Chapter 11
Ada woke up slowly and frowned. She was still unable to move and that freaked her out. She realized that the surface her face was on moved slowly in and out and she was alarmed, considering who it could possibly be. A quick look up confirmed her worst suspicions and she started to panic. Mr. Malfoy quickly started to move around trying to calm her down.
When Ada started to relax again in his arms Lucius stood up. He was disturbed at how easy she was to carry. He didn't even have to cast a feather-light charm on her. She squeaked a little at the sudden movement and tensed up again. He paced around for a little while longer and when she was calmer he made his way out of the parlor and up the grand staircase.
Instead of going to her room like Ada expected, Mr. Malfoy stopped at a door she hadn't noticed before. It was right between Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy's room and Draco's room. When he opened the door she looked around curiously but also a little nervously. The room was decorated in soft blues and greens and seemed larger on the inside than it should have been. There was a twin bed pushed against one wall and a bookshelf near it. In one corner was a mound of pillows, blankets and... stuffed animals? It all looked plain but comfy as well as slightly childish.
Mrs. Malfoy was in the room arranging clothes in a tall wardrobe. Ada frowned and wondered what was going on. The clothes certainly didn't belong to either of the boys and definitely not to either Mr. or Mrs. Malfoy. They weren't Ada's clothes though, they were much too new and nice for that.
Mr. Malfoy sat down on the bed and finally unwrapped Ada from the tight and constrictive blanket. She stayed perfectly still until she was completely free before scrambling away. Mrs. Narcissa had come to sit on the other side of the bed so there was nowhere for Ada to go but in the corner of the bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tightly wrapped her arms around them, clutching her elbows.
As Ada looked back and forth between the two Malfoys, Lucius was stuck by how small and fragile the girl looked. Her sharp elbows were clearly outlined through the worn fabric of her shirt. Her face was pale and her eyes too wide. He also noticed that she was trembling slightly.
"I'm sorry for running away and making you go through the trouble of finding me. I know I'm a burden but I'll try harder I promise. I just thought that it would be easier on you if I left. I'm sorry." Ada was embarrassed at the quiver in her voice as she spoke.
"Ada, you don't need to apologize for having basic human needs. It does not make you a burden to anyone here." Narcissa said softly. "Running away was a bad choice but we understand why you did it. You have years of emotional trauma that caused you to act like you did. We're just glad you're home now."
"However," Mr. Malfoy picked up, "Things are going to change a little now. It's hard to miss how much of a mess you are, and I say that very lovingly. Considering your background and previous homelife this is going to be a very difficult transition for you. "
The pair of adults were closely watching Ada. As they'd been speaking the girl had curled up into an even tighter ball and her hands were white with how tightly she was clutching her arms. Narcissa continued.
"One of the biggest changes for you will be the restrictions of your freedom. You showed us that right now it is unwise for you to be left alone. So for the time being you will always be with one of us, or one of the boys. Another change is in your eating habits. You will now eat three meals a day and in between each meal you will have a small sack or a nutrient potion. To make sure you are actually eating your food, someone will always feed you."
"We have decided to use a rather unconventional route in dealing with your trauma but it has a history of being more effective, especially in cases like yours where you were physically neglected and emotionally deprived of love and affection. We may treat you as if you are much much younger than you are but it's for your own good. We won't always treat you as if you are so young but we will ask you to do things that you may not want to day and we expect you to obey."
As Lucius had been talking Draco and Blaise had crept in. They didn't want to crowd Ada so they leaned against the wall watching and listening. Draco noticed that once again Ada had adopted the posture of a cornered animal. He was sure that if she had wings she would have flown up and away. As it was, she looked about ready to try .
"I don't understand what you want from me. Just tell me what you need me to do, what chores you have assigned to me and the rules of what not to do. I promise I'll obey them." Ada looked anxiously between the oldest Malfoys.
"Piccolina, we aren't asking you to be our servant or slave. All we want is for you to let us help you." Narcissa said gently.
"Do you have any questions about this?" Lucius asked.
Ada started to shake her head then paused. She didn't really understand what they were asking her to do but she'd learn. She was curious, though, about the room.
"Who's room is this? I don't remember seeing it when I was here before."
"It was Draco's bedroom as a child. We wanted you to be closer so that we could keep an eye on you. Both Draco's room as well as mine and Lucius's room have doors that lead into here. The house elves have also cast a variety of spells to keep you safer and let us know if anything is wrong.
Ada just nodded slowly and then sighed. She was exhausted and still didn't feel well. She'd heard everything she'd been told but didn't really understand any of it. The group was silent for a while before Narcissa spoke up again.
"You boys can do whatever until dinner. I'll help Ada get settled in."
Narcissa and Ada watched the boys file out until Lucius shut the door behind himself. Then Ada turned her war gaze to Narcissa. She smiled gently at the girl before her and held out a hand.
"First order of business is to get you cleaned and then into better clothes. You look like a right mess!"
