𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖓 - d. malfoy

III - grimmauld place

A knock at the door startled Arabella into alertness.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open to reveal one of the boys from before. Harry seemed oddly familiar, but Arabella couldn't quite place him.

"Hello," he gave an awkward little wave.

"Hi." Arabella motioned for him to come in.

"I- well, er, I just wanted to say I get it."

Arabella looked at him with confusion.

"I mean, um." Harry sighed. "I understand what you're going through. Voldemort killed my parents when I was a baby so, er, yeah. I'm sorry."

Suddenly it clicked.

That's how I know him.

While he didn't have nearly the same level of fame as in the UK, Harry Potter was still famous worldwide.

"Oh, um, right," Arabella replied. Harry's tendency to stumble over his words was evidently contagious. "Thanks?"

"Sorry, it's a bit awkward, I uh don't exactly have the 'evil wizards killed our parents' chat with a lot of people."

An undignified snort came from Arabella. "No, I can't imagine you do."

Harry grinned at her. "Right, I was supposed to get you for dinner. We should probably go."

They made their way downstairs and took a seat at the table where a feast was laid out.

Molly trained her gaze on Arabella as she sat. "Do tuck in dear, you're far too skinny!"

Arabella stared down at her plate, finding herself unable to start eating the hearty meal before her. Nausea curled in her gut as she raised the fork to her mouth and forced herself to take a bite.

Deep red pooling on the pristine white floor. Red sticking to the soles of her shoes. Red on her hands.

"Don't feel pressured," the youngest Weasley spoke, snapping her out of her trance. "She thinks we're all too skinny."

Arabella gave a smile that was more like a grimace and took another small bite.

As the table's attention turned away from her, Arabella slouched imperceptibly in her seat, relieved to be out of the spotlight for a while. Not that she was opposed to it - generally, she enjoyed being the center of attention - but with all that was going on, she felt far from social. Everything had happened so fast, yet the day had seemed to stretch on forever, the hours blending into a jumbled mess she felt much too tired to sort out.

Had it really been just this morning that she found them?

Try as she might, Arabella couldn't quite wrap her head around the idea that less than 24 hours ago, her parents were still alive. Last night, they must have been just finishing dinner, her mother with a glass of wine in her hand and a whiskey in her father's.

What had they talked about? Had they talked at all? Did her mother know that her death was drawing near?

She didn't deserve her fate.

The conversation eventually tapered out as the night got darker and people migrated to other parts of the house. Arabella was more exhausted; the day's events had undoubtedly taken their toll.

"Right then." Molly cleared her throat. "Off to bed you lot; we've got to be up bright and early tomorrow if we're going to beat the crowds at Diagon."

What the hell is Diagon?

Seemingly sensing Arabella's confusion, Ginny explained Diagon Alley, regaling her with tales of Ollivander's and the "best ice cream you'll ever have, trust me," as they walked back up the stairs and got ready for bed.

Now, lying in the dark, Arabella finally allowed herself to feel. Though mature for her age, she was still just a teenager, one who had just lost her parents. Despair consumed her being as she lay there silently, the sound of Ginny's gentle snoring a soundtrack to her breakdown.

A single tear streamed like liquid silver down her cheek in the moonlight. As she closed her eyes, Arabella could've sworn she heard the sirens' song, sour with mourning and yet still the most beautiful melody.

Word Count: 1060

[A/N] I know literally nothing about Ilvermony or Massachusetts so I'm trying to avoid talking about them as much as possible. I know no one is reading these a/n yet, but I'll keep doing them for future readers. What do you think about Arabella as of now? What do you think is going to happen when she gets to Hogwarts? Let me know! If you enjoyed, please leave a vote!