I would like to thank WinkAtTheSun whom made Claire's outfit for this chapter and just a little note, no Claire does not look like Megan Fox but it was the first person I thought about when it came to brown hair and blue eyes haha. So here you go, Chapter Four.
P.S. You will be able to see her outfit on my profile.
Claire's face held no emotion what's so ever as she looked up at the Dupree Residence. The large three story Victorian estate had been in the Dupree name for over two hundred and some odd years yet the building had always intimidated her ever since she was a child. It was always too big, to quiet; to lonely something that reminded her to much of her childhood yet what was most extraordinary about the estate wasn't what was on the inside but rather on the outside. Its thirty-five acres was home to many animals, many which were tamed and where Claire had spent most of her time whenever she was home.
"Clarisse, darling!" Her mother, a woman who stood about 5'4 with short brown hair and clear blue eyes, moved over to her and enveloped her daughter in a hug. Her father on the other hand stayed by the door, a grim expression on his face. "Oh tell me how your year is going so far, are the Slytherin children alright?" Her mother rambled on as she ushered the girl in and for some reason a shiver ran down her spine, the house inside was cold and dark. "Lucia, please give the girl a break." Markus Dupree placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and looked at Claire.
"It is nice to have you back Clarisse." She nodded in acknowledgement and turned her attention back to her mother who resumed talking. A certain part of the one-sided conversation had caught her attention causing Lucia to stop as Claire said, "Party?" The smaller brunette woman blinked and said, "Well it's more of a… get together? Were having a couple of friends over and they are all just dying to meet you." Her mother beamed with pride all the while Markus just sat next to his wife in silence. Minutes later Claire found herself in her tub, one of the house elves rinsed her hair while another added more violets in the water.
Once her bath was finished she searched her closet and found a lovely yet simple white dress. Placing it over her body the top part crossed on her chest and ran over her shoulders. Slipping into her heels Claire stared at herself in the mirror and fixed her straight brown hair as much as she could. "Madam Dupree, the guests have arrived." The timid voice of one of the many house elves came by her door and she smoothed down her dress and turned towards the small elf. "What do you think Finn? Do I look presentable?"
Finn's eyes widen and Claire felt her heart tug at the expression. Poor thing had never been talked to so freely in his life and probably didn't know how to answer her. She laughed and patted the elf's head and walked out of the room and towards the grand staircase. Claire halted though as she saw the guests talking and mingling, many held glasses of wine or some other type of drink in their hands but something caught her attention the second she had seen everyone.
She was the only one wearing white.
Before she could turn around and change her father's voice boomed throughout the room making her halt her midway turn and quieted the murmuring of everyone else. "Ladies and Gentleman, with great pleasure, May I introduce my daughter Clarisse Melina Dupree." The guests clapped lightly as she descended down the stairs and stood by her mother who wore black just as everyone else. "Mother, why didn't you tell me I was to wear black?" Claire whispered threateningly in her mother's ear but smiled when someone took her hand and presented themselves.
"Oh dear, you look fine, you look very… you." Allowing someone else to take her hand, Lucia moved her daughter around the room introducing her to many people's whose names were already forgotten. "Clarisse, I would like you to meet Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy," Claire greeted them with a smile just as she had been taught to do but her smile faltered when she greeted the person next to them, "And this is Draco Malfoy but I'm sure you two know each other seeing as you are both in the same House." Lucia and Narcissa shared a knowing look as Draco took her hand and placed a light kiss on it.
Her thoughts scrambled around in her mind as he stood erect next to his mother, the all-black tuxedo he wore made him seem paler than usual and his blonde hair even lighter than it already was, yet his grey eyes seemed all the same, troubled, misunderstood, and in need of a true friend. It had been practically a month since the two had talked and now seeing him here made her as nervous as a schoolgirl in front of her crush… which was sort of ironic seeing she was just that. "Hello Draco." Claire's throat felt strangely dry and scratchy as she said his name.
