A Summer in the Life of Draco

The next morning, Draco woke reluctantly. His aunt Dominique and her bustle of bridesmaids were arriving today and he was not looking forward to it. For the rest of the summer, he would have to deal with women running around the house talking about dress robes, rings, and the color of napkins. It turns out that John Bancroft, Dominique's fiancé, had been one of Lucius' close friends at Hogwarts. Draco knew him very well. When he was little, John used to come over to the Manor and help Draco with his flying.

He lay under his blankets for a few minutes until his mother came into his room and shook him.

"Draco! Wake up! The girls will be here in one hour and I want you to meet them!" said Narcissa as she gently shook her son. Draco let out a groan.

"Mother... do I have to? I'm sure you ladies would love to reminisce about the good 'ol days without me," he said in his defense.

"Draco, get up, shower, get changed and I want you downstairs in thirty minutes or less. Have I made myself clear?" she asked. Draco rolled over and looked at her expression, realizing that she was making herself perfectly clear. He rolled out of bed.

"That's better," said his mother as she left the room. Narcissa one, Draco zero.

Draco did as he was told and took a shower. When he got out, he found it extremely difficult to find a pair of robes to wear. In the end, he decided that robes were the wrong way to go. Instead, he chose a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater.

He walked back into his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His blonde hair was out of place and still wet. He grabbed a towel and dried it. He looked all through his bathroom, but couldn't find his hair gel anywhere. He left his room in a huff, walked to the other side of the house to his parent's room, and found his father's gel in there. He borrowed a bit of Lucius' high-class cologne and went downstairs to find his mother.

Narcissa was walking around the living room straightening pillows. Draco walked up behind her and gave her a huge hug, nearly scaring her half to death.

"Draco! I thought you were your father. Are you wearing his cologne?" she asked. Lucius had worn the same cologne for nearly ten years. He had it specially made for him by a woman in Diagon Alley.

"Yes, I am. Don't you agree that it's a nice blend on me?" he asked, flashing a sarcastic a smile. His mother was so oblivious to sarcasm that it made him want to laugh.

Draco was now six inches taller than his petite mother. They looked very much alike except for his eyes. Much like Lucius, Draco's eyes could mask any emotion he was feeling. They could also give away any emotion he was feeling. She called them "chameleon eyes." They could hide everything, yet giveaway so much.

Narcissa glanced at the clock. "They should be here any minute!" she screeched. It was almost ten o'clock.

"How are they getting here?" he asked. He had failed to ask this question at dinner the night before.

"Floo Powder, I believe. I had the house elves sweep the chimney this morning," she replied. It was a happy day for her. She hadn't seen her sister Dominique in years.

Just as soon as she had spoken those words, the clock struck ten. In a matter of seconds, they heard a whooshing noise and out of the fire popped Draco's Aunt Dominique. Narcissa let out a scream and ran to hug her. Dominique was as petite as her big sister was. The only difference was that she had black hair like Bellatrix. About a minute after Dominique arrived, a woman Draco couldn't put a name on popped out of the fire.

"Melanie Stone!" yelled Narcissa as she ran at the woman. She was slightly taller than Narcissa with brown hair and a beautiful face. She was wearing navy blue robes and her hair was pulled up into a tight bun on the top of her head.

"Melanie, it's great to see you again! It's been ages! Is little Ella coming as well?" asked Draco's mother.

"Oh yes, she just had to go back to her room and get a few things. Now Narcissa, you must tell me who this handsome gentleman over here is," she asked, casting a look at Draco.

"You know him! This is my son, Draco. I believe the last time you saw him he was only eight years old," said Narcissa. Without skipping a beat, the woman called Melanie hurried over to Draco and gave him a rib-shattering hug.

"Draco! My goodness, you have grown into quite the young man. The last time I saw you was at Camilla and Lance's wedding! I doubt you remember little Ella, but she certainly remembers you! You two danced beautifully together!" she said, finally releasing the grip she had on his arm. He didn't remember Melanie but he faintly remembered her daughter, Ella. They had danced a few times at the wedding, but that was all he remembered.

"She had to go up to her room and get her broomstick. She never goes anywhere without it," Melanie added.

"Oh, how is she doing on the Quidditch team at Durmstrang?" asked Dominique. This caught Draco's attention. A girl who played on the Durmstrang Quidditch team?

