I Think I'm Falling for You

By: Shweta Godse

Adopted by CJ.

Celina Tavian stood behind the double doors, grasping her father's arm. She had been waiting behind the doors for nearly an hour, but when they opened, she felt as though it had not been enough time. After all, she was leaving behind her old life; the life she knew to go into a completely brand new one. Practically someone else's life. Someone that had been an unknown enemy to her.

Just as the doors began to open, her bridesmaids began to fix her hair, which was meticulously scrunched and curled and set with a number of pins. Her long brown hair was hardly recognizable with all the styling and setting. She longed to take the pins out, to let free her usually wild uncontrollable hair; Celina suspected it was more than hairspray and pins that was holding her hair in place. Celina glanced at her father, her grey eyes sparkling with tears. She gave him a tearful smile and fixed her eyes forward.

The wedding march started and they surged forward in time to the organ player. There he stood: Celina's soon-to-be-husband, Draco Malfoy. He looked extremely dashing in his black dress robes, hair slicked back to the nines, with pointed dress shoes. Celina's heart skipped a beat. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. She glanced behind him; all the groomsmen were wearing similar dress robes, though they were not as handsome.

Too soon they reached the altar, where Draco was waiting with his arm outstretched. Celina's father, Byron, handed her over with a slightly panicked look in his eyes. The couple turned to the front as the Minister started his ceremony.

"You may now kiss the bride."

The dreaded words had been spoken, and the deed was to be done. Draco leaned down to her and she tilted her face upwards. He pressed his soft lips against hers and withdrew them again before she could react. Their first kiss. Apparently, this was enough for the audience, because they all started to applaud.

Celina looked behind her and saw her in-laws whispering, giggling. Trying not to take notice of it, Celina held her head high and walked with Draco on her arm, staggering a little to keep up with him. With a forced smile on her face, she posed prettily for the photographer, feeling Draco's mother's frigid frame behind her: after the photos were done, she gave Celina a little push, causing her to hurry more quickly down the stone steps. With little help, she made her way into her wedding car, a sleek black Mercedes Benz with the windows tinted out in the back. Draco's parents did not follow.

As soon as the doors were closed and the cheering shut out, Draco released Celina's hand as though it was ice cold. Celina steeled herself. No matter how beautiful he was, he would never love her. And she would never love him. This was all fake. Pretend. Madness.

The car pulled away in absolute silence. Not a word was spoken the entire journey.

There was no wedding reception afterwards. Draco's parents had joked that the young couple just wanted to be at their honeymoon resort as soon as possible, but of course this was a lie. There was to be no honeymoon, of course there wasn't. Even with all the money the Malfoy's had, it wasn't going to be spent on their adorned son and his new wife.

Celina sat in her room. The room that she would be sharing with her new husband. It made her shudder to think that she was married; she was still young for Merlin's sake, just a few years out of Hogwarts. She glanced at her dress, which lay across the King's sized bed for her and Draco. The bodice was white with shimmering silver designs. The skirt was a white satin that had been scrunched up to pinch up the skirt. She ran her hands over the satin. Staring at the dress, memories came flooding back. She was reminded of the day when her parents came back to tell her that she would not be able to return to Hogwarts the next year for her new job, the job she always dreamed of.

Her parents had come home that day looking upset. They sadly glanced at Celina as she stopped adding in the ingredients to her potion, a concerned look across her face.

"Mum? Dad? What's wrong?" she asked. Her mum carefully manoeuvred over to her, crushing her head to her chest, stroking Celina's unruly hair.

"Celina, dear, there comes a time in every person's life when they have to make difficult decisions. This is the time you have to make yours" Celina's father had paused, gasping and reaching for a glass of fire whiskey. He took a large gulp before he started again. "Are you going to allow a family to be jailed and tortured-" he paused again "-or will you help them?" her father had asked.

Celina had pulled away and put down her spoon, "Father, you know I would do anything to help. But what can I do against the Ministry?"

"Celina...you are not a little girl anymore. That is why we are asking you to do this," Celina's mother answered. Celina was confused.

"WHAT IS GOING ON? What's happening? Why won't you tell me?" Celina screamed, again there was a nerve wrecking silence as a million bad things had run through her head, each getting worse with every passing second. With a sigh, her mother licked her lips and said the five words that were worse than Celina had ever imagined.

"You are to get married."

Suddenly, the door opened and Draco Malfoy stood there, looking terrified. He cautiously sat on the very edge of the bed and took a deep breath.

