Too Much, Too Soon
The first term of Draco and Artemis' seventh year, had finally come to a close, and both were extremely happy to be heading home. While most of their classmates were looking forward to the winter holidays, the young engaged couple could think of nothing else but their impending wedding. In just five short days, the two would be married, bound to one another for eternity, and neither thought they would be able to bear the wait, no matter how brief.
Gathering her carry-on case, Artemis surveyed her dorm room one last time, knowing full well, that upon her return, she would not be sleeping there. As much as she was looking forward to the new life that awaited her, as Mrs. Draco Malfoy, she desperately hoped that her past life would have its place in her future, as well. For the first time in her life, she had friends. Friends that she was not looking forward to giving up. Artemis had spent a great deal of time thinking about how the people around her would react to her actually being married. How can people at two completely different places in their lives, stay together. Artemis didn't delude herself into thinking that things wouldn't change between her and her friends. But she hoped that these changes were for the better, and did not spell the end of their friendships. She was so concerned by this, that she had yet to tell her best friend, Cosette, that she would be moving into the Head's quarters next term. With a heavy sigh, Artemis left her former dorm, closing the proverbial door of her past and taking the first steps over the threshold of her future.
Coincidentally, the main focus of her future life, just so happen to be waiting outside of the Ravenclaw portrait hole, ready to accompany her to the Hogwarts Express.
"Good Morning, Beautiful," drawled Draco Malfoy as he lay stretched out on a nearby bench, his usual school uniform replaced with black trousers and a white turtleneck sweater. Standing to kiss her softly on the lips, before slipping on his black leather jacket.
"I was thinking that we could get a compartment to ourselves. It's kind of hard to talk with those buffoons surrounding us," said Draco, as he took Artemis' carry-on case so that she could put on her coat. Artemis couldn't help but smile at Draco's actions, as she slid into her knee-length, fur trimmed black coat, covering up her black and white tweed pencil dress. She thought it was terribly sweet of him to carry her bright red leather bag, even though it did look an awful lot like a purse. As her fiancé lead her towards the stairs, the clicking of her knee high boots, the only noise penetrating the silence between them, Artemis couldn't help but feel like something was troubling Draco.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, as they reached the bottom of the many flights of stairs.
"No... I'm good," lied Draco. Artemis could tell that he was lying, though she wasn't sure why he would feel it was necessary. Just before the pair reached the massive front doors of Hogwarts Castle, Blaise Zabini came strutting by, stopping as he spied the pair, looking them up and down appraisingly.
"My god, matching outfits," Blaise exclaimed, laughing loudly, "but I must say, Draco wins! That bag does wonders for his ensemble. Add's a nice little pop of color." Artemis tried to hold back her laughter, but the sight of Draco holding her bag, was entirely too funny for words. As Artemis and Blaise fought to control their mirth, Draco caught sight of himself in a nearby mirror, realizing that he looked like he was carrying a very large purse.
"Perhaps, you should carry this," said Draco, handing Artemis her bag back and dragging her towards to door, giving Blaise and evil glare before disappearing from sight. "He's right, you know. We do match," laughed Draco as he peered inside the folds of her coat, noticing that she too, was wearing black and white.
"Yeah, but I still look better," joked Artemis, twining her arm around his.
"Fine. You get to be the pretty one today, but I call dibs on tomorrow," declared Draco as he opened the door of the train, allowing Artemis to step through, before following her. It took them nearly ten minutes to find an empty compartment, but they were finally able to, towards the rear of the train. Shortly after the pair settled themselves for the long journey home, Artemis decided to try to figure out what was bothering Draco, as he spent the first half hour staring out the window, not saying a word.
"What's the matter?" asked Artemis softly, her fingers toying with his hair, as he rested his head in her lap, still staring up at the window, the scenery passing by so quickly that he most certainly wasn't able to take it in. Draco said nothing, simply shaking his head in response to her question. "I know something's wrong. Did I do something wrong?" Several minutes later, Draco finally responded.
"Do you remember when we met with the Headmaster, to discuss how we to behave after we were married?" Artemis nodded, still not sure what could be bothering him. "Well, you made it seem like we wouldn't be having very much sex and I'm a little curious as to why?"
"Because I don't think I'm ready for all that. I mean, I understand that we have to consummate the marriage on our wedding night, in order to complete our bonding. But the only reason I haven't complained about that, is because I know it would be useless," explained Artemis softly, slightly embarrassed by the situation . When she had initially questioned Draco about what was troubling him, she hadn't expected it to be this.
