A Summer in the Life of Draco

It had been nearly two weeks since Ella had arrived at Malfoy Manor. Since their tour of the balcony, Ella and Draco had not been alone once. Between shopping, planning, and writing owls to her friends, Ella had no time. Dominique had been keeping them busy by taking them to robe shops in every corner of the globe. So far, the only thing that had been decided on was the date of the wedding: August 20^th.

Draco had been trying to keep himself busy. John had written his father and announced that both he and Draco were to be groomsman at his wedding. Maybe Draco would walk down the aisle with Ella after all.

He was avoiding the wedding party as much as possible for fear that they would ask his opinion. They had already asked him about the flowers...

"Draco, what do you think? White roses or white lilies?"

"Umm... white lilies?" he had said.

"Draco! Lilies are dead people flowers! This is a wedding!" Narcissa had scolded him. Draco had avoided them as much as possible from that moment on.

It was nearly noon and Draco walked down the hall to the dining room, hoping for a little breakfast. When he arrived there, the ladies were already in deep discussion about what color robes for the groomsman to wear.

"Green would look so nice... and all of them were in Slytherin, too! It would be a fitting match!" said Melanie.

"Yes, but black is so much classier! Besides, didn't we decide that the colors of the wedding were black, white, and silver?" Dominique contradicted. Just as Draco had turned to leave, Melanie called him in.

"Draco! What do you think? Green or black for your dress robes?" she asked.

"I'm partial to black myself. It would also go well with the theme of the wedding," he said. He let out a sigh of relief when everyone agreed with his decision.

"Black robes it is!" said Dominique as she scribbled something down on the piece of parchment in front of her. "Draco, come sit down. We've hardly seen you at all since we arrived," she added, patting the seat next to her. Draco was stuck. There was no way out of this one.

He walked over to the empty seat beside his aunt and sat down. They passed him a cup of tea and he sipped it eagerly. He needed a caffeine rush more than anything right now.

"So Draco, what are your plans for the day?" asked Narcissa. She was wearing pink robes with her hair up in a ponytail. "Melanie, Dominique and I are planning on going to the salon and your father is gone... it's just going to be you and Ella all day," she added with a sly smile. The way her son's head picked up at the sound of this was priceless.

"Umm... I was planning on going to the barn to see Ares," said Draco. Ares was his Abraxan gelding Draco had received as an "acceptance to Hogwarts" present.

"Well, I bet Ella would love to see the horses! Why don't you take her down there? She's never ridden a flying horse before. I'm sure she would love it!" said Melanie.

"Oh yes! We are the same size I expect... I can loan her my riding habit," said Narcissa. "Draco, why don't you surprise her? Take her down there for the afternoon until we get back," she finished. Draco could tell that his mother wasn't just suggesting this... she was ordering it.

"Alright. Where is Ella, by the way?" he asked. He hadn't seen her all morning.

"I let her sleep in, but it's almost noon. Would you please go get her up for me, Draco? Oh, and tell her that if she tries to curse you, she's grounded... she's not a morning person," said Melanie, taking a sip of tea. Draco was hesitant at first, but he did what he was told. He got up from his seat and checked to make sure that he had his wand... just in case.

He walked up to the bedroom door and knocked three times. He didn't get a response. He heard music coming from the room, so he stepped inside. When he opened the door, he could hear the chorus from a muggle country song he had heard once.

"Ella? Are you in here?" called Draco, looking around the room. He saw that the bathroom door was closed, so he knocked on it, too. Once again, no answer. The song continued to play.

"Ella?" he said, jiggling the handle. It was locked. He pulled out his wand.

"Alohamora!" he said. The door unlocked and he turned the handle. He peeked around the door cautiously and what he saw made him explode in a fit of laughter.

Ella was sitting on the toilet bowl in one of those green masks that Draco thought made girls look moldy. She was wrapped in a towel and her wet hair was dangling around her face. She had cucumbers over her eyes and was silently lip-synching to the slow song. Draco crept quietly over to her and put his hand on her elbow.

