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Nature's Cruelty: Sequel to Earth Shattering	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 4870 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-Flight
- 3-News
- 4-Secrets
- 5-Fireworks
- 6-Broken
- 7-Zoo
- 8-Tremble
- 9-Danger
- 10-Loss
- 11-Cruelty
- 12-Hope
- 13-Epilogue
- 12
- 13
Chapter 13- Epilogue
Wednesday January 24^th, 2007 04:11pm
My dear son,
I never thought I would ever have to write something like this to you, but it seems it has become inevitable. I know you are wondering how I was released on bail and where I am; I cannot give you those details, but I can assure you my location will be a safe place hidden far away.
You may also have your suspicions that due to certain circumstances I will continue my previous mission to try and destroy your wife. In sheer reality however, I am not, nor will I ever again. The fact of the matter is, this will most likely be the last time you will ever hear from me.
I want to begin by first stating that I am not a wicked woman; you know this to be true because you have lived your entire life with me. I raised you to be the intelligent young man you are today. I tried my hardest to protect you from the cruelty of this cold world and for a while, I succeeded. It pains me to say though, that I still made my fair share of mistakes. This biggest of them all is the doubt I held against you and your love for that girl.
I will say that I am still disgusted that you chose to be with her; to carry out the remainder of your life with someone who is…was, considered a disgrace to the family name. Please do not think that I am writing to you to demean the wife you have chosen to take, because I am not; nevertheless I will not pretend that I am happy to see her face and name appear on our family tree. No, I am simply writing to you as a final goodbye to my son, my boy, my child.
I am not alright with many of the choices you have made in recent years, but it is obvious that there is no changing your mind. You are an adult now, no matter how much I wish you to once again be that small child that would run to me when someone hurt you, or read with me by the fireplace every night before bed; the boy that told me about his aspirations, and comforted me when I was saddened each year you stood on Platform 9 ¾ to return to Hogwarts.
But this letter is not for me to reminisce on the past. It is not meant to cause you pain or suffering either, it is meant to bring healing and closure, to both of us.
I know half of England is out looking for me, and I perceive that you will join the hunt as well when you return from the US; however I will be long gone by then. I have found a drifter who has set up a, well an unauthorized international portkey for me. I will be leaving the UK and never returning. You and your wife have nothing to fear, at least not from me, any longer.
I realize that I have grown too old and too tired of theatrical turmoil instilled in my history and I know for certain that you will no longer allow me back into your life. Your father will never be released from Azkaban, due to his war crimes, and I have finally come to an understanding that I have lost everything I ever held dear. My only hope now is that one day you will forgive me, although my behavior is unforgivable. In the end, the only matter I managed to accomplish with my actions…was losing you.
Suffice to say, I will be able to freely live out the remainder of my days outside of that horrid prison; though I have no choice but to try to fight the demons plaguing my mind. I am the one who destroyed my family; I have no one to blame but myself and my attitude towards the woman you care so deeply for. I will not apologize for still resenting Ms. Granger, but I do apologize for the way my animosity was portrayed.
Perhaps one day, we can move forward through all of this. I would very much like to meet the grandchildren I know you will have. Half-blood they may be, but blood all the same. I leave everything at your discretion. Just know I am willing to try and change if it means getting my family back. I am not saying that I will accept your wife overnight or even in the next few years however. We both need our space and I think I need to find myself as well; do a bit of soul searching if you will.
Until that day arrives though, this will be the last time you will hear from me. I have cleared out half of the family vault, with a bit of help and persuasion, so that I may sustain my lifestyle. Do not fret, I left your vault alone and you will still have access to the remaining family fortune. I have also left our house elf, Maisy, to you. She is finishing her duties in the Manor, but is scheduled to arrive at your flat by the end of the month.
If and or when you decided to make amends, Maisy will know how to contact me. Although, she will not be able to give up my location, no matter the lengths you might go to break her. She has sworn an oath, based off loyalty, which cannot be broken unless I give strict permission otherwise. So if you could be so inclined as to not try, I am sure she would very much appreciate it. And please, I beg of you, take good care of her. She was my only comfort after you moved out all those years ago and I have grown quite fond of her.