"You're seventeen now. You're an adult. Don't you think you ought to start acting like one?" snapped Draco, quickly sitting up and moving to one of the seats on the other side of the compartment, staring out the window, pouting like a insolent child.
"Are you really that mad about this?" she asked unbelievingly.
"Yes, I am. I don't understand why you're so against it. Hell, you've never even tried it before, yet you insist on swearing it off. It doesn't make any sense," seethed the angry young man, his anger boiling over. Ever since they had met with the Headmaster last month, Draco hadn't been able to stop thinking about what she had said. He didn't like the prospect of her making decision's that impacted him, without his input.
"You're being really unfair, Draco," whispered Artemis, several minutes after her fiances outburst.
"I'm being unfair! You've already decided that I don't get to have sex, without event talking to me about it, yet I'm the one who's being unfair! Do you know how long I've had to wait for you?" asked Draco, through clenched teeth. Artemis couldn't believe the way he was acting. She didn't understand why he was trying to make her feel bad about not being ready for an active sex life. She had expected him to be disappointed about it, but she didn't think he would be angry, at least not this angry, and certainly not as mean as he was being.
"Would you really want me do something that I wasn't comfortable with?" asked Artemis quietly, not wanting to anger him anymore than he already was.
"No," muttered the young man, several moments later, refusing to even look at her. The sad thing was, Artemis didn't believe him. At that moment, she really believed that if it meant that he would get what he wanted, Draco wouldn't have a problem with her doing something she wasn't sure about. "But how do you know your not ready, if you don't at least try it first?"
"I'm. Not. Ready," declared Artemis, her jaw tense as she fought to hide her tears, annoyed by how easy it was to make her cry. Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly at her protestation. "You know what, fine. If you're going to act like this, I'll do it... whenever you want, but I want to make it very clear, I will resent you for it." Artemis grabbed her bag, as she stood and made to leave the compartment, but Draco stopped her from leaving.
"Wait! Artemis, I'm sorry. I'm just being stupid. I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for, especially that. I just... I don't know, I guess I thought that things would be different and I'm having a hard time accepting it. But really, I swear, I'll wait. Just let me know when you're ready. Please, don't be angry," pleaded Draco, realizing that he was being an asshole. He hadn't intended on making Artemis feel pressured into anything, but apparently that's exactly what he had done. All he wanted was to get laid, but he had failed to take into consideration, that while he had a rather extensive sex life for someone his age, Artemis didn't have one at all.
"I'm not angry, Draco. I'm disappointed," sliding open the doors of the compartment, Artemis took several steps down the hall before turning back to her fiancé, "I'm really getting tired of being disappointed by you, so can you please do me a favor, and stop disappointing me. I swear, it's like we're walking circles."
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Artemis spent the remainder of the train ride with Cosette, both of them chatting about the plans that had been made for the wedding. Artemis didn't tell her best friend what had just happened with Draco, deciding that, with the wedding so close, it would be best to just keep quiet about it. Artemis hadn't expected that she would never argue with him, after all they had already had quiet a few rows in their brief relationship. Her mother had once told her that all couples argued, it was just part of being separate people with separate thoughts and desires. Even though she knew this, it didn't stop her from feeling like every argument would lead to the end of their relationship. Oddly enough, their union was one that couldn't be ended, so she didn't know why it bothered her so much.
Deep down, Artemis knew that part of the reason why she was so worried about any physical relationship, that her and Draco would have, came from her fear of disappointing him. So when he mentioned why he was upset, he had struck a nerve. In the year and a half Artemis had been at Hogwarts, she had heard more than a few stories about various relationships that her fiancé had, had in the past, and she couldn't help but feel like she had a lot to live up to. Hell, Draco must have been with Pansy for a reason and she was pretty sure what that reason was.
As the train screeched to a halt, Cosette and Artemis gathered their things, before filing out into the corridor with the rest of the students, heading towards the exits. Once they had finally made it off of the train, Artemis said goodbye to her friends before her and Cosette left to meet their parents. Both girls began chatting excitedly about the wedding again, going over the details of their gowns, for the what seemed liked, the millionth time that afternoon. As Artemis spied her parents, she embraced Cosette tightly, bidding her farewell.
