CH 53: Trusting Doubts, Doubting Trust
It was the morning after Boxing Day when an owl arrived carrying three letters that it delivered to Rose. She smiled as she recognized the little bird as Orion, Scorp's owl, and offered it some food while she looked at what he'd brought. She saw there were letters to her, her mum and Ron, all in different hand writing. She ripped hers open immediately.
Dear Rose,
I got your letter yesterday, and to say it was quite a shock would be an incredible understatement. Please believe me when I say I really had no idea. It has been a very strange day to realize some painful truths about a man I thought I knew and loved. Now I don't know what to think. My father had told me a few things about his years at Hogwarts and during the war – mostly about how he regretted things. But I honestly didn't know he had been such a painful part of those years for Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter.
I would understand if you didn't want to be my friend after all of this. I am not sure I would want to be my friend. But, I really hope you'll be willing to give me a chance. I have written to Al as well, and have asked him for the same chance. You two are the only real friends I have ever had. I really hope that mistakes my father made decades ago will not destroy that. I know my father was marred by the choices his father made. I hope the same will not be true for me.
Mother asked me to attach this letter for your mum, and my father asked me to attach a letter for Mr. Weasley. I do not know what they say, but I hope they won't mess up any chance there is of us remaining friends. I almost read the one from my father, as I suddenly feel I don't know him or believe I can trust him. But I didn't. I still don't know if that was the right decision.
Anxiously awaiting your reply, Scorp
Rose felt so sad for her friend and dashed off a quick reply that read Scorp – Of course we are still friends! It would be terribly unfair to be judged by the behavior of people before you were ever born. Don't be too discouraged. I can only imagine how difficult this must be to learn so many painful things about someone you thought you knew well. Hang in there. I am going to take these letters down to Mum and Ron now. I'll let you know how it goes soon. Your friend, Rose She attached it to Orion's leg, and he quickly headed out the window.
Ron and Hermione were in the kitchen when Rose came down and gave them the letters from Scorp's parents. She looked at them with big eyes, but Hermione just told her they would each read them on their own time. So, Rose simply nodded and headed back upstairs.
Hermione looked at Ron, who was just staring at the envelope in front of him, and she asked, "Are you ok?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah. I am. Humor me, let me check them for curses and dark magic first ok?"
"Alright," she said skeptically.
He placed the two letters on the counter and cast a number of charms and spells over them. Finally convinced that the letters were safe, he handed Hermione's back to her.
"So I can read it now?" she asked.
He nodded quietly. "I think I am going to go read mine by myself if that's ok with you."
"Of course, Ron. I know I don't fully grasp all of this. But, all I want is for this not to be any more difficult than it already is. And if I can help that by either being with you or by giving you some space – I want to do that." She hugged him, kissed his cheek and walked out of the kitchen.
Ron sighed. How was that fucking ferret still messing things up and in his mind after all this time? Why was he letting this stupid situation unhinge him so?
He apparated to Shell Cottage, landing on the sand near Dobby's grave. As it was only two days after Christmas, it was bloody cold, and the wind whipped off of the sea making the cold cut straight through his bones. He went and sat on the porch of the cottage, looking out over the cold, grey waters. He had bundled up in several layers, and added a warming charm to boot. He cast a few more charms to try and block the wind a little and opened the letter.
Weasley –
I know we have not crossed paths much over the past decades. And, knowing how much the Daily Prophet gets wrong about me, I have assumed it has gotten at least as much wrong about you. I say all of that to try to give some background to why I was more than surprised to discover that the only two friends Scorpius has mentioned at all from his first term at Hogwarts turn out to be Potter's son and the daughter of your significant other. Life has a strange sense of humor sometimes.
The life I now live with my wife and son is very different than anything the sinister school boy you may recall could have imagined. And while the way I live may cause my father to roll over in his grave, it has been the best possible path I could have pursued following the war. I swear on my magic that Scorpius has not been raised with the same hatred or pureblood nonsense I was indoctrinated with as a child.
