Your head thumped rhythmically against the glass of the compartment window. The cool surface felt nice against your forehead and did wonders for your mild headache. The world outside of the window was black and you could just barely make out the broad towers of the castle in the distance.
You hadn't slept well after seeing Harry and Cho together in the Room of Requirement. Most of the night was spent tossing and turning underneath the covers. When you did eventually fall asleep, your dreams were plagued by visions of you stepping into the room and discovering the two together. It played through your head over and over until suddenly, you were awoken by Pansy's pet cat, Duchess, pawing at your chest.
Draco was seated across from you in the train compartment. His hands were folded sternly in his lap as he toyed with the frayed green string poking out from underneath his sleeve. You never understood why he kept the bracelet you gave him. It certainly did nothing to match his wardrobe.
Unlike you, Draco actually bothered to get dressed that morning. He had traded out his school uniform for a fitted black suit and shiny leather dress shoes. In comparison, you didn't look half as good dressed in an oversized sweater and your favorite pair of muddied boots. You weren't in the mood for being presented as a Christmas gift for your family once you arrived at Malfoy Manor.
If Draco had any issues with your choice of outfit, he didn't say anything. However, the silence between you was thick and heavy and you worried that if one of you didn't say something soon, the cabin would explode under the pressure.
With your eyes unmoving from the darkened landscape outside, you reached up and scratched at your scarred hand. You had only been gone from Hogwarts for just over fifteen minutes and you were already missing the smell of the library and the feeling of the stone walls in the corridor against your fingers.
"What's the matter?" Draco asked finally. You blinked over and watched him shift uncomfortably in his seat. His tone was genuine and you could tell that he was actually concerned for you. You noticed that he always acted nicer in general outside of school. There was just something about being at Hogwarts that turned him into the biggest douchebag on the planet, you supposed.
Realizing that you were starting to stare silently at him without answering his question, you shrugged. "Nothing," you sighed. "Just homesick I guess."
"Homesick?" He repeated, bringing up both of his hands to straighten his onyx colored tie. "We'll be there in under an hour. Nothing to get all mopey about."
Returning your gaze to the window, you saw the sun just barely begin to peek out from behind the Gryffindor tower. Harry and the others were probably just starting to wake up. Maybe breakfast was being served already.
You didn't have the heart to correct Draco about which home you had been referring to.
When the Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross Station, your family's chauffeur was there waiting in the parking lot. With the tip of his hat, he began hauling your luggage into the trunk of the vehicle. "It's great to see you again, miss," he addressed you, hurrying around to open the back seat door. You mustered a fake smile and nodded up at him. "Likewise, and thank you."
Draco sat down beside you and the silence took over once more. After driving a little way down the road, the car rose off of the freeway and took off into the clouds in what you assumed was the direction of Malfoy Manor.
The turbulence hit roughly five minutes into the drive and you instinctively reached out for Draco's hand. His fingers were always cold, no matter the temperature of the room. When first getting to know him, you had insisted on holding his fingers in yours in an attempt to warm them up. Sometimes it worked but the heat from your hands only lasted so long.
He didn't pull away like you thought he would. Instead, he held your hand and squeezed occasionally when the car ran over the larger air pockets. "Are you sure you're alright?" He whispered into your ear, breath smelling of hot mint.
"Mhm," you hummed, daring to peak out of the window in order to avoid his disbelieving stare. "As I said, I'm only-"
"Homesick, right. Did you think I was born yesterday, Firethorn?"
You looked away from the pale pink and orange clouds and straight into Draco's silvery-blue eyes. He raised one brow questioningly and you shook your head with a heavy sigh. "It's just.." You started, biting your lip nervously.
Were you really about to confide in the oh so trustworthy Draco Malfoy?
"I'm scared. I'm really, really scared."
Yes, apparently you were.
"About seeing your parents?" He shifted closer to you and placed his other hand on top of yours. "You know I wouldn't let them lay a hand on you."
You knew for a fact that if his father told him to sit and roll over, he would do it without question. Even so, his words were much appreciated. "I know," you lied. "I'm just worried that I'll do something or say something and somehow ruin everything."
"Ruin everything?" He laughed as if you had just told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. You frowned and pulled your hand away to cross your arms. You knew he wouldn't take you seriously. Why had you even bothered?
"You couldn't possibly ruin anything, I promise," he said in an attempt to redeem himself. "You and I both know you're too perfect to let that happen."
You were about to respond when the vehicle lurched and made contact against solid ground. From out the window, you saw the Manor rising up in the distance. It looked just as cold and lonely as you remembered it from that summer's night just one year ago. The snow had blanketed the pointed roof and softened the sharp angles of the exterior.
