Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

(Summer) Year 5- Ch.96

Céline felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Julia standing there with a soft smile.

"Es-tu prête, Céline?" She asked her. Céline looked at her watch. (Are you ready, Céline?)

5am.

She got up from her seat, grabbed her trunk, and followed her towards the exit. As she looked around the train station, it was no long deserted, there were a few people waiting for the train and couple of people lined up at the ticket counter.

They exit the station to be greeted by the morning light breaking over the buildings. It was completely different than how it looked just a couple of hours prior. There were already people talking their walks, either for leisure or for their commute to work.

Céline followed Julia down a neighborhood for a couple of minutes until they reached a townhome. She noticed that her home was very close to the station.

"Je pars à Paris pour ramener mon fils sur le campus. Ses cours reprennent cet après-midi. Il a décidé de suivre des cours supplémentaires pendant l'été." She said as she unlocks the front door of her home. (I'm going to Paris to take my son back to campus, his classes start again this afternoon. He decided to take extra courses over summer.)

Céline looked around as they entered the front door to their living room. It was cozy, filled with beautiful and flourishing potted plants and colorful mismatched furniture. And the walls were filled with different abstract art along with picture frames of Julia and her son at different stages of his life. They looked like a happy little family.

"Installez-vous confortablement, ma chérie, pendant que je vais m'assurer qu'il est réveillé." She said happily as she hurries up the spiral stairs. (Make yourself comfortable, dear, while I go make sure he's awake.)

Céline hesitates for a moment before going to sit down on the colorful blue suede loveseat. She puts her hands on her lap, trying to keep her leg from shaking up and down. Not even a few minutes later she comes back down.

"Il est debout. Au fait, il s'appelle Jacques. Je vais aller m'habiller, et dès qu'il descendra, nous partirons." Julia said as she walks past her towards a closed door on the other end of the living room. (He's up. His name is Jacque, by the way. I'm going to go get dressed and as soon as he comes down, we'll go.)

"Merci, Madame Julia." Céline said politely. (Thank you, Ms Julia.)

Julia looked at her for a moment before walking back over to Céline. She put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, s'il te plaît. C'est absurde... Je ne sais pas ce que tu vis, mais je veux t'apporter l'aide que j'aurais aimé que quelqu'un m'apporte quand j'avais ton âge." She said to Céline, with the same warmth that Mrs. Weasley had when she would speak to her. Céline couldn't help but get teary eyed. (Oh, please. Nonsense... I don't know what you're going through, but I want to give you the help that I wish someone would have given me when I was your age.)

Julia lifted her hand from Céline'a shoulder and patted her head, before turning back towards the door, Céline assumed was Julia's room, and just as was entering she spoke again.

"Et s'il vous plaît, juste Julia." She said as she closed the door behind her. (And please, just Julia.)

Céline sat back down and stared off into deep thought, she felt grateful to Julia, she could have sent her on her way and rejected her, but instead she helped her. She absentmindedly played with her metal snake bracelet that securely sat on her wrist. She knew better than to call her snake, Argen, who she named after the its color silver, out in front of muggles.