Tis the season of cute boots and pumpkin spice everything! My dad and I got into a tiff the other day about whether 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) is hot or cold. Feel free to weigh in!
Chapter 4
"You're not considering this," Ron said as he dropped off Athena. "I mean, it's Malfoy. He's not her father, he was a sperm donor. He doesn't belong in her life, or yours."
Hermione sighed, shut the door, and rubbed the spot between her eyes where headaches always formed. She heard the same thing every time Draco came up, and she found it annoying. "Yes, Ron, I am," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, I'm considering allowing Draco to meet Athena because I'm the mother and I get to do that. If you don't like it, that's too damn bad. It's up to me to decide what's best for my daughter. No, I haven't decided if it's the best thing for Draco to see her, but I am considering it."
Ron smirked as she finished her diatribe. "You're really pretty when you get angry at me," he remarked, eliciting a huff from the witch. "Look, I want what's best for Athena too. She should have a father, but Malfoy?"
"He's her father," Hermione exclaimed.
"And where was her father when she had a cold or took her first steps?" he demanded. "Where was he for birthdays and holidays? I've been more of a father to her than Malfoy has! George and Harry and Bill have been more of a father to her than Malfoy has. God dammit, Hermione. He doesn't deserve to be in her life."
"That's my call to make," she stated. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but that's what it is, Ron."
Sighing, he relented for the moment. "She showed me the picture you gave her," he admitted. "Teeny has your smile, you know. Her whole face lit up when she talked about him. Harry told her stories about Quidditch games they played against each other."
A sad smile settled on Hermione's lips. "I guess there's not much else to tell her," she replied. "At least there's nothing good you can tell her."
Ron moved toward the front door, giving her arm a gentle squeeze as he did so. "You'll have to tell her those stories," he said, hoping to sound encouraging.
Athena chattered as she came down the stairs after Ron left, informing her mother of Draco's Quidditch career. Hermione grinned as her daughter spoke a mile a minute. "Could we talk?" she asking, cutting off the commentary. Attentively, Athena followed her to the kitchen where Hermione began to prepare dinner. "I saw your dad today."
Gray eyes lit with excitement. "Did you talk about me?" Athena asked.
"We did," Hermione confirmed. "In fact, we talked about you so much that I'm thinking of just giving you to him because I'm tired of talking about you."
"Mummy, be serious," the little girl said with a roll of her eyes.
Laughing, Hermione gave her daughter the details of her meeting with Draco. "So, I was thinking, if you're alright with it, I might invite him over to meet you," she concluded.
"Nana said he was bad," Athena told her. "I wanna meet him, but what if he really is a bad guy?"
Turning away from the chopped carrots, Hermione knelt in front of the worried little girl. "You trust me, right?" she asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Then believe me when I say that your daddy became a very good man. You wouldn't be here if I thought he were bad. He was very, very good to me when we were together, and even though he had to go away, he never stopped loving you."
"What if I don't like him?" she wondered.
"That's okay," Hermione assured her, tucking a curl behind her small ear. "It's okay if you don't like him. All I ask is that you decide that on your own. Don't let what Nana or Uncle Ron or anyone else says cloud your judgement. Promise me you'll try to do that?"
Taking a deep breath, Athena nodded. "When can I meet him?" she asked.
Hermione returned to dinner preparations, letting her know she would contact Draco immediately.
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Draco stood nervously on the porch, hands crammed in his pockets and a trickle of sweat slowly slipping down his neck. His heart hammered when the door opened and a little girl with brown curls and gray eyes invited him inside. "You're tall," she said, directing him to sit on the sofa. "I'm not tall, but maybe some day I will be. Mummy doesn't think she's tall though, so I'm not sure. What do you think?"
He stared wide eyed at the child who was his. "I...I don't know," he stammered. "Um, is your...your mum around?"
Nodding, Athena ran off, returning minutes later with Hermione in tow. She dragged her mother to the couch, made her sit, then positioned herself between her parents. "I've heard a lot about you," she said seriously. "Uncle Ron doesn't like you."
Hermione hissed her daughter's name before offering Draco an apology. "No, no. It's fine," he mumbled. "Um, yeah, a lot of people didn't like me when we were young. It was mostly my fault. Your mum gave me a chance even though I teased her all the time."
Athena's posture changed. She moved closer to her mother. "Why would you do that?" she wondered, anxious to protect Hermione. Behind her, Hermione attempted to hold back her laughter.
"Because it's what boys do sometimes when they like a girl," he told her, laughing at the look of disgust on Athena's face. "In ten, twenty years you'll feel differently, maybe forty years if your mother has any say in it."
The little girl relaxed slightly. "Do you love Mummy?" she asked.
His eyes briefly went to Hermione, hoping for help. Instead, she looked at him with the same curious look that Athena did. "I did," he told them, causing Hermione to smile.
But Athena was too quick. "Did or do?" she clarified.
Hermione cleared her throat. "You know, I think I could use some ice cream," she said, getting to her feet. "Draco, still prefer vanilla with sprinkles to...anything that actually has flavor?"
He mouthed his gratitude and smiled. "There's nothing wrong with vanilla," he informed her. "And it does have flavor, you chocolate snob."
Laughing, she turned to Athena and instructed her to get ready to go out. "I'm sorry about that," she said when the little girl was out of earshot. "She's um, well, me. Told you she's perfect."
"She is," he agreed. "Merlin, I thought she was going to take a swing at me. Think she might like me?"
Hermione nodded as Athena rejoined them in the living room. She held out her small hand to him. "Just so you know, vanilla's the worst," she told him. "Mummy, I'm ready to go."
