Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine
"What're ya gonna name her?" asked Draco. "Inky," I replied. We were at Malfoy Manor. Blaise, Draco, and I were hanging out in the small, secret room I had "found". I had actually stumbled onto the lever opening the door…literally. I was unhurt, because Draco, who had been walking behind me, caught me…again. This would become a "place of refuge" in Malfoy Manor in the following years. My kitten was let loose in the room, and was exploring. Draco and Blaise's owls sat in their cages near their owners. Draco had a brown eagle owl that he had named Scorpion, and Blaise had a grey short-eared owl named Tawn.
"Wanna go swimming?" Draco asked. "Alright," said Blaise. "'kay," I replied, grabbing Inky. Draco beamed. "Oh, some cousins of mine, and a friend, Theodore Nott, are also staying here. How about we all get ready to go swimming, and then meet by the last staircase in the entrance hall?" Draco mentioned. "Sounds like a plan," Blaise and I chorused.
Draco led us to the rooms we would be staying in. "Remember," he said to me, "My Mum designed your room, so don't kill me if you don't like it." Then he opened the door. The entire room was green and silver. Even the wardrobe was painted a deep green, with silver trimming. I put Inky down, and then turned to Draco. I beamed. I practically ran over to him and threw my arms around his neck. "I love it, Draco," I said to him. Draco wrapped his arms around my waist. Blaise, who was standing in the corridor, mouthed 'Awww!' to me. I mouthed 'Shut up, you wanker' back to him. He pretended to look offended. I rolled my eyes. When I let go of Draco and we both pulled away, they left. I sighed, and then turned to the wardrobe in the room. I then stopped. 'Inky's going to need food!' I scolded myself. I got her bowls out of the supply package, filled one with food, and then filled the other one with water from the bathroom sink. Inky trotted up and ate some food.
I picked out a green bikini, which showed off my toned legs, arms, and stomach. There were matching flip-flops, which I also put on. I found a green towel with a snake on it in the closet, and let my hair down, so it fell just past my waist, complete with my braid. I looked at myself in the mirror. I noticed that the red/scarlet of my hair complimented the dark green of the bikini. "Be good now, Inky," I called. I breathed out, and then left my room.
In no time, I arrived at the top of the stairs. There stood four boys and a girl. Draco, Blaise, and two other boys were dressed in various colored swim trunks. The girl was dressed in a hideous frilly pink one piece, and equally hideous water shoes. "Hey, I wonder where Hol is?" asked Draco. "I'm right here," I said. All of them turned around. Four pairs of eyes scanned my body. "Whoa," Blaise breathed. The brown haired boy whistled. Draco and rabbit-boy stared.
I walked down the steps, rolling my eyes. "So, who's who?" I asked. "Um…" said Draco, shaking his head, "This is Leo," the brown haired boy, "This is Hazelle" pink girl, "and Theodore." rabbit-boy. I nodded. "I'm Holly Farredel," I stated. Leo, Hazelle, and Theodore nodded. "So…wanna get going? The lake is quite far from the house," stated Draco. "Sounds good," said Blaise and Leo at the same time. "Okay," said Theodore and Hazelle at the exact same moment. "Let's go," I said. Draco smirked then opened the door. "Ladies first," he said motioning me out the door. I rolled my eyes smiling, and then replied, "Thanks."
We all walked to the lake. There were seven lounge chairs placed in the grass by the lake, and a table with 7 regular chairs placed around it. "Last one in is a rotten dragon egg!" shouted Theodore. All of the boys ran for the lake. I rolled my eyes and walked. Hazelle just stood there. Hazelle and I spread out our towels, put on our sunglasses, took off our sandals, lay down on our towels, and started to sunbathe. "You know, if you wore a bikini you'd get a fuller tan," I stated to Hazelle.
She just took off her sunglasses and gave me a dirty look. I grinned smugly back, looking back at the magazine I was holding, "The Quibbler", snapping it open with ease to an article that interested me. I could not tolerate Hazelle. I knew it the moment I saw her. "You know," she stated, "that the magazine you're reading is complete trash?" I glared before replying, "You know, your face is complete trash?" with a triumphant grin on my face. The boys were splashing each other, ducking each other, and trying to get Hazelle and I in the water. "Wait!" called Draco, motioning all of the boys over to where he was standing. He started whispering to them.
