Hi! I'm sorry I'm late! I fully intended on posting on time, but then I fell asleep at my computer. I hope you all are having a great week, as always. Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed! Also, (Stroke) don't feel like a snob for correcting my mistakes. I'm sorry for being so crap at editing (I swear I know the difference between worse and worst.. lol). Yes, I do have a general idea of what Draco does when he's not around Astoria (I'll have to touch on that a bit). As for a next generation sequel? Well, I certainly might! We will see when we get there (I can promise you that Scorpius won't be best friends with Harry Potter's son, lol). Guest reviewer who isn't a fan of Draco and is more interested in other characters: I am totally okay with that! I really do want my story to create some thinking. I definitely found it interesting that everyone was turning on Ophelia for taking Edric away when it was him who made the promises. ;) Thank you for enjoying the other aspects of my story! I do put thinking into my story and the social problems of it aside from the lust/romance. By the way, I apologize if some of these chapters aren't very exciting. I'm pretty stressed at the moment and my head is kind of all over the place, and I don't want to do any larger scenes when I'm not completely focused or else they won't come out how I want them. Yes, Draco/Astoria will warm up to each other more and more. Happy reading!
I don't own anything from Harry Potter.
Theodore struggled to breathe as the images of what he had just witnessed viciously tore into his very soul, images of his delicate and sweet witch covered in the repulsive message, her soft and flawless skin tarnished by them.
He'd kill him.
He should have expected something off when Malfoy had left Astoria alone with him, seemingly unaffected and unbothered by his nearness to his wife after she had been unfaithful to him, unfaithful with a man from his own social circle no less. Malfoy had wanted him to see the dark magic he had used on his wife to turn Theodore's gentle mannered, lively Astoria that had been stollen from him into a tortured object that Malfoy claimed to possess.
No, not stollen. He fucking gave Astoria to that heartless piece of shit that didn't deserve the innocence of such a girl, didn't deserve all of the parts of her he knew nothing about because he didn't know her. He didn't know her as Theodore did, and he would never treat her as she was meant to be treated. It was Theodore's fault. He had made the wrong choice, sacrificing her to him. He should have never left her, but he was irrational and young. He was an idiot. Now that she knew of her feelings towards him and her memories had been opened to her it had made her all the more real, and he couldn't stand it. Not now, not after what he had just seen became of her in result of his own foolish choices.
And he could only blame himself.
He shouldn't have kissed her when she had asked him to. He knew if she hadn't been so emotional she wouldn't have came to him, knew if she hadn't been as blindsided as she was she wouldn't have asked him to touch her. He could have touched her more if he had tried, and perhaps Draco would have sent her off. He could have had her after that, not as a wife but still she would have been loved properly by him..
Then she would have been scorned and humiliated, her family completely disgusted with her. He could never allow that. Family and her image were the most important things to her.
Theodore's head spun and his chest physically hurt. The pain he held in his heart for her physically hurt him and he didn't know how to handle it. He would never be able to touch her again. He had only grabbed her wrist of all places and that had set off Malfoy's sick little tricks. Her face burned into his mind, the responsiveness she had shown him as soon as he had touched her even as she was set stubbornly in avoiding him, then the clear pain and fear on her face when the magic that had been carved into her porcelain skin began to reveal itself. Her voice when she begged him to leave for her completely crushed everything left in him. He had to keep leaving her for her own good, when he was what was good for her. He was what was right. He would never hurt her like Malfoy had, and he didn't want to know what else Malfoy had done with her.
"Fuck no. Not you, not now," Theodore ground out in his fury when he arrived into his home to see the calmly blinking witch perched on one of his couches in the sitting room. "Get out."
"You seem quite distraught, Theodore. Are you alright?" Novalie asked, watching him intently. "Your father told me to wait here for you."
Theodore swallowed hard, his eyes flickering across the room in search of the one or two Aurors that normally accompanied her. They were no where to be found. She was vulnerable.
"Get out, Eld. Now is not a good time," he sneered, heading towards the stairs to go to his room.
"I would disagree wholeheartedly. I believe it's a great time judging by the emotional state you're in. Talk to me about it. Who would it hurt?"
"You if you don't shut the fuck up," he replied angrily, having a hard time not turning around and attacking the woman as he made his way up the stairs.
