Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

Arranged - 53

By the time I had woken up in the early afternoon and went with Draco to lunch, the school was buzzing about how both Black and Buckbeak had escaped. I was not sure how, but I believed that, somehow, Harry was responsible.

I was still unhappy about Snape assigning Draco to watch my every move, but I knew there was not much to do about it. At least I could tolerate Draco most of the time. I sat next to him, with Daphne on my other side as the Slytherins theorized what happened the previous night.

"How are you doing, Aphry?" I heard Harry say behind me as I sipped on some pumpkin juice.

I turned around to look at him and was just about to respond when I heard, "Bugger off, Potter." from my other side. I could almost hear my blonde warden's scowl,  worsened by the news of Buckbeak's disappearance. I smiled weakly at Harry to apologize for Draco's behavior.

Harry cut his eyes at Draco, "I was talking to Aphry, not you."

Draco dropped his fork, which landed on his plate with a clatter. He rose from his seat before finally going toe to toe with Harry. "Considering the danger you put her in last night, I think you've done enough talking, Potter. Now go off to the Gryffindor table and leave my girl-... leave my friend alone, Potter."

The dark-haired boy turned his head to me, waiting for me to say something. I wanted to explain further, but I knew I couldn't get away from Draco, who had spent the remainder of the night sleepless and imagining alternative scenarios of my fate. He got out of bed ready to pick a fight with Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry. We'll talk later, okay?"

Giving me a sad smile, he turned. He walked back to Hermione at the Gryffindor table, who seemed anxious to hear what Harry had heard from me. Without Draco seeing, I caught her eye and smiled, silently telling them I was okay, which she returned.

It went on like that for the rest of the term. Harry, Hermione, a Weasley, or one of the handful of other Gryffindors I had made acquaintance with, would try to talk to me, and Draco would promptly turn them away with a snarky comment. Snape and Draco seemed thrilled by it, while I was humiliated.

I was never happier to get off the Hogwarts express and go home with my father, even though I didn't know what awaited me when I got home. While I was expecting a howler, my father never once mentioned the Sirius Black incident in his letters.

We apparated home straight after getting off the train, arriving in the entryway of the home. The mansion was too large for us, but the Cytheria estate was passed down for generations, and my father was too sentimental when it came to family history to sell it. 

The mansion was a stark contrast to Malfoy Manor, and my father told stories of the joy my mother put into decorating after they got married. The exterior was a light beige stone, built nearly two centuries after Malfoy Manor. The front entrance was enhanced by pink roses ranging from a subtle blush to bright Fuschia, and the garden in the back was filled with all types of colorful flowers: wisteria, peonies, and hydrangeas, to name a few. The interior was carefully designed in creamy whites and tasteful pastels that matched the garden.

"I guess we have quite a bit of catching up," father said, looking down at me with a soft smile that didn't reach his eyes. I had a feeling he was anticipating this conversation as much as I, but the stressed expression that had been present since I spotted him on the train led me to believe he was more nervous. "I arranged for tea and biscuits to be prepared in the drawing room. Why don't we go and have a chat?"

We entered the main drawing room,  bathed in varying shades of lilac and gilded accents. I sat on the soft cream sofa, as my father sat across from me in the matching chair opposite me. We prepared our tea in silence, and I waited for my father to be the first to speak.

I watched him as he took a sip of his tea, decided he'd put enough cream in, then set it down on the coffee table, looking at me. "Severus owled me the night of Black's... re-escape. I'm not going to scold you for what happened. I'll be honest, I don't like that you were in that situation, and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you. But I do believe Severus said everything to you that night that I would have wanted to say.

"I do, however, want to say I'm sorry." He said lightly.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "You're sorry? For what?"

He let out a labored breath. "That you had to find out Severus was your godfather the way you did."

I lifted a brow. "So he wasn't lying?" I asked.

He chuckled a bit. "No. No, he wasn't." His eyes connected with mine, his expression solemn. "But, it is important Lucius does not find out. He is very careful to be discreet about our connection. If anyone were to find out we are..."

"Defensors?" I finished for him. He looked up with wide eyes, shocked that I knew the proper term. "I found it in one of the library books at school." I offer without his asking.

Sighing, he nodded. "Yet another thing I've kept from you..." He stared down at his tea, his mouth in a thin line. "But yes, if anyone had found out that we were Defensors, we would be in grave danger. Lucius and I have made great efforts through the years to prevent others from discovering, including Draco until he becomes old enough."

I put down the tea that I hadn't been drinking. "So... I have a second godfather whom Lucius Malfoy isn't supposed to know about. I have an intrinsic, magical connection to Draco Malfoy that he can't know about. And the rest of the world cannot know either fact... Is there anything else that you are keeping from me?"

William Cytheria averted his gaze and didn't speak.

My eyes widened. "Father!" He looked at me, guilt now prominent in his eyes. "What else is there?"

"Well... I have some news," he said. "Lucius and I did some... planning after you returned to school after Easter break. To get this idea of Draco's that you are betrothed out of his head, and to stop pursuing you, at least for a time..."

I shifted in my seat. "Okay, that doesn't sound like the worst idea... What are you planning?"

"We...uh...set you up with someone." He said, stuttering.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Set me up with someone? Like, to pretend to date?"

"No, darling... An arranged marriage."