The train ride to Hogwarts was excruciating.

Typically, I loved the train ride. It always filled me with excitement knowing that soon I would be at school, away from my family affairs and with my friends, having fun as a child should.

This train ride was different. It felt odd, knowing that I would be going to school, acting like a normal teenager, but actually being a married girl —barely a woman— desperately trying to run from the reality of what's happened this past summer.

Daphne and I snatched a train compartment for ourselves; everyone by now should know that we don't like to share. In past years, we'd always refuse anyone who tried to stay in our area for too long or for more than just a chat. This was our opportunity to catch up on things that happened over the summer. Much to my dismay, that was the last thing I wanted today.

Daphne was ranting on about her summer travels. Her parents took her all over Europe and met some nice French wizard boy during their two weeks in Paris; they're allegedly still in contact. Lucky girl. She got to pick who she wanted. And he sounded so handsome, too... tall, honey brown hair, blue eyes, built figure. Just my type, unfortunately.

While she was continuing on, I heard a pounding at the door. I looked through the glass and saw the platinum hair of Malfoy through the windows. I scoffed as he slid the door open and stepped inside.

"I didn't say you could come in," I avoided eye contact with him.

He rolled his eyes. "May we chat?"

"No," I refused promptly. Daphne looked at me confusedly, then back to Draco. He gave her a pleading look which she understood meant he wanted some privacy.

She comprehended his silent request and excused herself from the compartment, leaving Draco to sit across from me. I did my best to ignore his gaze and stare out the window instead, focusing on the things we passed by. The river, that autumn-touched tree, the cloud that looks like—

"Are you even listening?" Draco's snotty voice interrupted my gazing. He must have been going on about something; I did my best and somehow succeeded in tuning out his whiny voice.

"I suppose not," I finally looked at him. "Repeat yourself if it's so important."

He scoffed. I was beginning to hate that annoying jeer of his. He reached into the pocket of his slim, black suit and pulled out the gold wedding ring that my parents forced me to offer him on the day of our wedding. He passed it through his slender, pale fingers and it made me want to vomit at the sight of it. He fidgeted with it until he held it up between his long index and middle fingers for me to gawk at.

"As I was asking," he toyed, "what are we meant to do about these?"

I noticed him peer down at my left hand, scanning for either the engagement ring or wedding band, neither of which I chose to don.

"I suggest you keep yours tucked away unless you want any questions," I snickered to myself.

"You won't wear yours?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I don't need people asking, more importantly I don't need the constant reminder that we're legally wed."

"Are you suggesting that we don't tell anyone about our marriage?" he inquired. For a flash, I thought I might see some... something, cross his eyes. I couldn't figure what it was, but it was probably some sort of annoyance.

"Precisely. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."

"Yes, actually, I do mind, wife," he strung out that last, contempt-filled word.

"Hush! Not so loud, Malfoy! Unless you really do want this whole train to know," I shuddered at the thought of this.

He let out a dry laugh. "You shouldn't call me 'Malfoy' anymore, unless you want to be reminded that it's your name now, too. Start with Draco."

"Don't tell me what to do," I retorted. "However, in this very rare instance, you may be correct. I'd rather call you by your first name than Mal— you know what I mean."

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes. "So where's yours?" he asked, looking back down at my hand again.

I crossed my arms, moving my hand out of sight as it tucked into my arm. "A jewelry box with my things. I don't plan on ever wearing it out, so you're aware."

He sunk into his seat. He tucked his own ring back into the pocket of his suit. The less I had to see it, the happier I was.

"Well, unfortunately Blaise and Theo already know about our little... rendezvous," he smirked.

"Do not call it that," I insisted. "It certainly wasn't a rendezvous by choice, mind you. Anyhow, I figured you'd have told them already. I plan on telling Daphne the same, but that will be it." I stared him seriously in his cold eyes, wanting to emphasize the importance of my words. "No one is to know about this."

He seemed to ignore my request. Order, more like. "Why shouldn't they? They'll know after school is over, anyway," he shrugged.

Draco became noticeably more deadpanned as the conversation went on. At that point, he seemed almost like he didn't care, that he had so quickly accepted what is and was comfortable with that knowledge. "Comfortable" may be an overestimation, but at least understanding without malign.

"I don't care if they find out then, Draco. But as for right now, I don't want to be associated with you, much less married to you. As it stands, if you have any shred of decency left of you—"

"That's a stretch," he interrupted with a snicker.

"Fine," I huffed. "If you have any desire to keep your... wife... happy, then I ask you to simply leave me alone this schoolyear to be in peace." To refer to myself as his "wife" was a daunting task in itself, but he clearly had no trouble using that word to his own advantage a moment ago. I might as well mirror his usage of it for the time being.

He looked out the window, finally breaking his gaze from me for what seemed like the first real time that entire conversation. "I suppose so."

