𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚
Summer shouldn't feel this lonely. We can't be surrounded by people every minute, of course, but why would there be a void inside of us? Where the days are long and warm, and the nights can't get enough time. They don't last for long, because the selfish days replace the quiet hours.
Summer is happiness. Going out with your friends, and getting lost in the town you were born in. Meeting people you've known your whole life. Experiencing things twice, or perhaps trying something new.
Summer should make you laugh uncontrollably and forget what's it like to fall asleep, so you can stay up all night.
Summer shouldn't feel this lonely.
The rays of the sun fell on my face, which caused me to open my eyes.
The last day at Hogwarts before summer. The time truly was running like crazy. Since we were coming back home that day, there were no lessons. Everyone was spending their last moments with friends and packing up. It was a quiet day where nobody was in a hurry.
Everyone was happy that the holiday had come. Well, so was I, but the fact of starting my 7th year after summer couldn't bare to leave me. Maybe Hogwarts wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but it was my home. I truly didn't want to leave this place. Not to mention stepping into adulthood— meaning my twenties was something I definitely wasn't ready for.
Finally, I decided to get out of bed. I opened the window and felt the warm air brush against my skin. After having a little look outside, I walked away from the window and decided to make myself look like an actual human.
I wasn't a morning person, I really enjoyed sleeping.
I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower as the water ran down my body, which made me forget everything for a while.
After a couple of minutes, I left the shower and wrapped myself in a towel, then went to the sink and washed my face and teeth. With the flick of my wand, my hair was dry and so was my skin. I put some makeup on, then went back to my dorm and got dressed.
Since it was summer, I pulled on a white loose dress and tied my hair into a ponytail. I pulled on my trainers and finally left my dormitory.
As I walked down the stairs to the common room, I spotted Draco sitting on the couch. I walked over to him and took a seat next to him.
"Well well, look who has finally decided to get up," he said, slightly irritated.
"Shove it, Malfoy. You know I need more sleep than an average human being," I put my head on his shoulder which made him laugh.
"Yeah, right. As if you don't already sleep more than a toddler," he replied in a mocking voice.
"You're so funny, honestly," I mumbled, ready to drift away but couldn't get that chance.
Draco got up from the couch, making me whine in frustration since I was resting my head comfortably on his shoulder, and now I was supposed to carry its weight on my own.
"You'll have a whole summer to sleep. Now, come on, I'm starving," Draco put his hand on his stomach.
I sighed heavily, as I got up and we left the common room.
A couple of minutes went by and we found ourselves in the Great Hall, where we took our seats at the Slytherin table. The atmosphere was really warm, as the students were talking and laughing, thus spending their last moments together before the holidays.
I looked at Draco, who was eating vanilla pudding, not excited as everyone in the Hall. He finally felt my gaze, which made him look at me as well.
"Are you seriously not going to eat anything?" he asked more in a pleading tone, as I shook my head and took a sip of my coffee. "You should eat in the morning," he said worried, "You're going to faint sooner or later."
"No need to worry about me, Draco," I assured him and smiled slightly.
Soon, Blaise and Pansy joined us. Pansy took her seat next to Draco, and Blaise sat next to me.
"Hello, you two. It's such a wonderful day, isn't it?" Blaise excited, taking a deep breath and letting it out a second after.
"Is it wonderful because we're missing classes with Snape?" I shifted my eyes to him.
Most students were terrified of Professor Snape. Especially the first years. Even though he was the head of our house, some of the Slytherins were also afraid, but not me. Not really.
Since I was good at Potions, Snape never really had a problem with me. Perhaps because I never caused any trouble. Well, not at his classes at least. I did a few things that made him take a few points away from our house, but besides those situations, I was quite a good student.
"Can you tell me any other definition of happiness, Cassie?" Blaise wrapped an arm around me, as everyone giggled at his silliness.
"Enough about this– "Pansy interrupted, "Since it's summer, you better tell me what are your plans this year?" she asked curiously and looked at everyone around.
"My mother wants to go to Italy for a few days," replied Blaise, bored by the idea of spending his time with his parent instead of partying with his friends.
