Chapter 9: Christmas

Malfoy manor was breathtakingly gigantic. A tall and widespread dark castle towered around its almost naked surrounding; gothic looking facets greeted the two Hogwarts students. Edenia walked towards the columns that had gargoyles as their capital and surrounded the entrance that Draco and she stood before. The gate-like door would lead Edenia into another misery; she was aware but not sure if she could agree. It was like choosing and allowing bad things to happen. Draco decided for her before she could change her mind; he unlocked the door and stepped inside a large hall that was empty, catching visitors and allowing them to look around. Everything was dark and grey and most things didn't look touched. They were of high prize, Edenia could clearly tell. Bought but never used.

"Dinner won't begin before eight." Draco said and smiled lightly. "It never did."
"What time is it anyway? Isn't anyone at home?"
"It's about six I guess. And I don't know. I sometimes don't notice someone is here until I accidentally run into them..." Draco confessed. Edenia nodded, she could understand. The manor was so huge; it wouldn't be a surprise if they met his for thirty years missed whatever cousin somewhere.
"Do you want me to show you around?" He asked and chuckled when Edenia's eyes spun towards him quickly; he caught her observing all the details she could find.
"Sure." She replied and both of them walked off. He showed her around the living areas, the library and the pool. Sometimes she could even peer into non-used rooms, she saw one that had only a chess-table and two chairs inside. All the colours were dark and dim, nothing shrill. After some turns through a home-bar and a couple of bedrooms, both of them ended up in this large winter-garden. It was simply gorgeous. A pond was spread across the landscape and made everything seem so at peace.
"It's beautiful. I never had an idea how big it actually is." She said and smiled lightly.

"Edenia..." Draco then started as he stared ahead out of the frozen windows. She glanced at his back and kept her silence when he continued, but something in his voice sounded troubled, clearly troubled.
"I..." He paused again and turned around but just when he was about to go on, both Draco and Edenia turned their heads to the same direction.
"Hello sweeties!" Cheered a shrill voice and Bellatrix Lestrange walked into the garden, opening her arms to hug and kiss Draco who let it happen reluctantly. Edenia snickered slightly as she watched but it was just to make some sort noise so she wouldn't be standing there like an awkward penguin. Bellatrix glanced at the girl, the corner of her mouth twitched up in a halfway grin. She reached out and brushed a couple loose strands of hair behind Edenia's ear, cupping the side of her head and asked. "Like it here?"
"I just told Draco that it is beautiful." Answered Edenia and gently pulled her head away. Bellatrix was way too kind. How kind could a person be once you torture them? How kind could Bellatrix Lestrange be, the woman who kills people without any conscience at all? Edenia was sure that something would happen tonight. Something she didn't want to happen. Something she wanted to run away from, she just had that sort of feelings in her guts. She couldn't help herself but wonder what kind of plan Bellatrix had in mind but she was so sure, so sure that it was something that included a lot of tears and anger. Draco pulled Edenia along and she didn't look back for the slightest of moments, still yet she could feel eyes following them. They came to a halt when the girl spotted Draco's parents in a room and it just didn't feel right to pass by without a word.

"Good evening Misses and Mister Malfoy" Said Edenia and smiled at them. Both of them seemed slightly interrupted but looked back and nodded at her, Narcissa smiled a tad more than Lucius but it still wasn't a lot. It wasn't bad enough to make Edenia feel unwelcome, however and Draco glanced to the left and right before he motioned her along again by wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her upstairs into his room. He closed the door and stared down onto the door handle before he inhaled deeply and turned around to her.

"Sit down." He offered and so she did, sitting down on this very comfortable brown couch. He placed himself next to her and both of them noticed the awkwardness invading the scene. Edenia played with some strands of hair, mostly those that Bellatrix tucked back behind her ear earlier, and didn't know what to say even though she tried making a conversation but nothing was interesting enough to state it out loud. Draco took short glances to her every other second; it was obvious he tried to think of something to say, too but he was more successful.

"How…are you?"

Edenia didn't answer. She inhaled deeply and looked away from him. Her eyes wandered out of the window and everything she wished for was to be able to transform into a bird and fly as far as her wings could carry her. Draco nodded when he realized she didn't say anything but that did not mean it wasn't a response at all.

"You said you aren't going back to Hogwarts after today for a while?" Edenia asked and her hands stopped playing with her hair. "Why is it? You seem quite content there…"

Draco scoffed and shook his head, disbelievingly staring around the room.

"No…it's. I have business to tend to. That's all." He explained and had some tone of finality in his voice. Edenia didn't want to let it be at this point though and asked again.
"What business?"
He was now the one who did not answer. Just like Draco previously knew, Edenia was sure that this sort of response said enough and she didn't further ask anything else.

