And Then There Were Three

Chapter 15

Draco wished he could say that seeing Lucius Malfoy in his living room was the last thing he expected, but the truth was, he'd known all along that it would happen eventually. He was never going to simply let them go. He had a reputation to protect and his wife leaving him and taking their son with her wouldn't look good for him.

Still, Draco had hoped.

"Your mother has something she wishes to tell you," Lucius said in his usual slow and calculated tone from where he sat in a high backed arm chair in the corner of the room. As far as Draco knew, he had never stepped foot into the apartment, yet here he was sitting as casually as ever, as if he owned the place.

"What's he doing here?" he asked Narcissa, intentionally not looking in Lucius's direction.

"Draco," Narcissa said from her place perched on the edge of the couch, "we need to talk.

"About what?"

Narcissa took a steadying breath and turned slightly away. She held a handkerchief in her hand and raised it up to dab beneath her eyes.

"Just tell me." Draco could feel his heart racing and he willed it to slow down. The new bracelet would surely sense his panic and alert Snape, and as much as he would like his Godfather to be here right now, he needed to know what was going on.

"Your father and I have decided to get back together, and I-"

"No!" Draco spat. "Why?"

"He's my husband," she said simply. "And I love him."

"And what about me?" Draco's hands curled into fists at his sides but he forced himself to stay calm. This couldn't be happening. "I'm your son. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Draco, sweetheart, this-"

Draco shook his head. "No. Mum, don't do this. If he's done something- if he's forcing you to do this, then we can-"

"It's not like that."

"Then tell me what it's like because I don't understand. I thought you said this would be different."

"I'm sorry," she said, and Draco thought she meant it. "This is what I want."

"And what about what I want?" He closed the distance between them and sat down beside her, taking her hands in his and looking her in the eyes. "Don't I get a say in this? If this is because we haven't got as much money anymore, I don't care about that. You don't have to worry. I can-"

Lucius spoke up, his voice cold and demanding. "Draco, do not beg. It makes you look pathetic and weak."

Draco closed his mouth. He sat up straight, squaring his shoulders, and looking away from them both. He stared at a blank space on the wall behind his father.

"This will be better for everyone," Narcissa said quietly.

"Better for who, Mother? For me or you?" Draco's own voice was cold now, the way he'd learned to make it long ago when standing up to his father wasn't an option. When breaking wasn't an option.

It wasn't an option now either.

"Draco, you are a child," she said. "You couldn't possibly understand what it is I'm going through. You are away at school most of the year. Eventually, you will graduate and you will go off on your own. And I want that for you. I truly do. But I don't want to be alone. I couldn't take it."

Draco swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"You're wrong," he said, turning ice grey eyes to meet her own blue ones. "I'm not a child, and I understand a lot more than you think. I feel sorry for you."