Draco,
If you are reading this then you know that you are no son of mine. I have keep your mother's secret for all the years of your life and refuse to have the Malfoy name tainted by that of my bother any more than it already has. To this end I have left three restrictions on you that will be binding the second you accept the role of Lord Malfoy.
I have raised you as I would have my own child, and have imparted all the knowledge that the Malfoy heir must posses. I used all that was in my power to mold you in my image and kept the influence of your mother to a minimum. Due to these precautions, I am sure in my confidence that you will carry the Malfoy name to even higher distinctions. The unpleasant circumstances of your birth, however, make it impossible of me to trust that you will do so on your own. As any good father would, I have left guidelines to remind you of your place in society and all that entails after I have passed on.
The first of these is a mandate that you never publicly acknowledge your sorted birth. I did not spend time and money working to silence the rumors about your parents just to have you ruin it by blabbing our family's history to the world. You are my heir in all ways. Your skills and natural inclination are nothing like that of the blood-traitor who sired you. I refuse to let the family honor suffer because I could not control my whore of a wife, and so I lay this geis on you.
My second constraint regards your obligation to the family estate. I know it is often the wont of young men to put such responsibilities aside and favor more entertaining past times, but the control of your wealth should always come before any thing else. All the men in our family have maintained absolute say in the direction that their holdings are used. Your titled is not an empty one and I expect you to work unceasingly to double what you are given. As I have witness that you have an unnerving need to dictate all aspects of your life, I am sure that you will have no difficulty in doing so.
My finally corollary is that you marry as benefits your station in society. Once again, you have given me no cause to doubt that you will do so, but the temptation of the flesh is great, and I cannot let some tartlet become Lady Malfoy because of the effect length of her robes has on you.
You are the heir to one of the most powerful wizarding families left in the world. Your blood is purer than that of any of your peers. You will have to marry below you for there are none above. Having said this, you must understand that there is a vast difference between the young witches of the elite and those of the lower ranks.
Your Lady must be of pureblood. Nothing is more important than that. Her duties will include baring the next Lord Malfoy and she cannot be permitted to devalue her children's worth. She will have perfect poise and be able to fill her role as the female head of our great civilization. Her every activity will be a reflection of you and so she must excel in all she does. Her intelligence will be above average and her appearance will be equaled by none. She must be willing to serve you in any function and must never expose herself to scandal.
To all these aspects, you must add one more. The witch you make your wife must be approved of by at least three of your relatives. Until you have received such permission, you will not be wed.
These rules are nonnegotiable. If you break them you will be subjected to a powerful curse. I will never harm you, as there is no spare, but nothing that you treasure will remain intact. All of your friendships will suffer, and any prize that you cling to will be taken from you. If you marry, her spirit will be broken till that what you love is no longer there. This spell will not kill her for the lesson you are to learn would not sink in if she were to die. Instead she will live on, a mockery of what she was. My curse is reversible. All that is required is that you put aside what ever it is that you have done and comply once more with my demands.
Your Master in death as I was in life,
Lucius Malfoy
~}~}~@
Draco dearest,
How is my beloved this day? Life finds me to be merry and I hope the same can be said of you. My joy at being alive is endless. I cannot say if this is natural of merely a side effect of that anti-depression potion I took, but whatever the reason, I am so happy I feel as if I can float. As I am writing this I am sending you all the love and well wishes I have for you through our link. I am beyond pleased with the fact that I have you and you have me. What is that saying? I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine or something like that. Nothing could possible fill me with more delight than the thought of you.
Listen to me prattle on. What is new and exciting in your life? Have you decided what you are going to do about those broom factories? I still say that the workers deserve a raise and that unions should be dealt with respect, but I leave the matter in your hands. Have you seen Hermione and Ron? I hear that he is going out of his mind with worry because of what happened with Katy. Hermione wrote complaining that he refuses to lay a finger on her for fear that she will end up pregnant. Is that more than you wanted to hear? It was for me.
I miss you. Your last few letters have been so gloomy. What is troubling you sir? Please confide in me, I have nothing but your best interest at heart. Do not try and convince me that nothing is wrong, for I have felt all the worries you keep hidden. Draco, life is full of unpleasantness; it is the people you can turn to who make those times bearable. My love for you is such that I would rather take your pain for myself, as this is not possible, at least let me have a share in easing it.
