Chapter 2: Missing A Stair
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Adele answered, flashing Draco a brilliant smile. Her long raven hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a few wavy strands had escaped and fell in front of her big brown eyes. Draco looked the girl up and down. Her scarlet robes were tailor made, as they always were, and a white shirt with a plunging neck line told him she hadn't changed a bit. Her shoes, heels, were hiding toe nails that were painted blood red, if Draco's memory served.
"What brings you here, in the rain?" Draco asked, suddenly realizing that she was completely dry, and must have cast a quick spell before stepping into the house.
"What brings me here, at all, you should ask Draco." Adele slipped her delicate gloves off, finger by finger, and laid them on a nearby table. "We haven't.been in touch.in quite awhile."
"No, we haven't." Draco seemed to tense up at her words, as if remembering a past wound.
"Well, I figured that was completely ridiculous, and why shouldn't we talk, just because of, our.past."
"Yes, because of our.past." Draco repeated. He remembered running with her through the halls of the Manor, trying to get away from their parents, he remembered kissing her in that velvet green armchair he had sat in, not ten minutes ago. That was over now though.
"The past is the past," Adele said, reading his thoughts as she always used to be able to. She looked uncomfortable for one second, then quickly said, "Get some tea going, would you? It's terribly cold outside." She walked out of the room, leaving Draco standing there. He collected his thoughts, and went to get the tea kettle, but obviously thought better of it, and called a house elf to do the job. Then he walked out of the kitchen, taking the gloves Adele had forgotten and found her stretched out in a chaise lounge on the next floor up. She knew her way around the castle better than he did.
"You forgot these, my dear," Draco said, placing the gloves near her head, which was stretched in an oddly melodramatic angle, her hand covering her eyes.
"Thank you, Draco," she answered, not even looking at the gloves. Instead she uncovered her eyes and rose into a sitting position, glancing around at the room they were in. Draco took a seat in an antique chair next to her. "Does this house ever change, Draco?" she asked.
"No," he answered simply. Draco studied her face carefully, which, as he noticed, didn't ever change either. "Why are you really here, Adele?"
She looked him square in the eye, and smiled sweetly.
"So I can't come and see you for no reason at all? I can't just pop in for a spot of tea - " The house elf came in with the tea and a tray and set it down on a table " - just to see you?"
"No," Draco said, walking over to the tea, and pouring a cup for Adele. He remembered how she took her tea, and added milk, sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. He went over to hand it to her.
"Well then, fine, the truth is that I came here because I love this house, and where else should I spend my last days then the place where I lived my happiest ones." Adele took the cup and an irritated look came over her soft features as she saw Draco laughing at her. "What, you don't believe me?" she asked him.
"You're last days? What does that mean? Are you dying?" Draco said, pouring himself a cup and sitting next to Adele on the lounge. "I didn't think you could die." He smirked at her.
"Well I can," she said, becoming more angry. "And I will.soon. And I don't find your lack of concern very comforting." She got up and pretended to look at a painting on the wall opposite Draco.
"You're not dying." Draco, suddenly behind her, whispered in her ear. She jumped slightly. She had forgotten how quickly Draco moved. "You're lying," Draco said, and turned around to return to the lounge.
"You know better, " Adele whispered dangerously, "then to think I'd ever lie to you." Draco looked at the anger in her eyes, and realization hit him. He felt something very nearly like his stomach dropping out. Adele was dying. She was really, truly, dying. Either that or this was some very rude practical joke that wasn't in the least amusing.
"You,.you're serious - I mean, well, - that is.," Draco was for the first time in his life at a loss for words. A loud crash sounded from one of the upstairs floors. "Bloody hell!" he yelled angrily, looking up to the ceiling. "Keep those stupid elves away from my parlor!" he yelled at a house elf who had just come into the room to take the tea tray away. The elf looked at him incredulously.
"That isn't one of the house elves, sir." The elf shivered in fright in his master's presence. "All the elves are down in the kitchen. There is someone else up there, sir." The elf took the tray away, bowing slightly, and ran out of the room. Draco stared at the empty space where the elf had just stood. He looked at the ceiling again, wondering if he had planned having a visitor that he had just forgotten in the surprise of his ex-girlfriend's arrival. He looked at the ceiling again, then remembering Adele, he looked at her for a moment, saying,
"I'll be back." Draco took off up one of the oak staircases, in search of the person - or thing that had made the noise. Adele scoffed at his impromptu exit and sat down delicately on the lounge, waiting for Draco to return.