"Ella, you're molding," he said as he dissolved into another fit of laughter. Ella's head snapped up and the cucumbers fell from her eyes. She had a look of horror on her face.

"Draco! I didn't even hear you come in!" she said. She ran to the sink and began washing the green mask off of her face. Draco couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, even when she thought she looked her worst.

"What is this rubbish you're listening to?" asked Draco.

"It's a bunch of songs my friend put into a W.W.P for me. And it's not rubbish!" she said in a huff. For fear that she would rearrange his face, Draco shut up. Ella pulled out her wand and applied her makeup with a few simple spells. She then pointed her wand at her hair and it straightened and dried itself. She turned back at him. The fast paced song that had just been playing ended and another slower one started up.

"Oooh Draco! I absolutely LOVE this song! Will you dance with me?" she said with such a look of glee in her eyes that Draco couldn't say no to. He stepped toward her and she put one arm around his neck and took one of his hands in hers. Draco let his free hand rest gently on the small of her back. The song began to play.

Ella leaned into Draco as they moved slowly in a circle. She rested her head against his chest and she could feel the beating of his heart against her cheek.

"Your mom wanted me to come get you up," he said. Ella stepped back from his strong arms and looked up at him. He was wearing almost a half smile.

"Alright. Just give me a second to get dressed," she said. There was a screen set up in the bathroom and she stepped behind it. Draco could just barely see her silhouette as she stripped of her towel and threw on her clothes. His jaw dropped slightly and he shook his head to get himself out of the trance. He looked away.

Ella stepped out from behind the screen and found Draco leaning back against the toilet with his eyes closed. He looked almost asleep. Ella walked over to the counter and sprayed on her perfume. Draco stirred instantly.

"Gosh, Ella. What's in that stuff?" he asked. He had been meaning to ask this for some time now.

"Oh, I have it made for me in Paris. I think there are essences of roses, raspberries, and just a tiny, tiny drop of the love potion Amortentia," she said. That explained everything. Luckily, just smelling the love potion won't make you infatuated.

Ella was wearing a short denim skirt and a light blue tank top that matched her eyes perfectly. She turned to Draco.

"Do you have the time?" she asked.

"It's five past twelve," he said glancing at his watch.

"Wow... I really slept in late this morning!" she said with a giggle. Ella walked over to Draco and offered him her hand. He took it and she heaved him to his feet. She still didn't know that she was going to the stables with him this afternoon, so he told her.

"Ella, while the ladies are at the salon, what do you think of going to meet our horses?" he asked her. Her bright eyes became the size of galleons.

"Wow, Draco! I would love that more than anything!" she said excitedly. Well, maybe not more than anything...

"Alright then. My mom said that you could use her riding habit for the day. We better go make sure she's still up for it," he finished as they walked out of the room and into the hallway. They met the girls back in the dining room.

"My my, look who it is! Sleeping Beauty!" said Dominique. Ella smiled a polite smile and took her seat next to her mother.

"Draco tells me that we're going to go see the horses today," she said to Melanie.

"Oh, that reminds me! I'll send one of the servants up to get my riding clothes," said Narcissa, rising from the table. She turned into the kitchen and whispered to one of the servants. The older woman left and went upstairs. She returned in a matter of minutes.

She set the clothes on the table and bowed to Mrs. Malfoy. Ella's eyes got big yet again as she ran her hands over the expensive fabric. There was a pair of tan riding breeches, a white blouse, a pair of brown dragon-hide boots, and a brown dragon-hide belt.

"Well, you guys better hurry and get ready if you're going to go riding. It's after noon and it's going to be very hot today. Oh, and we better get going ladies. Our appointments are at one," said Narcissa. The three older women got up from their seats and left for the fireplace.

"She's right. Let's go get ready and I'll meet you down here in fifteen minutes," said Draco to Ella as he left the table and went upstairs. He couldn't wait to see what the tight-fitting clothes did to her already exquisite body.

