Disclaimer: All characters belong to JKR.

Dose of Your Own

By: OurLoveIsForever

Chapter Twenty-One: Free

Pride. It was something that I had in spades, something that if I could cash in at Gringotts, I would be richer than all of the pureblood clans combined. It was pride that ultimately drove me in everything I did. Perhaps that was the whole reason that I was placed into Slytherin. I was Slytherin to the core, I realized as I stood waiting for Draco in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. I wasn't sure what exactly drove me to that realization. It may have been the impending threat of death. Slytherin: a liar, a prideful scourge, an evil bane on the Magical Society.

Everything came around to pride.

It was a severe blow when I realized that I would be going back into that house once more. I would have to deal with their words again. Father would give me hell. Mother would want—

"Let's get going. Can't keep the bloody Ministry waiting." Draco called, throwing his cape over his shoulders. "What in bloody hell are we thinking?" He said reaching the bottom stair.

Nott stood just beside the door speaking with a stressed Demidov. They didn't really seem concerned, though I knew that the mask was on. With Demidov present, emotions were pushed aside as if they didn't exist. Fear was an emotion that we didn't feel aloud. My eyes searched Nott's face as he spoke. He had all of his walls raised. There was no way to tell any emotions-

"Remember to—" Demidov began, seeing that Draco and I were ready to leave.

Draco cut him off immediately. "I trust that you would like to keep that rather large nose of yours, Demidov. It would be wise to keep that trap shut." Demidov blanched and stepped away. I was standing beside Draco, my eyes turning from Nott to Lady Malfoy and back. Nott gave me an almost stern look. I felt my hand being tucking into Draco's grip. He nodded.

We stepped outside of Malfoy Manor to stand on the doorstep into overcast of the outside. In a swift motion, I felt something being slipped onto the ring finger of my left hand. I lifted my hand up to see a large diamond on a silver band. "You certainly didn't expect me to get gold." He scoffed at my surprised expression. "And surely you aren't stupid enough to think I would forget a ring." No, but I expected a little more...care with the 'proposal'. This man didn't have one romantic bone in his body.

"When did you—"

"This is my mother's first engagement ring before Father—" He stopped, the word coming off his lips in a peculiar fashion. Almost as if he was afraid to say his father's name. He took a deep breath. "Before Father bought her a better one." His expression became guardedly cold. "We should go."

I felt my stomach drop. There was a chance that in just a few short moments we would be dead. I eased my hand forward into his, grasping for dear life. I wouldn't outwardly admit to fear, but it was apparent by my white knuckles as I held his hand. He turned his face to me before he nodded. Focusing on the yard in front of my old home, I felt the pulling behind my navel and kept full hold on Draco's hand. Even if he knew the location of Greengrass Hall, blood was needed to get across the Anti-Disapparation jinx.

A moment later, my eyes opened to see the dark brick of the house in front of me, the lead windows glaring out into the manicured lawn. I jerked my hand from Draco's without thinking. My eyes were enraptured with the overhanging willows and aged oaks leaning lazily over the path to the front door. Bits of childhood memories played in my head. It had been a while, since my last argument with my dear parents.

My eyes trailed up the dark sides to the black rimmed windows of the second floor. Greengrass Hall was just as big as Malfoy Manor, stretching taller than the aforementioned two-story home. The Hall was of an almost gothic feel. As I raked my eyes over the old home, I noted movement in the third second floor window. My back stiffened automatically.

"Greengrass?" I ignored him, feeling someone watching the scene.

I spun to stand squarely in front of him, hopefully blocking him from view. "Yes, Draco?"

"Is your father a rather thin gentleman with a near handle-bar mustache?"

"Yes, that'd be him and my guess would be he is standing in the second floor window, the one with the small balcony." Draco nodded, smirking a bit though at what I couldn't quite say what about. "We're both complete nutters." I said, feeling like banging my head repeatedly against the brick walls of the house.

"Speak for yourself, Astoria. I happen to be in a right frame of mind."

"Stop bullshitting, Draco. You're never in a right frame of mind." I hissed when I heard the front door to the manor open. I froze. Draco's eyes traveled from my face to whomever stood behind me at the crest of the staircase.

"Astoria, what a pleasant surprise!" My mother's voice called in a rather irritatingly sweet voice. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" 'The pleasure' sounded a lot like 'nuisance', but she covered it with sugar and pumpkin juice.

I swirled around nearly losing my footing in the process. Draco discreetly placed a hand on my lower back to steady me. I thought I heard him snicker, but I didn't chance to look back. "Hello, Mother. I've come to speak to you and father."

Mother's eyes narrowed slightly, her eyes darting to Draco's hand still on my back, far too low for a friendly touch. Her slightly hardened gaze turned back to my face. "Come in, my darling." Without any pretense, she stepped back, opening the front door completely. I hesitantly glanced back to Draco, who nudged me forward a bit with his all-too-low hand.

