Gazing at his mother's cool demeanor, Draco had no doubt left in his mind that she was clearly the brains behind the might of the Malfoy family. She continued to sip her tea in the delicate cup looking as if the bombshell she had just dropped was nothing more than discussing the weather. He wondered how he had managed 24 years of life and not noticed this about his cunning, Slytherin mother.
"It must be dealt with and, as I am now your lone parent present, it is imperative that I get the ball rolling, moving the line forward. No arguments." Draco gripped his cup tighter, hoping the handle would fall off soon or the entire thing would shatter creating a big enough distraction for his mother to drop the subject. Alas, the tea set had been in the family for generations and there were enough spells woven through the delicate china to ensure it would last until the end of time.
Or until Draco could find a spell to break the protective ones and throw the entire set against the wall in a fit of temper befitting this ill conceived idea. Perhaps then his mother would see the error in her plans.
"I have set up several dinners over the course of the next few weeks, hoping to showcase your positive qualities and that the name Malfoy is not something to fear or loathe. It will be brilliant." Draco continued to blink rather stupidly since the rest of his body, mouth included, had decided that it should cease to function, most likely in shock.
"Uhm…I see?" One would think that he would be able to come up with a better reply, preferably one that rebuffed her ideas and set her straight. Apparently his mother had skills at rendering men speechless by merely using fancy words and strong tea. Damn woman!
"I have made a list of candidates based on your…preferences, darling. They are all powerful men that are more than capable of supporting your future endeavors while keeping you safe from anything untoward happening to your person." She handed him the list, his brain still wrapping around the fact that his mother had considered his preferences, as she put it.
He put the tea cup and saucer gently on the table, a small rattle the only indication that his hand was shaking nervously, and then took the proffered parchment. He stared wide eyed at his mother, still looking calm and unruffled by these turn of events. In fact, the slight gleam in her eye led him to believe that she was enjoying this, his suffering under her scrutinizing gaze.
Draco swallowed, trying to dislodge the huge lump that had gathered in his throat, and forced his breathing to remain on even keel. A feat in of itself. He glanced down at the list of acceptable suitors, or at least whom his mother found to be acceptable, all movers and shakers in the Wizarding world, and was surprised that they would agree to this arrangement at all.
Perhaps feminine wiles were good for something, even amongst the gay men in the community. Either that or his mother was not above using cunning, blackmail or outright threats to get these men to agree to dinner in the first place.
Of the seven names, four he recognized from school. The other three were names he had heard while at the Ministry training in the Department of Mysteries, names that had a great deal of political clout.
"Uhm…how did you come up with the list?" Draco could feel the sweat starting to run down his neck as the room seemed to become a few crucial degrees warmer than he liked. He really didn't want to know how his mother decided that these men would interest Draco, let alone that she thought Draco would be doing anything romantic with them in order to continue the Malfoy line.
Narcissa waved a slender hand at him, eyes clearly sparkling with amusement at unsettling her son. "Come, dear. I am you mother; give me a little credit to know a bit about your tastes in many areas of your life."
"Oh…right, then." He really had no response to that and wondered how much she really did know. If she knew all that much she would have put his unhealthy, unnatural and completely inappropriate crush on the list. Thankfully that particular man's name was absent.
"So what do you expect to happen on these…uh…dates?" He inwardly cringed at the thought about wining and dining these men with the sole purpose to find the perfect match. However, it would have been the same if he had had an interest in women and would have happened by now, most likely with children on the way.
Narcissa raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow making Draco feel about 2 inches tall. "You will do whatever it is you do on dates this day in age. Get to know each other, hold hands, talk about the future, you know. If it leads to other activities, so be it. You just need to find a spouse, a dominant partner."
Draco choked on the lump still lodged in his throat at the mention of other activities and wondered what his mother thought of him. Granted he was not unfamiliar with the dating scene, but he certainly was not offering himself to anyone and definitely not sleeping around, thank you very much.
He could feel his face heat up at the mention of a dominant partner – basically someone that would be willing to top and Draco would end up being the carrier of the future line. He really couldn't argue with that observation since he was not ever dominant in a relationship, preferring to let his partner take the lead.
"And if these men are not someone I wish to spend the rest of my life with?" Draco knew he was offering a challenge that his mother was more than capable of accepting and would win in the end. He just hoped that he would be able to maintain some dignity and sense of self after all of this. His worst fear was that one of these powerful men would want him to change into something else so that it would be acceptable for Draco to be seen on their arm.
