"What's her name?" Draco was already eager to know about the little girl, now that he found out that the child was hers, not a ward of her friend, Hermione Granger. "Is the child mine?"
Heavy breaths escaped Y/n's lips as she her hands gripped tight...
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Each day, reporters would always come to the Bluebell Cottage trying to speak or take pictures of Y/n. Her friends would even come every day to protect her and her family. It has been quite hard for the Bennetts and they couldn't even find the time to go open and visit their shop. Yes, the café was still closed because they didn't want the reporters to interfere with their staff. However, the best thing was that as the day passed by, the reporters in front of their cottage decreased, giving up on trying to get some words out of her mouth. So, they were waiting for it until they had given up and stopped coming by.
The living room was quite a mess earlier since they spent the day adorning the interior of the cottage with Christmas decorations. All of her friends had already left after cleaning up the scattered items from the floor and couches to return to their homes and enjoy the season, except for her fiancé, Michael.
Mrs Bennett has invited him for dinner because she knows that his father has to stay late in the Ministry. His father started working at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office because he found muggle objects fascinating like how Mr Weasley finds it too.
Though, that wasn't the only reason why Michael wanted to stay for a while. He wanted to speak to her about something. Something important that he cannot wait for another evening to tell it. He planned on telling her of his concerns after dinner and at the time they were alone.
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Michael had been waiting for the right moment for them to be alone but she was still busy with her child, trying to make the little girl sleep. But he understood her situation. He always understands certain situations by thinking of himself being in that person's shoes. That's very much Michael. His father taught him very well, despite having a mother with psychotic behaviour. Nevertheless, Michael still loved her, for she showed him the motherly love he needed.
Y/n came down the stairs and saw Michael sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at the hearth blankly as if something was bothering him. Well...there certainly was bothering his poor mind.
"Michael?" Her voice made him startle, and then he looked behind him, watching Y/n approach him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." He responded as Y/n sat down next to him.
"You don't seem alright. Tell me, what has been bothering your mind? Was it the wedding?"
He fell silent, staring down at the wooden floor with his fingers playing with the ring, a family heirloom, on his middle finger.
It is, indeed, about the wedding. It is what was concerning his poor dear mind. He has watched her throughout those years ever since she and Draco broke up and ever since they have been engaged. She couldn't smile the way she smiled when Draco and her were still together. The break-up five years ago still affects her even today, and he didn't want to become another burden to her. So, he thought of breaking the engagement.
He did want to marry her to help her out in the first place...and because he also loves her, which she isn't aware of, but he knew that breaking it off would make it easier for her. He didn't want to see her drowning in her own pained feelings if the day came for them to say their vows. It would be a lie to her when she says their vows.
He inhaled a deep breath and held onto her hands.
"It is about the wedding..." He replied.
"Oh," She smiled, unaware of what he had to say. "Whatever it is, we can fix it, right?"
"No, no, no, Y/n." He sighed. "It is not that...I mean...It is about the wedding, but whatever you thought of, it is not what I meant to say."
"Then, what is it?" Her soft voice made him much more convinced to speak of his thoughts. So, he told her.
"Y/n, things have been really hard for you lately and I do not want to add up to your burden." He uttered.
"But you helped me a lot, Mike." She knew from that very moment that he wanted to break off the engagement.
"I know," He rubbed circles on the back of her hand. "I just...Y/n look..." She looked at his green eyes. "I knew you still love him, and I do not want you to force yourself to love me. Yes, I know you love me, but not in the way you love Draco." He smiled.
She only stared at him, with lips slightly agape only showing two of her front teeth. She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know if she wants to deny it or accept the truth that she still loves Draco because she still definitely does, and yes she did love Michael, but only as a dear friend of hers.
"I'm setting you free, Y/n." He smiled, and with that, he suddenly received a hug from her.
"Thank you, Michael."
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Astoria knocked on the opened door to let Draco know that her presence was in his office. Draco has been trying to make things up to the Greengrass family even though Astoria forgave him and told him that he need not try to compensate for the things he has done to them. To Astoria, the scandal was just nothing to her. It never truly affected her, and Draco found it quite odd.
"Draco?" She spoke his name as she sat down on the chair in front of his desk. "Can I speak to you?"
"Yes, you may." He stopped reading the files and placed them down on his desk. "What is it you want to speak about?" Unaware of what was to happen in front of his very eyes, Astoria placed the engagement ring on the desk, which left him flabbergasted and couldn't even manage to release a single word out of his mouth as his eyes laid on the engagement ring.
"I want to call off the wedding, Draco." Why was she so calm? Was she mad or was there a reason?
"Wha- What?" He stuttered.
"Let's call off the wedding." She smiled. "It seems what happened was fair enough now."
"Fair enough?" He was confused, indeed.
"You're still in love with her." She said through light chuckles. "And so I am with mine."
Astoria was indeed and still is in love with someone whom she needed to break up due to the marriage arrangement bestowed upon them. The boy was born a muggle wizard while she was born a pureblooded witch, and her parents never approve of the young man because of the same reason as Draco's father believes.
"I do not want to lie and become unfaithful in our marriage." She added. "Especially when I'm still seeing him."
"You mean Cygnus?"
"Yes, him."
"Is that why you were unbothered by the scandal?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Yes," She smiled softly. "I know you thought that I might be disappointed about it, but I'm not. I'm still in love with the same man I met 7 years ago, and our reasons were the same for us to break off the engagement."
"Fair enough." He smiled too. "But are you going to tell your parents?"
"Yes," She smiled sweetly, thinking of the young man she loves. "I have to fight for him just to be with him, and so should you."
