Obligations

Ella stood in front of her closet, one arm resting on the other, her fingers drumming on her chin, focused in deep decision. She had absolutely no idea what to wear for the brunch. She had showered, dried her hair and fixed her makeup, but was stumped on her clothing choice. Finally, she decided on a beautiful deep green dress that came up above her breasts, then continued with a sheer fabric that went down her arms. Hermione had told her that Lucius, Draco and Snape were all in Slytherin house at Hogwarts and green was their dominant color. She hoped this would score some points with her fiancee. A voice at her door brought Ella out of her concentration. It was her house elf, Lanky.

"Miss Ella, Masters Malfoy and Snape have arrived and are waiting in the parlor," the elf announced. Taking a deep shuddering breath for confidence, Ella turned and smiled at Lanky.

"Thank you, Lanky. Let's go down then."

Lucius, Draco and Severus Snape were all seated in the parlor, waiting anxiously for the hostess to greet them. Lucius was dressed in his finest black robes. Draco and Severus were also dressed appropriately. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the entryway. A lovely, petite young woman clad in a stunning green dress was walking towards them. Her dress clung to her curves and her cleavage was enticing. She was smiling politely, with her hands clasped formally in front of her. The three men rose, their mouths agape. She strode up to them, and bowed.

"Hello, gentlemen, and welcome to my home. I am Ella Andrews," she announced formally. Lucius shut his open mouth and stepped forward.

"I am Lucius Malfoy," he declared, taking her hand and kissing it. "This is my son, Draco, and my associate, Severus Snape." Ella nodded at the two, as shaking hands was too informal in this situation.

"Please, gentlemen, sit down. My house elf will bring us some tea. The other members of the wedding party will be arriving shortly," she replied. Her nervousness was starting to show again, so she took a deep breath and sat down. The men joined her. Lucius noticed her tense demeanor and smirked. Good, she should be nervous, he thought smugly, but even as he thought this, he withdrew something from his pocket and presented it to his fiancee.

"I brought you something. It's rather essential for a wedding, I suppose," he commented. He placed a tiny black velvet box in her hand. Suprised, Ella opened it and was astonished to find an enormous diamond ring nestled elegantly inside. Her mouth opened in an 'oh' of amazement and she gazed up at Lucius in shock. He smirked at her reaction.

"I had my jeweler make this especially for you. It should fit perfectly. It is our engagement ring, of course," he replied smugly. She stared back at him as he took the box back again and removed the ring. Gently, he took her tiny hand into his strong, square hands and slid the ring on to the appropriate finger.

"It suits you," he said, quite seriously. Now, the remainder of Ella's prim composure had disintegrated.

"Thank you," she stammered. "It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," she said, still in awe at the jewel resting on her left ring finger. Lucius cleared his throat, signaling that it was time for business. Ella jerked up and gave him her full attention.

"Now, as you know, my part of the wedding party consists of both Draco and Severus as my best men. I am curious to know whom you have chosen," he replied, keeping his icy blue eyes fixed on his fiancee. This is what Ella had been dreading.

"Well," she began. "My maids of honor will be my closest friend, Samantha Lowell, and my cousin Hermione Granger." At this, all three men started and stared at her.

Draco, who had been silent and brooding throughout the meeting, melted into an awful sneer and shouted "WHAT?" Severus' eyebrows were raised in suprise and Lucius stared back at her in disbelief. Throughout this outburst of commotion, no one noticed Lanky arrive in the entryway followed by Hermione, Ginny and Samantha.

"Hermione Granger is your cousin?" asked Draco in a cold tone.

"Yes, she is," Ella replied back in the same cold voice.

"But she's a filthy mudblood!" yelled Draco. Ella whipped her head around to glare at him.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, her steely brown eyes boring into Draco. His sneering demeanor diminished a little and he sunk back. "What is the problem with my cousin being a muggle-born? She is still a witch, as a matter of fact, and happens to be one of the greatest witches I have ever met. I am proud that she is my cousin," she announced. Lucius glared back at her.

