❃
Two weeks later
𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒆
"Flower, wake up, love," a hand met my cheek, running softly over my jawline.
I grumbled as I sat up, checking my alarm clock. April 12th, 6:03AM.
"What do you want so early?" I groaned, patting down my bedhead. I looked confusedly at him; he was wearing a suit. "What're you doing wearing that at six in the morning?"
"It's the morning I leave for the trip to France," he sighed, "remember? I have to go with my Dad."
My heart dropped. "Oh."
"Come here," he pulled me into a tight hug, "I'll be back soon, I promise."
I knew that promise most likely wouldn't be upheld; the trip was meant to last for one week. They tended to last nearly a month, as The Dark Lord always seemed to pour more and more chores onto the travelers than the intended amount.
"I'm gonna miss you," he pulled away to cup my cheeks with his hands, wiping my tears with his thumbs before placing a soft kiss on my forehead.
"I'll miss you more," I smiled softly, the pain in my eyes evident as he pulled away from me, rolling his suitcase out of the door.
Before I could stop myself, I was chasing him into the dark hallway in only baggy sweatpants and a bra, pulling him back by his coat into a deep, passionate kiss I knew neither of us wanted to let go of. His hands met my waist, finally tearing away from me.
"I love you, kitten. Don't have too much fun without me," he smiled before returning to his blank, lifeless expression he wore whenever he was around adults, or on business. Quickly enough I watched him wipe a single tear from his face with his coat sleeve.
As I heard the front door open and close, I slid down the wall, curled my arms around my knees and wept.
I stayed there until sunrise, the circular stained glass window above the main hall illuminating beautiful beams of green sunlight onto the bejeweled chandelier, each diamond projecting an array of kaleidoscopic colors onto the walls.
That was the only time of day the manor would turn from lifeless, to a cathedral of light.
I shut my eyes, resting in a pocket of sunshine while slumped against the green wallpaper.
"You look like shit," Theo came out of his room with a bottle of tequila, slumping down next to me.
"So do you, day drinking at seven in the morning. How pleasant," I chuckled, leaning my head against his shoulder. "How long do you think he'll be gone, Theo?"
"I'm not sure, May. I guess we've all had to do a lot of waiting, apart from Daph and Blaise. Pansy can't see Luna any more as she's escaped, Naevah can hardly talk to Longbottom without being scolded, I can't write to George without putting him in danger, and Draco has to go out on these stupid missions for experience," he sighed, taking a swig. "Want some?"
"I'm alright, thanks," I smiled, soaking in the morning sunlight.
"Maybelle not drinking? Unheard of."
"It's too early, and I'd like to enjoy my pancakes without throwing them up," I smiled as the sudden smell of blueberry pancakes filled my nostrils from the kitchen downstairs.
"Let's get you a shirt, I'll ditch my tequila, then we can go downstairs and eat them all first, how does that sound?"
"Deal."
I rushed back to Draco's room, throwing on one of his t-shirts before racing Theodore to the kitchen, Narcissa standing over the stove in her blue and white apron, pouring blueberry pancake batter onto a skillet.
"Morning," she exclaimed, flipping the pancake with a spatula before slapping it onto the staggering pile of steaming hot cakes set to the side. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep," Theo exclaimed, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
"Don't let your Mother catch you smelling like alcohol this early in the morning," she scolded Theo before handing him a plate.
"I won't," he began to dig in.
"Do you know when they'll be back, Mrs. Malfoy?" I asked, thanking her as she handed me a plate.
"Unfortunately I don't, I'd tell you if I knew darling," she smiled sadly, continuing to cook, "Let's hope it will only be a week."
............
It had been two weeks.
No letters, no signs, no nothing, from Draco Malfoy.
I was reading in his bed, wrapped in a blanket when a hand clamped over the back of my mouth, muffling a scream as I drowned into a spell of apparation.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," I felt two hands cup my cheeks as we landed, trying to soothe my hyperventilating. "Flower, it's me."
"Christ you scared the living shit out of me," I seethed, pulling back to punch him in the shoulder, but I couldn't resist. I flung myself right back in his arms again. "I missed you so much."
"Father is out for the day, so I figured I could show you around France," he wrapped his hands around my thighs, pulling me into his lap as he sat down on his hotel room bed.
"I can't walk around Paris in sweatpants," I scoffed, draping my arms around his shoulders.
"I'll buy you something," he pressed a kissed to my neck, squeezing my thighs.
"Stop with the buying," I chuckled, a breathy moan leaving my lips as Draco's hand slipped inside my pants, circling the outside of my underwear.
"Draco, we can do this later," I clawed into his shoulder with my fingers, trying to bite back a whimper as he pulled his hand from my pants.
"Fine," he conjured a dress and some lingerie with his wand, "as long as I get to rip this off you later."
After quickly changing, Draco apparated me to a small café across from the Notre Dame cathedral; Crêperie Du Cloître.
It smelled of smoke and sweets as we entered, men with cigars puffing the smog out of their mouths as they ate their meals and sipped their coffees.