"Uh, oh," I said, removing my sunglasses. "What?" asked Hazelle. "That!" I shouted, getting up and pointing. The boys had gotten out of the lake and were charging toward us at top speed. Hazelle had just scrambled up when they grabbed both of us. Blaise had my arms, complete with dark green nails, and Draco had my legs, complete with bare feet and dark green toenails. Leo had Hazelle's arms, and Theodore had her legs. "Let go!" screeched Hazelle. I was writhing like crazy, trying to get them to drop me. They did. I got up as fast as I could and took off. I was running as fast as I possibly could.
"Ow!" I heard Hazelle scream, after a thump that was obviously Theodore and Leo dropping her. "Get her!" shouted Leo, "Theodore and I will keep Hazelle here!" After a matter of moments I heard Blaise panting, where as I had just started to sweat. Draco had stopped, also panting. I looked in interest at a white/ grey horse that had approached me. The mare was staring at me. She had been running from some stallions moments before. The stallions were panting, lagging a few feet behind her. She looked over at me. I nodded. She ran over and tossed me up onto her back. The boys and the stallions had realized what was happening, too. The stallions had flipped the boys up onto their backs. The mare took off at a cantor.
I was holding on to two bits of her mane. The wind was blowing my hair. It was flying behind me. Speaking of flying, I thought I was. By this time, we were galloping around the front of the house. I laughed, letting go of the mare's mane and sitting up straight. We rounded the house, and I saw the lake. I whispered to the mare, "I'm going to stand on your back and jump into the lake." "Got it," she replied. Oh, I didn't mention this before, but I can talk to any type of creature, magical or not.
I stood on her back. "Whoa!" I heard Draco exclaim. I smirked to myself. As we neared the lake, I readied myself. Blaise had come back and was talking to Leo. Theodore was struggling to keep Hazelle at bay. 'Ready…ready…now!' I said to myself. At 'now!' I sprung off the mare and executed a perfect swan dive into the lake. After a few minutes, I came back up for air. "I bet you can't top that!" I challenged. Hazelle looked horrified that I could do that. "Hazelle, you should close your mouth. You look like a fish," I stated. Everyone laughed, except for Hazelle, who turned bright red, grabbed her stuff, and stomped back inside, fuming. "That's right, keep on prancing you penny-wasted cow!" I called after her. I received applause from the boys.
After a few hours of being ducked under the water, then ducking other people, Narcissa came outside and brought us lunch. I got out of the lake, slipping on my flip-flops. "Thank you Mrs. Malfoy," Blaise, Leo, and Theodore chorused. "Thanks Narcissa," I said. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Mum," Draco mumbled. As soon as Narcissa was out of earshot, we all started talking. The boys were flirting with me. All four of them. It was somewhat hard to concentrate on anything.
"So, Hol," started Blaise. I looked up from my turkey and cheddar cheese sandwich. "What quidditch team are you a fan of?" he continued. "The Holyhead Harpies," I replied immediately and automatically, taking a bite of my half-eaten sandwich. Draco, who was sitting across the table from me, leaned over and wiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb, then licked it. "Got some stray mayonnaise," he explained, grinning triumphantly. He winked at me and I flushed a bright red.
The other boys glared at him hatefully. I nervously glanced around, recovering in record time. "So…" I said trailing off. I took a fleeting look at Draco. He looked back at me, obviously NOT liking this situation. I finished my sandwich in silence. I took a sip of my lemonade, washing down the last of the sandwich. I put down the glass, thinking quickly for a way to get out of the situation.
My face lit up as an idea came into my head. I then grinned evilly. I leaned across the table and poked Blaise. He looked at me, waiting for me to talk. I took a deep breath before saying, "Tag." I then sprang up from the table and ran, stopping a few feet away from the table. Blaise looked confused. I winked at him. He then got it. He reached over and poked Leo, shouting "Tag!" then running over by me. I gave him a high-five.
