Worth the Wait
Chapter Seven
Draco arrives home and immediately heads upstairs to find Astoria and Scorpius. He knows that Astoria will have a thousand questions, and he figures it's better to answer them with the conversation fresh in his mind– before he has time to overthink any of it.
He finds Astoria in her bedchamber, reading a novel he doesn't recognize, with a small bassinet beside her bed. She looks up immediately, her face breaking out into a massive grin as she squeals with delight.
"Tell me everything," Astoria orders with a giggle, tucking her feet up, giving Draco room to sit at the foot of her bed.
Draco walks over to the bassinet first. He runs the tips of his fingers across his son's cheek and down his stomach. He rubs the pad of his thumb along the bottom of Scorpius' covered foot. He's so small, but Draco knows he won't stay that way forever. He wants to take advantage of every moment with him.
"I was only away for a couple of hours and I missed him," Draco says quietly, to Astoria mostly, but also to himself.
Astoria smiles, closing her book and placing it on her end table.
"Neve all but forced me to take a nap while you were out, and even though I knew he was safe with her, my heart still ached."
Draco steps away from his son after another moment, seating himself at the foot of Astoria's bed, leaning his back against one of the posts.
"What would you like to know?" Draco asks, correctly assuming that Astoria is burning with questions.
Astoria seems to think for a moment, deciding what to ask first.
"What was she like? I assume she didn't slam the door in your face in light of you being out for two hours."
Draco laughs lightly at that.
"She was…," Draco trails off, thinking of how to best describe Hermione Granger. "She looked at me like she wanted to hex me. I had to convince her to put her wand away. I did most of the talking, but she didn't hex me. I believe that's a fair start."
Astoria's eyebrows raise.
"You did most of the talking?"
Draco responds with an exaggerated laugh. His wife sure thinks she's funny, doesn't she.
"I explained everything to her. I wanted her to have all of the information. She listened. I told her that I have no expectations and that anything that happens from here on is her decision."
Astoria nods, and she looks pensive for a moment.
"How did you feel when you saw her?" Astoria asks next.
Draco considers that for a moment before responding. Is he supposed to tell his wife that he had thought that Hermione looked even more beautiful than he remembered? Or that they had their discussion on a sofa in her flat that Draco remembers very fondly? Or that he almost fell to his knees when he was hit with the smell of her perfume?
"I felt good," Draco responds stiffly. He definitely doesn't feel entirely comfortable telling Astoria some of the thoughts that went through his mind when he saw Hermione. Astoria is still his wife, after all.
But of course, Astoria sees right through him, as she is wont to do.
"Draco," Astoria chides. "You can tell me the truth. You can't possibly hurt my feelings, I promise."
Draco considers her for a moment. He sighs, then scrubs his hands down his face before looking back to his wife.
"She was even more beautiful than I remembered. When Hermione gets angry, she loses a bit of her control over her magic. The ends of her hair will start to spark. That didn't happen tonight. I don't think that means she was necessarily happy to see me, but at least she was not as angry as I've seen her in the past."
Astoria waves her hand, as if to say, 'Go on.'
"Her flat looks just as I remember. It was like nothing had changed. She even still has her mangy beast of a familiar. It was like a flood of memories all coming back at once. I used to spend a lot of time in that flat."
A sly smile slides across Astoria's face.
"Ooh, yes, now we're getting somewhere," Astoria smirks, looking every bit the Malfoy she is– for now. "I need all of the juicy details– spare nothing."
Draco's eyes widen. That's not what he meant. Well. It's not not what he meant, either, he supposes. That sofa flashes in his mind again.
"Absolutely not, Astoria. Some things are meant to be kept private, you menace."
Astoria rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Come on, Draco, this is the first time you're really talking to me about her. I need to know that I don't have to pity her based on my own experiences with you," Astoria states, smirking again.
Draco knows that she's baiting him. A stronger man would not take the bait. Evidently, Draco is not quite that strong– although, he still maintains that he won't tell Astoria too much.