Unfortunately the time has come to conclude this letter; my portkey will be leaving shortly. Remember that a mother’s love is eternal Draco, no matter where in the world I might be. I love you my dear sweet son and I do hope one day you will allow me to make things right again. I wish you every happiness, even in this darkened time.
Forever and Always; Your mother,
Narcissa Malfoy
It was the fifth time Draco had read his mother’s letter and for the fifth time it still left him astonished; but more so, it left him heartbroken. The thought of never seeing his mother again felt oddly satisfying yet made him feel lost at the same time. At least when she was in Azkaban he had the chance to visit her when he was ready to confront her, but knowing he would no longer have that possibility anymore, weighed on him heavily.
He still was not willing to let her back into his life anytime soon, but in some way knowing he had that opportunity to fix his family on day, gave him a sense of hope.
“Are you okay, Draco?” Hermione asked pleasantly as she sat beside him in the carriage leading up to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Nodding his head, Draco tucked the letter away in his breast pocket and adjusted the stack of papers resting on his lap. The rickety ride up was not boding well for his eight-month pregnant wife and they had to stop a few times for her to regain her strength. He didn’t mind though, the excitement of having a baby grew in the months after the Earthquakes and it outweighed the terrifying fear he had of failing as a father.
He had researched everything he could about babies and parenting, he even had a long unexpected conversation with Molly Weasley about the topic. It was strange to say the least, but it helped him greatly; not only with becoming a dad, but the aftermath of everything that had happened to him since San Diego. If only he could have said the same thing about Hermione.
For months after the incident, Hermione became more and more detached from the world. With everything finally coming down on her, from Ron’s death to himself getting shot, she officially hit rock bottom. She kept to herself most days, locked in their bedroom only ever to emerge to eat, and even then she often took the meals to the room.
It wasn’t until one day right before Halloween, Draco had to commit his wife against her will. A plate fell out of his hands in the kitchen while he was preparing for dinner with Harry and Ginny, making Hermione collapse to the ground and scream in terror. The three of them tried everything they could to calm her down but it was too no avail.
They floo’d her to St. Mungo’s where the healers put her on heavy doses of calming droughts combined with a strong sleeping drought, that was safe enough for the baby, to finally knock her out. She then slept for almost 3 days straight and when she woke up she was of sound mind again. They claimed it was due to sever sleep deprivation, along with flashbacks of the gun going off when he dropped the plate, which led to a break down. Apparently all she needed was sleep and he didn’t even know.
Draco had had enough of seeing his beautiful wife struggle to get back to normal again and finally told his therapist that they both needed help. It had been a long and difficult process, but the sessions seemed to be working and slowly but surely, he was getting his wife back. She still had a ways to go but she was improving faster than he expected.
As the carriage pulled up to the large front doors of the school, Draco inhaled sharpy before stepping out. After helping Hermione down, he waved off the driver and took the hand of his beautiful glowing wife.
“You ready to do this?” she asked him with a wide smile.
Adjusting his fingers to entwine in hers, he turned his head and warmly smiled back.
“I have never been more ready for anything in my whole life.”
“Besides marrying me, right?” she joked.
“I was never ready to marry you. You were too good for me. Still are.” He winked before leaning down to place a soft gentle kiss upon her lips.
“If you two are done dilly dallying on the front steps, I would very much like to get along with this meeting.” A stern voice of a woman claimed.
Turning his head, Draco looked on at the older woman standing tall with her hands folded neatly in front of her.
“Professor McGonagall” he stated with a head nod.
McGonagall turned her sharp eyes to him.
“That is Headmistress to you, young man.” She altered her jaw slightly before her wrinkled cheeks raised and a smile formed on her lips. “It is so good to see you both again…Come, come in” she waved a hand and ushered them into the castle.
As the trio walked the old familiar halls, Draco reminisced on his childhood days. Unfortunately, thoughts of picking on his now wife and making her cry on numerous occasions invaded his memory, making him shake his head in effort to remove the images from his mind.
