2017
The sunlight woke me up that morning. Although I didn't get a lot of sleep that night, I leapt out of bed and flung the drapes out of the window. I looked out over the glorious waters of the Swansea Bay, and sighed a little. Today, at exactly 10:30 am, would be the last time I would set foot in this house until Christmas.
That's because today is the day I go to Hogwarts! I thought excitedly. I skipped across my room and flung my trunk open to see all my clothes laid out carefully by my mother. Underneath that were all my books and my cauldron. I didn't have a broom, despite how much I begged for one, but my father made me a deal that if my marks were good, he would buy me one in June when I came home.
"Hogwarts!" I whispered excitedly as I closed my trunk again. I couldn't quite explain what was driving me to be so impatient about today. Perhaps it was because my mother and father had both gone there, as did my grandparents, and all the rest of my family. It was tradition, after all, that all witches and wizards from the UK attend Hogwarts.
I was also excited because I had never been anywhere on my own before. Never at home, nor at my aunt's house! My parents and Aunt Tracey either came with me or told me to take my brother and cousin with us. That was the closest I ever go on an adventure... dragging around my brother and his best friend and cousin. I didn't even have a best friend! If my parents had perhaps let me out of the house every once in a while, that might be different...
Someone knocked at my door. I turned and faced the door with an excited smile on my face. As I expected, my father poked his head in and smiled at me."Ready to go, Elora?" he asked me.
"I've been ready for days, father!" I giggled as I ran over and sat atop my trunk. "I can't wait!"
"So you do intend on going in your pajamas then?" he teased me with a crooked smile. I looked down and saw that I was indeed still wearing my oversized Puddlemere United shirt. I made a face at my father, then laughed. "Well, it will be quite the fashion statement, Elora." He chuckled.
"Do you have to go to work today, father?" I asked with a frown.
"No, I wouldn't miss seeing you off for anything in the world, Elly." He smiled brightly. "But you should hurry up and eat your breakfast. It's 10 am already."
"10 o'clock!" I repeated in shock before I ran over to my bathroom, grabbing the clothes I intended to wear today from my chair, and started to change.
"I'll bring your trunk downstairs for you. Your mother has breakfast made and waiting for you." My father called from my room. I called back 'ok' as I continued to pull on my clothes as quickly as I could. My muggle clothes were strange, but I threw them on anyways, noting that the quality of clothes was much less than that of what my mother brought home from Diagon Ally for me. Of course, mother told me that muggles made their clothes by machine, and not by hand or wand, making them very cheap and shabby.
I brushed my hair quickly, tying back my red waves into a ponytail with a blue ribbon that I found in one of my drawers. Then, as the finishing touch, after I brushed my teeth, I put on my locket that my father gave me for Christmas last year. It was sterling silver with a small rose engraved in the centre. When it opened, there were pictures of my mother and father, smiling proudly at me. I knew that it could be the only way I would see them for the next 4 months!
I left my bathroom and took one last look at the view from my bedroom window. The sun shone brightly on the sea, and I couldn't help but sigh; I would miss the sound of the ocean to put me to sleep each night. I then turned and looked at my room, which was clean and organized (since everything I could need was in my trunk), and still had a pile of dolls in the corner. I smiled faintly as I realized that I wouldn't need them again; I was practically grown up now! I bit my lip to contain the excitement that was coming forward again, then turned and ran out of my room excitedly. In less than an hour, I would be on the train!
When I ran into the dining room, I was surprised to see my bother sitting at the table, absently poking at his eggs and sausage. He had been sulking all week, saying that I getting to go to Hogwarts was unfair, and he wanted to go too. Damien always wanted to do whatever I was doing! It was quite annoying actually...
"Damien, eat your breakfast." My mother sighed from her chair, setting my plate in front of my chair. I climbed onto my chair and began to dig in my last homemade meal until Christmas dinner. From across the table, I could see Damien giving me a jealous stare from under his shaggy brown hair.
"I can't believe I have to wait a year..." he mumbled as he poked at his sausage with his fork again.
"A year is going to fly by, Damien!" my mother chuckled as she tried to push his hair out of his face. But, as usual, as soon as my brother put his head back down, it was back in his face. "Before you know it, you're going to be on that train too, and then Kiki will join you the next year; time flies at this age, darling." My mother tried to soothe him. He still sulked and continued to play with his food.
"Mummy, what time are we leaving?" I asked her brightly. She looked at me with a smirk.
