𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

39 | ﴾ Opaleye ﴿

The morning after the wedding I woke up to Draco tapping my shoulder in a frenzy. I had been eagerly draped over his body in the bed, and he was staring down at me with panicked crystal blue eyes, "Get up, princess. I have to be somewhere."

"Cannot we stay just a bit longer," I moaned lightly against his fit chest. He smelled amazing, and his skin was warm and inviting. I wanted to snuggle and then steal away his body for another hookup.

Draco scowled at my rebellious response, "What? No. I just informed you that I need to leave." He pushed me off disgracefully and I could tell whatever he had to do, he was far from pleased about it. He was actively frowning as he redressed and I sat up laughing like a delusional cat lady.

"What could possibly be so entertaining?" he asked irritably.

"You're so tanned," I bit my lip as he shifted to the mirror to inspect his darkening face. He spent all of five seconds there and then shrugged, moving onto my rumpled dress to toss it at me. I wondered vaguely why he never looked at himself in the mirror and if he had even the slightest clue just how beautiful he was.

I was coerced intensely out the door, and we said goodbye to everyone far too early. As he led me around a cluster of blue spruces on the lawn to disapparate away from curious muggle eyes I grew insurgent, "Why are we leaving like dis? Where do you need to be on a Saturday?"

He cocked his head to the side with dry eyes, "I have business to attend to, and I don't owe you an explanation. Unfortunately I will not be home tonight and you need to stay in the bracelets until I'm back tomorrow." As my face started to twist in defection he grabbed my elbow and disapparated us home to the front lobby of the Malfoy Manor. The cold, stone mansion with it's familiar guttural grumbling and hollow atmosphere welcomed us back.

I swatted my face with my nose prickling in detestation at the Death Eater stench, "Fine. I will go upstairs and practice being a stupid pregnant squib." I started stomping up the treads, holding my long dress up with both hands. Kreacher was halfway up the monstrous staircase, sweeping with a miniature broomstick and gurgling under his breath as usual. I passed him with the temptation to randomly hiss at him.

Draco followed me with a sly smile, "You're not pregnant, for the thousandth time, Madeleine." He slid his hooded gaze down my bouncy, frustrated movements with a sideways grin.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever, liar." I was now sensationally convinced that I was pregnant, although I had no proof and it was nearly paralyzing me with terror. I didn't want a child at all and I would have to figure out what to do about it. The theory had begun to dance across my mind that perhaps Theodore could help me gain an honest diagnostic, as he was clearly powerful and amative towards me.

Draco seemed to read my mind with his eyebrows raised. On the third floor he cleared his throat, "Don't do anything brash on a foolish assumption."

I tried to speed up to lose him but he was tall and athletic by any standard, and by the time I made it to the fourth floor he was still by my side yet I was panting like a morbidly obese man trying to climb the Pyramids of Giza. He caught my fingers in his before I turned around the corner for the fifth level, and gently lured me around to face him. I sighed and found a means to calm myself temporarily, blinking at him with uncharacteristic patience.

He pet my cheek, "I'll see you soon, sweetheart. I'm choosing to trust that you will behave. When I'm back you can have all of your power again. Until the night time of course." He pressed his lips into a hard line, scaling my face nervously.

I threw up my arms in defeat, speaking with civil sarcasm, "I understand de rules. 'ave a fun "business trip"." I waved bunny ear quotations in his face.