Leo grinned brightly, reached over, and poked Draco in the ribcage. He shouted, "Tag!", and then ducked behind Blaise. Draco grinned evilly and looked at Theodore, who was inspecting the potato salad. He then looked at me, begging me with his eyes.
I grinned then dashed over by him. Leo and Blaise looked confused. I mouthed, "One, two, three!" On "three" Draco and I seized the back of Theodore's head and pushed it forward into the potato salad. It made a disgusting squishy sound. "Tag, you're it!" Draco and I chorused at the same exact time. He lifted his head out of the bowl and turned around. The grin slid off Draco's and my face.
"I'm going to KILL YOU!" he shouted lunging at us. I dodged and ran shouting, "Run!" as I passed Blaise and Leo. They looked worriedly at one another and then at Theodore, who was tailing Draco and I. Their eyes widened and they ran after us, screaming like maniacs. He chased us around until I couldn't run anymore and I fell to the ground laughing. Theodore stood over me, shaking with rage. I smiled dumbly and waved. He rolled his eyes and smiled.
Just then, Narcissa opened the window and shouted, "Come inside and get ready for dinner!" I sat up and shouted "Okay!" Draco helped me up off the ground. "Thanks," I said. He smirked and replied, "No problem." He then scooped me up in his arms and started across the lawn carrying me bridal-style. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Escorting you to your room," was his reply. "I can walk you know," I said. "I know," he said.
He carried me all the way to my room and laid me on the bed. "Dress up fancy for dinner. It's how we Malfoys are," he informed me, and then walked out of the room. I sat up in the bed and shook my head. Inky leapt up on the bed and pranced over to my lap, then sat on it, purring the whole time. I scratched behind her ears for a few minutes. "Well, I better get up," I sighed, placing Inky on the bed.
I got off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe. It took me a half an hour to pick out a black, strapless cocktail dress and some matching heels. I put them on, and then started to pick out some earrings. I settled on some blue topaz and diamond dangles and put them on. I picked out a silver clip and put it in my hair to hold just my bangs. The rest of my hair was down, along with my braid. I put on some lip-gloss, and then headed out. A house elf led me to the dining hall. Along the way, I met Narcissa, who gushed about how pretty I was all the way to the dining room. She was wearing a blue, calf-length, mid-sleeved dress, and black flats. Her hair was down and she wore red lipstick and blue eye shadow.
When we were just outside the double doors leading to the dining room, Narcissa turned to me and said, "Oh, I know! I'll go in first and announce your arrival!" "Wait! Narcissa!" I said quietly in desperation. However, it was too late. She walked in and said, "Holly's here." She then poked her head out the door and said, "You can come in now."
I shrugged and walked into the room. Immediately all eyes were on me. I smiled and waved. Hazelle was there, in a horrible, pink, ruffled, ankle-length dress. I sat down next to Draco, where my plate was set up. We ate dinner and I went up to my room. I took a shower, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed.
The next morning, at about seven, I was woken up to find two pairs of eyes staring down at me, one metallic grey, and one mud brown. "Do you think she's going to be angry once she realizes we've been watching her sleep for over an hour?" I heard Draco ask Blaise. "Yes, I am!" I exclaimed, sitting up. My pajamas consisted of a sports bra and some shorts. They leapt off the bed, and Inky shot off the canopy and on to Blaise's face, puffed up and hissing. Blaise screamed, "Get her off me!" while twirling around my room and tripping over random items, such as a chair or the wardrobe. I calmly walked over to Blaise and pulled Inky off. She immediately let go. I held her in my arms, stroking her head. She calmed down as soon as I had her off Blaise. I now knew I had an attack cat. Inky started batting the end of my braid with one small paw.
Blaise was looking at Inky with a look of distain. "Well?" I asked angrily, tapping my foot, "Why were you in my room at seven in the morning?" Inky, sensing I was peeved, hissed, darted out of my arms, and streaked across the floor under the bed. I then crossed my arms. "We…okay, bye, gotta go!" said Blaise running out of the room at top speed, dragging Draco with him. I shook my head, then got back in the bed and snuggled under the covers. Inky came out from under the bed and curled up near my feet.
