Magic | D. Malfoy

32. Always Yours

Halloween had been Sophia's favourite holiday for as long as she could remember herself. The funny stories she could share during that holiday were endless and she got excited and started planning as early as the beginning of September, a little after her birthday was gone and all the hype and excitement of turning a year older died out. Her roommates had long since given up on the idea of a peaceful and quiet Halloween but this time, Sophia's reactions were extreme even for her.

Ashley thought Nicole was too close to giving up even though she really was trying her best to match Sophia's mood and spirit. The reason Sophia was that excited, was Draco. This was the first Halloween they were going to spend together and the first time he had invited her to celebrate Halloween with him in the wizarding world. Nicole and Ashley didn't know the full truth about the reason their friend was so happy but they reasoned Draco's promise to take her out afterwards was enough to make her like that. They were unaware this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Sophia and Draco were together for less than a year but already, Nicole and Ashley had started to think of them as a unit. They met without fail every other day when Sophia left her apartment to sleep over at his – Ashley truly wondered why she paid rent if she was gone half the month anyway. They had never heard Sophia speak about Draco in a tone that was considered less than adoring in all these months. It was truly a miracle, based on her previous relationships, and they couldn't be happier for her. No matter how happy and proud of her they were, though, there were some limits to their patience and support.

The living room looked like one of those haunted houses when Nicole opened the door to her apartment on the day of Halloween after coming back from practice. She stopped as she looked around, not taking a single step inside as she took in the inside of her home that had looked as normal as possible in the morning before she had left. Sophia had truly transformed it in only a few hours. Nicole took in a deep breath, ignored the voice in the back of her mind screaming at her that whatever Sophia had done would be a nightmare to clean up afterwards and took her shoes off by the door as she got deeper into the house. She met Ashley in the corridor on her way to her room.

"This is way too much," she muttered, taking care to ensure Sophia was not listening to their conversation. At Ashley's small sigh, her eyes widened. "There are cobwebs in our living room and the floor is covered in dust. Who is going to clean it all up tomorrow?"

"Sophia and I, don't think about it," Ashley reassured her with a smile. "She outdid herself this time, didn't she? The cobwebs look so fake but it's funny. I don't know how she did the dust, though."

It was at that moment Sophia left her room, dressed in all black, what looked like some sort of ghastly black robe worn over her clothes. Nicole had never seen that robe before, but she wouldn't be surprised if Sophia had bought it in the last minute. On top of her blonde hair was a long, black hat, and she was holding a broomstick on her right hand. The moment she saw Nicole, her expression lit up and she sent her a wide grin that made her dimples appear and practically ruined the whole spooky witch aesthetic she had tried so hard to imitate. She was too cute and pretty to be a bad witch. Nicole couldn't be mad at her even after she had ruined their living room.

"You're home," Sophia sang as she stopped in front of Nicole and slowly turned so that she could see the entirety of her outfit. "What do you think?"

"You know you outdo yourself every Halloween," she shook her head at her as she moved past her to head to her room, Sophia's bright eyes making it hard to not smile. "I'll be in my room for the rest of the evening."

"See you tomorrow, Nicole," she greeted her as she turned her attention on Ashley and ushered her to her room. "Put your costume on, the kids could arrive any second now!"