Well, I don't know what to say... I know I made you wait for such a long time! The next one will be out soon though, I promise! I only hope you'll want to read this anyway!

You all have to be thankful to my super fast laurielove who had this betaed in no time once I send her the first draft!

Karma is a bitch

Draco took another sip from his glass and waited patiently for his father to show up. He was used to waiting for him. It seemed as if he had done nothing else since he was a child - not only waiting for him to arrive, but waiting for him to notice Draco, to acknowledge him as a person – and most importantly to love him. But the child was long gone, and the war had changed him - just as his father had changed, that much was true. But it was too little, too late. His father would never be a confidant for him, and his mother even less.

While he was an heir for his father, to be moulded the way he wished him to be, he had been a duty to his mother. She had been even more distant than Lucius. Draco often wondered how she would have behaved had he been a girl. He suspected that she was disappointed to have had a boy first, and not a little girl; a child to cuddle and spoil as much as she wanted. There was no need for a second child once the Malfoy line was secured, and as far as Draco knew, there had never been any discussion about it.

Draco knew that his latest actions must have angered his parents very much. For some reason however, Lucius had contacted him. His letter had been perfectly polite, asking for a meeting as soon as Draco could arrange it. He had hesitated to answer at first, but Lucius had assured him that he didn't mean to sway his mind and so he had agreed to the meeting. The young wizard didn't know why he believed his father; he couldn't imagine that Lucius was happy with him for leaving Astoria. But his letter had seemed heartfelt and truthful, so he decided to come.

The wizard let his eyes wander over the other tables, recognising a few faces here and there, one group catching his attention more than the others; the Potters and the Weasleys having dinner together. Draco sneered. Who'd have thought a few years ago that one day they could afford a place like this?

"Draco. I am glad you accepted my invitation." His father slipped into the chair opposite him. "Do take that miserable look from your face though. It does not suit you."

Wordlessly Draco threw a look in the direction of the foursome at the other table. They suddenly looked much more tense, at least Potty and the Weasel did. He could see their knuckles whitening from the firm grip around their cutlery, and that from the distance. Granger didn't look up from her plate, but she sat ramrod straight and the slight smile that had been on her face before had vanished. The only one oblivious to the sudden change in the atmosphere was the little Weaselette, Potty's wife. Although... She certainly didn't resemble the little Weaselette he had known at school at all. Who'd have thought that such a slim woman could get so big when pregnant? He shook his head and concentrated on his father again.

The older man seemed frozen and was staring at Draco's former classmates as if he had seen a ghost. He caught himself after a short moment and turned his attention towards his son. He coughed slightly, embarrassed over his slip. Shaking his head in a barely noticeable way, he reached for the menu hastily.

"The lamb is always good here..." Lucius remarked after a moment of staring, unseeing,into the menu.

"Yes... That's true..." Draco was still puzzled over his father's behaviour and watched him from under his lashes. "So, tell me father. Why did you want to meet me today? I must say your request came as quite a surprise. I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me for at least – another few months or so."

Lucius raised an eyebrow mockingly. "You were wrong."

"Obviously so. But I wonder why. I told you, if this is to convince me to go back to Astoria..."

The older wizard turned the page of his menu slowly, as if there was nothing that could possibly be of more interest at the moment. Finally he replied, "I have already told you that it is not. I know I have not been the best father – but have I ever lied to you?"

"Lied? Not that I know of. Stretched the truth? More times than I care to count."

"Yes, well..." Lucius wasn't sure what to say. He narrowed the eyes at his son's smirk. The little ingrate was enjoying his discomfort far too much. Luckily for him, the waiter decided to show up at just that moment.

They ordered their meals, but Draco didn't fail to notice his father seemed distracted once again. He could hear the Weaselette complain about wanting a dessert while her husband tried to shush her. Granger and her own Weasel had already left the table. From his seat he could see them standing near the entrance, Granger clearly distraught. He could see the redhead trying to comfort her awkwardly. Apparently the guy still hadn't learned how to treat women. He turned back to his father.