"Remember, we'll be by your house in two days to get you, alright," said Artemis happily, kissing her best friend on the cheek before bounding over to her parents, her mood lightened by her recent talks with Cosette. Before reaching her mother and father, she that Draco was already there, quietly waiting next to his and her parents, smiling at her weakly when their eyes met.
"Hello, Mother, Father," said Artemis as she hugged her parents tightly, before turning to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, greeting them in a similar fashion. "Hello, love," chirped Artemis happily, placing a light kiss on Draco's lips, completely shocking the young man who had thought she was still upset.
"Is there a reason you two didn't sit next to each other on the train?" asked Lucius suspiciously.
"We did, for a while, but I do have friends and I wanted to spend some time with them," replied Artemis nonchalantly, looking to Draco for support.
"Yeah, we do have friends, you know," said Draco, grasping her by the hand and pulling her towards the exit of platform nine and three quarters, careful to stay several steps ahead of their parents. "Artemis, I really am sorry about earlier."
"It's fine. At least you admitted you were wrong," whispered Artemis, ensuring that their parents didn't know what was being said. Suddenly, Draco stopped abruptly, causing Artemis to jerk backwards, as their hands were still entwined.
"I didn't say that I was wrong. I said I was sorry," clarified the young man, louder than he had intended. Both of their parent's stopped a few steps behind them, intently listening to the ensuing argument. "I meant everything I said earlier. I don't think its your place to make decision's like that, without even consulting me first. I think that I've been more than understanding about your prudish tendencies, so perhaps instead of bitching at me, you ought to say thank you!" With that said, Draco stormed out of the train station, leaving a near tears Artemis with both his and her shocked parents.
"What was that all about?" asked Lucius as he approached his soon to be daughter. Artemis shook her head, refusing to answer him, feeling that her and Draco's disagreement was a personal matter. Deciding that it was best not to press the matter, Lucius let the young woman be.
"I've got a pretty good idea what their arguing about," whispered Narcissa solemnly, glaring at her husband as he approached. "You were the same way."
"What are you going on about?" asked Lucius, unsure of what his lovely wife was rambling on about.
"He's mad that she doesn't want to shag him every five seconds, once their married. As it, she is already being forced to consummate their marriage, before she wished to. I will not allow your son, to make her feel bad because she's not ready to bed him on a regular basis," menaced Narcissa, careful to keep her voice down. She couldn't believe the way Draco was behaving, she thought she had raised him better than that. The truth was, this issue hit very close to home for Narcissa. When she had married Lucius, he too was very adamant about the time and frequency of their coupling. On their wedding night, Narcissa had nearly begged him, to give her just one week to get used to being around him, but Lucius had insisted that they consummate their union that evening. It took years for Narcissa to finally stop considering sex with her husband, to be a tedious obligation, and she really didn't want Artemis to have to face the same thing.
"Narcissa, don't you think that Artemis is being a bit unreasonable? It's not like she'll be a virgin. She hasn't once complained about consummating their marriage on their wedding night, but she's more than ready to neglect her responsibilities as his wife, thereafter," argued Lucius, unable to fathom why his wife was siding with the young woman.
"Responsibilities! Lucius Malfoy, let me make myself very clear, you will talk to your son. You will PERSONALLY, see to it that Draco backs off! I don't care if it takes her a year, before she's ready to willingly submit to him, I don't want to hear one word against her, for it!" Narcissa glared at her stunned husband, who was beginning to think that avoiding the train station was a very good idea. This was the second time, in less than a year, his normally docile wife had made a spectacle of him.
"Mrs. Malfoy, really, it isn't that big of a deal. If you think about it, Draco's right..."
"He most certainly is not!" gasped Narcissa, looking at her soon to be daughter, unbelievingly. "If you were not required to consummate your marriage to my son, on the night of your wedding, would you?" Artemis shook her head, staring down at her feet, horribly embarrassed by the line of questioning. "I know that there's no way to avoid your wedding night, and for that I am so sorry. I expect you to wait until you're absolutely sure you're ready, before you lie with my son again. I'll not have you considering making love to your husband, to be an obligation."
"Thank you," whispered Artemis softly, as her mother slowly wrapped her arms around her embarrassed, and slightly relieved, young daughter. Narcissa walked over to Artemis and Persephone, bidding them both good bye, before leaving the station. Lucius and Perseus, who both stood off to the side, looked at each other uncomfortably. Personally, Perseus agreed with Lucius and Draco, but unlike the other two, he wasn't nearly foolish enough to admit it.
