I woke up early that morning. I saw the small clock on the nightstand. It said 4:23. I wasn't sure if it was morning or afternoon for a moment. I was guessing it was morning because I didn't hear anyone. The second thing I saw was the rose laying by my head. I picked it up and twirled it admirably as I noticed the third thing. Draco was lying next to me, which led me to sit up and notice the fourth thing. I had been lying in Draco's bed. I saw Crabbe and Goyle snoring in a bunk bed. I shook my head and slipped my feet onto the floor. Abandoning the rose, I tried to get lift myself up without making the bed creak. I didn't want to wake any of them up, but the mattress' creak was atrocious. Just as I reached the door, Draco's eyes fluttered open, and propped himself up on his elbow. His eyes were so sharp and away in the murky green light that I wondered if had actually been asleep.
"It's early. Did their snoring wake you?" He asked picking up the rose and crossing the room. He stood looking down on me in the darkness. I couldn't see him clearly, but I could easily tell that he wasn't wearing a shirt. I breathed deeply as he stood close to me leaving me between the door and his bare, chiseled... toned chest. Damn the wizard in hell who invented Quidditch.
"Maybe. I can't be sure. Probably."
His quiet laughter made me nervous. I turned to open the door. My hand fiddled around in the dark trying to find the knob. It was difficult with Draco breathing purposely down my neck. I refrained a shiver, nudged him away with my shoulder, but he wasn't giving me any room to open the door. I sighed inwardly and waited impatiently for him to move.
"You can always stay here. I'll send someone to pack your things." He suggested quietly.
"I'm not going to let a little first year girl rummage through my things. Besides, I don't want people to talk."
It was the best excuse I could come up with. I couldn't care less what people thought of me. It was a wonderful Slytherin trait of mine, the ability to be a facetious as I pleased without anyone telling me that I was below my royal stature. I was the daughter of a world-renowned wizard and witch. I didn't have to care what others thought of me. I more cared about the fact that I'd been asleep next to Draco for hours- a little too close for comfort. Even though we'd been just as close the night before, I'd lost whatever I was feeling that night.
"What? It's not like we're doing anything up here." He put his hands on my waist like he wanted to contradict his own words, "It's better than leaving you downstairs in the common room. I'm just a friend helping a friend."
The sudden quote of friends with benefits popped into my head and I cringed. I turned the doorknob desperately. He sighed and moved away from the door.
"I guess I'll meet you before we get on the train?" He asked sitting back on his bed in the darkness.
"Yeah...I'll meet you downstairs."
I was well aware of the plan for a while. Because of my father's new j-o-b, I would have to stay at the Malfoy Manor. I'd been reluctant about the whole thing. I guessed that now we'd met some kind of truce. I still intended to bring it up with him again, but I was just too scatter-brained right now to focus on the issue. I really had no choice in the matter. I'd decided that I would rather walk in comfortably than being dragged by my toes. I shook my head as I walked over to the girls' dorm. The only source of light was from the murky windows that let in the greenish lake light. The candles weren't even lit. Odd.
Then it wasn't so odd when I saw Pansy with a single candle in her hand. This transaction should've been menacing, but it just made her look like an ugly Ken doll. Her short black hair and her big raccoon eyes were accentuated by the lowlight. I wiped my face with my hand. I was still exhausted. If this was what she thought being a witch was, parlor tricks, there was no way she would be graduating from Hogwarts.
"So, you think you can pull a fast one with Draco, huh?" She said whispering. She wasn't threatening. I could barely hear her. It strained my ears if that's what she was going for. I doubted it though.
"I don't have time for this, Pansy. We leave in a couple of hours. Can you just move?" I asked dryly.
She did some kind of shriek-growl-moan thing. It hurt my ears. I sighed and walked around her. I was all too wary until she pulled at my ponytail.
"Oh!" I twisted back and poked her in the eye. She cried in horrifying agony and turned away from me throwing the candle up. I cupped both hands to cover a gasp attempting to escape my mouth as the candle touched her hair. The wax dripped down her short black locks. They caught fire in a swift whoosh and suddenly her head was blazing. I looked for my wand in my pockets. I'd left it in my coat. It must have been with Draco.
I tried fanning it. That seemed to make it worse.
She continued screaming."Ahhh- ahhhh! AHHHHHHHHHH!"
The rest of the girls woke up. They came out of their rooms to speculate. I moved my hands trying to maneuver around the jumping girl.
