welcome

[Astoria Malfoy]

December 5, 1999
11pm

There was a large part of her that was still in utter shock over today's events. She was married. She was married! It had been almost a year since Draco had proposed to her and all the wedding plans had been figured out and put into place and changed at the last second when something unexpected had happened that no one had planned for. There had been times when it felt like she had been working on someone else's wedding and not her own. It had seemed to take on a life of its own. Still, it had come and today, several hours earlier, she had walked down the aisle, looking not unlike a ice queen or a snow angel and pledged her life to walk with Draco. Astoria Malfoy. Astoria Malfoy. She had been practicing saying it for months now, but it still hadn't sunk in yet. She was now one of the privileged to use the Malfoy name.

Her mother had confessed to her that she had been uneasy on her own wedding day, that her mother hadn't been sure she wanted to spend her life with her new husband. Astoria knew her mother had been trying to be helpful, but she didn't need to worry. Somewhere over the past year, she had accepted the fact that she was going to be with Draco. She was okay with that, even was looking forward to being the one to help him. He had such big dreams and goals and she would be more than proud to be there to help him make them come true. She figured that was what made him a good leader. He could get others to see the dreams he did. She wasn't sure if what she felt for him was love, but even if it wasn't, she would be happy to be like this for their marriage. She liked Draco. He made her smile, made her feel safe and had such a wicked sense of humor. She could have done a lot worse for a husband.

Astoria had been finally released by everyone to go get ready for her honeymoon. Part of her had been glad to go and get out of these heels and this dress. It was such a beautiful dress and she had been so nervous about getting something spilled on it. She was glad to get out of it and put it safely away. Part of her was still nervous. Wedding over meant honeymoon was closer and that was an event she both looked forward to and was nervous about.

She had changed into a different dress, a simpler design and made of light blue material. It was one of her favorite dresses and she loved the way she looked in it. All her bags were packed and she was running a brush through her hair one more time to make sure it cascaded down around her shoulders perfectly. She took a deep breath. Draco should be coming up soon. He still hadn't told her where they were going. She was more than a little curious to find out what his plans were.
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While Astoria was in England brushing her hair, Draco was on an island in the Caribbean, making sure that everything was perfectly arranged for his honeymoon with his new wife. The island was small and could be walked from tip to tip in fifteen minutes, but it was gorgeous. The interior was covered with lush, bright green trees and tropical plants, and around the edge lay a gorgeous white sand beach. It stretched out farther at one tip, where the house sat on a hill looking down over the gorgeous beach and the sparkling, endless ocean beyond it. The house was white, and it could have been called a mansion. It was by no means a shack--Draco didn’t consider living without utilities and air conditioning much of a ‘vacation’.

It was Isle Astoria, and he had bought it as a wedding present for his dearly beloved. His wife. Draco Malfoy was officially married as of this morning, and the engagement which had begun a year earlier had ended with the sealing of the ceremony by the priest. And tonight, on the romantic isle he had bought for her, they would finally consummate their relationship. They’d moved especially slow (at a snail’s pace, Draco secretly thought) because of her age. And while she still wasn’t an adult, such things didn’t matter in the wizarding world as they did with muggles and their idiotic rules. Especially in the Pureblood world. Draco had been functioning as Astoria’s headmaster for a year now, and while no semblance of a relationship had existed during school hours, all of the scandal of it had been sapped out long before now.

Draco was just inspecting the garden shed, which had been stocked with all sorts of tools and seeds and what-not so that Astoria could cultivate a garden on the island as well as at their manor in England. Tropical flowers would grow here that could never be had in England.

Deciding that it was perfect, he nodded for those helping him to apparate off the island and made the short trip back to the beach. Once there, standing outside the house and facing the sand, he took a mental picture of the beautiful sight so he could apparate exactly back to this spot. With a wave of his wand and a turn, he appeared in the foyer of Greengrass Manor. “Astoria?” he called, anxious to make it to the island and retire. It had been the longest day he had ever had--with the bachelor party that had run long into the morning, the last-minute craziness of wedding preparation, the wedding itself, then the reception, the hundreds of hugs and smiles and gifts--he hadn’t had two minutes to sit down all afternoon.

When she came into sight, he smiled a wide smile as he moved toward her. Taking her bags from her and setting them down, he placed a hand on the side of her neck and kissed her on the lips. “Hello, my love. Are you ready to go? You must be twice as exhausted as I am, not to mention curious.” He smirked, knowing her curious manner well. “Let’s not waste time, then.” He picked up her bags and held out an arm for her to take. When they were situated, he spun and apparated, landing on the white sand. He set down the bags and took her hands. “Welcome to Isle Astoria,” he said in the hushed voice that the beautiful island paradise commanded, sweeping an arm across the view.

