I had to ask Draco where the hell we were when I stepped out onto the sand of a beach.
"The Galápagos," he said, squinting in the sun. I had fallen asleep in the carriage and wasn't even sure how long we'd been en route.
"Wait, what?"
"Are you deaf?" Draco asked me sardonically, taking his shoes off and snapping his fingers, at which point the carriage trunk doors opened and things began floating out.
"Why couldn't we just have stayed in Europe? I don't want to go on a honeymoon with the likes of you."
Draco watched me as I walked around the horses to argue with him.
"That's what you think this is?" he asked me honestly.
"No, this is where we're going to live from now on—I can't stand the chill of England anymore," he said impatiently, and I thought it odd for him to say, because when he sighed I swear I saw his breath like a cold apparition, which couldn't possibly have been, as it was an easy fifty-five degrees or so.
"What?" Okay, Draco, what about the tourists?"
He rolled his freezing eyes and turned his gaze downward to me.
"This island is uninhabited. But if any filthy Muggles feel the need to poke around, the protective enchantments will simply repel them," he spat.
"Why don't we cut the shit now and you can let me go home, yeah?" I said, prying at the ring on my finger. Draco sighed, and this time it sounded like what I believed to be a sigh of disappointment rather than irritation.
"You've been doing that in vain," he said, changing his tone to a hostile one, "Have you any idea how sacred the magic of Handfasting is?"
"…I don't understand why you're doing this. A legal document and a ring doesn't make me anything that belongs to you. You're no part of me." I said.
"We'll see about that. The truth is," Draco began, taking the smallest step towards me, so that he was really, really looking down at me, as if I were an object to be scrutinized. The hair at the back of my neck stood up. I swear I felt coldness emanating from Draco's form, "until this brilliant idea popped into my head, I didn't understand just how much I needed to start my life, apart from my parents. When we take over as Death Eaters, I need the underlings to see me as an authoritative, independent leader, not some…prince living beneath his father," Draco said, saying the last five words with total disgust. "You're a powerful witch, Johnson. We need women like you."
"We? There's no we, Malfoy! I'm not going to keep playing at this or help you in any way, shape, or form, so you might as well stop being a prick and let me go!"
Draco glared at me, and then he turned so swiftly, I was met with an eerily freezing breeze.
"Malfoy!" He didn't even turn round to see me pick up a fistful of sand and throw it in his direction. All the trunks and items from the carriage were following Draco into the trees inland where he shortly disappeared. I shouted out loud in frustration, but all I could hear were the waves crashing. I tried again to pull off the ring, but all I succeeded in doing was bruising a phalanx. I dropped to my knees in the sand. What Draco had said echoed in my ears. "You've been doing that in vain…" had he known all along that I'd been trying to find a way to take off the ring? I was frustrated, angry, and sad. However, when I took in my surroundings, I found the place to be beautiful. I stood up and approached the unicorns. One whinnied and nudged me in a friendly manner when I stroked his mane. And then an idea hatched in my mind and I smiled. I unlatched the horse from the group and mounted him with some difficulty.
"Alright, sir," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck, "Take me away." He started to walk and I realized I wasn't sure how to get him to take flight.
"Going somewhere?" Draco's voice called. I turned to find him walking towards the horse that I was riding away from the carriage.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Draco asked, "You were trying to leave. They won't take flight unless I order them to," he said, standing right in front of my horse who stopped.
"And why is that?" I retorted.
"Because they only take that order from their trainer."
"Trainer? You trained them?" I wanted to laugh as I tried to picture Draco training horses.
"I didn't raise them for no reason," he replied, "Now, get off and change out of that dress before you destroy it," said Draco. My eyes widened.
"I think not," I spat. Draco glared at me, then looked into the horse's eyes, said something to him, and he knelt on his limbs, nearly causing me to fall.
I was taken off guard so much that I didn't have time to react before Draco came and snatched me off the horse's back.
"Insolent bitch," Draco snarled, pressing me into the sand, forget the dress.
I spat up into his eyes and he recoiled out of shock. I took the chance to get up and start away from him. He was cursing and then I felt an odd sensation at the back of my neck. I recognized Draco's fingers at the nape of my neck and then I felt very tired, due to the lack of oxygen to my brain. I hit the sand...
