A/N: HI EVERYONE, AS PROMISED THE SECOND CHAPTER. READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW... THE LAST CHAPTER MAY TAKE A BIT MORE TIME, SINCE I HAVEN'T REALLY WRITTEN IT ALL OUT LIKE THE FIRST TWO, BUT NOTHING SAYS ENCOURAGEMENT BETTER THAN A REVIEW.
FOR MY 2 LOVELY REVIEWERS..THANK YOU...A A MORE PERSONAL RESPONSE IS COMING SOON.
CHAPTER 2: THE WIFE.
It was the morning light stream through the wide window of the Malfoy Manor that had woke her from her slumber.
She sighed. And as of her habit everyday, she automatically shift to face the other side of the king size bed only to see it empty and neat, it signal the occupier from the night before.
It was clear from the cold un-mussed sheet, he didn't come home last night.
Again.
It was days like this that made her both despise and love mornings.
Such complicated feelings for mere time of day.
Before she was married, she used to love mornings. Plain and simple. It was her favourite time of day. From the crisp dewy air to the slight chill in the air that never failed to wake you if the bright morning sun didn't, she love it all. Even during the holidays, she could never forced herself to sleep past seven. Her friends called her a freak of nature.
She love knowing that she had a whole day waiting for her to do everything she loves to do. Even during the heights of war, she still looks forward to mornings because it seems to her at least every scary monsters they faced yesterday seem less scary by the new dawn.
However, she is sadly way beyond her former simpleton views. Forced to grow up, even the smallest life pleasures of being a morning person get tainted by stupid grown up problems and complications. Life was no longer black and white. Good versus evil. The Order against the Deatheaters.
As she found out, life was painted by many shades of grey.
She forced herself to get up and to dwell on her angst, she immediately got ready for breakfast.
After her shower, she propped herself in front of her walk in closet as her per her usual routine. Carefully selecting a modest but sophisticated cream silk blouse with a long khaki coloured skirt to be worn underneath her traditional witch robe before making her way to the dining room downstairs.
By the time she reached the informal dining room where countless Malfoys' had dined when they didn't have guests over, it was still empty save for few elves milling about serving the too extravagant breakfast for two.
Her eyebrows scrunched up in worry. She immediately called over the little elf wearing a cute little chef outfit who was fiddling with the pancake tower.
"Yes, Mistress," answered HaHa, bowing her head politely as she does so, "Is there anything you is want me to cook?"
She inwardly groaned. Even though all the elves in Malfoy Manor were freed and given wages as per her insistence, she could never seem to stop them from calling her mistress, no matter how much she begged them not to.
"Is Master Draco home yet?" she asked without preamble.
"Not yet Mistress," she answered truthfully, " would is you like me start the breakfast now Mistress?"
"No, no, I'll wait for Draco." she answered, and sat herself at the end of the long food laden table.
And she waited.
And waited.
Maybe it was her impatience that made it seems time flies longer than it is, because by the time Draco actually made an appearance at the dining room, she was ready to explode.
She very much wanted to throw the hot tea to his face.
She reigned in her anger, as it won't do for Lady Malfoy to behave so uncouth even in the privacy of her own home and remained seated.
She held her tea close to her face, as she tried to observe her husband without him knowing it.
He was wearing the light grey suit she bought for him for his birthday last year.
She spent weeks adding un-wrinkling charm to every stitch on the luxurious fabric.
It was clear from his rather sharp appearance this morning that all her hard work worked like a charm. Pun very much intended.
It takes the sting out a little bit when he came back home after spending the night with her, doing things she rather not think about. And it is much easier not to think about it if he didn't come home with rumpled suit, evidence of their night of passion while she waits for him in their marriage bed. Alone.
At the thought she instinctively tightened her grip around the fragile china teacup, breaking the handle and the shard pierced her skin.
A tiny whimper escaped her lips as blood mixed with hot tea spilled from her hand.
In a second Draco was right by her side, wrapping her bleeding hand with his handkerchief.
