~Frozen In Fear~
The night before the two of them would have to head off to another year at Hogwarts, Draco and Alyona sat on their shared bed while they played a board game.
They were enjoying a game of wizards chess while they listened to the enchanted radio that rested on Draco's bedside table.
Alyona made her move and before hopping off of the luxe comforter and walked into her newly constructed closet space.
"I think I might win!" She taunted him as she entered her vanity room.
While Draco was deep in though on what his next move should be, Alyona came back out of the closet with her pink pajamas on and crawled back onto the bed.
"Oh I think I still have a fighting chance," Draco smirked as he expertly made his next move, "I think I'll get changed as well, good luck winning now, Blossom."
As Draco went into his closet to change, Alyona stared down at the chessboard while she listened to the radio talk show host go on and on about whatever came up.
"Before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming, I have been advised to remind you all to remain indoors when at all possible, as the notoriously dangerous criminal, Siriu—"
Draco immediately came sprinting out of the closet in his pajama bottoms and hastily turned off the radio.
"Woah, what is it?! Are you okay?" Alyona asked out of confusion as to why the boy had seemed so frantic.
"Yeah, yeah. All good, Darling," Malfoy insisted as he took a few deep breaths before composing himself.
"Sleeping without a shirt tonight?" Alyona blushed upon seeing him standing there in nothing but his pajama pants.
"Oh, oops. Be right back," Draco said as he strolled back into his closet to retrieve something to cover his bare torso.
Once he came back, wearing his matching dark green pajama shirt and climbed up onto the bed, Alyona looked at him with a smirk, "No shirt would have been fine, too."
Draco gave her a flirty wink before they continued on with their friendly, yet competitive game of chess.
~ooOOOoo~
'Knock knock knock'
The blondes were jolted out of their sleeping state by the sound of loud banging on the bedroom door.
"Wake up, you two! It's seven o'clock! You two need to be up and getting ready to head to the station. Alyona, I need to fix your hair before you're allowed to go anywhere!" Narcissa shouted just outside of their door.
Draco rolled his eyes at his mother's rushed behavior.
"Looks like you're needed, best not to keep mother waiting," he joked.
Alyona jumped out of bed and rummaged quickly through her newly made closet. Despite the endless array of fine dresses and frilly skirts to choose from, she pushed through all of that and managed to find and throw on a pink sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans.
She raced over to open up the door for Narcissa before the loud knocking continued.
"Good morning, we over slept. I'm really sorry," the girl apologized.
With her silvery eyes, Narcissa looked Alyona up and down in disgust, "What on earth are you wearing!?"
Alyona looked down at her clothing, "This? Oh, it's a bit casual, but it's okay. I don't have to get all dressed up just for the train ride."
Draco's mother stuck up her nose at this statement, "Try not to sound so ridiculous. You're not going anywhere dressed like some muggle."
Narcissa stormed into the bedroom and into Alyona's closet were he found the suitcases that the girl had packed the night before.
Based on how many clothing items that Narcissa recognized were still hanging up, she had a hunch about what resided within the pink luggage bags.
Upon opening them, her suspicions were confirmed. The suitcases were full of blue jeans, gaudy pink sweatshirts, tasteless graphic t-shirts, cheap leggings and well-worn sneakers.
"Absolutely not! I knew I should have instructed the elf to pack for you," She huffed as she began to toss out the clothing.
All Alyona could do was watch in disbelief as she saw her clothes go flying across the room.
Narcissa turned to face Alyona, looking slightly more composed after she had violently removed all of the girl's clothes from her luggage.
"You look great in pink. But, If you're going to wear it, then you need to wear it the right way," misses Malfoy insisted.
Narcissa called for Wheezy and immediately the little elf began loading up the girl's suitcases.
Alyona watched as her luggage was filled with a seemingly endless amount of black garments, with the tiniest hint of a pink article here and there.
"The key is to keep the ensemble understated in color, and to keep the vibrant hues within the accessories. It's all about the finer details," Narcissa added.
