Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns most of the characters and backstories. If you don't recognize it from the Harry Potter books or anything else Rowling has published, then it belongs to me!
Chapter Eleven
Mya knocked on the playroom door before peaking in. The twins looked up from their perspective spots, each sprawled on an opposite end of the room. Cae was laying upside down with his nose buried in a mystery novel while Cham sat stretching her splits and scribbling away at some story or another. Mya had just gotten home from a dance rehearsal for the big fundraiser. It was opening at the club in three weeks and then would be at Hogwarts the week after. Right before rehearsal, she had received confirmation from Malfoy, RSVPing to the party this coming weekend, and the whole situation had been weighing on her mind.
"Hey kiddos, can we talk?" Two faces scrunched with worry as they moved to the couch, Mya sat down and took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you about your father." Cham gave a little gasp, eyes wide and Cae shifted uncomfortably.
"We already know a little bit about him." Mya looked at him startled. "I accidentally overheard you talking to Mel, Ray, and Scar. You said we looked just like him, and he has a family of his own, and…."
" - And he doesn't know we exist…"
Mya took both their hands. "He does now. We met not long after that conversation and I told him everything. I'll admit, we got into a pretty big fight about the whole thing. He was hurt that I had kept you two from him, but we're on speaking terms again and he's eager to know all about you guys. I've told him some. We've decided to let you guys choose if you want to meet him or not, if you want him around. I won't force a relationship on you. You two are old enough to decide for yourselves."
The kids exchanged looks. It was clear they had talked about it. Cae sighed and nodded, while Cham shyly looked up at her mom. "Can we meet him first and then decide if we want him around?'"
Mya nodded. "Of course. You've actually met him already. It was a little unexpected and I hadn't said anything to you yet so we decided to hold off on saying anything."
Cae jumped in. "I want to meet him again, as my dad. It's different than if he was just one of your friends. Can we do it soon?" Cham nodded emphatically.
Mya looked between the two of them and gave a small smile. "Ok, I'll owl him. Do you want to at least know his name?"
"No, it should be a brand new introduction."
The meeting was arranged for the next night, at the twins' favorite restaurant. Hermione was surprised at how quickly Malfoy agreed to the place. The muggle pizzeria served the best authentic Italian food. Malfoy was determined to make the kids as comfortable as possible and if that meant a muggle place, then so be it.
Mya ended rehearsal that day early and rushed home with her roommates to get ready. She walked through the door into chaos. Cham sat in the corner crying hysterically, Cae was on the stairs fuming, and Ray stood in the middle surrounded by the living room furniture, which was levitating. Mel and Scar peered around her just in time to see a light bulb quiver and burst. Mya felt the mother-side kick in and leapt to action.
"Everybody freeze!" The furniture stopped shaking and all eyes turned toward her. She waved her hand, lowering the furniture and repairing everything that had exploded. Once everything was back in its place, Ray ran to the others, out from between the kids and Mya took her place. Handing the crutches to Cham, she motioned for Cae to come toward her. "I want a calm explanation for all this madness. Ray?"
The shaking woman sat on a bar stool. "I don't really know what happened. They've been fighting since you left. First it was about a book, and then Cham took one of Cae's shirts. About 20 minutes ago, I came down the stairs to them yelling at each other; Cham was in hysterics. I tried to calm them down, but then the furniture started rising and I was trapped in the middle. I just don't understand…"
Mel and Scar comforted her as Mya turned her attention to the children in front of her. "Well…?" Without warning Cham burst into tears and Cae's remote-controlled truck shattered into a million pieces. Cae took a huge breath in and turn to yell at his sister, the furniture beginning to rise. "Excuse me!" She grabbed Cae and sat him down in a chair. "It was a just a toy. I will fix it later. You sit here and breathe like I taught you." Turning to Cham, she helped her down to sit on the coffee table, the girl's tears subsiding. "Now you need to take a breath as well and calmly tell me what's wrong. You can't keep exploding things."