I slipped my wand into the inner pocket of my dark green wool coat, sitting down with a sigh in one of the red booths. A waitress approached us as Draco rid himself of his jacket, rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt.
He absolutely loved to travel in the muggle world.
It was the one time he could reveal his dark mark without ridicule.
"Je m'appelle Juliette, je serai ton serveur aujourd'hui. Avez-vous une idée de ce que vous aimeriez commander?"
"Je vais prendre un croque monsieur, et un verre de limonade," Draco answered in fluent French, much to my surprise. He chuckled as he saw my eyes widen. "What would you like to order, my love?"
"Um, I'll have the same thing," I answered timidly, slightly overwhelmed with the sudden change of scenery. Merely thirty minutes ago I was sitting in Draco's bed, reading a magazine with my sweatpants on.
"La dame aura la même chose. Merci," he smiled at the waitress, placing his menu back to the side of the table.
"I didn't know you could speak French."
"I know a few languages," he exclaimed, "Mum made me learn them as a child. It becomes quite a useful skill for these little business trips," he licked his lips, his eyes wandering down to my chest.
"What?"
"Nothing," he tapped the side of his water glass, "I just remembered what you're wearing under that little dress of yours."
Before I could blush, the meals were delivered. Grilled cheese and a lemonade; despite it's simplicity, it tasted nearly a million times better than any grilled cheese I've ever eaten.
"I call it French food magic," he chuckled at my amazed expression, "I'll have to buy you some macarons."
"Please do," I exclaimed, taking another pleasure-filled messy bite as he smiled at my sudden un-lady likeness.
Once we had finished, he ordered us two coffees to go, and we headed back out onto the streets. The walk to our next location was long, but I didn't mind as it was pleasantly warm, a slight chill in the breeze perfect for the coat I had wrapped around my shoulders.
"Welcome to the Louvre Museum," he exclaimed, taking my hand as we walked inside the architectural building. "I've got a surprise for you."
We slowly walked throughout the galleries, gorgeous portraits, abstract paintings hung on the walls, porcelain statues placed in the center of rooms. It was incredibly crowded, which forced Draco to keep an arm looped in mine at all times, but I didn't mind.
"This way," he exclaimed. I followed him through the crowds to a nearby gallery with a large door.
"Draco Malfoy, c'est bon de te revoir," a man in a deep purple suit shook his hand firmly, standing by the door to the empty gallery.
"Jaqcues, c'est agréable de vous voir, comment avez-vous été?" he smiled, giving him a small hug and pat on the shoulder.
"Bien, bien. Je vois que vous avez amené la dame avec vous," he motioned his hand to me, holding it out for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Jacques," he exclaimed in a thick French accent.
"I'm May, it's nice to meet you Sir," I smiled, taking his hand.
"Eh bien, profitez de la galerie. Dites à Lucius que j'ai dit bonjour, oui?" he opened the rope to allow us inside, closing it behind us before returning to his post at the door.
My eyes stared in wonder at the empty, silent room, all but a single portrait sitting in a glass box in the center.
"How did you manage to get us an empty gallery view of the Mona Lisa?" I stared at him, my eyes darting from his smirk to the painting on the wall.
"I pulled a few strings."
"I didn't know you had so many friends in Paris,"
"You're always so surprised," he chuckled, pulling me into a kiss against the wall with a groan.
"You're not fucking me in an art museum, Draco," I smirked, resting my hands on his shoulders.
"I know, I know, but it would be quite historic, wouldn't it," he pulled me into another kiss, making me gasp as my stomach began to twist into a spell of apparition. His lips were still on mine as we landed, standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower.
"Holy shit," I stared up, the sun now setting in the distance.
"Come on, let's go," he took my hand as we rushed to an elevator, stuffed with nearly fifteen people as it slowly pulled us up the left leg of the tower.
"We're only on the first floor, we have to walk to the top," he exclaimed as I peered into the glass floor, staring at the bustling tourists below.
"This is fucking terrifying," I squealed nervously as he led me to the flight of stairs.
We were a quarter of the way up before I began peeking over the edge.
"Draco I can't," I exclaimed, "it's too high."
"Fuck," he muttered, taking my wrist as we folded over into apparition with a shriek, finding myself at the top platform, Draco's hands wrapped around my waist.
"Holy shit, holy fucking shit," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut as he chuckled in my ear.
"Look at the sunset, Flower. Stop looking at the ground."
I did as he said, staring out at the gorgeous shades of pink, red and purple, gray clouds dotting the sky. It was inevitably colder on the top platform, being nearly three hundred meters in the air.
Draco began to slowly unbutton my coat, making goosebumps rise on my chest as he started to kiss my jawline.
"Draco, what are you doing-"
I was thrown into another fit of apparation, landing back on his bed with a small thump.
He flipped me over swiftly, throwing my coat to the floor, peeling my dress from my body with a swift movement, pulling me into his lap.
He was already rock hard, as he stared up at me with darkened eyes.
"Ride me."
❃