"Go on then, Astoria." He whispered, more like a challenge than a comforting murmur. I stepped forward toward the door.

My Mother appeared the same as always. Her blonde hair was twisted into a tight bun at the crest of her scalp, pulling the wrinkles away from her eyes. I thought she looked a mess, but I could sense by her raised chin and narrowed eyes that she felt otherwise.

We stepped inside, his hand slipping from my back as the door closed. I felt antsy when that route of escape became covered.

For just a moment, I thought I saw the cold demeanor of my Mother's face drop just a bit as she observed me. "Is there something amiss?" Her eyes glided over my body, hesitating momentarily on my lower abdomen. Her gaze quickly lifted to Draco. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn that he laughed under his breath. "Are you—"

I threw out my left hand immediately to deter the words from being spoken. Draco outwardly snorted a laugh, shaking his head beside me. I wondered if he was in character or if he really was so comfortable in being in such a position. "I'm engaged, Mother." She jerked back, clearly shocked. Her blue eyes widened to roughly the size of tea saucers.

"You're what?" She whispered slowly, her voice shaking slightly.

Draco spoke up before I could answer. "She's engaged to me." Ever the one for adding fuel to the fire, I thought, looking at my Mother's almost panicked expression. Her chest was heaving with the labor of keeping relatively calm. "I have come to ask the permission of your husband to have her hand."

"Well, you most certainly will not get a blessing from me." My Father's voice said from top of the large staircase to the left of where we stood. My eyes traveled up to find my Father in his usual dress robes, his eyes almost deadly as they glared past me to my 'fiancé'. "A traitor marrying my daughter, most certainly not."

Draco shrugged. "Sir, we have yet to really speak." His suave attempts were strange to see. He almost seemed more mature when he tried to lay the bullshit on thick. "I must formally introduce myself. I am Draconis Black Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

"I know whose son you are!" Gregor Greengrass nearly shouted, quickly making his way down the stairs. I felt Draco move a bit behind me, his hand reaching to prepare for his wand. My heart jumped into my throat. "Lucius was in my year at Hogwarts. Miserable wretch of a man…"

My hand went to Draco's arm when I felt him start forward. "Father, as wonderful as it is to see you once again, I would that you restrain yourself from insulting him. I can only hold him back for so long." I ground out, starting to lose my own composure.

My Mother swung between us and the middle aged man on the staircase. "Shall we go to the sitting room? Perhaps this would be better over a spot of tea." It took every ounce of self-control within me to keep from rolling my eyes at the way my Mother tried to deter tension.

I nodded slowly, turning a bit to see that Draco was still glaring up at Father. "Draco, darling…" He turned his eyes down to mine before plastering on a fake grin. I could tell by one single look that he was well beyond pissed off.

"My daughter will not be marrying a traitor." He repeated again as I slipped my fingers through Draco's in an almost smartass move. A large amount of effort was taken to keep the smirk off my face when my Father's eyes dropped to our hands as they rested on Draco's thigh.

I lifted my head with a strange amount of pride. "Traitor marrying a traitor sounds like a good match, wouldn't you think?"

"There you go again with that mouth of yours, Astoria!" Father practically growled, settling his eyes on me exclusively. Draco's grip on my hand was so tight that I had to grit my teeth with the pain. "Fool then, fool now. You must have only just begun to get to know Mister Malfoy here." I smirked a bit at his meaning. If they wanted to make that assumption, really, if it helped us gain more of a cover, I could learn to deal with it. "I will not tolerate this sort of behavior from you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You make it seem as though I care."

"Astoria, what has gotten into you?" My Mother gasped, a hand going to her mouth.

"Caridwyn, we know what has gotten into her!" Father practically screeched. Draco gulped down a laugh as I lowered my head to hide my growing smirk. "It is fairly apparent what has gotten into her and I will not allow it!"

"Sir, regardless of what you think, we will be getting married before the year ends. Coming here is merely formality." Draco said with finality. I turned to look at him without expression. Just what in the world was he planning? His eyes told me to trust him. Without hesitation, I did, hoping that I would not regret it.

My voice was decidedly calm when I spoke, using a tone that I had never before used with the older people before me. "A mere formality that I believe should have been overlooked." Shoulders shrugging, I settled back further into the couch. "My dowry will not be coming from this family, will it, considering my disinheritance?" The question hung for a moment, greeted by bitter silence. I stared over at my Father. "So honestly, I am unsure as to why Draco felt it necessary to return to somewhere I have moved on from."

