CHAPTER V
A/N: I forgot to mention a thank you in my previous chapters, so….
Thank you so much to my beta reader. You're the best I know and wouldn't be writing as well as I am without you.
Mackenzie returned to Chase Manor after her day with George and his family, and a surprisingly uncomplicated straightforward conversation with George about where the two stood in relation to wanting to be in a relationship with one another and their desire to move forward, side by side. Mackenzie couldn't have been happier. She'd walked into George only wanting one thing and come to find that her desire to be with him spanned farther than sex. She was in such a good mood and couldn't wait to tell her father that she had now found someone in her life to be considered more than her friend.
She hadn't needed to search for long before reaching the study. She heard her father's voice in the room as he spoke to another man. She did not recognize the man's voice, but did not expect to. She knocked on the closed door, only entering when her father's request to enter was heard.
"Mackenzie," Samuel greeted, standing from behind the desk he sat at. "I'm glad to see you've finally returned. I'd like for you to meet Mr. Stamford Jorkins. He works at the Ministry with me." He introduced his daughter, bringing her further into the room.
"It's very nice to meet you Mr. Jorkins." She smiled, shaking his hand.
"Mackenzie dear, Mr. Jorkins has come to me with a bit of news that concerns you."
Mackenzie looked nervously from one man to the other. "What is it?" She questioned, standing back a few steps as the atmosphere grew colder and serious.
"Ms. Chase, it seems that you are the only living magical relation to our good Minister here."
Mackenzie saw where this was going right away. She was about to be asked to do something that she would not want to do, simply because of her parentage. All over the sake of her name. And she of course was right in her assumption.
"What must I do?"
"What would make you assume you must…"
"Please Mr. Jorkins, do not insult my intelligence. I am far smarter than you are giving me credit to being."
The man beside her father was taken aback by her brass comment, but was not deterred in his announcement.
"One of the first duties the Minister has before he is placed to his office, is to be certain that his children are properly betrothed to suitable members of society. Minister Chase did not have the time to make such arrangements, but those arrangements are now planned and…"
"Betrothed?" Mackenzie did her best to keep herself from losing control. They were intending on marrying her off to some perfect stranger?
Her father had known about this and said nothing. He had promised her to someone before… No. She reasoned this inside her head. He did not make eye contact with her when she'd entered. Not directly at least. And then he did not say anything to her sooner. He couldn't have had a hand in this. He knew that she had only recently come to find her abilities, and that they scared the hell out of her. He wouldn't have…
"Who must I marry then?"
"Hello friend." A voice spoke from behind her, blocking her exit as she attempted to back out of the room. She hadn't heard him enter the room seconds before. His hands touched her waist.
Mackenzie spun around, coming face to face with the man who now intended by his own accord to be her husband.
"You?"
"Me."
"You know one another?" Jorkins questioned the pair.
"We've met." Mackenzie callously mentioned, throwing his hands from her body. She looked at him, nothing but contempt in her eyes. He had clearly seen that she was with someone else, and here he stood agreeing to marry her.
Draco turned from her despising glare. "Perhaps we should return to the details of…"
"Draco, we need to talk." She insisted. "Now! The calm in her voice had disappeared, giving way for her heated temper.
Draco smiled at the two men and willingly submitted to Mackenzie's request.
"Please excuse us." He spoke before following, or rather being forcefully drug from the room.
Mackenzie pulled him up the main staircase leading to the second and third floors of the Manor. She led him down the corridors of the third floor, stopping at a set of double doors, locked by both charm and password. She took the wand she had recently acquired as a witch, from her pocket, and pointed it at the door, muttering the password to unlock the doors.
She pushed both doors open with the force of her anger while pushing Draco inside.
The room was massive. It stretched out to the farthest of each corner viewed. The furniture had a complicated sense of simplicity and elegance. Draco did not deny or think to imagine that Chase Manor was smaller than Malfoy Manor in any way. Chase Manor did after all hold the Minister. Mackenzie's room was bright and attention had been paid to every detail of her bedroom. It was definitely made to show that a female kept residence in side of it. Being honest with himself, Draco had not expected her taste in décor to be so pristinely graceful or sophisticated. It was girlie, but not overly so. It held both muggle and magical objects. Having experienced her reckless and careless behavior by keeping the company she'd chosen to keep to this point, he was surprised in all she hid from those around her. His eyes searched to each corner of her room until settling on her again, his insensitive disposition returning.