Draco found his riding clothes tucked away at the back of his closet. He put on his tan breeches, white oxford, black dragon-hide boots and matching belt. He grabbed his riding helmet and went downstairs where he found Ella already waiting for him in the entryway.

For a moment, Draco couldn't move. She was stunning. The breeches hugged her in all the right places. Her white blouse was tucked in and the sleeves came down a little ways past her elbows. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and some of her blonde locks had escaped from the brown ribbon she had used to hold it back.

Ella thought that Draco looked much, much older. She had never realized what a nice figure he had. She almost had to do a double take to make sure it was him.

"Stunning, Ella. Positively stunning," was all Draco could get out. This made her blush slightly.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Malfoy," she said. The truth was he looked extremely hot.

"Alrighty then. Let's get this show on the road," said Draco. He walked over to Ella and put his arm around her shoulder. He steered her out the back door and onto the garden path. It was only a short walk to the stables from here.

"You really do have a beautiful home," said Ella. It was twice as nice as her family's city home. They owned a few houses, but their primary home was in New Zealand. They lived along the beach and it was always sunny... no matter what time of the year it was. It was a big change from living there to living at Durmstrang.

They turned the corner and found the large river rock stable that housed the Malfoy's horses. Chase was out in front of it with a particularly large gray thoroughbred stallion. It must be bath time.

"Hey, Chase. Giving Gib a bath?" asked Draco as him and Ella walked over to meet him.

"Yeah, and he's not liking it," said Chase. Draco walked over and took Gib's halter from him. Draco rubbed his hand on Gib's long nose and he calmed instantly.

"I don't know why I bother... the bastard's just going to go roll out in his pasture the second I turn him out," said Chase, casting a look at the large piece of horse standing in front of him.

"Well, its better that he's clean for at least five minutes," said Draco. Ella was standing ten feet away, eyeing the horse with some curiosity. "Come over here and meet Gib, Ella," said Draco.

Ella stepped cautiously toward the stallion, but he filled the gap quickly. When she was three feet away, the horse stepped forward and put its nose in Ella's well-manicured hands. A smile lit up her features.

"Well, aren't you a little sweetie?" Ella cooed. "How did you get your name, sweet thing?" she asked. Draco answered.

"His registered name is Rock of Gibraltar, but we call him Gib for short," answered Draco. "You haven't met Chase before, have you?" he added, remembering his manners.

"No, I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting this fine young gentleman," said Ella. Draco felt a jealous flush rise to his cheeks.

Chase reached for Ella's hand under the neck of the sopping horse. She grasped his hand firmly and shook it. Then, he returned to his work. "Are you guys gonna ride today?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think we're going to warm up with Blondie and Top Hat, then take Ares on a quick ride," said Draco. Ella looked at him funny. Draco decided that it was time for her to meet the extended family.

"Alright. I just cleaned their tack, so it should be nice and polished for you," added Chase with a wink. In Draco's whole life, Chase had only given him one piece of advice about girls: Chicks love horses. This was the first time he had ever taken it.

"Ok, see you Chase," said Draco.

"It was nice meeting you," said Ella flashing him her one-hundred watt smile. Draco put his arm around her shoulders again and steered her into the shade of the barn. They were greeted by the delighted neighs and whinnies of the ten horses stabled there. Draco walked down the breezeway and greeted each horse by its name.

"Hello Dolly, Beau, Jed, Mac, Louie, Liz, Magic, Pistol, Blondie, and Top Hat," he said to each one as they passed. They were all different breeds and colors. Draco turned into a room and emerged carrying a hunter saddle and bridle. He went back in and grabbed a leather halter and went into a stall that housed the horse called 'Blondie'.

"Up for a quick ride, sweetheart?" he asked the horse. Ella stood back as he led her to the hitching rail. The color of this horse was the most beautiful she had ever seen. It was a golden honey color. In fact, she was the same color as her hair.

