• Camille Malfoy •

„You can't chase your dreams
when your fears are
chasing you."

The flames in the fireplace of the Slytherin common room cast large shadows on the stone walls. Camille enjoyed the night's peace and quiet, as most of her housemates had already moved into their dormitories. Perhaps it was due to the fact that many had forgotten to pack for tomorrow's departure, or perhaps they wanted to be well rested for the early start.

It didn't matter to the blonde, her suitcase was ready for departure and so she could spread out on the green sofa in front of the roaring fire. In her lap was a thick book containing numerous magical, Christmas collectible stories. It was almost a tradition that Camille had always read this at least once at Christmas time since she was little.

The thick snowflakes that had been falling from the sky in Scotland for days now, lighting up the dark night with their colour,
would make her happiness perfect. But in the deep cellars of the castle, the Slytherin could only guess how the cold flakes melted into the even colder water of the Black Lake or laid like a protective blanket on the frozen ice.

Ice flowers had formed on the enormous windows that gave a glimpse into the depths of the lake. In the north of Britain, winters were cold and snowy, which was not always given in the south. But Camille liked the dark season because it meant she could get comfortable in front of the fireplace with one of her favourite books without being looked at askance.

Lost in thought, she ran her fingers over the already cracked leather cover of her favourite book. At least one of them. She often wondered what kind of animal it might have been before it had ended up as the cover of her favourite book. Not a nice thought, but Camille couldn't help it.

The pages of the volume had already turned yellow, as long as this had been in her mother's possession, who had also enjoyed reading it decades ago as much as she did now. The blonde finally folded the tarnished pages closed as her turquoise eyes gradually began to hurt in the dim light.

Her muscles had become quite stiff due to her hunched and barely changed position on the sofa, so she had to stretch with pleasure before she went to her bedchamber. To her surprise, the light was still on when she entered and Lorraine and Emma were standing around one of her beds. Her two other roommates were also already craning their heads in vain to guess what her whispered words might be about.

The friends looked up at her presence and Camille frowned as she slowly placed her book on the dark wood of a dresser. "Are you all right?"

"Lorraine has a secret admirer," Emma grinned broadly at her, pointing to a large black casket on the blonde's Slytherin-green bedspread. She merely crossed her arms in front of her chest and replied with rosy cheeks, "That's not true at all."

Camille raised one of her finely plucked eyebrows and stepped up to the bed to get a better look. In the velvet box lay an intricately worked jewel in the shape of a necklace. Her mouth opened into a silent O and she almost couldn't take her eyes off the sparkling stones. "Wow, someone really seems to like you."

"But I like Garreth!" objected Lorraine defiantly, but there was doubt in her expression, Camille noted with satisfaction. She bit her lower lip and a guilty conscience gnawed at her in part because she knew full well that the expensive piece of jewellery had come from none other than Dawson. She could not have known that he would dig so deep into his pocket. He really did seem to care a hell of a lot about having a suitable girl by his side. If only he weren't such a sneaky suck-up....

A few days ago, she had asked the seventh grader to woo Lorraine a little, to make her realise that there were other boys, besides her beloved Garreth Greengrass. What she had not told him, however, was that he would probably never end up on the blonde's shortlist. She would make sure of that personally, because Dawson Mulciber could never be a good husband in her eyes. Not for her best friend.

"Does he like you as much as you like him?" asked Camille the counter question, to which Emma commented with a loud groan, "Not this discussion again, please."

"I'm all for that," Lorraine said pointedly, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she turned away. The casket, meanwhile, she placed on her bedside table before slipping into the down bedclothes and the subject seemed settled for her. "We're going home tomorrow! There, I don't want to waste my last few hours at Hogwarts with such childish arguments!"

The long train ride back to King's cross station had dragged on as long as Drooble's best blowing gum. So Camille was relieved to finally set foot on the dusty compartment, even if it meant saying a brief goodbye to her friends for the time being. Even if she would soon see Lorraine again at her brother's wedding.

The blonde had known in advance that her parents would not be appearing in person, instead her turquoise eyes searched the platform for her little house elf. In the process, her gaze abruptly locked with Regulus', from whom she said goodbye with a gesture in the form of a nod and a faint smile. She would see him again, too, sooner than she could say butterbeer.

