The boy-who-lived slipped from the room moments after he noticed his chaperone doing the same. If she needed a break from the arseholes, then surely he could justify one as well.
"Didn't expect you to be the one sneaking out of the party."
A soft laugh escaped the woman as she halted in her walk away from the mansion. "Just needed some air."
Harry frowned, "Also never expected you to be this bad at lying."
The sad smile was back on her lips, and despite everything, Harry found it unsettling to see the woman in such a state.
"I've never really enjoyed my birthday, it's even worse that it falls on a holiday. It means I've always been forced to attend parties or events, whether as a child or adult." She let out a sigh even as she took a few strides, trailing fingers over the magically reflective water of an ornate fountain. "My mother would always twist the day into something else. It became a yearly reminder that I hadn't succeeded enough, hadn't lived up to her standards or achieved what she thought was sufficient. Strange, how I came to hate a day that everyone else seems to love."
In that moment images seemed to flash before the boy's eyes. Reminders of the day he hated. "My parents were murdered on Halloween." His voice echoed into the night sky, freezing the woman in place before she slowly turned to meet his gaze. "But the war also ended that day. Everyone always celebrated it, but it always felt like a slap to the face."
"I'm sorry, about what happened to them, to you."
Harry shrugged it off like he usually did, "It wasn't your fault, but thanks." Her steps slowed, giving him the silent message that she was waiting for him. A few quick steps later and they were walking side by side through the frigid air, kept warm through their enchanted clothing.
"How was the first part of your holiday break?"
A smile appeared on his face as he thought about the best Christmas in his life. "Fantastic. I loved spending time at home for once."
She quirked her head ever so slightly in curiosity, "You never have before?"
He snorted in response, "Since starting at Hogwarts? No, I spent every break I could there."
"Because of your guardians?"
He looked away, they had been down that path, had gone over his childhood, or at least as much as he was willing to relive for her benefit. She knew enough to make the correct assumptions.
Riddle was silent, though the look in her eyes gave him all the sympathy he needed. They continued walking, the laughter and conversations becoming nothing more than background noise to the peaceful winter night. "We should probably head back in soon. Don't want to miss the festivities."
This time it was Harry who didn't respond at first, "Actually, could we just keep walking for a bit? I like the company out here more than inside."
Her smile was worth every moment, and with a flick of her wrist she set a warming Charm around them as they continued their stroll.
****
"Hello Harry"
Shit, he had been hoping, almost desperately, to avoid the Malfoy heiress during the party. It wasn't just the fact she could easily give him the creeps, it was more so he was worried about how he would react around her now that she had sent him naked pictures.
He wasn't sure how to react to a normal person doing such a thing, much less a stalker.
Still, Grace was caught up in a heated conversation with a group of adults which meant he was stuck with the girl. Even if there was someone else nearby close enough to intervene, he doubted anyone would be willing to stick their neck out for him.
"Malfoy" he greeted, as cold and tight as possible, maybe he could either piss her off or offend her enough to earn some breathing space.
Apparently not, as she took another step closer to him, eyes shining. "Did you like my… gifts?"
Harry flinched despite his best efforts. He shouldn't feel guilty, didn't feel guilty. It wasn't as if he had been spying on her like a pervert, she had sent him those photos, and he hadn't barely looked at them! "The letter was… something."
Even without the pictures her handwritten note had been enough to send shivers down his spine. The smile that formed on her face at his response failed to alleviate those concerns. "It was, I hope you kept it, and the pictures. I had so much fun taking them. I thought about you the entire time, how you would look at me, how you might be filled with desire, arousal."
"I didn't… look at them." He muttered, barely even believing his own words despite knowing them to be true. How was it he could face down death itself but was still flustered so easily around certain people?
"No?" Something shifted in her expression, it wasn't anger like he thought it might be, or disappointment, it was something else. "You must want a more… physical gift then."
Before he could argue that no he most certainly did not want anything from her or her family, especially not 'physical gifts', whatever that meant, she had undone a few lace knots then pulled her robes open.
She wasn't wearing anything underneath.
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