Hello there :D
So, here we go with a new chapter! Sorry for the long wait but as you can see, it turned out rather long, so it took some time to beta! I still can't believe what a response this story gets, with all the reviews, favs and follows! Thank you guys so much, it really makes me happy that you enjoy this plot so much!
I'm also apologizing for the baby's name. I know canon and stuff but this is a unique situation, so I needed a unique name! It will all make sense in the end, trust me, so I'm sorry for those, who are disappointed... but look at it this way: in the prologue you saw that he isn't blond-haired/blue-eyed, so he never was a Scorpius in the first place ;-)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
As always, a special thanks to my betas: Dramione84, Affectiion, kika_kanyume7 and throughhiseyes!
Enjoy this new part,
Kia
4. BIRTH
Azkaban, January 1999
It was an exception.
Lucius had sent a request to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt personally, explaining their circumstances. The Minister had granted it and that's how Draco found himself in the visitor room again about four months after receiving Astoria's letter. And this time, he was there together with his father.
They were sitting on one side of the table, both arms and legs were bound and instead of one Auror, two would be present.
They had a meeting with their lawyer, and Lucius had told Kingsley that they could do it the complicated way where the lawyer would meet with Lucius first, and then Draco, or the easy way where they would just talk to their lawyer together. It wasn't like the topic had anything to do with dark magic or murder.
Weasley was already there, eying both Malfoys with subtle interest, and Draco guessed that the second Auror would then escort their lawyer, Monsieur Frédéric Moreau, to the prison and back. It wasn't like Moreau hadn't been here before- he was their lawyer and they were in prison, but both Draco and Lucius knew that the sentence they received was more for show than for punishment.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been put in the most accommodating area of the prison and were allowed mail, assembly time and visitors.
However, the reason Lucius had requested to speak with Moreau had nothing to do with their crimes and convictions. It was of different nature.
"You know, Malfoy," Weasley suddenly said and Draco looked up when his thoughts were interrupted. He raised an eyebrow in question.
"That girl of yours, something's not right about her. I told Harry already and I think-"
"Weasley!" Draco growled stressed. "Besides that fact that I should congratulate you because you finally figured out how to use your brain, I don't actually care about what you think." The blond looked at him annoyed. "And she's not my girl."
Ron looked offended and Lucius gave him an interested glance over Draco's head, but before anyone could say anything more, the door to the visitor room opened and Monsieur Moreau walked in, clutching a black ledger under his arm and looking at the Auror who had accompanied him in disdain. He was a good looking man, tall with dark hair and eyes and black glasses perched on his nose. Draco knew that he was his father's age, yet he looked about 20 years younger, wearing what was probably the most expensive designer suit available in Wizarding Paris.
Frédéric Moreau was the complete opposite of Lucius, yet the two of them knew each other since they were children and had been friends ever since. Draco knew that his father hadn't had real friends amongst all the purebloods Draco grew up with. The Moreaus were the only other family his parents really trusted. Not only financially as Frédéric was their lawyer but also emotionally because he would do everything in his hardest to help Draco in his situation. As far as Draco knew, the Moreaus had nothing to do with dark magic and they had nothing to do with the war. The Moreaus and the Malfoys went back centuries, both with their roots in France and they both belonged to the wealthiest families in the whole Wizarding World.
The black-haired man sat down across from the two Malfoys. He nodded towards Ron, who nodded back and then exchanged a look with the other Auror who had closed the door and stood in front of it, arms folded across his chest while he looked at the Malfoys with a sneer on his face.
"Lucius," Moreau said and Draco looked at his father, who smiled tightly at the other man. "Frédéric, ca va?"
"Ah bien," the Frenchman replied, then looked at Draco. "Draco, how are you?"
Draco shrugged. "Could be better."
"I can imagine," the man replied as the blond frowned.
"Lucius, I've brought everything you've asked me to," the lawyer opened his ledger to pull out a stack of parchment. He took the one on top and held it out towards the Auror who stood at the door. "I have approval from the Minister. They are permitted to sign the contracts I have brought, in addition to collecting a strand of Draco's hair and a small extraction of blood. I know that visitation protocols state that no touching is allowed, so I put in the request prior to my arrival. You should have received your own copy about two weeks ago, Auror White," Moreau said. According to Auror White's face, which had turned red, he wasn't happy about it. He as much as snatched the parchment out of Frédéric's hand, expression darkening further when he read of the Minister's approval.
