Chapter 36

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The evening of December 24th brought even more guests into the house. Fred and George were finally home, Y/n spent most of her evening with them hearing stories from their shop and their new life as business men.
"You know, if my career as an artist fails, I shall hope you hire me at your shop" she teased.
It had been long but they helped a lot to shut down her worries and make her genuinely smile like the day they met.

They helped with arrangements and decorations to await the other people who would join them for dinner, and to lay down the table and food, and to, unnoticed by Mrs Weasley, stun an awfully annoying gnome and painting him, then hanging him up as the star on the Christmas tree. More of their siblings were home for the holidays and one of them was with his fiancé, Fleur Delacour. Y/n recognized her. "Wait, didn't she take part in-"

"The triwizard tournament" finished Fred.
"Yeah, but mum doesn't like her" added George smirking.

"Really? Why?" Asked Y/n amused.

"Mum says she's only with Bill for his looks" whispered Fred making a dramatic reenactment of despair.
"She's part Veela, mum reckons she uses her enchanting on him" said George, rolling his eyes at the couple.

Y/n giggled at that. The enchanting would wear off after all this time, surely.

At night, they sat and ate and talked, momentarily forgetting the world around them was falling apart. Y/n sat next to Fred and George, as far as she could from the trio and their younger sister, who didn't seem keen with her presence.

"How are things with young Mr Malfoy?" Asked Fred quietly.

"Complicated" she replied simply. This word was far from being enough to explain it. But it was all she could find.

"You know, he is a fine man, the looks he gives you is one you don't give just anybody" said George fake thoughtful.

"Are my ears failing? Or are you complimenting Draco?" Laughed Y/n.

"Saying he is fine doesn't mean he is not a slimy little git" said Fred smirking.

"He liked you, you know? He always laughed at your jokes, even if he didn't admit it" she smiled at them.

"We feel most flattered!" Teased George.

When dinner was over, most had left to sleep. Y/n and the twins helped to clean up and then they sat outside the house to talk. When it was just too late, they said their good nights and went to sleep.

Y/n got inside the tent and went to her room, smiling for the first time in a while.

Next morning, she woke up to her usual pile of presents, beaming she reached for them and started to rip paper open. Her friend's presents were not in the pile tho, they must be in her bed at Valerian's Hall.
To her surprise, Mrs Weasley had given her a beautiful emerald green knitted sweater with her initial, it was no designer but it was precious. Y/n slipped in on with her brand new straight leg cream pants, complimenting her figure, and slipping over one of the silk scarves Blaise had given her.
They ate breakfast with the rest, everyone wearing a sweater like hers, knitted too by Mrs Weasley, except, for some mysterious reason, Fleur.

~~~

They returned to Valerian's hall the evening before the return to Hogwarts. Y/n noticed Malfoy Manor looked darker than usual, and a lot of movement was going on inside, unnoticed by outsiders. She peered over it from her window. No glimpse of him.

She then turned and started to unpack her friend's presents. Daphne had sent her a gorgeous jewelry box for her to keep her rings and necklaces and bracelets, it had been carefully painted with golden strands. Pansy, who surprised Y/n, had sent her a cherry perfume, "Thanks Parkinson!". Blaise had sent her two beautiful pairs of gloves, they fitted her hand gracefully and perfectly, one of the pairs was made of a pearly white silk, on the edge, a small lace, and the other of black patterned mesh, with a very well hidden strap band so they wouldn't slip. They were thin and she could slip her rings over them with ease. At last, Draco's. She wasn't expecting anything due to the current situation, she'd sent him a present, a band of magical herbs knitted smoothly together, that helped ease burned skin, for him to wear and not be bothered when people brushed his arm unintentionally.
He had sent her a ring. Not an engagement ring, but it had a Silver elegant M engraved on it. It was a promise ring. She smiled and put it on, admiring how it perfectly fit her finger, like no other ring had ever fitted her.

"What did your friends send you dear?" Asked Gemini examining Blaise's gloves. "Truly, Slytherins have their money don't they?" She smiled.

Y/n examined her mother, suddenly being back to her laid back and cheerful self. "I suppose" she replied cautiously.

"Who is this from?"

"The jewelry box is Daphne's, the gloves are Blaise's, the perfume is Pansy's-"

"Parkinson? I thought you didn't get along" she said admiring the perfume.

"Well mum, people change, and she became considerably nicer once she matured from her weird ways" replied Y/n trying to keep her voice steady. What had gotten into her mother?

Gemini's eyes soon found the ring. She beamed. "Oh! W, that is sweet!"

Y/n went pale. W? And then it downed on her.
Did her mother actually think she had all of a sudden forgotten it all and started dating George? Or Fred? Y/n knew Gemini, like most people, could not tell them apart.

"When did he give it to you? You didn't have it before?" She asked smirking.

Y/n felt her insides disappear, she could not tell her the truth, but Gemini was too distracted looking at the ring to hear her daughter's thoughts. "Uh"

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me corazón. I'm happy you found someone so nice and with such a lovely family" Gemini said planting a kiss on her forehead.

Her heart sank. Such a lovely family. Could people for once stop seeing Draco as just a Malfoy? Like, for Merlin's sake, he was his own person, Draco. She walked to her window, and could've sworn she saw a glimpse of his blonde hair. A small smile was planted on her lips. She threw herself onto her bed and looked at the ring, the soft light of the candle beside her bed playing shadows over it.
She then, noticed it had something written inside it too.
To see the rain and the sun, when we are free.

A small smile crossed her tired features, as she slipped it back on, and drifted asleep.

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