Kids of all ages rushed passed them after their last class of the day let out, to get ready before dinner, and both he and Hermione had to stifle laughs as Headmistress McGonagall began to berate them for running. It brought back more memories of the elderly woman once yelling at him and his…fraudulent friends.
“Gummy Bears.” McGonagall announced in front of the large ugly stone gargoyle.
“Gummy Bears?” Draco chuckled. “I see you kept the candy theme going.”
“Dumbledore strictly stated in his Will to keep with the sweets” she smiled softly “I am just simply upholding his last wish.”
“Interesting last wish.”
“He...He was an interesting man.”
The walk up was filled with an awkward silence, but the reticence broke once they made it into the office and the Headmistress took her seat at the large throne-styled chair.
“So…” she began.
“I have the papers right here; everything is in order” Draco interrupted as he took a step closer to the desk. “Kingsley signed off and everything.”
“Mr. Malfoy, I understand what this meeting entails and I am sure you have all the proper documentation needed to continue forward, however the paperwork is not my main concern.”
“Headmistress?” he raised a perplexed brow.
“It came to my attention many months ago, that you and Mrs. Malfoy here were trapped in a zoo in California; is that correct?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And you were shot by a muggle weapon?” she asked as she looked over her spectacles.
“Y-yes.”
“And how are you holding up since then?”
“I-I’m fine.”
“Good, very good. And Mrs. Malfoy,”
“Yes?” Hermione looked from Draco to McGonagall in confusion.
“I know the struggles you faced at losing one of your best friends after the terrible atrocities he committed. It is not my place to pry into your personal life, but I must ask; how are you doing?”
“Why are you asking us these questions?” Draco chimed in.
“You two,” she paused for a moment as she leaned forward and adjusted the spectacles on her nose “though there was trial and error during sixth and seventh year, you were prized pupils when you attended this school; straight O’s since first year. I have grown fairly fond of you and watched as you both achieved great things over the years. I may not have seen either of you since you graduated with top scores in all of your classes after Hogwarts was rebuilt, but I take great pride in knowing that I had a part in helping raise the two of you to be exceptional human beings. I do apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Malfoy, I am not asking to be insensitive to what you both have gone through, I am simply asking because I care.”
“I-I’m okay” Hermione muttered after a moment of silence “I’m doing better.”
McGonagall smiled warmly and nodded her head slightly before looking back to Draco with an outstretched hand.
“The file please.”
“Oh right” Draco stated as he quickly handed the stack of papers over.
“Alright then” she looked up with tenderness after studying each paper meticulously “It seems everything is in order.” She straightened out the papers in her hands before putting them back in the folder and handing the file to Draco. “I assume getting the last two signatures needed was not an easy task for you?”
“As a matter of fact Professor, uh- I mean Headmistress, it was actually quite easy.” he chortled.
“Oh? Well…You know what; I am not even going to ask.”
Headmistress McGonagall might not have wanted to know how he was able to acquire the signatures, but as he smirked and crossed his arms, Draco looked back on that saddened morning and sighed inwardly to himself.
XX
Standing outside a modern size suburban home in East London, Draco waited patiently after ringing the doorbell twice. He thought he would have been more nervous standing on the front porch of Steven and Jason’s childhood home, but instead, he felt nothing other than contempt for the people living in that house.
He shuffled through the papers in his hands as his annoyance grew stronger, and once again he rang the doorbell in impatience. Finally, a woman answered the door and he had to refrain from cursing her out.
“Can I help you?” the woman with long dark brown hair replied in a miffed tone.
Draco rolled his eyes before looking at her in distaste.
“I am Draco Malfoy ma’am; you were notified a few days ago that I was coming.”
“Oh…Right, alright come in.”
Draco let out another eye roll before entering the house he knew he could just burn to the ground in seconds. In fact, he would have if he wasn’t determined to get what he needed and leave as quickly as possible.
“I need you to sign these to complete the processes.” He claimed as he stepped into the small kitchen.
“I need to wait for my husband.” The woman declared in a bitter tone while reaching into the sink to continue the chore he apparently had rudely interrupted.
“And he is where? I would like to get this process done and over with, if you don’t mind.”
“She minds very much thank you!” a short dark-haired man insisted out of nowhere.
“I’m assuming you’re the husband?” Draco questioned while he turned to the archway leading to the living room. “Well if you could just sign these papers I will get out of your hair…”
“I will sign whenever I damn well please!” the man disrupted harshly.
Slowly furrowing his brows as a scowl began to form on his face, Draco smirked slightly as he took a step towards him. The husband backed up with each pressing step as his face fell; he was scared as Draco towered over him and to be quite honest, Draco was elated at the man’s fear of him.
“You will sign when I damn well say you will; do you understand me? I do not have the time or the patience to deal with your delays or your fallibility as parents.” Draco’s hair began to let off small sparks as his magic flared with his anger, but he didn’t back down from the cold ruthless gaze he emitted. “You think having a young Wizard in your household is terrifying? Do not test me Mr. Williams, I am not known for being ‘the nice guy’.”
“O-o-okay” the man receded as he trembled beneath the heartless stare “W-Where d-do I s-sign?”
Letting off a snarky scoff, Draco stepped back and dropped the folder in his hand on the kitchen island, all without removing his eyes from the terrified man before him.
“By the X’s if you will.” He stated through a mischievous smirk.
As the couple finished signing the documents, Draco tapped his foot as he looked at his watch in restlessness.
“There, all done.” Mr. Williams claimed as he handed the folder over to him.
Snatching the file out of the man’s hands, he quickly skimmed through the documents to make sure everything was correct. Lowering the papers in his hands Draco looked on at the trembling couple.
“How could you do this?” he asked in confusion.
“How dare you!” Mrs. Williams proclaimed in anger “You come barging into our home, demand we sign these papers, call us unfit parents, and for what, be-because your ego is so large, because you’re-you’re rich? You hung around our sons for a few days! You have no idea the pain we are going through! You think you are so high and mighty due to having magic, but you are nothing except an intimidating bully!”
Draco sneered as he looked around the room.
“I didn’t barge in here and quite frankly ma’am, you don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know enough!”
“No, you don’t!” he scolded. “Have you ever been through a war, Mrs. Williams? Hmm?” he turned his eyes back to the woman standing close to her husband. “You call me a bully and I was at one point but tell me, have you ever watched in horror as a dark wizard overtook your home, branded you with his mark, made you do things to people who were merely different than you?...You are right about a few thing, my ego is large, I do have more money than your muggle God, and yes at one point thought I had been superior to those I deemed were of lesser blood, beneath me, but NEVER would I have turned my back on those I love most. You know nothing of my life, what I have been through or what I am still going through!”
“You think just because you are a wizard-”
“I don’t think anything! For Salazar sake you are infuriating!”
“We lost a son!” Mr. Williams interjected “Don’t you have any class or sympathy?”
“I know you lost a son; my wife was there! She did everything she could bring him peace during his suffering. Want to know how she did it? By the very magic you are so scared of! The same magic I used to save your youngest from dying; you know the son you seem to pass off as nothing but a nuisance.”
“It’s his fault Jason is dead!” Mrs. Williams shouted, forcing Draco to step back as a shockwave of disgust swept over him. “He wanted to go to that stupid Zoo, not Jason! Jason was a good man, a smart man with his whole life ahead of him! He had a real career, not some fantasy job where magic does everything for you!”
“If that is what you think then you are nothing but a daft woman and no better than I was as a boy! You are ignorant to the world you haven’t even tried to understand and are blaming a teenager-a teenager for Salazar sake, for the death of your oldest! Bloody hell you are…” Draco stopped yelling and shook his head in disappointment. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. You…you should be ashamed…Steven is a boy who almost died and-and you don’t even care. You ship him off to school without even a second look back.”
“He is better off at that school” Mr. Williams replied in distaste.
