Cordelia Lyra Malfoy had always been different from the rest of her family. Her family were blood-supremacists who tried to teach their views to their children. Cordelia never believed with their views and would be punished for it.
She never felt a...
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TW: Child abuse and uncomfortable underage arranged marriage agreement
Malfoy Manor was quiet and uneventful leading up to Christmas. It felt just as it did during the summer. Cordelia felt like a prisoner when she was home. It was as if her role in life was to merely exist and nothing more. She had no meaningful connection to anyone or anything (other than Dobby) in that house. She would try to spend time with her mother and brother when her father wasn't home, otherwise she stayed in her bedroom. She did miss her brother and mother, even if the relationship was strained, but every moment spent with them reminded her just how distant they were. She couldn't get herself to be in the same room for very long. She also spent this time anxious about the words in her father's letter. She didn't know what plans he needed to discuss for her future, and it frightened her.
On Christmas Eve, Dobby had apparated into Cordelia's bedroom, holding a dress and a pair of silver flats.
"Miss Cordelia, Mistress would like you to wear this dress and be ready to leave in half an hour," Dobby instructed the girl as he handed her the dress and placed the shoes on the bed.
Cordelia nodded, knowing it was something she had to do tmif she didn't wish to feel her father's wrath. She grabbed the dress and went into the bathroom to change before examining the dress on her body. Of course her mother would choose green. The Hufflepuff hated the color green and everything it stood for with her family, but the Malfoys loved to remind her what the color meant to them.
Despite the color, she had to admit that the dress was beautiful. The sleeves had a delicate lace. The rest of the dress was a silky material with lace and diamonds sewn into the bust. There was a piece of matching fabric sewn on the waist to act as a belt before new fabric flowed out and landed at the knees.
"Where are we going?" Cordelia asked the House-Elf as she put on the shoes and combed her hair, pulling it back with a matching silver headband.
"Mistress says you are going to a formal party at the Nott residence," Dobby informed the girl.
Cordelia groaned at the thought of a formal party at the Nott's. When Dobby brought her the dress, she knew they were going somewhere she found unbearable. She did; however, hope that it was for a simple dinner. She could endure the ridiculous supremacy talks in small groups, but a formal party meant that there would be so many people. It was likely that everyone her family knew would be there, and that thought made her cringe.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the party, Cordelia stuck to her brother and was forced to stand in the midst of his friends. They were all younger than her by at least two years, and they hadn't even started Hogwarts yet. But, this was better than interacting with the adults, or even with people her own age. She didn't speak to anyone, and no one spoke to her. She preferred it this way, as she didn't have to pretend to be interested in what they were saying. She knew that speaking her mind was a dangerous thing in these situations. It would cause an argument with whomever she was speaking to. That person would tell her father, and she would be punished when they returned home. So pretending to agree was the best thing for the girl in this moment, even if it was exhausting. At least Draco and his friends kept the topics light, mostly talking about Quidditch or their future at Hogwarts.
