𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 | | 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪

𝐆𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞, 𝐆𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞, 𝐆𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞

"Katherine, I realized that sometimes you have to make sacrifices to stay happy. You know, when you've been married for so long, things can get quite boring. I realized that in order to save my marriage I had to open it up. You're good for Lucius, you know. Trust me dear there are dark things you don't know about my husband. But when you two are together, I can tell that you truly bring out another side of him. A side of Lucius Malfoy that I haven't seen since we married. Your young energy just does something."

Katherine was a bit surprised by that sentiment. She almost felt guilty, like she was in a way making her hostess feel inferior. She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving a soft smile. "Narcissa, you're still his wife. Nothing I do can outdo the love he has for you. At the end of the day, you two sleep in the same bed together. Your love for each other is passionate. One day I'll have to leave to start my own family." She reassured.

Narcissa laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind Katherine's ear. "You'd make a wonderful mother darling. But let's stop discussing the future for now. You're here with us and that's what matters. Now go wake up Lucius, breakfast is going to get cold."

-

Katherine waltzed upstairs to the Malfoy's master bedroom, slowly opening up the ornate doors to peek inside. The bedroom was elaborate like the tenants themselves and she had to stand at the doorway for a moment to take in the beauty of the room. After a few moments she tiptoed in, approaching the large bed where Lucius was sleeping.

His long hair was tied back with a black silk bow, the ponytail swept to the side to lay on his shoulder. He laid on his back turned slightly to the side, and he was wearing a pair of black satin pajamas. He looked so calm and peaceful, laying there. Katherine thought it was time to change that.

She climbed on to the bed, scooting herself towards Lucius, pressing a small kiss to the edge of his pursed lips before gently straddling him. Her hands pressed themselves against his chest as she slowly shook him. "Mr. Malfoy, wake up!" She cooed. His eyes fluttered awake and he groaned slightly.

"Miss Farrington is there a reason you're waking me up?" He grumbled, his morning voice deep and croaky. Katherine just smirked and adjusted herself on top of him. "It's Christmas! Come on, your wife and I have been up for hours already!" She coaxed.

Lucius let his head fall against the pillow, patting the space in the bed next to him. "Please, 5 more minutes. You can come lay with me. I do feel a touch lonely, and a bit cold." he cooed. Katherine obliged and hopped off of him, laying in the spot next to him. Lucius pulled the covers on top of them, wrapping one of his arms around Katherine. She curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest, the pair drifting back into a sleep.

She was running to nowhere. She couldn't see in front of her, or behind her, or to her side. It was just a dark forest. Voices surrounded her, calling from every direction. It was a mix of screaming and laughter and taunting. Finally, she came across a small garden, but as she got closer and closer it disappeared like a mirage. She kept yelling, for someone, anyone to come find her so she didn't have to run alone. Suddenly she saw Lucius, and he offered her his hand. As she went to take it, she fell into pitch black darkness.

Katherine shot up out of bed, panting. She was safe, still in Lucius's bedroom. Seconds later, he woke up too, a small look of concern on his face. "What's wrong, pet?" he asked, sitting up next to her. The girl shook her head, responding with a meek "Nothing, just a nightmare."

After Lucius and Katherine got dressed they headed downstairs at around 10am. Narcissa, who had cleaned herself up from the morning's mess, greeted them cheerfully. She pressed a kiss to Lucius's lips before hugging Katherine again. "Happy Christmas, my loves."

After they had eaten breakfast, they made their way to sit in the living room to open up presents. Narcissa went first, gently tearing the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box. She opened it go to reveal a gorgeous necklace made out of light blue pearls, each one the size of a large blueberry. Lucius smiled as Narcissa hugged him, kissing his cheek.

Katherine presented her gift to Narcissa, which was a new olive green overcoat. She got to open her gifts next, picking the one from Narcissa first. It was wrapped in gold paper tied elaborately with a emerald bow. Katherine slowly unwrapped the paper to reveal a beautiful ballgown. It was white with golden accents, with a structured bodice and a over piece that went around the neck and covered the shoulders. In the wrapping as well was a masquerade mask made of diamonds and gold.
She gasped while she opened it, admiring the details. "Oh, Mrs. Malfoy! It's gorgeous!" She smiled.

"It's for the New Year's Eve ball. I knew you needed a dress for the occasion." Lucius said, handing Katherine his gift. It felt like a jewelry box, and when Katherine opened it she saw a gorgeous diamond necklace shaped like a snake. "Every single person in the Malfoy family needs something snakelike. You're a part of our lives now, so you might as well show it." Lucius took the necklace out of the box, pulling Katherine's hair to the side to wrap the heavy necklace around her neck.

Katherine smiled and quickly grabbed her box for Lucius, handing it to him. It was an ornate decorative box filled with silk hair ribbons and snake cufflinks. Narcissa got him a new cane and a new dress jacket. Abernathy came to clean up the Christmas wrappings, the rest of the day being spent on enjoying each other's company.

The holidays went fast, and suddenly it was the night of the big party. Lucius had taken care to invite a few people Katherine's age, one of them being a certain photographer she used to work with. Narcissa had mentioned it to him a few days before the ball, the conversation going something like this:
"Lucius, dear. I think we should invite some more guests to the party, maybe people Katherine's age?"
"And why's that?"
"Well, she's much younger than the rest of us. I think letting her have some interaction with people her age might do a world of good. She has a friend, a photographer she used to work with. I think she'd love it if he came."
"Very well. She'll need a dance partner anyways. Send him an invitation."

And that's how Katherine ended up next to Victor, her arm wrapped around his elbow. They were behind Lucius and Narcissa, waiting to be announced as the hosts to the plethora of guests waiting. Lucius wore a gold suit straight out of a fairytale, with a antlered mask to match his striking platinum hair. Narcissa was dressed in an olive gown, her mask more simple, her lips painted a wine red. Katherine wore her dress, Victor wearing an ornate suitcoat and a mask with ram's horns.

Abernathy stood at the bottom of the staircase, tapping his glass. "Attention, everybody! Introducing the generous hosts of the evening, Mr and Mrs Lucius Malfoy, and their guests of honor Katherine Farrington and Victor Redferne!" he announced as people began clapping.

They trailed down the steps, Katherine making sure to keep a fair distance from Lucius and Narcissa. She felt a pang of jealousy, watching Lucius and Narcissa walk together. She was used to accompanying Lucius, and to not be in the spotlight with him made her quite envious. As she reached the bottom of the steps, she curtsied and stepped on to the floor.

The Ball was only beginning.

There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer