𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒫𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹 𝒪𝓃ℯ | 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 |

#1 Dance For the Promised

„Halerius, Mathilda, so good to see you and your family", Lucius greeted us at the entrance of Malfoy Manor. His eyes were especially pinned on my sister to my right, her dress in an ivory color - probably fitting for a soon to be bride. I was sticking with a black glittery one. That seemed right for me too since it felt as if I was walking straight to my own funeral.

It was the weekend before Maribel and I would return to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We got the invitation for the banquet, organized on the occasion of the contract, shortly after Lucius visited Fox Mansion. It came in a black, matt envelope. The same one Draco used for his letters to me over the summer.

I didn't answer a single one since his father came by.

I had heldmy breath as soon as we stepped out of our cart, knew that I had to breathesoon by my throat starting to burn. But my anxiety overwhelmed me as soon as wecrossed the big gate of the estate. I was thinking about to tell my parents Iwas sick just to avoid this nightmare. But I neither had a puke pastille fromthe Weasley twins, nor was I able to convince mother any other way. 

But I regretted not trying everything in my might, as the same iced-blue eyes, I was familiar with on his son, looked me up and down. Weighting up if he should spend a little bit more played enthusiasm on me or if his smiled nod in my direction was enough.

„The pleasure is ours", my father answered while Lucius bowed, kissed my mothers hand and invited us in with holding his arm out for us to enter further.

„Miss Fox", the bright blonde turned to Maribel, taking her hand in his to plant a small kiss on the back of it without lifting his eyes of hers. „I think I saw my son near the dining room. I'm sure he will be delighted if you're keeping him company, feel free to go ahead."

Maribel quickly looked at me, her eyes searching for anything in my expression before she nodded and made her way through the other guests.

Since she got informed about the arrangement our parents did, she didn't move a single muscle in her face. She wasn't surprised on the dinner table with my parents, she wasn't because she already prepared herself for that day. And while Cedrics' death seemed to wash away all her visible emotions, she didn't show any kind of hesitation or resistance with them being around.

As if she simply accepted her fate as the first born.

Maribel waited until she sneaked into my room that night.

She crawled up beside me, hugged my sobbing body tight and whispered again and again how sorry she was.

I didn't blame her. It wasn't her fault.

But I couldn't lie that I wasn't able to look her in the eye.

Being here in Dracos' home with my family for closing this deal once and for all under the pleased eyes of wealthy witnesses, was hard. Too hard.

And it felt as if I couldn't talk to someone about it, because no one really knew how it felt.

How could you explain something like that anyways?

I did write El over the summer.

Of course, I kept in contact with almost everyone, even though my sister still declined seeing or speaking to them. But El was still the only one who I told about the developing fling. She wasn't particularly happy about it, she still thought that Draco's a spoilt twat, but I could tell out of her letters that she felt sorry for everything going on right now.

Of course, she couldn't comprehend what I must felt, but someone who was dying of thirst was taking every drop of water he could get.

„Come on, darling, let's get something to drink", my mother stroked my shoulder, smiled at me, and lifted my chin with her finger a bit.