[Chapter Seven] The Truth Will Bury
The daunting thought of an entire year without Draco Malfoy loomed over Lena Yavari's psyche. Painful splinters of thoughts echoed. Draco's gone. Hasn't three months without a single word from him proven that? Gulping back a thought, she pulled her trunk behind her through King's Cross station, toward Platform 9 ¾. Though she would have preferred to floo directly to the station, her procrastination of shopping countered that easily.
Many of the books she needed were out of stock, and had to be mailed to Hogwarts. How can I care about books and grades when the love of my life is dead?
Wearing skinny jeans and a simple white tank top (both clean), and a pair of brown high heeled ankle boots, Lena strolled casually through the border, escaping the attention of the oblivious muggles. And suddenly she was in a rush of people. Familiar faces, scared new youngsters. Pushing roughly through all of them, her trunk taking out several family gatherings in the process.
As she stepped up onto the train step, a notorious snide voice whispered near ear. "A little vindictive, don't you think, Yavari?"
"Atoning for your prior sins, Parkinson? New mission to convert someone else?" Lena continued up the steps, peaking over her shoulder. Parkinson had grown her hair long over the summer. Unfortunately, she had found a proper light and mirror to do her makeup, and she looked, to Lena's dismay, decent.
"Didn't you hear? My Father opened four new malls this summer throughout England and Wales. Featuring a new model for their student-ware. You're so informed, though, I'm sure you've heard..." she said snidely.
Lena mused with exaggeration, "Must have passed it over, I'm sure. You know my family would be scrutinized by the Wizarding public if I was caught shopping in such a place-"
"Me, of course, I'm the new model. So, of course, if the Wizarding Public is scrutinizing anybody, it's going to be me." Parkinson gazed over Lena quickly, "Such a gaudy outfit, maybe you're lucky there's no paparazzi today."
"Out of insults, already? Just keep praying your father doesn't get caught for his embezzlement of the company's money, might help more than atonment," Lena whispered menacingly.
Lena headed down the aisle, checking for an open compartment, knowing Parkinson stood with her unfailing gawk, just behind her, but of course, Parkinson couldn't resist just one more insult, "Hope your Daddy finds a way to keep Yavari Enteprises out of the recent scandals. From what the Daily Prophets been saying, it's going bankrupt."
Lena found herself blushing, knowing that anybody on that train-car would have heard what Parkinson had said. And who could believe what the Daily Prophet was saying these days anyway? The humiliating fact was that it was true. And it was likely one of the few things that was true amongst that smut.
Finding a compartment that housed only Crabbe and Goyle, she entered, opening the door with a loud snap. Lena nodded at the two as they stood to get her trunk. They gazed at her oddly, as if they were surprised she wanted to sit with them. Nonetheless, as they began to lift the trunk, a deadly cold voice spoke at the entry, causing the two of them to set the trunk back down with a careless thud.
"Crabbe, Goyle."
Lena spun around. It can't be.
Draco.
Her nimble moment of relief from her anxiety and concern was shrouded by Draco's obliviousness to her entirely. And it quickly shifted to a furious rage as she saw Parkinson's arm clinging onto his...And him not throwing her off of him as if she were the foul, loathsome parasite that she was.
As the four others went on with their normal conversation, Lena was stuck in her own reality. Draco was alive and well-
"Really, Drakie, I've missed you. I wish we would have gotten more than a few weeks with each other this summer."
Lena wasn't sure if this was real. Could there be such a vivid daydream?
She didn't know if she should hug him and kiss him everywhere, or strangle him with her bare hands. She had thought of him almost every waking moment of the summer, yet had never imagined how she would react if he was alive. Or how he would react. She'd just assumed that...everything would stay the same.
"Pansy, you know I've been very busy." A grim severity twinged against Draco's expression and voice.
Suddenly, Draco noticed Lena's trunk, still on the ground by Crabbe and Goyle's feet. And he turned to look at her. Lena's face surged to an unnatural shade of sickly purple and green; She was going to throw up; She was going to kill him for making her grieve so long, without even one word to let her know that he was okay. And yet, somehow, managed to tell Pansy. Lena took a few seconds to calm herself down, and forget about her rage, even just for a few minutes.
Draco Malfoy's grey eyes met Lena's, clearly, he hadn't seen her when he walked in. The rush of thoughts slowed time down, but only a moment later, not even a second, he looked away. It was like he had looked at somebody he didn't even know, a stranger.
He simply turned back to Crabbe and Goyle. "Well? Are you two going to get on with it?" He snapped, gesturing at the trunks now filling up the floor space as Daphne Greengrass entered the domain.
Speedily grabbing her own trunk from Crabbe and Goyle's prying fingers, Lena tried to head out the compartment without another word, Parkinson could never resist. "Don't worry, Lena, we won't tell anyone that your family's company is going out of business and you're about to live in a cereal box!"
