Summary: Astoria is about to make the biggest decision of her life, and everyone wants to have their say about it. "I will NOT name my son Manfred!"
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable content! All belongs to its rightful owners.
What's in a Name?
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet:
~Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet, Act II Scene II
Astoria quickly and eagerly flipped through the book, scratching down notes on a piece of parchment as she went. She sat curled up, or as curled as she could be in her current state, in her favourite chair in the elegant sitting room. Paper and books littered the floor around her and her chair.
Since receiving the news a few days prior, she had enthusiastically consumed book after book, taking extensive notes. It was the product of her efforts that now covered the floor. This was a very important decision she had to make and she wanted to be as informed as possible.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed through the empty house. Astoria jumped slightly at it. She was not used to being alone in the house, usually spending the daytime hours at work at St. Mungo's, so any noise put her on edge. As well, she hadn't been expecting any visitors of any kind so the sound of someone at the door startled her.
"Coming," she called out, though the person on the outside of the door would not be able to hear her. Astoria then delicately began uncurling herself from the chair and standing up. It took some doing as her fairly large pregnant belly mad manoeuvring quite difficult from a sitting position. As well, the plushness of her chair was not making things any easier.
Finally, she made it to her fact and began shuffling towards the door. When she arrived and looked through the window to identify her impromptu guests, her heart dropped. Standing on the stoop, looking slightly annoyed, was non-other than her mother-in-law, Narcissa Malfoy. Astoria was not ready for a visit from Narcissa; her house was in a state of disarray owning in part to her lack of energy from pregnancy and her already busy work schedule. She was dressed in comfortable, but frumpy clothes; an overlarge sweater and a pair of leggings with an expandable waist. Her hair was greasy and currently contained in a messy bun. It was her day off and she was putting no effort into her appearance today. All of these would be things the prim and proper Malfoy would instantly be judging.
However, there was absolutely nothing Astoria could do about any of that at the current moment.
Instead, she plastered a fake smile on her face and opened the door.
"Narcissa! What a pleasant surprise! Do come in!" Astoria's voice was filled with faux joy and cheeriness. She thought that the older woman would return her smile with a sneer as a result of Astoria's appearance. She was surprised to say the least.
"Hello, Tori dear," Narcissa responded, her tone light and cheerful, "I thought I'd stop by and see how you and my grandchild are doing." Astoria was slightly taken aback by the uncharacteristic behaviour of her mother-in-law. It wasn't that Narcissa was a terrible woman, or that she looked down on Astoria in any way. It was just that the Malfoy matriarch was very particular and held the world to a very high standard of acceptability.
"That is very kind of you! Thank you!" Astoria exclaimed. Luckily, her shock and surprise came off as a happy surprise so she didn't offend the other woman.
"Yes, well, from what I've seen so far it is obvious that you need my help." There was the Narcissa she knew so well. She pulled out her wand and moved passed Astoria into the house. She began waving it around and cleaning the house, even though some of the things that Narcissa focused on were things that Astoria considered cleaned.
"How about you go have a shower and get yourself ready while I finish up down here," Narcissa commented over her shoulder.
"Oh no, that's fine. I can clean this up Narcissa. You needn't do it. I've just been busy with work and tired when I come home, and I've sadly let my housework duties fall to the wayside. Had I known you were coming over today, I would have taken time to tidy up." Astoria tried not to sound too smug at the dig she made at her mother-in-law and her unscheduled and unannounced visit.
"Yes, well it is always important to keep a clean house for those times you have surprise guests," Narcissa shot back. Astoria wanted to throw her hands up in the air in frustration, but resisted the urge. Instead, she took the opportunity to get away from Narcissa and headed upstairs to 'get herself ready'.
Trying to draw out the separateness as long as possible, Astoria took a long hot shower, spent more time than usual on her hair and make up, and stood in her closet looking at her clothes for several minutes after she'd already picked out her outfit. Finally, nearly forty minutes after leaving Narcissa's company, Astoria felt she could no longer continue to put off the inevitable. Looking very presentable, she descended the stairs and began searching the lower level for her mother-in-law. She finally found her in the sitting room, staring down at the books and papers that were spread out on the floor.
Astoria swore under her breath and contemplated running, or more likely waddling, out of the house as fast as she could.