"I'll speak to Draco this evening, Artemis. You've nothing to worry about," said Lucius, as he headed off towards the exit of the station. "I will see you all tomorrow evening." With that said, Lucius was gone, leaving Artemis alone with her parents.
"Tomorrow evening?" asked Artemis. She hadn't been told about meeting the Malfoy's tomorrow.
"In five days, you're getting married. There's a lot to do, to say the least. So, we'll be staying at Malfoy Manor until you and Draco leave for your honeymoon," replied Perseus, as he placed his arm on his daughters shoulder, guiding her towards the exit.
"Oh, goodness, Darling the dressmaker brought your gown to the manor the other day, so we could bring it to the Malfoys for the final fitting. I looked at it and I must say, it is the most breathtaking gown I've ever seen. And the bridesmaids dresses were fabulous. You're going to look like a princess," gushed Persephone, her eyes lighting up in excitement. The rest of the way home, Artemis and her parent's chatted wildly about the impending wedding.
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"Draco, sit down," said Lucius quietly, as his son walked down the grand staircase of the manor. Ever since they had returned home, Draco had barricaded himself in his room, refusing to come out. Without a word, Draco sat in the leather armchair across from his father. For several moments, Lucius said nothing, he just stared at Draco, the young man's misery showing on his face.
"What the fuck is wrong with me!" Draco said loudly, nearly startling his father. "I had just apologized to her for pressuring her, and then I did it again! What the hell, Father?" Lucius couldn't help but chuckle at Draco's outburst. He too, knew exactly how it felt, to feel as if you weren't in control of your own actions, and more so, how hard it was to accept the consequences of those actions.
"That's a rather loaded question, don't you think?" asked Lucius, jokingly. Draco frowned deeply, as his father seemed to find amusement in his agony.
"I didn't mean to be an ass, but I just don't get it. I'm a Malfoy damn it! And I'm gorgeous. So, why the hell doesn't she want to shag me?" questioned Draco, a look of disbelief plastered on his undeniably attractive face.
"Spoken like a true Malfoy," scoffed Lucius jovially. "Draco, I don't think it's matter of her not wanting you. She's scared, this is all new to her. While you may have had plenty of experience, she hasn't had any. Perhaps you ought to keep in mind that she is a Ravenclaw, and they tend fear that which they do not know," replied Lucius seriously.
"I'd be willing to explain it to her," replied Draco matter of factly, as if his offer to pass on his knowledge solved everything. "And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at it."
"Be that as it may, Draco. If you ruin this for her, rather, if you make her equate sex to... some form of torture, it will be nearly impossible for you to change her opinion of it. Take things slowly, my boy, make sure she's comfortable with you. I promise you, it will pay off, in the long run. Also, I'm sure she's heard a story or two of your promiscuity, Merlin knows I have. She'll probably feel like she's got a lot to live up to, so make sure that, on your wedding night, you encourage her. Make her feel like everything she does, is perfect," advised Lucius, as he stood to leave. On his way out of the sitting room, Lucius handed his glass of scotch to his son, patting him on the shoulder before leaving, chuckling under his breath.
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As usual Artemis had ensured that her family arrived late to their meeting with the Malfoy family. Though she had begun packing earlier that morning, by six o'clock that evening, she still hadn't finished. After all, it wasn't like she was just packing for a few days, she had to gather two and a half weeks worth of clothes, shoes and accessories. The morning after their wedding, Artemis and Draco would depart for their two week long honeymoon. Exactly where they were going, Artemis wasn't sure, Draco had requested that she allow him to plan their honeymoon. Truth be told, she was a little worried about exactly where they would be going, but at this point, it was out of her hands. When the Fowlington's had finally arrived at Malfoy Manor, they were greeted by a very antsy, Draco Malfoy pacing outside of his front door.
"Are you ever on time?" nagged Draco, as he quickly approached his fiancé as she climbed out of the carriage, taking her bag from her and ushering her towards the door.
"I'm hardly ever late to class," joked Artemis, rolling her eyes at Draco's annoyance. Truth be told, Artemis was regularly late to her classes. The few detentions she had accumulated over her year and a half at Hogwarts, were all due to her tardiness, and mostly doled out by Professor Snape.
"You're going to be late to the wedding aren't you?" asked the young man, knowing full well that she would. Artemis nodded, not seeing the need to lie to her fiancé. Draco shook his head in annoyance, as he made his way into the large foyer of his home.
