Draco was in a bad mood again. He thought that the changing relationship between Eleanor and himself would lighten his spirits but he only found himself more confused than ever on what they were doing. And now, she was leaving again. Not only was she leaving, but she was leaving to see Potter and his whole band of cronies.
"You just saw them." Draco pointed out as Eleanor searched her room for a matching shoe.
"I won't be long. Just dinner." Eleanor sighed, getting on her hands and knees and looking under the bed in her room at Malfoy Manor.
"You're always leaving." Draco muttered quietly. Eleanor rolled her eyes as she fished the shoe she was looking for out of the abyss. She slipped it on her foot and walked over to Draco. She placed a small peck on his cheek.
"I'll see you later." She told him. "Try not to be so whiny when I get back."
Eleanor was nervous beyond belief for her dinner with Remus. What wracked her nerves even more was her inability to get reassurance from anywhere because she made a point that no one knew where she was going and who she would be with. She wasn't quite ready for the world to know she was Remus Lupin's biological daughter - and even less ready for the Malfoys to know.
She arrived early so that she could collect her thoughts a bit before seeing him, but once she arrived at her favorite bench in Diagon Alley, she realized that Remus was already sitting there waiting for her.
"Oh," Eleanor let out with surprise, "I didn't think you would be beating me here." She laughed.
"I wanted to arrive early to be able to greet you." Remus smiled, unsure of whether he should hug her or let her be. She was wondering the same, unbeknownst to him.
"I hope you weren't waiting too long." Eleanor chuckled, rubbing her hands nervously on her pants.
"No, no. Not at all." Remus assured, then motioned towards the restaurant. "Shall we?"
Once the pair was seated in the unpopulated diner, they both distracted themselves with the menu. Remus was telling himself he had to say something. He was the adult, after all. But he didn't know what to say that wasn't vomit-inducingly cliche. Should he ask her about her hobbies and interests? That seemed too mundane. But where else was he supposed to start?
"Would you want to split some sausage rolls to start?" Remus tried to casually break the ice.
"Oh, I don't eat meat." Eleanor replied quietly. "I'm sorry."
Well, this was sufficiently awkward. "Oh, no no. Don't apologize. I didn't realize." Remus cleared his throat, and Eleanor felt extremely guilty but was having trouble finding an alternate suggestion. "How long have you been doing that?" Remus asked.
"I've always had a bit of an aversion to it, but just this summer is when I recently got serious about it." Eleanor explained. "I still eat seafood sometimes though. Only because I like it too much to give it up forever. A bit selfish of me, but..."
"We can all be a little selfish sometimes." Remus smiled at her. "Can I ask why you stopped officially?"
Eleanor wanted to tell him it was because she experienced death and loss first hand and didn't want to have any blood on her hands, but she thought that might be a bit morbid for the dinner table so she just shrugged. "Lots of reasons, I guess."
It fell quiet again after that. Remus clung to this new piece of information about Eleanor. It was a piece of her that he held now; something he could tell people. "Ah yes, my daughter doesn't eat meat. Well, she eats fish sometimes, though not too often." He would say with pride. Although he knew he would never truly be in a situation where he was free to boast about his daughter, she was still a Cordarri by law even if she was a Lupin by blood. Remus also knew that her heart would always prefer to be a Cordarri.
"What are you thinking?" Eleanor asked suddenly, drawing Remus out of his thoughts. His eyebrows knit together, it was a very complicated question that he wasn't sure he could answer truthfully. Eleanor looked stumped at his apparent confusion to her question. "To eat." She clarified, pointing to her menu.
"Oh yes, ah," Remus glanced at the menu again for a quick moment, "I believe the pasta bowl was calling my name." He smiled good naturedly.
Eleanor's lips stretched into a small grin. "That sounds like a good choice." She nodded once, returning her eyes to the menu. Merlin, this was awkward. Would it ever get better, or would their relationship be permanently stained with forced pleasantries?
"What are you leaning towards?" Remus inquired.
