Fire & Ice - A Draco Malfoy fanfiction

Chapter 55 - Last year I felt like a princess, this year I felt like a queen

Nothing quite broke me the same as false hope. I'd rather be a pessimist than to believe in follies of the human heart. 

-Elliot Knight

DRACO'S POV

I spotted my mum in the far back as I stepped off the train. She was standing next to Mrs Selwyn, again no fathers with them. I wondered if they'd ever return.

"It's good to see you again, Draco, I missed you", my mother said, pulling me into a quick hug. Mrs Selwyn simply nodded shortly. I really didn't like that woman, nor her husband. I wondered how those two had managed to create such a beautiful daughter. She was kind and intelligent and compassionate, whereas her parents ... not so much.

Eleanor walked over too, but she didn't look at me. She shouldn't, there were dangerous people around. Theo and Crabbe and Goyle's mothers, all people who couldn't know.

But couldn't know what? What was there still to hide?

"Come on, Eleanor", Mrs Selwyn said and in a short moment, she had grabbed Eleanor's arm and apparated away, no "welcome back" or "I missed you" or "how was your term?".

"Come on, I'll send your trunk to the manor and then we're going shopping", mum said.

"Shopping?" I frowned.

"Yes, you need a new suit, don't you?" I could see in her eyes that she had an ulterior motive. Perhaps she wanted to save me a little longer from the chaos at Malfoy Manor. We apparated to Diagon Alley, which was surprisingly empty.

"So, how was your term?" mum asked once we were on our way to Twilfitt and Tatting's.

"Fine", I shrugged, not wanting to get into it. It hadn't been fine, but that didn't matter. There was nothing she could do about it.

"And Eleanor? Everything alright with her?" she continued. I knew that that was what she actually wanted to know. She wanted to know about my love life, of course.

"I suppose so", I sighed.

"That does not sound very convincing. Is everything alright?"

"How can everything be alright, mother?" I grunted. "You know what I have to do." It was quiet for some time. I didn't want to be rude, but I was tired of people minimizing the situation. I had to murder someone.

"I know, honey, I'm sorry", she sighed. "But you still have Eleanor, right?" I was so sick of this, of people prying into my business, thinking they know what's good for me and what wasn't. I didn't need a lecture on losing Eleanor, I didn't.

"Eleanor this, Eleanor that, can everyone just please stop bloody talking about her!" I pulled my arm away from her and got out my wand. I was tired. I just needed to focus on getting this task done without being reminded of what I had lost every damn second.

"I'll see you at the Manor", I said and apparated away. I'd rather be there than in one of my mother's interrogations.

ELEANOR'S POV

"Mother, I'm leaving for Malfoy Manor, okay?" I said as I found her in the sun room.

I had only been home for about two days, but I didn't quite know what to do with myself. The weather wasn't nice enough to spend long periods of time outside and the inside of Selwyn Keep was not much better. It was cold and empty.

My mother didn't respond. She hadn't responded much since my arrival. She had come to pick me up from King's Cross station, which was already a surprise to me.