"You've asked me this question 5 times in the past 3 days. We're leaving at 20 minutes to 11." She glanced at the grandfather clock across the room. "And I suggest you hurry up, or we're going to be late." She said with a smile as she poured herself another cup of tea.
"Mummy, you said that our grandparents went to Hogwarts, didn't you?" I asked as I chewed. She looked at me with disapproving eyes, so I instantly swallowed my food and repeated my question. She always nagged me about my table manners...
"Yes, of course, they did. All the wizarding families in the UK send their children to Hogwarts." She replied matter-of-factly, stirring milk into her tea.
"That's what I thought," I smiled contently. "So who were they? Our grandparents, I mean?" I asked, nodding my head at Damien. My mother stopped stirring her tea abruptly and looked at me with a blank expression. Maybe she didn't understand why I was asking the question? "I want to see if I can find them! They might have their name on the walls or in books-"
"There won't be any sort of records like that, Elora." She told me as she picked up the Daily Prophet, hiding her face behind it.
"Well, what if someone knows our family? How do I know if anyone is telling the truth or not if I don't even know what their names were? I mean, I assume you were called Davies before you married father since that's what Aunt Tracey's name is, but I-"
"Elora, eat your breakfast." My mother sighed in frustration from behind her paper. I stared in shock a little bit for a moment, then reluctantly accepted defeat and started to pick at my eggs. I saw my brother staring at me with an expression of sour disbelief. As I expected, he waited for our mother to go into the kitchen again before he tried to tell me I did something wrong.
"Why did you do that! You know mummy gets upset!" he hissed a whisper across to me.
"I know that, you dolt! I'm the one that told you that!" I sneered. "It's just... everyone else has grand parents... why don't we?" I added quietly as I picked up some eggs and then scooped them into my mouth.
"I don't know. They never tell us anything..." Damien muttered as he pushed his plate away. "I can't believe you're going to leave me here alone for a whole year!" he frowned. I looked up at my little brother and shook my head slowly.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. Now you get to pretend you're an only child, and you'll get to see Kiki all the time." I pointed out to him, but he continued to sulk.
"I don't want to be an only child. And Kiki still lives at Aunt Tracey's."
"Well, if you're going to be all whiney about it, then fine," I said in a huff as I continued to eat my breakfast. If my brother was going to be his normal, sulky self, then let him! I didn't have to deal with it for a year!
"I'm going to miss you, Elly." He mumbled from behind his hair. This time, he actually moved the bangs himself so I could see him. I couldn't help but feel the same feeling.
"I know, I'm going to miss you too, Dame." I sighed.
"Aren't you worried about not knowing anyone?" he asked me in an almost anxious voice. "That's what would bother me the most... And how do you even know if you'll get the house you want!?"
"I try not to think about that, Damien," I explained to him in a calm voice, but I was really trying to keep myself calm. That was my one worry; getting sorted into a house I didn't want and being forced to live with people that I might hate. "And we all know people that will be going. We all went to the Ministry together, remember?" I reminded him. He had only left the daycare last year, since he refused to leave Kiki, who was his best friend, alone there every day.
"I hated half those kids..." he mumbled.
"Well, then good luck making friends, Damien." I sighed as I finished up my last scrap of sausage.
"Finished children?" my mother returned, looking collected rather than calm, like she was still upset about what I said. Damien gave me an 'I-told-you-so' look, but I ignored it.
"Yes, mummy. Are we leaving now?" I asked excitedly. I heard Damien groan in protest.
"Very soon. Go get ready, Damien." My mother said gently, giving my brother a slight nudge out of the chair. He trudged off slowly and went upstairs to his room to get dressed. My mother sighed at the sight of my sulking brother, then turned to me with a smile. "All ready to go?"
"Am I ever! I can't wait, Mummy!" I said so quickly that I could barely contain myself. "Were you this excited on your first day?"
My mother furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember. "You know what, Elly? I can't remember!" she laughed after a few moments. "It's been quite a long time since I was 11 years old."
"But you had fun at Hogwarts, right? You liked going there?" I pressed for more answers. I didn't want to be going to a place that was actually a horrible prison with hundreds of other children!
"Fun... is one way to look at it." She replied unevenly. "But it's not all about fun, Elora. You do know you actually have to work and learn something." She added with a slight warning behind it as if to say if I didn't do my work, I would be in trouble.
"I know that mum," I answered, rolling my eyes a little. "It is a school, after all."
"She sounds just like you, Daphne." My father smirked from the doorway. My mother smirked at him and shook her head slowly.
