To Be A Malfoy
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
~*~*~*~
Now, I've been surprised plenty of times in my life, but that day, four weeks after I started to date Kaitlynn, was the clincher.
I had just gotten home from a long day of work, and was looking forward to collapsing onto my bed and not getting up until the weekend was over. Of course, I would get up for the date I had planned with Kate that night.....but that was it! Or so I thought.
"I'm home!" I shouted as I opened the condo door. My answer was four affectionate 'meow's'. I grinned at my own foolishness and quickly set to work getting ready for my date. So much for rest. Kaitlynn and I were going to a beach-side restaurant for dinner, and since I had not yet gotten around to getting a car, my wonderful girlfriend had offered to drive me in hers (I was still trying to figure out what a 'drivers-license' was).
When the door-bell rang forty-five minutes before the appointed time, I admit that I was more than relieved to have gotten ready early. But as I opened the door, it was not Kaitlynn's face that I saw.
"POTTER?!?!"
Harry Potter's face broke into a grin and his eyes twinkled mischievously at me.
"Hello. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and pay a visit." He commented, looking quite pleased with the fact that the 'great' Draco Malfoy had become so shocked by his arrival.
"Oh, really? Since when have you taken time out of your busy schedule to visit a Malfoy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled.
"Actually, I had some business to go over with the Salem Academy Headmaster, so I decided to drop by on my way home. I wanted to see how you were truly doing, because I didn't trust your letters." He said, a bit teasingly. This got me to smile. Somehow, everything from our pasts seemed to melt away and there was only then and there. Grudges and hatred no longer stood between us.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" I motioned him inside. When he entered, Tigger immediately stalked up to him, sniffing the air as if to determine whether Harry was worthy of entering our home. Then, when Harry leaned down and extended a hand for the cat to smell, he rolled over in a silent demand for a tummy-rub. Harry laughed and looked up at me.
"I didn't know you had a cat." He muttered, rubbing the tom's stomach. I grinned.
"I don't. I have four." I answered, motioning to the living-room doorway where Nora and Ellie stood, staring questioningly at him, while Ebony hid timidly behind them.
"Four? YOU? With four cats?" He asked incredulously. I chuckled and bent down to pick up Ebony, who snuggled into my arms willingly, keeping her alert yellow-green eyes on Harry. When he reached over to pet her, she stiffened, then relaxed as she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her.
"She's small." He murmured. I nodded.
"Ebony's the runt of the litter. She never got very big, unlike her brother and sister." I commented thoughtfully, sitting down on a chair and motioning for him to do the same.
"So, how's Hogwarts?" I asked, still stroking the animal in my arms.
"Fine. Hagrid's still keeping the grounds, though his attention is stolen easier these days, by his wife and son." Harry laughed at this. He had told me in a letter that Hagrid and the headmaster of Beuxbatons had gotten married just before the final war started, but had kept it a secret for safety reasons.
"And all the new teachers are doing well. Hermione's looking forward to teaching, Neville loves his job, as does Ron. Your sister's wedding is next month....." He trailed off here, his smile fading. My face must have reflected the hurt I was feeling. Sure, I hadn't expected her to invite *me* to her wedding.....but in a small part of my heart.....I had hoped that she would.
"I'm sorry, Draco....."
"It's alright. I wish her well, though. And I hope that she has a good life." I murmured, turning my attention back to Ebony, who was purring on my lap. After that, we got into more cheerful conversation, when he asked me about my life here. But in my excitement of telling him about my latest promotion, I completely forgot to mention Kaitlynn. That is until.....
*DING-DONG*
I froze in telling him about Stephen, and choked. Kaitlynn!
"Wait here!" I stated, before rushing for the door. This time, it was her cheerful face that greeted me, and I felt everything rush away. Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a french-braid, and she was wearing a casual black skirt and light blue sweater-set.
"Hi! Ready to go?" She questioned, stepping inside. I smiled and shook my head slightly.
"Come here. There's someone I want you to meet." I murmured, pulling her into the living room. Harry stood up when we entered, his face surprised.
"Kitten, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Kaitlynn Ross, my girlfriend." I introduced. Harry's mouth dropped even more. It was evident that he had already realized that she was not of our kind. Kaitlynn's face, however, beamed into a smile.
"Oh! It's nice to meet you. Draco's told me so much about you." She murmured, putting out her hand. Harry shook it, still looking dazed. Then Kaitlynn shot me a dazzling smile, and a look that said, 'we'll talk later'.
"Well, why don't I wait outside while you two say goodbye?" She suggested aloud, looking back and forth between us. We both nodded and she left the room, stroking Nora on her way out.
"She's a muggle, Malfoy." Harry finally managed, in a slightly icy voice. I winced.
"I am quite aware of that, *Potter*." I retorted.
"Does she know about you? Does she know about your past?"
"Yes. And she's forgiven me, though I don't deserve it. I love her, Harry, and nothing is going to end that. Not my past, not my being a wizard, *nothing*." I said, emphasizing every word of the last sentence. Harry's face lightened.
