Hello everyone! This is just a short 3 parter I spat out to hopefully cure some writers block. I'm working on a longer Dramione fic at the moment.
TW: Domestic Abuse and Depression. (Abuse is not between Draco and OC)
Also I have never personally been through a physically abusive relationship. I am going off of second hand experience. I recognize every situation is different and everyone's grief is different.
Please take care yourselves friends! Happy Reading.
Steph
The Snake Falls for Eden
Headmistress McGonagall looked out at the staff members in front of her, her heart swelled with pride as she saw many of her former students who had not only survived a war at much too young an age, but also managed to put old rivalries and prejudices aside in order to work together and build lives for themselves. She clapped her hands and addressed them.
"Ok everyone, I'd like to start our first staff meeting of the 2003-2004 term by first introducing our newest history of magic teacher, Professor Finnagan ."
Draco sat up straight. Finnagan? Surely Seamus Finnagan wasn't a professor? The bloke still couldn't do a spell without something blowing up, even as an adult.
He looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see not Seamus, but a striking young woman.
Maybe it was his wife? No, Seamus couldn't land a beauty like her. Besides, he thought as he glanced at her left hand, there's no ring. Maybe they're related? He'd have to ask her later.
He watched as she took a seat two spaces in front of him. He shot her a smile and she returned it, then she promptly turned her attention to McGonagall, who had once again begun speaking.
Draco heard nothing though, he was too busy studying the new professor. She was very petite, only up to McGonagall's shoulder, couldn't be much more than 5 foot. She had a fit build and had curves in all the right places. And that hair. It reminded him of Granger's curls, however she wore them long, reaching the small of her back, which seemed to weigh them down some and instead of brown they were a dark red, almost an auburn. She wore it half up, with part of it braided. In the braids was a small silver chain that joined two braids together. It was like art. She had a milky white complexion with the cutest little freckles across her nose and cheeks. Those eyes were hypnotizing, bright blue like the sky on a clear day. He could get lost in those eyes. And her lips-
"Hey Malfoy!"
Draco jumped at the sudden interruption. Looking to see Harry behind him.
"Merlin Potter! Way to sneak up on a bloke."
Draco and Harry had long since put old school rivalries behind them. Choosing instead to concentrate on rehabilitation and healing. They've since become good friends, however unlikely. Apparently without interference from a dark lord and civil war, the two wizards became friends quite easily.
"Sneaking? I said your name twice before shouting, and you still weren't paying attention! What could you have possibly been thinking about so intensely?"
"Nothing," Draco glanced over to where the new professor was sitting, only to find the seat empty.
Harry followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Mhm, sure. Anyway, you want to come over for dinner Saturday? We're having a roast and we're thinking of inviting Eden to welcome her to Hogwarts."
"Eden? Who's that?"
"Only the witch you've been staring at for the last half hour"
"I wasn't staring. Dinner sounds fine, what time Saturday?"
"Sure you weren't"
Draco rolled his eyes, "What time?"
"Come by around 6."
"Ok see you then" Draco began to pack up his things and his mind began to wander, thinking about how the name Eden really suited her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He fussed with his hair for what seemed like forever. He had to let it grow after the war, when he was on house arrest for a year and couldn't use magic. It was either that or try to cut it himself, which was never going to happen. The look grew on him, though after his probation was over, he did get it cut to his shoulders, if only to keep from looking too much like his father. He looked himself over. It was just dinner at the Potters, so he wore a grey button-up, no tie, and black slacks. Finally satisfied, he went to the floo, appearing at the Potter residence.
He brushed the powder off his clothes and stumbled out of the fireplace. "Hello!"
"Hey Draco! We're in the kitchen!"
He followed the voice and found Hermione sitting at the bar watching Harry cook. It smelled delicious. He grabbed a seat next to Hermione. "I apologize for being early; I just didn't really have any reason to wait around."
