"Wait, wait!" Arden says. "So you and Malfoy were attacked by Death Eaters last night?" She asks. I nod slowly. "After one of them already tracked you down back in California?" She adds. I shrug. "Yep." I say.
"Wow. I had no idea Emma." Daphne says softly. I frown. "I'm sorry guys. But honestly neither did I really. Well, I didn't realize how much trouble I truly was in. I just barely found out that I'm on the Death Eaters most wanted list right now." I say.
"But why do they want you?" Capri asks. I pause for a moment. "I'm not sure. Because of my parents?" I lie. I make the rapid decision to withhold a fraction of the truth. I hardly knew anything about this supposed "Restoration." I decided maybe for now it would be better if they didn't know the real cause was something far more sinister. It would certainly save them the extra stress.
"Well thank you for telling us." Capri smiles after sitting them down to explain why I had been gone all night, as well as every moment leading up to me being at Hogwarts. As far as they had known, I was simply a witch raised in the muggle world who's Hogwarts letter came a little later than ideal.
"Of course." I smile back. "You know you can tell us anything, right?" Daphne tells me. "I know I just - I don't know. I guess I should've just told you guys." I say.
The truth was, I had a hard time trusting people. Of course I trusted three girls. To an extent. It had been a little over a month since I had met them, and although they were quick to become my best friends, I hadn't quite felt comfortable in fully opening up to them.
* * * * *
Draco Malfoy frowned deeply as he stared at the black ink on his left forearm. The mark that would forever remind himself of his past. He wished so deeply he could get rid of it, but nothing had worked. It was still as dark and striking as the day he had first gotten.
His muscles ached as he sighed and pulled his shirt over his head. To say he wasn't concerned about the events of last night would be a lie. The last thing he was expecting was to be cornered by two Death Eaters. However, he truly wasn't expecting that Ashwood would have saved his life that night. He knew the look in Rookwood's eyes better than anything, and he knew Rookwood would have killed him if it weren't for that idiot girl.
At times, she was slightly tolerable, times such as the previous night before. But after this morning things went right back to normal. He rolled his eyes just thinking about how infuriating she was as he turned on the shower.
He stepped underneath the hot water, his muscles slightly tensing at the heat. His whole body desperately ached, and he knew it was because of the Crucio curse Rookwood had used on him. Draco shook his head. It was nothing he wasn't used to. That curse had been his Father's favorite form of punishment growing up. It only grew worse in the previous years when Death Eaters has constantly flooded his home.
He could hardly call it a home anymore. In a way, he was glad he could come back to Hogwarts. He was able to escape his empty shell of a mother, ever so lonely since his Dad had been captured and sent to Azkaban for good.
He knit his brows together harshly, not even a life sentence in that place was enough punishment for how cruel of a person his Father had been. He wondered how a person once so kind hearted as his mother could ever be his wife.
Surely it was an arranged marriage. Like the betrothal he had towards Astoria Greengrass. He felt a sharp pang as she crossed his mind. Astoria has been quite possibly one of the only people that had truly cared about him. Their relationship was nothing short of platonic but he wished so badly that he could just talk to her once more.
He wished that he could tell her that she actually meant a lot more to him than he would ever let on, and that he was sorry for not being a better friend.
But she was dead, and it was all his fault.
* * * * *
"You're in a good mood." Malfoy says sarcastically as he takes a seat next to me. Currently, I was slumped in my seat, ready for potions to start. My head was rested on my arms, and my hood of my school cloak was currently up. It was my subtle way of letting people know not to talk to me. Obviously Malfoy hadn't gotten the memo.
"Aren't I always?" I retort, equally sarcastic. "What's got your panties in a twist?" He asks. "Didn't sleep well." I mumble. I had only gotten two hours of sleep the previous night. It was currently Monday, and it had been two days since being attacked by Death Eaters, yet I couldn't escape them. All night, my sleep was plagued by nightmares of Death Eaters, mercury masks, and silver daggers.
"That's unfortunate." He muses.
"What's more unfortunate is having to see you today." I say.
"But you see me every day." He frowns.
"Yes, but you're considerably more annoying today." I snap.
"We've only been talking for a few minutes Ashwood." He says, annoyed.
"And that's a few minutes longer than I would like." I groan.
"You're quite the difficult woman." He sneers.
"Just shut up already!" I shout impulsively.
