Chapter 11

"Do you think your family will like me?" Mara asked.

Lucy turned away from the window and looked at her friend. "Of course they will. Aunt Bella is a little" she hesitated "weird, but she means well." She was still trying to get the events of the last few days out of her head, and going hone wasn't going to help one bit. Having Mara would help though.

"If you say so." Mara said, returning to her knife sharpening.

"You can do that magically, you know." Lucy said.

"The blade dulls too quickly if I do that." Mara replied, inspecting her work. "The magical way isn't always better."

"I cook without magic sometimes. It's pretty good."

"My family cooks without magic all of the time."

"I never would have guessed."

"Better mark that one down on the calendar, Lucy used sarcasm."

"I learned from the best."

Mara took a mock bow. "You're too kind. Really, you are. Take it down a notch."

Lucy laughed and opened a package of every flavor beans. "Take a guess." She said, holding up a red one.

"Cayenne pepper."

"Please not again. I'm hoping for cherry." She placed it on her tongue. "Definitely blood." She said after she finished chewing. "Your turn." She offered the box to Mara.

"Nope. I refuse to play your destructive game."

"It's candy, Mara. Not Russian Roulette."

"Russian Roulette is more fun."

"You haven't."

"Not with real guns. Only the grown-ups are allowed to do that."

"I honestly can't tell if you are being serious or joking sometimes."

Mara shrugged. "It's part of the fun."

Lucy picked another red bean out of the package.

"It's not going to be cherry." Mara said.

"I'm going to find a cherry one eventually."

"When's the last time you found a cherry one?"

"When we were second years. Two years ago." Lucy replied after a moment's deliberation.

"Why are they so special?"

"They're the best ones."

"Lucy."

"Yeah?"

"You hold in your hand a package of every flavor beans."

"Yeah…?"

"Literally. Every. Flavor."

"Uh huh."

"There are flavors like warm apple pie and well-aged wine and literally anything you can think of and your favorite is cherry?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"You're weird."

"You didn't need to prove that." She said, testing another red bean. "Strawberry shortcake." She sighed. "Shouldn't have trusted the yellow specks."

"You disappoint me."

"See, it's already like you're a member of the family."

"Do you want the grand tour or do you want to raid the kitchen first?" Lucy asked as Mara put her things away in the guest bedroom closest to her own room.

"Grand is right." Mara said. "We can hit the kitchen first on the tour."

"If my personal kitchen hasn't been restocked yet we can use the big one." Lucy said as they walked down the hall.

"You have your own kitchen?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "This entire wing of the house is mine. Mom and Dad like to keep me away from their other – guests – so they gave me my own space."

"I have my own bathroom at home. Mom was tired of me threatening to kill my brothers for forgetting to turn the fan on."

"What's a fan?"

"It's an electronic device that moves air."

"Electronics are kind of like Muggle magic, right?"

"Yeah." Mara gave her a strange look.

"What?"

"You were sheltered as a child, weren't you?"
"My parents are Death Eaters. I know a lot about Muggles. Just nothing true or flattering. Anyway, here's the kitchen." She said quickly, opening the door for Mara.

Mara looked around the room. It was plainer than expected. "I was expecting pink counters."

"I asked but Mother said that it all had to match the rest of the house. I've got purple potholders though!" Lucy grinned, holding up a set.

"Of course you do."

Lucy beamed and began opening cabinets. "Oh good. It has been restocked. Want anything in particular?"

Mara sat on the edge of the island counter. "What are my options?"

"Anything you want. Name it, and I can make it."

"Chocolate chip cookies."

"Mara."

"You said anything I wanted."

Lucy tapped her nail against a bell hanging beneath one of the cabinets, and a house-elf appeared with a crack beside Mara, who startled, grabbed the nearest knife.

"Mistress Lucy, you're back!" The elf exclaimed.

"Hi Pere! I'm back for winter vacation. This is my friend, Mara."

The elf bowed. "Nice to meet your acquaintance."

"Likewise." Mara said, setting the knife back on the counter.

"Does the kind, sweet mistress and her friend need anything?"

"Do you happen to have any chocolate chip cookies in the big kitchen?"

"Why yes, Master Draco asked for them especially. But what need do you have for them, miss?"

"Mara would like some, please, if it's not too much trouble."

