand man of the Dark Lord and her son following in his father's footsteps, she aged prematurely due to the stress. Ever since the end of the war though, things have been good.

She doesn't fear dying like he did, but she fears growing grey and senile in her old age. She never wants to lose her mind, never wants to be unable to realize what's going on around her. She never wants to be unable to separate fiction from reality.

She's excited to a grandmother and hopes she can be there for a long part of Scorpius's life as he grows into a man. She hopes that she ages gracefully, even maintaining her beauty – something she has always taken great pride in – in her advance age.

What she does know is that no matter how old she gets, she'll always be Draco's mother and Scorpius's grandmother. She'll be there for the two of them, no matter what.