Becoming

Draco read the piece several times before he jotted down a response to Hermione. He was chuffed with the article, personally, and was happy with Hermione’s decision to engage the Quibbler – they would not have seen a proof of any interview with the Daily Prophet, as the publication tended to sensationalise and misquote in the name of higher sales; therefore, the editors hated being responsible to the people they interviewed.

Granger –

Looks great. Thank you for arranging this with Lovegood. I’d much rather this piece than an expose in the Prophet. I was surprised to see you addressed your departure from the Ministry,

Draco hesitated before he continued.

and also your defence of Malfoy Corp. I very much appreciate the gesture of support.

I know you’ll be at the Wizengamot for opening arguments on Tuesday. Would you be amenable to accompanying me to dinner that evening? We’ll of course stick to Muggle communities if you prefer – there’s a well-reviewed sushi restaurant in South London I’ve been meaning to try, but Scorp doesn’t much care for seafood, and I don’t much care to take a four-year-old to a proper restaurant.

In other words, Granger, I’d like to take you on a date. Theo and Padma are available to keep Scorp whenever we’d like. I can of course accommodate any other day next week, but thought you might enjoy a reprieve after a long first day in the courts. Do let me know.

Yours,
Draco

Draco made every attempt to avoid second-guessing himself as he summoned Brutus to deliver his own missive. Brutus seemed to welcome the novelty of a delivery as he took off from his perch with enthusiasm. It didn’t stop the sinking feeling of dread that settled in his chest as the large owl disappeared into the night sky.

It was another several hours before Draco was able to drag himself to bed with a pit in his stomach, only to drift off in the early morning hours.

Friday morning began in a laughably mundane way in light of the news Draco knew would be splashed across wizarding Britain that day. After too few hours of sleep, Draco found himself ill-prepared to entertain Scorpius’ light-hearted morning chatter. He didn’t have the energy to pull together a standard breakfast, and he and Scorp instead enjoyed a rare bowl of Shreddies (and several large cups of coffee on Draco’s part).

Trepidation filled Draco as he and Scorp prepared to Floo to the Nott home. He hugged Scorp tightly to him upon their arrival, comforting himself more than anything (as Scorp was blissfully unaware of the events that were unfolding in the wizarding press). He watched Scorp run off to join Raf and Irma in the kitchen before heading silently down the hall to Theo’s office.

The quiet man was absent from his office, but Draco dropped into one of the wingback chairs nonetheless. He dropped his head forward into his hands to quell the nausea that plucked at the edge of his consciousness, and distracted himself by listing common potions ingredients.

Abraxan tail hair. Aconite. Acromantula venom. Agrippa.

He had made it to Boom Berry before he heard someone let themselves into the office. He was unsurprised to see only Theo, as it was mere minutes before classes would be convening at the primary school and Padma had undoubtedly ushered the kids across the grounds already.

Theo offered a bright, "Good morning, mate," as he tossed a newspaper into Draco's lap.

The Prophet was already out, apparently.

“Page eleven,” Theo added as he settled himself at his desk.

Draco pulled The Quibbler from his own coat pocket and slid it across the desk for Theo to read.

Underneath the photo of the three of them, there was a surprisingly large chunk of text. Considering they had only provided a short statement for Parvati, Draco felt his stomach flip again.

GOLDEN GIRL GRANGER EXPECTING

Daily Prophet readers will be pleased to hear that Hermione Granger has come forward with a rare and shocking bit of news about her personal life: the Golden Girl is pregnant. This will no doubt surprise many, as Ms. Granger has not been romantically linked to anyone in the public eye for quite some time. It seems Ms. Granger has had reason to keep things private, as the father of her surprise child is none other than the “Bad Boy of Philanthropy” himself: Draco Malfoy, owner of Malfoy Corp.

The couple provided the following statement to The Prophet.

“Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, together with Mr. Malfoy's son, Scorpius, are pleased to announce the impending birth of their child in the new year.

‘This is a true gift,’ Ms. Granger states. ‘Draco and I reconnected this past winter through some mutual friends and we are both very excited for this next adventure.’

Mr. Malfoy also commented that he and his son are delighted for their family to be growing. ‘My son can't wait to meet his new sibling, and neither can I.’”

Sources close to the couple express that the two former schoolyard (and early wartime) enemies are quite happy with this development.

“They’ve always been quite similar and, I believe, well-suited to one another despite their rough school years,” close friend Theodore Nott II commented. “They’re both very driven and passionate, and they can debate you in circles with how intelligent they both are. It didn’t surprise me when they became close after they met again at a Nott Industries function. It has been wonderful seeing them so happy together.” Mr. Nott refused further comment on the rekindling of the Granger-Malfoy romance.

Harry and Ginevra Potter also weighed in on Ms. Granger’s news. “Hermione’s going to be a great mum, and Draco is already a wonderful father. We think she and Draco are quite excellent together,” Mrs. Potter is quoted as saying. Mr. Potter chimed in, saying, “We can’t wait to meet the little one!”