"So. Why are we here?"

"I wanted to have dinner with my son."

"Right," Draco drawled. "That would be a first, father."

Lucius sighed. "It is true though. You are my son – but I am not sure I know you at all. I will not deny that it is my fault, too... You left your wife to move in with another woman and – no, please, let me finish – and I did not even suspect you were seeing somebody. I had no idea that you were unhappy." He shook his head."I want to get to know my son. The man he is – not just the Malfoy heir."

Draco narrowed his eyes. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Get to know him?

"Are you serious?"

Their conversation was interrupted while the waiter served their scallops. Draco took a sip of his wine and watched his father intently. The wizard seemed different from the last time they had talked to each other, as if the recent events had afflicted him as well. He looked older in a way, but softer, too.

"What's happened to you?" he asked him.

"What do you mean?"

Draco shrugged. "You seem... I don't know. Different. I was just wondering..."

Once again he had to wait until his father deigned to answer. And when he did, it wasn't very satisfactory, either.

"I am not here to talk about myself. I came to listen to you..."

"You want me to talk about things that have never been of any interest for you before without telling me why?" Draco shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable with this whole conversation.

"I will tell you. But I want to hear about you first. I would really like to know about you and your butterfly."

"My butterfly?"

"Your new – ?" the older wizard looked at him inquiringly.

"You want me to tell you about Larissa? What for? So you can scare her away? Don't even think about it! Don't you dare!"

"That is not what..."

"Leave her alone! She..."

"I do not want to intimidate her! Draco..." Lucius hissed, careful not to attract attention. "...I just want to know... Are you happy now? Does she make you happy?"

The younger man hesitated, carefully inspecting his scallop, apparently contemplating his answer. He didn't say a word for a long time, only threw covered glances at his father from time to time. What did he want? Why was he suddenly so interested in his life? Lucius had never bothered with these things before...

Finally he swallowed and answered softly, "She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love her, father, I love her more than anything. Don't ruin this for me. Please."

Lucius smiled at his son's whispered pleas. "That is good to hear. I have no intention of ruining it for you."

They fell back into silence, both men attacking the second course of their meal without much appetite. Finally Draco spoke up again.

"Why do you want to know about her?"

"Because you love her. Is that not enough of a reason for your father to want to know at least some things about her?"

Draco's fingers clenched around his cutlery. He wanted to tell his father about her, craved his approval and understanding. But at the same time... What if he rejected her? Draco took a deep breath. "She's wonderful. Smart and funny and compassionate. She doesn't give a damn about who I am or how much money I have. She isn't one to be intimidated, and she is the most beautiful woman I've ever met..."

Once again he hesitated, nervously playing with his cutlery, but finally decided to continue. He needed to trust his father. "She's also pregnant..."

"Pregnant?"

"She... She told me last week. I didn't leave Astoria because Larissa is pregnant. I didn't even know when I left her. I really didn't. It was not the reason... I—I just could not stay with Astoria."

Much to his surprise, his father smiled; perhaps rather hesitantly, but a true, genuine smile nonetheless. Draco slumped in his seat, relieved. He hadn't even realised how much his father's acceptance would mean to him.

"That's wonderful news, Draco. When will I meet my future daughter-in-law?"

He smirked while his son choked on his food, dabbing his mouth with the serviette before answering.

"What? Daughter-in-law? I am not even divorced yet..."

Lucius' grin widened. "Calm yourself, Draco. But still. When can I meet her?"

"Uhm... I don't know..."

"How about brunch? On Sunday. You two can come over to the Manor."

"The Manor? You want me to expose my pregnant girlfriend to my soon to be ex-wife? Are you serious?" His son stared at him wide eyed. Had the man gone mad? Did he know Astoria at all?

"Astoria will not be there. She is still at the cottage."

"I – we - will think about it. I'll let you know. How is Astoria? It seemed as if you were in touch with her regularly."

