I've written a bunch of Harry Potter stories, but I've never done one for Draco. This is my first try at a story including him, I hope you enjoy!
I own nothing familiar, they belong to J.K. Rowling.
I've always had different standards to live by than other girls my age. My parents were French diplomats so I didn't see them much growing up and it wasn't the most pleasant experience whenever I did. I went to Beauxbatons for all my schooling, and moved to England after I graduated. I had more than enough money to live on from my parents and they were just happy I was somewhere they didn't have to take care of me. They weren't the parenting type anyway, they just had a kid because it looked good and gave them something to brag about at parties.
I was in England for three days when I got the letter in the post. The envelope was white with Malfoy Manor written in thin, black script as the return address. My presence was requested for tea on Thursday at a quarter past one in the afternoon. The letter was even sealed with a green, wax emblem with a family crest in the center.
I'm from a pureblood family, I knew very well who the Malfoys were. They were held in high regards with the Dark Lord before he fell and that meant a lot to my parents. I was never blinded by blood, I had friends in school who were muggleborn and thought of us as equals. I never understood why there had to be a line in the sand among wizards and witches; we were all the same, our skill should define us not our lineage. Needless to say, that caused more than a couple fights between me and my parents.
Even with all that being said, I knew my parents would never forgive me if I didn't accept the invitation. My mum's biggest dream was for me to marry a respectable man from a good bloodline. I wasn't sure how they'd react to me marrying some half-blood or worse, in their eyes, a muggleborn. I don't even want to think about their reaction to me marrying a muggle. I'd probably be exiled from the family or killed on the spot.
I made sure to dress for the occasion, even breaking out my Nan's pearls. I curled my hair and pinned it to the side before Flooing to the address on the envelope. I tucked my wand into my purse and stepped out onto the dark wood floors with my best fake smile plastered on my lips.
"Eleanora! I'm glad you accepted the invitation," Narcissa said, embracing me and kissing both my cheeks. "You look splendid, darling!"
"Thank you so much!" I replied, hugging her and returning her kisses before taking a step back. "I adore your dress!"
Two people were in the room with us now and neither of them looked very happy to be there. I knew they were Lucius and Draco –both Death Eaters until their disbandment after the Great War. Their faces were all over newspapers during that time, it would be impossible not to recognize them. Lucius even did a stint in Azkaban for his war crimes, but he was out now. Those were huge red flags, but my parents' anger was so much worse.
"Hello, I'm Eleanora," I said, extending my hand to Lucius and then Draco when it was dropped. "It's wonderful to meet you and be invited into your home!"
I was never this happy about anything, this included, I just didn't want to disappoint anyone. They'd invited me into their home and I needed to be polite in return. My parents were over nine hours away, but they would make a home visit if I messed this up –or worse, they'd cut me off. I couldn't survive without my parents' money, as pathetic as that sounded. I also wouldn't survive a home visit from my parents -my mother's temper was murderous.
"The pleasure is ours," Draco replied, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looked me up and down. "Allow me escort you to the dining room?"
I placed my hand on the bend of his arm and smiled demurely back at his mum. At least he was good looking, I'd seen some of the lot my parents wanted me to marry and it wasn't pretty. If this worked out in my favor, our babies would be BEAUTIFUL with amazing hair and cheekbones. There were worse things my parents could make me do.
The food was fantastic, possibly the best I've had since I arrived in the UK. I kept catching Draco's eye across the table. Instead of looking away, he would wink at me and make me bite my lip. He liked to play and had no idea I'd been voted MVP four years in a row.
"Your house is simply magnificent, Narcissa," I gushed, taking a sip of my champagne.
"Thank you so much! I'm sure Draco would love to give you a tour," she said, glancing over at her son. "Isn't that right, dear?"
"Of course, mum," he replied, standing up and offering me his arm. "Eleanora?"
I took it and allowed him to escort me up the grand staircase. I waited until we were out of his parents' hearing range to start playing my game.
"So, how many girls have you volunteered to show around, Draco?" I asked, looking at him from under my lashes. "I can't be the first."
I saw him grin and knew I'd played the game just right. "I don't bring girls home often, you're the first to ever see the Manor in all its glory."
"You just Apparate them straight to your room, then?" I asked, running my nails along his arm where my hand rested.
He froze for a second, moving his body in front of mine. I made sure to keep my expression innocent and shy. I wanted to see how long I could keep up this façade until Draco finally realized what I was doing -pushing every button possible.
"I'm not one to bring them back to where I sleep. I'm reserved," he replied, his eyes searching my face. "Do you want to see my room, Eleanora?"
I wasn't faking the blush that colored my cheeks, he was so charming. I bit my lip and looked down at my toes. Then I looked back up at him from under my lashes again. Being demure was basically part of my DNA makeup at this point. Boys loved innocence, especially boys like Draco Malfoy.
"That's a bit forward, and I'm a good girl. Can't you just show me the rest of the house?" I asked, twisting a curl around my finger and looking up at him fully. "After all, what would your mother say? What would my mother say?"
