"Do you, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, take Sarah to be your lawfully wedded wife, by order of the ministry?"
Lucius smirks, making the anger rise in me.
"I do," he says, sliding the ring on my finger. It was much like the one Theo had given me, except instead of many emeralds placed in the band, there was a large dark green crystal in the middle trapped by two vines on either side, shining glamorously.
"And do you, Sarah Elora Salvatore, take Lucius to be your lawfully wedded husband, by order of the ministry?"
I take a deep breath, the pressure of everyone's eyes on me. "I do."
I slide the ring on his finger, regretting the action as soon as I do it.
"Then, by the magic vested in me and the entirety of the ministry, I pronounce you man and wife."
Everyone cheers from their seats, many people are stood up and clapping, some are crying with joy. I notice my mum and dad, smiling as they wipe their tears away.
"Lucius," the minister says softly. We both turn to look at him. "You may kiss your bride."
And then I realise - the part I had been dreading most has arrived.
There was a canvas before us, propped up on an easel. It had been set up with magic, and was waiting for the moment it could capture and keep forever using the paint that was dripping from the brush.
Lucius looks at me, and I open my mouth to come up with an excuse when he pulls me into his arms with one swift motion, pressing his lips to mine. The crowd erupts with excitement, and I know there's nothing I can do but play along.
From the corner of my eye, I see the paintbrush gliding along the canvas rapidly, recreating the scene before it.
I kiss him back softly, trying to pull away discreetly but he doesn't let me, holding my waist tightly as I feel his tongue enter my mouth. I clutch the fabric on his chest, squeezing it for a moment to let him know I want out and he obliges, finally pulling away with a smirk.
I gulp, smiling to the crowd as I feel another flash of the camera, making me blink in surprise. Then, two doves swoop down, flitting in front of us. They carry a piece of paper between them with their beaks, holding it out for us. I glance at the document curiously, reading the print.
It was a marriage certificate.
I look to Lucius and he's already pulling a pen from his pocket, signing the paper at the bottom. He looks at me with a smirk, offering me the pen but I don't take it.
"What are you waiting for, darling?"
I cringe, immediately sensing the venom hidden in his voice.
I take the pen, signing my name at the bottom of the paper, next to his. I watch as the silver ink of the letters melt together with Lucius's signature and we step aside as the minister comes between us, signing his name as the director of the ceremony. As he steps back, the paper bursts into a big puff of glitter.
"And it is done," the minister states as he puts his pen back in the pocket of his robes, stepping down from the platform and congratulating us, speaking to Lucius for a moment about work.
"Fudge, I really think-"
"No, I don't want you worrying about it. You've been married 5 seconds, for merlin's sake." He laughs and Lucius smirks. "Now, my instructions are clear. You have the week off of work to spend with your beautiful new wife," he turns to me and I smile, trying to listen in.
"I don't expect to see you at the ministry. And I swear by Merlin, Lucius, if I do see you I will personally escort you out."
I chuckle, Lucius smiling as the minister turns to me. "I beg you Sarah, tell your husband to relax this week. Lord knows, all he does is work and never takes a break."
I smile, "I'll try, Minister."
"Cornelius," he says and I nod politely.
"Thank you, Cornelius," I say, for him taking his time to administer the ceremony himself.
He smiles, "After all Lucius has done for me, this is the least I could do."
With that, he leaves, going to join the other guests as they go to get drinks.
I ponder for a moment, thinking about what he said. He had given a week's leave to Lucius to spend with me. But that was the last thing I wanted to happen.
I blink as the two doves from earlier fly around us, soaring off into the sky. I then realise they were special doves, only created with powerful magic to bind your marriage and render it complete.
I can't believe it - I had just signed away the rest of my life.
And now there was no going back.
* * *
We sit at our table at the front, me and Lucius on our own with all the guests seated in front us, eating, drinking and laughing like it was the happiest day on earth. I sit in silence, smiling politely as Lucius's friends and colleagues make their way over to us and congratulate us, some handing us gifts that magically float to the side, creating a big pile.
I stare at my hands on my lap, looking up when I see a drink before me. I look to Lucius as he offers me a champagne, but I don't take it.
