Chapter 33 – Part 3
Draco sighed as they sat in heavy traffic. The holiday has been good but now as they headed for home, he was not enjoying it so much. All part of the experience, Uncle Ted had told him.
After ten years of asking, Lucius had caved that summer and allowed the Tonks to take Draco on holiday with them. They had wound up camping in the south west of the country, and Draco had had a wonderful time. The holiday goers had stayed near the Dartmoor National Park and four out of the seven days they had spent on the moors themselves. Ted delighted in the natural beauty that the countryside offered them, while Andy had been bathed in the affection of her family. This was the Tonks idea of a perfect holiday. Nymph, for her part, enjoyed herself. It was a traditional part of her summer. She didn't share her parent's enthusiasm for it anymore, but her break from school would not be complete without it.
This was the last official summer break she was going to have though, as in September she returned for her last year. Incidentally, in coincided with Draco's first which was perhaps why Lucius had let him go with them to Devon. To give him a taste of life away from the manor. Up till that point, it had only been the odd birthday sleep over been away from home for and then that only last a night.
The anxiety Draco had felt when he had started considering life not only way from the manor, but the people in it had only increased with age. The Malfoy manor had always been a comfort zone to him, his room. That was where his toys were, his books and admittedly most importantly – his father.
Even when he had been away for a week Andy had noticed how much he had missed Lucius at times. There had been moments when they had been in the moors and Draco had simply been looking out over them with a glazed look in his eyes and she knew he had not been thinking about what was before him, but what was waiting for him at home.
On the third night to into the trip though he had gone to his aunt to talk about his fears. The conversation had unnerved her. She would be having words with her brother in law when she got back.
"Aunt Andy?" Draco's shaky voice came over to her. He looked as if he was going to burst into tears at any given moment. Dora and Ted had gone off by themselves for a walk and though he had been invited Draco had said he did not want to go with them.
"Yes sweetie?"
"Can I Port Key home? Just for a minute." He said to her.
"You heard daddy, when he gave it to us he said it was only for emergencies. Why don't you tell me what it is and then if it requires your fathers attention, we can Port Key him. Come here Dragon." She said to him softly and he went over to the blanket where she was sitting. "Now you just tell your auntie Andy what's the matter."
"I miss him. I just want to go home for a moment." He begged but she shook her head.
"Baby, you are here so you can get used to life without him. You won't be able to just Port Key home when you are at Hogwarts sweetie," she said as she put an arm about him and drew him close to her. He had always been as good as her own child and now she was facing up to the fact that in a few months he was going to be getting on that scarlet engine and he was going to go to school. When had he got big enough to go to school?
Her one comfort was the thought that he really was still a child. Even though he had been through hell and everything that had brought to him, he had kept the most wonderful personality and the innocence he had been blessed with, or at least an innocent way of looking at things.
He was tense though.
"I know it must be a scary thought for your child, leaving home and everything you know. But darling we have all been there. I was there when I was eleven, and so were your mamma and your daddy. Jane went through it. You saw Nymph off to school." She said trying to soothe him. Now that they had got on the subject of school she had a feeling that the thought of going to Hogwarts was freaking him out just as much as much as his longing for the man who had sired him. "You are going to have the time of your life when you get to Hogwarts, you know that don't you? You're going to make so many new friends."
"I don't think dad is going to want me to make many 'new' friends." he sniffed.
"Well, of course he will darling. If know your dad then he is going to want you to be the most popular boy in your year. And I know you are going to be. No one could fail to be friends with you. You're such a good boy."
"No, I don't mean like that." He said to her as if he was scared to brooch a subject but wanted to bring it up with her anyhow. "I mean like – blood type and stuff."
Andromeda fell silent. Her of all people should have seen this coming. Her, the pureblood daughter who threw of her routes to be with the man she loved.
Well, she was not going to let her nephew grow up with the same bigoted ideas that his father had. Even though she knew she risked losing him if Lucius ever found out what she said to him next she decided neither did she care. She was not going to let her sweet boy be destroyed by pureblood mania.
