Quenched by Love
By Trephinia Cealyn
Chapter 2 | Squiggley's
Flute was in an odd mood: part of her was excited that Tom asked her to go out on a date with him, the other part of her was extremely mad at her father. At this current moment the happy part of her had won out and she was picking out something to wear. She didn't want to dress to formal but she didn't want to dress to casual either. She had thrown her whole closet on the floor and she still didn't have anything to wear. She almost screamed she was so infuriated. She had millions of galleons and not a thing to wear. Taking a deep breath she decided that there might be something in the attic where she kept her winter things.
Climbing the attic stairs with a house elf following her carrying a lamp she opened up her chest of winter things and threw robe after robe onto the dusty floor. Nothing. Not one thing would be fit for tonight. Flute was about to trudge back downstairs and conjure up something when she saw another chest at the very far corner of the attic. She walked over to it slowly and brushed away the dust that had collected on top of it. There was a faint inscription on it, 'This chest belongs to: Ginny Weasley' Flute gasped and tried to open the chest. Locked. She held up her wand and whispered the unlocking spell. She heard a clicking sound and then she pushed up on the lid. It fell back with a loud bang and Flute held her breath. No one came up stairs. Flute peered into the trunk. Nothing she was about to walk away when she saw a glint on the bottom of the trunk. She felt around and fabric met her fingertips. She pulled it out and gasped. It would do very nicely.
"Flute!" she heard her father yell, "The Potters are here! Get down here!" Flute smiled and the house elf helped her put it on in the dark attic. Flute quickly put her hair up in a fashionable bun and ran down the attic steps pausing at the top of the steps that led down to the front foyer. She took a deep breath and walked slowly down the steps.
Draco watched as his daughter descended the steps. She wore emerald dress robes. They were vaguely familiar to him. Tom's jaw dropped as Flute paused halfway down the steps letting them take in the dress. The dress was velvet an emerald color that made her look like the perfect Slytherin with her silvery hair and eyes. The dress robes were modest but also tight in all the right places and they seemed to be custom made for her.
"Where did you find that?" Draco said in a choked voice. Tom looked over at him and his eyes were watering.
"Isn't that Ginny's dress?" Harry asked smiling at Flute, "The one she wore to that ball where you proposed to her Draco."
Draco stiffened and looked up at his daughter, "I'm only allowing you to go tonight if you are back here at 10:30." Flute nodded. "Next time you go poking around in the attic please warn me before you start wearing your mother's things." Draco smiled faintly, "She would have wanted to be here for you first date." Flute trembled and with great effort didn't cry.
"We'll wait outside," Harry said and pulled Tom out the door. Flute ran down the rest of the steps and to her father stopping only a foot in front of him.
"Sorry dad," she said quietly. He smiled and pulled her into a hug. Flute felt a few tears slide down her cheeks.
Draco pulled away, "Don't let me ruin your night." He said in a very fatherly way, "You go and have fun we'll talk about this when you get back," he said nodding at the dress. "You look just like your mother did when she wore it. Promise me you won't come back engaged to a Potter?"
Flute giggled and nodded she brushed the tears away, "Do I look alright?" Draco nodded and turned away.
"Go on, he's waiting for you." She noticed his shoulders shake. "Oh and Flute," Flute turned back, "If he hurts you I'll be forced to kill him."
"I know father, I know" she opened the door and saw Tom and Harry waiting next to a car from the Ministry.
"Ready?" Tom asked. Flute nodded.
"You kids have fun," Harry said and raised his wand ready to apparate, "Oh and Tom make sure Flute is back by 10:30."
"Oh and Tom if you hurt my little sister I'll kill you," Talon whispered grabbing Tom's elbow and pulling him away from Flute.
Tom glared at him, "You are five second's older than her."
"Hey, hey those are five seconds that I cherish in my heart okay?" Talon said and walked back into the house slamming the door behind him.
"You kids have fun." Harry said pushing them towards the car. "To Squiggley's," he said to the driver. The car roared off. The door to the house opened Draco stepped out pulling on a cloak. "Where are you going?" Harry said smirking.
Draco sneered, "You think you're so great Potter," Draco muttered and turned back around to the house.
"Come on now Flute can take care of herself and Tom is a good kid," Harry said following Draco into his house.
"Oh the stories I could tell you Potter," Draco said closing the door.
"So where did you get the dress?" Tom asked after an uncomfortable silence.
Flute, trying to remember which spoon was used for which purpose and what that tiny little fork was supposed to do and didn't answer for quite some time until she realized that he had asked her about the dress, "It was my mum's I found it in the attic." She smiled at him all the while saying to herself, 'DON'T TOUCH THE SOUP SPOON UNLESS YOU ARE HAVING SOUP!'
