Well thank you to the all of one person who reviewed my story and no saman
you don't count, becuz ur like family and I'm not counting you! But I still
want you to review, and all you other people if you read my story I'm
begging you to review! And sorry I took so long posting I was on vacation
all of July.
Chapter 4
Tessa awoke the next morning to the sun streaming in her wide-open windows. She could've sworn she had closed them last night when it was raining. Maybe some maid had opened them. She looked over to the fireplace though and it was still empty and full of ash, so the maid couldn't have come. She looked over to her door and saw that the hook lock was set and she knew for sure she hadn't done that. Just then she heard someone stir in her bed and looked over to Draco snuggled into the covers. She let out a small laugh and planted a kiss on his forehead. He blinked his eyes open slowly and gave her a small smile.
"Mornin'," he whispered to Tessa, before closing his eyes again.
"Where'd you come from?" she asked him snuggling into his warm body.
"I came in last night, you were already asleep and I couldn't sleep without you," he answered her wrapping his arms around her. Tessa melted into his touch and sighed with appreciation at the delicateness of it. She ran her fingers through his blonde hair feeling the softness of it. She could stay forever in his arms for all eternity.
"That's so sweet," she finally replied. "What are we up to today?"
"Diagon Alley," he answered her, "school supplies."
"Goodie!" she exclaimed with thick sarcasm. "I don't want school to start in a week, I want this summer to last forever."
She went to give him a kiss when the door was knocked upon. He scrambled out of her bed and ran into her bathroom, shutting the door. Tessa got out of her bed and unlocked the door to see one of the maids standing outside the door, with a towel for her to take a shower, the outfit she had picked out the day before ironed, and breakfast.
"Ms. Narcissa says that you will be leaving for Diagon Alley, by means of floo powder at exactly twelve P.M." the girl informed her as she came into the room to set down her breakfast on the coffee table. She then hung the clothing from a hook on the inside of the closet door and went towards the bathroom to put the towel in.
"I'll take it," Tessa said quickly grabbing her towel away from the maid, who was heading straight for Draco's hiding space.
"Very well then," the maid replied a bit confused that Tessa wished to do her job for her.
The maid walked over to the door and let herself out closing it with a click. Tessa ran over to it fastening the hook lock, while Draco emerged from the bathroom. He had this evil grin on his face and Tessa could tell he was up to something. He had both his arms behind his back, most likely hiding something. He walked over to her stealthily and she took a couple steps back. Then he was at it. He pulled the shaving cream out from behind his back and starting spraying her with it. It was going all over the place, in her hair, in her mouth when she laughed. She advanced on him trying to grab the shaving cream and just succeeded in slipping on a pile on the floor and falling into him. As he tried to catch her he lost his balance on some more shaving cream on the floor as well and fell to his butt. The bottle flew from his hands and landed on one of her couches. Tessa attempted to stand up and grab the bottle, when she slipped again falling on Draco. She took some shaving cream from the floor and rubbed it into his beautiful blond hair, that she had been in love with since she had seen him. They both sat there laughing for what seemed the better part of an hour till the clock chimed eleven.
"Oh my god, we're leaving at 12, I only have an hour to get ready. Out, out!" Tessa ordered Draco bracing herself against her couch back to stand up. Obligingly Draco lifted himself up off the floor with a little difficulty and unlocked her door, looking both ways till dashing across the corridor. She grabbed a towel and cleaned all the shaving cream off the floor then went into the bathroom to take a shower. It didn't take long to wash all the shaving cream out of her hair and a larger portion of it was on her clothing to begin with. When she got out she only had 40 minutes left to get herself made up. It always took her hours and hours to do things.
She ran over to her closet and pulled the outfit on the back of the door out. It was a pair of jean capris that were dark denim and glittery, which faded at the butt. She also had a shirt that was a T, but left one shoulder bare, that was red. Then she obligingly pulled out one of those hideous robes that Draco said it was customary to wear in Wizard society. It was a dark red and it had silver clasps that she didn't bother to do. She let her hair down for the first time since she had been here. It fell in straight long tresses. Her honey streaks gleamed in the lighting the huge room offered. She put on some make-up, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip-gloss, all the essentials. Just as the clock chimed 12 she was stepping out of her bedroom. Draco was waiting for her at the top of the staircase he was wearing black jeans and a green shirt with a black robe over it. She followed him down the stairs to this huge fireplace in the lounge. Draco stepped towards it and grabbed a bucket of floo powder.
"This is what you do.." he started grabbing a handful of floo powder.
"Save your breath," Tessa told him, "I've been using floo powder for years, it's the only way to get halfway across the country to visit any of your friends from school." Tessa grabbed a handful of floo powder stepped into the fire place and pronounced Diagon Alley accurately before throwing down the weird powder that enveloped her in a thick green flame. She came out at an alley where there were tons of people in robes walking about doing their shopping. She stepped out of the fireplace and dusted all the soot off of her. It was only a few minutes before Draco came through. He walked out of the fireplace with some sense of pride. Just as he took his first step out though, someone else came through and knocked into him. He stumbled into the alley falling on his hands and knees. He jumped up and whirled around to see who had knocked into him. He had this evil looking expression on his face, and at that moment he scared Tessa. She had not seen him like this at all the last month.