"Oh don't be silly, you're always welcome to come whenever you want." Hermione, Draco and Harry had become good friends since working together at Hogwarts. He was even a groomsman at their wedding last year, much to Ron Weasley's disdain. Ron was the best man of course, so Draco tried his best to keep their interactions few and far between, if only for Harry and Hermione's sake. Draco gave Hermione a smile and grabbed the drink she offered him, then turned when he heard the floo again. In walked Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. They had been dating since after the war and everyone was sure wedding bells were on the horizon, but they were taking their sweet time with it.
"Draco! Your head is filled with wackspurts! What are you so anxious about?"
"Nothing Lovegood!" Draco gritted his teeth and downed more of his drink to try and hide his blush. The floo ignited yet again, and Hermione jumped out of her seat and went to meet Eden, so that she could formally introduce her to everyone.
"Everyone! This is Eden Finnagan, she's our new history of magic professor. Eden, you've met my husband Harry, there is Neville Longbottom, he teaches herbology, and his girlfriend Luna Lovegood. Lastly, this is Draco Malfoy, he teaches potions."
"Malfoy eh? My brother had a lot to say about you back in the day." She raised an eyebrow at Draco as she crossed her arms.
Draco ran his hand through his hair. Here we go. "Your brother wouldn't happen to be Seamus Finnagan would it?" Also, why did the Irish brogue that was so hard to understand when Seamus spoke sounds so beautiful coming out of her mouth?
"Yes! How did you know?"
"I wasn't very nice to him in school, or to anyone for that matter."
"I should say! He wrote to me all the time talking about the bloody Malfoy death eater who-"
"Now, Eden," Hermione interrupted. "That's all part of Draco's past. He's worked very hard to overcome that past and change his ways. He even defected at the end of the war. He's earned our trust, and I believe he deserves a chance to earn yours instead of having an opinion on his character before you've even met him."
Draco stood with his head down and hands in his pockets. Would there ever come a day when his friends didn't have to defend him to others? Would he ever not be judged by his name and background?
"You're right"
Draco's head shot up. What did she just say?
"I appreciate a person who can tell it to me straight, even if I may not like what they have to say. I think you and I are going to become good friends, Mrs. Potter."
"Please call me Hermione"
"Aye. And you."
Draco's eyes widened as she pointed to him. "I apologize for prejudging you. If you'll forgive me, I'd very much like to get to know this new and improved Draco Malfoy." She stuck out her hand and he took it, giving her a gentle handshake.
"I look forward to getting to know you as well, Ms. Finnagan." He flashed her one of his signature smirks.
"Please, call me Eden."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the initial awkwardness, dinner went quite smoothly. It's like Eden had always been a part of their group. Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so much. At around midnight the group finally started to filter out. Once Neville and Luna had left, Draco finally plucked up some courage and walked over to Eden, who was gathering her purse to leave.
"Hey Eden"
She looked up from her bag. "Yes?"
"I had a really great time tonight. I'd love to get to know you better. Would you like to get dinner with me sometime?" He hadn't realized he said it all in one breath. And at the look on her face, he shouldn't have said anything at all.
"Oh, Draco, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I'm seeing someone. Though I do look forward to getting to know you more, as a friend."
"Oh, um, right. I apologize."
"Oh no, don't worry about it. You didn't know."
"Ok, well friends then?"
"Of course"
She gave him a sympathetic smile as she made her way to the floo and in a flash of green flames, she was gone. He sank into the couch, deflating more and more by the minute.
Hermione quietly made her way into the room, but Draco still noticed her anyway.
"So, I guess you heard?"
"Yes I did, and even though it didn't turn out the way you wanted, I think you both handled it very maturely."
Draco scoffed at her overly logical analysis. "Thanks"
"Oh come on Draco, she's already seeing someone, it wasn't a rejection of you per se, she's just not at liberty to be going out to dinner with other men. I respect her for being loyal to her partner. "
"I know, I know, it's just a bloke can only be turned down by so many women before he develops self-esteem issues"
Hermione took this opportunity to smack his shoulder. "Draco Malfoy. How dare you?! I thought we were past all that!" In their eighth year at Hogwarts, after the war, Draco and Hermione had grown quite close while being Head Boy and Head Girl. Harry and Ron were against Malfoy at first, understandably, but she tried to convince them to give him a chance. Harry had agreed, later becoming one of his best friends. Ron, however, wanted nothing to do with him. Ron was still sour that Hermione chose Harry. And while she never wanted to hurt Ron, she had to be honest with him. He was like her brother and one of her best friends. Their relationship with Ron was still somewhat strained to this day, though they've come leaps and bounds from where they started.