Mother gasped again, tears quite obviously springing up in her eyes. "Astoria, my darling—"

"No, Caridwyn." Father waved a hand in her direction, effectively silencing her. I thought for a moment that she looked extremely put out with the command, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes sourly at him. "She's right. I will not supply a dowry for something that it worthless now." Mother started to retort but was silenced with another wave of Father's hand. I lacked a reaction as I numbed myself to whatever words came out of that bloody mouth. "Regardless, I will see if I can talk some sense into this young man. Please take Astoria to the drawing room."

I glanced to Draco's stone face. He didn't seem to be bothered by this. Then again, he didn't seem to be bothered by much other than a few things here and there. His mask of coldness was in place, but for some odd reason, I couldn't seem to keep mine on. I nodded slightly, standing to follow my mother out of the room. My fingers unlaced from Draco's, but at the last second, his grip grew tight. I froze. Gently, as if I would break, he bought my top of my hand to his lips. With his eyes, which it seemed as though I may have been the only one to read the expression behind the cold wall, he told me that this was it.

This was our chance.

"I'll see you in a little bit." He murmured, letting my hand go as I followed my Mother.

I wondered how they could completely overlook the fact that at their favored daughter's wedding I had been attacked, not only that, I had nearly died in the attempt to escape Malfoy Manor only days later. How one could ignore these details was surprising. How?

Being completely and utterly oblivious helped quite a bit, I guessed.

That was much how my Mother got by in life. Snorting slightly at my thoughts, I looked over to her. "You're doing a horrid job at keeping me busy."

"If I wanted to keep you busy, I would have been arguing with you about your attitude in there." She said in a strange tone of voice. "But it seems that I have no desire to keep you busy." I quirked an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "Astoria, I will ask only one question." I felt as if I stood at the edge of a precipice, looking over the edge. "First, I want you to understand something that I feel I have neglected for some time." Her hands came from under her arms to edge along the hem of the skirt she wore. "You are my daughter, Astoria, albeit you are disappointing in some areas," Indeed. "You are my blood, my little girl." From my Mother, these words were extremely heartfelt and caring. I felt as if I didn't really know what to do.

She's gearing up to say something important. She always gets longwinded when she feels something is significant. I thought, crossing my right leg over my left. "Get on with it."

"Are you pregnant?"

So the other shoe dropped.

The tug of my lips into a slightly smile couldn't be stopped. I tried to play it off by sliding my hand over my lower abdomen. "Only three days." Lie? Sure, I could do it with the best of them. "Draco is a very responsible man contrary to what most think." Digging myself deeper and deeper, I twirled the hem of my shirt in my fingers. "He purposed yesterday. Oh, Mother, I knew that you and Father would hate me even more for this!" Playing up to my Mother's weakness, I lowered my head. "I had no other way to support myself what with the Carrows destroying my flat. I had nowhere to go." I shook my head 'sadly', taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. "They destroyed everything I worked for."

My eyes lifted to meet her gaze. What I saw there was no surprise. I had expected it as soon as I began the act. My Mother was the weakest link. She was the source of my information. Now, all I had to do was withdraw it. Taking in her frown and downcast expression, I kept my grin from breaking. Instead, I covered my face with my hands. "I want them caught. I want them to suffer for what they have done!"

I thought I heard her whisper something sounding oddly like 'don't we all' but I was sure that I had misheard. "The wedding fiasco was far from pleasing, I will admit. Though, you were the one that left with the young Mister Malfoy and Mister Nott."

Eyes narrowing, I shook my head. "Draco was only trying to look out for me, Mother. He loves me."

"Does he now?" Her hands folded in her lap as she looked me over. It appeared almost as though she was thinking something over. Her sculpted brows knitted together as one hand rose to her chin. "Astoria, darling, I—I never wanted things to be like this." I jerked my hands down, her words making me freeze. "As a woman, very close to the edge…" Her voice broke and I felt a wave of unwanted concern. "I feel, as your mother, it is necessary that I pass on a few small bits of information before I take my leave." My breaths were making my lungs hurt with the need for more viable oxygen. Heart rate quickening, I stopped breathing entirely. "Astoria, I am aging quickly. With each passing day, my time grows shorter." Her head shook slowly. "No one knows, of course. Daphne, you know her character, my love, she could care less really. It is only when one has opened their eyes that they can see the things that they have ignored for so long."

"Ill?" I wondered aloud. "You seem to be in fine health."

"Outward appearances can be deceiving, can't they?" She murmured, raising her chin. My heart raced at her insinuation. "I want you to know, Astoria. I wish you every happiness, but you know that I cannot go against your father. I love him too much for several different options to work completely. That said, Astoria, your father is not without his mistakes." Her head shook.

"Mother, I—" I was growing bewildered.

She leant forward, her eyes glinting mischievously. "I like them no more than you do, but your father is not the one behind them exclusively."

