XVIII
New years eve, the night that muggles believe the year resets and things start anew. I believed it too for a long time, although now I'm more aware than ever that nothing truly changes. It's just a way for people to feel better about themselves by pretending to leave their mistakes behind them in the past, in another year, ready to just make some more new ones.
I never figured out the reason my dad hated December 31st until I was dead. It's the Dark Lord's birthday and things were as brutal as ever on that date as all of his followers tried their best to please and accommodate him however they could. That is why the death toll and missing muggles and wizard's reported went up dramatically on that date since his return.
He truly was in it for the blood sport by the time things started coming to the end. Killing for fun, killing because he can, killing because it was the only thing that fed his hunger for misery.
That's why we didn't celebrate New Year's Eve in our home for a long time. There was nothing to celebrate especially, not for us personally at least.
But this year I did celebrate it, and I did enjoy it, and it would become the best I'd ever get to experience before I passed. Even with so much hanging over me, on that December 31st. I was normal. Because I wasn't alone, and the explosions in the sky were colourful that night; not just cursed.
I'd sat picking at my nails for over an hour, fidgeting and pacing around. Deciding if this was just another bad idea, and perhaps it was me that was coming up with them now and not just her. Maybe y/n had corrupted me. At least then I'd have an excuse for my utterly indecorous behaviour.
Do people just show up to other people's houses anymore these days? Is it something to be warned of because of the way things are? Is it just plain rude or undignified?
I mean, the Manor was as quiet as ever and had been all day. I suppose since my father wasn't out killing people this year mother felt no need to distract me.
So the wooden floor creaked beneath me as I walked back and forth to the wardrobe and then away again. Daring myself to get changed in to something decent and sneak the fuck out of here.
And imprints of my rings started to taint my cheeks as I pressed my hand ever harder on to my mouth just to able to concentrate better.
By the time I had made my decision I was already changed and fussing with my hair in the mirror, as if I had just acted on reflex without realising.
"28 Glenfield cottages, 28 Glenfield cottages, Tidworth, 28 Glenfield cottages.."
I repeated to myself beneath my breath over and over as I pinned closed my sleeves, straightened over myself and slathered myself in aftershave. I felt nervous, as if I was thirteen again and about to hold hands with my first ever girlfriend.
Maybe it's because she wasn't expecting me so it'd be a surprise, or maybe it was because I wasn't even slightly surprised that I'd ended up deciding to do this.
It took me 42 minutes exactly to walk there, it was cold, dark and foggy. I'd considered broom but believe it or not flying wasn't as safe an option anymore either. You never know who you might come across in the air.
I can't just Floo myself there, that's breaking and entering at it's best and apparating in to someone's house unannounced is just asking for a Crucio.
The cottage itself wasn't that much of a cottage, it was small, quaint, the lights were off downstairs but one remained on upstairs. The curtains were a blush pink with patches sown in by hand.
If this isn't her room then I'm about to not only look stupid but get in to a whole load of shit. So I took out the letter, just to double check the address. This was it, definitely.
The pebbles and stones crunched beneath my feet as I bent down and launched the nearest one to my grasp at the window, I missed, but it still made a clunk. Then another, this time directly on to the glass. So I waited, and sure enough the curtains twitched.
So then another, but I hadn't anticipated that the window may have been opening as I looked away to grab the next stone. "Ah fuck! What the fuck is going on! Who the fuck?!"
Y/n cowered back, shielding herself with her arm before lowering it again. The look on her face was an entertaining one to say the least. "Hello.."
"So is this your new thing now? Just turning up to wherever I am at night and kicking up a fuss until I give in and give you some attention?"
"Yeah, looks like it doesn't it."
"Okay, well have a nice journey back then.."
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Just because."
I sighed, sucking in a deep breath. "LALALAALAA!"
"Shut up you fucking fool, I've got neighbours opposite."
"Not so funny when you're on the receiving end now is it?"
That's when she realised I was using her own coercion tactics against her and a defeated smirk graced her mouth. "And you came here for what exactly?"
Now I can't say that I was able to exactly pinpoint the answer because quite frankly, there were many reasons, some of them I still weren't even aware of. "I came to check on your owl actually, just wanna make sure it's head is still screwed on."
"Shut up you sarcastic bastard," she chuckled. "You're not coming in?"
"No?"
"No."
"Alright then, if you're going to make me take the difficult route then I will.."
I took to the mesh ivy fencing growing up the wall. If I could just get up on to the coving above the front door then I could reach up enough to pull myself up over her windowsill. Admittedly at first it scratched my fingers and my feet kept slipping, earning next to no grip from the gravelled wall behind it.
"Dra-wha-Draco, you're going to fall and break your ankle. This isn't fucking Romeo and Juliet, I told you that my letter wasn't forgiveness!"
"What's Romeo and Juliet?!" I shouted back, still struggling and hunching myself up toward one of the beams, eventually catching a grip on to the edge of it. "You know... Shakespeare?"
Oh fantastic, her now as well as Blaise. Whoever Shakespeare is can get fucked.
Once up on to the coving above the door I let myself breathe, falling on to my back, covered in moss and probably dishevelled looking. "Wow congratulations, now what moron?"
"Okay just give me a minute to strategize.." I panted, pointing up a single finger. My ribs were burning, I think the muggles call it a stitch or a rib cramp, but I fought it off; eventually getting to my feet again.