“Merlin’s beard,” Draco scoffed in astonishment “you are not the only ones who lost someone that day.”
“Yes well,” Mrs. Williams uttered as she wiped her fingers across her cheek, removing the tears falling from her green eyes. “he is no longer our problem.”
“Yeah, I got that…I think everyone got that.”
Draco once again shook his head in discontent before turning on his heels and began walking towards the front door. He stopped however with his hand resting on the handle and shifted his body back to face the couple behind him.
“So much of life is vague and uncertain, but regrets…regrets are pretty distinct. He is just a kid. You’re supposed to be the ones protecting him not some school, or professors, or even me. His magic didn’t change who he was or who you raised him to be. He needed his parents during the roughest time of his life and you just…” he bit his bottom lip as he shook his head slightly “you just abandoned him, because he was different. One day, you are going to wake up and realize that you missed out on how special he really is. One day, you are going to wake up, and you are going to miss him; and I hope that regret eats away at you every chance it gets... Steve wasn’t just some inconvenient flat mate with the ability to fly on a broom or turn a rat into a goblet, he was your son…He was your son too.”
With that said, Draco opened the door, stepped out on to the front porch, and disapparated away.
XX
“The students should be down in the Great Hall for dinner by now.” McGonagall proclaimed as the group made their way down the long corridors. “I think it is best if the news comes from you two instead of from myself. It should come from someone he trusts and I think your presence… I think it will help him.”
“Help him?” Hermione asked as she rubbed her overly large belly.
“Yes, my dear. Poor Steven has had a hard time adjusting this term; since the death of his brother over the summer, some children, well, let’s just say they have not been to kind to him. I am ashamed to admit, but even my own house has been the cause of some bullying towards the young man; including members of his own house as well.”
“What do you mean? Why would anyone pick on him?” Hermione stopped walking and looked at their old professor in shock and confusion. “He just lost his brother.”
The Headmistress turned on her heels and relaxed her shoulders while letting off a small sigh.
“The other students don’t seem to believe his claims that he has meet, let alone survived earthquakes, with the two of you. They believe it to be a farce, a fabricated story to get him attention and dare I say, cope with the death of his elder brother. ”
“Well that is just absurd!”
“Hermione, love,” Draco rested a hand on her upper back and began rubbing in circles “Don’t stress, alright? It is not good for you or the baby.”
“But Draco…”
“But nothing” he smiled amicably. “We are just going to have to prove to them that they are wrong.”
“I couldn’t agree more” McGonagall cordially smirked. “Shall we?”
The group continued their trek to the Great Hall and stopped just short of the enormously broad doors leading in.
“Now,” McGonagall began “The faculty has been notified of your visit and I do know most, if not all, will want to speak with you, so I have arranged a meeting after dinner if you have time to say hello. Hagrid was especially excited when hearing that you were coming today Mrs. Malfoy.”
“Of course! I would love to see him again!” Hermione beamed.
“Splendid…One more thing, I want to advise you that none of the students know you are coming. They think a guest is here to simply give a speech about house unity. The staff has done a phenomenal job at keeping the students in the dark as to whom may be delivering the speech.”
“Got it” Draco stated.
McGonagall raised a brow as she looked him up and down.
“And Mr. Malfoy, no hexing the children. They may be young and ignorant, but they are still students, and transfiguring them is still prohibited in this school. I know your temper. We do not need another repeat of your fourth year, do you hear me?”
Draco let out a chuckle as he took Hermione’s hand.
“Awe that’s no fun at all, I should be able to share my experience as a ferret with others.” Hermione playfully smacked him in the arm “Fine, you have my word Headmistress. No hexing.”
She skeptically eyed him over before giving a friendly smirk and turned to open the doors.
The Great Hall fell silent as the trio walked down the long path between the trestle tables. The staff at the front gleamed in happiness as the glow from the flickering floating candles radiated off their faces. Hermione squeezed Draco’s hand tighter, causing him to grin down at her. She pointed up to the ceiling and just as if it was their first year all over again, he saw it dotted with stars of the night sky.
