A Fun Filled Adventure Awaits.
The snake had slithered its way onto my fingers pretty much the instant I had reached for it, making its way gracefully to my wrist before resting in my palm. Maybe Mother would agree for me to keep this sweet snake if I tried to convince her, I can't just let this baby off on its own to be injured by creeps and predators.
"Please don't worry about this, I'll take care of it so you wont have to, the flowers I don't believe will need any taking care of either, those are my favourite flowers and Mother will be quite happy to take these off our hands!"
Ollivander visibly relaxed at the mention of taking care of the snake and flowers, I suppose working as a wand seller you don't usually prepare to deal with animals or things sprouting from peoples hair.
"I take it you wanted this outcome then Azula?"
"Most certainly! What a thrilling outcome, wouldn't you agree?"
I turn back to face the man after taking the snake into my hands, just to find him deep in thought whilst scribbling some notes down.
"This is most curious indeed that this such wand would have chosen you Azula."
I stepped towards the counter, checking out the box my chosen wand had come from. 'Holly wood with a phoenix feather core, 13" and supple flexibility.' read the note on the box. Wands aren't exactly my forte, I'll leave this to the pro to figure out himself.
"How much would the two wands be then?"
Draco had more so demanded than asked, as though ready to get out as soon as possible, straightening out his outfit and picking each flower from his hair and handing them to me. To not hurt his pride getting seen with flowers in public no doubt.
Draco and I had payed for our wands before setting foot outside again, back amidst the gloomy looking and somehow still thriving alley.
"Hey Mr mopey, what do you want to do now that we have our wands?"
I threw my arm around his shoulder, nudging his hips with my own to lighten up the mood currently floating around.
"I don't understand the big fuss about your wand, snakes are meant to be a sign of your wand choosing you? Yeah right."
"you're far too focused on details, look it's a sweet baby snake, it wouldn't eat you you know?"
Draco didn't seem too pleased with my response, but he carried on walking, changing the subject and dismissing that his pride was clearly bruised.
"It just so happens we need some books."
Without so much as a warning, he'd grabbed my hand with a frighteningly strong grip and begun to lead us down various melancholic twists and turns.
Each road was lit up with the occasional lamppost, warm yellow lights shining down from above us to clear up the path a little better.
"Hey Draco this doesn't feel like the correct way to-"
Draco faced me upon hearing the complaint and pressed his finger to his lip, shushing me in a suspiciously secretive way and speaking in a hushed, low tone, one no one passing by or listening in would be able to hear.
"I never stated we were going to the book shop."
That was an odd answer, we were just stood outside Ollivanders mere moments ago, plotting where our next stop would be.
Before I was able to question him in my state of confusion, I could see the cogs turning in his head as he thought hard on something.
"I know, I know, hear me out. I would much rather spend any time away from my Father away from him and shopping, I thought we could enjoy a little bit of mischief. We get our clothes all... torn up and muddy before we find our parents and tell them we got attacked by something, so they won't shout at either of us for lazy-ing around, and then tell them we were unable to buy the rest of our items. How's that sound?"
He expressed a sadness over the tearing of clothes, seemingly fond of what he had, with a small sigh accompanied by an eye roll. It was quite the fun plan though, lots of mischief, Mother would be proud.
"But we need the rest of our stuff don't we? We can't just show up to our first day with only a wand."
I really thought I did something there, apparently the smug boy standing before me had thought through every step.
"Father will get someone to buy everything else for us, we have the most important thing which we of course would be needed for so I don't see what the issue is."
To further prove his point, he had spun his wand around, tapping his forehead soon after as a gesture of his plan being flawless.
"So are you in or not Azula?"
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I don't see why not!"
Draco smiled smugly, satisfied with his trickery and how easy it was to rope me into the plan. He proceeds to grab onto my arm calmly, leading me away from the bustling area we were in merely moments ago.
The journey was peaceful and surprisingly long, I had certainly not expected to be walking this entire time. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, since the scenery was most enjoyable, I kept admiring the views.
Normally my parents had kept me close to the city streets, thinking about it now, I'm not entirely certain as to why this may have been, although they had always made a point of keeping to the city because; 'We don't know what is out there darling, its simply looking out for your safety, we do not want you to get hurt.'
As I had grown up, they became more accepting of the idea that I would nag them to see outside the city, and whilst it didn't necessarily help me get out and about, they became more understanding of my curiosity and made fun little day trips into various other places outside our city.
Once or twice a month, had i kept up on schoolwork and been good, they would take me out on these trips and soon, they became one of my favourite things to look forward to. A fun reward, day free from any responsibilities and most importantly, an amazing day spent with my parents, just us bonding.
The fields and animals we would get to see and interact with gave us truly the most wonderful time. All the fresh, growing grass, either dewy or frosty, was fascinating to look at, and on the rare occasions that we had a dry day in England, we would sit down on the warm grass, watch the flowers thrive, the bugs fly or crawl around.
Gosh father despised bugs, it was always an amazing day if mother and I managed to scare the life out of him with the little things.
Yet those were soon to become distant memories when i start school at Hogwarts. No more thriving trees, flowers or grass, all the picnics we have? I would simply have to wait for holidays.
I had been taking in the views absent minded, realising how long had actually passed, I tugged Draco's sleeve with a large sigh.
"Draco..."
To which he responded by stopping dead in his tracks before turning to me with a raised brow and what i could only assume is an attempt at looking innocent.
"Yes, Azula? Is there anything I could help you with?"
God what a brat, is he not tired?
"Draco... How. Much. Farther. Are we going to be walking? I feel like my feet are about to fall off. Where on earth are you taking us anyway?"
He took a second to do a quick once over of me, standing with his arms crossed when done.
"Well you certainly don't look like they are about to fall off, would you like for me to carry you?"
