Young Liars

“I’m so stupid!” Eleanor was walking in front of her mom, not noticing how hard she was swinging the various shopping bags she had in her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She couldn’t see her mom, but Marcia was shaking her head slightly. “You never asked about his dad.” she sighed. “And you figured the way they are fairly quickly, right?”

Eleanor closed her eyes before stepping into the Leaky Cauldron. It took her a few days. A few days too many.

This time Leaky Cauldron had a few customers. A witch was whispering something to the old man that seemed to have forgotten her mother’s promises of stopping by after shopping.

“Do you know how stupid I looked?” Eleanor continued in a bitter tone. “And the look on their faces?” she tried to keep it down as they both passed both young and old wizards sitting around the tables.

“Ed and I didn’t want to talk about another kid.” Eleanor’s mom sighed and pressed her lips together as they left the bar. “We knew what his parents were like, we knew about his aunt, but we only knew him when he was little.”

Right, his aunt. Eleanor closed her eyes and barely shook her head at the thought of standing face-to-face with Bellatrix again. The look on her face should have said everything.

One of the Aurors that accompanied the family to England was leaning against a black car and smoking a cigarette when they left Leaky Cauldron. The no-maj bookstore had already closed.

“Thank you for waiting, Paul.” her mother thanked as the Auror opened the back of the car for all the bags and boxes.

Eleanor remained silent as she slumped heavily on the backseat. Malfoy was a complete dick. Not worth the time of thought. Not worth the time of thought, she kept telling herself.

But remaining silent did not help keep the thought away.

“Who were you talking to?”

“Arthur and Molly. Ronald’s parents.” her mom specified, realizing the names Arthur and Molly mean nothing to her daughter.

“Oh– he was nice. They all were actually.” she smiled. “Got to meet the Harry Potter.”

Her mom turned to her, eyes narrowing. She was slightly intrigued.

“By the time you came around, he was with Malkin, measuring I think. And you met Hermione.”

“Lovely kids. Your dad knew Harry’s dad from somewhere, I’m pretty sure. But I don’t think it was school, he was older.”

When the two returned home, the orange cat, which remained nameless, was sitting by the front door, hiding from the light rain. Eleanor was happy to see the cat, rarely was it around these days. She spent a few minutes petting the cat before walking inside and leaving the bags near the stairs. To carry upstairs later.

“They said it was a week ago,” Eleanor heard her dad and some newspapers folding as she walked toward the kitchen. “They should come to check on her.”

“Check on who?” she asked as her dad placed a newspaper down.

“You.” he took off his reading glasses.

“What?”

“Tomorrow. We’ll have Paul check on you in the evening.” her mom chimed in as she opened the Quibbler laying on the countertops with the other newspapers.

“I have the bracelet.” she placed her hands on her sides. The bracelet wasn’t on her wrist. It was somewhere on her bed. By the time she realized, her dad was already looking down at her wrists.

“I can tell.” he raised his eyebrows. “I know it sounds weird, but it’s not like back home.”

“I think we were also too relaxed.” her mom placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder, pressing it lightly. He sighed and nodded.

Eleanor kept forgetting. She didn’t touch the papers, didn’t listen to the radio, or watch the news that much. Living in her own world, she forgot things were bad here. She forgot her parents were sent here at the request of the Ministry of Magic.

When she went to bed, the thoughts about Malfoy sneaked up on her again. Eleanor physically cringed as she clamped her hands over her eyes. The trio thought she was with him, with his family.

The worst part is, she truly was, for a moment there, with them, standing next to them, talking, agreeing. Agreeing.

By the time she woke up the next morning, her parents were already gone. A plate with pancakes was left on the kitchen table, covered with another bowl on top. Her favorite breakfast.

“Thanks, mom.” she said to herself after finishing.

After breakfast and a quick jump into the shower, she carried the bags from yesterday to her room, where she unpacked and organized. The organizing part came more from boredom than anything else.

