A/N: Yeah so I sort of, well I definitely got the idea to write this from another story by RBlack called My Name is James Sirius Black, but the rest of it evolved to something else. So in one way it's like that story, but the rest, even the character choice is mine. With that I ask you to read on. Please know that Italics are the words the character is remembering other people said. Sorry I'm trying not to give anything away.
Disclaimer: SIRIUS- Simply It Really Isn't Uniquely (my) Story, not bad hun? Don't sue me, or call me, or e-mail me, about it.
--
In Telling My Story, I Tell His
I'm not writing this to please anyone. I'm writing this so one day when my children want to know who their father was, they will know. And I know you may think- then it will probably please them won't it? But once they read the story though, they might be anything but pleased. And as they are my children, they may even want someone to pay. But that's far from now- the future; this is about my past.
I will start not with my school days, but with my twenties. Why you ask? Because they can be explained with one word: Azkaban. I had spent the majority of my twenties rotting a way in a prison cell in Azkaban. With nothing to think about but why I had ended up there.
About four years into my stay, it seems the Ministry found a way to trust the Dementors and the criminals in the same place without fear of a mass breakout. It was horrible. Having to relive some of the most terrible moments of my life over and over again is not an experience I recommend to anyone.
I think I survived off of one thought. And that brings me to my last days of school. I was about to be 17 in less than a month. I was facing the most dangerous task of my life. It was a long road riddled with failures as well as success. And it all paid off, I had succeeded. But I couldn't finish.
So really I failed. And failure was not acceptable. At least, not in my family or should I say families? And fail I did, but that's what keeps me going. My one thought is: I failed in killing Albus Dumbledore. The Dementors come after me and I relive lost Quidditch matches, yelling from my father, and Voldermorts threats on my family, and the death of my father.
But in between moments of torture, I remember I failed in killing Dumbledore. I failed because it was not Voldermorts threats of killing my family going through my head when I had my wand pointed at Dumbledore, but Dumbledore's words:
"Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldermort"
Yes, those words were in my head. I don't even know how they got there. I was barely paying attention when he said them after Diggory died, but there you have it. And as the words sounded and repeated, I thought if that's what happened to someone like Diggory, then what would happen to me? I was none of those things. What use would I be to Voldermort after this, surely not much? And it was with that thought that I had begun to lower my wand.
Yes, I kept this memory in my mind after the Dementors had had their fun, and I continued to live while others around me died. I often wondered whether it was worth it. Not the memory so much, but not killing Dumbledore. I doubt I would have been able to pull it off, but I didn't even try. Maybe if I had tried I wouldn't have been sitting in that cell. Maybe it all would have been different.
But I don't deal in maybe's. Never have, wasn't part of the way I was raised. Not that that's saying much. And I had to believe that Dumbledore's words that had floated in my head that day were worth it.
--
Even on the day I was caught I had to believe it was worth it. I had just silently turned 17 not long ago. It was silent because for the first time in my life, my birthday was not a big deal and I could do nothing about it. I had been staying in Voldermorts (the Dark Lord I would have called him then) care but he had not requested to see me. I knew it was not good by the way Snape would looked at me. And then one day Snape had come to where I had been staying. He gave me the key to escape my room and told me how to escape and that I should try and get as far away as possible. And that maybe I should just let myself get caught, that I would be safer in Azkaban. I thought he was insane. But I promised him I would leave. On my way out I went by a room I had never been before. I heard yelling. Not argument yelling, but "Crucio" yelling. It was the mot unpleasant thing I had ever heard. Not because it was agony, but because it was Snape. I knew it was his voice, and I was frozen. I couldn't move. Voldermort was making snide comments above his screams.
"You know you deserve this pain Severus, don't you? Yes you killed Dumbledore the one person who was standing in the way of my plans, but you were not the one I asked to do so. So now you suffer."
The screaming continued and then it stopped. It stopped so suddenly that I thought perhaps it wasn't real. That maybe he was faking it.
"But if that was all of my disappointment I would dismiss you now. It has come to my knowledge that even after all of that, you may still be unfaithful to me. That you took an Unbreakable Vow to protect the boy. That is noble, but the only nobility I value is to me, and so I must punish you again."
I thought perhaps that I would hear screaming again but I heard nothing.