"She's doing great, actually. She made the team for the third year in a row! She has a few national teams looking at her for a Chaser prospect," Melanie said, her voice full of pride for her daughter.

"Draco plays on his house Quidditch team at Hogwarts. He's the seeker," said Narcissa, trying to attract some attention to her son. "Tell them about it, Draco."

"Umm, yeah. I've played on the Slytherin Quidditch team since my second year. I'm their Seeker," he finished. He loved talking about himself, but this was an uncomfortable situation even for him.

They all heard a whooshing noise and turned toward the fireplace. A tall, slender girl in pale blue robes stepped gracefully out of the fire. She was holding a trunk in one hand and a broomstick in the other. She had blonde hair and pale blue eyes that shined like stars. She was the most beautiful girl Draco had ever seen in his life. How could he not remember dancing with someone like this?

"Ella!" yelled all three women in unison. Draco didn't understand why he was here since all of them were conversing amongst themselves and completely ignoring him. Draco shifted from foot to foot, looking at the ground. He knew if he looked at this girl, he would start drooling.

Ella was talking with Dominique, but kept watching Draco out of the corner of her eye. He had grown up to be a very attractive wizard. For some reason, he wouldn't look at her. He was staring at the floor and shifting uncomfortably. Ella decided that if he wasn't going to make the first move, she was. She walked over to him and held out her hand.

"Hello, Draco. It's been a while," she said as Draco grabbed her hand. He was blushing slightly. Being the gentleman that he was, he raised her hand to his mouth and grazed the top of it with his lips. A giggle escaped her mouth. "Wow, what a gentleman," she said.

"Ladies, why don't we go into the parlor for a drink? Draco, would you mind showing Ella where she'll be sleeping?" said Narcissa with a gleam in her eye. She could read her son like a book and she decided that it would be quite fun to play matchmaker. Narcissa two, Draco zero.

"Alright," he said, taking Ella's trunk in one hand. "Right this way," he added, making a hand gesture and allowing her to pass in front of him. She caught his eye for the briefest moment and smiled. He smiled back. He caught a whiff of her perfume as she walked ahead of him. It smelled like a summer morning. It smelled like she had just flown through the rain on a broomstick. It smelled like all the things he loved.

"You have a beautiful

"Yes, let's."

Draco led the way up the stairs and took a right. They would be staying in one of the guest suites. He stopped in front of a door and opened it for her and she walked in. A gasp escaped Ella's mouth as she looked around. The room was the brightest in the Malfoy house. It was painted a light yellow with white and black accents here and there. His mother had designed it after a room she saw during her stay in Paris. Two large four-poster beds were set up along the wall to their left. Ella made her way over to one and sat down. Draco followed her, still carrying her trunk and broomstick.

"This is amazing!" said Ella, her eyes darting around the room.

"Yeah. You want to see something else amazing?" asked Draco as he walked over to the white French doors and swung them open. Ella had risen from her perch on the bed and followed him out onto the balcony. Another gasp escaped her lips.

"This has the most beautiful view of anywhere at Malfoy Manor," he whispered. A shiver went down her spine at the sound of his deep, raspy voice in her ear. He wasn't lying. You could see for miles and miles. There didn't seem to be another house anywhere near here. Three hoops coming out of the trees caught her eye.

"Is that a Quidditch pitch?" she asked. Her eyes were getting big now. Maybe she could actually practice after all.

"Why, yes it is. We had it built shortly after I went to Hogwarts so I could keep in shape during the summer. From what I hear, you're quite the little Quidditch player," he said.

"Little? I have knocked boys that are Victor Krum's size off their brooms, so don't be calling me little," she said putting a hand on Draco's chest and pushing him a little ways away. Draco put up his arms in surrender. Obviously, this wasn't a girl to be messed with. Ella let out a laugh.

"It's alright. I've been underestimated a few times in my day. Who would think that a little blonde like me could totally kick a guy's ass?" she seemed to ask herself.

Draco stood there watching her look around the grounds of Malfoy Manor for what seemed like an hour. Her eyes were the bluest he had ever seen. He didn't realize that his mouth was hanging open slightly. She turned her gaze to him.

"Draco? Is there something on my face?" she asked him. She began searching her pockets for a compact.

"No, nothing at all," he said and before he could stop himself he added, "It's perfect."