I visibly relaxed. "Thank you... I appreciate it. Now, if you—"

Before I could finish, Draco had suddenly stood up and stormed out of the compartment, with a vigor so adamant that it felt like I could feel the seat tremble, and not from the movement of the train.

Daphne, who stood outside the compartment, took this as her cue to return, sitting in the seat across from mine where my blonde spouse had been but a moment ago.

"What's his deal?" she asked, letting out a breathy laugh to ease the mood.

I figured now might as well be a good time as any to break the news to her. It was a shame she couldn't be my maid of honor, and for that I even felt the need to apologize. The whole wedding was just thrown together so quickly and under such unfortunate circumstances, I didn't want any of my friends involved. I settled on asking my cousin who is two years my senior to bear witness to the wedding. She was the victim of an arranged marriage, too.

"Draco was just asking about..." I shook my head, "what we're going to tell people."

She cocked her head. "About what? Since when do you and Draco have anything to tell?"

I sighed. "I'm glad it hasn't been exposed to the papers yet, or among too many pureblood families. Daph, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, there was just too much going on..."

"Y/n, you can tell me anything. And I'll always forgive you. Go on, out with it."

I took a deep breath in and looked her straight in the eye. "Draco and I are married."

It took a second for it to process in her mind, but once it clicked, I noticed her eyes widen and jaw drop, as the beginning of a gasp started to form. I slapped my hand across her mouth to prevent that from happening; I didn't need more attention drawn to myself after Draco just stormed out of here.

"I know, I know!" I chided. "Look, it was just a mess... our parents arranged a marriage when we were children and it just came to fruition all of a sudden this past month."

Unsurprisingly, Daphne had many questions about this entire situation. I tried to answer them to the best of my ability, and as quietly as I could. Much to her chagrin (and mine, too), I really didn't have as many answers as I would have liked.

For starters, I didn't know why our parents arranged this marriage. Sure, some sort of agreement, or business deal, there was no doubt about it. But still, I was never told the exact reason. Additionally, I never had any notice of this! Unless one counts the instance in the drawing room where my father and Lucius sprung it on us, everything was a total shock. For two men who allegedly planned this years ago, it sure came out of nowhere.

"That's brutal..." she sat back in the chair, finally relaxing after everything settled in her mind. "You, being married to... Malfoy, of all people," she cringed. After a pause of a sigh, she continued, "You know, I think my younger sister has a thing for him."

"Really?" I almost laughed at that. "Hard to think that anyone could have 'a thing' for Draco. He's not exactly the dreamy, schoolgirl crush type."

"She must be delusional," Daphne agreed with me. "I remember a few times over the summer she'd ask my parents about him or his family. I'm sure she was dying to come over to their manor for a summer festival or something."

"I went to them all... trust me, she wasn't missing anything."

"She'll go ballistic to hear that he's married now," she laughed. I shot her a glare, a silent reminder of that I didn't want anyone to know. "I didn't mean now," she assured me. "I'm just saying, whenever you two make the announcement to other people, I'll love to see how upset she'll take the news."

"I don't exactly find pleasure in making your kid sister unhappy that her crush has been forcibly married to another girl," I explained. "If it were up to me, I'd much rather they had gotten married."

After some idle banter and then some more half-hearted explanations regarding the marriage, I tried to steer the conversation's direction clear of Draco. I had certainly exhausted that topic for the day.

Settling back into school life at Hogwarts was easy enough. Daphne and I shared a dorm, again, which was comforting. It almost made me feel normal, putting away my clothes and hanging up photos on the wall and on my dresser. I insisted that no photos of my wedding be brought to school with me; it'd be a pain to wake up to every morning.

And for the first time in nearly a month, I felt like a typical teen girl again. One who loves clothes as I stacked my closet full of my own personal outfits and school uniforms. One who studies hard and earns good grades as I placed my notebooks on my desk. One who shares secrets with her best friend as Daphne went on about her French lover from her summer trip.

We chatted well into the evening when our conversation started to plateau in terms of things to talk about. After an assessment of the clock, the Welcome Feast was set to start soon.

As much as it annoyed me having to sit through the first years' houses being chosen, we always loved the Welcome Feast. It was a renewing feeling of a fresh term and pure schoolyear.

Daphne and I took our seats at the end of the long Slytherin table with a few of our friends. As students piled in, I took note of who took the initiative to greet me. I got a few "hello's" from most of the Slytherins, a few Gryffindors or Ravenclaws who I had befriended over the years, as well. I made the effort to respond back happily. As miserable as everything else was, I was still just a girl who loved seeing her friends all over again every year.

It wasn't until I met the icy eyes of my husband walking in that a chill ran down my spine.

— — —

Hello, everyone! This is my first Draco fic... if you're here from my TikTok, thank you for coming to support this story! I've always been obsessed with arranged marriage stories and I figured I should write my own. Thanks to everyone over on TikTok who requested I write a Wattpad book! Much love and more to come. xoxo

TikTok: @ onlyhereformalfoy