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Adele answered, flashing Draco a brilliant smile. Her long raven hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a few wavy strands had escaped and fell in front of her big brown eyes. Draco looked the girl up and down. Her scarlet robes were tailor made, as they always were, and a white shirt with a plunging neck line told him she hadn't changed a bit. Her shoes, heels, were hiding toe nails that were painted blood red, if Draco's memory served.
"What brings you here, in the rain?" Draco asked, suddenly realizing that she was completely dry, and must have cast a quick spell before stepping into the house.
"What brings me here, at all, you should ask Draco." Adele slipped her delicate gloves off, finger by finger, and laid them on a nearby table. "We haven't.been in touch.in quite awhile."
"No, we haven't." Draco seemed to tense up at her words, as if remembering a past wound.
"Well, I figured that was completely ridiculous, and why shouldn't we talk, just because of, our.past."
"Yes, because of our.past." Draco repeated. He remembered running with her through the halls of the Manor, trying to get away from their parents, he remembered kissing her in that velvet green armchair he had sat in, not ten minutes ago. That was over now though.
"The past is the past," Adele said, reading his thoughts as she always used to be able to. She looked uncomfortable for one second, then quickly said, "Get some tea going, would you? It's terribly cold outside." She walked out of the room, leaving Draco standing there. He collected his thoughts, and went to get the tea kettle, but obviously thought better of it, and called a house elf to do the job. Then he walked out of the kitchen, taking the gloves Adele had forgotten and found her stretched out in a chaise lounge on the next floor up. She knew her way around the castle better than he did.
"You forgot these, my dear," Draco said, placing the gloves near her head, which was stretched in an oddly melodramatic angle, her hand covering her eyes.
"Thank you, Draco," she answered, not even looking at the gloves. Instead she uncovered her eyes and rose into a sitting position, glancing around at the room they were in. Draco took a seat in an antique chair next to her. "Does this house ever change, Draco?" she asked.
"No," he answered simply. Draco studied her face carefully, which, as he noticed, didn't ever change either. "Why are you really here, Adele?"
She looked him square in the eye, and smiled sweetly.
"So I can't come and see you for no reason at all? I can't just pop in for a spot of tea - " The house elf came in with the tea and a tray and set it down on a table " - just to see you?"
"No," Draco said, walking over to the tea, and pouring a cup for Adele. He remembered how she took her tea, and added milk, sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. He went over to hand it to her.
"Well then, fine, the truth is that I came here because I love this house, and where else should I spend my last days then the place where I lived my happiest ones." Adele took the cup and an irritated look came over her soft features as she saw Draco laughing at her. "What, you don't believe me?" she asked him.
"You're last days? What does that mean? Are you dying?" Draco said, pouring himself a cup and sitting next to Adele on the lounge. "I didn't think you could die." He smirked at her.
"Well I can," she said, becoming more angry. "And I will.soon. And I don't find your lack of concern very comforting." She got up and pretended to look at a painting on the wall opposite Draco.
"You're not dying." Draco, suddenly behind her, whispered in her ear. She jumped slightly. She had forgotten how quickly Draco moved. "You're lying," Draco said, and turned around to return to the lounge.
"You know better, " Adele whispered dangerously, "then to think I'd ever lie to you." Draco looked at the anger in her eyes, and realization hit him. He felt something very nearly like his stomach dropping out. Adele was dying. She was really, truly, dying. Either that or this was some very rude practical joke that wasn't in the least amusing.
"You,.you're serious - I mean, well, - that is.," Draco was for the first time in his life at a loss for words. A loud crash sounded from one of the upstairs floors. "Bloody hell!" he yelled angrily, looking up to the ceiling. "Keep those stupid elves away from my parlor!" he yelled at a house elf who had just come into the room to take the tea tray away. The elf looked at him incredulously.
"That isn't one of the house elves, sir." The elf shivered in fright in his master's presence. "All the elves are down in the kitchen. There is someone else up there, sir." The elf took the tray away, bowing slightly, and ran out of the room. Draco stared at the empty space where the elf had just stood. He looked at the ceiling again, wondering if he had planned having a visitor that he had just forgotten in the surprise of his ex-girlfriend's arrival. He looked at the ceiling again, then remembering Adele, he looked at her for a moment, saying,
"I'll be back." Draco took off up one of the oak staircases, in search of the person - or thing that had made the noise. Adele scoffed at his impromptu exit and sat down delicately on the lounge, waiting for Draco to return.