Her milky white skin slowly turned a light shade of pink. She looked at him again. He had the sexiest smile. She took one step toward him and looked deep into his steel-gray eyes. Two can play at this game, she thought to herself.

"You know what I could really go for right now?" she said in a sexy voice. Draco took one step toward her.

"No, what?" he said. Ella could see the excitement dancing in his eyes as he slowly moved toward her. He started leaning in toward her lips.

"A nice, hot cup of tea," she said with a smile. She turned to go back into the room. When she reached the door, she turned around and gave him a wink.

"Tease!" called Draco after her. Ella just laughed and continued walking through the room. Draco followed after her. He laughed silently to himself. She wants me... she sooo wants me...

They walked into the parlor where they found the girls sitting at the Malfoy's antique bar, sipping Firewhiskey and laughing hysterically. Now Draco understood why his father said he had important business to attend to until August...

"Well, look who it is! You two sure took a long time up there," said Dominique suspiciously. From the way the three women were acting, talking, and laughing, Draco could tell that they had already had one to many drinks.

"Draco was showing me the view off of the balcony. It's quite beautiful," she said. Ella wasn't going to admit the other view she found breathtaking. The truth was she would have kissed Draco Malfoy right then and there. The only problem was that she wasn't the kind to kiss on a first date... if that counted as a date at all.

"Aww, yes... that balcony has the most beautiful view of anywhere in this house," said Narcissa getting a far off look in her eye. Truth be told, she had wanted Lucius to turn that room into the master bedroom, but he had declined. That room had been his as a child and he said it held to many bad memories. Instead, they had chosen the original master bedroom that had the connecting study. Lucius spent most of his free time in there when he wasn't at the stables. It was no secret that the Malfoy's had many dark objects hidden in there. It was such common knowledge that the Ministry had been by several times to search it. So far, they hadn't found anything. Lucius may be getting older, but he was still as sly as he was on the day Narcissa had met him.

Ella took the spare stool at the bar and Melanie poured her a Firewhiskey. In Ella's household, drinking was as common as using magic. Since she was 13, she had been allowed to drink. Not to mention the fact that at Durmstrang, there was a party every-other weekend that always involved someone getting drunk.

"Draco would you like one?" asked Melanie. Draco looked at his mother for permission. Under normal circumstances, Draco wouldn't be allowed to drink something as strong as a Firewhiskey, but Narcissa nodded and Draco took the glass Melanie was offering him. At a fancy rendezvous with the Ministry, his parents usually let him drink one or two glasses of champagne. Also, Slytherin threw some pretty wild parties towards the end of the year... but his mother didn't need to know that.

He walked around the edge of the bar to stand by Ella. She was sipping her drink with her pinky out as if she did this all the time. Draco took a sip of his drink, letting the fiery taste linger in his mouth before swallowing. He turned his gaze to Ella, remembering that he had a question to ask her.

"Ella, how long are you staying?" he asked.

"I'm staying until the weddings over. Your aunt asked me to be one of her bridesmaids," she said. Draco could feel the smile waiting to break free on his lips. In a pathetic attempt to hide it, he took another sip of his drink. In the end, he wasn't quick enough. Ella saw his smile and returned it. She leaned over to whisper in his year.

"The truth is, I wasn't exactly looking forward to coming here for a whole summer... that is, until I met you," she whispered, pulling back and giving him another wink. Draco felt as if he had just drunk a whole bottle of whiskey in a matter of five seconds.

About an hour later, Lucius Malfoy returned home. The three women got up from their perch to meet him in the doorway. Narcissa gave her husband a light hug and he kissed her once on each cheek... a traditional greeting for them since Draco could remember.

Melanie went over to meet him as well. Lucius shook her hand and kissed her on each cheek as well. They said a few words, and then Melanie stepped aside to let Dominique greet her brother-in-law.

"Lucius! It really has been much too long." Kiss, kiss. "Thank you so much for opening up you home to me and John. This is going to be such a lovely wedding," she said.

"It was the least I could do for my wife's sister and an old friend," he said in his charming-gentleman voice. He cracked the fakest smile Draco had ever seen. The truth was that he hated the idea right from the get-go. The only reason he had agreed to it was because this would be another one of his many whose-who parties he was known for. Lucius' steely gray eyes traveled over to where Ella and Draco were sitting. He walked over and greeted Ella with a kiss on the hand.