Moreau smiled, pleased at the reaction, before he focused on Lucius and Draco again. "I also contacted Miss Greengrass and she was certainly very cooperative, telling me that the due date of the baby is in about ten days from today and that she will contact me as soon as the baby is born."
"She will contact you?" Lucius asked and Frédéric nodded, reading through his notes. "Yes, she said she wants to have a home birth, the old way."
Lucius was stunned and Draco looked at his father in interest. "How..." Lucius started, "traditional of her."
Frédéric shrugged. "She currently resides at Malfoy Manor, as per her invitation from Narcissa, who has been keeping me updated, and sends her greetings by the way. Besides your family's house elves, Miss Greengrass has brought her own, which according to her will be present at the birth."
"Wait," Draco interrupted, looking at Moreau. "What do you mean in the old way?"
"It's traditional for Pureblood wives to birth a first heir at the ancestral home of the family, rather than in a medical facility. The father and husband is not invited to attend. Only the wife and one selected house elf are present while the baby is born." Lucius answered automatically, Moreau agreeing with a smile.
"Oh," Draco mumbled and his father looked at him.
"It's actually quite rare for women these days to follow that tradition. House elves, as good as they might be, are not especially trained for birth complications and nobody wants to risk losing an heir because of that. I was born at the Manor but my parents already called a Healer to assist with the birth. You were born there as well but Narcissa had been seeing a midwife and when she went into labour, the midwife just came to the Manor. There is a house elf present, but more for show than anything else, they normally just assist by bringing water and towels."
"Exactly," Frédéric seconded. "Back in the day, Healers were rare, which is why the family had to rely on the house elves. With time they realized that making sure that the child is born safely was more important than tradition, especially because the birth rate for Purebloods was so low."
"So, why does Astoria want to do it then? Why not go to ?" Draco asked confused.
Frédéric sighed, "I think she's trying to make a point."
"Stupid girl," Lucius muttered under his breath.
Draco furrowed his brows in understanding. "The Malfoy heir, born in Malfoy Manor in the traditional Pureblood way," he mumbled and Frédéric looked at him in sympathy.
"At this point, it is her decision," he stated. "But she does still insist that it is your child, and when I wrote to her and said that I'm the one who does the paternity test on every newborn Malfoy child, she instantly agreed to do everything I want. Which should rather speak for her, I believe."
"Frédéric tested you as well," Lucius explained to Draco then. "He saw you before I did." He looked at the man across from him, frowning as if he still was upset about that fact. "Another tradition, I suppose. When a Pureblood wife goes into labour, not only is the Mediwitch called, but also the family lawyer. After the birth, a test is undertaken by the newborn child to determine paternity. If the result is positive, the lawyer informs the husband and he is finally allowed to see his heir, knowing fully that it is his flesh and blood. If the child isn't his, then, well…" Lucius trailed off.
"So, you will take some of my hair and blood now, and then when the boy is born, Astoria will notify you and you will go to the Manor and conduct the paternity test with the baby by yourself?" Draco clarified.
Frédéric replied, "Yes. Because the birth date is already so close, I'll be staying at a family estate in England so I'm only a short floo call away. After I do the test, I will send you the result immediately. I have already requested an exception from the Minister about that as well. I know that mail only comes in once a week, but in this case, you will receive the letter as soon as it arrives here. The guards will be made aware of the circumstances, and trust me when I say that I'll check if you have received it. There will also be no more restrictions on your sending of letters. You will be permitted to write to myself, your mother and Astoria as often as you like. I included that in my request as well," Frédéric said and patted the stack of parchments between them.
"Thank you," Draco said to the older man, who smiled at the young Malfoy heir he had watched grow up.
"Have you been in contact with Miss Greengrass, Draco?" Frédéric asked then, and Draco sighed.
"She visited me in September I think, but I know that I upset her by not believing her right away, so we have only communicated through a few letters since then. She wrote that she still thinks that I'm 'confused, probably because I'm in here,' but she'll forgive me once it has been proven that she is carrying my son. She actually offered a paternity test long before Father wrote you, writing that if I wanted actual proof, she would be happy to give it to me once the baby is born. She refused to come here again though, and said that she will only visit me again once she believes that I believe her," Draco told them.
