The Malfoy Manor was handsome with a long, hedge-lined drive before its gates. It was more glass than stone walls with long, diamond-paned windows lining most of the front. The hedges were at least two metres tall and Rebekah could hear the faint sound of music coming from several directions. A pure white peacock flurried its tail and then tucked everything back as it sashayed away.
Mrs Malfoy continued to walk, the doors opened when she was only a metre away. The hallway was large and well lit with the windows letting natural light in. at the very end was a magnificent staircase that also had the same decorated carpet lining its stone as the floor did, following all the way up the stairs and perhaps further.
"Draco, show Rebekah the room between girls. I believe it will suit her needs the best," Mrs Malfoy said and turned to Rebekah. "Every bedroom has an ensuite bathroom attached and plenty of drawers and such things. There should be enough room for you and Emperor."
"Of course, Mum," Draco said and waved for them to follow him up the stairs. "Come on, you're staying in my wing."
"You have your own wing?" Rebekah said as the two girls followed quickly. "A whole wing?"
"Yeah, friends come around a lot and they stay in a certain room," He said, turning left after the second set of stairs and down a corridor. "It's not really a wing. I've got all of the east side of the second floor to myself, my parents and their guests stay on the other side and all of our parlour, drawing, tea rooms and that are on the first floor."
"He's lucky like that, being an only child," Daphne snorted at his fake shock expression. "We only have two stories and I have to share half of the first floor with my sister. She won't ever just keep to her side of the corridor and insists on using my drawing room for her singing lessons, so I took over hers and she wasn't happy."
Rebekah's room was huge. It was almost the size of the Dursley House without the loft and roof. It had long, straight panelled windows with thick green curtains and carpets. The four-post bed was just as big, almost thrice the size of her own at home with three pillows at the ugly brown headboard. On either side, there was a set of low bedside tables, equally coloured in the nasty brown shade.
Draco almost had to shove her in because she didn't want to walk in. The colour scheme pained her eyes and she cringed.
"You can change the colours," Daphne pointed out. "I know I had to when I came a few weeks ago. When I was younger, I thought orange and pink would be a good choice. I almost grimaced when I saw it when I came in."
"Just put your hand on the thing you want to change and think," Draco gestured to the bed. "Have a go. The room will become attuned to your preferences and so when you stay here, it'll stay like that."
Rebekah went up to the foot of the wooden bed, placing her hand on one of the posts and thought. Before her eyes, the nasty brown turned into a warm cinnamon brown and still kept the overall smooth texture on the wood.
"Does it work for everything?" Rebekah asked as her eyes travelled to the windows on her right.
"Yeah," Draco said. "Even the paint on the walls and the marble in the bathrooms."
"Good."
Rebekah turned the green drapes into a rich copper. The wooden floor matched the bed but the walls were changed into warm grey with matching brown trims. She did the same to the door and all wooden surfaces. The once simple grey bed sheets were turned to a fluffy cloudy grey duvet with a heavy, tawny-coloured blanket tucked in at the end.
The bathroom was alright but she still hated that horrid shade of brown. She made the sink turn to black wood with spider marble black and white countertop. The whole bathroom turned to the same spider marble but it was pleasant. The shower was large and stayed a dark granite grey with white metal linings.
She wanted a warm and cosy theme to make the room seem a little smaller and less lonely.
"Wow," Daphne said. "It looks good. I'll have to get you to do mine."
Rebekah shrugged uncomfortably as they all laughed. A House-Elf popped in with a small bow and declared that lunch was ready and on the first-floor deck.
Draco and Daphne excused themselves and said they needed to change, Muggle clothes were too restricting. Rebekah looked to her own outfit, dark wash jeans with black converse shoes and a navy T-shirt. She didn't feel restricted at all, she probably could do Quidditch in this but she'd need a longer top. The wind could give a bad whiplash and friction burn.
Rebekah began to unpack her clothes and placed most of her calmer toned books on the bookshelf. She didn't want to be questioned on why she had Morgana Le Fey's book. It wasn't common knowledge that she could read it and not any of her friends. They tried but they couldn't make out a single word on any of the pages. The book refused to allow them to open it.
