Draco story. Another one-shot, obviously. Hope you like it.
Family Honor
1 year after the war, Draco Malfoy has no parents.
It's amazing they even lived that long. The Ministry was in a mess, he thinks, maybe that has something to do with it. And, he considers, it took forever for the Decree Permitting Use Of Veritaserum In Court to be accepted.
Draco cried, when his parents died. He admitted it, he was scared. He was used, so very used to Father being able to put everything right, through either legal or illegal methods, through shady and mysterious contacts, through killings and theft. So very used to Mother, telling him, stroking his hair and soothing him it would all be Ok, the Daddy would make it right again. Most of the times, Draco believed her, although in later years he angrily pushed her off and scolded haughtily that he was not a child anymore, that he knew all that. And, that it is really shameful to still use Daddy when talking to a 17-year old man.
They did not execute Draco, because he was 'young' and 'corrupted through Voldemort's terror'. Draco knew better, knew that old man Dumbledore vouched for him in his will. McGonagall brought it to him after the hearing, and in a cold, stone voice proclaimed how he was unimaginably lucky Dumbledore looked out for him, unimaginably lucky that then the whole Veritaserum Decree wasn't passed (his parents escaped and were brought back in 3 months later under the Veritaserum trial) and unimaginably lucky to still be allowed to actually have a house.
The Malfoy mansion was burned down, and Draco's new 'house' was nothing but a room in the Leaky Cauldron. He worked there now and lived of tips and kitchen scraps. Tom despises him, but now all people did and Draco was used to it.
*********
4 years after the was, Draco Malfoy has a wife.
Her name is Susannah Walker. A common name, Walker, and a Muggle one. Malfoy sees her one day, from a bench in a park, walking around and looking for a lost umbrella. It's starting to drizzle and Malfoy sees her a dilema, but old habits die hard and he wonders how stupid a person can be to lose a bright pink polka-dot umbrella (it's impossible not to overhear her loud desceptions when pleading people for help).
Draco sees the girl, and felling like an idiot mutteres Acio pink umbrella. The umbrella comes zipping by and he calls the girl, gives her the damn umbrella, and she insists on buying him cofee.
Draco learns she's a student at some Muggle college, has 2 big brothers, her aunt Sarah is dead, likes books and poetry, her favourite author is Tad Williams, her favourite food is lasgne, her favourite music is blues and that, once dry, her hair is blonde instead of brown.
She, in turn, learns various facts about Draco and comments on his name being 'so cool and dragon-like', remending her of a family called Targaryen in one of her fantasy books. She says she likes his eyes, too. Draco blinks a few minutes, and Suzie (as he now calls her), laughs. Draco doesn't uunderstand and Suzie elaborates: „ You're eyes are really nice. They're blue with little yellow flecks in them. The flecks are barely visible, though. I think your eyes go well with your name."
It's been a while since anyone's laughed with him and not hated him so Draco returns the compliment, as Mother taught him to, though she'd probably die on the spot if she knew he was talking to a muggle. Draco doesn't care anymore, he's learned now how to let go of arrogance, power and wealth, and with that, he knows no wizard or witch will ever pay him the slightest bit of kindness. He's learned that the hard way, 2 long years the hard way. So, he thinks, maybe muggles will be civil towards him, espacially this muggle girl. They don't know about Death Eaters or about Voldemort or about anything really.
Wondering if Suzie'll laugh again, Draco tells her that her hair reminds him of vanilla, because it really does. It's a sort of creamy color, Draco thinks, and very nice hair. Suzie blushes and laughs at once.
Soon, they're meeting every Thursday at that same small little coffe shop and Drcao and Suzie learn more about each other they ever thought they would. Sometime after soon, they're dating and falling in love.
Before he has time to stop and count the years, they're getting married at a modest little church because Suzie's dad is paying for half of it, and Draco's finally found a muggle job that will hire him. He doesn't want to work with wizards anymore, but he never knew how complicated the muggle world was. It took a a while to find somehing.
So they're married and Suzie is standing in fornt of him in a vanilla-white dress, her ring on her finger shining it's little saphire light on her eyes and his future certain for the first time since Hogwarts.
