Lucius sat in the dim study staring at two men sitting opposite him. One man bulky and grizzled and dark the other blond and slim. Both were pondering the question he had just asked. Misters Olek Yager and Adrien Pierpont both looked at each other.
"What do you say Adrien my good man?" Lucius asked to the slim man, "And you Olek?" he said to the grizzled one. The men looked at each other again this time greed and competition burning in their eyes.
"Why don't you just pick my daughter for your son and get this over with," said Pierpont directing his comment towards Olek Yager.
"Do you believe your own is better than mine? My lovely Lule?" Yager hissed back, "we have a deal Lucius!" Yager grabbed Lucius Malfoy by the hand and shook it.
Pierpont could have killed old Yager with the look in his eyes. "Sounds fine to me," he said and shook Lucius's hand as well.
"Excellent," Lucius grinned.
Winter had slowly melted into spring, almost painfully slow for Draco. By now his father should have forgotten about what he had done. Should be welcoming the next girl into his home. But this fault was different, it seemed to stick with him somehow. Any time Draco would speak his father would give him a sharp or disgusted look. Even if the topic was as simple and meaningless as what flowers his mother had planned to plant in the gardens. This was a sign for Draco to stay out of the way, out of the firing path, out of sight. There was only one thing he could do to be out of the house all night and stuck in his room all day and a lot of mead and firewhiskey was required.
Draco and his friend Blaise Zabini sat in the Leaky Cauldron. The blond was sure that this was the only place his father would not come looking for him. He took another shot of firewhiskey.
"You know, where does he get off?" Draco slurred slightly causing Blaise to laugh.
"Well, you stood her up Drake. Not much Malfoy honor in that."
"Yeah but it's been te-tr-three months. You'd think he'd b'over it," Draco let another shot slide down his throat letting the intense burn flood him and warm his icy insides.
"Well from what my mother tells me no one will have their lovely daughters near you. What with your heart-breaking tendencies," Blaise said laughing, trying to cheer up his sour looking mate. Draco pushed his glass toward the bartender who poured him another.
"Well think of it this way. I've gotten my money's worth out of those dress robes from the first one."
Draco glared at his friend at first and then a smile cracked slowly across his lips. The smile soon became full blown laughter and Draco fell to the floor, rolling around and clutching his sides. Blaise hoisted his up.
"I think you've had enough mate, it wasn't that funny. Let's get you home." Before Blaise could pull him away from the bar, Draco downed the last shot that was put in front of him. Draco made to put the glass back on the counter but missed and it shattered on the cold stone floor of the pub.
"Bloody Merlin, Drake," Blaise hissed as he threw an extra galleon to the barkeep.
Blaise pushed Draco out of the fireplace at Malfoy Manor and disappeared the same way he had come, engulfed in a flash of green flames.
A rather small house elf hurried over to Draco with a worried look on her face.
"Young master Malfoy is late for dinner, Mistress has told Berra to find you. And Berra has. Hurry to the dinning hall, Master is not very happy, or is happy. Berra is not sure."
The little house elf pulled Draco along with her, trying to magically straighten out the creases of his shirt and remove the stains from the bottles of mead. Draco stumbled slightly and was very nearly sick all over the floor. He was only able to straighten his back and pushed through the doors with the help of Berra behind him.
He noisily plopped down into his seat as his parents were sipping on their soup. Narcissa had a small look of relief on her perfected face but Lucius was a different emotion all together.
"How kind of you to join us Draco," Lucius hissed and pulled the spoon to his lips. A bowl of soup had appeared on the table in front of Draco and the smell of it was making him nauseous.
"I had an interesting meeting this afternoon."
"Oh?" both Draco and Narcissa asked, Draco trying to slide a spoonful of the orange-y liquid into his mouth.
"Yes, it should be a very... advantageous summer season," said Lucius chuckling. This caused Draco to laugh as well and hiccup into his bowl.
"Draco? Are you feeling well?" Narcissa asked her son, reaching her hand across the table.
"Mm-hmm," Draco mumbled and he, for some reason or another, tried to salute her. But his hand hit the bridge of his nose rather than his forehead. Narcissa sat wide eyed.
"I think you should excuse yourself, dear," she said hastily, in hopes that Lucius had not noticed Draco's state yet.
"'Scuse me," Draco said. He rose not to steadily, luckily Berra was there to help him to his room. Once the pair reached the third floor Draco bolted for the bathroom and stuck his head into the toilet.