"Don't hurt her, Draco." He warned me. I grinned, happy that he had let it go.
"I won't. She means everything to me." I muttered, slightly blushing about saying that aloud. It was his turn to grin.
"Good. Well, have a good night, Drake. Sorry for interrupting. I'll write you tomorrow to tell you that I've arrived home safely." He called, walking for the door. This time, I stopped him.
"Wait! You're engaged to Ginny Weasley, right? When's the wedding?" I asked. His face lit up.
"Next month." He murmured, before going out the front door. I grinned.
Life sure is filled with surprises.
~*~*~*~
***A YEAR LATER***
~*~*~*~
//Mr. Harry J. Potter:
You are formally invited to the wedding of Mr. Draco Orion Malfoy and Miss Kaitlynn Anne Ross.
It will take place on the: 14th of April.
A small reception will be held afterwards, by the bride's parents. Presents are not necessary.
Thank you for your kindness.//
~*~*~*~
//Dear Harry:
You have probably gotten the invitation by now, and I know that your mouth is hanging wide open in surprise. But it's true. I managed to get up enough courage to ask her, and she said 'Yes'!!!
Please come. I would really appreciate it, and I need someone to support me on my side of the whole wedding-thing. Sure, Stephen is my best man, but I still need someone besides him.
So come. We'll be expecting you!
Sincerely,
Draco//
~*~*~*~
//Draco:
You are the biggest prat in the entire universe, you know that? First, you decide to fall in love with a muggle, then you decided to marry her! What next? Kids?
Just kidding.
I congratulate you. From what I have seen, Kaitlynn is a perfect match for you. She'll keep you on a short leash, but she'll allow you some freedom.....who am I kidding?! You're whipped, man! She's got you wrapped around her pinky-finger! Hahaha! A Malfoy is finally brought down by the forces of.....women! Join the club, brother!
Anyway, I would be happy to come. Granted, I'd have to make up a pretty good excuse to tell my lovely wife (I still can't believe she married me!), but I should be able to come.
Congratulations again, and I wish you well.
~Harry//
~*~*~*~
"What did he say?" Kaitlynn asked me later that night, after I had mentioned that Harry sent me a response. I chuckled.
"He was shocked, but congratulated us. He also said he would come." I informed her, holding her close. She snuggled closer to me, tilting her head so she could see my face. We were reclining on my couch, with her back against my chest.
"I'm glad, then. At least someone trusts you enough to give you another chance." She murmured, smiling up at me in that melting way of hers. I felt my mind fuzz up a bit, and smiled foolishly down at her.
"Yeah." I muttered, unable to say anything else. I noticed that her smile became slightly sly, and before I knew it, she had stolen the TV remote from my hand and was flipping to a different channel. I stared at her, stupefied for a moment, then grinned.
"I've been had!" I chuckled, not really minding at all as the TV began to show images of 'America's Funniest Home Videos'. She giggled and snuggled even closer to me, if that was possible. I felt so secure and happy with her, like nothing bad had ever happened in my past. It was an amazing feeling, and I loved every moment of it.
"Draco?"
"Uh-huh."
"I think I know what I want to do for our honeymoon." She whispered, her voice serious. I entered reality with a *splat*, and stared at her dumbly.
"What?"
"Our honeymoon. I know where I want to go."
"Where?"
"Malfoy Manor." She whispered. My breath caught and my heart gave a painful jerk.
"Why there?" I asked in a strangled voice.
"I want to clean it up. It is yours, despite your determination to stay away, and I think we should at least spend one time there." She murmured. I winced.
"But our wedding night? Our honeymoon? Love, you won't like it. Malfoy Manor is an evil place, filled with evil things and evil memories." I tried to reason. I swear my voice shook while I said these words. I felt a strange terror enter me, at the thought of returning to the place that held so many bad memories for me.
"Draco, listen to me." She whispered, turning off the TV and sitting up. The loss of her warmth hit me like a train, and I felt even more terror well up in me. She turned to face me, and sat cross-legged across from me.
"We could clean it up. We could even start now, if you wanted to. We could take out all the evil objects. You could use magic to renovate the rooms. We could fill the bad memories with happy ones. We could redeem Malfoy Manor to the glory it deserves." Her voice was strong and lilting. Just listening to it made me want to jump up and do just what she was saying. Slowly, my terror ebbed away and a new hope filled me.
"You really think we could?" I asked, if not a bit nervously. She smiled at me and took my hands in hers, a hard task, considering how small her hands were!
"I do. Together, we can do anything." She murmured. I felt a smile begin to creep across my face.
"Then we'll start this Saturday. I'll schedule us for the eleven 'o' clock apparation room." I murmured. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Apparation room? I am going to apperate?" She asked. I smiled.
"In a way. You have to stand in the apparation room, then wait for a red light to go off over the door. When it does, you leave the room, and you're at your destination. As easy as that. It's not very exciting." I informed her. Her eyes glowed.