"And it is with the deepest regret that I must also add that your Vow to the boy will be your downfall. You see in killing Dumbledore you have made him and yourself quite useless to me now. So I have no choice but to dispose of the both of you. Avada Kedava"
I heard a thump. And whatever had me frozen, had let me go, and I left. I let myself be caught as Snape had told me to. He was right. I was under Ministry watch and safe from Voldermort. But there was a glitch in Snape's plans, with him dead, my innocence died with him, and I was stuck in Azkaban.
--
Dumbledore's words turned out to be worth it 12 years later. I had woken up to see a wizard standing by my cell door. And not just any wizard-
"Er…"
"You haven't seen me for 12 years and all you can say is 'Er' Potter?"
"I can see nothings changed about you then, hun Malfoy?"
"I've been better actually. Maybe if you haven't noticed I've been stuck in prison for twelve years for a crime I didn't commit."
"I noticed, and it took me 12 years to correct it"
"What are you talking about Potter? Has all the fame of defeating Voldermort made you nuts?"
"No it hasn't. Not that some people didn't try to do that the first time I defeated him as a baby, if you recall"
"This is all very quaint Potter, but could you get to the part about correcting this"
"Right. You're being released from Azkaban"
At first I was shocked. He must be nuts. Or a cruel Auror joke.
"Is this some sort of joke you and your Auror friends are getting at?"
"No. No joke. Unless of course, you want to stay in here? I'm sure that could be arranged as well"
"Are you Mental? Of course I want to get out of here, I just don't understand why?"
"I'm sure we could discuss the finer points of this outside. In fact there's a loads of people waiting to talk to you"
"Now they want to talk to me? They weren't so keen to talk to me when they sent me in here, were they?'
"Are you coming or not Malfoy?"
I left Azkaban for the last time that day; never to return. After giving me some clothes we apparated to the Ministry. He led me to the same courtroom that sent me to Azkaban.
"Potter wait."
"What?"
"I want to know what's going on before I walk in there"
"Fair enough. I was on the tower that day. I know you didn't kill Dumbledore."
"I know that much. How did I end up in jail for his murder then?"
"Well what they didn't know is you didn't even attempt to kill him. While at first I made it clear that you weren't the one to kill him, I never made it clear that you didn't attempt either."
"So? Why's that matter?"
"Because the day after they arrested you, Snape's body was found with the Dark Mark over it."
"I- I was there when Voldermort killed him. Not there watching, but listening"
I told him what had happened that night.
"Yeah well we figured out later that he hadn't died where they found him."
"What's Snape's body got do with me?"
"With the body and the Mark were other things. Things that contradicted what I told them."
"What things?"
"A note, supposedly written by Snape, claiming he had not meant to kill Dumbledore but had meant to stop you form doing so and the spells ricocheted and killed Dumbledore."
"Come off it Potter, they believed the note?"
"Not at first, but not long after that, they caught like 5 Death Eaters, and they all admitted that what Severus said was true."
"It was a set up, it had to be"
"It was, but no wanted to believe it. Or should I say no one wanted to believe me"
"Why in the bloody hell not?"
"Has all that time in Azkaban made you forget that nobody ever wants to believe me? They said that maybe I thought it had been Snape's and I didn't see it well. Or that my hatred for Snape made me imagine who did what. Even people from the Order who still wanted to believe that Snape was good, started to doubt me."
"So I was imprisoned for…"
"Dumbledore's attempted murder. And as the murderer himself was now dead, they lashed out on you"
"I see. And it took you 12 years to correct this?"
"Yes. I was a bit busy when it first started; I still had to defeat Voldermort you know? But after the war, the tasks became to hunt down the rest of the Death Eaters."
"The one's who hadn't been caught"
"Exactly. Plus there was now the task of finding out exactly what Voldermort had done"
"Come again Potter"
"He killed loads more people in the time between your arrest and his death. If not directly, indirectly. Some people may have not been Death Eaters but they definitely weren't on the side for good. I became an Auror; we had to find ways to get the Death Eaters and the other followers we hadn't killed to talk, not an easy job."
"I bet. You know what else isn't easy? 12 years in Azkaban Potter, what's this got to do with me?"
"The majority of that work took about 5 to 6 years. Then Snape's name came up. None of the Death Eaters we had in custody could give us information on his death. We came to the conclusion that none of them had been there. And if none of them had been there, then that meant the Dark mark must have been a ruse to get people there. Then we caught MacNair."