"Menace," Draco says again, running his hand through his hair before he speaks again. "Fine. When Hermione and I talked this evening, we did so on her sitting room sofa. I have, shall we say, quite fond memories of this particular sofa."
Astoria squeals again, dramatically placing her hand over her heart, faux-scandalized.
"Oh, be still my heart," Astoria laughs, and Draco decides that he will never fully understand this woman.
"You do realize that you're finding enjoyment in talking about your husband's prior sex life, correct?" Draco returns the laugh, crossing his own arms over his chest as he raises an eyebrow at his wife.
"Oh, please, Draco, you are my husband in title only, just as I am your wife in title only," Astoria remarks, and Draco doesn't disagree with her. "You are, however, my friend. Friends should be able to share the things that make them happy. Hermione makes you happy."
An involuntary smile twitches at Draco's lips. Hermione Granger does make him quite happy, indeed. Now, he needs only to convince her that he can make her happy as well.
It's front page news in a Sunday edition of the Prophet when reports of Draco and Astoria's divorce break.
Draco braces himself for the impact he knows is coming when he hears the door to his study slam open, revealing an irate Lucius Malfoy.
Draco covertly slips his wand into his left hand. He hopes he won't have to use it, but he expects that he might.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Lucius snaps, slamming a copy of the Daily Prophet down under Draco's nose on his desk.
Draco scans the article quickly, although he doesn't need to. He read it this morning when his owl dropped it off.
"Astoria and I filed for divorce at the Ministry just under a week ago. Surely you can read, Father."
Lucius' upper lip twitches.
"You had no right! What possible motive could you have for divorcing Ms. Greengrass?!" Lucius snarls.
Draco takes a moment to compose himself.
"Actually, Father, I did have the right. You made sure of that when you negotiated the contract in the first place. As far as Ms. Greengrass goes– she's a lovely witch. We remain good friends. In fact, she will be continuing to live here at the Manor until such a time when she decides to leave. You will do nothing to interfere with this."
Draco watches as his father's face steadily turns more and more red.
"I will not allow it! Ms. Greengrass will not be permitted to stay. I have no interest in whatever game it is you're trying to play."
Draco considers his father for a moment. In another life, he might've revered his father. He might've conceded to his father's rule.
But rather than feeling guilty for going behind his father's back, Draco feels empowered. Divorcing Astoria feels like the first time Draco has finally done something for himself. Of course, Draco knows that he did it for Astoria too, but it was in equal measure for him.
Truth be told, Draco began to lose respect for his father long before today. He has been rapidly losing Draco's respect since the moment he allowed a madman to brand his own son's skin. Now that Draco has a son of his own, he knows that he would sooner die than allow his child to make up for his own failures.
"Father, let me be perfectly clear. I am entirely finished being your puppet. Your choices will no longer be my choices. You can disinherit me, you can disown me, you can do whatever you'd like to me. But know this: if you do, you will never see your grandson again. You will never see me again. Astoria and I will take Scorpius away and you will never know the heir that you forced into existence. Am I clear?"
Lucius is quiet for a moment. He leans forward onto Draco's desk, leveling himself so he is eye to eye with his son.
"How dare you. How dare you threaten me. I will not tolerate such disrespect in my home."
Draco takes a breath– a pause.
"Just say the word, Father. Make your choice. I am not bluffing."
"Ms. Greengrass?" a healer in green robes calls.
It's not the same healer that Astoria saw during her pregnancy. Draco is mildly grateful for that. The witch was kind and took good care of Astoria, but she reminded him too much of another witch for comfort.
This time, rather than the Obstetrics ward, Draco and Astoria are in a waiting room in the Dark Magic ward of St. Mungo's.
Astoria stands from her chair and looks down at Draco.
"Will you come with me?" she asks with an uncharacteristic waver in her voice.
Draco accompanied Astoria to St. Mungo's, but he hadn't expected her to want him in the room with her and her healer. He had expected to wait in the waiting room for her. But, of course, because she asked him to be there for her, he absolutely will be.
Draco nods and stands, placing his hand on his ex-wife's back and guiding her to follow her new healer.
