WARNING: Lemon content in chapter
40
Yule
The journey home the next morning was rather quiet as the train left early in the morning and the teens were rather tired. Mostly they sat in their compartments reading various books and drinking coffee and tea to wake themselves up. Before they knew it they were pulling into King's Cross Station and heading off to the Manor with Lucius and Narcissa.
The Manor was absolutely magical and not just in the normal way. Every room was decorated elaborately for Yule. Even Emily's room had two trees framing her fireplace, gold stars and silver baubles hung from the branches with glass icicles sparkling throughout. On her mantel was a garland of green and gold magnolia leaves and a wreath of holly and mistletoe had been hung over her bed for good fortune.
On the morning of the Yule celebrations, the family all made their way to a large stone building on the grounds of the Malfoy estate. The dark wooden door was engraved with the Malfoy crest and the place was surrounded by a beautiful garden currently hidden by the snow. Emily took Draco's hand as Lucius opened the large door and they slowly made their way forward into the darkness. For a moment the group stood silently in the dark until suddenly the torches around the room sparked flames allowing them to see. The room was made of stone and in the center was a large platform in the shape of a rectangle.
"Let us begin," Lucius announced and each member moved to a separate corner of the room.
Lighting the circular candelabra Emily joined the others in the chant they had been taught.
"Within the walls of darkness and night
The cold grows ever stronger
We seek the peace and blessings
For those who walk this earth no longer
When fires dwindle and rain pours down
We bless these grounds once more
When light returns we humbly ask
To protect these haunts once more."
Emily reached forward and picked up the candle with all the carvings on it. Turning around she faced the others in the room who in turn held a candle similar to hers. Slowly they all moved forward and placed an offering of holly and mistletoe on the center stone. Tapping the corners of the stone with the candles the fire seemed to travel along the cold surface and form a circle around the greenery. The offering was complete.
The group placed their candles on the four corners of the stone slab. They stood in silence before Lucius motioned for them to follow and they exited the crypt. They had honored their ancestors and the fires would burn for 24 hours in remembrance.
The group was quiet until they made it back to the Manor. "Okay you two," Narcissa said with a smile, she was quite proud of the pair for participating this morning. "I believe Yule has truly begun. Now, you both better start getting ready we have a big night ahead of us."
Emily and Draco nodded and quickly headed off to their rooms to start their preparation for the ball. Time flew all too quickly and before the young witch knew it a knock was sounding at her door.
"You can come in," she called taking in her appearance in the full-length mirror. She was wearing a long green dress with an open back. Her hair was held back by an emerald clasp that matched her earrings and bracelet. In the reflection she watched as Cedric entered, a small branch of mistletoe in his hand as he smiled at her.
"You look beautiful," he said holding the branch above the pair as they kissed before adding the greenery to her hair.
"You look quite handsome yourself." Emily spun around and took in the sight of her boyfriend. Summoning a spring of holly she attached it to his formal robes and kissed him once more. "Happy Yule, may the Goddess grant you light and the blessing of winter's peace."
"May the God who descended into the underworld to rest, grant you the blessings of winter's hopefulness." The pair smiled at each other for a moment before Cedric offered his arm. "We should join the others. We have a long night ahead of us."
"Oh, it can't be that bad," the witch smirked as the pair exited the room and headed towards the ballroom.
"It's not Yule that is tiring, it's the people. With every passing year the questions become more about what I will do after Hogwarts and with whom I will settle down."
"That's rather silly, as the only Heir to your House it would be quite clear what your future holds."
Cedric smiled halfheartedly down at his girlfriend and Emily wondered what bothered him about her statement. All Purebloods were raised in the same manner, more or less. The Heirs took over the jobs and titles of their father, it wasn't hard to guess what the first in line would end up doing. Of course there were always the exceptions like William but then again unlike most Heirs there wasn't much for him to inherit so he had to make a name and a fortune for himself.
The Hufflepuff was quiet the rest of the walk to the ballroom and Emily hoped she hadn't offended him. As they entered the ballroom, Emily was in awe. Everything was lit by candle light and everywhere she looked greenery decorated the room, from trees adorned with golden stars to boughs of holly and mistletoe. Music was playing and hors d'oveuvre were being passed around the room by well dressed elves. The pair made their way over to where Draco was chatting with Daphne and Longbottom.