"OH! STOP-DROP-AND-ROLL!" I shouted frantically and pushed her to the ground. I used my foot to jostle her back and forth on the floor. Then the carpet caught on fire too. From the back of my head, water rushed past me and splashed Pansy's entire body. I turned around to see Kim giving me a stern look.
"Hey, I didn't do this." I tried to explain. The girls headed back into their rooms wide-eyed and murmuring. I turned back to Pansy. Her hair was in ruins. There were only a few patches left. Lots of black clumps on the lay on the ruined floor. She looked terrible. Her thick layer of makeup ran down her face and her hair was decimated. I felt bad for her for a few minutes. I stood with her before her friends came to settle her down, and then I headed up to my room. It was now 5:10 am. I had to start packing. Kim wouldn't stop shooting question after question at me. I eventually told her the story in one swift breath.
"Look, I wasn't doing anything. I was just walking back up to my room when she comes out all boogey man on me. She had all the other candles burned out and she had one candle. I told her I didn't have time for her theatrics. She just kept on going and on. I tried to walk past her, she pulled my hair, hands went flying, she tossed the candle, and it landed in her hair. She should learn a valuable lesson from this."
Kim sat on her bed as she held her scarf in her hand. She'd done all her packing already. She nodded at me, but her eyebrows were tight. "Pansy is a bit dead in the brain." She considered completely ignore my haughty attitude about the ordeal.
"Tell me about it."
From then we didn't talk much. We just traded a few tops that she'd like to have over the break, and that was it. I headed down stairs an hour and a half later. The train left at 7 o'clock. Pansy and her friends were glaring daggers at me. The boys looked smug, maybe even slightly pleased. The most distinctive one was Draco. I walked straight past him. He followed me and signaled someone to carry my luggage. I didn't oppose.
"So, I hear you set Pansy's hair on fire." He said with his evil smirk.
"I didn't set her hair on fire. She set her own hair on fire. The idiot. Then she's just standing there screaming as it bursts into flames. Karma's a bitch." I told him as we walked up the stairs and let them shift to the main corridor. He laughed as we got to the top of the stairs.
"Hey, Em!" Harry and Hermione ran up to me. I smiled and hugged them both.
"I'll miss you two."
"We'll miss you too. Ron will miss you as well. We all got you this. Together. A gift from me, Harry, Ron, and Ginny." Hermione said handing me a small red and green box. "Don't open it until Christmas day."
"Sure." I nodded and put it in my bag. They waved me out the main doors. Draco helped me into the carriage and it began moving.
"I thought we were past the rebellious phase." He groaned.
I glowered. "You thought that was a phase?"
His face twisted into a sneer and he shook his head petulantly like it was the most apparent thing in the world.
I snickered a bit and corrected him. "No, I actually like them. If you got to know them, then you would too."
He exhaled deeply as he looked out the carriage. He seemed to be thinking again. I hated when he got that pensive look in his eyes. It was a dangerous look for a Malfoy to have, I've learned. "I can't protect you forever."
I knitted my eyebrows. "Why would you need to?"
He touched my lips. His fingers traced my bottom lip. My body tensed at the sudden contact. I sighed despite myself. I wanted to look away, but I was paralyzed, partially by my stupid nerves, and partially by his stony eyes. His face wasn't even near mind, but his arm was extended at, his fingers were cupping my cheek, and his thumb was grazing my bottom lip. Coupled with that look he was giving me, it was enough to send shivers down my spine.
"It won't be the same at home. You need to show a little self-control." He stated softly. He set his hand down and released me from his narcotic gaze.
So now I was the delinquent? How wonderful. I couldn't imagine what trouble I could get into at Draco's house. It'll probably be a lot of meetings going on. I'd probably just sit in a guest room and read all day. I made sure to let all the air out of my lungs before they exploded. It would've been much better for me to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. I'd always spent them there before, and my parents sent me about 3 dozen presents. They were never home for any of the holidays. Sometimes they would say that they would be, but then, they'd change their plans at the last minute and made up for it with another dozen or so gifts. Sure, I would almost never wear the same thing twice. It didn't really matter to me, them being gone, but I was sometimes crushed by how hollow it made me. I was used to them never being there. It would be strange spending so much time with them now. On the other hand, they might be just as busy. Oh well. I decided not to think about it too much on the ride home. Draco talked to Crabbe and Goyle the entire time while I took a much needed nap. Pansy wore me out and the day had barely even begun.