"Good morning!" sang Narcissa, coming into my room, waking me up, before continuing, "You have to get up and get dressed if we are going dress shopping!" I sat up in the bed. "Did I hear the word 'shopping'?" I asked. She nodded her head. I shot out of the bed, and then jumped up in the air screaming my appreciation. I was pretty grown up in public, but when I was with someone I was close to, I acted a lot younger than I was. Apparently, Narcissa did too, as she grabbed my hands. We both were jumping around the room screaming at the top of our lungs and laughing. Both of us then collapsed on the bed laughing hysterically.
"You know, you're pretty fun!" I said to Narcissa. She laughed then said, "Come on, I'll help you pick out some clothes." We walked over to the wardrobe. "Why are we going dress shopping?" I asked after a few minutes of Narcissa flipping through my clothes. "Oh, well, we are having a ball tonight to celebrate yours and Draco's first year in Hogwarts," She replied. I nodded, smiling. "OOOH!" Narcissa squealed as she came to a green bikini top and denim mini skirt, complete with a green and white striped handbag. "Put it on!" she commanded, "I'll find you shoes." I walked into the bathroom and got dressed. I then walked back into the room.
When Narcissa saw me, she nearly burst into tears. My eyes widened, but I said nothing. "You look so much like your mother," she said, then continued, "Everything is the same. She was easily the prettiest girl in our year. Her only contenders were her friends, Lily Evans, Sibyll Trelawney, Minerva McGonagall, Bellatrix, and I. I bet it will be the same with you." Narcissa sniffed. She handed me some sandals. I slipped them on. In the bag, I had found some golden hoop earrings, which I had put in.
"Um, Mum?" asked Draco timidly from outside. "Come in!" I called. He opened the door and stepped inside, Blaise, Theodore, Leo, and Hazelle behind him. His eyes scanned my body quickly. He turned to Narcissa and said, "Father is…not in a very good mood." Her eyes went wide and she quickly ran from the room, calling, "Lucius, don't do anything rash!"
I leaned to the left, and watched her walk down the corridor, until I couldn't see her any longer. I then fixed my upper body and looked at Draco. "What happened?" I asked. He shrugged. "So, is everyone alright?" I asked. "Yeah," he replied, "But, er, a lot of stuff is broken or damaged." "Oh," I replied. Narcissa came back. "I am SO sorry," she apologized. "'S alright," I replied, "And besides, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." She smiled.
We walked into the banquet hall and ate waffles for breakfast. Afterward we all went back up into my room. "So…Who's coming with us?" I inquired. "All of them," she said, pointing at the group of Draco's relatives/friends, which were now strewn across my room. Hazelle was sitting on m- a green and silver chair, talking enthusiastically to Leo, who was lying down on the ground, looking extremely bored. Draco, Blaise, and Theodore were laughing amongst each other, sitting in a circle. She then turned to the rest of the room. "Guys, we're going clothes shopping…formal clothes shopping," she announced. Leo, Theodore, and Blaise looked confused, Hazelle looked horrified, and Draco flopped down on the floor, and then groaned. "Come on," she said, "Up you get." Everyone got up but Hazelle.
I smirked, and looked at Narcissa. She nodded, also smirking and perfectly following my line of thinking. "Around the yard a couple of times would do nicely," said Draco, who had caught up. I nodded, and then said, "What's the matter, Hazelle? Afraid they won't have dresses for people over 17 metric tons?" She looked at me angrily then got up. "You wanna go?" she asked threateningly. I smirked again, then said, "You'll have to catch me first!" before dashing out of the room, Hazelle on my heels.
I ran down the corridor to the stairs, hopped on the banister, and slid down. I then ran outside, purposely slamming the door in Hazelle's face. I heard her growl in frustration. A happy whinny announced the arrival of the horse that had helped me the day before, named Cloud. "Hey girl, I'm in a bit of a tight spot," I said. She flipped me up on her back. "Let's ride. Yah!" I said. She reared up on two legs and whinnied. As she galloped away from Hazelle, dirt flew up into Hazelle's face. I laughed at her shocked and dirt covered face, before flipping off gracefully and landing right at Narcissa feet. I smiled at the amazed, happy, and amused faces of the boys and Narcissa.
