Fire & Ice - A Draco Malfoy fanfiction

Chapter 17 - No wings to fly off and catch them

What you have to understand about her is that she didn't just want somebody. She wanted somebody like her, whose roots had never really settled because they had been waiting to twist with another.

- JmStorm

I closed the clasps of my earrings and looked at my reflection.

"Hold your hair up", my mum said, opening the clasp of the necklace Adrian had gotten me. She had been very pleased when I told her about the gift. Adrian's family wasn't part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but in my mum's eyes he was the best suitor for me after Draco Malfoy.

She draped the necklace around my neck and closed it. I let my hair fall down again and smiled brightly. I liked dressing up a lot. It made me feel beautiful, powerful, like I could conquer the entire world in a pair of heels.

"Come on, we don't want to be late. Your father is waiting downstairs." I nodded and followed my mum down. My father was checking his watch, dressed in a black tuxedo with freshly polished shoes.

"You look very handsome, dad", I smiled. He looked up and forgot all about the time. He did this every year. He'd look at me like he saw me for the first time and then he'd rant about how I'd grown into such a beautiful lady and that he was so proud to call me his daughter.

"Eleanor, you look absolutely stunning", he sighed, taking my hands in his. "I'm so proud of you", he said.

"Let's get a move on. We're running a bit late", my mother said, calling the elf to get the Floo powder.

DRACO'S POV

These parties were so incredibly dull. Shaking hands of people I didn't know, back straight at all times, mentioning my perfect grades to anyone who was the least bit important. It was horrendous.

And that was without Pansy bloody Parkinson. She was the absolute worst of them all. I only had two options. I could either stay with my parents and be forced to talk to a bunch more irrelevant people, or I could find some more pleasant people to hang out with.

I would pick option two if it weren't for Parkinson. If I'd leave my parents, she'd cling onto me like a parasite and I couldn't be too mean to her because our parents know each other very well. She didn't approach me when my mum was around. My mum didn't like Pansy at all and wasn't afraid to show it. In fact, my mum never liked any of the girls I hung out with, because they'd never be as good as Eleanor Selwyn.

So I stayed where I was, sipping on a glass of champagne that I didn't even like. This was going to be a long night.

And then I saw the girl.

And I realised a little bit too late who she was. I had already thought about it. The thought had already crossed my mind and I could not take it back.

I thought the girl looked absolutely breathtaking.

And then I realised that the girl I was staring at was Eleanor Selwyn. I thought that Eleanor Selwyn looked beautiful tonight.

This had to be a sick joke.

I looked away and clenched my jaw, trying to get the thoughts out of my head, but they had settled there. What kind of sorcery was this? Eleanor wasn't beautiful. She was bloody annoying and a know-it-all. I glanced in her direction again, regretting it immediately.

The dress she wore fit her perfectly, grabbing just enough attention without screaming look at me. Her hair was pulled up, showing the classy jewellery she was wearing. And she wore that signature smile of trying to seem highbrow, but wanting to admire the scenery.