"I think a nice salad will hit the spot." Eleanor nodded in confirmation, laying her menu on the table. She wanted to get over the awkwardness, but she missed having the barrier to hide behind.
Eleanor paused for a moment, realizing how right Draco was about how she was really terrible at confronting anything. People, her feelings, uncomfortable situations. Eleanor dealt almost exclusively in what she already knew. How on earth did she get sorted into Gryffindor?
"What have you been doing since you left Hogwarts last year?" Eleanor asked, sipping her water. Remus had always been an amazing, intelligent and loving professor. Eleanor had no doubt he was off doing amazing things after leaving the castle walls.
"Uh, well, I've been living with Sirius and helping the Order mostly." He said very quietly.
"Lots to do there?" Eleanor inquired, her brows knitting together. Hermione had been brief on the inner workings of the Order.
"Some busy times, some slow times." Remus nodded. "Never too bad."
Eleanor wanted to ask if they really had any proof of Lucius being a Death Eater, or if they really thought there would be a war. Neither questions seemed appropriate for the dinner table, so she fell quiet. The waitress came by and took their orders, refilled their waters, and promised to return soon with food.
"What has been keeping you busy lately?" Remus asked, then grimaced immediately realizing how her summer must have been spent.
"I've been staying with the Malfoys the majority of the time. Draco has been keeping me company." Eleanor provided the bare minimum, she didn't want anything getting back to Hermione about her and Draco's odd sort of relationship without her telling her first.
"Are you and Draco close?" Remus wondered, he had only heard negative stories about him and was interested in what a wonderful and kind girl would be doing hanging around that sort.
"Since we were kids, yeah." Eleanor responded. "It's rather difficult being friends with both him and Harry." She added with a chuckle.
"I can imagine." Remus let out a laugh in response, thinking only of Harry and Ron's open distaste for the Malfoy boy. "He is kind to you, though?"
"Yes. He is very guarded, and he is a huge prick, but there is something to be said about the Malfoys and their undying loyalty and support to their own."
"I suppose loyalty is an honorable quality, although surprised the Malfoys have it."
Eleanor's heart fell. She wished more than anything that her two worlds could meet peacefully and merge without conflict, but apparently that was a luxury not afforded.
After dinner, Eleanor and Remus walked through Flourish and Blotts and both picked up a few books. One of the many things the pair had in common was a love of reading. After the awkwardness of the dinner had began to dissipate, Remus got more of a sense as to who Eleanor was at her core. Eleanor was also able to see deeply into Remus. Their similarities were a bit shocking to both of them. Eleanor was wondering what behaviors were passed by blood from Remus and what she had learned from her parents. The more time she spent with Remus, the more she realized he was very much like her parents. This offered her heart some relief, but she wasn't sure why.
Her and Remus had walked about with new books in tow laughing about one thing or another, they had a very similar sense of humor, and sharing stories. Eleanor felt at ease with him by the end of the night, and returned back to Malfoy Manor later than expected.
Draco had stayed up waiting for Eleanor, but didn't want it to be obvious. So he was in his room, with the lights dimmed but door slightly cracked as he worked on a bit of summer homework. He heard her come in and cracked a tiny smile, he would admit only to himself that he was excited to talk to her.
Eleanor walked in front of his door and poked her head in. She smiled at him concentrating on his readings as he held a drying quill in his fingers over a piece of partially rolled parchment. Draco was surely concentrating, but he wasn't concentrating on his homework. His mind was focused solely on how to look as though he had not noticed Eleanor come in, and how to remain stoic as she watched him from the door. How could he best look as if he didn't notice her?
"Can I come in, or are you too busy?" Eleanor asked softly. Draco smirked to himself and looked up to see her face.
"Oh, I didn't hear you come in." He stated. It was a bold faced lie, his heart was racing the moment he heard the Floo roar, but she would never be the wiser, and his pride would remain saved. "I have a few more pages in the chapter. You can sit while I finish." He offered nonchalantly, gesturing to the big leather chair next to his that sat in front of the fireplace. Eleanor nodded with a smile and set her bag of new books on the floor as she curled up in the chair next to his.
