A Death Eater Christmas
word count: 7428

Arden truly didn't realise just how disconnected she had become from Harry's life until she was told through Cedric that he had been seeing things through the eyes of Lord Voldemort, such as Arthur Weasley being nearly killed by the Dark Lord himself. On top of the fresh wounds from their breakup, Hermione had sent an owl describing just how often Voldemort would invade Harry's mind along with Harry's other struggles with his emotions, which acted as the icing on top of the cake baked with Arden's guilt; she realised just how poor of a person she was for not being around to support Harry, and felt even worse knowing Harry didn't feel that Arden was someone he could talk to in times of need.

"He broke up with you right before Christmas, I'm not going over there," Cedric argued. Ron had invited Arden and Cedric to have dinner with his family along with Hermione and Harry. While Arden normally would see the Weasleys on school holidays (with Cedric occasionally tagging along), she felt it would be too awkward with Harry present. It hurt that she now had to avoid Harry when trying to spend time with Ron or Hermione as they were her friends also, but would be virtually impossible as those three were joined at the hips.

"They're your friends too Ced, don't cut your time with them just because of me," Arden argued.

"I'd hardly consider them friends. They're lovely people, but it's not the end of the world if I miss a dinner with them to spend time with my only sister," Cedric said, nudging Arden with his elbow slightly with a grin on his face. His grin fell when he noticed not even a hint of a smile was evident on Arden's face. He sighed, not entirely knowing how to make Arden feel better. He had already attempted telling her many of his horrible puns, but her normal reaction of an eye roll and stifled laughter was replaced with utter silence. He even pulled the protective older brother spiel, vowing to give Harry a nasty talking to the next time he saw him, but Arden shut down that plan quicker than turning on a light, which Cedric was subtly thankful for, as such aggression and provoking wasn't behaviour he was fond of. 

The two sat in silence, only the sounds of steaming milk and soft chatter of the Muggle cafe they were in filled the air. Cedric looked over at Arden's hot chocolate, the heavy mountain of whipped cream was beginning to melt, and the thickened hot chocolate was now slowly starting to rise and drop over the edge of the mug due to Arden not taking one single sip.

"Are you not going to drink that?" Cedric asked, pointing at Arden's mug. Arden looked down at her drink that she had entirely forgotten as her mind was occupied by feelings of guilt. She lifted the mug to her lips, tilting it back ever so slightly and took several large gulps in a row. The hot chocolate had cooled down, making it able to run down her throat with ease, the flavours completely bypassing Arden's taste buds. Arden then set down the mug, the ceramic making an unpleasant 'clink' sound as it made contact with the wooden table. She wiped her lips with one of the napkins on the table, then pushed the mug further away from her along the table.

"Done," she said monotone like.

"Blimey Arden are you trying to make yourself sick?" Cedric asked, slightly fed up with his sister's carelessness. Arden only shrugged, causing Cedric to sigh and take the last sip of his drink. He then stood up, rummaging through his coat pockets and leaving a few notes of Muggle money on their table. He nodded his head towards the exit, signalling Arden to follow him outside. Stepping outside and onto the bustling street of London, Arden wrapped her light blue coat tighter around her as the sudden cool breeze came as a shock compared to the warmth of the cafe. Her arms were folded tightly to preserve warmth; her teeth were chattering along with her body shaking as she fought the harsh cold.

"Where are we off to now?" Arden asked, her voice shaking from how hard she shivered.

"We can head home, or we can look for some last minute gifts if you'd like. Did you get anything for dad yet?"

"No," Arden replied flatly.

"What about mum?"

"Totally forgot."

"Me?"

"I don't know what you like!" Arden argued, throwing her hands into the air. Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh; normally Arden was the one berating Cedric for leaving gifts to the last minute, he now understood how she felt whenever his procrastination exhausted him.

"Blimey Arden did you get anything for anyone?"

Arden guiltily looked down at the snow covered pavement. Christmas was something she had completely forgotten about, her mind was always occupied by her drama with Harry, her trying to better her magic, or her confusing budding friendship with Draco Malfoy.

"It just hadn't crossed my mind," Arden mumbled guilty. Cedric sighed, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"It's alright, we'll just have to prepare ourselves to deal with crazy Muggles, yeah?" Cedric joked, earning a look of both annoyance and fear from Arden; Muggles were no problem to Arden, but during Christmas time she knew just how insane they could get, and the chaos was something she needed to mentally prepare for. Cedric chuckled, knowing exactly what his sister was thinking (as he too wasn't fond of dealing with Muggles during the holiday season) and lead her to one of the large department stores that was a few streets down the road.

