Giving Into Temptation

Chapter Thirteen: A Conversation with Mother

    Draco paced outside his mother’s private room in St. Mungo’s. He didn’t want to talk to her, or try to explain his current situation. But he knew he had to. She’d find out one way or the other, and it’d be in his best interest if she found out from him. So he knocked on the door and waited for his mother to acknowledge him.

    “Come in.”

    He took a deep breath and entered the room, not at all surprised to find it dark. After his father’s death, his mother had suffered a nervous breakdown and now was a permanent resident of the wizarding hospital. When he came to her bedside and laid eyes on her, he noticed how haggard she looked. The slight tinge of madness in her eyes scared him, but he pasted a fake smile on his face and bent over to kiss her cheek.

    “Mother. How are you?”

    “Is my husband still dead?”

    Draco faltered. Was he actually supposed to reply to that?

    “Well? Is he? Or has some miracle or another brought him back?”

    “No, Mum...Father’s still...gone...”

    “Then why would you bother to ask me how I am?”

    “I’m sorry, Mum. I wasn’t thinking.”

    “That’s just like you, isn’t it, Draco? You never think. Your father and I always had to do the thinking for you. Sometimes I wonder how we had such an imbecile for a son.”

    Draco struggled to keep the fake smile from slipping off of his face, but his hands involuntarily clenched at his sides, out of sight of his mother’s piercing gaze.

    “Why isn’t Pansy here with you?”

    “That’s...well...what I came here to talk to you about.”

    “Is she sick? Oh...Draco, is she pregnant? Bed-ridden?”

    “Mum...no, it’s none of that.”

    “Then what? Is she embarrassed to be seem here?”

    “No...Mum, let me explain, please?”

    “All right. Explain.”    Narcissa crossed her arms over her chest and her blue eyes bore into Draco, seeming to burn a hole in him. He glanced out the window, trying to collect his thoughts. How could he tell his mother he was getting a divorce? That he had had an affair with another woman and was now going to be a father? How?

    “I am waiting.”

    Draco flicked his eyes back to his mother and he bit his lip in indecision. She’s going to hate me. Oh...what am I saying, she already hates me. Because I lived and my father died. Because I didn’t become a Death Eater. Because I never followed in that pathetic bastard’s footsteps. What do I care what she thinks? I’m happy for once. Happier than I’ve ever been.

    “Mother, I’m getting divorced.”

    “What?!”

    “You heard me. Pansy and I were never in love...not really...We were forced into marriage by you and Father and the Parkinsons. But we’ve both come to the decision that we’re no longer going to stay in this sham of a marriage. We love other people.”

    “Other people? What ‘other people’?”

    “Blaise...and Hermione Granger.”

    “Hermione....Granger? That Mudblood you went to school with?”

    “Yes.”

    “You fell for a filthy Mudblood? What, did she put you under a spell? Because I can find someone to help you if that’s the problem.”

    “There was no spell, Mother. I fell in love with her...and now she’s pregnant with our child.”

    Narcissa’s eyes widened for an instant and then narrowed into slits, the blue of the pupils now as cold and hard as ice.

    “You mixed with a Mudblood? You polluted the Malfoy bloodline? How...how could you? Do you know what your father would think? He’s probably rolling over in his grave right now! And...oh...the others...what will they say? My parents...How could you?!”

    Narcissa lunged at him and he stopped her from nearly clawing his eyes out by gripping her wrists tightly.

    “I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks. I don’t care about your parents or anyone else’s for that matter. This is not your life. It’s mine. MINE! And I will do with it what I want. You stay in here and wallow in self pity, but this world is better off without Father in it and everybody seems to understand that but you!”

    Draco let go of his mother’s wrists and she slumped back onto the bed.

    “Get out.”

    “My pleasure.”

    Draco strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. As he left the hospital he was fuming. He hadn’t expected her to be happy about his news, but for some reason he’d hoped that she’d at least try to see his side. But as soon as he’d said Hermione’s name his mother had made up her mind. Well...he’d made up his as well. And no psychotic mother of his or any other person would keep him from loving Hermione. If they came after him...threatening him like he knew they would...he’d even be willing to die for her, if that’s what it came to. Malice glinted in Draco’s gray eyes, and his lip curled into a sneer. Let them come, he thought, And I’ll show them exactly how much of a Malfoy I really am.

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