After the terrible struggle to get Draco into dress robes Alcina hurried down the glossy staircase. She thought Draco to right behind her but when she turned he was standing at the top unmoving. There was a great look of worry on his face although it could have been the lingering effects of the firewhiskey.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't go in there," he said. Alcina was sure it was worry that plagued him now.
"And why not?" She trampled back up the and stuck her defiant nose in his face.
"I haven't gotten my mother anything," he said as he nudged her away. Alcina sighed.
"Just...just give her a hug and tell her you love her. Mother's eat that stuff up."
"No. Both of my parents know I went out today. The only good excuse was that I went to buy my mother a gift. If I don't give her something my father will know I got no further than the Leaky Cauldron."
Alcina thought for a moment, "follow my lead then, yeah?" she said but Draco gave her a suspicious look, "just trust me." Alcina hooked her arm into the crook of Draco's and pulled him down the stairs.
When they walked through into the ballroom their parents were not far away. "Look who fell out of the fireplace," Alcina said when she and Draco reached them.
"Draco," Narcissa and Lucius said at the same time, Narcissa relieved, Lucius surprised.
"So this is Draco. I haven't seen you since you where trying to pull up Alcina's dress," Aldora cooed and wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
"That was something I wanted to relive, thank you mother," Alcina said turning red.
"Draco this Mordecai and Aldora Valcon and their daughter Alcina," Narcissa said gently.
"My other, Octavia, is still at school. I'm sure she would have loved to be here," Aldora's eyes where shiny in the glow of the chandeliers when she spoke of her younger daughter. Alcina nodded, she knew her sister would have loved it, in fact she wouldn't have been able to shut up about it. But Alcina was mainly nodding to acknowledge her mother's favoritism.
"Where were you dear?" Narcissa asked to Draco.
"Diagon Alley."
"Shopping for a present? What did you get your mother for her birthday?" Lucius sneered at his son.
"Well I erm..." Draco glanced at Alcina and then wrapped his arms around his mother and whispered, "I love you Mum."
"That's it?" Lucius asked, "a hug and a kiss?"
"Yes, Mister Malfoy," Alcina said, butting in, "Draco and I were just talking about his trip to Diagon Alley. You see he told me he couldn't find a gift that quite said 'I love you' better than actually saying it himself. You have a charming son."
Lucius look put out by Alcina's little speech.
"Well I'm sure-"
"The two of you should dance. This is Draco's favorite song," Narcissa interjected Lucius's thought, "off you two go." She scooted both Draco and Alcina to the dance floor.
"You have a charming son?" Draco scoffed as he took up Alcina's right hand and placed his on her back.
"Favorite song?" Alcina said listening to the string instruments preforming close by and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Charming?" Draco repeated.
"Hey it had to sound like I was interested in you," pair burst into the throng, "otherwise Narcissa wouldn't have tried to give us any alone time. And you'd still be over there with your father."
Draco glanced back as his father who was leading his mother over to a group of people with high brows and shining robes. He thought for a moment. Partly trying to remember dance steps but partly reminding himself how this girl he had just met had all but saved his life, twice, tonight. He looked down into her celery colored eyes and for the first time in months genuinely smiled.
"You're welcome," Alcina said and she dropped her grasp on Draco. She dipped elegantly underneath the linked arms of a dancing couple nearby and disappeared into the crowd.
Draco stood in the middle of the floor alone. His eyes searched for the dark hair of Alcina Valcon escaping from him but she had truly disappeared, like smoke twisting into the night sky. He could still feel her hand placed on his shoulder and the sweat of her palm in his. The sweet smell of her perfume still lingered in his nose and on his robes. Alcina was abrupt and sarcastic and conniving and it intrigued him to no end. He brushed off another girl trying to dance with him and chased after her.
Alcina ducked and dodged the swaying couples trying to find a place of refuge. She knew she would be spotted by someone if she tried to make it back to the sitting room. This meant she could only move forward to the tall glass doors at the other side of the ballroom. Alcina knew on the other side was a haven of flowers, bushes, and trees that she could get lost in, for that was what she often did at home, until the whole party was over.
The shrill laugh of her mother echoed in her ears causing her to pause and duck underneath the dark linen a table covered in hors d'oeuvres. She lifted the corner of the tablecloth and saw her mother and father talking to an impossibly beautiful woman. There was a young man standing next to the woman with the same high cheekbones the she sported. This would spell trouble if she could not avoid them.
The young man looked away from the conversation and locked eyes with Alcina. He lifted his eyebrows lifted creating a handsome air of confusion about him. Alcina lifted her finger to her lips and crept from under the table, keeping eye contact with the man.
"Oh Blaise," his mother said, "what are you looking at?"
Every instinct told Alcina to freeze and let her oldest and dearest friend failure escort her to her parents side. But, defying all forms of trained politeness, she made a mad dash for the beveled glass doors. As she squeezed through the small crack in between the doors she saw the young man shake his head and turn back to face his mother.
Blaise Zabini couldn't help but to keep glancing back at the doors. That girl had had the right idea: escape. He weighed the heavy pros and dwindling cons. His mother wouldn't miss him if he was gone for only a short while and besides, he could use the company of a young lady. He had made his decision.
"I'll be back mother. I'm going to get something to drink." Blaise's mother didn't even notice as he made to go after the girl. But, unfortunately, he was stopped by Draco.
"Blaise did you see a girl walk by here? She's wearing a purple dress, got brown hair, light green eyes...Any of of this ringing a bell?" Draco sounded a little frantic and there was this peculiar but familiar look in his eyes.
In the most sacred land of dibs, Draco had most definitely called her first. And that made the cons list much longer.
Blaise swallowed his pride as he often did around Draco, and said, "yeah some girl with a purple dress just went out to the garden."
