Hanna

“Clara,” I called up the stairs after having fixed an omelet for my daughter’s first day of school.  “Clara!”

“Calm down, Hanna,” mum said as she appeared at the top of the steps, still in her nightgown. “Clara’s been up for almost an hour. She can’t decide what to wear, just like someone else on their first day of school.”

I smiled. Of course she was talking about me. I had such a bad case of the nerves that I had my room a complete mess and an empty trunk, which was exactly how I found Clara’s room when I walked up there. She was sitting in the middle of the floor with a pout on her face. Her long, dark hair draped around her face and was messy from frustration.

“Clary,” I smiled and kneeled down beside her. “Are we just a tad nervous?”

She looked up into my eyes and shrugged. “I guess.”

“What’s the problem?” I asked, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m sure we can figure it out together.”

She shook her head and pulled away from me. “You can’t help me. My trunk’s broken,” she pointed over to her trunk.

I got up and went over to look at it. The right side hinges were handing off, but that’s the way it had been when it had belonged to me. I sighed and looked over at her. She rushed over and slapped my hands away.

“No!” she cried out. “You can’t fix it, only daddy can!”

Oh, so that’s what that was about. “Clary-“

“It’s all your fault that he’s not here to help me! You’re the one that pushed him away!” she cried out and pushed me away from her. “Daddy loves me.”

“Yes, he loves you, and nothing will ever change that. He’s on his way here right now. He’s going to help you fix the trunk, and he’s going with us to King’s Cross. Clary-“

“Don’t call me that!” she shrieked and started throwing things into her trunk at random. “You are the reason why I don’t have my daddy around anymore. You’re the reason why we’re not happy anymore.”

“Clary, you have to understand that Daddy and I weren’t happy together. We fought too much. It was getting old, and I was tired of crying almost every night. Some people aren’t meant to be together, Clara.”

“Daddy belongs with me,” she firmly stated, “and I don’t love you anymore.”

I looked at her for a moment before walking out of the room. I made it halfway down the stairs before I completely broke down. Sitting on the steps made more sense than to keep moving. How could my daughter not love me anymore? How could she love Simon even more? It had been better for all three of us to let go and move on…right?

“Hanna,” I heard a deep voice call out to me from the bottom of the steps. “What happened?”

An warm arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I automatically let my had fall onto his shoulder. Simon. I had tried to go on like I never knew Draco, but he still had a hold on my heart. It was fucking nineteen years later, and I was still in love with a man that I could never have. I was incomplete and would always be. It was the root of the fights between Simon and me, and even pushed him into the arms of another woman.

“She simply adores you,” I whispered into his chest before looking up into his eyes, “and despises me.”

“Who? Clara?” he asked, rubbing circles on my back.

I nodded. “She says it’s my fault that you’re not around anymore. The sad thing is,” I pulled away from him with a sniffle, “she’s right.”

“We were never meant to be, Hanna. It’s not your fault. Our love was like-“

“Catching a snowflake,” I sighed and wiped my nose on the back of my hand. “You remember telling me that when you were trying to convince me that Draco and I didn’t belong together.”

He nodded. “Looks like I’ve been wrong this entire time.”

I shook my head. “No, we were meant to be just not meant to be forever.”

“I should go talk to Clara,” he said, getting up and heading off towards her room.

“Hanna,” mum then took his place just a few minutes later. “She didn’t mean anything that she said in there. She’s just upset and you’re the easiest person to blame.”

“Because it is my fault,” I shook my head. “If I could just let him go…”

“You can’t let go of your soul mate,” mum said before standing. “You and Draco belong together, and you know it.”

“Mummy,” Clara pulled me down to her level with a huge smile on her face. “I do love you,” she said, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck. “I was just angry earlier. Daddy explained everything to me,” she then grinned even wider. “Be with your true love mummy. You deserve it,” she then kissed me on the cheek and skipped off with Harper, Bella’s and Blaise’s youngest daughter.

“You know she’s right, Hanna,” Bella smirked over at me. “Blaise told me that he’s been divorced longer than you.”

“Really?”

“It’s true,” said Gregory, Bella’s oldest son who was going into his sixth year. “Professor Malfoy has been single for quite some time now. He talks about how he’s so much happier without Eriel, who is now with Professor Longbottom.”

“Eriel and Neville?” I asked as Gregory walked away. I swear that he acted just like the man he was named after, which could be trouble.

Bella nodded. “That would be correct.”

“Hanna.”

My heart then stopped. The voice from behind me sounded relieved and excited all at the same time. It was exactly how I was feeling. I then smirked at Bella, who walked away with a wave at the man behind me. I slowly turned to face him.

“Hi, Draco.”

Draco

Being divorced and single was not the life for me. I wanted to be settled down. I wanted to have a family. I wanted Hanna. Not that I could really have her. She was still married to Simon…or at least that was the last that I had heard. Gregory Zambini was a great source of information and always willing to tell a friend.

