Forbidden Love
It was ten to twelve, the wedding was at noon. Lydia regarded herself in the floor length mirror; the ivory dress was too fussy for her with its many layers of chiffon, silk and underskirts. But she looked perfectly adequate. It was the burning in her heart that made this wedding feel impossible, but she had no choice, she was marrying the wrong man, but she couldn't stop it.
Draco paced in one of the sitting rooms off the main hall of the castle, he felt sick and close to tears, angry, confused, lost and every emotion possible he felt it. Blaise placed a hand on Draco's shoulder blade, watching his friend jump out of his skin with fright
"What are you doing Draco? Why hurt her even more? What you said was cruel and you know it, you would never have wanted her if she was the same as a squib." Blaise commented matter-of-factly.
"I will always want her Zabini. It's not a choice anymore, I just love her" said Draco frantically, hostility evident in his voice but it was laced with passion and need.
"Then why are you throwing it all away?"
Draco stooddumbfounded for only a moment; he turned and took off, sprinting away from the scene he had to stop this, he had to apologise, he had to show her he loved her. Lydia might not be able to stop this wedding but nothing said that Draco damn well couldn't. Draco apparated to the church on the other side of town, it was deserted outside in the car park. This was bad, very bad. Everyone had taken their seats. Draco slammed up the stairs two at a time, on the landing Theodore Nott stood inspecting Draco, scheming.
"Forgotten something Draco?" The dark Slytherin asked coolly, Draco desperately tried to swerve around him to find her. "You're not seeing her. She's on the other side of the building, and there are bouncers on the doors, prepared to stun you. I suspected you might try to pull a stunt like this." A bark of cold hard laughter maimed Draco's ears, "Astoria is going to be very, very angry, isn't she? What are you thinking of? I'm sure she'll forgive you though, anything for status and all that" Nott scoffed condescendingly.
"What do you care Nott. You don't love her. Why do this to her? Or to me? You used to be my friend Theo." Tears swam in Draco's eyes, he felt like he was in physical pain, in pureblood marriages there was no such thing as divorce she would be trapped for life, the women who did divorce their husbands were shunned and cast aside from society. Nott shook his head, narrowing his blue eyes at Draco.
"No Draco, I was never your friend. You always thought you were the best, top dog per say. But look who has the last laugh eh, Me! You get the second-best wife and I take away from you the only girl you have ever loved more than yourself." Nott spat gleefully, hatred evident in his voice. "She's beautiful isn't she? I can't wait to see your face after she has my son." Draco lunged for Nott but was pulled off by three of the walking-wall body guards. "I hate to leave you like this Malfoy, but unlike you I have a wedding to get to."
"Get rid of him, I don't want any mistakes" Theo ordered dismissively with a wave of his hand. Draco was unceremoniously thrown outside into the street. He franticly searched for a door he had to stop this. There was no entrance, Draco paced like a caged Tiger, all doors were locked or guarded; hysterically Draco threw himself up the fire escape. Draco found himself in a large stone balcony above the church, it was completely empty, and there was a large thick glass barrier up to stop anyone falling over the edge and into the congregation below. He saw her walking up the aisle, she was so perfect and beautiful, Draco couldn't stand there silently he had to fight back, when the vicar asked for objections Draco hammered on the glass punching it and screaming, that he objected as hard and loudly as he could. Whispers filled the church, like a hive of buzzing beas; she turned tears in her eyes. Draco realised his voice couldn't carry through the glass; it was so pointless he was hurting her more now from his selfishness. She didn't have a choice, if Lydia didn't marry him, she would die and in turn so would he, he couldn't let her die now, and after all of the years he tried to protect her, perhaps he should have left her alone. He mouthed through the glass to her "I'm sorry" and she mimed the same thing back. "I love you" Draco whispered and she echoed that she loved him too. Lydia was crying, Draco was crying and then the bouncers dragged him out throwing him outside into the street. Nott was thoroughly pissed off now.
"Can we just get on with the wedding?" Kissing the groom felt the same Lydia imagined as it would kissing a corpse. Perhaps Nott was thinking the same thing, as now she was an empty body once again without her soul. She was alone and broken once again, except this time Lydia had a husband.
Draco married Astoria a month later against his better judgement and he was miserable, equally so was Lydia. However Nott and Astoria were delighted; submissive partners, who didn't care and they both got what they wanted. Astoria got her status but Draco refused to let her change her surname, he said it wasn't hers. And Theo he had finally outdone Draco and had hurt him in the worst way physically possible.
