The air in the room grew heavy and Draco was met with silence.
"The summer home?" His mother Narcissa repeated, letting her fork rest on the edge of her plate. "Why ever would you want to go there? It's winter!"
Draco glanced down at his plate where he was playing with his eggs. "I would like some time to think about who I should pick to marry." He said quietly. "I'd like to go to the summer house so I can pick the mother of my heir without distraction ." His voice was without emotion and caused Narcissa to glance at her husband.
Lucius locked his gaze with his wives and sighed. 'Their is no other way.' he mouthed to her so Draco couldn't hear.
She stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. "If that is what you want Draco, I have no objection to it." She replied, just as softly glaring at her king.
Lucius ran a hand over his face. "You are to bring two member's of the guard with you as well as your," Lucius paused, unsure of what to call Blaise, friend? Maid? Finally he settled with.. "Your Man servant, Zabini."
Draco looked up and smiled politely. "As you wish Father." Draco bounced his leg up and down under the table. He knew that this was the only way, that it was just better to forget about he preferences and carter to the will of the kingdom. He was just being selfish, marrying for love? It was almost frowned upon! Biting his lip he got up the courage. Shifting in his seat he adverted his eyes again. "Father?"
Lucius looked up at his son. "Yes Draco."
Draco pushed his eggs around his plate. "Did you love Mother when you married her?"
At that Lucius, gave Narcissa a panicked look. "Um, well you see son. We were a special case."
Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"
Narcissa smiled at Lucius' 'help me' face. "Well sweetie, we knew were going to marry each other from the beginning. As you know, your Grandfather, the late king died, when Lucius was very young so he had to start looking for a wife when he was only 10. Of course, he wasn't going to marry till he was at a proper age but they started looking earlier." She smiled over at Lucius who smiled back and took over.
"I picked your mother out of all the other ten and nine year old girls because she beat me at arm wrestling." He laughed lightly. "I picked her because I was afraid she'd hurt me if I didn't. We, of course, learned to love each other by the time we had to marry."
Narcissa smiled widely. "I was a very strong nine year old."
Lucius smiled lightly. "So in answer to your question, yes, I did love your mother when I married her." He paused before rushing on. "But that's normally not the case, of course! Normally, you would learn to love after you got married. That's why we were a special case."
Narcissa glared at her husband for the thing he had added on.
Draco nodded and shrunk back into his seat. "I guess I see how it would be different."
"And if it doesn't work out, you can always take a mistress."
"Lucius!" Narcissa yelled outraged.
He smiled innocently back at her. "Well I must be off! Lots to do!" With that he stood and fled the room, Narcissa hot on his heels.
Draco allowed a chuckle to escape. Sometimes he wondered how his parents could be the rulers of this land when they were so childish a lot of the time.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Harry watched as the blood seeped from his finger tip. The deep red looked too dark to be the thing that was keeping him alive. It clashed beautifully with his tan skin. He frowned at it. Was it odd to finally feel at ease watching the blood seep from his hand? It really was a small cut, one that had been caused by pealing an apple while looking at the sun set.
He sucked on it, wiping away the blood on the already quagulated wound, and looked back out at the pink sun set. He was at the moment hiding on the roof of one of the tall watch towers that surrounded the looming castle. He liked the quiet that the night brought with it, he could hear the distant ring of laughter from the guard dinning hall. Two days of sitting in the cramped hot hall had made him miss the woods near Gryffindor sector's training grounds dearly.
It was getting dark as the sun set behind the tree line, Harry shivered lightly. The last light of the sun glanced off his round gold frames. They were new, and for the first time Harry could really see everything around him. When he had been excepted into the army he had lied about his eye sight so that he would be treated just like the other soldiers, that and so he wouldn't be hindered by becoming dependent on them, it wouldn't be good to have his glasses fall off in battle and becoming blind.
Of course, the first thing they had him do when he got to the castle was a physical, he had totally failed the eye sight test and by that time the next day he had a pair of glasses he was forced to wear all day. It had taken getting used to but he rather liked the gold rimmed ovals now.
He dropped the peel onto his lap, figuring he could give it to one of the horses or pigs later that night. Bringing the meaty white flesh up to his mouth, he took a small bite of the apple. Juice spilt on to his chin and he wiped it away quickly.
Darkness surrounded. Sighing, he stood and chucked the apple core out into the forest that lay just a short ways away. He stood there for a minute letting the wind blow on his face. It was then that he heard the trap door slam open and his name being called.
"Harry? You up there mate?" Ronald Weasley's voice carried over to him and he let out a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'm up here Ron, but I'm coming down right now." Harry answered, as he made his way back over to the edge of the roof, jumping down on to the stone floor below. He could just see the fiery red head looking at him as though he was crazy.
"You know mate, you really shouldn't climb on on the roof, you could fall and then we'd have to do a lot of paper work." He smiled at Harry as he moved aside so the green eyed youth could jump down it.
Harry jumped and landed with a thud. "I like going up there." He replied softly. "It's quiet."
"And cold and damp, and with out food." Ron rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I would have left you up there but you see, I have a job for us. It seems that the Prince will be going to the summer house along with one of his servants to pick out a bride and so we have been assigned to the job. Now, I recommended you for the position because of your military background, and also because I thought you'd like going to the county away from all the castles irritations." Ron smiled at Harry politely.
Harry nodded slowly, first a guard! Now a baby sitter! What were they going to make him next? Royal butt wiper? "Thank you Ron." He whispered.;