"But, you are not a mudbl...I mean muggle-born, are you?" he inquired.

"No, both of my parents were wizards," she replied. "Not that it matters, though. I suppose I had forgotten that blood heritage meant so much to European wizards," she shot back, glaring at Lucius in a sort of staredown. The match was interrupted by Lanky's squeaky voice.

"Miss Ella, Miss Hermione Granger, Miss Ginny Weasley , and Miss Samantha Lowell have arrived," she declared. Ella spun around and her face brightened instantly. She jumped up and ran towards the entryway.

"Hermione! Sam! Ginny!" she exclaimed. They met together and melted into a hug. Ginny joined them in a joyous eight-armed hug. "I am so happy to see you all! I can't wait to spend the week with you!" she laughed.

"Ella, you look wonderful!" replied Hermione, her face shining. Ella spun around in her dress, and giggled. She walked over to her best friend, Samantha, and pulled her into another hug.

"I missed you, girl. I'm so glad you came," she whispered.

Samantha grinned and replied, "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Again, Ella's demeanor changed back to formality and she led the girls into the parlor. Hermione and Ginny raised their eyebrows when they saw the ugly looks on the faces of the three men, but sat down next to Ella.

"Hermione, Ginny, I believe you have met my fiance, Lucius, and his son, Draco, as well as Severus Snape," she announced formally. Ginny and Hermione nodded, their expressions neutral. "For everyone who doesn't know her, this is my friend, Samantha Lowell." She eyed the trio of men. "She's a muggle," she added. An icy silence settled over the group. Ella unconsciously fiddled with the new ring on her finger. Suddenly, a tall gangly redhead and a shorter, messy haired boy in glasses burst into the entryway.

"ELLA!" exclaimed Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Ella jumped up again and ran to greet them.

Ginny smiled and muttered, "There they are, it's about time!" Hermione grinned, while Draco, Severus and Lucius sat with narrowed eyes. A wave of jealousy hit Lucius as he watched his lovely fiancee wrapped in the arms of the Boy Who Lived and his worst enemy's son. She was his and only his. Ella walked back into the parlor with Harry on one arm, Ron on the other, smiling happily. Ron went to kiss Hermione warmly on the cheek. The two had finally started dating in their sixth year. They all sat down, and Ella gestured towards Lucius.

"Harry, Ron, you know Lucius Malfoy, Draco, and of course Severus Snape. And this is my dear friend, Samantha." Unlike Ginny and Hermione, Harry and Ron did not hide their intense dislike for the black trio and vice versa.

"Well," said Ella, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "I believe it's time to discuss the wedding. I already have the flowers, catering, and bridal party taken care of. I need Lucius to take care of the tuxedos and Hermione and Sam to take care of the cake. Besides that, everything is all taken care of. I've had a lot of help from my family," she explained. As she spoke, Lanky appeared again with the brunch trays, followed closely by the pattering of little feet. Devon sped around the corner, past Lanky, and straight at Ella. Ella started laughing, and grabbed him. "Everyone, this is my little brother, Devon. Devon, this is who Ella is going to marry in a few days. His name is Lucius. This is his son Draco."

She paused for a moment, then started to laugh merrily. "Draco is going to be your nephew!!!" she giggled hysterically. Draco was fascinated with this little bundle of joy, and at this, he cracked a smile for the first time all morning. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Sam began laughing as well. Severus simply rolled his eyes, and Lucius watched Ella is amusement and wonder. Her smiling face and merry laugh lit up the room, something he had never seen before. Ella wiped tears of laughter out of her eyes, and calmed down a bit. "Sorry, that was just too funny," she apologized.

"No need for apologies," replied Lucius in a pleasant tone. The Gryffindors stared at him in surprise. They were all seeing a side of Lucius that they had never seen as well. Even Draco seemed a little surprised at his father's lack of malice.

Ella smiled back at him and said, "Let's get everyone settled into their bedrooms," and gathered the unlikely group up, leading them up to their respective rooms.