"It's laced with firewhiskey," he says quietly.
I shake my head.
"You need it if your going to get through the rest of the day without killing me." He says simply and I reconsider, taking the flute from his hands and downing the whole thing. "Easy," he says, his husky voice giving me goosebumps, pissing me off more.
I don't know why these little things he did intrigued me, but I hated it.
"Why did you invite the paparazzi?" I ask angrily, glancing at the people stood on the other side of the garden, cameras in hand. I take the flask of alcohol from his lap, pouring the whole thing into another glass in front of me. He watches me, frowning.
"Why would I not want to have the happiest day of my life celebrated in every front cover of every newspaper?" He asks sarcastically and I swear at him under my breath.
"Maybe because you're a self-absorbed prick."
"You'll regret that," he grumbles in a hushed voice as I turn to look at him with a smile. "I regret a lot of things, darling."
I watch the anger wash over him, about to say something when someone approaches our table and we both turn, changing our expressions completely.
It's a girl I don't recognise, but she holds a clipboard in her hand and I instantly realise she's the wedding planner. And from what it seems - his assistant.
"Mr Malfoy," she says with a smirk, leaning over our table to speak, showing her cleavage a little. I notice she's wearing a tight blue dress, ending at the mid thigh. Her face is caked in makeup and she wears an almost... flirty look?
"Yes, Ava?" He asks, slight irritation laced through his words.
I'm curious - with every other being that worked for him, he either didn't know their name or called them by their surname.
"It's time to cut the cake," she says, a smirk on her face. "I think a lot of the guests are starting to get hungry." She pauses before the last word and then it dawns on me - she was his fuck toy.
I fight the urge to laugh in her face.
And I thought I was the unlucky one.
"We're coming," he says simply but she keeps the conversation going, talking about how she came here alone and I roll my eyes, turning away and glancing at the guests before us.
I notice a young boy sat at the back, his hair was blonde like Lucius's and his eyes a shining blue. He fidgets with his wand, ignoring the chatter of the people around him and I realise this must be Draco.
Immediately, I feel guilty and I don't really know why. I can sense his anger and sorrow all the way from across the garden, and yet no one attempts to talk to him or ask him how he's doing. Then again, no one had probably even asked him how he felt about this marriage in the first place. After all, I wasn't his mother. And I highly doubt Lucius was the type of father to take his son's feelings into account.
"Sarah?" I turn, looking up at Lucius as he looks over me, offering me his hand.
I realise the girl has gone now, and the guests are standing, making their way over to where the cake was.
I take his hand, standing from my seat as he leads us over to the small crowd. I watch as Ava winks at Lucius, and I look away, pretending like I didn't see.
I didn't give a fuck if he was doing things with other girls, as long as it didn't come back on me. It wouldn't even surprise me if Narcissa was innocent in their marriage, and he dumped her to marry a younger girl.
The way I saw it, was if the same rules applied to me, then maybe I could explain to Theo and we could sort of make it work. As long as we kept it a secret, we could live our lives together, away from the media and society, that wanted nothing more than to exploit a vulnerable girl for falling in love.
I just know my story would make their tabloids and they'd be loving it. Lucius too, as he would make himself out to be the husband of a cheater, just like he had probably done with his previous wife.
As we approach the cake stand, I'm in awe of how beautiful it is. It's a 3 tier with black coloured icing covering it, small detailed designs rise around it with silver frosting and there's a bouquet of black and silver edible roses that sit on the top, everything covered with a thin layer of glitter.
I take the knife that Lucius hands me as he grips my hand over the handle, and we cut the cake, the crowd cheering again.
"Feed him!" Someone in the crowd shouts, and I laugh nervously. I take a small piece of the cake, not wanting to cause suspicion among the guests as I feed Lucius, his eyes on me the entire time, making me shiver.
Then, he takes a piece of the cake himself, holding it up for me to eat from his hand. I smile, letting him bring it to my lips but I discreetly take it off him at the last moment, putting it in my mouth and feeling the vanilla sponge melt on my tongue.
The crowd cheers again, and I'm thankful no one noticed my actions.