Tom nodded and tried to think of something else to say then realized that this was Flute here not some silly Ravenclaw. He started to laugh at his silliness. Flute glanced over at him quizzically and then for no reason started to laugh also.
"Why are we laughing?" Flute asked between giggles.
"I'm not sure," Tom, said trying to calm down, "something about the uncomfortable silence was slightly amusing in a strange way."
"Ah," Flute said, "Potter! Would you mind informing the class on what you are laughing about?" Flute said in her best Snape impression. Tom lost whatever hold he had on his laughter and it burst out from him.
"I'd like to see the look on Snape's face when he finds out we went on a date," Tom said after he had his fill of laughter.
Flute nodded, "He'd probably blame your dad and mum for bringing you up with higher expectations that what you should expect for your station in life."
"And then he'd blame your father for bringing you up with lower expectations that what you should expect from your station in life," Tom added, "And then he would get confuddled by all of the spects and tions and then he would be sent away to some mental facility."
"Where he would mumble 'expecting lower quality stations to higher expections of stapects' and be fed raw mush!" Flute giggled and touched Tom lightly on the arm.
"They still make that?" he said in a quieter voice.
Flute lowered her head shyly, "In some countries."
"I would have thought that they would ban the horrid stuff," Tom said in a whisper. He leaned closer to her.
Flute smiled faintly and her eyes widened a bit, "I guess it has some healthy qualities."
Tom smiled, "What were we talking about?" He asked and then closed the space between their lips. Flute pulled away and gasped.
"Was that supposed to happen?" she asked putting her hand to her lips.
"Did you like it?"
"I dunno. Did you?"
"Not sure."
"Should we try it again?"
"Okay." Tom shrugged and kissed her again, this time it lasted a little longer. The car stopped and Flute pulled away hurriedly and blushed. "Did you like it that time?"
Flute's blush deepened and she nodded shyly, "Mmm hmm," she slipped her hand into his as the car door opened and they stepped in front of Squiggley's.
A tall Victorian house that floated two feet off the ground with pink shutters and a matching pink door, it was the perfect Wizarding hang out. It had been around since before Hogwarts and will be there for long after, everyone said. Once a majestic castle, sitting precariously on the edge of a cliff, that overlooked the ocean, it now was a shabby Victorian style house. The mountain holding it up had faded away; the spell binding it to the ground had warped; so it floated happily above the ground with a very homey air about it as it bounced merrily in the air stretching to accommodate the new arrivals and shrinking back to fit after they left. Flute's jaw had dropped and Tom had gently closed it whispering, "Beautiful eh?" Flute could only nod. Silly as though it may seem to call a shoddy, slapdash, mismatched, house beautiful but it was—in its own unique way.
"Hello children," said a snobby man wearing a suit and holding a clipboard. "Are you lost?"
Flute's eyes immediately narrowed. "Let me handle this," she whispered to Tom, "Excuse me," she glanced at his tag, "Walter but I am Flute Sephrenia Malfoy and this is Thomas Potter, and by those names alone we should be allowed immediate access into this establishment. Fortunately we have reservations. Under the name Potter. Harry Potter."
"Miss Malfoy, so sorry I didn't recognize you—"
"Enough of this chatter take us to our table please," Flute cut him off and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Yes, yes of course." The man hurried off with Flute and Tom following him at a more leisurely pace.
"You handled that very nicely Miss Malfoy," Tom said pulling out her seat for her, "Like a real courtier."
"Thank you Mr. Potter," Flute said with a smile and laid her napkin on her lap. "I'll have the Salmon with lots of lemon juice please." Flute said to the waiter who was waiting on them.
"Same." Tom said, "Only a little lemon and some butter."
"Ugh. That's how Talon eats it. I can't stand it."
"Well then you don't have to eat it."
"Must you be so incorrigible?"
"I thought that was what you liked about me?"
"No, I only liked the pretty face."
"And if it was scarred?"
"Well it depends on where it was," Flute said with a very suggestive wink. Tom blushed.
"I see." He said simply, grateful that the food had come.
Tom walked Flute to the doorway and stopped her, even though they were going in together.
"I had a really good time." Flute smiled and pointed to the sky, "Look it's a shooting star."
"The only star I'm concerned about is the one standing in front of me." Tom said and kissed her.
"That was really corny." Flute said and kissed him back. She broke away and ran through the door, "Father I'm home!"
"Good," Draco said coming into the room like a storm, "Where is the little shit? He's a minute late!" Tom whimpered and ran up the steps grabbing Talon and making a run for his room.
A/N: Remember people; Tom is only fourteen that is why nothing major happens here okay? Draco was at least in his sixth year when him and Ginny did stuff. That's it that's the end, now go and wait twiddle thumbs while the next chapter is written.