Chapter 2. The Christmas Ball
It was an early morning in the Malfoy Manor, when Draco woke up. There
was a little owl zooming around his head. He grabbed the owl by it's leg and
took the letter. He scanned it and sighed. He quietly got up, not waking his wife
Emeline. He went to the kitchen. "Clay?! I want some breakfast, fast.. In the
dining room.." Then he walked upstairs again, he went to the dressing room
and put on his cloth for working. He peeked into the bedroom, Emeline was still
sleeping. "Good.." He walked down to the diningroom and began to eat.
Halfway through his meal a head popped out in the fireplace. "Malfoy, we need
you... this might take days... " It was Percy Weasley the Minister of Magic.
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes, I just have to write a note to Emeline.."
Percy nodded and disappeared. Draco quickly went for his office and wrote a
little letter to Emeline. Then he walked back upstairs and put it on his pillow, he
leaned in and kissed her cheek, she smiled in her sleep. "I love you." He
whispered and apparated to the Ministry of Magic.
Emeline woke up a few hours later. The first thing she saw was Dracos
letter. She read it. "Days? Wont be home for our day of the month? Can't
promise he'll be home for Christmas?" Emeline cried as she read the letter.
She loved Draco, she didn't care if he would miss their day of the month, but
Christmas? She got up, and dressed in a boring grey dress and a black apron,
if Draco wasn't home, there was no need in being pretty. Emeline made the
bed, Draco would have shook his head if he had seen her, but she didn't care.
She walked downstairs, the house elf had heard she was up and had prepared
some breakfast for her. "No thanks Clay, not today.. Today we'll, yes We Will
clean the whole Manor, and do something about the guestrooms." The house
elf flapped it's ears. "Yes ma'am, ma'am is going to help Clay?" She nodded,
"Yes I am, I don't have any other things to do, and I want it clean December
23th in the evening, can we do that Clay?" The house elf nodded. "Yes ma'am,
but ma'am needs to eat first.." She shook her head. "No.. We'll start in Dracos
office, he still can't work in there alone. " The house elf bowed to her and
smiled. "Yes ma'am, Clay will start immediately.." "No, you'll do the livingroom."
Emeline watched as the house elf disappeared into the living room. Emeline
walked into Dracos office, she could feel the vibrations from Lucius and
Lucretia. "Maybe, this will help.." She cleaned everything except the locked
draw, where Draco kept their money. She polished his desk, leaving everything
on it as it was when he left it. Everything was shining when she after half an
hour was finish, she only needed to do one thing. "Ma'am? What would you like
clay to clean now?" "The floor in the ballroom." The house elf disappeared and
Emeline found her wand. "Accio perfume." Her scent bottle came flying down,
she grabbed it in her hand. She sprayed a little perfume into the office and
closed the door. He waved her wand again and the scent bottle was standing
at her dressing table upstairs. Next she went to her own office.
At lunchtime they had cleaned all the downstair except the kitchen.
Emeline sat down on the couch in the upstairs livingroom, exhausted. "Is the
Ma'am hungry now? A little salad perhaps?" She nodded, "Bring it up here
please.." But when clay came back with the tray, Emeline was sleeping on the
couch. Clay left her to clean his kitchen. "Ma'am is so friendly and polite, not
like the master, the master is stern and yells at poor clay all the time." There
was a knock on the door. Clay went to open it. "Master Malfoy Senior." Lucius
kicked the house elf away. "Where's my son?" The house elf got up. "The
master is at work, but the mistress is upstairs." Lucius gave the house elf a little
nod, and walked upstairs. "Emeline?" Emeline woke up hearing Lucius' voice.
"I'm in the little livingroom.." Lucius walked in. "Hello dear." He kissed her hand
and sat down. "What is it you look like?" She smiled. "Oh... just an old dress."
he wouldn't tell him the truth, he would laugh at her and tell Draco to say
something to her. "Ohh... Draco is working.. Right?" He sounded secretive.
