It was June now; Draco turned nineteen, his cousin Arabellia announced that she was pregnant, and Astoria wrapped up her sixth year, meaning that he was forced to go collect his young betrothal with his cousin Guinevere, who would serve as their chaperone as well as pick up her own younger siblings. With both of the couple being of age now, it would be immoral for them to be together without someone to keep them on track and keep their instructions pure and wholesome.

Not that he thought there would be much of a problem of he and Astoria becoming too intimate considering that they didn't even write to each other at this point—though she'd never answered a single letter of his—and they hadn't spoken to each other following Granville Greengrass' funeral. Though they weren't even yet married, they were acting like a couple that had been together for several decades and could no longer stand to be together in the same room any more.

"Are you excited to see your beloved little wife?" Guinevere asked, only just keeping a smirk off of her face. "I'm sure she can't wait to see you either considering how much you two love each other. Such little lovebirds you kids are, right?" She tilted her head to look around the platform as a sea of Hogwarts students came flooding out of the train. "Or have you already passed the honeymoon phase and become cold, heartless machines just going through the motions of pretending to care about each other just like the rest of us?"

"If we ever had a honeymoon phase, it was pitifully short-lived and happened so fast, I blinked and missed it all. We will be husband and wife but nothing more than is required of us. She is not my 'beloved little wife' as everyone is so fond of calling her for some reason."

Sensing that her cousin was becoming agitated—and not really wanting to get into a shouting match on a crowded platform over a girl she didn't really care much for anyway—Guinevere quickly changed the subject. "So how much longer is it until you get your wand back? I would go mad after a week of no magic, yet you've already survived, what, a year? With the amount of work I have to do around the house, I could never succeed if I were in your position. Thankfully, Charles was smart enough to stay out of this whole mess as much as possible after much pleading on my part. Though we were still punished just for being related to Albert Runcorn."

"I'm not getting my wand back," Draco replied in a sulky tone, crossing his arms in much the same way that Guinevere's son did when he was angry about not getting a new toy. "Not only did they take my wand as punishment but they've snapped it in half as well—I received a letter telling me all about it, practically gloating about what the Ministry's done. Apparently, I'll be expected to purchase a new one when my sentence is up in two years' time as though there's anyone left who'll sell to me. And I'd just gotten it back from Potter, too."

Another two years of this miserable, near-muggle existence; he couldn't imagine spending even one more day being this pathetic yet he still had another two very long years to slog through. Draco had only refrained from going mad as of yet by pretending each day that tomorrow was his twenty-first birthday and that he was being granted the right to purchase a wand once more in just a few hours' time.

It wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism available but it worked well enough and helped him sleep at night.

"Oh, look, here come the first little buggers," said Guinevere, pointing to where some fifth and sixth years were disembarking, a certain swagger in their steps; due to the absence of graduating students on the train, these older students had no doubt begun to realise they were now the eldest at Hogwarts and were determined to show that fact off. "I hope Lucy or Serbius thought to grab Brutus before getting off—he'll panic if he thinks there's no one here to greet him." Gwen craned her head to look for her younger siblings amongst the growing crowd.

They watched as students slowly found their families and drifted towards them, hesitant to say good-bye to friends for the summer but eager to greet parents and siblings who were not of Hogwarts age. A few people recognised Draco and pointed in his direction, whispering amongst themselves, no doubt wondering how it was still legal for scum like him to breathe the same air as such pure, flawless beings as themselves.

As though they, too, had never made a mistake in their lives; as though only he were worthy of such harsh judgement from people who didn't even know the first thing about him.

There was a long moment when he looked around to see if he could find his half-brother before remembering that Lucissa had graduated this year and would not have ridden home on the Express this year. How weird it was to realise that, after years of seeing the two just out of the corner of his eyes, serving as constant reminders that his father was a failure.

"Thank Salazar, there they are—oh, and Astoria is with them, that's even better. Now you won't have to go looking for her, how wonderful. Over here, Lucy, Brutus, we're over here!"

Amazing how Guinevere was so casual and cool-headed about yelling amongst all of these people, unbothered by the threat of angry scowls or someone storming up to yell at her for being a filthy Death Eater not even worth spitting on. Nor did too many people really even pay her any attention, too busy searching for their own family members instead. Although that seemed to do very little to prevent anyone from glaring in Draco's direction or 'accidentally' shoving him as they struggled to move closer to the train.

"Did you know that Lucy is getting married to that Abbott boy this summer?" asked Gwen in a low voice, still waving cheerily even as the quartet caught sight of her and headed in their general direction, trunks in tow. "Rather short engagement if you ask me since the papers were only signed last February. But she's almost seventeen now and Dad's eager to see her off, I suppose, lest the little fool tries to run away as she's been threatening to do for years."

"Mother and I got the invitation earlier this year, yes. She forced me to put Astoria down as my plus-one, against my express wishes."

She glanced over at him, lowering her hand as a slight wrinkle formed between her brow. The twenty-two year old pursed her lips thoughtfully, considering the bitter tone to her cousin's voice. "Is there really so much trouble before you've even tied the knot? I know my father is a conniving man but I hadn't realised he sought such a destructive path for you just to further his own agenda. There must be something about the Greengrass girl that you can appreciate, no matter how small it may be."

"We don't write letters to each other and hardly speak when forced to be face to face. She despises me and I want little to do with her, as well as our interests being entirely incompatible—the girl appears to have no interests whatsoever, actually, at least not as far as I can tell. Not to mention that there is potential she could die at any time and that your father tricked me into being stuck in a betrothal contract with no way out."

"Have you made the effort to get to know her? Lucy told me that you slammed Greengrass against a wall and forced her to eat meat against her will."