"Sometimes it is frightening how much you act like me." She told me as she absently fixed my hair.
"She looks like you too." He added with a much bigger smile as he crossed the room and took my mother's hand. "Just as beautiful as you were at this age."
"I'd almost forgotten that this was the age we met!" my mother giggled as she un-tucked a lock of my hair from behind my ears. Both my parents stared down at me lovingly for a few silent moments. "You're going to have a great time, Elora. Your father and I have many... pleasant memories from within those walls." My mother reassured me.
"And I'm going to be stuck here alone," Damien muttered as he trudged back into the room. My mother chuckled at his behaviour.
"And he looks just like you did at 11." She told my father.
"But I'm not 11! I'm only 10." He whined. "If I were 11, I would be going today too!"
"You don't need to tell us twice, Dame." My father chuckled as he tried to fix my brothers hair out his eyes again. "You are getting a haircut after we drop your sister off." He mumbled to himself as Damien's unruly locks fought back. My brother squirmed out from under my father's hands and glared at him; Damien had refused to cut his hair in months because he wanted to look like some Quidditch player he saw last year at the World Cup.
"Yup, just like you." My mother laughed at my father. They chuckled together at my brother's expense for a moment, then glanced at the grandfather clock. "Well, time to go!" my mother told me excitedly. I let out a high squeal in excitement as I ran over to the fireplace and jumped in first.
"Where are we going!?" I called as I jumped up and down in one place, almost hitting my head on the mantle as I did.
"Hold on, you're not going alone." my mother said flatly. I rolled my eyes; of course, I wasn't. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone! "The three of us will go first." She said, taking Damien's hand and pulling him into the now very crowded fireplace. "Ready?" she asked us, taking a large handful of Floo Powder in her hand. "Camden Station!" she called clearly.
Within seconds, I felt all three of us flying through the fireplace, watching the hundreds of green portals into other wizarding houses fly by at the same pace. It seemed like it took forever to finally reach a destination, but when we finally came to a stop, we were standing in what looked like the fireplace of an old cathedral, with rafters and columns covered in bird droppings and plastic drop cloths. The floor was dusty with chipped away plaster, and there were many sets of footprints leading out of the fireplace towards a single, small entrance in the corner.
"C'mon, we don't want to be late, right?" Daphne coaxed us out of the fireplace. I, of course, leapt out with sheer joy; I was that much closer to Hogwarts, and to freedom! I loud crack filled our ears and made many of the birds nesting in the rafters of the old church (now being used as a Floo Powder station) fly away in fright. With a loud thud, my father apparated beside me with my trunk.
"I would ask what's in here, but if you're anything like your mother, I would expect it's half of your room." He teased me as he struggled to drag the trunk behind him, following close behind us.
We walked for about two blocks, careful not to let any of the Muggles catch on that we were anything but ordinary. Father and mother were naturals at it, having both lived in the city for a portion of their lives. They walked with their heads high and their attitude very calm and collected like they truly were muggles. My brother and I, however, had rarely walked the streets of Swansea, let alone the biggest city in the country. We tried to stay out of everyone's way and apologized every time we bumped into someone.
"Quite the tourists, are they?" my mother chuckled as she ruffled Damien's hair, gently steering us through the entrance into the train station. I was so excited that I instantly began to look around for other students like me, and the train they were boarding. But I saw nothing. I looked back at my mother for reassurance, and she just winked at me.
"Follow me, Elly." My father called, who was now a few feet ahead of me. I walked behind him, and noticed something strange; he was heading straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Uh, dad?" I started awkwardly. But before I could ask anything, he ran full speed at the wall with my trunk and disappeared behind it. I stared at the sight with my jaw dropped open, as did my brother. My mother just laughed.
"You'll catch flies with your mouths open like that." She tutted lightly. "Alright, c'mon. Go ahead." She reassured me. I looked at her nervously, then back at the large, brick wall. "Darling, the train will be leaving soon. You'd best hurry up." My mother reminded me gently.
I nodded my head slowly in compliance and started walking briskly towards the wall. As I drew nearer, I closed my eyes tight and waited for the impact that I expected. But, to my surprise, after walking through what felt like curtains, I didn't hit anything! And when I felt a pair of hands take my shoulders, I opened my eyes in surprise.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" my father smiled at me, then led me away from the entrance and towards the bright red train. There was smoke billowing out of the engine at the front, making it hard to see everyone on the platform. I could see a long line of shadowy figures standing on the platform, waving goodbye and hugging their children as they sent them off to the same school that I was about to join.
