Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
A/N: This is a one shot that Cat's In The Cradle and SUM 41's song Dear Father inspired me. It's basically Draco's letters to his father about Scorpius and their relationship. Hope you'll like it :)
Dear Father
It was late at night in St Mungo's, Draco Malfoy was waiting anxiously for a healer to come and tell him that his father was going to be okay. He waited for hours and then finally a healer came.
"I'm sorry Mrs Malfoy." he was talking directly to his mother. His mother stood still, she looked strong just like statue but Draco knew that she was about to burst into tears and that she was only waiting for healer to leave. Draco didn't want to understand.
"Sorry for what?" he asked rather sharply.
"Mr Malfoy," the healer now turned his face to Draco. "I'm sorry to say that your father passed away." his mother couldn't hold herself any longer and hugged Draco, he could feel her tears on his cheeks but he didn't cry or hug her back. That night Draco stayed at his mother's house, being back in his room felt different, he was all grown up now and he felt sick to be in the Malfoy Manor now. He pick up a quill and wrote a letter to his father.
"Dear Father,
I'm sorry I never get to know you, I'm sorry you never bothered, I'm sorry I'll never know if you cared, I'm sorry I couldn't forgive you, I'm sorry we lost so much time and we are never going to get them back. I'm sorry you'll always stay unknown.
Your son,
Draco"
•••••••••
Two years later that night in St Mungo's, Draco Malfoy was again in St Mungo's and again waiting for a healer to come and say that his wife and child was okay. The hours felt like years. The healer finally come and gave him the good news.
"Your son is born, Mr. Malfoy." Draco walked in to the room where Astoria was holding his son in her arms, he walked to the bed she laid. He placed a kiss on her forehead and then hold his son, Scorpius, for the first time in his arms.
Later that night, he wrote a letter again to his father.
"Dear Father,
My child arrived today. His name is Scorpius Hyperion. Mother asked me to name him after you, I denied even before asking Astoria. I don't want him to be like you. I desperately hope he has Astoria's looks. I don't know if it's shame you didn't got to see him. I'm not going to blow this up with him, I'm going to raise him properly.
Your son,
Draco."
•••••••••
Draco Malfoy came home from work, Astoria, Scorpius and Narcissa were both living in Malfoy Manor. Draco couldn't let her mother live in there alone after his father died. Draco was busy since the birth of his son. That night, they had one of their rare family diners and Scorpius asked him to tell a story about his job. Draco hesitated but then he went on, to see the smile on his son's face. After he finished his story, Scorpius had a proud smile on his face and said.
"I'm gonna be like you dad." Draco felt horrified, his mistakes coming back to him. He tried to smile cooly.
"You'll be better." he said.
Draco started to write a new letter to Lucius Malfoy after he tucked Scorpius in.
"Dear Father,
I'm terrified, I'm so scared. I'm scared for my son. He looks just like me when I was at his age. He's living where I grew up. I'm afraid he'll end up like me. Today, he told me he wanted to be like me. That would make any father feel proud but I am horrified. He can't be like me. I can't bear to see him make the same mistakes as me. He'll a have choice, he'll have the choice to not have a haunted past, he'll have the choice to live happily, he'll have the choice you haven't given me. I won't make him clean up my faults. He's proud of me just like I was proud of you, I'm horrified by the day when he'll see me with my faults and my past and that I'll lose him. I swear, I won't be like you, I swear he won't be like me.
Your son,
Draco."
•••••••••
The day finally came, Scorpius was going away to Hogwarts. Draco and Astoria were saying their goodbye's to Scorpius and while Astoria was giving some last minute advices to Scorpius, Draco looked up and his eyes met Harry's, then he realized, Ron, Hermione and Ginny there with their children. He gestured to Harry. Then he turned back to his son. It was time to go. He hugged his son one more time.
"Scorpius..." he started, he wanted to say don't make the mistakes I did but he couldn't "Just be good."
"Yes, father." Scorpius's words reminded him of himself.
"Take care!" Astoria yelled after him.
"Good bye!" he waved them with a smile on his face and Draco watched his son get into the Hogwarts Express and he watched Hogwarts Express leave from the station with his son in it.
"Dear Father,
Scorpius went to Hogwarts today. I suppose, we'll get a letter from him saying he's a Slytherin tomorrow morning. Also, today, I saw them. They remind me of my biggest mistakes. Potter's boy looks just like him, I can only hope Scorpius is not like me. I can only hope, he'll make his own mistakes and not mines. He doesn't even know about my mistakes. It's forbidden to talk about the war in our house. It makes mother cry and it makes me and Astoria fight. Your mistakes still influence our life, I can only hope mines doesn't influence his but that's only my wishful thinking.
Your son,
Draco."
•••••••••
Scorpius came home for Christmas, Draco was happy to see his son. It looked like he had grown up so much in such little time. Scorpius had many questions and Draco could sense them. The day he feared the most had come. While they were eating their diner, Draco expected his son to burst out a question about his past or maybe he already knew and he was going to ask why. There were things, he wouldn't understand at that age, there were things he never wanted him to understand, like the fear of death, like the pressure of killing his own head master. He never wanted him to learn that his father was a Death Eater but maybe he knew. Scorpius didn't ask him anything during the diner, he waited for his grandmother to go to bed. After diner, Scorpius and Draco sit by the fire and only then Scorpius said
"Father, can we talk for a while?"Scorpius sounded so innocent and also timid.
