My Father's Only Rule

Chapter Sixteen: Finally

Christmas Day 1994 - The Yule Ball - Hogwarts

As I walked into the great hall, everyone stopped and stared at me. But I didn't know if they were staring at me because of how I looked, or because Cedric had just walked in with Cho Chang. I couldn't bring myself to look at them, and I knew Cedric would never look at me ever again. I wanted to enjoy the night. It seemed like everybody else was. But seeing Cedric and Cho so happy together made me sick. Seeing Jane and Blaise made me jealous. Seeing Draco and Pansy made me want to die. And it didn't help that I sat in my seat, watching all the guys not build up the courage to ask me to dance. I told myself I wouldn't cry. This was supposed to be fun. But as I sat alone, a single tear fell down my face.

"Hey," I heard a voice say. I turned around to see Draco, and he didn't look like he hated me. "Are you ok?" He sat next to me.

"Does it look like I'm ok?" I said.

"Oh stop crying," he said unsympathetically. But I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be checking on me at all if he wasn't a little sympathetic. "I didn't know you and Cedric broke up. I don't think anyone did, actually. Otherwise, I probably would have-"

"You would have what?" I said, cutting him off, anxious to hear.

"I probably would have told Pansy to forget it," he said.

"Really?" I asked. Did he still want me?

"Of course," he said. "You know, so I could be there for my friend." Friend. The word sunk into my heart. "Me and Pansy are just here as friends, and I think I hate her. I wish I could have gone with a friend that I actually like." Friend. He was stabbing me with that word. I sunk into my chair.

"You seem tense," he said. "Want to go for a carriage ride and cool off?" I looked up at him and smiled. Having Draco as a friend was better than not having him at all. He took my hand and lead me to the carriages outside. Pansy spotted us and raced after us.

"Draco!" she said. "Where are you going?" Then I turned around and she took a step back. "Where are you going with her?"

"Piss off, Pansy," Draco said, taking my arm. Draco helped me into the carriage.

"Where does this thing go, anyways?" I asked.

"Just around the grounds," he said. "I just thought you might want to get away."

"Thanks, Draco," I said. We were silent as the carriage took off.

"So what happened with you and Cedric?" he asked. "Or do you not want to talk about it?"

"I broke up with him," I said, looking out the window.

"Really?" he asked.

"Why? Does that surprise you?"

"Well, yeah. You seemed so happy. How did he take it?"

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him since. But he seemed to move on pretty quickly."

"So why'd you do it?" I sighed. Why did I break up with Cedric? Because I'm in love with you, Draco.

"There's someone else," I said. His eyes widened. He knew. He didn't say anything. I adjusted in my seat and then looked at him. "There's someone else. He's got a really witty sense of humor, and he's one of my best friends. I think he was always in the back of my mind when I was with Cedric. That's why I broke up with him. I was mentally cheating." Draco didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. But even if I was about to get rejected, I was going to make my move. "But things have been tense," I sighed. "I've been a bitch. I think he hates me. I haven't been nice to him. And I wish I could fix it." Draco looked into my eyes.

"Yeah, you really have been a bitch," he said. "But I don't think he hates you. I don't think there's anything you could ever do to make him hate you."

"Do you think there's anything I can do to fix it?" I asked. He said nothing. Then, I instinctively threw myself across the carriage into his arms and kissed him. And he welcomed me in his embrace and kissed me back. I had kissed him many times before, but this one felt different. This was the first time I kissed him with the full intention of being his and only his. This was the first time I kissed him without a boyfriend waiting for me. This was the first time I kissed him, knowing that I was gonna do whatever it took to make us work.

We hadn't noticed that our carriage came to a stop. The door started rattling and when it swung open, I threw myself back in my seat, praying that whoever it was didn't see. It was my dad.

He wasn't screaming at us, so maybe he didn't see. Maybe we had pulled away just in time. He looked at me, then at Draco, then back at me. We were doing our best to act natural, but we couldn't seem to take our eyes off each other.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have exactly 10 seconds to tell me why you're in a carriage with my daughter when I know for a fact that you came with Miss Parkinson and she came alone."

"I-uh. W-we were. She-she was-"

"I was upset," I blurted out. "I couldn't stand to see Cedric and Cho together. Draco suggested we go for a ride to calm down. But I'm fine now. I'm going to bed."

My dad looked over at Draco.

"Yes. That's what happened." Dad analyzed us.

"Very well," he said. "Off to bed then." He stepped aside so we could climb out of the carriage. I started walking as fast as I could. Then when I turned the corner, and I was sure he couldn't see, I grabbed Draco's hand and ran as fast as I could to my room, laughing all the way there.

*

The next morning I left my dad a note.

Dad,

Spending the rest of the holidays at Malfoy Manor.

Grace

As I wrote it out, Draco snuck up behind me, put his arms around my waist and kissed my neck.

"Best Christmas ever," he said. I laughed. "So what does this mean?"

"What?" I said.

"I mean what are we now? We can't be together because of your dad. But you're clearly not with Cedric anymore."

"I'm good at keeping secrets," I said, smiling. He smiled back at me.

"Are you saying you're my girlfriend now?"

"Are you going to ask me?" I said. He smirked at me, then looked away.

"Malfoys don't usually ask," he said.

"Too much dignity?" I asked mockingly.

"Like I said. It's an important family value." I rolled my eyes. "However, I've already broken a couple of rules for you."

"Lucky me."

"Indeed," he said. He cleared his throat and got down on one knee. "Grace- uh what's your middle name?"

"It's Odette."

"Grace Odette Snape," he announced, making me laugh. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my beloved girlfriend?" I played along.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," I said. "It would be the honor of a lifetime to become your girlfriend." He picked me up and spun me around as we laughed. "But hey," I said. "I'm serious about his secret stuff. Nobody can know. Not even Blaise and Jane."

"I'll keep it a secret from whoever you want," he promised.

That winter at Malfoy Manor was a dream. We danced in his garden, watched cartoons in his bed, and I swapped out my pajamas for ones that smelled more like him. It was the only time we could be together without wondering if anyone was watching. And the whole time I kept asking myself why it took me a whole semester to convince myself I could do this when it came so naturally.