Too bad I was taking the year off. I needed a sabbatical and was planning to travel around Ireland. I needed to just take off away from England just for a little while. Eriel was bringing Scorpios over. For some odd reason, my son actually wanted to do something with me. Eriel and I had been divorced for almost six years, and he always wanted to do stuff with his stepfather, Neville instead of me. Makes me feel proud that my son hates me…heavy on the sarcasm.

“Hullo,” Eriel greeted me warmly as I opened to door up to my loft, the home of a bachelor. “Scorpios is really excited. Aren’t you?”

“Sure,” my boy grunted as if he was annoyed.

So, Eriel was forcing him to keep contact with me again. That was not a good idea.

“He’s your dad, now say hi,” she pushed him inside. “I’ve got to go. You have fun your first year and don’t get into too much trouble, you hear?”

“Of course he will,” I smirked. “If he’s my son at all, he will.”

“And that’s what I’m afraid of,” she winked at me before leaving.

“So,” I sighed after closing the door.

Scorpios shrugged. “So.”

“So, what brings you here?” I asked, feeling a little uncomfortable and only because of the look of pure hatred on my own son’s face as he looked at me.

“Mum,” he grunted.

I nodded and scratched the back of my head. “Why do you hate me?” I busted out, not able to hold it in any longer. “Did I really do something that was so horrible to you? I would love to know.”

“You left,” he simply replied.

“I know I did, but it was better that way. Understand?” I said, after I had paused in shock at what he had said.

He nodded. “It was because mum fell in love with one of your co-workers.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” I sighed and took a seat beside him at the bar in the kitchen, “yes.”

“But you didn’t have to leave.”

I looked my son in the eyes. “Yes, I did. Your mum and I weren’t in love anymore, so we couldn’t live together. It wouldn’t have been proper. Besides, I only live down the street. You can come and see me anytime.”

“Not when you’re working,” he sighed, “and this year you’re taking off my first year.”

“I’m sorry, Scorp. I didn’t know that you felt this way.”

“Well, I do,” he said, standing. “We better go, or we’ll be late.”

“Scorp,” I said, walking from between the wall and the platform. “I’m going to get my job back this year, so we can spend more time together. I promise.”

“Whatever,” he shook his head. “I’ll see you if you show up.”

“I’ve showed up every time we made plans,” I grabbed a hold of his shoulder before he could walk away from me.

“No, you didn’t,” he shrugged my hand off and faced me. “Remember last year when you told me that you would teach me how to play Quidditch. You were going to show me the tricks of being a Seeker, but you didn’t come and pick me up. You broke your promise.”

“I’m so sorry, Scorpios,” I kneeled down so I could look at him properly. “You are my son, and I love you. I just can’t be superman and be there every time that you need me.”

“You could if you really wanted to.”

Tears pricked my eyes because he was right. “I’ll be better.”

“Just don’t promise,” he said before hugging me tightly. “Then I won’t trust you ever again if you break it.”

“I love you, Scorpios. Always have and always will,” I smiled up at him. “Now, get on that bloody train before I throw you on it.”

“Bye dad,” he smiled. “I love you too.”

I watched him get on the train with his friends before turning and seeing something that I thought I would never see. Hanna was kneeling and talking to a little girl that looked exactly like her. I started to walk over and smiled when I heard the little girl speak.

“Be with your true love, mummy. You deserve it,” she then kissed her on the cheek before skipping off with another little girl.

“You know she’s right, Hanna,” Bella, who had been standing there next to her and Simon, smirked over at her best friend. “Blaise told me that he’s been divorced longer than you.”

“Really?”

“It’s true,” said Gregory. “Professor Malfoy has been single for quite some time now. He talks about how he’s so much happier without Eriel, who is now with Professor Longbottom.”

“Eriel and Neville?” Hanna asked as Gregory walked away.

Bella nodded. “That would be correct.”

Gregory winked at me as he passed. I smiled as I approached the only thing that had been on my mind for nineteen years. I needed her, and it sounded like she needed me. There was no other option but to speak to her.

“Hanna,” I said, my voice a little shaky.

She slowly turned to face me. “Hi, Draco.”

“Long time, no see,” I smirked.

She nodded. “Long, long time.”

“You look amazing, by the way,” I said, speaking only the truth. “I miss you,” I blurted out before she could say anything else.

“I miss you too.” She spilled out as well.

“Do you want to go grab a cup of coffee?” I asked with a huge smile on my face

“Only if we go to the café that we met in,” she smirked.

I nodded. “Of course we can.”

After the train pulled away, we started towards the exit. I reached over and took her hand as we continued to walk. She intertwined our fingers together with a quick glance at me. I looked straight into her eyes, the most beautiful eyes that I had ever seen, before leading her out into the world.