"So clumsy," he murmured softly, pulling her closer to look at the wound, "after all this time, still so clumsy, what will I do with you wife?"
Her heart literally skipped a beat at his nearness.
She couldn't help it, and leaned in closer towards that pale white skin of his long neck, begging to be kiss.
But, as always before anything could happened he moved to reach his wand in his pocket and quickly and expertly cleaned and mend the wound.
"There, as good as new." he said while gently stroking where the wound was supposed to be.
And like a an unstoppable train wreck, her lips moved as her mouth made a sound, " Draco, I..."
Only to be stopped cold when she caught a whiff of a faint Jasmine perfume. A smell she knew so well. High end. Only available at hoity toity Paragon Alley for certain female customers only.
And it was not hers. She abhorred Jasmine.
It was her perfume and it was her smell clinging on her husband's body.
Disgusted, she instinctively pushed Draco away.
" I'm fine now, there is no need to fuss." keeping her feelings tightly wound in, Mother Malfoy would be so proud.
"Okay then." he said awkwardly with confusion etched on his face and went back to his seat and they ate their breakfast silently.
She ate her breakfast quickly, wanting to get away from her husband quickly before she did something stupid like throwing other scalding hot beverages at her disposal at his face.
As she was about to leave, her esteemed husband called out to her, "Don't forget that we have a charity ball at the ministry later this evening, we'll apparate together, I'll wait for you at the foyer."
She simply nodded but couldn't helped but groaned on the inside. Now she had to spent her morning and probably the afternoon as well shopping for robes and dresses and other what not for the ball when she rather spend the time going over the multiple proposals for the grant money she donated towards research of reversing the effects of Cruciatus curse. There had been two top contenders from her list so far. The first one was the proposal by Neville of using the very widely available but certainly fragile Bocsum flower, which had shown positive results with initial testing, healing brain cells that had been put under long-term Cruciatus curse. The other one was research by a well-known psychiatris mediwizard in Japan, Soujiro Nishikado that propose using selective memory extraction charm he had develop to extract the memories of the torture allowing the brain to rest and only returning the memories back after using a minor memory charm that allow the sufferer to access but dissociate themselves from physically and mentally responding towards the memory. Both research had their own merits and disadvantages. She believe a combination of both treatment proposals are key toward counteracting the long-term effects of the torture curse. However, she can't make any final decision without going through the others first, because there maybe more treatment plans that are more targeted yet less invasive than those proposed by Neville and Mr Nishikado.
Even though she was no longer active in the academic scene ever since she married into the Malfoy name, she likes to keep up to date and frankly occupy her time with her husband almost constant absence, both physically and emotionnally, with any new discoveries and research in both the magical and muggle world. It keeps her busy enough without taking too much time away from being the lady of the manor, even though it mostly entailed accompanying her husband to many important functions and sometime holding some of those important functions herself.
Though the Malfoy name -and sometimes she thought cynically - money had opened many doors and opportunities for her to do good things she wouldn't be able to accomplished otherwise. The full enforcement of house elves equality and welfare act had been her greatest achievement and pride and it would have never been possible without the attaching Malfoy to her last name.
But all these good things had not come without a cost. In exchange for it she had to give up a huge chunk of her independence and being relegated to behind the scene for every good thing she's done. It was not her name being touted as the front name of the House elves equality and welfare act. It won't be her legacy even though she worked as hard to kick it off the ground and it was originally her brainchild, her baby. Her only legacy would be her child or if she's lucky enough children, the future heirs of the Malfoy name.
For all her brain and ambition, she ended up being a broodmare like the rest of them.
She shook her head. This is not the time to dilly dally. She usually spent weeks preparing for a formal party and longer for ball gala, to give enough time to order a custom one of a kind dress/gown/robe. However, it somehow slipped her mind since she was too busy with her newest project. She can't go to the Paragon Alley now to get her ball gown since it would have to be off the rack and she couldn't risk the chance of wearing the same thing as someone else, the lest she be ridiculed for not being good enough for the Malfoy name again in the society page tomorrow.