Hazelle came over to Narcissa. "I'm not coming!" she said, then turned and walked inside. I smirked, and turned to Narcissa. "Looks like someone doesn't like me!" I said pretending to be offended. Narcissa just shook her head, a crooked smile playing at her lips. I just smiled brightly.
"Alright, we're going to apparated. Let's go!" Narcissa announced. We all got in a line and had to hold hands. I stood next in-between Narcissa and Draco, and blushed the whole time. When we stopped outside of the store, I let go immediately. Draco looked at me feigning hurt. "You really don't like me, do you?" he asked. I tilted my head with an uneven smile on my lips.
"Okay, Blaise, you go first. Pick out some dress robes, and then try them on. The rest of us will vote on whether we like it or not. The one that gets the most positive vote, and of course the model's approval, will be the one that is purchased. Are we clear?" said Narcissa as we walked in. We all nodded our heads in agreement. We sat down as Blaise began to leaf through the dress robes.
The first one was black. I liked it. "All in favor," commanded Narcissa. I raised my hand. So did everyone else. "Do you like them, Blaise?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay, give those to me. We'll take them up at the end. Theodore, you can go," she said. A half an hour later, it was my turn. Narcissa wanted to pick my first dress. I agreed wearily.
The first dress she picked was red, not a nice red, but plain red. I put it on. It clashed terribly with my hair. I walked out of the dressing room scowling. Narcissa's eyebrows rose and her lips pursed. "I hate it," I hissed. "Put on something different," she said finally.
I picked out the next dress. It was blue, with no sleeves, and small ruffles on the bottom. It was perfect. I smiled at myself in the mirror before walking out. Narcissa's eyes lit up. "All in favor," she said. All hands. "And Holly, do you like it?" Narcissa asked me. "Are you kidding? I love it!" I replied. She also bought me some silver heels.
We went home and had to get dressed immediately. I threw on my dress and heels, and then picked out come gold dangle earrings with my birthstone, blue topaz, as the jewel. I put on some black mascara, some pink blush, dark blue eye shadow, red lipstick, and some gloss. I twisted my hair, pulled my braid out of the twist, and put a decorated comb in to hold the twist in place. I then waited for my escort. A few minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. I got up off the bed and opened the door. There stood Draco in his new dress robes, waiting for me. I smiled. "My escort, I presume," I said airily. "Yes, your highness," Draco replied cheekily. I looped my arm through his and we started down the many flights of stairs to the ballroom.
As we descended the final staircase, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "You look lovely." I flushed a deep crimson. "Why did you have to tell me that now?" I said, exasperated. He smirked. We walked in. I immediately spotted Blaise, Leo, Theodore, and Hazelle conversing with a group of other 11/10 year olds. We walked over to them. "Hey, Hol," said Blaise, "We were just talking about you. Daphne really wanted to meet you." A girl with long blonde hair came up to me. "Hello, Holly. I'm Daphne Greengrass," she said. "Well, I see you already know who I am. Call me Hol," I responded smiling. We started talking and immediately became friends. She was also going to Hogwarts and had a little sister named Astoria. She was a pureblood, but she was adopted by muggles. Her sister, Astoria, was a muggle. Daphne loved animals and flirted with every cute boy at the party. I felt somewhat awkward at the beginning, but then started to relax. Daphne and I were already laughing like old pals.
We were sitting at a table sipping punch and laughing at things the other said when Draco came up to us. "Um, Hol?" he asked uncertainly. "Yes?" I responded. "W-would you, er, dance with, um, me?" he stuttered out. "Alright," I answered. His eyes widened before he extended his hand. I put my hand in his and he helped me up, and then led me out to the dance floor. We slow danced to "Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade.
When the song was over, I smiled at Draco. "Um, I think Daphne wants you," Draco said to me. I turned to see my friend waving her hand telling me to come see her. "I suppose I'll have to go, before she hurts herself, yeah?" I replied before going over to her.
"What was that?" asked Daphne, "'Alright.' Really! Anyway, you need get Zabini to dance with me." "Okay," I said. I walked over to Blaise. "Oi, Blaise! Ask Daphne to dance." I said. He looked dumbstruck. "I-I…" he started. "She wants to dance, but no one is asking her," I explained. "Well, no one asked you either," he argued. "I already danced with someone!" I said, frustrated. "Who?" Blaise asked in obvious disbelief. "Draco!" I answered. "I'm going to ask him," Blaise warned. "Okay, just when you have proof, ask Daphne to dance," I said before walking away.
