Chapter 27
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world obviously belongs to JK Rowling and not me. Obviously.
… … … …
The month before her wedding to Draco Malfoy flew by in rapid speed and before she knew it the day to leave for Christmas holidays was upon them. Leila slowly awoke that last morning to find Daphne packing her trunk. Her trunk still lay under her bed untouched for the holidays. She thought by delaying her packing it could delay the inevitable: her wedding. Slowly, she sat up still wrapped in her blanket as Daphne turned to her.
"What time are you leaving?" Daphne asked.
"Same time you are. We're just apparating from Hogsmeade instead of taking the train," Leila answered.
"Have you even touched your trunk?" Daphne asked.
Leila groaned and flung herself back against her pillows. Daphne looked at her friend with a sympathetic glance before she sighed and forced herself off the floor. She walked over to Leila's bed and sat down beside her. Daphne patted Leila's legs causing her to throw the blankets off her face.
"I'm not ready for this!" Leila groaned.
"I know," Daphne sighed.
"Five days! I have five days until…I can't even talk about it," Leila said.
"I'll pack for you, if you'd like," Daphne said lightly.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Mrs. Malfoy will have clothes for me," Leila sighed.
"Probably very true," Daphne commented.
"Bloody hell! Merlin's left sagging…" Leila began.
"Don't finish that!" Daphne interrupted.
"You'd say the same damn thing if you just realized that you were about to become Mrs. Malfoy!" Leila hissed.
"I hadn't thought about that. Leila Mae Malfoy, not too bad," Daphne shrugged.
"I'd better be allowed to keep Potter," Leila muttered.
"So what, Leila Mae Potter-Malfoy? Has a nice ring to it," Daphne grinned.
"Shut it," Leila said rolling her eyes.
Leila squeezed her eyes shut and threw the covers back over her head.
"I'm sorry; I don't mean to be teasing you. Just know that I'll be there with you should you need me," Daphne said.
"Can you tell them that I've contracted some deadly disease and my survival isn't likely?" Leila asked.
"Mrs. Malfoy—erm, Draco's mum has put a lot of work into this. Just give it a chance," Daphne said.
"I don't see why, she always wanted Draco to marry a snotty, self-centered, pureblood bint," Leila scoffed.
"I'll let you ask her that," Daphne teased.
"Just what I need, my mother-in-law killing me before the wedding; hey, on second thought…" Leila began.
"As much as I would love to continue this lovely conversation, we promised we'd meet the boys for breakfast. Besides, we'll have the next few days to discuss things," Daphne interrupted.
"You mean, you promised the boys," Leila said rolling her eyes.
"Come off it, you and Draco and have been doing great this past month," Daphne argued.
"I should probably get ready," Leila said.
Leila hopped off her bed and headed for the bathroom. Daphne stared after her and shook her head.
"You can't avoid that you're starting to fall for him again!" Daphne called after her.
"Yes I can!" Leila shouted back from the bathroom door.
She shut the bathroom door and readied herself for the day. After showering, she left her hair down and curly as she dressed in a knee-length green dress with a silver cardigan and a red scarf. With a shrug at her appearance in the mirror, she walked back out into her dormitory. Daphne smirked at her before they headed for the common room to meet Draco and Theo. When they reached the common room, Leila saw Draco and her heart gave a little lurch. But she had to quickly remind herself that whatever this was, wasn't real. It was only because they were being forced into something. When she reached Draco, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
"You look beautiful this morning," Draco said.
"And you know your flattery doesn't work on me," Leila said blushing furiously.
Draco chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. At that moment, Daphne and Theo began to snog right I front of them. Draco and Leila looked at each other and shook their heads before they laughed.
"Didn't they just do this last night?" Leila asked.
"If I recall correctly, you were the same way last year," Draco smirked.
"I didn't get to see you half as often as Daphne and Theo see each other," Leila argued.
"Fair enough" Draco shrugged.