The little girl did as she was told and began to whimper. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong. I just can't seem to do anything right today." The tears began to fall and Mya pulled her into a hug. The sobs were muted but she could hear Cham talking into her shoulder. "Why can't I do anything right? First I hurt my ankle and my head. I can't dance now, I grabbed the wrong shirt, nothing looks right, what if he doesn't like me!"
Mya's heart broke, listening to the sobs. She looked over at Cae and could tell that's what he was feeling too. "Cae come here." He knelt down in front of his mum and she pulled him in with her other arm. "I need you guys to listen to me. You may not be perfect, but you are wonderful kids none the less. Your father has already met you and I know he loves you already. Nothing you could do would change that. There's nothing to worry about."
Cae muttered into her arm. "But what if we don't like him? What about his family? What if we hurt him and –" He began to sob. Mya pulled him even closer.
"If you don't like him, then that's ok, too. He doesn't want to put any pressure on you. Just giving him a chance like this means so much to him. You won't hurt him. And you have nothing to worry about with his family. If you want him to be a part of your lives, then he will be. That's all there is to it. Now take some deep breathes with me. Why don't I help you two get ready? Will that help?" They both nodded and she loosened her hold, allowing them all to stand up. "Can you guys apologize to Ray? That was pretty scary for her." They rushed over and gave Ray a big hug, apologizing.
"It's ok, kiddos. It's not your fault. Go get ready and your mum will be right in." They ran off and the roomies all looked toward Mya. "Are you ok?"
Mya nodded hesitantly. "I wasn't expecting them to have such a hard time, but they can be so stoic sometimes I forget they're just kids. Cae certainly has his father's temper. I'm really sorry about that. They couldn't control what was happening. Because their magic's still coming in, it shows up in really strong emotions. It'll get better, I promise. I use to explode this just like Cham, and Malfoy told stories of making their entire mansion levitate. It'll pass."
Ray nodded. "No worries. I'm just glad they're ok. Now go get ready."
Draco stopped and stared at the street signs for the fourth time. He was lost again, and he didn't understand how it happened. A perfect sense of direction is something Draco Malfoy prided himself on, but he was in such a frazzled tizzy that everything was slipping. When he had dropped Scorpius off for a playdate with Uncle Blaise, his old friend practically shoved a shot of firewhiskey down his throat to calm his nerves. That was how Blaise was; never asking questions. Nobody knew what was going on that day. Draco has been completely closed-lipped until he knows where he stands with the kids, but those close to him knew something was up.
He glanced at his watch and groaned. Of all the days to get lost, it had to be today. Silently saying a prayer that they would still be there, he stopped a kind older woman on the street and begged for directions.
Now thirty minutes late, Draco pushed open the door to the little pizza place. His hair had fallen into his face, his shirt was coming untucked, and he shook although he didn't know if that was from running there or from the nerves. The hostess took one look at him and nodded. "You must be looking for Mya and the kids." Almost as if she could hear his heart pounding, she gave a soothing smile and gestured to follow her. "Right this way. We knew you'd make it. Nobody stands up our Mya."
The front of the restaurant was clearly for take-out, with just a few small tables and a counter with a register. She led him past the counter, down a hallway covered in very Italian theatrical posters. It opened up into a big room, overflowing with people. The walls were sliding doors that were thrown open onto a very Italian-style courtyard scattered with tables, a fountain in the middle, and a small stage on the side. It was clear the main entrance was the alley leading into this courtyard. The whole place felt like he'd stepped into a small town in Italy. They weaved between tables and crossed the courtyard. At the opposite end was a small half-circle booth built into a building, and sprawled out on the seats chatting with some waiters were Hermione and the kids.
