"Daph it's not fair!" you sat on the edge of your best friend's bed after spilling every last detail from your lips. "I mean who in their right minds…" you muttered angrily.

"I know it's not what you planned but at least you know now," Daphne shrugged sympathetically and handed you a glass of water. Tear streaks were still prominently displayed on your rosy cheeks and your eyes flashed with anger.

"They didn't even have the common decency to tell me Daph, that's the worst part," you sighed and accepted the water with a small snif.

"I'm sorry, Y/N," you wrapped her arms around your shoulders and squeezed lightly as you sipped the water. "Draco is a handful but he's not the worst, you could try and get to know him."

"No," shaking your head you wiped the tears from your cheeks, "I'm going to find a loophole."

Your spine was rigid as you stood next to Draco outside his dining hall. Nose pointed in the air and clenching your jaw so hard you were positive he could hear you grit your teeth. The blond's posture mirrored yours and a passerby could have mistaken you for a pair of statues if not for the rapid rise and fall of your chest.

"Ready?" Draco's voice held no detectable emotions when he spoke to you. Your conversations away from the public were clipped and frosty.

Your hand slid across the smooth fabric of his suit and settled in the crook of his arm. With his free arm Draco pushed open the large door to the crowded room of high status purebloods. Your eyes glazed over as you forced a smile onto your lips, you seemed to float through the doors.

One had to admit there was something ethereal about the pair of you together. Draco's fair skin and aristocratic features gave him a look of importance. He was classically handsome, you knew that, even if you weren't attracted to him you could see it. Your more delicate features balanced the harsh lines of his. Just as his dark suit contrasted the light pink dress that your mother had chosen for you. Together you presented the perfectly poised pureblood children you were raised to be.

Your father caught your eye and nodded, stern expression stuck in place. You sometimes wondered if his smile was only reserved for your mother, since it was so rarely directed at you. Your eyes drifted to the Malfoys, standing at the other end of the room, a similar expression on Lucius' face.

At least you had one thing in common; no matter what you did, nothing was ever good enough for your fathers.

Your footsteps clicked in sync as you strode around the hall making small talk with old family friends. It wasn't unusual for your families to have dinner events like this. Old important families hovering around each other, a polite social dance. Little grey ladies bragging about their grandchildren in a snobby tone of voice.

It was important you and Draco made your rounds, just like Daphne and Theo would, even Pansy acted polite during these parties.

After polite chatter, dinner would be served of course. Plenty of food and drink to go around as you remember your table manners and to only speak when spoken to. Tonight, after bumping legs with Draco for the whole evening and shooting each other deathly looks, a soft ding rung through the room. Lucius Malfoy stood at the head of the table with a smug look on his face.

"My friends, I believe it is time to acknowledge something important tonight. The Dark Lord is back among us and I believe we must show our loyalty to him in every way we can. This is why Draco will be taking the Dark Mark tomorrow. When he turns seventeen next year he will be a man dedicated to our cause," Malfoy senior's voice rang through the silent room. You glanced at his son beside you who just for a moment looked afraid. Though when you blinked his mask seemed to be back in place. "Just as we hope his wife will be."

You shifted in your seat, eyes zeroing in on your parents across the table. Your father stood.

"We've promised our daughter Y/N to the Malfoys, knowing she would be a good match for Draco. She will of course stand with him in this decision."

Sand filled your mouth, or at least that's how dry it felt. They hadn't even warned you before announcing. Draco's eyes flickered to you in confusion. So he hadn't known.

You forced a smile onto your lips and focused on your breathing. In through the nose, out through your mouth. You stared at the wall behind your mother's head and clenched your jaw, willing the smile to stay on your face. Not only were you now being publicly offered as some prize, you had official confirmation that your parents were on the side of a mass murderer. Tears threatened to spill down your cheeks once again but you blinked them back as your eyes finally met your mother's. She looked truly apologetic, her eyes glistening as well. It did nothing to soften the stone that encompassed your heart.

"You knew," you felt a hand on your upper arm as you made your excuses after dinner in the hopes of finding a moment alone.

"Yes," you spun to face your father with a hard look on your face, "I knew you had promised me to the Malfoys." you didn't know where their true allegiance lay.

"Why didn't you say anything?" his eyes were cold and calculating, the same colour as yours and yet they lacked the emotion yours held.

"I wanted to give you the opportunity to tell me yourself," you grimaced, "clearly you didn't feel the need."

"Watch your tone," he hissed and dragged you around the corner away from peering eyes, "it was none of your business."

"None of my business?" your voice raised an octave and your fathers eyes darted around to make sure no one heard you, "it's my life, that's as much my business as it gets."

"If you try anything-"

"It's a magical contract, I'm pissed off not stupid, Father." you spat out and your nostrils flared with rage. "I'm very much aware of what I can and cannot do, I read the contract several times."

"Then you're fully aware that you and Draco will uphold our values and support the family's decisions." He lowered his voice to a threatening growl. "You will carry on the family name, obey your husband and produce an heir."

"I will follow my contractual obligations." you said stiffly, "and I will require a copy of the stipulated conditions in order to do so. But until then I will do as I please."

"You will not bring shame to this house Y/N. I will have your head if you do." He released your arm and stepped back from you.

"Always a pleasure speaking to you father." you inhaled through your nose shakily and turned on your heel, putting as much distance between the two of you as possible. A year was all you had. Less than 365 days to figure out some way out of this contract.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, you were going to need help. There were two parties involved in this god forsaken arrangement and you were certain the second half was just as opposed to marriage as you were. You'd go back to Hogwarts in a few days and you would be able to track Malfoy down then.

Still, you couldn't help but feel hopeless as you sank into the soft mattress of your childhood bedroom. You were nothing more than a doll to your parents. A pawn to push around as they saw fit. Even if you were able to get out of this predicament, you'd be crushed under the weight of your father's wrath, that was for sure. Your hands gripped the silk sheets and you drew your legs to your chest, you'd never felt more alone.

Hello hello! Thank you for reading this and I hope you're enjoying it so far 3
Anyway I'm June, lovely to meet you all and don't hesitate to reach out xx