So Darling, How did it go?

"Draco Malfoy get up this instant!" Shouted a rather agitated Narcissa.

After having spent the last half an hour attempting to wake her sixteen year old son, her patience had run out. Ignoring his mother's agitation, Draco merely turned over and placed his pillow over his head. Realizing her yelling was accomplishing nothing, Narcissa sought out the one person who would be able to convince her son to get his lazy butt out of bed.

"Lucius, get your son up... now. He simply won't listen to me".

Lucius bounded up the stairs towards his son's suite. He quietly slipped in and whispered... "Draco". No sooner than the young man's name had cleared his father's lips, Draco jumped out of bed.

"I was just getting up Father".

Lucius merely raised an eyebrow, at his son's obvious lie. The old Lucius Malfoy would have yelled at his son for his impertinence, or perhaps, struck him with his cane. However, Lucius, was not the man he once was. Not to say he had turned into some peace, love and happiness, Muggle worshiping hippie, but he had changed none the less. A stint in Azkaban has a way of changing a man. He had spent seven months in Azkaban because of his involvement in the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. While in Azkaban, Lucius developed a newfound appreciation for the family he was being kept from. Especially when he found out that the dark lord planned on taking his frustrations out on Lucius' young son.

That was when Lucius decided to switch sides. He met with several members of the Order of the Phoenix, and told them everything he knew about the Dark Lords plans to overthrow the Ministry and finally rid the world of Harry Potter. Luckily for Lucius, he was Voldemort's right hand man, and therefore, had a great deal of information to divulge. The fact that this information directly led to the Order's ability to defeat the Dark Lord won Lucius his freedom. He had never been so happy to return to his manor, as he was the day he was released from Azkaban. The sight of his beautiful wife and loving son was nearly more than Lucius could bear. That day he did something he had not done in the longest time. He told his wife and son how much he loved and missed them, as he held them in the tightest embrace he could muster. Lucius knew he would never be a kind man, and he certainly wouldn't start inviting Muggles over for tea, but he had stopped torturing them, which was progress, to say the least. Merlin knows the new Minister of Magic, Albus Dumbledore, wouldn't stand for it, and he certainly had no intentions of going back to Azkaban. Remembering that he had insisted on waking his son for a reason, he snapped out of his reverie.

Lucius looked over at his son, who was earnestly attempting to remove the sleep from his eyes. Apparently a large amount of sleep builds up after having slept for 16 consecutive hours, which is Draco's usual daily routine throughout the summer. Sleep for sixteen hours, party for eight hours and start all over again.

"Draco, my boy, today is your sixteenth birthday...today you become a man, therefore" Lucius stated proudly, before his son interrupted him.

"Um Dad... if this is about, you know...it's just that...I mean we already... Pansy and I, we already... on my last birthday... it was sort of her gift to me... um, I just.." Draco mumbled incoherently.

"That's not what I meant Draco...but I'm glad to know that's been taken care of. What I did want to tell you was... well, when you were born I was so glad to have son...I knew you would do the Malfoy name proud. I was, however, worried that we would be unable to find you a suitable mate. There has always been a shortage of suitable, wealthy pure-blooded women. So, when shortly after your birth, an associate of mine welcomed a daughter into his family." Lucius stated cautiously, as he lowered himself into a leather armchair. "I then made the decision to contact him, in hopes of arranging a marriage between you and his daughter. He was receptive to my idea and, he and I, immediately worked up a marriage contract for the two of you." Lucius stated unable to look his son in the eye for fear of what he may see there. Though he could not see the look on the young man's face, he was able to feel his son tense next to him.

"Marriage contract!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes, a marriage contract." Lucius state calmly. " Her father and I, have agreed, that not only will the two of you wed, but you will be magically bound to one another...shortly". Lucius muttered, failing to sound as confident in his decision as he had when he first began.

"How...but you! That's not...fair...how shortly?...for how long?" babbled the baffled young man completely taken aback by his fathers revelations.

"Well, Draco first off, life's not fair. You were bound to learn that fact sooner or later. To answer your questions, the two of you will be married no later than six months after her seventeenth birthday and you will be magically bound to one another...forever." Lucius replied as calmly as the situation allowed possible. Draco stared at his father completely dumfounded and speechless. Lucius stood and withdrew his copy of the contract from within his jacket pocket. He slowly walked over to his son's desk and placed the contract on it. He then noticed a small photo of Draco and his current girlfriend Pansy Parkinson from the Yule Ball they had attended during their fourth year at Hogwarts. Pansy looked elated and Draco, as per usual, looked rather bored. Realizing that matter's just got a bit more complicated, Lucius turned to leave his son's room. Just as he reached the door, Lucius turned back to address his son.