Given the unique history you and I have had, I would thoroughly understand that a friendship between my son and a girl who looks to you as her father figure would be very difficult. And, if you would like me to have Scorpius to cease contact with her, I could not blame you. However, I would humbly ask that you consider allowing them to still pursue their own friendship. I would assume you would not want her to have any contact with me or come to our home, which if our positions were switched I would feel the same. But please consider permitting my wife, Astoria, to accompany Scorpius to some other acceptable venue where you could allow them to visit from time to time when they are not at school.
And now for my last thought – actually, this is something I have thought of many times over the past years. Yet, I never imagined a scenario in which I could ever have the opportunity to say it. But, never the less, here we are. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with you face to face at some point to express my sincere regret and sorrow over the way my decisions impacted your life. I know I do not deserve your forgiveness. I know you do not owe me the chance to apologize. But if you would ever consider meeting me at the time and place of your choosing so that I could try to apologize for my behavior, I would be very grateful. Knowing how a meeting between you and I in a public magical place would quickly end up in the Daily Prophet, I would suggest considering a muggle location if you are ever inclined to accept the invitation. But, I will leave that to you. And in case I never get the chance to say it to your face, I am truly sorry. There are many decisions I would take back if given the ability. I know you have lost many people you loved because of things I did or people I helped. And for that I can only express my deepest regret.
May our children live in such a way that they can never fully comprehend the pain of our past.
I wish you all the best with Ms. Granger and your new family.
Sincerely,
Draco Malfoy
Well Merlin love a duck, thought Ron as he held the parchment in his hand. He was so shocked by the letter he had to read it several more times before he had managed to convince himself that he wasn't having some sort of delusion. His mind went from shocked and numb to swirling. His auror instincts kicked in and he wondered if Malfoy had been polyjuiced or imperiused or something. Then he began to try to come up with a sordid agenda that Malfoy could be pursuing that would give him any sort of incentive to trick him. But he couldn't come up with anything. For a few minutes he tried to imagine that Malfoy was sincere in his request. But he couldn't get his mind wrapped around that scenario either.
Wanting to clear his head, he decided to walk a bit. He wandered down to the shoreline, throwing rocks in the water. Then he headed back up the dunes to the rocky outcrops, and soon found himself standing at Dobby's grave.
"You knew him as a child, didn't you?" he found himself asking the dead elf. "I know his father was evil. So is he evil too? Or was it all just behavior forced on him by his father?"
As the wind blew the tall grasses against his leg, his thoughts moved to what Draco could have been like as a baby or a toddler, before Lucius' hatred had taken root in his heart. Ron closed his eyes and tried to picture this, and was surprised by the vision that came to mind. It was a picture, clear as day, of a young Narcissa, loving and doting over her young son. But she not only adored him, but protected him – shielding him from his angry and cold father. Narcissa wanted her son to be a great Malfoy – certainly to leverage his name and his status, but not to be cruel. But she was a busy woman, and could not care for him all alone – and so turned to…Shite, Ron thought. She turned to Dobby. Dobby helped raise him.
He tried to imagine what it must have been like to be cared for by such a funny and unique elf. But in addition to feeding and caring for him, he must also have helped him feel love. He tried to imagine Dobby rocking a toddler Draco, calming him down after a scolding, or maybe even a beating, from his father. While Lucius surely never could have shown him love, Draco could have potentially been loved by Dobby. And Draco absolutely learned fierce love from his mother. She lied straight to Voldemort's face to protect her son. Ron guessed he must love his son with that same ferocity. And suddenly there was a part of Ron that was furious. He liked blaming Malfoy. He liked hating Malfoy. He was a safe person to hate. He made a terrific scape goat for so many things. And the idea of giving that up for the sake of learning a potentially different truth was not appealing.
But getting to hate Malfoy or blame him for the many ills of the world was not nearly as an appealing as doing anything and everything he could to ensure that Rose was happy.
Sighing, he apparated back to the house, and quickly found a quill and some parchment.
