Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable Characters They and the world of Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling. Any Original characters were created by me and anyone who wants to can use them. Not making any money off of this please don't sue.
This is part of the Disillusionment universe. This is a direct sequal to Negotiation and will not make sense if you don't read it. I have decided to include some elements of the epilogue in the Disillusionment verse. (Namely the kids we were shown). Like Negotiation you don't have to read the rest of the fics in the Disillusionment verse to understand it but if you want to they are all in my profile listed in chronological order.
Envy
Draco Malfoy envied Harry Potter and hated himself for it. He had married before Potter and yet he and his wife were just now expecting their first child while Potter and his blood traitor wife were soon to have their second. He had grown to envy the Potter family every time he saw a news article or an interview with Famous Auror Harry Potter and his quidditch star wife. It wasn't fair that half blood filth like Potter got to have a perfect life. It also wasn't fair that Potter's brats would be called pureblood a title they didn't deserve not with muggle relations so close. His and the other pureblood families had campaigned for decades to get the Ministry to change the definition of pureblood to folks who could prove several centuries of all magic family lineage but the Ministry had refused insisting that all wizard grand parents were enough to classify someone as a pureblood.
His current bought of brooding over how lucky Potter was, had been brought on by a picture of them in the latest Prophet announcing that they were expecting again. It was unfair that Potter's announcement merited a full photo while he and Livia's just one issue ago had only merited a small line under other announcements. His father had often promised that they'd have their status restored but no matter how much gold had been spent they were still not well regarded in main stream wizard society. The only good thing was they were accepted once again by the old pureblood families who had realized without the Malfoys their ever shrinking numbers had even fewer marriage options.
He supposed if he was honest with himself deep down he could forgive Potter for being more famous and respected than him. The thing he could never forgive however was that Potter was genuinely happy with his life. Draco knew that he was not. He was content and he eagerly awaited becoming a father but when he looked at his wife he didn't feel desire or love for her he saw only a worthy partner and knew she felt the same. She had seen him as an escape from her tyrannical grandfather and the stranglehold he had on their family. He'd seen her as a means to an end a chance to have children to carry on his bloodline and name. He'd also used her to show the pureblood families that had rejected the Malfoys that they still had the proper pureblood pride and would not stoop to marrying below their status. He had wanted to have what his parents had a true marriage not just of equals but of true love. He was content with his choice but he still envied Potter and his own parents.
"Excuse me Master Draco." The house elf Snarple said bowing low. "A miss Parkinson is hear to see you." As the elf rose it asked smoothly. "Shall I tell Mistress Livia about our guest?" Draco glared at the elf his wife was in bed resting on the healer's advice.
"No don't disturb her for this." He would love to make the house elf punish itself for even daring to mention disturbing his wife but he couldn't. The laws that irritating mudblood had managed to get passed ensured that while house elves were not free there were standards of how they were treated that if violated would result in a wizard losing them and being sent to Azkaban for six months. He still wasn't sure how the mudblood had gotten the elves to agree to the new system but they had several wizards he knew had already lost their house elves its how he and Livia had managed to acquire Snarple. "Show Ms. Parkinson here to my office." He threw the Paper down in disgust as Pansy entered looking much the same as she had in school. "What can I do for you Pansy?"
Pansy smiled serenely at him there was no trace of the adoration that used to cover her face every time she gazed at him. "I'm here to officially invite you and your wife to my wedding." Her tone was light but there was the clear message that his family had recovered enough social status to be invited. "I'm marrying Theodore Nott in three weeks time I expect you to be there."
"Livia and I would love to attend." He said with forced politeness. "I will certainly be there depending on how Livia's pregnancy goes however she may not be able to attend." He knew Pansy would accept that statement with no suspicion difficult pregnancies were not unusual amongst the old purebloods. It was the chief reason most pureblood families only had one to three children. Draco suspected that was why half bloods and mudblood had so much power the old purebloods couldn't produce enough children to hold the majority.
"I hope everything goes well for her." Pansy said with a false tone of concern. "Theodore's mother died in childbirth after all." She got up after a few moments of silence that followed her statement. "I shall be going now." She smiled at him then. "I'll tell Theodore that you are coming."
Once she was gone, he turned and informed Snarple that he was not to be disturbed anymore that day. He thought briefly of the possibility of Livia dying during childbirth. He would be annoyed at having to find another wife but as long as the child survived he could deal with it. He smiled to himself at least that's one thing he didn't envy about Potter he could survive losing his wife while he thought it'd break Harry Potter. On that rather pleasant thought he turned his attention to deciding how to present himself at Pansy's wedding. It would require some thought and would depend entirely on rather Livia was able to go or not. If she couldn't go, he'd have to be ready to answer any questions thrown his way about her health. If she did go, he'd have an easier time of it as purebloods always celebrated those adding to their ranks.
He was surprised that it had taken Nott so long to get married. Pansy had been tarred by her relationship with him and her actions during the so-called battle of hogwarts. It had made most pureblood families wary of her resulting in Goyle being the only one to ask her to marry him. She had refused for good reason he thought Goyle was asking way out of his league even tarnished she'd eventually get a better match than him. He had begun to wonder about Nott though he was too good a match for most pure blood girls to pass up especially after his dad had died during the war and as a result gained his fathers wealth much earlier than most of the rest of their generation.
He had of course heard the rumors and even been asked his opinion on them by Goyle once. He had dismissed them as degenerates like that only turned up in less discerning lines such as the Weasleys. He wondered if Nott had begun to hear the rumors and finally chosen a wife to silence them. It is what he'd have done if someone had been speaking of him that way but then again Nott had always stood apart from them during school simply not caring what they thought as his blood and intelligence had spoken for itself. He'd envied Nott as well during school his father had insisted he be the best in the year and he'd lost out to that mudblood. He'd not even had the satisfaction of being best in his own house in any subject outside of potions. He often wondered if he'd beaten Nott in those classes because of that traitor Snape needing to stay in his fathers good graces.
Draco shook himself out of his thoughts of people he envied. He didn't have to envy anyone. He was better than most. His blood was older and purer and than most families could ever dream of being. The family fortune was still one of the largest in the wizarding world and he'd soon be the father of a worthy heir to that legacy. He would go to that wedding and show everyone that he was better than any of them.
The End.