"Ready for the big day?" a cheery voice asked behind me.
"Aunt Tracey!" I smiled brightly and threw my arms around her in a hug. "You came!"
"Did you think I would miss my niece's first adventure to good ol' Hogwarts?" she laughed, rubbing my back as she hugged me.
"I wanted to say goodbye too!" my cousin Kiera piped up from behind her mother. I smiled and ran forward to hug her too. Her long, white blonde braids made her look like a Veela, but her voice was that of a child.
"I'll write to you Kiki, as often as I do my parents and brother," I promised her. She smiled and handed me a small package of what smelled like fresh cookies.
"Freshly made this morning." She smiled brightly.
"Kiki!" Damien cried in excitement like he hadn't seen her in years. They instantly embraced and did some sort of secret handshake that I wasn't included in. "I didn't know you were coming."
"Why does everyone make it sound like a surprise that we're here?" Tracey laughed as she hugged my mother and father. "Big day for you two, is it?" she said with a smirk "Try not to cry, Theo."
"I should say the same for you, Trace." My father quipped back with a laugh. He then looked over at me, and then to the clock on the wall. "Well, we'd best get you on the train; only about 2 minutes to go." He motioned for one of the conductors to load my trunk onto the train and then reached out to me for a hug. I ran forward and gave him the tightest hug I had ever given him. "Goodbye, darling. You'll have a wonderful time." He said softly in my ear. Then he let me go and looked to my mother, who was waiting with almost watery eyes.
"My baby girl is off to Hogwarts." She sighed as she stepped forward and pulled me into another tight embrace. "I sure hope you have as good a time as I did the first year." She said in a light, distant tone. "Make sure you write to us the moment you get there and tell us what house you're in and who you've made friends with." She fretted as she let me go and straightened my shirt.
"I will mother." I smiled. I saw my brother make a deliberate move so that he would catch my attention. I looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Don't sulk, Damien," I grumbled as I stepped forward and hugged him as well. "I'll be home in 4 months, and I'll bet you'll love being an only child so much, you'll count down the days until I go back."
"I doubt it." He muttered, flicking his hair out of his eyes so I could see them. They were the same colour as mine; honey, golden brown, like our father. Only Damien's were sad and lonely, and mine were joyful.
"I'll write you all the time, and tell you everything about Hogwarts." I promised him, nodding my head slowly at him as if to say 'I'll miss you too'. He smiled weakly and mumbled a quick 'See you at Christmas'.
There was a loud train whistle, and my mother and father instantly stepped in to interrupt our touching, sibling moment.
"Alright, time to go!" my father said quickly. "You've got to find a seat, after all." I smiled and stepped forward to the train, putting one foot onto the vehicle and then the other. I was now standing on the Hogwarts Express. I turned around in the doorway and saw my family staring back at me, some very proud, others very nostalgic and sad. Either way, I waved a quick goodbye to all of them, then turned and walked down the train to find a car.
I searched and searched for an empty or half-full car, but it was hard to find. Since no one knew each other well enough in the first year, everyone just piled into one car. But, after looking unsuccessfully in 3 cars, I finally found a car with only 4 boys in it. I wasn't shy around boys, so I opened it and walked right in.
"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked them. They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Thanks." I breathed as I sat down furthest away from them (as to not make them uncomfortable). There was an awkward silence between us all, and I cleared my throat to break it. "Uh, I'm Elora Nott. Are you all first year too?"
The boys all nodded, except one, who was now staring at me curiously. "Elora Nott, you said?" he repeated. I nodded my head and stared at him closer. He had white-blonde hair and grey eyes and looked vaguely familiar to me. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy! We used to play together at the Ministry daycare!" he replied with a warm smile. It took me a moment to remember, but with a name like Scorpius, it was hard not to!
"Scorpius!? Really!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I had no idea you were coming to Hogwarts this year!" I laughed heartily at our reuniting. "I haven't seen you in years!" I sighed, noting how much he had grown.
"Yeah, I think the last time was when we were about 8?" he remarked, apparently as amazed by my growth as I was with his. "Well, thank God I know some people this year!" he sighed with relief. He turned his head and gestured to his guests. "This is Tayber Flint," he motioned to a boy with striking blue eyes and black hair, who was smirking about something to himself. "Joao Zabini" he nodded to a black boy who was waving to someone outside on the platform. "And Oliver Gamp" he said, motioning to the last boy, who was blonde and tanned and seem very tired.