Everyone goes silent and looks right at me, even Malfoy. I try to hide under my hood as I feel the embarrassment quickly creep in. I hadn't planned on shouting that loud, I just wanted the idiot to shut up.
"Jesus, what's wrong with you?" He mumbles under his breath. Slughorn waddles in seconds later, wearing his usual velvet robes.
The rest of the day had passed incredibly slow. After my outburst towards Malfoy, he made sure to give me my space. Between a lack of sleep and the events of this past weekend, my head felt like a war zone. Thoughts and questions were rushing through me every second.
I couldn't ignore the fact that I was supposed to be the downfall of this stupid Death Eater "restoration," whatever it was. I could barely keep up with my own responsibilities.
Slowly the days began to turn into weeks and suddenly, the end of October was just a few days away. The school had been decorated in an array of festive decorations for the upcoming holiday, Halloween.
The crisp fall air buzzed with excitement as every student, young or old, prepared. The previous week had consisted of a trip to Hogsmeade to find some costumes. Much to my displeasure, I was practically forced to purchase one.
It took hours for Arden to convince me to go as an angel whilst she would go as a Devil. I finally gave in, tired of hearing her beg. Capri and Daphne had planned to go as vampires. I couldn't help but dread Halloween. Back in California, it was basically an excuse to dress up all slutty and get absolutely wasted. I was sure it wouldn't be much different here.
Finally a week later, it was the day everyone had been looking forward to, aside from me. I begrudgingly pulled on a white, form fitting dress Arden had picked out for me. I looked at myself in the mirror. The fabric hugged my body, and I flushed feeling far too exposed for my liking. I walk out of the bathroom.
"I'm not going down there." I state firmly. The three girls looked up at me quickly. I hear Arden gasp. "Yes you are!! You look so freaking hot of course you're going." She exclaims, looking at me with wide eyes.
I notice Capri and Daphne also looking at me, smirks on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes. "She's right, you look good as hell." Capri smirks. "Mmhmm!" Daphne hums in agreement.
The permanent flush on my face only grows deeper. "No, I look like an idiot." I scowl.
"Emma darling, do you even know how to have fun?" Arden questions.
I scowl. "Of course I do!" I say.
"Then prove it." She dares.
I groan loudly. "But I - I can't be seen wearing this!" I tell them. "Why? Because people will finally realize what a killer body you've been hiding?" Arden smirks devilishly, and I suddenly understand why she chose to go as a Devil. My cheeks only grow more red from her comment.
"This j-just shows too much skin!" I stammer. "That's the point, Em." Capri smirks. I argue with the three of them for quite a bit longer until I finally give up.
"Fine! I'll go. But no promises that I will stay down there." I mutter. Daphne grins wide. "At least we're getting you down there." She says.
Arden struts towards me in her identical, figure hugging dress, a pair of devil horns placed on top of her honey blonde hair. She holds the white halo for my costume as she happily perches it on my head.
I turn towards the full body mirror in the room looking at my costume in full. I suppose the white was a nice contrast to my deep brown hair that hung around my waist in loose curls. I exhale deeply before turning back towards Capri and Daphne.
"Let's just get this over with." I mutter.
It was customary for the Slytherin to throw a large party in the common room on Halloween. Several students had put silencing charms around the place so that any person wandering by wouldn't hear us whatsoever.
The second we stepped out of our dorm, the chatter and buzz of all our fellow housemates filled the air. I groaned as I trudged down the stairs, following after Arden.
"C'mon Ashwood you look hot. If Malfoy wasn't already into you, this will certainly change his mind." She jokes. "You are cruel, Jensen." I sneer at her, calling her by her last name.
"What's a slytherin without a bit of cruelty?" She grins. "A ravenclaw." I mutter as I roll my eyes. "Oh cheer up. I was only joking about Malfoy. More like every guy is gonna want you now." She continues.
"Too bad, the only thing I'm interested in right now is some Firewhiskey." I glare at her. "Emma! Not the thing I would expect an angel to say!" Arden playfully gasps, "Let alone, Emma Ashwood." She adds.
"Well, Emma Ashwood doesn't know if she can make it through the night without it." I growl. It was true. The second we reached the base of the stairs, the first thing I had seen was a couple looking like they were eating each other's faces off. I knew after seeing that I couldn't remain sober all night.
Arden grins wide. "Well in that case, after you." She says as she gestures towards a table full of bottles. She follows on my heels as I make my way over.
