Our Little Secret || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 1 - I Do

(just to clarify, there are several time jumps in this chapter!)

I stood in the lobby of the Ministry, looking anxiously at the elevators every few minutes. I had no idea what state Draco would be in after testifying against his own father. Narcissa had been pardoned by the Kingsley, the new Minister of Magic, after much pleading from me and her agreement to testify alongside Draco against Lucius. He was being tried for his involvement as a Death Eater. Draco had no charges brought against him after I testified that he had never been a real Death Eater - Draco didn't believe in Voldemort's cause and he had been forced to follow in his father's footsteps, and he had committed no unpardonable crimes in the service of Voldemort.

A few hours of waiting and milling around passed, and the elevator doors opened to reveal Draco and his mother. They looked thoroughly exhausted, both mentally and physically. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and walked over quickly, hugging Draco tightly. "I'm so proud of you. So, so proud. You're so brave." I murmured. Draco said nothing - he just held me tighter, burying his face in my hair. When we broke apart, I moved over to hug Narcissa, who accepted it gratefully. "Thank you for being here, love. It means more than you know." She said, her eyes glassy. I smiled at her, shaking my head. "No thanks needed, Narcissa. I'll always be there for your family." 

I felt Draco grab my arm tightly, and I looked back at him in confusion. "Draco, what is it?" But he didn't look at me. His stare was fixed on the elevators, and when I looked towards the gilded doors, my heart froze. 

Lucius Malfoy was being led out of the elevators in shackles by six Aurors. The glare he fixed on the three of us was bone chilling. Draco pulled me and his mother closer to him, staring at his father defiantly. His eyes, cold and dead, never strayed from us as they walked by. "He can't hurt you anymore," I said firmly, looking at Draco and Narcissa. "He's never going to hurt you again." When they had disappeared into the grate, Draco and I bid Narcissa goodbye, promising that we would be by soon for tea. The two of us stepped into another grate, quickly flooing into our home.

After the war had ended, Draco and I had found a small flat in London for the two of us to live in. It was a bit cramped by some people's standards, but for us, it was perfect. Just enough space for a young couple starting out on their own. Draco immediately walked over to the couch, sitting down and closing his eyes, letting his head fall back against the cushions. His whole body radiated how stressed out he was from the day's events. I frowned, toeing off my trainers and sitting at the other end of the couch, tugging Draco down until he was laying on his back with his head in my lap. I began to run my fingers through his blonde hair, rubbing his scalp and temples gently until he began to visibly relax and I could feel the tension melting away from him.

"You were incredible today, love. You never fail to amaze me with your strength and resilience, no matter what's happened to you." I said softly, smiling down at the man laying on me. Draco gave me a small smile in response but didn't open his eyes, still enjoying my ministrations, so I continued talking to him quietly. "I can't imagine what it must have been like, facing your father like that, but I am so proud of you for getting through it in one piece." 

Draco didn't respond again, and I chuckled to myself when I noticed that he had become much stiller and his breathing had slowed - he had fallen asleep on me. I didn't mind though. There wasn't a moment of the day where I didn't want to be close to Draco, and this was everything to me. I laid my head back, closing my own eyes and letting the stress of the day melt away, ready to forget all of this and move on with our lives.

---

I tossed another wedding magazine on the table and flopped back on the couch, sighing. "What's up, love?" Draco said, walking in from the kitchen with two mugs of tea. "My brain is about to burst with wedding planning." I groaned, gratefully accepting the steaming mug and sipping the tea. "I know you, Isa, there's more than that going on your beautiful head," Draco said, standing in front of me.