Olivia came over the whole night, and though she really did try to keep it to a minimum, she talked about Hugo quite a good deal. It only served to make Arianna more irritated, and the night ended with a much depleted bottle of firewhiskey. Her parents weren't terribly strict about alcohol, but being drunk was something they would not condone. It wasn't proper, especially for a lady, and apparently it was an embarrassment to the Malfoy name. So, Arianna was sure to lock her door and stay sober enough to know not to leave her room or bathroom.
The next few days passed miserably for both her and Albus. The only highlight of her day was, embarrassingly enough, the brilliant red rose that came every morning at precisely nine. She knew it was from Albus, and she knew she should be irritated, but she was flattered. The only irritating bit was being woken up every morning at nine, and then being too lost in thought to actually get back to sleep. She and Olivia were back on good terms, and she came over every couple nights. There were now five roses on her desk, in a small vase. She smiled ever so slightly upon looking at them as she got dressed.
She had been instructed to look nice. Dinners were always a very formal affair at the Malfoys, and her parents and the Zabini's hosted a sort of gathering at the Malfoy Mansion every year. Basically, it was a chance for pureblooded girls to get paraded around in sexy and often times a little too revealing dresses and not be looked down upon for it. It was an old tradition, and marriage wasn't the purpose like it had been so long ago. Now, this year, the Wealeys, on account of Scorpius, had been invited, as well as the Potters, and Arianna was positively sweating.
"Help me," she requested of Olivia, pulling her hair up so her friend could tighten the halter strap of her striking silver dress. It was again, a fairly modest neckline. She had decided her back was one of her more flattering qualities, so that was on display again, though a little less so than for Yule Ball. She wanted Albus to simply die he wanted her so bad. She looked in the mirror, brushing a fine layer of a shimmering dust over her, giving her skin a slightly luminescent quality, a slight shimmer. Around her wrist was a single bracelet, a simple cuff made out of a curled snake.
Olivia's dress was of a deep purple-blue color, a fairly revealing v-neck, and a slit that revealed one leg up to mid-thigh when she walked, her already long legs made to look that much longer with a pair of heels, putting her even with where Hugo would stand. Her makeup was far more dramatic than her friends, playing up the smoky eye look, her hair fixed in curls down her back. Her parents would know tonight about her and Hugo, and she was almost as nervous as her friend.
"Still love him?" she asked Arianna, helping her fix her hair into a fuller look to frame her face.
"Yeah," Arianna admitted after a moment.
"Come on," Scorpius requested, knocking at her door. "I've got to escort you in, Ari," he reminded her. He came in, smiling at Arianna and Olivia.
"You both look lovely," he said with a smile. He looked in the mirror beside Arianna. His tie matched her dress. They had been matching in this way since they had been allowed to start attending these important gatherings instead of being put in their rooms.
He took her arm, leading her into the ballroom. It was like stepping back a couple generations. Save for the fashion, it was exactly like that. They were announced, they walked down a stair case, and then mingled with the other people of 'good society'. Arianna found herself alone as soon as Scorpius had seen Rose in a green dress that made her hair look like it was practically glowing, and Arianna had to wonder if some enhancement charm had been used to augment her already enviable curls.
"Wow," Hugo murmured upon seeing Olivia, taking her hand and leading her to a slightly more secluded spot, away from her parents. "You look absolutely gorgeous," he said,eyes glued to her, trailing up and down her body from her shoes to her face and back again.
"Thanks," Olivia blushed, smiling at him. "You look handsome as well," she said, straightening out his black tie set against a white shirt carefully.
"Not handsome enough to have you," Hugo grinned, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear and kissing her lightly, hoping that everyone was too busy to notice the two of them huddled in a corner. Olivia shook her head at him in exasperation, looking into his eyes, the lovely blue that made her heart thrum at every occasion.
"You're plenty handsome," she assured him. "Come meet my parents," she requested, giving him a slightly pleading look.
"Liv-" he began, his voice whining.
"Don't be scared, they're perfectly nice," she promised, kissing him again. "I'll make it up to you," she promised. Hugo sighed in defeat, smiling though as she slipped her hand into his and lead him towards her parents.