"None at all, Miss." Pere bowed again before disappearing and returning seconds later with a plate of still warm cookies. "For you, Miss Mara." He said, handing them to her.

"Thank you Pere, you're the best."

"You are too kind." The elf smiled. "Would you be needing anything else?"

"Not right now. Take a break if you haven't already today."

"I will try, miss." The elf bowed again before disappearing.

Mara took a bite of cookie. "You lied. You said you would make anything I wanted."

"I didn't expect you to ask for chocolate."

"I didn't expect the house-elf."

"This place is full of surprises. They are a few of the good ones."

"Can I have some milk with these?"

"Of course." Lucy opened the ice chest and pulled out a bottle of milk. "Do you want a big goblet or a little one?" She asked, opening the glassware cupboard.

"Big enough to dunk a cookie." Mara replied, holding one up for reference.

Lucy picked a medium sized one and filled it with milk.

"These cookies are really good." Mara said, taking the goblet from her.

"They make amazing oatmeal raisin cookies too. And sugar cookies shaped like little hearts. I actually learned to cook from them."

"Your mom didn't teach you?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure my mother knows how to cook. The big kitchen is where I used to hide from my family. If they wanted food they would just order an elf to make something for them, so they never went in there."

"That doesn't sound too bad actually, having a ton of servants to do everything for me."

Lucy shrugged. "I like knowing how to do things for myself."

The door to the kitchen opened, and Bellatrix waltzed in. "How did I know you brats would be in here?"

"Hi Aunt Bella, this is Mara." Lucy smiled.

"Whatever. I didn't break out of Azkaban to babysit, so you two stay out of my way and I won't use you for target practice. Okay?"

"Anything you say auntie. If you feel like family time you know where to find us." Lucy's smile didn't waver.

Mara looked at the both of them and decided to stay quiet.

"I'm sure I won't. If you hear any screams from the dungeon, just be happy they aren't you." With that, she left, leaving the door swinging behind her.

"I thought you said she liked you."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "Auntie Bella loves me. I'm her favorite."

"If you say so."

"Isn't that how your family shows affection too, by not killing each other?"

"Sort of." Mara said, breaking a cookie in half to dunk it. "There really won't be screams from the dungeon, will there?"

"If there are we're on the wrong side of the house to hear them. This wing is above the wine cellar."

"Can I have a look at this wine cellar?"

"If you want, but we have to stay away from all the rare vintages. Daddy keeps track of those."

"You're actually going to let me drink?"

Lucy shrugged. "If you want. You're the guest."

"What if I wanted to lock your brother in the dungeon?"

"Might be difficult getting the keys from Auntie, but if I convince her I'm interested in the family business she'll hand them right over."

"You're joking."

"That time I was. Auntie never hands over the dungeon keys."

"You're not going to tell me I can't lock your brother in the dungeon?"

"Honestly I want to see what your methods of getting him down there are. I tried once when we were little but changed my mind halfway through."

"Are you sure you belong in this family?"

"Yes. Mother had tests run. I am 100% Malfoy."

"You don't seem very proud."

Lucy shrugged. "They'll see things my way someday."

"What made you decide to try locking him in the dungeon anyway?"

"He had taken to abusing the house-elves, so I decided he needed a long time out."

"You really are a Hufflepuff."

"The Sorting Hat had a lot of difficulty placing me actually."

"Where else did it want to place you?"

"Slytherin actually." She blanched. "I begged to be placed anywhere else." She had argued with the hat for ages (you're a Malfoy, it's where you belong – forget about my name, please, I'm different I swear).

"You'd make a terrible Slytherin. You'd try and brighten up the place."

"A little sunshine wouldn't hurt you guys."

"You don't know that."

"I still don't understand why it took the hat so long to place you, Mara."

"I am a Muggle-born. It didn't want to place me somewhere I wouldn't belong. I threatened the hat with fire when it offered Hufflepuff, and that's what finally landed me in Slytherin."

"You didn't."

"I had matches in my pocket for just such an occasion."

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff."

"It's better than Gryffindor, I suppose. That house is full of brazen idiots."

"There's a few you like."

"No. There's one you like, so I allow him to exist. The rest are morons."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah." Mara said after a moment's mock deliberation.

"There's a blush on your cheeks that says you're lying." Lucy sang.

"There's a knife with your name on it that says I'm not." Mara replied in kind.

I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!

-Zen