Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.
Chapter 3 Proving Yourself
"You didn't tell her," Pansy said softly as Katherine hurried off. "So I'm guessing that means Aurora doesn't know either." Draco said nothing, feeling like a hole was going to open up in the floor and swallow him whole. If only. "Just sign the papers, Draco."
"No." He just… If he could prove to her that he could be a halfway decent father. If he could prove to himself… "We're thirty two. We have money. We could've gotten married. Why won't you even consider—"
"Don't." Pansy gritted her teeth. She wanted to give the baby up for adoption. Draco couldn't bear the thought. Even though he didn't love her, he would marry her, if that's what it took. "I don't want to be a mother, and you've proven time and time again that you can't be a father."
"I'm not signing anything!" Draco yelled, causing several patrons in the restaurant to turn their heads. "How'd you even find me? You know what? Never mind! I don't care if you don't want our son. I do! I'll take him home when he's born."
"What home?" Pansy hissed. "Your father's not going let you come home after the stunt you pulled at the company. Katherine's probably burning an effigy of you right now. You have no home. No job. And I would be in shock if you knew how to take care of a baby on your own."
"I'll figure it out!" Draco snapped as he rose from his seat. He had to go see Katherine.
"Get out!" Kat screamed as soon as Draco apparated and walked through her front door. She was at the top of the stairs and threw his suitcase all the way down. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"
"Katherine—" he tried, but it was too late. She never wanted to see him again.
"How I am going to tell Rory?" she cried. She wanted to throw more of his things but he had yet to bother to unpack. It was out of habit, she supposed. He never stayed long enough to really need to unpack. "This is why you stayed for nearly a week this summer, isn't it? You fucked me while you're pregnant girlfriend was wondering where you were?"
"No… She had broken up with me then," he said calmly, even though he was shaking. "I…"
"Don't you say you wanted to tell me!" Kat shrieked. "She's what? Seven? Eight months? You've had plenty of time!"
"Eight," he said quietly. "She… wants to give him up for adoption." Kat tensed and balled her fists. That's why he was so upset. And that's why he suddenly wanted to be a real dad. Pansy wasn't going to let him walk all over her like Kat did for over a decade and a half. "I thought… I thought if I could be a dad, a real dad to Aurora..."
"She doesn't like being called Aurora," Kat spat. "Ever realize you're the only one who does?"
Draco wiped his eyes. "I need your help—"
"I'm done." She should have been done ten years ago. Maybe more. The only problem was that she loved him. And she still did. "You need to leave."
"Katherine—"
"YOU NEED TO LEAVE!"
And he did. No surprises there.
Draco sat in a bar for the night until it closed, making him officially homeless. He rubbed his eyes and realized people were giving him dirty looks as he stumbled throughout town. Katherine wasn't kidding when she said this was a small town. It looked like a significant portion of the population were Weasleys too. Molly Weasley took Katherine in and gave her a job as a maid at her hotel when she ran off.
What was it called? He didn't remember. Draco was sure it was probably more of a cheap motel, so he went to the best one in town to avoid Katherine. The Independence Inn.
"May I help you?" a beautiful blonde with a thick French accent asked. She had the air of someone incredibly rude, but Draco couldn't help but put on his best charming smile. Fleur, the plaque on the desk said in gold. She narrowed her eyes after giving him a once over.
"Yes." Draco took out his Gringotts card. "I'd like a room."
"You can't have one," she snapped. Draco blinked in surprise. She was nonplussed and waved him away. "Go on. You smell like ze bar. Shoo!"
"Y-You can't," Draco stuttered. He had to get out of this damn town. But he didn't want to give up on Katherine just yet. Malfoys didn't stand for this treatment either. "I'd like to speak to the manager."
Fleur lifted her chin. "No!"
"Did somebody say manager?" Oh God. Katherine didn't recognize his raspy, hungover voice and entered the lobby with a smile. A smile that was gone as soon as she saw him. "You didn't know where I worked, did you?"
Draco gulped. When she lived here, she lived in a shack on the grounds. He had never really looked at the hotel before. "I'll leave."
As he started to leave, he heard Fleur say, "Why did you put up with such scum for so long, Kater-reen?"
He winced when he heard Katherine say softly, "I don't know."
"Mum! Dad!" Rory called Sunday evening. She liked the sound of it. Mum and Dad. "It's time for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa!"
Rory hurried up the stairs, smiling and wondering if Dad had bought another strawberry short cake. She stopped at Mum's door when she heard her crying. Her face fell. She never heard Mum cry. Her voice wobbled at bit when Rory had broken her arm but…
"Mum?" She was lying on her bed, all dressed up and ready to go. As soon as she saw Rory, she wiped her eyes and forced herself to stop crying. "Where's Dad?"
