School: Hogwarts

Year: 1

Theme: Headmaster's Office

Prompts: Hurt/Comfort [Main] – A better son/daughter (Rilo Kiley)

W/C: 2291 words

Broken

No matter who you are, there is one thing in life that is inevitable to come; the death of those who were involved in your creation. Even if your relationship is tough and unhappy, there will always be an emotion involved with the news that is received. The question lies in how you decide to process that emotion.

That was the problem that Blaise Zabini faced on a still, dry morning in March. He was sitting in his office in the Malfoy Inc. building, a potion making company built up by the resilient minds of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. The power couple proved their ability to overcome prejudice and created their initial baby together. This company was cultivated by the pair until the moment they decided it was ready to be joined. Hermione then left the company in the capable hands of Draco with Blaise as his next-in-command as she went to raise their real-life babies, the two and a half messes that Blaise doted on.

Anyway, in this office, normally filled with a bundle of Italian energy, sat Blaise. He absentmindedly tapped his pen against the edge of his desk as he stared out at the dull, grey clouds. The repetitive clicking broke the silence that filled the room. Lost in his thoughts, Blaise tuned out the world that moved beyond his four walls. His mind swirled.

A loud knock at the door broke through Blaise's musings and mild self-deprecating thoughts. He shook his head to clear it as Draco's head popped around the door. Blaise smiled in recognition.

"Boss," he started, "what can I do for you?"

"Would you drop that please?" Draco complained.

"You pay me," Blaise countered, "so you'll always be "Boss" to me."

Draco huffed in response as he opened the door wider. "The actual boss wants to know if you're free for dinner tonight," Draco offered, "and apparently, it's not a request but an order to visit. The kids want to see you."

Blaise smiled slightly. Hermione did always keep an eye on him to make sure he was eating properly.

"Sure, I'll be there. What time?" Blaise said, moving his pen over to write a memo.

"Probably about six. You can bring Adrian as well," Draco said, noticing the pen froze mid-air at the mention of Adrian's name. "What's wrong?"

Blaise took a deep breath. "It'll probably just be me tonight," he said on the exhalation, "Adrian broke up with me last week."

Draco's eyebrows disappeared into his shaggy hair in surprise.

"Sorry," Draco paused as he contemplated his phrasing. "Why didn't you tell us? Or at least me?"

Blaise raised his eyes to look up at the older man. "I was embarrassed. He's not the first to break up with me. It just proves that I am not enough for anyone." The words tumbled out of his mouth, surprising himself along with Draco. He slumped back in his chair, silently chastising himself for the verbal diarrhoea. His eyes focused on the hard wood of his desk.

Draco entered the room fully at that, clicking shut the door behind him. Casting a Silencing Charm, Draco crossed his arms and stared down at Blaise.

"What do you mean you're not enough?" Draco said, his steely voice cut through Blaise's self-deprecation. Blaise jumped at the harsh tone.

"Well… I… I mean… no-one has ever stuck around me. My own mother didn't even look after me," Blaise's voice weakened with every word. Draco frowned at his friend. He hadn't brought up his mother in years. Why now? Concerned, he brought up the question. Blaise's head dropped, his lips thinning as he pressed them together tightly. He struggled to maintain composure before he answered, his voice wavering.

"I received an owl two nights ago. She was found dead in Italy."

"Ah," Draco stumbled over his words, "do you know how she died?"

"No," Blaise said as he pushed his chair away from his desk and stood up, "and I don't particularly care either. She didn't so why should I?" He moved towards the window and rested his hands on the sill. His shoulders heaved as he took deep breaths, willing the threatening tears to not overflow.

Tongue in cheek, trying to keep his mouth shut, Draco sat down on the sofa that lived opposite Blaise's desk. He opened his mouth as if to speak before Blaise started to talk again as he paced a path in the carpet.

"Do you know she had seven husbands before she died? All of them were prioritised over me when I was growing up. All of them. My father died before I was born but by the time I was two, there was a stepfather in the house. The first of a run of them.

She was never around. She wasn't there for the important moments. She didn't care about me. I just wanted someone to mind me and instead, I got an empty house and silent nights. There were times when all I wanted was a hug or her to read a story to me, but she was too busy catching husband numbers three to five at the stage.

Why didn't she care about me?" Blaise cried, his voice cracking. "Was it me? Was I not good enough? I know she wasn't expecting me, but did that change her view of me? Was I always just a burden?" the sobs wracked his body as Draco scrambled off the sofa to block the pacing man. He gathered the broken man into his arms and allowed him to cry, the tears soaking through his expensive suit. Blaise clung onto him as if he was a buoy amid an ocean. Draco, being that little bit taller, balanced his chin on Blaise's head and allowed the man to calm himself. When the shaking body became still, Draco carefully pushed him back so that he could look Blaise in the eye.

"You were not the problem," he spat out, "she was. She might have been your mother, but she never really regarded you as her son. For her, you were an unfortunate accident. For your friends, you are the best thing that we've ever had."

"You have Hermione so I'm not the best thing for you," Blaise whimpered. Draco chuckled slightly.

"Who was it that listened to me ramble on for hours about Hermione before I got the balls to ask her out?" he asked. "Who decided, despite his obvious attraction to his own fair sex, that he would flirt with her to make me do something about my attraction? Who helped build this company with me? You did all of that. Despite your mother and your childhood, you fought through it all to be the man you are today. I am proud of you."

