Fait à la Perfection

42

Draco awoke and reached for her side of the bed. He felt the bed empty and immediately sat up.

He saw their bed empty and immediately shot out of bed and ran down. He struggled to put his shoes on when Granger entered the hall.

"Malfoy?" She asked softly. He exhaled and leaned against the wall before slowly walking up to her. He cupped her cheeks and put his forehead against hers.

"You can't do that," he whispered, "I can't wake up to an empty bed..."

She gripped his wrists.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, "the baby wouldn't stop kicking and I just started baking something."

His hands dropped down to her slightly prodding abdomen.

She sniffed and nuzzled his nose before wrapping her arms around him.

"It's been weeks," she whispered tearfully, "the baby is kicking and I still don't have my kids..."

He hugged her. He held her close as she wept softly.

They went into the kitchen and worked on the banana bread. He watched her mash up the banana as she added loads of cinnamon.

They cooked in a comfortable silence. Draco watched her break the loaf and toy with it slightly. Their clock announced that it was seven in the morning and Hermione decided to leave early. She kissed his forehead and stepped out of the house.

Draco sighed and looked at his watch. He looked around the empty house and nodded to himself. He summoned his wand and apperated.

He landed outside a crooked cottage and knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Three times before the door opened and none other than Ronald Weasley stood there.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He snapped.

"James! Henry!" Draco yelled into the house. He glared at Weasley who glared back.

"What are you doing?"

There was a commotion and two little boys stood at the end of the hallway. They beamed as they saw him.

"Daddy!" Henry yelled. He ran to him and threw his arms around his neck. Draco exhaled with relief as he held Henry in his arms once more. James took a minute before he was back in his arms as well.

Draco held them close before kissing their temples.

"Are you here to bring us home?" James asked desperately, "please?"

Draco looked at Weasley before standing. Weasley was glaring at him as Draco looked down at the kids and smiled.

"Show me where Lily is."

James and Henry dragged him in and took him into the living room. Lily was in her cot about to start crying once more. Draco looked into the crib and smiled as he took the baby out and held her close.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Weasley snarled as he entered, "you have no right to be here."

Draco ignored him as he looked at James and Henry.

"Go to your room," he instructed.

They left and he turned back to Weasley.

"How much do you want?" He asked.

"W-What?!"

"I will pay whatever you want. Just give up your rights."

"No!"

"We both know that the only reason you took them away, was to hurt Granger. And that's selfish. You don't even listen to what they want."

"I know what they want!" Weasley yelled.

"They want to go home with me, with Hermione, we are their parents—"

"Don't you dare," Weasley snarled, "don't you dare sully Harry's—"

"Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are dead!" Draco yelled back, finally snapping, he put the baby back into her cot before turning to him, "and there is a damn good reason why they chose Hermione to be their guardian! She loves those kids—I love those kids! We give them a life that they deserve! A life that Potter wanted them to have! You weren't chosen! She was! She is their mother and the only people who you are hurting are James, Henry and Lily! So get your obnoxious head out of your arse and realize that you are not honouring their parents! You are hurting their kids by throwing a hissy fit!"

Lily was crying loudly. Weasley picked her up and she began screaming louder. Draco reached for her but he pulled her back. Draco did it against and this time he took her in his arms. She wailed as he got her into the position she liked. He bounced her slightly and she began to calm down.

"They will be your family," he said softly, he looked at Weasley who was seething, "she wants them to know you...but she is their mother, and it cruel to all of them to keep them apart due to your hurt feelings. I can see it Weasley, you lot are underprepared. You can't give them the life that Potter wanted for them. You can't be what they need."

"And what is that?" Weasley spat.

"Parents," Draco said. "Hermione and I...we love them like our own. It's killing us not being awoken by Henry jumping on the bed. It's killing Granger not baking with James. It's killing me not being able to hold Lily in my arms before bedtime. You are their family. But we are their parents."

Draco sighed and looked down at Lily who was starting to fall asleep.

"You can see it too Weasley, you can see that you having them here isn't doing them any good. They're struggling—"

"They need time—"

Draco looked at him.

"It's been three months, with Granger, it took them a month to get accustomed to the situation. They founded routine. They adapted. They're struggling here. They aren't thriving."

Weasley's shoulders began to slump.

"I—I can't..."

Draco looked at the defeated wizard. He looked at the baby in his arms and he knew.

"She's not coming back to you," Draco told him, "you can't force her hand. You can't bully her into being with you. You can't coerce her into loving you."

"And she loves you?" He snapped.

"Yes," Draco said bluntly, "and I love her. You have to let her go."

"It was always supposed to have been me and her until you got in the way," Weasley snapped, "you—you took her from me! She was mine—"

"If she was...she would be here Weasley, but she's not yours...this life you have imagined with her? It's never going to be real. It's never going to happen."

Weasley became defeated. He sat on the couch and put his hands in his hair.

"You'll take care of them?" He whispered after a minute as he looked up at him, "of James, Henry and Lily? You'll take care of Hermione?"

Draco nodded.

Weasley sighed and looked down at the baby in his arms. He looked up and saw James and Henry hovering at the stairwell. Their eyes looking at him. He nodded softly and the two boys ran to Draco. Hugging his legs tightly as they cried softly. Draco exhaled as he knelt down and smiled at the kids.

"There's something I have to tell you," he said.

"What?" James asked curiously.

Draco shot a glance at Weasley. Weasley looked down at his hands as Draco took a deep breath and looked back at the boys.

"Your mum is pregnant. You're going to be big brothers again."