A/N: Just want to clarify that I previously had a different Chapter 2 up, but I was absolutely unhappy with it..and I finally figured out how to start the story off after the first chapter. This is the replacement Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 shall be coming within the next week I hope seeing as the semester is almost over.

One Month Later.

Draco sat behind his dark red wood executive desk scribbling away on a piece of parchment. His forehead wrinkled in deep concentration that he didn't notice someone enter his office until they cleared their throat.

"Ahem," they said. "Ay mate, busy?"

Draco looked up to take a glance before returning back to his work.

"What do you want, Blaise?"

"Just checking in on my dear ol mate." Blaise settled himself comfortably into one of the armchairs in the office before pulling out a flask and taking a long swig from it.

"So how's fatherhood treating you?" He smirked.

Draco groaned and rubbed his temples with a grimace, pushing his paperwork aside. He obviously wasn't going anywhere so Draco deduced that ignoring him was not an option.

"That bad, huh?"

It wasn't that it was bad, but it wasn't good either. Draco didn't know what to really expect and so far things were..smooth? He went to work before she woke up, came home around the time she went to bed. He would ask her if she was alright or needed anything, she would answer curtly and he would leave and go about his business.

Aurora rarely spoke. To him, or anybody. Sometimes she would ask him silly little questions but for the most part she kept to herself. He bought her some toys that she had picked out when they went to Diagon Alley a few weeks ago and it seemed to keep her happy. Draco didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was to do so he let her be.

Just because he was a father now didn't mean he was going to neglect his other duties. He did have a company to run and that in itself took up most of his time plus his job in the Ministry.

"It's fine. She's fine. Everything's good."

But was she fine? Was he fine? He felt he should be happy that she didn't get in his way, or annoy him as much as he imagined she would. In fact, since she had been so quiet and basically out of the way..and that made everything perfect, right? That was what he wanted. To feel as if his life hadn't changed much even though it had.

Blaise looked at Draco in question. "Still not talking, huh?"

"No." Though he hadn't really tried to talk to her. It was all so awkward, especially for him.

"Well you've got to get her out of the Manor. Let her be around other kids. Nico's going over to Pansy's tomorrow – "

"Absolutely not," he growled.

"And why not?" Blaise quipped. "Maybe she would adjust better if she got to know other kids more."

Maybe so, Draco thought, but not those other kids he was thinking of.

"Did you forget what happened the first and last time I took her to Pansy's?" Draco asked while looking up to glare at his friend. "Liam and Nico teamed up against her and she set his cloak on fire!"

Draco stood up abruptly and pulled a glass out from a drawer in his desk along with a bottle of fire whiskey. He filled it up and went to join Blaise on the armchair across from him.

"She didn't speak once to Pansy and refused to move from her place by the fireplace afterward," Draco prattled on.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in exasperation. Actually when Pansy had told him what happened he wanted to laugh but for obvious reasons it just wasn't the appropriate time or place. He found a small smile playing at the corner of his lips when he recalled the look on Nico and Liam's face. It looked like they were scared of her. Apparently, Aurora was a bit of a pyro.

Pansy had invited her back over, but Draco didn't feel it was best. Not yet anyways. Hell, if she set the bottom of Nico's cloak on fire after having her hair pulled then what sort of accidental magic could occur if they really rough housed her?

Since then, he had Aurora stay at the Manor while being looked after by the house elves. Some would say it wasn't right but he had no other choice.

What else was he to do with her? There was no else to watch her while he was at work and since Pansy always watched the boys..that was just out of the question. Aurora had yet to complain to him though, so he figured she was okay with the company of herself, the elves, and her dollies.

"They were just teasing her because she's a girl. It was just a bit of fire. No harm done, except maybe my son's pride. Plus, she was probably scared." Blaise said offhandedly with a wave of his hand.

Draco scoffed in response. Right.

"You've got to do something mate. You can't keep hiding out here."

"I'm not hiding out." Which was a lie. The more time he spent at work, the less he had to deal with what awaited him when he went home.

"Yes you are. You hole yourself up at work all day and night. That way you don't have to deal with her," he said while giving Draco a knowing look.

He knew Blaise was right, but he'd never tell him that.

What did Blaise expect him to do? Get down on his knees and play dolls with her, or color with crayons? Play in glitter and do dress-up or whatever the hell it was little girls liked? That certainly wasn't going to happen, he thought to himself. He promised to take her in because she was his daughter, his blood, meaning she was a Malfoy.

That didn't mean he knew how to father her or that he wanted to for that matter. She didn't even know about him until that morning four weeks ago. Oh how time seemed to slow since then..

Once upon a time, Draco laughed and joked around with his crude humour while strutting around town like he was the big boss. The guys held game night once a week; cigars, cards, and blonde delights. He was free to date whomever he wanted, and not care who he brought to the Manor.