"My mother said that you'd be having the last fitting for your gown, this evening. I thought that once you were done, we could meet up and talk. I think there's a lot we still need to discuss, before we're married," said Draco calmly, setting her bag down on the cold marble floor, so the house elves could take it to her room.
"Alright, where do you want to meet?" asked Artemis happily, glad that his mood had improved since the last time they had spoken.
"My room?" offered Draco, unsure if she would be comfortable with that. For several moments, Artemis thought over his suggestion, slightly uncomfortable about the idea of being alone with Draco in his bedroom. Deciding that she had better get used to it, Artemis nodded in agreement. After all, they would be sharing the same room at Hogwarts., the same bed for that matter.
"Good," replied Draco happily, as he led Artemis to his mother's hobby room. "My mother is waiting in there with the seamstress. Your mother's probably already in there, with them, I saw here heading down this way, with what I can only assume was your dress."
"Thanks, will you be ready in about two hours?" asked Artemis, as Draco her kissed her goodbye.
"Definitely, the tailor will be here in about fifteen minutes, and once he's done with my robes, I'm all yours," replied Draco jovially before heading down te hallway.
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"You look amazing Artemis!" exclaimed Narcissa as she wrapped her arms around Persephone's shoulders, both staring at the elegantly dress young woman. Artemis had spent nearly every day after her classes for an entire month, designing her wedding gown, and she had to admit she was quite proud of it. She had decided to design a gown that was less traditional for witches. Usually they wore a white set of robes, but Artemis had designed a fitted fishtail gown, made of ivory chantilly lace with a heart shaped bodice and long train. Since it was December and terribly cold, she had designed an ivory robe to wear over top of it. Unlike most witches robes, her's was fitted and the hems were trimmed with ivory fur, the tail of the robe being just as long as the train of her gown, so that the transition between the two was seamless.
"I can't believe that in four days, you're going to be married," whispered Persephone, a twinge of regret in her voice. Artemis walked over to her mother, hugging her tightly, trying to comfort her. She knew that her mother equated her getting married, to losing her only child, so Artemis had tried to be as comforting as possible. But nonetheless, Persephone had been a wreck, ever since Artemis had gotten home yesterday.
"You sure you don't want to become a muggle?" questioned Persephone, only halfway joking.
"I'm sure mother. Really, it's not all that bad," said Artemis reassuringly, before walking over to the mirror to exam her gown before she had to take it off again. She couldn't help but smile every time she looked at it. Just then the door opened and the sound of Draco's voice could be heard.
"Artemis, what on earth is taking so..."
"Get out!" shouted the seamstress, Persephone and Narcissa, in unison, scary the poor young man half to death.
"Draco Malfoy, get out of here this instant!" wailed Narcissa, throwing the nearest object she could find, at her son, who had stopped in the doorway. As the sewing basket zoomed passed his head, Draco decided against going inside.
"Careful!" chided Draco, staring at his mother as if she had lost her mind.
"Did you see anything?" demanded Narcissa angrily, quickly approaching her young son.
"No... what is she naked?" asked Draco, trying to peer into the room.
"No," huffed Narcissa, smacking him against the side of his head, "she's in her gown. You're not supposed to see it until the wedding."
"Oh, that's all?" said Draco, rolling his eyes.
"That's all!" shouted all four of the women loudly, terrifying Draco even worse that before. Deciding he would just come back later, he rushed down the hall, hoping to find someone, other than himself, who had managed to hold onto some semblance of sanity.
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Nearly three hours later than they had originally planned, Artemis knocked softly at Draco's door. After waiting several moments and still getting no response, she quietly opened the door. As she entered, she found her fiancé, lying across his bed, snoring lightly. Careful not to wake him, she crossed the room so that she could blow out the candles that he had lit. As she reached the candles, Draco began to stir, rising incoherently from the bed.
"Late again... big surprise," he joked, running his hand through his uncharacteristically messy hair. Artemis couldn't help but laugh at his disheveled appearance, causing Draco to rush to a mirror to fix it.
"You snore," declared Artemis.
"I do not," denied Draco, returning from the mirror.
"Yes, you do,"
"No, I don't,"
"Yes... I'm not arguing with you over this. I heard you. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?" asked Artemis, taking a seat in an armchair, across from his bed.