“Bloody hell, that’s Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!” he heard a male student say over the quiet den.
“She is Hermione Malfoy now” a female Ravenclaw chimed in. “Gosh don’t any of you read?”
“Hey Williams!” a Gryffindor boy shouted out “Look, it’s the couple you are so desperate to get near, you had to make up stories about meeting them! Should I get you an autograph when this is all over? I’m sure if I ask nicely I could get you Potters as well!” he laughed mischievously, causing Draco to seethe with anger.
“Stay calm, Draco.” Hermione whispered as the chattering between everyone grew louder “The stress is not good for me or the baby.” she murmured with a chuckle.
“Don’t use my words against me, woman.” He whispered back through gritted teeth. “Besides, hexing the lot of them would help my stress, not make it worse.”
“I have no doubts,” she giggled. “Let’s just get through this and prove to them how amazing Steve really is, okay?”
“Fine, but I hope our words make them look as ridiculous as possible.”
Making it to the front of the hall, Draco helped his pregnant wife up the stairs. They stood off to the left side of the podium while the Headmistress took her place in front of everyone.
“May I have your attention please.” The room fell quite in the respect of McGonagall and Draco began to scan the Hall.
His eyes landed on Steven in the center of the Slytherin table near the grand fireplace against the far wall. He looked sad and defeated as his fellow housemates poked and whispered in his ear. He tried to get the boys attention without alerting the rest of the students but Steven refused to look up from staring at the empty plate in front of him.
The Headmistress finished her lecture and introduced the couple. The hall broke out in a round of applause as Hermione and Draco made their way to the podium and it made Draco want to roll his eyes. He wondered how the kids were able to praise him for the deeds he had overcome in his life but still had the nerve to torment one of their own. It infuriated him to no end however he was steadfast in showing them how wrong they all were about the muggle-born boy.
“Good evening students.” Hermione smile widely as she greeted the hall.
“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.” the children replied in unison.
“As you now know my husband and I are here to talk to you about House Unity. You all know our history and you all are aware of the animosity we have both held for each other for a long while. We are not here to tell you to forgive your worst enemy or to even talk to them. We are here to simply show you that it is possible for two houses once at war with each other can share common ground. Draco and I are proof of that. We used to do awful things to each other growing up and we used to think the worst of one another. It wasn’t until one day, something clicked for both of us.”
“We realized we had a thing for each other” Draco added and the hall let off small laughs. “Look, we could stand up here all day and tell you about how you should get along and that you might not know the whole story of the person sitting next you, but it won’t do you any good.”
“It won’t change anything unless you yourself are willing to change” Hermione joined in. “Draco and I…we have been though a lot in our lives but we never really got to know each other until we were pushed passed our breaking point.”
Draco placed a hand on the small of Hermione’s back and he looked down on her with a smile.
“We have suffered through a war,” he raised his eyes back to the crowd “we have lived through tornadoes, and we have endured the loss of a few friends along the way.”
“As you may have heard, over the summer my husband and I battled through earthquakes in the United States. However, the quakes were not what almost tore us apart. I had found out only days before that I was pregnant and…”
“And I didn’t take the news very well. We fought yes, but it wasn’t ourselves that got us through it…We are not actually here to talk to you about House Unity.” Draco admitted while taking in a deep breath “We are here because we want to thank the person, and his brother, for saving not only our lives, but our marriage as well.”
Steven’s head slowly raised as his eyes began to mist.
“Steven Williams,” Hermione announced “If you could please come up here.”
Steven looked around the shocked Hall as every student gazed upon him with their mouths agape.
“Come on, don’t be shy.”
The Slytherin boy began to stand up as the Great Hall became speechless. He walked to the front and as soon as he did, Hermione pulled him into a grand hug.
“If it wasn’t for this man, I don’t know if I would have ever accepted the child my wife carries. He showed me what it is like to have a family and that I wasn’t going to end up like my father. He instilled the thought of being a better person in me. His muggle brother gave his life to save my wife from a Mountain Lion and I personally, want to make sure they both get the thanks they deserve.”