* * *
I watch as the sun begins to set, my eyes growing heavier by the second. I close them, feeling the lingering heat of the sun on my skin. I have a buzz in my head from the alcohol and it definitely was not helping my fatigue in any way. The light humming in my head starts to fade a little, and I breathe out quietly, stopping when I feel another presence sit beside me.
I sigh, not knowing how much longer I could cope with faking a smile and greeting guests, but when I open my eyes, I find myself staring into the familiar green eyes I had known for years and I smile tiredly.
"You took your time," I say softly and I hear a chuckle.
"Well it's not my fault, seeing as though you've been busy with your new husband."
I think for a moment, wondering where he was. He had disappeared about an hour ago and I hadn't seen him since.
I shake my head, sipping from my champagne flute. "I suppose you want an explanation?"
She raises her eyebrow and I laugh.
"Well I mean I should think so, considering you leave school for two weeks holidays and instead of coming back to our dorm on the first day back, you leave a wedding invitation on my bed telling me your getting married."
I nod, listening to her words.
"And not to Theo, as I expected. But Malfoy."
I stay quiet.
"Lucius. Fucking. Malfoy."
"Ella-" I say, but she cuts me off.
"What the fuck, Sarah. I'm supposed to be your best friend and know everything about you and yet I can't think of any rational explanation as to why you've done this."
I smile. "You really think I would have kept it from you if I had a choice?"
She thinks for a moment before sighing. "True."
"So I can explain now?" I ask and she pulls a face, before letting me talk.
"Lucius wanted me to keep it quiet," I lie. "Our decision wasn't a small one and he didn't want it getting out."
She was my best friend, and I told her everything. But this was something beyond our friendship - something that would put her life in danger if she knew.
She frowns. "Sarah, why are you marrying this guy in the first place? He's only just divorced his last wife about 2 hours ago," she complains and I laugh at how overreacting she was. "And I know he's hot, but are you forgetting the man is like 38 years old?!"
She couldn't even begin to realise how much I had missed her these past 2 weeks.
"Look, Ella, we met through my dad. We fell in love. He divorced Narcissa on his own terms - nothing to do with me - and now we're married."
She nods slowly, taking it in.
"What about Theo?" She asks quietly, and I feel my heart squeeze.
I look down, fidgeting with my thumbs. "I did love him Ella, I really did. But he wasn't the one."
Just saying the words made me want to scream.
They weren't true. Not in the slightest.
"But you were engaged. You loved him so much and-"
"Ella." She looks at me. "Please, just forget the past. I'm trying my hardest and this isn't helping."
She nods, tears suddenly filling her eyes.
"He's broken, Sarah."
I feel my lip start to quiver and I hold back my tears. "Is it bad?" I whisper.
"He won't leave his dorm, he's shutting everyone out," she says, sighing. "It's like he's there, but he's not."
I nod, barely managing to swallow the lump in my throat.
"Can you tell him I'm sorry?" I say after a few minutes of catching my breath.
Ella looks at me in confusion. "Well you can tell him. You are coming back to school, aren't you?"
I stare back at her for a moment, my mind whirring with thoughts and yet I can't seem to form a sentence.
It was part of the deal that I didn't go back to school. Between holding the status of 'Lady Malfoy' and trying to figure the rest of my life out, I would have struggled anyway.
"Sarah."
She looks at me in disbelief and I reply guiltily, "I'm sorry Ella, really I am." She looks at me in shock. "It's our last year. What about our final exams? And your dreams of becoming an auror..."
I almost laugh at the right of me becoming an auror. It was the most ironic thing ever since I ended up marrying a death eater.
"Look, I promise I'll discuss it with Lucius. See what he thinks."
Ella raises her eyebrows. "Why do you need to discuss it with him? Is he not allowing you to come back to school?" She seems angry now and I quickly reassure her. "No, it's not that I promise. It's just I'm gonna be really busy now and we'll have to talk about it first."
She seems skeptical as she nods but I smile, holding on to her hand. "Love you."
She breaks into her smile, making me laugh. "I love you too."
After a moment of silence, she says, "I know your an idiot. But you're my idiot."
I smirk, "Of course."