"I am. I see her and Scorpius every day. The little man is missing you. And Astoria... She is distraught. But she will be fine eventually. It just takes time for her to accept that you will not come back. She really is fond of you. But she is even fonder of her social standing. She will not cause you trouble with the divorce."

Draco nodded. Mulling the situation over in his head, he hesitated to ask about the one thing that had preoccupied his mind for quite some time. Finally he decided that this was as good a time as any to address the touchy subject. "What about the prenuptial agreement? I must admit, I didn't really read it at the time..."

His father merely nodded, as if not surprised at all: "I will offer her one of the secondary houses to live in with Scorpius. Obviously you will have to pay alimony and child support. The prenuptial agreement guarantees her a monetary compensation amounting to the dowry multiplied by the years of marriage, a house with two personal elves and a monthly allowance of 2 000 Galleons.

"In case she decides to remarry, the monthly allowance will be abandoned, but it will be up to you to pay for her dowry as well as the wedding."

Lucius sighed and shook his head. "This divorce will put a strain on your finances – but it's feasible."

Draco bit his lip. This was more money than he had expected. Although, now that he thought about it, it wasn't really astonishing. "What about Scorpius? I know that she has the right to keep him until he's older. Do I have visitation rights?"

"The agreement is rather... conservative, let's say. He will stay at his mother's until he is six, after that he will live with you. Before that, you can see him on high holidays as well as family celebrations. Other than that... It all depends on Astoria..."

Draco groaned.

"...but don't worry, I am confident that we will find a better solution. She might play that card to get more money out of you – but the woman I got to know over the last few days won't keep you away from your child. She is not that callous."

"Why do you know my prenuptial agreement better than I?"

"It's the standard Malfoy contract. Although... I don't think it has ever been put into effect. At least not in the last hundred years."

"You actually read the hundreds of pages when you got married?" his son asked in a baffled tone of voice.

"No."

"Then how..."

"I read it later on."

"Why?"

"I had my reasons, Draco."

The younger man pushed his plate away and leaned back. He watched his father intently. He seemed lost in thought, as if remembering something. Or maybe –

"You! You wanted to divorce mother! You had a woman you wanted to leave her for... the one you called butterfly!"

Lucius shook his head and smiled. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore."

"Who? Do I know her?"

"I don't want to talk about her." the wizard's voice had a sound that made his unwillingness to answer very clear. But his son wasn't satisfied.

"I told you about Larissa."

"Only after you left your wife. And I am not with her anymore. Leave it, Draco. It would only tarnish her reputation. I will not do that to her."

"You loved her!" Draco stated half matter-of-factly, half amazed.

"It does not matter."

"No... You didn't love her—you still do! Am I right? Who was she... Tell me, father."

He watched as Lucius' eyes flickered over to another table. The young wizard moved his gaze over to the table that had been abandoned by the Potthead and his friends earlier. Lucius forlorn expression said it all.

"The Weaselette? Potthead's wife? By Merlin and all the good gods! You seduced Arthur Weasley's little angel! Oh yes, I definitely see how that would have caused a scandal... For heaven's sake, please tell me I am wrong!"

Lucius didn't answer but instead opted for paying the bill that had magically appeared on the table.

Draco made a face. "Oh father... That's almost indecent! She's younger than I am. Not to mention you almost killed her when she was a child..."

He followed his father as he rose from the table and couldn't help but snigger once the initial shock had worn off. When he reached him, Lucius had already left the restaurant, and he fell into a comfortable pace next to him.

"Was it before or after she had her kids? I mean she has huge... assets... but they are bound to have sagged by now. I doubt she can go without a bra nowadays."

His rant earned him an irritated look from his father, who was obviously not amused by his childish antics. With a grin he decided to divert the attention from his father's love interest. So he continued light heartedly: "But if you ask me, it's Granger who's the hotter bird between the two... I have seen her in Muggle jeans a few times. Don't tell Larissa, but that woman has an arse to die for. She seemed a bit thin, though. I wonder..."

