Dinner with the Malfoys was an experience Aine never had before, something she couldn't help but compare with the other times she had a meal with her family, friends or even with the Weasley family. It was the first time Aine ate alongside Draco along with his family and she was growing conscious of the different demeanour she was facing.
The dining hall was extravagant with serpent candelabras with candles lit across the white table cloth, flickering elegantly and softly. The bouquet of blue roses that Aine had brought was now sitting in the centre of the table, adding a little colour to the monotonous manor. The cutleries and dishes were all glistening in the dimmed lighting and their drinking goblets were sparkling and well polished. Even the food was amazing and delicious, although Aine could not quite see what she was eating because of the darkened lighting, it was still cooked perfectly without a flaw.
Aine's eyes drifted up as she moved her fork and knife to cut the meat on her plate, the silence was deafening and whenever her silverware blade screeches across her dish, Lucius Malfoy would click his tongue softly yet loud enough for everyone to hear. She was flustered by the quietness and it only made her tremble as she eat. Draco looks over at her, watching her eat gracefully and slowly, careful not to swallow too loudly or stuff her mouth with big portions of food. He was thankful that she was being considerate, following their mannerism especially when she was the guest. To ease her discomfort, Draco mimics her eating pace and spoke to break the awkward tension.
"So, how is your family doing, Aine?" Draco asks and Aine looks at him with raised brows, grateful that someone finally said something in this dull dinner.
"They are doing all right. My dad has been busy with his customers and orders, brewing tonics and healing concoctions along with some new creations. While Aion is taking a short break from his gigs since everything has been a little unsettling in the Wizarding World now that Vold— I mean— the Dark Lord has risen," Aine replies and immediately, the three Malfoys stiffen up, Lucius gulps his wine down while Narcissa pales at her comment and Draco simply took a shallow breath. Aine looks around them, resting her cutleries as she quickly spoke again, "Oh. Did I say something wrong?"
Draco shook his head and smiled at her as Narcissa clears her throat, "Not at all, dear! We were just perplexed. It is difficult times after all..."
"It is... I supposed," Aine replies, slowly regretting what she had said. She cursed inside her mind and cringed, continuing with her meal. She exchanged looks with Draco and he mouths at her.
"It's okay. Don't worry about it," he reassures and she smiles.
"Thanks," she mutters back and he winks.
The four of them continued their dinner without another word until their plates were all cleaned and goblets empty. Lucius Malfoy took the honour of leaving the table first, openly expressing his disdain for staying any longer. Aine watches as the head of the Malfoy family ascended the stairs of the darkened manor before he was gone. Narcissa puffs her cheeks at her husband, she gave Draco an apologetic look before she disappears into the kitchen to prepare some tea. Aine follows her, hoping to help in some way.
"I'm sorry for earlier, my dear. I hope you are not offended by Lucius's actions," Narcissa told her with a sad smile lacquered onto her face.
Aine shook her head, knowing Draco's father's character well enough to deem his attitude around her normal. She could understand why he disliked her, especially partly because it may be due to her friends. "I'm alright, Mrs Malfoy," she replies and the older woman smiled at her.
Narcissa sighed clasping her hands, "Go keep Draco company, I got this," she winks to the girl who grew pink.
"Oh, no! I should help you! There are so many dishes to do too!" Aine replies.
Narcissa purses her lips, "You are the guest, Aine. I can't possibly let you do the dishes!" she chuckles, "Besides, these plates can be cleaned in a second!" she added, taking her wand out and swishing it. Soon enough, the brushes and sponges began floating and scrubbing away the porcelain plates.
"Right. Magic," Aine mutters to herself, forgetting that witches and wizards were allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. That is if they are of age.
"Yes, so run along, dear!" urges Narcissa, gently nudging Aine back to Draco.
Draco stares at Aine fidgeting, growing nervous once more. He held her hand and gazed into her eyes, softening. "You okay?" he asks and she nodded.
"Mmhm."
Quietness fills the air around them and Draco continued, "So, how's the relationship between Aion and your dad?" he casually brings out.
