Marriage of convenience (Draco x Astoria)

5- Seduction

ATTENTION: This chapter mentions SA attempt. Please continue reading with caution.

***

Kali had barely had time to tidy up Astoria when the door opened, and earl Greengrass walked through... followed by Narcissa Malfoy. Draco felt his heart leap in his chest. His mother had listened to him! She will notice the drug and start asking questions. When she wanted to, Narcissa was very insightful, and Draco was sure she would find out the truth.

"Really, Narcissa, none of this is necessary," the earl protested.

"Sebastien, it's just a mere formality. You don't want me to leave without doing this little check?" she said. Draco smiled; his mother was going to do it! From his hiding place he watched as she approached the bed and took Astoria's hand.

"But my dear lady, how important is it?"

"A lot, believe me. After all, the ring is the most important thing in the ceremony."

"The ring?" Draco wondered, absolutely bewildered.

"But still..." the earl protested, but she had already gotten down to work. She put a small silver ring around Astoria's thin finger and looked at the numbers engraved on it.

"I told you, Sebastien, the measurement was too big. You don't want your daughter to drop her wedding ring!" Draco's mouth was open in shock. The ring size! Was that the only thing that mattered to his mother? "Lucius had it made expressly for her, and I designed the arrangement of the stones. I wanted Draco to give me his approval, but he was still asleep when I left home."

Draco was even more startled. Would his mother really believe he was asleep? Or had she seen his empty bed and was lying to the earl? Would she imagine he was there?

"Is not necessary to do a very complex design," the earl protested. "I don't think my poor girl will have the opportunity to show it off in public," he sighed, feigning sadness for his daughter's situation. Draco clenched his fists, furious.

"Damn hypocrite."

"Nonsense, Sebastien, no bride of her position could expect less," Narcissa waved her hand in the air, to affirm her opinion. "Why don't we go out and let your lovely daughter rest? We must let her recover without disturbing her."

The earl agreed and escorted her out of the room. Draco came out from behind the tapestry, very angry.

"I cannot believe it!" he hissed, indignant. "She doesn't suspect anything!"

"Mr. Malfoy's parents will believe what they want to believe," said the house-elf, in a sad voice. "If Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy think that miss Astoria is ill, there will be nothing to convince them otherwise, and the earl will make sure of it. The earl will not let a fortune like yours slip away, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco didn't respond to that, but instead looked at Astoria, who was breathing heavily, immersed in her forced slumber.

"That drug works very quickly," he commented, amazed by the devastating effect it had.

"That's why the master gives it to miss Astoria."

"Can she wake up?"

"Miss Astoria won't be able to do it for another twelve hours. The master has forced her to change her routine," she said sadly. "Miss Astoria always takes her drug after noon, or even later," she explained. "Now miss Astoria will spend the entire day asleep!"

"I don't understand, can't she take the drug when she decides?"

"No, Mr. Malfoy. The strength of the drug is such that if miss Astoria advances the time of taking it, she will feel obliged to take it more frequently, and will spend more time asleep. The only way to keep miss Astoria awake is to delay taking the dose for a few minutes each day. It cannot be delayed any longer, because the pain that miss Astoria suffers then is too much. Miss Astoria is very strong and brave, and manages to steal ten minutes every day, but now the earl has given her a dose too soon... Miss Astoria will have to start over."