"Draco" the young man turned and looked at his father for the first time since he had received the news. "I have set the contract on your desk for you to read over...also, you'll need to end whatever... "relationship" you have with that Parkinson girl... you're as good as engaged now and I expect..I need you, to behave like it." Lucius drawled having recovered some of his confidence in his decision. He turned and left his absolutely livid son to his thoughts.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888

As Lucius entered the sitting room he was greeted by a rather smug looking Narcissa.

"So darling, how did it go?"

"Surprisingly well" Lucius replied matching his wife's smugness.

Just as he had settled himself into his favorite chair he heard, what sounded like shattering glass, which was soon followed by several lough crashes and a very angry Draco shouting. " I DON'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!"

Just then Narcissa began to giggle, " well dear, I think you're right, he is taking the news quite well."

"Oh shut it Narcissa!" Lucius shouted as he rushed upstairs to try and calm his very angry teenage son.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

"What is the meaning of this!" Lucius demanded, as he stormed into Draco's room.

"The meaning of this... you have the audacity to ask me that, after what you've done! What gives you the right to decided who I spend the rest of my life with? Huh? What makes you think I'll do it. Maybe I just won't marry her!" Draco exclaimed, finally letting loose the anger that had been brewing since his father had abruptly woken him.

"I understand that you're upset...you probably feel a bit betrayed as well... but really, throwing things Draco... expensive things for that matter. Don't you think that's bit childish?" Lucius asked as he picked up what was once his sons very expensive, hand blown glass wizards chess set.

"No, as a matter of fact I don't think it's childish and you didn't answer my questions!" Draco fumed.

"Draco I am your father, and whether you believe it or not, I do have your best interests at heart. That, is what gives me the right to make decisions for you. If you were to marry that Parkinson girl, you would be doing yourself a great injustice. You're a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake...you can do so much better than her. I had the chance to make an ideal match for you. So I did. You'll understand in time." Lucius placed his hand on his son's should giving it a light squeeze. " As for your deciding to just 'not marry her,' well, the marriage contract is magically binding. If any stipulation has not been met within the required time frame, you will be forced, physically, to comply by way of rather, Imperious-like charm."

"So who is she?" Draco inquired impatiently.

"That, is not important right now, what is important, is that you rid yourself of Pansy and you try to accept what has been laid before you." Lucius said dismissing his son's inquiry as to the identity of his future bride, with a wave of his hand.

"Who. Is. She?" Draco asked again through gritted teeth. Lucius' head whipped around in the direction of his son, appalled at the tone Draco had just spoken to him in. Looking at his son he noticed his jaw was tight and his fist were balled up at his sides. This obvious tension did nothing to stop the young man from shaking with anger. Lucius decided not to reprimand his son for his lack of respect, due to his current state.

"Artemis Fowlington". Lucius stated somberly, his own jaw tightening in preparation of the unavoidable blow up that was about to occur.

"That snide little twit...you expect me to marry...to spend the rest of my life with that brown-nosing, obnoxious, revolting, intolerable bitch!" shouted Draco, who at this point had jumped up from where he had been sitting and was now yelling directly in his father's face. Whack! Draco stumbled from the impact of his father's hand meeting his cheek.

"Don't you ever speak of your wife in that manner," menaced the older Malfoy, his gaze never leaving his sons eyes. "You need to accept your fate, Draco, and stop whining about it. I thought you were more mature than that, clearly I was wrong."

"Well, what do you expect? You made one of the single most important decision's of my life, for me! Might I add that you did a bang up job!" Draco snorted loudly. "You know I hate her."

"Watch your tone Draco, you are treading on very thin ice," Lucius growled, his patience having worn out. "The Fowlington's will be arriving this weekend for their annual visit. Artemis is unaware of the contract. Her father and I agreed to tell the two of you together, but I thought you should be prepared. I must say, I am glad I did tell. You would have caused your family a great deal of embarrassment, had you behaved in this manner in front of her family." Lucius drew himself closer to Draco, so that there was hardly any space between the two of them. "You had better come to terms with this Draco, quickly. I expect you to receive your fiancé graciously. Do not upset her this weekend...or I will see to it that you regret it." Lucius stormed out of the room, leaving a livid Draco to ponder the direction his life had taken.