Lydia was no longer allowed to keep her job (a good wife's job is to look pretty and produce children) therefore she meandered through London depressed and despondent. She browsed in shops peering into the bright and colourful window displays but they didn't make her happy any more. She cut off her family and her friends too but now she was thoroughly isolated and spent a lot of her time alone and the rest of the time with Theo, wanting to be alone. She decided to go to the Ministry, and watch court cases from the public viewing gallery, utterly desperate to work again but even that had been taken by someone else against her will. Just like her true love. The winter's air was painful to her exposed skin as she shoved her bare hands in her pockets in a fruitless attempt to warm them. Even though inwardly she was depressed, Lydia still looked glamorous, her thick brown her fell just over her shoulders full of volume in lush waves. Her large Burberry trench coat looked amazing but was terrible against the December chill. By the time she was inside the ministry of magic she was frozen to the bone, but was comforted by the familiar black marble floors and smell of ash from the many fireplaces which lined the walls. She walked with for just a moment with her eyes closed relishing in her former workplace, breathing in the smells and listening to the sounds, when she crashed headfirst into someone leaving them both on the floor surrounded by a cloud of paperwork.
"I'm very sorry Sir; I wasn't looking where I was going." She rambled trying to gather together the thousands of sheets of paperwork that she had displaced. As Lydia reached to pick up the same sheet of paper as her victim, their hands brushed and a surge of electricity passed in her fingertips and coursed through her veins, she looked up startled and her brown eyes locked with familiar grey ones. Her breath was caught in her throat and her heart hammered so hard against her ribs she thought it would burst out, she felt shaky and sweaty and the infernal thing on her left hand felt alien, almost like a prison warden stood before her dangling the key in front of her face. All she could think of was how much she missed him and wanted to be with him. "How are you?" Draco croaked, his throat was suddenly dry and hoarse.
"I've been better." She smiled sadly at him, her brown eyes were a window to her soul so full of depth and beauty, there was pain flickering in there somewhere again, Draco knew that look.
"Let's go somewhere"
"What now? What about your work?" She whispered intensely, looking around over her shoulder quickly.
"I'm an auror now. I choose my own cases and hours. But honestly it wouldn't matter, seeing you here like this. You've always come first, that never changed for me, I never changed," Draco explained passionately, people were walking towards them, or whispering. He nodded towards a fireplace and she walked a little behind trying to remain subtle.
"Can you stop acting so suspicious? You're doing absolutely nothing wrong...yet" Draco muttered. They entered a fireplace together and Draco apparated them to the Manor, Astoria was visiting her sister and her husband for the weekend, Draco, had point blank refused to go, he would prefer to work than spend any unnecessary time with his wife.
"I'm sorry I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral. I would have given anything to be there," Lydia whispered ashamedly, sinking into one of the familiar drawing room settees.
"Wasn't allowed?" the blond questioned gently.
"Draco, Theo goes mental if I even mention you, so going to an event with you was out of the question. I never thought I would become the pushover wife, I tried to go alone but Theo can be... hostile sometimes." Her voice trailed away to nothing and there was silence for a few seconds. "My feelings never changed either Dray." She spoke in a soft voice; there was sadness though to her. Draco walked towards her, crouched between her thighs and pulled her face towards his capturing her lips immediately. Her response was automatic and her toes curled whilst acrobats did back flips in her stomach. She pushed on his chest breaking the kiss panicked.
"We can't do this, I'm married now, hell, and you're bloody married too. Nott will kill me and I'm sure Astoria will too, think about the vow." Her eyes were wide and her voice was high and raised. She stood pacing the room.
"Why the bloody hell not, purebloods have been having affairs for centuries. The unbreakable vow only said you had to marry Nott, it mentioned nothing about monogamy." Draco was passionate holding her shoulders, shaking her gently.
"I don't want to have to sneak around with you though Dray, I want everyone to know. This isn't fair." Lydia exclaimed, tears filling her eyes.
"This is the only way. I will love you in any way I can. I don't give a shit about Astoria, all that matters is that I love you and I want to see you." He was ardent and determined for her to understand that the benefits outweighed all of the risks. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him fiercely, immediately her body responded and she wanted him there and then. She missed him and loved him, wishing their love was not forbidden. Tongues delved and danced erotically, mixing in a beautiful, poetic and pleasurable way. Draco had one hand behind her head knotting into her thick tresses, whilst the other roamed all over her body, remembering how she felt. The last time had been so perfect that nothing could ever compete; their kiss was desperate and frantic. They stumbled up the many flights of stairs in the manor, various items of thick winter clothing were shed as they staggered, blindly consumed by each other rushing to get to each other's flesh. There was no apprehension this time as they were certain it would be perfect and that they were exactly what the other needed.
They lay together for a few moments; he held her in his arms and drew intricate patterns on the inside of her bare arms. Large frustrated tears fell from her lashes, splattering on the alabaster skin of his chest. She threw herself out of the enormous bed and began to try and find her discarded clothes, but Lydia's vision was obscured by tears. Draco took a large sigh and walked to her pulling her into his warm embrace and for a few seconds her eyes fluttered closed in the tranquillity and how right the moment felt.
"I have to go; Theo will want to know where I am." She whispered her voice was strained and thick as she tried to croak out her words. Draco looked at her in awe of her beauty, even with ruffled hair and smeared makeup; she was so stunning to him.
"This doesn't have to be a onetime thing Lids" he murmured against her hair.
