Slytherin's angel

Chapter 11- The intruder

After the introductions, Narcissa announced that she would start the House Elves on dinner.

Draco turned to her, "Do you want to go see your room?"

Nodding, he led her up the large marble staircase, leading her to the door on the far left. He opened it for her, allowing her to go in first.

A large, four poster bed was to her left. An end table holding an antique lamp was to the right of it. Large windows let in the dying sunlight, reds and yellows casting rich colors on the white duvet and pillows. In the corner were two doors, adjacent to each other on the wall. She assumed one was a closet and the other was a bathroom. Large dressers and armoires lined the walls. It was plainly a guest bedroom, so bare and cold that it was obvious they did not keep much company.

"What about your room?" Ashley smiled mischievously, "Can I see it?"

Draco grabbed her things from her and set them down on the bed. Silently, he led her out of the room and down two doors, opening the fourth to reveal a very Slytherin themed room. Everything was either green or silver, or some shade of the two. He too, had a very large four poster bed with a green comforter and silver lined pillows. A bathroom door was ajar to the right and a trail of clothes was coming out of a dark closet from the left, but other than that, it wasn't apparent that a boy of seventeen lived there. The room was void of pictures, no posters of famous bands or Quidditch teams decorated the wall. It was obvious he didn't feel at home there, since no effort was put into making his room truly his own.

"I don't need much." He shrugged, reading her thoughts, "I'm not here most of the time anyways."

"Where are you when you're not here?" She prodded.

He shrugged again, "In Diagon Alley, I guess."

"You mean Knockturn Alley." She frowned, shivering at the memory of Mr. Borgin's voice.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her, "I always use his Floo Powder to get to school. What else would you have me do?"

Ashley gave him a small smile, rubbing his arm in a truce. Draco's agitation fell away immediately.

"C'mon." He told her, "Dinner is probably ready."

***

Just as the house did not disappoint, the food was no exception. Everything was served in crystal bowls, laid upon china plates and poured in silver goblets. It was the most extravagant place setting she had eaten from, easily beating Hogwarts. Apple cider was poured in their goblets, although Narcissa seemed to be sipping delicately on a brandy. Garlic mashed potatoes, steak and hot slices of bread with melted butter sat on Ashley's plate, quickly disappearing with her increasing appetite. Draco looked up at her occasionally, allowing himself to offer a small smile as he sipped on his soup.

She couldn't believe that Narcissa was his mother, let alone a Malfoy. She was nothing like her husband, or like her son. Narcissa was surprisingly open and giggly, whether it was from having another female presence or her goblet that was constantly refilled by another house elf, she didn't know. Ashley couldn't help but wonder if she felt imprisoned in such a lonely, cold house. What did someone like her do to take up time?

When dinner was cleared away, little angel cakes were served, topped with fresh cut strawberries and whipped cream. On her first bit, she tried to quickly to wipe away some cream that had escaped from her fork and landed on her nose when she looked to see Draco staring at her.