"Stay in sight!" Draco called out to his son and Blaise's daughter as they ran towards a display to look at freshwater fish. He sighed as they giggled and pointed different species out to each other; if someone had asked him five years ago to go to the aquarium, he would have hexed them for asking such a stupid question. But now he was wandering around looking at fish because Scorpius wanted to go and Draco wanted to make him happy. He'd do anything for his son, even if it found it to be incredibly boring.
He had received no less than four compliments on how cute his son was, which Draco found unnecessary. He didn't want to talk to people he didn't know, to start, and he already knew everything about his son and he didn't need people repeating facts to him. Still, he'd thanked each person that bothered to say it before he pulled Scorpius away to look at something else. Now he and Olivia were having fun without being held, and Draco was slightly relieved. People talked to him less when he wasn't actually next to his son; his scowl scared them off, or at least that's what Blaise had always told him.
His friend was currently laughing, which upset Draco as well. He'd told Blaise about having Hermione Granger over and how Scorpius had forced them both into it, and his friend had lost it. "I can't believe," Blaise said, still chuckling, "that you had a date with Hermione Granger-"
"It was not a date," Draco said angrily. "Stop calling it that."
"I've been trying to set you up for six months and all it takes is Scorpius seeing Granger on the bus, and you're hooked?" Blaise asked, a cocky smirk on his face.
"It's been a year and a half since my wife died. Give me some time."
"Exactly," Blaise said, "it's been a year and a half and you haven't done anything. I know you love her, Mate, but she wouldn't want you to just sit around your entire life. You're twenty-nine. You've got a lot of time left."
"I'm focusing on my son," Draco said. "I'm not going to try and find a new wife when I need to focus on him."
"So find someone who likes your son." Blaise said as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"Yes, because every single witch our age wants to be stuck with a kid who isn't hers," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes. "Let it go, Zabini."
"Granger seems to like him well enough."
Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It was one dinner. Drop it."
"I'm just saying, it's time."
"You know she's still technically married, right?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "She hasn't fully left Weasley yet."
"So? Do you honestly think Weasley isn't still sleeping with that store girl? I'd bet a hundred galleons he is."
"Anyway, why aren't you with someone new yet?" Draco asked, hoping that the change of subject would shut his friend up. "It's been almost four years since your wife left you and Olivia."
"As if I need someone other than Olivia," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "I don't fancy being my mother, Malfoy, I'm not going to parade women in front of my daughter like my mother paraded men in front of me."
"So find a good one?"
"You're a bastard, you know that right?" Blaise asked.
"Likewise." Draco said, glad his friend finally saw his point.
Blaise stayed quiet for a few moments. They watched their children look excitedly at different fish for a while. But Blaise couldn't stay quiet for long. "I always thought that you and Granger would end up together."
"What?" Draco said loudly, making a few mothers nearby turn to look at him disapprovingly. "You cannot be serious."
"No, I am. All of that sexual tension? I thought you'd at least get together if you didn't end up together. But let's be honest; you two were the smartest in our year and you were constantly competing with each other. I wasn't the only one who thought that."
"Seriously?"
"There was a bet going. Us and the Hufflepuffs, a few Ravenclaws too. I think it's still technically going; do you remember that Lovegood girl? She said it would happen in your thirties."
Draco shook his head in disbelief. "You're all insane," he muttered. "Completely insane."
Blaise grinned at him with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah, sure. But you should think about it."
"No," Draco said, narrowing his eyes slightly at his friend. "I'll pass."
Blaise shrugged slightly, his face a bit disappointed, and Draco rolled his eyes as he went back to watching Scorpius and Olivia. Blaise was absolutely insane if he thought that Hermione Granger would ever end up with a Malfoy. It wasn't like they'd ever gotten along, and Draco couldn't see that really changing any time soon. It was a ridiculous thought, and he quickly decided that he wouldn't entertain it anymore.
Once they'd wandered through the whole aquarium twice, Draco and Blaise finally managed to convince their children to leave. They'd promised ice cream and, seeing as it was the middle of June and uncharacteristically hot for London, the kids weren't the only ones excited for the treat. "Daddy how much longer until we're there?" Scorpius complained as they walked through the heat. Traffic was insane and trying to take the Knight Bus, as easily as it could slip between muggle cars, didn't feel like such a great idea. "Daddy I'm tired and I want ice cream."
"We're almost there," Draco promised. "Just a few more minutes. But you'll only get ice cream if you're good; you will be good, won't you?"
Scorpius nodded slightly and then held out his arms. "Daddy…"
Draco sighed and stopped to pick Scorpius up. His son laid his head against Draco's shoulder and Draco couldn't help but smile slightly. He wished Astoria had gotten to see more moments like this; they would have made her happy. They made Draco happy too, because he knew that he wasn't being a terrible father that his son was afraid of. "Almost there, and then we can go home and rest for a bit." he promised softly, hurrying to catch up with Blaise and Olivia, who hadn't stopped to wait for them.
Scorpius nodded slightly and, by the time they arrived in the ice cream parlor, he'd fallen asleep. Draco had to maneuver him to get the treat, which he knew Scorpius would still want when he woke up. "Blaise," Draco said softly, "I'm going to get him home. Thank you for suggesting this; it actually wasn't a terrible day."
