When I walked into the room, Draco was sat at the piano and visibly frustrated for whatever reason.

"What's the matter?" I asked, sliding in next to him at the piano bench.

He sighed loudly, bringing his elbows to slam against the keys making an unpleasant sound. He buried his face into his hands.

"Hey, what'd this piano do to deserve the abuse?" I tried to joke.

Whatever was going on, he clearly didn't find the joke funny.

I looked around the large music room that my family had and it looked as elegant as ever, save for the piano. All the other instruments were clean and polished, no doubt the labors of the tireless house elves. My parents didn't even play music, but they insisted on keeping the dozens of fancy instruments in here for the cultural aspect.

The only thing that was out of place was the large, black grand piano. It had fingerprints all over the outsides, heightened by the dark color which accentuated any prints. There were music sheets scattered about, some on the stand and some had fallen to the floor or Draco had lazily thrown them to another side. It was the only part of the room with any life to it, ironically.

I brought my hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed it soothingly. He seemed to relax into my touch a little bit.

"I haven't seen you all morning," he lamely stated, turning his head to look at me.

I gave him a blank expression. I supposed that was true... what did it matter?

"I had some things to attend to," I replied, still running my hand over his back and lightly massaging his neck.

"Things?" he echoed.

"My mother needed help with the party. I was upset with the last ball; I didn't get to do anything so I made sure I had a place this time."

He sighed out, visibly relaxing. "Oh, good."

"Where did you think I went?" I prompted.

He shrugged. "I wasn't thinking. It was the first time since we got here that I woke up and you weren't there..."

It was as if my heart literally was tugged on. I instantly flooded with regret; I should've stayed there until he woke up. I didn't think he would have taken it negatively, but apparently he did and I should have been aware of that.

I pulled him in for a hug and he tightly wrapped his arm around my waist. I made sure to pepper kisses to his cheek the way that I know he likes, which seemed to succeed a bit in making him smile.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't think it would be a problem but I should've said something to you last night."

"It wasn't a problem," he shook his head. "I just didn't like it. It didn't... feel right without you there."

Again, my heart was nearly fluttering at that point. I felt like a silly schoolgirl with the hold that this boy had on my emotions. In a way, I was just a silly schoolgirl; I couldn't act like it though.

Instead of assuring him through words, I pressed a kiss to his lips which he eagerly accepted. A moment or so later when he pulled back he looked a hundred times better.

"What are you working on here?" I skeptically eyed the piano which looked like a mess.

He huffed again, making me assume that he was frustrated for a number of reasons other than just my leaving this morning.

"I'm having a bit of difficulty, you could say."

"And the piano comes in, where?"

"Usually playing just helps me think. It focuses me but I find myself worse off now than when I started."

"Why don't you play me something? Might clear your mind if you're playing for someone else."

He shook his head immediately, eyes narrowing and looking uninterested.

"I don't play for audiences."

I rolled my eyes jokingly, trying to egg him on. "Really, Draco? This is my piano you know. I could kick you off at any given moment."

He smirked, looking like he was catching my attitude quickly. "And you are my wife, you know. That means I have every legal right to this piano as the heir to your family's manor, too."

"And I could divorce you at any given moment, you know."

He laughed at that, finally looking like himself again. I was happy he did that; the joke I made could've been taken the wrong way and soured quickly if he didn't have a sense of humor.

"Point taken. I suppose I could play a little tune," he smiled, placing his fingers on the keys.

His hands were one of my favorite things about him. They were so elegant and soft to the touch. Apart from a scar on his wrist left over from the quidditch incident a few weeks ago, they were always one of the most revealing parts about him. They showed off how refined he was, so untouched and protected from his family status and I knew they were a source of pride for him.

His fingers were long and lean, perfect for playing piano. I figured he was a piano man just based on how he presented himself, but he certainly had the natural assets for it too. With a stretch of his hand, he could reach a large number of keys at once.

He started off slow, almost like he was hesitating or wary to some degree. I figured it was nerves; he said he didn't play for people so this must've been new to him, more or less. Still, after a few moments, he seemed to find his rhythm.

It wasn't a piece that I'd heard before, and I'd been exposed to a lot of music growing up in a pureblood family that emphasized culture and intelligence. It wasn't Beethoven, Mozart, Bach... a list of names of famous composers flooded my mind and the results came up blank. I couldn't figure where it was from.

It didn't sound familiar, either. Maybe I was just uninformed on wizarding musicians and I assumed that it was written by one of them. It was no secret that the Malfoy family was much more inclined to associate with other wizarding families only, while mine was willing to branch out for the sake of arts or music. The line stopped there.