She took all the clothes out of the closet and folded each piece, looking for old items she wouldn’t use, and putting them into a separate bag. The bag would go to the basement before getting donated before Christmas. It was something her mom started doing a long time ago.

She should have known, the moment she learned about where his dad was, she should have known. Eleanor sighed and tried to forget. What a prick Malfoy was.

“Fuck!” she threw a red dress down on the bed after not being able to fold it quickly. She was thinking about what he said to one of the three. “Fuck this.”

Leaving a mess in her room, she walked downstairs and started looking through a box of old records her parents brought here. Or had from before, she couldn’t remember. Picking out a few, she put one on.

Even if Malfoy was a prick, she tried really hard not to dwell. He– no, they, they will get what they deserve. In time.

Listening to music carried her through lunch. She changed the records a few times as she cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the toilets downstairs, scooped the wind-blown leaves out from the pool, and took a long nap on the couch downstairs.

Eleanor must have slept for a couple of hours before waking up. Her face was sweaty and had a red imprint of the couch on her right cheek. Her dark bangs were unmanageable at this point as the rest of her hair needed a good brush through.

The lowering sun had colored the room orange for a moment before starting to hide behind a hill. She liked how it turned her dark brown hair into somewhat of an auburn color.

Eleanor didn't get up for a few more minutes before walking outside for some fresh air and the sunset.

She loved having the house to herself. Wandering the hallways or the different paths of the gardens. Sleeping calmly on the couch. Or even just doing nothing. Everything worked when she was home alone.

But out of everything she could do, moving the furniture around in the living room to dance was one of her favorite things to do. Along with sitting on the kitchen counters while waiting for the frozen pizzas to finish heating up.

As she put one pizza into the oven, “No Place To Go” started playing. She knew her song was coming up soon. Leaving the Quibbler she was reading on the kitchen counter, she started moving the couch closer to the wall.

Eleanor turned most of the lights out, creating the atmosphere she most enjoyed. A dimly lit living room with a cool breeze coming in through a small gap of a partly open back door.

When “I Loved Another Woman” started playing, she started slowly moving around the living room, sometimes closing her eyes for a few seconds.

“Well come back baby,” she sang as the floorwood creaked in certain places from her footsteps. But she did not pay much attention. “I know I treated you wrong.” instead, she turned in circles and jumped around the kitchen counters, checking on the pizza before moving back to the living room.

She loved dancing to this song especially. Holly was the one to show her this song a month or so ago. After that night, Eleanor found the record in her parents room and played the song more times than normal. It was one of her favorites. For now.

She spun and jumped some more while singing to herself, after which, her head became slightly dizzy and her heart was beating fast. She fell onto the couch for a moment to catch her breath.

As the next song played, she continued swinging from one side to the other as she walked over to take a plate out for her late dinner, whispering the words of the song to herself.

A pop. Putting the plate down on the counters she heard a pop.

Eleanor froze for a moment before turning around to look through the window behind her. It was dark, but the fence and the shrubs were still visible. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Was it the Auror? Paul? She frowned and stopped to listen again. He usually came with a car. Was today different?

Eleanor quietly walked over to the record player and stopped the music. For a moment it felt like all of her senses started working at a hundred percent.

The oven was making too much noise.

After quickly tip-toeing to the oven and turning it off, Eleanor stood to listen. Her ears caught the slightest rustling noise coming from behind one of the windows and her eyes narrowed as she looked around.

She knew it wasn’t the Auror. It couldn’t be him.

For a minute or so, it was completely quiet. She stood still the entire time, slowly looking around. The minute seemed like a whole hour to her before she heard the rustling outside again.

“No–” she said to herself quietly and ran to each open window that she had left open in the kitchen and the living room. Wide-eyed, she thanked herself for closing the rest before going for the nap.