"You need my help, Theodore," Novalie called lightly. "You're not being looked at well by the Aurors. They are pushing me quite hard to find something wrong with you. I need to know you well to paint a solid picture to them as to why you're not dangerous to the magical community and a part of these attacks."
Theodore let out a shaky, cold laugh before he turned his heel on the step he was on and made his way back down to the girl, leaning over her and bracing his hand on the back of the couch behind her.
"Is that why you're alone here? Hoping to bait me into hurting you? Is that why you explained to me who your family was? Because of who they are targeting?" He asked, smiling in his fury. "Are they going to leave me alone with the mudblood as well?" The mudblood who had broken his childhood friend and blew out the fire in her.
"I'm not baiting you into anything," she replied, leaning back against the couch and looking up at him without completely pulling as far away from him as she could, as she should. "Is that what you want in this moment? To hurt me?"
"Mmm. Prison may be worth silencing your patronizing," he said darkly, leaning close to her to as he reached for his wand.
"You don't truly wish to go to Azkaban over harming me in your displaced anger, Theodore. Will you sit down?"
The name of the prison sunk into his ears and made the threat real to him in that moment, causing him to jerk back and move a few steps from her. He didn't want to go to prison. He knew what it did to people, how his father had been when he had returned from it. He felt the opposing couch against the back of his legs as he moved back from her, allowing himself to sit down on it stoically.
"So you're accepting my help?"
"Who is that redhead? The one who never fails to give me nasty looks," Daphne said slowly, watching Adrian pull his night pants on after his shower, raking her eyes over his chest.
"Redhead who gives you nasty looks.. Hmm.. Let me think. Yeah, I don't know who you're talking about. Do you know how many bitches are at these parties?"
"Yes you do," Daphne insisted. "She definitely seems to think she has some claim on you. I've seen her look at you as if you're hers. Which is just embarrassing on her part, as I'm the woman with your name."
She shouldn't be jealous of some whore of a woman making eyes at what belonged to her, but she didn't know Adrian very well at all besides the man he presented to her, and who knew how accurate that man was in comparison to his true self. As far as his past went it was mostly a mystery. She knew he spent most of his time partying and traveling. She knew he participated in taking addictive potions that parents warned their children away from taking when they were young, and she also knew he took muggle drugs. She had noticed that he was unable to sit still for very long, which was a contrast to what she was used to in most of the men she had grown up around, and whenever he became exceptionally antsy he would nurse his addiction. She wasn't sure how to feel about this, but she didn't think she liked it. It wasn't something she was willing to attempt to object to, as it wasn't her place and she had little to complain about how he treated her so far in their marriage.
"A lot of women are jealous, dove," Adrian replied, grinning. "You came out of no where and stole me from them. Don't pretend that the concept of jealous women is foreign to you, fake smiles absent or not."
"Well who is she," Daphne pressed. "Have you slept with her?"
"Why do you care about these girls, love? Are you jealous? Who wears the ring exactly? Which one of them is my wife?"
"I'm not jealous," she replied, glaring at him. "You're mine. I just wonder what kind of women you've been with. She's very pretty, that's all, and I'm sure she knows you better than I do."
"You're very pretty," he told her, rolling his eyes. "And yeah, I'm sure whoever your talking about does know me better to an extent if it's actually someone relevant that you're referring to. I grew up around these women more so than your type."
"You say I'm pretty, but I don't have what they have. All of these women are.. Sexually confident. I'm not like that. I'm not like them. It's a wonder that I've been told that I hold myself too sensually when women like them are accepted."
"I left home so much because I was bored of them, so take that as an indicator that I don't give a fuck that you're not like them. On top of that, we all act more confident than we are, no matter the way we show our false confidence. Most of these girls are just as insecure as you, you just haven't learned to read them yet. I imagine if one of them married one of your dull men, they'd be just as put out. At least you know who doesn't like you here."
"Well if you got bored with them then surely you'll get bored of me," she said softly, feeling her chest tighten. She didn't want him to cheat on her, she really didn't. She never thought she'd care whether or not her husband cheated, but that was suddenly always on her mind now, especially every time they had a party to attend where all of those beautiful women that rubbed up against him were, those beautiful women who fit much better to his name than she did. She came into this marriage seeing it as a downgrade, but she was feeling more and more that she was the downgrade.