[Astoria Malfoy]

“Astoria?”

Even though she had been expecting to hear him come back at any moment, she was still startled to actually hear him call for her. She was glad he hadn’t come into the room because she had fumbled for the handle of her brush before it fully slipped from her fingers to hit the floor. Great way to start things, she thought to herself. Let’s try not to be suddenly clumsy and embarrass ourselves in front of our new husband. She had managed to not do anything super graceless in the year of their engagement and she really would prefer to not start their marriage off on that note. Astoria took a deep breath to steady herself and slipped her brush into one of the bags as she grabbed them and walked down to meet Draco in the front hall. She saw his smile as she walked closer and a smile grew on her lips in response. He looked exhausted too. It still seemed a bit dumb to have such a huge event for a wedding when the poor groom and bride were so exhausted by the end of it all that they could probably sleep for a week. Weren’t they supposed to enjoy their wedding? Astoria felt like the whole thing had passed in such a blur and she wondered if she would ever remember pieces of it. It wouldn’t surprise her if she didn’t.

She released her hold on her bags as Draco took them and returned the kiss he gave her more than willingly. Astoria chuckled at his comments. “Yes, I’m just a tad tired after today and I’m sure you are too.” She flashed him a sheepish look. Yes, she was more than a little curious about where they were going. He had been so secretive about it. No amount of snooping or eavesdropping on her part had revealed even the smallest clues about what he had planned. Part of her was glad that she hadn’t figured it out and it was still a surprise, but part of her was a little annoyed that he managed to keep it all from her. What was the fun in that? She slipped her arm in his. “Curious? Me? Now, Draco, what would have ever given you the hint that I might be curious?” she teased lightly. Astoria fell silent as they apperated out of the manor and blinked in the sudden bright sunlight as she reoriented herself from the magical jump.

Astoria stood stunned as she took in the majestic beauty around her. It looked like something out of a painting with all the vibrant colors. It was breathtaking and heavenly. She could loose herself in all the vegetation and life out here. Her feet itched to get out of her shoes and sink into the white sand. Her hair swirled in the light breeze. She let go of Draco's hand and slowly walked forward a few steps, her eyes sweeping from side to side to try to take it all in at once. Being in private, away from the formal world that the both were a part of, gave her a freedom to reveal what she was thinking and how she was feeling without concern for censure or embarrassment. She wore none of the normal masks that were so common for Purebloods. Her eyes shone with pleasure at seeing such a beautiful place. She laughed softly and knelt for a moment to run her fingers through the fine white sand. It would take too long to take off her shoes, but she couldn't resist touching it at all. It was like seeing the most wonderful dessert and not taste it. It was wrong to not interact with perfection like that.

It took her a long moment to realize that Draco has spoken. “Welcome to Isle Astoria.” She managed to tear her eyes away from the paradise in front of her to meet the eyes of her husband. Astoria stood and brushed her hands off, then returned to his side and took his hands in hers. She squeezed his hands lightly and stepped closer to him. Isle Astoria? At the very least that meant he had gotten this island named after her, but more than likely, knowing him better over the last year and knowing how the Malfoys were, he had bought this place. “Its beautiful,” she said in the same hushed tones he had used earlier. She kissed him softly. “Absolutely perfect.”

[Draco Malfoy]

As Astoria moved away from him on the sand, Draco watched what he could see of her face, hoping not to see unexpected disappointment there. For in all of the wedding planning, they had both been involved, except for in this, their honeymoon. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect. Finally, he stepped up until he was just behind one side of her, and he was relieved and glad to see amazement there as she took it all in.

As she turned and took his hands, he smiled down at her, the sun gleaming on his light blonde hair and turning it almost white in places. When she kissed him, he gladly returned it, one hand lifting to rest on her neck. "I'm glad you like it," he said softly with a faint smirk. "It's yours."

With this, he bent and sweeped her off of her feet, turning to look up the slanting hill to the large house at the top of it. "You haven't even seen the house yet. Oh, or the gardens." He said this with a pronounced smirk because he knew how the gardens would blow her away. As he started up the path up the hill, he kissed her cheek. "We shall come here as often as you like, my darling."

The door was already ajar, and he nudged it open as he carried her into the house. It was furnished to her tastes, with an air of island decoration without being tacky like some muggle beach house. He set her down once inside and sweeped an arm across the entry. "You're welcome to explore. Our room is upstairs, the room at the far end." He touched her lower back as she looked around, watching her, for she was far more beautiful than even this island paradise.