I stared at her, confused. Why was she telling me any of this? She had never been a forthcoming woman in all my years. "How can I trust you?" I muttered, crossing my arms.

"Despite what you may think, my darling, I always keep an eye out for number one. I was a Slytherin after all. My family comes first before anything else."

"It didn't when father disinherited me. You didn't defend me then. You'll forgive me for being wary of you."

"Wariness is simply one of your attributes. You get that from your father." My lips drew over my teeth in a sneer. "Always not trusting, always so scared." Her hand whipped up to silence me before I could retort. "Save that mouth for later. I did not support your disinheritance, nor did I stop it. Why? Because sometimes it is better to push away than it is to draw closer. I knew that you would be better off in the long run."

"'Better off in the long run?'" I repeated, incredulous. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me? I struggled to even feed myself. I worked a pathetic job for a Ministry that hates my kind. I was blacklisted from the society I once knew-"

"If it had not happened, you would not have all that you have now. You have the confidence to support yourself. You have not landed yourself in a volatile relationship nor have you completely foregone compassion as your sister has." She sighed slightly, her hand coming up to shakily rub over her face. "I don't expect forgiveness, Astoria. I don't want forgiveness. I want you to understand."

"I'm not going to forgive you." I said confidently and coldly. Her head nodded. "You aided me as much as you could, but it wasn't all you could do." I shook my head. "I don't desire to return home. Home is not this house, Mother. I have no wish for this discussion to continue actually." I could really be a bitch when I had my mind set on it, I thought. . "What is it you want to tell me?"

She sighed slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes closed tiredly. "Your father is not the only one behind the escape of the Carrows, Crabbe, and Jamison." I froze. "Yes, I know why you are here. I would guess that your father does as well. There is no other reason for you to be here today. If you wanted, you could get married without our blessing." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Your father has provided the monetary support. It was little trouble, of course. That is not what is making me—"

"Rat him out?" I supplied shrewdly.

Her eyes held no humor. "You will learn as you get older that anything is up for bargaining when your child is in a tight spot."

My eyes narrowed as I thought her words over. She seemed reluctant to say the name aloud. I knew it at once. Her expression gave it away immediately. "Pucey?"

Her head nodded sharply, but she neglected to say it aloud.

"Is Daphne in danger?" I said without thinking. Her eyes widened a bit. "She shouldn't have married the git in the first place." Snorting at the stupidity, I crossed my arms. "Blood match or not, Pucey has always been a self-centered, evil bastard."

"He is not working alone from what I can tell. Someone with connections, someone that is very, very intelligent is helping him to..." She whispered, her eyes darting to the door. My eyes went to the shadows being cast underneath. "I cannot speak to you again, my dear." Her tone was hurried, rushed and fearful. "I am buried here. Do not trust easily. It will keep you alive. They are after Malfoy and his mother. You are merely a sidetrack. Astoria—" The handle to the door began to turn as my heart rate skyrocketed. She was nearing a full on panic. "Don't hold back."

"You will not marry this traitorous, bull headed brat!" Father raged, throwing the door wide open. "I will take you to Saint Mungo's myself to have that taken care of." I watched him calmly, blinking slowly. It was strange to take in the sight. My father was beyond angry. He was in a fury. His nose was turning red with his emotions, something that always occured. Not only that, Draco looked pleased as punch with a smirk plastering his face. My head shook slightly. He was right well enjoying himself, he was.

"You will not—" Standing, I glared angrily. My father stopped abruptly at my sudden movement.

Feeling a wave of confidence, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Father, I wouldn't listen to you if my life depended upon it."

Giving my mother one final glance, I stepped slowly over to where Draco stood. His chin was raised pompously as his lips pulled over his teeth in something similar to a grin. With an air of conviction, I took my stance beside Draco. "What did you do, dear?" I ground out.

Shaking his head, I felt his hand slide down my arm to grip my wrist. "Whatever could you mean, love?"

"Astoria, you—" My father began, but I cut him off.

"Father, I have never cared for your opinion before. I will do as I wish and there is little that you can do to stop me. I think it best you accept that now to save yourself more disappointment." Settling my ice cold glare upon the shocked man, I felt myself being led toward the door. "You will not see me again, you know. I will never return to this place. I have made my own way. I will no longer claim the name of Greengrass." My parents did nothing to stop me. They just allowed me to leave, stunned to stillness.

We stepped out into the cool night air. My hair caught on the wind, whipping across my face. For some reason, I felt renewed and accomplished. True, I had discovered the truth behind what was happening, but I had accomplished something much more valuable. The chains that held me to that family were falling off my ankles. I could feel the weight lifting. Air felt cleaner and light felt brighter. I struggled to hold my tears back. We were alive. We were safe.

"I'm free." I whispered, allowing Draco take hold of my arm and apparate us back to Malfoy Manor.