She could probably get away with muggle ball gown off the rack and get the talented Pavarti twins to magically enhance it. At least then, she could be assured that no one else would have the same gown as hers.
She sighed.
This is why she spent a lot of time preparing for a dress.
In the end she chose an explosion of soft tulle of a dress in beautiful shades of bronze brown by a famous muggle designer, Vera Wang. The dress was gorgeous enough on it own that the Pavarti twins thought it was sacreligious to modify it. They end up just adding a little fairy dust to make it sparkle a bit under the night-light.
After applying light makeup to compliment the dress, she went down directly to the foyer to find her husband waiting. He was devastatingly handsome in a stark black suit with his pale blond hair slick back, which reminded her a little of how he used to wear his hair in Hogwarts.
"Ready?" He said softly, while tucking her hand underneath his arm.
She simply nodded, holding herself closer to her husband of 6 years. She could smell the earthy smell of cigar, soap and something that is uniquely Draco and feel the heat of his body warmed hers.
But like all good things, it had ended way too soon as they arrived at the apparition point near the Ministry formal Ballroom where the gala was held.
Immediately, flashes of camera descended upon them like a vulture preying upon the carcasses of dead animals before she could even find her bearings. The paparazzi is the one thing she never get used to even after all this time. Even though she had experience with paparazzi before she became a Malfoy, but it was never this intense.
Forcing herself to smile that demure smile she had perfected, she hoped to Merlin that they would by passed the initial confuse unready picture of herself and use the one where she looked like the epitome of pureblood aristrocracy.
Inside, they were instantly swept by barrage of politicians, power players and plain brown noser wanting to get a piece of Draco while they ignore her after few insincere handshakes and compliments.
Her eyes look at the far right corner of the ballroom, saw a grouping of former Gryffindor and an odd Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff hanging out and look like generally having a great time. And at the centre was Harry Potter and Ginny Potter, looking happy and content with life, and very much in love.
Their eyes met, and Harry gave her a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement.
She sighed.
No matter how much she yearned to go there and be with her old friends, she knew she couldn't. She had left that life when she married Draco. It would just be too awkward and uncomfortable.
They've tried to make it work at the beginning, make an extra effort to talk and hang out. However, they just live in two very different world, with nothing in common and without Ron to glue them together they had just grew apart.
Sometimes in her most maudlin, she thought how different her life could be if Ron didn't die during the bloodiest battle of the war. She would probably be married to him with children of their own. Probably a girl and a boy. And they would spend time together during the weekend at Harry's and Ginny's place.
She shook her head.
This was not the time to be regretful. She had made her choice. She knew what it meant and what she would be giving up if she married Draco. Draco was completely forthcoming with her from the beginning, she knew that he was in love with someone else as he knew that she was still in love with Ron.
She had willingly entered a contract marriage with Draco with both eyes wide open even though Harry had begged her not to.
Oh, how he begged her. He told her that there are other ways, that doesn't involve her sacrificing her heart and her freedom. But she didn't listen. She was tired and she was sad and she wants the whole war thing over and be done with. She lost her parents and just had lost Ron. And in her fear she could see Harry with the word death tattoed across his scared forehead. It seems like a small sacrifice at the moment, in her grief she never imagine for a million years that she could fall in love with someone else again. It had always been Ron. Always. And with him gone, she saw no harm in entering a marriage with Draco. She probably wouldn't marry anyone else. Won't fall in love with anyone else. Might as well be him and end the stupid war.
In her grieve and sadness she made her decision, arrogantly thinking that she wouldn't change her mind and so sure that she won't fall in love again. Completely underestimating the human heart to mend and adapt.
It started slowly, so slowly that by the time she realized that she was in love with Draco Malfoy, it was a little bit to late to do anything. At the beginning of their marriage, she was grieving and most importantly she was lonely, despite the constant presence of the late Narcissa Malfoy nee Black instructing the new Malfoy's bride to the Malfoy's ways. And Draco was just there. It wasn't any big thing that he did, it was the little things. The way he would rub the small of her back, when she felt nervous surrounded by pureblood vultures waiting for her to slip up. Or the way he would just sit there with her in companionable silence when she was feeling sad. Or the way he made her laugh for the first time after Ron's death with his wicked sense of humour. And bit by bit, without her realizing it, she spent less time mourning Ron's absence and more time waiting for Draco to be there with her.
