"I see you've found my lab",
Draco's musical voice sounded in her ears from behind.
She gasped, turning to face Mr.Malfoy, whose face was covered in a sly smile.
"I- I was just."
His face twisted in amusement as he watched her stutter to come up with a conclusive answer.
"I- I was just", he mocked her, chucking quietly. His anger from earlier had vanished completely. Draco's eyes moved past her onto his lab area. She could see his hues light up with passion affiliating with love for his work.
"Now be a good girl and go back to your room".
Her stomach threatened to fill with butterflies. Why couldn't her feelings just dissipate into the air? Her mind felt fuzzy. Esme gathered her thoughts the best she could, pushing them back to where they belonged.
The back of her brain.
When she turned back to gaze upon the room, she could feel his eyes driving holes into her back.
"I would like to see what you have in here." she lied. Her stomach plummeted. It was the only way to get closer to him. In all honesty, she did want to see, but it was best to contain her emotions, far away from the surface of her brain. She was starting to lie to herself, and she didn't know how long it would last before she would drown altogether. She was barely able to tread water.
"If that's what you wish".
Mr.Malfoy walked in front of her, sitting down on the other side of the bench. Esme stood in shock, confused by his easy reluctance to show her his belongings. She had been debating on what to say if he had rejected her. However, this was becoming easier the more time she spent with him. He was becoming more willing. She watched him shyly as he signalled for her to sit down. Esme pushed herself toward the table, plopping down in the seat. Draco pointed to the side of the wall with cauldrons. "I'm sure you know what those are."
She smirked at him, her head tilting, "Do I?
He rolled his eyes at her, signalling to the vials. "These are the main potions that I always keep with me in case of emergencies. This one" He pointed to the vial at the end. It was a translucent colour and was the only one kept in a glass jar. "Essence of dittany is used to heal shallow wounds." This, his snowy-coloured finger moved down the line to the next vial. "It's a calming draught, and then the one beside it is a Draught of Peace". He continued down the line pointing his finger one after the other "Skele-gro, Veritaserum, and the last one is Sleeping Draught". Her eyes fixated on the potions he had in his hand, curiously soaring through her mind. She was intrigued to know more. Not because of her plan towards using him but healing sounded appealing.
"Interesting", she murmured.
Mr.Malfoy grey eyes snapped at her. She was oblivious to the way his eyes roamed along with her figure. The materials for his potion healing had grasped her full attention. Draco's eyes clouded up, continuing to watch her as if he remembered something. When Esme looked back up, their eyes met, and she swallowed, leaning slightly forward while placing her face on the palm of her hands. His eyes flickered at the motion.
"What made you decide to take up healing?"
Her question had struck something inside of him. She could tell by how his breathing had changed, his chest rose and fell with more force, and from the corner of her eye, she could see him gripping the edge of the desk tightly. His knuckles pale white. Mr.Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise for a brief second, as his eyes narrowed into slits taken back with uncertainty. He blinked slowly, "To help others''. She made no hesitation in responding immediately.
Tell him what he wants to hear.
"I think that's good of you."
"You. don't. Know. me. Now go back to your room now." He sneered, turning away. Esme breathed in, trying to figure out what she should do next. She had already spent enough time with him to know this was his way of closing up. He was pushing her away, and she needed to get closer.
Break down his walls.
"Will you show me the rest later?"
He turned back towards her, glancing down at his watch. Then he tilted his head up hesitantly, watching her wait for his answer. "If that's what you wish."
Nice work Smith
Esme had been distracted by her plan that the same words that rolled off his tongue only minutes ago blew right past her head again.
She gave him an earnest smile before hopping off her seat and turning away. She stood still for a brief moment until turning back around, pausing in the doorway. "I think healing suits you, Mr.Malfoy". The words had slipped from her mouth before she had time to process what she had said.
Horror rose in her chest because she had meant it. Her words were sincere. His face paled drastically, and she turned on her heels, rushing out of the lab. The corridor nearest to her room was silent as it always was. The moon shone through the largest window at the end of the hall, illuminating the black floors. She stared out past the glass, into the darkness.
Don't let you drop your walls, make his. Focus.
Back in the lab, Draco stood stunned, un-moving from his spot. He blinked quickly as her words replayed over again in his head. He ran a hand through his messy platinum locks in distress. His eyes found their way back to where she was seated only moments ago, and a stricken expression had taken over his face. He closed his eyes, bringing his fingers up to his nose and pinching it, trying to control an unwanted emotion.
Stop. he warned himself.
