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Title: Second Chance – Chapter Two
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
slythindor100’s early bird prompt V: Reindeer-Drawn Sleighs (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompts 2: Sleigh and 18: Reindeer
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.1K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part G)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for theslythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.
On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
OR on AO3
Second Chance – Part 2
Draco sat on his favourite chair in the lounge, book in hand, brandy beside him on the table. As he settled down for a quiet evening, a tapping startled him.
He pulled back the drapes to find Scorpius' eagle owl, preening his feathers as he awaited entry, looking every bit as haughty as his own owl had been when Draco was Scorpius' age. He opened the window and stepped back with a shiver. "Come on in out of the cold, Abraxas." The bird hopped inside, just enough for Draco to close the window behind him, then held out his leg. Draco removed the letter, and Abraxas flew off to his cage, which had a supply of treats and some self-refilling water for such occasions.
With a smile, Draco resumed his seat and opened the letter.
Clearly that had been a nudge from Narcissa. Knowing that Draco had tired of her relentless nagging about his hours of work, she'd recently engaged Scorpius to take over some of the burden. Just because his father, and Lucius' father before him, chose not to work in the traditional sense of the word, did not mean that Draco subscribed to the same lifestyle. No, he did not need to work – he was a Malfoy after all, and wealthy enough, thank you very much – but he wanted to work. He needed purpose, and contrary to his father's idea of work for the wealthy, Draco did not skulk around Ministry headquarters, bullying and bribing his way into changing wizarding policies and protocols. Quite the contrary. He could go the rest of his life without ever setting foot in that building again.
Draco shuddered, recalling the last time he'd been there: for his own post-war trial, a memory best left in the past. No sense bringing all that back up again by returning to the scene. Besides, he wondered whether his father might not have become a better man, had he got up every day and performed meaningful work, produced something, provided some service. At the very least, he would have had less time on his hands to whip up schemes in support of a madman.
He shook the thoughts away. Never mind all that. He knew Narcissa meant well, but she just didn't understand. He wanted to work. He needed to work. Especially since Astoria had died. While their marriage had been one of convenience – two of the wealthy and influential Sacred Twenty-Eight families joined together – they'd become close. They'd become friends, found common ground – both having been through a trying experience during and after the war, their ideals challenged and reputations sullied – and common purpose. They would not perpetuate the notion that Muggles were lesser than or at least not scum. Neither of their families had given up that mindset, so when they'd had Scorpius, there had been some challenging moments. But they'd resolved to raise him properly, without the prejudice they themselves had been raised to believe. And they'd done their best on that account.
As a result, much to his parents' horror, Draco and Astoria had purchased their own home and raised Scorpius there. A modest manor home – by Malfoy standards, anyway – that afforded them the privacy they needed, particularly once Astoria had become ill. Draco had not shared her condition with his parents until it was impossible to conceal it. Neither of them had wanted a fuss, and more than that, they didn't want his parents, or hers, to presume they could swoop in to "help raise the boy." Oh, hell no. They knew what that meant, and no thank you. They had done just fine, and Scorpius had turned out very well, if he did say so himself. Yes, Draco worked, but he was a devoted father, who took every opportunity to spend time with family, even if it meant working from his home laboratory in the evenings when Scorpius was asleep. It worked for them, and he had no regrets.
At his parents' mention of Malfoy Manor being a family home, passed down for generations, Draco pointed out that he didn't have to live there with his parents to maintain the home. When his father was killed – by a victim of Voldemort, a mother who'd lost her two children and husband in the second war and turned her wand on herself afterwards – Narcissa had begged Draco to return to the Manor. He stood his ground and their cosy family of three had remained in the home he and Astoria had made together. The three of them, and more recently the two of them, made a point of visiting Narcissa often, and Draco had Saturday afternoon tea with her every week. She had enough friends and activities to keep her busy, so he would not be made to feel guilty for not living there. She did make him promise to keep the Manor in the family when she passed, to which he pointed out she was a witch, meaning that would be decades from now. Scorpius may choose to live there, or not. That would be left to him as an adult. After the war, Draco had been rather keen to get out of the place, the ghosts of Death Eaters all around. Thankfully, once Lucius was gone, he'd convinced his mother to gut the place and redecorate. It now bore very little resemblance to the building Lord Voldemort had occupied. Their bedrooms – thankfully, not invaded by the masses – had remained as they'd been, so there was still a sense of comfort, a throw back to his childhood, which before the war had been rather idyllic. But the rest of the house? Tainted by the presence of Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and that vile snake, the place had been a constant, ever-present reminder of all that had gone wrong.
