Magic | D. Malfoy

09. The Transformation of Draco Malfoy

"Ashley?" Sophia called out, but her voice was muffled. Ashley standing in the kitchen, ensuring the area looked good enough, barely managed to hear her. She fixed a cup, pretended to have heard nothing, until Sophia called for her once more. "Ashley!"

"Coming!" she called out, letting out a small huff of frustration as she abandonded the kitchen, after ensuring all cups were indeed the way she wanted them to be. She followed the trail of the voice even though she already knew her friend was in Nicole's bedroom. The door to her room was left ajar and so she pushed it slightly to get inside. "What is it?"

Sophia was kneeling on the grey, fluffy carpet in Nicole's room, her eyes wide when she looked up to face Ashley. And not in the cute, surprised wide kind of way. Ashley narrowed her eyes and Sophia didn't hesitate another moment to speak.

"I lost one of her earrings."

Now it was Ashley's turn to widen her eyes. "You what?!"

The only reason Sophia was in Nicole's room when she was absent in the first place was because it was her birthday today, and they had decided to use her room as a place to keep her gifts so she wouldn't see them when she came in and it would be a surprise. The last thing they were expected to do on her birthday was to lose her stuff. Ashley made haste to reach Sophia on the carpet.

"How did you do that? Where did it fall?"

"I'm sorry, I bumped into the nightstand as I was leaving after closing the windows," she apologised, her remorse clear as day, if not by her expression, then by the tone of her voice. "One earring fell on the carpet and I can't find it. It's really small and silver."

Ashley sent her a look. She knew exactly what earring Sophia was talking about. Having no other choice, she got on her knees as well and started searching. They searched and searched until their knees were sore. Sophia kept on muttering under her breath how she couldn't believe this had happened but her muttering did little to help them. Not long later, Ashley had to leave as there was a knock on the door. She left her in the room and headed to the door to open it, as she was expecting some of Nicole's friends from school. She had seen them only once or twice before but it was enough for her to remember them, and so when they got inside, she greeted them with a smile and asked them to make themselves at home as she took the gifts they had brought for Nicole to store them in her bedroom. When she entered, Sophia sent her a sheepish smile.

"I found it."

"Finally," she sighed, "where was it?"

"It had tumbled underneath the bed, it wasn't on the carpet anymore," she admitted with a small laugh, "I'm just glad I found it."

"Me too," Ashley agreed as she handed over the gifts. "Put those to the side and come greet them."

"Sure," she nodded, "who's here?"

Ashley glanced behind her as if she was about to tell a grand secret and then leaned closer conspirationly. "Bold of you to assume I remember their names."

A surprised laugh left Sophia's lips, the corner of her eyes crinkling in mirth as Ashley moved back once more and with a wink at her left the room. Sophia placed the presents by the bed and then left the room, taking care to close the door softly behind her. She headed to the living room, closing any door she found on her way. 

"Hey," she called out when she got in the living room, plastering a friendly smile as her guests returned her greeting. She moved to sit by Ashley's side, on the arm of the couch, and after Nicole's friends asked her the typical pleasantries expected so they wouldn't be seen as rude, they returned to their own conversation while Sophia and Ashley remained content listening to them, talking among each other from time to time. The only person they were waiting for now was Nicole herself. So they sat there, waiting along with the five people she was a bit closer to for her arrival. The moment someone heard footsteps, they hurried to turn off the lights and take the cake out. After two times that the alarm turned out to be false, they just kept the lights closed and the cake at hand. Finally, Nicole arrived.