Draco has been alive all summer. Instead of spending one second to assure me that he was okay, he decided to spend WEEKS with Parkinson, while I wallowed in my own self inflicted misery and rejection. Ostracized from my own family, my friends, my leader, and the followers. All of whom convinced me one thing. All summer. That Draco Malfoy was dead, and I was demented or some kind of lunatic for believing otherwise... And here he is, perfectly normal and healthy, and clearly with his own vengeance for me...
Because I killed him. But he took something from me too, something that should have ensured good treatment, excellent even, as his girlfriend...my virginity.
Stopping in front of a compartment near the back of the train, already convinced that the rest were full as well, Lena opened the sliding door, noticing the curtain pulled down, heaving her trunk in behind her. Once in the compartment, she found that it was empty. Lena exhaled quickly and threw her trunk haphazardly on the ground, too weak to lift it to the above compartment, slumping into the uncomfortable bench seats.
Admittedly, she'd never felt this betrayed. Draco had been her best friend. Her secret keeper. How could he look at her with such contempt? As if she meant nothing to him now? Certainly, he would take her secrets to the grave, right?
A sparkle in her peripheral caught her attention, and Lena turned to the corner of the compartment, on the opposite side she was sitting. Standing up, she reached forward slowly, knowing the familiar glisten of an invisibility cloak. Her fingers touched the diaphanous fabric and as she pulled a girl was revealed, half naked and her face and body made-up with clown make-up.
Her mind voiced the counter-curse, and the girl was released, Lena muttered a few more counter-curses and the girl was scrambling into her robes, her face and body now clean from the makeup. The girl glanced over with a look of thanks, her long curly brown hair falling behind her shoulder.
"Enemies already?" Lena mused, taking her seat once more, levitating her trunk up to the rack next to the other girl's.
"You would know," the girl retorted quickly, looking into Lena's eyes. "I, uh, overheard the conversation with Pansy Parkinson. Well...um...everyone did."
Lena waved her off gently, scanning her eyes for any prevarications. "Well, since you seem to know my story, why don't you tell me yours?"
"Just my sister, Daphne. A little upset I borrowed her outfit today. She practically ripped it off me, and allowed most of the guys from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw Quiddich teams to laugh at me and take pictures." The girl paused. "I'm Astoria, by the way." Her dark brown eyes seeped into an abyss, showing no emotion while recalling the event.
Lena nodded, taking the girl's outstretched hand. "Lena."
"Now that we're introduced, and clearly by destiny itself, how are you with planning supreme revenge?"
Lena smirked at Astoria. "What do you have in mind?"
A knock at the compartment door interrupted us, and without waiting for a response, the door opened and a small boy entered, handing a letter to Lena.
He left, closing the door behind him. Feeling Astoria's curious eyes, Lena tore the envelope open.
Miss Yavari of Slytherin House,
I would be honored if you could join me for tea and conversation before our arrival at Hogwarts.
We are in the second Private compartment in the front of the train.
Party starts when people arrive, so come when you are able.
Sincerely,
Professor Slughorn
Lena tossed the letter aside, back to eating some jelly beans. Astoria snatched it quickly and Lena was unable to stop the girl's fast hands.
"You should really go," Astoria said as she read the letter.
"I don't think that's really for me," Lena said aloud, but she was thinking of her Dark Mark.
Nearly an hour later, Lena was dressed in her school uniform and robes, and Astoria pushed her out of the compartment, having spent nearly the entire time convincing Lena to go.
Making sure to lock her trunk with a secret whish of her wand, she headed toward the club.
She seemed to be one of the last to arrive, the compartment nearly full.
Glancing around, she regretted coming at all. In attendance was Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger. People that she hated most...
Before Lena could make a sly exit, Professor Slughorn grasped her shoulder, or she assumed because he was the oldest person in the room.
"Miss Yavari, please join us."
Lena obliged, knowing what would come as the party mingled.
Parkinson would begin to talk about Yavari Enterprises.
"Miss Yavari, what do your parents do again?" Slughorn began and the entire room seemed to quiet other than the noise of the train of the tracks.
"My father runs Yavari Enterprises, of course," she began, her eyes glimpsing to Parkinson, who was muttering about the rumors to everyone; when she finally looked at Draco, she couldn't take her eyes away. Alive.
"And your mother?" Slughorn asked.
"Is Beatrice Vitaly Yavari-"
"The Dutchess of the Russian Magical Monarch?"
Lena nodded, feeling everyone's eyes. Draco stared off into space, he seemed to have a lot on his mind.
"Don't forget to leave out the recent stocks, Yavari," Parkinson said loudly, everyone heard except for Slughorn, who was pouring himself another drink.
"A company has more to it than stocks, Parkinson."