"You listen to me and you listen good my boy. I do not know what your father has said to you on the subject of pureblood and muggle borns and everything else in between but I want you to hear what I have to say to you on the subject. Child, the last thing in the world that matters as to whether or not you are a truly great wizard is whether your parents were magical. Why your uncle Ted, in my opinion, is the finest man I have ever met and his mum and dad were muggles."
"But daddy said that all muggle borns are mudbloods."
By the look that appeared on his aunt's face he knew he had said the wrong thing.
"You never let me hear you use language like that again, do you hear me? You never use that word again!" she said. She looked absolutely furious.
"Ok."
"Promise me Draco."
"I promise."
She had a fire in her eyes and he knew she was momentarily angry. But for whatever reasons he seemed to find a way to calm herself.
"Honey, do you know what?" she said to him and looked into the soft grey eyes that had always been able to make her heart melt. "I have enough faith in you to know that you will be able to make your own mind up who is worthy to be your friends, regardless of their blood type. Use your own judgement darling."
He nodded, showing he understood.
She kissed his forehead and sighed, hoping he would indeed do the right thing.
"Now I tell you what we are going to do about you missing daddy. What I want you to do tonight is to go to bed, sleep for a while, and then if you still want to talk to daddy in the morning then I will let you go home, ok?"
"Alright."
The next morning Ted had not given the boy time to decide if he wanted to go home as they were soon off on the days activates. Draco said nothing about it and threw himself back into the trip with vigour.
Andy looked in the mirror to see that Draco had spared himself the journey by falling into a car induced sleep. It was probably for the best, she thought as she looked back out of the window and continued to muse over that conversation.
It had disturbed her to say the least.
The next thing that Draco knew a pair of gentle, but strong masculine hands were lifting him out of the car. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and settled against the persons shoulder. He would know this embrace anywhere.
A blissful sigh entered his ear and he tightened his grip. He wasn't the only one it had been a long week for then, he thought smugly.
Lucius had found it unbearable to be without his beloved son. He had had Jane and Eliza for company, that was true enough, but neither of them were Draco who seemed to be the only person in the world who could prattle on about nothing for hours at a time and Lucius still not find it annoying. The two women at times had seemed like a pair of clucking hens.
That had been what he had missed the most, asides holding him. Draco's senseless chatter even first thing in the morning would have been a welcomed anecdote to his loneliness. It had not only been a taste of what Hogwarts life was going to be like for Draco, but also for his doting father who found he had not liked it very much at all.
Among the other things he had missed that week was not hearing his feet patter, sockless across the wooden floor as he came down to pull his father out the office to take him flying. He had missed Jane telling him that despite her insistence, Draco had still not cleared away the toys she had asked him to put away the day before. He had even missed arguments about staying up 'just for another half an hour.'
In other words he had missed every little tiny thing his son did (or didn't do). The manor had been a cold place without the little boy's warmth.
"Hello prince," he muttered in his son's ear.
Night had fallen by the time they had got to the manor and it did not help Draco, who wanted to wake up and have a proper reunion with his father that he had already been swept up into his arms. If there had ever been a place he was likely to fall asleep it was there.
He was vaguely aware that his father had order two house elves to get his luggage out of the car, and he heard Dora whisper her goodbye to him, not wanting to disturb him too much, as did his Uncle Ted.
Only Andy got out of the car and kissed his forehead in goodbye. He was also positive that he heard her whisper – or more like hiss – that she had to talk to his father before turning back to rejoin her family.
Lucius turned without a second thought and took what remained of his own family inside. He had been without his son far too long.
He knew it was late and his father was not going to want him to get excited before he turned in for the night but he had to admit as he came round, he was happier to be home than he had been when he had been packing to go. He loved his home he realised.
His father set him down on the sofa when they reached the warm living room and Draco tugged off his coat. Despite the fact it was the summer, the fire in the middle of the room burned on and he was glad of the chance to curl up in his favourite room of the house. This was what he had missed the most he mused.
"Did you have a good time?" his father asked as Draco scooted along the sofa, wanting to bask in the presence of the lordly man that he had so missed when he had been away.