[Astoria Malfoy]

"I'm glad you like it," he said softly with a faint smirk. "It's yours."

Even though she had thought that such might be the case, that didn't make it any less special and wonderful to hear him say it. As a child she had been spoiled as was custom among the pureblood world, but since becoming Draco's betrothed, things had hit a whole new level. It amazed her that he could be so creative in his gifts, especially considering how little he had known of her. There was still a lot of things they both needed to learn about the other, but they had made a lot of progress in the last year. She knew that preparing for the honeymoon was his job, but she had a few small things in her bags for him. She hadn't been able to help herself.

Astoria let out a soft sound of surprise as he picked her up, but she quickly settled and shifted closer to him in his arms. This felt very nice. It was nice to pretend the rest of the world didn't exist. Actually, in many ways, it didn't right now. No one would be dumb enough to intrude here and neither of them had to keep up appearances for the sake of others or even for the sake of their engagement. All of that was passed now. He mentioned the gardens and her eyes lit up at that. He had put a garden here for her? That was so very sweet of him. She had thought that this would be a good place for one, for tropical plants, but the fact that he had gone ahead and prepared that for her as well made her very happy.

You're welcome to explore. Our room is upstairs, the room at the far end."

Once he had set her down, she didn't instantly move away from him. Instead, she stayed where she was, pressing back a little against his hand on her back and took in the style and decorating of the rooms she could see. It was all very tastefully done and she didn't see anything that she would want to change if she had been asked. Her enjoyment of this new vacation home was clear in her eyes and on her face. After a bit, she did leave Draco's side and slowly walk around the front rooms. She moved gradually to be able to take it all in, but also because her aching feet weren't happy with anything faster. She would have to do a more complete exploration when she wasn't tired. She glanced into the kitchen and looked out each window to see the ocean or the wildlife or glimpses of her garden.

Finally Astoria returned to Draco's side and took his hand. She smiled at him. "I bet it would be fun to play Quidditch out over the beach and the sea. We should try it sometime soon." She turned and walked towards the stairs, pulling him along with her by the hand. There was still a part of her that was certain this whole thing, wedding included, was a dream and if she let him out of her sight, he would vanish and the dream would end. She peeked into each room that was upstairs as they passed them, but didn't spend too much time on them and soon ended up at the last and most important room in the house, their bedroom. She pushed the door open and took a few steps inside to take in the style in this room. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the house. She pulled him inside enough to shut the door, then let go of his hand and sat down on the edge of the bed. She leaned back a bit to rest some of her weight on her hands. "So," she said with another smile, "we made it.... and no one dropped or spilled anything. No one tripped or forgot their part of the wedding."

[Draco Malfoy]

As Astoria explored the house, Draco moved into his study, a peaceful room with books lining the walls and a large oak desk for his work. As a future headmaster, he had much to do, and even in a tropical oasis such as this, there was work to be done. Already during the day three letters of importance had come to him regarding the school, its employees, and various other aspects of the upcoming opening of the school. After checking the names on the envelopes that sat on his desk, delivered by their owl, Draco set them at the side of the desk. Work would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight would be an evening of relaxation after a long and trying day.

Sitting in his desk chair, he gave himself a moment to rest as his new wife toured their new second home. He had charmed the place so that even when the windows were tightly closed, the faintest sounds of the ocean and the breeze could still be heard. He let those sounds relax him now as he closed his eyes, looking a bit older than his years, sitting behind an official-looking desk with stress and burdens on him beyond what he could say. He'd been carrying it all quite well, but underneath his eternally calm outer appearance was a worried and hassled young man, barely an adult.

Astoria lifted him from his thoughts as he heard her coming toward the room, and he opened his eyes. Smiling as she came in, he stood, letting her have his hand when she took it. "That would be a rare experience indeed," he agreed warmly. "We should try it tomorrow."

He followed her where she led, admiring the rooms with her, until they came to the last; the master bedroom. When Astoria sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back in a way that put her little curves on display and smiling up at him, it was all he could do to smirk back at her, enjoying his situation. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. As she spoke, he moved toward her, sitting beside her smoothly.

"It was a beautiful ceremony. You looked absolutely radiant; I thought surely someone would protest when the moment came, not wanting me to snatch you up." He smirked as he touched her hair. It felt like they were on an irreversible path toward what they both knew was coming; the tension of the when and the how was too thick, and Draco was more than ready to be rid of the questions.

"Astoria Malfoy," he said on a breath as his hand slid to her neck. "I do love you." With this, he kissed her lips, one hand sliding down her arm and then resting on her slim hip.