"Narcissa?" she called out, going against every sense of self-preservation she had. The older woman turned around, Astoria's list of baby names clutched in her hand and a strange expression on her face. It was sort of a combination between joy, excitement, surprise, and something else that Astoria couldn't quite put her finger on but set her on edge.
"A boy?" Narcissa asked, her tone mystified, "You're having a boy?" Astoria nodded hesitantly, slightly afraid of Narcissa's strange expression and tone.
"Yes," she responded hesitantly, "we found out a few days ago. We were just talking about when we were going to tell everyone. We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little, maybe decided on a name first. It is just all so very new to us." After her initial hesitance, Astoria began rambling, trying to explain it all away in the hopes that Narcissa wouldn't get angry at not receiving the news as soon as it was known.
"Oh, I know dear! News like this is special and you want to celebrate it amongst yourselves for a moment." Narcissa moved forward and grabbed Astoria's hand lovingly. She then pulled the younger woman towards the comfortable couch.
"Now that you know it's a boy, I see you've already started, its time to start picking names. I'm sure you are aware of my family' naming tradition. For generations, all Black family descendants have been named after celestial bodies. Even Draco, though not a Black in name, carried on this tradition. It would really mean a lot to me if you continued the tradition with your son. After all, we are the last of the Blacks.
"There are several names you could choose from, of course. Orion is always very popular. Then there's Regulus or Arcturus. Pollox is a good suggestion. As is Castor. And of course, my father's name, Cygnus would be a very great, very honourable name for your son."
Narcissa continued on naming stars and constellations. With each new suggestion, Astoria's sense of dread increased. It was obvious that this name was very important to her mother-in-law, but she hated every name suggested. She wasn't sure how she was going to get around this problem. All she knew was that she had to figure out a way. Fast.
Astoria temporarily escaped her mother-in-law's naming pressure by smiling, telling Narcissa that she had come up with some great names, and that she would like to think about them and talk them over with Draco. Narcissa had smiled warmly, agreed to put the discussion on the back burner, and then stayed for another two hours to share tea and gossip. When the older woman finally left, Astoria was so exhausted with the emotional turmoil she had experienced throughout the visit that she fell asleep in her favourite chair and remained there until Draco came home from work just before midnight.
The following few weeks passed in relative calm for the expectant mother. She spent time at work, went out with friends, and continued to pour over the baby name books, still unsure of what she wanted to name her son. She would have liked to ask co-workers and friends for suggestions, but she and Draco had agreed to tell family first.
His parents already knew about their grandson-to-be, but Astoria's had been on a continental tour for the past month. So she'd been forced to wait for her parents' return.
Finally, only a few weeks before her due date, Astoria received an owl informing her that her mother and father were home and requesting his presence at a family brunch that upcoming Sunday. While nervous at the prospect of telling her family and hearing the suggestions her mum and sister would no doubt conjure up, Astoria felt like it would be the final step in deciding on a name and wanted to get it over with.
The first half of brunch was consumed with tales of her parents' trip. They told about magical communities and ships they visited. They regaled their children about the distinct and inter-connected histories of witches and wizards they'd discovered. They detailed ornate buildings and homes. By the end of it, Astoria felt as is she had no need, besides perhaps seeing the sights in person, for a vacation of her own.
Finally, as the last cups of coffee were being served and the final few biscuits and scones were being eaten, it was Astoria's and Daphne's turns to share. Daphne began talking about her job and her boyfriend drama (she hadn't been able to keep a man for longer than six months). Astoria heard very little of what her sister said because she was mentally preparing for her turn.
Narcissa may be pushy in terms of what to name her son, but Daphne and her mother were sure to be ten times worse. And there were two of them.
"What about you, Tori? Get any baby news while we were gone?" her mother asked, leaning forward in her chair. It was now time to tell them her news. She took a deep breath and began speaking.
"In fact, we did. A few weeks ago, Draco and I learned that we are having," she paused for dramatic affect, "a boy!" Squeals of joy erupted from the Greengrass women. Her mother, still squealing, stood from her chair and embraced Astoria in an awkward sitting hug. She then returned to her spot and waited for Daphne to settle down. Once there was relative calm in the dinning room, Mrs. Greengrass began to speak.
"Well, seeing as you've know this for a while, I assume you've though of and looked into some names." Knowing where her mother was heading, but not having a way out, she forged ahead.
"I've been looking, I just haven't found one that I absolutely love yet." A look crossed her mother's face.