"MacNair? Didn't he die, that's' what I heard from one of the Death Eaters before the Dementors came back"
"That's what we thought. Wasn't him, he faked his own death. Came stumbling out of a bar drunk off Firewhiskey in New Zealand. Someone realized who he was and floo'd us. We put him under Veritaserum and he spilled the beans."
"So this was still 5 to 6 years ago?"
"After 7 when we got him. 8 by the time we had procured the order to test him on Snape. But he died shortly after."
"Why don't I know about this? I was in Azkaban; I don't remember him coming in"
"You wouldn't, we didn't tell the Dementors, they tended to take the souls of some of the more well known Death Eaters, we couldn't have that, at least not while we were still questioning him. We kept him away from the rest of you, but they found out anyway. We still don't know how actually…"
'So were at 8 years"
"Well we did get the information, and that lead us back to you. And for the last four years I've been trying to convince the Ministry to let you go."
"Four years?"
"Yeah, it became easier after Hermione realized that Snape had really been on our side to his death. That was only in the last year though, before then, they seemed content with keeping you in here."
"And now they've decided to release me?'
"They don't have a choice."
"Why's that?"
"Fenrir's been brought to justice and he was there that night when Dumbledore died. Spilled the beans for a couple of raw steaks every month. His story correlated perfectly with mine."
"So a werewolf was all I needed to be free?"
"Er… actually Malfoy, I- I…"
"I what Potter?"
"I guess I should tell you now (sighs) your mother died"
My head started spinning. I could feel tears coming from my eyes. I'm not sure if they were all sad tears. Some of them were happy- ones that I had held in after Potter had told me I was free. Some of them were angry- ones I wish I could have shed in prison after a Dementor attack. Mostly they were bittersweet- I'm finally free and my mother won't see it.
"Er… do you need a minute or something, I can tell them to wait"
"No it's ok."
I walked in the room. Some of the faces were old and familiar from when I first got sent in. Some were brand new altogether. And a few were recognizable as people I'd gone to school with.
"The Wizengamot recognizes Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgour" Someone said.
"Yes Draco Malfoy you are here-" The Minister spoke.
"I know why I'm here, you finally realized that I'm innocent you morons. Excuse me, some of you weren't here last time, but to the ones that were, you're morons."
"Mr. Malfoy, I would suggest you restrain yourself" The Minister stated.
"Restrain myself, I am restraining myself. Do you think if you were me, and had spent 12 years of your life in Azkaban you'd be able to just stand here and not attack you, Mr. Minister?"
"May I speak?"
It was the mudblood. I wasn't sure at first, her hair was straight, but it's definitely her.
"The Chair Recognizes Hermione Jane Granger Ministry Auror and St. Mungo's Healer" the voice said.
"As I already reminded you earlier, he has every right to be mad, and every right to lash out. So if you don't think you'll be able to get past his lack of respect I'll take over from here" She said feverishly.
"That is to say-" the Minister started.
"Brilliant." She said cutting them off, and then turned to address me. "Mr. Malfoy, the Ministry in its haste to appease a public that wanted justice, rushed to give it to them and it cost one man- Severus Snape his life; and another man- you; 12 years of your life. Nothing we can say or do can bring back those twelve years, or make up for them. Nothing. And I suggest you remember that as well, do you understand so far?" She said very business like.
"Yeah I understand"
"Good. As restitution for your time served a reasonable amount of gold has been added to your account at Gringott's. Which as of your mother's death-"
It stung when she said it, and I knew she had noticed but she continued all the same.
"-has made your account already quite well padded. In short, you were rich before jail and you are even richer upon leaving it." She said thinking it would probably make me a bit happier.
"Money isn't everything. You can keep it."
"Yes... well that's very generous of you Malfoy" She seemed shocked at my statement, Azkaban can change any man's old ways, just give it time. "And if you truly don't want it, you'll have to decide where the money will go then. As for everything else, this has been a completely discreet matter. In other words no one knows you are being released but we cannot guarantee this secrecy once you step out of this building so if there is anything you want to request before leaving the Ministry, it will happily see to making sure we can help you get it." She said still business like.
"When did my mother die?"
"Two days ago. It was her last wish to see you free." She said now dropping some of her business tone.
