99 ways to say I love you- Draco Malfoy

No.82

I just need to be with her.

Draco, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sit in the living room in a stiff silence.

"Draco, do you understand?" Lucius sneers

"I do," he nods. Accepting the small red box his father is holding out to him. "I really have to do this?"

"Of course you do. You always knew you would have to do this," Lucius snaps.

"Draco, darling, I wish things were different," his mother sighs gently

"No. You clearly don't wish things were different or you'd let this entire thing go. This isn't the law. No one's life is at stake. This is a choice the both of you are making," Draco retaliates, standing up from his seat.

"Where are you going? Your mother and I just got back!" Lucius demands, standing up to square off with his son.

"I'm going to see the girl I actually want to marry. Need a moment with her if I'm going to be able to go through with this,"

"No. You aren't allowed to go and see miss Davies!"

"The only way I will be able to sleep tonight is if I see her!"

"I don't care Draco! You will not go and sleep with your ex girlfriend the day I give you the ring for you to propose with!" Lucius shouts, his entire body radiating anger

"Merlin, I'm not going to sleep with her I just need to be with her. The only way I feel sane is to be with her! I can't breathe without her!" Draco argues back.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, you will not go and see her! We will sit here and we will discuss your future bride like is tradition!"

"Father, what part of I don't want to marry her don't you understand! I don't want to follow all the traditions. I will not sit here and smile politely for you when you are taking the only thing in my life that is good and you are ripping it away from me!"

"You will learn to love Astoria! She will give you your children! She will tend to your house! You will feel the same way you do for Emily for her!"

"No I fucking won't! I will be in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life. You are signing my life away! I don't want a life like you two! I don't want to spend my whole life with someone I don't love! I will not learn to love her and I will not feel the way I do for Emily for her. I will never ever be happy with her. The rest of my life I will wish for the woman you took from me!"

"I am doing what is best for you! What is best for our family!"

"I don't give a damn! What is best for me is to be with the woman I choose! I don't care about the Malfoy name or the reputation! I don't care anymore! If having all of this means I can't have Emily I don't fucking want it! You don't have to do this. You can let me be happy!"

"You're ungrateful Draco and you will propose to Astoria as had been arranged-"

"Father, I'm not asking you to allow me to marry some girl from the street. The Davies family is as pure blooded as ours. For a long time she was who you planned all of this to be with!"

"It's not my fault she got herself thrown from society Draco! You will propose! You will marry Astoria! You will carry on the Malfoy name! You can be as rude as you like when it's just the three of us but you will smile politely for the crowds! Do you understand me?" Lucius bellows.

Draco doesn't respond. He storms out of the room and into the hallway.

"Let him go," Narcissa speaks the moment Lucius moves to follow him. They listen as he storms through the corridors and slams his bedroom door.

The red box with the large diamond lays open on the sofa.

**

"Congratulations again Astoria," Draco smiles politely. His arm by his side as her hand wraps around his bicep.

They walk through the outdoor space where the ceremony has been held and into the great hall where the banquet is going to be. It's the first moment alone they've had, their parents crowding them until now.

"Thank you. How's things? You haven't written in a while," she doesn't seem angry, more concerned.

"Been busy," he shrugs gently "sorry. Things are okay. How are-" he cuts himself off from his question.

He watches with a fond smile on his face as Emily runs down a flight of stairs from an area of the school that hadn't been a part of the reception, hand holding George's and a large grin on both their faces.

"What have you two been doing?" Molly's voice scolds as she sees them

"Nothing mum," they both repeat.

Draco hadn't been there to witness the first time Emily called Molly mum. He'd heard the story though. She was half asleep at breakfast before the quidditch World Cup and had groaned out 'mum, could you pass the butter?'. No one said anything at the time but Molly's eyes had flooded with tears. She called Molly and Arthur mum and dad ever since, slipping between that and their names depending on the situation.

"Really? Because the minute the ceremony ended you-" Draco doesn't hear the end as his father's hand grips his shoulder, pushing him forward past the trio.

He catches her eye across the hall but she looks away immediately. Draco realises it's probably due to Astoria sitting stiffly by his side so he simply watches as she laughs happily with Hermione and Charlie.