The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money generally costs a lot less.
The Shard
April 20th 1998
Even on the days, she was forbidden to leave the manor, she smelt like fresh summer nights and freedom. Draco wished he could bottle and wear it on his very being.
The infatuation he had developed over the last year was something he could not put into effective words, perhaps it was her unattainability, perhaps it was a desire to protect her from the things he had watched her endure, or perhaps it was the fact she carried his child inside her.
Another innocent child who had been brought into the middle of a war by force and expectation, not the product of some illicit affair, not an illegitimate bastard but a perceived yet false heir, who would never know the truth about their conception.
It had been at His request, the union, on her wedding night. Before the handfasting ceremony, The Dark Lord had taken Draco aside, a private meeting held in complete secrecy, he had given a long and cumbersome speech to Draco in which he had expressed his opinion that his heir should be truly pureblood and continue his "noble pureblood" name. Gaunt, a name related to Salazaar Slytherin himself and a respected member of the Sacred 28.
He had blamed his mother's poor choices that his name had not always been the noble one and that, with his tainted blood, he would be unable to fulfil this requirement for the new world.
After the briefest of mentions, the formalities of his true half-blood status were brushed aside as it being for the greater good of wizardkind but Draco knew that his cruelty knew no bounds and given Rose's clear discomfort at the thought of being married to him, let alone impregnated by him, it was clear that he had been incapable of committing the act himself. He would have taken great pleasure in the power that inflicting that level of pain on her.
Conversations with Rose confirmed Draco's theory, she shared that his defeat at the hands of Harry Potter had taken many things from him, and his carnal desires had been one of them. Draco was sure that she was nothing less than grateful for this shortcoming.
The Dark Lord couldn't bear to touch her, he commented that her magic burned his flesh, and he struggled to hold her hand long enough to satisfy the unbreakable vow that took the guise of a handfasting ceremony.
On the birth of their son whose name would become Gaunt and he would restore the family position in the Sacred 28 and the newly honoured name would begin a new legacy, in a new better world, free of inclusion, where muggles and muggle-borns alike would be put in their correct position at the bottom of society.
She hadn't wanted the marriage, on the contrary, she had ruthlessly and relentlessly petitioned for his aunt Bellatrix to be allowed to annul her loveless marriage and take her place, but He had ultimately decided that Bellatrix was no match for him, he had publicly humiliated her with this rejection and sparked the everpresent hatred between the two women, it was after all a union of power and not of love or lust.
He's watching me, it creeps me out, I wish I could read his mind.
She caught Draco watching her. "What?"
He shifted uncomfortably, he hadn't realised he had been staring at her and he was flustered, his gaze turning to the muggle television box that she had insisted on turning on as background noise he tried to brush it off.
"I've never seen you relaxed before,"
"Don't get used to it, until He is dead and gone we have a facade to keep up"
She wore maroon tartan pyjamas and sat surrounded by cushions on the plush sofa in front of the window, she watched the nighttime landscape of London with its bright lights and busy city below with a slightly vacant expression.
Heaving himself from the bed, Draco searched in his bag before finding his pyjamas and taking them to the bathroom to change from the suit that had long since grown uncomfortable.
After he dressed and turned to return he heard her whispering, glancing around the door she had moved to the bed, and she sat with her stomach on display.
We won't be here much longer little one. We will be safe soon
She was smiling sadly, poking different parts of her belly with her finger, he couldn't help but smile. He watched her silently as she played and talked with the life that grew within.
He leaned in to hear what she was saying, but his bare foot squeaked on the marble floor, and as if remembering that he was there, immediately pulled her top down before climbing under the Duvet.
He joined her in the bed, she didn't protest as he climbed under the cover with her
Oh for Merlin sake the sofa is the size of a bed … why follow me…
No not under the cover
He lay next to her watching the pictures on the screen, some form of news broadcast flashed before them, and he recognised the destruction playing out, the latest randomised attack that was meant to send a message to the muggle prime minister - once again the muggles blamed the "terrorist organisation" for the attacks, they weren't far wrong.
She didn't speak and seemed tense.
They had never put labels on their pseudo-relationship, instead, they had just gone with the flow. There were too many obstacles, too many things that made it oh so wrong, and that seemed to be one of the things that attracted Draco to it.