Alyona had always noticed this about Draco's mother. Her color of choice to accentuate any outfit was always green. While Narcissa did wear a dress that was saturated in the emerald shade on occasion, most of her wardrobe consisted of nothing but black, a Malfoy essential. She would often complete any outfit with a bracelet or necklace that showcased a set of emeralds, but her signature choice were her favorite emerald earrings, which she wore nearly everyday.
Wheezy had left for a moment and upon his return, he was seen carrying a silver box into the room before placing it in Narcissa's hands. Draco's mother opened the box to reveal an wide assortment of fine silver jewelry, all featuring dazzling pink diamonds as the main focal point of their designs.
"I was saving this jewelry and most of the new clothing for Christmas, but I can't stand to see you in such trashy commoner's clothes. You deserve better, dear. You deserve the best," Narcissa insisted as the house-elf continued to re-pack the luggage bags that were now full of luxurious garments, shoes, and jewelry.
"Thank you," Alyona said gratefully. She sheepishly turned around to see her Draco standing behind her with an apologetic look on his face.
After sharing a moment of eye contact between the two of them, Alyona suddenly felt a gentle hand take hold of her arm.
The girl hesitantly looked up to see Draco's mother looking down at her head of messy blonde coils.
"Now, time to fix this hair," Narcissa coldly stated as she dragged the young girl over to the vanity table.
~ooOOOoo~
After a fun and high-flying carriage ride, the group arrived at King's Cross Station around ten forty-five.
Lucius had given his son a generous amount of money to purchase whatever treats the two kids would like on their long journey.
"Now Alyona, Remember. No singing, and no shouting either," Lucius instructed firmly, his face plagued with seriousness.
Draco tried to refrain from scowling, but couldn't help himself, "Well...when will she be able to?"
"When we can find someone who can train her how to control her voice. Until then, not so much as a hum nor a whistle is to escape those lips," Narcissa instructed.
Just then, Draco felt as if he was blessed with a great idea, "Her and I can practice the mind shielding while we're away! Maybe—"
"Absolutely not, and keep your voice down," Lucius demanded, "If anyone catches you two attempting to practice that or god forbid they catch Alyona singing, we will have a full-blown ministry investigation on our hands. Neither of you are to practice anything of the sort until you arrive home for Christmas break. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes father," Draco sighed.
The young Malfoy lamented the fact that it could be years before he would be able to hear his beloved's beautiful vocals, if ever at all. It all depended on how strong his mind and his will power grew to be.
The two kids eventually exchanged hugs and said their goodbyes to Draco's parents before beginning to make their way to the express's entrance.
In a sea of jumpers, basic jackets and baggy jeans, the young couple were dressed to the nines.
Draco in his signature all black, perfectly tailored suit, of course. Draco's short white-blond strands, while not being severely slicked back like usual, were still perfectly coiffed in a sophisticated men's style and shined like a beacon of light, signaling to others what family he belonged to. The tall, slender boy held on to his darling's hand proudly as the made their way through the bustling crowd.
Alyona was in all black as well. She wore a shiny, satin dress that hugged her upper body and flared out at the hips, perfect for twirling. Her choice of pink accent were a simple pair of earrings that featured bright pink diamonds, just one of many pieces that Narcissa had gifted to her earlier that morning.
The clicking sound of Alyona's glossy, black high heels caught the attention of passer-byes as the couple strutted along the platform. As they approached the train's doorway, they happened across Alyona's bother, Alden.
"Hey, what's up! I haven't seen you much this summer, is dad here?" Alyona asked as she looked around the platform for any sign of her father or other brothers.
She took note of how Alden had already looked decently stressed out and exhausted, and the stresses of the school year hadn't even began.
"Hey, sis. Um...Dad didn't come this time. He sent me with an auror. Alex and Apollo aren't here either," Alden said.
"Oh, well how has he been doing, anyway?" Alyona asked.
"I think he's doing better, it's hard to say. I've spent most of my time with Daphne. I spent more of the summer at her parents home than ours," her brother admitted.