"Emily, you look stunning," Draco took his best friend's hand and kissed her knuckles. "You know Daphne and Heir Longbottom."
Smiling the witch nodded, "Of course, blessings of the new light to you both."
"And to you as well," Daphne greeted. "It's nice to finally be invited, is it not?"
"It is," Emily agreed as Cedric offered her a glass of champagne, the witch raising her eyebrow at the action.
"Now that we are all gathered we will light the ceremonial fire and toast to the new light," the boy whispered as Draco offered Daphne a glass and Longbottom shakily took one for himself. "Plus no one will notice if you have a few tonight."
The clinking of a glass had everyone looking to the center of the room where Lucius and Narcissa stood looking out at everyone who had come to the gathering.
"We are so grateful this night to welcome you into our home. Let us gather and light the fire to begin our festivities on this night of darkness." Lucius stood and waited as everyone lifted their wands towards the ceiling. "Tonight we hold a festival of lights, as we celebrate in the dark for the awakening of the new sun. With each flame we grow in hopefulness for the upcoming year. With this in mind I ask that the gateways to the elemental realms be opened to us now. To the powers of the East and Air, be with us," everyone swirled their wands as puffs of air were released from their tips. "To the powers of the South and Fire, be with us," small flames emitted from the wands in the room creating balls of light that danced on the ceiling. "To the powers of West and Water, be with us," with a circle a quick sprinkling of water shot from the wands, no one seemed to care as some of the drops fell on their heads. "To the powers of the North and Earth, be with us," this time each person created an offering of holly or greenery and levitated it to the large golden bowl on a pedestal by Lucius and Narcissa.
"We seek peace and hope in the darkness and tonight we call upon the elements to strengthen us as we await the coming day. Great Goddess grant us Winter's peace. Great God grant us Winter's hope."
Lucius held his wand up to the golden bowl and suddenly it burst into flames as the room intoned, "Hail and Welcome!"
Narcissa stepped forward and raised her glass to the room, "Blessings to you all on this night of Yule."
"Blessings," the room replied as they all joined in raising their glasses.
Emily took a sip of her champagne and wrinkled her nose slightly at the bubbles. What an odd sensation it was but the drink itself was rather delightful and she took another sip before looking at the group around her. Longbottom looked shaken and was quick to get rid of his glass on a passing try.
"Don't like it Cousin?" Daphne giggled taking another sip herself.
"It's fine," the boy mumbled tucking his wand back into his robes. "I just promised Gran I wouldn't break anything."
"You shouldn't let her make you so nervous, you did fine with the blessings." Longbottom shrugged his shoulders and looked away from the Slytherin. "Well I am quite enjoying this. I can see why Mum loves to serve this at parties."
Emily nodded her head as she clinked glasses with her Housemate. "I agree, it is nice. The bubbles kind of tickle your nose."
"I bet we could get some and store it in the dorms for parties and feast nights…"
"It would go well with the pastries the elves usually bake and the upper years tend to have wine for themselves, I don't see why this would be such a stretch."
"Don't forget the cheese trays, that would pair well."
"What kind of parties do you Snakes have?" Longbottom asked looking between the two witches.
"Oh come on, you can't tell me Gryffs don't drink at your parties?" Daphne raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "The stories that go around about the things the twins sneak into the school. And I heard after your last victory McGonagall had to come and send everyone to bed because it got so out of hand."
"I think he meant we are a bit posh Daph."
"Oh," the girl giggled and finished her champagne. "Well…"
Draco and Cedric seemed to shake their heads as they chatted with each other, both had exchanged their champagne glasses for a different drink but Emily couldn't tell what they were drinking now. Emily who never really spent much time with Daphne before was enjoying the girl's presence. It wasn't often she had a girl to speak to and she found though the girl was very much a gossip, she was also rather smart.
"Would you like to dance?" Cedric asked offering his hand out to Emily. The witch inclined her head and the pair was shortly followed onto the floor by Draco and Daphne. The teens had a fun time swirling around the floor, laughing and joking with each other as they did so. And while it was fun Emily had the most odd sensation that something was missing yet she pushed it from her mind as Cedric handed her another glass as they spun past an elf.
"I'm going to get myself in trouble tonight," she laughed as they waltzed passed Severus who shook his head at the pair.
"I won't let you get too crazy. Are you hungry yet?"
"Starving."
"Good, let's go see if we can find the others."