He had spent the better part of four months debating whether or not to believe her. Some days he did, but other days he didn't. When Lucius had informed him that he contacted Frédéric, Draco had calmed down. He knew that he could only accept it once he had proof that Astoria was pregnant with his child.
He was mostly confused because he started to like the idea of being a father. Having something so innocent, so pure, unsullied through the war or Draco's past decisions. A tiny baby that wouldn't know what the Dark Mark on his arm meant, and that didn't know his dark family history. They probably would some day, but Draco would have enough time to prove that he wasn't as coldhearted as everyone thought he was.
He knew that he could be a good father. Great, even.
But allowing himself to feel that way, excited to be a father, accepting Astoria's story, just to be disappointed in the end if it turned out to not be his child? He wouldn't be able to bear it, so instead, he would think the worst until proven otherwise. Otherwise, he would break even more- which would be quite the task, considering he was so broken already.
He had told Astoria that, not in those exact words but similar, begging her to understand and she had tried. She told him that there was no doubt, she knew this was his baby, it was impossible to be anyone else's, but that she could understand his fear, and she would be willing to leave him alone until the baby was born. But after the birth, she wouldn't give him anymore time. He would take responsibility or he wouldn't.
Draco had agreed to that.
Frédéric exchanged a look with Lucius. Draco's father had written in his letter to him that his son was struggling with his feelings towards the girl.
And for Draco's sake, they both hoped that Miss Greengrass was genuine.
"So, I think our time is up soon, so let's get to the unpleasant part. Draco, I need a few hairs and some blood from you. I wasn't allowed a wand but the Head Auror told me that the Aurors would assist me in that task," Frédéric looked at White, who was still looking gruffly and unpleasantly at the little group at the table. Frédéric turned toward the other Auror in the room.
"Mister Weasley, correct?" he asked. Ron looked at him, surprised, before nodding. "I'm afraid your colleague over there might take too much pleasure from a simple blood extraction, making it more complicated that it should be. Would you mind assisting me?" Frédéric asked, pulling a small vial out of his ledger.
"Uhm… sure," Ron nodded slowly, pulling out his wand and stepping closer to Draco. He eyed White warily, who looked even more angry at the lawyer's insult, and Ron knew that it was the right choice to do it himself. He took the small vial and walked over to Draco. "I'll take some from the vein in your right arm, Malfoy," he announced. Draco nodded, turning his arm as well as he could in his binds so Weasley had access to the crook of his arm.
Lucius was watching the redhead's every move as he lowered his wand and put the tip against Draco's arm. Ron mumbled the incarnation for the blood extraction spell and as he pulled his wand back from Draco's arm, a thin red line of blood left Draco's arm and moved into the vial. Ron ended the spell and sealed the vial before giving it back to Monsieur Moreau. He checked Draco's arm, but besides a tiny red dot where the blood had been extracted, the blond seemed fine.
Draco nodded thanks in his direction. Weasley gave him a nod back.
"And now a few hairs," Frédéric said and leant over to pluck some out. He put them in a second phial and together with the blood, he put them back in his leather ledger.
"Alright, now I need you both to sign this contract here," Frédéric said and pulled out a self-inking quill, then put a parchment in front of them. With their hands in binds it was quite difficult, but because Lucius didn't seem to have any problems, Draco tried to not look as clumsy as he felt.
"Wait," Draco suddenly said when Frédéric started to pack his things. "Yes?" the lawyer looked up at the younger wizard.
"Uhm.. could you give me some parchment?" Draco asked as he was still holding the quill in his hand and Frédéric reached pack in his ledger and pulled out a blank piece. He pushed it over to Draco, who quickly wrote something down, then he clumsily rolled the parchment up. "Could you seal it, please?" He turned to Ron, holding out the letter as best he could. The Auror was too surprised to react at first, but he nodded, pulled out his wand again, and sealed the small scroll. "Thank you," Draco muttered absently as he gave the scroll to Frédéric, who looked at it, perplexed.
"In her last letter, Astoria told me that she wanted me to pick a name for the baby, probably another way to prove to me that she is carrying my son. I wrote back that I would give the name to you and that you would give it to her after you did the paternity test," Draco explained and Lucius looked over at his son, feeling somehow proud.
"So, please, when you go and do the test, and if he really is my son, give this to her," Draco's eyes glossed over and he got a distant look in them. "But if he isn't..." the blond whispered, eyes becoming clear again, "then please destroy it without opening it."