I awoke on something luxuriously soft. I thought I heard voices, and as I sat up, I knew one of them to be Draco's...and he was speaking Spanish. Whoever was speaking to him was clearly a native speaker. I would have thought the same of Draco, as he was talking at the same impossibly quick pace. I looked around and found myself to be on a beautifully upholstered Victorian sofa, the room appearing to match with its ornate wallpaper. I realized that the door was open. It sounded as though Draco and the other masculine voice that was speaking weren't far off. I stepped onto the floor which I noticed to be a beautifully polished new hardwood, smooth upon the soles of my bare feet. Draco and the unfamiliar voice laughed, and then someone walked away. I heard approaching steps and stood to await whomever was coming. Draco appeared in the doorway with a toothless smile that faded when he saw that I was standing.
"You know I'd curse you into oblivion if I could. What the hell did you do to me, Draco?" I asked, crossing my arms. Draco walked toward the window and opened it.
"You want to be difficult, fine. Two can play at that game." He said without even turning to look at me.
"Draco, what did you do to me?"
"Nothing serious—you're perfectly fine. Just a little trick I learned from a doctor," he said uninterestedly.
"Why the hell would a doctor teach you anything? Who are you?!" I demanded. Draco jumped a bit, seemingly startled by the sudden loudness of my voice.
"Where's my wand?" I asked, realizing that I couldn't find it on me. Slowly, Draco turned around and took a few steps towards me, but left enough space so that I had to approach him in order to retrieve my wand, which he was holding with the handle facing me.
"You dropped it on the beach," he said plainly.
"I wouldn't have dropped at all if you hadn't touched me, you son of a bitch," I said, snatching my wand away.
"Careful; what does that make you now?" he asked.
"…I'm not your wife, and I'm not going to play along! Are you just stupid or absolutely mentally ill? Oh, wait, both, of course, because you really seem to have kidded yourself into believing that I'm going to—"
"Look—I could've killed you that night, Angelina!" Draco snapped, and I was silent.
"Would you have preferred me to?!" he asked in a sinister way that actually made me feel scared as his face hardened into accumulating rage.
"Huh?"
I didn't say anything.
"That's what I thought," he said, standing back a bit triumphantly.
"Well, why didn't you?" I asked. I thought at that point I at least had the bloody right to know. Draco sighed and for the shortest of seconds he seemed to let his shoulders drop and his eyes soften into a dare I think it, sweet, remorseful frown, but he closed them and let his expression go stolid.
"I could've," he said, "And damn it, I very well should have, but you…" he looked at me bravely then, "It has to do with nothing more than the fact that I can recall you as a classmate. We played against each other in school for Quidditch. You used to be in one of my study periods, where McGonagall kept watch. Believe me when I say I've killed many people, but none of them ever came so close to a memory of my past, before I became this…you reminded me of…" he shook his head a second, as if chastising himself for saying so much.
"Don't ask me things like that," he said with slight irritation, but more so it sounded like a warning of some sort. Draco simply started for the door, leaving me once again to myself. A nice breeze came in through the window which he'd left open. I wondered what the hell he was talking about. Just because he remembered me, even though we'd never really interacted much, that's why he hadn't killed me? I took a few steps towards the window until I was looking out of it. I appeared to be on the fifth floor of a beautiful Victorian, style house. I could see the beach from where I was. I looked over towards the wall and found some ornate curtains hiding away another part of the room. I pointed my wand and the curtains fell back, revealing a beautiful four-poster bed. I liked it, to be perfectly honest. The room was much brighter than the one I'd been kept in at Malfoy manor. There was a large window at the head of the bed, where there were more curtains open to let the sun flow in. This room was much lighter and airier than the one I was living in less than a day ago. I noticed my trunks were sitting in the corner unpacked, so I pointed my wand and they let themselves into an amazing closet that I knew would have been every woman's dream. If not for the circumstances, I would've been genuinely joyous. I ran over to the bed and jumped on it. It was elevated, so that when I sat up it was almost as if I were on a throne, a queen of sorts. I ran my fingers over the silky to the touch sheets. If not for Draco, I was certain I was in some kind of a dream. I'd never felt so greedy in my life. There was a door which I noticed to be ajar. Believing it to be another closet, I rushed over and pushed it open. The sun was coming in on my own bathroom. It had a large mirror built into the wall, an expensive-looking stone tub, a toilet that had he been chichi enough, I'm sure Draco would have ordered to be built out of gold, but the marble looked to be brand new, and matched the floor, which shined as if it had just been polished. There was no doubt in my mind that I was standing on millions of galleons worth of construction. It was downright ridiculous. And beautiful. I decided I wanted to see what the rest of the house looked like. I made my way out of my room and started down the hall. I noticed that there were stairs going up and stairs going down. I couldn't make up my mind, but then figured it might be nice to go outside again. Like a child on Christmas morning, I started running down the stairs. I reached the very bottom and bumped square into another person. I fell and he caught me in what felt like strong and stable arms, but when I looked up into a pair of bright auburn eyes, I knew it wasn't Draco.
