A Summer in the Life of Draco

"Ok, is everyone ready to go?" said Dominique as she hustled around the room making sure everyone was ready. They were going to Paris for the day to do some robe shopping. Dominique knew of a cute little bridal boutique there. It was where Narcissa had purchased her wedding gown.

"Everybody seems to be ready, so let's go!" said Narcissa. She walked over to the fireplace and reached into the glass jar that held the Floo Powder. She threw it over the fire, stepped forward, and clearly spoke her destination.

"Jeune Mariée Boutique!" she said clearly. In a swirl of emerald-green flames, she was gone. Draco went next, followed by Melanie, Dominique, and then Ella.

When Ella stepped out of the fire, she was met by the sound of beautiful music and the sight of robes and gowns in every color imaginable. Her eyes darted in every direction taking in all of the sights and smells. She noticed her mother along with the rest of the group speaking to a lady who must work there.

"Well, Ms. Black, you are right on time for your appointment! Please, right this way," said the woman.

She led them into a back room that was draped in a cream colored fabric. Classical music played and there was a central stage that had a spot light shining down on it. The woman motioned for them to sit on one of the many winged backed chairs that surrounded the stage.

"My name is Mimi and I will be your stylist today," she said. The lady called Mimi sat in one of the chairs and put on some rhinestone-rimmed glasses. She rummaged through the tote bag at her side.

"Ms. Black, what did you have in mind for your perfect gown?" she said, taking out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. Dominique pondered for a moment. Since she was a little girl, she had dreamed of this day, and she knew just what she wanted.

"Well, I what I've always wanted is a really fitted top piece, with a big, puffy bottom. I'm thinking of a white, strapless gown with maybe a little bit of black embroidery on the bodice… maybe even a corset top," she said. Mimi nodded her head and took some final notes on her parchment before looking up.

"Can I please have you step up onto this platform so that I can take your measurements?" she said. Dominique rose up out of her chair and did as she was told. Mimi pulled out a tape measurer. It was the same variety that Mr. Ollivander used. It began to take her measurements as Mimi wrote them all down. When it was finished, it coiled onto the ground at Dominique's feet. Mimi gathered everything into her bag again.

"I will be right back with some gowns that fit these specifications," she said as she left the room.

Draco was nodding off in his chair. This was a very boring experience for him. Why couldn't he just go to their country villa that was on the outskirts of Paris? Or at least he could go to the Quidditch store that was right down the road…

Ella glanced over and saw that Draco's eyes were starting to close. She reached over and gently shook him awake.

"Draco? You need to stay awake for this, sweetheart," she said. Draco straightened up and rubbed his eyes. Since their adventure in the lake five days ago, their friendship had blossomed into a relationship. They both knew that things were moving fast… it had only been a month since they had met. Being the hopeless romantic that Ella was, she had written to her friends talking about how it had been "love at first sight."

Mimi returned to their room with a rack that held about six different gowns. She wheeled the cart around and motioned for Dominique to come and have a look.

"Oh my! They're all so beautiful! Um… I think I'll try this one on first," she said, pulling a white satin dress off of the rack. It was all white except for a strip of black satin at the very top of the bodice. Mimi took her back to a room and closed the curtains.

"Excuse my rudeness; I completely forgot to ask you if you would like a beverage. Can I get you anything?" she said, addressing the group.

"I would like a small brandy," said Melanie.

"A glass of sparkling water is fine," said Narcissa.

"Red wine, please," said Ella.

"I'll have a large butterbeer," requested Draco. Mimi went out of the room but returned with a cart that held all of their desired drinks.

"Ms. Stone? Would you prefer Elf or Goblin made wine?" she said, addressing the two bottles that were chilling in a bucket of ice.

"Elf made, please," said Ella. Mimi poured her a glass of blood red wine into a tall crystal glass. She handed it to Ella, who took a sip before setting it on the table beside her chair.

Mimi passed out the rest of their drinks, just in time for Dominique to emerge from the curtains wearing the dress. She was met by the excited voices of their group. She stepped up onto the platform and did a spin.

"Oh Dee! It's beautiful!" said Narcissa. Dominique looked in the mirror that was behind the stage, examining every inch of the dress. It was beautiful, that was for sure. But there just seemed to be something missing.