"I will, Draco. I promise," Frédéric answered sincerely and Draco smiled flatly.
"Thank you, Frédéric," Lucius said when White showed signs of becoming impatient- clearly their time was up. The lawyer inclined his head once, sharing a look with his old friend before he closed the ledger, having put all his things away neatly inside it.
"I'll write you, Lucius, Draco." He got up then, and nodded towards Ron. He made a point of ignoring White, who had opened the door to lead the lawyer back outside the visiting room. He turned in the doorway to address Weasley. "The guard will take Lucius Malfoy back first while you wait here with the other one. Once he comes back, you can leave as well. I'll see you back at the Ministry."
Ron rolled his eyes after the other man had disappeared with Monsieur Moreau. For the first time ever, Draco had to agree with Weasley's sentiments.
"Malfoy," the guard stepped inside and pointed his wand at Lucius's feet. "Come on, I'll escort you back to your cell."
"Draco," Lucius addressed his son, who looked up to meet his father's eyes. He blinked once before Lucius looked at Ron, who looked surprised that he was recognised by the Malfoy patriarch. "Weasley," Lucius drawled, and Ron raised his chin in acknowledgement.
The guard then led Lucius outside the visitor room, the door fell shut, and Ron and Draco were left behind.
Draco then groaned and buried his face in his hands as much as he could. "Bloody Hell," he cursed.
"I hate to break it to you," Ron said into the quiet room, "but I still think that there wasn't something right about her."
Draco actually looked up. "You think so?"
Weasley shrugged. "She does keep you on a short leash, doesn't she?"
Draco cursed again. "I don't know what to do. I mean, it could be my child but there's always the possibility it's not." He banged his fists against the iron table, making them sting from the impact.
"Well, I've think you've got it covered with your test and all. And in what? Ten days? You will have the answer," Weasley stated and Draco had to agree. "I guess."
The door opened again and the guard came in, gesturing for Draco that he would be escorted now. The binds from his ankles were lifted and he got up, following the guard out of the room.
"But still," Weasley added and Draco stopped to look over his shoulder. "Something's not right. Mark my words, Malfoy."
The guard forced Draco to walk away before he could answer.
The letter came twelve days later, on the morning of the 22nd day of January. Draco had been sleeping when the guard banged on his door and he had jumped up, ready to fight out of habit- but there wasn't a wand he could have grabbed from underneath his pillow, and his bare feet hit hard on the concrete floor.
He tries to shake the sleep off while he stumbled to the door. A glance towards the window showed that it was still dark outside.
"Malfoy! Your lawyer sent you a letter and we have direct orders from the Minister to get it to you immediately," the guard barked from outside the door before pushing a rolled up scroll of parchment through the hatch in the door that they talked or passed meals through.
Draco accepted it with shaking hands. He was unable to say anything.
A second scroll appeared and Draco took it as well, and then a quill which was passed through the hole to him. "There's also parchment and a quill for replies. I'll be back in an hour to collect them."
The small flap was closed firmly over the opening and Draco was alone in his silent cell, holding his future in one hand.
He hadn't touched it for the longest time. The scroll, sealed with shiny blue wax and the Moreau seal, was sitting on the small desk in his cell while Draco himself was sitting on the cot, his eyes never leaving the scroll.
He stared across the room and at the taunting piece of parchment which held the truth about Draco's son.
This was truly nerve-wracking, even more when his father refused to write his mother about Draco's situation and he had forced Draco to do it himself, which was almost scarier than defecting Voldemort Writing to his mother after the first meeting with Astoria, telling her that he had apparently had fathered a child out of wedlock during the final months of the war was something that Draco wouldn't wish on anyone.
His mother's reply had been short and direct, no emotions, no scolding, unfortunately, Draco knew that she was anything but pleased.
In the last few months, Draco had thought daily about Astoria, the pregnancy and how he had arrived at this whole screwed up situation. He remembered how his mother had begged him to go to Hogwarts and to Snape after the Golden Trio had escaped from the Manor around Easter. She knew that the Dark Lord would return and he would be furious, so she wanted to at least get him out of the way.
And saying that the Easter weekend threw him off was an understatement.
Watching Granger almost bleed to death in his sitting room was the last straw for Draco to realize that he didn't want to be part of such hatred. So, he had complied with his mother's wishes and returned to Hogwarts, but it wasn't the same there. Death Eaters who tortured students like Longbottom, because he had refused to hurt first years, and students, who tried to emulate the Death Eaters by actually taking joy in torturing the younger children had made Hogwarts an awful place to be.
