Claimed

Jessica finally spoke, crashing through the wall of tension.

"Perhaps, mother, I could show him around the garden a bit?" she said. Her mother nodded, and she rose. Draco stared up at her, receiving a desperate look. He also stood, and, with a nod of approval from his mother and father, followed her out. They walked in silence to the garden, the scent of roses washing over them. He stared around as she reached into her dress and removed a cigarette. He looked to her, shocked.

"You smoke?" he asked, surprised.

"Only when I'm...nervous," she replied, wanting to kick herself afterward. She drew on the cigarette, coughing slightly. She offered it to Draco, who shook his head, a look of disbelief still on his face. She dragged on it once more, then dropped it to the ground, smothering it with her shoe. She waved the smoke away with her hand, then looked to Draco.

"Sorry about my father putting you on the spot like that. He can be a real git sometimes," she said. Draco's astonishment made itself known again, and Jessica smirked, seeing it.

"It's ok," he said plainly, pretending to be interested in the cascades of flowers around them.

"So, what's your name?" she asked, then realizing she sounded rude, spoke again. "I mean, I forgot it. My mother told me earlier, but my nerves..." she trailed off, noticing she was babbling.

"I'm Draco," he said, not minding her strange attitude.

"Well, I'm Jessica. It's nice to finally meet you," she said politely. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

"Yeah, better that we did before the wedding," Draco said, amusement in his words. She grinned, and looked at him more carefully. She realized that he was actually very attractive. More so than she'd imagined.

"Sorry I couldn't be there the last time. Something came up," she lied, her voice getting quieter. Draco noticed this but nodded.

"How long has it been?" he asked, more to himself than her.

"Six years. I believe we were eleven," she said, straining to remember. He seemed to be doing the same. "So, I guess you're wondering why my mother and father visit you and your family alone?" Jessica asked, sitting on a stone bench.

"Well, the question crossed my mind, I guess," Draco admitted, also sitting.

"The truth is, my parents are really strict. They have a vision of what I should be like, and I guess I don't fit that vision. My mother despises my attitude toward this whole thing. She actually said I'm lucky to be forced into marriage. She said nobody else would tolerate someone as horrible as me. My parents, as thick as they are, didn't want yours to see what I'm really like. Underneath all of this makeup, and glitter, and portentousness, I'm a human. I guess that's not good enough for them," she finished, seeming depressed. Before Draco could respond, Mirabelle appeared at the door.

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"There you are. We had thought the two of you were lost," Mirabelle said, smiling. They both silently wished that they in fact had been. They resumed their seat in the room, a bit of the discomfort having been, for the most part, lifted. The adults chatted for several minutes, finalizing the idea for a Malfoy Thurston marriage. Draco and Jessica sat, listening disheartened by the idea. They didn't loathe each other, they didn't know each other enough even for hate. It was the idea of having a choice. They both wanted one, but knew it was out of the question. Their talking was interrupted by a house elf who informed them that dinner was served.

Mirabelle and her husband sat across from the Malfoys, mostly so they could resume their talk, leaving Draco and Jessica sitting opposite one another. Jessica poked disinterestedly at her dinner, half listening to her mother and Narcissa fuss over what they wanted her dress to be like. Lucius and William were engaged in a discussion about money. Draco rolled his eyes, staring at his food. Jessica looked up, her anger with her parents getting the best of her.

"So, Draco, are there any more aspects of our future together that we should leave completely up to someone else?" she asked, smirking slightly. All talk had stopped, and everyone stared, astonished at her words. Her mother glared at her, her father disgusted by her attitude.

"I don't know," Draco replied carefully, noticing she was getting pleasure from it. He grinned slightly, bringing humor to their parents' stiff formality.

"Well, perhaps we should ask our parents?" she said, the humor fading from her face. Draco nodded, sharing her feelings of resentment, and inhibition, but not letting it show. The families sat aghast, before disregarding the comments, and returning to their conversations. Jessica looked angrily at them, irritated with their ignorance. She looked to Draco, who looked back, almost empathetically.

Narcissa and Lucius were silent on their journey back to the manor. They had decided to forget Jessica's comment at dinner. Her mother had apologized later, saying her daughter hadn't been feeling well lately. Draco had decided on not speaking at all to avoid his own punishment. He knew that when he returned home his father would lecture him on the importance of respect. Then his mother would question him about how he felt about Jessica. He decided he would stay silent for the rest of the night. There was nothing to say, because no matter what he said, it wouldn't change anything.

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