"Wow, he's so fast !" McKenzie said in awe. Her eyes were glued to the sky, watching a twirling Draco who was looking for the Snitch.
He came flying up to Hermione and McKenzie, giving the girl an excited wave. "How do I look?"
"You look wicked up there!" Mckenzie told him, jumping up and down, giggling. She had never been on a broom herself, and had only ever seen people fly on brooms a select few times in her life.
"Malfoy!" his manager hollered. "The Snitch was right behind your head, damnit! Pay attention, will ya?"
Draco chased after the golden flutter then, dodging another player who flew into his direct path.
"What is wrong with you today?" Darlene scolded when the practice was over and they were all back on solid ground. "If that woman is going to distract you from the game, she needs to not be here!"
"Excuse me, but my daughter is welcome to watch my playing anytime! That is something I will not let you rule over!"
"Your daughter ?" The woman was confused.
"Hi!" McKenzie greeted cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Draco's waist. "I'm Kenzie! Draco's my BD-- that means birth dad!"
The team manager narrowed her eyes at the girl before addressing Draco, "A private word, Malfoy. Now ."
Draco grunted indignantly, and he told McKenzie that he'd be back in a few.
"She must not like children," McKenzie noted.
Hermione shrugged. "Some people don't, but the rest of us who do, we make up for it!" She squeezed her daughter to her with a satisfied groan. She kissed the top of Mckenzie's head who smiled at the lovely gesture. She remembered her mum used to do that every night before bed.
"I hope I didn't get you in too much trouble," McKenzie said when Draco returned a few minutes later.
"Well, as usual, we had a few ill-spoken words. Darlene suspended me from the team, but I decided that maybe it's time to retire my broom. So I quit!"
McKenzie gasped. "No! But you love playing quidditch! Scorpius told me so! He said it's your life !"
Draco smiled. "If I am forbidden from bringing my daughter with me, then it's not worth playing the game!"
Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. She hugged him, sniffing, fighting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry I got you fired, BD!"
He picked her up, swaying her gently. "You did no such thing, Kenzie. You are far more important than some sports game. I want to keep you forever and ever!"
That night, Draco tossed the Evening Prophet onto the center of the table, letting out a curse. Hermione had been watching him silently, waiting for a reaction to the front-page-worthy news article of the day, but Mckenzie had been oblivious to it. Until she heard the man mutter the foul language.
The girl stretched her neck up to read the headline, and upon reading the headline, she snatched the paper into her hand.
"Kenzie, maybe you shouldn't read that, honey," Hermione advised. "That's adult gossip, and I'm not sure you'd understand."
" Illegitimate daughter?" McKenzie scoffed. "Do these editors even know what that means? I am not illegitimate!" Her voice got quiet. " Am I?"
"Absolutely not ," Hermione and Draco said in unison. Hermione swiped the paper from Mckenzie's hands, rolling it up.
"Did you love each other?" McKenzie wondered, wiping a few fallen tears from her face.
Draco and Hermione exchanged looks. Draco cleared his throat, and Hermione scratched her head.
"Well, there was a time, when…" Hermione paused, pursing her lips together. "Draco is a great man, Kenzie," she explained. "I deeply cherished the time we had together."
"And you?" McKenzie directed at Draco. "What did you feel about BM?"
"Well, I mean…" He cleared his throat again, incredibly uncomfortable with being put on the spot. His voice was failing him. "We were good together," he finally admitted firmly.
"So what happened then?" McKenzie asked exasperatedly. "Neither of you deny that you love the other? Tell me what happened!"
"We grew apart," Hermione said.
"I wasn't paying attention to your mother enough," he admitted quietly. "Huge mistake. Biggest mistake of my life."
Hermione tilted her head at him,but he didn't see that she was studying him. He was looking at the table, twiddling his thumbs.
"And I didn't make it clear about what I wanted of him," Hermione told her daughter. "We both made mistakes."
"Maybe you could rekindle your flame," McKenzie suggested. "I am going to need both a mother and a father. And you must admit, the arrangement that Scorpius has to do between BD and his mum is a nuisance. He doesn't even get to spend Christmas with us! That's not really fair..." The girl was now shaking her head sadly. "Besides, that kiss you shared the other morning had to have meant something ! You were all googly-eyed afterward!
"I know!" she said suggestively. "Why don't you two talk about it and get back to me?" With that, she skipped out of the room, leaving them on their own.
Neither Hermione nor Draco were eager to discuss their earlier kiss under the mistletoe. They had been avoiding the subject since that day, hoping that the event would be long forgotten. Their lovely daughter wasn't going to let it go though. They really had no choice but to face the music.
"It sparked memories," Draco started, quietly, being the first to break the silence. "The kiss."
"Yeah, me too." Hermione smiled. "You were always thoughtful during our courtship, I remember."
Draco chuckled. "You were often surprising me with something. Remember that time you took me to the Muggle theater? Merlin! That was so long ago!"
"The Nutcracker," Hermione reminisced. "I remember that! You complained because all the men looked silly in those tights!"
"I was jealous, in case you've forgotten."
Hermione laughed. "You said the men stuffed their costumes with socks!"
"They do!"
"They do not !"
"It is absolutely impossible for every man on that stage to each have that much of a bulge !"
"It sounds like you know a little too much in that subject," Hermione teased.
"Well, I am a man," he pointed out.
"Indeed you are. No need to explain how I know."
Their laughter was cut short as an owl swooped in to drop an envelope into Hermione's lap. The owl, a beautiful, yet undersized barn owl, looked to be exhausted.
"Hello there," Draco greeted the creature softly, offering out his arm. The owl immediately climbed onto it.
Draco explained to Hermione that he had an owlery where the owl could rest and reclaim her energy. "I'll be right back," he said, knowing the owl needed a good rest and some nutrients before she could start her travel back to wherever she had come from.
When he returned, Hermione's face was pale, and her body was slightly trembling.
"What's wrong," Draco immediately demanded, rushing to her side.
Hermione was silent for a moment before she sat up straight. "This letter is from Brodie Wilson, he is Oliver's brother-- Oliver being Kenzie's adoptive father."
Draco nodded slowly. He suddenly didn't feel so well. He felt like he was going to be sick.
"He wants to meet with me."
"And you're going to?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"The authorities have contacted him, Draco. They want to place Kenzie in his care."
Draco had to sit down. His knees were beginning to shake. The idea of someone taking his baby girl was devastating.