The healer escorts Draco and Astoria back to an exam room and gestures for Astoria to sit on the bench.
"Ms. Greengrass, if you'd prefer, your friend can wait outside," the healer says, all but turning her nose up at Draco.
Draco is not surprised by this. He has always received mixed responses when out in public since the War. The Mark on his arm divides people. He wishes it wasn't divisive. It should disgust everyone. It disgusts him. He is not at all surprised that a healer in the Dark Magic ward of St. Mungo's takes issue with him.
On top of that, Draco is well aware that, by now, all of wizarding Britain is conscious of his and Astoria's divorce. Legalities work quickly in the wizarding world, and because of that, Draco and Astoria had their bond-breaking ceremony the evening before the Prophet's article went to post. It probably looks strange at best, or worrisome at worst, to medical personnel that Draco is still trailing around Astoria.
This, of course, will not stop Draco from being there for his friend.
"I wouldn't have invited him if I didn't want him here, would I have, Healer Rask?" Astoria says coldly, with no mistaking the warning in her voice.
"Of course not, Ms. Greengrass, my apologies," the healer says, but the apology doesn't sound genuine.
Healer Rask approaches Astoria with her wand in hand, switching into healer mode.
"How are you feeling, Ms. Greengrass?"
Astoria purses her lips, looking down at her hands before back up at Healer Rask.
"Alright," Astoria starts. "I've been very tired lately."
Draco has noticed that. Astoria seems to get winded easily, even just picking Scorpius up or walking across the hall to his nursery. She doesn't seem necessarily sick, she just seems tired.
"Shortness of breath? Fatigue? Muscle weakness? Chest pain?"
Astoria seems to think for a moment.
"Yes, yes, and no."
Healer Rask nods, raising her wand to cast a few diagnostic spells that Draco recognizes from Astoria's visits to St. Mungo's during her pregnancy. Healer Rask examines the images her spells produce for several minutes.
"Ms. Greengrass, I understand that you have a history of an unknown blood-borne curse, is that correct?"
Astoria nods. Draco is glad that healers have confidentiality clauses in their employment contracts. Astoria tries to keep her illness close to the vest, and he would hate for this information to make it into the hands of someone like Skeeter.
The healer casts several more spells.
"Ms. Greengrass, I'd like to continue to observe your progress on a weekly basis. Your vital signs are fair, if a little on the low side today. My plan of care for you in this moment is to strictly monitor you. We know from your previous visits to the Obstetrics ward that your pregnancy took a toll on you, and caring for a newborn is not easy. I do not want to give this curse a chance to get worse, so if any new symptoms arise or anything changes, I urge you to contact me right away."
Healer Rask cancels her spells and steps back from Astoria.
"Yes, Healer Rask."
After arriving home, and escorting Astoria to her room for a lie down, Draco checks in on Scorpius. While he and his ex-wife were out, Scorpius was left in the care of his mother and one of their house elves, Neve. Neve cared for Draco as a boy, so he trusts her to care for his own son. His mother, Draco knows, would never harm her own grandson and in fact, would not hesitate to defend him, if needed.
Draco has not spoken a word to his father since their altercation. He expects that this time of silence is only the calm before the storm. Draco truly was not bluffing. He already has two contingency plans in place for if his father does decide to disown him.
Draco did not like the idea of leaving his son in the same house as his father, but he also knew that both Neve and his mother would sooner lay down their own lives than let something hurt Scorpius.
This assumption is proven true when Draco enters Scorpius' nursery. Draco walks in to find Neve rocking Scorpius in his rocking chair, while his mother sits quietly beside, reading silently to herself.
Draco approaches Neve. He crouches down in front of the small elf.
"How was he, Neve?" he whispers, so as not to wake the sleeping child.
Neve smiles.
"The Little Master slept all the while Master and the former Mistress was away," Neve responds, handing off the baby to his father.
Draco takes Scorpius in his arms and switches places with Neve to continue rocking.
