TW: dubious consent, references to miscarriage/infertility

Chapter 145:

Balancing Preferences

Ariella prepared the morning meal, only to enter the dining room and find that it was, for once, not empty at this time of the day. Her mistress sat at the table. Ariella slowed but did not stop as she brought the tray forward.

"Good morning, ma'am."

Narcissa startled briefly, before composing herself. "Good morning, Ariella. How are you faring?"

"Good, thank you. Can I get you anything in particular, ma'am?"

"No. What you've brought is perfectly fine."

Nodding, she slowly returned to the kitchen. Odd. She wondered why Narcissa was up so early, considering the older woman had been careful to stay away from her.

Draco was just emerging from his loo when a knock sounded at his bedroom door. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he answered, unsurprised to find Ariella there. He stepped aside, allowing her in.

Returning to his dresser, he pulled out fresh clothes before glancing back at her. She hadn't moved from beside the doorway. When she was this quiet, this still, it didn't bode well.

"Ariella?" he prompted.

"I think we need to – I mean, I know it's obviously poor timing, considering…" she trailed off, gesturing towards his towel, but he got the message.

"Don't worry about that. If we need to, we need to. And there are other ways of…of proving yourself to me that will satisfy the bond," he reminded her. Nevermind that he didn't think she needed to.

"Of course, sir. I just thought it might be the easiest way to appease – "

" – it might be the most appealing to the bond," Draco interrupted, conceding to that point, "but that doesn't mean it's the only effective way to handle its demands all of the time. You know this. And you know I don't mind. Unless there's something else you aren't telling me…?"

"Is your mother upset with me?"

Whatever he thought she was going to say, that wasn't it.

"What?"

"It's just…she's been avoiding me since we got out of Azkaban. Like she wants nothing to do with me. Whatever few interactions we've had, they've been short and not…she hasn't requested anything."

"Ah. No, you haven't done anything to upset her. Rather, she has never been a fan of the bond and now, given the choice, she's choosing to disengage as much as she is permitted to. You – you remember what she told us about why my father enslaved you?"

She nodded. "My father had turned sides to protect us, and your parents were hurt in the process."

"My father viewed it as 'just' payment. A child for a child. My mother sees it as a reminder of something terrible and irreversible that happened."

"She views me as a reminder, then, of her miscarriage and subsequent lack of other children."

Draco just nodded. She deserved the truth, even if it was hard to talk about.

"Does she blame me?"

"No. I doubt even my father blames you for what happened back then. They just chose to handle it differently and are handling the results of that choice, especially after everything else that has happened, differently as well."

She just nodded shakily.

"We aren't going to release her from the bond – if we even could – but especially since I've come of age, it doesn't matter as much. You don't have to make up for it, since she's the one avoiding you, as opposed to you avoiding your duty," Draco further explained.

"Yes, sir. I understand. And what would you have me do right now for you? To prove myself to you?"

"Come here."

Ariella obeyed, walking slowly forward until she stood in front of her master, eyes downcast.

"Use your hand only," he instructed, removing the damp towel from around his waist. She'd made a good point earlier. He may not like it, but the bond did prefer sexual acts.

Gently, she wrapped her hand around him, curling her wrist as she moved it up and down his length. She could feel him responding to the stimulation. It took a bit, but his breathing grew shallow, his muscles tense.

"Stop," he bit out. Immediately, she obeyed, stepping back a pace to give him room.

"G – go into the loo, strip, and kneel in the tub," he choked out. She nodded, hurrying off, looking everywhere but directly at him.

Once she was through the door, Draco brought the towel to himself, finishing shortly thereafter. He knew she didn't enjoy this; he didn't want to pressure her further.

Taking another moment to partially regaining his composure, he threw the dirty towel into the laundry basket and put on some pants before joining her.

"You did well. Thank you."

She glanced up at him to see they were both flushed. "Thank you, sir."

"I haven't had the chance to clean in here recently. Your cleaning supplies are under the sink. Do what you can. I'll check back in an hour," he directed.

It was simpler instructions than she was anticipating.

"Yes, sir."

While he waited for the hour to be up, Draco returned to his study…his father's study, rather. He knew better than to believe otherwise. Even away, Lucius Malfoy had that power over the Manor.

He had to finish assignments for his classes, had to write Astoria back, had to coordinate with Longbottom…his list kept growing. Yet, he wasn't as overwhelmed as he usually was. Despite the presence he could still feel from his father, especially in this room, the lack of the man's looming presence made it easier to work. The expectations were still engrained in him, but it didn't feel quite so suffocating.

He waited for the hour to be up by working through some of those assignments, including the letter to Astoria – one of the more important items on that list if he were being honest. After sending it out the window with his owl, Draco headed back upstairs to his room.

Draco could smell the strength of the cleaning products as he entered his room, the scents only growing stronger as he entered his loo.

Most of the stains on his walls and in the basin had been wiped free, as had the ones in his sink and on his mirror. She was back in the tub, damp as she poured water over his shower curtain. He watched soap drip down the clear liner, murky water spiralling down the drain.

He looked around. "Well done."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Your arm."

She knelt again, presenting her left arm, and holding onto the edge of the basin with her right, grimacing as Draco pressed into the bond. It stung, just as she expected it to.

He pulled out, sitting down on the toilet set. "It's settling. Good job. You've served me well, today."

"Thank you, sir."

"Do you feel the need for anything else at the moment?"

"No sir."

"Right. Up you get then," he directed, holding out his hand to assist her.

"We'll get you back to your room. You have the rest of the evening to do with as you like. Tomorrow, we'll reassess the bond's status."

"Thank you, sir."

Late morning the following day, Draco knocked on his servant's bedroom door before entering, not at all surprised to find her at the small desk instead of in bed.

She looked up before casting her gaze downwards again. "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Fine. And you?"

"Alright. May I?" he replied, gesturing to her arm, which she promptly gave him access to. She grimaced, gripping the armrest of the chair with her free hand. It didn't matter how many times he did this; it still stung.

"We're in the clear for now," he said finally, perching against the edge of her desk. "However, I did want to check in: how did yesterday feel for you?"

"What do you mean? It's what we have to do – "

" – you know that's not the full truth," he interrupted. "While there are certain tasks the bond will accept more readily, there are also a multitude of different ways to obey the bond at every level of submission it requires. I'm going to ask again: how did yesterday feel for you?"

She hesitated, clearly thinking her answer through. "Acceptable, sir. Less…embarrassing than usual."

"Would you be open to another session like that?"

She nodded quickly, albeit shakily. "Did I…I mean, how did you feel about it? And I don't just mean about the bond."

"It was well done. My loo hasn't looked so clean in a long time."

"And the other thing? I know you don't want it – not with me, at least – but, and – and not just for the bond's sake, but in general – I'd like to do it right. T – to please you."

Draco shifted, swallowing hard. He found it hard to look directly at her when he responded. "You did…please me, I mean. It felt good," he finally admitted.

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm glad."

There was a pause in which neither quite knew what to say before Draco cleared his throat. "One more question for now. Nott mentioned dropping by. Would you be up for seeing him today?"

Ariella looked up, nodding. "I'm okay. Yesterday wasn't as…intense. And it's not like he hasn't seen me in worse states."

"But do you feel like seeing him today?"

She nodded. "Yes. That'd be nice."