But, she had made her choice.
This is her life now, there is no use regretting the past when the present is standing beside her looking very a annoyed with a particularly persistent ministry brown-noser.
His face may not show it but she had lived with him long enough to know that almost indescernible tick on his right eyebrow to know that he was almost cursing the man level of annoyance.
"Excuse me Mr Sharton, I believe my husband had promised me a dance and this is our favourite song, you don't mind do you?" flashing the aforementioned Mr Sharton her most charming smile while dragging her relieved husband the dance floor.
" Thank you." he whispered to her ear as they dance a slow dance along one of the Centaur Future's romantic song.
"You're welcome." she said simply, while enjoying the feel of his hand n her waist and the heat emanating from his body.
For a moment, in their closeness she could pretend that he loved her. And only her.
Much to her displeasure the song ended far too quickly and her husband escorted her towards the refreshment table.
They were only half way there, when they were intercepted by the blonde hair jasmine parfume wearing she devil, clad in slinky Slytherine green.
"Draco, what a wonderful surprise to see you here," said Astoria Greengrass with voice loud enough to be heard from the Minister of Magic's office way up above, "it's been too long, you must absolutely dance with me, I wouldn't take no for an answer."
Instinctively, like a wolf protecting her herd, she held her husband arms tighter.
Sensing Draco's hesitation, she turned to her and sweetly said, "You don't mind do you Hermione, it's just a dance."
there was no way she could refuse without making it look like they were hiding something and Astoria knew it, and her loud voice ensured few people gathered around them, curious with the sudden hubbab on a rather sedate affair.
"Of course not." her smile grew tight as she watched her husband being led to the dance floor by his mistress.
She watched impotently, while trying not to make any facial expression what so ever, as her husband danced with the woman he love.
Her heart breaks a little.
It was true that she entered this marriage with both eyes wide open. She knew that it was a marriage of convenience. Even at the very beginning he had told her where his heart lays. She thought she wouldn't sway. She felt confident that she would never break.
But the matter of the hearts is an unpredictable business.
She was dropped, head-over heels, walking on air in love with her husband.
Eventhough she knew he was still seeing her. Secretly of course. But he was still seeing her.
She wasn't sure if its due to the close quarter distance or the rare but wonderful kindness he had shown her that had brought a bout her feelings for him. But the end result is still the same. She was still in love with a man who love another woman.
Mustering every dignity she had, she gathered her full skirt in her hand and turned towards Kingsley, the Minister of magic himself, to pay her dues before making her way towards the empty back apparition point where no one could see her leave.
She was almost there when a hand shot toward her arm and stopped her in her track.
" Don't make a scene." he simply said, his face hard and unreadable.
"I didn't make a scene,"she said as calmly as possible, even though she wanted to scream to high heaven, "I already greet the Minister and made my excuse, you can stay if want but I'm won't."
she tried to move but his hand still anchored her in place.
"People will still talk.," he said before releasing her arm, before extending his hand towards her, "come on, you have duties."
And her well lid her anger blew, "I'm in no way obligated to stand here and watch while you dance with that woman with that look on your face, I may have let it slide when you spent every night in her bed instead of ours, but I will not just stood here while she humiliate me in front of everyone," she said before continuing, " You can have me at home playing the good wife and not make any scene or have me here and have me punch the living day lights out of her, you choose."
he immediately dropped her hand.
"I thought so." she said quietly before turning her back at him so he wouldn't see her cry, and apparated to their bedroom, half wishing that he would chase after her and leave Astoria behind.
But, she knew that would not happened.
Tonight, like almost every night for the past 6 years, she would cry herself to sleep, and tomorrow wake up alone in their marriage bed again and start the day all over again like yesterday never happened.