"Well, you know, I came up with quite the list of boy names while I was pregnant. When I did not use it for you girls, I saved it encase either of you had the pleasure of having a boy. Oh Tori, it would just mean the world if you named your boy a name that I was thinking of giving you had you been a boy." With a far off look at the fantastic possibility that Astoria would choose one of her names, her mother waved her wand and produced a long piece of parchment. Quick as lightning, Daphne snatched the list and began reading before Astoria even had the chance to glimpse a single suggestion.
"There are some great options here Mum. I'm sure Astoria will definitely pick one for her son. It would be very special if she did," Daphne's tone left nothing to the imagination. She was clearly pressuring her younger sister to pick a name on the list and make their mother extremely happy.
"You could choose from some quite distinguished names, like Rutherford, or Abraham. Abel is another good choice, or Truman," Daphne listed, reading names off the list in front of her
"Yes, those are good. As are Floyd and Ulysses," their mother added, remembering some of her favourite names.
"Oh! You could name him Oscar or Franklin!"
"I'll give you the list, Tori. You can look it over on your own time and make your decision at your own pace. But, just to let you know, my favourite is Manfred and I think that would be the best name for you to choose. It would really make me so overjoyed to know how much you valued my opinion on this matter." Astoria fought the urge to roll her eyes as her mother rolled on the guilt. If Astoria did not pick a name from her mother's list, she would be breaking her heart and devaluing her knowledge of being a mother.
Daphne handed over the list and Astoria quickly scanned through it. While there were a few names that were not half bad, most were absolutely terrible and better suited to a crotchety old man and not a baby.
The prospect of picking from the horrid list, combined with the competing expectations of her mother-in-law, created a know in the pit of her stomach. She was uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of brunch, trying to figure out what she was going to do about a name for her son.
"Are you feeling alright? You were awfully quiet at the end of brunch," Draco asked, as he helped Astoria remove her coat.
"I'm fine. I was just… thinking," she responded, her voice distracted. She waddled away into the kitchen of their house. Draco, still concerned, followed her.
"And what were you thinking about that's got you so out of sorts?" he asked, sitting at the small table in the kitchen and watching his wife move about the space.
"I'm not out of sorts," Astoria responded, pouring herself a drink, "I was just quiet for a moment. Its not that strange!" Astoria, not wanting to discuss what was on her mind, decided to lash out defensively in the hope that Draco would back down. However, the blond male was far too cunning to fall for her feeble ruse.
"Well, considering you just poured yourself a refreshing drink of cooking fat, I'd say you are, in fact, out of sorts." Astoria, who had been moments away from downing the fat, took a second look at her drink and then slowly lowered it back to the counter.
"Both of our mum's want me to pick one of their names, but I hate them all!" Astoria finally opened up, slumping down into a chair across from Draco.
"Were they really that bad?" Draco asked. He hadn't seen her mother's list and had only gotten the Sparks Notes version of her conversation with his mother, so it was a valid question. However, in her current emotional and stressed out state, Astoria did not see it as such.
"Manfred, Draco! My mother's favourite name for a boy is Manfred! I am NOT naming my son Manfred!" She pulled her mother's list out of her bag and pushed it towards Draco. He was quite for a few minutes as he read the list.
"What do you think of Hyperion?" he asked hesitantly. Astoria thought about it for a few seconds.
"It's not the worst name on the list," she responded.
"I think its' a good name. it means 'the high one'. That's a pretty good name for our son," Draco made his voice sound as convincing as possible, hoping to win Astoria over and end her current turmoil.
"It does have a good meaning, but I'm still not sure…"
"How about as a middle name?" Draco quickly responded, picking up on her reticence and trying to come up with a solution.
"A middle name would be fine. But what about a first name? We still don't have a first name and that's the most important part!" Astoria, who had moments before been calming down began working herself back up again. Draco reached across the table and grabbed her hand, stroking it gently to help calm her down.
"I was thinking about that," he stated quietly. Her ears perked up and she looked into his eyes. "I would like to include a Black family name, not just to appease my mother but because I like the tradition. What do you think about Scorpius?"
Astoria was quite for a moment, thinking about the suggestion. She even tried the name a few times, looking at her growing stomach as she did so. Finally she looked up at her husband.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy sounds like an excellent name."
The End
A/N: Happy (late) Mother's Day!