"It was ok," he said to him. Yes, he had enjoyed parts of the trip but Ted had insisted doing most things the muggle way. For example, if he had allowed them to port key home then he would have had the entire day with his father before he had to go to bed. While it had been a learning experience, he had not always enjoyed it.
And there were others things about the trip. Well, he supposed it had given him a lot to think about. He loved his aunt dearly but what she had had said had unnerved him. She had suggested something that he had never even thought of before. That his father might be wrong.
It had always seemed impossible. His father was all powerful and all knowing. Surely he couldn't be wrong?
But when he thought back to the Quidditch game he had gone to on his birthday all those years before, he remembered Ron with affection. While it had hardly been fun being lost, he had at least been good company.
He could not believe that he came from a bad family.
At least he didn't want too.
And Andy was right. He could trust his own judgement who was worthy of his friendship, couldn't he?
"Prince?"
Lucius prided himself on knowing Draco and he knew that his son for a time had been lost in deep thought. The little boy at the sound of his voice though gave him a coy smile as he came back to reality.
"Dad it was great," he said. "But to be honest, I am just glad to be home."
Rather than give his father a chance to quiz him further Draco put his head against his chest and sighed heavily. He was sleepy and he didn't want to confide in him what he knew he should.
Lucius, defeated by his son's affectionate nature, put his arms about him and stared into the fire. Whatever he had been thinking about would keep.
-
When Lucius woke the next morning, he was not surprised to find that he had had a visitor in the night. After everything that had happened with Maria, he had got rather lax in his discipline. Whereas he had always till then insisted that Draco sleep through the night in his own bed, he had let him in time after time, nightmare after nightmare. It had been so much easier when he had slept in with him; that way, on the whole, they both got more sleep. As he had got older, Draco had gradually gone back to his own bed and at times would sleep through till morning but others would climb in with his father for comfort in the night. Lucius would invariably grumble that he was too old now for such a thing, but even as he said it in his wearied state he had been reaching out, and scooting his son close to hold him.
He didn't remember if he had even attempted the night before to tell Draco to stay his own room. All he did know that next to him when he woke was the sleeping form of his son.
He checked the clock, it was only six.
There was no point getting out of bed and so he snuggled back down, kissing his sons forehead, and thanked god was home.
-
"Come on young master," said Jane as she hurried her charge to dress. She knew she should not. It was meant to be a surprise, but she was so excited for the boy.
"OK Jane I am ready," said Draco. He was rather annoyed at being rushed to change. It was not as if he had anything to do that day, was it?
But she had a look about her that told him she knew something he did not.
Together they headed down to the breakfast table where he found that Eliza and his father were not the only ones waiting for him.
"Uncle Sev!" he said delighted at the sight at the Potions Master, who had always been a big favourite with the child. Draco was obviously delighted.
"Draco, it is good to see you too." He said more friendly than usual. He had to admit he was looking forward to his reaction as well. He was pleased Lucius had asked him to join them for breakfast.
"You've not seen us in so long." he complained as he went into the sun room where they were going to be eating that morning.
"I am sorry; I have had other things to attend too." He explained as Draco went over to the seat where he always sat.
The adults exchange eye contact.
This was it.
Draco, at first glance saw nothing different about the table till it caught his eye.
A smile plastered itself over his face as he picked it up. The rich parchment...the seal...
He glanced up at his father. "When did it get here?"
"Two days ago."
"Two days? An entire two days? You didn't think to come and get me?" he asked in disbelief.
"Mind your tongue," warned Eliza but his father looked amused.
"The contents of the letter were not going too changed depending on the time you got it."
Draco scowled at his fathers uncharacteristic stupidity, and tore into the envelope carefully, not wanting to rip the precious parchment.
Then he saw those magical words.
Dear Mr Malfoy,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
It was real. This was his Hogwarts letter. He was really going to go to school that September. Rather than feel afraid though, a rush of excitement burst through him.
He was going to school!
"Well, Draco, eat up." He heard his father say to him. "It looks as if a trip to Diagon Alley is in order."
Author note: Well their back for part 3. Please excuse the shameless fluff. As you have probably guessed, Lucius isn't the only one that is going to miss Draco being at home.
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