*********
8 years after the war, Draco Malfoy has a son.
He's a little boy, a boy with Draco's blue dragon-eyes as Suzie now calls them, a boy with Suzie's cream-colored vanilla blonde-white hair, a boy Suzie and Draco eventually decide on the name Scorpius. Suzie because she still has an obsession with dragons and fantasy creatures, and Draco because he has no objections.
They take him home, their home, not Draco's apartment in the Leaky Cauldron and not Suzie's beat-up college dorm. It's a small little place, with one floor and 4 windows, but it's all they can afford right now. Suzie works at a publishing house and Drcao still has the same job he had 4 years as a barmen. He's good at it, he's been doing it since the war, though first in the Leaky Cauldron, then in the muggle world. But no matter how good he is, the pay is the same as any barmen's.
On the drive back, the boy is quiet and Suzie is happily cuddling him and singing him nursing songs. He's asleep by the time they get home and Suzie gets him into bed and stays at the bed watching her baby sleep until she herself falls asleep and Draco leaves her there, knowing that's where she'd want to be.
He looks at the boy, looks at their little scorpion, and knows he'll be magical and soon he'll have to tell Suzie everything. He'll have to show her Diagon Alley, have to perform a spell with his wand, have to explain all about Voldemort and all about Draco and his family and all about Death Eaters.
Exhausted, he leans against the crib, strokes his wife's hair and rubs his son's belly, and wonders if they'll be able to understand.
*********
9 years after the war, Draco Malfoy had no secrets.
He's told Suzie his story, shown her Diagon Alley, performed a lumos spell on his wand and explained how he found her bright pink polka-dot umbrella so many years ago, shown her the ruins of his old mansion and bought the world-renewed The Rise and Fall of He-Who-Most-Not-be-Named to help him explain all about Death Eaters, dementors, Hogwarts, Harry Potter and everything.
Suzie is the complete opposite of what he thought.
She's happy.
Happy about wizards, witches, wands, owl post, Hogwarts, Quidditch, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, giants, broomsticks, mermaids, the Triwizard Tournament and most of all (Draco saw this coming) dragons.
He's not all that surprised she adores the Wizarding world, Merlin knows how many fantasy books she's read, hoping for exactly this kind of thing, it's just that she believed him tight away. She didn't pass out, accuse him of lying, yell at him for hours or anything of that sort. She just looked at him and gasped: "Really?".
When he tells her about his crimes and how he should have been executed, she looks at him and says, somewhat astonished: "But you're nothing like that. Well, you aren't now, at least."
She pauses, smiles happily and says "If that's all true, you've really changed, Draco. And I don't care about that. You're not like that now, and that's what matters. You used to hate meegles-" ("muggles" Draco corrects her and is amused how she's already trying to fit into his world) " but now you love me, right? Now is what matters."
Draco stares at her, unbelieving. "You mean all that?", he can't understand why she would.
"Yep. And, besides, that Dumblydore guy liked you well enough, right? Even if you did try to kill him. And he's supposed to be the best wizard ever, right? So you can't be all that bad."
*********
19 years after the war, Draco Malfoy has a son in Hogwarts.
Muggles can't go to platform nine and three quarters, so Suzie follows them to King's Cross only, staring at the wall tearfully, much to the confusion of passer-bys. Scorpius and Drcao go through by themselves and Scorpius stares and gasps at everything. Draco smiles, remembering his first time on the platform and reverently hopes Scorpius's Hogwarts will be better than his own. The boy is silent, like Drcao when he was that age, and observing everything with excitement.
Draco says, quietly, "Scorpius, remember the war I told you about?" He has never been quite this afraid for his son, knows the stories people will tell about a Malfoy. Scorpius nods. "Do not believe what other people say, believe just my version and if you don't understand something, write to me and your mother."
"Using Snake?", Scorpius asks, referring to his owl. "Yes, Snake.", Draco assures him. It's the most unusual name he's ever heard for an owl, but he's proud of his son. The Malfoys are Slytherins, through and through and however bad that reputation is, Drcao knows he's lost all hope of restoring it, but he thinks Scorpius could do that, much later in life. He hates the things his family did, but he loves them none the less and wants the Malfoy name restored to what it used to be, though not through lies and felonies. It's a horrendously complicated context and even Suzie doesn't understand what he means.
