ALLURING || D.M.

Chapter 41

Two knocks, not strong, not feeble. Silence, finally, Draco merely glanced from his sitting position inside the room. Grunted but chose not to head to the doorway, he had no intention to attend dinner that night, with his trusted firewhisky bottle he was more than contempt. A minute, then two stronger knocks went ignored, the second he doubted just standing to tell them to fuck off, he remembered elves didn't knock, they just told him through the door.

Wood creaked slightly and his brows furrowed, hand already flexing to grip his wand in less than a minute, not yet acknowledging the interruption. She saw him there, his back lazily supported by his velvet armchair, eyes half-turned to view the gardens, pine forest in the distance, narrow but still focused.

He had cleaned himself, showered and tended to his wounds as best he could in his anger, he swallowed, tightening his jaw as he heard the clicking of heels on his floor. "The elves will bring your dinner in some minutes, I figured you'd like to stay here".

"Not hungry" He said neutrally, letting his wand alone on the table but not relaxing his shoulders just yet. "There is always water if you're thirsty" He could hear the way Narcissa crossed her arms, rolling his eyes and purposefully drowning the glass in his hand.

"How are you?" She asked doubtfully at first, deciding her best approach. He turned to look at her, "Just wonderful" his eyes squinted, "Can't you notice?". She noticed, the shallow cut marking the edge of his jaw, slightly red against his pale skin, shoulders taut, eyes fiery beneath the careful surface.

He cursed under his breath at the tightness of her face, turning back to glance at the clear sky. He didn't want a lecture, or a warning, much less a demand. Her lips pursed, she expected his silence, his anger, he was much like Lucius that way as much as he'd hate to admit it, she was sure if she dared say anything about it, his frozen glare would bury her alive. "I'm sending you to Germany" Her voice remained steady, not a question, an order.

Order, like the many that day, that was defied. He blinked once, straightening in the chair and turning fully toward her, "What?" he spoke slowly, bewilderment in his face. "You heard what I said, you'll stay at the Quedlinburg land until the school year starts" Narcissa's back turned rigid when her son chuckled.

"I'm not going anywhere" He stated, lips curving into the beginning of a smile. A sharp, incredulous smile. "Draco" He crossed his arms over his chest, a daring look behind his eyes, "This is not up for discussion". The boy kept still, raising a single eyebrow, silently mocking her words, "You will go" his mother said sternly.

"Why?" He mocked, tilting his head, daring her to come up with something decent enough to convince him. "Because I am your mother and I'm telling you to" She commanded, receiving a soft chuckle from him, "Because I am the adult responsible for you".

"How old is it that I am again? Five?" She rubbed her temples, "If you want me gone, be more creative, will you?". Narcissa looked up with a conflicted expression, "Check your tone, do you think I want to do this?" she took away the glass of firewhisky he was about to sip. "No" He said simply, glancing at her as he poured more for himself, "But your charming guests think I'm too difficult or disrespectful or whatever other synonym they used, they want me gone, and since you are so compliant".

"Do not insult me Draco" Narcissa exclaimed. "Not an insult if it's the truth" He shrugged, drowning half the glass in a single gulp, "Stings, doesn't it?". The little boy who clinged to her skirts and kissed her cheeks incessantly was long gone, his father took care of that, but the respect, appreciation he still held for her also dissipated little by little every day at the blatant lack of guts she showed the past month.

"This is not up for discussion, the elves will pack your things and one of them will be taking you at the end of the week" He laughed. "I am not going anywhere" He smiled, softening the sentence with a fake smile, speaking again when she huffed.