He paused, taking in the scene before him. Hermione threw back her head and laughed, waves of golden brown hair cascading down her back. She wore a deep blue flowy skirt that billowed down the back, but was cut short in the front to show off her toned tan legs and sparkly blue sandals. The blue sapphire around her neck drew attention to her chest, pressed against a dark blue bandeau under a loose crocheted white tank tucked into her skirt and covered with a braided brown belt. He had always thought she was beautiful, but the way she dressed now only emphasized her beauty. He quickly shifted his attention to the other occupants of the table. His little girl, Cham was giggling and pushing another server away from trying to sign her wrapped foot. She wore a pink summer dress, covered in flowers with matching sandals. Pig-tailed blonde braids fell to her waist and were tied off with small flowered hair-ties that matched a headband with a huge off-centered flower. She was the epitome of an adorable little girl. Her brother was up on his knees next to her, egging the waiter on, in his khakis shorts and a green plaid button-up, a graphic t-shirt peeking out from underneath. His tennis shoes were bright green and blue and matched his mismatched blue and green socks. Draco couldn't help but smile as he watched the boy try to brush his hair out of his eyes. He looked so much like his mother.
Draco and the hostess reached the table and the crowd went quiet. "Mya, I told you he'd show up," the hostess smiled at him. He cleared his throat and unconsciously fixed his hair. "Sorry. I got lost a few times and ended up coming in the wrong way. I didn't mean to make you wait."
The kids stared up at him open-mouthed, while Hermione gave a nervous smile and scooted towards Cae so that he could slide in on the other side. "Thanks for showing him, Jen." The hostess smiled and headed back inside. Hermione turned to the men standing around the booth. "We'll have to talk later. I want to hear all about those kids, Jake. But I think we need some time before we order." They both nodded and excused themselves, leaving the four alone.
"Kids, I want you to meet Draco Malfoy…. your father. Mal-uh… this is Cae and Cham."
There was a small silence as they proceeded to stare at each other with Hermione fidgeting in the middle. Slowly Cae got off his knees and sat down, turning to look at his mum. "Dr. Malfoy's our dad?"
She nodded nervously. "Are you ok?" They continued to stare, open-mouthed at him, the wheels rapidly turning. Draco glanced at Hermione, trying to hide how he was sweating nervously. The silence was making it worse, but he didn't know what to say. Cham slowly tilted her head to the side and squinted at him curiously.
"So… What's your favorite color?"
He looked at the little girl, startled by the simple question. "Umm… green." She nodded slowly. He gave Hermione a confused look, unsure of what to do. She merely shrugged. Cham spoke up again. "And what's your favorite animal?"
"Well… Probably a dragon."
Cae held up his hand. "Woah, this is a serious question. It has to be a real animal." Hermione let out a little laugh while Draco fought back a small smile. "Cae, sweetie," she brushed the hair out of his face with a grin. "Dragons are real."
Cham and Cae turned to look at her with jaws dropped. "No…. way…." Draco smiled and nodded his head. Chams face lit up. "Oh my gosh, does that mean unicorns are real?" Hermione just started laughing at the look of hope on her daughter's face and the look of disgust on her son's.
Draco jumped in. "Of course they're real. All sorts of animals that the muggles say are fantasy actually do exist. I've seen a unicorn, and some dragons. In school, I was attacked by a hippogriff."
Hermione let out a snort. "Oh my god, Buckbeak did not attack you! You were being stupid and foolish. And you almost got the sweet creature killed because of it."
Draco threw up his hands. "I was only 13 at the time, I don't think I was suppose to act smart! But needless to say I remember the event very differently." Hermione just rolled her eyes. The table quieted down as the two kids stared at Draco. Realizing he was still under scrutiny, he tried to resists squirming uncomfortably. Cham scrunched up her face in thought. "So…. dragons are real…. and they're your favorite animal…"
Cae chimed in. "And your favorite color is green and you work at St. Mungo's as a doctor"
Hermione corrected. "Wizards actually call them Healers, not doctors."
Cham dropped her head onto her heads and stared at Draco. "I just have so many questions, but I don't know what to say. This is weird."
Draco smiled. "This is very weird. I think I'm so nervous, I'm sweating. That is not a normal Malfoy trait."
"But I'm a Malfoy now, right? And I always sweat before a dance performance!"
Hermione cut in. "You never sweat with nerves, silly. Before a dance performance, you warm up, which can make you sweat. That's a very different thing. And yes you are a Malfoy."
