A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this one is so late, I've had a really crappy week. Thank you so so so much for the reviews, it's really helped make me feel better :)
Next chapter should be on Tuesday, so not long to wait after this one. I know this chapter is quite short but I just wanted to get something out. Hope you enjoy and see you next week!
Chapter Four: Laying Odds
The Malfoy's were gathered around in a small circle, chatting to some middle aged society women to get the latest gossip. Well, Narcissa was anyway.
Draco stifled his third yawn, his eyes watering under the pressure, and looked imploringly at his father for help. Lucius appeared to be attempting to retreat to his happy place only to be forced back to the present with each loud cackle - but picked up on Draco's gaze nonetheless. He looked meaningfully at his son's glass, which was still housing about half of its champagne, and downed his own. Picking up on the inference, Draco quickly gulped down his champagne. The glass had only just left his lips when his father feigned a gasp. "My my, the service here is drastically below par, not a waiter in sight! Ladies, what would you like to drink? Draco and I will fetch them for you."
They went to the farthest bar in the room just so they could have a longer journey back, tasked with procuring an assortment of exotic sounding martini's. Draco leant against the table, his back to the barman as his father recited their order, and glanced around the room. The Ministry really did go all out for the equinox events and this year was no different. Being spring, there were swags and garlands strewn across just about every surface and hanging from each elongated archway, stuffed full with pastel coloured English roses and carnations, eucalyptus stems, and a spray of gypsophila. Whilst there was a whole range of activities in full swing in City Hall, it seemed the best events were taking place outside in the gardens; he watched in amusement as a teenage boy tried to impress a girl in a pink frock with the treasure the niffler was finding for him. It was all going well until the niffler took a keen interest in the girl's necklace and knocked her over in it's attempt to snaffle it off her neck.
His eyes moved a little to the left, where a streak of white fabric slipped behind a pillar. He watched curiously as Arianwen creeped further around the pillar and into his line of vision; she was playing hide and seek with an excitable blonde-haired boy. Moments later Llewyn bounded up to her, laughing happily as she pretended to jump in shock, then crouched down and covered his face in kisses. Despite himself, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was; her linen white dress tailored perfectly to her hourglass silhouette and yet so effortless, her bright smile giving her a kind of angelic aura - or so he thought anyway. He cringed at his own sappiness - the guys at work would rip into him if he ever said any of this aloud.
It was wonderful to watch them together though, so contented with only the other's company. But it was painful too. His stomach knotted tightly as he remembered what Narcissa had told him a few weeks prior.
"Still pining after her I see." Lucius' voice spoke into his right ear, causing Draco to scowl.
"You don't get it." He said in a tone that plainly told his father to drop it.
Lucius had never been one for dropping a subject when it didn't suit him, however. "I won't disagree with you there, I've never been able to fathom what you see in that one. And even now, watching them at a distance like some kind of lovesick dog! I expected more of you, Draco."
Draco had to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from retaliating. A momentary pause that Lucius took full advantage of. "Now, look at Miss Greengrass over there - a fine example of excellent breeding: a beauty for sure, graceful, well regarded in the most esteemed of circles, and-" he paused for effect, "-unemployed."
"Unemployed?" Draco scoffed. "What is your obsession with Arianwen's job?"
"A lady has plenty of things to occupy her without adding employment into the fray. We would be a laughing stock if you married such a woman!" He looked in Arianwen's direction in disgust.
"This conversation is completely irrelevant," Draco snapped, turning around and swiping a pre-prepared drink from the bar behind. "Everything you just said about Arianwen aside, the Greengrass' would sooner marry their daughters off to people like Longbottom than they would to a Malfoy. You might not have noticed but we're not exactly on the A-list, Father."
"Exactly!" Lucius exclaimed, gripping Draco's shoulders in a bid to make him understand. "We need them to restore our name, and I'm certain that Philip can be persuaded for the right amount."
Draco scowled, trying to sort the millions of outraged thoughts that were spinning in his head. "Please don't tell me that you've already started to put this ridiculous idea in motion?" He hissed.
"What's ridiculous, Draco, is your attitude towards our salvation!" Lucius bit back loudly, earning them some raised eyebrows and whispers from the surrounding spectators.
"I'm not having this conversation with you, Father." Draco hissed. He jerked his shoulders out of his father's grip and headed out into the garden.
Llewyn clutched his treasures close to his chest as he waited for his mother to finish chatting to the grown ups. He peered through their legs to see if there was anything exciting happening beyond and jumped for joy when he saw his father walking out into the garden, looking around for someone.
"Daddy!" Draco snapped his head to the left in time to see the hilarious sight of his son trying to run towards him, dropping some of his sweets, and then doubling back on himself to pick them up. He decided to put him out of his misery and meet him in the middle. Llewyn grinned, waving an amber coloured wrapper in his face. "Mammy said these are your favourite." He pushed his little arms full of sweets into Draco's.
He opened one and smiled to himself. "The dark chocolate hard toffees," he murmured, "of course she remembers."
"I found lots, I think I got them all!" Llewyn announced proudly.
Draco laughed and ruffled his hair. "Good job, son. So where is your mother anyway?"
The small boy sighed dramatically. "She's over there." He pointed in the direction of a group of chattering older women, Arianwen at their heart. "It's sooo boring." He whined.
Draco smirked, he remembered feeling just like that when he was younger and caught up in 'adult-talk'. "Well then, why don't you go and play in the sandbox and I'll rescue your mother."
Llewyn didn't need telling twice. He scampered over the sandbox and plopped himself down in it, spilling a trail of treats behind him. Draco shook his head, smiling, then approached the group that were holding Arianwen hostage.
A portly sixty-something woman was speaking quickly to Arianwen; it looked as though she were trying to sell her something. "My son is incredibly successful you know, runs his own gardening business-"
"So you know he's good with his hands!" Another woman, very similar in appearance to the other one piped up. The group all cackled, leaving Arianwen blushing.
"I'm sure your son is wonderful, Mrs Harris, but-" Arianwen tried.
"Well then I'll have to set you up! Such a lovely young thing like you shouldn't be husbandless - what a waste!" The portly woman cooed.
"Ahem." Draco cleared his throat, making some of them jump.
"Draco!" Arianwen exclaimed, desperation evident in her voice. She dashed over to him, finding safety at the outer edge of the mothers meeting. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow knowingly, trying not to laugh at the pleading look on her face. "Well I've been looking everywhere for you too, we must've missed each other."
The women who had been trying to set Arianwen up looked between the two of them, confused. "Uh, who is this young fellow?"
"This is my husband, Draco." Arianwen lied, circling one hand around his middle and placing the other on his chest. He looked at her bemusedly, trying to clear his brain of the fog that had clouded it the second she'd touched him. She squeezed his side impatiently, helping him to jump back into action.
"You didn't say you had a husband!" One of the women was saying.
"Yes, I'm afraid this one is off the market, ladies, but I'm sure the perfect women for your various sons are out there somewhere." He gestured vaguely to the area behind their disappointed heads.
Some hair had fallen out of Arianwen's golden blonde bun; he pushed it out of the way, enjoying how warm her cheek was. She looked up at him and for one moment they paused, faces closer than they had been in so long. Arianwen blinked a few times, then shook her head, apparently clearing whatever brief spell they'd been under. "We ought to go and see how Llewyn is getting on." She said. "See you again I hope, ladies." And waved goodbye.
"Thanks for saving me," she said to Draco as they walked over to the sandpit.
He chuckled. "They seemed like a fun bunch."
Arianwen rolled her eyes. "They wouldn't let me get a word in edgeways!" As they reached the sandbox, they saw Llewyn guarding a small mound in the sand. Exchanging curious glances, they crouched down beside him.
"Hello, sweetheart, what have you got there?" Arianwen enquired.
Llewyn glared at another little boy who was passing by and, by Llewyn's standards anyway, taking far too much interest in his sand pile. "Daddy's treasure!" He whispered importantly.
Draco threw his head back and laughed, his whole face lighting up. Arianwen smiled too, he hadn't looked so natural and carefree in a long time; it was nice, like the Draco she'd first met when they were sixteen. Llewyn didn't understand the dynamic between his parents but beamed triumphantly at his success anyway and began to dig the sweets out for his dad.
Arianwen tried to hold in her laughter as she watched him make his father eat a sandy chocolate toffee but didn't succeed for long; soon enough the whole family were in fits of giggles. "So are they still your favourite?" Arianwen asked after a few steadying breaths.
"I suppose they must be," he said cautiously, eyes narrowing at her playful smile.
