Chapter 11
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She held the small object in her hand, feeling its sharp contours and smooth, reflective center. She lifted the leather journal from beside her, her fingers leaving a streak of clean upon the dusty surface. Taking a sip of her brandy, she flipped open to a random page. September 23rd. No, that was too late. She turned the pages rapidly to an earlier date. March 8th. Perfect. She centered the time turner on her palm, its coolness tingling, and eyed to the date in which she would move the dial.
There was a loud creak as the entrance doors were opened, a familiar clicking thereafter. She quickly hid the turner in the secret pocket in her dress and stowed the journal into a fold in her skirt. The newspaper and a pen were procured in front her from a figure hidden in the shadow of a corner. She turned the page and began filling the crossword arbitrarily as he appeared in the doorway.
"Hello, Gi." he said as he took his seat on the opposite end of the table.
"Hello, Malfoy." she replied, reading a numbered statement and scribbling 'chocolate frog' in the corresponding spaces.
"How was your excursion? Was she in good health?"
"Elizabeth is doing quite well. Their child, Anabelle, is turning three next month." she said, her lie smoothing the distance of the table.
"We shall have to send a gift. But tell me, how are you?" he asked as he waved his hand, a small glass of fire whiskey appearing.
She halted the laugh in her throat and blinked repeatedly to focus her thoughts. She could feel his probing become more inquisitive as the atmosphere of her mind shifted.
"Splendid, dear, why ever would you ask?" she responded, her voice balanced in the quiet space.
He shrugged and waved his hand flippantly, her glass vanishing from beside her. Her eyes widened when it materialized before him. He lifted the glass and inhaled calmly above the rim.
"I was only curious; I did not realize you enjoyed strong liquors." he said, grinning slightly. The brandy disappeared and a glass of fire whiskey appeared before her. "Please, drink with me."
She watched him raise his glass before downing the entire glass in one turn. He lowered it and gazed at her expectantly. She lifted the glass warily, shifting her sight from it to him. Finally, she took a sip and grimaced at the revolting taste. It's name gave justice to it's flavor; her eyes watered at the inferno that burned all down her esophagus. He grinned and filled his glass magically once again.
"I'm waiting for you, Georgiana." he said, his small grin taking its typical wryly appearance. He was mocking her. The boiling anger within her grew with untamable force before bursting through the surface.
Her hand whipped out and the glass flew to the wall, shattering upon impact. The microscopic shards were suspended in the air; light dancing upon the glass in a rainbow. Malfoy's piercing stare was not interrupted by the specks before them and she could feel its burn. Her breathing was forceful and she stood up, exiting the room with a furious step; the journal, thankfully, caught between her skirts. It was only as she made the last step of the staircase that the symphony of falling glass finally played. She walked briskly through the hallway as the door to his study slammed close.