Draco didn't really care if Ron rejected him as a friend. He did care though, when Hermione rejected him romantically right after graduation, stating she was in love with Harry, always had been. It hurt. But they both moved on, and soon were able to be close friends again. That was 4, almost 5 years ago now, and he really hadn't been interested in anyone since. He took the time to further his career, and try to rebuild what the war took away from him.
He was disinherited after refusing a marriage to Astoria Greengrass, arranged by his mother. But oddly enough, he was okay with that. It gave him a chance to start from scratch. By working at the school, room and board was taken care of, and he received a paycheck each month, which was more than enough to cover other needs. He was in a good place now, he was ready to find someone to share his life with.
"I am! Geez, woman, why are you always so violent? I don't hold it against you! Just let me wallow in my self-pity in peace!"
Harry chose this moment to walk in and laughed at the spectacle. "I take it Eden turned you down."
"Yeah, she's seeing someone"
"Oh, well you know what they say. There's always more witches in the coven."
It was Harry's turn to get smacked
"Harry James Potter! What a misogynistic thing to say!"
"Ow! Sorry!"
Draco laughed at the couple, though watching them together sent a pang through him. "I just want what you two have, what Neville and Luna have. I feel like I've finally got both my feet underneath me, got my life together. I just want someone to share that with."
Hermione pulled him into a hug. "Oh Draco, somewhere out there is the perfect witch, just waiting for you to sweep her off her feet on one of those ridiculous brooms of yours."
Draco chuckled, "Thanks, Hermione. Though I think I'm going to finish this pity party back home. Good broom analogy, though. Thanks for dinner, Potter. See you Monday."
"See you, mate"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few weeks went by quickly, everyone was bustling with plans for the start of the term and the next Triwizard Tournament. When the first week of September came, Draco was more than prepared. He had laid out all his plans for the first half of the term and gave them to Hermione, who would be taking over his potions class while he supervised the boys who went to Durmstrang, which would be hosting the tournament this year. Eden would come along as the girls' supervisor, giving her classes over to Neville. Apparently her boyfriend lived nearby, and she looked forward to visiting him.
When they arrived at Durmstrang, he met them at the platform, and she ran to give her boyfriend a hug. He was about as tall as Draco, though quite a bit more muscular with broader shoulders. His build reminded him of Victor Krum, though his facial features reminded him of someone else, he couldn't put his finger on who.
Draco had offered to carry her trunk for her, so he had no choice but to stand there awkwardly and watch the reunion, though he avoided eye contact at all costs. "Draco!" He had no choice but to look at her now. "Come here and meet Ivan!" He groaned and went to where they stood, not missing the scowl on the large man's face.
"Ivan, this is my friend Draco Malfoy, he teaches potions at the school I work at. Draco, this is my boyfriend Ivan Dolohov"
Dolohov. He knew that name. No. He hated when people judged him by his name, so he wasn't about to do the same.
"Nice to meet you, Dolohov" he extended his hand.
The man eagerly grabbed his hand and gave it a vigorous shake. "Ah Malfoy! It's been too long since I've heard that name! It's nice to see that the mudbloods haven't driven all of us out, eh?"
The man roared with laughter, but Draco went rigid. He hated that word. He shot a glance at Eden, who seemed just as shocked as he was. Didn't he know that Seamus and Eden were half-bloods? Before he could muse any further, Eden spoke up.
"Uh, Ivan, you're not going to let Draco here show you up, are you? Why don't you grab my trunk and show me to our room?" And with that, Ivan grabbed the trunk and followed behind her, leaving a speechless Draco in their wake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He kept trying to get a moment with Eden alone. He wanted to talk to her about his interaction with Dolohov the other day. How could she date him knowing he thought the way he did? Hermione had become one of her best friends, and she herself was a half-blood. Did Ivan even know that?
