Chapter Four

But I like to keep some things to myself.

Shake it Out - Florence and the Machine

Draco had guessed right. Red was wandering around in the library when he found her.

"This is not the place we have breakfast," he informed her.

"This place is like a maze. How the hell do you get anywhere?" she asked.

"Lots of practice," he said. He jerked his head. "Come on, oh wife of mine."

"Smithing hammer," she reminded him.

"Yeah, what the hell is that, by the way?"

"It's a hammer you use in blacksmithing," she said.

"Why do you have one?"

"I've started blacksmithing," she said as if this were perfectly natural. He glanced at her. Her shoulders did seem a little broader and her arms less twig thin than when she'd been in school.

"Interesting."

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing. It's just not something most people get into. You enjoy it?"

"I find your line of questioning offsetting," she informed him. He laughed and threw open the doors to the private dining room. There was the great hall, where he entertained but he'd always preferred this smaller room when it was just him. The table was laid for eight. There was no dust on any of the settings; the house elves were much too thorough for that but he knew for a fact that very few of the dishes actually saw use. Still it seemed to make them happy, so whatever.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Draco asked.

"I'm not really hungry," she said.

"I'm starving. A night of not having sex always does that to me."

"You are so annoying. I'm really glad we didn't do anything last night."

"Except get married to me," he pointed out gleefully. Her look was enough to send a wave of mirth through him.

He took a seat. She hesitated a moment before sitting as well.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"I plan to have some breakfast. Then I'll go see some of my attorney friends."

"You have attorney friends?"

"Yes," he said as one of his elves came out with a pitcher of orange juice and a carafe of coffee. She poured juice for him and left the coffee within reach. "Thanks," he said. "Eggs, sunnyside up. Toast. Bacon. Weasley?"

Ginny gave him a curious look but ordered hashbrowns and bacon. The elf nodded and went back to the kitchen. Ginny poured herself a mug of coffee, adding sugar and cream.

"I'm actually not that surprised that you're friends with barristers," Ginny said.

"Since we never had sex, it should be pretty easy to get an annulment," he said.

"Can we do this quietly?"

"Not eager to have everyone know you married me?" he sneered.

"Not eager to be known for a virgin. It's something of a stigma when you get over the age of eighteen."

He opened his mouth to argue then shut it again. He remembered his first time and how he'd bragged about it. He had been a hero for days. He had never considered if it was the same for girls.

"I would think your brothers would be proof enough of your purity," he said.

"You know my brothers and you still doubted it," she reminded him.

"I stand corrected. If you're going to pretend to pop your cherry, you could do worse than me," he said.

"I beg your pardon?" she stammered, laughing as she did so. He liked her laugh.

"C'mon," he drawled, leaning insolently back in his chair. "I'm a sexy young man. You fell to my charm. Your brothers already hate me."

"You're an asshole," she said, still smiling.

"True enough," he said. "But what is worse? Having sex with an asshole or bearing the stigma of being a virgin?"

"Why is it a stigma?" she asked.

"Are you serious? No girl over the age of fifteen wants to be a virgin anymore."

"Just how often have you practiced that little theory?" she asked.

"I don't have sex with everything that walks, if that's what you're implying," he said.

"This is why we aren't good for each other and need this divorce or annulment or whatever," she said. "For all your words of comfort, you still don't actually think of yourself as an asshole."

"I thought you Gryffindors were all about second chances? They gave you one, didn't they?"

He instantly knew he had said the wrong thing. Her face went stiff and her eyes darkened. She pushed herself back from the table. "Thanks for breakfast. Let me know when you want to grow up and stop being my husband. That'd be fantastic."

Draco watched her leave and wondered when he would learn to keep his damned mouth shut.