Draco almost felt sicker than at home.
Astoria had been so different at the time, calm and kind, and had asked him for advice for a Potions assignment, and Draco had just wanted to forget. Had wanted to get rid of Granger's screams and the smell of her blood that replayed over and over in his head.
And so he had propositioned Astoria during their study session and she had agreed, and that was that.
It wasn't glamourous or romantic, none of his relations ever were. He did use her and he was pretty sure that she knew that. It gave Draco something to do and he was able to forget where he was for at least a few hours, so he welcomed it without further regret.
It hadn't been real but Draco didn't particularly care.
Unfortunately for Astoria, Draco had forgotten about her as soon as he left Hogwarts again and he had never spared her another thought until that day four months ago, where she sent him the letter that had changed everything.
He had spent four months debating if she was telling the truth or not.
And now he could know, the still unopened scroll on his desk was holding all the answers and yet Draco was too much of a coward to finally put his mind at ease.
He laughed aloud dryly, how ironic was it that in a situation like this, Draco actually wished for the first time in his life that he had some of that Gryffindor courage.
But he also knew that time was running out, the guard would come back soon to collect his replies and later during assembly time, his father would definitely want to know the result.
Taking a deep breath, Draco finally got up from the bed and walked slowly over, then stopped and stared down at the scroll. He broke the seal and gently unrolled it, his eyes scanning over Frédéric's handwriting.
Tears prickled in his eyes when he finally came to the part where it said that his blood was a match to the newborn's. The paternity test potion was positive.
Draco had a son.
"So…" Lucius said while staring at the letter in his hand a few hours later during assembly time. Like always, Draco sat across from his father, watching his reaction closely. When Draco had entered and walked over his Lucius, he had only extended his hand and Draco had given him the letter wordlessly.
"...I'm a grandfather," he finished after reading through Frédéric's letter twice.
"Yes," Draco helplessly answered, not knowing how to reply to such a remark.
"Well, congratulations are in order," Lucius added without sounding like he actually was congratulating, but Draco decided to ignore it. He smiled proudly at his father.
"Thank you."
"Did you write to your mother already?" Lucius asked, starting to read the letter for the third time.
Draco nodded. "Yes, I wrote to her and Frédéric. And I wrote to Astoria of course."
Lucius looked up. "Of course you did." He narrowed his eyes at his son, knowing exactly what was going on in Draco's head.
The blond looked down, blood rushing to his cheeks. "I asked for her forgiveness."
"Oh, you better have," Lucius stated. "She did birth the Malfoy heir, after all."
"I know," Draco sighed. "I asked her to come visit me again. So we could talk."
Lucius raised one eyebrow. "To talk?" he said slowly and Draco blushed harder, yet he kept eye contact with his father.
He squared his shoulders. "I'll ask her to marry me."
Lucius looked at him, then back to the letter and then back up at Draco. "What brought that on?" Lucius discarded the letter to focus on the game of chess between them again. He had set it up before Draco had come in but the anticipation to find out about the truth behind Astoria's story had kept them from playing. Lucius opened the game with his pawn.
"It's the right thing to do, Father!" Draco announced sharply. "I sincerely have no idea since when your whole ideals became so… loose… but I for one still was raised by my mother's standards, which… once upon a time apparently, had been yours as well. Astoria will make a respectable wife and she gave me a son, so I think she deserves a little gratitude and that's why I'll ask her to become my wife. I won't let my first-born heir grow up as a bastard born out of wedlock."
Lucius stared at his son, who looked so much like him at that moment that he was afraid to blink to find him staring at his own reflection instead of Draco. Something close to pride swelled in Lucius because obviously, he had raised Draco in the Malfoy way but at the same time, he felt threatful. Draco had been raised too close-minded, Lucius realized that now. He had seen his son start to doubt the Dark Lord and during the battle, he knew that Draco had actively fought on the Order's side, so had he and Narcissa, but Draco had understood it on his own and Lucius had been so glad to see it.
And then, he had hoped that Azkaban would give Draco time to think and he had used their conversations to lead Draco away from Lucius himself, so Draco could be his own man. And, once he was free, he could do whatever he wanted.
"I see," Lucius looked up after his rook took one of Draco's knights. "If that is what you want."
