Speechless

"Stella, Draco, we have arranged for you two to be wed." Narcissa Malfoy stated staring at the two children. Stella's jaw dropped she looked at her best friend and he looked furious. Draco opened his mouth to speak but Narcissa put her hand up. "I don't want to hear it Draco."

"Draco you two need each other next school year. Plus since the death of Stella's father its only a good idea for you two to get married. And Stella your dad always talked to Lucius about you two being a perfect match." Diana added. "I mean we could have arranged Daphne to marry you Draco but I figured that you would want to live. You and Daphne never did see eye to eye." she joked but only Narcissa found humor in her words.

"Look we know you two don't want to get married but its only for the best. The wedding will be held over the holiday break as well as the engagement party. Draco will have an engagement ring for you before school starts. Diana shall we go to the sitting room for some afternoon tea?" Narcissa ushered Mrs. Greengrass out of the office leaving their children alone.

"This is an outrage! I can't believe this! As if I can't take care of my self they are making me marry you!" Draco ranted causing tears to well up in Stella's eyes.

"Am I that horrible to marry Draco?" Stella asked. Draco rolled his eyes before grabbing Stella by the arms gently.

"Stella, your not a horrible person to marry. I'm glad that they chose you over some other girl, but I am not ready to be married! I am only 16. Plus I have enough on my plate to deal with and now to add this on top of everything." Stella gave Draco a cold glare.

"I'm sorry that I'm putting more of a burden on you Draco. I mean its not like I chose all of this to happen to me either! Its not like I said 'Hey mum maybe it would be a good idea for Draco and I to get married.' After all I'm not mourning my father's death or scared shit less that I am now the youngest Death Eater in wizarding history! I already have two task to tend to, but then having to marry you on top of all that!" Stella sarcastically yelled, anger taking over any bit of sorrow she had. Draco glared at her, taking offense to all she said. Both of them had a bad temper and often argued like an old married couple, but this argument boded ill for their friendship.

"What? You think you have it bad Stella? You think your tasks are harder to do than mine? What were your tasks Stella? To guard a stupid necklace and to see that I don't get distracted from my much harder tasks. I have to fix the vanishing cabinet which is broken to all hell, and I have to kill Dumbledore. Which might I add no one in history not even the Dark Lord his self have been able to do." Draco yelled clearly pissed now. "And you don't think I'm mourning for my father? You clearly don't know me as well as I thought you did."

"Your father isn't dead and it doesn't matter who's task is harder Draco! What matters is that we are going to be on our own at Hogwarts, we will have nothing but each other. We need to help each other for our own sanity!" If Draco's glare could kill, Stella would have surely been dead now.

"My father is locked away in Askaban! He's as good as dead in there! And lets get one thing straight Stella. I may have to marry you, but I do not need you! I was chosen to do this and I will do this with out your help. So stay out of my way. I'll see you at the alter." Draco turned around sharply. Anger radiating off him. Tears spilled out of Stella's eyes as she watched him walk away.

"You may say you don't need me Draco Malfoy, but you do!" She yelled after him before walked out of the office. "Just like I need you..."


"Have a problem Greengrass?" Draco asked with a roll of his eyes. The compartment went silent and all eyes landed on the two. This was the first thing he has said to her since that day. Don't get mad Stella. Don't get mad. She kept repeating to herself. She didn't know why that made her so mad, but it did. All she wanted to do was hex Pansy to oblivion. She hated her so much more now and she couldn't understand why.

"My problem is of no concern to you Malfoy." Stella spat with a hard glare. Draco's eyes flashed over with guilt and hurt, but as quick as it came it left. "However, may I have a word?"

"Why should I waste my time with you?" He glared. Stella was taken back by the comment. Blasie and Tracey, who was sitting across from Draco, looked taken back at the two's hostility. Draco and Stella had been best friends since the day they laid eyes on each other. If they fought, a few minutes later they would be talking like nothing even happened and never did they use last names. So the site of them acting this way to each other unsettled their friends to say the least.

"This is something you might want to know." Stella told him with a sad yet hard look. She hated that they were fighting. Draco had always been the one that Stella confided in. It crushed her not being able to talk to him now about how she was feeling. Instead of talking to Daphne, she just closed herself off to everyone. Daphne noticed how distant she had become and tried her hardest to get through to her.

Draco's expression softened. He hated treating her this way, but he couldn't let her get to close to him. He couldn't give the Dark Lord something else to hold over his head. That's why he was so angry about the engagement. He thought their mothers were stupid for giving the Dark Lord something else to use against them. Truthfully he missed her more than anything. "Alright " Was all he said as he got up to follow her with out question. He knew this had to be important, other wise she wouldn't have talked to him. Not after what he said to her.

"Draco he knows about you." Stella said once she made it back to her compartment, which was at the end of the train.

"Who?" he asked as she started to pace.

"Potter is convinced that you are a Death Eater. Granger and Weasley are not as sure as he is though." Draco glared out the window at the mention of Harry.

"I hate him, always has to get his nose up into others business. What about you? Do they know about you?"

"They didn't say anything about seeing me. I think they were spying on us when we were in Borgin and Burkes." Stella said as she stopped pacing and looked at him. "What do we do?"

"Nothing." Draco answered looking her over. She looked tired and withdrawn. Small dark circles were around her eyes and she looked thinner than that day in the office. Stella looked up at him as tears filled up in her eyes. Draco sighed loudly, hating himself for what he was doing to her. "Stella come here." He said pulling her to him in a tight hug. He needed this girl infront of him and he knew she needed him. "There is nothing we can do about Potter."

"I'm just so scared Draco." She sobbed as she clutched onto him.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you Stella. I didn't mean all of it. However I was serious about doing this alone. I have to get the Malfoy name back up there. I do need you though. You keep me sane Stella."

