Written for the QLFC round 7
Team: Pride of Portree
Position: Seeker
Word Count: 915 (excluding author's note)
Pureblood tradition dictates that a man and a woman should not live together until they are wed. Naturally, Draco followed this rule to the letter, despite marrying someone who thought it was rather old-fashioned.
Megan, Draco's new wife, was a Muggle. Despite his upbringing and his time among the Death Eaters, Draco loved her very much. He never considered that not marrying her could be a possibility, despite his family's disagreement.
Finally, on their wedding night, Draco was able to move her into his home. Excited to be finally living with the woman he loved, he had not considered the potential problems this could cause.
"What on Earth is that?" Draco asked, pointing at the strange box-shaped object that Megan had placed in the corner of the living room.
"It's a TV," she replied, confused. "Don't tell me you've never seen one before! I know you wizards do everything with magic, but you must still have TVs!"
Draco shook his head, eyeing the object suspiciously. "What does it do?"
"It's for entertainment," Megan told him, plugging it in and switching it on, causing static to flicker on the screen. "Ah, of course, we don't have an aerial. We'll need one if we want it to work."
Draco frowned. He'd had the house wired up for electrical appliances, at Megan's request, but he wasn't altogether comfortable with it. Electricity was not something wizards understood, and Draco hated living with something he didn't understand.
Seeing the other objects Megan was placing around the place, Draco smiled to himself. Of course, if these things made her happy, Draco would cope with a little bit of discomfort.
"What's that one," he enquired, following his wife into their bedroom.
"This?" Megan held up the strange object in her hand. "It's a hair straightener. It stops my hair getting all curly and annoying."
"How does it work?" Draco asked, intrigued. Megan plugged it into the wall and switched it on.
"You just put a piece of your hair in this part," she demonstrated with her own hair. "And then you hold this part down and it heats up your hair. Then you drag it slowly down the length of your hair and it comes out straight!"
Draco inspected his wife's long, auburn hair. It had been left curly for the wedding, done up in some ridiculous style that was apparently popular with Muggles. Now, however, it was as straight as a broomstick handle. Amazed, he reached out towards the unfamiliar item.
"May I try?"
Megan giggled and passed him the straightener. He followed her instructions carefully, making sure not to burn himself on the heated parts of the device. When he examined his newly-straightened hair he was amazed. He thought his hair was straight to begin with, but this looked amazing.
"Come here," Megan said, indicating that Draco should sit in front of her on the bed. "I'll do the back for you."
As she worked on his hair, Megan hummed a song that Draco didn't recognise. He closed his eyes and listened, basking in the feel of her playing with his hair. This was why he hadn't married a pureblood woman, despite what his Father wanted. This level of intimacy just didn't exist in traditional marriages. People married for power, or wealth, or prestige, but never for true love. Draco disagreed with the practise, now more than ever. Everybody deserved to have someone who would do things like play with their hair and sing to them.
When Megan was finished, Draco looked in the mirror. His hair looked amazing. He could hardly believe that a Muggle device could produce something so magical. Thinking about it, maybe that TV thing wouldn't be so terrible either. What was it she said they needed to make it work? An aerial? Well, he would find out what that was in the morning. Right now, he needed to thank his wife for the magic she had performed on his hair.
In the morning, Draco helped Megan to unpack the rest of her things. Many muggle objects were among them. Some Draco new would be unnecessary: the toaster and vacuum cleaner, for example, as his house elf would be more than capable of dealing with making food. Other things, like the computer, which Megan promised would allow them to connect to something called an internet, sounded rather interesting. Draco assured Megan that he would connect this internet thing, and the aerial for the TV, as soon as possible. All for her benefit, of course.
Draco had not expected these little changes to his household when he decided to have Megan live with him. He knew, however, that even the changes he disliked would be things he could accept in order to make his wife happy and comfortable in their home. Magic and Muggle could coexist, and he would prove it to the rest of the wizarding world.
Two days later, Draco found himself on the doorstep of his childhood home, preparing to face the parents who said they wanted nothing more to do with him or his 'pet Muggle'.
When Lucius opened the door, Draco spoke immediately without giving his father a chance to turn him away.
"Father, I know you told me not to return, but you really must see this."
Lucius took the strange object being held out to him and scrutinized it.
"What is this thing?" he asked.
"Well, the Muggles call it a straightener and, believe me, you're going to love it."