Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 2 for you all. As mentioned last chapter, I'm going to upload twice a month until I've finished writing the entire story. Then I will upload once a week.
Uploading will be the 1st and 15th of every month. Then every Friday night.
Follow me on Tumblr (bigdswisdom . tumblr . com) for updates, sneaky-peaks of upcoming chapters, polls and answering your questions.
I dedicate this fanfiction to all my readers.
I dedicate this chapter to Yur-M0ther, ChanivN, R0ckerbaby, roni2010, ady71, kindtrauma and the Guest for leaving a review.
Love, Dumbledore's Wisdom.
P.S. Enjoy Xx
Chapter 2
It's lying in bed, especially in the dark, when one is truly alone with their thoughts. When your thoughts replay terrorising scenes from your past that make you question everything about yourself, you try to spend as little time as possible alone with them. That's why, after four hours sleep, Draco is in the Manor's library reading any book that can captivate him for long enough to stop thinking.
There's a small knock on the large library doors bringing Draco out of his book. It's one of the best ones he's read since he realised books take his mind of his thoughts.
"Enter," He calls out hoping it isn't his mother but a quick glance at his watch tells him it's only just past six o'clock. Since the sentence, she's been spending her time between her bedroom and parlour and the dining room.
Thankfully, his house elf, Mitty, enters carry a letter and the daily prophet on a silver platter. "Master's paper and a letter from the Ministry, Master." Mitty holds the platter out for him to retrieve the post.
"The Ministry, again?" He sighs taking the post.
Ever since the end of the war, he has been receiving a letter from the Ministry at least once a week asking him if he'll testify against a number of alleged Death Eaters. He's already refused too many times to remember but they still ask. He can't blame them for being persistent but he's told them the only reason he even testified against his father was to keep his mother safe.
He dismisses Mitty, asking her to make him breakfast, before opening the letter.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Ministry of Magic
London
England
Saturday 2nd January 1999
Dear Mr/Miss,
As you may well know, it has been eight months since the end of the war where we lost so many loved ones at the hand of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We are saddened to inform you that we have a total body count. 231.
Unfortunately, this number of deaths in such a small period of time has drastically decreased our population and therefore, the Ministry of Magic has created a new decree in the hope that it will help boost not only our population but also our morale.
The Marriage Decree
1. All those who graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in May 1999 to those aged 23 on 1st June 1999 will be required to marry in The Partner Ceremony.
2. In order to effectively match you with somebody compatible, the attached questionnaire must be honestly filled in and returned to the Ministry of Magic by 1st March 1999.
3. Once married, you and your partner will be given access to your new home in our Ministry Starter House Estate where you will reside for two years or until the conception of your first child.
a. If at two years you have not conceived a child, both you and your partner will be tested for fertility. If one is found to be infertile, you may divorce and the fertile partner must remarry within one year.
b. With proof of conception from St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maldives and Injuries, you may move into your own residence if you wish.
4. The Law
a. All marriages within this age range will be made illegal up until The Partner Ceremony on 1st June 1999
b. Any person who does not return their questionnaire will be sentenced to a minimum of two months imprisonment in Azkaban.
c. Any person who refuses to marry their chosen partner will be sentenced to a minimum of four months imprisonment in Azkaban.
d. Any person found guilty of using an infertility potion or charm will be sentenced to a minimum of six months imprisonment in Azkaban.
Thank you for your time.
Approved and Signed by
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic.
The letter sends him straight back into his thoughts and the first thing he can think of is his wife to be and how unfortunate she will be to be paired with an ex-Death Eater who's hated by most of the wizarding world. She'll have to be pretty thick-skinned to survive being his wife.
He rose from his chair intending on going upstairs to his mother's parlour to ask for her thoughts on the matter. However, as he leaves the library he hears his mother coming down the stairs.
"Good morning dear. Did you sleep well?" She says out of habit. She doesn't really care about an answer.
"I received a letter from the Ministry that you might be interested in." He walks into the dining room with her where some a pot of tea has already been placed. He hands her the letter.
His mother sits in her seat before reading the letter to which she shows no emotion. She simply hands it back to him then takes a sip of her tea that Mitty has just poured out for the both of them.
