Hermione remembered when she researched the Sacred twenty eight in her fourth year. The Pureblood Directory was a terribly dull read, which simply chronicled the many twisted family trees of the twenty eight families. There was a chapter that went over the constant evolution of family crests and the Malfoy crest immediately caught her attention. She wondered if her class mate was named for the emblem or if the crest changed after he was named. It was beautiful and intricate, everything one would expect from a family like Malfoy, unlike the Browns or Weasleys. Now, looking at the Malfoy family crest on the fleshy skin of her pelvis, enveloped in a dragon that periodically stretched its wings, she thinks she may be betrothed to the most self-absorbed wizard ever. Not only is there a bright white M on her body, it is surrounded by three dragons and one of them breathes white, ghostly tendrils of fire towards the most private and sensitive area of her body. Idly, she's suddenly thankful that she didn't inherit her mother's fiery red hair.

"Oh!" Violet exclaims, her bright eyes becoming just a little misty as she studies her daughter's mark. "It's beautiful."

"I hope he gets a beaver on his forehead." Hermione grumbled irritably as she jerkily pulled her dress back on, glaring furiously at her reflection while her mother ties the lace straps with care.

"You won't have to worry about that, dear." Violet smiles knowingly with a wicked glint in her eyes and she tugs the last ribbon with more force than necessary. "Fidelity clause ensures that there will be no extramarital relations."

Hermione's face is slightly green when she meets her mother's amused gaze. "I didn't mean it like that." She grumbled as she threw open the door and stomped away from her snickering witch irritably. "He used to call me a beaver, he did yesterday too!"

"Oh, you should tell us about your day with Draco!" Narcissa smile excitedly as she patted the seat next to her. "Draco refused to say a word; I think he's upset with me."

My Dear Friend,

You lied to me, Lucius. You told me that my Violet was dead along with the babe. It's obvious after she was seen in the company of your progeny. I thought you understood that she was made for me, how could you hide her from me? I will forgive you this once because the contents of your last letter gave me a way to finally see my precious flower. After all these years she hasn't changed at all and she's just as sweet as I thought she would be.

Antonin has been taught a very valuable lesson that I think you should pass on to your heir. He touched her, your son did me the favor of severing that hand. He bragged about how soft her skin was, he will never speak another word. It would be a shame for your heir to share the same fate for not understanding ownership. Just make sure he doesn't become attached.

Now, since you don't have magic you won't be much help to use but I'm sure we can find something for you to do while the real wizards work out a way to restore our Lord. I'm sure that once he has risen again, he will know a way to restore your magic. Unfortunately, even Cole who worked in the DOM with Bode does not know how to reverse the enchantments used on your core.

Ever your ally,

TN

Lucius threw the parchment into the hearth with a sneer plastered on his face. The raving lunatic was obsessed with his best friend's wife, he could recount the hours he had to listen to the man ramble about the petite witch. He didn't see the appeal, Narcissa was more his type of woman. All his mistresses somehow resembled his lovely wife, with her long legs and perfect posterior. He shivered as he thought of the bitter woman who refused to even look in his direction. At one time, his marriage was perfect; he still didn't understand how it went so wrong. Around the time Draco was born, his wife started questioning his movements. Where did she think he had gone? He was either with his Lord or a whore.

Sitting down heavily in his favorite chair beside the fire, he downed his first glass of whiskey for the day. He closed his eyes as he thought of how it used to burn, help him feel numb. Now, it was just a habit because his days were filled with nothing else. His wife left any room he entered and his son looked right through him. Lucius missed the days when Draco was small and he would sit on his father's knee while he regaled him with stories of their ancestors. His bright grey eyes would light up when his father spoke of the power the Malfoys wielded, whether magical or political. Those days were long gone now; sometimes he actually missed the war. Not the fear and helplessness but when his family would band together. His son was branded to protect his parents; his wife was used and tortured to protect her son and husband. He threw himself in front of his wife and son when he could, and in those moments they would look to him with such tenderness. They would heal his wounds and make him comfortable but the next morning it was always more of the same.

"Go away, Mother." Draco mumbled into his pillow, refusing to open his eyes. He knew it would hurt. Almost half a bottle of aged charmed bourbon that probably cost more than the Weasleys home would do that to a wizard.

