A/N: Here we are again! And just so you know, the next chapter will most probably be the last. Sad, I know, but you know how it is, when a story is finished, it's finished.
XoXoX Draco's POV XoXoX
Draco sent Ambrosius off with the letter, telling him not to come back until he had an answer with him. He sank down next to the door in the owlery and waited. Minutes turned to hours, but Draco didn't notice. He was too busy thinking. Ever since that day when he'd first seen Medea in the basket, he had been careful not to get too attached. He knew he would have to give her up sooner or later, and the more he cared for her, the harder it would be. But he didn't care. He wasn't attached to the baby, and he didn't care if she went away. She was just another baby, right? Nothing special about her, just another baby. And he didn't care, he really didn't. Why would he? She was just a baby. And he'd only known her for six days. You couldn't get attached in only six days. And a good thing it was, because if he had been attached, he would probably hurt a lot right now. But it wasn't a problem, because he didn't care. And with that thought Draco started building his little house by the treacherous banks of the Nile.
After Merlin knows how many hours had passed, Draco's attention was suddenly drawn to a big, black owl flying towards him. Ambrosius was back. Carefully removing the letter from the owl's foot, Draco unrolled it and started reading.
Mr. Malfoy,
We are very happy that you have decided to adopt away your beautiful little girl to us. By the advice of Bob, the adoption agent, we have decided to come over tonight to pick her up. Bob said you wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible, so we thought it would be best if she spent the night with us. We will meet up with you tomorrow to sign the adoption papers in Bob's office, and to go through with the spells and other formalities.
Daniel and Matthew Brocklehurst-Frobisher
Draco crumpled the parchment and threw it against the wall. Who did they think they were? Saying that he wanted to get rid of his baby,and then just deciding to take her away that very evening! Sure, he wanted to adopt her away, but to say he wanted to get rid of her; that was just harsh! No baby should grow up being told that her parents wanted to get rid of her. And they were taking her this evening. It was so soon. Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I don't care," he said to himself, repeating what was well on its way to becoming his new mantra. He got to his feet, and started walking back down towards his room. He had to get Medea ready, and inform Harry.
Harry.
What would he think about all of this? Surely he wanted Draco to adopt Medea away? No one in their right mind would want to date a wizard with a little baby.
Huh.
Dating.
He'd never really thought about dating Harry. Sure, he wanted to be with him, but he'd never really thought about going on an actual date with him. And what if Harry didn't want to? Maybe Harry didn't like him at all, thought he was just an easy fuck. Of course, he didn't really think so; Harry was a sodding Gryffindor with too many ideas about what was right and wrong to do such a thing, but what if? What if when he told Harry Medea was leaving, he would just pack his stuff and leave too? He could. He had never promised Draco anything, and they didn't really have a real relationship. Yeah, they'd slept together, but so what? They had never talked about it, never agreed on what they really were. Draco would love it if Harry would become his boyfriend, but for all he knew, Harry might not want that at all.
Suddenly Draco felt very confused and insecure, and when a Malfoy feels confused, he disguises it with anger. So what if Harry didn't want him? He could manage without that good-for-nothing Gryffindork. Half the Hogwarts population would swoon if Draco Malfoy even looked at them, he could have anyone he wanted. Harry Potter could just go screw himself, because Draco didn't care. He didn't bloody care!
Draco reached his rooms and threw the door open, stomping inside. When he saw Harry was sitting on the windowsill rocking Medea, his anger flared even more. That was his baby! Not Potter's, his! He walked over to the dark haired boy, and grabbed the baby from his arms. Harry looked at him with confusion, but Draco only glared at him.
"The Brockle-whats-its are coming to get her any minute, I have to get her ready." He turned away and walked towards the bathroom and failed to see the sad look on Harry's face. Nor did he see when the green-eyed boy silently slipped off the windowsill and walked out of the room, or when he packed his things and walked out of the front door, trunk in hand. The only thing on his mind was the fact that he didn't care. Because he didn't. He couldn't. It would hurt too much.
XoXoX
Inside the bathroom, Draco put Medea down on the counter and started to undress her.
"Oh my, Draco dearest. Don't you think that girl is a wee bit too young for you? I say you keep to that black stallion of yours, he sure seems to enjoy a good ride."
Draco jumped half a meter away from the baby, and glared at the mirror. "You're just sick, you know that? A sick, sick mirror! For your information, I'm just changing her diaper. I'm not going to do anything like that with her! Sick. Sick. Sick!"
"Well, sorry to say so, but you could have fooled me. The way you look at her, I'd say you've fallen hard, dollface."
"I have not! And so what if I had? If I did love her, which I don't, it would only be a paternal kind of love. Nothing else, you sick piece of glass! And I don't love her."
"Someone's in denial," chanted the mirror in a singsong voice, to Draco's great annoyance.
"Am not!"
"Face it, honey. You love that little girl as if she were your own. And I think you want her to be. Secretly, you wish she belonged to you. You and that pretty boy of yours."
"I do not! I don't love her, I don't care, and Harry is not my pretty boy! He isn't my anything, because I don't care about him. Never have, never will! So there."
The mirror coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'denial', but before Draco could mention it, he continued. "Whatever you say, poppet, whatever you say."
"Exactly. Whatever I say."
XoXoX
Later that evening, Draco silently watched as the door closed, then he slumped down next to the nearest wall. They were gone. She was gone. The Brocklehurst-Frobishers had just come to take away his baby, and now they were gone. It felt like his heart was going to break, and he had a lump in his throat. Hadn't Draco known better, he would have thought he was about to cry. But Malfoys don't cry. And they don't care.
Don't cry.
Don't care.
Don't…
Draco sniffled.
… cry.
Screw everything, it seemed Malfoys did cry. Giving up on trying to hold them back, Draco let the tears roll freely down his cheek. He had tried convincing himself that he didn't care, but the truth was that even his mirror knew more about his own feelings than he did. He cared. He cared a lot. He cared more than he'd ever thought it was possible to care. He cared so much he felt like his heart was going to burst. And it scared him. It scared the living hell out of him.
At that moment Draco would have given almost anything to have Harry next to him, to have the other boy hold him and whisper soothing words, but he was gone too. When Draco had gone to his room earlier that day to see if he wanted to say good bye to Medea, he had found the room empty. The only thing left of the black-haired boy was a letter. He had read it through so many times he knew it by heart.
Draco,
Please don't be mad at me. It's just, I can't do this. I love her. I know, it's only been six days, and it really should be too early to get attached, but it doesn't matter. I care about her more than I ever though it was possible to care for a child, and I can't be there when she leaves. And I can't see you. I think I could love you, maybe, someday, but right now you will only remind me of her. I've gone back to the Dursleys. Please kiss her good-bye for me, will you? And tell her I love her. She probably won't remember, or even understand, but somehow, I still want her to know.
- Harry
Draco had never known Harry cared so much for Medea. Hell, he'd never known he cared so much for her himself. And now, by giving her up, he had also lost the one other person he felt he could truly be himself around. The one who made his heart flutter, the one who had written that he could have loved him, someday. Was this really what Draco wanted? Yes, he finally had his freedom back, but was it worth it? He'd lost Harry, he'd lost his baby, and he'd lost a part of himself.
Sitting there in the dark, Draco suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. A very big mistake.
You guys probably know what I'll say down here by now, so I won't repeat it. But just in case you don't remember, it starts with an R and ends with EVIEW.
