Broken: a Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 35 - Beauty & The Feast

**IMPORTANT - what was previously published as chapter 36 was added into this chapter. There is now a new chapter 36 additionally so please make sure you don't miss any of the story and re-read in case!**

•••

Alexia stared long and hard at the parchment, gathering her thoughts before finally she folded the note and tucked it into her coat pocket.
Almost forgetting what she was doing, she collected her books and hurried off to rejoin Pansy to study. Surprisingly, Alexia didn't find it difficult to study. She read her notes with ease and wrote practice essays speedily yet extremely well, and after lunch out in the courtyard, she perfected every charm, hex and spell.
"How is Granger top of the class? You're just as good! She must be cheating!" Pansy exclaimed to Alexia on the way to the library.
"Pansy she's a mudblood. She doesn't even belong here; nothing of hers even counts." Alexia replied.
"True," Pansy agreed.

Alexia's ease of studying began to change after lunch. She massaged her pulsing temples as she narrowed her eyes determinedly at her notes. The words blurred together. Her Herbology OWL was not for a few days but being one of the subjects she wished to continue, she wanted her best results. Alexia pressed her head against the parchment as if it would imprint in her memory. It was useless. Leaning back on the chair, she glanced at the ceiling. Her thoughts became clouded and all she could focus on was everything she needed to know the next morning and the tiny piece of parchment in her pocket. Forcing her head back down to her notes, she gathered them into a pile in her hands,pushed the chair back and strode out of the library.

She sped through the castle, along corridors and down flights of stairs. The sky outside the windows was fading to a murky blue; night was coming. In several hours it would be midnight.
The Slytherin dungeons were almost empty. Alexia put away her books and pages of notes in her dormitory, then made her way to the bathroom for a long, warm shower.

She welcomed the refreshing water as it caressed her bare, unblemished skin. Alexia closed her eyes letting the heat soak into her skin. Steam filled the room, allowing reality to fade into a foggy allusion. Her mind swirled. She felt as if she was standing beneath an everlasting waterfall, where she could escape from the real world, the worries, the stress and the pain. But the waterfall could never last, and Alexia knew that.

After showering, Alexia returned to her dormitory and collapsed onto her bed. By now, people were beginning to head to the Great Hall for dinner but Alexia didn't have the motivation. She stared up at the ceiling. In two weeks she would be back in Wiltshire in the Burke Estate; far away from the place she hated the most. She would spend days soaking up the sun, shopping in the high-end stores, visiting the best wizarding cafes, attending parties with exclusive guest lists, and of course, preparing for a fresh new start when she would return to Hogwarts after summer. Her humiliating year would be forgotten and she would be the Queen Bee of Hogwarts once again. She would be powerful, manipulative and cruel. This year, she had let her enemies, her friends, and herself down by not being the bitch she really was.

"Alexia, you coming?" A voice asked, interrupting her thoughts. It was Daphne with Pansy at her side.
"Oh," Alexia said, sitting up, "Yeah." She got up, fixed her hair and put on a black coat and her black flats. "Let's go."

The three girls strutted into the Great Hall and took a seat beside each other with the rest of the Supremes. Draco looked up as Alexia sat down across from him.
"Hey," she said.
"Hi ladies." he replied, addressing all three girls.
"Ready for Charms tomorrow?" Alexia asked.
"Of course," he said.
"Good." Alexia said.
Neither of the two spoke a word of what they were doing later that night. For once in a while, Alexia found herself at dinner that night, deep in a normal conversation with Draco without feeling any tension or forcefulness. It felt easy and natural, and not once did having to cover up the rumour about them appear in her mind or his.
"Have you heard about that new store opening in Diagon Alley? It's owned by a French wizard, Sorcellerie. He's a fashion designer in France." Alexia told the group.
"I read something about that," Pansy said.
"Yes, well, they've asked my Mother and I to attend the grand opening party. Only the best wizards and witches in fashion are attending." Alexia informed them.
"That's amazing!" Pansy exclaimed.
"It's probably the closest I'll get to experiencing France this Summer though..." Alexia sighed.
"Oh Alexia, I'm sure your mother wishes it wasn't that way." Daphne said.
"I doubt she even remembers, honestly."
"Well maybe Sorcellerie will use his French charm to convince her to visit his store in Paris with you," Draco suggested.
"I do hope so."