"As usual," Draco replied in a monotone voice while finishing his dish.
"How about you, Cass?" Pansy looked at me.
I tried to come up with something, but my mind couldn't think of anything due to pressure. So instead, I babbled complete nonsense.
"Uhm... I'm not sure yet.." I mumbled under my breath but loud enough for them to hear, "Maybe I'll ask my dad if he planned something this time. You know he's basically always busy," I lied and received the look from Draco.
"Once you find out, you have to let us know," Pansy continued, "I won't let a chance to hang out simply slide through our fingers."
"Sure thing," I sent her a smile.
The breakfast finally came to an end, as everyone left their plates empty. We stayed for a while longer, mostly chatting and making some plans for the summer.
"I don't know how about you guys, but I'm going to pack my things," Draco announced and looked at me suggestively, as he rose from his seat.
"You haven't already?" Blaise looked at Draco in disbelief since Malfoy was always the first to have things done.
"Still need to pack a few things. And I'll help our Cassie since we know she hasn't even started packing."
"Yeah.. can't argue with that one." I also rose from my chair, "We'll catch up later."
We said our goodbyes and left the Great Hall. As we found ourselves in the Common Room, we headed to my dorm and closed the door to make sure nobody would come in uninvited.
I threw myself on the bed and as I was about to close my eyes, Draco stood in front of me with his arms crossed on his chest.
"We both know you won't talk with your dad, Cassiopeia."
I rolled over on my stomach and ignored his words, only for Draco to roll me back on my back again. He sat next to me, with one of his hands placed over my body on the mattress. He leaned his weight on the arm and lifted his eyebrows while looking at me.
"What can I say, it's not like he would want to talk with me," I pointed out and grabbed Draco's free hand, "or see me, in general." I began toying with his silver ring.
"What are you really gonna do this summer?" he questioned in a low voice.
Soon the atmosphere became so heavy, you could cut it with a knife. I stopped my action and looked at him. After a while, I rolled my eyes and summoned a piece of parchment from a drawer with a wave of my hand, then handed it to him.
"Dear Cassiopeia, I'm sorry to inform you I won't be able to take care of you this summer. I'm leaving for a few months due to an important business trip and I cannot let you stay in my house alone. There's too much work for you here alone and I shall not put this weight on your shoulders. My house will be under special security spells until my return and it wouldn't be safe for your stay. If you have no other place to stay, I talked to my brother and he is happy to take care of you. I'm truly sorry about this, sweetheart. Best regards, your aunt Penelope," he read out loud the content of the letter.
"I haven't seen uncle Caspian in ages," I revealed. "I feel like I don't even know him and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable at his place. Besides, he doesn't live in England," I shifted my eyes to Draco. "I was thinking if there's a possibility to stay at Hogwarts..?"
"No, there isn't, I'm afraid. All students must go home during the summer break. You can only stay at Hogwarts during winter or spring break."
"I suppose I have no other choice then. I have to contact uncle Caspian." I rose to sit and grabbed the letter from Draco since his address was written at the bottom.
"Where does he live, though?"
"Melbourne, Australia," I read from the letter, as my eyes widened, "That's like the other side of the globe!"
"There's no way you're going to Australia!" he snatched the parchment from my hand.
"It's either this or going home. What other choice do I have?"
Draco wondered for a bit. As a few seconds passed, I saw his face lighten up. He looked at me and his lips turned into a smirk.
"I don't like this look on your face.." I spoke, anxiety peeking through my voice. "What is it?" I asked, unsure what he might've been up to.
Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.
"I have just the right place for you," he announced proudly. "Pack your stuff, you are coming with me to The Malfoy Manor!"
You gotta be kidding me.
It's not that I didn't want to spend the summer with Draco. It sounded way better than travelling across the world or going back home. The thing is, I was more scared of his parents– especially his father.
Lucius goddamn Malfoy is one of the most intimidating wizards of all time. I still couldn't believe he was the father of my best friend. I've never seen him in person, nor talked to him, but only saw him a few times on Quidditch matches with his wife.
Right, Narcissa Malfoy. I could clearly see she was a woman of high standards. You know those women characters in Muggle films, which are so classy and everyone bows from respect? This is how I saw Draco's mum. She was beautiful, yet her gaze could've killed anyone.
