"But daddy, it's only seven! I want to stay up, please, oh please!" Scorpius tugged at his father's pants desperately. Draco looked down at his son with a sly smile.

"Don't even try the sad puppy dog face, Scorpius… I basically invented that." Scorpius let go of his father's pants and flopped his arms down onto the floor with a thud. Astoria walked in hand in hand with her daughter who was carrying a large purple balloon.

"And here comes the birthday girl!" Draco knelt down and held out his arms. His daughter giggled and ran into his arms, wrapping her legs around his torso. He picked her up, kissing her repeatedly on the forehead.

"Even she's still awake!" Scorpius whined.

"Not for long… come on." Draco swatted Scorpius's head playfully and walked up the stairs, his daughter still clinging onto him.

"Did you have a nice birthday?" Draco asked, looking into his daughter's honey brown eyes. He always wondered how they had turned out that colour. His were an icy grey and Astoria's were a dark blue. But wherever her eyes had come from – they were beautiful.

"Mhm…" she mumbled, fluttering her eyes as she tried to stay awake. Draco chuckled and placed her on her bed gently. He tucked her in and brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face.

"Goodnight dear." Draco whispered before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He turned to walk away, and just about as he was going to close the door, she spoke.

"Daddy?" Draco turned around and saw she was sitting up in her bed.

"Why am I named what I'm named?" she asked, scrunching her eyebrows together. Draco sat down on her bed next to her and sighed.

"What do you mean?" he asked, hunching down so his eyes were at the same level as hers.

"I heard… you and mummy talking… and she asked you why you decided to name me what I'm named… and you said that it just came to you, but she said she didn't believe you-,"

"Why were you listening in?"

"I'm sorry, don't be mad!" she squealed covering her face with her tiny hands. Draco chuckled, peeling her hands away from her face.

"I'm not mad… do you really want to know, though? About your name? She nodded rapidly, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Well love… when I was younger, your daddy made a lot of mistakes. I went through the wrong path in life… and I regret it. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I could have taken back the things I did."

"And what did you do, Daddy?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"That's not important… but maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

"Okay…that's fair." She sighed.

"Anyway – in all of those mistakes, I was also very, very mean to people around me."

"But daddy, why!" she gasped, shaking her head in disapproval.

"I know dear… it wasn't nice of me. But things were very complicated back then. Let me finish though. I was very mean to people and… I did things I regret. I could have had friendships but I ruined most of them. There was this one person in particular that I was horrible too. I wouldn't leave her alone… I tormented her."

"Daddy, why did you-,"

"I'm almost done, please. I tormented her. I made her life a living nightmare… and every day since May 2nd 1998, I've regretted it so badly. I tried talking to her years after the battle but when I did manage to get a hold of her, it would be two minute conversations and then she would end it. I couldn't blame her… I can't blame her. She has a beautiful, wonderful family now."

"Like ours?" she asked, her eyes beaming up at him. Draco felt like scoffing, but he held it in.

"Yes, like ours." He lied. Their family was far from wonderful. Don't' get him wrong, Draco absolutely adored his children and would do anything for them but… his marriage hadn't been going so well. Nights on end he fought with her, over petty things, but nonetheless, always fighting.

"And this girl – for years after the battle… well… I kind of had a thing for her." Draco wasn't sure how he was supposed to explain this part to his four year old daughter.

"A thing? What thing?" she asked perplexed.

"Well, basically… your Daddy thought she was very, very beautiful and…and he would have done anything to have her." Draco felt his heart twist but he pushed away the feeling.

"But what about mum?"

"No, no this was ages before I ever met your mum, dear." Draco chuckled.

"Oh, okay." She nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Well – I obviously realized my feelings for her a bit too late. But all I knew was that, I cared about her. So… when you were born, I named you after her. Actually… I think I loved her to be quite honest. And I never got my chance to tell her. Never." Draco's voice trailed off, and he felt tears prickling at his eyes.

"Are you going to cry, Daddy?" she asked, placing her hand on top of his. Draco smiled and rubbed her hand with his thumb.

"I've already done too much of that before." He whispered before kissing her head and getting up off the bed. Draco reached for the doorknob, just as she spoke again.

"You could always tell her. Just… you know… to get it off your chest." Draco turned around and stared at his daughter curled up into a ball under her sheets. Her wavy blonde hair was covering part of her face and she was clutching onto her favorite teddy bear as if it was going to disappear if she let go of it.

"Maybe."

"Goodnight Daddy." She whispered. Draco smiled and closed the door behind me. He walked over to the open window, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. And right before walking away, he whispered to nighttime sky,

"Goodnight Hermione."