"Hmm… Ms. Black, can I have you step over here please? The bodice isn't fitting correctly," said Mimi, pulling out her wand. Dominique seemed to float as she walked over to where Mimi stood. Mimi poked at the loose places that were around the bust and waist area. They all watched as they began to shrink until they fit Dominique like an extra skin.

"Cissy? What do you think?" she said as she turned in front of the mirror, a not-to-excited look on her face. Now that the bodice fit her perfectly, she began to see some flaws in the dress… it just didn't have that "wow" factor.

"I think it's beautiful, but we can do better," said Narcissa. Draco began nodding off again. This was a very, very boring experience for him.

"Mother? Can I go to the Quidditch shop down the road at least until you need me?" he asked with a pleading tone. His mothers deep blue eyes turned on him with a sad expression in them.

"Draco, I would really appreciate it if you were here for this. We will only shop for a little while longer, and then we're going to go to lunch. After that we will be going out to the villa to rest up before we head home," she said. Narcissa wasn't surprised that he didn't want to be here. Draco always found an activity boring if it wasn't all about him.

"Alright, Mother," he said. Ella was still sitting in her chair sipping on her wine. Even she was finding this boring. She polished off her glass and turned to where her mother sat, examining Dominique in her dress.

"Excuse me, Mother. May I please go look at some of their formal robes? You promised me a new pair for this year's Harvest Ball," said Ella. She was pouring on the charm. She figured that the more polite she was, the better robes she could get.

"Oh, I guess so," said Melanie with a wave of her hand.

"Draco, you need a new pair as well. Why don't you go have a look?" said Narcissa. She was getting tired of looking at her son when he had such a smug look on his face.

"Alright," said Draco. He rose from his chair and followed Ella out into the big showroom. Ella went straight for the women's section. She had been in here before and she loved the intricate designs and attention to detail that was put into every robe. She saw Draco walk over to the much smaller men's section. He was casually walking through it as if it were nothing. She watched him stop at the window and look longingly at the outside world. Ella rolled her eyes and walked over to where he stood, leaning against the window.

"What's the matter?" said Ella as she draped her arms around his waist. He looked down at her and flashed a polite smile. He looked almost distant.

"Nothing… I just didn't sleep very good last night, that's all," he said. Something about him said that he was holding something back. Ella cocked an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"Are you sure?" she said. Ella hadn't known him long, but she could read him like a book and she knew that that wasn't the only reason.

"Well, I'm just nervous about this next school year, I guess. I'm supposed to be made the captain of my house Quidditch team, and I just don't know if I'm ready. I mean, I have worked for this ever since my first year… What if I make our team look like a mockery?" he said, looking at her with worried eyes. Ella let out a little giggle.

"Draco, that's nothing to be worried about. You are a very talented player who cares very much about the game of Quidditch. You work your ass off to keep in shape and make sure that you're at the top of your game. Anyone who can't see that is an idiot. I wouldn't worry about it at all," she said. Ella got up on her tip-toes and kissed him. "Come on, handsome. Let's find you some new robes," she teased, grabbing his hand and leading him into the sea of black that was the men's section.

They looked around the robes for a little while, occasionally pulling things off the rack so that they could have a closer look. Draco was always drawn to the all black ensembles, and Ella was pretty annoyed at this. She was a colorful person, and always wore color… and she knew that Draco was colorful, too.

"Hey Draco, try this red robe!" she said excitedly, pulling a crimson set of robes off of the rack. He got a look of sheer disgust on his face. "What?" she asked, looking for anything that might be wrong with it.

"Those are GRYFFINDOR colors! I wouldn't be caught dead in those," he said, turning away from Ella and the robe. She put them back on the rack in a huff.

"Fine Draco, what colors are more appropriate for you?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. Draco looked around the room, stroking his chin. When he saw what he liked, he walked right over and pulled it off of the rack.

"These colors are much, much more suitable," he said. The robes he had chosen were a hunter green color. Underneath, there was a silver vest with black trousers. Ella raised her eyebrows at the sheer ridiculousness of the color scheme. She tried to hold back the laughter, but it broke free.

"Hun, I'm sorry, but those are the most ridiculous colors I have ever seen in my life! Here, let me show you a better way to add green to your formal wear," she said, putting the tacky green robes back in their place. She pulled Draco over to where they sold separates. She set Draco down in a chair and went to work. When she was out of school, she planned on becoming a fashion major… if she didn't go pro at Quidditch, that is.