Enough of that, when will I see you? I know you are very busy, but cannot your holdings in Japan use a surprise inspection? I have been counting the days till I come home, but there are so many of them that I find it rather disheartening. What can I say, I long for your touch. Am I not cheeky? Oh, but I do miss having you near.
There is a beautiful view of the country from my window and I am thinking of taking a walk in the hills later on this evening. I might even take a basket and have a picnic among the tall grass and trees. I have nothing pressing to do and a longing for a place not filled with memories of you.
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, and kiss me a million times more. Here is to the man I love and the person I most adore.
Yours till sunset,
Ginny of the red hair.
Draco pinned her newest letter next to the rest. He loved to lie in bed and look up at the wall that he had papered in them. She was never far from his mind and seeing proof of her commitment to him was the perfect way to start and end each day. He frowned at the other wall, the one that held the hated last page of his Lucius' will. He knew there was a way around the mess that parchment had made of his life, but that secret remained hidden to him. He wanted desperately to tell Ginny, to see what her mind would make of the matter, but he did not want to tell her the truth yet. No matter what the outcome, the first few months after she found out would be filled with hurt and disillusionment. He knew that he must tell her soon, before word of what he had done reached her, but he could not bring himself to end the tranquility of their time together so shortly after it had begun.
Then it happened. Heartbreak coursed through him followed quickly by anger and remorse. The time had come much sooner than he ever thought. How did she know? It was published this morning, how could the news have reached her this fast? He thought he had at least a week in which to explain to her, to try and reason his actions out for her. But now that chance had past, and he had lost her trust by not being the one to break the news to her.
~}~}~@
March first, early evening
How do you put heartbreak into words? Do I write every ache and pain that I feel, or do I leave it to the less then perfect description of agony? I had no warning. Sure, there were signs that he was discontent and moody, but nothing to hint at such a total breech in our relationship. I know he loves me, I can feel it pulsing deep inside, but his actions are undeniable now.
What makes in all the more embarrassing is that it was Akiko who told me. She held up the front page of that paper and laughed as she read the retraction they made regarding one Lord Malfoy and Miss Weasley. It was before class and to her friends, so there was nothing I could do but grit my teeth and stumble my way through the lesson.
I want to scream to the fates to have mercy on me, that my love for him is such that nothing will break it, but I cannot. I feel torn and battered inside. All my dreams seem like soap bubbles. I am all puffy faced and bleary eyed from crying and my heart feels shattered. I want nothing more than to bury myself in my blankets and not emerge until my heart heals or next spring, which ever comes first.
Look at this page, covered in tears with the ink all blotchy and smeared. It mirrors my life, nothing looking the way it ought.
March fourth, nine p.m.
He sent me a letter. It was filled with so sorrys and what not. I hardly glanced at it and then tossed it on the fire. I do not care what his reason was. He did not tell me. He let me believe that life was beautiful when he knew full well that it would not last. I have thrown myself into my studies, trying hard to not let his defection ruin the rest of my term.
I am so confused. I can feel love, so much love, coming from him. What is it that causes this emotion? Have I misread? Or does that feeling not include me. Does he fancy some other? Is it his feelings for her that I thought of as mine? I cannot say. I am too new at all these games of love.
All I can say is that I was very rash in my relationship with Draco.
March nineteenth, dawn
I cannot take it any more! He has been sending owls every day now. I read them, I really do, but I just cannot find it in myself to write him back. Today I sat down to compose a letter, but my hand would not obey. I tried to put my thoughts on paper, but the water marked results made no sense at all. I sent it any way. I do not know if that will be enough to make him stop, but I can hope.
~}~}~@
Draco,
Please stop with this owl business. I am not ready to forgive, I want only to forget. I read your letters, but the words do nothing. Save your reasons for a time when I am ready to hear them, for they go unnoticed now. Your father did not want us to marry, you think he caused Katy to die, you are ashamed of your behavior and you should have told me yourself. It matter not.
I am sorry if my attitude causes you pain. I love you and would hate to be the cause of any nastiness between us. Things are not good with me. I am unsure of how to make them right, and know that your contact seems to be making it worst. Go away and let me morn the loss of our relationship. Please do not send your love, I do not want it.
