I hope everyone is having a good day/night! Here is the next chapter! Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews. The fact that you take time to do that means a lot to me, especially when you take the time to tell me specifically what you like or if you don't usually write reviews. That makes me so happy! I hope you all enjoy. It is currently 3:24 AM and I should be asleep, but for some reason I always finish my chapters at this time. Such an annoying habit! Anyway, happy Reading!
I don't own anything from Harry Potter.
Granger stopped writing to look up at Astoria, looking confused at her laughter. "What is it? Are you laughing at me?" She asked her before there was a loud crack and both girls jumped nearly out of their chairs, looking in the direction of the sound.
"What in the bloody fuck!?" Blaise Zabini exclaimed from where he had appeared, slightly far from them, stumbling back and tripping over a bush and falling into it. Astoria blinked, tilting her head as she resettled herself in her chair. What was this?
Ah yes, she had added her own ward..
Blaise stood up angrily, kicking at the bush in his small fit. He turned to look at Astoria, throwing his arms in the air slightly. "Well?" he yelled to her angrily.
"I added a ward. I suppose I forgot to clear you, Blaise," she called to him, frowning apologetically. The fact that he was cleared for Draco's wards must have been why he was able to get through hers at all. She was surprised he wasn't more hurt.
Blaise shook his head in irritation and looked around. "Theo was coming along with me. Who knows where he ended up on this property that expands practically from here to Egypt," he bit out.
"Ah.. Well. I would believe him inside actually," Astoria called again, her voice slightly sheepish.
Blaise blinked, looking at her incredulously before walking over to her, the dirt and pieces of bush that covered him falling from him as he walked.
"And why would that be?"
"Well. I was quite tired when I put up the ward and went through clearing people. I suppose I forgot-"
"You forgot me," Blaise drawled, pointing to himself. "Draco's best mate. Only mate. But you remembered Theo. Who is not Draco's mate."
"Well, Blaise. That's not really true. They are friends," Astoria replied, trying to force herself from blushing and Blaise snorted, brushing off his clothes angrily. They were friends. They had always been around together. Theodore was at his home often and at Hogwarts they were always in the same group. Just because they weren't particularly fond of being friends didn't mean they weren't friends.
Draco would kill her if he knew.
"Excuse us, Mr. Zabini," Granger said, scowling. "We are in the middle of something."
Blaise stopped, only his eyes moving to the Auror, his only acknowledgment to her words. He went back to brushing off his clothes, not saying a word to either of them. He stood there, plucking at his clothing for a while until he decided he was done before sniffing at them and looking at him from down his nose and leaving them to walk inside.
"Charming man," Granger quipped as Astoria stared after him worriedly. How had she not cleared Blaise as well as Theodore? That made her look absolutely horrible!
Granger cleared her throat after Astoria didn't refocus her attention and Astoria readjusted herself. "I apologize for that," she said, smiling at her again. She had hoped they were almost done. She did not want Blaise talking to Draco about this without her there.
"Right, well. For now I think we are done here, but we are going to come back a few more times. We are taking extra precautions with individuals who were directly involved with Voldemort. I am sure you can understand."
Astoria nodded distractedly, standing to escort Granger back into the Manor.
Draco watched Granger and his wife enter the room again, noticing Astoria's face slightly off.
What had she done now?
He didn't look at the idiots in front of him as they gathered their things to prepare to leave. "May I help you, Granger?" He asked the woman who was staring at him with a rather disgusting look of anger on her face. Fuck, he hated the bitch.
"I just hope you know that a bruised wife does not make you look good to us at all. I have made a note of it," Granger said coldly.
He looked over at Astoria's neck uncaringly and raised his wand lazily, casting a glamour charm so her skin appeared as porcelain and smooth as the rest of her. "There you are," he said icily, a slow smile spreading across his face as he regarded the bristling the witch. "All better."
"I don't know how you can sleep at night," she started angrily before her coworker interrupted her, giving her a look. The man had seemed ready to leave the moment he had started interrogating Draco, Draco was sure he did not want to wait through a fight.
