Emerald Slippers- [Ginny Weasley]

One

Naomi was unsure of what to make of this strange feeling that settled upon her as she readied to board the train back for the Christmas holidays. She supposed she was heading 'home' for the holidays. Yet in reality she wasn't sure she could ever call Malfoy Manor her home. Home was the place she had been raised by her parents. Back when they were a complete unit. 

She almost longed for Christmas past. Where she would be greeted by both her mother and father and the family of four would spend the Yule holidays together. In their grand living room with the tree that her and Theodore had decorated placed on the right of the fireplace. She could even feel the warm embers of the fire brushing up against her skin, even now all these years later. Yule hadn't really been the same since her mother's passing. The smile her father held on the morning when both siblings opened their gifts were never as bright, never as real or heartfelt as they had been when his wife was around. Her parents had never been a typical love story. They had however, been a typical pure blood wizard marriage story. The pair having been matched together to keep their bloodlines pure. It had not mattered that her mother was a staggering 14 years older than her father. Or that the pair had barely ever communicated before being engaged to wed. But they had developed a relationship over the years of marriage in order to raise their children. And her father had never been the same ever since. 

Naomi pondered for a moment if she was only just missing her mother's presence. She had been 10 when her mother had passed away. A sudden cardiac arrest that they couldn't bring her back from.  It had been 6 years and though her chest no longer physically hurt when she thought of her mother, the thoughts of what could have been had she still been around. How her mother would be sharing stories of her own time at Hogwarts, how she would have been questioning Naomi to see if they had gotten the same dorm room. The one she knew she was currently in considering she had etched her own name next to her mothers in the four poster bed both had slept in. The only clear memories she had of her mother always included the same bright smile and those green eyes she wished she had, her Ebony hair which always sat piled on top of her head and that pair of square framed glasses. The elderly woman's memory never faded but all Naomi could do was wish she had more moments with her late mother. 

She wondered if her mother would be supportive of the relationship she was currently in. Naomi's mother never seemed overly judgemental for anything other than blood status. She would probably accept the relationship considering Ginny was a Weasley. However, she was also sure that her mother would be against it considering the fact that for the two and a half months they had been dating that Ginny had spent two of those weeks ignoring Naomi. Even if it practically Naomi's fault that occurred. However, there was also the possibility that had Naomi's mother still be with the living that she wouldn't be in the predicament which was trying to destroy the budding relationship. For she was sure, her mother would never allow the two Nott siblings to have been promised to the death eater cause at such a young age. She would have allowed the two to make their own decisions regarding joining when they were adults and could truly weigh up the consequences of joining. 

Yule with her parents was always Naomi's favourite holiday of the year. She loved the traditional approach they took to celebrating. Especially including the grand party hosted by none other than the Malfoy's where the sacred 28 families would gather to spend time together in the only circle which shared the exact same beliefs. Where they would be dancing, drinks and an overall positive atmosphere. 

These great balls had not been the same in the last year or two. Now a somber mood seemed to settle upon them. There was a lack of colour many of the guests choosing to dress in black to show their status as death eaters, because apparently wearing anything bright opposed to the presence they were supposed to have. This year she supposed would be no different to the changing in atmosphere. It would also be different she supposed, considering now Naomi was technically one of the hosts as she was a ward of the Malfoy family. She had been told that she could invite anyone she wanted this year to come. However, Naomi knew the one person she wanted to invite wouldn't be allowed through the door that was giving she could even get the other girl to agree to come. 

Naomi had instead had to bid goodbye to Ginny that morning before embarking upon the Hogwarts Express. As Ginny had thought the two were only separating for the two weeks and returning as if nothing had changed, going to continue their relationship just as it had been left. Naomi knew different. She knew she was going to come back as a completely different person. That the girl Ginny knew was going to be gone. And in her place would be the new Naomi. 

However, she couldn't let the other girl know just how much this was upsetting her. Therefore, as she hugged Ginny goodbye far away from the eyes of anyone else, Naomi held onto her unshed tears. Rather only letting them slip once she was safe in her compartment with Astoria and the train had pulled off in the direction of Kings Cross. 

It was a little bit ridiculous to Naomi just how effected she had been by the parting between her and her girlfriend. How upset she was knowing that was the last time they were together before everything was going to change and not in the good way. Why was it upsetting her that she knew that after this holiday that the relationship was going to be ruined and she was going to have to break up with the slightly younger girl. After all it wasn't like they had been together for years, in the truth of it they had barely been together at all. With all the sneaking around to the two weeks they had argued and spent separate and everything else they had barely spent a lot of time together as a couple. Yet Naomi's stomach was twisting into a knot that clenched and became tighter as she continued to think about the other girl. It made her feel queasy and physically as if she was going to projectile vomit across the compartment. 

Naomi never thought such a short term relationship would affect her this much. She never deemed herself to be someone who made their significant other their entire reason for existing. At barely 16, she knew it was possible yet it seemed so unreasonable and something she would never think she would ever do or become. Yet here she was feeling those intense emotions which she had promised herself never to experience. She didn't want to know what would happen to her when the inevitable occurred and she was no longer in the relationship with the red haired witch.