"I'm glad you found someone that makes you happy, you two are cute together." Alyona told him, in the hopes of being some light back into his mood.
Draco looked up at the large clock that was positioned high above platform nine and three-quarters, it read ten fifty-two.
"It was nice to see you, Blossom," Draco abruptly said to Alyona's brother. He then reached out and took back his girlfriend's hand, "We best get a cabin to ourselves before they're all occupied."
Alyona waved to her brother as he was waiting on Daphne to show up before he boarded. The blonde couple found an empty compartment that they swiftly entered and sat down.
They looked out of the window until they spotted Lucius and Narcissa waving at them. The Kids waved back as the train eventually left the platform completely and before they knew it, they were off towards another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
~ooOOOoo~
After eating their fill of sweets from the trolly, the young couple succumbed to their inevitable sugar crashes and decided to nap for the rest of the ride.
Several hours into the train ride, while Draco lay on his back as Alyona rested comfortably on his chest, there was a sudden jolt as the two students were thrown off of their cabin seat as the train came to an abrupt halt.
The two students awoke upon hitting the floor of the cabin as the sound of metal on metal from the train's wheels skidding along the tracks rattled through the passenger car.
Alyona groaned as she held her hand up to her right temple.
"Are you alright, Darling!?" Draco frantically asked as he went to retrieve his beloved from the cabin floor.
Alyona kept pressing the side of her head as her loving boyfriend scooped her up into his arms, "Here, let me see."
Draco softly moved her hand away and inspected the damage. He could already see a decent sized bruise starting to form under her golden skin.
"You need an ice pack, wait here," Malfoy said as he jolted up from his seat and thrusted open the sliding door.
Draco looked around the passenger car hallway for any sign of what had happened, a few other students had their heads peeking out from their respective cabins as well.
"What in the bloody hell is going on!? We need medical attention over here, immediately!" Draco words dripped with rage.
Suddenly, the lights began to flicker and without a moment to process it, they went completely out. Draco could suddenly his breath when he exhaled, the tell tale sign of sinking temperatures.
Draco heard what he thought could have been an adult attempting to open one of the compartment doors down the narrow hall. Maybe it was the conductor checking on the passengers to make sure everyone was okay.
Draco swiftly turned around with immense impatience, "My father will hear…about…this…."
He went quiet as he realized he was staring directly at a dementor that was only a couple cabins away from where he stood. Draco had only ever heard stories about these twisted creatures.
He shut the door and attempted to lock it, but the lock had been frozen in place by the fallen temperature.
Alyona was sitting on the cushioned seat when Draco came back towards her, looking rather panicked. He gently moved her up against the back wall of the train compartment and positioned himself in front of her.
Draco had one arm shielding his girlfriend and with his opposite hand he aimed his wand at the sliding door.
"Woah! Draco, what's going on?!" She asked with worry in her voice.
"Shhh, I need you to stay quiet for me, Love." Draco whispered as he remained in his defensive stance. His eyes firmly locked onto the window that displayed a clear view of the freezing hallway.
After a few moments, a large shadowy figure began to float past their compartment. It seemed to stop directly in front of them as if it was looking through the window and analyzing them.
At this point, Draco extremely frightened, but was fully ready to fight if that door began to slide open even the slightest bit.
At the sight of the dementor, Draco heard the faintest sound of someone drawing in a breath. He turned to see Alyona, eyes wide and filled with tears, frightened and ready to scream for her life.
In an instant, Draco placed his hand firmly over Alyona's mouth before she could let out her ear rupturing shriek. The sound waves that attempted to escape her mouth were blocked by Draco's hand, causing the sound to blow her backwards and forcefully throw her against the window behind her, cracking the glass. Alyona went limp against the back wall of the cabin as her eyes fluttered shut.
Draco gasped at the sight of Alyona's motionless body resting against the wall. He wanted to cry out for her, but he didn't want to antagonize the creature floating outside their cabin door.
