You woke on Wednesday morning to dark clouds in the sky, the light coming through the window uncharacteristically dim. Your fingertips slid across the soft silken sheets of the bed, and you turned over to cuddle close to your personal heater, not wanting to get up just yet. Your arms only discovered empty sheets. You opened your eyes again and looked across the room. He was out of bed already, getting dressed in front of the wardrobe.

Draco Malfoy was not your boyfriend. You had decided not to call each other that so that if anything bad was to happen, you wouldn't have to lie and say that the two of you were together. You had been the one to recommend it after Draco had received his Mark. Yet, here you were on your Easter break, living in Malfoy Manor and sleeping in his bed not even in secret.

You brought your hand up to rest your head on it, and felt the press of cool metal against your cheek. That was another thing- Draco had given you his family ring to wear at the beginning of the year, at the Malfoy's extravagant annual New Year's party. It was even more comical now when your housemates would ask if you were official yet, and you always retorted back "He's not my boyfriend". Your seventh year at Hogwarts was difficult for both of you. The school itself was a mess with Snape at the helm, and the fact that you were knowingly spending your short reprieve from it all in the very house the Dark Lord held his meetings in would've given second-year you a conniption. For the past three years, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had been nothing but tolerant of your relationship, and welcomed you into your home when Draco was brave enough to invite you.

Ever since last year when Draco had become a Death Eater, he was always sure to keep you in the light about the happenings between his family and the Dark Lord, even though his parents had asked him to only tell you what was necessary. You found it hard to believe Lucius would let an outsider like you into his home during such a tense time, but Draco's parents had been the ones to personally extend this invitation.

Good thing your parents had never met each other.

"Morning, sweets," Draco came over and kissed your forehead. "Planning on getting up anytime soon?"

You closed your eyes as his lips touched your skin, his hand caressing your cheek gently. "Mmm, yes. I want to keep working with the plants again today." You'd both spent your first half of the break in the Manor's store/work room, where Draco worked on potions and you were training yourself to heal injuries without use of your wand.

"Okay. I'm going down right now. I had a dream last night about and I think it might help me with the metal potion I've been working on." You loved the way his eyes lit up when he was talking about something he was genuinely interested in.

"You're not going to eat breakfast?" You frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll eat later." He patted you on the cheek, and got up from where he'd been sitting on the bed, buttoning his jacket.

After Draco left, you dozed a little longer before getting up. You washed your face and dressed in you favorite plaid trousers and a turtle neck, and did your hair in the mirror. You reached in the collar of your shirt and pulled out your necklace, your first anniversary gift from Draco. The slender silver chain had a tiny circle pendant that had the draco constellation carved into it.

"I think it's dumb when girls wear their boyfriends initial, but I know how much you love astrology…" He'd explained when you'd opened the tiny box.

Now, as you looked at your necklace and the ring on your finger in the mirror, dressed in mostly black and standing in your luxurious bathroom, you realized just how tied together you were. Shit.

Down on the bottom floor of the Manor, you entered the kitchens well after breakfast to find something to eat. One of the house elves offered to make you an omelette, and you accepted, on the condition they let you assist. You sat in the kitchen eating the warm eggs and vegetables while the elf cleaned, when you looked up to see Narcissa standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, Ms. Narcissa," you said, hastily swallowing the giant bite you'd just taken. After your fifth visit to the manor, Draco's mother insisted you could stop calling her Ms. Malfoy. You felt uncomfortable addressing her with just her first name, though. Somehow, you didn't think this casual adress extended to Mr. Malfoy.

"Y/N, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to Horizont Ally today. I'm going to pick up some things from the tailor, and we could have you fitted for some skirts."

"I would love to," you say.

"Wonderful." Narcissa smiled. " You can get your coat and meet me in the front hall."

You finish your breakfast quickly and run back to your room to get your coat from the wardrobe, your wand, and your wallet. On your way back down the stairs you stop by the store room to tell Draco where you're going. "Your mum invited me shopping, so we'll probably be gone for a few hours," you say from the doorway, shrugging on your coat.

Draco looks slightly surprised. "Really? Oh, well, have a good time."

"Bye."

You meet Narcissa downstairs, and you exit through the Manor's front doors. On the stoop, she offers you her arm. As soon as you grab her arm, you feel the familiar squeeze of apparating come over your body. It goes as quickly as it comes, and you find yourselves in the busy streets of Horizont Ally. Narcissa ushers you into a quiet side street, and she steers you towards a shop with a hanging sign that says "Paxon's".

Oh. Paxon's was one of the nicest clothing stores wizarding London had to offer. People came here to get ball dresses and wedding gowns, not just 'fitted for skirts'. As you entered the shop behind Narcissa, you mentally slapped yourself for not remembering just who you were with.

"Ah, Ms. Malfoy, it's nice to see you." The clerk behind the desk looked up as the two of you came in. You were the only ones there. "Let me go get Mr. Paxon for you." He disappeared into the back, and another assistant, much younger, came out from behind the desk to take your coats.

"Ms. Narcissa?" You whispered nervously.

"Yes, dear?"

"Um, I'm sorry, but when you invited me I didn't realize this is where we would be coming. I don't think I brought enough money with-"

"Nonsense!" Narcissa put her hand on your arm and smiled at you. "Consider it a gift."

