Claimed

Jessica laid on her back, staring dazedly at her ceiling. She had just arrived home after her 'dance class' with Draco, and her head was spinning. She felt as though her heart would explode after beating so fast. She sat up, imagining that her walls were covered in green and silver like Draco's. She sighed heavily, not being able to comprehend what she was feeling. She couldn't be falling for him. No...never. She stood, crossing to the mirror on her wall. She stared for several minutes at herself, looking for a change. She felt like a different person, but she looked the same. She sulked, and returned to her bed. A strange shiver went up and down her spine when she thought of him. Her stomach would tighten, and her legs would loosen. She felt as though she was paralyzed when his misty gray crystalline eyes entered her thoughts. She covered her head with her pillow, trying with all her might and force to block everything out, but it was impossible. It was about as easy to do as stopping this wedding. It would take a miracle to do that. Or a misfortune.

Draco stared very long and hard at his arms all the way home, and then later in his room. They were the arms that had been wrapped around her. They felt different. Stronger, but feather light. They felt cold, and a bit tingly. He remembered the scent of her hair, and something that felt like nausea rippled through him. He couldn't explain it. Was it dread? Or was he actually accepting the doom that was to befall him in less than a week. He rolled over onto his back in his large four poster bed. Was it really doom? Would spending his life with Jessica really be the worst thing ever? Or was it the fact that she was forced on him that discouraged him? He closed his eyes, unable to think about it a moment longer.

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The week practically flew by, leaving Draco and Jessica dragging themselves behind. Each of them had pretty much lost count of the days. It seemed as though they were stuck in the middle of some sort of time warp. Their families were doing so much, that they barely remembered that their own children existed. They basically had to spend a majority of the week together. They rarely spoke, still trying to decipher why they had left Senorita Diana's feeling the way they did. The days were dreary, leaving little to do.

"There's not really much to do here, as you already know," Draco said carefully, noticing the bored look on her face.

"It's ok. We can just sit here," Jessica said quietly. He thought hard. What could he do to at least make up for the dull situation at hand? The first thing that flew into his head was Quidditch.

"Have you ever flown before?" Draco asked.

"What?" Jessica asked, perplexed. He stood quickly, motioning for her to follow. He grabbed a trunk, and carried it to the door.

"Here, you might want to wear a jacket. It's raining," he said, handing her one of his. She took it, feeling slightly out of line. He opened the door, leading her out to a big open field in the middle of the many Malfoy acres. She glanced around her, the rain putting a chill in the usually warm August air.

"So what are we..." she trailed off, when he took his broom out of the trunk. She stared, amazed at it's sleek, but sophisticated beauty. It suited Draco very well. It was completely black, but it had silver flames on it here and there. It said in letters of a similar chrome color 'Flame Flyer 5000'. She narrowed her eyes in thought, but he spoke, disrupting her.

"Have you ever flown before?" he repeated, raising into the air slightly.

"No," she said plainly. He took off into the air, coming back down shortly. She stared, amazed at his ability. She'd only seen professionals fly. He touched the ground, getting off. He held the broom out to her.

"You want me to do that?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, you can try it out. It's an unexplainable feeling just taking off into the air," he said, looking up into the sky.

"I could never do that. My mother would never approve," she said nervously.

"You don't strike me as the type that gives a damn what her mother thinks," he said grinning slightly.

"But, I've never done it before," she admitted quietly.

"Well, I'll help you," he said, getting back onto the broom, but leaving room for her to sit in front of him.

"But my mother..." he cut off her excuse.

"I won't tell," he said, smirking. She sighed, and mounted the broom.

"Go slow. I'm kind of afraid of heights," she said, trying to adjust herself.

"I promise, I will," she gripped the broom tightly. He slid his arms around her, leaving one hand on the broom to steady them. She shivered, feeling him surrounding her. He pushed off and they soared up. The rain was splashing her face, but it didn't faze her. She inhaled quickly as he went higher, the air rushing over them. He leaned in closer to her. He didn't need to, but he wanted to. Her body tensed every time they swerved. He felt the pace of her heart, leaping. He kept tightening his grip on her, making her tense again. He couldn't tell if it was his touch or the adrenaline from their flight that made her heartbeat quicken. The rush of the speed and the wind made her head spin. He was right. It really was an unexplainable feeling. They started to lower, nearer and nearer to the ground below, until it seemed as though they would hit. She turned to look at him, fear in her eyes. He shot her a dazzling smile, and pulled the broom up at the last minute. She sighed with relief, but he couldn't stop grinning. After several minutes of breathtaking flying, they stopped, Draco helping her off. She was dizzy, and scrambling to pull herself together.

"That was...I can't even...where did you learn to fly like that?" she asked, panting.

"I practice all the time. Unfortunately, there are others better than me," he said in a rigid tone. He couldn't help but laugh at how she'd reacted from all of it though. They walked in silence back to the manor, soaking wet from the rain.

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The fireplace warmed them, as they sat staring at the flames. There was nothing to really be said. Draco stared at her silhouette-like appearance, her hair flattened to her head.

"So, how was that for a first time?" he asked her.

"It was ok. I was scared, but it was...amazing," she said, trying to remember how it had felt.

"Would you ever do it again?" he asked, trying to make a meager conversation. The couch they both sat on seemed to be smaller than it really was. For some reason he just wanted to be near her.

"Well, I guess so. I don't think I could do it on my own though," she said, snuggling into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Jessica..." he started. She stared waiting for a response. He stayed silent though.

"What?" she asked, curious.

"Nothing...never mind," he said. The silence returned, but it was evanescent.

"Draco?" Jessica started. He turned to her, but instead of a verbal response, their lips met. Draco couldn't react immediately, having been surprised by her action. She was also surprised. His lips caressed her, making her softly sigh. The kiss was even more amazing than the flight. She'd never been kissed the way he kissed her. It felt strange, but in a way, special. He pulled away first. She stopped, pressing her lips together. It had only been a small lip on lip thing. Nothing major, but it was different for Jessica and Draco. He stared at her for several minutes.

"What just happened?" she whispered. He didn't answer, knowing she knew.

"Something like this..." he said, wrapping her in another kiss. She responded, her eyes no longer screwed shut like at first, but barely open.

"Where did they go?" Narcissa said loudly, entering the room. They forced away, Jessica standing and sitting on the other sofa facing the fire. Narcissa stared at them, confused by their faces.

"Here you are," she said smiling. Neither of them responded. Whenever their parents came around, they were reminded of the reality that imprisoned them forever with each other. It stung, but it couldn't be changed. And try as they might, it couldn't be avoided.

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