Neve, along with the rest of the Malfoy house elves, are free elves. It was one of the first things Narcissa and Draco did after Lucius went to Azkaban– albeit, court mandated. A few of the elves chose to leave the Manor, but many opted to stay. It was the only home they knew and many elves, though enslaved, enjoyed caring for their Masters.
Neve had cared for Draco since he was a boy. Once freed, she told him in no uncertain terms that she had no intention of leaving. She would accept only the barest of compensation, but admittedly, Draco finds himself glad that she stayed. He thinks it might be nice for Scorpius to grow up with her, as well.
Once Draco is settled with Scorpius, Neve and his mother exit the room, leaving him to spend some quality time with his son.
Draco looks down at the sleeping form of his child. He's already grown so much in such a short period of time. He was born with small tufts of platinum blonde hair and his eyes are an icy, clear blue like his mother's. Draco thinks he's the perfect combination of the two people who love him most.
Draco rocks quietly with Scorpius for a while until he hears a tapping at the window behind him. He recognizes the noise as an owl attempting to get in to deliver something.
Draco turns gently in his chair, but realizes upon doing so, that he doesn't recognize the owl. It's not Blaise's or Theo's or even Pansy's. He does notice, though, an envelope strapped to the bird's claw.
Draco opens the window with a wave of his wand and the bird swoops through the room, dropping the envelope directly onto Scorpius' little belly. It doesn't wait for a treat– not that Draco has one in his son's nursery– before flying back out through the open window.
Draco's eyebrow creases. He doesn't often receive letters, which Draco is actually grateful for. Following the War, he received multiple Howlers a week. Now, though, those are mostly limited to the month of May.
Draco examines the front of the envelope. D. Malfoy.
Draco adjusts Scorpius in his arms so he can break the seal on the envelope and open the letter.
Draco,
I saw your divorce announcement in the Prophet. I know it was planned, but I assume it is still an adjustment. I hope you are faring well in the aftermath.
I have spent time mulling over everything that you said when you visited my flat.
Let me be clear, Draco. I do not trust you. For better or for worse, I loved you at one time, and that is the only reason that I decided to listen to what you had to say.
Upon reflection, I have found that two things can be true at once. I can accept that you had to marry Astoria, as you were contractually obligated to do so. But you will have to accept the consequences of that action, and of lying to me about it. You were selfish, and if you endeavor to have any sort of relationship with me, you will need to prove to me that you are no longer that selfish.
You said that you have no expectations, but I am willing to bet that you do have intentions. I have no wish to lead you on in any way. I am willing to be civil with you. It has been three years and I have made great progress in hating you less in that time. At this time, I am willing to give being friends a chance. We share some mutual friends, and the side-taking that occurred following our break-up never sat well with me.
I am writing this letter to you now, in light of Pansy's birthday soiree on Friday. Pansy is my best friend and I have no intention of doing anything to make her party less than perfect. Pansy has assured me that there will be no media coverage of her party, so in that case, I see no reason why we cannot say hello to one another, or mingle in the same groups.
I mention the media coverage because– and I am sure you will agree with me on this– I do not believe that it would be prudent for a photo of us together to be on the cover of the Prophet two weeks after your divorce is announced. You are as aware as I am of how the rumor mill works.
In any case, I hope this letter finds you well, and I will see you on Friday.
Hermione Granger
Y'all, this chapter is over 3,000 words, even without my lengthy author's notes. :x If I'm not mistaken, that's probably the longest chapter of this entire fic.
I really like writing in Draco's voice, apparently. (Although, this is not actually surprising to me, and if you've read my works for other fandoms, it's probably not surprising to you either.)
Fyi, the next chapter, chapter eight, is maybe my favorite chapter in the whole fic. Maybe. I dunno. I like all of them, obviously, but I had so much fun writing chapter eight.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I appreciate you reading my little fic so much, you have no idea.
(P.S. I haven't given up on the other Dramione I started just yet. I think there's a story there, it's just taking me longer to write it than WtW took.)
Please review if you feel so inclined. They really help me out and they make me super happy. (: