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“More, Daddy! Bigger! To the sky! Please?”
Theodore Nott had never been a pushover, but Astra made everything different. If she asked for something, he gave it to her ten-fold, more even, though Draco often shook his head. As though the blond didn’t do the exact same thing. So when Astra asked for snow castles earlier in the day, Theo wrapped both himself and his daughter in multiple warming charms and began building them from the previous days’ snow. Astra laughed and sang silly songs for a while before she asked if he could build something she could actually play in.
Of course he could.
Snow and ice came together to build a frozen palace fit for a princess. Draco would take one look at it and raise an eyebrow, silently asking Theo if it was really necessary.
The answer, in Theo’s mind, was yes.
Astra was the shining star in his life, the person who would always lead him home. And while Draco attempted to play the stern parent, the stoic man, Theo knew his partner felt the same way about their little girl. There wasn’t much in their chaotic world that could calm them as easily as the child, nothing that made them remember that there was still love in a post-war world.
“Will Papa be home soon?” Astra asked suddenly, turning her back on the snow growing behind her.
“He should be,” Theo answered. He focused on the castle he created. His wand rose slowly, his mind focused on charms to hold the large structure together.
“When will I see Mummy again?”
Theo faltered at the question. His hand shook, and with it, snow tumbled down the side of the palace. The sound of snow against ice stole Astra’s attention as she spun and brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise. By the time she turned back to Theo, the snow was fixed, and Theo was on his knees, arms out to gather Astra close.
“It’s alright,” he soothed her. “Look, it’s all fixed.” When she sniffled, Theo smoothed her hair back. “What’s wrong?”
Her voice was soft, like she was scared. “Grandfather says I’m a dis-action, and bad things happen ‘acause of me.”
Anger flared in Theo at her words, but he held as much of it inside as he could. “Astra, my love, you are never a distraction – not to me or Papa or Mummy.” He held her close and whispered in her hair, “You are everything good in this world.”
At that moment three things happened. A crack of apparition echoed in the area. Astra yelled out “Mummy!” which caused Theo’s stomach to clench at her appearance. And his left arm burned.
Theo stood quickly and followed after Astra, whose arms were now wrapped around her mother. He stood at her side, lifting a hand to her cheek and turning it to face him. He breathed out her name.
“Hermione.”
She leaned into his palm for a moment. Her eyes fell shut when he pressed his lips against the side of her head, burrowing his face into her hair.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly. Urgently.
Draco reached over and placed his hand over Theo’s left forearm. “We’re being summoned. All of us. ”
“Why?” There was something in Draco’s voice that worried Theo.
Instead of answering him, Draco dropped into a crouch and slowly – carefully – pried his daughter’s arms from around Hermione’s waist. “Astra, darling girl.”
Immediately, the young girl wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck. “Papa.”
“Will you go inside? I believe Nottling has some hot cocoa for you.”
“Come with me?” she requested.
But Draco kissed her forehead and shut his eyes. “Not tonight, my love. Daddy and I have to leave, but Mummy is here tonight. Here for…”
“A while,” Hermione said shakily, smoothing a hand over the white-blond curls of her daughter, the child she only saw when it was safe , or in emergencies, like tonight. “I’ll be right behind you.”
The three adults watched Astra nod and make her way back to the large manor. The little girl looked over her shoulder every now and then, until she finally disappeared inside.
“Draco –”
To Theo’s exasperation, Draco shook his head at him, instead cupping Hermione’s face in his hands. Theo watched the two of them closely; Hermione was anxious, even more than usual, while Draco took deep breaths as though calming himself. Hermione brought her hands up, encircling Draco’s wrists with her fingers.
“We will keep her safe,” he promised. “It’s just a rumour right now. No one actually knows.”
“Draco.” This time, the blond looked over to Theo, whose eyes had widened. “What is going on? Why are –”
The burning in both men’s arms intensified. Draco drew in a breath between his teeth, a whistling sound loud to everyone present. “The Dark Lord heard talk of a child.”
“No,” Theo breathed.”
“A powerful child born of once-enemies.”
Hermione whimpered at the words. She curled into Draco’s body, though a hand reached out for Theo, who took it and stepped closer. He wrapped his arms around them, a man who should be his husband, a woman who would be his wife, if only marriage lines couldn’t be traced.
“Named for the stars, hidden in shadows.”
“Astra,” Hermione breathed the name. “My baby.”
“We have to go,” Draco said solemnly. He lifted Hermione’s face, met her worried eyes. “Stay here. The both of you. Try not to do magic until we know for sure.”
“How long?” she asked. She brought a hand up to brush her fingers over Draco’s mouth. “How long will this take?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. He looked over at Theo’s alarmed gaze. If Draco didn’t know what was happening as a high-ranking Death Eater, there was no telling what would happen. “But we will be back, do you hear me? We will come back for the both of you.”
He kissed her then, a deep kiss filled with promises. When he pulled away, Draco turned her to face Theo, who did the same. Like always, Theo lingered with Hermione before he let go and pressed his lips to Draco’s. After, they stood there, under the cold shadow of a snow castle, an ice palace meant to keep its occupants safe, hands clasped together.
Then Draco stepped away and held his arm out toward the manor. Silently, he summoned black robes and silver masks that made Hermione shiver. She watched as they layered the robes over what they already wore and brought the masks up to their faces. The edges shimmered as the masks attached themselves.
All Hermione could see were their eyes.
The crack of disapparation was loud, almost jarring. Hermione took a deep breath.
“Come back,” she whispered before turning and going to the manor, where her daughter waited – the one named for the stars, the one they’d kept hidden for years, the one born of enemies after The Chosen One fell to the Dark Lord. “Keep us safe.”