His friend just rolled his eyes and said, "Don't sound too excited. We'll see you later then?"
"At some point in time," Draco said, shrugging slightly. Olivia hugged his leg then, so Draco sent her a small smile and said, "It was nice to see you too, Olivia. Don't let your father get into too much trouble, okay?"
She laughed and hugged Blaise, who rolled his eyes at Draco before picking up his own daughter. Draco took the ice cream he'd gotten to go and left the store, quickly locating a small alley he could apparate in. Within moments they were home, and Draco was lying Scorpius down in bed for a nap. He made sure his son was tucked tightly into his bed, as that was how he was most comfortable, and then he went back downstairs to put away the ice cream and lie down himself. Just like his son, he was ready for some rest.
Draco was surprised when he woke an hour later without having been disturbed. He panicked slightly and hurried up to Scorpius' room, cracking the door open and finding that his son was still asleep. He let out a sigh of relief, because some small part of his mind had been convinced that Scorpius was hurt. But he was fine; tired, but fine. Draco shut the door again, feeling silly for worrying so much. But he was the only person to worry about his son, and he needed to make sure that his son would always be alright.
Draco went back downstairs and into the kitchen, using his wand to heat up water for tea. He sat down at the table with the cup in his hands, sighing heavily and trying to convince himself that he could stay awake until it was actually Scorpius' bedtime. That was only a few hours away; if he could just stay awake then he could have a really good night's rest. He had to work sixteen hours the next day, and for that he needed to actually be rested.
As he thought about his job he heard a knock at his door. Draco looked in the direction of the sound in confusion; he wasn't expecting guests, nor did he want to see anyone. If it was Blaise, he would just apparate inside. No one else came over enough to feel like they could just apparate inside. Draco grabbed his wand and held it tightly in his hand, worried that it was someone who would want to cause harm to him or Scorpius. He'd die to protect his son; he'd do anything he could to make sure Scorpius was safe.
"Who's there?" Draco asked, standing near the door. There was no answer, so he frowned deeply and walked closer, hoping that it wasn't anyone who would hurt his family. When he cracked the door open, he saw that it was. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, fury in his voice.
"Is that any way to speak to your father?" Lucius Malfoy asked. Draco's eyes narrowed as he opened the door a bit wider. "Are you going to let me in?"
"What do you want?"
"I can't just come over?"
Draco stared at the man, unsure of what to do. Had Astoria been alive, she would have slammed the door in his face and made Draco go back to the kitchen and drink tea while she made sure his father actually left. Draco loved the man, he couldn't just not love his own father, but that didn't mean he wanted to be around him. He'd made a life of his own and he didn't need his father to plant seeds of doubt in his mind, which is inevitably what his father would do. "No," Draco said. "You can't."
"Let me in, Draco," Lucius said, his voice losing all of the pleasant tone it had held. "We need to talk."
Draco stared a bit longer before sighing in defeat and opening the door wide enough so his father could come in. "I don't have much time, so you'll have to hurry."
"I'll take as long as I want," Lucius said. "Where is Scorpius?"
"Upstairs, sleeping," Draco said, folding his arms across his chest and trying to stay calm and confident. "I'd prefer if you didn't wake him up."
"Noted," his father said stiffly. "Sit down, Draco. There are things we need to discuss."
Draco sat obediently and then silently cursed himself for doing so. This was his house and he was sitting because his father had instructed him to. Where was his resolve? "What do you want to discuss?"
"We've let this little charade of yours go on long enough," Lucius said, to which Draco rolled his eyes. "You cannot continue to live in a neighborhood with muggles. You can't continue to associate with people beneath you. You can't teach Scorpius, my grandson, to love those people. You need to come home. We can set up a room for you both. You need to remember your principles."
"I know what my principles are," Draco muttered. "My neighbors leave Scorpius and I alone; they don't talk or ask unnecessary questions. And in case you haven't noticed, Father, those principles you love so much nearly got you thrown into Azkaban. I'm not going to let Scorpius get thrown into prison."
His father scoffed and said, "You don't think there will be another uprising? That precious Potter won't be around to protect those...those blood traitors and mudbloods for long. You'll want to be on the right side when that happens."
"I don't want another side," Draco said stubbornly. "I heal people that get hurt. That is my side."
"It's the wrong one," Lucius said. "Come home, Draco. Your mother misses you."
"She's free to come and have tea whenever she wants," Draco said, narrowing his eyes. "She chooses to come once a month. I've never said she can't come more."
"Do you honestly want her to come into a dangerous neighborhood like this?" his father asked. "You need to leave. At least live somewhere with other wizards."
"I like being close to work," Draco argued. "I'm not going to move, Father, and I'm not going to join your cause, if that's why you're here. If that's all, though, you're welcome to leave this dangerous neighborhood."
His father rose from his chair, looking disappointed and angry. "You're choosing wrong, Draco. One of these days you'll realize it."
He disappeared with a crack and Draco sighed heavily. He wasn't going to pick a side; he wanted to stay as far away from conflict as he could. After all, he had a son to look out for.