"So this mean you don't mind having to marry me?" She asked looking up to meet his blue eyes.

"Like I said before Stella, I don't mind having to marry you. I just... " Draco stopped for a moment to phrase his words. Truth was he wanted to marry this girl. He just wanted to do it at his pace. Hell he hadn't even told her that he actually liked her in that way. He was too afraid to be rejected by her to make his move. Stella however, would never have rejected him. Secretly Stella had been hoping that he would ask her out, but figured he thought she was to young and just a good friend. "I just wish it didn't have to be under these circumstances."

"I understand what you mean Draco. I wish we could have done this differently. It sucks to have our life planned out for us. I hate having to be this... this puppet that they can toy with. Pulling our strings making us do whatever they want."

"Tell me about it. So look what do we do now? Do we act like we are together? Tell everyone we are engaged?" Draco asked scratching the back of his neck.

"Well first thing first Draco Malfoy, I better not catch pug face Parkinson hanging all over you. Actually I don't even want her around you. Your my fiance, not hers." Draco watched as she ranted and paced in front of him, a smirk playing on his lips. "And for the love of merlin Draco, don't make me knock that smirk off your face!" Draco's smirk just widen.

"Someone's getting territorial. Careful Greengrass someone might think that you actually like me." Draco said crossing his arms as he leaned against the compartment door. Stella blushed madly, turning her head to hide her embarrassment.

"Well it doesn't matter if I like you or not Draco, your arranged to marry me, so that makes you mine. And since your mine, I can disapprove of anyone hanging all over you. Besides you know how much I hate Pan..." Draco silenced her with a peck on the lips. Stella stood at a loss for words. Draco just smirked at her shocked face. "What was that for?"

"Don't be so shocked Stella, your my fiance. It doesn't mater if I like you or not, your mine. And since your mine, I can do that whenever I like. Now lets go back to my compartment. We have to act like nothing is going on Stella and you being alone is not normal." Draco said grabbing her bag off the overhead compartment.

"So what? Are we going to tell people we are getting married? Won't people find it odd that all the sudden we are engaged when we have never even dated before! I don't see how we are even going to marry each other when the time comes. It will be weird considering we've been nothing more than best friends our whole life." Draco stopped all movement when she said that.

"I suppose your right. Okay well we have four months until we are wed. How about we start dating and build a relationship. I mean seriously, when the time comes for us to be married we will be ready to say 'I do' with out any regrets." Draco said looking Stella in the eyes. Stella thought it over carefully.

"So basically what your saying is, we have four months to fall in love?" She asked. Draco pondered over the phrasing she used. He had never said 'I love you' to anyone but his own mother. Draco had always liked Stella, but he couldn't even confess that much. How would he ever be able to confess that he loved her.

"Yes, four months to fall in love." He replied back. Stella shook her head looking away from him.

"But what if we don't fall in love Draco? What if we can't stand being together? Whether we fall in love or not in the end we still have to get married." Draco furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Okay since when did you become the pessimistic one? But your right but we wouldn't be best friends now if we couldn't stand each other. We at least have to try Stella. Cause like you said in the end we will have to get married. I don't know about you but when I pictured getting married, I pictured being in love." Stella gasped at him.

"Did I just hear correctly? Did Draco Malfoy actually just say he pictured being in love and married?" Draco rolled his eyes at her comment.

"Surprisingly yes Stella I did just say that." He was irritated by her words. Stella knew he hated when people assumed things about him.

"Sorry, couldn't resist" Stella told him with a sheepish smile. "Alright Draco, We shall give it a go. Besides what have we got to loose?"

"Alright then. Stella Greengrass will you bee my girlfriend?" Draco asked grabbing her left hand.

"Of course Draco Malfoy" Draco smiled and kissed her hand.

"I see you got the ring then. Sorry I was such a git and didn't deliver it myself."

"Yeah I was so mad when your stupid owl dropped off the package. I wanted to kill you."

"Yeah I'm sorry. It isn't the real engagement ring you know. This is just a fill in until I get you your real one back from the shop. Anyways, we best get back to the others." Draco stated pulling Stella along with him as he exited her compartment.

"What do I tell the others about this ring then?" Stella whispered as she tried to keep up with his pace.

"Just tell them I gave it to you as a gift. Or tell them its a promise ring. Make up something."

"Alright" was all Stella said as they made it to his compartment.

"Drakie why are you holding her hand!" Stella rolled her eyes at the sound of Pansy's voice. Once again the Compartment fell slient and all eyes were on us.

"Once again Parkinson, do not call me that" Draco spoke through clenched teeth.

"But thats your nickname! And Why are holding her hand!" Stella smiled, she didn't even think about how bad Pansy would flip.

"First off, I never wanted that stupid nickname and as for why I am holding her hand well," Draco smirked and looked at Stella. She looked back at him and smirked as well. "She's my girlfriend." Pansy looked taken back before she just exploded into tears and ran off.

"That went way better than I had imagined." Stella admitted smiling.

"So this is for real right? You two are actually together?" Tracey asked skeptically.

"Yes this is real Trace." Stella answered.

"Well weren't you two just at each others throat?" Blaise piped in.

"We got together over the break, fought, broke up, and just now made up. End of Story." Stella said as she sat down where Pansy previously sat.

"Well finally! I can't believe it didn't happen sooner! You two are the perfect match." Tracey gushed. Stella blushed and looked away, catching a glimpse of Harry behind Draco in the other train car.

"Draco," Stella nodded her head in the direction she saw Harry. Stella watched as Harry impulsively threw a orange and black lump into their train car. Just as Draco turned around the lump exploded, raining a black fog. Stella quickly stood up and reached for Draco before she couldn't see anymore. "Its Potter" She whispered in his ear as everything went into chaos.