"Dad!"
Draco rolled over, covering his eyes with an arm.
" Dad !"
"What is it, Scorpius?" the man grumbled, half-asleep.
"Kenzie's in the kitchen! She says she's making us breakfast!"
Draco sat up in bed, immediately remembering that he now had a daughter. He scratched at his chest, yawning. "Alright, son. I'll be down in a few minutes. Thank you."
"What in the bloody hell…!" Draco gasped when he set foot into the kitchen. It was an absolute mess! It appeared McKenzie had the goal to use every pot, pan, dish and utensil that Draco owned. Spilt food was everywhere, on the floor, on the cabinet doors and the counters. Tiny, little nine-year-old shoe prints tracked around the floor.
"Hey, BD," McKenzie greeted through a nervous chuckle. "I thought I would make everyone breakfast! I'm sorry about the mess! I'll clean it up, I promise! Scone?"
Draco eyed the plate of scones that she gestured to. He was surprised to see that they looked picture perfect. He grabbed one off the plate and bit into it. "These are great!" he complimented, savouring the soft, buttery pastry. "Who taught you how to cook?"
"Me and Dad used to cook together, he hosted a food blog, and he had a massive following before he disappeared." McKenzie had been removing strips of bacon from a fry pan but had stopped once she had mentioned her dad. "I really miss them," she announced sadly.
"It must be awful to lose them," Draco said, taking over her task of stacking up bacon into a serving dish.
"Yeah," McKenzie whispered. She then snatched the bacon off the counter and left the room. Draco followed her into the dining area, where he was met with an entire breakfast of eggs, toast and parfaits.
"You did all this?" he gaped at his daughter who wore an oversized apron which was covered with flour and dough and red blotches that Draco assumed was juice from berries.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, don't act surprised! How else would I have survived by myself after my mum and dad disappeared?"
"Where did you find the recipes for all of this?" Draco didn't remember owning any recipe books. He normally ordered takeout.
"Oh, I didn't need any."
"Huh?"
"The Analyzer at the orphanage said that I have a photographic memory, that means that when I read something, I remember it forever and ever. So I don't need any written directions once I've already read them."
"You're telling me you made all of this from the abundance of recipes that you remembered on memory alone?"
McKenzie simply nodded. She was completely oblivious to how remarkable she was.
Draco shook his head in disbelief. "You are definitely Hermione's daughter."
"I read in a book once--"
Naturally , Draco thought to himself, Hermione Granger's daughter woulddefinitelybe a bookworm.
"--that children get their smarts from their mothers."
"I wouldn't doubt that at all," Draco politely agreed, sitting down at the table, growing hungrier by the minute.
" Wait !" McKenzie instantly stopped him from filling his plate. "We must wait for the others, BD!"
"BD? Why are you calling me that?" he asked, noticing that she had addressed him with it twice already that morning.
"It means birth dad," she supplied to him, in a tone that told him that he should have known this already. "I can't call you dad , as I already call my adoptive dad that."
"You could just call me Draco," he offered.
She gasped, horrified at the thought. "No, I cannot call you by your name ! That's strange ! And completely inappropriate!"
"I forbid you from calling me BD, it's entirely improper !"
"It's modern ," she corrected.
"I don't wish to be called by a couple of initials , McKenzie," he told her firmly.
"Well," she said, removing the soiled apron, revealing a pale yellow dress which did not have one bit of evidence that she had been cooking in it. "I don't know what to tell you. Nothing else is fitting for our situation."
"What's all this?" Hermione came in then, dressed for the day in a strikingly blue dress suit. She always looked amazing in blue.
Draco shifted his eyes down at his black t-shirt and sweatpants. He hadn't thought to dress more formally. It had been several years since he had entertained guests, much less female ones. He felt oddly out of place until his son walked in, just as casually dressed as his father.
"I made breakfast for everyone!" McKenzie announced. "What do you think about it, BM?" She then explained to Hermione what the initials meant.
"What a smart girl you are," Hermione praised her with a huge proud smile, not at all caring about the new name McKenzie had given her.
"It seems you have birthed a child prodigy who remembers every word that comes across her mind," Draco said, standing up from the table as Hermione and the kids took a seat to eat.
"Well, now, Draco, I'm sure she's gotten some smarts from you too," Hermione offered politely. "You're hardly brainless."
She earned a snort from Scorpius with that last comment.
"Excuse us while Scorpius and I return wearing something more appropriate for the meal," Draco said, sending his son a look.
"Appropriate?" Scorpius wondered with a raise of an eyebrow. He never dressed any different at Draco's house, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere offered at the Manor.
"We have guests," Draco supplied for him. "Lady ones. Now up you get."
Scorpius reluctantly followed his father out of the dining room. "So you're going to make me wear a suit like Mum does?" he asked in a low, annoyed voice.
"A pair of trousers and a button up shirt will suffice."
Scorpius disappeared into his room, grumbling about "stupid girls". Draco didn't blame him a bit. When he was young, he also hated having to look nice simply because they had guests over. His parents never let anyone outside the home set eyes on an unkept Malfoy.
Obviously, Draco had changed since his youth. He didn't like hosting parties and banquets like his parents and Astoria did. Once he became a man, he felt the need to express his opinions more openly-- which never ended well with them.
Draco hadn't spoken to his parents in years. They were too old fashioned, and they didn't agree on anything Draco did. They hated that he divorced Astoria, uncaring that they just weren't compatible as life partners. They hated that he played quidditch as a profession, and they hated that he had dated several people beneath his blood status. As far as they were concerned, Draco Malfoy was no longer existent. And Draco would be lying if he said he didn't prefer it that way. He was free now. He didn't have to cater to pleasing anyone but himself.
He sighed, thinking about what his father and mother were going to think once they found out he had an illegitimate daughter floating around. It would add the icing to the cake. He was not at all ashamed though. He never regretted dating Hermione, and he didn't regret the product of their relationship.
He smiled to himself at the thought of McKenzie busting around the kitchen, eager to please her new family. Draco used to be the same, doing anything he could to make his parents happy.
He'd have to make sure his daughter knew that he didn't expect her to please him. That she was free to be whoever she wanted to be.
Draco and Scorpius joined the others shortly after, McKenzie was explaining to Hermione that the things she had chosen to make were actually simple to make that even "babies" could make them.
Neither of the girls had taken a bite of the meal until Draco and Scorpius returned. By then the food was cold, but Hermione easily heated it up with an elegant wave of her wand. They all shared a smile before they finally began to eat.