Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Harry Potter and contents/places/characters.
TAINTED
Chapter One – Malfoy Manor
I'd never wanted to marry a Death Eater.
I swallowed down the lump of anxiety lodged in my throat like an incessant pest, looking cautiously out of the window of the carriage but not really taking in the setting sun and quiet atmosphere. The carriage rattled down the cobblestone street, its sound matching the rhythm of my nerves. My sister Nora had told me over and over that there was nothing to be nervous about, that the Malfoys had changed much since the battle of Hogwarts and the marriage between Draco and I must happen.
There was not a doubt in my mind that Draco had changed and I knew that inside him there was indeed a shred of kindness, but what worried me was the actual marrying part. I had never spoken more than two words to Draco. I felt anxious around him and shied away from his dark stare and restless eyes. I was nothing like my confident and hardy self around him. I was positive that he had never even seen a shred of my true person. Why would I reveal myself to someone who seemed to have so much hatred locked away inside him?
Nora was regarding my reactions anxiously, peering into my face across from me. She was biting at her lip constantly, and I knew she must be thinking that the engagement was upsetting me more than it should. Perhaps I was acting foolish, but it was nevertheless worrying.
"Evanna," she whispered urgently, "listen to me."
I reluctantly swiveled my eyes to hers, registering her for the first time in the entire carriage ride. My knuckles were white against my wand—dragon heartstring, twelve inches, unyielding, crafted from wood of an oak tree.
"You mustn't worry," Nora said earnestly. "Draco Malfoy will learn to admire and be compassionate towards you. I know you think that his past has permanently tainted him, but you mustn't condemn your marriage already when you hardly know the boy to begin with." Her eyes were gazing earnestly into mine. They were clear, dotted amber identical to mine but framed with fair lashes instead of the raven I had. My sister was beautiful and I had always felt meager in comparison. "Mum and dad are waiting inside with his parents, and they'll say the same."
"I know," I replied impatiently, twisting my hands around my wand once more. Yellow sparks flew out of the end, causing me Nora to jump.
"Evanna," she snapped, "listen to me. You say you don't, but you're downright afraid of the boy. The Malfoys have changed."
The carriage creaked to a halt. I took a deep breath and clambered out on to the walkway of Malfoy Manor; the magnificent dark building in which the Malfoys resided. Seeing it sent another pang of unease through me. Nora weaved her arm through mine purposefully and began to guide me through the gate of the Malfoys and up to the doorway. I swallowed another lump of agitation as she lifted the giant brass knocker, the clang of the brass against wood sending a pang of apprehension through me.
A house elf opened the door with a great creak, bowing, and invited us inside. The manor was lush, all intricate and valuable furniture with great tapestries in every corner. A fire was crackling cheerfully in the fireplace in front of a luxurious leather couch where my parents happened to be sitting, with Narcissa and Lucius lounging in the matching armchairs.
"Welcome," Narcissa greeted us, gesturing to the sofa. "Please sit down, both of you. Draco will be joining us shortly."
As I took a place on the sofa next to my mother, I scrutinized Narcissa with curiosity. She was a completely different person than when I had last seen her at Hogwarts before she, Lucius, and Draco had fled. She had been frail with deep shadows lurking under her eyes, and a sudden weakness that I had never witnessed in her before. Now she was shining with radiance, a true smile lighting up her face that I had never seen her wear. It was almost uncanny, the fact that Narcissa Malfoy could smile without hiding secrets. It seemed that the death of Voldemort had greatly eased her as well as her husband, who held one of her hands in his and looked years younger.
My mother put an arm around me, seeming to know of my edginess. I immediately relaxed to her touch; she had been somewhat of a refuge and safe haven for me. Her understanding rivaled even that of her beauty. In Nora, I confided everything I dared not tell anyone else. My father was a different story.
It felt as if all my senses were heightened as we waited for Draco. The ticking of the grandfather clock which had no hands at all was unbearably loud to me, even under the noise of my parents and the Malfoys chattering about wedding arrangements. I did not know what Draco would do once he saw me. Would he say anything at all?
I jumped with a start when I realized that the chatter had ceased as Draco descended the great staircase from my left, his sleek blonde hair falling ever so slightly into his fair eyes. His expression was unreadable, but his grip on the balustrade gave away that he was every bit as self-conscious as I was at the moment.
Narcissa and Lucius stood with my parents and Nora followed suit, looking at me expectantly as if watching for my reaction. I knew by the look in her eyes that she was trying to assure me. I stood and smoothed my skirt nervously, turning my eyes on Draco, who was now standing beside Narcissa.
"It is no secret that we have had you betrothed to one another since you were very young," Lucius started briskly, his sleek hair shining in the glow of the fire. "But now the time has come that a wedding must take place." He regarded me with faint curiosity. "We have decided that the precise date will be a month from now, September the twenty-second."
I felt my stomach drop as I registered that I would be wed in merely a month. It was much sooner than I had expected, and I wondered at how I was supposed to get to know Draco well enough to even wantto marry him in only a month. It seemed as if Draco was thinking the same thing because he suddenly seemed to look at everything but me. Even Nora's surprise was unhidden, obvious on her fair face.
"I know that you two are not well-acquainted," Lucius continued smoothly, now speaking directly to me. "Consider this your genuine engagement period. I know that the both of you have been avoiding each other for the past couple of years, but it must come to an end. If you are to have a happy marriage, you must come to know each other."
Both Draco and I sheepishly glanced at each other. I looked away hastily, feeling a flush crawl over my face. It seemed as if Draco had been trying as hard as I had to stay away from him and avoid any conversation whatsoever. I realized now that we had been so foolish; wasting all of this precious time that we could have used to get to know each other. But I knew that it had been caused by the war. I didn't want to mingle with a death eater and a young man as dark as Draco. I had been in denial, thinking that his Dark Mark had changed the minds of my parents. Apparently, it had not. I suspected that Draco had been avoiding me because I knew all along who he was, and that had made him uneasy.
The rest of the evening was spent over a dinner that the Malfoys' house elves had prepared and over more talk of wedding arrangements, which Draco and did not join. Narcissa had insisted that he sit next to me and I kept taking sips of firewhiskey to still my nerves. I hardly ate, mostly nibbling at my food as I occasionally glimpsed at Draco, who was eating just as little as I was of his treacle tart and taking long drafts of pumpkin juice.
I felt pressure on one of my feet and I threw a sharp look at Nora from across the table, who had placed her foot on top of mine. She jerked her head at Draco and I rolled my eyes at her in annoyance. She had been hinting at me all dinner to say something to Draco, but I had neither the courage nor desire to strike up a conversation with him.
Night had fallen entirely, cloaking Malfoy Manor in a starry darkness. Narcissa and Lucius bade us farewell, and Draco eventually plucked up the courage to utter a cautious goodbye. I felt slightly disappointed as we began the trip back home. I honestly did not know what I had expected, but I had felt that maybe he would have tried a little harder. Then again, I hadn't tried to say a single word to him. I bit my lip, feeling more worried than I had in a while over this engagement when I realized that this was probably going to be much more difficult than I had planned. Death Eaters really weren't my taste.
