"Well, don't you look lovely." Theodore complimented me as I opened the door to my manor. "Hi, baby," he smiled, leaning into the door and planting a kiss on my blushing cheek.
I felt a smile wash over my face as I thanked him and straightened out my long, burnt orange dress. However, his confidence left quickly when my father approached us.
"Ahhh, Mr. Nott." He said cooly. "Emmy told me we'd be expecting you. I take it you will be escorting her next door this evening." He said to the boy, making him turn into a flustered mess.
"Yes," he said timidly, readjusting his white bow tie as he still stood outside on the front stoop and straightened his shoulders. "Um, I know we've only met a few times, but you can call me Theodore, sir." He said softly, his eyes still wide from fear. "Theo, for short if you'd prefer." He stuttered, holding his hand out towards my father.
My dad took his hand willingly, giving it a firm shake with a huge grin. He chuckled lowly at Theo's behavior, making the boy blush a deep crimson shade.
"Theo, I have heard great things about you from your father. I expect you will do even better things for us in the future." My father nodded, making Theo's lips curl up as he gave a nod.
"I hope so." He assured him. "I'm honored to hear you say that, especially coming from someone so highly respected." He nodded again, dropping my father's hand and crossing his own behind his back.
"I like him, he's polite." My father muttered to me, as if Theo wasn't standing just a few inches from us and could hear every word. "Well, you two should be on your way. I'm still waiting on the Mrs., but I believe the gathering will be starting shortly. Important matters are intended to be discussed so you should arrive on time." My father stated, turning his eye sight to the Malfoy's right across the street.
"Yes, of course. We'll see you there, sir." Theo nodded, holding his hand out for me to take. I did so willingly and bid my father goodbye before he shut the front door behind the two of us.
"Did I do okay? I was so nervous. I've never had to introduce myself to a girl's parent. I've never even had a girlfriend. I've only ever done hookups." Theo panted, braiding our arms together and leading me down the driveway.
"You did a wonderful job. If you just act how you always do, they'll love you just as much as I do." I chuckled, before Theo halted in his tracks. I turned to look at him out of confusion while his eyes looked as though they were popping out of his head and his mouth hung open.
"What?" I asked, stepping back towards him.
"N-nothing." He stuttered, putting his smile back on his lips. "Let's get going, my dear. Your father was right. Important stuff lies ahead." He said, walking us forward once again.
"So," I started, "what's this ball for exactly?" I asked. "You know how I am with the Malfoy's, and they've never had a random ball in the spring. I've attended every one they've ever had." I chuckled, looking up at the manor as we walked through the steel gates.
"Business." Theo said lowly, making my face fall slightly. It didn't take much more of an explanation for me to understand, and I grew tired of Theo's bluntness about the situation.
"Draco told me." I blurted out, making Theo's tense body relax slightly as he caught on. "About the marks. Your plans. What my father was just discussing." I told him, turning to look at him with a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Unlike Draco, you don't make me feel scared about all of this." I chuckled, interlocking our fingers and stepping up the front steps.
"Draco and I are different. He uh-"
"Welcome!" Narcissa chirped as she pulled the door open and cut his statement off. "My sweet Emmy, always looking lovely." She smiled, planting a kiss on my cheek.
"Hi, Cissy." I smiled as I leaned into her warm touch, but Theo still stood stiff next to me.
"How are you, Theodore?" She asked him sweetly, and he finally seemed to relax from the tension he was feeling.
"I'm well, Mrs. Malfoy. And you?" He asked her. She shrugged once as she let us enter the already crowded home.
"Can't complain." She chuckled. "You can go ahead and make yourselves at home. Dinner will be served in the dining room shortly. Everyone has already made their way there if you wish to join." She smiled, making me return the gesture. I led the way and pulled Theo towards the dining room with me.
"So these are all.." I whispered lowly as I leaned towards him. Some people I recognized. Majority, however, were unfamiliar faces.
"Death eaters." He confirmed just as quietly. "No Dark Lord tonight though, love. He's preoccupied with coordinating agendas and plans for the next few weeks. I wouldn't make you suffer through that." He sighed, pulling a chair out for me to sit at.
"Again." I added on, chuckling slightly despite how unamused the topic made me. "What were you saying before we entered?" I asked him, but he just raised his brows at me like he didn't know what I was talking about.
"I'm sure it'll come up later." He mumbled, picking up his glass of champagne and drinking from it before a house elf appeared and refilled it.
"Hello, Peesy." I chuckled, but she coward down just like she always did when I spoke. "You look lovely tonight. I hope you aren't being overworked." I told her in a gentle voice.
"Hello Miss Prince," she said curtly. "Master Draco hasn't had you visit in some time. Peesy thinks he misses you. He is awfully sad when Peesy asks of you." She blurted out before her eyes widened. "Peesy wasn't supposed to talk of Master Draco's business. He told me not to speak. Peesy is a bad elf." She said frantically before she apparated away.
My brows furrowed while my lips parted, and I glanced at Theo who was already in a discussion with his father who sat next to him.
