After another two hours, the clock in Donna's room struck eight and signified it was officially time to get ready and leave her room. Her hair wasn't exactly as messy as it would have been if she had actually slept, but still not as perfect as she would like. With a small sigh, she crawled off of the bed and grabbed the small, blue suitcase she had packed. Basically ripping open the zip, she moved to the vanity in the corner of the room. The reflection in the mirror portrayed a young girl completely different to the one she felt she truly was. The knotted waves of her deep brown hair suggested she had simply not slept well, not that she had spent multiple hours wishing that she hadn't sent him away. The creases on her pajama top suggested that she had spent her night twisting and turning, not that the person she craved had clung to her like his life depended on it for only a few minutes. The faint purple circles round her eyes - that somehow seemed too dark and so light simultaneously - portrayed nothing more than a sleep deprived child. That she was. But, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was also touch-starved, anxious and hoping for dear life she wouldn't have to face Draco today.
The brush tore through the knots that had formed in the roots of her hair, Donna winced in pain as the strands were pulled apart. In some ways, she was glad - the infrequent pain temporarily distracted her brain from the images of that beautifully messy silver hair. The brush fell back onto the wood of the table, and she began to plait the now wavy mass of hair. She stared into the mirror, and a pair of grey eyes seemed to stare back.
He was taunting her, haunting her every waking moment and forbidding her to sleep.
When they were young, he was all she wanted. A overpowering obsession grew further into a soul every time they met eyes. She didn't care for her future, or Hogwarts, or even magic in general - her mind was focused purely on him. Now she was older, she had managed to detach herself from him mostly. The increasing difficulty of her studies had given her a reason to distance herself from him, spending most of her time in the library instead of the common room where she could risk running into him. However much she tried though, every time their eyes met, or they brushes shoulders in an overly crowded corridor, her heart fluttered a little. And this morning, well she might as well as been 10 again, drooling over the possibilities of 'true love'!
It was Draco though. Only Draco and his dumb, mischievous ways that could only ever lead to him having a million girls falling at his feet. And he loved it too.
The elastic band snapped around the end of the french braid and she took the bag of makeup out of her suitcase. Opting for a shade of brown eyeshadow and a nude lip, she bronzed her cheeks lightly - attempting to disguise the fact that she had stayed inside the majority of the summer, dreaming of a day where she might be able to own a muggle instrument such as a guitar. Her mind was drifting to all four corners of the world when it hit her. She would have to face Draco again. She would have to face Blaise today. Today was the day of Malfoy's big farewell party. And to put the cherry on the cake, she was going dress shopping with Malfoy.
Knowing Narcissa as well as she did, Donna knew that she would want to get her and Draco out the house as soon as she could, and that meant as soon as she finished breakfast she would be shipped off to Diagon Alley - they would never be allowed to go to a muggle store anyway. This realisation also meant that Donna would have to hurry up. If she wanted her breakfast to still be warm, she would have to be down in the dining room by 9am, and considering it was already 8:40, she was gonna struggle. Suddenly digging violently in her bag, she searched for the simple outfit she had packed for today. As she had not expected to stay past lunchtime, it was only a simple black skater skirt and an off the shoulder, floral printed top. It didn't look bad, but it definitely wasn't what she would usually wear to visit such a place as Diagon Alley, especially on one of the busiest days of the year for them. Within another few minutes, she had slipped on her simple grey pumps and was ready to leave her room.
As Donna made it into the dining room, every assumption she had made in her mind had been correct. 7 heads looked up at the table and focused on her, each silently asking her why she was so late. To be fair to her, it was still 8:50, but they usually ate breakfast much earlier. Everyone was ready for the day, Narcissa had even donned her coat in anticipation of leaving. She would clearly not be sticking around long.
"Sorry." She whispered very quietly as she hurried over to her usually seat, next to her mother on the end and opposite the infamous Draco Malfoy. She refused to meet his eyes, but could already feel his eyes burning into her. Not needing to look up to tell he was also ready to leave, Donna ate her breakfast as quickly as she possibly could while still remaining ladylike. Luckily, the sausages and eggs had had enough time to cool down, meaning that they didn't burn her throat as she almost engulfed them. In the end, it only took her 15 minutes to eat and she finished at about the same time as every one else.
Draco was the first to rise from the table, his slicked back hair not even seeming to move at the action. He had looked much nicer earlier - when the gel he used to style his hair didn't make it look horrifically greasy. Donna almost felt bad for those girls who only saw Draco in Hogwarts, those girls who didn't get to experience his hair, messy and a little moist from the morning air, and the tiny bags under his eyes that only ever seemed to appear during the night and magically disappeared by morning. Some girls will never get to see the small beads of sweat that form on his face after he is sprinting towards a direction, but never when he plays quidditch. Some girls will never get to feel how gentle his hands are as they move up your torso, barely touching you.
He cleared his throat and Donna looked up, finally meeting his eyes. A small smirk grew on his and Donna knew that she had made a mistake. "Well, if we want to miss the student rush, we should probably get going soon. Mother I know that you're ready, but how long will you need Donna?" He asked as one of the servants came round the table and collected up the empty plates.
