Blood to Love | 3rd year

21- American Football

I stopped abruptly before entering my room and looked back down the hall to see if Draco caught up. He was sprinting down the hall, blonde hair flowing in his own gust of wind and staggering slightly as he ran.

I waited until he got close and zipped into my room. He followed in after me, both panting like dogs.

"You're fast," I complimented.

"I know," he breathed out, still violently panting with his hands over his head.

"Can't you just say thank you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Hm, no."

"We have the whole day. What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want," he said, visibly breathing normally once again and standing tall.

"Malfoy, this is your home. I don't know what you do around here!"

"We could hang out in my room, go to the library down the hall, or leave the house," he listed.

I was standing with my elbow on the dresser and thinking.

"Wait! How could we forget?" I said excitedly.

"Forget what?" Draco intensely questioned.

"It's Christmas Eve! We should go to a Christmas tree lighting!"

"A what?"

"It's a Muggle thing," I replied shortly while digging through my clothes to find an outfit.

"Go get Pansy and Blaise," I demanded further.

"Uh — no," he hesitated.

"Merlin, Malfoy, do I have to do everything myself?"

He sent an apologetic smile to me and I threw my clothes on top of my trunk that I had just dug to find. I then walked out of the room and knocked on their wooden door. Blaise hurried over to it and opened it. The small hairs on his head were frizzy and his lips were slightly stained red from Pansy's lipstick.

"Get ready," I said shortly. "Dress warm, we have a surprise."

He grunted and shut the door. I heard him recite what I said to Pansy and I went back to my dorm to find Draco holding up a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"Wear this," he said.

I nodded at him and told him to go get ready. He walked out of the room and into his own. I walked into the bathroom, changed clothes, fixed my makeup, and pulled my hair up.

I was satisfied with the look and headed back into my room. I kneeled beside my trunk once more to grab shoes. As I dug through, Narcissa lightly knocked on the already-open door.

"Hello dear, Draco told me you guys were going out. I thought you might like this," she shyly spoke while holding out a silver necklace with a snake dangling down it. I looked up at her and held out my hand. She placed the necklace down and I spontaneous stood up and hugged her.

"You don't know how much this means to me."

"I know that you don't have a good relationship with your parents. I don't even know them, but Draco told me a little bit about it. I just thought — well, it's — it's silly really," she stopped herself.

I backed away from the hug and blinked away the tears that began to form. I shook my head, "I'm sure it's not silly."

"Well, I thought — I thought that I could be some kind of influence or mother figure to you."

I smiled, my insides prancing with joy.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, no one has ever cared that much," I softly replied.