Chapter 20: Death and Determination
A house elf apparated into the hospital wing, breaking the hushed yet peaceful silence that the four men had created.
"Excuse me, sirs, but Master Lucius and Missus Narcissa ask for the presence of Master Draco and young Master Scorpius."
Draco turned to his house elf, and to nearly everyone's surprise, spoke kindly to the house elf—more kindly than many of his family had in the past, anyway."Is it urgent?"
"Yes, Master Draco, I must sadly say that it is." The house elf broke into tears. "It is Master Lucius and Missus Narcissa, Master. They—they—" he begun to sob. "They are d-dying, Sir."
So Draco bid the house elf come near and asked politely for him to apparate the four of them in addition to himself back to the Manor.
When they arrived, the two Potter men looked at him oddly, and Draco muttered, "You didn't think I was going to leave you two behind, not after we just found you!" He said this with a mock aghast look on his face, delighting the two younger men much more than Draco had intended.
The house elf began to speak again, and Albus and Scorpius tried to stifle their laughter. "Sirs, Master Lucius and Missus Narcissa are in the master bedroom."
"Thank you. You may go now." Draco dismissed the house elf.
"Thank you, Master Draco." The house elf bowed politely and happily.
The four men shuffled quickly into the master bedroom.
"M-mother? F-father? It can't be true, can it? You're not really dying, are you?" Draco asked, an honestly concerned look on his face as he shuffled to his father's side of the bed with Harry beside him. Scorpius and Albus walked around to where Narcissa lay.
"Yes," Lucius wheezed to his son, as he tried his hardest to lift himself up to look his son in the eyes, the expression on his face somewhere in between a sad frown and a knowing smile. "I'm afraid it is true. Now that the curse is broken, Draco, I can finally be with the one I love. James Potter."
Draco couldn't help but sneer. "James Potter? You hypocrite! Claiming that loving Harry was unbefitting of me, when you—you were in love with James bloody Potter!" He crossed his arms in fury.
Lucius' expression became a weak smile. "Yes, I'm afraid so," and Draco backed off, surprised at how agreeable his own father was being.
"Mother? Why are you so happy about this?" Draco looked over to his mother, who was slightly propped up against the headboard by the pillow.
"Draco, what we never told you about your birth was that your father and I were…never in love. While your father was in love with James Potter, I was in love with…an old friend. None of you ever met her…she was a squib. She died long ago, close to the same time when James Potter lost his life. I found out the same night Lucius discovered that he was dead."
"And you've criticized them all your life, Mother. How could you do such a thing?" Draco continued, and Harry looked at Scorpius' dumbstruck expression and knew how he felt.
"Draco, what you must understand is that we did what we thought was best. We tried to be the best parents we could be to you…because you deserved better."
Draco couldn't help but blink away the tears that were trying to escape. "I love you, Draco." Lucius said to his son, and took his hand.
"I love you too, Father." He squeezed his father's hand, and let it drop.
"I love you, Draco." His mother whispered, and felt a small tear roll down her cheek.
"I love you too, Mother." Draco reached over and took her hand as well, and squeezed it as well.
"Take care of yourself and Scorpius, Draco. And both of you be good to the ones you love." Narcissa tried to scold him—even on her deathbed.
"I will." Draco said humbly, and then Narcissa turned to her only grandson.
"Thank you, Scorpius, for breaking the curse. For me, for your father, and for your grandfather. You have a wonderful life to have, don't waste it."
"Yes, Grandmother. I won't." Scorpius took his grandmother's hand and squeezed it, and to his surprise, she drew him in for a hug.
"Be a good boy, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun." She winked, and when he gasped, she cackled rather knowingly and then broke into a fit of coughs. "My time is short…" she wheezed, and then looked to Harry and Albus. "But I have one last thing to say. Be good to my boys, Potters. I know I never gave you a reason to follow my wishes, but I did everything for the love of my family. I would go back and undo them if I could. But I cannot. I hope that's enough."
Harry was dumbstruck, but Albus spoke up. "I will do my best, Mrs. Malfoy. I love Scorpius with everything I am, and I cannot thank you enough for being there for him."
"And I thank you for the same, dear Albus." She said with a wry smile, barely able to breathe now.
Then Harry, who always tried to be careful with his words, stated calmly and respectfully, "I love your son, Mrs. Malfoy. And I will do all in my power to see that he is safe and happy for the rest of his life."
"Thank you." It was murmured not only by Narcissa, but the man he still struggled not to despise, Lucius Malfoy.
"I know I never gave you a reason to respect me, in fact, I've tried to kill you more times than I've tried to talk to you, but I love my son, and I know that above all, he is what matters, Harry. So thank you…thank you for loving my son."
And with a deep gasping sigh, both Malfoys that lay in the bed took their last breaths, and slid back into the bed.
When they recognized that such had passed, both Potter men comforted their lovers as they wept for the two they had lost.