"It's a wizarding contraption. Of course it's exciting!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. I laughed, and reveled in the feeling of her arms around me.
"Saturday, love. Saturday." I murmured, closing my eyes and forgetting everything but her and her alone.
~*~*~*~
And sure enough, that Saturday, I found myself walking down the familiar lane towards the remote grounds of Malfoy Manor. Because of the colossal extent of the grounds, there was not another home for miles upon miles, and we were alone. But to my relief, Kaitlynn didn't seem to mind.
"Are these your lands too?!" She exclaimed, looking overwhelmed and thrilled at the same time.
"Yes. All of this is Malfoy Manor." I murmured, staring somewhat dolefully at the forest of trees to my right. We had decided not to draw attention to ourselves by ordering a car to come and pick us up, so we were walking with our luggage tucked under our arms and stuffed in our hands. But we soon came to the huge, black wrought-iron gates that were encrusted with two M's. They silently swung open on my whispered command, and we continued through, passing more forest as we went.
"OH! OH!" Kaitlynn exclaimed, her eyes glowing. They had just taken a turn in the path, and exited the forest. Now, a huge expanse of water lay to our right--a lake--while the rest seemed to be moor-land. And directly across the lake stood.....
Malfoy Manor. Vast, old, dangerous. It's turrets reached threateningly towards the sky, and it's grey stone seemed to gleam menacingly at them. For a moment, Kaitlynn seemed to shrink against me for comfort, then she straightened, her face resolved.
"It has potential." She murmured, her eyes twinkling at me, as if to assure me that she wasn't frightened. I grinned down at her.
"Good." With this, we walked up to my old home in silence, both of us lost in thought. As we neared the huge mahogany front doors, my nervousness returned, as I remembered the things this place reminded me of. I shuddered off the mist that was entering my brain, and led my fiancee up onto the verandah. Taking an ancient key out of my pocket, I placed it in the lock and allowed the door to swing open in front of me.
A dark and musty hallway met our eyes. I quickly walked in, afraid that if I didn't, I never would. I walked until I reached where the hallway opened into the main entrance hall. It was actually two open floors, and eerie blue-ish light drifted down from every side-hall on the second level. I could feel Kaitlynn move up behind me, looking around in awe. We stood there a while, simply taking in our surroundings. It was still too dim to see much of anything, but a few finely carved walls nearby, and the white marble floor below our feet.
"Who is being there?!" A voice suddenly called out to our left. Kaitlynn jumped and shrieked softly, while I let out a shocked moan. A small figure moved cautiously out of the shadows, and I recognized it as one of mother's old house elves. It was a female, who had taken care of her throughout her life.
"Shival?" I asked gently, trying not to frighten her. But I saw her eyes widen anyway.
"Master Draco? Master Draco! You is home!" The little thing gasped. I couldn't tell if her voice held horror, relief, disbelief, or something else. Whatever it was, it disappeared the moment she said it. Kaitlynn stepped out from behind me, her eyes wide.
"Draco, wha.....*who* is that?" She asked nervously. I grinned.
"Kitten, love, this is Shival, one of the many Malfoy house-elves. Shival, this is my fiancee Kaitlynn." I introduced. Kaitlynn looked at the tiny creature with growing delight. I could see that she was thrilled with the idea of meeting her first magical creature (besides that owls, of course). Shival, however, was not so sure.
"She is not being a witch." She said flatly, staring up at us. Our eyes were becoming accustomed to the light, so I could make out her huge, worried, brown eyes.
"No, Shival, she's not." I said just as flatly, to show her that there was no longer any room for comment. The little house-elf looked at me for a moment, her eyes revealing nothing, then she nodded.
"We is being happy that you are home." She murmured, motioning to the hallway from which she had come from. Several other house-elves were now grouped there, staring at us. They had had such freedom for so long, that I was unsure whether they truly would be willing to work, but my fears were soon extinguished.
"Tomby is willing to be taking your bags upstairs, sir." Another house elf, this one male, stepped forward. Several others followed after him uncertainly, and picked up the luggage that we had dropped. I was still a bit in shock from being back inside my old home, so it took Kaitlynn poking me three times to get me out of my reverie.
"Come on. Shival's going to show us to our rooms." She murmured, taking my arm comfortingly. I knew for a fact that since I was older, Shival would not think of putting me back in the room I had called my own while living here. Instead, she lead us up a different flight of stairs, to a wing that I had previously been forbidden to enter when I lived here.
"We has been cleaning up here, Master Draco. We has a few rooms done. Shival is sorry she can do no more for you and Mistress....."
"No need, Shival. I'm sure anything you did will be fine." I tried to comfort her, before I realized that the house-elves were probably not yet used to the 'new' me. I saw her wide brown eyes turn to me in shock, and then an almost-smile came to her lips.
"Shival is thanking Master Draco for his kindness." She whispered, before leading us down another hall. I noticed that this one, unlike the others, was well lit with bright, globe oil-lamps. The mahogany walls were cleaner, and their carved surfaces seemed a bit less menacing than the ones downstairs. The deep velvety carpets beneath our feet were decorated with oriental designs and colors.
