Chapter Fifteen: Shock
When they were a few metres from the Slytherin common room, Draco pulled Arianwen up against a wall.
"Here," he said, waving his wand over her hands to clear the ink from them.
"Thanks," she smiled, leaning closer to kiss him on the cheek. Draco took full advantage of the situation and moved his face so their lips would connect instead.
It was the kiss that Arianwen had been longing for. She hadn't been able to be close with him since he'd visited her in Pembrokeshire for the Quidditch match that Owain and the other boys had been so keen for, and she had to admit that she missed it. It appeared that Draco felt the same way, for he moved his lips quickly and passionately, pressing his body close to hers. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan when he slid his tongue into her mouth and his hands wandered over her chest.
"Oi! Malfoy! Get a room for Salazar's sake!" It was Crabbe and Goyle returning from one of their regular trips to the kitchens.
Draco pulled away from Arianwen laboriously, as if it were some great, impossible task.
"Don't be jealous, boys." He drawled, leaning back to Arianwen to whisper in her ear. "I've missed you."
She smiled that pretty smile at him and took his hand to lead him into the common room. They were met by stares from their housemates, some curious, some jealous, but one stare was downright furious.
"Dracie! What on earth do you think you're doing hanging round with this, this-" Pansy seemed at a loss for an appropriate insult as she looked Arianwen up and down. "This attention-seeking SLUT!" She shouted the last word so loudly that the buzz around the common room was silenced instantly. All eyes were looking between Arianwen and Pansy.
Perfect. The last thing I need at the moment is grief from this pug-faced-
Draco tutted loudly, breaking the silence of the room and Arianwen's thought process. "Can you not come up with anything better Pansy? Is it nice to have a brain that feels as good as new?" Pansy looked dumbfounded. "Considering you never use it, I mean." Draco drawled with a great sigh of exasperation.
Arianwen struggled not to laugh out loud; Blaise however, did not attempt to keep his bark of laughter at bay.
"Nice one Draco!" He applauded.
Draco smirked and nodded before shooting Pansy a filthy look, she mirrored his expression and sulked off, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
"Now." Draco addressed the room at large. "I would like to enjoy an evening with my girlfriend in peace, so why don't you all go back to your pathetic lives and leave us be." He waved a hand dismissively at them. There was a pause and then the room quickly broke out into conversation again, with people throwing stolen glances at the couple when they thought they could get away with it.
"Thank you." Arianwen whispered to Draco, smiling appreciatively at him. He winked, flashing her a handsome grin before leading her over to the only remaining sofa opposite where Blaise was playing chess with Theodore.
"Stay here, I'll be back in a minute." He commanded, dashing over to the boys dormitories.
"Oh! What! You fucking arsehole, that was my best knight!" Blaise shouted at Theodore, whose pawn had just bashed Blaise's only remaining knight to smithereens.
"It's not my fault you're so horrible at chess, mate." Theodore defended, smiling slyly as his pawn made it to the end of the board and a little crown appeared on its head, making it Theodore's second queen.
"What are you on about? Just 'cause I'm not winning this particular game, doesn't mean I'm 'horrible' at it! You're just bloody cheating!"
Arianwen chuckled, Blaise was horrible at chess. She'd once witnessed a seven year old girl beat him, and she wasn't even good.
"Don't be a sore loser, love." Arianwen said, smirking at Blaise's outraged expression.
"Right!" He roared. "If you're referring to that Quidditch match-"
"What Quidditch match?" Draco returned from his dormitory, taking the seat next to Arianwen and sliding his arm over her shoulder casually. "I didn't know you play Quidditch, Blaise?"
"I don't!" His cheeks flushed. "Or at least not since Arianwen's little pals made me play with them!"
Draco shot Arianwen a look of mock hurt, "so they get everyone to play then, do they?"
"They forced you into it as well did they, Draco?" Blaise asked, shaking his head and laughing.
"What's this?" Theodore looked puzzled.
"Well-" Arianwen began but was cut off by Blaise holding a hand up and speaking over her.
"No, I'll explain thank you very much, Ri. Can't have you distorting the story now, you sly little fuck."
Arianwen raised an eyebrow mockingly but allowed him to continue.
