𝐵𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 | 𝒟.𝑀.

21 | ﴾ The Date Has Been Set ﴿

The Malfoy Manor loomed beyond the gates like a stone beast. I had been there before, but it felt like a fever dream to be arriving in the middle of the day, the sunshine beamed down on the bright patches of snow collecting on the balconies and roofs. The carriages were pulling up rapidly, and after Malfoy had banished the fake mustache and silenced our hysterical laughter, we sauntered towards the building slowly. Other people were moving much faster, but unfortunately my drunkenness was becoming a major problem for my gait as I struggled to walk independently, casually grabbing at perfectly squared off hedges for assistance.

"Look at her," he was saying with disdain, as he reached out for the fourth time in a two minute period of walking to steady me, "You've really outdone yourself this time, Fawley. I don't know how you're going to top this event, maybe just go straight to liver failure next time." His voice was moving in and out of my ears at different volumes as I struggled to straighten my vision.

I heard Hilda dismiss him, strolling along casually like a character straight out of the Great Gatsby, "Oh, whatever Malfoy. The girl will harden up over time. She's having a ton of fun, a word you should learn."

"You call this fun?" he said as he lost his patience and wrapped his arm permanently around my waist, tugging me hard against his side with no choice but to practically drag me. His hand was firmly planted across my stomach. I reached my arms around him misunderstanding the gesture, and hazily hugged him sideways with a stupid grin on my face. He stopped, huffing with edginess, pushing my hands down, "Madeleine, can you please pay attention? We have to make it quite a bit farther."

"Jesus Malfoy, you're completely useless," Hilda scolded him, fishing around in her purse. A group of wealthy looking adults passed by us on the long gravel pathway, shooting Malfoy dirty looks of confusion. "Here," Hilda said, holding out a glass vile of white powder, "This will wake her up right away."

Malfoy stared in disbelief, "You're a fucking drug addict. You need help." He pushed the vile away and turned back to me, trying to pry my fingers out from his undershirt. He gave up on that approach, grabbing my face with both hands so I would look up at him. I blinked as the sun seared right into my watery eyes.

"Madeleine. Listen to me. This is serious. Can you walk independently right now? Do you know where we are?" His voice was laced with growing panic as he searched my face for any indication of consciousness.

I pressed my eyes shut and stuffed my face into his chest where everything was warm and smelled good. Fuck I heard him whisper through the vibration of his ribcage on my cheek.

"Okay Malfoy, you wanna stop being so stuck up so we can get on our way?" Hilda asked, her voice shaking from the cold temperature.

"What's in it?" He growled.

"All the good stuff, wizard grade of course. Sorry, it's all I can offer right now."

There was a long pause, I felt his chest rising and falling and his heart sped up, "Is she going to be normal tonight? Could it kill her?"

Hilda laughed dreamily, "Oh she'll be fantastic. No chance she'll die, she might even be so charming that she becomes the center of attention. I had been saving it for my own nerves tonight, but clearly she needs it more than me now."

"Fine." Malfoy shuffled and I pulled my face back from the motion, blinking in the brightness as I watched a portly wizard our age lumbering down the lane backwards so he could inspect us, "How does she need to take it?"

Hilda bent down into my face with a kind grin, "Oh, Frenchness. You don't deserve this, you're already too pretty, it's unfair." She looked back at him, "she should snort it."