"Draco, I had no idea you had a mummy's boy kink." A very familiar voice practically purred as a soft feminine body crawled into his bed and curled up behind him. "You're wearing clothes."

"Drank too much." Draco mumbled, still not opening his eyes but he did move away from the gentle hand trailing down his side. "You've been ignoring me, Pansy."

"You're getting married." Pansy snapped back with little heat. "Although, according to the pictures in The Prophet, she is fit. There's no way that little nymph was hiding inside Hermione 'iron knickers' Granger. "

"She is definitely Granger." Draco grumbled, finally opening his eyes as he sat up running a hand through his messy hair and yawning. "Wait, how did you know?"

"It all over The Prophet." Pansy shrugged, relaxing back with her hands behind her head and crossing her ankles. She hit him in the leg with her ridiculously high, shiny blue stilettos. "Why didn't you tell me that you're marrying the new Dark Lady?"

"Ah, is that what they're saying?" Draco mumbled before he sniffed his shirt and grimaced. With a sigh he got out of bed and stripped off the ruined black oxford. He stumbled to his wardrobe to grab clean clothes as well as one of his stashed hang over potions.

"Fucking buggering hell." Pansy breathed, jumping out of bed and practically tackling Draco to the ground. "Are you already married?!"

"What?" Draco snapped, pushing the brunette off him and rummaged for the potions box he skillfully hid inside quidditch case.

"You have a fucking brand on your back!" Pansy shouted just as Draco tipped the phial back, making him sputter and dribble the noxious brew down his chin. He ripped a pair of trousers down off its hanger to clean his face before turning on his friend in confusion.

"Fucking Shafiqs." Draco snarled as he got up and stormed to the full length mirror next to his bed. He wanted to preen for a moment, even after a night of heavy drinking, he thought he looked quite dashing.

"Stop being a fucking twat." Pansy grumbled as she literally stomped up to the blond and forcefully turned him around. His grey eyes widened comically when he saw the Shafiq family crest on his left shoulder blade, a happy little otter floating around it. An otter. When Pansy reached up and ran a finger over the slightly raised brand, Draco suddenly felt incredibly ill.

He snatched up her wrist, maybe a little harder than necessary but his stomach was still rolling around somewhere above his lungs. "Don't."

"Merlin, Draco!" Pansy exclaimed in surprise as she snatched her hand away, looking at her oldest friend as if he were insane. "What is your bloody problem? You've never taken issue with me touching you before."

"Don't know, it's a fucking fidelity mark." Draco groaned, backing away from the mirror until his legs hit his bed and he sat heavily. "I didn't even know, she just fucking kissed me to piss of Weasel…next thing you know, fucking magic."

"I didn't think those kinds of marks appeared until consummation." Pansy smirked as she leaned against a cabinet and pulled down a stuffed dragon to toss up and down. "Is she any good? Did she finally-"

"Pansy." Draco snapped irritably, covering his face with his hands as he fell back on his bed as the witch just laughed at his misery. "We only kissed and it was only to prove a point to Weasel."

"Too bad." Pansy sucked her teeth as she shrugged her shoulders and tossed the little green dragon at her pouting friend. "Aren't you going to ask how I've been? Trapped with my mother, my ridiculously bloody dramatic mother who is trying to sell me off to any rich pureblood wizard she can find? Ugh, I even heard her blathering on about Diggory. His wife was killed for smuggling mudbloods out of the country and she thinks I should cozy up to him. He's old enough to be my father and not my type."

"I'm sorry, Pansy." Draco sneered derisively as he sat up and rolled his bloodshot eyes. His words dripped with sarcasm as he stood gracefully and stalked to his wardrobe to retrieve his forgotten clean clothes. "What have you been doing besides ignoring my letters?"

"Astoria mostly, my mother has forbid me from speaking to you." Pansy huffed with a petulant little pout.

"Astoria?" Draco gaped at his friend with his freshly pressed suit slung over her arm. "Isn't she twelve?"

"Sixteen, you cunt." Pansy scowled, Draco just shrugged unrepentantly. "She tastes like those muggle cigarettes but her tits are bloody brilliant and she can work that little mouth for hours. Much better than you were at sixteen."

"I had other things to worry about and you calling me fucking Daphne didn't help, did it?" Draco snapped with pink cheeks as he snatched his robes down off the hooks. "I need to shower."

