𝐵𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 | 𝒟.𝑀.

29 | ﴾ DM | MD ﴿

The sunlight found a way to peer through the tiniest of slits in the drapes, drawing a perfect line across my face. I blinked from the white hot sunlight aimed at my cornea and shifted further back into the depths of the darkness, closing my eyes again against the spinning sensation that was dominating my consciousness.

I smiled to myself and felt my heart flutter at the memories of the night before. As much as the concept of the forced marriage deeply upset me, on the contrary I had truly fallen in love with Draco in a way I had never imagined possible. The elated and hysterical feeling in my chest confirmed it with every beat of my heart. It was so intense one could mistake it for a panic attack.

As my focus became clear in the dark space I recognized my bed at Hogwarts. I was still in the glittery gold dress from the night before but my arms were a dark navy blue...

It was a solid minute before I sat bolt right up and stuffed my hands into the pockets of his suit jacket greedily. The scent of pine fumed out of the heat of the fabric. My fingers closed down on a precisely folded, rectangular piece of parchment. It was perfectly blank, and I felt my heart sink at the anticlimax.

I placed it on my side table and slid out of bed feeling unusually energetic.

After taking a shower I ran back upstairs to change into a white knit sweater and blue jeans. I had plans to go to the library and do some research on the Sacred 28 families. Nothing specific, I simply wanted answers on absolutely everything about them: their histories, reputations, morals, beliefs, practices and so on. It was imperative that I understood what I was getting myself into, and the past few weeks had been so busy I'd constantly fallen behind on such a significant task. Perhaps it would inspire ideas on how to proceed going up to the wedding and of course, beyond that. It was still possible that time existed for me to annul the wedding afterwards and be free at last.

I was stashing parchments and quills into a bag when Hilda returned from lunch. She wagged her finger at me dramatically, "Well, well. Look who decided to show up at five in the morning last night." She sent me a teasing look and sat down on her bed.

I smiled sweetly as I rammed more items into my bag, deciding to summarize the evening as microscopically as possible, "We started in de greenhouses, and ended at de Astronomy Tower." She slapped the bed.

"Madeleine! You're the definition of an absolute scandal! Did you achieve your goal? Is he madly in love and all that nonsense." She pried as she fixed her hair in a hand mirror.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and hung a hand off of her bed frame. We were alone in the room and I watched her flick at her bangs. She paused and looked up at me with large, dark blue eyes, suddenly noticing my silence. I sighed, "I don' think it es just 'im who is...in love." I frowned awkwardly and focused on a ripple in her bedsheets, "I think I am in love too."

She clapped a hand to her forehead, "Oh...my....god. You can't be serious? One night of debauchery with him and you're madly in love? Madeleine, think about th-"

I cut her off, "We are getting married in three weeks."

Hilda's mouth dropped open in further protest, "Woah, woah, stop just stop. You're talking like a fucking lunatic. Did he slip you a love potion?" She was standing now, her arms slightly outstretched towards me like I was a frail old woman trying to cross the street. She looked angry and suspicious.

"No! Nothing like dat. I just 'ave realized dat getting married isn't so traumatic. I can fix et afterwards. 'e's not who you think. Really," I gave her a serious look, knowing it all sounded sudden. Everything about mine and Draco's relationship was sudden anyways.

Hilda pressed her lips together tightly, "You're freaking me out. Even if you do suddenly love him, alright, why then rush to get married? Just give it time before you throw a fucking ball and chain on it." She looked around the room with an outraged expression as though the mattresses and bedframes would defend her position.