"Very nice to meet you all," I said with a genuine smile. The boy named Tayber looked at me and laughed a little before he spoke.
"So, you're the daughter of Theodore Nott then, right?" he asked in a tone that I wasn't quite sure of.
"Um, yes I am," I replied unevenly.
"I ought you shake your hand then, I think!" He smiled and grabbed my hand without much permission from me. "Your father got my dad released from prison after the war! It's thanks to you I'm here!" he laughed.
"Well, in that case, then I think we should be cursing you." Joao joked, nudging Tayber with his elbow. Scorpius laughed but shook his head.
"Hey, Scorpius." The boy named Oliver mumbled from behind his shaggy blonde hair.
"What is it Ollie?" Scorpius replied.
"Did I ever tell you that your mom is hot?" Oliver smirked. Tayber and Joao laughed, but Scorpius only made a fade and a rude gesture with his fingers.
"You tell me every time you see me." He sneered, looking out the window. "Trust me, I'm sure she'd be flattered by the compliment."
"Oh, well then be sure to pass it on to her!" Oliver stuck his tongue out at him. I only shook my head in amused disbelief; what had I gotten myself into?
There was a jerk a moment later, and the train started to move. Everyone in the car stood up for one last glimpse of their families. To my disappointment, I couldn't see anyone from mine.
"Strange... I thought they would have stayed to see me off..." I mumbled as I sat back down once we were out of the station.
"You didn't see them?" Scorpius asked me as he too sat down.
"Well, I was looking for my brother and cousin... maybe they all had to go to work and had to leave early..." I pondered aloud.
"Well, my parents were talking to other people, so they weren't even looking as we passed.
"Ah..." I said quietly. "Then I guess we both have parents who are easily distracted." I smiled. Scorpius smiled back, then nodded at Joao, who was handing out Portuguese chocolate to everyone to share...
The moment I watched my daughter step onto the train, I felt my heart wretch with the pang of motherly instinct. To watch my firstborn go off to school for the first time... out of my sight for the first time... I was trying with all my strength not to cry.
"She'll be fine, Daphne," Tracey reassured me with a calm hand on my shoulder, holding a handkerchief.
"Thank you for coming along, Tracey," I sniffed as I dabbed by wet eyes with the cloth.
"And next year it will be your turn, Damien," Theodore smiled at our son, ruffling his hair a little. "It's not far off; you'll see."
"So you all keep telling me..." He muttered, then turned to Kiki and whispered something. I couldn't help but chuckle; if those two weren't so young, I would swear they were married the way they act!
"Well, that's one way to make our charade legitimate," Tracey muttered under her breath, nodding her head at our children. I laughed and shook my head slowly, looking at her to show how pleased I was. Only when I finally caught her eye, I saw a look of fright and impending doom reflected me.
"What is it?" I asked as I turned to see what she was looking at. Through the smoke from the train, I saw two tall, blonde figures. "Oh, God..." I breathed, taking Theodore's hand to get his attention. As soon as he saw them, he pulled his wand out of his jacket and had it on guard, ready to go.
"What are you doing here?!" Theodore hissed.
"Same thing you are, Nott. Seeing our child off to school." He said with a smirk, putting his arm around Astoria's waist that to this day still made me boil with rage.
"Well well, Daphne. You did get married after all." She said with an acidic tone. "Mind you, it's to a murderer, but it's better than nothing, right?" she said with an icy stare and wicked smile. She apparently had not forgotten our grudge either.
"Tracey, can you please take Damien and Kiki out of here," I whispered over my shoulder to her.
She obliged me, out of fear of what might happen no doubt, and took both their hands and led them off of the platform. Once they were out of earshot, I turned back to my wicked sister.
"I see you haven't changed much, Astoria," I remarked smartly. "I see you're still sleeping around... or at least, that's what I hear through the Ministry gossip every day."
"And how many rumours have I heard about you, Daphne?" Draco chimed in, his expression as cocky and self-absorbed as ever. "Surely we all remember your little stint with all those men-"
"Before I got married, Draco," I replied sharply. "A massive difference that my sister apparently does not understand."
"I suggest you walk away right now, Malfoy." Theodore finally stepped in, apparently aware of the tension between my sister and I that might snap at any moment.
"And I suggest you put your wand away before you make a fool of yourself and try to attack me in public." Draco replied back smartly "After all, it doesn't look good for the Wizengamot's protégé to attack a fellow ministry employee, does it?"
"I can attack whoever I please, so long as I have a good reason," Theodore growled.