Ada tried but couldn't really find offense. She hadn't showered since before she moved into the new joint dorms nearly a week ago and her clothes were fraying at the edges and stained from whichever of her brothers had owned them previously. She slowly unfolded herself from the corner and cautiously reached out to take Mrs. Malfoy's hand. She was gently tugged to her feet and pulled to a door she hadn't noticed earlier. Inside was a large bathroom that confounded Ada slightly, until she remembered she lived in the wizarding world. Mrs. Malfoy busied herself with drawing up a bath and digging around for various bottles. Once she had set everything out including towels she turned back to Ada.
"I'm going to pick out some new clothes for you while you undress and hop in the tub. When I'm back I'll wash and condition your hair for you."
Ada watched Mrs. Malfoy leave before doing as she was told. As she lowered herself into the hot water she let out a small sigh. The water felt so good and smelled even better. There was a layer of bubbles floating atop the water that smelled like vanilla and lavender. She let herself sink down in the warmth and relax fully. She nearly fell asleep but just as she was on the edge Narcissa came back in.
"Let's get you washed up and then into some new clothes."
Ada nodded drowsily and pulled herself up slightly to reach for the shampoo bottle.
"Why don't you let me help you with this. You just relax okay?"
Ada nodded again and let Mrs. Malfoy situate her better in the tub. Warm water ran through her hair before Mrs. Malfoy started working the shampoo through Ada's long dark hair. By the time Mrs. Malfoy had finished shampooing and conditioning her hair, Ada had fallen asleep. She woke up when Mrs. Malfoy shook her shoulder.
"Why don't you dry off and then get dressed. I'll wait just outside for you."
Ada waited for Mrs. Malfoy to leave before climbing out of the tub with a sigh. The towels laid out for her were warm and soft and she let herself just run a hand over them for a while before actually doing anything. When she was dry she looked around for clothes and frowned when she saw what had been left for her. Instead of jeans or even just pants was a long black skirt and a green blouse was to go with it. Rather than wear the uncomfortable outfit laid out for her, Ada just climbed back into her own clothes. When she opened the bathroom door it was Mrs. Malfoy's turn to frown.
"Is something wrong with the clothes I gave you? Do they not fit?" she asked.
"No, but don't you think they're a little too.. nice? A little formal?"
"Not really but how about you look through the wardrobe and see if there's something else you'd rather wear."
Ada opened the heavy wooden door of the wardrobe and looked helplessly at the clothes within. They were all either skirts and blouses or dresses. She began to dig through trying to find anything that looked comfortable. As she got to one end she saw a pile of clothes neatly folded in the corner on the floor of the thing. She stooped over and looked through them before grabbing them.
"These will work." she said simply.
"But those are just Draco's old clothes. I didn't have time to take them out but I was going to get rid of them for you."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Malfoy, I'd feel much more comfortable in these clothes than in anything else in there."
"Why on earth would you want those old clothes rather than any of the new things? You'd look very pretty in anything there."
Ada just shrugged and went back into the bathroom to change again. When she came out again she was dressed in a pair worn but neat looking jeans and a longs sleeve t-shirt. Draco hadn't worn either since he was probably in third year but they still smelled slightly of him, like the vanilla and lavender bath soap. Narcissa was still waiting for Ada to emerge again and tried to smile gently again at the girl. She was proud though that Ada had been willing to admit that she didn't like the clothes Narcissa had picked out.
"Let's go find the boy's then sit down for dinner, sounds good?" she asked the girl.
Ada nodded and followed Mrs. Malfoy out into the hall. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest, immediately feeling chilled. Both Draco and Blaise were in Draco's room so it wasn't hard to track them down. Both boys jumped up at the mention of dinner and Ada smiled just slightly. As Blaise started to leave he noticed that Ada looked a little cold so he wordlessly pulled off his jumper and handed it to Ada. She looked at him in question and when he nodded she pulled it on. She was practically swimming in it but it was much warmer. She hung back just a second so that she was in the back as the small group made their way down to the dining room.
Mr. Malfoy was already waiting at the table and everyone took their seats, leaving Ada to sit next to Blaise. Just when the clock in the corner struck 6:00 the food appeared on the table. Ada's plate had already automatically filled itself with potatoes and carrots, a small serving of roast beef, a slice of bread, and a helping of green beans. She went to pick up her fork but it wouldn't budge. She looked up at Mr. Malfoy in question and he nodded slightly.
"Remember, one of us will feed you for the time being. You do get to choose though, if you would like. "
Ada made a slight face when Mr. Malfoy told her she wasn't allowed to feed herself. She tried to pick up her fork again then reached for the bread on her plate but found she couldn't touch it. She sat back with a huff and tossed her arms. She stared stubbornly at the table, refusing to pick someone. Finally Blaise decided enough was enough and he pulled Ada's chair closer to him. He picked up the fork and as he scooped up a bite of potatoes he whispered something in her ear. They had a stare off for a second before she slumped back and opened her mouth. She refused to make eye contact with anyone as she was slowly fed. When she was done she just put her head down on the table and closed her eyes.