Draco reached back to feel for her pulse or the rising and falling of her breathing. Once he had confirmed that she was alive, just unconscious, he focused on making sure no harm came to her.
The dementor placed its sickly, boney hands on the glass as it just stayed there, watching them.
There was no face, only a fully cloaked black and grey figure with a torn open hole for the mouth. It was a truly horrifying sight.
The dementor had decided to show them mercy as it backed away from the window and slowly carried on down the hall, seemingly in search of something…or someone else.
Once the coast was clear, Draco immediately whipped around to inspect his beloved for any further injuries that she may have sustained. Once he had her cradled in his arms, she slowly came back to consciousness and looked up at the platinum haired boy.
"Wha...what happened?" She asked as she rubbed the back of her head.
Draco just continued to hold her close to him, "It's going to be okay, Love. I'm here~"
~ooOOOoo~
Once at Hogsmeade station, the students aboard exited the train while gossip about what had taken place on their journey ensued immediately.
Draco and Alyona made their way to the self-drawn carriages that brought the second years through the seventh years up to the castle.
Draco was able to fetch an ice pack for his darling after the dementor issue was sorted out. Alyona held the cooling pack to her head as they walked along the gravel path.
Along the way, they met up with fellow Slytherins Theodore Nott, Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini and they all had decided to share a carriage together.
One by one, they stepped up and sat down on the cushioned, booth-style seats. Draco took Alyona's free hand and helped up the steps before entering the carriage directly after her.
"So...what happened to you?" Millicent asked as she noticed Alyona holding the now melted ice compress to her forehead.
"We were asleep on the train when it stopped. I fell off the seat and hit my head," Alyona responded.
Blaise tried to laugh quietly to himself. Draco however, caught sight of this.
"Does that amuse you, Zabini? The fact that my girlfriend was injured?" Draco asked in an angry growl.
Blaise looked up at the angry Malfoy heir, "I'm sure she just 'fell' off of her seat. My mother used to 'fall' down the stairs all of the time while my dad still lived with us."
It took Draco a moment to realize what Blaise was trying to convey.
"What the hell are you insinuating?" The blonde boy asked viciously, "I would never lay a hand on her, you imbecile!"
"Draco would never hurt me, Blaise," Alyona added.
Blaise glanced over at the Blossom girl, he gave her a smug smile and then darted his eyes back over to her enraged boyfriend.
"If you say so," Zabini retorted.
Draco began to practically turn red at this gross accusation. He prided himself on how well he treated his darling. How dare Zabini make such a bold and false claim.
"Draco, it's okay. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Alyona said as she soothed him in order to prevent a full blown duel right there in the carriage.
Draco took a breath and reeled his emotions back in. He put a protective arm around Alyona as they continued with their carriage ride up to the castle. Everyone remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity.
Theodore finally decided to break the awkward silence, "I still can't believe Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban."
"Sirius Black? Isn't he your mother's cousin? What's he done?" Alyona asked her boyfriend. Draco tried to interject but was too late.
"He's a mass murderer. He killed a bunch of people over a decade ago and got life in prison for it. Word is, that's why the dementors stopped the train, it was possible he could have been hiding there the whole time," Theo told her.
Alyona's eyes went wide.
Theo looked confused at her reaction, "You really didn't here about this? It's been in the Daily Prophet, it's all over the radio the radio, it's big news right now."
Draco gave Theo a death stare, "Well, I had done a good job at keeping her from hearing about it...at least up until now. Thanks for telling her, you Git."
"Oh, oops," Theo chuckled.
"Draco, you knew about this?" Alyona asked as she looked up at him.
Draco let out a long sigh, "Ya…I didn't want you to be scared, so...I made sure you didn't hear about it on the radio or see any news articles about it. I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone's loose lips ruined all of that effort."
Theodore snickered at Draco's admission, "Well, what did you expect? If I didn't say anything, someone else definitely would have. Everyone's talking about it. You can't protect your girlfriend from the world, Malfoy."
