Chapter 2 – Beginning of summer and a meeting
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from J. belongs solely to her, no copyright infringement intended. Anything you do not recognize is mine.
Previously : ...He would get over these three months like he always did...because he had to...because he was Draco Malfoy, scion of the Malfoy family and heir to the greatest fortune in the United Kingdom. As he fell asleep he had no idea how life-changing the next three months would be...
After a tiring train ride with little to no sleep, Draco finally exited the train and spotting his driver on the platform, made his way towards him.
"Bonjour monsieur Malfoy" the old driver greeted kindly. "Common étés vous?"
"Bonjour Pierre, Je suis bien merci, et tu?" the master answered remembering the old man fondly from his time growing up. Grabbing his bags in one hand and batting the driver's attempts to carry them, he made his way towards the small parking lot.
"Good as well, Master Malfoy. It has been a long time since you have been with us, Josephine will be delighted to see you." Draco smiled slightly remembering how the old housekeeper used to dote on him when he was a child. "Yes it is good to be back, I needed a summer away from the chaos of London and the pressure in Wiltshire" The driver nodded understandingly as he put the bags in the trunk of the car and getting in turned on the engine and pulled the vehicle out of the parking lot.
A short ride later, they finally arrived at the cottage. Well, Draco mused, cottage by Malfoy standards because it was a beautiful construction. Quite large, it spread out at ground level, huge windows allowing the Provence sun to light the rooms inside, and columns supporting the roof of the veranda. It was cream colored with white painted French windows and doors, spotless glass shining in the sunlight. Perfectly manicured lawn surrounded the front of the building, interrupted only by the driveway. Deceptively simple in the front, but Draco knew perfectly well the hidden treasures behind the villa such as the conservatory, the swimming pool or the stables. He spent most of his vacations here exploring all the nooks and crannies of the estate. Now though...now he would spend the next 3 months relaxing, enjoying the weather and hoping to come to a conclusion by the end of the summer, because once he started Hogwarts there would be no going back.
After a heartwarming welcome from Josephine, he escaped to the master bedroom, which had always been his since his parents had never visited during the summers. It was a grand room, done in shades of Bordeaux with wrought iron and dark wood furniture. The outer wall was dominated by a pair of floor to ceiling French windows, framed by thin burnt orange hangings which fluttered in the breeze. A huge black wrought iron bed dominated the room with silk Bordeaux sheets and a mosquito net hanging from the ceiling. Dark wood chests of drawers and a desk made up the rest of the furniture in the bedroom. Two doors were on the inner most wall of the room, one leading to a dressing room filled with armoires and the other to the master bathroom. The bathroom was a piece of art in itself. It was done completely in navy blue with a large claw footed bath tub taking up half of the room. A shower and a toilet shared one wall while the double sink and cabinets took the other. But the best part of the bathroom was the big oval ceiling window right above the bathtub. It was a perfect place to relax in the evenings when there was a storm outside as the pitter patter of water on the window relaxed one like nothing else.
After reacquainting himself with the room, Draco decided to unpack his things now as it was already past lunch and food would not be on the table till dinner. Thirty minutes later he looked around satisfied and thought that a refreshing shower would be the best way to go. Leaving the bedroom, he made his way to the bathroom and turning on the water, he stepped in. After spending a couple of minutes just enjoying the cold spray he turned to washing himself and ten minutes later stepped out wrapping a dark blue towel around his waist feeling human again after getting rid of the accumulated travel dirt. Entering the bedroom he noticed a tray on the desk, bearing a large Caesar salad and a glass of sparkling water on it. Deciding it must have been Josephine, he shrugged to himself and changing into a pair of black sleeping pants, sat to eat.
Three weeks later Draco Malfoy was bored. He was very bored, a fact which never bode well for anyone. After exploring the rest of the estate, studiously avoiding the stables, he had read a couple of books, chatted to Josephine and Pierre, swam in the pool, anything to keep him busy. But now he found himself without anything to do so he went for a walk as it as a perfect summer night outside. Guided only by the light of the stars and his own memory, he walked around the grounds. Coming around the villa he noticed a light under the door of the stables. Immediately ruling out Josephine or Pierre, as they had turned in for the night, he figured out there must be an intruder on the grounds and made his way stealthily towards the building and slid the door open a sliver to peer inside. A gas lamp was lit, hanging over the corridor between the stalls and for a moment he thought there was nobody as the only sounds he could hear where the snorts of the horses. But then, he heard footsteps in the tack room and sliding the door open he entered it, sneaking towards it so as not to alert the intruder to the incoming company. He barely had time to dive behind a stack of hay ballots before the door opened and a person came into the stable. He cursed the badly lit room as he could not make out who it was, only that they had a slight figure. The person started walking and just as they came close enough, Draco sprang from his hiding spot, and using his superior stature tackled the figure. Unfortunately he had miscalculated the distance and both of them tumbled to the floor, landing in a painful heap. Regaining his senses he straddled the person pinning them to the floor thinking his earlier intruder suspicions were true. Looking down he suddenly felt like drowning...drowning in a sea of green.
AN: Figured I'd post the second chapter as well as an extra incentive :) Hope you liked it!
