A/N: Goooooo Chudley Cannons!
Okay, here are the prompts: 8. (word) frog. 9. (quote) "Your words create what you speak about, learn to speak positively" . 12. (word) confounding.
"Failures are the stepping stone to success." My mother said as she sipped tea. She nodded at my father, "This man failed so much. But he did succeed in the end, didn't he? He managed to protect you." She continued. I looked at my father who pretended to be very interested in the ugly painting of a frog by his mother. I rolled my eyes. My father always avoided coming to terms to with his past.
"Anyway," my mother said, finishing her tea and placing the cup on the table. "You should go end it now. And Draco, honestly, wipe that look off your face. And if you speak lowly of yourself, she will use it. Don't look at me like that." My mother said sternly and stood up to go to her room.
"Draco, a word." My father came to me. "Your words create what you speak about, learn to speak positively."
"Father," I said in a resigned tone. "How can anything positive ever come out of this?"
"I do not know, to be honest. But it is worth a try."
"I will bear that in mind, father,"
"You don't have to do what your mother says. Maybe you can make your own happy path. Think about it. And Draco, remember. In such situations, words are your greatest weapon."
I nodded.
"Goodbye, son."
I apparated away to Diagon alley. I strode past the common shops to the Leaky Cauldron, where she was staying. I walked in, nodded at Tom and went upstairs.
I entered her suite, after confounding a couple of wizards who were confused as to why I was there.
"Granger!" I yelled. "Come out!"
Hermione hurried out of a room. She had just taken a shower, her hair was still damp and she was in muggle clothing – shorts and a shirt. She smelled like strawberry, which was probably her shampoo's work.
"Will you keep it low?" she asked angrily.
I was stunned. A year back, when we had eloped, we fought regularly. But she never asked me to keep quiet. So why now? Unless there was someone else...
"Why should I? Been with someone else during the separation, Id bet. Couldnt you even wait for the divorce, Hermione? I bet its the weasel. He cant afford you a new pair of robes." I sneered.
Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. "Draco- you can't... you can't think like that.." she choked.
"Dont say my name! Filthy mudblood!" I spat, anger dissolving my reason and rational thinking.
"Draco!" she said horrified, clutching her heart and staggering backwards into a wall.
"Its him, isn't it? Inside your room? I bet you don't want him to hear me. You wouldn't have told him you called me over. But for what, Granger? I no longer lust for your dirty body."
A part of me wanted to stop. It wanted me to fall at her feet, beg her for forgiveness and beg for her to take me back.
But the other inhuman, cruel, death eater part of me was on a roll.
She slumped against the wall to the floor, her tears flowing freely. "Dra-Draco... Stop..." she begged weakly.
"Why should I? Isn't it the weasel? No? Who then? Potty? Decided to cheat on his readhead?"
She simply closed her eyes and sobbed silently, too weak to speak anymore.
"Who else, Granger? Have you turned this into your full time business?"
"DRACO MALFOY! YOU STOP HERE NOW!" she yelled furiously and there was a silence.
I was stunned. She was stunned.
And the next instant, I heard a cry.
The cry of a baby.
Hermione hurried inside. I followed meekly. She picked up the crying baby and murmurmed to it and cradled it.
I froze.
The baby. It had all too similar pale blonde hair, and it opened it wet grey eyes to look at me and coughed.
"Her-Hermione?"
She looked at me, expressionless.
"Is.. is that?"
"Meet Scorpius Hyperion Granger, Draco." She said.
"No." I whispered. This couldn't be.
How could I be so cruel to her ? How could I have uttered such horrible words to her?
"Yes, this indeed is." Hermione said coldly and placed the sleeping child on her bed.
"Hermione... I... let's get back together." I blurted out. I wanted it too, I badly wanted it.
"You ruined everything with your words Draco. That was my intention of calling you here, to make it all right. But the words you said..." she shook her head sadly.
"No! No, Hermione, No! I didn't mean any of them! Forgive me, please. Please, Let's end this all and make a new start! I'll leave my family, everything! Just you, me and Scorpius! We will move to France, Germany, wherever you want..."
"Stop, Draco. I don't want anything, Just leave." She said.
Something changed in me due to the way she said it. The ruthless side of me resurfaced.
"Hermione," I said in a very dangerous tone. "Give me Scorpius."
"No!" she cried, trying to go near the child.
"Petrificus totalus!" I said, whipping out my wand and hitting her with the blue jet.
I picked up Scorpius and examined him. He looked too much like me, and none like Hermione. Nobody would believe he was her child. And the whole wizarding world was looking for Hermione for the past one year. She took polyjuice when she had to go to public. So, my plan was flawless. She would just remember waking up, and everything will be alright. For her.
I turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I love you. But if I am losing you, I am not losing the proof of our union too." I said and pointed my wand at her and choked out, "Obliviate"
I unfreezed her and stunned her before apparating back to my manor with our child.
"Well, not bad." My mother said, examining Scorpius.
Not bad? Was he her little pet? He was my son! He was perfect in every way.
"I suppose we could take up the Greengrasses on their offer then." She said to my father.
"I am sorry, what?" I asked.
"Well, Astoria Greengrass is their younger daughter. Nobody would marry her because she cannot conceive. But we already have an heir. And you and the mudblood were missing for over a year... so nobody is going to know. Lucius, floo them." She ordered my father.
I was reeling. And just then I realised. Every part of my life has been a failure. I had a chance to fix it, but I messed that too. I am a failure. Draco Malfoy is the very definition of failure.
