The Darkest of Roses
Chapter 52: A Rosy Ending
AuthorNotes: This is the officail ending of the TDOR part one series. Please look out for part two, Inscrutably So, out in a few months. Thank you all for sticking with me. I love you! :)
Stepping off the train was the hardest thing Abigail had to do. She had Heather beside her and Leon was adjacently behind her to the left. She had gathered her things and found her eyes drifting around the crowds, searching for the one person she shouldn't be searching for. She didn't see his blond hair standing out or his stride, so confident and cocky anywhere near so she pulled her trunk behind her and looked around.
"Sis!" She looked over and grinned as Darwin barreled into her with his arms wrapped around her waist. "I can't wait to hang out with auntie Kendra and uncle!" Abigail smiled and ruffled the kid's hair before gathering his stuff next to hers.
"I'll see you guys next year," Abigail stated, smiling over at Heather and Leon who both smiled.
"Owl me if you need anything," Heather whispered as she wrapped her arms around Abigail's shoulders, hugging her tightly. Abigail was glad for the hug, smiling as Darwin laced his hand with hers. It was strange since most boys his age didn't like hanging onto mother's hand or their older sister's hand. Darwin was on the more confident side and really did not care. Heather backed away and smiled, heading off toward the family spots. Leon smiled at her.
"So, let me know if you're plans changed," he stated and stepped up to wrap his arms around her. Abigail thought her body was going to stiffen but surprisingly, his hug was comforting and she found herself glad of that hug as well, hugging into it. Leon pulled back and without warning, leaned in and pushed his lips against hers for all about two seconds and smiled turning and walking away. Abigail watched him leave, not really sure on how to react to that. She was definitely not ready for anything romantic but it left an odd, uneasy squirm in her chest.
She turned back to Darwin, smiled and went to walk forward but her heart jumped up into her throat and her chest ached as she saw Draco staring at her with a blank expression. He had an expression in his eyes that she couldn't name. She glanced left to right, hoping this wasn't another damned hallucination but it felt real. He walked through the crowd toward her, stopping a person's length away from her. Darwin glanced up at the two, frowning and quite confused.
"Sis?" he mumbled but she barely glanced at him as Draco stepped forward to be more directly in front of her. Was he going to kiss her? Was he going to invite her to his place for the summer? Merlin knew she'd probably blurt out yes, not thinking of consequences or her little brother.
"I just wanted to wish you a good summer vacation," he started, lifting his hand up and handing out a neatly sealed envelope that had her name scribbled on the front. Abigail glanced down at it and timidly took it, holding it to her stomach. He seemed to linger there and she had half the notion to take him into her arms then, push her lips against his and end this folly. But Abigail's luck sucked:
"Abby, darling, over here!" Abigail looked over, startled to see Aunt Kendra, beautiful as she was, waving and hoping up and down with an excited grin. Abigail smiled and looked back but Draco was gone; he didn't even have a trail. Her heart began to thump madly in pain and she reached up, rubbing her hand against her sternum.
"Sis, are you okay?" Darwin asked. Abigail looked down at him with tears collecting in her eyes and nodded her head. His hand squeezed hers and he went to say something but she turned and started to walk in the direction of her aunt with her luggage behind her. Aunt Kendra was still hopping slightly by the time the two reached her.
"Hey, Aunt Kendra, glad you're here on time!" Abigail greeted, faking happiness for her aunt's sake. Kendra smiled and leaned in, hugging her tightly. Kendra was tall, lithe and very pale in every way. She had white-blond hair pulled up into a ponytail with grey eyes, her skin was light and she hardly had any beauty marks or birthmarks. She was wearing a black pea coat that ended at her mid-thighs with a pair of black pants. She had on black gloves as well.
"I'm so happy to see you two. Ben is out in the car so we better get going so we can start with the fun!" Kendra exclaimed after hugging Darwin. She gathered a few bags to help and the three headed through the crowded lobby, out to the outside world and toward the streets of London. It was a beautiful day with a slight sharp wind blowing from their lefts.
Kendra's black sedan was waiting for them with her husband, Ben leaning against it with a magazine in his hands. He was tall, dark and handsome, literally. He had curly black hair with a shadow around his jaw line with dark eyes; he also had the most beautiful smile that Abigail had ever seen, aside from Draco's rare smile. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt.
"Hey, you two!" he greeted, walking forward and embracing Darwin first and then smiling warmly as Abigail. His eyes seemed to stare into hers and his smile faltered slightly before he hugged her. "What's wrong? Tell me later," he whispered before pulling back and lacing his hand with Kendra's, who smiled and sauntered over to the sedan to open the trunk. "The house is all prepared and we're going to have a large stew dinner tonight just for you two and Jacob and Nicholas."
Jacob and Nicholas were their two children; Jacob was eleven years old and would be joining Hogwarts this upcoming year. His birthday wasn't until November so technically he was only ten, but it counted. Nicholas was only seven years old and was, in Abigail's opinion, the most driven little boy ever. He was quite the daredevil and Abigail saw him being sorted into Gryffindor when his time at Hogwarts came.
"Does Jacob still have his broom? I don't have mine but I could get one at Diagon alley and we could practice playing quidditch. I plan on joining when I can!" Darwin said as his stuff was piled into the back of the sedan and heading to the back seat as Kendra chatted with him. Ben held back, lugging her stuff into the trunk as well. He looked over at her and sighed as he heaved her trunk into the, well, trunk.
"I can see it in your eyes, Abby-doll," he whispered, making sure that Kendra didn't hear. Abigail was very close to this uncle, so much that he was like a second father to her. "What happened this year? You look broken." She almost broke down then but she sucked a deep breath inward and smiled.
