Chapter 8: Invitation

Edenia glared up the ceiling but could not move. Kisses poured down on her neck. Blaise didn't even try to be gentle when he bit and sucked on the tender skin harshly, causing her to squirm away and wince but he would just pull her back and thrust her against the wall angrily while staring into her face in an unamused manner.
"How do you even know…?" Winced Edenia, the question did not leave her mind. Blaise chuckled.
"Did you see me around when the Dark Lord was in the cottage?" He whispered hotly against her earlobe, nibbling slightly on it and continued explaining. Edenia tried to remember and indeed, she can't recall seeing him around the table that evening.
"I was outside…but I had a very good view into the cottage standing in front of a window…and there I saw your intense gaze at Ginny, your nodding and lip movement. "Scream" it said, didn't it? And when I later asked Crabbe and Goyle what happened they told me you used the curse on Ginny and everyone was oh so proud…what a good girl you are, aren't you?" He smirked deviously and his hungry lips crashed onto hers again. That was the moment when Edenia just closed her eyes to let the things happen that she could not fight. He had her in her hands. What did it matter if she pushed him away now? What did it matter if she fought him now? If Blaise ever told Voldemort the truth, there was no mercy for her. The moments passed and her hopes faded when his hands roamed around her body but with a sudden jolt she felt free; the body heat in front of her was gone. Noise. Shooting her eyes open, she could only see arms pulling Blaise away from her in the darkness and angry snarling erupted throughout the common room. When in the right position of the candlelight, she saw Draco holding a wand to Blaise's throat and could hear the sound of another wand falling down to the floor.
"Keep out of my business, Malfoy!" Hissed Blaise but Draco growled.
"When the year started we said we would help her adapting! We didn't say a word about rape!"
"You should have been clearer on those instructions then! Your aunt had no problem letting me do things to Edenia! I don't need your permission." He glanced to his tattoo then before he continued "Besides... Don't be so naive. She wouldn't listen to us! She will continue making a fool out of us if we don't show her how serious we are!"
"Enough, Slytherins won't sink so low." Grumbled Draco in a deep voice and let go of Blaise harshly. His blue eyes wandered towards Edenia who slid down the wall by this point, crying bitterly. He tilted his head to the side to motion Blaise to get going and he did without further comment. But a comment was not needed as he grinned at Edenia and only she knew what that meant. Draco, for the shortest while, seemed to want to say something to her, had his mouth open to do so but decided against it and just left as well, leaving the girl to herself.

The next days were sheer horror. Edenia had to stay close to them, had to endure Blaise's nasty glances, comments and threats and had absolutely nobody to talk to as Ginny and Luna still hadn't come back and the pack made sure that Edenia didn't try for another conversation with Neville or anyone else for that matter. It started to get to her mental sanity, slowly but surely. She wanted to yell when she had to keep quiet, she wanted to run when she had to follow them, she wanted to fight when she chose not to and she wanted to be herself when she couldn't. She felt like she sold herself but got nothing in return and felt weak and small, so painfully small.

"Now, now. What are those tears for, hm?" Someone purred into her ear from behind. Edenia spun around and saw the worst person in existence. She didn't respond as she stared on ahead, looking at the water. Here the hope of having found a secluded area vanished at once. She should have known better: of course there was no hiding, not from her; Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Have you come here to mock me?" Asked the girl when she noticed some shifting and rustling and from the corner of her eyes she saw the dark witch sitting down on the flat grass next to her, asking. "Who hurt you?"
"Nobody..."
"Draco?"
"No..."
"Blaise?"
Edenia kept quiet at that moment but played with the hem of her skirt in order to occupy her hands and keeping herself from bursting into tears.
"What did he do?" Asked Bellatrix demandingly but Edenia turned her face away. She didn't want to tell her anything; after all she was one of the reasons why she felt so miserable in the first place; but then again, she was someone to talk to. Then she reminded herself that it was not that easy. How could somebody possibly talk to their tormentor who did even more than what Blaise did? Bellatrix grew impatient, she forced Edenia's face back whilst grabbing her chin but that was when her eyes trailed down on the girl's neck as it stretched. Now she could see what Blaise did.
"How far did he go?!" Growled the dark witch and Edenia's eyes filled with tears but she managed to stammer out. "Not too far...Draco pulled him away from me..." But when Bellatrix remained quiet, Edenia said in a sharp tone. "What do you care?! You are the one teaching him it's okay to touch me...!"
"Not in that way!" Bellatrix hissed back.
"How should he know?! He's just taking what he thinks you gave to him!" Said Edenia cynically and wiped away her tears. Silence crept up around them again and the next thing that Edenia saw is black silky nebula that lingered at the spot where Bellatrix was and disappeared the other second. She was alone again.