He picked up the letter and continued to read.
Draco smiled. Yes, indeed, they could use some extra company. He was looking forward to having Scorpius home, having him to himself, but there were plenty of days to do that, even if he had his best friend over for a few of them. And from what he'd heard, Albus was a good kid.
He could use a bit of noise in the house. Not as grand as Malfoy Manor, their home was still very large, with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and several sitting rooms. Two people alone there could go months without so much as running into each other, except for meals, if they so desired. Growing up, Draco had enjoyed his solitude, and he'd had the family portraits to converse with whenever he got bored. Even now, he enjoyed his alone time, but it came with a gnawing ache in his chest sometimes.
He and Astoria, for all the faults of a marriage of convenience and opportunity, had been close. They were, in every sense of the word, best friends. They had respect for one another, agreed on pretty much all important aspects of child rearing, and supported each other as a team. Even if they hadn't been passionately in love, they had been partners, lovers, friends. And he missed that terribly sometimes.
As for Scorpius' request, Draco only now registered that he'd never once invited a friend to the house. True, his mother had been ill since he'd started school, but Draco hadn't really thought about it before now. Well, that needed to be rectified.
He picked up quill and parchment and quickly replied.
He sent the owl back a short while later and resumed his spot in the sitting room. Too late to call the owl back, he wondered if he shouldn't have spoken to Potter first. What would his reaction be? Even more troubling, what would his wife's – ex-wife's – reaction be to having her son spend days in a Malfoy residence? At least it wasn't the Manor.
He wondered how that conversation might go. Then he recalled seeing Albus at the train station – he'd never had a conversation with the boy, but from a distance he could see that the middle Potter child looked quite as much like his father as Scorpius looked like Draco. Strange how the world worked, the difference between the two generations. Draco and Harry had been pitted against each other, even if not knowingly, from the very beginning, perhaps even before they'd met. And yet their sons had become fast friends. Virtually inseparable, if Slughorn was to be believed. And Draco had no reason not to believe him. Certainly whenever he spoke of school, Scorpius rarely managed an entire conversation without mentioning his best friend.
Odd that the two hadn't met up outside of school before now. Though maybe not so strange. With Astoria ill since before Scorpius attended Hogwarts, they hadn't had many visitors at all. It was they who travelled to other people's homes, so they could leave in short order. And Scorpius tended to dote on his mother whenever he'd been home, hesitant to leave the house, lest she need him for something. And last year – the first without her – was a bit of a blur.
He did hope Potter wouldn't refuse. Draco so wanted Scorpius to have a normal childhood – as normal as he could do without a mother.
He thought back to Scorpius' letter. Had they not done enough travelling with him, while Astoria had been well enough? They'd gone to France numerous times, and to see Astoria's family in Wales, and also to Spain – though not Mallorca – and Greece. They'd even arranged a trip to Egypt, but had had to cancel that when it became clear Astoria could no longer travel. Perhaps he and Scorpius should take that trip, just the two of them. In her honour. Not sure if the memory of his wife would overshadow the entire affair, he resolved to give it some consideration over the next few months. And if they didn't do that, perhaps a trip across the pond would be in order. He'd never been to the Americas. It might be fun.
But for this year, if the Potters let Albus visit, maybe he could take the boys for a reindeer-drawn sleigh ride; Draco had loved them when he was a boy, and he was sure they'd love it too. He smiled as he sipped his brandy. This Christmas was looking rather promising.
Author:
sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66Prompts used:
slythindor100’s early bird prompt V: Reindeer-Drawn Sleighs (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompts 2: Sleigh and 18: ReindeerPairing(s): Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.1K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part G)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the
slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge. On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
OR on AO3
Draco sat on his favourite chair in the lounge, book in hand, brandy beside him on the table. As he settled down for a quiet evening, a tapping startled him.
He pulled back the drapes to find Scorpius' eagle owl, preening his feathers as he awaited entry, looking every bit as haughty as his own owl had been when Draco was Scorpius' age. He opened the window and stepped back with a shiver. "Come on in out of the cold, Abraxas." The bird hopped inside, just enough for Draco to close the window behind him, then held out his leg. Draco removed the letter, and Abraxas flew off to his cage, which had a supply of treats and some self-refilling water for such occasions.