She grabbed a black robe, a silver vest, and a white oxford off of the shelves. Then, she grabbed a hunter green tie from a tie rack. She shoved all these garments into Draco's arms and led him over to the fitting rooms. She pushed him in and closed the curtains.

Ella paced outside the fitting room for a good ten minutes. Was he lost or something?

"Draco? Do you need me in there?" she said into the curtains. She heard movement and before she could say anything else, Draco popped out of the curtains with a flourish.

Ella stood back and took everything in. All of the clothes fit him perfectly! The green tie looked beautiful with the silver and the black. Draco spun in a circle and did a catwalk in front of a wall of mirrors. He stopped and looked at himself.

"Damn I'm good looking!" he said with a smile. Ella started laughing. Draco was full of himself, but she didn't mind. He was a big sweetie underneath it all.

"Yes you are, sweetheart," she said. Draco wrapped her into his arms and dipped her down, planting a wet, sloppy kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" she said in shock. Draco laughed.

"It was just a sweet little gesture for the woman in my life," he said. Ella blushed.

"Well, I say you buy these little garments," Ella told him. Draco glanced down at himself one final time before nodding. He went back into the dressing room and put his regular robes back on.

When he emerged from the fitting room, he found Ella looking over in the woman's department. Draco dropped off his robes with a woman who worked there and went over to meet her. She was fingering a pink silk robe with a low cut neckline that was embroidered with different colored flowers.

"That's a good looking robe," said Draco, eyeing the low neckline. Ella turned at him with a questioning look in her eyes. She put the robe down and walked on. Draco shrugged his shoulders and followed.

"I need one with fall colors… this is the "Harvest" Ball after all," she said. Ella looked through the muted colors and didn't see anything that she liked. There weren't many girls at Durmstrang, so she had to look her best to outshine the ones that were there.

"I hate all these colors," said Ella, stamping her foot like a spoiled little kid. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Then don't get these colors. Ella, don't blend in when you were born to stand out," said Draco, putting his hands on her shoulders. He felt her shiver at his touch.

"You're right, Mr. Malfoy. I'm going to get a bright colored robe even if it's the last thing I ever do!" she said determinedly. Draco chuckled as he watched her high-heeled feet tromp over to the section that included bright pink, bright blue, and red robes.

Watching Ella shop was like watching a Quidditch match. She would go from one section to another as fast as if she were flying on a broomstick. Draco almost had to jog just to keep up with her. Ella had grabbed three robes before she grabbed a sales person and headed to the fitting rooms. Draco sat patiently in a chair and waited for her.

When she emerged the first time, she was wearing a beautiful white robe. It was very plain and made out of a velvety material. She twirled and watched the bottom of the robe flair out at the bottom. She twisted her smile into a frown and went back into the room.

The second time she came out, she was in a magenta strapless gown. It went down to about mid calf and included jewels that went along the side and around the bottom of the gown. To be honest, the dress looked ok on her… but it wasn't what she was looking for. This time, she turned to Draco and asked his opinion.

"Draco? What do you think?" she asked, turning for him. Draco frowned a little.

"I know that you can do much, much better than this," he said. He knew that there was one color that always looked fabulous on Ella… he had seen her in it a few times while she was here. Ella got a smile on her face because she knew the color he was talking about. She went back into the room and emerged a few moments later wearing a beautiful sky blue robe.

Draco's jaw dropped. The color matched her eyes perfectly. It was a long sleeved, floor length gown with a silver embroidered dragon on the side. It had a very deep scoop neck that showed off her beautiful cleavage. Ella was wearing a smile on her face and seemed to be walking on air.

"Wow," was all Draco could get out. The way she looked was flawless. Her tiny waist was made smaller by the dragon that sat on her hip and circled its way up and around to the back of the dress.

"I love it!" Ella said as she twirled. She was giggling and jumping up and down. This may be the most perfect robe she had ever put on in her life.

"Draco, Ella! We're finished shopping here for today," said Melanie stepping into the dressing rooms. When she saw her daughter, she stopped dead in her tracks. She raised her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, Ella! You look gorgeous!" she said. Melanie could already picture her daughter with her hair up in a tight bun on the top of her head with some silver heels. She was proud of her daughter, especially after everything she had been through in her life…

Before she could begin to reminisce about the past, the rest of the girls had found where she had gone and began to comment on how beautiful Ella looked.