"I wasn't that bad," Leila hissed.
"You keep telling yourself that," Draco chuckled.
"I wasn't!" Leila said folding her arms across her chest.
Draco shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Leila slightly narrowed her eyes at Draco, which caused him to laugh at her. She took a few steps away from him toward the door but he followed after her.
"You're not leaving me with them," Draco whispered.
"We'll meet you down there," Leila called to Theo and Daphne.
Without looking back at the snogging couple, Draco and Leila walked out of the Slytherin dungeon and headed for the Great Hall. Even through the Dark times, the castle regained some of its shimmer and awe as it was decorated for Christmas. Leila was slightly disheartened that she wasn't going to spend her last Christmas at Hogwarts. Her memories of snowball fights, presents, Christmas dinners, and even the Yule Ball came back to her. As much as she wished she could stay, she knew that her impending marriage on Christmas day was more important than attending a dinner at Hogwarts, well at least to the Dark Lord. They arrived in the Great Hall and walked to the table where the Slytherin's topic of conversation focused on Draco and Leila's wedding and who had been invited. Leila had been somewhat surprised to hear that Pansy had been invited, but Draco explained that his mother was close to hers. Secretly, she hoped that Pansy might try to stop the wedding, sparing her from having to marry while she was only seventeen and still in school.
The morning quickly passed and it was soon time for the students heading home for Christmas holidays to depart. Leila hadn't bothered packing her trunk since she knew still had a wardrobe full of clothes back at Malfoy Manor. She only packed a book bag with some books and her beaded bag, which contained everything that was dear to her. She, Draco, Theo, and Daphne took the same carriage which brought them to Hogsmeade. The ride there was rather quiet, because they all knew what was going to happen in a few short days but no one wanted to approach the subject. Once the thestral pulled carriage stopped, Daphne and Leila said their goodbyes.
"I'll be over tomorrow morning for breakfast and I'm not leaving until the wedding is over," Daphne said.
"I know," Leila sighed.
Daphne quickly hugged Leila before reaching for Theo's hand and heading for the train. Leila sighed and took a step closer to Draco. She slung her book bag over her shoulder as Draco reached his hand out for her arm. They both then apparated to right outside Malfoy Manor where Narcissa was ready to meet them outside the gates. She quickly rushed to hug her son, who gently returned the hug. Narcissa then turned to Leila and enveloped her in a hug.
"We have so much we need to do," Narcissa said.
"Mother, I'm sure whatever you've done is already more than enough," Draco said.
"But there's one detail I haven't been able to accomplish yet," Narcissa responded.
"Which is what exactly?" Leila asked timidly.
"Why your dress of course, we have the seamstress from Twilfitt and Tattings waiting inside," Narcissa said offering a weak smile. "So, Draco you must busy yourself with something else why we find the perfect dress."
"Yes, Mother," Draco nodded.
Narcissa wrapped her arm around Leila's waist as she led the girl through the gate and back inside the confines of Malfoy Manor. Once inside the doors, Draco headed upstairs most likely for his room while Leila followed Narcissa to a room she hadn't been to before in Malfoy Manor. Inside, the room had rows and rows of dresses. It looked exactly like the inside of a dress shop, only they were all confined to a room in Malfoy Manor.
"And here's the bride!" a pudgy woman greeted.
The pudgy woman walked-up to her and instantly began taking her measurements.
"We don't have much time you know," the woman explained.
Leila attempted to drop her book bag as the magical tape measure took the measurements for her waist. The woman gently smacked Leila's hand and told her to stand still. Leila looked uncomfortably to Narcissa who offered a smile. The magical tape measure began to take a different measurement and the woman slightly smirked at Leila.
"A little bustier than most of the brides I work with, let alone girls your own age," the woman muttered.
"Excuse me?" Leila asked.
"Never mind that, we'll still find you the perfect dress that will accentuate that tiny waist of yours," the woman responded.
