Chapter 5 ... FINALLY I know!
Dear Draco,
I have no doubt you are furious at my withdrawal of information. Once your judgement has cleared, I am sure you'll understand why my actions were a necessity. I have always had your best interests at heart. Never forget that. For I am your Father and you are my flesh and blood. You will soon understand.
Your Father,
Lucius Malfoy
The pristine, cursive writing did nothing but piss off Draco more. The letter had arrived via owl to his office at The Manor minutes earlier. He had no doubt Mr Fisher had sent it but the fact he knew that Draco had knowledge of his son, unnerved him.
He crumpled the sheet of thick parchment into his fist before tossing it in the general direction of the bin located on the side of his desk. Blaise had done his job. Laid on the desk were sheets of paper and the sheets consisted of addresses, numbers, contact information, background checks and photographs. But Draco had not a clue of how to progress. Should he go straight to her home? Or, perhaps, turn up at her work? He could be more subtle and just call or Email but he doubted it was brash enough. In a way, it was like he was proving his worth. And he'd concoct an elaborate way to do so. He wouldn't hide behind technology.
Thrumming his heavy, golden pen on the desk, Draco was deep in thought. He watched the pen make contact with the glossy, white desk. His concentration was so strong that he missed the draft of air whiffing through the room. He missed the shadow of a woman creep over the floor. He missed the aroma of lavender and peaches.
A clearing of throat reverberated through the room, causing Draco to almost jump and breaking the trance like state he was in. "I'd like to think my only child would notice my presence. However I'm starting to suspect that is not the case. You wouldn't even notice me among goblins. Well, that my child, upsets me very much so.", there stood, with her hands on her hips, the infamous Narcissa Malfoy joking around so soon after her husbands death.
"Mother. What a pleasure.", Draco said as he gestured for her to sit in one of the two seats opposite him.
"My dearest son, it's always a pleasure. But I'm afraid time is of the essence and I have crucial needs that must be fulfilled soon. I'm here to check up on-", she stopped mid sentence as her mouth gaped. First confusion clouded Draco's face until he realised her eyes were roaming over the scattered sheets in front of him. More specifically, the photograph of Granger hugging a young Scorpius. Before he could say a word, she restarted, "Draco," her voice but a whisper, "you… know?", confusion once again was the prominent feeling shown on his face, even his mother was aware of the child but chose to keep it from him? He didn't want to believe it. Yet his anger was surfacing, threatening to explode.
"Tell me you weren't aware of him, Mother.", when she didn't reply and looked down at the floor, all his restraint was unraveling at the seams. "Tell me now!", he said in a tone lacking any warmth. "Fucking tell me, Mother!", he shouted as he abruptly got to his feet and slammed his hand on the desk causing her to flinch.
"Please… Calm down, Draco. And mind your language.", she said with distaste lacing her voice.
"No, I'd rather not. Answer the goddamn question!", he retaliated, arms now crossed over his chest.
However, Narcissa Malfoy, being the stubborn women she is, also crossed her arms and put her nose up. "I shall answer the question once you've calmed down and can think rationally as of right now you aren't.", Draco processed the words and decided it was better for everyone if he were stable. He calmed his laboured breathing and descended back in his chair.
"Please, Mother, can you now answer the question?", he asked, forcibly sweetly.
"Of course, Draco. The answer is, yes, I was and am aware of your bastard son. Though, please believe me, I always wanted to tell you. On so many occasions I almost did. Alas, it was not to be, for I could never get the correct words out. It was so hard, Draco. Keeping this secret on your Father's behalf, I realised too late that once I kept it, even for a moment, I could not tell you afterwards. You would've been upset with the withdrawal so I elongated it, assuming it was better for you to stay in the dark. And that was wrong of me. So for that I deeply apologise son.", he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Get out.", he whispered, to Narcissa's horror.
"Draco", she gasped in shock, "please don't do this.", tears were beginning to well in her eyes.
"Don't make me repeat myself. Mother.', he spat the word. He was disgusted.
The expression on her face faded into a cold stare. Narcissa Malfoy was angry. And she was scary and unpredictable when angry. Nobody liked her angry but at that specific moment Draco hadn't a thought in the world. She'd wronged him. For about a decade. He was feeling much more furious than her.