The two let out a unanimous sigh of relief upon entering the store, the wave of heat flushed over their freezing bodies. Soon that relief was halted as Arden heard the echoing loud chatter of Muggles frantically buying their Christmas gifts at the last minute, just as Arden had planned to do. Reluctantly, the two walked further into the store, looking at the map wondering where they would need to go to get particular gifts for the people they'd left out.

"Arden?" A high pitch voice asked. Arden looked away from the store map and in the direction of the voice. Her eyes fell onto her dear friend, Lena Oxton. She wore a lavish, black pea coat over an above the knee dark green dress. Her black gloves had a fur trim at the wrists, and her hair that had grown out to hover a few centimetres above her shoulders were tucked behind her ears, the top covered by a beret that matched her dress. Arden was taken aback by how stylish Lena looked; normally at Hogwarts when she wasn't in uniform Lena sported ripped jeans and a plain shirt, but in London she looked as if her clothes were as expensive as the house Arden's family lived in.

Arden looked by Lena's side and noticed who she was accompanied with. A man in all black clothes stood by her, his features strikingly similar to Lena's, who Arden could only guess was her father. Beside her father was a beautiful woman with glowing deep skin and long braids that reached down to the middle of her back. Next to the woman was none other than Blaise Zabini, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he currently was. Arden was confused as to why Lena was with Blaise's family, but quickly remembered that his father had married Blaise's mother; the polar opposites were family through their parents' marriage.

"Doing some last minute shopping are you?" Lena laughed as she walked over to Arden, her milky cheeks blushing slightly as she did.

"Yeah, mainly me though, Ced is on the ball with this sort of stuff this year," Arden joked, nudging her brother's side. She looked up at her brother and noticed how sickly pale he suddenly became. His stare was deadpanned on Lena's father, who had nastily glanced Cedric's way before returning his attention to his wife as a means to not draw negative attention from Arden, not knowing she caught the nasty look.

Lena also noticed Cedric's fearful look in his eye. "Everything alright?" She asked, her doe brown eyes glancing back over to Arden. Arden furrowed her brow and gently tugged on the sleeve of Cedric's coat, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. His hands were trembling, and his eyes began to look glassy, fighting back tears from falling down his cheeks.

Before Arden could speak up and excuse herself and Cedric from the scene, Lena's father stride over and stood by her side.

"Lena darling, everything alright?" He asked, his voice deep and as smooth as butter. He smiled down at Arden, immediately knowing who she was; during the Triwizard Tournament, Rita Skeeter took every chance she could to publicise the romance between Harry Potter and the sister of a rivalling contestant. "I'm Charles Oxton, and you must be Miss Diggory, I've heard lots of things about you," he purred, stretching out his arm to shake her hand.

"Not all from the Prophet's rubbish I hope?" Arden jokes, taking Charles' handshake offering.

"No my dear," he chuckled, "those words from Miss Skeeter's quill are terribly tragic, in both construction of prose and the nonsense she claims true." Charles chuckles at his own comments, causing Arden to force one out as a means to make the situation less awkward. Looking up at Charles Oxton she realised how intimidating he was. His clothing was dark and visibly expensive, his voice was deep paired with a very posh accent, and his well groomed bearded accentuated his high cheekbones and stern brows; the only thing not intimidating about him were the sweet brown eyes he shared with his daughter.

"And you are obviously our Triwizard Champion, Cedric Diggory," Charles said, turning his gaze to Cedric, his tone rather cold. He reached out his hand to shake Cedric's which Cedric slowly, and reluctantly accepted. Arden noticed the extremely tight grip they held on each other, as if both were battling for dominance in strength. Cedric's silver eyes locked onto Charles', the two of them holding a dark, menacing glare onto one another despite the fake smiles on both of their lips. "It's an honour to meet you," Charles said, breaking the silence.

Cedric simply nodded, taking his hand out of Charles' grasp. The two never broke eye contact, both of them looking as if in any second, one would draw their wand on the other and break out into a heated duel. Charles' eyes were filled with hatred and disgust, while Cedric's were filled with pure terror.

"Darling, you're going to be late," Blaise's mother purred, holding onto her husband's arm as she gently tried to lead him away from the scene. Charles' eyes lingered on Cedric for a few more painfully slow seconds, before he turned his attention to his wife.

