Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 3- Ch. 9

!!T.W.- Parental Abuse. It's right in the beginning!!

As soon as Céline entered the manor with her father, she was spun to face him and immediately met with a slap on the face. She stumbled back, holding on to her cheek, but dare not look up at her father.

"I told you to stop talking back to the Malfoys." He sneered at her. "Can you imagine how embarrassed I was when Lucius approached me telling all sorts of insults you've thrown at that boy?! I told you to behave yourself." He stared at her, daring her to speak up.

"I'm sorr—" she quietly mumbled before she was interrupted,

"And then I hear that you're speaking and being friendly with those low born? Mudbloods? Disgusting half bloods? Blood traitors?!" He slapped her again, this time making her stumble to the floor. "Have you not learned from Beauxbaton? Have you not shamed us enough?"

"What happened at Beauxbaton had nothing to do with speaking with muggle-born students. You know that father!" She spoke up, thinking back to her time at Beauxbaton Academy. Her eyes welled up with the memories filled her mind. She got up from the floor. "You know what they did to me there. You and mother both know exactly what happened. Yet instead of blaming the people responsible, you put the blame on me." Céline yelled.

"Enough!" A woman's voice spoke loudly, with a French accent, from the entrance to the great room. Céline's mother walks over to her father, running his back hoping to soothe him. "Darling, you two 'ave only just returned from a long trip. Let's deescuss this later, once you've rested." Her mother drawled. She looked at Céline with a cold expression, "Céline, retourne dans ta chambre, n'est-ce pas ? Tu bouleverses ton père." (Céline, return to your room, will you? You're upsetting your father.)

"You will come out when I tell you to come out, do you hear me?" Her father glowered. Céline stared at them for a moment, shaking with anger. Before taking a deep breath and partially composing herself again. Without saying another word to them, she walked up the grand staircase to her room.

After a couple of days, Céline was let out of her room. Her father said only because it was Christmas. Though her parents were busy they were not home to celebrate the holiday with Céline. She spent time in the Manor's library reading in the far corner by the window. It was her favorite part of her home.

She heard a tap at the window, when she looked up she saw a beautiful eagle owl tapping its beak at the window. She removed the latch and opened the window, allowing the owl to land on the wide window sill. In one of its talons it held a small wrapped gift. She smiled at it, reaching over to her plate of biscuits, breaking a piece off and feeding the owl before removing the package. "Thank you for your hard work, my new friend." And the owl flew away.

She looked at the package to see if she could find the name of the sender, but she only saw in neat handwriting 'To: C.E'

She opened the wrapping and saw a beautiful small green box with a thin silver ribbon. She couldn't figure out who it was from, so she undid the ribbon and opened the box to find a beautiful set of hair pins. The metal was a shiny silver, decorated with small little silver gems and pearls. And at the end of the pin is a beautiful large emerald green gem. Her fingers hovered over the gems, when she noticed a little folded note neatly placed in between the box and the cushion that held the hair pins.

She pulled it out and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw the neat handwriting written in dark green ink that read:

Céline Everhart

Since you gave me a gift for Christmas, it would be rude not to give anything back.

Hair pins, since you seem to like your hair up and out of the way.

D.M

P.s. The quill is sufficient.

Céline blinked at the note, unsure on how to react. She wasn't upset with Draco for his rude reaction when I gave him the gift anymore. But she was upset with him for actually running to his father, telling him about every little quarrel we got in. Even more so when he didn't mention that he was at fault for all of those arguments.

Her father had hit her a few times the next day as punishment, for not only insulting Draco, but also lowering herself to speak with 'unworthy' students. Subconsciously , Céline placed her hand over her ribcage and flinched from the pain. She hadn't checked yet, but she was sure there was a bruise there.

She sighed and put the note on top of the hairpins and closed the box. She placed it in the pocket of her cardigan and went back to reading.

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It was the end of the holidays and Céline's father brought her to the station, warning her again about her behavior. She stepped into the train and went to find an empty compartment. Once she did she sat down next to the window and pulled out a small rectangular book and began reading.

The sliding door soon opened and when she looked up she saw Draco standing here staring at her. Her face formed a frown and she went back to her book, while tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.

Draco had seen her reading in the compartment, and before he could realize what he was doing he had already opened the sliding door. When he saw her look up at him with those emerald swirling orbs, he felt an itch in his chest. She frowned and looked back down to her book. That's when something caught his eye. On the side of her head was a very familiar hairpin, holding back some of her hair. His lip twitched before fixing his face and finally moved to sit down opposite of her.

The silence was broken when she spoke without looking up from her book, "Thank you... by the way." Draco looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "For the gift. It's very pretty." She finished.

When there was no response, she looked up at him. He was still looking at her but with his mouth agape, before he cleared his throat and looked back out the window. "Yes well... I suppose the quill you gave me was nice."

She noticed his ears were a tinge of pink. She chuckled and rolled her eyes before returning to her book, letting the compartment fill with a comfortable silence for the first time between the two of them.

Once they heard the train whistle they knew they would be departing soon. The sliding door opens again and in walks Daphne, Tracey, Pansy, and Theodore. Daphne and Tracey sit next to Céline while Pansy and Theodore sit next to Draco.

They all talked about their holidays and the gifts they received from family. Céline lied to them about the new clothes and necklace she received from her parents. Hiding the fact her parents did not give her anything for Christmas, not even their presence for most of the holiday. She spent most of her time reading in the library and recovering. Then in the last couple of days she spent her time flying her broom around the property for hours on end, until her bruised rib cage could no longer handle it then she would go back to the library.