"What's the matter, Draco?" asked Narcissa.
"Nothing, mother." he said as he walked passed her in the hall. He was sulking over his situation with Astoria. He wished they could spend more time together. Seeing each other twice a month was not enough for him. He was selfish and wanted more.
Narcissa followed him. "Doesn't look like nothing."
Draco stopped walking and turned to his mother. "Mum, you're a woman."
"Well, yes." she said, trying to hold in her laughter.
"Let's say, you were born poor and spent all your life working to support your family. Wouldn't you jump at the chance to stop working and live in luxuriously, be taken care of?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"For...Blaise. He fell in love with a witch. He asked me for advice. Don't tell him I told you and don't mention it to him at all when you see him. The poor bloke is frustrated over this as it is."
"That poor boy."
"Yes, mum. Don't say anything to him. I gave him my word I won't tell anyone."
"I promise."
"Good. Blaise is seeing this woman," he paused to think of different words to describe Astoria and not reveal that she was a Muggle-born. "She is from a different environment than him. She is used to doing things on her own. She refuses to let him care for her. What advice would you give me to tell to him?"
"He should respect her wishes."
Draco supposed he could be supportive of Astoria's choices.
"Or, he could exploit her weaknesses and use them to his advantage."
That could work too.
He thanked his mother and went to his room. First things first, he had to figure out what Astoria's weaknesses were. Sex? No he couldn't use that. In all honestly, she controlled that particular aspect of their relationship. If he tried to use sex against her, chances are she would withhold it from him again. He wasn't foolish enough to ruin that benefit of their relationship.
Expensive gifts never fazed Astoria. He learned early that she would only accept gifts if they were something she could eat. It had to be enough that she could take home to share with her family. She said he was thin but what about her? She was thin too. Whenever they had dinner together, he made certain that she ate well by over filling her plate. He did not know what she ate at home but it might not be enough. He packed meals for her mother and sister too. She had caught on and was over filling his plate as well. Both of them had gained an equal amount of weight since they started dating.
Astoria was working to earn money for her family. Unfortunately, she did not want any from him. She wanted to earn it on her own. Why did she have to be so independent? Why couldn't she let him take care of her? He was fully willing too. Maybe if he got her pregnant she would let him? This made Draco ponder something else. Why wasn't she pregnant? Shouldn't she be, by now? They have been shagging like mad whenever they saw each other. He was fine whether she was pregnant or not, since he was not pursuing his original plan. Astoria would make him pay if he purposely got her pregnant before she was ready. She was a wonderful girlfriend but he had to acknowledge that she could be ruthless. If how they met was anything to go by. He had to be cautious. So far, the only weakness that he discovered about Astoria was her family and his success. He could go from there.
When Draco met Astoria again he took her to the Muggle world. He decided that he and Astoria were going to live in his townhouse after they get married. He had not shared this decision with Astoria as of yet. She might oppose to it. He created a plan to persuade her to live there with him. He invited her to go shopping for furniture in Muggle stores and let her pick which ones she liked. If she got to decorate the rooms then she would feel more comfortable there, might want to live in it one day. He discreetly planted the idea in her head by using the words ours when referring to subjects related to the house. His efforts were working. She was starting to say ours like he was.
"Do you have something higher and sturdier?" Draco asked the salesperson.
"Yes, we do." She smiled sweetly and directed them to another dining table and chair set.
Astoria stood aside and watched Draco inspect the table. He had his own requirements, and was going to purchase it by that.
"Astoria, come here." he said, gesturing her to him.
Astoria walked to him and stop next to the table. He turned to look at her and then back at the table.
"We will take this one." Draco told the salesperson.
The woman congratulated them on their choice and went to get the paperwork.
Astoria looked at the set. It looked exactly like the other four sets they previously viewed. What was different about this one?
"Why did you choose this one?" she asked him.
"It's the perfect height for both of us."
Astoria looked back at the table and then she sat on the chair. Being tall, her knees usually hit the bottom of the table but they didn't with this table. She was pleased that Draco was being so thoughtful.
"We can shag on it and I won't hurt my back."
Of course, it was all he thought about.
"I'd rather we fuck in the car first." she said in a low voice only he could hear.
Draco snapped to attention. Had she really said that or was it a figment of his randy mind. Astoria was so composed and proper. He found it difficult at times to imagine her saying anything vulgar. Maybe he misheard her?
The saleswoman returned with documents for them to sign. Astoria taught him how to convert Wizard money into Muggle money. He paid for his items in cash.
"Can you show us bed sets next? I want to have a look at new ones for our bedroom and the guestrooms." said Astoria.
The woman's eyes light up at the prospect of making another sale. "I'll show you them right after I process this." She took the documents from Draco and went into an office in the back.
"Did you mean it?" Draco asked Astoria.
"Our current bed is rather large and I would prefer a slightly smaller one. We also need the extra beds for when guests visit and stay overnight."
"I meant about the car." he said. He still was not certain that she had said it and was testing her. "And what do you mean we need a smaller bed?"
She opened her mouth to speak but the saleswoman was back. She showed them to the beds. When their shopping trip came to an end Astoria and Draco went into the car. Astoria reminded him to put on his seat belt. She buckled hers, turned on the engine, and drove. Draco rolled down the window, loving to feel the wind. He actually enjoyed his first experience in the Muggle contraption. It was like being on a broom with more space. Throughout the ride, he would glance at Astoria and pondered if he should ask her about shagging in the car. He glanced at the interior of the car. It was a bit compact...Draco's thoughts returned to reality when Astoria stopped the car. He stared at her as she removed key and then her seat belt. She was moving at a slow pace.