"My, my Ms. Stone. You have matured into quite the young witch. How old are you now, my dear?" he asked.

"I'll be sixteen this Christmas Eve," she said.

"I knew you were the same age as Draco, I just wasn't quite sure," he said. "How is Durmstrang? I wanted to enroll Draco there, but Narcissa had insisted we keep him close to home," Lucius said. Draco hated his protective mother more than ever for not enrolling him in Durmstrang.

"It's great. The only problem is that Bulgaria gets extremely cold in the winter and fall months. Sometimes it snows so much that our path is blocked to get to certain lessons so we get to have a free period in our dormitories. It's also quite difficult to play Quidditch in the snow," said Ella. Draco had never played in a snow storm before... he imagined that it must be really hard. Then again, the snitch would probably stick out like a sore thumb...

Draco found himself fantasizing about what it would be like to play in the snow on a broomstick... but then he found his thoughts not on flying a broomstick, but curled up on the couch with Ella while the snow fell outside the window.

Lucius and Ella continued to talk about Durmstrang for another twenty minutes before Lucius decided it was time for him to leave them alone. There was no doubt in Draco's mind that he was going up to his study until everyone decided it was time for lunch. It was already one o'clock and this miniature party showed no signs of slowing down.

Draco was hoping to get some more alone time with Ella, but his idea was soon squashed by his aunt.

"Why don't we all go into the dining room and start planning? I have no idea where to begin! You ladies have been through this before, and I am just so overwhelmed," she said.

"Come on Ella, you're part of this wedding too," said Melanie. Ella got up from her seat and followed her mother. When Draco didn't come after her, she turned around and looked at him.

"Aren't you coming too?" she asked.

"Even though an afternoon of talking about robes, colors, love, and fancy napkins sounds oh so exciting, I think I'm going to pass on this one," said Draco. Ella was slightly disappointed. She wished that they could have the afternoon alone together... but then again, she didn't know if she would be able to control herself. At Durmstrang, she wasn't exactly known for her self-control.

One night after a Durmstrang Quidditch victory, there had been a wild party. Ella, being the woman-of-the-hour, had had a little too much to drink and it had clouded her judgment slightly. Luckily, she realized where she was heading with the guy, and was able to stop herself.

She left the room and headed toward the dining hall leaving Draco behind. He decided that after all the female interaction he was getting, he needed some male attention... since Chase was on vacation, the only male in the house besides their house-elf Jasper, was Lucius.

~*~*~*~*~

Draco walked up to his father's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in," answered Lucius' voice. Draco walked into the room where he found his father sitting at his large desk. Draco didn't like the study very much. When he was a baby, Narcissa had turned this room into a nursery. Until he was two, he had had to deal with the looks of his ancestors staring down at him from their portraits on the walls. Now, he avoided this room as much as possible.

"Aww, Draco. Couldn't stand the women either?" he asked.

"Most of them I could stand... I've just been in the same room with them all day and it was getting rather old," he said in response. Lucius rolled up the letter he was writing and put it in a desk drawer.

"Well well my son, we haven't dueled in some time. I'm curious to see what they're teaching you at that muggle-loving school. Up for a round?" he said, removing his glasses. He stepped out from behind the desk.

"Alright, Father. Let's go," said Draco. Dueling with his father was a fun experience. He knew so many spells that Draco didn't and he was a more advanced student because of it. These duels were a great learning experience for him.

Lucius drew his wand and moved the black leather couch against the wall with a flick of his wrist. This left a long, clear space of hardwood floor. Draco took his position at the far end of the room.

"Ok Draco, we're playing by my rules. Let's make things interesting. You cannot speak an incantation. You know how to do this, just not very well. Normally, you would learn this at the beginning of next year, but you are much more gifted than the rest at that Mudblood infested school," said Lucius with a bit of disgust in his voice. "I'll go easy on you since I understand this is a new concept for you. Wand at the ready," said Lucius drawing his wand.

Draco drew his wand and prepared for the start of the duel. They did the traditional start. Lucius and Draco walked from each side of the room to the middle, wands pointed upwards. They met in the middle and bowed. They turned and walked ten paces. Then, they turned around and the duel began.