A boy with red hair emerged from the smoke he had come in. That hair looked strangely familiar to Tessa. She had seen this person before she just couldn't figure out where. Then it hit her, it was the boy from the plane, it was the Ron kid who had dropped the bags on her head. "Weaseley," Draco hissed out of his now seeming snake like mouth. You just expected him to strike and swallow this boy whole.
"Malfoy," the boy replied equally with anger. "Didn't expect to see you here. I thought vampires only came out at night."
"Well shouldn't you know? I mean since you and Potter are the golden brigade. Figures you'd be out vampire hunting during your summer break right?" Draco replied with thick sarcasm. Why had the boy called Draco, Malfoy, Tessa wondered. She knew it was his last name, but why did they refer to each other by their last names. Just as Ron was to respond he heard a rumbling and jumped out of the fireplace bumping into Tessa in the process. Ron turned to look at her and his eyes seemed to open and he just stood there frozen. Tessa payed him no attention though. She was watching the rest of the people piling out. It was a red haired boy followed by one who looked exactly like him, twins most likely, then another red haired guy, followed by a brown haired girl holding a red haired baby in her arms, she walked over to the guy who had just come out before her. Then the rest of the people she saw on the plane with Ron. There were so many of them and they all had red hair! Bright red hair! Even the cooing little baby girl in the lady's arms had bright red hair. After she was taking this all in more smoke was emitted from the fireplace and out stepped Sienna looking as stunning as ever. She still had night black hair and white as white skin. Tessa ran over to her and wrapped her up in her arms.
"Tessa," Sienna said surprised by the sudden attack. "It's been almost like forever. I have missed you so much in the past month, you won't believe how weird it is, from seeing you year round to not seeing you a whole month." Even as Sienna showed happiness she was still calm and collected and not at all seeming unSienna like. She was so mysterious, while Tessa showed everything through her face and her eyes. Her eyes were like gateways to all the emotions in the world. Ron was studying her while he still took it in, that she was a witch and apparently staying with Draco, he shuddered at the thought as he looked over to Draco who was standing there with a stunned look on his face. Ron followed his gaze to Sienna, so maybe this sex-god hadn't unflowered at least one girl he was shacked up with. Maybe he could still have Tessa. Just as he thought it though Tessa took a step away from Sienna and wrapped her arms around Draco's waist. Her touch seemed to snap Draco out of his trance that had been directed at Sienna. He smiled at her with something actually genuine in his eyes.
"Sienna," Tessa said, "this is Draco I'm staying with him."
"Hi." Sienna answered nodding her head at them.
"We should go," Draco said leading Tessa away from the group of people he despised, though he felt like he could look at Sienna for hours on end. That was what bothered him the most. He had just had sex with Tessa, for the first time in his whole life, and she had been everything he was looking for in a girl and then here comes along her friend who is so polar opposite from Tessa, yet Draco is so strongly pulled to her. He loved her mystery, she kept you guessing, Tessa laid it all out there for anyone who was smart enough to see. He wanted to try to understand someone, not know right away, then where was the fun. Yet he really really liked Tessa. She was perfect, but it seemed Sienna was more perfect. He felt bad just being with Tessa when he saw Sienna that's why he had to leave so quickly. He felt like the biggest scumbag on the earth right now. They walked over to the robe store and started getting measured.
Penelope and Percy walked off with their daughter Emma towards the Leaky Cauldron where they were meeting Oliver Wood, and his wife. All three Weaseley boys just stood there with their mouths wide open, as everyone else left to go do something or another.
"Tell me how Malfoy can get someone like that?" George demanded still drooling over Tessa.
"I know, I mean what did he give her potions in her soup?" Fred demanded.
"Maybe you can't live with Malfoy for too long before you go insane and just accept whatever he tells you to," George said as an explanation.
"All I know is we have to save her" Ron said a-matter-of-factly. It took them a few more minutes to gather their wits about them before Ron followed the rest of the people to flourish and blotts, and the twins went off to their joke shop, they had started when they graduated last year. Ron was extremely stunned by seeing Tessa, the mystery girl from the plane, the one that he had thought he would never have the pleasure to encounter again.
Draco spread his arms out at the instruction of the robe maker. He remembered the first time he had met Potter there. He had tried to warn him about the Weaseleys, but the stupid boy wouldn't listen! Now here he was standing next to Tessa and he felt he should be telling her to stay away from them as well. Though Sienna had most definitely caught his eye, he didn't miss Ron's seeming fascination with Tessa. It almost made Draco jealous, and angry at the same time. Weaseley would never be good enough for his Tessa, even if at the moment Draco was thirsting for some of Sienna. It was so strange, he liked Tessa he liked her a lot, he had proven that last night. Then again it was his first time and maybe it was suppose to be much better. He could just see himself with Sienna, it would be so much more interesting so much more fun. Something just constantly itched at Draco to try it out. He would never hurt Tessa though; she was so innocent, so full of life. He had just thought Sienna was pretty that was all. It wasn't anything real. If it had been real then, he would've ran away from Tessa as soon as she put her arms around him, but he liked it. He liked her touching him, holding him, he liked her with him.
