I stood in front of the floor length mirror, staring at the reflection that it showed. The reflection that was supposed to be me and yet it looked nothing like me. The image that was reflected was that of a perfect pureblood daughter, the daughter of one of the most affluent and influential pureblood families in the wizarding world. My arms hang loosely at my side, idly fingering the fabric of my robes as the woman standing behind me, my mother, walked around me in a circle. Her eyes scanned over me from head to toe, in an almost predatory manner.
Stepping away from me, she scanned her eyes over me once again. She wasn't done yet. Staring, unblinking, at my reflection I briefly turned to glance over my shoulder as someone knocked on the bedroom door. Mother barely looked up from the stacks of heirlooms on my bed.
"Come in," she called out and I watched through the reflections as my brother, Blaise walked into the room carrying yet another jewellery box in his hand.
Walking straight over to mother he handed her the box and watched her open it. Her eyes scanned across the contents and she nodded in approval. Without giving Blaise another glance she turned back to assessing the jewellery, her eyes flickering frequently in my direction as if she expected to see some sign of the old, rebellious me. I remained standing still and noticed Blaise walk towards me until he stood behind me. Through the mirror I watched him tuck his hands into his pocket before he scanned me over. He shook his head. We could both see the internal and external changes that I'd gone through. There was no sign of the old me.
"You do know where we're going right?" Mother asked when she'd finally decided on the necklace that I would be wearing. She lifted it from the velvet box and walked towards me. Obediently I moved my hair out of the way as she clasped it around my neck.
Walking away from me she headed back to the bed to bring the matching earrings as I took my time to look carefully at the necklace. It was beautiful; the necklace that had been passed down from generation to generation. An antique collar.
"Of course," I said quietly as she handed me an earring to put on as she put on the other. When they were on, she stepped away from me to look over me. Her eyes shone with unbridled pride.
She was proud to have done it; to have broken her daughter down. She'd managed to groom me into the perfect pureblood bride that reflected the upbringing that had been instilled into me. I was the quiet, obedient girl that hid behind my brother and then when the time came; my husband. I would stand behind the beliefs that were imprinted into my whole being - no matter how much I disagreed with them. She was delighted to have broken her outspoken daughter down into a timid mouse
"We're going to fix your betrothal to the Malfoy heir," Husband number eight said alerting me of his presence in the room that I had long forgotten about. He stood up from my bed and moved to stand beside my mother as he smiled down at me. Only a few months ago I would have rolled my eyes just at the sound of his voice.
The poor fool actually thought that he was a permanent fixture. He should've known by now that my mother ditched a husband before he could swear on Salazar's name. He was here for four more months. Tops. Or at least until some other fool caught mother's fancy and he would then be kicked out of the picture. It was a shame really, out of all of the flings that my mother called husbands he was the one that appeared to be the most genuine. What he was doing with my mother, I had no idea.
Mother and Number Eight began to talk amongst themselves as they walked out of the room, expecting Blaise and I to follow after them. Blaise, noticing the lack of adults walked over towards me and held out his arm for me to slip my hand into.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as I set my hand into the crook of his arm. He turned and led me out of the room, watching me closely.
"I feel like today is very important," I said quietly my voice carrying the appropriate amount of excitement as I looked down at my shoes to make sure that I didn't trip. The instant that I looked down I could hear my mother's voice in my mind telling me to look up. The effect of her training was instantaneous, I looked up quickly. A pureblood witch walked with her head held high.
Hearing my reply, Blaise sighed. When she'd broken me, it had affected him the most. Not only had he lost his sister but he'd lost one of his closest friends and confidants.
Only a few months ago and I would have been excited to see Draco again after two years and truthfully I should have been excited. It was as if I didn't have the capacity to feel anything anymore. Or rather I didn't have the capacity to feel anything that I wasn't supposed to feel. What was the point? The real me wasn't 'perfect' enough so there was no way that my real emotions could be.
But I was made to be perfect. My mother saw to it. She made sure that I was taught the necessities of being a Malfoy wife, that I wouldn't embarrass her.
Once Blaise and I had made it down the stairs and stood in front of mother she allowed Number Eight to apparate her away to the Malfoy Manor. She gave us explicit instructions not to use the floo so as to avoid any soot from getting onto our clothes.
"Do you want to do the honours?" I glanced up at Blaise once he'd asked the question.
"No thank you." He didn't bother to argue with me as his arm let my hand slid from him. His arm wound around my waist as he apparated us away.
Lesson number one; the witch was the one to be weak. Witches were supposed to look weak as if we needed them to do everything for us, only then would we be able to avoid injuring their ego. The old me would have scoffed at that with a remark wondering about the fragility of the male ego. But this me, the 'perfect' me didn't care about such a thing.
**********
Malfoy Manor still looked exactly the same. The hallways that I'd spent so many years running through as a child looked exactly the same and perhaps I'd expected them to look a little war torn? But it didn't, everything had been restored to perfection.
We'd apparated into the Manor and were instantly greeted by the sight of the three Malfoys. Mother spared a quick glance at me from the corner of her eye and I moved away from Blaise, letting his arm fall back to his side. It didn't matter that Blaise was my brother, from now on I'd have to play to Draco's ego.
"How are you dear?" Mrs Malfoy asked as she approached me and pulled me into a hug. Moving away from me slightly she kissed both of my cheeks before holding me at arm's length to look over me.
"Good, thank you," I said gently, my smile both polite and fake. She nodded at my answer, her eyes slightly narrowed as she took in the imposter on my lips. Stepping aside from me she returned to stand in the centre of her family; her husband and son on either side of her. She revealed Draco to my gaze.
Draco had changed over the past two years; he had somehow managed to grow even taller, his face filling out to remove some of the jagged edges that the war had given it. All in all he had become even more devastatingly handsome. He said my name softly and I forced myself to stop a smile from growing at the obvious tenderness in his voice. Moving towards me, he took my hand in his and raised it to his lips. Instead of looking him in the eye, my gaze fell to the floor.
He released my hand and his hand instead found itself on the slop of my neck instead of moving to his side like I would have anticipated. My eyes widened; Mother hadn't trained me with a response to something like this. His hand traced the slope of my neck before tilting my head up so that I could look him in the eyes.
"It's been two years since I've last looked into your eyes."
Mother gave a slight cough and I met her eyes over Draco's shoulder. Her eyes were screaming at me to play along with him. Straightening up, I plastered on a small smile. "Well you have the rest of your life to do just that, Mr Malfoy."
He seemed to freeze as he registered how I had addressed him. His mother walked towards us and talking quietly to her son she ushered him away from me as the men left the room. He followed after the men, instantly dropping into stride with Blaise who he talked quietly to.
Mrs Malfoy turned her attention on to me with a smile. Setting a hand onto my shoulder she showed mother and I into the parlour where the house elves had set out some tea for us. Sitting between the two pureblood mothers I pretended to listen to them as they discussed something that I was supposed to be interested in.
"What do you think?" Mrs Malfoy asked turning her attention away from my mother momentarily. Raising my tea cup to my lips I attempted to by myself time in order to guess what it was they were talking about. "When do you think would be a good time for the wedding?"
"Oh as soon as possible," Mother interjected. Mrs Malfoy merely nodded her head slightly to indicate that she had heard Mother but she kept her eyes on me.
"Whenever you decide is best." I answered, setting my tea cup down on the table.
"Do you perhaps think that you could find Draco?" Mrs Malfoy asked, "Perhaps he has an idea for the date."
"Of course." I plastered on a polite smile in order to hide my discomfort.
"While you're at it dear," Mother said smiling up at me, "Call your brother for me."
Rising to my feet I exited the room and made my way around the manor. I walked through the random hallways of the manor that I had discovered as a child, purely by accident, knowing that they would not be around here. I had no intention of finding Draco. However luck was against me as I turned the corner to find Draco and Blaise deep in conversation in the middle of the hallway.