"Draco, did you find anything?" asked Narcissa. Draco explained about how they had managed to find a good set of robes for him.

After Ella had changed back into her regular clothes, she met them at the front counter to make their purchases. Draco was waiting casually by everyone else with his hands in his pockets.

"That will be one hundred and twelve galleons, Mrs. Malfoy," said the lady at the counter. Narcissa handed the woman her Gringotts card and she scanned it with her wand. She put the clothes into a garment bag and handed them to Draco.

Ella approached them with her dress rested neatly over her arms. Melanie stepped forward to pay for it. Everyone seemed to be tired from the shopping they had done today. Draco especially.

"There you are, Mrs. Stone. Have a fabulous day!" the sales woman said again. The group met outside the store and began the discussion on where to go for lunch.

"There is a cute little café down the street if no one's hungry for a full meal," said Dominique. No one seemed to object, so they started on their way down the cobblestone road.

Ella reached down and laced her fingers with Draco's. The sun was bright and beautiful today and made his hair shined like gold. He yawed and rubbed his gray eyes. Why is it that Draco could do this simple gesture with such sex appeal? Ella didn't understand this… at all.

"Here we are!" said Dominique when they were in front of a little stone building with tables out front. It was a cute little shop and they could all smell the sweet smell of pastries coming from the open door. They walked inside and were greeted by an enthusiastic young man who worked behind the counter.

"Bon jour! How may I be of service?" he asked. Everyone ordered their assortment of pastries and caffeine drinks before heading outside to sit in the shade of the umbrellas that covered the tables.

Lunch didn't take very long, and they were soon on their way to the Malfoy's villa that was on the outskirts of the magical side of Paris. It was a small little cottage they the Malfoy's often stayed in during the summer. Paris was a popular destination for his family, mainly because his mother felt a strong attachment to the city.

They arrived at Sang Pur Estate at roughly four thirty in the afternoon. The women headed into the living room to rest up before heading home. Ella on the other hand, was anxious to see the garden that was out back. She had noticed night away how much the Malfoy's seemed to enjoy gardening.

"Draco? Can we go out back to see the garden?" asked Ella, putting on her best puppy dog face. Draco looked down at her and smiled.

"All right Ella. Now put that lip away," he said, pointing to her lip that was in a pout.

They walked through the small cottage and through the French doors that led onto a brick patio. Right away, Ella saw all the roses. She had noticed at the other house how many roses were planted. At Malfoy Manor, she had seen their lavish rose gardens and was envious of their beauty. She had to understand why they had such an obsession.

"What's with your family's rose addiction?" asked Ella, gesturing at the large garden in front of her. Draco got a smile on his face and grabbed her hand. He led her over to a white rose bush.

"Well, it all started with my great grandfather. He was a very handsome wizard and had many wives. Even now, we Malfoy men are known for our talent with the ladies. But when you're a ladies man, you are known to break a few hearts. Somehow, people began to compare us with roses. Would you like to know why?" he said, fingering a small rose bud that was on the bush. Ella was intrigued now.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Roses are a beautiful, sweet smelling flower. You can't help but want to touch or smell them," he said, wrapping his fingers around the stem of the rose. He grimaced a little as he pulled the flower from the bush.

"You have to be careful, however… because of the thorns," he said, pulling his hand away from the stem, revealing a few cuts that were beginning to drip blood. A drop of the red liquid fell upon the snowy whiteness of the flower. "They might prick you if you're not careful," he finished, looking back into Ella's eyes. She was looking at him with calm expression on her face. She smiled a little.

"You're not going to prick me are you, Draco?" she asked, grabbing his bleeding hand in hers. She pulled out her wand and healed the punctures on his palm. She looked back up and saw that his expression was soft and his lips were turned up in a sweet little smile.

"Ms. Stone, if he can help it, this Malfoy rose has no intention of ever pricking your pretty little hands," he said, putting his hands in hers and pulling them to his lips. Something about the tone of Draco's voice brought a tear to Ella's eye… not because she was saddened by his words, but because she knew that they were true. Every last one.