As the weeks went by, Esme's voice gradually returned. Thanks to Mr.Malfoy. He would come by her room each morning, staying for no more than ten minutes, then left with a quick goodbye. He stopped paying attention to her words, seeming distracted by other things. Sometimes he wouldn't even glance up at her, keeping his hard stare on the chessboard that divided them apart. She wondered if she had offended him with her words. Every night he would leave a sleeping draught by her bedside, and she would take it instantly, falling into a peaceful sleep without the interruptions of her nightmares. Scorpius began sleeping beside her. Each time he stayed, it became more natural to be in his arms. She found herself not wanting to pull away.
"I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me to my father's charity event tonight?" Scorpius mumbled in her ear while wrapping an arm around her waist.
"I don't have a dress Scorpius."
The feeling of his hands wandering across her body sent a shiver down her spine. She was not used to being touched with care and compassion. She hadn't been treated like this in a while.
"Mara will bring you one."
He began peppering kisses along her jaw, she hummed in delight. "Mhmm."
"Is that a yes." His warm breath fanned her face, forcing her to turn over from her comfortable position. When she met his blue eyes, they were full of lust.
"Yes, when is it?"
"Tonight."
Esme lifted herself off the bed, pressing her lips against his cheek. He gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her body back down toward his, and then without notice, rolled his body so that it was hovering overtop hers.
"Scorp." She giggled, his hands begin caressing her waist.
"Your distracting me from my work.".
She stilled as his fingers trailed further down her shirt, stopping at the waistband of her shorts. Her eyes snapped open, shoving his hands away. She was not ready for any sort of physical interaction, not today at least.
"I need to get ready."
"I'll come pick you up and we'll apparate straight to the ballroom."
He moved his lips towards hers, and she leaned in closer, closing the distance between them. She waited for a spark, any sort of ignition that would rush through her veins and inform her she felt something for him. In return, all she got was nothing. She felt nothing. There was an absence of fire running through her body as his lips moved against hers. The taste of blueberry filled her mouth as his tongue founds her, and she wanted to pull away in disgust. She hated blueberries. He knew this. She pulled away, smirking as he jumped off the bed.
"Work calls, see you later baby."
Esme smiled, waiting for him to leave the room, before letting out a strangled breath. She thought something wrong with her. There were no emotions involved in the kiss. It lacked passion and heat, there was no want for more. She wanted to truly devote herself to him, but it wasn't possible, with the absence of her emotions. She knew the two of them were sexually interactive before she got locked up and was confused more than ever as to why those old emotions were not willing to rise and return. Trying to come up with an excuse, she told herself it would all come back tonight at the charity event. She was hopeful.
"This dress is you." Mara screamed, waving it around in the air.
"Mar, put it down so I can see at least."
Mara sent her a "shut the fuck up look" before setting it down onto the bed. She gasped loudly as her eyes moved along the body of the dress. It was stunning. The white lace covered the entire dress, decorated with a tulle overlay. The v-neck was the perfect depth. Her eyes moved towards the bottom of the dress, and then she paused, lifting it up into the air.
"Mara this is nude."
"Yes, only on the legs tho."
Esme kept my eyes on the dress, deciding. Although her best friend was right, it was definitely her, and she couldn't help but give in.
"I'll wear it."
Mara screamed loudly, running towards her, enclosing her in a tight hug. She shut her eyes, squeezing her friend tighter, whispering, "Thank you so much."
Esme's fear of human touch was long gone. The more time she spent around Scorp, the more she got used to his displays of physical affection. The feeling of his touch no longer felt foreign and scary but safe. And so was Mara's. She mentally thanked herself for taking her scar hiding potion earlier, enabling her to hide them for the rest of the day. As much as she wanted to bring up the topic of her scars to Mara, she couldn't muster up the courage to say the words. Her fingers would start trembling, lips quivering and then she would abandon her plan feeling weak. She knew Mara would never judge her for it, but still. They were personal. The carvings on her skin reminded her of who she was. She was Nothing. They reminded her that she didn't deserve to be saved. No matter how much they began to fade, she knew they would always mock her in a way. A permanent attachment to show all she went through.
"Earth to Esme.".
Mara moved her hands in front of her face, waving wildly to catch her attention.
"Sorry, what were you saying."
"Do you know what Mr.Malfoy is going to wear?"
She groaned loudly, shaking my head. She hadn't seen him in over two weeks. As soon as her voice came back, he stopped coming to her room. He was never outside by the gardens. She never smelled the awful scent of his cigarette drifting up towards her room. It was like he completely disappeared. Not that it mattered, of course, he was a father. Scorpius's father worked and had a love life with Ms.Parkinson. And Esme was something with his son.