"What's happened to her?" Draco asked as I took a small step back, trying not attract their attention. "She- it was like she was a completely different person."
"It's because she is a completely different person," Blaise sad sighing wearily. "Mum did that to her - she tore her down and made her into something so completely different."
I let Blaise's words wash over me for a moment. The old me wasn't good enough and now the new me was wrong as well. Turning, I went to walk away hoping that they hadn't noticed me. But a call of my name had me freezing as I turned to look back at the two of them.
"What's the matter?" Blaise asked, the two of them waking over to me.
"Mrs Malfoy wanted me to call Draco and Mother's looking for you as well."
"I'll tell Mrs Malfoy that you'll both be coming soon," Blaise said slipping out from between Draco and me. He walked away from the two of us, leaving us alone.
Blaise continued to walk down the hallway until he turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. Once Blaise had gone I turned back to the wizard standing opposite me only to find his eyes already on me. His eyes scanned over me as he moved his hands into his pocket.
"Why did you change?" he asked softly.
"I don't know what you mean," I muttered, looking at his eyebrows rather than at his eyes. I wouldn't make the mistake of not looking at him again.
"Drop the act!" He straightened up, stalking towards me and closing the distance between us. I took several steps back. "I want to marry you," he said bluntly. "But not this version of you. I want to marry the real you. The one that's still hidden under all of this pretence."
"There is nothing hidden."
"That's a lie." Draco looked down at the slight space between us and I froze slightly when I noticed the wand that I had unconsciously pointed towards him. I pulled it away and tucked it into my robe pocket quickly. "You're still underneath there."
"This is the real me."
"No," he denied vehemently. "It isn't. But I swear on Salazaar's name that I will get you back to normal before you walk down the aisle towards me."
Draco had always been an insistent child but now he was a man. A man that had a determination so fierce that all I could do was nod dumbly. He stepped away from me, apparently satisfied for now. He offered me his arm and I slipped my hand into it, allowing him to escort me back towards his mother.
**********
Mother was even more tense than normal from the day that my engagement had been fixed. She was so completely sure that I would slip up that she rarely let me out of here sight. She would make sure to watch me closely for any minuscule sign of rebellion which I was sure included asking her for some space for me to breathe.
Now, for example, I was sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book which had undergone her inspection to make sure that it was appropriate. When it had been deemed appropriate she had settled herself down across from me to make sure that I was only reading and doing nothing else.
At the sound of the door opening I looked up to see Number Eight in the doorway. "Draco's here," he announced as he walked into the room, followed closely by the blond wizard.
I rose slowly from the seat, closing the book and setting it aside. I waited for Draco to address me. From the day that our engagement had been announced, he'd made sure to visit me every day in the hopes of 'bringing back the real me'.
"I'd like to take you out today," he said although I knew that he was telling my mother. "I'd like to go to Diagon Alley." At Mother's nod I moved towards Draco's side. When I reached his side he glanced down at me, "Is that alright with you?"
I looked up at him in surprise; he obviously had my mother's consent so why did it matter to him whether I wanted to go or not? He was still watching me so I nodded, letting him pull me towards the fireplace in order to use the floo network. Stepping into the fireplace he looped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer into his side. Gathering a handful of the floo powder he threw it down, announcing our destination as he did so.
I let my hand clutch at the back of his shirt as the odd sensation of travelling through the floo network came over me. Stepping out into the leaky cauldron I stepped away from Draco letting my hand uncurl from his shirt and fall back to my side. As if I hadn't stepped away from him he caught my hand in his and linked our fingers together. Using our joined hands to pull me out of the leaky cauldron he guided me through Diagon Alley before coming to a stop in front of a shop.
I looked up at the sign. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
"Why are we in here?" I asked, genuine curiosity filling my voice as we stepped into the ice cream parlour.
