Childhood fears

Return to the vaults

While Draco was happy to be home, he was very concerned about his mother. His father had purchased a walking stick to help his mother as she started to regain her mobility, but she still complained of pains and how tired she was. He remembered the voice he had heard downstairs, and mentioning the wrong password to get into the vault. He laid in bed, thinking about it long and hard. Unable to sleep, he got up and walked toward his parents room, pausing by the door.

"I'm so tired, Lucius," he heard his mother talk. "Even with the walking stick, I still tire."

"I know, darling," his father replied. "But, you're doing so well. The Doctor will be here tomorrow to assess your progress."

"Better be good news."

"Maybe it'll be the news you've always wanted."

"Let's not get our hopes up," he heard his mother say firmly, but there was an airiness to her voice. "But, it would be nice to hear the cries of another child."

Another child?  Draco thought, pulling back from the door. Why would they want another child? Are they not happy with me?

Draco walked toward the staircase and into the drawing room. He went down into the cellar, and tried to find the key under the mat. Glad to see it was still there, he pulled it out and reached up to unlock the gate. He walked in and walked toward the vault. You've returned.... the voice said. Do you know the password?

Draco thought about it for a moment, then called the house-elf. "Dobby!"

Dobby appeared a moment later. "Master Draco?" Dobby asked, surprised. "What are you doing in here? And at this hour? Anxious Mistress will be if she finds out."

"Mother won't find out," Draco said firmly. "Because you won't tell her. Or my father. I forbid it. You will tell me the password, though."

"Dobby is forbidden from telling anyone the password..."

"Anyone outside of the family," Draco corrected. "I'll be your master after Father, and you will answer anything I want. Now, tell me the password."

Dobby shook his head firmly. "Master and Mistress will punish Dobby very severely. Especially Mistress... she may have Dobby's head hanged in 12 Grimmauld place. Ghastly place." Dobby then gasped and walked toward the wall and started to bang his head on it. "Bad Dobby!"

"You'll have far worse to worry about if they find out you were in the garden near Mother's flowers," Draco said, a smile crossing his lips.

"But, Dobby never goes there," Dobby whimpered, his eyes widening in horror. "Dobby is never needed there."

"Doesn't matter," Draco continued. "My parents find out you were near Mother's flowers, they'll flay you alive. Now, what's the password?"

"Sun Dragon," Dobby whimpered.

"Finally, now go," Draco ordered, turning to the vault as Dobby disappeared. "Sun Dragon."

⨝⨝⨝

"Do you want to try again right away?" Narcissa asked, as she laid curled up in her husband's chest. They had switched sides of the beds to give her the ability to rest more against him. She always loved falling asleep in his arms; it made her feel safe, protected even.

Lucius smiled, kissing her gently. "You know I always want to wait until you're ready," he whispered.

"I know," Narcissa sighed. "It was your idea though, that we wait. So, I want to make sure you're okay with trying again."

"As long as you're not disappointed if there are no results," Lucius replied firmly. Not only did Narcissa struggle to carry to full term, but there was also an odd number of gaps between each conception; with the exception of the last one, Narcissa was seemingly only able to get pregnant every few years. They had conceived Leo in '73, Mira in '75, and Draco in '79. That was including Narcissa's grieving periods for their first two children, where Lucius had gone through great efforts not to seduce her until she was out of mourning. "You know how I feel about seeing you distressed about this matter."