"He's not going to make it, babe." Mum wiped her eyes and walked over to her dresser to start fixing her makeup.
"Why?" When was the last time she had asked why? She shouldn't. Mum didn't know the answer. Or maybe she did and was afraid to tell her.
"He's at Riddle's Bed and Breakfast." Mum reached for her mascara, but stopped when Rory grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry, honey."
"No." Rory let go, not knowing why she was so disappointed. "You know what, Mum? I can go to Grandma and Grandpa's by myself."
The fact that Mum actually considered told Rory that something was very, very wrong. After a moment, she sighed. "Okay. But… I need you to talk to your dad too, Rory. Like an emergency talk. Maybe I should go by myself so you can talk to him."
"No!" Dad always made her wait. Rory had no problem with doing the same to him. "I'll have breakfast with him tomorrow. No worries."
Mum's face almost crumpled, but she wouldn't let it. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him right before school."
"Then he can wait," Rory said firmly. She grabbed Mum by her shoulders and ushered her back to bed. "I'll pick up Reg's on my way home. Do you really want Grandma asking you questions? I'll keep her busy with Christmas plans."
"How'd I get such a good kid?" Mum asked tiredly. "I'm sorry, babe."
"It's okay," Rory said quietly. It wasn't.
"Where are they?" Lily asked. James was finishing up work. Lily already had a drink in her hand. If Draco was going to get himself together, she was going to have to get used to wanting to be nice to him again.
"Mum's sick," Rory whispered. She even looked like Kat when she lied.
"Sick," Lily repeated.
"I don't know if I can come to dinner tonight with Sirius. I'm sick," Kat whispered the night she came home for Christmas holiday. She was wearing an oversized Hogwarts sweater, probably Draco's, and sweat pants. Other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. She didn't seem sick.
Lily put a hand over her forehead. Cool as a cucumber. "You look fine. Just go lie down for a little. I put new dress robes on your bed. He'll be here in an hour."
Kat did pale a little bit at that, but Lily figured she was tired from the train ride. Or, more likely, she just wanted to firecall Draco all night.
Lily went to check on her as soon as Sirius arrived. She didn't expect to open the door to find Katherine ready and about to head out. Her daughter was wearing the dress robes but had a giant scarf flowing from her neck down to nearly her knees. Ugly thing. It was probably from James's mother. "I'll just turn up the fire if you're col—"
She wasn't cold. Lily started taking off the scarf and gasped when she saw what Katherine was hiding. Her daughter started shaking but didn't break eye contact.
"Mum—"
Lily brought a shaking hand to her lips. Her baby was having a baby.
"Sick," Lily repeated again. Kat never said why Draco was suddenly back and here to stay. What if…? She shouldn't get so shaken up. Kat was thirty two. She may have even wanted another, what with Rory leaving in a few years and all.
"Alright fine," Rory said guiltily. "I think they broke up. Like really broke up. She wouldn't say. But he was gone."
"Broken up?" She was starting to sound like a bloody parrot.
"Where's Kat and my son?" James said jokingly. He frowned at the awkward silence. "What?"
"Sick," Lily said yet again. She didn't have the heart to tell him, especially if they didn't know for sure. In his mind, Kat and Draco should be married with ten children right now. He had been waiting for Draco to grow up for years. "The two lovebirds have the flu."
"The flu?" James didn't believe it and thought what Lily did. The idea made him absolutely glow, however. He chuckled as he snapped at a house elf to make them drinks and give Rory a butterbeer. "Maybe you're getting a little brother, Rory."
"Maybe," Rory said quietly. Lily suddenly felt terrible. The poor girl just wanted her parents to be together, and both of them had teased her with the idea all her life. She wished that they were wrong and that James was right.
Rory chewed on her lip as she headed for Riddle's. He was a weird old man who was running for mayor, now that Mrs. Figg was retiring. He liked to think he ran the town when really, he just owned a bed and breakfast couples liked to shack up in. Riddle knew everyone's dirty secrets, so unfortunately, he had a shot at winning.
"Hello Peter," Rory said awkwardly. Mum said Peter used to work for Grandpa but got fired for stealing money from him. She tried to act like she didn't know, but she couldn't help it.
"Rory!" Riddle's secretary beamed. "Are you looking for your dad? He's the talk of the town! Oh, but you know of course…"
"Y-yeah." If only Mum was here, but Rory didn't want her to know that she was going Monday morning before school.
"That's enough, Pettigrew." Rory felt her blood turn to ice. That wasn't Dad. It was Lucius.