"Right, we best be off. It was lovely to meet the two of you," Charles grinned, turning away from the Diggorys and heading towards the exit.

"See you at school," Lena said, giving Arden a quick side hug before jogging to catch up with the rest of her family, her father's arm wrapping around her shoulder when she reached them. As the Zabini and Oxton family walked out of the store, Cedric caught a glimpse of Charles again, but this time, there was something far more sinister in the way Charles stared at Cedric, as if he were plotting something dark.

Arden looked up at her brother, confused by his sudden change of mood.

"Ced, you alright?" She asked him, slightly nudging him. Even once Charles had left Cedric's view, he still kept his eyes fixated outside of the store, fearful of Charles' return.

"Th-that man..." Cedric began, his voice shaking. "I saw him in the graveyard." Arden held onto his forearm tightly, gently rubbing his back as now his whole body began to shake violently. Back home during the summer when Cedric had his nightmares, Arden always gently rubbed his back as a means to soothe him, and most of the time it worked well enough for him to fall back asleep; it was why the two opted to sleep in the living room, so they would be close to one another at all times when asleep.

"Lena's father? You saw him that night?" Arden questioned.

Cedric nodded rapidly. "H-he was the one You Know Who told to kill me," he admitted. Arden gasped, looking down at the ground as a million thoughts began to run through her mind. She felt sick to her stomach, knowing her house mate was the daughter of a Death Eater, and a very wealthy one who looked to have noble status at that, meaning he must have been close to the Dark Lord. She remembered what Cedric told him that night, how a man in Death Eater robes, mask off, was told by the Dark Lord himself to kill 'the spare.' Cedric was lucky, and was quicker than the spell could travel and hid behind a tombstone where the killing curse caused an eruption of green flames rather than the end of Cedric's life. Harry urged Cedric to leave, but not before he casted Bombarda at the group of Death Eaters in hopes to give Harry an advantage. From Harry's words, Cedric had caused multiple Death Eaters, including Charles, to be seriously injured and unable to assist the Dark Lord in their duel, and thus may have helped save Harry's life.

Arden couldn't believe it, did Lena know that her own father was a Death Eater who tried to kill Cedric? Was Lena a Death Eater herself? These were the two thoughts most prominent in her mind as she tried to stomach the information her brother told her.

"We have to tell Harry-" Arden began.

"No!" Cedric cut off, gripping onto Arden tightly, causing her to wince in pain from the grasp. "Please I don't want to talk about this any more right now," he pleaded. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to focus on controlling his breathing. The loud, chaotic chattering of the shopping Muggles around them along with the large crowds of Muggles furiously trying to grab gifts didn't help in Cedric's case. Arden kept giving Cedric words of encouragement as she quickly tried to weave the two of them through the bustling crowds of London, desperately trying to find an alley of sorts where no one was around.

Cedric had both of his hands covering his ears, a headache forming from the high pressure he put into either side of his head; he was desperately trying to drown out the sounds that reminded him of darkness, trying to repress the horrible memories that would often haunt him. Arden pulled Cedric down a dirty alley, which thankfully was empty. She tightly linked her arms with his, and Cedric immediately apparated the two into the comfort of their own home, where for several more hours, Arden spent trying to console her older brother and remind him that he was safe, and that no dark forces were currently hunting him.

-

"What are we even doing that's so important we had to rush, anyway?" Lena asked her father, skipping in her step slightly as to catch up with her father who was walking far too quick than she was used to.

"I told you this months ago dear," Charles breathed out, "we're visiting an old school friend of mine and having dinner with his family."

Lena groaned, earning a tired sigh from Charles. "Why do I have to visit? You never even talk to me about your work life, let alone your social life." Charles stopped his ridiculously fast walking, causing Lena to stumble slightly from the sudden change of pace. They were stood outside of a large, black metal gate, one Lena had hardly noticed as her attention was focused on keeping up with her father's speed. Charles looked over to his daughter, placing both of his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes like any other loving parent would to their only child.

Taking in her features, he noticed just how much she resembled her mother that he met fifteen years ago, a Muggle. The only thing Lena had not inherited from her mother was her fiery red curls and striking blue eyes, other than that, every time Charles looked at his daughter he saw the very same Muggle woman.