She winces slightly. "Hmm. This needs some sugar, Mitty." She places the cup back on the saucer watching as Mitty places two teaspoons of sugar in then stirs before backing away in a bow.
His mother takes another sip, a small smile escaping from her lips at the sweetness.
"I assume you are awaiting my thoughts on the matter, dear," She mentions looking at him for the first time since she read the letter.
"Yes, mother," He answers.
"Due to our… the past, I was unsure whether you would ever marry. I'm pleased to know that I'll be blessed with a grandchild within the next two year although it is unfortunate that it must come to this." His mother expresses her thoughts then sips at her tea again.
Draco's shouldn't be so surprised that all his mother cares about is him giving their family an heir. She can hide it beneath the façade of wanting a grandchild but they both know it's really an heir she wants.
"Is that all you're concerned about? Getting an heir? Does it not bother you that I'm being forced into marriage?" He asks angrily.
He knows the past couple of months have been hard on his mother but she's supposed to care about him. That's all he's ever wanted. His parents approval and with his father gone, his mother is the only one who can give it to him.
"Draco dear, you worry too much about something as insignificant as who you're going to be married too. It does not matter who she is, as long as she can give you a son to carry on our family name." She smiles at him as if he's an idiot and he hates it.
Without excusing himself, he leaves the dining room without breakfast or tea. 'How dare she care so little about my future?' He thinks angrily as he traipses upstairs to his wing of the Manor to get changed. He needs to get out of here. He'd go visit Blaise but he's in the South of France with his mother and her new husband. There's only one place he can go really and he's not too happy about it. He's being try to visit Diagon Alley as little as possible since the war. The array of looks he receives is enough to make someone want to leave and never return.
In order to disapparate to Diagon Alley, Draco needs to be out of the Manor's protection charms which means outside the gate. It's a long ten-minute walk through their gardens until he reaches the gate. He'd taken the opportunity to read the questionnaire that came attached to the Ministry letter. Most of the questions were rather irrelevant or so he thought.
Dear Sir/Miss,
This questionnaire will be used to pair you with your partner so, in order for you to be accurately paired with someone compatible, we have charmed any ink applied to glow red if an incorrect answer is written and then disappear ready for the correct answer to be written. All twenty questions must be answered before being sent back to the Ministry of Magic.
1. Name:
2. Date of Birth:
3. Gender:
4. Sexuality:
5. Blood Status:
6. Hogwarts House:
7. Career:
8. Average/Predicted NEWT Grade:
9. Current Relationship Status:
10. Hair Colour:
11. Eye Colour:
12. How many children do you wish to have?:
13. Your Favourite Colour:
14. Your Favourite Number:
15. Your Favourite Food:
16. Your Favourite Drink:
17. Partner's Hair Colour:
18. Partner's Eye Colour:
19. Your Boggart:
20. Any other notes:
Thank you for your time.
Approved and Signed by
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister of Magic.
Once out of the protection charm, he disapparates into a dark, shady alleyway in Diagon Alley. From there he walks towards Flourish and Blotts with his cloak hood up, carefully hiding in the shadows. He doesn't want any confrontation today. He's removing his hood as he crosses over the threshold when he's suddenly knocked off balance by someone crashing straight into him. He quickly regains his balance and straightens his cloak before looking down to see who they were.
"Granger!" He exclaims with a raised eyebrow which quickly turns into a sneer once he realises how surprised he sounded.
He would have assumed that she would spend her Christmas holiday in the Muggle world with her family instead of the wizarding world.
"Malfoy." She smiles politely before stepping around him and walking off into Diagon Alley.
He watches her until he can no longer see her for the throng of people buying back to school supplies or having one last family outing before their children have to head back to school.
Draco heads upstairs to where there are several study tables set out. He picks an empty one in the far corner and sets about answering his questionnaire. It doesn't take him very long. Only fifteen minutes once he got over the confusion of having his ink flash a bright red when he apparently answered 'how many children do you wish to have' incorrectly.
He's walking down Diagon Alley, absentmindedly window shopping, when his stomach growls, reminding him he missed breakfast. He looks around his surroundings to find somewhere to eat but only finds Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to be open. 'Who wants to eat ice cream this early in the morning?' He thinks as he walks over to the parlour anyway.