With a smile, Draco resumed his seat and opened the letter.
Hello, Father.
I trust this letter finds you well. I hope you are not overworking yourself.
Clearly that had been a nudge from Narcissa. Knowing that Draco had tired of her relentless nagging about his hours of work, she'd recently engaged Scorpius to take over some of the burden. Just because his father, and Lucius' father before him, chose not to work in the traditional sense of the word, did not mean that Draco subscribed to the same lifestyle. No, he did not need to work – he was a Malfoy after all, and wealthy enough, thank you very much – but he wanted to work. He needed purpose, and contrary to his father's idea of work for the wealthy, Draco did not skulk around Ministry headquarters, bullying and bribing his way into changing wizarding policies and protocols. Quite the contrary. He could go the rest of his life without ever setting foot in that building again.
Draco shuddered, recalling the last time he'd been there: for his own post-war trial, a memory best left in the past. No sense bringing all that back up again by returning to the scene. Besides, he wondered whether his father might not have become a better man, had he got up every day and performed meaningful work, produced something, provided some service. At the very least, he would have had less time on his hands to whip up schemes in support of a madman.
He shook the thoughts away. Never mind all that. He knew Narcissa meant well, but she just didn't understand. He wanted to work. He needed to work. Especially since Astoria had died. While their marriage had been one of convenience – two of the wealthy and influential Sacred Twenty-Eight families joined together – they'd become close. They'd become friends, found common ground – both having been through a trying experience during and after the war, their ideals challenged and reputations sullied – and common purpose. They would not perpetuate the notion that Muggles were lesser than or at least not scum. Neither of their families had given up that mindset, so when they'd had Scorpius, there had been some challenging moments. But they'd resolved to raise him properly, without the prejudice they themselves had been raised to believe. And they'd done their best on that account.
As a result, much to his parents' horror, Draco and Astoria had purchased their own home and raised Scorpius there. A modest manor home – by Malfoy standards, anyway – that afforded them the privacy they needed, particularly once Astoria had become ill. Draco had not shared her condition with his parents until it was impossible to conceal it. Neither of them had wanted a fuss, and more than that, they didn't want his parents, or hers, to presume they could swoop in to "help raise the boy." Oh, hell no. They knew what that meant, and no thank you. They had done just fine, and Scorpius had turned out very well, if he did say so himself. Yes, Draco worked, but he was a devoted father, who took every opportunity to spend time with family, even if it meant working from his home laboratory in the evenings when Scorpius was asleep. It worked for them, and he had no regrets.
At his parents' mention of Malfoy Manor being a family home, passed down for generations, Draco pointed out that he didn't have to live there with his parents to maintain the home. When his father was killed – by a victim of Voldemort, a mother who'd lost her two children and husband in the second war and turned her wand on herself afterwards – Narcissa had begged Draco to return to the Manor. He stood his ground and their cosy family of three had remained in the home he and Astoria had made together. The three of them, and more recently the two of them, made a point of visiting Narcissa often, and Draco had Saturday afternoon tea with her every week. She had enough friends and activities to keep her busy, so he would not be made to feel guilty for not living there. She did make him promise to keep the Manor in the family when she passed, to which he pointed out she was a witch, meaning that would be decades from now. Scorpius may choose to live there, or not. That would be left to him as an adult. After the war, Draco had been rather keen to get out of the place, the ghosts of Death Eaters all around. Thankfully, once Lucius was gone, he'd convinced his mother to gut the place and redecorate. It now bore very little resemblance to the building Lord Voldemort had occupied. Their bedrooms – thankfully, not invaded by the masses – had remained as they'd been, so there was still a sense of comfort, a throw back to his childhood, which before the war had been rather idyllic. But the rest of the house? Tainted by the presence of Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and that vile snake, the place had been a constant, ever-present reminder of all that had gone wrong.
He picked up the letter and continued to read.
I am writing to you about Christmas. I was hoping to invite Albus to stay for a couple of days – or longer if he can – over the holidays.
Can you believe this? He and his brother and sister are going to Mallorca for Christmas! Okay, not for Christmas, but for a few days at the beginning of the holidays. His mum and her new husband are going and they asked the kids along. And his dad said yes.
Why don't we ever go away at Christmas?
Anyway, when Al is back, I was hoping we could have him stay with us for a few days. I figure we could use the extra company and he could use a break from all that Gryffindor energy at his dad's place. Please?
