DISCLAIMER: In no way do I own any of the characters in JK Rowling's Wizarding World. I am but a fan who has run away with her imagination.
Chapter 21
Draco watched as Dara and Blaise, along with a bouncing and excited Casian, set sail for the next cove. He remembered Dara had taken him there on one of the weekends he stayed at the hut and he could only imagine how Casian would react when he sees the diversity of fish and coral on that side of the island. As was planned, he was now seated on the porch beside Astoria who had begged off exploring the cove because she was too pregnant.
"Did Narcissa tell you I had tea with her last week?" Tori asked, breaking the silence. "I ran into her in Diagon Alley and immediately dragged me to the nearest cafe for a chat."
"I had no idea you two met." He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I hope it was a pleasant afternoon."
"When was the last time you went home to the manor Draco?" she looked amused, like she knew Draco was deliberately doing this.
"I don't remember Tori. Two? Three weeks ago? Maybe even three. I've actually stopped counting. Why?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Was she asking for me?"
"She was. She kept asking me a lot about you." She sighed. "She wants to know where you've been hiding and what you've been up to."
"Draco…"
"I know Tori. I can't keep this up long. Sooner or later I'll have to tell her or else she'll find out elsewhere and when she does, she'll probably skin me alive and hang me in the library. Or she'll skin me alive either way."
"You've always been hard headed." She smirked and Draco had to agree. "Blaise told me you're bringing her to the manor for Narcissa's birthday."
"I will and there's nothing anybody can do to make me change my mind."
"Not even the idea of Dara getting slaughtered by a room of purebloods?" he looked at her in annoyance. Dara had painted the same picture and when she did, he didn't pay much attention. He was going to be there and he was not going to let anyone get near her. "You know she's right, Draco. Are you really ready for the blood bath?"
"Tori, I need to do this." He sighed, still annoyed. He felt like a child being scolded by an aunt. He knew Tori couldn't understand why.
"Your grave Draco. But you have to think about Dara too. She's not ready for pureblood society. She is going to get the shock of her life when she gets there. She may have come from a privileged family but she has long been out of high society." Tori was right. Dara did have to be prepared for that weekend, he only realized now.
"I can't get myself to do that. The last thing I want to do is change her. I mean, that's the main reason why I'm in love with her." Tori gave him a goofy smile. "Really Tori?" he cocked his eyebrow in slight annoyance but had to admit the corner of his lips were forming a slight smile.
"Oh what joy!" She chuckled. "Being in love suits you so well Draco. You're literally a different person. I never thought I'd see you in love and here you are lounging on a recliner by the beach actually enjoying yourself. "
"Yeah yeah. You and Blaise have been saying the same thing." he sipped from the homemade iced tea that he's grown to love. Dara always made it for him on the weekends.
"Because it's true. Oh I do hope you two just last, endure through it all. I like Dara and I like her for you Draco. I've seen you with other girls but you've never been as protective, as sweet and just so very un-Draco-like with any of them. She's changed you and it's such a pleasure to watch the both of you. This whole weekend was a joy to witness." Clearly Tori was amused. Draco was appreciative of her fondness for both of them. You could feel she genuinely cared about their well being.
"And don't worry. I'll ease her into high society. A few sessions over tea should do it."
"Just don't scare her away, please? I'd very much like to keep her at the end of all this." it suddenly dawned on him that he meant every word. That after everything that's going to happen, he was hoping that she'd choose him despite all the odds. "She's… she's become…" he struggled to find a word to describe her and how he always found himself going home to her, enjoying her company, just immersing himself in her. How she never really left his mind, day in day out it was always her. How he felt he was falling endlessly down an abyss that was her.
"She's become my… she's… everything." he sighed finally deciding on one word. He had a list of them but he just couldn't choose. "She's everything. So please, take care of her too." He warned slowly regaining his composure.
"I understand clearly, Draco. You have nothing to worry about." Tori smiled at him with complete confidence and understanding. Draco could only hope that Dara would be as cooperative.
By the time dinner was over Casian had recounted his adventures with the fish and coral 3 times. He was just so overjoyed he couldn't stop talking about anything else. Mostly he referred to Dara when he was telling his stories. And Dara, always obliging, supplemented his stories with facts and tidbits which Casian found equally fascinating. Draco watched her interact with Casian from across the table. They were both filled with so much enthusiasm and energy he found it contagious. The whole table in fact. It was a good meal shared amongst great company. When the plates and pots and pans were cleared from the table the group made their way to the shore where Dara had prepared a bonfire for them. With a basket filled with marshmallows, hot coco, crackers and a bottle of wine, they merrily went about sitting around the now blazing bonfire with bits of magical dancing fire creatures floating around them.
