Elodie sat staring blankly at the empty spot next to her that Cormac left, not understanding what she said that upset him so much. She looked around for someone, anyone, that she knew, and was left disappointed. She walked over to the bar, carrying herself better than would be expected, and ordered a glass of wine. By the time I finish this, I will find Cormac and apologize, she thought, hoping that by then he will have cooled down enough to be rational.
"Should you be having that?" A boy walked up to her, smirking, and motioned to the glass of white wine in her hand.
"Should you be minding your business?" She grinned back at him.
"Ah, feisty," his smirk grew, "Corner, Michael Corner," he stuck out his hand in introduction.
"Elodie," she paused, accepted his hand shake and looked him over, "Brodeur. I don't think I've seen you before."
"Ravenclaw, I don't think we've any classes together. You're with McLaggen, right? Where is he?"
"Oh, um," She stumbled for words, her head fogging up, "I think he went to the loo."
"Oh," He glanced around and motioned to where Cormac was standing, crowded by happy Gryffindor girls that were congratulating him on his victory, "Doesn't appear to be in the loo."
Elodie huffed, set her wine down and turned to look. Unsure if the alcohol was making her see things or if Cormac really left her to go flirt with quidditch groupies, she squinted in his direction. The nerve of that man to leave me here for that! She thought.
"I'm sorry," Michael shrugged, "Didn't mean to start anything."
"I'm sure," She huffed and knocked back the rest of her wine before storming over to Cormac.
"And this is why you left me?" Elodie said to Cormac in a very angry whisper.
"This, and you're wasted. It's not cute," Cormac said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"So you leave me alone? Shows how much you care," She huffed.
"I'm not doing this here," Cormac rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, did you just roll your eyes at me?" Elodie gasped, causing Cormac to laugh, and Elodie looked as though he slapped her in the face.
Elodie, fed up with her terrible luck with men this year, turned to walk away, but Cormac didn't like that. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, hard, and she stumbled back into him.
"I didn't say you could leave," Cormac grunted in her ear, their audience now growing at the building argument, "Let's talk outside."
"Rather not," She said, pulling her arm from his grasp. He quickly grabbed it again and pulled her roughly from the room into the corridor outside of the room of requirements.
She woke up the next morning in a haze, her entire body from her head to shoulders all the way down to her lower stomach throbbing. She looked around, unsure of where she was. It was similar to her dorm, but there was only one bed. Everything in the room was black, green, or silver, excluding the walls that were white. She looked to the table next to her and saw a familiar tube containing the same hangover potion the Parkinson's left for the girls whenever they drank. She was trying to remember the night, but could remember nothing after storming over to Cormac. She knew she had been drunk, but to black out? That didn't seem right, she had still had enough wits about her to attempt her argument with Cormac, that meant she hadn't been so drunk that she'd have blacked out. She could see making a few regrettable decisions, but they would have been decisions she would have remembered. She lifted the potion, eyeing and sniffing it to make sure it was in fact the hangover potion. After it seemed to check out, she knocked it back and immediately felt the relief taking over her body. It only lasted a moment before the discomfort set back in and she realized the pain in her shoulder, stomach and rib cage stayed with her. She stood, and walked to where she saw a mirror on the other side of the room. She looked a wreck, hair strewn, makeup all over her face, and then realized she wasn't in her dress anymore, but a baggy Slytherin long sleeve shirt and men's underpants. She raised the shirt to see where the pain was coming from, and saw her stomach and rib cage were scattered with purple and green bruises. She winced at the motion, but also pulled her arm out to see her wrists and one shoulder looked the same.
"You're up," she hadn't even noticed the door open, and turned a little too quickly while pulling down her shirt and nearly fell over in pain, but when she looked up she saw Draco.
"Is this your room?" She asked quietly, to which he nodded, "How'd I get here?"
"You had quite a rough night, you don't remember?" He asked.
"No, I was drunk, but I wasn't so drunk I shouldn't remember," She said, "Something is off."
"I have my suspicions you were slipped something last night," He said, walking over to her slowly, "If you don't remember anything, my suspicions are likely correct."
"Like what?"
"Befuddlement draught, it's meant to make you confused and lower inhibitions," he said, helping her back over to the bed and sitting her down, "You need to take it easy today, I have some things that should help the healing along, but until you're healed up I need you to sit."
"What's happened?"
"Well, when I found you, you were with Cormac," He started, "You were in the corridor outside, I was leaving the party and he had you on the ground. He's been handled."
"I-" she cut herself off, pausing for a moment to examine the boy in front of her, "Thank you, Draco."
"Don't thank me, for you being assaulted, Elodie."
"Thank you for handling it," She started to let silent tears slip down her cheeks, that he wiped away.
