Broken

Flowers

The damp grass soaked the knees of Draco's robes.  Rain trickled down his face, plastering his hair to his head.  He reached out a bandaged hand to the grey stone in front of him.  Tears mixed with raindrops, washing away the blood and dirt from his cheeks.

'I wish you were here,' he whispered.

Moving stiffly, he collected dead flowers from the base of the stone and put them aside.  Drawing his wand, he conjured a bright wreath of tulips.  They had been her favourite.  He placed the wreath next to a teddy bear and framed photographs, each spelled to protect them from the elements.

'I keep getting everything wrong.  I need your advice, Tori.  You always knew what to do.'

Draco rested his forehead against the wet stone.

'You should see Scorpius, he's getting so big.  I try to tell him stories about you, but it hurts.  It hurts so damn much.'

A sob wracked Draco's body.

'Mother has been amazing.  She takes such good care of our boy.  Sometimes I think they'd be better off without me.  But I know you'd beat the shit out of me for even trying.'  He chuckled weakly.  'It's hard living back in the Manor, but I couldn't bear to live in our house without you.'

Draco pulled the flask from his pocket. Uncorking it, he lifted it to his lips. His eyes met those of the woman in the photograph.

He stopped.

Draco sat for a moment, the flask held in mid-air. His hand twitched and liquid sloshed onto the grass.

Moving slowly, his eyes locked on the photograph, Draco tipped the flask upside down. The liquid poured out, hitting the wet grass with a quiet hiss.

Suddenly, he threw the flask into the air and pointed his wand at it. It exploded in a burst of blue light. Tiny slivers of silver fell around him, like confetti.

Draco gently brushed the stone clean and blew it a kiss, before picking up the dead flowers and apparating away.

"Astoria Malfoy, beloved wife, mother, sister and daughter"