"If that is how you feel," she started, "You are not my son.", she ended in a whisper.
Draco was shocked for a split second until his mouth was moving faster than his brain could process the information, " Then I guess recently I've not only lost one parent, I've lost both. For I shall not tolerate your lies and deceit no longer.", he sneered. He almost felt guilty when he saw the look of instant shock etched on her face. Almost. What she did was inexcusable. "I shan't ever forget this. Lucius may have stuck the knife in me, but you were right with him twisting it."
He looked at her face to see she was crying. The most strongest women he'd ever known was crying. Because of him. He'd broken her. She had lost so much. Had done things ordinary people wouldn't had even thought about and never once had he saw a tear slip from between her eyelids
"Just bear in mind, son, everything I've ever done has been for you. I've sacrificed, lied, deceived and even killed for you. That may mean nothing to you, but you mean everything to me.", she stepped forward and rested a pale hand on his cheek and when he attempted to move out of the embrace she just added the other to restrict his movement. "I love you son", she kissed his left cheek, just a brief touch, before stepping away, turning on her heel and walking out with as much grace and elegance as her normal step.
And he had to admire that. Though at that time he wouldn't have admitted it.
-xXx-
"Blaise, mate, you are the only person I have.", Draco slurred, before taking a swig of his fifth Fire-whisky. He revelled in the burning sensation elicited by the string drink. Once the burn passed, the liquid soothed his insides and he hummed as a buzz went straight to his head.
"Draco, mate," he mocked, "You aren't the only person I have.", Draco pouted at his friend. The pair of them had retreated early to The Leaky Cauldron after Blaise had heard news on Draco's disastrous confrontation with his Mother.
"That upsets me hugely.", he drawled.
"why? It's your own fault that your life's in tatters, not mine. Don't try and pin the blame on me, Draco.", Blaise said, before taking a small sip of his alcoholic beverage.
Draco peered at Blaise's drink and asked, "what are you drinking? It's very… Colourful.", Draco's brow was furrowed in thought. Drunken thought.
"It's a muggle drink. You won't have heard of it.", the introduction of muggle things had been a slow and gradual process though many were against such things being used in everyday wizarding lives. But Blaise had no qualms drinking the deliciously unique drinks. As Blaise sighed Draco's head hit the bar top.
"Muggle.", he sighed before angling his head to see Blaise, "Like Hermione. Well obviously she wasn't muggle, isn't muggle, she's muggleborn.", he declared as if he'd found the solution to world hunger.
"You don't say", Blaise replied in a humorous tone, "Way to point out the obvious.", he chuckled as Draco groaned into his arm, which was now supporting his head on the cherry oak counter top.
"So tell me about Hermione.", Blaise asked, hoping he'd get more information out of his mate as Draco was always touchy feely about it and refused to talk about it. Blaise might've felt guilty if not so intrigued. Plus he had decades to feel guilty.
Draco sighed, again, and started, "Well she had my son. So simple Arithmancy says I shagged her. I'm so upset I don't remember Blaise. Not 'cos she has a mint body, which she does, trust me, but I feel like I've cheated her someway you know?", Blaise nodded in gesture for him to continue secretly disgusted at his friends use of the word 'mint', " Like I got her pregnant, and just forgot about it. Went on with my everyday life.", Draco was now sat up and using wild hand movements, attracting the attention of several people sat in The Leaky Cauldron, "Then, when she was pregnant, she left. Leaving the wizarding world behind too. I'm still angry she made me miss out on nine years of his life. But I suppose Lucius was cause of that, I think. Who knows, maybe she thought I was too shit for her, too shit for her son, too shit for their lives. I mean what do I have to offer them? Yeh money, I know, but if he were to take my name, he'd be treat differently. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. My names a curse… It traps you.", something in Blaise's peripheral view caught his attention. A… Quill? A quill moving on its own accord. Fuck.
"Mate, I don't think your secret child is going to be so secret anymore…", he said as he pointed to the quill. Draco turned his head.
"Fuck.", he spat, "she's going to hate me more now.", once again he sighed before slumping and hunching his shoulders.