Virginia
If you are reading this then you know that you are no son of mine. I have keep your mother's secret for all the years of your life and refuse to have the Malfoy name tainted by that of my bother any more than it already has. To this end I have left three restrictions on you that will be binding the second you accept the role of Lord Malfoy.
I have raised you as I would have my own child, and have imparted all the knowledge that the Malfoy heir must posses. I used all that was in my power to mold you in my image and kept the influence of your mother to a minimum. Due to these precautions, I am sure in my confidence that you will carry the Malfoy name to even higher distinctions. The unpleasant circumstances of your birth, however, make it impossible of me to trust that you will do so on your own. As any good father would, I have left guidelines to remind you of your place in society and all that entails after I have passed on.
The first of these is a mandate that you never publicly acknowledge your sorted birth. I did not spend time and money working to silence the rumors about your parents just to have you ruin it by blabbing our family's history to the world. You are my heir in all ways. Your skills and natural inclination are nothing like that of the blood-traitor who sired you. I refuse to let the family honor suffer because I could not control my whore of a wife, and so I lay this geis on you.
My second constraint regards your obligation to the family estate. I know it is often the wont of young men to put such responsibilities aside and favor more entertaining past times, but the control of your wealth should always come before any thing else. All the men in our family have maintained absolute say in the direction that their holdings are used. Your titled is not an empty one and I expect you to work unceasingly to double what you are given. As I have witness that you have an unnerving need to dictate all aspects of your life, I am sure that you will have no difficulty in doing so.
My finally corollary is that you marry as benefits your station in society. Once again, you have given me no cause to doubt that you will do so, but the temptation of the flesh is great, and I cannot let some tartlet become Lady Malfoy because of the effect length of her robes has on you.
You are the heir to one of the most powerful wizarding families left in the world. Your blood is purer than that of any of your peers. You will have to marry below you for there are none above. Having said this, you must understand that there is a vast difference between the young witches of the elite and those of the lower ranks.
Your Lady must be of pureblood. Nothing is more important than that. Her duties will include baring the next Lord Malfoy and she cannot be permitted to devalue her children's worth. She will have perfect poise and be able to fill her role as the female head of our great civilization. Her every activity will be a reflection of you and so she must excel in all she does. Her intelligence will be above average and her appearance will be equaled by none. She must be willing to serve you in any function and must never expose herself to scandal.
To all these aspects, you must add one more. The witch you make your wife must be approved of by at least three of your relatives. Until you have received such permission, you will not be wed.
These rules are nonnegotiable. If you break them you will be subjected to a powerful curse. I will never harm you, as there is no spare, but nothing that you treasure will remain intact. All of your friendships will suffer, and any prize that you cling to will be taken from you. If you marry, her spirit will be broken till that what you love is no longer there. This spell will not kill her for the lesson you are to learn would not sink in if she were to die. Instead she will live on, a mockery of what she was. My curse is reversible. All that is required is that you put aside what ever it is that you have done and comply once more with my demands.
Your Master in death as I was in life,
Lucius Malfoy
~}~}~@
Draco dearest,
How is my beloved this day? Life finds me to be merry and I hope the same can be said of you. My joy at being alive is endless. I cannot say if this is natural of merely a side effect of that anti-depression potion I took, but whatever the reason, I am so happy I feel as if I can float. As I am writing this I am sending you all the love and well wishes I have for you through our link. I am beyond pleased with the fact that I have you and you have me. What is that saying? I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine or something like that. Nothing could possible fill me with more delight than the thought of you.
Listen to me prattle on. What is new and exciting in your life? Have you decided what you are going to do about those broom factories? I still say that the workers deserve a raise and that unions should be dealt with respect, but I leave the matter in your hands. Have you seen Hermione and Ron? I hear that he is going out of his mind with worry because of what happened with Katy. Hermione wrote complaining that he refuses to lay a finger on her for fear that she will end up pregnant. Is that more than you wanted to hear? It was for me.
I miss you. Your last few letters have been so gloomy. What is troubling you sir? Please confide in me, I have nothing but your best interest at heart. Do not try and convince me that nothing is wrong, for I have felt all the worries you keep hidden. Draco, life is full of unpleasantness; it is the people you can turn to who make those times bearable. My love for you is such that I would rather take your pain for myself, as this is not possible, at least let me have a share in easing it.