"Mum, dad," Olivia began. "I'd like you to officially meet Hugo Weasley," she said, blushing ever so slightly. "We're dating," she added helpfully, watching her father's face carefully.
"And why were we not aware of this?" Blaise asked, his voice quiet. Pansy kissed Olivia's cheek and shook Hugo's hand. It wasn't like it would last anyway, may as well be cordial. She nudged her husband slightly, who proceeded to shake Hugo's hand.
"It's nice to meet you both, your daughter is lovely," Hugo said.
"Thank you," Pansy smiled. Not particularly attractive herself, though she did have a highly commanding quality that drew men to her, she lived vicariously through her beautiful daughter. After a moment of pleasantries, Olivia had Hugo by the hand and was leading him away, much to the red head's relief.
"I have to admit Miss Malfoy, I'm a little offended," a voice sounded close to Arianna's ear. Before she could properly react, a pair of arms was around her waist.
"Albus," she murmured, recognizing the voice and feel of the embrace without much effort on her part. "Please leave me alone," she requested. She squirmed out of his grip before someone could see.
"I don't think I can," Albus admitted. "If I could, it'd probably be a hell of a lot easier, wouln't it?" he asked. He placed a hand on her back, taking one of her hands.
"You can waltz?" Arianna asked, unable to keep from giggling, just following his lead for now.
"I'm a man of many talents, Miss Malfoy," Albus informed her, looking down at her with a smile. "You look lovely, if I may say so."
"I suppose you may, but it won't work, whatever you're trying to do," Arianna told him. "I won't tell my parents, so you should calm down a bit," she suggested. He tightened his grip on her when she tried to pull away.
"Not all of my actions have an ulterior motive," Albus murmured.
"Only the most important ones," Arianna retorted, feeling close to tears again. "Why would you even do it?"
"Because I'm a selfish, idiotic prat," Albus answered automatically. "Think for a moment to the beginning of the term," he requested. "We didn't like each other much, did we?" he asked.
"No, I suppose not," Arianna admitted grudgingly.
"But I always knew you were gorgeous, even if I did deny it to anyone who dared to bring it up," he chuckled a little. "So when my best friend offers me two hundred galleons to shag you, admittedly, it seemed like a pretty good deal."
"Another stupid conquest then, this one just rewarded in a monetary way," Arianna translated. "I would have given you two hundred galleons if I had known you would have gone through with it. Just to stop you."
"It wouldn't have stopped me," Albus told her. "By that time I was much too far into your little claws, Miss Malfoy. Are you still angry with me?"
"Unbelievably," she answered, a sigh whispering through her lips.
"Please listen to me," Albus practically begged, tightening an arm around her waist.
"Fine," Arianna mumbled. Albus actually fell silent, as if surprised by her.
"I'm so, so sorry," he said, sincerity burning in his green eyes. "I was an ass hole that didn't think he would fall for a Malfoy."
"And you did, then?" Arianna asked.
"Hard, Ari," Albus agreed. He pulled back slightly, handing her a rose from the pocket of his jacket. "For you," he said, giving her a lopsided grin. "I am so sorry for hurting you," he whispered. "You have to believe that was never my intention. I-I thought maybe we'd shag and be done, but then it turned into a relationship. Merlin, I was so confused, and-"
"So was I," Arianna interjected. "But I was elated," she admitted, tears stinging her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. "I was so excited that you even cared. You told me how pretty I was, how much I meant."
"Please don't cry," Albus mumbled, wiping away a few tears with the pads of his thumbs. "Arianna, look at me," he said, tilting her face up. "I've never been more sorry for anything in my life. But you have to believe that it wasn't just in the temptation of money that I shagged you that night. I've shagged a few different girls, but that was something entirely different." And for some reason, Arianna believed him.
"You need to tell me what you want," she requested, biting her lip.
"Another chance. To prove that you're more to me than two hundred galleons."
"Even though you don't love me?" Arianna murmured.