"Your rooms is being here, Master Draco. Mistress's rooms is being across the hall." Shival informed us, her eyes watching me closely. I began to get the distinct feeling that I was under heavy scrutiny by not only her, but the entirety of the house-elf population. Shaking off the uncomfortable feelings, I gazed at my surroundings.
I was standing in front of a pair of large mahogany doors, inlaid with a intricate design that seemed quite fitting. Pushing down the handle, I prodded one of the doors open gingerly. To my surprise, a wave of warm orange-yellow light spilled out of the room, enticing me to open it further. When I did, I felt all my nervousness go out the window. Shival had indeed fixed this room up.
It was a large room, with inlaid mahogany walls, and dark, cherry-wood furniture. The bed was a king-sized four-poster, hung with heavy velvet curtains of the darkest green, and bedclothes of the same color. There was a fireplace and a small sitting area to the right of the bed, closest to the door, and a huge mahogany desk to the right of it. The carpet in here was a continuation of that in the hallway, and the hangings on the wall also seemed to be of the oriental kind. The wall farthest from where I stood, seemed to be made of entirely of windows. They were open, allowing the afternoon sunlight to come pouring into the chamber.
"Oh, Draco! It's lovely!" Kaitlynn gasped, her eyes wide. Behind her, I could see Shival standing with a satisfied air about her.
"If my room is as lovely as this, I won't know what to do. I've never even been in a house this large, before!" She whispered, looking slightly frightened. I grinned and slipped my arm around her, ignoring the fact that the house-elf was now sneaking away.
"Only the best for my Kitten." I whispered into her ear, before going with her to investigate her room.
~*~*~*~
The work on Malfoy Manor when surprisingly smoothly, save for the few instances where I came across some horrible thing that my parents had kept for some reason. I had banished every evil and bad book from the house with a handy little spell I learned once in Flitwick's class, and got rid of everything from the hidden rooms my father had successfully kept a secret from the many ministry officials who had entered this house. Some of the rooms were in desperate need of refurbishing, mostly because they had been ignored and abandoned by my parents.
The cleaning took time, and we only had the weekend, but during that time Kaitlynn and I made yet another breakthrough with the house, this time, with the other inhabitants. Many of the house-elves had been treated.....less than humanly by my father, something I was determined not to do. Luckily, the creatures seemed to accept my blundering attempts at making them feel equal in my presence, and they endured me cheerfully.
But it was Kaitlynn, who really won their hearts. With her open questions about their lives and home, and her laughter, she managed to make friends with every house-elf in the place. They seemed to enjoy a Mistress who talked to them like they were actually living things, and laughed so brightly that it made the sun seem to shine even more. By the end of our stay, they were all wrapped around her little finger, and seemed to enjoy it there!
We had decided not to leave for the apparation room until late that night, so we gladly sat down to a huge departing meal that the house-elves made for us. After a hard days work, I couldn't have been more grateful for house-elves at that moment.
"Well, it's not completely done, but it's on it's way to being there." I murmured after I had filled my stomach a little. Kaitlynn looked up from her meal, and then raised her eyes to gaze around the room. Then she smiled.
"It is. I am beginning to love it here, Dragon, I really am. The grounds are so lovely....." She trailed off, smiling. I grinned, happy that I had pleased her.
"We could come up for holidays, perhaps. Christmas, Thanksgiving.....although, they don't have thanksgiving here....." I reminded her. She nodded.
"I would like that. It needs some people in it. That's what it's missing." She whispered, looking around. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was right. It was starting to need some people in it. And that would happen soon enough. But until then, this old house would have to wait.
~*~*~*~
"Oh, that's romantic, Malfoy. Take her to the old manor, why don't you!" Stephen teased when I came into work on Monday. I shot him a glare, and sat down at my desk. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, so I wasn't in the mood for wise-cracks.
"That's enough, McKay." I muttered. He grinned, but shut up. But minutes later, an owl came flying in the window, landing on my desk. With a groan, I reached over, untied the parchment attached to it's leg, and then petted it. It looked like another one of Hogwarts owls, so it didn't take a genius to know that the letter was from Harry.
//Drake:
I have it on good authority, namely Dobby the house-elf, that you were here over the weekend, cleaning up the manor. Apparently, Dobby has some friends there who were more than willing to talk, even though they are *supposed* to be loyal to their families.....
(I laughed here, then read on.)
Anyway, why didn't you tell me you were coming?! I would have come over to help a bit. But it all comes to the same thing. Dobby told me that you gave the house-elves some new vigor, and they are now cleaning the house twice as fast as they had been. They are almost done, according to my little spy- friend.
So that little fiancee of yours came too, huh? From what I hear, she is a much exulted mistress already. Good luck on keeping your secrets, though. It seems that these elves have gained some backbones in the absence of their previous master and mistress.
Well, I've got to go. Ginny's family invited us over for dinner, and I can't refuse one of Molly Weasley's meals!
