Obligations

"There! It's perfect!" replied Hermione as she placed the ivory veil on Ella's auburn head. Samantha, Ginny, Aria, and Hermione, all in crimson bridesmaids' gowns, stepped back to gaze at the bride. Ella smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling. She was draped in a simple strapless ivory gown, with long, elegant gloves. Her veil was lined with tiny white roses, with just a hint of pink. She was radiant.

"Ella," breathed Samantha. "You look beautiful." Samantha hadn't exactly approved of Ella's arranged marriage to a man she didn't even know, but she would never leave her friend's side. Ella turned to her best friend and embraced her, eyes shimmering with tears.

"Thank you," she whispered. She pulled back and grinned at her dearest friends. "Well, in about 20 minutes, I'll be Mrs. Lucius Malfoy," she commented.

"Ron and Harry are still upset about all of this," muttered Ginny, rolling her eyes at her brother and boyfriend's naiveté. Ella's expression dropped slightly. Samantha nodded in agreement. Clearly, her feelings equaled Ron and Harry's.

"I know," she replied glumly. "But it's not like I had the hugest selection of wealthy bachelor wizards, now did I? Besides, my grandfather is the one who set this whole thing up. Lucius is willing to help provide for the kids, and I still have a long time before they all get out of school to support them through." At this, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" called Hermione.

"It's your knight in shining armor and his ugly sidekick," replied the unmistakable muffled voice of Ron Weasley.

"Well, speak of the devil," grinned Ginny. The door swung open to reveal Ron and Harry, all decked out in tuxedos, thanks to Harry's expertise in muggle weddings.

"We came to give the bride a good luck kiss before she's officially taken off the market by that slimy, backstabbing father of the ferret......" Ron trailed off as his girlfriend shot him an icy glare.

"Where is Ella anyway?" inquired Harry, hastily changing the subject. The boys finally caught sight of Ella. Their jaws dropped and they gaped open-mouthed at her.

"Hello boys," she grinned at them. "How do I look?"

"Ella! You...you...you look amazing," replied Harry in a hushed tone of reverence. Ron simply stared. Ella curtsied and replied, "Thank you." The girls all giggled at the guys' reactions.

"Well, I think that it's time to go down now. Ella does need to make it to her own wedding on time," said Hermione cheerfully, watching her boyfriend gape at her cousin humourously.

"Uh...yeah!" said Ron, nearly shouting as he jolted out of his dreamlike state. Harry stepped over to Ella and gently kissed her cheek. Ron joined him, kissing her other cheek.

"Good luck," Harry said softly, looking straight into Ella's eyes. Tears sprang once more to her deep brown eyes, as she nodded softly and watched the boys leave to take their places. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smoothing her dress down. She whirled around to face her friends.

"Well ladies. Let's head down."

Downstairs, in the Grand Hall of Malfoy Manor, the groom himself stood with his best men, Severus and Draco, and the officiator of the ceremony, Albus Dumbledore. Ella had insisted that Dumbledore marry them, and Lucius had grudgingly agreed. All four men were remarkably calm and collected, despite standing in front of nearly half of Britain and America's wizarding population. The wedding processional brought Lucius out of his internal monologue.

Severus leaned over to Lucius and muttered, "Here we go." Down the petaled aisle, draped with silk and roses came Ella's sister Aria, followed closely by Ginny Weasley. Draco's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight of the youngest Weasley, bedecked in her crimson gown. His eyes followed her to her place in front of the hall.

Next came the maids of honor, Ella's closest friend and muggle, Samantha, and her cousin, Hermione. A few selected Death Eaters and associates of Lucius in the audience shot him questioning looks, no doubt wondering what a muggle and a mudblood were doing in a Malfoy wedding. An icy glare cleared that up. Finally, that infamous wedding march began, and the audience rose. Lucius gazed down the aisle. Suddenly, an angel appeared. Ella Andrews, his fiancée, was walking towards him, smiling radiantly. At him. Because of him. It was a completely foreign emotion to him. She reached him, and he gently, hesitantly reached his hand out to her. She looked down at it with her sparkling brown eyes, and with a second of hesitation, she placed his hand in his own. She joined him at the altar, and grinned up at Dumbledore.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Family and Friends. We are gathered here today, to join in holy matrimony, Lucius Malfoy and Eleanor Alexandra Andrews. If there is anyone here who would object to this joining, state it now or forever hold your peace." Ella half turned and glanced around. When no one spoke, she turned back to Dumbledore and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Very well," Dumbledore spoke again. "Lucius, repeat after me. Do you, Lucius, take Eleanor to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" Lucius looked straight into Ella's eyes, then turned back to Dumbledore.

