Saving Myself || A Drarry Story

LXXII: Death and Another

Astoria Greengrass was her name. The woman that Draco had tried to filter his love to. She was a year younger than him, but she was beautiful in a sort of sisterly way. Draco had seen her in a club, dressed in blue with her long, bleach blonde hair in a wonderful up-do, drinking a Bloody Mary.

"Mind if I pay for your next one?" Draco asked, sitting beside her.

"Depends, " she said. "How old are you?"

"Nearly twenty-one. You?"

"Twenty, "

Draco smiled and bought her drinks, getting his own fill. But even as he tried to flounce around with her, all he could do was comply with her as she pulled him into her flat, locking the door behind the tall and handsome man in front of her.

Come morning, she was embarrassed beyond belief. Draco apologized as she told him, "It was my own fault."

"I shouldn't have---"

"Just. . .lets keep in contact, Draco."

They agreed though they hadn't met face to face in almost seven months. Draco thought of her often, but not in the way he always thought of Harry. Instead, he thought of how she was doing, but when he received the letter from St. Mungo's, he wasn't sure what to make of it.

The letter, sent from a Healer who specialized in the safe delivery of magical children, stated that Astoria Greengrass had died in their care not long after giving birth to a boy due to a problem during birthing. She had told them in her final moments that the father was, indeed, the unsuspecting Draco Lucius Malfoy. In the letter, the Healer wrote the name of the boy as Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

With a heavy heart, Draco went to St. Mungo's, identifying himself as Draco Malfoy. A Healer with long, dark hair led him to the ward where they kept the children, though Draco wasn't sure if he should tell them that there shouldn't have been a woman named Astoria who died there or that he had to go.

Draco's heart was pounding in his head as the Healer eased a pale, but not unhealthily so, baby with a tuft of white-blonde hair from where it slept, making sure to keep the blue blanket wrapped snuggly around him. He had the same hair as Astoria and the same small structure, though he had his nose.

Draco swallowed.

"You're free to take him home." the Healer told him. "You just can't Apparate with him until he's around eight."

"Do you. . ." Draco took a deep breath, looking up from the sleeping baby in his arms. "Do you have a telephone here?"

"Yes, " the Healer answered, leading Draco down a hall where there was a line of phones, only two of which were in use.

He dialled his godfather's home number his foot tapping impatiently. "Hello?" a voice said on the other end. It wasn't Remus or Sirius. "Edward Lupin speaking."

"Teddy, " Draco said breathlessly.

"Draco? Why are you calling?"

"Get Sirius or your father."

"What happened?"

Draco swallowed and told Teddy thickly, "I need one of them. I'm at St. Mungo's. . ."

Draco could hear Teddy shouting for his father. Remus was on the other end of the line quickly, asking, "Draco, what happened? Why are you at---"

"I need you to pick me up, "

"You can't Apparate?"

Draco started to cry softly as he put his forehead against the wall. "N---no. No, I---I can't." The baby didn't stir. "Remus, I can't take a cab and Sirius' motorcycle isn't---"