He trying to decide between Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean and Chocolate Frog as a topping as he walks through the door sending the bell ringing. He's just decided to get a large ice cream with both toppings when someone walks into him again spilling their ice cream over his shirt.
The coldness from their ice cream is seeping through his linen shirt. They apologise instantly and start rubbing the spilt ice cream on his chest. He looks down only to find Granger stood, cleaning up the mess.
He coughs loudly to interrupt her. She doesn't stop wiping until she's looked up and noticed who he is.
"Malfoy, are you following me?" She questions with a slight head tilt.
He scoffs. "Of course not. I simply wanted a delicious ice cream." He glares down his nose at her. "And you can take your hand off me now," He adds upon realising she hadn't.
She looks down at her hand as if unsure where it was, though once she sees that it's still clutching at his damp shirt, she releases her grip quickly.
"Don't be so dramatic, Malfoy." She rolls her eyes sidestepping around him to leave but he gently grabs hold of her arm.
'I'm not letting her get away with this that easily.' He thinks annoyed.
He smirks at the look on her face. "Try not to make this a habit," He says sharply before stepping past her and disapparating back home.
The wind from disapparating whips at his shirt making the damp patch seem colder than it actually is. He glances down at his watch as he walks back through the garden. It's only nine o'clock and already today hasn't been a good day. As soon as he enters his house, he stomps up the stairs to his wing of the manor to get changed out of his shirt.
He opens his bedroom door only slightly surprised to find Blaise lounging on his bed reading a muggle newspaper. Since his mother remarried during the summer, Blaise had taken nearly a permanent residence at Malfoy Manor over the holidays. Although he is supposed to be in the South of France right now. They were due back tomorrow.
"I thought you we're in the South of France," He comments, throwing his cloak onto an armchair in the corner of his room.
"Yeah, decided to end the trip early after receiving a certain letter from the Ministry," He mentions nonchalantly with a shrug not even looking up from the newspaper.
It's constantly confusing Draco how carefree his best friend is. He's always been that way, though. Ever since he introduced himself on the Hogwarts Express in their first year.
"What do you think about the letter?" Draco asks hoping for a better answer than the one his mother gave him.
"Well," He starts, folding his newspaper over and placing it beside him. "I never really thought myself as the marriage type. Always thought I'd drift from one lady to the next and I'm more than fine with that. But this decree kind of messes all that up doesn't it. I suppose we're just going to have to get on with it, though. Nothing much we can do." He shrugs again before focusing properly on Draco as he takes his shirt off. "What happened to your shirt?" He questions.
With a groan, he says, "Granger."
Blaise's eyes widen almost comically. "What were you doing with Granger?" He asks rather too excitedly in Draco's opinion.
"Nothing. She crashed into me with her ice cream. Got it everywhere." He answers buttoning up a new shirt.
Blaise frowns at this. "Who eats ice cream in January?" He ponders.
"Well nowhere else was open this early in the morning." He defends her for some unknown reason to him.
"Did she apologise?" He raises an eyebrow.
Draco flops down on his bed ignoring his friends face as he closes his eyes. "No, she started dabbing at my shirt."
"Oooh, I think she likes you." Blaise elbows him in the ribs.
Draco laughs out a breath at his comment. Granger. Liking him. He highly doubts it. "She didn't know it was me. She stopped as soon as she realised." He explains.
"Shame." He sighs. "So what do you think about this whole 'Marriage Decree' thing?"
Draco shrugs. "Some girl is out there, unaware that's she about to become my wife and I feel sorry for her. The only upside, according to my mother, is the opportunity for an heir." He admits.
He suddenly remembers the filled out questionnaire in his cloak pocket but he can't be bothered to get off the bed so instead, he shouts for Mitty. She pops into existence at the bottom of his bed.
"Yes, Master Draco." Mitty bows.
"There's a role of parchment in my cloak pocket over there. Can you owl it to the Ministry for me?" He asks her to which she nods.
"Of course, master Draco." She bows once more before scurrying off towards the cloak. "Would master like Mitty to clean master's cloak."
