As expected, Draco did get onto the Slytherin quidditch team the next week, which he proudly announced to Cornelia after sauntering into the common room with the rest of the team. Cornelia eyed the older Slytherins that converged on her with Draco, fanning out behind him like some ridiculous back up dancers, before giving a single nod and turning back to her game of chess with Theodore. "Good for you." She said in a deliberately disinterested tone.
It was petty, but she refused to interact with Draco when he wore that infuriating 'king of the castle' expression, one that he was currently embracing so thoroughly that it was probably more accurate to describe as 'god of the castle' expression. She also didn't appreciate the human peacock tail he currently had leering at her from behind him.
She didn't see Draco's ugly expression and the blotching of his cheeks as he turned from her, gesturing with his head to a different corner of the common room to the rest of the team. Theodore on the other hand, saw it very clearly.
"He didn't like that." He muttered, watching Cornelia make her move on the board as Draco stormed away.
"It might do him good not to get what he wants all the time." She responded in the same low voice. Right on cue, Draco's voice drifted over to them from across the room as he boasted about his father's purchase for the team to Pansy Parkinson. Cornelia and Theodore shared a quick look. "Or it might make no difference whatsoever." She continued, making Theodore chuckle.
Cornelia and Rosalind had had another back and forth since the previous Saturday, and each of Rosalind's letters gave her even more to chew on than the one before. Rosalind had replied to Cornelia's long letter with an equally lengthy one of her own as she picked apart each of the scenarios Cornelia had described and pointed out how Uncle Lucy and Aunt Cissy had worked together to undermine Cornelia and take away her voice. She said that their aim was to make Cornelia weak and pliable, so that she would float along in a man's world without fuss.
Their plan for you, my dear, – the letter had read – is to marry a pure-blood wizard and produce pure-blood offspring. Every lesson they teach is to prepare you for that moment and that moment alone.
Needless to say that her words hadn't had a soothing effect on Cornelia, rather she felt like she had been punched in the stomach and felt slightly nauseous. It was something that had never occurred to her before, and yet if Rosalind said it was so, it must be true. It felt as if someone had torn the rug out from under her feet, as well as the floor beneath the rug, and she was suddenly falling through air not knowing where or when she would land.
Marriage was never something that Cornelia had really thought about. She had been much more interested in keeping up with Draco, both physically and in education, and in achieving her real aspiration of escaping the enclosure of the sprawling Malfoy manor. To think of marrying into another prison, as Rosalind was slowly making her realise noble wizarding families represented, was horrifying to her.
It was with this heavy in her mind that Cornelia continued about her day-to-day life in Hogwarts, and as if that didn't affect the way she looked at Draco enough, she now had to deal with his sickeningly stuck-up attitude that seemed to have worsened tenfold since his success with the quidditch team. The word had got around the Slytherins (with a helping hand from Draco himself) about the generosity of his father increasing the chances of Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup that year, and now it seemed that where Draco had pretty much blended into the background with his loyal cronies before, everyone now greeted him as they passed or stopped to chat with the influential second year, much to Draco's pleasure.
Whilst she was sure that she should have been happy for Draco, she couldn't help but feel bitter at how he hadn't earnt a single iota of it, and how that was likely how he was going to spend the rest of his life – privileged and ungrateful. Meanwhile it seemed she had to fight tooth and nail to just gain her freedom – never mind recognition.
So, when Draco flopped into a chair beside her one afternoon after a quidditch practise laughing uproariously with the rest of the team, he immediately put her in a dark mood. "Guess what?" He grinned at her, unphased by her blank expression.
"No." she said bluntly, turning back to her book.
"Ooooh." Marcus Flint sang mockingly from beside Draco. "Not very friendly, is she?" Cornelia's grip tightened on her book as the violent image of her throttling him passed unwelcomely through her mind.
"Alright, I'll tell you then." Draco said forcefully, ignoring Marcus's dig and Cornelia's obvious hint that he should leave her alone. With a deep, calming breath, Cornelia closed her book and turned her eyes upon him. She could see Marcus leering at her from the corner of her eye though she refused to look directly at him.
"You know Weasley broke his stupid wand when they flew that stupid car into the whomping willow?" Cornelia nodded, she had been finding Ron's temperamental wand-work quite amusing during class. "Well, he just tried to use the eat slug curse on me, only it backfired. I've just been watching the idiot throwing up great slimy slugs all over the grounds!" Draco burst into a loud fit of laughter, joined by the rest of the team. Cornelia cast a sceptical eye over them all, unconvinced that they found it as hilarious as they were making out.
"Why would he want to curse you in the first place?" She asked without cracking a smile. Draco didn't seem to notice as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes.
"So obviously Potter made the Gryffindor quidditch team, I expect they think he'll bring some kind of recognition to the team or something." He said bitterly and Cornelia had to stop herself from pointing out his hypocrisy. "We had a bit of a run in with the team today and for some reason they didn't seem overly impressed by father's donation." He snickered again.
"Shaking in their boots they were." Marcus added jeeringly, and Cornelia cast a haughty look over his ugly face.
