Obligations

Obligations

"Ella! Ella! Wake up!" whispered a voice from the darkness. Seventeen-year-old Ella Andrews groaned and rolled over towards the voice, moving aside the silk curtains of her canopy bed while rubbing sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the clock - it read 3:35 a.m. The sun was not yet up in California. In two hours' time, the sun would be shining into her manor window. Ella turned her attention to the figure at her side.

"Devon? Is that you, sweetheart?" The angelic face of her four-year-old brother Devon peered back at her through the drapery. "What is it?" she questioned. The boy's solemn face was streaked with tears.

"I had a bad dream about mommy and daddy. I couldn't find them and when I woke up, I still couldn't find them. I miss them," he sniffled. Ella's own eyes filled with tears of sorrow as she scooped the child into her arms and began to rock him.

"I know, I miss them too. But I'll take care of you and everyone else. Don't worry," she soothed and watched her brother's eyes flutter shut as he drifted off to sleep again. Gently, she laid him down next to her in her large bed and covered him in the down comforter. Ella sighed and fell back against her pillow once more. Troubled thoughts tumbled through her mind. The last few weeks had been exhausting. Only two weeks ago, Ella had returned home from running errands only to discover the ghastly green Dark Mark hovering over her family's manor. Instantly, she had known what she would discover inside and she'd sank to her knees into the well-kept lawn as Ministry officials began Apparating all around her. Vaguely, she remembered someone wrapping a blanket around her. Her mind had drifted in and out of focus and she'd barely heard a voice informing her that her siblings were all safe. They had all been away at the time of the attack. Only her parents had been home, both killed by the Avada Kedavra curse.

Ella brushed fresh tears from her eyes, and pushed all thoughts of these events out of her mind. Her feelings came second to taking care of her four younger brothers and sisters. As the eldest, the family fortune fell to her. She had learned this at the funeral. Her grandfather had grimly informed her that her family's wealth was in jeopardy, and the only way to keep it in the Andrew family was for Ella to marry into a wealthy family, and soon. He had already arranged all of it. Shocked and confused, she had only had one question to ask, "Who?"

Her grandfather had gazed solemnly into her eyes and softly replied, "Lucius Malfoy. He is one of the wealthiest wizards in all of Britain. He heard of your situation and immediately asked for your hand in marriage. Apparently he has heard of you before and took a liking to you. He recently lost his wife as well."

Numbly, she had agreed. "It's all for the kids. It's all for the kids," she kept telling herself. Her fifteen-year-old brother Luke, her twelve-year-old sister Aria, her nine-year-old brother William, and of course, her four-year-old brother Devon, the light of the family. They all counted on her now. So, she had agreed to the marriage. And tomorrow she would meet her future husband. She had already heard rumors about the Malfoys from her cousin, Hermione Granger and her friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, who incidentally was more famous in America than he was in Europe. Her cousin and friends went to Hogwarts with Lucius' son Draco, who was supposedly a "little beast," "twitchy ferret," and "slimy git," and according to them, Lucius was a carbon copy of his son. He was a rumored Death Eater and the sudden death of his wife had never been explained.

"And in two weeks, I am marrying this man, who I've never met. What am I doing?" she thought miserably. Ella had never even seen Lucius. She had sent a picture of her out of courtesy, but she had not been granted the same.

Sighing in frustration, Ella rolled over once more to check the clock. Now it read 6:47 a.m. Groaning, she rolled out of bed to get ready. The wedding party was meeting at the manor at ten o'clock to discuss plans and have brunch, as the "blessed event" was a mere seven days away. Lucius had written her and informed her of whom he had chosen to be his best man: his son Draco and Hogwarts' resident Potions Master, Severus Snape. Ella had heard her fair share of "Snape stories" as well and was not looking forward to meeting him. She brightened a bit when she thought about her own part of the wedding party. Her maids of honor were to be Hermione and Ella's dear friend, Samantha Lowell. The bridesmaid positions were being filled by Ginny Weasley and her sister Aria. Ella was worried about what would happen when Lucius discovered that the "Mudblood Granger" and the "Blood Traitor's Daughter" would be in the wedding, but she brushed it aside. They were her dearest friends and they would be in her wedding, whether the groom approved or not.

Ella ran over the day's events. Ginny and Hermione were arriving together, along with Ron and Harry, and would be staying at the manor for a few days before everyone Floo-ed to England for the wedding at Malfoy Manor. Ella padded over to the mirror and began brushing her hair. As she brushed, she studied her reflection.

"What will Lucius think of me?" she wondered as her eyes traveled down her own appearance in the mirror. Ella kept her auburn hair short and flipped out, thanks to American hair fashions. Her large, brown eyes peered back at her. She was rather petite for her age, only five feet tall (and proud of it). She was rather curvy and very well endowed.

"Well," she thought, as she finished brushing. "I hope he isn't disappointed."

Thousands of miles away, the great and powerful Lucius Malfoy was also awakening from a night of blissful sleep. Without Narcissa snoring all night, he slept peacefully, without disturbance. Yes, Narcissa was nice to look at, and did produce an heir for him, but besides that, she did nothing for him. Now, he was going to meet his fiancée, a little American witch. He had seen her picture and was quite attracted, and not to mention she was almost as wealthy as he.

"Almost," he thought smugly. As an added bonus, he was quite sure she was a virgin, as she was only seventeen and her reputation as a good girl from a good family proceeded her. She was lovely though, and she was noble, marrying only to save the family fortune and provide for her orphan siblings. This caused something deep within his blackened heart to stir, and he wasn't sure what it was. He brushed it aside and climbed out of bed, bellowing for his house-elf to bring him breakfast.

"True, she is the same age as Draco, but she is a woman nonetheless," he thought as he remembered the comments and snickers of his fellow Death Eaters at the most recent revel. "And that woman will be my wife in a few short days."