when they became villains [draco malfoy] {book 2}

209

Draco had plunged straight back into work the moment he had returned home. Now for months, he had been doing secret extensive research - reading through old laws of wizard rights, interviewing people on their experiences in Azkaban, looking into the prisons of other Wizard countries. It was quick that Draco realised this case would be even bigger than that ungrateful woman's had been. He had greatly underestimated what he was getting himself into but he also couldn't say he was disappointed. If anything, extensive work only excited him.

He had a goal again and it felt so good to have a goal. To have a reason.

Teddy wasn't enjoying that Draco had a lot of work to do again. They had moved out of the Manor come summer, and now, toward the end of it, as Pansy came over to babysit more often and often, according to her, the kid kept complaining Draco spent too much time hidden away and working. He tried to find time for Teddy but it was getting harder, especially now that a promotional position had opened in the Ministry. Times were hard for wizards like him, many still saw him as evil, especially with Ninomae's release, and he had to work twice as hard for a pay raise.

So to at least somewhat please the child, Aunty Pansy, or as the little man liked to call her Auntie's Panties, had been coming over to look over him at times that he wasn't busy with tutors. Pansy was unexpectedly good with children - they loved her and she loved them - the friend ground had for long been trying to convince her to officially become a nanny or some kind of a tutor. But she kept postponing it. Or anything at all. Draco felt almost sorry for her. For reasons she had not disclosed, her parents had kicked her out of the house penniless, and she mostly lived on the couches of their friend group's houses. Draco's guest room had been hers for the past two months.

As much as it annoyed him, he presumed it was good for him. It was better for Teddy, too. The little brat had begun asking if he would ever get a mommy. He knew his biological parents had died, Draco had been honest with the kid from the get-go, but the kid was still forever hoping for a mom. In a way that very much had offended Draco at the time - Teddy had said that girls were warmer and more fun, which on further thought had been no surprise considering that the women he spent his time with were the forever loving and nurturing Narcissa and Millicent and the two cool aunts - one fun and bubbly, the other rich and entertaining - Pansy and Daphne.

His mother kept mentioning it too, saying that he needed a 'real' heir, and every time he just about wanted to bash her head in for saying that. For one, Teddy was his 'real' heir, his real son - the love he felt for the little man was as real as it could get. For another, Draco did not want to share his space with another woman forever.

He had tried dating. His mother had set one date up for him and he had let the girl stay for breakfast, but a second date had not followed. She had been pretty but it was too clear she had only been after his money, constantly swooning over the materialistic things she noticed him having or wearing. Astoria, after all that had gone down during his last year of Hogwarts, hadn't wanted to ever even talk to him again and had quickly found herself another suitor. Not that Draco was complaining. Daphne, who was constantly travelling, thanks to her parent's money, unbothered because her sister had done the job of marrying and falling pregnant, had taken up the unofficial job of a cupid. As ironic as it was, she had introduced Blaise to a girl he had been dating for two years, now. Several times she had tried to get Draco out on a date as well. He had met with two women and he had barely enjoyed either.

Allie, an American chic in England because of a job transfer was smart and decent-looking. With beautiful ocean-blue eyes, she had seemed perfect on paper - same age, same employer, classy style, good manners and no objection to Teddy who Draco always brought up first in conversation just to weed out anyone not worth wasting his time on. But at just the third date Draco had been bored; they had been keeping up a conversation, getting to know one another but there hadn't been much else to it. He had shagged her and left. As bad as it sounded... Draco didn't really feel bad about the feelings of most.