Daddy issues

CHAPTER NINETEEN: "Get the room prepared"

TW: some domestic abuse. I will put a notice when it is about to start. Other than that please read the chapter it is important to the development of Draco and Bella's relationship.

*Annabella's POV*

-•- 6 weeks later -•-

The summer had been great so far, there were of course times when Lucius and I had our fights but he didn't punish me for once, which felt weird but at the same time rather nice. He did however hit Draco a few times which I ended up stopping before the beatings got too out of hand. Then there were the long summer night walks, where Narcissa and I would walk through the gardens and grounds picking out different flowers to put in bouquets for different events and discussing designs for dresses and other clothing we wanted to create. And of course, how could I forget, the picnic Draco had promised me for my birthday present.

We were walking across the grounds, we had packed the picnic basket full of our favourite sandwiches: ham and cheese, tuna and mayonnaise, salmon and cucumber, crab, lobster. As well as, things like sweets I had smuggled from Honeydukes -the parents didn't approve of the sugar intake normally, but what they don't know can't hurt them?- and crisps, yogurt pots and a bottle of wine to accompany. We sat in the warm summer sun, soaking up the light that we rarely got to see and relished in the fresh smell of the grass, flowers and crops in the fields nearby. I set the blanket down on the ground at the top of the highest point of the grounds, it was a large hill with an old oak tree that had a tyre swing attached to it. Lucius never came this far out so when Draco and I were younger, we asked Narcissa to get it for us as I had seen it in a muggle house I had accidentally apparated to when I was practicing. She had reluctantly agreed but soon she realised how happy it made us both. We would come out here and just sit and swing for hours on end, just watching our surroundings and occasionally talking, although we didn't feel the need to, it was always a comfortable silence.

We sat on the blanket and Draco laid out the plates with the food while I poured us a glass of wine each. I charmed the set up to not have anything fall over or spill if it got knocked. I was quite pleased that it had worked considering only ten seconds later I felt my glass hit my hip as I laid back in the grass. It was fine though. Draco laid back as well, his head touching mine as we looked up at the sky. I closed my eyes, inhaling the fresh summer air deeply, feeling a light breeze blow across my body causing my hair to tickle my neck gently. We eventually ate and chatted away happily and headed for the tyre swing. The rope holding it was old, but somehow still managed to hold the weight of us both. We were gently swaying when I remembered something I wanted to talk to him about.

"Hey Draco..."

"Hey Bella..." he mocked my voice with a grin on his face.

"I was thinking-"

"Well that's dangerous!" He laughed as he put his arm around me, I brushed it off and looked at him.

"Can you let me finish?"

"Oh but it's more fun this way... you're so hot when you are angry..." he teased me yet again and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "Continue..." he motioned for me to go on.

I continued, slightly nervous as to what he would say to it, "Well I was thinking of trying to turn into an animagus... I'm not sure what I would do but I was wondering if you wanted to do it to? You know like a fun experiment. What do you think?"

He paused and looked at me for what seemed like forever before saying, "Yeah okay."

"That's it? I was expecting a whole speech as to how it's a bad idea. But you're fine with it? Just like that?" I was utterly bewildered by the concept of Draco bloody Malfoy not asking questions before agreeing to something.