"How would I know?"
Mara pulled her arm towards the bathroom, motioning for her to sit in front of the mirror. "He's ridiculously hot, you gotta admit it."
"I'm not talking about Scorps father with you, or anyone for that matter." she snapped, not on purpose. She felt slightly guilty as Mara shook her head, eyes falling to the floor.
"As you wish."
Esme rolled her eyes, watching Mara gracefully move around the bathroom. She applied light makeup to her face, warning her to keep it simple. If would already take forever to remove her makeup without magic, without her wand. She wanted to impress Scorpius mostly. Deep down, she prayed she could convince herself that she felt the slightest of feelings for him. Considering he already did, she needed to push herself with something new, and this could be it.
"You look stunning." Mara whispered, yipping up the back of her dress. She walked towards the mirror steadily, practicing walking in her heels. She was never a fan of them. Biting her lower lip anxiously, her stomach began to do summersaults as she peered at her reflection in the mirror. She looked beautiful. Her eyeshadow brought out the dullness in her eyes, the glow of her skin adding to the uniqueness of her freckles.
"All because of you."
She turned to look at her best friend, who wore the same dress, but in black. The shade of the dress brought out the green in Mara's eyes.
Mara effortlessly walked back and forth across her room, gathering everything she needed, not making a single faulty move in the heels she was wearing.
She was ready for this. It was all going to be okay.
Scorpius would be there. He would never leave her side.
A loud knock at the door brought her back to reality. Scorpius stepped through wearing a navy suit. His eye's widened as he looked at her in shock. "Wow baby, you look amazing.". She blushed at his words, grinning as he walked over, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"You don't looks so bad yourself."
He rolled his eyes, reaching for her hand. Turning back towards Mara, she gave her a panicked look. In return, her friend sent her a reassuring smile. "I'll be there soon.".
Esme barely caught the way Scorpius and Mara locked eyes before he shook his head slightly, squeezing her fingers as she sucked in a large breath.
Everything is going to be okay.
"Apparate."
The ballroom was full of adults that moved swiftly among each other. Most couples would turn to another close due, indulging in conversation. She watched as everyone walked with purpose. Their head's up high in passion. It was like they wanted others to know their value in the room. Or the amount of money they had. A group of musicians were planted in the middle of the ballroom, playing the violins softly as the room filled with chatter. Her heart warmed at the sound of them. They had always been her favourite instrument. Scorpius gripped her hand harder, slowly walking through the mob of people. He was stopped ever so often by older wizards, diving into short conversations about work. She stood smiling, listening to the way he talked about his job, admiring his confidence and keen spirits.
As Scorpius chatted with work colleagues, her eyes moved around the room, admiring the architecture. The ceiling had beautiful carvings that looked like they were sculpted by hand. The walls held pictures of older kings and queens of England, making the room look more professional. It was the most breathtaking thing she had ever seen, almost like she was in a older museum.
Moving her attention back toward the group of musicians, a person on the left caught her eye.
Mr.Malfoy.
Esme's eyes locked with his, as grey hues bored into hers. She took in his attire, noticing he was dressed in a different outfit than usual. Probably for the occasion. The black blazer defined his broad shoulders all the way down to his muscular arms. He wore a white shirt, tucked into black dress pants, a small bow tie right above his collar. Draco's eyes wandered to her body, and she gulped as he looked back up, a sly smirk taking over his face.
Then ever so slightly, he lifted his left hand that carried a glass of white wine, leisurely bringing it to his mouth. His eyes remained locked with hers. Esme watched as he swallowed quickly, darting out his tongue to lick his pink lips. Her breathing hitched as his eyebrows narrowed together, gazing at her in admiration. Her heels wobbled against the marble floor, and she gripped onto Scorpius's hand in support.
"Look who came out of their room."
She jumped, startled by the voice, keeping her eye contact with him. If Mr.Malfoy didn't take the liberty to look away soon, she was sure she was going to topple over. His stare ignited a warmth in her body, making her feel alive. It was better than the feeling of Scorpius's touch against her skin. She moved her head to check on Scorpius. He was distracted, still in deep conversation with the same person, Completely oblivious to the situation she was in. She wondered who was speaking to her through her thoughts until her brain replayed the sound of the voice.
Wait.
It was him.
Glancing back at Mr.Malfoy, she noticed he was no longer looking at her but nodding at something the person he was speaking to was saying. She wanted to look away, badly, but couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from his figure. Instead, she waited for his eyes to snap back to hers.
