Of Doves and Dragons

Chapter Sixteen: The Fickleness of Hearts

"I know it hasn't been your day all week, so put it all on me."

-Ed Sheeran, Ella Mai, Put it All on Me

Christmas was on its way. Once the students had had their final lessons, Professor Snape had relieved her of their own lessons until the return of term. Without them, Ember didn't really know what she was expected to do.

She didn't know if her and Draco were staying in the castle or going back to Malfoy manor, or, and she hated to think of it, if Draco would be going back to the manor without her. Though they were married the terms of their actual relations were ambiguous at best, and with everything that was going on she didn't feel the need to push for clarification. She was satisfied with how things were.

Turns out she wouldn't need to ask what she would be doing for the holidays, when an invitation arrived addressed to her. Draco had snatched it out of her hands, appalled, "He invited you to his Slug Club Christmas Party?!"

"His what?" She asked. She hadn't heard anything of a Slug Club and while logically she assumed it was a shortening of Slughorn's name and that it didn't have anything to do with actual slugs.

Draco huffed, flaring his nostrils, clearly annoyed. "Slughorn has, what is called by most of the public, a Slug Club. It's made up of members that he deems talented and worthy of his mentorship."

"And you wanted to be a member of this club?" She guessed with an arched brow.

"Well, yeah." He said dumbly. "My father, and my grandfather, were a part of his club. I'm talented and worthy and have the fucking connections. Hell, even Zabini's in his club. It's only right that I should have been accepted."

"But you weren't."

"Yeah I bloody well know that Ember."

She fanned herself absently with the provoking invitation. "Is your pride directly linked to your legacy or does it take a detour somewhere around privilege?"

Draco gave her an exasperated look. If he hadn't become so frustrated, he would have gaped at her uncharacteristically sassy delivery.

She sighed, "Are you jealous that he invited me and not you? I don't have to attend. Honestly he's a bit unnerving really."

"No, you should go. Infiltrate it, see what they're discussing. He wouldn't suspect you." She didn't like the way he said infiltrating or the scheming look in his eye.

Ember looked at the invitation again, "It says that I could bring a date. It's more of a party than an actual club meeting."

He shook his head stubbornly. "No. He's already been too suspicious of me, much less what everyone else would think. You'll just have to go stag."

"Stag?" She questioned.

"Means alone."

Well then, that had been settled for her.

Or at least it was settled until Blaise caught wind of her invitation and exclaimed a happy, "We should go together!" at dinner that evening.

Draco wanted to bash his forehead on the table repeatedly.

Her face was on fire. The first boy to ever ask her out on a date and it was in front of her husband. She awkwardly pinched at her cardigan glancing at a positively irritated Draco.Does he want me to accept or decline? She fumbled for a response, thankful that Pansy wasn't present to embarrass her further.

"Erm...sure Blaise, that would be nice."

~

Draco hated it. His already beautiful wife was dressed in a very appealing royal blue dress that hugged snuggly to curves that were usually hidden. She was wearing a pair of black heals, that he didn't even know she owned, that made her legs look like dripping sex. Her long hair, that she usually wore down, was in a high pony tail and showing off her slender neck. Dark mascaraed lashes framed her forest green eyes and her lips shimmered in a pink gloss. She looked stunning- and none of it was for him.