The continued straining to reach the windowsill only amused y/n further but be fucked am I giving up or backing down now.
"Come on then, let's see your athletic abilities because you've ducked out of quidditch or so I've heard."
"I'm still athletic shut up," I groaned, curling my fists up on to the windowsill whilst she stepped back sniggering in to her dressing gown.
"If-- I just-- find the right-- grip and then.."
Hoisting myself up I managed to just about make it enough to throw up a leg to give me some leverage. Merlin this was not as easy as it looked to begin with.
A weird "ehhhhh" sound escaped from me as I used the last bit of strength I had to pull myself over the windowsill, and fall half way in through the window.
By now she was sat on her bed, wheezing tears from her hysterical laughing. "See?! Just one more push and then--"
I dropped on to her bedroom floor with a thud which surprisingly didn't hurt at all because it had lovely thick carpet. It was a small room, respectfully, but still full of clutter and belongings that were somehow still stored neatly on shelves and desks.
It was warm, and the room glowed ambiently from the light emitting from several small lamps. The fresh smell of perfume in the air. Pictures covered every inch of her wall, some drawn, some were photographs and others simple posters or cut outs from papers and magazines.
Just a single person bed lodged in to a corner, and a wardrobe that was inside of two wooden slatted doors, built in to the wall.
So she then walked up to me, and looked down whilst I stayed on the floor trying to recover, because quite frankly I had actually lost some of my strength since I stopped training.
"Feeling proud of yourself?"
"Yep."
"Well just so you know, I probably would of let you in eventually but it was just funnier to sit and witness that."
Finally managing to sit myself up and against a wall, I let my body fall slack. Y/n joined down beside me, bringing her knees up to her body and wrapping her arms around them. Her enormous fluffy dressing gown brushing against my arm. "So, for what do I owe this honour DrACo MaLFoy?"
"Got bored, fancied getting my dick sucked, have you got yours yet?"
She whacked my arm, causing my head to duck from her half-assed attack. "Nah, just didn't think it'd be nice to be on your own on New Years Eve."
"And since when do you care about peoples wellness, mental health and enjoyment Malfoy?"
"Fine then, maybe I will go?"
She latched on to my arm, clinging to it. Before narrowing her face and producing the creepiest voice I've ever heard aside from the Dark Lord. "You try to leave now you've entered my lair and I will reign hellfire upon you. You are my prisoner now."
"Oh noo," I humoured her sarcastically before we both broke in to a smuggish leer. "Why are you not with your family tonight then?"
"We don't celebrate it."
"Hm bit weird but okay, I mean you are a creepy family."
"Pardon?!"
"Just saying, just saying.. don't get your balls in a twist."
I wasn't in the slightest bit offended, but to have her know that would give her an advantage. "Well I urge you to mind your manners."
"Oh yeah, what you gonna do about it?" She whispered, the tip of her tongue coming to rest between her teeth. That was when my brain started fizzing and buzzing. I could kiss those lips again right about now just to shut her up.
"Nothing I suppose, after all I am a prisoner in your really comfortable looking supposedly lair."
"It is a lair and you can and will die here if you don't grab the stuff from right there next to you up on the desk.."
There was a small tin of tobacco rested up upon the desk and a box of matches, so I passed them down but not before catching sight of Kiki. Owls are meant to sleep standing up, but this one was fast asleep, face down, on top of the cage instead of in it.
"No honestly, is she like.. alright?"
"She's fine, she sleeps hanging upside down too sometimes. But she just likes it, so I leave her be."
"Ahem. Righto."
"Do you want one?" Asked y/n, holding over a cigarette which I near enough snatched. "Please."
It burnt my lungs when I lit it up and the nicotine rush made me woozy almost immediately. But the feeling that followed coupled with the flavour of the tobacco made up for it in the end.
"So, are you going to tell me why you really came here now then?" She lit her own cigarette and trained her eyes back on to mine. "I told you."
"Yeah but you didn't tell me the truth."
"I did what the hell are you talking about?"
So y/n exhaled a large cloud of smoke before getting to her feet.
"Look if you're just going to sit there and have the brass neck to lie to my face then maybe you should just leave. I'm not going to keep doing this with you. So, the door is right there."
I stared up, stalling for words as I assessed the seriousness in her face and in her voice whilst she held eye contact.
"Fine," I muttered, dropping my head down a little to smoke some more. "Maybe I didn't wanna be on my own tonight either and quite honestly I prefer your company over most these days much to my own detriment."
Her head tilted and she melted to a softer gaze.
"That wasn't hard was it hm?" Dropping to her knees she began reaching beneath her bed in search of something. Yes, it was alcohol. "Let's just celebrate the New Year then, not alone. But, I need to get changed first."
"Why?" I questioned, watching as she put her cigarette out in to an ashtray and walked in to those slatted doors. "Did you see that car outside?" Y/n called back. "Uh- yeah?"
"Cool, it's my mums. It needs some stuff fixed but it still works so we're going to steal it!"
I choked on the smoke. "You're joking?!"
Y/n just leant out of the wardrobe doors, now visibly naked from the waist up but unable to see much and swung a set of keys around her finger with a look of devious intent.
"Not at all, I do it all the time. In fact you caught me just in time. So finish that cigarette and get some liquid courage in to you because were taking that baby out in to the field for a spin."
Oh jesus merlin's fuck. Everytime. Every single time. It's like I'm never going to learn my lesson.