"Who?", a woman's voice asked, a voice he recognised.
"He-", Draco started but was cut off by Blaise.
"Miss Skeeter, what a pleasure. However we are not going to add further comment as, I think you'll find, this is our business. Not the whole of England's. This has nothing to do with you.," he said elegantly. However Rita just smiled a Cheshire grin.
"Everything has to do with me, love.", she said in her sickly sweet voice but before Blaise, or even Draco, could add a word she'd already continued, "And not only England will know about Mr Malfoy's love child, the whole world will!.", she cackled before her smile returned. Blaise had the biggest urge to punch her square in the nose. But she was a woman and he couldn't do that.
"I'll have you know there was no love in making the kid. So there. Take that!", Draco said, looking triumphant. Thought it only lasted a second as he was them almost slipping out of his bar stool. He grabbed onto Blaise for support and clutched in for dear life. Blaise winced at both his friend's grip and choice of words, realising everything had just gotten ten times worse. Rita, however, looked like a child on Christmas. Overjoyed. Ecstatic. Giddy. All of which looked extremely wrong on her slimy face. She was eating up the scene, her quill listening and writing furiously.
"Why, for once, couldn't you let me do the speaking mate?", Blaise sighed, again, before allowing Draco to brace himself on his shoulders. He knew it was time to take Draco home. For a weekday The Leaky Cauldron was quite busy. Of course it'd be the day of Draco's outburst. Every head was now turned in their direction, eyes peering at them. At the start of the evening nobody even dared to look at them. The contrast was both ironic and uncanny.
They stumbled out of the pub and into the cold air. Draco relished in the cool breeze. "Blaise, Hermione's going to hate me.", he said, leaning on the brick wall.
"Probably. But at least you didn't say her name or anything with Skeeter around. But Merlin knows how long she and that stupid quill were listening.", Blaise replied. He looked through a window of the pub to see Rita interviewing the common folk. "Here's hoping not a soul heard.", he amended.
Draco stood straight, "I embarrassed us both. I'm… Sorry.", he said, grimacing.
Blaise merely chuckled dryly, "it's the most fun I've had in a while.", Draco raised a brow as he thought he sensed a double meaning but decided not to question it and do so when he was sober. He couldn't handle any more heavy problems at that moment.
"We should get back. My… Actually nobody'll be wondering why I am.", Draco said.
"Same.", Blaise added. "You'll have to apparate alone. I've drank too much alcohol to side apparate you, mate.".
"It's fine", Draco replied, borderline slurring. He wouldn't admit to feeling lightheaded.
"Okay, see you tomorrow, mate.", Blaise said, "Zabini Manor", and he was gone without even a wave.
"Home.", Draco said. He knew he shouldn't have said that. He didn't have a home. All he could think of was Granger and their son. They had a home. Evidence proves so. 152 Marton Road, M- And he was gone.
-xXx-
It was dark.
Draco's mind felt, somehow, both foggy and heavy.
"What are you doing here?", somebody asked.
No words came out of his lips. His eyes drooped shut and he could feel himself falling. Slowly. Quickly.
But there was somebody there to catch him.
"shhh"
-xXx-
I'm so sorry.
Many problems have happened in the time it's taken me to upload this and my last update. Firstly, my computer broke and ALL THE CHAPTERS I WROTE HAVE GONE!
Secondly, after I had gotten my laptop back, with NO FILES, my internet decided to work spastically for a while. A LONG WHILE.
Thirdly, I had tonnes of work to do for school before that restarted and I had to do that :(
And lastly, I guess the negative comments got to me. I've been so hesitant and reluctant to continue this. I just feel like I'm disappointing all you fantastic readers and whilst your input and suggestions are great the negative ones kind of out me off writing this any further.
OKAY! So I wanted to add that I know exactly where this story is going. And because I'm a freak, of course I created a timeline and an in depth plan. And whilst I enjoy receiving suggestions and comments, I'm still only young so please understand this isn't going to be perfect to like the amazingly written and composed stories. I will wobble and fall at times. And I'm not sorry for that. I'm learning.
Thank you for reading my story and if you've read this please don't think I'm whining. I'm attempting to save my story.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! (X100000000)