"What's up with you? I don't know what I'm supposed to say to you to convince you that you're fine here and that I'm happy with your efforts. Fuck what those girls think. They're irrelevant."
"I just.. Care about your opinion the more we are together.." She admitted quietly, looking down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap.
"Oh, so you are starting to fancy me? Is that what you're saying? How adorable. Wow. My own wife actually likes me. I'll have to argue though and say that you don't actually give a shit about my opinion seeing as you are focusing on these random people other than what I have to say about you. Not to mention what my parents have to say about you, and they're just as fine with you as I am."
"Adrian," she said, her voice small. "I just don't want there to be other women.. I know it's normal for men to have mistresses.. But I just want you to be mine in the same way that I'm yours." Her breath caught in her throat at her words in anticipation for his response. His whole world was sex and losing himself in mind altering substances. She felt foolish for confessing such feelings, for requesting that outright. He probably already had been with other women. She didn't know where he went when he left.. He could be very well out fucking a different woman every other day before joining Daphne in the bed they shared, the other woman's filth still covering her husband's body including the most intimate parts of him.
"I thought me making a big deal out of my dick dying before we got married was telling in that I don't plan on fucking other women," he told her, squinting at her face before walking over to her to grab her hand and pull her up to stand.
"You can't possibly mean that. I haven't even slept with you yet. You may not be the most horrible person, but you aren't going to make me believe that you're this noble and sweet man," she replied, focusing on the feel of his hand on hers, realizing how safe he made her feel.
Something had to be wrong with him. There was always something wrong with men, at least their men.
"I'm not trying to make you believe that, I'm trying to make you believe that I'm trying. I don't want you to be miserable, and believe it or not I actually am becoming fond of you, as bitchy and difficult as you can be."
"I don't believe it. You're with women all of the time, you travel to meet women. I know you make every girl feel like how you're trying to make me feel. You're a player. You can't possibly expect me to believe that I'm somehow special in comparison to any other girl," Daphne scoffed, pulling her hand away from his reluctantly.
"And why not? Why is this idea of being special seem outlandish to you?"
"Because I'm not!" She exclaimed, stepping away from him slightly and staring at his chest instead of his eyes. "I'm not. I'm just like every other blonde, rich pure-blood girl who disappointed her parents and whines about not being the favored child. I'm not good at acting as my parents wish me too, and I'm not good at acting as your people wish me to."
Adrian narrowed his eyes, irritation filling them and he shook his head as he grew more aggravated with her. "Can't you just accept what I'm trying to do? You're making this so much harder than it needs to be. The more you try to convince me that my efforts are false, the less I want to try. Do you not want me to try? Do you want me to leave you alone and treat you as if you're nothing but a trophy to keep up appearances?"
"Keep up appearances? I can't even do that properly!"
"You're so exhausting," he growled and her eyes flicked up to his at his tone, becoming defensive and nervous at the same time, nervous she was pushing him too much.
"And you're treating me like a fool!" She almost spat. "I'm just trying to be realistic. I don't want to trust you and then feel like an idiot later when I catch you fucking one of those whores in this bed. Maybe more than one at once, since that idea seems to suit you quite well."
He sneered at her and she nearly winced at the sight, crossing her arm over her chest to grasp onto the other as she looked away again.
"It's sweet how little you pay attention to my words, treacle. I won't be fucking anyone in our bed other than your stubborn, insecure arse. You at least pretended to be confident at first. What is this 'woe is me' act now?" He demanded. "Would you mind looking at me when I'm speaking to you? It's pretty rude to be focusing elsewhere when someone, especially your husband, is speaking to you."
"Because I actually want you!" She hissed, glaring at him. "I want to have this relationship you talk about. I want to actually be happy with you. I'm scared of not being enough because I don't know why I would be. I'm just telling you how I feel and I'm trying to be realistic, Pucey. I'm sorry if me expressing my insecurities is unattractive to you as you're used to those sluts in their skin tight-"
"Stop talking about them," he told her, cutting her off in exasperation. "For fuck's sake, you're gorgeous, Pucey. Believe me, and stop the comparisons. You're the only one between the two of us making them."
Daphne watched him quietly before looking down at her body, wondering how he expected her not to compare herself to those other women when they had so much on her in his world.