"What if I thought I did?" he asked. "I think I lo-" He froze when she pressed her lips to his, effectively silencing him. She wasn't prepared to hear the word 'love' again and be crushed, but perhaps she could give him what he requested. Albus very nearly jumped with joy as she kissed him.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry," he murmured against her lips. Ari took his hand, guiding him towards the door and out into the yard, dragging him behind a tree.
"Don't do it again," she said sternly. "This is your last chance. I believe that you moved past the bet, but I'm still pissed that you made it in the first place," she continued. He wrapped both arms around her, lifting her off the ground in his jubilation, not letting her finish her warning. Arianna leaned in and kissed him once he had put her back down.
"Thank you," Albus said, realizing that this wasn't a second chance she was giving lightly. He felt like he was cradling something exceedingly fragile in his arms as he kissed her back. She was the kind of girl that needed to be handled carefully.
"We should go back," she said after a few minutes of kissing. Albus nodded, pressing his lips to hers once more and smoothing out her hair gently. "You look beautiful," he told her. "Your parents don't mess around, do they?" he asked, nodding towards her house, the people.
"They're just doing it to please Lucius and Narcissa," Arianna assured him. "They've always been very into this whole old-day pureblood thing."
"Will your parents be alright with me?" he asked.
"They're alright with Rose. We can go talk to them now," she said, grinning, holding his hand in hers as they headed back towards the house.
"Protect me," he requested.
"Sure thing," Arianna grinned. She guided him through the people, stopping only when he was yanked to a stop by a furious looking James, who hardly seemed to notice her.
"You're a bloody ass," James spat. "Do you know what I just heard?" he demanded. "Honestly, mum and dad would be furious. Give me one reason not to tell them that you bloody shagged your girlfriend on a bet."
"James, please don't," Arianna requested quietly, looking down. "I don't want it getting back to my parents. Everything's fine now," she murmured.
"And you're not upset?" James demanded.
"Of course I was!" Arianna snapped, hands on her hips. "But what I do is none of your business, quite frankly. If I want to be with Albus, I will, and we worked everything out."
"You're not acting like a Potter," James told Albus. "Nor a Gryffindor."
"Leave him be," Arianna said, sighing as she guided Albus towards her parents, pausing when she noticed Astoria already talking animatedly to Rose and Scorpius while Draco just looked mildly uncomfortable.
"You two are so lovely," Astoria said to Rose and Scorpius, Rose blushing slightly. "You'd absolutely give me gorgeous grandchildren," she grinned. For a moment everyone was silent, and then Draco was coughing and spluttering, Rose was a brilliant red, and Scorpius looked as if he might never recover from the embarrassment. Albus and Arianan stood, still absolutely silent, not sure they wanted to be acknowledged now, as they gripped hands tightly.
"Mum!" Scorpius finally managed.
"Oh, honestly!" Astoria exclaimed. "It was a completely benign statement, and a compliment," she sighed. "Honestly, if you two think I'm not aware you two are sleeping together..." she trailed off, turning to Arianna to see what she wanted.
"Oh, please tell me you two aren't dating," Draco requested, groaning. "Merlin, payback is a bitch," he mumbled, throwing his hands in the air as he stormed off.
"Is dad angry at me?" Arianna asked Astoria.
"No, he's just whining. Thinks that it's retribution for being a Death Eater," Astoria laughed a little, shrugging. Again, Astoria demonstrated her proclivity for pointing out uncomfortable truths that didn't necessarily need to be heard.
"Maybe it is," Albus chuckled, earning himself a glare from Scorpius.
"I thought you said nothing was going on," Astoria said to Arianna.
"Was," Astoria emphasized. "Things change." After a few more minutes of talking to Astoria and a sullen looking Draco came back, the two of them left, Albus quickly introducing her to his entire family.
The worst part was probably meeting Teddy Lupin and and his girlfriend Victoire Weasley. Now, if Arianna was a pretty blonde, Victoire was a drop dead gorgeous one that hurt to be in the same room with. She had the slightest of French accents, the most piercing of gazes, and an obvious distaste from the Malfoy girl standing across from her.
"Hello," Arianna greeted, a little weary of meeting so many cousins. Surely this was Albus' strange way of making sure she knew that he cared.
