Chapter 10
The Malfoy Name
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I'm here, I wanted to say, but no sound comes from my mouth. I walk near her. I place my hand on her shoulder, but it goes through. I look down at my form. I'm like a faint white wisp of nothing.
"We're supposed to get married today. You promised me," she says with liquid drops of tears streaming down her pale face.
I try again, I'm here, but nothing can be heard.
"This is supposed to be our day," she says.
It's useless to try to talk. I reach my hand out. It passes through her like smoke. The helplessness of the situation is frustrating. I love you. That will never change. Please understand. I look at her. She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve the pain.
I watch her as she turns. For a single moment, I think she knows I'm here, but the look of pure pain on her face tells me otherwise. She looks up at the ceiling. I see her mouth the words, why me? Why us?I awake from my nightmare, grasping the sheets. My jagged breathing confirms that my nightmare wasn't reality. The soft breathing beside me helps assure me as well. I close my eyes and take a deep breath trying to recover. What does it mean?
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"Don't ruin the Malfoy name, for that may be all you have left one day." I frown at my late father's words. The last sentence I've heard him utter from his lips on his deathbed. Not many people know he is dead. His funeral was kept a secret.
Our line has been pure for centuries. What would my ancestors say when they have heard I've married near common blood? Our name has been valued for its purity in the blood and the wealth in the gold and property. What will happen to our name now?
I sigh bitterly as I sit in front of the roaring fire. I haven't thought of any of the consequences before proposing. I've heard stories about those who have tried to cross the line. All of their lives have ended before marriage.
My father died young. He has told me a few years early that all Malfoys die young. "We live as long as we need to. We die, only when our heir is able to continue the tradition." I wince as his words run through my mind.
I have never chosen to live this life. Do I not get a chance to choose whom I can marry?
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The rain falls. A few drops drip down the glass of the window. A dull gloominess looms outside. Instead of the intended white, I wear black. This isn't supposed to happen. This is supposed to be our day. It's supposed to be happy, not like this. A few tears drip down my face. This can't be happening, not today.
He looks so still, so pale, so lifeless. He looks at peace, lying there in the soft padded wooden casket.
"We were supposed to get married today," I whisper softly to him, a part of me knowing he can't hear my words. "You promised me."
I wait, as though waiting for a reply. Nothing, but the hollering of the wind answers me.
"This is supposed to be our day," I add. I bite my lip, trying to stop the oncoming tears that blur my vision.
The candles in the room produce an eerie yellow glow, casting empty shadows on objects. The room is cold, despite the burning fire in the fireplace. An awful frigid feeling sinks into me. Suddenly, I feel an odd sense of warmth on top of coldness.
I turn around, expecting him to be there. He's not there. I'm alone. I'm alone in the cold, cruel world. I look up. Why me?
I wake, gasping for breath, Draco. The empty space besides me worries me. I touch my face, brushing away the tears. I bite my lip uncomfortably. I wish with all my life that he's okay.
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The moon shines down on us with such serenity. The light casts a mystical bluish yellow glow on objects. The shadows stretch out at me while I walk down the steps.
I finally see him. He turns around. He's there, smiling. He takes my hand and kisses it gently. My dress ruffles around my ankles as he leads us into a dance. Our dance is slow, but touching. He holds me close as though I'm the only one left in the world. I lay my head against his chest.
"I love you," he whispers in my ear. His voice is as soft as the wind around us.
"I love you too," I say slowly back to him.
He backs away slightly to get a better look at me. His eyes are black, reflecting only the dark shadows. In them, I can still see the warmth only reserved for me. He brushes a strand of brown hair behind me face, smiling.
I close my eyes. Warmth surrounds me. I feel his kiss on my lips, soft and gently. I kiss him back. I open my eyes again. He embraces me. I'm thankful for the warm affection he's showing. I love you so much.
I wake up. The sudden, yet cruel reality hits me. He's gone. It was only a dream. I feel a few tears drip down my face. I miss you so much. The world is so brutal, taking away the loved and leaving the distressed and hopeless. I wish I could be where you are.
I scream. I touch my arms. This is my reality. This is not a nightmare. I take in a deep breath. The various emotions the dream brings anxiety. I feel a few cold drops of tears run down my eyes. What is happening?
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I hear a horrible scream coming from her room. I rush down the halls. I stop at the door to her room. My hands touch the cold metal doorknob, wondering whether to open it or not. The curiosity is too much. I open the door.
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I turn at the sound, Draco.
"Hermione?" I hear his voice call out my name. It's slightly uncertain for the room is dark.
"Draco?" I ask, wondering if I want to know the answer.
I hear a few muffled footsteps. He sits down beside me. He puts his arms around me and holds me tightly as though to try to prove that I am here. "Are you all right?"
I nod. I'm clearly shaken, but I'm not physically harmed. I take in a deep breath.
"Thank the Heavens," he mutters to himself.
"Draco," I begin, feeling slightly timid.
"Yes?"
"I've been having," I bite my lip, but continue, "nightmares. I've had one when you were, dead. I've had another just tonight. We were dancing, but I woke up in my dream. There I realized that it was another dream and you were gone. Then I just woke up."
"Interlacing dreams," he states.
I nod slowly, pretending to understand. My tears stop, now that he's here with me. "Do you know what this means?"
"I have only a theory," he starts. His voice is confident. "My father is dead."
I quickly gasp. I've never known. I'd never would've thought.
"Not many people know about his death," he adds in quickly. "He died young from slightly unnatural reasons."
"What do you mean by that?" I ask, wondering why his death has something to do with my dreams.
"For generations, all true blooded Malfoys died young. Their ages may very slightly, but it's around the same time. They've died because their pure blooded heir was old enough to be left the property, wealth, and traditions," he says calmly.
What does this mean? He'll die before he'll see grandchildren? I frown slightly at the unpleasant thought.
"Our family is valued for that, which is why we marry others similar to us."
"Aren't there ones who went against tradition?" I ask him, wondering about our undecided fate.
"Yes." His voice breaks. "They've died before they were married."
I freeze, biting my lip. Draco, I don't want him to die.
"But, since I'm the last of my family. I'm not sure whether it'll strike us." His words are comforting, but his tone contradicts his statement.
I understand the meaning of the nightmares now. They're a warning, in a matter of speaking. Marriage is a wonderful thing, but losing Draco over it? I wouldn't dare risk it. "Let's not get married," I say abruptly.
I turn to look at his reaction. In the dim moonlight, I see him raise an eyebrow. "I will have to marry at one point or another. The question is to whom."
A grim feeling sinks in. I close my eyes. "We'll have an affair." I open my eyes.
He looks at me with a slightly amused expression.
"Did I just say that out loud?" I ask, mortified.
He nods, without removing the trademark smirk from his face.
I groan softly. The embarrassment sinks in.
"Besides, no lips of mine will touch another woman's."
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