"Berra will bring young master Malfoy some tea," she listened as Draco was sick again, "and perhaps a potion for the headache you is having later," the elf disappeared from the room. The only sound that filled Draco's ears now was his own retching.
Narcissa rushed into Madame Malkin with an emergency on her hands. She hadn't found herself a party dress for her 'surprise' birthday celebration Lucius had been planning. Ever since mid April Lucius had been in much lighter spirits. Smiling at her before they fell asleep, serving her breakfast on the veranda on Sunday mornings, even dancing with her in the ballroom as the victrola played softly in the background. Although the fact that Draco was never home anymore didn't hurt either.
But that, that was another problem entirely. She and Blaise Zabini had far too often had to carry Draco up to his room in the middle of the night because he couldn't even see straight let alone walk. After Lucius would leave for work she could hear Draco's retching echo down the hall. It pained her to see her son put himself through this and she was sure her husband got some kind of reassurance from it. She was sure Lucius liked to see that Draco was punishing himself.
Narcissa shook her head and tore through the rack of lovely gowns. She had made Draco promise her, but of course at the mention of a promise Draco had hissed, "and we all know how you make your promises. Done or dead."
She then had slapped him sheer across the face. "Don't you ever..." but her voice had become weak and she whispered, "you are to show up to the party looking the part of absolute excellence," and with that she stormed into the fireplace.
It was in that state she had found herself now, frustrated and seething, ready to pounce on even poor old Madame Malkin who was only there to serve her. The rage had built up to her eyes now and tears were sure to flow down her pretty, made up face.
"Cissy?" a familiar voice questioned from between the rack of light traveling robes. Narcissa turned to see the most welcoming and wondrous sight.
"Dora!" she squealed. A slight but luminous woman scurried over to where Narcissa stood and wrapped her arms around her. Narcissa's hands dug into the womans lustrous brown curls that had been tied back with a cream colored ribbon.
Aldora Valcon, then Aldora Marlinby, was Narcissa's oldest friend. The pair had first met at Hogwarts when they were eleven and had been inseparable ever since. That was until Voldemort had first over taken the wizarding world. Aldora's husband, Mordecai Valcon, brought his family into hiding because he knew he would be asked to join the Deatheaters. He knew he would refuse. And then he would die.
The best friends had met very few time since then but now it was all over. It had been over for quite sometime. And Aldora now stood before her, still the picture of joy only older and weathered. Narcissa couldn't help it now, tears slid from her eyes.
"Oh don't cry on my account," Aldora said and smiled, wiping her friends tears away.
"It's not just that Dora. I think I'm loosing my mind."
"How many have you got?"
"Two," Narcissa said smiling. Aldora's question had mimicked a letter she had once sent Narcissa after the birth of her second child. 'I've got two things to loose my sanity over now' the letter had said. Narcissa wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"Another child?"
"No, my husband."
Aldora snorted a little, "well I've only got one mad one that won't listen to me now."
"I'm going to have to guess little Octavia. Has she finished at Beauxbatons yet?"
"Almost and no it's not her. It's the older one, Alcina," Aldora sighed and pulled a lovely sapphire blue traveling cloak from the nearest rack and fingered the fabric. "She can't seem to make up her mind. I keep telling her that the bloody quidditch team isn't going to write her."
"Oh dear, one of those. I'm so glad my Draco is more interested in Ministry affairs. Lucius got him an internship..." Narcissa trailed off. Draco had been terminated from his position. He had been turning up to work late and drunk, not quite the front man the Ministry wants.
"That's lovely," changing the subject, Narcissa touched a corner of the traveling cloak, "are you going somewhere?"
"Ah yes. I'm taking Octavia on a trip to China this summer. You know as a gift for finishing at school. Merlin knows what Alcina is going to do. Lie about the house playing with her quaffle most likely."
Narcissa closed her eyes and smiled, "I feel the same way about Draco." She was then hit with an idea. "Dora did you get an invitation to the birthday party my husband is throwing me?"
Aldora shook her head causing Narcissa to smile even more, "Well you're invited and Mordecai and Alcina are welcome as well. Although it is short notice, tomorrow night's the party."
"I'm sure Mordy has some dress robes lying around somewhere. And since I'm here I can get Alcina a new dress... well a dress."
Narcissa giggled a little and dove back into the rack of glittering dresses, Aldora at her side.
There's chapter 2! And I'd like to thank Alistriona and limecottage for the reviews, thats what keeps me going. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as I can.