Half an hour later, Blaise had danced with Daphne, and I was sitting with Draco on a bench. "Hol, you're falling asleep on me," Draco said. I picked my head up off his shoulder, suddenly fully awake. 'When did I put my head on his shoulder?' I asked myself. "Sorry," I said. Narcissa came over to us. "Okay guys," she said, "I think you two should get to bed. All the rest of the kids are in bed sleeping already." I nodded my head, and then got up. Draco followed me. "Goodnight, Draco," I said when I got to my bedroom. "Goodnight, Hol," he answered, stepping inside his bedroom door. I got in my room and took off my shoes. Then there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's me, Mr. Malfoy," was the reply. I opened the door.
"Now," he said, grabbing my left arm, "I do not want you giving my wife or son any 'advice' on their life style." He had my arm in a bone-crushing grip. I gasped as he tightened his grasp and lifted me slightly off the floor. "Not a word about it, understood?" he said. My eyes were wide. "Mr. Malfoy, you're hurting me!" "That's the point," he replied smirking, "This needs to get into your head for good. Now, do we understand?" I was terrified of this side of Mr. Malfoy. "Y-Yes, M -Mr. Malfoy," I choked out. He smirked wider, tightened his grip a bit, then let go, tossing me to the floor, before leaving without closing the door.
I held my arm, seeing the bruises already starting to form where his hand had been. I let out a muffled sob. The tears came then. Draco must have heard, because he came in a few minutes after Mr. Malfoy left. "Hol?" he called. He then saw me on the floor. "What happened?" he said, kneeling down next to me, his eyes wide. I held out my arm, which was already bruising and red, as well as throbbing with pain. He looked down at my arm, and his expression became dark. "Just stay here. I'll get Mum," he said before running down the hall calling "Mum!"
I calmed myself down in the few minutes I was alone. Inky crept out from under the bed and nuzzled against me before curling up by my leg. When Narcissa came in, Draco at her heels, my sobbing was reduced to an occasional hiccup and some shallow breathing. "Oh, dear," said Narcissa, seeing the state I was in. "Let me see your arm," she continued. I held out my arm. "Just like Draco. Lucius is getting way out of line," she muttered to herself. I raised my widened eyes to find Draco leaning on the wall by the wardrobe, his arms crossed.
"Well," said Narcissa, "Since I'm in here, I might as well pack you up." She flicked her wand, causing all off the drawers to open, as well as the wardrobe, and my trunk to land open in the middle of the room. Another flick of the wand, and all of the clothes I needed folded neatly in mid-air, then into the trunk. One more flick and my cauldron, containing my potion supplies, Inky's things (except her carrier), Gir's clean cage, and my books, was fastened on top of my closed trunk.
She then performed a vanity charm on my arm, so the bruises wouldn't be visible, and then taught me the vanity charm. "Thank you," I said sincerely. Narcissa smiled. "You can consider Malfoy Manor your home now," Narcissa said honestly before walking out of the room, leaving Draco and I alone.
"Draco?" I asked. He looked at me. "Did, er, I mean, um, uh…Does your father…well, you know?" I stuttered. Draco nodded slowly. My blue eyes darted from side to side, gazing into his metal grey eyes, searching for an emotion, any emotion. I found pain and suffering. When he realized I had found something, he closed off. I hugged him, whispering desperately, "Please, please, don't close off. You can tell me anything." He pulled back and looked at me. "Really?" he asked, doubt in his eyes. "Really," I replied firmly.
I was completely unprepared for what he did next. He kissed me on the lips, sealing my promise. My eyes fluttered closed. He broke the kiss and I opened my eyes. "This… Promise this won't change anything? Please?" I asked desperately. "I promise this will not change anything," Draco said looking straight into my eyes. "Thank you," I said relieved.
Draco left and I snuggled into the covers, smiling. All night I dreamt of that kiss, replaying it in my mind. 'My first kiss.'