"Do you remember when we came in here after getting our wands?" He asked, ignoring my question and leading me towards the counter. My eyes scanned across the entire parlour that I hadn't set foot in here for years now. According to my Mother ice cream was forbidden; a witch had to look after her figure or else her wizard would soon ditch her.
"We thought that we deserved some ice cream just because we got into Hogwarts." I answered absentmindedly, a fond smile tugging at my lips that I was quick to stop.
"I saw that." He said quickly, grinning down at me.
"Saw what?" I played dumb, hoping that it would only infuriate him and he'd forget all about my smile.
"Your smile." His grin became bigger as the line before us shortened and we were now the ones at the front of the queue. He scanned the menu quickly, "One pumpkin ice cream and one chocolate fudge." I elbowed him, freezing as soon as I'd done it. It had been an ingrained response; growing up I'd always been stuck at his side reminding him to have some manners. He added a reluctant, "Please."
"Here you go," I gave the worker a smile as she set the two ice cream sundaes onto the counter. Draco reached into his pocket for his wallet in order to pay but I beat him to it. Glancing between the two outstretched hands containing the money, she reached over to take his money. "It's only gentlemanly for your boyfriend to pay."
"Thank you." He gave her a genuine smile. "But I'm her fiancé." Taking a hold of both of the sundaes he moved out of the queue and I followed after him.
Walking over to a table I decided to ignore the victorious look that he was sending my way as I sat down across from him. "That was practically like the last time we were here," he said, sliding in across from me.
"Why are we here Draco?" I asked as he set the chocolate fudge in front of me.
"To get you to act normal." He reached over the table to take my hand in his. His thumb rubbed over the engagement ring on my finger as he watched me pick at the ice cream. "Besides it looks like the trip down memory lane is working, you've actually smiled. A real smile and not that fake one that you seem to reserve for whenever your mum is around."
"Why does it matter so much to you?"
He fixed his gaze onto the table as he spoke. "I was so happy when I found out about our betrothal in sixth year because I was engaged to not only one of my best friends but the girl I'd been in love with for as long as I could remember." My breath hitched as his words began to register slowly. "I was glad that my parents would always give me what I wanted- especially when the one that I wanted was you. But this isn't you. This put together witch who doesn't dare to raise her voice at me when I'm being an idiot isn't you. You're normally the first one to call me out on something, the one that I can rely on to call me out on something. I want the real you, the one I love."
Sometime during Draco's speech my eyes had lowered to the table to watch his thumb as it continued to rub across the engagement ring. "Draco-"
"Why aren't you eating?" I looked up to notice his narrowed eyes.
"I'll gain weight." I muttered quietly.
He gave me a disbelieving look, "Your mother certainly worked a number on you- as if I'm going to care if you gain any weight. I've been in love with you forever, I'm hardly going to care about something as superficial as that."
***********
The longer that I had kept up the image of her perfect daughter, the more Mother seemed to loosen her reign over my life. She'd given permission for me to stay at Malfoy Manor for the weekend in order for Mrs Malfoy to 'show off' her future daughter-in-law. But she'd asked Mrs Malfoy for her supervision of Draco and me in order to make sure that we didn't do anything inappropriate.
But I couldn't help but wonder whether my mother's version of inappropriate including hexing Draco. The more time that I spent with him the more that he was adamant on undoing all of my mother's teaching and it was working.
Perhaps it was working too well.
We were in Draco's room with him pacing in front of me as I sat on the edge of his bed, glaring up at him in response to the claim that had just left his mouth.
"Don't you dare," I said quietly, the volume of my voice rising as I went on. I rose to my full height when he stopped in front of me to glare down at me. Letting out a breath through my nose I made to leave his room, knowing that if I stayed in his presence any longer then all of Mother's teachings would fly out of the window and I would hex him. I made it to the door before he caught my arm and turned me around, pinning me to the wall. He pressed me against it and leaned down, bringing his face inches from mine in order to intimidate me. But it didn't work. "Don't you dare try to blame your dark mark on me! You were the one that took it. You could have refused to take the mark, I refused. But you didn't. You're the only one to blame Draco!"
