Chapter 8
Draco walked through the large doors of the Manor and was instantly greeted by a house elf that took his coat and bag. He looked around the foyer and wondered if this place would ever feel like home again. He sighed and turned to go down the hallway when he heard his mother call out to him.
"Draco? Are you home?" A soft yet fragile voice called out.
"I'm home, mother." He called back as she entered the foyer. He took a quick intake of breath when he noticed how much she had changed in the last few months. Her normally lean frame had become skinny and her normally pale face was ashen. "Are you alright?"
Narcissa waved off his question and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm fine, darling. Now, how's your job going?"
Draco wrapped his arms around her briefly and stepped back with a smile on his face. "It has been good for me, mother. I have enjoyed it." He responded, looking at her carefully, taking in all the changes.
"That's good." She smiled at him. "My, you're going to make such a lovely groom." She said as she smoothed the creases in his black button down shirt. "Now, go say hello to your father. He's in his study."
"Yes mother. I'll see you at dinner." Draco said obediently. As he turned, he started to walk quicker down the hall, wanting to get this talk over with. He was amazed at how, at 23, he could still feel like an 11 year old when it came to his father.
He stood outside the large wooden doors to his father's study and took a deep breath before rapping hard on the door 3 times.
"Enter!" He heard from behind the door and he stepped in, closing the door behind him.
Lucius looked at his son as he walked in and he frowned at the look of determination on his face. It was never a good thing when Draco was determined to do something.
"Welcome home." Lucius said as Draco stood in front of his desk.
"Thank you." Draco said politely.
"Well, on with it, there's something obviously on your mind." Lucius said, waving his hand in the air.
Draco nodded. "Father, I can't go through with the wedding."
"It's the mudblood again, isn't it?" Lucius asked in a bored tone.
Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How do you know?"
Lucius barked out a laugh. "Draco, you think I didn't know about your dalliance with the mudblood when you were at Hogwarts? Why do you think we left the country? I was hoping you would be over your infatuation by the time we returned. I had rather hoped you'd have been over it by graduation, but alas, you were still disgustingly smitten."
"You knew? We left the country because of that?" Draco asked, anger starting to rise up in him.
"Of course I knew. And I knew it was a mistake to let you work there with her. But I was hoping you'd have matured and forgotten about this blight on your reputation."
Draco's balled his hands into fists as he attempted to control his temper. "Well, you can't stop me now. I am not marrying Astoria…"
"You will marry her." Lucius cut him off.
"And what makes you think…" Draco tried again.
"Your mother is dying." Lucius said succinctly as he leaned back in chair, a small smile of victory crossing his face.
"What?" Draco asked, his anger quickly dissipating. He had felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and he took a slight step back.
Lucius ran his hand through his hair, a gesture his son had picked up from him. "She's dying. We came back home because she didn't want to die in a foreign country."
Draco dreaded the answer to his next question but asked it anyway. "And what does this have to do with my marriage?"
"What do you think your mother's greatest wish is? It's to see her only son married and settled with a good pureblood wife. I arranged your marriage to fulfill your mother's dying wish. Are you going to take that away from her, Draco?" Lucius asked, already knowing that he had Draco where he wanted him.
Draco's head dropped then, knowing that what his father said was most likely true. The vision of his mother gaunt and frail popped into his mind then and it made sense. He felt his heart break for the two women he ever cared for in his life. And in that moment, he felt like he was losing both of them.
"So, will you marry Astoria or shall you tell your mother that she will die without that last comfort?" Lucius asked.
Draco picked up his head and inclined it slightly. "I will marry Astoria."
"Good. Her family will be here for Christmas Eve." Lucius said. "I hope you picked her up something expensive."
Draco turned and left the study, his legs feeling like they were made of lead. The thought of losing his mother was awful but the idea of letting her down and not giving her the happiness she deserved in her last years of life was unthinkable.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Draco walked into the drawing room and nodded his head toward the people in the room. His parents were seated on a loveseat to the left of the fireplace while the Greengrasses were seated on a loveseat to the right of it. Astoria sat by herself on a couch that was directly in front of the fireplace, completing the "U" of seats. "Happy Christmas, Father, Mother, Lord and Lady Greengrass, Astoria." He said, greeting everyone in order of precedence.