Before you could say anything else, an older man with spectacles came out with the clerk from before. "Hello, Narcissa. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm here to pick up some things for my son and my husband, and I'd like to have some skirts fitted for my daughter-in-law."

You nearly choked. Did she really just say that? Mr. Paxon didn't even blink, and the two continued their conversation as normal while you felt your cheeks get hot. You became acutely aware of the metal on your ring finger, and fought the urge to slip it off and into your trouser pocket.

After an hour and a half of you standing on the pedestal in the corner in front of the three way mirror, the clerk boxed up your three new floor-length skirts (with pockets, as you requested). The other assistant brought out more boxes of clothes with you assumed were for Draco and his father. You tried to tune out the clerk as Narcissa paid what must have been an astronomical fee.

You exited the shop, two large bags in hand. "Let's go to Marlowe's, also. They have very nice blouses." Narcissa led you back down the street to another shop.

You went with Narcissa to two other stores, where she bought you and herself more clothes. As much as you worried about the amount of money she was spending, and when you would even find the occasions to wear all these clothes for, you were genuinely having a nice time. Draco's mum was so nice to you when you were at the house, and you guessed this was just her way of spending time with you.

Daughter-in-law. As you watched a silky, moss green blouse with wonderful flowing sleeves get wrapped in tissue paper, it finally clicked in your brain. If you were going to live at Malfoy Manor, you'd be expected to dress nicely all the time. The thought made your heart race.

You locked arms with Narcissa again as you aparated home. "Thank you again, Ms. Narcissa. Really, I can't say enough."

"Of course, dear. I hope you'll enjoy them. Besides, it's impossible to find clothes that are well-made these days. They will last you a long time." She waved her hand dismissively.

She handed off her bags to a house elf, and excused herself saying she would see you again at dinner. You took your bags upstairs on your own. After hanging your new things in the wardrobe, you went back downstairs to the store room. Draco was just where you'd left him, stooped over the table with the cauldron boiling and tiny jars spread across the table, his notebook open next to him. An abandoned plate in the corner let you know he'd at least eaten something since you'd gone. He'd shed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves in the heat, and you tried not to look at his Dark Mark when you cleared your throat.

Draco looked up from his work, smiling at the sight of you. "Hey."

"Hi. Guess what I got you?"

"What?"

You pulled a book out from behind your back and grinned: Comprehensive Geological Manual on Metals. You'd bought it from one of the stores while you were out. "I don't know if this will help you much, but you can take a look."

Draco's face lit up as you walked over, and he took the book from you. "Thank you, sweets! I'll look though it tonight." He placed the book delicately besides his notes. "How was it? Did mother give you too much trouble?"

"No, it was fun," you said, pulling a stool out to sit on and leaning your elbow on the table. "She bought me too many things, though. And she wouldn't let me help pay!"

Draco chuckled. "Of course. Where did you go?"

"Um, Paxon's, some other places… Pansy is going to be livid if she sees me walking around in those skirts at school! 'Y/L/N, where did you get those!'", you said in a squeaky voice, mocking.

"And I'll just tell her to piss off," Draco replied.

Later that night as you got ready for bed, you examined the ring on your finger. The silver snake curled around itself, an emerald eye winking at you. "Draco?" You called from you place in front of the vanity.

"Hm?"

"Today, at Paxon's… your mum called me her daughter-in-law."

Draco, who was changing into his pyjamas, stopped mid-putting his shirt on. "She did?"

"Yes."

"...Did it make you feel uncomfortable?" He ventured.

You thought. "No. It was just a surprise, that's all." You lapsed back into quiet for a moment. "When do your parents want you to get married?"

This was never something you'd talked about. Draco always told you he loved you and wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. But your own family members were never ones to dote on you about how you were growing up, or fantasize about your future wedding or children. It was something you thought about of course, but you were both still only seventeen

You watched Draco in the mirror as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "They've never told me outright, but ever since I started at Hogwarts I knew either they would pick someone suitable for me or have to approve… I dunno, once I graduated, I suppose."

You turn around on the vanity bench. "At eighteen?"

"Sure. But, I guess if you're asking if they would make us get married after school, they can't force us to do anything. Is that what you're worried about?"

"I suppose." You echo. You put your hairbrush on the vanity and look down at your hands.

"Hey," Draco says softly.

You look over your shoulder and he's scooted back on the bed, patting his legs. You jump up from the bench and scurry across the wood floor in your nightgown and into his arms. You sigh in content as his arms wrap around you and you inhale his clean scent.

"I'm glad mother said that to you today. To me, them inviting you here even with everything that's going on, letting us stay together at night, and her saying that makes me feel better about how they feel. I was so afraid they would hate you, that… they would forbid us from seeing each other. But they really like you, my mum especially. It's her opinion I care about more anyway."

"That makes me happy," you say. "It's funny though, considering I'm not even your girlfriend." You look up at him.

Draco's face changes to concern for only a moment before picking up on your joke. "Of course. They never believe anything I say."

Together, you flop back onto the sheets, laughing. Draco smooths a piece of hair away from your face. "I love you, Dray."

"I love you too, Y/N."