A few days later, Mara strolled through her room alongside Scorpius. Esme panicked, her chest tightening against the rest of her body. The last time she had seen Scorpius, he had abused her, without the slightest of sincerity for her injuries or the pain she was enduring as his friend proceeded to hit her. When Esme met Mara's eyes, she tried to remember the last time she saw her best friend. It must have been at the ball, which was almost two months ago.
"Want to adventure around the Manor?"
No.
Spending time with Scorpous was the last thing she wanted to do, but the look on Mara's face made her head spin, and a guilt-struck feeling hit her again.
Obey other's wishes.
She wanted to make her friends happy, even by the slightest. If the least she could do was go explore the Manor with them, then she decided to suck it up and pretend she was having a good time with them. Esme trusted her best friend more than anything, and as long as she was there, Scorpius wouldn't try to do anything. That was one thing she was certain of. On the other hand, Esme wondered why her friend didn't come to visit her. They were growing distant. Focusing her attention back on the two people standing in front of her, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. There were clear traces of dark magic emitting from both of their bodies. Taking a step back, she held her breath to keep the urge to vomit at bay. The scent was the strongest coming from Scorpius, and Mara's eyebrow rose in confusion to her gross expression.
"Why do you both reek of dark magic?
Scorpius's face paled, but Mara's lit up in excitement. Her pale cheeks were tinted with a slight pinkish colour, from the cold outside. "I got a job at the Ministry. With him, as an Auror."
Esme's eyes widened in surprise at her friend's statement. Before Mara could say anything else, she ran towards her embracing her in a tight hug. "Mara that's amazing, I'm so proud of you". She felt her friend ease into the embrace, tightening her arms around Esme. Then the godawful scent drifted back into her nose, and she pushed away, keeping a fair distance where she would still be able to breathe without wanting to gag. "Thank You. Scorpius was a real trooper today, I would have been dead if it wasn't for him".
Scorpius' head turned towards Mara, a polite smile over his lips. Then his eyes moved towards Esme, a concerned look brewing in the corners before he pushed it back.
"Fucking Death Eater's tried to kill us", he snorted. Mara gave him a look, and he regained his composure.
"What? Death Eater's? Like who?", she whispered, her voice trembling at the end.
"Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Dolohov." Mara replied, looking uneasy, "Ethan is one. Did you know that?"
Esme's eyes dropped to the floor. "Yeah"
"Cmon Esme, I thought you would like to celebrate my new job with me."
She pulled on a fake smile for her, pretending that her heart wasn't pounding in her chest at a pace so rapid it might burst. "How could I ever deny."
Mara clapped her hands together, squealing and turned towards the door. Scorpius gave Esme one last look, an apologetic smile, and then it disappeared as he turned away from her.
The three of them walked along the narrow hallways of the Manor. Esme kept turning her head from side to side, admiring the architecture of the old house. They were approaching the wing opposite her room that felt like an hour's walk. Her eyes were fixated on the moving paintings, that all seemed to look disgusted by her, one after the one continued to give her snobby and loathing looks. But she ignored it, continuing to smile graciously.
When they reached the drawing-room, Esme held in a gasp. It was exquisite, the walls were covered in plum colour, and there was a similar plush carpet to Mr.Malfoy's, except it was grey. There were two large windows on either side of the room. One giving the beautiful view of the gardens, only from a different angle. The other of the backyard near the water. The room was based on simplicity. She caught Scorpius' eye from the corner of her eye as she took in the room. He examined her expression cautiously as if there was a secret bound to be let out at any given moment.
"So we were talking about Death Eaters", Mara's voice spoke sweetly.
"How did you know Ethan was one?"
"He told me." Scorpius interrupted, glaring at her with a slight annoyance in his voice.
"What do they do? I can't seem to remember."
"They kill people.". His voice was blunt, not a hint of emotion behind it. The door screeched open, and Mr.Malfoy stomped inside the room. His face went blank as his eyes met Esme and then hardened as he looked around the room.
"What the fuck are you all doing in here?" he boomed, anger flaring in his grey hues. The way he stood implied he was on edge about something.
"Talking Father." Scorpius replied.
"About?"
"Death Eaters." he said. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Draco's eyes met hers, and she looked away. The tension began to rise as he remained silent. Mr.Malfoy sealed his lips into a tight line, he looked furious, and the rage was evident from the way he tucked his hands behind his back. She already knew he was clenching his fists because she did the same when upset. His head tilted upwards in an authoritative motion as Scorpius shrank back from his father's dominating figure. His nostrils flared, and he pointed a sharp finger at his son.