The pair found the others sitting around a table in the corner of the room and joined them. Longbottom seemed to be focused on his food while Draco and Daphne seemed to be enjoying themselves. Cedric held Emily's chair out for her before heading to find an elf. When he returned he had another dark drink in his hand and another glass of champagne for the witch.
"What are you drinking?"
Cedric smirked as he held out his glass to his girlfriend who tentatively took it. "It's Swott Malt Whiskey."
"Whiskey?" the witch stopped short of taking a sip. "Should we be drinking this?"
"Oh just try it," Daphne encouraged pointing towards Emily's best friend. "This one decided to try firewhiskey and it actually burns going down."
"Lovely," Emily looked at the drink in front of Draco and shook her head before looking down at her own glass. Realizing everyone was waiting on her, even Longbottom had torn his attention away from his food to see if she would try it, she lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. The liquid had an odd flavor as it passed over her tongue and down her throat but once it settled in her stomach there was an instant sort of warming sensation. Looking to her boyfriend she shrugged as she handed him back his drink, "not bad."
Her response earned laughter from the rest of the table and as Cedric and Emily were finally served their food the group settled into light conversations.
"Cedric my boy," a jovial man, whom Emily knew to her boyfriend's father, clapped his son's shoulders as he smiled at the table. "I hope you all don't mind but I need to steal my son for a moment. I promise Miss Potter I will return him forthwith to you!"
The young witch giggled as she nodded her head, "Of course Mr. Diggory."
"It's Amos, my dear!"
Emily nodded her head, "Of course, Amos. As long as he comes back for another dance."
"I will," Cedric answered his face rather tight. He stood up quickly forcing his father to take a step back as he leaned in and kissed the witch's lips. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you tonight on this celebration of light."
There was something odd in the way the Hufflepuff was acting but Emily just smiled at her boyfriend in return. As the pair went off, Emily watched as they were shortly joined by Lucius and Severus who all ducked out of the hall through a side door.
"Is he okay?" Draco asked looking at his friend with a little worry.
"I don't see why he wouldn't be. Though he did mention he doesn't like these types of parties, something about all the expectations."
"He looks like he's been having a good night to me," Daphne said reaching for her champagne glass.
Draco was quicker than her and moved the glass in front of her cousin Longbottom, "When you finish the food on your plate you get that back."
"Oh, she's not that bad Dray."
"You both are smiling."
"So."
"You two never smile in public. I think for the moment you've both had enough."
The girls rolled their eyes at the blonde but they tucked back into their meals and finished them. After dessert had come and gone the girls each had a champagne glass in their hands as they stood out on one of the balconies overlooking the estate.
"We should spend more time together, you aren't as scary as people think."
"And you aren't as much of an Ice Queen as people think."
"I won't tell if you don't," Daphne said raising her glass to the other Slytherin. The girls clinked their glasses as they toasted to their new friendship.
"Daphne would you like another dance?"
The girls turned around and Draco was waiting with his hand outstretched. "I would love one."
Emily watched as the pair slipped back into the ballroom and she sighed, she wondered what on earth Cedric was doing and why he hadn't returned. She decided to see if she had somehow missed him and made her way back inside. Finishing her glass she set it off to the side and almost ran into Marcus. She was feeling slightly giddy after her last drink and upon seeing the older boy she giggled as she hugged him tightly.
"Where have you been all night?"
The older Slytherin smiled and lifted the young witch off her feet and spun her in a circle. "It's nice to see you too Little Snake." As he set her down he kept his arm behind her to steady her. "I've been dancing and talking to all the Ministry officials. Making connections for next year when I have to start learning the ropes from my father."
"Are you excited about leaving Hogwarts?"
"It will be a change but hopefully with the whisperings of what is taking place at Hogwarts next year I can come back a bit and check on my favorite Little Snake."
"What do you mean whisperings?"
"Emily." Turning the witch saw her boyfriend coming towards her, he looked more relaxed than earlier as she smiled and waved. "Marcus," the boy greeted the Quidditch captain with a firm handshake.
"Diggory." There was an awkward silence as the boys stared at each other before Marcus turned his attention to Emily. "May the God who descended into the underworld to rest, grant you the blessings of winter's hopefulness." The boy leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead before giving one last glance to Cedric. "Blessings of the new light to the both of you."
Emily turned to her boyfriend who watched the older boy vanish into the crowd. "Ced, where have you been?"
