𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

65 | ﴾ Deal ﴿

The gardens around the Manor were almost all perfectly manicured by the end of October in preparation for winter shut down. I had begun a self-imposed routine of working for several hours in the evening freeze with Nibs after work, on the nights that I wasn't kept at Nott castle of course.

It was the only thing that I could do anymore with my spare time now that Draco was taken out of my life by force. It was painstaking that he slept directly below me every single night, and I wasn't able to contain my angst knowing that he was so close, shirtless like a perfect blond god in his bed. The Love Rose at my desk was drooping more each day, flittering down petals as the canyon between us grew wider.

The process of manicuring the Malfoy property was incredibly smooth in comparison to when I was imprisoned at the Manor during the war without a wand. The orchards were harvested and pruned, the flowering vines trimmed, and clippings of bulbs were placed all throughout the Manor and my room. It was always very entertaining to visit my original garden plot below Lucius' office window. Memories of living in terror and feeling helpless due to Lucius simply made me laugh now; there were much bigger torments at hand that the slender, posh man could never even amount to.

I had been running out of yard work and decided to draw on my artsy side, building a large fire pit with a stone pathway that led from the back porch steps. There was a number of collected materials from architectural disintegration of the Manor over the centuries that were piled up in the wellhouse. Concerningly, the wellhouse was filled with dried blood, sprayed in absolutely every direction, and I had no choice but to mildly assume that some poor mammal had been murdered in the space by a wild beast.

I worked with Nibs to cart over large stones and implement them seamlessly into the landscape. Narcissa had on more than one occasion come out to supervise my design work with interest, leaning over the balcony of her bedroom with glittering blue, curious eyes. She was impeccably dressed as always; not even appearing much older than myself with her natural beauty and terrorizing gaze. It was no wonder that her son was so handsome, commanding and intelligent; taking after her almost exactly in his attitude and physiognomic appearance.

On the following Monday after I'd completed the construction of the fire pit I tried to invite Hilda over to burn a bonfire, but she was busy with other affairs. I'd spent the entire evening frantically finishing the construction out of mortification for my weak vengefulness with Theodore, and now I felt restless. As the sunset began glowing over the landscape in a wide orange haze, I commenced pacing around in my bedroom with a long white gown on, biting my pretty nails away.

Finally I gave up and downed a cluster of euphoria potions Draco had left in my room in order to raise my anxious mood to something less antsy.

It worked, and I lost control of my reasoning. I could suddenly only think of him, and how I wanted to see him. I wandered down to the fourth level without any sense; my flowy dress floating behind my bare feet as I leapt down the cold stairs.

I paused at Draco's door with my knuckles bent before the wood. He'd come off as in a better mood towards me when I had seen him that day in the Ministry, and this combined with the euphoria potions had landed me outside of his bedroom like a silly schoolgirl.

I finally plucked up the courage to knock on the black wood, and the door swung open. He was at his desk, twisted in the chair with two fingers in the air to wandlessly command the door inwards.

His eyes looked dark in the lack of lighting, and before him the sunset glistened in the distant tree tops. "Yes?" he asked simply, turning his back to me again and pulling up the hood of his white hoodie.

I stepped cautiously into his room, toying with the moonstone around my neck. It was now a darkened purple, faintly glowing against my dress. I put my hand on the back of his wingback chair to peer at the intricate models of supercars he was constructing at his desk.