Draco leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. "You are a Malfoy as long as you want to be. This is new for all of us and if you aren't okay, than I can go back to being your Healer. Just ask me anything."
Cae looked at him suspiciously. "I don't think you can just stop being our father, but thank you. That kind of helps." Cham nodded. "I just have one question to start. Are you hungry? And do you like real Italian food?"
Cham took over. "Ooo! Have you ever been to Italy? Mum did a tour through the whole country when we were little babies and she says the food here is just like the real deal! And I love the food here which means I would do really really well in Italy. I think that's a sign I should go there. But Mum says we can't go yet. I'm hoping soon though! Because for my 16th birthday, I want to go to Paris, but I don't know if I'll like any of the food there and if that is a bad trip, I'll be ruined for traveling. So I think it's important that I go to Italy first for a really good experience and then the potential downpour of my visit to France won't kill my travel bug and ruin my lifelong dream of being a professional ballerina. They travel all over the place and if I didn't like traveling, it would be a very miserable life."
Cae bopped her on the head. "Would you shut up? I asked him a question but no one can get a word in when you talk a mile a minute!"
Draco laughed. "It's ok. Yes, I have been to Italy. My parents took me on many vacations as a child and now I travel some for business. I'm particularly fond of France, actually because my mother spent some time there when she was small and it was always like our second home. Personally, I'm a big fan of French food, but Italy is unparalleled in their pastas. And I'm definitely hungry now, just thinking about the food. Would you guys like to order?"
"Oh we have that covered." Hermione raised her hand and one of the waiters they had been talking to before nodded and walked off. "The kids and I come here so often, we have become close friends with the kitchen. We are no longer allowed to order ourselves, but if the kids are craving something, they can put in requests. It's fun to find out what we get to eat each time."
Draco smiled. "That sounds great. How very Italian."
Cae folded his hands on the table. "Now back to business. You said you travel for work. Does Healing require you travel or is it something else?"
"Not really, but Healing isn't my only job. I work at St. Mungo's usually only a couple days a week, and I work the rest of the week at the Ministry of Magic, in the Auror department. - "
"That's like the magic police department. Uncle Harry is in charge there." Hermione explained. The kids just nodded.
"- yea, Potter is my boss. I do a lot of paperwork there, reviewing medical stuff on a lot of cases, but sometimes they need me on site so I travel and work the cases. It's not often that takes me out of Great Britain, but there is the occasional job that we pair up with another Ministry to work on. Most of my traveling is actually for the company I own. Malfoy Industries is a family company. We do a lot of weird, confusing business stuff all around the world and I have to travel to meetings and check in on our different offices."
"Woah! So you're kind of like rich!"
"Cham!" Hermione scolded. "That is not appropriate!"
Draco just laughed. "Its ok. You can say that. I come from a very old magical family with a lot of money. However, the money has not always been made in a good way. My goal is to change the Malfoy name into something good. It'll take a long time, but hopefully someday…. yea."
Hermione smiled. "I think that is a really wonderful goal."
Cham nodded eagerly. "That's so cool! You're kind of like a modern day hero!" Cae just rolled his eyes.
"That is pretty cool, but she's way too dramatic."
"No you are!"
"No you!"
"No you!"
"And we're done!" Hermione pulled Cae away from his sister and gave them both a stern look. Their argument was cut off by the appetizers arriving. Giant plates full of bruschetta, antipasto, and big hunks of cheese filled the table. The twins wasted no time in filling their plates with more than they could possibly eat in one sitting. Hermione just smiled at Draco's shocked face before digging in herself. Draco watched the three eating with a small smile. Overall, dinner was going pretty well so far.
Draco slipped through the front door and called out into the quiet house. "Mum? Are you here?"
Footsteps were heard above him moving toward the staircase. "Draco? Is that you?" Narcissa appeared with a worried look on her face. "Is everything ok? I don't recall any plans to meet this evening."