"My father wanted to introduce me to some people and make sure I was networking properly."
"Is that a bad thing? You will need to study under him for a while, will you not?"
"Of course not." The boy leaned in and kissed his girlfriend though Emily could tell the tightness in his stature was back. "I believe I promised you another dance."
"Yes, you did."
Cedric led the Slytherin witch onto the dance floor and the pair joined in on the waltz that was currently playing. They passed Draco and Daphne a few times but Emily couldn't shake that something was off with her other half. Eventually Daphne and Emily had gone with some of the older women into a sitting room off the hall and enjoyed more drinks and music. The men for their part went to another room in which the younger girls were informed was called a smoking room for their own time to unwind. By the time Emily saw Cedric again she and Daphne were full of giggles as they sat in the corner by a window.
"Ced, what are you doing here? Aren't the men supposed to be somewhere else."
"If you look around we have all come to collect our dates." As Emily surveyed the room she realized he was speaking the truth and the men were now all helping their women to their feet. "Let me take you back to your room."
"Daphne, may I escort you back to the Floo Room?" Draco offered his hand to Daphne who smiled as she used the man for support. Emily doubted the girl could have walked on her own, having had a few more drinks than herself and Emily felt slightly dizzy as she stood up. "I will see you in the morning Em."
"Sleep well Dray and you too Daph." Emily giggled as she let her boyfriend lead her away from the room. The pair walked quietly at first until they got to a deserted hallway far away from the others. With a wave of her wand music started to play and she attempted to get Cedric to dance down the hall with her but he merely shook his head at her actions.
"Come on, it's Yule and its beautiful tonight. Dance with me!"
"Haven't we danced enough already?"
"I could dance all night!"
The boy caught up to the witch and put his arm tightly around her waist as he pulled her into him. "I can think of other ways to spend our time." With a hard kiss he waltzed Emily backward and she heard a door open. As she was let go she realized they had made it back to her rooms. Allowing the spinning to slow in her head she turned to her boyfriend to tell him goodnight.
Before she could say a word Cedric was kissing her and within seconds his tongue was running along her lip. Emily moaned as she wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. Slowly she felt herself being guided backwards until she could feel the bed just behind her.
"Ced, don't you have to go?"
With a wave of his wand the door shut to Emily's room. "Not yet."
Still not able to completely focus the girl nodded in acceptance. It wasn't long before Cedric's over robe was on the floor and he was stood in slacks and a white button up kissing her. The pair kicked off their shoes and Emily felt as her boyfriend's hands hooked under her dress and slowly pulled it down her body as he kissed his way down. Kissing her thigh, he smiled up at her and allowed the dress to pool on the floor. As he stood he removed his shirt before taking Emily back into his arms and pulling her tightly against his now bare chest.
Emily felt herself be lifted and set down on her bed. Pushing herself back to get more comfortable, Cedric followed until he had settled his weight on top of her. The young witch shook her head, still slightly unsure of what was happening. Her and Cedric had made out plenty of times but never had he seen her so bare. She felt him push himself against her and an odd sensation traveled through her body causing her to squirm under the boy. Her actions seemed to encourage him and he continued his actions.
"Ced…"
"Once second." The Hufflepuff rolled slightly off the girl as he removed his slacks and tossed them to the floor.
He rolled back but not so he was on top of her this time. His lips reconnected with Emily's as his hand began to trace the outline of her arm before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand towards his lower half. When the witch touched his shaft she froze, "Cedric…"
"Don't worry, I'll guide you." His hand started moving hers up and down until she seemed to feel confident to do it on her own. His hand moved back to her body and Emily could feel his fingers playing with her lower lips. She moved as another jolt went through her and she tightened her hold causing Cedric to mimic her actions.
The build up was slow, but eventually Emily couldn't help it as her back arched slightly and her breath seemed to stop for a moment. As she came down from the new high she could hear Cedric chuckling. Her hand had gone still but she felt something slightly wet and sticky on her leg as she tried to move. She was tired. Cedric pulled her into his side and kissed the side of her head as he whispered, "Sleep." And almost instantly the witch obeyed.
When Emily woke up the next morning it was to find her bed empty and a massive headache. She rolled onto her side and tried to hide her head in her pillow. This was not a good feeling. Her stomach rolled as she heard a small pop before a clucking tongue.
"Mistress needs to wake up."