"I am very proud to call you my daughter, Lena, and I want my closest friend to finally meet the one thing that wakes me up every day," Charles said softly. Lena could feel her stomach drop slightly as she could sense his dishonesty; her father has had friends over to their home before, and he would never address Lena as the daughter he was proud to call his, but rather a daughter he had mistakenly. Since Charles had came from a very rich pure-blood family and ended up falling for a Muggle, this made him lose respect amongst the people who knew him and his family. Although Lena had no clue that her father came from a pure-blood family, she knew his family were traditional, and always thought her father's behaviour of her being a 'mistake' was due to the fact that he and her mother never married. Lena couldn't help but feel she was being used to prove something, but she couldn't quite figure out why her father possibly needed to prove himself for.

Lena simply nodded her head, not wanting to disappoint her father. While she could feel the disdain from him growing up, she still loved him, because he very well could have abandoned her, but he never did. A grin spread across Charles' face. He turned away from Lena, walking up to the large iron gate and pulling out his wand, tapping on the lock in a specific rhythm. The gates slowly opened, letting out a large screech from the lack of oil on the hinges, and nasty scraping sounds as they dragged along the concrete. Charles put his hand on Lena's upper back then guided her through the gates.

Lena's jaw hung open slightly in awe as she stared at the large mansion at the end of the long path they were walking along. Surrounding the path were large gardens, all with cobblestone paths ringing around. There was an abundance of white roses and snowdrops in the gardens. There were spots of bright red roses, and other colourful flowers such as assorted tulips, carnations, even sunflowers. None of the flowers every looked unmatched together, they were all designed in a way to compliment different sections of the gardens. Even in the freezing cold winter, charms kept the colourful plants alive and well and made the gloomy victorian mansion a little less dark and frightening.

Charles knocked on the large black doors that had designs on flowers and other sorts of plants Lena couldn't identify etched into the wood. At the top were stained glass panes with geometric patterns on them. It was only a matter of seconds before Lena and Charles were greeted by a house elf, who enthusiastically greeted Charles and Lena into the large house. The house elf took both of their coats, letting out a surprised gasp when Lena thanked him before scurrying off.

"Charles! Wonderful for you to arrive," a deep voice called out. Lena looked up and felt herself freeze as she saw the man who brought her father into a hug. From his long slicked back blond hair and his cold grey eyes, it was unmistakable that he was a Malfoy. Lena felt her stomach churn, never in a million years did she think she'd ever set foot in the Malfoys' home, the only time she ever uttered a word to any Malfoy was on the Hogwarts express earlier that year, and that was only to tell Draco Malfoy that she was the step-sister of Blaise Zabini.

"And a pleasure to finally meet you, Lena," the Malfoy said, slowly holding his hand out for a handshake as if he was reluctant to do so. His dark grey eyes stared into Lena's, feeling as if he could read into her soul. "I'm Lucius Malfoy, an old friend of your father's," he introduced.

Lena smiled softly, taking her hand from his as the awkward introduction had ended. The sudden sound of hurried heels clicking against the cold tiles caused Lena to jump slightly. Her attention turning into the direction of the sound, Lena spotted an older woman who was undoubtedly Mrs Malfoy. Her platinum blonde locks were styled in neat curls, pinned out of her face, and her dark grey dress had black flowered patterns embroidered onto it; Lena came to the thought that she was definitely the one behind the flowered gardens out the front of the mansion.

"Wonderful to meet you darling," Mrs Malfoy cooed, bringing Lena into a quick, yet nurturing hug, kissing her cheek before she pulled away.

"Wonderful to meet you too, Mrs Malfoy," Lena said breathlessly, feeling as if everything occurring was a strange dream resulting from drinking too much Fire Whiskey.

"Please dear, call me Narcissa," the woman smiled. Lena immediately noticed that her eyes were much kinder than Lucius', and her overall nature while styled in dark fashion, seemed light and warm hearted.

"Where's Draco?" Lucius asked, his patience seemingly thin. Narcissa let out a disgruntled sigh, muttering something about her son being slow at getting ready. She excused herself before rushing off out of sight, her soft voice calling out for Draco to hurry and come to the dining area where the Oxtons and Lucius were standing.

Lena awkwardly stood by her father as he and Lucius began talking about a bunch of Ministry business that she didn't understand. Her eyes glossed over the room she was in. There was a long black dining table with only five chairs, one at the head, and two on either side closer to the head of the table. Each chair back was tall, with swirling patterns reaching to a point on each one. The table had a long black silk accent cloth spread along the centre of the table, with candles and a small vase of white roses right in the middle. The floor tiles and the wall were all different shades of black, the ceiling windows being the main source of light into the room.