Peter quivered like a mouse face to face with a cat. Rory bravely turned around to see Lucius's face remaining skillfully blank. "Draco is meeting with my solicitor, unfortunately. I'm afraid you will have to come over after school, Aurora."
"Oh." Rory put her hands behind her back and teetered slightly. "I guess I'll be going then."
She nearly sprinted for the fireplace. She should have actually ran. Who cared what these people thought? "Aurora?" Lucius fiddled with his wedding ring. "I would like to apologize for my behavior last week."
"Oh." Rory pursed her lips. She wasn't going to accept his apology. That man wasn't her grandfather. He was nothing compared to Grandpa. "Did your wife or my dad tell you to say that?"
His lip curled at her lack of acceptance. "My wife, I suppose. She bought the decrepit Dragonfly Manor and claims to be living there until you begin your apprenticeship."
Rory gaped. Mum wanted to buy it. She and Astoria were saving up to buy their own inn. Dragonfly Manor was perfect, but Luna said the time wasn't right even though the nargles said that she was going to open her inn there one day. Then she said that Mum wasn't meant to buy it from her. Mum said Luna smoked too much pot. "Luna was refusing to sell it!"
Lucius raised his eyebrows. "I suppose everyone has a price. The place is falling apart. I would rather Cissa stay here."
So now Mum lost Dad and her dream inn. Rory didn't want to stick around for any more bad news. "I have school."
Draco hated going to Hogwarts. Hated the bloody school ever since they found out they were expecting Aurora. He had to listen to people making fun of Katherine for more than half of sixth year. Then, in his seventh, he felt entirely alone. Katherine barely even firecalled him. She was too entranced by Aurora while he was trying to hide the fact that he was having daily panic attacks.
"I need to speak to my daughter," he announced when he flooed into McGonagall's office.
The old woman raised her eyebrows and remained seated at her desk. "She is in class, Mr. Malfoy. Severus is seriously considering her for the apprenticeship. I do not think it is prudent to allow her to miss any more class."
"When can I speak to her?" Draco forced himself to say calmly. He would rather not wait. It wouldn't be a surprise if Pansy had the baby soon.
"Friday evening," McGonagall said curtly.
"Excuse me?" Draco's voice rose slightly.
McGonagall thinned her lips. Never a good sign. "May I be frank, Mr. Malfoy?" She paused but not long enough to give him a chance to answer. "Aurora's education is one of the most important aspects of her life. Do not distract her from it with your immature nonsense."
Draco glared at her, even though he knew she was right. He wanted to rip the band aid off and get it over with. "Tell her to come see me when she can on Friday."
"Can I ask you something?" They were in Herbology. Pres didn't like dirt, so Rory was alone in this class, but mostly because Victoire always skivved off. Of course she had to share the class with Ted Lupin.
"Ask away," he said lazily. He always sounded bored.
"Why do you have the tattoo if…" Rory trailed off, feeling like she had overstepped a boundary. To escape, she started to head in the opposite direction for more fertilizer.
A bitter laugh made her jump. "Because he hates it."
Rory turned around. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
"He hates being a werewolf. Everyone knows that." Ted rolled his eyes. "Anyway, stop trying to be so perfect, princess. You're far from it."
"Excuse me?" Rory said incredulously. He ignored her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He sneered at her and finally followed Professor Longbottom's rules and put gloves on, covering the crescent moon tattoo. "Perfect people aren't so nosey. Perfect people don't let men walk all over them."
Rory straightened and looked down on him. "I never said I was."
"Ah." Ted wagged a finger at her. "You didn't say it, but… You have this air about you. Perfect grades. Perfect manners. A prefect that's bound to be head girl. Perfect boyfriend."
Rory clenched her fists but couldn't bring herself to say anything mean to him. Instead, she picked up her assignment to take to Professor Longbottom. She didn't feel comfortable outright being mean, but she said the next best thing. Some would say what she said back was even worse. "See you in Professor Lupin's."
Kat was just bringing the spoonful of ice cream to her mouth when Mum flooed in. She was in her pajama's and last night's Chinese food box was at her feet… and the night before's pizza box… and the night before's pajama's.
"Really?" Mum threw her hands in the air. "Is he really worth ruining your perfect figure?"
"You should have asked me that before sixth year." Kat shoved the spoon back into the ice cream carton. "This is my breakup diet."
"Oh please." Mum rolled her eyes. "This is a regular day for you." What happened to her having the perfect figure? "C'mon. Get up."
"Nope." Kat stretched. Today was her day off, so why not take a second nap before lunch? "You can bring dinner back though."
Mum wrinkled her nose in disgust. "So you're really done with him?"
Kat closed her eyes. A second nap was definitely a good idea. "Yes. Bask in all your glory."