"But you were," he insisted pressing even closer to me. "If I didn't take the dark mark when I did then you'd be dead right now."
"You don't mean that," I faltered from the intensity of his gaze. I could tell from his eyes that he was telling the truth. How could I possibly respond to his words?
"I do." I swallowed slightly at the steely determination in his voice. I went to look away from him but he caught my chin, making me look back into his eyes. "He'd have killed you without hesitation if I hadn't taken the mark."
"Why?"
"We were promised to each other. Besides it wouldn't take a genius to figure out how I felt about you. But that's what Voldemort was good at; exploiting what we loved. That's why he didn't kill you when you refused to take the mark because killing you would breach the promise that he made to me."
"Draco." I blinked slowly, "It's my fault then. You're branded because of me."
"Hey, it's alright."
"How?"
He lowered his head even more. "Because I love you." Was all that he said before lowering his head to mine.
Draco pressed himself closer to me, his lips meeting mine as I melted against him. I kept my hands at my side, fisting them at the bottom of my skirt, unsure of what to do with them. Trailing his hands down from my shoulders, along my arm until they reached my hands he uncurled my hands before interlinking our fingers.
Pulling away from me slightly he set his forehead on mine, moving my hands to rest at the back of his neck. I glanced away from him feeling a deep flush rush up my neck as he continued to look down at me.
"You're the biggest twat I've ever met," I said quietly when I heard him chuckle slightly at my reaction.
He set his forehead against mine. "That's my girl," he said affectionately before leaning down again. I leaned up slightly, curling my fingers into the hairs at the back of his neck.
A cough sounded from beside us and he pulled away from me reluctantly. I looked to the side and found Mrs Malfoy standing in the now open doorway of Draco's bedroom. Glancing quickly away from my future mother-in-law I buried my head into Draco's shoulder to hide my now more obvious blush. Draco's shoulders shook slightly and I knew he was laughing. I hit him on the chest, knowing that he was currently smirking.
"It's good to have you back," Mrs Malfoy said and she paused slightly. "I was just coming to tell you that dinner is ready but I'll leave you two alone." I buried myself deeper into Draco as if to disappear from her sight all together. Oh Merlin, this couldn't get any worse.
Although I didn't look us from Draco's shoulder I was sure when Mrs Malfoy had left when Draco's hands found my hips and his lips met my neck. "Should we take my mum up on her hint?" He mumbled and I felt him smirk against me.
I scoffed and pushed him away. "You heard your Mother; we need to go down to dinner."
Walking away from him I made my way quickly out of his room and down the corridor before he could pull me back into him. I knew that when he did pull me back into him that I wouldn't be able to protest. Or rather I wouldn't want to protest. Draco caught up to me with the aid of his long legs and we both made it down to the dining room to find his parents sitting, waiting for us. They both stopped their conversation when we both entered the room.
"I thought we'd have to wait longer for you Draco," his father said and I let out an awkward cough as Draco pulled out my seat for me.
"I'm not sure that I know what you mean father," he said although the smirk that he gave his father stated the compete opposite. He settled into the seat beside me and dinner seemed to progress without much incident until dessert was brought out and Mrs Malfoy glanced at me from over the table.
"Lucius and I were talking about how great it would be to have a grandchild." My eyes widened as I met her gaze from against the table. "What I mean dear, is that we'd have no issue if you gave us a grandchild even a month after your wedding -it's a wonder what glamour charms are capable of hiding."
Draco raised his napkin to his mouth in order to hide his chuckles and I glared at him from the corner of my eye. "While that sounds wonderful, Draco has already expressed an interest in waiting for a few years, I believe he stated it as five years- before he wanted to have a child."
The words were a lie but his parents weren't aware of that. Mrs Malfoy turned her glare onto her son who immediately smartened up under the weight of her stare.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy," she said her tone sharp. "How old do you expect me to be when you give me a grandchild to spoil more than I spoilt you?"
