Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Dinner

After getting cleaned up, Narcissa opened the bathroom door, uninvited.

"Is she alive?" she asked Draco, not looking at me.

Draco let go of my hand and stood back, nodding at his mother's question.

"Get her dressed," she ordered. "We're eating together." And with that, she shut the door again.

I looked at Draco and didn't realize I was shaking until he reached out to steady my hand.

"It's going to be okay," he said, but his face wasn't exactly confident as he helped me off of the counter.

I followed him down the hall until we reached a very large bedroom. There was a king sized four poster bed with delicate sheer curtains hanging all around it. The furniture was regal with silver accents, and the windows were arched and high enough that they almost touched the ceiling.

"It's just one of the guest bedrooms," he said to me in passing as he walked over to the bed where a black dress was laid out. He held it up at me. "For the celebration," he mumbled, looking distressed.

"Celebration?" I asked, confused.

"Dumbledore," he answered.

My mouth went dry but I nodded.

He left the room, shutting the door behind him as I slipped off my clothes. The dress had long lace sleeves and a sweet-heart neckline. It was skin tight above my waist with an open back, but from the waist it down it was flowy and made up of multiple sheer fabrics that reached the floor. I slipped on a pair of heels left near the bed post.

I was reminded of the time I had changed into the dress Draco had left for me in the Room of Requirement. But as I exited the room in the way that I had stepped out from behind the folding screen, I felt none of the same emotions now as I did then.

Draco wasn't waiting outside the room and I felt myself start to panic. I wan't sure where I was supposed to go or if I was even to move at all. I took a step forward and the heels echoed remarkably loud. I stopped moving again and sighed in relief when Draco appeared around a corner.

He was also dressed nicely in a completely black suit. He looked good except for the grim expression on his face.

We didn't speak as I linked my arm in his, and we made our way back to the descending staircase, and eventually into a grand room with a large dining table.

Most everyone was seated already and so eyes were on as we entered. There were only two empty seats, meaning our spots were prearranged. Bellatrix sat at the head of the table, her hands under her chin, looking at us, amused. I took a quiet but sharp breath in as my heels echoed while I walked to my seat.

I sat next to Bellatrix in a corner seat and Draco sat on my other side. As soon as she picked up her fork, the others did too and the room became loud with chatter at once. They talked merrily as if it was a pleasant family gathering. I was disgusted by how normal it all looked. It was impossible to have known how bad these people really were just by looking at the scene. You couldn't even tell by how they were speaking - that is until they started discussing the reason why we were here.

Bellatrix had asked the others to recite the events that transpired at Hogwarts with a malicious grin, and the other obliged happily.

They spoke in turn, giving her every bloody detail of the evening. I had to force down my food and I worried that it wouldn't stay down much longer if the topic didn't change. I was physically sick once again that day, but I gave teethless smiles every time someone looked my way. I tried to keep my eyes on the plate in front of me.