"I don't believe you."
Kat opened one eye to see her mother's disapproving look. "Thanks."
Mum sighed and moved a donut box to make herself a seat. "He gave you a child, Kat. It's okay to always love him. But you need to love yourself more."
"Again. Thanks." Kat tried to blink the stinging from her eyes. "I knew he wasn't ready for Rory. When she was born. And she was so perfect. So it made me angry. I would have married him that day. I was that happy to have her. But… I felt like he wasn't."
"Some people just aren't ready," Mum said softly. "Whether their sixteen or thirty two or fifty even."
He's having a baby, Kat wanted to say. With someone else. Instead, she whispered, "I hate him."
"No, you don't." Mum pulled her into a hug when she started to cry. It wasn't fair.
Rory took a deep breath as she knocked on Dad's door at Riddle's. She half expected a woman to answer it, but no, it was Dad. He looked incredibly tired too. Rory couldn't ever recall seeing him tired.
"I thought you were going to come Friday." It was Saturday morning. Dad rubbed at his eyes and opened the door wider so she could come in. He weakly gestured to the sofa.
Rory shrugged and sat down. "I like to get a head start on homework on Friday."
"Hmmm…" He sat across from her and put his face in his hands for a moment. Rory suddenly wanted to leave. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I'm sorry, Aurora… Rory. But, I've kept something from you."
To be honest, she didn't know much about him. She knew the everyday things, like his favorite color and that he had a sweet tooth, but she didn't know any of the deep stuff. Rory wondered if he even knew her favorite color, pink. "Oh…"
He didn't want to tell her. Dad swallowed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "You're going to have a sibling soon…"
Rory felt her whole body tense. "Mum's pregnant?" she yelled in disbelief. "And you left her?!"
"No." Dad winced. "Not your mother."
Rory stared for a long time. She felt her eyes widen but couldn't bring herself to speak. Dad started to become uncomfortable and began fiddling with the fabric of the armchair.
She remembered what Lucius said. That Dad had to marry Pansy Parkinson. She thought it was some stupid arranged marriage thing. She thought that that was what made Dad realize that he wanted to be with her and Mum, that they were his true family. She was wrong.
"He'll be here in about a month," Dad said quietly.
Rory laughed bitterly, reminding her of Ted. She even sounded like Ted. Because Aurora Katherine Potter would never tell her dad, "Fuck you."
Pansy's parents weren't talking to her, but she didn't care. She did love the baby, which was why she wanted to give him up. He didn't deserve to have a mother who didn't want to be a mother.
As horrifying as Dragonfly Manor was, she was staying with Narcissa. It was awkward as hell, so Pansy did what she usually did, bury herself in her work. Her "office" was the back porch. The cold finally put an end to her hot flashes.
She had forgotten how smart Aurora was. Well, Draco said she was smart, but Pansy had a feeling he didn't really know, so she didn't entirely believe him. She didn't expect the girl to show up three weeks before Pansy's due date. Pansy reached for her wand.
"You used to make fun of my mum," the girl said coolly. "Did you think about that when you missed your period?"
Oh she was definitely Lily and Narcissa's granddaughter. Pansy almost smiled. "The irony is not lost on me."
Aurora frowned. "I always wanted a sibling. Mum said no."
"Well aren't you lucky," Pansy said dryly. "You're getting one anyway."
The girl's face went blank, causing Pansy to tighten the grip on her wand. The girl wouldn't hex her, would she? Aurora surprised her by saying, "I want to be there. When you have it."
"Oh?" And strangle him? Pansy was tempted to ask.
Aurora's face turned pink. "Don't tell my mum. Or my dad. I want to be there for it. I know what it feels like. To have him as a dad…" She repeated, "I want to be there for it."
"For him," Pansy corrected. Then, she added slowly, "You can be there."
And only you, Pansy thought. She didn't want Draco there with Lucius's threatening solicitors and his instance that he could be a father when she knew he couldn't. Draco was too selfish. Aurora wasn't. She'd tell him when it was over.
Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, myafroatemydog, gr8rockstarrox, and Padfootette!
myafroatemydog: The closest hint I gave was Draco thinking in chapter one that it was ironic that Pansy used make fun of Kat. ;)
gr8rockstarrox: I would say it was more that Pansy wants to give the baby up for adoption, and he's realizing that he can't raise a kid on his own because he has no clue how, even though he already has a kid. He was thinking to himself, If I can do right by Aurora, maybe I have a chance at being a decent father to my son.
Any of you read Draco Malfoy: The Boy Who Lived? I published chapter four a little while ago, only to realize the emails notifications were down. So some of you may not have gotten it. It's up though. :)