"Of course, Weasley and Granger are never far away from Potter and they came over to stick their noses in. I put the mud-blood in her place and they didn't like that one bit."
"What did she say to deserve that?" Cornelia asked, her voice cutting through the snickers that had erupted again at his words. Draco's smug expression flickered slightly and he began to frown.
"You mean other than just existing?" His chin was beginning to jut out defiantly and Cornelia took a nasty satisfaction that she had dampened his victory just a little. "She said that I bought my way on to the team." He spat out unwillingly when Cornelia didn't answer.
There was a long pause before Cornelia asked, "Didn't you?"
Draco mottled in front of her eyes, his face twisting in anger before he shot up and towered over her. For a wild moment Cornelia thought he was going to hit her, before he spun on his heel, hissed "come on" to the rest of the team and stormed away from her. The rest of the team slowly got up to join him, throwing incredulous looks in her direction as if she were the one that had just said something incredibly offensive.
Cornelia was left feeling conflicted. On one hand, she was pleased to have wiped that smug look off Draco's face, even if for a second, but on the other hand she didn't like to hurt Draco and his look of fury seemed to linger in her mind. He had never looked at her in that way before.
Theodore and Blaise who sat opposite her were staring at her, Blaise with a quirked eyebrow and Theodore with a worried expression that did nothing but remind her of her softer Draco. "I'm going for a walk." She muttered, before leaving the common room, the glares of Draco and the Slytherin team following her out.
She had made it into the great hall and was just heading towards the towering entrance doors out into the grounds when she heard footsteps clattering behind her. Turning her head, she was surprised to see a breathless Draco rushing towards her, his face still pinched furiously. She froze as he advanced glaring at her, and eventually stopped in front of her before tilting his head sharply. "Well, go on then!" He insisted and after hesitating for another moment, Cornelia began walking a little more slowly towards to main entrance with Draco by her side.
They didn't speak for a few minutes, although she could sense Draco boiling beside her, she knew it was only a matter of time. "You really embarrassed me then you know?" He finally burst out and Cornelia cringed in the face of his anger.
"I know." She said quietly.
"Why would you do that?" He demanded and Cornelia wasn't sure how to answer when asked outright. Even though he was angry, Draco was back to being the person she had grown up with in that moment, and Cornelia was beginning to feel ashamed for her actions.
"I just don't like how you are around them." She finally settled upon, the words feeling like a pathetic representation of how much she disliked the way Draco changed when he wasn't alone with her. Draco stopped walking and spun to face her.
"Who, the team?" He asked, his voice still accusing.
"Yes… and everyone else." Her voice was getting quieter.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Cornelia refused to meet his eyes, and she cast her eyes sideways instead, staring at the grounds just behind Draco's head as she attempted to gather her thoughts. She didn't want to upset Draco any more than she already had, but she knew that he didn't take criticism well, so she needed to tread carefully. "It's like you pretend to be somebody else when you're with other people." She eventually said, finally meeting his icy blue eyes. She could see that despite her efforts she had still hit a nerve.
"I'm not pretending! That's just who I am!" He retorted and the space between them seemed to grow larger.
"Draco, we're family, I know you." She purposefully repeated his words that he had said when they had been in almost the same place a year earlier. Recognition flashed on his features, replacing a little of the anger. "Sometimes it feels like I'm walking around with Uncle Lucy though."
Finally, Draco's scowl lightened and he lifted an eyebrow, a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. 'That's not such a bad thing." He commented and Cornelia's heart sunk a little. She knew how much Draco loved his father and had suspected how blind he was to his flaws, but she hadn't realised the extent that he modelled his existence around him. She took a step closer to him and grabbed his hand which surprised him.
"I don't want to be with Uncle Lucy, I want to be with you." She said intensely, and Draco got an odd look in his eyes as his eyebrows raised in surprise and a blush spotted on his cheeks. He didn't seem to know what to say to that and Cornelia was pleased that her words had made an impact.
The silence stretched between them, so they resumed their walk, their hands still clasped together. She could practically hear Draco's mind processing what she had said, and she wondered if it would be enough to change anything.
"I guess it is kind of funny that Ron made himself throw up slugs." She murmured when the silence eventually became unbearable, and whatever spell her words had cast upon Draco was broken as they both spluttered with laughter.
They stayed outside until the sky darkened, talking more than they had since they had arrived at Hogwarts that year. All the bitterness and awkwardness from the weeks before had evaporated and Cornelia finally asked Draco how his quidditch training was going. Draco let on that he was a little concerned about his capabilities, as he hadn't yet caught the snitch. They poked fun at Gilderoy Lockhart and Cornelia told him that she was planning on taking him down a few pegs very soon.
Finally, they were unable to ignore the chill around them, huddled together as they were near the edge of the grounds close to the forbidden forest, and made their way inside. When they entered the common room, Draco threw her an almost regretful look as he made his way back over to the rest of the team, and Cornelia towards where Theodore and Blaise still sat.
Whilst their conversation didn't have quite the impact she had wished for, Draco still acted like a stuck-up moron around his other friends, he at least didn't bring them over with him when they spent time together. She supposed that it would have to do, and that perhaps it was unrealistic to expect Draco to suddenly do a 180 in his behaviour after one chat.