To my surprise, when I glanced down the table Draco had no other lady on his hip. Just more gentlemen seated around him. It made it even more humorous the more I watched. His smaller body amongst the group of men looked so out of place, but he always did think so highly of himself.
It didn't take long for everyone to be seated before Lucius stood at the head of the table and gathered everyone's attention. My parents sat a few feet away with some of their friends, and Blaise took the seat next to me, making my lips curl into a smile as he shot me a wink and got settled in.
"Thank you all for gathering this evening to rejoice in the revival of our Lord. It's astonishing to me to see all of the things we have accomplished in almost a years time, and I am so humbled by the number of you that came here this evening to show your alliance with us." Lucius raised his glass in the air. Theo's hand moved into mine in my lap, interlocking our fingers while he kept his head turned forward towards Lucius.
"A few announcements, before I forget. Members of our team are working on an escape from Azkaban as we speak. Soon enough, even more of our members will be here to join us." He beamed with pride. I felt a shiver travel down my back as I thought about all the bad people I'd have to encounter within the next few months.
"The only other thing I have to say, is how proud I am not only as a follower at the Dark Lord's side, but as a father." He told all of us. My head turned back to look at Blaise who was already giving me a worried look. "Draco, if you would please stand and join me." Lucius gestured for him to stand at the head of the table as well.
"Emelia. Whatever happens, do not make a scene." Blaise warned me quickly, making my head turn towards him once again.
"Wha-"
"Do not make a scene. Wait until the speech is over. Then I don't care what you do." He shook his head, his eyes telling me so much more than his words ever could.
Something horrible is about to happen.
"I would like to be the first one to announce," I turned my head towards Lucius with wide eyes. My mouth was hung open slightly from surprise as I waited for his next words to leave his mouth. "That my Draco has been appointed to second in command for our next war. The Dark Lord's right hand man. The appointment will officially take place at his ceremony after his birthday. Draco was born for this, and I cannot begin to describe my excitement for him." Lucius beamed with pride as he spoke.
My eyes pooled with tears before they darted to Draco right next to his father, who was already staring at my horrified face blankly. Like there wasn't a soul behind his eyes. He just wanted to see my reaction to the news.
"To Draco." Lucius raised his glass.
"To Draco!" The others cheered, lifting their glasses in the air and chugging the champagne.
I didn't move a muscle as Draco brought his glass to his lips slowly, still locking eyes with me down the table. I wasn't even sure I remembered how to breathe properly.
"I'm gonna be sick." I choked out, dropping Theo's hand from mine, placing the napkin that was laid across my lap on the table top, and pushing myself out to exit.
I ignored Blaise's quiet calls for me to come back and eat with the others. I ignored Theo's questions as I left.
I just need to get the fuck out of here.
But I didn't know where to go. Of course, I knew this Manor like the back of my hand. There were hundreds of rooms to choose from, but I was so frazzled I felt like I had lost all sense of direction.
"Emelia!" Theo yelled out after several minutes of scurrying through the corridors, making me turn around on my heels while my tears still poured down my face.
"Did you know?" I choked out, wiping my cheeks as I looked at him. "Did you know about all of this? That this is what the dinner was for?" I questioned him some more.
"I tried telling you, but we were cut off out front." He sighed, reaching for my hand with his own. I shook my head while I pulled myself away.
"He can't." I sobbed, turning my gaze out the window next to me. Theo let out a sigh before he picked up my hand and brought it up to his lips.
"It's what he wants, Em." He tried telling me, pity lingering in his voice as he watched me cry in the middle of the long and empty hallway.
I shook my head out of disbelief once again before I stormed past Theodore.
"I'm not letting him." I protested, making my way back to the party. I wiped my tears quickly and round another corner.
"Emelia, please." Theo begged behind me, but I continued making my way back to the party, almost at a sprint. The tables had cleared out, and the dinner had obviously occurred without us as people were dancing and carrying on.
I moved my eyes around the room before I spotted the platinum hair laughing with a few other men while they held their glasses of liquor in their hands. I didn't know what to do, but I sure as hell couldn't just embarrass my entire family by throwing a fit in front of everyone.
I walked towards him, losing Theodore in the crowd before I stood at Draco's side. Draco's eyes left the man in front of him and met mine while their laughter died down. I tried my best to hold a serious face and keep my anger controlled, but his black eyes staring at me took away every ounce of confidence I once held.
"Well, who is this lovely lady?" One of the men eyed me up and down slowly as he licked his bottom lip. I felt a shiver run up and down my spine and I started to realize how bad this idea was now that it was actually occurring.
"This is my Emmy," Draco told them kindly, but I was so used to this show that he put on for others that I wasn't even phased by the phrase.
No matter how many times he says it, it has a whole different meaning now. I'm not his Emmy. I probably never would be again.
Draco snaked his arm around my lower back and pulled me into his side by my waist, his hand cupping my hip firmly.
"Well, maybe I should become the Dark Lord's sidekick if it means she'll come crawling to my side." The second man chuckled, his eyes not leaving my tightly fitted dress. Draco's hand gripped on to my hip a little tighter as I stared at the man in fear. "Suppose you'll let me have a round when you're finished." He winked at Draco, moving his eyes back to my slightly exposed chest.