Tessa's bell like laughter broke through his concentration as she giggled at something the robe maker had said. Draco looked over at her and saw once again the purity in her eyes, the happiness she seemed constantly enveloped in. Maybe he was looking for a source of happiness with her, she seemed to hold the key to all the happiness in the world and you could tell. Maybe he was just trying to use her to hide from the world of hearing his father's hand come down across his mother's face, or to hide from the sight of different men so often visiting his mother's bedroom in his father's absence, maybe he was just using her as a shield of happiness. She seemed so carefree and bright; she seemed to be much he was not. The thing was could he really hide behind her and not give her the fullness of a relationship that she deserved. What was he saying though! He liked Tessa! He really did. She wasn't a shield; she was a person he felt good being with. As his thoughts evolved it was almost as if he was defending their relationship to himself. He shouldn't have to defend his own relationship to himself that must mean something was wrong. No, he dismissed the idea. Everything was all right, everything was perfect like before. Seeing a beautiful girl could not rattle the emotion he felt for her, it was just some weird deluded test. There was nothing wrong; it was just him and Tessa alone by themselves.
He stepped off the pedestal as Tessa grabbed his hand and Madame Malkin handed him the parcel of their robes. She led him off to the next store they had to go to in order to attain what they needed for schooling that year. Tessa needed all the books while Draco only needed those he did not already have from previous years and his own collection. Tessa had seen Draco's library once it was almost as big as the bookstore they were standing in. The thing was, half of it was roped off and you could not even get close enough to read the titles on the books residing there. After the bookstore they went to a quidditch supplies store where Draco eagerly looked around like a kid in a candy store or Tessa in Steve Madden.
"We should get you a broom," Draco told her looking at some of the more recent models.
"Why?" She asked truly puzzled, "I can't even fly."
"Yes you can, and remarkably well for a beginner. I really don't do a thing in controlling the broom when we fly together. You have all the control; I just point you in a direction. It'll be important to teach you to fly, and fly well. Even if most people can't fly well in Hogwarts, most can fly. I myself am on the quidditch team and the captain, so I could take sometime out on the pitch with you to get you into tiptop flying shape." Draco grabbed up a broom that had Firebolt engraved into the stick of it and handed it to her. She looked down at the broom residing in her hands and felt that maybe he was right, maybe she could fly.
After they bought the broom they headed back to the fireplace and Draco stepped in first and pronounced the name of the manor quite well. Just as Tessa was to step into it she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to see Ron standing there.
"Yes?" she asked him expectantly since he had stopped her departure.
"Be careful of Malfoy, trust me he's not good news. He'll hurt you and if he doesn't, his father will." Tessa looked at Ron in disgust for his stupid warning.
"You don't know me or Draco-" she emphasized Draco's first name "-so don't give me useless warnings." Tessa had felt indifference or maybe even friendliness towards this boy, but now seethed with anger, all directed at him. She pulled her arm away from Ron and stepped into the fireplace intoning Malfoy Manor. She was whisked away in the green fire her anger still seething.
As Tessa sped off into the oblivion of the fireplace, Ron was taken aback. With just a warning, Tessa had gone from sweet to defensive. He was angry with himself for being so stupid and letting her turn against him. After all he was trying to help, and it was for her benefit. I mean even if Draco- Ron shuddered at the thought of using his real name- did care for her; there could never be anything there. Whether she like it or not, his father would never approve of a relationship with a muggle born witch. Especially an American muggle born witch.
Ron walked off to Fred and George's joke shop; his head drooped in defeat or sadness. He liked Tessa, even though he didn't know her, he knew he liked her. That was simple to see to him. How she couldn't see it, amazed him. I mean ok, ok, it was only two times they had ever seen each other, but still. How could she get so mad at him, over well, over Malfoy! Ron walked into the shop and plopped down on a stool at the candy counter.
"Why such a long face?" Fred asked producing a strand of licorice from behind the counter. It was called long face licorice, and it supposedly made your face become long when you ate it.
"Tessa's mad at me," Ron said dejectedly.
"Tessa the girl you've seen twice in your life, the babe Tessa?" George asked seemingly interested now that he had sold some portable swamps to a group of kids who wanted to do a play in a swamp.
"Yes."
"God what did you do?"
"I told her to watch out for Malfoy, that he was going to end up hurting her, and if he didn't his father would." The twins just shook their heads and clucked their tongues at him.
"What?" Ron asked, "What did I do wrong?"
"Ok, let me explain this to you," Fred told him, "Girls are moody and temperamental. Did you see how she looked at Malfoy? She likes him. She likes him a whole damn lot. Girls don't like it when you insult who they like. Girls don't like it when you question them at all to think of it. Anyway though, you're going to upset her by telling her to stay away from the object of her desire. Girls retaliate being upset, by doing exactly what they are told not to do. Since you told her to stay away from Malfoy, you can bet as hell that she'll try to get closer and closer to him. Trust me."
"Ehem.." someone broke into the little talk on womanly wisdom. The three Weaseley boys looked up to see Angelina Johnson standing at the front of the store. Fred got a terrified look on his face, George sniggered to himself, and Ron formulated a plot in his head. "So Fred dear," Angelina continued, "you are now the voice on the wisdom of women are you not?" She had an eyebrow cocked and was looking at him with a smirk on her face. "And what are you schooling Ron on today?"