30% of the time she acted as though she hated him and every other person on the planet like they were all beneath her and should be serving her every whim, 30% of the time she acted like a merciless and ruthless psychopath who would murder you for looking at her incorrectly, 30% of the time she was guarded and aloof, had an alternative motive to her plans, she was not loyal to their cause but until recently Draco couldn't understand what her true cause was.
But there was that tiny 10% that remained, that tiny portion of her time where she was a fragile flower he needed to protect and that was the part of her that drove him wild.
Forgetting himself entirely he threaded his arm through hers, she tensed as she always did.
She turned to face him, her face quizzing his motives.
Why does he smell like him
Rolling her towards him Draco took her face in his hand and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Tastes like my Draco too oh Merlin we can't do this.
She didn't respond, closing her eyes to avoid his, focusing on keeping the memories within herself.
I don't know why there is always the assumption that my body is anyone's to touch as they please.
Removing his arm from beneath her he allowed his hands to explore her body, and she moved her hands to his face and her body closer to him.
As he found her hips he felt his hand spread protectively over her tiny rounded stomach a foot or fist met his touch and the now all too familiar pain of returning memories shot through his brain. Each one had been a piece of her puzzle.
These are my memories, my private moments, not for everyone else to share as they please.
Draco relived a clandestine meeting with her from the proper timeline, a tall crooked ruin of a house loomed over them, there was desperation in the air, fevered kisses and ripping of clothes, a level of fear that he had grown to know all too well, she had blood splattered on her clothes, and he wanted to know why. To know where they were, how this came to be the moment it did but more than anything he had wanted her. He had just sheathed himself inside of her before being dragged back to reality. Her eyes flew open, she pushed him away and turned away from him once more.
"Stop it." She hissed returning her attention to the Television.
Please leave me alone
Over the course of the last 6 months, through touches and fleeting moments, he had seen the snippets of painful memories, Draco had pieced together some of their stories, he knew she wasn't who she said she was, he knew her actual birth date had only recently passed and that she was not the pure-blood daughter of impoverished blood traitors.
He knew that he, Draco, had killed her mother as a matter of mercy seconds after her birth, Draco knew she was her mother's double but had her father's eyes and hair and he wondered how the Mudblood and Weaselbee had made something so perfect as her.
"I don't want you drinking alcohol while she is still inside you."
"Sorry boss I forgot you were in charge"
"She deserves the best start."
Shit. He knows she's a girl.
"She?"
"I think she's a girl…" Draco tried to put his hand on her stomach again only to have it batted away once more, anger brewed on her face.
She's mine
He couldn't help but scowl at her, the mixed signals were growing tiresome.
Her features flickered between anger and annoyance before a small amount of fear glistened in her eyes, her resolve dropped and she pulled his chin to her and planted a kiss on his lips, he knew it wasn't love or lust but merely an attempt to shut him up.
As she withdrew, he felt a pain shoot through him, the memory flashed before him again, the first time she had tiptoed up and pulled his face to her as they stood in the ruin of her family's former home. An attempt to thank him in the only way she had grown to know. She was so young, and he had been so lonely after Astoria's death, at almost twice her age back then he should have known better, but instead he took her offering with greedy roaming hands, she looked so much like her mother.
They had been through so much… too much and she had been her sunshine happy self, despite the events of mere hours ago.
"I love you." It slipped out before he thought about it. He didn't know how he felt; love was a strong word and not one he had used before. At least not in this lifetime.
Same level of bullshit as my Draco
She snorted before laughing loudly. Draco furrowed his brow, pushing her away.
She rolled her eyes, "You don't love me Draco, we occasionally have sex to fulfil a command or forget the world, at best we are fuck buddies who can't get caught for fear of death, at worst, we have a trauma bond which is easily mistaken for love…."
She thought for a moment before laughing again "... no actually scratch that at worse you are talking out of your arse so I will sleep with you again… either way the feeling will go away eventually."
He thought for a moment, "Maybe but if I say "I trauma bond you" it makes me sound like a sadist."
"Romi"
Why am I sharing this with him, she might not even be his.
"Romi? What's that when it's at home."
"Her name…"
"Over my dead body"
"That can be arranged… very easily."
