𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖓 - d. malfoy

IV - the morning after

Arabella woke to the faint sound of boisterous laughter and the smell of bacon, opening her eyes to find herself alone in the room. The other girls had evidently already headed downstairs.

After ensuring she looked presentable (hair - check, freshening charm - check, decent clothing -check), she headed towards the kitchen.

"Oh hello! I figured we should let you sleep this morning, yesterday must've been, well um, very tiring to say the least." Mrs. Weasley motioned her to sit at the crowded table. "Go sit and eat dear, would you like some tea?"

Arabella sat in the empty seat between Ginny and Hermione. "I'm fine, Mrs. Weas-" the woman gave her a sharp look, "I mean, Molly." She nodded and turned back to the stove where she was still steadily making food, despite the large amount already on the table and, most likely, in the stomachs of its occupants.

"I saved you a seat, wouldn't want Fred and George to start bothering you this early in the morning." Ginny shot a look at the twins, who only winked in response.

"We'd never bother a fine lady such as yourself."

Arabella laughed and leaned forward. "Maybe I would've liked to be bothered. Shame, really."

Matching grins appeared on their faces. "Seems we've got a little firecracker here, eh Freddie?"

Arabella had always been a bit of a flirt, that tendency often getting her in trouble at school and when vacationing in France. What was she supposed to do, ignore all the gorgeous girls around her? Please! She was only human.

Ginny sighed. "Please don't encourage them, or at least do it away from here." Hermione chuckled from beside her.

"Just a bit of fun, Ginny." Arabella assured the girl, taking a small bite of the food in front of her.

This is surprisingly nice. I haven't had a family breakfast like this in years. I should talk to Mothe-

Arabella was startled by the sudden realization. She would never get the chance to have a meal like this with her family or even talk to her mother again. The lighthearted atmosphere in the kitchen had almost made her forget why she had come here in the first place. Suddenly feeling guilty, Arabella found herself unable to take another bite.

*****

Twenty minutes later found Arabella in front of the mirror, putting on makeup to go to Diagon. And by putting on, she was spelling on. Often people complain about the inaccuracy or inefficiency of such charms, but they simply don't know the right ones. Not that she would ever use magic for her skincare routine - it dries out your skin terribly.

She took a step back to examine herself, pleased with her appearance today. Both at school and in her own home, she was taught to always, always look her best, regardless of anything going on around her. Her mother reminded her many times that beauty is a weapon, and dull blades do no harm. Not to say that she was vain; she just understood the advantages of looking good and would be stupid not to use them.

Ginny stepped into the bathroom behind her. "You ready to go?" She nodded and smiled back at the ginger girl. "We're going to floo over, by the way."

Arabella pulled out her wand and cast a quick impervious charm, not wanting her perfect outfit to be ruined by some pesky soot from the fireplace.

"Are you mental, you're still underage! Harry just had his trial!" Ginny frantically warned.

Arabella vaguely remembered seeing the story in the papers.

Oh right, dementors was it? Crazy that they were in a no-maj neighborhood.

"Oh right, I forgot about your silly little restrictions. We don't have those where I'm from." Arabella shrugged.

Ginny looked shocked. "You don't have the Trace?"

Arabella shook her head, appalled by the very thought. She couldn't imagine not using magic on the daily.

"Obviously there are severe restrictions on use in No-Maj areas but of course you can use magic in your own home."

The older girl put her wand away, and the pair headed downstairs, joining the others by the fireplace. Harry and Ron appeared to have just woken up, the Weasley boy still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Arabella felt eyes on her, looking to see Harry staring at her. She returned his gaze, causing the boy to flush crimson at being caught.

Arabella gave him a knowing look before stepping into the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley!"

Word Count: 797

a/n Arabella's going to Diagon... I wonder who she's gonna meet 👀 Also the stuff about underage magic being fine in America is completely made up, but in the spirit of the U.S., I decided to say fuck you JKR, have a taste of freedom bitch. Anyways, let me know what you think! Do you like Arabella so far? What house do you think she'll be in? If you enjoyed this please leave a vote!