Emline nodded. "Yes, he wont be home the next few days.." Lucius looked
around, they lived nicely, modern and yet with style. "Emeline, your little
Christmas Bal, Lucretia and I.." "..Would like to spent the night together with
our Narcissas knowledge.. Am I right?" Lucius nodded. "Yes you are.. Can you
arrange that?" She smiled. "Yes, I can place you next to each other, but then
I'll have to ask Narcissa about who she would like to sit with. You have any
ideas?" He shook his head. "Emeline, how well do you and Narcissa talk?" She
looked curiously at him. "Not that good.. Why? Is something wrong?" "No,
everything is fine.." She smiled. "I've already asked her, she would like to sit
next to my father.." Lucius got up. "It's Severus?!" Emeline looked scared at
him. "What's Severus?" Lucius sat down again. "Nothing... I'll see you another
time Emeline.. And I'm sorry if I hurt your house elf.." She smiled at him. "Yes
I'll see you.." Lucius apparated away, and leaving Emeline confused about her
father. She looked around. "Clay?!" The house elf didn't come. She got up, the
house elf always came when she called. She took the stairs down and looked
around. "Clay?" "He's not here Emeline.." Emeline turned around. "Father..
What on earth is going on here?" He walked up to her. "I don't know Emeline,
I had hoped you might tell me.." She smiled at him. "I'm so glad to see you.."
She flung her arms around him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad to see you too.
Draco is?" "Working." Severus nodded. "Emeline I've received a letter from
your mother.." Emeline buried her face in his shoulder. "Emeline? Lets go and
sit down." He opened the door to her study and hold it for her. "Thank you
father." She sat down behind her desk, inviting her father to sit down in the
comfy armchair, Severus just closed the door and looked at her. "You have a
sister?" Emeline nodded. "Yes, a ½ sister.." Severus looked at the chair, he
wasn't sure if it would be soft enough for him to sit in. He sat down, ignoring the
pain. "Anabella.. She's only a year younger than you, right?" Emeline nodded,
"But what has that to do with you and me?" Severus looked at his daughter.
"Not much, except that she's here, in England. She ran away from your
mother.." The look in his eyes became serious. "Was she hard on you?"
Emeline didn't look at him, she got up and made sure the door to the office was
closed and locked. "Yes." Severus looked down, he knew she was talking the
truth, when Emeline had been younger and had visited him in the winter, she
had had terrible nightmares, often yelling 'Sorry mother' and 'Please stop it
father I didn't do it." Severus knew that the 'father' had to be Igor Karkaroff.
"Emeline, what did she and Igor do to you? And Anabella, if they hurt her too?"
Emelines eyes were getting watery, she hated to talk about her childhood in
Bulgaria, she only had a few years worth remembering of her childhood and all
of them was from her time in England. Only a few glimpses of happiness was
from Bulgaria. "Mother..." She shook her head. "Sorry Father, I can't talk about
it.." Severus got up and pulled his daughter into a hug. "Stop being so formal
and calling my father, call me dad." Emeline smiled and then she began to cry.
"I'm so sorry... I want you to know, and at the same time I don't.." She looked
up at him. "Why didn't you take me?" Severus avoided her look. "Because, you
see, your mother was only a student... My punishment for being with a student
was that I never was allowed to see my child. Your mother thought the decision
was too hard and allowed me to see you once a year, in the week your birthday
was." Emeline caught his eyes. "But why weren't I sent to Beauxbaton then,
when Karkaroff expelled me?" Severus combed her hair with his long pale
fingers. "Because the ministry of Bulgaria and England, thought it best that you
came to your other native country. I was trilled when i heard that you were
coming to Hogwarts." Emeline smiled at her father. "Thanks." He pulled her
close. "For what Emeline? I was horrible to you.." She dried her eyes in his
cloak. "Yes, but I still loved you, because you were, and are, my father - I mean
dad - and you were always there." Severus let out a little sigh of relieve. "Thank
you Emeline." She let go of him. "Now you'll have to answer two questions of
mine. One, What shall I do about Anabella? And two, what's going on with you
and the Malfoys? Lucius accused you for something... I just told him that
Narcissa wanted to sit with you, if she couldn't sit with him.." Severus smiled.