When everyone sat around the large, with silver decorated table, all the attendants cared to chat a little bit but not excitingly loud. All of them stopped talking suddenly and Edenia didn't understand why but enlightenment came soon. Silence broke into the room when he was gliding inside with ease, almost hovering above the floor while having the hissing serpent following each step. Edenia glanced at him but away again, didn't know how to act but she kept to the behaviour that everyone else showed. Everyone aside from Bellatrix. She jumped up and offered him a seat next to herself but he walked past her and sat down at the very end of the table, a little away from the rest. He grinned once his narrowed eyes spotted Edenia.

"Good evening." He said to her almost in a lecturing tone, as if he didn't agree with the fact that she did not greet him first. Edenia gulped but forced a smile and coughed "Good evening!" but it came out a little too hastily and Bellatrix's chuckle was enough to mock her. He gazed at her intensively, not commenting, not allowing any muscles to twitch when he saw how her cheeks were dyed in red out of embarrassment. She now knew that it could only get better but she was wrong. The dinner was held in a tensed, silent atmosphere.

After everyone was done eating and people were once again tucked in neat and careful conversations, one non-careful question came across Edenia's ears. It was probably for the reason of having this sort of question directed at her, but nevertheless she felt like it wasn't real.
"So…which part of your parents is…a muggle?" Asked Lucius in an amused voice. His ring-studded hand clutched around a glass of wine, grinning slightly when Edenia looked at him with a large frown before she caught herself and said lowly. "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Lucius chuckled and put down the beverage and all the other chattering stopped when everyone's eyes fell on Edenia.
"It means that I don't know." She said simply and put down the napkin, showing she wanted this conversation to end.

"Her parents are dead." Informed Bellatrix and Lucius nodded with his mouth gapped open while saying "Ah."
"And you never cared enough to find out about your origin?" He then went on. Draco glanced at his father intensively for a couple of seconds but his attention went elsewhere. Edenia didn't look at Lucius when he asked and just acted like she didn't hear it.

"Do not feel ashamed…my child." Cooed the dark voice from across the table. Everyone's attention went there to him and even though Edenia tried her best to not shiver, she felt like she failed miserably at it. She knew, however, that not looking at him could be dangerous.

"I have once told Bellatrix that the best of our families sometimes…make foul decisions." He smirked and patted the serpent's head. "It just happens that one of your parents…made a horrible mistake. And horrible it is, is it not?" He asked across the table, his eyes were piercing through everyone towards Edenia. She knew this question was a mere statement, nothing more and nothing less. Aware of that, she just nodded and opened her lids slowly again, feeling tired of this conversation but she didn't further show it.

"Mistakes cannot be undone, however…worse can be avoided…" He said and that's when Draco's eyes shot towards him first before Edenia did the same. Neither Bellatrix nor Rodolphus said a word and Edenia wondered about this curious fact. His voice interrupted her thoughts.
"You are…the production of a foul choice made, my child. You have been betrayed of a better life, you will never be complete…" He grinned and patted the snake's head yet again before adding. "But completeness you shall get…Your lord is allowing second chances to some chosen half-bloods, you see." But what he said sounded like a hiss to Edenia. The conversation was getting worse as it seemed and she gulped lowly, just wondering what it was, that he wanted to say. What was the core of his speech? This was the right moment to ask where he was trying to get at, she couldn't further stop.

"What…what do you mean?" Her timid voice seemed small but audible nonetheless.

"Bellatrix here is very concerned for your well-being." He started and Edenia's eyes wandered to the dark witch who raised an eyebrow with a smirk, moving her shoulders back to the left and right slightly, as if she was getting impatient. Another curious thing was that Rodolphus had a faint smirk plastered on his lips as well. What did they know? Her attention went back to the hissing serpent that slithered around the chair of its owner.
"Shhh, Nagini…" He whispered but once Edenia looked at him again, he further explained.

"Upon seeing it with my very own eyes…that you do have some magical talent…even been chosen for the traditions of Slytherin…and a will to preserve those traditions…" He uttered and Edenia's heart started beating faster.
"It was decided that you shall receive a chance to clean up the mess produced in your past…of which you are its victim. It was decided…that, by marrying a pureblood…and producing children that again, will marry a pureblood…everything will be back to its traditional, normal shape." He explained and Edenia's mouth gapped open slightly. What did he say? What? Did he? No. Did he just.
"And Bellatrix as well as Rodolphus here…have volunteered themselves to make sure this plan will not fall upon deaf ears. They will help you, my child. And I must say I cannot be more pleased. I have rarely seen devotees more loyal than the Lestranges." He glanced towards Lucius, as if he had seen through the fact that Lucius just tried to make a fool out of Edenia's parents in order to please the Dark Lord; whose cold eyes rushed to Edenia yet again. "And you shall follow their very instructions and orders. They are, as of this very second…responsible for you."

He finished his speech at last. This sure wasn't the sort of Christmas present that Edenia wished for.