Chapter 5

Despite the heavy curtains covering the second floor windows, the bright sunlight had snuck into his bedroom and was, at this moment, glaring at him.

He rolled over in an attempt to go back to sleep. After all, it wasn’t like he had anyplace to be. But each time he tried to relax into sleep, something would annoy him into wakefulness.

Opening one eye, he looked around at the increasing amount of sunlight and cheeriness that had ruthlessly invaded his inner sanctum. And, as if that wasn’t enough to get him out of bed, various parts of his body had joined the chants of ‘Get Up!’.

Dragging himself reluctantly to the edge of the bed, he reached for his walking cane, and giving one last mournful look at his pillow, pushed himself to a standing position. He paused only a moment to ensure he was stable on his feet before setting off for the bathroom.

After shutting off the warm water of the shower and carefully stepping out of the stall, he steadied himself on the handrails that encircled his bathroom. Making his way to the sink, he proceeded to brush his teeth and hair. He idly glanced out the window to see that the day was shaping up to be another hot one. The gardens were in full bloom, and the trees were a glorious mid-summer green.

Combing his shoulder-length blond hair, he noticed that it had filled out quite nicely since his arrival at the house. His hunch had straightened, and he’d put on a few pounds. Well, more than a few, he admitted to himself as he rubbed his hand around his slight potbelly. Yes, a lot had changed for him – a lot.

Setting down his comb, he hopped over to where he’d set his cane in order to cross the bedroom to his closet. True, he noted, his right leg hadn’t fully mended and probably never would, but he got around quite nicely using his cane. And what a nice cane it was. It was a gift from Anna a couple months back. It had a black shaft and a silver crook. He thought it made an old man look distinguished.

As he finished dressing, the sound of an elf popping into his room was heard.

“Good Morning, Master,” the elf said as she bowed.

“Good Morning, Sera,” he politely responded.

“Your breakfast is waiting. Where would you like it served, sir?”

“Is it nice out today?” he inquired.

“Oh, yes, sir. Quite nice.”

“Good, good, then I’ll take breakfast out in the gazebo in the garden.”

“Very good, sir.”

“Sera, is Anna up yet?”

“No, sir. Miss Anna is still abed.”

“Thank you, Sera. That will be all.”

The elf bowed happily and popped away.

“Still asleep, is she?” he said to the air.

He knew it was her habit to work late into the night when she had a writing deadline, and he properly reprimanded her each time for neglecting her health in this way. But the truth was he missed her in the mornings. He missed sharing breakfast and corn muffins with her. It was the only part of day when her life seemed to slow down enough so they could spend some time together. He understood that she was a successful author and sold millions of books and was paid well for her hard work. He truly didn’t begrudge the claims on her day. He just missed her sometimes.

He walked out of his room and made his way to the stairs. He held the banister and slowly descended to the first floor. Passing through the foyer, he stopped, as he always did, at the oak side-table. He picked up a caramel from the crystal candy dish, unwrapped it, and popped it in his mouth. Then, he picked up the framed picture beside the dish. It was a photo of Hermione and Anna when Anna was about twelve. They were both smiling and giggling. Hermione still had that bushy brown hair and those sparkling brown eyes. Anna was equally beautiful, though her hair was straighter and lighter than her mother’s. Her eyes, pale blue, alternately looked happily at the camera and at her mother. He couldn’t help but smile, too, at the joy the two shown.

He set the picture back down on the table and ambled down the hall to the door leading to the gardens.

Opening the back door, he was greeted with a beautiful day, warm and bright. The air was pungent with the scents of the many flowers.

The old man strolled slowly to the gazebo, truly enjoying the day. He breathed in the sweet air deeply, turning his face towards the sun.

He arrived at the white-painted structure and climbed the couple of steps inside. Sera had laid out breakfast – fruit, eggs, and the ever-present basket of corn muffins. He picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet as he sat down. It was his habit to read the paper while he ate his first muffin. However, in the process, he would always manage to drop crumbs all over it. Anna constantly griped that the crumbs left stains on the pages. The bickering was always good-natured and part of a comfortable routine they’d made for themselves. And he reveled in it.

He perused the pages of the paper, often surprised at the editorial judgment or lack thereof of the publishers. Now and again, he even caught sight of his name in it. Much of that was speculation on his whereabouts and current dealings and if there was any possibility of his return to wizarding society. But that wasn’t about to happen, not now, not ever. Any conjecture about whatever had happened to the evil Draco Malfoy would simply go unanswered.

Draco set down the paper as he heard footsteps entering the gazebo. He smiled up at Anna.

“Good Morning, Princess,” he said brightly.

Leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the head, Anna said, “Morning, Daddy.”