Summary: Astoria encouraged Draco to find a new hobby to help distract him from her withering away.

Rated: T

Genre: Family

Warning Tag: References Terminal Illness; Character Death; Mourning

Competition/Challenge Block:
Written for/Stacked with: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Term 14); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 4)

Hogwarts: Ravenclaw; A2 - Medicine #2: Write about something slowly breaking down over time. / Auction: D1A1 [Family] Malfoys

MC4A:

Word Count: 1,579

As Delicate As An Antique

Draco was often found in the Manor's library, a place where he practically lived when he wasn't in his office these days. He lost count the number of times he was woken up by Scorpius or their house-elf, Dizzy, sprawled out on the chaise or laying over the table with his head on his arms and books scattered about. Daphne had opened up a whole new world of medical books, courtesy of her muggle medicine training, that just might have something in it to help Astoria's health and ailments. Though her illness was magical based, some of the symptoms were similar to a few of their non-magical counterparts and provided remedies to ease or curb them entirely. Astoria was his entire world, he lived and breathed in her grace and happiness, so when the worst of the signs to her declining health started to surface, Draco did whatever he could to prioritize her comfort in every way possible.

Some would go so far as to say it was consuming him.

"Not surprised you're in here."

An all-too familiar voice cut through the silence he was reading in and he dropped the book on the table immediately, startled. Draco looked up to see Astoria standing by the entrance, leaning heavily on her cane and wearing the lilac gown he'd gifted her for her birthday a week prior. He got to his feet and went to her side immediately, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You should be resting."

"I've done enough of that," Astoria retorted. "I wanted to stretch my legs."

"At least let me help you come and sit down with me?" Draco asked. "Soak up some sun in the process."

She obliged, and he slowly and carefully guided her to the chaise by the window.

"Where's Scorpius?"

"Potter's house," Draco said almost immediately. "He practically lives there these days."

"Mm," Astoria hummed, leaning into his side. "You need to remember that he needs you too."

Draco rested his cheek on the top of her head, taking in the traces of her shampoo. "I am aware."

"Then stop holing yourself in here reading about things that will help no one," Astoria said bluntly. "I won't be here forever for you to constantly worry over."

That stung, but Draco's only response was to pull her a little closer to him. "I do it to help you."

Astoria sighed. She was tired, physically, emotionally, mentally. "Yes, I know. But you need to start living for yourself and for our son and not just for me anymore. It's for the best."

"Yeah? Best for who?" Draco snapped back, agitated.

"For you. For Scorpius," Astoria replied simply, unwavered by his harshness.

The silence drifted over them momentarily while Draco tried to gather his wandering thoughts.

"What will you do when you wake up one morning and not know what to do with yourself?" she questioned, voice gentle but the words were heavy. "I don't want to leave you behind knowing that you'll be left lost, alone, and listless. It isn't fair to you, to me, or to our son."

Draco had no answer to this. He had spent his youth being an entitled brat on the wrong side of war filled with empty promises. His young adult life had been spent picking up the pieces from it while being fast tracked into becoming the head of the Malfoy name after his father's imprisonment, and being completely ensnared by Astoria. Sure, he had the estates to oversee and investments to monitor, but working was never something he wanted to do.

It was enjoyable to experience what a true family was, how it was supposed to feel like, what it really meant, and Astoria gave him that and more, through the traveling, the adventures, and cutting her life in half to have Scorpius. He was going into his midlife now, and Astoria was slipping away from him. He didn't know what it was going to be like when she would be gone, what he was going to do.

Dizzy appeared before them, pulling Draco to the present. He didn't recall summoning her, or hear Astoria do so, either. She held out a book for him, looking up at him with her large blue eyes.

"I dug this out a while ago when I was still able to get around. Maybe you'll find it just as intriguing as I did as a child," Astoria explained. "My family is quite big on it, but we do come from a line of architects, so this comes with the territory."

He took the book and read the front: Antiques for Beginners: A How To Guide.

Reading about antiques soon took over Draco's downtime. If he wasn't reading, he was surveying the many antiques that were stowed and forgotten in the attic only to scour bookstores to find guides on how to restore said antiques. Astoria was elated to see him get out a tiny bit more instead of gluing himself to their bedroom from sunup to sundown, instead leaving her to her own devices and hired caretakers to help out.

He even got Scorpius involved sometimes whenever Draco didn't get dragged outside to play quidditch or just fly around the grounds. It was a good thing because it helped distract them from Astoria's health gradually plummeting. Unfortunately, it didn't take Draco long to notice before quickly reverted back to lingering by her side when she came back home from her five day stay in the hospital.

Astoria woke up to Draco reading by candlelight beside her that evening. Shifting her head some on the plump pillow, she could just make out the title in the dim lighting: Refurbishing the Old to Make Anew.

"I'm glad that you found something to do," Astoria said.

Draco looked over to her, closing the book with a finger to keep his place. "Did the light wake you?"

She shook her head, smiling softly. "What project have you been working on?"

"It's on hold," he muttered, reaching around her to rest an arm over her shoulders. "Right now I want to be with you."

"The painting you did looked wonderful, by the way," she murmured, drifting again. "I hope you don't stop working on this new one… I'd like to see it."

Draco wasn't able to finish the project in time for Astoria to see it.

She rested in the slender, ornate coffin before him. It was repurposed with the softest fabric and cushioning inside donning Astoria's favourite color; lilac. A crescent moon made of moonstones adorned the top of the lid where her head now rested, and the black coffin was peppered with emeralds in the form of the constellation cycnus, her favourite one.

He removed the cloth that concealed the small antique clock he was working hard to finish for her. The hardest part was fixing the white marbled face that had broken in several areas. Learning the art of kintsugi was not an easy feat, but he managed to mend it and restore the wood. The mechanics, however, remained unworking, yet another thing he had trouble learning how to repair. Sighing, he carefully placed it at the head of the coffin where the small offering space was and placed a gentle kiss on the moon, feeling the tears pricking his eyes then.

Leaving the crypt, the monk who held the eulogy chanted a haunting, beautiful song, and the few family and friends they had were there to mourn with him. They brought him and Scorpius several things for the reception, from baked goods, cakes, and jello, to different mixes of eastern teas with healing elements infused in them. A family friend of Astoria's gifted him a set of jade and porcelain tea cups and pot to use with them. His love would have liked them. He hoped that her funeral was acceptable, wishing to give her a proper Buddhist one, which meant the next thirteen days would be spent being surrounded by those who loved her like he had, like he still does.

As the day flowed into the night, Draco slipped away to his room for a breather, leaving Daphne and her family to tend to the guests, only to find Scorpius standing on the balcony looking up at the twinkling stars. He joined his son, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It doesn't feel real," Scorpius muttered, "her being gone."

"No, it doesn't," Draco agreed, giving his son's shoulder a squeeze. "But she always said to look to the skies when we missed her to find her. Have you yet?"

Scorpius pointed to the constellation barely visible in the darkening sky, it was the swan, cycnus. Draco honed in on it, too, a sad smile gracing his lips. "She will always be there, and here—" He moved his hand to rest over his son's heart. "—with us."

A weak smile formed on Scorpius' face, and he turned to look up at Draco. "I found an old broom in the attic. Do you think we could…"

"Of course."

Draco gave Scorpius a gentle hug. "We will look it over together tomorrow."

Scorpius nodded and quietly excused himself. Draco remained on the balcony, looking back to the heavens and at the stars the moon did not drown out with its light. He always was drawn to broken things, it seemed, and the constellation he stared at struggled to be seen through the moonlight nearby. Draco smiled despite himself, the tears glistening.