Feeling self-conscious, Leila folded her arms over her chest as the seamstress began writing down the measurements. Without another word, the seamstress moved to her racks of gowns and began pulling gown after gown. Leila thought she might be lost in satin, lace, tulle, and taffeta as she was ushered behind a divider to change. The seamstress handed her a dress to try on first. Leila's face had a look of being overwhelmed so the seamstress pinched her cheek.
"We don't have time to waste, dearie," the seamstress said.
"Because You-Know-Who is obviously going to have a killing spree over a wedding dress," Leila muttered.
Leila slipped out of the clothes she had changed into earlier before stepping into the first dress. She carefully pulled it up as the seamstress instantly came back and began pulling at the corset back. The skirt and train on this dress was huge and puffy. While she wasn't sure what she necessarily wanted in a wedding dress, she knew that this was not it. The lace sleeves were itchy and the dress was almost too big for her to walk properly. The seamstress led her out and onto the pedestal in front of several mirrors where Narcissa sat waiting. Narcissa's hand instantly flew to her face upon seeing the expression on a waddling Leila. The seamstress listed off alterations that could be done to the dress, but thankfully Narcissa put an end to it.
"It's a lovely dress, I'm just not sure it's right for her," Narcissa said.
"Of course, plenty of other dresses to try," the seamstress said.
The seamstress flitted away to find a different dress in the pile she had already taken of the racks. Leila mouthed a quick "Thank you" to Draco's mother before waddling back behind the divider to find a different dress. After hours of dress fitting, they still hadn't found a dress. The frustrated seamstress said she'd be back tomorrow anyway for bridesmaid fittings, so they could hopefully find something then. Secretly, Leila hoped that they wouldn't find a dress so then maybe the wedding couldn't happen; but she highly doubted that Voldemort would care what she married Draco in. Leila breathed a sigh of relief when Narcissa walked the woman out. Well, at least one only had to go through this torture once in her life. She changed back into her original outfit and walked upstairs to the suite she had shared with Draco over the summer with her book bag slung over her shoulder. She walked in to find Draco sitting on the sofa reading a book. He looked so relaxed compared to the frenzy Leila was sure she looked.
"Find a dress?" Draco asked looking up from his book.
"There's a better chance of me getting married in nothing than finding a dress from that woman," Leila groaned.
"Can't say I'd mind," Draco smirked.
"That's disgusting you pervert," Leila retorted.
"You're the one who mentioned it," Draco shrugged.
"I'll just make sure to find the ugliest dress possible then," Leila retorted.
"I'm sure you'd still manage to make it look beautiful," Draco smiled.
Leila rolled her eyes and sat beside Draco on the sofa. It was surprising just how comfortable she had become with him once again over the past month. While they weren't romantic as they once were, with only a peck on the cheek every now and then it almost felt like last time. But Leila refused to admit it because she thought Draco just to be going along with it because he was required to. Eventually, they sat down for dinner at the table they had become accustomed to over the summer. Both Draco and Leila were rather quiet during dinner; but Draco's forearm began to burn. He was summoned to go downstairs and go before the Dark Lord. He offered Leila a weak smile and walked out of his suite.
She finished eating her dessert before she walked over to her bedroom. It hadn't changed at all. The wardrobe was still stocked with the clothes Mrs. Malfoy had bought and Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait still hung above the fireplace. Moving over to the bed, she sat down and propped the pillows up for her to lean against them. She pulled out a book to read, but her eyes began to droop and soon she was fast asleep. She slept until she heard the door open and close. Standing up, she walked out into the sitting room to find Draco struggling to breathe on the sofa. Leila's eyes widened in shock as she rushed over to Draco. Draco groaned and held his chest. His face was covered in cuts and his suit had tears in it.
"What the hell happened to you?" Leila asked.
"Nothing for you to worry about," Draco said hoarsely.
"You come in here battered and bruised and you expect me not to worry?" Leila scoffed.