"I'm serious Rosie, she's not going to be called Romi"
"What have I told you about calling me Rosie… and besides who says you get a say…"
"She's my daughter."
He's not dead… can only mean one of two things.
She stared at him, "You may want to remember the vow you took… you might not be allowed to claim … it… but I've grown to like your company, I'd like you to stick around for a while longer rather than dropping dead… who would save me from your father if you were gone."
He cursed himself for a moment, the slip-up would have led to his death if the child was indeed a boy. It oddly reassured him, a daughter wouldn't be claimed by Him, girls don't make good heirs after all, she would be squirrelled away from the world, protected and he would be asked to "try again" for a son.
In the visions, he had seen his son briefly, held him, spoke with him and already felt a deep bond with the child who at present didn't exist. He had also felt the agony of losing his wife who had been the only good thing bar Scorpius that he had had in his life.
He couldn't imagine feeling that kind of love for anyone else, but the infatuation he felt for her at this moment felt like a close second.
He threaded his arm around her again and he felt her sigh and roll her eyes. Pulling her body to press to his, he felt himself jump to attention.
You know you want that feeling again… why deny yourself
She pressed her bum against him, her eyes never leaving the television screen.
"That dress drove me wild tonight," a hand found its way inside the pyjama shirt, taking her bare breast in his hand and the other gripped her hip. He bit her earlobe and he felt her squirming against him, her eyes closed again now.
Draco grabbed her chin and forced her face to look at his and a spark of desire appeared in her eyes.
You know you want him Rose ….
Ripping the pyjama shirt from her sending the buttons flying, she gasped in shock before taking his mouth with hers.
"Don't you dare, Draco." She hissed as his fingers found her sensitive area, he loved when she said his name. His free hand grabbed her throat and the look of fear and excitement that met him drove his resolve. His grip tightened, taking her air as he reclaimed the power in their exchange for the briefest moment.
Her body spasmed as he forced the orgasm from her.
"Your body betrays you, Rosie." He husked in her ear.
And suddenly it wasn't him. The memory of cologne consumed me entirely.
Something triggered.
Be a good girl
She slid from the bed, shed her trousers, tip-toed to the large dressing table and presented herself to him before he could recognise that something in the air had changed.
He loved the way her body looked from behind, her toned pale legs led to the wonderful peach of her bottom and the hourglass of her waist met it at the base with two perfect dimples at the base of her spine. He launched himself from the bed eagerly, shedding his night clothes.
He moved her hair, kissing her neck as he did so before positioning himself against her entrance. After a moment, he forced himself deep into her warmth. She groaned and positioned herself on her tip toes so he could thrust into her. He obliged happily.
Filthy whore
She was looking down, her wild hair covering her eyes. He wanted to see her face, to look into her eyes as he filled her, making her happy, making her his possession.
You deserve the pain
His hand intertwined with her mane, and he forced her head back to encourage her to look at him.
He doesn't really want you
However, as her piercing blue eyes met his the look on her face was as far from the face of someone who was enjoying the lust and wanting of another person as could be. She looked at him as though she hated him as though she hated every man on the planet, her face contorted with disgust as she met her own reflection, the deepest self-loathing oozed from her.
He attempted to pull out, but her nails grabbed him forcing him to remain, her hand began forcing each stroke of his body in hers.
Don't leave me
"Harder,"
"Rosie…. I can't do this …"
I have to keep him happy
She placed a full palm on his leg and he felt her magic completely encompass him, stronger than any imperious curse, she was in control of his entire soul at this point, she locked eyes with him in the mirror.
The blue and the grey.
And with a jolt, he was there again, writhing with her into the dry dirt, her skirt hitched up and her knickers at her ankles. She moaned with him, her pleasure real and true, not the false moans created for the men his father had gifted her to.
With her eyes closed she was her in every respect, every tiny freckle, her nose, her exquisite lips which opened slightly in pleasure to reveal her teeth.
I'm yours
The dark mark snaked around her neck and the scales spelt his name, marking her as his or at least his by inheritance and he wondered in a moment of sickness if he had asked all those years ago if he would have been allowed to keep her and take her as his own rather than kill her what would have come of them.