Someone shook me when it was time to get off the train. It was probably Crabbe or Goyle. The idiot shook me right off the seat. I fell face-first onto the floor.
"Oof. Ow. What the hell!" It just occurred to me how angry I was these days; I wondered why that was. I didn't give too much to the thought though. Draco smirked and pulled me out of the compartment without getting our bags. He probably had some first years get them. Crabbe handed me my bag as we got off the train. We all walked up to the Malfoys who greeted us.
"Draco!" Mrs. Malfoy hugged her son tightly. I could've sworn I saw him a blush crawl up beneath his pale skin. She then turned to me. "And you, you must be the lovely Emma Paniettiere. Wonderful to finally meet you."
She pulled me and Draco along. Somehow our suite cases found their way to us. She talked nonchalantly about how I would love the mansion and how Christmas would be just as wonderful as my past Christmases. She seemed nice enough, but she was a Death Eater, so she couldn't be trusted. Then again, technically, I was too, or I would be, so I couldn't really talk. Narcissa probably trusted me completely. Or maybe she didn't trust me at all. Draco was sure to tell her about how difficult I'd been over the past few weeks. I made a mental note to behave myself. I didn't want to get on the Malfoys' bad side. I can live with being on Draco's bad side, but not his parents. Who knew what terrible things they did to their enemies.
The Malfoy Manor was even more amazing in person. Sure, I'd heard it was huge and very, very expensive, but you had to be there. It was colossal. You could tell from the outside that there were many different wings. The old stones made it look like a mini palace. The front door opened of its own accord, and as we entered someone took my coat. I still wore my favorite pair of black gloves. They were black and had open fingers. The Slytherin symbol was on the top, but they went well with my black skinny jeans and grey sweater. I saw the double staircase on the sides. Beneath them was another hall with many doors. It led all the way through one ball room, to a kitchen, to a sun room, to the backyard. I saw astonished because there were multiple ballrooms on other floors of the house. And there was a second kitchen where the family could sit and talk. The one we passed through was for the chefs. The backyard was dazzling. There was a large pool that had a shallow and deep end. It was frozen over to make an ice rink. There were lots of lounge chairs and tables set out. They weren't covered in snow, courtesy of the elves. Torches stood everywhere but weren't lit. We made our way up many stairs. On the way, we passed a huge library. My house had a library, but it was half the size. There were so many books. I doubted that even Hermione had read this many. Narcissa eventually finished the tour; it had taken about an hour until we got back down to the front door. The house was more of a museum with its many artifacts and open halls. My parents were waiting for me.
"Emma! How are you darling?" My mother hooted as she embraced me. I hugged her back unsurely. It was hard for me to believe that she missed me that much. My father stood farther away than my mother had.
"I hope that you've been keeping up your studies." He said sternly. He was as distant as I was.
"Yeah." I narrowed my eyes and sneered. I didn't think that he could see my face because he turned and walked up the left staircase. My mother followed him after she kissed me on the cheek.
"We'll have dinner with you later. We have so much to catch up on." She flashed her eyes toward Draco and beamed at me. I rolled my eyes as the room cleared itself. Then, there was only me and Draco.
"I'll show you to your room." He said and pulled me by my waist. I stayed silent not really thinking as he led us up to the second floor and down the second hall to the third door. "Here we are."
He opened the door to reveal the place that I'd be staying. There was a queen sized bed in the shape of a circle. There was netting that draped from the ceiling down to the floor. An auburn dresser that was taller than me stood on the right wall. The closet door was made of the same dark wood. The entire room was colored silver and black. The sheets were silver with black lining. There was a large metal lamp that looked like a silver vine with leaves. There were double doors that led out to a balcony. Several potted plants sat in the cold weather outside. I kept the doors closed. It was warmer than I would've thought. You would think that a place like the Malfoy Manor would have some kind of eeriness, but besides the colors of dark green and black, and blood red, it was pretty normal. As normal as Draco's house could've gotten. I opened the netting to sit on the bed. Draco joined me.
"Satisfied?" He asked.
"It's fine." I replied and closed my eyes. I laid back and wished that the beds at Hogwarts were as comfy as that bed. The smile on my face must have showed.
"Good." The approval in his voice stunned me into silence.
Then, it was quiet again. The same silence from the night before. It was maddening. It calmed me last night, but now it unnerved me. I peeked through my eyelashes. Draco was staring at me. I sat back up.
