Title: Foolish
Author: blacksouledbutterfly (me)
Rating: Mature
Pairings: Draco/Hermione
Summary: I always knew you would be the one to make me cry....
25- Draco
Also I would like to apologize for the large gap in updates. I was having prolonged computer problems that made me want to rip my hair out. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.
You sit silently in one of the chairs in the drawing room, while I pace back and forth impatiently.
You are unusually pale. You look sickly.
Mother keeps asking me who Danica is, but I don't answer her. The house elves are running around the house looking for any trace of her.
Serena returns, her head down cast. "Serena is sorry, Young Master Malfoy. The child is no where to be found."
"How could she just vanish?" My voice is harsh. It shouldn't really be. I know it wasn't Serena's fault. Somewhere deep down I know that.
"Someone took her," you say quietly, but the look on your face makes it seem like you didn't speak at all.
I walk over and kneel in front of you, taking your hands in mine. Your skin is cold to the touch. I rub my fingers over your knuckles. "What do you mean, love?"
You blink at me but your eyes are empty, like doll eyes. Mother used to have a doll with eyes the same color of yours, and right now that is what you remind me of. "Someone came here and took her. Magically."
"Who would want to do that?"
You pull your hands out of mine almost violently. "I don't know. You tell me," you hiss.
I flinch internally at your tone.
"For the last time, who is Danica?" Mother asks.
I turn to look at her briefly. "Our daughter."
Her eyes grow wide, and then narrow as if studying me. "Your what?"
"Daughter. Hermione and my daughter."
She is silent then, her fingers pressed against her mouth. I know she is thinking hard by the way her eyebrows come together.
Serena is standing by the chair you are sitting at, apologizing over and over again. You don't answer her though. You don't even acknowledge her.
"Why didn't you tell me about her, Draco?" Mother asks.
"Well, in all fairness, I only have known about her for a short time."
"And why didn't you tell me when you found out?"
"Hermione and I were still fighting," I explain. "I needed to try to work things out with her before I brought Danica up. And then Hermione disappeared and I figured I would never see them again, so I didn't think you had to know."
"Of course I had to know," she tells me. She sounds very insulted. "I am your mother."
"I know who you are," I tell her coolly. "Its rather hard to forget."
"Don't use that tone with me, Draco."
I turn away from her. "What's important now is finding her. She's just a child. Who would take her?"
Mother lets out a heavy sigh. "I should have told you before."
I look at her out of the corner of my eyes. "Told me what?"
"I'll never forgive myself for not telling you sooner. I thought I was protecting you."
"What didn't you tell me?"
"I am so sorry."
"Mother, what didn't you tell me?"
"Its about your father." She motions for me to sit down but I don't. I prefer to remain standing because I have a feeling I will not like what she is about to say. "Draco, your father is alive."
I can hear you take a deep breath and turn to see your eyes have widened slightly. Did you know all along he was dead? Of course, you did. You work at the Ministry.
I look back at my mother. "Impossible. I killed him myself."
She shakes her head however. "He didn't die, Draco. Your father didn't die. I've spoken to him."
I decide that my mother is insane then and I should look into sending her to St. Mungo's hospital.
"I saw him die."
"You saw what he wanted you to see," she tells me, sighing. "I wish I have told you. Then your daughter might not be missing."
I stop to process this. "Okay, lets just say for the sake of arguments that Father is alive. Why on Earth would he take Danica? Why would he care? Why would he do it? And who would have told him?"
You speak then, your voice quiet. "Pansy."
And that is when I turn to see her walking into the room, a smirk on her face