"Where is the fire?" he asked, smiling and steadying me on my feet. At once I thought I was in love. He was a beautiful man, and his accent only intensified this fact. I recognized his voice from earlier and decided he must've been the man Draco was talking to, although he was speaking English now. He bent on one knee and held my hand to his lips.
"Misses Malfoy, I am Javi. Your husband's right-hand man, as you say, in English, yes?" He smiled to reveal a perfect set of straight white teeth. I nearly fainted. He had olive skin and thick long dark brows that suited his masculine face just right. His hair was about shoulder length and swept back from the tropical breeze outside.
"Javi?" I said, half paying attention as I drank in his appearance with my eyes. He stood up and gracefully let go of my hand.
"Your husband has gone out…to a meeting, he said. I've been keeping this place awaiting your arrival. How do you like?"
"Like?" By that point I had turned into a ditz. Javi laughed.
"Would you like a tour?" he asked me, bowing gracefully.
"Of course," I said. Fuck Draco, I thought. I was going to make myself comfortable. I didn't make any verbal passes at Javi as he showed me every inch of the place, including the garden outback, where there was a stable which held the unicorns that had been leading the carriage. The sun was setting by the time Javi led me back inside where he said he would make Draco and I dinner. I hated for him to mention Draco, who I was happy was gone. But as soon as I sat down at the kitchen table, Draco apparated in, looking a bit disheveled. It took me by surprise and I gasped. Javi turned around, and Draco immediately began talking to him in Spanish. I wondered if this was even necessary, as it was clear that Javi could speak and understand English.
"Javier, gracias, pero Angelina y yo tengo que…" I stopped listening and glared at Draco. Javi nodded and said good afternoon to me before he vanished in a strange black cloud sort of mist, the way that Death Eaters often traveled, and I felt my heart sink. It hadn't occurred to me, even though I'd only just met Javi and barely knew him, that Javi was also a Death Eater, and therefore evil by default. I felt a bit hopeless about this fact. Draco waited a few seconds, as if to make sure that Javier was really gone. I stood up to leave the kitchen and Draco grabbed my arm, turning on me.
"Don't think you can go sleeping around with my lackeys. Do you think I'm bloody stupid?" Draco asked with wide bright eyes that were threatening. His hand was so cold that I shivered.
"Yeah, that's right, I saw how you were looking at him. Don't even try it."
"Who said anything about sleeping with anyone?" I growled, trying to pry my arm away. Draco held it tighter.
"Listen, just because I won't be around a lot doesn't mean you can do any damn thing you please. I trust Javier, and that's why he's here, to keep an eye on you. Don't think you can turn the tables on me," Draco finished, shaking his head. He then let go of me and his eyes wandered over to the empty table.
"You'd better make dinner. There's plenty of crap here," he said before starting out of the kitchen.
"What?!" Draco paused, but didn't turn around to look at me.
"You heard me," he said.
"You don't have house elves?"
"I would rather keep this location as remote as possible, by any means, including other beings. Now," he said, turning round to give me a stern look.
"Make yourself useful. I'd better not come back in here to find nothing on that table," he said before breezing out of the room. Who the hell did he think he was?!