Draco scoffed at Theo's remark, "Quite foolish of you to underestimate me, Nott."
~ooOOOoo~
After a long and tense ride up to the castle, the students went to their dormitories to change into their school uniforms.
Alyona heaved her luggage onto her dorm bed and unlocked it. When she lifted the top of her bag that contained her uniforms, she noticed something was off.
It seemed that Wheezy had not packed one pair of school appropriate dress shoes. Every pair in her bag appeared to feature a stiletto heel of considerable height, much higher than the school standard.
Alyona reluctantly slipped on the tall shoes to complete her uniform and headed down to the common room to join the rest of her schoolmates and head up to the great hall for the ceremony. She was curious to see how long it would take for her to get called out by a faculty member for breaking dress code.
"There you are, Princess," Draco cooed as she walked through the double doors, "What's wrong? You looked troubled."
Alyona sighed, "These are the only types of shoes your mother had Wheezy pack for me. I'm going to get in trouble for wearing these."
Draco chuckled, "You're adorable. You'd be surprised at what you can get away with when you're exceedingly wealthy.
Malfoy held out his hand for Alyona to hold on to, "Come on, let's go join our friends, shall we?"
~ooOOOoo~
Once the first years were sorted, they joined their new fellow classmates. After Dumbledore gave his famous beginning of the year speech, the glorious feast commenced.
Draco and Alyona sat together along with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Bulstrode and unfortunately Pansy Parkinson, who was intent on inviting herself into the friend circle. Nobody, not one person asked for Pansy to join them, but she did so anyway.
"I can't believe that Potter, the chosen one, really fainted on the train!" Theo remarked in a fit of laughter. The rest of the group joined in the fun, even Alyona chuckled a bit.
She let them have their fun as she looked around the Slytherin table at the new faces that joined them. Her, Draco and the rest of their group were positioned around the middle of the long, oak tables.
Alyona soon spotted her brother sitting with Daphne and another girl. It was the same girl that she had run into on accident back in Diagon Alley.
Astoria Greengrass was her name, Daphne Greengrass's younger sister. She had been sorted into Slytherin house this year.
Alyona began to think about Astoria's reaction back in Diagon Alley, how hostile she'd been.
"You daydreaming over there, Blossom?" Millicent joked.
"Oh, no. I'm just tired," Alyona replied as rubbed her eyes to emphasize her point.
"You can't be tired yet, we're throwing a homecoming party for all of Slytherin house. Since you and Malfoy didn't show up to the year end party, I expect you both to be present and punctual," Bulstrode playfully demanded.
"Oh, I'm not really the party type," Alyona insisted.
"We weren't asking, Blossom," Theo mocked with a wink.
Alyona looked up beseechingly towards her tall, platinum haired boyfriend to signal that she needed his defense.
Draco looked at her pouting expression and clearly understood what she was trying to signal to him.
"I'd prefer Alyona to not be around all of the liquor and...other stuff you guys probably have planned. I might not even go, myself," Malfoy responded sharply.
Theo rolled his eyes and sighed, "Oh for god's sake. You guys are no fun."
~ooOOOoo~
Later that night, Draco snuck Alyona into his dorm to watch over her while the rest of the pure-blood elites partied the night away.
The quiet, muffled sound of the loud thumping music and the noise of clinking goblets filled with expensive alcohol didn't bother them much. They just cuddled together in his bed while they talked about whatever topics came up.
"First a giant snake was on the loose, and now a serial killer is quite possibly stalking the grounds? I'm not sure I even want to be here," Alyona commented.
Draco tightened his grip around her, "You have nothing to worry about. From what I know, he's only after Potter."
"You…wouldn't mind walking me to my classes, would you?" Alyona asked as she batted her long eyelashes in his direction.
Malfoy smiled down at her pretty face, "Of course I wouldn't mind, how did you know I had already planned on it?"
He sealed his promise with a kiss to her bruised temple as they both drifted off to sleep. Not caring about being found in the same bed together by the drunken boys that would be stumbling in later that night.
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