Chapter Eleven- Between the Sheets
Our Darling Aliana,
We understand that you are busy and are glad to have finally received your reply. We do wish to spend more time with you as your letters seem to be coming less and less but we also understand your want to spend time with your new friend Draco. As far as we have seen he seems like a very nice and respectable young man. His father was quite great. We are very sorry for his loss and hope that you will send our condolences to Narcissa and Draco. He was a great man and he will be missed. Also, please let her know that if she needs absolutely anything she can come to us. She has gracefully allowed you into her home and we are more than welcome to repay her for her gratitude. So, on that note we would like to allow you to spend the holidays at the Malfoy Manor. We will have your presents sent over there. Both of us miss you and your sister dearly and hope to see you soon. Love you lots.
Mother and Father
Reading the letter from her parents Aliana marveled at their predictability. She knew that their want of her to have friends and fit in was far higher than their want to see her. They were always that way. Fitting in had always come before family in their eyes. Aliana usually saw family as the most important thing but on this occasion she was grateful for their odd perspectives. All that mattered right now was that she was going to spend the holidays with Draco. France was put off for another few months.
Needing to share her news with him Aliana sped off towards dinner and with that the Great Hall. But once inside she was hit with a surprise. Inside the Hall had been decorated for Christmas. Twelve huge Christmas trees lined the outside of the Hall. They were adorned with intricately designed ornaments and fun animated decorations. On top of each tree sat an angel each with its own aura of beauty. The first that caught Aliana's eye was a dark haired angel sitting on the tree nearest the Ravenclaw table. She had long black curls cascading down her sides and piercing blue eyes. This miniature beauty was stunning. Her captivating looks were only second to the magic of her song. The voice coming from such a tiny creature was impeccable. She seemed incapable of such mastery and yet she sung to her hearts content.
Looking around Aliana also found more decorations. The staff table was now home to a tangled mess of greenery and holly while the ceiling seemed to sprout mistletoe every so often. Couples all around were kissing underneath the magical garland.
The famous ceiling in the Great Hall now showed a captivating sight. Snow was falling gracefully down over the dinner but it appeared to have evaporated as it hit an invisible barrier. It kept everyone at awe while allowing the students and the impeccable dinner to remain dry.
Finally allowing her eyes off of the beauty that the Hall had transformed into, Aliana found her way over to the Slytherin table. Like always Draco was sat at the middle of the table surrounded by other students. Aliana refused to call most of them his friends because in truth most of them were only seen with each other because of their "status" as they liked to call it. The pure bloods hung out with the other pure bloods because to them that was important.
"Hey," she said as she climbed into the seat next to him. "It's gorgeous in here."
"Yeah," he answered half-heartedly. "They do this every year. So are you coming?"
"Yes," Aliana's eyes sparkled as she replied. "My parents were too easy to convince."
"Really?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "I figured it'd take some begging or something."
"Humph, I think they're just glad that I made a friend. They're more worried about my social life than I am."
"Maybe they just want to make sure that you're hanging out with the right people."
"Oh, and you would be the right kind of people?" Aliana raised her eyebrow. "I'm sure every girl's parents would love to know that their daughter is with you."
"I wouldn't be surprised. I am the essence of perfection."
--
The Floo Network had always amazed Aliana. Even now as she stepped into the fireplace for, at least, the fifteenth time in her life she marveled at the magic behind it.
Her body was engulfed in the brightest shade of green as the flames licked the last of her into their grasp. Following Draco's lead she had managed her way into the fireplace and was now spiraling towards the Malfoy Manor at dangerous speeds. It almost felt like one of those muggle rides at one of their fair's. Spinning and twisting through random flashes of places and houses she finally fell out of the journey. Her feet fell onto flat ground and from the dizziness that caught her she managed to trip over her own feet spreading dust all over the antique magnolia rug. Draco managed to catch her in time from doing any more damage, though. But before she even managed to steady herself she was bombarded by a gloomy looking woman.
"My dear, Aliana. It is so nice for me to have finally met you. Draco has told me so much about you," her glowing personality clearly contradicted her appearance.
Her loss was written well over her face. What could have been a very beautiful woman now deemed a sullen and grieving soul. Her long blond hair was tied in a knot on her head and her robes appeared to have been lain in all day. They were folded with creases and wrinkled. This woman, who was Draco's mother, had obviously gone through a tough loss and Aliana's heart went out to her.
"It's great to meet you too, Mrs. Malfoy. Draco has told me many wonderful things about you as well."
Aliana took her outstretched hand and shook. She found Narcissa's hand to be clammy and cold. This loss had really done wonders on this poor woman. Aliana could imagine how strong she must have been before. She probably could have taken down an army herself. She was Draco's mother after all; he had to have gotten his temper from someone.
"Now, dear, let's not stand here in the cold. How about we retire into the study for a cup of tea before bed? I'm sure you are both quite tired and I wouldn't want to keep you from your sleep," Narcissa started towards the door which led into a larger opening. "Don't worry about your bags. I will have the house elves take them to your room for you."
