Chapter 7: Lean on me
As we approached my mother and Narcissa, their once smiling faces turned to a look of bewilderment. I acknowledged it was because of Draco being in the dressing room with me.
" How do I look, mother?" I asked trying to break the utter silence.
" Fine just fine, dear," she said with the same look.
" Shall we go find Draco's suit?" I queried. They nodded and we left the bridal area to the groom department. There were so many black suits; I thought I could just kill myself from gazing upon them. After a small amount of time Draco found one, which I believed to have the same appearance as the other attires. I walked behind him, assuming to pursue him into the dressing room as he had done to me, but as I was about to walk in with him, my mother stopped me. " Now Jessica, you can wait until after you're married," she dismayed. I made sure her back was to me before rolling my eyes. If she even caught me disrespecting her, I would be sent to a locked up room as a punishment.
We waited for a while until he came out of the dressing room, looking snazzy. Without hesitation, he strode to me, ignoring our mothers' awing. " How do I look?" he inquired as well as doing a little twirl.
" You look dashing, charming…suave, utterly astounding," I amused and gracefully fixed his undone tie. He smiled and looked deeply into my eyes.
" Wasn't it yesterday, you called me, and I quote, 'self-centered, despicable, and aggroant'?" he queried with a twinkle in his eye. I was taken aback. Yes, I did call him those mean words, but were they ever true?
" Draco, I admit, I did say those words, but I never really actually got to know you better than I have until now," I muttered with an embarrassed smile. He smirked and winked leaving my embarrassment to change to enchantment.
" See, I told you, you could get along with him," said my mother. I turned my gaze to her and just shoved off the comment. Draco changed and we paid for the gown and suit. Joking around with each other, Draco and I noticed hats hanging on the wall and we tried them on. I giggled and we both were amused with the hats until our mothers made us leave. We left by floo-powder and I landed with a thump on the ground. Luckily, Draco was already at the house, that he held a hand to help me off the floor. I grabbed on and he lifted me up, but never let go of my hand. We stood inches from each other, grasping hands.
" Come, Draco and Jessica, we must discuss over your dinnerware for the wedding," my mother insisted and pushed us into the dining room and onto two chairs. She sat herself down as well and with a whoosh of her wand, many parchments appeared onto the table. Each had different colors of dinner attire. I gazed upon them with a disgruntle look.
" Mum, do we have to talk about this now? I'm overly tired from shopping," I complained. She twitched. Being ill tempered as she always was, the twitch was a warning for me to shut my mouth. Though, I tried to disdain her scolded face and went on. " Please mother, I need to rest." Her face twitched even more, and I winced as I prepared for the galled uproar.
" Jessica, darling, we need to discuss this matter," I cut her off.
" Mum, tomorrow," I dare spoke. The twitching increased.
" Mrs. Rossington, you know, we should get our rest. It's very late and considering we took just about the whole day to shop, I say it'd be a good idea." Draco grimaced. Surprisingly, the twitching subsided and my mother's abnormality regained its common appearance.
" I suppose it is quite late. Go on lovebirds and get your sleep, for tomorrow will be a new day," she finally announced after sometime of stillness. I briskly snatched Draco's arm and guided him to our bedroom.
" Thank you so much for saving me from the evil loon," I muttered. He smirked and sat on my bed.
" She was ready to kill you, you know," he gaffed. There was a desolate pillow on the ground and I grabbed it. Jokingly I struck him against his face with the pillow and giggled. " Hey, is this what I get for saving your life?" he inquired. I was ready to strike him again, but he had already snatched a lonely pillow and hit me with it. I screeched and ran around the room from him laughing all the way. We were like this momentarily until our laughing was so hard, that we collapsed to the ground.
" I have an idea," he commenced and got off the floor.
" What's your idea?" I queried pondering on what his idea was.
" Come with me." He grasped my hand and led me out of the room. We strode down many staircases, that I swore I had never seen before in my life, and he stopped at an old looking, closed door.
" Where are we?" I queried eyeing all around me. He still had the same smirk on his face and opened the door with his free hand. I was pulled through the threshold to see an amazing site.
