When the Hogwarts express comes to a screeching halt I felt my stomach drop. This was it, if things ended badly, this could be the last time I ever see my friends. Before we descended the grated steps of the train entry way, I held them close and told them how much I was going to miss each and every one of them. I go in to hug Harry last and as I feel myself be engulfed in his tight embrace I feel eyes boring into the back of my head.
"Mother and father are waiting, hurry up." Was bluntly slung in my direction and as I pull my arms away from Harrys torso I see the back of a blonde head held high as they march off. I sigh deeply and follow suit.
When I do actually manage to descend the train and onto the platform I find Malfoy waiting at the bottom, arms crossed, face resembling that of hardened steel. "Well, where are they?" I enquire rather annoyed. Draco had rushed me and my goodbyes and now that I have departed from my friends I see that his parents haven't even arrived.
"You don't think they'd come to this platform and actually associate with mudbloods do you." He sneers, his last remark obviously meant as a rhetorical question. I want to bite back, to make a mean little comment about the way Hemione could beat him in a magical duel with one hand tied behind her back, but I don't. This is a good practice opportunity. I would have to smile and nod along with comments like this for the rest of the summer and the more I practiced the more believable I would be.
I smile, a wide, false, over the top grin. "Of course they wouldn't." Draco looks at me questioningly but nods his approval. "After you." I state and make a sweeping motion with my hand, meaning for him to lead the way.
A haggard, slightly stunted old man meets us at the entrance to platform 9 and ¾, he was in possession of all of our luggage and had it stacked neatly on a trolley. "Master Malfoy, a pleasure to see master again." He begins, his voice slightly shaky. He then turned to me "Miss Riddle, the hon- the honour is mine Miss, to finally meet you." He begins, his voice shaking even more, his eyes rounding in fear. I step forward to shake his hand.
"The honour is all mine-"
I get cut off abruptly. "Oh no Miss, the honour is mine, yes." He says hurriedly, almost pleadingly as he takes a step back from me and my outstretched hand. Malfoy scoffs and storms past us, pushing my hand aside as his body brushes past me.
"This is one of the house elves Ari, Barnabus." Malfoy mentions as he walks away. He then snaps his fingers and Barnabus instantly jumps into action, pushing our cart of luggage with hast.
I jog to catch up with Draco and when I do eventually catch up with him, his pace doesn't slow at all. "But, but that's a man? Not an elf." I huff out.
Draco, with his head still facing forward side eyes me, staring at me in a disapproving manner. "We're wizards and witches Ari, we used an enchantment, so he can fetch our luggage and do things for us whilst in the presence of muggles."
"ahhhh" I say, that explains so much. Draco half scoffs half smiles at my ignorance of the wizarding world.
"Your mother really did shelter you from our world." Draco mutters out, more to himself than me.
The journey to Malfoy manor was spent much like my journey to Hogwarts. In complete silence. Barnabus sat there nervously, small beads of sweat forming on his brow. In time he revealed a long wooden beaded necklace from around his neck with a silver pendent on in, set within the pendant was the symbol of a vitruvian man in the middle of a giant hollow ring of metal. I stare in awe as Barnabus removed the pendant from around his neck and the magic of the enchantment melted away, it was as if the gravity around him was melting away, the air around him bubbled and glopped down until the small, slightly scrunched up looking house elf sat before me.
"I hope I serve miss well." He wobbles out in an almost pleading tone. I smile endearingly.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, I know you'll do an excellent job." Barnabus eye's start to well up and I can tell his is on the verge of tears, he must not get treated very well, and from what Harry had told me about Dobby, I'm not surprised that a gesture as small as reassurance caused Barnabus to swell with emotion. It was then that I decided I would free him, somehow or another. Malfoy watched me interact with Barnabus dismissively and didn't inject himself into the conversation. Which I was grateful for because I just know he'd say something hurtful.
When the car rolled up to Malfoy manor I took a deep breathe, not quite ready to face my 'father' just yet. I stood at the threshold of the car door, my breathing increasing in pace.
"It's now or never Ari." I look down and see Draco standing before me, hand outstretched to meet mine. His face solemn and still. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you, just trust me." I smile to myself, the scene slightly comical. As I stand before the entrance of my childhood manor, my evil father who plans on destroying a large portion of the wizarding world, my captures ready to assimilate me into their warped view of the world, there stands my longest standing friend, ready to protect me, or at least try. Draco catches my smile and returns it with a half-smile himself. I take his hand and he helps me step out of the car.