Cornelia and Rosalind continued to communicate by owl, and it was always the highlight of Cornelia's day when she saw that eagle-owl soaring determinedly towards her. Rosalind expressed that she wished for Cornelia to come to her home with Blaise for the Christmas break, and whilst Cornelia wanted to, she knew there was no way she would be allowed. Rosalind had also taken to sending her small gifts along with her letters. She had received a golden snake hairclip (I saw you admiring my headpiece when we met - the letter had read), a beautiful mother of pearl hand mirror, and some elegant dragon-hide gloves in a deep, earthy green.
And so life continued as the days got shorter and Halloween was suddenly upon them. Everyone in the castle looked forward to Halloween, which was celebrated with as much fervour as Christmas. The castle was decorated with live bats that swooped quietly around the corridors, making groups of girls shriek in fright, and pumpkins glowed in mid-air in every room, and of course the feast was the best of the year in Cornelia's opinion.
When the evening of the feast arrived, Cornelia stuffed herself happily alongside Theodore and Blaise, who were all in the midst of their plans for Professor Lockhart (it involved a gift of shampoo), before sleepily joining the rest of the school in making their way back to the common room. Upon leaving the great hall it became immediately clear that something was very wrong, as the crowd froze and hushed eerily. Blaise, who was the tallest of the three, attempted to peer over the tops of everyone's heads.
"There's something on the wall up there, it looks like writing…" He was explaining when an all too familiar voice rang through the crowd.
"Enemies of the heir beware! You'll be next mud-bloods!" Draco's spiteful voice was loud and clear, and it made Cornelia's heart splutter. What was he thinking saying something like that in front of the whole school?!
Without a second thought Cornelia began shoving her way towards the direction of Draco's voice, certain there would be some conflict due to his words. Before she could get anywhere near him though, another voice rang out, this one much older.
"What's going on here? What's going on?" She recognised it as Filch the caretaker's voice and the crowd parted a little just in front of her to let him pass. She dove into his wake and followed him forward towards the blonde head that she knew belonged to Draco. She was so focussed on him that she didn't look up at what everyone else was staring at, instead grabbing his arm roughly as soon as he was within sight.
When he turned, she could see his face was flushed and his eyes were excited, he didn't seem to be angry or in danger at all. That was when she finally looked up, and her mouth dropped open. Mrs Norris, Filch's cat, hung as stiff as a board from a torch bracket high on the wall, and the words "ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE" glistened in what looked like blood beneath her.
Cornelia automatically stepped close to Draco, clutching his arm to her as she stared at the bizarre sight, her brain seemed unable to register what she was looking at. She barely heard Filch's screams or even noticed Professor Dumbledore coming onto the scene, she couldn't take her eyes off the words and the body. It was only when the students around her began to shift did she realise he had ordered them all back to their dormitories. When Draco muttered "come on" in her ear and started leading her away, she suddenly came back to reality, his previous words racing back to her.
In the commotion of the other students pushing and shoving to get away from the corridor, she grabbed Draco by the shoulder and lead him forcefully into a deserted classroom. Once they were in the room, she quickly shut the door behind them and swung to face him.
"What are you-"
"What on earth were you thinking saying something like that?!" She spat, rage seeming to emanate off her like heat off a flame.
"It's the truth!" Draco defended himself, although he did back up several steps. Cornelia advanced just as quickly, and she shoved him when she caught up with him.
"You absolute idiot!"
"Hey!" shouted Draco and she shoved him again, harder this time, and he stumbled backwards into a desk.
"Why don't you stop acting like such a child for just a second and use your brain!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know what this means don't you? You remember the stories? The heir of Slytherin has returned and it's not a good thing Draco!"
"Of course it is, the school could do with being cleaned up a little – ouch!" Cornelia couldn't help herself, and her palm tingled where it had collided with Draco's cheek.
"People. Died." She hissed in her most dangerous voice. "You know what happens when someone dies don't you? People come looking for a killer. You just made yourself a suspect!"
Both of them were breathing heavily as they glared at each other, Draco clutching his stinging cheek. The only sound was of the still stampeding students on the other side of the door. Finally, Draco shifted and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I didn't think."
"Oh, I'm aware." Cornelia said in a mocking voice. "Just keep your head down from now on, will you? Enough of this mud-blood bullshit."
It looked like he was about to disagree but then thought better of it and nodded once, still not looking up at her. "Now let's get out of here before anyone realises we're missing." Cornelia ordered, moving quietly back towards the door and peering out. "Come on!" she hissed back at Draco who was still in the same spot.
They didn't speak as they rushed back to the common room, and Cornelia's stomach tightened uncomfortably when she saw how red Draco's cheek was.
Uh-oh, trouble in paradise. Isn't Draco a little prick in this book/film? Still, I really love writing the more tender moments between him and Cornelia, and how Cornelia ultimately sticks by him through thick and thin. She is fiercely protective of him! Still, it's going to be interesting seeing just how far her loyalty can be stretched this year. I hope you're enjoying the story so far and thanks as ever for reading :)
Until next time.