~Harry//
~*~*~*~
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
~*~*~*~
Now, I've been surprised plenty of times in my life, but that day, four weeks after I started to date Kaitlynn, was the clincher.
I had just gotten home from a long day of work, and was looking forward to collapsing onto my bed and not getting up until the weekend was over. Of course, I would get up for the date I had planned with Kate that night.....but that was it! Or so I thought.
"I'm home!" I shouted as I opened the condo door. My answer was four affectionate 'meow's'. I grinned at my own foolishness and quickly set to work getting ready for my date. So much for rest. Kaitlynn and I were going to a beach-side restaurant for dinner, and since I had not yet gotten around to getting a car, my wonderful girlfriend had offered to drive me in hers (I was still trying to figure out what a 'drivers-license' was).
When the door-bell rang forty-five minutes before the appointed time, I admit that I was more than relieved to have gotten ready early. But as I opened the door, it was not Kaitlynn's face that I saw.
"POTTER?!?!"
Harry Potter's face broke into a grin and his eyes twinkled mischievously at me.
"Hello. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and pay a visit." He commented, looking quite pleased with the fact that the 'great' Draco Malfoy had become so shocked by his arrival.
"Oh, really? Since when have you taken time out of your busy schedule to visit a Malfoy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled.
"Actually, I had some business to go over with the Salem Academy Headmaster, so I decided to drop by on my way home. I wanted to see how you were truly doing, because I didn't trust your letters." He said, a bit teasingly. This got me to smile. Somehow, everything from our pasts seemed to melt away and there was only then and there. Grudges and hatred no longer stood between us.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" I motioned him inside. When he entered, Tigger immediately stalked up to him, sniffing the air as if to determine whether Harry was worthy of entering our home. Then, when Harry leaned down and extended a hand for the cat to smell, he rolled over in a silent demand for a tummy-rub. Harry laughed and looked up at me.
"I didn't know you had a cat." He muttered, rubbing the tom's stomach. I grinned.
"I don't. I have four." I answered, motioning to the living-room doorway where Nora and Ellie stood, staring questioningly at him, while Ebony hid timidly behind them.
"Four? YOU? With four cats?" He asked incredulously. I chuckled and bent down to pick up Ebony, who snuggled into my arms willingly, keeping her alert yellow-green eyes on Harry. When he reached over to pet her, she stiffened, then relaxed as she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her.
"She's small." He murmured. I nodded.
"Ebony's the runt of the litter. She never got very big, unlike her brother and sister." I commented thoughtfully, sitting down on a chair and motioning for him to do the same.
"So, how's Hogwarts?" I asked, still stroking the animal in my arms.
"Fine. Hagrid's still keeping the grounds, though his attention is stolen easier these days, by his wife and son." Harry laughed at this. He had told me in a letter that Hagrid and the headmaster of Beuxbatons had gotten married just before the final war started, but had kept it a secret for safety reasons.
"And all the new teachers are doing well. Hermione's looking forward to teaching, Neville loves his job, as does Ron. Your sister's wedding is next month....." He trailed off here, his smile fading. My face must have reflected the hurt I was feeling. Sure, I hadn't expected her to invite *me* to her wedding.....but in a small part of my heart.....I had hoped that she would.
"I'm sorry, Draco....."
"It's alright. I wish her well, though. And I hope that she has a good life." I murmured, turning my attention back to Ebony, who was purring on my lap. After that, we got into more cheerful conversation, when he asked me about my life here. But in my excitement of telling him about my latest promotion, I completely forgot to mention Kaitlynn. That is until.....
*DING-DONG*
I froze in telling him about Stephen, and choked. Kaitlynn!
"Wait here!" I stated, before rushing for the door. This time, it was her cheerful face that greeted me, and I felt everything rush away. Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a french-braid, and she was wearing a casual black skirt and light blue sweater-set.
"Hi! Ready to go?" She questioned, stepping inside. I smiled and shook my head slightly.
"Come here. There's someone I want you to meet." I murmured, pulling her into the living room. Harry stood up when we entered, his face surprised.
"Kitten, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Kaitlynn Ross, my girlfriend." I introduced. Harry's mouth dropped even more. It was evident that he had already realized that she was not of our kind. Kaitlynn's face, however, beamed into a smile.
"Oh! It's nice to meet you. Draco's told me so much about you." She murmured, putting out her hand. Harry shook it, still looking dazed. Then Kaitlynn shot me a dazzling smile, and a look that said, 'we'll talk later'.
"Well, why don't I wait outside while you two say goodbye?" She suggested aloud, looking back and forth between us. We both nodded and she left the room, stroking Nora on her way out.
"She's a muggle, Malfoy." Harry finally managed, in a slightly icy voice. I winced.
"I am quite aware of that, *Potter*." I retorted.
"Does she know about you? Does she know about your past?"
"Yes. And she's forgiven me, though I don't deserve it. I love her, Harry, and nothing is going to end that. Not my past, not my being a wizard, *nothing*." I said, emphasizing every word of the last sentence. Harry's face lightened.
