Chapter Twenty-Two - Emotional Mush
All eyes were on Draco. He felt the sweat start to pool on his palms. He didn't want to go to Azkaban. It was self-defence...right?
"Yes," he whispered. "He was going to kill Hermione and I couldn't let that happen. I thought I'd lost her once already and didn't want to lose her again...am I going to Azkaban?"
"No, you're not," replied the Auror in charge of the investigation who had just walked into the room.
"Mr Zabini welcome back," added the Auror. "Son, we have been trying to locate and execute Marcus Boyle for over a decade. Mr Zabini here wasn't the only person to go missing by Marcus's hand though he was the only one to survive. You've done the world a great justice by getting rid of Marcus, no doubt you'll be rewarded handsomely by the Ministry for your achievement."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He'd been so scared that his actions would have sent him to hell for all eternity. From the mistakes he'd made during the war he'd learnt to keep his head down and not draw unnecessary attention. In everything that had happened, Draco had only been concerned with saving Hermione, so maybe he had changed for the better. It was only during the aftermath that he'd begun to worry about what would happen to him. Thankfully the Auror had set him on the straight and narrow but he still wondered what would happen to his soul. He was already so broken and surely his soul was in danger of losing the good it had and becoming dark?
Hermione put a comforting hand atop of Draco's pulling him from his depressing thoughts. She didn't want him feeling guilty for protecting others. She knew how easy it was to fall into a guilty depression and it wasn't as if he'd killed anyone in cold blood. It was kill or be killed and he'd only acted as a last resort.
"It's time for your story now Papa," said Hermione.
"Yes I suppose you've waited long enough," chuckled Andre. "I suppose you've worked it out already Hermione."
"You know what part we want to hear Papa," replied Hermione.
Andre looked at her seriously, "I'll tell you later angel," he said knowingly.
Instead of talking about his time in captivity like Hermione wanted to know, he listened as his family filled him in on all that had happened since his disappearance. He was shocked to hear about all the things that had happened. Especially the life his daughter had led from age eleven to now. Hermione was truly a powerful witch that much was true and all the seer had predicted seemed to have come true. Andre was suddenly grateful that his angel had disappeared and been kept safe. He knew she hadn't exactly hidden herself during the war but he was thankful that Voldemort never got his teeth into her. To hear what his daughter had become, the brightest witch of her age, war heroine, survivor of torture at the hands of Bellatrix, was enough to shock his mind flat.
Sure when the seer had predicted greatness of his future child he'd been delighted but in all his wildest dreams he never expected her to achieve this much. It made him proud to be her Father.
Much of the next few days were spent catching Andre up to current events, whether it be through his family and friends or newspapers and books written post-war. So much had changed that it seemed the world he'd left had disappeared. This new world was far different from anything he imagined and it would be hard coming to terms with the changes and fitting into the new life he was now in.
Andre got to leave the hospital the following week. The Chief Healer finally deemed that both Andre and Hermione were well enough to leave and return home. Though he mentioned to Hermione that she should ease herself back into her magic and not attempt any large or complex spells straight away.
Katherine was glad to get Andre home for she'd hardly been able to get him away from their daughter. She knew they shared a special bond together for they had since Hermione had been born, however, Katherine needed some time with her husband. She needed to reconnect with him and seek forgiveness for giving up on him. She needed to make sure he knew that she still loved him and should have listened to her heart instead of the Aurors all those years ago.
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Slowly but surely things seemed to return to normalcy. The world kept turning as Andre made his way back into society. Life stopped for no one, the danger had done its damage, broken people were fixed and what was lost was now found. Katherine's world was brighter, there was still love in her marriage though it would take time to reconnect after a decade apart. Blaise had got the Father he always knew he needed, Andre had got the family he knew he was missing and Hermione got the Father she'd been searching for.
Sometimes there were good days. Sometimes, though very rarely, no one died.
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"Draco."
Nervously Draco jumped and embarrassed by his reaction, he blushed scarlet.
"Nervous are you?" asked Andre.
"No Sir."
"You have feelings for my daughter?"
Draco nodded.
"You saved my daughter and by extension you saved me. For that I am grateful. You have my respect Draco, so do not do anything to lose it."
"Sir?"
"What are your intentions towards my daughter?"
"Urh well, I think I love her. No, I know I love her."
"More than?"
"I'm sorry I don't understand."
"What do you love her more than?" sighed Andre impatiently. "Do you love her more than yourself? More than your money? Your inheritance? Your expectations? What do you love her more than?
"I love her more than life itself. She gave me hope in a world where I am at the bottom and didn't judge me with disgust like the rest of the world does. I'd do anything for her."
Andre starred at him intently, "yes, I believe you would."
"I don't want to lose her. I know we are young and that love if fleeting when you are young. I believe we have gone through too much to give up now. I will always protect her. I hope that I will protect her as the one I love but if she were to reject me I would always protect her as a friend."