He sighed. "Mum, we have to talk." She took one look at his serious face and nodded, heading into the sitting room. She draped herself on one end of the couch and gestured for him to sit next to her. "Mum, a lot has been happening this summer."
She watched him carefully. "This is about Miss Granger." Draco looked up at her surprised. "Don't give me that look. I always knew something was going on. It was just never an appropriate time to discuss it with you."
"Mum… I -"
"It's ok, Draco. You don't have to explain. While I was raised with some very distinct opinions on the matter, I am not as aggressively closed-minded as your father. My only wish for your life is that you are happy and healthy. How you go about achieving that is up to you and I will try my best to always remain supportive. I think after the whole thing with Astoria, you deserve that much."
Draco stared down at his hands, feeling the relief like a weight removed from his shoulders. "Mum, Granger and I were together for a time during my final years at Hogwarts. She left because of me." Narcissa watched the young man in front of her, wracked with guilt. "I'm still mad at her, but the more I think about it, the more I understand. It took time after the final battle for everything to get cleaned up. It was years before everyone was rounded up and put on trial, and I hadn't really done anything to earn her trust. Father was still around and if he found out…. She was right to run."
"Draco?"
"Mum, Hermione was pregnant." Draco looked up at his mother, feeling her shock. She was a very put-together woman, but he could tell how close she was to actually letting her jaw drop. He let out a small smile. "She gave birth to twins that August. I have two kids." Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out the magical photo Harry had given him, and handed it to his mother. "This is the two of them with some kids from the Weasley family. They turn ten on Saturday."
She looked down at the most beautiful little boy and girl she had ever seen. While they certainly resembled the Granger girl, she just couldn't help but see so much of Draco in the little picture. His smile, his hair, his eyes, she could feel the tears springing to her eyes. "Oh Draco…"
"I know, Mum."
"They're so beautiful! I don't know what to say."
"Granger told me about two months ago. We got into this huge fight and I wasn't sure I would ever get to see them. I just couldn't bring myself to tell anyone. But we talked some and when Cham - that's her name, Chameron Cassiopeia Calya, and his name is Caelum Corvus Crux - anyway, Cham got hurt at a Weasley party and ended up being my patient. They still didn't know about me, but it was incredible meeting them. Cham invited me to their birthday party. You would really love her. She's a dancer. Right now she's on crutches from spraining her foot, but normally she just spins in circles all the time. Hermione told them about me yesterday, left it up to them if they wanted to meet me or not and they asked to see me as soon as possible. So we met for dinner tonight. They were so shocked that it was me, but I think it went really really well. They spent most of dinner quizzing me. Cham has the travel bug, wants to go to France. Cae is more guarded but he seems to like me. I think he's a lot more like me in that way. He's very good at hiding his feelings, very Malfoy. Geez, they're just incredible."
Narcissa just smiled. Hearing him ramble about these kids, he looked so happy. "Draco, they sound amazing."
"Mum, they really are. They still want me to come to their birthday party Saturday. Granger told me I could bring some people for backup because there will be the entire Weasley/Gryffindor clan there. I was thinking I would see if Blaise was free, maybe Pansy, Adrian, or Terence. I know you're going out of town this weekend, but if it goes well, I want you to meet them soon."
"Of course, darling. I want to meet them as soon as I can. Why don't I take Scorpius with me this weekend, give you some time off. It will be important to talk to him about all of this soon, but not until things are worked out. One step at a time, I think is best."
He nodded, lost in thought. "Draco," She sat down, taking his face in her hands. "This really is wonderful. I'm very happy for you." She kissed his forehead and he smiled.
"I just felt like you should be the first person I told."
"I'm honored."
He stood up, helping her off the couch as well. "I should get to Blaise's to pick up the little man. I promised him he could sleep in his own bed tonight and I need to talk to Blaise about everything. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Saying goodbye, he stepped into the fireplace and Floo-ed away.
Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long break. I'm on my last quarter of school and will be graduating in December! I can't wait! Anyway, please review and I'll get working on chapter 12. Thanks guys!