"Right. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. We will be back multiple times. As many times as we see necessary for the time being. Please do not attempt to move locations in this time."
"Oi," one of the older Aurors began, looking at Astoria and then down at the files he was holding with a curious scowl on his face and Draco watched Blaise and Nott come in the room. "You Krat's daughter?"
"Yes. Freya Krat," Astoria replied, nodding.
The man smirked and looked at the other older man next to him who grinned in reply, whistling lowly. "Yes. I remember her. She was quite the bird in school."
The younger dark skinned man cleared his throat, looking at them with a slightly annoyed expression. "We will be leaving now," he announced, more to the older men beside him before looking at Astoria apologetically.
"A bitch though don't get me wrong," the first man scoffed. "I mean that one was cold to the bone and acted like she owned the world, but shit if she wasn't pretty to look at. I mean-"
"I don't believe my wife asked your opinion on her mother's appearance," Draco snapped. He was always surprised by the social skills these pathetic excuses for men had.
Yet, men like himself were called pigs who had no respect for women.
Draco glanced at Astoria looking at Granger with a slight smile on her face before he looked to Blaise who was grimacing at the Aurors, seemingly just as impressed with their manners as Draco was.
"Right. Again, we will be leaving now," the young Auror repeated louder, nodding to Granger and walking out stiffly as his colleagues followed, Granger throwing Astoria a glance before giving him a hard look as she followed after them.
"Well, looks like we missed a rather fun party," Nott said chuckling. "Why weren't we invited?"
Draco raised an eyebrow, nodding to Blaise and examining his appearance. "Looks as if Blaise attended a party himself. He clearly didn't need mine."
"Oh you can thank your wife for this," Blaise said flatly, dropping himself into an armchair. "She forgot to clear me from her ward. But don't you worry. She conveniently did not forget Theo."
Aha. Of course she didn't.
Draco fought to keep his eyes neutral as his anger balled into his stomach.
She just wouldn't learn.
"The idea of you being forgettable is plausible, Blaise," Draco said calmly, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Or perhaps I'm just unforgettable," Nott purred, and Draco watched him turn to his wife slightly from the corner of his eye. Draco gripped his drink impossibly hard.
Oh how he wished to rip his vocal chords from his body.
"I can assure you I will not be forgetting you, this instance, or any other certain instances involving you any time soon after this, Zabini," Astoria rushed out furiously, betrayal crossing her face.
Blaise blinked, looking around the room to make a show of confusion. "Draco. What was that? Did your child just threaten me? What am I supposed to take that as?"
"I am as confused as you, Blaise," Draco drawled.
"It's alright. I understand. Most toddlers do have temper problems. I see now why you are bruised," Blaise said, looking at her neck where the bruises were now covered. "I would work on that, for your sake."
Astoria looked slightly shamed and she turned her heel, leaving the room swiftly without being excused. He watched Nott watch his wife leave, a frown on his face after he heard Blaise's comment, searching her form with concern for what Blaise was referring to.
"Which one was her mother again? All of them blend together at this point," Blaise asked, rolling his wand in his fingers.
Draco rolled his eyes and summoned some photo books from when his parents were at Hogwarts, dropping them on the table and a cloud of dust covered the room.
"Thanks, mate," Blaise said dryly after coughing up the filth that filled his lungs.
"Anytime."
Blaise ignored the books as Draco expected him to. He rarely cared to do anything that required lifting a finger. Nott walked over to the table and sat, flipping one of them open. "You aren't really looking at the photos are you," Blaise snorted, watching him. "I don't care that much."
"I don't suppose we have anything better to do," Nott said shrugging. "Oh look, Malfoy. Your father always had a ponytail."
Draco rolled his eyes, ignoring his snickering. Blaise leaned forward and took the book from him, flipping through it quickly. "Yes. I forgot. My mother was friends with your wife's father. We could be siblings and she threatens me," he drawled, shaking his head.
