Months went by with Bella and Draco falling more in love with one another. Their first date went amazingly well. Draco had taken Bella to Paris to dine in the Eiffel tower. Ever since then they spent many evenings and weekends together between his flat and her home with Blaise. Draco never knew he could love a woman as much as Bella. Bella knew Draco was the love of her life and her friends agreed wholeheartedly.

However even with the sun shining it's possible to have rain and rain it did.

"What do you mean you have a betrothal arranged? I'm in love with someone, I won't do it," Draco said angrily to his mother.

"Draco, darling, we have had this arranged since you were children. I'm sorry we cannot undo it. Astoria is a lovely girl, I'm sure you'll be able to reach a middle ground with her," Narcissa said sipping primly from her tea cup.

"Please try to find a loophole or something, I don't want to marry her. Hell, I don't even really know her!" Draco said growing more upset as the minutes ticked by. He stood quickly needing to speak with Theo and Blaise.

"If there isn't a loophole Draco, you will marry Astoria," Lucius drawled from behind his desk. Draco didn't even pause as he walked to the fireplace and throwing floo powder in.

"He really is interested in that Zabini girl, isn't he," Lucius asked Narcissa as she came around his desk and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I daresay he's in love with her. Lucius, is there truly no way to get him out of this contract?" She inquired.

"The contract is air tight. Only if they fail in the child clause is either one of them allowed to divorce the other and even then, I made it air tight enough that the Greengrass' do not receive a single sickle if there was no heir," Lucius stated sipping from his tumbler of firewhisky.

"My poor dragon," Narcissa whispered walking back to the couch and sitting primly watching the fire. She would do anything for her son, but even this was out of her hands.

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"You're betrothed!" Blaise roared fists shaking from anger.

"Are you fucking kidding mate?" Theo growled.

"I didn't know! I told them to find a loophole! I don't want to marry Astoria. I want to be with Bella," Draco said angrily drinking from his tumbler. He finished his glass then gave himself another generous cup.

"Why didn't you know! You know as well as I that there are never loopholes in betrothal contracts," Theo shook his head drinking as well.

"I trusted you with her. You swore you had no ill intentions towards her and here you are telling me you're fucking engaged to someone else. I swear Draco what kind of mate are you!?" Blaise sat down at his desk drinking heavily.

"Blaise, I swear to you I had no idea my parents set this up. This is the first time I've heard about this damn thing. I am going to look for a loophole, I'm going to get out of this," he said determined. He looked at Blaise who wouldn't meet his eye then to Theo who just nodded.

"I'll help you. I'll look over it with you," Theo agreed.

"Blaise?" Draco asked worried he'd lost his best mate.

"Are you going to tell her?" Blaise asked looking into his glass then meeting his friend's glance with a hard stare.

"I don't want to worry her if I can find a loophole. I'm going to wait until I've exhausted all of my options," Draco said then broke their eye contact.

"I've never lied to her before," Blaise said sadly then sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose feeling a headache begin.

"We're not going to lie. If she asks I'll tell her outright, but for now I'm just going to try to figure this out before she finds out," Draco said taking the last gulp of his firewhisky.

"You better hope my girl doesn't find out either, there will be hell to pay if she does," Theo shook his head. Hermione and Theo had begun dating much at the prodding and pushing of their friends. They'd been together a month less than Bella and Draco, but were just nearly as happy. Theo knew he'd have to tread carefully less Hermione discover they were hiding something.

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Over the next few weeks, Draco clung to Bella wanting to spend as much time as possible with her. Theo, Blaise, and him had been pouring over every inch of his contract and they all concluded that there was nothing he could do to get out of it. He knew then that he was going to have to let Bella go. One night after shagging Bella senselessly he cuddled her against his chest and wished with all his heart that fate had been kinder to them.

"Draco?" she asked hesitantly relishing in the feel of his skin against hers.

"yes?" He answered kissing her shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered turning to look him in the eyes noticing how his soft molten gray transformed to a hard-cold gray. His heart clenched as he realized this was the moment he'd have to ruin them.

"Bella," he started pulling away from her and sitting up.

"Usually if a man loves a woman, he says it back to her," she whispered trying to hold in her tears. Had she been wrong in thinking they were there?

"Bella, I don't think this is going to work out," he said hesitantly then got out of bed dressing in his clothes that were scattered around the room. He turned and saw her still sitting on the bed clutching the bed sheet to her chest tightly.