"Oh, nothing sweetheart." he said a little too sweetly for Angelina's taste.
"Remember whose bed you're not going to be sleeping in tonight, before you answer again," she now had an evil and alluring grin on her face. Fred started to blush even though his freckles hid some of it.
"He was telling me that if you tell a girl not to do something, and if it upsets her, than she'll do it more," Ron piped in, ready for some real feminine knowledge from his future sister-in-law.
Angelina shot Fred a look before turning back to Ron, "Well your brother is actually right on this fact, and now I'm assuming you want to know how to make it so that this girl is no longer angry at you?"
"Yea."
"Basically all you have to do is apologize and tell her you knew you were wrong."
"It's that easy?"
"Yep."
"Thanks," Ron said jumping up from the bar stool and going to find Harry and the rest of them.
"Now my future husband really does give good advice, I'm proud of you," Angelina said back in the joke shop. She planted a kiss on his lips before sinking into his arms.
As Tessa came to land in the fireplace in the Malfoy Manor she was still fuming mad at what the Ron boy had said. He didn't know her! He barely knew Draco if that was what he thought of him. Draco was one of the sweetest boys she's ever met. She rubbed the soot from her eyes and looked around the parlor for Draco. He walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"I'm sorry for today," He apologized, in a little more ways then she thought.
"It's ok, it's not your fault, that Ron kid is a real jerk," she replied leaning into his touch more. He hadn't once hugged her outside of the privacy of their rooms. Her head rested easily on her chest and she looked up at him with her big brown eyes. Draco saw the sincerity and emotions she held for him, and he felt like he was going to be sick for even thinking about Sienna. Draco looked down at her and smiled. She was the one he wanted and that's what he's going to have. The next week would be the happiest he's ever had.
Over the next week, Draco and Tessa did a lot of hugging, cuddling, kissing, but not nearly going as far as they had the night before Diagon Alley. They both kind of regretted that anyway, because all they held when they did it was passion, not love. They both felt like they should've waited, and thus it would've meant so much more. Basically it was weird, they were taking a step backwards, but that was all right to both of them.
The morning of September 1st Tessa lugged her trunk- that she had tried to stuff as much stuff as possible into- and Draco easily pulled along his to load them into the car. Jonathan was taking them back to London in the car. There he'd load them onto the Hogwarts Express, and Tessa would get her first taste of Hogwart's life.
The fell into the Malfoy car and Jonathan drove them through the illusio, and down the mountain elevator chute, and out over the countryside towards London. Once they got to Metro London Jonathan slowed down a bit and it took a little bit longer to get places. Ultimately it had been an hour and a half since they had gotten in the car at the Manor, till they piled out at Kings Cross Station. They loaded their trunks onto trolleys and Jonathan saw them to platform 9 and ¾. It was a really weird experience for Tessa to run through a visibly solid brick wall.
After they stowed their trunks, Draco led Tessa to a compartment where two of his friends were sitting. Crabbe and Goyle, they were ugly, slow, and just plain disgusting, but Draco couldn't sit with her, because he had to go to the prefect's cabin. She plopped down on a seat across from Crabbe and he gave her a weird grin. He scared her, and she expected him to pounce any minute now. He was smart enough to grasp the fact though that if he did anything to Tessa, Draco would hurt him, and that was reassuring to Tessa.
The train started off and they were on their way to Hogwarts. About an hour into the train ride she heard a big boom come from the compartment next to them, followed by cursing and grunts. Very curious to know what it was, she got up and went out into the hallway. She knocked on the cabin door to the right of her and poked her head in. It was Sienna, Ron, his younger sister, and a couple other kids she didn't know. She noticed that they bushy haired girl, and the boy with glasses weren't there, leading her to assume that they to were prefects. There was a big burnt hole on one of the seat cushions and Tessa reasoned that that was the result of whatever the boom was. Tessa was mad at Ron still and went to leave when he blurted out, "No wait!"
"Yes?" she asked rudely turning back around.
"I'm sorry about what I said," he apologized, "I had no right to say it." Tessa's face softened into a smile at his apology. Ron seeing she had forgiven him broke into a grin too. "Do you want to sit with us?" thinking back to the other cabin with Crabbe and Goyle, Tessa quickly accepted. Tessa sat down between Ron and this blonde boy she learned to be named Neville. All the people in the compartment seemed to be very friendly. Tessa soon found out they all belonged to the Gryffindor house, which is except her and Sienna who hadn't been sorted. They were to be sorted with the first years at the opening feast.
When the train finally came to a stop it was dusk. All the students filed off the train and Ron led her towards the weird horse looking drawn carriages. They were like scaly horse things, but Ron didn't seem to see them, because he walked right into one. It was kind of very comical. Tessa wondered why he couldn't see them, and decided to ask about it when she had the chance. She was about to climb into the carriage with Ron, Sienna, and Ginny, when she saw Draco. He noticed her too and called her name so she'd come over. She smiled at the other three inhabitants of the carriage and stepped down to walk over to Draco. It was Crabbe, then Goyle, then Draco, and she climbed in next to Draco. He put his arm around her shoulders and they started off to the castle. The sight was amazing!