"Ella, this is Blondie. We're gonna take her and my horse, Top Hat, for a ride around the arena," said Draco. Ella approached the horse as Draco threw the saddle on. She had taken riding lessons in her youth and even competed in a few show jumping competitions. Her mother had made her quit, however, when the girth strap loosened and she fell off going over a jump when she was eleven.

Draco put the bridle on and slid the bit in Blondie's mouth with ease. He handed Ella the reins, then went back into the tack room to retrieve another halter. He returned and walked a little ways down the shed row and went into another stall. He emerged leading a jet black Friesian stallion with long, wavy black hair. He attached Top Hat next to Blondie on the rail and tacked him up quickly. Then, he motioned for Ella to follow him outside, and she did, still leading Blondie.

When they exited the barn, Ella saw a large riding arena with a few jumps set up. Chase was waiting for them. He opened the gate and they walked through. "Need a leg up?" asked Draco.

"Yes, please," said Ella. Draco gave Chase Top Hat's reins and grasped Ella's leg firmly in his hand. He heaved her into the saddle and she clicked her tongue. Blondie and Ella took off around the arena at a slow posting trot.

Chase gave Draco a leg up and he took off after Blondie and Ella at a faster paced trot. Draco loved to feel the rocking motion of the horse beneath him. The gentle bumps of his gait pushed him into the air as he posted gracefully around the arena. They rode around for a few minutes, warming their horses up. Ella and Draco stopped under a tree that was shading a corner of the arena.

"Ready for some jumps?" asked Ella as Top Hat and Draco approached.

"Sure. But why don't we make things interesting," said Draco. He got a sly grin on his face. "The person who knocks down the least rails wins. If I win, I get a kiss from you. If you win, I'll do whatever you want," he said. Ella never backed down from a challenge. Sure, she hadn't jumped in a few years, but these were easy jumps.

"You're on, Draco."

"Ladies first," said Draco. Ella and Blondie took off at a rolling canter towards the first jump.

Ella approached the jump with caution, not sure how the horse would react. She set her up dead center and she flew over the jump with ease. The wind rushed over her face. A smile lit up her features. She was home.

They took a sharp turn toward the next jump: a simple double-rail. Ella set herself up and crouched low over her horse's neck. Blondie stretched herself up and over. They stumbled slightly on the landing but recovered quickly. There were four more jumps left in the sequence: a water jump, another double rail, a serpent-shaped jump, and a double combination.

They approached the water jump cautiously. Ella had never been on this horse and didn't know how she would react to water. They took the jump slower than usual and with a splash, they landed. Blondie didn't react at all to the water. They kept moving on.

The next jump was simple enough. It was the same as the second one and there was no doubt in Ella's mind that they would go over flawlessly.

They flew over it. Blondie's back hooves skimmed the rail, but it didn't fall. They collected themselves and set off towards the next jump. It was the serpent-shaped jump. In the short while Ella had been at Malfoy Manor, she had noticed their fascination with serpents of all shapes and sizes. This jump was low to the ground and the snakes head stuck up in the air.

Ella set her up, once again, dead center. Blondie's front hooves left the ground. Ella stretched out over her neck. They went over the jump with six inches left to spare. Blondie stumbled on the landing but pulled herself up and carried on. The only jump left was the deadly double combination. This was a jump that only allowed the horse to take one step before the next one.

They took a turn to the right and rode on. Ella knew that they would have to set up perfectly if they were going to go clean.

The jump was in their sights. Ella instinctively tightened her hold on the reins. She clicked her heals into Blondie's sides and they soared over the jump. When they landed, Ella pulled her back up and over the next one. They left the ground too close to the jump and Blondie's front hooves hit the top rail. It shook a little and fell to the ground.

When they landed, Ella turned her horse around to look at their progress. Only one down rail. That would mean that Draco would have to tie her or go clean to win their bet. Ella trotted back to where Draco sat on Top Hat under the tree.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," said Draco. Blondie never jumped that good, even for Narcissa. "But let me show you how a professional does it," taunted Draco. He clicked his heels to Top Hat's sides and away they went.

