Scorpius Abraxas Malfoy. Adorable, wavy haired blonde cherub. Stormy grey eyes. Perfect little cherry red, cupid's bow lips. Chubby legs and cheeks. Sweetest baby I had ever had the pleasure to meet. Why his prat of a father saw fit to saddle him with a name like Scorpius Abraxas I will never understand. I simply call him Sam. He seems to like it. Well, he giggles when he hears me say it. His father, however, doesn't like it at all.
"His name isn't Sam, Granger. It is Scorpius. Please refrain from using that horrid name for my son. You will just confuse him if you continue to call him by the wrong name."
"He is six months old, Draco. I could call him cat, and it would amuse him. He has no idea. Besides, he is my son too. I will call him by any name I choose. I carried him for nine months, then labored for sixteen hours before I gave birth to him. I think that entitles me to call him whatever I choose."
All I get for my efforts is a roll of his grey eyes that are an exact match for my beautiful baby boy's. Then he walks away. He knows there is no point in arguing with the mother of his only child. He learned that lesson long ago.
I move to the side of the crib to pick up my son. He really is the happiest baby. He rarely cries. He always wakes up with smile on his precious face. And he giggles at everything these days. It is very difficult to be in a bad mood when Sam is around.
"Come on, sweet Sam. Let's go see where your daddy went. I think he is a little miffed with mummy. Maybe you can help get a smile out of him."
I get a gurgle and coo in response. I guess that means "Sure, mum. Whatever you think is best."
We finally find Draco in his study. He is sitting at his big, mahogany desk looking for all the world like the king of his world. And I guess he kind of is.
After the war, his father was acquitted of all charges when testing showed he had spent years under the Imperius curse. When the curse was lifted, it left Lucius weakened and in need of medical care. He turned over all responsibilities for the family businesses to Draco. That was four years ago. We had expected him to at least take part in some of the decision making once he recovered, but instead, he decided take Narcissa on a second honeymoon. A vacation that was now entering its second year. They would occasionally return for a few days to visit, and then they were off again to somewhere exotic. Their visits home had become more frequent since the arrival of their only grandchild.
Draco had taken to the leadership of the companies remarkably easily. He was born to run the family business he likes to remind me. But, honestly, I would not have thought he would enjoy it as much as he did. He always talked about playing Quidditch professionally when we were at Hogwarts. I suppose that was just the dream of every teenage wizard though. He does still play with Theo, Blaise, and some of his other old Slytherin housemates. They get together every other Saturday morning for a couple of hours. Now that we have Sam, Draco has started talking about the day he can take his son along to play. That is something we will be having several long, and probably loud, discussions about, I'm sure.
I stand in the doorway admiring my handsome husband until Sam decides he has had enough waiting. He wants to see his daddy. He squirms in my arms, gurgling. That brings Draco's attention to us. He looks up from his paperwork and smiles. That genuine smile that brightens his whole face and lights up his eyes. That is the Draco Malfoy I fell in love with. The smirks and sneers were reserved for his business associates these days.
"There is my boy. Up from his nap already?" Draco rises gracefully from his chair and crosses the room to take Sam from my arms and nuzzle against our little boy's velvety cheek.
"His naps seem to be getting shorter in duration. I guess we have entered a new stage of development, haven't we, sweet Sam?" I coo to my my baby, while running my hand gently down his back.
As I look up into Draco's face I see the glare. "Scorpius."
"Draco, stop. I am going to call him Sam until he is old enough to decide for himself if he wants to be called by his proper name. If he chooses to use Scorpius, I will abide by his wishes. But until then, I will use Sam. It's sweet. Scorpius is far too proper and grown up for someone so young."
Draco doesn't respond to me. He turns and walks to the French doors that lead to the patio and then on to the formal gardens. He stands there looking out over the grounds and I wonder what he is thinking about. He can't actually be angry that I want to use a nickname for our son. I decide to be blunt and simply ask.
"Draco, are you angry with me? Why does it bother you so much that I have a nickname for Scorpius?"
He doesn't speak immediately. He seems to be contemplating the question. Then he turns away from the doors and looks directly into my eyes.
"Do you really hate the name I chose so much that you can't use it?" He asks me.
"I don't hate his name. I know why you chose it. You wanted to uphold the Black family tradition of naming children after celestial bodies. And you chose Abraxas to honor your Malfoy grandfather. And if you remember, I agreed with your decision about his name. After all the strife in your family during the war, it made me happy to know you were embracing both Black and Malfoy traditions. No Draco, I don't hate the name you chose for our son. I am just as proud to be mother to Scorpius Abraxas Malfoy as I am to be married to Draco Lucius Malfoy. But other than the little bit of wave in his hair there is nothing of me in our son. He looks just like you did at this age. Narcissa showed me the pictures. He acts like you. I just think while he is little I want something that is just for me. We may never have another child. The Malfoy's aren't known to be especially prolific. If Scorpius is it for us, I want a memory of he and I that's just for me." I can feel the tears begin to fill my eyes. I step away from him, only to feel his warm hand wrap around my wrist and pull me back.
"Don't go." I hear him say quietly. "I didn't know you felt that way. But now that I hear the words, I can't say that I am surprised. All through your pregnancy, you liked spending time alone. I remember finding you many times in the rocking chair in the nursery singing or talking to our unborn son. It was such a beautiful picture, I didn't want to disturb you so I just left you alone. I figured it was something you needed. And I guess having a special nickname for him that is just yours, isn't all that different."
He let go of my wrist and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body. I snuggled in to him, wrapping one arm around Sam and the other around Draco's back. We stood that way for a long while, just enjoying being a family. Until our peace was broken by our adorable boy's hungry cry.
Draco let go of me and shifted our babies' little body in his arms to look in his face and said "Well, Sam, I guess it's time for your dinner."
Surprised to hear him use my name for our son, I looked into that handsome face I loved so much and saw him grin back at me. Then he leaned forward, pressing his lips to my forehead, gently.
"I love you, Hermione Malfoy. And Sam loves his mummy too."