Chapter 4
Tessa awoke the next morning to the sun streaming in her wide-open windows. She could've sworn she had closed them last night when it was raining. Maybe some maid had opened them. She looked over to the fireplace though and it was still empty and full of ash, so the maid couldn't have come. She looked over to her door and saw that the hook lock was set and she knew for sure she hadn't done that. Just then she heard someone stir in her bed and looked over to Draco snuggled into the covers. She let out a small laugh and planted a kiss on his forehead. He blinked his eyes open slowly and gave her a small smile.
"Mornin'," he whispered to Tessa, before closing his eyes again.
"Where'd you come from?" she asked him snuggling into his warm body.
"I came in last night, you were already asleep and I couldn't sleep without you," he answered her wrapping his arms around her. Tessa melted into his touch and sighed with appreciation at the delicateness of it. She ran her fingers through his blonde hair feeling the softness of it. She could stay forever in his arms for all eternity.
"That's so sweet," she finally replied. "What are we up to today?"
"Diagon Alley," he answered her, "school supplies."
"Goodie!" she exclaimed with thick sarcasm. "I don't want school to start in a week, I want this summer to last forever."
She went to give him a kiss when the door was knocked upon. He scrambled out of her bed and ran into her bathroom, shutting the door. Tessa got out of her bed and unlocked the door to see one of the maids standing outside the door, with a towel for her to take a shower, the outfit she had picked out the day before ironed, and breakfast.
"Ms. Narcissa says that you will be leaving for Diagon Alley, by means of floo powder at exactly twelve P.M." the girl informed her as she came into the room to set down her breakfast on the coffee table. She then hung the clothing from a hook on the inside of the closet door and went towards the bathroom to put the towel in.
"I'll take it," Tessa said quickly grabbing her towel away from the maid, who was heading straight for Draco's hiding space.
"Very well then," the maid replied a bit confused that Tessa wished to do her job for her.
The maid walked over to the door and let herself out closing it with a click. Tessa ran over to it fastening the hook lock, while Draco emerged from the bathroom. He had this evil grin on his face and Tessa could tell he was up to something. He had both his arms behind his back, most likely hiding something. He walked over to her stealthily and she took a couple steps back. Then he was at it. He pulled the shaving cream out from behind his back and starting spraying her with it. It was going all over the place, in her hair, in her mouth when she laughed. She advanced on him trying to grab the shaving cream and just succeeded in slipping on a pile on the floor and falling into him. As he tried to catch her he lost his balance on some more shaving cream on the floor as well and fell to his butt. The bottle flew from his hands and landed on one of her couches. Tessa attempted to stand up and grab the bottle, when she slipped again falling on Draco. She took some shaving cream from the floor and rubbed it into his beautiful blond hair, that she had been in love with since she had seen him. They both sat there laughing for what seemed the better part of an hour till the clock chimed eleven.
"Oh my god, we're leaving at 12, I only have an hour to get ready. Out, out!" Tessa ordered Draco bracing herself against her couch back to stand up. Obligingly Draco lifted himself up off the floor with a little difficulty and unlocked her door, looking both ways till dashing across the corridor. She grabbed a towel and cleaned all the shaving cream off the floor then went into the bathroom to take a shower. It didn't take long to wash all the shaving cream out of her hair and a larger portion of it was on her clothing to begin with. When she got out she only had 40 minutes left to get herself made up. It always took her hours and hours to do things.
She ran over to her closet and pulled the outfit on the back of the door out. It was a pair of jean capris that were dark denim and glittery, which faded at the butt. She also had a shirt that was a T, but left one shoulder bare, that was red. Then she obligingly pulled out one of those hideous robes that Draco said it was customary to wear in Wizard society. It was a dark red and it had silver clasps that she didn't bother to do. She let her hair down for the first time since she had been here. It fell in straight long tresses. Her honey streaks gleamed in the lighting the huge room offered. She put on some make-up, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip-gloss, all the essentials. Just as the clock chimed 12 she was stepping out of her bedroom. Draco was waiting for her at the top of the staircase he was wearing black jeans and a green shirt with a black robe over it. She followed him down the stairs to this huge fireplace in the lounge. Draco stepped towards it and grabbed a bucket of floo powder.
"This is what you do.." he started grabbing a handful of floo powder.
"Save your breath," Tessa told him, "I've been using floo powder for years, it's the only way to get halfway across the country to visit any of your friends from school." Tessa grabbed a handful of floo powder stepped into the fire place and pronounced Diagon Alley accurately before throwing down the weird powder that enveloped her in a thick green flame. She came out at an alley where there were tons of people in robes walking about doing their shopping. She stepped out of the fireplace and dusted all the soot off of her. It was only a few minutes before Draco came through. He walked out of the fireplace with some sense of pride. Just as he took his first step out though, someone else came through and knocked into him. He stumbled into the alley falling on his hands and knees. He jumped up and whirled around to see who had knocked into him. He had this evil looking expression on his face, and at that moment he scared Tessa. She had not seen him like this at all the last month.