"Get out of this room Scorpius. I will not ask you again." His voice echoed around the room.
Then he turned on his heel, slamming the door shut behind them. The room shook with power, and Esme's eyes wandered to the bookshelf that was tucked away in the farthest corner. There was a glass cabinet with one book locked away inside, but before she could focus on the title, Scorpius grabbed her hand, yanking her towards him.
"Scorpius what the hell?"
"Shut up."
Mara gently tugged on Esme's hand, signalling for her to come to sit beside her again. She shot Scorpius an angered glare. "Don't yank her like that. She's not property.", she scolded him. Then her demeanour changed again. "Guys can we celebrate now." Mara whined, pulling out bottles of Firewhisky.
Esme giggled quickly, laying back on the end of the couch, "Let's do just that".
They all dived into a conversation about work, and Esme sipped slowly, listening to their fun adventures that took from portkey to apparitions- to saving others. She wondered what her life might have been like if she had the same opportunity as them. Truth be told, Esme had no idea what she wanted to become. There was a ting sensation in her brain as if it was reminding her, and she reached out to grasp the memory, but it slipped away. Was she forgetting things now? Somehow being with the two of them felt like old times.
Just two Slytherins and a Hufflepuff sitting at the Astronomy tower, being completely useless teenagers that drank until their brains went fuzzy. The memory was distant and clouded in her mind from her time back at Hogwarts, but she could definitely remember it had been the three of them together. After her seventh glass of fire whisky, her head started to spin, and she felt giddy on the inside. Her chest was warm, and each time the liquid hit her throat. It would burn in delight, eager for more.
"Fuck" Scorpius yelled out. Esme glanced over at him, trying to clear her vision to see what was wrong, but it was all blurry. Mara jumped up from the seat handing Scorpius a vial. Both of them chugged it down, their face's etched with pain.
"Esme we have work, but you'll be fine to get back to your room. I'm so sorry. Love you."
Mara's words fanned across her face. Esme opened her mouth to speak, but her words struggled to come out from her drunken state. The both of them mumbled apparate, leaving her alone in the room.
Esme pushed off the couch deciding on heading back to her room, the walls started to spin, and everything was blurry. She giggled as she kept her balance by leaning her hands and patting the wall to steady herself. Esme turned the doorknob, trying to remember the direction they came from. Her hands remained on the side of the walls as she walked forward. The portraits sneered and whispered rude things about her to each other, but Esme was too busy in her own world to realize. She shot big smirks at them, handing them compliments as they continued to gossip about her. She tripped on her feet several times, bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Nolly." she slurred.
The house-elf appeared immediately, watching her with wide eyes.
"HI THERE."
Nolly's eyes glimmered in the darkness of the manor "Is miss okay?"
"Is miss okay?" she giggled "MISS HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER."
Nolly grasped her hand, apparating them back to her room.
" I'll be back to go get Mr.Malfoy."
"No." she shouted a little too loudly. "He will be super upset with me."
"Shall I bring you some water then Miss?"
"Yes, yes much better." Esme sighed, slumping back down on her bed. Her eyes closed, and she began to drift off before the door opened again. She shot up, rubbing her hands over her eyes to get a clear view. Mr.Malfoy walked towards her in his typical black work suit.
"Did Nolly send you?".
" No." He paused, ignoring her face. "I thought we could play another game of chess."
"Yes, yes very well." she mumbled, sitting in the chair across from him.
Her head was still spinning, and she could barely process the figure of his in front of her. He wasted no time in pushing his white pawn across her board. Mr.Malfoy seemed rather preoccupied in his own world. He didn't notice how her head kept swaying from being drunk.
The game moved smoothly, but just then, he moved his queen across the board, and she burst out in a fit of laughter. Esme lifted her hand, pointing towards his piece "That's, That's a smart move Mr.Malfoy. I see what you just did.", she giggled. His eyes snapped up to hers, confusion filling his grey hues. The drowsiness in her tone helped him connect the dots, and his eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. "Esme are you drunk?".
She grinned up at him in delight. "Am I? I suppose I am? Is this what being drunk is? She blabbered, standing up from her chair and walking towards him "then, Yes I am."
He rolled his eyes, huffing loudly and then stood up to tower over her small frame.
"Do you want to stop playing?" she pouted.
Before she could do anything else, Draco grasped her from the legs and threw her over his shoulder.
"You are acting like a child goddammit."
"HEY PUT ME DOWN." she yelped, kicking her feet up in the air.