"Now when you look at yourself all I want you to think is 'Damn. Adrian is right. I'm sexy as shit.'," Adrian said, running his hand down her arm as he looked down her body as well. "That's what you're thinking right?"
Daphne looked up at him, saying nothing.
"Oh good. You stopped arguing. That's a start. See, I thought you were taught not to argue with me. Thought I was going to have to-" Adrian smacked the back of his hand down against his other palm loudly. "Assert my dominance."
Daphne looked down at his hands before looking up at him dully. "I don't think you'd hit me, Adrian."
"I don't know. I might get tired of your stubborn head and have to slap some sense into it," he said warningly before smirking. "Nah, you're right. I wouldn't hit you. Well, maybe if you want to bend over my knee.."
Daphne grimaced and spun away from him, trying to find something to busy herself with to end this conversation. He spun her back around, pulling her all the way against him.
"I mean it. I want you to stop looking at yourself with that disapproving eye. It even makes me feel insecure when you give yourself those looks."
"It's not that simple, Adrian. I have to keep myself in check."
He made a long shushing noise as he grimaced at her. "Do me a favor and just shut up for a bit," he said, shaking his head as he dropped to his knees at her feet, resting his hand around her leg and holding onto it firmly when she tried to step away. She froze when he began to kiss the inside of her thigh, his lips slow and gentle on her skin.
"Adrian," she began, swaying slightly when his mouth moved higher up her thigh, staring as he pulled out his wand before he murmured against her flesh. Every piece of fabric that had covered her skin disintegrated, disappearing all at once and she tensed up in shock, staring wildly at her bare skin as she was horribly exposed while his face was far too close to such a private part of her. "Adrian!" She protested, fighting to regain her balance as she attempted to close her legs with the man kneeling between them.
"You've already said my name twice and nothing has happened yet, love," he teased, his warm breath fanning against her skin, raising goosebumps from it. She shivered and he chuckled in response, placing an open mouthed kiss over the bumps he had caused. "Keep it on your pretty lips though. You won't remember how to say anything else."
Daphne scowled at his cockiness, preparing to argue when he pushed her legs further apart and placed his mouth at the now spread center of her, running a flat lick up to the most sensitive piece of her. She choked on the gasp that left her mouth, completely unready for such a bold and unfamiliar move. She grabbed onto his hair to steady herself, feeling his hands slide up the back of her thighs to push her more firmly against his mouth as his tongue moved relentlessly against the source of her quick building pleasure, occasionally dipping down to taste her deeper where she was increasingly growing hotter and more slick as the moments passed. She wasn't sure what to do with herself as her body began to quake and she tried to hold back the shuddering cries and whimpers that were escaping her lips. She felt as if she may fall as she was unable to focus on her balance, though she knew he was holding onto her, his firm hands massaging against her arse now. She squeezed her fists in his hair, pulling it into her fingers tighter and her ears faintly picked up a growl from him in response, feeling it more than hearing it.
He was a bastard for not allowing her to be laying down for this.
When her moans grew louder and her hips began to shamelessly rock against his face against her will to be still his tongue only moved faster, dipping deeper. He didn't stop until she was well through the very peak of her pleasure, his name indeed falling from her tongue more than once until she was attempting to catch her breath and her thighs were trembling as the rolls of her pleasure faded. He pushed her back on the bed carelessly by her hips and she fell back against it, yelping in surprise. She shoved herself back to adjust herself so she was on the bed probably, glaring half-heartedly at him when crawled over her.
He looked over her body slowly, sitting back a bit to appreciate it as he took his time examining her, his eyes pausing over random areas. The look in his eyes was something newer from him, something primal. The look of pure desire on his face melted any nerves or embarrassment she was feeling from the sexual intimacy they had just shared and she felt her body relax against the bed, the hum of the aftereffects of her climax still warming through her. He trailed his finger over her breast, lightly grazing over her nipple as his eyes followed the path his finger made, admiring her. She watched his eyes with interest, feeling affection pour through her as she suddenly believed his words when he had told her that he found her beautiful. She had been told she was beautiful many times by various people, but it was different to actually believe it, and the way he was looking at her now made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
"Why do you still have clothes on?" She asked him, her voice coming out more curious than bold or sensual.
"I wasn't thinking about me, love," he told her, brushing her hair out of her face before cupping her cheek. "But if that's what you'd prefer then I definitely won't protest. I'd love nothing more than to have you."
