T H I R T E E N

Draco Malfoy was annoyed.

He hadn't heard from the short haired witch ever since they had returned from the wedding, which had been six days ago. Six days. It seemed as if the short haired witch was avoiding him. For what reason, he hadn't a single clue.

Draco sat sipping his coffee in front of the fire of his drawing room in concentration. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to warrant her wrath, or lack thereof.

Except...

Was she mad that he had kissed her? He tried to wrack his brain for any signs of discomfort or disapproval at his actions but he found none. She had been the one to initiate the contact!

Outside, the sky crackled with warning, signifying the beginning of an impending storm. Draco looked at the door, impatient for the short haired witch's arrival. She'd been gone for hours now, for a meeting at the Ministry.

Suddenly, the door slammed open to reveal the short haired witch that had been taking up much of his thoughtprocess, the ends of her jeans covered in mud and her hair full of twigs, clutching her satchel.

"Where on earth have you been?!" Draco asked slamming his tumbler down on the table and coming to stand in front of her.

Eclaire's eyes widened on seeing the very man she had been avoiding for almost a week now. The very hauntingly beautiful blue eyes that she was dreading were gazing upon her with intensity and for a moment, Eclaire forgot everything around her as she unwillingly found herself drowning in the blue of his eyes.

"He's her betrothed."

The memory of those very words felt like being doused in ice cold water. And no matter how much it hurt Eclaire, she wouldn't fantasize about a man promised to another. No matter how much her heart ached for him, no matter how much she liked him, Eclaire would not be the 'other woman'.

"At the Ministry, I already told you." Eclaire said softly, still staring into his eyes. Is this what sinning feels like? She thought. Staring at something so enticing, knowing it belonged to someone else yet being unable to stop.

"Has the Ministry shifted their headquarters to a damn farm?" Draco asked looked at her mud coated clothing.

"Well, not quite..." Eclaire said refusing to meet his gaze. "I volunteered to go on a mission after the meeting was over."

"Why would you—" Recognition dawned on the silver haired wizard as his gaze hardened. Was being in his vicinity that repulsive to Eclaire?

He straightened his shoulders and Eclaire felt the temperature in the room drop as a sudden chill fell around the Malfoy Manor.

"Fifteen minutes." She heard the silver haired wizard grit out. "I want you in my office in fifteen minutes, clean and with a new set of clothes or God so help me I will drag your ass in there. We need to talk." He snapped and apparated.

Eclaire gulped.

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Eclaire stood Draco's office door hesitantly fearing what the silver haired wizard wanted to talk about.

Okay maybe she had been avoiding the silver haired wizard but it was for his own good! She'd saved him from from being unfaithful to his betrothed! Maybe she'd gone a tiny bit overboard today by taking up a mission voluntarily amidst an approaching storm but in her defense the weather hadn't been that bad when she left the headquarters...

The sky grumbled with lightning as if to prove her wrong. She glared at it through the window.

In all honesty, the short haired witch had tried to come back home as late as possible, to delay it as much as she could but as she glanced at the paper she clutched in her hands, she knew she couldn't delay it any further.

The letter of acquittal with the stamp of the Ministry of Magic stared back at her. Eclaire had been successful in convincing the wizengamot of Draco's innocence and they had acquitted him of all charges which meant...she would no longer be needed to follow him.

Eclaire gulped as a heavy weight settled on her. She shook her head. No. This is for the best. She thought to herself and with a renewed bout of determination, she pushed the door to Draco's office open.

That bout of determination deflated as soon as her eyes landed the on the silver haired wizard leaning back on his desk, his arms folded across his chest.

Oh dear Merlin.

Draco pulled out his wand and swished it slamming the door behind them shut and placing a silencing charm on it.

"Speak." He gritted out, glarin at the witch who lpoked anywhere but at him.

"Speak...what?" Eclaire said trying to delay the inevitable.

She saw a muscle tick on Draco's jaw.

"Please do explain as to why in the name of Bloody Salazar Slytherin were you out on a mission—voluntarily—in the midst of a bloody snow storm!" Draco snapped and Eclaire understood the need of placing the silencing charm.

"The weather wasn't that bad when I left the headquarters..." Eclaire offerrd weakly.

"The weather—" Draco huffed before composing himself. "The damn storm's been predicted everyday for the past week on the Daily Prophet!" He exclaimed.

"You've been ignoring me for the past week without ever giving me a clue as to what I did and now you take up a mission amidst a snow storm to avoid me!"

"The mission wasn't going to take long!" She argued.

"You've been gone for over seven hours!" Draco exclaimed back.

"And most of it was spent arguing for your innocence, you daft dungleberry!" Eclaire exclaimed, her cheeks flushed.

Draco halted.

Eclaire handed him the paper she was holding and as the silver haired wizard read through the contents of the letter, his gaze turned icier.

"I had to convince Yuko to pull some strings for the meeting to be held earlier along with requesting the presence of the entire wizengamot for the trial of your case." Eclaire said as she saw Draco put the lettrr down on his desk. "It took five hours for me to provide evidence that they deemed enough to call off all your charges! I'd already volunteered for the mission before the hearing began, I hadn't thought the hearing alone would take up that much time otherwise I wouldn't have taken up the mission." Eclaire explained sincerely, looking into his eyes.

"So you wanted to be rid of me that much?" Draco asked, his eyes closed off. Eclaire hated it when he did that, when she couldn't read him.

"Didn't you want that too?" She asked back confused.

"Would I have kissed you if I didn't want you around?"

Eclaire felt her face flush at the mention of their shared moment.

"He's her betrothed."

Eclaire's face fell immediately, which didn't go unnoticed by Draco as everything clicked in place for him.

