Chapter 13 – The Adventures of Sneaky the Ferret

Part 49 – Ergk!

"Goblin Rebellions again? Don't they have anything better to do than rebel?"

Draco smirked, looking up from his own History of Magic essay and putting his quill back in the inkwell on the low library table in front of them. "Apparently not. You'd think that tending Gringotts would keep them busy, but not generally. They seem to rebel once a century at the least."

"Why do we even bother to study them all separately? The same things happen every time. You just change some names and dates and there you go!"

"It is important to study them each separately so that they can be prevented in the future."

"It hasn't worked so far."

"Yes, well, that's what Mother told me anyway."

"Huh. She wasn't by any chance having vapors at you at that point, was she?"

"Actually, she was."

"Thought so. There are definitely better ways to get people to do what you want than having vapors at them. It takes a lot less effort to straight-out manipulate them, for example."

"And if they won't be manipulated?"

"Anybody can be manipulated."

"Really."

"That's my line."

"Really." Draco smirked. "So you say you can manipulate anyone?"

"Most people."

"Prove it."

"Well, there was the episode over my shoes . . . ."

Draco twitched. "I'm not always that easy to manipulate."

"No, just by me."

"That's because I don't mind you manipulating me."

"Hmm."

Draco slipped one arm around Meega's waist and cupped her chin with his other hand, lowering his lips onto hers as he drew her a little closer. She grinned as he kissed her, responding to his lips. Eventually he deepened the kiss, no longer as hesitant as he had been the first time he had done so. Meega's arms snaked around his neck as the hand on her chin joined the other holding her close to him. Neither hands nor mouths wandered as they clung to each other on the couch; the kiss was slow, lingering, showing no desire for anything other than the moment and the closeness of the moment. Both Draco and Meega were content just to sit motionlessly in each others arms, locked in a kiss as gentle as everything else in their relationship.

"Ergk!"

The couple on the couch practically leapt apart, eyes jumping to the man in the library doorway. Lucius Malfoy stood with one hand on the doorway acting as a brace and the other on his heart, his eyes bulging. It seemed that whatever he had expected to find in his library, it wasn't his son kissing his girlfriend.

A moment later he seemed to have mostly recovered. "Draco Taurin Malfoy," he growled, "get out. I need to have a little chat with Miss Kyl-Derc." Draco blinked, startled, then gave Meega an apologetic smile and quickly left. "You, girl. To my study." Meega stood, feeling slightly perplexed, and followed Lucius out of the library. Then, in the hall, she saw a white streak and grinned.

"Sneaky!" Lucius glared at her as she darted over to scoop up the white ferret. "I'm sorry, sir, but my ferret seems to have escaped my room," she said innocently, holding up the white ferret as proof. Lucius sniffed, but led on to his study.

Part 50 – Family Honor

"So."

Meega was sitting in front of Lucius' rather imposing desk, 'Sneaky' sitting on her shoulder as she tried not to laugh at the comical image her mind presented her with as Lucius stared at her, his posture deadly-serious.

"So," he repeated.

Meega blinked innocently.

"It has come to my attention rather . . . suddenly that my son may actually be serious about you." The sneer that Meega had expected didn't appear. "It is more urgent than I thought that you learn to behave properly."

"What—"

Lucius glanced sharply at Meega when she interrupted. "The Malfoy name has a certain . . . prestige. As it seems you will be associated with that name for some time to come, you must do your part to uphold the name, family, and honor of Malfoy. You are not to associate with those of lesser rank and station more than is strictly necessary. You will learn to act, speak, and dress as is appropriate for one born into this standing. Where are you staying over the summer?"

Meega jumped slightly, surprised at having a question directed at her. "Well, that's a matter currently under discussion. Uncle Alfred doesn't really want to ship me back to the States for the summer, but he hasn't set up anywhere else for me to stay at the moment."

"You will stay here. Narcissa will find you the necessary tutors. And in the future . . . keep your displays out of the public view."

After a moment, Meega recognized this as a dismissal. Standing, she nodded in acknowledgment and turned and left Lucius' study, heading back to the library.

Part 51 – Keep No Secrets, Tell No Lies

"Well. That was interesting."

As Meega sat down on the couch she and Draco had vacated earlier, her boyfriend slunk from her shoulder to the back of the sofa. From there he slipped down onto the seat and returned to his human shape. "Sneaky?"

Meega shrugged, grinning. "It was the only thing I could think of besides 'Fluffy' and 'Bianca.' I thought it was probably the best choice."

"I suppose," Draco sighed.

"Tell me something: how serious is your father?"

"Completely."

"And how serious are you?"

Draco simply looked at her for a moment, then swooped in to catch her hands in his. "Meega Ororo Kyl-Derc, I love you, I trust you, and I need you. At this moment I would like nothing better than to marry you when we finish school."

Meega gaped, completely floored. That had been the last thing she had expected to happen. "Draco," she said weakly when she found her voice, "Draco, did you just . . . propose?"

"No. That can wait for a year or two. I just thought that the whole truth would be the best answer."

"Hmm," Meega's sudden smile was small and contented. "Keep no secrets, tell no lies?"

"Exactly."

"Well, then I suppose I have something to say."

"Really?" Draco asked hopefully.

"I love you too, Draco Taurin Malfoy. Fifteen seems very young to be thinking about marriage, but I think I'll say yes, when you ask me. If you ask me."

"I'll ask, Meega," Draco insisted, obviously pained that she would even think that he might not.

There was something all to knowing in Meega's eyes as she smiled sadly at Draco, everything about her oddly peaceful. "Don't promise that, Draco. You don't know what will happen between now and then. People think they're in love all the time. Then, if they're lucky, they really love someone and everything else is revealed as the dime novel romances they really are. Right now I love you, and you love me. But . . . we're fifteen. Maybe 'love' doesn't mean what we think it does."

Part 52 – Easter

The first week of the Easter holiday passed quickly, and Easter itself arrived. There was to be a party that night: dinner, then a dance for the adults and a party for the children that were technically Draco's guests.

Narcissa had personally overseen the selection of Meega's clothing for the party. The dress robe selected for her leaned more towards 'dress' than 'robe.' It could have been a twin of her dress for the Halloween ball if you took away the black, closed the slits, and added a corset. The dress was a deep hunter green, the corset creme with gold lacing. Here creme slippers were embroidered with green and gold ivy. The choker and circlet Narcissa had provided with the dress robe were gold worked into tiny leafy vines of ivy. Personally, Meega thought that the outfit was a bit over the top, but when Draco escorted her into the dining hall she was glad she hadn't objected.

"You do this every year?"

"Since I started Hogwarts. Before that, I got to have fun on Easter."

"I'm sure we can find a way to make the children's party fun."

Draco smirked. "No sneaking off. We have to stay until everyone has gone home."

"So we'll just have to make our own fun at the party."