SMILE » n. longbottom

lxxi

She kept a straight face, but wondered to herself about how discussing an ally to the Boy might not be the best of ideas, how the woman might have just meant to send her condolences in some way.

Draco spoke out, "My mother means to say, we're glad you made up your mind, of course."

Some of the cloaked figures exchanged glances, and shortly after, one walked forward. "Might I say, Alana Wallace," the figure spoke to her. "You haven't exactly given yourself to the Dark Lord. You bear no evidence of such ... devotion."

"There will be no talk of that again. That matter has already been officially discussed," Aronn Wallace stated. He swirled the dark amber liquid within the glass, and swallowed the rest of it down. There was a silence in the air. Mrs. Malfoy's eye held some sort of anticipation for what would come next. Alana's father set down the glass on the table that was between them all, and set his focus onto Alana. "There is something that must be said ... the Malfoys and the Wallaces have decided that our households should form an alliance. Our familiarity with each other cements this idea."

Alana nodded in agreement. The two households are definitely allies considering their connection to him. Her mother smiled, and said matter-of-factly, "Dear, the alliance that your father is talking about is one that bonds the families by vows. The young Malfoy is to be your fiancée."

"We're barely even sixteen ..." Alana ground out before her mind stopped. She had no room to criticize the decision. But still, it angered her. Her face turned a crimson as she looked up to the boy who had tormented her and many students in the previous years.

"Yes," Mrs. Malfoy agreed with her statement. She continued on, "it's been decided that our families be officially joined after you both finish your schooling."

So, after Hogwarrs. That would give her around two years. To maybe get out of it, of course. She had no intent to actually elope with this jerk, but she would be fine with faking the union until the deadline. Alana nodded, with a concerned emotion played onto her face.

"Perhaps," her mother begun, "you two would like to converse on your own. Draco, my dear, you should tour our gardens and forest." The two looked at each other, and sat up. They made their way out into the hallway, and shut the door behind them.

On the other side of the door, their parents continued to converse. Alana turned on her heels towards one direction of the hallway, and let him follow her. She walked out of the back door, which opened out into a paved back patio.

Alana turned to Draco, and asked jokingly, "So, where's my ring?"

"You can't be ser—"

"Well, of course not," she interrupted. The two stay silent, as they made their way across the patio to where the garden's entrance was — through a tall hedge's arch they walked through to a circular garden where it's middle opened into a large fountain out of the ground.

From the different sections of the garden were different flowers that all shared the same color, a dark purple-red which looked as if it would be sour if consumed. Alana turned to look back at the mansion, and it was hardly within view. She then turned back to Draco, and uttered, "I heard about your father. No matter what he's done, losing him must be hard either way."

"I'm not really losing him, he's only ... away for a while, I suppose," he mumbled, making out the words on his tongue.

"It's terrible either way, what's happening to him ..."

"There's no need to send your condolences, I'm sure there's tons of people that feel as though I'm affected by this," his eyes stuck, holding an emotion that is hard to read.

The two of them stopped speaking, and made their way through the garden, until they could stray out of another archway that lead to the forest that surrounded the property. With the crisp steps on the long grass, Alana asked him, "Are we actually going to ... marry?"

"It makes sense," he uttered only.

"But, with all that's been happening, wouldn't it be unlikely for it to happen ... ?" Alana questioned rather unsure.

Draco did not respond that time, but Alana was fine with not taking over for the moment. They walked beside and scaled the slight hill of the forest. They continued on, until they saw that the front door of the mansion had been opened, with Mrs. Malfoy and the minions walking out.

Mrs. Malfoy whistled just enough for her son to hear her, and he turned to Alana, "Well, it looks like I've got to go. I've got to say ... your house is very quaint and homey. See you at school."

And so, the Malfoys and their band of protectors headed off the property. Draco and his mother into a car along with a few of the protectors, and the rest of the protectors turns into a black dust that looked to be carried away by the wind, even though there was none.

Alana continued her stroll around the surrounding forest, and upon this stroll she came across something odd: a loose owl feather.