It is only when the pair have made it down the hallway and into a sparsely crowded room that Harry Potter allows himself to breathe a sigh of relief and let his guard down just slightly. "That was uncomfortable."
Riddle hummed in acknowledgment, her attention clearly elsewhere.
"Do you think it was a bad idea to come? Is there going to be a fight or something because of me?"
Finally, she quirked her lips in response, "No, at least nothing which did not already exist. There has always been some animosity between those sisters. Bellatrix inherited the name, household, pride, and responsibilities of the main house while Narcissa married into the Malfoy's. Both Slytherin which means conflict is inevitable even if they are family."
He frowned, "Sounds awful, to hate your siblings so much."
"It isn't hatred just competition. Another reason why many families stop at just one child, to prevent such occurrences which could split future generations apart or turn them into something destructive."
Harry merely shook his head, "Yeah, it would be way too easy to just encourage sisters to be friendly and love each other after all."
Grace turned both her body, and attention, fully towards him, "Do you not compete with your sisters?"
"What? No, of course not. I'm happy when they succeed, it's another reason I never bothered with Quidditch in this world even if I love it. I would rather focus on my studied than take something Amaryllis loves and make it something we might fight over."
The older witch looked at him as if he was speaking a different language, "How strange."
As the pair continued walking Riddle suddenly slowed before gesturing towards a nearby, vacant, room. Harry quirked an eyebrow before following her inside, watching as she shut the door. "Really? Did the bickering siblings turn you on or something?"
Turning, she smirked, "Not quite, but I did have a rather interesting idea. I brought along the cloak Pandora bought you for the holidays and I think in the spirit of Christmas you should wear it… and nothing else."
His jaw dropped, "Y-you what!?"
Her smirk widened, "You heard me. We can cast a charm or two to keep all but the most focused attention off of you if you prefer and it isn't like there is anything dangerous to step on. Think of it as just an exciting walk around the manor, if you are feeling a bit frisky you can try a conversation or two knowing the other woman might not even realize what little you have on If you are feeling a bit more adventurous you could even do some teasing, maybe even have a 'conversation' with the one responsible for giving you the present."
He flushed red before reaching out and grabbing the cloak before starting to undress, ignoring the woman's leering gaze.
****
"What do you think you are doing?"
Delphini paused before turning to address her cousin, "Whatever do you mean Pandora?"
But the Malfoy was in no mood for the games and her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Don't act stupid Delphini. You might have made foolish decisions in the past, but you know what I am referring to. My future betrothed."
"Oh? I was under the impression nothing has been finalized, which would imply he is not your betrothed."
The blonde's eyes darkened, "What are you hoping to achieve out of this? Trying to regain some of your pitiful pride at having been saved by Harry during your idiotic outing? Or is it a desperate ploy from Bellatrix to garner more attention?"
Her cousin sniffed condescendingly, " We certainly do not need silly gestures to draw fame and fortune to ourselves."
"And yet here we are, with you making pointless gestures."
"I fail to see what is pointless about continuing the growth of a relationship with a family friend."
"A relationship" Pandora easily countered, "which has no chance of going past friendship, even if it gets to such a level. You have been condescending and hateful towards him. Even if you pretend to want an amicable connection, he will only remember your past actions."
Delphini frowned in return, "I disagree, we had a… lovely time on our outing before being interrupted."
"An outing he didn't agree to? Oh yes, such a wonderful start."
"It is a start though, but I am curious why you would be so opposed to this if you are already so assured of your relationship with… Harry ." His name, from Delphini's lips, was like a poison to the Malfoy heiress. "Could it be that you aren't as secure in your relationship as you would have everyone believe? After all, how many dates has he been on thus far this year with young girls other than yourself? How many have the two of you had to yourselves? Any?"
Pandora barely manages to contain the snarl that threatened to rip from her throat.
________________
A/N- Read 30+ Advance Chapters on Patr*on!
patr*on.com/greg01 [ 50% off ]