She rolled her eyes, nodding impatiently. "Well hurry so I can carry out my duty as your wife," she half breathed, still not quite up for casual banter.
"So you're deciding to be my wife now? What helped you with that decision?"
"Adrian. Please shut up and get on with it."
He smirked and shifted his body to comply, removing his clothes from the lower half of him as Daphne watched, strangely not feeling shy enough to look away. He was certainly beautiful with his stunning physique and the defined curves of flesh against his muscles, the trail of hair leading to his groin catching her eye. She still didn't look away when he was fully nude, eyeing the length of him with interest and growing lust. He moved back over her to kiss her, fully pressing all of his body against hers, all of their naked skin touching and brushing against each other.
Oh yes, that felt right. She wasn't sure if anything had felt more right than how her husband felt on top of her just then, his warm skin rubbing against hers and his hot mouth kissing her with an impatient passion. She had made him wait quite a while, she realized. Much longer than she should have or any other man would have put up with waiting for. She didn't realize it as much as she would have had he been overly pushy about it, which he hadn't been at all. Why was he so good?
What was the catch?
Daphne ran her hands down his arms when he raised himself up on them, feeling herself smirk slightly at the thought of this fine man being her husband. It didn't matter the social differences between pure-bloods, nearly every woman knew how desirable Adrian Pucey was. Well, they could certainly look at him couldn't they? She hoped some of those stupid whores that were so openly bitter about their marriage had cried when they learned Daphne had taken Adrian away from them.
He turned them over, sitting her in his lap as he sat up slightly against the pillows. She only blushed a bit when she felt the thick length of him against her thigh and she grabbed his face in her hands to kiss him hard as his hands roamed up her back. She adjusted herself above him, waiting for him to poise himself properly so they could get on with what they both wanted. When he didn't cooperate she reached down his chest to pinch the flesh there irritably as he knew full well what he was meant to do. His lips broke from hers despite how she tried to follow them when he pulled away and he squinted at her. "What kind of sex are you aiming for, dove? That hurt. There are better ways to incorporate pain into sex if that's what you want, but-"
"Stop," she groaned, clapping the hand that had been on his face over his mouth. "Stop talking. You ruin my mood when you speak."
Humor touched his eyes and he took her hand from his mouth, placing it back against his face where it had rested previously. "You're lying. You eat up every word I say."
Unfortunately, she feared that he was correct.
He moved and angled himself beneath her, grabbing her hips with one hand to push her down against the tip of him, purposely brushing against her clitoris. She sighed and closed her eyes, sinking down on him slowly. She was certainly not used to this feeling and though she wasn't a virgin she still felt slightly uncomfortable at the less than familiar intrusion. She could feel his eyes on her face as her eyes were closed and she leaned her face forward, sliding her cheek against his gently. The mood in the room seemed to change at that and his arms came around her to embrace her against him as he began to move with her, pushing them into a steady rhythm. Though she was on top and he allowed her that control, he still was doing most of the work and she simply followed his lead, comfortably being held so close to him as the slow burning of pleasure began to return to her.
She faintly felt the pull of her magic as it finally was able to settle in with his as they completed their marriage. She wondered how long they would have been able to put it off before there was some repercussions. The small groan that Adrian breathed beneath her sent a triumphant shock through her and she nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, thrilled at the sound as she placed kisses there. He responded to her show of affection by forcing the pace of their sex faster and she bit into the skin beneath her lips as a guttural sound came from her throat and she moved her hands down his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin as she felt herself being pushed to the edge once more. She began to coo at him eagerly, vocalizing his name as well as short pleadings for him to give her more, begging him for more. Her lips dragged up near his ear as she desperately kissed his warm skin in approval until she had to press her mouth hard against it to muffle her final cries, regretting her decision to be so close to his ear. He didn't seem to mind as she heard more delicious sounds from him, though much less vocal than her own, and she felt his body tremble beneath hers.
The room was still for a very small moment before he flipped them, nearly slamming her on her back beneath him as he kissed her feverishly as if he were drinking her in and his hands moved everywhere on her body to stroke and caress her in appreciation. She took his enthusiastic reaction as him telling her "good job" and she smiled, breaking their passionate kiss in a way as an odd giddiness fell over her.
She felt at home.