𝕾𝖑𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖘 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖇𝖊 𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖔

Christmas

It was almost at freezing temperature at the Malfoy Manor, normal according to Severus, who had me ask the house elves to pack some of the fur coats that Sirius had bought for me when he was in Russia the previous year. And I'd understood why he'd told me; as we entered the Manor snow coated the ground and icicles hung from the architraves, the ground as slippery as -well- as ice. I'd even seen on the way into the manor a man near the gatehouse slipping ever so slightly, regaining his balance and checking the carriage in case we'd seen.

Of course, we were riding a carriage into the Malfoy Manor. Apparating in the grounds was forbidden and protected by a type of spell that I hadn't bothered researching, and taking into consideration the length and iciness of the road to the boundary of the spell, Severus decided it was too much to walk. He'd been mostly silent on the days leading up to the meeting; after all, it was the first year that I would be invited, since I was a Death Eater, and the first year that the whole family would be there, celebrating Christmas. That is, Severus, Sirius and I.

I wondered where Sirius would be, if he was there at all like he'd promised.

In fact, the only thing that Severus seemed interested in that afternoon was my clothing. It was strictly White tie, meaning hair up, heels, gloves and floor length gown. There were also the subtleties like no large jewelry, bright colors or sequins, and the customary cloak that must be worn as one entered the ballroom. Due to the weather it was a given that I'd be wearing a long-sleeve, but I still cringed at the thought of having to look like I came from a time where my main role was a housewife, merely due to some century old traditions. Even though we'd only be staying there until the early hours of the morning, Severus said that it was customary that I brought extra clothes, just in case. After all, if something happened to mine, we wouldn't be able to just apparate back home. So, we brought a small suitcase with us.

Eudora had made a floor length, dark maroon gown that hugged my waist and bust, sprawling onto the bottom of the carriage in elegant velvet. It had a semi-sweetheart neckline, bare at the neck to show off that lovely pearl necklace. My shoulders started in bishop sleeves but gathered at the elbow, tight until the wrist, complete with black gloves. Honestly, I wondered how she'd doen such a beautiful job on the dress in the spanse of a couple of hours. Finally, I had a red-riding hood style cloak on top, black of course, lined with a thick fur from where, I didn't deign to think. My hair was in a loose low bun, complete with some pearl clips, my makeup simple yet effective with dewy, peachy skin and a nude lip. Hopefully, I wouldn't look out of place.

The seamstress had smiled when she beheld me dress that morning, smiling humbly to herself and packing away the fabric with a swish of her wand. I'd asked Severus to take a photograph of me for Eudora once I'd done up my hair and makeup, but he'd refused. My mood had fallen since that point, and in the carriage, I'd been sulking out the window again.

Severus, who'd taken the seat opposite me in the carriage, wore exactly what he'd worn for the past 17 years of my life; except for a few adjustments. He was wearing all black, unlike the usual very, very dark purple or blue and black, polished shoes and black gloves.

The carriage stopped at the door with a jolt, and Severus gave me a look as if to say "Don't mess this up" and waited for the door to be opened by a footman, then exited. There was no-one waiting for us at the sizably front door of the Malfoy Manor, but Severus didn't seem to be bothered by it, as he always was.

I gathered my coat up of the ground and stepped out of the carriage, smiling at the footman as a thankyou. He smiled back, merely looking like he'd just graduated. Who knew, perhaps he was a muggle. "The Ball is inside on the left Ma'am"

"Thankyou"

Once I left the carriage, he turned to get our suitcase from the back, and Severus waited for me to reach him at the front door, before opening it with the swish of his wand.