Deception

The Malfoy Manor was in an utter uproar.

Luckily for them the office wasn’t too terribly damaged. Well, unless you include all of Lucius Malfoy’s possessions being completely burnt. Books and papers were in ashes and his desk was hardly recognizable.

Stepping into his office was like stepping into a fireplace. Nothing left but ashes.

Amara took great pleasure in seeing Mr. Malfoy’s outrage over his loss. But he had yet to truly suffer.

They were still trying to get his office back to its once formal glory when Draco and Amara were on their way back to Hogwarts.

It seemed the whole train heard about the fire and of course Draco made it much more dramatic than it really was. He liked to play the victim. Also, Amara figured he liked to hear himself talk. Because of this, Amara found herself sitting by his side and agreeing with his stories the whole train ride back to Hogwarts.

By the time they actually arrived at the Hogwarts Amara was more than ready to get away from Draco. She was tired of him already. But by the time she was getting ready fro bed she realized that she missed him, and she was not happy about that.

She was starting to develop feelings for him.

It was actually pretty sickening. It was her one rule. She wasn’t supposed to become emotionally attached to anyone. And there she went, starting to actually fancy Draco.

She couldn’t let it get in her way. And she wouldn’t let it.

She needed to spend some time away from Draco. So the next day during lunch she went to the library, leaving Draco with Crabbe and Goyle and the rest of the Slytherin house.

So there she was, sitting alone at a table with an old and rather boring book in hand. It was nice for her to just be alone. Away from prying eyes.

“Looks interesting.”

Amara glanced up as Adrian slid into the seat across from her. He had a goofy smile on his face and seemed overall in a upbeat mood.

“Why aren’t you at lunch?” Amara asked, her eyes flickering briefly back at her book.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Adrian replied, that goofy grin still on his face. “I just wanted to know how your Christmas was.”

Amara raised a brow and finally put her book down. “I was with Malfoy.”

“I know,” Adrian rolled his eyes. “Everyone knows. Was the fire really as big as he makes it out to be?”

Amara couldn’t hide the grin. “No, it wasn’t.”

“Figures.” Adrian laughed. “So how was it staying at the Malfoy’s for the holidays?”

“Frightening,” Amara started, trying to think of how she actually felt at the Malfoy’s. She was so caught up with the whole Lucius thing she never really stopped to think about what it was like staying with Draco. “But at the end, it was very, very satisfying.”

Adrian wrinkled his nose. “I’m not even going to ask you what you mean by that.”

The laugh escaped from Amara’s lips before she could stop herself. “How was your holiday?”

Adrian shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Same old, I suppose. Spent it at my Aunt Julie’s house. The place was crowded with family.”

“Must have been nice.” Amara mumbled. A nice, big family was something Amara always wanted but probably never would have. It sort of broke her heart.

“It was,” Adrian answered, though the goofy smile was falling from his face. “What’s wrong, Jane?”

“Nothing,” Amara shook off her thoughts and tried to give Adrian a genuine smile. She knew she failed miserably, though.

Adrian did not look convinced.

“It’s just,” Amara sighed, running her hand through her hair. “I can’t talk to you anymore.”

“What?” Adrian sat up straight in his chair. “Why?”

“Malfoy doesn’t like us talking or spending time together.” Amara answered truthfully and gave the confused boy a shrug.

“What is he, jealous?” Adrian scoffed and shook his head like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “I can’t believe you’re letting him dictate your life.”

“No one dictates my life.” Amara snapped. Except for Jonathan Hart.

“He’s got you wrapped around his finger.” Adrian stood up and glared down at Amara. His face was was starting to turn red with anger. He clenched his jaw. “Just like everyone else in this bloody place. I thought you were stronger than that. But I guess you’re just like everyone else.”

Amara watched as Adrian stomped away. Her face felt warm and she was sure it was turning bright red. She felt ashamed, embarrassed, and angry.

So many emotions were raging inside her that Amara was sure she was going to explode. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to deal with any of this. She hated when people were disappointed in her. And beside that, Adrian did have a point.

What she really wanted to do was to throw something, scream, or punch someone.

She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. The last thing she needed to do was cause a scene or have a total meltdown.

And she wasn’t about to let that happen.