"What?" I asked, annoyed.
"You really have no idea, do you?" He asked.
"No, that's why I asked you, genius."
He shook his head. "No? It's just… You're..." He voice was so low that I didn't catch all of what he said. "You just don't…."
I lifted my body up fully, shifting away from him in the process. "Sorry?"
He continued to survey me. I exhaled irritably and kicked off my long leather boots. When I was finished he was still staring.
"Is there any food around here?" I asked trying to distract him. I got up and looked in the mirror to see if there was anything on my face. He picked up a bell and rang it. A beautiful sound bounced off the walls. A little elf popped into the room.
"Master Malfoy?" It bowed very low.
"Can you bring Emma here some food? Some fruit. Grapes would be best."
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." The elf disappeared.
I turned. "Why fruit?"
"You're in love them. Your favorites are grapes and strawberries. Don't think I'm not as observant as you."
I considered that and then plopped back on the bed. "Sure." He then got up. I attempted to fill the silence with a conversation. "So, what are we going to do? If you don't have anything in mind, then I'd like to scope out your library. I'm sure there are a few things that I'd be interested in."
"Oh, no. I'm going to be keeping you busy. Tomorrow, we'll go ice skating if that's alright with you."
"Oh, no." I mimicked. "I don't know how to skate. So what's next on the list?"
He thought for a moment. "Well, Crabbe and Goyle are going to be here. I guess they'll come up with something."
He sat back on the bed. I watched him watch me. My stomach tightened. He leaned closer to me. My hands grabbed handfuls of the silk sheets beneath me, but it did little to settle the skipping beats of my heart.
Then, pop!
I jumped a bit at the return of the elf.
He was carrying a platter of different kinds of fruits, the majority being grapes, of course. He bowed once more, left the plate on the bed, and popped into thin air again. I sighed in relief and reached for the food to calm myself. I didn't look at Draco for the fear of his expression. My heart rate didn't slow until someone knocked on the door.
Draco opened it; I could almost feel him smirking all the way to the door. Crabbe was standing there peaking over his shoulder and trying to whisper in the gruff voice of his. I could barely register what they were saying. Crabbe attempted to push the door open, but Draco shoved him away and heard him say, "No, that's a terrible idea you idiot...No, I'll go. It won't kill us to go without her for one meeting...there will be others... Well, tell them that she's not feeling up to it... Then, tell them she's not ready... Are you deaf or just stupid… Fine. I'll be down in a minute."
He closed the door and looked at me. I bit down into a strawberry and stared hard at my plate.
"I have to go. I have to… well, I have to go."
"Okay." That was perfectly fine with me. This atmosphere was too much to take. I was more than willing to be free of it. He left the room without another word and I set the plate onto the nightstand and curled up to sleep.
Ring, ring, ring!
"Ugh" I groaned and turned to the little bell shaking in my face.
There was a little elf standing there in her little rags. "Master Malfoy calls you down for dinner Miss."
I sat up and wiped my face. Did I sleep that entire time?
"He sends his courtesy with this dress as an invitation."
She pointed to the dress lying in a chair. It was a bright red dress. It was kind of reddish orange. I shook my head and got ready silently. I was down in the dining room within ten minutes. My hair was curled and I wore matching lip gloss with the same shade as my dress. Everyone was waiting for me in the first floor dining room. I took a case of stairs that led straight to the room. Everyone was in classy clothes. My mother was wearing a red and green velvet dress with dark leggings. The men had suits. I wondered, sullenly, if all dinners were going to be this formal. I was sidetracked by that when I realized that the only seat open was between my mother and Draco. They'd chosen to sit in the smaller room. The round table was large but had few seats. Clockwise, there was Lucius, Draco, the empty seat, my mum, my dad, and Narcissa. I quietly took my seat as Lucius began speaking.
"Hello, Emma. Now that everyone is here, we can begin our meal. So, tell me Emma, how has your stay at Hogwarts been so far? I hear that you are a Slytherin with Draco."
"Yeah," I saw my dad give me a stern look. I knew what it meant. Look like the perfect child, Emma. I smiled brightly and answered Mr. Malfoy, "To think that we've been in the same house all these years and barely had a conversation."
Oh, the joys of the holidays.
Okay! That was Joys of the Holidays! I've revised this as well. I hope it's up to par. Friendly reminding, I did change one or two details. Nothing too drastic, but I'm letting know in case someone did notice.
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