mahogany ; d.m

24 - the hogwarts express

She was always going to tell her friends about Malfoy eventually. She owed it to them and she couldn't hide it forever.

Perhaps the reason she had felt so gutted was because it had been in her hopes that they would find out in a different way. A way in which she had prepared herself and could potentially prepare them too.

But now Harry knew. Not only did he have knowledge of the father but he had viewed their interaction, which no one had ever seen before.

Draco and Athena's relationship, whatever they were, was no longer a secret.

Their afflictions were no longer between them and soon enough, others were bound to find out.

But that couldn't happen.

She rest her arm on the side of the chair, burying her chin into the inside crease of her elbow, exhaustedly.

Her eyes glazed over the fire, staring into the orange and amber fluorescents as if in a trance. She fixated on the flustering movements of the flames until her eyelids drooped to a close.

***

A week later, the first term at Hogwarts had drawn to an end as the Christmas holidays approached.

The students who were to go home for Christmas to be with their families would boarding the Hogwarts Express to Kings Cross Station in the next few hours on the present, particularly chilly, Saturday morning.

The night before, Athena and her friends had packed their travelling trunks, ready for two weeks away from Hogwarts.

The Weasley's were to go to The Burrow accompanied by Harry, Hermione was staying with her parents and Athena would be with her mother and step father.

From Christmas Eve, they had arranged for Athena's family to go and stay with Weasley's and Hermione would be joining too. They would stay for a night, all cramming in the various rooms of The Burrow to be there for Christmas Day like they had done annually since their 2nd year (except the years they had been at Hogwarts).

There was no better Christmas Day than Christmas Day at the Burrow.

Especially with Mrs Weasley's delicious cooking. The only meal that would probably have to beat her Christmas dinner was the Great Feast at Hogwarts and even then it was a close call.

Athena still hadn't informed Ron and Hermione on the subject of the father of her unborn child. Harry hadn't pressured her frequently about it, though every now and then he would whisper to her discreetly reminding her of what she had promised the night of her birthday.

She tried to make as little eye contact with Harry as she could over the week while she contemplated when and how to tell her friends. There probably wasn't much point in delaying as it was only making things harder for her.

As for Draco himself, she hadn't spoken to him since her birthday. She avoided eye contact with him as well, being cautious to not even let herself think about him or what had happened that night.

She had placed the gift which he had given in her small bag with an undetectable extension charm and had buried the bag at the bottom of her trunk, where no one would be able to find it unless they intended to.

They wandered through the thick, freezing snow, heading down the trail to the train station with the rest of the students.

"Where's my wand?" Ron panicked, chaotically checking his pockets as they left the castle with their trunks.

"I've got it right here, Ronald. Calm down would you," Hermione chuckled, handing his wand to him.

"Bloody hell. I thought I was gonna have to run back then," he huffed, shoving his wand into his pocket.