Camille had to weave her way through several magical families before she spotted the little creature with the dignified name of Tinki. Her father often used to say that there was no more comfortable way to travel than with a house elf. Provided the helpful creatures liked one. She was quite sure, however, that Tinki, whose small wrinkled hand gently clasped hers, was not particularly fond of her or her family.

Her stomach churned every time they bridged the distance between London and Wiltshire at the speed of light. But as quickly as Camille's environment had begun to spin, it stood as still as a painting. And so beautiful was the sight that presented itself to the girl.

Malfoy Manor was situated in a rural area in the south of England, surrounded by spacious park-like grounds, marked by wild fields and hills, with the sun just setting on the horizon in the afternoon light. The picturesque beauty of her home allowed Camille to enjoy her view for a few seconds before the little house elf tugged urgently at her travelling cloak. "Tinki has been instructed to bring Miss home as soon as possible," she said.

"Father won't mind if I examine the architectural masterpiece of our ancestors for a moment," the blonde merely replied, but nevertheless began to step with long strides through the wrought-iron gate, which magically opened of its own accord at her presence. Across a wide gravel path surrounded by metre-high hedges, she finally reached the entrance door of the elegant mansion, which also immediately granted her entry.

Tinki followed at her heels, while the expensive dark green carpet swallowed her steps whole. The paintings of her ancestors nodded politely to Camille as she passed, and at last she stood in the spacious drawing room directly in front of her brother. "Lucius!" she exclaimed delightedly, falling straight into his arms.

The young man let out a harsh surprised laugh before returning his sister's embrace. "It's good to see you in such splendour again! You won't be able to resist offers, dear sister!"

Camille slowly disengaged from her brother's arms and smirked. "This holiday is all about you and your marriage to Narcissa, I can hardly imagine how excited you must be."

He was denied an answer, for at that moment the young Malfoy caught sight of her parents, who had also entered the spacious hall, the echo of their footsteps betraying them. "You're getting more beautiful with every term," her mother declared with a proud smile on her lips before anxiously running her thumb under the blonde's eye. "But tell me, did you get enough sleep on the trip?"

Camille replied with a weak smile, in fact she had barely managed to get a wink of sleep on the noisy rattling train. She now turned to her father, a handsome man with similar light silky hair to hers. Unlike her, however, he usually wore it tied into a loose braid. She noticed that Lucius' hair had also grown quite a bit, as if he wanted to emulate his father. Abraxas Malfoy's hug was stiffer than the rest of her family, but no less warm. "Has your brother told you about the surprise yet?"

"Not a word!" the girl replied, staring at Lucius with wide eyes. The latter smiled conspiratorially at her. "Well, the opportunity didn't exactly arise, did it? Narcissa wants you to be her bridesmaid. If you can make it work, of course," he added with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye.

A squeaky cry escaped from Camille's pale lips and once again she was overcome by the groom-to-be. "But of course I can arrange that! Has she decided on a dress colour yet?"

Her parents' laughter now reached her ears and she felt a hand rest on her back. "All in good time," her father smirked and began to push her towards the stairs. "But now you should unpack your bags first. We'll be having dinner in quite some time and I don't expect any delays if you can't find one of your dresses."

Giving in defeat, his daughter nodded dutifully. "Yes, Father," she said with a half curtsy, and for the moment she also said goodbye to Lucius and her mother with a curt nod before climbing the stairs to the upper floor. It felt good to be home again and, as so often, she felt as if she had never been away for a long time.

Camille found her room just as she had left it. With the exception that her bed, much too big for a girl of her stature, was freshly made and made up. Tinki must have already brought her suitcase upstairs, because it was standing in front of her rustic wardrobe made of real oak. A smile stole onto her face as she threw herself onto her soft bedding and thought of the upcoming wedding, which she could now hardly wait for.

It would be the first celebration of its kind that she would attend and remember afterwards, for before she had been too young to really take anything with her. And then she would be able to experience the celebration first-hand as a bridesmaid! She wondered if Regulus was also assigned an important role? After all, Narzissa was his cousin. Perhaps he was best man or ring bearer. She sighed, after all she still had to explain to her parents that she would have to spend more time with the young Black in the future because of the project.

Again a broad smile stole onto her lips, possibly Regulus would soon be standing in a new light for her parents. They would see that he was not going the way of his older brother and was worthy of her. Even more than that, for Camille couldn't help but wonder if she too was good enough for the crush of her youth. For it was possible that the latter had already given his heart away.

__________________

Aside from the story,
who do you like more?

Sirius or Regulus?