He was frustratingly charming and collected. Her mind was still fuzzy and confused as to what she wanted and how to handle herself, but he seemed to have the opposite problem. To Eleanor, it seemed as if Draco wasn't even interested or bothered with thinking about her. Which confused her further because he had fought for this and started the conversation about them. Draco didn't even look at her, he returned to his Potions book. Eleanor didn't like being confused about her feelings and she certainly didn't like being confused about Draco's.
Draco could almost sense when Eleanor began to overthink. He knew from the moment she walked in that she was beginning to spiral. He internally winced, because he knew that his nonchalance was what caused it. However, he couldn't have an immediate change of mood. He thought for a moment of what he could do to make it up to her, to pull her out of her head.
Without looking up from his book, he dropped his hand over to the arm of her chair. The action came across as almost lazy, but it was perfectly calculated. Seeing Draco reach out to her shook Eleanor out of her own head as she grabbed his hand. Their fingers laced together delicately. She stared at his perfectly serene face, though his lips moved quickly and in a miniscule fashion as he mouthed the words to himself. Draco was trying to concentrate on his reading, he really was, but he could feel Eleanor's eyes. Her thumb slowly dragged back and forth across the back of his hand. It was driving him mad.
He snapped his book closed in a swift movement and had his hands placed firmly on the arms of the large black chair. His face loomed over Eleanor's, his breath beat briefly over her flushed face. Eleanor wanted to kiss him. She wanted to gather him up, pull him into her, consume herself with him. But something in her froze, all she could do was look into his ice blue eyes. She was stuck.
Draco hoped Eleanor could not hear his heart. It would blow his entire cover. He was supposed to be cool and smooth and not desperate. He felt the opposite of all of these things. He wanted to crumple looking at her and her warm face, her full lips, her kind eyes. This wasn't him, this wasn't Draco. She turned him into someone that he wasn't. Or maybe, she turned him into the person he had been hiding. Either way, he felt he needed to gain control of himself again. He needed to be the Draco that he had painstakingly crafted over the years, the Draco that everyone knew him to be.
He leaned down and captured her lips with his. She felt warm, like coming home.
No, he couldn't think that way. He couldn't let her melt him, not more than she already had. He turned his mind off and just worked his lips against hers. He loomed over her, in control. She slowly and gently brought her hands to the sides of his face, sitting up slightly to lean into him. She mentally and physically brought him to his knees in front of her.
Draco's hands came to rest of Eleanor's thighs, slowly inching up to her hips. She slid into his embrace so that they were both on the floor. The heat from the fireplace and the heat between them flushed both of their cheeks. Draco's hand had found a bit of bare skin at the bottom of Eleanor's back. His hands felt warm on her skin. Her insides were mush. Every moment of this, of him, was heaven.
"Eleanor?" the soft voice of Narcissa called down the hall, as footsteps came closer. Draco groaned low in his throat as he broke away from Eleanor's lips. The pair untangled their limbs as Narcissa entered Draco's room. Eleanor wiped her swollen, slightly wet lips quickly before turning to look at the blonde woman. "Oh, I wasn't sure if you had made it back." She said quietly.
"I did." Eleanor nodded with a smile, she thought that Narcissa checking on her was endearing, Draco found it to be an inconvenience. "Thank you for checking."
"Of course, dear." Narcissa smiled. "Did you have a good time with your, uh, friends?" She asked unsurely. Narcissa didn't like thinking about Eleanor running around with the Gryffindor trouble makers, but she was trying her best to be supportive.
"Yes, it was nice to see them." Eleanor answered simply. She didn't want to be rude to Narcissa, but she desperately wanted to return to what her and Draco had previously been occupying their time with.
"Good, good." Narcissa shifted uncomfortably, unable to detect why the mood of the room felt off, but quickly understanding her presence was no longer wanted. "Well, I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late loves." She bid, then made her exit to the floor above the children, where the master suite was located. Her motherly instinct told her to leave the door open behind her.
