With Poise [D. Malfoy]

Chapter 6

Months went by with Bella and Draco falling more in love with one another. Their first date went amazingly well. Draco had taken Bella to Paris to dine in the Eiffel tower. Ever since then they spent many evenings and weekends together between his flat and her home with Blaise. Draco never knew he could love a woman as much as Bella. Bella knew Draco was the love of her life and her friends agreed wholeheartedly.

However even with the sun shining it's possible to have rain and rain it did.

"What do you mean you have a betrothal arranged? I'm in love with someone, I won't do it," Draco said angrily to his mother.

"Draco, darling, we have had this arranged since you were children. I'm sorry we cannot undo it. Astoria is a lovely girl, I'm sure you'll be able to reach a middle ground with her," Narcissa said sipping primly from her tea cup.

"Please try to find a loophole or something, I don't want to marry her. Hell, I don't even really know her!" Draco said growing more upset as the minutes ticked by. He stood quickly needing to speak with Theo and Blaise.

"If there isn't a loophole Draco, you will marry Astoria," Lucius drawled from behind his desk. Draco didn't even pause as he walked to the fireplace and throwing floo powder in.

"He really is interested in that Zabini girl, isn't he," Lucius asked Narcissa as she came around his desk and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I daresay he's in love with her. Lucius, is there truly no way to get him out of this contract?" She inquired.

"The contract is air tight. Only if they fail in the child clause is either one of them allowed to divorce the other and even then, I made it air tight enough that the Greengrass' do not receive a single sickle if there was no heir," Lucius stated sipping from his tumbler of firewhisky.

"My poor dragon," Narcissa whispered walking back to the couch and sitting primly watching the fire. She would do anything for her son, but even this was out of her hands.

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"You're betrothed!" Blaise roared fists shaking from anger.

"Are you fucking kidding mate?" Theo growled.

"I didn't know! I told them to find a loophole! I don't want to marry Astoria. I want to be with Bella," Draco said angrily drinking from his tumbler. He finished his glass then gave himself another generous cup.

"Why didn't you know! You know as well as I that there are never loopholes in betrothal contracts," Theo shook his head drinking as well.

"I trusted you with her. You swore you had no ill intentions towards her and here you are telling me you're fucking engaged to someone else. I swear Draco what kind of mate are you!?" Blaise sat down at his desk drinking heavily.

"Blaise, I swear to you I had no idea my parents set this up. This is the first time I've heard about this damn thing. I am going to look for a loophole, I'm going to get out of this," he said determined. He looked at Blaise who wouldn't meet his eye then to Theo who just nodded.

"I'll help you. I'll look over it with you," Theo agreed.

"Blaise?" Draco asked worried he'd lost his best mate.

"Are you going to tell her?" Blaise asked looking into his glass then meeting his friend's glance with a hard stare.

"I don't want to worry her if I can find a loophole. I'm going to wait until I've exhausted all of my options," Draco said then broke their eye contact.