He wanted to talk to her, but every time he saw her, Dolohov was hanging all over her, constantly with an arm around her or holding her hand. They could just be a new couple in love, he mused. But then he didn't quit, even in front of the students, which he could tell made Eden uncomfortable. Now that he thought about it, he only saw her during work hours, which was strange because back at Hogwarts they would hang out after classes all the time. She had also barely said two words to him, which was extremely odd. He didn't like how possessive this Ivan guy was. He needed to talk to her. Away from him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, he'd had enough. Eden and Ivan were sitting further down the lunch table from him. He noticed she looked pale, more than usual. She was pushing her food around on her plate, not seeming interested at all, even though he knew she had missed breakfast.
"Hey Eden, can I talk to you in private for a second?"
"Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me, Malfoy."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "It's about a student," he lied, "that's private Hogwarts information."
"It's okay, Ivan. I'll be quick."
She followed Draco out, determined to make this quick so Ivan wouldn't get more angry than he already was.
"What's going on, Eden?"
"What? I thought this was about a student."
Draco crossed his arms. "I lied. I'm worried about you; something is going on. I almost never see you, and when I do that gorilla is hanging all over you. You barely talk to me anymore, and today you haven't eaten a bite. What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on, Draco. He's just a bit insecure, is all."
"Insecure? About what? Me? Good. And speaking of Ivan, how can you date him knowing he still believes in pure blood supremacy? Does he even know you're a half-blood?"
"Shhh. No, he doesn't. We've only been dating like 3 months, and honestly, I didn't think it mattered until you met him the other day. It's just never come up. I'll tell him when the time is right. That's the first I've heard him talk like that. Now I should get back before Ivan starts to worry."
"Eden wait-" he reached out to grab her wrist and was shocked when she let out a hiss and jerked away from him. His hand still in mid air, his heart dropped and he felt like he was going to be sick.
"Eden…has he hurt you?"
She had a hand on her wrist but slowly released it, shaking her head. "No no it was just an accident. He didn't realize how hard he had gripped me. It's fine."
Draco didn't believe her for a second, but he had to be very careful how he went about this. He slowly raised his hand out to hold hers. When she put her hand in his, he turned her wrist over to see blue and purple bruises marring her white skin. He looked at her with sad eyes. "Leave him."
"What?"
"You heard me. Leave him now, before he gets worse."
"Draco, I can't just-"
"Get your hands off my witch, Malfoy!" Ivan came storming in the hallway and shoved her out of the way, standing between her and Draco.
"Ivan don't! He was just concerned about a student and-"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAW!" He roared in her face. "He's trying to take you from me!"
"Get out of her face, Dolohov!" Draco grabbed his shoulder only to be met by a fist. He stumbled backward holding his hands to his now bleeding nose.
"Ivan! Ivan, please let's just go. There's nothing going on; he's nothing to me. Let's just go finish our lunch before this gets any worse, okay? Let's go." She grabbed his hand and led him back into the lunchroom, leaving Draco alone in the hall. He wasn't sure what hurt worse, his broken nose or her words.
After getting his nose fixed, he penned a letter to Harry and Hermione. It probably was none of his business getting them involved, but he didn't know what else to do. Better to ask forgiveness later, right?
As he sent the owl off with the letter, he tried to think of the best course of action. He couldn't confront Ivan directly; he would just take it out on her later. To be honest, Draco didn't think he would win a physical altercation with Dolohov. He wasn't some bull-headed Gryffindor with a hero complex who would just barge in and save the day. No, he had to think this through and come up with a plan.
While Draco was at least 6 foot tall, he was more lean than muscular. Ivan, on the other hand, was pure muscle and stood eye to eye with Draco. A duel wouldn't work either. He didn't know how the guy was with a wand, and there could be too much collateral damage. No, he needed to avoid confrontation with the man. Maybe he could send Eden a note? Try to convince her to leave him for good.
He saw this kind of man almost every day when Voldemort had invaded his home during the war. He saw how death eaters treated their women, including his father. The only woman the men wouldn't touch was Bellatrix, for obvious reasons. No, he had to put a stop to this now. The abuse would only get worse.