Green Apples; Draco Malfoy [1]

Chapter 33🍏

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦. There was much fun to be had at Malfoy Manor.

They stayed up chatting until the early hours of the morning, creeping around the house, having midnight snacks and playing in the snow.

Narcissa was just as Alexis had imagined: wonderful. She's strict but lovely, just like Andromeda. It's a shame they don't get along, she thought. They're so much like each other.

And Lucius was... well... a lot like Draco. Stern, assertive and definitely the head of the house. He asked her a lot of questions about her family and she tried to answer as best as she could without revealing the truth.

The presents they got were spectacular, from both their own families and the Malfoy's, but Alexis had the best for sure. She remembers when Draco gave her a gift she'll never forget.

It's almost midnight, and she's in the large living room with the group. They're all watching tv, wrapped up in blankets, falling asleep in front of the fire.

Alexis, cold, gets up and heads to the bedroom she's sharing with Thea and Pansy to get a jumper. Out of nowhere, a hand grabs her wrist and pulls her into another room.

She stands face to face with Draco, in his room. He's holding something behind his back.

"I wanted to give you this before we went back to Hogwarts."

He places in her hands a long, red velvet box.

She strokes the top, the material soft under her finger.

It feels expensive.

Slowly, she opens it. Inside is something she'd forgotten about, something that was out of her reach.

It's the feathered quill she'd seen at Diagon Alley. He remembered.

The cornflower blue quill lies on a silk pillow, the fountain tip covered in diamonds that sparkle under the moonlight.

"It's... I―I don't even know what to say," stammers Alexis, picking it up daintily.

It looks even more luxurious in her hands than in the shop window. It must have cost a fortune.

"Thank you?" says Draco, watching her.

"I mean, of course, thank you, so so much," she gasps. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Without even thinking about it, she engulfs him in a hug. Her arms wrap around his neck and squeeze him tightly, trying to express with actions what she cannot with words.

At first, Draco stiffens, but soon enough, he places his arms around her back and hugs her back.

No one had ever hugged him like this before.

This gift means so much to her, more than he'll ever know. It shows that he really does like her, accept her as a friend.

It's a memory she'll hold close to her heart and cherish forever.

Now, she's back at Hogwarts and a few months have passed. A lot has gone down between Christmas and now: Harry found a diary that belonged to a T.M. Riddle, which has some sort of invisible ink in it that disappears when you write, but it replies to you as if it had a soul. He got sucked into the book and found out that Hagrid could be behind the attacks because he was expelled for releasing a great monster fifty years ago, although none of them wants to believe it could be him.