"Yeah," He calls over in the general direction of Mitty. "Thanks," He adds as an afterthought.
"What about you?" Blaise turns on his side propping his head up with his arm. "Is there any upside for you?"
"Well, at least, I'm not going to die alone," He admits.
"You were never going to die alone." Blaise snorts. "Look at you. You're an attractive man. And that's coming from a fellow man." He adds falling back on his back.
"There's more to a relationship than being attracted to each other. Who in their right mind would want to marry me if they weren't being forced to?" He questions his friend.
"I'm sure a Slytherin would have married you," He suggests.
"Really," Draco says doubtfully. "After my family turned our back on the Dark Lord and ran away during the battle."
"Hmmm. I suppose you're right." Blaise is quiet for a moment. "If you could choose anyone to marry, who would you choose?" He asks rolling onto his side again.
Draco sighs. "I don't know. I want someone who realises that I'm trying to change and someone who I can be friends with and actually fall in love with." He sighs again. "I doubt that's going to happen, though," He adds.
"Well, I've got my eyes in a certain Ravenclaw." Blaise winks at him.
"That girl you went out with just before Christmas who you won't tell me about," Draco asks.
"Yeah," He says dreamily. "She's amazing. You wouldn't think it but we have quite a lot in common."
"I don't think much about her since you won't tell me anything about her besides she a Ravenclaw and amazing," He complains.
"I can't tell you about her now. What if we're not paired? That'll just be awkward." Blaise points out.
They lie in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Blaise climbs off his bed, stretching his arms and back. "Well, I need to get back to Toulouse. Al will be wondering where I am." He says in annoyance as he collects his shoes and newspaper.
"Al?" He questions.
"Yeah. Mother's new husband, Alberic. He's strangely interested in me. It's weird. None of her other husbands has ever paid attention to me before." He shrugs hopping over to the fireplace as he pulls on one shoe after the other.
"See you on the train." He bids me goodbye before flooing away.
Just like that, Draco is left alone with his thoughts, which were solely focused on the Marriage Decree. He went through all the eligible girls at Hogwarts, trying to imagine being married to them, living with them, raising children with them. He couldn't imagine doing that with any of them.
Tired of thinking, he makes his way downstairs into the kitchen's where he finds Mitty cooking their dinner.
"Does master need Mitty?" She questions with a bow as he enters.
"No. What are you making for dinner?" He asks sitting down on one of the stools.
"Master's mother requested a roast beef feast for masters last night," Mitty tells him.
"You want some help?" He questions.
Draco watches as Mitty argues with herself. House elves are very proud creatures who live to serve their family. They aren't supposed to accept help from anyone. Especially not from the family they serve. But before he started Hogwarts, Draco used to help Mitty, Gharther and Dobby in the kitchens all the time. He hasn't had the opportunity to do much cooking since attending Hogwarts. He doesn't dare even risk sneaking into the kitchens to cook. His classmates would find out somehow and before he knew it, it would have spread throughout the school and Potter and friends would use it as ammunition in one of their altercations.
"Mitty is happy for master's help." She tries to sound sincere but he can tell she's forcing it. "Master can cut the vegetables if master wishes to help."
Draco simply nods grabbing an apron from the hook and a knife from the rack then sets about cutting up the carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes. Mitty puts the radio on. He doesn't know which station it is, but the music so quite good so he doesn't complain. He even finds himself humming along to some of the catchiest ones.
Once dinner is ready, he helps the Mitty and Gharther carry the plates into the dining room, much to his mother's disapproval stare. They don't talk during the meal only to exchange pleasantries. When they've finished, though, his mother clears her throat.
"Draco dear, have you completed your questionnaire."
"Yes, I had Mitty owl it back this afternoon," He announces between sips of wine.
She frowns at him. "Without letting me check your answers. We need to be careful about who you're paired with dear." She raises her eyebrow. "Although I'm sure you answered them in favour of that," She adds getting up to leave.
He glares at her back as she walks out of the dining room, up the stairs to her parlour. Even though he worries terribly about her when he's at school, he can't wait to go back.
Thank you so much for reading.
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Thank you! Xx