Draco thought with all his might, his wand pointed at his father. "Expelliarmus," he thought. Nothing happened. Lucius stood there, reading his son's face like a book. He figured he'd let his son at least try to do a spell.

Finally, after thinking the spell six times, a red light erupted from his wand and hit his father square in the chest. Lucius stumbled backwards, his wand flying in the air. Lucius stepped back and caught it with ease. He returned fire with a shot of bluish mist. Draco felt light-headed and soon, blackness consumed him and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Lucius revived him instantly. Draco should have known that was coming. His father used that spell all the time during their duels. "Sorry, Draco. I couldn't resist. It's one of my favorite spells," said Lucius. Draco hated losing but it felt like an honorable loss since it was to his father. Lucius had been the best duelist Hogwarts had to offer back in his day. Draco had the feeling that he wanted the tradition to pass on. Lucius bent down next to his son who was still sitting on the floor.

"You do understand why your disarming spell wasn't very effective?" he asked. Draco shook his head.

"It was because you weren't thinking your spell with enough feeling! Feeling is what dueling is all about, Draco. Never forget that," he said as he stood up.

Draco stood up after him. Lucius rearranged the furniture back into its original position. He sat down in one of the black leather armchairs and signaled for Draco to sit on the couch across from him.

"Now Draco, you must tell me what you think of Ms. Ella Stone," he asked. Draco was taken back. Lucius had never talked to him about girls before.

"She's a very nice girl. We have a lot in common," he said, hoping that the way his voice cracked hadn't given Lucius and hints about what he really felt.

"Oh come now, Draco. I saw the way you were looking at her. I may be older than I was when I fell in love with your mother, but I know the look of a love-sick teen when I see it. If it matter's at all, you get my stamp of approval. She's a well bred girl... her father played on the Bulgarian Quidditch team. Her mother was a Witch Weekly beauty pageant winner. There are rumors that her heritage traces back all the way to Merlin himself. She is also a well cultured young lady. She went to Beauxbatons her first and second year of schooling before transferring to Durmstrang. She's a fabulous Quidditch player. She's exactly the kind of girl I would have chosen for you, Draco. Good choice," he said smiling at Draco. How did he know all of these things about Ella?

"Umm... thanks father. But there isn't really anything going on between me and Ella. We just really met for the first time today," said Draco, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I know, but it's never too early to start thinking about these sorts of things. She would make an excellent addition to the Malfoy family," he said. Whoa... now he was talking about marriage?

"Father, I like Ella, but we just met. And I'm only fifteen. I have my whole life ahead of me to find a bride. Oh, and just to make sure you know, arranged marriages have gone out of style since grandfather's day," he added. Lucius was a schemer. He was always thinking about how things would benefit him and his family. Draco just wanted to make sure that he understood that he was in no hurry to get married.

"It's never too early to start thinking about your future. Did you know that-?"

"Mom and you got married one year after you got out of Hogwarts? Yes Father, I know," said Draco, finishing his sentence for him. Lucius and Narcissa had married young, but because of complications, they weren't able to have children for nearly five years. Draco had been their first and only child because fertility problems finally overtook Narcissa and children were no longer an option for the Malfoy family.

"Well, I'm feeling a bit light-headed again. That spell must have really had an effect on me. I better go lie down. It was nice talking with you, Father," said Draco as he turned to exit the study.

"Remember my advice, Draco," Lucius called after him as he closed the door. Draco walked back to his room. He was feeling light-headed, but he didn't think it had anything to do with the spell. Had his father really just talked to him about marrying someone he had only known for less than twenty-four hours? Sure, he and Narcissa had married at 19, but they had dated since their third year at Hogwarts. It wasn't right for Draco. He decided that the easiest way to handle things like this was to pretend that they had never happened.

Draco walked into his room and walked out onto his balcony. He looked down into the garden where he saw the girls sitting around the new fountain. Ella spotted him and waved. Draco waved back. Then, Ella blew a kiss. In a cheesy gesture, Draco pretended to catch it and held it to his heart. He could see Ella laughing, even from up here. He had noticed earlier how her eyes danced when she laughed. She was truly the most beautiful thing Draco had ever seen.

He walked back into his room and belly-flopped onto his bed. It was almost three and Draco decided it was time for his afternoon nap. Ella's perfume lingered as if she was lying right next to him. He fell asleep with visions of her in his head, glad his father had taught him Occlumency.