Draco raises his head, looks around at the clock and urges his son on board. "You should go now, the train'll leave soon." Scorpius stands where he is, as stubborn as Suzie is.
Draco sighs, looks at the clock again and sees the Potters and Weasleys. It's been a while, been a long while but he still owes them and when Potter makes eye-contact he nods curtly, his old Malfoy pride rising. He bends down to Scorpius and sees him staring at Potter's youngest son. "Scorpius", he mutters, wondering how big if a fool he is to be doing this. "You probably won't like that boy, so hex him as much as possible."
He owes Potter, but their sons owe each other nothing.
********
22 years after the war, Draco Malfoy is proud of his son in more ways he thought he would be.
Scorpius is in Slytherin, for one thing and Suzie and Draco receive an owl 2 days after their son left for Hogwarts and Suzie is jumping around the room in happiness, but she would be doing that if he was in Hufflepuff. Draco is much more satisfied, in a subdued sort of way and sends an owl with congratulations and a few small cakes that his son adores.
Second, he's the excellent in classes and is already in love with Quidditch and sneaks out with a friend to watch practice. Drcao is just happy he has a friend, after the war. He wants to play Keeper, he explains in letters, because the Keeper saves everything and stops the other team from scoring. His favorite class is History of Magic, because he can sleep there and he hates Herbology, his hands get all dirty.
Third, he absolutely detests Al Potter. And his stupid, puffed-up brother James who saves Al all the time whenever Scorpius wants to duel him. He tried once dueling James, he confesses and then had to stay in the Hospital Wing, so he never tries anymore. Drcao is somewhat impressed; he would walk away if a 5-year came up to him wanting to duel (this happened to Scorpius in his second year). Scorpius also hates this one Weasley girl who always beats him at tests and Draco knows Granger married the youngest son and can't help but laugh at the irony of it all.
3 years past like this, with Draco growing more and more relaxed in his son's progress, with less and less letters complaining of how people make fun of the Malfoy name.
*********
25 years after the war, Drcao Malfoy's son is in love.
Scorpius is in his 6th year and in love with the last person Draco could ever expect. He writes, explaining how he hates Al even more now, because he won't stop trying to make Lily hate him. And, he proudly writes, Lily doesn't listen to her brother and is still going out with him and still comes to all his Quidditch matches and still takes walks with him and still goes to the Three Broomsticks with him.
Draco Malfoy is utterly, utterly at a lost to explain how his son could fall in love with Harry Potter's daughter. Suzie, predictably, lectures him about true love and how it's very nice and how this way he might become friends with Harry again.
*********
29 years after the war, Scorpius is getting married.
It's his 3rd year out of Hogwarts and he works at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes in the Obliviator office. He's been dating Potter's girl for 4 years and Scorpius has finally proposed. Scorpius bought a ring, a pretty gold one with a pearl inlaid in it, Lily's favorite gem, he tells his father excitingly. The wedding is to take place outside in the open air, at the Burrow, as Lily wants, he says.
Suzie is ecstatic. She's seen wizarding places before, but never a wedding. Her blonde-gray hair that doesn't look so much like vanilla anymore is combed and braided carefully and she's got out a calm sea-blue dress that is reminiscent of her eyes, until Draco explains this is a wizarding wedding and witches and wizards were robes. Suzie nods, and screams with happiness when Draco presents the sea-blue robes he spent 30 Galleons on in Madam Malkin's Robes for All occasions.
Scorpius is already at the Burrow before Draco and Suzie leave. Suzie can't travel by Floo Powder, and Scorpius is the groom, he has to be there early, so Draco takes her through muggle car transportation.
When they arrive, Scorpius and Lily await them, Lily beautiful in her wedding-white dress, though Draco remembers Suzie's sapphire ring and the lights in her eyes and finds it hard to compare. Lily smiles at them all, a warmer greeting Draco can expect from the rest of her family. Scorpius smiles too, but then he's been smiling all day. Suzie smiles at the both of them, and Draco feels like an outsider so he says hello.
