Changing Destiny

Fifty-Six: A Private Wake

Draco

Seeing his little girl in her tiny white casket for the first and last time really made this whole miscarriage business seem real in his mind. Astoria tried to be a comfort to him, and he appreciated his fiancee's kindness, but this was still his daughter. Hermione recovered, and she had been kept in the hospital wing for two months while her body recovered from her failed pregnancy, and broken arm. There was still some slight bruising to her face, but her broken arm was all recovered magically. Daphne had wanted to bring her little boy around, but Harry felt that that would add more salt to the wound of Hermione's grief, and so she had the house elves care for her new baby for the funeral.

Draco wanted the funeral held at Malfoy Manor so his baby could be buried in the family vault, and his parents agreed. "Did you and Hermione name her yet?" Lucius asked in the private family chapel the night before the funeral.

Draco smoothed down his dark suit, and laid a hand on the closed white casket. "Cassiopeia Malfoy. You know, to keep to tradition in naming kids after celestial bodies, and stuff."

Lucius nodded. "Cassiopeia, I like it. Look, son, I am truly sorry about...all of this, I truly am. But Astoria seems like a wonderful fiancee for you and--"

"You mean an adequate replacement."

"Draco, that's not what I meant. Why must you always put words in my mouth? You were always betrothed to Astoria, but your mother and I gave you leeway on that front because I didn't want to force you into a marriage you did not want. But, you bringing scandal on to the family was unacceptable. Surely, you understand my reasons, son."

"I understand, and yet you did it anyway."

"Son, I know you loved Hermione."

"I always will deep down," Draco spoke out loud, "But she chose Uncle Severus, and I have to learn to accept that. Just...can you please leave me alone with Cassie? I won't get any more time with my daughter after tonight."

Lucius patted his shoulder. "Of course, son."

His father left him alone, and Draco reopened the casket. Inside the blue velvet lined casket, Cassie was dressed in a lovely white lace dress as if she were being baptized, not placed in a cold marble mauseleom, never to see the light of day again. She had sparse blonde hair, and she would have grown to be a beautiful witch, he just knew it. He ran his fingers through her silken hair, and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"It's not right that you should be gone, angel," He cried, his hoarse voice echoing slightly off the chapel walls. "I know it's no one's fault that you're gone, but I hope where you are, you would be proud of mummy and I. We love you, angel...so...so damn much."

He heard a noise behind him, and he held out his wand, poised to attack, but he lowered it when he saw it was only Hermione. She wore a lovely dark blue suit, a holdover from their day finalizing the details of the funeral. Her mascara was running, and she merely looked at him. He looked back, and gestured for her to approach him beside the altar.

"She's...gods, she's beautiful, isn't she?" Hermione asked, wiping at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. "We certainly made one beautiful baby, didn't we?"

Draco tried to smile, nodding. "Yeah. We did. I'm just sorry that things had to end this way for us."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. If I had stayed at home as Severus wanted, I--"

"I don't want to hear what if's, I just want us to say goodbye to our daughter in peace," He nearly snapped. "You made it very clear the morning after we made Cassie that you didn't want me."

Hermione sighed, "I still want us to at least be civil, Draco. We will be marrying other people, and we can't afford to snap at each other every time we see each other for holidays, or even around school."

Draco knew that she was right, but gods, did it hurt that the witch he loved was not in love with him, and even worse, that he still wanted to kiss her so bad right now.

"You're right, that's unfair to bring up our breakup," He conceded. "I just...I love you, Hermione. I don't want us to marry other people, I want us to be together. But, I guess that isn't going to happen in this lifetime."

"I do love him, Draco," Hermione said, sincerely. "If I felt even a fraction of what you feel for me, I would break it off with Severus immediately, but I don't."

"I know. He's your soulmate."

"He is. I never intended to harm our baby."

He pulled her into his arms, and she embraced him back tightly, sobbing against his chest. He was crying as well. But, he was also crying for what could never be, and that seemed to cause him more pain than losing his sweet little angel, his baby girl....His Cassie.

Hermione pulled away from him first, and she offered, "Let's go look at Cassie's constellation. What do you say?"

"I think that's a great idea. Let's do it."

They held hands, and laced their fingers together as they walked outside to the gardens, and stargazed for a bit. Draco's constellation was harder to find, but Cassie's was there shining brighter than before. Draco said a silent prayer to his daughter, and hoped that when he died, he would be able to see her again, and be the father she needed in whatever passed for the afterlife.

Hermione and him embraced, and parted ways before going to bed. He did his Occlumency exercises, and felt better with his immediate emotions erased for the time being. But, what he didn't count on was how gut wrenching it was to finally lay Cassie to rest, knowing that she never had the chance at life that she rightfully deserved....