As she walked to the back door, where she had left a small gap, Eleanor heard faint footsteps somewhere not far away. Without thinking she slammed the door and locked it immediately.

The wand. Eleanor almost crawled to the couch she slept on and with her slightly trembling hands touched around to find the wand under a pillow as she kept her eyes fixed on the door.

Death Eaters? Bellatrix? The Auror? Her heart raced as she went over everything in her head. A thief? Someone lost? Kids playing a prank? Eleanor slowly moved to the door and sat leaning against it, listening for anything.

For around ten minutes, Eleanor sat in silence, hoping to hear anything. But it was quiet. She almost convinced herself she had imagined all that before hearing someone loudly walk toward the door.

“Eleanor!”

Another pop.

Malfoy? What was he doing here?

“Malfoy?” she quickly unlocked the door and opened it slightly.

When the boy heard the answer he seemed to slow down. Eleanor looked at a blond head walking out from the gardens. Was this all a joke? Either way, ease washed over her for a moment.

“Can we talk?” the slow down did not help, he sounded like he had run the whole way here.

“What?” she frowned.

“Can we talk?” he tried to sound calm but he was still panting, slowly walking up a couple of stairs to the porch. She could see him clearly now, as the light turned on. His hand was gripping the wand tightly. “I–” he placed his hands on his sides and looked around the dark backyard. Did he hear something Eleanor had not?

“Was that you?” she cut him off.

“What?” the boy swallowed and took a few deep breaths to stop the panting.

With his frown, Eleanor remembered they can’t apparate yet. Or use magic.

“The pops? Were you walking around my house just now?” she asked again.

“No, I–”

Eleanor quickly opened the door widely and signaled with her hand for him to come in.

“I think there’s someone outside,” she locked the door behind him after taking a quick look outside. “I let you in not because you asked– let’s just not get killed or kidnapped tonight” she glared at him as she leaned against the door. “What do you want?”

Malfoy crossed his arms and scoffed. “Someone outside?”

“Want to check? Be my guest, Malfoy.” Eleanor glared at him and unlocked the door.

“With pleasure.” he opened the door himself and managed to brush her shoulder as he walked outside.

Asshole.

“Why are you here?” Eleanor followed him outside with the wand in hand, not wanting to fall behind.

“Got a chance to meet the great Potter, huh?” he strolled around the house, barely looking around or at Eleanor. Potter? He was here because of Potter?

“Oh, I had a chance for lots more,” she scoffed while walking backward for a second, looking over the big rose shrubs. “You being a complete asshole was one– oh! And seeing your aunt on a fucking wanted poster was quite intriguing too!”

Malfoy stopped for a second before turning around to face Eleanor. His grin was gone.

“And what did surprise you at Madam’s, Eleanor?” he leaned in. Even in the darkness, his silver eyes shined. It must have been the first time he was this close to her face.

“Let me think…” she moved around him and started walking in the front. “Hm, maybe you calling someone’s blood dirty–”

“Oh don’t tell me that’s what makes you sad, Eleanor?” he caught up to her and was now walking by her side. The boy was grinning again.

Eleanor stopped and frowned at him, putting her hands to her sides. “Malfoy, go home.” she sighed as she felt how cold outside it truly was. “If you care that much, we have nothing to talk about."

“The fact that you don’t, is concerning.” the boy once again got in front of her and continued the circle around the house. They were around the corner from the front door already.

Everything was quiet except for the two.

“Concern–” Eleanor was about to flail her hands around. “Great.” she rolled her eyes when she saw a black car approach the house. “You should go now.”

Malfoy moved back around the corner as he watched Eleanor approach the car that was being parked by the front.

By the time Eleanor greeted the Auror, Draco was still watching, before taking one last look around and leaving through the gardens just like he had arrived.

“Why are you outside?” Paul asked Eleanor as he got out of the car.

“I was pretty sure I heard something,” she pointed in the opposite direction from where she departed from Malfoy. “Somewhere there.”