Sour Grapes

Chapter 13 - True Love

Draco shivered as he entered the cold hollow prison in the middle of the North Sea. Memories of his time here flooded back into his very soul as he walked down the narrow corridor to the visitor cells. It had always felt like this. The guard accompanying him was familiar only by voice. Draco had avoided eye contact with any of them for the majority of his stay there, never wanting to view their hatred OR their pity, blissfully ignorant of whichever they were offering each day.

"Who would you like to see first?" asked the guard.

"My Mother."

The guard nodded and motioned for him to enter the door on his right.

"You have 20 minutes with each, or 40 minutes total, wherever you choose to spend the time."

Draco nodded, thinking he would probably spend the majority of that time with his mother. He entered the visitor cell and saw her sitting upright in a metal chair behind a metal table, the room itself completely bare except for these pieces of furniture and a seat for the visitor.

"I will knock to alert you when 20 minutes has passed," the guard said before slamming the door shut behind him.

Draco stared at his mother. She was more pale and sunken than she had been at his last visit and he wondered if she had been flat out refusing food again. She had taken to doing so last Christmas and had been hospitalized as a result. Seeing him, however, caused her to light up like nothing else could.

"Draco," she said with a desperate hunger in her voice as she stood from her chair. He rushed to her side, "Mother please remain seated, you look so frail." She consented to hug him and sit back down in her cold, hard chair.

"I'm fine Draco, now that you're here. How are you my love? Please tell me everything."

This was Narcissa's constant refrain when he'd visited her, which was about once a month. His father, on the other hand, only received a visit during the Christmas Holidays. It was always a stoic reunion, filled with shallow questions and a distinct lack of eye contact. His Mother, however, he shared everything with.

"I'm not sure if you're aware given your limited contact with Father, but- I have quite a problem, Mother, and I-"

His breath caught in his chest and he looked away, taking a deep breath and steeling himself for this conversation he'd rehearsed in his head all morning.

"Draco, what is it? You know that you can tell me anything," her eyes held a sense of fear that only a mother could show when looking into her child's distressed face. Draco took a deep breath and began, "Father has re-arranged for me to wed Astoria Greengrass... within the month."

Narcissa breathed in deeply and nodded, sitting back in her chair. It was clearly new information, yet she was unsurprised.

"I had wondered if her parents would come round after your release. It seems they took their time, no?"

"Well, given that I gave an interview for The Prophet officially announcing not only my return to society but also my friendship with Harry Potter, I expect they're suddenly quite keen to be re-connected with our family."

"You gave an interview?" she looked at him, puzzled.

"Yes, it's a long story," he said, keen not to bring Hermione into this conversation if he could help it, "but the bottom line is that it caught their attention and they have jumped at the chance to use the circumstance of my... 'social redemption' for their own ends."