Donna had not expected to be called upon, and therefore stuttered a little before actually forming a fluent sentence in her mind. "I'm pretty much ready." She said quietly, something about the way Draco could control a room so easily and pour attention onto someone else made her flush. He simple nodded in response and started to make his away out of the room.
In truth, Donna didn't think she could ever completely distance herself from her childhood crush, especially now there was a possibility of him being interested.
Lucius gave the nod of permission for everyone else to leave. Narcissa stood up and swiftly followed Draco out of the room, clearly heading to the entrance of the Manor. After giving her father a quick hug goodbye, Donna also stood up and left the room.
She knew what was about to occur. They would travel to the front of the Manor, step outside and apparate - Donna's favourite and least favourite method of travelling. She must admit, the freedom of being able to go wherever, whenever in a matter of seconds was amazing - it was basically transportation. But, that could only partially justify the feeling of almost being squashed through a very tiny tube and wanting to vomit out your intestines that came along with it. It always took her a few minutes to recover on the other side. In reality, Donna much preferred travelling via train, she did it multiple time a year and it was yet to fail her. Something about the fact she could watch the world she had known as home for years disappear in front of their eyes. These days, she mostly considered Hogwarts to be her home; it was where she spent the majority of her year and where she housed those that she considered closer than family, her friends.
Of course, there was always going to be objection to her at Hogwarts. From those despising her simply because she is a Slytherin, to those who still hold it against her that she kissed a Gryffindor, whatever class she was in, someone seemed to dislike her. She could usually handle the comments herself, but on the off occasion one got to her, Cassie would always take care of them.
She reached the entrance of the house and the scene was exactly as she had expected. Narcissa stood in her coat (she still chose to wear it in the warm weather), facing Draco and handing him much more money than needed to buy me even the most expensive dress that Diagon Alley could possibly offer her and a fancy suit for her son, even though he definitely already had multiple that fit him fine. Because wearing the same suit twice would just completely ruin the Malfoy's reputation, wouldn't it? Donna could only assume that Narcissa was expecting us to eat while we were out so the servants could focus purely on preparing the finger food for the party later on, or maybe she just wanted us to by something for her. Donna couldn't put that selfishness behind her.
"Now, Draco, when we get there I will be going straight down to Gringotts. I want you to take Donna down to Twillfit and Tatting's. If she is in there more than an hour, give her the money and say you'll meet her in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. I know how much you despise clothes shopping, but it would be a nice bonding trip for you and her." Narcissa spoke lightly as bent down to be the same height as Draco. This is a habit she seemed to display since Donna had first met the Malfoy's, but as Draco grew, she had to bend down less.
Donna waited a few seconds before properly approaching the pair, allowing Narcissa to say more if she wished to. She didn't. After a few steps, she cleared her throat and brought the attention round to her. "Well I guess we're ready to go?" She suggested while smoothing down her skirt, wanting to get this over and done with as fast as possible. She received a somber nod from Draco in response and she smiled very slightly. Things didn't seem to be as weird as she had expected them to be, however, she was still to see what they would be like when it was just her and that beautiful head of silver hair.
Narcissa held her arms out in the air, not inviting a hug as Donna had once thought, but for the children to link their own arms into. Since neither her or Draco could apparate yet, they would have to be in contact with Narcissa to apparate with her. It had always felt a little awkward for Donna to be touching a woman she hardly knew, but this was the most appropriate way to do so. It would be okay for Draco to hold her hand of course, but now he was off age he had begun to choose the alternative option. There was no countdown when the Malfoy's apparated, no warning or a wish of luck like what happened frequently in the Gift family, they were whipped effortlessly into the void without a second thought.
Though she knew in reality that it was only a few seconds, Donna had always felt as if apparation took an age. The feeling of her organs being squished and compressed to fit in what felt like the smallest of spaces made time slow down. She could focus on nothing but the aching pain, and the nausea growing in her stomach as if her breakfast was being forcefully removed from her being.
Draco, on the other hand, and always thought that apparation felt to short. The pleasure of being in a realm between the wizarding and muggle worlds was strangely freeing, and he would give nearly anything to experience it more often. In those few seconds, he didn't really feel anything - none of the pressures or expectations that people had placed on him. But, in return for that freedom he was also punished. His lungs felt crushed, and broken for a few seconds after they had landed without fail. It was agonizing, but over time he had learnt to hide it.
They arrived on the other side physically unscathed, but mentally not so intact. Draco was now once again craving simplicity, even after his morning escapades. He could usually go a few weeks to a month without having this distinct a craving to flee, but he supposed as his expedition was interrupted on the way back that may have caused his longing. He didn't mind the diversion by any means though, any excuse to have a little childish fun with Donna was much appreciated in the grand scheme of things - teasing her for even just a few minutes was enough relief he needed to make it through another day of frustration. Judging by the way she acted at breakfast, his desired affect had taken place; she actually thought he wanted to kiss her. What a dipshit.