Aine blinks at his question, slowly relaxing her shoulders as she spoke, "They're getting along well," she smiles, "Too well actually. They are even joining forces to make fun of me now!" she cringes and he laughs, resting his chin on his hand as he listens to her.
"Hmm~"
"Oh! And my brother's girlfriend is coming to visit too! Too bad I can't see her since I'm here, but I've asked dad to tease him for me," she said, giggling to herself and Draco nodded.
"Mmhm," he hums.
Aine's smile faltered and she squinted her eyes at him, "What.. Are you doing?" she asks the boy who was just looking at her talk, his lips were curled up.
"Listening to you?" he replies sweetly and she frowns.
"You sure about that?"
"Mmhm~"
"What about you?" Aine questions, leaning her chin on her hand as she mirrors his actions. She looks straight into his silver eyes and he jerks upright, breaking the eye contact. He laid back on his chair and chuckles nervously.
"Nothing much."
"I thought you said you were helping your father with some dark artefacts?"
"Right! I— I did!" he exclaimed. His mind suddenly went blank and he was so flustered with their closeness that he has completely forgotten what to say. Aine raises a brow, allowing him to go on with his life during the holidays. "I've given a great deal of thought to my career too. Since O.W.Ls is approaching too, I have to start thinking about what to do with life after Hogwarts," he said, feeling his heart go anxious again.
Right... He will be in his fifth year after the holidays... Aine said to herself. Her attention was fixated on Draco's wavering pupils. She could sense his unease even though he didn't say anything about it. It was probably conflicting with him, not knowing what the future holds or how to go forth from here and now.
"I'm sure you'll be okay," she said to him and he looks up at her.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. I know you will."
Draco smiles at her words, it was short but they did give him some encouragement. "Thanks."
The two continued to chat away, lost in their own little world. When Narcissa turns to the two, bickering about and laughter surround the gloomy house. Her son's laughter. It was rare of him to be laughing out loud and she wondered, how long has it been since he was truly smiling and laughing. She peers over to Aine, giggling along as she rolls her eyes at another one of the jokes Draco had told her.
A smile crept onto Narcissa's face but her heart had ached for some reason. She was so full of light, just like her mother. Knowing that her son was smiling more often, she couldn't be happier and thankful. There was no doubt that Aine was the reason for her son's liveliness these days. She recalled seeing them playing around a couple of weeks ago when they came back from Hogwarts, at King's Cross station. It was the first time in such a long time that she saw her son actually having fun and happy and it made her heart even lighter.
Narcissa looks over the children with tender eyes, thinking whether she should just head upstairs and not bother them or not. But just as she was about to do that, Draco caught her gaze and waved to her. Heaving a sigh, she pops back to them with some fruits and tea, sitting down and joining the conversation the two had.
"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy!" Aine chirps, looking at the plate of perfectly cut strawberries and peaches. She quickly offered her and Draco a piece before digging in herself afterwards, her eyes widening at the sweetness of the fruits. "Wow, this is nice," she commented and Draco nodded, equally surprised.
The boy went on with the second piece, but not before squabbling with Aine with the peach she had stabbed with her fork. She narrows her eyes at him and he smirks, "I saw that first," he claimed and she frowns.
"No, my fork got in it first," she replies calmly. However, Draco quickly snatches her fork and eats her peach when she was busy glaring at him, causing Aine to scoff at him. He snickers and chewed on his fruit proudly before reaching for another, only for Aine to mimic his actions earlier and ate his fruit before he could.
"Wow," Draco replies nonchalantly, grinning as she slowly fumes at his answer.
"Rude," Aine snarls, rolling her eyes as she hears Draco chuckle.
Not realizing that Narcissa had been looking at them bickering to and fro, she titters to herself and the two turned to her.
"Mother..?" Draco calls out, stunned. He swaps a look with Aine who had her brows raised, shrugging.
"I'm sorry! It's just really cute to see you two teasing one another!" she replies, trying to suppress her laughter into her hand as she covers her lips, her eyes still curling.
Aine blushed at her statement, looking away immediately as Draco's eyes went large, clearing his throat. Embarrassment rose to him as he mentally cursed himself, he met the eyes of his mother and reddened at her smile. Narcissa glances at Aine, marvelling at every feature of her face. How could she look so identical to her? She thought to herself, softening at the younger lady who was giggling along with her son.