A boy with red hair emerged from the smoke he had come in. That hair looked strangely familiar to Tessa. She had seen this person before she just couldn't figure out where. Then it hit her, it was the boy from the plane, it was the Ron kid who had dropped the bags on her head. "Weaseley," Draco hissed out of his now seeming snake like mouth. You just expected him to strike and swallow this boy whole.
"Malfoy," the boy replied equally with anger. "Didn't expect to see you here. I thought vampires only came out at night."
"Well shouldn't you know? I mean since you and Potter are the golden brigade. Figures you'd be out vampire hunting during your summer break right?" Draco replied with thick sarcasm. Why had the boy called Draco, Malfoy, Tessa wondered. She knew it was his last name, but why did they refer to each other by their last names. Just as Ron was to respond he heard a rumbling and jumped out of the fireplace bumping into Tessa in the process. Ron turned to look at her and his eyes seemed to open and he just stood there frozen. Tessa payed him no attention though. She was watching the rest of the people piling out. It was a red haired boy followed by one who looked exactly like him, twins most likely, then another red haired guy, followed by a brown haired girl holding a red haired baby in her arms, she walked over to the guy who had just come out before her. Then the rest of the people she saw on the plane with Ron. There were so many of them and they all had red hair! Bright red hair! Even the cooing little baby girl in the lady's arms had bright red hair. After she was taking this all in more smoke was emitted from the fireplace and out stepped Sienna looking as stunning as ever. She still had night black hair and white as white skin. Tessa ran over to her and wrapped her up in her arms.
"Tessa," Sienna said surprised by the sudden attack. "It's been almost like forever. I have missed you so much in the past month, you won't believe how weird it is, from seeing you year round to not seeing you a whole month." Even as Sienna showed happiness she was still calm and collected and not at all seeming unSienna like. She was so mysterious, while Tessa showed everything through her face and her eyes. Her eyes were like gateways to all the emotions in the world. Ron was studying her while he still took it in, that she was a witch and apparently staying with Draco, he shuddered at the thought as he looked over to Draco who was standing there with a stunned look on his face. Ron followed his gaze to Sienna, so maybe this sex-god hadn't unflowered at least one girl he was shacked up with. Maybe he could still have Tessa. Just as he thought it though Tessa took a step away from Sienna and wrapped her arms around Draco's waist. Her touch seemed to snap Draco out of his trance that had been directed at Sienna. He smiled at her with something actually genuine in his eyes.
"Sienna," Tessa said, "this is Draco I'm staying with him."
"Hi." Sienna answered nodding her head at them.
"We should go," Draco said leading Tessa away from the group of people he despised, though he felt like he could look at Sienna for hours on end. That was what bothered him the most. He had just had sex with Tessa, for the first time in his whole life, and she had been everything he was looking for in a girl and then here comes along her friend who is so polar opposite from Tessa, yet Draco is so strongly pulled to her. He loved her mystery, she kept you guessing, Tessa laid it all out there for anyone who was smart enough to see. He wanted to try to understand someone, not know right away, then where was the fun. Yet he really really liked Tessa. She was perfect, but it seemed Sienna was more perfect. He felt bad just being with Tessa when he saw Sienna that's why he had to leave so quickly. He felt like the biggest scumbag on the earth right now. They walked over to the robe store and started getting measured.
Penelope and Percy walked off with their daughter Emma towards the Leaky Cauldron where they were meeting Oliver Wood, and his wife. All three Weaseley boys just stood there with their mouths wide open, as everyone else left to go do something or another.
"Tell me how Malfoy can get someone like that?" George demanded still drooling over Tessa.
"I know, I mean what did he give her potions in her soup?" Fred demanded.
"Maybe you can't live with Malfoy for too long before you go insane and just accept whatever he tells you to," George said as an explanation.
"All I know is we have to save her" Ron said a-matter-of-factly. It took them a few more minutes to gather their wits about them before Ron followed the rest of the people to flourish and blotts, and the twins went off to their joke shop, they had started when they graduated last year. Ron was extremely stunned by seeing Tessa, the mystery girl from the plane, the one that he had thought he would never have the pleasure to encounter again.
Draco spread his arms out at the instruction of the robe maker. He remembered the first time he had met Potter there. He had tried to warn him about the Weaseleys, but the stupid boy wouldn't listen! Now here he was standing next to Tessa and he felt he should be telling her to stay away from them as well. Though Sienna had most definitely caught his eye, he didn't miss Ron's seeming fascination with Tessa. It almost made Draco jealous, and angry at the same time. Weaseley would never be good enough for his Tessa, even if at the moment Draco was thirsting for some of Sienna. It was so strange, he liked Tessa he liked her a lot, he had proven that last night. Then again it was his first time and maybe it was suppose to be much better. He could just see himself with Sienna, it would be so much more interesting so much more fun. Something just constantly itched at Draco to try it out. He would never hurt Tessa though; she was so innocent, so full of life. He had just thought Sienna was pretty that was all. It wasn't anything real. If it had been real then, he would've ran away from Tessa as soon as she put her arms around him, but he liked it. He liked her touching him, holding him, he liked her with him.