Lily's parents and siblings appear as they inch toward the main yard. Al, who is the very opposite of Scorpius, comes first, loudly and roughly pushing his way to Lily's other side. He doesn't even look at the Malfoys. Suzie (ever the peacemaker) says "Hello, Al. Scorpius told us all about you. The way you and Scorpius are is just like Draco and Harry. From the stories Draco told me about anyway." Suzie is not wrong; Al even had his father's hair, teeth, freckles, eyes, build, height and pretty much everything except the scar. Scorpius is the same with Draco, except with Suzie's hair.
Lily laughs and clutches her fiancée's hand tighter, Scorpius glowers at his mother and Al blinks a few times, obviously flabbergasted and confused, manages to mutter out: "I guess."
James shows next, tall and gangly and with his own wife, a redhead with crooked teeth and freckles spread uncaringly around her face. He's much more courteous, to Drcao's immense surprise and Vivian and him both welcome them politely and Vivian and Suzie gush over Lily's earrings. Draco studies him and Al. "You're just like your father.", he tells them. "No scar, though."
James chuckles and contradicts him: "Nah, Al is more like dad. I've got mom's eyes and her face."
Al shrugs and it's obvious he doesn't want any of this to be happening.
Next, the Weasley children. Small, delicate Rose, who Scorpius tells lives up to her name, thorns and beauty in one package. She is beautiful today, in light red robes, flushed cheeks and dancing blue eyes as Lily's maid of honor. Still, Draco remembers Suzie on her wedding day and cannot compare. Hugo is all Ron, though. Big hands, big feet, red hair and a surprised expression on his face, which has Ron's nose.
Rose greets them curtly and sharply, Hugo much the way James had, with flowers in his hands for Suzie. Suzie yells her thanks at kisses him on both cheeks.
Draco nods at all of them, and then at the main yard, the 2 Potters and the 2 Weasley's finally show.
Potter looks exactly the same, just with more grays in his hair. Draco's was already completely white. The Weasley girl is flying and lighthearted, like Suzie. The Weasley boy is scowling and the opposite of his flower-giving son. Granger (Draco can't think of her as a Weasley, not without red hair) looks just like she used to, nose pointed high and disapproving.
Suzie, in what remains to this day considered by her husband and son to be the most funniest, bravest, craziest and stupidest thing she ever did( hadn't she listened when Draco explained how this family didn't like Malfoys?), yells across the field: "HELLO, IN-LAWS!"
Draco, used to Suzie surprising him, recovers and laughs. Laughs, completely forgetting where he is or what he's doing, just caught up in the moment, the moment that is so very like all the other funny moments Suzie has at home. And, he realizes, why can't it be like all the other moments? His son is getting married, and his wife's family is now his family, however much he doesn't like it. Absurdly, he finds himself wondering if his grandson/daughter will be in Slytherin or Gryffindor.
Then Scorpius laughs, also used to Suzie and her funny moments, and Lily, James, Hugo, Rose and Al give in. The Weasley girl giggles and her brother and his wife follow her example, the cold air suddenly gasping and heaving with breath and voices.
Potter just grins and yells back at her: "I'm glad Malfoy found such a cheery wife. Merlin knows he needed it."
Suzie lips stretch across her face, her cheery, pale face.
Draco grinds his teeth together, the first to stop and start guffawing. "You're lucky I have her, Potter. She's the only reason I'll be able to put up with you and your family."
"It's the same with me, Malfoy."
Scorpius and Lily are married, Suzie cries during the ceremony, James makes fireworks explode in the air, Al congratulates the newlyweds and brings a gift and everything is all right.
Harry and Draco stand at the seat of the table, next to their daughter and son, for the very first time feeling the exact same thing.
END
I swear, I cannot write angst. I try to make it all angsty and then get all sad and I want to write a happy ending. In the original version, Draco was supposed to die before Scorpius was born. And it was supposed to be a drabble. Can't right drabbles either. Sigh...., oh, whatever. It turned out alright. Reviews please!
