I'm too cold and tired to think of anything witty to say today. So, I'll go with Happy Friday!
Chapter 3
"You went where?" Hermione demanded. "And did what?"
Harry groaned, only just realizing that he should not have involved himself in the Malfoy situation. "Honestly, he seemed contrite," he insisted. "I'm not saying invite him back to play family, but I think he wants to make amends with you. It was wrong of him to leave you alone to raise a baby by yourself, there's no denying that. It's like you've said many, many times - you were both young. You've both grown up a lot too. Maybe just talk to him. What harm could it do?"
"Well, he could end up in the hospital," she muttered. Harry glanced at her pointedly. It had always been Hermione on defense, and the sudden change was alarming. "I know I've talked about getting in touch with him before, but it was always a 'what if' scenario. You talking to him makes it real. Nice as it is that he wants to be somehow involved now, it doesn't make up for the fact that he left. I don't know how to reconcile that."
"Consider what's best for Teeny," he advised. "If you think allowing Malfoy into your life is bad for her, don't do it. But you know him better than I do. You got to know a different side of him. You wouldn't have...done things if you didn't see something good in him. Meet with him on your own. We'll take Athena."
Hermione sighed, knowing there was little chance she'd get out of talking to Draco. "Fine," she relented. "Just...don't take her to the Burrow. Every time she's there Molly tries to teach her to call Ron dada."
"I remember that! She was two," Harry told her with a laugh. "As I recall, your daughter informed her that Ron was not her father. Just like that. None of that dada nonsense. She's lived with you too long."
Hermione smiled proudly. Despite Ron's offers to step into a fatherly role, she refused it. He'd made it known on more than a few occasions that he didn't approve of her relationship with Draco Malfoy. He'd refused to speak to her during the pregnancy. It wasn't until Athena was born and Draco was gone that Ron came around again. She'd spent a long time being angry at him, and some of that had yet to fade. No one would fill that role in Athena's life but her real father.
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Draco nervously paced outside the Leaky Cauldron. They had agreed to meet on the muggle side, though Hermione had questioned it. She owed him no favors, but he had asked for just this one. His heart hammered in his chest when he finally saw her. Her name slipped past his lips breathlessly. "You haven't changed," he remarked.
Scowl in place, arms crossed over her chest, Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "You look older," she retorted. "Are we done with the pleasantries?"
Chagrined, he nodded and they walked in silence. They entered a small coffee shop and sat down. Hermione refused to speak first, and it unnerved him. "So, um, how are you?" he asked, needing to get the ball rolling. She muttered that she was fine. "Um, and Athena? How's she?"
"She's been asking about you," Hermione informed him. She was sure she noticed him smile for a split second before schooling his features once again. "She has your eyes. She's just...perfect. Our daughter is perfect."
Draco could feel brown eyes on him as he looked down. The pit in his stomach widened as she talked about Athena, going so far as to refer to her as theirs. "I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said. "God, Hermione, I'm so sorry."
The protective wall she had built around herself began to crumble slowly, piece by piece. "I gave you a choice," she replied. "I understood the one you made. Back then, every time the doorbell would ring or a letter would come from an unknown address, I hoped it was you. When she crawled and walked and spoke and got sick and woke me up at three in the morning, I wished you'd been there. But I always understood why you couldn't be there."
Draco sniffled. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, but it's not working," he said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Could you go back to hating me?"
"Give it time," she quipped. "Honestly, I didn't plan on coming today. Athena started asking about you and it made me mad, as if I wasn't enough for her. I gave her a picture of you. She takes it everywhere now. That made me mad too. Then I felt bad. She just learned she has a father, and I didn't want to ruin that excitement."
"I'm a shiny new toy," he excused. "Or at least I'm the idea of one. Give me five minutes with her, and she'll hate me. I'm sure Potter and the Weasleys will be more than happy to help."
Once again, the scowl returned. "Don't do that," she said. "The Potters and Weasleys are the only family we have. Molly and Arthur are the only grandparents she knows. Don't you dare put them down to make yourself feel better, Malfoy."
"I wasn't," he insisted, eyes wide and shocked. "All I meant was that I wouldn't blame them if they did. Believe me - I haven't felt good about myself in a long time. Being with you - that was the only time I thought I might be doing something right. So, naturally, I fucked it up. It's what I do."
"Do you regret it?" she wondered. "Coming back? Coming to see me? Do you regret it?"
Brows furrowed, he shook his head. "I don't," he replied. "I want to do more. I need to do more, Hermione. Providing a stipend every month isn't good enough."
Sitting back, her arms were once again crossed over her chest. "Why the change of heart?" she asked. "What spurred this desire to be a father?"
"I live in New York," he told her. "It's crazy and crowded and everywhere you look there's kids. I see them with their parents everyday, and they're happy. It occurred to me one day that I was never happy when I was with my parents. Seeing those kids with their parents though, I always thought about Athena in those moments. I would wonder if she was smart like you, or if she had your laugh. At nineteen I wasn't ready to accept responsibility for the two of you, and even though the thought of it still scares me at twenty-four, I want to try. If you'll let me, that is."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione looked away. "I need time to think about this."