It was Draco Malfoy. It was the boy whose face always crossed my mind even at the most inconvenient times.
Draco x OC (friends-enemies-lovers)
Sequel: Challenged Love
In the blink of an eye, Christmas had already arrived and had spread its spirit throughout Malfoy Manor. The family Christmas tree stood proud in the living room, stretching up towards the ceiling and beaming with light. The fireplace was ablaze, and five stockings hung from the mantel. Snow also fell from the sky just outside the window, covering every inch of the ground with snowfall.
Speaking of snow, it had been a snowy day in the middle of December at Hogwarts. I happened to be standing in the snow, catching miniature snowflakes in my gloved hands. The only thing which could be seen from miles upon miles with the color of white. Pristine, glistening snow blanketed the Hogwarts castle and all the land surrounding it. A chilly breezed brushed through my long, brown hair, and the frosty air gently kissed my cheeks. I was idle and alone in the broad, winter wonderland. Or at least, I thought I was. That was when I heard the sound of soft crunches in the snow from behind me.
"Rosewood?"
I turned around to meet Malfoy. Something told me we had been here before, throwing snowballs at each other and acting as if time were infinite. As if things would always be the same forever.
I quickly noted that Malfoy's eyes were red and watery, a sight I was not used to witnessing. I somehow just knew that his current state had to do with Parkinson.
Yes, they are still together.
It was difficult to watch. Some days Malfoy and Parkinson would not talk to each other, and other days she would be all over him. They were always on and off, and no one really seemed to notice.
Yet, I did.
"Hello," I had replied, shivering against the cold, even though I was covered in winter apparel from head to toe.
If Malfoy had really been crying, I would have expected for him to try and hide it. However, I suppose he did not care, and I was not going to point it out anyways.
It was already immensely awkward, but Malfoy said nothing to relieve the silence. Instead, he just stood there, his prideful complexion ceasing to overtake his countenance and revealing a much more authentic Malfoy.
"Do you need something?" I asked, though it came out as a quiet whisper.
I could not read his mind to discover what he was thinking. I hardly ever could.
"I don't know," he answered, narrowing his eyes towards the snow beneath him.
His answer seemed to have resembled genuine honesty.
"Well," I informed him, "I'm going to go join my friends for dinner in the Great Hall."
I started to trudge in the ankle-deep snow past him. Then abruptly, after having gotten a few feet past him, I halted in my path and took a few steps back as if I had something more to say.
"Don't let someone manipulate you," I mentioned, speaking from experience.
I do not really know why I had said this. Malfoy also really did not know how to take this, so he just responded by nodding his head.
I gave a soft smile.
"Goodbye, Draco."
It was not until I got inside did I realize I called him by his first name. —————————————————————— Back at Malfoy Manor: We had all just finished eating our Christmas breakfast that morning. After this, Lucius, Narcissa, Malfoy, Kasper, and I all gathered into the living room. Narcissa had Malfoy, Kasper, and I sit in separate, cushioned arm-chairs in front of the giant Christmas tree while she quickly sorted our gifts into separate piles. During the time the three of us were waiting to unwrap our presents, I felt almost as if I were a little kid once again on Christmas morning, with a heart filled with an exceeding amount of excitement that I could hardly contain it. I imagined me and my family once again, making gingerbread houses and singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs. However, if my parents were here now, they would not be doing either of those things.
I have not really given my parents much thought since they were imprisoned in Azkaban. I only gave them, and my mother's odd stare in the court room, a small moment of recognition until Narcissa announced that we could open our presents.
One by one, our gifts floated gracefully in the air towards us and into our laps. Lucius and Narcissa watched, letting the chaos unravel as we shred all the wrapping paper and tossed it carelessly behind us. I received several things! I got two candles, one hundred galleons, paint supplies, three books, candy, clothes, and shoes.
"Hey!" cheered Kasper. "I got a bottle of cologne."
"You're welcome," I remarked teasingly.
"Are you calling me stinky?" he jokingly said, putting a hand to his heart as if he were offended.
"Maybe," I replied playfully.
Right after saying this, I picked up a box which said it was from Kasper.
"Open it," demanded Kasper eagerly, ready to see my reaction.
"Should I be scared?" I asked as I tore the wrapping paper off the box.
"Not a bit," he answered with a smile, which appeared to be a mischievous one.
Out of the box came a gust of confetti, most likely caused by a magical enchantment. Then, I pulled out a beautiful, functional Polaroidcamera. My eyes gleamed with satisfaction as I examined the pink-colored camera.
"I bought it with my own money," mentioned Kasper. "It cost me a fortune."
I was speechless. I do not know what I expected from Kasper, but it certainly was not this!
"Thank you!" I replied with a grateful spirit.
"You're welcome, and thank you for this cologne by the way."
Kasper, Malfoy, and I now only had one more gift each to open by this time. Malfoy received a new broom for Quidditch, Kasper received his Christmas bonus check from his job (he worked some days during Christmas break), and I received a little, red velvet box. It was not wrapped, but a piece of paper was stuck to it with my name scribbled in ink on it. I flipped open the box which contained within it a gorgeous necklace. I slowly removed the necklace from its case. The chain was a shiny, gold color with a heart-shaped pearl dangling from the middle of the necklace. The heart-shaped pearl also had gold designs embedded around it.
There was no indication as to where the necklace came from, but I assumed it was from Narcisa. It seemed like something of her taste.
As Kasper was helping me attach the necklace around my neck, I caught a pair of pale, blue eyes glancing at me every now and then, a pair of eyes oddly too familiar.
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