Boy - (A 'Blaire Zabini' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

22 - The Beautiful Name

"Daddy!"

Draco was woken suddenly to find his son jumping on top of him and shoving some sort of cardboard tube in his face.

"Jack! Let Daddy sleep!"

"No, it's okay," Draco muttered groggily as he sat up on the sofa, allowing the blanket that had been covering him to fall down around him, revealing his very crumpled shirt.

He looked over towards where Blaire was hovering in the doorway of her and Jack's bedroom, his lips twitching into a smile as their eyes met.

Fuck, he'd had an amazing night with her. It had been just like old times; playing cards until the early hours of the morning, talking and teasing one another as if they were carefree school kids again.

He hadn't wanted it to end, despite being tired as hell. And when Blaire had fallen asleep first, succumbing to the land of slumber mid game, he'd been sorely tempted to curl his arms around her; falling asleep with the only woman he'd ever loved.

But, thinking of their son who was used to waking up with his mother, he had gently woken her up; pressing his lips against her forehead and murmuring softly that she'd best get back to Jack.

"Coffee?" She asked now, smiling back at him as their son snuggled happily into his lap.

He nodded, throwing her a discreet wink as he began to listen to Jack explain to him how a telescope works.

******

Two days after Draco officially registered Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, Astoria woke up.

"YOU NAMED OUR SON SCORPIUS?!!"

"It's a constellation, like my name-"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF IT'S LIKE THE POPE'S! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT MY CHILD'S NAME IS DERIVED FROM AN UGLY EIGHT LEGGED CREATURE WITH FUCKING PINCERS! YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE CALLED HIM CRABBE!"

Great, Draco thought glumly; wishing she'd just conveniently fall back into that coma.

"You were unconscious, Torie," he muttered, choosing wisely not to point out that crabs actually had ten legs. "I had to make a decision."

"DON'T FUCKING TORIE ME!"

"Look, I think you should calm down," Daphne said tearfully, trying desperately to placate her younger sister, "you heard what the Healer said, you're weak and need to look after yourself."

The Healer had sombrely informed them all that after numerous tests and research, it had transpired that Astoria had a serious blood malediction; a curse which had resurfaced after several generations.

There was no cure.

"No, I won't fucking calm down!" She spat at Daphne. "I have just woken up to be informed that not only have I been in a week long coma, but that I'm also dying thanks to some sucky ancestor and my son is named after a fucking creature that makes a Blast-Ended Skrewt look like a cuddly pet!"

"Scorpius is actually a really lovely nam-"

"NO IT FUCKING ISN'T!" Astoria bellowed, her face now a bright crimson. "Daniel is a nice name. Christopher is a nice name. Scorpius sounds like some stupid nickname a dorky dweeb would give himself when he's playing heroes and villains in the playground!"

"Okay, Astoria," Draco gritted, clutching Scorpius a little tighter to him, "I get it, you hate the name. But I've registered him now so I'm afraid you're just going to have to get used to it."

"Yeah, like I'm also going to have to get used to the fact that I'm dying thanks to you knocking me up!"

"You heard the Healer," Daphne said encouragingly, "he thinks you've got years left. If you take it easy and get plenty of rest then you could still lead a full life-"

"Oh just take your non-cursed blood out of my sight and fuck off back to your perfect son and your perfect husband, would you? I'm sick of the sight of you."

Daphne stood up, shaking. "I'm trying here, Torie; we all are. Stop pushing everyone away before you die a lonely and bitter woman."

She stormed out of the room, throwing Draco a sympathetic look as she passed him.

Not knowing what else to do, Draco sighed, taking the now vacated chair by his wife's bedside.

"Would you like to hold him?" Draco asked, feeling that maybe if Astoria would at least look at him, she might soften slightly towards her son.

But instead, she turned her back on him, saying nothing.

******

Astoria thought he was never going to leave.

When he eventually did, taking that thing with him, she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall.

Nothing in her life had gone the way it was supposed to. She wished she'd just died that day of the battle.

She had been promised the handsome prince with the magnificent castle and the beautiful child.

But instead she was lumbered with a man who wished she was someone else, a castle that was only hers when his parents died (and now it was looking unlikely that was ever going to happen in her lifetime) and a baby with a name so ugly, she couldn't even bring herself to look at it.

There was one thing, however, Astoria thought as she furiously wiped away her tears.

The Malfoy fortune.

It was literally all she had in life worth living for.

And now it was hers for the taking.

Feeling slightly brighter, she thought of all the things she was going to buy. Everyday for the rest of her shortened life was going to be a shopping day.

Oh, how she couldn't wait to get out of this place, and into Gringotts bank.

She pressed the buzzer, calling the Healer.

"Get my husband back in here now," she demanded after she'd had it confirmed from him that there was nothing more they can do for her there. "And tell him he's taking me home."

******