"Why? I thought… I thought things were good, weren't they?" she asked her voice breaking. Draco could feel his heart ripping to shreds as he tried to distance himself from the beautiful witch. He knew then he couldn't tell her that he was engaged knowing it would break her completely.

"I don't love you," he lied knowing that there was no turning back from this. She gasped then bit her lip feeling the silent tears slip down her cheeks.

"Well, that changes things… I'm sorry you wasted your time then you can go," she gently got off the bed wearing nothing but the large emerald teardrop necklace he had given her for Christmas and the diamond dragon bracelet he gave her for her birthday. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she pulled on her silk robe to cover her form.

"Bella, I'm…"

"Don't you dare Draco Malfoy. I said leave," she said coldly letting the tears fall down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he whispered flooing back to his home. As soon as he was gone, Bella fell to the floor sobbing and gasping for air. She pounded her fists into the floor wanting so desperately to turn back time and never say those damn three words.

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"Bella?" Hermione whispered into the dark room. She saw the tiny form under the blankets and she crawled up next to her slinging an arm around her. "Bella, please talk to me. Blaise is scared and we're all worried. It's been a week since anyone's seen you."

"Hermione?" she peeled back the covers and Hermione held back the gasp that threatened to escape. Bella looked haunted with dark circles under her eyes and gaunter than ever before.

"Oh Bella," she whispered running her thumb against her best friend's cheek wiping away a tear.

"He told me he didn't love me. He broke up with me after we had made love and then he said he didn't love me. Why stay all that time with someone you don't love? Why!?" she whispered furiously then sobbed curling into herself.

"Bella, he's a bloody moron and a fucking arsehole," Hermione whispered in her ear hugging her close.

"Did you just curse?" Bella exhaled a laugh feeling the weight in her chest lighten a tiny bit.

"It's true! Do you want to come visit the Weasley's with me? I know you can't resist the twins," she winked at her best friend.

"I am actually kind of hungry, can we do that first?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Come on," Hermione said pulling her from bed.

Bella and Hermione made their way to the dining room where Blaise and Theo had been eating lunch. Blaise stood abruptly as soon as he saw Bella walk in. She was damn near skeletal with her limp hair pulled into a messy bun and baggy sweats and his quidditch shirt. Hermione saw the look in his eye then shook her head at him warning him not to say anything that would upset her.

"Bella, we're having tortellini soup would you like some?" Blaise said pulling her seat out for her. He tried to rein in his fury seeing how tiny she was in her seat.

"That sounds lovely Blaise. Nice to see you Theo," she croaked not having used her voice in many days.

"Yes, well it's about time I saw that beautiful face of yours," Theo chuckled then winced as Hermione kicked his shin.

"I know, how did you ever survive without it?" Bella joked making everyone tense for a moment at how lighthearted she was being.

"It was a bit come and go there for a while, but I knew you wouldn't let me wither away," he smirked then took a bite of his soup.

Bella giggled then noticed everyone watching her. She sighed and picked up her spoon hesitantly taking a bite.

"There's a ball this weekend, I was hoping you'd honor me with being my date," Blaise smiled at his sister wanting desperately to take her out of the home.

"What about Daphne?"

"She's in France for another week or two, plus I want be the envy of all men having the most beautiful girl on my arm," he smiled reaching for her skinny hand rubbing his thumb along the top of it.

"Bella, I'll be there," Hermione smiled knowing her friend wouldn't feel comfortable at the idea of possibly running into Malfoy.

"Okay," she answered hesitantly. They ate the rest of their lunch with tidbits of conversation here and there. The girls then left to the Burrow and the men were drinking firewhisky in Blaise' study.

"You know he might be there," Theo said taking a drink of his whisky. He knew better than to say his name when he felt Blaise's fury rolling off him.

"I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I just wanted to treat her to a nice evening out. I'm going to keep her away from him if I can," Blaise stated firmly gulping the firewhisky down feeling the burn in his throat.

"We tried everything mate," Theo reasoned.

"Yeah! Well look at my sister! She's damn near a skeleton and he's going to run off and be married to his perfect little wife while she's picking up the pieces of her broken heart," Blaise threw his tumbler at the wall smashing it before placing his head on his desk. Theo put his hand on his shoulder knowing nothing he said would be enough.

"You couldn't have saved her from this," Theo murmured.

"I'll never forgive myself for allowing this," Blaise whispered then rubbed his eyes clearing the tears away. Theo squeezed his shoulder showing his support for his mate and wanting to let him know he had has back no matter what.