It was a beautiful night as usual. The stars were out and the great big moon graced everyone with her presence. Casian was dancing around the fire like an Indian, Blaise following him with the same silly moves as Tori watched on. Dara was laughing along with them as she lay against Draco's front, their hands and feet intertwined and playing with the sand. She looked up at him through her long lashes and offered an already cooled down s'more. After he had taken a scrumptious bite, Dara caught his lips in a sweet yet quick kiss then threw her attention back to Casian's dancing.
He was happy, relaxed and content. He could feel it. With Dara comfortably situated between his arms, he knew it. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head completely unable to contain himself. She's everything, he recalled saying. She really was. He wanted to tell her but words were caught in his throat. Maybe he'd get the courage to tell her one day.
"This weekend was a success, don't you think?" She beamed proudly. Draco watched her from the bed as she sat in front of her vanity, brushing her tangled tresses to submission.
"I dare say it was. All thanks to you of course." he replied. He watched her stand from her seat and peer at the waves outside.
"Oh Casian was so happy. You should have seen his face the first time he saw a clown fish. A clown fish! He went crazy!" she continued to gush allowing Draco more time to admire her figure against the window frame. "He was so ecstatic! It was so fun to watch. I have never seen a kid who is as interested in the ocean as he is."
"Come to bed." He patted the empty space beside him while giving her his trademark smile. She obliged and straddled him with her bare legs.
"Did you have a good weekend Mr. Malfoy?" she bent her head down and kissed him soundly on the lips.
"As usual, it was perfect." You're perfect, he thought to himself.
"Tori invited me for tea next week. Did you have something to do with it?" a shy smile played across her lips as she played with the hem on his shirt.
"I have no idea what you're talking about love." he moved to claim her lips but Dara playfully pushed him back down onto the bed.
"Does this have something to do with your mother's birthday weekend?" when he averted her gaze she playfully stabbed his side making him jerk. But Draco was all muscle there. "Answer me you slippery snake."
"Alright alright. I asked her to ease you into high society." he finally said drawing circles on her thigh.
"Why not you?"
"I thought I'd scare you too much. A feminine approach might be a better option since you'll be able to relate more with each other."
"Makes sense. But why do I need… lessons?"
"Lessons?"
"That's what they are, right? Lessons?" she bent down again, placing her lips to whisper into his ear. "Why?" a shiver went through him.
"Dara." he warned.
"Why, sweet Slytherin prince?" she continued to tease, tracing kisses across his jaw and pressing her hips down against him. She was getting good at this, he thought. "You think me, ill prepared?" she had begun to run her long fingers up and down his torso, increasing the intensity of his shivers.
"Won't you tell me Draco?" her voice was husky and heavy. She sat up and guided his hand up her torso, allowing him to feel her soft flesh under his strong palms. "Do I have to force it out of you?" grinding her hips against his growing shaft, his breathing had picked up. This witch was teasing him and he was enjoying it.
"You don't think I can handle it, can you? You think me weak?" Weak? Draco forced himself to think straight. In no way did he find her weak.
"I don't think you're weak." he defended clearly shifting moods. He felt wounded. "Is that what you think? I find you small and feeble?" Was that how she thought he saw her? Did she think he was undermining her abilities? She looked startled and slightly frightened now because of the change in Draco's mood. He had become serious in a matter of seconds.
"Is that how you think I see you? Weak, mild and helpless?" he sat up.
"Draco that's not what I meant." Worried that she had indeed wounded his ego, she placed her hands on either side of his face but he held her wrists down tightly.
"In no way do I think you're weak Dara. In fact I think you're the exact opposite." He did not understand how and why she was thinking like this. Irritated and confused he gently pushed her off of him and turned his back on her.
"You are not weak Dara." He started without looking at her. She scurried off the bed to kneel before him, her eyes worried. " I thought Tori could help ease you into facing the kind of vermin my mother and father associated with. I want you to be prepared. They're mean, ignorant vultures who prey on the innocent and the beautiful." he reached for her face, his knuckles barely grazing them.
"They've managed to ruin everything I've wanted and was interested in because it was deemed inappropriate for someone like me. I don't want them to take you from me." he's never expressed his apprehensions to her like this. In the weeks after he had asked her to attend the birthday, reality slowly started to dawn on him. She was of course, right and making sense. And he was terrified that she'd take one look at him in that environment and run away.
