Pearls and Fire whisky | A Harry James Potter love story

000

Two more days until I would be back at Hogwarts. 

I was sipping on the one glass of red wine I was allowed, my back resting against the wall of our ballroom. The room was lightly dimmed, classic music playing loud enough for people to dance, but silent enough for our guests to still be able to converse with each other without having to raise their voices. 

As a little girl I used to love these type of parties. Getting dressed up in pretty dresses, playing with my friends, having all types of sweet treats and most importantly: being able to stay up past my bedtime. 

But behind the beautiful dresses, all the dancing and rich assortment of sweets and alcohol, it was really just a really fancy Death Eater gathering. 

I always knew my father was a piece of shit, but I hadn't know how evil he really was until my fourth year at Hogwarts when the Dark Lord made a return. 

My father had always been abusive towards my mother, but it was the summer before my fifth year that he also started hitting me. 

"He's under a lot of stress, my darling girl," my mother would tell me while pressing down a cloth filled with ice against my red cheek. She would try to comfort me, singing softly and holding me in her shaking arms. 

As I look at her now, in her black ball gown, her ears and neck covered in the most expensive jewellery, a big smile on her made-up face, there were no signs of a woman being in an abusive relationship. Nobody would suspect a thing, she was truly amazing at covering up how broken our little family really was. However, if you'd remove those beautiful black satin gloves she wore you would see the dark bruises that covered both her arms. If you'd pay close attention, you would notice how she would flinch ever so slightly every time my father put his arm around her waist because of her bruised ribs. 

"Zara, don't you look beautiful," I hear a familiar voice say. I look away from my mother to meet the eyes of one of my friends, Blaise. I look him up and down slowly, admiring how handsome he looks in a black suit. "You're looking mighty fine yourself," I say causing him to smile brightly. 

"I brought you a little something," he then says holding up a small bottle filled with a golden coloured liquid. I feel the corners of my lips raise up, taking the small bottle from his hands. "Fire whisky?" He nods. I hand him my wine glass and take the cork out of the bottle of alcohol eagerly. Blaise watches my parents and gives me a small nod, my cue to drink. I turn around, drinking the entire bottle in one go. I can feel the alcohol burn in my throat, causing me to contort my face. Blaise hands me back my wine glass as I give him the empty bottle that he quickly puts away in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. 

"Thank you for that, I really needed it," I let him know. He turned around, resting his back against the wall next to me. "I know. I heard about Draco and you." I snorted before I take a sip from my red wine to take away the taste the fire whisky left behind. "Yes, Draco. That was a lovely surprise," I say. "At least you're engaged to someone you actually like, I'm probably going to end up with Millicent," he groaned. 

I couldn't help but laugh at his comment, even though it really wasn't a laughing matter. When I found out at my sixteenth birthday dinner that I was now engaged to my best friend really wasn't the sweet sixteen gift I was expecting. I hadn't been able to see Draco all summer. So I was rather excited to finally see him on my birthday. He had looked tired, worn out. 

When our marriage was mentioned Draco had looked guilty, which only made me assume he had already known. 

Blaise had a point. At least I would spend the rest of my life with someone I loved and who cared for me. I knew Draco would treat me right, he would never hurt me like my father did my mother.