I was deadly terrified of them.
"No.. oh, no– Draco, you are mad! You've completely lost the plot!" I immediately rose from the bed.
"Oh come on, Cass!" he begged, "We could have so much fun!"
"I would rather jump off the Astronomy Tower than meet your father in person. I am terrified of your parents and you know that!" I answered and rested my hands on my hips.
"They're not that bad, Cass," he tried to calm me down, "In fact, they finally want to meet you."
"If you think I'm going to believe you, guess what? You are wrong!"
Draco sighed and rose from the bed. He pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me.
"Would you rather meet my parents or travel across the world to a place with spiders as big as you, hm?" he caressed my head.
"Is this some sort of manipulation technique?" I mumbled against his chest.
"Yes, it is," he didn't try to hide that fact, "And I think we both have the answer."
It was a challenge for me to decide whether I should go with Draco or not. Something was screaming inside me, begging me to deny his offer, knowing that it might not end well. One bad move and I could've been hated by one of the most influential wizards in history.
"Alright," I spoke above a whisper, "I'll come with you."
"You just made the best decision ever." he pulled a bit away from me so he could look at me, and smiled widely, "You won't regret this, I assure you!"
"I better not, wanker," I hissed, knowing it wasn't the best idea, but it was already too late to back up. "Alright, I have to pack my things and you will help me with my outfit. I have to look decent." I pulled my trunk from under my bed.
"I can help you with packing, too."
"I thought you said earlier you still have to pack the rest of your stuff?"
"Ouch, I thought you knew me so well." he dramatically put his hand on his heart. "Of course, I'm all packed and ready. I just needed to be alone with you. Otherwise, you wouldn't tell me a thing."
"Is it bad I'm hiding the truth from Pansy and Blaise? It's not like I don't trust them–" I put the trunk on my bed and opened it, "I just think that the fewer people know, the better."
"What they don't know won't kill them. You will tell them when you're ready," he assured me, "Or if you don't want to, you don't have to. It's all up to you." he opened my wardrobe and started handing me my clothes.
At some point, Draco was right. If I didn't want to spill out my secrets, there was no need to. But hiding everything and lying didn't make me feel good. Nevertheless, that's all I was able to do.
"I think you're the only person who knows basically everything about me. Isn't that odd?" I folded the clothes and put them inside the trunk.
"Well, you know basically everything about me. We're even."
I chuckled and we continued the packing in silence. the only sound you could hear was the clothes being taken off the hangers and the birds chirping from the outside. After we were done with my wardrobe, I took my stuff from the bathroom, while Draco made sure I wouldn't forget about the things from my drawers.
"Looks like we're done." I dusted my hands.
"What about this?" he picked a dress from the bed that was still on the hanger.
It was in a creamy shade, with pinkish flower patterns and a cut reaching the mid-thigh. The short sleeves were a bit puffy and the sweetheart neckline finished it off beautifully.
"I was thinking if this is an appropriate thing to wear to meet your parents. And–" I rushed over to my trunk, "I could pair it with these creamy heels."
The first impression is essential.
"I think you should go for it! You wore this dress only once and I'm still wondering why since you look so good in it."
"Okay, give me a few minutes and we'll see how this goes." I took the dress from Draco and went to the bathroom to get changed.
I stripped quickly and put the dress on. The soft fabric brushed against my skin, and I felt relieved that the dress still fit me. I untied my blonde hair and brushed it out, as I let it rest down on my shoulders. Finally, I was ready and left the bathroom.
"What do you think?" I asked and Draco looked at me in awe.
"My parents are going to love you," he assured me and smiled widely.
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I did it, the first chapter!
I hope that whoever is going to read this, will like it. English is not my first language so I apologise for any mistakes or misspellings.
Let me know what you think and don't be shy to comment! I would really appreciate it❤
Kisses xx
P.S. ~> this girl in the picture at the beginning is what Cassiopeia looks like. I took it from Pinterest but if at any chance it might be you/someone you know and you/they don't feel comfortable with me using it, let me know and I'll take it down!