Draco looked irate. "You don't sound as happy as I pictured it."
"You pictured me reacting to your proposal plans?" Lucius nodded towards his Queen, who destroyed one of Draco's pawns.
"Well, yes…" Draco admitted. "You know, me marrying a pureblood, having an heir… isn't that what you always wanted from me?" the blond asked, confused, not caring about the game anymore.
Lucius looked up sharply. "That's what you thought I wanted from you? You being married and having a son?"
The younger Malfoy shrugged helplessly. "Yes."
Lucius sighed. His head hurt and he knew exactly why.
"I want you to be able to decide what you want, Draco. Every parent wants that for their children. When I started to follow… well, back then, I thought a world without Muggles or Muggleborns would be a better world, a world where you would be treated how you deserved to be treated. I wanted you to have every freedom possible. It was never about the money- we have enough of that- but about the possibilities." Lucius laughed dryly. "I was wrong. I realise it now. Instead of opening the world for you, I narrowed it down, getting you locked up in prison. Everyone will always look at you for who you are, not because you are a Malfoy but because you were a Death Eater; because I let you become a Death Eater."
Draco was quiet, looking at his father, who then cleared his throat and gave his knight a little push with one finger.
They had had a few heart-to-hearts during assembly times already, probably because they always spent the hour together. It made Draco understand his father better; something he never had before. And he quite liked it, to be honest, spending time together and talking. Somehow Lucius was much more content. The surroundings weren't ideal of course, but Draco could live with it in exchange for getting to know his father better.
"So, what I'm trying to say is, if you want to marry her, then do it. You have my blessing," Lucius said and Draco smiled at him.
"Don't gloat," his father demanded and Draco's face fell. He concentrated on the game again but he had clearly not been paying enough attention because he was now watching his father's Queen was beheading his King.
"Checkmate," Lucius drawled.
Later that night, Draco lay in bed, gazing out of the window.
Astoria had written him back and the guard had delivered the letter after assembly time already. She wrote that she needed some recovery from the birth first, but that she was willing to come back to visit Draco, as he obviously believed her now.
She was glad that Draco had finally accepted that truth.
The blond clutched tightly to the photo that had been attached to the letter. It wasn't much, and he hadn't expected it, but there he was. His perfect little son. He was wrapped tightly in a blanket, wearing a tiny hat, so only his face and one tiny little fist was visible in the moving black and white photo. He was sleeping at first, but then he stirred, yawing before he went back to sleep again.
Draco hadn't let go of the photo since he had gotten the letter. It was too dark in the cell to see anything properly but Draco still held on to it tightly.
He smiled, counting the days until he would finally be able to hold his little promise of happiness. Because that was what Draco saw in this little baby. Finally something he did right, and he would do it right by asking Astoria to marry him, no matter what everyone else said. And then, he would get the chance to raise his son properly. He would do this right because Draco was sick of screwing up and making wrong decisions.
His grey eyes traced the constellation of stars he could see while laying on his bed. Against the black night sky the stars glittered, millions of them scattered all over, but Draco only had eyes for one constellation.
The one which represented a raven in the eternity of the black night sky.
Corvus.
At the same time, on another side of Azkaban, facing North, Lucius Malfoy was standing at the window in his cell.
Similar to his son, he was gazing up at the stars, but it was a different constellation which caught his eye. He spotted the star Eltanin at first, the brightest star, and one eye of what was supposed to be a writhing dragon in the dark sky.
Despite what everyone thought, he and Narcissa had not had an arranged marriage. They met at Hogwarts and Narcissa had hated him. She was smart, top of her class, and he was arrogant and selfish. He could have had anyone he wanted but he wanted her.
He courted her and he would have done anything for her.
At that point, he hadn't even cared if she turned out to be less than Pureblood.
She was everything he wanted, and it took blood and sweat and patience and humiliation to win her over, but in the end, he did, oh, how he did.
It had been years since Lucius had recalled those first feelings for Narcissa. During Voldemort's time, his thoughts had been dark and determined. When he was young, he hadn't cared as much about blood as he should have- his father had lectured him often enough- but Narcissa had opened his eyes that people weren't much different from each other.
With time those notions were forgotten, but since he and Draco were put in Azkaban they had started to come back, and as clear as day Lucius remembered how he would have given up everything he ever owned- his inheritance, his name, his status- if only he could have Narcissa.
