After the war a few things changed. A lot of other things changed but just barely, shifting on some sort of invisible sliding scale. But Draco knew that some traditions would not go away so easily. These were the generally harmless, private ones, those that no one, not the government, not those uninvolved, would care much about. Traditions such as marriage rights and customs. Although making betrothal contracts that were backed by specific laws was becoming harder in the new movement for modernization, it was far from impossible and people found other ways – magical ways – to make these contracts valid. The concept of honor still held strong and no father or heir or bride-to-be would want a sullied reputation to come of a broken engagement promise. Dowry negotiations were also both less and more formal than before but these tended to be written in as business contracts of some sort.
All Draco really knew was that after the war life went on. It wavered and faltered some at first, vibrating with loss and uncertainty, but that soon went away to be replaced by the steady calm of the usual ways of life. Which also meant that the sunny month of June of 2001 saw Draco and Pansy's wedding. It hadn't been arranged, exactly, but Draco had known since he was fifteen or even fourteen that this day would come. He had given his father Pansy's name when he was sixteen, just as the war broke out. It had been of small interest at that point, as there wee more pressing circumstances, but Lucius had felt it important enough to set off an hour for that conversation. Draco was a Pureblood heir, after all, and it was appropriate that he got married, if not directly after school then soon after.
"After the war is over, I will marry her," Draco had said and his father had nodded approvingly, although there had been deep lines of worry creased into Lucius' forehead. Several days later, the prophecy operation fell through and Draco began to wonder how long the war would last and what it might take. His assignment had come then and he had held on to Pansy as the only sure thing in the world. She wasn't gentle and meek, never had been, but she was strong and frank and he had needed that then because everything else seemed to be glued with a faulty sticking jinx, his life barely holding together on several threads that could be easily snapped at any moment. Pansy's strength kept those threats from breaking and her frankness told Draco exactly when he was testing their durability unnecessarily
He was happy to marry her. She was his best friend and one true companion and if that wasn't a good foundation for a marriage, Draco wasn't sure what was. Pansy was pretty, no matter what anyone else might say, Draco found her very pretty. He liked her short hair and her dark eyes and her slightly full cheeks that jutted out when she smirked. He was fascinated by the boldness in her look. Although, strangely, she seemed almost shy on their wedding day. He hadn't seen her like that for a long time, perhaps never. She smiled and even laughed during their reception, swishing the skirts of her ivory gown, waltzing with him across the Malfoy ballroom. But there was something in her eyes that worried Draco. She was in constant, vigilant anticipation of something and he couldn't quite shake the feeling.
He didn't find out what she was thinking until later that night and the bedding ceremony. The room was littered with candles and desire-inducing incense. They stood before the bed holding hands – Draco in his lace linen shirt and trousers with the belt off and Pansy in the corset and underskirt of her gown – and chanted the fertility spell. Draco wasn't sure if it was a real spell or not. It certainly hadn't worked for his mother on her wedding night, but it was worth a try. Then they stood and looked at each other. Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense and it occurred to Draco that he and Pansy had never done anything beyond kissing. It wasn't that he didn't desire her, certainly he did, especially now when she was nearly undressed and her cheeks were so flushed with excitement and the wine. But he simply could not see himself lifting her skirt and putting his hand between her legs… Perhaps that was the downfall of marrying his best friend.
She glanced at the door, then back at him. "This is strange," she said, meeting his eyes rather bravely as she always did. "I feel like we're not alone."
Draco smirked, thinking of their mothers and how they were probably somewhere nearby, their thoughts entirely on what was happening in this bedroom at the moment. "Well, we are," Draco said, walking up to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. He slid them down her arms and took her hands, nudging her closer to the bed. She sat on its edge and reached up to unbutton his shirt. Her fingers tapped lightly on his chest as the buttons came undone and he felt the first shivers run down his back.
Pansy's corset was next to go and he pushed her down carefully into a more lying down position against the pillows. Draco climbed on top of her, propping himself up slightly with his arms. Pansy kissed him, running her tongue against his lower lip, then inside his mouth. Her hands sifted through his hair and suddenly Draco began to relax. This was alright, he'd done this part with her before. Pansy lifted one leg and wrapped it around his waist. Her skirt was in the way and Draco pushed it up along her legs. His hands brushed the insides of her thighs and she nipped nervously at his lip, pulling away a little.
"What?" he asked, bemused, pulling back so he could look into her eyes. Pansy only shook her head and pulled him into her again. Her skirt was now bunched up above her waist and Draco could feel the wet heat coming off of her down there. He slid off his trousers, fumbling a little uncomfortably. He'd had sex before but the girls usually helped with the more awkward details, however Pansy seemed too distracted with kissing him. Draco's member was hard now, the feeling of soft skin and feminine hips and breasts under his fingers sending the most delicious signals to his nerves.
Draco poised himself over her and attempted to aim himself as to enter her at the most comfortable angle. Suddenly, Pansy pushed him back, shuddering at the brush of his member over her clit and inner hip. Draco suppressed a growl as she pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes that made him think of a deer faced with a mounted hunter and his brood of hunting dogs. "Are you going to do it just like that?" she asked breathlessly.
Draco flushed. "Yea?" How else was he supposed to do it? She sounded so bewildered, however, so certain that he was doing something wrong that Draco felt embarrassed.
"Daphne said that when she and Theo—"
Draco groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not now, Pansy!"
She closed her mouth and took his hand instead, guiding it between her legs. Draco's eyes widened as he realized what she wanted. He inserted two fingers in her and began an uncertain pumping motion, watching her face to see if he was doing it right. Pansy gasped and allowed her head to fall back. "You're a virgin?" Draco asked uncertainly. She was so deliciously tight that he could not imagine it could possibly be otherwise. Somehow he had not thought she would be a virgin, although the idea pleased him.
Pansy opened her eyes and gave him a scathing look. "Do I look like a whore," she bit out. She tapped his wrist and made a scissoring gesture with her hands which sort of looked like she was trying to pantomime a butterfly.
Draco attempted to repeat the movement inside her, watching the tenseness in her face fade. Her hips buckled and she began to thrust upward toward him. Deciding that enough was enough, Draco pulled his hand out and replaced it with his cock. Pansy let out a soft moan as he entered her but she was no longer shaking. Once he was in her, he began to move and she attempted to match his rhythm. They struggled for a bit, their hips bumping awkwardly, their lips missing sometimes when they tried to kiss. Finally, they found a synchrony and went with it. The candles burned low as their moans echoed around the room.
Just as Draco felt himself climax, some of the candles went out. He felt the orgasm tear through him and rolled to the side as not to fall on Pansy once his muscles gave out completely. Several moments later, he felt her head find his shoulder. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
"Maybe," he drew out.
"Some of the candles went out, it's a good sign," she said.
At the same time, Draco said, "That was some good sex for a first time."
They turned their heads to look at each other. "Why are the candles going out so important?" Draco asked, completely lost by her inner logic.
"It's a fertility sign. Means I may get pregnant and we'll have a child."
Draco allowed his head to fall back on the pillow. "You're such a fucking mood killer."
Pansy punched him lightly in the side and groped around for a blanket to pull over their naked bodies. She hated sleeping without a blanket.