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2 - Best Summer Ever
"But, Father!" Draco whined yet once again.
"I said I would think about it, Draco. If you whine once more, I will decide against it." Lucius closed the door to his office behind him stopping his son from following inside. Sometimes Draco could be unbearable.
Lucius sat down to go over his correspondence noticing earlier one of them was from his lawyer. As expected, the only thing left was to pick the boy from his orphanage and have whoever was in charge of it to sign the papers. Then in a few days, the proceedings on the Ministry would be finished and the Malfoy family would be expanded.
Narcissa was excited to adopt a new child, even if he was the same age as their son. Now she was beginning to consider it for the daughter they could never conceive. Maybe this time a younger one, children over eleven years of age did make the adoption process lengthier and more tiresome. This was especially true for muggleborns, muggles had such a bureaucratic system that only the thought of it made Lucius' head flare with the beginnings of a new weeklong ache.
Lucius took the papers to his room in order to change into wizarding clothes also fit for mingling on the muggle world and to invite his dear wife to pick up their new son. With a carefully masked smile on his face, he thought about his new son, a boy who despite his origins picked his heir's interest up and instigated him to be better. He couldn't wait to feel the boy's magic and nurture it.
John was bored. He was on the verge of giving in his whimsical feelings of borrowing a few books from the library nearby. It was a stupid idea, he knew, but what else was he supposed to do the rest of the summer when even all his Hogwarts homework was done barely a week after being back. The hardest part of borrowing from the library must be keeping them away from the other kids, they were sure to destroy them. He had no money to replace them, at least no muggle money. He still had some galleons left after buying his new trunk via owl order...
"John, you stupid stupid ape!" Of course, he should have thought of his trunk already. He saved his gold for two years to buy one with all the spells he wanted to be imbued in it. Not only it had permanent featherlight and expanding charms, it also could be shrunk and unshrunk without the touch of a wand. But above all else, the best features and the ones that made it really expensive were the protective measures imbued into it, it couldn't be broken, burnt or destroyed in any way really and it counted with a password John set up. He was pretty sure no one at this orphanage would ever discover, never mind be able to pronounce it.
That decided it. John was going to go to the library today and load himself with some nice and interesting books. Maybe he would find some place to help out during the summer; that could be a way to waste a bit of his free time and earn some pocket change to take a cab to London this time instead of the usual long bus/train/subway ride.
"Lucius, are you sure this is the right place?" Narcissa couldn't believe her eyes. How is it that anyone was able to live in such a... place, let alone a wizard.
"I'm afraid so, dear." She saw that her husband was as appalled as she was.
"Let us get this over with as fast as possible, Lucius. I'm not leaving my son in this place even a minute more than strictly necessary." For the first time in her life, she took the lead and went inside ahead of her husband. This wasn't normal behaviour for a well-bred pureblood lady like her; she had always let others believe her husband was in charge of everything even the few times she took the lead. Today, however, she was above all etiquette. Today her priority was her son.
Summer, a season when prospective parents didn't deem good to get a new kid. She pitied these poor children with no chance at being part of a good family. After all, who in their right mind would choose a child from this dumpster the government called an orphanage over those of a well-cared and funded institution? At least in the beginning of summer, they stayed out of trouble, too excited at not having to go to school to think of mischief. Even poor John was left alone the first weeks. John was a really good kid but she couldn't be unfair and biased, so she was extra harsh with him when he misbehaved.
The wonders of proper education did so much for that boy. He got to go to a nice private school with the right sort. His scholarship was a godsend; he would have a brilliant future ahead of him. His manners and speech improved in a way these poor kids would never be able to learn. Even his mischief-making had lessened, then again it could be due to him being here for only a bit over two months. Today he even went to the library! None of the other kids liked going there, not even Benny did that. And Benny was the best of them all!
A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. One of the children saying there was a couple here and they looked rich, that was so unusual they must be lost just looking for information. These silly rich people thinking themselves better than the working class, not polite at all.
"I'm Barbara Summers. How can I help you today?" She introduced herself cordially noticing the kid was right, one could see the money dripping from their very pores. They seemed nice, though, she could see even an ounce of discomfort coming off them.
"Ah, Mrs Summers, a pleasure to meet you. I am Lucius Malfoy and this is my wife, Narcissa." Lucius even made sure to add a small smile to his mask. Nothing could go wrong today, not after seeing the institution. His wife and son would never forgive him for letting John spend even a minute more at this place. He wouldn't forgive himself for that.