Readers will remember that Mr. Malfoy is a widower with a young son. His wife, Astoria (nee Greengrass) passed away in 2013. It seems Mr. Malfoy took his time getting back onto the broomstick, as this is the first time he has been publicly linked to anyone since the funeral. He seemingly has the full support of his former in-laws, however.

Daphne Bruxton (nee Greengrass) offered the following statement. “Draco and Scorpius are so excited to be expanding their family. A larger family is all they’ve ever wanted, and it is, quite frankly, everything my sister [Astoria] would have wanted for them. She would be so proud and happy for them to be doing so with Ms. Granger. We wish them nothing but happiness.”

We at the Prophet feel it is of import to note that this development serves as several milestones in the lives of both Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy.

It is yet unknown how impending parenthood will impact Ms. Granger's career, as she will undoubtedly need to take some time away from both her own legal business and the public courts. Given her lofty aspirations and recent momentum in the creature rights arena, it is unknown how her causes will progress in her absence.

More notably, known historical birth records indicate that the Malfoy line has produced only a single, male child in each of the last eight generations. The birth of a second Malfoy child will undoubtedly prove to be a turning point for the Malfoy legacy.

The couple requests privacy as they prepare for their child’s arrival in the new year. They have declined an interview with the Daily Prophet, stating that they have addressed some questions about this new development in an interview with Ms. Granger appearing in this week's edition of the Quibbler.

The Prophet was unable to locate Ministry records of an existing marriage license between the two enemies-turned-lovers and no plans as yet have been announced regarding an impending wedding, but the Prophet will report on further details as they become available. We look forward to celebrating with our Golden Girl and Bad Boy of Philanthropy in printing their birth announcement in the future.

Draco blew out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

“That definitely could have been worse. That’s probably the least salacious piece Parvati has ever published.”

Theo snorted in response, still reading the article in The Quibbler. “She seemed to understand the importance of the situation, at least for this announcement. I didn’t fail to notice your new moniker, by the way. Should we start calling you the Bad Boy of Philanthropy now?” Theo chuckled again. “Anyway, Parvati’s not ignorant to what this means for House Malfoy, and she hinted that she’d be doing a deep-dive now that you may be dropped from the Sacred Twenty-Eight for acknowledging a half-blooded child.”

“What a load of tosh,” Draco huffed. “As if I give a rat’s arse about that.”

“It will make for good headlines, is all.”

“As long as it doesn’t keep Granger’s court case out of the spotlight and they don't drag Scorpius into it, they can do whatever they want.”

“Don’t let Parvati hear that, or you may be talked into an interview,” Theo added finally. He closed The Quibbler and laid it back on his desk. “That article of Luna’s, though, is fabulous. Did you know she’d be going into your philanthropic works?”

“The whole thing was a surprise to me,” Draco confessed. “The interview was about her current projects, and it was already scheduled for an issue this month. It just happened to be serendipitous timing. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. Lovegood’s not exactly known for sticking on topic though, is she?”

“Nope,” Theo agreed jovially. “It’s one of the things I always liked about her, though. She doesn’t pull her punches, Luna. She gets right to the point, just like she did here.”

“Now we wait for the hate mail.”

Theo waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t expect it will be as bad as you think. I saw your owl about the new wards, though, so we’ll still stick to Floo calls if we need to reach you. It's faster than our owls anyway.”

“Thanks. I’m going to go check the owl box first thing to toss out the rubbish, and then hole up with Scorp for the weekend. Might make some pie.”

“Make sure you save some for Padma,” Theo chuckled affectionately. “You know she loves your baking.”

“Of course.”

“And I expect that you keep me from making a liar out of myself with that quote,” Theo added, glancing at Draco over the rim of his glasses. “Padma and I would like to spend some time with the two of you together, if you’re amenable. It’s been months since Padma has seen Hermione, and I just want to see you happy, mate.”

Draco nodded. “We’ll chat about it. I did also ask her if she’d like to go out on – y’know – a proper date soon. After her first court date next week. Would you mind keeping Scorp if she agrees?”

“Absolutely. He’s welcome here anytime.”

“Thanks, mate.”

“Of course. Do you want company to Diagon?”

Draco hesitated over the question. The Prophet had released that morning, but Diagon shouldn’t be particularly busy as the shops would only just be opening shortly.

As Draco’s oldest friend, Theo sensed his discomfort. He stretched and removed his glasses, tossing them on his desk and eyeing Draco critically. “I’ve got to pick an order up at Twifit and Tattings today. Give me a half hour to sign this shite and we’ll head out. We’ll grab a coffee at that new cafe next to the Leaky on our way. They’ve got this amazing toffee-flavoured latte, I’ve heard.”

Draco nodded aimlessly, settling back in the chair. Dread prickled at the back of his neck.