Terri Cautter shot an evil glare
towards her cousin, her jade green eyes blazing. Draco Malfoy smirked back,
ignoring the girl's glare.
"You're my cousin, you
loser!" Terri jumped up from the velvet pouf and yelled. "Can't you do anything
other than smirk or act like an idiot when I'm around? Or are you like this all
the time? I sure feel sorry for those kids back at your school. They must be
having a party 'cause you're not around." Calmly, she sat down again and waited
for Draco's comeback.
Draco returned her remark with a
smug smile; his grey eyes twinkling. "Mother!" he shrieked, sounding a bit like
a mouse with a voice. Terri's hands flew to cover her ears and she shut her
eyes, knowing what was coming next.
Seconds later, Narcissa Malfoy
was in the room. "What happened, Draco?" she asked.
"Teresa is acting unkindly
towards me again, mother," Draco whined.
"Nonsense!" Narcissa replied.
Terri wasn't the only one surprised; Draco looked astounded. "Terri is a nice
and kind girl, Draco. Why would she act unkindly towards you?"
"That's right, Aunt Narcissa. Why
would I be mean to you? You're like my only cousin, Drake," Terri agreed. She
was really thinking, Since when did Aunt Narcissa call me Terri and think I
was nice and kind?
"But–I–she!"
Draco gave up and his shoulders sagged.
Terri
cheered inside. She had done it again. Draco is going down, Terri
thought. Starting today, he's gonna have to watch his back!
"Terri," Narcissa suddenly said,
interrupting Terri's thoughts, "would you like to come to the Salon de Beauté with me? I'm getting my nails done; maybe
you could do something with your hair…"
"Sure.
I've got nothin' else to do," Terri replied. It was true that her jet black
hair was strange; she needed to get it cut more often than most girls her age.
Maybe there was some new sort of style that required less brushing and was
definitely shorter. "Do you think I could get it highlighted, Aunt Narcissa?"
Terri asked suddenly. Since when did I care so much about my hair? she thought.
"I
think I could arrange that. Come, we must leave now."
Tired
of something unknown – which was probably Draco – Terri walked out of the
French room with her aunt. Terri eyed her. Narcissa seemed curiously happier
than she usually was.
* * *
* * * * *
Terri
stepped out of the sports car and took a deep breath. For a thirty-something
year old, Narcissa drove quite fast. Terri felt as if she had just been in one
of those car races she had seen in America.
"Aunt
Narcissa," Terri said while they walked towards the salon, "don't you ever want
to go to America?"
"I
think not!" she replied. "America is such a rotten and uncivilized place
compared to our home, England."
"Not
really," Terri defended. "It was rather nice when I went there last summer as
part of the Tri-Wizard Invitational."
"The
what? Oh, I remember. You won that contest at your school and went to a few
cities in America. Tell me about it."
"It
wasn't a–"Narcissa stopped Terri mid-sentence.
"Hush,
dear," Narcissa said as she pulled the door to the salon open. "The salon is a
quiet place. Go take a seat and I will tell Henrí that I have a visitor." She
smiled at Terri and walked to the counter, where the attendant grinned hugely
and started up a conversation.
Terri
smiled back at Narcissa. She turned towards the seats and almost jumped back in
surprise.
Instead
of the usual chairs or couches in most haircutting salons, the Salon de
Beauté had plush chairs not unlike the velvety seats in the Malfoys' French
room.
Trying
not to make any sound or as to disturb the other salon patrons who were
waiting, Terri took an empty seat next to the magazine table. It's so quiet!
she thought. Bored out of her mind, Terri grabbed the top magazine on the stack
next to her and looked at the cover.
Hmm,
Entertainment Weekly, an American magazine! She immediately opened the
magazine to the first page and flipped through it.
"It's
your turn."
Terri
looked up. A woman with her hair styled in a huge pileup on her head was
smiling at her.
"Me?"
Terri asked.
"Yes.
Do you want to do your hair or your nails first?" the woman asked. Seeing
Terri's look of bemusement, she added, "I would get my hair done first incase I
would want to touch it and not get my nails messed up."
"Oh."
The
woman took Terri to a stylist's chair. "Why is it called a stylist's seat?"
Terri had asked, and the woman had replied that it could not spin and was more
like an armchair than a barber's chair. Upon sitting the seat, Terri believed
the woman.
* * * *
* * * *
Half
an hour later, Terri was once again strapped to the seat of Narcissa's sports
car. She kept involuntarily touching her hair every few seconds.
"Stop
touching your hair!" Narcissa screeched.
Terri
looked up. Now this was the Narcissa she was used to. "Sorry, Aunt Narcissa,"
Terri replied sweetly, knowing the reply.
"Be
quiet!" Narcissa snapped. Terri obeyed and looked out the window. They were
almost back at the Malfoy mansion.
A few
minutes later, they reached their destination. Draco was standing outside
waiting for them, blonde hair and blue robes flying in the wind. He gaped when
Terri walked out of the car.
"Why,
mother!" he exclaimed. "Who is this lovely creature with beautiful hair? This
beauty is surely one of your friends?"
"It's
me, you great lump of scum," Terri said.
"Don't
speak to Draco like that!" Narcissa shrieked. She added sweetly, "Thank you for
the compliment, Draco."
"You
are most definitely welcome, mother," Draco drawled, "for it is the truth."
"Whatever,"
Terri replied, rolling her eyes. She feigned calm as walked into the mansion.
The moment she was inside, she flew up the flight of stairs to her bedroom.
Once
she reached the door, Terri spun around and slammed it shut, locking it. Then,
she turned back around and headed towards the large desk in the opposite corner
of the room.
When
she was just a few feet away from the desk, Terri spun around and checked the
lock on the door. Then, she turned back and walked towards the walk in closet.
Reaching
the closet, Terri turned the knob and opened the door. As she shut it behind
her, she groped the wall next to her for the light switch. Finding it, she
flipped it on and went immediately to the far left corner of the closet.
Kneeling
on the lush white carpeting, Terri searched for the little stripe of blue she
had drawn on the carpet with a marker. Finally, she found it. She dug her hands
into the edge of the carpet and pulled with all her strength. The carpeting
gave way and came up.
When
she was done pulling, Terri stared at a twelve-by-twelve bare area in the
corner of her closet. She pulled up the floorboards that had been hidden under
the carpet and reached her hand into the hole. She drew out an old tin biscuit
box.
After
taking out the tin, she placed it next to her. Suddenly, kneeling became
uncomfortable and Terri changed to a pretzel position as she turned so her back
faced the wall. She sat back and closed her eyes, allowed a quiet moment for
once in the whole day.