That was all gone now. Not because he still couldn't do those things but it didn't necessarily feel right too. His only form of entertainment now was jumping down his employees backs, releasing his frustration out on any person who crossed his path.

"It's just a bloody mess," Draco resigned. "I'm not equipped for this. I don't even want this."

"You have it and you gotta do it. If you don't then not only did she lose her Mum, Draco – "

Blaise raised a finger to stop Draco from interrupting. "But she'll also be losing out on the only other parent she has. This time, it would be you and you're alive. She has to live with you and this is your time to do everything different. You've been where she's been mate so you understa.."

Draco drowned out the rest of Blaises' speech. He was a man of few words, yes, but when he got going on something he never shut up. Though, he concluded grudgingly, Blaise was right again. To this, Draco tilted his head back and scrunched his face mildly as the warm liquid passed his throat.

"Quite frankly Blaise, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Draco stood to refill his glass and allowed the amber liquid to flow through him as that would be the only way for his inhibitions to be lowered a bit. He could speak more freely.

"Understandable. You barely know her."

"No." Draco shook his head. He put the glass and bottle away and walked slowly around the front of his desk. As if in deep thought, he studied the floor while rubbing his chin. "I'm not father material mate. Look at me," he gestured around himself, scowling.

Blaise nodded and waited for him to continue.

"I'm still young for merlin's sake. Say she had been 2 or 3 or – No not even then. No age would be good. My life isn't ready for children or a family, or settling down."

"And you think any of us were Draco because I'll be the first to say we weren't. It just happened."

"At least you had time to prepare though," he chided. "This just sprung on me by owl no less! 'Oh by the way Mr. Malfoy a 6 year old is now said to be left in your care.' "

"The circumstances were quite surprising and unpredictable, yes."

"I'll say," Draco snorted.

There was a knock on his office door and a petite woman stepped through. Draco looked up in annoyance at the intrusion.

"Mr. Malfoy you're 2:30 has canceled, would you like me to see if I can get Mr. Brackelhurst to come this afternoon instead?" She asked politely.

"Yes Cory I –"

"Corrina," she corrected.

"Corrina," he frowned. "Could you see if he – "

"Actually, Corrina is it?" She nodded. "Draco and I have some things to take care of this afternoon," Blaise added coolly.

Draco glared at him. "What?" he spat.

"Ice cream. You, me, and two youngsters." Blaise grinned.

Corrina stood by the door uncertain of what to do. She was a tiny, mousy young lady of only 20 years old. Her long brown hair was down today and she fingered it nervously. Draco was a hard boss to work for but she enjoyed what she did nonetheless. Though she knew her boundaries and what not to do.

Normally, Draco would give her direct orders but right now he was having a silent argument with his colleague, also best friend. If she interrupted, he could snap and irrationally fire her; if she did nothing he would snap at her for lingering.

Looking around nervously she twisted her hands in anticipation. "Um – Mr. Malfoy?"

"You may go," he sneered whilst keeping his focus away from her. "Clear my schedule for the rest of the day."

She nodded and hurriedly left the office.

"The hell are you on about, Zabini?" He ground out.

Blaise stood up, put his flask in its rightful place as he walked to the office door to hold it open for Draco.

"Teaching you how to be a Dad, Draco because you obviously don't have a clue how to. Come now, my son. Thy first lesson is learning how to bond with thee child." His eyes full of mirth.

Draco faced his friend, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Meet me at Fortescue's. Half past. I need to pick up Nico."

Draco pursed his lips, stuffed his hands inside his pockets and remained planted where he stood. Why the hell was he talking like he was some sort of Messiah in fatherhood?

"I'll make you into a Dad in no time, Draco. Trust thy master for I have been given the rightful duty of being a father."

Sighing dramatically, he stormed out past Blaise without a word to retrieve his daughter from the confines of Malfoy Manor.

"Change into normal robes too, mate! Work-time is over," he called after Draco's retreating figure all the while snickering to himself.

It may take some time, but he would soon show Draco what it took to be a real father. Speaking of which, he had better hurry to get Nico before he did some type of unspeakable damage. Last week, he covered the sitter's entire house in green goop somehow. It was almost impossible to convince her to watch his dreadful son again.

(...)

Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands.

Good news will work its way to all them plans

..Well we'll float on good news is on the way

And we'll all float on, okay

Float On – Modest Mouse

A/N 2: Also, the green goop part..that really happened. Well, not to that extreme but I was about 5 and decided I wanted to play with play-doh. So I took out all the stuff I needed and was trying to mold the play-doh into the Oscar the Grouch thingy and it wasn't working out very well. My grandmother found me behind the couch and was SO upset because I got green play-doh ALL over her cream carpet. Needless to say, I never played with play-doh again at her house..she threw it all out, even the molding things and never let me forget how she had to have the carpet cleaned and blah blah. Haha fun times xD