Everyone murmured their hellos and greetings before he took his seat next to Astoria.
Astoria smiled brightly at him and he gave her a tight smile and inclined his head. Astoria frowned slightly but turned her head back to the adults in the room.
"So, Draco, how is your position at Hogwarts?" Maximilian Greengrass asked as Draco settled himself into the seat.
Draco paused for a moment, a flash of Hermione crossing his mind. "It is going well, sir. I find that I enjoy the position."
Madeline Greengrass smiled at him. "How is the staff? I've heard that it has been overrun by Gryffindors, unfortunately."
Draco forced himself to smile back. "The staff is adequate." He answered shortly.
"Well, that's good. We were thinking about a winter wedding for the two of you but thought your school schedule may be too hectic." Madeline continued.
Draco nodded stiffly. "Yes, it would have been very difficult." He hated the conversation and the last thing he wanted to talk about was his forced wedding.
"A summer wedding will be lovely. Just think, next Christmas you two will be celebrating as a married couple." She commented, making Draco feel even more uncomfortable.
He shifted in his seat slightly before he answered. "That's right."
Astoria frowned again as she watched her fiancé answer the questions. His clipped tone and slight look of annoyance didn't get by her notice. She stood up quickly and decided to get some answers. "Excuse me, but I hear the garden is lovely this time of year and I would love for Draco to escort me there before dinner." She said as all eyes turned to her.
"Oh yes, Draco, take Miss Greengrass to the garden. I decorated for Christmas." Narcissa said, smiling at the couple. "Don't forget a warming charm."
Draco got to his feet, thankful for the relief from the conversation. "Certainly, Mother."
A house elf instantly showed up, carrying a coat for Draco and a cloak for Daphne. Draco took the cloak and placed it on her shoulders before putting on his own jacket. He offered her his arm and walked through the house, exiting at the back of the house.
The garden was large and lightly dusted with snow. There was an evergreen in the middle, covered in ornaments and icicles. There was a path that went around the garden with decorations on both sides ranging from small trees to gifts to ice sculptures. Draco cast the warming charm quickly and escorted her to the path.
"My mother takes a lot of pride in her garden." Draco said, trying to start a conversation.
Astoria looked at Draco before stopping him in the path. "Do you want to marry me?" She asked bluntly.
Draco's eyes widened slightly. "It'll be my honor." He answered quickly.
Astoria shook her head. "Draco, is there someone else?"
Draco looked away. "Of course not."
"You're lying." She said smoothly, continuing their walk. "I don't expect love in our marriage but I would like respect and honesty."
"I don't see why it matters." Draco answered honestly.
Astoria nodded. "I suppose it doesn't." She thought for a moment. "You're going to go through with the wedding, right?"
Draco's mouth went dry and he swallowed thickly. "Yes, I will."
Astoria heard the hesitance and she stopped their walk again. "Draco, my family needs this marriage. And I know your family does, too. I'm not asking for monogamy, just discretion. So please, go through with this wedding. If not for us, but because of our families." She practically pleaded with him. Her family desperately needed his family's money. They had spent a fortune trying to rise in society's rank and Daphne's dowry had cost them almost everything they had.
Draco looked down at her in surprise. It didn't cross his mind that her family needed this marriage as well. Her green eyes looked up at him imploringly. With all his heart, he wanted to tell her that no, he didn't plan on going through with the wedding but he squashed it down quickly. He nodded his head at the girl. "Of course I'm doing this for my family." He answered, while attempting to smile at her." I have no plans to call off our nuptials."
Astoria searched his face and finally nodded. She continued their walk in silence, glad that he would go through with it but a little disappointed that his heart already belonged with someone else.
A/N: I'm getting through these chapters, still trying to stay a couple ahead of what's published, but it's difficult! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far! Please review! :) It's Christmas season...so I'll probably write a Christmas themed story. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! ~Chrissy