Sensing your unease, Draco reached out once more and ran his thumb over the back of your palm. "Besides," he said. "My mother loves you. I can have her talk with them if need be."
"You would do that?" You asked.
"Of course," he smiled. It wasn't a sneer or a smirk, just a smile. "Anything for you."
His confident grin was contagious and you found yourself smiling right back at him. Internally, you decided that you would play nice for the remainder of the holiday or at least until he started acting rudely again near school.
You barely noticed as the car pulled into the rounded driveway of Malfoy Manor. Mr. Antwork, your chauffeur, came around and opened the door for you and you stepped out into the cold. Draco and you walked hand in hand toward the front steps and without you having to ask him to, he pushed open one of the tall arched doors and gestured for you to enter before him. As you did, your mouth fell open as you took in the entryway.
A tall, professionally decorated Christmas tree sat in front of the grand winding staircase, dwarfing it almost completely. Green and silver garland wove it's way down the banister and the tinkling of sleigh bells could be heard somewhere in the distance.
Draco chuckled at your wondrous expression and pulled off his leather gloves as he walked past you and further inside. "C'mon, then," he teased jokingly. "You're letting all the heat out."
Hesitantly, you let him coax you further inside. A short older woman came up behind you and took your coat and scarf before scampering off down the hall faster than you could thank her. You were still absorbing the breathtaking decorations when you heard a clatter in the parlor to your right.
You jumped back, your trance was suddenly broken as you made eye contact with your mother. She, your father, and Draco's parents were all seated together amongst the velvet couches. A teacup was hanging from her fingers. Shakily, she gently set it back down onto the coffee table in front of her before slowly rising to her feet.
"(Y/N)?" She asked, voice nearly breaking. You hesitated before nodding.
You let her hug you tightly around the neck, not pulling away even though it was your first instinct. When she stepped back, your father put a hand on her shoulder and nodded down at you in greeting. He didn't move to hug you and you knew that he held some sort of resentment toward you for disappearing over the summer.
"It goes without saying that a discussion is in order," he grumbled, voice just as commanding as you remembered.
You looked down at your hands and clenched your jaw. You knew that this was coming but it felt so much worse than you had when you imagined it. What were you supposed to say to them? Were you supposed to pretend to be fine with their choice of joining Voldemort's Army?
A throat cleared and both you and your parents looked over to where Draco was standing over by the stairs. "Excuse me, Mr. Firethorn," he said, nodding respectfully up at your father. His voice lacked its usual edge and it unsettled you even further. "Would you mind if I showed Ms. Firethorn to her room first? We've had a long journey and I'm sure she'll be more willing to cooperate after a short rest." The way he eyed you as he spoke let you know that he hated every word that fell from his lips.
"Very well," your father agreed, much to your surprise. Your mother gave you one last tight squeeze before letting you go. Draco reached out his arm for you to take and you didn't hesitate before doing so, clutching it tightly as you ascended the stairs. "Thank you," you murmured with your backs turned to the entryway.
"Does this mean you owe me now?" He joked as you entered the long corridor of rooms. Once you knew that you were no longer in sight of the others, you playfully shoved him in the shoulder.
A few moments of walking later, Draco stopped in front of a white door. "Here we are," he said, letting go of your arm to push it open.
Your eyes went wide as you walked in. "This is my room?" You sputtered, struggling to take it all in at once.
It was twice as big as your bedroom at home. The floors were the same dark wood of the corridor and a large canopy bed stood proudly against the back wall across from the tall fireplace. There was a large black wardrobe beside the bed and another door that you assumed led into an attached bathroom. Your trunk had already been brought up and was sitting at the foot of the bed.
"I'm right across the hall if you need me," Draco said. "Just say the word."
"I will," you agreed, still in awe of your surroundings. Snapping out of it, you spun around to see him still standing in the doorway. "Thank you."
With a playful smirk, he bowed and turned out of the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, you walked over to the bed and face planted down into the soft blankets. They smelled like old fabric and your grandmother's perfume. A few white feathers escaped the pillows and floated through the air for a moment and you watched them.
Maybe, you thought, Christmas with the Malfoy's won't be so bad after all.
(A/N: ooc Draco is giving me life rn. I'm trying to lengthen chapters but also I hate adding unnecessary information. I'm trying to wait until I have all of this year published before I go on to work on year 6 but it's so tempting to just abandon this and go work on that. The potions class scene! The dumbledore dying! It's so dramatic ugh).