"You have my blessing should she chose you. Don't hurt her or you'll have a lot more than my anger banging down your door."
"Yes Sir."
Hermione was lucky to have a Father such as Andre.
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Andre felt cheated however for he was thankful for this second chance with his family but he'd missed out on the most important years of his children's lives. Andre longed for memories of his children growing up but he knew he'd never get them. At least in the case of Hermione he was as in the dark as Katherine was to her childhood upbringing. Andre did have some memories of his children as babies and consoled himself that he was making new memories now.
"Papa?" called Hermione as she walked into the library.
"Come here angel."
She went to him willingly. He was her Papa, the one she'd gone to the ends of the earth to find. She'd follow him anywhere if it meant bringing him back to the family once more.
"You wanted to know about my time in captivity didn't you? It's not a pretty story, are you sure you want to know?"
Hermione nodded.
"You mentioned your torture during the war, well my time in captivity was like that pain but I endured it every day. I won't tell you exactly what was done to me because that is a burden I'll carry alone. You survived Voldemort, you know how he worked while Marcus was like a quieter and more fearsome version of Voldemort. He didn't parade his power around for all to see and instead he kept himself hidden because it allowed him more freedom. I know Voldemort wanted a lot more in life but in his later years – from the sounds of it – you cannot argue that he wasn't fuelled by revenge. Killing Potter would have given him the revenge he sought from being thwarted by the Potter family.
When the nights were young the torture was bad. Marcus would visit me daily just to put me on the brink of death. He seemed unwilling to kill me but I never learnt why. He didn't need any information from me for he already knew where Katherine was and how she was faring. He called it a twisted sign of fate. If he couldn't have her then neither could I. He wanted Katherine to spend her life in misery for rejecting him. Marcus wasn't in his right mind that much was clear. Whatever he'd undertaken to get where he was then had taken far more from him. I hardly believe there was any humanity left in him even then. He'd lost it all to the darkness.
The funny thing about captivity is that it makes you re-evaluate your life. With four blank peeling walls there wasn't much to stare at or much to do. I put my most treasured memories, the ones of Katherine and of you and Blaise to the back of my mind. I kept them there for so long that I forgot about them. I became separated from who I was and I became a walking robot, a man without memories, a man without the pain of loss, the pain of sadness and the pain of pain. I was trying to distance myself from my own thoughts and feelings so I could be protected. I couldn't stand to feel anymore.
Through it all, right back in my mind and hidden away was a spark of hope. I didn't know what to do with it in the state that I was in but I clung on to that spark of hope with all that I had. I knew that somehow somewhere something was coming for me and perhaps if I hoped hard enough that spark would set me free. I can't really explain it for it makes no sense but somehow I knew you were coming even though I couldn't. I just knew deep down that someone was coming to save me. It might take minutes, it might take weeks, months or years but I knew someone was coming. That hope kept me alive through the pain, the taunts and the emptiness. It was all worth it."
Andre stopped talking as years of pain bubbled up and tears leaked from his eyes.
"Papa?"
"It's alright, I'm fine."
"You don't have to tell me anymore."
"No, I'm almost done," said Andre. "When I was very young I met a seer."
At Hermione's scoff he rounded on her playfully and said "don't scoff angel, she was real.
She told me that one day I'd have a daughter. This daughter would be the most powerful witch in over a century. She told me that my daughter would achieve great things and suffer from great hardships but would survive everything. I remember feeling amazed that I would one day have a daughter. Katherine and I were seeing each other at that point but nothing was concrete or set in stone. I didn't really set much in store for what the seer predicted. I knew I would love my daughter no matter what but just hearing about the things the seer sure did underestimate you didn't she. You turned out to be far more powerful, intelligent, beautiful, loving and brave than I could have ever imagined.
When I saw you standing within the smoke I thought I was looking at Katherine from the past. I knew you were my spark of hope, the one I'd been waiting for and the one who would save me. I couldn't have done it on my own. I'd forgotten what magic was and had become so separated from myself that I'd become someone else entirely. If you weren't as magnificent as you are I think I would have died in that cell. You are my girl are my saviour, my sweet angel."
"Papa," cried Hermione, hugging her Father tightly as he stroked her hair.
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. The emotional revelation that Andre had unloaded was enough to halt all further thoughts in Hermione's head. She just wanted to stay close to her Father and remind herself that he was here now and wasn't going anywhere.
"Draco was here earlier."
"He was? Why didn't he come to see me?"
"I'd asked him to come and see me angel."
"Why? Oh no. Please don't tell me you went all protective Father on him."
Andre chuckled, "I might have said a few things. I didn't embarrass you angel but Draco had a couple of answers that I required.
"What answers."
"He loves you."
There was silence as Hermione said nothing.
"He didn't tell you?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Do you love him?"
Hermione blushed, "yes Papa."
"I gave him my blessing. He saved you, he saved me. That earnt my respect and my blessing. I've seen the way you two look at each other, there is something special there. Don't lose it."
"I won't Papa."
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