"Ok Malfoy. For the sake of the kids, I am trying very hard to take you at your word. Let's meet soon before I talk myself out of it. Tomorrow – 8 am at the muggle café I've noted below. But be warned – do not try anything - I didn't spend two decades as an auror purely for entertainment. –Weasley"
He quickly sent the owl before he could change his mind. And as soon as the owl flew out the window with the letter, he groaned and pounded his head to the table. Fuck. Harry isn't going to believe me when I tell him, he thought.
Hermione had been more than shocked when Ron had shared his letter and told her he was planning to meet Scorpius' father face to face the next morning. She had shared her letter with him as well. It had been a heart-felt note from Astoria apologizing for the strange situation. She had expressed her hope that the children could still be friends, and offered to do anything she could to help make that a reality. She shared that she had been in an arranged betrothal with Draco before the war, but had called it off after everything that had happened. But after Draco had been to university, they crossed paths again and ended up getting married. She said she knew marrying him was permanently linking her life to the terrible Malfoy legacy, but she hoped that someday he might be known for the man he was now instead of the boy he was then.
Hermione offered to go with Ron to the café, but he quickly said no. She knew Ron hadn't slept much the night before, but Ron had seemed relatively calm that morning when he had left for the meeting. Never the less, she couldn't stop thinking about him. After breaking the second tea cup, she gave up and decided to watch the clock until he came home. But given that it was only 815, she realized it was going to be a long morning.
Ron arrived at the café before 730. He wanted to be the first there and establish some sense of home pitch advantage for this fucked up breakfast. He smiled at the waitress and seated himself in the back corner of the restaurant but chose the seat facing the door so he could watch Draco, or anyone else for that matter, come in. He had cast a few non-verbal, wandless charms to determine if there was any magic in the room when he'd entered, and felt satisfied that it was only occupied by early rising muggles. He ordered some tea and pretended to read on his phone while he watched the door for Malfoy's arrival.
He still wasn't quite sure why he'd agreed to this. No matter how nice Malfoy could pretend to be, Ron couldn't imagine any possible thing he could say or do that would make him ever consider forgiving the things that had happened. And forgetting wasn't even possible. But he loved Rose desperately, and he wanted to be able to tell her honestly that he had heard Scorpius' father out.
Harry had smirked at him last night when he told him he was going to do this. Ron had never understood how Harry had achieved such a forgiving nature when it came to Draco Malfoy. Well, that wasn't totally true – he figured he felt a debt to Narcissa for saving his life in the end. And he had made more than a few comments over the years about how Draco had been used as a pawn in this game against his will as much as Harry had been. Ron thought that was a load of bollocks, but he'd never convinced Harry of his point. Ron had asked Harry if he was really ok with Al being best friends with Malfoy's kid. But Harry had simply shrugged and said that he'd accepted that something like that was likely as soon as he'd heard Al was in Slytherin. Ron had then pulled the low blow – he'd been trying not to bring it up, but he felt he had no choice. He'd reminded him that if it wasn't for the Malfoy family Ginny would never had gotten the diary. Harry shot Ron a look that showed he was unimpressed with his tactic. And then he'd promptly reminded Ron that sometimes familial bonds were irrelevant – as irrelevant as his connection with his Aunt Petunia or Sirius' connection with Bellatrix. Actions and love meant more than genetic family trees any day. Ron hated it when Harry was right like that – bloody Chosen One.
Ron was stewing over this when he saw him come through the door. His hair was still that platinum blond it had been twenty years ago, only it looked even lighter now as it was speckled with some grey. He was dressed in a muggle suit, but it looked exceedingly well made and expensive. Ron was slightly surprised at how comfortable he seemed in muggle clothes and in a muggle restaurant. His face looked concerned and betrayed years of stress in the lines around his eyes. And when Malfoy turned to see him, Ron noticed those eyes were the same steely grey as they always had been. Ron nodded him over, but didn't smile or rise from his seat to greet him. Draco nodded solemnly and made his way back to the corner table. Draco was clearly nervous, but not in an aggressive manner, Ron noted. In fact Ron concealed his smirk as he saw Draco awkwardly try to gesture towards a handshake and then quickly realized it wouldn't be returned and turned it into a strange gesture wiping his hair from his forehead. Oh how the mighty have fallen, Ron thought.