When Aine catches sight of the older woman looking at her, she paused and inquired, "Is there something wrong, Mrs Malfoy?"
Narcissa blinks away, snapping out of her train of thoughts, she shook her head and smiles, "You remind me of Aris very much," she stated softly and Aine cocks her head.
"Who..?"
Draco eyes at the two ladies, he too had wondered who 'Aris' was. Narcissa gasped, flabbergasted at the girl's question. She pondered for a moment before disclosing to her, "That's the name of your mother, dear. Don't you know that?"
Aine's heart stopped and she accidentally lets go of her fork, crashing down onto the wooden table, startling the mother and son. The smile on her face was wiped into a partially opened mouth and she recomposes herself. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she quickly apologizes and Narcissa grew nervous. Did she really not know her mother's name?
"No worries, dear. I just thought— I thought you knew..." Narcissa mutters and Aine bitterly shook her head.
"It's the first time I ever heard it. I only know her last name."
A short 'Oh' escaped from Narcissa's lips and she wondered, perhaps it wasn't a good idea to bring up the matter of her mother. It was a long time since she met with Aris and the rumours that sparked her death even spread to her. Nevertheless, she couldn't seem to accept the fact that Aris was dead. Instead, Narcissa held onto the one hope that Aris was somehow alive somewhere. Nonetheless, the question remained in her mind:
Why didn't Elliot reveal to Aine her mother's name? Why was the child left not knowing the existence of her mother, let alone her name?
Lost in her bubble of thoughts once more, Aine studies Narcissa's expressions. She purses her lips, sceptical and then she spoke, "Do you know my mother, Mrs Malfoy?"
Narcissa was drawn back to reality when she heard Aine's question. She saw Draco looking at her too, curious about his friend's mother now. After all, he has heard about Aine's mother and all he knew was that she left Aine and her father when she was little; and that she never came back unlike her son.
Aine looks to the older woman, eyes burning with wonder and question and a muffled gasp escaped when Narcissa nodded. She wanted to ask her all about her mother, of her stories and tales and perhaps there might be a clue to why she left. However, Narcissa was reluctant. She feared that she may over speak of the girl's mother and thought of Elliot and his reaction. But there was something about Aine that made her want to tell her everything. At that moment, she felt pity and even sadness when she thought of Aine's point of view.
"Please... Please tell me about my mother," Aine pleaded, desperation in her voice.
Narcissa bit her lip before she spoke, "I was friends with your mother and father. They were my juniors when we were in Hogwarts." She stares blankly at the blue roses, reminiscing the days she was in the castle.
Aine listened intently to Narcissa who slowly revealed the stories she had of her mother. Her brows knitted together as she grew more upset despite hearing the tales.
"Your mother was in Ravenclaw and she was five years younger than me. Even though we were in different houses and had a sense of rivalry between us, Aris accepted and treated me kindly and equally despite others who sneer at us. She was very sweet and caring and often followed me around regardless of our competition. She was humble, wise and headstrong too and sometimes I forget that she was younger than me because of her words that were filled with such great wisdom..." Narcissa remarked, a smile growing on her face, recalling the past.
She went on, "Aris was also very talented. She loved to dance and was gifted in dancing, singing and playing instruments... I supposed it's nice how Aion is taking after her and following in her footsteps. I'm sure Aris would be very proud of him and how you are taking after Elliot." Narcissa giggles to herself, recalling the time she saw Aris teaching Elliot how to dance in the middle of the corridor.
"She had this unusual charm to her that draws people to adore her too. Her smile was both stunning and deadly at the same time and her voice was refined and gentle, it was as if she was singing every time she spoke. Your father had fallen for her charms and she was intrigued at Elliot's diligence and compassion. Even before, he was interested in potion making and I guess at times, he would even skip his meals to explore it." Narcissa stated.
Aine chuckles, imagining the scene. "That sounds like my dad!"