They came back with looser robes on and Rebekah decided to grab one of her own, a black robe with her initials on each sleeve hem.
After a few hours of chasing the white peacocks around and falling into mud that made Mrs Malfoy refuse them entry into the house until they could be cleaned off, dinner was announced by the same House-Elf as before. Rebekah presumed it to be a she with how her little green dress captured her frail frame.
The two ends of the dining table were always where the heads of the family sat. Mrs Malfoy sat at one end of the long table, facing the door, with almost eight seats separating the two ends. Draco sat to the right hand of the other end, Mr Malfoy would have sat at the end but he was still busy working, even at six in the evening.
Daphne sat next to Draco, the seat in front of Draco was usually Blaise's when he visited and the one next to him and in front of Daphne was usually Pansy's. Rebekah ate her dinner in Pansy's seat as she wouldn't be visited until the day before they were off to school.
"Is something wrong, Rebekah?" Mrs Malfoy asked when she saw Rebekah push the piece of roasted beef to one side of the plate. "Is the beef not cooked enough?"
"I don't eat meat, ma'am," Rebekah said and finished another roasted potato. "Nor fish."
"Why? Do you have an allergy or simply a distaste for it?"
"Distaste mostly," Rebekah said. "Who makes the meals?"
"One of our House-Elves, Linney," Mrs Malfoy said and dabbed a tissue at her lip. "She is quite good at making meals, though, for more extravagant ones, we hire a chef from a certain business."
"For a truly good cauliflower and cheese, it needs to be cooked until the sauce becomes slightly thick and then it should be grilled on a very low heat to create a creamier yet cheesier taste," Rebekah quickly stopped herself. She blushed with slight embarrassment. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to say that."
Mrs Malfoy's chuckle was light and warm. "It is alright. I'll inform Linney of your preferences and we will have to try the improvement next time. Say, do your guardians make you prepare meals?"
"Sometimes I have to cook because my aunt is busy cleaning but not often," She said, thinking. "I usually cook once or twice a week, for practice, or because I want to eat something different."
"That's why she passed Potions with a better mark than me," Draco commented. "You should see what she eats at dinner at Hogwarts, she makes it look better than the five-star restaurant we went to for Father's birthday."
"And what about baking?"
"I like making biscuits, cookies and large cakes mostly," Rebekah flushed a little at Mrs Malfoy's approving nod. Daphne snorted a little and Rebekah kicked her lightly under the table. "But I have a hard time making bread. My hands are too soft for kneading."
"Hmmm. You're late Lucius," Mrs Malfoy said as her husband came in and kissed her on the cheek. "As I was saying, I love to bake certain goods. Anything glazed is my favourite to do."
"Good evening, everyone. A pleasure to see you again, Miss Potter," Mr Malfoy said and sat at the table, a House-elf in pale blue outfit replaced his empty plate with food. "Work was hectic once again. They found a dark artefact in the possession of one of the higher officials, then he tried to blame someone lower down. It took several hours to sort through memories and even the use of Veritaserum to get it sorted."
"Sounds bad," Mrs Malfoy said and finished her plate. "I have word that Blaise will be joining us on Friday morning, a day later than anticipated. However, next Wednesday, we will still be going supplies shopping. Daphne, your mother has given me your vault key for safekeeping."
"And Miss Potter's?" Mr Malfoy asked before beginning to eat.
"I have mine just in case, but I won't need it," Rebekah said and wiggled her right index finger where her family crest ring sat. "I've got the Potter Family ring and that should be enough."
"Good. It is always a good idea to have your key on standby, just in case someone tries to dispute your claim," Mr Malfoy said, checking his ring on his right middle finger. "Draco will get the Heir ring when he turns seventeen, and I believe the same will be done for Miss Greengrass when she matures. It always saddens me when I see a Family ring on one so young, luckily not many have to get them."
Rebekah took her ring off, watching the opal sheen of the tiny orb in the lantern lights. The orb reminded her of the Stone she held mere weeks ago. The chance to become immortal within her finger tips.
She slipped the ring back on and smiled. "It is what it is, it can't be helped."