Bitter Chocolate - (A 'Veronica Weasley' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

28 - Molly's Favourite

He had taken us to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Come on," Draco muttered, leading me inside. "I'll get you a drink."

Five minutes later he placed a Firewhisky in front of me.

"You better not be trying to get me drunk," I snarled.

"Give me a break, Weasley. I'm not Blaise." He muttered as he took the seat opposite me.

"Unfortunately for Bambi." I retorted nastily.

He slammed his own tumbler down on the table between us, glaring at me, but said nothing.

"Does it not bother you?" I asked, eyeing him carefully. "Knowing your fiancée is sleeping with not only someone else, but your best mate?"

"You know it doesn't, and you know why, Ronnie." He said, looking at me with such pain and longing in his eyes it almost took my breath away.

I looked away, resisting the urge to reach out and entwine my fingers with his.

"You know I'm still going to ask you to respect my wishes and stay away after the wedding," I said with an air of defiance. "Just because you paid my rent, doesn't mean you own me."

"Weasley, I'd buy you a whole flipping castle if you let me and it still wouldn't mean I own you."

"A castle?" I asked, cocking my head up at him, my interest suddenly piqued. "How big a castle are we talking exactly?"

His eyes flashed amusedly. "I'd buy you the whole fucking world if I could, Weasley."

"The thing is Draco, what I want from you wouldn't actually cost you a single knut. And I don't care about your fucking wealth; I grew up without much gold and our family were happy. Yeah, I had to put up with complete fucking pricks like you constantly putting me down for it. But our family loved each other and there was so much joy and laughter-" I stopped abruptly as a great bubble of sadness caught in the back of my throat, choking me.

"Ronnie," Draco murmured, jumping out of his chair and diving around the table to come and sit down next to me.

As soon as his arms went around me I felt myself dissolve into tears; the comfort of his embrace did something to me and I couldn't help but cling to him with everything I had. It hurt so much to think about Fred and what his death had done to our family.

"You can talk to me, Ronnie," Draco murmured, pressing his lips against my ear as he held me tightly to his side. "I was there, remember? Let me be here for you now."

"I hate your father," I sobbed. "And I hate that you're choosing him over me!"

"I'm not Ronnie, I'm not." Draco growled, tightening his arms around me as he repeatedly pressed his lips against the top of my head. "Believe me, I'm here for you. I'm going to look after you from now on. Like I should have done from the start."

"Take me home," I gasped through my tears. "Please, take me home, Draco,"

And he did, ordering me down on the sofa whilst he went and made me a cup of tea. When he returned, he didn't push me into talking to him, but instead gathered me into his arms and watched shit load of mindless TV with me, every now and then refilling my tea before ordering a pizza.

I let him look after me even though I knew it was all going to eventually end in tears.

*****

"So Malfoy's living with you now, then?"

"In the second bedroom, yes," I muttered, giving Harry a daring glare as I took a swig of my wine.

Draco stayed true to his word and stayed with me. But I was insistent he sleep in the other room; I still point blank refused to have a physical relationship with him whilst he was adamant on marrying Bambi.