Barnabus already had our luggage out side of the boot and they were currently floating in mid-air atop small grey clouds that rippled in the wind. I walked up the initial manor steps and felt my jaw fall laxed as I took in the building for the first time since my initial escape with mother years ago.
Malfoy, surprisingly, stays by my side as I walk ever so slowly towards the front door. The heavy mahogany doors laced with intricate metal medieval pointed swirls swings open slowly, it creaked with age, letting me know the building had lived to see many things, many people.
When I enter the foyer, I am surprised to find it empty. No greetings, no welcomes. I sigh a quick sigh of relief and muster up the courage to cross the threshold. When I do so another house elf pops into the foyer. "Welcome Miss, I'm Meggie" Meggie's nose was so bulbus, I wondered how she didn't topple over when she walked, she wore a beige sack that looks as though it had once carried starchy vegetables, she wore that with a piece of rope tied around her tiny waist to act as a makeshift belt. I smiled slightly, a bit lost for words.
"Can Meggie take you to your room?" … "Miss?" I blink hard and nod, I may as well see what my gilded cage looks like. I climb the central staircase that leads from the foyer and allow myself to be guided by Meggie, we headed towards the west wing of the manor and after a long journey of countless corridors and closed doors we approached what must be my room. I turn to see I am alone, Draco must have slinked off to his room with Barnabus. The door swings open as I approach, as if it knew the master of the room was near. When I walk through the doorway I find my breathe hitch in my throat. My room was every girl's dream. The floor was made of dark mahogany wood that oozed class and a sturdy foundation. My sleeping arrangements consisted of a four-poster bed, lilac gauze like material drifted down the beams and created the illusion of an actual princesses' bed, I stepped closer and noticed tiny gold flecks that sparkled like distant starts, the bed was covered in a dark crushed velvet lilac duvet. I throw myself onto the bed and laughed out loud at how bouncy the matrass was, after I regained my composure I sat up and noticed the vanity on the opposite side of the room, pretty vials and perfume bottles were already neatly placed on top, the was also a giant wardrobe that looked as if it could lead to another dimension, just beside the entry door on the wall to its right was another door which was left ajar, from my vantage point I could tell it was the on suite bathroom, a classic white and black tile floor visible through the open door. I had to lie down, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to breathe calmly. Amidst all the chaos I had forgotten to take pleasure in the little things, like having a room fit for royalty. I open my eyes and gasp. Above me the roof of my four-poster bed had been enchanted to recreate the night sky, the milky way spun in glorious tendrils of stars and sparkles.
"ahem." I don't need to look away from my own mini planetarium to know that it is Draco standing in my open doorway. I turn my head slightly to acknowledge his presence and notice he is leaning casually against the door frame. "Do you like it? Mother has apparently spent the better part of this term designing it for you" I beam my megawatt smile and nod enthusiastically. I turn back to my mini night sky and stretch my hands out, it really felt as though if I were to stretch out far enough, that I could possibly touch it. Draco enters my bedroom and sits himself on the edge of the bed. "That was my idea." He begins. I look at him confused.
"Really?" I ask inquisitively.
"Yeah, do you remember all those nights we spent sleeping in those horrid sleeping bags on the balcony just because you wanted to sleep with the stars watching over you?"
"Oh yes, I do!" I exclaim and begin to laugh at the memory. We hear footsteps from further down the hall, they seemed to be approaching my room with obvious determination. Draco stands immediately from my bed and takes a large step away from my body. I bring myself to stand as well, understanding some sort of unsaid message of 'don't get too close' I keep my space from Draco.
"Miss Aria!" a loud voice explodes into the room. My eyes widen as I recognise this woman from the ministry. Her wild ringlets of curls grew crazily in all directions. "I'm here to escort you to your father." She slurs, prolonging the end of her last word. I gulp. This was the evil women that killed Sirius. She was the reason Harry was currently in so much pain. I would get my revenge on her. One way or another. She would pay. But not today. I swallow again and nod, allowing myself to be unshed out of the room. I am glad to hear Draco's footsteps fall into sync with mine a few paces back. This was it, everything I had been training for was leading up to these next few moments.