"Don't hurt her, Draco." He warned me. I grinned, happy that he had let it go.
"I won't. She means everything to me." I muttered, slightly blushing about saying that aloud. It was his turn to grin.
"Good. Well, have a good night, Drake. Sorry for interrupting. I'll write you tomorrow to tell you that I've arrived home safely." He called, walking for the door. This time, I stopped him.
"Wait! You're engaged to Ginny Weasley, right? When's the wedding?" I asked. His face lit up.
"Next month." He murmured, before going out the front door. I grinned.
Life sure is filled with surprises.
~*~*~*~
***A YEAR LATER***
~*~*~*~
//Mr. Harry J. Potter:
You are formally invited to the wedding of Mr. Draco Orion Malfoy and Miss Kaitlynn Anne Ross.
It will take place on the: 14th of April.
A small reception will be held afterwards, by the bride's parents. Presents are not necessary.
Thank you for your kindness.//
~*~*~*~
//Dear Harry:
You have probably gotten the invitation by now, and I know that your mouth is hanging wide open in surprise. But it's true. I managed to get up enough courage to ask her, and she said 'Yes'!!!
Please come. I would really appreciate it, and I need someone to support me on my side of the whole wedding-thing. Sure, Stephen is my best man, but I still need someone besides him.
So come. We'll be expecting you!
Sincerely,
Draco//
~*~*~*~
//Draco:
You are the biggest prat in the entire universe, you know that? First, you decide to fall in love with a muggle, then you decided to marry her! What next? Kids?
Just kidding.
I congratulate you. From what I have seen, Kaitlynn is a perfect match for you. She'll keep you on a short leash, but she'll allow you some freedom.....who am I kidding?! You're whipped, man! She's got you wrapped around her pinky-finger! Hahaha! A Malfoy is finally brought down by the forces of.....women! Join the club, brother!
Anyway, I would be happy to come. Granted, I'd have to make up a pretty good excuse to tell my lovely wife (I still can't believe she married me!), but I should be able to come.
Congratulations again, and I wish you well.
~Harry//
~*~*~*~
"What did he say?" Kaitlynn asked me later that night, after I had mentioned that Harry sent me a response. I chuckled.
"He was shocked, but congratulated us. He also said he would come." I informed her, holding her close. She snuggled closer to me, tilting her head so she could see my face. We were reclining on my couch, with her back against my chest.
"I'm glad, then. At least someone trusts you enough to give you another chance." She murmured, smiling up at me in that melting way of hers. I felt my mind fuzz up a bit, and smiled foolishly down at her.
"Yeah." I muttered, unable to say anything else. I noticed that her smile became slightly sly, and before I knew it, she had stolen the TV remote from my hand and was flipping to a different channel. I stared at her, stupefied for a moment, then grinned.
"I've been had!" I chuckled, not really minding at all as the TV began to show images of 'America's Funniest Home Videos'. She giggled and snuggled even closer to me, if that was possible. I felt so secure and happy with her, like nothing bad had ever happened in my past. It was an amazing feeling, and I loved every moment of it.
"Draco?"
"Uh-huh."
"I think I know what I want to do for our honeymoon." She whispered, her voice serious. I entered reality with a *splat*, and stared at her dumbly.
"What?"
"Our honeymoon. I know where I want to go."
"Where?"
"Malfoy Manor." She whispered. My breath caught and my heart gave a painful jerk.
"Why there?" I asked in a strangled voice.
"I want to clean it up. It is yours, despite your determination to stay away, and I think we should at least spend one time there." She murmured. I winced.
"But our wedding night? Our honeymoon? Love, you won't like it. Malfoy Manor is an evil place, filled with evil things and evil memories." I tried to reason. I swear my voice shook while I said these words. I felt a strange terror enter me, at the thought of returning to the place that held so many bad memories for me.
"Draco, listen to me." She whispered, turning off the TV and sitting up. The loss of her warmth hit me like a train, and I felt even more terror well up in me. She turned to face me, and sat cross-legged across from me.
"We could clean it up. We could even start now, if you wanted to. We could take out all the evil objects. You could use magic to renovate the rooms. We could fill the bad memories with happy ones. We could redeem Malfoy Manor to the glory it deserves." Her voice was strong and lilting. Just listening to it made me want to jump up and do just what she was saying. Slowly, my terror ebbed away and a new hope filled me.
"You really think we could?" I asked, if not a bit nervously. She smiled at me and took my hands in hers, a hard task, considering how small her hands were!
"I do. Together, we can do anything." She murmured. I felt a smile begin to creep across my face.
"Then we'll start this Saturday. I'll schedule us for the eleven 'o' clock apparation room." I murmured. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Apparation room? I am going to apperate?" She asked. I smiled.
"In a way. You have to stand in the apparation room, then wait for a red light to go off over the door. When it does, you leave the room, and you're at your destination. As easy as that. It's not very exciting." I informed her. Her eyes glowed.
"It's a wizarding contraption. Of course it's exciting!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. I laughed, and reveled in the feeling of her arms around me.