Draco looked at the photo. It was a moving image of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. He recognized Blaise's beautiful mother who was sat beside Aldrich Greengrass who had a very closed off look on his face and he seemed to be listening to something she was saying, staring out at nothing. Their group was sat separately from where his mother sat and his father was not in the photo at all. His mother sat slightly apart from the group she was close to and she was looking to a taller witch next to her as she ate, looking slightly insecure with herself. The witch next to her was blonde as well, but her eyes were green and filled with a sultriness and confidence his mother did not have. The woman's full lips were pulled into a slight smirk as she watched the man next to her who she was sitting close enough to be touching, her eyebrow cocking mischievously at something he said. Draco matched her placement with the name next to the photo.
Freya Krat.
The woman only resembled Astoria when you looked past the expression on her face and sex appeal that Astoria did not portray. Even Daphne didn't match her demeanor the same.
It was odd to see his mother look so small and mouse-like next to the woman she was paying so much attention to. He had always known his mother for her confidence and how tall she held herself. She practically disappeared next to this woman.
"Would you look at that," Blaise said, grabbing the book. "Found her. Assumed your mother was your wife's at first, Draco. Yes, she does indeed look like a bitch, and oh? What's this? She's all cozied up to Mr. Nott?"
Draco was being tested today.
Theodore took the book and examined it. "Yes, that's him," he said, raising an eyebrow as he examined the photo further, an odd look crossing his features.
"Actually, that was when your family was in higher status than the Malfoys before they fell from grace and were knocked down some pegs."
Nott gave him a cold look and sat back in his seat as Blaise went through more photos. "Your mother looks like a damn shadow to this uppity woman," Blaise snorted to Draco. "Never thought Narcissa Malfoy to look so small."
"My mother has never mentioned being close with Mrs. Greengrass," he said dully.
"Doesn't look like they're friends exactly. You know, my mother talks about her days Hogwarts quite a lot. Perhaps I should actually listen next time I'm pretending to."
"Perhaps," Draco said boredly, though he was slightly interested to know the dynamics of their parents' lives at Hogwarts now that his mother seemed much different than he expected her to seem based on these photos.
Nott was silent as he seemed deep in thought and Draco stood, walking to the fireplace. "Did you see Granger here? I was surprised the whole lot of them didn't come," Draco scoffed. "Why pass up a chance to harass me in my own home?"
"Yes, your wife was laughing with her when I got here. You may have married a blood traitor."
Draco rolled his eyes. "She's overly political and fake. Not a blood traitor."
Her brother was a blood traitor.
Astoria paced the room nervously. Of course Blaise couldn't possibly do something kind for her and not make it seem as if she somehow favored Theodore in any way. She truly wasn't thinking much of it when she was clearing people for the stupid ward. Now he would suspect her wanting the man. She was afraid of his anger.
I see why you're bruised.
She shook her head at Blaise's jab. That wasn't what she feared. She didn't want to lose her chance at his affections. She didn't want to be kicked out of his bedroom; to be replaced by random whores. She didn't want to be lonely.
Eventually, assuming Draco would talk with his friends for hours, she ventured out of the room as she grew bored, going down to their grand library to look for a new read. She needed a distraction.
She missed Daphne.
It was so odd being without her sister. She never had groups of friends to go see and mingle with, but she was never doing absolutely nothing like she was now that she lived in this empty mansion. All of their homes had so many rooms, so much space with hardly anyone that lived in them to fill it all up.
What was the point?
Astoria sighed and decided on a book, curling up on one of the leather chairs as she read. She wasn't particularly taken with the book, but it was better than nothing. Hours past and she read through the rest of the day, falling asleep in the chair.
Draco found his wife sleeping in library after calling for her impatiently for the past few minutes and shook his head, his anger for her fading slightly after seeing her peaceful form. He went to her and picked her up, carrying her light frame to his room and to his bed. He took off her jewelry with his wand but left her clothes before laying next to her. He reached for her pinned hair and let it down, tossing the pins aside. He much preferred it down. Draco watched her mouth twitch before entering her memories, searching deeply.
"You seem different." Theodore Nott seemed about nine or ten years old as he looked down at little Astoria who sitting quietly on a bench in the gardens at the Parkinson Mansion.