"First, I just wanted you to know, she may be looking after you. And two, I can't
tell you... Cis -Narcissa and I were friends in school." Emeline bite her lips and
took a few steps backwards. "Is Narcissa having and affaire with you?" Severus
sighed, and shook his head in disbelieve, how could she see it? "Yes, but don't
tell.." She shook her head. "Do I look like an idiot?" He took a long look at her.
"No, you look very beautiful." Emeline smiled. "Thanks.. I have one more
question." Severus nodded. "Speak.." She sat down behind her desk.
"Bedroom arrangements?" He smiled at her. "Give Lucius and Narcissa one,
Lucretia one and me one.. Okay? I doubt anything will happen as long as we're
here.." She smiled. "They done it before, so why not this time..." She looked up
her father, he was smiling at her. "There will be no wands, I'll take them all and
have Draco lock them up." "Good idea.. I have another good idea. That's about
me going home.." Emeline nodded and went to unlock the door. "If you need
any thing while Draco is away, don't hesitate in contacting me.." "I will dad..
Have a nice day.."
Emeline looked around. It was getting late, the sun had set and it was
dark outside, though it was only 4 o'clock in the afternoon. She closed the door
to her office and walked upstairs, on the stairs she found her house elf. "Clay?"
The house elf didn't answer her. "Lumos." Emeline whispered and couls now
see the blood dripping from the house elfs head. "Ohh..." She sat down on the
stairs. "Clay? Lucius... Our house elf isn't like yours.." She lay her wand down
and touch the wound, it was deep and just the size of a boot. The house elf
was dead. "Ohh.... Draco I wish you were here.."
It was an early morning in the Malfoy Manor, when Draco woke up. There
was a little owl zooming around his head. He grabbed the owl by it's leg and
took the letter. He scanned it and sighed. He quietly got up, not waking his wife
Emeline. He went to the kitchen. "Clay?! I want some breakfast, fast.. In the
dining room.." Then he walked upstairs again, he went to the dressing room
and put on his cloth for working. He peeked into the bedroom, Emeline was still
sleeping. "Good.." He walked down to the diningroom and began to eat.
Halfway through his meal a head popped out in the fireplace. "Malfoy, we need
you... this might take days... " It was Percy Weasley the Minister of Magic.
"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes, I just have to write a note to Emeline.."
Percy nodded and disappeared. Draco quickly went for his office and wrote a
little letter to Emeline. Then he walked back upstairs and put it on his pillow, he
leaned in and kissed her cheek, she smiled in her sleep. "I love you." He
whispered and apparated to the Ministry of Magic.
Emeline woke up a few hours later. The first thing she saw was Dracos
letter. She read it. "Days? Wont be home for our day of the month? Can't
promise he'll be home for Christmas?" Emeline cried as she read the letter.
She loved Draco, she didn't care if he would miss their day of the month, but
Christmas? She got up, and dressed in a boring grey dress and a black apron,
if Draco wasn't home, there was no need in being pretty. Emeline made the
bed, Draco would have shook his head if he had seen her, but she didn't care.
She walked downstairs, the house elf had heard she was up and had prepared
some breakfast for her. "No thanks Clay, not today.. Today we'll, yes We Will
clean the whole Manor, and do something about the guestrooms." The house
elf flapped it's ears. "Yes ma'am, ma'am is going to help Clay?" She nodded,
"Yes I am, I don't have any other things to do, and I want it clean December
23th in the evening, can we do that Clay?" The house elf nodded. "Yes ma'am,
but ma'am needs to eat first.." She shook her head. "No.. We'll start in Dracos
office, he still can't work in there alone. " The house elf bowed to her and
smiled. "Yes ma'am, Clay will start immediately.." "No, you'll do the livingroom."