"I hope for your sake I never have to handle a situation like that again," he stood up and walked to the desk on the other side of the room and pulled open a drawer before walking back with a vial of dittany and handed it to her, "This should make you right as rain in a few hours."
"Thank you," She uncorked it and threw back the potion, "Can I stay here today?"
"I've already told Hermione to tell your professors you have a bug and won't be in class," He said, "I'll stay with you."
"She knows? Does-"
"No one but her and Daphne know," Draco answered before she could finish her question.
"Daphne-?"
"Was walking with me back to the common room when we found you," He shrugged, "She won't say anything to anyone."
"What did you do to Cormac?"
"Don't worry yourself," He laid back on his bed and motioned for her to lay with him, "He won't bother you again."
When Elodie felt well enough, Draco walked her back to the Slytherin common room. They spent the better part of the day talking and making amends for the way they treated each other since they broke up. Elodie felt comfortable enough to curl up under his arm for most of the day and accept the comfort that he offered her, and he was more than happy to be there for her. Being close was what they both wanted and needed. They didn't speak of the events of the previous night again, the rest she would have to get out of Daphne later. When Pansy and Daphne returned from dinner, Draco left to go get some dinner himself, kissing the top of Elodie's head before walking out.
"Well now I see why you weren't at dinner," Pansy smiled, "Or in your bed last night."
"Pans-" Daphne started.
"It's okay, she can know," Elodie said, "I'd like it if you would fill in the parts of the story Draco left out for me."
"Lets go to the room," Daphne said, helping Elodie up, "I don't want anyone eavesdropping."
Pansy gave them both a confused look and the three girls went to their room.
Daphne recounted the events of the night to her two friends. Elodie was wracked with sobs and tears as the story went on, and Pansy comforted her, overwhelmed with horror. Daphne told them that she wasn't feeling up to partying after Michael Corner tried to slip some sort of potion into her drink, thinking she was too drunk to notice, and asked Draco to walk her back to the common room. After punching Corner in the face, Draco took her arm and escorted her out of the room of requirements and headed toward the dungeons. He stopped and looked around after hearing a girl crying, and noticed some shadowy figures down one of the corridors they were about to pass. He asked for the name and house of the two people to hear Elodie's voice slurring hard for Draco to come help her. Cormac told him to fuck off and mind his business, and kicked her hard in the stomach, and blamed that on Draco's interruption, saying that everything bad between him and Elodie had been Draco's fault anyway. Draco threw Cromac up against the wall and pressed his wand into his throat and told him that if he even ever looked at Elodie again, he would use all of the unforgivables on him and not think twice on it. Draco then proceeded to beat Cormac mercilessly, while Daphne helped Elodie get away from it. Draco then used a memory charm on Cormac, so that he would forget who beat him, but not why he was beaten so badly. Elodie had been confused and asked where they were, what was going on, and who Draco was beating up, which is how they knew Corner must have slipped something in her drink, and when she was pulled away from the party he set his sights on Daphne.
"That absolute creep, he would have to use a befuddlement draught to get any girl in Slytherin, especially one of the two of you," Pansy said in disgust at the attempt of drugging her friends before turning to Elodie and taking her face in her hands, "I am so sorry that you went through that last night, and I'm also sorry that I wasn't there for you."
Elodie shook her head in response, taking in the events of the previous night. She was rendered speechless, how did this happen to her? Things like this didn't happen to girls of her status. Her thoughts changed quickly, things like this shouldn't happen to girls at all.
"I don't even understand how this happened," Elodie shook her head, "I don't even know why he was angry in the first place, the fight started over us talking about quidditch."
"He's an angry git that doesn't need a reason," Daphne said, putting her hands on her hips and scowling, "He never deserved you in the first place, none of this should have ever happened."
"Men like Cormac do not belong in this world," Pansy shook her head, "I'm so sorry that you've endured this."
Elodie kept to herself for the days that followed, even leaving space between her and her girlfriends. She found herself knocking on the head boy and girl dorm rooms a lot to find Draco, feeling safer when she was near to him, but even when she was with him she didn't say much. She threw herself into quidditch and school, taking her aggression out on her teammates at practice. At first, Draco tiptoed around her during practice, but quickly realized that she didn't need to be handled with care, she needed a reason to be fiery, she needed a reason to get back to her normal self. It was seemingly the only time she spoke, to anyone other than when she was called on in class. They won their first game against Gryffindor by so many points that even if Harry had been the one to catch the snitch, they still would have won by a landslide. Every single quaffle she got her hands on made its way through a goal hoop. Ron Weasley could not defend a single thing she threw.
She opted out of the celebration party, uninterested in going to any of them for a while. Daphne and Pansy offered to stay with her, but she sent them off and walked to Dracos room instead. She knocked, and Hermione let her in.
