Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

Vengeance - 44

Easter break had come, and Malfoy and I took the train back home. One week would be spent at the Cytheria Estate, just father and I. In the second week, we would return to Malfoy Manor.

After the Hufflepuff match, I remained cordial with Malfoy when he tried to speak with me. He'd been trying to make amends, but I was being persistently stubborn. The Slytherins that were previously avoiding me as if I had developed leprosy were now speaking with me again. Some, namely Pansy, were much nicer to me than they had been. As if there was another reason for their kindness.

But Slytherins have always been kind out of the goodness of their hearts, and never as an ulterior motive!

"Aphrodite... Severus wrote us," father said worriedly the first night we were home at dinner. "He's rarely seen you and Draco speak or around each other in the past weeks. Lucius, Narcissa, and I haven't heard of any trouble from you or Draco. You know you can tell us if you have any problems that inhibit your... relationship."

The opportunity was almost placed in my lap. My necklace tingled, however, I knew exactly why this time. I let in a deep breath, then let it out softly, making sure to appear a bit weary. "Actually, father. I do believe I might need to talk to you, Mr. Malfoy, and Narcissa."

We met after lunch the next week in the Malfoy Manor. Draco was spending every afternoon after lunch doing practice drills to prepare for the quidditch final, so it was the perfect time to meet without him possibly interrupting us.

It was decided that we would talk in Mr. Malfoy's study. A perfect location for what we were about to unpack.

We all sat in the seating area in front of the fireplace. Narcissa and her husband sitting on the chair on the side with their back toward Mr. Malfoy's built-in bookshelves, my father and I on the opposite.

"What is it you need to tell us, dear?" Narcissa asked. She was clearly concerned with the apparent rift between us.

My necklace had been at a low hum since I'd initiated this, but the tingle was much more noticeable now. I felt a hint of guilt, but not enough to stop. I look between the three, as if hesitant to even start. "There's just been so much going on this year. Beyond the issues, Draco or I have already written to you about."

"Tell us everything," Mr. Malfoy said, encouraging me to go on.

I nodded, looking down at my hands, then back up. I was careful to speak a bit somberly but not overdramatize it. "It started with this parchment Draco showed me on the train to Hogwarts first day. I assumed he found it in the family library." I knew he didn't. "The Malfoy family line and the Cytheria family lines were listed together in two columns. There was a line between the two of us..."

Lucius Malfoy sat on the edge of his seat, enraged. "From the families' records?"

He rose from his seat, going straight to the bookshelf and pulling out one of the older volumes. Placing the volume front first on his desk, he lifted the last several pages and leafed through them. He looked at us. "The chart of the family lines is missing!"

Perfect. Draco hadn't found his way to return it yet. And knowing his son had entered his private study and taken something from it, I knew that Lucius Malfoy would not be as lenient in hearing his son out. "He wanted to use it to convince me we had an arranged marriage so I'd date him." I elaborated. "He is still convinced that's the case, even though I told him I wasn't allowed to date him."

"A good idea of your father's," Lucius said, closing the volume and returning his seat. "If you two got too close, there could  be a concern that he would catch onto your connection."

So that was the reason why? Father could have told me that, I thought. But, I mustn't ponder on that right now. "That's understandable," I responded. "However, he started dating Pansy Parkinson. I'm sure with the intention of making me jealous."

"Oh, Merlin," Narcissa said with mild concern. "We wouldn't want any trouble with the Parkinsons..."

I look at her and nodded in agreement, matching her expression. "And I tried to warn him as much after he abandoned her on their Hogsmeade date!"

"He abandoned her?" She exclaimed, her eyes widening as she no doubt was thinking of potential the damage to their social circle.

I nodded again to confirm. "Yes, I had to do damage control after Daphne and I found her sobbing in the Three Broomsticks after he went off with Crabbe and Goyle to the Shrieking Shack."

Narcissa placed a hand on her chest. "That decrepit house that has been on the outskirts of the village for decades? Who knows what hexes and curses could be in a place like that!"

I contorted my face to exhibit the stress I had been feeling. "That's not all. In addition to all this, every time I tried to keep him out of trouble, we would fight. The last time we had a fight, he and the quidditch team turned nearly every Slytherin against me. He's tried to do it before, but this time was much more effective. Hardly anyone would talk to me or acknowledge me for weeks. It even led to Marcus Flint calling me a 'sorry excuse for a Slytherin!'"

Mr. Malfoy and my father both recoiled back at the insult I had received, clearly offended, and Narcissa made a small gasp. I could tell this plan was effective.

Now time to top this dessert with a cherry. I pouted, forcing tears to brim my eyes. Narcissa leaned over, placing a supportive hand on my arm. "He's just been making it incredibly hard to protect him!"

My father set his jaw, protective over his only child. "I am so sorry, Darling."

"We will certainly talk to Draco," Lucius said, looking between me and my father. "And we will be putting a stop to this betrothal business. Definitively."