"Unfortunately for you, I've never been good at sharing." Draco chuckled before he took another sip from his glass, though I knew he didn't find any of this funny at all.
He had that much right. He was always so territorial about all of his things, and I had always been included in that category up until recent months. But Draco despised the way they were talking of me. He could hardly stand the idea of me being with Theodore, let alone grown death eaters who had disgusting thoughts running through their minds.
"Oh, come on, Malfoy." The first man laughed as he looked at me, never even looking over at Draco while he addressed him. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. They never do." He said lowly. "That's what they're here for. A good time every once in a while, just like she gives you." He whispered darkly, reaching his hand up and stroking my cheek with the back of it.
I cringed away from his touch and laid my face into Draco's shoulder, his cologne bringing me security as I now placed my hands on his hips and gripped on to him. Draco moved me so he stood in front of me slightly while my hands lingered on his belt, blocking me from the man that once stood so close to me.
"If you ever touch her again, I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot. Now, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me," Draco told the man lowly, grabbing my upper arm and leading me away from his previous conversation. When we were off to ourselves I glared my eyes right through his.
"What the fuck are you thinking?!" I hissed through gritted teeth. His face didn't budge before a small smirk started to appear at my flustered face.
He enjoyed this. It entertained him. A little too much, at that.
"Why the fuck do you care?" He chuckled. I shoved him slightly, but my strength was no match for his weight. He hardly moved a muscle.
"I'm dating Theo now! You can't just act like I'm with you." I told him, shaking my head slightly. "Also, why the fuck would you want to work so closely with you know who?" I questioned him, but he rolled his eyes. His anger replaced his playful look as usual, and dragged me right back down the same rabbit hole.
"Alright. You want to be a slag? Next time one of these creeps wants in your panties, I'll just hand you right over with no remorse. You think they would've backed down like that against Nott? You've got another thing coming if you think he scares anyone here." Draco spat towards me in a low voice. I looked up at him anxiously, seeing his mean glare take over his face.
"This is all I could want. Everyone here is celebrating me and my achievements over the last 5 months. I'm getting the power I want. The attention I crave. And the best part? I probably just guaranteed that you'll stay away from me forever." He smiled victoriously while he continued inching himself closer.
"How does it feel, Emmy? To want someone so badly that your brain is convinced it will never love anyone else. To see how successful I'm going to be without you. But you'll have to fall asleep every night next to another guy knowing that I will never want you," his devious smirk looked down on me while my tears were ready to spill at any second from his hurtful words.
"Cry about it, wuss. I dare you." He whispered, laughing under his breath as I bumped shoulders with him and left him where he stood.
Wherever Theo was, I was sure he would be fine at that party without me. I bolted from that hell hole with tears flowing from my eyes and down my cheeks as I sprinted out into the rain and ran towards my home.
•
"Emelia." Theo's voice came from outside my door, followed by his light knocking. "Baby, open up." He told me softly, jiggling the doorknob.
"No. Go away." I cried, burying my face in my pillow. I still laid in my dress and my heels were still strapped to my feet.
Theo must have pulled out his wand and forced his way in because the door had clicked and I felt him slipping my shoes off for me. I didn't resist as he climbed up on to the bed with me and tossed his black jacket off to the side, pulling me into his black dress shirt.
"I know how much it hurts you that he'd pick those things over you when he was given the choice. But I also know that you don't deserve that type of treatment, and he doesn't deserve your tears, love." Theo mumbled to me, pulling my hair away from my face and kissing my forehead carefully.
"I just don't know what I did for this to happen to me." I sighed, wiping my tears and trying to calm myself down. "But it doesn't matter. Because in the end, his stupid fucking decisions brought you and I together." I smiled weakly at him. His smile reflected mine. Unconvinced and sad.
"I know sometimes... I still get caught up on Draco and I shouldn't because that isn't fair to you. I shouldn't be crying about my ex-boyfriend anymore. I don't want you thinking you're a second option to me." I whispered, bringing my hand up to his cheek and cradling it in the palm of my hand.
"Considering you accidentally told me you loved me earlier, I kind of figured that much out on my own." He chuckled, trying to lighten my mood. "I know you care for me deeply, and I know your feelings for him. But it's okay. Because I love you, too. I know how much he means to you. Or meant to you. I'm not sure how to even word it. The point is," he laughed at himself, "I love you. I'm patient enough to understand and listen. I will never get mad at you for anything you feel." He whispered, turning his face and kissing my palm that held his cheek.
"You're valid for those things, Emelia. Everything about you is valid. Especially your feelings. So whenever you're upset, don't worry that the reason will hurt my feelings. Because I could never hate you for having emotions." He smiled at me. "I just want to make you happy and make it better." He whispered. My fingers moved up to his curls, twirling a few of them in my fingers.
"I love you so much, Theo. Truly." I whispered to him, scooting up slightly and leveling our faces as we laid beside each other on my bed.
"I know you do. I feel the same exact way about you, love." He caressed my cheek lovingly before he placed his lips in mine. "Always and forever." He chuckled, pecking my nose and tucking my face in to his neck.
"Always and forever." I whispered back.