"Hello… Clarisse." Steely gray eyes bore into her blue ones and suddenly she couldn't help but feel conscious if she had done her makeup right or if in the few minutes she had been in the party something had gone askew but his expression revealed nothing that could help her soothe her mind. A small hand wrapped itself around her arm which pulled them out of their trance and made them look to Lucia who wore a broad smile. "If you will excuse us Draco, Clarisse still has to meet a few people but I promise as soon as we finish you can have her all to yourself." Lucia sent him a wink as she and her daughter moved, Claire hissing at her mother with flaming cheeks at her mother embarrassing her.
After greeting everyone, which wasn't much, eighteen people at the most, Claire stood by the band sipping her drink as she looked around the room. What an odd bunch of people, she couldn't help but think. They were all very dark and mysterious; something about them caused the small hairs on her body to bristle with alertness as if anything were to happen soon. "Would you like to dance?" Her eyes moved over to the voice and she recognized the face but couldn't remember his name. None the less, she nodded and allowed the young man to whisk her towards the dance floor and lay his hand right above her waist.
"Just in case you forgot, my name is Xavier." He laughed when her cheeks redden with embarrassment and she looked up at the man and mumbled in a low voice, "You will have to excuse me Xavier, I do not have such a good memory when it comes to names." The man nodded as if knowing that already and said, "It's quite alright, I myself am not too well with names either." His green eyes sparkled with something captivating which sparked her interest, his onyx color hair framed around his face. Not at all a bad looking man, even though he must have been at least in his early twenties.
"May I cut in?" The pair turned to stare a familiar blonde head. Xavier bowed politely and allowed Draco to step in his place but unlike him Draco was bolder with his actions, placing his right hand right on the swoop of her lower back and pressed her to his body, his left hand held hers high and stared at her without uttering a single word. "What are you doing?" She couldn't take the silence and she didn't like the glances the people were giving them. "What? I can't dance with you?" Her right hand squeezed his shoulder as they moved around the room.
"We are already dancing Draco, what I meant was you have been avoiding me for a month and all of a sudden you're asking me to dance and whatnot?" If possible he pressed her body closer and in turn he squeezed her hand. "Keeping up for appearances sake, your mother and mine have suddenly become good friends and if they found out that their children are not talking because one of them is friends with mudbloods and blood-traitors, I'm sure they wouldn't take it too well." Her years of etiquette training screamed at her when her face contorted into a scowl but the words he was spewing made her stomach pinch with anger.
"Do I have to tell you again? Those are my friends whether you like it or not!" She wanted him to release her yet at the same time she didn't. Thankful for the change of music, the band played a more slow song and she hid her face on his shoulder as they changed positions. "I swear you will be the death of me Draco Malfoy." His tuxedo smelled clean with a hint of a cologne she couldn't place the name of and it suddenly sent her body in a state of calm, relieving the times they had rebelled against the school rules and snuck out together and had been wrapped around each other's bodies for hours, sneaking back into their own rooms early in the morning.
Draco held her close as he too looked back at the memories the two shared, seeing that was all he had because for the time being there wasn't going to be more, and even though a small part of him told him he had to accept her friends if he ever wanted any type of a relationship with her there was the fact that she had to accept the way he was. Ever since he was a child he was surrounded around that type of talk all the time. "Never befriend a Mudblood or a blood-traitor Draco, they are of lower breeding and have dirty blood." It was all he knew about growing up but he would never tell her that, his pride practically gloated knowing he was a pure-blood. Claire lifted up her head and slowly slid her right hand to his neck and let out a small sigh and mumbled, "Is Pansy treating you right?"
At the recognition of the name he tore his glazed gaze from the wall over to her, an eyebrow raised in question. "Why the sudden interest?" Now having both hands on his neck, her forearms rested on his chest as they slowly swayed back and forth, the crowd had lost their interest on the pair and had resume a conversation with those nearest to them. "It is just Pansy does not seem the type you would date but hey if she makes you happy, I won't stop you."
He lightly rubbed his nose in her hair, smirking when he heard her hum near his ear. "Pansy and I's relationship is difficult to explain, nothing compared to what we had though." Those words had struck a chord in her heart and not in the good way. 'What we had' past tense, as in not there anymore. Her hands loosened on his neck and her arms dropped down to her sides, Draco looked at her confusion etched on every part of his face. "If you will excuse me Draco, I must tend to the guest." Claire forced a fake smile on her face as she turned around and headed to where her mother and father were.