"Astoria?"
"Yes?" She looked at him with her beautiful large eyes.
His innocent Astoria would not have said something like that. His dirty mind was playing tricks on him.
"Do you want to?" Astoria suddenly said.
Draco was confused as what she was asking him. "What?"
"The car?"
He blinked several times. "What about the car?"
"I saw it in a Muggle movie once. Thought we could try it but if you are not in the mood."
Draco's mind went back to the comment she might have made earlier. Maybe she did say it? Could his innocent Astoria want to shag in the car? Was her mind just as dirty as his? She was speaking to vaguely, it was difficult to tell.
"What did you want to try in the Muggle movie?" he asked her.
"No, you don't want to do it."
"I want to do it." he said, although he did not know what she wanted to do.
Twenty minutes later, Draco was sitting on the driver seat of Astoria's car and listening as she instructed him how to drive. When they reached a vacant lot Astoria told him how to park the car. The driving lesson was not what Draco had anticipated but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It was completely different from flying on a broom but just as much fun. He missed feeling the wind on his hair though.
"We can go look at cars next time. There are ones that you can take the roof down." Astoria told him.
"Really?" Draco said eagerly. He couldn't wait. He leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. When he made to pull back she grabbed his shirt collar to prevent him and kissed his lips.
Draco discovered that he had not misheard her.
After they cleaned up and returned to Draco's townhouse. They began working on their plans to reinvent Draco's image. The first thing he needed was to hire a personal assistant.
"You need someone who is unbiased. A trustworthy person." said Astoria.
"What about you?"
Draco had thought this through. Astoria would be a perfect assistant. She was intelligent and resourceful. When it was over he could introduce her to his parents and explain that she was responsible for his success. They would not accept her right away but this would show them that she was more than just a Muggle-born.
"You've created this plan in the first place. You know everything, every detail. We work great together." Draco coaxed her. "There is no one I trust more than you to do this."
"The thought of working under you is appealing." she said.
Draco discovered that her mind was just as filthy as his. The words she would say held double meaning. It was not obvious at first but he was beginning to see it. She loved shagging as much as him. She enjoyed teasing him by playing sexy mind games if the incident from this morning taught him anything. Two can play. He kissed her lips.
"You raised a valid point there but I know I can get those benefits whether I'm your assistant or not."
Draco didn't argue. It was true. He schooled his face to look as sad as possible. "I need you." He had resort to begging but he was willing to do anything as long as he could be with her.
He was too adorable. Astoria was defeated.
Astoria returned home feeling sad. Draco always made it difficult to leave him. She had work to occupy her mind but every now and then she would think about him. Just a glance at some random item would conjure his face in her thoughts. She dismissed it and continued doing what she was doing. She and Daphne were gathering supplies into the car when Daphne spoke.
"What is that?" Daphne said.
Astoria went to Daphne and followed her sister's gaze. She saw an indented mark on the car's ceiling.
"Didn't you borrow the car the other day to see your boyfriend?" Daphne teased her.
Astoria knew what Daphne was implying. She studied the dent thoughtfully. She couldn't recall being in a position where it would leave a mark in that particular area. It meant it was not made by her and Draco. Also, the dent was too thin and deep to be made by her shoes, which have flat soles.
"Looks like the end of a heel." Astoria stated her observation.
Daphne hummed to herself as she thought about it. They both know Astoria did not wear heels since they annoyed her. Daphne wore heels but she knew it was not her. It left one person.
"Mum wears heels." Astoria voiced both of their thoughts.
"She came home late last night. Sirin walked her to the door." Daphne shared.
Awkward silence followed as the girls put two and two together. Astoria took out her wand and performed cleaning charms. She had done them when she was with Draco but now she had to clean it again. Meanwhile, Daphne cringed and hugged herself.
"I think it's time we bought a new car. One for each of us." suggested Astoria.
This lightened Daphne's mood. She dug into her purse and showed Astoria a piece of parchment. It was a magazine page with interior and exterior pictures of a car on it. Mercedes-Benz it read.
"You had this for a while?"
Daphne nodded. A big hopeful smile was on her face.
Astoria looked at the price. "Okay."
"Yes!" Daphne cheered and clapped her hands. She hugged her and then skipped back into the house.
They only had one car, which they share because they mainly come and go together. Now that they had separate obligations Astoria thought it was the best thing to do. Their mum had to work closely with Sirin at the new hospital.
Astoria and Daphne contacted the designers they chose for the newly repaired buildings and negotiate their compensation. Once that was done, Daphne got right to work. She spoke to each of the groups and told them which areas were assigned to whom. Meanwhile, one of the groups came up to Astoria, who was standing to the side. She recognized them as the men who came late to the meeting. The dark skinned and black haired one's name was Dean Thomas and the lighter skinned with sandy brown hair and pale skin was Seamus Finnigan.
"We want to thank you for this opportunity." said Dean.
"We won't disappoint you." said Seamus.
"Both of you are talented. I like the designs you've created for our personal offices. We look forward to working with you two." said Astoria.
The two men thanked her and returned to the look at the rooms Daphne assigned them. Daphne finished talking to a group and went to Astoria.
"Aren't they a cute couple?" said Daphne.
"Who?" inquired Astoria.
"Dean and Seamus. They are lovers. It's why their designs are so feminine. It's a real shame. Both are easy on the eyes."
"Keep it professional."
"They seem like they will.
"I meant you."
"Me?" said Daphne. She laughed. "Oh, goodness! They like boys. What do you think I can do?"