Granger's Cafe Chap Twenty One

Chapter Twenty-one: Astoria's Letters

Draco,

I know you owe me nothing and for one small moment please, show me mercy, and do not throw this letter away. It is urgent. I -I'm pregnant. By your father. I am sorry and I know you are most likely disgusted. You wished to break away from the cruelty we embarked on you and I would too. Alas I cannot. But I wished you to know that I am pregnant and I intend to run away. If I can. But I do not know when I shall get the chance. I shall send information of the child. Promise me something Draco. You do not owe it to me, I know. But think on it. Let this child have the freedom and love Scorpius so clearly has.

Astoria.

The letter, short and blunt but emotional just the same, was clutched tightly in Draco's clenched fist. His knuckles were burning white. He was alone in the kitchen and it was three in the morning. The bird had roused him from his easy sleep but Harry had been unconscious to the world when the letters arrived. There had been one for both Harry and his mother but Draco daren't open either of the other letters. He was able to show respect got other people's mail. He ran a hand down his face. What was he going to do? Astoria was pregnant by his own father. That was disgusting enough to even think about.

There had been a time where he thought he had loved Astoria. Next to Pansy Parkinson she was one of the few pure-blooded girls that his father had approved of for Draco to be married to. His stomach knotted uncomfortably making him feel queasy. Astoria would be well looked after, he knew that all too well, as for what would happen after the child was born, he did not know. He would have to keep on his toes. Sighing he looked out of the window, from which he was sitting on the sill. The cold morning air looked like just the ticket to rouse him from this nightmare. Cold, brittle and steely grey with the chance of rain. Perfect.

He grabbed his thermal jacket and slid his arms into the warm, cozy sleeves and tucked the ends of his pyjama pant legs into his thick socks and stuffed his feet into his wellington boots one at a time. They were dark blue and glossy in the dim light. He grabbed a long soft scarf from the pegs in the wall and wound it around his neck, before grabbing his favored grey beanie hat and pulled it onto his head. He pushed his hands down into the pockets of his jacket and pulled out a pair of gloves and pulled them onto his hands. "Snuggly" he murmured to himself and walked out of Harry's apartment, taking care not to wake the two little boys' sleeping in the armchair.

He closed his apartment door behind him, crossed the landing and went down the staircase that led to the kitchens and the back door that opened out onto the alley that ran down alongside the cafe. It was cold and seemed to be a black-and-white photograph. It looked ever-so bleak. He hummed and turned towards the main roads, his boots making small squeaky sounds as he walked. He gnawed on his lower lip as he walked into muggle London on a frosty bleached morning. The sky was oddly bright for such a time in the morning but Draco merely shrugged it off. He had no idea where he was walking to, he just knew that he was walking. Hermione was already drawing up plans for Christmas themed decorations and food. Draco smiled. He would forever be grateful for Hermione for giving him a second chance at a simple life.

The letter from his wife crinkled in his pocket and he wrinkled his nose. Almost simple.

He sighed bitterly and came to the river Thames. It looked ugly, a greasy colored snake of writhing waves, minute bits of debris floating near the edge of the walls.

He sank onto a bench and gazed out numbly at the river as it lapped along the stone walls. What did he want out of all of this? That was the question he had to ask himself. "I want to be free" he murmured to no one. Eyes prickling with tears. His breath rose up in vapor clouds before his eyes. He just wanted a small home for him and Scorpius to be happy in outside of Hogwarts, but he also wanted to have a free life with just Harry. What they could have had all these nineteen damned years after the war. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He sighed. So many things he wanted but his timeline for life had been muddled up too much. "I hate this" he whined.

4am.

Harry rolled onto his back and was met with a cool mattress. In his subconscious mind, this troubled him and he started to stir awake. Cracking open a bleary eye he scanned the vast expanse of mattress for the warm body of his -lover? Was Draco his lover? He shook his head, trying to clear his fogged mind. He propped himself up and rubbed at his eyes. "Draco?" his croaky voice rang in his ears. He turned over by 180 degrees and squinted at the muggle alarm clock on his bedside table. It had just gone four in the morning. Where was Draco? Grunting tiredly, he pushed himself to the edge of the bed and sat up, elbows on his knees and head hanging forward limply as he tried to stop the floor from spinning. "Ugh fuck my head"

Everything began to gain stability in his eyes. He sighed through his nose. He reached for his glasses and propped them onto his nose, and allowed his eyes to survey the room. Draco was definitely not there. His stomach rumbled and so he opted to venture into the kitchen and make a way-too-early breakfast. He glanced in at the living room and closed his bedroom door with a hushed click. He lightly stepped across the carpeted floors and made it to the kitchen without making any noise. Bright grey light fell in slants through the blind-drawn window. He moved to the far end of the room and pulled open the refrigerator door and glanced inside. Maybe an experimental omelet would satisfy his growling gut. Plus he was just in the mood for keeping his hands busy.

That's when he noticed the letter resting on the kitchen table. Frowning, he picked it up and opened it, feeling a heavy feeling rest in his chest as he started to read.