Tessa's bell like laughter broke through his concentration as she giggled at something the robe maker had said. Draco looked over at her and saw once again the purity in her eyes, the happiness she seemed constantly enveloped in. Maybe he was looking for a source of happiness with her, she seemed to hold the key to all the happiness in the world and you could tell. Maybe he was just trying to use her to hide from the world of hearing his father's hand come down across his mother's face, or to hide from the sight of different men so often visiting his mother's bedroom in his father's absence, maybe he was just using her as a shield of happiness. She seemed so carefree and bright; she seemed to be much he was not. The thing was could he really hide behind her and not give her the fullness of a relationship that she deserved. What was he saying though! He liked Tessa! He really did. She wasn't a shield; she was a person he felt good being with. As his thoughts evolved it was almost as if he was defending their relationship to himself. He shouldn't have to defend his own relationship to himself that must mean something was wrong. No, he dismissed the idea. Everything was all right, everything was perfect like before. Seeing a beautiful girl could not rattle the emotion he felt for her, it was just some weird deluded test. There was nothing wrong; it was just him and Tessa alone by themselves.
He stepped off the pedestal as Tessa grabbed his hand and Madame Malkin handed him the parcel of their robes. She led him off to the next store they had to go to in order to attain what they needed for schooling that year. Tessa needed all the books while Draco only needed those he did not already have from previous years and his own collection. Tessa had seen Draco's library once it was almost as big as the bookstore they were standing in. The thing was, half of it was roped off and you could not even get close enough to read the titles on the books residing there. After the bookstore they went to a quidditch supplies store where Draco eagerly looked around like a kid in a candy store or Tessa in Steve Madden.
"We should get you a broom," Draco told her looking at some of the more recent models.
"Why?" She asked truly puzzled, "I can't even fly."
"Yes you can, and remarkably well for a beginner. I really don't do a thing in controlling the broom when we fly together. You have all the control; I just point you in a direction. It'll be important to teach you to fly, and fly well. Even if most people can't fly well in Hogwarts, most can fly. I myself am on the quidditch team and the captain, so I could take sometime out on the pitch with you to get you into tiptop flying shape." Draco grabbed up a broom that had Firebolt engraved into the stick of it and handed it to her. She looked down at the broom residing in her hands and felt that maybe he was right, maybe she could fly.
After they bought the broom they headed back to the fireplace and Draco stepped in first and pronounced the name of the manor quite well. Just as Tessa was to step into it she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to see Ron standing there.
"Yes?" she asked him expectantly since he had stopped her departure.
"Be careful of Malfoy, trust me he's not good news. He'll hurt you and if he doesn't, his father will." Tessa looked at Ron in disgust for his stupid warning.
"You don't know me or Draco-" she emphasized Draco's first name "-so don't give me useless warnings." Tessa had felt indifference or maybe even friendliness towards this boy, but now seethed with anger, all directed at him. She pulled her arm away from Ron and stepped into the fireplace intoning Malfoy Manor. She was whisked away in the green fire her anger still seething.
As Tessa sped off into the oblivion of the fireplace, Ron was taken aback. With just a warning, Tessa had gone from sweet to defensive. He was angry with himself for being so stupid and letting her turn against him. After all he was trying to help, and it was for her benefit. I mean even if Draco- Ron shuddered at the thought of using his real name- did care for her; there could never be anything there. Whether she like it or not, his father would never approve of a relationship with a muggle born witch. Especially an American muggle born witch.
Ron walked off to Fred and George's joke shop; his head drooped in defeat or sadness. He liked Tessa, even though he didn't know her, he knew he liked her. That was simple to see to him. How she couldn't see it, amazed him. I mean ok, ok, it was only two times they had ever seen each other, but still. How could she get so mad at him, over well, over Malfoy! Ron walked into the shop and plopped down on a stool at the candy counter.
"Why such a long face?" Fred asked producing a strand of licorice from behind the counter. It was called long face licorice, and it supposedly made your face become long when you ate it.
"Tessa's mad at me," Ron said dejectedly.
"Tessa the girl you've seen twice in your life, the babe Tessa?" George asked seemingly interested now that he had sold some portable swamps to a group of kids who wanted to do a play in a swamp.
"Yes."
"God what did you do?"
"I told her to watch out for Malfoy, that he was going to end up hurting her, and if he didn't his father would." The twins just shook their heads and clucked their tongues at him.
"What?" Ron asked, "What did I do wrong?"
"Ok, let me explain this to you," Fred told him, "Girls are moody and temperamental. Did you see how she looked at Malfoy? She likes him. She likes him a whole damn lot. Girls don't like it when you insult who they like. Girls don't like it when you question them at all to think of it. Anyway though, you're going to upset her by telling her to stay away from the object of her desire. Girls retaliate being upset, by doing exactly what they are told not to do. Since you told her to stay away from Malfoy, you can bet as hell that she'll try to get closer and closer to him. Trust me."
"Ehem.." someone broke into the little talk on womanly wisdom. The three Weaseley boys looked up to see Angelina Johnson standing at the front of the store. Fred got a terrified look on his face, George sniggered to himself, and Ron formulated a plot in his head. "So Fred dear," Angelina continued, "you are now the voice on the wisdom of women are you not?" She had an eyebrow cocked and was looking at him with a smirk on her face. "And what are you schooling Ron on today?"