"I am confident that one will be The One. Besides, it need not be a love match at the moment. Your father and I were not in love when we married, but worked on it and eventually found love. Of course he then began acting like a buffoon, but that is neither here nor there. Just have fun." She gave him a winning smile, not exactly easing his fears, but making him less nervous.
He gave her a final nod of his head, surrendering to her wishes, and hoped that it would all turn out for the best.
Draco swirled his wine and tried to look interested in what Terry Boot had to say about his job. This was the seventh, and last, 'date' he had to endure and no one had shown any promise. He couldn't even say that he would enjoy their company for an extended period of time let alone want to spend the rest of his life in wedded bliss with them. His mother did not seem fazed that no one had kept his interest, but he knew she was planning something.
Draco nearly jumped a foot in the air as Terry trailed his hand up his thigh and gave it a squeeze, an obvious sign of seduction. All of the men he had seen had tried various techniques to get him to hop into bed with them at the end of the date. Thankfully, Draco did have standards. It would require more than a nice dinner and flattering words for him to offer sex.
"Are you finished, Draco? We could go to my flat for a drink." Draco politely smiled instead of rolling his eyes and huffing loudly at the eyebrow wiggle that Terry thought would convince him to accept. Instead he gently removed Terry's hand from his leg and placed it on the table. Sadly Terry took that as a good sign and continued to hold his hand.
"That is a generous offer, but I must decline. It is getting rather late and I must be heading back. Thank you so much for the lovely evening, Terry." Draco tried to extract his hand from Terry's but he held on firmly, increasing Draco's worry that this was going to end badly.
"Draco, I was assured that you would be willing to go along with anything. You realize the position you are in when it comes to choosing a spouse. I know what has been going on the past two months and I know that I am the last on the list. I am your last chance to continue the line. Now, I think that you would enjoy coming back to my flat for that drink." Terry kissed the back of his hand and then began running his other hand up Draco's thigh, this time moving too close for comfort.
Draco had reached his limit with these grabby men he had been set up with. Each one had been nearly the same - they had been promised he would be cooperative with their needs for the night (something denied by his mother ever having committed him to) and then proceeded to tell him that they were his best option if he didn't want the Malfoy line to die with him and possibly loose the Malfoy Estate.
Draco squared his shoulders and stared hard at the groping tyrant. "I don't think that you understand, Boot. Just because my mother set us up does not mean that I have to choose you, or any other of the idiots on the list. I still have 9 months before I am required to make a formal announcement about my future, so you can be assured that you will certainly not be the last man I see."
Draco sat morosely at the table, pushing his breakfast around in a sad attempt to look as though he was eating. Narcissa cast a worried glance his way, but otherwise left him to brood. He had explained how well the date went the night before and how he would like to look for someone on his own before his mother began meddling again. She had agreed with his request upon the condition that he meet with one last man she had set him up with.
"Must I really meet this last one, Mother? I can't handle another night of fending off wandering hands and being reminded that I must find a spouse before I turn 25. They all seemed so interested in the money I'm to receive, but I know that they all have enough money to last several lifetimes. They are just greedy perverts." Draco pushed back his plate and rubbed his hands over his face.
This wasn't the first time he had cursed his forefathers for creating this stipulation in the Estate if the heir wanted to receive the full inheritance. Draco could understand the need to wed and have children right away at the time the stipulation, but the Wizarding world was at peace, feuding families having patched things up or were at least willing to forego the murdering and settle for ignoring each other (Malfoy's and Weasley's are a perfect example).
Also medical advances have been made to allow Wizards and Witches to live longer lives and give birth to healthy children. One must also consider the Statute of Secrecy that was put into effect after the stipulation of the Malfoy Estate, thus allowing Wizards to live as Wizards as long as Muggles were kept in the dark.
Draco just couldn't see any valid reason that he needed to be married or at least engaged by the time he reached his 25th birthday.
"I am sorry for the way they all behaved. They were all perfect gentlemen while I was with them, but that was to be expected. I just want what is best for you." Narcissa offered a small smile to her son, the apple of her eye.
"I believe that this one will go better. I don't see him as the type to molest your person nor do I see him after your money. This is the last one." She brightened her smile, hoping to ease some of his fears about this date.
Of course, she had mentioned before that she did know a few things about his life, including his rather large crush.
Draco took another sip of his wine, wondering where his mystery date was and why he had not notified Draco that he was running late. He had arrived at the restaurant and had been shown to a secluded booth and told to order drinks and appetizers if he wanted. He had been waiting ten minutes now.
"Draco, I'm sorry I am late. Stupid Auror meetings never end on time." Draco's entire body went stiff as Harry Potter slid into the booth next to him while taking his hand and giving a kiss to the back of it. He knew his mother was up to something.