What a complete and utter jerk, ignoring my most important questions, who does he think he is.
"I wish not to be coddled like a child, simply tell me why we are still walking and when I can finally let my feet rest?"
"My, someone seems to be cranky, look right ahead and you might spot your answer"
I did in fact do as the boy had spoken, my eyes meeting a lovely field which seemed to be filled with various small flowers growing in their little patches here and there. It wasn't anything particularly fancy, but it felt so calming to be there. Comforting, even.
"You know what... I think I may forgive you this once, this is quite the pleasant spot."
"Well, what can I say? I'm simple to please and i know my way around the most calming areas. Remember this for when you need an escape... Oh wait, that's right; You don't know how to get here, do you? You should have been paying a little bit more attention when walking here."
The cocky response earned the blond before me a loud thump on the head. After a shriek of what I would like to assume is hopefully shock, not pain, he rubs the sore spot with whine.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"For your bratty attitude, you ought to act like a gentleman, did your daddy never teach you any manners?"
With a contorted face, he says not another word, it even takes him a second to actually settle down to respond to me.
"Y'know what? Not bad Azula."
Before either of us have the chance to relax and enjoy the field properly in the gloomy weather, Draco starts up again, a somewhat more serious tone now present in his voice.
"Ready to wrap things up? As relaxing as this trek here was, it was quite lengthy. Our parents are going to start worrying soon."
As he spoke, he offered out his hand to me so I could take it, before taking me down to a vastly more gloomy area across the field, a swamp like resemblance.
"What exactly did you say the plan was again?"
No response.
"Draaaco?"
Yet again. Silence.
I let the silence happen, my first mistake. Whilst I was worried over what had suddenly gotten into Draco, he had had the time to notice my guard was down, pick me up and, much to my confusion, dunk me into what could only be described as a river that had been blocked and remained a mixture of filth and water.
The feeling of mud clinging to me makes me mentally revert into a shell, a complete horrid feeling. Not even a sound manages to leave me in my frozen state of shock.
I finally come to my senses to the sound of sniggering, pulling my hair away from my face to see the neatly dressed boy covering his mouth in attempt at supressing a laugh.
"Oopsie, hand slipped."
I glare at him before sticking my hand out towards him, in demand to help me up from the puddle of filth I was bathing in.
"Malfoy. Help me out now or so be it."
He stops laughing when I speak, taking a firm grip of my hand and preparing to pull me up, simply to be met with a puddle of mud in his very own, cleanly presented face.
"Oh I am ever so sorry, It seems my hand must have slipped."
I repeat his very own phrase with an amused voice.
I watch the boy grunt uncomfortably, standing up and trying to wipe of some of the filth from his lovely suit.
"How convenient hmm?"
He grunted at me with a side eye, tugging me up from the river to keep on going in our tracks. Not another word was said about that ordeal before Draco went onto explain what the next plan was.
"Now that we are satisfactorily filthy thanks to someone's trickery, we can get to the next step, we simply need to make our outfits look a little more torn than we would like them to be."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
My answer arrived in the form of sticks, he tangles some sticks in my hair, and a sadly withering flower for good measure.
My sweet snake had stayed neatly tucked in my hair until the mud ordeal, the only reason I notice this is the fact Draco shrieks at the feeling of the snake slithering up his leg.
I quickly take the snake back, placing it in my pocket carefully before ruffling Draco's hair.
"You are such a drama queen Draco"
I comment with a chuckle and an accompanied eye role, placing some leaves in his hair to match mine. Right after this, he clears his throat before taking a sharp rock and ripping only a minimal amount of tears into his clothes, soon handing me the rock too.
"Rough yourself up quickly, we must head back as soon as possible or they might start a search party for us."
It didn't take long for the roughing up to finish, and we immediately head for our original destination, only to be met by three pairs of worried eyes.
"Remember, we were chased, act scared"
"Oh don't worry Draco, I've got this"
Let the waterworks begin.
Both our mothers rush towards us when they see us, reaching in for hugs and clearly not believing what they are seeing, their beloved children all filthied up. I hug my mother back tightly, sobbing into her quietly.
"goodness, what happened, are you two alright?"
My mother spoke, followed by Narcissa looking us both over and continuing the worried questions.
"Are either of you hurt at all?"
Draco lets go of his mother, taking a step back and shaking his head.
"No, no one got hurt, it was only a couple pesky beasts chasing us, I think we are both alright aside from the fright. Right Azula?"
I nod my head, sniffling and wiping a tear from my eye before straightening my clothes out somewhat despite their soiled colour.
"Right, we were buying our wands and on the way to get some books when this...this thing started chasing us, ugh it was horrific!"
Lucius soon interrupted me, stepping forward and lifting my chin.
"So you're telling me some beast appeared out of nowhere and chased you, yet you left the ordeal unharmed? Even a delicate child like you?"
My word this man needs to learn some manners.
"Sorry, Sir, but with all due respect, both Draco and I are perfectly capable of watching ourselves and remaining unharmed. Have a little faith in your son, he managed to navigate the situation splendidly."
My mother smiled at me proudly and took my hand, both my father and Draco however, interjected.
"There's no need to say that Azula."
Draco spoke in a hushed voice, not wanting to be heard by anyone else by the tone of his comment, further agreed with by my father.
"It would be best if we get going. You will see the Malfoys again in due time i'm sure. For now we should all head back and get ourselves cleaned up."
"It was lovely meeting you Mrs Malfoy, and you Draco, I hope to see you both soon."
I gave a bow to the two, side eyeing the taller man of the family with a satisfied grin when his expression dropped upon realising I had excluded him.
I gave Draco a carefully hidden fist bump before our parents said their goodbyes and everyone had left to not be seen again until after the summer.