Finally, Malfoy said, "Thank you for coming. I am confident you would rather be anywhere but here with me this morning."
Ron looked at him for a few moments longer than was comfortable, just to be sure Malfoy really understood who was in control of this little breakfast. Decades as an auror and learning the many ways to manipulate a situation to his control really did have benefits. Ron took a casual sip of his tea, and after noticing that Malfoy had just begun to squirm, he finally replied.
"You have never been my first choice of a dining companion, Malfoy. But, unlike many, I was raised to give people the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. And, while I can't imagine you being earnest in this change, the honorable thing to do was to hear your out. And then," he said, pausing allegedly to take another sip of tea but in reality to make Malfoy squirm longer. "And then I can tell Rose I went to every length possible even if it didn't reach the conclusion she hoped for."
Malfoy nodded, lowering his eyes as he did. "Well, whatever the motivation for your coming, I am grateful you did. I will make this as brief as possible so you can return to your family. After the war, after Potter found some motivation in his soul to speak on behalf of my mother and I, well, things changed for us. And through that I was able to grow up from the horrible person I had become."
Malfoy looked up to see Ron's reaction, and saw only a skeptically raised eyebrow on his face, so continued to explain his story. "My father was blessedly sent to Azkaban. Having him - and the control of his Death Eater cronies - finally out of my life for good was the best possible thing that could have happened to me. As you know he died a few years later. I didn't bother collecting his remains. They didn't deserve a family burial, as family denotes some bond of love, and that man had no capacity for it.
"Once Potter had helped Mother be acquitted of all charges, and helped me obtain such a reduced sentence, things were different. As I am sure you were aware, I was sentenced to five years of life with no wand and no magic. Of course, being the git I was at the time, I thought that was a punishment worse than death, but in reality it was a gift. As I clearly couldn't live the life I knew, and clearly wasn't welcome in the magical community, I had to go and learn to live as a muggle. So, I moved to Oxford and enrolled in a muggle university. As you can imagine, my previous exposure to muggle ways was less than none. So, I quickly learned life from the ground up. I made a fool of myself for quite some time. But, I learned. And I adapted." He paused as the waitress brought him tea, and refilled Ron's cup as well. They both ordered, and she left them again in an awkward silence.
Seeing no response from Ron, Draco continued to talk, "The time in muggle university was good for me, forcing me to grow up and figure out life in a ways I had never even considered. Of course I learned a lot, made a lot of new contacts, But frankly I was utterly fucked up after the war, and only when I was away from that life could I began to heal from the trauma of the years of horror that had been the prior decade.
"By the time I graduated, I realized I could never expect the magical world to take me back, but I would also never be fully muggle. So I have lived a life quietly between the two. I assumed control of all my father's businesses, but sold off many as they were of no interest to me and certainly held no sentimental value. Probably won't surprise you, but I enjoyed the muggle equivalents of potions and became a pharmacist, which is like a muggle version of a potioneer. Combining that with my business contacts, well, I have been able to do well for myself in both worlds and have enjoyed the research sides of things as well."
"I am well aware of your business, Malfoy," Ron said in a low, measured voice. Malfoy startled, almost having forgotten Ron was still there in a way, as he had barely spoken since his arrival.
"Right. Of course. Well, that is who I am now. I actually work as much in muggle London as anywhere else these days. Scorpius had not known much of the past until recently. I had wanted to tell him everything before he left for Hogwarts, but I couldn't bring myself to do it last summer. He knew some vague things – that I regretted mistakes, that my father was horrible, things like that. But he really didn't know how evil his father had been. And then of all people in the world, he becomes best friends with Potter and your Rose. The past few days have been hard having to reveal my worst transgressions to my son. But, it is the truth, and he deserves no less, no matter how much I wish it was different."