"I'm to be her husband soon, am I not? I believe I have the right to ensure that Astoria eats a proper, respectable diet rather than engaging in a silly way of life that does not condone itself to producing healthy children. I did not believe myself to be particularly harsh at the time. However, I understand she might have viewed it differently from myself."

Rolling her eyes, Gwen replied, "Draco Malfoy, I do believe you are one of the biggest fools I have ever met. That we are somehow related amazes me and I'd recommend not telling anyone that—ever—should they ask you in the future." She looked away to wave cheerfully as her younger siblings came upon them with Astoria in tow.

The young couple made eye contact and fell into an awkward silence, not hugging like the Malfoy siblings were doing nor did they even shake hands as Astoria chose to instead stuff her hands into the pockets of her muggle jeans—a disgraceful, unflattering style of clothing, he noted—and scowled in his direction, her wand poking out of her left pocket, where it sparked slightly in recognition of Astoria's frustration.

"Draco," Astoria said in a cold tone as her owl let out a small hoot from atop her trunk. "I suppose Mother found herself unable to come collect me instead of leaving me with the likes of you for even a moment. Though I had thought she despised you just as much as I did."

"If you'd ever read any of the letters I used to send you—back when I thought there was some worth in doing so—then you would know that you're to spend the summer with Mother and me to get an idea of what life will be like once you become a proper Malfoy."

"And the lovely Christmas holidays I spent with you wasn't enough for me to get a glimpse into your lives? I'd personally say that I've learnt enough about you to satisfy my curiosity until the day we get married and then some." She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced over to her cousin Lucille, who was helping the younger Malfoy males to lift their trunks onto a trolley they'd stolen from some muggle family who wasn't paying attention.

Draco shrugged nonchalantly, stepping out of the way to avoid some puffed up little Gryffindor who had come barrelling his way; the boy kept going in the direction of his parents but his expression was one of bewilderment that he hadn't somehow made contact with the Malfoy heir. Little twit. If he could, Draco would have cursed the boy.

"So, Lucy," he called out, catching the girl's attention. "How're things going with Abbott? Has Aunt Drisella overtaken all of the wedding plans or is she letting anyone else take any sort of charge in the matter?" He smirked as an expression of discontent flashed across his younger cousin's face. "What? Don't tell me that Aunt Drisella won't let you do anything at all—surely you've at least been allowed to have some input on what you're wearing or even something stupidly small like the colour of the table runners?"

"Lucy doesn't particularly care for Mr Abbott, which actually reminds me of another young Malfoy that I know. She's been out of sorts for weeks because Father won't answer any of her owls about why she would prefer to be married to someone else." Gwen shook her head at her little sister, continuing, "if it were me, I would ecstatic that Father had the foresight to attach me to a Light family. He tied both Abellia and me to the Runcorn family so now the only thing anyone will ever think about our children is that their fathers are the nephews of Albert Runcorn and that their mothers are the daughters of the Malfoy family."

As though his own children wouldn't go through the exact same thing? Draco wanted to roll his eyes at his cousin but refrained from doing so because he didn't want to start a fight right there in the middle of the platform where people would stare at him and his face would no doubt pop up in The Prophet the following morning.

But his cousins and their husbands had only been charged a few hundred galleons because they had 'shown support' for Death Eaters and no one could definitively prove they had actually participated in any dark activities. They had gotten off so easy compared to his own family that it made him want to laugh to hear Gwen act as though Lucille was somehow getting the best deal out of the three daughters by married off to some Light family with no money to their name.

"Ah. Sounds exciting, I suppose. Well, I hope your marriage is at least more successful than mine is currently going." He glared at Astoria, who looked away slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're not even married yet and we already want each other dead so your own marriage really can't be so terrible if you're at least able to communicate with one another."

"We'd talk more if I thought you had anything of worth to say! All you ever want to do is boss me around and talk down to me like I'm some sort of incompetent child!" Astoria snapped at him, drawing a few curious—and wary—glances.

Balling his fists, Draco forced himself to take a deep breath to avoid yelling back at her. Instead, in a forcefully calm voice, he replied, "I wouldn't have to treat you like a child all of the time if you would only do what I asked of you. isn't it strange how you always were so quick to do whatever your father said to do but disregard what I, your own betrothed, ask of you? But maybe now that he's dead, you'll finally pay me the attention I'm due."

"You shut up about my father, you twat!" she cried, forgetting herself entirely as she rushed forward to hit his chest. He shoved her aside with very little effort and rolled his eyes. "I don't have to do a damn thing until I actually marry you!" blubbered Astoria, attempting another swing at him. "Stop trying to control what I do as though you have any right to do so!"

Ignoring his betrothed, he turned to look at Gwen, who had just finished dragging Astoria's belongings onto the trolley along with her younger siblings'. "I believe it's time for us to go, don't you agree, dear cousin?"

With that, he headed towards the platform exit, leaving Astoria to scream nonsensically after him for several seconds before falling into silence, gaping at his retreating back. He was going to maintain the upper hand in this relationship for as long as possible and getting into public screaming matches would do him no good. Besides, the idiotic expression on her face just as he turned to make sure that they other Malfoys were following him made every moment he would have to spend with Astoria that summer totally worth it.

He was the only true winner here—or at least, he would ensure that he was by the end. He would break Astoria and force her to submit to his will by the time that her holidays drew to a close. She would be begging to follow his every command by the time he was finished with her.

–

I would like to make the comment that I have absolutely nothing against living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Draco perceives it as being "improper" because he thinks that abstaining from meat will only make Astoria that much more unhealthy (which it can, if the proper precautions are not taken). However, I do not share the same values as he does and do not condone the ridicule or assault of those who are vegetarian/vegan.