"I do," he spoke clearly.

"Very well. Do you, Eleanor, take Lucius to be your lawfully wedded husband; to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" inquired Dumbledore. Ella smiled at Lucius and took a deep breath.

"I do," she replied, sealing her fate in two short words.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied once more. "Do you have the rings?" Suddenly, Devon scurried up the aisle and bashfully handed the rings to Lucius, kissed his sister sweetly on the cheek, and ran back to sit on Aria's lap in the front row. Lucius took the rings from a tiny velvet bag, and handed his ring to Ella.

"Now Lucius, repeat after me, as you place the ring on Ella's finger: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," repeated Lucius, as he gently slid the diamond-encrusted ring onto Ella's gloved hand.

"Now, Ella, repeat after me as you place the ring on Lucius' finger: With this ring, I thee wed," Dumbledore instructed.

"With this ring, I thee wed," repeated Ella softly, as she also slid the ring up Lucius' finger, then gazed into his icy blue eyes from behind her veil.

"Then by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Lucius, you may kiss the bride." Lucius turned back to Ella, and gently lifted the soft veil from her face. Beneath it, she was smiling radiantly back at him, as he lowered his head and in a very un-Malfoy-like manner, tenderly pressed his lips to hers in their first kiss. Her lips were incredibly soft and warm and suddenly, everything and everyone around him dissolved away and there was only Ella. He raised his hand to cup her cheek, and coming back to his senses, remembering that he was in front of hundreds of people, pulled back. Ella was staring back at him in surprise, her cheeks flushed slightly, her lips parted. Lucius shook his head to clear his thoughts. What was happening to him? What were these feelings he was experiencing for the tiny woman who stood in front of him? He had never felt this way with Narcissa. Again, Lucius was jolted from his thoughts by Dumbledore's voice in his ear.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy."

Lucius quickly took his new bride's arm in his own and the swept down the aisle amid applause. Finally, after an eternity, the aisle ended and they were out in the entryway, away from prying eyes. Lucius took a steadying breath, and whirled around to face his wife. She was watching him with surprise and concern.

"Lucius? Are you all right?" she asked him uncertainly.

"I'm fine," he snapped, rubbing his temples, as he attempted to regain his composure. "We must go greet the guests," he replied in a less harsh tone. Ella continued to gaze at him, then nodded, took his arm again, and let him lead her to the guests.

Later, in the ballroom, Ella stood chatting quietly with Hermione and Samantha, while guests danced and ate around them. A classical wizarding group played in the background.

"Ella, what was that all about?" asked Samantha inquisitively.

"I have no idea," she replied, at a loss. "When he kissed me, it was like magic, and then he broke it off really fast, grabbed my arm and practically dragged me down the aisle. Then, when we got outside, I asked him what was wrong, and he snapped at me, then said we had to go greet the guests."

"Hmmmm. I think he realized how much he's attracted to you," interjected Hermione.

"Huh?" both Ella and Samantha responded simultaneously.

"When he kissed you, he realized he was falling for you. I saw how he was looking at you all week. It's more than lust, and he doesn't like the idea of him not having very much control over his emotions. It probably scares him. He is a Malfoy, after all," Hermione explained.

"Hah! Serves him right, the prude. Takes a real gay guy not to fall in love with Ella," laughed Samantha. Ella said nothing, and contemplated what her two friends had just suggested. She looked across the room at her husband, who was talking to Severus and Goyle, and sipping wine. She looked across the room, and saw Ginny dancing with Draco, while Ron and Harry stood on the side, watching the two menacingly. Her brother Luke was chatting with a pretty girl, and her sister Aria was watching her brothers William and Devon, who were eating at a little table. Then, she noticed Dumbledore pull out his wand and tap his throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it is time for the bride and groom to share their first dance together," he announced, his blue eyes twinkling as usual. Ella looked up in surprise and stared at Dumbledore. She had completely forgotten about this part of the reception. She looked over to the middle of the dance floor, where Lucius was waiting for her, alone on the floor.

"GO!" whispered Hermione loudly. Ella stared at her, not fully comprehending what she had said, then shook her head again, and walked out to meet Lucius. He extended his hand to her and brought one hand to her waist. His other hand took hers and placed it on his shoulder, then returned to her other hand. The band began to play a slow, romantic melody and they began to dance. Once more, the other people in the room began to melt away and it was only the two of them. Ella began to feel herself drowning in Lucius' icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce into her soul. This was not turning out the way she had expected.