I was stood facing my mother with no emotion on my face, I wasn't giving anything away until I knew how she'd react to seeing me. I was only a baby when she had been ripped away from me a few days after my father's murder. She was now looking at her fourteen-year-old daughter, I got most of my genes from my mother. Same green eyes, both were bright but my mother's held a certain faraway look, we both had brown hair but mine was a few shades lighter than hers. While my hair lay around my shoulders in loose curls my mother's hair was pulled back into a ponytail but some hair had escaped the tie and wove wildly around her face. She was pale and still malnourished and I could see her soul was trying to repair itself but after thirteen years in Azkaban that was going to be a hard task.
"Adria" My mother tested my name on her tongue and I was surprised to hear how soft and broken her voice was, I nodded silently and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face, "You've grown into a beautiful girl, just like we knew you would"
We. meaning her and my father and I felt a pang of loss in my chest for the father I never go to know and a lump formed in my throat, which I tried to clear with a cough, Malfoy quickly brought me some water and I downed it in one go. My mother was now looking at Malfoy with curious eyes.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't ask your name," My mother said, I could see her trying to smile but she couldn't quite manage it, my heart went out to my mother and I felt an uncontrollable surge of anger for the Potters. They made my mother this person, they had ruined her.
"Draco Malfoy" Malfoy offered with a smile, "I go to school with your daughter"
"Both Slytherins, I assume" Mother had now found her legs and she sat in a seat that was next to Narcissa, I returned to my seat next to Malfoy, and all at once food appeared on the table and we began to eat.
"Yes, ma'am" Malfoy replied and I grabbed my refilled glass for a drink to hide my smile at Malfoy's politeness, of course, Malfoy spotted this and playfully nudged me in the ribs.
"Just call me, Elena please, 'ma'am' always makes me feel older than I am," My mother said and she still had that ghost of a smile. She was here but she wasn't at the same time "I'm glad my daughter had someone with her" my food went down the wrong way which caused a coughing fit, Malfoy quickly came to my aid with some water and rubbed my back while I calmed down, I downed the water quickly and wiped the tears from my face.
"I'm so sorry" I breathed out when I was sure the coughing had stopped and I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
"It's okay, Adria, It happens to the best of us," Lucius said with a kind smile, and once again I was surprised at Lucius' kindness towards me.
"Actually, Elena, we only started getting close at the beginning of the year" Malfoy explained and my mother shot me a look and I ducked my head back down.
"Oh," My mother said and shared a confused look with Narcissa, "I thought Sev had arranged for you to stay here last summer"
"He did" I answered, "I kept to myself for three years before someone wore me down" I bumped Malfoy's shoulder with mine and he smiled brightly at me.
"Why did you isolate yourself so much?" My mother asked and I looked up at her, there was nothing familiar about the look in her eyes.
"I had to" I admitted and I felt Malfoy's eyes staring into the side of my face, "If I didn't then I would have been expelled in my first week"
"Adria!" Narcissa and my mother both scolded me and I shared an amused look with the Malfoy men.
"Why would you have been expelled?" Lucius asked me with a raise of his eyebrows and I cast a quick look at my mother when I replied.
"Honestly, it would have been one of two things" I spoke slowly, "It was either because I attacked a student or I killed them" My mother let out a little squeak at my confession and Lucius just smiled slightly in amusement. Malfoy's hand came over the top of mine underneath the table as if sensing I needed comfort, I turned my hand over and his fingers entwined with mine and I couldn't help but notice how well our hands fit and how comfortable it was.
"Who?" My mother asked shortly as if already expecting the answer.
"Harry Potter" Lucius answered for me and I noticed my mother wince at the name. "Don't worry, Elena, he'll pay for what his father did to your family" Mother nodded quickly and wiped her eyes quickly, I didn't miss the look of confusion on Malfoy's face but I kept my eyes off him. That was something he didn't need to know. Yet.
"I know," Mother said and she smiled again, "I made Luke a promise and I intend to keep it"
"Mother," I spoke up when a piece of information surfaced in my mind about my father when she spoke his name, "I learned something about Father in school this year" The table fell silent and Malfoy's hand tightened around mine, my mother looked at me expectantly. "Does the name Zabini ring a bell at all?"
"Yes, it does" My mother nodded, "Why do you ask?"
"I'm sorry in advance if you didn't know" I started and my leg started to bounce under the table, "But Father had an affair with Zoe Zabini"
"I know," Mother said in a clipped tone, which should have been my warning to shut up but I didn't.
"So you know about the child they had together?"
Narcissa gasped loudly, dropping her fork on the plate and Lucius had an unreadable look on his face. Malfoy was just sat silently holding my hand under the safety of the dining room table.