From beside us, the train began to move. All around us, parents were waving one last goodbye to their children. I wanted to do the same, but I was afraid that if I took my eyes off my sister, she may stab me through the neck.
"So tell me, Daphne," Astoria started with a coy smile "Do you still drink yourself to sleep every night because you're so pained about losing Draco?" she asked slowly like she was pulling my intestines out of my throat meticulously slow. "I imagine it must cause Elora and Damien so much distress to see their mother in such a condition."
I looked at Draco and narrowed my eyes like daggers. "Glad to see a Malfoy still can't keep his word."
"I never promised that I wouldn't tell her; you assumed that I did." He replied lightly.
"Well, you would both do well to forget it!" Theodore barked angrily. If it weren't for the crowd of hundreds of people around us, all calling goodbye to their children, I'm sure it would have started quite a scene.
"And for your information, Astoria," I started with my own acidic tone "I haven't touched a drink since the night of your wedding."
"Really? Well, if I looked like you still, I would certainly start to drink." She replied with that same coy smirk. Despite my best wishes, I had to admit my sister looked like she was still 20 years old, even though she was almost 40 by now.
"Well, if I had a track record like you, and couldn't walk 10 feet in London without seeing a man I'd slept with, I'd take up drinking too," I added with a dark glare.
My sister, as usual, looked offended. She reached in her pocket for what was no doubt her wand, but luckily I had the quicker draw. Draco saw that I reached for mine and pulled out his wand, too. Now, all 4 of us stood in a standoff, our wands pointed at each other's throats.
"Glad to see you're all getting along still." A man mused from behind Draco's left shoulder. Although there was nothing more I wanted then to blast my sister's head off, seeing Blaise for the first time in years was a good enough distraction
"Blaise! How are you?" I called excitedly, but did not lower my wand for fear of injury.
"Oh, I'm alright. Just seeing my son off." He said as he casually stepped in between the two sides of the stand-off. "Are you all still fighting over this damn wedding? It was over a decade ago!"
"We continue to fight on principle," I replied smartly "I want my sister exposed for what she really is. She wishes to keep me silent at all costs."
"Coming from the wife of a murderer, that seems pretty rich." Astoria sneered.
"A murderer who saved half your friends and family from going to Azkaban," Theodore growled from behind his teeth. "How are you, Zabini? Care to join Daphne and I for a drink?" he asked without breaking eye contact or lowering his wand from Draco.
"Certainly, just as soon as you all lower your wands and walk away." He said lightly. We all looked at him in confusion for a moment, so he added. "Potter is here; don't you think he would love to make an example of all his old enemies?" Blaise explained under his breath. Draco looked at me, then Theodore, and then tucked his wand away.
"Blaise has a point; I don't need to risk Potter getting meddled in my business again," Draco said haughtily.
Theodore now lowered his wand and said something similar about the courts not being too pleased with Potter getting involved in internal matters.
Now it left me and my sister, who still kept her cold, blue eyes on mine. After a few more moments of staring, I lowered my wand with a smirk. She smiled victoriously and made a face at me.
"Do you always give up so easily?" she sneered at me.
"Only when I know I could obliterate my opponent in under a second if I wanted... care to try it out?" I said in a sing-song voice. Her smile faded, and she shoved her wand in her pocket again. She then looked at Draco, who nodded curtly.
"Zabini." He said with a short nod goodbye. He glanced at us, but said nothing, then turned with his arm around Astoria, and walked away into the barrier of the platform.
Blaise chuckled to himself and stepped in front of my view. "Have I ever mentioned that holding a grudge is very becoming of you?" he said smoothly.
"Blaise, you do know we're married now, right?" Theodore said in a flat tone.
"And you do know that I'm bisexual, right?" Blaise retorted in a similar tone, looking over Theodore obviously. "And I must say, you are looking very good Theo." He winked at me. I laughed at the joke, letting my anxiety take a rest for a moment.
"I'm flattered." Theodore muttered sarcastically. "Shall we go find Tracey? I believe she might be worried about having to attend a funeral."
"If only it were true... I think she'd be as happy as I would..." I muttered to myself. Blaise heard me and chuckled. I was furious at the fact that I was forced to see my damnable sister again, but that she ruined my daughter's big day by distracting me from my last chance to wave goodbye to her.
She always did screw up my life, no matter how hard I tried to keep it straight. I thought bitterly, still gripping my wand tightly in my sweater pocket.
But next time, when there's no Blaise to save her, she won't be so lucky...