The piece sounded somber. Not depressing, necessarily, but the minor key in which it was played had an undertone of gloominess to it. It suited Draco, funnily enough, but it almost sounded like it was trying to convey some sort of message that I couldn't figure. He wasn't reading off sheet music, his eyes were just on the keys. He must have this one memorized.

"That was impressive, Draco," I smiled once the song came to an end.

A hint of pink tinted his light cheeks. He turned to look at me with a half-grin on his lips, looking almost shy. It must have been a vulnerable moment for him, which I recognized must not have been easy.

"I'm glad you found it appealing," he drawled out, eyes lingering on mine.

"That song," I sighed, "what was it? I've never heard it before."

"You're not familiar with music, are you?"

"I know a thing or two. I'm not familiar with that, though."

He raised his eyebrows, almost out of surprise. He cleared his throat before refocusing on me. "Oh, I didn't know you— never mind. It's just something I taught myself."

"What's it about? Its mood was... something I couldn't identify."

He scoffed, smirking slightly. "You ask a lot of questions, y/n."

"Is that so? I can leave you be if that's what you want—"

"No way," he cut me off, reaching for my hand. He caressed the back of it soothingly for a moment. "I haven't seen you all morning and I'm not letting you out of my sight now."

"Then get on with it," I chuckled. "Tell me about that piece."

He sighed loudly, a puff of air lifting up a few strands of hair that rested on his forehead. Clearly he wasn't interested in letting up about whatever the song was.

"It's about... longing."

I wanted to ask longing for what, but he seemed very turned off from answering questions. Truth be told, I was surprised he even gave me that much information after the way he'd acted.

"Longing?" I echoed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "A type of desire that... you'd do anything for."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what kind of desire that it's referring to."

"Your perceptiveness is one of the things I like best about you," he chuckled. Clearly, he wasn't going to be telling me more than that.

I huffed, looking annoyed. That caused him only to smirk further, looking entertained with himself.

"Come on, love," he cooed, "don't be upset with me, it's just not something I want to talk about. I'll let you read me one of your chick lits if it makes you feel better."

I dryly laughed at that stupid attempt to make me happier. Still, I wasn't happy that it was at the expense of learning about his song. I just wanted to know more about things that he likes; I never really get to see more intimate parts of his life. As per usual, I was left with less than I wanted.

"I think we should get out of here," I looked at him.

His smirk turned more mischievous before leaning down, trying to capture my lips with his. "I couldn't agree more."

I quickly turned my head away, causing him to pout jokingly. "I mean we're having decorators come take over this room soon. We shouldn't be in here while they're working."

He rolled his eyes, instead intertwining our fingers as a replacement for my refusing his kiss.

"You're no fun," he pouted.

———

Draco and I found that most of the main rooms were being taken over for decorations. I figured that'd be the case, since that's typically how it went. The drawing room, main dining hall, ballroom; the usual suspects.

As such, we weren't left with many options for entertainment. There were dozens of rooms left to pick from, but I wasn't going to show him one by one each bedroom on the sleeping floor.

I decided that he'd probably most enjoy the art room, which was really just a collection of family portraits that hailed on for generations. I couldn't tell you how many relatives there were paintings of in there, the number was too high to count.

There were a mixture of many other art pieces there too, though. Plenty of sculptures, paintings, a few mosaics although I wasn't particularly fond of them. It was a classy room, but I'm sure it was a pain to be cleaned and nobody hardly stepped foot in there except for maybe once a year for a social matter.

"I'm surprised you haven't brought me here yet," Draco gawked around, eyes scanning from portrait to portrait.

"You like?"

"It's certainly a rich family history."

"Don't you have one of these in your home?" I asked, pulling him by the hand.

He intertwined our fingers as I slowly led him around the room. He followed behind me the slightest bit, sometimes reaching for my waist and slowing us down a bit more so he could inspect around.

"We don't really have a room for it, but yes. We mostly have paintings just in the library or down the halls. Some of them are talking portraits too," he shivered.

I chuckled. "Your family really invested in live portraits?"

"It's my least favorite part of magic. Gives me the creeps," a chill ran down his spine.

"I'd imagine it isn't fun having your grandfather's portrait stare you down in the halls," I laughed, trying to poke fun at his uncomfortable state. He shot me a joking glare.

"Definitely not. But that's not the worst part... I doubt they'd approve of us being so touchy feely." He reached for my wrist and turned me around, pulling me to his chest. A smirk graced his lips as he leaned down close to my ear. "Their gossip spreads like wildfire."

No matter how many times he held me in his arms, I couldn't help the shiver of my skin under his touch. It was like he set me on fire yet also caused me to tremble with coldness, and I loved the polar climate.