Harry Potter,

Take care of Draco. Keep him safe from Lucius. He and Ginny are plotting something sinister. Make sure they cannot break him and manipulate him. Make him strong. Make him a survivor. I am pregnant with Lucius' child. When the time comes, both you and Draco shall raise it. I beg of you, give the child a chance, let them be no reflection of its biological parents. Let them be loved. Let them be strong.

Let them be free.

Astoria Malfoy.

He folded the letter up and stuffed it into the counter drawer. He gripped the edge of the counter tightly, until his knuckles turned white. He definitely needed to keep his hands busy. He bent down and grabbed out a bowl and a whisk from the cupboards underneath the sink, and the carton of eggs along with some ham and cheese from the fridge. Frowning, he cast a silencing charm on the kitchen, just in case the boys' stirred whilst he was cooking. Turning his attention back to the ingredients at hand, he began cracking his eggs into the bowl and proceeded to create his omelet.

Draco stopped just outside the back door and rubbed a hand over his frosty pink cheeks. He could do with a cup of coffee right about now. The promise of hot liquid boiling in his belly was enough to banish any dark thoughts temporarily from his mind. He inserted his key and turned it in the lock and entered the cafe. As he shut the back door that was a meter away from the staircase that led up to the apartments above, was bathed in dim grey light. He toed his wellington boots off, making sure to side-step the damp puddle steadily growing underneath his boots, and began ascending the staircase, unwinding the scarf from his neck as he went. Turning left on the landing, he headed towards Harry's apartment. He inserted Harry's key, that he had borrowed for his walk, and slipped inside, being careful not to make enough noise to wake the two young boys'.

A slant of bright light streaked out from underneath the kitchen door. Curious, Draco ventured towards the kitchen, a sweet smell hitting his nose as he drew closer. "Hello?" he whispered softly, pushing open the door and entering the warm, brightly lit kitchen. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the light, and smiled when he saw Harry standing in front of the cooker. He grinned and walked up behind the dark-haired man, and wrapped his arms around his waist, making Harry jump and spin around.

"Oh Merlin Draco you frightened me!" Harry exclaimed, holding a hand over his heart.

Draco blushed, "sorry. What are you cooking? It smells gorgeous!"

Harry beamed turning back to the bubbling omelet. "It's a cheese and ham omelet, just a random experiment but hopefully it tastes as good as it smells. Want to share it?"

"Yes please" Draco smiled as he backed up to the kitchen table and started to remove his thermal jacket, gloves and beanie hat. "What made you wake up so early?"

Harry glanced over his shoulder as he started to dish up the omelet and placed it on two seperate plates. "I just woke up and found you weren't there. And after that I was just restless so I came out here"

"Oh" Draco flushed and fiddled with his beanie hat, "sorry about that, I felt like a needed a walk to clear my head"

"I understand" Harry stated as he placed one plate in front of Draco and placed a kiss on his temple, "I got a letter from Astoria"

"I know" Draco admitted, feeling warm at the kiss, "I got one too. So did my mother"

Harry returned to the table with his own plate, and two mugs of coffee. "It's all been said really. The question is, Draco, are we willing to give this child a chance of life? The one we wanted? Like Al and Scorp?"

Draco smiled and reached across the table to take Harry's hand, "we'll need a bigger place" Draco flushed slightly, "but I would be happy to give this child love and a chance of happiness" Harry smiled as they both started to tuck into their early breakfasts. A serene atmosphere descended in the kitchen and they chatted happily until seven in the morning when Draco started complaining weakly of tiredness.

Harry stood up and stretched his arm muscles, "come on, hun, lets go and get some more hours sleep. The store opens late today, so we're blessed with a small mercies"

Draco looked into Harry's eyes and pressed a slow kiss to his mouth, his warm tongue sliding against Harry's own. "With another little one on the way"

~000~

Narcissa had to admit she was somewhat sympathetic towards Astoria. The road to power and the need for love was a tiresome one. She knew only too well. This young woman would need some time with everyone to arrange everything. They needed to help this young woman, this was her plea for help, and Narcissa would die before she let another young Malfoy fall under Lucius' rein of torture. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. She would need to talk to Harry and Draco. She glanced at the calender hanging up in Sirius' kitchen. It was the first of November. In three more days the kids would be back off to Hogwarts for the Christmas term. She would talk to them then. She smoothed the letter out on the table in front of her and had to admit, she knew the newest Madame Malfoy would falter under Lucius' rules. Everyone did. "Poor girl" she hummed to herself.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost midday. She had a hairdressers appointment to keep. No more long graying hair tied back. It was time for a pure white bob and fringe. No one would recognize her then. She had gotten the idea from some movie she had watched last night with Remus whilst Sirius went to visit George in Diagon Alley. It was 'The Devil's Wears Prada</b>' if she remembered correctly. She had fallen in love with the hair-style and wardrobe choice at once and made up her mind.

She would go shopping.

And maybe she would figure out how she felt about Astoria along the way. And if not, she could always pop in to Gringotts and slowly drain the Malfoy account and make a new one for herself. That sounded like a good idea. She smirked. Now she definitely knew what she was going to do that day.