After three shots I feel the burning sensation in my throat. Arden looks at me, her smirk yet to fade off her face tonight. "You're truly an interesting girl, Em." She says. "Actually I'm far from it." I sigh.
"No, I happen to agree with Jensen on this one." Blaise says as he joins our conversation. I notice he too is dressed as a vampire. "Coordinate with Capri, and Daphne?" I question nodding towards him.
"Just a stroke of luck darling." He smirks as he throws his arms around both me and Arden. "How are you beautiful ladies doing tonight?" He smirks, "I must say, you two seemed to have captured most the guys attention." He adds. I throw his arm off of me.
"That's it, I'm out." I huff. I was already in a bad mood due to lack of sleep, and this day had been anything but enjoyable, but I absolutely despised my current attire, now add in this extra attention? Maybe I was being dramatic but I would rather be curled up in bed right now.
"Emma wait!" Arden is quick to grab my arm and pull me back. "Please, just a little longer." Arden frowns. I stare at her blankly. "I was having fun with you." She says.
I roll my eyes. "Fine." I growl before I take 2 more shots. At this rate, the whole room would soon be spinning, but that was the desired effect after all.
Right as I was about to take another shot Blaise stopped me. "I think that's enough for now." He warns. I scowl at him but not a second later Malfoy walks by.
"Oi Malfoy! Surprised you even came down." Blaise smirks. "Free Alcohol." He says simply as he nods towards the table. The second Blaise turns away I quickly down the shot and Arden starts laughing.
"Don't be complaining tomorrow when you have a wicked hangover." Blaise says. "I'm fine." I snarl. I turn around and come face to face with Malfoy. His eyes quickly widen.
"Ashwood. Didn't know that was you. You almost look like a girl for once." He smirks. I look him up and down noticing he wears no costume whatsoever.
"I see you dressed as a self centered prick." I say simply. "At least I didn't get my costume wrong. You're hardly an Angel." He snaps.
"You are acting a bit devilish tonight." Arden mumbles. I shoot her a glare. Malfoy steps directly next to me and without a word, snatches the Firewhiskey, drinking it straight from the bottle.
I scowl at him. He notices this and lowers the bottle. "Something the matter?" He raises a brow. "You're gross." I say.
"No, just trying to get drunk enough to forget about you." He says.
"Why would anyone want to forget about me?" I scoff, pretending to be offended.
"You two obviously just need to shag each other already." Blaise muses. Malfoy literally chokes on Firewhiskey as he says this.
"Sorry, what?" I snap. Blaise smirks and Arden mimicks his facial expression as well. "It's true, the sexual tension between you two is unbearable." He says.
I laugh humorously. "You think I'd be attracted to that?" I spit as I gesture towards Malfoy. He glares at me hard. "All girls are." He says coldly. "Not every girl, obviously." Arden laughs.
"But we all know who's dying to get in your pants Malfoy," I begin. Blaise and Arden share a smirk. "Parkinson!" They say in unison.
An idea pops into my head as a sly smile folds itself out across my face. "Yo, Parkinson!" I shout, noticing she's only a few feet away, gawking at Malfoy per usual.
"What?!" She snaps venomously. "Get over here!" I smirk. Malfoy looks at me in horror. "What are you doing Ashwood?" Malfoy asks fiercely.
I shrug before turning to a reluctant Pansy Parkinson with a stone cold glare on her pug face. "Malfoy here was just commenting on how good you look tonight." I say. A look of utter adoration quickly wipes the nasty look off her face.
"Really Drakie? You said that?!" She exclaims in an agonizing high pitched voice.
"No! I -" Malfoy begins to stammer furiously, the rage clearly visible on his face.
"Now don't be rude Drakie!" I smirk, calling him by his nickname. "There's no need to be shy! We will leave you two to your business." I say deviously before grabbing Arden and Blaise by the arm and quickly pulling them away.
"I'm going to kill you Ashwood!" Draco Malfoy shouts. I smile. "I'd like to see you try." I shout over my shoulder, leaving him to the torture of Pansy Parkinson.
Blaise and Arden erupt into laughter the second we are within an earshot away of him.
"And you called me cruel?" Arden questions. "I'm only cruel to Malfoy." I smirk.
Blaise looks at me with a pointed look. "Seriously though Em, you two just need to confess your love towards each other already." He smirks.
"Sure, if you consider love constantly taunting each other and nearly killing one another. Besides, the guy looks pretty busy." I say as I nod towards the blonde downing Firewhiskey with one hand and shoving Pansy away with the other.