This 'social-gathering' lasted on until early in the morning around two AM but during that time something strange was happening. The lights dimmed in the room and in the center a large black swirl of darkness seemed to make the temperature in the room drop to freezing. When the black looking cloud dispersed in the middle stood a very odd looking man his features waxy and oddly distorted and his skin reminded her of the heavy snow that fell whenever winter hit. He quickly turned and stared straight at Claire who seemed to be frozen on the spot.
"Ah this must be Clarisse Melina Dupree, what a sight indeed." Everyone in the room got down on one knee but she just looked around scared and shocked on what was happening. "Do not worry child, I will explain it all soon." He glided towards her with a look of a predator stalking its prey and circled around her, studying as much as he could. "Everyone leave us be," The people around her stood without so much as a second thought and headed to the dining room, "Draco Malfoy, you will stay." Draco paused mid step and turned towards them, making his way just a few feet behind her.
"What I take from my knowledge, both of you are in Slytherin correct?" Draco nodded for the both of them, seeing Claire was shocked into silence. "And your parents happen to be faithful followers; I am assuming you will be following in their footsteps." Claire blinked once, then twice at the odd looking man in front of her. 'Followers? Followers' of what?' The man stopped his glided walk and laughed. "Ah, so I see your parents have not spoken to you about me. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Voldemort." His unnaturally long fingers held her wrist as images of Harry speaking about this very man came to her mind.
"So you do know Harry Potter? From what I am seeing you happen to be very close to him." Long, pale fingers traced down her neck causing a terrified shiver to run down her body. "Tell me, how old are you?" He questioned her with interest as his eyes ran over her body and she felt a dire need to shield herself because he was practically undressing her with his eyes. "S-sixteen." Her eyes closed, her voice betraying her. "Hmm sixteen years old. Not a girl, not a woman." The man continued staring at her until his gaze moved unto Draco. "Draco, I will be needing your assistance with this one. Seeing you are quite close," Claire shuddered at the tone of his voice, almost as if he knew the physical relationship they had between them, "Inform her of what is being planned. Her position, that I will have to think over."
Voldemort moved behind her and whispered something to Draco, all the mean while Claire stood still her eyes not once moving from the wall that she faced. "He's gone now." Warm hands touched her bare shoulders and once her mind registered that he indeed was no longer in the vast room a shuddering sob escaped her lips as she turned and hid on his chest, tears trailed down her cheeks in large streams of water. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." She mumbled to herself and gripped the front of his tuxedo jacket as he wrapped his arms around her, his hands caressing her back as she desperately tried to calm down.
"T-that was… it was… Dear God that was him." Claire could faintly hear the soft murmuring of her mother's voice and she felt herself walking, her face still hidden against him. Up the stairs and to the second door on the right, the noise of a door opening and closing met her ears and she gladly thanked the warmth inside the new room. "Claire… look at me." Draco moved her towards her bed and laid her down and even though it was much warmer in here than he liked it to be, she continued to shiver as if she was in the middle of a snowstorm.
He sighed and moved over to her legs, unlocking the straps of the heels and placing them on the floor. There wasn't much in the room but he made his way towards the dresser and pulled out a large t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and knowing just how much she hated the cold, a pair of socks to. She had sat up and looked at him, staring at him with doe-like eyes and quivering lips. He placed the clothes on the nightstand and unclipped the silver button that held her entire dress. Sliding down the material until her waist, he slid the large shirt over her head just in case if anyone were to walk in, and continued taking the dress off of her quickly grabbing the sweatpants and socks, placing those on her body too.
"Don't leave… please." He had turned to head out but stopped when he heard her voice. Turning his head he looked to see her in a fetal position on the large bed and she resembled that of a child who had just awoken from nightmare. Knowing very well he couldn't leave her in a state like this he took off his jacket and loosened his tie, placing both on a chair near a desk and his shoes near the legs of the chair. Crawling under the thick covers she immediately latched herself to him, her cold hands hid themselves beneath his shirt and even through the wooly socks he had placed on her feet he could still feel the cold that radiated through them.
"Tell me that was a dream, tell me it wasn't real." Her lips moved against his neck as she whispered the words over and over again but he just held her there under her red velvet covers.