"I don't feel good."
"Mipsy knows, drink your coffee and you feel better."
"Did you put something in it?" the witch asked reaching out blindly for the mug which the elf kindly put in her hand.
"Hangover potion. Mistress had too much fun last night."
"Yes, mistress did." Emily forced herself to sit up some and took a large gulp of her coffee. As the liquid settled in her stomach her aches and pains immediately started to go away. "I love magic."
"Mmm." The elf looked less than impressed by her charge this morning. "Take shower quickly, Master is saying we start brunch at half ten."
"What time is it now?"
"Ten."
"Right, thank you Mipsy." Emily pushed herself from her bed and walked into her bathroom to start her shower. Passing the mirror she took a moment to examine herself. Her hair was everywhere, the emerald clip was dangling by a few hairs, her makeup was a mess and she was clearly naked. Shaking her head she started the water running before removing all of her jewelry and ducking under the warm spray. As she washed she thought back to the night before, everything was a bit off when she got back to her room with Cedric. She could only remember pieces of what had happened and that bothered her to an extent. Rinsing her hair, she turned off the water and exited the shower. She moved quickly to dry her hair and get dressed only doing light makeup.
Exiting her room she ran into Draco who smirked and offered her his arm. "Morning sunshine."
"Morning."
"I thought you would be in a happier mood," the boy said looking at his friend curiously. "I saw Cedric sneaking out of your room last night trying to button up his shirt."
"Did you?"
"Was Mr. Hufflepuff no good?"
"I don't know, we didn't go that far. Or at least I don't think we did."
Draco stopped for a moment and looked at his best friend seriously, "Did he take advantage of you?"
"Dray, no need to be protective. I'm fine, I just drank a little too much last night and the potion Mipsy gave me took away most of it but I'm still tired."
"Are you sure?"
Emily rolled her eyes and urged her friend to start walking again, "Of course I'm sure. I think the question that begs answering is why you were up to see him sneak out?"
"I took Daphne back home and talked to her for a while. Her elf gave us some sobering potions and we got to know each other…"
"You snogged her." The blond went a touch red but merely shrugged his shoulders. "What about Blaise?"
"I got a letter yesterday before the party, his family is planning on announcing the news this coming summer but he has been betrothed to an Italian girl. The family is a prominent one and the match will be good for his family's holdings and future business."
"I'm sorry."
"Eh, it's okay. I doubt father would have been impressed with a match like him anyway with his mother's track record."
"Well, I quite enjoyed Daphne's company last night."
"Yeah, it couldn't be that bad. Snogging her was nice." Emily snorted as they rounded the corner towards the dinning hall. "It could be a good match, at least Father thinks so."
"Was he the one to encourage this?"
"He spoke to me before the party. He thinks a contract between our families would be beneficial, especially since they are a known neutral family."
"How long do you have to decide?"
"He told me to take this next term and get to know her and that we would discuss it more over the summer."
Emily nodded, that seemed reasonable and the witch knew Lucius would never force Draco into a relationship for business purposes. She did wonder though about her own affairs. Contracts were common among the Purebloods in high society. She knew she would one day hold a title and a place in that world, but she was also a twin. Perhaps it was time she sat down with Lucius again and went over some of the customs she would be starting to have to deal with.
"There you two are," Narcissa smiled at the pair. "Come join us and then we can go open presents."
The group had a quiet breakfast in which Severus joined them. The talk was filled with comments of the night before and what a lovely night it had been. Then again Severus hadn't seemed to share everyone's sentiments but the man was hard to please.
As they were opening their gifts in the small lounge off the dinning room the group was laughing and enjoying the morning. Emily had stopped being so awed by the gifts and was grateful to have a family in which to share these moments with. As they all seemed about done Mipsy popped into the room with a rather long shaped gift that she levitated over to the witch.
"What is this?" Lucius asked watching the elf with caution.
"Mipsy and the elves ran all the tests, its clean Master."
"But who is it from dear?" Narcissa asked and when the elf shook her head Emily could merely shrug.
"There's no name attached."
"How odd," the woman remarked standing to join the younger witch on the chaise she was sitting on. "Go on open it."
Emily did just that and sat in stunned silence at what was before her.
"No way!" Draco announced leaving his spot to check out Emily's gift. As she lifted it up the whole room could see it was a broomstick and on the handle in gold lettering was the word 'Firebolt'.