"And you are?" Victoire asked, as if she wasn't standing in her house at the moment. She hadn't wanted to be here, but Teddy had dragged her along. When Astoria had invited the Weasleys and Co. she apparently hadn't bargained that the whole clan would show up, towing the Potters with them. Honestly, the family had decided on purely selfish reasons to come.
No one could blame them for disliking the snobbish purebloods, even if they weren't quite as bad as they had been, and so it had been an opportunity to show how much influence they had had on the war. She had been perfectly content to go over to Teddy's for a few hours, but no, he wanted to go. And now Arianna Malfoy of all people was standing in front of her in a much too expensive dress, clinging to her cousin.
"Arianna," the younger girl said.
"A little over the top, wouldn't you say?" Victoire asked, with an unkind smile, gesturing around the room vaguely.
"Tradition," Arianna mumbled, shrugging. She didn't want to get into it with Victoire.
"I suppose it's a 'pureblood' thing," Victoire added, looking down at the girl, still appearing petite in her heels.
"I suppose," Arianna agreed, once again shrugging, trying not to blush. She wouldn't let Victoire get the better of her in her own house.
"Are you all still arranging marriages?" Victoire pressed. "That's a pureblood tradition too, isn't it?" she asked, smirking.
"That ended during my grandparents' generation," Arianna said, her voice sharper than before. "We marry who we want now."
"And I suppose you're aiming to be a Potter?" Victoire spat, abandoning all pretenses quickly.
"I'm not aiming for anything," Arianna bridled, crossing her arms. Albus and Teddy traded slightly panicked looks. "I'm dating Albus because I like him."
"I'm so sure," Victoire laughed, flipping her hair in true Veela fashion.
"Lay off it, Victoire," Albus insisted sharply. "Ari didn't do anything to you. If you don't like it here, then leave."
"Come on," Teddy suggested. "Let's just go, alright?" he asked. Albus led a spitting mad Arianna away.
"She is such a..." she trailed off, searching for the right word. "Bitch," Arinna finally spat.
"Yeah, she really is," Albus agreed. "Probably should have warned you about her," he chuckled. He noticed that the crowd was beginning to thin quickly as people went home. "Introducing you to my whole family turned out to be a very long endeavor."
"Stopping to snog every couple people probably prolonged it," Arianna laughed. She was still a bit wary, not quite as enamored as she had been, in the stage before she had given him her virginity. Like and lust was enough for now.
"It was hardly snogging," Albus teased. "Just some kissing."
Arianna pulled him back outside and to a bench, maneuvering her dress a little to sit on his lap facing him. She kissed him hard, fingers in his hair.
"Thank you for believing me," Albus whispered against her lips.
"Welcome," Arianna said. She wished she had the sort of restraint to make him wait longer, work for it harder, but she wanted to be with him, and she figured there really wasn't much he could do to make her hurt more than what he had. Maybe she was being stupid, but, as much as she hated to admit it, she was still in stupid love with him.
"I won't hurt you again," he promised.
"You'd better not," she retorted.
"Arianna," a voice sounded, and she jumped nearly a foot in the air, hopping off of Albus' lap.
"I-dad," she stuttered, blushing furiously as she hastily combed her fingers through her hair. Albus flushed bright red.
"Mr. Malfoy," he greeted.
"Your family is looking for you," Draco told Albus, trying not to throw the boy from his house and tell him never to come back.
"Right," Albus said. He kissed Arianna's cheek gently, squeezing her hand.
"Come back tonight," Arianna requested in his ear before going back inside, leaving a spluttering Albus in her wake, wondering if he had just heard her right. He caught up quickly, not wanting her father to catch on.
Alright, I think I'm going to have two more chapters, the next one will be a lot of different skipping around between perspectives and times. I hope you liked it. They made up and you got a taste of the Weasley family a bit more. Sorry to 'love your fic' for not bringing them in as much as you would have liked. And sorry to those who wanted Arianna pregnant, I just couldn't do it to her. Lol. If you're interested in seeing pictures of the characters and outfits and such, let me know and i'll put up an album.
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Cunning and Ambition