He looked at little crestfallen but continued with the tour. He didn't try to persuade me or push in anyway. Maybe he was an actual gentleman, which would definitely be a first for me. I didn't exactly go for guys that respected my decisions often. I liked the ones who demanded what they wanted and took nothing less. A change of pace might be just what the healer ordered…
We went outside and walked through a garden filled with flowers. They were beautiful, more colors than I knew existed spread across the grounds. There was even a huge fountain in the center with water flowing through it, the sunlight hitting it just right to make it look like it was full of rainbows. The entire place was NOTHING like I thought Malfoy Manor would look like. The house was decorated in white, black, and green -this was the entire spectrum.
"This is beautiful, Draco!" I said, genuinely awestruck.
I ventured over to the small sunflowers facing up to the sky. I didn't know they came in miniature, but I'm sure magic had something to do with it. They were my favorite flower and I was enthralled by the small ones.
"Wow, these are amazing!" I exclaimed, touching the petals gently. "I didn't know they grew this small."
He crouched down next to the patch of flowers, muttered something under his breath, and stood back up with a flower in his hand. "Here, take one with you. A beautiful flower for an even more beautiful girl."
Despite the misogyny in his words, I still felt my face heat up for the millionth time. I took the flower and decided to share something with him. If marriage was a possibility, I should probably extend the olive branch.
"If I show you something, can you keep it a secret?" I asked, twisting the edge of my cardigan when our eyes locked. "It's a secret, no one knows but my best friend Margot."
"I thought you were a good girl. Good girls don't keep secrets," he mused with raised brows, crossing his arms over his chest. "I suppose I can keep it to myself, if you make it worth my while."
"It means I have to take off my sweater…" I replied, grinning at him cheekily. "Is that worth your while?"
He pursed his lips out and nodded, holding my flower. I shrugged out of my sweater with my back facing him. He had a perfect view on the sunflower tattoo on the back of my right shoulder.
I got it the summer before seventh year with Margot. My parents were never home so I spent most summers with her and her family. She dared me to get it and got a matching one while we were in Spain. It was our best friend tattoo that bonded us.
"You've got a tattoo?" he asked, reaching out to touch the inked skin with cold fingers. "I never thought prim and proper lady like you would do such a thing. In a muggle shop, I'm sure!"
I pulled my sweater back on and took my flower back. "Yeah, wizard tattoo places aren't as good. I wanted the experience of getting the tattoo, pain and all. Plus, a simple cloaking charm makes it invisible."
I saw him unconsciously rub his left arm, and I remembered he used to be a Death Eater. I felt myself pale; I must sound like a little girl bragging about having a rebellious streak to him. Without thinking I reached forward and clutched his left forearm, an apology on the tip of my tongue.
"What are you doing, you little twit?" he hissed, his eyes turning cold. "Don't touch me!"
I shrank backwards, holding my purse to my chest as a shield. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. I just felt silly for talking about my tattoo when…"
"When what? I was a Death Eater?" he spat, his entire demeanor icy. "Are you stupid? It's public knowledge, even in France I'm sure."
"I didn't mean to upset you," I said, hysterical tears burning my eyes. "I'm sorry, I just… I'm going to go home now. Thank you for the tour and the flower, but I'm going to put it back."
I laid the flower on the ground and pulled my wand out with shaky hands. "Reparo!"
The flower reconnected with its stem and grew back to stand with the others. Tears were burning my eyes and refused to look back at Draco. The last thing I wanted was for him to see how much he'd hurt my feelings, I didn't want to look weak to him. There was no weakness in purebloods.
I went back into the house and found a bathroom to clean myself up before I spoke to his mum. I didn't want her to think I was a mess, even if her son and I had no future together. Purebloods always had to look their best, even if their insides were absolutely twisted.
I was a religious user of the un-smudgeable makeup charm. It was a good thing because my tears would've been the end of my perfectly winged liner. Draco Malfoy wasn't worth that, I could tell you that much. Especially considering how expensive the fake lash extension spell pack was.
Once I deemed myself presentable again, I went back out into the hallway. I was surprised to see Draco leaning against the wall opposite the room with the sunflower in his hand again. I placed my hands on my hips and stared up at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"I didn't mean to upset you, you just caught me by surprise," he said tensely. "No one's touched me in a long time, especially so openly."
That made my chest ache, person-to-person contact was how people grew. I wanted to hug him, but I knew that would be pushing his boundaries too far so I stayed in place. I straightened and wiped my face clear of any emotions. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was a doormat for him to walk all over then fix with a quick apology.
"It's fine, I just won't touch you again. I never make the same mistake twice," I said icily, brushing past him into the great room. "Your house is truly magnificent, Narcissa! I'm especially fond of the garden outside!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, darling," she replied, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
"Thank you so much for tea, but I have to be going. I'm expecting a visit from a friend. She's coming in from Paris and I'd hate to make her wait," I replied, making up an excuse on the spot. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"Of course, darling. Don't be a stranger," she said, her emotionless smile and Draco's surprised expression were the last things I saw before the Floo network swallowed me up.
Thanks for reading! Leave me a review telling me what you think about the story so far, I'd really appreciate it!
