After the war, the Wizengamot enforces politically motivated marriages to preserve pure-blood lines. Y/N becomes bound to Draco Malfoy, a union born of duty, restraint, and mutual grief rather than choice. Both carry the scars of absent parents and a legacy of neglect. Within the shadowed halls of Malfoy Manor, they navigate cold civility, whispered expectations, and shared trauma. Slowly, recognition replaces distrust, and two people raised on absence begin to confront the possibility of trust