"Not now, it's late, go to bed Scorpius." Draco sent him to bed and then pick up a quill and a parchment.
"Dear Father,
The questions started. He can't know right now but he will soon. How am I going to explain it to him? How am I going to admit my mistakes without losing his respect? He is innocent. How am I going to protect him? How do I protect him from repeating my mistakes? I'm avoiding his questions, all our truths should be left alone.
Your son,
Draco."
He sighed looking at the letter he would never be able to send, he folded it and put it in his pocket and then he saw his son looking at him. He frowned but didn't say anything. Scorpius walked closer to his father.
"Father, why are people talking so low of our family?" he asked.
"I told you to go to bed, Scorpius." Draco didn't raise his voice but he sounded firm.
••••••••••
On Scorpius's fourth year, Scorpius finally get his answers. Draco had taken him out since it was forbidden to mention the war in Malfoy Manor.
"You know, they are teaching us the war." Scorpius wanted his father to open up and explain the things that weren't in the school books but Rose Weasley and Albus Potter knew.
"History of Magic?" he asked "I always disliked that class, Binns is useless."
"Yes and sometimes in DADA too."
Draco stayed silent.
"I know about Death Eaters, father." Draco felt the urge to silence his son but he knew it was the time.
"There are things, you won't understand,son and I don't want you to understand them, ever." and then he explained him the war and how Death Eaters were, he told him that Lucius was one too and so was he, he briefly explained the task Dark Lord had given him. He didn't tell him the details. He only explained the reasons and the results. When he finished, Scorpius looked at his father and without a hesitation he started to talk with a calm voice.
"I understand, father. It was war. Everyone did things they didn't want to." Draco filled with pride, he was so proud of his son and then for a while Scorpius looked reserved, timid, like he wanted to say something.
"Father?" he asked.
"Yes, Scorpius." Draco felt happier then ever, his son wasn't like him, he was capable of forgiving. He had forgiven him.
"There is one more thing I want to ask you."
"Go on." Draco encouraged his son to speak.
"How did you know you liked mother?" Scorpius sounded both shy and eager to know.
Draco laughed. "Who's the lucky girl?"
"Never mind, it's embarrassing." Scorpius shrugged.
"Go on, Scorpius." he wanted to say ' I won't judge' but he swore he wasn't going to make promises he couldn't keep.
"It's just that... She's different." Scorpius said.
"Different? Is she a muggle?" Draco asked feeling nervous.
"No, no." Scorpius shook his head. "She's not like mother or grandmother or us."
"Who's she, Scorpius?" Draco asked still feeling nervous.
"Umm..." Scorpius took a deep breath and then sighed. "Rose Weasley."
Draco was shocked. "You never told me you were friends."
"We weren't. Since this year." Scorpius shrugged.
"I'm going to be honest, son..." Scorpius looked terrified because of his father's tone. "It won't end happily."
"What do you mean? Father?" he asked frowning.
"I mean what I said. Merlin's beard, she's a Weasley. I know her parents, I know how they are."
"She's not like her parents! And I'm not like you, not completely." Scorpius got angry.
That night, Draco pick up his old friends, ink and parchment and started to write without knowing how to feel.
"Dear Father,
I've succeeded. He's not like me. He forgave me, he even forgave you. I still can't forgive you. I still can't change who I am. I still can't let my son be with the girl he likes because she's a half-blood and a blood traitor. I can't exchange the purity of our bloodline to my son's happiness. He's not like me. He's capable to forgive, he is open minded. Maybe, Ron Weasley's girl redeemed him.
Your son,
Draco."
•••••••••
"Dear Father," wrote Scorpius on a piece of parchment 5 years later.
"I hope someday you'll forgive me. I understand some of your concerns about me and Rose's marriage but some I will never understand. I understand that you think, her family will humiliate me. I know, you're afraid they'll make me pay for you mistakes but they are nice. They know that I'm not you. I'm not going to lie, Mr. Weasley was hard to communicate at first but he's nicer now. We are getting married next month. Rose is going to become a Malfoy and you should get used to that. I'd love to see you there. Mother wants to come too but she won't tell you. Do it for her if you won't do it for me. Rose would love to see you there too and she even talked with her parents and her uncle. We have saved a table for you and mother. I promise there won't be any problem. Please come, I want my family beside me on the happiest day of my life.
Your son,
Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."
•••••••••
"I do." Draco watched his son get married with the girl he loves. Rose was growing on Draco too. He knew she was a nice girl, a smart girl and he knew their children won't make any mistakes usually Malfoys do.
After the ceremony ended and the reception started, Draco walked over to his son and his new bride. He smiled at her, he could feel four pair of eyes -Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny's- on him.
"Congratulations." he shook her hand. "You look lovely, Rose."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." she smiled too, maybe this was the as far as their relationship would go but it was civil enough for both families. When he turned to talk with his son, Rose disappeared to leave them alone and went to talk with her cousins.
Draco hugged his son.
"I'm proud of you son." he patted on his shoulder. "You fought for your love, you are strong, you are capable of forgiving."
Draco write another letter to his father after returning home.
"Dear Father,
He married her. She looks lovely and he's not like me. They will be happy. Happier then I ever could be. I know you would never forgive him if you lived but I'm not like you, I forgave him and he forgave me, he's better then both of us.
Your son,
Draco"
A/N: Thank you for reading, a review would be lovely.