"I'm fine, uncle. I just had a rough year is a-all," she stated, cursing her voice for breaking. Ben frowned and shoved the last of the luggage into the trunk before slamming it shut.
"Abby, don't lie to me. When we get home, we'll talk, ok? I'm real good at advice and listening, and doing the whole therapy thing. How do you think I met your aunt?" he stated, one-arm hugging her before heading to the driver side. Abigail almost fell down from how weak her knees were. She steadied herself and walked to the driver side back seat and slid inside, next to Darwin.
Abigail had hoped her luck would torture her to let her glimpse Draco one last time from pulling away from the express, but he came from a pureblood family and more than likely, they apparated to and fro the express. She frowned and leaned her head on the window as Kendra played some techno rap music, singing along with the songs she knew, along with Darwin, as they drove the streets of London. Usually she'd participate but she didn't feel like singing; she was not in the singing mood.
By the time they reached their house, which was a small and quaint thing, Abigail's mood decreased even more. She still had Draco's letter in her hand, which she hadn't noticed at all and like the blind people they were, they hadn't noticed it. She glanced down at it as everyone filed out, still chatting. She had the urge to open it but would to that later. She slid out and helped her uncle with the luggage, lugging into the house as Darwin sauntered inside, yelling out Jacob's name.
Ben kept glancing worriedly over at her, but she just ignored it as she shoved her luggage against the wall of the foyer. Her parents' house wasn't immensely large but it was two storied. Her favorite stairs were to the right, where she slid down the railings every year before leaving for Hogwarts and the kitchen was to the left. She knew her bedroom was upstairs, waiting for her, and Darwin's upstairs as well, but to the right of the stairs inside of left like hers. Her parents' bedroom was the huge master bedroom downstairs with the large bathroom with the large Jacuzzi tub; she figured Kendra and Ben was staying in that room for their visit. Abigail would.
"I'll go get started on supper!" Kendra stated as she whisked away, toward the kitchen and Ben smiled at her, helping her with her luggage up the stairs. She could hear Jacob's excited and shrill voice from Darwin's bedroom, along with Darwin's just as excited voice. Those two were best buddies, and if they hadn't been born a year apart, they would've been Hogwarts buddies as well but that'll start next year. Jacob had the potential to be a Hufflepuff too.
"So, Abby…" Ben stated as they lugged her stuff into her bedroom.
"Please, uncle Ben, I don't want to talk about it," Abigail mumbled, turning to her as her eyes betrayed her, starting to fill with tears. She hastily wiped at them but that seemed to make it worse. "I j-just want t-to be alone, r-right now. I'll t-talk to you later, okay?" Ben frowned and seemed reluctant but nodded all the same, hugged her and headed out of the bedroom with a soft rap of the door.
Abigail turned and crawled onto her bed, grabbing one of her pillows and hugging it to her chest, allowing herself to break. Her tears rolled endlessly out of her eyes as her sobs echoed against her pillow; she knew the others wouldn't hear her. Darwin was having too much fun with Jacob, and probably Nicholas and the two adults were downstairs. Abigail hoped Ben was downstairs and not perched outside her room, but at this time she didn't care.
She pulled the letter from against her chest and stared at it, loving the angle and sharpness of her name written in Draco's hand. She wiped her eyes and nibbled on her bottom lip, breathing raggedly as she started to open it. She reached in and pulled the letter out, unfolding it. Something golden fell out of the letter and tumbled onto the pillow slid and fell to her floor. Abigail crawled to the edge of her bed and peered down at the beautiful golden necklace lying on the floor, staring up at her as if she wounded it.
Her lips started quivering as she reached down and held it up as she sat up with the letter clutched in her hand. There was a melted golden outline of rose petals around a pink diamond filled center in an almost heart shape with a row of silver diamonds crossing over it. It had a golden chain link but as she breathed out heavily, the petals of the outline waved and weaved as the diamonds glittered like water. It took her breath away.
Abigail looked down at the letter; it wasn't very long and only a couple sentences.
Abigail,
I know I said I wouldn't bother you if you didn't want me to and I know I messed up by standing you up in the Astronomy tower. I really wanted to meet you. You have no idea how much it bugged me not to see you but you have to understand, due to your current condition. I like you a lot but I am not ready for something like that, to be honest. I told myself I wouldn't write you after standing you up, but I feel there were blank sentences and missing paragraphs from our chapters spent together.
I saw this necklace and found it to be pretty close to how beautiful you are. By the time of next year, if you wear it on the first day, I'll know that you and I are still on speaking terms. I wish you all the best and hope you have a good summer.
Draco L. Malfoy
Abigail stared at the letter, clutching the necklace with her fist. She didn't understand the "current condition" part of it. If he meant her slightly down mood, then she didn't understand that. She set the letter down, noticing that her eyes were no longer tearing up. She sighed and wiped at them to clear them even more before latching the necklace around her neck, fingering the beautiful rose piece at the end. It fluttered at the touch of her fingers and she sighed, laying back and staring up at the ceiling.
She wanted to cry but felt her eyes were wiped out. She took a ragged breath inward and blinked a few times before sitting up, pausing as her bedroom door started to open. Her eyes widened as she saw the person on the other side of that door. Her heart thumped from a far different reason and she had no idea what to say or do. The person seemed just a shocked as she was, but in a different way.
"Mom?"
~The End~
(( To View The Necklace: h t t p : / / w w w. c r y s t a l s h o p p i n g . com / red - r o s e - n e c k l a c e - i n - s w a r o v s k i - c r y s t a l _ p 7 8 0 . h t m l - just take out the spaces xD ))