Hermione pulled back from the hug. Her eyes watered as she smiled proudly at the teen standing before her and Draco knew then, they had made the right decision.
“Draco and I are honored to be in your presence Steve. And we want to honor your brother for the sacrifice he made.”
Hermione turned to Draco and held out her hand. Draco pulled out a document from the file he was holding and handed it over to her. She turned back around with a large grin upon her features.
“This is a certified affidavit, signed by the Minister and paid for by myself and Draco.”
“W-what is this?” Steven asked as the certificate in his hands shook.
“Well, Draco has told me before that he has so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it, and seeing as I have no need for a boat,” she turned and winked at him “We have chosen to spend our money where it is needed most. We call it The Jason Williams Foundation; it will provide funding to research in all magical and non-magical hospitals around the world...We have also decided to donate 50 million Galleons to the hospital of your choice. It can be converted to muggle money if you wish to donate outside of our world as well.”
“I-I-I” Steven stuttered through his shock as the rest of the crowd began to murmur to each other.
“That is not all Mr. Williams.” Draco added as he stepped up to the boy. “We both know your life at home is not…well it’s not ideal. We have spoken to the Ministry and Auror Potter on ways that we can change things and help you. Hermione was actually the one to suggest it and I for one am not going to say no to her” he chuckled.
Draco handed over the file to Steven before kneeling down and rested an elbow on his own thigh.
“You have shown me the true meaning of family Steve. You have provided me with the ability to accept that I can be a good man and that I am nothing like the father I grew up with. I have thought for a long while, that I had everything I needed in life to be happy. I was wrong; you proved me wrong. It took spending a whole day with you and almost losing you to a rattlesnake to realize what I was missing.”
“I-I don’t understand.” Steven muttered softly as he looked down at Draco.
“Our family,” Hermione pipped in “isn’t whole yet.”
He raised his eyes to Hermione in confusion before looking back down at Draco.
“We want you to complete our family Steve.” Draco added. “We want you to be our son…These papers, they give us permission to adopt you, and all you have to say, is yes.”
The Great Hall fell to silence as everyone waited for Steven to reply. One could hear a pin drop at the absence of sound in the room. The stillness in the air was deafening as Draco and Hermione Malfoy looked on at the boy in front of them with love and an open heart.
“Oy for Merlin’s sake, say yes my boy!” Hagrid shouted out while standing up.
Tears began to trickle down the Slytherin’s cheeks as he rushed into Draco’s arms; almost knocking him over in the process. Draco wrapped his arms around the boy and held onto him tightly refusing to ever let him go again.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He exclaimed with an immense smile resting on his lips.
The Great Hall erupted in cheers as Draco stood up while still hugging the boy in his arms. Nothing compared to the happiness of his wedding day, but he was sure without a doubt, that this day, came pretty damn close.
XX
Saturday June 30th, 2007 09:00am
The crowd on Platform 9 ¾ was much larger than Draco had remembered. However, the last time he waited for the Hogwarts Express to arrive, was in sixth year and he didn’t pay much attention to anything other than his dreadful task that year. But as he shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously, he began to think back on the good times he once had on the terrace.
“Draco, can you take Scorpius for a minute? I just need to get his dragon toy out of my bag.”
“Is he getting fussy?” He asked as he took his son from Hermione.
“No, I just want to make sure he is in a good mood for when Steve finally sees him. He hasn’t stopped talking about how excited he is to meet his little brother.”
Draco let out a small laugh while he cradled Scorpius closer to his chest.
“Nothing will beat how excited I was when I first met him though” he smiled widely as he looked down at the baby in his arms. “Who knew I could love someone so much. I mean don’t get me wrong love, “ he looked up at his wife as she pulled the small stuffed dragon out of her bag and handed it over to him “I love you to death but...”
“It’s a different kind of love” She grinned “and trust me, I completely understand…but let’s not forget how you almost fainted in the delivery room from your ‘excitement’.” She snickered.
Draco stepped back in shock with his mouth gaped open.
