author's note: for ella, the waldru captain. you are a beautiful, beautiful person. never stop being youself. happy early birthday, love! xx

also, following canon Druella would most likely be younger than Walburga, who was born in 1925. Even though the year of Druella's birth is not mentioned, we can assume she was around the same age, or younger than her husband, who was born in 1938, if my research is correct. In the following fic, for certain purposes, i have written Druella as a year older than Walburga.

in the depths of the castle (the secrets that lie)

It was undeniable. Druella Rosier was gorgeous. Long blonde hair which tumbled beneath her shoulders, piercing blue eyes, plump red lips and pearly-white teeth that showed while she smiled.

Yes, Druella Rosier was gorgeous.

She was beauty, but she was also brains. She was everything Walburga wanted to be and everything Walburga could never be.

Walburga knew Druella excelled in her studies, but there was one more thing she loved about her; Druella was a rebel. She was more of a daredevil that Walburga could ever be. On top of that, her parents never heard of what she did, or if they did, they didn't seem to care. No one had ever dared to ruin her reputation as a good girl with the prestigious members of the purebood society. They knew that anyone who dared to try in that matter would fail. No one would believe that precious Druella, only female heir of the Rosiers, would dare to do the things they heard of. Even if they tried and failed, Druella would ruin them. No, it was just better to keep the truth within the castle walls.

Walburga watched her as she sat around a table in the Slytherin common room, grinning wickedly, undoubtedly gossiping about her peers.

Walburga knew she was not the most . . . conventional lady. She was, what her mother would consider, an improper pureblood. Involuntarily, she lightly pressed a hand to her cheek, a spot her mother favoured when she came to hear of Walburga's doings. Walburga had muggleborn friends, she smoked and every so often a letter would be sent home to her parents regarding the fact she and her friends snuck out to Hogsmeade and had been found quite tipsy. The only reason she hadn't been suspended–or expelled–was because of who her parents were. Even so, she was still not as rebellious as Druella was.

Oh, and not to mention the fact she found herself disgusted with men. Now, that wouldn't have been a problem, but consider the fact she found herself having a certain, well, desire for other woman, well, that was most certainly a problem. She knew she would be in deep trouble if her mother ever got word of that. So, she kept her desires to herself, always careful not to let it slip. Yes, that was right, no one would ever know she was broken.

A party, in the Slytherin common room.

Of course there would be a party, Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup for the third time in a row. Walburgahadn't attended the party the first time while she was in fourth year, since only fifth years and above could attend. The previous year she hadn't attended either, since she hated parties, or more specifically loud noises. Instead, she and her friends nicked a couple of bottles of butterbeer and stayed up in the dorm.

This year, Walburga pondered, if she should attend. Druella would of course be attending, she was the life and soul of the party. Perhaps this once she could make an exception.

Walburga's eyes searched the room, before landing on Druella. Druella was wearing a tight black muggle dress, something her mother would never allow Walburga to wear. The dress was short and lacy, and allowed her eyes to roam.

Her stomach clenched, and she could feel her heart beat. No one had ever made her feel like this.

She wondered if she would ever be able to go up to Druella. A wave of fear washed over her. What if she was rejected? What if Druella wasn't like her? The humiliation, the heartbreak would be too much to spare. No, perhaps it would be better if she never said anything. The feelings would go away eventually.

Walburga wandered, in search of a drink.

Late into the party, Walburga found herself making small talk with a friend when her eyes wandered towards Druella.

No. No, no, no. She felt sick to her stomach. She quickly looked away, away from Druella who was flirting shamelessly with a boy. She excused herself, and left the room, unsure of where she was going but knowing anywhere would be better than here.

She found herself in the astronomy tower.

With her eyes full of tears, she looked up at the stars her family (could she even call them, those horrible people family?) were named after.

"Hi."

Walburga jumped, and turned around only to find herself face to face with Druella.

"Walburga, isn't it? I'm Druella," she continued, "but you can call me Dru or Ella."

As if Walburga didn't know who she was.

"Why aren't you at the party?" Walburga asked, after a moment of silence.

"Why aren't you?"

"Headache," she answered, lying through her teeth.

"Ah, well, to be frank, I got quite bored." She changed the topic of the conversation, "The stars are very pretty, aren't they? I always enjoy looking at them."

You didn't seem bored earlier when you were having the time of your life with some stupid boy, she wanted to say.

"Oh. Okay," she said instead.

Druella examined her face closely, "Were you crying?"

"No."

Druella looked at her disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I was, but I'm okay now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Druella nodded, "Alright then. Have you ever been to the kitchens?"

Walburga shook her head, and Druella took her hand, causing Walburga's heart to flutter, before leading her away.

It was the best night of her entire life. Dru–as Walburga now began to call her–was so full of life. She was bright and passionate. They had sat in the kitchens, eating, drinking and talking about everything there was to talk about–family, friends, favourite bands, clothing, Quidditch (which Dru was extremely passionate about, even if she wasn't allowed to play), and just about everything else. She was everything Walburga had imagined and more.

They stayed until the wee hours of the morning and finally made their way to the common room.

The common room was eerily quiet, only the remains of the earlier party left for the house elves to clean.

Walburga stood outside the entrance of her dorm room. She smiled at Dru, unsure of what to say, "Well, goodnight then."

Druella hesitated, before pulling herself closer to Walburga, their faces only inches away, her breath hot on hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, and Walburga felt her heart race.

Dru leaned in and sparks ignited, their breaths mingled and it was over before it started. "Goodnight, Wallie," she said before disappearing off to her own dorm, leaving Walburga in a puddle of her own thoughts.

It was Walburga's first kiss, and it was truly, truly fantastic. Her heart pounded in her own chest. She changed and lay down in her bed, pulling the curtains closed before resting her head in a soft pillow.

Druella . . . she was really something, wasn't she? It was a risk when she kissed her and Dru had no way of knowing Walburga was into others of the same gender. She had no way of knowing whether Walburga would tell the whole school her truth, or possibly even write a letter to Dru's mother. It was a risk, and Walburga couldn't have been gladder Dru took it.

She fell asleep thinking of the promise of tomorrow.

author's note: I'm thinking of doing a second part to this called the promise of tomorrow. Tell me what you think

word count: 1,213 words