"He is in his room still," She said motioning toward the green area of their common room, "He said something to me about setting something nice for you in there, so just sit over in one of our chairs and he'll come get you when he's all done."
"Oh," Elodie raised an eyebrow, "Something nice, huh? That's interesting."
"Why? You know he loves charming the pants off of you," Hermione laughed.
"Which he has never done, thank you very much," Elodie laughed back, "I honestly didn't even think he would be here, I was just going to wait here until he was done at the party."
"Oh, well you're in for it then," Hermione smiled, pulling a Gryffindor sweater over her head and throwing her hair into a ponytail, "I'm off, Ronald and I will be back much later in the night. You know how he gets when he loses."
"Thank you, Hermione," Elodie smiled, which Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow to, "For your discretion about the night of the last party."
"Oh, I-" She paused, "Elodie, you shouldn't feel like you need to thank me for that. I'm sorry I didn't do more to deter you from seeing him."
"You did more than plenty to attempt to deter me," Elodie sighed, "I only wish I had listened."
Hermione's lips pressed into a thin line and she nodded and hugged Elodie before heading on her way to the party.
Draco stepped out into the common room a few moments later and smirked a knowing smirk in Elodie's direction.
"How did you know I would come?" Elodie folded her arms over her chest, sipping at a glass of wine she had helped herself to in her few moments alone.
"I must have the sight or something," Draco laughed, "Just knew."
"What've you got for me in there?" She motioned to his room and he smirked and raised an eyebrow to her before she smacked him playfully in the arm, as she always did when he was a dog.
"Ow, what?" He said, exaggerating and grabbing his arm, "I'm just saying I do have some fun things in there I think you'd quite enjoy."
"Shove off," She sighed and walked over to his door, "Let's see then."
He smiled wide and opened the door for her. It was dark inside, she shivered walking through the door, a little afraid of the unknown that awaited her. As she stepped in the room, a soft blue glow that started in the center of the room grew slowly to illuminate the room. It was set up to look very similarly to their first date, the room was cleared out and set up just as the private area of the restaurant was, with a small round table in the center of the room, a candle in the center of the table. The soft blue glow along with a few twinkling lights lit the room just enough to see the table and each other, creating a romantic atmosphere. There were two place settings with two glasses of wine and two meals, and after a quick glance at the table, Elodie realized it was exactly what they ordered on their first date. She turned to Draco, beaming, as he pulled her chair out for her and tucked it back in as she sat.
"You remembered?" She smiled as he took his seat across from her.
"Of course," He smirked back at her, "That was a wonderful night for me, I remember it with fondness."
"You're so cordial," She said, voice dripping with sarcasm, rolling her eyes at his chosen phrasing.
"Quite so," He chuckled, "Tuck in, it's fresh."
"What, did you go get it from the restaurant?"
"Of course, they even let me borrow a few fairies for the night," He motioned to the twinkling light around the room, "I know it's not as breathtaking as the restaurant is, but-"
"No, it's even better," she breathed out, "I mean, this is so wonderfully thoughtful, Draco."
"I hoped you would think so."
They spent the night chatting away, talking about how classes had been, catching up on small talk that the pair had been avoiding since the break up. She quickly remembered why she had been so attached to Draco. As much of a prat as he was sometimes, he was also one of the most thoughtful men she had ever spent any time with, and apparently that thoughtful side of him was reserved for her and her alone.
The Slytherin girls were chatting happily in the common room when their male counterparts strolled through the door.
"Brodeur, we're having practice over break at Malfoys, are you going to come?" Blaise plopped down on the couch next to her and ruffled her hair.
"I'll be in France, so I'll pass, but thanks for the offer," She replied, shoving him off of her.
"Where are you staying?" Draco questioned, sounding slightly concerned.
"My parents bought a small house there for vacationing, seeing family and friends and such," She shrugged, "Mother doesn't like to be without her things and also hates to be a burden."
"Break starts in two days, you didn't tell me you wouldn't be here," Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Oh shove off Malfoy, you don't own her," Daphne said, "You don't have to keep tabs on her."
"I was just surprised it didn't come up," He huffed, "You don't need to make assumptions about the way I feel about things."
"It isn't very hard to know how you feel," Daphne said, standing up, "I'm off, see you later, ladies."
"What's her problem?" Blaise asked as she walked out of the room, slamming the door.
"Corner hasn't left her alone since that quidditch party," Pansy said, "She's been on edge and I don't blame her."
"The nerve of that guy, honestly," Elodie interjected, "I mean what is it about English men that they feel so entitled to any woman that even says hello to them?"
"Men are like that everywhere," Millicent spoke up, "I mean they can't be much different in France."
"My whole life, maybe two men have been as crass to me as that Adrian fellow was to me at that party over the summer. I was in England for a few days before that happened. It seems to be a much more common problem here than it was there."