The disgusting thought sent him over the edge and as he filled her in both lifetimes "Hermione…" fell from his lips.
Told you he wouldn't want you
Her eyes shot open, last time his dirty secret had warranted a broken heart and tears, this time anger and frustration.
She pushed him from her before he finished his release, leaving him to clean the mess they had made.
She walked away to retrieve her pyjamas from the floor, repairing the buttons as she went. She dried the frustration tears from her eyes on the back of her hand, climbed back into the bed and flipped the channel on the Television.
"Any funny business tomorrow Draco, and I will end you like I did your dear Aunt Bella."
"Rose I…" He tried to speak, to explain his actions.
"She would never want you, you know." The sentence was so casual yet filled with venom it cut through him like a knife, Draco knew, and the shame he felt bubbled within him. "Not in a million lifetimes, not even if you saved her from a fate worse than death."
"I'm sure I did save…"
"You waited until she gave birth, barrelled into the room, murdered her in cold blood and then took her daughter from her… you had 3 months to help her escape… don't you dare imply you saved her."
Anger from another time bubbled within him, and all at once he couldn't keep the bile inside him.
"I could have at least given her a future, what does Weasley have to offer her, 10 kids and poverty."
"Red hair and a hand-me-down robe… you must be a Weasley …" Rose retorted mimicking his voice. "I was there you know… I saw the things you said to them, how you made fun of him for being poor… you called her a filthy mudblood… you were a vile and jealous little boy… In your own words Draco… I think you will find that some wizarding families are better than others… money doesn't buy decency. At least the Weasleys love each other."
He tried to retort her claims but nothing came, she was right.
"They belong together…" she continued her eyes never leaving the television, unblinking to avoid the tears that congregated in her eyes being allowed to slip from her. "... my mum and dad… and right now there is a little girl who deserves a better world than this one who is proof that they belong together. I will not allow her to grow up in the world I had to."
A sudden realisation hit Draco, "You said the baby was dead…"
"I've said a lot of things Draco… whether the truth is amongst those things is completely irrelevant."
"You killed Bellatrix because she caused Granger and her baby's death…"
"He saw what I wanted him to see and Bellatrix has killed more than enough people for her to finally get her comeuppance…"
"So they are alive, Granger and the baby…"
"Of course, Hermione and baby Rose are alive Draco… if that baby dies I die… surely you have figured that out by now."
A silence fell, as a wall shattered between them, she knew that he knew who she was, she had seen the memories too, lived through them alongside him.
He lay awake the rest of the night, and neither of them spoke another word until dawn came.
April 21st 1998
Malfoy Manor
Draco stood guard outside the dining room. The impact of his hand on her face echoed throughout the halls.
"When I call you, you come to me."
"I was dealing with a tip-off on Potter's whereabouts"
"... and yet you return here with nothing…"
"Because you kept calling me…"
Another blow, the impact of which made his teeth hurt.
Draco clenched his jaw.
The door slammed shut behind him making him jump, muffled arguing could be heard before a scream of "Crucio" and a thud of a body on the floor.
He could feel his heart beating rapidly
After a few moments of silence followed by heels on marble, the door burst open, and she stormed from the room refusing to look back.
"Draco, come"
"How does she live with the level of disappointment she is? Obstinate little wench."
"Yes my lord,"
"I can only hope that once the child is born she will return to her former self, it would be a shame to have to dispose of someone with her abilities."
Draco froze, unable to articulate an appropriate response.
"I thought so," He smirked a cruel smirk "You have grown quite fond of her haven't you Draco."
"No… I'm sorry, my lord… I …"
"No need to apologise, I assure you I have no need for her in that manner. I find it entirely repulsive the thought of mating with a half-blood."
His blood ran cold. Half blood? He couldn't know surely.
"But my lord…"
His hand raised silencing Draco.
"I know what she has led you to believe, and I must apologise that I have implored you to mate with her, it is far too complex to explain. What I can tell you is that the child within her is prophesied to be the Master of Death alongside me, so we must continue to play along with her game."
He walked towards Draco with conviction and placed a hand on Draco's arm.
"Keep her sweet until the child is born, then we will show her the cost of disloyalty to our cause. You will be the one to strike that blow for me won't you, it will hurt more given how she appears to trust you so."