"Thanks mate," Draco said, clapping him on the back. Blaise turned his head back to his mother. He should have lied to his friend. He knew that look Draco had had in his eye. One full of curiosity and lust, it was the look he got when he was on the prowl. It was the same twinkling confusion he had with all four of those girls he crushed. Blaise stepped back into his spot. It was too late for that girl now, Draco Malfoy was ready to pounce...
Draco found Alcina sitting on a bench amidst a grove of perfect lilies, hyacinth and large hydrangea bushes.
"They're beautiful," Alcina said quietly as Draco sat down next to her.
"Mother busted her back trying to get the placement of each one just right. Or at least that's what my father said." Draco repeated what he had just said to himself and shook his head at how stupid it was.
"You know what they're doing don't you?" Alcina looked up at the night sky full of stars. The question had come out of nowhere and caught Draco by surprise.
"Who's doing what?"
"'Oh Draco you two should dance,'" Alcina said, doing a perfect impression of Narcissa Malfoy, "the intimate introductions, et cetera et cetera. They're trying to set us up. Our mothers," Alcina said matter-of-factly and placed her head in her hands, "she always does this to me."
"Well you best be careful. I have heartbreaking tendencies you know."
"I don't see you breaking my heart," Alcina looked up at him through her fingers.
"I've left four girls standing up the aisle alone. I could easily do it to you."
"I wouldn't give you the chance."
"Oh and why is that?"
"I don't plan on getting-" Alcina let out a small laugh, "you know I..."
Draco's eyes widened a bit, "What?"
"I... I think we should get back to the party," Alcina said rising from the bench. She wasn't going to tell a guy she had just formally met, one who had pulled up her skirt, all of the intimate, touchy feely details of her life...
"Dora look!" Narcissa hissed into her friend's ear as they stood around the punch bowl, "what have those two been doing?" The two women watched as their children walked back into the great room both looking down and away from each other.
"Well Merlin, I'll be." For once Aldora Valcon only had four words to say.
"I'd like to make toast to my wife," Lucius announced motioning to her at his left. All of the numerous guests were seated around the long oak table awaiting the food that had been promised.
Alcina, who had been placed between Narcissa and Draco, tried to make the smile on her face look real with no avail. The night had turned down hill fast. When she and Draco had come back inside her mother rushed to her side and began questioning her relentlessly. And when Draco found that she was sitting next to him he tried, painfully, to make conversion. She just couldn't take it. Why was this so important? Why couldn't she have just stayed at home? That was where she wished she was: home. Flying her broom across the grounds of the Valcon manor, evading the tall, surrounding trees.
.Everyone raised their glasses as Lucius finished his toast.
"To Narcissa," everyone cheered. And before their eyes the food appeared in front of them.
The Valcon's had gotten the seat of honor, Mordecai at Lucius's right with his wife next to him.
"Alcina," Narcissa said as she gently laid asparagus on her plate, "your mother tells me that with her going away with your sister and your father's promotion-"
"Congratulations with that by the way Valcon," Lucius said with a slight edge in his voice.
"Yes, Mordecai. Anyway, she has told me that you'll be home alone. But I proposed to Aldora that you should come and stay with us for the summer."
Alcina choked on the piece of salmon she had just put in her mouth, "Oh?"
"I'd love to have another girl around the house. And Draco will be here. He likes quidditch just like you." Draco looked at Alcina when his mother said this.
"What do you say dear?"
"Well I..."
"Think of it as a birthday present."
Alcina began to internally panic. She didn't want to stay here, she had clearly set her summer plans out. And she distinctly remembered the period, end of story part. All eyes where on her now. Most of the guests had heard Narcissa make the offer and were looking down the table. But the most blistering stare belonged to her mother.
"Mrs. Malfoy, I couldn't possibly intrude on you in your home," Alcina said weakly.
"No intrusion at all, Alcina."
Aldora's face was hard now, threatening. "I don't see why not then."
"Wonderful," Narcissa cheered. All the guests where suddenly very interested in what was on their plates when Alcina looked back down the table. Lucius held a rather strange look on his face, like he had just endured a harsh case of indigestion.
After dinner had finished everyone had filed back out to the ballroom to munch on little tarts and cakes. Others danced, and the rest seemed to have nothing better to do than to try to get a look at Alcina. She tried to avoid their stares but she could feel them burning into her back. As she tried to make her way back outside she was scooped up and swept onto the dance floor.
"You better be careful with Draco," the tall, dark, and handsome man who saw her escape the first time said. She made to continue walking but was quickly scooped up and dragged to the dance floor.
"Yes I heard. Heartbreaking tendencies. I don't really care-"
"I'm Draco's friend," Blaise said, taking Alcina's comment wrong, it wasn't the heartbreaking she didn't care about it was everything happening around her. "I don't want to see him fall for another girl, get cold feet at the wedding, and then drink himself into oblivion to avoid his father. It's not pretty," he said as he twirled Alcina around the dance floor.
"A little more than oblivion, I think. I caught him earlier stumbling out of the floo. Lucky for him I have some kind of sympathy towards others."
"He what?"
"Hello Blaise, may I cut in," Draco stood next to the couple, "I never did get that dance with Alcina."
Blaise dropped his hands and allowed Draco to take Alcina for his partner.
"Please don't call me Alcina," she said in a low voice, "you sound like my mother."
"Then what should I call you," Draco asked as he tried to lead her in a waltz.
"Anything, just not Alcina." She quickly slipped from his grasp once more and charged the doors to the garden. Once there she had every intention on apparating out of this place.
There's the next chapter! I'm working hard on both of my stories I hope to have another In My Locket chapter up soon :). and Thanks to asininityJackal for the review!