Draco's words made Blaise crumple into tears again. Filled with affection for the younger fellow, Draco pulled him back into a hug.

After a few moments, Blaise moved away and rested against the edge of his desk, arms folded across his chest. He sighed deeply. He looked contemplative as he moved his gaze back to look out the window.

"I hate her. I hate her for everything she did. I hate her for every part of my childhood. I hate her and yet… I still love her," Blaise said softly.

"And as well, you might," Draco said.

The anger flashed in Blaise's eyes as he began to pace again. "I'm also angry at her. I'm angry at the audacity of her to die before I could tell her what I thought. She never took my feelings into consideration.

Did you know that she didn't even bring me to King's Cross when I was starting Hogwarts? That actually ended up being stepdad number five. He was the best of a bad lot. Most of them just saw me as the baggage that belonged to the beauty they married. He at least saw a human that needed fed. I didn't mind him being around but alas, he got the whiskey too.

The one time she ever actually remembered me was when she was too worried about herself to care about my wishes. The day she decided to go to Italy during the war was the day I lost all faith in her. In order to get the portkey, she had to say who was using it. When she only put her name down, I knew then that I was nothing to her. I was her own flesh and blood, but I meant nothing. She ended up being forced to bring me because that's the only way they would issue it. It was out of no concern to my safety that we left the country. It was for her own stupid, selfish reasons. If she had remained here, she would have been unable to pretend like she was still a teenager with no responsibilities. She would have been forced to grow up. Instead we went to Italy and I was the one who had to grow up.

When the chance finally arrived for me to return to Hogwarts, I was sent packing again so she could return to her life of dancing, drinking and drugs. Why have me around? I would have just brought the mood down."

Draco sat down again, bemused at the way this speech was heading. He reclined on the sofa, his ankles crossing as he settled himself for another long rant. He lost himself in his thoughts, trying to think of other ways that Blaise's mother was the worst mother ever until the end of one of Blaise's statements cut through.

"... and you did it too,"

Draco shot up at this statement. "What?"

Blaise turned to face him. "It might have been subconsciously, but you did it too. You made me feel like I wasn't good enough. Think about it. We only became friends in our seventh year. In our first year, you decided I wasn't good enough to deal with because I refused to pledge allegiance to either side. I wasn't worth befriending or alienating. I was just there. Do you know what's it like to just be there? Thinking no-one would notice if you just disappeared? It's painful and heart-breaking and it hurts. It hurts so much."

"Blaise… I… I don't…" Draco began to stutter before falling silent at Blaise's raised hand. Blaise offered him a sad smile.

"Don't. Just don't," he shook his head as his body fell into the chair behind him. Draco tipped his head to one side as he observed the younger man.

"Why am I only learning this now?" Draco asked.

"Because it's difficult to bring up, Draco," Blaise sighed. "I mean, how do you tell one of your best friends that their every word and action cut deeply when we were younger? Plus you've become far too sensitive since you started dating Hermione. You would have just started to apologise and that's not going to help anyone."

"You could have brought it up when we were younger," Draco said, his voice beginning to raise.

"No. I couldn't have. You would have labelled me the wuss or the blood traitor or something worse if I had. So, I bottled it up and by the time we became friends, I was over it. Or rather, I was great at managing to pretend like I was. I remained positive and smiling around people to hide the reality. We were all broken after the war so there was no point bringing up past grievances," Blaise explained sadly.

Draco watched the fight drain out of his friend. He had given up. The boy who had kept fighting had reached his limit. He was drained. The last two hours had taken their toll on him. With tear-stained cheeks, he now stared out the window. Once again, his fingers tapped on the desk.

Draco didn't recognise this man. This was an empty shell that used to contain every bottled up feeling since he was born. This was the result of a time bomb exploding and leaving nothing but brokenness in its wake. Something had to be done to show Blaise that he was worth so much more than he thought.

"Right, that's it. I'm cancelling all of your meetings," Draco said, pulling out his wand and grabbing Blaise's calendar.

"You can't do that," Blaise protested.

"I can. I'm your boss. I'm also cancelling all my meetings and we're going to finish early. You are going to come with me and spend some time with a mischievous three-year-old, an adorable eighteen-month-old and a grumpy pregnant woman," Draco said, tapping his wand against the paper. He stopped and turned the blank page to face Blaise. "See, I can. Pack up your stuff and let's go."

"But…" Blaise began.

"Out," Draco said, "before I decide to put you on permanent leave." Blaise raised his eyebrows at that.

"Are you threatening my job?" he asked.

"Would it get you to leave?" Draco countered.

"Yes."

"Then, yes. I'm threatening your job. Let's go."

Blaise huffed at Draco's final statement but finally, gathered up his stuff and got ready to leave. When he had slung his bag over his shoulder, Draco herded him out the door.

"Oh! I forgot," Draco exclaimed. "Hermione said Neville was invited around for dinner tonight too. It'll be good for you to talk to someone who isn't me."

"You think Longbottom is the answer?" Blaise asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"At least it's better than Potter," Draco exclaimed, finally getting a laugh out of Blaise.

Maybe this night would be what Blaise needed. Maybe enduring crappy mothers is worth it to have real friends to be your stand-in family.