Enough of that, when will I see you? I know you are very busy, but cannot your holdings in Japan use a surprise inspection? I have been counting the days till I come home, but there are so many of them that I find it rather disheartening. What can I say, I long for your touch. Am I not cheeky? Oh, but I do miss having you near.
There is a beautiful view of the country from my window and I am thinking of taking a walk in the hills later on this evening. I might even take a basket and have a picnic among the tall grass and trees. I have nothing pressing to do and a longing for a place not filled with memories of you.
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, and kiss me a million times more. Here is to the man I love and the person I most adore.
Yours till sunset,
Ginny of the red hair.
Draco pinned her newest letter next to the rest. He loved to lie in bed and look up at the wall that he had papered in them. She was never far from his mind and seeing proof of her commitment to him was the perfect way to start and end each day. He frowned at the other wall, the one that held the hated last page of his Lucius' will. He knew there was a way around the mess that parchment had made of his life, but that secret remained hidden to him. He wanted desperately to tell Ginny, to see what her mind would make of the matter, but he did not want to tell her the truth yet. No matter what the outcome, the first few months after she found out would be filled with hurt and disillusionment. He knew that he must tell her soon, before word of what he had done reached her, but he could not bring himself to end the tranquility of their time together so shortly after it had begun.
Then it happened. Heartbreak coursed through him followed quickly by anger and remorse. The time had come much sooner than he ever thought. How did she know? It was published this morning, how could the news have reached her this fast? He thought he had at least a week in which to explain to her, to try and reason his actions out for her. But now that chance had past, and he had lost her trust by not being the one to break the news to her.
~}~}~@
March first, early evening
How do you put heartbreak into words? Do I write every ache and pain that I feel, or do I leave it to the less then perfect description of agony? I had no warning. Sure, there were signs that he was discontent and moody, but nothing to hint at such a total breech in our relationship. I know he loves me, I can feel it pulsing deep inside, but his actions are undeniable now.
What makes in all the more embarrassing is that it was Akiko who told me. She held up the front page of that paper and laughed as she read the retraction they made regarding one Lord Malfoy and Miss Weasley. It was before class and to her friends, so there was nothing I could do but grit my teeth and stumble my way through the lesson.
I want to scream to the fates to have mercy on me, that my love for him is such that nothing will break it, but I cannot. I feel torn and battered inside. All my dreams seem like soap bubbles. I am all puffy faced and bleary eyed from crying and my heart feels shattered. I want nothing more than to bury myself in my blankets and not emerge until my heart heals or next spring, which ever comes first.
Look at this page, covered in tears with the ink all blotchy and smeared. It mirrors my life, nothing looking the way it ought.
March fourth, nine p.m.
He sent me a letter. It was filled with so sorrys and what not. I hardly glanced at it and then tossed it on the fire. I do not care what his reason was. He did not tell me. He let me believe that life was beautiful when he knew full well that it would not last. I have thrown myself into my studies, trying hard to not let his defection ruin the rest of my term.
I am so confused. I can feel love, so much love, coming from him. What is it that causes this emotion? Have I misread? Or does that feeling not include me. Does he fancy some other? Is it his feelings for her that I thought of as mine? I cannot say. I am too new at all these games of love.
All I can say is that I was very rash in my relationship with Draco.
March nineteenth, dawn
I cannot take it any more! He has been sending owls every day now. I read them, I really do, but I just cannot find it in myself to write him back. Today I sat down to compose a letter, but my hand would not obey. I tried to put my thoughts on paper, but the water marked results made no sense at all. I sent it any way. I do not know if that will be enough to make him stop, but I can hope.
~}~}~@
Draco,
Please stop with this owl business. I am not ready to forgive, I want only to forget. I read your letters, but the words do nothing. Save your reasons for a time when I am ready to hear them, for they go unnoticed now. Your father did not want us to marry, you think he caused Katy to die, you are ashamed of your behavior and you should have told me yourself. It matter not.
I am sorry if my attitude causes you pain. I love you and would hate to be the cause of any nastiness between us. Things are not good with me. I am unsure of how to make them right, and know that your contact seems to be making it worst. Go away and let me morn the loss of our relationship. Please do not send your love, I do not want it.
Virginia