He paused, taking a sip of his tea and looking cautiously at Ron.
"What do you want from me, Malfoy?" Ron finally said.
Draco took a deep breath, put his tea down and looked Ron in the eye. "I wanted to tell you to your face that I am sorry. I regret so many things I have done. There were reasons that seemed to make sense then as to why I did what I did. But one bad step let to another bad step and soon I was in over my head. I wish I had never taken that fucking dark mark. I didn't really have a choice in it, but I didn't know how to get out of it. I was told by the Dark Lord that I had to kill Dumbledore. But I couldn't do it of course. And I was too scared to try it face to face, so I tried those horrible other ideas, and in doing so almost killed Katie Bell and you. I am so sorry. It shouldn't have happened. And then I let Aunt Bella and those other fucks into Hogwarts, and because of that Dumbledore died, and your older brother was attacked. I am so sorry. And then the year you weren't there I was horrible to your sister and a lot of other people, only making their suffering worse. I am so sorry. And then I was home for Easter and you and Potter were there. I didn't know what to do. I had seen other people try to save prisoners in that hell hole and die painful deaths as punishment for it. I tried to at least say I didn't know it was Potter. But, then I had to be there and watch you and listen to you…" his voice cracked as he began to lose his composure. "And after all that you came back and saved me from the fiendfyre, for which I have been eternally grateful, but I have never understood."
Ron was trying to be calm listening to him, pulling on tricks he had learned in his auror years to steady his breathing and try to trick his body into being relaxed. But when Malfoy mentioned his time at Malfoy Manor he felt his ears go purple, his face go pale and somehow he suddenly forgot to breathe. He froze his gave on a spot on the table, and of all times, the waitress showed up with their food, causing a welcome distraction.
Realizing Ron wasn't going to speak, Draco started again. "I am so sorry. I am not asking for your forgiveness for that day you were tortured, as it was unforgiveable. But I am sorry. I had to see many horrible things in my home during that time. People I knew, professors….but that day is the one that still haunts my nightmares. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry." He paused, using the presence of his breakfast to provide an excuse to stop talking and allow the burden of the silence to shift to Ron.
Ron eyed him, trying to hear his words. Finally he asked, "Did Dobby help raise you?"
Draco gasped, clearly caught off guard by the question. But due to the bite of sausage he had in his mouth he began coughing and tried hard not to choke or spit out his food. Finally he took a sip of water and said, "Sorry. Wasn't expecting that question. But, yes," he sighed wistfully, "Dobby raised me. There was a very old female elf named Milly – she and Dobby were my main caregivers growing up. Mother was wonderful, and she loved me. But Mother wasn't exactly a fun loving, hands on kind of mum. Milly and Dobby were the ones who made my food, bathed me, cared for me, read me stories, played with me – all the things Astoria and I did with Scorp. Milly died when I was seven, and after that it was only Dobby."
"I visit his grave," said Ron.
Draco's eyes snapped up, shocked at this statement. "Where is he…how…would it be possible for me to do the same?"
"He died rescuing me that day. From your house. Bellatrix's knife that was meant for me and then Harry – he jumped in front of it. By the time we landed from disapparating he was bleeding to death. I was unconscious still - only so many cruiciatus curses I can take in an hour before I need a little break you know. But we buried him there. He died so I could live. Least I can do is go visit his grave and honor that sacrifice."
"I would love to – well - is it somewhere I could honor him as well?"
"It's at one of my family's homes. Yes – we had several as well no matter how impoverished you thought we were. But that home came in much more handy than some extra dress robes that year. One of my brothers lived there at the time, though he isn't there anymore. But I go often as a place to think. It is on a cliff overlooking the ocean, but it is heavily warded."
