𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍

❃ I love you, penelope

"Astoria," Maybelle took a deep breath, "you're his wife-"

"I don't care," she seethed, "I don't care," she repeated in a quieter tone.

"Why?" May stared, tears streaming down her cheeks as she realized the man in the other room remembered their memories. Suddenly thinking of him seemed less.. heavy.

"Because I'm dying."

The joy that seemed to fill her mind dissipated into thin air.

"I have-um, a blood malediction, from a curse that was placed on one of my ancestors. It just happened to resurface in, well- me," she smiled somberly.

"Astoria, you're barely eighteen-"

"It's okay, Maybelle. It's a painless death," she sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek with her jacket sleeve, "I just don't know how long I have left. That's all."

May sat speechless, staring down at the dreaming child in her lap.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is I'd rather spend time with my son and family and get to see you and Draco back together to take care of your daughter than spend the rest of my short life in an unhappy marriage," she chuckled.

"Is he really that bad?" May smiled hesitantly, her cheeks flushing light pink.

"He's.. cold, without you. Angry most of the time. I only ever really see him smile when he's with Scorpius. He won't share his feelings with anyone, he's just dedicated everything to his work. He's-he's dedicated everything he's ever done to you, really. Specializing in child abuse cases, joining The Ministry, when I say everything I've seen him do these past two years has been for you, I mean it," Astoria exclaimed, knocking her head back gently against the wall.

Maybelle remained silent, analyzing each word she spoke, authenticating every sentence to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want this. Being with my son is enough; Draco needs you. Please don't let me stop you from doing that. You have my full permission."

"You're married, Astoria. I won't do it if he's married to you."

"Like I said, I've ordered the divorce papers. It's not like I took his last name anyways," she smiled, standing from the chair before walking back out into the hallway.

............

That night, once Lucius had left, leaving only Narcissa, asleep in the waiting room with Scorpius in her lap, Draco snuck out of his hospital bed.

The pain in his head and shoulder had yet to cease, but the overwhelming urge to see his Flower pushed him forward.

Ignoring the dark shadows of the hospital room, he turned open the doorknob.

The sight immediately brought tears to his eyes.

"Flower," he whispered, sitting down next to the bed where she lay sound asleep with her daughter in her arms.

Their daughter.

Every thought of revenge he had seemed to melt away as he watched the sleeping child, tears wetting his cheeks as he tried to keep down the sobs in his throat, wrapping a large hand in Maybelle's.

Penelope's eyes suddenly fluttered open and met his; they were as big, and bright, and blue as his were.

She studied him silently, batting her long brown eyelashes towards him as he sat completely still in his chair.

"Dad?"

His heart seemingly stopped beating.

"Hi there," he said softly, barely a whisper as the quiet strum of his lover's heartbeat recorded itself on the nearby monitor. "Did-did your Mom tell you about me?"

Penelope nodded silently, her big blue eyes studying Draco with wonder before wrapping her small hand around his thumb.

"Mommy said that someone did something bad to you, and that's why you had to go away, but she said you loved her very much," she whispered, snuggling further into the blankets.

"That's true, darling," he spoke, gently pushing a brown curl behind her ear, holding back tears, "I think we should let Mommy sleep now, yeah?"

"Okay," she mumbled, voice muffled by the stuffed white bear that sat snug between her arms, "will you still be here tomorrow?"

"I'm going to be here every day from now on, that's a promise," he hesitantly leaned over, delicately planting a kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, I..." he debated his next words carefully, "I love you, Penelope. Sleep well."

As he left her room to return to his own, he was met by Narcissa standing outside the door, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You knew this whole time?" Draco's voice broke from both exhaustion and heartache, his eyes filled with anguish.

"I'm so sorry," she cried, "I didn't want him to hurt me-then Astoria, and-I'm sorry."

Normally he would've been furious.

But after two years of feeling numbed and distraught, he allowed himself to cry.

A twenty year old man, weeping in the arms of his Mother whom he'd practically ignored for the past twenty four months of his life.

"You shouldn't be up, Draco. The nurses might see you up," she sniffled, wiping her tears as she sent him off to bed with a kiss to the cheek.

"Draco?"

"Yes, Mum?"

"Despite everything, I'm happy for you. I know the past two years were wasted time, but I wouldn't want to see you ill-tempered any longer," she gifted him a soft smile, picking Scorpius up from his chair, delivering the sleeping boy to his Father's arms.

They slid under the covers, Draco holding his son close to his chest.

"Guess what, Scorp?" he whispered, running a hand through his fluffy blonde locks, "You have a sister."

❃