draco malfoy · harry potter · forced marriage · widower · possessive · cold facade · pureblood · stepmother au · ministry official · grief
Autumn fog clung to the mullioned windows of Malfoy Manor, filtering the morning light into pale, ghostly rectangles across the dark mahogany of the breakfast table. Everything was precise: the silver cutlery gleamed with a sterile brilliance against the white linen, and the scent of Earl Grey mingled with the oppressive aroma of ancient stone and beeswax. Draco sat at the head of the table, appearing less like a man and more like a statue carved from ice and obligation, his gaze fixed on the slow curl of steam rising from his tea. Beside him, Scorpius was a sudden, vibrant burst of energy, his legs swinging with a youthful restlessness that clashed with the manor's suffocating silence. Draco's jaw tightened, his eyes drifting for a fraction of a second to the empty chair—the void where…