"I don't want them to destroy you. You're too..." Precious? Valuable? Perfect? he sighed. "You're too precious to me Dara." he said slowly, as if trying to pick better words that would mean the same thing but would not make him sound very unlike himself. He sighed heavily regretting ever talking to Tori, ever asking Dara to that blasted weekend.
"Besides, you can still opt not to go, if that's what you really want. I won't force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with." he kissed her forehead tenderly before leaving her a clump of emotions on the wooden floor.
Draco had left Dara about an hour ago and was seated out on the beach on his favorite spot. It was just where the sand began to thin out and the rocks began to pile up. The breeze was always cool here and the current calm. He enjoyed listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the bigger rocks and fizzle out into the sand. He looked up at the big moon trying to calm his thoughts. The last 30 minutes was spent convincing himself to stay here and give him and Dara some space to think even if all he really wanted to do was be beside her. He sighed for what felt like the 100th time that night.
Draco Malfoy was never really religious nor was he superstitious. But he found himself hoping - maybe even praying - for the first time. He was surprised to find he had formed a list, all of which concerned his future with Dara. His future with Dara. He stopped himself. He was considering a future with her? Never has he thought of a future with anyone. His attention was always on pursuits of the company and never for his personal gain. Why was it that Dara always had him thinking he was a damn sentimental fool? He felt uncomfortable with the wave of emotions he always had to curb when he was with her or when he was thinking of her. And yet he was still here, actually enjoying himself.
Ultimately, he wanted this life with Dara. He knew it the first time he spent the night over at the hut. And right now, he couldn't see a possibility without her. He had to do everything to keep her because he knew nobody like her was ever going to come along again.
"Aren't you cold?" a small voice from behind broke the sound of the crashing waves. He looked back and saw Dara standing with a blanket around her shoulders and her eyes puffy from crying. Ah Merlin. He's made her cry again. He looked away not knowing what to say.
"Draco." She knelt in front of him placing her hands on the tops of his knees. "I was just teasing. I didn't think... I'm sorry." Dara pleaded honestly surprised that he'd reacted that way. He looked into her eyes and held her gaze before he gently pulled her down between his legs to face the water.
"Oh how you infuriate me, witch." he breathed into the side of her neck.
"I really am sorry Draco. I didn't think you'd react that way." she whispered.
"How in Cersei's name did you come up with 'you think me weak?'" He sounded menacing when he was dead serious so Dara hesitated before answering.
"Because you have a very strong personality Mr. Malfoy. Very autocratic bordering domineering. And well, I'm the exact opposite. I'm very..."
"Laid back, relaxed yet composed. Very level headed and self assured."
"I am?" she asked shocked hearing it come from his lips. "I always thought I was more of a scatterbrain, clumsy, nervous ball of nerves." she giggled as Draco nuzzled her neck, now happy that the tension was broken. He pressed his palms on the side of her legs as a squeal escaped her lips. A ball of nerves, she sure was, always responsive to his touches.
"Well that too." he joked. Dara shifted her weight to look up at him. "Never ever think I find you weak. Cross that out of your creative brain. Alright?" nodding in response Dara blushed a shade of red.
"I have never associated with anyone weak. It is beneath me." he said this nose up in the air like the Malfoy that he was.
"Beneath you? Really?" she giggled. "Why do I find that weirdly true."
"Because it is. Now listen, witch." he yanked her to force her to face him. She blinked those pretty eyes at him and he momentarily lost his voice. "Listen to me. You are not weak. You are a strong willed woman who is not used to people telling her how much she is capable of. This of course, is not your fault. So stop associating yourself with that word." she was about to protest but he continued.
"In light of this, Blaise and I are attending Callum Tristy's birthday bash this coming week. You are going with me. End of story."
"You sound like you're closing a deal. I must say, I kinda like it." she scrunched up her nose the way he found irresistible.
"Is that so?" a devilish gleam in his eyes shone under the moon. "In that case…" he stood up and hoisted her up on her feet with a force that almost winded her.
"Come hither, pet." she was pressed against his standing form. When she didn't respond he flung her over his shoulder as easily as he would a duffle bag.
"Draco! Put me down!" she started cursing in spanish as he made his way back to the hut. Relentless as he was, he carried her all the way and dropped her on the bed, not once listening to her requests.