"Don't act offended, my little Drakie-Poo. It's not like it actually bothered you that the girl who was letting you experiment on critiqued you." Pansy scoffed while she pushed off the wall and swept gracefully across the room so that she could sit comfortably on his bed.

"Let's not talk about that." Draco stood stiffly by the loo door, looking at Pansy with pursed lips. "I told her that you weren't my girlfriend and she didn't believe me."

"That was the point." Pansy rolled her eyes so hard that for a moment they were little more than white orbs in her face. "If my mother thought there was even a chance I could marry Draco Malfoy, Father wasn't arranging shite with another family. Why does it matter anyway? Once you're married you can have your pure little consummation. It's not like you've actually-"

"No, actually I can't." Draco snapped harshly, pausing for a moment as he looked out the large glass doors that opened to the garden. His mother wasn't sitting amongst her flowers, enjoying breakfast so it was obviously later than he thought. "She's been with Krum, McLaggen, and Harry fucking Potter. At least, that's what fucking Weasel was shouting in the bloody lobby of St. Mungo's. He ranted about there being more. Purity matters, Draco, purity in all things. Mother swore that I would have the purest of all witches and all that rot only to find out she's a fucking-"

"It's not possible." Pansy sighed irritably, getting annoyed at her friend's dramatics. "I saw her hex the bleeding fuck out Krum fourth year. So, unless he's into that kind of thing they didn't shag. The poor bloke probably still has issues sitting on a broom, all because he tried to kiss your little chastity belt. Although, I found it quite…stimulating. Even if I thought she was a mudblood, she was bloody sexy taking down that pillock. Then McLaggen, I saw her literally running away from him the night of Slughorn's Yule party, he ended up in our dorm with Tracy that night."

"Potter." He grumbled bitterly only slightly placated at his friend's words, he didn't know if he could handle knowing that his future wife was taken by Harry fucking Potter first.

"I thought he was fucking bent after all the dramatics with that Chang witch but he was definitely a virgin until he started fucking the baby weasel. They kissed once, back in sixth year under some enchanted mistletoe. Literally wiped her mouth like a five year old, don't think that boosted Potter's ego much." Pansy practically crowed triumphantly when she saw that Draco looked much happier. "Not to mention, it's not like you've been perfectly innocent. Need I remind you of fifth year?"

"Don't remind me." Draco grumbled, looking slightly ill. "The mouth is not a proper seed receptacle, Draco. I cannot believe Snape told my parents. My mother did that whole shaking her head in disappointment thing and Father actually clapped me on the back."

"I'm sure you have much more experience than your little wife." Pansy chuckled at Draco's expression. "She will definitely appreciate your hours of practice. After all, if you can satisfy a lesbian-"

Draco threw one of the many stuffed dragons at her before huffing and stomping into the loo, slamming the door behind him. "Fuck off!" He called through the door and Pansy could hear the water running.

Pansy picked up one of the heavy books sitting beside Draco's bed and started flipping through the chapters to entertain herself. It was only a few minutes after he left her that his bedroom door opened and Lucius swept into the room, leaning heavily on his cane. "Miss. Parkinson, didn't you know that it is considered highly offensive to enter one's home and not greet your host?"

"Oh, I did, Draco's in the shower." Pansy said flippantly, not even sparing the man a glance.

"Now, Miss. Parkinson," Lucius started in his silkiest voice as he advanced on the witch in a menacing stride. "I was talking about the Lord of the manor. It is completely against protocol for you to be in the bed chambers of an engaged wizard without a chaperone. What would your mother say?"

"Something like, 'Please, tell me that you're pregnant and the wedding will take place before your stomach takes over anymore of your body'. Also, I've already told you, I did greet the Lord of the manor, he's in the shower." Pansy drawled slowly, finally looking up at Lucius with and bored expression on her face.

"This is highly inappropriate." Lucius snapped, losing patience with the young witch completely. She was always very sweet and well-mannered when she would visit when she was younger and still held hopes of becoming Draco's wife. Perhaps, word had gotten out about Draco's arrangement and she was finally showing her true colors.

"What's inappropriate is a muggle lurking around Malfoy Manor with delusions that he has any power at all." Pansy scoffed as she hopped off the bed and brushed past the stunned blond. "Do tell Draco to owl me when they've set a date for the wedding, I look forward to meeting his bride."