Lucius Malfoy had always prided himself on putting his family first. Always. No matter what. He married a girl of his parents' choosing, from a well-known respectable (and feared) wizarding family. He never disrespected his wife or cheated on her. Not only did he find the act of cheating itself to be disgusting but he never actually felt the urge to do it either. He had been lucky enough to marry a beautiful, refined woman and fell in love instantly, had an heir by her and raised him in the spirit of the Malfoy family.
It would only seem natural that his son followed the same path all Malfoy men had for generations. And for a while it had been exactly as Lucius had pictured it: his son, his heir, his pride, was nothing less than he expected him to be: handsome, clever, well-educated and, most importantly, fully aware of his status and his responsibility to the family heritage. Draco was his most precious creation, his main reason to live and breathe ever since he first saw him bundled up in Narcissa's arms, cuddled against her breast.
Tracing back the events, Lucius could not tell when exactly did the situation spin so out of control. Had he been too harsh on Draco as a child? Sure, he hadn't been all sunshine and butterflies, but that was The Malfoy Way and Lucius was not one to back away from tradition. Had he pushed Draco too far straight into the hands of the Dark Lord? Yes, he certainly had and not a single day passed by without him regretting this dreadful mistake. He sometimes thought that his own vanity broke his son and rendered him beyond recovery.
Was Draco trying to get back at his father for all he had put him through? Most likely, otherwise why would have he married that Muggle-born girl? Why on Merlin's beard would he do such a thing if not to hurt Lucius back? And, boy, did he succeed!
Just when Lucius finally seemed to stomach the wedding and things did not seem to possibly get any worse, Draco announced that they were expecting a baby. Lucius clearly felt his heart fail a beat and his knees would have most likely buckled under him had he not been sitting down. He raised his eyebrows and gritted his teeth but did not complain. He wouldn't give Draco that satisfaction. If he was that big of a fool to waist his seed on a Muggle-born, then so be it. Besides, Lucius thought, this marriage was not meant to last anyway.
It was the crack of dawn when Narcissa woke him up, urging him to get dressed and hurry to St Mungo's. Their grandson had been born, Draco's owl said and nothing more. Lucius was almost dragged out of bed by his overly excited wife and his first thought was that somehow, Draco managed to turn her as well against him. But Draco was still his son and Lucius would always put family first, no matter what.
The air in the room was warm and filled with a fresh citrus fragrance. Lucius and Narcissa stopped in the doorway, almost as if they were shy to come in. Draco stood up from the chair and came to stand between his parents and the bed where his wife lay, shielding her from their curious gazes. He looked determined and for once in a long time, Lucius recongnised that look as his own. His heart jumped up in his throat, suddenly making it hard for him to breathe. Draco held both their gazes, as if he were warning them to behave.
"Can we see him?" Narcissa asked in a whisper.
Draco did no left his stand. He only turned to the woman laying in bed as if asking for her consent. A brief moment later he stepped back and returned to her bedside, wrapping a protective arm over her. Narcissa was the first to approach, her eyes fixed upon the little bundle cradled in the woman's arms. She looked tired and worn off, but she had that same fierce look that Lucius has previously seen in his son.
"Can I hold him?" She asked the mother in a trembling voice.
The woman looked up to Draco and they seemed to have a quiet conversation. She then extended her arms towards Narcissa and the baby stirred in his blankets. Narcissa picked him up and held him tenderly to her chest, tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to Lucius, a look a pure bliss on her face.
"He's wonderful, sweetheart" she said to her husband. "Can you father hold him too?" She looked up at her son and he looked to his woman again for confirmation. This almost made Lucius slap him right then and there. This Muggle-born had him completely whipped and he didn't even bothered to hide it.
The woman on the bed nodded in approval and Narcissa gently handed Lucius the baby. He gently cradled him into his arms and made him comfortable, holding his head. He was surprised by how well he remembered how to hold a newborn. He fixed his eyes upon the tiny frame in his arms and couldn't help but to notice how much he looked like Draco: same pale flawless skin, same silvery grey eyes.
A strong bonding feeling shot through him and Lucius could not help but to fall in love with the tiny person in his arms. There was no doubt, this was his grandson, the heir to the Malfoy family and all of a sudden Lucius felt happy and proud. He closed in on the bed and he could feel Draco tense at his side. He leaned over to where the woman was laying and gently returned the baby to his mother's arms.
He kisses the little boy's forehead and then he planted a kiss on his daughter-in-law's hair.
"Welcome to the family, Mrs Malfoy" he whispered, tears blurring his sight.