"Well, I figured we ought to discuss where we want to live after we graduate. Personally, I don't want to stay at Malfoy Manor. My parents want us to, but I'd rather not," said Draco, flopping onto his bed.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that I have no intention of living here. Married people don't live with their parents, if they can avoid it," assured Artemis happily.
"Awesome. Now, how many children?" asked Draco, nonchalantly, as if he were asking her something as simple as, 'what's your favorite color'.
"Um, I hadn't actually thought about it, but at least two... I suppose," replied Artemis, slightly unnerved.
"Two... I was thinking like three. Three's a good number. Not too few, not too many. I like three," declared Draco, as if he had been thinking about the size of his future family, for ages.
"We'll see how I goes," said Artemis, warily.
"When do you want to start?" asked Draco, approaching the chair she sat in, taking a seat next to her.
"Start what?" questioned Artemis, her voice taking on a panicked tone.
"Having kids." Artemis said nothing, at that moment, she was lost for words. She couldn't believe that her seventeen year old fiancé, was asking her when she wanted to start having his children. "I'd like to have one within a year of graduating. We'll have had time to settle in, but it won't be so long that people start to think that we're infertile, or something," Draco explained excitedly.
"You've given this a bit of thought," whispered Artemis, secretly hoping this entire conversation was nothing more than a dream.
"Yes. I can't wait to have a family of my own. I used to think that I'd stay single forever, waste my life shagging every witch I could find. But ever since last Christmas, I can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be a husband and father. I'm excited... aren't you?" questioned Draco, suddenly unsure of his forwardness.
"I... well, I um... I think I need to go to bed. It's been a long day and tomorrow's bound to be very busy, what with the bridesmaids dresses being fitted. I'll see you tomorrow," said Artemis, excusing herself from the room and rushing down the hall. She had planed on going back to her room, but as the extent of just what was happening hit her, Artemis felt the urge to run. And so she did. Straight down the grand stair case of Malfoy Manor and then right out the door. As soon as she cleared the threshold, she apparated, a loud popping noise, penetrating the silence brought on by the late hour. Seconds later, she reappeared next to the quaint gazebo near Terseiguls. Luckily, thank's to the time, the area was desolate, her only company being the ever present ducks that bathed in the small pond.
The entire day had been too much for the young woman to handle. She had only been back from Hogwarts for a day, and already the wedding was beginning to destroy her already, threadbare nerves. All day, her mother and Narcissa, had been fussing over her and her wedding gown, successfully turning the normally calm girl, into a stressed out mess. When Draco began interrogating her about where they would live, and how many children and when they would have them, it just became too much for her to handle. As much as Artemis loved Draco, the fact remained, she still wasn't a hundred percent sure about marrying him. It wasn't that she didn't love him, or that she didn't want to spend her life with him. It was just the simple fact that she was a child, thrown into a very adult situation. Personally she didn't think any seventeen year old should ever have to worry about planning their wedding and taking the O.W.L's, at the same time. Curling up on the gazebo bench, the stress finally having taken its toll, Artemis broke down and cried.
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"Smooth move, Dumb ass," muttered Draco as he barreled out of his bedroom door, heading towards Artemis' bedchamber. After finally reaching her door, Draco knocked softly, not wanting to startle her. For several minutes, he stood outside of the door, knocking. Draco assumed she was just ignoring him, which irritated him beyond belief, so he barged in, only to find that the room was completely empty. Right away, Draco knew exactly where she had gone. Quickly, he hurried downstairs, rushing outside before apparating. Just as Artemis had done earlier, Draco appeared right next to the gazebo they had discovered a few months back. As he approached his fiancé, who still lay curled up on the bench, Draco couldn't help but feel guilty. He had known that he was being terribly forward when he was asking her about their future family, but he hadn't expected her to freak out, like she had.
"You alright?" asked Draco softly, sitting down next to Artemis
"Do I look like I'm all right?" muttered Artemis, sitting up and scooting to the far end of the bench.
"Look, I know I came on a little strong earlier. I'm sorry, I guess I was just a bit over excited. The weddings got me saying and doing a lot of stupid stuff lately," apologized Draco, hoping to ease her mood. "Maybe we should just pop over to Hogwarts and ask the Headmaster to bind us. Then we wouldn't have to worry about any of this wedding business." Artemis said nothing, but apparently she had calmed down, as she slid down the bench, closing the space between their bodies, her head resting on his shoulder. Neither, said a word. They just sat there, their tired, over stressed bodies resting against one another, as they slowly drifted off to sleep.
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