"Will you be gone for the whole break?" Draco changed the subject.
"Ah, most of it. You're welcome to come visit when you're free though, of course," Elodie said.
"Let's go check on Daph," Pansy interrupted, feeling Elodie needing to be saved.
"Fine idea, see you later, gentlemen," Elodie stood along with Millicent and Pansy, and the three walked toward the girls dorms.
The next two days flew by, Draco and Elodie continued to spend a lot of their free time together. Their budding friendship was blossoming into what was becoming a relationship again. Elodie was hesitant to pursue this with Draco again, but couldn't resist the peace she felt when she was with him. She was a strong and talented witch, and she needed nothing from Draco realistically, but she enjoyed how protective he was becoming over her, and she needed that comfort more than anything after what happened with Cormac. She was excited to be returning to France, but was terribly distraught over the idea of being away from Draco for two weeks. She knew she would be getting very little, restless sleep without his comfort.
The Slytherin students accompanied each other to the train and rode most of the ride home together, excluding about an hour of the ride that Elodie excused herself to go sit with Hermione. As she approached the compartment in the train that the golden trio always sat in together, she realized that she could hear hushed whispers about Cormac. She could just barely make out Hermione's refusal to give them any more details than they already knew about what happened the night of the party, and smiled at the thought of what a great friend Hermione had proven to be. That is when she realized that they were talking about something much larger than her assault, something that seemed life or death by the tone of Harry's whispering. She was nervous, unable to grasp the entire conversation, but what she was able to hear was not good. "He's in league with them", "I fear they might bring back you-know-who", "But that might be worse than even Voldemort", and Elodie didn't need more information than that to be terrified. Voldemort hadn't brought his terrorism to France, but she knew well of what he had been doing. Her parents would have been just like the parents of her friends had Voldemort traveled to France, they agreed with his views of blood supremacy whole heartedly, but Elodie did not. She wasn't sure of the views of everyone else in her house, but she knew Draco had received the mark at a young age, and against his will. She knew that despite Malfoy's torturous bullying toward all muggle borns, he wasn't as convinced as his parents were that he was actually a superior wizard to any of them because of his blood alone. He agreed that his upbringing had made him a better wizard, and was, in Elodie's opinion, correct about that, but blood had nothing to do with that, being raised by a talented wizard and a witch did. Muggles and muggle borns posed no threat to the wizarding world, and surely did not deserve death merely for the sin of being born. Lost in her thoughts of all of this, Elodie barely realized that Hermione had opened the door and stepped aside to let her through the door.
"Elodie?" Hermione said, attempting to get her attention.
"Sorry, yes, I wanted to spend some time with you before going to France," Elodie shrugged, "I'm going to miss you terribly."
"Come in," Hermione smiled, "We were just talking about what our plans for break were," a lie, obviously, "Do you have any exciting plans?"
"Oh, just spending time in France," Elodie said, taking a seat next to Hermione, "If you have any spare time in your holiday, owl me. I'll have a port key made up for you, do you have travel papers?"
"Yes, of course, but that's so expensive, I wouldn't want to trouble you," Hermione said, shaking her head.
"No, it isn't, and it's no trouble. I would love to see you at some point," Elodie smiled, "Only if you have time of course, I just remember you saying you've wanted to see wizarding France for some time now. Muggle France is your favorite holiday location, after all."
"I'll owl you," Hermione beamed, the boys looking nervous and pale.
"You okay, boys?" Elodie raised a brow, to which they nodded slowly, still saying nothing, "Right, I'll be off then. I'll talk to you soon, 'Mione."
With that they gave cheek kisses, and Elodie strolled out, shutting the door behind her, and pressing an ear to it in hopes they would continue their earlier conversation.
"You can't," Harry said, angrily.
"They'll murder you," Ron finished Harry's thought.
"I'm sure her parents will not murder me because of my blood," Hermione sounded irritated.
"My mum says her parents are worse than the Malfoys," Ron said, "Tried bringing Voldemort's reign to France nearly single handedly. If Harry hadn't offed him when he did, they would have succeeded."
At that, Elodie decided she didn't want to hear any more slander, and headed back to the Slytherin car, where she spent the last bit of the train ride lost in her own thoughts.
A/n: Hi! I'm going to start updating more frequently, hopefully at least, in hopes that you all will be more tempted to leave me a few reviews so I know what you do, and do not like about my Fic so far! I have a lot of ideas and am 99.9% sure I know the direction of the story I want to go with, but a little feedback will help me be certain. This story is going to get fairly dark, this chapter probably clued you into that. Don't worry though, lots of love and smut is coming too. Rated M for a reason, after all. Anyway, Reviews please! I crave your thoughts, guys!