"Saturday, love. Saturday." I murmured, closing my eyes and forgetting everything but her and her alone.
~*~*~*~
And sure enough, that Saturday, I found myself walking down the familiar lane towards the remote grounds of Malfoy Manor. Because of the colossal extent of the grounds, there was not another home for miles upon miles, and we were alone. But to my relief, Kaitlynn didn't seem to mind.
"Are these your lands too?!" She exclaimed, looking overwhelmed and thrilled at the same time.
"Yes. All of this is Malfoy Manor." I murmured, staring somewhat dolefully at the forest of trees to my right. We had decided not to draw attention to ourselves by ordering a car to come and pick us up, so we were walking with our luggage tucked under our arms and stuffed in our hands. But we soon came to the huge, black wrought-iron gates that were encrusted with two M's. They silently swung open on my whispered command, and we continued through, passing more forest as we went.
"OH! OH!" Kaitlynn exclaimed, her eyes glowing. They had just taken a turn in the path, and exited the forest. Now, a huge expanse of water lay to our right--a lake--while the rest seemed to be moor-land. And directly across the lake stood.....
Malfoy Manor. Vast, old, dangerous. It's turrets reached threateningly towards the sky, and it's grey stone seemed to gleam menacingly at them. For a moment, Kaitlynn seemed to shrink against me for comfort, then she straightened, her face resolved.
"It has potential." She murmured, her eyes twinkling at me, as if to assure me that she wasn't frightened. I grinned down at her.
"Good." With this, we walked up to my old home in silence, both of us lost in thought. As we neared the huge mahogany front doors, my nervousness returned, as I remembered the things this place reminded me of. I shuddered off the mist that was entering my brain, and led my fiancee up onto the verandah. Taking an ancient key out of my pocket, I placed it in the lock and allowed the door to swing open in front of me.
A dark and musty hallway met our eyes. I quickly walked in, afraid that if I didn't, I never would. I walked until I reached where the hallway opened into the main entrance hall. It was actually two open floors, and eerie blue-ish light drifted down from every side-hall on the second level. I could feel Kaitlynn move up behind me, looking around in awe. We stood there a while, simply taking in our surroundings. It was still too dim to see much of anything, but a few finely carved walls nearby, and the white marble floor below our feet.
"Who is being there?!" A voice suddenly called out to our left. Kaitlynn jumped and shrieked softly, while I let out a shocked moan. A small figure moved cautiously out of the shadows, and I recognized it as one of mother's old house elves. It was a female, who had taken care of her throughout her life.
"Shival?" I asked gently, trying not to frighten her. But I saw her eyes widen anyway.
"Master Draco? Master Draco! You is home!" The little thing gasped. I couldn't tell if her voice held horror, relief, disbelief, or something else. Whatever it was, it disappeared the moment she said it. Kaitlynn stepped out from behind me, her eyes wide.
"Draco, wha.....*who* is that?" She asked nervously. I grinned.
"Kitten, love, this is Shival, one of the many Malfoy house-elves. Shival, this is my fiancee Kaitlynn." I introduced. Kaitlynn looked at the tiny creature with growing delight. I could see that she was thrilled with the idea of meeting her first magical creature (besides that owls, of course). Shival, however, was not so sure.
"She is not being a witch." She said flatly, staring up at us. Our eyes were becoming accustomed to the light, so I could make out her huge, worried, brown eyes.
"No, Shival, she's not." I said just as flatly, to show her that there was no longer any room for comment. The little house-elf looked at me for a moment, her eyes revealing nothing, then she nodded.
"We is being happy that you are home." She murmured, motioning to the hallway from which she had come from. Several other house-elves were now grouped there, staring at us. They had had such freedom for so long, that I was unsure whether they truly would be willing to work, but my fears were soon extinguished.
"Tomby is willing to be taking your bags upstairs, sir." Another house elf, this one male, stepped forward. Several others followed after him uncertainly, and picked up the luggage that we had dropped. I was still a bit in shock from being back inside my old home, so it took Kaitlynn poking me three times to get me out of my reverie.
"Come on. Shival's going to show us to our rooms." She murmured, taking my arm comfortingly. I knew for a fact that since I was older, Shival would not think of putting me back in the room I had called my own while living here. Instead, she lead us up a different flight of stairs, to a wing that I had previously been forbidden to enter when I lived here.
"We has been cleaning up here, Master Draco. We has a few rooms done. Shival is sorry she can do no more for you and Mistress....."
"No need, Shival. I'm sure anything you did will be fine." I tried to comfort her, before I realized that the house-elves were probably not yet used to the 'new' me. I saw her wide brown eyes turn to me in shock, and then an almost-smile came to her lips.
"Shival is thanking Master Draco for his kindness." She whispered, before leading us down another hall. I noticed that this one, unlike the others, was well lit with bright, globe oil-lamps. The mahogany walls were cleaner, and their carved surfaces seemed a bit less menacing than the ones downstairs. The deep velvety carpets beneath our feet were decorated with oriental designs and colors.