Let me know soon, please, so I can ask Al. Thanks!
Love, Scorpius
Draco smiled. Yes, indeed, they could use some extra company. He was looking forward to having Scorpius home, having him to himself, but there were plenty of days to do that, even if he had his best friend over for a few of them. And from what he'd heard, Albus was a good kid.
He could use a bit of noise in the house. Not as grand as Malfoy Manor, their home was still very large, with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and several sitting rooms. Two people alone there could go months without so much as running into each other, except for meals, if they so desired. Growing up, Draco had enjoyed his solitude, and he'd had the family portraits to converse with whenever he got bored. Even now, he enjoyed his alone time, but it came with a gnawing ache in his chest sometimes.
He and Astoria, for all the faults of a marriage of convenience and opportunity, had been close. They were, in every sense of the word, best friends. They had respect for one another, agreed on pretty much all important aspects of child rearing, and supported each other as a team. Even if they hadn't been passionately in love, they had been partners, lovers, friends. And he missed that terribly sometimes.
As for Scorpius' request, Draco only now registered that he'd never once invited a friend to the house. True, his mother had been ill since he'd started school, but Draco hadn't really thought about it before now. Well, that needed to be rectified.
He picked up quill and parchment and quickly replied.
Dear Scorpius,
I was pleased to receive your letter. It is always nice to hear from you. I hope all is well at school and that you continue to enjoy your classes. And in response to your grandmother's inquiry, no I am not working too much.
Mallorca, you say? Well, I hear that can be quite lovely during the holidays. As for your assertion that we do not go away for the holidays, perhaps this is true for Christmastime (I imagine your grandmother would have something to say about that if we tried) but I hasten to remind you that we have travelled rather extensively over the years. Having said that, perhaps we could arrange a short trip for next year. Perhaps we could bring your grandmother along so she does not make a fuss. Better yet, we can arrange a longer getaway at the end of next term.
As for inviting your friend to stay, I think that would be a wonderful idea. As long as he has permission from his parents, I am sure we can arrange something that would suit all our schedules.
We can discuss specifics as the time draws nearer.
Enjoy the rest of the term,
Love, Father
He sent the owl back a short while later and resumed his spot in the sitting room. Too late to call the owl back, he wondered if he shouldn't have spoken to Potter first. What would his reaction be? Even more troubling, what would his wife's – ex-wife's – reaction be to having her son spend days in a Malfoy residence? At least it wasn't the Manor.
He wondered how that conversation might go. Then he recalled seeing Albus at the train station – he'd never had a conversation with the boy, but from a distance he could see that the middle Potter child looked quite as much like his father as Scorpius looked like Draco. Strange how the world worked, the difference between the two generations. Draco and Harry had been pitted against each other, even if not knowingly, from the very beginning, perhaps even before they'd met. And yet their sons had become fast friends. Virtually inseparable, if Slughorn was to be believed. And Draco had no reason not to believe him. Certainly whenever he spoke of school, Scorpius rarely managed an entire conversation without mentioning his best friend.
Odd that the two hadn't met up outside of school before now. Though maybe not so strange. With Astoria ill since before Scorpius attended Hogwarts, they hadn't had many visitors at all. It was they who travelled to other people's homes, so they could leave in short order. And Scorpius tended to dote on his mother whenever he'd been home, hesitant to leave the house, lest she need him for something. And last year – the first without her – was a bit of a blur.
He did hope Potter wouldn't refuse. Draco so wanted Scorpius to have a normal childhood – as normal as he could do without a mother.
He thought back to Scorpius' letter. Had they not done enough travelling with him, while Astoria had been well enough? They'd gone to France numerous times, and to see Astoria's family in Wales, and also to Spain – though not Mallorca – and Greece. They'd even arranged a trip to Egypt, but had had to cancel that when it became clear Astoria could no longer travel. Perhaps he and Scorpius should take that trip, just the two of them. In her honour. Not sure if the memory of his wife would overshadow the entire affair, he resolved to give it some consideration over the next few months. And if they didn't do that, perhaps a trip across the pond would be in order. He'd never been to the Americas. It might be fun.
But for this year, if the Potters let Albus visit, maybe he could take the boys for a reindeer-drawn sleigh ride; Draco had loved them when he was a boy, and he was sure they'd love it too. He smiled as he sipped his brandy. This Christmas was looking rather promising.