Lena then heard the clicking heels as well as another set of footsteps. Looking up, she caught sight of an annoyed Draco Malfoy, hands deep in the pockets of his trousers. He wore a fitted black turtleneck jumper that was tucked into black suit trousers, along with an unbuttoned suit jacket over his jumper. He stopped abruptly as he locked eyes with Lena. His parents had told him they were having dinner with family friends, but never would he have ever expected the family friends to be the chirpy Hufflepuff and her father. His eyes were wide and his jaw hung open slightly in shock, before turning his expression into one of deep confusion. Lena too looked back at him like she were lost, telling him with her eyes that she was just as confused as he was.

It was a few long minutes of awkward socialisation, where Draco and Lena both stood by their parents while they chatted away about things neither understood or cared about. What felt like hours later, Narcissa directed everyone over to the dining table, where Lena sat beside her father on one side, Draco and Narcissa opposite, and Lucius at the head of the table. With a wave of her wand, a steaming hot turkey feast that Narcissa had made appeared in front of them, along with their own sets of plates and cutlery.

"What would you like to drink, dear?" Narcissa asked Lena.

Lena struggled to find her voice, still feeling out of place in the Malfoy home. "J-just water please," she managed to let out. After getting everyone's drink requests, Narcissa waved her wand again, and their drinks appeared in front of them. It wasn't long before everyone began to dig in, complimenting Narcissa on the food that she had taken hours to prepare. There was a few seconds of silence, before Lucius Malfoy decided to break it and engage conversation.

"Lena," Lucius started, getting her attention. "Did you ever know your mother?" He asked.

Lena dropped her fork on her plate at the sudden question, cringing at the loud clanking sound it made against the fine porcelain. She quickly swallowed whatever food was in her mouth, and took a deep breath.

"N-no sir," Lena stuttered. "Apparently she died when she had me," she said softly, looking down at her plate of food.

"Strange thing it is," Lucius began. "Never imagined someone like you to fall in the trap of a Muggle, Charles."

While Narcissa glared at Lucius, and Lena widened her eyes at the comment, Charles simply chuckled.

"It was a dark time back then," he admitted, "so dark, you cling onto any bit of light."

Lucius showed no reaction, although his mind was running a mile a minute. He was just as shocked as anyone else to discover that Charles had been seeing a Muggle, more so that he was worried his long time friend would be killed by Voldemort for it. He was just as shocked to learn that Lena had been living her whole life believing her mother died in childbirth, and not knowing what had really happened to her.

"So poetic," Lucius chuckled. "And your house, you were sorted into Hufflepuff from what I've heard, correct?" He asked Lena. Lena simply nodded, unsure of any other way to respond. "You know, your father was a Slytherin, just like the rest of his family, pure-bloods the lot of them."

"I didn't know that," Lena admitted, staring over at her father, narrowing her eyes slightly as she slowly started to realise her father has most definitely been dishonest with her about nearly everything since she was born.

"Hufflepuffs are hardworking though aren't they?" Narcissa butted in, noticing Lena's discomfort. "And they're patient. Those are two wonderful qualities for someone to have, aren't they darling?" She asked her husband, taking a sip of her wine after doing so.

Lucius hummed. "You're not wrong," he admitted, taking a sip of wine himself. "No matter, despite your house, or your mother's blood,  you do come from the Oxton line," he explained. "One of the few good families left out there."

Lena looked across at Draco with confused and worried eyes. Draco simply stared back at her, taking a sip of his water. His face was unreadable, he seemed to not care about the conversation, but he still made sure to catch every single syllable that was uttered. From his slight eyebrow raise at Lena, she realised that he was catching onto something that she wasn't. Lena looked over to her father, who had a proud smile on his face from Lucius' comments.

The rest of dinner continued to be painfully awkward for both Lena and Draco, with Narcissa frequently commenting on how beautiful Lena was, and Lucius' constant conversation over her blood status with her father. Only occasionally did either Lena or Draco get a word in the conversation, which was merely a simple yes or no answer to a question about school. Everyone's plates had finally cleared, and the house elves began cleaning up the dining room.