"Right. So one summer, at the end of third year I think, my mother decided to go off with some Brazilian man and I was forced to spend the summer with Ri-"
"You were hardly forced. In fact I remember quite clearly that you wrote to me saying you couldn't wait to come and play with the horses-"
"Shut up!" Blaise leapt over and shoved a hand over Arianwen's mouth but not before the others had all broken into hysterics.
"How sweet." Theodore mocked.
"Anywaay! Ri's friends; Owain, Gwyn and Carwyn decided it would be a great idea if I played against them in a little Quidditch match with some of their other school friends." He paused to give Arianwen a long accusatory stare. "They seemed to think that I wanted my filthy way with her-"
"Why did they think that?" Draco asked quickly, looking between Blaise and Arianwen jealously.
"Because little miss over here decided to go and lie to them about it!"
The boys' gazes all switched to Arianwen, whose mouth was twitching with a suppressed laugh.
"I just wanted to add a little… excitement to the game." She said innocently.
Blaise rolled his eyes and continued, "and apparently no one is good enough for Ri unless they can absolutely boss their way through Quidditch. So they obviously decided to get all protective of her, like they always do, and only went and set a fucking DRAGON on me!"
They all erupted into laughter while Blaise waggled his finger at Arianwen accusingly.
"He was only a baby! It's not like he could actually hurt you!" Arianwen defended through waves of laughter.
"It burnt my brand new broomstick!"
"And my Father offered to replace it but you refused!"
"Yes! Obviously I was a little fucking put off at that point!"
The two friends stared at each other challengingly for a few seconds before ferocious laughter took over them.
After he'd managed to calm down again, Blaise wiped a tear from his eye and turned back to Draco. "So how did your match go anyway?"
Draco smirked, "it was pretty fun to be honest!"
"Draco played wonderfully! You caught the snitch and everything, didn't you?" Arianwen said enthusiastically, gazing at her boyfriend adoringly.
He smiled at her, a smug feeling growing inside him.
"Oh well aren't you just the perfect boyfriend!" Blaise exclaimed loudly, making a younger girl jump from behind him.
Arianwen's smile grew and her eyelashes fluttered softly as she gazed upon Draco once more. "I think so." She said gently.
"Oh my days I cannot take another second of this! I'm off to bed!" Blaise jumped to his feet and stalked out of the room.
"Actually just had sick in my mouth!" Theodore exclaimed, following Blaise down to their dormitory.
Draco chuckled and shook his head at his friends. "Looks like it's just us." He purred into Arianwen's ear, making her shudder excitedly.
He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded bit of thick card, passing it to her. "This is that present I was on about earlier."
Arianwen took the card and unfolded it, she was delighted to find a picture of herself and Draco sitting on the very same bench that had featured in that morning's Daily Prophet article. The two miniature versions of them were huddled under Draco's cloak and laughing about something; occasionally they would look up, as though the photographer had called to them, and wave.
"Oh, Draco! This is wonderful, thank you so much! It'll look lovely in my photo album." She kissed him happily on the cheek before staring at the photo again.
"How did you get this? I mean, I remember going there after the Quidditch match, but who took the picture?" Her nose wrinkled in confusion as she tried to work out who else could have been there, she'd been under the impression that they were alone.
"It was Brianne. They followed us after the game, probably wanted to see what we're like when we think we're alone."
Arianwen's cheeks flushed and she laughed awkwardly. "I see… Sorry about them, they just want the best for me!"
"I know," he reassured her softly, squeezing her shoulder. "I thought it was quite funny when I noticed them, especially as you were none the wiser. I was going to keep the photo for myself but when I saw the paper and what your uncle wrote on it… well I thought that you could do with a reminder that you're not alone, there are plenty of people who care-"
He was interrupted by her lips pressing against his own gently, it was a tender kiss, a loving kiss, even.
Merlin, I think I'm falling in love with him.
She pulled away and smiled softly, "thank you, Draco."
While she may have thought that she was falling for Draco Malfoy, she certainly wasn't ready to tell him… not yet, anyway.
Two weeks later…
The first Hogsmeade weekend of the term was upon them, and the majority of students were making their way to the village, an heir of merriment among them. Arianwen pulled her winter cloak tighter to her body, the February chills nipping at her skin as she walked. She was making the trip alone, Draco wanted to spend more time on his 'task' and Arianwen had arranged to meet Aneirin to discuss matters in North Wales.