"Your bedroom?" He inquired. "Isn't that being a bit presumptuous? We've only just been engaged."
"Shut up Malfoy!" Mackenzie yelled, entering her room, slamming the doors closed. "You planned this!" She pointed out, placing her wand to his chest, daring him to move or answer incorrectly.
Draco placed his fingers around her wand, lowering it from his body.
"My father was lying downstairs when accused of marrying me to you. I can read people better than most and I'm sure that it is not only me, but my father as well who is being forced into this. Somehow or another, you planned this to happen. Why?"
Draco stepped back. He could see the fire burning in her eyes. His own eyes stayed fixed to hers, and a smug expression stayed on his face.
"You're assuming a lot Mackenzie. What makes you think that I had anything at all to do with this? You must certainly think very highly of yourself if you automatically think that I would simply choose to somehow concoct a plan to bind you to me in marriage." Draco returned to her. "Perhaps what the Ministry says is the truth. Maybe your father did promise you into a promising marriage when he took office. Why couldn't they have come to me and my family with this intention?"
"Did he? Did they?"
"No. But…"
"They couldn't have without mine or my father's prior knowledge to it." Mackenzie reasoned aloud. "The laws here state that a marriage between two wizarding families cannot take place without prior commitment and knowledge between the families. The parties involved must be agreed in such events." She recited some of what she had randomly read through in one of the many law books residing inside of the many studies in the Manor.
"So you did have something to do with this." She finished.
"You are certainly more intelligent and more in tune to what goes on around here." Draco mentioned.
"I studied law before I came here and I'm continuing to do so. Quit changing the subject Malfoy."
"What more do you think you know about this?" He pushed her.
Mackenzie scoffed. "I know that Jorkins is a mouthpiece. He appears only on behalf of those at the Ministry who are too afraid to speak for themselves and do the job that they should."
Draco chuckled.
"I know that Lydia Price is a coward. She is the head of Magical Contracting regulations and Magical Cooperation. I have no doubt that it was she you were able to easily bully into having her hand sign the contract that binds me and you in marital bliss. And I know that you are planning more than marriage in that head of yours. You are far more calculating than thought by others, so I give you full credit for being able to so effortlessly put the Ministry at your thumb, but I assure you that I am not so readily pinned." She stopped to take a much needed breath. "So my next question is who was it? Who's suggestion was it to feel I should marry you specifically?"
"You certainly can read others well." Draco commented.
Mackenzie grew annoyed. "Who was it to suggest this?"
"Me." Draco admitted, knowing that the woman who now lectured him knew the answer to her own question.
Mackenzie drew in a sharp breath, sitting down on her bed. "That first day in the bookshop when we met, had you planned this then?"
Draco shook his head. "No." He stood a few feet back from her still. "I admit that when I saw you, I knew who you were and I was attracted to you. I still am just for the record." He took a step forward until her head shot up, meeting his eyes again.
"Then I saw you with Weasley and I could see that when you looked at him, there was no way to properly pull you from him."
"You and me…" she said absently, pulling her head down. "We were friends."
"We still can be." He walked towards her.
"The hell we can. Why do you want this so damned bad Malfoy?"
He sat beside her. His tone had softened only slightly, but enough for her to notice the change. "Because Mackenzie, you don't belong with him. He isn't good enough. You deserve better."
Mackenzie shot up from her bed in anger when his hand attempted to rest over hers.
"You assume that I would ever think you'd be better suited than him in any way. George is a better man than you'll ever be. He would never…could never do this to anyone else."
Draco stopped her as he stood, angered by her accusations.
"It doesn't matter Mackenzie. It's done. We'll be married in a month."
"We'll see about that." She finished, storming from her room.
A/N: Thanks to all of you who are reading this. The hits I've received are fantastic. I do hope you are enjoying the story. If I've not said it yet, reviews are good for me. They keep me going. This story isn't going to be as long as I would usually write something, but it will be pretty drawn out. Thanks to you all.