Before Draco had told him about the pregnancy, Lucius had started to hope again that his son might still have had a chance after he was released. Maybe his mind could be broadened like it should have been. Draco could have done anything he wanted, gone out there and looked for the one person who really deserved him.
Lucius had the feeling that Astoria Greengrass wasn't it.
Astoria didn't return until one month after the baby's birth. She had written Draco long letters, including a picture every time, which Draco was allowed to keep in his cell.
He worshipped them. Every day and every night he would look at them, at the tiny bundle in the pictures and his heart would swell with so much pride and happiness that he didn't even care that he was currently in prison.
He had anticipated this day like nothing else, and when he was finally sitting in the visiting room again, he knew that he was only minutes away from seeing Astoria, and from hearing her tell him everything about his son.
The door then opened and Weasley stepped back in to give him the same lecture as last time.
"Yes, yes," Draco waved him off and Weasley rolled his eyes, annoyed before he opened the door again and let Astoria in.
The blonde woman smiled brightly as she was sitting down across from Draco. She was draped in a heavy winter cloak to keep herself safe from the chilly Azkaban air. The place was quite drafty, and even Draco had received thicker clothes and the open window in his cell had been sealed shut with magic to keep the cold out.
Astoria continued to smile, but she looked exhausted now that Draco could look at her better. "Hello, Draco."
"Astoria," He breathed. "How are you?"
She shrugged. "Tired. But well, mostly." She looked at Ron in question, who nodded at her. She reached into her cloak to pull out two more pictures that Draco was eager to get his hands on.
"This is him," she said, pleased at Draco's eagerness. "He's so precious, Draco."
"He's perfect," Draco murmured when he finally was able to look at the two newest photos. One showed his son on a baby blanket, to which Astoria pointed out that his mother had sent, and another was a picture of Astoria holding the baby against her chest, rocking him slightly.
She blushed as Draco stared at the picture in fascination.
Draco was taken aback for a moment at how calm Astoria seemed. She had been furious in their last meeting and in her letters after. He had expected her to be more distant, that would have to beg her for forgiveness for his stubbornness, but it looked like she had forgiven him already.
"Oh, you have no idea how happy I am that you finally believe me," she gushed at him, but Draco was too busy with the new pictures that he didn't see the gleam in her eyes.
The blond stared at the pictures between them, then he looked up and Astoria looked at him in all her innocence. Ron narrowed his eyes at her from behind Draco but she ignored him. "Oh Draco, I was so afraid that I had to do this on my own but now that you believe me, I'm sure that-"
"Marry me."
His words were spoken clear and direct into the silent visitation room. Even Weasley stopped fidgeting around.
Astoria stared at Draco in utter surprise. "Excuse me?"
Draco's eyes caught hers. "Marry me, Astoria and I swear that I'll make sure that you never go without." He wanted to reach out to grasp her hands but the restraints kept him from it, and he frowned, agitated, when he tugged at them, getting desperate.
"Draco, Draco… Draco!" Astoria tried to calm him down and he stopped, looking up at her through his fringe. She grinned. "Of course I'll marry you. What an honour," she laughed.
Ron scoffed but Draco looked at her with bright eyes, too far gone in his happiness to notice it.
"Brilliant," Draco said, staring at the pictures of his son and his fiancé happily. "He's perfect, Astoria."
"I know." The blonde woman said, looking satisfied. When Draco looked up again to meet her eyes, she smiled sweetly.
Their moment got interrupted by Weasley. "Two Minutes," he announced and Draco sneered at him for the first time. All he got back was a tight smile.
"Oh now I have so much to plan," Astoria rushed. "And I have to write your mother and my parents to tell them the wonderful news. They all weren't pleased by the fact that our little boy had been born out of wedlock but now we will correct this and oh, Draco, I'm so happy."
The Malfoy heir smiled pleased at her. "Don't worry, Astoria. I won't have everyone talking bad about you or our son."
"Yes, wonderful." She sighed happily, falling back in her chair.
"Time is over," Weasley said then before Draco could reply. The door opened and the guard was ready to take him back. Astoria got up, smiling encouragingly at Draco.
"Less than three months and you will come home."
He nodded at her but Weasley was faster as he had led her outside of the room already, throwing back a confused glance at Draco. The redhead shook his head and then focused on Astoria again to safely escort her back to the Ministry.
Draco stared longingly after her.