Although Aliana wanted to object to using the house elves she kept her mouth shut. She figured Narcissa wasn't the kind of woman who would take kindly to objections on house elf slavery. Although she adored Draco and his mother they would not be too keen on her suggestions that all magical creatures are created equal.
Following Draco's mother down the stairs and towards a cozy looking room on the right Aliana was able to take in the beauty of the mansion. The whole house was done in shades of white and grey with splashes of dark green and black. Depending on the room the whole of the building seemed to either be dark or light. One room was a deep emerald green and the next was a bright clean white. The decorating seemed to contradict each other but it gleamed of beauty all the same.
She stepped into the room, which Narcissa had called the study, and was taken back by its size. The room was as large as eight of her bedrooms at home and about as tall as her whole house. From floor to ceiling ran shelves upon shelves of books. You could get lost in a place like this. On one end sat rows of tables and on the other a few comfortable looking couches and armchairs.
Draco automatically sat down in the couch opposite his mother and, surprisingly to her, pulled her into his lap. This show of affection caught her off guard as she rarely found that in Draco. Something about his mother being in front of them changed his attitude a little.
"You two are just too sweet together," Narcissa cooed. "It reminds me of being young. Oh, Lucius and I were quite the couple too."
A watery smile projected at the two of them greatly astonished Aliana. She had never expected Narcissa to be so humble. Here she was crying over how cute her and Draco looked together; seeing them had reminded her of herself and her late husband. What was the most amazing was that Narcissa was a Death Eater's wife and was showing the most compassion she had seen in anyone before.
"You're home is beautiful Mrs. Malfoy," Aliana returned the woman's smile. "The décor is magnificent."
"Oh, thank you. I designed a lot of it myself," Narcissa swallowed a big gulp of tea. "So, how are you enjoying England?"
This launched the two women into a long and quite boring conversation mainly consisting of questions and answers. Narcissa wanted to know anything and everything on both Aliana and her family.
"Well, I am quite tired. I can hardly imagine how the two of you are feeling. I think we should all head up to bed," finally standing up from her chair Narcissa called a house elf to clean up the tea cups. "Sipsey!"
Automatically an old elf popped out of nowhere. Her long stringy grey hair hung in patches down her back. She bowed down to the floor and began picking the tea cups off of the table and balancing them on her arm as she walked back out of the study.
"So, Draco will show you to your room," Narcissa yawned. "Good night."
"Good night, mother."
"Night, Narcissa."
The woman straitened her hopelessly messy robes and found her way out of the study. Her long hair falling out of its knot as she briskly walked towards the hallway.
"Tired?" Draco's face hinted at an answer he preferred.
"Not really," Aliana drug out her answer teasing him slightly.
An eyebrow rose on Draco's face. His mind was obviously running through the many possible scenarios of what they might do.
"But, I am really not in the mood for much right now. I thought maybe I'd curl up in bed and read a book," Aliana stated as she watched his face fall.
"Alright," Draco's smirk quickly sprung back onto his face. "I'll give you tonight off."
Draco quickly grabbed her hand and led her down endless hallways and staircases until they finally made it to her bedroom. Inside was decorated in a deep blue. All walls were covered in a gorgeous coat of a deep ocean blue highlighted by mahogany molding. The bed, the focus of the room, was a four poster bed and was dressed in lush fabrics. The silky chocolate brown duvet was accented with the many pillows placed on top of it. They varied in colors from blues and greens to purples and blacks. It all tied together making the wall color stand out even more.
Aliana let her eyes travel to the other aspects of the room and noticed what would be a beautiful view in the daytime. Outside of the large window, accompanied with a window seat, was the view of the grounds. A smaller quidditch pitch as well as a garden was just made out through the black of the night. Across the room there was a desk and chair already holding parchment and quills for her writing. But one of the most wonderful parts to the room was the huge walk in closet and adjoining bathroom.
The closet already held most of her clothes and shoes while the bathroom was decked with her toiletries. The gold faucets and accents glowed out from the stark whiteness of the rest of the room. The tiles glowed with absolute cleanliness and the shower and sink gleamed of newness. In all, her room was the most breathtaking space in the house.
"I knew you'd like this room," Draco's voice was low in her ear. "But mine's always open. In case you get lonely."
Sending chills down her spine he ran his fingers across her arm. His mere presence captivated all of her attention but any and all contact would wrench her out of reality. She was completely dissolved in Draco that she barely noticed his leaving until she opened her eyes and realized she could not longer feel his breath on her cheek.
Spinning out of her trance she made her way into her new bathroom and had a quick shower. She changed for bed and hopped beneath her new comforter and swiftly fell asleep.
--
Waking up to the sound of birds chirping caused Aliana to smile as she greeted the new day. She stretched and looked around her room, which looked quite different in the daylight. The sun spread across the wooden floors and created a warm patch. Outside the birds sang to the sky as they sat perched in the large oak just outside her window.
The Malfoy Manor was beautiful. That was the only way to describe it: beautiful. Aliana walked down the hall to Draco's room only to find him fast asleep in his bed. His head lolled off his pillow and his leg draped out from his covers. She loved him when he was sleeping. He just seemed so… vulnerable.
"Good morning, Aliana," Narcissa's voice rang from below as she descended the stairs. "Have a good rest?"