Emeline watched as the house elf disappeared into the living room. Emeline
walked into Dracos office, she could feel the vibrations from Lucius and
Lucretia. "Maybe, this will help.." She cleaned everything except the locked
draw, where Draco kept their money. She polished his desk, leaving everything
on it as it was when he left it. Everything was shining when she after half an
hour was finish, she only needed to do one thing. "Ma'am? What would you like
clay to clean now?" "The floor in the ballroom." The house elf disappeared and
Emeline found her wand. "Accio perfume." Her scent bottle came flying down,
she grabbed it in her hand. She sprayed a little perfume into the office and
closed the door. He waved her wand again and the scent bottle was standing
at her dressing table upstairs. Next she went to her own office.
At lunchtime they had cleaned all the downstair except the kitchen.
Emeline sat down on the couch in the upstairs livingroom, exhausted. "Is the
Ma'am hungry now? A little salad perhaps?" She nodded, "Bring it up here
please.." But when clay came back with the tray, Emeline was sleeping on the
couch. Clay left her to clean his kitchen. "Ma'am is so friendly and polite, not
like the master, the master is stern and yells at poor clay all the time." There
was a knock on the door. Clay went to open it. "Master Malfoy Senior." Lucius
kicked the house elf away. "Where's my son?" The house elf got up. "The
master is at work, but the mistress is upstairs." Lucius gave the house elf a little
nod, and walked upstairs. "Emeline?" Emeline woke up hearing Lucius' voice.
"I'm in the little livingroom.." Lucius walked in. "Hello dear." He kissed her hand
and sat down. "What is it you look like?" She smiled. "Oh... just an old dress."
he wouldn't tell him the truth, he would laugh at her and tell Draco to say
something to her. "Ohh... Draco is working.. Right?" He sounded secretive.
Emline nodded. "Yes, he wont be home the next few days.." Lucius looked
around, they lived nicely, modern and yet with style. "Emeline, your little
Christmas Bal, Lucretia and I.." "..Would like to spent the night together with
our Narcissas knowledge.. Am I right?" Lucius nodded. "Yes you are.. Can you
arrange that?" She smiled. "Yes, I can place you next to each other, but then
I'll have to ask Narcissa about who she would like to sit with. You have any
ideas?" He shook his head. "Emeline, how well do you and Narcissa talk?" She
looked curiously at him. "Not that good.. Why? Is something wrong?" "No,
everything is fine.." She smiled. "I've already asked her, she would like to sit
next to my father.." Lucius got up. "It's Severus?!" Emeline looked scared at
him. "What's Severus?" Lucius sat down again. "Nothing... I'll see you another
time Emeline.. And I'm sorry if I hurt your house elf.." She smiled at him. "Yes
I'll see you.." Lucius apparated away, and leaving Emeline confused about her
father. She looked around. "Clay?!" The house elf didn't come. She got up, the
house elf always came when she called. She took the stairs down and looked
around. "Clay?" "He's not here Emeline.." Emeline turned around. "Father..
What on earth is going on here?" He walked up to her. "I don't know Emeline,
I had hoped you might tell me.." She smiled at him. "I'm so glad to see you.."
She flung her arms around him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad to see you too.
Draco is?" "Working." Severus nodded. "Emeline I've received a letter from
your mother.." Emeline buried her face in his shoulder. "Emeline? Lets go and
sit down." He opened the door to her study and hold it for her. "Thank you
father." She sat down behind her desk, inviting her father to sit down in the
comfy armchair, Severus just closed the door and looked at her. "You have a
sister?" Emeline nodded. "Yes, a ½ sister.." Severus looked at the chair, he
wasn't sure if it would be soft enough for him to sit in. He sat down, ignoring the
pain. "Anabella.. She's only a year younger than you, right?" Emeline nodded,
"But what has that to do with you and me?" Severus looked at his daughter.