"Oh. Well. Thank you for giving him such a lovely resting place. That would have made him so happy. He was, well you know – he was one of a kind. I was in awe of that elf. Somehow he found a way to honor who he really was and be true to himself when everything in his life tried to stop that. Every elf told him to shut up and honor his master. Every person treated him as scum. Yet somehow he learned how to be himself. He would mutter things under his breath about my father I could only dream of even thinking let alone actually saying. Of course he would smack his head into a wall later, but it never stopped him from saying it. And then he figured out that he had to protect Potter. I wish I'd had the nerve, back bone or honor to do the same. When Potter figured out how to trick my father into freeing him, I was so conflicted. I missed him. Dearly. But I was thrilled for him. He stuck it to my father in a way I knew I never could. But I hadn't been allowed to show him any love or affection for years. I don't think Dobby knew what he meant to me. But, he was the only soul in my life that modeled the courage required to be true to yourself. And I will be forever grateful. I, well, I think about him often. He remains a role model for me."
Ron was surprised by this confession. And before he could stop himself found him saying, "He loved mismatched socks. He used to visit us in our Gryffindor dorm. We would give him mismatched socks and funny looking hats, and it made him so happy. He wore these crazy tea cozy hats and like 10 pairs of mismatched socks. He was an odd duck, but you're right, he had an ability to be true to himself and live life on his own terms like no soul I have ever met."
Draco nodded, smiling and trying not to allow his damp eyes to betray him.
Ron noticed this and added, "We gave him our socks when we buried him. Dean and Harry dug his grave without magic – said it felt wrong to do it the easy way. But when we buried him, we took our socks off and put them on him. And his headstone says 'Here Lies Dobby, a Free Elf'. I think Harry visits his grave too, but we haven't talked about it. But sometimes when I go there is a new sock there."
Draco pretended to cough so he could wipe his eyes with his napkin, a ruse that did not fool Ron but he did not draw attention to it. But, he used the opportunity to continue talking, "I only came to meet you today because I realized Dobby may have helped raise you. And I visited his grave and tried to figure out what he would have wanted me to do. He was nothing if not an example of sacrificing your own comfort for the sake of the greater good. And so I am here."
Draco nodded, taking a shaky breath and saying, "Thank you. For all of it – for coming, for caring for Dobby so wonderfully, and for sharing it with me. It means more than I think you could know."
Ron nodded, unsure of where to go from here.
"When Scorp went to school this year, I had hoped he would be sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff so he could start a new legacy on his own name. I figured a Malfoy in Gryffindor had about as much luck at success as a Potter in Slytherin. But, again I was wrong. Potter's son, Al, has apparently been a great fit in the house. What has made school a happy place for him has really been Al and Rose. Looking back on his letters I realized he just never happened to mention Al's last name. He had mentioned Rose's last name, but of course I wasn't familiar with the name Granger. I am guessing Rose did the same."
Ron gave a brief laugh. "True. Well, actually Hermione goes up to Hogwarts a lot. Not sure if Scorp told you her story but long story short, she moved from America to England just before she turned eleven. Basically a bureaucratic mistake where each school thought the other sent the letter. So – she never learned she was a witch. But, Merlin help me, she is catching up fast. Already knows more in many subjects than I do. She would have trounced us all if she'd been in our year at Hogwarts. I can help her with practical things, and obviously Defense is a subject I know rather well. But, she's jumping into so many things it makes my head spin. She is reading more books than I knew existed, and jaunts up to Hogwarts for tutoring on certain subjects. She and Sally Sparrow have become quite good friends in all of that. Well, on one of those trips up she said she got to meet Rose's friend Scorp. Not sure if she learned his last name or not – but it wouldn't have meant anything to her even if she had. All she did is come home saying how polite and respectful he was. She laughed telling me how she asked him to call her Hermione instead of Ms. Granger and he almost passed out, and certainly never managed to call her that."
"Well yes," laughed Draco. "I would say so. He's certainly been raised to never, ever be so disrespectful as to address an adult by their given name, insinuating they are equals. I'm glad he stayed remained respectful. I am sure he didn't know quite what to make of Ms. Granger."