Top Hat was acting funny. He wouldn't pay attention to Draco. Because of this, they took the first jump late. Top Hat's front legs hit the top rail and it fell. They stumbled on their landing and didn't recover well.

Top Hat was shaking his head and not paying attention to Draco's commands. By the time they got to the next jump, Top Hat had to take it way to the outside. On top of that, they were too far from it and they hit the pole, this time with his back legs. The rail fell and there was no hope in Draco winning the bet. He hung his head and rode back over to where Ella and Blondie sat under the tree.

"Well, you win," said Draco. He hated losing more than anything.

"It's not your fault, Draco. Anyone with eyes could see that your horse was on the muscle," said Ella sympathetically.

"Yeah, but don't pity me. You won fair and square. What do I have to do?" he said.

"Hmm... You have to promise me a dance at your aunt's wedding," she said. Draco looked up at her. Her face and eyes were serious. This was an easy bargain considering the fact that he had planned on asking her anyway.

"Alright. I promise," he said.

"Shake on it?"

"Ok," said Draco, grasping her hand in his. They shook hands and then trotted over to the gate where Chase was waiting for them. They dismounted and Chase took both of their reins.

"You guys go over to the other barn. I'll take care of these two and then I'll meet you there," he said. He led the horses in the direction of the hot walker as Draco and Ella started down the short path that led to the other barn that housed the Flying Horses.

When the barn was just around the corner, Draco stopped. "Ella, close your eyes. I want this to be a surprise," he said. Ella closed her eyes and Draco grabbed her by the shoulders and guided her towards the barn. He opened the door for her and positioned her in front of Ares' giant box stall.

"Ok, you can open them now," said Draco. Ella's eyes flew open. She screamed, causing Ares to flap his wings. Once she was over the initial shock of seeing this massive horse in front of her, she was extremely excited.

"Oh, Draco! He's beautiful!" she said. Ares was a dark orange color with a nearly white mane and tail. His wings were of white feathers and he had a big blaze and four stockings that went over his knees. His color pattern was called "fire-and-ice." He had been very expensive because he was bred specifically for his color. Fire-and-ice Abraxans were very rare.

"You wanna ride him?" asked Draco. Ella's eyes were once again the size of galleons.

"We can ride him?" she said.

"Yeah. Here comes Chase, so we could go on a quick fly,"

"Fly?"

"Yeah, unless you're too scared..."

"I am not scared! Let's go!" she said. Ella took this as a challenge. She conveniently forgot to tell Draco that she was extremely scared of heights. Chase walked into the barn and stood beside them.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked.

"Yep. Let's get this big guy tacked up," said Draco. Together, him and Chase went to the tack room and emerged holding a large halter with two ropes, one for each of them. They put the halter on Ares and Ella stood back as they led him out to the back of the barn.

Chase climbed onto a small ladder and tied him to a steel pole. Then, he went back into the barn and came out with what looked like an over-sized jumping saddle. He positioned it on Ares' back. With some help from Draco, he got the breast collar on and cinched up the saddle. Chase went back into the barn and emerged carrying a bridle with extremely long reins. Draco helped him put it on and then they climbed down from the ladder.

"Everything's ready," said Chase. Ella and Draco climbed up the ladder. Chase held on firmly to Ares' reins as Draco got into the saddle. Draco positioned his knees firmly behind the wing joints and grabbed the reins and held on tight. Chase climbed back up the ladder to the platform where Ella stood.

"You ready?" he asked. Ella nodded.

Chase took her right hand in his as she stepped off the platform and into the saddle. Draco took her left hand when she was halfway there. She sat down cautiously behind Draco, clutching his shoulders for balance.

"Let's get this party started!" said Draco. He flicked the reins and Ares took off at a full gallop. Draco pulled up on the reins and his front hooves left the ground. With a flap of the massive horse's wings, they were pulled up and into the air.

Draco felt Ella's arms tighten around his waist. When they hit three hundred feet, he felt her head dig into his back. He could hear her whimpering over the sound of flapping wings. He looked over his shoulder and saw that she was shaking violently. Draco got worried and turned Ares back in the direction of the barn. Had she told him before that she was scared of heights?