"Draco, why don't you show Lena around? I'm sure she'd love to see the back gardens," she offered, smiling at Lena as she did. Draco let out a loud and long sigh, granting a smack on the shoulder from his father. He looked at Lena then beckoned her to follow him, while Lucius, Narcissa, and Charles retreated to the living area to continue to chat.

Lena followed closely behind Draco. He lead her down a hallway, where he suddenly stopped, and checked to see if his parents were finally out of ear shot. Rummaging through his pockets, he pulled out a rusty old key, showing it to Lena.

"Need a drink after all that shit?" Draco offered, his expression stern, almost annoyed as he waited for an answer. Lena simply shrugged, not knowing what else she could really do. Draco then turned his back on Lena and began walking down the dark hall. Lena again began following close behind, keeping her eyes on Draco's shoes to avoid staring at the paintings on the walls that called her a half-blood in nasty whispers.

"Where are we going?" Lena asked, still keeping her head down.

"Wine cellar," Draco answered bluntly, "stole the key to it during the summer. Parents haven't noticed since they keep two bottles in the kitchen and have barely even touched either of them." Lena let out a soft 'oh' in response, and the silence resumed between them as they walked down very steep stairs towards a large set of double wooden doors. On the last step, Lena tripped slightly as it was a rather high step, regaining her balance by holding onto the wall.

"Merlin's sake be careful, Oxton," Draco spat.

"Well you could have warned me about the step, Malfoy," she spat back. Draco simply rolled his eyes, unlocking the door with the rusty old key, then opening the doors, making sure he held one open for Lena to show he wasn't entirely rude.

Draco sighed, putting the key back in his pocket. "Right then, take your pick," he offered, motioning towards the many tall shelves stacked with hundreds of wine bottles.

"Do you have anything sweet?" Lena asked. Without a word, Draco pulled out his wand, and muttered the summoning charm along with the name of an Italian sounding wine. A bottle of red wine flew over into his hand, where he set it down onto the counter in the middle of the cellar. He summoned two glasses, pouring the rich red wine in each one. Lena took her glass, thanking Draco before taking a sip.

Her small sip then turned into several large gulp, the wine disappearing from her glass in seconds, the sweetness of it making it easier on her taste buds.

"That horrible here?" Draco asked, taking a small sip.

Lena sighed, setting down her glass and beginning to pour another. "Just trying to ease the pain of realising that my father is a liar," she admitted, taking more sips.

Draco chuckled, "and how do you know he's lying?"

"I know when anyone is lying, it's a gut feeling," she explained. "I didn't even know he was a pure-blood with a long line of Slytherins."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "How could you not know that?"

"Well for starters, I didn't know my mother was a Muggle until your father mentioned it," Lena said. "If I don't even know that, how do you expect me to know my father is a pure-blood? He barely talks to me about anything. He dragged me along here acting like I'm a daughter he's proud of and wants to show me off to his childhood best friend, even though I knew he was never proud of me, but for the wrong reasons."

"What do you mean 'the wrong reasons?'" Draco asked.

"I always thought he was distant because I was an 'accident,' but I know now it's because I'm a half-blood..."

Draco looked down at the ground, unable to imagine how it would feel for your own father to resent you for something you couldn't control. He watched as Lena began refilling now her third glass of wine, feeling tempted to take the bottle away, but not really feeling it was his place as he noticed the normally chirpy girl begin to break down. He didn't talk to Lena at all, nor did he ever really notice her at school other than when she would sit next to Arden in class or in the Great Hall. Seeing the poor girl drink away her sorrows because of her blood-status began to have him think a little bit more about the prejudice he was raised with.

"I don't mean to make you feel worse but, do you really know why you were dragged out here to meet my family?" Draco asked, a hint of pain evident in his voice. He wasn't told specifically why family friends were coming to visit for dinner, but listening to the conversations between their parents, he quickly caught on.

When Lena shook her head, Draco scoffed. "Come on, Oxton, surely you can't be that thick?" He joked. When Lena gave him a deadpan stare, he just sighed. "My father talking about your blood? Your family? Your house? My mother talking about your looks? It's all answering itself," he explained.

"Enough lollygagging, just tell me," Lena pleaded, growing impatient with Draco holding off on the truth.

Draco took a large gulp of wine as he prepared to speak. "Our fathers, having been close friends over the years, it's obvious that your father brought you here as a way to prove your worthiness."