Astoria looked up at him, her face seemingly void of the light that was meant to be in a young girl's face at such an age. The light that was there previously in earlier memories. "Oh.. I don't mean to," she replied, looking down at her lap.
"Did something happen?" Theodore asked, sitting next to her curiously. Astoria flinched away from his nearness, scooting over slightly. Theodore frowned in response, putting his hands up in a surrendering motion. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Nothing happened," she said, her voice small as she ignored his apology.
The young girl avoided the boy's gaze, looking down at the ground as Theodore watched her, his face looking a bit sad. "Are your parents angry at you? It's okay. It's scary when that happens, but they won't be mad forever. They will forgive you. They get mad because they want you to be the best."
Astoria didn't reply and she twisted her hands in her lap, shivering slightly at the wind. It was dark outside and the wind blew at the plants in the garden as well as Astoria's hair that was up in a neat ponytail.
"Why don't you go inside? It's cold out here."
"I don't want to go inside," she said softly, shifting in her seat.
"Did you get smacked? My parents have smacked me before," He said, examining her face for traces of punishment.
Astoria's lip quivered slightly and she turned more from him.
"Don't cry. It's okay. Whatever happened will be far in the past soon and will just be a memory you never think of anymore. That's what my mother tells me when I'm upset. So just think of that and you will feel better."
Astoria wiped at her eyes, breathing in deeply as if she had been holding her breath. "I know. I'm just being weak."
"That's okay. I think everyone is sometimes," Theodore said, grinning slightly in attempt to lighten up the conversation. "Hey, I've seen Draco cry when he got whacked in the back of the head with his father's cane when he was messing around."
Astoria smiled slightly and she pressed her lips together before her smile faded again and she stared at her hands.
"Come inside," Theodore insisted again. "You're going to get sick. Then I'll feel guilty because I'm older and supposed to be a gentleman and not let you get sick. It'll be my fault."
Astoria stood at the command, waiting for him to get up as well before she followed him in the doors quietly, her drooping shoulders straightening before presenting herself to the people inside.
Draco found Astoria's eyes open again when he left her memory, her eyes searching his; a sadness and slight amount of alarm in them. Draco grit his teeth, remembering the memory. Nott.
Why was he always there?
Draco grabbed Astoria's face, forcing himself to be more gentle than he desired to be before kissing her possessively, only to break the kiss as soon as her lips responded. He dragged his mouth to her temple slowly. "The only man," he began, speaking against her delicate skin harshly. "You ever have to worry about remembering is me. I'm the only man that should matter to you. You are mine."
He pulled away from her and laid back, his jealousy still burning in his stomach. Astoria watched him with big eyes, looking hesitant. She propped herself up slightly after moving closer to him and placed a hand on his cheek, trembling ever so slightly. Her light blue eyes searched his with sincerity before she leaned down to kiss him softly, her eyes closing innocently. Her kiss was slow and unsure, and he allowed her to kiss him sweetly before dragging her on top of him, threading his fingers into her hair and deepening the kiss.
He wanted to crush her against him.
His hunger and desire to possess her, dominate her, and mark every part of her with himself and his essence until she never doubted who she belonged to demanded to be sated. No one would doubt who she belonged to. He yanked her head back by the fistful of hair in his hand, dragging his lips down her neck and onto her collarbones. She trembled on top of him and pushed herself forward to provide easier access to the area he was paying attention to, her breathing uneven with anticipation.
Good girl.
He nipped sharply at her skin, sucking it so there would be evidence of him, his claim on her. He pulled her head back farther as he kissed further down her chest, listening to her intakes of breath at his teeth. He used his other hand to grind her hips against his and his need for her grew at the painfully delicious feel of her rubbing into him. "I am yours," he listened to her whimper quietly.
Good girl.
He relaxed his hand in her hair, letting her head come down to a more comfortable position as he moved his mouth back up, kissing her throat gently. Guilt filled him slightly as he kissed her there slowly before pulling her back down to kiss her sweet mouth again. He broke the kiss, enjoying the sound of her ragged breathing and he rested his head back, leaving her on top of him.
"Go to sleep, Astoria."