Ares touched ground in front of the barn. They had only been airborne for roughly five minutes. Chase was still there and he looked at Draco and mouthed "What happened?"

Draco waved his hand and mouthed back "I'll tell you later." Chase took the reins. Draco slid off the saddle and onto the platform. He grabbed a still shaking Ella by the waist and lifted her safely from the horse. When he set her down, her knees buckled and Draco had to catch her arm before she fell to the ground. Her face was as white as a sheet.

"Ella? Are you ok?" asked Draco, his voice full of concern. His gray eyes looked deep into her blue ones. She managed a nod. Her breathing was labored and Draco decided that it was time to get her home.

"Chase, do you think you can handle Ares? I need to get Ella back to the house," said Draco. Chase promised he would take care of Ares. "Ella, can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?" he asked.

"I... don't know," Ella breathed out. Draco had never heard of anyone ever being this scared of heights. He felt bad for putting her in a situation that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Well, just to make sure you're all right, I better carry you. See you tomorrow, Chase," added Draco.

Draco put Ella's right arm over his neck and cradled her in his arms like a baby. He walked slowly down the platforms steps. She felt light as a feather. Ella crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. She leaned her head into Draco's collar bone and stayed like this. She could feel the sweat on his neck and she breathed in the smell of his cologne. If she really set her mind to it she probably could support herself... but she liked this idea much better.

Draco looked down at Ella. She was getting her color back. She had her eyes closed and her breathing was still uneven. He was worried about her.

"Ella, I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have taken you up there," he whispered. Ella stirred a little in his arms.

"No Draco, I'm sorry. I... should have swallowed... my pride and told you I was scared of... heights," she said. Even though she was feeling better, her airway was still constricted from the fear she had felt. She let her tired lids fall again. Between the heat and the smell of Draco's cologne, she felt really tired. She drifted off to sleep.

Draco walked into the garden that was in his backyard. The clock said three o'clock. The girls should be back from their hair appointment by now. When he walked the garden path towards the new fountain, he found them sitting around it sipping on what looked like Narcissa's famous "Spiked Strawberry Smoothies." When they saw Draco and Ella, they all rose from their seats and sped towards him. Melanie looked extremely worried for her daughter.

"Draco, what happened? Is she alright?" she asked, putting a hand on Ella's forehead.

"She's fine. I took her up for a fly on Ares and she didn't tell me she was scared of heights," he said. Melanie calmed down.

"Aw, yes. I assume you went over three hundred feet then?" she asked. Draco nodded and Melanie let out a chuckle.

"That's why. You see, she was originally a Seeker in her younger days, but she fell three hundred feet from a broom and, thank God, she only broke her leg and arm. Since then, she freaks out if you take her that high in the air. That's why she's a Chaser now. They only have to go up a maximum of around two hundred feet to do their job," explained Melanie. Ok, now Draco didn't feel so bad.

"We better get her inside and splash some cold water on her. Draco, do you mind taking her up to our room? I'll be up there shortly," said Melanie. Draco agreed and made his way upstairs. It seemed that Ella had fallen asleep in his arms. Her breathing was almost back to normal when he reached the top of the stairs.

He entered their guest suit and laid her gently onto the bed. She rolled over onto her side and Draco watched her sleeping. She had that "I'm-so-peaceful-when-I-sleep" thing going for her. He smiled and ran his fingers through her silky hair. He finally pulled his gaze away from her and walked out of the room. He closed the door silently behind him. On his way down the hall, he passed Melanie carrying a tray that held a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth. She flashed him a smile and crept into the room that held her sleeping daughter.

Draco went back to his room to shower. Ok, so it hadn't been the romantic outing he had hoped for, but it was a start. Because of this experience, he felt more comfortable with Ella. He felt he knew more about her. All lovers start as friends, but Draco seemed to have missed this lesson at Hogwarts.