"I can't thank you enough for helping my family like this," he said quietly, reaching to undo his bow tie which looked like it was digging into him horribly.

"It's no problem," Celina answered, just as quietly, stroking her casual gown she had changed into as soon as she had got - home.

"Do you like the dress?" Draco asked cautiously as he stroked over patterns and swirls of the expensive embroidery.

"Oh, yes. It's absolutely lovely." There was another silence between them.

Celina hated moments like this. At this moment she hated everything. She hated the fact that she was not packing for Hogwarts right now; she hated the fact that she wasn't at home, and could never be at home ever again. She hated that her family were in jeopardy. She hated the whole situation. She hated that she had just got married to a boy she didn't even know the middle name of.

Draco shuffled on the bed. Without the presence of his parents, or the other shadows that seemed to lurk around him, he seemed more at ease, more relaxed. Softness had developed over his face, it wasn't the cold, hard look that Celina was used to seeing, his eyes didn't look as haunting and his cheeks didn't look so gaunt. But perhaps maybe that was because of his tux, and the fact that Celina wanted to see his differently. Maybe she, too, looked different. True, the first time he had seen her had been in her home, only hours after she had been told she was to be married, when her hair was all over the place and she wearing her cooking overalls, with tear-rimmed eyes and a hatred brewing up inside her. Remembering this, Celina changed her opinion of "maybe looking different" to "most definitely looking different."

Breaking Celina out of her thought pattern, Draco spoke. "As of now, there is only a King Sized bed here, and we are expected to share it." He glanced away from her, "however, I can make other arrangements. If you so wish." A rosy blush had risen in his cheeks.

"Oh, well, I don't really have a problem with sharing a bed with you, but if you are uncomfortable..." she trailed off, hoping that he would be uncomfortable, slapping herself internally for what she had just said. Damn her parents for raising her with manners!

"Very well, then. I guess we will be sharing the same bed." Draco opened the door and without even a backward glance to his new wife, left.

Flopping back on the too-firm bed, Celina sighed in frustration. This wasn't her fault! Why did she have to suffer? No one had even told her the real reason behind it. No one had told her anything. For once in her life, Celina wished she was treated as an adult, not as child, and definitely not like she's from a Russian bride website! Celina thumped the pillow in frustration, feeling her wedding dress slip over the edge of the bed and silently landing on the floor in a heap. Celina hesitated before picking it up, but then again, she didn't hate the dress, she hated the idea of it. She carefully hung it on a hanger she found in the closet next to the door, slamming the door shut a little louder than it should have been.

She didn't understand why she had been chosen. Why not some other girl? Why not someone older or younger or some damned homeless person off the streets? Why not someone from the death eaters, one of their daughters? Celina had absolutely no answers, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to get some.

Noticing the time, she dove into her suitcase next to the bed and riffled through it, looking for someone decent to wear to sleep next to a boy, who she was now married to. Pulling out an old pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt, she threw aside the silky camisole and thong that had been packed for her by her best friend, with the wishes to "use it wisely on her wedding night". Feeling sick, Celina washed the thoughts from her mind and kicked it under an overstuffed armchair sitting in the corner. She'd deal with that later.

She climbed into bed and closed her eyes, thinking of all the things she had lost in the short few days that she had known what she must do. She had lost her family, her home, her job and perhaps even her freedom. She wasn't herself; she was who the Malfoy's needed her to be.

Hours after she had drifted to sleep, she was awoken by the sound of the door creaking open, and footsteps lulling closer. Forgetting where she was, Celina reached for her wand she usually kept on her side table, and was startled when it wasn't there. But yes, she then remembered.

That had been taken from her, too.

Lying back in bed, tensed, Celina waited for Draco to climb in beside her. She vowed to herself right there and there she would jab him straight in the stomach if he dared touch her, let this be their wedding night or not!

But as Celina lay, waiting, there was no creak or shuffle towards to bed. She peeked open one eye. In the darkness of the room, she could just see Draco's silhouette leaning over one of the sofa's in the room, a matching one to the ugly, overstuffed armchair. She didn't realise what he was doing up until he settled onto it, pulling a blanket out of thin air and relaxing.

He was letting her sleep alone.

Hi, it's me.

This fanfiction was originally sg713's so all praise for the plot goes to her. I asked to adopt it when she grew tired of it and she granted me permission. Thank you very much!

And fans, I hope you like it and review.

No, but seriously, review.

Next chapter gets updated after 3 reviews, so please!