"I knew this was coming," Draco said.
"For what?" Leila asked.
"I think you know," Draco said looking away from Leila.
"Because of me? Because—because I nearly drowned myself?" Leila questioned.
Draco nodded his head as he shut his eyes and winced in pain. Leila sighed and pressed her lips tightly together.
"That was my doing, not yours," Leila responded.
"I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you," Draco whispered.
"But that's not fair!" Leila hissed.
"It's fine, I would do it again for you," Draco said.
"I'm surprised he didn't kill you," Leila said rolling her eyes.
"He wouldn't do that. I'm an important pawn in his game with your brother," Draco responded weakly.
"You're more than just a pawn, Draco," Leila retorted.
'Not to him," Draco sighed.
Draco sat up slightly to cough, but Leila could tell that he was in pain. She groaned and ran to her bathroom to grab a washrag. She turned the faucet on and ran the washrag under warm water before she walked back to Draco. He lay practically limp on the sofa, still holding himself. Leila began pressing the washrag to his face where his cuts were which caused him to groan.
"Do you want me to stop?" Leila asked.
"No," Draco mumbled.
Leila continued to press the washrag to his face and her eyes locked with his. She stopped with the washrag on his cheek and bit her bottom lip in frustration. There was something in his eyes that he wanted her to read, but she tore her eyes away. She didn't want him to see it in her eyes. These past few months, he had become everything to her. How it happened again, when it happened, she wasn't sure; but that butterflies in her stomach told her what she had been trying to deny: she wanted Draco. She wasn't ready to marry him, but her heart desperately pleaded for another chance with him. It wasn't supposed to work like this; it shouldn't work like this. She needed something to distract her. Snapping her fingers twice a house-elf instantly appeared in a snap. The house-elf instantly bowed to her.
"You called, Mistress?" the house-elf said.
"Erm—yes can you please bring a bottle of Murtlap Essence?" Leila asked.
"Of course, Mistress," the house-elf said bowing once more.
The house-elf quickly popped away once more as Leila continued to wipe Draco's face with the drying rag. The fact that the house-elf had referred to her as "Mistress" sort of freaked her out; but the more she thought of it, she realized that in a few days she was actually going to be. Then, the house-elf appeared again with the bottle and handed it to her before disappearing again. Leila set the washrag on her lap as she unstoppered the bottle, but Draco grabbed her hand. She purposely avoided looking into his eyes which were searching for hers.
"Leila, I'm fine," Draco grumbled.
"Just let me do this," Leila said.
"Leila," Draco said.
"Just sit still," Leila commanded.
"Leila, look at me," Draco hissed.
With tears beginning to form in her eyes she looked into Draco's eyes and saw what scared her and exhilarated her at the same time. She saw the love shining in his eyes. With Draco's hands clutching her arms, she leaned forward and kissed him. He groaned and Leila instantly backed away because she wasn't sure if she was hurting him; but Draco's hand snaked into her hair and pulled her forward. His lips caught hers this time as the bottle of Murtlap Essence fell to the floor. Leila's hands found their way to Draco's hair as she raked her fingers through his hair. She broke the kiss and began placing kisses on his jawline.
"I. Still. Love. You." Draco whispered hoarsely.
Leila stopped what she was doing and abruptly stood up.
"Leila?" Draco questioned.
"How can you still love me after all this time?" Leila answered.
"I told you, I never stopped," Draco responded as he slowly sat up.
"Why not? I never gave you a reason to hope," Leila replied.
"Sure you did," Draco said.
"I broke up with you, spent a summer angry at you, I threw things at you, I yelled at you, and the list goes on," Leila furthered.
"You still have my ring," Draco sighed.
"Because you wouldn't take it back the night that we fought," Leila continued.
"So we fight, it's what we do. You call me out when no one else will," Draco shrugged.
"You have every reason to hate me, so why don't you?" Leila cried.
"Why don't you hate me?" Draco asked.
