Arranged (Draco)

28

Kayleigh's POV

"How do you do it?" Draco asks me and I look at him confused. "How do I do what?" I ask and he smirks at me lightly.

"How do you act the way you do so easily? You don't care about anyone else's feelings," he explains and I shrug to him. "When everyone you thought was once your friend throws at you a year like the one I had last year, plus having to lose your nerve to do tasks for the Dark Lord, it comes quite naturally," I answer and he nods.

We are in Potions and we are almost done with the one we've been working on for a couple weeks. I guess I was starting to lose my grudge at Draco but I wasn't going to let him in so fast. He had to work for it if he wanted to be my friend again.

Tonight, him and I are supposed to meet Voldemort and our parents at Malfoy Manor for a "meeting". I have no idea what we will be talking about but I guess I'll just have to wait and find out. It's probably our first task as partners.

*•*•*

*time skip to meeting at Malfoy Manor*

"Good evening Miss Allen," Lucius greets as he escorts us to the large dining room where many death eater meetings have been held. I hug my parents and Narcissa and sit down next to Draco as Voldemort enters with Nagini. Draco cringes in fear as the snake freely slithers around the room.

"So you must be wondering what this is about," Voldemort says in his natural creepy voice that I have gotten used to. Draco and I nod as we watch him walk around the long table, around all of us.

"Well, you two are going to get married," he bluntly informs us and our parents smile at us, knowingly. I stand up with my hands on the table. "No! I am not marrying him!" I shout and Voldemort smirks evilly. "Yes, you will and you cannot deny me," he retorts and I growl to myself.

I glare at Draco who looks shocked and I can't tell if it's a good or bad kind of shock. I roll my eyes as I glare at my parents and they nod, smiling. I leave the room and go to the bathroom, trying to catch a nice little breather. After that, I walk outside to the back porch where I used to spend so many days with Draco back when we were little. I think about all the times we spent out here playing together and how much different it was now. We weren't even friends anymore and the Dark Lord expects us to get married? No way will I marry that tall boy who smells so freshly of lemons and cologne. What am I even talking about?

I hear the back door open behind me and feel a presence next to me. "I don't want to talk right now, Draco," I mumble, annoyed and he sighs. "But maybe getting married won't be so bad," he says and I cut him off, shooting daggers at him with my eyes.

"I said I don't want to talk right now!" I shout and he looks down sadly as I storm back into the house and go to the sitting room with the beautiful grand piano in the middle. I take a seat on the bench and gently stroke my fingers down the soft yet cold keys.

I crack my knuckles before I slowly begin to play it and then I lose myself in it, feeling comfort. A feeling I craved but haven't felt in years. Plus, the last time I played piano was over four years ago when I was last at Malfoy Manor spending time with Draco.

Maybe I overreacted about the marriage plans; it really probably wouldn't be that bad to marry Draco. We had been such close friends that I know we could be that again even if we weren't now. It might take a while to become friends again too, but it will eventually happen. I just have to give him a chance.

I walk back outside and apologize to him, sitting back down next to him. He smiles lightly as he grabs my hand in his, making a fire ignite in my cheeks and stomach. I haven't felt this feeling in a couple years either and it felt good to finally feel something.

As we walk back in the house, hand in hand, I pull back. I approach Voldemort and bow lightly before asking when the wedding will be. "Three weeks," he smiles and I nod. Three weeks to give Draco a real chance. If he doesn't prove himself within three weeks, I will back out of the marriage no matter what the consequences are.

"You two should get back to school before they begin to worry," Lucius says, fixing Draco's shirt collar and giving me a warm smile. We obey as we bow to them and apparate back to the school together. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Draco asks when we arrive in the Slytherin common room and I shake my head, holding back a smile.

No. I cannot be loosening up and becoming soft again. I have spent such a long time making myself stone cold and learning how to not feel or care, I cannot lose it now. I need it now more than ever because the war is about to begin. If I become soft, I will get myself killed in the war.