"Your rooms is being here, Master Draco. Mistress's rooms is being across the hall." Shival informed us, her eyes watching me closely. I began to get the distinct feeling that I was under heavy scrutiny by not only her, but the entirety of the house-elf population. Shaking off the uncomfortable feelings, I gazed at my surroundings.
I was standing in front of a pair of large mahogany doors, inlaid with a intricate design that seemed quite fitting. Pushing down the handle, I prodded one of the doors open gingerly. To my surprise, a wave of warm orange-yellow light spilled out of the room, enticing me to open it further. When I did, I felt all my nervousness go out the window. Shival had indeed fixed this room up.
It was a large room, with inlaid mahogany walls, and dark, cherry-wood furniture. The bed was a king-sized four-poster, hung with heavy velvet curtains of the darkest green, and bedclothes of the same color. There was a fireplace and a small sitting area to the right of the bed, closest to the door, and a huge mahogany desk to the right of it. The carpet in here was a continuation of that in the hallway, and the hangings on the wall also seemed to be of the oriental kind. The wall farthest from where I stood, seemed to be made of entirely of windows. They were open, allowing the afternoon sunlight to come pouring into the chamber.
"Oh, Draco! It's lovely!" Kaitlynn gasped, her eyes wide. Behind her, I could see Shival standing with a satisfied air about her.
"If my room is as lovely as this, I won't know what to do. I've never even been in a house this large, before!" She whispered, looking slightly frightened. I grinned and slipped my arm around her, ignoring the fact that the house-elf was now sneaking away.
"Only the best for my Kitten." I whispered into her ear, before going with her to investigate her room.
~*~*~*~
The work on Malfoy Manor when surprisingly smoothly, save for the few instances where I came across some horrible thing that my parents had kept for some reason. I had banished every evil and bad book from the house with a handy little spell I learned once in Flitwick's class, and got rid of everything from the hidden rooms my father had successfully kept a secret from the many ministry officials who had entered this house. Some of the rooms were in desperate need of refurbishing, mostly because they had been ignored and abandoned by my parents.
The cleaning took time, and we only had the weekend, but during that time Kaitlynn and I made yet another breakthrough with the house, this time, with the other inhabitants. Many of the house-elves had been treated.....less than humanly by my father, something I was determined not to do. Luckily, the creatures seemed to accept my blundering attempts at making them feel equal in my presence, and they endured me cheerfully.
But it was Kaitlynn, who really won their hearts. With her open questions about their lives and home, and her laughter, she managed to make friends with every house-elf in the place. They seemed to enjoy a Mistress who talked to them like they were actually living things, and laughed so brightly that it made the sun seem to shine even more. By the end of our stay, they were all wrapped around her little finger, and seemed to enjoy it there!
We had decided not to leave for the apparation room until late that night, so we gladly sat down to a huge departing meal that the house-elves made for us. After a hard days work, I couldn't have been more grateful for house-elves at that moment.
"Well, it's not completely done, but it's on it's way to being there." I murmured after I had filled my stomach a little. Kaitlynn looked up from her meal, and then raised her eyes to gaze around the room. Then she smiled.
"It is. I am beginning to love it here, Dragon, I really am. The grounds are so lovely....." She trailed off, smiling. I grinned, happy that I had pleased her.
"We could come up for holidays, perhaps. Christmas, Thanksgiving.....although, they don't have thanksgiving here....." I reminded her. She nodded.
"I would like that. It needs some people in it. That's what it's missing." She whispered, looking around. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was right. It was starting to need some people in it. And that would happen soon enough. But until then, this old house would have to wait.
~*~*~*~
"Oh, that's romantic, Malfoy. Take her to the old manor, why don't you!" Stephen teased when I came into work on Monday. I shot him a glare, and sat down at my desk. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, so I wasn't in the mood for wise-cracks.
"That's enough, McKay." I muttered. He grinned, but shut up. But minutes later, an owl came flying in the window, landing on my desk. With a groan, I reached over, untied the parchment attached to it's leg, and then petted it. It looked like another one of Hogwarts owls, so it didn't take a genius to know that the letter was from Harry.
//Drake:
I have it on good authority, namely Dobby the house-elf, that you were here over the weekend, cleaning up the manor. Apparently, Dobby has some friends there who were more than willing to talk, even though they are *supposed* to be loyal to their families.....
(I laughed here, then read on.)
Anyway, why didn't you tell me you were coming?! I would have come over to help a bit. But it all comes to the same thing. Dobby told me that you gave the house-elves some new vigor, and they are now cleaning the house twice as fast as they had been. They are almost done, according to my little spy- friend.
So that little fiancee of yours came too, huh? From what I hear, she is a much exulted mistress already. Good luck on keeping your secrets, though. It seems that these elves have gained some backbones in the absence of their previous master and mistress.
Well, I've got to go. Ginny's family invited us over for dinner, and I can't refuse one of Molly Weasley's meals!
~Harry//
~*~*~*~