"That's different," Leila muttered.
"Is it?" Draco furthered.
"What if this doesn't work? What if I give you my heart again and things get bad? This is going so fast," Leila sniffled.
"So that's what this is about," Draco sighed.
Draco winced in pain as he stood up and walked over to Leila. She stood with her back to him, but he reached for her arm and turned her toward him. Tears streamed down her cheek and with his thumb he gently wiped some of them away.
"I can't promise you that this is going to be easy. I can't promise you that you won't be frustrated with me, which you probably will be most of the time. I can't promise you that our life together will be perfect. But what I can promise you is that I am going to try hard to be the man that you deserve. I can tell you now that I won't ever be him, but I will try my hardest to be that guy for you," Draco said.
"That's why I still love you," Leila whispered.
Leila flung her arms around Draco's neck and clung to him tightly as she buried her face on his shoulder. While she wasn't getting married in the most conventional of ways, she knew that her love for Draco could easily blossom. That's what terrified her most about her marriage to him: that she would be the only one in love. It sucked that she still loved him, it sucked that she knew she was going to break Fred's heart…but the heart wants what it wants. It doesn't always make sense and you can't always pinpoint the moment; it just happens.
"So when do I actually get the ring?" Leila whispered.
Draco backed up a little ways from Leila with a slight look of confusion on his face. He then released Leila and walked away into his room, leaving Leila standing there in confusion. She would admit it, she was pissed. She finally admitted that she was still in love with him and gave him hope and he walked away? Kicking the floor she turned around and headed for her room muttering about how much of an idiot she was to hope for anything concerning Draco Malfoy.
"Leila Potter, where the hell do you think you're going?" Draco asked.
Leila turned around and found Draco standing where they had been standing.
"You left, I—I thought…" Leila began.
"I had to grab something. Can't a bloke have a minute?" Draco said.
"I don't know what you could possibly need a minute for," Leila muttered.
"For this," Draco whispered.
Draco walked up to her and grabbed her hand. With her hand in his, he got down on his knees and looked up at her. He took a deep breath while his eyes stayed focus on Leila's emerald ones.
"I know we don't have much of a choice in the matter, but you deserve a proper proposal. Leila, will you do me the pleasure of marrying me?"
She couldn't form the words. While she wasn't ready to be married, she knew that she didn't have much of a choice. But her mother's words rang through her head… Don't give up on love, my sweet girl. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Just open your eyes…Love, Draco admitted that he loved her and she knew that she still loved him; but it was still scary. But her mother made love seem like it was worth it…even through the pain there could be happiness. Maybe she should open her eyes to a chance at love with Draco again. Why shouldn't she make the best of the situation? Why shouldn't she give happiness a try? Leila's teary eyes shone in the light as she nodded her head in agreement. With her hand firmly grasped in his he slipped something onto her ring finger. Leila looked at the ring: an emerald stone was in the center surrounded by diamonds. She held the ring up in the light to get a better look at it as Draco returned to his feet. Moments later, she shoved gently shoved Draco and playfully smacked at his chest.
"You should have told me what you were doing. I thought you were walking away from me," Leila sniffled.
"I walked away once; you really think I'd make the same mistake again?" Draco asked.
"I didn't know what to think. This whole thing is confusing," Leila responded.
"Well, we'll have a lifetime to make sense of it," Draco whispered.
Leila reached up and gently pressed her lips on Draco's. For the first time through all the chaos of the past several months, something actually felt right. Why it felt right, she didn't know; but for once her head and heart were in unison. Last time she dated Draco her heart said yes while her head screamed no. When she moved on to Fred, her head told her it was the right thing to do, but her heart was slow and unwilling to fully follow. Against all odds, she had found something she hadn't thought she would: happiness. The only thing that could make the world right would be if she somehow found Harry again. Leila looked out the window at the stars in the night's sky and slightly chuckled.
"Thanks Mum," Leila whispered.