"Not much, except that she's here, in England. She ran away from your
mother.." The look in his eyes became serious. "Was she hard on you?"
Emeline didn't look at him, she got up and made sure the door to the office was
closed and locked. "Yes." Severus looked down, he knew she was talking the
truth, when Emeline had been younger and had visited him in the winter, she
had had terrible nightmares, often yelling 'Sorry mother' and 'Please stop it
father I didn't do it." Severus knew that the 'father' had to be Igor Karkaroff.
"Emeline, what did she and Igor do to you? And Anabella, if they hurt her too?"
Emelines eyes were getting watery, she hated to talk about her childhood in
Bulgaria, she only had a few years worth remembering of her childhood and all
of them was from her time in England. Only a few glimpses of happiness was
from Bulgaria. "Mother..." She shook her head. "Sorry Father, I can't talk about
it.." Severus got up and pulled his daughter into a hug. "Stop being so formal
and calling my father, call me dad." Emeline smiled and then she began to cry.
"I'm so sorry... I want you to know, and at the same time I don't.." She looked
up at him. "Why didn't you take me?" Severus avoided her look. "Because, you
see, your mother was only a student... My punishment for being with a student
was that I never was allowed to see my child. Your mother thought the decision
was too hard and allowed me to see you once a year, in the week your birthday
was." Emeline caught his eyes. "But why weren't I sent to Beauxbaton then,
when Karkaroff expelled me?" Severus combed her hair with his long pale
fingers. "Because the ministry of Bulgaria and England, thought it best that you
came to your other native country. I was trilled when i heard that you were
coming to Hogwarts." Emeline smiled at her father. "Thanks." He pulled her
close. "For what Emeline? I was horrible to you.." She dried her eyes in his
cloak. "Yes, but I still loved you, because you were, and are, my father - I mean
dad - and you were always there." Severus let out a little sigh of relieve. "Thank
you Emeline." She let go of him. "Now you'll have to answer two questions of
mine. One, What shall I do about Anabella? And two, what's going on with you
and the Malfoys? Lucius accused you for something... I just told him that
Narcissa wanted to sit with you, if she couldn't sit with him.." Severus smiled.
"First, I just wanted you to know, she may be looking after you. And two, I can't
tell you... Cis -Narcissa and I were friends in school." Emeline bite her lips and
took a few steps backwards. "Is Narcissa having and affaire with you?" Severus
sighed, and shook his head in disbelieve, how could she see it? "Yes, but don't
tell.." She shook her head. "Do I look like an idiot?" He took a long look at her.
"No, you look very beautiful." Emeline smiled. "Thanks.. I have one more
question." Severus nodded. "Speak.." She sat down behind her desk.
"Bedroom arrangements?" He smiled at her. "Give Lucius and Narcissa one,
Lucretia one and me one.. Okay? I doubt anything will happen as long as we're
here.." She smiled. "They done it before, so why not this time..." She looked up
her father, he was smiling at her. "There will be no wands, I'll take them all and
have Draco lock them up." "Good idea.. I have another good idea. That's about
me going home.." Emeline nodded and went to unlock the door. "If you need
any thing while Draco is away, don't hesitate in contacting me.." "I will dad..
Have a nice day.."
Emeline looked around. It was getting late, the sun had set and it was
dark outside, though it was only 4 o'clock in the afternoon. She closed the door
to her office and walked upstairs, on the stairs she found her house elf. "Clay?"
The house elf didn't answer her. "Lumos." Emeline whispered and couls now
see the blood dripping from the house elfs head. "Ohh..." She sat down on the
stairs. "Clay? Lucius... Our house elf isn't like yours.." She lay her wand down
and touch the wound, it was deep and just the size of a boot. The house elf
was dead. "Ohh.... Draco I wish you were here.."