𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬; 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 𝟑

Patience Is Key

AnnaLeigh Malfoy

"This might not be the place to discuss such things, Mrs Malfoy" Mt Trotter spoke hesitantly, drawing his hand up to lightly scratch the back of his neck.

"So where do you propose we go?" Draco asked.

"Here" he held out his arm for us to take. Draco was the first one to latch on without hesitation but I stepped back slightly, looking down at what was supposed to be a stress reliever, a picnic that would relax me.

"What about your wife?" I asked.

"She will find her way" he answered. I nodded and slowly placed my hand up and as soon my fingers came into contact with his jacket, the whole world went black.

When I was able to see again, we were in the one place I've been trying to avoid as much as possible these days.

The Ministry.

"This way" he said before turning around and stalking ahead of Draco and I.

"We can go home, Anna" he said as he slipped his hand through mine "We don't have to be here right now"

"If we go home now then we are just delaying the inevitable" I responded and looked up at him "I really don't want to be here but at the same time, I just really want to get this over and done with so my life can go back to normal"

I didn't let him petition any longer before practically dragging him to follow Mr Trotter down the hall. Dodging people as we moved and avoiding looking them in the eye. I wasn't really in so much of a mood to greet them with friendly smiles and share good day wishes right now.

When we reached Mr Trotters office entrance, I felt the put in the bottom of my stomach enlarge and rise so far up my body and into my throat.

Mr Trotter walked in before Draco and I and took a seat down on his chair, looking up and waiting patiently for us to walk in after him.

"This could be it, AnnaLeigh" Draco whispered, grasping my hand comfortingly "This could be the end of everything wrong"

"You're right" I whispered, releasing a deep breath "Yeah—Yeah, you're right"

"Good" he smiled and wrapped his arm around my waist "Come"

I let him walk us both into the office, closing the door behind him and taking a seat. Now it was just us three and the muffled sound of others crossing the hall just outside. I folded my arms in my lap and subtly picked on the side of my thumbnail.

Mr Trotter let out a deep sigh and pushed back in his seat slightly before pulling out a draw and reaching for an yellow folder that he placed on the table in front of us a moment later.

"There has been some advances in your case since we last spoke, Mrs Malfoy" he started, clearing his throat lightly and gesturing to the folder.

"Like?" I questioned, refusing to open the folder in front of me. Instead, I moved it toward Draco and gave him permission to open it.

"We at the Ministry had the intention that Malice and Alden had done this as a way to make up for the money Scorpius owed and although that may be true, it's not the full extent" He explained, intertwining his fingers on the desk.

"There's more?" My eyes widened.

"This may be difficult to hear Mr Malfoy but your son, Scorpius, was involved in Malice's drug cartel at the time all this began to happen to your wife. We've discovered that when unable to pay for the supplements he bought, he held an outstanding debt..."

"And I was the payment plan" I said as I slowly began to realise what this all meant.

My whole life leading from Scorpius has been a series of up and down events. I was a firm believer of everything happened for a reason and to this day, I would still trust to be so but to sit here and remember what had happened, what all my family and I have been through.