"That is what made you avoid me, is it not?" Draco asked stalking towards her. "You regret it." He stated.

"Ofcourse I regret it!" Eclaire exclaimed, cheeks flushed and eyes unwavering. "I may not be the best looking person out there but I refuse to stoop so low as to—"

"Get involved with a death-eater?" Draco sneered.

"No!" Eclaire exclaimed appalled, as if the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. But Draco wasn't listening.

"Ofcourse you don't! Why would you? When you could have the head auror of Macusa, the ever so righteous man fighting on the side of all that is good—"

"Draco!" Eclaire finally exclaimed, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "You know me too well to be throwing those words around! You know I do not care of your past—"

"Then why—"

"Because I will not be involved with another woman's betrothed!" Eclaire exclaimed shocling Draco. "I refuse to be the other woman! She doesn't deserve that— I don't deserve that." Eclaire said shaking her head.

"I am not my mother." She finally whispered as a lone tear fell and Eclaire turned around pulling at the door to leave when the door slammed shut as she looked up to see Draco's hand firmly on the wooden door obstructing her exit.

"Why are you doing this?" She finally whispered, her tears now flowing freely. Draco felt his heart squeeze at the sound but he needed to hear what she meant by her words.

"Eclaire turn around." He said as he saw her shaking her head feebly.

"Eclaire." He called again as she shook her head again.

"Please."

Eclaire slowly turned around to find herself caged in between his arms and his steely grey eyes gazed upon her as her teary eyes stared back up at him.

"What do you mean by being the other woman?" He asked slowly.

Eclaire huffed. "Will you have me say it out even though we both know what I meant?"

"Enlighten me." He said, his voice steady, eyes unwavering.

"You have a betrothed! A fiancee!" Eclaire managed to get out.

Draco's brows furrowed in confusion. "Who?" He asked.

"Astoria!" She exclaimed as a thought suddenly dawned on her. "Good heavens! I must apologize to her! I didn't have a clue that you were promised to her or I would never have— I-I'm not like that—I would never break a family willingly! I-I'm not like my mother—I'm not her—"

Draco grasped her chin to make her look at him.

"You're not like your mother and you're not breaking any fucking family, darling. Breathe." He instructed as Eclaire released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Who told you this?" He asked calmly.

"Daphne."

"That damned witch stirring trouble—" Draco muttered a strain of curses as he released his hold on Eclaire's chin, exhaling.

"Draco?" Eclaire asked softly.

"Astoria was my betrothed." He stated as Eclaire felt her heart twist. Knowing the fact and hearing it from his mouth were two different things.

"But our agreement was broken years ago." He explained as he brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Eclaire gasped.

"Our marriage was fixed by our parents when I was seven and Astoria, five." He said. "That's how most marriages happen in the pureblooded families and ours was no different."

"Then why—"

"Patience." Draco said putting his index and middle finger on her forehead. Eclaire blushed. "I broke off the agreement sometime after I joined the death-eaters. Astoria was a sweet girl, unlike our folks and I did not want her to be involved in my mess." Draco explained.

"Why did you not seek her out after the war was over?" Eclaire asked after pondering for some time.

"Why would I seek her out?"

"Well, you know..." Eclaire started off. "You two were cut out from the same cloth, were engaged for so many years not to mention you were both purebloods it only seems right.." Eclaire murmured.

"I don't see Astoria in that light, I don't think I ever did. She was a good friend but she felt more like a sister than a wife." He said. "Besides, I don't give a rat's ass about blood purity anymore, Eclaire." To which he received a light hit on his shoulder from Eclaire.

"I ought to have your mouth cleaned for you! All you ever mutter is profanities!" Eclaire huffed as she glared at him. He smirked.

"I would never subject you or any woman to be a mistress, have a little trust in me, will you?" Draco urged.

Eclaire nodded guiltily. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "And I'm also sorry for making you worry about me."

"Whenever you have a doubt, you come to me, darling. We'll talk, hell we'll fight, but we'll find a solution, together. And for the love of Merlin, do not go running off and putting yourself in danger just to avoid me." Draco said looking at her sternly.

"You...want to see me again?" Eclaire asked blushing.

Draco quirked one of his eyebrows. "Do you not want to?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed eagerly. "No, well I mean since you've been cleared of the charges and the Ministry doesn't want me following you anymore, I thought—" She said lowering her gaze, her cheeks pink. Eclaire hadn't ever blushed as much as she had in the past hour of conversation.

"That I would not want to see you anymore?" He finished and she nodded. He sighed. "As much as I hated it in the beginning, I don't think I can live a day without your constant chatter, anymore." He said touching their foreheads together.

"You've brought in colour into my dull life, Eclaire, heck you've thrown rainbow coloured paint all over it and I don't know if I could ever go back to the dullness that it was before you, I don't know if I want to." He whispered his breath fanning her face. "I do not know of grand words, neither do I know much of love—fuck I don't know what love even means but I am certain that I wish to spend my days hearing you laugh–making you laugh, watching you fill the world with kindness, catching you when you stumble, feeling your compassion, your warmth." He said his lips almost touching hers.

"If that is selfish, then I will be a selfish man, for you. All I know is that I adore you and I don't wish to be without you." The silver haired wizard breathed out, both their breaths intermingling, skin aflame with the anticipation of the other's touch and hearts beating aloud.

"I adore you too." Eclaire whispered out as Draco's lips descended on hers.

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I wrote this in one sitting so pardon any errors x(

I have a very evil plot in mind and I'm debating if I should put it into execution *evil laughter*

I hope you enjoyed!

Till next time x

Stay safe 💜