The first snowflakes fell in the early next morning - or at least that's what everyone could see while having breakfast in the Great Hall. Maybe it was the scent of cinnamon and apples that lingered in the air or maybe it was the fact that Blaise wasn't there with them, but Edenia felt like this was going to be an unusual day. Crabbe, Goyle and Draco were close to Edenia as always and didn't seem to vanish either. None of them said a word while they listened to the choir singing about magical traditions, causing Edenia to roll her eyes inwardly. She didn't even want to comment it in her head.
"Did you hear?" Whispered Pansy to Draco who seemed slightly annoyed at the fact that he had to act like he cared about whatever Pansy said when forced to ask "What?"
"I've been sneaking around the Gryffindors lately and they said that they almost caught Potter. He must have been somewhere in the ministry."
"Yes, I know." Sighed Draco. "Yaxley mentioned it. He got away though."
Silence filled the room.
"Anyway. The holidays start soon. Where are you going to go? Are you going to stay here? Because I-"
"I will go home. And stay there for a bit longer."
"What do you mean?" She asked hastily with big eyes and a large frown.
"It means that I won't return to Hogwarts for a while." He answered simply and finished eating. Edenia looked at him in wonder.
"You're going to leave us behind during these dark times?" Pansy squeaked and her voice was shaking. He did not answer however and got up to walk out of the Great Hall. Crabbe and

Goyle stared at each other while Pansy's eyes followed Draco and didn't even seem to stop when he was gone minutes ago. Edenia wasn't sure how to feel about that. Draco ripped Blaise away from her, helped her. Then again, he started this entire "controlling-Edenia" thing. Crabbe and Goyle got up and walked away the next moment and the rest of the Slytherins did the same and the other houses left quietly for their lessons as well, causing the room to fall silent yet again. Pansy stared at Edenia, continuously narrowing her eyes at her but she eventually just got up to leave the Great Hall. For Edenia, it took a little longer; her eyes watched the snowflakes falling down the sky before she sighed deeply and decided that she didn't want to be late in Professor Lestrange's course.

When two more days passed and Edenia didn't see Blaise around even once she started to feel guilty. He was gone for almost five days. Or at least she just did not see him anywhere. Maybe he avoided her. Maybe something happened. Yes, she hated him, everything about him. What if Bellatrix went on a rampage? Did Edenia truly wish death upon him? No. Not at all. Being occupied with these thoughts, she sat in the common room and thought about it but her thoughts were interrupted when two students crashed through the door. Some fifth-years laughed and giggled but ran away when Crabbe and Goyle entered the room and growled after them. Edenia just looked at them in confusion and annoyance but got up to walk away again. She aimed upstairs when, around the corner, she faced Draco.
"There you are. Uhm…" He started and swung his arm around her shoulder, leading her downstairs again, not caring about her perplex face. He sat down in the common room where Pansy sat and chatted with Millicent Bullstrode, another roommate who was rarely seen.
"Look…" He said again and pushed her shoulders down gently. Pansy continued talking but her eyes glanced towards Edenia every once in a while.
"My family invited you to come over on Christmas eve…" He started but he was interrupted when Pansy jumped up.
"What?! So that's why you won't stay here, huh! I knew you two had a thing going! I knew it! You kept fancying her, kept talking about her even in front of me while we were dating! How dare you!" She yelled and Edenia rolled her eyes but didn't bother to correct Pansy in any way at all. She wasn't worth her breath. Draco seemed to think the same; he just inhaled and tilted his head back to lean against the couch, staring up the ceiling in annoyance. His attention averted to Edenia once Pansy stormed off and Millicent followed. A quick glance to the left and right was shot from Draco's eyes before he leaned in and explained the rest.
"Bellatrix suggested it…He was very pleased to hear about that…"
Edenia's frown grew wider. Did they have no better things to do? Could Christmas be boring without stressing out a random student from Hogwarts? Did even Voldemort wanted to enjoy his holidays a bit? And was that the only way to enjoy anything at all, taunting people?
"I guess I have to come, then…" She sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose, headache crashed into her mind at the sheer thought of having to endure seeing that monster again. What if Blaise told him? What if he only invited Edenia over to kill her? All those insecurities were increasing the pondering in her head even more, it grew unbearable. Her eyes opened again and she asked softly, with a clearly stressed out voice.
"You'll…you'll stay with me, right?"
"Yes…I'll be there. Of course." He informed and patted her head. Again, his mouth opened, he wanted to say something but as always, he chose not to.

The days passed like pictures around her in slow motion, sometimes the world seemed to rotate faster and Edenia did not feel good when Christmas Eve was up. Her stomach knotted up at the thought of it. In fact, she couldn't think of a worse day than that. And if only Edenia knew what awaited her that evening, she would have thought of a way to run from it. But as always, life plaid curious paths and it so happened that the surprise later that day needed yet to be unwrapped.

AN: Sorry for the Cliffhanger in this one :D. But. Oh my god! What will happen to Edenia on Christmas? Well. You'll have to wait for the next chapter :3