The Snake Pit

14; Break

authors note: sorry for the short chapter and the long wait :) let me know if I made any spelling mistakes or anything

Walking up the familiar pathway of our manor with my family for summer was one of the last things I wanted to be doing right now. What I really wanted to be doing right now was finding Draco so we could sort out and talk about the fact that we both remember the conversation we had last night. But I knew that I wouldn't be allowed to invite him over anytime soon because of all the wedding preparations my mum will be doing for Enzo.

    "When am I gonna get to meet this girl?" I asked Enzo as we walked up the stairs to our rooms.

    "She's coming over for dinner tomorrow."

    I breathed out an Oh before slipping into my room to unpack my things. I decided I would owl Theo and ask him if he was planning to come today or tomorrow. Normally, like Christmas, Theo spends the summers here instead of with his father. Usually, Theo tries to spend as little time with his dad as possible so he would just come home from the train with us.

Waiting for dinner and owl back from Theo I busied myself by playing wizard's chess with Enzo. After a little while, my mother called for us to eat, still without a response from Theo. We made our way down the stairs and to the dining room when a newspaper sitting on an end table caught my eye. I picked it up, horrified, and stared at the face of Lucius Malfoy holding up Azkaban prisoner numbers.

"Mum!" I called as I walked into the dining room.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I walked over to where she was sitting and handed her the newspaper before taking my seat next to her. She only stared at it and then passed it to my father without saying a word. My father folded it up and called for a house-elf to take it away without even a comment. I knew if they weren't saying anything about it that it was best not to question.  He then called for dinner to start and we ate.

    After dinner was over I went up in my room and contemplated sending Draco an owl about his father. Not being able to decide I wandered down the stairs and towards my parent's room to ask my mother. I stopped in the middle of my journey when I heard shouting coming from the study. I quietly crept down the hall so I could hear the conversation.

    "... and you said you wanted to help. That could have been you!" I heard my mother shout.

    "Maybe if I would have gone that wouldn't have happened!" my father yelled back.

    I heard a new voice join the conversation, "Father it would have been the same and you know it. Or you would have been thrown in there with him." It was Enzo. What was so secret that I was the only member of the family that wasn't allowed to know. I moved to press my ear further into the door when I accidentally knocked over an expensive vase that was taking up home on the table next to me.

    Everyone's voices stopped and I didn't bother sticking around to find out what would happen if they caught me snooping. I quickly ran all the way up the stairs and into the safety of my bedroom.

    I ended up deciding against writing an owl to Draco and got ready for bed early instead.

{*||||||*}

    Victoria and her family showed up to dinner an hour early. They were sitting on the left side of the table enjoying the food while talking amicably. Her parents Felix and Diane were talking about the wedding with my parents and Victoria was joking about something with Enzo. Marcus on the other hand hasn't said anything since he got here, instead, he's been weirdly eyeing me.

    The house-elves came with dessert and left. Marcus was trying to eat his chocolate mousse seductively while looking at me and I was trying to look anywhere but at him. I think his sister may have picked up on the uncomfortableness I was feeling and decided to ask him something about quidditch which sent him off in a spiral.