"Worthiness of what?" Lena asked. Draco looked over at Lena with solemn eyes, almost as if he didn't want to admit it. Lena still didn't quite understand, but she knew judging by Draco's hesitance, she understood why he was trying to hint rather than explicitly say it, as it was something he didn't want to admit was true.

"Our fathers... they're-" Draco cut himself off. He couldn't quite stomach the thought of what was happening. He had hoped his early suspicions of it were him overanalysing, but it became more clear the longer their fathers talked to each other.

"Your father, wanted to prove your worthiness to mine, to see if you're fit to marry me," Draco admitted.

Lena spat out the mouthful of wine she had in her mouth, and knocked over her wine glass from the jolt of her hands caused by the shock of Draco's words. The glass shattered on the ground, causing the two to jump back away from the mess. Draco cursed under his breath, but with a wave of his wand, he managed to clean up the wine before it stained anything, and used a charm to sweep the glass out of sight.

Lena's eyes were wide, beginning to look glassy as tears began to well up in them. Her hands were shaking violently, and her breathing began to quicken.

"W-why me? I'm n-not a pure-blood! Y-your father would want a pure-blood, right?" Lena said frantically, pulling at the roots of her short hair as she tried to stomach the thought of an arranged marriage with Draco Malfoy.

Draco held his hands out in front of him, unsure of how to deal with the manic girl in front of him. "I don't know! My father trusts yours and he doesn't want me inbreeding to keep the blood purity I guess!" Draco tried to explain.

"I can't marry you!" Lena snapped. "This can't happen! Why would they do this? I can't-"

"Do you think I'm happy about this or something? Because I'm not!" Draco spat. He turned away from her, feeling his own heart starting to race with anger and pain from the whole situation that he had been suppressing all night. As soon as he came to the realisation of what their fathers were plotting, his mind immediately thought of Arden Diggory. The whole thing was overwhelming for him just as it was for Lena; on top of him not wanting to be forced into a marriage, he was now trying to stomach the fact that he had feelings for Arden. It didn't matter how many times he caught himself staring at her, thinking about her, or talking about her, he didn't want to admit that he was falling. However, now that his father is planning an arrangement with Lena, the vulnerability of falling for a girl is becoming a reality for Draco.

"You don't understand Draco-"

"Don't call me that," Draco spat. Arden was the only person to call him by his first name other than his family, and hearing it from Lena under the given circumstances was the last thing he needed for his swirling emotions. Lena narrowed her eyes at the blond, body and breath still shaking with fear and anger.

Lena held onto the edges of the counter as a means to help her not be sick. She gripped onto the counter tightly, her knuckles now turning white. "Malfoy, it's a lot more than you think."

"Oh what, you're upset our fathers want to arrange us to be married and continue the pure Malfoy line, and that the whole thing will  just be a business act rather than anything genuine, right?"

"There's that but also-" Lena stopped herself. She was about to admit to Draco something that she had never told a soul before. "It doesn't matter, you just about summed it up anyway," she dismissed softly.

Lena turned away, heading towards the exit of the cellar. Draco turned back at her, curious as to what else she could add on.

"No, what were you going to say?" He questioned, inching closer as his curiosity grew.

"I-I haven't told anyone before," Lena mumbled, twiddling her shaking thumbs.

Draco sighed, leaning against the counter. "I've been trusted with secrets before."

Lena scoffed. "Right, and who's coming to you with their deep dark secrets they've told no soul?" She interrogated.

Draco looked down, his mind yet again going back to the bright silver eyed girl. "Arden, actually," he admitted softly. Lena's expression suddenly turned soft from hearing him call her by her first name; it was rare to catch Draco calling anyone anything other than their last name.

"Arden trusted you with a secret?" Lena asked. Draco nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground, thinking about the night they met in the kitchens and she told him about her strange abilities, and how he promised to not tell anyone. Since then, he'd never told a soul, nor will he ever unless she explicitly said he could. Lena's face fell, wondering what Arden could have possibly shared with Draco. She was always very closed off with her feelings, so to confess something to Draco must've meant Arden truly trusted him.

Lena took a deep breath. "Well, if Arden trusts you..." she trailed off. "I can't believe you're going to be the first person I tell this to," Lena whispered to herself, "but it'll help you understand."

Draco took his eyes off the ground and locked eyes with Lena, letting her know he was listening. "Go on," he assured, folding his arms as he waited for her to collect her thoughts.