Ever so gently, he pressed his lips against mine and continued their familiar caressing that I'd grown to love. It was a comforting feeling that sent my insides fluttering with excitement. Draco was a mysterious guy, and it felt like I'd finally cracked his code to some degree. It took too long to get to the point where we were, but it was worth it when I felt the passion of his kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, lightly urging him on to continue. I felt him smirk against me before his tongue swiped against my lower lip, prompting access. The wetness of his mouth filled mine in its intimate display of affection that I'd grown accustomed to.

He had a way of making everything so passionate, but hardly ever wild. I didn't know that a person's kiss could convey so much desire while still maintaining gentleness and composure, like a perfectly choreographed number that never suffered a hitch. I didn't want to think where he learned this or I'd grow jealous immediately; I tried to refocus my attention on the fact that he was here and with me.

He deepened the kiss by bringing one hand around the back of my neck, urging me further into him while the other steadied around my waist. I did the same, having one hand around the back of his head and the other around his shoulders. We were wordlessly explaining our need for each other through a kinetic sense of communication.

I felt the vibrations of his chuckle against my mouth, a telltale sign that he was happy, before we both were jerked away from each other at the sound of female gasps.

"Oh, Merlin!" our mothers spat out, almost in unison.

Our mouths were pulled away from each other, but Draco repositioned his hands so that they stayed around my waist. I dropped my arms from his shoulders and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he only tightened his hold around me, like he was afraid I'd get away.

"Mama..." I stammered, "I am so sorry... this wasn't meant to happen like this—"

"Y/n, don't apologize!" my mother seemed to beam, leaving me with a confused expression on my face. "Finally, it's happened!"

"Mama, what are you talking about?" I uncomfortably spat out, still trying to shake my way out of Draco's relentless grasp to no avail.

Narcissa's smile matched the one my mom wore. It was like the two of them couldn't be any happier. Come to think of it, I don't know if I'd ever seen my mother so happy. Not since I was a child, at least.

"You've finally fallen for Draco!" Narcissa interjected, grinning ear to ear. "Merlin, it has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Mom!" Draco finally spoke up, his cheeks flushing red almost immediately. "Now is not the time—"

"Oh, hush, son. I'm just happy your years of hard work have finally paid off."

"Mother..." his tone turned more serious, causing me to look between the two Malfoys.

I successfully shook myself out of his grasp now that he was temporarily distracted, giving myself some autonomy once again.

"Sorry, Narcissa, did you just say 'years'?" I asked, clearly looking upset.

"Why, yes dear. Hasn't my Draco told you? Or have you two not gotten to that conversation quite yet?"

"What conversation?" I echoed. "Draco, what's she talking about?"

"That he's been in love with you for years, of course," Narcissa smiled. "It's so wonderful to see you feel the same finally."

My jaw dropped.

What was she talking about? Draco isn't in love with me! Until this summer when we were married, he hardly even spoke to me, except in the form of insults or digs. Even after we were married, for some weeks he continued to harass me and make my life miserable!

Only after I forced myself to give him a chance for the sake of not wanting to be miserable did our relationship improve. I couldn't figure what on earth Narcissa was talking about.

"I don't— we're not—" I stammered, "Draco and I are not in love."

Our mothers gave me a curious look.

"Are we mistaken?" my mother asked.

"I'm afraid you must be. Draco and I only just started being interested in each other recently."

"Y/n," Draco interrupted, "maybe we ought to step aside and talk this through..."

Narcissa laughed. "Is that what you think, honey? My, how mistaken are you. Draco's only wanted to marry you since he was a boy—"

"Mother, quiet!" Draco interrupted finally, now out of his state of shock. "I haven't quite told y/n the details."

Narcissa's eyes flashed with disappointment. "Draco! How have you not told her? You clearly have gotten what you wanted and you aren't even honest with the poor girl?"

"Draco, what are they talking about?" I forced my attention to him.

He looked the most distraught I'd ever seen him. His brows were furrowed, beads of nervous sweat drenching his forehead as his cheeks were flushed pink.

At some point he must've gone to run a hand through his hair, as it was no longer the styled and managed platinum locks that I knew, they were messy and unkept, dampened with perspiration.

"Go on, Draco," Narcissa urged her son. "Now is as good a time as any to tell her how you feel."

He gave one last irritated look at his mother before turning to me. My arms were crossed and my expression impatient. If he knew what was good for him, he'd pull me aside to explain before things got worse.

"I think you and I need to have a talk."

---

A/N: Literally the way I act like this story is ending then I do this... I swear it's almost over though. Almost. *wink wink*

Also, this book has been picking up quite a bit in the past week or two! It even hit #3 on #dracomalfoyxreader, along with a lot of other high tag scores! Thank you guys xx

Vote and comment to keep up this great trend!!