Chapter 1
"Uh...hello?" said Potter.
Draco stared at him. Harry Bloody Potter, aka Chosen One and the Saviour was in his dining room. To act as his new 'lover'. He was going to kill his father.
Two weeks earlier
Narcissa Malfoy was laid on her bed, deep inside the Malfoy Manor. Draco was holding her hand, and her hands were freezing. She was pale, so pale.
"Can't we do anything?" He asked, for the millionth time.
"Draco, do you think I haven't tried everything I could? I loved your mother. Don't give me that look."
"Isn't there some cure, some potion...?" Draco tried.
"No! Did I not just say that there is nothing we can-"
"-it's almost like you don't want her to live!"
"Enough!" said Narcissa, and her voice was so feeble that Draco felt his heart breaking. "This not how I want to spend my," she coughed weakly. "Last days. Lucius, please."
"We'll leave you to get some rest." Lucius said curtly, pulling Draco outside unwillingly. "Draco, I need a favour."
"What do you mean, Father?"
"Your mother wants to see you happy. She wants to see you in love. She told me yesterday 'Just because I have somehow been unfortunate enough to catch a sickness does not mean I wouldn't like to see my son get married. I know it is impossible, but a mother can dream.'"
"What do you want me to do? It's not like I can force someone to fall in love and marry me in a month or two. And don't even give me that look, I'm not marrying Pansy." Or any other girls, Draco added in his head. In fact, I don't even want to marry anyone.
"Fine. But you can pretend. Pretend you have a new lover, and," Lucius swallowed and Draco looked up at him. "I hope your mother has at least 3 more months, you may even get engaged to this person, and she will get her dying wish."
"But she'll know it's not real. She's not a fool, Father."
"She's weak. She doesn't even know what time it is or what day it is anymore. She doesn't care about the details. She's getting weaker every day and all she wants is to see her son happy, Draco, is that too much to ask?"
"No. Alright. I will go along your charade if you promise that I won't really have to marry whoever you can sweet talk into doing this."
"Thank you, Draco."
PRESENT TIME
"There is no way I'm going with this!" he shouted. "How did you even get him to agree, anyway?" What the hell is my father thinking?! I'm supposed to pretend to love Potter? I'd rather choke myself with Nagini. Merlin, even getting swallowed whole by the damned snake sounded better than this situation.
"He is standing right here and would like to inform you that he is not very fond of this situation either!" Potter glared at him. Neither Malfoy paid attention to him.
"Draco, you promised! And this is just an act, what makes him different from any other man?" Lucius asked. Why do I agree to anything that comes out of my Father's mouth?
"He's-He's Potter! He's my rival!" and enemy. And my worst nightmare. Did I mention I hated him?
"Please, Draco, stop with this childish behaviour. A school rivalry?" Lucius said, rolling his eyes.
"I owe a life-debt to Narcissa." Potter said, glancing at Lucius.
"I thought you repaid that when you got the Ministry to release Father?" Draco asked.
"Merlin, Malfoy, your mother is dying. 'I'm Harry Potter aka the one who saved you all so I can release whoever I want out of Azkaban' is hardly something I'd call repaying a life-debt." he replied. "Besides, I'm on this case."
"Wait, what?"
"I forgot to explain, Draco. The sickness that your mother has is confirmed by the healers that is a potion that she has drunk somehow. There have been 4 other cases like hers, and the Auror department is investigating. As it so happens, Mr. Potter is on the case along with others." Lucius said smoothly.
Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "How is pretending to date her son helping the investigation?"
"You're good at potions. Besides, all the other victims have died already…um, your mother is the only surviving victim of this- whatever it is. I know you gave her some kind of potion to extend her life sentence, don't give me that look."
"I'm sorry, since when were we close friends that can exchange secrets?"
"Malfoy, please. Maybe you can find a cure with the resources the Ministry can offer. It'd save your mother and while we're finding this people that are attacking innocent people we might save the ones that've been attacked already."
Lucius had been watching both of them intently. "And it would make your mother happy."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this might actually work." Draco said. "It's completely insane and I still hate you, but alright. The only reason I'm doing this is for mother, by the way. I hope you can actually pretend to do something, instead of just standing around with that stupid expression on your face all the time. Oh wait, that's just your face." With that, he strode out and marched upstairs.
"He's completely mental, isn't he?" said Potter. Lucius shrugged and Draco shook his head, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him.
Imagine the things he could use to help his studies. He'd had no luck with the books he'd been researching, but he knew with the Ministry he could go discuss with the Unspeakable - and, then, maybe, just maybe, he could save his mother.
He pulled down a book from his shelf and started going over his notes again.
'ello! Heyy a longer chapter and I put it up on the same day as the prologue! Wooohoo. I know this is just like a huge conversation with fillers and thoughts but it's like a huge explanation for everything that's going to happen! We'll get some Ron and Hermione in the next chapter…oooh interesting…No bashing though. I love my red-haired Weasleys and Hermione is my absolute favourite.
Oh, and this story is not epilogue-compliant, obviously. I think this is about 5 years after the War, yeah? Since the War ended on 1999, this is 2003? Yeah, I think that's right..
Please, please review! I'll update as soon as I can but reviews will encourage me and even a simple "cool" would make my day ;) hint hint.
Song for the day:
Taylor Swift – Wonderland (1989 do you mean heart eye emoji)