Work Text:
A loud and surprising creak in the floorboard in front of him caused Draco to glance up frantically from his book. His vision blurred for a moment before it focused on the middle Potter child standing nervously in the doorway of Draco’s study in Malfoy Manor. Draco slightly frowned towards Albus.
“Hey Albus, why aren’t you outside with everyone else?”
The young boy avoided Draco’s eyes and stared down at his feet as Draco heard his wife and children mingle with the remaining Potter family outside. Draco was too concentrated on listening in on Hermione and Ginny’s faint conversation that he almost missed Albus’ response. Almost.
“I need to talk to you, Uncle Draco.”
Draco straightened his relaxed poster and quietly set the book he was annotating on the desk in front of him. Albus only ever called him Uncle Draco if the boy was feeling upset or nervous. Draco gently looked back up and patted the seat next to his desk and motioned for the young boy to come over. Draco tried to hide his smile as Albus almost sprinted towards him.
“What’s wrong, Albus?”
The eight year old glanced up towards his uncle. He remained silent and practically shoved his entire body into Draco’s side. The Slytherin, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around Albus and hugged the child. The two sat in silence. Draco listened to Albus’ quick breathing and tried not to rush the boy into spilling what was making him upset. After what felt like twenty minutes of silence, Albus spoke in a whisper.
“Teddy told me everyone at Hogwarts knows the Malfoy name and how you don’t like it’s bad meaning.”
Draco tried to force a smile at Albus as the young boy continued.
“And then I asked Dad and he said that some people with the last name Malfoy did some really bad things in the past but you are now doing good things so your name can be good now.”
Draco nodded, noticing that Albus wanted to continue.
“But what if you don’t want your name to be good. What if you don’t like your name so much that you wanted a new name?”
Draco paused and tried to keep a neutral expression as his nephew finished speaking. By this point, Albus was a nervous mess. He couldn’t sit still and wouldn’t look Draco in the eyes. The boy’s shaggy hair covered his blue eyes and he looked down towards the floorboards. Draco took a second to fix Albus’ hair and motioned for the boy to make eye contact.
“Albus, do you not like your name? Do you want a new name?”
The boy nodded.
“...Teddy said his friends at Hogwarts make fun of Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore. Teddy said a Ravenclaw told him Dumbledore and Snape were really bad people”
Draco stiffened.
“Albus, that was wrong of the Ravenclaw to say that. People shouldn’t make fun of others because of their name. Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore did do some bad things but they also did some good things too.”
Albus shifted his weight back and forth.
“Mummy and Daddy don’t like my name anymore either.”
Draco can’t help his shocked expression and simply asked Albus to explain.
“Mummy can’t look me in the eye when she says my name and Daddy makes a funny face when he says my name. I know they don’t mean to but I see them do it every time. I don’t like my name but I really don’t like my name if it makes other people sad.”
Draco can’t help but frown as he shifted closer to Albus.
“So what do you need my help with, buddy?”
“Daddy used to say I was named after the bravest men he ever knew. I still want to be named after someone brave. Who else did Daddy know who was brave?”
Draco kept his eye contact with Albus but stayed silent. He couldn’t believe his nephew wanted his help to pick a new name. At the same time, Draco couldn’t even guess any brave men Harry knew. He was too busy plotting revenge against him during his teenage years to care about Harry’s acquaintances. The blond pondered other fatherly figures in Potter’s life before settling on the only two he could think of.
“Rubeus or Remus. Your father was very fond of a former — professor —and gamekeeper at Hogwarts named Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid was very fond of your father and put his life at risk to keep your father safe. Remus Lupin, Teddy’s father, was your grandfather’s best friend. He was our professor in 3rd year and also put his life at risk to keep your father safe.”
Albus nodded and looked up towards his uncle with confusion.
“Um, how do I tell my Mummy and Daddy that I don’t want to be called Albus anymore? I don’t want them to be upset and not like me anymore.”
Draco paused, calculating his words carefully.
“You can tell them the truth. Tell them you don’t feel like an Albus Severus. Explain that you don’t like the name and want to be called something else. They might not like it at first, but they’ll open up to your new name. Your Mum and Dad will always love you, no matter what your name is.”
Albus smiled at his uncle from ear to ear.
“Will you be there to help me?”
“Of course.”
______
Draco sighed as he finally finished the last of the paperwork he brought home from work. It was close to dinner time and the Slytherin spent most of his day in his study. He had felt bad leaving Hermione with the children all day, but he was working on paperwork that changed the Malfoy inheritance to accept half-blood heirs. He had almost cracked it. The blonde was just leaving the room when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter on his desk. Draco recognized the owl almost immediately; it was the Potter’s family owl. Draco gave the owl a treat and watch it fly away in his peripheral vision as he opened the letter.
The letter was written in italics text, indicating it was written with a self-writing quill.
Uncle Draco,
You were right! Mummy and Daddy are okay with me wanting a new name. They told me they would love me the same, even if I had a different name. Right now, they only want to call me the name to see if I like it before changing it legally. Thank you for your help!
P.S. Dad is still mad that you got to pick out my new name. He doesn’t like letting you win.
Your Favorite Nephew,
Rubeus Remus Potter