'How do you know?"
"I asked her. I think she believed my sincerity." she replied with sincerity.
"You? A mudblood?" I said maliciously to gage her sincerity now.
People gasped. But she didn't.
"Yes, mudblood and all, she told me." She replied with pride.
Pride I never had in being a Malfoy, and here she was with tons of it as a mudblood. Granger always did have guts, and time hadn't subdued them a bit.
"You say no one knows about this?"
"That's correct" She said back to the midway between business and sincerity voice.
"Then can you say I died?"
"What?' she said shcoked.
More people gasped. They started whispering.
"Why on heaven's earth would you want us to say that?" She asked curiously.
"To start over. It's just like you said Granger, nothing you can do or I can do can change these last 12 years. I see that most in just looking at you and Potter and isn't that MacMillian over there, Goldstein, Finnigan, you guys were the same year as me and look at where you're at, and look at where I'm at. No this is no life for me, for a Malfoy. And I realized long before I went to jail that I didn't have what it takes to be one. And as far as I'm concerned, if my mother has died, then so has the last Malfoy."
"Are you sure about this Malfoy? We won't change it for you if you decide to change your mind." She still seemed shocked.
"No. I'm sure. When I leave here, I won't be Draco Malfoy, I'll be some one else."
"Ok, then. But then you should stay some place hidden until tomorrow. There's still time to make the Evening Prophet. We can put the word out in there. Would you like a quiet death or to go out in a bang?" She asked simply.
I looked up at her; she had a twisted smile on her face. Other people seemed to be wondering what I was.
"What are playing at Granger?"
"You'll see." she said slyly.
--
That was the last day I was Draco Malfoy. The next day I became the man you know of today. Narcius Severus Black. My fathers name was Lucius Malfoy, he was a known Death Eater who was used and killed by the thing he chose to look up to. Though I hate my father and what he was, I looked up to him for most of my young life. And he taught me how to get what I want out of life, and made me see the type of father I never wanted to be; and that is something I am grateful for. Narcissa Malfoy- Lucius wife; she played her role as a Death Eaters wife until it meant that it might cost me my life. And then she played a role much more important than that one- my mother. She showed me the love I never got from my father, but never looked for from her. And it was with that, that I came up with my first name Narcius, a combination of their names.
By now you know who Severus is. He was the next closest thing I had to a father for a good while. He put his life on the line for mine, as well as countless others. And so I chose his name as my middle name. And my sons, Severus Draco Black, and Narcius Severus Black the II, you now know why you both are named after him.
As for my last name, I had know idea what to use. At first I thought strongly of going with Snape. But Severus was named after his father who was a muggle. I am not the muggle hater I once was, but I couldn't bear to go that far. But it was Potter and Granger who gave me the idea for Black. It was after all my mother's last name before she married my father. But more importantly it was my Aunt Bellatrix, my mother's sister who killed the last of the Black males. His name was Sirius Black. He had a younger brother who had been killed because of Voldermort too, but he died first. Potter said he thought it would be good if I restarted the Black line. He was Sirius's godson so I thought if anyone could decide who could do such a thing it would be him.
So yes my children, if you wish to know of your father's past you must check the name Draco Malfoy. I'm sure that by the time you read this you may be quite familiar with it. Turns out I'm rather quite popular in some books. If that's not enough you can ask Potter and Granger, they'll be able to regale you with some stories of our school days. You may be surprised at what you hear, though I don't doubt they'll embellish on some things (especially Potter) most of it will really be on point.
I have no doubt you'll be in Slytherin, and that you'll be better in Quidditch than I was, and you'll be just as good looking. Or you'll take after Granger, and be in Gryffindor, afraid of heights and have bushy hair until your mid twenties. And if that's the case, please be like her and take your studies seriously, because that's the only way you'll get anywhere with that type of hair.
This is where I leave you, enclosed I have left a book of pictures of me before I was Narcius, before Azkaban, before I turned 17. On this day, when you have turned 17 years of age, I hope you have come of age better than I did. That you have always chosen to do what is right instead of what is easy. I set out to write this to tell you about me, Narcius Severus Black; but I can't tell my story without telling his- Draco Malfoy. It was just the right thing to do.
Trust me I'm missing you,
Your father,
Narcius Severus Black, a.k.a.