" This is a room, which I use for urgent situations to get away from my family," said Draco as he conveyed me to sit on a nice looking couch. The room, from my perspective, appeared to be exactly like a common room and I considered it to be severely similar to the ones at Hogwarts. I was rather pushed onto the couch, than being prevailed to sit on my own. Draco promptly sat beside me and stared anxiously at me, as if asking for my opinion.
" Why haven't you told me about this place before?" I inquired while glancing about me. I noticed a fireplace that stood in front of me that I acknowledged resembling the Slytherin Common Room.
" You never asked," he conveyed.
" Well we never really talked up until now," I replied.
" Do you like it?" he asked still staring at me.
" Oh yes, of course. It amazes me how it resembles the Slytherin Common Room. Even the couch is leather," I promptly said as I fondled an unfettered pillow. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see him smirk, but the smirk was a bit wider than usual. " What are you smirking at? Do you take pride in this room?"
" As a matter of fact, yes. I preformed many spells on this room just so that I could actually feel at home rather than listen to my parents bicker." Though, a twinkle of a tear slowly descended down his pale face. Briskly, I could see he wiped it with his sleeve and somehow lost his smirk. I stern eye emerged from his face as he looked upon the glow of the fire. " I can't believe they did this to us," were his words. He turned his gaze to me though changed it to concern.
" I don't understand it either, Draco. I mean no offense, but I actually wanted to stay far away from you after our seventh year." He snorted, but it was more of an, " Oh" snort. We watched the fire burn and crackle until the light only shone was from a lonely window at the far right of the room. The moon was bright, and glimmered with awe-striking stars. I leaned back onto the couch and rested my head on the back of it. Utter silence etched its way to us until Draco's soft voice interlarded.
" May I ask you a question that has been on my mind?" he asked. I nodded and he continued, " Do you really think my eyes…are sparkly?" Abashed, I quickly searched for words to say. Yes, I admit they were suddenly sparkly to me, ever since the curse was laid upon us.
" I confide, they are quite sparkly, which makes them oh the more elegant," I uttered through the air. Hence the fire was dead, and the room heeded a small draft, which caused me to shudder.
" Are all those words you said, all true…the ones you said at the shop?" Though the very unlit room was desolate from seeing many things, I saw on the outline of his face grimace.
" Draco, through all this tragedy I've noted a change in you. All I know this curse has a way with many things, for I now can do more than tolerate you."
" What are you saying?"
" I don't know what I'm saying, but I do understand that I suddenly have a liking for you."
" I acknowledge what you are saying. I feel the same way for you. I never really got to know and understand you until now. It seems ever since we were young there was a wall between us. The barrier was broken thanks to this curse, though I fairly like getting to sympathize with you." I could see anxiety in his eyes. It would take a lot of boldness for a guy to tell a girl that.
" Remember when you told me we should the best out of this situation? I think we should take more advantage of this for both our and our parents sakes." He nodded his head in agreement, but it left us to quietness yet again. I felt the couch move though, and heeded a yawn coming from Draco's mouth. I wasn't sure what touched me, but I felt an arm being put around my neck. Without hesitation I decided to let him just once put his arm around me.
'Well we are getting married in about a week's time…' I noted inside my head.
My eyes burned from desired sleep and I was defeated. Slowly my eyes closed and I noted to actually lean in on Draco. Nevertheless we both slept on the couch that night without a care in the world. The sun rose through the sky early morning, which caused me to stir from my sleep. Draco's arm was still surprisingly around me, but I was oblivious to it. Draco's snores were abundant, but I instantly disdained it. A yawn crept on me and I rubbed my eyes sheepishly. Remarkably I was warm considering we were in a secluded room below the Main floor of the Malfoy Mansion.
I felt Draco tense his muscles telling me that he finally regained conciseness. He removed his arm and hesitantly rubbed his eyes and likewise smoothed his hand through his short hair.
" Good morning, Draco," I yawned.
" Oh yes, good morning. What are the plans for today?" he inquired and lifted himself off the couch.
" Do you mean my plans or my mother's?" I amused. He smirked and chuckled.
" I was thinking of your plans rather than your mother's." I laughed and pushed myself off the couch.
" My plans? Well I don't have any. Do you by perchance have any?"
" Why yes, I do. Shall we, Madame?" He held an arm for me and I jokingly curtsied as I graciously linked my arm.
" May it be a date," I ended and we strode back upstairs arm-in-arm.