"Very good, thanks."
"Are you all ready for some breakfast then?" Narcissa's warm voice and sweet smile were hard to resist. "Our house elves are impeccable chefs. I'm sure you'll love their cooking."
Feeling hungry herself Aliana accepted and followed Narcissa into the dining room. Layed out before her was an amazing spread. There appeared to be enough food to feed the staff table at Hogwarts. Aliana felt it unnecessary but enjoyed the offer just as well.
The two women sat and filled their plates and began eating. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Aliana had no idea as to what she could talk about with this woman. She was afraid that if she didn't say something soon she might end up blurting out something stupid.
"This is really quite good," Aliana complimented Narcissa.
"Yes," she replied distractedly. "Have you and Draco been together very long?"
Caught off guard Aliana chewed her toast slower than she normally would have. She could only imagine where this conversation could end up. She wasn't sure that she could handle anything like that.
"A few months," she smiled hoping her answer would be satisfactory.
"That's nice. I think you two are just perfect for each other," Narcissa smiled widely. "You're what he needs. You know that, though, don't you?"
Laughing Aliana replied. "Actually, I think I'm the one needing him."
"Oh, you don't even realize the effect that you've had on him. It's one of those opposites attract kind of deals. But in the end I'm thinking you're both changing each other to be more alike. Never in my life have I seen my son show as much affection that he shows you."
Narcissa was shaking her head while Aliana pondered her last comment. Sure Draco had always surprised her with a little affection every now and then but it hadn't significantly changed until last night. He had been overly affectionate with her in front of his mother. She had to wonder about what his intentions were.
"My wedding dress is beautiful," Narcissa's quick change of subject startled Aliana. "Maybe you could wear it someday."
The last part of her comment was quiet; almost as though she wasn't supposed to hear it. She had heard it though and it was freaking her out. But before Aliana had time to ponder the meaning of her words, Narcissa launched into another story.
"When Draco was just a little boy he used to love playing make believe. He would run around the back yard for hours on end. It drove Lucius crazy but me, I loved it. I could just sit there and watch him play. His favorite game was being the monster slayer. That's what he'd call himself: the monster slayer. He would always be yelling to me: 'Watch me mommy. I'm the monster slayer.' There was this cape that he would wear. It was a yellow cape made out of an old blanket. He would wear that and run around between the sheets hanging out to dry. I suppose that's where he would find the monsters: between the sheets. Oh, he was such a creative boy."
Narcissa had definitely surprised Aliana. She wondered if this scattered personality of hers was a cause of Lucius' death. That did happen a lot. People changed because they lost someone that they lived for. Narcissa most definitely lived for Lucius.
--
"Hey, Alli," Draco's head was poking through her bedroom door. "I was wondering where you were."
He moved over to her bed where she was reading. His arms pulled her into him while she finished her page.
"It snowed like hell last night."
"Really," Aliana searched her window for the ground. "I didn't even notice. The sky blends into the ground so much its hard to tell where one starts and the other stops."
Draco didn't reply to that; he only stared out the window. The tree's had hunched over from the weight of it piling on top of them and the pond stood frozen from the cold. Winter was always a sullen season; hardly anyone looked forward to it. But somehow Aliana could make the ugliness of the cold appear beautiful underneath.
"I've been dying to get out into the snow," she confessed. "It looks so gorgeous. It's almost like a pretty blanket layed over the world."
"I didn't think you would be one to like the snow," Draco said laughing at her.
"What's this?" a smirk found its way onto Aliana's face. "Draco Malfoy, wrong? You've got to be kidding me."
Draco jumped up off of the bed pulling her with him.
"So, are we going outside then?"
"I thought we'd already established that," Draco's hand wound itself into hers and pulled her alongside him and out into the garden.
After layering upon layers the two were surrounded by freshly lain snow. Stretching as far as they could see was perfect untouched flakes. They layered the landscape turning everything into a bright white shade. Aliana shaded her eyes and in doing so was caught off guard by a snowball smacking her in the arm.
"Hey!"
She dropped her hand from her face and hurried to grab some snow to throw back at him. She was too late of course but by the time he threw his ball she threw another and hit him directly in that face.
"Oh, I'd watch out there Moxley," Draco growled as he picked up more snow.
What seemed like hours later Draco and Aliana lay in the snow. Aliana's breaths were coming in long draws and blowing out just as slowly. The warmth of her breath was seen in the air.
"Well, I most definitely won," Aliana declared.
"There's no bloody way, you won."
Draco launched himself on top of her and pulled her into a long drawn out kiss. She eagerly responded finding that with each kiss she felt warmer and warmer. His kisses deepened and left her breathless as he pulled away.
"I definitely won that round," Draco whispered smirking.
A/N: So, I absolutely loved writing this chapter. I know it's just a bunch of fluff but that's always the most fun to write!! Haha, and the title. The title was meant to be referring to Draco as a little boy as he played "between the sheets" but reading it later I realized how most people wouldn't get that. :P Anyways, I left it for my enjoyment!! Please review; I would love to know your thoughts on the chapter and where the story is heading in general. Keep Reading!!