Love Of My Life

Chapter Fifteen: 112%

Salem sat in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee as she talked with the elves. Lucius was still asleep and the sun was barely up, so the house was still relatively quiet.

The elves liked talking with Salem. 

They were used to the two testosterone-filled, rage monsters that were the Malfoy men, while Salem was calm and kind to them. 

The ones that had been with The Malfoys since Medila liked having another lady of the house.

"Madam Sioux, are you staying for the New Years' ball?" one of them asks. 

"You all don't have to call me madam Sioux, it's Salem." She says as she giggles. "And what ball?" Salem asks as she takes a sip of the warm drink.

"At the end of every year, Minister Jenkins throws a ball to celebrate another year and Master Malfoy offers the manor to him, to stay in the minister's good graces," Dobby informs her. "If I am invited, yes I will come," Salem says as they all smile.

"You're up early." She hears Lucius's raspy voice say as the elves scatter. 

She looks up and sees him coming into the kitchen in nothing but black sweatpants."I couldn't sleep. Neither could Mas." She says as she motions to the window where the cat was chasing birds through the snow. They both chuckle as he kisses her, tasting the coffee on her breath.

"Well, it is Christmas Eve so I've had the elves begin preparing the Christmas dinner." She tells him. "Christmas dinner?" He asks as she remembers that he's never had a proper Christmas. "In the muggle and the wizarding world, people make a huge dinner to celebrate with and eat on Christmas Eve night." She tells him. 

"You'll have to keep me up to speed on these things." He tells her as she smiles.

Later on in the day, the two sat by the fire as Lucius read to her. He sat on the couch as Salem laid her head on his lap, looking up at him.

"The promise, therefore, was given-"

Lucius's reading is cut off by the sound of an owl squawking. A brown owl flies in and hovers over the two to avoid being pounced on by the cat. 

It drops a letter onto Salem and then flies out of the manor.

"That was a Hogwarts owl," Salem says as she goes to reach for the letter but Lucius grabs it first. "Uh uh. My house, I get to open it first." He playfully says as Salem giggles.

Dear Miss Salem Aldridge Sioux,

We are pleased to inform you that you have scored the highest mark in the O.W.L.S exams in the history of Hogwarts. With a mark of 112%, you have graded higher than 1918's highest score of 110%.

Congratulations and Happy Christmas.

-Minerva McGonagall

"Merlin's beard! Salem looks at this." He says, astonished at the letter. "What?" She says as she giggles and grabs the letter from him.

She reads through the letter and lays there with her mouth open in amazement. 

"The current Minister Of Magic didn't even score close to that," Lucius says as he chuckles. "I don't even know how to react." She says as she smiles. 

"You should be proud of yourself darling. You are the brightest witch of our age." He tells her as he leans his head down to kiss her. "Until our age starts having children and I get beaten out." She says as they both chuckle.

"All in good time darling," he says as he gets up, his comment making her cheeks turn red.

" Madam Sioux, the Christmas dinner is served." an elf tells her as she smiles and gets up from her place on the couch. "Thank you, Dobby." She tells the elf as Lucius rolls his eyes at her politeness towards his servants.

The two take their seats on the long dining table and begin eating.

"Well, is your first real Christmas going well?" She asks as takes a sip of red wine. "Very well indeed." He says as she smiles.

"It makes me not want to go back to Hogwarts." She says as she takes a bite of the turkey that the elves prepared. 

"I would trade anything for the chance to stay here with you instead of going back to classrooms and homework." He adds emphasis on the last three words, making her giggle.

"It isn't so bad and besides, I can't really complain about living in a castle." She tells him, remembering the first time she saw the school from the boats. 

"Well, my entire life my family had made it up to be this big, amazing thing. However, it never really got exciting until I met you." He tells her. "What do you mean?" She asks, taking another forkful of turkey.

"From year one to year six, every day was the same thing. I had been using magic since I was a child and I was only attending Hogwarts to sharpen my skills and because I needed a magical education to work with my father in the ministry." He tells her as she listens attentively. 

"Then year seven came around and I met you..... You gave me a reason not to dread the day ahead of me." His words make her blush and she was unable to find the right words to respond with.

"My mother told me when I started school that it didn't matter to her who I fell in love with, or when for that matter. As long as I was happy." She tells him. 

"So I didn't exactly look for anyone to love, but I believe that soulmates don't look but they find each other. And.... I believe that that's why we found each other Lucy." She says as her french accent involuntarily came out on the last word.

He suddenly stands up and holds out his hand for her. She takes it as they leave the dining room, walking hand in hand.

"If only words could describe how much I love you Salem."