Draco began to placate his mother, thoroughly denying my words but I was still stuck on her words. A child that was spoilt more than Draco was? I wasn't aware that that was possible. But if it was possible then that was a scary possibility.
"Alright Mother," Draco announced, "How about I take my future bride and we get right to work on providing you with a grandchild right now? The wedding is in 8 months so I guess that you'll need to wait a month after the wedding for your grandchild."
Draco rose from his chair before reaching over to hold my hand and pull me up from my chair as well. "Draco," I protested.
"No," he announced, pulling me from the room, "Mother wants a grandchild and a grandchild is what she'll get."
He led me to the room that I had been given to stay in before he threw himself to lie down on the bed. I settled down beside him and looked down at him.
"Was that really necessary?"
"It was the consequence of trying to get me into trouble with mother." He rolled over to lie on his front, laying his head on his arm as he peered down onto me. "Do you want to wait the five years?"
"I can't say that I've given it a lot of thought," I said truthfully with a shrug, "I guess I wouldn't mind."
"Me neither," he admitted before pausing. "What if-"
Even his tone of voice set me on edge and I gave him a searching look, trying to figure out what it was that he was trying to ask me. "What?" I asked warily.
"What if we did what my Mother wanted?" He sat up cross legged beside me.
"Have a child?"
"What if we make a grandchild for her now? And you know, if by chance if it doesn't work well then I guess that we'll just have to keep trying."
I felt myself laugh when I noticed his lips begin to twitch up into a smirk. "Draco," I said moving closer towards him and putting my hands on his chest. He leaned in even closer towards me. Giving a slight laugh I pushed him away from me with enough force to send him off from the bed. He scrambled to sit up from the floor and he gave me a look as I sat laughing on the bed. "What?"
"Nothing," he said with a shrug, "It's just good to have the old you back."
**********
2 YEARS LATER
Mother had made sure that even after I was married and had moved into Malfoy Manor, that I visited her home for dinner at least once a month. It was my least favourite part of the month but I still went, dragging Draco along with me each time. Originally I had believed that once I'd left her home, she would have lifted the reigns she had over me but she didn't. Instead they became tighter. The more self-control I regained through Draco's help, the more she tried to control me.
I was only left with pity for her as I wondered how out of control she must have felt growing up to try to control her daughter so much.
When my own daughter had been born, only two months after my wedding, I had promised myself that I'd never become like my mother. I'd never make my daughter become something she wasn't - whatever she, and her unborn sibling, wanted to do or be I'd support them every step of the way. During my first pregnancy, which I kept hidden through extensive glamour charms, Narcissa had taken me aside to talk to me when it became clear that my own mother wouldn't. She'd told me that I was carrying a life that would soon mean more to me than my own did, than Draco's did and I hadn't believed her until I'd looked down into her little face.
So here I was, sitting across from my mother as she nit-picked at every little thing about my appearance and the way I ate. Draco reached out to take my hand beneath the table in an attempt to calm me down. It didn't work very well.
"Relax sweetheart," he murmured, leaning closer towards me.
"Don't you think I would make myself relaxed if I could Draco?" I asked, shooting him a dirty look.
"I know, I know." He cajoled, squeezing my hand gently. "But you know what the healer said about keeping calm - you know what it's doing to our son."
"You're right." I took in a deep breath and concentrated on eating the meal Mother had made the house elves set out. Once this was over with, I could take my daughter and my husband and head home.
"Stop that!" Mother barked instantly, making Number Ten jump in his seat, her newest husband clearly wasn't used to her temper. "You stupid little girl! How many times have I told you to not do that?"
Draco stilled in his seat, sensing instantly the storm that was brewing inside me as I looked at the 'stupid little girl' known as my daughter. The daughter who was licking her fingers. She pulled her fingers from her mouth instantly, the beginning of my mother's conditioning evident, as she stared with tearful eyes up at her grandmother.