Mr. Malfoy's suit was scented with vanilla and cinnamon, and it went directly to the nose. She sighed, leaning it towards him. "And. And I am a child sir."
"How much did you drink?" he growled, walking quicker now.
"I drank as much as I wanted to, thank you very much for your concern." she blabbered away. Draco was growing infuriated with her. "You deserve a punishment for your wild actions." he mumbled under his breath. To his despair, she heard him and choked out another laugh that came out, coughing violently.
"Ooo and what punishment will I receive Mr.Malfoy. I'm intrigued to hear the ideas you have in mind. Enlighten me.".
Esme burst out in another fit of giggles, and Draco closed his eyes, trying to contain the anger bubbling towards the surface.
"You are a grumpy man. Why do I never see you smile?"
He ignored her. His grip on her legs tightened, and she held onto his shoulder tightly, hoping he wouldn't let her slip off his shoulder.
"Hellooo. I'm talking to you. Did you know it's not very nice to ignore people. I'm sure you were the one who told me that."
They stopped walking, and she felt herself being placed down onto a seat. She blinked, looking around the room, noticing they were in his lab.
"Here. Drink this."
"But why? What is it?"
"It will help you sober up."
She lifted the glass to her lips, and the cold texture of the liquid contrasted against the warm alcohol that was still in her system, making her nose twitch in disgust. "It tastes bad, Mr.Malfoy.".
"You will never drink again."
"Actually." she took a step closer to him. " I'll do what I want."
He scooped her over his shoulder again, "Like hell you are.".
Her eyes were burning from the brightness of the room. She closed them, kicking her feet in the air again.
"Will you just calm down?" he scolded.
The world around them shifted below his feet. Esme felt the cold winter air brush up against her cheeks. The smell of snow and the outside infused her nose. Her body began to shiver from the cold, and she heard him mumble a warming charm as he sat her down.
"You need some fresh air.".
Her eyes started falling closed until she felt her back touch a soft couch and they sprung back open. "Are we on the balcony?"
"Yes"
Esme drew in large breaths to push away the sick feeling in her stomach. The crisp breeze had already begun to help drastically. She turned to look over at Mr.Malfoy, who was leaning formerly against the couch and looking up at the stars that covered the clear night sky.
A surge of confidence rushed through her veins, and she shifted her body, inching towards him. He didn't stop her. She felt the adrenaline rush through her veins, and in one quick movement, she moved closer, now a millimetre away from his legs. Without thinking, she propped herself up, sitting in his lap. Her short legs barely straddled the sides of his long ones. His entire body stilled.
"What the fuck are you doing?".
She leaned in closer, nuzzling her face in his chest. "Esme stop your drunk.". She felt his fingers push away at her sides, and she lost her balance, tilting backwards. Before she could topple to the ground, his hand reached around her hip, enveloping her back towards his body.
"Whoops," she giggled. "Almost fell there.".
He tried to shift away, looking beyond uncomfortable. "Will you just calm down?". She repeated the words he said to her a few moments prior.
"No. Your wasted and not thinking clearly.".
"You're always so serious. You should try loosening up.".
He remained silent.
"Are you mad at me?" she pouted.
"Very.".
"Don't be." She whispered. "You're quite handsome."
"Oh am I?" He teased, a hint of nastiness behind his voice. She ignored it.
"Yeah I think u are."
"Bop." She tapped a finger to his nose, and he flinched.
Esme bit down on her lip nervously as his features hardened. She could feel his rings digging into the fabric of her hoodie. Goosebumps rose on her skin as his eyes dragged along her figure. Her brain was moving a mile a minute, barely functioning at this point. She was falling and falling, and her head was beyond fuzzy.
Careless to her actions, Esme leaned forward, pressing her forehead up against his. Her eyes closed shut, and she could feel his body freeze up again from their intimate proximity. She enjoyed being in his arms at the least. His hold felt strong and protective. Draco's eyes were tightening in pain, but as she reopened them and stared into his, the grey solid melted, sweeping into the silver liquid colour. She saw his expression soften as he gazed into her chocolate brown hues.
Their lips were inches away from each other. Esme could hear her heart pounding in her chest, and she swore he could too. His warm breath fanned across her face, and she savoured the hint of peppermint emitting from his mouth.
"Mr.Malfoy.".
His face was spinning from her vision. "Hm.".
"I think I'm going to faint.".
His face turned in confusion for a split second, "Right now?"
She fell forward, eyes shutting, and Draco securely wrapped his arms around her tightly as she blacked out.