"Did you order yet? I see you got a drink. I'll have what he is having." Potter gestured to Draco's drink when the waiter appeared, but looked back at Draco expecting him to answer. "Draco?" He was sure that his mouth was hanging open and his eyes wide with genuine surprise.
Harry Potter looked much like he had when they were at school. Of course Draco had seen him around the Ministry and they always exchanged pleasant nods and small smiles, but never conversations. Draco often times found himself watching Potter in the canteen while having lunch, admiring the wild dark locks (did he own a comb?), deep green eyes (now visible since he had ditched the clucky glasses and gone with a more mature wireless pair) and intimidating stature (apparently a late growth spurt combined with muscles acquired while an Auror).
Potter, clearly in possession of more confidence than Draco had ever seen in him, continued to hold his hand and looked to be holding back a face splitting grin. "I guess your mother didn't tell you that I was your date for the night. I told her you might like to have some warning." Draco blinked rapidly, still trying to get around the fact that he was on a date with Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World.
"No. Uhm…I didn't know it was you. What about your girlfriend?" Draco could feel his face heating up at the lame reply, but he really needed to know why Potter would even be seen in public with him. Last he had heard Potter and the Weasley girl were on the sure track to holy matrimony.
Potter furrowed his brows in confusion. "I don't have a girlfriend. I find that women are missing an important piece of anatomy that I find more attractive. It was in the paper three years ago." Potter still had not released his hand and was now running his thumb across the back of Draco's hand. It was alarmingly arousing as well as comforting.
"Okay." Draco took another sip of his wine, desperately wanting to wet his suddenly parched mouth and creating a much needed pause in the conversation to gather his thoughts. This was so far out of his comfort zone he was having a hard time processing everything.
Harry finally let go of his hand and moved a few inches away from Draco, worry clearly etched on his face. "I can leave if you would rather not have dinner with me. I was hoping that we could get to know each other better, romantic match making from your mother aside." Large, strong and very scarred hands ran through the wild locks distracting Draco from his confused thoughts.
"Do you own a comb?" Draco was unsure where his lack of social skills had come from and promptly covered his mouth as a hot blush was slowly making its way across his face. Stupid, stupid crush!
Harry gave him a bright smile, eyes sparkling in a disturbingly Dumbledore way, and then laughed and patted Draco's thigh. Draco was clearly startled by this new carefree Harry Potter and was sure that he would not fit into any sort of relationship, friendly or otherwise, with him.
"Believe it or not, I do. Sadly, my hair has always had a mind of its own. Hermione has been baffled for years. I can't tell you the number of products that she has foisted upon me with the hopes that it makes an improvement. I always comb it before I leave the house, especially for something as important as this, but it remains in place for all of three seconds. Do have any suggestions? I don't want to embarrass you." Harry looked solemnly at him, but Draco could detect some mirth in the still twinkling green eyes.
Draco was left speechless again at Harry's comment about embarrassing Draco, when he should be worried about being seen with Draco. "I should make sure that I am not embarrassing you. No one wants to be seen with a former Death Eater. I should know. Why are you here?"
Draco gasped at the pulse of magic that surrounded them for a moment, before Harry closed his eyes and pulled it back. "Sorry 'bout that. I want to be seen with you. I'm here because your mother informed me of you situation with the Malfoy Estate. At first she was wondering if I knew anyone that might be interested in you. I said I would take you out."
Draco was still feeling so off kilter, he was sure Harry could see down his throat as he gaped at the attractive man. Before he could further push Harry away and explain why it was a bad idea – Draco wondered if he should check Harry for dangerous spells since this was clearly not happening – Harry continued on, either not noticing or ignoring Draco's lack of response.
"I'm not blind, contrary to popular belief, and I can see that you are a very attractive man, Draco. We have been at the Ministry for five years now, not once exchanging hostile words or hexes. I was not about to pass up the opportunity to take you out. If anything, I want to be friends. Shall we order?" Draco blinked rapidly, cursing his brain for completely shutting down. He has never been so blindsided in his entire life.
He turned his head and regarded the waiter that had appeared out of nowhere, quill and notepad in hand. Jealously clawed at his chest as he watched the waiter rake his eyes over Harry, probably undressing him, and Harry had no idea as he was staring intensely at Draco. "Alright. Harry."
That earned him a face splitting grin and a seductive squeeze of his thigh.
Narcissa looked at the headline across the Daily Prophet, six months to the day of that fateful date, and smirked knowingly. Leave it to mothers to know what is best for their children.
Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and Savior of the Wizarding World, to marry Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater and heir to the Malfoy fortune