Ron smiled as he nodded. "Yes. I am quite familiar with that feeling actually. I am not always quite sure what to make of her either sometimes."
Draco smiled, "I'm happy for you. Scorp told me about Hugo's parents, and I was so horrified to hear about it. But, I am glad Hugo has you, and it sounds wonderful that you both have Rose and her mother."
Ron looked down at his food, trying to take very small bites so he could keep this distraction as long as possible. "Well," he finally said, "I did not expect to have a child at Hogwarts this year. But life, as you know, has a way of taking drastic turns with no warning. This one happened to be a positive one for me. I am very lucky to have Hugo, Rose and Hermione in my life. Figuring parenthood out as an old bachelor auror is not for the faint of heart I assure you."
Draco nodded, "I can only imagine. Actually – I can't really even imagine. I don't know how I could have done it without Astoria. Even starting from the beginning and having two parents for one child, I have still found parenthood to be incredibly challenging. But healing too. It forces you – or at least it forced me - to address things I have tried to ignore for years."
"So what now?" Ron asked. "What do you want me to do, Malfoy? I have heard your apology. And I appreciate it. I am not about to suddenly say everything is fine and dandy and pretend all that shite didn't happen. And, I know the shite your father did wasn't your fault, but he almost killed my sister, not to mention I lost my brother at the battle of Hogwarts. And losing him nearly lost me George and my mum as well. Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Collin, Sirius, Dumbledore – I lost a lot people who were so important to me in that time. I can't forget that. And I can't forget the role your father, and you – had in those deaths. That said – I don't want Rose to have her introduction to the magical world and into Hogwarts have to be through a lens of inherited hatred and bitterness. She deserves better. Hell – I deserved better too. But, maybe I can give this to her - and to Hugo, when no one could give it to me."
A wave of hope and gratefulness washed across Draco's face at Ron's words. "I, if you are really willing to let them be – I mean – really, if Scorpius can start his life fresh from my mistakes with his own friends – I, well, thank you. I can't say it enough. I know it wasn't even fair to ask. But, I really, truly appreciate it. You are a good and honorable man, Weasley. Your family – and Dobby – should be honored by having such a wizard to their credit."
Ron just nodded, pressing his lips together, not quite knowing how to respond to such words from the man he hated for so many years. "Rose is her own person. She is smart and strong like her mum, and I trust her judgement. If she wants to be friends with your son, then there must be a reason. I'm not ready for her to spend any time at Malfoy Manor. But I won't be in the way of their friendship. Scorpius will be welcome in our home. And Hermione and Astoria could meet somewhere else with them. And as Harry has always been quicker to forgive than I have, I am sure they will spend time with Al at the Potters' as well. Hell, with our luck Hermione and Astoria will become best friends too. But, I don't see that happening to us, Malfoy. There's been too much water under that bridge."
Draco quickly nodded in agreement. "Right. Well, yes. I suppose there has been. But thank you, Weasley, for letting Rose and Scorpius be friends – and for coming this morning. It's more than I could have asked or hoped for. So, Thanks."
Ron nodded and began to collect his things. "Well, Malfoy. Can't pretend it didn't take real bollocks for you to come here today. Hopefully you will be right, and our kids can have a life we could have only dreamed of where their biggest problems will be revising for exams, getting their apparition licenses and avoiding McGonagall while snogging some fit witch or wizard in an old classroom."
"I hope so," nodded Draco.
Ron stood to leave, and Draco stood as well. "Maybe someday I will take you to Dobby's grave," Ron said quietly.
"I would very much appreciate that," said Draco stoically.
"Well, right then. I'm off," announced Ron shoving his hands in his pockets to avoid any awkward hand shake attempt.
"Right. Thanks again. And, I know Astoria and Scorpius would want me to share their gratitude as well."
Ron simply nodded. "Good bye, Malfoy." With that, he walked away from the table, stopping briefly to pay the waitress and left the café leaving Malfoy still standing beside the table.