"Oh, nothing sweetheart." he said a little too sweetly for Angelina's taste.
"Remember whose bed you're not going to be sleeping in tonight, before you answer again," she now had an evil and alluring grin on her face. Fred started to blush even though his freckles hid some of it.
"He was telling me that if you tell a girl not to do something, and if it upsets her, than she'll do it more," Ron piped in, ready for some real feminine knowledge from his future sister-in-law.
Angelina shot Fred a look before turning back to Ron, "Well your brother is actually right on this fact, and now I'm assuming you want to know how to make it so that this girl is no longer angry at you?"
"Yea."
"Basically all you have to do is apologize and tell her you knew you were wrong."
"It's that easy?"
"Yep."
"Thanks," Ron said jumping up from the bar stool and going to find Harry and the rest of them.
"Now my future husband really does give good advice, I'm proud of you," Angelina said back in the joke shop. She planted a kiss on his lips before sinking into his arms.
As Tessa came to land in the fireplace in the Malfoy Manor she was still fuming mad at what the Ron boy had said. He didn't know her! He barely knew Draco if that was what he thought of him. Draco was one of the sweetest boys she's ever met. She rubbed the soot from her eyes and looked around the parlor for Draco. He walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"I'm sorry for today," He apologized, in a little more ways then she thought.
"It's ok, it's not your fault, that Ron kid is a real jerk," she replied leaning into his touch more. He hadn't once hugged her outside of the privacy of their rooms. Her head rested easily on her chest and she looked up at him with her big brown eyes. Draco saw the sincerity and emotions she held for him, and he felt like he was going to be sick for even thinking about Sienna. Draco looked down at her and smiled. She was the one he wanted and that's what he's going to have. The next week would be the happiest he's ever had.
Over the next week, Draco and Tessa did a lot of hugging, cuddling, kissing, but not nearly going as far as they had the night before Diagon Alley. They both kind of regretted that anyway, because all they held when they did it was passion, not love. They both felt like they should've waited, and thus it would've meant so much more. Basically it was weird, they were taking a step backwards, but that was all right to both of them.
The morning of September 1st Tessa lugged her trunk- that she had tried to stuff as much stuff as possible into- and Draco easily pulled along his to load them into the car. Jonathan was taking them back to London in the car. There he'd load them onto the Hogwarts Express, and Tessa would get her first taste of Hogwart's life.
The fell into the Malfoy car and Jonathan drove them through the illusio, and down the mountain elevator chute, and out over the countryside towards London. Once they got to Metro London Jonathan slowed down a bit and it took a little bit longer to get places. Ultimately it had been an hour and a half since they had gotten in the car at the Manor, till they piled out at Kings Cross Station. They loaded their trunks onto trolleys and Jonathan saw them to platform 9 and ¾. It was a really weird experience for Tessa to run through a visibly solid brick wall.
After they stowed their trunks, Draco led Tessa to a compartment where two of his friends were sitting. Crabbe and Goyle, they were ugly, slow, and just plain disgusting, but Draco couldn't sit with her, because he had to go to the prefect's cabin. She plopped down on a seat across from Crabbe and he gave her a weird grin. He scared her, and she expected him to pounce any minute now. He was smart enough to grasp the fact though that if he did anything to Tessa, Draco would hurt him, and that was reassuring to Tessa.
The train started off and they were on their way to Hogwarts. About an hour into the train ride she heard a big boom come from the compartment next to them, followed by cursing and grunts. Very curious to know what it was, she got up and went out into the hallway. She knocked on the cabin door to the right of her and poked her head in. It was Sienna, Ron, his younger sister, and a couple other kids she didn't know. She noticed that they bushy haired girl, and the boy with glasses weren't there, leading her to assume that they to were prefects. There was a big burnt hole on one of the seat cushions and Tessa reasoned that that was the result of whatever the boom was. Tessa was mad at Ron still and went to leave when he blurted out, "No wait!"
"Yes?" she asked rudely turning back around.
"I'm sorry about what I said," he apologized, "I had no right to say it." Tessa's face softened into a smile at his apology. Ron seeing she had forgiven him broke into a grin too. "Do you want to sit with us?" thinking back to the other cabin with Crabbe and Goyle, Tessa quickly accepted. Tessa sat down between Ron and this blonde boy she learned to be named Neville. All the people in the compartment seemed to be very friendly. Tessa soon found out they all belonged to the Gryffindor house, which is except her and Sienna who hadn't been sorted. They were to be sorted with the first years at the opening feast.
When the train finally came to a stop it was dusk. All the students filed off the train and Ron led her towards the weird horse looking drawn carriages. They were like scaly horse things, but Ron didn't seem to see them, because he walked right into one. It was kind of very comical. Tessa wondered why he couldn't see them, and decided to ask about it when she had the chance. She was about to climb into the carriage with Ron, Sienna, and Ginny, when she saw Draco. He noticed her too and called her name so she'd come over. She smiled at the other three inhabitants of the carriage and stepped down to walk over to Draco. It was Crabbe, then Goyle, then Draco, and she climbed in next to Draco. He put his arm around her shoulders and they started off to the castle. The sight was amazing!
