Chapter Twenty-five: Onward
Snow was falling, and it dusted the stones of the graveyard with a gentle blanket, another layer of sleep for the dead. Draco breathed out slowly, watching his breath coalesce in the cold, held together for an instant, then dissipate into nothingness.
Every year, this was hard for him to do. On this anniversary- the date of his father's birth, rather than his death- he made himself go to the headstone that he'd made himself purchase, and he knelt on the cold stones and spoke to his father (or was he speaking to himself?) about forgiveness and regret and anger and love. When he'd married Hermione, he came fearing that somehow, from somewhere, his father would make his disapproval known.
But he hadn't. Whether that meant that he was watching and approved, or had moved on, Draco didn't know.
He still came back every year.
…
"Hello, father," he said, kneeling gingerly on the marble. "Happy birthday."
The stone was silent, implacably unresponsive.
"I brought you a present," he said, and laid down a rose. "Well, two, actually."
Silence.
Draco took another breath, watching the snow twirl around his face, before finally, nervously exhaling, "I'm going to be a father."
The silence was still expansive, but Draco continued as if Lucius could actually hear.
"We know that you weren't the best of parents. In fact, you tried very hard to mold me to be exactly what you wanted, and that didn't work so well. And I'm worried….Well, I'm worried that I'm going to be the same. That I'm going to be a bad father, and pressure my kid into the wrong choices, and that it's all going to go somehow, terribly, wrong."
He took another breath.
"And at the same time, I wish you were here. You weren't a terrible parent, you know. And I don't have anyone to guide me on what it's like to be a father. I don't have my own father to give me advice. Hermione's dad is great, but he's not you. He's not vicious and opinionated, but he's also not fiercely protective of me, and he doesn't love me in the same way. I don't have you, and I'm not sure who's at fault for that."
There were tears freezing on his face, slowly making tracks down his skin in a thoughtful manner.
"So what do I do?" he asked the headstone, the expensive marble pillar that was all he had left of Lucius Malfoy. "What do I do?"
…
"I miss you," Draco whispered. "It's easier to remember the good things about you, now that you're gone."
He knelt on the marble with his head bowed, lost in the swells of his thoughts. The snow caressed his cheeks, and he closed his eyes against the rush of tears.
…
Something was glowing beyond his eyelids, something warm and friendly on his face. He opened his eyes to the sun breaking through the clouds, shining down onto Draco with silent benevolence. He blinked through his tears, watching the snow sparkle in the light as it settled onto the graves. The rose already had the faintest dusting of snow, and the entire picture was serene, no longer melancholy.
It was a lovely place for his father to sleep, Draco thought, and felt a little more at peace.
…
He saw Hermione's figure in the distance, bushy hair bouncing as she approached. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet, and walked towards her, glancing back at his father's grave as a form of goodbye.
"Fancy seeing you here," he murmured to Hermione as he met her at the edge of the graveyard, "on a day like this."
She smiled up at him, one hand resting on her swollen midriff, and placed the other hand on his. "How are you doing?"
Draco looked back at Lucius' grave. "Better," he replied.
"Good," Hermione said softly. "Shall we head home now?"
"Yes," Draco said with a sigh. "Let's go home."
…
As the two walked away, Draco's arm wrapped around Hermione's shoulders, the sun danced on the graves once more. And if one were to look closely, very closely, at the air above Lucius' grave, one might see that the sunlight had gave the impression of long blonde hair and an aristocratic profile, gazing after the couple.
And if one looked even closer at that aristocratic and haughty face, one might even see a smile.
…
A/N:
And, that's the end, folks! Short, but sweet. I wanted everything to come full circle, and I hope I have succeeded.
Thank you all for reading the story and loving my version of Draco as I have. I have loved writing this, and really appreciate the enthusiastic response to my first multi-chapter fic!
And as always, to last chapter's reviewers: FancyMuffin7837, LadySarahJ, a Guest, Pug1998, RoguesMum, StarDrop5, Konri Kari, and special thanks to KodeV and Fulgance for your in-depth reviews which I always have looked forward to. Thank you all!
This is the end of this story, but I will be writing more in the future. So, until then-
Isefyr.