“I did not faint!”
“Oh, okay,” she giggled “so Ginny having to catch you when I started pushing was a figment of my imagination?” she tilted her head and smirked.
“I-I was dehydrated!”
“Riiigght…Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Hermione leaned in and pecked him on the lips before taking a hold of the stroller and maneuvered down the platform as the train approached.
“I WAS DEHYDRATED!” he shouted out above the noise of the station, but she waved him off with a laugh and kept walking.
Letting out a huff, Draco looked down at his son in defeat.
“Don’t listen to her, I was dehydrated; I didn’t faint.”
Scorpius eyed him lovingly before yawning widely and peered around the room uninterested.
“You are no help.” He rolled his eyes. “I love you, but you are no help at all.”
Draco sighed before making his way over to Hermione. He set his son in the stroller just as he heard a young teen call out to them.
“Hermione! Draco!” Steven yelled in excitement as he ran through the mass of people towards them “I-I can’t believe you’re really here! Is this Scorpius? Merlin’s beard he’s adorable!” he grinned from ear to ear as he looked at everyone in elation.
“It is” Hermione smiled as she glanced down at the baby who was cooing in happiness.
“Come here squirt. How was the rest of your school year?” Draco announced as he pulled Steven into a hug.
“It was great…I-I don’t get picked on anymore.” he beamed.
“That is wonderful news. We can’t wait to hear all about it! The Potter’s and the Weasley’s are eager to meet you by the way. Harry in particular is excited to see you.” Hermione stated gleefully as she walked over to hug the boy.
“Really? So…So this is actually happening? That whole thing in January wasn’t just to get everyone off my back?”
“What?” Draco questioned in surprise “Why wo-”
“It is really happening.” Hermione cut in “You never have to go back to that house again. Not if you don’t want to.”
Steven relaxed his shoulders as he looked down at Scorpius in awe.
“My parents never wanted me. I was just an accident.”
“Don’t say that.” Draco stated as he narrowed his brows in bewilderment.
“It’s true” Steven looked back up at them “They told me themselves, on numerous occasions. Jason was their ‘golden child’. They used the fear of magic as an excuse to hate me more. They never loved me.”
“We love you” Hermione chimed in as she rested a hand on Steven cheek. “And we are going to make sure you know that…every day.” She smiled softly.
“SEE YOU NEXT YEAR STEVE!” a boy interrupted as he ran passed them with his family “DON’T FORGET TO WRITE! EXPECT AN OWL FROM ME IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO!”
Draco watched as the boy continued down the platform and grinned when he turned to see Steven looking happy while waving back.
“Who was that?” his wife asked pleasantly.
“That’s Daniel…Danny.” Steven claimed joyfully
“A real friend, I hope?” Draco question as he crossed his arms; knowing some people would only befriend the Slytherin teen due to his new found fame.
“He has been the only one nice to me since before…well before school started.” he shrugged.
“Ah” Draco stated as he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth.
“Well you must invite him to dinner one day; after you get settled in.” Hermione declared.
“But for now,” Draco rested his hand on the boys shoulder and looked at his new son with pride “Let’s…go home.”
Steven faintly grinned as Draco took his trunk and Hermione reached for the teen’s hand.
As the group began walking down the platform ahead of him, Draco recalled all the events that led him to this very happy moment in time. It still amazed him that he was not only able to obtain the love of his life and have her love him back just as much, but to also have children with her and loved every second of it; it absolutely blew his mind.
He had thought for the longest time that he would fail at anything other than his own misery, but as he watched his wife and two sons walk down the station that held so many memories, he smiled blissfully aloud. Because he now knew...this is where he was always supposed to be.
“Draco darling, are you coming?” Hermione asked as the group stopped a few feet in front of him; snapping him out of his trance.
Biting his lower lip, Draco smirked and nodded his head before moving to catch up; and for the first time in the crazy adventure he called life, he left every fear, every concern, and every doubt, behind him...He was finally ready to take on the world, with his family faithfully at his side.

The End.
- 12
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