Draco Malfoy
P.S.
Don't let your sister read the letter. She'll be 17 next year and she'll have her own. You can tell her what's in yours, I'm sure she'll find out anyways if you don't.
---
The now 46 year old Harry Potter handed the letter to Narcius and Severus to look at on their own. Looking at them he could see there father more and more. And though at one time it probably would have made his skin crawl, they were like sons to him. Blond hair, grey eye's, and think they're so clever. They are, unlike their father- but they get it form their mother.
"Hey mum you wanna see the letter too, I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind if we showed it to you?" Severus said.
"Yeah too bad for Janie, she's gonna be pissed… Can we be the ones to tell her she can't see it?" Narcius drawled with a smirk.
"Why do you insist on trying to torture your sister, all the time?" Hermione asked.
"Because it brings us immense pleasure" Severus answered with a smirk matching his twins.
I laughed at their display, as I always do. Narcius was exactly like Draco, down to his drawl, and smirk. Severus was wordier like Hermione, and didn't drawl, but still often spoke with the heir of knowing more than other people. Though they had never read his letter till just now, they were everything he'd asked for. Smart like their mother to back up their mouth, Slytherins resident bad boys, and Severus is a Keeper, and Narcius is Seeker for their house team.
"So Uncle Harry, did you embellish on some of the stories you told us about you and our father? I'm beginning to wonder?" Narcius drawled.
"Yes, what is the validity of the tales of victory you snatched away from his grasps?" Severus added.
"Er…" I started with an embarrassed grin.
I had never lied… I may have embellished on some things, but never lied.
"Can I come in now? I'm tired of pretending to be in my room" Janie said from the door.
Hermione went to the door to open it.
"Didn't we discuss this? I hope you weren't listening long" Hermione said angrily.
"No, not long Mum." She said slyly and sat down next to me.
This is a sure sign she's lying. Like her father she loves to do things when someone who can protect her is around.
"Yeah right" Narcius sneered.
"Ask her how long is long exactly." Severus added.
"Wait a minute… I put a silencing charm on the door, and Harry cast Muffliato, you couldn't have heard anything" Hermione pointed out.
"Well, one could hear if they had an Extendable Ear from Fred and George's shop, and they might have heard the letter from the words 'I'm not writing this to please anyone'" she said shrinking further behind me.
I got up, knowing full well the anger Hermione would unleash.
"You did what? Jane Nacirius Black, I thought we agreed we'd listen to the wishes your father left behind in regards to the boys being the only ones who read the letter." Hermione yelled, as she walked over.
"But mother, it's not fair. They get to do everything first just because they were born first, it's not fair." She exclaimed.
I smirk remembering the time I heard Draco in Borgin and Burkes with his father complaining about not getting to be on the Quidditch team.
"Yes well that can happen, you really should be used to it by now, you're 16 years old, act like it" Hermione reminded her.
"I do, besides they'll probably get to be around for my letter won't they? I won't even get privacy for my own." Janie spat.
"I'm sure your father wouldn't have requested it if it wasn't important for a reason. Trust me, he always relished on knowing something, and couldn't wait to announce it. If he doesn't want you to know it must have been good reason." I explained.
"Then we must have gotten that from him" She said matter of factly.
"Well your mother was that way too, just in different fashion." I added.
"Yes as you know from the rest of our friends I tended to know things and then say them quite obviously. But your father, he did it maliciously" Hermione added.
"I still can't believe dad got with you after all those stories you told us about him growing up." Severus said.
"What I can't believe is that you told us these stories as if his name was always Narcius Black. He's right, we did read about him in books, but there was never a picture." Narcius drawled.
"Well, as you read by the letter, he really didn't want to be known as Draco anymore. In fact the only reason your middle name is Draco, Severus is because I insisted. And it's no mistake you've never seen a picture of him, it was purposely done." Hermione explained.
"Don't be too mad at him, he went through a lot. And don't go looking for trouble either. I can see it stirring in your eyes Narcius" I said looking at him.
"I'm not promising anything" He sneered.
"Well if I find out you've done anything relating to this, you'll be quite the sorry one. The both of you" Hermione said sternly.
"Can I ask a question Mum, Uncle Harry?" Janie said.
"Sure go ahead" I said returning to my seat.
"Dad wrote this after we were born right?" She stated.
"Obviously, genius" Narcius said.
"Shut up Sissy" she replied.
"Stop calling each other names." Hermione interjected.
"He started." She replied.
"Cuz I can finish, unlike you." Narcius spat.
"I said cut it out now, or that's the end of it, and you can't see the picture book" Hermione threatened.
They continued to throw daggers, but it wasn't real. Though those two argued all the time, it was when Janie and Severus argued that you had to watch it. And Narcius often started the arguing hoping to get his brother involved, so he could swoop in and save his sister. He loved saving her. Severus on the other hand would rather spend the day with a Blast Ended Skrewt then come to her defense.
"Well anyways, if he wrote this after we were born. And by that time you said you were all friends, why did he still refer to you as Potter and Granger? Especially you Mum." Janie asked.
"Yeah, why is that?" Severus added.
"Well we still called him Malfoy. It was just a thing we did. Old habits are hard to kill you know." I said.
"Yes, and we always knew when you got older we'd have to stop saying it around you, but…" Hermione stopped and let the words hang.
--
Draco died when the boys were 3, and Janie was 2. He lasted longer than most in his… condition. By condition I mean those branded with the Dark Mark. Some Death Eaters were killed in the war, some escaped and were killed later, and the rest died in Azkaban. At first the people in St. Mungo's just thought he was sick. No one could correlate his symptoms to anyone else's because no one realized… at first. They assumed those who died in Azkaban died from the Dementors treatment. They hadn't. They died because something in the Mark had killed them. Hermione of course figured it out. After I killed Voldermort, his mark was still slightly visible on most Death Eaters arms. But when Malfoy was in St. Mungo's she noticed the mark was definitely lighter than it had been. After that it was the first time in history that people were trying to find ways to make the Dark Mark appear. Hermione made everyone and anyone look for ways to do it. And it worked… for a fashion. With combinations of potions, charms, plant extractions, and my wand, we kept Draco alive for three years. My wand, having the same core as Voldermorts once did, had the stuff to make the Mark appear, and the mixture of everything else kept the pain at bay.
But one day, it stopped helping. At first once a week I'd tap his arm, and he'd be fine. Then it became twice a week, then every other day, then twice a day, until he was lying on his death bed, and I was tapping him every hour on the hour. I would have let him spellotape my wand to his arm if it would've kept him alive, by then he was one of my best friends. Ron had died in the war, and for a while I seemed ok, but when Malfoy was released and he started dating Hermione, I realized how much I missed having a best friend.
But he got tired of it. Decided he should just face what was inevitable. Hermione tried to talk him out of it, said she could just find a way if he just would hold on. He said he wanted her to stop worrying, and go home and take proper care of his children. He made her promise. So she did.
--
"Mum are you ok?" Severus asked.
"I'm fine, it's just I miss him. And remembering him as Malfoy which I haven't done since he died- mostly so you three wouldn't catch wind of him being a Malfoy; I just know if I visited my younger self and told her I'd marry him one day, I would've probably killed him to save her." She said with a smile.
"Mum" Narcius said.
"It's true sorry to say. You go to Hogwarts; you know the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry is quite a big deal." I said.
"Tell me about it" Janie said annoyed.
Janie was in Gryffindor. She was proud of it though, and she was definitely brave, she just got in over her head at times- and then needed her brothers to save her. Plus having brothers in Slytherin, meant she never was joked on by any of them… unless her brothers were doing the joking.
"So you two really hated each other? I thought you were just saying that to teach us lessons about not judging other people by there appearance" Severus asked.
"No it's definitely true." I said.
"Well why didn't you do what you tell us then? Try and make friends with them." Narcius questioned.
"Duh she liked Mrs. Weasley's son who died, don't you keep up with anything?" Janie said.
"Shut up vaney" Narcius answered back.
"I'm not Vane, sissy" She replied.
"Fine call me sissy, see if I help you the next time you're in trouble" he replied.
"Enough" Hermione said silencing them
Severus said nothing. While Janie's temper was more like her mother's easily hurt at times but violent at others. And Narcius was more like his father, more of a whiner. Severus had a nasty mix of both and would whine for a moment upset, then deck you. Though he had learned to control his emotions so he wouldn't get involved.
"Hey why don't we look at these pictures?" I asked.
"Yeah" they all chimed in.
We spent the next hour looking at pictures of their father in our Hogwarts days. We couldn't tell them everything- we just didn't know. But we tried to tell them what was going on at the time. Chamber of Secrets, Sirius's escapes, his Inquisitorial badge, the Yule ball-
"Eww that's the Pansy girl you were talking about, she's terrible" Janie said.
"Yes, she is" Hermione and I both said.
"She could've been our mom, she looks like she would've left us to fend for ourselves in the woods somewhere" Narcius said.
"Well we'd be different children, so it wouldn't be us per say…" Severus added.
"That's a relief" Janie added.
"You can ask your Uncle Blaise the next time you see him about the pictures, he'll probably be able to tell you more" I added.
"So if he left them a picture book, I suppose he didn't leave me anything?" Janie asked.
"Maybe he did. I really don't know, I never looked at the letters." Hermione answered.
"Let me guess he didn't want you to look?' Janie said.
"No, I just didn't. Besides, I've known him since he was 11; there wouldn't be much about his past I didn't know." She reminded them.
"Well I think that's enough excitement for one day. Tomorrows Christmas you know." I said getting up.
"Can't you stay Uncle Harry?" Narcius said.
"I just spent your whole birthday with you. I do have my own kids if you recall." I said giving them hugs.
"Ooh tell Lily I said Merry Christmas" Janie said.
I guess I should mention that I married Ginny. We have 5 kids, the oldest is James Albus, he's 27 now, Sirius Arthur is 24, Remus Ronald and Molly Minerva are 20, and Lily Ginerva is 15 but in the same year as Janie due to the timing of their birthdays.
"You'll see them tomorrow, why bother?" Severus asked.
"Because it's nice, something you know nothing of" Janie replied.
"Hey don't talk to her like that" Narcius said pushing his brother slightly.
Punch
Severus punched Narcius in the jaw. It happened so suddenly we couldn't even stop Narcius from hitting Severus back… well trying to hit Severus back, he missed.
"Quit it" I yelled.
Though they had already been immobilized by Hermione by then. Janie snickered in the corner. I told you Severus temper was not to be played with.
"Ok off to bed. You know how I feel about fighting. Especially, you Severus." Hermione said as she let them go, and they stood apart.
"Sorry, but they've both been annoying all day. I couldn't help it." Severus answered.
"Yes be that as it may, no fighting. You're lucky it's your birthday. Say Good Night to Harry" Hermione said.
They came and gave me hugs and said good night. I turned to Hermione.
"Well you did it." I said.
"Did what?" She said looking confused.
"You raised the two sons of Draco Malfoy, to the age of 17 and they're alright, better than alright. You did it just like Draco asked. Their coming of age was definitely better than his." I reminded her.
"Oh, I guess I did, didn't I? I had help from you, and Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley, and everybody really." She said earnestly.
"Doesn't matter, of course they'll remember us, but nobody is going to mean more to those kids than there mother." I said.
"I just wish there father could've seen them, I didn't need that letter to tell me how bad he wanted to be a better father than his father." She said sadly.
"True, but he was a good father, until they were three years old. A lot of kids don't get even that, you know?" I said, knowing how true it was personally.
"Yes I know, but it doesn't make it any easier." She said.
"I suppose it doesn't." I replied.
"Well, see you tomorrow Harry. We'll come in the afternoon" She said walking me to the door.
"Alright, and Hermione?" I said.
"Yes Harry?" She replied.
"He did do it to please- to please you. It's just like you said, he wanted to be a good a father and leaving this note couldn't be a better way to let them know how much he cared for them. And that he's thanking you for taking 'proper care of his children'." I said quoting what he told her in their last conversation.
"I never thought about it that way." She said after thinking on it.
"Glad I could help" I said. And I walked out the door preparing to Apparate.
"Hey" She said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Night Potter"
"Night Granger"
--
Yeah so… did you like it? Please tell me good or bad! I think it came out alright. But I won't know unless someone tells me. I think I'll write a second part, when Janie gets to read her letter. It'll answer things you might be curious about. How Draco and Hermione got together, for one, Harry was vague on it. And what Hermione put in the Evening Prophet. And some other things, but I won't give it away in case I do write it. Because if I don't it's because no one cared enough to review and it won't matter anyways.
Sorry for trying to lay a guilt trip :)