"Mother," Blaise tried to intercede but she waved him away.
"Don't try and stop me Blaise, brats like her need to be dealt with strictly." Mother looked at me then, her eyes cold. "It's obvious that her mother won't train her properly."
"That's because she's a child, not a pet." My words were deceptively calm as my daughter tried to burrow herself into my side in an attempt to disappear from her grandmother's sight. "Besides, she doesn't need you instilling any of that nonsense into her."
"Well we don't want her to turn out like you, now do we?" She raised an eyebrow. "The only reason you were able to marry the Malfoy heir was because I set it up otherwise there's no way it would have happened. How on Earth is she ever going to find a decent husband?"
"Merlin," I said in disbelief as Draco bristled beside me at her words. "She's not even 2 years old yet! And unlike you I don't consider her property that can be dealt off to the highest bidder."
Letting out a deep sigh, I looked down at my daughter and encouraged her to come out from where she was hiding behind me. She shook her head at my attempts.
"Andromeda," I cajoled gently but it was no use. "Andy, darling, why don't you go with your dad for a minute? I'm just going to finish talking to your grandmother and then we can go home, alright?"
She nodded, reaching out for her Dad when he rose from his seat. Draco took her into his arms, ignoring Mother's scolding for spoiling her. Merlin, it was like preaching to the deaf; Draco would spoil his princess for as long as he could.
"Daddy," Andy asked quietly as Draco started to leave the room with her. Blaise and Number Ten slowly followed his lead, leaving me alone with Mother. "Ice cream?"
"I don't know sweetheart, we'll have to ask Mummy."
"Scorpy wants!" She insisted, her voice becoming quieter as they walked away.
"Well then I guess we'll have to get some ice cream then!"
Andy's delighted laugh disappeared from my earshot when I turned to meet my Mother's gaze.
"You'll ruin her." She said icily, "I'd always hoped you'd settled down once you were engaged but all you did was let Draco taste the goods before being married - I'd taught you better."
"Merlin Mother." I looked at the older woman in disbelief, "I pity you; whatever upbringing you had completely ruined you. A normal mother would be pleased at the news she was going to be a grandmother, she certainly wouldn't tell her daughter to kill the 'mistake' and pretend it never existed. Is it too much to ask for you to love my children?"
"I'll love Scorpious once you give birth to him."
My mouth parted in shock, "Because he's a boy?"
"Because he'll be the heir."
I shot out of my seat, rising to my feet. "I don't want you coming around the Manor from now on; I won't let you poison my daughter's mind. And as for coming here, I don't think we'll be coming around for the next few months."
Walking out of the room I followed the sound of Andy's laughter and found her with Draco. She was sat on her father's lap and Draco was perched on the bottom stairs, listening attentively to Andy as she spoke her gibberish to her father. Hearing the sound of my footsteps, Draco looked up and Andromeda pulled away from her father guiltily.
"What's going on here?" I asked teasingly, feelings the strain from the previous encounter drain out of me when Draco wrapped one arm around me, the other holding our daughter.
"She was just telling me to be nice to Mummy." Draco said, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Isn't that right sweetheart?"
Andy nodded enthusiastically at her father's words and I smiled, leaning over to pinch her nose gently.
"Well, in that case, Mummy's hungry for some ice cream, let's go get some."
"Don't forget about me!" Blaise called out, coming down the stairs
Andy, hearing his voice wiggled out of her father's arms and ran straight into Blaise's waiting arms.
"I'll take this little munchkin to the ice cream parlour now, you two follow after," He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wand.
Once the pair of them had apparated away, Draco turned his attention onto me. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me closer to him.
"Are you alright?" He asked quietly and I nodded, playing with the button on his shirt to avoid his eyes. "Truthfully?"
"I am," I admitted, looking up into his eyes. "It's not an ideal relationship to have with your mother but I have you and that's enough for me."
eImpl.C!D3o