Draco's senseless wittering was stopped short when his father shoved him hard against the wall in an alleyway, the wand pressed into his throat.

"Stop. Talking. About. Her. Arse. She is not a piece of meat."

"What? Oh come on, it's Granger. Even you will have to admit that she's more than easy on the eye!"

Lucius narrowed his eyes enraged. "I told you to stop talking about her that way!"

The young wizard's jaw dropped in disbelief

"Granger!?" he whispered with growing realisation.

His father lowered his wand and turned away tiredly. "Leave it alone, Draco. The story is firmly in the past. I am married and so is she. It is over."

"You had an affair with Hermione Granger?"

Draco took his father's silence as confirmation. After the initial shock had passed, Draco raised himself up and spoke with conviction.

"Did she make you happy?" He had to raise his voice so that Lucius could hear him. He saw him stop and turn slightly.

"She is the best thing that ever happened to me." Lucius mirrored Draco's answer from earlier. He sighed. "Come on. Let's go for a drink..."

~*~*~*~*~*

"This is to you – becoming a father again. Cheers, Draco."

"Cheers. I still can't believe you didn't go wild at the news... I thought you'd be angry at the prospect of a Malfoy being born out of wedlock. Not to mention the baby not being a pureblood..."

"That would make me a hypocrite, don't you think?" Lucius swirled his drink slowly in his glass.

"Never stopped you before..." Draco mumbled into his drink. "Is Granger the reason you didn't make a big fuss about Larissa being a half-blood?"

Lucius sighed and answered tiredly:"Hermione changed my views about a lot of things. It was inevitable."

"How long were you and Granger..."

"Not long enough. But it hardly matters anymore."

Draco knew his father didn't want to talk about it. He could see it clearly in the way he sat in his chair, and how he held his drink. He himself didn't feel quite comfortable either, but he simply had to know, couldn't leave it lie just like that. This story seemed too important.

"Why didn't you divorce mother? I mean, it's obvious you still have feelings for Granger. And you... I mean, you read the prenup..."

"Oh please, Draco. What would a witch like Hermione want with me in the long run? She is young, brilliant, well liked. It would not have worked out, even if I had left Narcissa."

"So you left her? Because it wouldn't have worked out?" Draco's voice carried more than a bit of disbelief.

"No. She left me. Happy now?"

"Ouch. Karma is a bitch." He paused, watching his father intently. "So you still love her?"

Lucius shook his head tiredly, but his eyes betrayed the truth. "I really do not want to talk about this, Draco. She was very important to me. I loved her, but it is of no importance if I still do."

"That would be a yes then..." Still scrutinizing his father like an exotic bug, he continued, "What are you planning to do, then?"

"Nothing, Draco. She left me. And with good reason, I might add." Lucius downed the remainders of his drink and signalled the waiter to bring the next.

"You are telling me that you will let that grubby Weasley paw all over the woman you love for the rest of your life? You will not fight for her?"

"I was making her miserable, Draco. If she has a chance of being happy with somebody else, then so be it. I refuse to stand in her way. I love her too much to let my selfish wishes bring her down. As long as he makes her happy, he has my blessing. It was her choice. He was her choice. And I have to accept that."

Draco leant back in his chair with a calculating look on his face. He had rarely seen his father so resigned, it didn't resemble him at all. But then – neither did the sincerity of their conversation. He could not recall a situation in which his father had been so open about his private affairs – and thus never so vulnerable either.

He had known about his father having other women on the side since running into him and one of his paramours at the age of sixteen, when he had returned home ahead of schedule. The situation had been highly embarrassing for all involved, especially since the woman had been one of his mother's friends. But his father and the bookworm? Who'd have thought? Draco had always taken him for somebody who preferred his lovers beautiful but dumb—not exactly things he attributed to Granger.

This whole evening with his father had been bizarre—at the very least. Their encounter had been far better than he had anticipated, that was for sure. But bizarre? Hell, yes.

A/N: You know what comes now... Reviews? Please?