"Well..." Lena began. "Do you ever see a girl, and think she's really pretty?" Lena asked. Draco nodded slowly, again, Arden Diggory returning to his thoughts. "And you know how you just, think about them, how you want to hold them, or kiss them, or just show them all the love you can?"

Draco began to feel butterflies in his stomach. He hated to think about it, not ever wanting to feel vulnerable for having feeling. He nodded at Lena again, rather reluctantly as he continued to deny his feelings.

"Do you notice how you never feel that towards a boy?" Lena asked. That's when Draco frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"You've felt that way towards girls... and girls feel that way towards boys..." Lena said. Draco still kept an eyebrow raised, not entirely following. Lena sighed, feeling her whole body begin to shake as she prepared to finally admit what she had been explaining. "I don't feel that way towards boys," she said.

Draco was still confused.

"I only like girls romantically, not boys," she said, her voice shaking. It was the first time she had ever explicitly stated it, and had never even thought of it in such a simple sentence as the one she had just uttered. Draco looked down, still thinking, before looking up at Lena again but with his eyebrows slightly raised, and his jaw hung open ever so slightly as he finally connected the dots.

"That is a lot more than I thought..." he admitted. "I'm sorry for snapping earlier-"

"No it's fine, you didn't know," Lena said, taking a deep breath. "I just... I don't know how I 'd handle this. I already feel like I'm suffocating in lies everyday when I talk about boys with girls at school just to fit in. I don't know how I'd handle pretending to be in love with a man for life." Her breath hitched at the thought. For her whole life, Lena had been thinking she was strange for her feelings, and now it just felt as if the universe was against her for what her and Draco's father were planning, as if she didn't deserve love the way her heart wanted it.

Draco hesitantly walked up to her, wanting to make her feel better in some way. A part of him questioned why he was being so nice all of a sudden, but seeing as how this was a situation that had brought them both into misery, he felt the need to not be a git to the poor girl who had admitted something to him she'd never told anyone.

"Listen, it's going to be alri-" before Draco could finish, Lena threw her arms around him and held onto him tightly. Draco stood stunned at the sudden action. Lena was only a little shorter than Draco as she was quite tall for a girl her age, so she slightly hunched over to hide her face in her shoulder, beginning to sob uncontrollably. Draco opened and closed his mouth as he tried to find the right words to speak, but he couldn't. He slowly moved his arms up, gently patting Lena's back in an effort to console her as she continued to cry.

He felt guilty for standing so stiff and awkward, but it wasn't an act he had gotten used to yet. As Lena continued to cry, he thought about the moment between him and Arden in the Astronomy Tower, where he stiffened up when she leaned onto him. Draco remembered how Arden appreciated just his company, and realised maybe that was all Lena needed as well.

He convinced every muscle in his body to relax, knowing that his tenseness was probably not helping Lena's case. His awkward pats on her back turned into a tight hold onto her frame, and already her cries began to quieten down as his hold on her body made her feel more safe.

"You're not going to live a lie," Draco struggled to get out, still not being used to the affection and the idea of consoling someone. "There'll come a day where you won't have to pretend, or lie to fit in."

"What about our dads? What are we going to do about them?" Lena asked in between heavy sobs.

Draco kept a tight hold onto Lena. The longer she cried into his arms, the more he felt a bond grow with her, as if she were the sister he never had. Lena could feel it also, after years of feeling inadequate in her father's eyes for being a mistake, and now knowing it's because she's a half-blood, the acceptance Draco gave her (even if at first he was reluctant) was more than she had ever received in her life.

"We'll figure it out," was all Draco could say. It wasn't convincing, but it wasn't hopeless. It was enough for Lena, so she pulled away from Draco, wiping her cheeks of her tears, laughing at herself for being so emotional.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling slightly stupid.

Draco shrugged, "not the first time I've been a shoulder to cry on," he joked, earning a chuckle from Lena.

She looked up at Draco with pleading eyes. "Promise me you won't tell anyone?" She asked, holding out her pinky.

Draco took her pinky into his, making the promise.

"Of course. You can trust me, Lena."

~

I really hadn't anticipated this chapter would be so long. It was something I've been wanting to write for a while but wasn't sure where to fit the Lena backstory and the budding bond with Draco as well as Cedric and Arden's realisation of who her father is, but hey I guess Christmas is always a good time!

Longest chapter so far! Figured y'all deserve it after waiting so long. Hope you enjoy!

Toodleoo xx