The bell above the door at the Three Broomsticks sang happily as she entered, and the barmaid smiled welcomingly at her. Aneirin was already waiting for her at a rickety table in the far corner of the pub, well away from the her fellow Slytherin classmates, something she was quite pleased about.
"Lord Aneirin!" Arianwen greeted, smiling as he took her hand and kissed it. She'd always been fond of Aneirin, while he'd been five years ahead of her in school, their paths had crossed frequently at society functions.
"Ah, Lady Arianwen. Is it possible for you to be even more beautiful than when I saw you last?"
She laughed as she took the seat he pulled out for her. "It's a miracle I ever believe a word that comes from your mouth with flattery such as that!"
He laughed, exposing his perfectly straight teeth in a well practised grin. "You can't knock a man for trying!" He leaned forward slightly, his eyes scanning her face studiously. "In all seriousness though, Ri, you're looking somewhat tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?"
Arianwen shrugged, she knew her dark circles had been worsening but the image that had been plaguing her dreams showed no signs of disappearing. "Perhaps not but I've had a lot to think about, as you know."
He nodded, sighing as he pulled a scroll of parchment from his robes. "Indeed. Well I think that our visits to the council members in the North went fairly well. I'm still waiting to hear from Flintshire so we can arrange a visit, though."
Aneirin was referring to the Earl of Flintshire, the only nobleman in the North that Arianwen had not visited over the Christmas holidays. "Should I be concerned that he hasn't responded to you yet?"
Aneirin shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "perhaps. We'll certainly have to keep an eye on him, I know that he used to go hunting with your uncle fairly regularly, so his silence may be a reflection of their friendship."
Arianwen must have looked quite concerned by this, for Aneirin placed a hand over hers comfortingly. "Just leave it with me, I'll keep you informed, don't worry."
She smiled and took the parchment that Aneirin offered her. "This has the council's seal on, what is it?"
"That's just the official document telling you that the elections for Warden of the South will take place on the 16th of August, so you have until then to get everyone on side."
Arianwen nodded, pocketing the parchment carefully. "Okay, so that gives me about six mo-"
She was interrupted by a chair knocking into hers sharply.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" A brunette woman tried to pull Arianwen's chair back out for her.
"No, no, that's alright- Wait! Leah? Is that you?"
The brunette froze, her mouth falling open as she realised who she'd bumped into. Her head bowed down and she curtsied, saying, "My Lady. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you!"
"Nonsense!" Arianwen said, taking the brunette's hands. "I haven't seen you in months!"
"You two know each other?" Aneirin asked confusedly.
"Yes! This is Miss Leah Jones, she used to be my maid. Although…" Arianwen tailed off, her brow furrowing. "I never did find out why you left."
Leah blushed and looked away, her eyes darting around as if looking for some way to escape. A loud wailing cry reverberated from behind her and she cringed at the sound, her head sinking lower in shame.
"I-uh-I-" the cries grew louder and more urgent. Arianwen stepped past Leah and smiled when she saw the source of the sound; a small baby was huddled in blankets in his pram, his eyes screwed up as he wailed for attention.
"Oh, Leah! Is this why you left?"
Leah nodded, still not making eye contact with Arianwen. "He's gorgeous!" Arianwen cooed, bending down to pick up the small boy and rock him in her arms. "There there, lovely boy, it's okay! Shh."
After a few moments of being rocked backwards and forwards, and hearing the soothing sound of Arianwen's voice, the baby's cries stalled and he opened his eyes to gaze upon his comforter.
Arianwen gasped. The little boy had soft, muted green eyes with tiny speckles of amber around the iris.
Arianwen's eyes.
"It can't be..." Arianwen muttered. She stared wildly at her ex-maid. "Leah! Whose baby is this?!"
A/N: Sorry I didn't update when I said I would, I went on a cruise and thought it would have wifi but it didn't!
MissBlack2: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, let me know when you've caught up :)
Aurora: Ahhh your reviews make me chuckle! Ooh so you think Voldy was too lenient...interesting, I'll work on it for next time ;) So you liked the drama of chappies 11 & 12 - well there's plenty more drama on the way!
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