"A pleasure indeed, Mrs Summers." His wife also extended her hand in a way to treat the woman on equal grounds. It seemed Narcissa was as determined as he was to see this through smoothly.
"There is mine, but I'm still unmarried. Too young to be taken." The woman shook both their hands grimacing a little, no doubt at being called Mrs like an old woman. However, Severus didn't nickname him smooth bastard for nothing.
"My apologies, Ms Summers. I couldn't conceive such a lovely and charming young lady as yourself being single, though, I should have known better. Such a caring lady who dedicates her time to helping these poor children would rather wait for a proper man who would be understanding and as dedicated as you no doubt are. I advise you to take your time choosing from your long line of suitors."
"My!" The woman flushed a disgusting shade of red that blotched over her skin in deformed square shapes. She was fanning her face and looking with lewd eyes at Lucius when thankfully his wife made the next step.
"Indeed, Ms Summers. You are the one in charge of this institution, are you not?"
"Ah, yes, Mrs Malfoy. Please follow me to my office so we can discuss this better over a cup of tea."
Lucius and his wife followed the woman and drank the worst sort of foul water to exist in this world, how one could call that tea was beyond them. Nevertheless, they indulged the woman in mindless conversation; she seemed to think they were looking to make donations.
"Ms Summers, may we be so bold as to state bluntly what it is we are here for?" His wife was Merlin's gift in his life.
"Of course, Mrs Malfoy. Please tell me, how can I help you?"
"We are here to adopt a child. A boy by the name of John Doe." The woman looked so confused Lucius decided to treat her as he would a Gryffindor: small, easy words and objective speech. Or as objective as a Slytherin could be. "You see, this boy has a scholarship in our alma mater. We have strong ties to the school and I being an active figure on its running became aware of his more than good record. We want not only to invest in his bright future but to welcome him into our family."
"I would nothing more than to hold a son in my arms today, Ms Summers." His wife did know how to strike the killing blow. The watering eyes were a touch of art.
"It's so nice of you to want to give so much to this poor boy. I'll note for you all the things needed for adopting him. I'll even give you the contact of a friend of mine in the department who would surely help you make the process faster." Lucius stopped the woman's scribbles with a touch of his hand.
"Actually, Ms Summers, we were so eager to call John our son that we went through the system well before coming here. We just need your signature on these and we can, at last, take our son home." Lucius handed the papers to the woman who took her time reading through them and signing the boy away. Now all that was left was take him home start the adoption process at the Ministry.
"Come, Mr and Mrs Malfoy, I'll show you to John's room. With some luck, he's already back from the library."
That went well, even though he could only start borrowing books next week it was already a start. And wizards complained about their bureaucracy, they didn't know what it is until they had to deal with muggles. For this week going through his notes again would have to suffice, maybe reorganising them would be good.
John noticed a commotion in the orphanage's living room. Maybe the rare occasion of a couple coming to see children, not usual for summer but not unheard of. Anyway, it had nothing to do with him, like he told Draco; kids his age didn't get adopted.
"John! You're finally back! What took you so long? Come here and meet your new parents!"
"Parents?" What kind of drug did they Benny put in her tea this time? Really, he would retaliate if he were blamed for this one. He hadn't entered the room fully when a shock of white blonde hair assaulted his vision. He stopped shocked beyond words. This man was too old and his hair was too long to be Draco's, but damn weren't they alike?! "Mr Malfoy?"
The man got up to greet him, or so he assumed, but something got in the way. Rather someone judging by the hug he felt himself being enveloped in. After that, everything was a blur. He was led back to his room, packed and left the orphanage behind. Then he was whirled away appearing before the gates of a huge manor.
Upon entering, he was greeted by Draco's whines and then his squeals and hugs. He was taken to a room bigger than the one he shared with Draco in the Slytherin dorms and told it was his. Draco then whisked him off to dine with his parents and he was sure now they thought he was a fool who couldn't form a simple sentence. Then he was back in his room again laid over the fluffiness bed he ever touched, dressed in borrowed pyjamas from Draco and still shocked.
His door opened and the whole family was there again. They wanted to wish him a good night. He was to get a goodnight kiss from Draco's mother as if he was a little kid. He couldn't contain himself anymore. The dam broke and the only thing he could do was cling to Mrs Malfoy, Mum, and repeat his thanks and say how this was the best summer he had in fourteen years of life. He felt Draco by his side hugging him together with his mum, their mum. And a firm hand rub his back, that of a father, his father, their father. And the beautiful dreams he had when little coming true.