This act annoyed the two teens greatly, but made Eleanor rationalize with herself a little bit. She had to slow things down. She got excited and overwhelmed easily. She took a deep breath and leaned into Draco. His back rested on the chair behind them and Eleanor curled into his side as they watched the fireplace. Draco was irritated. He had very much enjoyed where that had been going until his mother popped in, now it seemed the mood was lost.
Draco leaned down and placed his warm lips at the nape of Eleanor's neck. He left a gentle trail of kisses. He thought it was a very obvious hint that he wanted to return to kissing her. She leaned into his lips, tilting her head to give him better access, but made no move to reciprocate the action.
"Ellie," Draco groaned into her soft skin. "Come back."
Eleanor cracked a smile at his little frustration and turned her head so they were face to face. She softly pushed her lips into his. It was gentle and intoxicating. Draco felt a sense of relief, that is, until she pulled away once more.
"Who was your first kiss?" She asked softly, her head laying on his shoulder. She joined their hands, and she began stroking his palm. Draco was going mad. He wanted her and she just wanted to talk.
"You're not going to like the answer." Draco chuckled lowly, still hoping to regain her lips.
"I still want to know." Eleanor said quietly, though now afraid that she would, in fact, not like that answer.
"It was Pansy." Draco let out in a quick huff, waiting to see Eleanor's reaction.
"Oh, hmm." Eleanor responded, her brow furrowed. "That must've been why she was so into you at Blaise's. She's kissed you before." Her voice was contemplative rather than angry so Draco decided in spirit of truth to drop another bomb.
"Well, to be fair, I've kissed all of those girls." Draco confided. Eleanor wondered if he could feel the vibrations of her heart becoming sad against his own chest. She hoped he couldn't. They all had beat her to the punch. Every one of those girls was a better fit for Draco. Eleanor's silence worried him, he knew he shouldn't have said anything. "I'm sorry, does that make you feel weird?"
"Only a little." Eleanor shrugged, she wouldn't let on how worried it made her. All of those perfect, beautiful girls had gotten to him first. She had only just reached their level of experience with Draco, and she wasn't nearly as appealing.
"Which part is weirder?" Draco wondered.
"What do you mean, which part?" Eleanor asked for clarification..
"Is it weirder that you know all of those girls or that I have had more, eh, experience?" Draco tried to phrase it gently, but there was really no way to get around the question. To his great shock, Eleanor began to shake with laughter.
"Draco Malfoy, please don't tell me that you think you were my first kiss?" Those words caused Draco to feel sad, angry and embarrassed all in one flash.
"No, of course not." He scoffed, but part of him had really believed it. "Who was it then?"
"Dean Thomas." Eleanor responded quickly, almost too quickly.
"Was he any good?" Draco shot back quickly.
"Why? Are you interested?" Eleanor joked, this only caused Draco to form a deeper frown. Eleanor could tell he wasn't laughing along, so she composed herself. "It was when we went on a date to Hogsmeade. He kissed me quickly in the back of Three Broomsticks. I didn't like it. We decided we were better as friends."
"And that was your last kiss?" Draco asked sheepishly. Eleanor chuckled softly and turned around to lay a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"No, but I don't have to tell you about the others. Want to know why?" She asked, her lips finding the hollow of his ear and trailing down his neck slowly. Draco wanted to moan, but he didn't dare, he simply grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him.
"Hmm?" He managed out as Eleanor found a sensitive patch of skin. She sensed his reaction and let her lips brush over that particular spot a few more times before lingering.
"Because right now, you're the only one that matters."
Okay so the updates have been coming really quickly lately, all of your love makes me so excited to continue sharing with you! I just want you all to know everything! I'm busy writing away to finish this story up, but I'm still far from the end! I also have a few tricks and surprises up my sleeve for later on that I am just so so stoked to share with you all!
Also it's been super fluffy recently, but (spoiler alert) it isn't going to be this simple and sweet forever.
And yay! Remus and Eleanor have finally been able to like actually hang out, and more of that is on it's way!
Let me know what you think, what you're excited about, what you want to see more of! I really just love sharing with you all and hearing how you are interacting with this story!