"Want to know how I know it's your Daddy's favourite?" Arianwen asked her son, who nodded - eager to know more about his dad. "Well, one night when your Father and I were in school I couldn't sleep, so I went down to the common room to read a book. I got myself settled on an armchair near the fire and started reading but there was this weird sound coming from the other end of the room. So I started to worry because I didn't have my wand with me and it was late and dark, and I thought that some horrible creature had escaped. Anyway, I could hear it coming from the window so I creeped over, pulled the curtain back, and there was your father hidden behind it, scoffing toffees!"
As always, Llewyn was a reliable audience and laughed hysterically. Draco pushed Arianwen's arm playfully and moaned: "do you remember literally everything that I've ever done?"
Arianwen furrowed her brow for a moment in mock thought, then nodded her head decisively. "Yes, obviously! And on that note, do you remember what you said when I found you?"
He sighed. "Well you were laughing at me, much like you are now, and accusing me of 'scoffing' as though I were some kind of oaf like Crabbe or Goyle."
"Aaand?" Arianwen prompted.
"And I said 'Malfoy's don't scoff' and stormed off." He chuckled.
"Your Daddy wouldn't speak to me for a week after that," Arianwen told Llewyn in a mock-hurt tone. "But I made it up to him." She added as an afterthought, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Draco didn't quite know what to do - she had 'made it up to him' in a way that he couldn't repeat to a five year old. And now she was looking at him like she certainly didn't hate the memory… Was she flirting? Surely not!
"Yeah, you were always good at that." He winked, inciting a deep and most surprising blush to colour her cheeks.
She looked away. What was she doing? She knew she couldn't let him get too close again, why was she giving him false hope? And why was she putting herself through it?
"Anyway," Draco cleared his throat, picking up on her change in mood, "I've been meaning to tell you - I bought an apartment, I'm moving in this weekend."
Arianwen's head shot up. "You did? That's amazing, congratulations!"
He looked pleased by her reaction. "Thanks. It feels pretty good to be getting some independence back but uh- it will mean that it would probably be easier if Llewyn could come to my place rather than my parents'. I've already spoken to Mother, and she's happy to floo…" he paused hopefully.
She nodded, saying slowly: "Makes sense. But I don't see any need for her to join you, unless you want her to."
Draco blinked, shocked. She was going to let him have Llewyn unsupervised? He could hardly contain his excitement. "Really? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." And for the third time that afternoon they found a quiet moment of nostalgia in each others eyes.
Lucius sighed heavily. The last thing he needed was his wife looking at him like she wanted to rip his intestines out and drag him along the floor with them. "What do you mean you've put in an offer?" Narcissa hissed. One of the women Narcissa had been gossiping with earlier edged closer to them - evidently gossip knew nothing of loyalty. "Darling," Narcissa said in honeyed tones, her fake smile only adding to the impending dread that came over him when he displeased his wide, "Are you telling me that you've been idiotic enough to try and enter into an agreement for the youngest Greengrass girl? Because that really would be incredibly idiotic wouldn't it, dear?"
"Now Cissa, really I can explain-" Lucius started.
"Oh so you actually have been that stupid then, have you?" Narcissa said through her gritted smile.
"Nothing's been agreed," Lucius consoled. "Philip is playing coy, says the girl has had a few offers. He knows he holds all the cards and he's using it to drive the price up, but I'll be damned if I let this one slip!"
"Honestly, Lucius!" Narcissa hissed. She guided him over to the dance floor so they could argue more discretely. "Do you really think I'm worried about the financials? It's our son I'm worried about!"
"Yes, as am I! Which is why I'm trying to secure him some semblance of a future. He needs to move on, Cissa, the Gwydion girl clearly has no romantic interest in him. He's only making it worse for himself by holding on for her." He reasoned, leaving out the part where he described how inappropriate of a wife she would make for their son.
Narcissa frowned. He did actually have a point. She knew that Arianwen had been dating casually for a while, and whilst she was making an effort to get on with Draco for Llewyn's sake, was it just that? Just for Llewyn and not at all for herself?
It was too hard to say, Arianwen wasn't easy to read.
She watched over Lucius' shoulder as the two young parents laughed together, playing with their son. One thing was obvious, they both still loved each other, but perhaps that wasn't enough for Arianwen any more. She was trying to move on so why shouldn't Draco?