Entranced (Draco Malfoy)

•thirty-four•

Only a month goes by before Draco Malfoy and Dove Taylor reunite with the rest of the Weasley family, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger. It's the day of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, and Dove can't help but be excited. 

"Dovelyn," Fleur calls in her melodic French accent. Dove smiles. She hated her name until the whimsical French girl said it. "Would you come lace me up?"

"Coming," Dove replies, hurrying into the bathroom. "Oh, Fleur!" She looks stunning. "You look absolutely beautiful."

The Veela flashes her a smile, "And so do you,  my little love."

Dove laces Fleur up, unable to stop smiling. She'd been worried she wouldn't get along with the Veela, but they became the closest of friends in no time. Both of their partners had been slightly irritated at that, seeing as the girls continuously ditched them to hang out with each other. 

And with the fact that Molly Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger hate Fleur for some reason, it's given Dove even more reason to hang out with her. 

"Are you ready?" Dove encourages, a huge smile on her face.

"Yes," Fleur responds confidently. "Where is my Gabrielle?"

"I'll send her up. I'll see you when you walk down the aisle, my brilliant friend," the former Hufflepuff smiles, kissing her cheeks delicately.

Dove scampers out of the room and downstairs, looking for the youngest Veela. She steps into the living room, finding Harry zipping up Ginny's dress very slowly, the two clearly sharing a moment. Her eyes widen, and she takes a step backwards, her heel clicking on the floor. Harry's head whips around, embarrassment coating his face.

"Payback?" She asks awkwardly, forcing a laugh. "Have fun, bye!"

She literally runs away, internally gagging. Is this what he felt every time he walked in on her and Draco? 

"Dovie?" Gabrielle asks in confusion. "Are you alright?"

"Lovely," she quickly recovers. "Your sister is looking for you. She looks gorgeous."

"Of course she does," the younger girl responds proudly. "She is a Delacour. You look beautiful as well."

Gabrielle flaunts her way up the stairs to her sister. Dove looks down at her ring, sighing when she thinks of Narcissa. She still can't believe the kind woman is dead. There's no proof of it, which still gives her slight hope, but at the same time, she knows she can't hold on to that hope forever.

She sighs, leaning against the wall. She catches sight of her reflection in the window, the sun bouncing off of it just right. She cocks her head to the side, something very off about her slight reflection.

A blonde girl stands in the reflection, wearing Dove's dress. She is short, seemingly young. She raises her hand in a wave, and that's when Dove sees her eyes: so pale blue they appear grey. She blinks, and the girl is gone.

More than a little confused, she swallows, peering at her reflection. But she looks like herself. Curled brown hair down to the middle of her stomach, emerald green dress on her body. She can't make out her facial features considering it's a window, but she knows she's looking at herself.

Arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into a solid body. She smiles, twirling around to look at her handsome boyfriend. Without a word, she rises on her tiptoes to kiss him sweetly. He grins, looking her over.

"You look gorgeous, my love," he murmurs, kissing her cheek.

"You look rather amazing yourself," she replies adoringly. "Are you ready to watch our favorite people get married?"

"I'd rather it be our wedding," he mutters under his breath.

"I'll make you a deal," she entices, catching his attention immediately. "Once we can get out of hiding, I'll marry you." 

He frowns, "What if we can never get out of hiding?"

"Then I'll never marry you."

He rolls his eyes, wrapping his arm around her waist to lead her outside. 

-

Dove Taylor and Draco Malfoy sway to the music, hugging each other lightly. He twirls her, bringing her into him with ease.

"Someone took dancing lessons," she teases, wrapping her arms back around his neck.

"Mother insisted," he admits, a whisper of sadness in his eyes.

She hates the pain he's in. It's been over seven months since they found out she was dead, but it effects him so strongly, and she knows it always will. Sometimes she will wake up to him crying, and she'll simply hold him as he does. She understands how hard grief is. And he gets it for her, too. More often than not, since the fateful day a month ago, the two stay awake, unable to sleep for fear of having nightmares of the ones they lost dying over and over again.

She opens her mouth to respond, but something interrupts her before she can. A large, silvery lynx falls through the canopy above them. Draco immediately grabs her and pulls her to the side, arms around her protectively. He'd just turned seventeen mere weeks ago. They both take out their wands discreetly, waiting for the lynx to speak.

She doesn't recognize the voice as it talks, "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." 

Instantly, chaos rings out. Draco, without hesitating for a single second, grabs her hand and begins to run. She has no choice but to follow, her mind wild with awful thoughts. Who's going to die this time? 

"Dove! Draco!" David Taylor screams above the commotion. The two race to him, Draco grabbing onto Lorraine, Dove grabbing onto her father. "Let's get to safety."

And as spells begin to ring out, both couples who want nothing more than to stay and fight have to leave in order to keep the younger two alive and safe. Dove wonders if there will ever be a day where her and Draco can live a normal life. She wonders if she'll ever be able to marry him. And surprisingly, she also wonders if the person she saw in the window will ever come to fruition.