Narcissa nodded, laughing along with her as she added, "They were a very cute couple too. Lucius and I were often envious of their relationship because they always looked like they were having fun around each other: pranking, teasing, learning, sharing, comforting, and loving. They never did care what others think of their relationship. And despite the bad blood between our friends, your parents were different from the rest and we both held mutual respect for one another."
Both Draco and Aine mustered a smile, sharing looks with one another. "What did she look like?" she asks.
Narcissa softens at her, "Like you, Aine. She was beautiful both inside and out and her eyes were like yours— bright, mesmerizing, golden. I would even say you're a spitting image of her!" she simpers and Aine nodded, she looks to her reflection at the mirrored vase. If mother looked exactly like me, was who she saw last time in the mirror after the Yule Ball her?
She remembered the striking gold eyes staring back, the long silky black hair with grey highlighted locks and the familiar silvery voice that disturbed her. Aine shudders at the thought of it, she quickly glanced away from her reflection down to her trembling fingers. It was hard to believe that the person Narcissa was speaking about was the same person who abandoned her and left.
Why did she change?
Was there a deeper reason to leave?
Why wouldn't father tell me anything about it?
Later that night, after the three of them had their little tea time, Narcissa had bid Aine goodnight before leaving her with her son to catch up. She had noticed the girl's crestfallen smile halfway through the conversation about her mother she decided to conclude the talk, making a note to send a letter to Elliot to inform him about their discussion. She knew that it was probably a difficult topic to bring up as a parent, especially to his child who was forsaken behind. Narcissa could understand why it was kept a secret from Aine, but even so, she hopes that the girl's thoughts would be relieved slightly, even if it was only a little.
Draco had led Aine to his room where they decided to stargaze for a while before they head to sleep. He glanced at her as they walked back, noting her quietness and dispiritedness. Knowing that the conversation they had earlier was affecting her, he decided to remain quiet to let her sort her thoughts out.
When they arrived at Draco's bedroom, Aine's emotions reverted to her normal self as she enters the room. It was surprisingly a tad different than what she expected of it, "Wow..."
"Surprised?" he asks and she nodded.
"Welcome to my room, I guess?" he lightly chuckles, feeling embarrassed now that she was in his room. He quickly scanned across his bedroom, making sure nothing was disturbing Aine. He invited her in and she gawks at the massiveness of the room, it was bigger than the room Narcissa had prepared for her and much larger than her room. It was almost the size of her living room.
"Your room is HUGE," she commented and Draco sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.
"It's too big for my liking, but thank you?"
Aine browsed through the enormous room, the walls were grey and filled with black and silver damask wallpaper. Though it was a big room, there wasn't much furniture besides a walk-in closet, a four-poster bed, a writing desk and a chair situated in front of a beautiful painting of a Draco constellation that hung behind the wall, a fireplace, a pair of armchairs by the windows. It had a minimal style to it that she didn't expect Draco to have, and the room was interestingly ordinary. However, the thing that caught her eyes was the wall next to his bed. There were about nine frames full of the various clusters of stars, constellations, planets and galaxies that moved in the pictures.
She walked towards the moving pictures and marvelled at them, catching sight of the swirling milky way. She smiles at it, watching the stars within the image gracefully dance. "It's very beautiful," she complimented and Draco hums in agreement. He was feeling awkward now that she was in his room. It was the first time he had a girl come in here besides his mother and his heart pounded faster when he met her gaze in the reflection of the glass. Looking away, he approaches the windows.
Aine watches as Draco walks towards the floor-length windows, he pushes the handle and a wave of evening breeze hits them. The window was also a door that leads out to a balcony where a silvered coloured telescope stood. He turns to her and with a smile, he offered his hand to her.
"Shall we go see some stars, Aine?"
The corner of her lips curled and she hesitated for a second before reaching to take his hand, the warmness of his touch glowed within Aine.
"We shall~"
─── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───
Fluff. Fluff. I live for these small moments between Draco and Aine. Just a chapter to enlighten you guys before we embark on the Hogwarts journey! What do you think of the chapters so far? We're finally dwelling deeper into Aine's family and her mother's storyline as we progressed further. Do you guys have any theories so far? Let me know in the comments!
As usual, do give it an upvote if you enjoy this chapter! I really appreciate it! ^^
- Zeneria