"Blaise" My mother nodded, "I knew of him, yes, Luke never could keep anything from me" She had a small knowing smile on her face before she raised her eyes to me. "A little known fact about my side of the family, we're gifted Occlumens and also exceptionally gifted at Legilimency" I exchanged a wide-eyed look with Malfoy before I looked at my mother again. "I suspect that these gifts have been passed down to you"
"Well, that's just made protecting my mind a lot easier" I muttered quietly and Malfoy snorted into his water but covered it up with a cough.
"Occlumens is a gift that you also possess, Draco" Narcissa added and Malfoy looked at his mother in surprise.
"Now you tell me!" Malfoy said with a grin aimed straight at his mother.
The rest of the dinner went by smoothly, Mother was happy with the progress I was making in school and she especially enjoyed the stories about Malfoy and I tormenting Harry Potter, even Lucius got a few laughs out of it. At the end of dinner, Malfoy and I excused ourselves from the table and tried to make a quick escape upstairs but my mother stopped us.
"Draco! Adria!" We turned around and saw my mother coming towards us with an unreadable look on her face.
"Everything okay?" I asked as the three of us climbed the stairs that led to the bedrooms that lined the hallway.
"For now, everything's fine but I wanted to talk to you before bed" my mother paused outside a door that I assumed was her own room, Malfoy went to continue down the hall to his own room thinking my mother wanted me alone, "Draco, you can stay" Malfoy paused and looked at me and only came back to my side when I nodded at him slightly.
"You're not going to tell me you're a Gryffindor are you?" I asked with a small smile and my mother tried to laugh but failed, once again I felt a stab of hatred. "Oh Salazar no!" My mother gasped, "You come from a long line of Slytherins, Adria"
"Well that's a relief," I remarked and Malfoy laughed softly beside me.
"On a serious note, you both know something's coming" Malfoy and I nodded together, "Good, you both need to be prepared. I suspect things are going to change very soon"
"I figured as much when Severus shipped me off," I said bitterly and my mother tutted at me.
"Adria, you know Severus's alliance and duties" Mother scolded me and I ducked my head again mumbling an apology, "You both best be off to bed before Narcissa comes up, goodnight you two" Then Mother quickly slipped into her room and shut the door quietly, I sighed and headed to my room at the end of the hall. I paused with my hand on the handle and turned to Malfoy who had also stopped with his hand on the handle of his own door that was next to mine.
"Goodnight, Morrigan" Malfoy said with a small smile and quickly slipped inside his own room, I shook my head and entered my own room and I was surprised by the sheer size of it.
It was a spacious room, the walls lined with bookcases filled with books, a couple of black high-backed chairs that lay in front of the bookcases, a large window with a window seat faced the back of the Manor, and a large bed was positioned in the middle of the back wall and a large wooden wardrobe sat in the far corner. It seemed a bit much for a room that people slept in, I quickly changed my clothes for a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt before slipping in between the covers of the huge bed.
I couldn't sleep despite how comfortable the bed was, I rolled over onto my back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling. Something just wasn't sitting right with me, my mother had escaped Azkaban and sought asylum with the Malfoy's. Severus decided last summer that I would move in with the family, a part of me can't help but feel it was all planned. It didn't matter if I opened up to Malfoy or not, either way, I would have been sent here. There's something coming and it was big.
A knock on my door made me jump a little bit and I slid off the bed quickly heading for the door, I pulled the door open slightly and I was surprised to see Malfoy standing just outside my door.
"I heard you moving around" Malfoy explained when he saw the look on my face, "I couldn't sleep either" I pulled open the door a bit wider and Malfoy quickly stepped in and I shut my door again. I sat on the end of my bed while Malfoy chose to sit in one of the black chairs in front of the bookcases.
"You can feel it too?" I asked picking at my bed shorts absentmindedly.
"Yeah, the tension from our parents was a big giveaway, my father has been sneaking out more and more lately, we don't have a clue what he's doing," Malfoy said quietly and a thought came to my mind which made me feel sick to my stomach.
"He's coming back" I whispered and Malfoy looked at me sharply.
"No, he's dead"
"You don't even sound convinced at your own words" I teased and he rolled his eyes, "It makes sense, though, Severus is no longer able to care for me, my mother, who is a well-known supporter of the Dark Lord, has broken out of prison and your father is being sketchy"
"You have a point, if he does return the wizarding world will be plunged into war again," Malfoy said and his grey eyes met mine, "We'll have to pick sides"
"I already know what side I'm going to be on" I stated and Malfoy frowned, "The side that will keep me and my family alive, I was raised on one side and I have to see that through. For my father"
"We were both raised on the same side, Morrigan" Malfoy reminded me and I nodded, "But there's one thing you've forgotten" Malfoy stood up and came to sit beside me on my bed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in, I quickly wrapped my own arms around his waist and placed my head on his shoulder.
"What's that then?" I asked and Malfoy laughed quietly, my heart started thundering against my chest and my stomach was twisting and turning out of nervousness, the same thing that happens every time Malfoy touches me.
"You've got me and I've got you"