Broken Glass | D.M.

fourteen

"Thisbe, c'mon wake up!" Draco says excitedly.

I groan and roll over in bed, attempting to savor the sweet feeling of sleep, but a beam of light shines on my face, a result from Draco opening the curtains.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake," I say.
"Happy Christmas darling," Draco says as he embraces me and gives me a short but sweet kiss.
"Happy Christmas love," I respond.
"Get ready and come downstairs so we can open presents! My father arrived about an hour ago," he says as he exits my room.

I walk to the bathroom to do my skincare and makeup; I go for a natural look today.

I open my suitcase and pull out a pair of flared Lululemon leggings; size 0, of course. They fit me, but just barely. They're almost too big. Loose fabric is beginning to bunch up around my legs.

Checking that my door is closed, I pull out my scale. 79 lbs it reads. I'm finally under 80lbs, it's a Christmas miracle.

I throw on a maroon V-neck cable knit sweater. It drapes on my shoulders like a shirt on a hanger, my sharply defined collarbones protruding just above my sweater's neckline.

I look at myself in the mirror. I barely recognize the reflection. For the first time in a while, I see a thin, almost sickly, figure staring back. The girl in the mirror's face looks hollow and colorless with an essence of death. But then my eyes readjust and I see all of my imperfections; extra pounds on my thighs, chub on my waistline.

I go back to the bathroom and add more blush to my cheeks to conceal the paleness that comes with being extremely malnourished. I brush my hair carefully to avoid pulling out clumps of my already thinning hair and then begin to head downstairs.

In the living room, Draco is sitting with his parents on the couch. He and Narcissa laugh about something I can't quite hear. Lucius snickers slightly.

"Oh, good morning dear, you're awake. Happy Christmas!" Narcissa says.
"Happy Christmas!" I respond.

As I make my way to the couch, Lucious stands up and I immediately begin to feel scared.

"Hello, Thisbe," he says in an intimidating voice.
"Hi Mr. Malfoy, it's great to finally meet you," I manage to respond.
He stares at me.

"Well then, let's open presents!" Narcissa says, breaking the tension.

"Here, my love. This is from me," Draco says as he hands me a present from under the tree.

I rip open the wrapping paper to reveal a large and incredibly soft blanket.

"I enchanted it with a warming charm because I know you get cold easily," he tells me. "It can also shrink to be able to fit in your pocket so that you can bring it with you wherever you go."
"Thank you darling, I love it," I say as I give him a hug.

I hand him a present from me. He opens it and holds up the emerald green sweater with his initials embroidered on the bottom of the left sleeve.

"I'm sorry it's not great, I knitted it myself so there may be a few small holes," I tell him.

"Don't be silly, it's perfect, darling," he says as he puts it on.
"So, how does it look?" He asks me.
"Dashing," I respond.

He hands me another present. This one's in a very small box, neatly wrapped.

Inside is a gold knot of love necklace; two intertwined pieces of gold, one studded with diamonds, surround a large sparkly diamond; it's breathtakingly beautiful.

"Draco, I- I don't know what to say."
"Do you like it?" He asks me
"It's gorgeous. I love it," I tell him in a sincere voice.

He takes the necklace and moves my hair to one side of my neck as he puts it on for me.

I hand him one last present; what appears to be a simple silver ring with his initials carved into it on the outside, and 'love bee' carved on the inside, is actually quite special. He slips it onto his middle finger on his left hand, one of the few fingers not already occupied by other rings.

"Thank you, Bee. I love it. You know how much I love rings," he tells me.

I smile and give him a hug.

"Well, I'm going to prepare some cinnamon buns and tea for breakfast. If you look at the time, I suppose it's more of a lunch. Lucius, would you come help me gather the ingredients?" Narcissa asks.

"Yes, dear," he responds, and they both disappear into the kitchen.

Now that we're alone, I can tell Draco why the ring I gave him is special.

"Draco, about the ring I gave you. I placed a charm on it so that you can feel my presence even when I'm not with you. I know some nights can be hard for you, so I thought it would be nice and comforting."

"That's so thoughtful of you, Bee," he responds.

"And about the necklace, if you hold the diamond and close your eyes, it will remind you of a memory of us. It's catered to what you need in the moment- if you're happy, it will show you a lighthearted memory, and if you're struggling, it will remind you of my love for you."

I give him a smile and he pulls me in for a kiss.