"Enjoying the music?"
The voice rang in her ears again. Mr.Malfoy smiled with a certain wickedness hidden behind his features. He took his eyes off her returning his attention back to the man in front of him.
"Spring 1 by Vivaldi?" She thought.
He subtly rose his eyebrows in surprise, and she caught the smallest of a glint in his eyes.
"Smart girl.
Her cheeks flushed. Scorpius tugged on her hand, making her snap out of their thoughtful interaction. She followed Scorpius as he pulled her towards Mara and her mother. Trying to restrain her jaw from dropping at the sight of Ms.Parkinson, she barely noticed Mr.Malfoy approaching beside her.
"Draco." Ms.Parkinson's voice sang.
She snapped her head to the side as he appeared beside her. The same wicked smirk grew heavily across his features.
"Pansy." He greeted and then turned his attention back to her.
"Ms.Smith, I do hope your enjoying the music."
Seriously.
Her eyelids fluttered as he blinked slowly, peering down at her through his thick lashes. Her stomach flipped upside down, she grounded her feet into the ground in the hope she wouldn't fall over. His voice was alluring, distracting her from everyone around them. Almost forgetting to answer, she cleared her throat, leaning in towards Scorpius.
"Yes Mr.Malfoy, it's lovely."
"I'm glad.".
She looked away, not particularly eager to meet his gaze. He was making her feel dizzy, without any alcohol present in her system.
"You look wonderful Pansy." He complimented.
She continued to ignore him and found herself wondering how she would feel, if he had said those words to her instead. Scorpius dragged her back towards the wall, instantly pressing his lips against hers. She sighed in his mouth, grateful for the distraction from his father. Mara stood behind them, chugging a glass of wine.
When she pulled away, looking past Mara, Ms.Parkinson's lips were pressed against Mr.Malfoy's. She watched as he tilted her chin up, kissing her passionately. It didn't even look like two adults snogging. Both had made it look professional, like a kiss that could be photographed because of how utterly perfect it seemed to look. Her chest filled up in unwilling frustration, and with that, she pulled Scorpius's mouth back towards hers, kissing him harder.
"If you two are done groping at each other's mouths that would be great.". Mara's voice rang from beside her. She opened her eyes, retracting from his grip, slightly confused by her rude tone.
She panted, trying to catch her breath from the kiss.Behind Scorpius's back, she saw Mr.Malfoy studying her intently. She looked away before getting lost in his eyes again.
Mara kept her company for a bit as she introduced her to some of her business relations. Esme didn't care though, she was never interested in money and business. She didn't care about the wealth of others and their intolerable ego.
Scorpius left her side, even though he promised not to. She stood near the empty side of the ballroom, wishing she could apparate back to her room. Her eyes roamed around the room in search of his hair that would stand out amongst the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"You seem awfully bored." Mr. Malfoy's voice vibrated in her head again.
"It seems your son has left me."
"Doesn't he tell you where he's going?"
"No."
"Come to the middle of the ballroom, I'll apparate you back to your room."
"Thank you."
She walked through a group of people, moving towards the middle of the ballroom, trying to spot Mr.Malfoy. As he came into view, her walk faltered, and she stumbled slightly before catching her balance, steading her heels against the floor. When she reached him, he remained silent, watching her curiously. He studied her features for any sign of discomfort, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
Taking a step towards him, she tripped on her feet, stumbling forward. Before she could hit the ground, he latched onto the side of her waist, pulling her back gently. She froze as she felt the coolness on his hands pierce through the material of her dress, sending a strange feeling down her body. His hand gripped hers, steading her again. She wanted to collapse in his hold. Her heart accelerated in her chest -beating rapidly as his fingers gently caressed hers, a shock flew through her body, and she jumped, pulling away instantly, creating space between their bodies.
Stop it, stop it; he's Scorpius's fucking father. Stop.
"Mr.Malfoy, your son promised us a dance with his lovely lady, but he's nowhere to be seen. Would you be generous to take his place. After all she might even be your daughter in law soon." A man called out from beside them.
Fuck she forgot about the dance.
She swallowed nervously, looking back up at him.
"Can you dance?" he questioned, narrowing his silvery eyes down towards her, wondering.
"Yes."
"Since my son has decided to be a complete idiot and disappear, it appears you might have to dance with me. Are you okay with that?" he murmured, out loud now.
She took a deep breath.
It was only his father.
It would be one dance.
She was good at dancing.
"Yes." Her voice didn't waver.